I just got a PS3 and was finally able to play this awesome game. I love the game, I love the storyline, and I love the characters. It's been a while since I've actually finished a fanfiction story, but this game, man, this game had stories begging to be written. One of the things that caught my attention was the fact that the prince never spoke another word after Elika died. No jokes, no wise-cracks, nothing. Hope you guys enjoy.

Because You Were Silent

Elika wanted to stay mad at him. She wanted to hate him for what he had done, for the choice he had taken away from her, for the years of effort and sacrifice he had destroyed, for the condemnation he had brought on the entire world just to save her. Instead, her anger and hatred were wiped away by one simple fact. Since her unexpected wakening, her wise-cracking, talkative prince had not spoken a single word.

When she woke, realizing what he had done, she had not immediately felt anger, only sadness and a deep overwhelming fatigue.

"Why?" she asked and he had not answered. He had not needed to. His arms were strong as he carried her away from the crumbling temple and Ahriman's triumphant whispers, not speaking a word. Her anger came later when she looked back at the temple and the desert, shrouded in darkness and wind. All that she had sacrificed, that her people had sacrificed, and he wiped it out like it was nothing. In the end, her strong, unbeatable prince had been as weak as her father.

They had found a donkey sheltering next to a rock, packs laden with gold. The prince set Elika down gently and moved to the animal.

"Farah, I presume?" she asked. The prince said nothing, stroking the donkey's nose. "I guess you can get those carpets now. Maybe Ahriman will even leave them untouched in gratitude for setting him free."

She expected a response to that. A condescending, "Look, princess," followed by an explanation nullifying his guilt. Instead, he stayed silent, undoing the straps on the pack. She watched in startled surprise as he dumped the gold in the sand, keeping only a handful of coins. Reattaching the pack, he returned to Elika, lifting her to sit on the donkey's back. Taking the reins, he set off once again, leaving the gold behind.

By the time night fell, they had reached a small oasis, a spot of muted blue and green in an expanse of sand. The prince built a small fire to stave off the cold desert night and Elika huddled in its light, reaching out her hands to its flames. A weight settled about her shoulders as the prince drapped his coat about her. She watched him retreat to the other side of the fire, sitting cross-legged on the sand. His blue eyes studied her a moment, roving across every inch of her before sliding away to look at the stars above. On anyone else, the gaze might have felt lustful, but his was different, like he was simply reassuring himself that she was really there, committing her image to memory in case he never saw it again.

"I'm not sorry."

The words startled her. The prince was still looking at the stars, his voice was quiet without a hint of the cocky, confident edge she was used to.

"Why?"

He sighed softly through his nose. "Because I love you."

She closed her eyes, both joyful and afraid of his answer. "I can't forgive you."

"I know." He looked at her. "You're not angry."

"I was, but not anymore."

"Why not?"

It was her turn to look away, staring into the bright, flickering flames and the shadows that danced on the sand.

"I don't know," she said. She expected him to challenge her, call out her lie, but he simply nodded and returned his gaze upward to the stars and the approaching darkness.

Read and review nicely please.