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Dastan still had a hard time believeing everything that had happened last night was actually true. Given that he was the only to have the memory of a completely different timeline, a completely different reality in his mind, at times it was difficult to distinguish what was truth and what was part of his memory. But last night's events had truly happened - he truly had spoken and fought with Keyla, he truly had been visited by Tamina and she had truly offered to take his mind off the loss of Keyla as a friend and wanted to spent the entire day with him today.

She had suggested that they would walk around the city and she would show him some of the places Alamut was famous for. She had also suggested to visit the market and she had suggested to take a troupe of guards with him. Apart from the last suggestion, Dastan had been more than willing to go along with her plan. But if he and Tamina took a whole day to spend together - a day to get to know each other better - he did not want a whole escort with them. He wanted them not to be the princess of Alamut and the prince of Persia tomorrow. He wanted them to just be Tamina and Dastan...

Therefor he had asked her to consider to just leave the palace in disguise, put on some simple clothes and blend in with the rest of the city's citizens. She had been reluctant for just a moment but then Tamina had agreed and she had done so with a smile. Dastan had been pretty much extatic since then. It felt like a real break through. She was finally acting less like a princess and more like the woman he had come to know and love.

Despite everything that had happened that night, he had managed to fall into a dreamless sleep rather soon after going to bed, which he hadn't truly expected. He had slept well but a little too long though and right now he was hurrying to get ready. It didn't mean much of a change for him. Growing up as he had done - in the slums of the royal city of Nasaf - and traveling so much as the Persian army was pretty much always needed somewhere across the empire, he was used to the simple and sturdy clothes of the common folk. He grinned thinking about Tamina though. She was a real princes - raw linen and thick cotton were not the fabrics she was used to.

Dastan left his chamber, walking down the corridor to the wide staircase that would leave him up to the princess's chambers. He was tying the bands of the dark blue cloak together that he had put on and that which's wide hood would help keep his features hidden from the people of Alamut. He gave a soft nod to the two guards on the princess's door and entered the room calling for her, letting her know he was here.

"Princess Tamina? Are you ready?"

"I think so. I... This clothing is so unfamiliar to me."

She sounded unsure with herself and Dastan hid back a grin when Tamina appeared from behind the curtains that surrounded her bed. She seemed nervous and looked down herself with a critical expression on her face. She had chosen a pair of cotton harem pants in a cream color and a dark red wide shirt. She wore a little vest above that shirt and had put on a cloak in a dark color as well.

She reminded him of the way she had looked in Avrat before she had - once again - stolen the dagger from him and had left him to his uncle's and brother's wrath who had both tried to kill him... Dastan pushed the memory aside. All of this had never happened... He smiled at Tamina, reaching out a hand for her to hold. She pulled away from him though in light anger when he commented on her clothes, obviously feeling mocked instead of being handed a compliment.

"It suits you well though."

"You're teasing me again, prince!"

"Had I told you you were spoiled being used to silk and soft cotton only, I would have been teasing you. Actually I was trying to compliment you."

"I'm not a Persian desert citizen or a Beduin. My constitution is... more delicate than that."

Dastan had to grin and he couldn't hide it even though his reaction probably only fueled the princess's believe that he was trying to make fun of her. It was something entirely different though. He had heard these words from her mouth before... And seconds later she had knocked him unconscious and had stolen the dagger from him. That however he couldn't tell her. It was another one of those memories of things that had never really happened. He smiled at her again.

"I promise I will take good care of you, princess. You will be just fine, even given your constitution."

"How flattering of you, prince Dastan.

"It's a pleasure dear princess."

"I suggest we leave for the market now."

It seemed like she had wanted to add some sort of cynical comment, telling him something like that they would never be leaving if they didn't stop arguing and dastan hid back a grin. It always managed to make him happy when that strong-willed, independent and at times stubborn woman broke through to the surface and left the well mannered princess behind. He liked Tamina much better like this.

"As you wish, princess."

She rolled her eyes at him, making Dastan grin again and led the way out of her chamber. Dastan however stopped her again before she could reach the door. As much fun as he always had teasing her like this, there was something important he had to tell and that she needed to know. His voice was softer now, his sincerity clearly sounding from it.

"Tamina."

She turned around, looking at him with a half surprised, half questioning look, an inviting gaze in her eyes, asking him soundlessly to go on. Dastan gave her a smile in return and told her what had been so important for him to have her know.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For giving me... us... a chance to actually get to know each other better. I wished for this to happen."

"So do I."

They smiled at each other and in this very moment they both felt exactly the same thing - they knew it was going to work. Tamina felt that strong, almost spiritual bond she had first detected when she had walked with Dastan almost a weak ago, knowing there was more to him than met the eye upon a first view and he felt that everything would return to the way things had been between them in his memories of a time that no longer existed. It would be fine. They would be fine.

"Come on. The market gets more crowded with every minute we waste standing here."

Dastan nodded with a smile and followed Tamina out of the chamber. He was looking forward to spending the day with her. He felt the ice that had built up between them again was slowly thawing and hopefully this day together would help melt it away. . He caught up with her and gently reached for her hand, his fingers touching hers, giving her the chance to take initiative and hold on to him. He smiled when she did.

"What would you like to do at the market? Anything in particular that you would like to get?"

"I haven't though about it much... A dress would come in handy I guess... for the wedding maybe.."

Dastan frowned at Tamina. He knew the wedding was short notice and it had come rather abruptly and out of the blue for both of them but he knew for a fact that a handful of seamstresses had been working at the palace to get Tamina's dress ready in time for days now. She did had a dress for the wedding - there was no need for any shopping on that end. Still it seemed prudent to be save and confirm it.

"But I thought you would have a dress. The wedding is in four days..."

"I do have a dress. But don't you think I should get something that finds your... approval."

Dastan had to grin seeing the soft redness that now appeared on her cheeks as she blushed. She was obviously uncomfortable to talk to him about this and for once he decided not to make things harder on her by teasing her. When they had been on their quest to destroy the dagger, he had seen her wear the most splendid of dresses to something very similar to what she was wearing now. To him she had always been beautiful - one more dress wouldn't change that.

"As long as you will actually be there I will be happy, Tamina. It's all I need."

"I will be there, Dastan. Don't worry..."

They left for the market and it turned out to be a very successful day for them. Tamina was smiling a lot and she seemed enthusiastic about their little shopping trip. She was opening up to him but by bit and when they passed by a stand selling papyri that had made it here all the way from Egypt, she actually told him a story from her childhood when she had first seen a merchant from a foreign country.

She was warming up to him and for the first time since he had come here - again and under changed circumstances - he felt like there was real potential for their relationship to develop into what they already had before time had been turned back and he had been forced to win her heart all over again. After today Dastan felt like he had a real chance for success and that was a really good feeling...

She hadn't even meant for it to happen but Keyla had felt the need to get out of the treacherous merchant's house and had gone to see more of the city of Alamut. She had heard stories about temples and wells and as it was the day of the market today, she had decided to check it out as well. She had been surprised to see both Dastan and the princess at the market. She couldn't believe her people actually didn't recognize her.

The simple clothing and the wide cloaks they had been wearing to keep their identities hidden didn't do much for them. Actually it had only drawn more attention to them. At least Keyla felt like that was the truth. But she would have been able to single out Dastan in a group of people anytime. She knew him too well not to. Anyway it seemed she was the only one who realized or the only one who cared.

This had given her a chance to lay eyes on the princess of Alamut herself and though she only saw little of her face, she could tell the stories being told about her were true. She was indeed beautiful. She had to grin realizing Dastan could be lucky indeed. At least he would be married off to a really beautiful woman. The last princess the oldest of the princes - Tus - had gotten married to for political reasons because king sharaman had wanted to make allies with her people had been anything but a beauty. Dastan however was lucky - he could be loyal to his king and get a beautiful woman for his first wife all at the same time.

Keyla had witnessed something else as well, something she had not expected. She had seen the way the two acted around each other. She had seen the way Dastan looked at the beautiful princess and she had seen the way she talked to him. Even for somebody not knowing much about love and relationship it was easy to tell there was something between those two that was more than just a bond out of reason. There was a deeper connection that Keyla couldn't quite describe but just knew that it was there.

She had never given him a chance to tell her but now she realized Dastan was truly in love with the princess and it seemed princess Tamina if not loved him, respected him and was willing to get to know him better, making this union into a happy and lasting one. Keyla had been too quick to judge and seeing them together she realized she had been making a mistake - a mistake she needed to right again and that was exactly what she planned to do. She already knew the way into the palace and tonight she would do what she already had debated would have been the best course of action when she returned to the merchant's mansion yesterday. She would meet princess Tamina...

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