Chapter two

All at once Prince Tus and Garsiv and Princess Tamina exclaimed; "What!"

Oh no, he doesn't want me, no, no, no, how could his love for me change already? That was all Princess Tamina could think, and it hurt her to the point she felt like she was breaking to pieces.

"What do you mean No?" Shouted Prince Tus

"I mean no, you... well... it's not right that you marry her when you already have like five wives, and Garsiv has about three!" Prince Dastan all but blurted out the final part of that speech in one massive heap.

Relief was slowly washing over Princess Tamina and she dared to hope just a little bit more.

"Ahh, so you think you should marry Princess Tamina as your first wife?"

"I... erm... well..."

"Dastan if you had actually listened to what I had said originally then you would have saved yourself the embarrassment of your stuttering and exclamations and know that I said that you and Princess Tamina should marry!"

At that, Dastan was going redder by the second... "I er, well... er... yes... ok"

Prince Garsiv couldn't hold his laughter in any longer and so he bursted out laughing whilst exclaiming... "You should see your face right now! In the face of marriage you stutter but when it comes to war and fighting, you can do it in your sleep!"

"Excellent! What say you, Princess Tamina?"

"Prince Tus, I will accept the offer of allegiance and marriage proposal, if of course Prince Dastan is happy?" Princess Tamina's reply came as a somewhat of a snicker.

It didn't take Prince Dastan much more to slowly and tentatively step up to the throne seat of Princess Tamina, with nerves racking every fibre of his body. If he was being honest, he was quite surprised that she had accepted the marriage proposition so easily for he remembered what his Tamina was like in the other life, feisty. No, she was never his Tamina, she was her own person and not dependent on others and the sooner he learnt that, the sooner the relationship between the two would strengthen. However, he couldn't help but feel that she was hiding something, like she knew something he didn't, but then again how could she when it was he who knew something that she didn't know; in fact it was something no one knew about except for himself.

"Erm, well I know its customary for the betrothed to give a gift to his intended, but in my defence... well... er... since I didn't know that this was going to happen, well I... er I don't really have anything... except for this..."

And slowly he brought out the dagger and placed it into her hands whilst looking deeply into her eyes. It was then he saw how her eyes were telling him that there is something she knows which he doesn't. Giving her a small smile, he slowly stepped back.

When Dastan placed the dagger in her hands, Princess Tamina had to admit she wasn't surprised as she knew the gentle heart that Prince Dastan had, and she didn't think he would be selfish and keep the dagger to himself.

With a soft and sincere smile, Princess Tamina asked Prince Dastan; "Prince Dastan, perhaps you would like to take a stroll with me in the palace gardens?"

From her smile, he definitely could tell that she was hiding something, otherwise why would have it been so sincere after the treachery they had done in her City. Without wanting to wait any longer to find out what she was hiding, he gladly accepted the request to join her on her 'stroll' in the palace gardens.

Prince Tus couldn't help but feel that there was something deeper going on between the two but he couldn't understand what it could possibly be since they had never met each other before... or had they? He didn't know, but he was going to make it his mission to find out, but tonight wasn't the night for that, tonight he would let them get to know each other a little, if indeed they had to. All the same he thought he should give them a little warning before their relationship got any deeper...

"Er just a moment please, Princess Tamina, Dastan. Although you two have accepted the marriage proposal to unite our cities, but I trust that you remember the propriety and decency you both have to show when alone together. And Dastan, heaven forbid you rein in your desires..."

From beside him he could hear his brother chuckling with laughter so he glared at him to shut him up so he could finish lecturing his youngest brother about propriety.

"... Heaven forbid you forget propriety then remember at least that father is not here yet to give his consent to this marriage proposition between the two of you."

"Yes, heaven forbid he can't rein into desires!" Came Prince Garsiv's response in a chortle.

Dastan glared at Garsiv, but it was no use since he could tell his cheeks were burning and flushing. So instead he proceeded in responding to his eldest brother's warning.

"Don't worry brother; nothing will happen, other than talking." And with that he and Princess Tamina left his two brothers to take a stroll in palace gardens.

Prince Tus watched as Princess Tamina and his youngest brother walk out the high temple's praying room.

Garsiv meanwhile couldn't help but feel that his elder brother was worrying about nothing.

"Come brother, share your thoughts with me, for I am begging to think that you're worrying about something, and if you are surely it's not serious...?"

"Hmm? Yes well ok... Surely you can see there's a connection between the two deeper than you would expect from two people who had supposedly just met one another only moments ago...?

"You mean to say, that you think they knew each other before? But how can that be? It's not possible, we would have known!"

"I'm not so sure, but whatever it is that they're hiding, I will find out."

"Well come on then, let's go and find out, I want to know what is going on!"

"No! Not tonight brother, tonight we let them have this night tonight, and before you go any further with your thoughts, I don't think anything sensual or lustful will happen tonight!"

"Alright, alright, not tonight, but tomorrow I want answers!"

"Come now Garsiv, let us see what is left of the guards of this sacred city, we need to reform it somehow."

Meanwhile back with Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina...

It was a beautiful night with the stars twinkling in the sky and the moon shining down on the two intended. Anyone who had not witnessed what had happened only a couple of hours ago would not have believed it to be so...

The said intended were talking a slow stroll in the palace gardens, and Dastan wanted to understand why Princess Tamina was being so easy around him...

"Princess, I can't help but wonder why you accepted the marriage proposal so easily considering the circumstances it was made under...?"

"And I Prince Dastan, can't help but wonder as to why you are stuttering so much in this life when in the other life you were so sure of yourself!" Came Princess Tamina's snicker of a reply...

As soon as he heard that, Dastan's head shot up, did he hear correctly? Surely she can't have remembered living in the other life... and even if she did, she died in the other life...