Lucky Rat
Saleen swum back a stroke or two to admire her work. Armand stared at the glowing white foam, unsure what to make of it.
"Isn't it wonderful, Armand?" Saleen said in a mischievous tone. Armand tilted his head to one side, totally confused. Saleen sighed impatiently. "I'm moulding a person, look." She pointed to the vague head and shoulders at the top of the foam.
Armand hesitantly swam up to the foam, and pulled at the foam on either side, creating arms.
"Yes I know!" Saleen said, even more impatiently. "I'm getting there!"
Over in the city of Agrabah, in the beautiful marble Palace, a girl who looked roughly fifteen, was sneaking down a deserted corridor. She had black hair which if she brushed, would be long and glossy, probably able to reach halfway down her back. However, she stubbornly refused to brush her hair, as it meant sitting still for too long, so her hair was a scraggly black mess, pulled into a ponytail. Her hair was very similar to her father's, except where his had strands gently flopping into his eyes all the time, her hair was straight, and the tips ruffled and spiky.
Her eyes were like her mother's- large, and very beautiful. If she lowered her eyelashes, her eyes could appear to be very seductive, but her eyes were nearly always wide open, and matching that with her wide grin, gave the girl a wild and slightly crazed look.
Her nose, face shape and mouth were exact combinations of both her mother and father's. Her nose and face resembled her mother's, only they were more angular like her fathers. Her mouth was like her mother's, but her grin was wider and her lips thinner- like her father's.
She wore red harem trousers, and a red halter-neck top that showed her flat stomach- toned well due to her active lifestyle. On her left upper arm, the girl had a gold band, which had a small hoop on it. The girl had a chain woven through that hoop, threaded down her arm, where the other end wrapped around her wrist. Not many people knew this was her own invention- a chain which seemed magnetic to riches- once the girl pressed treasure (the literal kind, not metaphorical) against it, she could usually find some way to fasten it to the chain.
"Shut up!" Rubith hissed at the small red parrot on her shoulder.
"Look, you may be the big-shot 'round here, but there are some of us, that Rasoul wouldn't mind beheading!" Iago hissed back.
"I'll handle it." Ruby said airily. She leant her head around the corner, where a small-ish guard was guarding a door. Ruby peered at the chain on her arm. All that was hanging from it at the moment was six small amethysts. Ruby picked one off, and flicked it right down the other side of the corridor, where it bounced down the corridor, making little dinging noises as it went, naturally catching the guard's attention.
"Uh?" He muttered, plodding over to investigate. While he bent over to pick it up, Rubith crept up behind his backside, her knees bent slightly so he wouldn't see her. The guard stood upright, peering at the amethyst, before plodding over to the the door and opening it, all the while not knowing Rubith was creeping along behind him. He threw the amethyst inside and closed the door, but not before Rubith snuck in, Iago on her shoulder.
"And we enter my domain! Whoo!" Rubith clapped her hands and spun around on the spot. They were in the middle of the Palace's treasury.
Iago lunged for a jewel, but Rubith grabbed his tail and held him up, his eyes at her level. "What are you doing?" She grinned. "That one's booby-trapped.
"How do you know?" Iago retorted.
Rubith laughed. "Iago, you of all people- birds, should know that! I've been breaking in here since I was five, remember? I think I know where the traps are." She placed him on her shoulder.
Iago ducked his head so Rubith couldn't see his face- he knew something she didn't. Rubith and her twin brother Ali had only been alive a month. Prior to that, their mother, Jasmine, had only just begun to show signs of pregnancy.
The day she planned to tell her husband Aladdin, they were whisked on an adventure that started when one of Aladdin's former enemies, Mozenrath, joined forces with him after discovering that he and Aladdin were brothers, and that Mozenrath's (until recently) half-dead ex-master was bent on revenge. The day ended with Aladdin destroying Destane, but not before he cursed Jasmine's unborn children.
Rubith and Ali had been born way too early as Destane sped up their lives until they were fifteen years old to torment their father and uncle. Mozenrath had fixed the problem slightly by giving them fifteen year's worth of very simple memories of just living in the Palace and visiting the Marketplace. Aladdin and Jasmine had learned what they could about their children from their behaviour, and by subtly asking questions. It was plain that Rubith had a love for thievery, and Ali was more of a peace-keeper.
"Now, what do we want today?" Rubith picked up something orange. "Hey Iago, look!" She held up the large orange jewel- shaped like a large egg. "Cool! This'll look great in my room."
"Why do you steal all this? You never buy anything. Besides, you could just ask for anything out of here any time you want."
"Ah, my dear Iago, that would just be boring."
"But what are you doing them all?"
"Decoration for my room!" Rubith said. "These larger jewels are kept in bowls placed here and there, my bathtub it coated in tiny smooth pebbles, and the smaller ones I make into jewellery or I add to my chain. Oh- and duh. The gold I may use to buy stuff."
"Wow." Iago muttered. He flinched when Rubith spun around quickly to face him. She grinned.
"My dear Iago, what will be your order today?" Rubith said, in a shop-keeper sort of fashion. "Oh!" She mock clapped her hands to her face. "I has just the thing!"
She picked up a large gold amulet with a shortened chain, and placed it around Iago's neck. She then clasped several gold bangles around each of Iago's legs, and gave him a small brown bag, filled with coins and general loot.
Iago's jaw dropped. "The princess of Agrabah... a thief?" He muttered.
Rubith heard him. "Of course not! You can't steal from yourself! I'm basically looting my own piggy-bank."
"Big piggy-bank..." Iago said in awe.
"I know! I'm so lucky, lucky lucky lucky, whoo!" Rubith squealed, then froze. "Rasoul will be up here soon. Scat time!" She put Iago on her shoulder, scooped up a small armful of coins and ran outside- straight into her brother Ali.
"Argh!" Ali, Rubith and Iago yelped as they tumbled over.
Ali was almost the exact opposite of his sister. His hair was exactly the same as Aladdin's, and so were his eyes and mouth. His face and nose however, were the same as his mother's.
He wore deep bluey-purple trousers (which were nowhere near as poofy as his sister's- like Aladdin's white "Prince Ali" trousers) with brown, curly-toed boots tucked into them. At the top of these, he had a cummerbund with purple and light blue stripes going across it diagonally.
His shirt was light blue and loose-fitting, the neckline was wide and low enough to just about show his collar bones. The sleeves cut-off just above hi elbows, and in the centre of the neckline, there was a tiny "V" shape cut into it. Over the top of this he wore a deep blue version of Aladdin's purple waistcoat-thing.
Ali groaned and forced himself upright into a sitting position, and looked at the coins that Rubith had dropped all over his lap. He glared at Rubith, who was in a crouching position, gathering up her spoils.
"What is this? What are you doing?" He hissed, holding up a small handful of coins.
"Those are coins." Rubith said, nodding to the coins in his hands. "And I am making a quick getaway."
There was suddenly the sound of loud footsteps from the corridor behind Ali. Rubith stared over Ali's shoulder at the growing shadow that was coming up the corridor.
"A getaway that needs to be faster, bye!" She turned and fled with most of her loot, minus the gold coins Ali held, with Iago flying hastily after her.
"Hey!" Ali called, staring from Rubith's disappearing figure to the coins he held.
"Well, well..." Said a horrible voice from behind. Ali reluctantly turned to see Rasoul standing behind him. Rasoul hauled Ali roughly to his feet by one arm. "Been stealing from the treasury room again, Lucky?"
"Lucky" was Rasoul's nickname for Ali- it was short for "Lucky Rat". Firstly, it was a reference to how good Ali was at worming his way out of 'trouble' (or more correctly, his sister's trouble that Rasoul often blamed him for), and it was secondly a reference to how, despite begin of royal blood, Rasoul still believed Ali should be out on the street, due to how he looked uncannily like his father, and he was simply lucky to be born into the Palace.
"No Rasoul," Ali yanked his arm out of Rasoul's massive fist. "I didn't steal anything- I never have."
"Then what's this?" Rasoul grabbed the coins. Ali sighed.
"Rubith dropped them."
"So you're blaming the princess?"
"Yes- but only because I know you're not going to punish her." Ali said with forced calm.
"That treasure is technically hers for the taking." Rasoul pointed out.
"That makes it equally mine!" Ali said, outraged. He turned and began to walk away, but Rasoul grabbed his shoulder, wanting to aggravate him more.
"Do you know what happened whenever something bad happened around here?" Rasoul hissed, smiling. "Your cowardly father went and hid, whilst the other guards and myself fought bravely to keep the princesses and you safe- is this the thanks we get? You stealing from us?"
Ali swung around, wrenching Rasoul's hand from his shoulder. "And do you know what?" He shouted, "I don't believe you. You're nothing but a coward hiding inside your large body, afraid of everything remotely bigger than you."
Rasoul slowly reached forward and grabbed Ali's hair, lifting him off of his feet. Ali grabbed at his roots, glaring as hard as he could at Rasoul, neither of them noticing a third figure approaching.
"Is that really what you believe, Lucky Rat?" Rasoul hissed. All he could see was Aladdin's eyes glaring at him from underneath Aladdin's hair.
"My father is not a coward." Ali said, glaring back at Rasoul.
"You belong on the street with your father." Rasoul snarled.
"Rasoul!" Aladdin suddenly appeared after hearing Ali shouting, looking furious. "Put him down!"
Rasoul looked smug. "I'm afraid you can't order me around street-rat. Only royalty can. Come back when you've got one of your superiors, the princesses, and get her to request something."
"You're forgetting that you are currently holding the prince of Agrabah, who can order you around." Aladdin was shaking slightly with anger.
Rasoul pressed his forehead against Ali's. "You heard the Street-rat. Say the words." He snarled.
Ali wrinkled his nose. "Rasoul, go brush your teeth."
Rasoul through Ali to the ground and stalked away. Ali waited until Rasoul was out of sight before massaging his scalp.
"Picking a fight with Rasoul?" Aladdin sighed. Ali looked up at his father from floor height.
"No. I didn't do anything wrong."
"What was all the shouting about then?" Aladdin asked, helping Ali to his feet.
"If there's one person in the world who can make me angry, it's him." Ali groaned. "Always going on and on about how 'heroic' he was, and how 'cowardly' you were. Lies."
Aladdin nodded slowly. "Has this got anything to do with Rubith?" He asked, gesturing to the floor, which was sprinkled with the coins.
"Yep." Ali said grumpily. "Of course, Rasoul accused me of stealing. What is his problem? He always acts like he only has to protect Mother, Ruby and Sultan! I'm of royal blood too- why does he act like we are just a couple of street-rats?"
"Because I am." Aladdin said absently.
"I know you used to live on the streets, but you and Mother married, so you're technically a prince now! Even so, what about me?"
"You do look a lot like me you know."
"Not that much." Ali muttered.
Aladdin laughed. "There's no point getting worked up over it, just ignore that moron." Aladdin playfully grabbed Ali and gave him a noogie.
