The sun had been up for almost an hour by the time I stumbled through the front gates. Dazed I caught sight of a water barrel near where the camels where tied. Making my way over I crouched and cupped my hands, drinking down handfuls of water, practically choaking on it before collapsing nearby. I was getting lots of strange looks, probably at my clothes honestly. As I took in the active marketplace around me.
"Welcome to Agrabah," I whispered under my breath. "city of mystery, of enchantment, and the finest merchandise this side of the bazaar, on sale today! Come on down!"
There was a jeweler showing a beautiful silver necklace with a green gem in the center to a woman in upper class clothing. There was a man selling figs, dates, pistachios. Over there I saw the sword swallower demonstrating with the fire eater, I never really understood how they accomplished those tasks without getting hurt. The fisherman was selling his stock in a booth next to the fruit salesman. I could go on forever with all the booths and carts.
Leaning back against the barrel I closed my eyes. As the water settled in my stomach, exhaustion was setting in. I must have nodded off because next thing I knew I was being yanked to my feet by the collar of my shirt. Grabbing at the wrist that held me my eyes flitted around frantically before settling on the uniform of the guard before me. He wasn't one I remembered from the movie but that didn't really mean much given the circumstances.
"What are you doing loitering about the streets girl." He spat into my face.
I growled as I felt my jaw set. "How is it a crime to be sitting on the ground?" I asked. Retrospectively I probably could have handled the situation without the bitchy tone but I was tired, sunburned, and still waiting for the effects of the dehydration to fade. His fists tightened and he leaned forward, our noses practically brushing.
"You're awfully mouthy for someone new in these parts."
I wrinkled my nose, "And your awfully close for someone who's breath smells like yours does." I bite back, but paled as he pulled his sword from his belt and placed the tip under my chin. "Shutting up." I murmured, trying not to move my jaw as much as possible. He opened his mouth to say something else, but some kind of fruit hit him in the side of the face, dripping red juices down, staining his clothes. He sputtered and we turned to see a little monkey in a vest making faces at him.
After a moment he flung me away and my back hit the sand with a thud. "I'll deal with you later Streetwalker." He spat and took off after the fleeing primate.
Sitting there stunned I blinked stupidly, before scoffing and hoisting myself to my feet, brushing as much dust off as I could. Muttering, "not in Agrabah ten minutes and someone is already calling me a whore." Deciding I did not want to wait and see if the angry guard was going to come back I headed in the opposite direction down the street.
While I would give anything to be back home in this instance the mythology nut in me was squealing with delight. Agrabah was everything the movie depicted and more. My joy at being at one of my favorite fantasy locations had me awestruck. I paused sightly as I heard a melody coming out of seemly nowhere. Glancing around I noticed that none of the other marketgoers seemed to find it odd. A pressure built in my chest and before I knew it my voice was ringing across the street.
Look out new world here we come
Brave, intrepid and then some
Looking around I did a tight spin a few of the merchants waved to me but no one seemed to find my singing out of the ordinary. Shaking off my disbelief I decided that I wasn't going to try and put logic to anything created in the Disney universe. I broke into a quick jog down the road, zigzagging between patrons, jumping over boxes, and summersaulting over shop stalls. My heart soared with childlike wonder as my hair billowed behind me.
Pioneers of maximum
Audacity whose resumes
Show that we are just the team
To live where others merely dream
Building up a head of steam
On the trail we blaze
I stopped short of a street performer who smiled at me and tossed me three small balls, which I started juggling with skill I know I shouldn't have had, and I threw back my head and laughed.
Changing legend into fact
We shall ride into history
Turning myth into truth
We shall surely gaze
On the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery
All will be revealed
On the trail we blaze
Handing them back, I continued on my 'tour' of Agrabah and quickly used a few barrels to climb to the top of a nearby building, watching as the wind blue several colorful flags above the city.
Paradise is close at hand
Shangri-la the promised land
Seventh heaven on demand
Quite unusual nowadays
Virgin vistas, undefiled
Minds and bodies running wild
In the man behold the child
On the trail we blaze
I jumped down into a passing cart filled with hay, slightly spooking the horse and driver. They sped through the streets and I watched as colors and people passed by, and waved at a few young children playing with wooden swords.
The trail we blaze
Is a road uncharted
Through terra incognita to a golden shrine
No place for the traveler
To be faint-hearted
We are part of the sumptuous grand design
I hopped off the cart and a few of the kids ran over and tossed me a ball, I threw it over my shoulder back at them and we raced off, tossing it in more ridiculous ways to each other.
Changing legend into fact
We shall ride into history
Turning myth into truth
We shall surely gaze on the sweet unfolding
Of an antique mystery
All will be revealed
On the trail we blaze
I was running backwards reaching up for a throw that went to high when I collided with something and went sprawling.
On the trail we blaze
Finishing the last line of the song and coughing slightly at the kicked-up dirt. I turned to apologies and the words caught in my throat as I looked up at a familiar uniform and I cursed. Apparently I was just on a freaking roll today as I'd run into another one of the palace guards, and unfortunately this one I recognized, he must have been on patrol as two other guards stood behind him. Razoul was not happy to be knocked over. The kids I had been playing with tentatively shuffled closer to me and I opened my mouth to try and salvage the situation when Razoul and the two guards flanking him pulled their swords and advanced toward me.
"Scatter!" I barked and the kids and I bolted in different directions. I kicked some dirt back towards the guards, silently goading them to chase after me as I definitely didn't want them chasing after the kids.
"Get back her you…" and whatever colorful name he was going to call me was lost to the crowds as I turned a corner into a busy district. Thinking I'd broken their line of sight I turned down the nearest alley and slammed into right into someone causing us both to fall on our ass.
"Oh for fucks sake, how do I keep running into…" I stopped and did a double take. An athletically built young man, easily a few years younger than me started at me with large brown eyes, black, messy hair, and thick matching eyebrows. He wore a red fez hat, a purple vest, a baggy cream dhoti, with a patch, and he was barefoot. I blinked as I noticed he had a loaf of bread in his hands.
I smiled embarrassed, "Well, at least you're not a guard, I've run into far to many of those today." I stood offering him a hand up, which he took after a brief pause. He opened his mouth only for a voice behind me to call out from the mouth of the alleyway.
"Street Rats, they're over there, Captain!"
"Damn" I hissed, but Aladdin grabbed my hand and took off. Stumbling a few steps before righting myself, I freed my hand but continued to run along a pace behind him. I figured he'd know the best way to lose these guys. We were zigzagging through alleys, streets, and stalls; but every time I looked over my shoulder the guards were still hot on our tails and there seemed to be more of them every turn we took. Taking a left down a street of houses Al started up a flight of stairs.
"Far be it from me to question your sense of direction." I huffed, starting to wheeze for breath. "But is up really the best direction for this escape? We are eventually going to run out of up."
As he glanced over his shoulder at me I was almost disarmed by his bright smile. "Stairs are just gonna kill the guards," he said
I laughed, still breathing hard, "Maybe so kid, but I hate to break it to you they're killing me as well."
He grinned mischievously at me, "Well in that case I guess I don't have to outrun the guards. I just have to outrun you." He stuck his tongue out at me and I laughed. We ran full tilt up the stairs, across the roof and skidded to a stop at the edge, there was nowhere else to go.
"See" I told him, bending over with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. "Told you we were going to run out of up."
"Stop, thieves! I'll have your hands for trophies, street rats!"
Still bent over I raised a single hand in protest, "Actually to be fair I didn't steal anything, I merely knocked you on your ass." Razoul growled and the guards advanced.
"All this for a loaf of bread?" I heard Aladdin whisper. "hope your better at falling than you are at running miss."
I turned to look at him just as He jumps off the roof, I followed only seconds behind him, knowing, thankfully, that we wouldn't die, we landed on two ropes strung between buildings, with drying clothes on them, and we skied down them, collecting bits and pieces of clothing on ourselves as we go. Finally, as we're nearing the end of the rope, at a window, a woman glares angrily at us reaches out and slams the shutters closed. We crashed into the shutters and fell to the street below. Our fall being broken by numerous awnings and the pile of clothes around us. We got up covered in clothes and looked up at the shouting guard "There they are"
"You won't get away so easy!" another one bellows.
Aladdin and I smile up at them together and say, "You think that was easy?"
Aladdin looks and me and chuckles. "Not bad, for a girl."
I scoffed and shoved him down onto a pile of clothes. "Shut up kid"
I glanced around at our surroundings to see a few ladies conversing and laughing with us. I smiled and waved.
"You two, over that way, and you, with me. We'll find them." Looking back over my shoulder I saw a swarm of guards at the alley entrance and shook my head in disbelief.
Leaning over to Aladdin as I pulled him to his feet I whispered, "Well they certainly got down those stairs faster than they went up them." And he graced me with that bright smile once more as we pulled sheets over ourselves and wrapped ourselves in quick disguises. Then we rushed over to join the women I'd waved at earlier.
"Morning, ladies" Al says brightly and I nodded politely.
"Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we Aladdin?"
"Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught.." A hand grabs Aladdin's shoulder and yanks him back. Aladdin's disguise falls off. Another pair of arms wrap around me and lifts me off the ground. The cloth is torn from my head, taking a few strands of hair with it. Which I protest with a squawk of pain.
Glancing over at a struggling Aladdin I sighed frustratedly, "I think this qualifies as trouble."