Chapter Twenty-eight: Usurping the Serpent
Jasmine carefully controlled her breathing as Dalia inserted two jeweled daggers in her partially pulled up hair. To the untrained eye, they appeared to be pure gold. They were actually brass, refined and polished to a gold sheen. Each slender hilt was adorned with a piece of dark jade, almost black in the proper light. Perfect for her initial ensemble.
Her top and skirt were blood red with black embroidery and gold jewelry. Rubies and onyx stones were scattered throughout, inlaid in the fabric or dangling in appropriate places. The neckline embraced her throat. Sleeve hems gathered at her wrists and slightly flared over her hands. The skirt, much like what she wore for her meeting with Prince Anders wrapped completely round her and would hide what she had chosen for underneath.
What she had hidden was a bit less conservative. She wore semi-full pants and a top with a semi-low cut neckline and quarter-length sleeves both in shades of blended blue and teal. To preserve modesty appearances, she also added a sleeveless, emerald green coat that fell to her mid-shin. Leather sandals that wove up and fastened almost at her knee adorned her feet. The toes were capped to ensure she wouldn't trip and the style ensured a freedom of movement.
Then, Dalia draped her veil atop her head and down her back. The veil was a muted red, edged in black, except for the hem meant to frame her face, that was woven in white. It pulled everything together and managed to make her appear the subservient if reluctant bride.
"You look lovely, my lady," Dalia said quietly.
"She speaks the truth," Mozenrath said, entering into her mirror's line of sight. "If you look this lovely for an official farce of a wedding, I can only imagine the vision you will be for the prince of your choice."
"We have only the smallest window of chance, if at all," Jasmine said, standing to her feet. With a hand motion, Dalia slipped out to change into her own attire. "What should I expect? When do you believe Ali will arrive?"
"If we are fortunate, it will be during the middle of the ceremony," Mozenrath said. "Worst case scenario, you'll end this day a widow."
Jasmine involuntarily shuddered. "I refuse to enter the marriage chamber with that man."
"And we'll all do everything within our power to ensure you don't come within a furlong of it," Mozenrath said. "Ali may very well demand my head if I were to do otherwise, honestly."
"I would kill you myself," Dalia muttered ferociously. Her dress was brown with accents the muted color of dried blood. A light tan veil hung down her back from a silver circlet featuring a dark topaz. It actually reminded Jasmine of the veil Dalia wore the night before at the Harvest Festival.
Oh, dear Allah, Jasmine silently wondered. Was it truly so short a time?
But there was really no time for that. Later, after Aladdin stood at her side again and Jafar had been defeated, she could marvel at how quickly things had changed, how much had happened within the past week. For now, she had to focus on what lay ahead.
"Any final plans?" Jasmine asked, straightening final details on her gown.
"Nothing hasty until Aladdin makes an appearance," Mozenrath said. "I may have potentially argued for the importance of all your lives, but it will no doubt prove null if we act prematurely."
Jasmine nodded. She blew out a long breath. "Any time for more stalling?"
Mozenrath shook his head, disappointment tinging his face. "I barely convinced him to give you this much. He is getting impatient."
"Then we best get this started," Jasmine said.
The setting for the ceremony was lovely under the circumstances, Jasmine felt forced to admit. A free-standing awning of red roses where she and Jafar were supposed to make their vows. The late afternoon sun just starting to paint the sky in brilliant colors.
But it was all marred by the two guards forcing Baba to his knees with his hands bound behind him. Khaleel was held captive on the other side of Baba, a knife to his throat as he scowled at Jafar. Mozenrath took a place opposite Jafar, his face even paler than when they first met, the metal collar about his neck a sharp contrast in black.
Dalia had positioned herself behind Jafar, her anxiousness more real than faked.
Jasmine kept her own face devoid of emotions. She was only doing this to save the life of Baba and her dearest friend. Might it even prove as a distractive tactic? No, she couldn't go there, although she hoped with all her heart that Aladdin would arrive soon.
"Your Highness, Sultan," the priest intoned, if somewhat nervous, "in honesty and sincerity, do you accept Princess Jasmine—"
"Yes," Jafar spoke over him, raising a hand to draw a halt to his words. "Yes, I accept, Princess." His very voice made her skin crawl, but she had to hold herself together.
"Princess Jasmine," the priest's voice drew her eyes over to him, "do you accept the Sultan to be your husband?"
Her heart stopped. This was never how she had imagined her wedding day. A lonely ceremony. Her loved ones held hostage and threatened. Standing across from the man she despised most in all the world. The man who hated who she was, seeing her as merely a trophy, no, a tool to destroy her father. Despair swept over her, threatened to steal her breath. She looked to Dalia.
She fought to keep her heart from racing. Was that—
"Come on, woman!" Jafar snapped.
"Accept," the hateful parrot squawked.
Jasmine stepped closer until she could almost feel Jafar's hot breath on her forehead. She had seen the lamp. She just had to play her part a moment more. "I—"
Baba moved as Khaleel struggled. She could almost feel Mozenrath tensing behind her.
Jasmine swallowed hard as Jafar tilted her chin up with a hard, cold finger.
"Yes?" he asked imperiously. He held Baba's life in his hands. He'd captured Khaleel and stolen away Mozenrath's powers. He believed he had nothing to fear from two weak, terrified women.
She stalled, forcing a tremor into her voice. "I—" She couldn't risk Baba's life. She couldn't risk the lives of her friends. But . . . could she live with herself if she allowed him to win?
"Sometimes, you just have to take a risk."
Her fingers slipped round and tightened on smooth, cool brass. "Do not!" she said fiercely. She wrenched away, barely hearing the scrap of metal on metal as she raced to the balustrade. She heard Iago squawking and Jafar shouting behind her.
Mozenrath called after her as did Baba and Khaleel. None of them had seen what she had. She looked toward that distant spot, closer now. She prayed he could see her and that Carpet could work its magic. She leaped off, only looking down as she started falling. She had never realized how high it was from the lower courtyard. She screamed.
Aladdin's heart leaped to his throat as Jasmine leaped from the balcony. He grabbed Carpet's tassels and wished himself desperately to his princess. He gasped as a body forcibly expelled air from his chest.
Jasmine gasped, leaning against him. Her red and black veil fluttered behind them.
They hurriedly rearranged themselves as they finished catching their breath. She pressed Genie's lamp into his hands. "Minor advantage," she gasped out as she started attacking the fasteners of her dress.
Aladdin hurriedly turned away, focusing on their direction. "Are you okay?" he called over the wind.
"Yes," she answered. She half-laughed. "I have something more suited to battle under this peacockery," she said. "Your brother's idea."
Aladdin chuckled in relief. "I wasn't entirely sure what you were doing," he confessed. Glancing back to the palace as they swept down into the streets. He grinned as he saw what she had chosen as her battle garb. Beautiful and practical. And if he wasn't mistaken, she was wearing two daggers in her upswept hair. He was definitely going to bring her on a couple adventures now. Turning forward again to navigate an alley, he asked, "So, are we in trouble?"
"Only if we get caught," she answered.
Aladdin froze as his brow furrowed. Realization kicked in as he turned back to her.
An impish smile blossomed on her face. A sure sign that she knew what she had done.
"Did you just propose to me?" he asked.
She laughed. "Couldn't resist. We're almost to the market, about to get chased. Fitting."
"Ababwan and Agrabahian customs blended," he said. He leaned toward her to accept—
A feral, animalistic screech jolted the air around them. Both looked back to see Jafar's parrot behind them. But it had grown to a hundred if not five hundred times his usual size.
"A roc!" Jasmine cried.
"No, he's the size of a roc, but he's still a parrot," Aladdin said. "I've crossed a roc before but they looked nothing like that." He silently cursed Jafar for his horrid timing as he turned to focus on maneuvering through the tight Agrabah streets. He barely saw Jasmine fling her gown back behind them. A squawk that could have just as easily been a parrot's equivalent of a scream was the result.
"Hopefully that buys us a couple minutes," Jasmine said.
"Agreed," Aladdin said. "I have a feeling things are going to get tricky. I never made a getaway on a Magic Carpet before. I need you to hold onto Genie for me."
He moved to pass Genie's lamp over to her just as Iago tried to catch them in its talons. With a shout, Carpet swooped down. Too far down. They were among the market stalls. "Lean with me," Aladdin said. Grasping Carpet's shoulders, he wove them through the awnings and into the open market. He tried to pull up as they toppled over a lamp seller's table. Not too bad considering.
"The lamp!" Jasmine cried.
He twisted round to see Genie's lamp tumble down among the collection of nearly identical lamps. "Abu!"
The monkey scrambled down and through the feet of the many marketgoers.
"Keep facing forward," Aladdin said. "Maybe we can keep them thinking we still have it." He discretely, but quickly patted his pockets. No luck of a decoy lamp. But it seemed that the parrot was following them just fine. Now, if he could just make that oversized fowl run into a wall so that it was at least knocked out.
"What's the plan?" Jasmine asked.
Aladdin wove through the streets. "Keep that monster on our tail long enough for Abu to get Genie and then try to knock it out."
"Should we try freeing him once we have the lamp back?" Jasmine asked as they shot into the sky.
"That might be best," Aladdin said. "A freed genie is better than none."
"Any precautions before then?" Jasmine asked.
Aladdin scoured his brain, even as they swooped back down with Iago within snapping distance of them. "I have to be detailed about his freedom," he said. "But I can't remember why."
"Why is that important?" Jasmine asked.
"When making a wish, you have to be careful with your words," Aladdin answered as they swept through an alleyway, the parrot crashing its wings on the narrowed walls. A look back showed that the bird was dazed. "Magic has a mind of its own. We could wish for Agrabah to be forever hidden, and it may disappear entirely. But if we wish for Agrabah to be hidden from the eyes of its enemies and those who wish it harm—"
"It will be hidden like Ababwa," Jasmine concluded.
"Exactly," Aladdin said. "And there is something that Genie shared that makes it necessary that I be very specific concerning my wish for him." He growled in frustration. "Unfortunately, my brain can't think details like that when in survival mode."
"Then as soon as we have Genie, we use Carpet to get away for even a few minutes," Jasmine said.
"Sounds like a plan," Aladdin said. "Now we have to collect Abu."
They raced back to the marketplace, just in time to see Abu scramble up to the rooftops. And Iago closing in on him.
"Carpet, get me up there," Aladdin said. He crouched as Carpet flew him up close enough for him to leap up and onto the roof ledge. He paused only to ensure his footing before he raced along the roof. "Abu!" He dared not look back as he heard the crash of wood and stone. He leaned down, catching Genie's lamp from Abu's tail. Only then did he look back.
Iago flew almost on top of them.
"Jump!" Aladdin shouted as they ran out of roof. He leaped, ready to drop back down on Carpet. He barely felt gravity taking over before a claw scratched his arm, clamping down on the lamp. "No!" He grabbed Genie's lamp with both hands as Iago flew off towards the palace. Then, whether it was intentional or not, they flew over some palm trees. Or rather, Iago flew over, while Aladdin flew through them.
Aladdin squeezed his eyes shut against the stinging leaves, crying out as the sharp foliage whipped at his face and arms. He yelled as his fingers slipped and he fell. He crashed through an awning of round slats before landing just behind Jasmine on Carpet. Pushing aside the sting, he righted himself. His heart sank as he saw Iago flying away with Genie.
With deep breaths, he gathered his strength again. "Carpet, catch up with him!" They couldn't admit defeat. Not now, not ever.
Mozenrath had questioned Jasmine's sanity when she defied Jafar and stole the lamp. He was certain of her lunacy when she leaped from the balustrade. Until he saw his brother on the Magic Carpet. He smiled broadly as the Sultan and Khaleel chuckled.
"We may have to work on plans to keep them alive on future adventures," Khaleel said.
"Agreed," Mozenrath said.
"The lamp, Iago!" Jafar fairly screamed.
As the parrot flew off after them, Mozenrath felt a wave of power sweep into Jafar before it flew out. Over the city, he saw the pesky parrot grow to the size of a roc. "Allah, help them," he prayed.
"Ali's dealt with a roc before," Khaleel said as the guards left him and the sultan so that they could stand guard behind Jafar. He sighed. "But that was a true roc, not a parrot the size of one."
"Was the roc after a genie lamp?" Mozenrath asked, coming to stand beside his true allies.
"Well, now that you mention it," Khaleel said.
Mozenrath rolled his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. He should have remained his brother's archenemy instead of giving into brotherly affection.
"How many genies has your lad run into?" the Sultan asked.
"At least two dozen," Khaleel answered. "Honestly, I stopped counting. Although most of the ones he freed have adopted Ababwa as their home."
"What are the chances of your boy and my daughter succeeding out there?" the Sultan asked.
"Slim, but possible," Khaleel answered.
"If the 'roc' was removed?" he asked.
Khaleel turned to him, understanding in his eyes. "Moz and I take on the guards?"
The Sultan nodded, a fire in his eyes. "I hope to break that staff," he said, quietly. "Nothing can survive that drop."
Mozenrath shifted. He'd never known a person to survive if their animal was somehow destroyed. But then, he had never known the animal to shift into visibility as a magical conduit.
"It's worth a try," Khaleel said.
Mozenrath glanced at Xerxes, the eel restored though hazy.
"Xerxes take wolf," the eel said, referring to one of the guard's animals.
"I'll take the weasel," the Sultan's lion said, shaking his ragged mane.
Mozenrath nodded before he settled into a battle-ready stance.
As one, they charged the guards. Mozenrath put his guard in a headlock, noticing how Khaleel had somehow managed to completely down his guard and was managing to keep him down. Xerxes tortured the wolf something fierce, while the lion wrangled the weasel like a misbehaving cub. The Sultan charged straight through and crashed into Jafar.
The sorcerer fell half over the railing. His hat jostled from his head and the staff lost. "No!" he cried. In rage his arm swung back, knocking the Sultan to the ground.
That jolted the lion just enough for the weasel to get loose, seconds before Khaleel was thrown to his back. The weasel bounded atop the wolf and nipped Xerxes just before the freed guard struck Mozenrath's lower back with a stick. "Gah!" The wizard lord dropped to his knees before he was backhanded to the ground.
Mozenrath could only ride through the pain as the Sultan was apprehended once more.
"You are nothing without your staff!" the Sultan shouted as he was dragged back. "Nothing!"
Mozenrath turned his head to see Jafar's reaction. His heart sank as he saw Jafar's hand hovering over the balcony's edge, seconds before his staff flew up to slap into his hand.
The Sultan sat in stunned silence as Khaleel released a quiet cry of despair.
Mozenrath slumped to the ground. If Khaleel, who had shared many adventures and misadventures with Aladdin was now despairing, what hope did they have?
Author's Note: Rematch, Round One. Ding! Things don't seem to be working for our heroes right now. But this isn't over. Oh, no, far from it.
I had some fun creating another couple of outfits for Jasmine. I tried to research traditional wedding gown colors for Arab cultures and ended up merely finding what differing colors mean for the culture in general. So, while I cannot pull the meanings off the top of my head at the moment, the black and red of Jasmine's "wedding" gown are along the lines of characteristics that Jafar would prefer in a woman, not just for the sake of matching his aesthetic. And I hope that you enjoyed Jasmine's disguised daggers. Every so often, I get especially intrigued by jewelry or accessories that were truly deadly. I can't remember where I heard/read it from, but there was a ring that you could use to poison someone just by shaking their hand. Assassin worthy. Anyway.
Iago. The novelization, called that feathered monstrosity a roc. One or two other sources: a roc. I am sorry, Disney. Rocs more strongly resemble hawks and falcons. You chased Aladdin and Jasmine with an oversized parrot. A flying nightmare to all. So, I just had to point that out.
And yes, Jasmine proposed Ababwan style, as Aladdin described shortly before the Magic Carpet ride. Neither she nor I could resist. However, the acceptance of an Ababwan proposal hasn't been revealed yet. And Iago interrupted.
So, the battle has just started. What do you foresee happening? ;-) I would love to hear your theories as to what you think will take place as well as hearing your thoughts on this chapter.