New chapter, go me. So happy I actually wrote this on time!... Kinda… Be aware we go through an assload of POV's in this chapter, so be ready to switch quickly.

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Malik POV - 3 Months Later

I jumped down the cliff, tumbling up toward my feet, noticing Altair's fleeing form. The night after his father died, he didn't return to his room, instead he apparently stayed with Desmond. Training had been called off for a week due to Al Mualem ordering Desmond to rest, so we didn't do much for a week. After that though, Desmond worked us twice as hard. Altair had dove into it head first, accomplishing every task with newfound passion.

When I asked him about it he got quite a few minutes before saying "I just… I want to make my father proud…" I had nodded and offered a few words as both Aslam and Desmond helped me get him through his grief, managing it properly. Desmond had instructed me to try and keep him talking, and let a conversation flow. I'd tried, and succeeded a few times, but most recently he seemed to be working for Desmond's praise most.

Even a simple nod seemed to make him fluff up proudly like a Tom cat. I ran after Altair, Abbas steps behind him. His father had been captured a few months ago, released after the death of Altair's father. Desmond had instantly dragged the bleeding man aside and spoke softly. Not long after that, he accepted a mission from Al Mualim for a new mentor in a neighboring country. Abbas and his parting had been a painful one.

Altair had stayed near Desmond, only leaving his side to comfort our friend. I panted as I came to a stop, gasping for air, Abbas continued on, bolting after Altair. A friendly rivalry had sparked between the two, causing all of us to push ourselves harder. Altair still seemed to be ahead of us by miles, running farther and longer than anyone else. However, today was special.

Today was the day. Our final day of training under Desmond, and the day we have our test. No one knew what the test was, but apparently it was in the tallest tower of Masyaf, and incorporated the final piece of our training. No one would tell us what it was, remaining stonily silent despite our pleas. We apparently went in order of who asked. Altair had already claimed first, saying that they would pay closer attention to them the earlier they went.

As I started running again, still being one of the first people to make it back, earned me a nod of approval from Desmond. Altair looked like he'd just been given the keys to the world. I raised an eyebrow as Abbas says "Desmond told him he did well." Elaborating as to why my friend looked like a puffed up bird. I snort and say "Altair, I think you can come down from your high horse now." Altair throws me a playful glare and says "Yeah yeah."

However he does relax a bit, still smiling like an idiot. I shake my head at him as I notice another mentor standing upon the upper level of the library. They had been watching all of us recently, talking with Desmond or intently sitting in on our lessons. It had cause confusion at first, drawing more stares than concentration. As the last of our group ran into the castle Desmond stretched with us, working through all the moves.

After that, Aslam walked out to us with a giant grin and said "Aaaand you're free!" Jumping up onto the edge of the training ring, throwing his hands into the air. Desmond chuckles, a deep sound as he stands and says "That you are. You have until noon to return here. But rest and have fun till then, some of you will be receiving apprenticeship offers from other cities as well." I grin at him as he walks back inside.

Abbas however looks slightly confused and asks "Aslam… if you're his apprentice, why are you so old if he's only been here eight years?" Aslam blinks in slight surprise before getting a melancholic look and says "My… first mentor died when I was six years through my training. It was my stupid mistake that cost him his life… No one else would agree to train me after that, since they called me a 'over confident fool' and I was almost removed from the creed…"

He shakes his head, apparently dispelling troubling thoughts and smiling softly saying "Desmond however took me on, training my ass off. I thought my old mentor was a hard ass, he had nothing on Desmond… but I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him." I blink, feeling some small amount of mourning still coming from him as he turns, walking after Desmond and saying "Don't forget to relax. You'll need every bit of your energy for the test."

He vanished within the castle as I grin over at Altair and rush forward, tagging his shoulder and saying "Tag! You're it Altair!" And darting away from him, running by Abbas. The other kids laugh, Altair grinning and tagging Abbas with a shout of "Abbas! You're it!" And running off, the other kids joining in our game until breakfast. We even managed to get a few adults in on it, some older novices joining as well.

By the time Breakfast finally rolled around we were all exhausted and trudged into the Hall. Desmond sat in the same spot as last time, sipping at a cup of tea. I knew that the kitchen made his special, since a serving girl always brought his separate, but I never knew what it was. I honestly wanted to have an apprenticeship with him, but as long as I became an assassin it was alright.

Altair however, seemed to have his heart set on becoming Desmond's apprentice. Not just an Assassin, and he seemed to be fighting for it tooth and nail. He trained longer, fought harder, and studied more than I thought possible. He often roped me into his training, even dragging Abbas into it once. Yet as I sat and ate my breakfast, I could almost feel the excitement and tension in the hall. Today would decide who stays, and who leaves. Today would decide the rest of our lives, and the weight of it was almost terrifying.

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Altair POV - Noon

We all crowded around the castle training grounds, all of us fidgeting with nervousness. I gulped quietly, hiding my nervousness with a grin. Desmond is never nervous, always proud and confident in every decision he makes with us… I have to show that. I bump Malik with my shoulder and say "Hey, relax! It'll be fine." Trying to comfort my frazzled friend. Abbas's hands are shaking, something he's trying to hide.

One of the larger kids says "For you it will be." I look up as Malik asks "How so?" The older boy scoffs as one of his friends says "Hakeem. Please. Let it drop…" Hakeem refuses, instead stepping forward to angrily and painfully poke my chest with his finger. "You can't tell me that this half-breed is doing better than all of us without help. I bet that traitor father of his trained him when he was younger to pass all of these tests, just so that he can have an Assassin for a son." He growls at me.

I feel my face heat up, coloring it an angry red and I move to take a step forward. How dare he insult my FATHER. Abbas grabs my arm and pulls me back as Malik steps between us and says "Calm down, Both of you. You know that was cruel Hakeem, and Assassins are never cruel. Something you'd know if you studied instead of making fun of Altair." Abbas held me tightly as he said "He's not worth it, don't fuck up all the work we put in so far because of that idiot."

I barely manage to nod as Malik glares at Hakeem a final time. He pulls away saying "Like hell any of you weaklings are going to get the apprenticeship with Desmond anyway." Acting like he knows more than we do. Before I can ask what he means by that Desmond walks over to us, Aslam standing beside him.

Hakeem instantly gives Desmond an innocent look, one he doesn't seem to acknowledge. Desmond looks over us, raising an eyebrow at our sudden change and says "This test will be very physically grueling, and you shall go in whatever order you choose. Preferably, whoever offers to go first."

I gulp softly, feeling my nerves start to make my hands shake slightly as I say "I-I'll go." My face flushing an even deeper red at my stutter. I see Hakeem grin at it and whisper something to the person next to him as I walk forward. Desmond nods and says "This way then." Walking away as Aslam stays with the others. My legs shake slightly as he leads me into the large guard tower.

We pass a few guards we give me kind smiles as they move about, letting us through. Desmond starts to climb a ladder, leading up to the top floor. I scramble after him, shaking so bad I almost slip. By the time we're at the top I'm terrified of what it's going to be, and having so many questions with no answers and not wanting to embarrass myself by asking them.

So instead I stayed silent, even though Desmond always stressed that questions asked are better than those left to wonder. He lead me into the center of the room and says "Today, you shall learn the Leap of Faith." I nod shakily, not sure of how this is part of the training. He walks out onto the ledge, onto the thick wooden planked ledge built out of it. I swallow slightly, seeing the giant cliffs that lead down to the river. I shiver slightly at the sight.

Desmond looks back at me and says "The test is simple Altair. All you have to do is get to there." He points toward a tall tower we ran passed every day which now has Al Mualem and a few mentors standing within, before motioning off the ledge and saying "And to do so. You have to jump off this." I stare up at him in shock, to scared for words as I look off. Desmond gently sets his hand on my shoulder and says "Just have some faith in me. It's called a Leap Of Faith for a reason."

I nod shakily, beyond terrified as I stepped forward as Desmond said "Jump, and angle your body so your back hits first." Voice gentle and calming as I nod, trying to swallow down some of my fear. Come on… it's just a jump… simple as that. No. I'm not jumping to my DEATH… I step carefully out into the ledge, seeing Desmond step onto his beam.

I can't see where I'm going to land, I just hope that it isn't the water below. Desmond nods at me and says "Copy me, and have faith that you'll land safely." He then jumps forward, gently flipping onto his back as he falls out of my view. I heard him land gently a few seconds later, and I move to the edge. As I look down I gulp, shaking slightly as I shiver. I have to do this… it's nothing… just a little faith in him.

My mind screams in fear as I look down, telling me that this will kill me. However I shove that feeling away, and jump. I barely hold in a scream as I twist in the air, and am suddenly struck with weightlessness as I fell. However, I felt more like I was flying, air rushing by me. I feel a smile appear on my face before I suddenly landed in a soft pile of hay. My smile morphs into a full blown grin, heart pounding in my ears as I pant. I hear Desmond laugh as he says "You didn't scream, well done."

I laugh as I jump out of the hay and ask "Again? Please? I want to do that again!" He almost seems to smile at my excitement as he says "You'll jump once more after this. First, the rest of your test." He motions over to a beam, which spanned over the chasm. I gaped at it, feeling the wind gently tug at my clothes. Desmond patiently waited and said "I'll follow you. You won't be alone, but you have to figure the rest out on your own."

I nod and step carefully into the beam, and spend the next ten minutes traversing the chasm. By the time I arrived at the tower I was panting slightly from almost falling due to the wind, however I managed to regain my balance without Desmond's help. As I stare up at the tower, the few hand holds present still looked almost unuseable. I glance over at Desmond who said "Right behind you. You won't fall."

I nod shakily at him, still slightly afraid of falling off something so high as I plot my path up to the top. Once I'm sure I can reach it I grab ahold of the first handhold and start climbing. The beginning was easy, handholds plentiful as well as easy to hold onto. Yet the higher up I got the harder it became to find them, and the harder they were to hold onto. Multiple times I had to stop and find a new way to climb it.

By the time I pulled myself over the edge my arms and legs ached with newfound pain and I barely managed to stand. The masters around me gave approving nods, some even grinning and saying "Well done my boy." Or "Your father would be proud." I grinned at all of them as Desmond steps toward the other side of the tower, which had a haystack at the ground.

Desmond looked back at me and said "You can't say anything to your friends, or any other student about the test. I'll be escorting you to Aslam, who'll take you to your room. After everyone's done, you can do as you please till we offer you your apprenticeships. That could be tomorrow, or two days from now. Depends on how the others tests go."

I nod at him while he hummed in acceptance and walked over to the ledge, performing a Leap of Faith without even blinking. I wait until he'd exited the haystack before jumping after him. Expecting it this time made the experience even better, the weightlessness and exhilaration even more apparent as I landed. Again I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I jumped up, grinning widely at Desmond. He nods and leads me into the castle training grounds, the others looking at me. I can't remove the giant grin from my face as Desmond nods at Aslam, who instantly leads me toward the castle. Malik goes to say something as Desmond asks "Who's next? If you don't offer to go, I'll start choosing people."

Before I can see who goes I'm lead within the castle. Aslam grins at me and says "You loved the Leap of Faith didn't you?" I nod enthusiastically and say "I felt like I was flying." He laughs and says "Same here. You're one of the few people who's taken the test and didn't scream when the jumped." I blink and ask "Did you?" He nods and says "Like a young girl. Took me forever to live that down."

I laugh lightly as he motions toward my room and says "Sorry, but you have to stay here until the tests are done." I nod a final time and walk into my room and shut the door behind me, sitting gently in the chair at the desk. I pick up a book that Malik left as I suddenly hear a distant scream of terror, and feel a grin come to my face. Yeah. That'll take awhile to live down.

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Malik POV - After Nightfall

Altair, Abbas and I all sat at the edge of the cliffs, the water crashing violently against the rocks below. We talked about the test, laughing at how high Abbas screamed, and promising to keep in touch regardless of what happens. "No matter where we go, what happens between us, or who comes between us, we promise to stick together." Abbas says, standing up and staring across the water, where the moon shone across the violent waters.

Altair jumps up after him and says "And that no matter what people say, we'll always be there for one another." I stand as well, smiling at my friends and say "And we'll never let anything come between us." Abbas tosses an arm around both of us and yanks us into a hug, the three of us laughing at his action. Altair pulls away first and takes a small step closer toward the water, peering over the edge.

"Have either of you been down to the beach?" He suddenly asks, said beach visible from here. It was a little ways away on horseback, yet beautiful at night. The beach had pure white sand, and crystal clear waters. And if you went down to it, you'd find hundreds of shells littering the sand. I nod and say "Once. You?" Altair and Abbas shake their heads at me.

I snicker at the two of them as I hear a rustling coming from the bushes nearby. Hakeem steps out of the foliage, the three boys from earlier with him as well. Hakeem looks beyond pissed, hands balled up at his sides as he says "How." He marched toward Altair, shoving Abbas aside with a large move that sent him sprawling. Altair attempted to move back away from him, but was to close to the edge to get away.

Hakeem grabs Altair's robe, yanking him close and saying "What is so fucking special about you? What gave you the right to even try to become an Assassin? Much less try and take my apprenticeship?" Altair is instantly insulted and asks "Take what's yours you ass? I haven't taken anything!" Yet as Hakeem shakes, and the two stand at the edge of the cliff, I can see that this won't end well.

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Altair POV

Hakeem's hands gripped my robe tightly, and I was slightly afraid of what might happen with how he's acting. Yet I refused to show it, letting my stubbornness shine through as he shook me slightly. Making me take a slight step back, feeling the ground give slightly under my weight. Yet I was still pissed at his words from earlier about my father. So, instead of using my head and maybe trying to calm him down, I had to keep talking. Which, in hindsight, was a really bad decision.

I can see his lackeys have grabbed Abbas and Malik, meaning I was kinda on my own here. I glared at him, my hood having fallen off when he grabbed me. His eyes locked into mine as he said "Maybe if you don't arrive at the choosing ceremony tomorrow, then they'll have to reconsider who they give the apprenticeship too." By this point I'm beyond confused as I say "What the heck are you talking about?"

He growls low in his throat and says "You know damn well you half-breed! And this what your father should have done years ago!" Voice raising to a shout as he shoves me backward, making me stumble backwards as the ground caves under my weight, and I fall for the third time that day. Yet this time I felt nothing but mind numbing terror, as I heard my friends scream after me as my shoulders hit the water, pain blossoming across my back as I sink.

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Desmond POV

I ran with Aslam on my heels, running toward the screams I heard. I dart toward the cliffs as I hear "YOU BASTARD! THAT FALL WILL KILL HIM!" From what sounds like Abbas. I run through the foliage around the cliff, seeing four boys holding Abbas and Malik to the ground. That fall will kill him… Everything comes together when I don't see Altair as I keep running, jumping off the cliff.

I hear them scream after me as I pull off a swan dive. Thank you Ezio and Connor. My body cuts through the water, I quickly yank my mask down as I look around, finding Altair struggling to swim to the surface and quickly losing energy. I swim over to him and grab him, pulling him with me as a breach the surface. The waves are rough here, and I feel Altair latch onto me, letting out a gasping cough.

"That's it. Cough the water out…" I gently encourage as I start swimming over toward the beach. Altair clung to me tightly, whimpering with every rough wave, shaking violently. I tried to be soothing as I swam, my robes and armor and the boy clinging to me make it hard to stay afloat. Yet I forced myself to swim harder as I finally reached the beach. I held him gently as I stepped out of the water, barely getting away from the waves before sinking to my knees.

Seems that took a little more out of me than I thought… I rubbed his back as he shook, feeling the warmth of his tears on my robe. I panted softly as I heard distant shouting on top of the cliff. "It's okay Altair… you're safe…" I manage to pant out after a few minutes and gently pull him off of me, causing him to cling tighter. He coughs some more, the sound better than it was originally.

As the boy shook and sobbed, I sighed in both relief and defeat before I let him hold onto me as I heard distant hoofbeats. I rubbed his lower back again and say "It's fine Altair. I'll leave you with Aslam and your friends after we get back okay? I'll have to deal with something." He shook his head and clung tighter, arms linking around my neck. Guess I'm stuck with him. I manage to stand after a few moments, still soaked to the bone.

As I stood I could feel the weight of my clothes weigh me down, along with the shaking child I'm holding. I manage to pull my mask up as Aslam and a pair of guards rode through the tall grasses nearby. Aslam jumps off his horse before it had even stopped and ran over to us. "Oh god you scared the shit out of me you-" he says, going to touch Altair. I hold up a hand as he speaks and say "Sorry my friend. But I couldn't let him die, especially when I could save him…"

Aslam nods and says "Want me to take him?" Motioning to Altair, who grabs onto me so tightly I suddenly couldn't breathe. I tap on Altair's arm and say "Air little one. Something I need." Voice almost a rasp as he relaxes slightly. I take a deep gulp of air and say "I think I'll let him stay with me." He nods as I see Alexander being lead by one of the guards. Aslam than glances back at Altair and says "I didn't know if Alexander would let him on…"

I shrug and walk over, pulling myself into the saddle. Alexander didn't even shift, acting the same as always as I'm handed the reins. Altair clings to me, yet I can feel him begin to nod off as I take the reins in one hand, adjusting slightly before nudging him gently with my heel and we start off toward the castle. Aslam rushes to my side as asks what happened.

"He couldn't swim. So I had to get us to the shore." I say softly, feeling Altair nod off against my shoulder. He nods and says "I would have brought you a blanket or something, but we were in a rush. Also, Al Mualem ordered us find you above all else." I nodded slowly as Altair's head lays on my shoulder, arms still tight around my neck. Aslam continues with "Also the doctor demanded that the both of you go straight to the master where he'll wait for you."

I nod again, finding the exhaustion that comes from fighting for my life against the fucking ocean making it rather hard to stay awake. It was only through Aslam's talking and my own stubbornness did I make it back to the castle awake. As I rode into the castle training ground I saw Malik and Abbas run up to my horse, yet keep a few feet between us when the see Alexander. I nod at them as I dismount, swaying slightly and holding onto Alexander for support.

Malik rapidly fired off questions at me as I blink, to tired to even comprehend what he's saying as I reply "Whoa whoa. Calm. He's fine, I'm fine, we have to see the master. Aslam, please explain." My words are simple as I step around him, walking up to the Master's study. I nearly trip four times, the exhaustion I feel from my sudden swim weighs me down, as well as my still partially soaked form and sleeping ancestor.

I step slowly into his study, seeing the doctor and two apprentices try and rush over as I stand in front of the master. Before I could get a word out I feel a chair slam against my knees and a hand on my shoulder. I slam down into the luckily padded chair as the doctor tried to take Altair from me. He woke up instantly and clung tighter, kicking the apprentice in the stomach.

I grab him, holding him against me and say "Everyone stop a moment." Voice gentle yet commanding. Altair stops struggling and glares at the apprentice, the doctor sighing gently and saying "I have to look over the both of you. Now. Before you become ill." I nod and say "Altair. I have to speak with the master. Go with them." Nudging the boy softly. He shakes his head and holds my robe tightly.

I sigh and say "I'll be right behind you, but I have to speak to the master first." He peers up at me and asks "Promise?" Seeming like an eight year old again, instead of a stubborn two year old. I nod and say "I promise." Only than were they able to get him off me as he walks away with them. I look at the master, who sat at his desk and says "The boy Malik came an explained what happened… the boy had-"

I hold up a hand and say "Tomorrow will go as planned." The master blinks and says "I was planning on it. I won't lose such talent due to a small fall. Now, the four who caused it. They'll be removed." I nod at him and say "As expected. Is that all?" He nods and says "Off you go." Sounding like a father talking to a child. I glare at him slightly before walking away, walking straight over to the infirmary.

I see Altair hiding near the main room and ask "What happened?" He looked up at me and said "They wanted to use bloodletting for my fever. I'm not letting that fool cut me to make me better." I laugh and say "He won't. Not as long as I'm here. Now, we better you warmed up." I nudge him toward the main room, finally feeling a small amount of relaxation come over me as I watch him follow me. Just like a duckling.

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Altair POV

I stood with everyone else in the training ground, watching as we waited to be called. Hakeem and his friends had been escorted from the castle that morning, and told to never step foot within its walls again. None of us had seen Desmond since yesterday, I woke up in my room. Malik had woken me up by jumping on top of me and hugging me, Abbas had Burst into the room and done the same.

We'd all gotten dressed and were lead out here by a guard, and told that we would be called into the master's study. All of us were talking with nervous excitement, yet silenced as a guard stepped out of the library with a list. He looked over all of us and says "You shall have your name called, and you shall step within the library and walk into the master's study. There you shall choose who to mentor you, then you are to return out here till your mentor comes to get you."

He had than said the name of one of the students, who shakily went inside. He was there for about ten minutes before he stepped back out, a giant grin on his face as he ran over to his friend as the guard called the next name. The next three went by, each excited at their acceptance by their mentor. And as each person went inside I felt my own fear bubble up. What if he offers it to someone else…

Malik and Abbas were in the same boat, all of us shaking and waiting as the guard said "Altair Ibn-La'ahad." I gulped quietly as Abbas and Malik both pushed me gently toward the library. Now or never… I walk softly into the library, the guard nodding at me. I walk over to the steps, quickly climbing them as my hands shake. As I arrive at his study I see the master standing behind his desk with a few masters around him.

I saw, from my left to right, our blacksmith, the horsemaster, the head guard, the head courier and scribe master, and finally a Assassin I didn't know and then Desmond. They nod at me as the master says "Those who wish to mentor this young boy, say so now. Altair, you shall chose from those who offer." I nod shakily at him as the speak. The blacksmith shakes his head, while the Horsemaster says "From how I saw you interact with Alexander, you'd be a welcome addition to the stable my boy."

The guard Instantly adds on "Your speed and strength would make you more than welcome with the guards." Our scribe master then says "Like he would want to listen to you all day Foust. You boy would be a wonderful scribe with your study skills." Before I can say anything the courier says "Or an amazing courier. His skills would be best put to use with us." He glares at our scribe as the Assassin says "Oh silence you two. All of us know he would do best as an Assassin. An Assassin I'd happily Mentor."

I gape at him as Desmond says "I think we all know he would do best under my care, as I am the most qualified for the job." The man gives Desmond a playful glare as Desmond continues with "I'd happily mentor you Altair, if you wish to continue training with me that is." I grin, staring at all of them, mentally trying not to scream as I the master asks "Now is your choice. As-" I cut him off instantly and say "Desmond. I choose Desmond."

The master chuckles as Desmond grins and says "Told you sooooo!" In a sing song voice at the other Assassin, who shakes his head with a smile. Desmond than nods toward the stairs and I walk over, saying goodbye to everyone as I walk back outside, giant grin on my face. Abbas and Malik smile at me as I approach, Malik snorting and saying "Looks like he got it." Abbas nods as I hear the guard call for Malik. And so I waited for this to all be over.

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I was nearly bouncing in place as I waited for Desmond to exit, my friends also having gotten the other two apprenticeships with Assassins. Malik and Abbas stuck close to me as we waited, Desmond finally exiting the library. He gave me a small smile and says "Come on. We don't have long." He starts jogging away as I bolt after him, waving to my friends as I rush to catch up to him.

As we ran from the castle he asks "Can you ride a horse?" I shake my head and he nods. "Alright. Than it's time to learn." He keeps at a constant jogging pace that has me panting while I sprint beside him. My legs shake slightly by the time we arrive at the stables, Desmond nodding at the nearby stable boy. He barely slows down as he walks further inside, calling out to our stablemaster.

Said man walks into the room and smiles at us, raising an eyebrow and asks "Already taking him with you?" Desmond nods and says "He needs to learn how to ride, preferably by tomorrow." He nods and walks over to a stall, grabbing the door and leading a soft brown mare out of it. He motioned me over and said "Every horse is slightly different in personality. Rosetta here is very mild tempered."

He had Desmond hold the reins before he grabbed out a small amount of stuff and shows me how to saddle her, teaching me how to tighten the saddle, and put on the bridle. "Some trips may require you staying a day or two on the road, and being able to care for your horse is a necessity." He than shows me how to brush her down and care for her completely.

"Rosetta won't be taking you on this trip, she's too old unfortunately. So, you'll walk with Desmond to choose one, and I'll have it ready for you in the morning." He continues, I nodded as he said "Now, time to ride!" He leads Rosetta outside into a small corral and had Desmond shut the gate. The two of them teach me how to get onto a horse, and the differences between Assassin horses and regular horses.

"Ours are made for stamina, able to outrun any other breed." Our stablemaster says proudly before Desmond continues with "They also are summonable. You can whistle for them, and they'll find you. They also will buck off anyone who tries to steal them from you." I nod slowly as Desmond helps me swing up into the saddle, the sudden height startling. Our stablemaster holds the reins while I get my bearings.

Desmond gently takes them and says "Hold the saddle, and find your center of balance. I'll walk her around, than I'll let you move her." I nod shakily, not used to the feeling of the horse under me. He slowly walks back, the horse stepping confidently forward, rocking me slightly. It takes a few minutes to get used to this, but somehow Desmond notices when I do. He seems to smirk before tossing me the reigns and saying "Be gentle."

He than takes a few steps away, making me scramble to catch them. I hold them gently like he showed me and spend the next few minutes figuring out how to get her to move forward, let alone turn. However, by dinner I could ride very well according to myself. However choosing a horse was harder, since there were so many.

By the end of it I found a black and brown stallion much like Desmond's named Damien. We then started running back to the castle, yet stop at the blacksmith. "Axel!" Desmond shouts into the place, voice far louder than I was used to hearing. Axel shouted something unintelligible, most likely in a language I didn't know. He exits the forge, covered in soot and metal shavings, giving us a giant grin.

"Desmond! And your apprentice! Do what do I owe the pleasure my friend?" He says, voice so deep it almost seems to make the ground shake. Desmond chuckles softly and says "I need two sets of throwing knives, one boot knife, and a pair of training bracers." He nods and says "Due to your special ability to use more knives than anyone else, I've made a few spare sets lately. So I'll get you're stuff now."

I blink at him as Axel walks into the forge and moves some things around, exiting with two leather pouches, a knife in a sheathe, and two items wrapped in cloth. He thanks him before walking off, motioning for me to follow him. He adjusts the things in his arms and says "After dinner I'll show you how to put these bracers on. You will not take them off. They will stay on you until I say so, or you're bathing, or actively dying."

I nod as he continues with "The boot knife is for me, mine met an unfortunate end. However, you will receive your own set of throwing knives. These you'll place in your pack tonight and keep them there for now. You'll learn how to use them later." I nod again, the two of us stepping into the castle. He hands me my bracers and knives, taking his knife and sliding it into an empty sheath in his right boot.

He ruffled my hair suddenly and said "Go spend time with your friends… we leave Masyaf tomorrow morning. Make the most of your time, and you'll stay in your room tonight. Make sure you pack." He walks off than, slipping knives into places as he walked into the Hall. I smile after him before following, looking around and finding my friends all sitting at our rug, Desmond sitting with Aslam and the Master at another rug.

I walk over to my friend, setting my stuff down as someone serves food. Everyone talks happily about what they did, Abbas talking about how his mentor was showing his how the hidden blade worked. Malik's went to show him the books he'd need to read. I felt a little short sided when I told them I was only learning how to ride, and that I was leaving tomorrow. Instead of being ignored like I thought I would be, I received a few gaping grins as everyone wanted to know where.

Id forgotten that none of us had ever left the village, living here our whole lives. Now, I would be the first to leave, with no clue of when I'd return. I was exhausted by the time I reached my room, only for Desmond to stop me. He took the bracers, which were barely smaller than my lower arm, and carefully showed me how to put them on. "I'll teach you how to do many things most Assassins haven't tried, or thought of. I will ask much of you, and never more than I think you can handle."

I nodded at his words as he bid me goodnight. I quietly walked back to my room, grinding Malik already asleep and a saddle bag sat on my bed. I quietly packed what I had, which wasn't much, and set it on my trunk. I shivered as I pulled on my sleeping clothes and climbing into bed, and as my eyes fluttered shut, I could finally let go of the tension I'd been holding. I did it…

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And here we go. I really liked how this chapter came out, and everything that happened in it. Review! Comment! Tell me how I did!