Gah! Sorry for the late update! I got really sick and was too exhausted to remember to post. ._.''' I hope you guys enjoy this long chapter and the fluff that comes with it!
The night air outside was cool to the skin, a delicate breeze brushing through the gardens. Aladdin and Abu sat outside, considering that the night was still too early to turn in.
"What am I gonna do?" Aladdin sighed, running his fingers stressfully through his hair.
"Well, it is kinda your fault for not approaching Barika from the get-go." Abu pointed out.
"I know." Aladdin muttered. "You don't need to rub it in."
"Can't help it." Abu shrugged. "You're an idiot."
"Excuse me, but who was the one who came up with this plan?" Aladdin narrowed his eyes at the boy.
Abu countered drily, "And who is the one who is procrastinating from said plan?"
Aladdin had to admit, Abu had a point.
A yawn came from near the two, their local jinni playing a casual game of chess, a strange European boardgame, with the carpet. She ignored their conversation, addressing the carpet, "Your move."
The carpet moved its knight and tapped the board, letting Genie know that it had her king in check. The Genie's eyebrows furrowed.
"Good move." She moved her rook and took the carpet's knight. "There."
The carpet's queen took Genie's rook and had her king in check again.
"Dammit." Genie sighed. "That was a really good move. How am I losing to a rug?"
The carpet seemed to radiate smugness.
Aladdin stood from where he sat beside Abu and strode over to the jinni and the carpet. "Genie, I need your advice."
"Let me tell you what most women want." Genie said seriously, placing her hand on the teenager's shoulder. "They want an honest relationship, friendship or romance. So, tell her the truth."
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. The Sultan has no interest in helping the citizens of Agrabah, and for all we know, he raised Barika to believe the same." Aladdin commented.
"I doubt that." Abu disagreed. "From what I learned about her when we talk, she isn't like the Sultan at all."
Aladdin frowned. "Since when did you talk to Barika so much?"
"When you didn't." The boy replied snidely. "Anyways, when I was bullshiting all the facts about Persia, I slipped in some stuff about the conditions of 'our' people. She and I began comparing notes, and she told me about this one time when she ran away and met these homeless orphans… Sound familiar?"
Aladdin let Abu's snide comment slide for the time being, and appeared thoughtful for a moment. "So that incident truly impacted her after all. That should make things easier."
"So, what will you do then- Wait, Aladdin!"
The thief had put on his hat, hopped onto the carpet, and already asked it to take him upwards. He disappeared from view after rounding a corner of the palace toward Barika's balcony.
Abu sighed, "He really is an idiot."
"You gotta give him a little credit. He's just awfully tenacious." Genie shrugged.
Barika lay atop her lavish bed, her head hanging upside down off the edge and her hair hanging in a loose ponytail. She quietly read a book as she did so, eyebrows furrowed as she mouthed the words to the historical text detailing a history of Agrabah.
She finally sat up with a disappointed sigh and shut the book, tossing it aside into a growing pile of other texts. The princess grumbled, "Another biased book… Why is it so hard to find an accurate text on Agrabah in the palace library?"
The sound of something hitting the stone floor of her balcony made the princess pause in reaching for another book. She stood up and slowly made her way to the balcony, tiptoeing as she did so. She peeked outside, and saw a pebble fly over her balcony and hit the floor with a thud. She stepped outside and peered over the balcony railing. "What?"
"Princess Barika?" The all-too-familiar face of her newest suitor stared up at her.
Barika's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Oh, you…"
The two stared at each other for a long moment, before Barika suddenly backed away with wide eyes.
"Wait-What-How?" The young princess sputtered in disbelief as Aladdin climbed over the railing easily, the carpet hovering in the air behind him.
"What?" Aladdin looked blankly at her. Barika silently pointed at the carpet and him. His eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Yeah, uh, sorry about scaring you like that. This is Carpet. He, er she or rather it, is a new technology in Persia."
The carpet waved at the princess, to which she uncertainly waved back.
Barika tooked her attention back to Aladdin. "Prince Ali, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I…" Aladdin thought about how he should break it to her. Barika sighed.
"Look, if you're trying to pull one of those romance things on me, I'm not interested. I hate it that you and my father have discussed my future marriage without even consulting me. For that alone, you're off my list of possible guys. Not that I have any or I'm looking for them."
"No, no, that's not what I'm doing." The false prince shook his head. "In fact, I agree that it's entirely unfair to you that you don't have a say in your future. I'm here to help you."
Barika glared at Aladdin. "You're just saying that to get on my good side."
Aladdin let out a breath before reaching up and taking off his hat so none of his features are hidden. He stared her straight in the eyes, his own dark green eyes glinting in the moonlight, "Barika, I once told you some time ago that you deserve a right to your future. You still do and I'm here to provide that."
The young princess gaped at him, her hand covering her mouth in shock. She whispered, "Aladdin?"
"In the flesh." Aladdin affirmed. Barika suddenly hugged him.
"We were worried sick about you and Abu! Where did you go? Why are you so… Prince-like?"
"It's a long story." Aladdin rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze.
"We have the whole night." Barika stated, determined to hear the story. "Before I hear about what happened, exactly how are you supposed to help me?"
"Well, I was going to suggest that you fake marry me so you don't have to marry another guy and be forced to do his bidding."
The young princess looked at him seriously. "As much as your idea has good intentions, I don't think I can go through with that."
Aladdin raised an eyebrow, expecting her to elaborate.
"I don't want to be attached by marriage just because our culture dictates it. I want to be an independent woman, free to not marry or marry at any age as she wants. I want to be able to explore the world beyond Agrabah and even leave permanently and become a business woman, but I can't do that if I'm married."
"I can understand that." Aladdin nodded.
"So, tell me your story." Barika lightened up again.
"I don't think it's a good idea to stay here and talk." The false prince replied. The carpet drifted over to hover beside Aladdin. "It wouldn't look good for your reputation if I'm seen in your room."
The princess's mouth formed an "o" in understanding. "Ah, I see."
Aladdin stepped onto the carpet and extended a hand to Barika. "Ride with me, if you like. We can talk on the carpet."
Barika, smiling now, extended her hand to grasp the thief's. Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open and Raja sprinted in, butting her head against the princess's leg in greeting. The princess exclaimed in surprise, "Raja!"
"Barika?" Jasim's voice came from the doorway as the young general stepped in. Aladdin froze as he made eye contact with Jasim. Jasim's eyes narrowed. "Prince Ababwa."
Barika huffed, glowering as Jasim swiftly entered the balcony. She crossed her arms, "Jasim, you can't just come barging in like that!"
"Raja was wailing to get in." Jasim stated tersely. He glared at Aladdin, the friendliness from the earlier sparring gone, "What is Prince Ababwa doing in your bedroom? It's improper."
"He's not technically in my bedroom. He's only stepped into my balcony." Barika retorted. "Besides, he's offered me a magic carpet ride, which I don't plan on passing up."
"A magic carpet ride." The young general repeated in a disbelieving deadpan, his face growing darker by the second.
"Yes." Barika nodded.
"I don't trust your life to be in his hands like this, Barika!" Jasim argued. "You will not be going on this… Carpet ride. It's too dangerous."
"Magic carpet ride." The princess corrected. "And I told you, I am not passing up this chance to explore. Besides, how would you know it's dangerous? You can't just assume something like that!"
Aladdin watched the exchange silently, curious as to why Barika didn't seem to trust Jasim enough to omit the fact that "Prince Ali" was actually Aladdin. To play along, he spoke, "It's actually pretty safe."
Jasim narrowed his eyes again at Aladdin. "Fine, Barika. I will allow you to go with Prince Ababwa on only one condition."
"Name it." Barika sighed.
"I go on this carpet ride first and see for myself if it's safe for you."
Both Barika and Aladdin stared at Jasim, startled by the young general's suggestion. Aladdin carefully worded, "...What?"
"I will go with you to see just how 'safe' your proposed magic carpet ride is before Barika can go." Jasim repeated slowly, his arms crossed.
Aladdin's eye twitched in irritation. Jasim certainly did have a way of thwarting his plans with that impeccable reasoning of his. The thief looked to Barika, eyes with hope that she could reason with her brother.
The princess shrugged in defeat, knowing she can't beat Jasim's final offer. "Fine…"
The false prince let out a breath and put his hat back on, nervous about what was to come. He silently held out a hand for Jasim, which the prince took, and pulled him up onto the carpet.
"How long is this carpet ride?" Jasim questioned, unsmiling.
Aladdin replied stiffly, "Depends on how long you want it to be."
"Then take me for as long as you would with my sister."
Barika looked between the two, fighting a smirk about to appear on her face. Neither of them noticed.
"As you wish." The younger of the two said under his breath.
"Have a good trip, you guys." The princess bade them farewell with a wave, her voice high and light with amusement.
"See you, Barika." Aladdin waved back as the carpet ascended upwards into the sky. Jasim tensed beside him as the ground and the palace grew more distant below them, holding his breath. The false prince glanced at the young general. "Relax, Prince Jasim. Carpet won't let us fall."
"I didn't quite expect that when you said 'magic carpet ride,' you meant we'd be flying above a bird's eye view."
"Well, it wouldn't be very fun otherwise." Aladdin chuckled. As they passed a low-hanging cloud, he extended an arm out to touch it. The mist of the cloud curled around Aladdin's touch, its serenity disturbed before settling again. Jasim gazed in awe at the unfamiliar scenery.
He hummed, "It's almost magical to see things from up here. But, it would be much more exciting to explore beyond the skies of Agrabah and travel elsewhere."
Aladdin turned his full attention to the prince, a smirk playing on his lips with mischief glittering in his dark green eyes, glowing a slight jade color in the moonlight. "What if I told you we can travel far away from Agrabah on this carpet?"
Jasim scoffed. "Not that I don't believe you, but a trip like that would take more than one night."
"If we don't stop at any place for too long, we can travel to many places all in one night." Aladdin countered. "It's a whole new world out there and I think you should have the chance to see all of it."
The prince gazed curiously at Aladdin, the wind gently whipping through his uncovered hair. "Show me then."
Aladdin grinned at Jasim's request, and the carpet sped off into the night.
A few hours of travelling travelling later, the two were laughing breathlessly as the carpet circled downwards from the sky to land on the slanted roof of an oriental building in a town in China. The streets below were crowded with people, lit lanterns of many shapes and designs hanging all around as decoration for an unnamed spring festival.
Jasim stepped off the carpet to sit on the roof, reaching out to touch and examine a nearby hanging lantern painted with a phoenix and dragon encircling one another in flight. He spoke in restrained amazement, "Well, we've been to Alexandria of Egypt, the fallen capital of the Great Roman Empire, the ancient ruins of Stonehenge, the island of Madagascar, the palace of India, and now we're at the Lantern Festival in China."
Aladdin sat down beside him with a dazzling smile. "So, what do you think?"
"It's amazing." Jasim laughed, looking to the sky when some fireworks exploded in showers of light in the distance. The red light from the fireworks lit his face in the darkness. "I've read about all these places but I've never had to chance to see any of them until now."
"A whole new world, isn't it?" Aladdin asked, leaning back on his arms while watching the fireworks.
Jasim broke his attention away from the fireworks, looking down at Aladdin due to their still-significant height difference while seated. "I wouldn't say a whole new world."
The false prince turned to meet his eyes, eyebrows slightly furrowed at the unexpected response. "Why do you say that?"
"I've known about these places and their main attractions before you came to the palace. So, even though this is my first time to visit these places, 'new' isn't the word I'd use."
"Oh." Aladdin, disappointed by Jasim's reply, looked away in embarrassment and suddenly found the chipped paint on the roof very interesting.
Jasim leaned closer to the teenager, a faint smirk on his lips. He hummed near Aladdin's ear teasingly, "You know, that was some false advertising you did there. I didn't get my 'whole new world.' Is this the best you got?"
Aladdin swiveled to look back to Jasim, eyes narrowed as he picked up immediately on his challenge. "Oh, I got plenty more to show you."
"Prove it." Jasim challenged.
"I will." Aladdin stood and stepped onto the carpet again. The prince followed, and the carpet shot back up into the sky again. The town grew distant behind them, the wind whipping past them faster than before.
"Where are you taking me?" Jasim inquired. Aladdin smirked.
"You'll see for yourself soon."
"Sounds mysterious." Jasim mused, noting that their next destination must be pretty far based on how fast the carpet flew.
The green of the trees below them began to thin and give way to more mountainous terrain. After several minutes into the trip, the air whipping around them decreased significantly in temperature to a shocking chill. They passed a soaring owl above, hooting in the night.
The carpet slowed to a more comfortable speed and began descending lower and lower. They flew through a valley between two pine tree-covered mountains at a cruising speed before descending into the trees below and settling onto the cold ground beside a lake. The still waters reflected the sky above with clarity, as if the moon and stars above were looking down at themselves in a polished mirror.
Jasim stood and stepped off from the carpet, staring at the completely unfamiliar scenery in intrigue. He spoke, a puff of steam coming from his mouth, "Where are we?" The prince's eyes widened slightly at seeing the steam being expelled from his lips, unused the sight after being in Agrabah for most of his life. He whispered, "Wow…"
"We're in a mountain range in Russia. No one has named it officially yet." Aladdin replied, sitting down on the large, shockingly cold rock beside the still waters and shivering slightly. The carpet trailed after him, draping itself on a nearby boulder. He wondered briefly if it was actually worth it bringing Jasim to such a cold place.
The prince strode over and lowered himself onto the rock beside Aladdin, not appearing to be cold at all. "You live up to your words, Prince Ababwa. This place is the epitome of serenity."
"Just wait a minute and there's more to see."
Jasim raised an eyebrow at the false prince. "Like what?"
Aladdin pointed up at the sky. "See there."
Jasim looked to where Aladdin pointed and his mouth fell open in awe. The black canvas of the sky was suddenly painted with threads green, blue, and violet lights, each thread moving languidly like lazy snakes in the summer sun of Agrabah.
The spectacular display above washed the mountainous expanse in its colorful lights. The quiet waters of the lake reflected the display, increasing the intensity of the lighting.
Aladdin spoke, watching the lights with an admiration, "These lights are called the aurora borealis. They don't usually come in the warm season up here because the night hours are less during the summer."
Jasim breathed, "It's beautiful."
"It is." Aladdin agreed, smiling softly at the prince. The piercing cold of the mountains became increasingly uncomfortable for the thief, and he soon shivered again and wrapped his arms around himself to help counteract the chill. He regretted going out in only his tunic and leaving his over robes in his quarters, silently cursing himself for it.
Jasim looked to Aladdin, feeling him shiver beside him. He stated in concern, "You're cold."
"A little, but I should be fine." Aladdin shuddered again. Jasim shifted beside him, and the fabric of Jasim's over robes were draped around his shoulders. Aladdin frowned at the young general, "Why? Wouldn't you be cold too?"
"You need it more than me. Besides, the cold doesn't affect me." Jasim wrapped an arm and pulled Aladdin into him to help the teenager warm up. Jasim gazed down at Aladdin's face, noting how the lights of the aurora borealis seemed to bring out the green in his familiar eyes more than the moonlight did. The teenager gazed back into Jasim's eyes almost dazedly, and his eyes glanced down at Jasim's parted lips. Warm breath brushed against each other's lips, and just as Jasim considered closing the distance, the younger of the two turned his face away with burning cheeks.
Irrational irritation bubbled in the prince's chest for a single second, but then Jasim shook himself out of his stupor. His mind began racing, shocked and borderline horrified at the inappropriate thoughts that took over just moments prior. He was the crown prince of the Agrabah Sultanate, and although it should theoretically be good for him to have found someone he's attracted to, said person was the same gender. The prince gulped, the implications weighing down his chest. Jasim let out a heavy breath, said lightly, "So, Danyal, Basima, Asim, and Raisa have been taken to a safer place to live in."
Aladdin brightened. "Really? That's great!"
Jasim stared at the teenager with a severe expression, catching him red-handed in his lie.
"Er, uh, um, I meant, uh, who're they?" Aladdin corrected himself meekly, even though it was too late to save himself.
"Aladdin, why didn't you tell me?" Jasim asked softly.
"I, uh…" Aladdin found that he couldn't up with a good reason why. "I don't know. When did you start suspecting?"
"I found your face rather familiar the first time we met. I first had my suspicions when you called me without my title during sparring."
Aladdin shuffled his feet. "Oh."
"Did you think I would be stupid enough to not see it?" Jasim questioned bitterly.
"What? No! No, no, of course not." Aladdin stiffened.
The prince let out a long sigh and stressfully ran his fingers through his hair with gritted teeth. "A better question is how you ended up here. Why and how did you escape? Why are you posing as a prince from Persia? Why," he asked angrily even though it was illogical to feel possessive of Aladdin, "are you courting my sister?"
Aladdin was quiet for a moment. The carpet swatted him in the arm and gestured for him to tell the truth. The teenager let out a breath. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell you who helped Abu and I escape. She's a powerful person. As for why I'm posing as a prince and a suitor to Barika, I can't say either."
Jasim scoffed and looked away in anger.
Aladdin frowned, and reached out his hands to clasp Jasim's in his own. "Please, Jasim, trust me on this. All I can tell you is that I have good intentions. I honest to Allah don't want to defile your sister."
The prince looked thoughtfully at their entwined hands, unconsciously running his thumb gently across Aladdin's skin. He was quiet for a moment before speaking, "Fine, I'll trust you on this."
"Thank you." Aladdin leaned his head against Jasim's shoulder for a moment before jumping away, blush on his cheeks. "Sorry!"
"What are you sorry for?" Jasim's eye twitched from agitation at the lack of contact. "You're cold, so use me as a heater." He wrapped his arm around the thief again and pulled him close so Aladdin's head rested on his shoulder.
About an hour or so before dawn, the carpet finally returned to the palace.
"Take me back to Barika's balcony. One of the servants saw me go into her bedroom, so it's best if I'm seen coming out again as though I had another long winded conversation with her." Jasim said to Aladdin quietly, not wanting to disturb the quiet palace.
"Right." Aladdin nodded. The carpet drifted to Barika's balcony and contorted itself into a few small steps for Jasim to step off onto the balcony. The prince quietly landed on the stone floor of the balcony and turned back to face the teenager with a smile, leaning on the railing. The carpet lowered itself slightly in the air so Aladdin had to look up at Jasim.
"Goodnight, Aladdin." Jasim reached out a hand to brush a stray hair from Aladdin's face, allowing his hand to linger on the teenager's cheek against his better judgement. The teenager's cheeks heated up.
"Goodnight, Jasim." Aladdin murmured softly.
Jasim whispered, his face leaning closer to Aladdin's, "Do you mind if I tried something crazy right now?"
"Like what?" Aladdin found himself gravitating toward the handsome prince. He unconsciously licked his lips, dampening them.
"This." Jasim closed the distance, pressing his warm lips hesitantly to Aladdin's. The teenager sharply gasped against his lips at the electrical connection before pressing back in response. Jasim tilted his head to deepen the kiss, moving his lips languidly against Aladdin's. His hand moved from the teenager's cheek to his hair, entangling his long fingers in Aladdin's soft wavy hair. Aladdin eagerly kissed back, a soft sigh in the back of his throat as he wrapped his arms around the young general's neck to close the distance between their bodies.
After a long moment of the contact, Jasim finally pulled away to catch his breath, leaning his forehead against Aladdin's. The two breathed in silence for a moment before their lips met again in a chaste kiss to end the contact, and Jasim stepped back, his hand lingering on Aladdin's cheek while brushing his thumb against the teenager's smooth skin before dropping it to his side. The two smiled softly at each other before the prince turned away and slowly opened the balcony door, giving Aladdin one last smile for the night before disappearing into Barika's bedroom.
Aladdin fell backwards and landed on his back on the carpet, a dazed sigh on his lips. His heart still raced from the kiss he and Jasim shared as he commented to himself, "Tonight turned out so much better than I expected."
The carpet drifted back to the ground, settling as Aladdin grinned silly at the night sky. Suddenly, three guards appeared above him and grabbed him forcefully, throwing him onto the ground with painful force. His wrists and ankles were quickly bound by metal shackles. The teenager struggled and yelled, but was immediately backhanded across the face. His face stinging, the guards gagged him with a cloth.
A tall shadow fell across Aladdin and the false prince was met with the sight of the Sultan looking down upon him.
"You have overstayed your welcome, Prince Ababwa." The Sultan spat.
Aladdin attempted to question, "What?" however his muffled response came out as a sound with a rising question tone.
The Sultan smirked sardonically at him. "Did you expect me to believe that you wanted to come in and court my daughter? Persia has no business in Agrabah unless it's attempting to overthrow my legacy and conquer it."
Aladdin cursed, not expecting this unexpected turn of events.
"I hope you will forgive me for killing you, Ababwa." The Sultan crouched and grabbed Aladdin by the hair, yanking his head up so he can look him straight in the eye. Aladdin let out a pained grunt. "I will start a war with your nation beginning with your death and show them exactly how powerful my army is."
Aladdin stared wide eyed at the Sultan, silent as he had no idea what to say to this insanity.
"Guards, take him to the coast and drop him and his belongings off a cliff. Make sure he drowns in the sea. Jahanara, you will oversee this operation."
"Yes, sire." Jahanara in her cold beauty bowing to the Sultan was the last thing Aladdin saw before being knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head.
Aladdin stirred as he was being dragged through the sand by his legs, the sky pink and violet from where the sun peered over the horizon. He groaned in pain, squeezing his eyes tight as his head pounded angrily with every pulse of his blood.
"Silence, you foreigner!" One of the guards aimed a kick at Aladdin's stomach. The teenager cried out in pain.
"Guard, abstain from further violence immediately. He may be our prisoner, but he has not done anything to warrant more punishment beyond death." Jahanara's voice pierced through the air like shards of ice. The woman glared at the guard who kicked Aladdin. The guard began sweating nervously.
"Yes, vizier. I'm sorry, vizier." The guard bowed.
The crashing of waves in the distance grew louder as they walked, indicating to Aladdin that the coast was close. They soon came to a stop, and another guard came up the his bound body to help the other throw him over the edge of the cliff.
"Stop." Jahanara held up her hand in a command. The guards backed away from Aladdin as the Royal Vizier strode elegantly to his prone body and bent at her knees to look the teenager in the eye. Her ice blue eyes, contrasted against her caramel skin and dark hair, lacked the maliciousness the Sultan had toward him, instead sympathetic to his plight. She spoke quietly, "I do not condone the Sultan's actions. I am sorry about what is about to happen to you, Aladdin."
Aladdin's eyes widened at the fact that Jahanara remembered him.
Jahanara continued, "I cannot prevent your death. Please know that your noble sacrifice will be instrumental to the rebellion's cause in swaying Barika and Jasim completely to side against their father when the final siege comes. I thank you, Aladdin."
She stood and stepped away and the guards picked him up by his arms and legs. Aladdin let out a muffled cry to say "Wait!" so he could talk to Jahanara and tell her about Genie, but soon he was thrown over the edge with a weight attached to drag him down, and a bag with his belongings, including Genie's lamp, was tossed in after him. Aladdin could only hold his breath when he hit the ocean water hard and the stinging cold water surrounded him completely. The weight quickly dragged him down to the ocean floor, his bag drifting downward above him.
Aladdin silently cursed when his bag landed little ways from him. He struggled to move toward it, pulling against the weight as he did so. The weight budged at most two inches, so the teenager struggled even more. Seeing the bag and the gold glint of the lamp almost within arm's reach, Aladdin struggled again and reached out his bound arms to it. His lungs burned from oxygen deprivation and black spots began to appear in his vision. Aladdin's movement slowed and his limbs began to feel heavy. Unable to hold his breath longer, Aladdin opened his airways and then his lungs and sinuses were on fire.
The teenager silently screamed at the ice cold torture, and his vision faded to black just as his hand touched the golden lamp.