Hi guys! Thanks for all your reviews! You're awesome! Makes me smile everytime I check and see there are a couple more :-) It's late here already and I'm tired and there are probably a few spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter but I didn't want to leave you without an update :-). Hope you like it.

Keyla had almost run into a guard AND had barely made it back to the street right underneath the wall surrounding the palace. She had been so angry that she had not paid close attention to what she was doing and had almost slipped and fallen down the damn wall as she tried to get back down. She was still trembling - with adrenaline from the near fall and most of all with anger.

She had known Dastan practically all her life and though they had certain things they had never agreed on and had always been arguing, she never would have thought he would once manage to do something that would make her turn her back on him. But he had. She had never been so disappointed as she was today. She could not understand why he was willing to sacrifice his right for liberty and decision making for his father and the empire. He didn't even seem unhappy or troubled by it. He had just let it happen.

She had always feared something like this would happen one day and she had been aware that it would most definitely be on the day a marriage would be decided for Dastan. It wasn't that she was jealous. She was his friend, a good friend, but never more than that. It was the simple fact that she hated how he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to be loyal to his king. It was something Keyla never had been able to comprehend...

Kings and queens, princes and princesses - they did not marry out of love... Maybe losing him like this had been fate. It felt strange to realize that she was now losing her best friend to another woman. She could just hope princess Tamina would grow to be someone Dastan could trust in. She didn't ever expect there to be love but respect and trust certainly was something she could hope for to develop between the soon to be married couple...

She hoped for Dastan's sake that the princess would be able to make him happy. She was disappointed in him but she still cared for him and she wanted for him to have another female presence in his life who he could trust and who would speak her mind to him no matter if that meant to disagree. He needed that sort of presence in his life. Maybe she was flattering herself but she felt like her presence in his life had always been a stabilizing one. Now however she couldn't be there for him anymore.

She had done what she had come here for. She had seen Dastan, she had talked to him and she had been able to make up her mind about this wedding. There was no more purpose for her to stay here any longer. It was time to go back home. Keyla bit her lip. Nasaf had been her home all her life but she was pretty sure Dastan would take Tamina back there once they were married or would at least visit the city with his new wife ever so often. Maybe he would even seek her out, trying to set things straight. Keyla wasn't sure if she would be able to go through that... Maybe it was time for a change in scenery for her...

Azaak had been a small city but she had a friend there... or at least somebody who was something like a business partner... Handling the apothecary's merchandise, traveling with it and getting it to his business partners had been a well paid job and even though she had hated the traveling part of it, maybe this was a good chance for a new start for her. She would get used to traveling on horseback and Shanse was a good horse. She could make some money this way, find a new home, start a new life... It sounded like a reasonable plan... Maybe this was exactly what she needed right now - a fresh start...

Dastan hadn't done anything ever since Keyla had left. He had managed to sit down on his bed but that was about it. He hadn't managed to get out of the dusty clothes he had been wearing all day, he hadn't been able to get to the water basin to clean himself up, he hadn't touched the jar of wine or the plate of food one of the palace's servants had brought him - he hadn't done anything.

His mind was still revolving around what Keyla had told him, the way she had looked at him with that disgusted look on her face. 18 years of friendship and now it was all over, just like that. He had argued, even fought with Keyla all his life but their opinions had never clashed so harshly that they had not been able to be friends any more. Now however it had happened and rethinking their conversation Dastan realized there was nothing he could have done about it.

Had he told Keyla the full truth, she would have called him an idiot. She would have never believed him, thinking he was only trying to play some sort of trick on her. Had he told her he truly loved Tamina she wouldn't have believed him either. She was too damn stubborn to let any other opinion but her own come to pass and she had made up her mind. Maybe it had been supposed to be this way. He would replace the friendship with a woman with marriage to another woman now... But it hurt - it hurt to realize he had to lose Keyla in order to get Tamina... At least that was how it felt to Dastan.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes for just a moment. He didn't even realize that somebody entered his chamber and he winced when he heard the voice of his friend Bis. He sounded enthusiastic and Dastan hated to take his friend's happiness from him. But he had to tell him about Keyla, as hard as it was. She was his friend to - Bis had a right to know what had happened here tonight.

"We missed you tonight. The troupes and I had hope you would be there to watch the fight, have a little drink, that sort of stuff. Of course Roham defeated every last opponent yet again but... What's wrong with you?"

Dastan looked at Bis and somehow managed a small smile. His friend had always been able to detect if he was feeling troubled way too easily. It was years of experience and the fact that they had known each other and spend their time together - in the palace and in battle - since they were children. Dastan let a soft sigh escape through his lips and stood up, wanting to be at eye level with his friend when he told him the news. He tried to stay calm but couldn't keep a soft trembling from his voice.

"Keyla was here..."

"What? When? Why? Where is she now?"

"She left, Bis. And I don't think she will be coming back..."

"What did you do this time?"

There was a slightly amused tone to his friend's voice but Dastan knew it didn't stay this way. He knew Bis was secretly in love with Keyla... or admiring her more than he should as a friend at least. He had always sided with her no matter what the discussion had been about - except the one time when Dastan had offered both his friends a place in the palace all those years ago - and he would not like hearing that Keyla had decided to just leave their friendship behind.

"I... She found out about the wedding and she was anything but happy about it. She said I was giving up my freedom in order to be loyal to the king and my brothers, doing what they want me to do. She was angry... disappointed and she bid me farewell..."

"Why didn't you stop her?"

"There was nothing I could have said..."

Just as he had expected him to, Bis sounded angry now but to Dastan's surprise his friend's anger didn't last for long. He contemplated Dastan's words for a long moment and then nodded his head. They both knew how Keyla could be and if she had made up her mind there was nothing in this world that could change it again. If she had wanted to believe Dastan was betraying the one thing she valued above else in order to be loyal to his king, their truly hadn't been much of anything anyone could have said to make her think otherwise.

Bis sighed softly. He would have wished for a chance to see Keyla. He had not seen her ever since they had left for Koshkhan. He and Dastan had met Keyla to say goodbye and as always she had told them to be careful. This had been more than two weeks ago and he had missed her. He couldn't believe she had just vanished out of their lives... He was ripped out of his thoughts by Dastan's voice that was barely more than a whisper. He sounded troubled... and insecure, something Bis rarely ever heard from him.

"Do you think she's right?"

"That you're being loyal to your king and doing what he wants you to do? Yes, she's right about that but that's nothing to be angry or disappointed about. I know you take great pride in being loyal to the king and Keyla should know that as well... Apart from that I've seen the way you look at the princess... You're not exactly devastated that you will be married to her in a couple of days."

"No, not exactly."

Dastan was grinning now. It was a soft grin, not his usual mischievous one but Bis could tell his friend would recover from today's loss. He was sure princess Tamina would help Dastan to get over it. He however would need more time... He could just hope that Keyla would think about her decision again and at least give him a chance to still be friends with her... He couldn't lose her like this... But with this particular matter - and as much as he loved Keyla - she had been wrong and Bis wanted the Persian prince to know that.

"I know I don't usually side with you but on this particular matter Keyla was completely wrong... I just wished I would have a chance to say goodbye to her."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. Do you want company, Dastan?"

"No. I think I want to be alone for a little while."

Keyla had almost reached the mansion of the merchant again. She had been less careful on her way back. She had been to angry to do that. But nobody had stopped her - obviously that angry look on her face was scaring people away. She wasn't angry with Dastan though, she was angry with herself by now... She had made a decision, had made up her mind about a new life and still she couldn't stop thinking about him...

Actually it was her - the princess of Alamut Keyla couldn't stop thinking about. The one thing she was worried about the most was if this woman would be able to make her friend happy. Of course it wasn't the only thing of importance in Dastan's life. He was at an age where other princes already had been married for a little while. The king's oldest son - Tus - had two wives at the same age already.

They probably wouldn't be spending much time with each other anyway. The one thing the Persian empire had always been ever since Keyla could think was at war. There was always some borderline conflict, some greedy warlord, some rivaling state that would go to war with the Persians and - above all else they had been trained for - the king's sons were warriors. They would always go where the battle was. But still Keyla wished for Dastan to be able to come back to a happy home and that was something the princess of Alamut would have to provide him with once they were married.

She knew basically nothing about this city's ruler. She had heard a few stories about her and they all had one thing in common - they stated that she was extraordinarily beautiful. She hoped that aspect of the stories was true - for Dastan's sake. Being forced to marry a strange woman certainly was even harder if she was ugly...

Maybe she should have taken the chance being at the palace to pay the princess a visit as well but she had been too angry after her discussion with Dastan. She hadn't been thinking straight and she had just wanted to leave the palace again. She had no right to intervene in this anyway. She could imagine that for the princess it was hard enough already to agree to a union that had pretty much been forced on her.

Dastan did this to win his brothers and his father's approval but the princess - even though it probably had been cloaked as a polite proposal - was forced to agree to this union for the well-being of her people. Keyla knew the stories that were told in rivaling countries and the borderlands of the Persian empire - stories about the wrath of the Persian army when it invaded new territory and stories about the decadence and the cruelty of the Persian royalty. Only a fraction of those stories were actually true but Keyla was sure the princess had heard them all. She wouldn't have been surprised if she was at least a little afraid of the man who would be her husband soon...

Maybe - if she hadn't been this angry with him - it wouldn't have hurt if Keyla had put in a good word for Dastan - from one woman to another. But then again he didn't deserve it. She was angry with him for a good reason after all. Keyla sighed and ordered herself to stop thinking about this now. It was no longer her problem - she had decided that it wasn't. Now it was time for her to look forward...

Princess Tamina had debated her decision for quite a while, wandering up and down the very same corridor for almost half an hour before she willed herself to make up her mind. She wasn't exactly sure what it was that had caused her reluctance. Being lied to - that had happened already. Having things kept from her that she felt she had a right to know - this had happened as well. Being teased and made fun of - yet again this had happened already. Actually there was nothing she had to fear of the Persian prince Dastan but still she had needed quite a while to make up her mind.

As she entered his chamber now, she found the room only illuminated by a single candle on a small table in the center of the room. Coming from the illuminated hallway, her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the change of lights. She couldn't see the prince anywhere and did the one thing that was prudent in the situation - she called for him.

"May I come in?"

"Tamina?"

She winced when she heard his voice close by. She had no idea how he had managed to appear out of nowhere, sneak up on her and stand right next to her now, but Dastan had done it somehow none the less. He gave her a weak smile and reached out a hand, holding it out for her to grab. She did so, gently, carefully but without any reluctance and smiled a small smile when he placed a gentle kiss on her hand. He let go and turned away from her, walking up to one of the wide windows leading out to the palace's courtyard. Tamina swallowed hard. She had come here for a reason...

"I met your... servant out in the hallway. He seemed troubled and when I asked him about it he said it was nothing. It seems keeping things from me runs within the whole group you surround yourself with. But maybe you can break that bane and tell me what it is that is troubling you both."

"Bis is not my servant, he's my friend."

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for, prince."

Dastan turned around and pondered her with a long look. She had asked for his honesty before, had asked him to share his thoughts with her. Dastan suppressed a hard laugh. This was what Keyla had always been there for. She had been the one for him to talk to, to share his thoughts with and to discuss with when he needed to make a decision... Tamina had offered to do the same thing for him if only he reached out to her... Maybe it was time - it was time to share with and trust her. A small, sad smile appeared on his face, his voice thick with emotion.

"That friendship I told you about..."

"Yes."

"I fear it's over now..."

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