Chapter 7: Princesses and Parrots
I stood in the middle of the library and couldn't keep the smile off my face. The Sultan had loved my painting. So much in fact that he had some servants hang it up on the library wall. A thought suddenly occurred to me. Would he still like it if he knew what I really was? Would they keep it in here if they knew? I shook my head, feeling a bit depressed. I just couldn't look at it any more after that.
I went back to browsing the shelves, looking over everything. The Sultan had recommended a few stories in the way back and I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted to look at first. Light footsteps came from the aisle behind me and I looked over. My eyes widened slightly. It was Princess Jasmine. She was looking at my painting, her head tilted to the side and I panicked. There was nowhere to hide from her and if I moved, she'd hear me. I really didn't want to be at the receiving end of her wrath.
Something cold prodded the back of my hand and I turned around to see a full grown tiger looking at me. Oh, Allah… I swallowed nervously. No one ever mentioned the princess had a tiger for a pet!
"N-nice kitty." I said lowly and tugged at the collar of my outfit. The large cat stepped closer and took another whiff of me. Can cats smell fear? It must be radiating off me. Suddenly he purred and nudged my hand. I stunned for a moment before reaching out and petting the tiger. He purred louder and I smiled running my hand along his soft fur. "Hi, what's your name?" I asked.
"Rajah."
I stiffened as Jasmine's voice came from behind me. I whirled around. She was standing behind me and I was relieved to see she didn't look as angry as she had earlier.
"Princess Jasmine." I said and bowed to her.
"The whole palace is talking about you." She continued as if I hadn't spoken. "The prince with the magic paintbrush." I flushed.
"Magic paintbrush." I muttered and she giggled. Shocked I looked back at her.
"I had to come see for myself. They were right. It's lovely." Something about the way she was looking at me now, set off warning bells in my head. Either she knew or she was going to find out. I should have realized that my picture was a dead giveaway of where I had to have been to see the palace that well and in those lights.
"Thank you, your highness." I said and I felt the tiger, brush past me, rubbing against my legs.
"Rajah doesn't usually like strangers." She commented. "You must be good with animals." I rubbed my bandaged hand. That stupid parrot had drawn blood.
"Not every animal." I told her, frowning at my hand. She followed my eyes.
"What happened?"
"That parrot of your Vizier's didn't like me too much."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Iago doesn't like anyone. Neither does Jafar for that matter." I nodded. I was pressing my luck standing here. She might be getting ready to yell again.
"Well, I won't bother you." I said and started to walk away.
"Wait." I turned to her. "What's your name? You know mine."
"Farid, your highness."
She smiled. "You don't have to be nervous. Rajah won't hurt you."
"It's not Rajah I'm worried about." I winced when her eyes widened. Oops. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No, no. You're right. I acted horribly earlier."
"Well, you had every right. People shouldn't talk about you like that."
"Even your brother?" She asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Especially him." I nodded. "He gets a swelled head sometimes. I'm not trying to defend him." I told her quickly when she arched an eyebrow. "I'm just saying he tends to put his foot in his mouth." Jasmine nodded, hiding a giggle. Maybe this talk with her will help Al start a conversation with her. Hopefully.
"You know the servants would have brought you something for that." She nodded at my hand. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were watching me intelligently. She was definitely not one to be duped. Al was going to have to confess to this girl one way or another. We were going to lose our heads.
I nodded. I had to be careful in my answer. "Yes, but I don't trust many people." I decided being as honest as I could be was better than a full out lie. "I'd rather take care of it myself. I've done it before." I shrugged. "It takes me a while to get used to others. Not everyone is as they seem."
Jasmine's face softened. "I understand." She turned and pulled a book from the shelf. "You should read this one, Prince Farid. It's one of my favorites." She handed me the book and then took one for herself before beckoning to her tiger. "Come Rajah."
I watched her walk away before looking down at the book in my hands, a slow smile spreading across my face.
"You should have seen him!" A voice squawked. Confused, I slowed my steps. I hadn't heard that voice before. I peered around the corner. To my horror, I saw Jafar standing in the hallway. He was blocking my path and I couldn't get past him to my room which, if I remembered correctly, was up the next hall.
"He was gettin' cozy with the princess!" Now I saw who else was there. Jafar's parrot. Iago was pacing on the decorative table that was along the wall.
"Calm yourself, Iago. Prince Farid is merely a child. He is no threat."
I frowned. What were they talking about me for?
"Well, he sure is somethin' Jasmine never talks to princes willingly."
"Hmm, perhaps this can be used to our advantage. Keep an eye on him, Iago." Jafar walked away with a sweep of his cape and Iago stared after him.
"Just great, stick me with the kid." He muttered and I stepped around the corner.
"Well, I don't want to be stuck with you either."
He shrieked and jumped in air, whirling to face me. "What the he-Err…Polly want a cracker?" I shook my head.
"Oh, no you don't." I said to him. "I heard you talking."
"Ja-" I grabbed him before he could call out for the creepy Vizier, camping a hand over his beak. He scowled at me, but I could see the mistrust and the fear in his eyes.
"I won't tell anybody." I promised and to show I meant it I let him fly from my hands. He landed far from me, his eyes wary. I held my hands up. "No one would believe me. You live here, they wouldn't listen to a foreigner."
Iago relaxed slightly, but only a little. "Hmmm. But they might believe the prince with the magic paintbrush." I shook my head.
"It wasn't that wonderful." I muttered. At that moment my stomach growled.
"Do you know where the kitchen is?"
"Do I look like a helping hand to you?"
I scowled. "Hey, look, you can either show me or follow me around while I get lost. Take your pick." Iago huffed and I rolled my eyes.
"All right, all right. Stop lookin' so smug."
He flew ahead of me and I hurried to keep up. "So, your name's Iago?"
"Yeah, that's my name." He said reluctantly, unsure about me talking to him.
"I like it."
He looked at me funnily. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah. It suits you. I'm…Farid."
"So?"
"Just thought you might want to know."
"Look, I gotta a job to do."
"Yeah and technically you're doing it." I pointed out. "You're here with me." Iago started to argue, but then he found him couldn't.
"Yeah, all right."
He paused when we reached another hallway. "So what are you going into the kitchen for?"
"I'm hungry."
"Someone would have brought you food." He rolled his eyes.
"I didn't want to bother anyone."
"You're a prince, bothering people is kind of in the job description."
"Well, it shouldn't be. I mean…that wouldn't be fair." Iago looked at me with a weirded out expression. "What?"
"Nothing" He muttered.
"What?"
"You're just not like I expected you to be."
"Is that a good thing?"
He shrugged and I decided not to press the issue. "There's the kitchen." I followed him inside and the cook turned to me.
"Your highness." He bowed to me. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"I was just a little hungry."
He smiled at me. "Of course. A growing young prince needs food." He looked me up and down and clicked his tongue. "And if you don't mind me saying so, you dearly need it." I felt my face reddened and ignored the snickering parrot.
"Here you are."
"All this is for me?" I asked, eyeing the humongous bowl of fruit. Iago was watching me curiously, but then I noticed it wasn't me he was looking at. It was the fruit.
"Of course. Have as much as you like there is plenty. Please sit and stay as long as you'd like." He said and left the room.
"Well are you going to eat it or stare at it?" Iago asked and I turned to him. "He was right you know. You look like a stick."
"He didn't say that." I argued and he rolled his eyes.
"He was thinking it."
"You mean you were thinking it."
Iago shrugged, but he didn't deny it.
I saw him eyeing the grapes and I lifted them from the bowl, placing them across from me. He looked at me and I smirked. "You gonna eat that or look at it?" He grumbled about smart-alecky kids, but he began eating them.
"Thanks." He said begrudgingly and I knew that was all I was getting out of him. We ate in silence and noticed he kept looking around.
"You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you." I said and he scowled.
"I don't believe you."
I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just thought you'd like to know that."
"Why?" He asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." He continued to eye me. "Would you stop looking at me like that?" I scowled. "I don't have two heads or anything."
"You're being nice to me. Why? I bit you remember?"
I held up my hand. "Yeah, I remember. You're not infected or anything are you?" Iago threw grapes at me and I laughed, flicking them back at him. We tossed the fruit at one another until we ran out. Iago lifted his head from the table where he was sprawled.
"You know, you're not so bad for a royal."
"Uh, thanks. And you're not so bad for a biting parrot."
He snorted and then shook his head. "You're wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
"I am bad. Evil, conniving, handsome…."
"I don't believe that."
He frowned. "Well maybe you're stupid."
I rolled my eyes. "I think Jafar just tells you that. I'm willing to bet that you don't really like doing what he says." Iago huffed, but he never denied it. "Is he your friend or just your master?"
"I'm loyal to him. We're equals."
"Why don't you talk to everyone else? Some friend he is making play dumb."
Iago pointed a feather at me. "Listen, kid, I don't have to answer to you."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit a sore spot. I was just curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat." He pointed out and I rolled my eyes.
"Well, it's not like I followed you and Creepy down the hall." I thought I saw Iago's beak twitch like he wanted to smile. "So what are you going to tell him? I don't think he'd like it if I found out you could talk." Iago shifted and I frowned. "Does he…hurt you?" His eyes landed back on me.
"No! He's never laid a hand on me!"
"Easy!" I said held my hands up. "I was just asking."
"Why do you care?"
"Because I know what it's like to think that someone cares for you, Iago. One day they're all happy and then the next they're yelling at you and telling you you're worthless. A jinx." Iago didn't say a word and I poked at the table. "Doesn't matter if you're royal or not. People never change." The parrot looked at me, cocking his head to one side.
"You better go now. It's about time for dinner." He muttered and I nodded.
"See you later, Iago." I said and walked out of the kitchen. "Sorry about the mess." I told the cook. "The, uh, grapes got away from me."
"Now presenting their royal highnesses, Prince Ali Ababwa and Prince Farid Ababwa." The announcer proclaimed and Al heard me moan quietly.
"Relax." He hissed out of the corner of his mouth, teeth clenched. "Just be calm."
"Easy for you to say." I hissed back. "You can out run me." Al suppressed a laugh and he grinned regally as we were ushered in. I stiffened slightly as I met Jafar's gaze. He gave me a sly grin that scared me and I instinctively stepped back.
"Easy." Al murmured and I looked up at him. The Sultan waved for us to come and sit. Jafar sat upon the Sultan's right and unfortunately right in front of me. Luckily Al was at my side so I felt a little better. He stared at me, but I noticed that Iago didn't. Al wasn't much better as Jasmine proceeded not to show up and that only made things more awkward. I guess my talk with her did nothing at all.
"So, Prince Ali," The Sultan stated, as he absently pulled a cracker out of his pocket. I watched as he held it towards Iago and the parrot looked scared. Jafar saw me frowning at the cracker and gave me a calculating look.
"How exactly is he your brother?" Jafar interrupted and Al frowned as my eyes widened.
"By another marriage." I replied and Jafar looked at me. "You see our father, eh, Cassim." I remembered what Al had told me about what his mother had told him of his dad. "He married again when Ali's mother died. And so I was born. My mother was Greek." Jafar arched an eyebrow as did Iago both of them staring at me. I was pretty sure they were both expecting me not to answer. Thankfully the Vizier bought it and he didn't say anything else.
"So, I do hope to see more of your work, Prince Farid." The Sultan said and Al looked at me.
"Work?"
"Oh, yes, your brother has shown a remarkable talent for painting." Al blinked at me.
I felt my face redden and I noticed Iago was silently laughing at me. "Well, I wouldn't say remarkable." I muttered and glanced down at my plate.
"Don't be so modest, my boy. Talent like that doesn't just come to everyone."
The rest of dinner went by more smoothly and eventually Al and I made our way out of the dining hall.
"See? That went smoothly." Al said and I looked at him. "I didn't know you could draw."
"Well, I didn't either until today."
Al smiled and then frowned when I didn't smile back. "What's wrong?"
"I just…I feel bad about this, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…all these people like my work. They think I'm really a prince. What if…what if they find out I'm not? They'd feel rather stupid having a streetrat's painting in the library. And that royal artist wouldn't want me to show me anything else. Or want me touching his stuff."
Al was silent for a minute. "Listen, Rick, everything is going to work out. I really don't think they would care one way or another." I shook my head.
"So are you going to let Genie out?" Al nodded and we headed back out into the garden. Luckily it was dark now so Genie couldn't be seen. "Do you think he'd like this dessert I got for him?"
Al frowned. "Alaric, you're not supposed to take things. What if someone saw you?"
I frowned back. "I asked for this, thanks. They said I could have it." Al sighed, looking sheepish.
"Sorry." He grinned then. "Probably want to feed you more."
"Shut up." I elbowed him. "I shouldn't have eaten so much." I rubbed my stomach. "But I couldn't help it. It smelt good."
Al chuckled and nodded. "Tasted good too." We reached the middle of the garden and Al took the lamp from his pocket. He gave it rub and nothing happened.
"Genie?" I called and lifted the lid. "Where is he?"
"So, how'd it go?"
I yelped and hid behind Al at the voice directly behind my head. Genie was standing there with a sheepish expression on his face.
"Sorry, short man." He apologized and he looked from me to Al. "So?"
"Um, well."
"In a nutshell? Al stuck his foot in his mouth and now Jasmine won't talk to him." Al swatted at the back of my head and knocked my turban askew. "Hey!" I straightened as he turned to a chucking Genie.
"As much as I hate to admit it, that's what happened."
Genie grimaced. "Touch luck. So what are you going to do now?"
Al sighed. "I have no idea."
"Oh, yeah. Hey, Genie, you want some rice pudding?" I offered and Genie laughed.
Al paced back and forth worry etched into his face. Ever since Jasmine hadn't shown up for dinner he had been in a nervous state. I was surprised there wasn't a rut in the ground where he paced. I sat on the grass interchanged between watching Al and watching Genie as he played a game with Carpet. We had found Abu wondering the palace gardens and thanks to Genie had a pile of bananas to eat on. He was bad at peeling them however, so earlier I had peeled them all for him. I think that was one thing he liked about being an elephant. He could eat more.
"What am I going to do?" Al moaned. "Jasmine won't even let me talk to her. I should've known I couldn't pull off this stupid prince wish." I sighed. I felt bad, but what could I do? He'd have to come up with an idea on his own.
"It wasn't stupid." I said. "Just not well thought out."
"You're being unreasonable again."
"I'm being realistic." I pointed out and he huffed.
"If you're not going to helpful then go away." I rolled my eyes and went to sit closer to Carpet.
"So, move." Genie said and Carpet quickly knocked one of the pieces off the game board. Chess Genie had called it. "Good move." He popped into a man with crossed eyes and a striped tie. "I can't believe it, I'm losing to a rug." I laughed and Genie winked at me.
"Genie, I need your help." Al growled with frustration. Genie came up beside him as a tall guy with dark glasses on his face and a large smirk. Kind of creepy.
"Alright sparky, here's the deal if ya want court the little lady ya gotta be a straight shooter do ya got it?"
"What?" Al and I asked at the same time.
"Tell her the…TRUTH!" Genie hollered making a large sign with flashing 'Truth' lights. Al made it disappear with a wave of his turban as he walked over to us.
"No way! If she found out I was really just a crummy street rat, she'd laugh at me."
"We may be streetrats, but we're not crummy. I mean we're nicer than most are."
Al rolled his eyes, but Genie smiled at me. "She won't laugh if you tell her the truth, Al."
"You talked to her today. Why didn't you mention that I'm a good guy? That I didn't mean what I said."
I rolled my eyes. "Al, I told you. No matter what I said, she would have thought I was defending you. All I told her was sometimes you didn't think when you spoke."
"Gee, Rick, that sounds wonderful."
"Well, I'm not going to woo her for you! That's just weird. She happens to be the only girl I can talk to without blushing."
"That's true," Al smirked and looked at Genie. "You should have seen him when all those servant girls were giggling and cooing at him."
"Shut up, Al." I scowled and Genie laughed.
"Ah, what's not to like?" He reached out to ruffle my hair and out of instinct I moved. Genie's hand fell short, but if he found it offensive he only brushed it off. Al was staring at me though and I averted my eyes. I couldn't help it. I liked Genie, but it was going to take time before I let him do that. I had let him once by accident in the oasis. I just couldn't bring myself to trust someone I wasn't sure was going to be there for a while. Once Genie was free he'd leave. It wouldn't do to get attached.
Genie appeared on Al's head. "A woman appreciates a man who can make her laugh." He lit up and Al pulled a string shutting him off. Genie sighed and returned to normal handing Al his turban. "Al, all joking aside I think you really out to be yourself."
"Hey, that's the last thing I wanna be." Al said firmly, taking his turban back.
"No, because that would make sense and less likely to get us killed." I rolled my eyes
"No one is dying! Stop saying that!"
"Well, maybe you didn't notice, but we don't really have any of those princely things! Genie provided those things and what happens when she does talk to you? She's not stupid and in fact I'm pretty sure she suspects something."
"What did you say to her, Alaric? Did you tell her?"
I stood up. "No! I'm not suicidal!"
"Good." Al said firmly. "Make sure you don't." Al sighed. "I'm gonna to go see her. I gotta be smooth, cool, confident." He put his turban back on and then tossed his cape about his shoulders. "How do I look?"
"Like a streetrat in disguise." Al glared at me. "Fine, you look lovely."
"Genie?"
"Like…a prince." He consented with a sigh and we watched as he floated on Carpet up to Jasmine's balcony.
"Jasmine is not going to talk to him willingly." I muttered. "So do you think it'll work?" Genie shrugged from next to me.
"Depends on what he'll do."
"I really hope he can get her to talk to him. Al deserves to have a love like that." Genie started to put a hand on me but made it look like he was stretching instead. "I'm sorry." I told him and he looked at me in confusion,
"For what?"
I made a vague gesture and he smiled grimly. "I don't blame you, kiddo. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"I just…Its one of my rules. I…try not to get attached to people. Especially when I don't know how long they will be around."
Genie was watching me with a saddened expression when I looked over at him. "I understand. It's kind of like one of mine. I go through so many masters that…" He shrugged. "It's hard not to become attached to any of them."
"Especially if they never intended on freeing you." Genie nodded.
"I'd like to believe that Al will keep his promise, but…I-"
"I know. I get it. Too many disappointments. There are too many people out there that will take advantage of you."
Genie heaved a sigh. "Well, I better go check on Al."
"Okay." I nodded. "Good luck." He smiled at me and flew off and I started down the path back to our chambers. I was really eager to sleep in that giant fluffy bed.
I was about there when I bumped into a guard.
"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't see you there." I tried to go around him, but to my suspicion several more surrounded me.
"Sorry your highness but Jafar has ordered us to get rid of you." I swallowed and tried to run, but they grabbed me. A hand was slapped over my mouth and carried off.
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