Chapter 5
"Altaïr?" Altaïr stared into the darkness, his eyes crossing the ceiling. He had offered her the bed as he had almost healed fully; healthy enough to at least check himself into the bureau and he had decided to do that tomorrow, but the thought kept him awake. For some strange reason he dreaded returning to his brotherhood; he had rather enjoyed being normal for the 9 days. He had enjoyed waking up to the sound of laughter from the family downstairs, who so nicely had opened their doors for him. Even though the brotherhood was all he had ever known, for some reason he felt like he wanted to be normal. Though it was impossible. If word reached Al Mualim he would be killed.
"Yes?" he answered Maya, he had grown a soft spot for her. She was too sweet and too innocent, he had never met someone like her before. He was the complete opposite of what he was and it intrigued him, he wanted to know how she saw the world. She was intelligent and would over think things. Yet he never laughed at her; it must be a blessing to know so little of the world.
"I hope you don't find it offending if I ask you, but what do you think of me as a woman?" silence stung through the room. He wondered why she asked. "How do you mean, Maya, as in your capability of being a wife or your physique?" he asked turning his head to look at her, but he could only make out the outer lines of her as she lay on her side, staring at him through the same darkness. He used his vision to look at her and suddenly she became a lot more clearer, even though he still could barely see the expression on her face. "Both, I assume" she muttered embarrassment evident in her voice. A smile crept over his face and he returned his face towards the ceiling. "You're beautiful, Maya, inside out" he quietly said "Never doubt that" he spoke honestly at that. She was a beautiful woman, her body curved and even though they weren't visible that well because of her clothes he would often run his eyes over her body and knew that she had to look beautiful underneath the fabric. Her honest green eyes would penetrate through his own; making him feel nervous from time to time, a feeling he rarely ever had experienced since he had his 14th birthday. The conversation fell silent again and he nervously licked his lips; he hoped he had not spoke to much. She asked for his opinion, had she not? "Thank you" she then said and he could hear her shift underneath the blankets. "Why did you ask, Maya?"
He had a way of mentioning her name in every sentence he spoke to her, and he knew it. But it had become a habit that he just couldn't get rid of. Even her name rolled nicely over his tongue. Maya sighed and he heard her shift again, rolling on to her back. "I just wonder from time to time. Sometimes it feels like no one want to share their life with me" she said it quietly and insecurely. Altaïr sat up and this and looked at her, her expression visible now as it hit the moonlight. "Maya, why have you never married?" he asked, a question that had burned on his tongue for the whole time he had been here now. She looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I've never fallen in love" she whispered back and Altaïr frowned. What was this love she was speaking of? Al Mualim said it was none existing and especially there was no room for it in an assassins heart, he had warned him, once he fell underneath the spell he would be useless to the brotherhood; he would be afraid to die, and it would affect his work. "I thought woman had no choice in the matter around here? Did your precious Allah not want you to marry someone your parents choose?" his words surprised her and she sat up as well, her hair falling out of the bun she had made with a beautiful red ribbon before she went to sleep. "Do you not believe in Allah?" she wondered than and cocked her head to the right a small bit. "Are you religious at all, Altaïr?" Altaïr snorted sarcastically suddenly feeling a little bit of his assassin-self pour back into his system at her question. His purpose heavy on his mind as he stared at the robes hanging from the balcony door where they had hung for the past few days, ready for him to wear. "I am not" he sharply responded and Maya stood up at that, sitting next to him on the bed, an interested expression on her face. She always seemed interested at these kind of moments, where he would say something that she didn't hear before. She would demand an explanation than; wanting to know why he thought that way. And he liked her interest in the way he saw the world. It seemed he intrigued her as much as she did him.
"Religion is what makes people drive into war, forcing their believes on others. It is what makes peace disappear" Maya chuckled at that, her head falling backward just a little bit and he noted her neck and color bone being visible because of her night gown being a little bit too big for her, but she never readjusted that and Altaïr had to force his gaze away from the soft, honey colored skin.
"It is not Allah who forces them, Altaïr. Humans still make their own decisions, you might not have noticed, but in this household, and a few others around Jerusalem, we do not believe that Allah would allow such unkindness" she explained "That is why I am free to marry whoever I want, whenever I want, for Allah believes in love and a lovers touch" Altaïr frowned at her "Have you experienced a lovers touch, Maya, if you believe in it so fully?" he seemed to want her to admit Allah was none excitant, that there was no such thing as love and that the world was one big messy place, was it not for those who sought peace. Why he so desperately wanted her to admit that, was besides him, hut he looked at her challenging. "No, otherwise I would be married. But I believe I'll find the one that can give that to me" "And how do you know if it is a lovers touch?" he asked, more calmly now slightly taken aback by her certainty as she traced her fingers over the sheets he lay underneath. "I am certain you'll feel it when you're being touched like that." She quietly spoke and a dreamy smile appeared on her face as she said this. "You have not seen the world, Maya" he spoke wanting to wipe that dreamy smile off of her face, for some reason. Perhaps t protect her from future disappointment. "You have not even seen the poor district of Jerusalem. It is bad Maya, you lead a good life, you should enjoy it every moment. But if your Allah really meant love and if your Allah was truthful like he was he should-" he cut himself off as she looked at him. Purity in her eyes that showed him how innocent she was. Her delicate features looking at him expectantly and he suddenly felt bad for wanting to smash her dreams so bad. What was wrong with being so unaware? It must be freeing. She believed in Allah the way he believed in his purpose. And he could not help himself as his hand shot out, pushing s streak of her brown hair behind her ear, out of her green eyes. She was beautiful, she truly was. A different kind of beauty like the woman in the courtyard at Mashaf, a different kind of beauty than the woman he had slept with in the past years. Even without light he could sense the blush forming on her cheeks and he quickly took his hand away from the side of her face, not wanting to embarrass her any further.
"I don't think we'll ever disagree, will we?" Maya's soft voice spoke. He had wanted to do something, he was unsure of what that should be. The thoughts running through his head were unfamiliar to him and so was the strange feeling that made him want to protect her from hurt. That made him want to know that she would never find a man that could touch her with love. Yet he still seemed to feel his fingertips burn as she stepped off of the bed, taking his silence as an answer. She lay back down at bit him goodnight. Altaïr replied, laying down but sleep only came over him hours later.