Author's notes: Well here we are, the last chapter! I realised that I was going to be without internet on 26th December, and seeing as I have the last chapter written, there is no point in me withholding it from you. It's been one heck of a year and I hope that you have enjoyed the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I have a poor track record with finishing stories, so well done me for finishing! I got a little emotional when I typed the last few words last night.

I will continue to write in the future, but hopefully it will be about my own characters. Maybe if I'm very lucky, I might get something onto bookshelves sometime in the future? If you want to see what I'm up to outside of the world of then you can check out my blog - see my profile for the link! I also have a twitter! [at]Woffles92

To everyone who has made it this far in the story; thank you. Without you lovely readers and reviewers, and those who added this to alerts and watching, you kept me going. The support that fanfic writers receive is one of the reasons I love it so much.

So to the few who did get a chance to leave a review on the last chapter, here are your replies!

heavenxxbaby - Thanks! Glad you liked the twist at the end ;) You really didn't think you'd seen the last of her? :P
Starfish - I didn't leave you too long to wait. Your name has been leaving me reviews since the beginning, and I'm so glad to see you've stuck around! Hope you enjoy the last chapter and thank you for reading xx
Peacefreakx3 - It's a good thing you like cliffhangers, because there has been quite a few of them! Just one more chapter I'm afraid, and I hope you enjoy it!

So, my sincere thanks for reading.

Peace out. Merry Christmas. God bless.

Woffles92

Chapter 20 – The Greatest Adventure

"W…what?" the prince stammered.

"The Hassansin. He's mine and I want him back!"

Dastan and Tamina exchanged frightened glances. He took a deep breath to try and calm his voice.
"I think you're confused. Zolm is dead. He was killed in battle."

"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot," she hissed visciously. "I know he's dead. I was the one who killed him! I didn't want to, but in case you've forgotten, none of us had much choice once you dear Uncle had his way. And speaking of Nizam, wasn't he supposed to be dead also?"

"No!" Tamina said at once, realising her intention, "You can't, it's forbidden!"

The girl pressed the blade even closer to the smooth skin at her neck.
"I think we're forgetting who has who at the point of a knife, princess."

"Don't hurt her," Dastan begged. It was like a nightmare he just couldn't wake up from. Once one scene ended, another began.

"It's forbidden," Tamina repeated, "You'll upset the balance of things. Those who are dead are meant to stay dead."

"Do you think I care about the rules of your gods? They've done nothing for me."

"Then think of the people," she pleaded, "you know yourself how monstrous it is for the victims."

"He's an Hassansin!" the girl cackled, "He kills for a living. What difference does it make how he does it?"

"But it's not killing." Dastan interrupted, "Not really. You're still alive after, even if your body is like an empty shell."

"Then we make very sure that the body doesn't stay alive," she replied deviously, as if her solution was the most obvious thing in the world, "I've thought this through Prince; you can't talk me out of it."

He closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts and think of another possible way of persuading her to relent.

She continued to provoke him. "I need a guardian's blood for the ritual. It doesn't say how much. The longer you wait the more tempted I'll be to use it all, just to be on the safe side."

It was the last straw. Nizam had been rotten to the core, poisoned by years of jealousy of Sharaman. Of course things weren't going to end well when he was brought back. But what about Zolm? Sure the Hassansin had numerous faults, but he had showed a spark of humanity in his last days. Dastan was sure this was down to the girl, although right now she wasn't doing much to justify herself as a role model.

"Alright," he sighed heavily as his resolve crumbled, "We'll help."

"Dastan!" Tamina snapped angrily, "We can't."
Even when her life was hanging by a thread, she still clung to her ideology with a tenacity so strong it was bordering on stupid.

"What choice to do we have," he retorted

The princess pursed her lips in irritation.

"I know Zolm isn't going anywhere in a hurry, but I would quite like this business of ours to be sorted before morning," the girl sighed cynically.

"On your head be it then, Dastan," Tamina said finally.

"Excellent. Now, take me to him. And Dastan? If you try anything, I swear I'll slit her pretty little throat."

With Tamina still held at knife point, they descended to the outer courtyard where the pyres had been built. Dastan noted to himself that the guards really had to be trained better. Three people should not have been allowed to move through the palace unchallenged. On the other hand he was almost glad. If they had been spotted, he wasn't sure how Tamina would have fared.

Only a few hours previous they had gathered around the fires to pay their respects to those who had passed. Some were still smoking as the last of the wood smouldered. Most had been Nizam's victims who had starved to death in the prisons, and Zolm. The Hassansins would collect the ashes in the morning and take them back to wherever it was that they called their home, and do whatever they did with their dead. However, it was doubtful that they had calculated an infatuated adolescent into their plans.

Dastan hoped that perhaps the girl might drop her hold of Tamina while collecting some of the ashes, allowing him a few vital seconds for him to retrieve her and bring the madness to an end. She didn't.

Those who were still awake and celebrating Nizam's defeat were too inebriated to notice the three as they made their way through the dark and almost deserted streets in search of one of the hidden entrances to the caves below the city. It was exactly where she remembered it had been the time she had followed Zolm

They had made some, understandably awkward, small talk along the way. Secretly Tamina had been hoping to gain the girl's trust so as to make another attempt to dissuade her. All she managed to garner was her name. Nasreen.

As they entered the cavern that contained the great sand glass, they stopped for a moment. Although there was no one in their company that hadn't seen it before, the sight was still impressive enough to catch you off guard a subsequent time. Tamina traversed the impossibly thin walkways that connected the glass to the network of tunnels with her heart in her mouth. She had made this journey countless times before, but there was something about this time that had her anxious. Perhaps it was because she felt as though she was somehow betraying the gods.

They came to a halt in front of the column. Nasreen spun Tamina around and grabbed her hand. With one quick movement, she sliced the blade across her hand. The princess gave a cry of shock, and then grimaced against the pain. Nasreen pressed the bleeding palm onto the face of the sand glass, watching the blood run through the cracks. Then, she released her, and Tamina returned to Dastan, nursing her hand. He ripped off a portion of his sleeve and used it as a bandage.

While this occurred, Nasreen took the ashes and mixed them with the blood. She traced the few ancient letters that she could remember Zolm writing into the gruesome paste. Then, she closed her eyes and waited. The tension was thick enough to be pierced with a sword. After several moments, she opened her eyes and frowned. Panicking now, she retraced the symbols with her finger, muttering to herself as she went.

A breeze began to move through the cavern.

"Brace yourselves," she said with a wicked grin as the winds picked up.

They crouched down, steadying themselves as best they could against the sudden and inexplicable sandstorm. Dastan was trying not to remember the time he'd been to visit the sand glass and was keeping Tamina as far away from the ledge as he could. Voices began to speak.

The initial price is paid. Do you, wretched one, understand the terms?

"I do," someone replied. A silhouette appeared in the sand glass. Nasreen's face lit up.

Should you fail to meet our demands, or, if you are pierced by sacred blades, you shall return to the unimaginable punishments which you deserve. Do you consent?

"Yes."

The shadow fell through onto their side, collapsing into a heap on the ground. The winds died to nothing and the gypsy girl dropped onto her knees beside him. After a painfully long moment, he opened his pale eyes and looked up at her with confusion. Zolm opened his mouth to speak but she had other plans. Her hand connected with the good half of his face. The slap echoed around the cavern.
"That's for not stopping Nizam when I got caught," she snapped bitterly.

Before he had a chance to respond, she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed his mouth.

"And that's for making sure I was cared for."

He continued to stare at her dumbly.

"Say something!" she demanded after a few moments of silence.

He scowled. "Are you going to let me?"

She let out an irritated sigh and gestured for him to talk. Dastan and Tamina exchanged a look, not sure what to make of the pair's bizarre exchange.

"Why?" he asked simply with an air of disbelief.

She smiled. "You promised to be my teacher."

"I'm sure if you had followed around one of the brothers for long enough and bothered them as relentlessly as you did me, they would have yielded eventually."

"Life is more interesting with you around."

He shook his head in bewilderment.
"You're crazy," he decided.

"Then we're perfectly matched."
She helped him to his unsteady feet. Expectantly, Nasreen looked up into his face.
"The least you could do would be to thank me."

He raised his eyes upwards in despair. Then, as he brought them back down to look at her, he smiled. It was odd to see on his face, but it seemed to suit him better than his usual contemptuous or manic expressions.

"Thank you," he said with quiet sincerity, touching a pale hand to her tawny face.

"I didn't mean literally," she purred, pressing her body into his.

Dastan cleared his throat awkwardly, reminding them that they weren't alone. They looked up, both wearing equally annoyed looks.

"You have to leave," Tamina cut in abruptly. She gave Zolm and Nasreen a scathing glare. "This shouldn't have happened. You shouldn't be alive. I want you both to leave Alamut and never come back. I won't have a repeat of the last few weeks. None of my people should have to suffer through anything like that again."

"You think I'd be foolish enough to remain within a hundred leagues of that dagger now?" the Hassansin smirked.
"We have no intentions of staying."

"Good," the princess snapped, "then go."

Zolm looked at Dastan, and shot him a grin that was more in his usual, inane, style.

"Take care not to make any enemies Prince," he warned, "I just hate to think of the outcome should I be employed to dispose of you."

"Go," Tamina repeated, louder.

There was a tense moment. The only weapon between the four of them was the blade Nasreen still carried. If the two rogues had wanted to, they could have disposed of both the prince and princess without a second thought. However, it seemed that wasn't what they wanted. With a little bow of his head, Zolm placed his arm around Nasreen's waist and led her off into the darkened maze, where they disappeared from sight.

Tamina let out a long breath and buried her face in Dastan's chest. They embraced.
"Take me back to bed, and let's pretend this was all a bad dream."

He chuckled.
"With pleasure."

The crowds cheered as the gilded carriage was pulled through the streets. Dastan and Tamina's arms ached from all the waving, but they persevered. The Persians hadn't been the most popular people in Alamut since the raid. But after releasing them from the few weeks of terror they had endured under Nizam, they realised that maybe Dastan wouldn't be such a bad regent after all. And with their beloved Tamina by his side, there couldn't be too much that could go wrong.

Flowers rained down from balconies onto the heads of the newlyweds as they processed through Alamut. The two elder princes rode out in front, and Dastan's best man Bis, who had eventually turned up, brought up the rear. As he looked out over the crowd at the happy faces, he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a pale face and two ice blue eyes under a black hood. But when he looked again it was gone.

"What is it?" Tamina asked out of the corner of her mouth, sensing something was wrong.

Maybe the Hassansin was still in Alamut, maybe he had just imagined it, but he wasn't going to tell Tamina, especially not today of all days.

"Nothing," he lied.

They continued to wave and smile. Amar and Seso might be somewhere in the crowd too, he remembered. They had been given their promised 'reward' last night but were most probably half way back to the valley of the slaves by now. The African had declined his reward initially, but Dastan had insisted. After all, if anyone deserved anything it was him. He had been the one to deal the fatal blow to Nizam. The Sheik had tried to barter for more gold, saying something about needing compensation for lost ostriches. Tamina's response had been diplomatic and polite, but the message was clear; take what he had been given graciously, or leave with nothing. He had been most courteous after that.

It was very late by the time Dastan and Tamina managed to escape the celebrations. Their bellies were full from the numerous courses of food, and Dastan a little woozy from the endless supply of good wine. The music could still be heard throughout the palace as the festivities continued without the honoured guests. They collapsed onto the bed, still wearing all their finery. Almost immediately, Tamina jumped up again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his s's slightly slurred.

"I sat on something."

Dastan rummaged through the sheets until he found the culprit. Lying on the bed was a gold bangle, in the shape of a snake. Two glittering blue gemstones were set into the eyes of the serpent. The prince began to laugh.

"I do believe it's a wedding present."
He held it out. Tamina took it from him with a scowl.

"It's not funny. I instructed them to leave."

"Relax. Think of it as a parting gift. After all, he does have you to thank for bringing him back."

"I didn't have much choice," she reminded him harshly as she crossed the room to her dressing table. She set the bangle down with her other jewellery. The eyes seemed to wink at her in the lamp light. It was slightly unsettling. She spent a moment regarding herself the looking glass. In it, she saw her prince approach.

"Do you think we'll finally get some peace and quiet now?" Dastan chuckled quietly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"For about the next eight moons or so, yes. Then we'll never know the meaning of peace again," she replied, taking his hands and settling them on her abdomen.

He laughed and squeezed her tightly.
"So, what do you suppose we have in there?"

"A girl," Tamina replied confidently, "The first born of guardians are always female. It's tradition."

"I'm sure it can't have escaped your notice," he replied in a teasing whisper, "but, I'm not one for tradition."

"Well, I can't argue with that," she laughed.

They continued to talk until well after the sun had come up, too tired for anything else. It didn't matter; no-one would disturb them today. Finally, they surrendered themselves to sleep.

They slept for what felt like days, allowing themselves ample time to recover from the celebrations, and from the weeks before. One great adventure was over. However, they knew that when they awoke, another one was waiting for them just around the corner; the rest of their lives.

The End

Woffles92 xx