Disclaimer: I do not own Malcho, or any of the original Aladdin characters or settings included in this story. I do own my own original character Tala.

Special Thanks: Credit to my wonderful beta reader, Eternal Sidekick, formally known as Brisco County Jr., who helped me with this chapter.


Chapter 9

And then she lost her train of thought as her eyes focused on the girl sitting on the fountains edge.

She's beautiful.

The thought came unbidden to the forefront of Tala's mind, a soft whisper of amazement.

The girl, hearing her approach, turned around to look at her fully, and Tala let out a small gasp of astonishment as she saw her properly for the first time. Most of the women Tala had known in her life, herself included, had rough, tanned skin, calloused hands, muscled arms, and wind swept hair. These were all traits earned from the hard manual labor necessary for survival. This woman had none of these attributes, granting her a stunning flawlessness that Tala had never seen before. Her tanned skin was immaculate, with no signs of scars or blemishes. Her thick, glossy black hair was swept back in bunches, her almond shaped eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and she had curves like an hourglass. Her rich blue clothes hugged her in all the right places, only adding to her beauty, and Tala realized her outfit probably cost more then her entire village, excluding the large sapphire resting on her head and the huge chunks of gold on her ears and neck.

Although her beauty was incredible, it wasn't just her physical appearance that caught Tala's attention. Her large eyes seemed exceptionally warm and gentle, and all her movements were graceful and dignified. There was no doubt in her mind that this woman had to be the Princess Jasmine. Only royalty could look like that.

Tala had never really paid much attention to her own appearance, beyond making sure she was acceptably clean and tidy. Growing up working in fields and then spending a year on the run meant that practicality always took priority over fashion and beauty. However, as she looked at the Princess she suddenly found herself feeling very small, plain, and unkempt. She was glad she'd changed into her new clothes, but desperately wished she had a brush and mirror-

-And curves, she added, a sudden strange flash of envy crossing her mind as she compared the princesses sculpted form to her own flat figure.

Shaking her head to dislodge the odd thought, Tala's mind raced to think of what to say to the royal sat in front of her. For her own part, Jasmine was studying Tala warily, trying to determine whether she was a threat or not. However as Carpet landed beside the girl she relaxed slightly, knowing the rug would never consciously lead someone dangerous to her.

"Carpet? Who is this?" She asked, standing and taking a few steps forward. Carpet turned to Tala and made a motion for her to move forward and talk. She swallowed, her mind slow and uncooperative as she tried to think of what to do. She knew girls were supposed to curtsey in front of royalty, but had no idea how exactly you were supposed to fold your legs to achieve this effect. She instead opted for a deep bow and a flustered sentence.

"M-My name is Tala, your majesty. I'm very sorry for coming to see you like this unbidden, but…but-"

A wave of fear suddenly hit her and it everything she wanted to say came tumbling out in one big nervous rush.

"My village is in trouble! A warlord is holding my entire village hostage, and he's trying to start a massive war! I escaped and have been trying to get help, but I'm being pursued by the warlord's men! I've heard tales about how you and Aladdin have helped many people on my travels, so I hoped you would help me, too, but I knew the guards wouldn't let a poor girl like me in, so I snuck in at night and then Carpet found me an-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The princess cried, raising her hands for silence as Tala gasped for breath, having strung that last bit together in one long garbled sentence.

"Calm down," she said gently, walking over, and, to Tala's amazement, actually laying a hand on her shoulder. Was royalty supposed to do that? Would she be punished for touching the princess?

"Now, take a breath," Jasmine said, leading the still startled Tala gently over to the fountain and sitting her down on its edge.

"It sounds like you've been through a lot, and I'm sure Carpet wouldn't have brought you here if you were a threat." She smiled at the rug in question, who was hovering nearby, listening in. "Why don't you start from the beginning, and tell me everything, slowly."

Tala was shocked, and stared open mouthed at the Princess, gaping like a fish out of water. Of all the reactions she had been bracing herself for, she had not been expecting that. After all the worry, the anticipation, the fear…she felt like she would melt in relief at the kindness and compassion she was being shown. She had been expecting the worse, that she wouldn't be listened to, or be punished before she could speak. But she was going to be given a chance! Overwhelmed, she couldn't hold back a small sob, clutching at the hem of her shirt as she sought to control herself.

"S-Sorry. I just…I've been running for so long, I thought I might not even get to sp-speak-"

"It's alright." Jasmine said softly "The least I can do is listen to you after you came all this way."

Tala sniffled, ashamed at herself for acting this way. She thought of how Malcho conducted himself with such royal bearing, of how confident and in control he always seemed. He would be ashamed if he could see my behavior, she thought, and pulled herself together, straightening and forcing herself to look the princess in the eye as she spoke.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now," Jasmine said gently, "Tell me everything."

And so, not believing her fortune, Tala did.


While Tala talked, Malcho was not idle. After Tala had left, he had moved from their hiding place, scenting and searching until he located the feathered menace and the boy eating on a terrace in the morning sun. If it were not for the presence of the Genie accompanying them, Malcho would have attacked them then and there, but common sense kept him at bay. He had witnessed the Genie's mystical powers first hand in his first encounter with the bird, and although every fiber of his being wanted to throw caution to the wind and lunge for the two who were the cause of all his misery, he knew to be so would be suicidal. He had to either wait for the Genie to leave, or lure them both away.

As he waited and watched, his mind wandered. How much time will Tala need? If he waited too long, he ran the risk of being spotted, or Tala coming to find him, which would ruin his plan of keeping her from being associated with him. On the other hand, if he didn't give her enough time, she might not get a chance to speak her piece at all. It had already been some time since they separated, but, bearing in mind she would need time to locate one of the royals, he could afford to give a little longer before he attacked.

Malcho was glad he was an accomplished predator, or he did not think he would have the patience and self-restraint to wait while he watched his quarry, so tantalizingly close. He seethed as he lay still and watched them, each laugh, each smile, a jab to his pride.

Eventually the group went inside, and Malcho cursed as he lost sight of them. He couldn't go inside the palace to find them. He'd be spotted, and so, he was stuck.

He was planning his next move when, against all odds, the bird, the boy and the Genie appeared on the lawn, right in front of him! He couldn't believe his luck! They seemed to be setting up what looked like some kind of game with a bat and ball, and the Genie was explaining the rules to an amused looking Aladdin, and a complaining Iago.

"Come on, Iago," Aladdin said encouragingly, "This will be a fun way to pass the time!"

"Yeah! Fun!" The Genie said, appearing next to the bird in a puff of smoke "You do remember fun, don't you Iago?"

"I don't do fun." Iago spat, huffing and crossing his wings. Oh how Malcho wished he could smack that insolent bird.

His companions, seemingly used to his moods, just rolled their eyes and ignored him, and started the game on their own as the bird moved to the side.

"It's a shame Jasmine couldn't join us" Genie commented, tossing the ball lazily from one hand to the other.

"Well, she has royal duties, especially with the Sultan out visiting the other rulers of the seven deserts," Aladdin said, "It can't be helped."

The Sultan was out? Malcho pondered, a smirk gliding over his face. Well, that would certainly make things easier for him.

"Ah, well, alright, here we go!" Genie said and threw the ball at Aladdin. Aladdin swung the bat, and with his good reflexes, hit it on his first attempt.

"Catch it, Iago! Catch it!" Genie called, as the ball flew in Iago's direction. The bird had been ignoring them, but as he glanced up and saw the ball hurting towards him, he jumped up with a scream and started flapping away as fast as possible. Malcho grinned in glee as the ball flew through the air, slamming into Iago's retreating form and sending the bird careening forward into a tree.

Iago coughed and wheezed as he collapsed, winded, onto the ground

"This is why, I DON'T DO FUN!" he yelled, as Genie picked him up and dusted him off.

"I'm sorry, Iago. Heh, guess I've got good aim though, huh?" Aladdin grinned roguishly.

"Well good for you! Feel free to use the bird for target practice, I don't mind or anything! It's not like I-AAAAAAAHHHHHH! SNAKE!"

Malcho froze, every muscle tensing as he prepared for a fight. How could he have been spotted? He'd hidden himself so well! There was no way the bird should be able to see him from this distance! Wait-hold on. They weren't looking in his direction. What was going on?

"Iago, it's just a little vine snake. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone." Aladdin said with a shake of his head. Malcho relaxed slightly as he saw a small thin snake on the ground near where Iago fell.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a bird, and snakes eat birds!"

"Oh, calm down!" Genie said, carefully picking up the snake "I'll take this little guy somewhere he won't get trodden on." And he flew off quickly, leaving Malcho alone with the bird and the boy. He couldn't believe his luck! Now he could-

"Gee, Iago" Aladdin laughed "The way you screamed, you would have thought it was Malcho trying to eat you, not a little vine snake."

Malcho tensed. He had been preparing to strike, but was caught of guard by the sudden mention of his own name. Obviously, he had made a lasting impression on the group, which made him feel rather smug. Of course, who wouldn't remember meeting such a powerful and awe-inspiring being as himself? Curious as to what else they would have to say about him, he delayed his attack so he could listen in on them.

"Don't mention that snake!" Iago screeched. "He was terrifying!"

Malcho grinned, sadistically glad that his mere name inspired so much terror in the bird.

"Iago, relax. Malcho's safe and sound, locked up in a volcano. He can't hurt you." Aladdin replied.

"Yeah, yeah-that's right!" Iago's cowardice was swiftly replaced with smug, overbearing confidence, now secure in the knowledge Malcho was not an active threat. "That snake, what was so tough about him anyway, I beat him all by myself."

Malcho felt himself twitch. What?

"Yes, Iago, we all know how brave you were." Aladdin said, in a placating tone.

"Yeah, I mean, come on, that guy? All words, no power. One word from me and he was doing whatever I told him to! He was all 'how do you propose we get rid of them?' I had him eating from my palm!"

Malcho seethed in the bushes.

"Yeah, well, I was the one who captured him in the end, Iago. You spent all that time running and hiding!" Aladdin chuckled, nudging the bird.

"Ah, well, you only got him 'cause I softened him up for you. He was still defrosting from my ice treatment." Iago said, now in his stride as he bragged away with ease.

The taunts were becoming too much. Malcho wanted more then anything else to attack that bird, to silence his mouth and make him take it all back. To force him to see how truly weak and pathetic he was before him. He knew Iago was only speaking bravely because he thought he was safe, and even though he knew this, he still wanted to shove all those words back down his throat. He held himself back against his own instincts, knowing if he charged in recklessly while he was angry, he would ruin his whole plan. Although he knew he was doing the logical thing, it was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to just lunge-he'd already waited so long.

"Oh, how I will crush you." Malcho whispered, clenching a wing into a fist.

"Calm down, Iago. Malcho was tough, you know that." Aladdin said, trying to calm the bird down.

"Oh, how was he tough? Jafar, now he was a respectable villain, properly schemed and manipulated everyone around him, but Malcho? Hah! He wasn't smart enough to control the rainforest, or handle the power of the talisman, and that's why he got his scaly tail kicked by a bird not even half his size! Really, he was pathetic. He didn't have the brains to control everything-so he used his size. It's amateurs like him that give the proper villains a bad name."

What. Did. He. Just. SAY?!

"Iago…"

"No really, Aladdin, take my word for it. He was weak.".

Malcho's fragile self-restraint went out the window as his mind reeled in maddened outrage. With just that one word, all the doubt and self-reproach Tala had drawn from him during their time together crumbled and burned under a maelstrom of anger and hatred. There were no words to describe the incredible rage that engulfed Malcho. It blinded his mind to everything but his target, focusing all his power with deadly precision. His rational mind was overwhelmed, and he willingly let it disappear underneath a sea of incensed fury as he finally gave into his urges and let primal rage take over. He was lost in a blur of movement and wrath, a being of fire and vengeance and he unleashed an unearthly bellow and lunged towards his victim.

Iago didn't even have time to scream.


As Tala finished her tale, having shown off some of her abilities (controlling the water in the fountain) in an attempt to prove her honesty, she waited with baited breath for the judgment of the princess.

"You've been through so much" Jasmine said quietly after a few minutes "I can't imagine how hard it's been on you…all alone, separated from your family and running for your life, you must have been so scared."

Carpet flew over, nodding along with the Princess in agreement.

"Thank you for your consideration, your majesty" Tala fidgeted "But really, I just want to make sure my village, my family, and all those under the warlord's thumb are safe. I don't want to become a weapon in his war."

"Of course, you don't." Jasmine said, sounding angry, not at Tala, but at the man whom had subjected her to this. "I will talk to my father about this as soon as he returns. I'm sure there is something we can do to help. And don't worry about the men after you. You'll be safe in the palace."

"Really? You'll help?" Tala couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Do you really mean it? Oh thank you, Princess! Thank you!" she gasped, shaking with happiness and relief. Finally, her quest was over! She could save them! She could end this nightmare!

"I'll do anything, honestly, just please help me save them!" There were tears in her eyes as she fell to the ground, bowing low in gratefulness. Almost instantly, Jasmine was kneeling beside her, pulling her up from the ground.

"You don't have to do that, Tala, please." She said as she pulled the shivering girl back onto the fountains edge. "It will be alright now. We'll help you."

Tala felt her mind flash back to the other night, to Malcho. He had comforted her just like this, promised her the exact same thing. Against her will, moved by a combination of the memory of Malcho's support, the Princesses kindness, everything she'd suffered to get this far, and sheer relief as she felt a huge weight start to lift of her shoulders, she broke down in sobs. The Princess put her arms around her, embracing her softly as she wept, and Tala cried harder, in awe of the compassion of the princess to a common child like herself. A few moments later, she felt something warm drape around her shoulders, and realized Carpet was hugging her too. She sobbed long and hard, and the Princess gently held her through it all, until she recovered enough to pull herself together, immediately apologizing to them for her embarrassing display.

"Don't worry about it. I understand" Jasmine said kindly, and Tala saw Carpet land in front of her, nodding along with her in agreement. "I just can't believe you dealt with all this by yourself for so long," Jasmine added gently, as she handed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes.

"Well, I did have help…" Tala said softly, she had excluded Malcho from her tale as he instructed, but knew that now was the time to come clean or lose this fragile trust.

"You did?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, but, while I was at the oasis, I saw someone collapsed in the desert. I brought him back and revived him, and we…we became friends. He protected me, saved my life, and helped me get here, even though he didn't have to."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Jasmine asked, a worry forming in the back of her mind.

"Well, he told me when he came here before, there was a misunderstanding, and Aladdin took him for an enemy and the two ended up fighting. He was worried if he came back by himself, he wouldn't get a chance to explain himself before he was attacked, so I said I'd talk to you and vouch for him."

Jasmine felt a horrible suspicion growing as Tala spoke. Aladdin had made so many terrible enemies, and Tala seemed so sweet and trusting. It would be all too easy for some of the more conniving ones to manipulate her and gain her trust.

"…What is his name?" She asked cautiously.

"…Malcho." Tala confessed.

"Malcho?!" Jasmine cried, both her and Carpet jumping up in alarm as they remembered the tales Aladdin and Iago had told them about the snake "But he's-"

And then both girls and rug froze as they heard an unearthly bellow of rage.

In the lingering silence as the cry faded, Tala uttered one word-

"Malcho."