Prince of Persia : Sands of time

1. Alamut's Attack

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. Know first that I am the son of Shah Rahman, a mighty King of Persia. On our way to Azad, with a small company of men, we passed through India with a promise of honour and glory that tempted my father into a grievous error.

We're taking a deep dive into the memories of a young prince. The King's army is preparing to attack the city.

KING SHAH RAHMAN: Now, my son!

The young prince, who stands near his father, begins the attack. In the heat of battle, the king rises his sword on an elderly man who has turned out to be a traitor-vizier.

VIZIER: Your majesty! I trust you remember your promise. The Maharaja's treasure vaults lie within.

When the young prince hears that, he leaves.

KING SHAH RAHMAN: See how he rides - ha! Ah! Like a warrior's son!

Suddenly the wall behind him collapses and the young prince is cut off from the main army.

PRINCE : Do you think I felt regret as I gazed upon the destruction we had brought? Or at least humility at the speed with which a world can be transformed from a good one into a hell? If you think so, you are mistaken. From that moment I thought of one thing only - the honor and glory I would bring my father by fighting like a warrior in my first battle.

The prince climbs up the wall and climbs inside the building. He will fight with the soldiers of the enemy alone.

PRINCE : Many men that day sought to win honor and glory on the battlefield that their king might say to them as Khosrau said to Rustam: “You are the noblest of my warriors.” From the moment my sword tasted blood, I knew this would not be my way. I would win my father's praise not by killing, but by being the first to find the Maharaja's treasure vault and the wonders within.

My skills in oil wrestling were great.

It was called Koshti Pahlevani.

Pahlevani and zoorkaneh rituals.

He continues to explore the palace and finds the treasury.

PRINCE : And there it lay, just out of reach. The dagger of time. There was a treasure I could carry with pride as a trophy of our victory. If I could only get there.

He finds a way to get to the dagger.

PRINCE: Sand.

The Dagger of Time is an artifact and weapon linked to the Sands of Time.

More than a weapon, the Dagger of Time is the only container besides the Hourglass that is strong enough to hold the Sands of Time. Whoever wields the Dagger is granted the power to control Time, by using up the Sands within.

The Dagger of Time enables the wielder to reverse, stop, slow, and use various other time-related powers. The mechanism used to activate the Dagger is a blue and gold accented button located in the center of the Dagger's hilt. It, like the Medallion and Staff of Time, protects its wielder from the effects of the Sands of Time. Doubling as a weapon, the Dagger of Time is the only weapon that can harm and recapture Sand Creatures.

The biggest consequence to using the Dagger of Time is the very manipulation of time itself. Unlike those without an artifact or using other artifacts, the wielder of the Dagger of Time remembers the original and altered timeline of their world once the Dagger of Time is used.

Even when they are not in possession of the Dagger of Time, they visibly realize when someone else is using the powers of the Dagger. As a result of tampering with the natural order of time, those who release the Sands of Time and use the Dagger of Time may be visited by the Dahaka, a guardian of the timeline meant to safeguard the intended order of time.

According to the Vizier, the Dagger of Time and many of the other artifacts accompanying it came from the Island of Time. It is largely assumed that all artifacts of time were created by Kaileena. The Dagger's reason for being is never revealed. Prior to the events of The Sands of Time, it and the Hourglass of Time were taken from the Island of Time by the Maharajah and his Vizier. A "spoil of war", the Dagger was placed on an altar in the heart of his treasure vault.

The Maharajah's Vizier betrayed him to the Persians in order to claim the Dagger and Hourglass for himself. However, the Prince was the first to enter the treasure vault and claimed the Dagger for his own. The Vizier could do nothing, as Sharaman refused to take his son's prize. When Persians presented the Sands to the Sultan of Azad, the Vizier manipulated the Prince into releasing the Sands, preying on his sense of pride.

Examining the dagger he presses the button at the very moment when a piece of the dome falls on his head. Time is rewinded and the piece returns to its place.

PRINCE : I had what I came for. It was time to get out, now.

He's going back to his father.

KING SHAH RAHMAN: Oh!

Prince: Father! I have brought us honor and glory.

VIZIR: (coughs) Your majesty! You promised me my choice of the Maharaja's treasures… that dagger!

KING SHAH RAHMAN: Surely, you won't deny the lad a souvenir for his first battle? You may have your choice of all the Maharaja's other treasures… except that hourglass.

The Vizier quietly snarls with anger.

KING SHAH RAHMAN: That will make a fine gift for the Sultan of Azad when we pass through his city. And some exotic animals for his menagerie… and two dozens slave girls.

The Vizier coughs with blood. There's a girl in a red dress watching.

KING SHAH RAHMAN: Yes! That should be enough. I want no animals or maidens harmed until I am chosen. Let it be known: King Shah Rahman is merciful in victory.

One of the guards is grabbing the girl. Soon the king begins to take the looted treasures and slaves from the captured city - including the captured girl in a red dress.