While there haven’t been many duos explicitly featured in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, players have gotten to know protagonists and their romantic partners throughout many different entries into the series. Some games show the romance on full display, while other Assassin’s Creed romantic relationships are explored in spin-off games, books, etc. Assassin’s Creed is also known for not letting its protagonists have what can be considered a “happy” ending, which players have seen time and time again in each game entry.
While Altair and Maria’s relationship may not initially seem like it has a lot in common with Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Bayek and Aya, there’s more to each relationship than found on the surface. Maria and Altair may have a relationship that spans multiple games and spin-off entries, but they were a team just like Aya and Bayek. Both of these duos have some unique things in common as well as differences that make them unique in their own rite.
Assassin’s Creed, the first installment in the long-running series, is about Altair Ibn-La’Ahad redeeming himself for his arrogance. After not only losing a Piece of Eden, but jeopardizing the lives of the Assassins he was working with, Altair is stripped of his rank and forced to start over. Altair meets Maria under interesting circumstances, because at first she was a Templar who disguised herself as his target, Robert de Sable. Altair could have killed her, but chose not to. However, he didn’t realize that wouldn’t be the last time their paths crossed.
The direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed was titled Assassins Creed: Bloodlines and released as a PlayStation Portable (PSP) exclusive. The plot of this game is truly where Altair and Maria’s relationship grows and changes, but not before Altair takes Maria prisoner to get information from her. There’s surely an argument for Stockholm Syndrome in there, but she does manage to escape him a few times, even warning his target Templar Armand Bouchart, of Altair’s plans. Her loyalty was not rewarded though, as Bouchart thought Maria had secretly aligned herself with the Assassins and was working as a double agent, which was not true.
Toward the end of Bloodlines, Maria denounces the Templar Order and says she has no intention of going back to England. She states she wants to go east, maybe even further, and Altair expresses interest in going with her. Maria ultimately agrees to travel back to Masyaf with Altair, and it’s there that they become romantically involved. They marry and eventually have two kids together, all while Altair is still working for the Assassin Order and learning about the Apple of Eden. Maria doesn’t trust the Apple and its effect on Altair, but still joins the Assassins despite some pushback from those who didn’t accept her.
Altair and Maria’s relationship comes to a sudden halt when Altair uses the Apple’s powers on the man who reveals the truth about their son Sef’s death. Players relive this memory through Ezio Auditore in Assassin’s Creed Revelations, and watch as Altair holds a dying Maria, who was mortally wounded in the frenzy that transpired when Altair activated the Apple. Altair never forgives himself for Maria’s death, and is haunted by it until the day he dies.
Players don’t experience nearly as much of this couple’s timeline as Altair and Maria’s, but it’s still very apparent that the two have deep love and affection for each other. Aya and Bayek grew up together as children, and eventually became a couple in their teenage years. Not long after, they married and Aya gave birth to their only son, Khemu. Despite being separated for the majority of Assassin’s Creed Origins, the reunions between Bayek and Aya were always warm and full of love.
However, as time continued to pass without them together – Aya working for Cleopatra in Rome and Bayek seeking out their son’s killer in Egypt – it seemed their relationship became more strained. The death of Khemu didn’t drive a wedge into their relationship, despite it being such a great loss, but as time passed without them being together it became clear that their priorities had changed. Aya even denounced her old name, going by Amunet instead and officially founding the Hidden Ones (later known as the Assassin Order).
Bayek and Aya decide to break up toward the very end of Origins, but they still felt deeply for each other and never found another romantic partner. Instead, they devoted their lives to the Creed, essentially becoming the mother and father of the Assassin Order. The Hidden Ones became their family, and they worked in the shadows to preserve the light. Despite their lack of romantic intimacy for the rest of their time knowing one another, Aya and Bayek were still buried together, as discovered by Layla Hassan in the modern-day events of Origins.
On a surface level, both of these couples were husband and wife duos who ended up either fighting for/founding the Assassin Order. However, both couples also experienced an immeasurable loss, the loss of a child. Losing Khemu is what set Bayek and Aya into action, where they ended up uncovering the Order of Ancients and starting the Hidden Ones to combat them. Maria and Altair mourned their son, Sef, together and decided to avenge him. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t pan out the way they expected it to.
However, unlike Altair and Maria, Bayek and Aya eventually break up after the loss of Khemu. It didn’t seem like the loss was enough to drive them apart, but their own separate journeys through Egypt and Rome led them to realize they’d be better off focusing on the Hidden Ones instead of their relationship. Aya and Bayek parted by choice, and Altair and Maria parted because of death. Another difference is the fact that Maria was actually a Templar before becoming an Assassin, something Bayek and Aya probably wouldn’t have been too happy about.
Comparatively speaking, there is no better couple when it comes to Altair and Maria versus Bayek and Aya. It’s purely about the similarities and differences in their stories and how players resonate with either character or couple.
Assassin’s Creed Origins is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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