Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews and encouragement! I've been very pleased with the way this story is turning out and have been busy working out the details of where it will be headed; I hope you all enjoy it. Here is chapter two of our tale, and as always do not be afraid to send me your opinions afterward. I can tell you this though, the more you review the more inclined I am to write so keep up the good work!

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters from the movie and/or video game.

Chapter 2:

Tamina's mind had not allowed her to sleep as easily as she would have liked. Her emotions ranged from anger to worry as she reworked her earlier conversation with Dastan. He knew too much; more than her in some regards as far as she could tell. By the time she had fallen asleep, she was so exhausted her brain seemed to have shut down completely. She vaguely felt the bed sink as an extra weight joined her, but she did not register that the extra weight was another person until a hand reached to cover her mouth.

Her eyes shot open and she began to struggle against the hand and arm that pinned her to the bed. As she had made up her mind to try screaming, a familiar voice barely whispered into her ear.

"Shh! Tamina, it's me. You need to be quiet!" Dastan's voice was urgent, almost anxious.

Tamina stopped fighting him as he released his grip on her and rested his hand in front of her. She turned her head to look at him only to see his eyes looking at the open balcony.

"There is someone out on the balcony," he began without looking down at her. "When I tell you to, I want you to run to the door. You need to alert the guards and get as far away from this room as possible."

"What are you going to do?" Tamina whispered back.

"I will try to keep them distracted while you get away. Once you get through the door, I shall be right behind you," he explained. His eyes never left the curtains to the left side of the balcony.

"How many are there do you think?"

"At least two, and no more than five. I have seen two separate shadows, but they would not be able to hide so well if there were more than five of them." His eyes shifted quickly to the other side of the balcony. "We need to move now."

He pulled the heavy blanket off of Tamina and pulled her over his chest so that she was lying on the other side of him, the side closer to the door. After a second of stillness to ensure they had not alerted whoever was watching them, Dastan whispered in Tamina's ear again.

"Stay low and be quick. If you hear something happen, keep running do you understand?" Tamina nodded her head once. "Go!"

Tamina shot off the bed remaining as low as she could as she tried to run quickly through her new bedchamber. She heard the whistle of the arrows as they sped by her body grazing the flowing robe she wore. As she ran, she saw one of the arrows embed itself in the stone of the pillar right in front of her. She let out a small yelp and paused for a second. The clatter and grunts of Dastan fighting off the intruders reached her in that second and she turned to see him fending off one threat and the gleam of a scimitar from another. She could not see what he had grabbed to defend himself, but whatever it was it seemed to be doing its job.

"Get out of here!" Dastan yelled to her through a strained breath as he pushed the man with the scimitar off of him.

She snapped out of her gaze, ran the last few paces to the door and wrenched it open.

As soon as Tamina had jumped off the bed, Dastan had leapt in the opposite direction. He grabbed the heavy metal candlestick standing next to the bed just as the first attacker brought down his sword. He heard the crack of a whip as it barely missed his cheek and snapped back to its master. Dastan swung the candlestick around and hit one of the men temporarily stunning him. A third man emerged from the balcony and tore off toward the door, toward Tamina. As he passed him, Dastan stuck the candlestick out to trip him up. His eyes caught sight of Tamina's robe faintly and realized she was not out of harm's way yet. He barely had enough time to pull his makeshift weapon back and block the blade that was coming toward him.

"Get out of here!" he shouted to her as the whip again cracked, this time wrapping itself around his arm. The sharp blades at the end of it slashed his arm superficially, but just enough to break his focus and allow the whip in his opponent's other hand to pull the candlestick from his grasp. He turned to run after Tamina only to watch in horror as she pulled the door open and the man he had tripped grabbed her from behind. Her struggling became weaker the longer the man held her and soon, Dastan saw her head drop to the man's shoulder and her arms fall to her side. He took another step toward her when he felt one of the whips wrap around his ankles and draw him to the ground. The other whip wound around his neck and was pulled tightly cutting off his air supply. The man with the scimitar came up behind him and knocked him unconscious with a heavy blow.

Dastan felt whatever he was laying on lurch roughly causing him to bump his head. He let out a small groan and rubbed his eyes. The back of his head was throbbing. Slowly opening his eyes, he rolled onto his back and looked around. He was on a wooden cart with bars all around; it was a cage. The cart lurched again and Dastan sat up to avoid hitting his head again. He looked over to see Tamina, eyes closed and unmoving lying next to him. He reached over and felt for a pulse. When he found it, he checked to make sure she had not been hurt, or worse, when they had been captured. There were no signs of injury on her arms or shoulders and as he scanned her face he saw no trace of bruising.

He let out a relieved breath and wiped his face with his hands again. His captors had not realized he was awake yet and he preferred it that way. He lay down on his side facing Tamina and tried to figure out who was holding them hostage. He recognized the markings on the guards' banners and shields and swore under his breath. The sound must have been louder than he thought because Tamina stirred and brought a hand to her temple. She looked confused when her eyes opened and took in her surroundings.

"How do you feel?" Dastan asked her.

"Not well," she answered. "What happened? The last thing I remember is someone forcing a cloth over my mouth."

"He knocked you out so you would be easier to move," Dastan explained as he sat up and leaned against the bars. "We've been kidnapped and as far as I can tell they are taking us to Koshkahn."

"Koshkahn? How do you know?"

"The symbols on the guards' shields."

Tamina looked out the bars at the foot soldiers and mounted riders surrounding the cage she was riding in. She hadn't realized they were there until Dastan pointed them out and it was slightly unnerving. She turned back to Dastan who noticed her discomfort.

"How long was I unconscious?" she finally asked as she sat up.

"I'm not sure. I only woke moments before you did. It looks as if it is almost midday though." Tamina nodded her head and looked around again. She pulled her legs up to her chest and leaned against the bars opposite of Dastan. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to come up with a plan of escape.

"What are we going to do about this little predicament?" she asked quietly.

"The only thing we can do for the moment. Wait it out for an opportunity to escape."

"Look she's awake," one of the guards called tauntingly. Tamina's eyes snapped open again and she looked behind her. One of the dirtiest and foulest smelling guards was staring right at her with that familiar look of lust in his eyes. His eyes raked her body in lingering in some spots longer than others. Tamina realized she was still wearing the robe meant for her wedding night. It was designed to attract her husband's eyes and thoughts, but from the looks the guard was giving her, Tamina guessed that it attracted most men's eyes.

"Pretty little thing aren't you? No wonder the Persians were so eager to invade," he smiled revealing several missing teeth.

"Remember your place you barbaric fool," Tamina snapped back.

"Feisty too, eh? I like feisty, makes the bedroom more—"

"Finish that sentence and I promise you I will break every bone in your body," Dastan interrupted him with a vicious hiss before he finished. The guard looked at Dastan and sneered.

"A little overprotective don't you think? After all, I was merely complimenting her on her," he paused for a second, "abilities." He looked back at Tamina and moved closer. Tamina moved away from the bars toward the center of the cage, but the man snatched her arm and dragged her back. Dastan lunged forward, grabbing the man's wrist as he crushed it with a well placed blow from his elbow. He pushed Tamina back behind him where the guard couldn't reach her, his hand never leaving her hip. The guard withdrew his hand as he cradled it against his body.

"Care to test me again?" Dastan asked him menacingly. The guard glared up at him and growled. He raised his sword in his other hand to strike, but another man on horseback stopped him.

"The general wants him alive you cannot kill him yet," he reprimanded. The guard glared at Dastan but put away his sword and stalked off in front of the cart. "And you," he continued turning his attention to Dastan and Tamina. "You will do well to remember your place. Your titles mean nothing to us." He rode away without another word.

Dastan relaxed his hand resting on Tamina's hip, but never let down his guard. His behavior baffled her. Tamina thought it odd that her new husband seemed so concerned with protecting her yet he was not willing to claim the rights of a husband. She was not naïve enough to think that it had nothing to do with the secrets he kept from her, but sitting in a cage with guards watching their every move was not the place for the conversation they needed to have either. Fearing that they may not get the chance to talk once they arrived wherever they were being taken, she had no other choice but to ask him.

"Thank you," she began.

"You're getting soft on me," he responded as he turned around. "I usually would get quite the berating for jumping in to rescue you. You told me once you were capable of voicing your own opinions, that you didn't need my help."

Tamina refused to rise to his sarcasm and get into an argument with him now no matter how badly her mind ached to react. She simply looked at him with the same serene face that she held in place when attending her sacred duties.

"I take your silence as a confirmation then," Dastan smiled.

"Dastan, please I need to know how you know you so much about the secrets of Alamut," she whispered. Dastan looked into her eyes and saw them pleading with him to share his knowledge though her face made no such request.

"I did promise you I would tell you in the morning and, thanks to our new friends, that time has come and gone. But a promise is a promise and you did keep your end of the deal, so I will tell you everything."

"Before you start, can I ask one question?" Tamina interrupted. Dastan inclined his head toward her slightly and she continued. "You said last night that if I let you attempt sleep you would tell me everything."

"You want to know what I meant by that, is that it?"

"Yes."

"I think it will be easier to understand if you listen to the whole story first. You are a smart woman Tamina, it would shock me greatly if you did not understand my difficulty sleeping once you hear what and how I know of your dagger."