Little Blue Spy

Alibaba knew stomping around the halls of the palace wasn't something that royalty was supposed to do. But he was feeling very frustrated that day.

"How dare you speak at my meeting!" Ahbmad had said. "You are not a king, you are just a prince! Do you honestly think you can do a better job at ruling than me?" Alibaba had kept his mouth shut while his older brother had yelled at him, and Sahbmad had cowered at his brother's side.

Luckily there had been none of the servants or other members of royal families to witness his embarrassment. On the other hand, that meant Ahbmad was allowed to be as mad as he wanted to be. "I didn't mean to undermine your authority Ahbmad," Alibaba replied. "I was just saying what came to mind,"

"Keep your opinions to yourself next time," Ahbmad hissed at him. Sahbmad shivered, pressing against the far wall as if he could melt into it and never return. "Just because father made me promise to bring you to the meetings made by the twelve before he passed doesn't mean I want to. You may like to think you're better than the citizens, but you don't belong in the presence of the twelve any more than the rodents that you used to live with." From behind his flaming mask his sheepish face hardened.

"Rodents?" he growled. "What is that supposed to mean. Sahbmad whimpered and edged towards the door.

His brother wasn't able to catch the mood so quickly. "You know what I mean. Those rodents you used to live with? The kids in the street, you obviously, and that mother of yours,"

That was when Alibaba punched his king in the face.

Okay. So Alibaba may have stomping around not just out of anger, but to also find a quicker way to get away from his brother. As soon as he woke up, he'd been screaming bloody murder loud enough for the entire country to hear him. The only reason Alibaba had gotten away in one piece was because Sahbmad was able to distract his brother with the idea of having an exquisite banquet. At the moment he was running around the basement looking for something to do until he thought it was safe to head back upstairs.

Alibaba remembered his life in the slums very well. Maybe it was because of his past that he was able to think about how the citizens would. He remembered looking up to the twelve like idols, everyone whispering secrets and stories about them, no one having an idea if they were true. His friends and him used to make masks and pretend to be knights of the twelve, running around and going on amazing adventures that had to be kept secret because they were to dark and dangerous for their people to know. (Aka, their parents.) He used to think that they could do anything.

Until he became one.

He remembered the golden mask that completely covered his father's face. He remembered his surprise when his father had taken off his mask in private, the first time anyone had ever taken off their mask in front of Alibaba. He remembered his mother's delicate blue mask that had been torn in half after his father's advisors decided not to tell the queen about his affair. And he remembered his father giving him his mask, and the first time he had put it on. And he remembered the realization that the idols he'd looked up to were just as lost and confused as the people he'd grown up with. Just as human.

A lot had changed after that.

It took his a while to find a place he thought he would be safe. A pantry. At least there was some fruit in there. If Sahbmad really did have to throw their king a party, Alibaba didn't think he was going to be invited. Glancing around, he saw that only a few guards with the plain full, black and white masks were around. He could deal with them judging him if it meant he got to keep his life. Slipping through the door he jumped in and hurried to slam it shut behind him. With a long sigh he slid against the door and onto the floor. Great. What was he going to do? Slowly he opened his eyes to see his entertainment for the next few hours.

A boy was covered in watermelon juice, munching on a slice as he stared at Alibaba happily.

Alibaba blinked. Then he blinked again. Nothing happened except for his blinking and the two of them stared at each other. Until the boy smiled.

"HI!"

"Gah!" Alibaba scrambled to his feet as the boy munched on his food innocently and happily. "W-what are you doing down here? You can't be down here, who are you supposed to be?" The boy just watched him, his blue eyes watching his every movement like a hawk. A very suspicious little hawk.

"Well you're down here," The boy reasoned. "Be careful, your mask is coming loose." With a jolt Alibaba hurried to cover his face, only to find his mask was set perfectly. Of course it was, they applied it with magic just that morning. They never came off. "That's a cool mask mister," he admired. "It looks like fire. Mine just looks like a sea monster."

It did. Kind of. Alibaba had never seen a mask like his, and he knew for certain that it didn't belong to any of the countries of the twelve. It was shaped like a sea monster, covering his whole face. It even had a mouth with pointed teeth and large scales in the design. However, it had a bright yellow circle on the forehead. It looked just like the design on his metal vessel. No one had dared to replicate it before. The colour was bright blue, like the sky. Outlines around the fins, eyes and edges were pure white. It reminded Alibaba of the reflection of the sky on the sea monster as it was breaking the surface of the ocean.

"Who are you?" Alibaba demanded. "Which country are you from?" Again, the boy didn't respond. He took another bite of the watermelon. "A-And stop eating all of that food! It's not yours!" Stomping over to the boy he snatched it out of his hands.

He yelped. "Hey! Give that back! I'm hungry!" Alibaba grinned as the boy jumped to try and get his food. The watermelon was far out of his reach, since Alibaba was more than a head taller than him.

"Not until you tell me what you are doing here," Alibaba demanded. "Who are you? Are you a prince? A son of one of the twelve?" They'd been told earlier that the country from the north wasn't coming, but the boy's hair was about the same colour? Maybe a little darker? And Alibaba had never seen them put it in a braid before.

"I'm not a son of the twelve," The boy huffed as he crossed his arms. "My name is Aladdin."

"Well Aladdin, what are you doing here? There's more food upstairs if you want." Alibaba wasn't sure why he offered more. The child looked like he ate enough for a person twice his size.

"No!" Aladdin jumped, making Alibaba jumped. "I can't go up there! I have to talk to you!"

Alibaba rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure you are. And ask me what, how much food you can eat without anyone noticing? I think you've passed that line," Alibaba gestured to the leftover mess he'd made.

The young kid shook his head at him. "No, this is serious! I've been looking for you Alibaba, and I need to talk to you!" He hesitated to glance back at the food. "When I was looking around I started down here and I…well…It all looked so good and no one else was eating it." He supposed that the boy was trying to be funny. Maybe.

Instead, Alibaba froze. "How do you know my name?" The boy glanced up at him. He was calm, composed, with an innocent smile on his face. Alibaba was stressed from his fight, lost from trying to find a place to hide, and shocked that the strange kid who Alibaba had never seen before. The Twelve prided themselves on secrecy. Everyone had to be known by several members from both countries. Alibaba had never seen him before. It had been nearly three years since he'd seen someone with a mask they didn't know. No one got through their defences. NO one. "…Who are you?"

"I told you," he replied with a smile. "I'm Aladdin, and you are Alibaba, third prince to the line of the throne of Balbaad. Your mother was from the slums, but your father loved her and took you in after she died." Alibaba tensed. Someone knew that much? No one was supposed to know that much about him.

As he stepped back the boy continued. "Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, just please listen. Bad things are happening in the ranks of the twelve, bad things. I just want to help, but I can't do it without you!"

That had to be a joke. The watermelon in his hands was forgotten, fell to the ground with a splash. "Without me?" Aladdin nodded earnestly.

"Haven't you noticed weird things are happening lately? Hundreds of years of peace, and suddenly the council is debating war? A mask that should be invincible to any human material is broken in two? What about the suspicious rumors going through the twelve? Or the dangerous 'accident's' that have cause problems for all members? You know that the twelve prides themselves in knowing absolutely everything that is going on in all the countries and making sure that no one else knows what they can do. But there are things going on that they don't know about. How is that possible?" Alibaba hoped he hadn't heard him right. That was classified. Only members of the royal family were allowed to know that much detail.

"How do you know so much about the twelve?"

Aladdin shook his head, trying to get back on topic. "That's not important. What is important is that something is coming. Bad things. And I need your help to stop them before they get started. They won't stop until they get exactly what they want." Who? Alibaba wanted to ask who would get exactly what they wanted, but quickly shut his mouth. The boy knew a lot. If he knew so much, that meant Alibaba wasn't the one to deal with him. That kind of information went straight to the council.

"Look, if you think this information is so important, than you shouldn't be talking to me. Let's go find my brother, he'll be able to call a meeting and-"

"No!" Aladdin grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks. "I don't want to talk to the council! You should know that they are hiding something, everyone one of them! I don't know who I can trust in that circle. You are the only one I know is truly a good person."

"Me?"

"You!" Aladdin repeated. "You are the one who should be king, not your brother. I need to make you a king!" That was enough. Actually, those weren't the first words that crossed through Alibaba's mind when he heard that. Other than the thoughts of treason and the fact that he still didn't know who the boy was, another thought surfaced quicker. And that one he said out loud.

"Are you crazy?" Alibaba shrieked. "Y-you can't just talk about stuff like that here! If my brother heard you- or if anyone heard you…"

Then there was knocking on the door.

Alibaba let out a shriek that only bats could hear. Aladdin tensed, and they both swung around to see the door. Their hearts drummed in their chests as they waited for another.

After a moment, there was another knock. "Prince Alibaba? Are you in there? I'd like to speak to you." In an instant Alibaba felt so relieved that he wanted to cry.

"K-King Sinbad!" Alibaba shouted back. "I-I'll be out in a minute." Turning to the boy he ordered. "Stay here. King Sinbad will want to talk to you." But when he saw him, Aladdin was shaking his head fervently.

"No, not him!" Aladdin begged. "Don't trust him, he's hiding too many secrets!"

Of course, Alibaba didn't listen. Pulling away he hurried to the door and swung it open. King Sinbad stood at the door, hand outstretched to knock again. For the first time that Alibaba had ever seen, he didn't have any advisors. With him. His eyes widened behind his mask, but the confidence never left his features. At least the features that Alibaba could see. He'd only seen him without his mask once, and that was when his father had asked him to show Alibaba as a personal favour. Apparently even Alibaba's older brothers hadn't seen Sinbad's real face, and only a few members of the council had.

Unfortunately, Alibaba hadn't spoken to Sinbad since then.

Until, well, now.

"Hi. Prince Alibaba, was it?" Alibaba's eyes widened. He didn't think Sinbad knew his name.

"Y-Yeah, that's me. I'm Rashid's son…B-but of course you knew that, right. I'm Alibaba!" Sinbad blinked again while Alibaba prayed that the world would open up and swallow him whole.

"Yes, I know you. I guessed you had come down here after running away from your brother." Inwardly Alibaba cringed. Again. He wondered if it was possible for his insides would eventually shrivel up from embarrassment then he could literally die of shame.

"You…You heard that?"

His head tilted to the side as he gave him a sympathetic smile. It was the most genuine expression Alibaba had seen in a long time. Somehow Sinbad was always an easy man to open up to, even if you hardly knew him. "I don't think I was the only one either." Glancing back he asked, "Who are you talking to?"

At least the distraction helped him forget his shame momentarily. "Oh, right. You've got to meet," But when he turned to introduce him to Aladdin, the young boy had disappeared. His eyes widened when he saw he was completely alone. "The…The boy…Aladdin, he was here…" But he wasn't there. No one was there. All that was left was the mess of watermelons on the ground.

"The…Aladdin was here…" He turned to Sinbad who was giving him a strange look. "Uh...This looks really bad, doesn't it?" For a moment he just looked at Alibaba like he was crazy. Great.

But after a moment, the feeling passed. "I've gone through way to many things to be able to judge anything as crazy anymore." He took a step back so Alibaba could walk out. With another suspicious glance backwards, Alibaba left the pantry and his worries behind so he could instead dwell in the happiness that he was speaking to the only member of the twelve who had remained his idol through his entry to the group. "Anyway, are you busy? I'd like to talk to you.

Why does everyone want to talk to me today, Alibaba groaned inwardly. "Sure King Sinbad. What do you want to talk about?"

Sinbad led Alibaba through the halls back to the main floor of the palace. While Alibaba was worried he would run into his brother, he knew he wouldn't bother him if Sinbad was with him. As they walked through the halls they ignored the workers who made sure not to make eye contact. The servants knew better than to try and talk to any royalty they knew personally. "To be honest, I wanted to discuss what you said earlier today in the meeting."

"Oh, did you want me to get my brother?"

"No," Sinbad shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about it. Your father told me how you used to live outside of the palace." Alibaba's joy ticked back a bit. He hadn't realized that his father had told Sinbad that much about him. He'd know they were close, but not that close.

"Yes, I did," he mumbled.

"Don't get depressed, I wasn't trying to insult you. I just meant you are one of the only ones who really knows about what life is like outside of the palace. I wanted to know if you believe that what the council decided to do would work." Alibaba decided not to mention that he hadn't actually been listening that much near the end. They'd continued talking about different ideas to get closer to the public. In truth he'd thought it was weird. Back at home if people wanted to get closer to others, they'd just talked to them. IN the palace, that wasn't an option. Why did their lives have to be so complicated?

"Well…We'll definitely have to find a way that more people from the twelve can be connected to the citizens. And not just say that they are, but actually get close on personal levels. What Titus suggested was good, but it's not going to do very good for too long. Now, but it's not a long term solution." After a moment of silence Alibaba asked, "What did they end up considering?"

Sinbad shrugged carelessly. "A few things. No one was really paying much attention. I don't think anyone's heart is really in it. They were considering holding more open parties with the citizens and royal parties, some kind of events where it's required for the royal members to come. I think someone suggested each member of the twelve would have to spend a year in the city? That was scrapped quickly, since it would reveal the person's identity."

With a long sigh Sinbad continued, but with a softer tone than the one he had before. "I hope you don't mind me saying this Alibaba, but I do miss king Rashid. He tried the hardest to get close to the public, even when it wasn't necessary. He wanted to be a man of the people…Always did…" Alibaba thought he noted something regretful in Sinbad's tone. When he offered no explanation however, Alibaba didn't question him.

"He even had a relationship with someone outside of the royal house," Alibaba muttered. "Maybe we can get one of the twelve to marry someone from the outside."

The idea made Sinbad throw his head back and laugh. "That sounds like something I'd like to see. Who do you think it would be?" Alibaba laughed, any worry he had dying away. It was so easy to relax around Sinbad, so easy to let your worries go. He doubted Sinbad had any problems with the public in his country. Even if they hardly knew him, who wouldn't want to follow him? He was amazing!

"Maybe Mira? She already has multiple husbands, right?" Sinbad snickered at the idea of someone trying to convince that women to marry someone she didn't want to. He pitied the poor soul who proposed the idea.

"Doubtful. How about that brother of yours? Are you hoping to get anymore family members lately?" Alibaba cringed at the thought of his brother marrying someone he would have considered 'less than worthy to sit in his presence.' The poor girl would be safer trying to conquer a dungeon.

Rolling his eyes Alibaba said, "I've already had enough surprise family members in the last few years. Since we're on the topic, what about you? Do you think you'd be willing to marry for the sake of the war?" Sinbad paused for a moment to think about what Alibaba had said. As he paused, Alibaba realized how silly his option had been. "Oh, I suppose that would be ridiculous. I mean, there is the prophecies to worry about."

Sinbad chuckled. "The scrolls of Solomon? Excuse me for doubting the validity of those things." With a quick look to the sky he saw that the sun was starting to set. "I suppose I should head back. Jafar won't be happy if I don't get any paperwork done today." Jafar. Was that the man with white hair, or was it another servant that was in his party?

Either way, Alibaba didn't want to stand in his way. "O-of course. It was very nice talking to you." Unsure of himself, he offered his hand.

Sinbad shook it without question. "It was my pleasure. If you ever need a friend in this crazy place, I'm more than willing." Alibaba felt like his brain was going to burst out of his head and hug Sinbad himself. The legendary Sinbad was saying he wanted to be friends with him?

"Yes! Yes, of course, I'd love to!" The two of them parted ways, Alibaba naively joyful at the new development in his life.

Sinbad walked away satisfied with having gained another useful ally.