The prince and Kaileena ran up the long, winding staircase that led to the prince's father's room. There they would find the Second Empress and finish her.
Once at the top of the stairs, they were facing a door.
"You ready for this?" asked the prince. Kaileena nodded. They both ran at the door, broke it down, and stopped once in the room. They looked around and noticed that the room was empty. Where was the Second Empress? Suddenly someone was clapping.
"Bravo, bravo. I congratulate you both for making it this far," Shawdee came walking in from the balcony. "You prince I give even more credit for living through the stables. I see you know how to use deep magic of the dagger. Or could it be you just were to scared to face destiny? Oh well, I guess we'll find out soon enough." She raised her weapons.
"Why are you doing this Shawdee?" asked Kaileena. "After I took you in, cared for you, even showed you power, you still betray me?"
"Oh don't talk to me about betrayal. I heard of how you betrayed my parents, left them to die on the streets back in Egypt."
"Shawdee, you don't know what your talking about. I didn't kill you parents. They were killed in a mob that was out to destroy me. Your parents were killed in fear from other peasants."
"NO! I will not hear of it. You killed my parents and I will avenge them with the powers you taught to me. Also, all that I learned behind your back."
"Shawdee, you aren't yourself. You are only the evil side. Make no mistake, I will kill you with no hesitation."
"Please yourself. You will only bring the downfall of the good Shawdee also. Both will live if both are alive. If one dies, the other must also. But, I found a way that I can live while my counterpart is dead. If I become the Empress of Time, I can use my power to stop myself from dying but allow my other side to die."
"That is sick. Why must it be like this Shawdee? Why cant you look at all the good times you had with me?"
"I would much rather look at the times I had with my parents. Enough of this though. Time to show you the extent of what power I have now." Shawdee raised her hand and two guards drug in an unconscious form of Shawdee.
"I kidnapped her when you set off to come back here. I knew I could use her against you when you found out who I really was. Give me the dagger, and I will set her free."
The prince thought this seemed very familiar. He hadn't fully gotten to know Shawdee, but he knew he couldn't afford to lose anyone else. He would give the dagger to Shawdee. He pulled it out of his sheath and walked over to Shawdee. He gave it to her. She took it with a sneer. The prince turned around and began walking to Kaileena.
"Now that I have this, I know I can complete my task of finishing her off now." Said Shawdee, looking at the prince.
"Excuse me? I am not a her!" said the prince.
"Not you. I mean Kaileena. She was my main purpose this entire war. I wanted to kill her, take her power, and become the new Empress of Time, and control all of Persia."
The prince stared at Shawdee in disbelief. He drew his weapon. So did Kaileena.
"Go prince. I can take the guards." Said Kaileena. The prince nodded and ran at Shawdee. He knocked her out onto the patio outside the window.
"Remember what I said? You kill me, you kill Shawdee."
The prince knew that. But that didn't mean he couldn't attack her. He blocked her few swings she sent to him. They both were delivering blows and blocks. The prince knew he could beat her now. He was reading her far to easily. Shawdee was using two swords, dividing her concentration, making it easy for a fake out. The prince began to swing at her stomach. She lowered her weapons to block. But before he completed the swing, he pulled his sword up, cutting into Shawdees arm. She let out a scream. Then she began to let her fury take over. She was merely swinging aimlessly than actually fighting. The prince then knocked both of her weapons out of her hands. She knelt down onto her knees.
"Please, finish me. I cant live in this world. It hurts to much with the faint memories of my parents being murdered." She said, closing her eyes.
"Listen to me Shawdee. Kaileena didn't kill your parents. They got killed in a mob. Kaileena took you in out of the goodness of her heart. She would never have killed your parents for no reason." Said the prince.
"I want to believe that. But I cant. It would be so nice to believe that. But being who I am, I can't forget what I heard from the Vizier."
"He only tricked you. He lied in saying that Kaileena killed your parents. Why do you believe him?"
"I believe him only because he was the only family I had. The Vizier was my great grandfather."
"Where is he now?"
The Vizier is dead. I killed him because I knew I couldn't trust him any longer."
"Shawdee stand up. We can talk about this more comfortably inside."
Shawdee stood up. She had the Dagger of Time hidden behind her back. She began to walk behind the prince and was about to stab him when all of a sudden, a figure came crashing on top of her. It was the other side of Shawdee. The evil Shawdee disappeared, leaving the dagger behind.
"She knew how to use time without the dagger." Said Shawdee. "Now she is somewhere else in the world, not knowing what to do. I pity her, or, me."
Kaileena came out to the patio and began to hug Shawdee. Shawdee began to cry.