Hi guys, sorry for the publishing delay but real life tends to invade ;). Hope this short piece is to your liking, because for at last one of the next chapters I fear I will have to find a good place to hide, yep! Enjoy! And tell me what you think if you like.
Meanwhile out in the desert, a very solitary princess was battling to keep her campfire going. It had been a losing battle. First she had been surprised by nightfall revealing her that she had misjudged the position of the sun, which had left her very little time to gather dry wood. Then she discovered that in her hurry to leave the beloved Alamut, she had forgotten to pack some tinder to light it more easily. After all princesses weren't supposed to know how to do such things. That's what servants were there for … or Persians, they surely would know what to do shrivelled and sun dried desert rats that they were. Frustrated at her own disability to accomplish such a simple task as keep a fire going, she curled herself up on her bedroll to get some sleep clasping a dagger close to her just to make sure she could defend herself in case anyone decided to sneak up on her during her sleep. But it didn't come as easily as she had thought. So she carefully planned her next steps. She would have to get on her way before dawn if she wanted to outrun her pursuers. Surely the Persians would try something to stop her… Fortunately the prince was in no condition to follow her. Even if the potion he had been given had annihilated the effect of the poison, it would take him some time to be able to travel, especially if the journey was such an exhausting one as this one. She was surprised at the slight disappointment that she felt at that. Normally the idea should have been a reassuring one to her. Puzzled by the emotions that kept bubbling up she sighed and turned for some time. Soon her thoughts started to drift and moments later she was fast asleep the stress of the previous days finally taking its toll.
It wasn't till the sun stood high and kissed her tan cheeks that she woke up. Cursing, she hastily chewed on some dried fruit and started to load her bedroll in the saddlebags. It was a good thing she hadn't taken the harness off the previous evening. Trying to do so she had discovered that it was far to heavy for her to lift, so she simply had loosened the straps holding it in place relieving the horse of the pressure of the girth. It hadn't been an ideal solution but it was all she could to do for the poor animal.
In her haste to get moving she simple threw the saddlebags into place and forgot to check the girth. As she hoisted herself up in the stirrup the whole thing slid to the side dropping a surprised princess on the ground. Frightened the horse leapt to the side kicking at the strange object clinging to it. But the saddle kept its position and the horse took off galloping. So much for gaining some time. Arggh! Tamina kicked at the sand to vent her anger. Now she had to capture her mount and then to wrestle the whole package up again before she could set out. This would delay her seriously. The gods definitely weren't on her side these days. She never had encountered that kind of antagonism before. With a sigh, she set out following the tracks her horse had left.
Bis felt something crawling on his cheek. Grimacing he tried to get rid of it, before popping up a sleepy eye at his unsuccessful attempts. Next to him sat a smirking Dastan holding a thread of wool that he had used to tickle him with. "Very efficient watch my friend…" Scoffing Bis made a face and got to his feet. "Feeling better are we?" he asked, but it was more of a statement. Surely if his friend could muster the energy to play tricks on him, he was feeling better than the previous evening.
"Definitely. Feeling somewhat light headed though."
"A breakfast will help…" Bis went to the saddlebags to pull some food out.
"We don't have the time, Bis. We need to get on our way as soon as possible. Some dates will have to suffice!" When Bis turned to object, Dastan was already busying himself strapping his saddle to his horse. Rolling his eyes Bis did the same and soon they were on their way. "I'm curious. How are we supposed to find the princess? It's not like we know what she's up to, do we?" To him it was like searching the proverbial needle in a haystack or rather… the desert.
"Bis, there's a hidden temple near the outskirts of the Hindu Kush. She's headed there to hide an Alamutian artefact – a dagger. That's her plan. And it will cost her life. So all we have to do is to get there before her." Dastan explained to his friend who remained intrigued at the numerous revelations. Of one thing Bis was sure though. Always when Dastan set out on such simple errands they turned into much bigger plots. This time surely wouldn't be very different. Shaking his head, Bis spurred his horse to follow the prince who had gotten some advance on him.
As time went by and there still was no sign of the fugitive princess worry settled firmly in the prince's mind. Shouldn't they have found traces in the sand? Sure the desert was always in movement, but she couldn't be that far yet, could she? The comfortable silence between the two riders gave him enough time to follow the sinuous path of "what if's". Every time he hit an especially grim image of the outcome of their journey he subconsciously nudged his mount to a faster pace. It didn't help that memories from their first journey kept popping up.
They rode on for hours and again from time to time Bis threw worried glances to the prince who was riding in front as was his habit. "Bis I'm not going to fall of my horse this time. No need to worry," Dastan said without turning. A wry smile graced the prince's lips. Bis was flustered, embarrassed at getting caught. "Well someone needs to look out for you, if you don't." One swift pull on the reins pulled Aksh to a stop and Dastan turned him on his heels feeling the need to show that he wasn't as helpless any more. "Wow, really rousing, Bis. You make it sound like I'm some mindless, reckless adventurer…"
Bis couldn't help but laugh at the faces Dastan made to accentuate his speech. What a pair they made… he thought. Laughing both resumed their journey. How good it was to be able to ride by his friend's side again, Bis mused. He felt immense relief that his worst fears hadn't come true. Dastan seemed to regain his former physical condition at a remarkable speed. Those healers in Alamut surely knew their job. He didn't want to know what would have been his destiny hadn't Dastan survived. Would the king or the princes have kept him with them? Would he have finished his career as just another anonymous soldier of the Persian army? Would he have been made responsible for the tragic outcome? He was so absorbed by his dreadful thought that he didn't pay any attention to the road they were following.
Their journey was made easier by Dastans constant regain of strength. Nevertheless Bis always kept a watchful eye on his friend, not wanting to repeat the experience of the first day of their journey. If Dastan had noted his right hand's attitude he didn't show it. After the events he had experienced in the former timeline he could fairly well understand the feelings that fuelled his friend's actions and after being outcast and on his own he appreciated it to be the centre of the attention from someone he considered family. Bis had been there for almost as long as he could remember. He had seen him in all kind of situations life had brought on them and most importantly Bis was the reason he had gotten this unprecedented destiny. That day in the market it was because of him the king had taken him in. So everything good that had happened to him was thanks to his friend and the day that he had been able to repay him for it he did it the only way he could by making him his footman.