Set after Dastan turns back time-but with a difference.
After the battle at the Sanctuary, the group went back to Sheik Amar's Inn.
Dastan gets drunk to numb the pain of Garsiv's death.
The first part is an overview of what happened from Dastan's P.O.V.
The second part is in the not-too-distant future, and will probably be from Tamina's P.O.V.
Anyway, you know the drill. R&R.
But most important of all, enjoy :)
Thanks for reading.
Love Will Keep You Up All Night
Part One
He hadn't meant for it to go so far.
In fact he hadn't meant for it to happen at all.
After the battle at the Sanctuary, Sheik Amar had insisted upon taking the treasures back to his Inn. Tamina had protested, but he shook his head to silence her. He understood her concerns, but he needed rest. He had been running purely on adrenaline for a whole day.
Dastan didn't say anything on the way back to Sheik Amar's Inn, and likewise, no one said a word to him. Tamina clung to him tighter than usual, offering what comfort she could. He wanted to thank her, but he couldn't find the words.
When they arrived, Dastan took three bottles of Rum, and slipped off to his temporary chambers. Gradually he slipped into a drunken stupor. The world looked so much brighter through drunk eyes. He laughed at everything. He didn't care whether it was funny or not, it just felt good to laugh. It felt good to be numb.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but that didn't bother him. He didn't want to go on. It was too hard.
The door opened and Tamina stepped inside. He attempted to hide the empty Rum bottles behind his back, but she saw them. Her expression was halfway between anger and worry. The latter won out in the end and she crossed the floor and gathered him in her arms. The Rum bottles rolled off the bed, and Dastan wrapped his arms around her waist and buried her face in her neck.
Something that was intended to be merely a comforting embrace, became a kiss,then became so much more.
Tamina took off her dress, then rid Dastan of his tattered white shirt. Her fingertips on his chest were soothing. Her kiss was soft and tender. Her skin was softer than the finest silk, and her eyes bored into his, making him feel as if she could see right through him. He bowed his head, fearing that she would see the rage and pain behind his eyes.
"Dastan" Tamina whispered, lifting his face with both hands. "Don't hide from me"
He captured her lips with his.
He gave her his heart that night.
When Dastan woke the next morning, he was unable to move. In a moment of panic, thinking it was Garsiv's corpse lying on top of him, he tried to wiggle free. The body moved further onto his chest, snuggling in his neck, and sighed contentedly. Realising who it was, he relaxed.
Tamina.
Wait. Tamina? What was she doing in his bed? Even stranger, in his arms?
"Bloody hell" He groaned, but he couldn't help but smile.
Yes. Tamina had come to him.
It had been real.
But then that had to mean that Garsiv's death had also been real.
His heart sank.
He pried the sleeping Princess off himself and covered her with the blanket.
Standing up, he slipped his pants back on and walked over to the window and looked out.
Tamina wouldn't like this one bit.
He felt a sudden pang of guilt. What had he done?
His brother had just died, and he had sex with the Princess?
He shook his head, disgusted with himself.
"Dastan?" A faint voice called. "What are you doing in my room?"
He forced a smile to his face and turned to her.
"Pardon me, Princess, but I think you will find this is my room"
"What? That's not poss-Oh, gods!" Dastan resisted the urge to laugh when she realised she was naked. "What-Please tell me we didn't-we didn't, did we?" She stammered, now fully awake.
His grin faded.
Was the thought of loving him so unbearable?
Dastan's only regret was the circumstance that had lead to last nights' events.
He did not, however, regret what happened between them.
He could imagine waking to her face for the rest of his life.
He turned back to look out the window.
"Dastan..." Her tone was laced with regret.
"No, you're right. It was a mistake. I apologise for putting you in this position, Princess. I'll give you your privacy" Dastan turned without looking at her, retrieved a fresh shirt that had been laid out on the end of the bed for him, and left the room.
Tamina tried several times in the next few days to talk about what happened, but Dastan refused. He just wanted to forget what happened. That was easier said than done. Everytime he closed his eyes he saw her face, he felt her in his arms.
"Do you regret it?" Tamina asked on the way to Alamut. Those words made his heart clench painfully.
He looked over his shoulder at her.
"Not a moment" He answered honestly.
"Then why won't you talk to me about it? What's the problem?"
Dastan turned back around to face the front.
"You do" He said quietly.
"Dastan, you must understand. I am a Priestess, and as a Priestess, I am required to remain a virgin until the night of my wedding"
"I'm aware of that. And I regret putting you in that situation. Remind me to apologise to your husband when you marry, as well" He shot back.
"Fine, then. Be difficult" Tamina didn't speak for several minutes. "That was your plan, wasn't it? To take my virtue for your own, so no other man could have me?"
"Why, Princess, you know me too well" Dastan replied sarcastically.
"What's going on with you two?" Sheik Amar asked.
"What do you mean? We argue all the time" Dastan said, feigning ignorance.
"Point taken, but this is different. All you're other arguments are over utter, trifling rubbish, but this-this is serious"
"It's nothing. It's nothing, right, Princess?" He turned to her with cold eyes.
He turned away, and looked at Sheik Amar.
"Quite right. It's nothing"
"Right. You keep telling yourselves that"
And so they went on pretending nothing had happened. That was made steadily harder by the death of Tus, which was followed not long after by the death of Tamina. In those final moments, they couldn't pretend anymore. Their love was sealed by a kiss and a wish before Tamina fell to her death.
Back in the present, sitting on his bed in Alamut in the quarters Tamina had allocated him, her last words haunted him.
"I wish we could have been together"
Past events had been undone, but Dastan still felt them, still remembered them, as one whom was stabbed still feels the pain of the wound even after it has healed.
The fact that she knew nothing of these events made it worse.
He would not tell her. They had been given a second chance, and though it pained him that she did not remember him, he knew it was better that way.
Part Two
Tamina found Prince Dastan charming enough. He was childish and playful most of the time, but there were times when he was serious, even sad, Tamina thought. When he wasn't with her, he sought solitude in the gardens of Alamut.
He didn't seem like the contemplative type, but it was clear that he had a lot on his mind.
Three days before their wedding, she followed him out to the garden discreetly. Or at least she thought she was being discreet. He'd stopped with his hands folded behind his back. She knew he knew she was there.
"This is my favourite place in all the palace. I come out here when I need to clear my head"
He remained silent and still. Seeing that subtlety was wasted on him, she walked towards him in long strides and stood in front of him. He looked at her, confused.
"What is troubling you, Dastan?" She asked softly.
He looked away for a moment, then looked back at her. "It's nothing, Princess. I'm fine"
"Nothing. Okay, then. Tell me about nothing"
"It's nothing of interest to you, Princess. Just dreams. Foolish dreams" He trailed off, looking away again.
"If we are to be married, we must be honest with each other"
"You aren't going to like it"
Tamina's stomach twisted in fear, but she maintained her defiant expression. Dastan didn't break under her gaze.
"I'll tell you. When we're married"
Her impatience told her to press him until he told her, but her better judgement told her to trust him. There was no lie in his eyes.
She waited three days. She wished the wedding would go a little faster so she could find out what he was hiding. This surprised her. Was she that eager to know what was on his mind?
If she was honest with herself, she would have to say yes. What was the mystery behind his eyes?
He knew so much about her, but she knew so little about him.
Why did he look so sad when he looked at her?
She waited in their chambers that night, pacing impatiently. She wondered what was to happen tonight. She was not in love with this man. Or not yet. She had feelings for him, but they puzzled her. She figured she would wait and see what they turned into.
But here it was, their wedding night and she was still uncertain what she felt for the man that was now her husband.
The door creaked open, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hello, Princess" Just like the first time they met.
He didn't look happy, nor did he look apprehensive. His demeanor was calm, and his eyes were sad.
"I understand I have been somewhat distant. I apologise. The last few months have been...challenging"
Tamina didn't know whether to be offended or not.
"It's nothing to do with you. Well, actually, it is, but it's not what you think..."
He seemed to have a sudden attack of nerves. Tamina took pity on him and smiled.
"Dastan, you're rambling. Come. Sit, relax" He came and sat on the end of the bed. and Tamina followed. His knees bounced restlessly.
"I have used the dagger"
"I thought you had. That actually explains a lot"
Dastan nodded. "Certain events took place before I used the dagger. Some terrible, some...wonderful"
"I know that your uncle conspired against your father, and I know that one of my priests was aiding him" Tamina said clearly.
"Well, in this other time, my father and brothers were killed, as were you. I was blamed for my fathers death, but you helped me escape"
Tamina gasped. She had died? Logic told her that was impossible. She was there. They were married.
But her knowledge of the daggers power told her that he was telling the truth, as did the agony in his eyes. Still, her instinct was to contradict him, to tell him she was there, as were his father and brothers and that everything was fine.
"In the other time, you and I-" Sweat broke out on his neck. He looked down, wringing his hands.
Tamina put a hand on his back in an attempt to calm him. He looked up.
"We fell in love...And we-"
Despite the disjointed sentences, Tamina understood what he was trying to say. They had had sex.
Her first thought was that she would never have sex outside of marriage, but the look in his eyes told her that they had.
"How soon before I died did we-" Tamina faltered and blushed.
"Days. We left for Alamut the following day. While we were there we found the Sands of Time, and we fought Nizam. The ground collapsed beneath us, and I fell over the edge. I was barely able tohold on. Nizam threw you over the edge, and I grabbed your hand, but you wouldn't let me save you."
He had tried to save her. Protecting the dagger was her sacred duty, so it made sense that she would sacrifice herself for it. But she senses that there was something he wasn't telling her.
"We kissed. Before it happened. We kissed. And as you-" Dastan faltered, and Tamina could have sworn she'd seen a tear escape his eye. This tore at her heart and made it soar it the same time. He really had loved her.
"Just before you let go, you said 'I wish we could have been together'"
What did this mean for her? Her feelings for him had grown as they got to know each other, but only did she realise that she was in love. But it seemed there was something more Dastan needed to get off his chest.
"For the past few months, I've walked the paths of the garden, wondering if I might have fathered a child. Not knowing for sure is driving me insane. And I've found myself wondering what it would have been like to raise a child with you. It's all I can think about. You are all I can think about"
Tamina remained silent for several minutes.
"Yell at me, insult me, anything, just please say something" He said looking at me imploringly.
"Dastan?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"I think I'm in love with you"
He looked at her in disbelief for a moment, then he smiled. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say those words"
"Do you love me?"
"Yes, Tamina. More than anything in this world"
She smiled and kissed him.
"It seems we'll be having our wedding night sooner than I thought" Dastan said thoughtfully.
Tamina pulled back, raising her eyebrows. "Exactly how long did you think you'd have to wait?"
"Well, I thought a few weeks. A month, maybe. My brothers on the other hand-"
Dastan stopped when he saw Tamina glaring at him. He smiled.
"I would have waited forever to hold you in my arms. You're worth every minute"
"No more waiting. I only have one lifetime to get to know you, so I had better start now" Tamina smiled.
"I thoroughly agree"