Almost Heaven

By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty

Chapter 6- A Whole New World

Aladdin stood hidden among a group of street entertainers, looking at the palace before him, which had been turned into a wondrous flower garden for the harvest festival, with giant pots of airy ferns and huge baskets of crimson roses. In front of him, merchants, servants, and various dignitaries made their way through one of the palace's main gates. Aladdin's eyes narrowed as he took in the heavily armed guards at the gate. The security had been doubled since the night he had almost got caught; even the vines creeping along the pillars had been trimmed, turning it a sort of fortress. There was no way to sneak in so easily.

But he had a plan. He always had.

"You know what to do, Abu," He said, motioning to his furry friend to stay.

The monkey nodded. He had been quite agreeable since his almost arrest. Feeling eyes on him, the tiny monkey looked up, noticing a brightly colored parrot circling above them. He shot the bird a look and chattered angrily. He hated parrots. Then the monkey scampered over and raced up the leg of one of the guards. As the guard began to shout and swing his arms, Aladdin reached out and grabbed an abandoned cloak off a nearby stall. Flipping the hood over his head, he joined a line of travelers wearing similar garb.

Keeping his head down, Aladdin walked past the guards—and right into the palace, inside the main hall, into the royal dance room.

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Jasmine stood in a corner looking at the long line of people greeting the sultan one by one, gratefully presenting their gifts to their ruler. She loved to see her father interacting with their subjects, which was a rare occasion and watched his smile as he spoke with them. She saw admiration in their eyes as the bowed. Someday she hoped to be a ruler like him.

But it seemed like a distant dream.

Beside the sultan, the grand vizier Jafar stood, his cobra staff tightly clutched in his right hand. He was murmuring something in the sultan's ear. His parrot was suspiciously absent over his shoulder. Her eyes met his, but the vizier looked away. They were not exactly in good terms since their last angry encounter. Well, they never were. Every time she met this strange man, she had a strange feeling of being watched, being controlled. She didn't know why. But today she preferred to keep her distance from her father's most trusted advisor.

Her eyes roamed over the growing crowd. Now she wished that somehow Aladdin could rescue her from this mess. It had been a week since she had seen him last. It felt she was missing him. She missed his mischevious smile, his joyful eyes, his carefree attitude. She missed the sense of freedom whenever she was with him. Although he assured her that he would be there, she really didn't want him here. The palace was buzzing with the news of the break in the princess' room. The security in the palace had been doubled. Now fear and tension for the strange handsome thief occupied Jasmine's heart permanently; now she could hardly breathe normally.

And the strange feeling of being watched, Jasmine just couldn't let it go.

"Nearly everyone has arrived," Dalia bubbled excitedly as another guest entered, "Look there is Prince Anders."

Jasmine peered through the crowd and spotted the stupid prince among the crowd. "He has not returned yet." She frowned as the prince strode to her direction.

Unknowingly her eyes traveled to the crowd. Her eyes caught the sight of her father speaking with few other dignitaries from the east, and Jafar standing stiffly beside him, sipping from a golden goblet. His eyes fixed on her. Jasmine looked away. Her expecting eyes scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of the familiar street thief. Jasmine's heart sank. He wasn't here.

"Salam, princess." Jasmine jerked back to the reality as Prince Anders spoke: "I have a gift for you." He held out his hand, Jasmine noticed a strange looking object in his hand.

"It is called a golden fork." He grinned, placing the gift on her palm, and Jasmine looked up to him, and her eyes automatically narrowed with disgust. He was dressed in a bubblegum pink suit with a pair of matched orange shoes that made a horrible contrast with his grey fur hat. Jasmine wondered who let this badly dressed joker inside the room.

"Thank you." She tried to grin and looked away to turn her attention on something other than this eyesore. But Prince Anders took a step closer. Bending low as if to murmur some intimate compliment, he said, "We match, aren't we?" His eyes were roaming over then aquamarine bodice tightly clinging to her body. Jasmine almost gagged at his compliment, but still, she kept her face carefully calm, "Of course, but you look dashing today."

He couldn't get the veiled sarcasm in her voice, instead, it encouraged the peacock prince, so he continued "Would you like to dance, princess?"

"Of course," Jasmine whispered on a choked laugh. Her eyes were scanning the crowd, hoping for someone to rescue her. To her relief, she found her father coming towards her. She quickly freed herself from the prince's deadly clutch and turned to her father.

"Baba, you look great." She said cheerfully.

"I'm honored, darling." The sultan smiled, looking at his daughter and then he stared in stunned admiration at the girl, who was standing before him clad in bright aquamarine pants and low cut bodice. A magnificent sheer cape lined in velvet was also bordered in pearls, attached at her shoulders with a pair of magnificent gold brooches set with pearls, rubies, and diamonds. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and back, contrasting the jewels she wore.

"My, my, you look like an angel." The sultan hugged her daughter and kissed her temple. "I wish your mother could see you today. Do you like to meet the dignitaries from Persia?"

"Of course." Excitement rushed through Jasmine's whole body. Not every day her father offered her to meet with the ambassadors from other kingdoms. Prince Anders didn't look so happy with the offer. But Jasmine simply ignored him and left with her father.

"My Sultan…Lord Rahim-al-din is waiting for you."

She had only crossed halfway through the hall when a voice spoke, and both the father and daughter turned to find Jafar standing behind them. Jasmine let out a sigh.

"Yes, Jafar." The sultan gave her an apologetic look and nodded to the vizier. Then he turned and smiled sadly, "Would you mind if…"

"It's alright, baba." Jasmine patted her father's hand. She knew she couldn't stop him from having meetings with the foreign dignitaries. Her eyes met the vizier. A subtle hint of victory didn't escape her gaze. But she decided to ignore it. As soon as she learned to live with his attitude, she would find peace. But it was not just in her nature. Sometimes she felt like a prisoner inside her own home.

With all the guests busy with the foods and dance in the hall, Jasmine let a sigh to escape. Dalia was dancing with a new guard at a distance. Suddenly she realized, even among all the people, she was actually the loneliest person in the room. She picked up a glass of grape juice and retreated in a corner. Rajah's soft head rubbed against her leg. She sank her fingers inside the tiger's soft fur. The tiger purred.

She took a sip from her glass watching the people dancing with the music. "Let's celebrate the worst festival ever…" She looked at Rajah, who nodded in agreement. But the words became a scream that shifted by a man's hand that clapped over her mouth as he began dragging her back towards the exit.

"Care to sneak out?" In the candlelight, she could see a pair of beautiful brown eyes looking at her through a hooded grey cloak.

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Jasmine closed her eyes the entire time. Not once did she peek. He made her promise him.

"Dalia!" She heard his voice, deep and reassuring from the middle of nowhere. A cold wind blew to her face, and she inhaled. The air was laden with the smell of burning firewood, freshly baked bread…and…..people.

"You can open your eyes now."

And when she did, she saw him standing tall with a crooked grin in her face. She blinked and looked at her surroundings.

She gasped.

They were standing at the edge of a narrow rooftop, not very far away from the palace. She looked down and the wall dropped almost thirty feet below. She looked at her feet and found her standing at the edge, then looked back at Aladdin, who had already comfortably seated himself at the edge of the roof.

"Come here." He patted the empty space beside him. Jasmine blinked. How on earth she could walk along this narrow edge? Understanding her hesitation, Aladdin held out his hand to her and she took it.

"Stay close." He told her and grabbed her arm tight.

Jasmine looped her arm around his, and carefully moved into space beside him. Her legs dangled almost thirty feet above the ground. Jasmine looked down, and her eyes automatically closed shut. Her stomach churned. How on earth she had herself in this impossible position?

"Open your eyes, Dalia." She felt a finger below her chin, and she opened her eyes almost reluctantly and looked at the amazing man in front of her. The moonlight highlighted his cheekbones and shone of his thick dark hair. Her breath caught in her chest. For a moment she felt his warm breath brushing her forehead.

"Do you like it?" He moved his face away from her a second before his lips touched hers. Jasmine felt almost disappointed. Cursing him inwardly, she followed his eyes and gasped at the scenario below.

Hundreds of people gathered around fire below, dancing, arm in arm. They were singing some local songs that she had never heard before. There was no professional music, no trained dancers, still, the crowd radiated life. Jasmine had never seen anything like this.

"What is this?" She asked without looking away.

"They are celebrating their own harvest." Aladdin nodded. "Sometimes you just have to see it from a different point of view," he said. He looked down and watched as a pair dancing a bit away from the crowd, lost in each other's eyes.

Following his gaze, Jasmine smiled. "It's different," she smiled. "They feel so genuine. So different. You don't anything like in the palace. Everything in there is so artificial."

"You are different." Aladdin was surprised by the boldness of his response. It had been that way since he'd first met Dalia—he felt a sort of comfort and ease as if they had known each other for a long time. He had spent so many years alone, with only Abu for company, that he had forgotten what it was like to see someone and, in turn, be truly seen by them. He looked at the girl beside him. She was gorgeous, with those beautiful mesmerizing eyes and the heartbreaking face, but in the moonlight, she looked like a mysterious fairy from the fairytale. His breath caught inside his chest as he moved near him so that he could feel the warmth radiating from her body.

Jasmine let out a sigh. "You think so?"

"Does it matter what I think?" He stopped and smiled at her, realizing the mood had shifted.

To his surprise, Dalia didn't answer right away. Instead, she grew silent. Her eyes widened. She leaned in closer. For one heart-pounding moment, Aladdin thought maybe she was going to kiss him. But then she snapped back and looked down at the market below. "Can we…." She hesitated for a moment, and then looked at him, "Can we join them?"

Aladdin felt he was in a trance. Without thinking, he shook his head. "Yes, why not?"

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A few moments later, they found them standing in the middle of the crowd. The firewood crackled, as the music grew faster and faster. He saw Morgiana in the crowd. She noticed him, and waved, Aladdin waved back. Beside him, Dalia was watching them dance with wide eyes. Aladdin felt the Dalia wrapping her arm around his, her body swaying with the beats of music.

"Let's dance." She suddenly held out her hand, and Aladdin's eyes widened.

He wiped his suddenly clammy palm against his pant leg and took her hand in his. Then he allowed her to lead him out onto the dance floor. His mind had suddenly gone back to blank. Dance? With Dalia? He was going to make a total fool of himself. He had never danced in his life, let alone danced with a beautiful girl….

But it was too late. Dalia had already dragged him in the middle, and people moved away making room for them. Dalia stood in the middle of the crowd, her hip began to move with the beats of music. Unable to think of anything else, he followed the crowd and gave her a ceremonial bow. Dalia lowered her gaze to meet his eyes. There was a smile on her lips. There was a strange reassurance in her smile, that Aladdin closed his eyes, and shook his head. He was going to ruin this.

And Dalia would find him a total fool.

As the music grew louder and faster, Aladdin tried to move his legs and arms synchronizing with the crowd, making him look like a flailing puppet and causing Dalia to laugh out loud.

Her laughter, kind and full of life, surprised Aladdin. Meeting her eyes, he was surprised to see softness. A wave of confidence washed over him. He met her gaze with confidence and matched her step with the next beat of the music.

As the beat of the music grew louder, Aladdin let himself go. He stopped thinking about the people watching him. He stopped caring about the looks he felt on his back. He didn't even try to follow the steps of the dance, like everyone else. All he did was focus on the sound of Dalia's laughter and the feel of her hand in his and the pleasure it gave him. Their eyes met, and they shared a smile.

Emboldened, Aladdin spun her out and then pulled her back into him. Aladdin felt his brain shutting down. She was pressed against his side, her body sending tasty warmth through his clothing. The audience warmed over by the obvious fun the pair was having, let out a round of applause.

But Aladdin couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. All he could concentrate on the girl in his arms.

"I've never been in this part of the kingdom before." She whispered looking at him with her big grateful eyes. "Thank you."

Aladdin's breath caught in his chest. Nobody ever thanked him before.

"It is amazing," Jasmine whispered. She didn't want him to see how she didn't want the night to end. He had, she thought, shown her more than she could have imagined. He had shown her a different side of her people, natural and happy with the barest of needs. He appreciated her freedom and respected her for what she was. Feeling his gaze on her, Jasmine looked up at the amazing man she had ever met. For a long moment, they both just stood there, unsure of what was happening between them.

"Do you like it?" He touched her chin almost hesitantly. "If you want, there are many other places…."Aladdin looked deep into her eyes, seeking reassurance, but he did see the new tenderness in her slow smile, he felt it in the way her arms encircled him, her hand splaying against his spine, clasping him close to her as her mouth took possession of him, robbing him of speech. When they needed air, they pulled off and smiled guiltily.

The crowd cheered behind them. Again they melted into another kiss softly, gently and then urgently.

Then, just then a scream erupted from the crowd, breaking them apart. Aladdin looked up to see a distant outline of men on horseback, clad in the uniform of Agrabah guards.

But how…Dalia sent him a questioning look.

A better question, Aladdin realized instantly, was how they had known where they were.

"Aladdin…What we gonna do now?" Dalia whispered, panicked, not really fond of the idea of jumping over the roofs again.

'I don't know, really." Aladdin admitted, "Actually all I can think of running."

"Me too." Dalia moved closer.

"Finally, I've found you!" One of the guards shouted behind them.

"For what?" Aladdin slipped his leg tactfully between the man's legs, knocking him onto his face. The man landed on the ground with an awfully silly look on his face. 'Wha…" All of a sudden the guards startled with their comrade's collapse. Their eyes moved toward him while Aladdin grabbed Dalia's hand.

They ran.

'Look." The sound of their feet on the dry ground made the crowd stir behind them. They made a mad dash to the right; the clatter of the swords suddenly blasted their ears. The guards had finally realized their plan. They turned to the other way; actually, there was no way, only to be blocked off by another bunch of guards.

There was no way to go. Aladdin noted a small gap in his left and headed towards it.

They slammed into the head guard's chest.

"It was you who broke into the princess' room that night, Street Rat?" he said with a tired irony. He grabbed Aladdin by his vest, shoving him off to the second squad of guards behind him.

Aladdin cursed. He should have realized he could never break into the princess' room without avoiding the guard's eye. What a fool he was.

"It's the dungeon for you this time, boy. No escape."

His eyes met Dalia who was watching the whole ordeal, a bit shocked expression in her face. Suddenly he felt guilty for dragging her into the mess. It was his fault that he was not careful enough. His eyes widened when she finally strode forward and faced the head guard.

"Let him go!" she shouted.

"Well, look at that," The head guard said, tossing her aside. "A Street Mouse."

Aladdin felt his blood boil as Dalia tumbled to the ground. The guards began to laugh; even Hakim chuckled as he turned to go.

"Unhand him."

Dalia stood up and swept off her veil. "By order of the royal princess!"

The head guard stopped chuckling and the guards gasped.

"Princess."

They bowed in unison.

Aladdin felt his stomach flip.

Dalia, the royal handmaid he had spent his days thinking about, the girl who ran away from the guards with him, who had taken care of him when he was ill, the girl who he had just kissed, was not some servant girl working in the palace. She was a princess. The royal princess.

Jasmine.

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For this chapter, I followed both the live action novelization and the twisted tale series. Hope you will like it. I love to hear from you.

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Next chapter- The cave of wonders