Aida returned to the Palace, thinking about the boy she had met in the marketplace. However, she thought to remove those thoughts from her head, after all, he had said that he was a foreigner, and he might decide to return home any day.
"Yes, it's not likely he'll stay here, in Agrabah. Why, he might go home this very afternoon." She sighed. "I hope not."
She came across Genie, who was carrying a magnifying glass.
"What are you doing, Genie?"
"One of our workers has escaped. Quiet. He might be hiding behind that rosebush, for all we know."
"Workers?"
"You haven't seen a red parrot, have you?"
"No, I haven't."
"Hmm. Perimeter checked, next, we move on to the menagerie."
As she climbed the stairs, she stepped on something alive.
"Arrgh!"
"What! Iago, Genie's looking for you."
"Don't let him find me!"
"Why?"
"Carpet and the monkey are working twice as hard to make up for my absence."
"Oh, well, then you should go back to work."
"No. He's crazy. Me? Work?"
"Well, you just said that Carpet and Abu were working, didn't you?"
"Well, yes, them. But not me!"
"Oh, boy!"
Aida left Iago on the steps to try and find a new hiding place, as she went into the Palace.
Aladdin was sitting in the throne room when she opened the doors and walked in.
"Good morning."said Aida.
"Good morning, where have you been?"
"Just giving my mare some exercise. You know I don't like her to get bored. What about you? Have you been doing anything special?"
"No."
"Genie has. He's started a new project. Iago-hunting. That's what he's been doing all morning, it seems. Iago escaped, and now Carpet and Abu are working overtime, while Genie looks for Iago."
"Yes, he was here, inspecting corners, and everything just a little while ago. Have you seen Iago?"
"Yes, right outside."
"Well, we'll have to tell Genie, won't we?"said Aladdin smiling.
"Oh, yes, and see how long Iago lasts."
"About two seconds, before he escapes again."
"And Genie catches him."
"No, he'll be under Genie's very strict supervision now."
"By the way, who is doing the supervising now?"
"They're chained."
"Oh, dear! Genie is taking all this very seriously, then."
"Too seriously."
"What about my father? Where is he?"
"I don't know I haven't seen him. I think he's helping Genie."
"Ah, they'll never find Iago."
"Yes, they will. If I tell them right this minute."
"He already moved on, somewhere else."
Not waiting to see whether Aladdin would or wouldn't tell Genie about Iago, she went to her room, to arrange the books she had bought in the library.
We need a bigger library in here, she thought. Much bigger. The library was gigantic, of course, and it had books on every subject you could think of, but for some reason, she suddenly thought it was small. She ran into Cazeem and Jasmine in there.
"Hello."he said.
"Hello."
"Is Razouk still out there?"he asked, smiling.
"No, Razouk is now in charge of feeding the prisoners, I've heard. He's been descended. He should be fired in my opinion."
"I think he will never get over that grudge. He will not forgive the Sultan for excusing me thanks to Aladdin."
"No, he won't."
"However, he still thinks he can catch me for something foul."
"Can he?"Aida asked him.
"I thought we'd put all that behind us."said Jasmine.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Besides, Razouk is nothing more than a guard. An employee, in other words."
"Yes. Well, I didn't know you liked to read, Mr.Cazeem. What do like to read about."
"Oh, no, I, um, don't really know how to read very well."
"Oh?"
"Um, no, I never learned. Jasmine is kind enough to teach me."
"I did teach Aladdin."she said, smiling. "Now he can read and write better than I can."
"And he puts you to shame?"asked Aida.
"In a way, he does. I learned since childhood, I taught him, and now he's better than I am."
"Tsk, tsk. No, no, no. Aunt Fara said that reading was not something to be taught to just anyone. Only royalty, and people who were worth bothering with. You try to teach it to anyone else, and you're wasting your time. They just don't have the brains."
"She'll never change, I think. But I hope she will. I'm writing her a letter."
"No, don't bother. She won't change."
"I think you should give her a second chance."said Cazeem.
"No, my aunt will not change, Mr.Cazeem. She's just not the kind of people who change. And I will never understand why she is the way she is."
"You should still try to give her a chance. I never thought I would change. I always thought that I would remain the King of Thieves for the rest of my life, and just look at me now. I'm even learning to read and write."
"Well, I guess so."
"That was thanks to Aladdin, of course. If it hadn't been for him, who knows where I would be now."
"Probably the same place you were when he found you."
"I guess so, still looking for the Hand of Midas."
"I don't understand what aimed you to believe it was real. I know now that it's real, but outside of that, it was only a myth. Or so I thought."
"Well, all myths and legends have a basis in fact, Aida. And you can't blame people, because you believe in some of the most extraordinary things."said Jasmine, smiling at her sister.
"Oh, well, but that's different."
"She believes in mermaids, and such. You know, magical creatures. And ghosts."
"Well, yes. We've just never seen mermaids because we are in the desert, but if we were closer to the sea, you would see them."
"She's gone looking for them before."
"Yes, I've gone looking for veela, too."
"Veela?"asked Cazeem, looking confused.
"Yes, you know, the spirits of beautiful women. Brides who died on their wedding day. In the forests of Eastern Europe. Guardians."she said.
"Oh."Cazeem just looked more confused by the minute.
"The only reason I haven't found anything is because my aunt wouldn't believe it, and wouldn't let me go to look for them."
"A good thing she didn't."said Jasmine.
"Oh, you…"began Aida angrily. "You people are just too narrow minded. If you'd only read the things I've read. Heard the things I've heard."
"Oh, no. You believe in all that, and you didn't believe in the Hand of Midas."
"Oh, well, that one sounded too far-fetched. I don't believe in leprechauns, either, and their pots of gold."
"What are leprechauns?"asked Cazeem.
"In Ireland, you know, little people. Shoemakers, I think, supposedly having a pot of gold. Something like that."
Jasmine rolled her eyes.
"Perhaps you could tell me more about all these creatures. I'd like to hear more."said Cazeem.
"Oh, well, I don't know much myself. Most of what I know comes from books, and what people say."
"Yes, and you two will have the most extraordinary conversations, I'm sure."
"You really are narrow-minded, Jasmine."
"I think I just have more common sense than you do."
"I still say you're narrow-minded."said Aida and she walked out of the room. "I'll have to go back to the marketplace tomorrow."
"For?"
"I'll see for what."she said, and left the room.
