Destiny
A Prince of Persia Fanfiction
006 I Promise
Night drew its' shadowy cloak over the low buildings around me as I hurriedly unraveled the long patched sheets from the sturdy rope that hung suspended between the two houses. I folded the sheets neatly and placed them on the woven basket at my feet. I worked quickly, worried that Lady Beza may come home and discover that her laundry still hung in the dark. As part of a small job, she had hired me to dry out her soiled clothing and blankets every three days. Unfortunately, Grandma Saidi had kept me shearing fabric a little longer today as punishment for my long absence yesterday.
I worked my way down the rope, grabbing and folding clothes and wishing that daylight had not faded so fast. Dragging the basket along with me, I came to stand in front of a large bed sheet. It was so long that even when hung in half on the cord, the length reached down to the ground. I could not see beyond it for the line was a few inches above my head and I sighed contemplating how I was to fold this without getting it dirty. Reaching for the thin gray linen, I pulled the frayed edge to the right so that I could pull it down into one bundle. The blanket slid against the twine with a soft rustling sound. I yanked it halfway and gasped in shock, almost dropping the sheet to the dirty ground. Dastan's gorgeous face appeared on the other side of the fabric. His abrupt appearance was so unexpected that words of greeting drowned in my throat.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Dastan apologized and curled his lips into a dazzling smile. "I hope I did not frighten you."
"Materializing in thin air where you were not before may be considered quite terrifying to some people," I finally uttered, regaining my senses along with my voice. He chuckled and gazed at me with warmth. I pulled free the sheet and with difficulty tried to fold it into sections. Without hesitating, Dastan clutched one end to help me. As we overlapped the blanket onto itself, he glanced at me. The affection in his eyes were replaced with an evident despair prominent in his voice when next he spoke.
"I must leave the city tomorrow."
His words bit into me and the sting burned my heart almost instantly. He handed the large cloth to me and I placed it on top of the now full basket.
"It seems my uncle, Nizam coming back from Alumut has uncovered a secret that could tear our empire apart. He has uncovered smuggled weapons that Alumut has supplied to our enemies," Dastan explained as I took a step toward him to better see his handsome features. "My brother Tus is ruling in my father's absence and he has declared war on Alumut."
This bit of news was shocking, because everyone thought Alumut was a holy city, considered sacred to some if not all. Although I was only a lowly commoner, I knew what the risks of war were and the horrific consequences it had painted throughout history. I frowned in displeasure and watched as Dastan shifted his eyes to stare at the luminescent moon. His expression was a mix of doubt, longing, and duty.
"The army leaves for Alumut at dawn and I go with them."
Dawn. That was just a few hours from now. Misery bloomed in my chest slowly spreading through my body. It made my limbs grow cold as if the life was flowing out.
"How long will you be gone?" I asked uneasily, sudden yearning squeezing my heart.
"My uncle, my two brothers and I will ride out to seize Alumut. It will take us three days to get there," Dastan murmured in a faraway voice. "Securing the city will take us two days...hence eight days."
The thought of him leaving saddened me, if only for eight days; the hunger in my heart that called for him could not stand the distance. I lowered my eyes in gloom, staring at his intricate leather belt with silent vagueness. In the short time that we have been together, a mounting attachment had bound me to him.
I watched his right hand lift to touch my chin. He tilted my head up with his fingers and stole the breath from my lungs with his alluring gaze. He closed the gap within us with a swift move that brought our bodies against each other in a matter of seconds.
"I will return soon," Dastan said, his hot breath caressing my forehead.
"Promise me, you will come back," I heard myself say, the desire in my voice unveiled. A small smile curled the corners of his mouth and then he began bending slowly toward my face.
"I promise, Lillei."
Dastan's moist lips touched mine and we melted into each other. The sensations that his mouth aroused in me were exquisitely heavenly. The wetness of his tongue rolled over mine in waves of sultry heat that intensified as our kiss became deeper and longer. His fingers that were on my chin traveled behind my neck as he pulled me in, consuming me with fervor. I felt his other hand snake around my waist gathering me into his fiery embrace. I returned his salacious kiss with equal lasciviousness. Soon, my own fingers were in his hair, my own hunger displayed with the need in my lips, my own heart calling out to him wishing this will not be the last, but only the beginning.
"I will keep you safe in here," I whispered and pointed to my chest. Dastan grinned, passion glowing in his eyes. He held me for the longest time as we stood outside my tiny home. Returning from Lady Beza's house turned out to be the shortest walk I have ever taken. I did not want this moment to end, I wanted it to last forever.
"Good night my sweet little thief," Dastan whispered in my ear and pulled away. I wanted the security of his arms around me once more and the wetness of his lips on mine once again. Reluctantly taking a step back, I found myself suddenly tossed into a maelstrom of desire. Dastan drank me in with amorous eyes also discouraged at leaving, but I knew that he must.
"Good night," I replied and watched sadly as he disappeared into the dark. The night swallowed him up leaving nothing but the lingering taste of his lips on my mouth and the burning stain of his touch. I stood in the Cimmerian dark for a few minutes, savoring this encounter in my chest with pleasure.
Finally, turning around I walked up to my small wooden door and entered into the shady one room house. As soon as the door closed behind me, the happiness that bloomed in my heart departed with an abrupt painful strike to my head. I collapsed onto the dirt floor, dizziness overcoming my senses. I heard a faint scuffling near me and then rough hands seizing my arms. A crude, brusque voice echoed faraway.
"Bag her up! She's the last one!"
I groaned in pain and then the hands of darkness took me. I floated in nothingness for a time, lost in a world of gray shapes and dull sounds that I couldn't quite see or hear. When the void subsided, I began to dream. I dreamt of falling endlessly, plummeting into a constant state of suspension. In my dwindling condition, I glimpsed the silhouettes of shades mingling together into discernible forms. Within that gray mass emerging like a beacon to light my way was Dastan's face, smiling. I cried out his name, but his image dissolved and melted back into the gray. Sounds came to my ears; people conversing in undertones, a faint creaking, and a disembodied voice calling out to me. The mixture of vision and noise coalesced together to make my head throb in agony.
The ache persisted and slowly lifting up as if from a drug induced haze, my eyes fluttered open. A round face stared down at me with relief. Black eyes filled with worry gazed at me with astonishment as I shifted on the hard floor. My vision focused and I looked up at a young girl about my age. She had short shoulder length hair, straight and black framing a small slender body. Her petite face was pretty, but smeared with grime. She smiled at me kindly and helped me to sit. I took in my surroundings with dread. I was sitting in a large wooden cart, with no windows and one single door. Littered on the floor were rags and blankets soiled with dirt and excrement. Lying on those filthy cloths were several men and women. They all looked hungry and the expression in their eyes were of terror. Dirt and earth caked their hands and bare feet. Dust clung to their tangled hair in patches of brown.
"Where am I?" I said to no one in particular. Everyone ignored me, except for the pretty girl who sat to my right. She leaned over and patted my knee, reassuringly.
"You're in the middle of the desert with the rest of us," she said and grinned. "My name is Eina, what is yours?"
I said my name and then winced as my head pounded with anguish. Lifting my hands to search the wound on my head, I felt something damp and sticky on the side of my face. Crimson stained my fingers as I wiped at the dried blood on my face.
"You suffered a bad head injury," Eina explained. "I stopped the bleeding the best that I can."
"Thank you," I murmured and was truthfully grateful.
"How long have we been in here?" I asked and felt sick at the rocking motion of the cart.
"Almost two days now," she answered and my heart sank. Two days? I pondered, distracted. I had been unconscious for that long, alone in my dreams, but captured like the ones that are here with me. My thoughts drifted to Dastan and fear clutched at my chest. The heart wrenching realization that I would never see him again almost made me keel over. I would not be there when he returned, the thought saddened me. As if reading my mind Eina asked in a low tone so no one can hear us.
"Who is Dastan? You called out for him several times in your sleep."
"He is someone special to me," I answered and she smiled knowingly. Reaching over, Eina patted my knee once again and reassured me in a gentle way.
"Do not worry, Lillei. The Creator sees all things, you will meet this Dastan again."
I gawked at her with disbelief. She said this so calmly and with such convincing vigor that I almost believed her. Then reality hit me and I shook my head.
"No. I won't see him again. I don't even know where we are going, how will I ever find my way back to Nasaf?"
"Of course, we don't know where we are going, but we'll find out when we get there. I'm sure those cutthroats won't leave us in here forever. If they wanted us dead, they would have killed us already, but they have not. They must have a purpose for us," Eina replied. She had a point and I had to agree to the truth of her words.
"Who are they? Why have they captured us?" my voice came out hoarse and I realized that my throat was parched and dry. Eina shrugged and absently started playing with strands of her dark hair.
"They are the newcomers that arrived a few days ago in Nasaf," a woman sitting to my left revealed. Apparently, she had heard our conversation which was not surprising since the moving cart was small in size. She rubbed her palms together and then scratched her neck. The heavy grime on her skin made her several shades darker. "My daughter heard from the merchants that they arrived to find work."
"Instead, their real reason was kidnapping," Eina concluded, disgust in her voice.
"Kidnapping us for what?" I questioned, trying to think of possible solutions. A middle aged man, with furtive eyes glanced our way and said in a voice, barely above a whisper.
"Slaves. They're taking us to Loure to the slave market, where we'll be sold to the highest bidder!"
I cringed at the thought of being displayed for all to see like a piece of meat at market. The thought brought revulsion to my insides, making me grimace.
"I do not want to be someone else's property," I retorted, shaking my head in panic. The man glared at me with sorrow filled eyes.
"Such is as it is," he replied and looked away. He did not speak another word for the rest of the journey. I lowered my eyes to my hands and then to the thin pale dress that covered my body. It was torn and covered with dirt, but I didn't look as bad as the others. Eina nudged me and beamed with assurance. Her positive reaction to the gloomy circumstances lifted my spirit a notch.
"Let's not talk about that. It's too depressing. Let's talk about our lives before we all were brought together. I will start," she suggested, buoyantly. "I lived in the merchant district on the third tier. I made my living off of the heavy coin purses that belonged to the businesses in the district."
"You are a pickpocket?" I asked, surprised. She nodded and shrugged as if the idea had not crossed her mind. Most of the women and men began speaking about their lives in a rather sad way as if they would never see those lives again. There were beggars and common folk who worked for a small pittance. The woman who had spoken to my left was employed with a pottery trader who only gave her a few coins each week. There were others who were maids and servants to the lower class nobles, scrounging off of scraps to stay alive. As their stories were told, it dawned on me that all these people would not be missed. Each and every one was of no importance; no one would recognize that they had gone missing. No one would start a search party or question their disappearance. They vanished without a trace and nobody would even know or care. This small anomaly brought despair into my heart. I silently asked myself, is this my destiny? To die with the rest of this small band of poor souls, or sold to someone who will tear me apart, or be left in the scorching desert as carrion for the birds? No matter how I thought about it from every angle, I could not find a way out of this predicament. I grew quiet then, the reality of doom hovering over my head, squeezing me in a chokehold. And suddenly I began to think about the death that awaited, the death that would surely come.
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