Sands of Time
by ErtheChilde

'Your arrogance is nearly as great as your ignorance.'

AN: So, I noticed that Dastan leans a bit towards the OOC end of the spectrum, but I'm trying to blend the shoddy would-be-British version of him played in the movie with the more intense, wordsy one from the game. Admittedly, it's been a loooooong time since I played the game, but that was the impression I had when I played it. Also, more wordsy and intense probably fits better for historical accuracy. So nyah.

THREE

'Er…'scuse me?'

Rose only just managed to choke the words out from the crook of the stranger's rather muscular arm.

'Just like to point out, you're…er…both really concerned with protecting stuff,' she tried again, drawing a rattling breath – and was it her imagination, or was the stranger relaxing his grip on her just a bit? 'It's just…is there an outside chance you're…both trying to do the same thing?'

The Doctor's expression didn't become less threatening, and he didn't lower the sonic, but he bit out, 'Suppose anything's possible.'

'Even so, it's not much incentive for me,' the man holding her ground out. 'I know nothing of who you are or why you're even here.'

'I can help with that!' Rose gasped, aiming for nonchalance. 'I'm Rose, that's the Doctor – we save the world a lot.'

The Doctor's eyes flicked to her, and she offered him a weak smile, hoping to convey she was fine. The man holding her didn't seem to have any immediate plans to harm her. The Doctor didn't exactly smile back, but the thunderous expression faded back into put-upon annoyance, and he took the opening she'd given him.

'Especially when it comes to stupid apes mucking about with timelines when they shouldn't be,' he added, eying her captor pointedly.

'Insulting, not helping,' Rose informed him.

'Since when is stating the truth insulting?'

'Since it's you.'

'Neither of you seem to realize I still have her hostage,' the stranger said, sounding incredulous – and possibly a tiny bit amused.

'Happens too often for me to really be fazed anymore,' the Doctor answered. 'Most jeopardy friendly creature I've ever met –'

The man holding Rose let out an annoyed exclamation. 'You are wasting my time! Now step aside, and no harm will come to her.'

'Time is very much something we don't have to waste,' the Doctor agreed. 'Here's an idea – I'll drop my, er, device…if you let Rose go.'

'Tell us what's going on and we can help you,' Rose implored. 'If what you're doing is so important, wouldn't it help to have people on your side?'

For several long seconds no one moved, and then finally she felt the arm around her throat relax. Soon after that, it disappeared completely.

She turned to face the man, massaging her throat, and could feel the Doctor materialize mere inches from her side.

'What's your name?' she asked, briefly reaching out to squeeze the Doctor's hand to assure him she was alright. He squeezed back, eyes focussed like lasers on the other man.

'Dastan,' he ground out. 'And I don't have time to talk. I must get out of this city. If I am caught with…if I am caught, the consequences could be dire.'

'I can help with that,' the Doctor said. 'I've, er, transportation you can use. And a safe place to sit and figure all this out.'

'Unless you have a way of getting me across the desert by nightfall, I will take my chances stealing a horse,' he said, nodding at one such animal tethered at the far end of the wide alley.

'As a matter of fact –'

It was at that point, however, that time ran out for them.

'There they are!' someone yelled, and suddenly the alley was swarming with the same guards that the three of them had just escaped in the palace.

As sword-wielding, armour clad men poured in, Rose felt the Doctor grab hold of her, moving her out of the way just as a sword glanced past her. He pulled her into a small alcove out of the path of the guards, and ordered, 'Don't move!'

'What about you?' she cried.

'Know my way around a sword fight! You don't!'

And then he was out in the fray, dodging blades and stepping around guards determined to bring him down. All the while, he seemed to be trying to convince them to stop.

'Doct – !'

She suddenly found something pressed into her hand – a dagger of some sort – and heard Dastan bark, 'Do not drop that!'

And then he too disappeared into the confusing fray, which was fast becoming encumbered by dust and faceless moving bodies.

Not for the first time Rose wished she had taken some kind of self-defence class as a child, or something that would make her useful to the Doctor in a fight.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she tightened her grip on whatever it was Dastan had given her.

At first she thought had just handed her a means of protecting herself in case any of the guards decided to come after her with bad intent. But when she looked up desperately at the Doctor, who had just knocked down a guard with a well-placed elbow, and his attention flickered briefly in her direction, she realized it was more.

It was just a second, but she saw the way his eyes focussed on the dagger instead of her. She also saw the frown that was completely unrelated to the man who suddenly charged him, because he stepped out of his path with the ease of someone who didn't think this fight was worth any kind of bother to him at all.

He hadn't even picked up a sword yet, although whether that was down to cockiness or the fact he just didn't like weapons, she didn't know. But he seemed very aware of what she now held in her hand.

Whatever Dastan had given her, it was more than just a dagger, and it was important somehow. She couldn't just drop it and make a run for it.

Of course, if that were true, why had Dastan suddenly disappeared without it?

She realized then that she couldn't find the dark-haired man anywhere and that the dust-up in front of her seemed to be occurring only between the Doctor and the countless guards that had squeezed themselves into the alley way. And through it all, he remained unarmed and shouting over the din, trying to convince the guards to stop and listen to him.

He was going to get himself killed, she realized, and took a step forward with her only thought being to somehow help him.

She didn't even know how it happened.

One minute she was standing in the middle of the alley, watching everything unfold, and then suddenly she found herself lifted into the air. There was a thundering sound all around her, and harsh breathing, and the swirl of sand in her eyes, and then she was being lifted up.

Hoisted, really, and rather uncomfortably to.

A strong arm swung her around, and with some fumbling and flailing of her legs, she found herself sitting in a saddle, pressed against Dastan's back as he charged through the alley. That was a feat in and of itself, considering how large the horse was in the confined space.

And oh, she was on a horse!

She'd never been on a horse before, never wanted to – she couldn't help screaming in terror and tightening her grip around Dastan's waist as the irrational fear of falling off and getting trampled to death hit her.

'Hold on!' Dastan shouted and steered the horse towards the thickest group of guards. Rose wasn't sure if he was talking about keeping hold of him or the dagger, but that confusion faded into mild terror as they entered the fray and he caused the horse to rear.

The guard surrounding the Doctor shouted loud curses and exclamations of surprise as the presence of the horse caused them to scatter, while others were knocked beneath the beasts strong legs. Rose felt a sick sensation at the feel of a body being trampled under the horse, and desperately tried to think of anything else.

Her eyes sought out the Doctor, needing to make sure it was not him who now lay broken beneath them, and was rewarded when she made out his dark form off to the side, throwing an overeager assailant over his shoulder.

He looked up, then, met her gaze and his eyes widened. 'Rose!'

She wanted to call back that she was alright, when Dastan abruptly kicked his heels inward and the horse took off in the opposite direction, people scattering as they charged down the narrow alleyways.

'No!' Rose yelled into his ear, then whipped he head to watch in dismay as the Doctor tried to run after them. 'Doctor?!'

It was a desperate and useless cry, and she knew it even before the word left her mouth. He continued to get farther and farther away from her. She could barely hear him over the din of horse hooves and yelling people, but she thought she imagined him say I'll find you!

Whether he'd said it or not didn't matter because one of the guards he had been fighting suddenly came up behind him and knocked him swiftly in the head.

'DOCTOR!' she shrieked, nearly letting go of Dastan and the dagger as she watched the Doctor crumple to his knees. Only a firm grip on her two wrists held her in place, grounding her thoughts before she could allow panic to rise within her.

'No – stop! We have to go back!' she yelled at Dastan, warring with her fear of falling off the horse and wanting to be anywhere but wrapped around the back of a man that had just left the Doctor to certain death.

'Can't – we go back, we're all done for!' her kidnapper's voice barely reached her over the horse and the wind and the shouting witnesses.

She clenched her eyes shut against sand and tears, willing herself not to cry. She was to save the world a lot, right? Besides, the Doctor was always going on about his superior biology. He wouldn't let a blow to the head stop him. He would be fine.

He has to be, she told herself with desperate firmness.

And then the city gates and walls were flying past them, and there was silence but for the wind in her hair and the harsh breathing of the horse.

She wasn't sure how long they rode for, too busy fighting numbness at everything that had just happened. All she knew was that all of a sudden they were slowing down and the world had limited itself to just her, a strange and distrustful thief, and a horse, surrounded by desert on all sides.

'Let me off!' she gasped, feeling sick and dizzy.

'Fine,' Dastan said, sliding off the horse with an ease Rose could never manage. He helped her to the ground, and she stumbled a little on weak legs as she took a few steps away from the horse. A vicelike grip encircled her wrist. 'Hey – don't go anywhere yet. Give me back the Dagger.'

She stared at the crystal-handled object in her hand unseeingly, and then abruptly pulled away from the Dastan, holding the blade out in front of him threateningly.

'You have to bring me back! The Doctor – he's in trouble and –'

'Look, just give that here – '

He made another swipe for the weapon and out of reflex she turned around and ran. She felt hands scrabble at her back, grabbing her hoodie and then her hair – she shrieked in pain and surprise at that, falling forward as the hands let go, and she hurriedly adjusted her grip on the dagger, so she wouldn't accidently stab herself when she hit the ground. Her thumb slipped, hitting the bottom of the handle, as the hands holding her briefly let go, she felt something there depress –

Golden light exploded against the backs of her eyelids, briefly blinding her. It was as if golden tongues of flame were depressing from the jewelled hilt of the dagger, only to trickle away like sand. There was a sudden vacuum of sound, then something like singing filled her ears. It was like a lullaby she had had sung to her as a child but could no longer remember the words or melody to.

Her awareness abruptly narrowed to just herself. Instead of hitting the ground, Rose found herself pulled backwards, but not by any force she could name. Even as the dagger remained clasped in her hands, she felt herself moving, her body being turned back to face Dastan, but it was all happening in slow motion. It was as if her blood itself was flowing backwards within her veins.

He too was moving backwards, retracting her hand from her, his face changing expressions incrementally.

Then there was a jolt and she was abruptly back recovering from unsteady feet and he was reaching for her. Rose stood there gaping, staring down at the dagger in her hands.

'Look just give that here – !'

This time, instead of jumping out of the way before he could take it, she let him snatch the weapon back from her, expression drawn in suspicion.

'I just travelled in time,' she told him, still feeling a bit stunned. She wasn't confused, not really – her mind recognized the fact of it, even if the way she had done it was very different from the shuddering flight of the TARDIS. But she was surprised. 'I just…pressed the button. It was on accident, but…we did this already.'

'Wonderful,' Dastan groaned. 'Now more of the sand's been wasted.'

'Sand that can make you travel in time?' Rose echoed, and then shook her head. 'This is so the Doctor's area and not mine.' An idea occurred to her. 'Oh my God – this is what did it, isn't it? You used the dagger to travel in time, and that's what's messed the timelines up for the Doctor!'

'I still have no idea what you're talking about –'

'Never mind going back to save him, we have to bring him that dagger,' Rose declared. 'He can help – I promise he can help. If you'd explained everything earlier –'

'There was no time then,' he snapped. 'Now leave me alone – if you walk back in that direction, you'll be able to return to Alamut before nightfall.'

'Oh, right, great idea – what the hell am I supposed to do after that? I don't know anyone, and you got my tour guide arrested.'

'I don't care. I have bigger problems than yours – and if you enjoy existing, you'd better hope no one ever gets a hold of this dagger who shouldn't. Trust me.'

'I don't.'

'Another mouthy one,' he sighed, and then said, 'Listen to me, woman – I've already betrayed my father's orders and the hospitality of my hosts for the sake of this dagger. If I have to deal with you less than gently, I will. Now stop wasting my time, I need to get out of here before the guard catches up.'

He added something that sounded suspiciously like again and then glowered down at her.

Intense glare or not, his expression wasn't even half as intimidating as the Doctor could be. The breathlessness her best friend could inspire just by casting those ancient blue eyes on her was the most obvious indicator of the fact he wasn't human, and when he was angry…

She suppressed a shiver at the memory lest Dastan think it was him she was intimidated by.

Even if she was very aware that if he decided to get physical with her, he would have an easy time of it.

He's holding off on that though, she realized.

Was it possible that – thief who had gotten himself and the Doctor in trouble, aside – he might actually be a good man trying to do the right thing? She had to believe that was the truth, that that was why the Doctor had insisted they help him when they first saw him trying to flee the palace. She hadn't even questioned his logic then, and she decided she wouldn't now. If she could trust that the Doctor would be alright on his own, she had to trust that his first instinct to help Dastan had been the right one as well.

Even if it had resulted with them separated and the Doctor probably knocked out somewhere.

Besides, she could either give up the dagger and find herself abandoned in the middle of a desert thousands of years before her birth, with no clue where the TARDIS was or how to get back to the Doctor – or she could try to make friends, help this Dastan bloke and hope he might be able to help her.

'Okay,' she managed.

He blinked, obviously having not expected that.

'Right…alright then.' He slipped the dagger in to his belt. 'Well, goodbye then.'

'I'm coming with you,' she informed him.

He snorted. 'No, you're not.'

'Er, yeah, I am.'

'You're really not, thought. You'd be a bother. Besides, don't you need to get back to your friend? What's it say about your loyalty if you march off with the first man you see? Not that there will be any marching. I'm not interested.'

'Oh, no you've really misread that, mate,' Rose made a face. 'I've got a boyfriend – and you're a bit conceited, aren't you?'

He raised an eyebrow at that and then shrugged, heading back to the horse. 'So go save him then.'

'He's not – the Doctor isn't – look, I can't do anything for him on my own!' Rose protested. 'Right now, you're all I've got. So if you're hell-bent on doing whatever it is you're trying to do, it means you're not helping me. So I'll help you and then you take me back to rescue the Doctor.'

'Look – you are going back, but I'm not taking you. So get going.'

'It wouldn't do me any good without the dagger – and if you're saying it can't go back there…' she swallowed, realization coming to her with every word she spoke. 'If it's to save the timelines, he – the Doctor wouldn't forgive me for going back there to save him without trying to save those first.'

She tried to sound firm, in an effort to convince herself as much as him.

'No,' he insisted, rummaging around on the packsaddles of the horse and removing what looked small packages of food wrapped in cloth. He began to put these into his robes.

'I'll…I'll just follow you!'

'Then you'll die of dehydration in the desert. I don't care.'

'Oh, you so would!' she shot back. 'Cos you're a good man. Somewhere…in there…under all the dirt…and you might've sacrificed a lot of your own happiness, but I somehow doubt you'd do the same to someone else. On purpose.'

'Feel free to go on thinking that,' he retorted, and started to walk away.

'Still following you – think you're the first man who figured he could swan off and leave me in a bind?' she demanded. 'Hah! Story of my life! And that was even before the Doctor, and he's the most stubborn person I know and he couldn't even manage it! I'll follow you as long as I have to, you know, and just in case you think I'll be quiet about it? You've never met my mother! I can be just as talkative as her, you know, if I have to –'

He whirled around and opened his mouth, probably to say something extremely rude. But the look on his face was so similar to the way the Doctor looked at her when she'd managed to stump his "fool-proof logic" that her heart twinged with both triumph and worry.

Dastan sighed in something like defeat. 'You're going to die of heatstroke, dressed as you are.'

'Guess we'll have to move fast and get out of the sun, then,' she told him, decisively.

'Who are you two? Your names told me nothing,' he complained, and she could tell he'd given in. 'Obviously you're foreign, but from where?'

'Well…' she considered what to tell him and then decided, considering he'd obviously gotten used to the idea of time travelling dagger, he might just be open-minded enough to accept other ideas. 'You know all about time travel, yeah?'

'I'm not quite the expert, but yes,' he shot her a wry look.

'Yeah, well, if you believe it, we're time travelers. I'm from about, er…' she thought about what the Doctor had said about it and did the math in her head. 'Two-thousand, five-hundred years in the future.'

'Now that I don't believe.'

'I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours,' Rose offered.

Dastan fixed her with a weighted look, and then nodded. 'Well, it's a long walk. I suppose there's little choice.

'Hold on – walk?' Rose repeated, eyeing the desert that stretched out beyond them warily.

'Yes. They'll be looking for someone on horseback. Besides, we'll need less water and can travel farther on foot. The horse would need to rest often,' he answered. He gave a judgemental once-over. 'I hope you have comfortable shoes.'

·ΘΣ·

Tamina was in danger of wearing a footpath into the floor of her chambers.

Once the palace had been alerted to the theft – without mentioning exactly what was stolen, of course, in order to keep the Persians out of the loop – the priority had been to bar her into a safe location, in case theft was the only crime to be committed that day.

Every time she heard someone rush past her door, Tamina felt her heart leap into her throat, thinking that she was about to hear news that Dastan had been captured.

She was obscenely thankful that Shahnaz hadn't suspected her of any kind of foul play, and though she was guilty for involving her once betrothed in the entire matter, she still kept an ear out for any indication he had managed to escape.

If anyone could, he could. He was the one who had breached Alamut's walls and handed them their defeat – and then tried to ensure conquest instead became peace. He had managed to take the Dagger from Shahnaz himself, of course he would escape the city before the Alamutian guards captured him.

It sounds as if I'm trying to convince myself, she thought biting her lip.

In their short engagement, he had given her an account of what had happened in their vanished timeline, but so much of it seemed unbelievable. Even knowing the metaphysical truths that she did, it was hard for her to trust another person to carry out the duty that she had been destined for.

Even if it was Dastan.

There was a shuffling noise outside the door, and Tamina whirled around, hardly daring to breath lest it be someone telling her the thief had been caught.

Instead Alamut's aging king, limped into the room.

'Grandfather!' she exclaimed, hurrying toward him to lend him her arms. 'What are you doing out of bed? You are unwell!'

'My legs still work,' he pointed out grimly, even as she led him to one of the plush chairs to recline on. 'And my ears as well. I have heard the black tidings, princess.'

Tamina winced, fully expecting a blistering castigation for her failure to protect the Dagger, or a lecture on her carelessness.

Instead, he simply made a dismissive gesture, 'I have come to ensure you are well, given this awful business.'

'Me?' she echoed, nonplussed.

'Of course, my child. To have one whom you had come to care for turn to betrayal…' he shook his head, and then reached out to pat her on the arm. 'Do not worry, Tamina. I have no doubt the Dagger will be recovered. We have loyal servants and strong warriors who would give their lives to return it to the right hands.'

Tamina stiffened under her grandfather's touch, eyeing him from lowered eyes.

When she was twelve years old, she had tripped with the Dagger in hand during a ceremony. It had been sheathed and wouldn't have been harmed even if she hadn't caught it at the last second, but for days the King had railed on her for her carelessness and how she had put everyone at risk with her clumsiness.

Now he sits calmly by with while the Dagger has supposedly been stolen? Tamina thought with a sinking feeling.

Her grandfather smiled beatifically at her, and the feeling got worse as realization hit.

Whatever was happening to the Guardians, it was affecting her grandfather as well.

Any doubt she had been holding on to before about entrusting Dastan with the Dagger disappeared. She now knew it had not only been the right thing to do, but the best option.

'Your Majesty! Your Highness!'

They both looked up as Shahnaz hurried through the doors, not waiting to be announced; he did bow to the King however, and give a grudging nod to Tamina.

'The city guard has apprehended someone in connection with the theft of the Dagger,' he told them breathlessly.

Tamina felt a moment's panic that Dastan had been caught, but forced herself to keep her expression neutral. Her grandfather was compromised, and there was no telling how many of the servants or the rest of the royal household might be as well. If they had been spying on her before the theft, they would definitely be watching her reactions now.

'Is it as you feared?' she asked Shahnaz. 'Is it Dastan?'

'No, princess. A foreigner.'

Relief blossomed.

'We shall have him brought before us to explain himself,' Tamina ordered. 'No harm is to come to him until we question him. He might be able to help us reclaim the Dagger.'

'Surely there is no need for you to involve yourself in this?' her grandfather spoke up. 'Shahnaz can sort out the unpleasant business. You have had a trying day already, princess.'

And you are very much not yourself, your majesty, she didn't say. Out loud, she answered, 'It is my duty as guardian to decide the justice for any who would steal the Dagger. It is bound in law, grandfather, whether my day has been trying or not.'

Shahnaz looked as though he wanted to argue with that – she knew he hadn't forgiven her for the loss of the Dagger in the first place – but nodded, and told the king, 'Custom must be observed. Certainly your majesty would agree?'

'Much about this defies custom,' her grandfather answered, looking troubled, but he waved a weary hand. 'Very well. Proceed.'

'Will you be joining us, grandfather? It is your right, as king.'

'No. You seem resolved, my child, and the whole matter has tired me,' he answered. 'Come and see me once this business is resolved. And promise me, Tamina, that you will rest some?'

'Of course, grandfather,' she replied neutrally.

The king, avoid confronting the man who may have had a hand in stealing the dagger? Why has no one else noticed that something isn't right?

She didn't know what was wrong with her grandfather, but she knew she had to figure it out soon. She only hoped the audience with the possible thief would give her some idea of how to do that.

As Shahnaz escorted her towards the throne room and the king was led away by an attendant, she thought furiously about what could be causing such changes in the Guardians. They were acting out of character, and yet no one seemed to notice except for her – was she the next to succumb to this strange phenomena?

Her grandfather's lack of concern bothered her especially. What the next thing he lost was his ability to judge the intentions of others? A feeble-minded old man was easier to control than a young woman in full possession of her faculties, after all…

'Shahnaz, see to it that there's an extra watch put on my grandfather's quarters,' she ordered. 'And make sure there is someone to watch his behaviour for the next little while.'

He frowned. 'Why?'

'Because he is not acting like himself,' she answered, and then explained the king's reaction to the Dagger's theft. 'I'm worried.'

'There is definitely something afoot,' Shahnaz agreed, looking upset. 'Although…is it perhaps simply old age? Or the strain of this situation with Persia?'

'Perhaps,' she allowed, not wanting to elaborate on any of her suspicions just yet.

'It will be as you say, princess. I vow, we will discover if there is more at stake here than simply a thief trying to make off with our sacred artifact,' he promised. 'And on that note…'

He gestured for her to enter the throne room.

She had hardly taken her seat at the throne when a commotion at the entrance way alerted her to the culprit being brought forth. The captain of the Alamutian guards strode forward, followed by two of his men dragging a third.

Tamina wasted no time in confirming to herself that it truly was a foreigner and not Dastan.

Although relieved, she was now faced with a tough decision. A presumably innocent bystander had been brought here on a charge that might lead to him losing his life. If it meant protecting the Dagger a little longer and buying Dastan a little more time, she would have to let the stranger take the blame.

And then his fate will remain forever on my conscience, she thought grimly.

She hated decisions like these – becoming the arbitrator of another soul's fate – but they were part and parcel of ruling a country. She had learned at a young age that a ruler was only as good as their judgement.

She would just have to do her best to judge this fairly, and hopefully she might find a resolution with the least amount of pain for the stranger.

Provided he was innocent, of course.

The prisoner had obviously been knocked out, because he was shaking his head like someone waking after a short doze.

'Was unconsciousness a necessary precaution?' she quipped to the guards. 'How is he to answer my questions if his brains have been clubbed from his skull?'

'Apologies, your highness,' the guards chorused.

The man tried to jerk his shoulders away from them. 'Not exactly the most hospitable lot, are you? Which is odd, considering the stories I'd always heard about Alamut…'

'Our hospitality is not extended to those who steal from us, stranger,' Tamina told him coolly, taking advantage of his lingering disorientation to perform a quick assessment of him.

He was a tall, imposing man with dark, close-cropped hair and clad in odd, heavy black clothing. From his baring, she judged him to be a soldier, and yet he carried no weapon that she could see. As he was forced to kneel, he struggled to keep the guards from forcibly bowing his head, brazenly staring up at her with eyes like lapis lazuli.

Tamina shivered at the knowing look in them.

'You highness, this piece of filth was discovered in the black district and impeded our soldiers' ability to pursue the true thief when he fled through the marketplace,' the guard captain declared.

'In doing so he has committed treachery not only to Alamut, but our Persian guests,' Shahnaz pointed out. 'One would think it an attempt to jeopardize the peace negotiations! If true, then he will be put to questioning until he reveals to us where his partners fled to.' He narrowed his eyes at the man. 'By any means necessary.'

'Excuse you, I'm just a mostly innocent by-stander in all of this,' the man protested. 'Wrong place, wrong time, that sort of thing. If anything, I'm the victim here – had my companion stolen from me and everything. So if we can get this bit sorted, I'd rather like to go look for her.' He shot Shahnaz an irritated look. 'Might well find whoever it is you're looking for, too. I bet I'm just as motivated as you lot.'

'That is doubtful,' Shahnaz bit out.

'I believe him,' Tamina said.

'Your Highness…?' her cousin looked to be suffering from apoplexy.

'Note, Shahnaz, I did not say that I would completely absolve him of guilt,' she continued calmly. 'As you say, he was discovered in an untoward corner of our city – and in the company of potentially questionable individuals. But consider the man before you jump to conclusions in your haste.'

She gesture to his attire.

'His clothing is not native, and the way he speaks – like one of the Saka up North,' she went on. 'Yet he travels alone. Saka usually come in droves, bringing war and blood in their wake. Yet you, stranger, you are all but alone. And unarmed. A sign he has left his people behind, as well as an indication he does not court trouble.'

The man was looking at her now with something like appraisal. She had the oddest sense that she had been judged by someone important, and grudgingly passed muster.

She opened her mouth to demand his identity – perhaps he was some foreign dignitary that had been caught up in a misunderstanding? – when someone hurried into the throne room. A Persian servant, by the clothing.

'His Majesty, Cyrus the Great, King of the Four Corners of the World, approaches!' the boy squeaked out, before running off.

Oh, of course, because that is all we need, Tamina thought sourly. I suppose I should be glad he didn't drag out his full titles, or we might all die of boredom.

'That means his entire entourage will be with him,' she grumbled crossly to Shahnaz, letting her composed façade slip the slightest bit. 'Our honored guest is beginning to forget himself. This is an Alamutian matter, and not for Persia to concern itself with.'

But Shahnaz was looking at the man on his knees with a look of dogged dislike. 'Perhaps not – tell me, stranger –'

'I've got a name, you know,' the man groused. He waved. 'Hello, I'm the Doctor.'

The irreverence had the peculiar effect of making her want to smile, and she covered this by fixing him with an imperious glare. 'Doctor, then. 'If it is as you say, and your companion was abducted, why not plead assistance from the guards to find her?'

'Would've done, if they hadn't been hell-bent on attacking me,' he replied. 'Completely ignored the man taking her and surrounded me.'

'What did the man look like?' Shahnaz demanded, and Tamina's stomach clenched as the man provided a concise yet all-to recognizable description of Dastan.

'Do you hear, princess? We have a witness no!' Shahnaz declared, elated. 'Now if only we could –'

But he fell silent as the doors to the throne room were pulled open once more.

The Persians entered with their usual pomp and circumstance, the king flanked on all sides by his loyal minions and guards. Tamina rose to greet him, and gestured to one of her servants to bring a seat for the foreign king. Unwanted though his presence may be, she was still required to act cordially.

'You Highness – we had heard tell of a disturbance within your hallowed home, and chose to lend our support,' Sharaman declared, striding forward to take her hand before she had even offered it. 'As our two houses are soon to be united, I thought it best to be present.'

'You are too kind – but truly, this is an Alamutian matter –'

'Your Majesty, we have been given testimony that Prince Dastan was seen fleeing the city, likely after stealing a most precious Alamutian artifact!' Shahnaz spoke up, eyes glinting wildly. 'Is it custom in your land to send your people to rob from their hosts?'

'Shahnaz!' Tamina cried out, dismayed at the outburst.

She could tell that Sharaman wasn't impressed either, because he drew himself up to full height and glowered at her cousin. 'Bring me your so-called witness, Alamutian. See if he would dare give such lying testimony in the face of the King of Kings.'

Discontent crackled within the room, and Tamina knew she had to put a stop to it or risk angering both parties.

'Silence, Shahnaz!' Tamina snapped.

She didn't even have to pretend anger. Displeasing the visiting monarch was more than unwise at this juncture. She inclined her head to the king in question. 'Forgive my cousin, your majesty, he occasionally forgets his place. Of course, accusations will not be formally made until we have heard the entire story and the evidence that comes with it.'

'As you say, princess,' Sharaman agreed tightly. 'Neither of us wish for renewed discord between our two peoples.'

There was the barest hint of a threat there, and they both knew it.

'Are there any men present who actually witnessed the theft?' Tamina asked, hoping against hope that there wasn't. Dastan had been so quick when he left, but if someone had seen…

'This man, princess,' the captain of the guard spoke up, gesturing to one of his men who had been waiting in the shadows, 'It was because of him we were able to follow the thief so far into the city. He swears by the gods that this man was there as well – along with a fair-skinned woman – and they helped the thief escape.'

'Well, there you are,' Sharaman spoke up. 'If this is your man, there is no need to continue to slander my son.'

The young guard shifted uncomfortably. 'The thief was Prince Dastan, majesty.'

The Persian king rounded on the kneeling man.

'You will tell us this instant what business you have here, foreigner, and what trouble you have brought my son into! I can fathom no other reason for my son to act so out of character than having been ensorcelled,' Sharaman hissed. 'Believe me when I say I will allow whatever means necessary to drag the truth from your lips.'

Rather than seem upset or worried by the king's threat, the Doctor instead seemed calm.

He leveled a grave stare upon Sharaman. 'Your son is attempting, in his own very human and wrong-footed way, to ensure you stay alive, your majesty. Bit futile, though, when you should've died a few months ago. Your eldest son should be on the throne right now, not you.'

Silence reigned in the throne room, and Tamina felt absolute disbelief at what the foreigner had just said.

It was tantamount to a threat, but there was something else in the way he had said it…

She couldn't ruminate on his words too long, though, because in typical Persian fashion, one of Sharaman's sycophants leapt to his feet, sword aimed at the foreigner's head in what she knew would be an attempt to defend the king's honor.

Tamina needed to think fast if she didn't want the strange man's blood staining the tapestries.

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