A/N: Since I'm replacing previously written chapters, I am refraining from covering any story that does not happen in the initial upload. This is why some chapters may be much shorter than others. In addition, story points like Agrabah and Atlantica, where the story follows the KH canon more than usual, are particularly difficult to write and can be demotivating. I do apologize if any elements seem rushed and I appreciate your continued support! Happy reading!
"That's strange," Aladdin said to himself as they entered the market plaza, "Agrabah is never this quiet, especially not the marketplace."
"Quiet? It's completely deserted!" Donald exclaimed.
Upon first landing in Agrabah, they noticed the lack of activity in the marketplace, but the heat and the sudden Heartless attack from Jafar left them too preoccupied to investigate it any further. It was only when Aladdin described the bustling streets filled with shoppers rushing to find the best deals and street performers executing impressive stunts did they realize that the Agrabah they knew sounded nothing like the Agrabah he had described.
"I bet Jafar and the Heartless are behind this," Sora said under his breath, tightly gripping his Keyblade.
Aladdin nodded as he marched forward into the now empty streets. "Come on, guys. The palace is up ahead at the end of the market. No doubt we'll find some clue about Jasmine there."
The palace was a stunning work of architectural beauty, a citadel fit for a royal family. The walls seemed to reach the sky, and the palace doors towered over the commoners of Agrabah; no doubt due to the massive parties and celebrations they held within the walls, needing extra protection from unsavoury folk.
Jafar stood at the gates with Jasmine by his side, his wicked demeanour enough to discourage the princess from attempting an escape. His lips curled into a grin when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps; he had been expecting them.
"Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy?" he asked as they entered the palace courtyard, "Back to your hole, street rat. I will not allow you to trouble the princess any more."
"She seems more troubled by you," Donald quacked, raising his staff in the air.
Jafar reached out to block Jasmine from escape, whom had begun to stir in her spot when she saw Aladdin enter the courtyard. Aladdin realized there was very little he could do on his own against the royal vizier; he had no choice but to call on Genie's help.
"Genie, please help Jasmine!" he said through his teeth as he rubbed the side of the lamp behind his back.
Jafar cackled at their desperation, unaware that Genie had swooped down from above and carried Jasmine to safety. "One wish left! You're making this really easy, you know," he said as he winked to Aladdin.
Jafar fell silent but the smile remained on his lips; they wouldn't best him so easily. "Apologies, boy, but your second wish has been denied."
Genie stopped in his tracks, unable to move any further as he held the squirming princess with an iron grip. They couldn't believe their eyes; what sort of extraordinary power did Jafar have to be able to control a genie?
As it turned out, Jafar was a crafty individual, and came prepared for every situation. His trusted parrot Iago fluttered towards him with the golden lamp in his claws, leaving Aladdin dumbfounded at his now empty hands, the awareness of the dire situation slowly sinking in. Jafar now controlled the lamp and, quite possibly, all of Agrabah.
"I'm sorry, Al," Genie said miserably as he released his grip, allowing Jasmine to fall into an ornate pot.
Jafar clacked his staff into the ground, summoning a portal of darkness behind him. The pots in the vicinity, including Jasmine's, sprouted legs through the cracks in the porcelain, skittering across the courtyard to form a line. One last vase broke completely to reveal the head of a bug-like Heartless, attaching itself to the rest of the vases to create a makeshift centipede. Jafar cackled as the centipede Heartless hungrily approached its prey, Jasmine's muffled cries for help echoing from one of the pots.
"And now, I bid you farewell," he said with a grin before disappearing into the portal, Iago and Genie following closely behind.
The antennas atop the Heartless' head flailed wildly as it prepared an electrocution attack, allowing some of the pots on its body to disconnect and run wild across the city. The group prepared their weapons but were reluctant to be too forceful with the Heartless; Jasmine was still trapped in one of the pots, and they didn't want to cause her harm.
"Akira, I need you and Goofy to break the pots and find Jasmine," Sora called to her as he used his Keyblade to block the head from biting him, "Aladdin and I will take care of the head."
"Did you forget about me?" Donald asked angrily, swiping away at one of the pot's legs.
"If I told you to do something, you'd get upset at me for ordering you around!"
"And don't you forget it!" Donald said with a grin, releasing a ball of fire from the tip of his staff.
Sora rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the Heartless' head, already worn down by Aladdin. Even though he never had any formal training, Aladdin was a skilled swordsman whom honed his skills in the depths of the mystical Cave of Wonders. He and Sora made quick work of the head, slicing and dicing at it until it fell to the ground writhing in pain and releasing the familiar crystal heart held within.
"Great job, Sora," Aladdin said, sheathing his scimitar.
"Yeah, we make a good team," he responded.
He looked to the distance to see Goofy and Akira closing in, with Goofy waving his hand to them. "Hey, fellas!"
"Bad news," Akira said out of breath as she came to a halt before them, "Jasmine wasn't in any of the pots."
"Then, where could she have gone?" Donald asked in a worried tone.
It didn't take long for Aladdin to figure out where they had taken her. Throughout the years he spent scouring the streets of Agrabah, investigating every inch of every street and cracking every secret the locals would whisper to themselves, there was still one mystery he wasn't able to solve, and it lay in the deepest depths of the Cave of Wonders.
"I think I know where they could have gone," he said with resolve.
Jafar stroked his beard with his finger, beaming at the sight before him. All was going according to plan; Maleficent would be proud. He stepped around Jasmine, who lay unconscious on the floor, and addressed a very miserable-looking Genie.
"My first wish, Genie! Show me the Keyhole!"
Genie looked up from the ground, troubled by what the royal vizier requested of him. Shielding his eyes, he pointed to the alcove at the far end of the circular chamber, where the outline of a large Keyhole burned brightly through the stone wall...
Far past the open stretch of desert where they had first met Aladdin, there lay a hidden secret only the most crafty and accomplished of thieves could find. The mystical and legendary Cave of Wonders was said to hold the most luxurious and opulent treasures in all the land, though very few could say they had witnessed it. It was said to appear only to those it deemed worthy, and devoured those with wicked intentions. Though it could be said that the cave quite literally would devour the unworthy, for the entrance to the cave took the shape of a massive tiger's head made of sand.
Unfortunately, the cunning vizier had the power of darkness at his command, and effortlessly forced the entrance of the cave to appear against its will mere moments before the group of heroes would make their appearance before the transcendent cave.
The entrance revealed itself before Aladdin without a fuss, though the group remained too mystified to question anything as they passed through the massive pillars of sand shaped like the tiger's teeth. Considering they had already reluctantly stepped through the gaping mouth of a tiger, the team truly had no idea what to expect next. Aladdin and Abu seemed to know the ins and outs of the Cave of Wonders pretty well, but the rest of them still shuddered at the sight of the entrance to the cave.
"But why a giant tiger?" Donald asked, shaking.
"Maybe to scare off intruders?" Akira suggested.
"Oh, you'll see," Aladdin said with a smile as he led them into the depths of the cave.
They gazed in stunned silence at their surroundings, unable to contain their astonishment with each new sight they took in. Pillars of solid gold held the cave erect while piles of gold and priceless jewels littered the floor with precious stones rolling at their feet. The walls themselves were made of gold, as well as the stairs and the ledges, giving the entire cavern a brilliant gleam. Even the small coin beneath Akira's shoe was worth more money than any of them had ever owned; with just one pile of gold, they'd be rich enough to buy Agrabah three times over. Donald's eyes sparkled hungrily at the sight of the red gemstones strewn on the floor, which earned him a chuckle from Goofy and a look of disapproval from Akira.
"We can't just take things from other worlds!" she whispered in his ear, "What about world order?"
"Aw phooey!" he responded, "This won't affect the world border one bit!"
Akira narrowed her eyes as she and Goofy began to ponder the ever-sought answer to whether they were protecting the border or the order.
"And this isn't even the half of it," Aladdin said, stretching out his arms, "The real treasure lies deep within the cave, past the traps and the puzzles."
"So, that's where you found Carpet, and Genie," Sora said.
Aladdin nodded. "Yeah. And I think that's where Jafar brought Jasmine."
"Then, we'd better get a move on!"
Sora and Aladdin broke into a sprint towards the next chamber, keeping their eyes open for any sign of Jafar or Jasmine as the rest of their allies lagged behind, Akira and Goofy dragging Donald away from his precious gems.