Return to Agrabah

(A/N: Sorry for the delay. Was on vacation. Finished this story while on it, though, so that's a plus. Made a reference to the movie 'Hook' here. Anyone who's seen it will probably be able to pick it out. Next chapter there may be a torture scene, or overview of one. Going to get an opinion of it before I post it here to see whether it should push this story into the M rating or not. This chapter may even push it. Let me know if you think it does and I'll change it.)

The princes of the Southern Isles stayed back, watching from a safe distance as this 'Jafar' faced a cool-as-a-cucumber Mozenrath and an agitated Aladdin, who was in a fighting pose ready to go at him at the first sign of a backstabbing. "And why should I help my mortal enemy regain his throne?" Jafar asked.

"Because then he can suffer another whole century while you watch and laugh," Mozenrath replied, smirking.

"I must admit I've been more invested in you, sorcerer," Jafar said, glancing over at Mozenrath.

Mozenrath was quiet. "Then watching Aladdin suffer instead will be a nice change of pace," he finally replied. "And less… distressing, is it? Or are you more amused with my languishing away?"

"My dear boy, I had thought we'd gotten over this," Jafar replied, grinning a sickly blameless grin and draping a bony arm around Mozenrath's shoulders.

Mozenrath glared at the hand but didn't move to shrug it off. "We'll see," he answered, finally plucking it off.

"You have yet to give me a reason to bother," Jafar said.

"The reason's simple really! You come, I might live. You stay, I'll join you sooner than you'd hoped for me to," Mozenrath said.

Jafar was quiet. "When first I saw you lose her, I hoped you would die… I hoped doubly so when you watched your children pass. Then your grandchildren. Then your great grandchildren… Should suddenly you wish to live, my boy, say as much. Then perhaps I will… consider the offer."

"What's there to consider? You get out of the underworld and back to the surface. Smell the fresh air for a bit," Franz spoke up.

Jafar looked over at him, unimpressed. "Your friends leave something to be desired," he flatly said.

"They aren't my friends," Mozenrath said. "I have no friends!"

"Most would hardly brag that up," Jafar replied, smugly smirking. Mozenrath started and flushed as the princes of the Southern Isles began to snicker.

"Would you stop embarrassing me in front of my cohorts?" Mozenrath insisted in a hiss.

"Cohorts now, is it? I suppose it's a step in the right direction… Very well. I shall accompany you and help. For your sake, not theirs or your brother's," Jafar said.

"At least it's something," Mozenrath replied, folding his arms. Jafar smirked.

Frozen

Meanwhile, Olaf and Carpet had flown back to Agrabah and had taken to spying on the situation there. They watched from a nook above the throne room, looking down at the vizier who had taken up a position on the Sultan's throne addressing a crowd of bodyguards and soldiers. "Whoa. He really does have the army in his pocket," Olaf said in a whisper. "I wonder what he has on them." Carpet made gestures to convey across the concept of kissing and hugging a lover, then a rocking motion to convey children. "Well I guess that would be as good a reason as any to bend to him. I mean if he has everyone you love on a short leash…"

Carpet nodded. He held out the lamp and rubbed it with a tassel. Smoke poured out quietly. Genie came out in nightclothes, yawning. "What'd I miss?" he asked. He looked around and frowned on realizing they weren't in the Citadel anymore. "Apparently a lot," he said dryly.

"Shh. We're spying on the evil vizier while Aladdin and Mozenrath and all my friends are in the Underworld trying to get Hades's bident and helmet. For all the good those'll do," Olaf said.

"Oh, snow boy, you've got no clue the power in those artifacts, do you? So naive," Genie said. He sniffed. "It's beautiful." He looked down and frowned. "So that's the guy who's deposed Al, is it? Why I oughta… But I won't."

"Why not? You could do it easily," Olaf said. "Aladdin said it's because you can't kill, but I don't think you'd need to kill them to fix it, would you?"

"Maybe not, but maybe yes too. Even if I did kill though, kid, I probably wouldn't. This is Aladdin's fight, and I'm pretty sure he wants to deal with it personally. Didn't tell you that part, did he? Good ole Al's a real go-getter alright. Pride and all that," Genie said, brushing it off. He looked down again. They stayed silent, listening to the plan. The vizier was sending out the guards to patrol the city and search every house, every stall, every inch, for a sign of Aladdin and company.

"They found the place Aladdin planned to meet the Captain of the Guard in," Olaf whispered. "They didn't go down though. It was weird. Like they were scared to."

"Sadira's lair. She left a heck of an enchantment on that baby, I'll tell you. Sand golems. Not fun," Genie said.

"So, who's the vizier again?" Olaf asked.

"Yahya. Distant relative of Aladdin's. Real distant. Removed and everything. A few times, actually. That's not how he got the position though. Believe it or not, he actually wasn't a bad guy at first, but power corrupts, as the saying goes, and once he got a taste there was no turning back. Gave in to his greed and desires and ambitions and lust… Really did a one-eighty. Al was gonna fire him, but Khalid spoke in his behalf. Probably because Yahya has Khalid in his pocket too. Khalid is actually a really great guy! Can't see him ever turning on Aladdin for anything except maybe family or love," Genie said, shrugging.

"There has to be something we can do," Olaf said in a whisper.

"Well… Take away the guy's leverage, we could do some serious damage to him," Genie said.

"Leverage?" Olaf asked. "That's a great idea! Where do we start?"

"With the haram," Genie answered. "Every one of those women is there because she's trying to protect some family member or other, and a good chunk of those family members are soldiers in the army or members of the Sultan's guard. He threatens the girls in turn, so the family stays in check too."

"Was the haram Aladdin's?" Olaf asked. "He doesn't seem the type."

"He isn't. Jas was the only woman for him. Was never another after her. He wasn't interested in anyone but her," Genie answered. "The harem? That's all Yahya's doing." Carpet tapped Genie's shoulder and communicated with him.

"What's he saying?" Olaf questioned.

"He thinks that if we free the harem, we put their families and loved ones in danger. And he's right," Genie replied, grimacing a bit.

"Hmm… Yahya can't be with them all the time, right? So there's gotta be some place they all stay when he's not using them. The guards have barracks too? And there are probably escape tunnels here? Maybe, if we could get the girls into the escape tunnels, and if the escape tunnels lead to the guard barracks, we can not only free them, but also get the guards that are related to or in love with them out as well, so then we don't risk anyone dying. At least not right away. Then a lot of the army will leave Yahya and maybe we can fix things from there!" Olaf said.

"You're a bright little snowman, aren't you? That's brilliant!" Genie said, grinning. "Yahya usually stays up all hours of the night using them, then goes to bed early morning and sleeps in ridiculously long. Lunchtime or passed. Lunchtime to be safe. We'll have to get them out before then." Carpet saluted in agreement. "Alright, then it's settled! Tomorrow morning, we move. This is war, boys. Prepare yourselves.

"Yes sir," Olaf said, puffing up and saluting, trying to look as serious as possible.

Frozen

The woman, lying on her stomach, softly whimpered as the vizier crouched over her. "Come now, it doesn't hurt as much as that," he cooed to her. She gritted her teeth, eyes tightly closed. She gasped as he moved on her, and buried her face in the pillow, body tense. "Loosen up," he said. "It's less uncomfortable then." Shivering, she did so, and began to weep into the pillow as he tended her.

The others, huddled in a corner far from him, listened helplessly to the whimpers and muffled cries. "We must stop this. We cannot be his playthings forever! Many against one? Why can we not attack him now when he is off guard?" one of the women demanded of the others in a whisper.

"Because if we do, Layla, we will suffer for it. His associates will know, and they will take revenge on all those we love," another answered. "I have three children. I will not risk their lives to spare myself discomfort and humiliation."

"How can you talk of conspiracy anyway? The last time you dared talk sharply to him, he made you suffer so horribly…" another said, shuddering at the memory. Oh the horrible things he'd done to the woman…

"I will not stay his slave!" the girl, Layla, vehemently said. "Hear how he treats our sister! Oh if Khalid knew half of what that man did to his beloved Nira… Nothing, then, would stop him from attacking. Not fear, not worry for her, not anything."

They heard Nira cry out in agony and saw the outline of her body. Her back was arching and she was on her knees now, seated on his lap. "Behave or this will become much worse for you," they heard the vizier threaten. Layla fumed and almost shouted out to the man, but quickly another woman covered her mouth firmly. "Good girl. Now no more praying for salvation, Nira. The gods long ago stopped hearing you."

Layla wrestled the hand of the other woman off her mouth. "Then why are you afraid to let her pray, vizier?!" she shouted out furiously. The other women gasped in horror, staring at her in shock.

Silence. A moment later the curtain was thrown open and a blazing-eyed vizier marched angrily out, heading straight for them. He stopped right in front of the terrified harem. "Which of you spoke?" he darkly asked.

"For the agony you put her through she deserves at least her prayers," Layla boldly hissed at him. She cried out as he struck her so hard it knocked her to the ground. She gasped in pain, lifting herself on her arms. She screamed as he seized her hair, dragging her up and against him.

"You are a thorn in my side, harlot," he whispered to her. "Speak again and you'll wish I had cut out your tongue the first time you dared speak against me."

"I dare speak against you," she said through painfully gritted teeth. She screamed again as he slammed her head against something and dragged her away from the others by her hair, and towards the door to the room. Nira lay broken behind the canopy, and the others scrambled to tend her. There was nothing that could be done for Layla now…

Frozen

Layla screamed and thrashed frantically as the vizier dragged her through the palace and towards the dungeons, eyes dark and malicious. No guard dared step in, though it was apparent many desired to. The Sultan had surrounded himself with the noblest men he could find, but in their nobility lay also their weakness. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. She was the few. Their families and the other women of the harem were the many. She didn't even try to scream for help. She didn't want that on their consciences. She supposed that was where her weakness lay too.

He dragged her into the dungeons when they reached them, pulling her down the stairs. He passed the cells, going straight to the torture chamber that had gone unused for millennium during Sultan Ali's reign, but that Yahya had found use for in the time their king had been gone, first to Europe and now to wherever he'd fled to escape murder. He dragged her to her feet by her hair and threw her down onto a stone table. He flipped her over onto her back and chained her wrists in the shackles, locking her in place. Her breaths came quick and fearful, and she gazed spitefully up at him. She struggled and thrashed against the shackles, but it was a fruitless attempt. He walked away, and she fought to escape, though she knew it would do no good. He returned soon enough holding two items that looked like metal claws. The rippers! Terror gripped her.

"No. No, no, no!" she pled, frantically thrashing. "Stop!"

"You knew this was coming, you little bitch," he growled darkly. He put them in a blazing furnace, letting them heat up until they were glowing yellow, and listening to her scream curses at him as she wept for fear. She didn't beg beyond her initial plea, which agitated him to no end. He withdrew the rippers from the heat and turned, approaching her. She gazed at him in horror and at the devices he held. He smirked evilly, spreading them apart… Her anguished shrieks echoed through the dungeon and into the palace, even outside…

Some time later she lay on the stone slab brokenly, weeping and bleeding severely. He had finally finished the first phase, satisfied she had sufficiently suffered. Now for the second phase… He placed a bit in her mouth, binding it tight, then went to fetch something. It was only a minute or two before he returned, a long box in tow. He unchained her and took her from off the table, laying her inside of it. Her heart began to pound fearfully. He bound her up and blindfolded her. He left then returned with a large barrel. He smirked wickedly at her and tilted it. From out of the barrel poured a mass of scorpions! She shrieked through the bit and shrieked and shrieked and shrieked, thrashing as they swarmed her, crawling all over her. He put the lid on the box and locked it. He chained it up and added weights on the bottom, then bound it to the ceiling with a pulley. He pushed it over a dark pit that led down into a deep well, and let it drop inside, her muffled shrieks echoing through the bit. The box sank beneath the water rapidly until the ropes caught and held it in place. He covered up the hole then walked away. He'd fetch her later. Then, perhaps, she would be more… subservient and cooperative… Considering she was still alive.

Frozen

Olaf, Genie, and Carpet waited patiently for the vizier to finish up with the harem. Finally, sure as clockwork, he left and went towards the dungeons. They watched him go then quickly slipped out and went to the room where the women were kept. Olaf tried the door. Locked. He frowned. Genie smirked and winked at him before transforming into a key. Olaf grinned widely and inserted the genie into the lock, turning it. It clicked, and Olaf giggled in excitement. This was so cool! They were really doing this. Oh he couldn't wait to free them all, then free the guys from the guards who liked them or were related to them, then Genie would help them all hide and the vizier would be that much less powerful and then his friends wouldn't have so much of a problem dealing with them.

Carpet led the way in and little shrieks of surprise echoed out to see it. Olaf toddled in after. "Hi guys!" he greeted, waving. "Wow there are a lot of you. More than I thought. Hey, this room's nice." They blinked blankly at him, hardly able to believe what they were seeing. Finally, one stood.

"Who, and what, are you?" she asked.

"Oh! My name's Olaf the Snowman, and this is Carpet, and this is Genie," Olaf said. "Genie, don't be shy!"

"Shy? Who's shy? I'm just getting a real bad feeling something's going down with the vizier," Genie said, uneasily looking around. He looked at the woman and smiled. "Girls, you need a wardrobe change! Here, try this on for size." Quickly he concealed all of them in modest clothing and was rewarded with their immensely relieved and grateful expressions. Some were near tears like they'd never thought they'd go fully clothed again.

The woman who'd spoken looked back at them. "What is this?" she asked.

"Good question! Nira, wasn't it?" Genie asked. "We're getting you girls out of here, isn't that great?! Bringing you right to the guard barracks where you can grab your brothers or cousins or fathers or lovers or whoever you have there, and make a clean break for it! The vizier won't know what hit him. I'll get you and your families out no problem." That would deal with the harem. That wouldn't, though, convince the guards with families outside the palace to defect, so they'd still have to contend with that. "It's a no brainer."

"Don't worry ladies, you'll be safe I promise," Olaf said cheerily. "Soon the Sultan will be back, and my friends, and you'll all get to go home." They looked unconvinced but also hopeful. They began to mutter and finally turned to the three again.

"Help us," Nira said longingly. Carpet beckoned for them to follow and they did so, slipping out quietly so as not to wake anyone who might be sleeping.

Olaf and Genie followed. Genie soon flew ahead to scan for the escape tunnels. He transformed into a dog and began to sniff around. He stopped, suddenly, and growled, pointing. Olaf came over and tapped his stick hands to his chin, examining the wall. He smiled and reached out, pressing a stone. The wall groaned and began to grind open. "Yay, I did it!" he cheered, clapping for himself in excitement. The girls couldn't help but coo and pat his head, taken by the little snowman.

"Uh oh, detecting someone heading our way. Quick, into the wall girls," Genie said, pointing. Quickly and worriedly they did so, scrambling inside. Olaf and Carpet followed, then Genie, who shut the wall behind them and poofed up some oil lamps for each of the women to hold as they made their way through the tunnel. Nira held back until the others passed, then turned to Genie, Olaf, and Carpet.

"There is another of us. Her name is Layla. She incensed the vizier and he took her away. Gods know what he has done to her. We have to find her. Someone has to find her! If he brings her back and finds us all gone, I do not want to imagine what he will do to her."

"We'll figure that out later," Genie assured. "The Sultan will be back soon enough with his bro in tow and the thirteen princes of the Southern Isles. Then it's really gonna heat up in here."

"I hope you are right," Nira said in concern. "She stood up for me. That is why he took her. If something happened to her…"

"Hey, it'll be okay," Olaf assured, patting her arm. She sighed, unconvinced, but smiled at him gratefully nonetheless and nodded, hurrying to catch up with the others.

Frozen

Khalid stood at a window, gazing miserably out towards the palace. They were traitors, the lot of them he grimly thought to himself. No guard or soldier had said as much out loud, but they all knew it. He almost hoped the Sultan had them all executed for it too, but no. The man had to be understanding. Which only made it feel worse, really, so perhaps Ali rationed that was punishment enough. He looked to the wing in which the harem was locked. Grief filled his eyes. He swallowed, bowing his head and closing them.

I'm sorry, Nira…

"Captain Khalid!" an urgent voice shouted. Khalid turned quickly and hurried back.

"What is it? What's…?" he began. He stopped, catching his breath, on seeing a panel in the floor starting to move. It was thrown off and one of the guards gave a cry as a woman popped up her head, racing to her and dragging her out, clinging tightly to her and kissing her over and over saying her name. She clung tightly to him. Another woman followed, another guard cried out and broke away from the rest to go to her. Three did in fact, two brothers and a husband, Khalid knew. Then with every girl that appeared, more men left. Cousins, brothers, fathers, uncles, husbands… He was left gaping, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. The last one came out and he gasped, knees almost bucking. A comrade had to quickly reach out and steady him.

"Khalid!" she cried out, racing to him and throwing herself into his arms, kissing him with tears flowing from her eyes. He sobbed and held her near, rocking her adoringly and stroking her hair. Some of the girls went ungreeted, their families not being of the army or the guard, and too many soldiers for comfort stayed back looking grieved and pained and a bit jealous, none of their own families being any of the girls in the harem.

"Alright people, back into the hole," Genie said. "The sooner you get out of this place the better. We'll save the Sultan yet!"

"Come on hurry! Before Yahya figures out something's wrong," Olaf encouraged too as they all stared at him like he was some alien creature they weren't sure whether to kill or let alone. They opted for letting it alone.

"Quickly, all of you go. Now," Khalid ordered the men and women who were freed, now, of their burdens. Quickly they did so, pulling along their relatives. Some didn't go, though. These, he knew, were ones who also had family outside the palace in the city.

"We'll find as many of your families as we can," Genie said to the pairs or groups hesitating. "But you can't stay here now that these girls are free. Not like the others." Genie turned to the girls whose families were outside the palace. "And you definitely can't," he added. "I'll sniff them out, but until then you have to be safe." They exchanged uneasy looks but finally got into the hole again. The others who could follow followed.

Nira started down then paused, looking back. Khalid wasn't coming. Concern filled her eyes. "Khalid…" she began.

"I have to stay," he said. "I owe the Sultan at least that… I'm Captain. These men need me… I'll be with you soon enough. I promise. But I can't go now." She looked unsure and a little concerned.

"He'll kill you," she said.

"No. He won't," Khalid answered. "I'm invaluable to him. Trust me… Everything will be okay."

"Nira, clock's ticking," Genie prompted.

"We'll take care of him, don't worry," Olaf said. Carpet nodded in agreement and flew around Khalid like a tornado before returning to the others.

She hesitated a moment more then returned to him, kissing him. "Come back to me alive," she said in a murmur.

He kissed her in turn. "I will. Go. I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she said, voice wavering a bit. Turning she hurried back to the hole, disappearing inside. Genie, Carpet, and Olaf followed her. Khalid went to the hole and looked down. He started. They were gone! The genie, he realized, had teleported them away. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then there would be no way to track them to wherever they'd gone… Good.

He looked back at the men that remained. "They're gone," he said. Quickly they raced over to check and exchanged looks before quietly leaving the hole alone. Good. Then they could see, hear, and know nothing when Yahya undoubtedly came to question them as to the disappearance of the girls and their fellows. Just throw it all on the genie who Yahya could do nothing about and couldn't predict.

Frozen

Hans hadn't been able to focus since seeing Elsa. Not on anything. "Hans? Hans?" a brother's voice finally broke in. Caleb.

Hans glanced hollowly over at him. "Why would he do this?" Hans asked in a whisper.

Caleb inwardly winced at the pain and confusion in his brother's voice. "Hades doesn't decide who lives or who dies," he finally answered. "If Elsa was there, it wasn't because he caused her to be. It was because she was already on a waiting list."

"When considering a price to ask of us, he likely took note of her situation. He simply then turned it to his benefit," Rudi backed. "Perhaps without his doing so, Elsa would already be… well, you know. It may well be because of Hades you have this chance to save her at all. And we will save her, baby brother." Hans nodded, but distress was plain in his eyes. How could he hope to focus on this battle when he couldn't… when he couldn't think of anything but her and the possibility of losing her…? He grimaced, closing his eyes tightly. Iscawin reached out and gently began rubbing his back reassuringly. Hans glanced over. He saw the distress and fear in his brother's eyes… Iscawin loved her too… They all did, of course, but Iscawin's affection for Elsa leaned more towards romantic than platonic, so he could likely understand best what Hans was feeling right now. Hans was grateful for that.

"Ah love. How precious," Jafar borderline tauntingly said.

"Shut up Jafar," Aladdin bit.

"Know your place, boy," Jafar coldly warned. Aladdin looked ready to retaliate, but Mozenrath scowled, covering his mouth and glaring at him. Jafar nodded approvingly at Mozenrath. "Now. Enlighten me a little more on your new friends and your situation."

"History is repeating itself. His Grand Vizier has decided to attempt to usurp him and take over his kingdom," Mozenrath said. "He's less than impressive. No magic, no powers, and yet Aladdin was sent running with his tail between his legs, genie and all."

"Hmm… Then no doubt the man had something uniquely dangerous," Jafar said, frowning at this. It wasn't like Aladdin to turn tail and flee from someone who posed little to no threat.

"The army at his disposal, and the royal guard," Aladdin said. "Because he has information, and they have love for their families and friends."

"I can infer the rest," Jafar said. It was simple, really. Love made one weak and vulnerable, malleable and pathetic. There was really no useful benefit to it whatsoever.

Jafar scanned the princes and smirked. "Ah… I sense magic," he said.

"Two of them were cursed with it," Mozenrath said. "That one and that one." He pointed out Lars and Hans. "The raven-haired one has dark creature-based magic that ranges from shape shifting to good old-fashioned attack. He also has a side of seer, it would seem. The red-head is a fire bender, so to speak," Mozenrath said. "Thus far there've been no… overly detrimental effects found with him, but his brother… The magic is killing him. Taking over him. If he uses it too much, he starts to lose control and enters some sort of puppet state, as it was explained to me. Even refraining from using it, it stills slowly eats away at his body and mind. He hasn't got three years left to him. But he may be of use to me, so I intend to rectify that. It was a troll-sprite hybrid's curse." Jafar was quiet, considering this. They soon reached the surface and left the Underworld, coming out back in the Land of the Black Sands, somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Jafar breathed in the air and chuckled. "Oh it's been too long," he said.

"Try anything, you'll regret it," Aladdin said.

"Dear boy, there's nothing I can try! Nergal was sure of that," Jafar said, a dark and bitter lilt slipping into his voice.

"Knowing you, you'll find a way," Aladdin said. "And when and if you do, we'll be ready. Come on. Let's get back before there's nothing left of Agrabah for me to save."

"I doubt highly Yahya's intent is to destroy the place, brother dear," Mozenrath said.

"I doubt highly the people will tolerate him long, and then things are going to get bloody and ugly and I don't want to have to see what happens to it then," Aladdin replied.

"Want us to play the white demons?" Coth asked, smirking wickedly.

"Tempted, but that would probably really throw the whole political field into chaos. My people know I'm allying with you. You pull a stunt like that and I don't think it'll go over as well as it has so far," Aladdin replied, smirking.

"Boring," Calcas sang. "But fine." Aladdin nodded.

"Man, getting back's going to take a long time without horses," Connyn said, grimacing.

Jafar rolled his eyes and took Hades's bident from Mozenrath before swirling it in the air. Whinnying echoed out and suddenly, from the ground, burst a herd of sixteen eerie horses that looked half decayed! The princes, Aladdin, and Mozenrath gawked in horror at them. "Oh come now, they won't bite. It's only until Agrabah's within sight, after all, then they can all go away, and you won't appear the white demons after all," Jafar said, smirking and seizing the reigns of one. Whose jaw dropped off. Jafar frowned then picked it up and stuck it back on. Kelin-Sel gagged, covering his mouth. The others looked equally disgusted. It took a good ten minutes, and Jafar explaining that they weren't in fact undead, just imperfect recreations, before they could all be coaxed onto the backs of the… whatever horses. Mozenrath seized the bident back, scowling at Jafar, then started off in the lead. The others quickly followed him.

Frozen

The vizier entered the dungeon again and went to the hole where he'd left the woman. He opened it up and hefted the box back up. He opened a hole in it and began to fill it with water. He heard the scraping of panicking scorpions who were trying to escape. They didn't get the chance to. The box soon flooded with water. He waited a moment then removed the lid and reached in, picking up the body of the girl. She was shuddering and hung totally limp in his arms, eyes barely open. She was obviously groggy and extremely ill, poisoned many times over and hardly alive. He brought her back to the stone slab and laid her on it. He removed one of the torture devices he'd used on her from her body, and pulled out a scorpion corpse with it. It had apparently tried to burrow. Oh, how it must have ached… He pulled another from her mouth. She was cold, hardly breathing. He smirked. "Did you rest well?" he taunted in a coo. She didn't respond. He chuckled and began to toy with her. She didn't move. "Good girl," he praised. She gritted her teeth and struggled to kick him. He struck her, frowning. She lay still. "Still fighting? Even now?" he said in a growl.

"Until death," she answered in a weak whisper.

"Hmm… Unfortunate," he answered. "But if that's your wish…" Her body shook with silent sobs as she closed her eyes. "One last time," he said, smirking wickedly. Phase three, she realized, and braced herself. It commenced. Not long into it, her sobs became cries of pain… and then became choking…

He finally finished up with her. She was still and unmoving. He'd crushed her throat during the interlude, but he still heard weak wheezing which meant she still lived, though was no longer conscious. That was fine. It would prolong it all the more. The torture device he'd removed from her earlier he applied again, then went to the box, emptying it of the scorpions and water. He returned to her and carried her back to it. He closed the lid and plugged the hole, but began to cut smaller cracks all over it. It would slowly fill. He chained it shut and weighed it down once more. This time he didn't bother tying it to a pulley. Phase four. Execution. What a waste… He pushed the box into the water pit and let it sink before closing the pit up and leaving.

Frozen

When Yahya came back out of the dungeon, it was to chaos! He gasped in shock. Servants were fleeing, screaming in fear. Fighting and shouting could be heard. He raced to a window, looking out, and his mouth dropped in horror. Filling the city were hundreds of creatures that looked as if they'd com from the depths of the Underworld! Standing high on a flying rock, hovering above the whole place, was a young sorcerer grinning wickedly, holding a dark bident high above his head, gauntlet glowing brilliantly. Charging towards the palace were fourteen horses that looked nothing like horses. In the forefront was the Sultan himself, scowling and riding for the palace top speed. Galloping behind him were the thirteen princes of the Southern Isles, who knocked down any soldier who dared attempt to stop their charge.

A fifteenth horse, he suddenly noticed, was in the courtyard swaying. His eyes widened on seeing the man standing beside it. The man turned with a dark smile, and the vizier felt like he couldn't move. The man began to hum and levitated himself up towards the window the vizier gawked through. He turned tail and raced away as fast as he could with a scowl, planning to find somewhere to hide. Suddenly, though, the man was there in front of him, cobra staff held out! He found himself gazing right into swirling eyes. Suddenly he couldn't move anymore. Cold dread started to seize him. The scrawny man made as if to talk, but no sound came out. He frowned, obviously put out at something, and scowled darkly before putting on an amicable smirk again. He turned and walked away, leaving the vizier frozen in place for however long the hypnosis would hold…

Aladdin fought against a guardsman who was trying to stop him from reaching the palace. He focused intently on the fight. His order had been not to kill a single soldier or guard. That had proven more difficult to uphold than it should have. They'd given Hans the Helmet of Invisibility. He'd been the most adept at sneaking. It had gone about as well as you'd expect. They'd had a subtle plan to get in that wouldn't panic the city. Hans had done the exact opposite of it. He'd gone direct, freaking out the guards who were horrified at the self-opening gate and shouting about a specter. That in turn had plunged the immediate vicinity into chaos and they'd been forced to get a move on and race in after the youngest prince because, unsurprisingly according to his brothers, 'non-lethal' didn't quite register with Hans. Not when he was in a worked-up state over Elsa and fighting feelings of vengeance and hatred. Apparently, he tended to take his wrath out on others. Mozenrath had, in turn, got on Hans's wavelength, and non-lethal stopped registering with him too. They'd managed to catch up with Hans and take the helmet away, giving it to Iscawin instead. His brothers had had to take the time to take baby brother aside and re-train him to understand what non-lethal meant, explaining it as if to a child, and even still Hans tested his boundaries.

Mozenrath, meanwhile, hadn't gotten the same lecture Hans did and now was proving a problem. They were being kept busier stopping the mamluks - and every other undead creature of the underworld the sorcerer could figure out with the bident - from murdering the soldiers and guards and even some problematic civilians, than they were fighting through the guardsmen. Aladdin hadn't gone into this expecting a war on two fronts, he disgustedly complained to himself. There were far less soldiers and guards than he'd expected there would be, at least, so it was easier to keep Mozenrath and Hans in check. Many guards were missing, though. He hoped not because of Mozenrath and Hans. He'd go out on a limb and guess that Olaf, Carpet, and Genie had a hand in the vanishing of so many of them. He inwardly thanked them. He found himself suddenly getting overwhelmed only for the brothers to pour onto the scene, casting down every opponent like it was second nature. They galloped full-tilt towards the palace then leapt off their steeds. Aladdin followed. Mozenrath used the bident from afar, striking the doors and throwing them open as if they were nothing, then soared towards them. The princes of the Southern Isles followed and the whole group poured into the palace.

Frozen

The seven oldest took up positions in the courtyard and main hall, to hold back any resistance coming from outside. The six youngest raced on with Aladdin, which Calcas couldn't help but think was probably a good thing. Hans had been too distracted for them to be comfortable with. More than once he'd missed some obvious and deadly attack and almost lost his life for it. They'd stuck close by him, and a harsh dose of reality from Jurgen had had to snap him out of it. He'd told him Elsa expected him home alive and that for her sake he needed to have his head in the game, or it wouldn't be just him who ended up dead after this was done. It might be her and their unborn child too. Hans had gotten a good deal more focused, but still wasn't at the top of his game.

"Spread out. No killing!" Aladdin ordered. Mozenrath soared in and leapt off the chunk of earth, obliterating it. Aladdin frowned at him. "Am I clear on the no killing?" he demanded through gritted teeth. Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "You know what? Fine. Your job is to find Jafar. Keep him from getting to his lab and figuring out a way to overcome his limitations. That's all. I need to find Yahya. Let's…" He gasped and stopped as suddenly a sword was at his throat. He blinked and looked uneasily up. "Khalid…" he said, tense, staring into the eyes of the Captain of the Guard.

Khalid examined him quietly. After a moment he sighed, withdrawing the blade. "The harem is safe. Every guardsman held under Yahya's control because of them has escaped with them. Their families, though, may be in…"

"Danger? Yeah, no. We dealt with that," Aladdin replied, smirking. "Mozenrath set up a hoard of creatures in each house so Yahya's connections can't get to them. It actually stopped a lot of the guards and soldiers who've come at us already from continuing to attack. They know they don't have to anymore." His smile fell. "But you… Why are you still here?"

Khalid was silent. Finally, he sighed and withdrew his sword. "I stayed to be a buffer between Yahya and the guards and soldiers who remained, and to keep him from quizzing them. Not that he bothered to. He was preoccupied with other things," he said.

"So, every girl got away?" Aladdin hopefully asked.

"Yes. Wait… There was one missing, a girl named Layla," he said, frowning in concern.

"Al!" a voice said, making them all yelp and spin, swords drawn. "Ooh… sharp," the unexpected figure said, grimacing and grinning nervously, touching the tip of one.

"Genie!" Aladdin said, grinning.

"I knew you'd come back when I felt chaos!" Genie said, hugging him tight. "So, I figured I'd come see how progress is."

"It's… there," Aladdin replied. He glared pointedly at Mozenrath who scoffed and went off to keep a leash on Jafar.

"Uh huh, good, good. And Yahya?" Genie asked.

"I'll find him," Aladdin said, frowning.

"Great! Maybe you can figure out a way to save that last girl too. She got bold, started talking back to him, defending her friends… Yeah, he wasn't impressed. Took her away somewhere. The girls have no clue where, but I'd guess torture chamber.

Aladdin turned to the princes. "Who wants to be a hero?" he asked.

"On it," Iscawin said, pulling out the Helmet of Invisibility. He looked to Genie. "Where's the torture chamber?"

"Follow me," Genie said, flying off. Iscawin put on the helmet and disappeared, racing after him.

"The rest of you spread out. Take care of the other guards. Hans, please don't get yourself killed. Or kill anyone in your way," Aladdin said, frowning. Hans started and frowned back, unimpressed. He rolled his eyes and headed off. The other four split up and Aladdin went to seek out Yahya. Khalid followed him. Aladdin happily allowed the presence.

Frozen

Mozenrath knew where Jafar would head. He'd have gone straight to his lab. He had to head him off before he got there, though truth be told he was sorely tempted to let him reach it. He raced around a corner where he knew the lab to be and slid to a stop with a gasp. Jafar was just approaching! Mozenrath scowled, holding the bident and lighting up his gauntlet. Jafar paused on seeing him and frowned. There was a tense silence. Well, tense for Mozenrath. Jafar seemed perfectly calm… Maybe even a bit wistful… "You still remember," he finally remarked.

"You were hard to forget. And this place. And all associated with you… Yes, I remembered," Mozenrath replied.

Jafar was quiet. "Get out of my way, boy," he soon warned.

"No," Mozenrath replied. "You know of course I sympathize completely with your goal to destroy Aladdin, but alas, that task is no longer yours. It's mine. And only I have that right anymore. You blew your chance."

"You'll never be rid of him," Jafar said. "You and I both know it."

"I will, actually," Mozenrath replied defensively.

"When he's on his deathbed already, no doubt," Jafar replied, scoffing. Mozenrath was silent. "I thought as much," Jafar said, sighing and shaking his head. "Disappointing." Mozenrath flinched slightly, but held his ground. "You're a sensitive thing, aren't you? I hardly meant you, child."

"I'm over three thousand years old!" Mozenrath defended heatedly.

Jafar chuckled. He smile fell, becoming serious. "Move, Mozenrath," he ordered again.

"No," Mozenrath replied. "You aren't getting to that lab."

"Hmm… Do you miss your familiar, sorcerer?" Jafar asked. Mozenrath tensed slightly. "Let me in and I shall recreate him for you! And perhaps even Aladdin's little friends. Iago is becoming bothersome to me down there, and the monkey will hardly give me the opportunity to make him useful again. They need only a shell. The bident can do the rest… And so much more…"

Mozenrath perked up a bit, intrigued by this. "Oh?" he cautiously asked.

Jafar smirked. "If you so wanted, you could bring back even Sadira," he said. "Perhaps not her body, but her herself in a shell, a new form. Then again, the bident belongs to Hades. Perhaps you could bring her back wholly."

"I doubt he left out a failsafe that ensured such a thing couldn't be done by a mortal's hand," Mozenrath said.

"Perhaps, but that isn't all it can offer, is it? There's still the option of a shell," Jafar said.

"What do you want in there?" Mozenrath asked suspiciously.

"My dear boy, don't you trust me?" Jafar cooed, draping an arm over Mozenrath's shoulders. "I helped you all fight your way into Agrabah. I neutralized most of the threat in the castle. I've been nothing if not cooperative. Come, child. You and I together as one. We could make this all worth it. I promise no harm will come to Aladdin or Agrabah. They're yours. I would hardly strip you of your inheritance."

Mozenrath shifted, thinking. "Go on," he finally relented. Jafar grinned and led Mozenrath to his lab, opening it up and slipping inside.

"Your brother really should have known better than to send you to stop me," Jafar said. Mozenrath was quiet, refusing to admit how right Jafar was. Well, Aladdin had always been a hard study.

Frozen

Iscawin raced through the palace following Genie. Genie had made himself into a little mouse so the guards weren't suspicious. They couldn't see Iscawin at all thanks to the helmet, so they weren't moving to attack. Wow. This whole wing still needed to be cleared out. Jafar had cleared a good portion of it, but he'd either totally ignored this area or totally overlooked it. Genie reached a door. Guards were posted outside. Iscawin knew he couldn't sneak by them invisible or there'd be mass chaos like there had been when Hans opened the gates to Agrabah. He slipped quietly over to them and knocked one quickly out. The other, startled, spun, but before he could call out for help, he'd knocked him out too. He grabbed the keys, which turned invisible in his hand, and unlocked the door, racing inside and shutting it behind him. He ran after Genie into the bowels of the castle, racing by guardsmen undetected who looked entirely too disturbed and guilt-stricken for him to be comfortable with.

They reached the dungeons and began scouting around. Soon Genie squeaked to him and Iscawin came over. Genie became normal again and pushed on a wall that creaked open. They darted inside, shutting it behind, and raced even further down. Wow this was dark. They ran into a room and stopped, gasping. The torture chamber! It was eerily silent. They began walking around carefully. "Uh oh," Genie said. Iscawin looked over and went to him. He caught his breath, paling. The rippers! And they'd been used. His stomach churned slightly. He swallowed and looked towards a slab. It was covered in blood. "She didn't get it easy," Genie said, wincing. Iscawin, worried, scouted quickly around. He noticed a boarded circle and paused. He frowned and went to it, prying it open and peering inside.

"I can't see anything," he said. Genie came over and turned into a torch, floating down.

"A whole lot of nothing," Genie said.

"A water pit? In the middle of a torture chamber? Something's not right. Maybe it's a means of execution. Drown the prisoner or let them die of hypothermia? And if the girl's not here… Genie, quick, dive and search for her, now!" Iscawin ordered.

Genie did so, diving down. In seconds he shot back up. "You nailed it kid! Box down there with cracks all over. Someone's alive in there, but she won't be for long!"

"Dammit!" Iscawin said. He searched around and found the pully ropes. He seized them and dove into the pit without hesitation.

Genie blinked blankly after him, a bit surprised. "Wow. Guy's got guts," he said.

Iscawin swam down to the bottom, squinting through the dark water and barely making out a shadowy shape. He swam to it and felt around. A box chained shut. He attached the hook to the chains and swam back up. He climbed the rope out quickly, and swung onto solid ground, leaping off. He ran to the crank and began to turn it, raising the pulley again. He moved as fast as he could. Finally, it became taught, and he began to strain with all his strength, teeth gritted and muscles screaming in protest. Dammit! Weighted. He strained to try and lift the box, and slowly it was rising. He heard something break the surface of the water. Now the hard part began. Lifting it without the added buoyancy. He'd need every ounce of power to... Genie was there then, helping him quickly. Iscawin started, processing it, then gave him a grateful look. Together they got the box up quickly. Genie held the crank in place. Iscawin ran to the pit and pulled the box towards solid ground. The minute it touched down, he got to work on the chains, fumbling to unlock them. He needed to find keys, he realized. Suddenly the chains disappeared. He looked back, confused.

"You have a genie at your side, kid. Use him," Genie said.

"Sorry. Just… used to having to do everything for ourselves," Iscawin said, wincing. He turned back to the box and began fighting to pry it up. He jammed his sword into it and used it as a crowbar of sorts. The box flew open and he gasped. It was filled with water, a girl laying inside. He pulled her quickly out and lay her on the floor. He gagged to see what had been done to her. Quickly he listened for breathing. There was none. He immediately got to work trying to revive her. Compressions, air, compressions, air… After a minute she coughed and choked. He rolled her quickly over, letting the water expel. He lifted her upper body into his arms, letting her gasp and fight for breath. "Hey, hey, you're okay. You're safe now. It's alright," he quickly soothed.

She began to sob and cry out in anguish and grief. He held her tightly, looking a bit panicked and more than a little desperate to comfort her. He shot a pleading look at Genie. Genie shrugged, equally as clueless, and motioned for him to just keep doing what he was doing. He did so, holding her tight and gently stroking her hair as she wept and coughed and clung.

Frozen

Aladdin glared at Yahya, who he'd caught making a break for it. "You son of a bitch," he darkly said. "I should have had you executed when I had the chance."

"Here I thought you had a no execution policy," the man sneered in response, sword drawn.

"You're just enough a piece of work that I might make an exception," Aladdin said in disgust.

"Give me the order and it will be done," Khalid said, glaring darkly at Yahya, his own sword drawn as Aladdin's was.

Aladdin seriously considered it. "Let me think about it," he said. "Until then, lock him away so tight he'll never get out. Suspend him from chains on the roof for all I care. I'm done with him."

"Majesty, you play a very dangerous game. You know you can't hold me. You know what it would cost your people," he darkly said.

"I can hold you and will. I'll hunt down every one of your connections next, and take them all prisoner too, and I'll make sure you can never hurt Agrabah again," Aladdin replied. "Don't you get it? You're through. Just give up Yahya. This doesn't have to end in a duel. Neither of us wants that."

"I do," Khalid darkly said, glaring murderously at the vizier.

"We have the numbers, we have the ultimate loyalty, we have the power behind us, and we have two items literally crafted by gods and used by them. Stand down. You have no chance. With all these things behind us, this battle is curb stomp. Not even your information can pull you out of this," Aladdin said.

Yahya glared darkly. He knew they were right. He glanced around furtively for an escape. Just then a wall began to grind open. Khalid quickly spun to face it. Aladdin looked quickly over too. Yahya darted to the side, racing down a hall to try and escape. They spun and were about to go after him when… "Aladdin!" Iscawin's voice frantically shouted. Both Aladdin and Khalid stopped, looking over, and gasped, paling on seeing the woman laying limp in Iscawin's arms, badly damaged, bloody, and blue with cold, her black hair falling like a waterfall over his arms. "Aladdin, she needs help fast! Tell me there's something!" Iscawin pled.

"Oh my gods," Aladdin said in a breath.

"That's Layla!" Khalid exclaimed in shock. She was one of Nira's greatest friends. Dammit, the extend of the damage… "Yahya," he realized, teeth gritting murderously. Aladdin stared. Finally, he turned to Khalid. "When we catch him and lock him away, he's yours. Do with him whatever you think he deserves," Aladdin said.

"What I think he deserves I don't have the stomach to do," Khalid darkly stated.

"Lars does," Iscawin darkly said, staring down at the limp woman in his arms. "He'll be glad to let you watch and describe what you want done. Especially once he sees… once he sees this…Her. What-what he did to her…" She would be permanently and horribly disfigured and scarred for the rest of her life, and that was probably the least of what had been done. Her very survival hung by a thread! The vizier may very well have destroyed this woman… "Right now, though, I need my brother to save her. I don't know what that freak did to her, but Mael will; and he'll know how to help her."

"Go. I'm chasing down Yahya," Aladdin said.

"And, as always, I'm going with you," Khalid stated.

"Good luck. Make him pay," Iscawin replied, turning and racing off with Genie following and hovering worriedly above the unconscious woman.

Frozen

Jafar and Mozenrath stood in Jafar's lab. Mozenrath watched in awe through the hourglass at what was happening. The princes were just finishing up their tasks. Iscawin was racing frantically to reach help for the girl he carried in his arms, and really at this point all that was being tied up were loose ends. Aladdin and his guardsman were racing to catch up with Yahya, but other than that most of the other issues had been dealt with. Jafar wasn't far off, reading through a scroll and humming every so often in interest. Finally, he smirked. "Ah. Here," he said, picking up the scroll with a grin. He approached Mozenrath. "Your key to retrieving your familiar, my boy," Jafar said, holding it out.

Mozenrath glanced and gasped, seizing the scroll and reading through quickly. "This is it," he said. A way to get Xerxes back without resorting to something else! He moved quickly to a table, laying down the scroll and starting to follow the instructions. He left Hades's bident untended. Jafar looked over at it and smirked, taking it into his hand and grinning wickedly. When he'd told Mozenrath he wouldn't destroy his inheritance, he'd told the truth. It was the same with letting him be the one to kill Aladdin. However, there'd been no rule against putting Aladdin on his deathbed. He tried to see if he could use it only to gasp in pain and drop the item like it burned him. He scowled at his hand, then at the bident. "You really thought they'd left you a loophole?" Mozenrath borderline tauntingly asked.

"You certainly did," Jafar muttered, spitefully glaring at the bident.

"You're totally at their mercy, Jafar. And ours," Mozenrath said, finishing following the directions then lighting his gauntlet. An eel body, some other fish and animal body parts… He used his gauntlet to splice them all together in a shape that resembled what Xerxes had been, only albino given the age of the preserved dead things in this lab. A body. Now he just needed to give it life.

"We'll see," Jafar replied, scowling. Mozenrath rolled his eyes and finished up the spell. The corpse began to glow and he smirked. "Now you must wait," Jafar said. Mozenrath looked a bit disheartened to hear this. "It won't be long, my boy," Jafar said. "A few hours, perhaps." Mozenrath pouted and harrumphed, going to the bident and picking it up, examining it. "You don't know the power you hold there," Jafar said.

"I do," Mozenrath answered.

"If you did, you would never give it up," Jafar replied.

"I wouldn't cross those princes for all the denari in the world," Mozenrath flatly said.

"Afraid?" Jafar asked.

"No. Just not stupid," Mozenrath said. "The wife and unborn child of one is in the balance, and that's not a fight I'm inclined to try and win. He's not like you, Jafar. He won't give up."

Jafar bristled and scowled, then sighed. "We've been through this before. You know all that happened then," Jafar said. "You understand how wrong you are." Mozenrath was quiet, head hung and eyes closed. Jafar shifted. "Come. We have work to do. I have a plan that may very well guarantee your possession of that bident… The family line of the Princes of the Southern Isles has always been drawn to power and what it can bring. Fought for it. At times even over family. They may think their weakness, their addiction, has been conquered and overcome. But weaknesses and addictions are no easy things to be rid of. Those urges will remain with those men the rest of their lives. All it may take is the right… prodding."

Mozenrath perked up curiously. "I'm listening," he said after a moment, holding his chin between his fingers. Jafar smirked.