Ok, so I know it's been a while, but school has started again and temporarily interfered with my writing time. I am still a few chapters ahead though and promise to update a little sooner this next time. Hope you enjoy the chapter, as always please review when you have finished and happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters from the movie and/or video game.
Chapter 7:
They were silent for most of the rest of the ride. Tamina would glance back at him every so often to make sure that Dastan was still on his horse, but that was the only acknowledgement that he would receive from her. Dastan could not really be angry with her; she had been right, again. He took a deep, steadying breath both to muster his courage and to keep from passing out in front of her. He urged the horse forward to keep pace with Tamina's.
"I am sorry," he whispered focusing on the ground in front of them.
"You are not a child Dastan. Just because you apologize does not mean that everything is fixed," she replied back harshly.
"I was not expecting it to fix everything," he said defensively. "But it is important for me to admit that I was wrong, that my intentions often harm more than they protect." Tamina looked at him and her eyes softened.
"Your intentions were not wrong only your methods of execution." He looked confused and she smiled at him. "Now that I know how you feel about me, your intentions to protect me are expected, natural. It is your need to protect me from everything and then your tendency to lie about it that is harmful."
A silence fell over them as Dastan listened to everything that Tamina was telling him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked after another moment.
"Not great," he admitted finally. "My shoulders and back feel heavy."
"Maybe if you unstrapped the sword you have on your back that would lighten your load," she teased. "I could carry it for a while perhaps?"
"No," he said coldly.
"I was just—"
"No," Dastan interrupted again. "Look," he pointed out in front of them.
"It's just a sand dervish," Tamina explained.
"It's a sand trail," Dastan countered. "Someone knows we're here."
Tamina watched as the sand trail headed straight for them. She let out a low growl that escaped before she could suppress it. Dastan looked over at her surprised.
"Sorry, I'm just so sick of this cat and mouse game. If I had known this is what it would be like being married to you, I would have reconsidered."
"As much as I would love to continue this conversation, we need to move and get out of here fast."
"Why don't we try to split them up?" Tamina suggested. "Send one horse one way and we go the other."
"That's not half bad," Dastan smiled at her. "I think being married to me, even for such a short time, has brought out your conniving side."
"Being married to you had nothing to do with bringing it out; it's just in higher demand these days."
Dastan laughed out loud shortly and grabbed onto the saddle to stay balanced.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to get on my horse. I don't know that I could climb onto yours at the moment." Tamina nodded and climbed off her horse to join Dastan.
She got up on the horse behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. When she was settled, Dastan swung the reins under the horse and caught them on the other side of the horse's neck. With a snap of his wrist, Dastan cracked the rein on the back haunches of Tamina's horse. The startled horse reared and took off toward the oncoming riders. Dastan took off at a slow trot to prevent a noticeable sand trail from rising into the air and led his horse to the right.
Tamina's hands tightened on his chest as she held onto him. Dastan smiled to himself as he felt her hands grasp at his shirt.
Their diversion seemed to work for a while as the larger sand trail disappeared. Not taking any chances, Dastan pushed the horse faster and harder once it was out of sight. But his efforts were useless. An hour after their attempt to split up the riders that were heading toward them, the all too familiar sand trails reappeared closer than before.
"Damn!" Dastan swore. "We'll have to make a run for it, hold on!"
He spurred the horse to its fastest speed, but the steep dunes and fatigue of the animal were slowing their progress. Tamina turned her head to see how close their pursuers were; they were gaining ground. As she turned her head forward, she caught a glimpse of a familiar looking banner and turned back.
"Dastan stop!" she shouted. He ignored her and kept the horse running at top speed.
"Dastan!" she tried again. "They are Alamutian guards." Dastan turned his head to look at her.
"Are you sure?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Yes, I would know the banners of my own city," she replied. Dastan groaned and slowed the horse to a stop.
"I hope you're right otherwise the cat just caught the mouse."
The group drew closer and Dastan was beginning to make out the familiar symbols of the Alamutian banners. He let out a sigh of relief, but it came out as a shuttering breath.
"Dastan?" Tamina asked worriedly. He shook his head in response and pressed a comforting hand to hers.
The guards surrounded them not recognizing their princess and her new husband in their rags. They pointed their weapons at them.
"You are prisoners of Alamut. Do not attempt to flee or you will give us no choice but to use force."
"Rham, lower your weapons," Tamina said. Dastan could sense the regal tone return to her voice.
"Your Highness?" the head guard answered. "You're alive."
"Yes, but we need to get to the city as quickly as possible. Prince Dastan has been poisoned."
"Yes Your Highness," Rham said. "Would you like to switch places with one of the other men? They may be able to support Prince Dastan's weight more easily if he should lose consciousness before we reach the city."
"No, I am fine here. Just get us to the city quickly."
The group rode off toward the city as fast as the horses would allow. It was not a long ride, less than an hour, but they were losing daylight quickly and Tamina was afraid that Dastan was losing strength as well. The poison had been in his system for almost two days and, with no identification, Tamina was worried that the healers might not be able to make an antidote. When the city gates came into view, Tamina thanked the Gods with relief. They had made it; they were home.
When they made it to the palace steps, Tamina resumed her role as the royal Princess of Alamut and climbed down from the horse immediately. She began giving orders calmly and firmly in order for Dastan to be taken care of and his brothers to be informed of their return. As Dastan began to dismount the horse, he felt his legs give out from underneath him. Before he hit the ground his vision and mind went black.
Tamina watched as he crumpled into a heap at the foot of the palace steps. She ran to his side and checked for a pulse. She was close to panicking when she felt a very weak heartbeat.
"Get him inside to our chambers and summon the healers at once," she ordered Rham. He nodded to two other men and the three of them carried Dastan to his chambers with Tamina and her hand maidens right behind them.
"Are the Princes of Persia still here?" she asked Siriah who fell into step with her.
"Yes Your Highness. Their chambers are in the west side of the palace. They have been sending out patrols to search the city for any signs as to your disappearance and sent their most skilled trackers in every direction to find you."
"Inform them that we are back. If they wish to speak with me, they may come to our chambers." Siriah nodded and walked away.
The men carrying Dastan pushed the doors to their bedchambers open and carefully laid the unconscious prince on his bed. The healers came rushing in not moments later and began to assess the injury to his shoulder. Tamina sat quietly on the other side of the bed watching as the healers worked over her husband.
Garsiv and Tus came thundering through the door disturbing the anxious silence that had settled over the room.
"What happened?" Tus demanded as he and Garsiv hurried to the foot of the bed.
"Your Highness we are unsure of the exact circumstances but we know that he has been poisoned," the healer's apprentice offered with a low bow.
"Have you identified the poison?" Garsiv asked gruffly.
"No Your Highness. The only thing we know is that it is a Koshkahn poison."
"Koshkahn? Are you certain of this?"
"Return to your work," Tamina interjected. "I am better suited to answer your questions than the healers, Prince Tus. Let them help Dastan, we will talk over here."
Tamina got up from the bed and walked over to the fireplace area. Dastan's two brothers followed her and stood silently waiting for an explanation. Tamina took a deep breath and put on the mask of a royal princess to convey her story. The princes listened as she revealed their capture and escape and how Dastan had been injured.
"I only noticed it was poisoned after I had cleaned it the first time. He started breathing harder and his face was flushed," she explained. Tus and Garisiv didn't say anything they only looked at Tamina then at each other.
"Excuse me Your Highness," the healer walked over and addressed Tamina.
"Yes?"
"We have done all we can for him. We have administered an antidote that we believe will counteract the poison but his fever has not broken yet and his breathing is still labored. He has been wrapped in our warmest blankets to help the fever."
"What do you mean?" Garsiv exclaimed. "That will only make the fever worse!"
"The fever is actually helping to cure him," the healer explained. "The warmer he is, the faster the toxin will burn out of his system."
"Are you sure of this?" Tus interrupted.
"Sharim is the most skilled healer in Alamut not to mention my personal physician. If anyone has a chance at helping Dastan, it is him," Tamina explained.
"Will he survive?" Tus asked.
"If he can survive the night he should. There is nothing more that we can do for him, the poison has been in his system for a long time. It is up to him now."
"Thank you Sharim," Tamina said. The man bowed and backed away from the young royals.
"Well then, if it's up to him he shall be fine," Tus tried with a weak smile toward Tamina.
"Yes, but knowing Dastan he will make the most of it. Do not allow him to guilt you into anything Princess, he is a master manipulator," Garsiv responded trying to lighten the mood. Tamina and Tus both let out a small laugh before returning their attention to the bed.
All but one of the healers had left the room. Dastan lay still on the bed with blankets wrapped tightly around him. Tamina almost wished that he was having a nightmare again, moving restlessly under the sheet. At least then she would know that he was alive.
"Princess, I know this maybe the wrong time for this, but in order to deal with Koshkahn I need to know more," Tus started. "Did you find anything out about what he was after or what he wanted?"
"Yes, Dastan was able to get that information right before we escaped."
"Would you tell us, please?"
Tamina hesitated. Telling the Persian princes would mean that she would have to tell them about the Dagger of Time and the reasons for its appeal. She was unsure of how much she could trust them with the precious information and if they would use it to obtain the dagger or protect it.
"Kosh is trying to start a war with Persia," she began. "He thought that if he could kidnap and kill us, you would seek revenge on our killers. He seems to think he has a weapon that will lead to the defeat of the entire Persian army."
"Did he mention what the weapon was?" Garsiv asked.
"No, I'm afraid he would not tell us what it was," Tamina lied. She decided that she would wait to talk with Dastan about telling his brothers; he knew them better than she and would know if they would be able to control themselves.
The brothers looked at each other seeming to come to the same agreement without speaking. Tamina returned her gaze to Dastan as they remained silent. There was still no color in his face and she reached out to feel his forehead.
"Princess, with your permission we would like to ask for your support in a campaign against Koshkahn. If what you have told us is true, Kosh will be on his way to Alamut as we speak to try to salvage his plans."
"I will have to summon the High Council before I can give you an answer Prince Tus. I do not have the sole power to command the Alamutian forces," Tamina replied. "But I shall do my best to ensure that you have our support." She nodded to Siriah who was standing near the door and the young servant silently slipped out the door.
"Thank you Your Highness," Tus bowed slightly.
He looked toward the door Siriah had just vanished through restlessly and then back to Dastan. Tamina caught the conflict in his eyes; his mask was almost as well practiced and unwavering as her own. Almost.
"Prince Tus, I am sure you and your brother are anxious to start preparing for whatever fight is coming our way. If you wish to attend those duties you may do so with a clear conscious. I shall stay with Dastan through the night and alert you if there is any change, good or bad."
Tus smiled at her gratefully. Garsiv looked surprised. That she could read his brother's expressions so easily was incredible to him; he and Dastan had trouble enough reading his expressions consistently and they had grown up with him.
"No doubt your presence when he awakes will be more comfort to him than ours," Tus said. "Come Garsiv, we have much work ahead of us and I am sure Dastan will never forgive us if we allow something to happen to his precious wife's city while we stood at his bedside worrying about him."
"Yes the last thing we need around here is for him to think we actually care about him," Garsiv mumbled with a smirk. "His head is already too full for his own good." Tus smiled and put a hand on Garsiv's shoulder as he walked by. Garsiv reached out and patted Dastan's leg while muttering something under his breath that Tamina did not catch. He straightened up, bowed to Tamina and followed his elder brother out the door. Tamina found herself smiling at the two elder princes.
She sat quietly watching Dastan as he slept on their bed. Her smile faded a little as she remembered that this was the first time Dastan had ever slept in their bed. She reached out to touch his cheek and ran her thumb down his jaw. After sitting there for a short while, she heard the door open and Siriah's soft footsteps as she approached.
"The bathing room is ready for you Your Highness," she said. "We have a fresh change of clothes and another room ready for you as well."
"Thank you Siriah, but I will be sleeping in here with the prince. While I clean up I would like you to stay with him and let me know if anything changes while I am gone." Siriah bowed and nodded. Tamina squeezed Dastan's hand comfortingly before she rose from the bed and hurried toward the bathing room.
She bathed and dressed quickly not wanting to be away from Dastan for too long. She was back in her room in less than half an hour and found Siriah sitting dutifully at the foot of the bed in a very uncomfortable looking chair. She stood immediately when Tamina entered the room and kept her eyes low.
"The chancellor came by Your Highness. The High Council is planning to convene tomorrow afternoon. Prince Dastan has not stirred but the healers checked him earlier he was hopeful that he was growing stronger. They have removed the blankets and are hopeful that his fever will break by morning as long as he can stay warm through the night." Tamina nodded to her and the servant smiled reassuringly to her before departing.
The young princess looked to the healer that was assigned to watch over Dastan during the night. He was snoring in the corner. She shook her head slightly annoyed and walked over to her side of the bed. She hadn't noticed how tired she was until she was completely left to her own thoughts.
Everything that had needed to be taken care of had been; every person that needed to be informed of what had transpired had been informed. She and Dastan had made it out of the prisons of Kosh alive and it appeared as if he was going to be all right as well.
Tamina let out a deep breath and retired her calm demeanor for the night. She sat on the side of the bed and massaged her own shoulders and rolled her neck a few times trying to relieve the soreness that had settled there. She let her head hang down for a second as the pent up emotions washed over her. Tears formed in her eyes from all the overwhelming stress.
She hated feeling overwhelmed and confused and the most confusing part of her stress was laying motionless and unconscious right next to her. He was one of the most frustrating people she had ever met but he was also one of the most noble. He seemed to genuinely love and care for her, but he was not afraid to argue with her; that was obvious. Tamina was intrigued by him and felt herself beginning to rely on him more than she had ever relied on someone before. She had become so accustomed to sleeping next to him at night, that she could not bring herself to sleep in another bed in the palace even when he lay injured in theirs.
Tamina did not wipe the tears as they fell slowly and silently from her eyes. She crawled into the bed and lay on her side facing Dastan. She took his limp arm and clutched it to her chest as she fell asleep next to him.