Sick
(Friday Night-Saturday Morning, June 28th-29th)
"You will be staying with us in the royal courters," Aziz informs, before they head up the alabaster stairs. "First floor is the ballroom, dining, and kitchen areas. Second is the living and bedrooms. The third is storage." He turns at the top of the stairs and frowns, "Ben?"
Evie turns and notices Ben still at the bottom of the stairs, and he reaches for the back of his head before questioning, "Hmm?"
He frowns at him, "Ben? Are you okay?"
"He's fine," Evie answers, before she nods him up and Ben starts up the stairs.
Aziz looks over Ben, "Are you really okay?"
He awkwardly smiles, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I know you probably just woke up," Aziz comments. "You're not sleeping yet."
"No," Ben acknowledges.
He shakes his head, "Then why didn't you say anything?"
Ben faces him, "I wanted to get out of dinner."
He sighs, "Ben."
"Please," he asserts, "just show us where to go."
Aziz nods, before they walk through the living room and he stops in front of the hallway, "The bathrooms are on the end, girls at the left, guys at the right. Ben. Same room as last time." He turns to him, "You remember?"
He glances down, "Yeah." before he nods.
"Good." Aziz turns, "Evie." He watches her walk into the hall, "Evie?"
Ben frowns, "Uh, Evie?" before he calls after her. "Oh, no."
Aziz hears a shout in Arabic, and his eyes widen as he watches Evie stride down towards the end of the hall. She reaches for handle, "You dare run from me." and after the ruckus of the shaken door, she bangs her fists on the door. "You go around half naked, hair uncovered, and now you deny me?" she shouts.
Ben notices Aziz's eyes glaze over with tears, "What is she saying?"
"You owe me," she yells even louder.
Ben glances at Aziz again, before he rushes down the hall, "Evie!"
She turns, her eyes widening, "Sultan?"
"Ben," he breathes, before he walks over and places a hand on her shoulder. "It's Ben."
Evie eyes down, before they move up and meet his, "Ben?"
"Yes," he breathes.
She hugs him, "It was so horrible."
He returns it, "It's okay."
"What's going on here?" Ben hears the stern voice, and he and Evie break apart.
He notices Sultana Jasmine and reassures, "It's fine. She just had a vision."
"A vision?" she gapes, and Aziz's eyes widen as he looks between them.
"Evie's a witch," Belle steps forward. "She felt something that's been imprinted here."
"You brought a witch into our home?" Jasmine grits her teeth, "How dare you?"
"Mom," Aziz tries to reason.
She swiftly turns to Evie and points towards the stairs, "Out. Now." and Evie holds onto her arm as she and Ben come back out of the hallway.
"Mom," he tries to reason again.
She gives him a look, "We will not have witches in this palace." before Evie walks up to her. "Get her out of here."
"I'll walk her out," Aziz offers.
"No," Jasmine quickly responds. "I don't want you anywhere near her."
"She didn't even do anything wrong."
"Witches are dangerous," she emphasizes.
"She didn't do anything," Aziz says louder.
His mother narrows her eyes and points to the stairs, "Downstairs. Now." and Aziz sighs before walking towards the white stairs.
"I'll take Evie out," Ben says, before he places a hand on her back and guides her down the stairs.
Jasmine turns back to Belle, "What were you thinking?"
She stands her ground, "I was thinking Aziz's classmates were invited to his party and that you've never displayed a dislike for witches before."
"Because, I thought we were on the same page," she asserts. "You and your husband put all those heretics in their place. But now, your son is involved with a fairy and you two brought a witch here."
Belle steps forward, "Do not bring my son into this."
"Or are the rumors true?" she accuses. "Are you the enchantress they say you are?"
"Me, an enchantress?" Belle disbelieves. "Are you hearing yourself?"
"It is quite the tale," she counters, "that your love broke his curse. Do you really expect me to believe that what you two have is true love?"
"It's not," she slowly states. "It's just love, like what you and Aladdin have."
Jasmine's eyes widen as she declares, "Our love is ordained by God. Your marriage isn't even legal."
"It's not like there was a ton of paperwork at the time," Belle quietly reasons.
"I swear," she stares, "if you ever bring the devil to my door again—"
"Devil?" Ben questions, and they turn as he steps towards them. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing, honey," his mother frowns. "Just go to your room."
He steps forward, "Is this about Evie?" before he looks at the sultana. "You think she's evil, the devil."
"That's where a witch's power comes from," she affirms.
He nods before facing her, "What about Mal? Is she evil? Can she not be here either?"
Jasmine takes a moment, "So long as you are with her, she can come here."
Ben's heart beats faster, and he gulps, "And carnivores. Are they not allowed here?"
"You mean, like a vampire?" she questions.
"For one," Ben accepts, and he gazes through her. It would just be perfect if she said she didn't want him there and she didn't even know it.
"Drinking the lifeblood of an animal is a sin," she reminds him.
"So, God doesn't like people who are sick," Ben accepts. "What about you? Carnivores, with or without the sickness, would they ever be allowed here?"
Jasmine half laughs, "There are no carnivores in Agrabah."
Ben's eyes move towards his mother, but then they quickly turn down. His mother doesn't even know he's likely a carnivore. His father might. His father might even be one himself, but his mother has diminished it to nothing more than preference. She doesn't even know what the Sutana's proclamation really means or to stand up against it. He meets the desert queen's dark eyes, "Night." before he walks past them, picks up his backpack, and heads into his previously assigned room.
Ben lays on the bed in the darkness, a flushed heat surging to his face, and his breaths shake before he suddenly sits back up. He takes the tic-tac case from his pocket, digs into his backpack for the soda, and he takes the ibuprofen with the Diet Coke. He sets the can on the nightstand, takes out a box of jerky, and rips the plastic open. This will be his dinner, the beef strips and soda, and he has no control, as the stabbing of his stomach and the tension in his teeth beg him to bite the strips apart until there are none.
"Dad," Aziz meets his father's brown eyes. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah." He stands from the dining table, and when they reach a private area he questions, "What's wrong?"
He takes a moment, "So, Evie's a witch, and Mom's making her leave."
"Well," his father slowly replies, "you know how your mother feel about these things."
"That's not it," he shakes his head. "Dad. Evie saw something, a vision. That's how Mom found out what she was."
"A vision?" he questions.
"Ben's mom said she saw a memory that had been imprinted here, something from the past." His eyes widen, "And Dad, it was bad."
"Well, what was it?" his dad stresses, but then he grows quiet. "Aziz Ali. Tell me."
"It was like Evie was reliving the memory from the person who was after Mom, and the things she said…" He shakes his head, "The guy was complaining about how she used to dress, saying that she owed him."
His father frowns, "What else?"
Aziz takes a breath, "Before Evie got out of it, she mistook Ben for Sultan." and he hesitates. "I think whoever did that to Mom, they… Dad. They got away with it."
"Jaffar," his father realizes. "It had to have been him. No one else—"
"You have to talk to her," he pleads.
"We're sitting back down for dinner," his father decides.
"But Dad—"
He places a hand on his shoulder, "This is not proper dinner discussion, and we have guests. You understand?"
Aziz is quiet for a minute, "How bad do you think it got? With Jaffar."
His father's expression falls, and his arms rest to his side, "I'll talk with your mother after dinner. Can you read your sister to sleep for me?" Aziz holds his breath as he nods, and his father partly smiles. "Thank you for taking this to me."
He tries to smile back, "Of course." before they walk back to the table.
Aziz watches Belle sit down and Adam question, "What was all that?"
He sits down as she takes her husband's hand and arm, smiling, "It's nothing for you to concern yourself with."
Carlos asks, "What happened to Evie?" and when Aziz faces him his expression slips. "What? What happened?"
Aziz glances down before meeting his blue eyes, "I'll tell you later."
When Jasmine eyes away from him, he notices her fallen features, "Was it Jaffar?"
She turns her head up but still doesn't face him, as she whispers, "Yes." She slightly shakes her head, "I didn't think I'd have to wear a hijab in my own home, but with so many men around I should have."
"Hey," Aladdin asserts. "This isn't your fault."
"The Quran is clear," she faces him. "When I did not cover myself, I was telling men that I belong to no one, that I could be taken."
"Where does it say that?" his eyebrows furrow. "There's only like two passages on the hijab, and what about those lines where men are supposed to guard their sight from uncovered women. If Jaffar went after you in your own home—"
"Don't say his name," she eyes down.
"He disobeyed God," he continues. "You did nothing wrong." She stays quiet. "Jasmine."
"It's about staying pure," her voice shakes. "Women who wear hijabs are pure, they want to remain pure, only to been seen by her husband and family. By not covering my hair, I asked for him to notice me."
"The Quran holds men accountable too," he reminds her. "What Evie saw him try to do to you—"
"He did more than try," she whispers, before she faces him, and the tears leave her eyes. "That was just the time I got away."
His mouth gapes, "What?"
She looks away, "You know, and after my father talked with him, I thought it would be okay for me to dress for the heat… but then he got me."
"Jasmine," he reaches for her shoulder, but when she flinches, he takes his hand back.
"And then, I felt just so… I was no longer pure. I did not deserve to wear the hijab." She tries to wipe the tears away, "The only reason I started wearing it again is because of you. People would have thought I was a slut if I was married and did not cover myself around other men."
"Jasmine," he whispers again. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you wouldn't want me." She faces him, "I was unfit for marriage after what he did, and if I'd told you— told anyone— then—"
"Wait," Aladdin disbelieves. "You never even told your father."
"Especially, not him," she cries. "No matter what I did, how I dressed, or how I behaved, I was still his innocent, little girl. He was looking for some man to protect me, and… I'd already lost everything."
There's a short silence, before he questions, "How can I help now?"
She shakes her head, "I just want to be alone."
"I can sleep on the couch tonight," he offers, and she merely nods. "Okay." He looks over her, "Do you want a kiss goodnight?" She shakes her head. "Alright."
After Aladdin gathers a pillow and blanket, he exits the room and moves down the hallway and into the living room. He places the pillow on the couch, and Aziz looks over his shoulder, "Dad. What happened?"
"Let's discuss this in the morning, please."
He watches him lay on the couch, "Did you and Mom fight?"
"No." He covers his eyes with his arm, "Everything's alright." before he turns inward towards the red couch.
Carlos looks at Aziz, "You were going to tell me what happened to Evie."
"Yeah," he recalls, as he turns towards him. "Carlos." He hesitates, "She went to the train station to go back to Ben's castle."
He shakes his head, "Why?"
"Because," he slowly addresses, "my Mom doesn't want a witch in our palace." He watches Carlos eye down, "Look. I like Evie. I do, but the way my Mom's interprets our faith, she thinks witches get their power from the devil."
Carlos faces him, "What do you think?"
Aziz glances down, "I think I'm in no position to tell my mom what is morally superior."
"And why's that?" he questions.
Aziz lets out a breath in stress, "Because, I sin regularly." before he stands up and Carlos follows him out to the balcony.
"You don't need a book to tell you what's moral," Carlos counters.
"It's not even about what's moral," he shakes his head. "It's about the set of rules Allah gave us to make us as prosperous and happy as possible, and I've broken them."
"Allah?"
"God," he stresses. "It's Arabic for God."
"Oh," Carlos comments before stepping forward. "And what rules did you break?"
"You mean, other than eating pepperoni?" he glances at him and then turns towards the lantern lit kingdom. "I'm sick. I'm sick, and I'm not going to get better."
"Yeah," Carlos recalls. "You still never told me the specifics on that." He stays silent. "Az. People get sick. That shouldn't be sin."
"It is if it's a choice, if you're consciously disobeying God's order."
"People don't choose to be sick," he quietly replies. "It just happens."
Aziz rests his arms on the stone fence, hunching over, "It wouldn't be so dangerous if I were anyone else. This sickness isn't going to kill me. What's going to kill me is that no one in my kingdom really believes it exists, and they're not going to help me."
Carlos places a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay." before their eyes meet. "And whatever is going on, you can tell me. I'll believe you."
"I know," Aziz frowns as he turns away from him. "I'm really glad to have you."
Aziz eyes the toast, before he looks up at his father, "Why didn't Mom come?"
He hesitates, "You know she's going through a lot right now."
"Is she going to get sick again?" Aziz stresses, and his father shakes his head.
"'Again' implies she was cured," he comments.
"No. I know," he quickly replies. "It's just… I'm worried."
"She had to recount some very disturbing memories," his father tries to reason.
"That's why I'm worried," he voices. "Eating disorders are an unhealthy coping mechanism."
"Aziz," his father lifts a hand to calm him down.
"I don't want to see her at eighty pounds again," he continues. "I mean, how are we supposed to explain that to Aisha?"
"You were about her age when you found out," he calmly answers.
Aziz quiets, "What did Mom tell you last night? What happened to her?"
"Well," his father slowly responds, "she said Jaffar did more than just try to go after her."
His eyes shift, "How many times?"
He shakes his head, "She didn't say, but if he never got caught and was still here by the time I met her…" He notices his son's expression, "Hey. She's strong. She can make it through this. She's going to be okay." There's more silence, before Aladdin eyes his son's plate, "Go on. Prayer's over. It's time to eat."
Aziz gives him a look, "I keep telling you, I'm not sick."
"Then eat."
He looks off, "What about Aisha? She never has breakfast."
"She went back to sleep," he excuses. "You didn't." Aziz scratches his forehead. "You know what the new studies say. There's a genetic component to this."
"I have problems," Aziz slowly admits as he frowns at him. "Eating isn't going to be one of them."
"It's already been one," his father frowns back.
"I was trying to be pure."
His father pauses, "Your mother talked a lot about purity last night. You're not that different from her." and Aziz lets out a breath. "So, your other problems. Do you want to talk?"
He shakes his head, "No."
"You sure?" he asks again.
"Yeah," Aziz picks up the toast. "I'm fine."