/I don't own anything you recognize in this story. /

Chapter Fifteen

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." –Psalm 62:1

Standing in front of the mirror, Sibylla shook her hair and then allowed it to fall gracefully onto her shoulders, the tips resting on a long, flowing white dress that fit her perfectly. She only wished that she could feel as happy as the mirror showed.

For several days now, Sibylla had been toying with the idea of marrying Saladin. It was a perfect match, indeed. She wouldn't be kicked off the throne and it would bring peace to both the Moslems and Christians alike. She hoped, anyway.

Someone knocked the door gently and the door swung open gently. Sibylla turned from the mirror and watched as Saladin crossed the room to stand in front of her. Coming closer, Sibylla could see that the man had a soft smile upon his face.

"You look beautiful, my love," Saladin exclaimed, taking her hand. "Everyone will rejoice to see you when our wedding day arrives."

Sibylla managed a pained smile. "I'm sure they will, my lord."

Saladin pulled Sibylla closer to him. "You know you don't have to call me 'my lord' with me, Sibylla. We will be married soon, remember? Married people don't call each other by their titles."

Sibylla looked away. "I know, but it's so hard to do so. I never thought any of this would happen."

"I never thought it would happen either. When my first wife died…I thought I could never love again, it would be a betrayal to my former wife. But here I am now," Saladin smiled.

Sibylla said nothing. So Saladin felt the same way that she was feeling, as well. But why did he seem to think it was ok for her to marry so soon after Balian's death and he could have all the time in the world to mourn for his old love? It just didn't make sense, but Sibylla shook off the feeling. This was all for the best.

Saladin looked at Sibylla curiously. "Are you alright, my love?"

Sibylla nodded silently. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about Balian, was all. I still miss him."

"We cannot change the past, Sibylla. I urge you to forget about Balian," Saladin stated soberly.

"Why are you being so selfish?" Sibylla asked, suddenly angry. "Why aren't you allowing me to mourn for my past love? It's only natural, yet you want me to move on as if he had never existed."

"I'm so sorry, Sibylla. It's just that I'm so excited about the future that I'm forgetting the past," Saladin explained.

"Then why won't you let me spend time with my memories?" Sibylla stated.

"Because, I think it's time for you to move on with your life, Sibylla. Balian's gone and he'll never be able to come back. We can't spend the rest of our lives submerged in what might have been," Saladin said.

"But we can still remember the past," Sibylla said bitterly. "I wish to be alone now, Saladin. Please leave me now."

Saladin nodded and bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Sibylla watched as Saladin strode across the room and closed the door behind him. Sibylla sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding slowly to the ground. It was true, thoughts of Balian still plagued her no matter how much she tried to shake herself from them. She wanted to move on now, but it seemed impossible. What if Balian wasn't dead yet, that Saladin was just lying to her? But yet he had seemed so sincere and seemed to grieve along with her. But why, then, did he seem to act so strange just now?

After about half an hour of sitting there thinking, Sibylla finally stood up and headed out the door. There was only way to find out whether Balian died or not and that was to question the people servants of the palace.

Finally coming across a soldier in the servants' quarters, Sibylla grabbed him and pulled him close. If anyone would know about it, it was a soldier close to Saladin.

"Please, sir, I need to ask you a question," Sibylla exclaimed, "but I don't want you to tell anyone about what I'm about to tell you, no one."

"Anything at all, my lady," the soldier said, looking surprised and a little shocked.

"I want to know if Balian really died. Or is he still alive, unable to get to me?" Sibylla asked.

The soldier stood there in silence for several moments. Sibylla could see that he wanted to say one thing, but couldn't because something else was telling him not to. Saladin had probably told him to lie if Sibylla had ever asked him about Balian.

"Balian's still alive, isn't he?" Sibylla asked.

The soldier nodded silently. Sibylla clenched her hands together and cursed. So Saladin had been lying to her all this time just for his personal gain.

"Do you know anything else, sir?" Sibylla asked, "I promise to you that you won't get into trouble. I won't tell him that you told."

The soldier looked relieved at Sibylla's proclamation. "Saladin had put a ransom on Balian because he knew that it would be paid and get Balian off his hands. With Balian gone and you still here, Saladin would be able to say that Balian died and be able to marry you without regrets."

Sibylla closed her eyes in grief and opened them again. So the story finally came out and Sibylla's guesses will come true. Saladin only wanted to marry her and tell her lies about everything else.

Thanking the soldier, Sibylla hurried away back to her rooms. It was time to pack her things and start scheming a way to get away from this place as fast as she could. She wouldn't marry Saladin if she could help it.