Wow! When was the last time I could get on the laptop? O.o Oh yea...last week...been stuck here with last minute summer-stuff and cracking down on some homework that I've neglected all summer (ah knoooow I'm such a procrastinator!). Plus I've been postponing my goal to learn Scottish Gaelic. And this just came to my mind...meh... it's complete ramble right now, but I hope it gives me a few ideas to write about. And the kids need some spotlight to develop!
So... Seo! (Gaelic Translation: "Here you are!")
The children of Masyaf played underneath the shade of a palm tree near the village fountain, shouting in merriment at how their bodies moved and avoided others while they participated in their games.
Young Zahara watched the boys, and even her brothers, push one another then dart away from the victims before they knew what had occurred. She wanted to play with them, but knew her friends already believed she was weird for wanting to participate in rough and dirty games like what the boys were doing. Sighing, she turned back to her two best friends Aamina and Raidah, both of which were gossiping and playing with their ragged dolls.
Aamina, with a sly smile, leaned over to Zahara to whisper into her ear, "Zahara, are you watching the boys again?"
Zahara shrugged. Sure, she enjoyed watching the boys kick and shove one another, then imagine herself doing the same things ten times better, but the tone in Aamina's voice slightly unnerved her... "Why? Just because I reached my ninth summer doesn't mean I like boys yet!"
Aamina and Raidah giggled underneath their scarfs while Zahara rolled her eyes. Granted, Zahara was the youngest of the group, but it seemed as if she was the most mature compared to the other two when it came to the other gender. At least in her eyes. While Aamina and Raidah giggled their faces off when a boy their age approached them, Zahara would simply make conversation with them and continue what she was doing. Of course, her friends and many women told her that she should flutter her eyelashes and attempt to grab more than just glances, but Zahara never saw the reason why. To her, she shouldn't be just eye candy and never willingly be submissive to men...her mother and father told her that and made sure she understood it.
"Come on, Zahara. Can we get back to playing Family?" Raidah motioned to their dolls sitting in make-shift chairs made of sticks and grass. Family was a little game all the girls in Masyaf, maybe all of the world, played by assigning each child a role to play, as the game calls it, inside a family and to act out that role with their doll. Zahara had a tiny doll she was given from her uncle Malik, so she always played the role of a baby while her friends had normal sized dolls that played as the mother and father. The three girls bunched together in a tight circle, foreheads nearly touching as they all looked downward to their avatars.
Zahara then took her doll in hand and spoke in a squeaky voice as she guided her doll out of its' seat and towards the larger dolls, "Mommy! Daddy! Guess what?"
Raidah let out a large grin and spoke in a soft, motherly voice, "What is it, sweetie?" guiding the doll over to Zahara's doll, she made the ragged human figure's arm extend out to pat the smaller one.
Seeming to catch onto the idea, Aamina spoke in a gutter voice that she believed all men had, "Shut up! Can't you see I'm doing important manly things?"
Zahara rolled her eyes and smiled at the sudden change of topics, but decided to go along with it. That is, until she felt a kick to her backside, forcing her head to whip forward and careen into her friends as well.
The girls rubbed their sore foreheads and looked up to see Zahara's older brother, Haytham, and his friends standing over them.
Zahara glared at her brother and the other boys, "Haytham, what the heck? What was that for?" her voice sounded like daggers, and she took enjoyment at watching the boys cringe back from her foul language and tone.
Haytham snarled and picked his sister up from the collar of her dress, hoisting her up into the air to glare into her grey eyes, "A lady has to watch her tongue, sister! How do you expect to find a husband if you talk like a boy?" Zahara's eyes widened at her brother's actions. He never treated her like this before...
Raidah looked absolutely frightened at Haytham and ran away from the scene, but Aamina stood her ground like the somewhat defiant girl she was, "Hey, jerky-face! Put my friend down right now or I'll tell father!"
Haytham's friends laughed at Aamina for showing such bravery against them, but their faces immediately turned to shock once they saw Haytham lower Zahara back to the ground. He knew what Aamina meant by 'father'...Altaïr practically adopted Zahara's two best friends after they spent two years of running around in the fortress together.
Aamina smirked victoriously at them as she bent down to pick up their playthings. Taking Zahara's arm, she led the younger girl away from the large group of boys, both sticking their tongues out in a rude gesture.
Zahara, a bit shaken from her brother's treatment, took meek strides up the hill, not even trying to keep up with Aamina.
Aamina sighed and swung her arm her friend's shoulder, "I think we should go up to the fortress for the day...there we only have to worry about pigeons flying in our hair!" her attempt at humor worked, as Zahara uttered a quiet giggle before turning into a pout.
"Where's Raidah? She's such a coward to just run away!" Zahara looked around rapidly, then pointed farther up the hill where she could see a faint outline of a small girl in a green dress.
They found Raidah talking to a woman, tugging at the lady's dress and pointing in the direction of the fight scene. But as she saw her friends approach her, completely unharmed, she bolted over to them and grabbed Zahara's chin, looking for any cuts or bruises besides the growing bruise on her forehead. Zahara slapped her hand away and they continued walking to the fortress.
They entered the gate and stopped dead in their tracks as their eyes sweeped over to the training ring where two people were fighting. Only, one had a feminine curve to their body...
Maria held the blade high as she took a step back away from her husband to catch her breath. It has been too long since she held a sword, as Rakin constantly wanted her attention and how could a mother say no? But now, the call of battle sounded and she was eager to answer it. Sweat covered her brow, as well as her exposed skin. Granted, a woman should never show her skin when in the presence of men, but she was literally boiling under her tunic from under the Arabic sun and having her blood move vigorously through her veins. So, she simply decided to wear nothing but her shalwars, boots, and breast bindings.
Altaïr smirked despite his ragged breathing. When was the last time he had a rigorous fight with anyone? Licking his cracked lips, he switched into an offensive position and charged Maria. He swung his weapon back and prepared for a horizontal slash when Maria suddenly took a leap back, letting metal cling upon metal as she spun around behind her husband in a deadly dance and let the flat of the blade smack across Altaïr's back. He grunted at the sudden weight and staggered forward, pressing himself against the stone wall of the training ring. Once he caught his breath, he turned back to see Maria smiling tiredly at her apparent victory.
"Too...tired...for a...rematch...Altaïr?" she gasped in between words as she leaned against her sword, laughing faintly.
Altaïr smirked, not stopping himself as he let his eyes wander over her body and couldn't help but to admire his battle-maiden dripping with sweat and wearing nearly nothing. Staggering towards her, muscles already beginning to strain and chest heaving, he pressed a brief kiss to her forehead. "I think that's enough for today...come, we should get cleaned up."
Maria huffed, swinging the sword out in front of Altaïr as he tried to brush past her. When he shot her a questioning look, she smirked, "One more match." It wasn't a question, Altaïr sensed. It was a demand.
Altaïr chuckled and retreated back to his starting position. Shifting into a defensive stance, he waited until Maria charged him, sword brandished high before bringing the blade down to meet Altaïr's. The fight lasted for long minutes, and everyone within the courtyard were drawn over to the couple to watch.
Zahara watched her parents with growing interest. She never picked up a sword before, only knives, and by watching her mother's toned body contract and spring with every movement she made, Zahara soon found herself wanting to learn more.
Zahara inched closer to the fence, trying to get a better look at the fight. Her friends weren't too far away, and even though they hated violence, they couldn't help but become mesmerized by the graceful movements their 'parents' performed under the noon sun.
Sometime during the fight, Altaïr managed to disarm Maria, forcing her sword to fly away from her and land some ten feet away. Before anyone knew what had happened, Maria was on her back with Altaïr's sword pressed against her throat.
Maria shot daggers into his eyes, but a smile soon emerged from her chapped lips as she let herself relax more so she could lie down on the dirt. Attempting to catch her breath, she let out a weak laugh, "Good...to see you're not...completely helpless, Altaïr."
Altaïr returned her smile with his own before reaching out to pull his wife to her feet, "Brings back memories doesn't it?"
Maria rolled her eyes, but accepted his hand, "Which ones? Sparing in India, or when we first met where you tried to stab me with that hidden blade of yours?"
"Both," Altaïr chuckled as he led Maria away, before his gaze was caught by three little shadows near the gate. He recognized one immediately from seeing her grey eyes and curly black hair that he loved so much, "Zahara! What brings you and your friends here to practice?"
Zahara shrugged, looking up to the towering figures of her parents, and smiled widely, "No reason...we were just bored." she lied of course, but she didn't want to worry her parents with Haytham's roughness towards her while adrenaline was still pumping through their bodies and the sun baking them alive. They might have a heart attack.
Altaïr's face took a slightly suspicious twist to its' features, alarming Zahara. But it seemed as if with Zahara's reaction, she knew that he knew that something was bothering her.
"Once your mother and I clean up, meet us at my study, Zahara." With that, he turned on his heel to the fortress. Maria pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, slightly puzzled at seeing the growing bruise, then whispered a word of love to her and chased after her husband.
"Haytham did what to you?" Maria stood up from her chair, face turning red at the news of her firstborn acting so rudely to his sister and speaking of such things about women!
"Mother, I'm sure he was just showing off to his friends...I knew those boys, they're jerks to me and my friends!" Zahara seemed to shrink as she cowered under her mother's enraged shadow.
"Maria," Altaïr motioned with a wave of his hand for her to remain calm and sit back down. Maria glared at him, but knew she couldn't risk frightening her daughter like she just did. "Zahara, I'll speak to Haytham once he returns. Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you again and understands that the things he did today will not go unpunished." Rising from his seat, he made his way over to Zahara and embraced her.
Zahara buried her face into her father's shoulders, finally letting the tears she kept bottled up all day drip from her eyes and onto his black robes. Altaïr stepped back to wipe the tears away, starting to feel a pang of guilt upon seeing his normally tough daughter cry. True, she was meek, but always knew how to bottle up her emotions and never let them overflow.
Then, Zahara spoke: "Father...can I learn sword-fighting?"
Typical day in Masyaf? In my view, yes. Ramble? Yes, and very long ramble at that. 7 OpenOffice pages! Not completed? Yes, that was the ramble. Improved writing? Not sure...I've been diving into a new language with different grammar rules...Review? Probably not...only 3-5 people do that.