Chapter Twenty-seven: From the Ends of the Earth

Aladdin forced himself to move. Already he was losing feeling in his hands and feet. He wasn't sure if he could even feel his nose. He wrapped his arms around himself to conserve body heat. He tried to generate some warmth by rubbing his arms. But there was no warmth to be had at the Ends of the Earth.

"Abu!" he called. The wind snatched his breath away. The cold stung and burned his throat. But he had to find his monkey. "Abu!"

He almost stumbled into the crevasse that appeared at his feet in the ice. Then he heard the familiar shriek. He squinted his eyes against the wind and driving snow. He managed to see Abu's lanky form clinging to the ice wall.

Aladdin leaped down into the crevasse. He hopped between the two walls until he could touch both sides at once. A momentary slip forced him to pause, catch his breath. He noticed that he didn't feel quite so cold now that he was out of the wind. Oh, he wasn't warm by any stretch of the imagination. But he wasn't as cold as he had been. Well, aside from where he was touching the ice walls.

Reorienting himself once again, he backflipped so that he landed on a bit of ice that formed the perfect platform to rest and collect the monkey. "Abu, you okay?" he asked, drawing the monkey from the wall.

Abu curled into his chest as Aladdin tucked him under his vest. Little monkey hands clung to his thin shirt. The monkey shivered so hard Aladdin felt it through his entire chest.

"Let's get out of here," Aladdin said. But how? He'd never ventured to the Ends of the Earth. For good reason. Somehow he doubted that some of his usual backup items were tucked in his pockets. How long had Khaleel said a person could survive in cold like this?

A frigid cracking reached his ears. Dread flooded him just before the ice and snow gave way from beneath him. He screamed. That was all he could do aside from holding onto Abu. Scream as he fell into stinging snow before he started sliding. Cry out in pain as he tumbled down a freezing slope. Once again screaming as he dropped through the air and finally landed on a snowdrift above an even higher drop.

He shivered with cold and in pain. It didn't matter anymore. Even as his lungs stiffly drew air back into his battered body. He could feel his body succumbing to the cold. He couldn't summon the energy to move. I'm sorry, Khaleel, Jasmine, Genie. I failed you.

Carpet zipped through the freezing winds. It had to find the prince and the monkey. Genie was depending on it. Then it saw them. It flew down to beside the frozen Ababwan.

Abu chattered a greeting.

Aladdin drew in a sharp breath, his eyes just barely cracking open. "Carpet," he rasped.

Carpet nodded before burrowing itself underneath the half-frozen prince. Lifting up, it grasped the monkey's and the prince's hands. It was about to try something it'd never tried before. It thought about gentle warmth, comfort, safety, and care. Then, holding tight to those thoughts, it flew off.

A moment later, a warm, yellow and green light surrounded them. But, Carpet felt drained. Of course, wishing itself to a place without outward influence would wear it out. So it glided to the soft, grassy forest floor, hoping that help would come for its passengers soon.

Everything hurt, numb and tingling. He distantly heard foreign voices, one full of concern and the other wary. Something smooth and soft covered him. Then a lilting song filled the air. With the song came warmth. A gentle warmth that chased away the cold and restored the feeling in his fingers.

Aladdin drew in a deep breath as the song and healing warmth faded away. He blinked his eyes open as Abu sat up on his chest. He felt movement underneath him, a familiar weave of fabric: Carpet. Yes, he vaguely recalled Carpet finding him and Abu.

He looked around. He had never seen a forest like this, all green and vibrant. The leaves were smaller than most trees, and while warm it wasn't as hot as his native country.

Finally he saw two people. He stared. He had never seen people so pale. Well, Prince Anders was really the exception, but in some ways, he didn't count. They were a man and a woman.

The woman looked at him with large, fascinated green eyes. Her entire body was framed by golden hair, golden hair that was still mostly covering him and Carpet. Fear suddenly spiked in her eyes. She spoke hurriedly as though panicked.

Aladdin tilted his head in confusion.

Her companion a brown-haired man with a goatee touched her shoulder, calmly speaking to her. He then turned to him and said in broken Arabic, "You don't understand us, right?"

"Yes," Aladdin answered. "I've never heard your language before." He held up some of the thick, golden hair. "Her hair has healing properties?"

The man scrunched his brows together before his face smoothed and he nodded. "She was afraid that you would . . . be afraid."

Aladdin smiled. "Magic is common in my land." He turned to the woman and bowed to her. "Thank you for sharing your healing with me, noble lady."

The man passed his message to the woman. She blushed as she passed on some quiet words.

"It was nothing," the man said. "She was happy to help."

Aladdin nodded, recollections of what led him to the Ends of the Earth making him anxious. "My friends and I must leave now. More friends are in danger."

As the woman's hair was gathered up, the lady posed a question.

"Where is your home?" the man relayed.

"Ababwa," Aladdin answered, "and Agrabah."

The lady clapped her hands, eyes glowing with excitement as her voice bubbled forth like a brook.

The man chuckled, his answer an indulgent reply. Turning to Aladdin again, he passed on, "Blondie says we should come visit."

Aladdin smiled warmly. "You will be most welcome. I pray blessings upon you and your families." He offered a final bow, holding back a chuckle as the lady bowed in return and the man gamely offered one with her. He waved as Carpet lifted up before grabbing the two front tassels. As they rose above the trees, he imagined the vast sands surrounding Agrabah. It was time to bring down a sorcerer.

Author's Note: Woo-hoo! Aladdin is almost back to Agrabah!

Sorry about the late update. My computer was acting up for roughly twenty-four hours or so after attempting to download some updates. So, I couldn't do anything with it. Very frustrating for various reasons. But thankfully, my mom was able to help me figure out how to get it back into proper running order.

So, the reason for the stop before heading to the desert. I thought that it would be pretty jarring to someone's body to go from way below zero freezing temperatures to potentially over a hundred degrees of heat. So, Carpet broke an unspoken rule and wished itself and its passengers to a more mild climate. Then just to ensure that everyone was in peak form again, I invited a touch of crossover. Can you guess who Aladdin met? And for the record, at least for the sake of this story, I think this fellow, might have run across some thieves or thugs from Arabic countries, thus picking up some of the language.

Maybe the chapter is a little shorter, but I couldn't leave Al and the rest languishing in the Ends of the Earth any longer. Welcoming any theories of what could be coming next chapter or two.