Six

At dawn outside the Tulan palace, Alizeh, soaked and exposed after earlier ordeals, is startled by the appearance of an elegant, red-haired woman wearing a diadem. Cyrus rushes in, alarmed, as the woman—Sarra—introduces herself and greets Alizeh as her future daughter-in-law, claiming Cyrus has spoken of Alizeh for months.

Alizeh, mortified yet furious, confronts Cyrus about this revelation and the manipulation that brought her to Tulan. Sarra’s grip and desperate cheerfulness intensify, while Alizeh’s nosta heats, indicating truths in Sarra’s assertions. Alizeh openly denounces Cyrus as liar, scoundrel, and murderer of the Ardunian king, warning of looming war and civilian deaths.

Sarra responds with unnerving delight and insistence that all will be well, her joy edged with fear. Alizeh rapidly assesses escape routes—none viable amid cliffs, waterfalls, and the Mashti River—and recognizes her severe disadvantage: exhaustion, near-nudity, and isolation under guard.

Steeling herself, Alizeh feigns compliance to draw Cyrus near, then whispers a challenge: choose a weapon. She declares she will kill him now. Cyrus reels in fury as Sarra laughs, and the confrontation pivots from coerced betrothal to imminent combat.