Date : 28.07.2016
Title : The Hassansins' Secret
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 18 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.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N : Apologies for the long delay in updating this story. There are no excuses save that life got in the way and I lost my mojo into the bargain. I'd like to thank SunMoonAndAllTheStars again for their recent review as it was the push I needed to get myself in gear.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Tamah stepped forward and took from Sharad's hand the page from Zarina's spell book, glancing over the words before turning to give Setam a look.
"I knew that something was amiss…" he said as Hassad snatched the paper from his brother's grasp, also looking over the words of the spell.
"The way he fought me this morning…" Hassad began, "Zolm is normally cold and detached, but he was harder still, almost as though he barely knew it was I he drew his blade against."
"The potion that Zarina has been putting in his drinking water will do that," Sharad explained quietly, hardly able to believe that having been reunited with her daughter again after all these years, she was about to lose her once more for the Hassansins would not tolerate such an act of betrayal against their leader.
"I have made a draught that should counteract the effects," she went on, producing a small corked bottle from the folds of her robes, "All you need to do is get Zolm to drink it…"
The Hassansins looked at one another before Ghazab said to Setam, "Forgive us, brother. We did not truly believe that you would act against Zolm this way, neither you nor Dasmine…but what happened to make the Queen accuse you thus?"
"Zarina wants Zolm as more than just her protector, but Dasmine stood in the way of any union that was to be had and I stood in the way of any harm coming to Dasmine in Zolm's absence. She took Dasmine prisoner this morning as she went to fetch Zolm's clothing and after overhearing the plan she revealed, I sought out the Queen's chambers to see if I could find any evidence. I found that…" Setam pointed to the paper that Hassad still held, "…I freed Dasmine and we barely made it away before the alarm was raised and then, undoubtedly, Zarina told Zolm of our betrayal."
Pausing to take the bottle from Sharad, he said to her, "You should go and wait with the other women."
Sharad nodded and with a glance at the other men, she quietly left them, but did not intend to go where Setam had instructed.
When she had gone, Hassad looked again to Setam. "How did you know that Zolm would instruct us to deal with you?"
"I did not. It was Dasmine's notion. I think she knows him better than he knows himself…and for her sake…I hope she does."
Tamah looked over his shoulder and toward the corridor beyond. "Should we assist her?" he asked of the group and Setam let out a sigh. He knew any of the men would go to battle for Dasmine, that any of them would forfeit their lives for her…but this was their Leader that she was up against and where Zolm and Dasmine were concerned, they were better off staying out of it.
"She wanted to face him alone…we wait…"
OoO
Zolm and Dasmine circled one another and Dasmine tried to show no fear as Zolm grinned at her with an expression upon his face that was anything but friendly. He raised an eyebrow as she licked her dry lips, his eyes fixing upon her mouth, making her heart speed up as she yearned for some sign that he remembered who she was to him…what they were to each other.
Knowing that she had no hope of any kind of victory in hand to hand combat with him, however small, Dasmine tried to bring to mind some of the things that both Zolm and young Yousef had taught her, anything that might buy her some time.
'Get up close to your attacker,' she heard Yousef's voice in her mind, 'Don't give them any room to swing their weapon at you.'
She swallowed as she glanced at the long dagger that Zolm was swinging lazily from side to side, the reflection of the flames from the wall torches flickering upon the blade and as his arm went wide, she lunged, uncertain of her own intent since she had no plans to do him any harm.
Zolm, by no means surprised, took a step back as the woman lurched toward him and he emitted a low laugh of contempt as he reached out a hand and roughly shoved her backwards and Dasmine stumbled a little from the force of it, her shoulder protesting and she bit her bottom lip to stop the sharp gasp that she would have otherwise given. Zolm had never treated her in such a harsh manner before, not even in their training and to be at the receiving end of just a fraction of the malice he must show to his usual opponents was more than a tad disconcerting, not to mention a blow to her steadfast belief that he wouldn't hurt her…not that a rough shove was anything compared to what she knew he was capable of.
Zolm observed the woman's reaction with interest. She seemed troubled by his treatment of her and for a moment he watched silently as she, almost absently, lifted the hand that held the dagger he had given to her to her shoulder and she grimaced as she gingerly touched the spot where he had pushed at her.
Her soft skin would no doubt bruise…
He frowned. Why did that not give him a sense of pleasure? Why did he suddenly feel overwhelmed with remorse and guilt?
He looked at the woman's face and her eyes met his and for a moment he saw the two of them as he lifted her from a cart, her arms going about him as she fell bodily onto him and then the image was gone and his eyes narrowed as he once again tried to remember why she seemed so familiar to him whilst at the same time remaining a mystery.
Without warning he swung his dagger her way, forcing her to react and Dasmine only just managed to lift her own blade in time to block him, her arms straining to keep his weapon from slicing into the soft curve between her neck and shoulder as he backed her up against the closest wall.
He pinned her there, their arms locked in a battle above Dasmine's head, though hers shook with the effort of trying to keep him at bay and the wide diaphanous sleeves of the gown she wore began to slide down, at first to her elbows and then almost to her shoulders, revealing the armlet Zolm had given to her with the promise to make her his wife. His eyes caught a glimpse of the precious metal, the intricate pattern jogging his memory as he remembered tempering the gold himself and his suspicions and frustrations concerning the woman increased.
Sensing the weakness in the woman's hold upon her blade, Zolm pushed and when her arms would have buckled, he shifted his hold and pinned her at the wrists, ignoring the sound of her dagger as it clattered upon the floor by their sides.
"Who are you?" he bit out and Dasmine's breath hitched.
"You know who I am…" she replied, letting out a small sound as he tightened his grip around her wrists, his fingers biting into her skin. "Dasmine," she supplied her name then in a rush, his nearness affecting her as always, but this time there was a tinge of fear accompanying his close proximity. What if she could not make him remember?
Tears pooled in her green eyes at the sudden helplessness she felt and she pushed uselessly against his hold.
"I know your name…but not you," Zolm said, his eyes flicking back to the one item of jewellery that she wore and Dasmine's heart felt like it was about to break as he added, "…that armlet belongs to me, why are you wearing it?"
"You gave it to me…you wanted to wed me…" she replied, her eyes welling more when Zolm gave a snort of derision.
"Why would I want that?" he asked coldly, though some part of him wanted to ask himself why he wouldn't.
"It's the Queen's fault. Azzam injured you because she distracted you whilst you were trying to get her precious palace back for her…she let me tend you afterward, but unbeknownst to Setam and I, she was putting something in your drinking water. It's why you cannot remember…"
Zolm's brows pinched together as he tried to make sense of what she was saying and though he still felt the compulsion to do as Zarina had ordered, a part of him fought against the command, something telling him that it was wrong, that Zarina was wrong.
"You lie!" he bit out the words anyway and Dasmine shook her head, a fat tear dislodging itself and creating a wet trail down one of her cheeks.
Without warning, Zolm let out a growl. Whether it was of frustration or anger, Dasmine did not know, but when he also stepped back and released her she went to bolt, screaming out a moment later as he caught a fistful of her long hair and yanked her back against his chest, his dagger coming to rest against the hollow of her throat.
"Why would I lie?" she whispered, hardly daring to breath, let alone move as she tried to ignore the pain in her scalp from where he had viciously tugged at her hair.
"Where is the gold?" Zolm asked and it was Dasmine's turn to frown. "What gold?" she asked, gasping as he wrapped an arm about her waist and held her more tightly against him.
"Perhaps I should ask your lover before I cut out his tongue…"
"Setam is not my lover!" Dasmine argued indignantly, before adding softly, "I love you…I always have…you know this."
Zolm growled again and she felt the prick of the dagger's point as it pressed more firmly against her skin and she knew that she had to do something and fast. Her plan was failing and she had to face the fact that perhaps Zarina's spell was too powerful.
Slowly, so as not to arouse his suspicions, Dasmine began to reach behind her and though it went against everything she felt inside, when her hand was close to his wounded side, she jabbed at the injury site, hard, knowing it would hurt him for though he was on the mend, he was far from fully healed.
Zolm let out a sharp hiss and as soon as he loosened his hold upon her, she ran, pausing in the doorway to look back to see him bent over, holding a hand against his side and she murmured, "Forgive me…" before taking off as he straightened, knowing that he would follow her.
She fled along the dimly lit corridor back toward where she and Setam had gone in different directions earlier and as she heard Zolm's boots on the stone floor behind her, she tried to quicken her pace.
"Setam!" she called out breathlessly as she reached out her hands for the handles of the heavy wooden doors of the dining hall up ahead and as she all but barrelled through them, the Hassansins waiting on the other side parted to let her through, but closed ranks again to catch Zolm as he thundered toward them and despite his struggling they managed between them to disarm him and get him onto his back upon the long dining table, holding him down as best they could whilst Setam pulled the cork stopper from the bottle Sharad had given to him.
"You need to drink this," he told his Leader, ignoring the warning signs that were all but spitting from Zolm's ice blue eyes. "Open his mouth…"
From where she stood by the fireplace, Dasmine turned her head away, tears falling freely upon her pale cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself, unable to watch. She felt wretched and not least of all because she had failed to make Zolm remember her without the need for the potion to break Zarina's spell. She tried to tell herself that it didn't mean anything, that once the spell was broken all would be as it had been, but would it? Would Zolm feel for her as he had before? His rejection of her had hurt and she was frightened of losing him.
She swiped at her eyes as Setam's shadow fell across her.
"It is done," he stated and she nodded as he continued, "You did well, Dasmine…" but she cut him off with a strangled laugh.
"He couldn't remember giving me the marriage armlet," she told him, clearly upset, "I failed Setam…he hated me…"
Setam reached out and placed a hand on, thankfully, the shoulder that Zolm had not hurt and said, "Dasmine…" waiting until she looked up at him to finish pointedly, "…he didn't kill you."
She knew that in their world such a thing was meaningful, but she was too upset by all the recent events to really take that into consideration and reaching beneath her left sleeve, she pulled off the armlet and pressed it into Setam's hand.
"Give him this when he awakes. Tell him that I am sorry…."
"Dasmine?!" Setam said, but she shook her head and brushed by him, her heart heavy and yet more tears blurring her vision as she fled to her room.
End of Chapter 18