Hey all, so, I have returned for Chapter Four! Yes, it has been too long! I really appreciate all your posts and even your PMs! Along with some personal requests, this fic may take a deep twist! We shall see, all I know is that there is soon to be a reunion...
Chapter Four- Cold Feet and Weddings
The Hand of Midas, the key to all the problems man had the displeasure of facing, ever. A solid gold hand that could transform any object into solid gold, marketable for a palace of one's own, Cassim imagined. Cassim dreamed big, or so he had when he left Aladdin and his wife over a decade ago. A Greek peddler had shared the story with him when he formerly worked as a fish merchant, raising the money to aid his ill wife.
The man spun a story of King Midas and his tragedy that could become a man's destiny. The ultimate sacrifice that sucked Cassim into its shimmering web of promises and riches galore. He had arranged a group of men to journey and share in on the wealth. Hell, he'd transform the sand if he could so his men could have a better life. The Forty Thieves became his family and temporarily, he replaced Aladdin. Omar and Babkak had little info pertaining to their son. He was alive, and Cassim was grateful. A year after, Savannah entered the picture and assured Cassim's faint heart once more that Aladdin lived. He was homesick for his son. He heard no word on his wife and only prayed for her well-being.
He couldn't return to Agrabah empty handed. He had to return with the Hand of Midas, so his journey would not be in vain. Once Savannah healed, he taught her how to properly fight. Scaling walls and flirting with danger only got someone so far. Sa'luk was against training a woman entirely, attempting to convince Cassim that it was a waste of his time. The father looked down at the trio as though they were his own. They knew his son, and therefore, they meant something to him.
"I told you not to hold the sword like that!" Cassim admonished Savannah as she stood in proper form, her wrist angled incorrectly. "You will lose your hand that way!"
The young woman sighed, hair tied back, wearing Omar's clothes since his frame was rather delicate. The duo of men watched them parry and spar. Savannah had advanced from where she was originally, soft spoken and timid against larger men.
"Don't you complain, young lady. I told you to-" Rather than finishing his sentence, Cassim knocked the sword out of Savannah's hand, causing her to yelp and hold her wrist. She stared at him with widened eyes and rubbed the nearly sprained wrist tenderly.
"I told you not to hold the sword like that." Savannah heard the repeated statement and sighed, walking over to pick the sword up. "You'll get it right. I can't have you out there knowing you can't defend yourself."
"I can handle my own out there," Savannah replied.
Cassim smiled at her fierceness and determination. "Yes, against Agrabah's ignorant savages they call guards. You can outsmart them and outrun them, but, you know nothing of what lies beyond Agrabah."
"I told you Cassim, it's a waste of time to teach this kid," Sa'luk entered the room, claws freshly sharpened. Babkak and Omar kept a careful, watchful eye on the other male. "She will slow us down from what we have planned."
"Savannah has come a long way, Sa'luk. Perhaps she can spar against you," Cassim chuckled. He wouldn't allow him to put her down. "I'm quite confident she can best you."
"She is not worth my time. We must leave at sunset if we are to make it. The wedding procession is to start at sunrise. We have to time this right if we want to accomplish anything." He spat, glaring at the young woman who replied with glowering eyes of her own.
"Very well, let's begin our departure. Savannah, you will ride with Babkak and Omar."
Savannah felt the sting in Cassim's gentle words. He was disappointed in her. For the few months she had been in his hold, she had regained her strength and gained some muscle from training, however, she still couldn't hold a sword quite like a man. She sighed and nodded, turning to Babkak and Omar.
The Princess was to marry, that was the great headline from one of the other thieves. Savannah had attempted to keep to herself in regards to it. She convinced herself that Aladdin was the past. He loved Jasmine; he went to great lengths to find her, fight for her, and to keep her. While many of the others didn't know Aladdin, it hadn't affected them the way it had her.
Back in her room, she proceeded to stuff her satchel with the little weapons she did possess and tinker with. Omar sheathed his sword and stood in her doorway.
"Gotta be a little rough, huh?"
"Unrequited love is nothing new. Aladdin's my past. You, Babkak, Cassim, all you guys have been family to me. It's you who's my future," Savannah replied. "To think, I once thought about running from here. I probably would have died out there." Savannah mused aloud; Omar couldn't deny the truth in her words, though listened still.
"What will you do if you see him?"
"That's the beauty of it. I'll see him, but he won't know it's me," grinning, she covered all but her eyes with her veil, winking to Omar. "It's going to go smoothly."
Taking a seat on her bed, Omar watched Savannah pack items she thought might be useful, until he grasped hold of her wrist and forced her to look at him. "Just know if it gets to be too much, I've got your back."
She took a moment to process what he meant before her lips turned softly to a smile. "I'll give you a nudge." She couldn't assure him enough, but realized, it must have been hard to attempt to console an aching woman. Unsure of what she would do, all she knew was that she would be professional and by no means could she let Cassim down. Damn that Sa'luk, she'd be damned if he were proven right because of her feelings.
All it took was a proposal to set the gears in motion. Gathering her father's blessing was a task in itself. The battle of Jafar's return had questioned the Sultan's trust in the peasant. Aladdin had done all possible of him to prove his worth and his love for the Sultan's daughter. After Aladdin had saved them all and Genie's return, The Sultan blessed the union.
Of course the elder man wanted nothing but the best for his daughter. A street-rat couldn't provide for her. He had skill, he had passion, and he had determination, the royal would grant him that. But, what of the children? What of the children that were his kingdom? The Sultan took Aladdin's advice into consideration, to better Agrabah. He took audience with the leaders of each sector of Agrabah; north, south, east, and west. He heard their pleas and lowered the taxes, as well as opening the gates to trade. His heart swelled as his land began to thrive. All could not be saved; some still remained below their means, but better off than before.
Now, during the time of Jasmine's wedding, the people were in high spirits. Aladdin had proven to be a great character and the youth he truly sought for his daughter. Jasmine could not have been in better hands and cleaning up the boy, he passed off as a royal. People shipped wedding presents to the palace, gold, silver, trinkets; the marketplace held the aroma of spices and freshly baked bread. Despite never venturing down himself, he sent Jasmine with Aladdin to hear the voices of the people and to show they did more than bask in heavenly bliss, as Aladdin once worded it. A time that would hopefully be similar to the Golden Ages that the Sultan had read so much about. A time of his people thriving; it would be as his wife once wanted, and he felt at peace with that.
The townspeople began early in the morning to set up the procession. The streets were cleared. There would be a festive parade with livestock, confetti, banners, and dancers. It was something these people had waited a long time for. The guards began welcoming the arrivals from foreign lands that sent Jasmine such elaborate gifts of silver, gold, and jewels. Their kiosks were turned over, delicacies for sale and sample. The children dressed in festive saris, and the street rats gathered on the roofs to cackle and sneer.
Jasmine was being prepared in her bedroom, forbidden to see Aladdin for weeks to gather her ready for this wedding. It was unfair, but it was tradition. She had to be pure, yet ready for him when she reached the alter. Her thoughts were of nothing but Aladdin and the future they would hold together, the children they would raise; if they were lucky, they'd be blessed with a honeymoon baby.
"You look ravishing in white, your highness," the seamstress smiled, pins between her teeth. She uttered the words in hushed and muffled tones, but Jasmine understood regardless.
The princess smiled and nodded slowly, looking at herself in the mirror. In just a few short hours, she would be wed to the man she had chosen. She never questioned, nor did she challenge their love. It was pure and natural in every way fathomable. She knew not all women were as lucky, and so she bowed her head in silence for the women who still had to be arranged into their marriages.
"I'm finally getting married," she gushed into her reflection, her thoughts trailing back to when she went on that magic carpet ride with Aladdin. He showed her newness she had only imagined in her dreams. None of the other suitors could astound her the way Aladdin had. She let out a gentle, content sigh. Now they had an opportunity to embark on a whole new journey in a whole new world as husband and wife.
"I wish my mother could see me now," Jasmine said to herself. "I'm sure she'd love Aladdin." The seamstresses smiled up at her and continued their work.
"I can only hope I'm a good leader to Agrabah." And the princess faded to silence after that, pondering.