A/N: What? An update? Yes, it is! :D A little quicker this update is and I am quite proud! Now, I must apologize if this chapter seems a bit...I don't know how to put it percisely but perhaps out of place? Again, I do not have an editor, for my previous one disappeared and cannot contact her. :-/ I tried with their ways of English, and I try hard to fit it in well so I hope it is good! Thank you guys soooo much for the reviews! Please keep it up; it urges me to update faster! :D

With The Wind

Written by Princess. A

Chapter Three:

Carefree Prince

"And their love was so deep that they did not allow their fathers, to who they adored so much, to keep them apart. They build a temple. For their love - here in Alamut. It is a secret temple that not even quarter of the people in Alamut know of. Perhaps only five. I am one of them that knows of it and it's existence."

"This temple," Dastan started. "tell me more about it."

They stood in one of the various halls just outside of the palace. It was similar to a balcony, with it's stoned railings and perched pillars. It was hoisted and gave a wonderful view of the city. Dastan leaned his body forward against the stoned railing while Tamina stood beside him, back straighten and hands lightly touching the railing. As they were to travel out of the city of Alamut, into the fields, to welcome his father from his short trip after he departed after the funeral of Nizam, they had yet to choose a horse to steed them. Few have questioned him to why he was departing before heleft, and his answer was always the same.

"A little gift for daughter-in-law to be."

Tamina was quiet for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "The temple…" she murmured. "The temple is suppose to remain a secret, so you must not repeat a word I say!"

Dastan held up his left hand, in a way to say it is between them. "Just between us. It will not go anywhere other than out of your lips, and into my ears."

Tamina eyed him warily. "Alright then," she said slowly. "The temple was built by both lovers, so they could sneak into there at night and spend the time they had. One was a princess…and one was a young man from the streets with no penny to his name. They were deeply in love and both their fathers hated each other with a passion, and forbidden their children from seeing each other. But that did not prevent them."

"What happened?"

"The young man desired approval, from both his and his lover's father. So he went into war…and did not survive. The poor woman, she died from a broken heart. It is said that no one is to step in that temple, unless ones heart is strong to their love. Only then can they enter the temple."

Dastan listened intently, his eyes fixed onto hers. The story was cavernous, yet it brought out the meaning of love. Was there anyone willing to go to war, just for approval? Just for consent to love a man's daughter? No, there wasn't. There was no one brave enough for that. If so be it, then it was rare. Hearing the soft sigh beside him, he lifted his eyes to Tamina. She turned her head, and looked at him.

"Why do you stare at me like that?"

Dastan blinked, confused. "Like what, Princess?"

"Like I am just a figure of a dream."

Dastan paused. He was afraid that he made it obvious, but had hoped she would not notice. Why would she notice now, but he was not excellent at hiding his emotions on his face, especially his eyes. Every moment he spent with he, he looked at her the same way. As if she were to disappear. As if she were to fall in the depths, falling to her death while he remained alone and heartbroken. His heart could not bear losing her again, and his heart was set on protecting her in every way possible. It was as if she was a visual of his imagination, disappearing just within moments as he reached out to touch her cheek. To caress her skin to assure himself that she was there - when she truly wasn't.

Dastan did not want to go through the experience again.

"Prince!"

Dastan blinked, being torn from his thoughts and gazed at the Princess that stood beside him, hands on hips with eyebrows raised, her lips formed a straight line, the look of exasperation plastered on her face and in her eyes. How long was he lost in his long thoughts?

"You did not answer my question."

"I apologize," he murmured. "What was it?"

"Why do you look at me, like I am to disappear?"

And yet he was stuck once more. What could he say? What should he say? Dastan knew he could not keep her standing there like that, or she would grow from irritation to fury. He certainly did not want to anger her, of all people, but that has been an failed attempt to avoid. She stood there, growing more pressed by the moments. The more time he took to stay silent, the more she grew impatient.

"I did not know I look at you like that," was his answer, earning the second eyebrow from her raised.

"Surely you do."

"I do not."

Tamina lifted her head, gazing at him with sharp eyes. Dastan felt like a statue beneath the gaze, but kept his posture. A sigh escaped her lips and brought her hands together, toying with her fingers. "Very well then," she said after a long moment, her eyes not leaving his. "I will believe you…this time. Now then," Tamina arched her back, standing straighter. "let us leave and go into the fields. I am sure your father will arrive shortly."

Dastan gave a short, mockingly bow. "As my Princess requests."

Tamina let out a huff and turned on her heels, her hair hitting him in the face as she swiftly walked away. Dastan let out a heavy sigh and looked up at the sky.

"Give me the strength to not kill her…"

They hurried away from the hall and down the steps that lead to a path to the stables, where at least twenty horses were held in each pen. All of them were a brown color, some with small dots over their bodies, from young to old, big to small. Dastan wrinkled his nose as they entered the stables, the smell of the animals filling the air. It was not a grand smell, and he could tell Tamina did not take interest in the smell as well. But the smell did not catch Dastan's attention - it was the stables itself. Hay barrels were stacked high up in shelves, some laying carelessly around, even some laid in front of a couple horses, but none could not reach to eat. Their buckets of water were barely filled and by the looks of the horses, they were a bit thin than usual.

These horses were being starved. Something inside of Dastan burned inside of him, but did not know what it was. Anger, perhaps? Or was it melancholy? Sympathy? No, it was anger. Anger burned inside within him. Where were the stable boys that tended to these animals? Why were these animals being tortured like that? Dastan did not hear the gasp from the young princess beside him, for he was too occupied in his thoughts.

Slowly, his feet moved forward. He blinked and swallowed as he glanced at both sides of the pens. Left and right. Twenty pens, ten on each side, there were horses. Thin horses that have had lack of food. Anything in the wild than this stable would be best for them. Perhaps…

"Quickly!" Dastan spun to Tamina, pointing to the right side of the lined up pins. "Unlock the pens and open the doors."

"What?" she stared, eye-wide at him. "Are you out of your mind? We cannot do this!"

Something burned in his eyes. Far from gentle. "They are more safer out in the wild than here," he said strongly. "It is either they stay here and die, or they are set free to wander their own places."

"Shall I repeat my question?" Tamina stepped up to him, eyebrows arched.

"Please pardon me, Princess, but are you daft?"

"Excuse me!"

Dastan wasted no time. Swiftly, the locks on the pens were snapped open. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned and was startled to see it was Tamina, unlocking the right side of the pens. But he had to smile, and turned back to what he was doing beforehand. Each by each, they unlocked the pens and the doors opened. The horses did not hesitate to flee, running full speed out of the stables. Dastan smirked to himself as he counted each horse that fled, quite pleased to what they have done. Yes, perhaps he was going to be hollard by Tus, perhaps Garsvi was to scowl him. But he did the right thing.

But that was nineteen. Nineteen horses fled, and there are twenty pens. Where was the last one?

"Is there anymore?" Dastan asked the princess, turning half way to her. She shook her head.

"No," she replied. "there is no more."

"Twenty pens, nineteen horses," Dastan murmured. "no, that is not right. My father is quite organized and could not lived without an extra horse. There has to be one more."

"There were only nine horses out of ten pens, Dastan."

And so, that was the exact answer for him. Dastan began looking from his side. No sight of another horse and then…he saw it. Pen number four. How could he possibly of missed it? There it was - a brunette color horse with small black dots imprinted on it's body. It caught his eye extremely. A female horse, he took note of and his heart tightened. How could anyone mistreat an animal? How could anyone just starve an animal, let alone the horses belonging to the Princess herself.

Dastan reached out his hand, slowly, and patted her head, smiling softly. "You shall be my steed," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "No. My best friend."

"Oh, you found one," he heard Tamina say lightly behind him.

"Yes," he replied. "and she shall be my best friend. Animal or not."

All she did was…smile. Dastan unlocked the pen, opening the door. Quickly, the horse tried to make her exit by running full speed but Dastan gently grabbed her while Tamina rushed over and ran her hand over her back. "Shh shh," Dastan soothed, rubbing her nose. "It's alright. You're safe now."

Tamina looked over at him. "I still think you are out of your mind."

"Maybe so," Dastan replied, mounting onto her. "but those horses are better off than this stable. Did you see the shape they were in?"

"I did," she sighed, accepting his offered hand and easily climbed up behind him. "but even-""Even so if they stayed, they would of died from lack of care," Dastan interrupted, gently nudging the horse's side to move forward. She moved into a trot, and Dastan lightly and gently held onto the sides of her neck for support with Tamina lightly grasping his shoulders.

"How could anyone treat a horse like that?" Dastan murmured more to himself, than Tamina. But she replied anyway.

"She has always been my favorite steed. I've had her ever since I was a little girl." Tamina ran her hand over the horse's back. "I named her Alouette."

Dastan smiled. "The name fits for such a beautiful horse."

"You may look at her as a simple horse," Tamina started. "a steed, to carry you around. But every horse is unique in their own way, inside and outside. Aloutte here holds much more than beauty, but speed. Fast as lightning she is! Every horse has hero in the…like a Persian solider. It has yet to be revealed, but every horse has it."

Dastan pulled Aloutte to a pause and turned his body half-way to the princess, arching an eyebrow. "Pardon me, your Princess, but how could you possibly know all of that information?"

"I look deep in the heart," was her answer.

"You may be a very thoughtful lady," Dastan jested lightly. "because no one looks into the heart of things. May I ask how and why you do so?"

"I believe we do not know each other that well for me to answer that, prince."

Dastan turned forward and urged the horse into a trot once more. "More than you think," he murmured, thankful she did not hear the utter words. It was quiet along the way out of the city and into the fields that have been used to battle in the past. Dastan smiled as he remembered when he was a little boy, and he and his brothers would go out of the city of Persia and into the fields to practice battling and their skills of blade.

"Remind me once again why we are going out here to greet your father?" Tamina spoke up moments later.

"He likes to be out in the fields," Dastan replied. "we, my Princess, are from Nasaf and father wishes to make the long trip to see his daughter-in-law to be, before we make way to Nasaf."

"Am I permitted to bring my precious items, if we may not marry in Alamut then? I would think that even you would be honored to marry in the Holy city rather than a simple city."

"It is not my choosing," Dastan replied.

Tamina arched an eyebrow. "And what do you suppose by that?"

"It is the bride's choice to where she marries. What she wishes is what it will be quested."

"Good then," she said.

"I would gladly marry in the Holy city, Princess," Dastan said kindly. "after all, to pay a small visit is an honor enough but to marry there, and to a woman with your divine beauty? A true honor that be."

"Watch your tongue," Tamina warned. "or I would think you are trying to charm me."

"It is merely a compliment."

"I have my mind set otherwise."

"I suppose that says enough," Dastan replied sarcastically.

"You are discourteous."

"And you're spoiled; but I'm not complaining, now am I?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

A/N: I would like to explain some things. The horse sequence was meant to express Dastan's care for animals; it brings out his care. His gentle side when he is not out in battles where he must be fearful and fierce. So this expresses his care! This is only the beginning of the interesting stuff, more shall come later! And soon, I assure you. I want to say, thank you so much for the reviews! Do keep them up; I crave for your opinions! I try very hard to make the English fit in well with the movie and the time-line, so I hope I am doing good with that!

From your humble authoress,

Princess. A