The Game of Time and Crown

Eleven

Days have passed since the accident and I never saw Darius, or at least never got close to him this past few days. I always saw him but it's always either he is talking or eating together with the other knights or he's outside the palace. Just the other day, I saw him came back from outside with a boy but he just looked at me and smirked.

I guess he doesn't need my 'thank you'.

I stared at the walls for hours and hours and if my calculations were right, it is almost past afternoon already. All of us are wide awake and contemplating about the different things. I am pretty sure that the one that bothers us the most is the visit of Prince Jamshid. Both of the siblings are proud and confident but i could really tell the difference between them much more now that i already met Jamshid face to face.

The palace itself seems like an eerie place to me. It's not because the Persians are here or anything, it's just too big and quiet. There is always an air of tension around.

"I can't believe I am not a knight anymore," Amaya cried.

"I have been born there and I thought i would die there too, and I've never even heard about anything regarding of the witches hiding in our palace."

We both went silent.

"I am, without any doubt, sure that it was just an alibi to invade our country," Amaya scoffed.

"We can't go back?" I asked.

Amaya looked at me then at Laleh. But to or dismay, Laleh shook her head.

"I can't," she said.

"We can help. We just need to get out here and we'll just figure it out," I persuade her.

"I cannot."

There was a long silence.

"I can't build the country from nothing. And I cannot defend it from another attack, it will be better if I just stay here," she sadly said.

I can see the fear and discouragement from her eyes and that almost made me cry.

As much as I want to go back in my timeline, this woman, she had nothing to go back to and instead, she was here in her enemy's lair.

"Your Majesty, you're being called in the King's hall."

Laleh went stoic. She just stared at the door unmoving.

"Princess?"

She almost jumped.

"This is the time," she said, pertaining to the announcement of the wedding.

She stood up and got out of bed and we followed her.

She took a deep breath before finally walking to head to the king's hall.

When we were almost there, we ran over Darius who is also entering, he let's us in first and before closing the door behind him, I looked at him.

When our eyes met, he didn't seem to mind me looking at him. He never blinked but I was the one who cut the gaze when I heard someone spoke.

"All hail, King of Persia!"

I looked at the door, waiting for someone to enter.

"Announce Mother!" Darius whispered.

"And the Queen!"

Only then, the doors flew open and a man in his sixties with a woman beside her that is as beautiful as the flowers on her head. Their age doesn't seem to take advantage of how they look because they look so youthful and strong despite it,

The queen laid her eyes on Laleh and she slightly bowed when she saw that the queen is looking at her. She then looked at Amaya before looking at her.

Her eyes shrink in recognition when she saw me and it made me nervous. The queen started to walk towards our direction, slightly acknowledging Laleh and went directly to me.

I was so shocked and nervous that i never even managed to move.

"You look so vaguely familiar to me," she softly said.

I never managed to say anything and fortunately, the king called her to join him to eat.

As the nervousness starts to wash off, I tried to look somewhere and found Darius sitting in a corner while drinking. He never seems to enjoy but neither hates the celebration.

After eating, Amaya told me she going to get us something to drink and left. My eyes once catch Darius, now talking to his father and the smile that I once saw when we arrived here is the same smile I can see now. The king tapped his shoulder and he holds into the hands and nodded at his father.

The king then stood up and went back to his seat and whispered something to the man beside him.

"All rise!"

I became immediately attentive. Amaya arrived beside me and gave me the water he fetched.

"The King has something to say!"

I looked at Laleh and she already made her way beside Jamshid. Amaya and I looked into each other and sadly smiled.

I felt sad for her, actually. Her whole life is now going to change. She's a knight and now, here in this place she is just no one. No position and she lost her honor by losing when the Persians invaded her country.

I cannot choose who's right this time. I don't know the whole story, and Laleh may not be aware of the Witches in her palace or someone gave the wrong information to the king. Part of my job was to find the truth and tell people about it so they don't go around having the wrong facts or being misinformed but now, I just lost all my 'journalist instincts' and I don't feel anything mainly because this is not my body.

I cannot even imagine how devastated must be the owner of this body will be when she got to return to this. She's not in their palace and she's not a knight anymore.

I don't even know why I am here.

Even though I tire myself all night thinking about it, I don't know how I am going back. I don't even know if I can go back. The fact that I have to leave a full life in the present and live here instead, makes me anxious.

Dad.

I cannot just vanish and leave my father alone! But I don't know how to go back. I felt warm tears flowing through my cheeks and I tried to stop them but I can't.

I am afraid. I am terrified.

I'm not from here and I don't know who this person is.

I want to go back.

"My firstborn and the Princess of Deya are soon to be bound in Marriage! We can all yearn them for a prosperous marriage!"

I suddenly felt dizzy and was about to fall when Amaya held me.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded.

"Must be from the plants," I joked.

As I close my eyes and tried to make the dizziness go away, a flash of images appeared again and this time, I saw one vivid person.

Darius.

I don't know who but it was his face that I saw. Moments later, I felt stabilized enough as I sighed in relief.

Everyone was enjoying themselves when I noticed Darius walking through the crowds with a glass in his hands. He went straight to the queen and greeted her before the queen hugged him. He gave her the glass which I think is a wine before proposing a toast.

Everyone raised their glasses and drank.

"Can we go back already?" Amaya asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"We could ask the Princess if it's alright," I suggested.

We went to Laleh to tell her that we might exit the celebration early since I think Amaya is still not feeling good.

Even though she's worried, she assured us that she can go back to her room and we need to rest if we must. As I bid her goodbye I saw the queen holding her chest.

Alarmed, I immediately tried to call Darius and when he noticed it, he ran to his mother asking her what's wrong. The queen didn't speak but instead dropped the glass of wine before turning pale and fainting. Jamshid rushed to the scene seeing his mother lying on Darius' lap. Another man came and checked the queen's neck.

I tried to stay away from the crowd but was stunned when the man spoke.

"I feel no pulse."

I gasped with my eyes wide open and my heartbeat becoming faster. Confusion fills me up and everyone turned to Darius.

"What did you do?!" Jamshid yelled.

Laleh, in panic returned to where we are and Amaya immediately comforted her. Darius stood up and Jamshid draws his sword and pointed it at him.

"I did nothing," Darius said while trying to calm Jamshid.

The king slowly went to the queen's body and began to cry. Darius looked at it with disbelief and he begins to tear up. Jamshid s***h his sword hitting him in the chest. The guest gasped and Darius was forced to draw his dagger.

"I don't want to hurt you," he warned Jamshid.

"Killer! After all we've done for you! This is what you repay us with! A poison? You could've done better!" he yelled.

Jamshid swung his sword almost stabbing Darius but he manages to disarm him in seconds

"Enough!"

"Father."

The king turned to Darius with cold eyes and I could see it from where i stand, how Darius was hurt by this.

"How dare you," the king whispered.

"I did not do anything father. You have to believe me!"

"Arrest the Prince!" Jamshid yelled.

A group of knights came in and walked towards where Darius is. He took a step back and looked at where I was. He took another step and before I knew it, he grabbed me.

"Laide!" Amaya screamed.

"Do not come any closer," Darius warned them while having the cold blade of his dagger in my throat.

Laide screamed and made Jamshid panic.

"Don't hurt her," she pleaded.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, so don't come any closer," Darius whispered.

He slowly took a step back before taking the dagger away from my throat and grabbing my hand. He hugged me tightly and then without having any second thought, jumped out of the window. I could hear my ears ringing from the pressure of the air, i was so shocked and afraid not a single screams came out of my mouth but just whimpers.

He held my hand so tight and continued to run until we reach a den full of horses. He came straight to a brown horse.

"Caspian," he uttered.

The horse instantly recognized him. He opened the door and mounted it without any hardship. For a second, I thought I knew he was just going to leave me her, but he pulled my hand and grabbed me by my armpits and puts me in front of him.

"I can't leave you, might need your help in the gates," he said.

"How sure are you that i will never jump?" I glared at him.

"Very certain."

He kicked the horse and we took of like it's the last chance we're going to ride one. I can feel his breath in my cheeks and his hard chest at my back while he keeps control of the horse behind me. There were guards rushing towards the gate but they didn't made it, the steel gate was just half closed and Darius managed to get pass through it.

I thought we were going to slow down but the horse maintained it's speed until we reach the city's gate and went straight pass through it too.

"Can you drop me down now?" I asked.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Your actions speaks otherwise," he smirked.

I am afraid of what you might do.

He stopped the horse when we are already in a middle of nowhere and I can't even see a glimpse of the palace.

We both get down and he tied the rope of the horse in a tree. He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair then stare at nothing for about a minute.

"Are you realizing now what you just did?"

He didn't move.

"You just lost a castle and all the other luxuries that comes with it! And lucky you! You brought another liability with you. You could've just lef-"

"Can you shut your mouth?"

I was taken aback.

"I'm just telling the truth," I whispered.

"You don't know the truth."

"I saw it with my own eyes," i bitterly said.

"Then you didn't saw everything. Because if you did, you will know someone handed me the glass."

I went silent

Someone did?

I looked at him and he remain expressionless.

"We have to keep moving or they will catch up." He ride his horse and lend his hands. When i didn't took it, he looked at me.

"You can just walk."

I still didn't took his hand and that's where he started to move the horse. At first, I didn't even move to follow him but then he turned his horse.

"If you don't come with me, they will arrest you and interrogate you about my location even if you don't know anything," he shrugged.

My lips went thin and I march into the horse.

"You change your mind?"

I nodded.

He smirked but to my surprise, he didn't offered his hand. I looked at him.

"You can walk," he told me.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

How dare he?!

"Since you don't want to come earlier even if it meant your safety, I figured you don't want to be anywhere near me so.." he trailed.

I looked at him and tried to pull him off the horse but he didn't budge.

"Let me ride! I can't walk!"

His eyebrows raised.

"Your legs are perfectly working."

I stopped and sat at the brown sands but he didn't even pause for a minute and still continued to move forward.

"Darius!" I yelled.

I could see his shoulders go up and down telling me that he's laughing.

I ran to catch up with him and was welcomed by dust and sands that went in my eyes. I stopped and tried to blink repeatedly but it's no use. I could feel the tiny particles scratching my eyes. I felt a warm part of my legs were shadowed, almost blocking the heat of sun. I tried to open my eyes and saw the horse's feet.

"Don't try to open your eyes, it's gonna hurt more," he said.

"Go away!"

"I am a very good listener but you don't want to be alone while your blind."

"I am not blind," I spat.

"Alright, you're temporarily incapacitated." He laughed.

"Idiot," I whispered.

"Where are we going?" I suddenly asked.

He went silent for a moment.

"North. To the country of the Northern Rangers."