For most of the next day, Genie kept busy repairing everything the thieves had destroyed in their search for the Oracle. Aida helped him here and there, listening to him make jokes and laughing. Jasmine tried to help them, but she was getting worried about Aladdin, and the fact that he hadn't returned yet.
"He's only been gone a little while, you'll see. For one day."Aida told her.
"Genie, you would know if something had happened to Aladdin, wouldn't you? If he was hurt or anything?"Jasmine asked anxiously.
"I think the chances of that would be very slim, Jasmine. I'm pretty sure Aladdin can take care of himself, and, well, do you suppose Carpet, Abu, and Iago would have let anything happen to him?"Aida asked.
"No, I suppose not."
"We must do something to distract her, Genie."Aida said to Genie. "I mean, I know Aladdin's brave, and smart, and all that, and that Carpet, Abu, and Iago are with him, but, well, fourty thieves? Fourty men are one thing, but thieves! Why am I under the impression that those thieves don't even care about hurting innocent people? And then that King of Thieves, who was trying to steal the Oracle, and the fact that he scares even my Aunt Fara, and mind you, that's saying something. My aunt doesn't care about anything, or anyone, and she certainly never worries about being robbed, or anything. She goes everywhere with guards, so that not even a child gets too close to her. I must admit that I'm getting kind of worried myself. His father will be there, I guess, but what would he be able to do? Those horrid thieves have had him as their prisoner all this time. I wonder how it is that he's still alive?"
"Oh, now you're making me worried, too."Genie told her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Genie. I'm just nervous, and worried. I suppose Jasmine feels the same way, only more. She's known Aladdin for much more time than I have. I just can't seem to think of a way to cheer her up. Even Father is starting to get worried."
"Yes. Perhaps I can think of something."he put on a little red hat that read 'Thinking Cap', and began to scratch his head. "YES!"he exclaimed suddenly, and a light bulb appeared on top of his head.
"You've thought of something! Jasmine's in her room, probably out on the balcony, watching to see if he's back."
Aida climbed on Genie's shoulders, and he flew up towards Jasmine's balcony. He began to speak in different voices, taking different shapes, an dressed Jasmine in bizarre costumes.
"Thanks, Genie."she said. "I feel so much better now."
"Good work, Genie."Aida said. "You did the trick, you really cheered her up."
Genie just smiled and shrugged.
"Now I think I should have to become more worried, or at least pretend I am, so you can put on a show like that for me."
The next morning, everything was back to the way it was before the thieves had invaded.
"You did a good job, Genie!"Aida exclaimed. "Perfect. Now all we need to take care of is security."she sighed. "I don't think we want to risk it happening again. We just shouldn't let anyone in, period. You don't know who you can trust. Come to think of it, the thieves could have snuk in as, I don't know, as guests. Maybe even perhaps as servants."
"Perhaps we should only let in people who have invitations."
Aida sighed.
"Who will still keep the invitation? And then we'd have to send out new ones, with the new date, and all that."
"Oh, right. True, too true. I don't want the wedding postponed too long."
Genie began to pace the room, thinking, smoking a cigar. Suddenly, he held up one finger.
"Aha! No one, with traps and jinxes all over the place. I will take care of the security myself. I'd like to see those thieves get passed me. I'll teach them to mess Al's wedding. No guests, no strangers, immediate family only. No servants, no nothing."
"I guess so. A wedding with no guests. It would be the first one, I guess, but, it would be fun."
A little later, Aida got on her mare, and rode around the Palace grounds. She jumped the bushes, fountains, just about anything in her path. She galloped, cantered, and trotted. Suddenly she saw Aladdin and Carpet standing just behind one of the fountains.
"Aladdin! You're back."she jumped off Tormenta. "I'm so glad you're back. Jasmine, well, everyone really, was getting really worried about you."
"Aida!"
"Well, we fixed everything. Genie's even thought up a new security system. Come on, and he'll show you. So, did you find your father? Did you manage to get away from those awful thieves? How did you do it? Are you hurt? Wait a minute, you,"she pointed at the man behind Aladdin, on whose shoulder Iago was perched. "You look familiar. I know I've seen you before, I just can't remember. Or maybe I haven't seen you, but you remind me of someone. Or maybe a picture? Why am I under the impression that I should recognize you?"
Aladdin didn't have the chance to tell Aida that this was his father because Genie came out and showed Aladdin all the new features.
"I'd like to see one of those wretched thieves even try to get into your wedding!"he said.
"Well,"they heard Iago say. "I'd like to present…"
"The King of Thieves."said the man on whose shoulder he was perched.
"That's it!"Aida exclaimed. "You see, I did recognize you. Or you clothes, anyway. I knew you reminded me of someone. A 'Most Wanted' poster, when I snuck down into the dungeons at my Aunt Fara's palace! Don't ask what I was doing there, I wanted to play a little prank on one of the guards. To put glue and itching powder on his bed. See, I would just spread it neatly over the sheet. I would leave the others off, he would pick them off the floor, pull them over him, get stuck, be itching, and well, you can imagine the mess he would be in. You see, he wouldn't let me ride my mare out of the Palace. No one found out it was me. My aunt was just mad, and she fired him. She said that he was an incompetent imbecile, just trying to get attention. She had him there for protection, and to enforce the laws, not to be clowning around, and acting the clown."
Aida became absorbed in the memory of the guard and the glue and itching powder, that she seemed to forget that Aladdin and the King of Thieves were there, but Genie didn't.
"Code red! King of Thieves! Nobody move!"
"Huh?"
Aida looked up, to notice that there were several Genies, all dressed in black, pointing guns, swords, and all their weapons at them.
"Nobody move."one of them said.
"Genie,"said Aladdin. "I'd like you to meet my dad."
"Wait a minute."Aida began. "I thought Iago said that he was the King of Thieves. Wait a minute, wait a minute, what…? What am I saying? What am I doing? The KING OF THIEVES! I've got to get help! I…uh, GUARDS! Someone, anyone! Genie! Or you said he was your dad? Wait a minute, which one of the two is he?"
"If you're Al's dad, and the King of Thieves,"Genie, who was now only one genie again.
"Yes?"said the King of Thieves, or Aladdin's dad, or whoever he was.
"I just want to know one thing! Do you prefer the chicken or the sea bass?"
Aladdin laughed at this.
"Aladdin, um, so which one of the two is he?"asked Aida.
"My father."Aladdin told her, and then he turned to the King of Thieves. "Come on, I can't wait for you to meet Jasmine and the Sultan."
"Well, um, I see, I think, but then, the Oracle said he was trapped, and I would guess that in something like the Fourty Thieves, you only leave if you die. But he does look like the posters I've seen. Actually I've only seen one, the one I told you about. But,…which one is he? I mean, really. Iago, what kind of joke is this?"
"No joke. Al's dad is the King of Thieves."
"So…that would mean, basically that he's both? Right?'
"I guess so."Iago said calmly.
Aida sat down on the fountain.
"No."she said. "It can't be. It just can't. Aladdin's dad couldn't be the King of Thieves, it just wouldn't seem…natural. Aladdin, how could you? You brought this man back with you knowing what he was! Into the Palace!"she exclaimed scandalized.
"Of course I brought him back. He just needs a second chance."
"A second chance, ha! No, no, no, you see, he's a thief, you brought him inside the Palace. The Palace! This, this man, he was the one, or one of the ones who ruined your wedding. Your wedding! His own son's! And who knows how many others. And not just weddings, oh no, lives! Oh, dear!"
"He didn't know it was my wedding."
"And you think even if it wasn't yours, that would've made it right? I don't believe in giving criminals, especially ones that make a living that way second chances, Aladdin. I think I had better call the guards, and maybe my father. He'll know what to do."
"No, Aida, please!"
"Well, if it's not me, it'll be someone else. Someone else will be bound to recognize him. He is a wanted man, after all. Especially after what happened at the wedding. Rasoul is furious."
"That's true."said Genie. "We'd better lose the Agrabah's most wanted look."
"What's wrong with how I look?"
"Genie and Aida are right about that. Here you're not the King of Thieves. Here you're my father."
"Hm, I had more practice being the King of Thieves."
"I should imagine you did."said Aida angrily.
"Won't you give him a second chance?"Aladdin asked her.
Aida sighed.
"Look, Aladdin, I don't believe these people change. Maybe when they're young, but…I still don't believe they will change. However, I hope he does. For you. My sister loves you, she would be very unhappy if this man were to…well, not become what you'd like him to become. She really doesn't deserve. You don't deserve it. I mean if he didn't change before, why now? People don't change, not unless they want to. They don't change just because you want them to." She turned to the King of Thieves. "So tell us. What is a thief's life like? So glamorous, so exciting that he forgets all about his son."
"Won't you give him a second chance for me?"Aladdin asked again.
"I'm willing to give him a second chance. For you and my sister. Very well, Mr…"
"Cassim."
"Mr.Cassim."
She shook his stand stiffly.
"Fine, I won't say anything. I don't think anyone will ask questions, and nobody knows the King of Thieves's identity. Only his clothes, I guess."
"Yes. Thanks, Aida. This is Aida. She's Jasmine's sister."
"Father and Jasmine are waiting for you. They're in the throne room."
Then everyone went to introduce Cassim to Jasmine and the Sultan.
