Completely revamped! 8/9/10

Epilogue

Boys were stupid! Completely stupid! The little girl watched them from the top of the desk, Hannan and Shahin were rolling around on the floor trying to get the other in a head lock, "you are noisy! Go away and do that elsewhere! I am very busy!" the two boys paused in their rough pay and looked up at her with their matching hazel eyes. They looked so similar to one another, same eyes, same face shape, similar features, Shahin was a little smaller than his older brother and if it were not for the five year olds freckles and slightly darker skin – most people would think they were twins or miniatures of their father. They pouted at the four year old girl, she was sitting up petulantly upon the large desk in their fathers' study, her wavy black hair was bunched up into pigtails, making her little round face and dark eyes seem less impressive as she glared down at them.

Hannan stood up and regarded her curiously, it was never a wise to upset Malik's daughter, "What are you doing Rani?"

"Uncle Malik will not be happy to find you up there!" Shahin rubbed his arm where he'd been punched quite hard by his brother. "Please come down!" there was nothing worse than when his uncle was angry. He watched Hannan stalk over to the side of the desk and tug on the girl's red dress.

"Get down! I am not getting in trouble because of you again!"

"Get off me you stupid novice!" she squealed angrily as he tried to get her off the desk, "I hate you! Get off!" Shahin rushed over and tried to pull Hannan's hands off the little girl before she got angrier, during the struggle a bottle of ink was knocked over and spilled across a map on the desk, "…y-you idiots! Baba's map!"

"My clothing!" Hannan yelled as the black ink spilled over him off the edge of the wood. "Why did you interfere?" he pushed Shahin roughly, "why must you always get in the way! Whether it be training or studies you are such a pain!" he was angry with his little brother, he was so annoying and clumsy! "How will I explain this to mama?"

Shahin frowned, why was it his fault? Hannan was the one that had irritated the girl – Rani sat forlornly and had started to cry as she wiped desperately at the ink to try and get it off, "you tell our mama the truth."

"And get yelled at! You are so stupid…no wonder your real mama left you." Hannan growled angrily and ran from the room to try and save his clothing.

Shahin looked up at Rani, standing on his tip toes to pear over the desk edge at her, "it's alright, Rani…I'm sure things will be fine…" the girl sniffled and reached to pat his head.

"You know he did not mean it, Shahin,"

"What is going on?" Altaïr asked as he entered the room, he'd heard the yelling and come to investigate. Seeing both children in tears, the Assassin inwardly groaned, he didn't have time to deal with them, "I wish you would stay out of here!" Malik walked in behind him and swore at the mess. "I will handle him; you deal with your little princess. Shahin, come with me." The boy wiped his eyes and followed after his father obediently. Malik walked over to his daughter, tears glistened in her eyes as she watched him assess the mess on the desk, the spilt ink, his ruined map and a few paints sat beside her – her dress covered in an array of colours.

"I-I am sorry Baba! I was making it pretty but then Hannan and Shahin were being noisy and Hannan wanted me off the desk and Shahin told him to leave me alone and then Hannan said something mean because he got ink on him!" she said in a single breath, she stood up and reached out her arms for him, "I just wanted to make it nice for you!" the Dai closed his eyes tiredly – this little girl had destroyed a months worth of work and she wanted him to cuddle her and make her feel better. "Baba!" he picked her up against his hip, his one arm supporting her as she clung to him firmly, her little arms around his neck as she still whined unhappily.

Looking at the spoilt map he couldn't help being a little confused, "little habiba, why are the mountains blue?"

"I thought it was the sea…you must not be good at drawing, Baba." She said in all seriousness and gave him a puzzled look, "novice." He chuckled at her, she took after her mother in every way except for her eyes, and the fact that she absolutely adored him with every single fibre of her being – Nazeera currently hated him because she was pregnant again. Planting a kiss on her head he went about tidying the mess, he one day hoped he would be able to resist the little girl's charms and tell her off like he should.

00

Altaïr couldn't help being disappointed in his eldest son; he had been cruel in what he'd said to the younger. "she would have never have left you, your mother was so love in love with you that it was impossible to keep you from her arms…she chose to spend her last hours of life with you and no one else." He had never really said much about Azurelle to the boy, just the thought of the little brunette made his heart clench painfully.

"but…aunt Nazeera said she had to go away – I didn't know…that…mama died?" the Assassin looked away from the wide hazel eyes, Shahin should not have to go on guess work to learn of his birth mother. The boy adored Maria and she adored him just the same, the woman had taken Shahin as her own son without question and if not for Nazeera rightly wanting to keep her little sister's memory alive the boy would have never known that Maria was not his mother by blood. He had gathered every memory of Azurelle and locked her away so deep in his heart that he had failed to tell her son about her.

"Come here," Shahin went to his father's side and looked curiously as Altaïr pulled his codex onto the desk he sat at in his room; he lifted the boy onto his lap and began turning the pages in quick succession until he reached a page very rarely opened. "This is Azurelle…your mother." The boy looked at the drawing, his hands unconsciously reaching for his freckled cheeks, the woman in the sketch had them too and she looked so happy. Wavy shoulder length hair, bright eyes, an oval face – was this really his own mother? "She was young when she had you, she gave up being apart of a famous Troupe to come here and raise you. She could outrun any Assassin here, her acrobatics were faultless and she was not afraid to fly through the air without a thing to safely catch her on the ground."

"She's very pretty, Baba…" Shahin smiled at the picture, he had sometimes wondered what she would look like, "aunt Nazeera always talks about her, she was clever, clumsy but not in a terrible way…she says mama was mature and strong, that she always did the right thing in the end." Altaïr nodded, seeing the picture hurt – it shamed him that he had spent so many long hours trying to capture her image and then hidden her away like a secret. "Aunt said she would not be friends with mama if not for...um, my other mama?" he was getting so confused having to call both women his mother.

He somehow managed to smile, "Nazeera and your mother, Maria," he clarified, "used to despise each other, they would fight and argue – this little thing, your birth mother, convinced Maria that she should look after Nazeera should anything bad ever happen, it took years but they eventually became friends and it would not have happened if not for Azurelle. She was crafty and always found a way to bring people together." Feeling small arms wrap around his middle, Altaïr looked down to the top of his sons head, the boy was pouting and staring up at him sweetly.

"If it makes you sad, you don't have to tell me…" Altaïr returned the embrace, despite never knowing Azurelle, Shahin often did things or said things that she would have and it shocked him so much each time, "I have her face now, that's all I need…and I know Hannan was just angry." Still, Altaïr would be having a word with his eldest son about his behaviour, unlike Malik – Altaïr could tell his children off.

Though, he could easily see why the Dai had trouble disciplining his daughter, she was notoriously good at saying the correct thing and wriggling out of trouble. Her most memorable act was after asking Malik why he only had one arm, Malik had simply replied by saying he'd lost it. She had looked confused and then answered, 'well, where did you last have it – we shall look!' no one was certain whether they were supposed to laugh or if she was being deadly serious.

Altaïr was blessed with two sons who were usually well behaved, the occasionally hiccup happened, Hannan was so much like his mother in personality, he had a temper and often wanted things his way but he was also very kind and dedicated. Shahin was a bit of a cry baby but he usually came around in the end and realised he was silly for getting upset – much like Azurelle – he was usually the calmer one of the two which infuriated the older brother because Shahin would wait where Hannan wanted to rush in.

"no, I have been unfair to you and to her," he ran his fingers reverently over the picture, "from now on, if you want to know something about her, you can ask me – I will try to answer you." Shahin's eyes lit up happily, he opened his mouth to say something but the door creaking on its hinges made both father and son look up and settle their eyes on the child hiding mostly behind the door. The Assassin beckoned his son inside and Hannan shuffled in, his eyes on the ground and his hands twisting in his black ink stained clothing. "I see you did not find your mother." Altaïr said, he knew that Maria would have had him changed before sending him to apologise.

"I stopped looking…I wanted to talk to Shahin and it couldn't wait." He glanced up at his little brother and he looked genuinely upset, "I didn't mean it…I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean any of it! I know I'm a rubbish brother but please forgive me!" the young boy looked back at the ground and waited for the worst. Altaïr sighed as Shahin hopped off his lap and ran over to the other boy and nearly barrelled them both over as he hugged the other.

He stood and regarded them both fondly, "go find your mother and then both of you wash up – Nikil is waiting to teach you a few climbing techniques." They nodded, Hannan grabbed Shahin's wrist and they both ran from the room eager to obey their father. Altaïr took a moment to just stare down at the picture, reaching down he stroked the cheek softly before closing the book and following after his boys. He glanced at the book one last time and before he shut the door whispered into the empty room, "nam jeyid…"

000

The end!

Planning an Assassin's creed 2 fanfic soon!

Thank you to ALL of my reviewers *throws cookies for all*