Chapter 11 - Dark Despair and Surprising Light

Sinbad could hardly stand it anymore. He had to watch them torture his advisor for three days straight. Each day it kept getting worse. It might not have seemed so bad on the first day, but by the third day, the pain was close to unimaginable. Sinbad could feel it. He could feel the pain Jafar was feeling. For every cut, every bruise, for every drop of blood, the king felt like it was him in Jafar's place. He wished he could be in Jafar's place if it meant that his best friend didn't have to go through all of that pain. However, it was impossible. Sinbad was stuck on the other side of a wall. He was so close to Jafar yet it was impossible to reach out to him. He cursed Judar for creating the magical barrier that divided him from Jafar. He cursed Kouen for putting him in this situation. Sinbad was tempted to curse his fate and become a dark djinn so he would have enough power to break free from his cage. However, he knew Jafar would never forgive him if he did that. He was supposed to be saving Jafar not causing more trouble for him. So, for now, Sinbad would not give in to temptation. However, he was not sure how much more of this he could take.

Time was running out for Jafar. Sinbad was determined to save him but he did not know how. How could he save his generals when he was locked up himself? He had to think of a way out. Sinbad had gotten himself out of seven dungeons so he had to be able to get out of a simple barrier. It angered him that a dungeon conqueror like himself failed to escape from a small prison. Usually with a dungeon, you have to negotiate with the djinn there in order to conquer it and escape. But, this isn't like that. There isn't a djinn here that I can make an agreement with. This isn't like a dungeon at all. Wait, maybe they are not so different after all. I think I know what I need to do.

"Judar? I know you can hear me, Judar!"

"Yes, lord moron? You called."

"I wish to speak with Kouen," Sinbad said with a look of determination on his face and a plan forming in his mind.

Judar was stunned for a second. However, his surprised look was quickly replaced by an evil smirk.

"I'm sure he'll be pleased to speak with you. Right this way, my lord."

I'm sorry Jafar. I hope you will forgive me for this eventually. I wish I could explain my plan to you. I wish I could ask for your advice like I usually do in situations like this. I just hope that you can trust me in this. I hope that you realize that I'm doing this for you. To save you. To save you all. Please trust me like you always do, my friends.


Jafar was not sure what to think. It had been almost a week since the last time guards came in his cell with ill intentions. For the past few days, guards had only come in to treat his wounds instead of giving him more. Jafar was surprised by the sudden change. He was definitely thankful for the change but it made him suspicious. He was worried that Kouen had given up on him and moved on to the other generals. Jafar hoped that was not the case. He would do anything to spare them the pain that he had gone through. Being a former assassin, he was used to pain. Getting his legs cut open helped with that. As a result, pain did not bother him as much as it would bother a normal person. The other generals were obviously not normal people, however, Jafar still wanted to prevent them from feeling all the agony he had felt in his lifetime. That was why it frightened him to think that Kouen had chosen to move on to torturing them instead.

Jafar's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a metal door opening. He heard footsteps walking towards him and he instinctively tensed. However, the guard that approached him did something unexpected, he took off the blindfold around Jafar's eyes. Jafar had not been able to see for a long time. He had to squint for a few minutes to adjust to the light he had not seen in many days. After his eyes grew accustomed to the light again, he saw the guard's hand above him offering him help getting up on his feet. Well this is strange, Jafar thought. Even though it seemed odd to him, he took the hand and slowly stood up. It felt weird to Jafar after being on the ground for so many days.

"Follow me," the Kou guard said.

"Where are we going?" Jafar asked hesitantly.

"You'll see once we get there. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I can manage."

Jafar was shocked by the guard's sudden kindness. He did not think they were capable of kindness after three days of being tortured by various guards. Even though he was suspicious, Jafar reluctantly followed the guard. He was limping from the injuries he had but he still managed to walk without help.

After what seemed like hours, Jafar and the guard reached their destination. They were in the same room that Jafar had met Kouen in before. Except this time Jafar was not alone. As he looked around the room, he saw that all of the other generals were there with him. Masrur, Sharrkan, Yamuraiha, Drakon, Pisti, Hinahoho, and Spartos. They were all there. The best part was that they looked perfectly healthy and unharmed. Jafar couldn't help but smile when he saw that they did not have a scratch on them. However, they did not have the same reaction when they saw him. They grimaced at the many bruises and bandages covering his body. Jafar smiled to communicate to them that he was okay. Most of the generals did not look like they believed him. However, they managed to smile back at him and Jafar started to feel that everything would be okay. He thought that maybe things would finally start to get better.

To Be Continued