He leapt over roofs with high speed. He passed archers and heard shouting but it faded quickly as he jumped over urban canyons. Before the guards could do anything he was already gone. His breath burnt inside his lungs as he saw the church tower in front of him. He quickly climbed it. He granted himself some rest on a wooden bar when he finally reached it's spire . His chest rose and fell quickly and he leaned with his back against the roof. He didn't know why he had run, but suddenly it had felt impossible to stand Malik's gaze any longer. The closeness to the other man had taken away the air to breathe and he had run away like a coward. He laughed scornfully and wiped his sweaty face with one hand. In the past weeks he had often thought about Malik. Never before in the past years had the image of the man haunted his dreams so often. But what he had said was the truth. He couldn't find the right words in front of Malik and he wasn't sure if he got the message. He hopped so even though he could slap himself for it. If Master could see him now, he would be disappointed and Altair hoped dearly that the rafiq hadn't listened to their conversation.
His gaze lingered upon the horizon and he watched as the night took over the day and let himself float in his thoughts without paying any attention to his surroundings.
"You've always been faster than me. That will never change, Altair."
Altair flinched and he had almost, only almost, lost his balance. He turned around and saw Malik climbing the church tower behind him.
"An unfocused assassin is a dead assassin. Didn't they tell you that, novice?"
A smile stood upon his face, a full sincere smile Altair hadn't seen in years. When Malik came closer Altair swung his right leg over the right side of the bar and did the same with his left. Malik moved one hand over the other on the stony surface until he could pull himself over the panel as well. He mirrored Altair's sitting position, his back turned to the chasm behind him as Altair still leaned with his back against the church's roof. Both men faced each other and Malik's right leg swung nervously fore and back, his hands between his thighs his arms outstretched.
He sighed finally as an eagle flew above their heads and let a high-pitched scream loose.
"Altair... do you still remember how we pictured our lives when we were younger? You and I against the evil of the world. There shouldn't be any country where they didn't fear our names. No one should do injustice without fearing to die by our blades. Women and glory should lay to our feet, feasts should be celebrated in our honor. And now? Four weeks ago I had to jump into a manure pit while I was chased by guards. Get rid of that stupid grin, it wasn't as funny as it sounded. I almost died. It took me days to get rid of the smell. I slept between goats and their filth. Days go by where I don't eat because I don't have the money to pay for it."
He smiled sadly and Altair realized that he didn't miss the years as an novice not even slightly, because unlike as an assassin novices weren't allowed to have any possessions including money. All too often he himself had to sleep in the open, wherever it was raining or snowing. There was one time when he had traveled for a couple of weeks and it had rained for days. The rain had caused a river to burst it banks. Normally the water was only as high as his waist but with the rain of the last days it was too high for him to pass it safely. To turn around would have cost him weeks. He had waited for days until the water fell, his supplies were long gone and he was forced to kill and slaughter his horse so he wouldn't starve. No, he didn't miss those times and he felt with Malik.
"So you see", Malik said finally and the smile upon his lips died, "reality is different. And you're right when you say that you gained a new life. I have too. We both have. For the friend you are to me, let me give you some advice: live here and now and don't look back. Let the past go or it will hold on to you forever. We are assassins and we can't show any weakness because it could mean our deaths. I shouldn't have been able to sneak up on you like I had. You were lost in your thoughts, not focused." He stopped for a moment and starred at his hands. "You are my brother, Altair. And yes, time changes. But you will always be my friend, my brother. No more, no less."
Altair's glance fell on Malik's mouth and he watched how the tip of his tongue darted out to wet his lips and suddenly his throat went very dry. He knew that Malik was right, that it were Malik who taught him once more an important lesson. Malik's hand hit him playfully on his thigh and stopped the tracks of his thoughts that started to build inside of his head.
"Come on then", he said after a while. "A race for the old times sake." And he got up and stood on the panel in front of Altair, only his toes touching it while his heels hovered in air. Malik grinned at him and spread his arms. "Go", he said softly and let himself fall.
Altair starred at the spot where Malik had stood for a few seconds before he leapt and as he fell, this time it wasn't the wind that brought tears to his eyes.
"Will you spend the night at the bureau?", Malik asked him and stuffed one of the dates in his mouth while he propped himself up on his elbows on one of the bigger pillows.
Altair mustered him and took a fig. "Where else?" he asked him with his mouth full and crossed his legs underneath him naked toes wiggling.
Malik hid his mouth behind the hand in which he held another date. "How old are you now? Eighteen. Most men in that age prefer to spend the night with a woman in their arms."
Altair almost choked and he starred to the side as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. For a moment nothing happened, Malik continued eating starring at him before his eyes went wide. His jaw fell and when he passed the first shock he started laughing.
"No!", he forced out between chuckles and let the dates fall. "You're kidding, right?" He leaned over so his face was only inches away from Altair's. He starred at him with amusement in his eyes. "You're still-"
"Be still already", Altair swiped at him and his head snapped around to throw an angry glare at Malik. His cheeks were very visibly red. His fingers fumbled with the hem of his clothes. "It's not any of your business", he growled and took another fig. Malik leaned back and nodded silently and Altair sighed heavily in relief for Malik would let go of the topic as fast as it had come up. Altair pushed the plate with the fruits away and let himself fall on his back in the pillows his hands crossed behind his head and starred at the night sky. An uncomfortable silence fell over them.
"So you have never shared a bed with a woman?" Malik's voice cut through the stillness and Altair felt how all the muscles in his body tensed. He ground his teeth and closed his eyes. He would just ignore Malik – that sounded like a good plan and sooner or later his friend would get tired of the topic. Unfortunately Malik thought very differently and didn't have in the slightest interest to speak about something different and didn't notice how tense Altair was or just chose to ignore it – maybe he really wanted to talk about sex, maybe he just enjoyed tormenting Altair with his virginity.
"Why? Has the master never taught you about anatomy or the function of the body?"
Altair shut his eyes tightly. If he would just think about it hard enough, maybe he would wake up in his chamber back at Masyaf. He could almost hear Malik's thoughts before he even spoke them.
"Ah, maybe it's that! You're not able to perform, is it? Maybe you should go see a doctor about that, I heard there are ways to-"
But he couldn't fight it any longer before his anger overthrew him. "Why are you still talking?", he hissed at him angrily and turned to his side facing the wall. "I don't have any interest in it, that's all." He pushed his hand under his chin and pulled his legs to his chest. But if there was something Altair didn't miss about his childhood then it was Malik and how he held on to a topic like a mosquito would attach itself to ones skin and wouldn't let go.
"No interest?", he snarled. "When I was seventeen my master sent me to a brothel because I kept focusing on women and not on my target as I was supposed to. There was this one woman with the biggest-" And finally embarrassment showed in his voice and he stopped mid-sentence. Altair felt his gaze on his back.
"Don't tell me you never ever had the desire to bury your face in a woman's bosom to feel her soft skin."
"No...", Altair murmured and it sounded as helpless as the mew of a newborn kitten. Malik laughed and it sounded like the barking of a dog.
"No interest – how do you find relief then? Maybe you should try it, there are brothels here, go there find a woman and maybe-"
"I'm not interested in women, Malik!" It forced itself out before he knew it was coming and he shot up to a sitting position. His shoulders trembled, his breathing came erratic and his eyes were wide open. He didn't just say that, did he? Within a few seconds Altair knew, just knew all to well, that Malik was thinking about the same memory he was– when he was sixteen and Malik eighteen. He didn't want it but he had just shared a secret that no one should ever know because it couldn't just end with him forced out of the Order but with him stoned to death. He didn't dare to turn around, didn't dare to meet the look of the other man.
"After all these years? Still?", Malik finally asked and his voice sounded as soft as a blanket that wrapped itself around Altair's body but the coldness that crept up inside his heart had laid iteself above him like a shadow. He shook uncontrollably.
"You had said-" Altair stopped as his voice failed and he wet his lips. "You had let me swear to tell no one about it. I haven't. Then be so kind and do the same."
And Altair let himself fall back on the pillows and he found a restless sleep.
Re: Author!Anon Old 'Fill': Maybe Not Part 3 of 6
His gaze lingered upon the horizon and he watched as the night took over the day and let himself float in his thoughts without paying any attention to his surroundings.
"You've always been faster than me. That will never change, Altair."
Altair flinched and he had almost, only almost, lost his balance. He turned around and saw Malik climbing the church tower behind him.
"An unfocused assassin is a dead assassin. Didn't they tell you that, novice?"
A smile stood upon his face, a full sincere smile Altair hadn't seen in years. When Malik came closer Altair swung his right leg over the right side of the bar and did the same with his left. Malik moved one hand over the other on the stony surface until he could pull himself over the panel as well. He mirrored Altair's sitting position, his back turned to the chasm behind him as Altair still leaned with his back against the church's roof. Both men faced each other and Malik's right leg swung nervously fore and back, his hands between his thighs his arms outstretched.
He sighed finally as an eagle flew above their heads and let a high-pitched scream loose.
"Altair... do you still remember how we pictured our lives when we were younger? You and I against the evil of the world. There shouldn't be any country where they didn't fear our names. No one should do injustice without fearing to die by our blades. Women and glory should lay to our feet, feasts should be celebrated in our honor. And now? Four weeks ago I had to jump into a manure pit while I was chased by guards. Get rid of that stupid grin, it wasn't as funny as it sounded. I almost died. It took me days to get rid of the smell. I slept between goats and their filth. Days go by where I don't eat because I don't have the money to pay for it."
He smiled sadly and Altair realized that he didn't miss the years as an novice not even slightly, because unlike as an assassin novices weren't allowed to have any possessions including money. All too often he himself had to sleep in the open, wherever it was raining or snowing. There was one time when he had traveled for a couple of weeks and it had rained for days. The rain had caused a river to burst it banks. Normally the water was only as high as his waist but with the rain of the last days it was too high for him to pass it safely. To turn around would have cost him weeks. He had waited for days until the water fell, his supplies were long gone and he was forced to kill and slaughter his horse so he wouldn't starve. No, he didn't miss those times and he felt with Malik.
"So you see", Malik said finally and the smile upon his lips died, "reality is different. And you're right when you say that you gained a new life. I have too. We both have. For the friend you are to me, let me give you some advice: live here and now and don't look back. Let the past go or it will hold on to you forever. We are assassins and we can't show any weakness because it could mean our deaths. I shouldn't have been able to sneak up on you like I had. You were lost in your thoughts, not focused." He stopped for a moment and starred at his hands. "You are my brother, Altair. And yes, time changes. But you will always be my friend, my brother. No more, no less."
Altair's glance fell on Malik's mouth and he watched how the tip of his tongue darted out to wet his lips and suddenly his throat went very dry. He knew that Malik was right, that it were Malik who taught him once more an important lesson. Malik's hand hit him playfully on his thigh and stopped the tracks of his thoughts that started to build inside of his head.
"Come on then", he said after a while. "A race for the old times sake." And he got up and stood on the panel in front of Altair, only his toes touching it while his heels hovered in air. Malik grinned at him and spread his arms. "Go", he said softly and let himself fall.
Altair starred at the spot where Malik had stood for a few seconds before he leapt and as he fell, this time it wasn't the wind that brought tears to his eyes.
"Will you spend the night at the bureau?", Malik asked him and stuffed one of the dates in his mouth while he propped himself up on his elbows on one of the bigger pillows.
Altair mustered him and took a fig. "Where else?" he asked him with his mouth full and crossed his legs underneath him naked toes wiggling.
Malik hid his mouth behind the hand in which he held another date. "How old are you now? Eighteen. Most men in that age prefer to spend the night with a woman in their arms."
Altair almost choked and he starred to the side as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. For a moment nothing happened, Malik continued eating starring at him before his eyes went wide. His jaw fell and when he passed the first shock he started laughing.
"No!", he forced out between chuckles and let the dates fall. "You're kidding, right?" He leaned over so his face was only inches away from Altair's. He starred at him with amusement in his eyes. "You're still-"
"Be still already", Altair swiped at him and his head snapped around to throw an angry glare at Malik. His cheeks were very visibly red. His fingers fumbled with the hem of his clothes. "It's not any of your business", he growled and took another fig. Malik leaned back and nodded silently and Altair sighed heavily in relief for Malik would let go of the topic as fast as it had come up. Altair pushed the plate with the fruits away and let himself fall on his back in the pillows his hands crossed behind his head and starred at the night sky. An uncomfortable silence fell over them.
"So you have never shared a bed with a woman?" Malik's voice cut through the stillness and Altair felt how all the muscles in his body tensed. He ground his teeth and closed his eyes. He would just ignore Malik – that sounded like a good plan and sooner or later his friend would get tired of the topic. Unfortunately Malik thought very differently and didn't have in the slightest interest to speak about something different and didn't notice how tense Altair was or just chose to ignore it – maybe he really wanted to talk about sex, maybe he just enjoyed tormenting Altair with his virginity.
"Why? Has the master never taught you about anatomy or the function of the body?"
Altair shut his eyes tightly. If he would just think about it hard enough, maybe he would wake up in his chamber back at Masyaf. He could almost hear Malik's thoughts before he even spoke them.
"Ah, maybe it's that! You're not able to perform, is it? Maybe you should go see a doctor about that, I heard there are ways to-"
But he couldn't fight it any longer before his anger overthrew him. "Why are you still talking?", he hissed at him angrily and turned to his side facing the wall. "I don't have any interest in it, that's all." He pushed his hand under his chin and pulled his legs to his chest. But if there was something Altair didn't miss about his childhood then it was Malik and how he held on to a topic like a mosquito would attach itself to ones skin and wouldn't let go.
"No interest?", he snarled. "When I was seventeen my master sent me to a brothel because I kept focusing on women and not on my target as I was supposed to. There was this one woman with the biggest-" And finally embarrassment showed in his voice and he stopped mid-sentence. Altair felt his gaze on his back.
"Don't tell me you never ever had the desire to bury your face in a woman's bosom to feel her soft skin."
"No...", Altair murmured and it sounded as helpless as the mew of a newborn kitten. Malik laughed and it sounded like the barking of a dog.
"No interest – how do you find relief then? Maybe you should try it, there are brothels here, go there find a woman and maybe-"
"I'm not interested in women, Malik!" It forced itself out before he knew it was coming and he shot up to a sitting position. His shoulders trembled, his breathing came erratic and his eyes were wide open. He didn't just say that, did he? Within a few seconds Altair knew, just knew all to well, that Malik was thinking about the same memory he was– when he was sixteen and Malik eighteen. He didn't want it but he had just shared a secret that no one should ever know because it couldn't just end with him forced out of the Order but with him stoned to death. He didn't dare to turn around, didn't dare to meet the look of the other man.
"After all these years? Still?", Malik finally asked and his voice sounded as soft as a blanket that wrapped itself around Altair's body but the coldness that crept up inside his heart had laid iteself above him like a shadow. He shook uncontrollably.
"You had said-" Altair stopped as his voice failed and he wet his lips. "You had let me swear to tell no one about it. I haven't. Then be so kind and do the same."
And Altair let himself fall back on the pillows and he found a restless sleep.