A couple of weeks passed by and Altair had finally found the camp of King Richard's army.

The carnage of soldiers on both sides would be overwhelming for anyone else, but the assassin had seen his own share of atrocities and the sight of death and destruction was sadly familiar.

The cries of dying soldiers. The smell of burning flesh.

Things that were all too common not only in war, but also in the streets of the cities where desperation could be tasted on the tongue as a vile mouthful of poison. The riot he saw in Jerusalem wasn't so far from ordinary as he knew Margaret had thought, mainly because the sheltered noblewoman was exactly like the others rich people of the palace. He couldn't blame her, but accustomed as Altair was to a stern lifestyle and a strict behavior, he disliked them all with passion.

The assassin didn't know if Margaret was like the other targets he had already eliminated, but there was something so fascinating in her that had captured his attention and he meant to satisfy his curiosity and find out more about her.

As he came closer to the tents occupied by King Richard, Altair was spotted by his own target and a group of soldiers, who rushed to warn the knights of the intruder in their camp.

Altair thought it was a bit of over the top, seeing he was only a man against an army, but he decided to consider it as some kind of a compliment for his skills.

The king left his tent with armor still on and the sword tied at his hip, eager for a rest after a strenuous battle on the field against Salah al'Din 's forces and the last thing he needed was another nuisance. The presence of a stranger usually had never brought good news.

"Tell me, who sent you?" Richard asked.

"Al Mualim. To sniff out the traitor in your midst" Altair simply replied, "Do you recognize this?"

Margaret's handkerchief was currently lying in the assassin's hand, making her uncle boiling in rage at the thought of her defenseless and at the mercy of the man in front of him.

"What have you done to my niece? If he sent you to finish the work..."

"I'm not here for you and your niece is safe and sound. It's him my target" Altair pointed to Robert de Sablè, who was watching him with interest.

There was no fear in his eyes, no guilt as the assassin stared at him with coldness. After Kadar's death and the accident in which Malik lost his arm, at first Altair had thought it had been all Robert's fault, but thinking back at his own behaviour he realized he had had the responsibility of leading the mission back then.

Every thing happened from that moment was the consequence of his own mistake.

Maybe it was the reason why the animosity he felt for the Templar had evolved in cold determination, his only aim the accomplishment of the mission.

Robert was the enemy, the symbol of a cult Altair strived to uproot and nothing more.

"You make serious accusations, Assassin" the King spoke, "To consider your words, I need proof of this betrayal or nothing will stop me from executing you myself for your impudence"

"I'm the one who killed some of your men. William of Montferrat, Garnier de Naplouse and Sibrand. They were all conspiring against Holy Land's people" Altair said, "But they were only pieces of a bigger scheme in the hands of a single and more powerful man. They took orders from Robert and betrayed you"

"Still, he's not able to produce any proof of what he's saying. This is only a stratagem to ensure your little fortress' safety" Robert smirked.

"You have only my word for it, but your niece can attest my good intentions. Even now, she's being protected by my brothers after being attacked in your castle"

Richard could feel dread crawling in his heart at the mention of Margaret as target of a conspiracy against him.

"And you saved her? Where were the guards? And what you were doing there?!"

"Except the lady, everyone is dead. Thankfully, a riot in the streets allowed us to escape from the mercenaries" Altair replied, "After I deal with my mission, I'll personally ensure her safety as she returns to you"

"So, you want an exchange. My niece for the opportunity of fighting my Lieutenant"

"If you want to see it like that, so be it" Altair smirked with arrogance.

"Then, the Lord will decide in my stead. Let him choose whose cause is righteous" Richard exclaimed, "Whatever will be the result, Assassin, rest assured I'll wage war on your brothers and search for her myself if she's not returned to me"

Robert came forward with a group of his most loyal soldiers.

Altair couldn't see if they were templars or not, but he had no time to think about it. A seemingly uneven fight started and the assassin found himself in the middle of seasoned warriors, ready to slay him on the spot.

It was a bit unfair, but the Altair wasn't the best for nothing.

It didn't take too much time for the assassin to deal with the soldiers and now only Robert was left standing, sizing up the younger man with disdain as the last of his men fell.

"You are good, but let's see if you can keep up with a true knight"

Altair didn't even reply and waited for the other to attack, patiently studying the style and the strength of his blows, as the watchful eyes of the king stared at him with interest.

There was something unsettling in being scrutinized during a duel, especially since Robert was so eager to pin him on the ground and bathe his sword in assassin's blood.

As he dodged the sword cutting the space in front of his chest, Altair notices the slight tremor in the Templar's left hand as the heavy weapon went back to guard his side.

Within a second, Altair swapped his weapon from the sword to the shorter blade strapped to his back and charged.

His head dodged Robert's arm as it circled around his head before striking, the long knife embedded in the chest of the templar.

The man gasped at the piercing pain in his side where it get through the chain mail and blood spurted out of the injury. Altair felt the warm liquid running over his fingers, but there was no satisfaction in his victory, only the cold knowledge he had managed to complete his mission at last.

"You think this is the end?" Robert wheezed out, "He betrayed you, boy, just as he betrayed me"

"Speak sense, Templar, or not at all!" Altair exclaimed.

"Nine men he sent you to kill, yes? The nine who guarded the treasure's secret, but there were ten of us that night"

"Then I'll hunt down the last. Give me his name!"

"I doubt you'd take his life as willingly as you've taken ours. No matter how much invested you're in this lie your master concocted, soon or later, even his own student will become nothing more than an expendable pawn. Now you know his secret, he'll never let you live"

"You liar. He's he master of the assassins!"

"A master of lies. A greedy man who doesn't know how to share such a powerful treasure" Robert stated weakly, "If you don't believe me, go back to Masyaf and see for yourself how the great mentor fell victim of madness"

The assassin still felt the exhilaration of the kill rushing through his veins, but the confusion was slowly overcoming him, not to mention the betrayal he felt as his mind tried to come up with excuses, promptly disproved one after another.

He had to go back to Jerusalem and warn Malik.