This took longer than intended. While I have been moderately busy, it's mostly because I know where I want to go, but I don't know how to get from this point to the start of what I have planned. It took me a very long time just to figure out what to write for this chapter. I probably changed my idea about 27 times.

Anyway, I really appreciate all the people who have taken the time to read this and, I admit, whenever I get the notifications about reviews or people favoriting or alerting, my heart gets the fuzzy feels.

And for Lilyannenora, I know this is a little late to satisfy on the spot cravings, but sorry, I had nothing in particular in mind. If anything, it would have been something like a pie crust (or puff pastry if you want it to be really flaky and buttery) stuffed with vindaloo, or any other style of curry really.

Sitting within visual range of the entrance to the assassin's castle, trying to appear as casual as possible, Amali watched those coming and going, looking for the object of her affection. All the while sneaking glimpses at the handsome guard to the left of the gate. He might not have been who she was looking for, but his face was as fine as they come. Luscious, curly hair, framing a chiseled jaw and large, masculine eyes, practically glittering with vigilance. Occasionally, she thought he had glanced at her. Out of suspicion that she had been resting there, only just managing not to stare at him, for over an hour, or with a more personal interest, she could only guess.

Amali had been growing more desperate to find her man with each passing day, her funds were rapidly running out due to living at an inn and having to buy her meals from the inn, rather than cook for herself, for almost three weeks. Even the discounts she had been given for her friendly demeanor and her prolonged stay were no longer giving her the feeling of security she'd had before. So far, the only idea she's had was to wait outside the fortress. He had to leave eventually; he couldn't stay locked away in there forever.

Just as Amali was about to stand to leave, it was after lunch time and her stomach was grumbling incessantly, she spotted a young woman practically jogging through the gate. The moment she made it though, however, she stopped, just out of the gatekeepers' view, to catch her breath and started to relax slightly. But the color in her cheeks was slow to fade, even after her breathing evened out.


Another day, done and over with. There was some unexplained mess in the usual path she would take to the servants exit, so all the workers were told to use the main entrance until it could be dealt with. Rumors of what it could be had been running rampant all morning. Some people claimed to have gone to check only to find a big, gruff guard blocking the hallway. Stories ranged from things such as a drunken assassin violently assaulting a servant out of rage, or a previously injured man collapsing, to an illness stricken, madwoman being quarantined in the hall until she could be removed safely.

None of the stories held any particular merit. As far as Nasira was concerned, it was likely just a renovation. The floor had been getting rather rough and almost hazardous in the last months, several of the less graceful, or older workers had complained of tripping on uneven stones. Nasira herself had stubbed her toes on jutting stones a few times.

So, out the front entrance, past the assassin's training pit, she would have to go. Just hearing the clang of swords from the mock fights taking place outside was enough to make her hesitate before the door to the courtyard. But Nasira couldn't stand there all day, she didn't have any plans to rush her, it would just be such a waste of time staying there.

Stepping out into the overly bright courtyard, the blaring sun was only made worse by all the polished metal blades reflecting its light. Thumping and clanging sounds of various weapons hitting each other or being thrown into training dummies, along with the sound of deep shouting from the trainers to their students, as they pointed out faults, filled the area.

In the middle of the yard stood a round fence in which a battle was being held. Two young boys were being pitted against one another in, less than deadly, combat. The wooden swords thumping away as neither could land a hit on anything except the other's practice sword. The man mediating the fight could be heard yelling "Come on boys! They aren't even real blades! You don't have the muscle to inflict a mortal wound with a hunk of wood, so stop hesitating!"

Nasira only made it a few steps before all the other sounds melted into the background in favor of a strong voice shouting that name. "Clear the pit! Altair is going to show us how a real man fights!"

Another man, presumably Altair's opponent, as he was climbing over the fence himself, quickly answered the call "This isn't a demonstration. This is a personal duel." Even knowing how ruthless and cruel the assassins could be, Nasira was still stunned to see this man draw a very sharp, very real, sword from the sheath on his waist to fight his own comrade.

Altair, walking over from where he had been leaning against the wall, simply jumped the fence and drew his own blade, without a word. It wasn't long before the two were slashing and hacking away at each other, narrowly blocking attacks that looked dangerously close to hitting flesh, and weaving around each other, searching for openings.

For a moment Nasira could no longer move forward, because nearly everyone in the courtyard had rushed toward the edge of the pit to watch the fight, young boys crowded around the mentors to listen to their comments, hoping to pick up something they could use. The older men ran over to make bets on who might be the victor. Even some of the other servants, though more reserved in their excitement, made their way over to watch the battle.

Doing everything in her power to keep her eyes off the fight, Nasira began to make her way toward the gate once more. Unfortunately, halfway there she was stopped by a one-armed man, dressed in the customary black robes of the scholars, blocking her path. Before she could even shift to walk around him, he had opened his mouth, addressing her by name. "Your name is Nasira isn't it? Not interested in watching the fight?"

The one-armed assassin, Malik Al-Sayf, second in command of the brotherhood and one of the most respected men among them. Nasira wondered if he often spent time casually conversing with random servants before she thought to question why he already knew her name. "No I… they look like they're taking this fight too seriously. What if… wouldn't it be a problem if one of them got hurt?"

"If one of them gets hurt?" His face shifted into mock consideration for only a moment. "That's just how it goes here. we get injured, then we learn not to make the same mistake again. Battle is a part of our lives. We have to take it seriously, otherwise our lives would be quite short."

She couldn't help the bitterness surging within her. War, fighting, all it brought was bloodshed, grief, and death. Just like the war that took her father from her… Why should all these people throw away people's lives so easily? His tone made it seemed more like throwing away an old toy than a human life. What purpose did it even serve? To kill one person merely leads to retaliation and the death of another. An endless cycle of bloodshed.

"But… why must you spill blood? Why can't you try to reach a peaceful conclusion? These people you kill… they have families, friends…" the thought of her own father, fighting, dying in a war for a cause he hadn't even believed in, was overwhelming her ability to form whole ideas with which to secure her argument.

Despite her vague reasoning, Malik seemed to have some understanding of what she was getting at. "The people we kill… are often beyond peaceful conclusions. They want to take away our freedom to rule our own minds, the very thing that makes us human." He looked comfortable with this speech, as though he had given it many times. Perhaps he had, explaining to the young new recruits that they weren't just playing assassin, they were there for a cause. "We do not take life for our own amusement. We take the lives of men who would use their power to control us. We kill to protect people like you, who would be completely helpless before the weapons they use."

Nasira felt somewhat indignant about the last comment, but he didn't look like he was trying to offend her. He had said it with no malice, no joking grin, simply stated it as fact. And she couldn't deny that, with what she had seen even just in her hometown, she would be helpless against the things these assassins fought every day.

Ever the observer, Malik could see the slight shake in her hands and thought it best to leave the topic before she got too worked up. He knew he had said enough regardless, her downturned eyes and the crease in her brow led him to believe that she was truly contemplating his words.

After a few moments of the lull in the conversation, Nasira glanced up at Malik to notice he was looking towards the match going on before them with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Opening his mouth to shout out to the fighters, he couldn't restrain the bit of amusement in his tone. "Stop playing around and finish him off already Altair, you're making the lady worry!"

Hearing his name, Altair looked over just in time to see Nasira standing next to Malik, flustered and not looking the least bit happy at having been called out for her concern over the men. Was she really worried about him? He had to know, to ask her himself, and Malik was right, he had drawn the fight out long enough.

Newly energized, Altair's assault on his opponent became all the more vicious, his speed and strength improving just enough to claim an advantage. Not even thirty seconds after Malik had called out, Altair had pinned the other assassin to the ground, sword pointed to his neck, clearly victorious, and jumped the fence around the pit to meet Malik and Nasira.

By the time Altair had stopped next to Malik, Nasira had completely disappeared from sight. Malik was left, stunned, staring in the direction of the front gate. "Apparently she doesn't take kindly to my humor. Just what did you do to make her run away from you so quickly Altair?"

"You? Telling jokes? No wonder she ran off. That must have been terrifying." Despite his desire to follow after her, Altair held himself back.

"Of all people, you are the last one I want dismissing my humor. Have you ever laughed? Even once in your life? Because I certainly haven't heard one from you"

"Perhaps I just find your presence too draining to be mirthful." Even in the midst of their banter, Altair couldn't stop staring at the gate, thinking of the girl who had just run off. "Was she really worried about me?" He hadn't meant to let that slip out… especially in front of Malik.


Nasira couldn't believe it. After such a serious conversation, that man had gone and made such a ridiculous claim for everyone in the courtyard to hear. Worried about either of those men… She simply didn't like the idea of people getting hurt over something so pointless as fighting each other.

Taking her time to relax, knowing there was no reason for anyone to have followed her, she let her breathing even out before moving from her spot against the wall. After a few moments, despite the feeling of warmth lingering in her cheeks, Nasira began walking down the slope toward her home. Only a few steps in, she came face to face with a young woman with a pretty face and light brown hair pulled back.

"You look a little flustered, are you alright?" The girl, who couldn't be older than 20, started examining the older woman in front of her. Before giving her a chance to answer, she continued. "Do you work here in the castle or something? I don't see many people not wearing those white robes coming out of the gate. Not that I've been watching or anything, I just like sitting here. The view of the town is nice from up here."

A little overwhelmed by the quick ramblings of the girl, Nasira could only nod. Another onslaught of words soon followed her lackluster response. "What is it like in the castle? They don't let anyone inside without a reason. I wanted to go in before because I heard a lot of loud sounds, like there was fighting going on inside. I've heard about the assassins a lot since I've been in town, I'm a traveler by the way. I'm visiting with a secret mission." At this her eyes narrowed a little and her lips tightened. "But you don't need to worry about that."

"Anyway, I've heard the assassins are supposed to be amazing fighters, I even saw one once. He took out three armed guards right in front of me, in no time at all. I'd love to be able to watch them practice. Oh! I know, why don't we chat for a while? I'll buy you lunch from the inn I'm staying at! You can tell me all about what it's like working in the castle!"

Even as tired as she was, Nasira couldn't turn down someone so excited, and she was already hungry, why refuse a free meal? "Um, alright. I'm Nasira. What's your name?"

"I'm Amali. It's a pleasure to meet you." This could be the perfect opportunity. What she would spend on this one meal would be nothing compared to this investment's worth if Amali's intuition was correct. Befriending this woman might very well be the key to finding her true love.