Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 52

Agrabah

The Sultan and the Three Immortals

Once upon a time the world of the desert was divided and scattered. The great land was a harsh environment that no man or woman would willing choose to live in. For the residents of this no named world struggled to survive. The people were separated into many tribes each occupying their own territory. Neither side trusted nor tolerated another. If one unfortunate soul wanders into the path of marauders he will surely be killed. Battles and wars were fought over simple needs like food and water.

In time, the dissention for peace grew. The many tribes would repeatedly fight and hate all those who were not of their clan. This was known as the Age of All against All. Where everyone was an enemy.

This era would flourish for generations. Though not much is known about specific events during this time period due to lack of writing and loss of archeological evidence. What is known is that this time period lasted longer than the era of the present. But all things come to an end. When one man attempted to end the conflict between the tribes by unifying them. He was known as the First Sultan.

Not much is known about him. Not where he was born or what motivated him to do what he did. But what is known is that he along with three powerful warriors named the Immortals would finally end the fighting and bring the tribes together as one nation. Similar to the Sultan not much is known of these three-warrior's identities, but their names have been passed down through the ages. The curved swordsman Kurt. The shrouded magician Zisa. And the masked woman Dust. With their help, the First Sultan ended the conflict between the tribes encouraging the people of this world to build a great city that would be a beacon of beauty and magnificence. A city that would stand as the capital of the world were people from all over could settle and call home. And so, the city was named Agrabah and from that day forward the Sultan of every generation shall take the throne. From here he would decree his proclamations and keep peace among the tribes.

Alongside him were the Three Immortals. Upon the death of either Kurt, Zisa, or Dust a new soldier would take up their ranks. He would abandon his or her previous life and take the identity of the previous Immortal. This is why they are called such as when one passes another equally powerful one takes their place as if they have never died. And this tradition continued since the building of Agrabah. This is the reason why their names have not been forgotten as it was passed down since the dawn of the new era. And it will continue from now till the day of Agrabah's end.

"And your one of them. But that means your real name isn't Dust?" said a young Jasmine holding a masked woman's hand. "Yes, my child," she said nodding.

-Agrabah 10 Years Ago-

In the Palace hallway, the Immortal Dust tells the future Princess the history of their peoples and informs her of the duty she will have to fulfill. The masked Immortal was completely covered in a black veil showing nothing but her eyes and skin around them as well as her hands. Tiny flower patterns circled around the edge of her sleeves and dress.

Jasmine was holding Dust's hand tightly with a little tiger cub named Rajah walking by her leg. They walked down the hall way with a painted mural on the wall that was as old as the Palace itself. It's the first result of recorded history in all of Agrabah as it was said to be painted by the son of the first Sultan depicting his Fathers achievements.

Dust went on and on till they reached the Throne room. Two guards who were standing by opened the door for them. The Throne room was giant in scale crafted from white marble. It was held up by 8 pillars leading to a balcony so the Sultan can easily survey the city. In the center point is a large throne shaped like an elephant's head. Jasmine's Father the current Sultan was speaking with the newly instated head of the guards Razoul.

"I am happy to inform you that we have successfully apprehended the twin bandits that have stolen hundreds of jewels from the nobles my Sultan," said Razoul kneeling on one foot with two guards dressed in similar attire doing the same.

"Yes, yes very nice. Ah Jasmine," said the Sultan noticing his daughter has returned.

The Sultan was short, obese, and had a white beard with dark brown eyebrows and brown eyes. He wore a cream robe, pants, and turban with a teal feather up front and gold boots. Around him were two impending figures the Immortals Kurt and Zisa. Kurt wore a dog's mask resembling a jackal. He wore no shirt or shoes just a cream cloth that ran from his waist to his knees. He had dark skin and thick muscles. On the left Zisa wore a large red robe with a gold covered rope around his waist. He was a bit over weight, yet he concealed more skin then Dust. He carried a black book with a hexagram on it.

"Father!" shouted Jasmine running up to him jumping on his lap.

"My Jasmine you looking wonderful today as ever," said the Sultan brushing his daughter's hair.

"Father, Dust said that I'm going to be the next Sultan," Jasmine stated innocently.

"Why yes. Everyone please leave us," he said clapping his hands. Everyone in attendance bowed and left the room in silence. "Why yes Jasmine you will rule one day. But not until after my time is up. And you find a husband," said the Sultan cheerfully.

"What end. You mean die. But I don't want you to die too. Not like Mother. Please don't leave us," Jasmine said pressing her face on her Fathers stomach.

"Now, now Jasmine. Do you remember what we taught you? Every era must come to an end eventually. And soon mine will end just as my Father did before me and his Father before him. Now just remember to keep moving forward and never lose hope. Because as long as you are good. Everything will be fine."

"Will be fine" "Will be fine" "Will fine"

Flashbacks come and go like nightmares. Past events of screaming, crying, and death. The Immortals Kurt and Zisa have fallen. A new Sultan comes to power. And the true Sultan's turban was floating in water as a snake hissed in the background. A friend has disappeared. And Jasmine appears crouching on a soft rug crying with her hands in front of her face.

"Aha!" screamed Jasmine waking from a nightmare. Huddled in ally a stray cat jumped from an abandoned box catching her attention. Jasmine breathed softly hoping no one saw her. She covered her whole body with a brown cloak so no one would recognize her. She then got in a curled-up position attempting to fall back asleep. The moon shined down on the poor girl. Unbeknownst to her she just missed someone who's looking for her.

Atop the building two blocks down three individuals gathered among the starry sky. One wore white sleeves trimmed in gold on each arm, a white tunic with puffy gold sleeves over his oddly-shaped upper torso, and white, gold-and-turquoise trimmed pants on his lower body; around his waist is a brightly colored sash in turquoise, decorated with bright orange tassels and a gold apron. His face was revealed having short brown hair and three large claw scars on his face. Probably given to him by a big animal. He carried two Khopeshes as his weapon of choice. Large sharp silver crescents that end in gold-trimmed holes on one end and lethal hooks on the other.

The one next to him was a short skinny man dressed in a black rope with red leather on his sleeves. His face was serpent like and dark. Both him and the pervious man had an almost a greenish skin color. His hands were like bony skeletons.

The third one was an average sized woman dressed in the outfit of a belling dancer. With pink and purple coloring. Her waist was exposed to sight but was behind a thin veil of fabric. Her mouth and nose were also covered by the same kind of fabric. She wore a veil over her hair though one could see through it if they looked hard enough.

"Dust any signs of her?" asked the snake like man.

The woman shook her head. "I've leaped on nearly every building in this city and peered through every alley way. Someone must be hiding her."

"Nah, no fool would even risk speaking to her. They know the penalty. Well what do you think Kurt? She was on your watch when she got away," said the snake like man.

The scarred man named Kurt spoke in a young and brash voice. "No brother. She somehow got away from all of us. There were heartless everywhere in the castle yet there were no signs of any conflict. So, someone must have helped her escape."

"It was probably the previous Dust. She can easily slide in the tiniest holes and cracks that even rats can't fit through. We wouldn't have to worry about her if you could have killed her off like me and Kurt did to our predecessors," said Zisa now revealing a snake like tongue from his mouth.

Dust defended herself hastily, "Don't lecture me. I beat her fair and square. I would have killed her if she didn't dishonor herself by running away before I could finish her."

"To be fair sand magic is tricky. Tell yah though. She didn't see you coming at all. That woman's not used to pain. She was completely helpless," said Kurt turning from the others.

"What is it brother?" said Zisa turning to him.

Kurt looked down into the ally from the roof. "I could have sworn that I saw something."

"It was probably just a street mouse. Leave them alone. We have to report to Jafar," said Dust. She crouched down and jumped almost ten feet in the air landing on the next building over. Zisa used his magic to float in the air before flying off. Light symbols appeared around his hands giving him the ability to fly. Kurt took one last look in the ally and went off with the others.

The ally he was observing was the same one hiding Jasmine. The Princess was frozen with fear as a soft hand was covering her mouth and a familiar voice spoke to her. "You can breathe child. They are gone." The woman removed her hand letting Jasmine breathe again. The Princess gave a few good huffs before seeing who it was. Jasmine couldn't contain herself. The woman stood up concealing her face under a black veil. "Dust!" she said overjoyed.

Jasmine got up and hugged her old companion. "Yes, my child. Everything will be fine."