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.
"Altaïr?" I looked back at Ada, who's worried expression looked up at me and wondering why I was not responding to her. After another moment, I looked away from her.
"Diana told Abel our location," I stated in a grim voice. Ada, eyes widening, took a few steps back, shock filling her features over the news of Diana's betrayal.
"What did you say?" Alexandra spoke up, her voice slowly becoming one of seething anger.
"That was how Abel came to be Damascus," I continued, "and found us as quickly as he did." She would have punched something based on the look that had appeared on her lightly tanned face, but she held it back and simply ran her hands roughly through her dark hair while turning away from me.
"I am going to kill that low-life..." She muttered in a menacing tone. "I swear I will!"
Ada glanced at Alexandra for a moment before looking at me and muttering, "What about Cynthia? Is she alright?"
I felt my heart shatter even more at the sound of Cynthia's name, causing me to lower my head even further. It took me a moment to look back at her and answer grimly.
"Abel took her." Ada gasped and Alexandra turned back to me. "According to Abel, the wedding was postponed until she was found."
"That bastard!" Ada exclaimed. "How could he do that?"
"Did you at least try to save her?" Alexandra questioned in a low tone, approaching me at a slow pace. It was clear she was trying to stay calm.
“I tried, but I was caught off guard by Diana…"
Ada lowered her head slightly as Alexandra turned away from us again, sighing; crossing her arms over her chest. Looking back up at me, Ada placed a hand on my shoulder before speaking in a small voice.
"I am so sorry, Altaïr…"
I sighed before sauntering past the Swedish woman and over to the closest wall; one that was not covered in blood, before turning around and leaning against it.
"There was nothing I could do," I responded, taking off my hood with a sigh. "I was so busy with the guards, trying to defend myself, trying to protect Cynthia...that I did not keep my eye on her. I should have, though, I truly should have...but..."
Alexandra sighed and walked over to me, leaning on the wall next to me.
"Altaïr, you cannot blame yourself for this. It is not your fault." She looked away from me and looked at the ceiling where the moon shined brightly in the middle of the room. "I know whose fault it is. It is Diana's fault and hers alone. She was the one who caused all of these problems because she could not keep her mouth shut!"
I looked at her before speaking, "You cannot put all of the blame on her."
She looked over at me, surprised that I was defending the woman who betrayed us all.
"How could you defend her?!" She questioned harshly. "After everything that she has done to us! After causing Cynthia to be taken away from us! From you!"
"I know, I know...but..." I paused for thought as I looked up at the ceiling, staring silently at the dim rays. "The way she spoke to her...the way she spoke to me... It sounded as if she did not want any of this to happen at all. As if she did not want to expose us in the first place."
Alexandra rolled her eyes and looked away from me, "And how do you know that?"
"The note..." The gazes of both women fell upon me. "The note that was tied to the rose Diana gave to Cynthia. She never got a chance to read it, and it greatly upset Diana." I looked at the two. "Before making our way here, she showed me the contents of it."
Ada slowly approached me as she asked in a timid tone, "What did it say, Altaïr?" It took me a moment to remember what exactly the note said word for word, and I closed my eyes as if I were looking at it once again.
"Cynthia," I started. "Please forgive me for the pain that I have inflicted upon you, upon our friends, upon your happiness. Please forgive me for the pain that will be inflicted on you, as well, for it is something I did not wish upon you. No matter how upset I ever become, I would never dream of betraying you." I reopened my eyes. "Diana."
Both women stared at me for a long moment, watching me as I looked back up at the rays of the moonlight entering the dull and almost sickening room. It was clear they were surprised by the words Diana had wanted Cynthia to see before everything went straight to hell. They probably thought the same thing that I had before arriving here: Diana wanted to make amends, earn forgiveness from Cynthia, before Abel arrived and ruined everything. She wanted Cynthia to know that, although she had brought Abel here and spoke of their whereabouts, it was completely unintentional from the start. She would never want to lose Cynthia to Abel; she did not want to lose any of her friends to that man. Unfortunately, Cynthia would never know get the chance to hear that. She would never know how guilty, how ashamed Diana felt, about everything.
However, one single thought crossed my mind: Did she mean every word she wrote or was it a means of making her feel even more betrayed than before?
"I do not believe it," stated Alexandra just before the silence set in completely, her voice low with shock and disbelief. "Diana knew it was going to happen, that Abel was going to come and take Cynthia away, but...but she wanted her to know how sorry she was for doing it...and that she had no intentions of it."
I looked at her, muttering, "That is what I believe."
"But," Ada spoke up, running a hand through her light brown hair, "if that is the case, why would she help Abel in Cynthia's kidnapping?"
"Force." Ada and I looked at Alexandra, who had crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "She was probably forced to do it. At least, that is what I believe anyway."
"How could she have been forced to do it?" Ada questioned. "Diana is a very strong individual, physically and mentally."
"Abel does have means of torture," I answered. "I know from experience, though I am not sure what kind of torture he would use against her."
"Still, Diana is strong," Ada pointed out. "She knows how to defend herself."
"Whatever the case may be," Alexandra said as she pushed herself off the wall and took a few steps forward, "Cynthia is gone, stolen and forced back into her wedding."
"We just need to keep our hopes up," Ada stated, turning to look at her. "This wedding was never meant to be. We all know it. Soon, we will be able to get out of here, save Cynthia," She looked at me, "and bring her back to you."
"Yes." Alexandra turned back to me, a triumphant smile on her face. "You and Cynthia...I can tell that you two were meant for eachother." She shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "I may not be that big on the whole 'fate and destiny' idea, but I know love is when I see it."
Ada laughed a bit as she looked back at her Hungarian comrade with a small smile.
"You talk as if you know what it feels like."
Alexandra shrugged absently.
"I don't know what it feels like," she replied honestly, "but after seeing Altaïr and Cynthia...I have a pretty good idea as to what it is like now."
A small smile graced my lips as I lowered my head slightly and closed my eyes.
"That is very thoughtful of you to think that way..."
Ada approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling warmly at me.
"It is because what you have is real." She said. "The love you have for one another is not just some come-and-go feeling. It is permanent, set-in-stone, made for eternity. No matter what anyone says about you being on different sides of the war, it does not matter." She placed her other hand on my shoulder. "What matters is that the both of you are happy together. Now and always."
I blinked as I looked back at Ada, replaying her words in my mind several times. She was right in every aspect. The love I held for Cynthia was, without a doubt in my mind, more real than anything I had ever felt in the past. Also, it truly did not matter who or what we were to everyone else, but it mattered who we were to one another; people, human beings. No one else in the world who judged us mattered; only the fact that we were together and happy mattered only to us and the people who had enough heart to support it. It was the only thing that truly kept us going in the end. Even though we were not together at the present moment, somewhere deep inside me told me I was going to be with her again. Abel was going to die, and I would finally be able to take her away from everything, where she would never have to look back and return to the people who had lied to her all this time.
After a long moment, I slowly looked at my hands, blinking a few times as I stared at them intently. Then, I began imagining Cynthia's soft hands slowly slipping into my own, gripping them in a loving manner. They felt warm to the touch, and warmed my soul in an instant. After slowly enclosing my own hands with hers, I looked up a bit; only find her standing in front of me. Her beautiful smile, her mesmerizing forest green eyes, and short brown hair vividly appeared before my eyes, making it seem as if she were actually standing there with me, comforting me, and giving me hope. I felt my eyes narrow with pain; the pain of not seeing her and the pain of guilt; guilt for not protecting her when I should have, guilt for allowing her to be taken away from me, guilt for not killing off Abel when I had the chance. I wanted to see her face again, not some figment of my imagination, for it was nothing compared to the real the thing. Unfortunately, I did not know when we would be leaving here. Nevertheless, I prayed our escape would come swiftly so that I may be able to find her and bring her back to me, back into my arms where she truly belongs.
I closed my eyes again for a moment before reopening them, only to find that her image had disappeared. Heaving a heavy sigh, I looked back up at the moon and stars, wishing for a miracle. A miracle to see her again...and protect her till my last breath.
Cynthia's POV
I quietly sat on the bed of my old room, hugging my pillow rather tightly as I stared at the wall across from me with a light glare. Memories of today's events continued to replay in my mind, causing tears to continue falling down my cheeks, but at a much slower pace than before. Although I was returned to my room, I refused to see anyone any longer for the rest of the day. Guards were now posted at my door (more responsible ones, I should say), along on the rooftops, and on the streets below. Abel wanted to make extra sure that I would not make a run for it again before our wedding, which was now three days from now as he wanted to make sure everything was ready. Until then, he told me I was not allowed to leave my room for any reason whatsoever. However, I was still able to eat, drink, and do other necessities needed in the daily life for a woman.
Just to be safe, he decided to give me a new maid to replace the other one. Apparently, he claimed the previous maid was deemed "unfit" to watch over me, seeing as I had tried to escape from Jerusalem twice – succeeding once – under her care. According to him, he wanted to put in someone who was much more responsible to keep an eye on me, to make sure I would not fall for any other lies I tried to come up with. The maid he had gotten was much older, around my age to say the least, and would actually make an effort to speak to me unlike the other one, who would just come in, take care of anything that I needed, and walked out without another word. However, I was unable to tell what she looked like, since she always came wearing a white hood and a scarf around her lips and nose. The only thing that I was able to see was her eyes, which were a shade of ocean blue. I was not sure as to the reason why she chose to do that, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Abel.
I realized this when he came to drop her off when I returned to my room yesterday evening. She had kept her head low at first and said nothing at all, trying to keep a calm demeanor. Then, when he called up to her to enter the room, I noticed him watching her for a long moment. A split second of recognition filled his blue hues, but it quickly disappeared when he shook his head and left the room, closing the door behind him softly in his wake. I did not really question it at the time, as the maid probably did not notice his gaze at all (that, or she ignored it), so it made me believe he did not affect her nor did it have any importance to me. Then again, it was rare to see any genuine emotions from Abel, especially after everything that happened. Yet, I did not want to worry so much about that and kept my mind on other, more important, things.
Blinking once, I slowly looked over at my balcony doors; the ones where Altaïr used to come in through every night before we made our escape from the city weeks ago. Whenever I found myself staring at it, I always imagined him entering the room, a small smile gracing his lips before lifting me out of bed and taking me to our favorite spot to just talk. That was all we ever did; never did I think it would turn into love in just a month. I still remembered every moment I spent with him, and already I felt my heart breaking even further than it already has. It pained me to know I was still marrying Abel; it pained me to know that I realized my feelings for Altaïr a little too late; it pained me to know Altaïr, Ada, and Alexandra had been imprisoned, awaiting their undesired demises.
Gripping the pillow tightly in my hand, I placed my face into it once again, taking in a sharp breath. No, I thought. They will not die. I will make sure the people know of this tragedy; know that Abel plans to kill innocent people. Although I greatly wished to help them, would the people be willing to help them? Ada and Alexandra were Templars as far as they knew, and Altaïr was an Assassin. Were they really willing to help those whom they could not trust? The Templars had done nothing but bring them unhappiness and treated them poorly, and the Assassins killed Templars, yet many of the citizens considered them heartless murderers. It seemed impossible to help them, causing the hope that was once strong, that was once inside of me, to die down once again.
Sighing with defeat, I closed my eyes for a moment, holding my pillow closer to me. Then, I suddenly began to imagine that Altair was sitting right next to me, his arm wrapped around my waist and pulling me closer to him. At the same time, I felt my head falling on his shoulder, feeling his warm shoulder against my head as he placed his chin atop it. Inhaling, I could smell his scent, the scent of sand and blood. Although it was an odd combination, it had calmed my own soul. In that instant, I felt at ease, peaceful. No longer did I remember the fact that I was brought back to Jerusalem; brought back to marry Abel. In fact, I felt as if I was no longer in Jerusalem, but in Masyaf, where Altaïr planned to take me and keep me safe from my fiancé. I felt happy again, safe again, knowing that he was with me, holding me close to him in the same protective manner that I had slowly grown to love so very deeply.
Unfortunately, I opened my eyes too soon, causing everything that I had once felt to disappear. The warmth that had belonged to Altaïr was gone, leaving me alone in the darkness of my room with only the moon as my light. Frowning, I looked back out the window once again and watched the moon again. He is going to come back to me, I thought as I fell back onto my bed. Him, Ada, and Alexandra. They will all be here soon. They will take me away from this place, where Altaïr and I can finally be happy...
After a few moments, I closed my eyes again, trying to fall asleep. Before I could, though, I wished for a miracle. A miracle to see him again...and be with him until my dying breath.