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

Ch. 14: The Heart Warming Reunion

A Half An Hour Later...



"We did it!" Exclaimed an exuberant Ada; releasing the reins and raising her hands in the air. "We are finally free!"

We all laughed as Ada's voice echoed through the fields for a few moments. After we left the city and ran as far as we could to make sure no one would be following us, we decided to give our horses a bit of a break, allowing them to walk through the fields instead of just running all the way to Damascus without any breaks in-between; not only that, but according to Alexandra she wanted to enjoy the fresh air of freedom for a while longer before heading to the city. She wanted to enjoy her time outside of the Templar lifestyle and just be free for a moment, kind of like what I wanted to do for months. The only difference between us was that she was not being forced to marry a man who could very well be related to the devil himself. Before that man could enter my mind, I quickly shook my head a bit. I did not to worry about him right now, as he was no longer my problem. In fact when I thought about it, all of the problems I had to deal with back then, my father and all of the guards who did not believe me as well as anything else that I could not think of at the moment, were now a part of my past. I could start all over with all my friends, with Altaïr, and with anyone else that I would meet in the coming future. Everything was going to be different in my life, now that I was beginning anew.

"Cynthia," I turned my head to see Alexandra appear next to me pulling on the reins lightly to slow down Badr. "Are you alright? You seem depressed."

I blinked once as I watched her for a moment, before sending her a warm smile.

"Yes, I am alright," I told her. "I must have been spacing out so much that I appeared upset."

She shrugged before moving herself closer to me.

"I actually thought you were still worrying about Altaïr," she spoke in a low tone, so as to not alert the other two despite it only being more for keeping Diana out of the loop for a little while longer.

When she said those words to me, my smile fell immediately, remembering exactly what she meant. Looking ahead, my face changed to one of worry.

"I wasn't until you brought it up," I muttered.

Alexandra cursed under her breath, clearly upset for bringing it up too soon before placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry," she said, "but you should not worry so much about him, Cynthia. Remember, he is an Assassin. He is able to handle himself. He will be able to get out of there, especially with help of...of..." I glanced at her as she glanced away for a moment. "Damn it, what was his name again...?"

I stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out who she was trying to remember, before the name appeared in my mind.

"You mean Malik?" I questioned. Realization struck her features as Alexandra snapped her fingers.

"Yes!" She exclaimed in a low tone. "Malik!" She sighed. "I cannot believe I forgot his name so easily. I have to thank him for helping us back there." She paused for a moment. "It means a lot...especially to me...that he is actually helping us."

I blinked for a moment before smirking.

"You almost sound as if you’re falling for him," I teased.

She flinched and sent me a small glare, but the blush on her cheeks was much more prominent.

"What? No! I have never even met the man," she spoke.

I shrugged.

"I do not know why it would not be possible," I commented, nudging the blushing Alexandra. "I mean, just look at me and Altaïr. We may not be together as a couple, but it does not mean we are not together as friends."

Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"I know that," she muttered, "but you both are close friends. It could be considered lovers to anyone else if they did not know the whole story. That being said, what are the odds of us ever becoming friends? Hell, what are the odds of becoming close friends with him?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in a comforting manner.

"What does it matter, Alexandra?" I asked. "When have the odds ever mattered to anyone? What matters is that it happens. That is all that should ever matter when it comes to two people meeting one another." A pause as she looked at me. "If you two were meant to be friends, then it was meant to be. If you two were meant to fall in love, well, then that was meant to be as well. When you find someone who will make you happy, hold onto them. Do not go searching for the love you wish to share with a man my friend. Let love find you." I smiled warmly. "That is why it is called falling in love, not finding it."

I watched as she chuckled at my words, but not in a way that sounded as if I were joking around. When it came to anything about romance and affection, Alexandra was far from it. She was never really one to go flaunting her looks around like some peacock. In fact, she rarely ever did much of anything to call to the opposite sex. She had reasons for it though. One of them was that she truly hated when men tried to please her, tell her sweet things and give her gifts only to try to get her into bed at the end of the day and leaving in the middle of the night. She was nothing like that; not at all. She never wanted to sleep with men simply because of the thrill of it. She just wanted someone who could treat her with some respect, with some dignity, and not like some whore desperately searching for man to sleep with. However, because of this, she had a bit of a tendency to go searching for love, as if the right person was waiting right around the corner with open arms and all the love in the world just for her. She may have been smart, but it was just as I said before. She was far from the romance; the affection.

“You, Cynthia, are such a romantic," she said. "And yet, oddly enough, I greatly respect you for that."

Patting her back, I returned my gaze back ahead, sighing contently as a light breeze brushed against me.

"Hey, Cynthia," Diana spoke up, turning her head toward us, "isn't it nice to finally breathe in the fresh air?"

I smiled as she took inhaled the scent of the open fields.

"Yes, it is." I simply replied.

She exhaled deeply.

"Ahh, it is so good to breathe in such fresh air, you know?" She said with a smile on her face. "Honestly, I felt suffocated within the confines of that damned city. It is hard to actually find time to come out here."

"We do come out sometimes," said Ada, "to travel from place to place."

Diana looked at her.

"Without the Templars breathing down our necks."

Ada nodded, understanding what she meant when it was explained. I simply smiled and also took in a breath of fresh air, closing my eyes in the process. It actually felt...good; amazing even. It felt as if freedom had an actual scent of its own, a scent I had longed to experience while living within the Templars walls and although I greatly enjoyed my newfound freedom, it did not feel right. It felt as if there was a hole in my heart as I exhaled the fresh air, as if something was missing, something important to me. As I thought this, I felt my head lower slightly. It was because I was not enjoying this freedom with Altaïr that made it seem like something was missing. Without him, the freedom I had long desired was not as enjoyable as I had wanted it to be. To know he was still back there, captured by the Templars, made me worry about him even more. Whether he had help, I could not help but worry for his safety, worry that they may hurt him or even torture him. If that happened, I would never forgive myself, knowing it was all my fault from the very beginning that it happened.

"Hey, are you alright, Cynthia?" asked Diana; breaking me from my chain of thought.

I looked over at her, faking a smile.

"Yes, I am alright." I told her. "I am just...getting used to the whole "freedom" thing."

She smiled at me.

"Well, you better hurry up with that, my friend, because by the time you do, we will be in Damascus." She grinned. "You will get used to it all soon, so do not worry so much. And if not, then you have your friends to help you out."

My smile turned genuine.

"Thank you, Diana." I spoke. "That means a lot to me..."


That Night...



Night had arrived a lot faster than I had originally anticipated. Due to our inability to see in the slow coming darkness, we were forced to stop and rest for the end. After tying our horses to some nearby trees, we eventually found ourselves sitting around a freshly campfire, staring absently at the flickering flames. At first, the four of us chatted about anything that we could think of before it became silent as we ate the bread that we had packed yesterday night before heading to bed. Diana had fallen asleep about a half an hour later, her breathing deep and calm to signify that she was truly asleep, while Alexandra and Ada stayed up for a while and stared at the fire along with me. After a few more minutes, my eyes started to hurt, and eventually I began staring at the ground.

As much as I did not want to, I was still worried about Altaïr. I at least wanted to know he was alright. If I knew that much, then I could wait patiently for his return. Unfortunately, I still feared he would not come back, despite having Malik's assistance with him. It had been hours since we made our escape from Jerusalem, and hours since I last saw him, injured and held captive by the guards. Despite seeing him that situation, I wanted him to appear – for just a moment – while Diana was asleep so she would not know what was going on just yet. Unfortunately, he made no signs of being in the vicinity or on his way. My only fear at the present moment was that Malik would be unable to rescue his captive friend, ultimately causing me to possibly never see him again. I hugged my knees and sighed, nibbling on my lower lip. That was a worst-case scenario, one I truly did not want to think of, especially when it came to Altaïr. However, it was difficult not to when the last thing I saw was the person I was grateful to injured and held captive by Templars. In fact, it felt extremely difficult not to do so.

"Stop worrying about Altaïr, Cynthia." I heard Alexandra whisper over to me, grabbing my attention immediately. I looked over at her from across the fire as she continued. "He will be fine, trust me. Have you forgotten what I told you before?"

In response, I shook my head.

"He is an Assassin," Ada also whispered over to me. "He seems like the type of person who can take care of himself, especially around people as idiotic as Templar guards."

I sighed and hugged my knees even more.

"I know that," I responded, "…but still…it's difficult not to when the last thing you see is him being held by guards with a wounded shoulder."

"Maybe he is with Malik," Alexandra suggested. "Maybe he was successful in escaping those guards and went to that Assassin's Bureau you mentioned to us."

"It's possible, and I would not mind if he stopped there until things cooled down," I muttered. "But still, I am worried something might have happened. What if Malik was unable to get to him in time to save him?"

They grew silent after I spoke those words. Only the sound of Diana's calm breathing was heard at that point as we all looked between one another, replaying the words I had spoken to them several times. I could tell that they were a little surprised that I said those words, despite my wholehearted faith in Altaïr and his ability to escape the Templars. I could not blame them all that much; I would be surprised to know I doubted the Assassin's ability to get out of Jerusalem safely. I did not want to; they could see it in my eyes, but it was as I had said before. It was very difficult after seeing him in a tight spot before leaving him behind the way I did, so rushed and frantic. Instead of continuing the conversation even more than it already has, I clicked my tongue and slowly placed my forehead on my knees, sighing in the process. I felt tired, but worrying about Altaïr was keeping me awake for much too long, longer than I should have. However, no matter how hard I told myself to go to sleep, my body just would not listen to me.

"When are we telling Diana about you and Altair?" Ada asked. I glanced up at her, raising her eyebrow at her decision to change the subject as she looked over at Diana's sleeping form. "I want to know because I almost told her everything back in Jerusalem." She looked back at me. "I hated keeping this from her. It's not right."

"We will tell her in Damascus, Ada, I promise…" I spoke before lowering my head slightly, "That is, if he's still…"

Alexandra groaned.

"He is alive, Cynthia! Quit worrying and have faith in him!" She snapped quietly.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a snapping branch coming from the bushes nearby. My head quickly turned toward the sound as I got to me feet, Alexandra and Ada following suit. I heard them pull out their blades, while I kept my on the ground but nearby just in case. At that point, my heart began beating with anticipation. He was here, I thought. He was alive and had come to see me just like he promised. As much as Alexandra and Ada assumed otherwise, I no longer cared. They were not exactly sure if it was actually him or not, but I knew from the bottom of my heart that he had arrived. As we stood there quietly anticipating who or what was there, a dark figure appeared from the bushes, shrouded by the darkness of the night. My smile grew, no longer holding in my excitement, as ran over to the figure and threw my arms around the figure's torso. Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes, but I refused to go into a crying fit. I could not cry in front of him; it just did not seem right for me to do so.

"Oh, Altaïr! You are alright!" I exclaimed in a low tone. "I knew you would not be killed or get hurt, I just knew. I did not want to doubt you, I truly didn't, but I was so worried that I kept thinking of the worst possible thing. But...it does not matter anymore, because you are here and you are alright!"

The figure simply stood there for a long moment, unsure of what to do next. It started to trouble me. Why was he not hugging back? It was when the figure spoke that I knew something was not right.

"I appreciate the hug, dear, but...who is this Altaïr in which you speak of?"

My eyes shot open. It sounded like…a woman? Altaïr was certainly not a woman, I knew that for sure. Confused, I looked up at the figure to see who exactly she was. She had on a hood to hide her face, but a cloaked hand moved up and removed it in order to reveal herself. My eyes widened even more as my jaw dropped with shock.

"Aunt...Amal…?" I questioned, wondering if my vision was deceiving me. "Is that...is it really you?"

She blinked her blue eyes a few times, examining my face, before her eyes widened as well.

"Cynthia?" She questioned.

I smiled up at her, nearing the edge of tears, before hugging her again.

"It is you! I don't believe it!" I exclaimed, keeping my voice low although there was no need to any longer.

The woman I held in my arms was a beautiful young woman named Amal Bendaldjia, sister to my late mother and my beloved aunt. I had not seen her since I was just ten years of age, when she left on some mission to Egypt and never returned home. My father told me she was killed on her way back by bandits and that was that. Everyone forgot about her after a few short weeks, but I did not forget about her. She was my mother's sister, and the only person who actually took care of me when I was a child, unlike my father who was much too busy with matters of his own. I respected that, but it started to become a constant thing. I wanted to look for her when I grew older, but as time went on, I started to become busier and busier, eventually having to deal with my marriage to Abel, and I did not have any more time to go in search of her. For some reason, I knew Amal was out there, alive and well, but just refused to return home as my father wanted, as I wanted. However, she had her reasons for not returning, but what those reasons were I did not know for sure.

After another moment, I released her and looked up to her, smiling up at her like a child who had done something right.

"It has been so long since I last saw you! Where have you been all these years?" I questioned.

"I have been in Damascus," she explained, "staying hidden from the guards.”

I blinked at her words.

"Why were you hiding from the guards when my father told them you were dead?"

Amal raised an eyebrow.

"Your father said that?" She questioned. I nodded as she rolled her eyes. "He would say something like that to you; that bastard. Wants to be sure that the people do not worry."

She shook her head and sighed.

"What actually happened, Amal?" I questioned.

She pat my head and ruffled my hair a bit.

"What happened," she started, "is the Templars accused me of working with the Assassins while I was away, thinking I was gone for too long a time period, and convinced your father to sentence me to death if I ever returned."

My eyes widened with shock.

"I cannot believe it!" I cried, turning away from her. "My own father; my own blood relative, falling for such accusations!” I paused for a moment. "Not that...there's anything wrong with the Assassins, but to accuse you and sentence you to death so quickly?" I looked back at her. "That is unfair and cruel!"

She stared at me for a moment with a blank expression before blinking once and sending me a smile.

"Um, it is nothing to worry about, my dear," she spoke. "As long as I am alive, there is nothing to worry about, right?"

I smiled at her words.

"Yes, that is true." I responded.

"Lady Amal," Alexandra spoke, sheathing her sword. "It is such an honor to be in your presence."

We looked over at the two to find the bowing slightly, showing her some respect. Amal rolled her eyes at my friends, laughing at their gesture of respect sent toward her. Amal, before her disappearance and supposed death, was very well respected throughout the Knights Templar, despite being a woman and not a full fledged knight herself. Many people looked up to her, as she was a strong-willed, kind, and independent young woman. She always looked out for the people and treated them with respect, hence one of the reasons why I did it as I had learned it from her. No one thought negatively of her, and believed she was a brilliant person. She never caused any kind of trouble, and if it arose, she was always one to end any kind of dispute or situation herself. In other words, she was a brilliant woman, strong and caring toward others, and was like a second mother to me. She always told me stories from her childhood, and even told me a lot about my mother. Whenever I was with her, it was as if my mother were sitting there, telling me all those stories about her and her days as a child. I felt more complete, more connected to my mother, despite not knowing exactly who she was.

"Oh, there is no need for all of the respect, ladies," said Amal, waving her hand nonchalantly in their direction. "Just because my sister was close to the King does not mean you have to be so formal about it."

Alexandra looked over at her with a shocked expression as she stood straight up along with Ada.

"Of course, but it is so sudden to see you out here, alive and breathing, when the King told us you had died," she explained. "You were such a role model to many people that it devastated everyone when Richard had broken the news."

Amal rolled her eyes.

"He did not want people to rise up against him if they knew he had accused me of being something I am not. Possibly because the Templars, unbeknownst to Richard, lied and said I was dead." She seemed to hesitate a moment as she finished her sentence. "I am surprised he would believe such a thing, but I guess I will never know."

"No one will ever understand my father," I commented, looking down at the ground with what appeared to be shame.

She turned her head and smiled at me just as I looked back up at her. Her kind smile gave me a bit of a calming, hopeful sense to mind.

"So tell me, Cynthia," she spoke, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who is this Altaïr in which you called me before?"

When she spoke his name, I felt my throat run dry for a brief moment, tension building up. However, I did not feel nervous to speak of him as I thought I would. I knew I could trust my aunt with my life; knowing she was trustworthy and knew how to keep a secret from any and all who wanted to know. I glanced over at Alexandra and Ada, who gave me approving nods to let her in on the secret. After that, I glanced down at Diana, who still remained sleeping despite everything that had gone on moments. She did not seem to have stirred at all, which seemed good on our part. However, it seemed unfair to tell Amal right now after seeing her so soon and not Diana, who did not know for an entire month. I did want to tell her about Altaïr and everything else that had gone on, but since we were so close to the city, who knew what would happen?

I pursed my lips and sighed. Nothing I can do now, I thought, but wait until we reach Damascus liked we planned.

"He is someone I know…" I spoke, returning my gaze back to Amal.

She raised an eyebrow in interest.

"As a...friend?" She questioned.

I nodded in response.

“Yes,” I told her, my eyes shifting a bit.

Amal raised a curious eyebrow.

"Ah, I see.” She said. “So he is your lover." My head shot to her, eyes widening and face darkening to a scarlet red. "And here I had heard so many rumors that you wanted to marry that...Abel fellow. You know, the one I heard so many good things about?"

I rolled my eyes.

"For starters, Altaïr and I are not lovers. We have only know one another for a month.”

She shrugged.

“Just because you meet someone a month ago does not mean you cannot fall in love with that person.” She explained.

Shaking my head, I changed the subject and went on to say, “Second, if I wanted to marry Abel, I would not be out here wandering the Kingdom."

She thought about it for a moment before giggling at the comment.

"Good point.” She paused for a moment. “So, what is he?"

"Huh?"

"What is Altaïr? A Templar or an Assassin?"

I looked deeply into her eyes for a moment took in a deep breath before letting it out.

"He is an Assassin."

She returned her gaze – blank and unmoving – toward me, speechless. However, it did not take long to get a response out of her. She, soon, raised both eyebrows with a much greater interest than before. Then, a small, almost mischievous smile graced her lips.

"I thought you made that big speech to me when you were nine years old that you would never associate yourself with an Assassin?" My eyes widened slightly, surprised she did not seem shocked by the news. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Amal, that was years ago. Times have...times have changed now, as you can see," I said, placing my hands on my lap.

She laughed.

"I know that, but you promised yourself that you would never, ever, go near any of the Assassins."

I giggled lightly as I invited her to sit down with us near the campfire.

"I know, I know. But it is as I said before. Times have changed." We both sat down, joined by Alexandra and Ada. "How was I supposed to know that I was not going to keep my promise after all these years?"

She laughed.

"You hold a good point, my dear," she said as we all laughed together, almost like one big family, the way a family should have been.

It had been the first time in many, many years that I had actually spoken to Amal and enjoyed a good conversation with her, much like my days as a child. My closest and favorite family member out of everyone that I had ever met in my life was here, alive and well after ten long years of having gone missing. Since I was a child, we always talked about many things, such as the way I should be when I was older, what I wanted to do someday when I took over as Queen, and the kind of people I should associate myself. At the time when I was still a young dreamer, I told her I wanted to help everyone in any way that I could as I had heard that many woman were treated rather harshly compared to men. I wanted a man who would make me happy even when I was sad, or calm me down when I was angry or upset. I wanted someone who would respect me, and love me for who I was. My smile grew slightly as I recalled those days in my childhood. I never would have guessed that Altaïr was that man, the man of my childish dreams.

"Tell me, Cynthia," Amal spoke after a brief break of talking. "How did you and Altaïr meet?"

I looked at her.

"Well, it is...a rather strange story.” I started. “He actually came to Jerusalem to assassinate me by the order of his Master. Oddly enough, he came to kill me on my previous wedding date. When he tried to kill me while the four of us," I glanced at my friends, "tried to escape the first time, he accidentally hurt Diana by mistake." A quick pause as I glanced at Diana's sleeping form before looking back at her. "I chased him down for a while to seek revenge, but then he took the opportunity to try to kill me instead. But when I told him that I would rather be killed and be finished with this life than to stop him, he just stopped." I looked at the darkened sky. “He said he realized that I was much too innocent to be so willing to accept death. Instead of killing me, though, he stabbed me, took my blood by using a white feather, and fled before Alexandra could arrive.”

"Huh. Interesting.” She spoke, drumming her long fingers on her knees. “And what about Diana? Does she know about the Assassin?"

We all shook our heads at the same time.

"She still believes Altaïr tried to kill her, and she wants revenge," Alexandra explained. "She despises him and all Assassins. For what reason, I do not know myself. She never really told us. We think she listened to the stories Templars used to tell about them, sticking with those ideas until today." She paused briefly "We did not tell her about Cynthia and Altaïr because we were afraid she would...tell someone."

"I see." Amal muttered. "Were you planning on telling her anytime soon?"

"Yes. We were planning on telling her in Damascus," I spoke up. "We were just camping here for the night to rest up."

Frowning, Amal shook her head.

"I would not recommend staying here for the night," she stated.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I presume since you escaped your wedding successfully," she explained, "I am sure your fiancé would have sent people to go looking for you. They could be out and about as we speak."

I thought about it for a few seconds before realization struck me, and then sighed; frustrated.

"Good point," I muttered. "Why did I not think of that before...?"

Amal smiled and pat my shoulder.

"It does not matter anymore. For now, you will have to come with me." She spoke while getting to her feet. "I was going to head for Jerusalem. You know, as a bit of a surprise to both you and your father, but since that is out of the picture, I will be heading back to Damascus."

I looked up at her, blinking a few times.

"You live in Damascus?" Ada asked, surprised. Amal nodded.

"That's right. I have been living there since Richard banished me, thanks to the Templars," she explained. "Fortunately, I made a lot of good friends there, so I think we will be alright for the time being." She smiled at me as the rest of us, excluding the sleeping Diana, got to our feet. Amal then, looked over at Ada, who was brushing herself off a bit. "Ada, is it?" She spoke, grabbing the brown eyed woman's attention quickly.

"Yes, that is me." She responded.

Amal smiled and glanced at Diana.

"Be a dear and wake up your sleeping friend. The way to Damascus will take all night, and we certainly do not wish to leave anyone behind."

Ada nodded as she walked over to wake up Diana. Amal, then, turned back to me with a grin on her face, almost as if she were a mischievous young child. I returned the smile immediately.

Finally, I thought. Our plan is almost complete. Once we reach Damascus, I will know for sure that we are all truly free.