He looked up to the night sky. The moon shining bright against the land. David could see every star visible to the human eye. Shining and blinking, the wonderment of the universe. To think that in the future, man would walk on the moon. Send people into space in a space station high above the earth. Man has created such wonders through time and if he were to speak of it here, the people would think him crazy.
Somewhere, maybe in the hearts of men, there was a being looking down at them. David had watched Altair through the day as the assassin prayed. Altair's faith was something of amazement for David. The assassin held his faith strong in his heart. Praying, whispering in his language. Maybe David could have a bit of faith.
Though, doubt was still within his mind.
The night sky would not hold any answers for him. A man's faith was his and his alone. The fresh air felt cool and refreshing to David. His mind clear or trying to be clear for tomorrows mission. They have traveled far in such little time. Rest was an option but not a priority for both men. Their horses did all of the distance and it was best before their mounts died of exhaustion.
The fire was warm in the cool night with a small stream nearby for water for their horses. Altair was sitting against a tree resting and preparing himself mentally for the day ahead. David looked down from the sky to his partner. The assassin who was a silent man, barely speaking so few words. Altair was still a mystery to David because he barely knew much about him. In a sense, David barely talked about himself. The two men were distant, but they were the same.
"I had a strange dream." David spoke in the pregnant silence.
Altair breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. David saw this notion and continued to speak. He needed someone to know. Altair was trust worthy and dedicated to his cause. David could not keep this secret. It may have bothered him and it may have lingered for so long, but the dream meant something. A revelation to what his purpose was in Afghanistan. Or was it a memory?
"A man spoke to me. I saw buildings and heard noises. It was chaos in my dream. I was covered in blood and then it stopped. The man said strange things to me as if I would have an answer or knew what he was speaking of. He said Templars were after him. They wanted him." Altair was cautious as David spoke.
"What do you know of Templars?" Altair asked.
David felt a sense of deja vu, but he said, "Not much. I know very little honestly. Templars are something of a myth, a legend where I hail from. To see how they wanted something... this piece of Eden to change the world. Is it what assassins want? They both want the same but their ideals are muddled. The fog that makes it harder for them to see that the world has to change itself."
"We assassins have a code. Templars have our same ideals, but they see it much different. We are to stop them and not interfere in the dealings of others war or political affairs. We have to guide man from the shadows. I and many of the other assassins have our free will. We have learned and have killed those who try to stand against man and become God's. The piece of Eden can never fall into their hands." Altair kept his stare to the dancing flames.
"Temptation is a hard feeling to ignore. When they see power, man wants to control. Only so few can escape it's grasp." David looked up to the heaven's once more. Feeling so small, so insignificant to the great big yonder. His sense of being and understanding only lingered to more questions. As a Sage- the protector of the piece of Eden- David felt his soul linger into peace. For so long he was lost in a big world with little understanding of who he was. Malik had said very wise words and has given David some comfort in what he was. Being a Sage was rare. A Sage was something scary. Powerful? Depends on what they could do. People feared them and killed them for being something inhuman.
Could Altair be the same? Could he fear Sage's like many people before him? But Altair was not like most. He himself was an anomaly in the human species. David sighed deeply as the wonders of the earth were still a mystery.
"Men would fight each other for many things. Temptation is within their hearts and it destroys."
Altair nodded his head in agreement to David's words. In his mind he could only think about tomorrows events. How they will unfold and if they could succeed. De Sable must be stopped no matter the cost. But Altair could not shake a feeling deep inside of his heart. The temptation of the Apple that his master held dear might have something to do with all this. He did not want to think about it for his master would not fall into temptation. But why hold it dear?
"It is what men can do that makes me fear for the lives of others." Altair spoke. His eyes would not leave the flames as it danced to something silent. David felt a bit surprised to hear Altair say something about fear. Then again, Altair was human. They both were. Fear is something that makes men control others. It is what causes war and death.
...and what killed Sages.
David inhaled deeply, "Fear is what kills. Fear is what controls. I have observed my time with you assassin's. You cannot show that fear. You are scholars and you are killers. Not of innocents of coarse. You assassin's are very wise and want what is best for humanity. I may not have found peace yet for these nightmares or what has happened, but I can see that fear is something we share."
Altair was snapped out of his thoughts. For now, the lingering doubt would be placed in the shadows. It has been far too long since Altair had something.
"What can you remember about your teachings of the brotherhood?" David asked changing the subject into something lighter. Altair could see that David's face soften and a small smile lingered on his lips. The man may have been hardened by war and his nightmares, but he was more then what he was saying.
A friend.
There was no telling where the battle began and where it ended. The smoke rose above the land and the smell of blood heavy in the air. He was nervous to see the destruction as the many villagers ran out of the way of the two clashing armies. Women holding on to their children and men holding the rear to protect those who cannot fight. Their horses fidgeted feeling the unease of the land.
Colliding together in a black mass of horses, spears, and arrows, on-top of a platform- glimmering in the sun- was a golden cross being pulled by a numerous amount of men. David had heard stories about the Christian's bringing crosses into the battlefield. It was a sign of hope and that God would protect them from the enemy. To David, it seemed silly when he first heard it- even laughable. Seeing in the distance, men who believed in something and fighting for that belief was madness.
'This war was a war of faith.' He thought.
Seeing men fight for a land that will never know peace brought hopelessness. David closed his eyes as he heard the war raging on. Altair could see knights on horseback with pikes taller then themselves in the distance. Banners and flags of various color standing out from the dirt and the blood. The opposing side of the Saracen armies slaughtering the crusaders trying to keep them from further entering the Holy Lands. It was a bloody sight but one Altair has seen many times before. War was nothing new for man.
"We must cross the battlefield and find Richard the Lionheart." Altair spoke.
David opened his eyes and clutched tightly to the reins of his horse. Richard the Lionheart: the commander and the king fighting against Salah Al'din. He was going to meet the man that brought fear into the Saracens, but also their respect.
"Getting to the king would be far challenging then what is expected. With both armies in a battle we could not easily avoid it." David stated watching as the war continued.
Both sides of the armies would see them as enemies. They would be slaughtered before they even had a chance. Altair could see the doubt and worry on David's face. The assassin had placed all of that behind him but now it was David's turn. He needed to put aside his fear and the memories of battle. Altair placed a hand on David's shoulder. There had to be reassurance for the man who still suffers from those nightmares.
"Let us make haste. These armies may be busy fighting each other." David stated seeing as the options surrounding him where slim. Going into the battlefield was suicide, but it was the only choice they had.
Altair looked to the fighting armies ahead and said, "It may be true, but they will be after us as well. We have to move fast to get where we need to be."
"If we are attacked, do we have to fight against them?" David asked feeling the sense of dread build in his stomach. Of all things he did not want to do was kill one of the men. Looking at the fighting armies, hearing the screams and the stench of both human and horse blood, David was not feeling up to fighting.
"We do what we must." Altair kicked the sides of his horse and galloped towards the two armies.
David sighed heavily.
Both men had to find the most safest route, away from the battle. The little the armies knew of their presence the better they had at not getting into the skirmish. David tired his best to keep the images of the bloody bodies out of his head. Some mangled with sword wounds while others were missing limbs. Among the dead men there were also horses. David was not so used to seeing such a devastation. He was used to the destruction of Afghanistan while the war continued. Some villages destroyed because of bombs and people left without homes. Even though David saw the worst of Afghanistan, there was still hope in that country. The people there were resistant not letting their fear take over. Some even fought back against the terrorist.
But here in the crusades was something else.
They reached a ridge and so-far did not catch the attention of either army. David and Altair had to leave their horses behind in order to sneak their way through. But even that peace could not last. In the distance two soldier's caught their attention. Their broad swords in their hands and they ran towards the two assassins. Altair grabbed hold of his sword, waiting for the distance to be close. David swallowed a lump of spit that was building in his mouth and did the same as Altair.
Soon, they clashed swords with enough force to make David skid back just a little. He grunted as the pain coursed through his arm. The knight had grabbed hold of David's sword arm and tried to twist it, but David moved to the side and swung his free hand in the man. Hitting him in the cheek, the man let go of David's arm and fell to the ground.
With a heavy breath David looked over to Altair and saw that the assassin had stuck his blade inside the knight's neck. He was dead. Hearing the groan of the downed knight, David took his eyes off the slaughter. The man coughed violently with his hand on his wounded cheek. David could not risk having this man chase after them both. It would be fruitless. Walking over to the wounded man as he was gathering his sword, David stopped before him.
"Kill me now or are you to wait?" The man said in a thick accent.
David wasted no time and planted a kick to the man's head. Altair watched the whole ordeal waiting for David to kill the man, but he only rendered the knight unconscious.
They continued forwards through the ridge. David was feeling the fatigue his body was put into. Slashing knights, but not killing them. King Richards army was still fighting a long battle. Arrows were being shot almost hitting both assassin's. So few knights only had their eyes on them, thinking them to kill their King.
David had to fight against his burning muscles and aching lungs. His hands shaking and his forehead dripping with sweat. Altair was showing signs of fatigue himself. The assassin was covered in crusader blood while Richards knights were drawing swords to pick off the intruders.
On his horse sitting tall, covered in gear and a crown upon his head, David was in awestruck to see the King himself. Legends of this man has been passed through generations only to be silent in the passing future. Richard was a very calm with the chaos around him. The symbol of the lion adorned on his chest plate, his colors of regal red; Richard was something to be adorned.
"Hold a moment." Altair spoke. David took pause. He lowered his sword, watching around them. Richards knights were ready to defend their King. Whispers circulated as they eyed David. His tall stature was something to be threatened by. The knights kept their eyes locked on him, but they could not be distracted with a skilled assassin in their presence.
"It's words I bring, not steel." Altair was cautious. One false move or word could get both of the killed without hesitation.
King Richard was a man of authority. If he could listen to what Altair had to say then both he and David would be safe. Or as safe as one could be in a battle.
"Offering terms of a surrender, then? It's about time." David raised a brow to the King's words. He thinks them to be of the other army. Altair shook his head calmly not wanting to be brash about the assumption.
"No, you misunderstand. It is Al Mualim who sends us, not Salah Al'din." Richards face darkened at the name.
"Assassin's? What is the meaning of this? And be quick with it." The knights surrounding them were tense. Their swords drawn to them and their arrows ready to fire.
"You have a traitor in your midst." Altair had to make this quick. Richard was becoming impatient and skeptical of the situation.
"And he has hired you to kill me? Come gloat about it before you strike? I won't be taken so easily. Your brute partner would have trouble himself to get through my army." Richard said.
David swallowed spit in his mouth. He had no intention to fight anymore. David was tired and all he wanted to do was rest. The knights were exhausted from having traveled into an unknown land. Beside the king was a knight who watched the spectacle. David watch curiously as the knight's body was tense, even underneath his army.
Altair and the King continued to exchange their words to one another. Richard was unconvinced of what Altair had to say. David could not help but notice something about that knight. His structure in his build and the way he carried himself. Something was off about this particular knight.
When the King turned his attention to him, the knight reached for his helmet. David and Altair stood in silence for a moment to reveal the face of the man they were searching for.
Robert de Sable.
Author's Note: Another chapter done and closer to the climax. I am glad that it came out the way I wanted it too. Thank you reader's for being very patient with me. I am usually busy and have so little time to write and upload my stories.
We are much more closer now to David waking up. So much is going on and they all tie together. Altair and David had a moment together which I found to be very sweet. Next chapter we see the death of Robert and the big reveal.