"Dastan, do you remember there was a Hassansin spy at the high temple?" Tamina asked.
It was evening and they were back outside Alamut's city gates, which had been closed shut. Not a good sign, Dastan thought. "Yes," he answered.
"What happened to him?"
"I took care of it. No one noticed," he said a little distractedly. He was scanning the walls, trying to find a way to get in.
"You killed him?"
"He gave me no choice" he said, finally turning to her.
She nodded understandingly. "Were there more of them?"
"No, luckily there weren't. He was the only one. I set a trap for him outside the city and confronted him. He had no regrets."
All the way back from the sanctuary he had talked to her, filling in the gaps of her knowledge: How he had come by the Dagger in the first place, and how Nizam had initially deceived him and his brothers into attacking Alamut.
"There is no way we can get in," Tamina said resignedly, eyeing the top of the high wall.
"I've breached your city before, haven't I, princess?" Dastan said teasingly. He stepped closer to the corner between the protruding gate house and the wall itself. At a little more than three metres' height there was a narrow ledge. Then he ran straight at the wall and up it, setting each foot on the angled surfaces. He gripped the ledge with his hands and heaved himself up higher and reached for a wider ledge further above. The next minute he was standing upon it and before Tamina knew it, he had disappeared over the top of the wall.
There were two armed guards on the other side, who turned and faced him warily as he dropped to the ground just a few metres from them.
"Prince Dastan!" one of them said in surprise.
They forgot to bow. Was it because they had taken orders from Firouz to kill him on sight, or just because he had dropped in on them so unexpectedly, literally speaking?
"Why is the gate closed?" he inquired.
"We had news of an enemy force closing on us, prince Dastan."
"Who brought you those news?"
"Firouz the advisor."
Dastan thought about telling them that it was a lie, but he was still not entirely sure whose side they were on.
"The enemy force, if there is one, is not yet in sight," he said. "But princess Tamina is on the other side of the gate. Please be so kind as to open it and let her in."
They did as they were told.
When Tamina saw the massive doors swing open, she pulled herself up into the saddle and steered Mitra inside. Dastan got up behind her and they galloped up towards the palace as the sun was beginning to set. When they reached the palace yard in the dusk they found that it was strangely quiet.
"Dastan, what are you going to do? If Firouz has taken over the palace, you cannot stop him on your own!" Tamina said.
"Let me worry about that, princess."
At that moment, four guards emerged from the palace entrance, running towards them.
"Prince Dastan. We are here to escort you to the throne room," their leader said when they had come to a halt, forming a semicircle around the prince and princess. All of them had their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw their blades should Dastan resist.
"I will come quietly if you let Tamina get to safety now," Dastan said.
"You can forget about that, Dastan. I'm going with you!" Tamina cried indignantly, grabbing hold of his arm.
"Tamina, I'm not letting you!" he argued, almost shaking her by the shoulders.
"Take us both. That's an order," she said to the guard, who had no other choice than to obey.
Escorted by the four guards they entered the large throne room. The first thing they saw was Firouz. He had had the nerve to place his skinny backside on Tamina's golden throne, surrounded by a considerable number of guards who had presumably entered into his service. Huddled along the right wall was a group of other guards, officials and servants who had been tied up. They must be the ones who had been clever enough to see through Firouz' lies and moreover had the courage to put up a fight. Hikirim the chamberlain was one of them. He sported a nasty, bleeding bruise on his forehead.
"What is she doing here?" Firouz cried angrily at the guards when he met Tamina's defiant glare. "I did not tell you to bring the princess." He had planned to … talk things over with her at a later time, in private.
"My apologies, lord Firouz," the leader said.
"Well, bring her up here and make sure she stays where she is." Perhaps he could use her presence to his advantage at some point.
The guard and one of his fellows marched up to the throne with Tamina between them. Dastan strained to get free from the grip of the other two, to stay with her. He'd have succeeded if not two more guards had leapt to assist them. Tamina was turning her head as she walked to keep him within her circle of vision for as long as possible. Her gaze was as full of pain as his. How would they ever get out of this? Then she faced her former advisor and friend.
"If any harm comes to prince Dastan, I will kill you with my own hand," she spat at him before he had the chance to speak himself, hoping to see a flash of remorse in his eyes. None came.
Instead he laughed indulgently. "I would like to see you try," he tartly replied. Dismissing her, he rose to his feet and signalled for Dastan to be brought forward next.
"Take his weapons," he ordered, when the prince stood in front of him.
A guard immediately stepped up behind Dastan and removed his scimitars from their sheaths.
"Tell me, prince Dastan … was your little journey into the desert rewarding?" the traitor asked with a sneer on his face.
Dastan met his gaze evenly. "I don't see what business it is of yours."
"Not the talkative type, are we? Oh well. I won't waste my time on rabble like you." With those words, Firouz stepped back and waved an order at the surrounding guards. The first dozen of them surrounded Dastan and after stripping him of his chest armour they began to beat and kick him. He had no way to ward off the staffs and boots and fists that continuously pommelled him from all directions, because the guards still held his arms fast.
They went for all the most painful spots. At first he was determined not to say anything, but eventually grunts of pain began to escape his lips. After a while he was unable to remain on his feet. As he slid to the floor, the beating and kicking continued. He could hear Tamina calling his name and sobbingly plead Firouz to order a stop to the assault. Oh, Tamina. If he was going to die now, he was just happy that she had remembered everything they had been through together. But much rather he wanted to live and keep her safe all her life.
Firouz only felt pleasure at the sight of Tamina's tears and her lover's mistreatment. That stuck up piece of Persian scum was not going to think he could thwart a man like him. Not before he could see that the prince was on the brink of falling unconscious, did he raise his hand in a signal for the guards to let up. He towered over the prince as they all stepped back.
"The Lion of Persia … Let's hear you roar now!"
Dastan just lay still, hardly able to draw breath. His body was one big lump of pain. He did not think that he had broken any limbs, though. Very slowly he was coming back around and the former advisor swam into focus before his eyes.
"No?" the traitor said. "Then all that is left for you is … to die." He had taken one of Dastan's scimitars and now he raised it over his head, preparing to strike.
"No! No, Firouz, I'm begging you!" Tamina cried.
