The Sultan and the Lionheart

" If I were to lose Jerusalem, I would gladly lose the Holy City to the Lionheart " - Saladin.

" It is an honor to be the foe of Saladin " - Richard.

It is said that the Sultan and the Lionheart never met on the battlefield and only spoke to one another through letters,well, it is about time they met.

The Sultan; the Sultan of the Ayyubid Dynasty, Yusuf Ibn-Ayyub, Saladin, the man who retook the Holy City.

The Lionheart; Richard the first, the Lionheart, the warrior-king, it is said that Richard's lust for women was only overshadowed by his lust for war.

This is a fictional story.

The year is 1190 AD.

The third crusade.

Part 1;

Saladin is sitting within his throne-room within Cairo, two historians have come to ask the Sultan some questions, there was also a bard playing a version of the Hurrian Hymn.

" Do you have the Cup of Jamshid? " asked Marco Polo.

" I do not, " said Saladin.

" Are there really five groups of Jinn? " asked Herodotus.

" Indeed, there are the Jann, Jinn, Shaytan, Ifrit and Marid " said Saladin.

" It is also said that the Jinn are not born evil " said Herodotus.

" The Jinn can embody both sin and virtue, just like you and I " said Saladin.

" What about the Muslim-Excalibur? " said Marco Polo.

" I have sent my twelve Imams out to seek Zulfiqar, but sadly, they have been unsuccessful, " said Saladin.

" Do you know where Atlantis of the sand is? " asked Marco Polo excitedly.

" Do you mean Mulehet? " said Saladin.

Marco Polo's eyes widened and he quickly wrote what Saladin said down.

" Have you found the hall of records? " asked Herodotus.

" Not as of yet " replied Saladin.

Those were all the questions, and the liars- I mean! Historians now left.

Saladin then stood up from his throne, and he then went on a walk.

Saladin later went and visited Abu Simbel, built by the great Pharaoh Usermaatre.

Saladin also went and saw the great pyramid of Giza, and the pyramid looked as it once did, covered in beautiful polished limestone.

While at the house of wisdom, Saladin read the epic of Izdubar.

Saladin later went to the library of Alexandria to read the 42 books of Hermes Trismegistus, it was also at Alexandria where Saladin visited the colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse of Alexandria.

Saladin went to the tomb of the Leper King, Baldwin IV, the Sultan wished to pay his respect to the King who once defeated him.

Saladin went and saw his three generals train their men, the Sultan's general's were; Eumenes of Cardia, Saladin's own son and the Prince of the Ayyubid kingdom; Al-Aziz Uthman, and Ariobarzanes of Persis.

There were many legendary men of the Sultan's army, too many to list, but one notable was the man known as Mad Mullah; Mohammed Abdullah Hassan.

Saladin then went to the townsquare of Cairo, to hear Scheherazade tell one of her one thousand and one stories.

Saladin then went to Mount Kurdistan, where the Cup of Jamshid was hidden.

Saladin then gave his eagle some fresh air.

Saladin also went to the Temple of Solomon, where the Jews prayed in peace.

The Sultan finally returned back to his palace, where a dear friend of his was waiting.

Hypatia, Saladin's close advisor and physician, has just come back from visiting Greece.

There is also something you guys should know, you see, Saladin actually suffers from something called IBS/ Irritable bowel syndrome and it is Hypatia who is helping to get rid of the pain, she can not remove the sickness, only slow it down.

" How was Greece? " asked Saladin.

" Well, the temple of Artemis and Zeus was exquisite, but both temples were overshadowed by Hades' temple, " said Hypatia.

The brilliant woman then gave the Sultan his medicine, the physician and Sultan then went on talking about various topics.

Saladin went to bed, and when he awoke the next day, he found a knife near his bed, the Sultan picked up the knife and then said;

" It seems that I have been summoned, " said Saladin with a smile.

Saladin, alone, goes to Mulehet and arrives at the castle of the old man of the mountain.

The Sultan enters the throne-room of the eagle, and at the end of the room, sits the eagle atop his throne.

The assassins, as they are known, use optical illusions, medicine(poison) and incense to kill their targets.

Saladin enters the dark room, the only light that could be seen, was the glowing blue lights coming from the eye-holes of the helmet of the eagle.

" Am I going to die? " said Saladin with a smirk.

" If I wanted you dead, then you would not be here " said the eagle with his hollow and harsh voice.

Saladin looked around the dark room.

" I assume that I am surrounded " said the Sulten with a smile.

The Eagle was quiet.

" The Lionheart and his army are on their way to the middle east " said the Eagle.

" Did you really summon me here, just to tell me something I already knew… " said the Sultan, rather disappointed.

The Eagle showed a hint of surprise.

" What? You are not the only one with connections " said the Sultan with another smirk.

The Eagle relaxed his muscles, and Saladin took a closer at the old man, who was wearing armor, covered in a cloaked hood, with a eagle at each shoulder, the eagles were a part of the armor and not living ones, but there were two eagles sitting atop the old man's throne, looking down at the Sultan.

" Now, if that was all you wished to tell me, I am now leaving " said the Sultan.

" I have one last question, Sultan, " said the Eagle.

" What? "

" What is Jerusalem worth? " asked the Eagle.

Saladin was quiet for a moment, and then said;

" Nothing... everything " said Saladin with a smile and a certain gesture with his arms.

" Now, I have a question for you, who are you? "

" I am the old man of the mountain, Hassan Sabbah, " said the Eagle.

Saladin simply smiled and then said;

" Well, last I heard, Hassan Sabbah died in 1124, so who are you really? " said the Sultan.

" I am the old man of the mountain, " said the Eagle rather quickly.

Saladin smiled and then said;

" I believe you, Rashid ad-Din Sinan "

The Eagle glared at the Sultan from within his helmet.

Saladin then left Mulehet and returned to Egypt.

From behind the Eagle's throne stepped out two individuals.

" You should kill him for his audacity, " said a woman.

" Now, now, we won't solve anything for bloodshed, " said a man.

The voices belonged to Al-Ghazali; the advisor of the Eagle, and Giulia Tofana; the physician of the Eagle.

" What do you plan on doing now? " said Giulia.

" For now, we do nothing, " said the Eagle as he looked at Al-Ghazali, who was smiling.

" I see….. how boring… " said Giulia.

From across the sea, was the King of England, with his army, on their way to the Holy Land.

Part 2

Weeks have gone by.

The Sultan is sitting within the Hagia Sophia Church where he, a priest and a Rabbi were having a nice little chat.

" Like I said, the only difference between the three holy books are the stories about the heroes and prophets, God remains the same just with different names " said Saladin.

" I have always thought that the Jews, Christians and Muslims should be the greatest of friends, we all have so much in common, for starters, we worship the same God, Abraham's God " said the Rabbi.

" The Jews, Christians and Muslims do have another thing in common, there is one prophet, who is loved by us all, Enoch " said the Priest.

" That is true, if the Jews, Christians and Muslims should reunite, they should reunite under Enoch, or Metatron as we also could call him " said Saladin.

" Just imagine the day, the day where Jews, Christians and Muslims finally become one people, the other religions better hope that day never comes " said the priest with a smile.

All three men let out a joyful laughter.

The Jews, Christians and Muslims are like siblings trying to out-do one another, but even siblings can work together.

" I feel threatened, " said Hypatia.

" Why so? asked Saladin rather surprised.

" If the Jews, Christians and Muslims truly become one people, then all other religions will be no more " said Hypatia with a smile.

The Sultan giggled.

" Worry not, it states, in all three hoy books, that we, children of God shall be tolerant and accepting of others beliefs and customs "

" But it also states that the faithless shall be killed and hunted "

" True, but, it was a faithless that saved the Jews, Cyrus the Great, it was thanks to the Romans/Constantine the Great that the Christians survived, and the Muslims have adopted customs and knowledge from the Greeks, Indians and Chinese. So you see, the other religions are safe, for as they did for us, we shall protect and watch over them all " said the Sultan with a mighty smile.

Hypatia could not help but show a warm smile while a tear ran down her cheek.

A servant then came to the Sultan.

" My Sultan, I have a letter for you "

Saladin took the letter.

" What does it? " asked Hypatia.

Saladin smiled and then said;

" I am here, kind regards, The Lionheart "

Now began several exchanges of letters between the Sultan and the Lionheart.

Hypatia would say that they were exchanging love-letters, and the Sultan would always giggle when she said that.

A couple of days went by, and the Sultan was in his garden, a garden that would make Cyrus envious.

Saladin was sitting by a fountain, but this fountain was very special, it was deeper than it looked and someone was living there.

" So what do you suggest I do? " said the Sultan.

" My advice is, meet with the Lionheart, " said Tahbib al-Bahr.

After having made arrangements and with the help of the Eagle, the Sultan and the Lionheart decided to meet face to face, but they decided that it was best to leave their respective armies behind.

During an arabian night, under a full moon, in the middle of the Egyptian desert, was a tent, and in walked the Sultan and the Lionheart.

The old man of the mountain was there, acting as a mediator.

Saladin had brought Hypatia and the Mad Mullah with him.

Richard had brought Wilfred of Ivanhoe and The pale death of the Saracens with him, Richard's squire, a boy by the name of Bertrand was with his master, Bertrand had a nickname; he was called the ant, for he may be small, but he was sure strong.

The Mad Mullah and The pale death of the Saracens glared at each other, but the two kings gave their respective warriors a look of; we are only here to talk.

So the Mad Mullah and The pale death of the Saracens both calmed down.

For the first time in history, Saladin and Richard shook hands.

" It is good to finally see you, Sultan "

" Likewise, Lionheart "

Both kings just smiled at each other.

Everyone then took their seats, except for the Eagle; who continued to look menacing.

The talks now began.

" So, what brings you here? " - Saladin with a smirk.

Richard just had a look of; did you seriously just ask me that.

" Well, I hear that the strawberries taste amazing this time of year " - Richard who now had a smirk.

" Indeed, if there is one thing Egypt is known for, other than the pyramids and gods with animal heads, then it is their delicious strawberries " - Saladin.

The conversation continued in likewise manner, the Sultan and Lionheart talking about other topics than the third crusade, but they did get serious at the end.

" So, can we not solve this in a diplomatic way? " asked the Sultan, already knowing the answer.

" You already know the answer " said Richard as he stood back up.

Sunrise had come, and with it, Holy War.

Everyone at present, were now about to leave, Richard and Saladin looked at each other, the two kings then smiled, and then shook hands for the second time.

Part 3

It was on a lovely warm and cold day, the weather was just perfect.

The Lionheart, along with his army, Ivanhoe, The pale white death of the Saracens, the Gibborim, Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller and the twelve knights of England, all stood just outside Jerusalem.

The Sultan and his army were ready, and were standing in front of the Holy City.

Each man was ready, each man had the love of God and their people within their hearts, except for maybe Richard, I mean, he did bankerupt England, just so he could go to war, but I digress.

Now was now time.

" Men, my brothers, we are here at last, here to fight for what we believe, for what we love. I only look forward to one thing, till when this is done, and we all can go back and pray together " - Saladin.

" Fellow warriors! Now is the time, time for glory and honor. I, as your King, feel every fiber of my being shake with joy, to face the man who retook Jerusalem, but, what do you all say to us about taking it back! " - Richard.

The men were ready, and the battle now began, for the kingdom of heaven, and for the first time in history, the sound of Richard-and Saladin's swords, clashing with one another, could be heard, even by God.

A shadow loomed over two english knights, the knights looked up and saw the old man of the mountain come flying down towards down, like an eagle on its prey, the two knights did not even have time to say a prayer as the eagle cut both their heads from their bodies with his obsidian claws.

" How were you flying just now? " said a knight, while shaking from fear.

The eagle looked towards the knight with his glowing blue eyes, the old man then said;

" It is a improved method inspired by The Flying Throne of Kay Kāvus "

The eagle then beheaded the english knight.

Five knights then came charging at the old man, but the knights made a huge mistake, they came charging in a straight line, the eagle kicked the first knight, the force of the kick sent all five flying, killing them all.

" How are you so strong? " asked an english knight shaking from terror.

" The old man of the mountain knows the formula that unlocks full access to hysterical strength " said the Eagle as he broke the neck of the knight with his bare hand.

Charging towards the Eagle was Wilfred of Ivanhoe.

Ivanhoe swung his sword at the Eagle, and was successful in landing a blow, but Wilfred quickly noticed that his attack showed no sign of damage on the old man.

" Dear God and all his Archangels…. " said Ivanhoe.

" How can this be? "

" My armor is made up of fiber containing Osmium, Diamond and Platinum " said the Eagle as he was towering over Ivanhoe.

The Eagle then brought his arm down on Ivanhoe, but Wilfred blocked with his sword as the ground under him cracked, the Eagle was taken back, how could Ivanhoe block an attack, while he was using hysterical strength.

" How? " said the Eagle as his blue eyes glowed.

" God is with me…. " said Ivanhoe while sweat could be seen on his forehead and a smirk on his mouth.

The Eagle had a grin from within his helmet.

The old man now showed his blades belonging to the assassins of the creed.

The battles that took place;

The Eagle vs Ivanhoe.

The twelve knights vs the twelve imams.

The Sultan vs the Lionheart.

Ariobarzanes of Persis vs William the conqueror.

Mad Mullah vs the pale white death of the Saracens.

Al-Aziz Uthman vs Edward the Black Prince.

Eumenes vs Corineus.

The battles that took place were so grand and epic, that not only was God and his Angels watching, but also the gods from other religions.

Finally, the battles were concluded, and it had ended in a draw.

The Sultan and the Lionheart, and all their men went inside Jerusalem, to feast and party, and in the morning, the Jews, Christians and Muslims, all went to pray, together.

The Eagle however, returned to Mulehet, for he was weak and dying.

The old man went to Al-Ghazali, where he said the following;

" The eagle has landed "

Al-Ghazali understood and made the arrangements.

The old man fell on his bed, where he could feel his life fading away, the Eagle then said the muslim creed, where he then died.

The sacred armor was taken off the old vessel, and the body was buried deep under Mulehet, where the first was buried.

A new vessel was brought, the followers washed his body and soul, they then put on the sacred armor, and once they had placed the helmet, the eyes of the old man of the mountain lit once more.

The end

The Hashishin

We who smoke everyone's life

Assassins, old man of the mountain, Mulehet, Fidais of the Nizari Ismaili Army, Sand Dancers, Ghost Walkers or as I shall call them in this story, The Hashishin, but, Hashishin was a name given to the group of Assassins by the people who called them insane and murders, Hashishin really means, those who smoke Hashish(drugs)

But if you think about, would an Assassin who has to pass guards and climb walls, and in the end, kill his target, really be on drugs? Well, I leave the answer up to you.

But who was this group, who was respected by some, and hated by others, well, the founder of the group, his name was, Hasan Sabbah, who was born in Qom, I will not go into details about Hasan, because, I want you guys to find out who he was on your own, I will however give hints here and there, but for now, it is time to tell my story of this group of Assassins.

The year is around 1100 C.E.

Now, at this point, Hasan Sabbah has many followers at his command, but question is, how did he gain his followers?

Some stories say, that the founder would take his soon to be followers into a cave, where he would show them a glimpse of "Paradise", a Paradise which had three rivers, one of water, one of honey and one of wine, inside this "Paradise" was also filled with everything beautiful, just like real Paradise, and then, the founder would take this "Paradise" away from his followers, and the only way they could return to "Paradise", was by being the founders followers.

In reality, some say that the founder drugged his followers, and then took them to a place where he had set up a "Paradise"

Others say, that the founders followers were of same mind as the founder, so, which story is true?

I have no idea.

At this point, Hasan Sabbah has many bases all of the middle east, places like:

Alamut, the founder's favorite base, and where he taught the eagle's lessons.

Masyaf.

Damghan.

Khuzestan.

Quhistan.

And last but not least, Rudbar.

The Hashishin at this point have killed many high profile targets, and not civilians, their most notable high-profile-target was none other than an old friend of the founder, Nizam al-Mulk, who, according to stories, were childhood friends, but considering their age-gap, that may not be true.

Many people, not just in the middle east, but also in Europe, are actually wery of the Hashishin.

The Hashishin also had a unique way of showing someone that they were a target.

The targets would see a dagger by their bed, as a way of the Hashishin saying: do as your told, or next time, the dagger will make your heart its holster.

Some targets would remain in disbelief, because, the Hashishin were able to deliver their message, despite the fact that some of their targets were in places, that even the devil would have had a hard time of getting in, but these people were not the devil, they were the Hashishin, a group that could even get into Fort Knox if they so wished it.

Anyone who was deemed a target, was dealt with.

But don't let this fool you, the Hashishin job did involve assassinating people, but the brotherhood was actually well-educated in forms of math, science, philosophy, art and literature.

So much, that, the founder actually had a huge library in Alamut, where he and his followers read books and manuscripts on the subjects I just mentioned, but now, let us get to the one thing people want to read about, when the Hashishin are involved, and that is assassinations.

Target: the King of England

Now, other than Nizam al-Mulk, the Hashishin have assassinated other high-profile-targets, for various reasons, such as political, religious and sometime because they were paid to kill someone.

For this story, I am combining reality with fiction.

It is said that, William II (William Rufus) died in a hunting accident by Sir Walter Tirel, which resulted in Henry I becoming the new King of England, now, was this an accident? Or was it planned? Let us find out.

After having defeated his brother Robert, William II was now King of England.

But was William II loved?

It is said that William II was an effective soldier, but he was known as a ruthless ruler, he was not even liked by the people he governed, some say that William II was, hated by almost all his people and aborrent to God, there are even some rumors that suggest that William II was homosexual, since he fathered no children and took no wife, and let us just say, being homosexual back then…. was NOT easy….

So, William II had many enemies, which he himself made, so it is no surprise that there were many that wanted the King dead, so how did William II die?

We find ourselves in a castle within England.

At the moment, William II is still King of England, but what the current King did not know, was that his days were numbered.

Robert and Henry, are within a castle discussing their options of how to take the throne from their brother.

" Henry, have you heard the rumors, that William may be homosexual, such shame he brings upon our family! " said Robert.

" Dear brother, are you only saying that because William was able to take the throne from you, if so, then you are the one bringing shame upon our family " said Henry.

" Mind your tongue brother, and I only lost because I was ill-prepared to face William "

" Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night. But, let us get back to the matter at hand, what do we do about William? How do WE take the throne for ourselves? " said Henry with a tone that was hiding something.

" Do what you wish, my only desire right now, is to join the First Crusade " said Robert proudly.

Henry looked at his brother in disbelief.

" You want to join the Crusade? Surely you jest, where would you even get the money? " said Henry still in disbelief.

Robert was quiet for a moment.

" Don't you dare say it! " said Henry.

" I will ask William for the money I need " said Robert.

Henry was now rubbing his face.

" You are aware that William will ask for something in return " said Henry.

" I am well aware, in return for the funds, I am willing to give up being the Duchy of Normandy " said Robert who was committed to the cause of retaking the Holy land.

Henry was now rubbing his face more intensely.

" And this is way, dear brother, why William is King and not you… " said Henry.

" Say what you wish! When I retake the Holy land in the name of our lord, the people will want me as their King! " said Robert confident.

" Do as you wish…but know that you are making a mistake " said Henry.

Robert now left the castle, and rode to William to request the funds.

One of Henry's servants entered his room.

" My lord, what is to be done now? " said the servant.

Henry just looked out his window, up at the full moon.

" Tell me something, my loyal servant, have you ever heard of those who know the teachings of the eagle? " said Henry.

" Yes sire, I believe that they are called Hashishin, they are among the pagans who have taken the Holy land from us " said the servant.

" It seems you have been misinformed my dear servant, these men who follow the teachings of the eagle, this brotherhood, follow their own creed, and kill any they deem unworthy of life, even amongst their own people, but the one rumor I am interested in, is that they kill, in exchange of money " said Henry with a smile.

" My lord! You can't be thinking of making a deal with those pagans, those devils who have taken the land next to our lord's birthplace " said the servant.

" Careful, they say that the Hashishin hear everything from the shadows " said Henry.

The servant now felt fear for his life.

" But…. my lord, why do you wish to speak with these men? "

" I plan to make a deal with them "

" If I may be so bold as to ask, what kind of deal? " said the servant already having an idea of what his lord was about to say.

" I wish to hire this brotherhood, with helping me becoming the new King of England " said Henry full of ambition.

" I see, but how do we go about making contact with the enemies of the crusade? "

" A valid point….. " said Henry as he thought about, how to contact those who lived in the shadows.

" Hmm, servant, get me an eagle, a pen and paper, and a Quran! " said Henry with a plan.

The servant just drew a blank, but did as he was commanded.

It did not take long, before Henry wrote something on paper which he later gave to an eagle alongside with a Quran, he then sent the eagle flying towards the middle east.

" Sire…. just what did you write on that piece of paper? " said the servant.

Henry simply smiled and then said

" That is between me and the shadows "

A few days went by, and on a certain day, Henry heard a knock on his door.

" Enter " said Henry.

The door was opened by one of Henry's guards, and to Henry's surprise, a middle eastern man walked in.

" Not to be rude, but a man like you, would have been thrown into the dungeons, and not let up to my room, which leaves me wondering, do I need to fire my guards? Or did you do something to my guards? " said Henry still sitting in his chair.

The middle eastern man calmly walked around the room.

" I used something called the Devil's Breath, so your guards are innocent " said The middle eastern man calmly.

" I see, why do I get the feeling that you did not really tell me what you used "

" If I told you what the Devil's Breath really was, I would have to kill you, which is not why I have come "

" Then why are you here? "

The middle eastern man put the Quran and a piece of paper on Henry's table.

" I must admit, you are bold for writing such a letter " said the middle eastern with a smile.

" Well, it worked, now, may I know your name? " said Henry yet again boldly.

" I have no name, but you may call me Hashish "

" I see, then, Hashish, how about you take a seat, and let us talk business " said Henry with a smile.

After having talked business for awhile.

" I see now, you wish for your own brothers death, is it not cruel to kill one of your own people, especially your own brother? " said Hashish.

" I could ask you that very same question " said Henry.

Hashish smiled.

" Well, who will take the blame for the death of the King? " said Hashish.

" Walter Tirel, a good for nothing noble man like him should do " said Henry.

Hashish got up from his chair and was about to leave.

" How much do I owe? " said Henry.

" I need no coin, for having the future King owe us a favor, is more valuable than gold and silver " said Hashish with a smile.

Henry smiled as well.

" Oh, and one last thing, my brother Robert is going to be part of the Crusade, please do me a favor and don't kill him " said Henry.

" Certainly " said Hashish who then left the room.

" Now, long live the King " said Henry as he laid back in his chair.

King William was on a hunting trip with Walter Tirel and other men.

The King and their men were enjoying themselves like children playing together.

" Walter, see if you can keep up! " said King William as he rode ahead.

Walter smiled as he rode after his King, the men slowly following behind.

Sir Walter arrived deep within the forest where he last saw King William, but he could no longer hear the footsteps of the king's horse, all he could hear was the wind, Sir Walter then looked up and saw an eagle.

Sir Walter then felt a chill and looked ahead, where he saw his King alongside his horse died.

Sir Walter looked at the "thing" standing over the King and the horse, almost convinced that it was a demon from Hell.

The thing turned towards Sir Walter, where Sir Walter looked upon a skull mask which had a red dot, Sir Walter looked at the dot for 10 seconds, and could then swear that he saw many of the king's killer around him and his horse.

Sir Walter looked yet again towards his King and saw that the first thing was now gone, like the wind.

Walter could then hear the footsteps from the horses of the other men, and knew how this would seem, so he fled, and on that day King William was dead, and Henry was made the new King of England, thanks to the Hashishin.

The Rufus Stone was later made in honor of King William.

Now, King Henry still owed the Hashishin a favor, and how he would repay that favor, I leave to your guys imagination.

No one knows what other adventures awaits this group, all I can say is, pray that you do not find a dagger by your bed.

" نحن الذين يدخنون حياة الجميع "