Summary: Everything the Prince worked to avoid is happening again. Can the Prince stop things before it's too late? Or is he doomed to relive his horrendous mistake all over again?

Sorry for the extremely long wait. But it's now second semester at school and the work load has doubled. I hope this long chapter makes up for it! Forgive me if Ch. 3 takes just as long, or worse!


Fate
Chapter Two: The Sands Released

Armand shifted his weight from one foot to another as he stifled yet another yawn, despite the cold. It was late and he was still adjusting to being awake at night. Not that he had a choice, if he fell asleep on guard duty he would be beheaded on the spot. Still, he couldn't help but think it unfair that he had been reassigned to the night shift after he had been at the morning shift for so long. He'd be sleeping right now, as early as it was.

He shifted into a comfortable position, but immediately snapped out of it. Somebody has to put bread on the table. His eyes drooped again and when he shook himself awake again there was a strange man in front of him. Before he could shout an alert the man hit him over the head with something, knocking him unconscious.

After disposing of the only guard, the Prince silently crept into Farah's room and up to her bed. Moonlight filtered into the room from the now heavily secured window. 'I guess she doesn't appreciate night visitors.' The Prince intended to calmly wake her up. She was sleeping calmly under silky red covers, a content expression on her face. The Prince was unable to take his eyes off of that face. 'I didn't get the chance to see her sleep before.' He unconsciously reached out and gently stroked her cheek. Farah smiled in her sleep and the Prince felt his heart jump. Her eyes opened slowly and her smile vanished. The Prince snapped out of it and put a hand over her mouth before she could call for the guards.

"It's me, the storyteller. I will not harm you," he whispered. Farah calmed down and he removed his hand. She sat up coolly, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Her covers slid away to reveal the all-too-familiar sleeveless, creamy white top that she had worn when he spoke with her only a few days ago. 'Was it really only a few days?' She looked very regal in this sleeping outfit compared to the red prisoner one he was used to. 'She cleans up well… though she was beautiful even when dressed as a captive…'

"How did you get in here?" she demanded.

The Prince flashed a toothy smile. "I have my ways."

Farah glared at him. "What do you want this time? Another harrowing tale of horror?"

"The King of Persia and Sultan of Azad are camped outside your palace preparing to attack even as we speak," he said.

Farah rolled her eyes. "Not this again."

"It's true! You must believe me. How else could I be here even now?" the Prince insisted.

"Perhaps you are just a dream, I have dreamt of you lately," Farah suggested.

"You cannot feel in dreams, yet you can feel me," the Prince said, holding out his hand. Farah touched it but withdrew her hand quickly.

"So you are real, so what?" she demanded.

A low banging sound came from outside at her balcony. The Prince's face paled and he whispered, "It has begun." He grabbed Farah's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come with me, we have to get the Dagger of Time, before someone else does," he said.

Farah recoiled and snatched her hand from his. "The Dagger is safe. I have to warn my father-" she moved to leave but the Prince grabbed her and held her tightly.

"Listen. To. Me," her body trembled and he thought he had hurt her, he loosened his grip on her slightly. He didn't realize he was the one trembling. "It's too late for that now. There's nothing you can do to save your father or your kingdom. If we don't hurry everything that I foretold will come true. If you don't believe me, then fine, I have to protect the Dagger." He released her and moved to leave. She collapsed into a coughing fit, and the Prince faltered. She got to her feet with a glare.

"You are heartless," she spat. "All you care about is that stupid Dagger- probably as a souvenir."

He sighed. "If I wanted it as a souvenir, why bother giving it back to you as I did only a few days ago?" The only reply he got was a glare.

"You could always try to stop me," he shrugged.

"Maybe I will!" Farah snarled.

"Good luck!" he offered cheerfully as he sped out the door.


Everything was just as he remembered, not that it had been very long. 'Even if it had been years since I was here last, my excellent mind would still be able to recollect how to evade all, if not most, of these traps.' He narrowly avoided being sliced in two by a tricky razor trap. 'I've seen worse.' He continued to effortlessly maneuver his way to the Maharaja's treasure vaults.

'I wonder how Farah is doing.' He couldn't help but smile. 'I'll bet she's stuck near the entrance. She'll be fuming when I return with the Dagger-' He froze.

The Dagger wasn't there. 'I'm too late…but how is that possible?' The Prince slammed his fists on the altar where the Dagger should have rested. "No!"

Farah arrived only a few moments later, bow in hand.

"It's not there…" she said, stunned.

The Prince looked up at her. "How did you get up here so quickly? You can't climb very well, especially with your bow."

"You don't know that," she stated, raising her chin a little. She fingered her bow nervously.

"Actually, I do. You told me yourself," the Prince argued. The moment the words left his mouth he bit his tongue. 'Not good.'

Farah put a hand on her hip. "I don't know where this constant flow of lies originates, but I suggest you dam it, and soon," she said, glaring at him.

The Prince gave a mock bow. "Of course, princess," he said with a smirk.

"How did you get up here so fast anyway?" Farah demanded. "No one has ever made it past my father's assortment of traps alive!"

"Well I have, twice- oops, sorry," he said, cupping his hand over his mouth. His amusement was still evident even behind his hand. She glared at him.

"You made it, didn't you?" The Prince said, changing the subject.

"I have my ways," Farah said mockingly.

"Riiight," the Prince said sarcastically.

Farah's lips twitched up into a smirk, despite her anger. The Prince gave her a toothy grin before he suddenly stiffened.

"Farah, the Hourglass!" he said.

"What?" she asked.

"If the Dagger isn't here… then someone had to have taken it so they could release the Sands," the Prince insisted. He looked down, expecting to see a familiar yellow glow, but was met with darkness. He felt his face go cold and he couldn't draw himself away. It has to be there. Where else could it be? Farah's voice snapped him back to reality.

"No one knows about the relationship between the Dagger and the Sands outside of India… except for you…" she took a step back, giving him a strange look. "How did you…?"

"Already told you," he interrupted. "Farah, does your father ever move the Hourglass?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because it's not where I thought it was. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, my father likes to show it off whenever we have visitors, though it seems our truce was a farce,"

The Prince gave her a puzzled look, but dismissed it. For now, it was superfluous. "Then we must hurry," he picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

"What! What are you, put me down this instant!" Farah screeched and started struggling.

The Prince shook his head. "Do you want me to drop you?" He asked. She immediately calmed.

"Alright then, hang on," The Prince backed up and started running towards the edge.

"Where are you-!" Farah yelled, grabbing onto the Prince's neck.

"Trust me," he said calmly and picked up speed. 'I hope this works…' He ran until he got to the edge, but instead of stepping off the edge and plummeting to his doom, he leaned over slightly, put his foot on the wall and started to run across the wall. He repeated this maneuver multiple times and he was just about to run along the last wall to get to the entrance when Farah screeched, "Stop!"

The Prince stopped, nearly falling off the edge, but catching his balance before they both fell. "What is it now?" he asked.

"Put me down and I'll show you a shortcut out of here," Farah said.

The Prince raised an eyebrow in question. "Promise you won't run away?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Come on!"

"Alright, alright," Prince laughed and put her down. Farah started feeling along the wall at her eye level.

"What are you doing?" he queried.

"Looking for, ahah! Here it is," Farah said, her hand on the wall. The Prince looked closer to see a very round indention, too round to have been accidental. Farah took of her amulet and fit it perfectly in the hole.

"Family heirloom?" the Prince asked.

"Something like that," she responded as the wall rumbled and moved back.

"Strange, how I didn't hear you come in this way," the Prince said.

Farah gave him an amused look. "There are many secret passageways throughout this kingdom and I know all of them better than anyone," she declared as she retrieved her amulet.

The Prince bowed. "Ladies first."

Farah guided him down a long, low passageway that obviously hadn't been used for a while. He could ignore the dust and the spiders, but when he tripped over a pile of bones he couldn't help but be concerned. "Farah, are these passageways trapped?" he asked.

"Yes, but this one just shuts you in unless you have the amulet to get out," she said matter-of-factly. The Prince involuntarily shuddered.

"Where does this lead?" the Prince asked.

"To my father's throne room. The Hourglass is there as well. Now come on, we're almost there," Farah whispered. A little ways off sounds of fighting could be heard. They arrived at the end of the tunnel, but the Prince held Farah back.

"Maybe you should let me…" he said.

Farah agreed. She put the amulet into the door and stood behind the Prince, bow at the ready. Likewise, the Prince took out his sword. The throne room looked as elaborate as the Prince expected. Marble tiles gleamed with the light of the Hourglass and other lanterns. It would have seemed heavenly if it had not been for the soldiers locked in combat, pausing only for a moment to see what the noise was. A black figure slinking along the edges of the throne room caught the Prince's eye.

"Farah, look!" he pointed.

"He's heading for the Hourglass! Guards! Someone! Stop him!" Farah screamed.

'They're too busy, and it looks like they're losing to my father's army anyway. Strange, no one seems to notice that dark figure but Farah and I.' He chased after the dark figure, shouting to the Persian soldiers and pointing at Farah, "Touch her and die."

The figure approached the Hourglass and pulled a dagger out of their pocket. 'The Dagger of Time! No!'

"No!" Farah and the Prince shouted simultaneously. The cloaked figure ignored them and pushed the Dagger into the Hourglass. The glass that had so resolutely held back the Sands disappeared and the Sands immediately came pouring out, turning everyone it touched into horrible monsters of sand. Most of the Indian soldiers made a run for it, but the Persian soldiers never had a chance.

"Run!" Farah yelled. "This way, follow me." The Prince followed Farah as she led him through a long hallway, down some stairs and then another long hallway. They passed Persian and Indian soldiers locked in combat, servants running in a panic, and chaos everywhere. Farah yelled at everyone they saw, "Run! The Sands are coming! The Sands are coming!" but judging from the tortured screams coming from behind them, it was to no avail. Farah stopped in the middle of the hall, taking off her necklace and shoving the face into a circular indention in the wall. The sound of the wall moving aside roared above the screams of people turning.

"Get in!" Farah urged. The Prince didn't give it a second thought. Farah retrieved her amulet and followed after him. The wall rumbled back in place.