Fleeting

How had things gone so wrong? Altaïr was in the garden at the back of the fortress, he’d stopped at the spot he’d last seen Azurelle with Maria – how ironic they got on so well with each other. He had been thrown out – forcibly – from Maria’s room, she had said she was still angry at him but that she had no plans to leave Masyaf at the present moment; it was the English woman who had told him to go and look for Azurelle. What was he supposed to say? Sorry you caught us in the middle of feeling each other up? It shouldn’t even matter, they were not in a relationship, he didn’t have to feel guilty or explain himself! …he did feel guilty though and he couldn’t figure out why. He had searched everywhere he knew she had access to, the only way she would reach restricted areas was by climbing the walls and he knew she wasn’t capable of that currently. He’d checked the study, Nazeera had been sulking in a chair and Malik had been ignoring her – the woman was upset that Malik had not told her about Maria sooner and that he’d yelled at her for hitting the roof and instigated what could have been a very dangerous argument with Altaïr. That was another thing the Assassin had on his conscience.

He didn’t know where else to look, she hadn’t left the fortress, he’d been assured of that by the guards at the gate and they had been told to keep an eye out for her. It had gotten out quickly among the Brotherhood of whose child she carried and so far everyone who’d come across her had no dislike for the brunette, the young novices seemed to be quite fond of her because they’d heard of her skills along roof tops and her acrobatic displays – they wanted pointers, if she had been able they probably would have demanded she show them. Perhaps after the baby was born he could let her become a sort of instructor for basic free running, it would be easier to teach the children if their instructor didn’t have to deal with arrogant teenagers and moody men all day before taking it out on them. It could work…still he had to find her first! Altaïr’s feet led him to his own room, maybe she’d come here? Opening the door, he was disappointed to not find her, a door opened behind him and he spun his heel, “Azurelle!”

“Yes? Why do look surprised, this is my current room…” she gave him an amused look, he looked almost relieved to see her, “Are you alright?” the Assassin looked tired, more tired than he had earlier, “come on!” the brunette pushed him into his room and toward his bed and made him sit down on it. Now he looked utterly shocked under his hood. Altaïr blinked stupidly as she climbed up behind him, pulled his hood down and began rubbing his temples, “if you took a break every now and then you wouldn’t get such an aching head!”

“Azurelle…” his body relaxed out of the tense way he’d been unknowingly keeping as he’d searched for her, she knew how to manipulate his body with the simplest of touches. “About Maria…I need to apologise.” She nearly scoffed at that, he really was an idiot sometimes.

“She broke your heart didn’t she? I guessed you were hurting over something when I first met you…you might be a big, mean Assassin but your eyes always give you away.” Azurelle continued massaging, never once pausing as she spoke, it wouldn’t do to have him more irritable than usual and this had always worked in the past – even times when the Assassins didn’t appear to realise he had a throbbing headache. “Altaïr, what are you apologising for exactly, last time I checked we weren’t together in any shape or form…besides, she’s nice and she obviously still loves you.”

“Stop it!” Altaïr turned and pulled her onto his lap, she looked at him and he could swear she had a pout under her confused expression, Altaïr searched her face, her grey eyes and seemed annoyed at what he found, “are you not upset at all? A woman you do not know arrives out of the blue with my son – who I have only just found out existed – and you are not angry?” he had expected tears and yelling, he had thought she would at least seem cold to him.
She shook her head, “I was surprised and I thought, ‘oh crap, he has a son what am I going to do?’”

“I do not love him any less!” Azurelle smiled as his hand found its way onto her belly, “I would not abandon either of you, even if I had a thousand children!” she laughed at that, he was so vehement about the subject and the pure determination pouring out of him was almost enough to make her want to kiss the stupid man.

“A thousand? Oh, Altaïr you’re such a man!” the brunette forced her giggles and amusement to subside; he looked particularly pissed at being teased by her, “I’m sorry, I know you don’t make promises lightly. Listen, I know we were never serious about each other and things didn’t exactly go to plan; I didn’t get to India and I look like I’m having a camel, I get kicked everyday by a child I nearly lost, I was ‘kidnapped’ by a Templer, I punched a doctor in the face and my entire life has been turned upside down, not to mention being scared out of my wits by a lady giving me ‘helpful’ advice about being useless for breeding and who knows what else going to happen…I don’t think I regret anything though.” He looked stunned by her but the acrobat ignored the incredulous look and continued, “in fact, no, I regret nothing! So stop maundering around up here like a bad smell and go find Maria and tell her you love her!”

“I do not – ”

“You do! So stop being a novice before you regret it!” she was pointing to the door with a stern expression, it looked ridiculous when combined with her innocent eyes and the fact that she was haphazardly laid out across his lap.

Azurelle faltered when his fingertips brushed over her cheek and he leaned in to kiss her lips gently before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers, “I adore you,” he muttered with a hint of amusement in his voice, “When did you become so wise? Or maybe I just did not notice while I was busy taking everything you had…”

“Shut up and go already, she doesn’t seem the type to listen unless you tie her up and gag her…better make a start.” She felt him kiss her head and he set her down on the bed before leaving to find the other woman. “Moron.” She rubbed her eyes in frustration, why did they sting so much? “I am not going to cry!”

00

Hannan sat in the middle of an abandoned hallway, where was his mother? He’d been sat here for at least a minute and she hadn’t come to collect him even though he’d crawled away not too long ago. He knew she was angry by the way she’d been pacing around the room and making more noise than usual as she moved things around, maybe she hadn’t noticed him stop playing? He was getting hungry too…

00

The Ex Templer tapped her foot impatiently; she’d spent a good amount of time fuming in her room after kicking the Assassin out, how could he! Wasn’t she ‘worthy’ enough to bear his child? Why had he chosen some doll like little girl over her? Was it revenge because she had left him? Well, as soon as he returned to finish whatever it was he now did all day at the desk of his previous master, she was going to tell him exactly how upset she was. And this time if he kissed her, she would resist…maybe. Where was he?! The woman stood from the chair and began her pacing again, was he with Azurelle? Having a laugh at her expense as she waited around for him?! Maria resisted the urge to destroy anything she could get her hands on, there didn’t even seem to be any of the Assassin guards anywhere, just scholars who were busy researching endlessly. “Altaïr!” she gasped in surprise.

The Assassin looked at her, he sat on the wooden banister opposite the desk she was contemplating, “I do not use this room, I prefer to work without distraction…you should know that by now.”

“Well I am sorry,” was her bitterly sarcastic reply, “I take it you found her.”

“Yes, in fact she laughed at me for apologising that she found out about us in such a way.” Was Maria angry that he’d looked for the girl after she’d ordered him to? “There is no longer anything between us, Maria; would you have me leave her alone in the current situation? I am not sure exactly what it is you want me to do!” why was she so frustrating?
He dodged the inkpot thrown in his direction – why did the women in his life throw things at him all the time?! “I want to know why you – forget it!” she turned her back to him, she left him, he had not actually done anything wrong, she was just jealous! “I thought I was worth more to you than that…”

“You are! But, Maria, if you are not kicking me in the face and leaving me to be butchered by guards you are melting against me and then leaving me every time we have an argument – I do not know where I stand with you most of the time! So when you say it is over and I do not see you for over a year. What exactly did you want me to do? Cry in a corner and hope you came back?” he walked around the desk and stood beside her, “I am feeling a little abused right now.” He saw her eyes flicker in his direction, “I have been thrown out by you and told to find Azurelle and then when I find her, she throws me out and tells me to find you.” He crossed his arms and leant against the desk, “I am beginning to think I would get more love from Malik!” she cracked a smile at that.

“Why did she throw you out?”

“Something about me being an idiot and telling you that I love you. Somehow she has become an oracle and knows all.” There was silence from the other and for a while all Altaïr could hear was the shuffling and the turning of pages from the scholars. Was she still angry at him? “She said I will regret it if I do not tell you.”

“…it’s too late…I don’t want to share you with anyone else, she’s always going to be around to remind me…there is always going to be a child that is yours but not mine to contend with.” His face was hidden from her view but she could tell he was feeling defeated by the way he stood, “so forget it.” Maria turned to pick up her baby and leave, “Hannan?” she looked under the desk before searching the small area quickly, his toy sat abandoned but he was no where, “Hannan!” Altaïr’s eyes widened, there was no baby he’d seen on the way up to speak to her.
Maria was rushing around the other side, searching between the bookcases and accosting one of the scholars to find out where the boy was. “He can not be far! You said he waits for you to get him. He must be close!” they went opposite ways as there was a hallway either side of the room; he had to be down one of them!

0

Azurelle stared out of a window, there was a bored looking boy nearby, he seemed to be studying something he had to know for his training, she remembered him from the other day as one of the young boys wanting to know if she really was faster than their master on roofs. She could see the garden out of the window, it was hot today and the pretty girls had all vanished in to the shade or gone elsewhere. A little spot of colour caught her eye on the lower area of the garden, which strangely ended on a cliff. Looking harder she realised it was moving – no – crawling only a few yards from the edge, “no!” the boys head shot up at her scared cry.

“Are you okay?!” he asked in slight alarm, he didn’t want her to be having her baby with him in the hall, “should I call a healer?!”

“No, there’s a baby in the garden by the edge! He might fall!” the boy jumped up and looked to where she was pointing, “we need to get him!” he nodded and ran quickly towards the stairwell, his texts lying forgotten on the floor. Azurelle wondered if the boy could run fast enough down two flights and across before the worst happened, she followed after him as quickly as she could and cursed the fact that she couldn’t scale down the wall! A few people in the hall gave the boy a confused look as he barged past him and then he was followed a moment later by the pregnant woman – what was going on? Some shrugged it off and others followed after.

0

“He must be somewhere!” Maria snapped when she met back up with the empty handed Assassin, “why did no one see him?!”

“Why were you not watching him?”

“so it’s my fau-” a crash interrupted her and they saw a young novice pick himself up from the floor and run up the stairs, skipping steps in his hurry.

“What is going on?” Altaïr asked, the boy barrelled by him as if he were not there, he heard more people enter the hall below and stared over the banister at them, Azurelle was breathing hard as she tried to regain her breath, a few of the men that had followed her checked on her, mostly curious as to what was going on. “What has happened?!” he shouted down. The brunette couldn’t get enough air in her lungs to shout back but gasped at one of the Assassins.

“Master! She says there is a baby at the edge of the garden!” Altaïr looked at Maria before they both turned and ran in the direction that the boy had just gone.

“How did he get all the way out there!” Maria called as Altaïr passed her.

“I do not know!” he yelled back, he threw himself over the stairs leading to the grass and landed in the small pond, his body was working as hard as it could and when he saw the boy run down the left slope to the bottom of the garden he jumped over the marble stone that separated the two halves, he landed before the other and saw Hannan crawling after some sort of flying insect – it seemed like a bad story he’d read by some girl when he was younger, he had always thought a baby crawling to the edge of a cliff was cliché! “Hannan!”

000

I’m sure they had ‘fanfiction’ in the 1100’s! I’m going back to sleep now! I started at 4 am and I’m running out of battery on the laptop! Thank you to the reviewers as usual!