note: Big thanks to my first reviewer, Flarga, even though I know she only did it for my self-esteem because she hearts me, and a big thanks also to my first ever follower SergeantMonkeyDDS! I was super excited to see I had a follower! So this chapter is for you guys for making me smile. Enjoy! ^^ (Lexy just might be too excited about all this... nah!)

Scene 2: The Caged Bird

Sunlight beamed in through sheer curtains, caressing Jasmine's skin, calling her gently. "Wake up," it whispered. "There's a new world waiting today." She smiled, ready to accept the invitation.

"Princess Jasmine? You're father asked me to wake you." Smile gone. Just like that. Her eyes refused to open. There was no new world waiting for her. Just the servants, her father, and the new suitor she was to meet this morning. Maybe if she could just fall back asleep, she could escape them and wake up somewhere new, following the sun to her heart's content. "Princess? Princess Jasmine, are you alright?" If only... she sighed. "I'm awake, thank you." She stretched out and opened her eyes to the sun, now glaring in it's disappointment. If only...

xxx

After breakfast, Jasmine fled to her garden. Prince Achmed, her father had informed her, would be arriving soon, and she wanted some time alone before dealing with her next trial. It truly was a test, meeting these suitors. A test of her patience and how long she could fake a smile before looking for ways to push them away. She only even tried for her father. She knew he loved her and only wanted the best for her. The problem was, she didn't want "the best". She wanted freedom- a freedom she could never have in this cage, no matter how beautifully it shined. She sat on the edge of her fountain and stroked her fingers along the surface of the water absently, gazing into its endless reflections. Something soft and strong nudged her arm and she jumped, but it was only Rajah, seeking to comfort his friend. He could always feel her pain in whatever form it took. Jasmine stroked his fur, gazing into his eyes sadly, knowing he understood. "Rajah, what can I do?"

"Jasmine! Oh, Jasmine dearest, there you are!" her father called, hurrying over to her. Here we go. she thought. The sultan came to a stop beside her, huffing a little with the effort of his dash, adjusting his turban. "Well now. Yes, that is, allow me to introduce Prince Achmed!" His voice rang with enthusiasm, but the appearance of the man who strutted leisurely behind him made Jasmine anything but enthusiastic. He wore a smile that was more like a sneer, and his curled mustache and goatee combination made him look very much a comical fool. He held himself with an amount of self satisfaction unfit for any human being, and he looked down his nose at Jasmine as if she were beneath him, as if she were some jewel he wasn't sure if he wanted to wear that day or not. Already, Jasmine despised him.

"Princess Jasmine," he bowed regally and extended a hand to her. She did not stand. She did not take his hand. She simply looked at it. Rajah growled and sat solidly beside her. Prince Achmed looked up at her, irked. "It is an honor to be here, to meet such a lovely gem as yourself." Right. Exactly like a jewel. She stood and took his hand, quite unwilling, for her father's sake, and nodded to him, expressionless. "As I am sure it must be an honor to meet any man who holds himself with such pride," she said. There, her father couldn't make too much of that, could he? Satisfied, oblivious, the sultan smiled at them both, always a picture of cheerfulness. "Well, I'll just leave you be then, let you get to know each other a little better, yes?" and he scurried away. As soon as he was out of sight, Jasmine pulled her hand away from Achmed's and sat back at her fountain, stroking Rajah's fur.

"So... Prince Achmed. Tell me about yourself." Here, she could just let him ramble until he grew tired of hearing his own voice. She knew he would need no response from her. She let time simply wash over her, unfeeling, gazing into the endless sky.

"I say, girl, are you even listening to me?" His voice had taken on a very irate tone, snapping Jasmine back to her senses. "What?" She turned to face him. "Ridiculous girl, whatever were you doing? Looking off into nothing, daydreaming no doubt! Were you never taught to listen when a man speaks?!" Rajah tensed up beside her. He didn't like this man's tone. "I'm sorry." Jasmine said, startled. "It's just you're so full of yourself, I assumed you'd ramble a bit longer." Her hands flew to her mouth. What was she saying?! How could she let that slip?! It wasn't even an attempt at a veiled insult, but somehow she couldn't feel sorry. It was just too true. Prince Achmed's face contorted. "Why, you ungrateful brat! I would have considered taking you off your father's hands if only for your beauty, but for such a bold tongue, I'm not sure your beauty paired with ALL your father's riches would be enough!" In a flash, Achmed was on the ground, a shocked cry escaping his lips, and Rajah was prancing away around the fountain with his prize: the prince's turban.

"Give that back, you beast!" he cried, scrambling to his feet and attempting vainly to chase the tiger. Rajah would prance just out of his reach and shake it tauntingly in his jaws, then jump back a little farther when Achmed tried to make a grab for it. Jasmine suppressed her smile, enjoying her furry hero's game. Finally, when Achmed almost had it, grazed it with his fingertips, Rajah tossed it into the fountain, and the prince reflexively dove in after it with a great splash. Jasmine stood quickly and backed away from the spray. "Rajah!" she half reprimanded, half laughed. Achmed stood and adjusted his turban, prissily righting himself.

"Princess Jasmine," he spat, "I would say it has been a pleasure speaking with you, but I must say I did not come all this way to be disrespected so. Unless you can learn to control your tongue, and your beast-" he glared at Rajah, who huffed in return. "Then I honestly believe you, princess, will remain unmarried, a shame to your father and to all of Agrabah, forever!" He turned on his heel and strutted away, but he couldn't make it to the double doors before Rajah had his last say. Rrrrrip! The prince made a horrified sound, then molded it to righteous indignation, and stormed back inside, leaving Rajah with the seat of his pants as his new chew toy.

Jasmine sat back at the fountain, alone again with her thoughts. "Unmarried forever, huh? Horrible." She rolled her eyes. Really, she didn't understand what the big fuss was about. Spend your life with someone you hate, just so you can say you're married? Why would anyone choose that? Why should she have to?

"Jasmine? Oh, Jasmine!" Right on cue she heard her father's call, followed by the grumble of a discontented Rajah and the thud of her father falling over stunned. "Confound it, Rajah!" he said, successfully tugging only half the cloth from the tiger's mouth. "So, this is why Prince Achmed stormed out!" Rajah lazily made his way back over to Jasmine, giving the rest of the cloth to her like a gift. Jasmine took it from him gently and tossed it aside. "Oh father, Rajah was just playing with him. Weren't you Rajah?" She took the the great cat's head in her hands and played under his chin and behind his ears affectionately. "You were just playing with that overdressed, self absorbed Prince Achmed, weren't you?" she cooed. She put her arms around him and laughed into his fur, feeling their bond, how they understood each other so entirely. Then she caught her father's eye. It was rare that he ever looked stern, but he certainly did now. She cleared her throat and glanced away.

The sultan came closer, beseeching. "Dearest, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor who comes to call!" Jasmine sighed and walked away to the bird cage. She'd heard this all before. "The law says you-" "Must be married, to a prince." she finished for him. "By your next birthday!" he stressed. She bowed her head, trying to breathe and keep her voice reasonable. "The law is wrong." There. She had stated her opinion, plain and simple. She opened the bird cage a crack and let one little white feathered friend hop onto her hand. "You've only got three more days!" "Oh father, I hate being forced into this," she tried for the hundredth time to explain, stroking the bird's feathers dreamily. If I only had wings like you she thought. "If I do marry, I want it to be for love." Birds aren't forced to marry. In fact, they never marry at all. They're always free.

Her father looked at her sadly. "Jasmine... It's not only this law. I'm not going to be around forever and-" he took the bird from her hand, seeking her full attention. Jasmine walked away, not rewarding him for stealing her from her thoughts. "I just want to make sure you're taken care of," he said, putting the bird away with the others. "Provided for." Again, Jasmine retreated for the fountain. "Please, try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own." Her fingers traced the water's surface again. "I've never had any real friends!" Rajah grumbled his indignation. "Except you, Rajah," she smiled. Content, he rested his head back on his paws. "I've never even been outside the palace walls," she gestured mournfully to the suffocating structure around her. "But Jasmine, you're a princess!" She'd heard that simple argument too many times before. "Then maybe I don't want to be a princess anymore!" she snapped, slapping the water to vent her frustration and turning her back on the sultan. He huffed irritably and retreated inside.

Jasmine slowly relaxed, gazing at the birdcage. Once, when she was small, she had shown a great love of the birds who visited her garden, and so her father had brought them here for her enjoyment. He had misunderstood her, though. For a while they held her amusement, but it was their freedom she truly loved, truly envied. Now they were prisoners like herself, and the bond they shared was that of having clipped wings. A sudden urge came over her, so strong and right. She strode to the cage, and flung its doors wide, releasing her winged companions. She turned and watched them escape into the never ending sky, following her glorious friend, the sun, into freedom.

If only I had wings, I could fly away from this place. She thought again. And then, just as with the bird cage, she had another irresistable thought. Whoever said you need wings to fly? Could she do it? Could she escape her cage? Why not?

xxx

In the moon's faint glow, Jasmine pulled an inconspicuous brown cloth around her face, glancing around the garden anxiously as she crept to a tree with low hanging branches by the wall. Just as she reached for the nearest branch, something grabbed the trail of her hood and tugged, stopping her heart momentarily, but it was only Rajah, his eyes sad. He knew she was leaving him. Of course he knew. Jasmine kneeled and embraced him. "I'm sorry, Rajah... But I can't stay here and have my life lived for me." Her voice pleaded for him to understand. Just like he always had. "I'll miss you." She gave him one last tight hug before turning back to climb the tree. This time, he nudged her foot with his head, giving her a helpful push. At the top of the wall, Jasmine turned back. "Goodbye," she whispered, and disappeared over the wall, her only friend gazing after her, wishing only for her happiness.