Land of the Dead (9)

by Deliverer

Sailing for Agrabah to help the undying Sultan secure his lands was supposed to be simple and straightforward. It wasn't. Caught off guard, they're forced to flee to the Land of the Black Sand. There a plan is formed. The requirement? A trip to the Underworld. And painful confrontations of the past. A deal is made, a price held over their heads. Now the stakes are getting too high.

1. Into Arabia

Angel in the Snow, Demon in the Shadows 9: Land of the Dead

(A/N: The song mentioned here is called 'Jolly Roger', by Roger McGuinn. It's a good song, easily found on YouTube if you ever want to check it out.)

Into Arabia

My Dearest Love,

The days at sea are peaceful and beautiful. You well know my love for the ocean and so perhaps you will find this curious, but without you here I feel empty. The waves and the wind which once made me feel so free and excited now seem only like some ancient curse that keeps me far from you. I miss your body next to mine in our bed, I miss your singing and your touch, I miss our conversations and your laughter, I miss our banter and our arguing, I miss you.

I find myself looking out over the sea even now, longing to catch a glimpse of Arendelle in the distance, though I realize we have left it so far behind that there is no hope of catching sight of it. But in the night, by the light of the moon, I can sometimes imagine I see you there and waiting, and I will reach out for you... Then you are gone... I really need to stop imagining such things as that. It only serves to deliver me more pain.

For all of Eternity,

Hans

Frozen

My Beloved Hans,

It is lonely without you. Every night I fear some ill will befall you, and you, like my parents, will be lost. My dreams during the night are plagued with images of your death, and so every letter received is like a huge burden lifted from my shoulders that sends my spirit soaring. If only it could soar to you, my darling, and you would feel it. If only I could be at your side. Our bed seems so cold, now.

You must be careful, Hans. Please. I cannot lose you too. If only I could be with you... I can, you know. With my every step upon the water, the waves turn to ice beneath my feet, and if a raging storm should claim your ship I will run out upon the roaring sea and to the dying boat if only it means that I will reach your side in your deepest distress and deliver you from peril. Or be united with you once more in death.

Eternally yours,

Elsa

Frozen

Dear Snow Queen,

Pregnancy it seems has made you a little emotional and reckless. I should hope you would do no such thing for my sake, to join me in death. I hope that you instead would do all you could to protect the last memory of me that is growing within you, though your crossing the sea to deliver me from peril sounds not entirely unappealing. Err, that last sentence was a tease. Although I will admit that such a scenario seems a good foundation for a book or poem. How is the pregnancy going? Is anything seeming off? Has Jekyll been tending you well? Have you felt it moving yet? Hmm, I am afraid I'm working myself up into a frenzy. Forgive me, my love.

Your snowman is doing fine, thus far. I'm appalled he's here at all, but by the time we'd discovered him in the supplies we were too far along to turn back. The little rascal stowed away and blathered something about wanting to experience the Arabian sun when we all confronted him! Of all the ridiculous things for a snowman to want. I will do my best to keep him un-melted, Elsa. Your ice magic probably will not cut it, as the Sultan pointed out on our first stopover, but fortunately the genie can fortify Olaf's flurry, and fortify Olaf himself to withstand the heat better. I really don't know what to expect in Arabia and Persia. I'm nervous. I wish you could experience it with me, Nightingale. I know you would very much love travel. Perhaps, when things are resolved in this place, we can make a trip here one day so that you may see all I will see.

For all of Eternity,

Hans

Frozen

Writer of Fairy Tales,

Nothing will happen to you and so I do not suspect I will have to cross the sea to your side. At least it had better not. The pregnancy is going well. Nothing appears off and Jekyll says that all seems well. He has been tending me excellently. I feel bad for Anna, though. She tries to hide it, but I know she is depressed to know that I am pregnant. Fortunately, her love for her adoptive daughter is strong. She adores Gerda as if the babe were her own child by blood. That is her saving grace, I realize. And Kristoff's. They haven't been in the palace much since I told them, though. It makes me sad to realize it's probably because of this, but I'm happy they're leaning towards making Kristoff's home their permanent residence. As to baby movement, I'm still unsure my love. It's hard to tell if it's nerves or imagination or genuine, but the moment I feel it with certainty, you will know.

I hope Olaf keeps himself out of trouble. We shall be devastated if we lose him. Do all you can to protect the darling, please.

I have informed the Duke of Weselton of my pregnancy. He came almost immediately after receiving the news and has stayed since, fussing over me and Anna and spoiling little Gerda horribly. He adores that child to bits, and he has done much to help Anna's mood. Who would have guessed we ever would have grown so close to him? He is a diamond in the rough, I'm afraid. You must work yourself to the bone to bring out how beautiful and precious he truly is. Much like how deeply we had to mine to bring out you. He and Jekyll have gotten along famously too.

I love you, Hans. Be careful.

Eternally Yours,

Elsa

Frozen

Hans frowned at Olaf, shaking his head hopelessly as the snowman wandered obliviously on the deck humming and chatting up the sailors. They had been confused and totally weirded out when he'd first shown up, but he'd grown on them. He had a tendency to do that, Hans noted. He'd kind of been timeshared between ships. Franz had taken him on board his own the most often of them because he adored the little thing. Rhun had tried to study Olaf when he'd gone on his ship. Justic quizzed the poor little snowman mercilessly about the possibility of a group or kingdom of snow creatures and had gotten precious little out of him about anything like that. Probably because Olaf had had no clue what he was talking about. It was... interesting with him around. Eventually the princes had all gone aboard the flag ship, leaving the others to be run by crew. Caleb hadn't called them cannon fodder, but fodder was what they were and they all knew it. Hans hadn't been overly impressed, most of them hadn't, but Moren was taking a hard line in this uncharted territory.

They'd been at sea for about half a month now, and that was making pretty good time. Hopefully they'd have the situation in Agrabah dealt with within a month or two, then it would be another half month back, so with luck he would only miss the first trimester of the pregnancy, maybe four months, and be able to be there for the rest. He dearly hoped so. "Olaf, this is a really bad idea you know," he said to the snowman. "You have no idea how hot the Middle East can be."

"I know! Isn't it great?" Olaf excitedly said. "Besides, someone needs to look out for the daddy-to-be. You need to go home to Elsa and see your little baby born and snuggle and hug and kiss it and squish it and smother it with your love!" Hans looked increasingly more worried. Could he do that? He'd never even had any sort of a decent father! To say nothing of the nightmare his brothers were. He'd been raised in hatred and disdain and taught from infancy you couldn't even trust your own flesh and blood, so how the heck could he hope to be any sort of a decent parent?

"Please stop talking," he meekly pled to the snowman.

"Don't worry. You'll be a great dad," Olaf said. "Your brothers turned out to be okay fathers, right?"

"W-well yeah. I guess," Hans said, shifting. He'd never thought of it like that.

"I mean obviously you guys can all learn from the mistakes of other people, so you're golden! You learned from your dad exactly how not to act, so now all you have to do is be the exact opposite of whatever he was, and that baby will have one of the best dad's ever," Olaf said.

Hans was quiet. "Thanks Olaf," he finally said, visibly relaxing. That actually made him feel a lot better. Like, a lot.

"No problem," Olaf said. "Whew, it's getting really hot out," he said, wiping sweat, rather melt, off his forehead. Hans frowned, concerned. The genie was going to have to fortify him a bit more it looked like. Next stop over he'd make it clear to said genie that Olaf needed to be kept way below freezing temperature at all times. Of course, the genie probably knew that, but still. The hotter things got, the colder Olaf would have to be. He was determined to get the snowman back in once piece, not a melted puddle. He suspected the connection with Elsa was helping him not to melt, but that would only go so far.

"The sun come up on the Spanish sea our homeland far behind us. Being hunted by the king's navy but sure he'd never find us," Calcas began to sing.

"Pull away me lads o' the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger," Connyn and Coth sang together before the triplets began to play flutes and other such instruments they'd brought along. Hans looked towards Meilic, who was smirking to himself as he peered out of a spyglass pretending he was oblivious to the tune.

"We brought her into the leeward wind and made for the Caribbean," Franz chimed in.

"For thoughts of what it might have been destroys a human bein'," Lars sang.

"The thoughts about the Spaniard's gold and learnin' to desire it," Justic sang.

"Can make a man so brash and bold he'll soon become a pirate!" Runo—Duach—sang.

"Pull away me lads o' the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger!" the brothers, or most of them say for Hans and Jurgen, all sang together as the triplets continued to play. From his own ship, Aladdin watched and listened in amusement. They were good, he had to admit. Really, really good.

"Now a gleam come into the Captain's eyes as he spied an English clipper," Kelin-Sel sang.

"She looks the perfect shape and size let's all aboard and strip her!" Jurgen sang, of course taking on the Captain's role.

"We fired a shot across her bow and eased ourselves beside her," Iscawin sang, firing a shot as he did.

"With our keels as close as she'd allow we swung from the deck to ride her," Rudi—Rhun—sang.

"Pull away me lads o' the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger!" all men on board sang together as Olaf listened in wonder and awe and excitement, hopping up and down like he really wanted to dance.

"Go on you," Hans said, smirking. Olaf all but cheered, shuffling forward to dance to the song. Hans laughed.

"Up she tumbles and starts to pitch and signals for assistance," Caleb sang. The triplets mimicked a distress signal with their instruments.

"We tightened our hold another hitch and ended her resistance," Hans finally sang, smirking.

"Now there's many a day on the Spanish sea I've served aboard that raider," Connyn sang.

"But we never did nothin' more beautifully than the way that we belayed her," Coth sang.

"Pull away me lads o' the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger," all men sang together.

"Her hold was hot as Saint Elmo's fire her chests were filled with treasure," Franz sang.

"We took as much as we'd require and took more for our pleasure," Rhun sang, grinning wickedly.

"Many a day on the Spanish main but none I hold so dear, as the happy day I first became a scurvy buccaneer," Jurgen sang, finishing the last two verses and shooting a defiant look at Moren as if speaking directly to him. Caleb frowned and shook his head hopelessly.

"Pull away me lads o' the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger," everyone on board sang as one. The triplets slowed down the song and soon brought it to a close.

Frozen

"Bravo, brava!" Olaf said, clapping excitedly and grinning wide. Franz grinned at him, patting the snowman's head.

"Oh shi… Raise the Jolly Roger!" Jurgen shouted out. "Now and for real!" The men on board looked over at the Captain, confused, but nonetheless quickly moved to do so, raising the flag. Iscawin came up to his sibling, looking out over the sea. Two ships seemed to be maneuvering to try and flank them. Pirate ships. The moment they caught sight of the flag, they lowered their own and drew closer to them less threateningly. "Load the canons," Jurgen ordered.

Iscawin nodded and turned. "Load the canons!" he called out. They moved to do so. "Be on standby!" he added.

"Good initiative," Jurgen praised his little brother, nodding. Iscawin grinned at the praise. It was rare from Jurgen. Iscawin looked up at Meilic's flag. It was a distinct Jolly Roger. One where a crown rested over the symbol. The Pirate King's emblem. Any ship who tried copying it was put down by the king himself. The two ships drew nearer and nearer. The Captains of both peered out, taking in Jurgen, who stood staring at them challengingly. After a tense moment, the men on both other ships began to cheer, pumping their fists in the air and falling back, allowing the princes to continue on without harrying them.

Kelin-Sel breathed a sigh of relief from next to Hans. "One less thing to worry about," he said. "Not up for a fight before we need to fight." Hans nodded in agreement. Kelin-Sel turned to him. "You'll go home to your wife alive," he promised his little brother.

Hans tensed up a bit and bowed his head. "Is that for the best, I wonder?" he replied.

"It's for the best," Kelin-Sel firmly said. Hans wasn't convinced, but nonetheless nodded.

Frozen

In time they docked along the coast of Agrabah. The city itself was still a long ways away, but the kingdom was large. From here the rest of the trip would be done by camel. The brothers gawked in awe and disbelief at the docks. Ships flooded in and out laden down with things they'd never even seen before! Expensive, rare, gorgeous things that they would consider symbols of the highest status where they came from, but seemed common in this place. "Whoa…" Olaf said with eyes wide, voicing what they were all thinking. And this was just a stop. Beyond the docks was desert as far as the eye could see. Agrabah had to be a two-day trip from here!

"This. Is. Incredible," Kelin-Sel said in wonder. The docks themselves were fairly plain, but the amount of ships going out and the caravans lined up… Whoa…

"You haven't even seen the city yet," Aladdin said with a wink. "This is just a watering hole. "We'll be joining a caravan. Just follow the lead of others, don't get separated or go wandering off, and you'll be fine."

"How easy can it be to get lost in a desert?" Coth incredulously asked. It wasn't like there were trees here. You could see for miles and miles.

"Very. And if you disappear out here, you're as good as dead. It only takes one big sandstorm to get you totally turned around, so stay close," Aladdin warned, frowning. "Because if you vanish, odds are no one will ever find you." The brothers winced, exchanging uneasy looks, and followed Aladdin closely.

"So, Sultan Ali, what really is the best way to travel in the desert?" Rudi, Rhun, asked. "Are camels as much the be all end all as they're made out to be?"

"If you're going on a long trip with not a lot of stopovers, yeah, definitely," Aladdin answered. "They're what we're using for this trip. They're equipped to handle the desert terrain and heat. Their feet are shaped perfect for the sand, and they can go ridiculously long without water or food, so if you want desert survival they're your choice. Horses, though, are faster and better for shorter trips, or trips where there'll be plenty of stopovers. They're not exactly useless either. You'll start to see a lot more horses the closer we get to Agrabah and surrounding areas or villages. I used to use them a lot when I explored more, but Carpet's been my general go to since I found him." Carpet saluted to the Sultan and then to them before draping itself over a camel.

"How has that thing not gone threadbare?" Duach asked.

"Because magic," Aladdin replied with a laugh. "What part of Magic Carpet wasn't understood, again?"

"Don't patronize me," Runo replied, frowning at him. He looked uneasily at the camel he was to ride. "How do you even mount these things?"

"Like this," Aladdin replied, showing them how. The brothers exchanged looks. It seemed fairly typical? They went to try it themselves. Some of them got it immediately, others took a few tries, but soon enough they were all mounted up. Except, of course, Olaf, who looked unsure what he was supposed to do. "Carpet, help the snowman, would you?" Aladdin said. Carpet looked over at Olaf curiously then flew to him and landed, warily taking him in.

"Hi there! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs," Olaf said, waving at it. Carpet waved back, gave him a carpet hug, then scooped him up and travelled alongside the others. Olaf, thrilled, looked around. "Oh wow, this is so cool!" he said. He got to ride in luxury, and it was apparent more than a few of the princes were a bit jealous over that.

Frozen

"So, there a reason you're not being carried on some settee by a group of servants fanning you and feeding you grapes?" Iscawin asked after they'd been travelling a few hours with not much said.

"I like to rough it like this. Keeps me humble so I never forget where I came from and never take things for granted. I mean sometimes I'll indulge, but I'd rather do things for myself with my own hands. I've always been that way.

"Couldn't you have at least arranged settees for us? At least then we'd be cooler!" Jürgen, fanning himself and pulling at his collar, asked. Oh, they were so ill-equipped for this nightmarish, hellish, heat. They were sweating like dogs in their European clothing!

Sultan Ali laughed. "I warned you to dress light!" he said.

"This is light!" Jürgen shot. A least by Southern Isles and Arendelle, standards. "I promise you, if we don't find shade soon I'm taking it all off!"

"You looking to have a third-degree sunburn all over your body?" Aladdin replied, grinning wickedly. "Because that's what'll happen. You'll crisp like fried bread. Then blister, then peel… Strip off your covering, you're basically inviting death by severe heatstroke. Unless you like baking alive in an oven, then hey, that's your business." Admittedly he'd worn some pretty light clothing, his street rat vest didn't protect much skin, but he had a tone that better suited this climate, plus he'd always known how to find shade and had generally stuck to it if the day was particularly hot. If he couldn't find shade, he usually had a cape or something else to cover himself with. "Next stop I'll give you all some outfits that'll help you out," he promised.

Frozen

"Black? You want us to wear black in a desert? Black attracts heat," Rhun flatly said at the oasis they'd gathered by. And all but thrown themselves into in a desperate attempt to cool down.

"The clothes form a kind of natural chimney and make their own natural ventilation. Trust me, you won't regret it," Aladdin said.

"I look ridiculous," Connyn said, grimacing at himself.

"I pull this off," Kelin-Sel said, admiring himself.

"Oh please, you pull off anything," Calcas bit, frowning jealously at his brother. It wasn't a secret Kelin-Sel had all of them beat in the looks department.

"It's that or back into the European layers," Aladdin replied, smirking teasingly. Even Olaf's icy cold surroundings weren't helping them in that.

They were silent. Grumbling, those who hadn't yet changed soon walked off one by one to get into the garb Aladdin had given them. At the palace he'd try and find something more suitable to the princes, he determined. He wasn't used to having European visitors, so he was totally clueless as to how to deal with them. What to serve, the kinds of rooms or drinks or food they liked, the customs they had, the clothes they preferred, etc. It was all totally new to him. With luck, they'd be willing to overlook a lot of potential faux pas on his part.

Soon the princes were out again, looking pleasantly surprised. "Wow. These really work," Iscawin said. "And they're great."

"Told you so. When we get back to the palace, I'll try to dress you all up in clothes more fitting your status that'll still get the job done," the Sultan said.

"We won't look moronic, will we?" Franz asked.

"Your perception of moronic is probably different than mine. I thought your old clothes were as moronic as moronic could get," Aladdin replied. "He knew for a fact he couldn't pull them off. Well, maybe he could, but he wouldn't want to. He'd just feel really, really weird about it. They seemed too constricting, besides. "We're almost there. By tomorrow afternoon we'll be in Agrabah."

"What are Arabian nights like?" Lars, Mael, questioned.

"It depends. Sometimes cold to the point even you guys might end up chilled or freezing. But depending on where you are it can be pretty mild too," Aladdin replied. "Whatever the night ends up being, there are plenty of coverings if anyone gets too chilly."

"That's good to know. You're proving a most helpful guide, Sultan," Caleb, Moren, said.

"And you're proving surprisingly non-contrary," he answered. "Thank you. Be warned, as we get near the city Genie's going to be doing some serious magic. He loves doing fanfares."

"Now Al?!" Genie eagerly asked, popping out of the lamp with a huge grin.

"Not yet Genie. We're still a ways away," Aladdin said, laughing.

"Aww. Oh, I know! I'll poof you all there and fanfare here we come!" Genie said.

"I want them to get to know this route, Genie," Aladdin replied, smirking. "And the caravans to take."

"Fine," Genie pouted. "Oh you'll love it! Elephants, soldiers, dancers, horses, charmers, drummers, music! It'll knock the vizier's socks right off him! The Sultan will have arrived!" He poofed to a normal height. "By the way, pirate boy, thanks for giving back the ship. Merk would have gone off like a firecracker if Al had lost his boat. Well, if he was still alive."

"You think I gave that prize back of my own free will? Moren threatened me with jail time and a mild torture session if I didn't. And even then I wasn't willing to cough that jackpot up," Meilic deadpanned. "I just ended up with no choice. Someone had to spill the fact the pirate king and one of the Sultan's newest allies were one and the same," he added, scowling at Hans. Hans tensed, flushing and awkwardly clearing is throat. Jürgen had made no secret of his displeasure. Hans had ended up reliving the days his brothers tormented him at every turn all over again. Turned out you didn't lose the touch even with lack of practice.

"Oh. Well thanks anyway! Hey, didja know that thing flies?" Genie said as he gave himself a more human form and conjured up a camel to ride.

"If I'd known that thing flew, Moren would have had to fight me to the death for it! And the Sultan too!" Jürgen exclaimed, eyes widening in shock and outrage. Why the hell couldn't he have figured that one out first?! He could have made the ship subtly 'disappear'. Genie grimaced and winced at the glare Aladdin shot him.

Frozen

"So wait, you had three wishes, used two, then used the last one to wish the genie free?" Justic asked as they rode along.

"Chump," Franz said to Aladdin, smirking wickedly.

"Beyond three wishes he would have been useless to the Sultan anyway," Jürgen said, brushing it off. "Why waste potential? Would have just ended up someone else's slave."

"Maybe one of ours," Franz said, grinning. Though probably not.

"Unlikely, but fair point," Jürgen answered.

"He was my friend. I wasn't going to keep him a prisoner for the rest of forever," Aladdin replied. "Honestly I was surprised he came back. I didn't think he would."

"Al, we're best buds! Of course I'd come back, you crazy kid," Genie said, noggin' rubbing him.

"So, he was free and chose to use his powers to help you from then on," Mael said.

"One good turn deserves another, am I right?" Genie replied.

"You're as much a chump as the Sultan," Franz replied.

"I think it's a wonderful story of friendship and loyalty," Kelin-Sel said.

"And you're a chump as much as them," Franz said. Kelin-Sel frowned at him, unimpressed.

"Learned a new word, Franz? About time," Runo bit.

"Ooh, savage," Rudi said, grinning at his twin approvingly. Franz sneered at Runo but didn't reply.

"And you, you're a wielder of magic too?" the Sultan asked Lars.

"I… Yes," Mael answered. "To a degree. It was a curse put on me. I can only wield dark creature based magic. But that comes in handier than you would have ever thought. I'm also something of a seer. To my own disgust and displeasure."

"Looked into your own future yet?" Aladdin asked.

"No. I don't dare to," Lars answered. Yet. He planned to one day, just... not now.

"We have an oracle," Aladdin said.

"An oracle? Tell me you have that thing under the tightest lock and key," Mael said.

"Now I do, yeah," Aladdin answered. It had come too dangerously close to being used for the wrong purposes more than once. "Good thing its policy is one question one answer."

"One question can be devastating, if it's the right question," Hans said.

"I know," Aladdin replied gravely. He looked ahead. "Here's where we'll stop for the night," he said as they approached another oasis. "From here it's a day trip to Agrabah. Less if we're quick and there aren't many holdups. The route's pretty quiet. Usually you cross at least a few thieves. Anyway, let's set up. The brothers dismounted in silent agreement and set about setting up camp.

Frozen

Aladdin watched as Mael sat by the fire, playing with his powers. He'd conjured up a ball of dark gnats in his hands and was kneading it as the gnats buzzed. Soon he made them disappear and summoned a dark serpent in his hands, letting it loose to guard for any deadly desert creatures that may or may not be encountered out here. "Did Hans tell you the story about my brother?" Aladdin questioned.

Mael paused and looked over at him. "He did," he answered after a moment. "He didn't share a name."

"I didn't give a name," Aladdin answered. "Your brothers are worried about your powers, right?" Hans had said something like that while they were preparing the ships. Iscawin too. "They're scared that one day you might lose control or push yourself too far. They're scared that even if you don't, that your powers will slowly consume your mind and body until you die, probably quite young."

"They're right to fear," Lars answered in a murmur, conjuring up another ball of dark insects. In fact, he suspected he would die within the next decade. And that was a time limit that was exaggerated grossly. If he was to be totally honest? He gave himself maybe two, three more years. Five tops.

Aladdin was quiet. "My brother could help you," he finally said. Lars froze mid knead and looked sharply over at Aladdin. What now? "He's a sorcerer who knows exactly what it feels like to have powers consume you and eat away your lifeforce." Only in his half-sibling's case, it wasn't his own powers that had been draining him and eating away his life force. It had been the gauntlet. Destane had probably made it to ensure his apprentice needed him to stick around in order to stay alive. A guarantee the student would never turn on the master. So much for that. In all fairness, though, Destane probably hadn't yet given his apprentice the conditions of the gauntlet when the apprentice turned.

Lars was quiet. "Perhaps," he finally said. "But you yourself said you haven't seen your brother for centuries. Maybe millennia. Who's to say he's even still alive? And if he is, what are the chances I'll ever meet him?"

Aladdin shifted slightly uneasily. "If… if you want me to, I can bring you to him," he finally said. "I just… I don't know what his reaction would even be to see me. We… didn't leave off on the highest of notes. We'd never been on the best of terms as it was. He was my arch enemy after Jafar, the Sultan of my era's vizier. Abis Mal, who was a thief and Jafar's brief assistant, tried to be my arch-nemesis, but he was kind of a joke. Mozenrath, though, wasn't. He was my foil in every sense of the word."

"Mozenrath? That's your brother's name?" Mael asked. Aladdin nodded. Lars was quiet. "Was a father or a mother the shared parent?" he finally asked.

"A mother," Aladdin answered. "It's… a long story. Probably one we're better off not getting into. Ever."

"Sorry," Lars said, backing off.

"It's okay, just… There was a lot happening," Aladdin said. They'd never really fully come to terms with any of it, he felt. Well, they had but hadn't, if that made sense. "Anyway, treading into enemy territory isn't the brightest idea I've ever had, especially with all the enemies I'm already dealing with back home, but if I'm going to die either way, I'd rather it be at my brother's hand than my vizier's. Let him at least achieve his life's goal."

"Which was…?" Mael fished.

"To conquer the seven deserts," Aladdin answered. "The seven most powerful desert kingdoms in Arabia and Persia, that made up the biggest alliance of that time in this part of the world. I can't even remember what they all were anymore. Let's see… There was Agrabah which was the central hub, most all the others shared its border. There was Ramond, there was the Land of the Black Sand whose real name was lost to history, there was Quirkistan and Getizstan... I can't remember the other two off hand. Doesn't matter anyway. That alliance dissolved a long time ago. Not to the point of war, just to the point we all just, I don't know. Stopped interacting with one another much beyond maybe some trade that just became second nature. We barely bothered remembering who sent what, just carried on routine. Nothing lasts forever, I guess."

"But you wouldn't mind getting that alliance back up and running," Lars guessed.

"It was good for everyone involved. There's never been a coalition even half as efficient and strong ever since," Aladdin replied. "But when the crusades came, a lot of them were weakened to the point they couldn't even begin to focus on anything beyond their own borders and trying to rebuild. It was about that time things dissolved, and they've been trying to recover from it ever since I think. Then wars after wars after wars because, no offence, but you Europeans have no clue what you're even doing when it comes to dividing up and or 'ruling' the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Like, not even the faintest idea."

"Don't throw that back on us. That's all Britain," Mael defended. And probably would continue to be for a long, long time yet. Odds were that they'd make it worse still, but fact of the matter was that it was getting to the point where Britain was so powerful that you kind of needed to be allied to her to have a hope in a hot place of continuing to exist, and the Americas were up and coming quicker than anyone had ever begun to suspect, and they were among Britain's closest allies—or semi-allies, it was kind of hard to tell sometimes—to the point they might as well be headed towards a joint superpower, so yeah. Enough said.

"I guess. Anyway, in total honesty the only reason Agrabah and the Land of the Black Sand are even still around as they always were, up to even today, is because of the blood tie between its ruler and me. That's literally the only reason we're still viewed as allied lands. The Crusades came and the Seven Deserts held their own for as long as they could, but when it seemed like nothing was stopping the Crusaders from advancing everywhere else, they began to panic and forget the fact that thus far, as allies, we'd all been able to stand. Then they kind of all fractured and fragmented away from one another, and us, to focus on themselves. No man is an island, no man stands alone, however the saying goes. Anyway, they tried to stand alone and that was that. Again, it was only the blood tie between Agrabah and the Land of the Black Sands that kept us together. And given one of those blood ties was in possession of a genie and the other was probably the most powerful sorcerer in the world aside from maybe Merlin…" Aladdin began.

"By then long gone," Mael cut in.

"And the 'Sorcerer' and his apprentice possibly..." Aladdin continued with a nod.

"Who for all anyone knows could have been Merlin, though those identities were lost to the annals of history," Mael interjected again.

"We were in pretty good shape to weather it all," Aladdin finished, smiling approvingly.

Mael nodded. "Your history is most fascinating. I'm an avid historian, so any time you want to share Agrabah's past, I'll be more than willing to hear it. For now, though, that's enough for tonight. We both need to sleep," he said

Aladdin nodded. "Night," he answered, laying down.

"Goodnight, Sultan Ali," Lars answered, laying down too.