Aaaaand I give you Chapter 8! And yes, I said Maria and Altair would be reunited in 3 chapters, not 3 updates (now that I think about it, it might have to be 4 or 5 more chapters because I've been having a lot of ideas poppin' outta nowhere... I know, you all hate me). I KNOW, I IZ CRUEL :3 and I'm loving every minute of it, but know what? Do ya want me ta rush it? Do ya do ya do ya? Hmmmmmm? Yeah, I thought so XD Forgive me, It's 3:00 AM here, I'm tired, and practically asleep. I'm gonna make me a nice cuppa tea and then go to bed. Yes, I drink caffeine before I sleep.
Thanks to Christina and Meadjean for editting! :D! You da best, you two.
All original characters belong to Ubisoft. I'm just a soon to be grad school student, nothing more.
Damiel and Benjamin both sat on some crates on deck as they watched Maria. She was looking out to sea with the most empty expression they had ever seen before in their lives. It was lacking so much life, so much soul...
Benjamin knew exactly who she was thinking of. Damiel, however, simply thought she was practicing her facial expressions, the silly boy. Maria sighed and closed her eyes, lost in her memories.
"Ehh.. Benny? What's she doing?" Damiel nudged Benjamin and cocked his head to the side. "She keeps sighing and closing her eyes. Is she okay? She isn't sick, is she?"
Benjamin silenced him with a wave of his hand. "She's just thinking, Damiel, she's quite alright, I assure you. It's best if we not disturb her from her thoughts, hm?" He blinked his one eye and looked over to Damiel with a soft grin. "Don't worry, my boy, she's just trying to sort things through."
"It doesn't have to do with that Assassin... does it?" Damiel said softly as he idly toyed with his tunic. He and Benjamin had found one in storage a few hours ago and Damiel gratefully put it on. He was still slightly annoyed with Maria for ripping his other one up, but it was necessary to bandage his shoulder.
"It has everything to do with him, Damiel," Benjamin sighed and chewed his lip in thought. "She doesn't know if she did the right thing or not."
"Who's to say what's right and wrong?"
"Exactly, Damiel, exactly. But, I believe she should have stayed with him."
The younger man sighed and drummed his fingers against his leg. "I had a feeling you'd say that.."
"Well, can you blame me?" He snorted and glanced over at Damiel, then back to Maria. Lowering his voice so she could not hear him, he continued, "If she stayed, Damiel, she'd have a family of two by now. A babe, and a husband. Don't you want that for Maria?"
"Of course I want that!" Damiel frowned and hunched his shoulders at Benjamin who gave him an annoyed look. So much for being cautious. "But with an.. Assassin?"
"Oh, come now, Damiel, are they that bad?" Benjamin laughed and ruffled the teenager's hair with one hand. "We both learned how corrupted the Templar's were and what their plans for domination were. The Assassin's banished them from this world, and I see no wrong-doing there, do you?"
"N-no, but... I guess it's hard to take in, that's all." Damiel swung his legs back and forth and clapped his boots together. "It's strange to think of them in that light, Benny."
"They're only human, Damiel, only human."
"You sound as if you're defending them, you know. You didn't befriend one, did you?"
Benjamin remained silent and chose to admire the scenery instead of answering his question. Damiel groaned and hung his head low. "I take that as a miserable 'yes'..."
Two days later...
Aden was at the ship's helm, guiding the vessel through the water. Zaina was sitting down next to him lightly dozing, her head resting against his leg. He smiled down at her and ran a hand through her hair. He loved his sister dearly and seeing her sleep so peacefully helped ease his troubled mind, but yet he could not remove the image of his golden beauty from his brain. Where was she? Was she alright? Was she still alive?
He sighed and turned his attention toward the deck. Olivia and Maria were doing push-ups together while Benjamin and Damiel were doing crunches. He would have loved to join the latter pair to show Damiel the correct way to exercise, but he could not leave his post. He shook his head and blinked in question as he felt something warm on his hand. Aden turned his head down and chuckled when he saw Belle staring up at him with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. At least she was happy.
The dog nudged his hand with her head and he willingly scratched her between the ears. She whimpered and laid down by his feet. The Arab man smiled briefly but frowned when he heard Damiel complaining. He rolled his eyes from the nonsense coming out of the boy's mouth. He was saying something about how his shoulder still hurt and that doing push-ups caused him agony. 'What a child..'
Maria turned her head in Aden's direction as if she heard his thoughts. She smiled and walked up to the quarterdeck and stood beside Aden. She gave Belle an amused glance. The man smiled at her and tilted his head to the side. "Maria," he said.
"Aden," she said. Maria sighed and shook her head, looking down at the others exercising. "Do we really look that foolish from up here?"
"Mhm, especially the idiot."
She gave him an annoyed look and kept her lips in a grim straight line. "You need to stop insulting him, Aden. Whatever you have against him, it's weakening him, and when one of us is weakened, all of us are weakened."
"He must leave my sister alone then."
"He is, Aden. He doesn't want anything to do with Zaina. He wants it to end at allies and nothing more." She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just what do you have against him?"
Aden opened his mouth, but Maria held her hand up in silence. "And don't say it is because of your sister, because I think we both know that that's a lie."
He swallowed and shifted his teeth inside his mouth. "I do not know, Maria. I am angry that he does not share information about himself with us. It irritates me further when he takes things so lightly."
"He is but a boy yet, Aden. You just don't know how to understand him."
"Then what method should I use to cooperate with him?"
The woman scratched her temple and frowned lightly. "For starters, don't mock him for everything he is. He can handle a few teases-"
"He mocks me, though-"
"Only because you mock him."
Aden sighed impatiently. "I see. And his behavior? Why is it always so loose?"
Maria turned her head slowly at him with a most frustrated expression plastered on her face. "Are you that stupid?" She frowned further when he merely blinked at her. "He is not always happy, Aden! He had a rough life, same as all of us. I find it quite refreshing to know that at least someone here is able to smile when times are as dark as they are now! Don't even try to remove that grin from his face. If you do, I will see to it personally that your body is never found, for you will be dinner for the fish!"
He flared his nostrils at her and sent her a vicious glare that could have stopped an entire army in its tracks. "I find it so amusing, Maria, that you expect people to listen to you. You, who is nothing more than a miserable woman that wishes to see her damned Assassin, but lies to almost everyone around you. Don't try to hide the fact that you're so deprived, and do not try to even begin ordering me around like you have control over me." He smirked when her face turned several shades darker in anger. "You may go now, I'm through speaking with you." Aden waved her off and held his chin high.
She said a string of curses before turning around and storming back to the deck to resume her training. She could have ripped his head off for speaking to her that way. She'd leave that for when they rendezvoused with Hildegard, though.
Zaina chose that particular moment to open her eyes and look up at her brother. She gave a weak smile and pat his leg. "Is everything alright, Aden?"
He calmly glanced at her and gave a small smile. "Do not concern yourself with my well-being, sister. I am alright."
"What was Maria angry about?"
Aden sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Defending Damiel's sorry ass."
Her face shriveled up from hearing his name. "He is near useless.. Why is it that we keep him around?"
"Because Maria sees something in him, that's why. I have yet to discover what that is, though." He bit the inside of his mouth and puckered his lips out as he watched the rest of the Rose on deck. Maria and Damiel were sparring, Olivia was doing leg raises, and Benjamin was staring long and hard at the pendant while performing crunches. Aden kept his eyes on Damiel, though. He had far too wide of a swing with Riva- couldn't the boy see that? Why didn't Maria correct him? "Indeed, he is near useless."
Zaina watched the boy as well with a glint in her eye. His tunic clung to his body due to sweat and it did a fabulous job of outlining his abdominal muscles. She marveled quietly on how his biceps would contract and how each muscle would move when he repositioned Riva. On top of that, his mass of curls flung wildly whenever he attacked Maria, his face twisted in a snarl that was almost seducing. He would shout when he attacked, grunt when he took a blow- it was arousing for the girl. Luckily, Aden was too busy scowling at him to notice her dazed expression.
She quickly hid her fascination by sneering at him as well. She couldn't afford to let her brother see her admiration toward Damiel.
Hildegard let out a sigh of relief when the boat finally made anchor at a harbor. It had felt like years since she had ever touched land again. True, the boatride was short, for the most part, but her former acquaintance would not be quiet! He felt the need to fill her in on every little detail from five years ago. She often found her eyebrows twitching in annoyance just from hearing the man take a breath to continue his ramblings. She dared admit that he was worse than her servant, Richard. At least Richard knew when to put a lid on his trap.
She politely stepped out of the way to let the all too eager passengers go on ahead of her and disembark the vessel. She made sure to avoid eye contact with her gossip buddy at all costs and gave a polite smile to the passengers when they nodded their heads in thanks. The blonde beauty slowly made her way off of the ship when everyone else had left. She held her satchel tightly to her shoulder. Once Hildegard's feet touched the soft earth once more, she smiled and sighed, digging her boots in the sandy land. They had docked at a town just southeast of Jerusalem. It'd be a few days' ride to reach Masyaf. She failed to keep her deadline with the Assassin, but they were adaptable creatures. Surely he'd understand?
Hildegard slowly turned her head over her shoulder to take one last look at the boat. The crewmen were already disembarking, shouting orders to one another while they clambered onto the docks. She smiled but it quickly disappeared. She let her eyes wander up and down the boat and then the water. It was a constant reminder of what she had left behind and what she still had to accomplish. Hildegard gave a small huff and closed her eyes. She had always considered herself loyal to her friends- always knew that she would do anything for Maria. But this was on a completely different page for her. She may never return to see her friends, her home, her sister...
And what a shame; Ermen was pregnant with yet another child. She'd miss the birth. Hildegard sighed and shook her head left and right to rid herself of her thoughts. No, she could not dwell with the decision she had made. What's done was already done.
She turned away from the boat and followed the trail of people to the entrance of the small town. A lot of the passengers were going to stay the night at the local inns while some were going to purchase horses and travel through the night to their desired destinations. Hildegard's plan was to rest for an hour or so, purchase some supplies, and then book it to Masyaf. She couldn't delay, not with the new information she had garnered over the last few days. If Maria did marry Clarence, God forbid, then her Assassin needed to know as soon as possible so that they could mount a rescue attempt.
The Rose member perked her head up when she saw the inn come into sight. The town that they had arrived at was bustling with activity- merchants calling citizens over to take a look at their wares, children playing with toys such as wooden swords and dolls, women chatting amongst each other while the men looked absolutely bored out of their minds. She smiled when she saw a little girl combing out the hair of her doll with the utmost care. Such simple lives children lived... how much she envied such an existence. Hildegard bit her lip and stopped dead in her tracks when she caught glimpse of another girl sitting in the dirt next to a building, slouching her shoulders. The woman paid no mind to the people around her that gave her frowns from stopping all of a sudden and causing an obstacle in their paths.
She walked over to the little girl and knelt in front of her. The poor thing's hair was matted with dirt and grime, and her torn clothes were as equally messy. She looked up weakly at Hildegard, and the woman smiled gently at her.
"What is your name, little one?" She dug around in her satchel, looking for something apparently. The girl watched her every move, never taking her eyes off of the stranger.
Her voice was raspy and weak, as if her lips had not touched water in weeks. "A...Azniv." Her eyes widened slightly when she heard the jingle of money, but she quickly recovered from the shock.
Hildegard, having finally found her coin pouch, withdrew a small handful of money. It was all she could afford to give the girl, but at least she'd be happy knowing she tried to help. After all, Hildegard had been in her position once before in her life, and what that had lead to... she'd rather not think.
With the pouch in one hand and the coins in another, Hildegard held them out to the girl. She smiled at her once more, her rosy cheeks dimpling slightly. " 'Azniv'? That's a very pretty name, miss. What does it mean?"
The girl slowly replied, "Honest," her eyes now on the money. Hildegard opened her small hand up and placed the coins into her palm and closed her tiny fingers around it, still smiling gently at her. "There, Azniv. I know it's not much, but I hope it helps."
Azniv stared at her with giant hazel eyes and gave a small smile. "You are very kind, lady."
The woman laughed lightly and stroked the girl's cheek. "You may call me Hildegard, little one."
"You are very pretty, Hil.. Hil.." The name was foreign to her, the letters causing her tongue to twist uncomfortably. "Heeldegard," she finally managed, her eyes wandering from the woman to the bundle of money still in her hand.
"Only on the inside, habibti- hey!" Hildegard stood abruptly as the girl snatched the pouch from her and dashed off back into the crowd, but not before sending a wicked smirk back at Hildegard. The woman stood there, her jaw slack as she stared into the crowd of people. Finally, after having the facts sink in, she groaned and picked her satchel up once more. "Why am I not surprised," she muttered under her breath as she shouldered the bag and marched her way to nowhere in particular. "Try to do something nice..." she kept a strict scowl on her pretty face, wandering aimlessly and shoving past people with her free arm.
"Oh, but no, can't do anything damn nice anymore..." She gritted her teeth together and earned some curious looks from some of the people. "Because there'll just happen to be a little girl that would love to steal your money, even though..." She pushed past a rather large man and kept her half waddle, half march stride in gear, never faltering. "...You offer some coin to her... Heavens above, help me..." The people were now exchanging worried glances with one another, some even whispering to each other about 'that strange woman'.
Hildegard rolled her eyes and huffed. "This is fabulous, just fabulous. I rid myself of that good for nothing chatterbox-"
"E'erythin' al'ight, missy?"
Hildegard visibly and internally flinched from hearing his voice. The voice that haunted her for what seemed like an eternity while on that boat. She slowly turned around and gave him one of the biggest forced smiles she had ever done in her entire life. It felt more like a snarl to her, though, she didn't particularly care at the moment. 'I hope it IS a snarl.. Maybe he'll leave me alone..'
The man, however, was not one known for reading expressions very well, so he walked happily over to her and began updating her about how Persian sheep were no longer producing quality wool and that the merchants would soon go out of business in another two or three years if they did not start feeding the sheep a special type of herb that made them miraculously grow extravagant wool.
Hildegard purposely kept a faster pace than him as her eyebrow twitched in annoyance and her mouth quivered in irritation. She finally stopped when she was in front of the inn. She wouldn't be occupying one of the rooms tonight, oh no, because a little wench had to steal her money.
She gave an exasperated and frustrated huff, pulling her hair with her free hand. The man stopped his rambling to glance at her curiously, but she hardly noticed. She stamped her foot as hard as she could on the ground, a little puff of dirt soon following afterward, and screamed as loud as she could, "SEE WHAT I GO THROUGH JUST FOR YOU, MARIA? DO YOU SEE?"
Malik lifted his head curiously. "Did you hear something, brother?"
Altair looked over at him and frowned slightly. Bayo looked at both men. "No, what was it?"
He dismissed it with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. "Pah, must have been the wind."
The other members of the Rose were fairing just as poorly as Hildegard was, though. Each of them were angry at at least one other person, except for Benjamin. He remained the pure beacon of light on the ship, though, that meant he had to put up with everyone else's complaining. He didn't mind hearing it from Maria or Damiel, for Maria hardly ever complained to him, and he knew just how to shut Damiel up, but the others... irked him.
Damiel was annoyed at Olivia, Zaina, and Aden for obvious reasons, and vice versa. Maria was considering lopping one of Aden's ears off for speaking so rudely to her previously, while Aden was considering throwing her overboard. Zaina chose to side with big brother and avoided Maria on the ship at all costs. Olivia was frustrated with Maria because while they were training, the woman accidentally snapped one of the German's arrows in half with her sword. She had tried to explain that it was a complete accident, but Olivia wouldn't have it.
They were now divided into three groups: A.Z.O.B, D.M, and B. Even Belle had chosen a side, and that was Aden's side. Of course.
To avoid further conflict on the ship, Benjamin had to assign sections of the vessel to each group. Aden's group would frequent the deck while Damiel and Maria would stay in the hold until Benjamin told them to politely switch places. Honestly, he felt as if he was dealing with children.
Maria and Damiel were fine with this arrangement, though. They liked occupying the hold. They were able to talk to each other, something Damiel missed over the past year since Maria wasn't in any condition to even stand on her own without someone helping her. They honestly had nothing to complain about when in each other's presence.
"So, Maria," he began as he helped himself to an apple. "where are you from again?"
She smiled and picked an apple off of the small tray of fruit set in between them. "I'm from a community just outside of London. How many times have I told you this?"
He munched noisily on the apple and gave her an innocent shrug. "I just like hearing it again is all."
Maria rolled her eyes and took a small bite from the fruit. "I didn't particularly like living there- my main family wasn't exactly pleasant to me since I acted like such a boy." Her eyes took on a dreamy state as she began remembering her childhood. "I often spent time at my uncle's estate in Canterbury."
"Canterbury? That's a little ways off from London, right? How is it there?"
"Ough, it is beautiful- at least, it was. After my uncle... left..." she swallowed and curled the corners of her lips, but there was nothing enjoyable about the smile. ".. it was neglected. Left to wither and die..." She shook her head and gave a forced smile at Damiel. "But I have good memories there, so I'm glad I at least was able to visit them."
He smiled back at her and took another bite from the apple. "That's good, I was thinking this'd end sadly."
She laughed and raised an eyebrow at him. "You've heard this story how many times, Damiel? And you're wondering how it'd end?"
"Yeah, I know, but I like acting as if I never heard it before. I guess it's just to relive the feeling and memory, y'know?"
"Hmm.." she looked down at her apple in concentration. "Relive... a memory?"
Damiel laughed and swiped a handful of grapes. "Hey, don't go dwelling too much into it, it's just a form of speech."
"I'm aware of what it is."
It remained silent between them as they ate. It was Damiel who broke the quiet, though.
"You know.. sometimes I wonder what it'd be like if I went back home."
Maria's ears perked up from this. "Oh?"
He nodded and looked up at the ceiling of the hold. "Yeah... I guess just to see everyone again, see how they're doin'..."
"I wish I could do that too, even though I never liked my siblings."
He laughed and gently fell backwards so he was laying down on the floorboards. "But who am I kidding, Ria?"
"What do you mean?"
"I won't be welcomed back in with open arms if I ever go back."
She tented her eyebrows together and cocked her head to the side. "And why is that?"
"They... they think me a traitor for leaving." Damiel closed his eyes and gave a grim smile. "Even though it was over ten years ago, they'll still be pretty angry at me."
"Do they not know that you were kidnapped by slavetraders?"
He snorted and threw her a sarcastic look. "Oh, they know, alright, they just want to find some excuse to blame it all on me. Lovely family I have, hm?"
She gave an uneasy laugh and glanced side to side. "Oh, yes, they sound like the epitome of kindness."
"Mhm. Now, I don't mean to gross you out, but my family and people, well.. we're a bit barbaric, I guess you can say." He laughed, a memory clearly seeping its way back into his mind. "Awh, we used to do so many things that the English would frown upon. I bet they'd even label us as savages," he smirked at her and slipped his hands behind his head.
"What's that supposed to mean? You didn't raid towns, cut off the heads of all the women and children and stick them on a pike outside of your own village, did you?"
He remained silent and did his best to conceal a sly smile from her. But, he failed miserably and she gave him a disgusted look. Her mouth hung open with one corner of her lip turned up and her eyes two huge saucers. "Oh, that's repulsive.."
"Aw, Maria, come on! You've such a weak stomach- and we didn't do that, just to let you know."
She exhaled deeply but there were still some traces of disgust on her face. "Heh.. heh... heheh.."
"I mean that we'd use anything we could get. We're not really up to speed with resources and technology like England is. We... we're a bit animal-like..."
She swallowed the last of her apple and gave him a gentle smile. "Could you elaborate on that?"
"..." He remained silent for several minutes. Maria thought that the conversation was ended at that, and she mentally scolded herself for straight out asking him to give information out about himself. One had to be ever so sly and careful when it came to coaxing knowledge out of the boy. It was similar in difficulty to pulling teeth out of a person's mouth that was clamped shut.
Just then, Benjamin decided to clamber down the hatch. He smiled at his two friends and called to them, "Alright, you two, time to switch positions!"
Maria gave a small smile as Benjamin climbed back up the ladder. She was halfway up the ladder when Damiel grabbed her arm and brought her back down to his level.
"We liked keeping animal furs and training dogs- there were even dogs that looked like Bayo and Belle that we trained." He smirked at her and climbed up the ladder. She frowned and thought over what he had said, and then decided to follow him on deck.
"No coin, no bed. Simple as that." The innkeeper crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Hildegard. He was a big burly man with arms that resembled tree trunks. However, she was not instigated by his appearance. She sighed and tried again.
"Sir, a little girl stole my money from me, I just got off of a boat and rid myself of an unbearable man, I'm tired, I'm hungry, would it be so terrible to have a heart and let me stay?" She gave him the most innocent expression she could. She could have easily seduced him, but she was above that. She no longer was a prostitute.
He scratched his chin and looked at the floor. "Well... I suppose I can work something out... Hmmm.." He gazed into her eyes and kept his face a strict mask as he pondered over his options. She looked up at him hopefully, but soon any chance of having a warm bed for the night vanished as he laughed at her and demanded she leave his hotel.
Hildegard glowered the grave and the devil's servants at the man while she stood her ground. "Fine. I will take my leave of this dreadful place then." Her glare soon turned into a sly smirk when she saw a couple enter the inn out of the corner of her eye. Raising her voice, she finished her thought, "After all, who would want to pay top coin to stay at an inn infested with cockroaches, hm?"
The couple had heard her, just as she planned, and quickly left. Hildegard's snarl turned into a sweet and innocent smile that somehow still reeked of a satisfied quota as she gave her farewell to the innkeeper and headed outside. It was dark out already and she needed some place to stay. She sighed and sat down on a bench a few blocks away from the inn. What she really needed was a bath.
She ran her hands through her hair and scowled from the greasy feeling. Hildegard shivered from a sudden breeze and pulled out a blanket from her satchel and wrapped it tightly around herself. She'd love to make herself a bed out of hay and be lost in the straw as she slept-
The idea caused a lovely grin to play onto her lips as she removed herself from the bench and waddled over to the stables with her satchel slung over her shoulder and her blanket tucked tightly to her body. Of course! Why didn't she think of it before?
However, her idea came crumbling down as she saw a young man keeping watch outside of the stables. He was dressed in thick furs for the cold Arabian night and was sitting down in a crude wooden chair laid out in the sandy earth. Hildegard gulped, but proceeded to walk closer to him. Perhaps he was a nice soul?
"U-um.. excuse me.." she began as she gave him a small timid smile. "I was just wondering-"
"The horses are all sold out, ma'am," he gave her an apologetic smile in return and was completely unaware of the sinking feeling in the woman's chest. "If you wait another week, I'm sure we'll be back with some more."
"Oh, no, no, I wasn't asking for a," she cleared her throat and gulped back her despair, "horse. I was merely looking for a place to stay for the night, if that's alright."
He frowned. "Why, is ol' Akram sold out for the evening?"
She tucked her chin into her neck in confusion. Then it dawned upon her. "Oh, you mean the innkeeper?" She snorted as she shook her head and looked to the sky once again. "If you mean sold out of manners, then, yes, he is."
The man chuckled from her comment. "He was never very generous, miss, take no offense."
"Contrary to what his name means."
He grinned and stood from his chair. "So, what brings you to the stables then?"
She shifted her feet but quickly straightened her posture. Might as well tell him the truth, what more could happen to her? So, she told him. She told him about how she tried being polite to a neglected girl and ended up having her money robbed from her.
He blinked, either in disbelief or astonishment, she couldn't tell. "Well, that's... that's quite a tale you have there- what was the girl's name again?"
"She said it was Azniv, though I doubt it. Probably lied about it."
He chuckled and idly dug his toe into the ground. "Oh, nope, that's her name alright. She's known in these parts of the countryside. She's a thief- don't let her appearance fool you next time. She's got enough money for a month's worth of hotel rooms, believe me."
"Sounds like you met the same fate as me once," she said humorlessly.
He nodded and smiled with the same amount of humor, meaning none at all. "Let's just say when you see a torn up, dirty little girl almost get run over by one of your own horses, you feel responsible and decide to take her in for a day and tend to her. Worst decision of my life."
Hildegard laughed lightly and tilted her head to the side and gave him a scrutinizing look. "What's your name, my friend?"
"Halim al-Kuf," he replied with a small smile. "And yours, miss?"
"Hildegard," she extended her hand out to him. "Hildegard Dove."
He looked at her hand and then back at her. "You aren't from here, are you?"
She slowly withdrew her hand. "Oh, my apologies, I... I forgot my place-"
"Nonsense! You won't hear it from me, I swear." He smiled as he shook her hand with his own. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Dove."
She smiled a small toothy grin at him. She liked this man. "Was it just my actions that gave me away or-"
"Your accent," he said quickly as he smirked at her. "I can tell Arabic isn't your first language and that words come difficultly to you."
"You bet they do," she muttered as she kicked at the dirt. "Halim, would it be brash of me to ask for sanctuary from you?"
Halim laughed and waved his hand in dismissal at her. "Nah, don't even bother asking. Between you and me, I've got a soft spot for those who experience Azniv's trickery, lucky for you. Here, let's get you in the barn."
She smiled gratefully at him as he lead her inside the stable. The smell was the first thing that hit her. And oh, did it hit her!
Hildegard recoiled from the aroma of horse, sweat, dung, and animal all combined into one feral stench. If it effected Halim, there was no difference in his stride or posture. "It isn't much, but-"
"It's perfect, Halim. It's much better than sleeping outside." She smiled at him but quickly looked away when his eyes remained on her. There were candles in the stable and he clearly saw how beautiful she was now.
He cleared his throat and shook himself free of the vile spirits that threatened to enter his mind. "I bid you good night, then, Miss Dove."
"To you as well," she replied without looking at him. She remained stiff and stoic until she heard the barn door close quietly behind her. She sighed thankfully that this man had control over his hormones and plopped down onto the warm straw, savoring the feel of it against her skin. True, it was not a bed, but between the cold earth and warm straw... The hay won that little battle of comfort.
The next morning, the blonde beauty reluctantly removed herself from the straw. Her hair was a mess- she didn't need a mirror to know that- and her clothes had hay clinging to her. She stretched her muscles and limbs out one by one and then began the slow process of removing as much hay as she could from her hair and clothing. Hildegard sighed and shook her head. 'It could have turned out much worse, Hildegard, be thankful for what has happened and what has not happened.'
She opened the barn door and was instantly relieved when she breathed in the fresh morning air. Good, she had not overslept. This gave her plenty of time to think of a method on reaching Masyaf. It was early Tuesday morning, and she already felt bad enough for not keeping her promise to that damn Assassin. 'He'll just have to live with it, Hildegard. At least you're actually going to show up rather than not going at all.'
She sat down on the earth in defeat. "But how am I going to get there? Maria's in trouble, there aren't any horses-" she stopped her ramblings when she felt eyes on her. She slowly turned her head to the side and saw Halim walking towards her with a smile on his face. He was bringing a small woven tray of bread, cheeses, and fruits with him. Hildegard stood out of respect and smiled. He waved at her and was soon standing next to her.
"Good morning, Miss Dove. I was just about to wake you." He nodded toward the tray. "I have our breakfast right here, it is up to you where to eat it."
"Are you proposing that there is another option available other than the barn?" she laughed.
He smiled and nodded. "While the barn is sometimes a place of rest, it is the house that people usually dine in. Unless, it is different from where you are from," he said with a facetious smirk. Oh, and how Hildegard needed all the humor she could get.
"Then the house it is." They nodded politely at one another as he led her inside his house.
It was a modest home, to say the least. It was obvious Halim didn't come from the richest family, yet the furniture suited him and his house in a humble manner. Hildegard soon found herself sitting at his table nibbling on bread and fruit and drinking a most delicious and exotic Syrian tea.
"So, where is it that you're from, Miss Dove?"
Hildegard smiled and stared into her bowl of tea. "A little ways from here, actually. About three of four days."
He raised his eyebrow at her. "Ahh? Is that so? And that explains your foreign accent how...?"
She cleared her throat, readying herself to weave one of the biggest lies of her life in a matter of seconds. "My parents were from England, but moved here during the Crusades. Although it's hard to believe, there were some Christians that were completely against the war, so they ventured to the Middle East to try to convince the Crusaders to return back to Europe. However, while they were here..." she trailed her voice off and bobbed her head side to side. "They were a bit preoccupied with themselves. I wasn't exactly supposed to be part of that trip, to say the least."
Halim nodded in understanding. "I see. You've lived a rough life, Miss Dove?"
"Rougher than most," she agreed as she took another drink from the tea. "That explains my accent and my looks."
"Your mother must have been very beautiful," he remarked as he stared intently at her face. She inwardly cringed at his words but kept a small smile on her lips. How many times had the men that forced themselves upon her had said that same exact phrase, she didn't know.
"Thank you, Halim," she managed to say after a few moments. They ate the rest of their breakfast while asking each other a few questions here and there.
"So," he began as they finished eating. "what are your plans for today?"
"Well, first," she said as she helped him clear the table. "I'm going to march back to this 'Akram' and demand he at least allow me to bathe myself in the bathhouse connected to his inn." Hildegard laughed just from imagining herself ordering the giant of a man around.
Halim however, did not find any humor in it at all. "You know, Miss Dove, I could pay for you-"
"Don't be ridiculous, Halim. I've already burdened you enough, I couldn't possibly-"
In one swift moment, he was but an inch from her and held her hand in his own. "But what if I wish to be burdened by you, as you so put it?"
She blinked at him and removed her hand from his. "You really don't know what you're saying-"
Realizing the compromising position he had put him and herself into, he took a few steps back, but still remained close to her. "We are friends, Miss Dove. Consider it a gift, if anything."
"It is a gift I will very much appreciate it, if you insist upon it," she gave a warm smile his way and he beamed at her as he lead her out of the house by her wrist and to the bathhouse. In fact, Hildegard believed that he didn't once take his eyes off of her as he lead the way there. He must have lived in this town for a very long time.
Just as quick as she had been ushered into his house to share breakfast with him, she found herself submerged to her neck in warm, misty water. She sighed and tilted her head back to allow her hair and scalp to become soaked.
It felt absolutely lovely to be able to wash herself after days on that God forsaken boat. She generously applied oils and creams made out of ground herbs to her hair and scrubbed away at the former mass of curls, now sopping wet blanket. She was extremely thankful for this time alone.
After she was done cleaning herself, she waded to the edge of the tub and tilted her head up against it and closed her eyes. She very much missed her friends- and what to think of this Halim figure? He had clearly taken interest in her- no, he had clearly taken interest in a fake woman, a mere facade.
She dismissed him from her mind. He was just a source of well-being, and if she had to use him, then so be it. She would do anything to fulfill the promise to the Assassin and to herself. She promised herself from the first day she met Maria that she would do whatever she could to keep her safe, even if it meant waltzing into a fortress filled with murderers.
They all flooded back to Hildegard: her friends, especially one in particular. She stood from the tub and removed herself from it. Her feet slapped against the cool tile of the bath as she walked to the mirror. She hated what she saw, and oh how much she saw.
There were scars and blisters covering the woman's stomach. Puckered skin and bruises that never faded stretched from her legs all the way down to her feet. One would have thought that she was a leper, but that was not the case. She was a woman abused and a woman that could not find love in the world from men. Both of her biceps had purple lines etched into her skin. How she had become so disgusting... so demonic, so.. ugly, she did not know. The men she bed with did not care, for she was not theirs. Why should and would they care if their whore had a scarred body? It was the face, breasts, and most secret of locations that they had wanted and nothing more.
Even her breasts were marred with sickening blemishes.
She stared long and hard at herself in that mirror, never even bothering to wipe the tears streaming from her eyes to fall freely from her chin. She never wanted to become this. She never wanted to give herself away so freely. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth together. She wouldn't be in this situation if Clar-
"Miss Dove?" Her eyes snapped open as she heard Halim's voice and a polite knock on the bath door. "Is everything alright? It's unusually quiet in there..."
'So he's been listening to me bathe the entire time... He's much more dangerous than I thought. I've got to get out of here and fast...'She gulped as she answered him, "Yes, everything is fine, Halim." She kept her voice devoid of emotion. If only he knew that she kept a dagger hidden inside of her breast bindings and throwing knives strapped to the inside of her thighs, then she was sure he'd be treating her with a bit more respect than he was already.
"Alright, Miss Dove. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you." A friendly offer- if it was coming from one that was not man. The way he said those words sent a shiver up Hildegard's spine. If it was not his frequent glances in her direction, then it was his tone of voice that gave his little lustful secret away.
She huffed and did not reply to him and rolled her eyes as she finally heard his retreating footsteps. 'Pathetic little man...' She glanced at the mirror and sighed. Nothing was going to change the way she was.
Hildegard quickly dried off and changed into a new pair of britches and tunic before shoving her feet inside of her boots once more. She stole one more look in the mirror and held her head high and back straight. She was doing this for Maria, and if Maria was going to be strong, so should she.
Tuesday- probably the most dreadful day of this week for the Master of Assassins. He kept stealing glances out of his window in his study, waiting for the so-called Hildegard to show her face. It wasn't even noon yet and already he was becoming restless. He was a patient person, as was the requirement for an Assassin, but this was too much of an issue to take lightly. Questions kept nagging at his mind, demanding him to answer them.
Would she show up? Was it a trap? Maybe he should have told Malik..
'No,' he thought to himself as he balled his right hand into a fist. 'You've trusted Malik with a simple task of delivering letters, and look where that's gotten you. Anything that has to do with Maria, he'd raise objection to.'
He had made sure the Apple of Eden was secured safely away in its vault, paid the barracks his respects, sent commands to the novices, trained with Bayo...
Nothing he did seemed to ease his troubled mine, though. He anxiously awaited this Hildegard- what if she brought Maria with her?
The idea sent relief and terror through him at the same time. The Assassin would do nearly- no, anything- to see his beloved Maria once more, but the fact of actually seeing her again... What would she be like? Would she be different? Would she beat him senseless and scream at him for never replying to her letters? Would she... did she even love him still?
He sighed and stole another glance at the window. Nothing yet, but there was so much of the day left.
Altair held a grim expression while he silently suffered internally from not knowing.
Hildegard lifted her head up as a breeze past through town. After leaving the bathhouse, she had sneaked away from Halim to enjoy the morning with the people. It was such a different place in morning than at night! They were chatting with one another, merchants not yet opening up their stalls paid their visits to their friends, there wasn't hardly any mayhem due to children just waking up, and most importantly, it was quiet.
True, there was a lot of conversations going on, Hildegard couldn't deny that, but it fit the town so nicely. It was as if the soil and houses were slowly waking up along with the people. Beautiful.
She closed her eyes as the wind whished through her hair. It felt wonderful as the sun was already blazing hot this early in the day. A smile slowly crept onto her lips and she opened her eyes. Inhaling, she put one foot in front of the other and held her chin with pride as she walked amongst the people.
She had a particular place in mind that she'd like to spend some time at. There was a hill just above the town. One could see the entire village from the vantage point, and she needed something breathtaking at the moment. After all, she had too much on her mind to just walk it off. She needed closure, and if it meant doing some climbing and possibly dirtying herself up again, she'd be willing enough to try.
Hildegard began the walk up the hill and noted with slight disdain that the more she walked, the steeper it got. She huffed but continued her ascent. Finally reaching the top with sweat lightly caking her brow, she sighed from the sight.
It was marvelous how she could literally see everyone breathe in the morning and slowly regain their energy as they awoke. She held her hands over her mouth in pure wonder as the town became more and more bustling with each passing second. Soon, it would regain its activity that she had witnessed prior meeting Halim.
'Ugh, Halim...' Hildegard rolled her eyes just from thinking about the man. He was very kind to her, but not the type of company she'd like to keep. One thing was for sure: she needed a horse and fast.
She quickly banished his plain face from her thoughts and replaced it with a much more... exotic picture.
'Aden... I wonder how you're doing...' She wrapped her arms around herself as yet another breeze blew past her. 'I hope you're alright...' She sighed. 'What am I saying? Hildegard, regain your senses, woman. He... he doesn't deserve filth like you.'
And yet he pursued her and never gave up. Did he enjoy toying with her feelings in his innocent and friendly ways? Or did he truly have feelings for her as he and Zaina both claimed? If that was to be the case, then she did not know if she could reciprocate those feelings back to him. No, she had no idea what she thought of the man other than an ally.
He was beautiful in his own elegant way, she had to admit that. Like most men, he had that rough, experienced look to him. But unlike most men, he was absolutely gorgeous with how rugged and slightly worn his face was. It was a witness' face, for he had seen many, many cruel acts throughout his life.
And even though she did not know her feelings for the man, she wished dearly that his strong arms were around her, and not Halim's-
'Wait... what..?' She registered what she had just thought and jumped out of the man's embrace. She stormed around and glared at him, and even though she recognized him, her expression did not falter.
"Miss Dove, I was wondering where you went-"
"Do. Not. Touch. Me." She said every word carefully with anger seething from every syllable. Her eyes were wide but narrowed as she glowered at him. How dare he..!
He looked absolutely baffled by her sudden change of personality. She was so sweet, so caring, so nice... "Miss Dove, I am sorry to have startled you-"
"Where the HELL did you get the idea," she lowered her head, deadly dark shadows being cast on her face. "that you can lay your hands on me in such a manner?"
"I-I apologize, Miss Dove-"
"Do not speak!" She held her hand out in front of him and turned her head to the side. "Stay your tongue before you do any further damage, and refrain from pursuing me. I am not game that you may freely chase, Halim." She whipped around and swiftly descended from the hill, leaving the man standing there thoroughly confused. 'Serves you right... bastard.' She really did not like this man. What a pity it was to have her change her mind about him so quickly...
Ah well, if he did not let her stay the night at the barn if she needed to, then she could always kill him and hide his body, but only if it was absolutely necessary. After all, guests should be grateful.
'My bloody ass,' she thought as she was once again back in town. She was heading back toward the said barn to collect her satchel. She had left it there- stupid woman!-on accident, completely forgetting about it. No doubt Halim had already been through it.
After recollecting her satchel and making sure to hold her breath before entering the stable, she was back in town, sitting at the bench she occupied the day before after the little incident with the innkeeper. She snorted from thinking of how rotten her luck had been.
She had endured the endless babbles of a nearly senile old man while on the boat to the Middle East.
Then, she had her money stolen from her by a good for nothing wench.
After that, she had learned that there was hardly any good in a person's heart anymore, seeing as how the innkeeper couldn't understand her situation and let her stay a night.
Oh, and then she met Halim... how marvelous.
Hildegard fumed over the man. Having his arms around her felt like her skin was crawling with insects. It felt disgusting. So utterly disgusting it caused her face to contract into a painful expression. She hoped she'd never have to see the man again, but knew that was not to be the case. And so she began devising a plan on how to reach Masyaf.
The only way to reach the Assassin stronghold conveniently was by horseback, and there weren't any horses in this village.
Or so she thought.
About an hour had past since Hildegard had occupied the bench. She idly watched the world spin by her as the others in this town paid her no mind. She was probably a madwoman in their eyes, anyways.
She was beginning to think that she had to wait a dreadful week in the custody of Halim for the horses to return from wherever the Hell they went. A week was too much time... the man could already be scheming of a way to force himself upon her for all she knew. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. She didn't know nor care.
Hildegard sighed and stood from the bench and made her way to the outskirts of the town. She wouldn't wander too far, just away from the hustle and bustle of everything going on around her. She'd love to return to the hill she had occupied, but decided against it. Halim was probably keeping a vigil out for her around that area, anyways. Or maybe he was already watching her every move...
"Don't think like that, Hildegard," she said between gritted teeth. "It'll only make things worse, and things are bad. Very bad."
She was standing on the opposite side of town. There was sparse vegetation, mainly only small bundles of grass here and there. "Is everything in this country dry and drab?" She sighed and sat down on the earth, bringing her knees to her chest as she rested her chin on them. "I suppose wishing for a miracle to occur would be too naive, but I see no other..." her voice trailed off as she tented her eyebrows together and the corners of her mouth turned downward in a confused grimace. "What the...?"
She felt something tugging at the back of her hair. She rolled her eyes and balled her fist, ready to shove a punch in Halim's face. However, when she turned around, it was not Halim behind her.
It wasn't even a man, rather, a human.
She blinked dumbfounded at the creature before her.
Its soft brown eyes stared right back into her own as they studied each other's faces.
The horse whinnied softly with strands of Hildegard's hair still in its mouth. A smile gradually appeared on her face and she gently stroked its soft muzzle.
"Hey, there, honey," she cooed softly, clicking her tongue. The horse perked its ears up and nudged the palm of her hand. She stood slowly and marveled at the creature. It was a beautiful mahogany brown with short white stockings to compliment its legs. The steed had the warmest of chestnut eyes that Hildegard couldn't help but to admire. Its mane was slightly darker than its coat, however, casting a brilliant contrast between the shades of brown. The color reminded Hildegard of the time she and Maria had attempted to bake bread, but instead burned the dough.
The horse nickered in delight from receiving attention. She placed a gentle kiss on its velvet soft nose and trailed her hand along its neck as she walked along its side. She had to make one quick little check before anything else.
"Alright, then, boy, where's your master, hm?" She smiled at the horse and couldn't help but notice he was already saddled. Someone already owned him, but did she honestly care? A horse was standing right in front of her, practically asking her to ride it back to Masyaf. No, she didn't care.
The horse nudged her with his large forehead and nipped at her hair. Normally, she'd have been disgusted by having a horse slobber all over herself, but she was too thrilled to even care. Hildegard ran her hand over the saddle and frowned when her hand trailed over an emblem.
She outlined it with her finger. It resembled the letter 'A', although it had many more elegant accents and sharp corners to the design. 'How strange... I've never seen anything like it...'
She shrugged, strapped her satchel to the saddle, and lifted herself onto him. The horse didn't even flinch as her weight descended upon him. Rather, he turned his head to look at her and she swore that he was smiling at her. "Well, my lovely escort, shall we?" She gently dug her feet into his sides with the stirrups, accustoming herself to the gait and movement. It had been a while since she had ridden, and she didn't want to take the chance of injuring her only way to Masyaf with her carelessness.
That is, she didn't want to urge the horse into a full-out gallop until she saw Halim running full speed toward her. She groaned and clicked her tongue in disapproval. The horse's ears flicked backward in response and he let out an annoyed neigh. "Yes, boy, I don't like him either. But let's put on a good show, hm?" Hildegard gently pat his neck and turned to look at Halim.
"Miss Dove! Miss Dove, wait! You mustn't leave just yet!"
She kept a bored expression on as she looked back and forth between man and beast, pretending to ponder over his words. "Mmm, and why is that?"
He was breathing laboriously by the time he reached her. "Miss... Dove!" he said between gasps of air, "Please.. reconsider!"
"I have somewhere I need to be, Halim. You are slowing me down with this-"
"Marry me!" He had grabbed her wrist in an attempt to yank her off of the saddle, but she wouldn't have it. She quickly swatted his hand away and scowled ferociously at him. "Marry me so that we may start a family on our own!"
She shook her head vigorously at him and seriously thought of killing him where he stood, but thought better of it. She didn't want to get any blood on herself after she had just taken a bath. "Pathetic man," she spat at him as her eyes became two deadly slits. "I am not interested in such a low request such as-"
"You are seeing another, aren't you?" he interrupted sadly. "I knew it- your beauty was too much to be true."
"And this is why you will never learn to love, peasant." She secretly took joy at his hurt expression. "You only know how to love with your eyes, fool!"
He grit his teeth together and reached out to her one more time, but gasped when his hand met the cold steel of a blade.
She smirked despite herself. It wasn't a major cut, just a small nick to his hand, and the man was grasping his palm as if he was experiencing a tourniquet. Pathetic. "I amseeing someone else, Halim," she sneered down at him and bared her teeth at the man. "And he is a far greater man than you'll ever be! His name is Aden. He is strong, handsome, caring, and knows how to love with his heart, not with his eyes! HYAH!" All in one moment, Hildegard dug her heels into the horse and he sped off, galloping away from the physically and emotionally hurt man.
What a heartbreaker Hildegard was.