Fleeting

She frowned at her shoulder; her dark caramel skin was black, blue, yellow and purple, “should this still hurt?” Nazeera asked as Malik got dressed, he examined the healing scar below her right collarbone, the bruising around the wound looked nasty but the skin was healing well.

“All trace of infection is gone, maybe you should move that shoulder more to relieve the stiffness.” He kissed the mark gently, “how is your head?” since she’d lost so much blood, the woman seemed to have a constant headache, it had gotten better along with her fatigue and dizziness but it still caused him concern to think that she was suffering.

“Better, stop worrying so much! I do not want a husband with grey hair so soon!” he smiled at that; she seemed so content to marry him at last. She had made plans already and was making more all the time, “ooh! I was thinking we should send a message to the Troupe, it would be nice to have them here!” she pinned his left sleeve up and kissed his shoulder as he continued to fasten his clothing, “there’s no way I’m going to believe that Gyani said this was fine! Especially after I paid off Azurelle’s debt and left him out of pocket.”

“I wish you had told me years ago that you were working to pay off your living expenses.” If he’d known that was why she wouldn’t be with him he would have done something sooner, she wouldn’t have been on that stage in the line of fire and her acrobatic family would not have been slaughtered in a dirty little inn, “they will be on a boat in the middle of the ocean right now and by the time the message gets to them we will be man and slave woman.” He hated lying to her but he didn’t want her to find out about the Troupe’s demise.

“Slave woman?! I don’t think so! I expect to be kept in fine clothing, I want someone else doing any housework, flowers everyday would be nice too…and maybe one of those young Assassins I saw earlier!” squealing as she was pinned down on the bed, Nazeera laughed madly when Malik nuzzled her neck making sure the hair on his chin tickled her.

“Which Assassin did you want? Maybe while you are listing wants you will add a male harem to the list!”

“No, why have boys when a man does the job better?” her fingers undid the fastenings he’d only just done a second ago and she leaned up to kiss him. A knock interrupted them and the door opened abruptly to reveal Altaïr looking less than pleased, “I want a lock on that door too.” She muttered as Malik sat up and released his hold on her.

“Azurelle is ill.” Was all the Assassin said to make Nazeera sit up as well and ask what was wrong, “I do not know, she will not let me near while she is dispelling her breakfast.”

“There’s no way she’s still getting morning sick!” the woman pushed past the Assassin dressed in her nightdress still and went to find the brunette. What was going wrong now? Malik watched her go with a hint of disappointment staining his features, he finished dressing himself and stood to start the day – there was a lot to do in order to organize the Brotherhood. He watched Altaïr shift uncomfortable on the balls of his feet, he looked nervous, which Malik did not blame the poor man; one minute he was a father, then he wasn’t and then she was sick again…

“You look tired.”

“I am tired. She was so tense and jittery last night that she could not sleep for more than an hour at a time; every time she woke up the child moved and she was unable to rest. She is anxious and unwilling to let me help – as usual – this is Nakim’s fault.” Altaïr was not a heavy sleeper, he knew when Azurelle was awake, every time she moved he was alert to her and he’d tried his best to soothe her just so she could rest. He’d seen it in her eyes when she’d come to his door last night, she was frightened. “If his wife had not told her all those stories!”

Malik heaved a sigh, how was he supposed to lead with such a grumpy novice at his side; he should have stayed in Jerusalem and told Altaïr to be a man and lead on his own! “there are women in the garden that have had children, make Azurelle spend some time out there with them, surely that will ease her.” He watched the hazel eyed man brood on his words for a moment, at least he was thinking it over, “come, we have work to do and Nazeera will manage just fine with her – if we do not go now, I know a certain bird that will no doubt be holding more messages for you – pigeon possibly still attached.”

“You let that mangy bird do it on purpose!”

“Of course I do…I have nothing better to do with my time!” the truth was that the eagle was likely to remove the Dai’s fingers before he let the man control it, “on that note – excuse the pun – did you manage to read yesterdays mail?”

Altaïr licked his lips as they suddenly felt dry, “I did…” he hadn’t replied yet, he’d been busy with his bed partner, “it is a message from Maria…she is coming here.”

0

Strangely, having her older sister hold her hair back while she heaved up the contents of her stomach was less embarrassing than having Altaïr do it. “And spit.” Came her sister’s sing song voice, it made her smile for a split second before another wave of bile clawed its way up her throat, “you were really scared by what she said, weren’t you? Azurelle, you will be fine – giving birth will hurt but it won’t kill you, I’ll be there and some old biddie who has delivered hundreds of babies will be there too! You will feel foolish for ever having worried so much!” she patted the girl’s back and handed her the cup of water to clear the taste out, “if you weren’t meant to have children then you wouldn’t be pregnant.”

Azurelle leaned against the woman as she closed her eyes and tried not to be sick again. Nazeera was right, she shouldn’t worry so much…but then Nazeera had never been pregnant before and had no idea what she was saying! “I am being a fool…but you know me; I’m used to doing things my way!” she stood with help and padded to her own room to find some clean clothing. “And my way is usually whining until you fix the problem.”

“The only problem I can fix now is getting you to wash and get out of that clothing, now…before I am sick.” There wasn’t a lot she could do for Azurelle other than support her and tell her she would be fine. “come on, you’ve waited your entire life to get a glimpse of this fortress and you’re wasting it by standing around covered in your own vomit…which is a very fetching colour on you.” A pillow hit her square in the face – where did she get that habit of throwing things at people?

00

If something could be slammed down or closed loudly, or huffed at or cause some sort of noise to show the Dai’s displeasure – then he was damn well going to use it! Even the eagle glared daggers at his name sake! Malik was extremely displeased with the news that Maria, excuse-me-while-I-make-a-nuisance-of-myself, Thorpe was coming to Masyaf. He would happily close the gates on her but Altaïr had…idiot! “You invited her to come back when ever she pleased?! Did she not abandon you the moment you arrived back in the country? If I recall, you were very upset!” so what if she was no longer allied with the Templers! She was arrogant and stubborn and – it would be like having a female Altaïr around! But worse!

“Three years, Malik.” Altaïr said from the desk, he had hoped that by doing some actual work, Malik would leave him be. “It is a long time to be with someone to simply shut away my feelings and ignore her! I sent numerous messages out to try and find her! Every where I travelled I searched for Maria!”

“What about Azurelle! You were not thinking about Maria when you were with her!”

“I dealt with temptation by yielding to it!” and Azurelle was a temptation he yielded to every time! It had been six months after Maria had left him and the brunette had been so tempting! She flirted with him relentlessly and then shied away when he took the bait; she was sweet smiles and shy glances, pouty plump lips and eyes that lit up in childish curiosity at anything new! She had patched up the gaping hole that Maria had left – he wouldn’t believe any man who said he could resist that!

“So what? Maria is going to waltz in here and you will put Azurelle on the shelf to gather dust – she is having your baby, Altaïr!”

“I know this, Malik!” they glared at each other; it hadn’t taken long for them to start fighting again. Malik didn’t like Maria, he didn’t care that she was not the enemy; she would forever be in his eyes, ‘Robert’s girl’. She was second to the man who took his arm and his brother – Altaïr had been the cause of his losses but Robert De Sable had been the physical act. She had caused Altaïr endless grief in Cyprus and hurt the Assassin emotionally as well! Altaïr had fallen in love with that stupid woman and she rejected him, she left him in Acre and didn’t come back! Surely after his loss of Adah, the man deserved someone to nag him and coddle him when no one was looking!

They were so occupied with the other that both failed to notice a woman’s intrusion into the room until she spoke, “He raises a good point.” Altaïr briefly wondered if there was a haystack outside the study window for him to escape and then he decided that he really didn’t care – the fall would kill him quickly, Nazeera would make him suffer. He rested his head on the parchment he’d been writing on, he was exhausted from lack of sleep and fighting with Malik. “Who is Maria?”

0

The garden was filled with pretty women, they all dressed in colourful clothing and they were all so delicate and graceful and Nazeera would fit right in here! She, on the other hand, felt like an elephant. She’d always been heavy footed, if she could make noise then she would! Her belly was much bigger now and among all these stick insects she felt uneasy, especially with them looking at her and whispering in each others ears; she managed to lip read one girl who gave her a decidedly dirty look, ‘Altaïr’s pregnant girlfriend,’. She wasn’t Altaïr’s and obviously she was pregnant, this wasn’t the shape of a non pregnant female! She’d paused in the middle of the garden and felt like running away, she thought walking would make her feel better…instead she felt like a horrible freaks how for these perfect women to point and gawk at.

Something touched her leg and she gasped, looking down to see what it was she was greeted by an adorable baby boy who gave her an enthusiastic smile. “Where did you come from? Where’s your mother?” he stared innocently up at her, of course he wasn’t going to answer her! She knelt down beside him and stroked the soft, dark hair on his head, he reached for her dress and clutched the blue material; his huge hazel eyes never left her. He was so cute! If no one claimed him soon, she would steal him. A quick glance up had her meeting another woman’s eyes; this was the baby’s mother, the way she watched the child proved it. Picking the baby up carefully and resting him on her hip, Azurelle made her way over to the shaded gazebo, “I found this, if you don’t want him I’ll gladly take him back with me.” The woman laughed and took her son from the girl.

“I think I will keep him – he crawls so far away and expects me to get up and collect him, such an obnoxious boy.”

Azurelle laughed with her and sat when the older woman offered her a seat, “how far along are you?”

“About five months…I know, he’s huge!” she noted how the dark haired woman’s eyebrows rose in surprise, just like
everyone else who asked her, “how old is your baby?”

“Hannan is seven months now,” he fussed on her lap and frowned at his mother when she tried to get him to settle, “are you looking forward to motherhood…” she trailed off realising she didn’t know the young woman’s name.

The brunette smiled fondly at the child’s grumpy face, if she squinted and turned her head he looked like a certain person she knew, “Azurelle…I know, it’s a strange name!”

The other laughed, “You seem to know a lot! Do you know where the kitchens are?”

“No idea, I only arrived here yesterday and so far I’ve seen my room, a few hallways and my breakfast.” She winced; this woman didn’t need to know that! “Are you new here too?” they fell into idle chatter; Azurelle soon forgot about the other people in the garden, at least she seemed to have found one friend here. She talked about being an acrobat with the Troupe, pleasantly surprised when the other had heard of them, she talked of how she thought she’d lost her baby and how she just knew it was a boy and if he was a she then she better like blue! At some point Hannan had whined and reached for Azurelle and he’d ended up on her lap, where he had to put up sharing with the bump. “You know, you’re much prettier without these.” The woman pressed her fingers to the skin between the acrobat’s eyes and smoothed the worried wrinkles rested there, “What’s the matter?”

“Um…I’m just nervous…with what’s going to happen when…” she stammered and tripped on her words and the other’s kind eyes encouraged her to continue, “I heard some pretty horrific stories about actually having a baby…even though everyone tells me not to be scared I still am!”

“People like to make their tales sound more dramatic than they actually are…Hannan was a very easy birth, I’m grateful as he’s my first and I was pretty scared as well! Put me against a hundred men and I’ll fight them without worry, but when this little one decided he was coming out…” she took a deep breath, “I was terrified!” Azurelle frowned again, this woman seemed so confident and outgoing and she was terrified?! “I had a wonderful woman who helped me through it. He was not one to be kept waiting and it was a very short labour, he was born and he wanted attention! Yes, it hurt but somehow my body knew what to do…it’s alright to be scared but think how the baby feels. Poor thing being forced into a world outside the womb, the sooner he’s out the sooner his mother can hold him and he can feel safe again.”

“So I’ll be fine…”

“I think you will be a natural, Hannan has taken to you right away and believe me when I say he’s fussy.” The baby seemed to sense he was being spoken about and whined at the women, this wasn’t his idea of fun and there was a bump exactly where he wanted to sit! “You hold him and carry him like you already have children, I th – ” Hannan’s wail cut his mother off – this bump just moved!

Azurelle handed the crying boy back to his mother and she rocked him in an attempt to calm the baby, “I’m sorry, I think he just got kicked – obviously, my baby doesn’t like intruders.” The other woman laughed, her little boy was being bullied by an unborn child, “oh, shush, I barely felt that and it shouldn’t have hurt you at all!” they took a little while to mollify him into sniffling into the woman’s shoulder quietly, he seemed to glare at Azurelle’s belly and Azurelle had to laugh – that was the exact look Altaïr would get when he was unhappy!

“Told you, he’s obnoxious – just like his father!” out of the corner of her eye the woman smirked at the figure approaching them swiftly, “speaking of your father, Hannan…”

Azurelle looked up at the newcomer, “Altaïr! This is my new friend – ” she cut herself off as the Assassin turned as white as his robes and stared at the woman with wide eyes. She was about to ask if he was ill but a single word fell from his mouth in the most surprised tone,

“Maria!”

000

*grin*