A Man of Many Sides

1. He has a love of Music

"Where is that insufferable man!" yelled Tamina to her handmaidens as she stormed through the corridors of her palace home. "I mean honestly!" First he storms her palace, then apologizes for doing it, and to top it all off he hands her the very dagger she had thought had been smuggled to safety. She must say she finds him to be confusing, arrogant, cocky, but she could not deny that she was also attracted to him though she would never admit to anyone. Just then she saw the other Persian she often saw with Dastan…..Bis was it? He was talking very animatedly to another one of the Persian guards. "Hey you! You're a friend of Prince Dastan's are you not?" he looked up in surprise and caution at her demanding tone but his face soon split into a smile "Why yes your highness, my name is Bis is there something you needed?" Tamina decided that she liked this man, he had boyish features, unruly hair, and an adventurous smile. "Yes, um I was wondering, have you seen Prince Dastan this morning?" she tried to work her voice into a more friendly tone before he began answering. "Why Princess has no-one told you? Today is the day Prince Dastan visit's the street orphans all day, actually I was heading down to see him after I sorted things out with this guard, would you like to join me?" he asked. Wait did he just say street orphans? What did he mean by that? Before she could dwell on these thoughts she quickly realized Bis was awaiting her answer. "Yes I would like that, thank you" "Its my pleasure your highness, and perhaps you can return the favor by explaining some of the fabulous designs of your city, you'll learn I have a very inquisitive mind." Laughing Tamina took his arm and began walking out of the palace.

Dastan couldn't help but laugh as he watched the street children practiced flipping just like he had showed them. These were some of his favorite pastimes although with different orphans, but no-matter the company he loved children and had recently made friends with the Alamutian ones. Just then he felt a tug on his pant leg and upon looking down he saw that little Ashmir was trying to get his attention. The boy kind of reminded him of Bis, he had curly brown hair that was in a mop like cut, brown eyes, and that same eye crinkling smile. He crouched down so he could be at eye level with the little boy "Yes little one is there something you wanted?" the little boy looked down at his feet for a moment then returned his gaze to Dastan. "Could you play for us again Dastan, pretty please?" the boy put his hands together and looked up at him with an admiring grin on his face, how could he refuse such a face? Dastan nodded then walked over to his horse and pulled a guitar out of his saddle bag. As soon as the children saw the instrument they all cheered and sat down forming a half circle around Dastan. "Now what would you like me to play?"

"And he actually went right through the roof!" Bis continued with a laugh, Tamina was listening to his story with rapt attention. She was wandering around her city with a very chatty Bis. At first she had been ignoring him but then she heard the mention of Dastan and couldn't help but become interested in trying to find a piece to the enigma that was her future husband. "Oh my goodness was he alright?" she couldn't imagine a small 8 year old Dastan jumping several feet from roof to roof, falling through said roof and still living through it. "Oh yes he was fine, some cuts and bruises but hardly anything he would let someone worry over, actually he simply stood up from the rubble smiled and said 'hey Bis watch were you step' and went on climbing." Bis was now smiling to himself caught up in the memory. Just then Bis stopped talking and put a finger to his lips in a motion for her to whisper. "Why must we be quiet Bis?" she whispered, she couldn't help but express her curiosity for it was eating away at her. "Survival instinct your Highness, you can take the man out of the street but not the street out of the man, Dastan and I have grown up depending on our impervious senses such as our sense of hearing and I just so happen to have just found Dastan with mine". Tamina was very confused and Bis seeing this quickly stepped behind her and put a hand over her eyes. "What are you doing Bis!" she felt very awkward in such a position as to her people it would look odd and most likely provoke palace gossip, not that she much cared. "Excuse my boldness your Highness and allow me to explain, now when a sense, such as your sight for example, is taken away it improves other senses such as hearing, now forget what you can't see and focus on what you can hear." Tamina did as she was told and tried to put all her focus into her ears and suddenly a beautiful music came to them on the wind. "Alright Princess, now walk forward slowly towards the sound, I wont let you hit anything" Tamina nodded and they slowly crept forward. After about five minutes she could feel them turning around a bend and the music got louder, she could also hear several voices and Bis laughing next to her. He quickly removed his hands from her eyes and before Tamina was a sight she had never imagined. There sat Dastan in the midst of a circle of children playing a guitar. He had a child of about 4 or 5 sitting on his knee staring up at him in admiration as were all the other children in the group and a couple of the girls were singing along. She turned to Bis with a surprised expression on her face whilst he did not look surprised in the least. He looked at her and sighed then he started to explain, "You see your Highness when we were both living on the street together there was an elderly couple, about in their 80's who were rather fond of us, always giving us a little extra food and money for the jobs we did" he smiled as he said this, lost in thought. "The elderly man had a love for music, especially guitar, an would always play for us and his wife and Dastan grew to love the sound of the instrument and he asked if the old man could teach him how to play and he did. Soon Dastan became very good at guitar and would often play on the streets for food or money, however soon the man and his wife became sick and passed away but before he died he gave Dastan that very guitar" he finished by pointing to the guitar in Dastan's lap. "That old man used to tell us that music could make life seem less impossible, love even sweeter, and happiness closer then ever to you. Now if you will excuse me your Highness I must be going." She waved till he disappeared around a corner and then turned her attention back to Dastan and the circle of children. She saw most of the children getting up and going to their mothers awaiting arms and couldn't help but smile as the little boy on Dastan's lap jumped up to his mother while she gave Dastan a kiss on the cheek. Tamina felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach when she saw the woman's lips linger on Dastan's cheek a little too long for her liking and she couldn't help but feel a tad bit territorial towards him. Wait! What was she thinking? She couldn't be jealous, right? She sighs because deep down she knows that though he infuriates her to the ends of her patience that she is slowly falling more in love with him every day. After realizing this she decides that for once she will go with her more playful side, something she does not often show, coming along behind him and putting her ands over his eyes and breathing in his ear "Guess who." He laughed, a sound that she immediately recognized and was beginning to love. "Well hello there Princess may I ask why you are cutting off my sight?" "Because Prince" she couldn't help but tease him with his title as she knew he didn't really enjoy it "I want to see if you can play that guitar with your other senses" she couldn't help but grin remembering what Bis had told her about their earlier lives as children. He seemed to read her thoughts as he took her small hands in his larger ones and looked back at her with a smile simply replying "You have been talking to Bis too much" and with that they both headed back in the direction of the palace continuing in their usual everyday banter.

AN: this was my first ever FanFic, I hope I did ok and I would love some constructive criticism from you so please review if you want more as it is named a man of *MANY* sides! :D