I posted this earlier but it was horrible and now here is the second attempt. Advance warning for a long and a rather M rated love scene right in the middle of this chapter. You can stop reading after he leads her to his room and resume at the next underline if you want to skip it :)

A/N A huge big thank you to DanAlaya who not only beta read this chapter but helped to make it so much better than it was. Thanks for your time and effort and now I promise to leave you in peace to get the next chapter of The Technician written *ahem* :)

Since agreeing to organise the feast Maria and Tahir had spent the entire time planning the menu and the entertainment and the novice assassin was not best pleased at being dragged around from the kitchen to the garden and back again. Torrential rain had battered the mountain fortress for the past 24 hours and now taking advantage of a lull in the conditions the pair were making their way carefully down the hill to the village. Already out of sorts - just as he had been since she dragged him out of his bed at dawn - the novice scowled at the woman behind him and decided to once more give voice to his displeasure.

"Surely you can find another to give your instructions to the staff Maria, it's not as though I can afford to fall even further behind my brothers with my training."

Gingerly making her way around a deep looking puddle but misjudging the depths of the edges she found herself ankle deep in the mud. Her patience like the soles of her boots was wearing thin. 'Why do you always find out they need repaired after you step in a puddle!' Her response was almost as ill tempered as his question. "Who would you suggest Tahir? None of the men talk to me and most of the women think me some sort of demon possessed madwoman." Banging her mud covered boot on the wall she continued, "Besides which none of the women speak English."

Rolling his eyes before looking skyward he sighed, as though the dark clouds could sympathize with his situation. They had been bickering for hours and still she would not free him from his task. Even Kaderi seemed tired of it all. The dog had been dutifully following him all day but he had noticed that in the past few hours she was no longer showing any interest in the smells and sounds around her but had resorted to plodding along behind them with her tail between her legs. That damn woman had even managed to put his affectionate pet in a bad mood! His foot sunk into the mire and he groaned loudly throwing his hands in the air, partly out of frustration but mostly to annoy the woman – the cause of all his troubles it seemed.

"Stop bloody whining Tahir we only need visit the woman who is mending my uniform and you have the rest of the evening to yourself." She bit her lip in an effort to hold back the rest of her rant but the boy was pushing her...

He knew why he was chosen to help her - his brothers' reaction to Maria had been tepid at best none of them spoke to her unless they absolutely had to - and at any other time he would be happy to spend time with her but this planning, this monotony was beyond what even he could tolerate. He was being trained as an assassin not a cook! His shoulders slumped as he huffed loudly, kicking out at small stone but he missed it and slipped on the mud underfoot. Maria caught one of his outstretched arms but his momentum was too great and dragged them both to the ground. He landed on his backside but she fell forward and one side of her face was buried in the sodden earth.

For a few brief seconds silence took hold as she lay still, feeling the mud make its way beneath the fabric of her dress covering her legs in a thick cold clay mixture. Breathing slowly, she looked up at the novice ready to tear a few layers of flesh from his bones for his petulance but his grin stopped her. "Oh you think this is funny do you?" It was spoken in an impatient growl; clearly she had missed whatever humour he had managed to find in the situation.

Refusing to open his treacherous mouth he clamped his lips shut tight and shook his head but despite his efforts a huge snort accompanied the movement. She scowled and tried to wipe her face but it only spread it out further and her attempts to remain dignified were only making his efforts not to laugh harder. Kaderi had wandered over to her sniffing at her face and dress trying to make sense of why the woman now smelled exactly the same as the ground.

With one hand she gently brushed the dog aside and dug the other into the thick wet substance, determined to wipe that annoyingly pleased look from his face. Her eyes sparkled with the promise of what was to come, "Would it still be funny if I were to do this?"

Flicking her hand in his general direction she unleashed a great dollop which landed with perfect precision dead centre on his face. She grinned; pleased with her efforts until she saw the new expression the assassin wore. She practically screamed when she saw what he had planned and began moving to avoid him.

He launched himself at her holding nothing back, his arms were outstretched ready to sink her deeper in but she had thrown her body to the side and instead of pushing her back into the mud he landed face down in the slop she had just vacated. Lifting his head from the silt he grinned at her, the whites of his teeth the only part of him not filthy. "It isn't fun yet but it has potential..."

"Now Tahir let's not be silly..."

She tried to scramble out of his reach but her feet could find no purchase on the slippery surface and he easily caught the skirts of her dress and yanked her unceremoniously back into the sludge before dropping a huge scoop of it down the back of her dress holding her down while he rubbed it in.

Shrieking as she felt it oozing down her back, she sank her teeth into the arm he had wrapped around her and slung the other behind her reaching for his hood. "You back stabbing little bastard, you'll pay for that."

Kaderi yipped at the two idiot humans throwing each other around in the mud and began bouncing around them, trying to get their attention but when the angry grunts became laughter she relaxed and decided it looked like fun after all. Tahir was struggling to haul his body out of the mud when he looked up and saw his dog bounding at him full tilt. "Kaderi no!"

Maria's shrieks turned to laughter as she watched Kaderi bowl Tahir over, ploughing his body into the ground. She could make out muffled curses and threats as Kaderi proceeded to cover any remaining unsoiled part of the novice's robes in muddy paw prints. When finally his struggles came to an end the mongrel stood triumphant on his chest with her tongue happily hanging over her jaw and her tail battering the air.

One of the women from the village was hurrying home before the deluge returned but sounds from the hill caught her attention. She looked up the road and saw a person leaving a muddy body print on the side of the wall as they tried to haul themselves upright, and a dog standing on top of another while he was thrashing around in the mud. She shook her head as she hurried past muttering to nobody in particular, "Stupid assassins."

Maria reached out a tentative hand to the novice, sure he would pull her back to the ground but he simply shrugged and took the olive branch offered allowing her to hoist him to his feet.

With the air now cleared between the two they made their way down the rest of the hill in comfortable silence and since both were already covered from head to toe in the horrible muck there was no longer any reason to pick a careful path through the rain battered dirt roads. Kaderi too seemed more content with her muddy condition and now plodded happily along behind her master.

Reaching the seamstress' house, Tahir knocked on the door. Maria snorted when she saw the huge splodge of mud he left behind in the shape of his fist. Shooting her a glare over his shoulder, he missed the door being opened. The seamstress reacted to their appearance with a speed any assassin would have been proud of -no sooner had she opened the door and caught sight of her filthy would-be guests - than she snatched up her broom and lifted it threateningly in front of her body.

"Out, stay out; you are not to come inside!" Shooing at them with her broom she swiped it at the boy catching him with a glancing blow to the side of the head.

"But you have business with the Master's friend Alma." Holding his hands protectively in front of his face he tried to reason with the old bat.

"We will conduct it at the door. You are not coming inside my house walking that dirt all over my clean floors!"

Ducking his head to avoid another blow from her broom he turned to Maria laughing. "She will deal with you here; we are not to go inside."

Maria chuckled and stepped forward, "Tell her I don't blame her in the least but after your antics on the hill time is short we really must get a move on."

Less than an hour later the bedraggled pair made their way inside the fortress having agreed to move quietly to attract the least possible attention.

With time to reflect on it Maria felt her behaviour on the hill was not fitting behaviour for a lady – even if it was fun- and decided to show her disapproval. "You know Tahir young women don't tend to marry men who indulge in such foolishness you really ought to make an effort to be more mature."

The novice grunted, "As I recall it was you who I attacked me I acted entirely in self defence. I am perfectly capable of being mature."

About to respond when a voice from behind them had her closing her eyes and muttering, "Of course he would see us, why wouldn't he?"

"I had come looking for you to find out how the planning was going but I can see you have been busy with other things."

"Conditions underfoot are treacherous assassin perhaps if you wandered out of your study more often you would know that." Smirking at Tahir as she spoke the novice was about to return the gesture when he noticed the level of scrutiny the master was bestowing upon him. Nodding instead he beat a hasty retreat to find a warm bath and a soft towel.

"Are you saying you fell, both of you?"

Bobbing her head up and down; she kept her back stiff and her posture dignified as she made her way past him.

"You look more like you were wrestling in the mud with one of my novices Maria."

Halting directly in front of him she met his doubting look with one which could only be described as haughty, "Don't be absurd Altaïr how could you even suggest such a thing? Wrestling in mud or any other type of dirt for that matter is beneath any lady who holds her sex dear."

She made it all the way to the door before she heard his feet pounding after her. She smiled as she felt his fingers wrap around her forearm leading her towards his private rooms. He might not have had any part in her getting dirty but he was damn sure going to enjoy her getting clean again.

Maria went for a bath of her own and told the servants to fill another for Altaïr. The hurt look on his face was priceless as she left him standing the doorway softly closing the door on him. The serving women were far more meticulous than Maria was and they had everything laid out just as she liked it to be before taking their leave. She could never and would never feel comfortable being washed and so early on in her stay had made it clear their help in that matter was not required.

Just as she suspected the water went the dirty no colour of dirt as soon as she set foot in it, imagine her embarrassment had she allowed the assassin to join her? Scrubbing off the worst of the dirt as quickly as she could she ducked her head into the murky water and gasped when she sat back up to see the scum floating on the surface. "Share a bath indeed!" Taking a bit more care to remove the dirty streaks the water had left on her body she stepped out of the bath and into the towel left waiting for her.

Altaïr sat on his bed glaring at the steam rising from his sunken bath. She had seemed in favour of the idea when he first suggested it but quickly changed her mind and left him with an empty tub and unfulfilled imaginings. He stood lowering his dark outer robes from his shoulders and dropped them onto the bed behind him. Removing his armour and his boots took a while but he was well used to it and he did it thoughtlessly before he lowered his trousers and moved to the bath. About to pull his long tunic over his head he stopped when he heard his door creak open.

"I had hoped it would take you longer to get rid of all those clips and belts assassin but I see I am too late to help you undress."

He watched her as she moved inside and began walking towards him. The unusual sight of her in a flimsy Arabic gown was one he could easily get used to. Her eyes were even bluer than usual and he was unsure if it was the colour of the dress enhancing them or the fact that her face was framed by her long dark hair making everything within that frame seem lighter.

She reached him glad that the long flowing robe she wore managed to hide the worst of the slight limp she still had. Once he had removed his tunic she took his hand and helped him step into the low sunken bath and reaching for the soap at her side she began rubbing it into his chest. The soft ball of oil and ash quickly began to produce a pungent lather unleashing a heady mix of scents.

"I wanted to do this to you Maria." His voice began normal but became a hoarse moan when her hand slipped lower down his stomach.

"Don't worry, I'm not properly cleaned up you still have work to do."

Closing his eyes he relaxed and let her fingers coax his senses. He sighed loudly when he felt her hands slide into his hair, her fingertips - much more accustomed to battle - could be amazingly gentle when she had a mind to tease, just as she did now.

"If you keep that up I'm likely to fall asleep Maria."

"No you won't."

He felt a slight shift in the position of her hands then a disturbance in the water around him and opened his eyes in time to see her lowering her body onto his. Her long robes floated on the surface of the water around her as she smiled down at her helpless captive. "What were you saying about sleep?"

Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her fully on top of him, "I can't remember."

They shared a long lazy kiss but when she felt his body harden beneath her she wriggled free of his restrictive grip and manoeuvred herself into a position where she was more able to explore the glistening contours of his body. Her mouth and hands sucked and nipped at his flesh as she moved down his neck finding a pleasant path along his chest as she revisited some recently discovered sensitive areas around his ribcage.

He pushed his hips up grinding against her body and tried to swap their positions but she was having none of that. "Rest easy Altaïr, I'll let you know when you can move." Pushing his shoulders back down onto the cold tiles of the bath she continued on her downward path.

His stomach muscles flexed as her fingers danced across the surface of his skin and when her tongue added caresses of its own he twitched. He could feel her smirking against his skin, this woman who could lead him from serenity to the edge of insanity with one look. Moving more forcefully he sat upright keeping her in his lap he loosened the belt on her gown before his hands ghosted under the fabric never taking his hands off her frame as he forced the wet fabric which was clinging to her body down into the water.

"My turn I think habibti..." Reaching for the soap he began drawing circles with the soft foamy lather on breasts and stomach. Still in his lap she gasped when he tugged their bodies together and penetrated her in one easy quick action. This was not what she had planned but for the time being she was willing to go along with him, it felt too good to stop.

His hands were now behind her still spreading the remnants of the lather from the now abandoned soap but he wanted a clear view of her body to help fuel his passion. Her head was thrown back and her breasts thrust forward as she gyrated on top of him. Sliding one hand beneath her undamaged buttock he pulled her in closer trying to increase the pace of her teasing flexes.

Knowing if she allowed him to control her she would never get to do what she had planned she lifted herself from his body and guided him to the side of the bath. "I have something else in mind for you tonight."

Initially he began in an upright position but when she resumed her earlier path down his chest she lowered him onto his back. He closed his eyes and tried not to be frustrated but her timing was horribly off tonight, he had seen her in all her visceral glory and was eager to mark her as his own. So lost in his own annoyance her ministrations never regained his attention until she moved past his naval and when he felt her mouth stroking the thick line of hair below it he opened his eyes. 'Surely not?'

She felt his body stiffen in anticipation and so decided to take a quick detour to his thighs. She knew what she wanted to do but was still unsure she knew exactly how to do it and to be honest the slight trepidation she felt was the real reason for her delaying tactics. Waiting until she felt him completely relax again before she allowed her mouth to drift to the tip of his shaft she closed her eyes and moved her mouth forward closing her lips around the head she drew his erection into her mouth.

She soon learned that a well placed hand at the base of the shaft made controlling him much easier and used this to her full advantage. Every movement of her mouth or flick of her tongue earned her a groan or a protracted sigh from her lover and she was just beginning to relax and allow herself to fully explore the possibilities when she felt his strong upward thrusts. One such thrust had her pulling her head away and gagging but a strong hand on his hip pushed him back to the ground. "Do you want me to continue?"

He nodded too breathless to do anything else and when she once again lowered her head to his groin he forced his hips backwards determined not to interfere with her unexpected treat any more. His helplessness spurred her on, helping her to forget how uneasy she had been about this whole thing. She loved this man and anything she could do to show him that love would always feel right.

"Am I doing it right?" She knew she was but she was beginning to enjoy her role and wanted to see him squirm once more.

He couldn't speak. It had been so long and this was so utterly unexpected all he could do was lie there and let her mouth lead him where ever she wanted him to go. She was moving too fast it would be over in seconds but he was powerless to stop her. His hands tangled with her long wet hair as he felt the first tingles begin to emanate from his groin and he let his head drop back as he groaned loudly into the room behind them.

By the time he opened his eyes again she was already straddling his waist and watching him with an amused expression.

"That was ... uh thank you."

She giggled at how weak her man now seemed, "It should be me thanking you assassin I just learned how to control you."

His hand reached behind her head and pulled her to his face. "You've been doing that since the first time we met Maria."

Letting his hands glide along her still wet flesh he lowered his mouth to her exposed breasts.

"What are you doing, I think we are done here?"

"We are not even close to being finished Maria I have new tricks to show you."

Rolling over on his bed he felt the space where she should have been lying was empty and his eyes opened to the sight of her naked form silhouetted in the window. Getting up and taking the cover with him he crossed the room to her and wrapped her in his arms and the sheet. "What is keeping you awake Maria?"

She spent some time snuggling into the warmth behind her before she replied, "Talbot or one of his entourage will carry news of me back to England, to my father and I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"That you are not only living with the dreaded Hashashin but have taken the leader of this sordid group as your lover and that he has corrupted you beyond redemption?"

Her short burst of laughter pleased him; he had been concerned she was worried about those very things. "No I don't care what they think about that. I can't say for sure what it is I just think I imagined something else when I left England." Her hands moved along the length of his arms until her fingers found his and locked tight around them. "I imagined returning a glorious hero who had proved them all wrong."

She felt his head rest in the cradle of her shoulder, "Will you leave after the banquet tomorrow?"

"I told Tahir it will most likely be the day after that."

He felt the soft flesh of her buttocks against his thigh, "You went to Homs without me and you could have been killed. I will never let you face the Templars without me again, no matter who much you wail I am coming with you Maria. William Marshal will fall but he will not harm you in the process."

She smiled as she remembered how much she had rued her choice to leave him when they had faced the mercenaries. "...As you wish my love."

He had expected a battle to the extent he had his argument all prepared but this quiet acceptance had him stumped. "That was far easier than I thought it would be Maria."

Turning into him she rested her head on his chest. "If you want one I can put up some sort of dispute but the fact is Stephen and I will probably need your help and if you feel you are ready to work alongside him then I have no quarrel with that."

She never said that the idea of leaving him behind had been torturing her for days; it felt safer to say she needed him as an ally. Soon enough they would be torn apart forever and the longer she could delay that moment the better.

"I hear you have ordered all Arabic dishes to be prepared for the banquet, Malik and I both felt sure you would welcome them English food."

"If you went to England they would serve you roast beef or suckling and believe they were doing your uncultured palate a favour. We will greet them as they would us and let them take it any way they see fit."

They stood a while longer content to hold each other before he led her back to what he had now come to think of as their bed and brought her tight against his body. She slung a lazy arm around his waist and let herself drift off into an easy sleep, lulled by his deep even breathing and the warmth of his body, her earlier worries about her future lessened if temporarily.

She had told him she was worried about what her father would learn but the truth was she was worried about them, about her part in his life. The men in his order while not openly rejecting her had been unreceptive to her but who could blame them? She wanted to stay with Altaïr - more than she had wanted anything in her life - but their pasts would always be in the way of their future and she knew she was destined to have her heart broken.

Stephen sat on the high backed chair and regarded his surroundings. He had expected to be thrown into a cell or at least a dingy room but instead the woman's bodyguards -who had been following him while he followed her - had led him to this comfortable well lit room with rugs on the floor and bed in the corner. Nonetheless he had heard the door lock behind them and knew he wasn't free to leave and all the gilding in the world will never change a cage from being a cage.

The last light of day had passed from the window hours ago and he began to wonder if he was to be left here to stew when he heard the click as the lock on his door was undone. The woman entered first closely followed by Samir, a man he knew reasonably well or at least thought he had.

"The servants will bring you some food and wine soon but first I would like you tell me why it is you have been creeping around my city for days watching people."

He rubbed his forehead trying hard to conceal his disappointment at having been found out so easily; his only comfort being Maria wasn't here to abuse him for his apparent lack of skills. "An easy enough question to answer; I'm trying to find out which of his friends are in league with my father and his so called Templar group."

The woman approached him and pulled the fabric of his ghutrah away from his face, omitting a mock wince when she saw the scarring from his burns. "Such a handsome face it is a pity someone else did not appreciate that." Her fingers trailed along his crinkled skin down to his neck but he never flinched.

"Such a beautiful woman; it's a pity that beauty goes no deeper than your flesh."

Her huge hazel eyes flashed with amusement, "As if I care what you think of me. The only reason you are still breathing is because your father would skin us all alive if we hurt you."

Taking her hand he removed it from his throat he scoffed, "When he learns of my intention to end his plotting he will kill me himself."

Samir stepped forward shaking his head seemingly genuinely troubled by the young knight's conclusion. "No my good man, no. You have us all wrong, we desire peace not death." The woman moved to the side to let him speak face to face with the younger man, "Your father has long wished to bring you into the fold but you were not yet ready to see the big picture as burdened as you are with your ideals."

Samir took a footstool from beside the bed and placed it in front of him before lifting the tails of his fine robes to sit. "We will do you no harm Stephen; your fate will be for your father to decide. You can stay here tonight and sleep comfortably before we send you back to Acre tomorrow."

"My work in Jerusalem is as yet unfinished Samir I cannot possibly leave."

The dark haired man's guard dropped for a fleeting second, enough for Stephen to see how much he wanted to kill him before he once again resumed the air of a weary parent trying to explain something to a child. "It is not a suggestion Stephen, stay and you will be killed. No matter how much loyalty I feel toward your father I will not allow you to continue wandering my city endangering me. My men will escort you to Acre, back to your father."

Stephen bowed his head, "There is nowhere for you to hide Samir if I found you the assassins will too."

The woman hissed and drew a small dagger from the folds of her sheer skirt, "A reminder for you Stephen, in case your father lets you live and you think about coming after us again." She jabbed the point of the blade into his cheek and slowly began to tear it down along the red flesh the assassin had left scarred. She had watched him lumbering around the city deluding himself he had gone unnoticed and perhaps that is why she underestimated him now. But he had never been trained in the art of spying; he had good reason to fail at that. Weapons however, those were second nature to the man who had trained every day since he was 9 years old.

His hand curled into a fist and smashed into her face as his other hand crushed the hand holding the dagger and took it from her now broken fingers. She fell back stunned by his response and watched wide eyed as he drew the blade across the throat of her master as he tried to jump out of his chair.

Her feet were backing away from him yet she did not feel truly threatened, she knew of this man and his weakness for chivalry – he would not harm her. "Put down the knife before I scream for the guards."

His steps forward matched her own backwards motion as he reached for her skirt and tugged loose one of the scarves. She smiled as she relaxed, understanding he wanted what all men did – her body. Moving closer to him she was almost grinning, "We can come up with a story together for Samir there is no reason for this to affect your future standing within the order."

He lifted the scarf to her face, "I am tired of listening to your honey voice spill venom, forgive me." Wrapping the scarf around her head he began to gag her.

Before he got her mouth entirely closed she spat. "I'll see you dead for this Marshal; you will never be able to close your eyes to rest without wondering if this is the night I will show up for your head."

He knew there was anger in her words but also truth, "Can you at least still your vile tongue long enough for me to be able to leave you alive?"

She sneered but closed her mouth her instinct for survival was apparently stronger than her need to vent.

For some reason he thought of Warwick and the tangled wreck that had been his body. He had demanded to be shown his corpse to pay his respects to a fallen friend but had ordered them interred before Maria would have a chance to look upon the mess. What agony he must have suffered and for what? He was a nothing soldier in an army who would soon be sending men home. Raising his head to the woman he had just gagged he frowned, "Why should you live when a man who had no part in this died so horribly?"

Plunging the dagger into her stomach he ended her life as quickly as he could. He never let his eyes look away from her face as death claimed her; he remembered every man he had ever slain but this woman was a first for him and he knew the fact he was willing to kill her meant he was no longer the man he had believed himself to be.

Letting her body fall he stepped out into the wide hallway and made his way to what he believed would be the exit to begin a journey to Acre and his father.

Maria sighed as she looked along the shelves in the healer's room, jar after jar all containing God only knows what. She turned her head as she heard the small woman enter and smiled.

"We should be able to remove the stitches from you today Maria then it will be a matter of getting your full range of movement back."

Later that same morning she stood beside the small well at the training ring and watched the men as they battled with each other. Abbas was standing beside Rauf trying to hand pick his opponent since he was still suffering an injury but the quiet instructor was having none of it and ordered him into the ring for the next bout. Tahir was at the other end of the ring waiting his turn to try to impress Rauf and Maria smiled almost sure it would be he who was selected but it was a taller man to his left who was sent to face Abbas.

Both men were undeniably skilled and as they moved around the ring beginning to test each other's defences Maria looked skyward at the hot sun creeping ever higher in the sky and smirked, even the weather was on her side. 'It shouldn't be too long now...'

Abbas was out of shape, his recovery had taken its toll on his stamina and in no time at all he was puffing and sweating,"Allow a short break for water?"

Rauf nodded and the middle of the three boys made his way to the well. Maria lifted one of the goat skin bags from the side of the well and filled it with the cold water, smiling she handed it to the boy who immediately took it to Abbas who drank greedily from it.

A few moments later and the fight was once again in full flow with Abbas actually managing to get the older assassin on the back foot, victory would be his very soon. He grinned as he moved in to deliver what would be the "killing blow" had their weapons not been wooden practise tools when he suddenly doubled over gripping his stomach. "Help me my guts are on fire."

He dropped to the ground and landed in a heap beside his sword where he curled himself into a small ball still calling out in agony imploring any and all to aid him. Maria stepped closer to the ring as curious as any of the others to see what would happen next. Rauf looked at her and shrugged as confused as she was.

"Call for a healer." was her only offering.

She stood a few minutes longer watching as a few of his brothers carried him inside to the healer's rooms and listened as his agonised cries became more and more distant as he was carried deeper inside the fortress.

She had handed the boy the water in full view of everyone around but not one of them suspected her, she had been as bemused as the rest of them after all. There was no reason to think she had arrived early for her appointment with the healer and randomly selected one of the concoctions from her stock. Her curiosity had been genuine after all, she had no idea what she had given him and was truly interested to see what effect it would have on him. She had long ago learned that too much of anything was likely to do you harm and working on that premise she had selected the deadliest looking granules she could see on the shelves. Still if the worst he suffered was some gut ache she could always try again...