Hi Everyone

Hope all of you are doing super! Thank you again for all the wonderful words of encouragement you write and every time I see the story stats, my heart just leaps! It means a lot.

Now one issue with my Chapter today, I do not have my fabulous Beta reader so I am very concerned my chapter will be dotted with errors :(

Hope it does not take away from the story. Enjoy

Love

A

Chapter 11

He was caught up in a fight for wager when he was summoned to Tus unexpectedly. The dust stuck to his sweaty bruised body but as his old self, he turned up without pageantry before his King.

"Ah there he is," Tus announced as he walked in, "you are being summoned by your soon to be wife."

"Brother?"

"The Princess of Alamut, Her Highness what's-her-name, has sent a message through to you… she would like to see you," Tus replied.

Dastan stood frozen at the words. He had forgotten that he yet had this bridge to cross. He had hoped it would not come to this but here he stood at the moment he feared. Dastan knew he could not marry the Princess now that his heart was filled with thoughts of Tamina. It would have been different if he was not in love with anyone but now he cannot be in a marriage with another in his heart. It would be a betrayal of two and he cannot take the chance of seeing her with her husband in Alamut. The argument raged on until Tus dismissed Dastan in anger and Garsiv had to play the mediator again.

Garsiv looked for his younger brother and finally found him in the bathing chamber.

"You and Tus had a discussion I heard," Garsiv mocked.

Dastan removed himself from the bath and started to dry his hair, continuing to ignore his brother in anger.

"It was father's wish that you marry her" Garsiv stated again.

"Father said it because I was uninterested in marriage then. Now it... it... it is different now. Father said a good man..."

"You still love her" Garsiv meant it as a question but it ended up as a fact. A fact he has witnessed every day by the melancholy state of his brother.

Dastan did not answer but proceeded to empty the chalice and continued to pour more for himself, prompting Garsiv to end his brother's misery.

"I spoke to Tus. He and the Grand Council have agreed to the proposal of his original plan of Alamut being absorbed back to Persia. They agree that she will not be a liability, and less questions and unrest will be seen if Tus, the King, married the Princess instead."

Dastan's face lit up from relief and exhaled at his brother's words.

"Wipe that smile off your face," Garsiv said as he grabbed the chalice off Dastan's hand. "In return, Tus insists that you go deliver the news personally so as not to insult a royal or our allies. Also, he wants me to follow you to make sure you do not ruin this any further."

"We have to go to Alamut?" he questioned.

"Yes we have to go! Why the fuck are you sad? I'm the one having to leave my wife to follow you around," Garsiv replied in anger.

While this was the last thing Dastan wanted to do, as he feared he would see her, it also presented an opportunity to go to Alamut which would help him piece together his concerns of Nizam.

Garsiv got up to leave, "get whatever gift she is expecting."

"What?"

"Did you not read her message?" he asked and threw the parchment to him as he left.

Dastan read through her mail, and there hidden between words of adoration for a man she has never known personally was a message:

"I look forward to speaking to you and receiving from you the one gift I know you wish to give me. A sacred gift back to Alamut."

The message did not make sense at first glance, but now Alamut and her beliefs seemed to intrigue him more and more each day and he knew there was only one person who can aid him. Dastan went into the library as his old teacher sat looking over a scroll. He was almost blind yet he could never be taken away from his books.

"Ah, you only come to me when you need answers now that I am old and grey," he said without turning to him.

Dastan smiled and sat on the floor beside him, requesting permission to speak freely.

"Teacher, you were born to Alamutian parents although you are Persian, were you not?"

"Yes, never been to Alamut a day in my life my dear boy. But I feel that your question is about Alamut more than about me."

Dastan held the parchment from the Princess in his hands and the teacher recognised the Royal wax seal and a smile appeared to his face as he knew the prophecy has now dawned.

"What do you know of the… spirituality of the people… the religion?"

"Ah, Alamutians keep their secrets for the good of the whole world and for the whole world. Their religion is one with them; you cannot separate an Alamutian from their faith. They do not propagate their beliefs but are born into a life of deep service. Legend has it that they are the guardians of a secret so powerful that could change the course of the world. No one knows the truth and the secret stays hidden in fabled stories," the teacher narrated.

"Well if you are unaware of the truth then no one will be," Dastan smiled.

The teacher joined in, "how the young Prince mocks me now that he is all grown up and wise."

"Grown up, not wise," Dastan corrected as he stood up to leave.

"Being wise is a skill you do not know you have. You are leaving without listening to the most important legend. Its prophecy states that there will be a great guardian will sprout from Alamut; a model of bravery and kindness, fortitude and wisdom. He will be as strong as the Alamutian blade, majestic as their bloodline and eyes so blue to reflect the cool ponds that grace the city."

Dastan's attention was instantly grabbed at the mention of the blue eyes. He had always been teased for having blue eyes when everyone in Persia had darker. He did not know why he felt in his soul now that he may be the called guardian.

The thought of what the Princess had written and what was said about the guardian that they speak of. Then, his mind recalled the words and actions of Tamina in the desert.

"… the dagger is an ancient artifact which we believe is from the Gods. That is why it was so important to be out of the hands of the Persians."

It now made sense that the Alamutians tried to take the dagger out of the burning city and why she was weary of the safety of the dagger. He went to his armoury where he kept his armaments and enquired after where his weapons from Alamut were kept. There it was, among the many ordinary knives, the dagger with the beautiful glass hilt. He held it in his hand and looked at the sand glistening in the holder. This is what the Princess was asking for in her letter - the dagger to be returned to the rightful person. He battled with the decision of whether to take it to Alamut. Was it a trap?

Dastan decided to keep the information to himself, not letting Garsiv share its burden. However, he convinced his brother to leave Nasaf and arrive in Alamut unannounced for their safety, unfortunately from his own uncle. His suspicion has been raised by the contradictory and coincidental actions of his uncle. A visit to the supposed guilty city will allow the two princes the opportunity to see the current state of affairs. It was also peculiar that neither Tus nor Garsiv had spoken about the time when he was a fugitive, just apologies for distrusting their brother.

With the passing of each day, Tamina's hope grew weak and any chance of Prince Dastan's return with the dagger seemed unlikely. While the guardian in her longed for the dagger, the woman in her longed for the man she loves to accept her back. She was praying at the high temple every day for the safety of the dagger and for every soul in the world. The temple was now empty of pageantry and the sacred artifact, yet she was enthralled by its serene comfort when a guard brought the news that Prince Garsiv's banner men had entered the gates.

She ran along the balcony searching for a sight of Dastan.

"Princess, Princess let's stay calm," her one and only advisor opined, not used to a Royal running after a man, Prince or not.

"Where is Nizam?" Tamina asked Asoka.

"He left in the morning riding east, possibly to meet the Hassansins Your Highness," he answered.

"Asoka, hide in the east room for I will meet Prince Dastan there if he is here," she turned to the advisor, "guide them into the Throne Room immediately."

She knew that Nizam's absence will open an opportunity to speak to the youngest Prince. She was arranged on her throne, dressed in white semi-sheer dress with a gold corset and the gold brocaded silk cape draped to cover her face. She would not speak as not to give away her identity in a situation where it would not be safe. Instead her only advisor would convey her words.

It was evening when they reached Alamut. The gates were now manned by Persian soldiers possibly loyal to Nizam, and Dastan looked around at the ruins of Alamut more than the city. He feared to look at the faces, fearing that he would see her. This was where he first saw her. It was where the lie started.

Unexpected to them, they were invited to meet the Princess immediately, yet the brothers also felt that this was appropriate to finally meet the Princess to find out what Nizam was uncovering in Alamut from the eyes of a citizen.

The throne room was bare, save a few guards, and the Princess was sitting on the illuminated throne. He did not know why, but as soon as he stepped into the room his heart leapt at a silent knowing feeling. She felt his presence without even seeing him in the flesh.

While titles were read and the Alamutians formally welcomed the two Princes, Garsiv leaned over to Dastan, "you speak and get this matter solved."

Dastan drew a deep breath. He was not used to Royal formalities and struggled to form a sentence in his mind. The Princess, with her graceful poise, also threw him off balance.

"Princess of Alamut, I…" he said only to receive an elbow nudge from Garsiv to remind that he stood by him, "we bring the greetings and peace from King Tus."

As soon as she heard his voice, a sense of longing started to ignite and that voice which was so missed drowned her loneliness for a heartbeat.

"We understand from Vizier Nizam that you have been cooperating with this unfortunate situation of breaking Alamut's peace with Persia," Dastan presented. The words frustrated Tamina but she knew of the poison that had been fed to him.

As nervous as his words were, she could not forget the warm tone he always had when he spoke. He was sincere and honest in any situation.

Dastan continued, "Therefore, I bring you... a... a proposal from King Tus."

Garsiv once again spoke with clenched jaws without moving his lips, "say marriage proposal."

"Marriage of proposal," Dastan said excited making Tamina smile as it brought the thought of their marriage closer. "I… I meant proposal of marriage. It has been decided that in order to honour you and the rich Alamutian history, King Tus claims you as his wife and it will be so as soon as he arrives."

It was as if a sword was pushed through her very heart when those words were said. He had broken the last thread which bound them together. Dastan had done this. Now she was no longer engaged to her Dastan but to King Tus. The scroll containing the declaration of engagement was handed over to her advisor.

Her head lowered in pain, but she reminded herself of her position and after whispering to her advisor as he handed over the scroll to her, left to the Eastern Room.

"Your Highness Prince Dastan, the Princess requests a private audience with you," the advisor announced.

Dastan was concerned and turned to Garsiv almost asking for permission. "Go," he advised annoyed at Dastan for not knowing an obvious action, "what, you're worried about a Princess? She is probably going to hit you in the groin for making her marry Tus."

He did not know what to expect from the Princess. Is she offended by breaking off their engagement? She should not be, as it is definitely a trade up from the youngest Prince who had no claim to the throne.

It was a large room lit up for the evening as it was dusk now. The window curtains danced in the breeze and he looked at the figure turned away from him. He heard the door close behind him and he approached the Princess.

He looked at the beautiful silhouette before him and it strangely reminded him of Tamina. The cape yet covered her and he tried to put her at ease by breaking the silence.

"Your Highness, you wished to speak to me?" Dastan said as he stood without proceeding towards her.

"Yes, I wanted to ask in person if the break of our engagement was your wish."

As her voice reached his ears, Dastan's heart seized. He stood frozen as she turned around and she slowly removed the cape to reveal her face.

Her flowing hair was jeweled with pearls and her eyes were framed with gold, yet they were now pleading before any words were spoken. They looked at each other; their eyes not believing that each other were real.

Dastan's head tried to make sense of what just unfolded and involuntarily said her name.

"Tamina…"

As she heard her name from his lips, Tamina was desperately drawn to him. She wanted to run to him and hold him. She took two steps forward but Dastan put his hand forward to stop her and drew his sword.

"Stay there," he shouted at her as he gripped his sword tighter. "What is happening? Who are you?" he questioned in confusion.

Her eyes watered at his words, "Dastan…"

"Don't say my name... who are you?"

"When Alamutian walls were first breached, I was replaced with another girl for my own safety. She became the Princess and I was disguised as a maid. It was done to protect me from the war. But fate had other designs for me… for us," she said.

"Yes, but WHY did you force yourself into my life and made me believe who you were not?"

She closed her eyes as those words left him, "I may have lied to you about what I was but I never... never lied to you about who I am."

He scoffed, "you expect me to believe that?"

"I was more myself as the maid than a Princess. I was myself for the first time with you than I ever was in my whole life," she expressed as the tears flowed down her face.

He was mad, furious and did not understand what to make of it. He was angry at what she did to him. Why did she throw herself into his life and make him fall in love with her? What purpose did his heart serve?

"Why did you do it?" he roared again, holding the sword tighter in his right hand.

The time had now come for Tamina to reveal the truth to the Prince who stood in front of him. Her painted hands reached her face and wiped the stray tears away. She then spoke in the gentle voice he was used to, "I am the guardian of a divine covenant, and the secret that comes with that honour is what brought us together. That day, when the Persians attacked, you fought a man who was smuggling this secret out… a dagger."

Dastan's mind visited the day and remembered how he had battled a warrior at the city archway, discovering and taking that artifact. "All this about a knife?"

She straightened, almost offended by his words, "that dagger is sacred and it was being taken to safety when you came about it."

He now understood why she had infiltrated into his life. It was for the dagger he now held. He took the artifact from his free hand and held it by its hilt.

"This dagger? You tortured me for this dagger? You could have just asked," he affirmed in anger.

"What you hold now is not any ordinary dagger. What you hold in your hand is the reason for the invasion of Alamut; so I could not simply ask a Persian for it," she stated firmly. "The dagger is sacred and has spiritual powers."

He looked at the dagger as he did earlier that day. The hilt's elegant glass handle and jewel on top was connected to the blade with swirling filigree. The blade was engraved with what he presumed was old Alamutian and it glowed with mystic light.

As captivating as it was, he was not going to fall into what he clearly saw was a trap to break his family apart. "So what does your magic knife do, Princess? Obviously not help you lie better!"

"It turns back time," she whispered.

Dastan almost laughed aloud for what he felt were lies that were being said and the insanity of the situation overwhelmed him. "You want me to believe that? You are insane and that's just pagan madness…"

She cut him off as she started to walk slowly towards him. Tamina knew that there was only one way to make him believe the truth about the dagger. "Press the jewel on the hilt, Prince Dastan."

Yet, Dastan held onto his sword tighter and straightened his hand so that its sharp edge aligned with her heart.

"Stay there. STAY THERE!"

"Press the jewel on the hilt," she whispered against his harsh roar. She now leaned her heart against his sword.

He avoided her pleading eyes as he knew that he will be captured by past memories of her. He was confused as to what she was asking of him and shook his head in defiance to heed her request, "No, I am not falling for your lies again."

A tear trickled down her cheek as she knew she would now speak the final words of her life.

"Dastan, please… press the jewel on the hilt."

With that, Tamina, unexpected to Dastan, plunged herself into his sword, holding the blade with her own hands to penetrate her own heart.

He screamed in agony to see the women he loved be pierced by his own sword. He dragged his blade out of her, and with that she collapsed onto the floor. Dastan released the sword and dagger to the floor, and ran to her side catching her as he fell.

"Tamina, NO."

Her hands cut by the blade fell lifelessly by her with blood dripping from them as her chest, staining her white clothes crimson. He held her tight with one hand and tried to stop the bleeding with the other by pressing against her chest.

The screams had brought Garsiv to the locked door which had to be kicked open as the guards were instructed not to open it at any cost.

Tears blurred his vision and he just kept reciting her name. Asoka knew, he knew the Princess wanted Prince Dastan to experience the Gods for himself. He quickly came out through the secret door screaming and pleading for Dastan to press the jewel on the hilt before the time left slips away.

"PRESS THE JEWEL!"

Dastan crawled to the dagger, lifted it up with his blood-stained hands, kept his thumb on the jewel and forced it down.

And then…