Sorry for the wait, I'm sure a lot of you though I'd finished (there's still 4 or so chapters to go). Anyway, stop being upset about Shirin – her body's dead, but whoever said her soul and spirit had died and did you all really think I'd write a sequel without her:P This chapter was kinda hard to write so I just did my best. It's Farah POV
Chapter Twenty-Six: Aftermath
Shirin…she…she was dead. I mean, it was inevitable what with the way her body had become so mangled but…she was dead, I, I couldn't believe it, I wouldn't. She seemed so confused before…before everything happened. She had drunk from the fountain; she must have seen some horrible things from her past to have such a harsh outbreak of anger. All those things she said…how could she be related to Dahaka? I would not accept the idea that everything she had done was totally down to her anger; some third party must have twisted her thoughts and must have fuelled her to do all of that stuff. I knew Shirin. Even if she did hate me or anyone for that matter, she would not try and harm me or kill me. She was not a murderer. I looked at her body, I wished I could have just believed she was asleep, but I knew she was not. Her face, though badly scratched and torn, looked rather unusually peaceful, maybe in her last few moments she finally found peace; maybe she just found out who she was, she didn't belong to anyone, she was just herself; she was Shirin.
I could not lie and say I was totally unmoved on the outside, I was on the very verge of crying and there was an unruly feeling in my chest that seemed to make it hard for me to breath. Although Shirin mayn't have liked me, I did care for her. Up until recently I had been the only girl in my immediate family; after travelling with Shirin she seemed like a sister to me, and admittedly at times I may have talked to her as if she was only very young, but I was very grateful for having her around. I tried for a few moments to imagine life without her but it was hard, I had known her for a few months now, her being around was part of my life!
I looked up at the Prince and saw that he was obviously very effected. At first, I could see him trying to deny what had happened, with the quiet repetition of the words 'no, no', but soon this stage evolved to anger as he began to scream at the body in hope it would move and be full of life again, but eventually the realisation that Shirin wasn't going to be alive again dawned on him and slowly sadness encased him and he allowed himself to break out into tears. I had never seen him cry before so I found this somewhat unusual. He had always acted so strong, like he could cope with anything, and now I was seeing him cry as if he were a child. But then I soon found that no matter how strong you believed you were, nothing could protect you the from the sorrow death brought, as I myself, broke out into tears.
We must have sat, weeping for a good fifteen minutes, after of which, we sat silently, left with the aftermath emotions. We didn't look at each other for a long time, but when my eyes drifted to the Prince, I saw his eyes were looking at the dagger, Shirin had been holding it all the time.
"It won't help will it? Using the dagger I mean," he asked slightly rhetorically. I shook my head. "She was dying as soon as we got to the Temple…as soon as she drank from the fountain she was dying…" he mumbled. I knew he didn't mean what he said literally, but I understood what he meant.
"Maybe you should cover her up now," I murmured. I found it odd that I was actually considering the fact that she was cold, maybe I was also saying that because I wanted Shirin to look at little bit more dignified. It wasn't hard to wrap her small body in the Prince's cloak…it made me wonder if he would ever be able to wear it again. I knew it was hard for him, as he touched her skin to feel how cold it had become. I looked around, I hadn't been too bothered to look at our surroundings but now I found some surprise in them. The plaque had said we would be taken to safety, but we were still in the mountain range. However, we must have been lower to level ground for the Prince didn't seem to have any difficulty in breathing, I naturally never did. I suddenly heard something in the distance, rattling and horse cries echoing. Someone was approaching us. I looked around constantly and then suddenly a woman riding a brown horse came into view. She was followed by a lot more people that seemed to be a complete entourage. The woman was older than the Prince and was mature but because of the way she acted and talked this was something I wouldn't believe.
"Brother! What in the name of Ormazd are you doing in this place? The next time you decided to go on a walk-about you better tell us! Do you even know how worried we've all been? We've been trying to find you for ages!" the woman cried as she jumped off her horse and embraced the Prince whom had a face of absolute vagueness and despair. The woman had a sharp nose, bluish grey almond-shaped eyes and a rather angular face, she was slim (she wore a lot of clothes but I could tell she was slim because the trousers she wore showed off the shape of her attractive legs) and had very long legs but she also had a tall body with a slightly curved back spine. I had to admit, she was rather attractive in an unusual way. She was taller than the Prince by about two inches but oddly enough her hair, which was a silky light brown, was actually the same length as the Prince's and just went past her chin. She saw me staring with a blank face and obviously took offence. "What is your problem? Haven't you ever seen a sister hug her little brother before?" she asked sharply, I could see the slight resemblance between the woman and the Prince. I could see that she was a princess, her make-up painted face and the jewellery that was laden on her body gave that fact away. She obviously had to wear clothes that would protect her from the cold; the clothes were hardly appealing so maybe the amount of jewellery she wore was to make up for the fact that the clothes she momentarily wore robbed her of her figure. The Prince stepped back and opened his mouth to say something but before he could his sister was already speaking.
"You look awfully pale, when was the last time you ate? You haven't a cold have you? You can get a load of horrid things while in cold places. Where have you been staying? You haven't caught lice have you? Why is your hair different? You didn't use any substances that you're allergic to did you? Is it just the sun or have you dyed it? It's all uneven, I'll get a barber to cut it…" she said, but stopped when her brother didn't bother to react at all. She looked at me "If you've hurt him at all!" she started, she began to jab indicting finger at me. Suddenly the Prince spoke up.
"No…no, Atefah…she is the daughter of the Maharajah of Amber," he mumbled. The Prince's sister, Atefah, appeared rather confused.
"So…what? You kidnapped her?" Atefah asked.
"No…well yes, I mean, yes and no," he continued to mumble quietly.
"Well…it doesn't matter now…father said it would be pointless coming up the mountains, well, he's waiting with Arshia, Nouri and Tallis at the bottom of these mountains," Atefah, softening her naturally brash voice.
"Arshia? He even came, but what about the children?" the Prince asked.
"Shahnaz stayed behind to take care of them, what are you doing all the way out here anyway?" Atefah asked. I couldn't help but feel an outsider to this conversation, I had always considered myself part of the Prince's life, and I was, but I was yet to become a part of his family life. The Prince didn't reply to his question, the whole shock of Shirin's death was still fresh within him. Atefah noticed the body wrapped up in the cloak. She saw Shirin's face.
"Who is she?" question Atefah. The Prince couldn't reply; he hung his head and shut his eyes tight, he didn't want to say her name; I answered for him.
"She's called Shirin, she died in –" I started, about to say the Temple of Sight, but then my eyes caught the Prince's and I realised I couldn't speak of the Temple, the Sands or anything of that matter. "In a blizzard, we couldn't see anything and wolves attacked us," I lied.
"Why was this woman with you in the first place?" questioned Atefah, first looking at her brother who was still grieving and then at me.
"She…she was a guide," I said, this was somewhat a lie but in a sense it was true. Atefah knelt and looked at the body.
"Well…she looks Persian…what family is she from? We can return the body," said Atefah. The Prince shook his head.
"I don't know…" he mumbled.
"Well, what city? We'll give it to the sultan and he'll deal with her," asked Atefah. I knew the Prince had met Shirin in Persepolis but she probably wasn't from there, thieves would never stay in the same city for too long a time.
"I don't know," the Prince repeated.
"Well, we'll just take her back to Babylon then," said Atefah and beckoned some guards. They dismounted their horses immediately and picked up the body. They disappeared into the crowd to some place that would keep the body reasonably flesh. Since Shirin had been a friend of the Prince then it would likely be up to him to sort the burial out…I already knew for sure that it was something we would be unable to do. Atefah suddenly grabbed my arm. "So what about this princess? Is she like a friend or is she a prisoner? I'll have some guard take care of her," concluded Atefah quickly ready to beckon some more guards but before she could the Prince spoke up.
"No! No, Princess Farah is a friend of mine, she can ride with me," the Prince piped up. Atefah looked at me with a smile.
"Farah? That's a pretty name," she smiled. I stood rather still and looked at her blankly, unsure of if she was being sarcastic. "It's a complement dear, you're supposed to smile," she said talking to me as if I was twelve.
"Oh…" I mumbled.
"Listen, if you're a friend of any of my brothers then I won't kill you and I'll be nice to you, you don't have to look so afraid," Atefah grinned. I guessed she must have been quite the swordswoman; it was easy to tell what with her attitude and the sword that was on her back. I replied again with the word 'oh'. Atefah continued to smile but rolled her eyes. She had a guard bring the Prince and I a horse. Once everything was organised, and the three of us (myself, the Prince and Atefah) were at the front of the entourage we began our descent of the mountain. It wasn't particularly a long way down, the vortex must have taken down the mountain so we would meet Atefah, who would, like the plaque had said, take us to safety.
The Prince continued to look blank as we rode. When I asked him things he would act very unresponsive and would say very little, it seemed best at this point, to just ask him rather direct questions.
"So Atefah is your sister?" I asked. He nodded. "How old is she?"
"Thirty-nine," the Prince managed to mumble.
"Do you have anymore sisters?" I asked, I thought that if I asked questions then it may help take his mind off things, yet maybe such an act was futile for even I couldn't believe what had happened. The Prince nodded.
"One more; Shahnaz, she is Atefah's twin," he replied quietly.
"Is she like Atefah?" I questioned referring to Atefah's loudness and tomboy behaviour. The Prince shook his head.
"No. Shahnaz is quiet, but she and Atefah are best friends," replied the Prince.
"Atefah cares about you a lot, does Shahnaz?" I asked; most of my questions were just out of pure curiosity about the Prince's life. The Prince nodded. "That's a little unusual for it is usually people closer to your ages that you care more about, or at least, that is what I believe," I murmured.
"I am close to all my brothers and sisters for it were they that brought me up when I was a child, my mother died in giving birth to me" the Prince explained.
"Oh, I am sorry." I murmured feeling so stupid. "I suppose Atefah and Shahnaz are very good at taking care of their own children, after having practice with you," I said trying to move on to another subject.
"No. Shahnaz is barren; Atefah refuses to marry for she has dedicated her life to become a warrior," the Prince explained. How could I be so stupid? Now I had touched two raw nerves!
"But you mentioned children before when you were talking to Atefah," I pointed out although I was probably going to find that I had just asked another bad question.
"She means my brother's children, Arshia my eldest brother is twenty seven; my mother was a little bit put of having children after having twins so there is quite a big age difference between my sisters and Arshia. Anyway, he has six young children, the eldest is only six and the youngest is a year old," the Prince explained. I mentally wiped the sweat off my forehead, relieved to find I hadn't picked at a dark subject, or at least, that was what I thought. "His wife died last year," the Prince added. I decided it would be safer if I just kept my lips sealed.
My mind couldn't help but try and comprehend that idea of Shirin's death as we rode but as I noticed that our horse had halted, those dark thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind. A small camp had been established; it was easy to know that the largest, most excessive and decorative tent belonged to that of the Persian King. I had never met of him but had heard of him. In his own culture he was a Warrior King (for that was the meaning to his name), in others, he was just considered a murderer with power. When it was noticed that the princess was accompanied by the Prince, the immediate surprise spread through the camp like some sort of plague for the hustle and bustle they had conjured up through their talk silenced and all eyes were focused solemnly on the Prince, and the fact that an Indian princess was with him caused even more shock.
"What? Have you never seen the Persian prince before? Do not ogle like he is some sort of leper!" Atefah said harshly. She was a woman that had a tongue so sharp no one would try and confront her against anything she said. Immediately the chit-chat continued yet this time, it has an essence of fake-ness about it. We dismounted our horses and a servant had them taken away. As we approached the lavish tent, the voices inside of it became clearer.
"It's Atefah isn't it?" One male voice said, this one was mature but still sounded youthful.
"Did you hear what she said?" exclaimed a much younger and jumpy voice. Next was a large cry of discomfort.
"ARGH! TALLIS!" yelled the more mature voice. Two young men emerged from the tent. The first one's resemblance to the Prince I met back during the Sands was amazing! He had the same light brown hair and greeny blue eyes. He was shorter and lankier (his waist was incredibly narrow but he had large hips) and he had a goatee, but still, the resemblance was striking nonetheless. He had a slight glint in his eye that hinted at a mischievous and adventurous personality, that and the giant grin that was pasted across his face. He, like Atefah, was dress heavily in clothes designed to keep him warm, as was the other man. The other man was older, I could tell even if he did look young. I could tell he had once been of a larger, much more masculine build; as I looked at him he looked very skinny but it wasn't a natural build for him. There was something odd about him; he appeared rather 'weary' with a tired look upon his face that in some way actually appeared a natural look. His black hair was long and tied back but it was thinning. His smile was quiet with sealed lips but his eyes (that appeared to have a natural emotional look to them) were filled with delight. The younger man cried something out in Farsi so loudly and quickly I barely caught it. He grabbed the Prince into an embrace immediately. Oddly enough, the Prince made no sound although all the air had been knocked out of him because of the embrace, nor did his face change from the sad, plain look he had maintained since we had left the temple. He was obviously still unresponsive and wearied by the idea of Shirin's death. I kept on repeating the statement to myself – in hope it would sink in properly and that the fake look of indifferent-ness I had managed to sustain could become a truthful face. I thought about what the young man had said and I finally managed to translate it to: 'brother – I'm going to kill you!' I assumed it was said in a more informal and comedy-based manner.
"Not before father and I do," muttered Atefah grabbing one of the young man's ears, I assumed he was obviously her brother. She then took the Prince's; he let out a small cry. Atefah began to pull the two along, she was probably taking on the more firmer role as a slight mask for her sensitive side, people had come to see her one way and that was her strong, firm way and therefore, to show any form of deep emotion (in this case happiness) would contradict this.
"You see, this is what is so great about being Atefah's favourite little brother – she'll never drag me by the ear!" smiled the older man joyfully.
"Oh I would but I have run out of hands! Farah, be a dear and grab his ear and follow me," Atefah called. The slight….unorthodox feeling that came with the situation made me feel slightly unusual, Atefah barely knew me let treated me as if she already did. The man smiled at me and followed his sister; it was obvious that what Atefah had said had been a joke, I couldn't help but find what I had seen so far of the Prince's family slightly…different from what I had expected. Inside of the tent, the Prince's father, King Shahraman was sat on a rather beautiful cushioned chair but as soon as he saw the figure of his son, he leapt up and embraced him like his other son had done.
"My son! Where have you been for so long? Your absence has troubled all of us – what reason was there for your absence?" question the King in a joyful voice…he stepped back and looked at the sorrowful face on his youngest child's face. I suddenly noticed a young man near the back of the tent, he seemed very silent and subtle, in his hand he had a book. He had a rather peaceful face that looked half-way as old as the older man's but also as young as the younger man's. His eyes were bluish with a slight greenness to them, his face was rather angular and he had a prominent nose that was sharp and pointed. Slowly, he got to his feet (he was of medium height and build) and a very subtle look of surprise was on his face as he looked at his brother, the Prince. The Prince was only able to mutter a few words that would have most definitely appear random to his family. He murmured, quietly: 'She's dead…'. Atefah ears, which were attuned to picking up small sounds, heard the Prince's words.
"Who? That girl? Who was she, she is obviously significant to you if her death has made you so quiet," Atefah asked. The Prince did not answer, he simply backed himself into a corner and sat, slowly onto an assortment of cushions that scattered the floor…he lowered his head and I eventually realised, by a tiny whimper that it was to hide his sobbing. The youngster of the two men suddenly glared at me and I could see he was already creating some story in his mind that labelled me the reason for the Prince's sadness. The King however, did not seem to effected by my presence – he spoke before his other son could and he used a much calmer tone then what I suspected the young man would.
"You are Princess Farah are you not?" he questioned as he looked at me, I nodded and then replied with the words: Yes, I am.
"Your father spoke of your disappearance –" the King started, but with the mentioning of my father I immediately broke in.
"My father? How is he?" I questioned, the King was not offended by my worry; he smiled as if he was actually amused.
"He is perfectly fine, now as I was saying, your father spoke of your disappearance, and when the absence of my son was took into consideration he assumed my son had kidnapped you, is that so?" he asked, he looked at the Prince but no answer came so I replied.
"No, I escaped Amber Fort of my own accord; I simply wished to discover a different life – one where I was not bound by the regulations of being a princess; the Prince here also left because of those reasons, we met and continued to travel together, we eventually ended our journey here," I explained. The King stared hard at me as if trying to seek the truth, but eventually he believed me.
"I see, well, I cannot lie and say that a number of your cities have been…altered, as I have searched for my son, but no damage has been created that cannot be fixed, now, I think it best if I returned you back to Amber and finally settle this matter," the King said.
"I agree," I murmured, the King turned his back on me and went further down the tent to where the other man, who I assumed was his son, was standing.
"I'll have some accommodation arranged for you, in the meantime feel free to wonder but I would prefer it if you stayed within the site of my other children," said the King picking up a book and briefly looking into it.
"I will…" I murmured while still looking at the Prince. The King looked at me.
"Princess, your presence is no longer needed, you may go now," he said and actually gestured for me to 'shoo' out of the tent. I slowly stepped backwards while still looking at the Prince, slightly worried and concerned for him. I turned around finally when I was just leaving the tent but as I did I banged into a body, it was Atefah. She had left then tent, her father had given her a slight look while talking to me, it was a look telling her to leave. Her brother had left with her too and now I could sense her other brother's (the one that had stayed in the tents) presence behind me.
"Okay Farah, let's quit playing around – how far have you two actually gone?" she asked looking serious. I looked with what must have been a rather surprised look at Atefah as I wondered whether she was implying what I thought she was. The two other men were standing near her; the oldest smiled and looked less serious.
"Don't be so harsh Atefah," he said with his gentle smile, "You never asked Dara so many questions when we were about to wed," he added. As he said the woman's name I could see something in him change, his eyes softened. From behind me the other brother joined the other two and as I saw the strong resemblance between the three I couldn't help be surprised.
"Oh that's what you think! Now answer the question Farah," said Atefah. The older man shook his head.
"Anyway…if you will excuse the possessive antics of my sister then I'd like to introduce myself. I am Arshia, this is Nouri," said the man and pointed to the man that had a more sophisticated look, he then pointed to the youngest man, "and this is Tallis," he added.
"And I am Farah," I murmured slightly childishly but it was not intended. I was silent as they talked over me, I'm sure what they said wasn't meant rudely. Eventually they noticed me again.
"I'm sorry Farah, we're just joyful as we have found our brother…I'm sure your journey has been long and tiring, I'll have your tent set up immediately," said Arshia, he seemed quite a kind man, having no ill-feelings to anyone. I had heard many tales of the great Royal Persian family and I had heard people speak of the oldest son, who was obviously Arshia, being some great warrior. This was something I couldn't really imagine him as. The youngest Tallis, reminded me more of this image – he reminded me of the Prince I knew during my flight with him to stop the Sands. I knew all about it now…things were no longer a mystery to me now and I knew that all the words the Prince had spoken of where true. I wondered about what Shirin had seen that had made act that way…
As soon as my tent had been prepare I lay in it and was about to slumber but awoke when I realised someone was actually standing outside my tent, as I went to look I saw it was Nouri, one of the princes, the second eldest. He seemed the most serious even though he had said little so far. His eyes were very serious.
"Is it necessary you stand there?" I asked.
"Well, I could always just sit inside the tent but I assumed you'd prefer me here, you're not allowed out of my site," he said. Knowing that any argument was pointless, I returned back into my tent, and lay my head to sleep, sleep…it was something I needed…
I must have woken up early…my eyes open almost as if not by my own will, I wasn't sure where I was. It reminded me of the place the Spirit had taken me to back at the Temple; it was totally black and seemed shapeless. I suddenly saw a crouched figure – she was small and skinny with sleek black hair, it covered her face but I could see green eyes – it was Shirin! I called her name but she didn't move. I walked right up to her and asking her how this was possible. But she didn't move. I stopped my talking.
"Shirin? Are you okay?" I asked slowly. Slowly I saw her head rise, at first I didn't think anything of her but then shock hit me as the face looking back at mine was Shirin's – but it was a deathly paper white with darkened skin around her eyes hinting that no blood was moving through her. She looked dead! I opened my mouth to let out a scream, the image was that terrifying but instead I was greeted with a drowning feeling, I clasped my mouth as I struggled to breath!
I jumped up finally letting out a scream…but I was no longer in that dark place, I was awake – it had been a nightmare. I was back in the tent. Atefah was kneeling with a candle.
"Will you keep it down? It is the middle of the night!" she muttered sharply.
"I-I'm sorry…did…did you try and stop me from breathing?" I questioned.
"Well it shut you up – now go back to sleep!" ordered Atefah and left me alone. I assumed everything I had said to Shirin I had said out loud. I tried to shut my eyes but I feared meeting that image again so sleep became something I didn't want. I sat up and heard the various sounds of the night. I realised I was still in my day-clothes. I crawled out from the tent and into the night. There was a humid and unsettling heat. As sleep was off the agenda, I thought maybe a walk would help…the only thing I truly feared though was the fact somewhere Shirin's body lay. The idea scared me…I don't know why, but for some reason I was scared I would meet Shirin again, but that was impossible…or at least that was what I had thought.
Sorry for the weird end, this was one of those chapters were everyone in the story is pretty confused. I'll try and update sooner