In the fifth year of Aladdin's rule as the sultan of Agrabah, and the year of the birth of his newborn son, there was peace in the land. There were no threats in the land, and the sultan focused on his family of now five, and making the lives of the people of Agrabah safe and prosperous. The morning sun was rising slowly into the Arabian sky. The marketplace was quickly filling with people living out their daily lives. It was a normal day in the city: fishermen were repairing nets at the docks, the women were baking for their families, and a street urchin was fighting another day to survive.
"You steal one loaf of bread, and the world ends for these guys," a girl of fourteen huffed as she jumped over a barrel of fish. She glanced behind her shoulder to see the five palace guards chasing her. The one leading was Razoul, who had been in charge for far too long. He was getting old, wheezing after chasing someone for a few minutes. The other four were obviously new, straight out of training, the street urchin could tell. They weren't sure on what to do, half expecting orders, when the order was simply "grab the thief". She chortled to herself and kept running. Razoul had stopped to catch his breath! Perfect. She picked up her speed, so that the guards were barely in sight and found herself in a four way fork. She smiled in triumph and turned left. There were people everywhere, and carts lined up along the street, selling anything from pistachios to combs, perfect for blending.
She took a bite of the loaf she had stolen and merged in with the crowd moving forward. Still aware she was wanted, she counted backwards from five and smiled when at one she heard Razoul's raspy voice, "You idiots! You go that way, You there, you go back and see if she doubled her tracks, and you come with me!" She decided to hazard a glance backwards to see Razoul and a gangly rookie make their way through the crowd. A split second too long, Razoul locked eyes with her. He pointed at her, and yelled "Stop!"
She took off running, changing directions ever so often, stopping to blend in with the crowd.
"Get out of the way!" Razoul roared to a bystander. At that moment, a herd of camels crossed the street, blocking the guards' path. That bought the girl a few minutes. She took off sprinting, and saw a melon cart up ahead.. A wealthy customer, a tall man in his thirties. was listening to the owner ramble about how these melons were the finest in Agrabah. A quick swipe wouldn't do any harm. The man buying was wearing an outfit of blue silk. He looked like he could have come from a palace and in his pocket, you could see a very heavy money sack. As she came closer, something in the way the rich man appeared made her stop. He was almost familiar.
"Go find her!" Razoul's voice echoed through the streets.
The girl looked ahead and saw a wall she could easily climb over, and another split. They would think she turned either way, not even expecting her to get over the wall. She had won this morning! She looked back to see them too far behind for her to notice. She picked up her pace, only to be wrenched back!
"Let go of me!" she demanded.
"What's the hurry?" It was the rich man from the melon cart. He had an iron-like grip on her arm.
"I have to go!" the girl said in desperation.
"In a little trouble?" he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw rugs being carried through the street.
She smiled at him, "Oh, sir, you're only in trouble if you get caught!" Tripping the men carrying their merchandise, the rugs fell. Her captor turned around to see the disturbance. She wrenched her arm out of his grip and tried to flee. To her surprise and disappointment, her other arm was snatched by the inescapable grip.
"You really didn't think I'd fall for that?" he asked, slightly frowning. He turned his head, and the girl followed suit. Her heart sank, there was Razoul and the guards.
"Looks like you're in trouble," he said drily. The thief pulled and fought, but it was no use. She hung her head. Prison was inevitable.
The palace guards reached the cart.
Razoul spoke first, "Thank you, sir. This thief was caught stealing..." he paused, and seemed to have recognized the good samaritan that had stopped the girl, "Your Majesty!"
Your Majesty? the girl thought. Great, I'm in prison for sure. Razoul bowed, followed by the guards, and then it seemed the whole marketplace stopped and respected the sultan. Unable to do anything, the street urchin stood in silence, secretly fuming and cursing her luck. Of course, she would get caught by the ruler of Agrabah.
"Guards, go back and pay the baker. I'll deal with her myself," the sultan said. The girl's eyes widened. She did not like the sound of that. She fought the tight grip on her arm, but of course, was unsuccessful.
"Are you sure, Your Highness?" Razoul bowed.
"I'm positive," Aladdin said. The guards bowed again and left to follow the sultan's orders. The crowd made a pathway for them. She could feel all the people's eyes on her.
"Follow me," the sultan ordered, not letting go of her arm, but lessening his grip. She knew if she tried to escape, it would only tighten, and she was in enough trouble.
"Where are we going?" she inquired, feeling rather small as the crowd parted to make room for the sultan.
"To the palace," Aladdin said simply, half leading, half dragging the reluctant girl from the bazaar.
REVIEW! OH MY GOODNESS, I AM SO EXCITED. PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE OR DON'T LIKE OR WANT TO KNOW! Thanks :) ~Cartega