I want to start with the disclaimer that I do not own any of the characters used from the movie, nor am I going to attempt to claim ownership of any original characters that I come up with for this fanfiction. This story begins directly at the end of the film, I will be writing out the last scene and then continuing it from there. I will take creative liberties where I feel it necessary during any of the scenes in which I borrow from the film, but I will try to keep it as accurate to the source material as possible outside of those changes.
"Walk with me, Prince Dastan." Princess Tamina cautiously requested of the Prince.
Princess Tamina walks quickly into the courtyard as Dastan follows her out, she begins to descend the short set of steps and stops suddenly, turning to him, "How can I trust the man that breached the walls of my city?" Her words seem accusatory but her voice has an edge of suspicion and caution.
"Well, I'm starting to think I'm no longer the same man who breached those walls," a small smile on his lips betraying only a hint of a deeper meaning.
"That's a short time for a man to change so much." Is there something he is hiding behind that coy smile? Her face showed only a bit of suspicion.
Dastan nods slightly, "Perhaps." Although longer than you think, Princess.
She looks into his eyes for a few moments, almost as if she is searching for something before turning and continuing into the courtyard, "It sounds as if you've discovered something here." Again, with the edge of suspicion.
As he catches up to her side, "What might that be?" Dastan asks, leading her.
"A new spiritual awareness," she states questioningly.
He nods, "A destiny?"
"Yes, Exactly."
"But I believe we make our own destiny, Princess."
"You have an unfortunate lack of curiosity," she says dismissively.
"No doubt one of my many flaws." He banters.
"Please don't mock me, Prince." She slows and they stop in front of the beautiful fountain that is the centerpiece of the large courtyard. Dastan stops and turns back to her. "Oh, I hardly think we know each other well enough for that, Princess."
He steps toward her, now standing face to face, with only a few inches between them, he looks into her eyes and holds her gaze. "But I look forward to the day that we do." He says smiling sincerely. She is taken aback by how close he is standing to her and by how confident and sincere his words feel to her, unsure of the strange feeling that began to take hold inside herself. Somehow, she feels as though she should trust him, almost as if something inside her knows she can trust him.
She searches his eyes for an answer she isn't even sure she knows the question to. He offers her his hand, holding it up for her in silent question. The Princess swallows the lump forming in her throat, looking down quickly at his hand and then back to his eyes, she hesitates for only a moment. The look in his eyes says more than his words can convey, Perhaps he does know more than he is letting on, something happened after he entered the city, of that I am certain, but I feel as though I can trust him.
Finally, she takes his hand and for a moment they linger, staring into each other's eyes before Dastan turns again and leads her farther into the courtyard. "So, does this mean you will accept my brother's offer of a union between the people of Alamut and the people of Persia?"
"This means that I am willing to see where this path will lead us." She answers looking down at their hands. The warmth of his hand is shockingly welcome in hers, it feels...right, the feeling almost causing her to lose her train of thought. "Ho...However, I can't simply decide this for myself and for my people. I will have to sit with the council and hear their thoughts and allow them to voice an opinion on the matter. You did attack our city after all. I believe it will take some convincing to bring all of the council to terms with this."
"Yes, I understand...My father must also approve of our union, he could very well decide that I am not the right fit to bring Persia and Alamut together. He could decide that either Tus or Garsiv would be a better fit, although it was Tus' idea, so it may all work out this way." Dastan stops at the balcony that overlooks the city of Alamut as some of the fires still burn, and the dead and injured are helped by the Persian army. His insides begin to knot while thinking of the loss he had a hand in causing.
"Well...I am not so sure I would agree to a union with either of your brothers." She says while staring at their hands still together, the warmth, the easy way he held her hand as if it were the most natural thing, the perfect way they fit together. It was altogether a bit overwhelming. And then she could feel him begin to tremble.
Dastan continued to look out over the balcony, out to the beautiful countryside, marred by the vast Persian encampment. He suddenly sucked in a gasp of air, as an incredible sadness filled his heart, he began to tremble as his voice became low and raw, "I am terribly sorry that I did not have the strength of character to stop what I believed to be wrong." He looks down at her hand still in his, almost letting go, Although, I would never have gotten the chance to know her if I had. Maybe destiny had more of a hand in this than I would like to believe.
"Perhaps destiny had more of a hand in bringing us together than you believe," she says causing Dastan to snap his head up and look at her. Wonder in his eyes. "Why did you say that?" he asked suddenly, almost not believing what he had just heard. "Why did you say those words?"
Taken aback by his sudden outburst, Tamina took half a step back, "When I was a child, my mother told me that everything happens for a reason. And I just thought that perhaps we were meant to meet, and if you had stopped the attack, we may never have met. And therefore destiny may have had a hand in causing this. Is there something wrong with what I said?"
He looked at her for a long moment before answering, "It is just that…well, I was thinking exactly the same thing just as you said it aloud." He turns his head away again, "Princess, there is something…"
Dastan is cut off mid-sentence by his eldest brother, Prince Tus, "Dastan! Father is on his way from the Eastern Palace, he has cut his prayers short. No doubt to tear my head off for this…" he stops to consider for a moment, "this tragedy that I allowed to befall beautiful Alamut. He will be here in four days time and I hope to present this union to him as an offering of goodwill." He waves his hand at his brother, "Have you convinced the Princess to accept your hand in marriage yet?"
Princess Tamina interjects, letting go of Dastan's hand and stepping forward, "Thank you, Prince Tus. I can speak for myself. And yes, I have decided that I will take it up with the council and that I am agreeable to this union." She thinks for a moment and adds, "with Prince Dastan."
"Ohh, a feisty woman. Dastan, you may have your hands full with her." Tus turns and heads back inside, calling over his shoulder, "Perhaps I am lucky that I did not ask for her myself."
Disdain streaks across Tamina's face for only an instant and Dastan struggles to not laugh at the exchange.
"As I said, I am agreeable to Prince Dastan." She calls out as Tus leaves the courtyard, no longer paying attention to her. She is visibly upset by his nonchalant and dismissive attitude and blatantly ignoring her.
"Yes, as feisty and haughty as ever," Dastan whispers just a little too loudly, as he chuckles to himself.
"Mocking me again? What exactly is that supposed to mean, Prince Dastan, you have no idea how I act." She turns back to him, the anger now clear in her features, but the odd suspicion from earlier has also clearly returned. Dastan is saved from his plight however by yet another distraction, "Princess Tamina, the council wishes to convene immediately, to discuss this...proposal." One of her advisors calls from the entryway.
She lingers on Dastan for just a moment, the ferocity and suspicion fading only slightly before turning to the advisor, "Thank you Armen, tell the council I am on my way." The advisor bows, "Yes Princess." and leaves immediately.
She turns her head back to Dastan, "There is far more for the two of us to discuss. However, it will have to wait. I believe you had something you wished to tell me, this will also have to wait, but I do look forward to it." She begins to leave.
"No doubt you must put the dagger back where it belongs and then deal with your council, we will speak again when it is convenient, Princess." She halts for only a moment, without turning back around to face him. I am absolutely sure of it now, he must know more than he is letting on, but I mustn't be careless and assume anything, if I say too much or ask the wrong questions I may give away something that he may not already know. "Yes, I will be sure to let you know when we can speak again." She then continues on and leaves the room.
After watching Princess Tamina glide gracefully from the courtyard, Dastan felt the weight of responsibility weigh on him and so he headed down to the city below. He helped clean up the mess he helped create. The dead being collected so that they may be identified and then properly buried, the injured moved to the hospital and clinics, and the destructive fires being extinguished. After helping with the clean-up effort for a few hours, Dastan found himself alone in the palace rooms that were offered to him.
These rooms were lavish and elegant and obviously meant for dignitaries, royals, and honored guests who visited Alamut. There was the main entry room that had couches and cushions for relaxing and entertaining guests and a large bedroom to the rear. Another room held a large bath and anything one may need to clean and freshen up, or to simply enjoy a hot soak. And finally, a large balcony overlooking the city. The rooms he was offered were near the top of the living quarters. Having been the one chosen for the proposal, he was offered the best of the visitor's rooms. Even his older brothers had rooms lower in the palace. However, even after 15 years, Dastan still did not care for the lavish and rich lifestyle of royalty. He appreciated it, of course, King Sharaman adopting him and taking him out of the squalor of being a street rat. But it was simply something he had never gotten used to, and he felt it didn't quite suit him.
As he entered the inner chamber he found a basin of hot water and clothes set out for him. It would feel good to wash the filth from his body, the blood, sand, and ash from the fighting and from the clean-up covered his skin, the quick wash he had done before meeting the princess was not nearly enough. Normally he would not care, but this was different. It was not a noble and just victory he had led, and the men calling him the 'Lion of Persia' only added insult to injury.
Dastan pulled his vest and shirt off and over his head, he dropped them heavily to the floor. He dipped his hands into the hot water and scooped it up. After splashing water onto his face, neck, and shoulders, he scrubbed them, as if trying to scrub his life choices away, scrapping hard against his skin with the rag as if the death and pain he allowed to happen would wash away with the blood, sweat, and tears.
The weight of his memories from the time that no longer existed bore down on him like a boulder atop his shoulders. It hadn't affected him at first, the realization he was back, seeing Bis still alive, the confrontation of Nizam on the steps, meeting the Princess for the first time...again, even his exuberance at finding himself and everyone still alive had been more than enough distraction to keep the weight of those memories at bay.
But as he worked and toiled in the late day sun, those memories came back to him. Seeing the death of his Father, watching Bis and Garsiv and Tus all die, and he failed to save them. He failed to save her. It almost didn't matter that he had somehow saved the world from his uncle's evil plot. He had failed to save her, he had tried so hard to hold onto her. But even in her fear, she had chosen to force Dastan to fulfill his destiny and save the world. A choice he wasn't trying to make for himself, at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hold onto her and pull her up.
His eyes focus and he realizes he has been staring at his reflection in the water, the events of the day going over in his head, he turns from the bowl and moves toward the bed. Covered in fine cloth and silk, it had been weeks since he slept in a bed as fine as this. No, it had not been weeks, it had only been a few days, the last month I remember, never happened.
He throws himself down onto the bed, completely exhausted, and closes his eyes. The softness of the linens and mattress is a welcome relief to his sore and aching muscles. And just as soon as his eyes were closed, the dreams started. He saw his Father burning from the poison Nizam put in the Regent's robe. Bis dying trying to protect him as he escaped from the false accusations of murder. Watching Garsiv dying from the hassanssin's spikes and then Tus to Nazim's blade across his throat only just after learning the truth of his Uncle's treachery. But the worst, the worst of all his dreams were of Tamina. He watched in slow agonizing detail, the world in his dream moved as if in slow motion. He watched everything happen over and over again.
Dastan clung to the ledge. Reaching up to grab Nazim's ankle and watching him throw Tamina over the edge. The rock's hard and rough face biting harshly into his hand as he throws his other hand out catching hold of Tamina's wrist. She desperately grabbed onto his to keep from falling to her death. She looks down terrified and when she looks back at him, he can see in her eyes the realization that he must let her go in order to stop Nazim, in order to save the world. "Stop him! If the glass shatters the world dies with it." Dastan grunts and groans with the effort of holding her, the slick blood and sweat on their hands make it difficult to maintain a proper grip.
She tries to convince him, "It is not my destiny. It's yours. It always has been," trying to sound calmer than she is. "Let me go."
"I won't." Both panic and pain show in Dastan's eyes, he knows it is the right thing, but he can't, he can't let her fall.
Slowly and deliberately, "Let..me..go.."
"I'm not letting you go," he yells out in frustration while shaking his head.
"I wish we could have been together." Tears stream down her face as she releases her grip on his wrist. So many more words left unspoken between them.
"No! No! No!" He yells and grunts with effort as her wrist begins to slip free. The blood and sweat make it impossible to hold on. Her cries of terror at knowing that she will die are unaffected by knowing that he must let go, that she must die to help him save the world.
The sheer terror in her eyes burns into his soul. In impossibly slow and agonizing terror, "NO!" Dastan yells as her wrist finally slips free, she screams out to him, "DASTAN!" Hearing her call out his name as she falls tears at every fiber of his being, it feels as if his very flesh is being ripped from his body.
"TAMINA! NO!" He screams out, coming awake violently.