Hawks and Eagles

The Aerie

The heat against your cheek and the cold sliding across your lips jolted you from unconsciousness. Water lapped eagerly and you drank it down your dry and parched throat with greedy desperation. Your eyes fluttered open, widening when you realized it was Abbas coaxing you to drink. His stern gaze was locked on the clay cup, ensuring you drank the last of the water.

He set it aside before lifting a small loaf of bread.

"What happened?" You tried to speak calmly, words never reaching above a whisper. "You were gone a while..." Two days, you think, maybe a day and a half.

"Al Mualim is dead. Altaïr that traitor... killed him." He tore off a piece of bread and pushed it against your lips.

You regretfully took it between your teeth, cautiously chewing upon it and you took in his expression. His words were truth, that much you could tell. And he was furious that Altaïr had succeeded.

"He has the Apple now. I tried to warn them, to take it..." His jaw clenched. "He's going to lead us down a dark path but they can not see it."

"The Apple..." You swallowed the dry bread painfully, your throat still too raw. "Al Mualim was using it to control people. It's dangerous."

"Altaïr is dangerous!" He furiously ripped off another piece of bread and shoved it into your mouth. "You will regain your strength here. It is safer for you here. I will take back Masyaf for us. Then you can return home with me."

You chewed the bread quickly, trying to swallow what you could. "Abbas, listen to me, please." You smiled sweetly, your words taking on a gentler and loving tone. "We don't need Masyaf. I have... al-Rahman. We could go there together..." You made your expression softer, brows arching under affection as you tilted your head.

He leaned closer, mirroring your features with his own show of affection. He tried to speak gently but he was still too enraged. "Run away together? And simply leave Altaïr to destroy the Order?" He shook his head, eyes darting to the bread in his hands. "No, he must be stopped. The things he's done..."

Your stomach knotted but you tucked your head beneath his chin, awkwardly since your hands were still tied. "We will stop him together. But first we'll need better supplies and an army to take Masyaf. Al-Rahman has both."

He took down a sharp breath. His eyes returned to you, his trembling hand sliding up your neck. "Yes... We'll go there together."

"The city is far away," you reasoned tenderly. "We'll need horses to get there. And supplies, of course."

Abbas allowed his mouth to press against your cheek, nervous and uncertain, his beard scratching against your skin. "I'll return to Masyaf and grab what I can for our journey. I'll leave you here where it's safer."

You muttered it when he got to his feet, "Abbas. I need to eat. I'm starving. Could you..." You shifted your weight until he could see the cloth tied around yours wrists. You smiled softly at him, not too pressingly because you didn't want him to see you as dominant. You needed to look weak and frail or else he'd see through your plan.

Abbas kneeled down, hand sliding across your cheek. "The two of us, together, in al-Rahman." His head tilted, lips parting as he leaned closer. "Once Altaïr is dead, there will be nothing to stop us."

You closed the space, pulling a kiss from his lips as convincingly as you could manage. You tried to think of Altaïr, the scent that usually lingered on his lips, the taste of him... It seemed like an eternity since you'd last been with him that trying to remember took far more concentration than you liked.

Abbas tugged the dagger from his belt, his lips pulling away from yours. For a moment your heart jolted, fearful that he'd kill you but he cut the cloth from your wrist. "It may take me a few days to get everything we need."