Every Assassin Has Their Secrets *Completed

Chapter 25: Requiescat In Pace

  I looked over to Malik once more. I flipped over so that I was facing the ceiling. It was the same thing all around. Concrete everything. Concrete walls, floor and ceiling. It is not like I was expecting a fancy cell with candles and a gift basket with fruit as soon as you walked in. I let out a sigh. Perhaps my last. I did not know but I do know that my hero was not coming anytime soon. I waited two years for him to come. He still has not come. I was not expecting anything. I was just expecting to die peacefully and that is it. I knew just by looking at both of us, our time was just about up. Perhaps this would be the last time I close my eyes. I did not know but I knew I was ready to feel deaths embrace. I was ready; I just had to wait for it to come to me.

Death, if you are listening. I am ready for you. I am ready for your embrace and welcome it.

*  *  *

  I woke up to hear the cell doors open. My eyes barley opened before someone was hovered over me. I tried to get up but it did not really work. I let out a groan and then rubbed my eyes to get my vision back. I blinked a few times before I saw whom was hovered over me. I just looked at them for a few minutes before it finally registered to me. I had no energy in me to do anything. I set my arms back so I could at least sit up on the wall. They helped me up to the wall. They looked over to Malik. They turned their head back to me and looked down. Their hand was on the wall holding them up. I looked at them a bit longer.

“Baaba? [dad]”

  As soon as I spoke, my voice was weak, cracked and broken. I had lost hope a while ago but I tried not to show it. Altaïr looked up to me. He was on the verge of tears. He could not believe what Abbas did. He could not believe the state we were in. I could not either when it was happening but now; this is what we looked like. I swallowed hard when he looked at me with the same eyes I had. They were full with anger, sadness and disappointment. Not at me or Malik but to himself. I rest my bony hand on his cheek.

“Baaba. I never thought you would come.”

  He could not take it anymore and I saw my father cry for the first time in a long time. I reached out to hug him. He hugged me back but gently. He was scared he could break me. I was scared I could break myself, but I could only let myself break me. I already had broken myself years ago but I fixed myself up and now I was broken once again. He let go of me and tried to pull me up. I tried to get up with him but it was hard. I rested my arm around him shoulder. He walked over to Malik and put him around his other shoulder. We walked out of our cell.

  We were free at last! I never thought I would see daylight again. I was so sure I was not going to. We walked down the hall when I noticed the guard. He was unconscious. Once we got to the stairs, I started to walk by myself. I was just expecting that Altaïr would hold me up. When we got to the stairs, he carried Malik and held my side to keep me steady. By the time we were halfway up the stairs, Malik awoke from his sleep. When he noticed that we were not in the cell anymore. He looked around. He saw Altaïr and the light that use to be in his eyes came back. I smiled and a tear rolled down my face.

“Altaïr! I knew you would come and get us.”

  His voice was also weak, cracked and broken. Altaïr kept his head down. He was hiding emotions just like I did. With the perfect poker face and a hood. We got to the door and I saw guards on the floor. I smiled. That is the work of my father. For the first time in two years, I felt happy again. Just knowing that my father came for us made me happy. Seeing his face again made me happy. We walked out and the sun blinded me. I put a hand up to block the sun from my eyes since my hood got totally wrecked. We walked towards the house that I remember staying in when I stayed here in Masyaf.

  Once we got in, Maria ran to us and helped me to the bedroom. Altaïr was right behind us. He headed to the guest room and I was on the second bed while Malik was on the first one. I sat down on the bed. I could not lie down. I could not. Maria sat down beside me and held me close to her. She rubbed my back as she brushed my hair back. My brown hair like hers was not even close to what it used to be. It was full of dirt, grease and blood. I looked over to Altaïr and he just looked between Malik and I. He still could not believe this. Malik turned his head to Altaïr.