Chapter 6
Maya smiled shyly at him, offering him his weapons that she had rolled so carefully in his sash, while he stood in front of her, in his familiar robes. He had said goodbye before, leaving through the front door, before returning to Maya's room through the balcony doors. Maya had made up that plan to avoid her parents seeing the weaponry he had with him, to leave a good impression behind. Altaïr felt saddened by his departure and was wondering if he would ever see them again after they had told him to visit some time.
He took the red sash from her hands, draping it around his waist like he had done multiple times before. It was a routine that after 10 days still hadn't left his fingers. And he easily knotted it, putting the belt over it. Maya never asked him about it and he was thankful that she didn't.
Maya placed the brace in her hand and he slipped it over his left hand. Maya watched as he flicked the knife out of it and she suddenly understood that he had not lost his left ring finger by any accident, it was quite obvious that it was done on purposely to use that blade. Maya's eyes winded at this knowledge looking into the face of the handsome kind man she had grown fond of over the last few days. She wondered what it was that he did, what was he? Why would any man cut of his ring finger just to carry a blade? His expression was serious as she pulled the short blade over his back and tightened it in front of his chest, following his sword and dagger.
He turned towards her and sighed, looking down at his feet and taking her hands in his. "Thank you Maya, for all your care, I wouldn't be alive, was it not for you" he said softly. He stared at her for a long while as if not wanting to forget her face. But he was unsure of why it tugged so hard on him to leave. Sure he had felt entirely different then how he felt like when he wore this attire but his whole personality had changed in the time he had been here. Malik would've been utterly confused had he seen him behave the way he had done. His tongue had been much loser; and he actually enjoyed having conversations. Maya looked down a blush evident on her face and it made him smile. Perhaps he had a greater effect on her than he had noticed before.
He let go of her hands and turned around, pushing the hood over his head and he rolled his shoulders, feeling the tightness of the wound, that was still healing, but he was certain it was healed enough to be on his way. "Altaïr" her voice called out the moment he wanted to walk out and leave this all behind him; starting, or rather, continuing, on the last chapters in his life. He was supposed to kill for Al Mualim, earning his rank back. And that was exactly his plan. He was ripped out of his train of thought; his pep talk , so to say, by her voice and he weakened immediately, his confidence dropping to a low level and it wanted him to throw off these weapons and run back.
He turned around only half, his face turned towards her as she looked at him. He hadn't expect tears to roll down his cheeks and it made him turn around fully with a deep frown. "What is it, Maya?" she stepped forward at this and he felt her small arms twist around his neck in an embrace. For a few moments he had no idea how to respond to the touch until his hands circled around her waist; and he suddenly became aware that he had been right before; she had beautiful curves.
He caught himself enjoying the moment, his heartbeat rising and it thumbed in his ear as she pushed her face a little underneath his hood to whisper in his ear. "Please, be safe" he felt her breath and even though she released him mildly, he choose not to let go. Holding her tightly against his frame. It was not something familiar that suddenly washed over him, and maybe it made him feel slightly bit uncomfortable but at the same time it felt good.
She took her head from his shoulder and looked at his face. He was unsure of where to look, afraid he might lose himself completely as he would return her gaze. And the skin on his face tingled as she placed both of her soft, delicate hands on his face forcing him to look at her. "Promise you'll be safe" he leant into her touch feeling strangely light headed at that moment and strangely attracted to her. For a moment he thought she'd lean him and kiss him, and perhaps he wasn't even that disappointed as it connected with his cheek instead. "I'll do my best" he promised her and with that they released each other; he needed to get the hell out of here before this was going to get even worse.

"Altaïr!" Malik sounded shocked as he watched the man drop through the roof and looked him over as if he had seen a ghost. He had no idea that Altaïr all this time had only spent a few houses away of him, neither had Altaïr, or else he would've left much sooner. Altaïr bowed only slightly and winced holding his hand against the side. His wound had been protesting harshly as he had started climbing as if taunting him that he actually really longed to walk back, to run back actually. To hide underneath the covers of that familiar bed and into the arms of that woman that gave him that feeling of normalcy. "We all assumed you were dead!" Altaïr smirked at this and sat down on one of the stools to give his body time to rest. "Don't start celebrating just yet. I've been badly injured and kind people nursed me back to health" he informed Malik who nodded his head in understanding. He was still a bit shaking up, the expression evident on his face. He quickly jotted something down on a piece of paper wrapping it around the leg of a pigeon, holding it in his hands as he walked passed Altaïr. "You better get to Masyaf, Al Mualim will want to hear your story." He said "Meanwhile I'll send word about your survival, the master will be very pleased to hear you are alright" Altaïr nodded a tiny bit confused about the way he had been greeted by Malik. Perhaps Malik cared more for him than he let on; but then again, Altaïr killing his brother, perhaps he had wished he had been dead. Altaïr knew he would wish Malik dead if the story was the other way around.
He took a quick run and jumped up the wall, pulling himself on top of the roof. He disappeared then never looking back, like always. And he ran over the roof in such ease as if he hadn't been injured for 10 days, as if his wound didn't pull and irritate. He only stopped as he suddenly realized he could see the house from up here. The house where a kind family had taken care of him for 10 days and had showed him a different kind of life, one he actually had enjoyed. And he thought of Maya for a second as her balcony doors were opened, the curtains softly swaying in the wind as she had closed them against the sunlight. She would probably be drawing now or perhaps reading. Would they still talk about him? He had only been gone for 30 minutes now, maybe less.
He wondered, that if given the chance, would he visit her? He probably would. With much delight. She was an interesting woman, that Maya, and she had interested him endlessly.
He shook him out of his thoughts, quickly averting towards the right and dropping down into the sand. He was going to leave for Masyaf today and from now on he was an assassin again. There was no room for the Altaïr these people had gotten to know. He now was an deathly weapon. He cleared his throat, easily slipping into a crowd of people, blending in completely as he became one with them and slipped passed guards so easily. At first he had been afraid that perhaps he had grown out of it; never before had 10 days passed without him having to blend in or murder someone. The most he got rest for 3 days, sometimes less and then he would be send out again.
He wondered what Al Mualim will say about his story would he believe him? He would probably scold that he could've left earlier as the bureau was not that far away. He wondered if he should lie and wondered even more if he got away with it. Perhaps is arrogant attitude hadn't vanished completely…