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

Ch. 11: Wedding Day Assassinations

Two Weeks Later...



June 9, 1191



Cynthia’s POV



The sun's bright rays beat against my lightly tanned cheeks, causing me to stir and groan. After a moment, I slowly began to awaken from my deep slumber. Opening my forest green eyes slightly, I found myself staring absently at the dark colored ceiling high above me, staring at the small, barely noticeable marks that marred it. I was surprised that I was able to see them from how far I was, but did not pay much attention to them very much. After another brief moment of staring into the nothingness that was my ceiling, I began rubbing my eyes a bit, only to be blinded by the light entering in from the sun. Flinching a bit at the bright contact against my fatigued eyes, I sighed groggily and sat up in my bed to rub my eyes once again, blinking a few times until they adjusted to the brightness of the rays of light. Once I did that, I slowly looked back up at the ceiling, reminiscing of today’s events that were about to take place very soon, events that I had been waiting to experience for two long weeks.

Today was the day had I had not been looking forward to, and yet at the same time I was. In the end, it would turn out be the greatest day I had ever lived to experience. Today was the day I was to escape from the wedding once and for all. Today – or yesterday I should say – would be the last time I ever had to see my fiancé ever again, the last time my father called me a child who could not make her own decision, the last time I would feel imprisoned. After weeks of anticipation, the day had finally arrived. The thought of escaping and finally being free began to plague my mind, bringing a warm and excited smile onto my face. After years of being stuck in the cages that was my father's stubbornness and Abel's selfishly controlling ways, I was finally able to break free from all of that and fly away to new, and possibly undiscovered places that I had never seen before. Not only that, but Ada, Alexandra, Diana, and even Altaïr were to join me on this day. This day was going to become better as the hours passed. All I needed now was just a little bit freedom – and a little less fatigue – to complete it.

Sighing lazily but at the same time excitedly, I slowly removed the covers off me, swinging my legs onto the side of the bed, and stood up. Then, I walked over to the mirror, picking up a brush from the dresser nearby before brushing out the mess that was my hair, smoothing out and making myself look presentable. My mind had been stuck on the escape, and excitement coursed through my veins. To know I was finally going to be free of Abel and all the other hardships was an indescribable feeling of happiness. Never would I have to deal with him or my father, never having to deal with them for as long as I lived!

I pursed my lips at the thought of my father, my eyes trailing to the reflection of the floor. When I thought about it at first, it seemed great to know I did not have to deal with him and how he only saw me as the little girl growing up claiming to become a great ruler someday. With time, though, I realized something. I was going to abandon him, leave him and everything that he had taught me while I was growing up behind just to gain the freedom I had desired for so long. To someone else, they would think I was out of my mind to leave him, my own family, behind. Especially after everything that he had done for me. However, if they were put in my shoes, they would probably understand my reasons for leaving. They would see how he constantly treated me like a child and did not see how much I had grown up over the years, how mature I had become. It was days like those that I wished to have my mother in my life, despite not knowing who she was. If she were still alive, maybe, just maybe, life would have been a little easier on me.

I stopped brushing my hair for a moment, thinking about what it would be like if my mother were still in my life. Would life really be better for me if she were alive? Yes, she would be able to convince my father that I was growing up and I did not need him. If that happened, though, things would be much different in my life. For one, I would never have been engaged to Abel, since she would have broken it off the moment I told her how much of a hypocrite he was. In fact, I never would have met the man if she did not approve of him simply by sight. However, with that in mind, would I have met Altaïr as we had weeks? My eyes shut as I sighed to myself, continuing to brush my hair. Of course, I thought to myself. It was just as he said, it did not matter when or where we met, we still would have met in some way. Maybe it would be the same if my mother were still alive. Maybe we still would have met even if Abel was not in my life from the beginning. Still, the question remained as to whether my mother would have accepted him or not.

The sound of my bedroom door opening was, suddenly, heard, causing me to break my chain of thought. Turning my head slightly, I took notice to my maid entering the room, holding an all too familiar white object in her hands. A kind smile formed on her face as she walked over to the bed and placed the white object onto my currently unkempt bed.

“Milady, your dress has arrived.”

I faked a smile, though it was a bit genuine at the sight of the maid, since she was completely oblivious to what was going on.

“Thank you,” I said to her. “I will get dressed in a moment.”

Upon hearing my words, she stared at me with a confused expression on her face.

“You do not want my help?” She questioned. “I would not want you to do it all by yourself.”

“It is alright,” I said to her. “I was thinking about letting Diana Rousseau assist me instead, if you do not mind.”

She stared at me for a long moment before nodding quickly.

“Y-yes,” she said. “Of course, milady. I will go look for her right now.”

With that said, she left the room as quickly as she had come in, closing the door softly behind her. Sighing, I turned back around and looked at myself in the mirror, watching my reflection as it slowly began to glare at me and vice versa.

Forget the wedding, I thought to myself. Forget everything about the wedding. Forget about the bouquets and requests, forget about the music and dancing, forget about the altar and priest, and most importantly, forget about Abel. I had to forget everything about the wedding and only think of the freedom that was soon to come. Yes, I thought as I set down the brush in my hand and walked over to my balcony window before staring out at the rooftops of the buildings nearby. Freedom was the main thing that I was going to receive today. For months, I had longed to know what it truly meant to be free, to no longer worry about taking over after my father and ruling a land of people. No longer would I have to deal with the broken relationship with my father, who could not see the pain in my eyes, my voice, my own soul. No longer would I have to deal with Abel and his selfish and tortuous ways of messing with me as well as my people, who were so blind to realize what kind of man he really is. The feeling felt amazing, knowing I was going to forget everything I once knew, or thought I knew at least, and finally be free for once in my life. Not only that, but it was to be with the people I cared for.

My smile grew even more. Yes, the people I cared about with all my heart.

The door, suddenly, reopened once again, breaking me from my chain of thought. I turned around to find that Diana had entered the room – thanks to the maid who had gone to fetch her for me. She had a confused expression on her face as she closed the door behind, her gaze locked on me the whole time.

“You wanted to see me, Cynthia?” She spoke.

I smiled and walked over to her.

“Diana! My dear friend!” I spoke with a little too much enthusiasm in my voice as I walked over to her and embraced her. “How are you doing on this beautiful day?”

She was about to return the hug, but I quickly released her go and walked toward my mirror once again, picking up the brush I held a moment ago and brushing my hair again.

“I’m fine,” she responded with an uneasy tone of voice, walking over and standing next to me. “You are awfully happy today. Are you actually excited that you are getting married?” She paused as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you hated Abel?”

“I do,” I said, setting down the brush once more, “and I am not getting married.”

I turned back to her as she raised an eyebrow at me.

“What do you mean by that,” she asked.

My eyes turned mischievous as I looked into her blue eyes.

“I mean we are escaping today...again,” I told her. Her eyes widened with shock.

“We are trying again?” She questioned in a low tone of voice. “Why have you not told me?”

“You were much too busy catching up on your patrolling duties that I did not have time,” I fibbed. “Ada and Alexandra know already, so you do not have to tell them.”

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Certains amis vous s'est avéré être,” she muttered in French, although I understood what she meant.

I laughed a little and pat her shoulder.

“I know that, but in all honesty, I do apologize for being a terrible friend,” I explained.

She shrugged, as if it no longer mattered to her.

“When are we making our escape, anyway?” She asked. “We cannot just leave whenever we wish. We will be caught again.”

I looked out the window for a moment, and then back to her.

“When the time is right, you will know.” I simply told her before walking back to the balcony doors.

“You do not know, do you?” She asked as she followed me.

“Truthfully speaking, yes and no,” I spoke. “Yes, because there would be a signal to let us know. And no, because I am not sure what time that signal will go off.”

“Oh, um, alright?” She spoke with a confused tone. “So, what is the signal?”

“I am not sure myself,” I told her. I heard her sigh as I continued, “We will have to wait and see, I guess.”

“You and your big ideas…” She muttered. “Sometimes, you never really think things through.”

I giggled in response.

“You know me a little too well,” I spoke, as if I were finishing her sentence

She laughed a little as we both watched the rooftops for a moment. All of the things I said to her, the signal, the reason why I did not tell her, were lies. I did not tell her the truth about our plan until today because she would wonder how I could come up with a plan as elaborate as that, plus I feared I would accidentally mention Altaïr if she were to ask me who had helped me. She knew all too well that Ada and Alexandra could not come up with it as quickly and efficiently as someone else, and telling her about Altaïr would cost me my head. Also, the signal was to be from Altaïr killing a few of the guards and sounding the city alarm, causing the city to go into panic, while the four of us made our escape in secrecy. As much as I did not wish to lie to her about it, it had to be done. I knew she was still upset about Altaïr injuring her despite not knowing it was unintentional in a manner of speaking. I had to at least keep silent about it until we arrived in Damascus. Who knew what might happen if we were to tell her now? That was one thing that I did not wish to find out, not when we were so close to freedom.

I looked over at Diana and pat her shoulder again.

“Come, Diana.” I spoke as I turned around and walked over to my closet. “We have to suit up for the escape.”

As I said that, I slid open the closet door and pulled out two long, dark colored robes. Each of them had hoods on them, and they big enough to cover our faces. Two more sat in the closet, which were reserved for Ada and Alexandra. Diana stared at them in awe, walking over to them and examining them closely. She was surprised by the texture intricate white details lining the bottom of the robe and the ends of the sleeves.

“My God!” She exclaimed in a low tone. “Where did you get these?”

“Let us assume that I know a lot of people in this city,” I told her as I tossed one over to her, clearly referring to Altaïr. I explained to him one day that we needed some sort of disguise to escape the city without anyone noticing, although it was not a necessity. However, the next day, he comes back with the robes. I was surprised at the sight and asked him where he gotten them. He told me the same thing that I had said to Diana: “Let us assume I know a lot of people in this city…” I was not sure who those people were, but it did not matter anymore just as long as we got out of here.

“These are perfect!” Diana said as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had quickly put on the robe and was posing in front of the mirror. “I think these will work very well! They may be black, but no one will recognize that it is us!”

I sighed and shook my head, smiling a bit, before looking in the direction of my balcony window, my face turning into a blank, yet worried expression.

Please, Altaïr. I thought. Just give us the signal to go...

That was when the miracle happened.

Altaïr’s POV



Five Minutes Ago...



I silently knelt on one, atop a building that was closest to the main gates of Jerusalem, waiting patiently for my target. As of now, the plan was working and in progress. Everything was falling into place; the only things that were missing were those personal guards that Abel had hired. Knowing that fiancé of his, he would want them immediately before the wedding began or even assembled together, almost as if they were here by surprise. Then again, Abel was as not stupid as Cynthia made him out to be; I had to think rationally about. I sighed to myself, calming the frustration that slowly began building over time. There was no time to doubt anything, I thought, especially when it came to Abel. The plan was going to work and Cynthia was going to get out of the wedding for good. Cynthia was going to be free soon enough, whether the Templars wanted it that way or not. Unfortunately, none of that was going to happen anytime soon if the guards did not arrive when they should have.

“How long does it take for a few guards to arrive?” I asked myself impatiently. “It should not take long to arrive here in just two weeks...”

As I said those words, I immediately noticed the familiar presence of Abel walking down a road, two of his body guards walking by his side probably for protection. I watched him carefully, hoping the guards I had been waiting to see would come out into the open for me to see. If Abel was in the vicinity, that meant the guards he requested would be nearby to see him. Abel, then, stopped for a moment, his guards stopping next to him simultaneously. Silently, he watched the entrance before smirking slightly. That face, that expression of the devil, made me glare at him and loathe him further.

“Flaunt your guards, Abel,” I muttered, moving to a more comfortable position, “so I may kill them off.”

Just then, the guards I had long awaited to arrive entered through the entrance, everyone of them dressed in dark armor. Judging by their large size, there had to have been about twenty of them, enough to watch every entrance and every rooftop that was close to the location of the wedding. They all approached Abel and gave him a low, respectful bow, with their leader standing at the front. My glare hardened further as Abel put up his innocent smile, the one that Cynthia had mentioned to me on many occasions. The dark haired Englishman spoke to them for a moment, probably telling them how grateful he was that they had arrived as soon as they did, just before turning around and walking in the opposite direction along with one of the guards at the front, the captain of the group I presumed. The guards, as quickly as they arrived, began to follow them; the perfect time to strike.

Standing up straight, I quickly pulled out five small knives, holding them tightly, as I waited for the perfect moment to make a move, a move that was crucial to the plan. A gust of wind brushed against me, making me take in a breath of air unconsciously. It did not take long to notice it. Smirking, I threw them direction at the five guards at the front of the group, each one of them hitting every single one of the guards directly, causing the other fifteen guards plus Abel to stop in their tracks and spot them slumping to the ground lifelessly. Several civilians shrieked at the sight of the guards dropping at the sight.

“Lord Abel of England,” I called out to him. Upon hearing his name, he looked up to notice me as I leapt off the building, landing on the ground safely before standing up straight. I kept a blank expression as he sent me a glare. “Your new guards look strong, but will they be strong enough to protect you and your fiancé for long?”

“I should have known you were lurking about in the shadows, Assassin,” he growled. “Come to ruin the wedding, I see? Is it because you are jealous of the love I share with my beloved Cynthia?”

As much as I wanted to strike him down for that comment, I was not there to kill him, but distract him.

“What love?” I questioned, slowly approaching him. “You say you love her, but do you speak the truth? Or do lie to make Richard and everyone else happy?”

He chuckled at my words as the guards held their weapons towards me.

“Lying is such a strong word to use,” he spoke. “Why would I lie about the feelings I have for my darling Cynthia?”

“For wealth, power, recognition, the list could go on, Abel.” My gaze hardened under my hood. “How long will your feelings for her last before you throw her away, as if she were a pawn in your little game, in your quest for power?”

He laughed at my words.

“You Assassins are so stuck on the idea that us Templars are always out to seek power.”

“We only say that because it is truth. You are always enforcing your laws unto others and killing those who disobey, who go against you. You Templars are nothing, nothing but weak-minded fools drunk off power.”

His glare hardened at my words.

“Guards! Kill the Assassin!” He commanded the remaining fifteen guards. “Keep him away from my Cynthia!”

With that, I quickly turned and sprinted away from them, brushing past anyone that stood in the way of my path. The guards were close behind judging by their footsteps, which happened to be perfect. A smirk formed on my lips as the alarm sounded in the city, knowing what was to happen next.

Now, Cynthia, I thought to myself. Now is the time to go, to be free...