The young princess rolled her eyes with a scoff, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her father was giving her the third lecture of the week, a new record — it was still only Tuesday.
"Honestly, Jasmine, I don't understand why you object to this so strongly; you knew this was coming. You're being difficult." The Sultan was at least a head shorter than his daughter, and though he ruled their entire land, the princess was the one person who couldn't be intimidated by his title.
"Well, you know my opinion on the subject, don't you, Father?"
The Sultan sighed, rubbing his brow wish his eyes squeezed shut. "Come now, my darling…your mother and I had a marriage organised by our parents…and I'm not throwing you to someone you've never met before. I've found plenty of suitors for you to meet with! It's your pick out of the lot of them."
"Hmm," she agreed sarcastically. "A quick interview over dinner is a perfect way for me to find the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Of course I'm going to fall in love with someone that easily!"
"Jasmine," she could tell he'd had more than enough. "You will build a connection with someone over time…you have to get to know them at any rate, you might as well make your country proud and do so in marriage."
Jasmine let out a very unladylike, frustrated groan and turned her back to her father. "I'm not ready for this, father. I haven't lived yet! I've been cooped up inside my whole life, always being watched, always being taken care of, always being…controlled!" she turned back to him quickly, her hair whipping heavily against her hips. "When do I get to go outside and explore the world for myself?! How am I going to have those chances with a husband?!" she spat the word with disgust.
Her father was silent for a long moment, watching his daughter with something that almost resembled pity. She hated it. "Jasmine…you know that's not something you're able to do. You belong here, for Agrabah."
"Lucky me,"
"Please, dearest, be reasonable. This was always how it was going to be for you."
"I'm done speaking about this," she turned away from her father once again, sitting on her heavily decorated bedding with a finality that told him she wasn't going to continue the conversation any further.
The Sultan balled his fists, shaking them with frustration and fled from his daughter's room before he lost his temper properly.
Jasmine sighed, staring at the wide double doors before her, before finally breaking down in tears. Rajah raised his large head from a cushion at her feet and followed her with his eyes as she crossed the wide room and threw the doors open, launching herself against the thick barrier of her balcony overlooking the palace gardens, half-hoping the pillars would somehow give way and let her fall, finally free, free to fly out into the world. The lights of the city's occupant's cars shone beyond the great wall of the gardens, though she couldn't see the vehicles themselves. She could hear the muffled sounds of loud voices coming from her citizens she'd never gotten the chance to meet. Someone close to the palace must have been having some sort of party — she could hear distant music, and every so often, a group of people would burst into laughter. Her fingers tightened on the rim of the railing and she felt Rajah close in on her right-hand side.
"I'm getting out of here," she told him, perhaps for the hundredth time.
The tiger was her best friend. Of course, in the beginning he had been an expensive excuse for her to be happy stuck inside all of the time. She loved him dearly, for the fact that he was something that should be unattainable and it made her seem all the more interesting, but also because she had genuinely formed a bond with the beast. She figured she would be mad if it weren't for his company.
"Rajah," she sighed and put her hand on his haunches, sinking to sit beside him. "Let's….let's just…go."
"Stop! Thief!"
Aladdin rolled his eyes, the loaf of bread clutched tightly in his arms as the security guards of the main roads of Agrabah followed him down the narrow streets yet again. Surely they would think to give up. They'd never caught him before. They must knew they didn't stand the chance now.
"It's a loaf of bread!" he shouted back to them. "Throw the change in yourself! You know you'd rather get paid to stand around and act like nothing happened!"
They faltered, and stopped, and Aladdin rounded one last corner and slowed down to a comfortable walk, breaking a piece of crust and chewing on it as if it were the most delicious meal he'd ever tasted.
It was a good day for Agrabah; not too hot. The sun still beat down hotter than it perhaps should have, but the wind was cool enough for the market place to be alive with families out for the day. Street performers tried to attract the attention of customer's between the little tents which showed handmade and imported wares for sale, and a live band played through loud speakers placed around the square. Aladdin tried to stick to the market whenever it was in town. A lot of the people here weren't from central Agrabah, and therefore didn't know his face. It was easier to be around people who didn't know him than people who would move their property out of his view or scowl at him as if he were the worst type of criminal.
It still wasn't enough for him to walk as confidently as a young man his age should have. He'd never once wanted to live the way he currently did. He'd always had big plans for himself. But with his father leaving when he was so young and his mother dying before he had a chance to properly learn about the world, it had been hard. He'd struggled for days before finally stealing the minimal food that helped him stay alive those early couple of years, and what money he had now had been made by working too hard and earning too little. He'd grown up in a rough part of town where families had struggled as much as he had, and without anything behind him now, no work history or anyone to make a reference for him, he'd found it impossible to land anything that would promise an income of any sort. Not to mention it was hard for him to clean up for an interview with only a few changes of clothes he'd been holding onto for years and no where to have a proper shower.
He hadn't been walking long when he noticed two small figures standing suspiciously close to a food stall, their wide eyes wandering over the passers-by in a way they probably thought seemed completely innocent. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face when the older of the two — the girl reached and grabbed some kind of pastry off the table, grabbed her younger brother's hand, and fled right in his direction, both of them giggling with excitement. He made a point of standing right in their way, his hands on his hips as they skidded to a stop before him, worried until they realised who he was.
"Now, now…do you really think that's enough for the both of you?"
Their wide eyes watched him expectantly as he tore what was left of his bread in half and handed each of them a piece. It was a regular thing to do. They lived nearby and he kind of felt it his duty to take care of them. He'd only been a year or two older than the girl when he was left all on his own, and he knew how hard it was. He couldn't imagine how she matured enough to take care of her brother and supply for him as well at such a young age.
The two never really said much. He'd caught them speaking to each other from time to time when they didn't know anyone was listening, but yet again, they offered him a smile as a thank you and were on their way once more, not looking back as they left Aladdin in their tracks. He watched them disappear in the crowd and sighed, turning around and taking the whole scene in.
His back was still turned when three figures jumped right onto him, knocking him forward onto his knees.
"Gotcha!"
He groaned and struggled to throw the one body off his shoulders before he finally got back to his feet. "Geez, guys, on a market day and everything…you'd think you'd be more civilised."
His three friends grinned back at him. Kassim had already put his quick hands to good use and held a box of biscuits which he was currently snacking on.
"What took you so long?"
Aladdin sighed, "I was hungry, and Razoul thought it should seem like he was doing his job until I reminded him that he really couldn't be bothered."
Omar snickered. Aladdin felt something inside him sink a little bit. His friends couldn't care less about living like this. They'd grown up with it, as he had, but to them it was a completely acceptable way to get by. He was the only one who wanted more out of life, and he couldn't really understand that. It was probably easier, he admitted to himself, to live as they did; better to avoid disappointment with not being able to get a proper job and make actual money. Still…he'd like to think one day he could be someone he could be proud of. He had no future with the way things were now.
"You okay?"
He nodded and forced some kind of a smile on his face. The day was young and the marketplace was busy. He could have a good day with his friends.
After finding a few stalls offering free samples (free samples were better than stealing, at least), the four friends sat upon a table close to the band, watching them perform in silence while they ate what little food they had left. Market day always meant Aladdin wasn't as hungry for a couple of days. It was like he stored up for the week. If he'd finished his bread this morning, he might actually feel full for a change.
Although he was in a little bit of a daze watching the amateur performers, he did notice when Babkak leaned forward, his eyes narrowed interestedly. He nodded, forcing his friends to look the same way.
"Hey, check it out,"
It took Aladdin a moment to figure out exactly where he was looking, but once his eyes fell on her, he didn't think he would ever be able to look away again.
She'd tried. Her outfit blended in with all of the other shoppers at the market. Agrabah's poorer quarters didn't have nearly enough money to spend it on new clothes. But her head was uncovered, and underneath the simple fabric she seemed to be covered in jewels and gold.
But that wasn't why Aladdin seemed to be hypnotised by her. The gold and the jewels stripped away, she still would have been the most exquisite thing he had ever seen, and he was sure he'd never seen her before.
Her eyes were bright and wide, wandering around each stall as if she'd never seen such a thing as a market before. The hands which held her robes to her, probably trying to hide as much of herself as possible, were long and slender, even her fingernails taken care of and absent of any dirt or scratches. Her face was painted beautifully, and her hair pulled back and pinned gracefully from her face, though it still seemed to be the thickest and heaviest and silkiest hair Aladdin had ever seen in his life.
And here she was, just wandering around the poorest streets of the huge city, her expensive accessories on show for everyone to see. Everyone like Aladdin. Who wouldn't think twice about "accidentally" bumping into someone like her and leaving her with nothing. She was quite tall, but she didn't look like she would know how to put up much of a fight.
As if she had been able to read his thoughts, she pulled the hood of her robes over her hair and hid everything but her face.
"How do you think she ended up in a place like this?" Babkak murmured just loud enough for his friends to hear. All four of them were still staring in her direction. Aladdin wondered if they were for the same reason he was.
"She's definitely in the wrong place," Kassim agreed darkly as they watched her pull an apple from the fresh fruit stand in front of her. "Maybe she needs some help. Those earrings look way too heavy for her to be able to think straight."
Aladdin's heart was racing, and his stomach was in knots just thinking about what he was going to do…he couldn't talk to someone like her. But Omar started chuckling at Kassim's joke and he pushed himself to his feet before he could think. "Mine,"
"Wha—" he didn't turn around, knowing they would be trying to figure out what had gotten into him. Aladdin wasn't the one out of the group who preyed on pretty girls. He tried to only take from people who wouldn't notice the loss. But if he didn't get to her first, it would be his friends or strangers that took advantage of her and for some strange reason he felt he had to take care of her.
He didn't make it to her fast enough. She handed an apple to a small figure — the same kid Aladdin had only given his breakfast to an hour ago, in fact — and the boy hopped away happily, then turned and wandered away. Unfortunately, she wasn't as stealthy as most of the other people in town, because the vendor had been watching her the whole time, and reached forward to grab her arm before she could get too far away.
"You'd better be able to pay for that!" he shouted loudly, pulling her to him rougher than necessary.
Aladdin couldn't hear her part of the conversation, but she looked terrified now, and tried to pull her arm back. The man wouldn't have it. He leaned over her, his voice carrying so she attracted even more attention than before. Aladdin hurried his feet, pushing past people rudely as he struggled to get closer, to help this poor, ignorant girl who seemed to have no idea about taking care of herself.
"Thief!"
Aladdin's hand fell on his, and he slipped his cheesiest grin on. "Thank you, kind sir, I'm so glad you found her."
"What are you —" Aladdin silenced her with a subtle wink.
"You know this girl?"
"Sadly yes," Aladdin sighed as the man's hand loosened and fell from the girl's arm. "She is my sister…she's a little crazy."
The man looked between the two of them with doubt, and Aladdin knew his story was weak. The girl looked as though she bathed every single day. Aladdin didn't really have much of an excuse for his old clothes which were just about hanging off of him. Or his hair. He didn't know what that was doing nowadays.
But the man had let go of her, and that was good enough for the boy. Aladdin reached out with his foot, past the man, swiping another apple, and skilfully passed it into his hand, then into the man's. "But, no harm done." The fruit vendor looked at the apple in his hands in confusion, and Aladdin pulled the girl away as quickly as he could manage, loudly mentioning something about going to see a doctor.
Aladdin threw a grin over his shoulder at his friends, who were still watching them from their place on the table. The girl's body was tense, probably because some dirty stranger had his hands on her and was leading her into the even dirtier streets of Agrabah. Aladdin cleared his throat a couple of times, trying to figure out exactly what he should say, but ended up dropping his hands from her shoulders. "You're in a rough part of the city. It's probably not the best idea to be wondering around by yourself."
The was silent for a long moment, but her lips were pressed together tightly. "Thank you…for stopping him."
"Ahh — forget it," he scratched his head awkwardly and looked over his shoulder, half expecting to see someone following them. Why would a girl like this be left to wander the streets by herself? "Where are you headed?"
"I don't know," she answered quietly. "I haven't figured that part out yet."
He pursed his lips. What to do. There wasn't anywhere they could really go that was safe for her to be sitting out in the open…but she might feel weird being taken back to his home. "Are you hungry?"
"Oh," she paused for a second, looking down at herself as if to check. "Yes, I guess I am."
"I have some fruit, if you want?"
Her eyes were wide as she looked over at him, but he didn't know whether that was in surprise or whether she was sizing him up. "All right," she answered, more confidently than expected.
She didn't say much as they worked their way out of the crowds. Aladdin didn't like to be centred too closely to anything that would bring more attention to him. He'd made a home in the back streets of abandoned stores, along with a few others who couldn't afford a proper roof over their heads. The graffiti and trash on the roads got more and more as they moved closer to his home, and the girl beside him seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each step. When they reached his front door, her hands were clinging to her robes so tightly that it looked painful."
"Are you okay?"
Something in the way he spoke seemed to ease her, because she nodded and loosened up a little bit, then opened her mouth in surprise as he reached for the door. "Is this where you live?"
"Yep," he ignored the way he felt self-conscious. What had her home been like? Probably two or more floors and wide, open rooms decorated with all of the most expensive wares. He wondered whether to just turn around and take her back to the marketplace. Before he could think again, he slid open the door. "My own little palace."
