"Answer quickly, boy," he growled in a low voice.

Three men all of them looked like they meant business surrounded Rumpelstiltskin as he lay on the floor of a building where he was just saved by them from sultan Jafar's guards. He gulped, knowing he had to think fast.

"I've come to put a stop to Jafar?" he said uncertainly.

There was an awkward silence that lasted for several seconds. The three men were quite surprised by his answer and he could tell that they were trying hard not to burst out laughing. But the man in front of him robed in blue slightly raised his dagger from Rumpelstiltskin's throat.

"And just how, precisely, do you plan on accomplishing that?" he asked.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to say that he wasn't sure but shut it quickly as he realized that would probably prompt him to being thrown unceremoniously back to the guards. So he thought long and hard. Finally, he spoke up again.

"I know that Jafar has stolen gold and valuables from the surrounding lands and has them sent to his palace. I was thinking of hiding somehow getting into something made of gold and taken in."

He held his breath as he watched the faces between the three men but they were as still as stone. Finally, the leader stood up and sheathed his dagger. The other men also relaxed, though slightly.

"What a coincidence, boy," he said. "For we had the same thought."

Rumpelstiltskin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I can help you."

"Perhaps," said the man slowly. "The question is can we trust you?"

"Can I trust you?" Rumpelstiltskin countered.

"Hmm, so we both have trust issues," said the man. He was silent for a moment before lowering his kerchief and pulling back his hood to reveal a man in his late forties with black hair, graying goatee, brown eyes, and fair skin. The corners of his mouth twitched in a slight smirk.

"I guess we can set that aside by telling our names. I am Cassim, the King of the Forty Thieves."

Rumpeltstiltskin stood up to see that he could look at him straight in the eye.

"I am Rumpelstiltskin."

"Funny name."

"So I've been told."

"Are you from up north?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Cassim said gently. "That people of your race are usually found in the lands up north especially in the major cities of London and Paris and the kingdoms surrounding those lands."

Rumpelstiltskin thought about this. "Perhaps. I have no memory other than I was found in the jungle only a few days ago."

"I see."

There was another awkward silence between the men. Then Cassim turned to his cohorts.

"Go back to your positions and tell everyone that we have an ally."

"Are you sure he can be trusted?" asked the one with the claws.

"Don't worry, Sa'luk. I'll find out."

Sa'luk gave Rumpelstiltskin a hard look and then exited the room with the larger thief.

Cassim turned back to Rumpelstiltskin. "Come with me."

They traveled up to the roof to find the sun already in the middle of the sky. Cassim had pulled his hood and kerchief over his face and proceeded to make his way remarkably swiftly across the rooftops. His reflexes were precise for before someone would look out of a window or look up from the streets, he would be out of sight and still for a few seconds, and then proceeded as if nothing had happened. They made their way across Agrabah without any hassle and Rumpelstiltskin found himself in an abandoned building with an open wall that had a full view of the city especially the palace.

"Sorry about the mess," apologized Cassim. "Normally only I go up here."

Rumpeltstiltskin looked around to see a few old, dusty rugs on the floor, blankets hanging from the ceiling, a few scatter jars and vases, and even a few lamps.

"Well, at least the view is good," he said hoping to lighten the mood.

The king of the forty thieves sighed at the sight of the palace and leaned against the wall. After a few seconds he spoke, "What I'm about to tell you is something that I've told nobody else. It's a secret that I've been keeping for a long time." He turned to face Rumpelstiltskin. "My son was going to marry the princess of the sultan. I had not known this at the time so we had a plan to…crash the party. Then Jafar had arrived on their wedding day, and using sorcery, had taken control that very day. A strange undead army had the sultan's guards trapped and there was chaos everywhere. I had never seen anything like it. We had to put a hold on our plan. Then, as the army left, Jafar had taken over as sultan and forced the guards to pledge their loyalty to him. Over the many weeks and months that he has been as sultan, he has amassed a vast amount of gold. Also during that time, we had to hide inside of the city because he had set up many barriers around Agrabah to stop anyone from entering or leaving without permission. I found this place along with the dagger." He took it out and held it in his hand. "I had given this dagger to my wife when my son was still a child. I told her to give it to him when she thought that he was ready. When I found it, I knew that my son was somewhere in the city. After a long time of searching I heard that it was he that was marrying the princess on the wedding day." He looked back at the palace with a wistful look on his face. "But none of that matters now that my son is imprisoned inside the very palace that he was going to live in along with his bride."

"There is something else in that palace as well. Something that I have told my men about; there is a magic lamp somewhere in the palace. This lamp has a genie trapped inside of it that will grant any three wishes to its master. I've told my men that that is the main goal for the raid. To find the lamp. With that we will be rich men."

"So my job will be to find this lamp will the rest of the thieves make off with whatever treasure that Jafar has stockpiled?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.

Cassim shrugged his shoulders. "It's up to you. I don't like having to keep my men in the dark. There is honor among thieves, you know."

"Don't worry. I'll do it," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "However, there is one, tiny, little detail: that being that only gold goes into the palace."

Cassim smiled. "Don't worry. I've thought of that as well." He walked to the middle of the room and rolled the rug over to reveal a small hole that was big enough to hold a small box. Opening it Rumpelstiltskin gasped. What would've been a rag before there was instead a cloth of gold wrapped around something with a handle. Carefully, Cassim unwrapped the cloth to reveal a golden hand.

"Behold the Hand of Midas. One touch will turn anything into gold."

Rumpelstiltskin had to take a few seconds to find his voice. "Why didn't you use that to retire from thieving?"

Cassim wrapped the hand back up with the cloth and set it back into the chest but didn't put it into the hole. "How long do you think that we would've been able to keep our gold? I have heard that there is evil spreading across the lands, unstopped, unchallenged. Jafar's coup was only one of many that had happened across the world. Kingdoms have fallen under curses, the armies of the dead have devastated any armies that challenged them, large numbers of people have been imprisoned, and the seas can no longer be used for trade. Roads are being watched on and travelers are searched at random by monsters, goblins, and men."

Rumpelstiltskin let that sink in. So it wasn't just here but everywhere that kingdoms have been taken over by villains.

"Then I guess it's time to fight back," he said thoughtfully. "Starting here."

Cassim stared at him and then a smile grew on his face. "I knew the reason why I brought you here. You have a free spirit like my own. Like my son's."

Rumpelstiltskin walked up to him and held out his hand. "Then let's go free him for I have a plan."