Tamina's Jealousy

After they were married Tamina noticed Dastan wrote letters almost everyday, not to his brothers, nor to his father, the King, but to someone else. She had learned to read him and knew him well enough to know his moods. Whenever he wrote to his brothers, he would often snort a chuckle, writing something lurid or taunting no doubt. But when he wrote to his father, he was always calm, thoughtful, with a gentle smile on his lips. But these other letters, Dastan would show a variety of moods, often muttering in a language she didn't know or could even remotely recognize.

She even had one of her handmaidens intercept a letter, copy it the best she could, the letters being foreign to her before resealing and sending it off. Tamina secretly went to her library, asking her private council if they could recognize it. But to no avail.

When the letters came back from whoever he was sending them to, Dastan would often open those first, choosing to be by himself to read them, before quickly writing back. His mood was often giddy and light hearted after.

Tamina began to fear he had a lover, granted she knew she was his first wife, but he was definitely well versed in all things when it came to the bedroom. And with the Persian Empire being so vast, the gods only knew where these letters were going and to whom. But Tamina would bet her whole jewelry case that those letters were going to another woman.

Tamina felt so sick because while Dastan acted that he was entirely faithful with her, maybe it was all a lie. Maybe he was faithful to her by Persian standards, they did have harems, did they not? Why didn't he just send for this other woman to come to Alamut and parade her around?

"What's troubling you Tamina?" Dastan asked as they laid in bed, Tamina still tense, like she was stressed over something.

"It's nothing," Tamina dismissed and forced herself to relax.

Dastan got up to rest on an elbow to consider her. "No, it's definitely something," Dastan insisted."Please, tell me what's troubling you." Dastan pleaded softly.

Tamina huffed and got out of bed, lighting a lamp and going to her own writing table and withdrawing the letter her handmaiden had copied and thrust it in front of him.

"What language is this?" Tamina demanded.

Dastan was puzzled and looked at the letter, scrutinizing it before it dawned on him. He tried to suppress a laugh.

"It's to a lover of yours isn't it," Tamina accused. "You write them every day, you are so happy and elated when you get ones in return. Who is she? Am I not enough for you? Was I ever enough? Do all you Persians have to have different beds with different women warming them every night?" Tamina ranted, as she got more and more upset.

"Well," Dastan started as he got up, trying to embrace Tamina but she just evaded his advances. "You are correct that they are to another woman, but I have never had a lover, the woman I keep sending these letters to, is my mother," Dastan explained calmly and wasn't surprised when Tamina's face was blank with surprise.

"My mother, well, my adopted mother, is from the Mediterranean, this is her native tongue, she taught it to me when I was young, Here, I'll show you," Dastan said as he showed her the letter and explained what language it was and all the different letters were and even wrote out an alphabet and then wrote out the translation of each letter that corresponded to her language along with the phonetic pronunciation of each letter. He even went as far as reading the letter aloud, his words having an accent suddenly somewhat familiar. Tamina remembered meeting Dastan's mother but with the wedding ceremony and everything going on, it was hard to concentrate, she remembered her face, her accent that was now on Dastan's tongue.

Dastan's letter was actually about Tamina, telling his mother how much he had loved her and how he had found his destiny with her as she had sung to him when he was little. It really was a sweet letter.

Tamina felt so foolish and embarrassed for getting so caught up in her imagined suspicions.

"Why didn't you just ask me? I would have told you, I would never keep anything from you." Dastan implored.

"But every time you get these letters back, you go off by yourself and then put them in a special drawer in your desk." Tamina pointed out.

"You're right, I can see how that can look bad," Dastan admitted. "But you still should have asked, I'll let you read all my letters if you wish." Dastan offered.

"No, that's necessary. I just, with the reputations all Princes of Persia have, I was heartbroken that..." Tamina began before stopping herself as her emotions flooded her voice.

"Tamina," Dastan whispered as he was finally allowed to bring her into his arms.

"You will always be not just my first wife but my only wife and lover, I have no desire for anything or anyone other than you," Dastan reassured her. Tamina smiled into his chest taking in his scent and finally allowing herself to completely relax into him.

"I would never betray you or be unfaithful to you," Dastan added as he pulled back and took her face into his hands, his thumbs wiping away a few stray tears before kissing her soundly. Tamina wrapped her arms around his waist, keeping him close.

"I have an idea," Dastan started when he pulled away.

"Oh no, not one of those," Tamina teased with smile.

"Haha, but seriously, we should take some time away and travel to Nasaf to see her and then we should travel to her homeland to see it for yourself, it's second in beauty only to Alamut." Dastan suggested.

"That's a very long journey Dastan, it would take months to prepare for." Tamina pointed out.

"But it is worth the effort. You have to trust me, you will not be disappointed." Dastan insisted before leading her back to bed, snuffing the lamp out before he did so.

To be continued...

Author's notes- This one is again, unbetaed. However this has been in the back of my mind since I posted the first one. So what I'm going to do is combine them and make it a series of drabbles. I believe it will be simpler and easier for everyone.