Shurou

"Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you - they are wrong! Time is an ocean in a storm! You may wonder who I am and why I say this, sit down, and I will tell you a tale like none that you have ever heard…"

I smiled as I watched a very close friend of mine recall his tale to a young woman clad in armour. The young people standing in front of me were beautiful and had royal blood running through their veins, and as I looked at them, I felt left out. Both of those beautiful people could trace their ancestry back to a thousand years, but me? I don't even know who my parents were, for I was orphaned when I was only a few months old. Yet… here I was, standing a hands length away from a Prince madly in love and a Princess unaware of her inner desires. She seemed so happy right then, however, soon, I would be the one who would cause her great heartache. Curious to know why and how? Come, and I shall tell you my story…

Seven years ago, it was the year 2007. I was a modern girl of 15 residing in the city of Dubai. When I was three-months-old, my biological parents had orphaned me. I don't know where they are, who they were or what happened to them. All I know is that when I turned 10, a British couple adopted me. The couple had been married for 14 years then and had been trying from a decade to have children, but were unsuccessful. So, they adopted me. They must have been very rich, because they travelled all the way from Britain to adopt me. Well, they must have liked the place because after adopting me, my father was searching for a home in Dubai. Two months after I had been adopted, we moved to a cosy three-bedroom apartment in the Meadows. The apartment was perfect. We were perfect.

My parents never made me feel like I was not their biological child. They showered me with gifts, their love and all I could ever want. Even when two years after adopting me my mother gave birth to a boy, my parents loved me.

Well… seven years ago, I was a modern girl of 15 residing in the city of Dubai. The summer vacations had started and I was very excited. It was four in the afternoon, my parents were out and little John was sleeping in the nursery. My brother would be turning three very soon. As John slept, I quickly set up my PS2 and inserted a CD: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I had borrowed the game from a friend of mine, Naila. Apparently she bought it and never played it because of reasons known only to her.

I bounced up and down excitedly as the game loaded. Once it did, the words 'Please stand up' flashed on my TV screen. Puzzled, I stood and a strange beam shot out from my Playstation 2 and scanned me from head to toe. I raised and eyebrow throughout the process and was surprised to hear a 'ting' from my TV. The screen read, "Thank you. Now, please choose an outfit."

Hesitantly, I dressed a model of myself in loose string drawn trousers and a short blouse. The dress was very similar to what the character Jasmine from Aladdin wore, except my dress was red. After dressing the model, I was asked to select a weapon from a not so very wide range of weapons. The weapons available to me were a bow and arrow, a sword, a mace and an axe. After staring ridiculously at the screen for five minutes, I selected the sword. I pressed the 'x' button on my controller and I reviewed my character. I was about to start the game when I realised that I had not yet named the character. Anxious to start the game, I named her after myself. Alina.

I think pressing the 'Start' button may have been the biggest mistake of my life, because as soon as I did, I felt a tugging sensation at my navel. Not a second after I had pressed the Start button, I was pulled away from my world and into another.

AN: Heeeyy! I'm back with my story. Some people may be curious to know WHY i deleted the previous PoP Fanfic, and ,honestly, I don't know why. I guess that I just didn't like it and I felt like the story was just dragging on and on and on... So, here's a new and (hopefully) improved version of my story. Please forgive me for my absolutely pathetic writing style. Critics: Welcome!