24. Connection

The tricks her eyes play puzzle her even more than the carpet flying them, but there's no doubt. It's him.

Magician, indeed.

"What do you truly seek, Prince Ali? Riches? Exports? Military strength? Your country, though reclusive, appears to lack little."

"Princess—"

"What if I told you," she continues, "that I do not wish to marry?"

"I… That's your choice." Slowly, like a lie.

Another trick?

"Jasmine?" he ventures. "What do you want?"

Wind hums everywhere, enticing goosebumps.

Maybe… a little more magic wouldn't hurt.

"Let's start with a view my maps could never capture."


A/N: You know, I really don't have many quibbles about this adaptation, but here's a minor one: unlike the original animation, Aladdin doesn't actually address Jasmine by name. Just "Princess" or nothing at all. Which is why I knew I had to incorporate it here. If for no other reason, it cuts through the formality and gets Jasmine's attention in a way I suspect no one else had been bold enough to try so far.