Two

"So," Jasmine said quietly, eyes wandering from the polished floor of her chamber to the djinn floating in front of her, "you're saying Mozenrath took Aladdin?"

"Again," Iago griped.

Genie couldn't be bothered to glare at the bird, deciding it was best to ignore him for the time being. "Something like that. Jas, there was a huge power surge out there before Al went missing with the Wiz Kid, and when I tried to follow, I couldn't get passed the boarder." He paused, shoulders slumping as he lowered himself to the floor, blue smoke bending as knees would. Pressing an elbow to his wispy lower half and resting his cheek in his palm, he frowned up at the Princess.

"If that was Mozenrath's power, it's safe to say he's become stronger somehow, and everything else was just a decoy."

"There's nothing you can do?" Jasmine asked, sliding off the bed to kneel in front of Genie.

"Not without help from the inside," Genie scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"And the chances that happens are zero to none!" Iago quipped, though again, he was ignored.

"We'll figure this out," the Jasmine assured the semi-phenomenal being, placing one hand to his arm reassuringly.

Genie managed a weak smile for her, nodding once. "Don't we always?"

There was no solid doubt in his mind they would thwart whatever diabolical plan was being hatched in the Land of the Black Sand and get Aladdin back home, safe, sound and in one piece. That wasn't at all what was grating at Genie's mind. It was the fact that between now and then, a lot could happen. Things he'd rather not think about, but had to contemplate because in situations like this, all bases had to be covered.


In the throne room, Aladdin stood before Destane with Mozenrath at his side. It was unnerving to say the least, standing there in silence with the half-dead sorcerer's eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, but Aladdin refused to falter. Unlike Mozenrath, whom was currently fixated with the stone floor, Aladdin met Destane's gaze every time those devilish eyes fell upon him.

"Those scraps won't do," Destane murmured, though mostly to himself as he looked Aladdin over once again. "They will not do at all."

Aladdin had little time to ask what Destane meant before the older man snapped his fingers. A magic swept over him, similar in its airiness to Genie's when he'd given him the attire of a prince, though he hadn't failed to notice the overwhelming sense of dread it cast upon him as well. Looking down, he'd noticed his vest had been altered; the material was heavier and the shoulders padded, pointed corners reaching up and out. His pants, not so baggy anymore, were no longer off-white, but pristine in color. The sash around his waist had been renewed as well, made darker.

"Better, but we're not there yet," Destane went on. "Mozenrath."

"Yes?" Mozenrath looked up and replied in record time, and Aladdin could only assume it was an old habit that hadn't quite died yet.

Destane rose a brow. "Yes, what?"

Aladdin saw Mozenrath's jaw clench briefly before he muttered, "yes, Master?"

Nodding, Destane grinned. "Your headdress. Give it to him. Such finery hardly suits you."

Without a word, Mozenrath took the turban from his head with his left hand and held it out to Aladdin. When the street rat hesitate, he shoved it hard against his chest.

"Take it," he demanded, though it almost sounded pleading. Almost.

Swallowing hard, Aladdin took the turban into his own hands, unable to do much but stare at it for a few moments. It was trivial, just a piece of clothing – an accessory – but to take this from Mozenrath felt wrong.

"Put it on," Mozenrath snapped, actually causing Aladdin to give a jerk as his train of thought was derailed.

Nodding once and mumbling an "okay," Aladdin removed his fez and replaced it with the heavier headdress.

"And one more thing," Destane all but crooned. He didn't wait for Aladdin to make an inquiry, simply tossed the gauntlet to him, even chuckling as the boy's reflexes refused to let the cursed leather fall to the floor.

"I've drained a good portion of its power," the sorcerer explained, "as a precaution of sorts. I was reckless when last I allowed it into another's hands," here he looked at Mozenrath, shaking his head as though scolding him. "I won't make that mistake again, no. As you learn, I will grant an increase in power."

"Y-Yes, Sir," Aladdin said, though made no effort to put the gauntlet on. He'd felt its power before, when Mozenrath had tried to switch bodies with him, and he hadn't like it. Whatever magic was weaved into the glove was like poison for the very soul, and it spread horrifically fast.

"What are you waiting for, Aladdin?" came Destane's reminder that he did, in fact, have to wear the gauntlet.

Aladdin shook his head, choosing to remain silent as he slid the gauntlet over his hand. The cool leather warmed almost immediately, and that familiar tug and pull of power began not long after. He swallowed hard and flexed his hand, praying Destane wouldn't notice the way he was suddenly trembling.

"Very good," Destane said, heaving himself up to stand. "Now, there's just one more thing to be taken care of before we can all settle in comfortably."

Feeling more obliged than interested, Aladdin looked toward the older sorcerer as he approached both he and Mozenrath. He didn't dare ask what, fearing perhaps that may have counted as speaking out turn, so all he could do was take a step back and watch with wide eyes as Destane took Mozenrath by the collar and pulled him forward.

"We were interrupted earlier, weren't we, boy?" he mused, and Mozenrath said nothing in response. Destane chuckled briefly before reeling one arm back, then planting his knuckles against Mozenrath's cheek with enough force to send the young man stumbling backward.

" You thought I would let you off so easily?" Destane went on, closing whatever distance he'd subsequently formed between them too quickly for Mozenrath's liking. Another punch to the face, and this time Mozenrath lost his footing, much to Aladdin's horror.

"For what you did to me," Destane said, and reached for the collar again, pulling Mozenrath to his feet, "you deserve punishments worse than death. Perhaps we should take a trip back to solitary?"

At this, Aladdin noticed Mozenrath's fists clench.

" Ah, yes. You remember. But then, how could you possibly forget?" Destane pressed on. "The dark, the silence – the madness."

"Shut up," Mozenrath muttered through clenched teeth, and that was all it took to set Destane off once more. He shoved the younger man back, and this time when he raised a fist, it was glowing with a crimson aura.

"Wait!" Aladdin called out suddenly, before Destane's fist could meet with Mozenrath's stomach. "Y-you said you wouldn't kill him."

"You'd be surprised what he can live through," Destane mumbled, though lowered his fist. "Remind me again why I shouldn't."

Aladdin thought of informing him that had been part of the deal, but figured that would be useless, as villains rarely kept their word to begin with. So, thinking fast, he tried another approach.

"He could, you know, handle the grunt work. Cooking, cleaning – "

"Slavery," Destane said, and there was something in the way he said the word made Aladdin's stomach somersault.

"Right," he replied, looking to Mozenrath, whom refused to meet either gaze at this point. "He could... be our slave."

"Very well then," Destane agreed, then turned on his heel and headed back to the throne. However, before he could reach the stone chair, a hiss from behind brought him to a stand-still.

"No slave!" Xerxes protested, causing Mozenrath to wince. If the eel had only remained hidden and silent as he had told him to when they first entered the citadel.

"That worm is still trailing you, is it, Mozenrath?" Destane inquired, still not turning around.

"Xerxes," Mozenrath called hesitantly, "come!"

"No!" Xerxes said, twirling in the air to face his Master now. He shook his head, as though to affirm there would be no changing his mind. "Master not slave!" He turned to face Destane, eyes narrowing as he hissed in a tone Aladdin had never heard the eel use before, "he is slave."

"Xerxes! Silence yourself!" Mozenrath ordered, but the eel was still refusing to obey, too caught up in trying to defend his Master and only friend.

"Oh, no," Destane drawled as he slowly turned around again, eyebrow raised in amusement as he looked toward his former apprentice's familiar. "Let him speak his mind. What little he has of one, anyway."

And just like that, whatever courage the small creature had felt moments before fled, and he whimpered as he made a move to back up, to find sanctuary behind Mozenrath once more. Except, he never made it that far. Destane's hand shot out like lightning and wrapped tight around his midsection.

"Not so brave now, are you?" the sorcerer inquired, then smirked passed him to Mozenrath. "I wonder how you will fare without this thing around?"

It chilled Aladdin to the bone to actually see Mozenrath falter, to stumble over his words as he tried in vain to reason with Destane.

"Master – don't – I – "

It was suddenly very clear to the street rat just how much the small eel meant to Mozenrath. Though the wizard may have never shown it, the bond between them could have likely rivaled Aladdin and Abu's. With that suddenly in mind, watching this scene play out before him was becoming increasingly difficult.

"I will strip you of everything," Destane said in a low tone, and in an instant Xerxes vanished from his grasp.

The sound that escaped Mozenrath was quiet and weak, but even so it made Aladdin's heart freeze up. Never had he thought he'd see his greatest rival reduced to such a state. It was pathetic and, in a sense, frightening.

"Get him out of my sight," Destane said, heading back toward the throne. "And have him show you to your room, as well."


They walked in silence to the room that would be Aladdin's, the room that, just hours ago, had belonged to Mozenrath. Once inside, Aladdin sighed and took the headdress off, tossing it toward the large bed and leaning back against the nearest wall. He ran a hand through his hair, the rested it against the back of his neck as he kept his eyes on the floor.

"I – I'm sorry," he apologized.

Mozenrath scoffed. "Victors shouldn't apologize to the defeated," he muttered.

"Victor?" Aladdin echoed, looking up to meet Mozenrath's dark stare. "What are you talking about?"

"Whether you meant to or not, by handing me over to him you've taken everything from me, Aladdin. My kingdom, my power, my freedom. Even Xerxes," Mozenrath said, continuing to speak quietly. "You've won, finally."

"I didn't think it would be like this," Aladdin admitted. "But I couldn't let him kill you – "

"That's the problem with you hero types!" Mozenrath snapped all of a sudden. "You never stop to think that perhaps there are fates worse than death, but Allah forbid you should let a life flicker out."

"Mozenrath – "

"You should have let him kill me. To die, even if it were by his hand, would be better than to serve him again."

Aladdin bit his bottom lip as he crossed the short distance between himself and Mozenrath. Cautiously, he placed a hand to his shoulder. "I need you alive," he told him, barely above a whisper. "You know him, his strengths and weaknesses, and if we work together, we can beat him."

Mozenrath was silent for a few seconds before he reached out, taking Aladdin's gloved hand into his skeletal one. "Just give me back the gauntlet. Even if it isn't at full power, I know how to use it better than you ever will. I can defeat him on my own."

It was an action that made Aladdin's skin crawl, but he removed his left hand from Mozenrath's shoulder and took hold of the bony wrist, easing out of the rigid grasp.

"No," Aladdin said, and tried to tell himself he was saying this out of chivalry, and that it had nothing to do with the power gently coursing through his very soul at the moment. "You have to trust me."

"Me? Trust you?" Mozenrath shook his head, sighing as he pulled his hand from Aladdin's grip. "I've apparently no choice in the matter, do I?"

Aladdin smirked. "Not really," he said, then reached for Mozenrath's hand again. He looked the bones over for a few moments, trying very hard not to let his discomfort show.

"What are you doing?" Mozenrath asked.

"We can't leave your hand like this," Aladdin said, brow furrowing as he started to look around the room.

"It's suffered worse than the elements, I assure you," Mozenrath quipped dryly, though when Aladdin let go again, he instinctively hid the bony appendage behind his back. He watched curiously as Aladdin made his way around the room, picked something up off a shelf, then came back to him. He held out a hand, looking expectantly at Mozenrath.

"Give me your hand," Aladdin said.

"For what?"

Aladdin held out his other hand, displaying some a roll of bandages. "It isn't much, but it'll have to do," he explained."

Mozenrath said nothing as he allowed Aladdin to take his ruined hand again. He watched as the bandages unraveled and as Aladdin worked them gently around his bones until they were completely covered. When Aladdin was finished, Mozenrath stepped back and looked the limb over, if only to keep his eyes off the younger boy. Nobody had ever done something like that for him before, and the trivial gesture brought forth a feeling of gratitude in him. One he was quick to crush.