I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!
REUNION
"Are you absolutely certain that you can walk on your own, Farah? You seem to be needing some help" Asked the Prince as he jumped off the chariot. They had reached the market district.
"Really? Don't you think you are being way too dramatic? You have seen her in action, right? I personally cannot see why you tend to forget about other people's ability to sold their own problems".
"That is the fifth time you ask! I am not made of damn glass you know?!" Answered the wounded Princess. She was covered with bruises and small cuts but a rather large cut she had on her right leg was what worried the Prince the most. "Oh and by the way, I would be pleased if you could tell me exactly how did you know who I was when we first met"
"Come on, Prince. No need to be shy... Just do not say anything too farfetched, you hear me?".
"Oh...that...uh...I just heard rumors about a young, beautiful and fierce princess from India who was on a quest to punish a treacherous Vizier for all the destruction and pain he have unleashed over this land". Somehow the Prince managed to pull off that story before provoking more unnecessary questions.
"Well done! That wraps up that loose end. However, I was expecting more from you, you know. Why not adding some magic spells or ladies in distress".
The Princess glanced at him with nothing but suspicion within her gaze. There was no doubt about it, she wasn't planning to be fooled by such cheap tales but at that moment she decided to just ignore her uneasy partner and proceeded to examine the woman who she had saved. "Forgive if my question makes you feel uncomfortable but are you some exotic dancer or just a woman from some brothel?".
"Mmmm I like where this is going".
"...PARDON ME?" Replied the empress whose eyes resembled two full moons. Just because of that question she was about to loose her temper and the Prince knew what she was capable of when the rage invaded her mind.
"Huh...Farah? I believe that you shouldn't keep talking". The poor Prince felt now frightened by the enraged expression Kaileena had engraved on her face. It had been a while since he last saw her that angry, the last time being when she tried to kill him...for the third time. In any case, Farah somehow didn't realize in that moment the dangerous situation in which she had stepped into.
"What I mean is that I have never thought I would see a prost- an escort perform so well in combat! I suppose that here in Babylon it's a normal thing but from where I am fro-" Farah suddenly stopped at the sight of an incredibly enraged Kaileena. "Did I say something wrong? I didn't meant to be rude".
"Wait for it...".
"That's enough! I am the empress of time! I will not allow you to keep being disrespectful! Now I shall teach you some manners!" With nothing more to say the empress rose her swords and charged at her but, luckily for the Princess, her steel never slashed her flesh, it clashed with the Prince's.
"Kaileena! That's enough! We mustn't fight between us!" The Prince intervened just in time, just a fraction of a second later and the Indian princess would have been no more.
"Party pooper... Just when things were starting to get interesting".
"B-but! How can you ignore such lack of manners towards m-" Kaileena's anger vanished completely when her eyes travelled to her lover's right arm. A rather painfully looking cut on his arm was the price the Prince had to pay in order to prevent her from killing the Princess. "Prince, I am sorry... Let me see your wound" Said the empress in remorse as she stepped towards him.
"No thanks, she already has done enough".
"No, Kaileena. Just...let's get moving, for if we do not, the Viziers men will find us. The market district is just ahead, we should be able to find the hideout once we meet up with Dardan" Said the Prince as the empress regained her composure, Farah was still shocked by what just had happened.
Thus the group began to walk across the narrow passages, always remaining alert because of the permanent threat Zurvan's men represented. The rhythm their footsteps had immediately crushed with the deadly silence which dominated the place. There were several puddles and blood stains decorating that depressive environment which was surrounding them, the image of those deserted streets almost begged for someone or something to rush in and commence to destroy that lack of noises.
"So...maybe it is the time for you to start explaining who are you two?" Curiously inquired the princess. Both the Prince and the empress stopped walking, almost wondering themselves what kind of explanation could they give her. "Well, since you are so reluctant about telling me the whole story then I shall jump to conclusions. First and foremost, I coincidentally came across the Prince of Persia, I presume? And an empress who also happens to be your...?" Farah couldn't help herself, the bizarre situation she was in had aroused her curiosity. An upset Kaileena quickly took the word.
"I am her future wife. Look Fahara, or whatever your name is, we have been through a rather painful and miserable day and both the Prince and I are not in the mood for any kind of naive questions so please understand and shut your mouth before someone else gets forced to do it for you". The tension between both women was increasing at an alarming rate, the Prince on the other hand was wondering why on earth he had to collide with his past once again.
"Pardon me? I don't think that waiting all day long for someone to come and rescue you from doing nothing whatsoever as a productive thing to do! You see, unlike you, I have been fighting, sweating and bleeding my way to the Vizier for three weeks now! I will not let you talk me down!" Angrily replied the Princess.
"You and I both know how bad you want to see some girl on girl action but, can I have a word with you?".
Those two weren't going to stop anytime soon and the Prince knew pretty well how hardheaded the women before him were. Thus he took advantage of them being too concentrated in their argument and moved a little away from the duo. "Fine, let's talk but please be quick with your words".
"As always. I cannot help but to feel like you are forgetting about your priorities, Prince. I know that now with the addition of the princess to the mix things in your head are a mess so, in my humble opinion, you should try being a little bit more assertive with both the empress AND the princess. Surely you can understand and see my point of view".
"Let me guess what those priorities might be... Oh! Of course, how can I be such a fool I couldn't realize that before? Kill the Vizier and ignore everyone else because because-" Answered the Prince sarcastically before being interrupted by his inner voice.
"Of course! That an undeniable fact! Hell, it seems that you suffer from a severe case of excessive hospitality. Perhaps an arrow to the knee or a sand tornado would be enough to refresh your memory, Prince. We are one and we base our convictions on the same principles, you know pretty damn well you have far more important matters to attend to. So please, do not try to change the course of your journey...because you can't".
Meanwhile, the empress and the princess couldn't help but to notice the odd picture that was before them despite their heated discussion. The Prince seemed to be arguing with a wall, shaking his hands and making strange gestures like if he were suffering from a severe mental illness. "Just what in the world is he doing?" Asked Farah to herself as she raised an eyebrow.
Kaileena sighed deeply and rolled her eyes in stress before answering Farah's question the best she could. "He is just talking to his imaginary friend".
"Shall I... Wack some sense into him? Truthfully, he is really starting to make me nervous". The puzzled Princess couldn't even try to understand what was happening.
"The feeling is mutual. If you are willing to help him to snap out of it, feel free to do it now" Replied the upset empress and without hesitating the princess punched him right his temple.
"Ouch! May I know why did you hit me all of a sudden?!" Angrily exclaimed the Prince while rubbing the bruise he had just gotten. Almost immediately he realized he had been talking to "himself" for way to much time. As soon as he regained his composure, the Prince tried to work out an excuse so that he could escape from that awkward situation without causing further damage to his already deteriorated image. "I know what you are thinking b-but would you just let me explain?" The uneasy man said in nervousness.
"That is fine by me. Lets hear your explanation" Answered the Princess.
"It's just a habit! A bad habit which has been developed some years ago during a trip I made to Azad. I had a couple of misfortunes and almost caused the death of many... Well, I a way I did...".
"Bravo! Bravo! I never dreamed you would be able to create such a convincing excuse, Prince... In case you didn't notice, I was being sarcastic".
"Come on now, do you actually think I will be naive enough to believe such cheap and pathetic story?". Farah took a deep breath, folded her arms and then continued. "Right, there is something really fishy about you two, there is no doubt about it".
"Fine, why wont we leave all these childish attitudes and get going? For if we do not we are going to have company in no time" Said the Prince just before sighing in exhaustion. Then Kaileena took the word.
"Couldn't agree more with you, my Prince. But we are at we were supposed to be yet there isn't any sing of Dardan or even life... What if we arrived late? Perhaps the Vizier already wiped out this area... What guarantee do we have?..." Spoke the empress with some pessimism reflected in her tired voice.
"Well, I'm not trying to be the cocky character in this picture but maybe I serve as a guarantee for you, my lady!" Called an energized voice from above, a voice which was not easy to forget whatsoever. The trio quickly raised their gazes only for their eyes to meet with a dark silhouette which was nearly impossible to identify due to the darkness of the young night. "What's with that silence? Please don't tell me you have found a new guide!". Thus, the silhouette jumped down performing a flawless flip in mid air. The Prince's face suddenly shined in hope and relief when he could finally confirm who was that mysterious figure.
"Talk about taking a dramatic entrance to the next level".
"Dardan! How did you...?" Was all the man could manage to say before being 'politely' interrupted by the young general.
"I believe I told you before, Prince. I had my ways. Lets just say that I 'borrowed' a chariot from some headless grunts, I thought they wouldn't be needing it anymore so... long story short here I am" Said Dardan as he walked towards the trio while bearing a warm smile. "Ms. Kaileena, Prince I am glad you made it here alive! Well nothing less from the Prince of Persia himself, her lady and... Uh...sorry if I am rude and ignorant but I don't think I caught your name Ms...?".
Farah rolled her eyes and bitterly answered. "I am Farah, the only daughter of the maharaja, the princess of India!... I hope you will not be asking me anymore explanations because, you see, I am really not in the mood right now".
"You don't have to worry, your highness, I am really good recalling names...specially from charming and vibrant ladies just as yourself" Replied Dardan with a tone which could have been taken for a flirting one. Then his characteristic smile disappear from his face, putting aside that informal and cocky atmosphere and letting a much more serious chat appear. "The city is at the verge of collapsing, Prince. Regardless of what or whom caused this whole invasion we cannot do anything besides to hide and plan a new counterattack... What beats me though, is what on earth does that old man want. Whatever it is it must be of humongous importance for him... You cannot command thousands of soldier to destroy a whole city such as Babylon just because... Something is missing..." Said Dardan while rubbing his chin.
"I think it's time for a nice and detailed explanation".
"I know why all this chaos was unleashed in Babylon, Dardan" Answered the Prince. Gloominess was being reflected in his face.
"You know?! Then perhaps we can sort this conflict!". Said the young man.
"I arrived to Babylon after years of being chased by an unstoppable creature... The Dahaka, guardian of time. Before loosing all hope, I discovered that I could change my fate if I travelled to where the sands of time were created and prevent their creation... After several conflicts I could finally feel the joy of being free. However, I didn't achieve my goal by preventing the sands from existing... The woman who arrived with me to this city is none other than the empress of time, Kaileena". The Prince looked over his shoulder only to meet his lover's strong gaze and then continued. "By sparing Kaileena's life I somehow triggered this chain of events in which the Vizier managed to get a hold of the dagger of time and take over the Indian kingdom... I...I believe that the Vizier wants to use the dagger to absorb the power of the sands which lies within Kaileena".
"Wait! Does that means that all this destruction, pain and slaughter is YOUR fault?" Said the shocked princess who's rage was becoming more and more evident to the point where she was actually thinking about striking the Prince.
"Farah... Please understand. I couldn't just wait for a certain death, I had to do something! But then again I also had to save Kaileena... I already played too much with the timeline... I wont turn back the clock again, I just can't force myself to interfere with other people's lives again!" It was in that precise moment when the Prince felt something he had never experienced before. A sensation which was slowly burning his soul and was forcing him to see the hostile nature of his own self.
The Indian Princess suddenly pulled out a knife she had hidden in her armor and charged at the Prince with nothing but sheer hate. However, she was stopped by the young general who gently grabbed by the arm. "I understand how you feel, princess. Nevertheless, I will not stand still and watch you kill each other". Dardan's eyes meet with the princess ones and just a fraction of a second was all he needed to notice that she was about to burst into tears. "There is no use for crying over spilled milk. If seek nothing but revenge you will only find yourself suffering even more from your own actions... Princess... Farah, regrets serve no purpose, therefore you must carry on with your life and forget the past!". Dardan's words seemed to had awoken some forgotten feelings within the poor princess. Thus, Farah put away her knife.
"Farah... I am sorry... I would never consider doing something that could harm you in any way and-" The Prince was suddenly interrupted by the enraged woman.
"Do not talk to me like if you knew me! Because you don't, Prince. As far as I am concerned, you are not different from that old Vizier...to my eyes you are nothing but an utterly selfish being! Hence I cannot trust you!" Farah's sharp and strong words pierced the Prince's mind like a sword to someone's skin. The group remained in silence for some seconds that seemed like an eternity, nobody could gather enough valor to break that uncomfortable silence.
"Well that was a threatening speech! Who does she think she is, huh?".
Fortunately for everyone Dardan decided to take the initiative and talked. "Look, we all have been through a lot so I suggest we call it a day and head for the hideout. Once there you all can recover and regain strength for tomorrow. Come on, I will show you the way". Thus everybody followed the young man through those narrow alleys.
Eventually Dardan stopped in front of a rather small wooden door which seemed to be locked tightly despite its fragile appearance. After a series of knocks, which appeared to had a patron, the door opened and they walked inside.
"So the rumors were true after all... General Dardan, you made it out of the coliseum! And you brought with you some survivors too!" Exclaimed a Persian soldier right after quickly locking the door behind them.
"Well, it looks like nobody can keep a secret around here! Oh, and by the way... These people are not ordinary citizens. On my way to the coliseum I came across an empress, a princess and the prince of Persia... It seems today is my lucky day!" Said Dardan, who appeared to had regained his good mood.
"I don't believe it myself! Our fortune is finally at our favor! Now with the prince among us we can plan a better counterattack. You see, now that we have such a powerful ally we can remake our strategies... But first you all need to rest, nobody can work properly if their stomachs are empty. Please, you are free to eat and drink as much as you can, you can also sleep for some hours if you wish to" Said the soldier as he guided them towards a large dinning room where at least twenty-five soldiers were walking from one place to another and discussing about the next day's attack. "As you can probably tell, this old building was actually both a secret tavern and a brothel. Here, all sorts of bandits and criminals used to spend most of their time...". Then the man pointed at a stairway which was situated at the back of the room. "See those stairs over there? They lead to a large hall with many rooms that were used by the escorts and their customers. Feel free to have some rest there".
Dardan smiled and nodded immediately. "I cannot thank you enough for all your assistance, you are truly a good soldier. Now I would appreciate if you could prepare something to eat for us". The man did as his general told him and in half an hour he prepared four bowls of soup, some lamb chops, fruit and gave them a large jar filled with water. The four of them were starving so they didn't waste any time and within an hour they devoured that banquet.
"Haven't eat so much in a long, long time! I guess befriending a prince, a princess and an empress have it's perks!" Exclaimed Dardan cheerfully as he placed a map of the palace on the table. It was time to organize the assault for the following day. "Alright, here is the plan. First and foremost, we must get rid the palace defenses, with his unique agility the Prince can easily infiltrate through one of the main towers which is located near the main entrance... Secondly, we need to create a distraction at least for ten minutes so that all of the attention gets concentrated at the main gate... Third, the Prince must take advantage of the distraction and free all of the Persian royal guard that is being captive within the palace's dungeon... Finally, with the aid of the royal guard we can regain control over the whole district and in the process set free all of the captive soldiers who are in the north zone of the city. Any questions?".
"What about me?" Asked the concerned empress. "You cannot expect me to simply sit down and wait while all of you risk your lives".
"Oh! I almost forgot. You, princess Farah and me are going to be the first to enter the palace once we get rid of the defenses. Once there we will join the Prince and help him to free our men" Answered the young general. "Okay people! Now rest until dawn. We can do this!"
"We should call it a day, Prince".
TO BE CONTINUED...
DAMN! I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS ONE. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE READ! THANKS ;).