You're Not the Same Man
Prologue
A figure with long hair flowing in the wind. The figure has an armor on and ready for a blood bath. The figure speaks as a single tear falls on their face, "All this time, all of these years, and you are still blind of all the people around you. They keep making sacrifices for your dream and yet you are still blind. Over ten years you went from the most selfless man, to the most selfish person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. You're not the man I used to know, the man who we all loved and would have followed, the man I loved and followed. You're now a selfish liar, Sinbad."
Chapter One
Aladdin POV:
I was sitting under a tree with Alibaba and Morgiana after our meeting with Sinbad. The ruhk was acting weird while I was talking to Sinbad. I knew he was lying when he agreed with me on how we can make our own destinies and paths. The ruhk spoke of a single letter. They kept whispering "E" while they were all a dark blue around Sinbad. Around the time, I chose not to ask, because I thought that it was causing great stress to Sinbad. The coloring of the ruhk and the tone of their voices told me that this wasn't a pleasant memory. The letter "E" wasn't speaking out to me in any significant way. I wanted to try asking Jafar, but when I thought of asking, I immediately knew that Jafar would report it back to Sinbad. If Sinbad were to find out, then I do not know what he would have done. He is already stressing with the though process of destiny, I didn't want to stir up any bad memories to try to cause him to think of destiny any worse than he does now.
They now are still fluttering like they are trying to tell me something. The keep saying "E," all happy and excited and the keep flying several feet south and then return back to me and doing it all over again. I kept thinking of this letter of "E." I tried to use Solomon's Wisdom to conjure up the thought of why the letter "E" was special, but nothing came up. I tried to talk to the ruhk, but they wouldn't let me know what exactly they were trying to get me to do. When I mumbled anything to the single worded ruhk, they wouldn't respond and Alibaba and Morgiana would both look at me with concern in their eyes. I think that eventually Alibaba got tired of it, so he asked me. "What wrong, Aladdin? Is it about our meeting with Sinbad? He seemed to be happy and understanding about what you said." Alibaba asked with concern, while Morgiana stayed silent. I knew that Morgiana knew exactly what I was thinking. She knew that Sinbad was lying, but she didn't want to burst Alibaba's enthusiastic bubble. I felt bad about doing it myself, but I knew someone had to do it.
"No, he was lying when he agreed to it, but that isn't why I am distracted. The ruhk are acting weird. They keep telling me a letter and flying south and coming back and forth. I have never seen them this weird and excited." I explained to Alibaba. His face began to deteriorate with sadness and disappointment at my statement. His usually golden eyes that were filled with enthusiasm, changed to a darker gold filled with disappointment. I knew that Alibaba looked up to Sinbad greatly, and I also knew that crushing his image of Sinbad could be heart-breaking, but I knew that Sinbad wasn't perfect and I didn't wish for Alibaba to grow up to be as closed minded as Sinbad was. Sinbad is a great man who has achieved much within his lifetime, which also means that he has experience with pain and suffering that Alibaba hasn't experienced yet. I will admit that Alibaba has dealt with many hardships and even death itself, but nothing can compare to losing a country you built from the ground up, not the mention all of the companions that Sinbad must have lost within his lifetime. I couldn't image what Alibaba would feel if he lost me or even lost Morgiana. Loving a companion is different from obtaining true love. If I lost a true loved one, I think that it would change my perspectives about the fairness of fate and destiny.
"Maybe they are trying to take you somewhere, if they are it could be very important," Morgiana questioned. I knew that Morgiana was trying to cheer up Alibaba. As soon as she spoke, Alibaba's eyes lit up once again to their golden hue. I saw the love and hope of life return to his eyes. Alibaba seemed to agree with her statement by nodding his head up and down profoundly. The ruhk got even more excited and starting flying even faster. They also seemed to change various colors, but they were mostly a light pink. It should to they were ecstatic with the idea of going to where they want us to go.
"I think you're right Morg. They are flying even faster than before now. We should go, it can be a great adventure for us again." I explained while jumping into the air. I reached out my hand to Alibaba, "What do you say Alibaba do you want to find out what's going on and follow the ruhk?" Alibaba took a second to look at my hand and consider his options. His eyes immediately lit up, smirked, reached out, grabbed my hand, looked at Morgiana and me, and said enthusiastically, "Yeah let's do it." We both looked each other with hope and enthusiasm in our eyes. I knew that we were immediately thinking the same thing. We also smiled at the kindness, hope, and love within his eyes. Alibaba always knew how to look at the brighter things in life, which made me like from the beginning of our friendship. He was always willing to look for adventure and a new way to see life and a better future.
During the middle of our celebration, a thought occurred to me. "How are we going to get there without a boat? I don't want to ask Sinbad because he might try to stop us from going." Then Alibaba got a weird wide smile on his face and responded, "I have a way." Alibaba's smile reminded me of Judar's smile when he want to fight us when we first met years ago. His eyes had the same look that Sinbad's before we knew who he was. It gave me small chills because it let me know of the true capabilities that Alibaba possessed. "Your face looks creepy Alibaba." I pointed out to him. He began to over exaggerate about the issue by reacting profoundly with aggression. He kept saying that his face wasn't creepy, but rather distinguished. Everytime he tried to make his point, he would ask Morgiana what she thought and it made her smile. Anyone could tell how deep Morgiana's love for Alibaba ran whenever you looked into her eyes as she looked at Alibaba. Another way that you could tell is by the way she smiles at him. She had different smiles for everyone. For Masrur, she has a smile as if she was speaking to her father. I know this by the looks I see from little children within capitals with their families. She has a different look for the generals of much admiration. Even with me, I see a look of love within her eyes. Not exactly like Alibaba's, but closer to how she sees Masrur. Maybe as if I am seen as a brother to her.
The next day Alibaba took Morgiana and me to the docks to go find us a boat. The ruhk have been flying crazily since I woke us this morning. Their color changing sequence quickened even more rapid than they did the day before. They were so happy that they were talking to other so quickly that I could not make out one conversation. I could not even make out one of their words. They were also swarming through and around us. Most of them were circling all around us in a heavy feat. When we started walking past the boats, the ruhk went straight to one boat in particular. When they reached the boat, they began to circle around the boat even faster than they did with us. They even began to mix up the wave patterns, causing the boat to sway frivolously, causing me to feel a little seasick. The boat was a Boita that had a large orange fire symbol on the mast on a black vast. Alibaba went straight to the ship as well, while Morgiana and I followed him. Alibaba spun around and spoke with his arms extended to the boat, "Well guys, this is my company boat. It will take us where we want to go under my orders." He was so excited as were the ruhk. I saw his eyes glimmer with so much pride. I would admit that it was an impressive vessel. It was everything that Alibaba would need as a merchant. The wood looked a light brown coloring that did not have any barnacles, moss, or seaweed markings on it. It showed that the ship was very well taken care of. I could bet that since this is the first time he own something big and expensive on his own. He probably wanted to preserve it as long as he could.
"Wow Alibaba, this is really amazing, but are you sure it is okay if we use this. I mean, it won't affect your business will it?" I asked with concern. I didn't want Alibaba's business to be in jeopardy while we went on an adventure. He just made his own business on his own, and it would be a total travesty to have it all thrown away. I will admit that the boat was impressive, but I would rather have a smaller boat rather than risk Alibaba's company. "No, I have several boats for my business and this one is one of the smaller ones. It can last a long journey but it can't carry much, so that's why I decided to choose it." Alibaba explained. It did seem like a smaller vessel. It was big enough to carry a crew and us, but it didn't seem as big as the other ships at the docks. I let out a small breath of relief and it made Alibaba pat me on the back while laughing. So with all of that we set sail to the south.
The ruhk took us south and then took off to the south east. It was at least a two-month journey. During our journey, Alibaba, Morgiana, and I trained on the deck. I showed Alibaba and Morgiana new spells and tricks that I have picked up while I was away. She was astounished by my new magic. She kept asking me how exactly I learned how to perform these spells and I kept laughing at her. I told her that I couldn't tell her how exactly I knew it, but rather that I just did. Alibaba and her would do sparring practice everyday and I could tell that she was helping Alibaba with his combat skills. Alibaba helped her with dealing with djinn equip users. She definitely got more confident with her household vessel and controlling it. It helped her greatly with her combat skills as well. I think we were getting close to the destination because more ruhk started to show up. I would talk to the ruhk about our destination and why exactly we were going to our destination. Each day I asked, they would give me more hints. They told me that we were going to a place that was lost in time. Another of the ruhk told me that this place was forgotten by the world eons ago. One ruhk talked about Alma Torran with this country, which caught me off guard. The last ruhk told me, "The last king on the board." I didn't know fully what that little ruhk meant, but I fully intended to find out.
During our trip, every night I had the exact same dream every night. I would start out in Sinbad's office. I would walk over to his desk and open the top drawer that was supposed to be locked. There was a black and white stencil drawing of a young girl. She seemed to be pretty and she had very long hair and a very beautiful face. She had a very young face, but with a teenage body. She had eyes that shown like jewels within a shining light. Her hair seemed to be a light color that ran down to the back of her knees. She wore a light colored dress that had no sleeves, a swoop neckline that accented her cleavage, Next to the picture there was a letter. The handwriting looked so familiar, yet I couldn't fully place exactly where it was from. It was definitely female handwriting, and it had a light touch to it. I would reach and touch the letter and the scenery would change to a giant meadow of lilies that were all white. A woman sat in the flowers, she had white hair but I could never see her face, but I could see her mouth. The rest of her face was darken out by the shadow of her hair. She would look at me then give me a sad smile of pity. Then she would start singing to the field and sky:
[Woman: Clusters of crocus,
Purple and gold
Blankets of pansies,
Out from the cold.
Lilies and iris,
Safe from the chill.
Safe in my garden,
Snowdrops so still.]
Then a dark figure would appear in all black. He had a the top of a man's body but the lower legs of an animal. His form was entirely black, so I could see any defining features. He let out an animalistic howl and start singing to the field and sky. The field of pure white lilies would turn black with sinister aura and the sky would turn a deep shade of blood red.
[Creature: Ah
A'o jadu ke mausam,
A'o garmiyo ke din.
A'o mantra tantra yantra,
Us ki bimari hata'o.]
The woman would wave her hand and the scene would change back to what it was previously. She would turn her head to the cruel creature. The creature bowed to the woman sitting within the newly purified white lilies. She bowed her head out of respect in return, and then the creature stalked over to side, slightly behind her. She then would start singing again while facing towards at me:
[Woman: Come to my garden nestled in the hills
There I'll keep you safe beside me
Come to my garden, rest there in my arms
There I'll see you safely grown and on your way
Stay there in the garden
Where love grows free and wild
Come to my garden
Come, sweet child]
The wind would then pick up causing a great number of lily pedals to dance within a circle, as the ruhk would form a figure next to the girl. The figure then would turn into my mother, Sheba. My mother wore a pure white dress similar to the young woman next to her. My mother looked as if she aged to be around the same age of Pipirika. My mother would look at me with loving eyes and she put her hand on the woman's shoulder. My mother would extend her hand out towards me and I would start singing while the mysterious woman sang again.
[Aladdin: Lift me up and lead me to the garden
Where life begins anew
Where I'll find you
And I'll find you love me too
Aladdin: Lift me up and lead me to the garden
(Woman: Come to my garden)
Aladdin: Where life begins anew
(Woman: Rest there in my arms)
Aladdin: Where I'll tell you, where I'll show you
(Woman: There I'll see you safely grown)
Aladdin: A new life, a new life
(Woman: And on your way)
Both: I shall see you in my garden
Aladdin: Where spring will come and stay
(Woman: Where love grows free and wild)
Aladdin: Lift me up and lead me to the garden
(Woman: Come to my garden)
Both: Come, sweet day"
I would then run towards then and when I extended my arms to embrace them, but I would fly past them and the ruhk that formed my mother would fly toward the sky and the ruhk that formed the woman would reform back to the form, but she was standing this time. She then would place her hands on my cheek, yet I still couldn't feel anything. She then would kiss my forehead and say, "Soon child, you will see me very soon." The only thing I felt was heartache and the lips of the woman on my forehead. After that, I would wake up with tears in my eyes. The dream kept reoccurring, but every other time I would try to speak to the woman, I would ask about my mother and why she was there, or I would ask the woman who she was, but it was always the same. She would sing, then the dark figure would sing, and then she and I would sing together. I also ran to them each time and she would kiss my head each and every time. I would always wake up crying, sweating, and wanting to see that woman again. Each day the dream would become more clear to me, until the day came when instead of saying that I would see her soon, she told me that I have arrived. This dream was also very different, because at the end, I would look up to her face and see two pools of lilac staring down at me with sadness and love in her eyes.
I was awoken by a crew member yelling, "Land ho, land ho." I dashed out onto the deck and looked to where the crewmember was pointing. It looked like an island but it looked as if it was all white. The island looked huge and it made me think that it was an island nation. The ruhk took off to the island. They were changing all sorts of colors. They were mostly white or light pink and doing weird patterns of an infinity symbol. The kept cheering and yelling in excitement. I sprinted over to Alibaba and Morgiana and we immediately prepared small raft to take us out to the island. When we arrived to the island, I saw that mountains and cliffs surrounded most of the island except where we were docking. The spot where we were docking seemed to be a beach and a nice village seemed to surround the beach, probably making it a fish market village. It had nice docks ready for ships, but the island itself didn't seem inhabitable. It seemed to be all made of a white hard stone that gleamed greatly over the bright sun. When we docked we started to walk on the dock and the beach, and instead of sand it, it was all the impenetrable stone.
"What happened to this island?" Alibaba asked with curiosity. He kept turning his head to gaze at this astonishing sight before us. He kept yelling out for people, but got no response back whatsoever. "I don't know, but whatever did this, wanted this island made in pure stone." I responded. I crouched down and touched the stone and it was as smooth as the stone bust within the Reim Empire. I tried to hit it with my staff and use my fire magic to crack it, but every time that I would make a slight dent, the ruhk would fly into the dent or crack and repair it. It had to some seriously strong magic to be able to hold on to this state. Alibaba explained how it was incredible, but kept asking about why this the way it had to be. I was wondering the exact same thing, but I chose to keep my mouth shout about the matter.
"Hey guys, I think you need to come see this." Morgiana yelled suspiciously. We ran to where she was and there seem to be a statue. But this statue seemed to be way to real. The ruhk was flying all around the statue. They whispered, "Seal."
That is when I fully realized what this island was and what it had become. I took a step backward in fear and spoke, "This was a person."
Author's Note
Who was the woman? How is she connected to Aladdin? Why did the ruhk lead him to the island? What Happen to the man who is now a statue?
I do not own anything. This is my first time writing fanfiction, so please be honest and gentle on judgement. This will be a musicalish kind of story. I will put what songs that they sing. The singing and music will make sense when you get to know my OCs. Some of my OC names and personalities will come from other shows kind of like cameo appearance, but they won't act the same on everything. So they will be OOCs. I hope you all enjoyed it.
Today's song list:
Cluster of Crocus - The Secret Garden Musical
Come to My Garden - The Secret Garden Musical
