This time, they all knew the truth.
She was beautiful, inside and out, and it showed.
Beautiful.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and the thought that he could lose her—-
Never.
He would do whatever it took to make things right, dammit.
Anything to have her want him again—-
And so when the princess' dark gaze finally found him, and the sheikh saw the terror that lurked in its depths—-
Keep your eyes on me, hamira.
Look at me alone.
No one will harm you for as long as I'm breathing.
He willed his strength into her through his gaze, and as the moments passed, it was like seeing a rose blooming into life as the fear faded, and her eyes started to glow. He did not stop staring at her as she descended the steps. Did not stop staring even as the tongues around him started to wag. He stared at her the entire time, wanting the princess to feel he was with her every damn step of the way, and it paid off. With the way her cheeks blossomed with a blush, he knew then that she had temporarily forgotten he had fucked things up between them.
But it didn't last.
By the time she reached the last of the steps, and she was placing her hand in his—-
By the time he drew her to the floor to dance, and her gaze once again met his—-
By that time, she remembered he had hurt her, and as he watched her lips curve into a smile, it was then everything became devastatingly clear.
The music started to play, and they began to dance.
She was still smiling, and the sight of it killed him.
He remembered the day he had gone to her school. Remembered looking at her and feeling damn sure that he had hurt her. He remembered that day all too fucking clearly, and most of all, he remembered how he had failed to find the words that could explain how exactly he knew he had hurt her.
Now, however...
He remembered the first time they met, remembered how she smiled and nodded as Sheikh Mahmud introduced her to the king.
He remembered the second time they met, and not once had she smiled. He thought of all the times they had been with each other, and not once had her lips curved. And yet...
In those times, he had never thought she had been sad.
And it was true.
Because in those times, he had not yet hurt her, and so she had not minded being true to herself.
In those times, she had been real, and so it was her soul that had smiled at him.
But now that he had hurt her—-
He pulled away so she could see the truth in his eyes. "You were perfect. Too perfect. And it scared me. Have you never wondered why I have never made you mine—-"
The princess was already shaking her head even before he had finished speaking. "I thought you only wanted to do the honorable thing."
A humorless laugh escaped him. "If I'm half as honorable as you think, I would've stayed far away—-" He saw the confusion in her eyes, and Altair breathed hard, knowing that the time had come to tell her the truth.
He could feel his chest tightening as he forced himself to meet his gaze, and his fists clenched involuntarily as the first words spilled past his lips. He told her why he blamed himself for his father's death, and he held nothing back as he told her of his fears over history repeating itself...if she ended up betraying him.
"I thought I could keep you at a distance, but I was wrong. I can no longer picture a life without you, hamira, so if you tell me now...if you tell me that I can trust you, then I will. Just say the word—-"