IF THERE BE THORNS

By Maggie Griffin



CHAPTER 7: Nothing Hurts Like....



**********



The sun had set on the second day, and night had covered the sky with a dark blue blanket. Behind the gates of a hidden kingdom, beneath the cool covers of thick green foliage, lay hidden a secret world. And in this world, two separate beings stood together from the highest point, looking down at the earth below.



"I'm sorry about earlier...," Aini murmured shyly, her eyes looking down towards the ground, tracing the patterns of the leaves with her eyes.



Arbutus turned his face to look at her. As he did, the shadows of the gazebo played across his dark features, making them appear almost ghastly. Frightening to any on-looker who would have crossed his path. But Aini felt no fear. She continued looking down, her eyes narrowed slightly in sadness.



"How many times must I say that it wasn't your fault?" Arbutus spoke softly. Though his tone was in no way spiting, Aini still winced. Arbutus sighed, and put an arm around her slender shoulders, pulling her closer to him as they stood side by side.



The action had originally been intended as one of friendly comfort, but as Aini continued to look outward sadly, Arbutus found himself becoming increasingly nervous at their proximity.



~I should have re-considered that....~ He thought with a wince.



Aini didn't seem to notice his discomfort, her hands resting gently on the railing of the gazebo.



She suddenly caught him off guard as she turned slightly, and brought her arms up, hugging him tightly, until her arms were linked around his back, and her head rested lightly on the shielded part of his chest, right below one of the first extended thorns. He was a might taller then her, so when he finally composed himself enough to lean down and return the naive affection, he had to lean down slightly. He rested his head on her hair again, reminded of the time by the bank of the waterfall.



His hold tightened unconsciously.



"You should sleep now...," he murmured suddenly, his voice coming out soft and a bit choked.



Ai pulled away then, gazing up at him with a smile and those same almond-shaped, emerald doe's-eyes.



"Okay!"



She moved away from him, lying herself down on the bed of leaves and flower petals in the centre of the gazebo, as she had done for the past two days.



"Good night Aini!" Arbutus said softly, looking down at her with a gentle smile.



"Good night Arbutus!" she answered back smiling so sweetly that it reached her eyes, and they shone in the darkness.



Arbutus stood perfectly still for the moment, simply looking at her eyes.



"Goodnight...," he whispered once more, then turned and headed out to the staircase, his robes flowing behind him as he left.



**********



"Tomorrow morning! I don't care what you say Aladdin! Unless you are ready tomorrow at dawn, I go on my own. If Arbutus thinks that sand storm Aini caused was something....he won't believe what I do to his precious garden if he's hurt a hair on her head!" Sadira spoke, anger seething in every word.



The throne room had in the last six hours, become a scene for strategic battle. Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Iago, Abu, Sadira, and the Sultan had debated their plans and strategies since that morning, rejecting each one so far.



Of course, most of Sadira's strategies had taken to the old gung-ho technique. That they should attack Arbutus magic a-blazing and come out victorious with Aini back by their side.



However, Aladdin had sided with Jasmine, and they had worked out a more-or-less workable plan. One that would hopefully not involve going all out and covering the Garden in a river of sand, right along with its creator. Getting Sadira's co operation had been a bit difficult. Particularly since Genie had sided with the Witch of the Sand, himself determined to avenge Aini if any wrong had been done to her.



They would stick with negotiating first. Knowing that once calmed, Arbutus would be easier to deal with then simply all-out attacking him. They all agreed that they didn't want to put Ai in any sort of danger.



"We're agreed then?" Jasmine asked for the final time, looking in turn at each faced that looked back at her. Most had grim expressions on their faces, but each nodded in turn.



"Then in the morning we'll go!" Aladdin spoke, Genie levitating at his side. "It should be simple enough to locate the garden, since Sadira remembers the direction the sand storm broke!"



Sadira nodded.



"We'll do the talking. But if he refuses to negotiate...," Sadira trailed off, her eyes narrowing, "or if he's hurt her...."



There was no need to voice her thoughts. Everyone knew what she was thinking.



If Arbutus had hurt Aini. Or worst.



There would be no negotiating.



**********



The night stretched out, long and always endless.



Arbutus did not sleep. Indeed, he never slept. His state of being, part of the earth, kept him eternally awake and alert. But he never tired, and never felt the need to sleep, so it didn't bother him.



He never felt all that lonely either. He had always had his children, his plants and flowers after all. But looking back, he realized that even surrounded by his creations, he had been experiencing a sort of sadness he had never really admitted to himself. Had longed for someone to talk to.



When he had taken Jasmine, she had seemed like the ideal addition to his family at first. The flower who walked and talked, and possessed a compassion no other human he had ever encountered had shown. A deeper understanding of his sorrows.



All a lie.



He had died at the tip of her lover's sword, with her looking onward.



He shook his head, trying to clear the image out of his thoughts. The more he dwelt on such past betrayals, the more his fury mounted. He had no wish to lose his temper as he had by the waterfall. No wish for a repetition of the fear he had seen in Aini's eyes.



"My spring flower....," he smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Poor...naive child."



He found himself back at the base of the gazebo, and felt a light sense of deja-vu as his fine hand reached out and touched a corner of the railing, looking upwards to where the girl slept. It was like it had been the first night.



So little time had passed, yet it seemed much longer.



He climbed the steps up, and stood in the shadows. Watching her sleep, he was able to admire her freely, comfortable and sure that she was unaware of his late-night visit. Of his eyes roaming over her peaceful face, her flowing hair....



He moved out of the darkness, and came to kneel at her side.



It was strange, this feeling inside him.



He leaned down, his face hovering over hers for a moment before his lips brushed hers gently.



Arbutus straightened himself quickly, rising to stand at his full height, breathing heavily. The laughter around him had started anew. His children had seen him, and could see inside him. Whatever they knew...indeed, whatever they understood, they kept to themselves however.



Arbutus wished he knew. Wished he understood.



He was finding it hard to breathe evenly.



Finally, he turned, and made his way quickly out of the gazebo. He was unable to stand being in Ai's sleeping presence any longer. At least not for that night.



Not if he had fallen in love with her.



**********



The next morning brought a simultaneous order of events. While Aini was awaking in her bed of flowers, smiling to greet the morning sun, Arbutus was trying his best to find some distraction for the day that would make him forget his actions the previous night. While life bloomed in the garden, it ran in chaos as in Agrabah, Aladdin and Jasmine prepared what would hopefully be a peaceful rescue mission.



Regardless of possible peace, Sadira still prepared an assortment of the most powerful spells she could find deep in her underground temple.



"Just in case...," she muttered to herself as she memorized the writings on the scrolls to perfection, confident that if the need arose, she would rise to a more then formidable offence.



They met then, at the edge of Agrabah, where the city connected to the wide desert. And onward, where far away, Arbutus' garden was hidden somewhere, along with Aini.



"Ready?" Jasmine asked each of them. Sadira and Genie nodded. Abu and Iago, who were both standing by Aladdin, also nodded in agreement.



"Alright then!" Aladdin spoke with a worried feeling clenching at his mind. "Carpet!"



The carpet flew down from the sky, where it had been circling for the last ten minutes as the group had made any last-minute final arrangements.



Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago and Abu sat themselves on it. Sadira and Genie using magic to create their own alternate methods of trasport.



Sadira riding a gust of sand, with Genie flying along side.



Carpet set off at top speed.



**********



When the sun arose the next morning, Ai couldn't find Arbutus. She called out for him, but nobody answered her calls.



Finally, she went looking for him. Searching through various parts of the garden. She had thought she would find him by the waterfall, but he was not there. After much searching, she finally found him in one of the more shrouded parts of the garden. 'His section' as compared to the brighter, more livelier parts she preferred.



"Arbutus!" She exclaimed happily, spotting him as he attempted to work another creation.



He turned to look at her as he heard he call his name, and smiled weakly.



"Good morning Ai. Sleep well?" He asked.



Aini blinked, sensing a slight edge to his voice that differed from the usual way he spoke to her. He sounded somewhat nervous.



"Fine....are you alright?" She asked, her eyes darkening with concern.



"I....," he paused, unable to continue. If he had tried to tell her he was fine, he knew he would have just been lying. "Never-mind! Aini, I have some work to do, please leave me be!" he spoke, his voice a bit harder then he had intended it.



~Gods...what am I saying?~



"A...Arbutus?"



His request had left her worried, and somewhat hurt. His tone had hardened, as though he was angry at her.



"Please go Ai! Now!" His voice rose then, before he could stop himself. Instantly, he felt disgust well inside him for taking his frustration out on her. He opened his mouth to apologize, but heard Ai turn and dart away before he had the opportunity to.



She vanished behind some flowered bushes, and Arbutus instantly made his mind up and moved to follow after her, determined to apologize for his lack of self-control.



~Why don't I just tell her? What harm could it do just to tell her?~ He wondered as he followed after her.



His pace didn't run to an all-out run until he heard her cry out in pain.



"AINI?"



His cry of concern escaped his lips in seconds, and he spotted her half-lying on the ground, holding her arm tightly. Tears had spilled down her cheeks, and her lips shivered slightly.



"Ai? Are you alright?" He asked, nearly tripping over her as he glided over to her.



"I..I...it hurts...," she murmured, looking down at her arm.



He could see the deep gash now, and blood had begun to flow over the ground and onto her clothes. He glanced to the side, seeing the slightly sharp tree branch she had caught her arm on, cutting it as she had ran by. The tree brunch was dripping slightly with blood as well. A torn piece of her cloak hung from it.



It created a rather startling affect, as though she had been attacked by some unseen force. It made Arbutus shiver to think of it.



He moaned in anger at himself.



~How could I have allowed this to happen? I'm such an...~



"I'm s..sorry. I never meant to make you m..mad. I didn't know y..you wanted to be left...a..alone!" Aini stuttered, more tears spilling over her cheeks, drowning the words she spoke.



Arbutus stared at her in shock, not believing what she had just said.



~She's hurt...bleeding because of my own callous insensitivity...and apologizing for it?~



He couldn't stand it any longer.



Arbutus knelt close to her, taking Aini by the shoulders, careful not to touch the sensitive wound. When she turned her face up slightly to look at him in a mixture of sorrow and confusion, he took the chance.



Inching forward, he pressed his mouth to her lips fully, and kissed her.



**********



The flight took half a day, much shorter then it had previously. By the time carpet arrived at the gates to the Garden, it was exhausted.



Aladdin and the rest of the group were forced to leave it outside, knowing trying to use carpet during this time would be unwise, seeing as it was liable to fall out of the sky at any given moment.



After giving Sadira one last strict lecture about using her power unless it was absolutely necessary, they proceeded inside, knowing the Garden could see them.



It was different from the last time they had been there. Somewhat fuller, the plants and flowers far more lush and green then previously. As if from the ashes of death had sprung life far more powerful then its ancestor.



They walked along side each other, mindful to their surroundings, making sure they didn't tear any leaves of step on any flowers. The Garden remained peaceful, at least for the moment. It did nothing but observe, sensing no danger from the intruders.



"Where to from here?" Aladdin asked, turning a full circle. Had carpet been able to come along he would have probably already found Ai, but so far, they had done little else but wander around aimlessly.



"Hang on Al...look!" Genie pointed upwards, and Aladdin squinted his eyes against the sun to see where he was pointing to.



"What is that?" Iago asked. "It looks like some sort of weird house!"



Indeed, rising above all other foliage around them, the structured gazebo shone in the sun, indicating the exact centre of the garden.



"I don't know about you...but I think that if we're going to find Arbutus anywhere, that's the place to start!" Genie spoke.



"It might be a bit of a long walk! So let's go!" Jasmine indicated to a small path to the side, which would lead them to their destination.



**********



Aini couldn't stop the blush that had spread around her cheeks, not that she wanted to stop what was happening.



She still half-lay on the ground, but thoughts of her very painful wound were rather lost to her at that moment. Her attention was drawn to Arbutus.



He was trying his best to mend her arm at the moment, but finding it rather difficult.



Finally, he rose, and helped her stand slowly as well.



"Come, I believe some healing herbs grow near the centre, I'll be able to mend this better there!" He spoke gently, then took her by the waist and led her towards the gazebo.



As they walked along, Ai was trying to sort out what exactly was going on. He had been angry with her...or perhaps just upset over some reason. Then he had.... She shook her head, not really able to grasp what had happened. Now as they walked side-by-side, she wondered if she had imagined the whole thing, vivid as it had been.



She remembered his hand cupping her face, then holding it still as he kissed her gently. At first, Ai had been too shocked to respond to the kiss at all, but had gradually knocked herself out of it and allowed the kiss to deepen between them.



A warm feeling resided in her chest now, and her breathing felt strange, uneven.



They arrived in the centre, just a bit off from where the gazebo stood. Arbutus concentrated on picking various plants from one corner, looking each over before he walked back to Ai, who felt too nervous to even be able to look him in the face. She was still blushing, her face flushed both from the pain, and her own embarrassment and confusion.



Arbutus kneeled down, and began to press the strange herbs around the wound. A strange liquid dribbled from the stems of each plant.



Ai cried out suddenly, jerking her arm away violently. Arbutus shot her an instant look of apology.



"THAT B..BURNS!" She cried.



Arbutus was about to apologize to her verbally, when he was interrupted from a shout that came from behind both of them.



"LET HER GO ARBUTUS!"



His eyes travelled to the source of the voice, and narrowed as he spied the same woman who he had first seen Aini with.



"You..," he hissed.



"I knew you were hurting her....I knew it!" Sadira spoke with fury, her hands forming fists at her side. Her eyes travelled over the tell-tale scene.



The small puddle of blood, the injury on Aini's arm, her teary, wide eyes. Sadira had heard her cry out in pain.



Arbutus opened his mouth to object, but was distracted as more figures entered the clearing.



Genie flew in first, clutching the bit of Ai's torn, bloody cloak that had caught on the tree. His own features were clouded in anger, misplaced though it was.



It wasn't until the last two forms entered into view that Arbutus' own eyes narrowed in hatred, and he stood over Ai protectively.



"Jasmine."



At the sound of her name uttered by the familiar voice, Jasmine's eyes met Arbutus', and she gasped in horror.



"Oh no....Sadira was right...," the princess murmured, her hand coming to rest over her lips in shock as she too, spotted the bleeding girl at the Earth Elemental's feet. "Leave her alone Arbutus!" She cried suddenly, running a few steps forward before being stopped by Aladdin, who quickly grasped her arm and pulled her back gently.



"Let her go! We're just here to get her back Arbutus....," Aladdin started.



"NO!" Sadira's anger boiled crucially at that point, and she raised her hands high up into the air. "YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET THAT MONSTER GET AWAY WITH THIS?" She screamed, her fingers curling in malice.



"WAIT SADIRA!" Ai screamed, but her cry was cut off as the earth beneath them began to rumble violently, breaking apart in jagged cracks beneath their feet.



From those tears, sand seemed to bleed to the earth above, rushing over the grass like the flow of a lake. As Sadira raised her hands in the air, the sand collected upwards at her command, creating what could have been taken for a giant hammer.



Arbutus just barely managed to dodge to the side before the hammer descended, connecting back with the ground with an explosive sound. As Sadira raised her arms once more, muttering spells under her breath, Arbutus took the opportunity and summoned his own powers. In an instant, dozens of thick vines had begun to violently wrap themselves around Sadira, choking her.



However, a powerful stream of energy and magic connected against Arbutus' vines, sending them crashing limply to the ground.



Genie flew up beside Sadira, and the two summoned their individual powers.



"STOP IT SADIRA!" Jasmine screamed, her own cry deafened in the chaotic noise.



Sadira's eyes seem to glow a strange white shade as she raised her hands in summoning once more. This time, the sand around them rose in a great tidal wave. It rose upwards until it dwarfed Arbutus' own titanic trees, going over the head of the gazebo.



Genie used his power to shoot a stream of burning energy into the wave's core, charging it until the desert sand was fiery hot.



With a scream of fury, Sadira thrust her hands downward, and the great tidal wave descended towards Arbutus.



**********



Next....well, that would be telling ^_~