Monteriggioni 1500

I shook my head in disgust. "He is not ready, Mario. He cannot engage the Borgia on their own territory alone."

"We cannot wait until they come knocking on our gates, Alanna. We must act now, and he is our only hope. Unless…." He let the sentence hang there and I knew what he was hinting at.

I glared at him from the corner of my eye. We stood side by side on the roof of the Villa. "I am no longer an assassin. I vowed to you that I would never pick back up the blade unless my hand was forced and it was to defend someone dear to me."

I looked out at the village I now called home. I had been there for thirty years, and nothing had changed. When Mario caught me running in the night, and learned of my secrets, I had told him I would help defend the city, but I would be an assassin no longer.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. I could tell he was shaking his head. "You, my dear, can no longer stop being an assassin than I can stop breathing. You were made immortal by the thing that Ezio now goes after. I believe now would be the time to help."

I shook his hand off and turned, eyes narrowed. "That is why I told you in the beginning that the thing should remain buried for all times. No one can wield its power. It will change anyone that touches it. I am walking proof of that."

"So reveal yourself to him. Tell him your story. He will understand and welcome your advice. Ezio has become the assassin you thought he would never have become." Mario looked at me straight faced and I knew he was serious.

"I shall never reveal myself to another mortal. That, in itself, is asking for trouble. I could not do that to a young man who is only out for revenge." I began to walk away from him, but he called out.

"You will regret your actions one day, Alanna. You know what happened the last time there was a war for possession on the Apple of Eden."

I stopped and hung my head. "That I do. Two lives were destroyed and one of those lives, I fear, may never continue."

"Then help us. Maybe we can find a way to revive Altair. The secret has to lie within the orb. You know as well as I do, it will be a very bad thing if it chooses a Templar to be like you." He walked over to where I had stopped.

"I cannot leave here, Mario. I know what is at stake. I know the dangers the Templars are. I have lived through it now for hundreds of years now." I looked at him and frowned. "I will tell you what I know, but I cannot follow him to Roma. I just cannot."

He gave me a small smile. "That is a start, my friend. Maybe one day you will stop hiding behind your fears and become something greater than a shadow."

I turned from him once more. "I will never be more than a shadow, my brother. I am nothing more than a blade in the crowd."

"Alanna, may I ask a favor. As a friend."

Turning back around, I nodded. "If I can do it, I will see to it."

"I will not be around forever. I am getting older every year. One day, I will die. Please befriend Ezio and show him the path. You do not have to tell him who you are. Just guide him the way you have helped me over the years." He shook his head. "Please do this for me."

"I will do what I can, but I will not do anything until you are gone." I locked eyes with him, and I could see that this request was the hardest thing he had ever asked of someone. "What of your sister-in-law and niece?"

"I will see to it that they shall always have a place here in Monteriggioni for as long as they would like." He smiled and I could not help smile back. "But if you would like to watch out for them as well, I would not complain."

I could not help but laugh. "I believe your nephew would keep me busy, but I will see what I can do."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Rome 1500

I stood next to Altair. It was the time. I had made a promise to a man that had been not a dead a year now that I would help his nephew however I could. I never planned to reveal myself to him, but Altair thought it would be best since he was going after the Apple once more.

Ezio stood there in a state of shock as we weaved a tale almost too strange to be true. Once we were done, he turned to me. "So, you were friends with Mario. I never saw you around the villa. Did you hide from everyone?"

"I did not hide. I was at the villa many of times, but always while you were away. I could not let you know who I was. Would you have believed us if you had not seen some of the things the Apple could do?"

He shook his dark head. "I do not believe I would."

"Then, you shall keep our secret then?" Altair watched him with a keen eye. He had been betrayed by many brothers in his life.

Ezio bowed and smiled. "I shall go to my death with your secret sealed behind my lips. It is an honor to meet you, Master Altair and Master Alanna."

I chuckled a bit. "I am but an assassin here to help."

He straightened up and looked from Altair to myself. "And what of Machiavelli? Who do we tell him you two are?"

I had not thought that far ahead, but to my saving grace, the Eagle of Masyaf had already come up with a plan. "You will tell the man that I am from Syria. It is the truth so you do not have to stretch it far. Alanna is pale enough to pass a woman from Italy. She and I shall be partners."

"And names? He will ask for them once he has met you." The boy knew to cover every detail. I was beginning to think there was nothing we would be able to teach him.

I looked at my Grandmaster for an answer, but he shrugged. "I do not know. I have been asleep for some time now. The names that I once knew would be old."

I laid my hand on his arm and smiled. "I will think of some. Let us not fret over such trivial things right now. I believe there is Borgia out there that are waiting for the meeting with Death himself."

Smiling, both men were ready to take on the army.

I shook my head as I thought about those memories. They were vital in why I did what I did. I had made a vow to Mario. I would watch out for Ezio. Keep him out of too much trouble. I broke that vow. Altair and I both said we would go after the Apple for him, but I now believe he was already one of us before we got to him. Or, he was changed when he claimed it from the Borgia the second time. I do not know.

The memories I had lost were coming back slowly, but they were coming back. I knew of most of the times from my awakening and up to my time in Rome. After that, it was a hodgepodge of jumbled half remembrances and visions that I could not piece together. I did not have all the parts.

The sun began to set and I watched the sky light up in a fiery blaze of colors. The one memory I had was of myself and another fellow, Sean McCoy. He was an assassin from Ireland that I worked with from time to time when I first met him in Boston in the early 1900's. I did not know the actual date. That was still a blank to me, but he always said the one thing he missed about home was the sunsets on the ocean. The feel of the salty sea air on his face as him and his siblings ran through the surf as his parents looked on.

I do not know why I connected him with this sunset, but I guess I would figure that out in time. The thing was I had many lifetimes to remember and I was only up to 1500. It was now 2022. I shook my head and reached for the coffee that I had cooling on the small patio table.

Ezio had called me earlier in the day and said everything went fine. They were on their way back. The group had to split up, but would all rendezvous back here. I was relieved that it was over, but something still bugged me about the whole thing. If they were after my mother, then why did she send me away? I could have helped her. Made sure they never would have taken her. Then I thought about that. I would have never come here and began to learn who I truly was and what I used to be.

I looked up at the sky as the darkness chased the color from the sky, blanketing the land in shadow. The creatures of the night began their songs, and I closed my eyes, letting their music soothe my frayed nerves. I had been a mess since they left. I did everything I could to keep my mind off of them being gone. Went to town, filled the fridge, and brushed the horses. Hell, I went as far as washing the cars and trucks that were here. I had to do something. I was going to lose my mind. Then I thought about that. I had already lost my mind.

The journal lay forgotten on my bed. I had not picked it back up since this started and the Apple. Ah, the lovely Apple of Eden. The bane of my existence, sat on an old candleholder on my dresser. My eyes snapped open. Could it give me the answers that I seek?

Quickly I stood, coffee long abandoned, as I raced up the stairs to my room. As I entered, I saw it there, where I had left it the day previous. Slowing, I made my way to its resting place. Should I pick it up? Did it work on touch? I had seen Ezio and Altair both use it, and they had it in their hands. Carefully, I picked it up like one would pick up a crystal ball. I held it in my hands.

"Can you tell me what befell me and caused me to be the way I am?" I looked at the golden orb.

A faint glow lit up the room and I closed my eyes.

Acre 1193

Blood ran down my face as I clung to the wall, trying to stay upright. I had been hasty in my retrieval of the pouch I had seen hanging from a man's belt. If I had taken the time to scout my mark, I would have seen that it was an assassin and not a scholar. My stomach hurt from the lack of food and the guards had been on high alert for days. All I wanted to do was put something warm in my belly and make sure I stayed alive for another day.

I heard distant footsteps on the roof above. He had found me, or was trailing the blood that I was leaving behind. In my mad flee from him, I hit the edge of a cart and cut myself on my scalp. The bad thing with head wounds is that they did not seem to quit bleeding.

Taking off once more, my feet pounded the earth, kicking up small amounts of dirt as I ran. I knew my life was on the line. I knew that once he caught me, I would be put to death for the crimes against him. So I ran. I heard something hit the wall behind me, but I did not turn around. I just kept running.

Around a corner, through another alleyway and back onto the roof. It felt like I had just ran through the fires of Hell from the burning I felt in my legs. I would be sore tomorrow, but if I got away, I would eat tomorrow and the day after.

Suddenly, before I could even react, something grabbed me from behind and I hit the roof, hard. I felt the thin skin on my lips split and blood entered my mouth. The coppery fluid threatened to choke me, and I half coughed, half split it out.

"You have something of mine. I want it back." The voice was male and very mad from the way I could almost hear a growl mixed in with the words.

I felt tears come to my eyes as I knew this was the end. "I will give it back. Please do not kill me."

"A woman?" The pressure on my back released as he stood.

The hood I had been wearing had protected my face from being seen, so I was not surprised that he did not know. The ill-fitting clothes did not let on as well. I could have passed as a young boy from behind.

I was lifted off the ground by the collar of my shirt and onto my feet. He spun me around and pushed the hood roughly off my head, letting the braid I wore my hair in free from its prison. I was too frightened to look up. I did not want the last thing I see to be the face of the man that would kill me then leave my body to rot on the roof. "I am sorry. I just wanted to eat." I held out the coin purse and saw my hand shake.

"Keep it."

I looked up at him. His eyes were what got to me first. A strange color, one that I had never seen another man have. My mother had a necklace that had a stone on it. She had called it amber. That was the color his eyes were. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and turned his back to me. "Just do not do it again."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled and clutched the small bag to my chest. "I will never…" But I never finished my sentence because my world began to spin and the last thing I saw was white before the darkness took my vision.

*/*/*/*/*/*

I felt something cool on my head as I came to. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the face of an older man standing over me, wiping the blood from my hair. "Ah, look who has come to, Altair. I thought she would surely have wasted away by now. Being as skinny as she is."

The assassin I stole from walked into my line of sight. "Will she recover, Rafiq?"

"Yes, yes, in time. The wound on her head was not deep. A shallow cut at best. Her mouth will be sore for a few days and swollen." The older man addressed the assassin. "Did you beat her up in your haste to get to your target?"

"No. I stole his coins and he was only trying to get them back." I went to sit up but the two men pushed me back down.

"I am not done cleaning your wounds, child." I felt water on my scalp and it felt so good I closed my eyes and thought about the time my mother would wash my hair when I was a child. "What is your name?"

"Alanna, sir. Alanna Dowd." I answered.

"Dowd huh? I knew a Dowd once. Honest man, used to work for the guard." A rag began to wipe my face clean. "You have such pale skin for living in the desert."

"My mother was an English woman. Came in from a caravan up north. My father was a guard here in the city." I told him. "She had skin as white as the fallen snow. At least that is what I remember of her."

"Was your father Daveed?" He asked and patted my shoulder. "You may sit up now."

I sat up and looked at him. "Yes. That was my baba. He died when I was ten." I turned my gaze from him.

"I knew him well. He would help the assassins when we needed it. I did not know of his passing until many weeks later. I am sorry, Alanna." He stood and I watched him leave the room.

"Would you like something to eat before you leave?" The assassin, Altair, I believe that was what the older man had called him, pointed to a small table with bread, fruits and, I sniffed the air. Was that tea?

My mouth began to water from the wonderful smells that assaulted my nostrils and my stomach rumbled painfully in my body. I felt the muscles clinch around it and nearly doubling me over. It had been two days since my last meal and at least that long before that one.

I guess he saw the pain that I was in because he walked over and picked up a roll from the table and brought it back to me. Taking it into my hands, I brought the food to my nose and inhaled the scent of the yeast and flour that went into making it.

"Do you always smell your food before you eat it?" He asked as he took a seat at the table and poured some tea in a cup.

I shook my head. "No, not really. It has been a few days since I last held food in my hands. I eat when I can steal it, the coin or when someone takes pity on me." I smiled at the roll, tore off a piece and popped it into my mouth. A smile spread across my lips, threatening to pull open the fragile skin once more. "I am sorry for taking your coin. I was not thinking when I heard it. It called to me and I just went for it."

He looked at me from deep in that hood of his. "You heard it?"

I nodded. "Yes. I have learned that sight, smell and touch are not always reliable when you are on the streets. I tend to hear things that others do not. I am also faster than most." I took another piece into my mouth and let the yeasty taste fill my mouth with joy.

"Is that how you nearly got away from me?"

"It is how I always get away. I have only been caught once and that was two years previous. Another assassin saved me from the guards who were going to kill me. One minute I was getting roughed up by them, and the next, they were dead and the man was walking away. I never did get to tell him thank you." Standing, my legs were a bit wobbly, but they held my meager weight. "May I have another?"

He nodded and pointed to the other chair. "Take a seat and eat."

"Thank you for your kindness. I am in your debt. If there is anything I can do for you in return, do not hesitate to find me and ask. I know Acre better than most." I sat down opposite of him and picked up another roll.

The edge of his lip turned up, showing a scar that cut through both lips. "I will keep that in mind."

I smiled and began to eat another roll.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

A few hours later, I climbed up to the roof of the small building after thanking the two men once again. The older man that knew my father handed me a small sack with some food and fruit and wished me well. The assassin, Altair, nodded his head and walked away. His coin purse tucked inside my sack.

Walking along the edge of the roof, I pulled out a piece of fruit and bit into the juicy pulp that lay just under the thin skin. I had not had this much food in many years.

"Hey you! You are not supposed to be up here!" I heard a guard yell from a distant rooftop.

I turned my head in his direction and saw him notch an arrow. Dropping the fruit, I took off in a dead run. I knew these rooftops better than they did and I would not let them catch me. Dipping into an alley, I swung from the beams, hit the ground, rolled carefully as to not crush my cargo and was on my feet running once more. Turning a corner, I ran out into the empty marketplace and across to another alley.

I did not stop until I got all the way back to the burnt out hovel I called my home. Sliding down the wall, I tried to get my breathing under control. I was still weak, but I was now safe, or so I thought. Someone walked across the roof and I grabbed for the only thing I had of my father's. The dagger he always carried on him when he was on patrol. The one day he did not have it because it was being repaired, a man stabbed him in the back.

Holding it like he showed me many years ago, I slowly got to my feet and looked through the wooden slates. I could not see who it was, but judging from the weight they bore, they had weapons. Looking at the dagger, I knew if they found me down here I would be done for. Creeping towards the door, I bent down and grabbed my sack. The footfalls stopped and then they landed in the dirt behind me.

I swung the blade around and it clashed against metal. My eyes saw steel and white robes. "You were not lying when you said you were fast. And could hear well."

Pulling the blade back, I let it rest at my hip. "You gave me quite the fright. How may I help you?"

"Actually, I would like to help you one more time. I want to train you. I want you to become an assassin."

Present Day

I blinked my eyes rapidly to clear the vision from my waking eye. I knew I had been recruited by Altair, but in my journal, I never went into much detail. Looking at the Apple in my hand, the glow was gone, and the golden skin was cool to the touch.

Placing it back on the dresser, I smiled at the memory. I was saved by Altair not once, but twice. Once from starvation and the second from myself. I believe if I had stayed on the streets, I would have died there. My body lying dead and bloated by the sun for many days before they dumped me in an unmarked grave. He gave me a new life and a fresh start.

Walking back downstairs, I made it to the kitchen when I heard the gravel crunching outside in the drive. Two cars were coming up the driveway. I smiled. They were finally back.

Alright, I have internet back! I was going to the local McDonald's and using theirs, but mine is back on at home. Now I can update when I get the chapters done. Enjoy!