A Day at the Prince's Zoo

Author's Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of the characters listed. Lila Swan is an OC that belongs to rollingbell, while Genie, Aladdin, and others from the movie Aladdin belong to Disney. As a part of a contest by rollingbell, we were supposed to take one of her characters and put him/her with another character from a movie, video game, etc. I have chosen to put Lila with Genie from Aladdin since I know she ships them together. Here is an alternate take on how they could have met. More details about the OC at the bottom. I hope you enjoy the fluff!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-LxG-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

London 1890

Lila Swan enjoyed watching parades, almost as much as she loved animals.

Growing up, Lila had loved to explore the world around her. In her adventures, she discovered different kinds of people, and she enjoyed meeting them. But, what she loved even more was to watch people when they were in large groups together, such as at a party. When her city would have parades, she would stand on her steps on her tiptoes, looking at all of the people as they interacted with one another.

Then, one day, as she watched a parade, she saw an animal other than a horse. She liked animals, but she had really only seen horses and birds outside, so she had no basis for comparison. Then, she saw the circus's parade. Tall birds with many feathers strutted along, and just behind them, gigantic gray animals with long trunks made noises unlike anything she had ever heard before. She was enchanted.

Later that day, Lila convinced her family to follow the parade, and so she got to see the new animals again. Soon, she found out that she had seen elephants and peacocks, and many others at the circus. As she continued to grow, so did her joy in discovering new animals. This desire to meet more animals, as well as new people, was enhanced when she discovered at the age of fifteen that she was in fact a goddess.

Suddenly, she could use her own energy, her life source, in order to grow wings and fly, or as she discovered by accident, to go back and forth in time. Now, she could go on even more adventures on her own as she continued to learn how to use her energy: flying with birds, visiting animals in the zoo, and travelling to places on the continent.

After several years, she still did not have a full grasp on all of her abilities. It was one day when she was experimenting with going backward in time and flying that she was scared by a noise from behind, causing her adrenaline to rush, using even more energy than usual. When her heart and pulse finally started to calm down, she found herself surrounded by a sea of sand. She definitely was not in London anymore.

After panicking for several moments, Lila figured that she had flown much further than normal, as the only places with lots of sand were eastward in the desert. Since she had never been that far east, she made her way to the nearest town. Once she got there, she enjoyed looking at the outfits the people wore in an effort to stay cool. After asking a few people, she figured out that she had travelled back to Agrabah, in the year 1708. This was farther than she had planned on visiting, but she was curious to see what it was like.

After exploring more on foot, Lila was satisfied. She had spoken to different people about their culture, as well as bought new clothes to remember her trip. Ever since she had found out that she was a goddess, she had gone into a self-imposed exile from getting to know anyone as anything more than a passing acquaintance, so that people would not think her strange or try to take advantage of her. So far, it had worked well, too well in her mind. But that was about to change.

First, she heard the elephant. Then, she saw the crowds off a ways, and finally she saw jugglers. Perhaps there was a circus! Excited, she ran to see who was performing, and she saw a very attractive man announcing what was happening. With a tall, feathered hat, an open jacket, and a black goatee, she found herself intrigued by him. The man seemed enthusiastic and genuine, and he had a fine voice, easily charming every female in the crowd. Even with the camels and other new animals being shown, or the new prince just arriving, she still found herself focused on the man who managed to command everyone's attention, running to and from different groups of people to tell them about Prince Ali.

Unconsciously, Lila found herself following the engaging man and the prince's party as they headed toward a palace. As she continued to watch, she realized that the man was slightly… different, in a way. It was odd how he managed to run to each group, but then, he was suddenly disappearing, just like that. Then, she saw him again, though much further away. She could hear his voice distinctly, even when he had disappeared.

She was behind some children when she heard his voice mention that the prince had a zoo. At this, she wanted to get close to those in the parade, if not to meet the mysterious announcer, then to see all of the new animals there. No doubt this new area would have animals she had never seen before. She kept looking for the voice and the owner of the voice as he spoke of the camels and peacocks, but to no avail.

This disappearing act went on for the rest of the parade to the palace, until the main people went inside, with the attendants and animals going into the palace before being led back outside. Lila was disappointed not to see him again, but she hoped that he at least had noticed her as she followed. With her blue eyes and white hair, she usually got many compliments on her looks, and she hoped to have created an impression on him.

With all of the attendants outside the palace, Lila decided to take the opportunity to see the animals. She rather doubted that there were fifty-three purple peacocks, or ninety-five white Persian monkeys, but if there were, she wanted to see them all. The people were kind enough to let her wander on her own through the maze of cages, and she was amazed to see that the man was right.

It wasn't long before she found herself trying to pet the monkeys and feed them, and soon she had all of them trying to reach her and the bananas she went and bought for them. As she finished feeding the monkeys, she suddenly had the feeling of being watched. She didn't like it, so she turned around, ready to disappear if necessary. Instead, she found herself staring into the eyes of the man that she thought she had missed.

He didn't look surprised, or even embarrassed to be caught looking at her. He just smiled, and came over to her to introduce himself.

"You like those monkeys, do you? Because they certainly like you, though I'm not surprised. A beautiful little lady like yourself wandering around is not always wise, though."

"I can take care of myself, thank you. I just really love animals. I heard you mention them during the parade, and I wanted to see them."

"Ah, so that is why you look familiar, because you were with some children I thought would like the animals. I take care of all of these animals."

"You do?"

"Oh yes. Friends call me Genie, since I am so good at giving people what they ask for, if you know what I mean. The Prince wanted these animals, and so I ma-, got them for him."

"That's amazing! You certainly have good taste in choosing your animals. I'm Lila, by the way."

"And such a pretty name you have, too, just like the compliment you just gave me. I'm very fond of the ones I chose, too. I was just expecting to put them away by now."

"But why? Aren't you going to let others see the animals?"

"Yes, of course! But, it is getting close to sunset, and I don't want them to get cold. I need to go around and make sure that all of them are ready to be put away for the night. Would you like to join me in helping take care of them, Lila?"

"Could I? I'd love to!"

"Then please, take my arm, and we shall see all the animals, as you wish."

Their time together passed quickly after that, even if it took much longer than it should have. Genie was insistent upon her helping him feed them so that she could look closely at the bears' claws as they reached out, or feel the lion's tongue on her hand as it scooped the meat out of her hand. In addition, he told her their names he had given them, taking his time to explain and then let her have a few moments to gaze at the animal, memorizing the features up close.

Perhaps her favorite animals from the zoo there were the birds. Loud as they were sweet, the birds with their many colors did as Genie commanded, warbling out a song for Lila, who happily listened, enraptured by how clear and well they sounded together. That, and, Genie discreetly took a hold of one hand while the birds sang the sweetest part of the song. As the final notes of the song came out, the sun finally began to set on the land, and so both turned to admire the bright colors that filled the sky. She had to try hard not to look in his direction, lest she blush. When he finally let go of her hand, he still had a smile on his face. She allowed herself to blush slightly then at his smile before turning around so that they could finish their tour of all the animals.

By the time they finished, Lila even had another souvenir, a purple peacock's feather. It had come off just as Genie was locking the gate, and so he plucked it mid-air, turning and bowing gracefully to her to present it to her. She stammered out her thanks before taking it from his hand to examine it. Even though it was dark, she could still make out some of the colors and effects from the moonlight hitting it. Eventually, she let Genie take her arm again, and they finished.

Now at the edge between the palace and the rest of Agrabah, Lila had to say goodbye.

"I'm so jealous that you have so many animals close by. Back at home, our zoo is quite small by comparison."

"Have you ever tried sleeping when a rooster is awake, or if a lion roars? It is next to impossible. You should consider yourself lucky. But, what do you mean by "back at home"? Is this not your home?"

Laughing, she said, "No, though I rather wish it was at this moment."

"I would be glad to help, if you would allow me."

"Oh no, I wouldn't ask that of you, though you are sweet to offer. I can always just come visit here again if I want to."

"Are you sure it would be easy to do? It is far to the next village, and I don't know how much further it is for you."

"It is far enough, but I can still do it. Please, Genie, don't worry on my account."

"Well, it would be a shame to lose your presence here now. All of the animals are going to miss your smiling face, not to mention me."

"I promise I will come back soon and visit. Believe me when I say that I want to come back to see you and your animals again. They won't be able to keep me away."

"Very well. Then I look forward to seeing back here again sometime soon. Perhaps, if you are lucky, you will be able to see Prince Ali or someone else from the palace."

"That would be quite a surprise, to meet royalty. But, it would be more than enough just to be able to spend time here with you."

"You are very simple in your needs, far more than most others I have met."

"I know what I need, and I am able to take care of myself. I have no doubt you are equally simple in knowing what you want."

"You have no idea, Lila."

"Thank you so much for taking the time to show me each animal here. I feel as though I know them all, thanks to your humorous stories about them. And, I will make sure to have more bananas for next time."

"Very smart. But, in the meantime," he said, bowing and kissing her hand gently, "I hope you will have a pleasant night, and that you have safe travels to your home, wherever that is."

"Thank you. I am confident that both will happen after our time together."

"That is what I like to hear. Good night, Lila."

"Good night, Genie!"

After that, she started walking, making a couple turns until she was out of his sight, as well as any other person. Then, she used her energy to return home.

Lila would have smiled if she could have seen Genie later that night. In those gardens, as he played a game with the magic carpet, Genie felt a little sad, and not just for his master. That night, he felt because he could appreciate what Aladdin was going through. She was special, even if he couldn't quite explain why. All he knew was that he wanted to see her again, and soon.

That night, she dreamed of Genie. In it, she imagined her and him riding on top of the elephant of earlier that day, with her surrounded by pillows while he sat next to her, fanning and feeding her grapes, all the while teasing her. She smiled in her sleep, and she looked forward to another chance to see him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-LxG-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes: This story is a combination of two of my favorite things in writing, fluff and music references. As you probably noticed while reading, I took many details from the song "Prince Ali", in keeping with what is mentioned. I don't own that song; Disney does. I just wanted to make sure that this story was believable based on the timeline seen in the movie, and kept everyone in character. I imagine that Lila would be curious about Genie, and eventually grow to like him the more she talked to him, while Genie is a flirt who would be interested in her right away. These are two new characters for me, so I hope they are satisfactory for you. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Also, in case you were interested in reading more about Lila, here are some details you might have picked up on in the story. She is from London originally, and grows into her powers. She has wings, and she is the goddess of Earth, her powers given to her to protect Earth. She loves animals, and she has blue eyes with white hair. Rollingbell has written her own fanfiction (Magic Within Me) involving Lila and all of the Aladdin series, giving her much more of a past and explaining how she develops her powers. If you would like to read it, please see here: s/8520297/1/Magic-Within-Me