Authors note: Oooh! Anticipation is a bitch isn't it? Haha! Ok, anyways I'm sorry it took a while for this to be posted. We had a storm and I had bad Internet connection so I worked on trying to fix this chapter up… WHICH is in THIRD PERSON by the way, so yeah! Nice little twist huh? Well, if you don't like it then that's ok…Im still gonna keep writing. This is gonna be a bit of a short chapter too and I think I might go on a chapter posting spree tonight! Well anywhose… Here is your next anticipated chapter!

-Aena Firestar ~*~

Chapter 5

Solomon's Temple

Alera left out with fury and a little bit of hurt. They had left out in such a hurry that Àlkimos kicked up dust into the stable. It was a somewhat awkward silence between the three. Altaïr caught himself watching after Alera. He looked back at his horse. Malik and Kadar both looked at him.

"You know you really shouldn't press her." Said Kadar first. Altaïr ignored him.

"Where was she going?" he asked quietly. "I know she told you Malik."

"She was being sent on an errand. There was a message that needed to be delivered to the Rafiq in Damas'." He said. Altaïr didn't believe it but he said nothing else. "I don't understand why you always have to start a fight with her. She will never open up to you if you keep doing that." Said Malik.

"I don't want to hear it." Said Altaïr quietly, but with edge in his voice.

"I see it all the time." Said Malik. He knew he was stepping into dangerous territory, but he kept edging forward. "She will never have anything to do with you. She will never speak to you, and you are mad at yourself for treating her like this." Said Malik. Malik was smart, not to mention he was very good at reading people.

"Do I look like I'm mad at myself?" said Altaïr coldly.

"Yes, you do. You might not now but you did. Your facial expression, after she left, was that of disappointment. Disappointment in yourself." Altaïr turned around and looked Malik straight in the eyes.

"Do not read me Malik. That is your first warning." He said as his eyes burned with a green fire. There was an awkward silence between them all as they tacked up each of their horses. They headed for Solomon's temple. None of them spoke to each other. Altaïr was thinking about the mission, and Alera. He couldn't help it. He knew that they got on each other's nerves, but he enjoyed watching Alera get mad. It amused him a bit. He had never seen so much fire in a woman before. She was so independent and never took any hell from anyone. But the things she would say would make him get mad too. He also wondered where she was going, and he also thought about how he had never seen her face.

It has been ten years since he's seen the girl's face. She was fifteen, but now she's twenty-four. "I'm sure she's changed a lot." He thought to himself. He had never seen her face and realized he had never really paid attention to the girl in the first place. She had never seen his either. They had always had their hoods up and not paid any attention to each other.

The ride was long, but they made it to the temple and each of them went into stealth mode, and Altaïr went into arrogant leader mode. They stepped inside the temple and made their way through some tunnels. Altaïr saw an old man up ahead. He leapt forward.

"Wait! There must be another way. This one need not die!" but before Malik could stop him, Altaïr drove his hidden blade into the man's neck. He died a quick death, but did not disserve it. Malik looked on in horror, but Kadar (being the novice that he is) was fascinated by the quick movement.

"An excellent kill! Fortune favors your blade." He said.

"Not fortune. Skill. Watch awhile longer and you might learn something." Said Altaïr. The sharp venom of arrogance on every end of the words. It was easy to tell he was quite proud of himself… A little too proud.

"Indeed. He'll teach you how to disregard everything the Master's taught us." Said Malik with distain.

"And how would you have done it?" asked Altaïr, somewhat mockingly.

"I would not have called attention to us. I would not have taken the life of an innocent. What I would have done is follow the Creed."

" 'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' Understand these words. It matters not how we complete our task… Only how it's done." Said Altaïr.

"This is not the way-"

"My way is better." Altaïr cut Malik off. Malik shook his head.

"I will scout ahead. Try not to dishonor us further." He said. He turned and ran up through the tunnel.

"What is our mission? My brother would say nothing to me… Only that I should be honored to have been invited." Asked Kadar. Altaïr turned his gaze on him.

"The Master believes the Templars have found something below the Temple."

"Treasure?" said Kadar hopefully.

"I do not know." Said Altaïr coolly to the novice. "All that matters is that the master considers it important, else he would not have asked me to retrieve it." Altaïr and Kadar caught up to Malik. They killed a couple of unsuspecting guards on the way and soon came to a high stone chamber. They stood on a rock ledge over looking the room. They looked across and saw something. It was a golden crate… But not just any old crate...

"There! That must be the Ark!" said Malik.

"The Ark…Of the Covenant?" said Kadar.

"Oh if only Alera were here to see this. She would be ecstatic." Said Malik.

"Why?" said Kadar.

"It's history. It's Ancient history. Alera loves history." He said. Altaïr snorted.

"Don't be silly. There's no such thing. It's just a story."

"Then what is it?" said Kadar. Malik's ears caught something…Footsteps.

"Quiet! Someone's Coming!" he whispered. They all looked down. Three Templars entered the room. Malik and Altaïr instantly caught the leader. Robert de Sable. The most hated Templar of the Assassins.

"Robert de Sable! His life is mine!" whispered Altaïr.

"No! We would want to retrieve the treasure and deal with Robert only if necessary." Cautioned Malik.

"He stands between us and it. I would say it's necessary." The hint of bloodthirstiness was on the tip of Altaïr's tongue.

"Discretion, Altaïr!" warned Malik.

"You mean cowardice. That man is our greatest enemy, and here we have a chance to be rid of him!"

"You have already broken two tenets of our Creed! Now you would break the third? Do not compromise the Brotherhood!"

"I am your superior, in both title and ability. You should know better than to question me."

"Alera was right. Your arrogance will be the undoing of you and of us. If you do not stop this we will all be in trouble and we will all fail. You should listen to her!" said Malik. Altaïr ignored him and dropped down. The others had no choice but to follow him. Altaïr walked towards the Templars.

"Hold Templars! You are not the only ones with business here." Said Altaïr.

"Ah! Well, this explains my missing man. And what is it you want?" said Robert coolly.

"Blood." Altaïr lunged forward at Robert. Malik jumped to grab Altaïr, but it threw him off, giving Robert the opportunity to catch him. Altaïr's hidden blade was inches away from Robert's neck. They both struggled. Robert looked Altaïr in the eyes.

"You know not the things in which you meddle, Assassin. I spare you only that you may return to your master and deliver a message: The Holy Land is lost to him and his. He should flee now while he has the chance. Stay, and all of you will die, and as for the girl," Robert gave a wicked smile. Altaïr struggled even harder to pierce his flesh now that he had mentioned Alera. "She will become my slave." He gave a wicked laugh as he turned and threw Altaïr into a wooden post. He crashed through it and landed on the other side. The wall collapsed, separating him from the others. He heard all of them begin to fight as Robert carried out the order to his guards to kill the other two assassins. There was nothing Altaïr could do. He turned around and made his way up through the hidden passages and tunnels. He climbed up the rubble and out into the sunlight.

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