Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Prince of Persia. They all belong to Ubisoft.

Italic text is used for thoughts, dreams and flashbacks.

Only Time Knows

Chapter Four: Dark Alliance

The Empress walked around in the dark forest for a while. She didn't quite know what it was she was looking for, but she had a feeling that something useful was here. The Timeline had told her that long ago, but she didn't want to share it with Kaileena.

Soon, the short temper she already possessed got shorter and her frustration grew. Sitting down on a rock, she cursed under her breath. Why couldn't the Timeline just be clear, like it used to be? Everything in the world was changing and she didn't like it.

Suddenly, she could hear rustling in the bushes behind her. Someone was coming. She got up and prepared for a fight. Out here, everything was a potential enemy.

"Who's out there? Show yourself!" But they never revealed themselves. "I am the Empress of Time and I order you to show yourself."

"I take orders from no one," a deep voice said. The owner wasn't afraid of her, and was never hiding to begin with. He'd just been too far away to hear her the first time. He walked out of the foliage and the Empress gasped.

"Prince Cyrus…?" she breathed.

"You're half right," he said grinning. Indeed, he looked exactly like the Prince. His features were identical, or what he used to look like, three years ago. There was only one difference. This man was as tall as the Prince, and as built. But the clothes he wore were of dark colours: blacks, grays and dark blues. His eyes were yellow, his hair was white like ash and his skin was gray and almost rotting, like that of a sand creature. "I am part of the Prince. The part of him that has slowly been dying for the past three years. They call me Dark Prince Cyrus, because of how I look. But I am not the dark one. The one that walks in my place is."

"What do you want with me?" she asked. For why else would he be here if he did not want something from her?

The Dark Prince smiled. "Nothing too much, except…your life."

"What!"

He glared at her. "You ruined my life! You and Cyrus both. He forgot about me. He was so worried about dying at the Dahaka's hands that he pushed me into the cold, until one day I finally freed myself of him. I'm not dying the way I used to me because I'm free. But because I am still him my death will come. And I was so close to becoming whole again. So close to having everything right again. But then you came along. The victim in all this. The one who the Dahaka was after now. And he saved you, brought you home, and you took him away from the one thing that could have brought me home again. The one thing that he had not yet let go of. But now…I can feel it. He's let her go too. All that he had once been, all that I had been, is gone."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"He let her go you bitch!" he snarled. "He let Farah go."

"Did he now?" the Empress asked smiling.

But the Dark Prince wasn't amused. "Now, it's up to me. I have put everything right. I'll have everything that is supposed to be mine, everything he gave up. I will be whole with or without him."

And he took his sword out of his sheath. Charging at her, he held his sword high, ready for the kill. But she teleported out of the way just in time.

"Wait!" she said.

"Don't even try begging for mercy. I'm not merciful, not anymore."

"I want to make you a deal," she said.

"What deal?" he asked.

"You want what is yours right? A kingdom, the one you love, a life. I can give you all that."

"How?"

"Provide me an army, and together, we can attack the Prince. Take what we want, and force the citizens to band against him in exchange for their immunity from our power. We'll kill all who apposes us."

"No, I won't risk the lives of innocent people," he said.

"Sometimes it's necessary," the Empress said. "You want your kingdom, don't you? You want Farah back right?"

He thought about it. He did want those things, especially Farah. "Alright. But we will avoid as much unnecessary deaths as possible."

"You're the boss," she said.

What are you doing! Kaileena asked.

Don't worry; I've got it all under control. He's going to put his faith in me. So, he'll trust me. If he does what I say, the Prince will be all alone. He'll have no choice but to seek us out. We'll be there to help him along the way and he'll finally come to our side and we'll be together, just as we want.

"Alright," the Dark Prince said, "I'll provide you the army you need. Do what must be done. I'll take over afterwards."

"I was thinking, that I could pretend to befriend the Prince. He'll trust me and I can inform you of when he's most vulnerable and we can strike. I don't need the army, just for you to give them one command. Destroy whatever they can, and show no mercy to anyone."

The next day, Kaileena returned home early in the morning so no one would know she was out the night before. She simply went into her room so that when the servant came in to wake her, she was already there.

She was perfectly calm when she went downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning," she said sweetly to everyone, but more to the Prince than to Farah who were both sitting silently at the dining table.

"Good morning," the Prince said. Farah stayed quiet. Kaileena noticed that they were sitting near each other like they had at the party the night before. They weren't even looking at each other.

She sat down beside the Prince and saw Farah shoot a jealous glance when she did so.

"What's going on between you two?" she whispered to the Prince.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "We just disagreed on something."

"Oh," she said mischievously, "A little lovers quarrel?"

That put a smile on the Prince's face, "I guess you can call it that."

Suddenly, King Sharaman stood up, with a bit of difficulty, and all chatter stopped. "I apologize for disturbing you all from your meal," he said talking to the Prince, Kaileena, Farah, the Prince's sisters, their husbands and a number of other guests who lived in the palace, "But yesterday, my son came to me and told me he had an announcement he wanted to share with everyone as soon as possible. Well my son now is that time. Stand up and tell us."

The Prince hadn't been expecting this. Couldn't he have said this yesterday? When I actually did have some good news.

He shot a look at Farah, who turned away coldly. It was as if she were saying, "Tell them you slime ball. Tell them that you were going to marry me but are now in love with someone else so we called it off. Then you'll be the laughing stock of the kingdom."

The Prince stood up and said, "Actually Father, I've been thinking about it and it's not very important." And sat down again. The King was shocked, but said, "Alright then, everyone, back to your meals."

Afterwards, before he left the dinning hall, Sharaman caught up with his son and stopped him. "What was that stunt you pulled in there? Now I feel stupid," he said.

"I'm sorry Father," the Prince replied, "But there has been a change in the plans and I didn't want to say that in front of everyone."

"A change in what plan?" Sharaman asked.

"Look, I was going to…commit to something, but there were some arguments and now that's not going to happen. Let's just leave it at that." He had no intention of speaking with his father about almost getting married. For one thing, he hadn't even told him he was in a relationship with Farah and secondly, he knew his father would push him into trying to get her back, which he wasn't prepared to do yet.

His father didn't say anything; he just watched as his son walked off in the other direction, towards the training rooms.

Farah went up to her room and found the rucksack she'd hidden under her bed. She laid it open on her bed and packed away all her clothes. She'd be going home soon. She'd see her father again. How could she break the news to him? That she'd come all this way, been gone so long, only to return with nothing but a broken heart? It would destroy him. But, the Prince had made up his mind, she had no other choice.

There was a knock at the door and she quickly wiped away the tears that had formed with the back of her hand, "Come in," she said.

She looked up, expecting it to be the Prince. She was disappointed to see that it was only Kaileena. She wasn't really in the mood to speak with her, seeing as she was the reason she was packing right now.

Then again, she couldn't really blame Kaileena. It was the Prince who no longer loved her. The Prince who allowed her to walk out the door, and the Prince who made no effort to stop her from returning home now.

"You seemed off today at breakfast. I sense something's wrong. Do you need to talk?" Kaileena asked.

"No, I'm okay," she lied.

"Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes," Farah replied, "I'm going home."

"Why?" Kaileena asked surprised. "I thought you were going to stay here, with Cyrus. Yesterday you seemed so much in love."

"Yeah, well things change. That's something you'll learn eventually," she said, continuing to pack.

"Some things change, but some things don't," Kaileena said.

"Well, he sure changed."

"What happened?"

"We had a fight. And I told him we couldn't be together anymore. I guess a part of me just wanted to see what he'd do. I was moving on, and I wanted to know if he was going to let me go, or if he was going to come with me. Turns out he was going to let me go."

Kaileena sighed sadly, "Oh Farah. I'm so sorry."

"So am I," she said, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

She turned to leave, when Kaileena grabbed her hand. "Don't go."

Farah looked at Kaileena. "I've never had friends before. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I think you and I could be good friends. And Cyrus really loves you, I know he does."

What are you doing! You'll ruin everything! But Kaileena wasn't listening.

Farah gently took her hand away from Kaileena without a word. She walked away, but not before pausing in the doorway saying, "I'm sorry, but this is something that I have to do. Like I said, thing's change, and we don't always like the changes…"

Outside the city, the Dark Prince waited with his army. The Empress told him now was the time. Any moment now, he'd have everything that he so rightfully deserved.

He gave his army of sand creatures the order and watched with a satisfying grin as the war began.

Farah walked away from the palace, not looking back. She'd sold her horse a little while after she'd arrived in Babylon a year ago, so now, she had to make do on foot. She didn't really care anyway. The later she got home, the later she had to tell her father she'd gone all this way for nothing. She was only prolonging the inevitable.

How things had changed from wonderful to horrible in so short of a time amazed her. One moment, she felt like the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. She felt beautiful and happy because she was loved. Now, she felt ugly and depressed and so very alone.

Farah couldn't help the thought that soon, if they hadn't already, the Prince had made his move on Kaileena, and they were together, sharing all that Farah and the Prince had shared. Picturing it in her mind brought fresh tears. She realized she was crying a lot lately.

Sitting down, she picked absently at the leaves on the trees, getting lost in her own memories of the past. It satisfied her, for the time being, to simply remember the good times she had with the Prince. Then, for brief moments, nothing had changed between them.

She was so lost within herself that she didn't hear him approach her.

"Now, what is someone as lovely as you doing out here all alone, crying?"

Farah's heart leapt and she turned around quickly. But her smile faded when she saw that is was not the Prince behind her as she had thought.

The stranger struck her and she fell into unconsciousness, hearing "I'm sorry…" just before her world went black.

He couldn't believe it. When the servant told him Farah was gone he just couldn't believe it. She'd really left. He hated himself. He'd just let the best thing in his life walk out of it.

Angry with himself, he almost broke his sword on the metal rack it usually sat on. He wasn't actually supposed to hit it, but he was just so angry, he wasn't thinking clearly. He even, for one brief moment, considered driving his sword into his own body, but thought otherwise.

He threw his sword aside and leaned against the wall, breathlessly, sliding to the floor. He buried his face in his arms and wished with all of his heart that he could reverse time and stop Farah from leaving. But the Sands of Time were no more, and he no longer had the power to control time. He was as mortal as anyone else now, doomed to live with the choices he made.

Suddenly, a page rushed over to him from the stables. "Prince Cyrus! We're under attack!"

The Prince got to his feet quickly, ordered the page to give him his armor and picked up his sword, heading out the palace gates to where all hell broke loose.

Babylon was on fire, just as Kaileena had seen in her vision days before. She ran across the courtyard, heedless to the cries from soldiers to get back. She ran to the Prince's side at the head of the Persian army.

"Kaileena! Get out of here!" he said, "This is a dangerous place."

"Gee, if I recall, I told you the same thing a couple times on the Island."

"This isn't the place, or the time, to bring that up Kaileena," he said. "We are on the brink of war here."

"I'm not leaving you," she said and grabbed his forearm firmly to show she wasn't kidding.

He turned to a soldier, "Get her a sword, now!"

The soldier obeyed and handed Kaileena a heavy sword. The army that stood before them, burning the city to the ground, was a lot fiercer than she had expected. They were covered in dark armor and they were huge, much taller than the men in their army."

"Soldiers!" the Prince said above the noise of the chaos, "No matter what, stand your ground. We are not about to give Babylon up without a fight. Kill them all if need be. Until they surrender, do not pull your punches, even if it results in your own death!"

The army cheered and the Prince, getting onto a horse, led them into battle.

And what a brutal battle it was. Kaileena did not join in, but she simply crept away into the shadows and over looked the fight. No reason to get her hands dirty with blood.

Persians were no match for the sand creature army. They managed to kill a few of their men, but the Persians were slaughtered by the sand creatures. Most of the offense killing was done by the Prince, who was probably the most skilled of them all.

From her hiding place, Kaileena could see Omar among those who had fallen. But she was glad to see he was not dead. He was badly wounded, but still alive. His arm had been cut off just above the elbow and he was losing a lot of blood. Those in the enemy army who were not killing were carrying away the wounded soldiers as prisoners.

Soon, only the Prince was left standing. He'd taken a beating and could barely hold himself up. One of the creatures he was fighting delivered a powerful blow to his jaw, sending the Prince flying a couple feet.

The Prince let out a groan of pain and could taste blood in his mouth. With much effort, he got to his knees. The creature slowly trudged towards him and held its sword high. It was going to end it.

"No!" barked a commanding voice, "I want him kept alive." The Prince looked up at the one who'd spared his life. And what he saw shocked him. It was as if he were looking into a mirror, for the one who'd started this war looked exactly like himself.

The Dark Prince was holding the crown that was a symbol of a king. The crown that was supposed to one day be placed upon his own head, proclaiming him the ruler of Persia.

He took a couple steps closer to the Prince and said, "I don't know why I've spared you, you aren't a man of mercy, why should I then? Oh wait, I know why."

"Who…are…you?" the Prince asked in a weak voice.

"Me? Oh, my prince. I can't believe you've forgotten me. I am you. The part of you you've so long since forgotten. The part of you who was cast aside while you became a heartless man, who never welcomed the company of others."

"What?" he asked. How could that be possible? How could that person be him?

"But I won't suffer because of you anymore. How does it feel? To be at the mercy of yourself? To know there's not a damn thing you can do to help yourself? Huh? Tell me how it feels," he demanded, weak himself, but he seemed to be ignoring it.

The Prince didn't reply. Truth be told it felt horrible. How could someone who claimed to be him (and so many odd things had happened over the past few years that he actually didn't doubt him) do such a horrible thing like wage war on his home?

The Dark Prince looked at the crown in his hand thoughtfully. "I'm going to enjoy this," he said. "Now, all that is yours, it rightfully mine and I'm going to make sure, that you can't stop me. Because mine it will be! I swear it.

"Oh! And I've got someone here you might want to say good bye to, because you're never going to see her again." And the Dark Prince stepped aside, revealing his prisoner.

The Prince couldn't believe who it was.

"Farah…"

No, it couldn't be. She was safe. She went home, she wasn't supposed to be here. He tried to get to his feet but they were too weak. His knees buckled and he feel once more amongst the destruction the battle had brought.

"No…" he said, on the verge of tears, "Farah. Please don't hurt her."

"I won't!" the Dark Prince said, "Not like you did. Take her away," he ordered his men. They obeyed and carried the unconscious Farah between them.

Suddenly, all the Prince's sadness turned to pure, burning rage. "You give her back!"

"No can do. She's mine now, just as she always should have been." And the Dark Prince walked off, leaving the Prince all alone.

But the Prince wasn't finished with him, not yet. He attempted to stand once more and he finally did. Fueled by the fire burning in his soul he ran after the Dark Prince and tackled him to the ground. The Dark Prince wasn't worried in the slightest, even when the Prince's hands found their way to his throat and slowly began to strangle him.

"You won't hurt me," he said calmly.

"Wanna bet?"

"You can't. It's for the same reason I did not allow my soldiers to end your miserable life. You and I are one. So, if one of us dies physically, the other one goes down as well."

The Prince instantly released his grip on the Dark Prince. His own throat felt a bit raw as well. He was right. Any pain, joy, or sadness that one felt, the other did as well. They were connected. This was one enemy he couldn't defeat with simple force.

He noticed, at this moment, that sand creatures and humans alike, began to surround him.

"You might want to run," the Dark Prince suggested, "They don't look too happy to see you now do they?"

The Prince didn't hesitate, and began to run in the other direction, away from the angry villagers who seemed to believe that it was his doing which destroyed their lives. He ran through the flaming streets of Babylon, the ones he had run while being hunted by the Dahaka. By this time, he knew them so well; he could run them with his eyes closed. And with all the dust and smoke that was coming from the fires that may not be so farfetched a thought.

"Over here!"

The Prince turned and saw Kaileena beckoning from an alley not too far away. He dove in after her and waited in the dark shadows as all those who were after him ran passed.

"That…was too close," he said catching his breath.

"C'mon," Kaileena said, "We can't stay here; they'll be back soon enough."