Aftermath
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the film Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and I'm not making any money from this fic
Summary: Dastan suffers nightmares about what happened before time was turned back, and his relationship with Garsiv in particular seems damaged by it
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the whole film; some mentions of violence
Author's Note: I saw Prince of Persia for the third time this week. It's one of my favourite films now, and I was hoping to get a good story idea from it. As it turns out, I came up with two – I'll write the second one eventually
"NO!" The scream was torn from Dastan's throat as he jerked awake, heart thumping painfully. It took him a little while to realise that he wasn't running anymore; he wasn't fighting for his life or his freedom. He was on his bed in his chambers at home. He was drenched with sweat, and his breath was coming in short, sharp gasps – but he was safe. His family still lived.
Dastan couldn't have said how he knew he wasn't alone. Maybe it was instinct; or perhaps his brother made some kind of noise. Either way, he turned his head to the side, and saw Garsiv.
Dastan flinched; he couldn't help it. He knew that Garsiv had had a good reason for attacking him before – and more importantly, his brother had finally been willing to listen to him, before his life had been taken. No one remember what had happened – not even Tamina. It was only Dastan who suffered through nightmares. He wished he could forget...
"You've been screaming all this time," Garsiv said quietly, keeping his distance. "It's a miracle you haven't woken the whole castle."
For the past two nights, it had been Tus who had come in to talk to and sit with Dastan. The first night, both of his brothers had come in response to Dastan's screams. But still caught in the throes of his nightmare, Dastan had reacted badly and fearfully to Garsiv's presence – and so his second brother had stayed away. Until now.
"Garsiv..." Dastan pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Dastan, why won't you talk to us?" Garsiv demanded. "When you're not acting as though you fear we will turn against you, you are constantly worried about us being hurt. Father is worried; Tus is worried... I'm worried," he added after a moment's hesitation.
Despite himself, Dastan tried to see the humour in the situation. "If even you're concerned about me, Gar, then I suppose it must be serious."
"Don't try to make light of this." Garsiv took a warning step closer, but stopped when Dastan tensed up. "You fear me, brother. Why? Is it because you're worried that I'm angry that you breached the walls of Alamut? Perhaps I was at first – but you more than proved yourself in the battle."
"What?" For Dastan, the battle to breach Alamut was so long ago that it took him a moment to realise what Garsiv was referring to. "No... It has nothing to do with what happened then."
"Then how have I wronged you, Dastan?" Garsiv was a strong warrior – but even he had emotions that ran deep. And those were coming through now – in his voice and on his face.
More than anything, Dastan wanted to forget what had happened before. He wanted to be able to look at his brothers, father, and Tamina without seeing their deaths. He wanted the nightmares to end. And he wanted to tell both of his brothers everything, but how could he? Without proof, Garsiv and Tus would never believe him – and the dagger needed to be protected from those who would use it for ill purposes.
"I can't tell you anything," Dastan said reluctantly. "I wish I could, but none of you would believe me." He closed his eyes. "I'll be all right now." It was a lie, of course.
"Dastan..." Garsiv sounded frustrated – but beneath the frustration, Dastan could hear underlying concern. "You've changed, brother. I think you've finally grown up." He smiled, but there was very little humour in it. "I won't make you talk to me, Dastan. If you want comfort, then you should talk to Tus or Father. But if someone's hurt you, then tell me who it is. I can help with that."
The smile that came to Dastan's lips was not entirely expected. Garsiv wasn't good at giving sympathy, but he was fiercely protective of his brothers and their father. And that comment was so like him; it was good to have that knowledge that his brother was still the same. And he was starting to think that maybe it was wrong to keep all this a secret. After all, it was hurting not only him, but his relationship with his brothers. "I need to tell you something."
"Shall I get Tus?" Garsiv asked.
"I'll talk to him tomorrow." This was something that Dastan would have to talk to each of his brothers about on their own. He held eye contact with Garsiv as he opened his mouth, and began to tell his story.
It was close to dawn by the time Dastan finally finished telling Garsiv everything. Uncharacteristically, his brother sat there in silence, not looking away from Dastan. Parts of the story clearly upset him, but he didn't interrupt while Dastan was speaking.
"That's how I knew what Uncle Nizam was planning," Dastan said. "But, of course, no one remembers anything. Even Tamina has no knowledge of us meeting before."
"I don't understand how you can trust us after all this," Garsiv said quietly. "You just told me that I hunted you and was prepared to kill you. That you stabbed yourself so that Tus would believe in the power of the dagger." He began pacing up and down the room. "I can't believe I didn't believe you – even if I don't remember any of what happened."
"You listened to me eventually." Dastan got off the bed, and embraced his brother tightly. He was more relieved than he could say to find that Garsiv believed him – but he could hear the guilt in his brother's voice. "Garsiv, I never blamed you." He felt his brother stiffen slightly, but only held on tighter. He and Garsiv spent a lot of time fighting and arguing with each other, but they still cared deeply.
Dastan should have known that this would hit Garsiv hard.
"You should have told me about this before, Dastan," Garsiv said, when he finally seemed to have regained control of himself. "This has been hurting you for long enough." He stood quietly in his brother's arms for a moment longer, and then extricated himself from Dastan's embrace. "That was a poor decision to make, brother." His hands went to his sword belt.
Dastan followed the direction of Garsiv's hands, and took a step back. While growing up, he had felt the sting of discipline from his father and brothers many times; but he hadn't been punished for some years now. He couldn't believe that Garsiv was prepared to do this now. "No..." It was disbelief more than a refusal to submit, though.
"You should have told me about this before now." Garsiv unsheathed his sword, and rested it against the wall. Then, he removed his belt, and doubled it over.
Dastan thought about refusing the punishment. He thought about fighting Garsiv and escaping, as he'd done so in the past. But he'd been having difficulty seeing past what had happened before. Perhaps he needed to be reminded of the bond that existed between him, Garsiv, and Tus. Of course, he wouldn't like this... But Dastan turned round and leaned over, placing his hands on the bed.
Garsiv placed a hand on Dastan's back, pushing down slightly. "After this is over, we will both find Tus and Father, and you can tell them what happened."
"I was going to do that anyway." Dastan's last word ended on a gasp when Garsiv landed the belt for the first time. He'd managed to forget how much a strapping with a belt hurt, but he quickly remembered as Garsiv continued to land the belt painfully against his behind.
But even though it hurt, Dastan could feel himself grow closer to his brother. The pain that he hadn't even realised was there from what had happened with Garsiv was gradually drifting away. With each blow of the belt, it felt like the importance of the bond between brothers was being reinforced.
"That's enough," Garsiv decided, after landing the belt a final hard time. When Dastan didn't speak immediately, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Dastan?"
"Thanks, Gar." Once again, Dastan caught Garsiv by surprise in a tight embrace. "Thank you, brother," he repeated, really meaning it. He would be able to rest easier now; now that his relationship with Garsiv was no longer broken by what had happened. "Let's go find Tus and Father."