When my eyes opened again it was dark. I tried to adjust to the light as I got to my feet, unsteady. I listened to the yelling coming from the other room.

"Garsiv, calm down." Tus stressed. "You'll wake up our little brother."

"You seem fine with this. Why doesn't it bother you more? What's going on with him?" Garsiv growled.

"This isn't helping." Father yelled.

And then I heard Tamina, her voice cool and reserved. I managed to make it to the door and open it before I fell into the room with my family in a flurry of activity.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" I brushed them off trying to stand on my own.

My father wrapped his arm around my waist and helped me to a chair. Garsiv sat down with his hands rubbing his temples in a slow rhythm. Tus clicked his pray beads nervously in his hand.

"So I guess this party is about me?" I took a deep slow breath.

I looked around at the faces I knew so well. It was Tamina who finally spoke "Prince Dastan."

I hated the coolness in the voice almost worse than the worry of what she was about to say.

"In all the written records we have only two accounts of someone turning back time more than once. You did it many times over, plus let the sands of time wash over you." She hesitated as she looked into my eyes. "We don't know any more than you what is going to happen or how to help you."

All I could say was "Oh, I see."

"We'll keep trying. The priests are still looking through the ancient writings. There is always a chance we might find something."

"Sure, sure." I said looking down.

I wasn't about to look up now. I felt like a frightened child and not the warrior I knew I'd become. It made me furious with myself.

"I'm sorry Prince Dastan." She said quietly as she left. All I could do was nod.

When she was gone I listened to silence until Tus cleared his voice.

"It will be alright little brother maybe it just takes some time to get over working with the dagger and the sands."

I nodded, but in my heart I didn't feel like I was going to just wake up one morning and have everything be back to normal. In truth it hadn't even been normal.

"Let's get you back to bed." father said as Garsiv helped me back to my room.

"Get some rest son and no climbing tonight." he grinned patting me on the arm. I shivered slightly looking in his eyes before looking at my brother.

I smiled as I looked at Tus and Garsiv and said "No, no climbing tonight."

I fell asleep knowing my family was protecting me.

It had been four fairly uneventful weeks since then and although my arm was sore it was healing. My mind was clearer now. I knew the strange patterns were the same as the daggers. No use worrying about it now. What could it fix? I got dressed and wandered down the hall not knowing the dagger had a new surprise in store for me.

"Well you're finally up." I smiled at my best friend.

"I'm up but moving very slowly.

I hobbled against the wall watching the guards study me as I went by them.

"Does Prince Tus or Prince Garsiv know you're up?"

"I'm fine Bis, just let me walk around for a while" I murmured, trying to gain some sort of normalcy to the whole affair.

"You're not supposed to be without one of them, they told me so."

"You know you're with me." I watched as Bis made a mental decision and fell in step with me.

"The men have been worried about you."

"Have they?" I said quietly, not really listening.

"Dastan did you hear me?"

I was suddenly drawn back to the conversation.

"What?"

"Have you heard anything?" I said.

"Hmmm."

"That's what I thought, come on I'm taking you back to your room."

"Oh this day gets better and better." I thought to myself as I noticed a very miffed Garsiv lumbering up.

"I thought you were supposed to wait on Tus or myself when you walked around," he yelled.

"I'm fine." I muttered as I watched an old man carry a silver platter disappearing into the wall. "Oh Gods, what was that?" Garsiv was instantly on the defensive.

"What's wrong? Talk to me Dastan?"

"I'm fine, maybe I will go back to my room."

"Do you want to tell me what's going on little brother or are you going to leave it for a surprise."

"I think I'll leave it as a surprise," I muttered my good mood quickly changing into a dark one in such a short time.

I saw Garsiv exchange glances with Bis who just shrugged his shoulders. I kept my eyes on the floor as we walked back to my room maybe if I didn't look up the world would be the way it was supposed to be.

Once we entered my room I set down with a thud and realized I'd held my breath down the hallway. I could feel Garsiv eyes on me as I laid my head on the back of the chair and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"What Garsiv?"

"I'm waiting for the surprise."

Sometimes I just wanted to pumble him. "Not today Garsiv It's not your birthday."

"Very funny little brother I'm not leaving."

"If I have to tell this then I'm only doing it once so you better find father and Tus."

"Fine!" he yelled walking to the door.

I was really in hopes he'd leave but no such luck he yelled at a guard to tell father and Tus we need them and sat down and glared at me.

"Do we have black birds around here?"

"What?" he said looking at me confused. "Nothing." I said watching it disappear.

It was getting dark before father and Tus came in to see Garsiv pacing while I watched him.

"Dastan your eyes have always read everything your feeling, what's bothering you son?" I watched my adopted father as he came and set on my bed his hand on my leg. I moved my leg slightly.

"I'm afraid."

"Of what!"Garsiv demanded as Tus shook his head.

"Garsiv really try to have a little patience and let him talk."

"You'll think I'm crazy, maybe I am." I whispered sadly.

My voice shook.

"Son, look at me." he sat down in front of me. "No matter what you say we will listen."

"And think I'm crazy" I mumbled.

"After all you've been through, Dastan, you've saved the world."

"Us" Tus piped in.

"Were family" Garsiv said quietly. "We will listen," he stressed.

I took a deep breath "ok here it goes I can see things."

"Like?" father prompted.

"People who walk through walls, people you see through." There was silence. O`k, I wasn't going to tell him about the black bird I decided as I looked at their faces, even Tus's prayer beads had momentary stopped. No one knew what to say, finally thankfully my father spoke.

"How long have you seen these apparitions?"

"Today. Please I pleaded its true."

I looked at each of their faces hoping they would believe me.

"I hate that accursed dagger," Garsiv swore. "It's brought us nothing but trouble."

"Well it brought you back and Tus and your father argued.

"Our father," Tus said shaking his head "our father" he repeated.

"Yes" I said looking flustered our father.

"But none of this would have happened if uncle Nazam hadn't been looking for it in the first place," he argued.

I watched the door as Tamina walked in with a new priest, he wore white his long hair as white as his cloak.

"Dastan this is our highest priest of the order, he's traveled many miles to talk to you."

He sat down and studied me. "Let me see your arm boy." He grabbed it as I yelped. Tus and Garsiv came to my defense.

Garsiv was of course the loudest in his distaste in hurting me. The small man merely blinked a few times and continued to unravel my bandages.

"I had a small dog like you." he said talking to Garsiv. "He was very protective of me. Of course that is in hindsight and when I was hurt and someone was trying to help me, they had to kill the dog because they couldn't get to me. So was the dog protecting me?"

He looked at Garsiv with his beady little eyes before he turned back to unwrapping my bandages.

"I miss that damn dog," he said with a small smile.

Are you saying "I'm a dog?" Garsiv yelled

"No I'm saying you're not helping your brother with your behavior, so sit down!"

He said with more force than I thought this little man had in him.

Garsiv looked at both father and Tus. Sit down Garsiv I heard both say. Garsiv sighed and plopped down on the chair with great force.

"You must have to have very sturdy furniture with him around."

"Don't goad me old man!" Garsiv yelled back, his face red.

I saw a twinkle in the old man's eyes. He loved it I thought, he loved the reaction he got from Garsiv and with a wink only I could see I instantly felt much better about him.

With my arm unwrapped he studied it in silence.

"Were you very active before this happened?"

"Yes."

"And now you're tired all the time?"

"Yes" I said.

"Headaches lately? A few" I mumbled. "Why?"

I think they are going to get worse before they get better.