Destiny

A Prince of Persia Fanfiction

008 Persians

I came awake to the sound of the door opening. Heavy footfalls pounded on the floor as booted feet kicked at my side. Groaning, I rolled over and got to my knees. Eina sleepily rose by my side.

"Get up!" a familiar bitter voice demanded. "Her Highness is waiting!" I came to my feet and let the guards usher me out of the room to where the High Priestess stood waiting. She was lavishly adorned in clothes of pure navy silk. The cloak from last night was gone revealing curly dark hair that flowed down her back.

"Your duty is to watch and observe the Princess very carefully. If she so much as mentions anything about a dagger or anything regarding to sand, you are to report to me immediately!" the High Priestess instructed. I gawked at her with a look of complete confusion.

"You want us to spy on her?" Eina asked, incredulity in her voice. The High Priestess glared at us with contempt.

"Silence!" she seethed. "Believe me when I say, I do not trust you, but I do not trust anybody else in this palace either. As a newcomer, you know nothing and that is exactly why you will serve my purpose. If you wish to stay alive, do what you are told and nothing else. Do you understand?"

Eina and I nodded having no idea as to what the High Priestess was talking about. Bewilderment accosted my mind in a flurry of questions. Dagger? Sand? What is happening here?

"Remember what I have said," the High Priestess reiterated and then started walking. We were nudged after her, trying to keep up pace. As we continued on, the palace and its' beauty were evident at every turn. Great halls of beige laden with golden furniture that gleamed and lavish trailing curtains that ebbed and flowed as the breeze danced by. Finely detailed mosaics of pastel colors shone brightly all around. Golden screens partitioned sections of the rooms to create endless mazes. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

We finally arrived at a set of pearl white double doors. Soldiers opened the heavy entry and I stepped into a room so grand that I took a breath in astonishment. Open windows winked as long pale drapes shimmered in the sun as light streamed in. The floor was polished marble with thick rugs of a design resembling flowers. Incense filled the air with the scent of jasmine and blooms of pink and lavender stood in ornamental pottery containers. Cushions with an array of pillows and comforters were scattered throughout the room and in certain areas, low polished tables accompanied them. In one such corner, where a group of large faded rosy pillows were littered sat a small girl, no older than the age of ten. She sat with a rigid posture, gazing off toward the open windows as if seeing something there. The expression on her face was a mixture of failure and loss. A beaded head dress of gold adorned the top of her head. Her long dark wavy hair flowed down the small of her back to meet the padded mats. Her clothes were of pure white, with gold trim and a single silver chain hung from her slender neck. She did not turn as we approached, instead she continued staring off into the distance as if in deep thought.

"Your Highness, I have brought you new maids," the High Priestess announced and Eina and my jaws dropped open in surprise. This little girl was the princess? I bowed without realizing it, too distracted to notice that the Princess still did not acknowledge our presence. The High Priestess smiled and ushered us closer. I took a step forward and peered at the sitting girl. She seemed to be occupied with her own thoughts, but when next she spoke, her voice startled me.

"I do not need maids, Taya. I tire of your incessant badgering about the need for servants."

The Princess finally tilted her gaze our way and within those wide eyes, I saw an innocence and intelligence of a girl far older than her young years. She suddenly reminded me of my sister and my heart filled with abrupt pain.

"I have plenty of servants at my beck and call," the Princess said in an irritated voice. She took one quick glance at Eina and me and then resumed her stoic glare. Taya, the High Priestess, narrowed her eyes in revulsion and then said with satisfaction.

"I have dismissed them."

The Princess did not answer, but a controlled anger seethed beneath the surface of her mask. She waved at Taya to dispatch her and then as the High Priestess left without a word, but with a contented look, the Princess slowly returned her glare to us. She studied us with care and then said in a soft voice.

"It seems I have lost control of everything, including my own servants. How is it that a Princess cannot issue orders, and yet her priestess can?"

I did not know how to answer her, but it did not sound like she wanted a response in return. The Princess sighed, clearly frustrated. She rose to her feet and came toward us with one small step.

"What are your names?"

I said mine and then Eina responded with hers. We waited in patient silence as the Princess delved into her own thoughts. After a moment, she replied in a nonchalant manner as if she had lost something and no longer pursued to discover it.

"I am Princess Aara."

"Pleased to meet you, your Highness," I whispered without hesitating. The loss that I felt made my stare linger on her small face. She noticed my ogling and carefully scrutinized me with prying eyes.

"You look at me as if you know me," she said, caution abundant in her childlike features. I tore my gaze away and tried to push down the tide of emotion that raged within me.

"No, Princess..." I stammered, feeling foolish. "You resemble someone who I have lost...long ago."

"And who might that be?" she demanded, curious now. I blinked back the wetness that obscured my vision and answered in a faraway voice.

"My sister. She was taken away by the fever."

Princess Aara contemplated what I revealed and regarded with wonder. The child in her was evident as she replied in a fascinated murmur.

"I have never had a sister. What is it like? Is it like having servants?"

I saw a change in the way she spoke, a longing for something that was out of her reach. Her demeanor transformed from mature ladylike to a child, brimming with curiosity.

"No, your Majesty. It is like having a friend," I related and watched as she tried to understand the meaning of the word. I determined that growing up in a palace must have had its' limits on her. She must have been not allowed to step foot outside these walls or procure any sort of relationship with children of her own age. Her loneliness was a heartbreaking song that cried out in her onyx eyes.

"Friend..." Princess Aara whispered more to herself than to us. After moments of consideration; the gullible expression in her delicate features disappeared, replaced with the regal manner of her title. Gone was the youthfulness, in place of that was years of practiced propriety. Princess Aara looked away from Eina and I and distractedly gestured to a pile of clothes on the marble floor not too far away.

"Make yourself useful and fold those," she commanded and whirled around to gaze out the windows once more. As Eina and I quickly began gathering the robes into stacks, I glanced back at the Princess and wondered to myself how she must feel to be torn between her world and the world outside her doorstep.

The afternoon slowly approached as I carefully wiped the beautiful vase in my hands with a faded towel. Eina and I have been hard at work cleaning the Princess's chambers. We have folded the linen, arranged her flowers, dusted the gleaming furniture and now are washing the ornaments that littered the vast room. The Princess herself has done nothing but stood next to the windows most of the day, lost in her own thoughts. Her lack of enthusiasm made me feel concern for her, although I did not know why. She was clearly distressed and I felt that I should offer her some comfort at least, but what could I say to appease her suffering? I felt like an idiot, but upon further thought, although she ruled a city, she was still a child and in need of some much needed solace. I drew closer to Princess Aara and without knowing what else to say, I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Princess, what do you see out there?" She turned to face me and I gestured to the windows. Princess Aara followed to where I pointed and paused.

"Freedom from the restrictions of tradition," she answered in a barely audible voice. After a short silence, Princess Aara returned her dark eyes to me. "Freedom of choice."

"But you are a Princess, you can choose your freedom," I inquired and watched sadness surface in her features. She shook her head, her long loose hair bending to and fro.

"I cannot change my destiny," she answered as a small smile appeared on her thin lips. "It has been passed down to me from my ancestors, I cannot escape the promise that has bound me to my blood."

"What promise?" I asked, gently.

"The promise of responsibility...the promise of keeping my people safe. The promise of carrying out my duties..."

Princess Aara looked at me with a hopeless expression. The fear of not performing her royal obligations swam in the depths of her eyes as she looked at me with gloom. How can such a young person govern a whole city? I felt her pain and I smiled warmly.

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. Only time will tell," I consoled. Princess Aara stared at me with a mix of awe and understanding. She was still gazing at me with surprise when a loud clamoring erupted from the double doors. I took a few steps back as Taya, the High Priestess quickly barged in. She came directly to the Princess, ignoring me and Eina who was on her hands and knees scrubbing the legs of an end table.

"Your Highness, the archers has spotted a large army descending upon the city," Taya informed, clearly flustered. "Their banners bear the insignia of the Persians."

I listened to this news with a subtle fluttering in my stomach. The unknown feeling slowly made its' way north.

"Persians?" Princess Aara questioned, terror clouding her small face.

"They cannot breach the city. No army in history has ever invaded Alumut's walls," the High Priestess, said in a smug voice.

Alumut? The name rung in my ears like a foghorn, making my heart skip a beat and bringing shock to my face. The city that I am currently a hostage of is Alumut? The holy city that has been supplying the enemies of Persia forged weapons? The images of the tunnels underneath flashed across my mind and then illustrations of hundreds of soldiers marching toward the city walls blazed across my vision. That would mean that...

Dastan is here.

My heart soared at the thought of him. I glanced to Eina with awe. She returned my stare with a look of obvious fright, mistaking the look of surprise on my face. I had not told her everything, because I thought my fate was doomed.

"Mobilize the troops and seal the gates!" Princess Aara commanded, her strong voice a sharp contrast to her youth. Taya slowly bowed and began backing away, something dark veiled in her eyes.

"The Persian army will arrive at nightfall, what will you do in the meantime?"

"I need to pray," Princess Aara whispered, and gradually turned towards the windows again. Taya's sharp eyes peered at Eina and I and she said in a cold voice.

"You two! Come with me!"

Eina and I followed her until we were out of earshot. Cornering us, she demanded in a controlled rage.

"Has she said anything pertaining to what we have discussed?"

Both Eina and I shook our heads. The High Priestess narrowed her eyes suspiciously and then shoved us back.

"Carry on!"

We stumbled back into our previous roles, not knowing what was going to happen. As I resumed the cleaning, I knew one thing for sure. I had to figure out a way to find Dastan and I need to do it soon.

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