Kiri: ...well... I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter... I like it, but then again... I don't like it...

Ravan: Make up your mind.

Kiri: I dunno... I'll see what my lovely readers say about it... so until then, enjoy the story!

Chapter Twelve

My mind was a big jumble of questions and thoughts when I woke up. I wasn't sure what to make of my dreams, and Hadi was little to no help at all. So I finally decided to just press on.

As I walked through the castle corridors, I felt very refreshed, as if a strange euphoria had taken over. I just felt so wonderful that I started humming to myself. I only half listened while Hadi explained something about something else I don't think I cared about. No, I was too busy reminiscing through the dreams I'd just had about Babylon, the hanging gardens, and my family… One thing was for certain; I missed home terribly.

But the last one… the one about the hooded man… who WAS he? I had an idea, but I wasn't sure. He looked like a certain stranger I'd met before, but it couldn't be him… something seemed… off.

I'm talking about Erik, in case you were lost.

I know Erik is a liar and a traitor and he would fit the bill perfectly. He'd said he wanted revenge on my father for whatever reason, however, he never said anything about taking over my kingdom. Was the dream wrong? Or was there something he'd left out? Something told me the dream had been a glance into the future. Except something just… didn't go. I couldn't place my finger on it…

"Ravan, would you pay attention?" he snapped me out of my daydreams. "This is important if you want to master the power of haste."

"Sorry, Hadi," I offered, "Go on, I'm listening." Clearing his throat loudly, he continued lecturing me on exactly how to manipulate time to get a good advantage against enemies.

All was well and good until I noticed something… really odd about the walls and torches. Their color was fading. I've already seen some bizarre things happen, but I think this takes the cake. I stepped up to one of the now-white and gray torches and examined it while Hadi continued rambling on.

"Hadi…" I began, trying to draw his attention to the lack of color in the area. He continued talking. "Hadi." Still he didn't hear me. "HADI!" Startled, he fell out of the air backwards.

"What! What is it now, Ravan?" he asked, rather annoyed.

"Look around!" He flew up again, making a quick round about the immediate area, then perched on my shoulder and hummed knowingly.

"This seems familiar…" he mused, "where have I seen this before…" While he thought, I sighed and took another look around.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake. This unnerved me and I looked at my winged companion for some kind of explanation. The ground shook again, a little harder now, and one end of the hall darkened. Hadi suddenly leapt into the air.

"The Dahaka! For goodness sake, Ravan! Run, girl, run!" Well, I had taken off like a lightening bolt before he'd even finished his sentence. I ran as fast as I could, faster than I even knew I could. But I didn't get very far before I started running out of breath and my legs were begging me for rest. That's the bad thing about being a princess. You live in a huge palace all your life and have servants to do everything for you and you hardly ever get any exercise. So as you can imagine, I was out of shape and exhausted.

Unfortunately, the impending doom right behind me wasn't about to allow me to stop to catch my breath, so I kept pushing myself to the edge of my limits and beyond, it's a miracle I didn't keel over and die from overexertion, when I reached a dead end. A cliff. Uh oh.

I stood there like a fool, trying to figure out what to do while black oblivion fast approached. Well… there's nothing else to do… I back up a few feet and leapt into the dark abyss. I shut my eyes, but opened them when I realized I wasn't falling. I looked back at the ledge, seeing the black demon standing there, with one of his tentacles around my waist, it's bright eyes observing me. Fear quickly turned to confusion as he set me back on the ground. Hadi had conveniently gone missing, so I was left to just stand there like an idiot, wondering why I wasn't dead.

'…You're not the prince…' I jumped back, startled. Something had just spoken to me, only I didn't hear it… it was like a thought… 'My mistake, young one, you have such a similar aura to his.'

"What the…" I gaped at the black beast, unsure what to think.

'Confused? Not surprising. Not very many mortals can hear me.' I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again when no words came. 'Haha, yes, the reactions are always amusing.'

"…I… but…" I stuttered, "What's going on here?"

'I already said. I mistook you for the prince. I didn't realize who you were until I was close enough to distinguish. But you are the second person I have mistaken, and it's getting rather annoying.'

"The second?" I questioned, still unable to believe what was going on.

'Yes, the second. Another mortal came here only moments ago. He looked like the prince, but he wasn't. Honestly, I need a new job.' The demon turned and started walking away, mumbling things along the lines of 'why did I have to be the one to do this.' I only stood there with my jaw hanging open until something clicked in my head.

"Hey! Wait! Mister… Dahaka… sir…!" Wow, I'm sounding like a fool. I clumsily scrambled to catch up as he stopped and turned back around.

'What is it? I have a prince to hunt.' I opened my mouth again, trying to figure out what words to use.

"…I-I was wondering if you could tell me the way to the thrown room…"

'…Why?'

"W-well, I-I need to speak with the Empress of Time… but I can't seem to find my way there…"

'Hmm… well it isn't every day I find a mortal that can hear me… and you do have those markings…' I half smiled.

"Please?" … I cannot believe this is happening…

'Fine, fine. I'll take you there. I hope you don't mind the dark, kid.' Before I could ask why he extended another tendril, which wrapped around my waist and pulled me… into his body. If I'd experienced weird, off-the-wall things before, it was nothing compared to this.

"I cannot begin to explain how weird this is…" I mumbled, more to myself that anyone else. Everything was completely dark, and I couldn't feel anything. but I could still speak. I heard the demon chuckled in a low, deep voice.

'Comfortable in there?'

"Are you really asking or is that a rhetorical question?" It chuckled again. "For the record, I can't really tell."

'So do you have a name or would you prefer I call you 'kid?''

"My name is Ravan."

'Ravan, eh? Well then, well met, Ravan. I'm known as the Dahaka, fates demon, blah, blah, blah. I really shouldn't be doing this, but I'm tired to that roadrunner always outrunning me. Need something else to do."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," I pointed out.

'Well, I'm big, ugly, I frighten small children, and I only get to do my job once every millennia. The rest of the time, I'm just… existing.' I laughed. 'If you were in my position, you'd feel the same.' I heard him sigh heavily. 'Why couldn't I have been a spirit guide instead? No, I had to get stuck as a monstrosity that chases stragglers…'

"Stragglers? What do you mean?" I inquired curiously.

'Whenever something happens and someone strays away from their predestined fate, I have to go fix it. The prince, for example. He was supposed to die when he opened the Sands of Time, but didn't. So now I'm stuck having to chase him all around to kill him. Unfortunately, he keeps outrunning me, and it's fast becoming frustrating.' I laughed again, but when he said about the Sands of Time caught my interest.

"You said he opened the Sands of Time, right? What does that mean?"

'About seven years ago, he and the Persian army overthrew a palace in India, where he discovered the Dagger of Time, and the Sands of Time. They took it over to Azad as a gift for the sultan, but that vizier guy, he tricked the prince into opening the hourglass that held the Sands. Because of that little stunt, the prince should be dead.'

"But he isn't."

'Yes, obviously, he isn't. Anyway, he and that Indian princess went all over the palace looking for the hourglass and in the end, the prince used the sands to reverse everything and make it as through nothing had ever happened. But he still opened the stupid thing and he still needs to die, so here I am, lucky me.' He paused, 'all I want to do is just go back to Father Time's realm with the other spirits and do nothing… why can't everyone just do what they're supposed to so I don't have to go about, fixing mistakes?'

"I must admit, I never would have thought that a demon such as yourself would have such a… personality."

'Yes, well, that's what most people think. Like I said, only select few can actually hear and talk with me. Although, every now and then, when in pursuit of a straggler, I have to say something along the lines of 'You cannot change your fate.' That's really the only fun I get to have. It keeps them all on their toes.' I giggled some more and took some time to go back through what the Dahaka had told me about my father. All of it was news to me, but why had he never told me? Maybe I'll ask him when I get home after I've fixed things.

'Ok, ride's over.' Something grabbed me again and I was suddenly back out in the light. I squinted until my eyes adjusted and found myself back in the castle. The Dahaka was in front of me. 'The thrown room is just down this hall and around that corner. Now I have to leave. The prince is back in the past and I've gotta go get him.' Not sure how I felt about that… so I didn't answer. I knew the demon wouldn't catch him.

"Well… thank you."

'Just try not to mention this to ol Father Time.' I nodded once and with that, the demon turned and left.

When he'd gone, I looked down the hall and started on my way. But I didn't get far before—

"RAVAN!" …Hadi. He came flying down the hall, looking like he'd just flown himself ragged, and collapsed on the floor when he reached me.

"Well, well, if it isn't Hadi," I teased kneeling down, "and just where did you flutter off to when I needed you?" After several seconds of heavy panting, my guide hopped onto his feet and hovered up to eye level, looking very cross.

"Ravan, why did you make friends with that brute?" he demanded, "His only purpose of existence is to destroy!" I shrugged simply.

"Actually, I thought he was rather nice—"

"Ravan! Girl, listen to me, he is nothing but trouble! You should've just left when he realized his mistake and left it at that!" Sighing, I decided not to argue and let him rant of for a while. "Now," after his lecture, he perched on my shoulder, "on to the thrown room, and the Empress of Time!"