Chap 3 here! See, I do keep my promises.=D W've followed Dastan so far, let's see what Tamina is getting up to. I know, this tale is being told by Dastan, but it so needs the old Tamina's views too.

Tamina bowed low, praying with all her might to the gods. Alamut had not been breached for a thousand years. It had thwarted the invasions, and always it had involved the Dagger. This was the reason she knew, as it always had been. The Dagger was the reason, whatever excuse the Persians dared to give, they were after the Dagger. Thank the Gods Asoka had escaped in time. There was chattering and the sound of weapons, and she felt people surrounding her.

The Persians had entered the city.

A harsh voice spoke above her. "Silly songs and scented smoke will do little for you now princess."

Silly songs indeed, she scoffed and snatched her blade from the floor, pointing it into the person's neck taunting her.

Someone grabbed her arm, and she dropped the sword, a sign of surrender. It was an elderly Persian, garbed in fine blue robes. Of course, Tamina thought. The Vizier of Persia, the King's brother.

He turned to the man who'd taunted her. "I think you'll find more to her than that, Garsiv." They both chuckled.

So it was Garsiv then, the second prince of Persia. She pulled her hand from the Vizier's grip, fuming. How dare they assemble their troops their troops here! How dare they invade the holy temple!

Tamina looked up, at a red-haired prince. This had to Tus, the heir apparent to the empire. She smirked a little, under the veil. What a man would do to prove his worth as the next King?

Prince Tus, looked at her deliberately, and pushed off the head-scarf. She tried to ignore the collective oohs. Persians. Surely they had seen a woman before.

"So for once, the stories are true." The prince said, looking straight at her. His troops let out raucous laughter.

She glared at him, but could only do so much before the Vizier addressed her.

"We know you have secretly built weapons for our enemies" the man smirked looking her over. "Show them to us, and we might let you surrender."

She was incredulous. So this was the reason to conquer her city? "We have no secret forges here!" she cried out, "and whatever weapons we had you have overcome."

And no doubt pilfered it all already, she thought.

"Our spies say differently," Tamina turned, as Prince Garsiv spoke, his tone angry."You can save a lot of pain-"

"All the pain in the world will not help you find something that doesn't exist!" she threw back, watching his eyes widen in surprise. So they were going to search her city for the make-believe weapons.

Even if they did find the sandglass, they may yet be clueless of its worth. Without the Dagger, it was but a luminous Hourglass, albeit indestructible.

Tamina smiled inwardly. In a way, she had still won. She turned back to the prince Tus, who was still looking intently at her. How crude could they be?

Tus cleared his throat, and addressed her loudly. "Spoken by one wise enough to consider a, he deliberately left the sentence hang, "political solution." Marriage, so that she would be his to covet. Revulsion filled her.

"Join hands with Persian's future King" Prince Tus said, holding his hand out to her. She fumed. Oh, the arrogance.

"I'd die first,"" Tamina declared, holding her head high. Anything would be better than joining hands with a Persian. The heir, she knew, already had many wives. She would not be a one in royal harem.

"As you wish," he mocked, drawing out his sword.

It was that moment, a moment was would change time. The moment that alter the course of that which was to follow, the course of destiny. Tamina had looked away instinctively, and in that moment, she glanced at the Dagger.

"Don't!" she cried. What was the Dagger doing here? She straightened, walking a few steps sideways. The path was clear, as she was staring straight into the face of a Persian. He seemed like a soldier, but had a regal air to him. This man, perhaps a general, who so carelessly tucked the gift of the Gods at his belt. He looked at her in surprise, and confusion, but she did not avert her eyes.

She couldn't end her life now. Not till she had that Dagger.

Keeping his eyes on the soldier, she spoke to Prince Tus. "Promise me," Tamina said, "Promise me, that my people will be treated with mercy." She felt her voice shake. Her poor people, completely innocent. The Persians were known to be barbaric. They would not survive. Marrying the heir of the Persian throne would change but a little.

But she had to keep her eyes on the Dagger. The prince stepped forward, lifting her hand and giving it a rakish kiss, triumph in his eyes. A roar broke through the room.

She turned to look at the soldier once more.

Dastan saw the procession, his brother about to kill the princess, when she stopped him instead. She was beautiful, just as the tales had been told, different from the Persian women. The he felt her eyes, a spark in them, looking straight at him.

He knew something was going on, as the princess scrutinised him. She had changed her mind then, still keeping her eyes on his, and accepted Tus' proposal. He assumed, it was a proposal of marriage.

Something told him, he was quite sure if he had not walked in that moment, Alamut would not have had a sovereign still.

But how could the Princess know him? It almost seemed as if, as though he held some power he knew not. Only after gazing at him did she change her mind. What did it mean?

Dastan shrugged it off. He would reflect over this strange situation later. He had conquered the city for his brother, and was fully determined to douse his joy in some good drink. Where was Bis?

A/N : Hem hem, do you guys know the 'r' word. Its revered, right, so rewarding. Its 'review'!