Hey, folks! I watched the Prince of Persia for the hundredth time last night and thought of writing a one-shot on the moment where Tamina is ready to sacrifice herself in the Temple. I worked hard on it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it and hopefully share your thoughts with me (if you know what I mean :P)
Protect the Dagger of Time no matter the consequences. That is your sacred calling, Tamina. That is your destiny...
Words she had heard more than once since her birth. Since the tender age of six years old, Princess Tamina had been learning the secrets of the precious Dagger, the dangers that it hid and the ways to protect it. She had spent all her life keeping it safe in the Holy City of Alamut and she had carried that burden all on her own. She had no one to share her secret with, no one to help her with the protection of that valuable item and no one to rely on to take care of it and her city in case she failed in doing so herself. Fifteen years spent in solitude and loneliness. Surrounded only by her maids and priests and priestesses, she was the one that had to stay strong through the hard times and not to show feelings and weaknesses. That's what the High Priest had told her the day of her beloved mother's funeral when he found her in a fountain in the gardens crying in agony. She was just seven years old and she had not realized that day how harsh those words truly were. So she had spent the next fifteen years putting on her mask of serenity and coolness and she had buried deep in herself her true feelings. She had not shed a single tear during these years, not even when she was alone in her bed chambers because she was used to looking so tranquil and peaceful. And then he had to come along and change everything! Had anyone ever told her that the man who breached the walls of her beloved city, would be the same man whose destiny was tied to the Dagger as well and the same man she would eventually come to love, she would have looked at them scornfully and told them a witty and insulting retort of hers. The night he found out about the Dagger, she was afraid he would use it for his own gain but she was mistaken. The man all he wanted to do was restore his honor and wounded pride and punish the one who had to be blamed. He had protected the Dagger and herself so strongly and passionately that it made her admire him and actually have feelings for him. Feelings she had kept hidden for all those years. She didn't know if she should hate him or love him for that. But there was one thing she knew; she couldn't stay away from him. As if their lives were linked, destined to be together. How she wish she had met him earlier. They would have been able to be together under different circumstances. But now, as she saw him fighting against the Hassanssins for her and the Dagger, she knew what she had to do. She knew he would stop her if he saw her heading to the Temple. So she waited for the moment he had his back turned on her. Reluctantly, she climbed the rocks, stepping carefully among the dead bodies of the poor guardians of the Temple, and headed faster than before to the Temple, where the first Guardian had received the Dagger from the gods. "Protect the Dagger" was what Dastan told her moments ago but she knew that was not what he meant. She knew that he thought stupid and useless the idea of sacrificing herself for the Dagger but she had no choice. All of mankind depended on her. She could not risk unleashing gods' wrath again, followed by the destruction of all life on earth. She entered the cave and took a look at where she was supposed to place the Dagger. It looked like a small star engraved on the rock and a bright light was coming from it. She took a deep breath and unsheathed the Dagger of her belt as she walked slowly towards it. "I'm ready for this." She said and started walking towards the Dagger's place with determination. But he, as expected, was not willing to give up just yet. She felt her eyes water and was confused. What was happening to her? Her puzzlement didn't last long since the tears she had hid all those years, streamed down, now, freely her covered in dust cheeks. After fifteen years, one man made her cry with just five simple words. She was important to someone, really important and not just because she was his ruler or because she was the Dagger's protector. She was important to him because she was her, Tamina, the true Tamina, not that woman that hid her feelings behind her cool, calm mask. She lowered her head, trying to calm her breathing and she felt his gentle hand caressing her cheek while he wiped the tears off her face with his thumb. He then placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that he could gaze into her eyes. He kissed her so softly and yet passionately and she felt wanted more than ever before. The fact that she had to let go of that happiness she felt those last seconds, saddened her greatly and made her hate herself. But she had to... As they pulled apart, both breathless, her hand holding the Dagger was almost on its destination, an inch away of the star-shaped hole on the rocks. Thank gods, Dastan had not noticed. She mentally said her goodbye to him and readied herself for the pain to come, as her life would be sucked out of her body. But that pain never came. She felt something cold, a metal, wrapping around her delicate, small wrist, pulling her hand away of the hole and knocking the Dagger out of it. Caught off guard, she tried to get a strong grip on the Dagger but she was pulled by an unknown force backwards. She heard Dastan calling out her name and everything went black…
"Feelings are a weakness."
At first, she hated him with all her being for destroying her city and stealing the Dagger. She thought that as a true Persian Prince, he was brutal, arrogant and selfish and with no honor. But having to spend so much time with him, she discovered he was a better man than she had given him credit for. He was one of the most strange but amazing men she had ever met. He was kind and gentle and selfless but fierce, determined and strong. He was a man who honored his family and his principals and she respected him for that.
"Tamina, wait!" she jumped a little at the sound of his voice but was not surprised to see him. She expected he would notice her absence from the battlefield and would come after her. Concern was written all over his face and she couldn't help but feel happy and proud that a man such as Dastan was worried and protective of her and hopefully had feelings for her. She stopped walking as he stood at the rock above her, Prince Dastan, the Lion of Persia in all of his glory. He truly looked majestic and noble.
"Let me do it." He offered and looked certain of wanting to do this. Tamina was puzzled. Why did he want to take her place and sacrifice himself instead of her? What did he hope to achieve by doing this? However, it made no difference. Only she could be taken in the place of the life the gods spared.
"Only a Guardian can return the Dagger. It's nothing you can do, Dastan." She didn't care how persistent and obstinate as a mule he was. She had been prepared all her life for that moment and she was not willing to be a coward and run away, giving up everything she had sworn to do, everything she had believed so strongly in and everything she had lived and waited for. Nobody wants to die but she was serving a higher cause, more noble and important than any other. She was burdened with the destiny and well-being of the world. Her little life was meaningless compared to those of million others.
"I'm not." He said and jumped off the rock, landing right in front of her, blocking her way between her and the engraved rock. He looked in her eyes and hoped to make her change her mind, she could see that. After all, people always say, hope never dies. But she had lost all her hope of not having to do this. She had given up and gotten in terms that she must die. Why did he have to make this so difficult for her? Every passing second he stayed, so close to her, he gave her more reason for not doing it.
"Dastan, please, let me do it. The future of this world depends on me and only me. My life doesn't matter."
He shook his head, refusing to accept there was only one solution. "Your life matters to me. Isn't that enough?"
She looked at him wide eyed and surprised. Did he admit to her that he cared for her? Why did he have to do that? Was that his plan of changing her mind? Damn, that man…
"No, Dastan, it's not! Please, don't say things like that!" she exclaimed.
"I made the Princess of Alamut cry?" he said. She knew he expected to lighten the mood with one of his teasing remarks, hoping to distract her and make her forget what she had wanted to do. She smiled faintly not at his words but to the intentions hidden behind them. Why did she have to give up the one person that truly cared for her now? She had just found him…
"You flatter yourself, Prince…" he cracked a small smirk before his face turned serious again. He placed his palm on her cheek again as small tears kept on making their way down on it.
"And you used to be a better liar, Princess."
She wanted to tell him that she was perhaps out of practice but she forgot it the moment she saw him leaning closer to her, closing the distance between their lips. They closed their eyes as their lips touched softly and they both poured all their love and need for each other in that simple kiss. Tamina could swear she had a flashback of their journey and their adventures together during the past two weeks. She realized that what she actually felt for him was pure love and she wondered how she could love a man so quickly, so suddenly. But apparently, going through all those adventures with him, getting to knowing him so much better, seeing his other side, the Dastan that not many had seen, was what led her to fall in love with him.
Comments please?