The two men sat quietly in the now silent gardens both lost in their own thoughts and feelings. Tazim was being prepared for his burial and they had made their way here without uttering a word. Neither man wanted to sleep but neither did they want to be alone to answer to their conscience for the life they had just ended.

Malik had poured the liquid down the boy's throat and let the bowl fall onto the bed so he could cradle his head. When he moved his eyes from Tazim's face to his chest he saw Altaïr's hand resting there, whether to give comfort or to measure his breathing the Dai didn't know but he hoped it was the former. Once again Malik had to fight not to be overwhelmed by loneliness, this boy would have been left to die alone – a fate shared by many of their order –would it be the same for him?

"The life of an assassin should never be easy but must it be so devoid of affection brother?"

The Mentor made no reply but Malik could see his words had touched a nerve already exposed. Soon after Tazim passed from the world quietly and with no fuss and considering what agony would have greeted him had he opened his eyes Malik took comfort from that – cold comfort but comfort nonetheless and it was that he tried to hold onto hours later as he sat staring into the darkness of the hills behind the fortress.

"We were taught to fight for the order, for ideals. He told us that emotional attachments would weaken us but I believe he was wrong Malik. I know his father died on a mission years ago but where is his mother, where is the woman who bore the child we just watched die?"

Malik knew Altaïr was as aware of the details as he was but still he replied. "She was alone after her husband died and her son was already living with the other novices there was no reason for her to remain."

The Master almost growled and in an uncommon show of emotion he got to his feet and tore down the hood of his black robes. "He did this to us for his own benefit Malik that we should see him as the most important person in our life but it is not how I plan to go about leading. No more gardens filled with the promise of paradise, no more separating families. We will grow stronger bonded by love and that will be our reward – to protect those we love." He stopped talking long enough to draw the back of his hand across his mouth. "Look at what Maria did for Robert, she wasn't there facing me for the Templars she was there defending the man she loved Malik."

Joining him on his feet Malik offered a weak smile, "And shall this be the first of your changes?"

"It may take time but we shall lead by example. If and when we have children we will raise them ourselves and any who care to do likewise will be encouraged."

His reply was swallowed by the appearance of a shadowy figure standing in the doorway to the fortress. Malik squinted at him then called out, "Abbas can I help you?"

"I just heard Tazim died and I want to know what you plan to do about it."

"We plan to bury him Abbas."

Even silhouetted as he was by the lights at his back Malik could see the sneer on his face, "You know I was talking about the boys who drove him to jump."

Altaïr rubbed his temple and moved towards his difficult brother. "We are as yet undecided, for now they are locked up and shall remain so until we figure out a suitable punishment."

"I have no doubt whatever punishment you come up with will be far from suitable considering what leniency you were shown in the past." For a fraction of a second Abbas forgot himself and left his tongue loose enough to express his true thoughts but seeing Altaïr move to within a foot of him to meet his challenge head on soon had the brother regretting his slip.

"Abbas I will welcome your input but do not mistake my willing ear for weakness. I am Master of this order now and you will remember that when you address me. And if you want to talk about leniency shall we take some time to remember your own insurrection and how I choose not to expel you for your crimes?"

Abbas bowed his head and swallowed his retort, it tasted bitter but he relished that flavour after all he had a place to store every single wrong this man did him and one day he would shove them all down his throat, one day... "Very good Master I'll keep those words in mind."

Altaïr watched him leave but his muscles would not relax even when he disappeared from view, he felt a hand clap his back. "We are going to have to deal with Abbas one way or another. Either to change him or eject him."

Hit jaw still set hard he nodded. "To other matters first Malik, we have to bury the boy then we will begin the process of weeding out those who don't truly belong in our order."

Maria heard a strangled choking sound but it took her a moment to pin point its origin. The boy Tahir was standing to her left and the pained sound had come from him. He was seeing the same thing she was but Maria had so far managed to keep her disgust to herself.

They lay around the huge barn some asleep some awake but awake was probably a generous description. There seemed to be about 30 of them in total mostly men but some women and 2 children. One of the men moved toward them with his hand out and Roland stepped forward and did what Maria knew she never would, he took his skeletal, dirty hand in his own.

"Not yet it is too soon for food I shall return later."

The man seemed to understand, at least he understood the emptiness of his hand when it was released and his vacant eyes moved from them back to the door. He made a series of grunting sounds as he pointed towards it. "You cannot go outside; there are people here who might harm you."

Roland put his hand on the man's shoulder and guided him to the back of the room. "Sleep now there are many hours until daylight." The man let himself be guided to the straw with no fight although she was sure he had no idea why he was being denied a trip outside he had simply accepted the direction he was moved in.

'Like cattle being led to the market.' Thinking of them as animals was a little too close to home and she couldn't subdue the shudder which made her whole body tremble.

Her eyes moved around the inhabitants of the room with every sight seeming more pathetic and inhuman than the last. Her stomach was churning as much from the assault on her eyes as her nostrils but she made no effort to shield herself from either. She had fought for this, had killed men and plotted to make this "peace" a possibility. She had lain with the man who wielded the instrument of their destruction and loved him. Everything she looked upon now was of his doing and that one thought was what she focused her mind on; it kept her still on her feet and stopped her running for the doors to escape the sight of a woman leaning towards a man on the floor and eating something she found crawling on his face.

Tahir had no such guilt which would force him to suffer these nightmarish visions and his voice, a small pitiful sound which nonetheless managed to sound booming amongst the moans of these poor souls. "Please let us leave this diabolical place of suffering."

Roland stopped him as he made for the doors his patient had earlier pointed to. "No we must go back the way we came. There are strangers in the fortress and we cannot allow them even the slightest hint of these people."

Without another word Tahir turned his shaking body back to the door he had entered moments before. Moments that would alter his life, moments which had more effect on his mind than most of the previous years of his life combined. He waited for the others to join him, his hand leaning on the wall supporting his body as he vomited on the dirt at his feet. He felt a hand on his shoulder but shrugged it off, it was her trying to touch him, comfort him. Her who had played a key role in the obscenities he had just witnessed a sight which would haunt him for the rest of his days.

"I can't bear you to touch me Maria Thorpe!"

Roland looked at him questioningly but Maria lowered her eyes and moved past him, she knew why he had refused her hand. She was soiled in his eyes now, his and her own. She walked ahead of them never looking and never attempting to speak to them although she heard their whispered conversation behind her she had no interest in joining them. If she turned her face to Tahir and he still wore that look of disdain she would like as not drive her sword through his gut just to see it gone. But there was someone here who would not be able to look at her with disgust, someone just as guilty as she and it was to him she set her path.

Stephen lay sleeping on the cot in a small private room of the hospital wing and although the priest in charge of his care tried to stop her entering she had shoved him aside. Her friend looked well, his colour was almost normal. Normal until you looked at the angry shiny flesh which had been scalded, the huge blisters on his face and neck stood out more thanks to him being cleaned and shaved.

She heard the priest whisper behind her to stay quiet but she moved to his bed and sat beside him. "Stephen you need to wake up we have to talk."

She almost put her hand on his shoulder to shake him awake but remembering his wound stopped her. Instead she pulled back the linen of his bed gown and the dressing and saw even that looked healthier except they had removed the maggots. She looked at the priest with her eyebrows raised in question.

"His neck was infected but not with the gangrene you suspected. That wound should heal quickly and leave no lasting damage other than a scar."

The redness creeping like a spider's web from the wound to his veins had retreated and the swelling had gone down enough for her to see the blackness was nothing more than bruising. He would likely survive, if she let him that is.

His green eyes opened and she saw real happiness in them, he was glad to see her. "Stephen we must talk."

He tried to speak but his dry throat croaked. Maria reached for the ewer at his bedside and filled the small pewter chalice with water. Holding it to his lips she watched him drink his fill. The priest examined the Knights wounds and would have taken the time to apply a balm to his burns but Maria took it from him. "I'll do it Father we have to talk and we need privacy."

She tugged the lace of his gown and let it fall open at the neck to expose his burns and began rubbing the balm into his skin. He watched her for a time curious as to what had ignited the spark now a glowing ember in her eye a spark which could easily be fanned to a full flame. "What is it you wish to discuss with me?"

"These burns... you have been lucky it could have been far worse."

"Yes thanks to your new friend and whatever it was he found to keep the wounds clean."

"I doubt he would offer the same assistance now Stephen. He was shown the fruits of our labours today and we have become persona non grata with him."

"He was shown the fruits of our labours?"

"Indeed yes Stephen and as ye sew so shall ye reap."

Catching her hand he stopped her ministrations. "Enough of this cryptic nonsense Maria; be out with whatever it is you intend to say."

She let him keep her wrist in his grip and watched as he raised himself up on his pillow. "We saw the people Robert used the apple on. You told me once of the relics you are sworn to protect and on more than one occasion hinted that these relics were the real purpose of the Knights Templar. Now the time has come to tell me all you know."

"What people are you talking about Maria and are you suggesting we are involved in whatever it was Robert did?"

"We are involved Stephen and the people to whom I refer were the people hidden by Donjon. The men and women who used to live in the now abandoned village at the foot of the hill but now they live in a barn because they can no longer feed or wash themselves."

"I know nothing of these people Maria but I will find out."

"The relics Stephen...?"

"The relics are no secret Maria every bloody merchant in Jerusalem claims to sell a piece of the one true cross and you now of the Grail. We are here fighting to defend the Christians on the Levant and ensuring their safe passage to sacred places if you believe there are other more sinister reasons please feel free to enlighten me."

"I know the line we feed the public Stephen but the truth is the Siege of Jerusalem brought half the armies of Europe scrambling across the sea with lightning speed and I wonder who could orchestrate such a rapid response to the rise of Saladin. Pope Gregory is no doubt a powerful man with the ear of most of Europe's crowned heads but could he really have been behind such a swift response?"

He sneered hating how ambiguous she was being. "That is what I believe to be true but certainly I've had enough of this beating about the bush out with it Maria I grow tired of your innuendos."

"The assassin spoke the truth only I was too blind to see how far reaching that plot he uncovered truly was. Perhaps the first Templars believed what you claim but they must have found something, a thing which would bring an end to all conflict only that thing wasn't absolute proof of God or the Messiah it was a means to control them, to literally end their free will. It began who knows when and it continues yet. What part do you play? Are you as Gerhard said their new leader?"

"Oh for fucks sake Maria will you never tire of this?" He sat forward grabbing her tunic he yanked her closer to his face. "Robert has clearly did something wrong, I will make a full investigation but there is no and I repeat NO secret agenda in the Templars."

Much to his surprise she allowed him to hold her, "I saw them Stephen, broken empty shells. Broken to show Robert what his toy was capable of and we fought for him we share his guilt."

"Guilt by association is no guilt at all. We had no knowledge of this terrible wrong and so had no hope of preventing it."

"Go the barn in the southern end of the courtyard and tell me those words still comfort you after you see what he did."

"Am I my brother's keeper Maria? Should I know what he does before it happens?"

Placing her fingers around the arm still holding her she dug her nails into his flesh and although her words were soft they were laced with equal amount of venom and sincerity. "I don't know Stephen, are you your brother's keeper? I will learn the truth if it takes my last breath on this earth I will learn who would still lead the order on such an evil quest and I will see him dead at my feet."

He released his hold on her tunic and watched her stand from his bed. "Do nothing without me Maria you will likely rush unthinking to your own death. This is a matter of the utmost importance and not the time for you to charge around like a vengeful glory hound."

She turned her head and smiled softly at her friend on the bed. "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam."

Psalm 115:1 Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam: Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory

A/N Again short and sweet but I'm really struggling to get back into the swing of things. I wanted to go into much greater detail about the victims of the apple but it was too depressing and sod that life is depressing enough

someoneinthebush I do take your point about there being a distinct lack of Muslims in the story (other than the assassins) but that has been deliberate. I want Maria to have to face a lot when she finally goes to Masyaf including her thoughts on Muslims. So far all the bad done to Maria has come from her fellow Crusaders so there is no imbalance in the story, no taking sides. Thanks for the feed back :)