It has been 3 weeks since the defeat of Jafar.
Sun Quan and Taishi Ci have started their journey back and Tai is slowly getting used to life in Agrabah and its palace.
He and Jasmine are getting along without any problems so far, which can't be said for Aladdin and Dalia, the couple is often arguing loudly only to make out with each other moments later. Jasmine also told her father that she wants to wait before taking his mantle as Sultan and that she wants to see the world.
The Sultan initially objected to the idea, but after a man to man conversation with Tai he agreed to Jasmines wish.
While Aladdin joined the palace's servants as Tai's servant he still spends most of his time outside the palace's walls, walking through the city and steals from the unjustly rich to give to the poor.
On his latest robbery however he followed a group of robbers to their hideout and stole their loot, throwing it in the streets below while he and Abu are flying over the poorest district in Agrabah, only holding onto a beautiful flower made out of precious jewels.
"Out on another adventure?" Tai asks, sitting in his room cross legged while Aladdin hops into the room through an open window.
"You bet." Aladdin says happily, patting his friends shoulder while he walks past Tai, to a table Tai deemed Aladdin's in the prince's quarters.
"Next time remember our agreement please." Tai says, picking up the sword lying in his lap while standing up and he secures the weapon to his waist.
"Oh, right. No interrupting your meditation. Sorry." Aladdin apologizes sheepishly.
"It's fine." Tai says, putting on a vest over his bare torso.
"Hey, you won't believe what I'm gonna give Dalia." Aladdin says triumphantly, pulling out the crystalline flower.
"Al. You said you wouldn't steal anymore." Tai says, fixing his arm guards to the back of his hands.
"I said I wouldn't steal from anyone anymore. This was from Abis Mal." Aladdin informs the former general.
"Abis Mal huh? Who's that?" Tai asks.
"He's the leader of a gang of thieves. Don't you know anything?" Aladdin says.
"Fine then, I will drop the matter, but this reassures me my suggestion is valid." Tai says.
"Suggestion?" Aladdin questions, holding a sleeveless cape open for Tai, who puts his arms through the holes.
"Yes. The Sultan asked me to be his Visir, but..." Tai starts to say.
"But? You refused?!" Aladdin asks shocked.
"Let me finish." Tai says annoyed, fingering his sword's hilt.
"As I was trying to say, I had another offer for the Sultan, one said he'd decide on today. I asked him to make you Visir alongside me." Tai tells Aladdin, turning towards him.
"Me? But why?" Aladdin asks surprised.
"Well, while I have decent knowledge when it comes to politics and military actions, I simply lack the knowledge about this and neighboring kingdoms." Tai explains, turning towards a map of Agrabah and its surroundings he has hanging on a wall.
"I see, still why me though? I'm was just a common street rat until a few weeks ago." Aladdin asks.
"Do you object to being Visir?" Tai questions.
"No, well I don't know." Aladdin says unsure how to react.
"Al, the reason why I want you beside me as Visir is that with you I know where I stand. You don't really have an agenda like others would have." Tai explains.
"I guess, hey listen I'm going to give this to Dalia now, we'll see what the Sultan decides." Aladdin says.
"Fine, I'll accompany you. I was going to visit Princess Jasmine now anyways." Tai says, leaving the prince's room.
"Why do you call her princess? You're going out." Aladdin asks chuckling.
"No reason not to address her in a respectful manner." Tai replies.
"But you never call her princess when she's around." Aladdin says.
"Because she asked me not to." Tai informs him, opening the door of the corridor in which Jasmine's chambers are.
"Hey. Dalia!" Aladdin shouts excited, when the two males see Dalia through the opened door in the princess's room.
"Dalia." Tai greets the maid when they arrive in the room.
"The princess is in the gardens." Dalia says when she sees Tai look around.
"Thank you." Tai says and leaves the two servants alone, with Aladdin giving his girlfriend the crystal flower.
"Jasmine?" Tai asks a few minutes later, standing on the stairs leading from the palace to its gardens.
"Tai!" Jasmine says happily, stepping out from behind a bush with Rajah.
Tai makes his way over to the smiling princess, giving her a kiss on her cheek before kneeling down, scratching Rajah under his chin.
"What were you doing all morning?" She asks him intrigued, grabbing Tai's hand and pulls him over to a stone bench.
"Meditating, did you need something?" Tai asks concerned.
"No, I was just wondering." She replies, leaning into his side with Rajah starting to chase after a mouse.
"Why are you meditating so often? I mean we rarely ever get the chance to leave the palace and go explore." Jasmine asks him.
"Sorry. I know I promised we'd go see the world together." Tai apologizes guiltily.
"Tai, it's OK. It's not like we need to explore it right away." Jasmine says with a fake smile.
"Jasmine, by my honor, I promise you, tomorrow we're going to start seeing more of the world." Tai says, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Really?" She asks hopeful.
"Yes, I can't stand to see you sad." He says, grabbing one of her hands.
"I'm not sad." She says.
"Jasmine, We may not know each other very long, but I'd like to believe that we have a strong enough bond where I can tell if your sad or not." Tai tells her.
"Fine, maybe I am a little disappointed. I just don't know why you lock yourself inside your room half the day." She says.
"My meditation, it's to prepare myself." Tai tells her.
"Prepare for what?" She questions.
"After what happened with Jafar... I haven't felt so powerless in almost a decade. I couldn't live with myself if you were injured because I wasn't strong enough." Tai says concerned, brushing his thumb over the back of the hand he's holding.
"Tai. He used Genie to become a sorcerer, there wasn't much anyone could have done." Jasmine tells him, looking at him with sympathy.
"Making excuses won't stop the next magic user who attacks." Tai tells her stoically.
"Fine, I see your point, but what does meditating help, or are you learning the dark arts like Jafar?" She asks, looking at him worriedly.
"No. There are techniques however from my country which make use of magic energy. But to use them properly I need to learn to control these energies first. That's why I meditate." Tai explains, caressing her arm.
"That sounds interesting." Jasmine says intrigued.
"Well, either way, that's the reason I haven't been around so much. And I'm sorry, I'll try to spend more time with you. I promise." Tai tells her, feeling guilty for not having given her his full attention.
"Don't worry about that. I'm not a little girl who needs to be looked after the whole time." Jasmine tells Tai, hugging herself to his side.
"I know, but you deserve more than I gave you. Maybe more than I can ever give you." Tai says insecurely.
"You worry too much. There's no one I'd rather call my future fiancee than you." Jasmine tells him, giving him a longing kiss, during which Tai looks her in the eyes, seeing her happy expression and pulls her into his lap, ending up with Jasmine straddling his waist.
"Tai." Jasmine says, their foreheads leaning against each other's when they break the kiss.
"Hmm?" He asks, his hands holding her by her hip.
"I know you mean the best for me, but I'd really like if you'd talk to me about things like this. If something's bothering you, you can always turn to me." She tells him, staring into his eyes with her arms locked behind his head.
"OK, I will remember it." Tai says and leans in for another kiss.
'Growl.' Rajah announces his presence, standing in front of the embracing couple.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I think Rajah is hungry." Jasmine tells Tai with a smirk, starting to stand up, putting down one foot, but Tai pulls her close to himself by her waist and gives her one more kiss.
"Say, where do you want to go tomorrow?" Tai asks, standing up with Jasmine, holding her pressed flush against himself.
"That river just behind the city walls?" She suggests.
"Sounds good, maybe you could pack a swimsuit." Tai replies, whispering into her ear.
"Tai." She says blushing madly and steps away from him.
"Uhh, I better get Rajah something to eat now." She excuses herself, her face beet red.
After Jasmine fed her tiger Dalia enters her chambers and finds the princess still blushing, lying on her bed, obviously thinking about something.
"Do I dare ask what's on your mind?" Dalia asks with a smile.
"Uhh, Tai just..." Jasmine says.
"Tell me everything." Dalia interrupts her excited.
"Well he explained why he didn't have much time to spend with me and we're going to visit the river behind the city tomorrow." Jasmine says.
"So? Why do you look like every blood vessel in your face exploded?" Dalia asks.
"He suggested I bring a swimsuit. I think he wants us to get closer." Jasmine says shyly.
"Well it's bout time for the two of you to get physical with each other." Dalia tells the princess.
"What? Wait, did you and Al?" Jasmine asks.
"Yes, it was great, which is why I'm so happy you two are getting closer." Dalia confirms that she and Aladdin slept together.
Meanwhile Aladdin is strolling through the city when Abis Mal and his goons find him and try to get revenge, only for Iago, Jafars former pet to safe him by throwing a flower pot over, making Abis Mal trip over it and fly into his men.
Abu throws a bag over the parrot and drags him around until Aladdin tells his monkey to release Iago.
"How are you here? I thought you were in the lamp?" Aladdin asks the parrot who's been awfully chatty ever since escaping the lamp.
"I escaped. The spell Jafar used to control me wore off. And you owe me. I saved your life." Iago replies.
"You're right. Hey, I will put in a good word for you with the Sultan, but I need to arrest you. You freed Jafar from his cell." Aladdin says, stuffing the parrot into Abu's bag before Iago can fly away.
"Hey is it me or didn't he talk so much before?" Aladdin asks, turning to his monkey.
"Jafar forbid me from talking to everyone else but him dimwit. He thought I might let one of his plots slip." Iago informs then from inside the bag.
Half an hour later Aladdin, Abu and Iago are back in the castle and Aladdin puts Iago in a birdcage which he locks.
Hey, what are you doing? I saved you and that's how you repay me?" Iago shouts angrily, having hoped saving Aladdin will get him back in the palace.
"I'm doing the best I can, I don't have any real power here. I'm only a manservant." Aladdin says, turning towards the palace to get ready for his meeting with the Sultan.
"What's that about?" Tai asks, having observed the whole ordeal with Iago.
"Uhh, I can explain?" Aladdin replies unconvincingly.
"Why are you worried about that parrot?" Tai asks, not realizing that it's Jafar's parrot.
"Uh, no reason, come on we need to get ready to meet the Sultan for dinner, right?" Aladdin asks.
"Yeah, you need to clean up. I'm already ready." Tai says, leading them towards the palace, only for Genie to make his entrance.
"Heey! The blue-guy's in the house." Genie announces cheerfully, having arrived on a rocket which dissipates while he's dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts and now levitates in the air.
"Genie!" Aladdin shouts happily, hugging the blue magic being when he lands in front of him and Tai.
"Good to see you." Tai says looking at the two hugging men.
"Yes, it is. You know when I finished my tour of the world, I finally realized that it just isn't what I hoped it to be. And you know why? Because I had no friends with me." Genie tells them. Releasing Aladdin from his hug and pats his shoulders.
"So, you are here for good?" Tai asks.
"Yep, great isn't it? Now Al, tell me everything about you and Dalia." Genie says excitedly, before lying down in the air, floating in front of Al, his head resting on his arms.
"Well..." Aladdin starts to say, but Tai interrupts him.
"Later. Remember, we're meeting the Sultan." Tai says, pulling Aladdin along by his arm.
"Oh, meeting the Sultan? Is Tai asking the big question?" Genie asks teasingly.
"No." Tai simply replies.
"The Sultan is looking for a new Visir." Aladdin says.
"Yes, well that is a good decision. I mean the other one is buried in the sand somewhere." Genie says, following Tai and Aladdin to the servant's room, where Aladdin is getting ready for dinner.
A few minutes later
Aladdin, Tai and Genie arrive in a room where a large table is set up with large amounts of food.
"Genie." Jasmine says happily, standing up with Dalia and greets the blue being with a hug.
"Jasmine, Dalia and the Sultan. It's so good to see you all." Genie tells them happily.
"Genie, i never got the chance to thank you for helping save our kingdom. Aladdin filled me in on your involvement." The Sultan says thankfully from his seat at the head of the table.
"It was nothing really. I mean Al suggested the wish, I only used it so we'd get rid of that vile Jafar." Genie replies.
"Would you like to join us for dinner?" The Sultan offers pointing to the empty space to his right while Jasmine and Dalia retake their spot on the left side of the table.
Genie quickly flies over, taking the seat directly next to the Sultan with Tai and Aladdin joining them next to Genie.
"Good, everyone is here. Let's eat." The Sultan says and everyone starts to eat, with Genie stuffing his face, sprouting two more arms so he can hold more food.
After a few minutes of conversation while they are eating the Sultan finally says, well now let's discuss the major reason we've gathered here. As most of you know I wanted to select a new Visir and Tai, when he was offered the job suggested I appoint Aladdin along with him.
"Huh?" Dalia asks surprised, not having known this, just like Jasmine.
"And I've decided to allow this." The Sultan says, giving a nod to Tai, who bows slightly in thanks.
"Sultan, while I am very honored you'd trust me this much, I'm not sure I'd be the best person for this job. I still want to see more and I'm not really the type to sit around and decide things carefully." Aladdin says.
"Don't worry, remember we'd both be Visir and I'll teach you how it works."
Tai tells the former thief.
"I guess... OK, I graciously accept my Sultan." Al says, bowing his head.
"Good. Now that that is settled, we can announce your new positions soon."
"Uhm, Sultan, everyone while we are gathered like this. There is something I want to request." Aladdin says.
"What is it?" The Sultan asks.
"The thing is I ran into Iago and wanted to ask you to be forgiving with his punishment. He was under Jafar's control." Aladdin says.
In the same moment Iago flies in the room, being chased by Rajah with Abu trying to stop the tiger.
"Iago?! He is a traitor. Even if he's only a parrot. He freed Jafar and nearly caused all of our doom." The Sultan shouts angrily, while some guards rush over.
"What is this about Al?" Tai asks confused.
"You knew about this?" Jasmine asks Tai shocked and leaves the room in a hurry, feeling betrayed by Tai.
The guards try to catch Iago, but he flies away from them, only to be caught by Tai, who's standing up, saying "What is going on here? I thought Al just wanted a pet parrot." Tai asks genuinely confused.
"Tai, that parrot belongs to Jafar. He freed him from his cell." The Sultan informs him.
"Sultan please. I will take full responsibility for him. I think he's changed." Aladdin asks the Sultan.
"Fine, now get that parrot out of my sight before I change my mind." The Sultan says. And Tai, Dalia and Aladdin leave the room with the animals.
"Here. We're going to find Jasmine." Tai says, throwing Iago to Aladdin and pats Rajah's head.
"Come on Rajah, where's Jasmine?" Tai asks and follows the Tiger, who dashes through the halls, leading him to a gazebo in the garden.
"Jasmine?" Tai asks gently, walking up to her, stopping Rajah on the way.
"What do you want? You harbored a traitor." She asks hurt.
"Jasmine, I didn't know. I honestly thought it was just a weird parrot. And Al asked me to keep quiet about it." Tai says.
"Really?" She asks hopefully.
"I'd never lie to you about this Jasmine." Tai says, sitting down next to her, gently squeezing her leg.
"When did Iago get here?" Jasmine asks him.
"As far as I know today." Tai replies, shrugging his shoulders.
"Fine. I believe you." Jasmine says, putting her hand atop of his.
"Good. I'm relieved. Are we all good?" He asks hopefully.
"If you tell me why you didn't tell me about asking Aladdin to be Visir with you." Jasmine replies, their hands entwining.
"I didn't know if your father agreed. And honestly, I didn't think it's a big deal. I was hoping we'd get to spend more time together if Al can help as Visir and he knows way more about your people than I do." Tai tells her, kissing the back of her hand.
"Yeah, I guess I see your point." Jasmine agrees and Tai kisses her longingly.
"So about tomorrow... why did you suggest I bring a swimsuit?" Jasmine asks blushing.
"Because we should go for a swim in it. And if you're ready for it, we could take our relationship up a step." Tai suggests, caressing the side of her face.
"I.. I don't know." She replies honestly, looking at him for his reaction.
"That's fine. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything or assume I expect something. I am completely content how things are right now." Tai tells her, hugging her and giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"Thank you." She says with a relieved smile on her face, leaning into his chest and burying her face in it.