SO MUCH STUFF HAS HAPPENED. That doesn't give me an excuse for not updating in like...years...BUT ANYWAY.
I'm officially enlisted into the Navy! :D
I've gotten myself a boyfriend. :) Someone who I've known since I was five and it was that whole "friends-best friends-crush-dating" cycle that's so cliche in movies.
Um. What else...?
OH! I've kept up with the release of all the Assassin's Creed games. And...I STILL THINK ALTAIR BEATS EZIO ON BADASSERY. Just saying. But the end of Revelations was so sad. D: I won't ruin it for those who haven't played it yet. But...AGH.
And on a sadder note, my favorite dog died. D: I was on a trip too...I didn't even get to say goodbye...it still upsets me. But I'll try not to make this chapter too depressing for you!
AND ANOTHER THING. I absolutely CANNOT wait for The Avengers movie to come out in May. I mean, Tom Hiddleston as Loki...That's pretty much all I gotta say about it. I LOVED him in Thor and I can't wait to see his transformation from the misguided little brother, into the terrifying villain that Marvel portrays him as. The actual Norse mythology surrounding Loki is VERY interesting. I recommend reading the Poetic Edda or the Prose Edda if you're interested in the stories from the Vikings. :D

ANYWAY. I keep delaying the chapter...SORRY. And...it's not even that long...SORRY AGAIN. :x
ENJOY THIS CHAPTER TO CELEBRATE MY (probable regular) RETURN.

Anisah woke slowly to the distant sound of thunder. Turning her face upwards, she saw the light satin grey of the clouds covering the sun. She shifted her body, or tried to seeing as Altair's arm was draped across her stomach as he slept, to reach for her water. As she turned around, his grip tightened and pulled her fully against his chest. Now lying face to face with him, she studied his sleeping expression. The scar crossing both of his lips seemed more prominent in the dim, shadowy cloud light. Somehow, it fit perfectly. She couldn't imagine his expressive face without it. With a twitch of his face, Anisah's attention was drawn to his high cheekbones. His eyes were perfectly spaced above those and his forehead was neither too big, nor too small. A sudden urge to touch him welled up inside of her. She did her best to resist, but found herself reaching out to stroke his face. Her hand froze as his eyelids fluttered. Afraid to move, she left her hand where it was.

Sighing in relief when he stayed asleep, she concentrated on the warmth eminating from his skin. Usually, she always needed a blanket to keep her warm, but surprisingly she slept the whole night without one. The smoothness of his skin, save for the scars, was fascinating to Anisah. She had rarely seen men her own age without her father present, let alone touch their skin. It was an incredibly enticing feeling. She let her hand travel down to his neck, feeling the tendons and the veins pulsing slowly with his heartbeat. Her hand ghosted over his collarbone and over to his bare arm. Even in a relaxed state, the lean muscle there was defined.

After tracing all that she could softly touch, she began examining his numerous scars. On his neck and arm alone, she counted eight that had been hastily stiched, one that hadn't been stitched at all, and three that were neat and barely visible. She wondered how many of those had been lethal. One scar, perhaps an inch long, had passed within a hair's breadth of his jugular vein. A peculiar pain passed through Anisah's chest at the thought of how he had come to aquire that particular one. She returned her hand to his neck to trace it again. And again. And again. Periodically, her eyes would return to his face, to make sure he wasn't awake while she continued her exploration. Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, molten gold irises met her dark brown ones.

Anisah froze instantly, her eyes wide with surprise. Altair continued staring at her, barely blinking. His arm remained around her waist and, Anisah wasn't sure if she only imagined it, seemed to get tighter. Her breath quickened, partially in fear and partially in anticipation. For what, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she wanted it.

Altair continued moving closer, not breaking eye contact, until their foreheads were touching. His pupils seemed to dialate with every blink. Anisah could feel his cool breath ghosting over her lips. Just when they seemed to be impossibly close without touching, Anisah felt a feather-light brush of Altair's lips against hers. A spark ignited in her stomach and threaded through every vein in her body. With a little more pressure, the spark turned into an inferno that threatened to break through her chest.

In an instant, that pressure was gone, leaving Anisah dazed and confused.

"W-what was that?" She blurted breathlessly.

Altair didn't respond. He didn't even look at her as he got up. With startling coldness, he told her, "Get up and gather your belongings. We're almost to Masyaf."

"Altair-" Anisah reached out to grab his arm only to withdraw when he recoiled from her touch.

"Don't touch me," he hissed.

Startled and hurt, Anisah tried to hold back her tears as she shoved her mat into her bag. She couldn't stop them all, she realized, as one made it's way down her face. Then two. Then three. Her bottom lip quivered slightly as she desperately attempted to dry her face before turning to face Altair. Instead of riding in front of him, she hopped up on the back of the horse. If he aknowledged her change of position, he didn't show it. As the rain started to fall, so did the rest of her tears. Despite her fear of falling off, she couldn't bring herself to hold onto him for support.

Hours passed in that oppressed silence. The only sound was the pouring rain and the occasional crack of thunder. Anisah was incredibly grateful for the water to mask her tears that were still falling. Altair hadn't looked back at her once, his tense shoulders fixed straight ahead. As the castle of Masyaf appeared on the horizon, he seemed to tense even more.

Passing through the city gates, Anisah saw hooded men everywhere. Altair quickly dismounted once inside the small surroudning village and led the horse up to the gigantic castle. Anisah felt self-conscious under the gazes of all the men practicing and gathered in groups.

"Get off," Altair commanded harshly. Anisah complied without complaint and without meeting his gaze. "These women will take care of you, feed you, and give you new clothes to wear," he said cooly, gesturing through large iron gates. "You are to respect them. Do anything they ask of you. You are not to leave. Understand?" Anisah kept her head down, unresponsive.

"I asked," Altair growled, his voice lowering dangerously. "Do you understand?"

Anisah nodded slightly.

"Answer me!" Altair commanded menacingly.

"I understand," Anisah mumbled as she backed through the iron gates, desperate to get away from his piercing glare.

"Good," Altair gave her a condescending look before turning on his heel and ascending up to a higher floor.

Anisah stood on the stairs before entering the gardens. The women took notice of her and flocked around to get her measurements and to "tsk, tsk" about the shape of her clothing and her filthy hair. She moved in a haze as they gave her a new outfit that showed off her shoulders and stomach, but veiled her face. She dimly registered that she should be modest, but she didn't care. Her embarassment about that mockery of a kiss was slowly fading to anger. As her anger grew, her eyes became brighter, her shoulders became straighter, and her chin climbed higher. Looking at her reflection, she felt proud about her appearence. She looked pretty! Her! The average girl whose father couldn't even find her a husband that would take her!

For the first time that day, her eyes cleared and she smiled. That is, until she was informed what the women were used for. Panic began to set in as they described their various purposes; from dancing, to more...physical entertainment. Anisah began trembling as they taught her what they knew. One of the women, Khalisah, noticed her distress.

"Ani," she said, using Anisah's new nickname. "What is wrong? You're as white as a ghost!"

"I-I've never..." Anisah stuttered, redness colored her cheeks.

"Oh!" Khalisah explained. "You're not to be introduced to the other men. We are merely informing you of what we do! A little knowledge never hurt anyone. Oh, dear, we have special orders to keep you pure and away from the others."

Anisah's curiousity was piqued. "Who gave the order?"

Khalisah dismissed the question with a wave of her hand, "One of the Assassins. We know not of their real names. It is less personal that way."

Anisah wouldn't drop the issue that easily, "What did he look like?"

"Bah," Khalisah sighed and shrugged in exasperation. "How am I supposed to know? All of these men cover their faces like we do."

Unease settled in Anisah's stomach. Her family still hadn't arrived. Altair had made it sound like her family was right behind them. What if he...? He wouldn't, she vehemently denied to herself. He wouldn't be that cruel, would he? Anisah's trembling returned. Here she was, in a strange place without the comfort of people that she knew. What was she supposed to do? Before she knew it, she was bolting out of the garden.

Khalisah called after her, "Ani, wait!"

Men, and the occasional woman, stared at her while she rushed past. Her eyes were frantically scanning every face, every feature, every tiny nuance of a person, for any familiarities. Where is he? Where is he! Where the hell-, Anisah's raging thoughts stopped as she spotted Altair in the marketplace.

"Altair!" She shouted, grabbing his attention.

His eyes flitted up over her exposed form before fixing on her face, his expression one of fury. "What are you doing here? Did I not tell you to stay with the-"

"Where is my family?"

Altair hesitated momentarily. The pit of Anisah's stomach dropped.

"Altair, where are they?"

Again, no response.

"Dammit, tell me where they are!" Tears began welling up in her eyes. She distantly registered the fact that her makeup would run, but she didn't care. "What did you do to them?" She shrieked, rushing at Altair with as much force as she could. Striking out with her fists, she struggled as he caught each of her attempted punches.

"What did you do! Where are they! Why did you take me?" There was no response for those questions either.

Blinded by her tears, she continued to fight until he restrained her against himself. He said nothing, waiting for her to expend all of her energy, and well aware of the crowd staring at them. Anisah's body was wracked with sobs, her cheeks black with smears of makeup. Her body sagged under her sorrow. Altair gently guided her over to a bench, quite surprised that she let him.

"W-why? Why m-me?" She asked, through her tears. "Why not th-them too?"

And for that Altair had no acceptable answer.

I apologize for the more-than-a-year-long wait. D: I just was so busy and my plot bunnies got lost. :x

I shall try to update more regularly and more often. If I can. :D

I am determined to finish this story if it KILLS me. Also, I JUST finished this. I haven't had time to review it. Let me know of any plot holes and/or spelling errors and I'll fix 'em ASAP.