Author's Note: Those reviews = awesome. I wasn't able to reply to all of you, but I want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of those reviews.
To Aya Ml, I always love seeing your reviews so getting two for one chapter was a special treat. :) To everyone reading this, go sign the petition to revive the show and hopefully change the ending into Chalek goodness! (Saying that to myself too. Go sign the petition, Ivane).
To Marionette, I am so glad you eventually got to leave a review. That review was major encouragement. I can't even explain it. It came at a time when I was being a pathetic, emo writer and going, "I don't want to write anymore. No one likes my stories," and then I saw your review and well, now, I just feel silly about the whole thing.
To skye0717, your reviews are such a treat! It's like you know exactly what I want to hear... even when you're throwing criticism my way. I had to blush when you pointed out the parallels of this story to the Guardian. I hadn't noticed.
To those of you reading this, favoriting this and alerting this, thank you so much.
To those of you wondering if I'm still ever going to update The Guardian and The Scrapbook, yes I will update those stories... eventually. I just need to run after my muse and get this story out of my head first. Anyway, enough of my speech... be forewarned: this is one slightly sappy, kinda cheesy chapter. Hope you still like it though.
-oiOio-
She was once just a dream, a star he didn't know how to reach. Now, the princess was the warrior's and he was hers and Alek didn't want to have it any other way.
It was early morning, just before the sun even reared the first few rays of daylight. He remained awake, treasuring every moment that he had her in his arms. He brushed a stray strand of her hair away from her face, enjoying the sight of her peaceful slumber. His heart skipped a couple of beats – like it always did – when he realized once again just how much she meant to him. He knew that he'd won her heart and he was committed to treasuring her for the rest of his life, yet hard as he tried to shove them away, doubts began to assail his mind as the implications of what they had just done began to sink in. What happens now?
Her eyes slowly blinked open and those beautiful blue irises of hers settled on him. A sweet smile broke into her lips as she gazed at him with affection.
Whenever Chloe looked at him that way, it always left him undone. He caught his breath as he lovingly brushed a thumb against her shoulder blade, just above the now healing wound that he had caused on her arm. He mulled over how much he loved the feel of her skin against his before looking into the depths of those lovely, blue eyes of hers. "Good morning, princess."
A soft pink blush covered her cheeks. "Good morning, soldier."
They gazed, caressed and blushed, not quite finding any words to say until reality began sinking in to both of them. A chilling silence filled the confines of the royal tent as both of them got lost in their own thoughts, both stealing glances at each other every few moments or so. No words were spoken, but both knew all too well what was going on in the other's mind, because they were certain that the same thoughts were brewing in theirs. Unanswered questions, each bringing with it a reason for apprehension, circled their minds. What have we done? What will this mean? What are we going to do now? Do we run? Do we go on to Persia and proceed as planned? Is this it? Should we just be grateful that we were able to share this moment? Accept that it could never happen again?
Something painful gripped at Chloe's heart at that last thought. How could I ever live that way? She ran a hand up his bare torso, sensing him draw another breath. Despite all the questions riddling their minds, whenever they exchanged a glance or shared a caress, it felt as if they were right where they belonged, and Chloe knew that given the chance, she would've done it all over again.
"Do you regret what we did, Chloe?" Alek broke the silence, voicing out his apprehensions.
Her eyes looked away, downcast, showing that the question wounded her. "How could you ask me that?" she asked softly.
Hearing the hurt in her voice made him instantly regret asking the question.
She brushed a soft hand against the healing bruise on his cheekbone, a reminder of the fight he had to endure because of her whimsical misadventures. "How could I regret something so beautiful? I could never regret this," she assured him. "I will never regret being with you. I love you, Alek."
He knew it was true. Her actions spoke it clearly enough, but to hear her say it out loud made his world spin. She loves me. The princess loves me. "You've no idea how much I love you, Chloe," he responded with conviction as he moved to plant a kiss on her forehead, before asking the question he was dreading to hear the answer to, "but what happens now? Where do we go from here?"
Chloe swallowed hard. She didn't have an immediate answer to the question that she was asking herself. "I don't know," she replied truthfully, tears beginning to moisten her eyes.
"Please don't cry," he pleaded, wiping the tears away with his fingers before they could even fall to her cheeks. "It always hurts to see you cry." He drew her close. He breathed deeply. He wanted to assure her, to let her know that all would be fine, that they'd figure out a way to be together, but he didn't know that everything would be fine, he didn't know if they could truly figure things out. And he didn't want to lie to her. So both sought comfort in silence.
They savoured what few moments they had left before the first break of light, lingering in each other's arms until the very last minute when they both knew that they had to get up and get dressed for the journey ahead.
Alek fastened his loincloth over his waist as he watched Chloe pull the light blue linen dress over her form. He walked to her and pulled her back against his chest, breathing into the back of her neck, loving her scent. "We could run," he suggested, hesitation evident in the way his voice trembled as he said the words.
Her shoulders sagged beneath his touch. "I want to," she twisted around to face him. She gazed up at him and stared into those brown eyes, ablaze with emotion. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I want to." She pressed her lips against the small scar below his right shoulder, and then tiptoed in order to form a trail of kisses from there to the nook of his neck. "I don't want to marry him."
"Then let's do this, Chloe." Desperation rang through his voice, but his statement lacked conviction and she could tell.
She knew him and herself well enough to know that they both had a strong sense of honour and duty and though she loved him all the more for making the suggestion, she also knew that neither of them could live with themselves knowing the consequences of taking such a drastic recourse. "I love you so much, Alek. And as much as I want to be selfish and abandon everything, what about my love for my father? What about our love for our people? If we run, we'll be happy together. I know it, but how about them?" she said with such conviction, it broke his heart. "How many people will Persia destroy just so we could be happy? Can our love survive such a foundation of selfishness?"
A lone tear ran down his eye and down his tightly clenched jaw. He shut his eyes when her soft caress wiped the tear away. They both knew that the choice was out of their hands. For the first time in a long time, Alek felt helpless. He wanted to be selfish when it came to her. He wanted to fight for her, but fight what? Fight who?
They didn't need to speak the words. They just naturally fell back into the mould that the world had set for them. She was his princess and he was her warrior and Alek knew that he would stand by her no matter what happens. He had been there for her as the princess of Egypt and though it would tear him up inside every time he saw her with that stranger of a prince, he would remain by her side as the princess of Persia, praying earnestly that he would somehow find enough consolation in the knowledge that her heart was his and his alone.
-oiOio-
The gates of the Persian capital slowly came into view. The Egyptian guests were to camp outside the city gates for the night and on the morrow, a royal convoy from the Persian palace was going to come for the princess and take her to the palace where she would finally meet the prince. Rumors were being spread that the palace had a lavish parade prepared in honor of the prince's Egyptian bride. A sense of marvel and excitement filled the journeymen, save for Chloe and Alek, both of whom could only feel dread.
All Chloe could think of as she watched the grand city beginning to unfold before her was how she would manage to steal a few moments with her beloved before the events that would inevitably unfold the next day. I must see Alek tonight.
Since that first night in her tent, she and Alek created one devious way after another in order to spend some time together, taking all the help they could get from their friends to pull it off.
At first, Merte was aghast upon finding the blood stains on Chloe's sheets the morning after that first tryst with Alek. She swore discretion regarding the matter, but, worried sick over the princess, she made it clear that she wasn't very happy about Chloe's continued relationship with Alek; however, she was never really able to deny any of the princess' requests, so she often ended up being their accomplice.
Apart from Merte, Aria and Ki Hong also proved to be a great help to the star-crossed lovers. Of course Alek was far from thrilled that they seemed to always be following him around, but he couldn't complain much about it because Chloe developed a particular fondness to them. Aside from that, their wagon or tent often served as Alek and Chloe's rendezvous spot, with Chloe usually disguised as Maia, whom a lot of people were beginning to recognize as Alek's mysterious lover.
Ever the voice of reason, it was Jasmine who refused to lend a hand in their dangerous liaison, often chastising Alek for his carelessness.
"This has to stop, Alek. What are you thinking?" she demanded, once again confronting him about his relationship with the princess. "She's about to get married to the prince. Pharaoh tasked you to make sure that she is safely brought to the prince, and now you… you…" Jasmine threw her hands in the air, revealing her agitation. "You could die for this!"
"I know that, Jasmine…" Alek reiterated, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, his mind reeling. "I just… I love her."
"Damn it, Alek…" Jasmine grimaced, her hands over her hips. She was fighting the urge to roll her eyes at his profession of love. Of course you love her. It doesn't change the fact that you cannot be with her. She breathed a deep sigh. "This isn't going to stop, is it? You'll continue seeing her as long as you could get away with it, won't you?"
Alek bowed his head, enough indication that that was exactly what he and Chloe intended to do.
"This is madness." Jasmine shook her head. "This could lead to death – yours and hers."
Fury sparked in his brown irises and a firm-set determination covered his face. "I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening," he said resolutely. "No harm will befall her. I swear my life on it."
"Empty words, Alek," Jasmine shot back. Though moved by his passionate resolve, it didn't change the truth that he was treading on dangerous waters. It made Jasmine sick with worry over the young man whom she considered a dear friend and brother. "You can't do anything to protect her if you're dead. And that's exactly what you'll be if either Egypt or Persia discovers what you've done. Both kingdoms will have your head."
"That's why no one can find out, Jasmine. I need you to be with me on this." Alek stepped forward, closer to her, desperation ringing in his voice.
"I want to slap you right now, Alek. Hopefully to knock some sense into you, but I doubt it will do either of us any good. I can't support you in this. It's insanity," her shoulders sagged in defeat as she shook her head, "but I would never do anything to harm you. No one will find out… not from me at least."
A sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Thank you, Jasmine."
She looked at him square in the eye. "Don't make me regret this, Alek."
Alek nodded, feeling a lot less confident than he sounded when he responded with, "You won't."
As they rode closer and closer to the city, Jasmine kept running that conversation with Alek through her mind, wondering what it would be like to feel for someone the way Alek felt for Chloe – to love someone so unreachable with the kind of love that he possessed for the princess. Her heart reached out to Alek, but more than that, she feared for him.
Lost in her reverie, she was quite surprised when the booming sound of horses' hooves echoed amidst the royal convoy. Jasmine creased her brows and straightened her back, alerted by the arrival of one of their soldiers and a man dressed in Persian garb. It could be quickly deduced just by the way the man held himself that he was a person of note and not to be disregarded.
The guest was being guided by one of the Egyptian soldiers belonging to a lower rank than Jasmine. Their horses slowed down and the Egyptian soldier approached the princess' personal guard, slightly ahead of the foreigner.
"A messenger from the prince wishes to see the princess," he explained to Jasmine.
Jasmine raised a brow, her eyes darting around for Alek. He was nowhere to be seen. He'd asked for a break earlier that afternoon, but Jasmine figured that he should've returned by then. Returning her attention to the soldier, she cast one glance at the man she figured was the prince's ambassador and said, "Let me speak with him first."
The soldier nodded and began talking to the Persian dignitary. Within moments, the man approached her.
Jasmine eyed him warily as he pulled the hood of his white cloak away from his head, revealing a mass of dark brown curls. He raised his brown eyes and looked at her before a wolfen grin formed on his face. "I am Zahan, the prince's emissary. I was sent to speak with the princess." He handed her a rolled-up piece of parchment with what appeared to be the royal seal of the Prince of Persia.
Jasmine opened the message and read its contents, looking at the man once again. She nodded. "Just a moment, my lord…" She bowed her head slightly to acknowledge the man appropriately. She then made her horse move toward the princess' litter. When she peeked inside, her face fell.
Only Merte was there.
-oiOio-
Aria's hands were cupped below her chin, her knees supporting her elbows as she cast a lovelorn gaze at the two lovers snuggled against each other on a corner of the wagon covered by a halfway canopy. Their foreheads were pressed softly together, their eyes downcast as they revelled in each other's touch. Ki Hong sat beside her on the part of the wagon that was uncovered, an animated expression on his face as he studied the bejewelled dagger that he had somehow talked Alek into lending him.
"Look at them, Ki Hong," Aria cooed. "To watch them is beautiful and sad at the same time. It just breaks my heart."
Ki Hong momentarily gave her a perplexed glance before returning his attention to the dagger, swinging it in the air several times, before breaking into a smile, appearing very pleased with himself. He then sighed and stared at Alek and Chloe's direction. "They'll be alright," he nodded resolutely.
Aria creased her brows. "How can you say that? They're so in love with each other and yet they can't be together. How is that alright?"
The young Chinese man frowned as he perused the couple, hands intertwined, seemingly unable to get enough of each other. "Looks to me like they're very together right now…"
"You know what I mean, Ki Hong…" Aria slightly moaned. "She's to meet her prince tomorrow. Today is like their last day together. After today, it would be even more difficult than it already is for them to be together."
Ki Hong stared for a while as if giving what Aria said some thought. He then shrugged and nodded. "They'll be alright." Like a little boy given a toy, he then returned his attention to the warrior's intricately-made dagger.
Aria, on the other hand, reverted her gaze from Alek and Chloe to the young man that she loved, seemingly lost in wonderment over why on earth she was in love with Ki Hong.
After a while, he noticed the strange look she was shooting her way and returned her gaze. "What?"
She looked at him pointedly as if to say that he should already know why she was glaring at him.
Ki Hong rubbed a hand against her back as if to assure her. "Love conquers all, Aria. They'll be alright."
Aria let out a bittersweet sigh. "I hope you're right, Ki Hong."
Oblivious to the two travellers gawking at them, Alek and Chloe could practically feel each other's hearts breaking.
She placed a soft kiss on the edge of his lips before whispering into his ear, "I need you to be strong for me, Alek."
His grip around her waist tightened the moment the words escaped her lips. He drew her close, wanting the moment to last forever. "I don't know if I can, Chloe," he admitted. He was barely able to sleep a wink the night before, his dreams plagued by images of her and this faceless prince. It felt like he was losing her and he doubted that he could bear the weight of always being with her, guarding her like he always did, but never being able to touch her the way he was holding her then. "I'm so in love with you."
"Alek…" was all she could say, fighting back the tears. A moment of silence ensued before she threw her arms around his neck and held tight, her breath hot against his ear as she gasped the words out, "I love you so much."
He held her hips and pulled her into his lap before claiming her lips, tempted to run a hand over her soft locks, but remembering just in time that this was Maia he was with and that revealing her golden hair would compromise them both.
It was this passionate kiss between them that was beginning to unfold when the wagon slowed down and came to a full stop. Alek and Chloe straightened themselves out, quickly moving over to sit with Aria and Ki Hong. Within moments, two people climbed into the wagon before it proceeded in its bumpy trek to the Persian capital.
All four friends swallowed hard upon realizing who the new passengers were. It was Brai and Mnoti.
-oiOio-
"Again?" Jasmine asked Merte through gritted teeth upon realizing that Alek and the princess were now on one of their disguised rendezvous.
Merte smiled sheepishly and nodded.
Great, Jasmine thought. Now what am I gonna do with this man? She returned the litter's linen coverings in place and went back to the Persian emissary. She cleared her throat before lifting her brown eyes to meet his. "My lord, the princess is tired from the journey and does not wish to see anyone until we've settled in camp. She wishes to speak with you during supper tonight. I hope this is to his lord emissary's liking?" Her voice broke as she said her last sentence, her heart pounding within her.
Zahan's eyes raked her profile from head to foot and then back again, as if to size her up. "No, it is not to my liking; however, I cannot demand to seek the princess' immediate audience, can I?"
Jasmine gulped and nodded, unnerved by the flutter in her stomach when she noticed how he was looking at her.
The messenger's jaw tightened before heaving a sigh. "Very well then. I will comply with her highness' wishes. I will ride with you to camp at the city outskirts and meet with her at her convenience."
The fact that he appeared thoroughly displeased did little to calm her down. Hoping to get rid of him, so she could start hunting Alek and Chloe down, having a fairly good idea where they were, she offered a hand of hospitality to their guest. "Shall we have a litter prepared for you, my lord? Perhaps it would be more convenient for you to travel through one until we reach the…"
He shook his head before she finished her offer. "I prefer to ride with you until we reach camp." He once again gave her a look over as if trying to ascertain what exactly she was. "Who am I speaking to exactly?"
Jasmine swallowed hard, wondering how it would be possible for Chloe to return undetected by this man. If my heart doesn't fail me before I see them, I don't care if she's the princess and I don't care if he's twice as strong as I am. I'm going to kill them both. "I'm one of the princess' personal guards. Jasmine… My name is Jasmine."
Zahan eyed her for a few moments. "Jasmine," he nodded. "The name suits you. I'm surprised that a beauty like you is the princess' warrior instead of…" he paused, wondering to himself where to place her "…one of her handmaidens perhaps?"
Quite forgetting the uncomfortable predicament she was in, Jasmine raised a brow, incensed. "Why so, my lord? Is it because I'm a woman?" she hissed. All her life, she'd had to defend her status as the princess' protector. It simply wasn't a thing often seen in Egypt or in any other kingdom and Jasmine always felt as if she had to give reason for her choices.
"Have I offended you, Jasmine? I truly meant no offense." Zahan smiled in an attempt to appease her. "It's just that I couldn't help but wonder what you would look like in a dress rather than an armor."
Despite her irritation, Jasmine's cheeks flushed red, flustered by his smile and his honey-soaked words. Momentarily forgetting that the campgrounds were drawing near and she was still guarding a litter with no princess inside it, Jasmine found herself loosening up around the Persian. "You can trust, sir, that whether in armor or in a dress, I could still manage to beat you in a swordfight."
Zahan chuckled, pleased by her brazenness. "Beware what you say, lovely warrior. I just might take you up on that challenge."
Jasmine looked his way and once again found herself blushing at the way his brown eyes seemed glued to her. Not used to getting this sort of attention from men, Jasmine averted her gaze, wondering why her heart kept skipping beats. She forced herself to remain focused and think through the situation at hand. She saw the city walls getting larger and larger ahead of them and reality sank in. How am I going to explain a missing princess to the prince's messenger? She once again gulped. Alek… Chloe… where are you?
-oiOio-
Alek's entire body tensed at the sight of Mnoti. He had no idea who she was with, but her presence in the wagon unnerved him. Upon their arrival, Chloe managed to quickly pull the hood of her cloak over her head and cover her face with a veil, so that only her eyes could be seen. A nobleman's daughter, Mnoti had spent enough time in the royal court to recognize the princess when she saw her and the fact that her gaze seemed intently fixed on Alek's alleged new lover made the situation all the more edgy.
"Mnoti," he acknowledged the young woman as he squeezed Chloe's hand to try and assure her.
Mnoti leaned against the wagon's wooden rail. "I always thought you a fool for leaving me, Alek," she said with unmistakable snark. "It was rather pathetic to see you pining after the princess, entertaining the delusion that you could ever be with her."
This time, it was Chloe's hand that was squeezing his to try and assure him.
"But now, it seems you're an even greater fool, because you've actually replaced me with…" she eyed Chloe's guise disgustedly "…this. Why do you cover your face, girl? Are you somehow deformed?"
"What I do with my life and who I spend it with is no longer your business, Mnoti," Alek asserted, hoping to get her of their back.
"I want to see her. I want to see the peasant you've replaced me with," Mnoti demanded, her eyes slitted at Chloe.
Chloe was beginning to fidget on her seat, made uncomfortable by Mnoti's scrutiny.
Alek's jaw tightened. It was taking all his self-control to keep himself from lunging at Mnoti and knocking her out.
"Her name's Maia," Brai spoke up. "She supposedly works for the princess."
Mnoti raised a brow. "I know every single one of the princess' handmaidens. Not one of them is named Maia."
Left out in the rather uncomfortable conversation, Ki Hong nudged Aria on the side and pointed to the city walls where they would be camping for the night.
Catching what Ki Hong was trying to say, Aria frowned, nervously glancing at the princess. They'll be looking for her by now.
It seemed Alek was also aware of the city walls' proximity, because he began pounding on the side of the wagon to request it to halt. "Neither Maia nor I owe you an explanation, Mnoti." He looked Chloe's way and said, "Let's go," even as the wagon slowed to a stop.
Incensed, Mnoti stood up. "You forget your place, Alek. I am a nobleman's daughter and you are just a soldier. I order you to show me her face."
Chloe was desperately trying to keep herself in check. She had to continue reminding herself that in that moment, she was Maia and not the princess. It helped how aware she was of the rage that was now building up in Alek, because it made her concentrate on trying to keep him from doing something he might regret instead of focusing on her own anger. She held his arm to find his muscles tensed and she gently brushed her fingers against his skin to try and calm him down. Her heart skipped a beat when Alek rose to his full height, fists clenched, glaring daggers at Mnoti.
"Or you'll do what, Mnoti?" he challenged her. "What's pathetic is even after a year of our engagement ending, you're still desperately chasing after a mere soldier like me. I've had enough of this," he huffed. He turned toward Ki Hong and Aria. "Thanks for your hospitality. We best take our leave now." He then grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her upright. "Let's go, Chloe."
Suddenly, Brai surged forward and hit Alek on the face. "Didn't I tell you not to grab her that way?"
Alek barely flinched when hit by the young man, who remained to him a total stranger. He flexed his assaulted jaw, furrowed his brows at Brai and scowled before pushing the young man to the wagon's floor. "Who are you?" was all he managed to say. He then looked at Chloe. "Do you know this boy?"
Chloe looked at Brai, vaguely remembering his name. Not seeing any reason to tell Alek about the lad's crush on her, she just shook her head in response.
Brai motioned to get up, but quickly hesitated when Alek pointed a finger at him.
"Attack me again and, by the gods, I swear it... I will rip your throat off," Alek threatened, effectively intimidating the stranger. He then took Chloe's hand and led her out of the now fully-halted wagon.
Distracted by the commotion caused by whoever Brai was, Alek failed to see the look of shock on Mnoti's face. He neglected to realize the name that he called the princess by when he pulled her up to leave.
His words echoed in Mnoti's ear long after they'd disappeared. Let's go, Chloe. As Mnoti left the wagon, barely even thanking Brai, who'd been her accomplice in getting there, the revelation slowly sank in. Alek's new lover is no peasant girl. Maia is Chloe. Maia is the princess.
-oiOio-
Author's Note: Well, there you have it... One chapter to go... I think. O_o This story is a beast with a life of it's own I tell you. Anyway, things are heating up... I think, so uhm, leave a review!