HAMISHE

Rating: T

Synopsis: The Sands of Time survive even when others do not. Even so, it and the dagger have all but been lost to antiquity. Or have they?

Pairings: Dastan/Tamina, and perhaps others.

*Five Years From Now*

If it wasn't the heat, it was the bugs, if it wasn't that, it was the gritty sand. There was always something that made digging in the ground seem so stupid. That was, until an amazing discovery was made.

Wren Anderson wiped a hand across her forehead, leaving behind a smear of dirt as she did so. There was no more digging to do, but crawling through the tiny tunnel to reach the recently uncovered anti-chamber to a what looked like a tomb made her look like a mole. She stopped as her small flashlight sputtered, momentarily plunging her into darkness. She stayed frozen for a long moment before something hard smacked into her rear. "Owww!"

Recognizing the voice, she managed to get hers to work. "Tesla, my flashlight went out." There was a pregnant pause behind her. "For the love of Plato, Wren! Didn't you pack extra batteries?" Wren felt the fear grip her throat tightly and she was barely able to choke out an answer. "No." There was a rustling noise and a hand managed to wedge its way between her body and the rough wall of the tunnel. "Here, take my spares. And get moving before my knees adhere to this floor, will you?"

Wren somehow managed to grab the two cylinders, open her flashlight, and jam in the two new batteries as tears streamed from her eyes. As soon as the tunnel became lit she was able to breathe again, inching forward to be out of the close, dark nightmare. Finally, she was at the end, after another four minutes inside the unbearably small space. Tesla Androv popped out behind her, dirt in his dark curly hair and a non-sympathizing look on his face. "You know, you're the first archaeologist I've ever met who really has a fear of small spaces. What a stupid profession to choose."

Within the room, generators outside with wires that led through the tunnel lit small lamps carefully placed on holding stands. The chamber was cool, and yielded spectacular paintings of elaborate ceremonies and victorious battle heroes. Slabs of smoothed white stone formed the floor, walls, and ceilings. Two carved chests with deity carvings on their lids stood against one wall. Two massive marble statues stood, one on either side of an ancient looking door. One was of a man who held a sandglass in one hand, a sword in the other. The other was a woman who had in her outstretched hands a copper dagger. Both were wholly unique and were clearly not generic statues from a workshop. On their bases two inscriptions declared their roles. The man's read: Keeper of the Nation, beloved of his wife. The woman's read: Protector of the Dagger, forever bound to her husband.

The leader of the expedition, Jason Eivstead, stood by the door with Iranian archaeologist, JalAl Faisal Hussein. JalAl's excited voice seemed to echo in the chamber. "Imagine, finally opening a tomb containing the remains of a king and his queen, untouched by time or thieves." Jason gave him a firm thump on the back. "I told you we could do it, JalAl! Ever since we went to school together I knew we could." Wren was glad to see Jason so pleased, as the Norwegian occasionally had bad tempers and it was pleasant change to see him smile. Tesla stepped forward, pulling his camera out as he did so.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road. Open 'er up."

Wren stood beside Tesla as Jason and JalAl each took hold a rope that had been carefully screwed into the plain stone slab. The idea was to pull it carefully open from the right, then lay the slab onto the ground so it could be preserved. And that was exactly what happened, as both men expertly moved the slab from the unopened tomb onto the ground, Tesla taking pictures of the events with a firm hand. The air that came out of the dark room was stale. Jason inched one of the lights with its stand into the room.

It was dazzling. Blue, green, red, and gold painted adorned the walls. Carved white marble screens lined the walls. In the center, a huge sarcophagus with the carved visages of a man and a woman rested, and on all sides, in lacquered wooden chests, metal jars, and beaded baskets were offerings of incredible wealth. Against the wall opposite of the newly opened door, oddly enough, stood another door, closed as the first had been.

It took the next four hours to photograph the entire room and measure both the location of each object and the entire size of the room. Finally, though, Wren was given permission to look into some of the closed boxes. Moving aside a floral garland made from hammered gold and pearls, she gently opened an emerald inlaid chest. She then took a picture of the inside, her gloved hands holding her own camera steady. A beautiful diadem rested within. Jade leaves wreathed tiny garnet flowers. Gold vines snaked up and down the top part of the crown, while the circlet part was encrusted in carved pink pearls and more jade leaves. She closed the box and stood, her eyes captured by the staring faces on the sarcophagus.

"These people must have been loved."

Tesla also stood and looked.

"Either that, or they were just flamboyant. But you want to know the odd thing?"

Wren pulled her gloved off and tugged a few strands of her straight red hair back into the clips that had originally held them. "What?"

Tesla tapped a finger against the stone coffin

"They were buried together. They must have died at the same time."

Wren paused as she thought of this.

"Perhaps there was an illness or something."

Tesla shrugged at her words.

"In which case, you get to open the darn thing and die first from an ancient disease."

Wren rolled her eyes and turned to where Jason and JalAl stood beside the sealed door. They spoke excitedly together, an odd mixture of Iranian, Norwegian, and English. Eventually they finished their discussion, after which Jason proceeded to screw more ropes into the door. It took them twice as long to get this door open, partly because the stone and the doorframe had been coated with bitumen, which now formed an incredibly strong glue.

But sheer determination and brute strength finally had the door lying on the ground. Again, a light was placed into this new room, but, although huge compared to the burial chamber, there was nothing in it but what looked like a solidified pillar made from mud.

Jason and JalAl were not too disappointed, however, as they did have an untouched tomb at their fingertips. And the next day Wren found herself back in the burial chamber as the stone sarcophagus was moved. Within were the elaborately wrapped figures depicted in the statues. The man, who was taller, had been given a cloak of deep scarlet, a hammered gold death mask placed over his face. The woman had also been given a robe, although this one was in white, and her death mask was made from silver. Both wore diadems and had once fresh flower garlands wrapped about their necks. But to the curiosity of everyone, a small, hand-carved box rested between them.

The sarcophagus was photographed and the box removed before the lid was placed back over them. Jason and JalAl worked together to read the inscription that was on the lid. They deliberated for a time before arriving at a rough translation. Jason looked at Wren and Tesla. "It says something similar to: May God forbid the dagger from touching the time within the sands again." Wren gave a small chuckle. "Sounds like the king had a nip too many when he had that made." Tesla laughed before watching as JalAl opened the box. A heavily beaded cloth rested over an object, which Tesla photographed. Measurements were taken, and then JalAl opened the cloth.

Everyone gasped. An exquisite dagger with a glass hilt and gold bands lay before them. The blade had ancient writing on it that no-one could read and was still sharp. After many more pictures, Jason suggested they call it a day and lock up. JalAl agreed and decided to secure the outside camp. Jason followed suit, preparing to power down the generators.

Tesla started to pack up his camera while Wren fingered the dagger. It was truly beautiful, but the inscription on the box made no sense. She began to shine her flashlight into the corners of the rooms, checking that every cable was secure. Finally, she came to the empty room and was about to switch the tripod light off when her flashlight caught something in its beam. On the floor of the chamber, plain as day, directly in front of the odd pillar, were carved words. "Tesla, come see this!" A few grumbled sounds reached her before Tesla did, but his demeanor changed entirely when he saw the words on the floor. Wren looked at him. "Your Persian's better than mine. What does it say?"

Tesla furrowed his brow as he tried to form a cohesive sentence. "It says something about a sacred sand inside the pillar and…something or other to do with the flow of time." By the end of what he was saying Wren had dashed back into the burial chamber and now returned with the dagger in her hand. "Well, that sounds a bit like that box inscription. Perhaps the two go together. Tesla frowned at her. "Yeah, but the other one sounded like a warning. You know, like the do-not-go-beyond-this-point-or-you-will-be-blown-up kind?" Wren gave him an even deeper frown. "Do you know how stupid that sounded?"

Tesla backed up two steps. "All I'm saying is that you might want to leave well enough alone." Wren shrugged at him and stepped up to the pillar. The tip of the blade rested against the solid surface. Nothing happened. "Good, you looked danger in the eye and spit at it, now get away from there so we can leave." Tesla stepped forward and as he did so his foot got caught on an uneven portion of the floor. Slamming heavily into Wren, she lost her balance and shoved the dagger into the pillar, her fingers pressing hard against the hilt. With a sudden blinding flash and Tesla clinging to her leg, Wren found herself in a whirlwind as sand came pouring through the dagger's hilt. It was all she could do to hang onto it and she forced her eyes shut. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt Tesla move, pulling his way up by wrapping his arms around her waist. His hand clapped over hers and suddenly the sand was gone.

And was abruptly replaced by bright, natural sunlight. Wren opened her eyes to find Tesla's arms still wrapped around her waist, the dagger still in her hands, and an open air, clearly ancient bazaar being conducted around them.

Author's Note:

If you would like me to continue this story, please let me know in a review =).