Achmed couldn't believe that he was actually afraid. And afraid of another person, at that! However, he couldn't deny that was the truth. He was trembling from head to toe, as this man pulled him by the arm, towards, well, who knew what he would do to him. It was obvious that he was furious that Achmed hadn't done what he had ordered him to do. He threw Achmed into an old shack, and pulled shackles around his ankles, and handcuffs on him.
"You'll be staying here with no food for a week!"he said, as he went out the door.
"What!"
He already had spend almost two months with almost no food, and now that he had finally gotten where he wanted to get, he wasn't going to get any food here, either. What was he going to do? Perhaps he should never have married Princess Liyana. He should have bribed, blackmailed, even perhaps bought the princess whom his aunt had wanted him to marry, even if she did humiliate him. Then he wouldn't be in this mess. How was he ever going to get out of it? He saw already that Aida would be no help. If anything, she was probably asking them to increase his sentence. This just couldn't be happening. Not to him. He should be the one deciding what sentence to give anyone who didn't know their place, and misbehaved, not the other way around.
Achmed had spend two days in the filthy shack, with nothing to eat, when he heard feet shuffling on the other side. He looked up. Perhaps they would relieve him early of his punishment. He certainly hoped so. Two days were more than enough for anyone.
"Who's there?"he asked.
The door opened, and a small girl walked in. She looked at him. She was poor, he could see that. He was just about to say so, and call her filthy, when he remembered his own condition. At least the girl's hair was clean and braided neatly into two braids, her dress whole and clean, also. She might have worn no shoes, but he could see that she hadn't been starving as he was. He was filthy, his hair dirty, unbrushed, and his clothes torn.
"Who are you?"
The girl just stared at him.
"Una gallina."she said to him.
"What?"
"El patron le regalo a mi hermano una gallina."she said.
"I don't understand a thing you're saying!"
"Usted solto las gallinas."she said, smiling.
"Oh, you've come to laugh at me, have you?"
The girl smiled.
"Delgadina!"he heard a voice call, and another girl, older than the one smiling came and took her by her and led her out of the shack.
"Oh, no, wait, come back here! Come back! I order to come back, girl!"
He tried to get up, but his hands and his ankles were bound. His only chance of getting anything to eat was going out the door. Perhaps the girl would feel sorry for him, and she would bring him some food. He may not have spoken Spanish, but he hoped that she would have seen that he had had nothing to eat, and was starving.
"So, I guess that's all cleared up."said Francisco, looking at Cassim and Nahil.
"Yes, I hope so."said Aida.
Nahil had agreed that he would not make another attempt on Cassim's life, in exchange for staying at Dzonot.
"You want to stay? I would have thought you would have wanted to go back to Agrabah!"Francisco had exclaimed when Nahil said he wanted to stay. "Well, I guess you could say we can always use more people."
"I want to stay, I don't want to go back to Agrabah."
"Well, if that's what you want. Maybe it would be better that way. After all, Cassim will be going back."
"Yes, it would be better that way."
"At least we solved one problem."Francisco said to Aida. "Now what are we going to do about that Achmed?"
"I don't know. Be harsh on him, that's what. Or just treat him like you would anyone else. If he earns more money, or anything. Let it be because he earns it."
"I don't think it'll be so easy for such a person to adjust to this kind of life. I mean, he was a prince, for crying out loud!"
"You're right. He was, but he's not anymore."
"Ahora solo es otro del monton."
"Exactly."
The next day, Jasmine, Aladdin, Cassim, Ali, Genie, Jasmine's father, Carpet, Abu, and Iago were departing for Agrabah.
"It's been a very nice vacation."said Aladdin.
"We hope you come back soon."
"Oh, we will. I assure you, we will."
"We certainly hope so."
"We would have liked to stay longer, but you know."
"Yeah, I do know."
"Well, I hope I'll see you again soon."said Aida sadly.
"Most definitely."said Jasmine.
"Take care, Dearest."said her father.
