She watched him kneel and look into the child's eyes, one hand resting solidly on a thin sunburned shoulder. The boy fought valiantly not to quaver under the steady gaze of the city's hero, the man who had effortlessly caught him in thievery within seconds of the act.
The pouch of gold was insignificant, a fraction of the cost of their daily meals alone. Aladdin handed it back to her without turning, and she held it loosely in one palm, weighing its worth in the boy's nervous glances.
"That was the wrong thing to do," he said, voice low and stern. The child did cringe then, trembling in stunned fear. She would have spoken for him if it were not already clear what he would receive for his crime.
I have had nothing to eat for days; do you know what it feels like to starve?
My friends are counting on me for food; one of them is sick and we need the money for medicine.
I am only following my master's orders; he is a cruel man and I don't want any more scars.
This is all I know to do. How else can I live?
A stuttered apology had barely passed his lips when Aladdin's unyielding countenance broke into a smile, and there was no mistaking the compassion there, the knowledge of exactly what it was like for a child to suffer, hungry and alone.
"I've been doing this way longer than you, kid," he said as confusion spread across the boy's face. "And that was just bad form. Let me show you how it's done."
She laughed when the pouch of gold seemed to appear magically in his hand; she had hardly felt its weight leave her palm. The boy stared wide-eyed at them both, even more dumbstruck than before.
She left them alone for a while and waited outside his hovel as the two of them talked, wondering at his way of changing the hearts of children and hardened enemies alike, warmed by the steadfastness of his faith.
Her father had once questioned him about his willingness to forgive their enemies, even the most unrepentant, those who posed the greatest threats to their city, and what it would mean for the kingdom when its future sultan ruled with mercy over justice. His answer was simple, blatantly naïve in the eyes of anyone who had walked the world, but the utter conviction in his words had been enough to convince her then.
At heart, they are all like that child who wants what is not theirs. The right thing to do is to lead them to want something better, and to be ready to give it to them when they finally realize it.
