A/N: Thank you for those who have commented! Your feedback is very encouraging and it definitely fuels my writing. I think I have been slacking off too much lately so I must go watch the movie again for inspiration. Oh, I wanted to mention this earlier, but I guess I can mention it now. I know the title "Destiny" mirrors alot of other fanfics, but seeing as how destiny are the hands that brings everyone together in the movie, I decided it was appropriate to have that in my fic. Thank you again for those who have reviewed! Enjoy.
Destiny
A Prince of Persia Fanfiction
007 Plenty of Practice
Late into the evening on the next day, as I dozed in a slumber filled with indistinct forms, my shoulders were shaken awake by a gentle hand. I arose to peer at Eina's circular face with half lidded eyes.
"It sounds like we have entered a city," she whispered and gestured up to the wooded ceiling. I listened carefully to the creaking of the cart and sure enough, sounds of raising gates and booted feet rung muffled outside. Hushed voices conversed with each other as the sounds from clopping hooves drew near. The moving cart did not stop however and continued for some time until there was only silence once again. I stared at Eina with confusion, wondering what had just happened and where we were when suddenly without warning, movement stopped and the one door to the cart swung open and torchlight blazed into view.
"Everybody out!" a stern voice called. I shielded my eyes from the sudden light and scrambled to my feet. Several armed men gruffly snatched us by the arms and pulled us out. I stumbled onto a dirt path, barely visible with the scarce light. We were shoved along this trail and as I raised my eyes to peer around, I realized that we were underground. The path was carved through a winding maze in the earth. Single beacons of light from flaming torches lined the walls, their shadows dancing tauntingly across the packed dirt that rose as walls.
"Get a move on!" the armed men yelled and pressed us onward. After several minutes of them poking and prodding us along, we arrived in a large room, the length of it taken up by a huge barred cell. We were ushered in and then the iron door locked us in like caged animals. Several of the armored men stood outside and it seemed like they were waiting for something.
I stood next to Eina, frightened of what was to come. She gave me a meek smile and turned her attention to her surroundings. We did not have to wait long, because soon a tall figure in a black cloak emerged from a sealed door that I had not noticed before. It was a woman, adorned in robes of onyx and gold that glittered in the torchlight. As she drew closer, her shrouded face came into view and I watched her with a mix of fear and interest. Her features were delicate; small angled eyes, golden skin, thin lips, and long curly hair. She would have been beautiful if not for the dark expression on her face. It made her eyes steely, her mouth a straight angry line, and her posture haughty. Her cold voice cut through the air in a ringing tone that made all who was near her tremble with terror.
"This is what you brought me?" she inquired, disapprovingly. One of the armed men stepped forth and answered her with a shaky voice.
"They are able to do the work that you require, High Priestess. They are few, but they are strong."
"Strong?" the High Priestess questioned, irritably. She flicked her icy gaze to the man addressing her and he squirmed underneath her overpowering glare. "If you consider starved skeletons strong than obviously they are not worth the full price that we agreed upon. I wanted them to be able to work the tunnels, which would require them to be fit and sturdy, but you have brought me famished dogs! Look at them! They are filthy!" She gestured toward us with ringed fingers, disgust evident in her voice. The man cringed and apologized, feverishly.
"I can bring you more, just allow me more time," he offered. The High Priestess narrowed her eyes at him and then glanced our way, indecision mirrored in those shadowed orbs.
"No, no more. The Princess may begin to wonder what my plans are. Time is all that I have," she said and took a step closer toward us. She scanned us one by one slowly and with studied care. When her eyes scrutinized my face and then Eina's and back to mine, a small smile curved the corners of her lips.
"Take them to the chambers. Leave those two with me," the High Priestess commanded and pointed to Eina and me. The armed men unlocked the cell door and shuffled everyone out. The men and women who had accompanied me in the cart were dragged off back onto the path that we had arrived from. Eina and I watched them go with remorse, knowing that we would never see them again.
"As for these two, they will make a fine gift to the Princess." The High Priestess whirled around, her shimmering clothes a blur as she exited through the hidden door. I shifted my glance to Eina and she shook her head in confusion. We were escorted through the concealed door with a different group of soldiers. These ones had fine crafted armor on, gold inlaid with designs of a temple. Pointed helms shielded their faces and long scimitars clanked by their sides. We followed the High Priestess through the maze of tunnels that gradually originated from hard soil into concrete blocks. After several minutes of tedious walking, the dirt floor suddenly disappeared replaced with a set of worn stone stairs. We ascended to a solid wall with no door. I squinted in the dim light and saw the High Priestess touch a portion of the barrier with her slender fingers. A sharp shifting of stone echoed as the wall slid open. I was shoved through into a room that was nothing compared to what I have ever seen. Walls of alabaster decorated with tapestries depicting ancient scenes hung immobile all around. Hanging drapes the color of cream suspended from the high vaulted ceiling. I stared at the splendor and luxury that poured forth in the form of lavish tables and exquisitely designed vases. I did not get to enjoy these things as the soldiers pushed Eina and me out an enormous door and then through an endless shadowed hallway.
We finally arrived at a bath chamber where Eina and I were allowed to bathe. I was so glad to be rid of the grime and stink that I did not even mind as the High Priestess glowered over us with watchful eyes. We were given simple gray dress robes to wear, but I was grateful for these were better than the rags that we wore earlier. Afterward, soldiers took us to a small room with two rolled mats on the floor. Before locking the door, the High Priestess warned us in a cold voice.
"You will be presented to the Princess tomorrow. If you try to escape the palace, you will be dragged down into the tunnels where you will join your little friends."
She pulled the door shut and an audible click echoed through the room. I looked at Eina and sighed heavily. We were brought out of a cage only to be thrust into another. Eina lowered herself onto the mats with relief.
"At least we have a clean place to sleep," Eina said and touched the cotton pillow. "And clean clothes to wear."
"What do you imagine they are going to do with us?" I asked and sat down next to her. She glanced at me and smiled.
"Hopefully, it's not anything bad, but that is just wishful thinking."
"I cannot believe that I am here, in this situation," I said softly and gathered my legs in my arms so that my chin rested on my knees. Misery washed over me like a shroud that I could not uncover. The circumstances of my life flashed in my mind with blinding speed, revealing to me just how unfortunate I really am.
"You cannot hold yourself responsible for any of this," Eina replied. "There are just some things that are out of your control." She tilted her head and peered at me with contented eyes.
"How can you stay in such good spirits at a time like this?" I inquired, not believing for one moment that she could be so happy in the face of certain death. Eina chuckled and beamed with an even brighter grin.
"Plenty of practice," she simply answered and then paused as if in deep thought. "My mother was taken from me in the middle of the night by the guards of a rich noble. My father was taken from me by the greedy hands of death. A carefree childhood that I craved was stolen from me as I taught myself to stay alive. Everything was taken from me, even that which is most important to a woman."
Eina looked at me with eyes of fire as I understood what she meant. Her innocence, her purity had also been seized. I frowned in horror. Eina spoke, this time with much more vigor in her tone.
"I have realized that giving to others is golden, but I have also learned a long time ago stealing to give to others is just as well. The money and items that I pickpocket I only keep a small share, the rest I give to the orphaned or elderly who cannot support themselves."
I stared at Eina in wonder, now just discerning what her true self is.
"You managed to turn something terrible into something admirable."
"I see it as looking to the bright side and making the most of it," she merely pointed out. I could not help, but smile in return. She stretched onto her mat and closed her eyes. "We best get some sleep in case we die tomorrow, I'll be happy to know that at least I got to spend the last few hours of my life in a palace."
I laughed and felt my heart lift a little higher. Lying down on the pad, I regarded our conversation with pleasure. A heartwarming emotion surfaced as I suddenly thought of my sister. Her small face swam in the ocean of my mind. How much I missed her. If she had not gotten ill, these would be the kinds of conversations we would have together. I fought back the tide of anguish that threatened to spill over and focused my thoughts on something far less depressing. Swiftly as if waiting on the threshold of my mind, Dastan's handsome face emerged from the deep corners of my thoughts. His captivating eyes stared back at me with longing and the departing kiss that we shared flitted in and out of my head. As I dozed off into the landscape of my dreams, my name on his lips was the last thing that I heard.
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