Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the reviews! :)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come, we must get you some decent clothes, and tell you what you have missed," Sadira said after a while, gently touching his arm.
He raised himself slowly, weakly, to his feet. Brushing away the stray tears that had formed in his eyes, he tried to balance himself. Reaching out, Sadira steadied him.
"We shall have to travel fast, as we cannot walk all the way to the next town. So prepare," Sadira warned, and then murmured a word.
Wind and sand swirled around them, and suddenly Aladdin had a flashback of just before he died.
*Sand, wind, can't see, can't breath!*
He struggled to escape, when a strong, cold arm wrapped around his neck, crushing him to the thinner, yet iron like frame.
"Hurry, Sadira, he's panicking," Mirage hissed, tightening her grip around his neck when he struggled harder to get away from her. They couldn't loose him, not yet...
Sadira nodded, and murmured a second word. The storm resided, to reveal them in an old apartment. Mirage released her grip, and Aladdin collapsed to the ground.
"Did you have to knock him out?" Sadira asked, sighing softly.
"Yes, or else he would have broken out of your spell and hurled himself into the abyss, or somewhere else. You know we can't loose him yet, we need him," Mirage snapped, hauling Aladdin's body up, and walking over to one of the beds in the small room.
"I know that, but still. He's just had the worst shock of his life," Sadira said.
"I know how he feels. But he needs to tighten up, letting it get to him will kill him," Mirage growled, setting Aladdin down with surprisingly gentle moves.
"I know you do. But you've had time to get used to this world since your release. He has not. It's only been an hour since he's come back from the dead. And we still have to retrain him to do his job," Sadira said.
"I know, and that's why I am here. Do not forget, Sadira, that even in this human body, powerless as I am, I do know how to kill, swiftly. I shall teach him what he needs to know," Mirage said, turning away from Aladdin.
"Even if it means killing your own son?" Sadira asked softly.
"Even then," Mirage said coldly, then turned to the single door in the room, and left through it.
Sadira sighed again, and looked to Aladdin, who seemed to be rousing from his forced unconscious state. Quickly going to him, she watched as he opened his eyes, and groaned slightly. Kneeling beside him, she smiled slightly, "I am sorry, but Mirage was only trying to save you from hurting yourself. If I had thought you would react like that...."
"No, its alright," Aladdin said softly, and sat up, "Where are we?"
"My home, I can't tell you where it is yet," Sadira said.
"Sadira, tell me, what has happened?" Aladdin asked.
"To who, or what? Where do you want me to start?" Sadira asked.
"Tell me what happened to Jasmine, Ali, to the guys, to Agrabah, to you," Aladdin said.
"Let us start with your family and we shall go from there. It is not pleasant what happened, but time has never been gentle. Jasmine held strong for so many years, and refused to marry again after your death. But once Ali was grown, she..." Sadira paused, and took a deep breath, "Aladdin, she couldn't live without you. When she knew Ali no longer needed her, she just let go. She faded, and finally died, leaving Ali to rule. He was a good ruler, and had an heir, named Aladdin. Thus Aladdin had a daughter named after his grandmother, and thus she had one named after her great great grandfather, the Sultan of your time. But that son was assassinated, no heir appointed, and the government fell into chaos. People abandoned the city, for it had grown unbearable under the tyrants that went after. Soon the city fell into ruin, and now all that is left is the bleak broken bare rocks that glisten like bones out in the desert. Your friends, well, all beings must die in time, Carpet was lost sometime during the chaos, and Genie, who had also served your family for years, disappeared as well when the last Sultan was assassinated. As to me, I left when the chaos began. I had mastered my spells and in the process, had made myself immortal. I came here after journeying for so long, and met up with Mirage, who had just been released from her imprisonment. We knew something would happen when we felt the earthquakes, but we only received a vision of you coming again only last night."
Aladdin placed his head in his hands, and sighed softly. Tears threatened to spill once more, but he held them back, knowing it would do no good to grieve for what he had lost.
"Mirage knows how you feel, Aladdin. She has only returned five years, and it nearly killed her to know Fasir is dead," Sadira said softly.
"Fasir is dead?" Aladdin asked, his voice muffled by his hands, for he had not raised his head.
"Yes, he died about a hundred years ago. Witch hunters burned him at the stack for being a wizard. It was a sickening time, many died, both innocents and non. Neither deserved to die that way," Sadira said, an edge to her voice as she stood.
"You had best rest, Mirage will be down to get you for dinner," she said, and was gone, leaving Aladdin to his thoughts.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mozenrath stood shakily, and stifled a cry as his muscles protested such a movement. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he stood, and reached out with his mind, reaching for one he had to find. He didn't know why he had been chosen; he did not even know what these dark ones wanted. But he had to find her, to see what had changed in this world.
/Manara, hear me!/ he sent, his mind trailing through the world, searching.
He felt a weak response, and aimed towards it, when something pulled his sense off. Following that new trail of presence, he encountered what he had never thought possible. Aladdin was alive! And clearly in shock from the feel he was getting. Suddenly pain lanced up from his skull, throwing his mind away from Aladdin's. Collapsing to the floor, Mozenrath shut down his outward mental abilities, shutting the pain off. Breathing hard, he knew it was not the dark powers who had done it, but someone else, and he knew quite well who.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mirage stood, breathing hard as she gently laid Aladdin back down on his side. The boy was once again unconscious, having just received the same mental shock Mozenrath had. She had hated to do it, but it had been the only way.
Turning, pressing her lips into a faint frown, she went to find Sadira. She had to tell her what Mozenrath knew, and that time was now greatly decreased in their favor.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Come, we must get you some decent clothes, and tell you what you have missed," Sadira said after a while, gently touching his arm.
He raised himself slowly, weakly, to his feet. Brushing away the stray tears that had formed in his eyes, he tried to balance himself. Reaching out, Sadira steadied him.
"We shall have to travel fast, as we cannot walk all the way to the next town. So prepare," Sadira warned, and then murmured a word.
Wind and sand swirled around them, and suddenly Aladdin had a flashback of just before he died.
*Sand, wind, can't see, can't breath!*
He struggled to escape, when a strong, cold arm wrapped around his neck, crushing him to the thinner, yet iron like frame.
"Hurry, Sadira, he's panicking," Mirage hissed, tightening her grip around his neck when he struggled harder to get away from her. They couldn't loose him, not yet...
Sadira nodded, and murmured a second word. The storm resided, to reveal them in an old apartment. Mirage released her grip, and Aladdin collapsed to the ground.
"Did you have to knock him out?" Sadira asked, sighing softly.
"Yes, or else he would have broken out of your spell and hurled himself into the abyss, or somewhere else. You know we can't loose him yet, we need him," Mirage snapped, hauling Aladdin's body up, and walking over to one of the beds in the small room.
"I know that, but still. He's just had the worst shock of his life," Sadira said.
"I know how he feels. But he needs to tighten up, letting it get to him will kill him," Mirage growled, setting Aladdin down with surprisingly gentle moves.
"I know you do. But you've had time to get used to this world since your release. He has not. It's only been an hour since he's come back from the dead. And we still have to retrain him to do his job," Sadira said.
"I know, and that's why I am here. Do not forget, Sadira, that even in this human body, powerless as I am, I do know how to kill, swiftly. I shall teach him what he needs to know," Mirage said, turning away from Aladdin.
"Even if it means killing your own son?" Sadira asked softly.
"Even then," Mirage said coldly, then turned to the single door in the room, and left through it.
Sadira sighed again, and looked to Aladdin, who seemed to be rousing from his forced unconscious state. Quickly going to him, she watched as he opened his eyes, and groaned slightly. Kneeling beside him, she smiled slightly, "I am sorry, but Mirage was only trying to save you from hurting yourself. If I had thought you would react like that...."
"No, its alright," Aladdin said softly, and sat up, "Where are we?"
"My home, I can't tell you where it is yet," Sadira said.
"Sadira, tell me, what has happened?" Aladdin asked.
"To who, or what? Where do you want me to start?" Sadira asked.
"Tell me what happened to Jasmine, Ali, to the guys, to Agrabah, to you," Aladdin said.
"Let us start with your family and we shall go from there. It is not pleasant what happened, but time has never been gentle. Jasmine held strong for so many years, and refused to marry again after your death. But once Ali was grown, she..." Sadira paused, and took a deep breath, "Aladdin, she couldn't live without you. When she knew Ali no longer needed her, she just let go. She faded, and finally died, leaving Ali to rule. He was a good ruler, and had an heir, named Aladdin. Thus Aladdin had a daughter named after his grandmother, and thus she had one named after her great great grandfather, the Sultan of your time. But that son was assassinated, no heir appointed, and the government fell into chaos. People abandoned the city, for it had grown unbearable under the tyrants that went after. Soon the city fell into ruin, and now all that is left is the bleak broken bare rocks that glisten like bones out in the desert. Your friends, well, all beings must die in time, Carpet was lost sometime during the chaos, and Genie, who had also served your family for years, disappeared as well when the last Sultan was assassinated. As to me, I left when the chaos began. I had mastered my spells and in the process, had made myself immortal. I came here after journeying for so long, and met up with Mirage, who had just been released from her imprisonment. We knew something would happen when we felt the earthquakes, but we only received a vision of you coming again only last night."
Aladdin placed his head in his hands, and sighed softly. Tears threatened to spill once more, but he held them back, knowing it would do no good to grieve for what he had lost.
"Mirage knows how you feel, Aladdin. She has only returned five years, and it nearly killed her to know Fasir is dead," Sadira said softly.
"Fasir is dead?" Aladdin asked, his voice muffled by his hands, for he had not raised his head.
"Yes, he died about a hundred years ago. Witch hunters burned him at the stack for being a wizard. It was a sickening time, many died, both innocents and non. Neither deserved to die that way," Sadira said, an edge to her voice as she stood.
"You had best rest, Mirage will be down to get you for dinner," she said, and was gone, leaving Aladdin to his thoughts.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mozenrath stood shakily, and stifled a cry as his muscles protested such a movement. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he stood, and reached out with his mind, reaching for one he had to find. He didn't know why he had been chosen; he did not even know what these dark ones wanted. But he had to find her, to see what had changed in this world.
/Manara, hear me!/ he sent, his mind trailing through the world, searching.
He felt a weak response, and aimed towards it, when something pulled his sense off. Following that new trail of presence, he encountered what he had never thought possible. Aladdin was alive! And clearly in shock from the feel he was getting. Suddenly pain lanced up from his skull, throwing his mind away from Aladdin's. Collapsing to the floor, Mozenrath shut down his outward mental abilities, shutting the pain off. Breathing hard, he knew it was not the dark powers who had done it, but someone else, and he knew quite well who.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mirage stood, breathing hard as she gently laid Aladdin back down on his side. The boy was once again unconscious, having just received the same mental shock Mozenrath had. She had hated to do it, but it had been the only way.
Turning, pressing her lips into a faint frown, she went to find Sadira. She had to tell her what Mozenrath knew, and that time was now greatly decreased in their favor.