Fourth chapter. Hopefully the last one of the day. I really don't want to go another day without updating.

Chapter Eight: Heal

I carefully picked my way through the logs and crushed human bodies. Even with all my years as an Assassin and seeing death, I felt nauseous at the sight of the crushed and mangled body parts. A swift clean cut and death was one thing, but this was just brutal and horrific. I kept my face stoic with some effort and approached the portcullis as it was being raised.

Inside, I saw Assassins moving the wounded, soothing the villagers, talking, or obeying orders. We wouldn't celebrate our victory until tonight or tomorrow night when everything had been taken care of. I sensed Altair following me and turned to look at him. Now that the battle was over I realized how covered in blood he was. His normally white clothes were splattered with blood from every possible direction and angle on every spot of his robes. The laundry ladies had my sympathy: they were about to get a lot of bloody clothes to scrub clean.

Speaking of cleaning off blood… I looked down at my weapons and saw that I would have to give all of them a very thorough cleaning and have to get replacement throwing knives from the ones I'd lost in the battle from the blacksmith. I sighed wearily at how long that would take and realized I had another long night in the very near future.

I was heading up to the castle to change out of my bloody robes and begin the long task of cleaning my weapons when an Assassin stepped in my path. Sensing Altair coming up to my side and his irritation, I laid a staying hand on his arm. "Is there something I can do for you, Brother?" I asked quietly, keeping my weariness from my voice. My adrenaline was fading away and was leaving me drop dead tired. I wouldn't have a problem sleeping tonight. Well, except for the expected nightmares I wouldn't have a problem.

The Assassin nodded his head, "'Yes. I would like to thank you, Shahin." His voice finally made me recognize him as the superior from the gate. I looked over his shoulder and saw the others stepping forward. It was a relief to see all of them standing and alright with the exception of the superior who had his shoulder bound with bandages. Against the odds they had gotten through relatively unscathed, though that relief was replaced with shock when they placed their right fist over their heart and bowed to me. It was a gesture to show someone that they recognized you as they're superior and had great respect for you. "Without you we would've surely lost our lives."

I resisted the urge to shake my head wildly and thought about what to say. After a brief pause I shook my head slightly. "You have nothing to thank me for. What you all did was your own doing. I did not fight your opponents for you. You already had the weapon with which to fight, I just pointed to at the people to use it on." I would've been much more flustered and nervous if Altair hadn't been by my side. I knew that if I began to falter Altair would cover for me.

They straightened and one of the Journeymen spoke up. "That isn't true. We would've been overwhelmed and worse off than we are now if you hadn't been covering us with your throwing knives. I myself would've been cut down if it hadn't been for the knife you threw and struck a Templar in his back. For that I will always be in your debt." He bowed again as did the others and I felt my face heat when a few other Assassins looked our way to see what the fuss was.

I began to walk by and I placed a hand on each of their shoulders as I passed, "Forget it happened. A superior is supposed to watch over those less experienced than them." They nodded and finally left me alone to ascend the hill. Altair appeared next to me and looked over his shoulder at the dispersing men. "They seemed to genuinely respect you. What happened?"

I stopped walking and sat down right there, my legs too tired to carry me further up the steep hill. Altair joined me as I rubbed my face. "After you left to report to Al Mualim," I started and saw him tense a bit. I noted the reaction to study later when my brain was functioning correctly before continuing. "I went down through the village looking for Malik and Kadar to hear how your mission went. I met Malik as he was coming into the village injured and with the treasure." Another tense. Another mental note. "I was helping him up to the castle when he told me that there were Templars coming to attack. I stayed behind to try and by some time for the other Assassins to show up. Those men who thanked me were the gate guards. I ordered them around and fought with them. Apparently that puts them in my debt, though they don't need to ever worry about that. I doubt I'll ever call upon that debt." I shrugged and pulled one knee up to my chest and left the other on the ground.

Altair nodded, but remained silent. I studied him and asked quietly, "What happened on your misson, Altair?" He stiffened and it was very much noticeable this time. He ducked his head so his hood hid his face. Without thinking I leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust me, Altair." I felt a warmth in my chest when I said this. He could trust me and he has trusted me. "No matter what happened I won't judge you. I trust you and I'm not about to push you away."

He turned his head away from the hand on his shoulder. "I should've listened to you," he whispered so quietly I almost didn't catch it.

I leaned closer, "What?"

He shook his head and adopted a monotone and emotionless voice. "The mission didn't go as planned. In the tunnel, only a little distance from the treasure, we came upon an old man, who was a slave. I killed him. Malik was berating me the entire way to the room below Solomon's temple. There we saw the Ark. Or that's what Malik thought. Just before we moved to get it, Robert de Sable and his men came in. I approached them, not even bothering to be stealthy. I knew I could take them and kill Robert. But when I attacked, Robert threw me from the room, causing the scaffolding to collapse the doorway, leaving Malik and Kadar in the room alone. I tried to find another way in, but there were none. I thought both of them dead and came back to Masyaf. Malik showed up with the treasure, injured, and with news that Kadar was dead."

I thought I heard a little hitch in his voice with that last bit of information, but I couldn't be sure. I felt sorrow squeeze my heart. This was bad. Malik was injured and Kadar was dead. Altair had been the leader in the mission which meant he would be held responsible for his Brothers. And then he killed that old man. He revealed himself to the Templars. He failed to retrieve the treasure, failing his mission. And he lead the Templars here. Altair had dug his own grave.

He failed to care for his Brothers.

He failed his mission.

And he'd broken all three of the creeds.

He killed an innocent.

He revealed himself when he should've used discretion.

And he compromised the Brotherhood.

If he hadn't broken the last creed I wouldn't be despairing. The first two could be punished severely, but to endanger his Brothers… Al Mualim would not let that go. I knew his punishment.

Death.

I moved my hand form his shoulder to cup his cheek and Altair looked startled at the touch to his face. I turned my head so he could see my face and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

But before he could respond a loud clear voice called out, "Altair!"

We turned to see Al Mualim waiting in front of the castle doorway. He had two Assassins flanking him. I saw Altair's eyes close briefly and I closed mine as well. It was time.

The courtyard quieted as they heard the Masters call and all their eyes turned to Altair. They picked up the tense atmosphere and no who said a word, not even a whisper. I squeezed his shoulder once more and said quietly enough for him to hear. "Peace, Altair. I'll always be here." I let him go as he nodded imperceptibly.

I watched with sadness as the only person I had ever trusted walked up the hill with shoulders back and chin held high to face his punishment. A true Assassin, even if he was arrogant and cocky. He wasn't afraid to face death as Al Mualim had told Robert.

I moved slowly as everyone watched Altair. I placed myself in the deep shadows of a wall to the right of where Al Mualim waited. I saw Altair's stony amber eyes flicker towards to me. He had sensed me like I was able to sense him.

Altair finally stood in front of the Master and the two Assassins moved to flank the Master Assassin. There was a pause before Al Mualim spoke. "You did well to drive Robert from here. His force is broken. It should be a long while before he troubles us again." The old man began to pace slowly in front of Altair. The onlookers in the courtyard below took in everything that was happening in utter silence. "Tell me," the Master continued. "Do you know why it is you are successful?" He didn't pause to wait for an answer, probably knowing that Altair wouldn't answer. "You listened! Were it that you listened in Solomon's Temple, Altair, all of this would've been avoided."

Altair glanced at me briefly before saying clearly and without remorse, "I did as I was asked."

Al Mualim head snapped towards him form where he was looking at the sky. "No!" he snapped. "You did as you pleased. Malik has told me of the arrogance you displayed—your disregard for our ways!" The two Assassins suddenly grabbed Altair's arms and held them away from his body, restraining him.

Altair looked ready to snap and I could tell he was holding back the urge to fight back. With the strength he showed in battle I knew he could've easily thrown the two like ragdolls. "Release me!" he ordered, but Al Mualim went back to pacing again, ignoring him.

"There are rules. We are nothing if we do not abide by the Assassin's Creed: three simple tenets, which you seem to forget," the old man lectured with an air of superiority that irritated me a little. "I will remind you." He held up one finger, "First and foremost: stay your blade—."

"—From the flesh of an innocent. I know," Altair snapped, furious at being restrained and the knowledge of what was to come.

Al Mualim raised his hand and I heard a loud crack as the old man harshly slapped Altair. I blinked in shock, knowing that Altair's pride was taking a beating and he was letting it happen.

"And stay your tongue unless I give you leave to use it!" the Master yelled, furious. I saw the old man's pale wrinkly face turn red as he continued, "If you are so familiar with this tenet, then why did you kill the old man inside the temple? He was innocent! He did not need to die." He began to pace again with slightly faster and angrier steps. "Your insolence knows no bounds. Make humble your heart child, or I swear I will tear it from you with my own hands!" he threatened in a low but still audible voice for the onlookers. They hadn't moved an inch, too enthralled with what was happening. Al Mualim went on lecturing, "The second tenet is that which gives us strength: hide in plain sight. Let the people mask you such that you become one with the crowd. Do you remember?" Al Mualim put his face close to Altair's as he demanded this. He gave no pause for a possible answer again. "Because as I hear it, you chose to expose yourself, drawing attention before you struck!" He stepped back and took a small breath before saying in a bit more calmer voice. "The third and final tenet, the worst of all your betrayals. Never compromise the Brotherhood. Its meaning should be obvious. Your actions must never bring harm upon us, direct or indirect!" That calm quickly left his tone.

I clutched my hands together in front of my chest, weaving my fingers together in a kind of prayer. I didn't dare close my eyes as I murmured pleas up to whoever would listen. I didn't believe in any one god, but I hoped that if they did exist they would take pity on me and heed my wish. "Please let there be a way for Altair to live through this," I whispered.

"Yet your selfish act beneath Jerusalem put us all in danger!" the old man yelled with surprising volume. "Worse still, you brought the enemy to our home! Every man we lost today we lost because of you!" Al Mualim took one last deep breath and a final calm entered his voice.

Then, he drew a dagger.

My heart stopped for a moment at the sight. The fact that Altair was really going to die finally sunk in. I felt tears of sorrow and anger pool in my eyes. Why did Altair have to die? Why does the person I finally trusted have to die? Am I never meant to trust anyone? I wanted so badly to stop this, but everyone was here. I'd have to fight through all the Assassins and Al Mualim to stop this. And even I wouldn't be able to do that. My back bowed suddenly as my wings came out violently. I bit back a groan and slowly pushed my wings through the slits in my robes so that my cape was the only thing covering them. I wondered briefly why they had come out before focusing on the scene before me.

Al Mualim approached Altair slowly and I saw my friend tense and twitch, warring with himself to take his punishment. "I'm sorry. Truly I am. But I cannot abide a traitor."

Without realizing it, I reached down and plucked one of my secondaries. I didn't even wince at the sharp pain. The white feather, a bit longer than my elbow to my finger tips, rested unnoticed in my hand.

"I am not a traitor," Altair snarled, pulling unconsciously against his captors.

Al Mualim shook his head and finished crossing the last of the distance, "Your actions indicate otherwise. And so you leave me no choice. Peace be upon you, Altair."

He drove the dagger up into Altair's chest and into his heart.

I couldn't help the chocked sob that escaped me as tears cascaded down my face. Altair let out a pained grunt/scream, collapsing to one knee. He turned his head towards me and I saw everything in his eyes.

He was sad, in pain, and was pleading with me to end it. To make it stop. I sobbed again quietly, feeling totally useless as I felt something squeeze my chest painfully. I couldn't do anything. Nothing. I was useless when I was truly needed and I felt that take a chunk out of what could only be my soul, leaving it bleeding and flickering. I watched with a despair that nearly killed me as the light of life faded from Altair's beautiful amber eyes. They stared at me as the Assassins unceremoniously dropped him to the ground on his face and I watched as his life's blood pooled around him.

I had wanted him close to me when he was gone so I could protect him and here I was with the man only twenty feet away and I did absolutely nothing.

I hardly noticed when I brought the white feather to my lips. I hardly realized that I whispered with a desperate plea, "Heal!" I blinked through my tears as the feather glowed gold for a moment, as bright as a torch, before dissolving into a fine glowing gold grain. I watched with dull golden eyes, feeling something hidden and foreign inside of me pulled out and opened, as the gold floated lightly through the air to were Altair lay in an ungraceful heap. I didn't allow the small hope I felt to consume me. I was afraid the hope would prove false and I would be crushed twice as hard.

The Assassins who had held Altair jumped and cursed when they saw the gold dust float in a tendril towards the fallen man. Even Al Mualim blinked in surprise and took a wary step back. "What sorcery is this?" one of the men demanded as he backed away quickly.

That hope grew as the golden tendril touched the pool of blood and began to flow into the pool and into Altair's chest where he had been stabbed. That hope turned into excitement as I saw the pool of blood shrink and flow back into the man's body. I held my breath as the blood finally disappeared and the cut was brought together into a scar. I covered my mouth as I grinned to hold back a shout of joy as I heard Altair take a deep ragged breath before settling down into an easy slumber.

But I didn't see what happened next. The world throbbed around me and I doubled over clutching my chest at the agony that appeared there. Out of instinct I stumbled into a door to go to my room. I have no clue how I was able to make it the entire distance with the pain and shock, but the next thing I know I'm slamming my door shut and throwing the lock.

Then my body finally gives out. I fell to my knees and then to my side as I coughed into my hand. A brief glance told me I had hacked up blood. The hand to my chest detected warmth and I looked down, and, through the haze of agony and pain, I could see the red spreading across the front of my robes. I tore of my robes and robes and bandages with unknown energy and cried out as I collapsed again. I saw a tendril of gold slowly cutting into my chest and driving up into my heart. With each heartbeat my heart was torn more. I coughed again and clawed the stone floor as blood pooled around me. My heart beat faster in panic, carrying me closer to death.

And I could feel death. I felt it with each blood-drowned breath I took. It slowly hugged me in its comforting embrace, promising a painless existence. My vision began to tunnel and my breaths only came in sporadic hitches and I could hear my heart try valiantly to keep going, but it only brought its end closer with its effort.

Finally, there was silence in my room as more blood spread out over the stones like a morbid carpet and soaking into my feathers and braid.

It felt like I was underwater. I couldn't see, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. But I could sense that the surface was just in front of my face. I knew that if I struggled just a bit I could break that surface, but I was so tired. The fight had drained me and the energy it took to heal Altair just added on to this and I knew that no amount of training could have prepared me for this.

I accepted death. It wasn't like anyone wanted me around. Probably the exception of Altair I had no reason to fight. None. And that was a really depressing thought.

It was when I accepted the inevitable that I saw that gold again. It reached through the water, wrapped me in a soft embrace and pulled me lovingly out of the water.

I took a gasping breath and blinked my eyes, taking in what was around me. I was lying down on the cold stone floor staring at my weapons rack. Just like I remembered. Except I remember blood pooling around me. I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position, my braid dragging along the floor and I looked around tiredly. I was exhausted, but I saw there wasn't any blood anywhere. As I continued to sit up I felt a strange stretching sensation on my chest. I looked down at my bare chest and saw a scar just under my breastbone. I touched it and my tired mind didn't even try process what had just happened.

I forced my reluctant body to crawl over into my nest. There I fell on to my side, curled up into a small ball, wrapped my wings around myself, and fell into a very deep black sleep.

—Altair's POV—

He couldn't help but almost scream as the Master, his mentor, stabbed him in the chest. He collapsed to one knee and couldn't resist turning his head towards where Shahin stood in the shadows, being there for him just like he promised. He was shocked to see the Master Assassin sob. He was shocked to see tears pour down his cheeks. He was shocked to see golden eyes that were the epitome of anguish and helplessness.

There was so much pain. He saw his vision turning black around the edges and took a painful breath in an effort to fight it off. It didn't help.

The next thing he knew he was face down in the dirt, blood pooling around him. He couldn't breathe. It was more painful than he thought it would be. He had thought dying would be a gentle detachment from one's body as you moved on to whatever world there was after life. But instead it was a painful, scary ordeal. He just wanted it to be over. To be done with. He'd made a huge mistake and he had paid for it by choice.

But now he was wondering if he should've done so. In his pinpoint vision he saw Shahin lift an impossibly long white feather to his face. The last thing he saw was not Shahin crying with that feather, but what he saw in a dream he'd had a week ago.

He saw Shahin without his hood gone, his black hair unbound whipping in the air as he stood on top of Masyaf's highest peak, singing so beautifully it made his heart ache. But in that dream Shahin wasn't a man but a stunning strong woman. The last thing he saw was Shahin tilting her head up to sing to the sky with beautiful white wings half spread out.

I'm losing something very rare and precious, Altair thought tiredly as everything finally went dark and the pain ended.

And that's how Altair lived! I thought it would be cool if Shahin had the ability to heal but ever ability has to have a draw back and hers is to experience the wound she heals. Let me know what you think!

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!