Part 15

It wasn't long before Altair returned from wherever he went and they were out of the city and on the road to Masyaf. Katy wasn't used to riding a horse, in fact she had never ridden one before in her life. She had ridden a donkey once, many years ago, when she had visited the seaside with her family, that was nothing compared to this. It was almost like torture. Her back ached, her thighs were sore and she felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on from being out in the bright sunlight for so long.

After a couple of hours, as the sun reached its peak in the sky, they turned off the road and into the shelter of a small grove of trees close to a cliff wall. The trees themselves didn't provide much shade, but the small respite in dappled sunlight away from the almost suffocating heat was greatly appreciated. Although thankful for the opportunity of rest, Katy was reluctant to dismount her horse. She didn't know if she would be able to get back on. Still, she got of the horse, almost falling in the process, and quietly accepted the food and water Altair offered her.

The aforementioned Assassin hadn't said a word to her. Altair moved between the horses, ensuring they were comfortable, before he settled on the ground and had a small amount of food and water himself.

Katy knew he was watching her, as she stood there, unable and unwilling to even try and sit down. She looked between the flask in one hand and the chunk of bread in the other with a bewildered look on her face. Instead, she walked over the one of the trees to try and get out of the sun as much as possible and nibbled at the bread. It was hard, dry and almost salty to taste.

Once the shadows began to elongate on the ground and the air cooled, Altair decided it was time to move on. He swung easily into his saddle, fully expecting Katy to do the same. He turned to face her as she struggled to get a foot in the stirrup, pain clearly evident on her face. She stamped and cursed, before trying again, to no avail. A frustrated moan escaped her as she leaned against the extremely patient horse.

"Put your foot back in the stirrup." Altair ordered her as he moved his horse to the opposite side of Katy's.

Katy looked up at the Assassin with tears in her eyes, she wiped them away with her sleeve and did as he said, trying her hardest to not let out a gasp as her back twinged and muscles burned, she gripped the pommel of the saddle as she was shown back in Acre, but Altair leaned over and pulled her right hand off and held the wrist in a tight grip.

"When I pull, you push off the ground as hard as you can." He instructed her.

When Altair pulled on her arm, it felt as though is was being wrenched out of the socket. Katy closed her eyes and pushed up. Somehow, she was now mounted on the horse, who tossed his head slightly and sidestepped away from Altair. Katy grasped the reigns and, as she followed the Assassin back to the road, tried to ignore the extreme discomfort that came from being back in the saddle.

They plodded along in silence, Katy looked around at the passing countryside. To her eyes, it was beautiful, but in some places the obvious turmoil of the Crusades was evident, felled trees, abandoned caravans and every so often, a corpse. The sight of these made Katy wretch slightly, a person left to rot as carrion, pecked and clawed at by scavenging animals instead of being decently buried. It was a sad sight she was forced to move past again and again.

Eventually she stopped looking around. It became too much. Katy settled her eyes on the back of Altair, he too was observing the surrounding area, but he looked beyond the sides of the road. She knew he was alert to any possible hostilities from the invading army of King Richard.

The afternoon wore on, only one or two words passed between the girl and the Assassin, they paused breifly at a small stream to allow the horses to drink and rest a while. They carried on until the sun began to set, when once again, Altair led them off the road, further back than before, and set up a small camp.

Once everything was to Altairs liking he came and stood next to Katy, who was gazing up at the sky. "I am going to rest for a short while." He said, making the girl jump slightly. She turned and looked at him, he handed Katy a small dagger. "If anyone approaches, wake me, and when you can not see clearly beyond that tree," He pointed at one about 10 metres away, "Wake me, I will keep watch after that."

Katy nodded and gripped the dagger tightly, once Altair was settled on his bedroll, she tested the edge of it against her thumb. She barely winced when the blade cut easily through her skin. A short, biting pain followed, but Katy didn't flinch. It was a feeling she was used to. She watched as blood beaded along the cut then wiped it away on her robe.

The evening was uneventful. A few people passed by, it was clear they were no threat, but she did as Altair told her and woke him each time. He merely rolled over to glance at the travellers, grunted, then rolled back over to sleep. Once the sun had almost completely set, Katy woke Altair for the final time that day and they swapped places. Katy tried not to grunt as she lowered herself to the ground, the bedroll providing little comfort against the uneven ground. Still, she drifted off to sleep soon after, the dagger still in her hand.

Katy woke with a gasp, the world seemed to tremble around her. She tried to sit up but found herself held back by some unseen force. A blind panic rose within her, she tried to keep it down as she looked around and realised she wasn't with Altair any more. Whatever she was lying on provided a lot better support than the bedroll, the air she breathed was clean, almost sterile and the bright white walls surrounding her were dazzling. Katy closed her eyes against them and the tremors subsided slightly, they became a constant, familiar vibration that she had almost forgotten.

I'm in vehicle. That realisation made her heart soar, almost brought a smile to her face. I must be home. Then she grinned and tried to open her eyes again, but found it nearly impossible, as if her body was refusing to obey her. Her entire body tensed as she willed herself to open her eyes, nothing happened. A low growl escaped her, followed by a loud sob."No." She whispered, anger, frustration and despair welled within her.

"I just want to go home." Katy repeated this again and again. Slowly becoming aware of someone distantly calling her name, asking if she was okay. Then, when she felt something grip her arm, she lashed out, breaking whatever invisible bonds that held her down before. "Leave me alone!" She screeched, shoving the hand away and wildly stabbing at the air with the dagger. "I just want to go home!"

"Katy!" The loud voice penetrated right through the thick fog of whatever reality she was currently in. Katy stopped and found herself facing a very bewildered, almost scared looking Assassin, his arms held out towards her in a defensive position. She looked down at the knife in her hand for a brief second, then, as if it had suddenly become red hot, dropped it to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I don't-" Katy faltered, she took a deep breath to try and compose herself. "I'm so sorry."

Altair took a careful step towards her as she let go of the dagger, then stooped to retrieve it. "The sun has started to rise," He said, his voice unwavering. "We should move on." The Assassin packed their small camp away around Katy, who was still too shocked to move. She didn't remember mounting her horse, in fact she could barely remember what happened for the next few days. After that incident, the next clear thing in her mind was waking in a soft bed, sunlight streamed through the narrow window directly into her eyes.

A/N: Happy new year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and if any of you had any exams to take, I sincerely hope you've done well!
Thank you all for your patience during my brief hiatus and for your continued support for this story :)

I appreciate and adore all feedback, please review! x