Its Wednesday and I'm so sorry! My stupid library filter is blocking and I couldn't post before now. But now I've figured out a way around it and I'd like to thank my dad for helping. Well I have three chapters written already and im gonna work on a forth chapter for missing the past three days and today.

I do not own any of the Assassin's Creed games or characters but none of you can take Shahin away from me.

ONWARD WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 5: Attacked by Women

I dropped my new candle off in my room and felt a little tension in me go away. I really did not like the dark. I know I went through dark secret passage ways and rooms all the time, but that didn't mean I liked it. I just put up with it, though if I spend too much time in the dark I tend to start panicking.

Leaving my room, I wound my way through the castle aimlessly. I really had nothing to do. I could probably go to one of my secret rooms and take care of my weapons, but I really didn't feel like doing anything. If anything I felt like taking a nap. Before that thought had finished crossing my mind, I found myself stepping out of the cool shade of the castle's interior to the warm sun in the gardens.

It really was a beautiful place. With neatly trimmed grass everywhere, flowers popping up here and there, two or three trees dotted the grounds, and there were some stone structures built here and there for shade, though I think the men would think the gardens were beautiful for a different reason.

Because there were a dozen or so harem women talking and chatting in certain places in the gardens for Al Mualim. They wore tight fitting bronze shirts that revealed their midriff and cleavage and white flowing shirts that went to their ankles but had no skirt from the front of their mid-thigh to their bare feet. They were all beautiful and were the reason I tried to avoid the gardens. I always felt self-conscious around them. Their long gleaming hair caught the sun light, their perfectly tanned skin was on attracting display, and they were just… striking. And while they were stunning and glowing, I was hiding beneath men's clothes with scarred pale skin. I was tough with muscles and calluses while they were soft to the touch.

It was when I was in the gardens with the harem women that I really felt like I wasn't a woman in any aspect other than body.

I ignored the women, though I felt more than a few of them look me over, and made my way to the back of the gardens where hardly anyone actually went. They could, they just found the front of the gardens, where the women mostly lounged, was more interesting. But I liked the view from the back of the garden. The stone rail was the only thing that kept someone from falling off the cliff and into the thick slow river below. This was the same river that I crossed every morning. It wound pretty much on one side of the castle and was always a gleaming blue under the desert sun. I always wanted to go swimming in it, but I couldn't. Lots of other Novices went swimming in the river and going for a dip would not be good for keeping my secret.

I sighed after the alluring river one last time before I moved over to one of the trees. This one was twenty feet tall and thick with leaves and apples. I jumped up briefly, snagged a ripe one, before dropping down at the base of the tree in the shade. I munched on the succulent fruit contentedly and allowed the warmth of the cool afternoon to slowly lull my eyes closed. It wasn't long after that I laid down on my back, throwing an arm over my eyes, and drifted off into a light sleep.

I dreamed I was flying in broad day light. I dreamed that I wasn't wearing my robes, just leggings and shirt and my free hair was whipping in the winds behind me. The feel of the sun on my feathers was heavenly and I stretched them before tilting my wings and swinging back around towards Masyaf. I flew low over the walls and waved back at the guards on the wall who yelled a greeting to me as I passed. I shifted my wings to where I was almost flying vertically and glided up to Masyaf's highest peak. There I alighted on the small space and looked around. The village and Masyaf bustled with so much energy and excitement that I could stop from opening my mouth and singing. I sang pure notes, even to my ears and I sang them loud. I saw more than a few people stop in the castle courtyard and gardens below when they heard my voice and I saw them smile and grin. I closed my eyes and continued singing. In a pause where I was taking a breath a masculine voice picked up the song and absolute happiness filled my heart. I looked to see a man with wings gliding closer slowly, a rare smile on his face as his beautifully deep voice sang words loudly for everyone to hear. I knew he couldn't stop singing like me. We just had to sing. I opened my mouth and sang along with him and I was very pleased to hear our voices blend so perfectly. More people heard us and looked up to watch us.

When I saw the man come in for a landing I moved to the edge of the small face and watched as he lightly back stroked with his wings and came to land softly in front of me. Our song didn't halt for a moment as he pulled me forward and wrapped his golden wings around me. I grinned as our voices dwindled off as the song ended and I heard cheering below as his face came closer to mine and I closed my eye, coming up on tiptoe to meet him half way. And as he came to cover that last small distance I took in his loving amber eyes and that endearing scar on his lips. Our lips were just a hair apart and—

—And I heard giggling nearby. My eyes snapped open and I saw a hand coming close to my face. Out of instinct I grabbed that wrist in my rough grip and before I could slam the person bodily into the ground, I realized the wrist I saw holding was thin, dainty, and had soft skin. I looked up in surprise at the harem woman's gorgeous face before turning my head so my face was hidden in shadows.

I heard other giggles and looked around to see that all the harem women were kneeling, sitting, or standing around me. I felt my face pale and my shoulders tense.

"Oh look! He's awake!" one exclaimed, as if that wasn't already obvious.

The woman in front of me reached her other hand for my hood and I grabbed that one as well. She smiled kindly at me, "We just want to see how handsome you are."

I shook my head as I felt my face begin to heat in mortification and embarrassment and stood up, releasing her hands. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have business to attend to."

All the women pouted prettily and some even 'aww'ed. "Please don't go," another of them begged. "We're so bored and you're the only one who has come into the gardens today."

I hesitated. I didn't want to leave them alone. They're only purpose and job was to go to Al Mualim when he called and he didn't do much of that in his old age. He only kept the women around so he could say he has a harem.

The one in front of me, the one who had tried to take off my hood and had a small birthmark in the shape of a star under her left eye, saw my hesitation and tried to use it to her advantage. "We just want someone to talk to and play games with. Please? We don't have to do anything you don't want to." She grabbed my hands in hers and tried to beg me with her big brown eyes.

I hesitated again before nodding ever so slightly. All of them cheered and shrieked high enough to leave my ears ringing. When they quieted down I added, "But my hood stays up." They pouted again, nodding, before cheering up. Several of them came towards me and grabbed various parts of my robes or hands and dragged me to a sunny spot in the gardens. I sat down and they surrounded me. I really wasn't comfortable with this and made sure to hide my face with extra care. What if they thought I was ugly? Wait, why do I care? I'm a man and that's all they'll ever know.

"I'm Ablaa," the woman with the star birthmark said. She pointed to each woman and rattled off their names, but I wasn't listening as I mapped all their positions in my head. "What's your name?" Ablaa asked.

I hesitated before murmuring, "Shahin Al-Hira."

One of the women wrinkled her nose slightly and said, "King of darkness? That's a bit of a… depressing name." It couldn't recall what she called herself.

One woman to my right, one who was slightly shorter than the others and had the biggest chest of the dozen, leaned forward and hugged my arm. It was sad but that was the only way I could tell her from the others. They all looked so much alike in facial features. I tried leaning away but she held fast to my arm. She smiled up at me and announced, "I think it's a fitting name. He is an Assassin after all. They have to sneak around and everything." I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think her smile was flirtatious. I think she was just being kind or something like that. I also think her name was Aneesa.

Some of the others nodded in agreement. A taller thinner woman spoke up. Her hair was interesting, black with dark brown streaks. "What rank are you, Shahin?" Her voice had a rare eternal calm and her name might have been Saabira.

"I'm a Master Assassin," I answered quietly and it was instantly met with gasps of shock. Saabira's eyes even widened in surprise. They all started babbling in shock at once and I suddenly had Aneessa in my face, her brown eyes wide as she said, "That's incredible! A Master Assassin? And you look so young. How come we haven't heard about you?" I tried leaning back again but Aneesa just came back. I felt my face heat even more and my heart begin to pound in embarrassment. I was very aware of her chest pressed against my arm, and while I'm a woman myself I've never been this close to another woman. Let alone a scantily dressed woman who seemed to have no boundaries.

An average woman smiled kindly in the corner of my eye. At least she was average until I saw her bright blue eyes. She came forward and put a hand on the clingy woman's shoulder. "Maybe you should let him go, Aneesa." She looked up in innocent confusion, so the blue-eyed woman explained, "I think you're embarrassing him."

Aneesa gasped and whipped her head around to look up at me. She must have seen something that told her the blue-eyed woman was right and reluctantly released my arm, looking away shyly, mumbling "Sorry".

Something made me reach up and hold her hands on to my arm. She looked up in surprise and I said, "It's fine with me." She gasped again, this time in happiness and instantly snuggled to my side, my arm in her death grip. I thought about how open she was with her emotions. Assassins were trained to not show any emotions or to have any. It was… different to see actual emotions run across the women's face.

I looked up to see the blue-eyed woman smiling down at me, "That was very nice of you. Aneesa is a very touch oriented person." I nodded and the women held out a dainty hand. "As Ablaa said I am Lateefa."(A.N.: Lateefa is a legitimate Muslim name btw. It means gentle and kind.)

I shook her hand carefully. I afraid I would hurt her in some way. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I hesitated before asking, "What is harem life like?" I immediately heard sighs and grumbling.

A women whose name I couldn't remember held her chin in her hand before sullenly answering, "It's boring. All we do is try to entertain ourselves and we're running out of ways to do so."

"But it is better than living outside of Masyaf," one added and several nodded in agreement.

I was honestly confused. If they were bored shouldn't they try and find something that better suits their interests? "Why do you say that?" I questioned.

A different nameless woman answered this time, "We don't have any skills to use to make a living. Well, Saabira knows how to heal and she's taught us as much as she knows, but being harem girls are all we're good at."

Ablaa nodded and smiled a small smile, "And we like it here. We don't really have to work. We have beautiful clothes, food in our stomach, a place to live, and not a care in the world. We don't have to do really anything."

Aneesa looked up at me with a wrinkled nose, "At least, we don't have to do anything until that old man calls us up to his bed chambers."

Lateefa frowned at her. "Aneesa! Respect!" she chastised.

Aneesa scowled and said in a quiet voice, "He his old and we're lucky he doesn't want a lot at his age! I dread when he chooses one of us to take to bed."

I felt a small smile tug my lips as I looked down at the clingy woman. "So I take it the Master isn't that good in bed?" I chuckled when all of them shook their heads vigorously.

Another nameless woman crawled forward so her face was in front of me, her brown eyes earnest as she said, "He is awful and inconsiderate. He only takes his own pleasure and doesn't care for his partner's. Not to mention his man hood has shrunk with old age."

I jerked and felt my face heat to an impossible heat and the woman all laughed at my reaction. Some even rolled around clutching their sides. "I did not need to know that about the Master. I don't think I'll ever be able to face him again without that bit of information running around in my head." They laughed harder and I laughed lightly too, bringing up a hand to partially hide my red cheeks and smile. We had just started to calm down and were trying to catch our breath when we broke out in laughter again. This one harder and longer. I had to rub my sides as I calmed down with a smile on my lips. It had been so long since I'd had an honest good laugh. And I've never laughed with someone else, let alone a dozen someone elses.

We were catching our breath, with a few giggles here and there, when Aneesa asked with flushed cheeks, "Do you know any games?"

I thought for a moment before shaking my head. "None."

More gasps and I was suddenly being tugged to my feet. I listened to them argue about which game they should play when I felt hands dig into my shoulders. I bent my knees to try and lower myself away from those hand and the sharp pain they were causing. I was about to whip around when I heard a sympathetic voice behind me exclaim, "Oh dear god! You're so tense! I can feel so many knots in your shoulders!" The voice was Lateefa's and the arguing stopped once they heard her.

I tried stepping away and gently removing her hands with mine but she stuck like a bur to me no matter how I moved. "Please stop. That hurts," I said lightly and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment again. When I made an effort to move again more hands joined Lateefa's. They cooed and murmured things as I wriggled and squirmed in vain to try and get away from the deep muscle pain their hands were causing. "Please stop," I said again.

Ablaa appeared in front of me and smiled, "It's okay. We know what we're doing. You'll feel better soon." I felt the hands try and push me to the ground and I resisted, holding back the instinctive urge to fight off the hands suddenly touching me. No one has every touched me really, with the exception of Altair yesterday at the river.

I was just about to snap and order them away from me: I was a Master Assassin after all, when I heard a familiar voice call out, "Shahin!" Everyone froze to see Altair, Malik, and Kadar standing next to rail above us on the next level up in the garden. Kadar was grinning and Malik even had a small smile on his face at the situation I was in. They were both without their hoods and I couldn't see Altair's face because he was the only one with a hood, though I'm sure he was smirking like usual. "The Master wants to see you."

The women pouted and 'aww'ed again as I quickly left their hands. But Aneesa caught and hugged my arm tightly again. She looked up at me with her innocent eyes. "Come back tomorrow, okay?" The women behind me exclaimed similar things until I nodded and said a quick "Fine". They cheered and shrieked and ran to hug me.

I finally escaped them, but as I climbed up the slope to the level Altair, Malik, and Kadar were on I heard Ablaa call after me, "Sorry about the mental image of the old man!" I groaned and rubbed a hand over my red heated face as they broke into laughter again. I approached the trio and glumly asked, "What does Al Mualim wish from me?"

Altair turned and walked away, looking over his shoulder as he answered softly, "Nothing."

I sped walked up to him and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Malik appeared on Altair's other side and replied, "It means he lied to give you an excuse to get away from the women."

I was silent as I processed this. Altair had helped me without me even asking, not that I ever would, mind you. I felt that warmth in my chest again and murmured quietly, "Thank you." He grunted in response.

"Are you really the Shahin Altair's been talking about?" Kadar asked on my left.

I floundered for an answer as I faced the man, well, boy really, only a few years younger than me. Malik reached around and swatted the back of Kadar's head. "Of course he is. Don't ask stupid questions. Didn't you hear Altair call him by his name?"

Kadar grumbled and rubbed the back of his head as I absorbed the fact the Altair discussed me with these two. I wasn't sure if I liked that. The proud hawk part of me preened at the attention and another was the wary bird seeing that he had more than one potential enemy. I finally decided there was nothing I could about it now and let it go. The brothers dropped behind slightly, bickering.

"We're going on a mission," Altair suddenly announced and I blinked up at him. He continued to explain. "The Master wants us to go to Jerusalem and retrieve a treasure the Templars have found under Solomon's Temple."

"By 'us' do you mean you and Malik?" I asked. I was starting to get a bad feeling and I couldn't locate the source of it.

He shook his head. "Kadar is coming with us."

"Kadar?" I repeated softly in shock, wary of the boy only a few feet behind us Altair turned and raised an eyebrow in question. "Kadar only just became an Assassin. He's barely out of his Journeymen robes and you're taking him with you to a possible Templar infested temple? Doesn't that seem a little rash?"

Altair shrugged, "The Master wished him to come along to gain experience. Besides, he's with me, the best the Brotherhood has to offer and Malik, possibly the second best. What can happen to him?"

A lot, I thought silently. I was concerned about Altair's arrogance and over confidence. But I was more concerned about this faint bad feeling. The last time I'd gotten one Templars had attacked the village and Masyaf and I planned on listening to my instincts. But there was nothing I could do about Kadar or the mission if the Master ordered it. "When do you leave?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Be careful, Altiar," I murmured quietly.

He glanced at me with his arrogant smirk, "Why are you worried? I am the best Assassin here. Nothing will happen to me."

"That's what worries me," I mumbled softly. So softly that Altair didn't hear. I knew Altair could fight hard to keep himself from being killed but would he take his companions into mind? I thought back to this morning and how he'd been considerate and thoughtful. And I felt my confidence grow a bit. He would take care of his friends.

But that bad feeling only increased.

Kadar was suddenly next to me. "So, what happened back there with the women?"

I smiled a bit, but that was lost on him. "I was attacked by women," I answered and he grinned.

—Altair's POV—

He was a little confused and hurt by Shahin's concern about him. He was the best. Al Mualim's prodigy and a Master Assassin. Nothing could beat him. Certainly not a few Templar guards sent to retrieve this 'treasure'. He would return with the 'treasure' the Master wishes to have and tell Shahin that it was silly to worry about him. And then after that he would try in earnest to see if Shahin did have wings like his note said. He had meant to try this morning in the forest, but he'd been too shocked and surprised by the revelations about Shahin.

And now he had caught the man with the harem women. Altair didn't think he was there to try and lure one to his bed, which would've gotten him severely punished by Al Mualim, for he had been trying to get away from them. He thought the situation was rather amusing, seeing the Master Assassin, who was so confident in battle and with a blade, trying in vain to awkwardly escape a few pampered women. No, it wasn't amusing. It was hilarious. It was obvious that Shahin had little experience when it came to communicating and didn't really know how to tell someone what he wanted. Altair wondered briefly at how Shahin had even gotten into that situation in the first place. From what he had learned Shahin mainly kept to himself and avoided other people when possible. He certainly didn't let a dozen barely dressed women close enough to try and give him a massage. He honestly didn't know.

He frowned as he thought ahead. It took 4 days to travel to Jerusalem. 3 Days if you pushed it. And one day in Jerusalem to retrieve the 'treasure' and another 3-4 days traveling back to Masyaf. So a minimum of 7 days until he was back and could get back to Shahin. He was strangely a little upset at leaving the other man and wanted to spend as little time away as possible.

He nodded to himself and listened as a hesitant Shahin conversed with the energetic and cheery Kadar.

He hardly gave the bad feeling he had more than a second thought, putting it down as a feeling of being away from Shahin.

Okay first chapter done. Here comes the second one!

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