I am currently replaying The Two Thrones for the umpeteenth time and then I began to wonder – what had Farah been up to during the entire time she had been separated from the Prince, before she had met him? How did she end up in Babylon? Unlike in SoT, Farah had a journey of her own in TTT, a spiritual journey full of realizations as well as a physical one. She is a heroine in her own right, at times annoying and bossy, at times kind and supportive, but always anything but boring. And because of that, this story entered my mind.

X X X X

Chapter 1 – the Princess

X X X X

"Just call me... Kakolookiyam."

My fragile grip on the dagger in my hands faltered for a moment as the meaning of these words entered my mind. I wanted to say something, but had no words. No one in the whole wide world knew that word, no one except me and my mother, who had died when I was very little. Not even my father knew this little secret. Yet this stranger, who had entered my rooms during the dark of the night and proceeded to expose a traitor within our own ranks and kill him in front of my eyes knew it. Not only that – his glance and the timing and use of the word assured me that he was certain of the effect it would have on me.

I had only time to blink before he was gone from my sight, undoubtedly returning to the Persian armies, as he had intended when he told me his plan. Before the Vizier walked in on us and proceeded to disobey. But not before he managed to tell me the most fantastic fairytale I have ever heard.

It rivaled and defeated my mother´s tales in its originality and wonderfulness. Of course, it was simply a story… or was it? I glanced at the Dagger of Time. Ever since Father had returned with the Sands and the three artifacts of the Island of Time, I had felt unease. I believed the stories they told me, stories of creatures of Sand, purely because I had seen demonstrations of what the dagger could do. I have used it on occasion, purely to test its powers, and knew enough of the Sands to respect and fear them. And was it such a good idea, having them in our palace? Surely others would hear of the wonders within the Hourglass and would be foolish enough to attempt to claim them…

"Never fear, my most treasured gem." Father had said kindly when he saw the concern in my eyes as I eyed the items. "The Sands are safe. And they will not hurt you." He then proceeded to put a circular amulet around my neck. As I examined it, I saw the emblem on it was similar to the marks on the dagger and the hourglass. "This is for you. The Amulet of Time, it is called – it will protect you. While you wear it, the Sands cannot reach you, Farah. Remember that, if you truly worry so." He had smiled. "But now smile, little jasmine bloom, and don't let the worries of the old cloud your fair brow."

I had laughed then, I remember. I was little, after all, no older than ten, and ten is an age of joy, when youth still rules your mind. This night, however, I didn't laugh once. Not even when I told my strange guest that I didn't believe his tale. Yet now, now that he had so easily tossed at me proof – far more important to me than the dagger, which was tangible - of his words, I began to doubt myself. Could his words be believed?

Oh, surely not. I frowned. Certainly, his knowledge of the word meant something, but… I sighed. This wasn't making any sense. I would have to think on this. But I certainly wouldn't be telling anyone that a Persian prince had snuck into my chambers and told me this. If I didn't believe this tale – or did I? – who else would? However, he made sense when he had said what I should do about the now unmasked traitor.

I straightened the yellow fabric on my shoulder. I would tell Father that the Vizier attempted to kidnap me and bring me to the Persian army, so that they could blackmail Father and force him to submit. But, being old and unaware that I had taken the Dagger of Time for some reason I would yet create, he didn't realize that I would defend myself and I had to kill him in self-defense.

Yes, I nodded to myself, that I would do. It was a reasonable story, a believable one, and it involved none of that time-manipulating nonsense. Again, I stopped to frown. I remembered some of the situations he described to me as our adventures, and I found myself thinking what I would do and realizing that he had guessed more than correctly at what I would do. How could he have known that? How did he know me? Too many questions, too few answers.

I looked at the dagger in my hand.. Was it simply me, or did it glow strangely in the early morning sunlight? I examined it for a moment, wondering if it was possible, if by any chance this strange tale was more than just a story. My face was reflected by the blade.

An ordinary weapon, at the first glance.

At the second, I could swear that somehow, the simple piece of metal in my hands was mocking me.

X X X

"To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour."

- William Blake

X X X

I shut my left eye tight and focused on the target a hundred feet away from me. The arrow was in position and I carefully aimed its tip at the pillow handing from the tall palm tree, swirling slightly in the wind. It was more of a bag than a pillow, but it was stuffed enough to capture the arrow and light enough not to remain static. Careful, take your time with the shot, I reminded myself. But on the battlefield, there would be little time. Still, hasty shots missed often.

"Princess Farah!" I released the arrow abruptly and it soared at least three feet to the left from its target, landing in a bird fountain and scaring said birds away. I spared it only a brief glance before grabbing my bow and sprinting out of sight. Predictably, as I saw when I looked around the corner, my back pressed firmly against the wall, it was Manju, one of my servants. She was slightly younger than me and I considered her somewhat of a friend, but she simply couldn't understand why a princess didn't spend the whole day choosing her dress and accessories or choosing between suitors.

She never understood why I spend my days studying, practicing my skill with the bow and attempting to do things "that nature has given under the responsibility of men". She was too simple-minded for that.

But I was the only heir to the throne of India, and I knew that the hopes of our country rested on me. Thus I would have to take up all the tasks required, damn the gender separation. I would be like the Great Mother, Devi – I would be Durga the Warrior, I would be Parvati the Gentle, only Kali I would never be. That is why I trained from my childhood and tried to train the politicians to respect me, regardless of the simple unchangeable fact that I was a woman.

After so many years of battle, I have learned to fight through the field of politics, my goal being proving that women have just as much political power as men. And if I ever marry – which, unfortunately, might be a requirement – I will never allow anyone to rule over me.

And I certainly wasn't in the mood for a conversation that would undoubtedly lead to an argument over these things. Manju seemed to have deemed it her personal mission to convince me that I should simply want for a prince to marry and be happy to give the country heirs.

I think not.

I admit, I am different from most women, even most princesses.

"Good afternoon, my Princess." I didn't realize I had begun walking away from Manju, from the gardens, and mechanically had entered the palace – it took the elderly and somehow too smooth voice whose owner stood several paces ahead of me, obviously heading in the opposite direction, to remind me that I wasn't alone in the palace.

"Vizier." I said curtly, nodding in the same manner. I had never quite made up my mind about this man. He had been a servant of my father for as long as I remember, nothing but respectable, an elderly man that seemed almost ancient and almost frightening with his facial paint and liking of dark clothes. Nevertheless, he had treated me with respect even when I had been a small child. Always he deferred to me with a quiet politeness, but even now I remember being frightened of his eyes. They seemed somehow colder and crueler than the rest of him and they were in a sharp contrast with his velvety voice, making it seem as if each word was a carefully placed mockery which mocked you all the more if you didn't have the wit to spot it. One could only imagine what was going on in his mind, for he never revealed his thoughts to anyone. Not fully anyway. Needless to say, he was intimidating, and I believed that few ever saw what should truly frighten them about him.

A small smirk-like expression passed through his features. "Practicing your running skills, I see." he noted smoothly, taking in my full appearance with one glance, not in a lustful way, simply examining me. I felt a shiver which I had long ago learned to ignore.

"It isn't my fault that some of my servants fail to understand the importance and difficulty of my position." I said defensively, "I am the Princess of India and I will one day take over the burden of my father. I must be prepared for it in every aspect, so that I might make him proud."

The Vizier nodded briefly, his black eyes never leaving me, as if waiting to see if I would look away. "You are doing an outstanding job of it thus far, milady. But allow me to change the subject – I know better than enter a verbal duel with the most fierce of India´s politicians. I was wondering if your father has told you of his newest desire – he has decided to travel to a fabled island, somewhat of a myth, and discover its treasures. I believe it has been his dream for long."

My eyes widened, but I quickly recovered. Yes, I had heard something. But no definite plans, certainly no planned conquests! Dreams, yes, of a fabled Island of Time, where great wonders resided, wonders beyond anything mankind has ever seen. My father has a great weakness of wonders, be it artistic marvels or technical inventions – but he hadn't told me that he truly wished to go forward with this and accomplish his dream.

"Is his decision final?" I found myself saying, "What has he told you? I have heard… something, but at the time, Father wasn't planning…"

"It is decided, I believe, milady – after all, I am to accompany the maharaja to this island." He said calmly. My heart sank. One thing was my father not saying anything to me yet. Another was purposely not telling me of this until the last moment. that could only mean that he intended to leave me here!

My troubled thoughts must have been obvious, for the Vizier continued. "Princess, I understand you are unsettled, but your father cares for you too much to allow harm to come to you. As you have said, you are the only descendant, the only heiress to the throne." He spoke the word heiress with a strange emphasis. There was concern there… and something more. But I could be sure.

I nodded, thanked him hurriedly and almost sprinted to the throne room, finding my father in the middle of a conversation with some of the captains of our armies. The men stopped talking when they saw me and all the captains bowed to me. Father smiled at me and moved to embrace me, but I took a step back. His smile faltered and he looked surprised.

"You haven't told me." I said, those words full of disbelief. Judging by his frown, he knew exactly what I meant. He had no words. The silence was worse than explanations. i shook my head. "Father, why pursue a myth, a fable? This island of yours might not even exist!"

"Zurvan told you." Father said, his frown deepening.

"That is inconsequential, I would have found out." I opposed. And he knew I was right. He was quiet again. "Father, take me with you." I had said it. It was my desire to go with my father, to seek glory at his side, to prove to him that I was able, to him and these soldiers that followed our conversation quietly, for it would be the only way they would understand that I had what it took to be what my father was.

"No, Farah." Father said. He didn't even consider letting me come. "Not because you wouldn't manage the journey, my little tiger." He wasn't smiling. "Because India needs a ruler, and you can prove yourself this way. You will be the keeper of the palace until I return, the lady all will obey. You will take my throne temporarily, until I return. And I know you will manage it and earn the respect and honor equal to that you would be granted on the battlefield."

Words ran dry. Never before had I been offered such a chance, such a trial. I would guide my people until their king would return… that was the greatest challenge I have yet faced. Ah, how clever my father was, how cunning! He knew well there was no way I could possibly escape from this trap, no way I could refuse. And he knew I realized it. He wrapped his arms around me and I clung to his chest helplessly, still trying to comprehend what was happening.

"When will you return?" I heard the whisper leave my lips.

"The Island's exact location hasn't yet been marked on the map, but my best sailors have seen a strange island only a few weeks sailing away from here. Three months, if things go well."

I closed my eyes. "Will I manage it without you, Father?"

"Farah, you have never failed me. The people believe in you, you are their princess. You will rule them even better than I would." He withdrew and kissed my forehead with a smile. "Don't be so grim, little lotus. We will return and bring treasure with us. And not all of us will leave. Several units will remain, under your direct command, to defend the city, if necessary. Although I´m certain you would manage even on your own."

I nodded, ignoring the tears falling from my eyes. Then, I frowned one last time. I could play one last card. "Why does Zurvan get to go?"

"Old age, nothing to lose, a small bit of knowledge of the ancient myths and a piece of advice I can yet hand out, milady." The Vizier said from behind me, making me turn in my father's embrace. He bowed as he approached and rose when my father motioned him to do so.

"I didn't mean any disrespect, Vizier." I said, slightly ashamed now. "I offer my apologies if I offended you."

"Youth sees all with clear eyes, Princess. Perhaps too clearly for us old. But I accept the offered, if I may." He said with something as close to a smile as his face could manage. Still, it wasn't a smile, more like a mockery of one.

All too soon, I realized that this was the day of their departure and found myself saying my farewells to Father and the armies that went with him. Symbolically, Father had placed the crown on my head for a moment before the final farewell, indicating that I now reigned over the palace. I watched from the high towers of the palace as they left and disappeared into the jungles.

Truly, it took months until Father returned, as had been estimated. And he returned alive, healthy, not having lost any men. It seemed that they had found the island deserted… but its treasures still present. An empty hourglass, a dagger and a staff were the most prominent among them, but the ancient books were far greater in number and in my eyes, in value as well. I spent hours reading them – those I could understand, anyway – learning and relaxing both.

Yet I also spent countless hours examining the hourglass, or simply staring at it, pondering the absence of the sands within. As a result, Father eventually proclaimed that if I loved looking at the hourglass so, he would give it to me. Formally, only, because I found it too grand and big for my quarters, but I enjoyed the fact that something so beautiful belonged to me. The staff had been given to the Vizier, since he had hinted he could use it for magical purposes. The dagger remained with the hourglass, locked away in the treasure vaults of the palace. It took weeks until I turned my attention to it, having seen the hourglass from every angle, at all times of the day.

When I looked at it, it seemed an ordinary dagger. When I took it in my hands, I felt the sand within – later, I determined its use.

For some reason, I had the feeling I had lived this moment before.