Note: Sorry again! Such a long time since the last update. I wish I had a better excuse other than "life happens", but that seems to be the best explanation. I still plan to see this story to completion, as well as a planned sequel (which I started thinking up even before this story); it's just a matter of dedication/motivation. ;)

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"Maybe, you all will just have to wait until I share the same fate as poor Lady Anemone."

Farah's icy words pierced through Sherfiruz's heart. He sat in his chambers, the entire scenario of the interrogation room playing before his eyes. The way that the strokes cut into Farah's back and her cries of pain as she stubbornly continued to shield Aman's battered torso until she began to go limp.

Sherfiruz let out a sigh of exasperation and pounded his fist onto the table in front of him in frustration.

"You also probably know who is responsible for spreading this nasty rumor. Why doesn't the person responsible face the consequences in this situation? Why is an innocent man from my kingdom made a sacrificial lamb? Yes, I can see how this was a trap that I likely ran into, but still. Why did it even come to this?"

Nothing Farah had said was incorrect. Yes, he knew it was Roshanak who was responsible for this rumor, and of course her brother Mehran had organized Aman's torture session. And yes, this was no way to treat Aman after the Indian kingdom had provided aid and support to Persia.

Roshanak…

Sherfiruz frowned deeply. Roshanak's family had always flexed their muscles over the Persian kingdom. Their wealth and influence over the court had been one of the main reasons he had been compelled to marry her and avoided any conflict with her throughout these past years. She had given birth to his son, who he rarely saw anymore. All the servants complained that the boy was plagued with various afflictions and prone to tantrums and bursts of anger. Indeed, Sherfiruz had barely any relationship with Roshanak for some time now, and he never sought her out for anything. The last time she had tried to initiate something with him, he had shut her down and sent her away. He had told himself that it was because he was busy, but internally, he knew he had been thinking of Farah.

Sherfiruz leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. He knew multiple wives were often jealous of each other, but this? Roshanak's actions seemed beyond mere jealousy. He also knew that his refusal to name her as queen was also another point of contention. He had felt continuous pressure to name her as queen since their marriage, and it had only gotten worse when he married Anemone.

Anemone…wait a second…

Sherfiruz suddenly sat up straight as a thought dawned on him. He remembered when he had first married Anemone. She was beautiful, an angelic creature with her flowing golden hair and amethyst eyes. He remembered how she used to massage his back and arms with oils from her homeland and the fragrance that used to come from her. He recalled how she and Roshanak were pregnant at the same time (much to the chagrin and anger of Roshanak's family), and how approximately a year after Yasmin's birth, the once healthy-looking Anemone began to fade into a wisp of her former self as she succumbed to sickness, and he began to see less of her after that.

Her sickness…could it have had anything to do with Roshanak or her family?

Anemone's dying words then came to him.

"Promise me that you will trust, love, and respect Lady Farah and Yasmin with everything you have."

He knew that Anemone and Farah were cordial and had a mutual respect, which he assumed had to do with Yasmin, but as he thought about Anemone's last words, he realized that in making that request, perhaps she was also trying to warn him about something that she had not explicitly mentioned. And then, there were Farah's words today that continued to haunt him.

"Maybe, you all will just have to wait until I share the same fate as poor Lady Anemone."

Sherfiruz put his head in hands and closed his eyes. Indeed, how did things get so messy? Before he could lift his head, a jeering voice he had not heard in quite some time filled his mind.

"You certainly have your way with women. Those you don't get killed can't get far away enough from you."

Jerking his head up, Sherfiruz looked around in a panic. The last thing he ever expected was to hear the voice of that cruel specter who he had banished from his body and mind ever again. But then again, what he had said had not been incorrect.

Farah had succumbed to her death when she let go of the dagger in Azad, Kaileena was killed by the vizier, and Anemone…

Sherfiruz stood. No, he told himself. He refused to allow this to happen to Farah…again.

/*******************************************************/

Farah's quarters

"Indrani, this salve," began Farah, as Indrani helped her change the bandages around her torso. "It smells familiar. Did you make it before?"

"No, My Lady," answered Indrani. "It was actually prepared by His Majesty himself when he brought you here from the interrogation room."

Farah's eyes widened. "What? You mean to tell me he prepared it himself?"

"Yes, My Lady." said Indrani. "He brought you here, and then started preparing the herbs himself. He wouldn't allow any of the servants to touch it."

Farah bit her lip as she recalled the day of the Indian wedding ceremony when she had taken Yasmin back to her room with her.

This salve…it smells identical to the salve that was in the room when I woke up the day after. Did he come here that day?

While Farah was lost in her thoughts for some moments, another servant, Nalini, burst into the room, nearly out of breath.

"My Lady," she rasped, "I bring news! It will slowly spread throughout the entire palace, but I needed to let you know right away."

/*******************************************************************/

"WHAT?" screeched Roshanak as she threw the official decree to the ground.

"My Lady," said Bahar with her eyes down, "Commander Mehran has been effectively demoted and removed from his position."

Roshanak pounded her fist onto a nearby table, trembling with rage.

"And-" Bahar began in an almost rasp-like whisper.

Roshanak's eyes burned in fury. "THERE'S MORE?"

"We are being ordered to vacate our current living quarters and are being relocated to the lowest quarters of the palace." said Bahar without taking a breath.

Roshanak let out a piercing scream that could have awakened the dead.

/********************************************************************************/

Farah's Quarters

Farah sat up in her bed, still in shock over the news that Nalini had brought that had likely already spread throughout the castle. Mehran, Roshanak's brother, stripped of his commander title, and Roshanak was being sent to the lowest quarters of the palace, which were the dingiest, least-maintained parts. It had all happened so quickly. But how?

Farah remembered her words to Sherfiruz about her sharing the same fate as Anemone. Could that have really made the difference?

"I assume you already know the news." said a masculine voice in the background.

Snapping away from her thoughts, Farah looked up to see Sherfiruz standing in front of her. He looked a bit weary, but his blue/green eyes had a warmth that emanated from them. He made his way to her bed and sat on the side.

Farah looked at him. "I did, " she said, "and it came as a complete surprise. Are you sure-"

"I thought about what you said, Farah." answered Sherfiruz, taking her hand. "And you were right. I could no longer turn a blind eye to what had happened and what could possibly happen."

Farah looked down at Sherfiruz's hand over hers.

"And," said Sherfiruz, lifting her chin with his other hand, "I could not bear to have something else happen to you."

Farah felt her face turn warm, but before she could turn her eyes elsewhere, Sherfiruz cupped her face a bit more firmly.

"Farah," he said softly. "Do you still not know what I feel for you?"

Farah bit her lip and struggled to maintain eye contact.

I do…but how do I trust that it will last?

Sherfiruz pulled Farah into a gentle embrace, being careful not to aggravate the healing wounds bandaged on her back and stroked her head.

"You need not question my devotion to you, Yasmin, and Naseemeh," said Sherfiruz. "I just ask you to trust me, Farah."

"My final request is that you find it in your heart to trust the king"

Anemone's words repeated in Farah's mind as she closed her eyes and leaned into Sherfiruz's embrace.

/********************************************/

Lowest Quarters of the palace

"YOU STUPID WOMAN," spat the Dark Prince through the body of Prince Shaheen. "HOW many times have you managed to ruin our plans? Now you've landed us in the lowest part of this palace. Well done."

Roshanak sat on a worn chair in a dusty, dark room dimly lit with candles. Her once well-maintained tresses appeared disheveled and her impeccable dressing now replaced with ragged, worn clothes. She looked up at the Dark Prince, her mouth in a thin line. As she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off.

"SILENCE!" he bellowed. "I will have NO MORE of your failures, Roshanak! From now on, I will make the decisions. Time and time again, you have thwarted any progress and pushed us backwards."

Roshanak winced, her nostrils flaring. "And what do you propose we do?" she asked, her voice a harsh rasp.

The Dark Prince glowered at her through Prince Shaheen's body.

"I will be the only one proposing anything now. You have fallen out of favor and are nearly useless to me, but you will serve your purpose later on. For now, we must lay low so that no one suspects anything. When the time is right, you will do exactly as I say. You took forever to eliminate the Greek weakling, but she was never even much of a real threat, and every time you tried to take out the savage, that fool Sherfiruz swooped in to save her. I will take down ALL of them-the savage, both the brats, and Sherfiruz. All in due time..."