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

Author Notes: I'm so sorry about the delay guys! Thank you for all the kind notes and comments you sent in letting me know that you still cared enough about the story to want to know when the next update was coming! They really encouraged me!

In other news, I now have a twitter account so you can follow my posts there if you like, there will be the occasional update on how TTP is progressing: www. twitter. com/Serena_Inverse (remove the spaces)

And don't forget to check out the gallery of artwork for TTP that has been generously produced by the story's official illustrator, LevimHoshi: www. levimhoshi. deviantart .com/gallery/26198224 (remove the spaces)

Now, on to the long awaited chapter!

Chapter 21

Malcho slept for a long time, his body exhausted, and his mind finally at ease now that he had reconciled with Tala. Occasionally, he shifted in his sleep and aggravated an injury, bringing himself close to consciousness, but each of these times a sharp intake of breath brought with it the scent of the child slumbering by his head, and he quickly settled back down. It was well past noon by the time the persistent rumblings of his stomach finally caused him to open his eyes.

He let out a small grumble, exhaling sharply to blow some hair out of his eyes before raising his head to blink groggily. He yawned and tasted the air, wincing as he became re-aware of all his numerous wounds, his wing and shoulder throbbing unpleasantly beneath the thick padding of the bandages. He couldn't detect any immediate danger, and while his stomach was irritating, he was still so very tired, and really didn't want to get up yet. He was just preparing to settle back down to slumber when-

"Mrrm…"

The sudden noise made Malcho's half-lidded eyes snap wide open, and his head twisted down sharply towards-

Oh.

"Tala." He whispered softly, a smile creeping across his features as he saw the small child, still curled up on the ground where his head had been moments ago.

She's here. He thought, his heart swelling as he took in the sight of her. She was nestled up snugly, a blanket firmly tucked around her small frame, while his body acted not only as an extremely effective windbreaker, but also as a solid barrier to keep any potential threats away.

"Nrrrm…" She murmured again, shifting in her sleep, his movements having disturbed her.

"Shhhh, mi amiga." He whispered soothingly, "I'm here, go back to sleep."

He emphasised his words by leaning down to nuzzle her side ever so slightly, just brushing his muzzle against her to let her know he was there. His heart swelled again as his actions made her relax and smoothly settle back down to sleep. He smiled and prepared to re-join her in slumber, having decided to ignore his rumbling stomach, when someone called out, startling him.

"…Malcho?" Came a voice, soft as a whisper, and he turned sharply at the intrusion, prepared to ward of any threat that would dare come near his-

He paused, momentarily perplexed by the sight that met his eyes.

"Princesa?"

Jasmine, unaware that she'd taken the waking snake by surprise, held a finger to her lips, pointing to the slumbering child as she silently asked him to lower his voice.

"Good morning, Malcho, or should I say good afternoon? I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better, Princesa." He said, gathering himself quickly after the initial shock. "There is still some pain, but it is much more tolerable then before."

"That's good to hear." She smiled. "Now, it sounds like you're hungry. We thought you might be once you woke up. Genie has caught some food for you."

"Gracias." He replied, inclining his head politely, "I appreciate it Princesa, but you must understand, I cannot leave mi amiga alone."

"Malcho, you need to eat something." She said firmly. "I know you hardly touched your food while you were imprisoned, and you need your strength. I'll stay with Tala until you come back, and you'll be able to see her from over there. She'll be perfectly safe, I promise."

Malcho was reluctant to leave Tala, even with the Princess' assurances, but his persistent stomach, teamed with the cold hard fact that he knew he really couldn't protect her while he remained so weak, made the decision for him. He nodded to the Princess, thanking her again, and then turned back to his amiga.

"I'll be back soon." He whispered softly, before righting himself, wincing as the movement pulled on sore muscles and made his wounds throb.

"Ouch." He flinched, unable to stop the small exclamation of pain.

"Take it slow, you're still hurt." Jasmine cautioned.

"Si, I will. Just watch over her for me, por favor."

"I will." She promised, sitting down next to the girl and rearranging the blanket to cover her more securely.

Malcho nodded again, and moved off, the distinctive smell of gazelle, freshly butchered, floating towards him on the wind. As the scent hit his nostrils, he couldn't stop his mouth from salivating, the smell intensifying the hunger pangs in his stomach beyond all reasonable limits. He easily tracked the scent, following it across the clearing that had been a battlefield only yesterday, to where Genie was just laying down his latest prize.

"Hola Malcho!" The blue Djinn called cheerfully as he heard him approach, "Good to see you're up and about! I-" He stuttered to an abrupt stop as he looked up from his work, spotting the salivating snake advancing rapidly towards him, "…hope your hungry?" He finished weakly, his voice tapering of to a whimper.

"Very." Malcho said simply, eyeing the corpses lying in the shade hungrily, "Are these for me?"

"Uh-yes, turns out there are quite a few herds in the valley." Genie faltered, trying to collect himself, "Guess we know what the guardian was living on all this time, huh?"

"Indeed." Malcho said, a tinge of impatience in his voice as the blue man stood between him and his prey.

"I'll just-uh, let you be then." Genie said, edging away, fairly certain he wasn't going to want to watch what happened next. "Oh! Before I forget, here's some water for you as well." He added, pointing and creating a massive bowl filled with clean drinking water. "Let me know once your done and I'll check your wounds over, okay?"

The Quetzalcoatl spared him a brief bow to acknowledge his words, and then advanced on the gazelle. Genie had thoughtfully butchered the carcasses into easy to swallow pieces, so he didn't have to strain himself dislocating his jaw to swallow them whole as normally would. He ravenously snatched the morsels up, his hunger making them taste even sweeter then normal. He consumed every last scrap in record-breaking time, far more then he would normally consider eating in one sitting, but as hungry as he was he just couldn't help himself.

I'm going to need a long siesta to properly digest all that. He thought as he licked his chops clean. And with my luck I'll probably get a stomach-ache on top of everything else from eating so quickly. Caramba! At my age I should know better! Ah well, I would need to sleep for a long time to recover from these injuries anyway, I suppose it is no great loss, so long as I can stay near Tala.

He turned then to the bowl Genie had provided, drinking deeply and gratefully; using the last trickles of water to wash his bloody face. Feeling much revived, he quickly slithered into the woods a fair distance, to answer nature's call, and then returned to the clearing, which he noted had been transformed into a highly organised campsite while he was unconscious.

"Hello, Malcho! Feeling better?" Genie called as the snake headed over to where he was waiting.

"Much, thank you, Genie."

"Good to hear. Now, if you would just lean down a bit, I'll have a look at how those wounds are doing." He said, transforming into the same doctors outfit he'd worn earlier.

"Of course." Malcho said, lowering his head cautiously. He wasn't happy about letting a relative stranger so close while he was vulnerable, but he knew he wasn't in a position to argue. Genie had cared not only for him, but also for Tala, and he needed that treatment to continue. He had to be patient and bear with it, for her sake.

"Well, at least your wounds are starting to scab over," Genie commented, "That guardian sure did a number on you. Considering how deep and ragged some of these were, I was worried they wouldn't close cleanly."

"So they are closing now?" Malcho asked hopefully.

"Looks like it, though the deeper ones are still weeping a little." He said, gingerly peeling of another bandage and peering underneath it. "It's a good sign, amigo, but you're still going to have to be careful. You're not out of the woods yet. With this many open wounds you've got a really high chance of getting an infection, even with my help. I'll want to clean and change these regularly, and you'll need to do your best not to get any dirt in them."

"Of course" He agreed.

The exam continued, with Malcho's tail waving back and forth anxiously, despite his best efforts to hold still, until at last Genie finally started to check his main worry, his wing. To make the procedure simpler, Genie made himself bigger, growing until he was only a little shorter then Malcho, allowing him to handle the broken wing with more precision.

"You know, it would have been really handy if I'd thought of this earlier." He commented cheerfully, causing the snake to give him a withering look behind his back. Checking the wing took time, and the longer it dragged on, the more anxious Malcho became, until he couldn't help but blurt out the urgent question on his mind.

"Genie, por favor, I must know, will I be able to fly again?"

"What? Oh, of course Malcho!" The blue man exclaimed, as if it had only just occurred to him that the possibility of being flightless might have troubled the snake. "It was a clean break, and I got to it quickly. Having that big shoulder wound as well will slow down the process, but you should be able to fly in a couple of months, if all goes well."

"Oh, that is so good to hear." The snake sighed, slumping visibly in relief as all the muscles he had tensed in preparation for bad news suddenly relaxed. Genie smiled softly at the reaction, but for once, made no comment.

"…So, um…where is everyone?" Malcho coughed embarrassedly, hurriedly trying to cover up his brief display of weakness.

"Well, Carpet, Abu and Aladdin went out to fetch some supplies, and Iago decided to go with them." Genie explained cheerfully, "He's not usually one to volunteer for any type of manual labour, but I don't think he wanted to be around when you woke up."

Malcho grunted in acknowledgment, unwilling to get into that particular subject right now.

There was a beat of silence, both awkward and uncomfortable for the both males. Desperate for something to say, Malcho ventured;

"…It's a nice camp you've made."

"Oh, thank you." Genie replied, relieved to have been supplied with a safe subject to discuss, "We go travelling a lot, what with all the adventuring and diplomatic missions, so we're used to setting up overnight camps. Even with me and Carpet around to ferry everyone from place to place, there are still some locations that take a few days to reach."

"I see…" Malcho responded. There was a pause, the snakes eyes still sweeping the campsite, and then he abruptly asked, "Genie, what have you done with the Guardian?"

"Oh, he's over there." Genie said, pointing to what appeared to be a bunch of ropes and chains circling thin air, a good distance away from the camp. Malcho blinked, double taking as he noticed upon a second look that a bowl and a bunch of bones were lying nearby.

"You…fed him?" He asked curiously.

"Uh, well, yes." Genie said, now sounding somewhat nervous as he anticipated the serpent's response to this news. "I'm sorry Señor, but there were so many odd things about his actions…we just weren't sure if he was really a bad guy or not. And in any case, we couldn't just leave him to starve, not when he was still alive and breathing. I mean, we would have treated him if I could work out what he is and how to treat someone I can't actually see-"

"It's alright Genie." Malcho interjected as the blue man started to babble, "I'm glad you did so."

"…You are?" He asked, disbelievingly.

"Yes. His actions also made me suspicious. I have many things I wish to ask him. Many things." He stated, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Well, I uh-I guess it all worked out then!" Genie said, still sounding faintly nervous as he saw the intensity of Malcho's gaze. "-But I do have to insist on more rest before you go interrogating anyone. You need to take care of yourself." He added more firmly.

When this produced only a preoccupied murmur of agreement, he added, rather slyly, "And of course, you'll need to take care of Tala first too."

This got the snake's attention, Malcho blinked and re-focused, his mind swiftly brought back to the present.

"Yes, yes of course, you are quite right Genie." He agreed. The blue man smiled at the noticeable effect Tala's name had on the serpent, and continued with his treatment, re-splinting the wing and moving to the large bite wound on his shoulder.

"So," He asked cheerfully, making the serpent blink at the sudden change of tone, "What's the Rainforest like this time of year?"

Meanwhile, across the clearing, Tala had finally started to stir, perhaps subconsciously noticing the fact that her companion was missing.

"Tala?" Came a soft, questioning voice, as her eyelids started to flutter.

"Malcho?" The small girl replied, shifting under her blanket.

"No, it's me, Jasmine." The young woman replied, putting a soothing hand on her forehead, smiling as she realised this was the second time the girl had woken in her arms calling out for the snake.

"Princess Jasmine?" Tala questioned, her eyes clearing, "Where…?"

"Easy there." Jasmine hushed as the girl struggled to sit up. "You're safe, just give yourself a minute, it will come back to you."

"Oh." Tala said as her memory snapped back into place. There was a moment's pause and then she repeated, "W-Where's Malcho?" An edge of panic building in her voice as she glanced around and didn't immediately spot him.

"He's fine, Tala. He's just over there, see?" Jasmine said, pointing to him, "Genie's checking his wounds, but I'm sure he'll be done soon, and as soon as he is, Malcho will come straight back."

"Oh…okay." Tala said, wincing as she moved, an arm wrapping around her ribs, which throbbed painfully.

"He didn't want to leave you" Jasmine added softly, a hint of guilt in her voice, "But I made him go. He needed to have his wounds checked. I'm sorry if that upsets you."

"No, no, you did the right thing. Thank you." Tala smiled weakly.

"Thank you for being so understanding." She smiled. "Now here, I got you medicine, water, and some fruit. You must be starving; I know Malcho was when he woke up. We'll be having a proper meal soon but this should hold you until then." Jasmine said, proffering the items.

Tala gratefully reached for the medicine, swallowing it quickly before digging into the fruit. The mango she was handed was sweet, juicy, and wonderfully refreshing, just what she needed after her long sleep. She munched steadily, forcing herself to not rush as Jasmine related all that had happened while she was asleep.

"I'm glad you didn't let the Guardian die." Tala said as Jasmine concluded her summary.

"I couldn't let it end like that, none of us could." Jasmine said simply, "We all agreed that something about him just doesn't add up. He attacked us, but at the same time, it really seemed like he didn't want to fight in the first place, like he had no choice."

"I agree, and if something is forcing him to act this way, I hope we can help him." Tala nodded "Maybe I shouldn't be saying that after what he did to Malcho, I mean, we don't know he was being controlled…but he just sounded so sad earlier, so frustrated."

"I know, Tala." Jasmine said, squeezing her hand gently. "And it's not bad for you to think that way. We all do."

"Thank you, Jasmine."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "Hey, you know Carpet's going to be happy to see you up. He was hovering nearby the whole time you were asleep."

"He's such a sweet rug. I really need to thank him for everything, he's been taking such good care of me…you all have."

"You can thank us by getting better." Jasmine said simply, giving the girls hand another reassuring squeeze. "I'm just glad to see you smiling again."

Tala couldn't help but smile in response, and then glanced back over towards Malcho, who looked like he had just about finished being examined. Her heart lifted as she watched him turn around to head back towards her, and she raised a hand to wave at him tiredly.

Malcho's face broke into a wide smile as he spotted her, delighted to see her awake at last.

"Amiga!" He cried happily, slithering over as quickly as his injuries would permit.

"I'll give you two some space." Jasmine smiled, standing and walking over to Genie.

"I'll need to check Tala out too once you've caught up!" Genie called out to the retreating snake, who waved his good wing in recognition and continued to hurry over to Tala. He came to a stop a short distance in front of the young girl, who had started to weakly rise to her feet.

"No, no, amiga, please, don't get up." He said, worried as he saw just how frail she looked, her skin a worryingly pale shade, and one arm wrapped around her torso, obviously trying to support her ribs.

"Thank you." She said, sounding relieved, and swiftly dropped back down, wrapping the blanket around herself snugly before she continued, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, amiga, much better." He said, tail flicking back and forth in minor irritation as his wounds prevented him from coiling himself securely around her, "Genie says I am doing as well as can be expected, but I must still take care to keep the wounds clean."

"Of course you should. You were really badly hurt. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Si amiga, do not fuss. I am more concerned with you. How are you feeling?"

"Tired and achy." She sighed, "But I'll survive. And it is not 'fussing.' Just look at you!" She finished pointedly, staring at his wing, bandaged in a sling, and the numerous bandages wrapped around his body, particularly the large amount of padding on his shoulder. Actually…now she looked at it, wasn't there more padding there now then there had been before?

Malcho sighed at her exclamation. There were numerous things he could say to her, but most that came to mind were empty reassurances that she would see straight through. She knew his capabilities better then most, and after working to heal him, she also knew just how serious his wounds were. With no words to offer, he chose action, and lowered his head to her, carefully nuzzling her side with small soft movements. He was relieved to feel her respond almost immediately, her hands reaching out to touch him, stroking his muzzle gently. For some reason he had felt a little anxious about how she would react to his display of affection, as though she might have rejected him…

I suppose emotional wounds are much more difficult to heal then physical ones, he pondered, and it will take some time to completely put the past behind us. He was jogged from these thoughts as Tala suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Are you alright, amiga?" He asked softly, raising his good wing to gently hold her against him. There was a certain desperation in the way she was clinging to him that made him anxious.

"Si." She said, burying her face in his hair "It's all just been a bit too much lately. I still feel kind of overwhelmed...and scared." She admitted softly.

He pulled her a little closer, relieved to be able to understand the cause of her distress. It was perfectly natural for her to still be upset after everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

"Don't worry, Tala, I'm here now, and I won't let anything happen to you." He rumbled protectively. "I will not leave you, no matter what."

"I know." She said, smiling softly, the confident, powerful tone in his voice reassuring her, "I know you will. Thank you. Gracias, amigo." She gave him a final squeeze and let go, allowing him to draw his head back and look at her.

"You're welcome." He smiled, "Now, I think we had best let Genie check you over, yes? Your wounds need tending to, as well."

"Okay." She agreed, taking the great serpents good wing as he helped her walk over to Genie, who was still dressed as a doctor, and greeted the pair with his normal cheerfulness.

"Finished catching up, have we?" He asked pleasantly.

"Yes, Genie." Tala smiled, as he led her over to a fallen tree where she could sit, while Jasmine and Malcho settled nearby. By now, Malcho was really starting to feel the restrictions his wounds placed on his movements. He was used to coiling his lower body up whenever he stopped somewhere for a while, it was simply more comfortable for him to do so, and having to stay stretched out all the time was rapidly becoming a source of irritation. He knew he was going to have a few uncomfortable nights ahead of him, not to mention the fact that not being able to coil himself securely around Tala made him anxious.

"Let's see how you're doing." Genie said, interrupting the serpent's thoughts as he started to untie the bandages around Tala's forehead.

"Have I mentioned how lucky you are that you didn't get a concussion?" He commented, as he examined the large cut underneath her bangs.

"I could have had a concussion?" Tala asked, alarmed.

"Well, there was a good chance, you did get bumped around a lot."

"And you didn't mention this before, why?" Malcho asked, alarmed.

"Well, you both kinda had a lot on your minds." Genie placated, "And I hadn't seen any obvious signs of a concussion, so I just kept an eye on her, and when she hadn't shown any symptoms after a few hours, I judged that she was fine."

"Well that's…nice to know." Tala said shakily, sharing a disturbed look with her amigo.

"Well, in any case, this is healing nicely." Genie commented, oblivious to their discomfort, as Jasmine handed him a clean cloth to wash her forehead with, "But you're still going to have a scar, sorry."

"It's fine, I don't mind." Tala said reassuringly, just before concerned rumbles from above caught everyone by surprise, making Jasmine and Genie look to her anxiously. It took Tala a few seconds to realise that, not knowing Malcho as well as she did, they probably weren't able to differentiate a concerned noise from an aggravated one.

"I'm fine, Malcho. Don't make that noise." She soothed the snake, reaching out to pet a nearby coil, "It's going to be hidden by my hair anyway, so it's not like it matters."

"I should have gotten here sooner." He murmured, gazing at a spot in the distance to avoid her eyes.

"I'm fine, Malcho. You did more then enough. You saved my life back there. You don't have any reason to feel guilty." She spoke reassuringly, still patting his side, and the words and actions worked together to draw a small smile from him.

Genie and Jasmine shared a small, unobserved smile, as they watched this brief moment of interaction between the pair.

The rest of the exam went fairly smoothly, with Malcho carefully monitoring the proceedings as they all chatted while they worked. Genie seemed pleased with Tala's progress, and the only small hiccup came at the end when he wanted to check her ribs. Tala resisted at first, reluctant to let Malcho view the damage he'd caused, knowing how guilty he would feel, but eventually the serpent himself, along with Genie and Jasmine, managed to coax her into letting herself be checked. Tala reluctantly lifted her tunic to let Genie look at her ribs, exposing the large fading bruise where Malcho had struck her.

As the injury came into view, Malcho very carefully made no sound, and kept his face neutral. To Tala, who knew how well practised the snake was at concealing his true emotions, this was no comfort. She found herself thinking that any reaction at all would have been better then his complete suppression of his feelings.

Genie began his work, gently pressing on her ribcage to try and determine how much damage she had done, causing Tala whimper and yelp as he hit sore spots. She tried desperately to keep quiet, as each noise made Malcho finch and recoil, but it was simply impossible. She was glad that Genie was at least quick and efficient with his work.

"Okay, kid, I'm done now, I'm sorry that it hurt." He told her, giving her a moment to collect herself before he rendered his diagnoses to the anxious group. "You're very lucky, Tala. It seems that none of your cracked ribs actually broke during the struggle. However, I'm afraid you have undone a lot of our good work, and I don't want you running around or doing anything strenuous for about a month, capiche? Nothing that will tax your ribcage, you really need to take it easy."

"I understand. Thank you, Genie." Tala nodded, pulling her tunic back down and wrapping her arms around herself. A silence swiftly fell, oppressive and heavy, with girl and serpent unable to look at one another, neither knowing what to say.

"Whoa. Talk about a mood killer." Genie whispered quietly. Jasmine nodded in agreement, trying to think of what she could say to console 950lbs of guilty snake, when, thankfully, they were distracted by a sudden noise.

"Whoa, Carpet! Slow down!" Came a cry, as Aladdin rapidly approached them.

"Aladdin?" Jasmine asked, peering in the direction the voice was coming from.

"Hey! Everyone's back!" Genie cried as the group came into sight, delighted at the good timing of the interruption.

Malcho muttered something in Spanish as he caught sight of them, Tala could just make out what sounded like the words "parrot" and "wonderful," spoken in highly sarcastic tones. Obviously he wasn't happy about the idea of seeing Iago again. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he was still avoiding her gaze. She was about to call out to him when she was distracted by Genie, who gave her his final diagnosis.

"Well, all in all you've got quite a few cuts and abrasions, and a fair amount of bruising, but that should all take care of itself in time. We'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't pick up an infection, and you need to focus on taking care of those ribs. I don't want to be fixing them all over again in a few days time!" He finished, wagging a finger at her.

"Okay, I will. Thank you, Genie." She smiled, chuckling slightly at the mothering tone in his voice as he finished.

"That's great news Tala." Jasmine smiled, giving her hand a squeeze as she helped the girl stand. Malcho said nothing, still feeling guilty, but he had paid close attention to Genie's conclusion, and was greatly relieved to hear that she was going to be all right.

"Hey, guys! We're back!" Came Aladdin's voice again, followed by a sweeping noise as Carpet swiftly landed nearby. Tala had been wondering why the usually speedy rug had taken so long to approach after Aladdin had first called out, but as he landed and she saw how heavily laden down he was with firewood, as well as what looked like the results of some hunting and foraging, it made a lot more sense.

"Nice catch, Al!" Genie commented, spying his load. "Looks like lunch is on!" He quickly created a "Kiss the cook" apron on himself to illustrate the point, holding up a spatula and frying pan eagerly.

"Do you need a hand to unload that?" Tala asked, moving forward.

"Nu-uh-uh!" Genie scolded, teleporting in front of her in a poof of smoke, waving the spatula at her. "What did I just tell you young lady? No strenuous activity!"

"But it's hardly-" Tala tried to argue.

"He's right, Tala. Stay here with Malcho. We can manage fine by ourselves." Jasmine interrupted gently, placing a hand on her shoulder as she moved passed to go help the rest of the group. "Besides" she whispered conspiratorially, "It looks like he needs you more."

Tala blinked at that statement. Glancing behind her, she saw that despite the fact Iago hadn't so much as spoken yet, Malcho was already looking tense, focusing quite fixedly in the opposite direction, his good wing clenched tightly by his side. She whispered a quick 'thank you' to Jasmine for pointing it out to her, and then spared a moment to welcome the newcomers, smiling as Carpet immediately waved one free tassel at her, the rest of his body pinned under the weight of his cargo. Aladdin and Abu called out a cheerful greeting to her and Malcho, letting them know they were happy to see that they were up and feeling better. Malcho spared them a brief bow, thanking them for their well-wishes, before he turned to avoid seeing any more of the parrot, who had hidden behind Aladdin the second he turned their way. Greetings over, Tala quickly walked over to her friend, gently placing a hand on his side, hoping she could calm him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Fine." He muttered, just a little too sharply to be believed.

"Malcho…" She called softly, looking up at him worriedly.

He sighed, tension dropping from his frame as he slowly turned to look at her for the first time since her ribs had been checked.

"I'll be alright, mi amiga. It's just…I'm not ready for a reunion with that stupi-with that bird." He corrected himself.

"I know." She said softly, voice filled with sympathy. There was a beat of silence, and then Tala added gently,

"…But you know, he did help save your life. He kept you awake so we could heal you. If he hadn't you might have passed out and never woken up again."

"Feh. So his irritating personality finally did some good." He sniffed dismissively.

"Malcho." Tala called firmly, staring at him.

"Well what do you want from me amiga?" He asked, raising his one good wing in a half-shrug of exasperation. "He's been my nemesis for years now. How am I supposed to admit that I-" He paused, a strangled noise coming forth from his throat before he continued, "That I owe that bird my life?"

"Because you do owe him your life." She responded bluntly, "We all worked to save you, Iago included." She instantly regretting being so curt. It wasn't like her, but she also knew, deep down, that he needed to hear it, and sooner was probably better then later.

"So what do you want me to do?" Malcho asked, falling back on old habits as he swiftly masked confusion with indignant outrage.

"I don't want anything." She snapped, the unusual outburst gaining his attention as she continued, "And I'm not saying you should turn around and become best friends with him! I'm just trying to say…" She paused, sighing, the anger draining from her voice to be replaced with weariness, "That maybe you should give him a chance? He may not have earned your trust or your friendship, but after helping to save your life you at least owe him some common courtesy."

Her voice as she finished sounded so exhausted and sad, Malcho immediately felt a wave of guilt flow over him for distressing her this much.

"Amiga." He whispered, lowering his head to her level and staring at her in concern, "Lo siento. I did not mean to upset you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I snapped at you too, I shouldn't have been so harsh." She said, resting a hand on his side, regret in her eyes as she looked at him.

He sighed, and spoke softly to her. "You've been through a lot, mi amiga, and you're still not well. It's understandable for you to be stressed. I…" He paused, wondering at how she was always able to draw such concessions from him, "…I shouldn't have reacted so harshly-you were only trying to help, to tell me what I needed to hear." He paused, sighed, "It's just…it's difficult for me amiga."

"I know." She sympathised, "And I'm sorry. I never wanted to upset you. I just don't want you to fight with him again."

"I understand, amiga." He said, nudging her gently with his muzzle to try and enforce his words. After what happened to her last time, it was no wonder she was nervous of another fight taking place between him and the bird.

She sighed, and gently rested a hand on his snout, petting him gently. "So, what are we going to do? I can do my best to keep you and Iago apart, but will that be enough?"

"It will help, mi amiga." He paused, sighed, "I can make you no promises, but for your sake, considering that he played some small part in helping me, I will do my best to keep my actions towards the bird neutral, so long as he does not provoke me."

"I appreciate it, amigo. I really do. I'll do my best to keep him from doing or saying something stupid."

"Good luck with that." He chuckled, succeeding in lightening the mood, and then added, "Seriously, thank you, amiga. Will you…I mean, you will stay nearby, yes? I seem to be able to control myself better when you are near." He confessed softly.

"Of course I will. I told you earlier, didn't I? I'm not going anywhere." She smiled.

They shared a brief moment of companionable silence, until the noise of fluttering fabric caught their attention, and Tala glanced up, smiling as she saw Carpet heading over.

"Carpet!" She smiled, laughing as the rug dove down and flew around her in a tight circle, spinning her gently, while also giving her the feeling of being hugged. Pulling out of this spin, he started floating around her in anxious circles, giving the impression that he was checking her for injuries.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, Carpet." Tala reassured him, motioning for him to land, "Genie's already checked me over." The rug stopped his circling at this and landed before her, and Tala swiftly reached out and took hold of his two front tassels, which shifted to hand-shapes so they could squeeze her hands back in a friendly manner.

"I'm really happy to see you, Carpet." Tala smiled, and pulled him into a hug. "I hoped you would come back soon. Now I'm feeling better, I wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of me all this time."

Once she had let go of him, Carpet backed away a pace, waving one tassel back and forth in front of himself embarrassedly, as if to say "It was nothing, really."

"Amiga?" Malcho called down curiously, interrupting them. He had been watching the exchange between the two with growing confusion. Since when had his amiga become so attached to this scrap of floating cloth?

"Oh, Malcho, I'm sorry, I forgot, you two haven't really been introduced, have you?" Tala asked innocently.

"Si, I do not think you can count our brief…encounter at the palace as an introduction." He responded, wincing as he once again remembered that fracas.

"I guess not. Well, this is Carpet. He's a magic carpet who's friends with everyone at the palace. He found me when I was trying to sneak in and see Princess Jasmine, but rather then report me to the guards; he believed my story and took me to see her. After we had our…argument in the menagerie, everyone was very kind to me, but Carpet and Princess Jasmine were the ones who really helped me to cope with everything. Carpet never left my side while I was recovering; he kept me company by day and stood watch outside my door at night. I don't know how I would have managed without him." She summarised, smiling fondly at the rug.

"I see." Malcho said, his voice oddly flat. Tala blinked, staring up at the odd look on her friend's face.

"Malcho, are you okay?" She asked.

Watching the proceedings a little way away, Genie commented, "Uh-oh, I think Señor serpent is turning rather green over there."

"You can't blame him for being a little possessive. Tala is the first and only friend he's ever had." Jasmine said softly "But I think we had better get over there before this escalates."

"How about you go, and I'll stay over here and guard the food." Iago suggested nervously, peeking out from behind Aladdin.

"Oh bwuther." Abu murmured, rolling his eyes.

"Hey! Don't give me that! You haven't got a 50 foot snake trying to turn you into tasty tortilla!" Iago shot back angrily.

"Come on, Iago. You'll be fine. We're right here, and I don't think Malcho's going to do anything bad as long as Tala's around." Aladdin soothed as they all walked over. "Besides, I can't wait to show her what we picked up."

"You picked up something?" Jasmine asked

"Just wait, it's a surprise." Aladdin whispered cheerfully, before raising his voice to talk to Tala and Malcho. "Hello, you two. Genie told us the good news, I'm glad to hear you're both going to be alright."

"It's gweat news." Abu added from his shoulder, as Iago tried to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

"Thanks Aladdin, Abu." Tala smiled.

"Si, gracias." Malcho intoned, still sounding slightly put out as he eyed Carpet suspiciously.

At least that's taking his mind of Iago. Jasmine thought to herself.

"You're welcome, I'm just sorry that you're going to be grounded for so long." Aladdin said sympathetically as he looked at the large splint and sling around Malcho's wing.

Malcho blinked and looked to the young man, a surge of annoyance rising within him as Aladdin's well-meant comment drew Tala's attention to his broken limb. The look she gave him was heart wrenching, and he slipped his plumed tail around her ankles comfortingly.

"It's alright, Tala." He soothed, then turned back to address the rest of the group. "It is a major inconvenience Aladdin, but I am just glad that Genie was able to re-set the bone correctly. As it is, while it may take some time, I will be able to fly again one day. Had he not been here, I might have been grounded for life, a fate I do not even wish to contemplate." He finished, suppressing a full body shudder at the thought of having to live the rest of his life trapped on the ground, as some pitiful, broken, creature.

Living in the Rainforest for most of his life, Malcho knew that any creature that received such a crippling injury was as good as dead. Losing your motility, and therefore your ability to run and/or fight effectively, meant you became the target of every predator looking for an easy meal. And if the predators didn't get you, the environment would. He still remembered how once, when he was much younger, he'd found the body of a drowned hawk floating in a large puddle just after a monsoon. It had broken its wing, probably trying to fly during the storm, and, rendered flightless, it had been unable to escape the rising water. He had stared at the broken body for some time, considering what it had been like for the creature, once a powerful predator, almost unrivalled in the air, to watch the water slowly rise around it, completely unable to do anything to prevent it's own demise. He had already cherished his wings greatly, since they were what made him so unique, and elevated him above his serpentine brothers, but after that he appreciated his extra motility even more.

Turning slightly to hide a nervous swallow, he unconsciously tightened his tail around Tala's ankles, realising now just how much he owed all those gathered before him.

"Thank you, all of you, for your help. Most creatures would not have spared the time for me after all the grievances I caused in the past, and I do not think I could have faced life without the power of flight." He said, giving a formal bow, while carefully not looking at Iago as he spoke. Having noticed that her friend was on edge again, Tala quickly broke in to take attention away from him, knowing how he hated to reveal weakness.

"I want to say thank you to. You've all been so kind to me, and looked after me while I was upset. I'm really, really grateful for everything you've done." She said, also bowing.

There was a swift chorus from the assembled group, as they all assured them that it was nothing, and they were just happy to have helped.

"Really, don't worry about it, you two. I think you should just focus on healing." Aladdin smiled cheerfully.

"He's right." Jasmine smiled "And right now, I think we ought to get Tala something to eat."

"You haven't eaten yet?" Malcho asked her, worried.

"Jasmine gave me some fruit when I woke up, but they've only just come back with the food." Tala pointed out gently.

"I would have saved some of what Genie had caught for me if I had known." He murmured unhappily.

"Come on, now. You needed it more then I did, you've lost weight while you were at the palace, I can tell. Besides, I'm fine. It's not like I've had to wait long." Tala said, putting a reassuring hand on his side. Malcho rumbled in annoyance, mildly concerned that his weight loss was so noticeable. Between that and his injuries, any big predator might be willing to try attacking him.

"Don't worry, Malcho!" Genie piped up, trying to break the rising gloom as he transformed himself back into a chef, "I'll have this lot whipped up into a grand feast in no time!"

He emphasised this statement by zapping over to where the food had been neatly laid out by the fire-pit. With a point of his finger he ignited the wood, and started chopping and preparing food with super-speed.

"Um-I'm going to-uh- go help Genie!" Iago squawked and shot off quickly.

"Me tuh!" Abu called as he followed, oblivious of the real reason Iago was leaving, only concerned with getting first dibs at the food.

"You ought to visit more often, Malcho, I've never seen Iago so eager to help out with the chores!" Aladdin laughed as he watched their retreating forms, earning a light laugh from everyone but the stunned serpent, who was amazed that the boy could make jokes about their violent relationship.

"Hey, are you guys coming or what? Foods nearly up!" Genie called.

"Already?" Malcho blinked, "Carumba, he is muy rápidamente."

"Well, he is Genie after all. Magic is a great short cut." Aladdin chuckled as they started to walk over. Tala was momentarily stalled by Carpet, who chivalrously offered her a tassel, letting her lean on him as they walked, since her ribs were still aggravating her. Malcho watched this through narrowed eyes, but said nothing.

In the short time it took them to reach the fire, Genie had indeed managed to prepare a surprisingly extravagant meal, and a variety of pleasant smells were issuing from several pots that were bubbling over the fire. Iago was 'keeping an eye' on Abu, who kept trying to snatch dates when Genie's back was turned, but as they approached Tala was certain she saw the bird shove a peach into his own beak.

Genie quickly ushered her injured girl down and plied her with food, and while Carpet settled down beside her, Malcho came to a stop directly behind his friend, so she could lean back against his belly if she needed to. Soon they were all eating and chatting, and although Iago still hid, now perching on Genies shoulder on the opposite side of the fire from Malcho, for the most part things went smoothly. Genie explained that the reason he hadn't simply created the food they ate to save them hunting was that he was rather low on power after everything he'd done over the last two days. It took a lot less power to cook existing food then to create something out of nothing. They conversed about safe, neutral topics, mostly about the food, Tala complimenting Genie on what he'd made, and Jasmine and the others discussing some bizarre and memorable meals from the past.

"Are you sure you've eaten enough, amiga?" Malcho asked anxiously as she set her plate down a while later, "You don't want some more?"

"I'm fine, Malcho. I think I'll explode if I eat anymore." She replied, leaning drowsily back against him.

"It's more then she managed to eat while she was with us." Jasmine added, "I'm glad to see you got your appetite back."

"You weren't eating well, amiga?" Malcho asked, worried.

"I was upset. I find it difficult to eat much when I'm upset." She admitted softly.

"Tala…"

"Don't worry, Malcho, we kept an eye on her, made sure she ate enough." Genie placated quickly.

"And in any case, you're hardly one to talk, did you actually eat anything while you were with us?" Jasmine asked pointedly.

"Uh-well-"

"Malcho!" Tala exclaimed, "No wonder you're so thin. What were you thinking? You have to eat when you're recovering from injuries to keep up your strength. Everyone knows that!" She lectured anxiously, more concerned then angry.

"Well, I was also too upset to-hold on, you just said that you-?" The snake stuttered, switching from embarrassed confession to indignant confusion in a heartbeat.

"I said I found it difficult to eat. I might not have wanted to, but I knew I had to if I wanted to get better."

"Oh." The snake said, stuttering to a halt, the wind taken out of his sails

"Come on now, you two, don't start fighting. You just made up." Jasmine intervened gently. Carpet had sat up next to Tala as she lectured the snake, and he now leaned towards her, radiating so much concern that she found herself reaching out to pat him reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We're not fighting, are we Malcho?" She asked, looking up at her friend.

"No, we are not." He said firmly. He had just gotten Tala back, he was not going to loose her over something so trivial, something which, at it's heart, was merely two friends worrying about one another's health. Tala smiled up at him, and he easily read similar sentiments in her eyes.

"We're not going to risk our friendship over something so silly." She said, vocalising their thoughts, and he smiled down at her happily as she leaned back against him.

"Well, that's good to hear." Jasmine smiled.

"Oh yeah, Tala, I nearly forgot! I've got something for you." Aladdin exclaimed suddenly, taking the group by surprise with his sudden tangent.

"Oh?" Tala asked, genuinely bewildered.

"Yup!" He grinned cheerfully, jumping to his feet and heading over to her. "We went ahead and picked something up for you while we were out gathering supplies." He explained, reaching a hand inside his jacket, as Carpet floated forward eagerly, looking forward to seeing Tala's reaction. Malcho craned down curiously, wondering what the boy could have gotten her.

Aladdin paused, grinning roguishly for a moment before he whipped his hand out of his jacket, bringing forth a small metal orb.

"Ta-da!" He cried in delight, thrusting it towards her "One Orb of Detachment, as won, fair and square. I think you both deserve this."

Tala stared, wide eyed, unable to believe the object she'd been searching for, had gone through so much to obtain, was suddenly right in front of her. She could hear Malcho giving a soft gasp beside her as he stared at what he'd fought and bled to retrieve.

"I-" Tala started, lost for words, and then stopped abruptly as the clearing was filled with the sound of clanking chains and the groan and crack of breaking metal.

Everyone froze, turning abruptly towards the forgotten spot where the guardian lay, jaws dropping as they saw the chains snapping and buckling, falling this way and that as he rose to his feet. Tala's eyes went wide with fear, Carpet rushed forward to steady her as she started to shake, and then there was the sound of a loud, tired sigh.

"I really wish you hadn't done that."