All right, the next installment is here. Thanks everyone for your continued support and reviews! Only two more chapters and an epilogue after this, so things are starting to wind down. I'll have more time at the end of the week for editing so chapter 14 might be up by Friday. As always, happy reading and please leave a review!

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

Chapter 13:

Exhaustion finally overcame Tamina and she went to bed. She lay there with Dastan wrapped around her until she fell asleep and allowed herself to indulge in the feeling of his arms. She wasn't sure she would get the chance again no matter how much Dastan tried to reassure her.

When Dastan was sure Tamina was asleep, he got up from the bed trying not to disturb her. He quietly dressed himself in his armor and double checked to make sure he had all of his things before he turned back to the bed.

Tamina was still fast asleep but she had moved to the spot Dastan had vacated. He smiled slightly and made his way over to her.

He sat on the bed, leaned over and placed his hands on either side of her. He glanced over her face before kissing her forehead. She stirred slightly, but did not wake up. He kissed both of her eyes and cheeks before pressing his lips gently to hers. When he pulled away, her eyes were open and looking up at him with sadness.

She cupped his cheek and pulled his face back down to hers.

"I want you to promise me that you won't do anything about the prophecy until this is all over," Dastan said. Tamina nodded her head. "Try not to worry too much. I'll be back here with you before you can even miss me."

"Please be careful," Tamina pleaded with him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. He kissed her shoulder and wrapped one of his arms around her back.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you," he answered back. He kissed her passionately one last time before releasing her and walking out of the room.

Tamina dared not get up and follow him for she wasn't sure she could trust herself to keep her emotions in check. Crying and hysterics were not natural to her nor were they emotions she wanted to reveal to anyone else except Dastan.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but it was obvious to her that she would not be getting any sleep, until Dastan returned at least. Her mind was unable to rest and kept wandering between Dastan's safety and the prophecy looming over her. The conversation they had about the prophecy kept replaying itself in her mind.

Giving in to the fact that she was not going to sleep, Tamina got up and changed. She went to the only place that could give her comfort now that Dastan was gone: the High Temple.

As she stepped into the temple, the incense filled her senses and she felt herself beginning to relax. She settled herself in front of the dagger's altar with a few different doctrinal scrolls. She read stories written by her predecessors that she had read countless times before. The familiarity of the stories set her mind at ease.

Tamina read through the night not realizing that the sun was beginning to appear through the windows of the palace. She was so focused on her reading she did not hear Siriah enter the temple until she set down the plate of food on the ground in front of her.

"Good morning Your Highness," Siriah smiled as she bowed to her princess.

"Hello Siriah," Tamina mumbled back with a weak attempt at a smile. "You are up early this morning."

"I haven't been able to rest well since you told us about the prophecy."

"It seems you and I have similar anxieties, although mine are twofold at the moment," Tamina added under her breath.

"Your Highness, I have been thinking about the prophecy all night and it seems strange to me."

"What do you mean?" Tamina asked curiously.

"Well, I know that we have been betrayed by one of our own, so that piece fits the prophecy. But you said Prince Dastan was the one who discovered the betrayal." Tamina nodded her head. "It seems to me that because someone outside of the guardianship discovered the betrayal and helped to make things right, the action is a testament to the fact that men are still very capable of virtue."

Tamina thought on this for a second. The prophecy seemed to have been initiated but under circumstances that she had never considered. Prophecies were only as accurate as the time in which they were made. Everything changed with time, even prophecies made about the dagger. Perhaps because the dagger had been used to reset such a significant amount of time— according to Dastan—the prophecy had been changed as well.

A soft knock on the door alerted Tamina to the messenger that was waiting to enter. She walked over to the door once she realized the man was a Persian and the guards outside the entrance would not allow him entrance.

"Yes?" she asked in her regal, authoritative voice.

"Princes Tus and Garsiv have requested your presence to the council room," he explained with his head bowed. Tamina could tell by the urgency in his voice that something had changed.

"I will be there as soon as possible," she answered. The man bowed, spun on his heel and quickly retreated down the corridor following an Alamutian guard.

Tamina turned to begin putting away all of the scrolls she had scattered around the altar only to find most of them already picked up by Siriah. They finished putting everything away quickly.

"Siriah, will you bring me the oils and incense?" Tamina said as she carried one of the smaller chests of scrolls back to their place. Siriah nodded and returned with the materials a few minutes later.

Tamina covered her head with the hood of her robe and dipped her finger into the basin of oil. She drew the ceremonial stars on her forehead and palms before doing the same thing to Siriah. She knelt before the altar; arms outstretched toward the sky and slowly brought her hands together in front of her.

She prayed for so many things. For Dastan's safety, for the city's safety, for guidance. She kept her prayers short, burned the incense to honor the Gods and left to meet her brothers-in-law in the council room.

When she arrived, both Tus and Garsiv were standing on the balcony looking out over the city. She joined them out there silently and saw what they were looking at. Beyond the walls of her beloved city, Tamina could see the beginnings of a black line becoming visible. As she stood there, the line became thicker and steadily moved closer to the wall.

It was the second army that had advanced on her city in less than four weeks and the sight was still unsettling for her. She tried to hide her uneasiness, but she was more than positive that Garsiv had caught the feeling cross her face. He cleared his throat and nodded his head toward her. The movement was awkward but Tamina appreciated the gesture.

"Dastan is already out of the city. He should be in place by now, watching the army gather from the ridge," Tus said looking over toward Tamina.

"How long before you think they will attack?" Tamina asked.

"Probably around nightfall," Garsiv replied. "They will want to use the darkness to cover whatever feeble plan they have."

"Is the army going to be able to hold if the damaged walls are unable to?" Tamina seemed to be considering something, but neither Tus nor Garsiv knew what it was.

"They should. If Dastan can accomplish his task quickly, Kosh's army should fall into chaos. Once that happens, we should be able to drive them back without a problem."

Tamina nodded silently and returned her gaze to the growing army outside the city. The three young royals fell into an easy silence, each observing the movements of the enemy. Finally, Tamina walked back into the room to find Siriah.

"Collapse the passages," Tamina whispered. She saw the panic pass through Siriah's eyes. "It is only a precaution," she explained. "Go." Siriah bowed again and disappeared from the room.

Tamina returned to her spot next to Garsiv and Tus silently. They watched her questioningly, but did not ask where she had sent her servant. A short time later, Siriah reappeared and stood next to Tamina on the balcony. She gave a single, subtle nod when Tamina glanced at her.

Dastan and his men had reached the ridge just outside the city without any problem. They had just finished settling in as the sun was rising over the desert. The beginnings of Kosh's army were easily visible from the spot, and Dastan was becoming a little anxious. Going into battle always made him slightly anxious, but this time was different. This time, he had a lot to lose. Bis walked over to him and clapped him on the shoulder pulling him from his reverie.

"How is it that you always find new ways to risk my neck?"

"It's a gift," Dastan replied with a smirk. "Besides, you would be bored out of your mind if I had left you to fight with Garsiv. He has no imagination."

"True," Bis laughed. "So what's our grand plan this time?"

"It depends on timing. If Kosh attacks tonight, as I expect he will, it will be far easier for us to sneak up on him. If not, we will have to move fast just before dawn to get into position."

"Do you think we'll be able to get close before the Hassansins notice?" Bis asked.

"I think so. We will have to be quick though. If the Hassansins have any indication that we are coming, they will have time to fight back and by then our cause will be lost."

Dastan turned back to the rest of the men who were finishing their pre battle rituals. Some of them were sharpening swords, others adjusting their crossbows. They were all for the most part quiet, a few snickers of quiet laughter could be heard every once in a while, but the task they were set for was very heavily on their minds.

Persian sons were raised on the stories and myths of Hassansins. Their brutality and skills were legendary and feared, mostly because it was unclear whether they were real or not. Their opponents never seemed ready for all of their weapons and didn't seem possible for mere men to possess such skills. But now knowing that they actually existed, and that they were now the enemy, was overwhelming.

Dastan walked to his horse and took a long drink of water from the canteen that hung from his saddle. He was more determined than ever to kill Kosh and the Hassansins, but he did not have a good feeling about this fight. Not that he doubted the strength or courage of his men, but he knew that this would be the last time he saw most of them.

Tamina was still on the balcony after the sun had set. The only time she had left her post was to pray in the High Temple. Garsiv had gone to join his cavalry and recheck the defenses around the damaged walls well before the sun had disappeared behind the city. Tus had left a little while after that to take his place with his men that were guarding the other entrances of the city. The silence around Tamina was not strained however; it was actually quite comfortable under the present circumstances. She was content to be left to her own thoughts and devices.

As a young monarch, she was seldom left alone. A servant or advisor always seemed to find her even when she tried to disappear for a few minutes. Gathering one's own thoughts while in the presence of others was a skill that Tamina had learned to master at a very young age.

She had been ruling Alamut for almost seven years by herself. The power in the city rested in the monarch, though Alamutian law required consultation and approval from the High Council before war. In every other aspect of the city, the queen or princess was totally in control. Tamina had had to learn quickly not to rely too heavily on the advice of her advisors as more often than not her own instincts were right.

On the other hand, Tus, though older than Tamina, only held jurisdiction over what his father allowed him. He still struggled with trusting his own decisions. Tamina had noticed the beads he threaded through his fingers and around his wrist in one of their first meetings. They seemed to only appear when a member of his family was in danger. He had played with them when Dastan had been poisoned, and he had played with them right before Garsiv left.

The worry for each other that Dastan and his brothers revealed intrigued her. She had never met a noble family, let alone a royal family that showed such genuine affection for each other, her own family included. She had been close to her mother, admired and loved her. But the duties of High Priestess were sacred and came before any familial bonds. Her father she had never known as he had died before she could remember him. From what she had gathered though, he was a sharp witted man who had married for political reasons. But with the Persians, they prized their familial bonds and used them to protect each other. She admired how they were able to balance their duties to their people and to each other.

The large doors that led into the chamber opened noisily as two men entered to clear away the dishes on one of the tables. They silently and quickly gathered everything up and left.

Tamina looked over her shoulder when the noise of the door scraping the floor reached her ears. She turned back to the darkness in front of her.

Tamina wasn't sure how late it was. She sat down in a chair just inside the chamber from the balcony where she could still keep watch. She couldn't bring herself to look away from the desert even though all she saw was the black night.

A loud, bellowing sound ripped through the silent air of the council room. Tamina jerked her head up in the direction of the sound. It was the alarm coming from the Northern Wall. Tamina rushed outside to get a better view. At first, she couldn't see anything, but as her eyes adjusted to the dark night, she was able to make out the small figures of soldiers on the wall rapidly firing arrows over the side.

She could see that Garsiv's cavalry was waiting behind the gate. As the gates opened, the soldiers rushed through and disappeared.

The battle they had been waiting for had begun.

Dastan and his men had been taking turns keeping watch and sleeping throughout the day as Kosh's army had began to gather. Since he had awoken from his coma, sleep had come much easier to Dastan and his nightmares were not as common as they had been. He believed it was his heart's way of finally starting to heal from the losses that he had experienced.

Dastan heard the alarms sound in his sleep. The two men that were on patrol that night scrambled down from the top of the hill and made their way to the small ridge where the camp was set up. Dastan was already awake by the time the men had made it back. He grabbed his two swords that were in the sand next to him, put them in the holsters strapped to his back and looked around to see his men ready and waiting. He nodded his head to them and silently they took off into the night.