(All right… well, not to offend any of my readers, but I agree with Lady Discord on the contents of her review. No, the Prince is not Saeedeh's father; she basically wants to make him suffer. Look, the chances of Farah and the Prince in another relationship is slim, for two reasons: the first is that I'm not good with romance, and the second is that this story takes place after Warrior Within. Sure, the Prince would grieve over losing Farah for a time, but I doubt he had much time to sulk when a giant, crudely armored behemoth with mismatched horns started to chase him and try to kill him. Please, I don't mean to direct this to anyone; it was only my opinion.)

One Last Chance:

Chapter Eleven

The Prince rolled onto his side as his eyes shot open. His body ached in pain, and he gradually rose to his knees.

A cold breeze chilled his skin and the light from a new dawn forced him to shield his eyes. He grunted and stood up, surveying the area.

He had been, apparently, unconscious near a small stream, somewhere in a forest.

The Prince sighed and noticed Farah's sleeping body a few feet away. He rubbed his eyes and approached her, kneeling down to awake her.

"Farah, wake up!" he exclaimed while shaking her shoulder with his right arm. She winced slightly and opened her eyes, blinking a few times to regain focus.

"Where… are we?" she asked sleepily before standing and brushing her clothing off. The Prince shrugged and noticed the crimson sword lying on the ground. He bent down and picked it up, sheathing it before turning to her. "I have no idea, but we're not in the temple anymore; you don't remember anything, do you?"

"No, just that perverted soldier knocking me out. What happened, by the way?"

"Kamal was preparing to sacrifice you for something; he claimed he needed this sword. This, 'Cobra Sword', reacted to the Water Sword and created a portal of some sort. He went through the portal, and so did we."

Farah groaned. "Well then, let us get going!"

The two began to traverse through the forest, going straight ahead. After about an hour or so, they reached a steep cliff, protruding out towards a city.

"We're so high up; would we be atop a mountain?" The Prince did not answer; he was more or less focused on the city. "Impossible… Babylon! We must be in the past!" he stated in a mixture of joy and surprise.

"What do you mean? The past? That's absurd!"

"You wouldn't understand… well, you might have… once, but… wait, how long were you imprisoned at the prison beneath the palace?"

She shook her head. "I suppose seven years, since the Persian army downed my father's empire; why do you ask?"

The Prince sighed and folded his arms. "Yes… but how far are we back in the past? I stopped the Sands of Time, and killed the Dahaka, which means that I never took part in that battle… Well, in any case, we have to go and warn my father and brothers; I am not entirely sure if an Indian army attacked Babylon at the time Hesam betrayed my family, but I have to stop this; it is my last chance."

The royal garden always provided a tranquil place for the Prince; it allowed him to rest and escape from the real world.

He strolled through it pleasantly; the sweet aroma of flowers greeted him as he passed through a gate, nearing a stone bench and taking a seat. His fresh clothes were still a tad damp from his recent bath, but he decided to allow the sun to dry them.

He sighed and leaned back, frowning. His father, the king of Persia, had been busily preparing for an attack on Southern India, defeating a few empires and gaining whatever he could. The Persian army, King Sharaman, and three of his brothers had already departed for India the day before, and he, along with two of his closest brothers in age, were left in charge of the palace and their affairs.

The Prince sighed again and stood up, stretching and letting out a yawn. He began to make his way back into the palace, but a cold voice stopped him.

"Would you be…"

"So, sir, are you willing to allow me to work here?" confirmed a young woman. Her clothing reflected her level of status, and she clearly came from a poor family, or background. Her long, black hair flowed down her back, and she anxiously awaited an answer from the man sitting at the desk.

Farzad thought for a moment, rapping his fingers atop the wood. "If you are willing to work as a servant here at the palace, then I am pleased to grant you an occupation. You and your daughter will gain living quarters here at the palace. The guard here will escort you and your daughter to your quarters."

"Thank you, sir!" The woman bowed politely and grasped her daughter's hand, leading her out of the room as they followed the guard. Farzad rubbed his eyes and leaned back in the wooden chair. His youngest and closest brother would soon be of age, and he would need a wife.

Saeedeh sighed slowly as she led Kaileena through the city. "I'm sure it was today that you died, but I was much younger, three to four, I suppose."

Kaileena frowned. "What of Massoud? Are you just going to leave him there?" The girl ignored the question and smiled. "Please, mother, we must hurry to reach the palace so that I can show you the events of your… passing… but do not fear; it is only your alternate self."

"Alternate? Yes, this is not my timeline…"

"No, yet-,"

"What is it!" the woman inquired urgently as the girl fell to her knees. "There's a disturbance… that was not here when I was a child…"

Kaileena helped the girl up. "We... have to hurry to the palace and stop whatever event that ended your life," she stated as the girl nodded. "We cannot stop it, at least not at the moment, be we must still hurry."

The Prince and Farah approached the outskirts of the inner city, which was extremely shabby and steeped in poverty. Numerous shacks and small houses composed of carpets and rags littered the barren, dusty plain. Merchants were busy preparing their stalls, citizens were going about their morning errands, but not much occurred in the area.

As the Prince and Farah walked through the area, someone beckoned to them from beside a shack.

"Hey, both of you!" Massoud yelled, gaining the attention of the Prince. "Massoud, is… it really you!" he asked in surprise as he ran over to his friend. "Where is Kaileena? What has been going on?"

"H-Hold on, first, tell me about you two."

After explaining the situation to Massoud and listening about the other events, the Prince seemed somewhat fearful. "So, from what you observed, this 'Saeedeh', is taking Kaileena to the royal palace?"

"Yes, but I am not sure of what is happening there; I am still bewildered by how we even came to the past, more specifically, an alternate past."

The Prince nodded. "Yes, but the only option we have left is to venture to the palace; whatever Kamal is planning could already have been set in motion."

The dark- cloaked figure approached the Prince slowly. "H-How did you get past the guards and enter the garden!"

The person laughed coldly. "I am not here to deal with you, but, rather, a woman; she should be in the palace." The Prince ground his teeth. "You will not gain access to my father's palace, and you will not bring harm to anyone, I will make absolute sure!"

Kamal chuckled. "Foolish… you are no different than your counterpart."

(Yeah, I know it's been awhile.)