The Target of His Heart (An Assassin's Creed Fanfic)

Ch. 1: A Normal Day in Jerusalem

May 5, 1191

The crowded streets of near dull city that was Jerusalem were fairly routine and normal; the usual days activities going as planned like any other day. Citizens of the city had gotten up from their good nights rest - if they were not busy spending time with whores and drinking till the early hours - and were currently wandering the streets, doing their own duty for the day. Merchants, while their exotic items for sale, called out to those passing by their small shops, presenting their items in which they were planning to sell and make money off of; some were there listening to what they were offering, others simply walked by without a glance over their should. Jar carriers and delivery men casually wandered hither and yon, their destinations unknown to many if not all. The local guards on patrol for the day were on their normal morning duties, making sure no one was doing anything suspicious that would go against the Templar rule while at the same time casually speaking to comrades about their night. Upon seeing the guards, many people slowly parted to different sides, similar to the Red Sea that God had parted for Moses, mainly to avoid trouble. Others were out of polite, but mostly to keep their limbs or their lives No one really did enjoy causing trouble for the guards these days, knowing the lethal consequences fairly well. On many occasions, it was usually death, but that was just to show who was in charge.

A sigh escaped my lips at the thought of such horrible things, remembering a day when someone was accused of stealing and beaten nearly to death and losing a finger. It would be the first time moments like have occurred in the streets; in fact, it usually happened from once a day to once a week. Things like that happened all of the time, whether it be in this city or another. Nevertheless, I was a Templar as well. I was used to it all by now, yet despite that, I still felt my heart sink at the thought of the people, my people getting hurt for a little misdemeanor.

The reason I say the people were mine was because I was…related, I suppose I could say, to Richard the Lionheart. My name: Cynthia Richard; I was his daughter, at least that was what I was told. Some people, guards mainly due to the fact that I saw many of them on a daily basis, knew who I was simply by sight and occasionally sent either a small bow of respect or a simple nod when they passed by. Since I had been in Jerusalem for some time and have been here before in the past, it was no surprise to see such things. Many of the civilians in the city had heard of my arrival days, even weeks, ago from the passing guards – some of which were my own personal bodyguards who were given patrol duties from their superiors. After the news, many of the civilians made sure to greet me in the street, bowing or sending me a small wave and a smile, and offer me gifts to show their appreciation for the things that I had done for them. They greatly respected me and the compassion I showed to those less fortunate, even going as far as to put a stop to more than one public beating for a small crime, especially when it was just a child who had nothing. Some had told me that I would one day become a great leader when the time was right; they believed I would make the world a better place for them to live in. Unfortunately, I seemed to think otherwise from what they were thinking, which seemed unfair for them.

I started to, unconsciously, chew on my lower lip as my mind wandered off to other places. The thought of becoming an actual ruler made my stomach churn with nervousness and uncertainty, unsure if I really was able to rule an entire nation with the help of a King. Even though I was twenty-three years of age, I felt I was unprepared for something as big as controlling a land much bigger than I had previously imaged when I was but a mere child. The thought never really occurred to me until I actually saw it for what it really was, so vast and so unknown yet glorious and filled with majesty. Despite all that, I still felt unprepared; I even went as far as to tell my father that I was not as excited to become the next ruler as I was back then. Instead of consoling me and giving me advice that would sooth my thoughts, he simply replied with a, "No need to worry about what the future my hold, my child. I know you will be a great ruler, just like me." Although he tried his best to cheer me up with his words, the thought still continued to linger in the back of my mind, gnawing as if it were a mouse chewing through food. People wished for me to be a good queen like my father was King, even if at times his rule seemed rather unfair to the people, but I certainly hoped it would be the opposite and that I would help the people on more occasions than him.