The woman kept her breathing synchronized with the ship's rocking to and fro. She had her eyes closed, lost in thought, somewhat aware of the other passengers talking amongst each other while the children ran excitedly across the boat.
She had her face twisted in a frown with her eyebrows furrowed together. She couldn't recall as to why she was thinking about her past, it was just one of those things a person had no control over...
"Brother! Brother, wait!"
The girl ran through the bloodied hallways of her house, blinded by her blonde hair clinging to her face due to sweat and the red, gooey liquid. Her clothes were torn and filth littered her normally pretty face, but she could not care less. She had just witnessed something horrible; something that a child should never witness. She saw how the hooded man cloaked in white had brought the blade down on her father's neck... Her mother's scream, and then her silence as the blade soon found her as well...
The figure that was her brother ran faster and farther away from her. He had the advantage since he was older than her and since his legs were longer. His younger sister did not want to be left alone- not after what had just happened- but he could not bring himself to face her. He, too, saw his parents die.
She slipped on the floor, falling to her knees. She quickly brought herself back up, her small, adolescent muscles screaming in protest all the while. She had to see her brother... she just had to...
He ran out of the house and through the courtyard. He never looked back, just kept running away from the scene and away from his sister. How could he look at her after what had just happened? In the short amount of time that had passed since his parents were killed, he had forced himself to believe that it was her fault mother and father died. After all, if she had listened to them instead of rampaging around the house, they would never have had their back turned to the door... they would have seen the man...
"Brother! Please, please! I-" She tripped on her own feet and was sent sprawling face first into the cobblestones. The girl cried out in pain as one of the coarse stones made contact with her cheek and sliced it open. She looked up weakly at her brother, thankful that he had finally stopped running. Slowly, as if he was reluctant to, he turned around and made his way over to his sister. There was something wrong with his stride, though. It wasn't the fear and shock that she was experiencing now; no, it was anything but that. It was... pride.
He knelt down in front of her and brought her chin up with his hands and stroked her bloodied cheek gently. "Shh, shh.. it is alright, it is alright.." He smiled gently at his fallen sister and pulled her into an embrace.
She sniffed and clung to him. "Make... make it stop, brother... make them come back..." She buried her head into his shoulder and sobbed her grief, hoping that he would be able to bring her parents back.
"Hildegard," he pulled her away from himself and looked at her directly in the eyes. His face was cold and offered no sympathy for the girl. "You still love brother, don't you?"
She choked and stared at him. Why would he be asking her such a thing?
"Answer me," he tightened his grip on her shoulders and gave her the faintest of frowns.
She choked and nodded once. "I will always love you, Clar-"
"Even if what I tell you now disgusts you?"
"What... what do you mean?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion.
He squeezed her shoulders even more and rested his chin on top of her head. She squirmed not only from being held so tightly, but from the fact the torn cloth on her shoulders was now wet with-
She gasped when she looked down at herself. "Brother, you're bleeding!"
"No, Hildegard.." he mumbled into her hair, looking up at the night sky. How wrong it was for the night to be so beautiful when he had done something so terrible.
She tried to pull herself away from her sibling, but he only held her closer from her efforts. "Father told me to protect the family, Hildegard.."
The girl shook her head, not understanding what he was trying to say. "I know-"
"He told me to keep you and Ermen safe... and so I did."
She looked up at him in wonder. "You did? How?"
He leaned back so that she was no longer in his arms and held his hands out in front of himself. "I killed them, Hildegard..." He slowly brought his eyes up to her face with a small smile stretched across his lips. Her look of horror- how her eyes bulged out of her head, her skin becoming pale, her mouth twitching in disbelief- only made the smile grow. "I killed them, sister.."
"N-no.." she shook her head slowly. It couldn't be true! It... it couldn't!
"Yes, Hildegard. Mother and Father are dead because of me. I had to; to protect you and Ermen." He lifted her chin up. His fingers left a smear of her parents' blood on her skin. "What they were planning... it had to be stopped. Hildegard-"
"NO!" She tore herself away from her brother, heavily panting as if she had just ran miles and miles. "NO, NO, NO!"
Her brother shook his head and grabbed her arm, twisting it. She cried out in pain as the skin was tormented in such a way. "Yes, I killed them. Nothing you do or say can bring them-"
Without warning, the small girl brought her fist back and introduced her brother's face to it. He let go of her arm as he clutched his now black eye and she raced out of the courtyard. He killed them... He killed mommy and daddy...
Their blood.. it was on her.. she'd be framed as the killer.
'They're dead they're dead they're dead they're dead they're dead they're dead they're dead they're dead...'
"THEY'RE DEAD, HILDEGARD! YOU BITCH OF A SISTER! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" And then, as the rock connected with the back of her head, everything went black...
Hildegard slowly opened her eyes from her flashback. Why she would ever think of her past when her sole mission was to confront Maria's lover, she'd never know. The steady rocking of the boat did little to soothe her from her memories. True, Hildegard was a strong woman, but she couldn't explain why she always felt nauseous from the motion.
She was leaning on the boat's rail, idly looking out to sea. She did her best to not look at the other passengers, especially the men, for it was their fault she had resorted to wearing trousers and a simple tunic. Hildegard didn't dare wear a dress while ill-thoughted men were nearby.
She sighed and rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand. The blonde beauty couldn't be distracted with her own history; no, she had other things to worry about. Hildegard dug her fist into one of her trousers' pockets and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. Smoothing the parchment out with her hands, a picture of Maria embroidered by roses stared back at her. She had found this picture in her lover's personal journal when she had dropped by the Chapel of St. Mary to say hello to her friend. She doubted the man had any further use for the journal, so he should not be too angry to find that one of his pages had been ripped out. After all, this was her proof to him that she indeed knew who Maria was and that she was not lying when she confronted the Assassin. It was the truth etched into paper.
'I wonder how the others are doing,' she mused in her head. Deep down, she felt awful for leaving them without any notice, but knew it was for the best. 'I could have at least said goodbye... I wonder what I should have even said to them.'
She chuckled despite herself, imagining what she would have said to each of them in turn. 'Damiel, I hope you can be a good boy and control your damn hormones. Benjamin, oh Benjamin, I thank you for everything you've done for me, and I am truly sorry that I could never do anything for you. Zaina, please don't cry for me, dearie. Olivia, I am so sorry for always ordering you around like a dog. Maria, forgive me for doing this- forgive me as an ally and as your best friend. Aden, I am sorry to cause you to worry, I do hope you will find a woman who is able to provide you with her body and with children.'
Hildegard shook her head and sighed once more. She didn't even know if she would ever return to London, let alone leave Masyaf once she had told the Assassin of Maria. Sometimes, she wished she had her old life back again. Things were much simpler when she had her sister, Ermengard, and her brother around. Dismissing their faces from her head, she wondered if the Assassin would kill her. She was, after all, a former Templar. He would definitely slay her once she set foot onto his territory.
'A pity that the one you try to help would be the one to kill you.' She rolled her eyes. She was a bit frightened of death- no, she was terrified of dying. Part of her told her to scream at the captain of the ship to turn around so that she could return to London safe and sound, but the more dominant half of her kept her rooted to the boat. Her friendship with Maria was more important than her life, and so she had to do this. She had to do this for Maria. At least she would have a chance at a normal life with a husband and children- a family.
She quickly returned the picture of Maria back inside her pocket when she noticed a man making his way over to her. He was middle-aged, much like Benjamin, judging by his wrinkles and gray beard. He stood next to her and pulled a pipe out and began casually smoking on it. 'That can't be good for you..'
She averted her gaze back to the ocean. It was impolite to stare at someone, and even though she didn't know the man, she didn't want to have a bad first impression.
He gnawed on the end of his pipe lightly with his teeth, his eyes closed with contentment from having a chance to relax and lose himself in the toxins.
"Now, why is a pretty lass like you venturin' on a ship a'one, hmm?" He opened one eye to look at Hildegard and blew the smoke out of his mouth as he spoke his words. "Such a thing can be dang'rous for a pretty 'ace like yers."
Hildegard remained stoic and kept a calm demeanor. "My good man, I am simply sailing for my death."
He chuckled, obviously thinking she was trying to jest with him. "Ahh, I see, such an adventure contents young ones nowadays. 'Owever, seniors, such as my'elf are content watching the world and 'er events." He turned to look at her and inhaled into his pipe, "Care to 'ear some news?"
She smiled warmly at him and nodded. Perhaps she could gain valuable information from him.
" 'Ell, there's not much goin' on, ta tell you the truth, pretty lass. Robberies, crimes, politics, economic crises, 'tis the same e'ery year."
He continued babbling on and on, and Hildegard continued to pretend she was listening. To show he had her 'undivided attention', she'd answer with the occasional "oh, really?" and the often "I was not aware of such a thing!"
Half an hour must have past, and she was bored to the pits of Hell. He was a very nice person, but he just would not be quiet! Could he not take the hint that she was being tortured by his speaking?
She resorted to thinking back to her friends and even had the nerve to remove her eyes from him and to stare back out to the sea.
That is, she was bored until he brought up a particularly interesting topic.
"Tell me, missy, you 'eard of the wedding today?"
In answer, Hildegard shook her head and questioned him on the wedding.
"Well, it's probably only the biggest event in London!" He looked absolutely shocked that she would not have heard of the wedding. "In fact, it took place at noon- 'bout 3 bells ago."
"Who was to be wed, my friend?"
He shushed her with a wave of his hand. "Pah, a woman none too special. That Maria Thorpe married today." He took Hildegard's silence as astonishment, and pressed on, "Now, I don't mean to gossip, but it just doesn't seem right to me, lass. I don't know 'ether to say that her husband is a lucky man, or an unfor'unate one. Ye see, Maria isn't exactly what we folks call pure- there 'ave been rumors that she had an affair with some dangerous man. Not only that, but she's a bit.. ill looking, from what I've 'eard. Hasn't been out of that chapel for a year, can't be good fer ya." He looked back at the woman and smirked. " 'Ey, lass, there's no need to look like you've just seen the devil 'imself."
"Oh, but I think I have, sir.." She shook her head and buried her face in her hands. "Please... continue..."
He scoffed, but complied. "Now, why Clarence would want such a woman, I have no idea, and I have no intention of findin' out-"
"Clarence?" Hildegard stared at him and had her mouth slightly open in disbelief. "Maria and Clarence married today?"
The man looked baffled, but nodded slowly. "Yes, miss, they did. Now, on ta more important matters-"
"No. I thank you for your time. Please, excuse me." She did not wait for him to say another word before she turned on her heel to the other side of the boat. Alarms were ringing inside of her head, demanding that she return to London and see for herself if this was true or not.
She paced back and forth the length of the ship, shaking her head vigorously and rubbing her arms up and down. 'Like I did not have enough on my hands already! What am I going to tell the Assassin? 'I'm sorry, sir, but it seems that Maria has been grieving for you for a year and now she's married to a Templar.' Lord, help me!' She huffed and balled her hands into fists. 'Surely the Rose knows of this wedding... they... they have to.
But if they don't...' Hildegard gulped, not wanting to know what may happen to Maria. 'Benjamin, I hope you're hot on their trail.'
She glared at her escort from underneath her hood, her head slightly bent so that any folk passing by would not have the misfortune of seeing the hate in her eyes. How any man could possibly want to have their share of work in this wicked plan of Clarence's, she'd never know. They did not care for what happened to her; they were only concerned if their purses were heavy with coin.
Maria rolled her eyes at the agonizingly slow pace the man was walking. Was this an insult to her? Was it because she hadn't been out of the chapel for a year and that he expected her to be a cripple? She sighed and shook her head slightly. Pathetic man.
She tilted her head up to peer at the rooftops of the buildings surrounding her, but immediately regretted it when sunlight took the advantage of pouring mercilessly into her eyes. Maria squinted and grumbled under her breath. It burned to a point where she wanted to cry. Blinking, she cleared away the light dancing across her vision. 'It's your own damned fault, foolish woman.' She sighed once more and decided glaring at the escort would have to satisfy her boredom for the time being. 'Best get used to the light.'
She paid little to no attention to the occasional attempts at conversation he tried striking with her. If he was working for Clarence, then he was working with the Templar's, and Maria had had her share of that faction. She did not even bother to answer him when he had asked her questions. And oh, his look of disappointment when she did not answer sent a grim smirk across her lips.
Only the barely audible sound of someone skidding to a halt claimed her attention as she perked her head up. She knew without a doubt that it was a member of the Rose, and she didn't dare take the risk of turning her head to the side to steal a glance at whoever it was. That would compromise their status, no doubt.
She smiled beneath her cloak. At least she knew the others were on the move. Aden and Benjamin were probably taking up their positions right about then at the designated alleyway, waiting until Maria escaped the chapel and made her way to them. Olivia and Zaina were most likely on the rooftops, not risking being caught by guards on patrol. Maria smirked when she thought of the guards that faced Olivia's arrows. It was unexplainable how much excellence she had in the skill of marksmanship. And Damiel was probably-
'He probably went back to bed... That good for nothing goblin..' Maria grumbled several profanities under her breath and rolled her eyes. She loved Damiel very much, both as a brother and comrade, but sometimes he was too much for her to handle. Were she to have any sons, she prayed to the heavens that they would not be like Damiel.
Maria looked up toward the escort as he suddenly stopped in front of a colossal of a church. It had beautiful architecture that resembled those of the Greeks and Romans. Some would have been surprised, but Maria had been living in a chapel of the same structure for the past year. She gave a brief glance at the escort and entered the church.
Surprisingly, it held a comfortable atmosphere. 'Is Clarence trying to insult me by this?' She looked at the candles that gave the building a dull, warm glow. There were priests hunched over the altar giving silent prayers and they mumbled to each other when they were finished. Maria's gaze swept to the small group of people at the pew farthest from her. They were completely oblivious as to what was to happen later on. They smiled at each other, waved their hands as they spoke, and were enjoying their simple conversation. Simple. How much Maria longed for a simple life.
She shook her head and entered the undercroft. The room was brighter in here, and she was disgusted with what she saw. Laid out on a table was the dress she was to wear. Maria picked the cloth up and scowled. It was white silk, beautiful silk, but it wasn't what Maria had in mind. It was much too revealing for her tastes, even if it would compliment her figure. 'Damn you, Clarence.' She dreaded the fact of how women had to obey even to the man's choice in what dress they were to wear on their wedding. It must be so humiliating for them to have the eyes of their closest friends and family on them as they traipsed down the aisle in such an indecent dress. It must be even more embarrassing for them to kiss a man that they would never love, for arranged marriages were just too common.
The woman thought of what her dress would have been like if she refused Damiel's and Benjamin's request to return to London. She most likely would have married Altair, for they shared a bond words could not describe. Oh, how beautiful her dress would have been. She would have completely refused to wear any English garment and demanded she'd wear an Arabic style dress, even if he would raise all Hell in his objections. And for their wedding night, they'd share the evening not as lovers, but as husband and wife-
Maria shook her head vigorously, clearing her head of such thoughts. She ground her teeth together and her scowl deepened. 'Forget about him, Maria. It is obvious as day and night that he only really desired a physical relationship and nothing more.' She felt a peculiar pang spread to her eyes. Curious, she lifted a hand up to touch her cheek and gasped inwardly. She was crying. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, ridding herself of the tears. 'Now is not the time.. how can you be so weak to let a man affect you so?'
Maria was weak, though. She could face death in battle, acquire injuries during combat, lose ones she loved during war, but she could not live with her heart torn in two. 'Is this just me, or does every woman who experiences what I have go through this... this emptiness? This feeling of regret? This disgusting, dreadful thought of being a whore?' She sighed and shook her head slowly. Closing her eyes, she willed the tears to vanish.
Her eyes snapped open as she heard footsteps approaching her. Turning around, she smiled when she saw Olivia and Zaina in the doorway. Zaina giggled from seeing the disapproving look Maria gave her dress and approached the woman. Olivia gave a simple nod and a brief smile to Maria, and then she left the undercroft.
"The others are all ready, Maria," Zaina began as she gave the woman a light pat on the arm, "Benny and Aden are waiting for you at the alley as we speak." She gave a slight frown as Maria put the dress down and hugged the Arab girl. Her frown, however, quickly disappeared as she wrapped her own arms around Maria. She knew she liked this woman for a reason.
"You've proven yourself a true friend, Zaina. I am deeply sorry we have not spoken much." Maria pulled away and grinned gently at her. "I do wish to speak more with you after this is over." Perhaps she'd even persuade the girl that women could be as strong as a man any day of the week.
Zaina nodded and beamed at the older woman. "I look forward to that, m'lady."
They quickly changed into their outfits: Zaina putting the dress on and Maria wearing Zaina's own attire. The Englishwoman squirmed uncomfortably in it. It was slightly too tight for her, but she'd manage, and although she didn't like the fact Zaina loved wearing britches that only went down to her knees, she deemed it was necessary. Putting her cloak on, Maria tugged the hood over her face and headed up the stairs to the main portion of the church.
She gulped when she saw the people present. It seemed the number of spectators had not doubled, but tripled from when she first arrived. She took a deep breath and stepped into the shadows. 'How would he do it..?' She willed her mind to recall all the times she had witnessed Altair approach an enemy in broad daylight without being detected. His feet seemed to automatically know where to go, how much pressure each step should need. Mimicking his stance, she slowly made her way to the entrance of the church. She let out her breath she did not know she had been holding when she was once again outside of the building. 'Now, time for the real challenge...'
The Master of the Assassins laid sound asleep at the Masyaf stronghold. Deep in the back of his mind, he knew that he should have been out of bed already and at his study gathering information on the Templar's and Apple of Eden, but yet he could not will himself to wake up. He was thankful that he had the mind to put up the canopy curtains around his bed so that morning's rays of light could not wake him from his slumber. His canine companion, Bayo, was sleeping comfortably next to him on the bed, his leg twitching from a good dream, most likely about tearing a person's head off while in battle. The two of them were both exhausted from yesterday's training.
However, while Bayo was in the embrace of a pleasant dream, Altair was experiencing quite the opposite.
He was walking through a forest thick with trees and bushes of all sorts. Such a place was not found in the dry deserts of the Holy Land, so he assumed he was in a completely different country. Altair held a calm stride, a small smile gracing his lips as he walked through the thicket. The leaves crunched noisily under his feet, and normally he'd be concerned of becoming detected by an enemy, but something about this forest told him that there was nothing to fear.
'Is this paradise...?'
He knew that he was not in Masyaf, and he briefly wondered where he was then, but dismissed it completely. He did not mind becoming lost in such a beautiful place. Looking up, he noticed that the sky was not even of the human world. It was as if someone had taken the most beautiful of pastels and painted over the normal cerulean sky. There were different shades of oranges, reds, yellows, purples- gorgeous.
He moved his gaze to the floor of the forest and tilted his head to the side slightly. Laid out in front of him was a path of small stones. What was this dream trying to tell him, if anything? Altair sighed and followed the path. It led him to an area where the trees and beautiful plants suddenly stopped. The land was open with only grass of a luscious green growing. He frowned and looked ahead of himself. There was a calm stream running through the center of the field.
He made his way to the cheerful blue stream and sat down at the bank. The sound of running water calmed his entire body, and he sighed contently, closing his eyes. When was the last time he had ever enjoyed the feeling of true peace? The only sounds were of his own breathing, the water running, that awkward gurgling sound-
Altair frowned and slowly opened his eyes, irked that he was being disturbed. However, his face became a mask of horror as the stream was no longer a small creek, but an ocean. He stood up abruptly and noticed with terror that he was surrounded by water. The land he was standing on was barely large enough for his own two feet, and the feeling of dread slowly crept throughout his entire body. His eyes swept desperately across the water. He frowned when he saw something dark underneath the surface. He squinted and leaned over as far as he could without tumbling head first into the water that was no longer a calming blue.
'Is that... a body?' He shook his head slowly, not believing what he was seeing. He could have sworn he was the only person at the stream- or should he say ocean? As if the water was trying to show him who it was, the body slowly resurfaced, allowing only the head to briefly pop out of the murky water. The person's head lolled to the side to face Altair, and he gasped.
'MARIA!' He shook his head vigorously and reached into the water with his arm to pull her out. It was useless though. She was drifting farther and farther away from him. To add to his frightened stage, the water suddenly swarmed up his arm, trying to pull him down under. Altair quickly retracted his arm and sprawled backwards.
He was terrified. All his life, he had been afraid of water. It held no place in his heart, but yet the woman who was drowning did. He shook himself free of his fears for a brief moment, and dove into the dark abyss.
The Assassin pumped his muscles with all the energy he had in his body, but no matter how hard he swam, Maria seemed to be getting farther and farther away...
His body told him to resurface and to gather air, but when he tried, the water crushed him back down into its deathly grasp. He felt as if his lungs were going to burst, the pressure was overwhelming him! It was not the peaceful, gradual deprivation of life, but too fast and too sickening. He felt his body not responding to his will, the water dragging him further and further down, the bitter feeling of letting Maria die because of him...
Bayo looked curiously at his master who was now sweating uncontrollably in his sleep. His teeth were gritted together and his muscles tense, his brow slick with perspiration. The dog crawled over to Altair and licked his cheek. When he did not gain a response, he whined and nudged him. Altair merely gasped and shook his head, still in his nightmare's grasp.
Bayo sighed and buried his head under Altair's arm so that it draped over his back, and drilled his wet nose into the Assassin's neck. However, he made the mistake of inhaling the sweat that covered the flesh, and sneezed a gooey spray onto him.
Altair moaned and slowly opened his eyes. Due to the canopy, he could only see black and thought that he really was drowning, but after a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. He made out Bayo looking at him with a perplexed stare. Altair sighed and shook his head. 'Only a dream..'
He wiped his forehead and the back of his neck, but frowned when he felt something sticky on it. He raised an eyebrow at Bayo who had a devilish smile on his furry face. 'Of course...'
The canine whined and licked Altair's cheek once more. Although he was just an animal and did not know what dream he had just experienced, he was still concerned for his well being. Altair gave a reassuring pat to his head and opened the canopy curtains. He regretted it when sunlight shot straight into his eyes. He groaned and shut the curtains again. He was slightly aware of the shuffling of feet in his room, and then-
"Rise and shine, sleeping novice!" Malik joyously chanted as he ripped open the curtains and laughed when he saw Altair's face twisted into a scowl with his eyes screwed shut. "Really, how much beauty sleep do you need- considering that you are never beautiful?"
The Master growled and sat at the edge of the bed and glared at Malik. He was still angry over the letters, and now he was angry that the man had the nerve to wake him from his slumber. He dearly wanted to sleep the day away...
His furry friend hopped out of bed and stretched his limbs out. He yawned and looked expectantly at Malik when his stomach growled. The one-armed man laughed and scratched the dog between the ears.
"Come now, Altair, get out of bed already! The world doesn't stop just because the Master wishes to sleep!" He threw his friend an annoyed look as he curled up back into the covers. He threw his hand into the air with annoyance and left to go prepare Bayo's breakfast, the dog following him obediently.
After a few moments, Altair sighed and began getting dressed. Mimicking Bayo, his stomach growled from lack of food. Altair frowned and looked out the window of his chambers. 'Perhaps the cooks saved me some bread...'
Fully dressed in a kameez and new pair of shalwars, he made his way down to the kitchens with a spring in his step. He saluted the guards at their posts with a small appreciative nod. A few hallways from his designated location, his stomach let off another growl as the aroma of baked bread made its way to his nostrils. 'I do hope there's some left...'
To his dismay, he discovered that the novices had claimed the last pieces of bread. The Master sighed when the servants and cooks began fluttering around to prepare him a meal, but he dismissed them. It was his own fault that he didn't come down sooner to eat, and he did not wish to burden his people with the task of tending to him. He left the fortress to visit the marketplace. 'Maybe there's some feta cheese and pita bread for sale...'
Making his way to the marketplace, he was once again lost in his thoughts. What was that dream? Did it mean something, if anything at all? Was it a warning? A foreshadowing?
Altair shook his head. He never did believe in superstition, however alluring it seemed. The only object that proved superstition partially correct was the Piece of Eden. However, he began remembering of a time when Maria told him something important about dreams. Ahh, what was it...?
"Dreams sometimes are encrypted messages for us, Altair. Don't be afraid to trust your own mind." She paused and gulped. "It took me years to realize that for myself- something that my uncle always told me when I was a child."
He sighed from thinking of her. It sent pure terror through him when he witnessed her drowning in his dream. Her skin... so pale... the color of death itself. He was launched back into reality when he breathed in the scent of baked bread. Following his nose, he purchased his cheese and pita and no sooner found himself sitting at a secluded bench, eating his breakfast.
He was never one to eat in crowds; that many eyes on a person when he ate disturbed him greatly. Quickly finishing his meal and earning a content stomach, he past several other stalls to make his way back to the fortress.
However, something caught the Assassin's eye- or, rather, a color caught his eye. He frowned and made his way over to the stall. It wasn't anything special, but to him, it meant the world. Resting on the counter was a belt. It was made of dark grey chains and smooth, light grey, circular metal disks linked together by the chains. Connected to the side of the belt were two pieces of silk: one black as midnight and the other a dark navy blue. Altair was entranced by the garment. The grey reminded him so much of...
'Maria's eyes...'
Without even thinking, he purchased it from the vendor. What good would it do him, though? Maria was not even with him to receive the gift. He ground his teeth together and practically marched back to the castle, infuriated with the thought of how easily he let her slip through his fingers.
Malik looked up from the bookshelf he was examining and gave Altair a brief smile as he saw him approaching. Bayo as well seemed happy to see him again, as he wagged his tail and sat obediently next to the Master's desk. Malik gave him a curious stare as he saw the belt in his hands and raised an eyebrow in question. "Found yourself a new strangling device, my friend?"
Altair held back the urge to roll his eyes at his comrade and simply ignored Malik's banter. He sat down at his desk and began shuffling through papers, filling out the ones necessary. Bayo laid down over his feet and patiently waited until he was done. They both had plans to train with one another in the ring once more. But, until then, the Assassin was forced to be content with work, work, and more work.
Malik sighed and shook his head. 'The man will be the death of himself, I swear it.' He left the study and began making his rounds throughout the fortress.
Maria made sure her hood was always covering her face as she walked away from the church. She was almost at the designated alley, but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being watched. No one had confronted her yet so far, but she doubted that was about to last. After all, she was the victim in the Templar's game.
"Ryan Mills attending the wedding, sir," Damiel gave the guard a lopsided grin and cocked his head to the side. Hopefully the guard would buy the innocent expression. Sure enough, he did.
"Ahh, Benjamin's boy, eh? Well, go, go! You're practically the guest of honor, sir!" The guard ushered Damiel in with a wave of his hands. The foreign boy nodded in thanks, but smirked and snorted when he entered the church. He and Benjamin looked nothing alike, yet the guard believed him! It was amusing to the teenager. The fact that he obviously was not English and that Benjamin was a well known figure had him chuckle and shake his head in wonder.
While Benjamin's hair was bordering on blonde and brown, Damiel's was a dark brown, almost black, and curly, several of the locks falling down in front of his forehead. It was no longer than his jaw, yet it had enough volume not to stick to his skin as if it was pasted there with sweat. Even he had to admit he was fairly handsome, and no doubt that he would grow to be even more alluring the older he got. Maria had told him it was her worst fear that he grew over confident with his looks and began losing his common sense- if he had any, that was.
Damiel strode casually over to the pew in the back right-hand corner of the church and sat down with the grace of a choking camel. He shifted his feet underneath the bench, searching for his precious partner. A smile slowly spread across his face as he felt Riva underneath him. 'Good job, Olivia,'
He leaned back into his seat and crossed his leg over the over, impatiently twitching his foot. All he had to do was sit back and wait... and be patient. The others present at the church scowled at the boy and frowned at his behavior. Little did they know that he was not exactly fond of churches. The nine and ten year old merely smirked at them and bit his thumb in their direction. The onlookers gasped, appalled that he would have the nerve to curse in a House of God.
He sighed and shook his head. 'I don't give a damn about what 'God' thinks of me.'
Stationed at the southern gates of London, the German woman kept an expert vigil out for guards. She set her gaze on one dozing off while on the job. She shook her head disgustedly and drew her bow back and inhaled. 'Just remember how Emily taught you, Olivia...' She released the arrow, and as soon as the head made contact with the man's chest, realization and chaos occurred.
The clashing of swords was all she heard while her mind was focused in the battle. Maria had rendezvoused with Benjamin and Aden, and, no sooner had the three of them stepped out of the alley, had guards on patrol attacked them.
Although she had lost a year of training, she still had the upper hand as she had more experience than these men. She made sure to stay by Benjamin's side in case he could not hold his own out. She deflected an incoming blow from one of the guards, causing him to stumble. She took the opportunity to make a clean swipe across his chest, taking him out of the brawl.
Benjamin grumbled unintelligibly under his breath, something about 'handling his own fights', but Maria barely heard him. She looked ahead of her to where Aden was, and smiled. He was killing the guards as if he'd be rewarded one hundred virgins. Aden knew what tactics the guards would use and he quickly dispatched of them with ease, clearing the way for Benjamin and Maria.
The Arab's younger sister, though, was walking down the aisle to a man completely unaware of who she was. Zaina gulped and took her place beside the man at the altar. 'So, this is Clarence...' She squinted her eyes and tried to see clearly through the veil covering her face. She swore that his brown eyes looked familiar...
Damiel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, now drumming his fingers against the pew's arm rest. He kept his foot on Riva to make sure that she was still there at all times. He frowned when he saw Clarence lift the veil off of Zaina and felt anger and jealousy bubble inside of him as the man stroked her cheek with his fingertips. If he wasn't even allowed to do such a thing, then Clarence most certainly was not!
Everything happened in a few seconds. Clarence realized it was not Maria who was in front of him, and, because of that, he smacked Zaina hard across the cheek and sent her flying to the floor. Damiel had Riva in his hands in a heartbeat and was leaping across the pews to where Zaina was. Simultaneously, the guards were alerted and were drawing their swords out to face Damiel.
He threw them a defiant smirk and held his position in front of the girl. "Come on, bastardos! What's the matter? You're all shaking more than when I was finished with your mothers!" He could not help but laugh when the look of shock and then of anger crossed their faces. They attacked, blinded by his words, and as a result, it cost them their lives.
Sheathing Riva, he scooped Zaina up and sprinted out of the chapel, unaware of the fact that Clarence was gaping dumbfoundedly and that his shoulder was bleeding from a wound one of the guards had inflicted on him.
Olivia shot the guards down as she jumped from roof to roof, careful not to be seen from anyone on the ground. She made the mistake of landing right next to a guard, and, not having time to draw an arrow out of her bow, she made to stab him with one of her arrows, but he saw it coming. He twisted his body out of the way and all but launched himself onto her.
Olivia staggered backward and clawed at his face, but he would not give in. They remained locked together, his arms around her waist, holding her disgustingly close as he neared the edge of the roof. She hissed at him and bit him right in the chin, ripping the flesh off as she withdrew her head. He howled in pain and let go of her to clutch his wound. Distracted from his injury, Olivia quickly snatched one of her projectiles out of her quiver and stabbed it through the man's neck, killing him. 'Don't ever touch me, Scheiße.' She spat on the corpse and turned to look over the rooftop she was on. She smiled when she saw Maria, Aden, and Benjamin making their way through the streets, clearing out the guards effectively.
She turned her back to them, satisfied they could take care of themselves, and turned her attention to the guards approaching her. She sighed, and brought her bow up to dispatch them.
The woman looked up as she noticed Olivia firing arrows at the guards patrolling the rooftops. Maria smiled from the skill she had and focused on the men attacking her. Or, rather, they would have been attacking her if it wasn't for Aden plowing through them like a knife through butter. She huffed when she realized she would not be doing any more killing and dutifully followed Aden, grabbing Benjamin by the hand and leading him through the mess of bodies that used to be the guards. The Englishman looked close to complaining, but whatever he had to say, he kept to himself and allowed Maria to lead the way.
Zaina struggled out of Damiel's grasp and landed on the street much like how a cat would. Smirking, she ripped her dress off, earning much protest from the boy and a red face from him as well. As if the heavens knew of his predicament, they blessed him with the fact that Zaina was wearing her kneehigh shalwars and normal tunic underneath the dress. Damiel gave out a sigh of relief and shook his head at Zaina. She simply raised her eyebrow at him and ran ahead. He followed closely behind her, ensnared by her personality. 'How does that girl do it...'
He followed the thief throughout the streets. Occasionally, she'd look over her shoulder at the boy and smirk. Was she teasing him, or merely checking to see if he was still behind her? Damiel shook his head once more as they continued making their way to the docks. Since Maria, Benjamin, and Aden left earlier to reach the harbor, they took a longer route, leaving Damiel and Zaina to travel a shorter route so that the two groups would simultaneously meet each other. He rolled his eyes- of course Aden would want Damiel to not spend much time with Zaina. Really, what did the man think he'd do to her?
Damiel flipped his head backward to clear the locks of hair surrounding his eyes, ran ahead of Zaina, grabbed her hand, and began leading the way. He felt her tug in his grasp, but she soon allowed him to lead. He hoped it wasn't another blow to her self-esteem...
As expected, three guards appeared out of alleyways and stepped into the two Roses' path. Damiel smirked, launched himself into combat with Zaina behind him, and threw yet more insults at them- or rather, at their mothers. Gripping Riva with his right hand and Zaina's small mitt being clutched by his free one, he swung his spear at one of the guards. He blocked it with his sword, the clang! echoing throughout the street. He was not used to fighting someone with a spear; the norm was to have swords as weapons. It was a completely different style. Where a sword's power came from the arm of the wielder, the spear's energy started from the arm, traveled to each length, and then to the other opponent's own weapon when it made contact.
Damiel blocked the next blow with Riva's side, stepped backward to protect Zaina as another guard tried to take the opportunity of his exposed side, and brought Riva's end out from behind Zaina. It connected with the guard's stomach and he hunched over as he fell to the floor with a thud. The nine and ten year old boy tensed when he felt something trickling down his right arm. Sparing a glance, he shook his head. Somehow, he had managed to injure his shoulder. 'Must have been from the chapel...'
He shook his head and turned his attention over to the two remaining men. The one that had previously blocked one of his blows was eying the boy, trying to find a way to break his defenses. Damiel knew what the two of them were thinking: brute force.
The other man held his blade high as he closed the short distance between himself and the Rose. Bringing his sword down, he gasped in shock as Damiel thrust Riva out, twisted the spear, causing the blade to fall free of his hand, and plunged her head first into his chest. He cried out and gurgled as blood seeped from his mouth.
Damiel shook with excitement at the sight of it. How the man's eyes glazed over, the way his body slowly lost all connection to his brain, how his knees gave way and he fell to the floor...! He gritted his teeth and glared at the last remaining guard. The man looked absolutely terrified as he backed away from Damiel, holding his palm out to plead with the boy.
"P..Please! I have a wife- and two children!"
The other was not listening though. His thirst for blood was not quenched- not yet, at least. He slowly made his way to the terrified male with Riva gripped tightly in his hand. What would his body look without a head..?
"Damiel!" He stopped abruptly and took a quick gasp of air. He looked over his shoulder at Zaina. She was horrified beyond words. Her eyes were wide and she was clutching the left side of her chest with her free hand. "N-no... let him go..."
He looked back to the guard. He motioned his head to the side, letting the man run away from him. "Zaina, I-"
"Don't speak to me!" She wrenched her hand free of him and ran ahead to the docks.
"Wait- Zaina!" Damiel sprinted after her, his sudden bloodlust forgotten. "Please, I... I didn't mean to scare you!"
"Now I know why Aden does not wish me to be near you!"
"Zaina!"
"Damiel, do not speak to-" She cut herself short as he gripped her wrist and whipped her around to face him.
"I'll speak to you if I damn want to," he ground his teeth together and shook his head firmly. "I am sorry that you had to see that, but I have orders from Benjamin: protect you with my life. So, forgive me if I'm merely listening to my commands."
"Are you sure that's all it was? Orders? You did not wish to see his blood decorating the cobblestones?"
He sighed and let her wrist go. "I will not force you to trust me, Zai, but I'm sorry. Sometimes I can't control-"
Smack.
"Keep your mouth quiet, slave, and get your ass to the docks!" She spat in his face and turned on her heel away from him. He stood there, his hand on the red mark she dealt to his cheek, completely stunned. Yet, even though he was in partial shutdown, he swore that he felt eyes boring into the back of his head.
"For the love of God, Maria- let go of my hand!"
"Benjamin, you know that your abilities-"
"Pah! I can handle myself just fine!"
"Must you be a stubborn goat?"
"And must you insist that I cannot wield my own blade?" He shrugged out of Maria's grip and muttered to himself. There was barely a threat to him, anyways; Aden was doing a fine job killing the soldiers. But, no, Maria highly suggested that he stay with her. "This old man can take care of himself."
The European female sighed and slouched her shoulders. "You're very tiring, you know that?" She kicked at the cobblestones when he chuckled and smiled at her.
"Ahh, come now, Sarah, is it that bad?" He gave her a brief pat on the shoulder and jogged over to where Aden was pulling his sword out of a man's stomach. Maria smiled from being called the name and followed after him.
"Aden, haven't you ever heard of the term 'clean kill', my boy?"
He sighed and let go of his sword still deeply rooted inside the corpse. "Benjamin, my apologies, but that actually takes effort on my behalf-" he smirked when Maria pulled out the blade with ease. '-thank you, Maria- and time is of the essence, no?"
"Don't flatter yourself, fool," she punched him in the arm and he laughed from the gesture.
"Of course, Maria. Now, then," he motioned his head forward, "the docks are just past these buildings."
"Let's just hope the Templars don't have a special surprise waiting for us, then," Benjamin took the lead as he jogged the rest of the way to the docks. Maria looked at Aden and waved her hand at Benjamin, trying to let him know that what he was doing was foolish. Aden shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. Was she the only one that thought he should be careful for his age?
She looked above herself and found Olivia also shrugging. She growled and followed after Aden and Benjamin, respectively the caboose of their little trio.
Maria spotted two guards coming out of the shadows towards them. She whispered urgently to the Arab, "Aden, ahead-"
But Benjamin had already seen them. He swept his broadsword, Dynamo, underneath one of the men, permanently damaging his legs. He fell to the floor and held his hands above his head. Benjamin sighed. "Aden, since you do not like clean kills, perhaps you should... ehh..?"
Aden nodded and quickly ended the suffering of the man while Maria quickly dispatched of the other with two swipes from Ebony and Ivory. His blood sprayed out from his chest wounds and some speckled onto her face. Benjamin looked at her and then back at the man she had just killed. "I suppose you don't know what a clean kill is either, my dear."
"At least I know how to kill."
He grumbled and grabbed the two by their arms and led the way to the docks.
Zaina ran ahead of Damiel and he did nothing to stop her. He simply followed her and gave a sigh of relief when he saw the rest of the Rose, including Olivia who was stabbing a man with one of her arrows, at the docks already. He increased his speed until he all but ran into Maria.
"Ria! Boy, am I ever- ow!" He clutched the back of his head where Aden had punched him. "The Hell was that for!"
"For scaring my sister! How dare you-"
"You two can kill each other on the boat, now move your weight!' Maria shoved the two apart and ran onto the boat that Benjamin was already on. Where did the man get all his energy from?
Zaina quickly crossed the gangplank, but not before she shook her head at Damiel. He stared at her, his mouth slightly open and frowned. 'That bitch...'
Aden shoved him out of his thoughts and quickly made his way onto the ship, leaving Damiel standing idly on the docks. What good would it do to follow them? He'd only be mocked and hurt-
"DAMIEL!" Maria was leaning over the boat's rail and glared at the boy. "Ass on, now!"
He glared back at her and gave her a single shake of his head. He turned away from her and walked.
"Damiel!' She threw herself off of the gangplank and ran over to him. "Now is not the time for this nonsense! Get. On. The. Boat."
He once again shook his head and continued walking, but was met with a fist to his head. He gasped and fell to the dock unconscious. To Maria's amusement, Benjamin was already slinging him over his shoulder and jogging back to the boat.
"Come, Sarah, we mustn't waste our time anymore. Let's go."
She nodded and followed Benjamin back onto the ship. Aden was already untethering the ropes connecting the vessel to the harbor. Olivia quickly leapt onto the boat before he was about to remove the gangplank.
Aden gave a brief inspection. There was Zaina, Benjamin, Maria, Olivia, Damsel the Idiot, Belle-
"Uh-oh..."
"What?" The others asked him, save for Damiel.
"We forgot the dog..."
Maria widened her eyes and smacked her forehead. "Assassin piss! Benjamin, can we-"
The veteran shook his head and gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Maria-"
"Arf!" All of the members turned their attention to the sound and leaned over the boat's rail, aware that with the gangplank removed, the ship was getting farther and farther away from the docks. The sound repeated itself until the source came into view. Maria smiled as she saw Belle sprinting like the athlete she was toward the boat.
"Bon chien! Saut, Belle, saut!" Belle responded to the command and jumped from the docks...
...And landed straight into the water.
"Hai, hai! Nage, nage!" Maria scrambled on deck and looked frantically at Aden. "Where the bloody Hell are the ropes?"
He took a step back from her ferocious appearance, but in a split second redeemed himself as he handed her what she required. She grabbed it from his hands and threw one end of the rope into the water. Belle was paddling her way with her paws towards the boat, now swimming parallel to it.
"Morsure, morsure! Belle, morsure!" Maria grinned as the dog complied and bit the rope. "Benjamin, Aden, help me-" She swallowed her words as the two men grabbed the rope from her hands and began pulling the dog onto the deck. Zaina and Olivia stood not far from them, both wearing surprised expressions. Maria had always said that Belle was a failure of a war dog, but they had just witnessed her responding so well to the commands.
"Good Lord, Maria- what have you been feeding this dog?" Benjamin grunted as he had to pull weight more than he desired.
Maria crossed her arms and scowled at Aden. "Believe me, Benny, it wasn't me who has been feeding her." She sighed and wrapped her arms around the wet canine as she was pulled onto the boat. Aden looked at Benjamin and mouthed his apology to the older man and then went to embrace his sister.
"Good girl, Belle, good girl- hm?" Maria cocked her head to the side as she noticed a cord sticking out of Belle's mouth. Wordlessly, she pried open her jaws and retrieved the cord. It took her a moment to realize that no, it was not a string, but rather, a necklace.
"What is that?" Benjamin knelt beside her and frowned when he saw it. The pendant was the symbol of the Templar's, no doubt about the intricate cross, but the snake spiraling around the cross set him on full alert. "This is serious..."
"What is the matter?" Olivia stood behind him and looked over his shoulder at the emblem. "Why are we surprised of this symbol? Many Templar's have them."
"It is not the symbol that worries me, Olivia," Benjamin whispered as he gave the necklace back to Maria. "But the initials engraved into the serpent..."
Maria looked at said initials and frowned. "Who is H.L?"
The others looked at each other and shook their heads. "I don't know, Maria," Benjamin put his hand on her knee as he stood up from his crouching position. She closed her eyes as she noticed how his fingers dug into the fabric and how he gasped from the pain it caused his bones. He gave her a small reassuring smile, but she took it as a wince.
Christopher paced back and forth across the length of the chapel's interior, his eyes closed as he listened to his other fellow Templar's bicker. Was this really such a surprise for them?
"Don't worry, Clarence," Tyler pat his friend on the shoulder. "We'll get that bitch, don't you worry."
Clarence scoffed and shook his hand off of him. "I planned this out so well..."
Christopher grunted in amusement and continued pacing. 'Yes, because two hours is such a long time to conjure out a plan...'
"...I really thought we had her." Clarence sighed and slouched into a pew. "Tyler, where did I go wrong?"
The other Templar shook his head desperately and knelt in front of Clarence. "It wasn't you at all, brother! Rather, it was that Thorpe woman!"
Christopher rolled his eyes. 'Of course the blame cannot lie with us, that'd be treachery, wouldn't it?' He looked over at the dead guards with slight amusement. 'Damiel sure has evolved into a young man over the years. He looked well today.'
"... I will have that woman's head on a pike before this is over! I swear to the Almighty Lord, she will die!" Clarence shot up from his seat and stormed throughout the church, kicking at the floor and walls. "How dare she mock me like this!"
'Wasn't this wedding a mockery of her, though?'
"She thinks she can just... AAAAGGHH!" He punched the wall and kicked at the altar in frustration. "So close... we were so close!" The Templar let out a frustrated moan and threw his face into his hands. He gripped his hair tightly between his fingers and shook his head like a fool. "How could this have happened...?" He looked over to Tyler who was wringing his hands together and nervously looking around. "I said how could this have happened, dammit!"
Tyler squeaked in terror and took a few steps back. "I-I-I do not-"
"Silence yourselves, you fools," Seer was sitting at one of the pews still in tact from Clarence's tantrum, helping himself to alcohol. "Not even the booze tastes good anymore, thanks to you butt shafts."
Christopher smirked from his comment and continued his pacing. 'How refreshing it is to know that only two of us have brains out of the nine...'
Clarence glared furiously at Seer and shook his fist at the man. "You will silence yourself before-"
"Before you what?" Seer stood and sauntered over to the man and placed one hand on his hip while the other still held his beverage. "It would entertain me greatly to see you attempt to threaten me."
Clarence stood his ground while Tyler looked absolutely terrified. The former lifted his chin in the air and turned away from Seer. "I have little time to deal with your nonsense, Brother."
"And I have little time to deal with girls." Seer forced his bottle into Tyler's hands as Clarence began walking away from him. He gripped the man's shoulder and spun him around. "But, if it is necessary..." he hissed and took enjoyment from seeing the frightened light in Clarence's eyes. "...then I would be obliged to-"
"ENOUGH, SEER!" The lethal man quickly obeyed and let Clarence go as he bowed his head down to Malcolm as he entered the church. "We don't have time to be at each other's throats. We must think of another plan, dammit."
Clarence cleared his throat, "If I may-"
"No, you may not." Malcolm sat down at the pew that Seer once occupied and folded his hands together. "We've just experienced how well your plans work out, Clarence." The other gawked at what he had just said. "I will leave it to the others-"
"Pardon me, Grandmaster Malcolm," Christopher cleared his throat and bowed his head to his superior. Malcolm nodded and gave him permission to continue, "But, as we know, the Rose has escaped via vessel, and it is safe to assume that they are traveling to the Holy Land."
"Assume? You want to assume?" Clarence walked over to Christopher and hissed into his ear, "Don't try to steal the spotlight from me, bastard." Christopher merely stepped away from the seething man to continue his suggestion.
"My Lord, Earl is currently in Acre visiting family. If we were to contact him and inform him of the Rose's intentions, then we may be able to gain Maria in our clutches." He looked to the others and earned one nod from Seer, a disgusting glare from Tyler, and cracking knuckles from Clarence. Malcolm, however, remained passive and waved his hand for him to continue.
"We have men in the Holy Land, as we all know. We could contact them, make plans, and try to separate Maria from the group. It won't be easy, but I think I have a few ideas." He grabbed the booze from Tyler and took a swig from it. "Not bad, Seer," he cleared his throat once more. "You see, I witnessed that Damiel boy today- when he murdered a couple of our guards. He has a possessive aura about him when it comes to that little Arab girl. Zaina, I think her name is?
I also understand that her older brother, Aden, Majd Addin's former henchman, is quite protective over his dear sibling. Say if we were to... 'remove' the girl from the rest of them, it would cause disorder, would it not? Both Damiel and Aden would be distracted and set off to find her, no doubt they'd see it as a competition- at least, Damiel would. That Olivia woman would also follow them. She and Zaina are the best of friends, no? That leaves us with Maria and Benjamin. Now, I know from Seer that Benjamin is not to be underestimated, but age has a way of degrading one's skill. We would have the advantage if we could manage an ambush on the two remaining. Thus, we could capture the Thorpe woman."
It was silent as the other Templar's digested this new strategy. Christopher always was one to do his homework before planning; something Malcolm secretly admired about the man.
"Approved."
"Isn't it suiting, Altair?" Malik laughed as he tied the knot together around Bayo's neck. They had just finished their training, and Altair was joyful to admit to himself that the dog had given him quite the workout. Instead of fighting against novices and apprentices, Bayo had decided to challenge the Master himself.
Bayo sat panting happily as the red bolt of fabric was tied across his neck as his new collar. It was the same fabric tied around the waist of Assassin's: the symbol of their Order.
Altair shook his head and sighed, one hand on his hip while the other was brushing back his sweaty hair. "Brother, you have a peculiar sense of humor."
The one armed man chuckled and pat the dog on the head. "Well, we might as well call him one of us," he held his hand out in front of his face when the other man was about to protest. "Don't even deny it, Altair, or do you want him to bite you in your groin again?"
He frowned at Malik, then glared at the dog. "That hurt, dog."
Translations:
Bon chien: good dog
Saut: jump
Nage: swim
Morsure: Bite
Bastardos: bastards (duh? XD)
Scheiße: shit