(no subject)

[madeinacre]

Dahi had said that he was better than Sef at climbing trees and that he could climb higher and faster than him anyway, so there. Sef had said he was lying, and anyway he was only seven and one half and not seven and three quarters like Sef so of course Dahi couldn't be better than him, that was stupid.

And then Hasan had said they should climb that big tree by the road and see who could climb the highest.

The three of them had gone along quite happily, Sef full of bravado and certain that he could make it to the top without fail and what was more, he was going to make it to the top faster than Dahi could. Hasan had picked up two sticks and whoever picked the longest went first- Sef's was only a stubby one so he had to sit pouting as Dahi got to go first. He made it up as far as the first big branch before he laughed and said that Sef couldn't go higher, and of course Sef knew that he could.

And he did.

But now he was stuck.

"Sef it's not funny anymore," Hasan wailed. "My mother will scold me if I'm late!"

"Go home then!" Sef called back, trying to sound like he wasn't scared as he clung to the branch like a cat.

"Come down, stupid!" Dahi shouted. "We're hungry, you've been up there for hours!"

It had of course only been twenty minutes, but when it came down to the serious matter of trees and being stuck in them, trivial matters like time tended to pale into insignificance.

"I bet I could stay up here all day if I wanted," Sef boasted, trying to make it sound like he really did want to and he wasn't scared half to death up the tree. "Watch me, I bet I can!"

Only Darim would probably pinch him and tell him he'd been reckless and silly and an Assassin shouldn't let something like pride get in the way of asking for help, and Mama would tell him he'd acted like an ass and would probably tell Master Rauf that he was still a baby after all and he couldn't possibly start training yet.

He didn't want to think what Uncle Malik would have to say. Probably that he was a reckless novice and his father would be ashamed.

Sef could feel his eyes getting hot and he sniffed; it wasn't worth wiping his eyes because then he'd have to take his hand away and he knew that if he did that he would fall and probably die and then it wouldn't matter what anybody thought and he'd never be an Assassin.

Comments

[womanfromacre]

She was very quiet for a moment, well aware of what this failure meant to him. All his efforts, all his careful planning for the expedition, his hopes for the Brotherhood in Constantinople, all dashed. She could see it now in his eyes just how heavily the loss weighed upon him.

"Oh my love," she murmured, then drew him into her arms again so that she could hold him. "There will be other chances, perhaps if we were to send men to help drive the Crusaders out..."

It was a vain hope and she knew it, but the news came as a shock and in truth she did not know what to say to console him.

"You weren't to know."

[pushesgently]

He went into her arms easily, breathing into the crook of her neck and perhaps relaxing for the first time.

"Whatever the fate of the city, it's long done by now," he said. "It was too long a trip back. And it's not our fight; we're not soldiers."

Any of his men who completed their training could be, of course. But it was not their way. Violence was one of their methods, but under his guidance, the Assassins would not seek to conquer the world, only guide it.

"I'm not the first man to fail in his goals." He dropped a kiss on her shoulder. "Disappointment is something I'll have to cope with."

[womanfromacre]

"Not on your own." Maria dropped a kiss to the top of his head brushed her fingers along his arm. "You have Malik and you have me, we are here for you. Even the boys, though they will likely not understand."

She closed her arms around him and rested her cheek on his head.

"Habeebi, I have never known you to face a disappointment and not risen to overcome it. This setback shall be no different. What matters is that you and our men are home safe. Next time you enter Constantinople it will be with your sons and me by your side, and we shall lay the foundations you could not this time."

[pushesgently]

He was more grateful for them than she knew—or maybe she did, having lived through the yearning of separation herself.

"But not for a long time." He propped himself slightly up on one elbow so he could see her face. "As a leader, my priority has to be Masyaf. And as a man, I want to spend time with my family for a long while."

[womanfromacre]

Maria rolled to adjust her position with Altaïr's so they could both be comfortable and, more importantly, remain as close to each other as she craved.

"As a woman, I have no intention of allowing you to be away from me for that long ever again. I meant what I said earlier Altaïr. I cannot spend another night without you."

She suddenly found herself feeling rather vulnerable and dropped her eyes to his collarbone, but soon enough she dropped her shyness and met his eyes again.

"I felt as though I had lost air in my lungs without you here."

[pushesgently]

"You could breathe without me, Maryam."

He reached out to play with her hair, curling some of it loosely around his fingers before brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.

"But you won't have to anytime soon. I plan to be home for a long time."

[womanfromacre]

"Good." Maria caught his hand with hers and turned to press her lips to his palm. "Because I do not plan to let you go."

She settled in against him, cushioning her head on his chest to listen to his heart beat beneath her ear. Idly, she brushed her fingertips along his arm.

"This bed does not feel the same without you in it."

[pushesgently]

"Are you suggesting that no young man filled up the empty space while I was gone?"

He fidgeted slightly, helping them both to get more comfortable. "I find that hard to believe."

[womanfromacre]

"Are you suggesting I entertained others in your bed in your absence, husband? How faithless you must think your wife is."

She dropped a kiss to his shoulder, smiling against his skin.

"They were very attentive, if you must know."

[pushesgently]

He could only imagine the icy reception that grown men would get if they tried pressing their attentions upon her, but boys? That was another matter.

"I should hope so. We had a talk before I left, you know."

[womanfromacre]

"Hmm, I thought as much."

It was true; Darim had been very much more protective of his mother with his father gone, often refusing to go and cause mischief with his brother in favour of shadowing her. Sef had been far more transparent in his affection, and on more than one occasion she had retired to her bedroom and found both boys curled up on Altaïr's side of the bed- normally Sef was fast asleep and Darim on the verge of it by the time she joined them.

"You had better be prepared to share with them tonight. I suspect they'll try their luck even though you're home."

[pushesgently]

"I think we can allow it, just this once."

They were no longer little boys, and so should sleep in their own beds. But tonight, the first day of his return, Altaïr wouldn't mind his family being in one place.

"But we should probably dress before then," he said, a smirk playing at his lips.

[womanfromacre]

"I thought you needed to take a bath," Maria replied, smirking back. "I am not prepared to relinquish my exclusive rights to you just yet. The tub is quite large enough for the both of us."

She let her hand drift to his flank and cupped it, smiling cheekily.

"Unless you would like to take advantage of having me to yourself again before we bathe..."

[pushesgently]

His spirit was certainly willing, but his flesh...

"I would. But I think I'll need enough time that we may as well clean up first." Reluctantly, he propped himself up and began to rise. "I'm getting old, Maria."

[womanfromacre]

"You have a cheek saying such a thing to your forty-three year old wife with a straight face," she replied, pinching his backside. "You are not looking old, I will say that much. Perhaps you need extended time with your youngest son, that should give you a few grey hairs."

She reluctantly moved herself to the edge of the bed, set to join him.

"We must get back into practice to improve our stamina."

[pushesgently]

"I'll always see you as you were the day we first met," he said, and meant it. "Young, beautiful, and ready to kill me in a heartbeat."

He leaned over and dropped a kiss on her shoulder before grinning at her.

"At least two of those things are still true. And you'll find no disagreement from me."

[womanfromacre]

"You are a not-at-all-old flatterer," she mused, turning to meet his face and rubbing her nose against his for a moment, just content to share breath with him. "God above how I've missed you."

She wrapped her arms around his waist as she drew herself to her feet, holding her body close enough to his to feel his heartbeat.

"Come. Let's bathe before the boys come searching for us."