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Title: Intercept Chapter XX
Author: Shadowwright
Game: Assassins’ Creed
Characters|Setting: Malik al-Sayf, Maria Thorpe, Altair ibn La-Ahad, your sister and brother, unnamed Assassins, you|Jerusalem, Israel, Masyaf, Syria, Third Crusade
Disclaimer: I am not the creator of the characters listed above or the Assassin's Creed world. Any simularities between real life people and any characters are completely coincidental. This piece has not been written with the purpose of selling anything in order to make money, it is written only to entertain fans of Assassin's Creed. While everything is permitted, not everything is beneficial for underage readers and I write for a mature audience.

Day by day, you had taken up the habit of keeping Malik company as the two of you worked on maps together. Often, Malik would send you out on a surveillance mission and then assign an Assassin to slay your target. Therefore, you were present when the Assassins would return frustrated. It had gotten to the point where it was only on rare occasion that the Assassin assigned the kill would return with a blood stained feather after you had done your surveillance. The Assassin said, “There is also a strange rumor circulating around Jerusalem about a phantom Knight of the Order of St. Lazarus slaying Templar in the streets. This tale about a vanishing leper Knight has the Templar Order on edge. The only reason that no one has been bold enough to confront the Order of St. Lazarus is because of some of the outrageous claims made by the storytellers and the fact that the leper knights are..well…lepers. No one is at ease about approaching them to ask them to confirm or deny any claims…”
Malik brushed his cheek with the vane of his quill and said, “I see. What kind of outrageous claims?”
The Assassin said, “Well, I have heard that this phantom knight is able to disappear into thin air at the end of dead end alleys, that it will silence its leper bells just before striking a Templar down, that it rides a warhorse that snorts fire out of its nostrils and that it will grab hold of Templar knights from horseback in order to drag them down to hell.”
You burst out laughing.
Malik looked at you and said, “(Your name), this really isn’t funny. Whoever this actually is, they have become a real menace. Are you not the least bit bothered by the fact that they are hitting the targets that you so carefully investigated before the brotherhood can strike them down?”
You wiped tears from your eyes and said, “I am sorry, Malik. That just sounded so outrageous!”
Malik looked at the Assassin and said, “Has there been any evidence that this killer is one of our brothers?”
The Assassin said, “No. These men are violently butchered. I can not imagine that anyone among us would risk violation of the tenets of the Creed to do that. The local populace are terrified of this phantom due to the brutality of these murders.”
The blood drained from your face and you looked pale.
Malik said, “have any other orders besides the Templar been the target of these slayings.”
The Assassin said, “As far as I can tell, no.”
Malik thanked the Assassin and dismissed him. Once the Assassin left, a novice entered the room and informed Malik that a message had come back from Masyaf. Malik accepted the message and dismissed the novice. He opened the message and looked at it. Malik closed the message and looked at you, saying, “(your name), pack our things. Altair has recalled us to Masyaf.”
You nodded and headed down the hall to your room. It was not long before Malik joined you. As you wrestled with getting your clothes into a rucksack, Malik stroked your hair, saying, “(Your name), stop what you are doing for now. I want to speak with you.”
You looked at him and said, “Yes, Malik?”
Malik sighed and said, “Do you know anything about these slayings?”
You said, “No. Should I?”
Malik studied you for a moment before moving over to his desk. “Altair writes to me telling me that you are to be restored to your Initiate status.”
You looked at Malik and smiled, saying, “Then I should be packing different clothes…I can have my blades back?”
Malik nodded and still kept a grim look on his face.
You said, “Malik, what is wrong? I thought that you would be happy for me.”
Malik said, “I am concerned…”
You said, “Malik!”
Malik placed his hand on your cheek and said, “I love you, (your name)…I…I do not want anything bad to happen to you.”
You placed your hand over his and said, “It will not. Please have more confidence in me, Malik.”
Malik pressed his forehead against yours and sighed, “I did not mean to suggest that I had no confidence in you, (your name).”
You said, “Then why are we having this conversation?”
Malik said, “It did surprise me how…you seem to be unaffected by your first kills.”
You laughed and said, “Malik, is that not how we are trained to be? I mean, we can not just stand there shocked over what we have done when we take the life of our target.”
Malik said, “I know that, (your name). Your first kills were far more brutal than any Assassin is trained to execute…”
You said, “Malik, if you have something you want to say, then why do you not just come out and say it? What are you so afraid is going to happen if I am allowed my weapons back?”
Malik said, “I want your promise that you will kill no one without express permission from me, your Rafiq. If you find yourself in a situation like you did returning from the physician’s, then you run and let the brothers guarding you fight…”
You said, “Malik, we were surrounded! Where was I suppose to run without being cut down? Do you really expect me to abandon my fellow brothers if something like that happens again?”
Malik said, “What would you have done if you were still a novice with no weapons, (your name)?”
You said, “Probably wind up dead and I would not be standing here having this fight with you!”
Malik paused. He raised a finger and said, “(your name), I want to know that you are not killing anyone without my permission. What is this disguise that you wear?”
You said, “What?”
Malik said, “What is this disguise that you wear?”
You crossed your arms.
Malik’s response was to grab hold of your rucksack and upend it on your pallet. Along with your other clothes, the makeup, bandages, tabard and leper bells came tumbling out. Malik looked at you and said, “Is there something that you want to tell me, (your name)?”
You shook your head and waved your arm, saying, “You wanted to know how I could get such detailed information about the layout of a target’s home…no one bothers me because I am dressed as a leper.”
Malik said, “and our phantom just happens to be doing the same thing?”
You said, “Malik!”
Malik grabbed the tabard in his fist and said, “The information you bring me is no longer any good once I send someone out to complete the mission…and then the other murders…in the streets. Look at me and tell me that you are not doing this!”
You shook your head and said, “Malik, I swear that I am not!”
Malik dropped the tabard on your pallet and wrapped an arm around you, burying his face in your hair. He just stood there holding you for a few minutes. You said, “Malik, are you alright?”
Malik said, “I want you to get rid of this disguise. It is too dangerous to wear anymore.”
You said, “alright.”
Malik said, “I have Assassins trying to find this phantom. I do not want you mistaken for him and killed. Promise me that you will get rid of it.”
You said, “I promise.”
Malik looked at you and said, “You did not actually take that tabard from a leper knight, did you?”
You said, “No. I know how to sew. I just made one..”
Malik said, “Oh good!”
You said, “Malik, you do not think that I would seriously…”
Malik shook his head and said, “We better get packed to leave for Masyaf. I need to write a message to Jibal of Acre before we leave. I suspect that Altair will want me to remain at Masyaf. Therefore, I want to ask Jibal to send your brother to Masyaf so that he can continue his training there.”
You smiled and put your arms around Malik’s neck, saying, “Thank you, Malik!”

Over the next five days on the road, Malik proved to be far more capable than you thought he could be. While he still needed the assistance of two other Assassins and you to raise your tent, he had no trouble wielding a sword from horseback to fend off would be thieves. In front of the campfire that night, Malik complimented you on how well you had helped fight the brigands off. Malik and you enjoyed keeping each other warm during the cool nights as you both started trying for a child again.
When you arrived back at Masyaf, you were greeted by a couple of familiar Initiates that you knew from your novice days. Your little sister was with them and kept jumping up and down with her arms reaching up for you saying, “I want up! I want up!” You got down out of your saddle and picked your sister up before she could spook the horse. A novice took the reins to the horses and led them off towards the stables.
Malik and you made your way into the main room just in time for dinner and when you sat down together, your sister said, “what happened to your tummy?”
You were caught with your mouth full.
Malik said, “After dinner, we will tell you.”
Your little sister said, “alright.”
No one laughed this time and you wondered if news about the loss of your child had already reached Masyaf. After dinner, your sister was taken off to bed and Malik started to walk with you towards your room. Malik said, “I will join you in a little while. Altair wants to speak with me.”
You nodded and slipped into your room.
You waited a few moments before opening the door to the hallway. You slipped out and started to make your way down the hall towards Altair’s room. When you put your ear against the door, you heard no one speaking. You decided to slip down to the Mentor’s quarters. Again, you heard nothing and you decided to sneak down to the library. You could hear Altair and Malik speaking when you hid behind one of the shelves.
Altair said, “I received your message about this ‘phantom’ in Jerusalem and your suspicions about who it may be.”
Malik said, “and?”
Altair said, “Do you have any solid evidence?”
Malik said, “No…I do not believe that I do.”
Altair said, “You do not sound very certain about that, Malik. Why not?”
Malik said, “I found a tabard of St. Lazarus in (your name)’s things…that and the way our fellow brothers saw her slay some Templar in the street…”
Altair said, “Were there any weapons in her possession that suggest that she could be this phantom?”
Malik said, “No, there were not.”
Altair said, “You only suspect her…and you fear what may have to be done if she is?”
Malik said, “Yes.”
Altair said, “Until we have some evidence that proves that this is so, I do not want to do anything. How was she on the trip?”
Malik said, “(Your name) held her own pretty well against some thieves we met on the road?”
Altair said, “Did she seem out of control then?”
Malik said, “No, she did not.”
Altair said, “Was she extremely brutal when she killed them?”
Malik said, “No, she was not.”
Altair said, “I will not keep you from your pallet any longer. You have been travelling all day and you must be tired.”
At that point, you chose to slip out of the library and back down the halls. You did not want Malik to see you moving away from the library in the halls. You slipped back into your room and leaned against the door with your heart racing. You reminded yourself that you might have only moments in order to make it look like you had made yourself ready for bed a long time ago. You were quick to remove your weapons and then pull your initiate’s robe off and fling it over the chair. You leapt under the covers because of how cold it was in the room. You had just turned over on your side and closed your eyes when you heard the door open. Malik said, “(your name), are you still awake?”
You rolled over on the pallet to look at Malik and said, “Yes.”
Malik said, “I noticed that the lamp was still lit.”
You smiled and said, “I was waiting for you. Come over here and warm me up. It is cold in here.”
Malik smiled and closed the door behind him. He took the time to remove his own weapons and strip out of his robes before joining you under the covers. Malik said, “did you ever take your medicine?”
You said, “I forgot. I will take it tomorrow.”
Malik said, “are you sure? It somewhat affects you?”
You said, “what do you mean?”
Malik said, “it tends to make you silly and very flirtatious.”
You said, “oh. Maybe we should talk to a physician again about giving me something different then…I can not…”
Malik pressed a finger to your lips and said, “Well, that is not happening tonight. Let’s try to get some sleep.”
You said, “alright.”

Within the next couple of weeks, you met Maria Thorpe for the second time and your younger brother arrived in Masyaf with Jibal and another Assassin. You had a wonderful reunion with your brother and introductions were made between Malik, Altair and him. Maria Thorpe, your fellow initiate, your younger sister and you all went down to the Hammam in town in order to bathe together. There you listened to Maria Thorpe’s story about how she came to no longer desire becoming a Templar Knight and instead chose to travel east. You said, “It does not seem like you have travelled very far east so far.”
Maria laughed, and said, “no, not as yet.”
You said, “Is a certain Assassin to blame?”
Maria smiled and said, “perhaps.”
You said, “Will you be staying with us in Masyaf?”
Maria shook her head and said, “No. I will be travelling to Bharat and then perhaps China.”
You said, “That sounds exciting! I never imagined that I could ever go so far…”
Maria said, “Well, why not?”
You laughed and said, “I would have to leave Malik. We just lost a child…”
Maria said, “I am so sorry to hear that!”
You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked at your feet. You noticed when Maria started to rub your back with a Kese, as though trying to offer comfort through a mundane practice. Maria said, “You know, when we first met in Jerusalem, I never would have thought that you were an Assassin. I guess you are pretty good at hiding in plain sight.”
You laughed again and said, “No, I was not an Assassin then.”
Maria said, “I am surprised twice now.”
You said, “How so?”
Maria said, “Well, I remember you being very vocal about how you did not like the Templar…insisting that they were not the kind of people that I thought they were…and I found out later just how right you were.”
You said, “Oh?”
Maria said, “It turned out that Armand Bouchart just wanted an artifact called the Apple of Eden so that the Templar Order could take free will away from everyone. That was hardly the noble purpose for which the order claimed to have been founded.”
You said, “So, you decided to do something else?”
Maria said, “Yes, I did.”
You said, “You did not want to go home to family?”
Maria said, “What for? So that I could be married off to some man I did not even love?”
You said, “I see what you mean.”
About then you heard your little sister clunking across the floor in her Nalim with your fellow initiate chasing her. Both Maria and you laughed, your little sister started shrieking with laughter that echoed off the walls of the Sicakirk. Your Initiate friend stopped chasing your little sister and put her hands on her hips, saying, “You know this is not funny, (your name). You should be getting your own little sister to bathe.”
You said, “I am sorry. I have just been trying to find out what Maria has been up to since we first met in Jerusalem.”
Your fellow initiate paused and looked between Maria and you, saying, “You knew Maria before Altair brought her to Masyaf?”
You said, “Yes, I did.”
Your fellow initiate tried to smile and said, “I did not know. Please excuse me. I did not mean to intrude.”
You watched as your friend stepped into the tepidarium and left Maria and you to talk. Your sister ran up to you and wrapped her arms around your legs, looking up at you. You said, “Now how am I suppose to be able to get myself clean like that?” Your little sister laughed and then ran off into the tepidarium.
Maria said, “Your little sister sure is full of energy.”
You said, “I think that she is thrilled to see me again.”
Maria said, “If you do not mind my asking, how did you come to choose the life of an Assassin?”
You said, “Malik convinced me.”
Maria said, “How do you mean Malik convinced you?”
You said, “He took me from Jerusalem and brought me here to Masyaf.”
Maria said, “Took you?! How did that happen?”
You said, “It is a long story.”
Maria crossed her arms and said, “Well, I can not wait to hear it. How did you and Malik meet?”
You said, “I met Malik in the marketplace when some children stole his coin. I did not want to see either of them lose their hands for stealing, so I told Malik that I would repay him the coin he lost if he would not report them to the city guards.”
Maria said, “What happened then?”
You said, “Malik said that I could run errands for him to repay the debt…he told me when and where I could meet him…”
Maria said, “go on…”
You said, “I was also working as a messenger and when it got late I met with Malik to let him know that I would still do the errands after I finished my work.”
Maria said, “What happened then?”
You said, “When Malik found out that I was a messenger, he locked me in the Bureau.”
Maria said, “What?!”
You winced. “I tried to get out through an opening in the roof…he pulled me down and pinned me to the floor. When I wouldn’t give him the message, he made me pass out. I woke up in his room.”
Maria started pacing while keeping her eyes on you. “You know, your experience is starting to sound vaguely similar to my own with Altair.”
You said, “It is not as bad as it sounds?”
Maria put her hands on her hips and said, “Not as bad as it sounds….how?!”
You said, “He sent me out to do errands for him like delivering messages or gathering information…I did not come back at first.”
Maria said, “What do you mean, you did not come back at first?”
You said, “I was out on the street because the Templar had killed my parents. I thought that my siblings were dead too.”
Maria said, “So, when Malik first brought you here, he did not have your brother and sister as well?”
You said, “No, he did not.”
Maria said, “What happened after the first time you escaped?”
You said, “I went to go seek shelter in a church. An Initiate found me lying on one of the pews and offered me something to eat and drink. I still do not know what the drink was but I found out later that what I thought was food was really hashish. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself back in Malik’s room.”
Maria said, “What did you do then?”
You said, “I tried to sneak out but Malik saw me. He paid me for delivering a message for him the previous day. Then he gave me other errands. That evening, I went outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem and slept in a shepherd’s cave. It had gotten very cold that night, so I returned to the Bureau the next morning…”
Maria said, “You went back?!”
You said, “Maria, I did not know where else to go. I was freezing. It turned out that I was sick with a fever and Malik nursed me back to health.”
Maria looked uneasy at you. “It is too bad that you and I did not know each other better then. You could have at least stayed with me.”
You said, “and where would we both be today?”
Maria said, “I do not know, probably somewhere different. I need to speak to Altair about both Malik’s and his methods of just taking women.”
You blushed and said, “Malik did not force me to lie with him! Did Altair do that to you?”
Maria said, “No, he did not. That is not quite what I meant. Both of them need to understand that they just can not take a woman because they find them beautiful.”
You said, “Maria, if you were still Templar, then you have to admit that Altair probably took you as a prisoner of war.”
Maria said, “I know that. That is beside the point, (your name). And what were you when Malik took you?”
You said, “that last message that I needed to deliver that day was for a Templar. I did not know it. Malik believed that the brotherhood would be compromised by my knowing where the bureau was when he did not know if I was Templar or not.”
Maria said, “I still do not like what has happened to you and the fact that Malik now has your brother and sister here in Masyaf.”
You said, “Maria, where are they supposed to go? They are orphans too now that our parents are dead!”
Maria said, “I am sorry, (your name). I just think that you have been manipulated into being here with Malik and becoming an Assassin.”
You said, “Now wait just a minute! I chose to be an Assassin and I chose to be with Malik because I love him!”
Maria nodded and raised her hands and said, “Alright, I am sorry. If you ever decide that you want a different life though, then know that you are more than welcome to travel with me.”
You said, “Thank you for the offer. For now, I think that I will be staying with Malik!”
You stormed off into the tepidarium and almost ran into your fellow initiate just inside the doorway. You glared at her and said, “Do I have no privacy around here?” You shook your head and said, “I just want to be left alone.” You washed up with soap and water without speaking to anyone. You did not mean to ignore your little sister when she tried to get your attention. You wrapped a pesternal around yourself before wrapping her in one as well. Taking her small hand in yours, you walked with her out into the sogukluk. Your little sister said, “What is wrong, (your name)?”
You tried to remember the wonderful memories you shared with Malik at this Hammam and started crying. Your little sister said, “Do not cry, (your name)!” You shook your head and started dressing your sister. She started to cry because you would not stop crying. You wiped the tears off your face and started to step out into the street only to hear your fellow Initiate say, “(Your name), you are still in your pesternal!”
You started to laugh when you realized what you almost did. Your friend crossed the sogukluk and wrapped her arms around you, saying, “Everything is going to be alright. I know how much you love, Malik. No matter what the circumstances were that brought you to Masyaf,” she caressed your hair, “Malik thinks the world of you and would never hurt you.”
You said, “Malik said that he would not leave me locked in the basement of the bureau of Jerusalem because he loved me too much…I feel so confused! I do love him! It just sounds so wrong when I talk about the way I came to be here…and came to be with Malik. I just make myself sound like an idiot for loving a man who kidnapped…captured me…probably held me hostage…I just…”
Your fellow Initiate said, “I do not think that you would have continued to stay if you did not want to be with Malik. I think you would have left a long time ago if you did not want to be a part of our brotherhood, (Your name).”
You got dressed and left the Hammam. Making your way up to the Castle of Masyaf, you started to consider getting your brother and taking up Maria Thorpe on her offer…you told yourself that it was just to find out how Malik and Altair would react to Maria and you making off in the night. Also, you entertained the thought of the two of you teaching the two of them a lesson about just snatching women.