A Whole New World: An Assassin's Creed Story

Chapter Fifteen: An Audience with the Vizier

Khayra immediately ran back to her bedroom door, opening it for her friend. Umbreen had began knocking again and was becoming rather impatient with her princess.

"What is it, Umbreen?" Khayra grinned pleasantly, as she swung the door open. She ushered in Umbreen hurriedly inside, looking out the hallways to make sure the coast was clear before shutting the door back behind her friend.

"You dried off quickly," Umbreen noted lazily, waltzing on in. She wore a bemused smile on her face, pleased with herself to catch her friend in a lie.

"Hm?" Khayra frowned, making sure that the door was locked. Umbreen sat down on one of her chaise lounge chairs, situating the pillows around her. She smiled at her friend and waited eagerly for Khayra.

"You said you were coming from the baths and you dried off that quickly?" Umbreen insisted again. She was much like a tiger, grinning at they prey it had caught in it's fangs and Khayra didn't like it one bit. Yet still, Khayra took the hint and settled down in the chaise across from her.

"Well," she sighed, throwing up her hands. "That's what took me so long." She could see, quite plainly, that her best friend was hardly buying the lie she was spitting out and Khayra hardly expected her to. She found herself grinning, despite herself. "But you said you had something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh yes, of course!" Umbreen gasped. Her expression shifted suddenly from one of suspicious delight to unbridled excitement. She launched into a full, detailed explanation of what had happened on her stroll with Malik. Although, perhaps it was Ahmad instead.

For a brief moment, Khayra thought about correcting her. But that would have been a lot to explain. And who knows if Umbreen would even believe her. Even now, Khayra couldn't quite bring herself to believe the words that Prince Ali had told her tonight.

Prince Ali. Her mind drifted back to him, drowning out what Umbreen was saying entirely. She couldn't quite get the sensation of his lips brushing delicately against her own from her mind. It seemed like an impossible task for Khayra to focus on anything but that single memory she replayed in her mind, over and over again.

~*~

Altaïr sighed, having made it safely back into his room. Kissing the princess had certainly not been the plan. In fact, he had informed Malik that he would use the time with the Princess alone to begin building distance between them.

And, he supposed, he had. He had lied about being a prince, he had lied about his motivations for being here, and he had even lied about Altaïr, himself, being a fabrication. It was all getting too confusing, too complicated for his tastes. But he did know, that when Khayra had found out his lies, she would not be so forgiving. And she would find out. Khayra was entirely too smart for her own good, piecing together Altaïr and Prince Ali despite all the magic of the Apple of Eden he used to disguise himself.

But that hardly mattered to him at that moment. For all he knew, it was far in the future. All Altaïr cared about at that moment was how his heart sped up, remembering what he had done on the balcony. It was a thoughtless mistake, but it was a thoughtless mistake he wanted to make over and over again.

"Where were you for so long?" Malik insisted, startling him from his thoughts. Even Malik's disposition wasn't enough to sour Altaïr's mood. He waved him off and began to pace thoughtfully.

"I could ask the same about you?"

"I did my job," Malik said hastily, changing the subject, "Did you do what you meant to?"

"Yes," Altaïr said, with only the slightest of hesitation. Malik easily picked it up and glared at him for a moment.

"Good, then we can continue focusing on what we came here for."