Soraya's armies had not made it in time.

Roshani's forces overwhelmed the city almost immediately, defeating the meager forces that were left behind in its defense. The forces had been small, yet they'd seemed prepared at the same time, as if they'd been expecting the attack.

Roshani felt her triumphant feeling wither at the thought, her mind in turmoil as she mulled over the implications.

The first suspect in any leaked information or spying should, by all accounts be princess Farah. Roshani knew that, logically, in her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it until she had concrete evidence.

She'd instructed Youtab to send spies to watch Farah's every move from now on. Even if Farah had been sending sensitive information to her father, however, Roshani doubted she was stupid enough to continue doing so when there was such suspicion on her. Hopefully, though, the action would find some sort of results proving her suspicions to the contrary.

The members of the royal house of Varaz who remained in the city had been apprehended by Roshani's primary troops and confined to the chambers of Goshtab himself, in the upper wing of the palace.

It was a sort of ironic justice, Roshani thought, that Goshtab's family be imprisoned in his chambers. She smiled with a morbid sort of glee at the thought of his reaction to hearing about all that had happened, and his fatal blunder.

Roshani walked through the palace halls with Youtab and Farah following close behind, a troop of soldiers staying close to guard them as they went. Not that there was anyone to guard them from anymore.

The Varazi troops were either destroyed, fleeing, or prisoners of war, the city's citizens and palace servants completely subdued and under her command. The only ones who had any power against her now were the ones she was walking towards right now, and even they weren't a threat anymore.

Roshani glanced at Farah out of the corner of her eye as they turned corners in the palace halls, ascending towards the high wing. It was her family who was imprisoned there- her family who would have to be executed.

For there really was no other option with them, not like there had been with Farah. No second chances, or opportunities to prove their loyalty. They'd had that chance and still engaged in open rebellion against the throne. Their deaths were inevitable at this point, and Farah had to realize that.

The members of House Varaz who were left had been reported to Roshani as soon as they'd been securely captured. Prince Zohar, Princess Vanda, and Princess Elnaz were the older children of Goshtab himself who had been captured. None of them were of particular import out of Goshtab's dozen children, but all still were powerful names in the empire and would make valuable captives.

Farah's mother, Princess Haida, was reported to have fled the city before Roshani's forces closed in. Farah had kept her face expertly neutral at the breaking of the news, but Roshani knew better than to think that meant she didn't care- there was undoubtedly a hurricane of emotions running through the princess's mind at the moment, and Roshani had no way of knowing what those thoughts were.

There was one captive in particular who was of much more value. Roshani had not believed her luck when the general had incredulously reported to her that Prince Azad, youngest son and heir to Goshtab and all of House Varaz, was amongst her captives.

She would have thought that Azad would have been the first to be sent away at the sign of danger, his importance as crown prince too valuable to risk- it's what she would have done without a second thought had Kasra ever been in danger at the palace. But if reports were correct, Prince Azad had refused to leave behind his mother and the others in his family.

Roshani repressed a roll of her eyes at the thought. He probably thought himself valiant for such an action, probably didn't even realize that it was the most profoundly stupid choice he could have made.

Goshtab's love for his seventh son and heir was well known throughout the courts of Sazia. He'd be the most valuable hostage of all to her, possibly the one who could end this war, or at least part of it. If Goshtab pulled his support from Soraya in order to save his son's life, then Soraya and any power she had now would fall apart. Then, only Esfandar would remain.

Prince Azad, who was also Farah's only full blood brother. Roshani knew all about being forced into turning against your brother and sister. The pain was unspeakable, but one learned to bear it.

At last, they arrived before the entrance to Goshtab's chambers, two grand wooden doors with intricate carvings of varahas, yakshi, and other creatures from mythology. If nothing else, Roshani appreciated Goshtab's sense of art and beauty. He had surrounded himself with only the finest of works, and artists from all over the empire had flocked to Varaz for his patronage. Yes, there were lessons that she could learn from Goshtab Varaz still.

"Remain guarding the door," Roshani commanded, turning to those behind her. "I want no one to enter until I say otherwise. I will speak to them as equals first."

She hesitated on the threshold, her mind warring against itself.

"I would have princess Farah come with me," she said. Farah's bowed head shot up to look at her in surprise. "As a member of their own kin, she may have some influence in gaining their cooperation and trust."

Youtab's eyes flashed in anger as he restrained himself from contradicting her. She ignored his silent berating. Farah came to stand beside her, her expression a strange mix of gratitude and uncertainty- and something else as well, something Roshani couldn't place.

Roshani pushed open the doors, and they entered Lord Goshtab's chambers.

Those inside ceased the heated conversation that had been taking place before they'd walked in. They all turned to stare at Roshani and Farah, a mixture of shock, rage, and fear written across the various faces. The wooden doors to the chamber slam shut with a booming sound.

Azad stood up as soon as he caught sight of his sister, his gaze locking on her immediately. Roshani could see the similarities between them. They looked so alike it was disorienting. Both had the midnight black, curling hair of the Varazi royal family, the upturned nose and beautifully arched brows above wide brown eyes. Roshani couldn't decide who was prettier, Princess Farah or her brother.

No one spoke as Roshani walked forward until she stood before them all, her stance proud and unflinching, her eyes meeting each of their gazes in turn. Only Azad didn't meet her eyes, his gaze never straying from his sister's position behind her.

"I hope you've been treated fairly," Roshani spoke, breaking the silence. "It was never my intention for you to feel uncomfortable here."

"Spare us," Princess Elnaz said in a deadpan. She was a slight figured woman, middle aged, and had a face as sharp as a hawk's. "What is to be our fate, then? Hostages? Or execution?"

Roshani tilted her head at Elnaz, a small smile on her lips.

"Princess, I assure you, you're all safe in my hands," she lied smoothly. The unfazed look in Elnaz's eyes said that she didn't believe a word, but it didn't change anything. "I was sorry to hear about Prince Rahim's death in the battle- he fought bravely and valiantly for his city."

A young girl that Roshani had not noticed before let out an outraged scream and made as if to rush forward and attack her. The woman by her side, an older woman with a serious expression wrapped her arms around the girl, holding her back. Roshani took the older woman for Princess Vanda, one of Goshtab's daughters. The little girl must have been Princess Nasia, Prince Rahim's young daughter.

Roshani and all of the others in the room ignored the girls cries and kicks as she in vain tried to break her aunt's grip on her.

"Farah!" the girl screamed as she fought and kicked. "Farah, you traitor! Traitor!"

Roshani felt Farah's posture stiffen beside her, but she didn't make any other moves. Eventually Nasia grew tired of struggling and merely stood there in Vanda's arms, catching her breath and sending a deathly glare towards her aunt.

"Why are you here?" Azad asked. He finally met her eyes across the room. There was no furious rage in them, like the way the young Princess Nasia did, but a resignation to his fate, a determination to meet it with dignity. "If our fate is already in your hands, what reason do you have to speak with us?"

"I wanted to grant you the respect afforded to your rank as members of the high house of Varaz, even in spite of your treachery and betrayal," Roshani said to him. She paused for a moment before continuing. "And I wanted to discuss the other princes and princesses who have escaped the palace." Her tone grew serious at this note, her gaze sweeping across the room to each of them. "If you would provide me with their location, there would be no small reward."

"Never," Prince Zohar said, the first words he'd spoken at this meeting. The older man seemed more subdued than any of the others, more defeated, but still resolute in his aura.

"Never," Princess Elnaz affirmed, her eyes narrowing. "We'd die first. Surely you knew this would be the answer."

Roshani merely closed her eyes and shook her head in a gesture of disappointment.

"Perhaps you would willingly give your own lives," she said. "But would a young girl, not even of ten years old, such as young Princess Nasia? Would you forfeit her life?"

Princess Vanda's arms automatically tightened around Nasia, and the air in the room seemed to grow colder all of a sudden.

"You wouldn't dare," Azad growled, his hands clenching into fists.

"The decision is in your hands, not mine," Roshani responded just as coldly. "Divulge to me the whereabouts of the other Varazi royals, or Princess Nasia will be the first among you to be executed."

Not a one of them spoke to respond to her. Princess Nasia herself snarled so violently at her that she looked like a little tiger baring her teeth.

Roshani sighed. "Very well. Know that this was your choice." She opened her mouth to call in the guards and order to have Nasia taken away from the rest of the prisoners.

But just then, she found that she couldn't speak. A hand clamped down around her mouth, restricting her words. Roshani struggled in surprise, but then felt the kiss of cold metal at her throat and stopped moving.

"You won't be executing any of them," Farah said into her ear, her voice low but firm. The rest of the royals present started in surprise at their sister's sudden action.

Roshani felt blood rushing in her veins, her heart beating violently in fear and pain. She tried to speak, to shout, to rage, but Farah's hand only clamped down tighter over her mouth.

"I won't hesitate to kill you if you try to move," she said, pressing the knife ever so slightly harder against Roshani's throat. Roshani tried not to swallow, feeling the blade dangerously close to drawing her blood.

Farah looked up to her relatives then.

"Go!" she commanded them. "Use the servants' passages- I've made sure that they're clear and safe. You should be able to make it out of the city before the guards outside the door grow suspicious and barge in."

"Farah!" Azad protested, his eyes wide. "We won't leave you to suffer in our place. Come with us!"

Farah shook her head.

"Go, Azad. Before it's too late." She glanced quickly behind her, to the large wooden doors to the chamber and the guards who stood just behind it. "Hurry!"

For a moment, Roshani thought that Azad would stubbornly refuse to listen to his sister, would choose the idiotic noble path once again and stay behind. He seemed to have learned his lesson the first time, however. He and the others moved a panel in the wall hidden behind an elaborate tapestry.

Vanda went through first, Nasia still clutched tightly in her arms. The little girl stared at Farah with confusion and hurt replacing the rage in her eyes. She didn't protest as her aunt led her through the passage and out of the chamber.

Zohar followed them, followed by Elnaz. Azad turned to look once more at Farah, pain written across his face, pain and guilt and despair. His last glance, however, he saved for Roshani. His dark brown eyes, so much like Farah's, bored into hers with such intense anger that Roshani could only blink and avert her eyes at the rage in them.

There was a scraping sound of the panel sliding shut, and then they were alone in the room, Farah's dagger still resting menacingly against her throat.

Her hand still covered Roshani's mouth so that she couldn't scream and call the guards inside. Her eyes burned in outrage, her hands shaking at her sides as they clenched into fists. Betrayal- that was what she was feeling at this moment. Cold, merciless betrayal. It stabbed at her heart, only fueling her anger even more with every painful moment of the realization.

"I'm not sorry," Farah said after a minute of silence. "But I do wish things could have been different."

Roshani wished that she could speak, not to call the guards, but to shout her heart out to Farah in anguish and anger. She would be sorry before all of this was over- more than sorry. In her mind she saw what she would have to do: execute Farah, her only friend, publicly and violently. This was too great of a treachery to handle quietly.

Yet at the same time as the thought went through Roshani's mind, another part of her recoiled and sickened at the idea. She didn't want to execute Farah, not even now. Why did those around her always force her hand like this? She couldn't stand it. People always betrayed their friends and loved ones- it was in their nature. It was a lesson Roshani should have learned long ago, yet only now did the words finally sink in in her heart.

The knife's edge pressed to her throat didn't loosen in the slightest and Roshani tried to slow her breathing, to calm her raging pulse. Why didn't Farah just kill her here and now? She certainly wouldn't have any trouble doing so. She could kill Roshani and follow her family out through the servant's passage before the guards could get anywhere near her.

But Roshani didn't have to think much harder for an answer to appear. Farah knew her too well by now, knew her anger and her rage. If Farah had escaped her, Roshani would have gone mad. She would have pursued Farah and the other Varazi royals relentlessly, never stopping until she got her hands on her former friend. No, Farah wouldn't have put her family under Roshani's warpath in that way. And so she stayed, giving them enough time to run away and remaining resigned to her fate.

For she would have to die. Roshani clenched her teeth together, remembering how she'd been preparing to execute the rest of the Varazi just minutes earlier. Now only one Varazi would die on the scaffolding: Farah herself.

There was nothing else that could be done. Such treachery had to be repaid. Yet something in Roshani's chest still squeezed painfully at the thought. She still didn't want to do it. Even after this betrayal, even when her mind raged and shouted for revenge, she didn't want to execute Farah.

Near an hour passed and still they remained in the same position, Farah holding Roshani firmly in place and keeping a hand over her mouth to quiet her. Certainly by now the other Varazi had gotten outside of the city safely. Roshani cursed herself for such a blunder. Azad Varaz would have been a prized hostage. Now they would run to Soraya and Gosthab to find sanctuary, uniting in the forces against her.

A fly buzzed by Roshani's ear, though she couldn't move to swat it. But the press of Farah's knife suddenly loosened- the princess had unconsciously moved to shoo away the fly.

Roshani instantly moved. Elbowing Farah in the stomach, she twisted out of her grasp, snatching the knife away from her. She punched her in the stomach once more for good measure, the other girl falling to the ground from the force.

"Guards!" Roshani shouted, though there was no urgency in her voice. It didn't matter anymore. The Varazi were gone, and Farah remained. There was no changing that situation now.

The doors burst open and the men stationed outside ran forward, swords at the ready. The fools. There was no one left to fight. Immediately, two of them grabbed hold of Farah and forced her to stand, each guard holding one of her arms securely behind her back. She didn't meet Roshani's gaze, only staring at the floor in sullen silence. Somehow that only infuriated her even more.

"Take her to the dungeon," Roshani ordered, her voice like venom. "And get her out of my sight."