Not yet properly recovered from the initial shock the prince's hand reflexively shot to his sword handle when shouts were heard outside the chambers and countless angry fists and heavy boots started banging against the door. In precaution the vizier had obviously locked it from the inside to avoid disturbances, now a half dozen guards desperately attempted to break it down. Though Farah intensified the pressure of the dagger just a bit, and he let his hand sink.

"Don't…" she demanded softly "Please don't struggle, I won't let them harm you. But I can't just let you slip away my Persian friend."

"You insidious Indian snake… is that your thanks…?" he hissed furiously, which earned him a stern look and the dagger pressing even more uncomfortably against his throat.

"No. But…" she added amusedly "who said I shot him in the back and stole his weapons? I must say it seems you didn't learn much from your own story..."

Splintering of wood and a ground shaking crash announced that manpower had finally overcome obstinate timber. In seconds the room was swarming with armoured soldiers.

"PRINCESS!… What is it?… Vishnu help us… The Vizier!…Who did…?…Murderer! SEIZE HIM! SEIZE HIM!!!"

"DON'T KILL HIM!!!" Farah's shrill command evaporated almost unheard when a dozen guards threw themselves upon the helpless prince belly-flop style, completely burying him under a pile of flailing limbs before he could as much as blink an eye. "You idiotic blokes, are you deaf?! I ordered you to stand down!…"

"…Pin him down!… Don't let the bastard escape!… Yeah! I got his sword!…"

It took a few doughty kicks to finally make herself heard and the cheering soldiers to let go, one by one got up mumbling humble excuses into his beard to reveal a glassy eyed, somewhat crumpled prince whose initial cry of protest had subsided to a groan meanwhile.

"Back off you half-witted baboons! Oh, I am so sorry… Help him up! Help him up! Take him before the Maharajah. And don't you dare touching him again or I'll have you meet the tigers! Now move it, get out of my sight!"

Farah was shaking with fury and liberally distributed a few slaps to the men, most of which were one and a half heads bigger than herself, until they nodded and slouched off, carrying the prince with them. After carefully retrieving the dagger and wrapping it in a piece of cloth she quickly hustled off to follow them.

The throne room was empty though, and when she finally found them at the garden shrine, where the Maharajah used to be for his morning prayer at this hour, the prince was at his knees, hands bound on his back, and her perplexed father listening to the guards' confusing explanations of how they had found the vizier dead in his blood in the princess' chambers and the princess herself bravely fighting off this stranger with a dagger. One soldier proudly presented the prince's sabre. Farah shook her head, cursed under her breath and hurried to interfere.

"My child, dear! Are you hurt? What insanity! And in my own house! What happened here?"

Once he had caught sight of her the Maharajah hurried to embrace her, looked her up and down and kissed her on the forehead, but instantly froze in astonishment when she presented the small bundle she had brought with her.

"Father, look…"

The Maharajah quickly gazed at the prince, at the guards, the dagger, then back at her.

"You did well. Now get out…" he waved at the guards "…leave us alone."

…