My first fanfic! I don't see that many Fem!Alibaba around here, sooo I thought it'll be nice to post this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Magi, but I do own this story.
Prologue
Memories
The king of Balbadd, Rashid Saluja, strolled along the lush, green court inside his palace with his 7-year-old daughter, Alibaba, following next to him. They stopped just behind the gates of their palace and outside, both noticed a group of four men, loitering and wearing their knives and swords around their belts. There was a moment of silence but before it reached even a minute, Alibaba spoke up.
"Papa", she said.
"What is it, my dear?" her father replied, turning his attention back to his daughter.
"Who are those people?" She asked out of curiosity.
They don't look like the typical travelers, better watch out and be aware. He stared blankly at the group, lost in his thoughts. He then felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see his daughter.
"Can we go back inside, papa?" she asked. I didn't get an answer from him, then must be important.
"Of course, sweetheart" he replies, looking at her with a small, yet soft smile.
Holding his daughter's hand, the king and his princess went back to the palace. They strolled past the two flower gardens that were planted on the grassy plains of the court. Arriving in front of their home, the king pushes one of the tall, elegant double-doors and made way for his daughter to enter first. Inside, a grand double staircase made of fine mahogany wood could be seen at first sight; white, cushioned chairs for guests located beside the stairs, and two potted plants at each sides. The room was perfectly symmetrical, and past the stairs was the living room. The walls were looking new like it was newly built and the floor was polished, shining as if it was waiting for the royal family to come back and set foot on it. They found Sahbmad sitting down on one of the couches, finishing the last of his homework for the day.
"Onii-chan!" Alibaba runs toward her brother, arms held out and ready for being a helicopter.
"Ali!" he replied. He stooped at his sister's level, he catches his sister as if on cue and swings her around playfully.
He watched his children played a little and told Sahbmad to take care of her, then head back towards his unavoidable paper work.
"Let's play a game, onii-chan."
"Then what game shall we play?" He put Alibaba down, who then made her thinking pose with her right thumb set on part of her cheek and her forefinger on the other.
"Hmmm…Oh, I know! How about we play 'Hide-N-Seek'?" she inquired.
"Sounds fantastic, but it's time for training." He replied and slightly dragged Alibaba to the back of the castle to begin their training.
"Ugh! Alright, but after we're done, can we still play?" She replied and changed her expression from disappointment to anticipation, waiting for her brother's reply.
He laughed softly and said "Alright, then. Let's go."
Somewhere around 10, Alibaba carefully sneaked out of her room; pass the hallway, down the stairs and out the back door. She made sure nobody woke up from her mini journey to the backyard, along with a desire to gaze at the starry night sky. She quickly and quietly walked to the designation and noticed a figure lying on the grassy floor. Alibaba decided to get closer to the figure, but unexpectedly found her father there when she was close enough to notice who the figure belonged to. She sighed in relief and sat next to him; hands propped up behind her to balance her body and looked up at the beautiful starry sky.
"Ali," he broke the silence that went on for a few minutes, "What do you think of this country?"
"I do love it, papa"
"What will you do to protect it?"
"Well, I'll try anything to protect our home, except asking enemies for help of course. That would be a disgrace to our kingdom." She stared up at the sky with a blank face.
She's so much like her mother; even her response and behavior are alike. The king thought and left the night silent. This night would be a treasure to his majesty and his daughter; a very special night indeed.
This is what you call "the silence before the storm".
~ 5 months later-Coronation Day ~
The people were having their usual festivities when a new king is about to be crowned. Shops could be seen almost everywhere on the streets. Rumors can be heard about their new king and hoping if he could lead the country to safety.
This day was when the current king, Rashid, could finally retire from his position and his paper work. It was the day when everybody was eager to see their new king and this very day . . . it wasn't a good memory to remembered.
Inside the chapel, every seat was taken by high-ranking guests-nobles, small rulers, officials-attending the king's eldest son, Ahbmad Saluja's coronation. In the front of the seats were the current king, Sahbmad, and Alibaba.
Once the ceremony began, a rumbling sound came from outside and some screaming could be heard also. Two nobles immediately ran up to the windows and took a peek on what's causing the ruckus.
"Your Highness (Rashid), there's a large group of bandits coming this way and fast", they both said in unison.
The doors were then burst open just after they stated the problem, revealing the same group from five months ago.
"Don't worry; we're just here to kill only the royalties of Balbadd." A bloodthirsty smile crawled to the leader's face. He took out his weapon and carefully slid his long fingers along the back of the blade, imagining it covered with deep red liquid.
The king-to-be shivered at the leader's actions and ordered the soldiers to attack.
The said group took a fighting stance, but before they could land even one single hit, they were all immediately wiped out by three other bandits. Just three men could defeat all of the soldiers; that's because they weren't the typical criminals people would expect to be. Each of them had a weapon that held special powers; they were dungeon conquerors.
Rashid then understood the dire situation, also realizing that his daughter was still here. "Run, Ali! You must get out of here" he told her.
"B-b-but I don't want to leave you here", she tried to stand her ground but her father kept her from doing that. I need to get Ali to escape and fast. He quickly looked for a way out when a sword had stabbed his stomach, falling onto the ground.
"PAPA!" Blood was now all over the young girl.
"You're next, princess." He stated what was about to be true when Sahbmad knocked him out cold with a candelabrum with a long stand, holding it like a staff.
He rushed to his sister, trying to calm her down in every way he can.
"Ali, it's okay now; you're safe. You should get out of here. That is what father wanted, is it not?"
"Yes, but *hic* he didn't have to leave me alone.*hic*"
"But you're not. I'm here with you. You could also make friends you can trust. Father is still here in our hearts so we won't have to feel lonely."
She finally cried onto her brother's shoulder and left tears staining his clothing, not that he minded. I'll need to get Ali out of here before the enemies get to her. Grabbing her sister's hand, he moved her away from their father's cold body and towards the shrine. Sahbmad went behind it, still holding onto his sister, and found a trap door camouflaged by a rug.
"Ali, listen to me. Father wanted you to escape and we can't let him down now. He's watching over us up in the sky so there's no need to cry." (A/N: hehehe, that rhymed)
"Okay." She said sniffling sadly. "But I'm not leaving without you."
"Alright. We have to go, now."
Sahbmad then opened the trap door and suggested for Ali to go first. She nodded slightly, turns around so her body faced the ladder that led to an underground tunnel, and climbs down to the tunnel. Once she was at the bottom, she faced her brother and told him, "Your turn onii-chan."
He smiled sadly and shook his head.
"Gome, Ali. This is good-bye for us until we meet again."
Alibaba was shocked from his words, but before she could climb up again, her brother had already closed off the door and blocked it with the heavy shrine.
"Onii-chan!" she cried while banging the door, hoping he could open it up for her. Unfortunately, he could not hear it and she gave up, considering the fact that it was too loud for anyone to hear her during the attack. She slid down the ladder once again and sat on the ground, processing on what her brother had just said and did to her.
"But you promised, *hic* you promised that we escape together. So that I wouldn't be alone." She whispered to herself, sitting on the dirt floor. Tears where threatening to fall again, but she didn't let that happen. Instead, she got up and ran with full speed towards the exit in the tunnel. All of the events that happened on this specific day, affected Alibaba in a certain way for her survival.
I will come back for this country when I get stronger. Wait for me Balbadd, Sahmad nii-chan.
I'm writing chappy one now and I'm not a very fast pace person, so it'll come a wee bit late. Umm, yeah so that's all for today. Hope you like it, please comment and review. I don't expect my story to be popular anyways, but give me some love at least. Thank You and See Ya Later.