The Target of His Heart (An Assassin's Creed Fanfic)

Ch. 24: Imprisonment

That Night...

"Alexandra, look!"

"What is it now, Ada...?"

"It is Altaïr!"

There was a short pause before a sudden, "What?"

"Altaïr is here! Get over here and see for yourself if you do not believe me!"

I kept my head low as the guards opened the prison cell that held the familiar, echoing voices of Ada Haksson and Alexandra Benedek. Although I was glad to know they were safe from the Templars, my mind was on other things at the moment. The guards removed the chains clasped to my hands before pushing me inside the cell. Once that was over and done with, they quickly shut the cell door behind them; locking it before exiting silently and leaving us alone. I rubbed my wrists, taking note to the missing hidden blade as well as other assortment of weapons, which had been removed from me just before entering the cell. Clearly, they did not want me to try and escape with everything because they forgot to remove them. Then again it was common sense for them; they feared I would figure a way out of here without really trying. Had I been able to, the first place they would go was to Jerusalem in order to put a stop to the wedding.

Dark eyes narrowed slightly as I clenched my fists, remembering that bastard of a man taking away Cynthia as abruptly as he did. No doubt I would end him once and for all when the opportunity arose. The only regret that I held was not ending him sooner; if only I had taken the chance to search for and kill him back in Damascus, then maybe none of us would be here trapped like dogs in a cage. If only I had taken Cynthia to Masyaf sooner, we would be safer from the Templars. Al Mualim, surely, would not be happy to see her alive, but he would have to accept the fact that Cynthia was innocent, and Abel was the man to kill not her. Unfortunately, Cynthia did not want to lose me again, especially after what had happened before – having been held captive by Abel and his men, she did not want to risk that. She feared I would be taken away from her again, and I would never be able to see her. Her assumption, however, had the opposite effect, thanks to Diana, who brought Abel here in the first place after opening her mouth.

At the thought of the Frenchwoman, my fists slowly unclenched themselves and I just stared at the open palms. She...is truly one of the most confusing women I have ever met in my life, I told myself. She had told Abel where Cynthia was, exposed her to the man they all despised, yet the look on her face, the sound of her voice, made it seem as if she did not want to do it. Even if she did not want to from the start, how would Abel have gotten the information out of her? Bribery? Cynthia told me the Frenchwoman was not a fan of accepting bribes. Threatening? I was told she could come up with threats that would make a grown man cry. There were other possibilities, but an excuse to go with it. Yet despite that, I would not be surprised if he did something...drastic, enough for the auburn haired woman to actually expose the whereabouts of her friends.

My eyes narrowed with wonder. Was that the reason, I thought, that she wrote that note to Cynthia, one that she so desperately wanted her to see, because she felt ashamed for what happened (or in that case what was going to happen)? Did she want Cynthia to see it, so she would know that Diana had no intentions of saying anything to Abel from the start? It was a question gone unanswered, and I feared it would remain that way for good.

"Altaïr..." I looked up to find Ada had approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

It was at that point that I was given the opportunity to gaze at my near-barren surroundings. The cell was a bit dark; giving me the impression that nighttime had arrived. The only light that was showing had come from the moon, which aided my vision considerably well. Glancing at the old brick walls, I noticed several patches of blood staining them. Chains, also, lined the walls, and were splattered with blood. It was clear to me that the people that were previously here before us most likely did not survive for long due to torture. My eyes narrowed as I glared at the bloody chains. We did not need to be chained, as Abel was going to finish us off after his wedding. Whenever it was.