Almost Heaven

By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty

Chapter 3- Life of a Princess

To answer her father's summons, Jasmine dragged her thoughts from the memories of the handsome, brown-eyed thief who still haunted her days and nights. Lying the book down that she had been trying to read for hours, she gave the handmaid a puzzled look, then pulled her purple mantle closer over her shoulder and left her bedchamber.

Walking down the giant ornate steps of the dining hall, Jasmine couldn't but compare her current situation with the experience she had last night. Aladdin and I, and she was surprised with herself with the way her heart thumped with the thought of his name. Possibly her cheeks colored a little, because Dalia whispered from beside her, "Still thinking about the thief from the market?"

"NO…" Jasmine jerked away from her thoughts, and shook her head violently, "No way." She raised her voice a little to hide the blush creeping to her ears. "Why should I?"

"I don't know." Dalia shrugged noncommittally, "I was just wondering."

"Keep your gossips to yourself." Jasmine shoved her away with mock anger, and the girls giggled together.

Several voices along with her father's raised in debate made Jasmine pause on the corridor and glance down into the hall. Her father, the Sultan, Vizier Jafar, and the dim-witted prince from Skånland were gathered around the dining table, pondering over some parchments. What was the dim-head was still doing with her father? She thought he had left after the incident with Rajah. The Sultan gave her a welcoming smile when she entered. The vizier remained expressionless as before. The dim-witted prince gave him a toothy grin which filled her mind with disgust. She ignored the rest of the men and walked near her father.

"Baba," She curtsied, getting a smile from her father in return, "How's your evening?"

"Excellent." The Sultan gave his daughter's hand an affectionate pat and led her towards the men waiting at the dinner table. "We are just discussing how our kingdom can be benefited with an alliance with Skånland."

"What?" Jasmine was really confused this time; she threw a more confused gaze towards the foreign prince sitting in her father's left.

"Ja," The prince of Skånland grinned, motioning towards the parchments and maps still lying over the table, "I was just telling that we can send exotic furs to Agrabah, in exchange of your men." Jasmines' eyes grew wider as the stupid prince continued, "I mean you have lots of hungry mouths to feed here. And we have so many uncultivated lands…"

"Wait…Prince…." Jasmine raised one hand to cut him off. Suddenly she realized she had forgotten his name. Her gaze was so furious that made the prince swallow nervously, "Are you talking about trading slaves?" Her voice suddenly hit two octaves higher making the rest of the people in the hall jump. Even the parrot sitting on Jafar shoulder forgot to mimic the princess, as he always did.

The princess's furious gaze deflated Prince Ander's courage a bit. "Ah…I…." He stammered, a futile attempt to defend his proposal, "I just wanted to tell, you may feel lonely in a foreign land after our marriage."

"Who told you that I agreed to marry you?" Jasmine was still furious. Her nostrils flared. She couldn't still believe that her father had tolerated this nonsense so long.

"Our princess has a little bit of temper, you know, Prince Anders," Jafar said in a smooth and condescending tone. "But a ruler must consider what is best for his kingdom. The kingdom is spiraling down into poverty."

Jasmine's hands clenched, and beside her, she felt Raja's hackles raise as he sensed his mistress's barely veiled anger. Jafar had no right to talk to her that way. She threw a desperate look at her father, knowing he wasn't doing anything to stop Jafar. Sometimes she wondered if he was hypnotized by the royal vizier.

'Sit down, daughter." He spoke and Jasmine looked into his eyes. She could see the look of guilt there but she knew her father was forced to do that. "You know we have a few tradable goods besides this ever-growing population."

"But, Baba…" She drew an exasperated breath, knowing well her words wouldn't have any value in a room full of men, "We can't sell our people to a foreign land."

"I understand, daughter…" The Sultan turned, gazing at his daughter sympathetically and sighed. The vizier Jafar threw two of them a pointed look, his strange cobra staff still in his hand. Jasmine expected him to say something to Jafar in her support, but her father seemed to be enchanted by the vizier.

"But…Baba…" Jasmine tried to interrupt, but she was cut off in the mid-sentence by her father's stern voice.

"It is not for you to decide, Jasmine." He finally pushed his chair back, and waved at the council, dismissing them. "It has been discussed and decided. We agree with the trade treaty with Skånland."

Slowly a victorious grin began to appear in Jafar's lips, but Jasmine found the grin extremely creepy. Beside him, Prince Anders was shaking hands with the Sultan, which she found equally offensive. Jasmine just chocked on the sob that was about to erupt from her lips. Her eyes met Dalia; the handmaid only gave her a sympathetic nod.

She had nothing to do except watching these men to decide her fate.

Her kingdom's fate.

.

.

.

"There must be something I can do…"

Ignoring the desperation in the princess' voice, Dalia continued to unlace the back of Jasmine's gown. She was struggling with a particularly hard knot, and let out a squeak as she pinched her finger.

"I don't know why you are so desperate," Dalia shrugged, "You just to need to wake up one day as a princess, and die."

Looking up from the map she had been studying, she threw the handmaid a pointed glare. Ever since returning her chamber she had been angry, so angry that she wanted to throw things. Instead, she just let out a sigh.

"Can you imagine, the idiot prince just made Baba agree in trading slaves?" She let out an angry sigh, "And Jafar supported that prince. If I were the Sultan, I would get rid of that man in the first place. "

Dalia knew nothing could calm her mistress's foul mood, so she simply handed her down a glass of cold water. "You can just marry the prince." She shrugged, "And get away from all the fuss. But you are not doing that, are you?"

For a moment Jasmine realized she wasn't sure what she was actually able to do. Maybe someday she would really agree to marry some stupid prince just to uphold her father's honor. She gulped down the water and dismissed Dalia for the night. She needed some time alone. Rajah scooted close to her, and she ran her fingers through his soft fur. The tiger purred and rubbed his head against her leg. Sometimes only her tiger's presence could calm her mood a bit.

Her gaze traveled to the patch of the open sky that was visible from her balcony. Lightning streaked and forked above, followed by the ominous boom of thunder, and Jasmine wondered if she was going to see the thief from the market tonight.

SMASH….

The crushing sound made her turn and when she turned, she found her favorite Persian vase lying on the floor, broken into thousands of pieces, and the said thief was brushing the broken pieces from his shirt.

"You…" she said, her breath coming out in a whoosh. Her heart was still pounding, but the initial fear was fading, replaced with curiosity. "How could you…" But she was cut off as the thief moaned a little. She found herself instantly rushing to his side, grabbing his arms, checking for any sign of injury.

"Are you alright?" She asked, still scanning him for injury.

"I am alright." Aladdin grinned, and pulled himself from the floor, trying to act cool, but again let out a small gasp as he put his full weight onto his right ankle. It almost made Jasmine shout at him, but her anger evaporated when she found him still grinning at her.

"How did you come inside?"

"Through the vines over there." He grinned, nodding towards the Ivy vines creeping along the length of the balcony. His head was already reeling with the expensive perfume she wore, and the softness of her bright yellow fabric was too much to be real.

"You are impossible." Jasmine slapped his shoulder playfully. Her mother's bracelet glittered in her right wrist. For the first time, Aladdin realized that the bracelet was made of pure gold. She gently led him towards a settee in the balcony and motioned him to sit. His jaw almost hit the floor when he felt the softness of the expensive cushions and shifted uncomfortably. His gaze slid to his own dirty clothes. The velvet covers seemed too clean for him to sit down. Goosebumps rose in his arms wherever her fingers met his skin. Her touch was lighter than a bird's feather.

And one thought crossed his mind.

He didn't belong here.

Jasmine noticed the uncomfortable expression in his face, and her concern grew. It was not like him. Not the charming, playful thief she met in the market. She sat beside him and placed one hand on the top of his. He flinched in her touch. Jasmine startled with his unusual reaction and placed one hand on the side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "What is it?"

Aladdin looked away, "We must stop meeting, Dalia."

"What?" Jasmine was more than surprised. "Why makes you think like that?" Something was wrong with him, and Jasmine was determined to find it out.

Aladdin let out an exasperated sigh. He stood up, leaving the comfort of the expensive settee and looked at Jasmine, shaking his head violently.

"You don't understand, Dalia." There was a strange frustration in his voice as he began to pace along the length of the balcony, "You are a handmaid of the princess. And I am a street thief. What do I have to offer to you?"

He turned and searched Dalia's face for an answer, but there was something in her face that he couldn't fathom. It was that look she gave when she was angry or anxious or perplexed. He remembered that look she gave him when she accused him of stealing her bracelet.

"Dalia! I can explain," he breathed. But then she landed a sturdy fist in his ribs. He didn't expect that he would double over and his knees would buckle at the force but he did just that, with the unintelligible gagging sound coming from his throat.

"Thief!" She whispered, her eyes ablaze.

"What's that for?" Aladdin gasped as he managed to get back on his feet again. "I am just talking about our situation…."

"Ah, you…" Jasmine was still shaking with the sudden anger that washed over her. "You son of a…Ah, forget that." Then she raised her eyes and after a long time, they met the deep chocolate pools before her. "You have no idea what you have done." her voice softened and her right hand unknowingly found its way to his chest, over his heart. His heart jumped under her palm, and for a moment Aladdin thought he had forgotten to breathe.

The cool air was playing with the sheer curtains, so with their bodies. The coldness of the air sent chills through their spines. He shivered, and the girl too. She moved closer to him, sending the toasty warmth through his skin. Aladdin felt his brain shutting down. "But I just want to….."

"Hush!" She withdrew her hand from his chest and stared into his eyes. Aladdin's heart ached for her touch. "Tomorrow, I will wait for you."

"Why?"

"Because you have to return this." She whispered. To his surprise, she took the shining emerald necklace from her neck and slipped it into his pocket.

He was sure that he was in a dream. He couldn't think anything straight anymore. How could it be even possible? He was so much ashamed of his current state. But she was just ready to accept for he was. Was she even real? His heart swelled with affection for her, something he had never experienced before. All he could think of the enchanting woman standing before him. Forgetting all of his doubts, he cupped her chin as if he was in a trance and tipped her chin to meet his gaze. "I promise."

Jasmine shivered. His face was only an inch away from her; his dark eyes were locked into hers. She knew she couldn't escape from her feelings, like the way she couldn't ignore the truth. There were differences. She read the sorrows in his eyes and he was doing the same.

Suddenly she didn't care anymore.

She tilted her head upwards; his warm breath grazed her skin. Her eyes closed in anticipation.

Before he could even understand what was happening, he felt himself leaning towards her. Her sweet breath stirred a stray hair from his face. All he wanted to touch her lips with his.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a faint sound at a distance. At first, he decided to ignore it. But no, the sound was growing stronger and stronger. Someone was knocking at the door.

"Dalia.." He suddenly shoved her aside, eyes wide with alarm.

"What?" Jasmine's eyes snapped open. Her eye widened too when she saw the alarm in his eyes.

"The guards…"

"I have to go." Aladdin took her hand and pressed his lips on the back of it. Jasmine shivered and bit her lips to stop herself from crumbling onto the floor.

"Princess…Princess…" It was Hakim's voice on the other side of the door. "A thief has just broken into the palace."

"Coming…" Jasmine answered, and caught his arm with one of hers, "Come with me."

"Yes.." Aladdin nodded, as he continued to follow the handmaid through the maze, which was the princess' bedroom. Jasmine guided him to the vines along the pillars, as she continued keeping an eye on the door. And knock on the door was getting stronger and stronger.

Finally, they stopped near a small window in the back of the princess' room. "You better take the path through the garden."

"Good night, Dalia." He grinned and climbed over the windowsill.

"Good night." His lips were only an inch away from her as the Aladdin slipped through the vines. Unknowingly a sigh escaped her lips.

The door behind her busted open.

Jasmine whirled around to find Hakim, the captain of the guards, along with five others crashing inside, eyes darting into each corner of the room. When the head guard found the princess standing in the middle of the room, he stopped and bowed.

"Are you alright, princess?"

No, she wasn't. Her heart was beating wildly as if she had just run a mile. She swallowed, and stood up straight, trying to keep her face as normal as possible. "Hakim, what's the fuss?"

Before the head guard could answer, the tall, dark figure of the royal vizier appeared from behind, his strange cobra staff still in his hand, his creepy parrot over his shoulder.

"Princess, I believe a thief just broke into this room." He bowed, without looking away from her. His eyes were so piercing that Jasmine wondered if he could see through her. "Thief." The parrot mimicked over his shoulder.

"No..." She shook her head violently, "I was in the room all the time. I have not seen any thief." Her heart continued to thump violently in her chest. She silently uttered a prayer for Aladdin to make out of the palace in the meantime.

Jafar raised one eyebrow. Jasmine was sure he did not entirely trust her. Behind her, the guards were tearing through every nook and corner.

"Alright." After a long minute, Jafar finally broke the silence, nodding towards the Hakim. "I guess there is no thief here. Hakim, let's go."

Jasmine carefully let out a breath she didn't know she was holding back. "Well, goodnight then!" She yawned. An odd sense of relief washed over her.

"Yes, princess." Jafar was heading back to the door, then he stopped on his track. Jasmine stiffened.

Behind her, a guard yelled, "Sir, I can see the thief. He is in the garden."

Suddenly Jasmine felt there was not enough air in the room.

"Shoot him," Jafar ordered without looking back.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Faves and follows will be awesome too. I am eagerly waiting for your responses, also ideas if you can give me. I am open to ideas too.

The holidays are almost over. So the next update will take time. Keep your responses coming so that I remain inspired.

Next chapter- Jasmine faces dilemmas.