The long awaited backstory to Andrew, Altair's Templar doctor. I don't know why it took so long for me to post this. It was finished maybe a day after i finished Altair and His Templar Doctor I tweaked it a week or so later after the feed back I got and 'strengthened' the main cast. I think I ended up changing a lot of the story but for the better I hope.
Again. This is Andrews back story and his Point of View which mixes into Altair and His Templar Doctor. 35% of this story has the real text from that story.
This also digs into Altair's (somewhat made up) history as well as Andrews. Originally I didn't care to much about the Templars and it wasn't till I started making stuff up about Andrew to make it believable for Altair and His Templar Doctor that I really wanted to developer his character... And did i ever... I had a little to much fun with this story.
This is the second longest story I've ever written, which scares me lol. I'm sure it must be 1000 words less then Altair and His Templar Doctor which was over 9000.
I hope it's as enjoyable as Altair and His Templar Doctor was but i warn you. I get a little graphic in this story... hell even I cringed when I re-read it last night lol.
Again I failed at describing my OC's. I didn't want to edit it and add it in because i don't feel there was an appropriated place to add it...
Comments and reviews are appreciated!
(Starring Altair, Maria and OC)
Fate or what most of my fellow Templars would say God, has a strange way of working sometimes. I find myself often thinking of a particular mans life I saved and how much I've learned from his companions. Their saying. "Nothing is True, Everything is Permit." Has such wisdom behind it, that I didn't fully understand until that day. To understand this I should start from begin. I have learned many things about us, the Templars and who we call our enemy and so my story begins.
I had just turned 18 and was living in London. My father was a doctor and I was eagerly learning the craft. He admired The Templar Knights for what they were trying to do in the Holy Lands and would often say. "Son, it would be a great honour to serve with them and if you ever get the chance to, go. The knowledge you will gain is invaluable and you shall return a hero for saving countless lives." He somehow knew I would become a great doctor even though I never thought it to be true.
As luck would have it, The Templars Knights were in London two years later. They were looking for new recruits to help in their cause and to my fathers request, I join. Not for fame and glory like my father would boast about. I wanted to put my skills to go use and explore a new country, this why I really went.
The adjustment was a hard one to say the least. For two years I work with a small group of doctors in Acre. This is were I meet my wife, who I have two beautiful children with. I was mostly treating small wounds till they started giving me more serous cases. The head doctor was very impressed with my surgical skills and it wasn't long till I moved up in the ranks. During that time I over heard a few guards talking about Assassins dressed in white that could fly and disappear in the blink of an eye. At first I simply laughed at the idea but as I heard more and more guards start saying the same thing I started to wonder if it had some merit.
A few years later, I was sent to work for Garnier de Naplouse. He was famous for his surgical skills and uses of herbal medics. He was able to take an insane man and turn them into a coherent guard. This amazed me and I was happy when he took me under his wing. It was nothing less then an honour at the time for him to praise me about my own surgical abilities.
It wasn't till I was 25 that I learned how cruel the Templars could and would be. Garnier was a stern man, he would rarely express any emotions but this didn't bother me. He came to one day with excitement all over his face.
"Andrew my boy! This is a glories day!" He said while hugging me.
Stunned I asked. "I guess it is, what's the cause of this joyous occasion?"
"We have finally captured one of the infidels that have slaughtered us needlessly. Come, your skills will be needed for us to get the information we seek." He waved for me to follow.
At first I was confused, I was expecting a man, with many scars, maybe missing limbs and fangs or any of the other foolish things the guards kept saying about these people.
There lay an unconscious child. He couldn't have been older then 14 maybe 16. He looked to have been savagely beaten but otherwise in good health. I couldn't figure why I was needed, so I asked. "He doesn't look ill, why am I needed?"
"I'm happy you asked my boy. I have seen the way you been able to cut into someone and keep them alive for hours on end. Once this boy wakes up, we need you to do just that. He'll reveal the location of their fortress, so we may cleanse the earth of their plague."
It took me a minute to fully grasp what he wanted me to do."You can't be serous? That would be torture, that would be inhuman!"
"These things aren't human! They have been sent by Satin with their law, Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. He slaughtered 5 guards before they got him under control and for what? Because they were doing their job to keep the peace." He grew angry with me.
"But his just a child! This isn't why I became a doctor and join the Templars." I was so disgusted with the idea I left immediately after and what a mistake that was.
Three guards found me later that night and beat me to an inch of my life. They literally dragged me back to Garnier and dropped me in front of him. I still remember his evil laugh. He started to threaten me saying that he would do the same thing to my family if I didn't do as he asked. I had convinced him, that I would do it but I was unable to do it in the condition I was in. The guards had broken a few of my ribs and injured my right hand. I told him if he wanted the boy to live long enough to tell him anything useful he would have to wait till I recovered. I was relieved when he agreed to my terms. It gave me time to think of a way out of that mess.
Even with my injuries I was still forced to do something. I was in charge of feeding some of the prisoners and had to wear a face mask to help cover the horrible smell. The living condition were death, if you had a small wound it could easy kill you if you spent enough time down there. I was doing my rounds when I came upon the young boys cell. His arms were chained above his head and his legs chained to the floor. I'll never forget that look he gave me, it had frozen me to my spot. Those golden eyes of his and the scar on the right side of his lips. He showed no fear nor was he angry, he wore this mask of indifference, like it didn't bother him in the lest that he was chained like an animal. This is when I started to fear the Assassins and started believing the stories the guards talked often about. If a child could have so much composure under these circumstances then I couldn't image what the full fledged ones were capable of and hoped I'd never find out.
Two weeks past and I was growing more and more concerned about how much longer I could delay before I was force to brutally torture that child, as fate would have it, I meet Maria Thorpe. Our families were close and we used to hang out often as kids. We talked for a while and I ended up telling her the trouble I was in. She was disgusted by what I said and told me, she would speak with her husband Robert de Sable.
A week later I was discharged from The Templars, my family and I disgraced for being a lair. I tried to return to London but they wouldn't have it. Lost, my family and I found ourselves in a small village not far from Acre. We spent a few nights out on the street but my wife was surprisingly supportive, she didn't complain once and said we were lucky to be a live.
One day I saw a woman crying over her child and after spending seven years here I was able to asked her what was wrong. At first she was afraid of me but the fear of her child dieing got her to speak. She explained what the child was going through and it sounded a lot like a simple flu. I gave her the last bit of money I had left for her to buy the medicine the child would need. This act seemed to surprise her and in return she offered to let us stay with her family for a while.
The child soon felt better and was playing with my children, she couldn't stop thanking us and began saying she thought all Templars were evil heartless people. This is when I fully understood the cruelty the Templars were bestowing on the people, it sickened me. I began to wonder what might of happened to the boy they captured, I never got to learn his name but then figure it wouldn't of mattered. He was as good as dead unless he found a way to escape.
Later that week Maria managed to track me down. She apologies for what happened, she said the Robert confronted Garnier about it and he said that it was a lie. I told her I wasn't lying and she said she believed me but there wasn't anything she could do to restore my credit. She gave me a generous amount of money and helped me find a place to live.
I gave the woman a fair share of the money in graduated for what she did for us. A week later she showed up at my new place with a friend of hers. Her child was sick and I gladly helped. The Templars also found my new place of living and had beaten me up yet again. I was fearful for my family and convinced my wife to go back to London with the children. With a good shot of the money Maria had given me, I bribed the ships captain and said fair well to them. I couldn't afford to go with them but I had enough to scrap by.
Two years later I was making a small name for myself. The people of the village would come to me seeking aid that they often couldn't afford, in exchange for my services they would get me the items I needed. I ended up converting the Templar cross into a plus sign, the one that we used back in London as the symbol for doctor. It gave me a feeling of home and I kept in touch with my wife as often as possible.
I meet a group of thieves that required aid one day and were impressed with my work. They became my suppliers under the condition that I help the people and them when needed. I agreed to this under the condition they steal the supplies from the Templars and not from someone that really needed it. This system still works well even today. They brought me news one day that an Angel of Death was killing a few of the high ranking Templars. I was some what happy to hear the death of Garnier but wondered what the others did to deserve such a fate.
I heard of nine deaths in total and was surprised to hear Robert de Sable was one of them and killed in front of the king, in the middle of the war. I wondered how Maria was doing and hoped she wasn't an unattended victim.
I heard all sorts of rumours about the Assassins afterwards. Apparently one of the Assassins ended up killing their master and took control of them. The people were all calling him Altair the Angel of Death, a blood thirsty demon that wouldn't be satisfied till every Templar died by his hands. All it took was one touch of his left hand and your life was taken from you. Truly the idea scared me and I hoped that the reputation I built for myself would keep his presence away from me.
The thieves kept the Templar away from my home as much as they could. After a few years their presence in the village decreased. I wondered why but at least they left me alone for the most part.
I was surprised to receive a letter from Maria one day and was happy to see she was still a live. The letter read as followed.
Dear Andrew.
I'm sorry it's been so long since we've last meet but I need your advice. A dear friend of mine is sick and the local doctor doesn't know what's wrong. He's never one to express pain but his in pure agony right now, holding the lower right side of his stomach. He seems to only be comfortable laying on his left side and has hardly gotten any sleep. I can't get him to eat anything and he has a fever hot enough to cover his body in sweat. If you have any suggestions please send me a letter by a pigeon from Masyaf.
Your friend Maria.
Masyaf. Where have I heard that name before? She must be living there now, I wonder why? I started to think about the symptoms her friend had and it sound like an infection in his appendix, it would need to be removed or he would die in a few days. I have seen it happen as a child and have removed it nine times in total, twice while I was in London with my father and seven times while with the Templars. Only two of them ended up dieing from the complications afterwards.
I did as requested and asked one of the thieves to send the letter to Masyaf. I wondered why he gave me a strange look but did as asked and returned saying it wasn't easy to find that kind of pigeon but he managed to get it done. I guess Masyaf isn't a very big or busy place.
The next day had been quiet. The thieves had restocked my supplies again and wished me a pleasant night. I was writing to my wife about coming into contact with Maria again when there was a knock at the door. I got up to see who it was and too my surprise it was Maria. She hugged me saying how good it was to see me again.
"Please Andrew! You must save my friend, I don't know what I would do without him!" She pleaded with me.
"Of course, I'll do what I can." I wondered why she was pleading with me, like I would refuse her after what she did for me and my family.
"Thank you, his out side with the others." She waved for me to follow. I stopped in my tracks when I saw three Assassins standing by a caravan. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a few moments. "Why are the Assassins here!" I took a few steps back in fear, what had I done to have three of them appear in front of me. I wondered why they didn't move from their spot. They weren't known for killing their target by just standing still, then it occurred to me. "Your going to have me treat an Assassin? Have you lost your mind?" I couldn't believe this friend of hers was an Assassin.
"I saved you and your family, remember? The least you can do is save mine." She pleaded with me again. Wait, what did she mean by saying to save her family?
"Do you realize how much danger you've put us all in?" I started to pace. "What if the other Templars found out?" I stopped pacing when I thought about what I was being asked to do. "What if I accidently kill him? The Assassins won't hesitate to kill me right after." They would probably think I did it on purpose.
"You won't kill him! I have faith in you. The Templars will never find out and we are all good as dead if he should die." She took my hands in hers. "Please, you have to save him."
Wait, why would they die because of this? Maybe their new leader doesn't know or doesn't approve of this plan. Surely it's treason to him to send any Assassin to a Templar doctor? I looked over to the three Assassins that wore that same mask of indifference. I wondered who could be so important to have three Assassins risk lives to die for. "Who is he? He must by really important for you to be bringing him to me."
"He's my husband, Altair Ibn La Ahad." She sounded so casual.
Altair? I remember that name. Altair the Angel of Death, it made sense now. "You couldn't have brought me any Assassin, no... You had to bring me their leader." I can't believe she married the leader of the Assassins but then again she always seemed to end up with powerful men. Wait, Maria a Templar though? And rumours were that he wouldn't stop till he killed every last one of us? Maybe that was faults and he was okay with this plan of theirs? "Your lucky I consider you family otherwise there would be no way I could even consider doing this." I took a deep breath, at least they aren't here to kill me. "Bring him in so I can see what I'm dealing with." I returned inside to set up.
She had followed me in. "I have one more request."
"And what would that be?" I asked as I laid a sheet on the table their leader would lay on.
"Would you mind teaching Asiya, our head healer?" She was pleading with me again. She said our, does that mean she switched sides? Can we even do that?
The request surprised me. "If only you agree to never bring another Assassin here. Not that I have something against them but this is such a dangerous situation. The Templars have only just started to leave me alone." It was true, I really had no reason to hate the Assassins.
I meet with Asiya and told her to draw a few things to make it easier to remember. I wouldn't be able to wait and let her do it while in the middle of it cutting into him. They told me he was asleep for the moment and wasn't aware of this plan. This made me nervous but as long as he remind asleep it would be alright.
When she was ready we walked towards the room they would have brought him too by now. If I was holding anything at that moment I would surely have dropped it. That boy, the Assassin, their leader, Altair, The Angel of Death. Those eyes and that scar, I didn't forget them. They stared at me equally as surprised. Did he remember me from that day almost 10 years ago? Him yelling. "Templar!" Had startled me and I was relieved to see the sleep elixir hadn't worn off yet because he couldn't bring himself to get up.
He looked at the other Assassin. "What are you waiting for?" He yelled at them. "Kill the Templar!" I put my hand in front of my face expecting them to obey that order. I was confused when they didn't and relaxed when I heard them apologise to him saying they couldn't. Wait. Why would they not obey? Who could possible over rank him?
"What?" He yelled, apparently he couldn't believe it either. Their disobedience enraged him as looked back at me. My blood ran cold, I knew I was in trouble now. Those eyes had a look of death in them.
"Fine, I'll kill him myself." Before anyone could do anything, he leaped off the table and darted towards me. I was so afraid that I had ran backwards to the back wall of the other room before the other two Assassins had their hands around his arms. His left hand inches away from my throat and I all I could remember was. 'One touch and your life was his.' I watched as the other two Assassins forcefully dragged him back to the table and pinned him there. He then began to fight them off by kicking one in the face and punching the other. Maria grab his hands and pinned them over his head while the other two regained their balance and held down his legs. I realized I hadn't moved from where I was. I watched in amazement as he struggled against all three of them and they looked to be having a hard time keeping him down.
"Relax Altair, He's here to help you." Maria calmly told him and he seemed to relax.
"Help me? Are you mad! I'd rather die then have a Templar help me!" He yelled and it looked like they had an even harder time keeping him pinned to the table. I started to wonder if he knew Maria was a Templar. I notice Asiya standing in front of the door looking nervous. She was nervous? I didn't know they had fear.
I composed myself and got Asiya to follow me over to him who was still putting up an impressive fight. I started to explain to her how she could diagnose his condition and what to look out for. He stopped struggling just to yell at me but I paid no attention to it. After years of being a doctor you get used to it. During the struggle his robes had come undone making it easy for me to examine his stomach. He yelled at me some more before screaming out in pain.
I was right earlier, it was what I thought. There was no mistaking it. "If you feel there, you can see how swollen it is even if his stomach appears normal." I motioned for her to do the same. I watched her hesitated before apologising to him and did as asked. He must be getting tried now? How much more of a fight could he put up with the pain he must be under? Most of the cases I had, the person had to be carried in, Here he had tried to kill me and fought off two other Assassins. After Asiya was satisfied, she took some notes. I wondered if he really just growl, bearing his teeth at us.
"The only thing to do now is to put him out of his agony." I walked over to the other table and grabbed my own sleeping elixir. "Asiya, please hold his head still." I asked her.
"I'm not drinking that! Your all traitors!" He yelled. I'm pretty sure I confused him when I grabbed his nose. It was an old trick my father used on me when I was a kid and refused to take medicine. The person would figure it out, hold their breath and after along enough time gasp for air and down the medicine went. The body would instinctively drink any liquid that entered the mouth while in mid breath.
I was amused to see it working well. I could almost see each faze go throw his eyes. Confusion, understanding, determination, then realization that he needed to breath. I was impressed with how long he'd been holding his breath, he most be a good swimmer to hold it this long.
And there it was, his breaking point. He gasped for air and I shoved the vial down his throat, maybe a little harder then I would have liked. I almost panicked when he managed to break everyone's hold on him. I backed away from the table, afraid he might kill me with his touch but he jumped off the table and had landed by the door. One of the other Assassins had tackled him to the floor before he could go any further. Why was he running? did he really think he could get away after swallowing the sleeping elixir? I guess he still doesn't fully understand the gravity of the situation his was in, if he did escape and vanish, he'd wake up dead.
He was fighting like his life depended on it. I helped hold down his right arm while Asiya had the other, Maria had his shoulders and other two assassin had his legs. How can he be so strong? I'm having a hard time just holding his arm and his able to move under the combine weight of five of us?
"Dammit Altair! Stop making this so difficult!" Maria yelled at him. That didn't calm him. He just yelled and struggled some more. He called them traitors and threatened to kill them. I looked at the other Assassins holding him down, they wore that mask of indifference again. I started to wonder if he would really kill them or if they believed that they were empty threats.
He suddenly stopped struggling and it grabbed my attention. His eyes were wide and he was breathing heavy, good the sleeping elixir is kicking in. He threatened them again but it sounded calmer, I watched him struggle to keep his eyes open. I could feel his muscles relax and watched his eyes shut before his head fell to the side.
We all breathed a heavy sigh and released our hold on him. "Is everyone one alright?" I asked, I was concerned about the two Assassins he managed to attack. Funny. I was concerned about the people I used to think were the enemy not long ago. "No wonder the Templars fear his name, I have heard the stories but now I truely believe them."
"I'm pretty sure he broke my nose." One of them said while holding the bridge of his nose and was wiping blood away with his sleeve. "I don't blame him for fighting. I'm pretty sure we'd of all acted that way but I doubt we'd of had the strength he did." He looked at me. "No offence." He said as he shrugged.
"None taken, this is an unique situation we find ourselves in." I shrugged back, it felt kind of strange to be acting so causal around one another. Did they really trust me? I thought about it, I could understand the reason he fought too. Being brought to the enemy by your own people would scare anyone I guess. I think I would have acted the same way if I woke up in the Assassins... Area.
"Do I have time to tend to it?" Asiya asked me.
"Yes, he won't be waking up anytime soon." I had to sit down to settle my nervous. You need steady hands to do this kind of thing and we could spare a few minutes.
Maria Introduced me to Asim and we made small talk while waiting for Asiya to finish with Amin's indeed broken nose, his lucky it was a clean brake and would later not be noticeable.
I found all their names really interesting and asked if there was a meaning behind it. Asim explained that there was, his meant protector, Amin meant trust worthy, Asiya meant healer of the weak and Altair meant the flying eagle. I started to wonder if those were the names they where giving at birth or if it was special names giving to them later on but decided not to ask.
Once she was ready I asked them to help, there was no way I could do this all on my own and control everything. Asiya would need to watch most of it.
Amin would keep the fire hot for cauterizing the wounds, Asim would hand me anything I needed while keeping his eye on his pulse and Maria would keep an eye on his breathing.
As I double checked to make sure I had everything I needed. I started to think about the irony of the situation. Just about ten year ago I was going to be forced to cut into him while he was awake, in hopes he would reveal the information about the Assassins to only in the end killing him and now, I'm only moments away from cutting into him, of my own free will, trying to save his life for no personal gain as I watch him sleep.
I held the knife just over his stomach watching my hand, it's as still as a stone. Good that means I'm ready to do this, I take a quick glance around at the other Assassins without moving my head. They are all watching my hand intensely. I guess this is a good thing because I'm still half expecting them to attack me as soon as I sink the knife in.
I had them remove his robes and clean his stomach before I started and make a small cut. I'm happy to see they haven't attacked me and he didn't twitch. So his truly not aware of pain right now.
I cut in deeper and make a long opening, wide enough to work with but my heart sinks. Blood. Why is there so much blood? I'm momentarily confused and notice no one else is alarmed by this. Then I think of course not, they are Assassins, they take lives for a living. Seeing this much blood in one moment must be second nature for them.
But in truth this isn't normal. I have to double my effort and speed in attempt to get all the bleeding under control before it can kill him. I finally find the tear near his appendix, this complicates things. In stead of slowly cutting it out and burning the wound close, I now have to cut it out completely and fight back the flow of blood while I try and burn it shut because the tear is in an awkward spot.
I do this as quickly as possible and I'm cursing in the back of my head the entire time. He has already turned pale and if I don't finish this up soon he'll die. I'm almost done, when my heart stops. There is still a hole but no blood is coming from it. I take that opportunity to burn it closed before I'm informed that his stopped breathing and doesn't have a pulse. I'm surprised to see Asiya already knows what to do and quickly revives him.
I take another quick look at each of the Assassin and see fear in each of their eyes. They are afraid his going to die and so am I. The sun is coming up as I stitch his stomach close, as I clean up I see they're about to move him. "No!" I shout which startles them. "We can't move him yet, the wounds are to fresh. If you move him now, they will reopen and he'll bleed to death before we know it."
"How long till we can take him back then?" Amin asks me. Do they honestly believe they can take him back right after he almost died.
"Not till he regains consciousness. I can't even be sure he'll live through the day let alone allow you to ever take him back." I probably should have worded that better because they're looking at me like I'm holding them prisoner now. I back away waving my hands in front of me when Maria cries out saying he stopped breathing again.
This isn't good, we have revived him again but I don't dare reopen his stitches, not this soon. If I do, it will seal his fate. His pale white from losing so much blood and he barely has a pulse.
We all watch him intensely through out the day, the only one that speaks is Maria while she repeatedly brushes her hand throw his hair. When evening comes I instruct Asiya and Amin to get some sleep but they refuse immediately. "I bet neither of you have slept in the last two days, get some sleep." They give me a glare that could kill if it was a weapon. "Look we all can't stay up forever, and he needs to be watched by people that are awake and fully alert. There will be three of us awake for tonight and you both will take over in the morning to let us rest. At lest this way there is always a doctor on hand." They seem to see reason but hesitate till Maria tells them do as asked. I let them know that they can sleep in my children's beds considering they'll never use them again. I start to wonder if Maria over ranks him because the Assassins are listening to her.
Two weeks later he still hasn't woken up but he does have a bit of color back. Our task to keep ourselves busy is to feed him small portions of water to try and keep him hydrated. His body instinctively swallow it after a while. We moved him into on my sons room and have him retrained so he doesn't end up ripping open the stitching again while moving in his sleep.
I lean on the wall near the window watching Amin take his turn feeding him water and look at how peaceful Altair is sleeping for the moment, I start to think about two weeks ago, how active and strong he was despite his condition.
For someone that is suppose to be a heartless cold monster it bothered me to see fear in his eyes and I can't help but wonder why. The first time I meet him, was ten years ago in that cell. He was the picture of calm and didn't seem to care that he was going to die. I wondered what the Templars must have did to him. I remembered seeing a scar on his stomach and thought maybe they tempted it without me but then he shouldn't be a live right now if they had. I convince myself it was probably the thoughts of his friends and wife turning on him, that caused it. I know if I saw my wife handing me over the care of the enemy and was somewhat helpless to stop it. I would be afraid.
A few days later Maria is by his side, sitting on the floor watching him sleep. I have a hard time believing how much she cares for him. She was adamant to never have children with anyone but she willingly married him and has two children. It is just her and I in the room, Amin gone to Acre to get some food for us to eat and the others are sleeping.
She been humming a lot to him lately and it nice to hear. He starts coughing, the first real sign that his actually getting better and not slowly wasting away like I feared. Unless he's conscious there is no way to feed him so his been losing weight from the fever due to infection. She looks at me confused to what his coughing means. I placed a cup of water to his lips and he surprisingly drinks it all before he losses consciousness again.
She looks to me again worried and confused, I can tell shes not sure how to react. I place my hand on her shoulder and assure her everything's okay. Shes relieved and thanks me for all I've done. This wasn't a lie, his body fighting the dehydration and wants water, waking him up. The more water we give him, the better and more aware he'll become.
The next week this happened often. He would cough and we give him water before he fell back to sleep. A few times he'd opened his eyes and moved his head but didn't seem to understand anything or know were he was, he would only remain alert like that for a few minutes before felling asleep again.
At the end of another week his fever finally subsided and the infection seemed to have cleared. I had just finished re-stitching his side when he began coughing again. Asim is sitting outside the door watching my every move as usual. I give Altair some water expecting him to fall back to sleep but he ended up chocking and tries sitting up while gasping for air. I watch his body relax and started to worry if his coughing fit might have rip some of the stitches. He opens his eyes and blinks a few times and I wonder if he was really awake. He still has that confused dazed look in his eyes, after a few minutes his eyes started to wonder around the room.
The glare he gave me when he noticed me, sent a chill down my spine. "I'm glad to see your finally alert Mr. Ibn La Ahad." I tried greeting him in a respectful manner. "Your quite lucky to be a live but then again I should expect no less from the legendary Assassin himself." His tense stare was making me nervous so I started to pace. This didn't help because he watches my every more. "You've been unconscious for three weeks and drifting in and out of consciousness the last week." I decided to relax and sit by the bed, he couldn't do anything too me while he is tied up. "Do you remember why your here and who may have brought you?" The last time I did this kind of procedure, the soldier forgot who he was and why he was there. Since he remained silent I couldn't tell if he understood anything I was saying.
"I know the traitors that brought me here. It must have been pretty worth it to bring me to the Templars." I saw him clenched his hands into fists, he was definitely not happy to be here. "What I don't understand is why you haven't killed me, you would be deemed a hero for slaying the mighty Assassins such as I or maybe the price on my head is worth more if I'm alive."
I was surprised by that, he still hadn't grasped the severity of the situation he managed to just live through. It was then I knew the Templars must have done something horrible to him those ten long years ago. He might have been glaring viscously at me but I could see the worry in his eyes. He was expecting to be dragged off somewhere and be tortured. Being so young as he was, there could be no way to prepare a child for the evil things the Templars could come up with but Assassins are suppose to be fearless. I guess they're human after all.
I try to put his mind at ease. "You were brought here because you were ill, not to be handed over to them. I'm not like the other Templars, I would break ties with them completely if I could." I turned away from him as I remembered that day all to well. "If it wasn't for your wife all those years ago I would have been forced to torture anyone they deemed worthy of my surgical skills. They found out I could keep someone a live for several hours when cutting them open and figured it was the perfect way to extracted information. I didn't join the Templars to become a monster, I joined to help people, so when I refused to do it, the threatened to kill my family till Maria stepped in. She managed to get me disgraced from the Order but I'm grateful none the less." I was much happier to be an outcast then forced to kill and torture people. I was hopping he would believe me.
"What are you going to do with me now?" He glared at me, he wasn't letting down his guard.
I was confused. What did he actually think I might do to him. "What do you mean?"
"There's a reason to why I'm being restrained, right? If I were to truly believe your story of being the good Templar I would expect not to be tied up. I also see no signs of the traitors that have left me in your capable hands. Which leaves me to believe I've been abandoned here to wait for a group of Templar lacks to come and collect me, while those traitors are living up their new positions."
He was so hell bent on the idea that he was going to be handed over to the Templars that I ended up laughing. I could only image how mad Maria would be with him, knowing how much she cared for him. To hear him call her a traitor after he woke up, would send her into a rage. She'd probably beat him to an inch of his life and that's if he was lucky. "What the hell is so funny?" He growled at me.
"I'm sorry, I can only image what Maria would do to you if she heard you say that. She and Amin are in Acre picking up some more supplies, Asiya is downstairs going through all the books I have about surgery and Asim is currently watching my every move still expecting me to kill you, I guess." I hoped that convinced him to relax a little. "As to why your being restrained, it's to restrict your movement so you don't tear the fine stitching on your stomach. Due to infection, I have had to redo them several time already, in two or three days you'll be released from them and depending how fast you can regain your strength, you'll be able to leave and return to where ever the Assassins come from." I knew my presences there wasn't going to make him relax, so I got up. "Just rest for now and I'm sure Maria will be happy to know your finally awake and will be eager to feed you."
As soon as I left, I heard him yell for Asim. I was a little worried thinking maybe that since he's getting better, they would listen to him again and have them either untie him or have them kill me. It's uncharacteristic of me to eavesdrop but I figured I should at least get a head start if I am targeted to be killed.
"What can I do for you Master?"
"You can start by untieing me!" He yelled. Well I was right about one thing so far.
"Please for give me, but I can not obey that kind of request." He said respectfully.
He growled. "Why the hell not?"
"Malik has requested we take orders from either Maria or Asiya." So I partly owe my life to a man named Malik? And he has the ability to over rule their leader? Assassin politics must be really complicated. I wonder if fate will send me across his path as well. Well, for now I know my life isn't in any danger, at least till I end up untieing him that is. With that, I left to go speak with Asiya and tell her the good news of him being awake.
Maria and Amin returned the next morning from Acre and she was happy to find out he was awake. She more or less forced be to reveal everything he had told me and said she would make him see reason. I wasn't sure what she meant by that but before I could ask she rushed upstairs to go see him.
Asiya had asked me a question about something she found in a book and I was attempting to explain when we both looked up to the ceiling. "What was that sound?" I asked Asiya. Whatever it was it echoed downstairs.
A minute later Maria came down stairs in a full fledge rage followed by Asim trying to calm her. She was yelling about how much she hated him and that she would kill him, ranting about how stubborn he was. Amin and Asiya began to try and calm her as well. She began throwing anything she got her hands on, luckily it was all stuff they brought. A few times we all ducked out of the way of the flying items. I was amazed by their patients and respect they had for her even though they all knew she used to be a Templar.
She had told me of the day they meet and how he didn't kill her. They meet again before going to Cyprus not long after and he told her the truth about what the Templars were up too. They then more or less feel in love, got married and had two boys. I wondered if I'd ever get to meet them.
Several hours later she had claimed down and I was a afraid to ask but I knew we had to start feeding Altair something. "That ungrateful bastard can starve to death for all I care!" She yelled. I decided against her wishes and brought a plate of fruits with me.
He refused to eat or drink anything for that matter. He didn't speak but I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I went over to Asim who had followed me up. I picked up a slice of apple and ate it. "He might think I poison the food, could you eat one in front of him and see if he will eat?" Asim humoured me.
He bowed to him as he normally would and ate one before offering him a slice, he turned his head away from it. Asim pauses and looks at me for a moment before trying again. This time he pleaded with him to eat and said Maria had prepared them for him. He didn't buy it, he turned his head away from it again. He offered him something to drink before giving up. I started to wonder if maybe he heard her comment and was now trying to full fill that wish.
I went up to see him two days later, he was still refusing to eat and I wanted to check to make sure the wound was healing properly. When I entered the room I noticed he was asleep. Was he getting sick again from the lack of eating? He should be alert to my presence. He woke up as soon as I touched the blanket that covered him. He was surprised at first but then gave me a questioning look. "I'm sorry I woke you, if you don't mind. I would like to check to see if the stitches are healing properly." He turned his gaze away from me so I figured he didn't object to it, they were healing nicely.
I offered him something to drink again but he refused. This was starting to annoy me, I pulled out the knife I would use to cut his stitches and saw him tense, his eyes focused on the blade. "Relax. I'm only cutting your ties." I'm sure he heard the annoyed tone in my voice. He watched as I cut the ropes on his legs then chest. I carefully cut the rope on his right wrist before cutting the left. His left hand, the one they say can take your life by the touch. I think he senses my fear of it because I saw the amusement in his eyes. I'm starting to think its all a lie now and cut the rope. "I would like to request that you remain in bed for a few more days before getting up and moving around." I doubt he has the energy too while I watch him rub his wrists.
I put the knife back in my pocket and hand him the cup of water. "Drink. Don't make me hold your nose again." Come to think of it, I probably should have done that while he was still tried up, oh well. He seems amused by this and drinks it. I think he finally trusts me now but his got to be starving, so I turn to leave to get something for him to eat.
"Wait." This makes my blood run cold. Why is he asking me to stay? He calls for Asim and he comes in to greet him."I want you to leave and go to the others till Andrew returns to you, are you at least able to grant me that request?" Why does he want him to leave?
Asim gives me a look of death before probably wondering the same thing. After a moment he bows. "As you wish." And leaves as requested.
I lean on the wall near the window. I'm not sure what he intends to do but if he were to attack I can at least try and jump out the window. He's not making eye contact with me and seems deep in thought. "I want to thank you for saving my life and for also sparing it." He says.
"Sparing it? I was never trying to take it."
"You would have been forced too, I remember the day we meet in the cell, I remember your eyes well."
"You really remember me from that brief moment?"
"You and I have a rare gift to be able to read ones emotions, we do this so well that its become second nature to us. That day in the cell, you had stopped dead in your tracks. You had recognized me even though it was the first time I had ever seen you. I knew you were my tormentor so I showed you no fear, you saw this and in turn feared me. Your eyes then showed me compassion and pity, this confused me since I was expecting anger and because you picked up on my confusion. You became confused which in turn surprised me and then you turned your gaze away from mine and left immediately after."
"Is that why you tried to kill me eariler? Because you remembered I worked for Garnier?" Maybe he thought I was still loyal to him.
"Yes, the guards would laugh at me outside my cell. They would boast about what you were capable of. How you would remove my insides, lay them on a table in front of me and I would remain a live for hours before dieing a painful death. This didn't bother me till they felt the need to test it out on another prisoner and had me watch. The prisoner died to quickly and said, it would have to be you to do it. It's only now that I understand why they tortured me another way and it's because you had refused to do it."
"It's funny." I can't help but reflect on all the ironies.
"What's funny?"
"Fate. I've been put in a situation to save the life of someone the Templars deemed a blood thirsty demons sent from hell and I'm sure you find it ironic to be thanking a Templar for saving your life after everything you've witnessed them do to people." I heard him chuckle.
"Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. You have seen that the Assassins are just as human as you and I have learned that there are Templars out there that will stand up for what they believe in and wont be bullied around. If ever you need a favour, don't hesitate in coming to the Assassins for help."
"That's a generous offer but won't they kill me if I tried seeking one out?"
"Not if you tell them my full name, they'll seek information before they kill and I'll be informing the Rafiq in Acre of the service you've provided to the Assassins."
"You honour me." I noticed he was tired because he was fighting to stay awake. "Rest, when you wake up there will be something for you to eat." He nods before closing his eyes.
Maria was still mad at him and had confined him to the room. I was surprised he doesn't argue about it. I checked on him every so often and saw him either pacing out of restlessness or deep in thought. He must really love her to obey her demands.
I had a few more conversations with him. I had asked if it was true, that he could take some ones life by a simply touch. He said it was true but not by the touch. He told me, I would figure it out if I observed them more.
I asked if he killed Garnier de Naplouse out of revenge for the torture he went through. He said no and explained in great detail why he killed those nine men. He had also killed their master over a particular item that he said was very dangerous but didn't go into more details and I didn't push to ask.
Two weeks later I felt he was more then well enough to return to Masyaf. I returned his Grandmaster robes to him and wished him well. In return he reminded me of the offer and said safety and peace.
Maria had thanked me again for everything I did and wished me well. The other Assassins had done the same and also said Safety and peace. I watched them get into the caravan and saw a Templar helmet fly out the back before they left. I laughed and wondered if fate would have our paths cross again.
Andrew folded the collection of papers and placed them in a box with the others he had written. He hid the box away and blew out the candle before going to sleep.