Another late update, I know, and I apologize. I am trying to move this story along, and I appreciate anyone who stops by to read it and drops a comment. I really loved watching the POP series walkthroughs as if they were movies, and they really inspired me to write a piece of fiction that would satisfy my imagination. Hopefully, I won't let myself or my readers down. Here is to another chapter!


Farah woke a few hours later to pale moonlight. The day had not yet broken. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, she looked to her side and saw that Sherfiruz was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Even in the pale light, she could make out the numerous marks on his body- everything from the ribbony scar on his left eyebrow and the more jagged ones on his torso to the swirling tattoo on his arm and back. Each mark seemed to tell some kind of a story, and it had made her realize how little she truly knew about him. At the most superficial level, she had seen Sherfiruz in action, his stealth skills, his fierce combat ability. But for that reason alone, it was even more surprising to her of how different he was with her.

Farah had grown up hearing whispers and stories from other women who spoke of relations as an unpleasant but necessary duty for a married woman, and how it was something that one closed their eyes and simply put up with. Farah had not been sure what to believe from these stories, but they had planted within her fear and uncertainty about her own situation. Thankfully, her experience was nothing further from the tales of her adolescence. Anemone had not lied. Sherfiruz, for all his soldierly ferocity on the battlefield, showed her nothing but kindness, tenderness, and patience. When he had delicately traced the fading elaborate swirling henna tattoos on her hands, he had immediately spotted his name on the corner of one wrist, which Farah was surprised was still visible at this point. Pressing his lips fervently over that area of her skin, he had proceeded to whisper something that invoked in Farah an inexplicable sensation.

"You chose to mark your skin with my name in honor of our union. Although this will fade, my devotion to you will never diminish."

Farah's thoughts were then interrupted by the chirping of birds. Almost daybreak, she thought to herself. Her thoughts then turned to Roshanak. Servants would come into the king's quarters to prepare for the day. Did she really want everyone to find out that she had been here?

Farah carefully eased herself out of bed, being careful not to wake Sherfiruz. Lighting a candle was out of the question, so she re-dressed herself in the laundry worker's garb in the darkness and slipped out using the same path she had used to sneak in with the fruit preserve and headed back to her quarters before she could be spotted in the light of day. She wanted to avoid becoming the talk of the palace at all costs.

King Sherfiruz woke shortly before sunrise. Instinctively, he put out his arm to stroke Farah but felt nothing. Sitting up, he looked to his side and saw the empty side of the bed. Sherfiruz shook his head and rubbed his temples with a sigh that was somewhere between frustration and amusement. Farah was his wife, not a mistress or a prostitute who needed to covertly slink out his chambers in such a manner. Still, he thought to himself, it was progress enough that Farah spent the night at his side. It had certainly been the most peaceful sleep he had in a long time.

Some days later, an archery competition was being held within the palace. The king, all his wives, the royal court, and governors from the provinces were to be present, and a celebratory banquet would follow. The winner would be bestowed a special gift from the King. As the palace bustled with preparations, Indrani reported to Farah various things she had overheard in the palace, one being that the province governors were asking for access to surplus grain due to a predicted drought but that they were facing resistance due to a lack of consensus among the ministers. Farah pondered over this revelation as Indrani then proceeded to prepare her wardrobe for the day.

"My lady, take a look at this" she said holding up a beautiful deep blue Persian dress with delicate golden embroidery.

Farah snapped out of her thoughts and examined the dress. It sparked an old memory of when she and Sherfiruz had been in the device that had transported them between levels.

"What is your favorite color?" she had asked.

"Color?" He had echoed with a confused look, raising an eyebrow.

"Shall I repeat the question?"

"Blue."

Farah wasn't entirely sure if that had been an honest answer, especially since after giving this answer, Sherfiruz had exasperatedly asked her what the point of the question had been. Truthfully, she had just been trying to lighten the mood in the face of all the danger they had confronted. Honest or not, he likely did not hate the color.

"It's perfect," she said to Indrani, who nodded and took it to be pressed and prepared.

Later, Farah stood in front of a mirror, examining herself. The blue and gold dress was a perfect fit, and it was elegant without being too flashy or gaudy. On the upper part of the long sleeves were curved strands of pearls that held small, matching blue gems in place. Her hair was curled at the bottom, and arranged with special ornaments with a blue veil pinned to her head. She nodded in approval at her reflection.

"My lady," Indrani interjected.

"Yes?" said Farah

"I was thinking," mused Indrani, "It is somewhat of a shame that you are not a participant in this archery competition." With a smile, she added, "I am certain that you would give some of the competitors a run for their money. And to think, the winner will be bestowed a special gift from the King."

Farah laughed. "Could you imagine Lady Roshanak's reaction to that? I'm sure I'd be sabotaged beforehand."

"Well," began Indrani with a mischievous look, "She could only sabotage you if she knew you were going to participate beforehand."

It was a bright, clear morning on the palace grounds. Various archery challenges had been set up. Front and center was the designated table for the King, his wives, and members of the inner court. Roshanak sat closest to the King, dressed in the deep purple and emerald hues that she favored. Off to the side sat Anemone, accompanied by Yasmin, and Farah. The seating arrangement did not bother Farah at all, as she was glad she had decent company. Lady Anemone, although pale, looked ethereal in her lavender attire accented with delicate silver embroidery. She smiled kindly at Farah upon her arrival and gestured to the seat next to her.

As Farah went to take her place, King Sherfiruz caught her eye. She saw a small, endearing smile on his face as he gave her a slight nod. This was not lost on Roshanak, who was watching the entire scene as vigilant as a hawk. When the King turned to her, she plastered a careful smile on her face. The palace official overseeing the competition took to the center, addressing the King and welcoming all to the competition. He briefly explained the rules and asked the competitors to get in position.

"Ready, BEGIN!" he bellowed, waving a colored banner to signal the initiation of the competition.

As arrows shot out to the various targets, Farah found herself enjoying the familiar sounds. Only one who actively participated in archery could appreciate the satisfaction of letting the arrows fly and seeing them reach their targets. As the competition went on, the targets got more challenging, and fewer participants advanced. Among the better was a man who looked to be the King's age. When Farah got a better look at him, she noticed that along with the same skin tone and hair color, he shared the same cold gaze and cruel expression as Roshanak.

Almost as if she had read her mind, Anemone reached over and whispered, "Commander Mehran; it's her older brother"

Well, that explains a lot thought Farah, as she watched Roshanak continue to smile contentedly at the competition.

In a very close competition, Mehran beat out an extremely seasoned old archer who was to be retired and granted another position. The spectators cheered as Mehran took to the center.

"Your Majesty," he began with a slight bow, "Today, I have proven to be superior among all those who competed with me today."

"Long live commander Mehran!" shouted the audience of spectators.

"Indeed," answered the King with a nod, "You have proven to be superior among those competed today, however, I do have one final challenge for you before you are awarded your prize."

Roshanak's expression immediately darkened, and a scowl shadowed her face. Mehran's face stayed calm, but Farah could see the fury and annoyance in his eyes.

"Behold," said the king with a wave of his hand. Servants came out and set up an uneven, curved, bumped platform. Several feet ahead was what looked like a normal target, but in front of, aligned with its center were two dangling apples held in place by a metal hanger nailed to the top of the target, one in front of the other. In front of the apples and aligned with the center was a metal rod that resembled a large needle with an opening at the head. The shooter would have to position themselves on the curved, bumped platform, aim the arrow and deliver enough force to have the arrow travel through the head of the rod, through the apples, and into the center of the target.

"If you can fulfill this last challenge, the prize is yours. If not, anyone here, whether they participated or not, is eligible to try." added the King.

Farah glanced over at Roshanak. If looks could kill...she would have murdered Sherfiruz with her eyes.

Mehran positioned himself on the platform, aimed carefully, and shot. The arrow looked like it was heading in the correct direction, but it missed the opening on the rod, hit the side, and it ricocheted in a different direction. With two more attempts, both of which during which Farah held her breath, the same thing happened. Annoyed and exasperated, Mehran finally put his bow down.

"Is there anyone else who would like to attempt the challenge?" asked the King.

Farah looked around. People were whispering to each other, but no one appeared to step forward.

Well, it's now or never, Farah...

"Your Majesty," said Farah, standing up and bowing slightly. "Since Your Majesty stated that anyone could participate in this challenge, I would like to participate."

She saw a look of surprise cross Sherfiruz's eyes, and it was quickly replaced with curiosity.

Mehran let out a harsh laugh. "Surely, your Majesty" he exclaimed with a smirk, "This is some kind of a joke." Motioning to the crowd, snickering could be heard.

Farah looked over at the commander and gave him a cool, even look. "No joke, Commander. In fact," she paused for a moment, "If you agree, I would like to raise the stakes a little."

The commander looked suspiciously at Farah.

"If I am successful at completing the challenge, I will win the promised prize. If I am unsuccessful, you win the prize and a handcrafted gold heirloom medallion that I received before I came here. It was crafted for the royal family by one of the finest jewelers in India."

The commander smirked. "I accept your stakes."

"And," interjected Roshanak with a steely smile, "to make things more interesting, Lady Farah should have but one attempt to complete the challenge.'

Farah looked over at Sherfiruz, whose expression was difficult to read. She turned to Mehran and Roshanak.

"I accept."

Immediately, the crowd began to buzz with whispers. This was the first time anyone had seen anything like this.

Roshanak continued with her steely smile. "Now, if we could get a bow and arrow for Lady Farah?"

"Thank you, Lady Roshanak, but no need for that" responded Farah, motioning towards Indrani, who handed her a bow, a small arrow, and a bamboo solenarion.

Confusion clouded Roshanak's face as she questioningly looked to her brother, but upon seeing the solenarion, Mehran's face became sallow, and a look of fury filled his eyes. Farah knew that look. Mehran was cursing himself for not having thought of it before. The King, on the other hand, was fighting back a smile when he saw the solenarion. Farah had certainly come a long way as an archer since the days of them trying to find the hourglass.

Having observed Mehran's attempts, Farah had noticed that part of the problem was that his arrows were a bit too large. The size also contributed to slower speed, which made it more difficult for the arrow to run its course. If her observations were correct, the smaller arrow along with the bamboo canal would be able to successfully hit all the aspects of the target.

Standing carefully on the curved, bumped, imbalanced platform (which she guessed was more of a mental challenge than anything), she positioned herself and the arrow in the solenarion to be aligned with the target. Taking a deep breath, she let the arrow fly.

CRUNCH! SPLAT!

The small arrow swiftly made its way through the opening of the metal rod, went through the apple and hit the target straight in its center.

There was a shocked silence that lasted a few seconds until it was unexpectedly broken.

"Yay for Lady Farah!" called out Yasmin cheerfully, clapping her hands. To Farah's surprise, Lady Anemone shrugged with a smile and also began to clap. She was soon joined by cheers from all the spectators.

"Congratulations to the winner, Lady Farah!" yelled the crowd.

Farah smiled graciously and bowed her head slightly. The king rose from his seat and approached her.

"Lady Farah," he began, with a playful twinkle in his eyes and a bemused smile playing on his lips, "you have emerged as the winner of this competition. As promised, I will bestow on you a gift of your choice." Under his breath, he whispered so that only she could hear, "I hope that it does not involve avoiding me this time."

Farah smiled in return. Luckily, she had something quite different in mind.

"Your Majesty," she began, "If I may, I request that each of the provinces receive early portions of the grain surplus."

All of the province governors looked at each other with wide-eyed expressions. King Sherfiruz looked at Farah with a curious expression on his face. Farah, however, continued with a steady expression.

"Your Majesty, I had heard that the drought is predicted to be particularly harsh this year, and with the passage of time, it will become more difficult to distribute the grain, and the people will suffer."

Glancing at Roshanak and her brother for a few seconds, she turned back to the king.

"And if the people suffer, Your Majesty, their loyalties will be tested. The ultimate goal of my request is to help the Kingdom remain free of unrest."

"And what exactly, pray tell us, Lady Farah, do you know about unrest in this Kingdom?" interjected Commander Mehran with a low, dangerous tone.

Before Farah could answer, the province governors spoke up.

"Your Majesty, Lady Farah speaks the truth!" one exclaimed.

"When famine and hardships befall the people, and they are without the kingdom's aid, they can turn to extreme measures!" said another.

"We beseech you, Your Majesty," added a third. "Lady Farah's request is selfless and would be to the benefit of the Kingdom."

"We beseech you, Your Majesty" echoed a group of governors in unison.

King Sherfiruz looked once at the governors and again at Farah with curiosity. He had wanted to send the grain surplus to the provinces earlier, as he was aware of the drought predictions, but it was certain members of the court who had done their best to block and delay this action. Farah, however, had found the best alternative path to accomplish this. How Farah was aware of the situation and how she had managed to get this done was beyond him. He shook his head in slight amusement before he faced both the governors and Farah."

"Very well, a promise is a promise. Lady Farah, your request is granted. The surplus will be promptly distributed to the provinces."

The words had no sooner left King Sherfiruz's mouth when one of the governors spoke up.

"Long live Lady Farah!" He yelled out loud.

"Long live Lady Farah" echoed a number of governors in unison.

Out of the corner of her eye, Farah could see Anemone with a serene, pleased smile on her face, whereas Roshanak and Mehran had looks of pure poison on their faces. Roshanak threw Farah a piercing, seething look.

You will live to regret this, wretch. You and that walking skeleton.

/**************************/

Later that evening, Farah sat in her room close to her balcony, going over the events of the day in her head. She knew Roshanak was not going to take today lightly. Her look had said everything. She had to try to anticipate Roshanak's next move.

"My Lady, anything else?" Asked Indrani, interrupting Farah from her internal thoughts.

"No, Indrani. That will be all. You and the others may retire for the evening."

Indrani dipped her head and stepped out, once again leaving Farah to her thoughts. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead.

"Why must this all be so difficult?" She murmured out loud.

"A question I ask myself many times each day" answered a familiar male voice behind her.

Farah's eyes shot open, and she swung her body around, finding herself face to face with Sherfiruz, dressed in the garb of a servant. She quickly clutched her chest, and sighed with relief.

Sherfiruz laughed. "Scared you, did I?" He pointed to his clothes. "I figured I would take a leaf out of your book and give this a try."

"Well," began Farah hesitantly, "when I did that, it was to help you, not shock you. And you weren't even conscious."

Sherfiruz gave her a mischievous smile. "Would you have preferred my sneaking in here while you lay asleep?

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time" retorted Farah, rolling her eyes, earning another surprised look from Sherfiruz. Realization dawned on Farah, and her eyes widened.

"That-that is to say-" stammered Farah

"You have seen that memory, haven't you?" said Sherfiruz with a knowing look.

Farah nodded slowly. She had thought it had been a dream, but it seemed so real, and her pendant had grown warm against her skin. The image of her waking up in a room, looking around in dim light, and having a hand placed on her shoulder, which had elicited a gasp.

Do not be afraid. Here, this belongs to you

Farah had broken out of the dream/vision the second she had touched the dagger that Sherfiruz held out to her. She wished she had seen what had happened afterwards. Sighing, she shook her head and looked back at Sherfiruz.

"Never mind that. I assume you have a reason for being here?"

Sherfiruz gave her an exaggerated look of mock hurt. "Now, do I need a reason to see my wife?"

Farah raised an eyebrow. "Well, I assume there's a reason if you sneaked in here dressed as a servant in the dark of night after I sent all the servants away."

"Well," began Sherfiruz, "I did have some questions for my wife that I wished to address in private." Walking over to Farah, he brushed her ever-stubborn strand of hair from over her eye and placed his finger under her chin. "The first one being why she disappeared from my room before daybreak a few nights ago."

Farah blushed and looked down. "I..I-that is to say..I did not wish for anyone to know…"

"That you spent the night with me?" said Sherfiruz with a raised eyebrow of his own. "Is there a problem with a wife spending a night with her husband?"

Farah remained silent, struggling with an answer.

"Or," began Sherfiruz, "Was it so awful that it made you want to run away from me?" His expression suddenly turned concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

Farah blushed and felt her face grow warmer. She shook her head furiously but could not even meet his eyes.

"Look at me, Farah" said Sherfiruz firmly, tilting her chin up. "You're turning more red every second. You do realize that there is nothing shameful about this?"

Farah shook her head again. "Where I come from, a woman does not speak of these things."

Sherfiruz gave her an exasperated look. "Well, as your King, it is my command that you speak of these 'things', among others. " Leaning over, he caught her lips with his own, giving her a firm kiss. When he broke contact he caught Farah by surprise by lifting her into his arms.

"What are you-?"

"Shh-" responded Sherfiruz, as he gently placed her onto her bed before making himself comfortable next to her.

"Now," he began, placing his arm around her. "For my second question, how did you know about the surplus?"

"Palace gossip" replied Farah promptly, shrugging her shoulders.

Sherfiruz raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"It's the truth!" Insisted Farah. "I had barely heard about it this morning before the competition."

"Speaking of the competition," said Sherfiruz, "I have to say that I was impressed. How did you know?"

"Well," began Farah, "Speaking personally, I think he got a little arrogant at the end and underestimated the final challenge. And then, his frustration took over. Had he taken a few moments to think, he might have come to the same conclusion as me."

Sherfiruz stroked her face admiringly. "You've certainly come a very long way as an archer, Farah."

Farah wrinkled her brow as she looked up at him and twisted in his embrace. "I knew about the solenarion back when we fought together to reclaim Babylon. Did you think I was so terrible of an archer back then?"

A look of realization went through Sherfiruz's eyes, and it suddenly turned to slight panic.

"That's not what I meant-I..."

Farah suddenly sat up. "Wait a second, you, you're referring to one of these 'memories', of Azad aren't you?"

Sherfiruz looked at her with a slightly sheepish expression.

"Ok, how bad was I?"

Sherfiruz remained silent.

"Oh, come now! Surely you can tell me!"

"Well," began Sherfiruz with some hesitation, "let's just say that your aim left much to be desired at times."

Farah sighed in disappointment. She laid back down on her pillows, turning away from him.

Sherfiruz shook his head and turned her face towards him again.

"The past isn't important, Farah. You are clearly skilled, more than even when we fought to regain Babylon. I didn't come here to dredge up small things that happened back then or even before that."

Sherfiruz paused before continuing. "I came here because I wanted to request that you always be honest with me."

Farah's brown eyes met Sherfiruz's blue-green eyes questioningly.

Sherfiruz took Farah's hand in his own. "Farah, as a King, I have to rely on others for information. I have to compromise on things I do not necessarily agree with. I have to maintain an imperfect balance at all times. I need people I can trust to tell me the truth."

Farah said nothing, but she immediately thought of Roshanak. How was she to be honest about Sherfiruz's first wife, the woman who was favored to be Queen?

"Farah, there you go again." said Sherfiruz, interrupting her thoughts by reaching over and placing a bent finger beneath her chin. "I can see your mind going off in a million directions, but I can never know what you are thinking. I need-I want you to let me in."

Farah once again met his eyes and opened her mouth to answer. "Sherfiruz, I-"

Suddenly, a progression of several loud horn sounds could be heard in the distance, causing Sherfiruz to jump up with a concerned look on his face.

"What is that?" asked Farah.

"That is to sound an alarm for an intruder in the east wing of the palace. I must go immediately." said Sherfiruz, straightening his clothes, as he headed towards the balcony.

"Wait," said Farah, jumping to her feet after him, her eyes widening in realization. "That's where Lady Anemone and Yasmin's quarters are. Let me-"

"No, Farah" said Sherfiruz sharply. "It's much too dangerous. Just stay here."

"But-"

Sherfiruz placed a finger on her lips. "No. Stay here, and make sure all of your doors are locked and secured until we get to the bottom of this. I will have additional guards placed outside your quarters."

Farah exhaled as Sherfiruz quickly touched his lips to her forehead and headed out through the balcony. Exasperated, she paced in her room, unable to relax, thinking about Lady Anemone and Yasmin. Her stomach clenched, and her heartbeat quickened.

Both are such easy targets. And Lady Anemone is already so frail…

Farah shook her head and reached into a chest, pulling out her bow, arrows, and the solenarion. Thinking further, she also reached for the servant's garb she had saved from when she had gone to see Sherfiruz in secret. The intruder or intruders would be expecting guards and perhaps even the king; they needed to be thrown off guard. Sherfiruz was already dressed as a servant and could use that to his advantage, but she could help increase the odds in his favor. Dressing quickly and securing her equipment, she headed carefully towards the balcony and sighed. She was defying him, just as she had defied him to go back to help the women in the brothel back when they had worked to regain the kingdom. In her heart, however, she knew that she had done the right thing back then, and she was making the correct decision now.


Notes:

A lot of the banter between Farah and Sherfiruz in this chapter is derived from scenes and occurrences in the games, in case it wasn't obvious. For example, Farah being an inconsistent archer in SOT, and the Prince's encounter with Farah at the end of SOT where he goes to return the dagger.

The solenarion bit was inspired by the character Seung Nyang from the Korean drama Empress Ki. It's sad, but I highly recommend it if you're into period dramas with plenty of action and palace politics.