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Keyla's shaking hands let go of the sword that she had just plunged into the chest of the last traitor still alive. Right behind her she could her Dastan's harsh and heavy breathing as he tried to deal with the pain of his injuries. She didn't dare to turn around for a moment and she was glad that she didn't. She could hear the sickening sound as the blade that had been plunged deep into his shoulder was pulled from his flesh.

She could tell Dastan had put his hand around the handle of the dagger and pulled it out. It fell to the ground with a clatter and she could hear him graon in pain . Keyla bit down hard on her lip. This was not the time to be weak. She had to tunr around, she had to assess his injuries, she had to get him to safety. This was what she had come here for. Keyla took one last deep breath and turned around.

Dastan was still kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. He had pressed one hand against the bleeding wound to his side, the other one securely clapsed the injury to his shoulder. Sweat was running down his face and she could tell from the expression on his face that he was both in pain and completely exhausted from the ongoing fight. For a moment she wondered how long he had been fighting the four men before she had appeared and come for his aid. But it didn't matter. It was over now and he was alive - that was all that counted. She took a step closer, not daring to touch him but trying to get his attention with a soft tone of voice.

"Dastan..."

"You saved my life."

His voice lay somewhere in between surprise and sheer disbelieve lined with the obvious pain he had to be in. Keyla didn't want to hear any of this right now though. Just like back at the time when she had woken up at the palace realizing he had saved her life by taking here there and having the healers of the royal family treat her for the disease she had contracted, he hadn't wanted to hear about it either. Now was not the time for a teary eyed thank you anyway. She needed to get him to a physician to have his wounds treated.

"You have to get up!"

"I'm not sure I can.."

"Damn it, Dastan. You have been hurt before! And worse than this I might add. Now get to your feet!"

She deliberately sounded harsh because she knew it was the only way to get him to listen to her. She had no idea if he ever actually had been hurt worse than this, she had never been wittness to any battle he had fought in. The scars on his body told the story of injuries in battle all too clearly but even to Keyla - who, living in the slums of the royal city all her life, had seen a lot of gruesome things in her days - his injuries looked serious. She needed to get him to a physician as quickly as possible.

She reached out an arm for him to grab as he now tried to rise to his feet and helped him steady himself as he was having a hard time to keep his balance. When he grabbed her arm in an attempt to hold on, she felt a lump form in her throat. He had stopped putting pressure on his shoulder wound un favor for grabbin her arm and the warm, sticky feeling of his blood on her skin made her feel as if she was about to get sick. She had never seen him hurt before and she wasn't even the least bit sure she was able to deal with this.

They made their way down the alley but they were slow and she could hear the heavy panting right beside her. This was exhausting for Dastan and going on this way it would take a while before they would even run into anyone who could be of help to them, let alone make their way back to the palace. When they reached the entryway to an abandoned house, Dastan breathlessly asked her to stop and she carefully lowered him to the staircase that lead to the wooden door. He looked up at her, a pleadign expression on his face and his voice still breathless.

"You have to leave me behind, Keyla. You need to get to the palace. Get back to Tamina and protect her. You have to hurry."

"Don't worry about her, Dastan. She knows and she's fine. This attack was never about her it was only about you. A group of Alamutian merchants wanted to stop Alamut from falling under Persian reign. That's why they plotted to kill you."

"Those men said otherwise. They said there was one of their own at the palace right now, setting out to kill the princess for her treachery, for forming an alliance with Persia. You have to go to the palace and make sure she's okay."

Keyla stared at him in horror and shook her head. This was not what the merchants had said, it was not what both she and Tamina had come to believe when she had told her what the merchants words had been. There hadn't been any danger to her... Maybe those men had just tried to distract Dastan, had tried to play tricks with him and play a mindgame to get him to let down his guard. But she couldn't be sure and she couldn't let any harm come to princess Tamina either. Keyla bit down hard on her lip but finally decided against listening to him. He was just overly worried about the woman he loved.

"I can't just leave you here! You're hurt!"

"I've had worse before, you yourself said that. Just go, Keyla. I will be fine. Send a physician if you like but - please - check on Tamina first. I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to her but I can't do this myself. You have to help me..."

Keyla nodded her head slowly. The urgency in his voice and the sheer desperation in it, told her that she had no choice but to obey his wishes. He would not stop worrying, would not stop demanding that she checked on Tamina instead of staying with him and if anything actually had happened to her he would be blaming himself for the rest of his life. She couldn't let it happen. Even if Tamina was fine, she needed to make sure - for his sake.

Maybe it was best this way. She would be faster going on her own and as soon as she had made sure Tamina was indeed fine, she could take a physician back to Dastan. It certainly would work faster than dragging him halfway across the city in his weakened state... She nodded her head at him, agreeing.

"Alright I will."

He relaxed instantly and let his head rest against the wood of the door behind him. Even his breathing seemd to even out a little now. Keyla hated to leave him here like this - weak and injured and bleeding but there was no immediate danger to Dastan's life anymore. His attackers were dead, the treacherous merchants had probably been arrested by now and there was nobody else near by who could have meant any harm to Dastan. With a heavy heart, Keyla turned her back on him and hurried to leave for the palace.

She didn't get very far. When she left the small, abandoned alley where she had left Dastan behind and returned back to the main street that lead from the palace to the gate, she ran right into someone. She was about to curse and yell at the person to watch where he was going when she looked at him, detecting the familiar features and seeing the surprised expression on his face. Keyla had never been more happy to see him than in this very moment.

"Bis!"

"Keyla?"

"Thank the gods you're here! I need your help. Come with me!"...

Without another word of explanation she grabbed Bis by the arm and yanked him back into the alley where she had just come from, forcing him to follow her. She could tell he wanted to protest but they were walking too fast and she had taken him by surprise so that he was speechless for the time being. That however rapidly changed when they returned to Dastan who was still sitting at the same spot Keyla had left him at, clutching his wounds, eyes closed and breathing heavy. Maybe she was just imagining things but his face looked more ashen to her than it had when she had left just a minute ago. She could hear Bis swear under his breath as he hurried to kneel down next to his injured friend. The sudden activity around him made Dastan open his eyes and he stared at Keyla half angry, half scared.

"Dastan! By the gods! What happened to him?"

"Keyla, the palace! You have to..."

"I know! I'm already on my way."

Keyla focused her attention on Bis explaining the situation to him. She had no time to lose here but she at least needed to let him on on what had transpired here. She spoke quickly, ready to break into a run the second she was done.

"He was attacked and hurt in battle. Take care of him. I have to go back to the palace. I will send a physician to take care of him. Just keep an eye on him until then."

"But..."

He tried to stop her, tried to get her to tell him more but all Keyla could do now was cut his questions short. She shooke her head quickly and - seeing the pleading look in Dastan's eyes - didn't even take another second for explanations or any kind of goodbye when she just turned and broke into a run. She had promised something to Dastan and she would make good on that promise. She had to check on the princess of Alamut...

"Not now, Bis! I have no time!"

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