Date : 23.10.2011
Title : The Hassansins' Secret
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 6 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : Zolm/OC
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Angst, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Spoilers : Possible references to Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time.
Disclaimer : I do not own anything to do with the Prince of Persia franchise. This plot and any O/C's are mine.
Summary : (AU) The Hassansins take on a mission that leads to the discovery of a secret from their past, one that could change their futures forever and Zolm finds out that maintaining emotional detachment isn't always quite that easy.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Zarina looked around as she and Zolm rode into a small camp that was made up of a mixture of a few tents and two or three wood and straw huts. As they came to a halt and Zolm dismounted, a few women came out of the tents holding babies and toddlers, regarding Zarina with great interest and as Zolm walked around to encourage her to get down from her horse she whispered,
"What is this place?" and for once he gave her a straight answer to her question.
"It is the home of my men's women."
Zarina looked at him as she got down.
"Your men's women…? Do you not have a woman here too?" she asked and received an icy glare for her trouble and she took that to mean that he didn't, which in turn made her wonder why…but instead of asking she said, "Are you going to tell me why you have brought me here?"
"It will be explained to you shortly," Zolm replied, taking her elbow and leading her toward one of the wooden huts. Pushing the door open he pulled her inside and when her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw an older woman sat by a makeshift hearth.
Guiding her forward, Zolm nodded to the older woman as she got to her feet and said,
"I will wait just outside the door."
The woman nodded though her eyes were glued to Zarina and Zolm regarded the pair for a moment before taking his leave.
"You have become a beautiful young woman…as I always knew you would," the woman said and Zarina frowned and glanced back toward the door before looking back at the woman.
"What is this about? Who are you…? Would you mind explaining to me what is going on because he…" she raised her still bound hands and jabbed them in the direction Zolm had gone, "…will not tell me anything."
"Please…sit…" the woman said, indicating to the cushions by the hearth and Zarina hesitated for a moment before doing as she was bid, watching as the woman joined her.
"My name is Sharad and I am the widow of Zolm's predecessor, Ashtad," the woman began and Zarina nodded, waiting for more.
"The Hassansins have a tradition that should their women bear them a baby girl, the child must be sacrificed…only boys can survive to become warriors like their fathers…" Sharad paused as Zarina gasped, but pushed on before she could say anything. "Ashtad and I had been trying to conceive for many years and when I finally became pregnant it was like a blessing…we were so happy…" she looked down for a moment, composing herself before continuing. "When our baby was born, we were devastated to discover that it was a girl and we both knew that even though it was against Hassansin law and tradition, we could not end her life...she was too beautiful…too precious…"
Zarina frowned, wondering where all of this was leading, feeling more than a little nervous when she realised that she had a tiny inkling.
"Ashtad knew that it was wrong and he did not find the secrecy easy, hiding this from his brothers, but he began looking for a way to ensure that our child could live…we only had a few days grace to find a solution and time was running out when we heard that the Queen of Parthia had had a baby girl, but that the child had died. The King could not tell his wife for the news would destroy her fragile heart and so Ashtad made arrangements to meet with the King's closest advisors and before we knew it, our daughter was taken in the night, destined to become a Princess and Ashtad told his men that he had ended her life as planned."
Zarina stared at Sharad, a mixture of horror and disbelief in her eyes as the details sank in.
"Are you…are you trying to tell me that I…" she trailed off, unable to finish and Sharad leant forward and placed a hand on her arm, but she pulled it away and stood. "It can't be true…" she said angrily, "…why should I believe you?"
Sharad followed Zarina to her feet, her face anguished.
"I have no reason to lie to you and Zolm believes that if you are mine and Ashtad's daughter, you could change our futures…"
"Change your futures?" Zarina said incredulously. "How am I meant to do that? How can I trust him not to kill me when not only was that his mission in the first place, but now you tell me that if indeed I am who you say I am, that I should have been killed when I was but a baby…?"
"Zolm will not harm you, he has given me his word on that…" Sharad said, pausing when Zarina snorted derisively.
"And you believe him?"
"Zolm may be many things, but I trust his word, yes," Sharad replied and Zarina ran her hands over her face, still partially unwilling to believe that the woman before her could be her real mother though the story she had been told seemed perfectly plausible.
"There is perhaps one more thing that I could say that may help you to believe…" Sharad said and Zarina lowered her hands.
"And what would that be?" she asked.
"The birthmark on your arm is not the only one you have…you have another do you not…on your right inner thigh…"
Zarina felt her stomach flip as Sharad gave her further evidence and she felt tears well in her eyes.
"I…" she began, but faltered as she felt a sob building in her chest. Everything she had thought she had known about her life was now a lie…she was not the true Queen of Parthia…she was an imposter and if what Zolm had told her that Azzam had said was true, about her not being fit to rule Parthia, then her so called cousin was quite correct…but not for the same reasons he imagined…unless he knew….
"Does anyone else know?" she croaked and Sharad shook her head.
"Only myself, Zolm and the Hassansin Setam…"
Zarina raised her hands and covered her mouth to try to stifle her sobs and Sharad could stand it no longer and after twenty four long years apart she took her daughter in her arms and held her as she cried.
OoO
Sometime later Zolm looked up from where he sat just opposite the door of the hut, his eyes narrowing as an upset, but more humble looking Zarina emerged, Sharad close behind her and he stood and approached the two women.
"All is well," Sharad told him and he nodded and looked at Zarina as she said,
"So…how is it that you think I can change the futures of you and your Hassansins?"
"All in good time…" Zolm replied and Zarina threw a look at Sharad who smiled.
"You will be fine…" the older woman said and Zarina nodded, for once feeling like she could agree.
"It is time to go…" Zolm said then, reaching for her elbow, a strange sense of foreboding filling him and he got the feeling that he should have used his time waiting for Zarina and Sharad in trance…
"I will see you soon," Sharad told Zarina when she looked at her in panic, as though she didn't want to leave just yet, but all she could do was nod and follow Zolm as he pulled her toward her horse and threw her atop it as though she weighed nothing.
She looked back as they rode off; somehow knowing that she would see Sharad again.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Dasmine could not sleep…
Zolm and Zarina had been gone for almost two days now and she was driving herself insane wondering where they had gone and what they were doing. Sighing deeply, she threw back her blanket and padded to the window, the cool night air making her shiver, her thin nightgown giving her no protection and she wrapped her arms around herself as she looked out, narrowing her eyes when she thought she saw movement in the crop fields opposite. She looked away though when Shola, a stray black cat whom Dasmine had took to feeding some months ago, sidled up to her legs and she smiled and just as she bent to stroke the animal a whooshing noise went right by her ear and she gasped as an arrow pinged and bounced off of the wall behind her, missing her by millimetres.
Keeping low she darted for the door, throwing it open and yelling, "Setam!" as she ran through the corridors, but Zolm's Second was already well aware that they were about to come under attack and he met her halfway to the kitchens, grabbing her arms.
"Gather the younger boys and get to the cells below. Lock yourselves inside and stay there until I come for you…" he told her firmly and she nodded; her eyes wide with fear. Their home had never been invaded before and it didn't take a genius to realise that it must have something to do with the Queen.
She ran toward the stairs that would lead toward the sleeping level of the young apprentices, her annoyance at Zarina for bringing this upheaval to their lives increasing and she paused on the stone stairs as she heard fighting beginning to break out, the clash of swords and cries of men being injured ringing in her ears as she began to descend the steps again.
OoOoO
As Zolm and Zarina crested the last hill, Zolm knew immediately that something was wrong and his jaw clenched as he spurred his horse on, Zarina's having to follow and she clung to the reins as they raced toward the Hassansins' fortress.
As they got closer they could hear the sounds of a fierce battle going on inside and as he drew the horses to a halt not far from the courtyard entrance, Zolm turned his rage-filled ice blue eyes upon Zarina.
"Was this what you saw?" he growled, unsheathing his scimitar and severing the rope that bound his horse to hers and she swallowed hard, paling a little and her guilty look told him everything he needed to know.
"They are not here to rescue you; Azzam wants you dead. If you want to live there is a cave further along this path…wait for me there…" he said, offering her one last glare before digging his heels into his horse and taking off toward the gates.
Zarina trembled a little as she watched him go, feeling terrible for not telling him what she had seen in her vision, but it was too late now and with shaking hands she steered her horse along the path…
OoO
Zolm thundered into the courtyard, taking in the scenes before him with one sweeping glance. He took out four of Azzam's men before he even dismounted, the slash of his scimitar across the backs of their necks almost decapitating them.
Satisfied that he had evened things up for his men that fought outside, he entered the fortress, one person's safety niggling at his thoughts…
OoO
Dasmine turned a corner, freezing as up ahead she saw two men dressed as palace guards, but she could tell straight away that they no more served the Queen than she did and she tried to back away silently. Unfortunately, her plan didn't work and one turned and spotted her, grinning evilly and slapping the other man's arm so that he turned and saw her too and Dasmine took off at a run, trying to head toward the kitchen, her heart in her mouth as she heard their boots stomping as they gave chase.
She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her and just managed to enter the kitchen, her arms outstretched as she headed for the archway to the stairs that led down to the cells as though it would somehow help her to get there faster and she screamed out when a burly arm went around her waist, pulling her backwards and she shivered as the man who held her groaned appreciatively in her ear as he felt that she was naked beneath her nightgown.
"Let me go!" she yelled, struggling against his hold and he laughed and turned her in his arms before lifting her bodily and dumping her down upon the large wooden kitchen table, pushing her back down when she tried to get up and the other man moved around, placing his large hands on Dasmine's shoulders to prevent her from getting up as the first man grabbed the hem of her nightgown and pushed it up her thighs, forcing himself in-between them before fumbling with the fastenings of his uniform.
"I don't see why we can't have a little fun whilst we're here…" he snarled, backhanding Dasmine across the face when she spat in his general direction and she closed her eyes as her vision blurred and her cheek stung from the impact.
OoO
Zolm heard Dasmine's cry and fought his way toward the sound, killing anyone who got in his way with such steely determination and ferociousness that it was terrifying to see and his anger was already past boiling point when he entered the kitchen and saw the two men holding Dasmine down.
Rage, white hot and burning shot though his veins and with a guttural cry he attacked…
oOo End of Chapter Six oOo