Hey guys! I'm back with my next chapter! Sorry it took a while. I went to the fucking kick ass Kid Rock concert in Memphis Saturday night! Let me just say that it was a concert of EPIC PROPORTIONS! Anyways, here we are. So nobody has to give me death threats anymore. Yay! Have fun with this one guys. OH yeah and the name Alario I found was supposed to be a form of a name for eagle, not the actual name its self. The real name for eagle in Latin is Aquilis but this name is a form of it. Read and Review and I hopes you like it!
-Aena Firestar
Chapter 9
Alario
We read the letter as we walked. It told of how Tamir had another shipment going out tomorrow. He was going to deliver it after a brief meeting at Souk Al-Silaah. Soon we came to two more suspicious characters. We spied and eavesdropped on, what turned out to be, two of Tamir's unsuspecting employees talking about how he was going to call a meeting with all of the merchants at his Souk. We had valuable information but it still wasn't enough. We advanced further east and came close to the souk that the Rafiq had told us to go to.
As Altaïr and I walked through the crowd, a voice particularly stuck out. A small crowd was gathered around the crier and we walked up at the edge to listen. He was telling some outrageous tail about Tamir saving Salah Al-Din's men and how Tamir got paid a gracious reward and some other stuff. I kind of zoned out after the first couple of sentences because I knew it was a bunch of lies. Altaïr bumped into me and broke me from my thought. I looked at him. He nodded over to the right. I looked over and the crier was headed into a back alley.
"Lets get him there." Said Altaïr. I nodded and we both followed him. We made sure that we were out of the sight of the guards and, "Now!" whispered Altaïr. I jumped in front of the man and gave him a punch to the stomach, and Altaïr kicked him in the back. He leaned over in agony. He looked up at me and I had my fists up and I was in an aggressive stance.
"How dare you! I will teach you a thing or two you street walking whore!" he yelled at me. That really set me off. I gave him a roundhouse kick to the face. As I whipped around, my robe fluttered with my movements. *Altaïr watched Alera as she made quick work of the man. The comment he had said about her being a street walker made Altaïr get a little mad, but he knew Alera would want to handle it herself, so he let her have it. Altaïr was surprised when Alera gave the guy a roundhouse kick… To the face! He was quite impressed and realized how flexible she was. He shook it off as he realized the crier was turned to him now.* Altaïr raised his fist back, but the crier fell to his knees.
"Stop! I give! I give! What do you two want with me?" he said, like the coward he was. Altaïr and I looked at each other and we went out of our stances and I walked over beside Altaïr to face the man.
"You seem to know quite a bit about Tamir. Tell us what he's planning." Said Altaïr. His voice was bold and harsh.
"I know only the stories I tell… Nothing more!" said the man, his voice shaking.
"A pity. There's no reason to let you live if you've nothing to offer in return." I said as I unsheathed my hidden blade.
"Wait, wait! There is one thing!" said the man.
"Continue." Said Altaïr.
"He is preoccupied as of late. He oversees the production of many, many weapons."
"What of it? They're meant for Salah Al-Din. This does not help me. Which means it does not help you." Said Altaïr.
"No, stop! Listen! Not Salah Al-Din! It's for someone else. Crests his arms bear, they are different, unfamiliar. It seems Tamir supports another, but I do not know who." Said the man. The fear in his voice was clear.
"Is that all?" I said.
"Yes, yes! I've told you everything I know!" he said.
"Then it's time for you to rest." Said Altaïr. Quick as ever, he unsheathed his hidden blade and drove it into the man's stomach. He fell dead at our feet. We looked at each other.
"Think we have enough information?" I said.
"Yes, we know when and where to strike. It's getting late, we should head back to the bureau and do the assassination tomorrow at the meeting." Said Altaïr.
"Alright. Lead the way." I said. Altaïr ran up a wall and I followed behind. We walked across the rooftops. The sky was turning orange from the setting sun. It was quite beautiful. We didn't speak to each other, for we had nothing to say really. As we walked, I saw a high perch that I thought about climbing up. But then, something caught my eye. There was a single golden eagle circling around the perch. It cawed once. It swooped lower and cawed again. I looked towards Altaïr and he had kept walking. I looked back to the eagle and he had landed on the perch, like… He was waiting on me. I jumped up and grabbed the ledge and started to climb up.
I reached the middle and looked down. Altaïr was nowhere to be found. "Ugh. Just forget it. He's probably back at the bureau." I thought to myself. I kept climbing and finally reached the top. I killed the one guard that was on the top and saw the eagle still sitting on the perch. I took a step closer to it. It stayed where it was. I stepped out further and onto the perch. I balanced out and sat down. I was a foot away from the great eagle. Its golden brown eyes ran over me. I looked it over too. It had a single white spot on its head.
"Alario?" I said. It chirped softly to me. I held my arm out and he flew up on it. "Alario it is you!" I said. I ran my fingers over his soft feathers. He nibbled at my fingers and nuzzled me. I felt his soft feathers on my neck. He looked back at me. "Where have you been? It's been ten years since I've seen you." I said. He chirped a little again. "Well, all that matters is you're with me again my friend." I said.
"So who's your friend?" came a voice. I looked behind me and there was Altaïr. He took a step forward. Alario outstretched his wings and started to flap them.
"Wait! Altaïr stay still." I said. He froze. I looked back at Alario.
"Alario this is my friend. He is not going to hurt us." I said. The bird looked at me, and then back to Altaïr. I looked at Altaïr. "Ease out." I said. He balanced out and sat beside me. "Carefully hold your hand out to him. He is going to nip at you. Do not pull away from him when he does that. It's his way of determining friend from enemy." I said. Altaïr did what I told him to. He eased his left hand out towards Alario. I saw his missing ring finger, but it wasn't foreign to me. Alario moved closer to him and bit his hand. Altaïr didn't pull back.
"Ouch!" he said.
"Stay still." I said. Alario looked at him for a minute and then put his head underneath Altaïr's hand. Altaïr stroked him. We looked at each other and smiled.
"And that's it. You are now a friend. Well, in his eyes at least." I said. Altaïr gave me a look.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" he said. I smiled.
"You were already a somewhat friend to me, now you are a friend to my eagle." I said.
"Oh, all right then. And what is his name?" he said.
"Alario." I said. Alario looked at me and held his head up proudly. We laughed. "It's a form of a Latin name for…"
"Eagle." Finished Altaïr. I smiled at him and nodded.
"Yeah." I said. I caught a glimpse of Altaïr's hand. It was bleeding from the peck.
"I'm sorry about that. He can be a little rough sometimes." I said.
"It's ok. I'm used to cuts, aren't you?" he said. I smiled.
"Yes, but let me see it." I said. I sat Alario down next to me and Altaïr gave me his hand. Alario had cut him pretty deep, deep enough for a bandage. "Look what you did. You should be more careful next time." I said to Alario.
"Maybe he was intimidated by me. He was just testing me harder." He said.
"Well, it calls for a bandage. I'll fix it when we get back to the bureau. But he probably was intimidated by you. The only other man I have been around was my father. He's never seen another man around me." I said. I felt myself blush as the words came out. I pulled my hood tighter over my head to hide my cheeks.
"Also sounds like jealousy. He doesn't want another man moving in on you." He said. He moved in a bit closer. Alario flapped his wings a bit in a warning to Altaïr. I ignored Alario and looked over at Altaïr. He was close. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't back down from his closeness or his gaze.
"Jealousy huh? Well, he shouldn't be jealous. You're not much of a competition for him. Alario has a better chance of getting close to me than you do." I said. The smile came up again.
"Ah, but that's the beauty of it. I'm close to you right now, and you aren't making a fuss." He said. I knew he was close to me, and I kind of liked it, but I would never tell him that. I just smiled.
"Well, that's just one thing. Alario has a better chance of getting a kiss than you do." I said. Alario chirped at me and I leaned over and kissed him on the head. I rose back up to Altaïr and looked at him. We were but mere inches from each other now.
"Alario may have a free chance for one, but I have a chance to take what I want. I have it right now as a matter of fact. I could steal a kiss from you and you wouldn't say anything. You would just let it happen." There was that cocky attitude of his. His voice was deep and smooth and all the while that smile played across his lips. He was seriously asking for it.
"You sound very confident of yourself. And how do you know I wouldn't say anything if you were to kiss me?"
"Well, I'm this close to you right now. If you have no problem with this then I could just close the space between us." He said smoothly. I leaned in and teased him. His eyes scanned my face.
"Try me." I whispered. He smiled and got closer, but I pulled back. Well, he followed me. I leaned forward again and felt his soft breath on my chin and neck. "I dare you." I whispered in my most alluring voice. He smiled at me and turned away. I laughed. "That's what I thought." I said. He looked back at me.
"Keep the offer open. I might want to try it again." We laughed and Alario chirped at us. Altaïr looked at him. "So how did you come across him?" he said.
"My father was the one who found him. He was just a baby and he had an injured wing. I was about fourteen when my father took him in. We decided to raise him so my father taught me how and we cured him and raised him up into a full-grown eagle. We let him go after he was grown but he always came back. He is very protective of me. That's why he has to give every new person he meets an initiation. To make sure you're not an enemy." I said. Altaïr just looked at me.
"Well he is beautiful." I smiled. Alario chirped softly and I stroked his wings. I looked towards the sun. It was very low and the temperature started to drop a little.
"I think we should be heading back. It's getting cold and late." I said.
"Alright then, lead the way." Altaïr said with a hint of sarcasm and a smile. I smiled at him. I stood up and walked to the edge. Thankfully, there was a pile of hay on top of the roof so we could still stay on the rooftops. I looked at Alario.
"Follow us my friend." I said. Alario flew up and off my arm. I looked back at Altaïr. My blonde hair blew in the wind. I gave him a smirk. "Try to keep up." I said to him, then I ran and jumped. I stretched my arms out and fell into the air. *Altaïr saw Alera's beautiful blonde hair blow in the breeze. He couldn't help but smile at her little comment. He watched as Alera leapt off of the perch. He was satisfied with himself about how close he had gotten to her. She obviously knew how to tease him as well. He thought about how beautiful she was. Alario called out to Altaïr. He looked up then ran off of the edge and jumped too. Alera was waiting for him at the bottom.* We walked back to the bureau, which wasn't that far away. It was night when we dropped in. Alario flew in and landed on a shelf with some books on it.
"Ah! It's about time you two showed up. I was just about to go to sleep." Said the Rafiq.
"Altaïr needs a bandage." I said. Rafiq pulled out some clean bandages and some water.
"I'm going to sleep. Rest here and get ready for your mission tomorrow." He said. And with that, he retired to his chambers. I got the bandages and a cloth and some water. I walked back to Altaïr who was sitting amongst the blankets and cushions on the floor. He was leaning against the wall. I sat down beside him and he handed me his hand. I pulled my right knee up and placed his hand on it. One of my fingers brushed his missing one. It didn't bother me, because I knew the price that had to be paid. My left arm brushed against my leg. I felt the scar of the Assassin's symbol on my wrist. It didn't bother me any more. I kind of thought of it as a cool tattoo or carving. I sat the bowl of water and the bandages beside me.
"You don't have to do this you know." He said.
"It's fine. Think of it as a pay back for you saving me from that horde of guards." I said. I got the cloth and dipped it in water, but every time I would look down, my hair would get in my face. "Ugh. This isn't working." I said.
"What?" he said.
"My hood and my hair. I can't see. Well, here is your chance to see me." I said. Altaïr watched me as I stood up. I took my weapons off and threw them to the side. I pulled my hood down and took my white robe off. *Altaïr sat there and watched Alera. He saw her blonde hair shine in the moonlight and candlelight. He saw her face for the first time in ten years. "She is beautiful." He thought to himself. He saw her white tunic as it outlined her figure.* I pulled my sleeves up on my white tunic so I could work. I sat back down beside him and he just stared at me. I looked back at him. "What?" I said. "I haven't changed a lot." Altaïr smiled. He placed his hand back on my knee. My heart fluttered just for a second at his touch. I took a deep breath and shook it off. I took his hand and started to wipe the dry blood away.
"Yes. You have changed." He said. His voice was soft and calm and almost hypnotizing. I smiled a little, forgetting I had my hood off. *Altaïr saw a cute smile play over her lips. It made him smile back in turn.*
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" "Wait… What did I just say? Do I actually care what he thinks? No. I've never cared about what people think of me. But, did I mean it? Ok. Gotta think of a recovery." "Well, it doesn't really matter to me. I don't care what people think of me." I said.
"Well, you care about good things people say about you, right?" he said.
"Yes. It is nice to hear a compliment every now and then."
"You've changed a lot. And I mean it in a good way." I stopped cleaning the wound and looked at him. A somewhat charming half smile tugged at his lips.
"Thanks." I said, letting a little chuckle slip out. "You're starting to get better at not being so cocky all the time."
"And that was supposed to be a compliment?" He laughed.
"Yes. It was." I said. I reached and pulled my sleeve down. I lightly rubbed his hand with my sleeve to get the water off, then I pushed the sleeve back up. I ran my fingers lightly over the cut. I saw his skin twitch and tense up a bit. I heard him laugh quietly. I looked up at him.
"That kind of tickles." He said. I laughed again.
"Sorry. I was just checking to see if it would leave a scar. It won't so your good on that." I ran my fingers over his hand again. I took the roll of bandages and started to wrap his hand up. It didn't take long and I was done.
"That was quick." He said.
"Well, I don't mean to brag but I am very deft with my hands." I said. I leaned up against the wall.
"Really? Well, I can't wait to see them in action again." He said. I blushed a little. I thought of something to change the subject.
"So, what happened to the 'show me yours I'll show you mine' thing? You said if I took off my hood then you would take off yours. Let me see you. After all, it has been ten years since I've seen you." I said. I turned to look at him. I saw his lips form another smile. He slipped his hand off my knee. I totally forgot that it was there. He stood up and took his weapons off and then he threw back his hood and took his robe off. He sat back down beside me, and I found myself staring. He still had his short black hair, but what really got me were his eyes. Even though I had seen them, they just made me at a loss of words. The moonlight and candlelight made them change into a bright green. He had a bit of stubble around his mouth and chin. His jaw line was strong and his skin was tan. He was really quite good looking. He had the rugged look and it was goin for him. He smiled as I stared. I blinked. "You've changed too. And, I mean it in a good way." I said.
"Thanks." He said. I looked away. I still felt his eyes on me. I slowly looked back at him. We just looked at each other. I felt a blush come up my cheeks. *Altaïr saw Alera's cheeks turn pink against the candlelight. He knew he had gotten her. "Maybe I can keep going." He thought.* Altaïr smiled. "Shit! He sees it!" I thought.
"Why are you blushing?" he said with a smile.
"Because you're staring at me. It makes me feel… Vulnerable… Like you're staring straight through me." "Why am I telling him this!" my thoughts screamed. He just smiled. I pulled away from his gaze again and fidgeted with my hands a bit. *Altaïr saw her fidgeting nervously. He thought it was cute. He looked at her hands, then caught a glimpse of her wrist. He saw the perfect symbol of the assassins, practically etched into her skin. He felt a bit bad for her.* I felt him move beside me. His bandaged hand took my left hand and pulled it towards him. I looked up at him. He had moved a bit closer to me. We both looked down at my scar. His fingers, although a bit rough, ran softly over my scar. He traced it with a ghost of a touch that made chills run into my heart, causing it to flutter again.
My skin twitched a bit. I laughed. "What is it?" he said with a smile.
"Nothing. It just tickles a little. I can't really feel it, but I know its there." I said. We looked at each other. His face turned to concern.
"What do you mean you can only feel it a little?"
"Well, when Al Mualim branded me, I got a third degree burn from it. It damaged my nerves and skin, so now I can't really feel anything there. He had to leave it on there long enough for it to leave a perfect scar, and now here it is." I said with a half laugh. His fingers still ran over my scar. He went up my forearm where the nerves weren't damaged and I had chill bumps come up on me. I grabbed his hand and looked at him. He was so close.
"Stop it! That tickles." I said with a smile. He returned it. I was still holding his hand. I placed his hand back on my knee. We still stared into each other's eyes. I was feeling a little bit of lust, but something else over came it. The feeling was unknown to me, but it made me feel good. His thumb ran over my knee and I had more chills creep down. His hand slowly advanced up my knee and to my thigh. "This has to stop! Don't get caught up!" said my brain. I mentally shook the feelings away and came back to reality. "We have a job to do!"
I moved my knee and got up. "Well, who's sleeping where?" I said before he could say anything. I didn't want this to go anywhere, cause I thought it had already gone far enough. And I wanted to change the subject before my cheeks flamed up even more. *Altaïr looked down and smiled. He knew she had changed the subject. "So close." He thought.*
"Well, I usually sleep here." He said. I looked at him.
"I usually sleep here too, but I'll sleep on the other side. I'm really tired and we need our rest for tomorrow."
"I'll sleep on the this side then." He said.
"Goodnight." I said. I crawled over to a pillow and wrapped myself up with a blanket. I had so many thoughts and feelings racing through my head but I didn't want to deal with them. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was the stars.
Thanks guys! Hope ya liked it! More tension! Ooohhh! It is a killer! ;D