AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey all! Tiffany again. Started writing chapter one today…and finished it! Buaha.

It took me awhile when brainstorming about this to come up with a few things, but with the help of a website I got the inspiration I needed.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!

DISCLAIMER: Any and all characters related to Aladdin belong to D!sney. However, the characters Faatina and Hana belong to me. So don't take them!

I

The castle overlooking the city of Agrabah stood proudly. Its gold and white colors shone proudly in the afternoon sun, and many people glanced up at it out of habit, in admiration, and in jealousy for those that dwelled within. It never occurred to any of them that there could be one within who would gaze at them in jealousy. But then again, they were all simple people. After Aladdin had married Jasmine, things had been better than they had before. The poor were getting food now, because those in the royal family gave more than enough money to those in need. Children whose parents had passed away or abandoned them were taken in by an orphanage that had been opened soon after the now Prince and Princess were wed. Everything was peaceful, and that was how they liked it.

Aladdin paced back and forth in front of the throne, his brow furrowed. It was not every day that your daughter was eighteen, and it certainly wasn't every day that suitors would come to visit her, shower her with gifts and doing their best to charm her, only to leave the very same day. But in this household…it was.

'Oh Aladdin, don't worry about it so much,' the Sultan said from where he was sitting on his throne, delicately building an animal tower. 'Remember what happened with Jasmine…she rejected so many suitors until you came along. You can't rush these things; they have to happen over time.'

'I know…' Aladdin stopped pacing and ran his hand through his dark hair, which was beginning to show signs of graying. 'I have to keep telling myself that. I know she can marry whomever she chooses, but I really would prefer her to marry a prince or some kind of government official. At least then I'd know she was taken care of.'

The Sultan chuckled. 'You sound just like I was when Jasmine was eighteen. I was so worried about her…but she found the right man on her own.' He looked up from the tower and gave him a smile. 'Just let things take its course. It will work out on its own.'

Aladdin sighed. 'I suppose you're right. We just can't help but worry…and we don't dare take her outside the castle walls…you remember what happened last time. How she managed to join that slave caravan within twenty minutes is beyond my comprehension. I'm just glad that the guards recognized her as they were leaving.'

The Sultan placed a giraffe on top of an elephant. 'It's hard to keep an eye on her, especially out in those crowded streets. But, you cannot deny the fact that it must be done, especially because she has her mother's beauty. In that situation, you have no one to blame but yourself.'

Aladdin bit his lip. It was true. If he hadn't been so preoccupied by all the people staring at them, he would have realized that his daughter and wandered off, and could have prevented her from nearly getting kidnapped. Guilt began to swell in the pit of his stomach. 'I'm going to go check on her now,' he mumbled, and left the throne room.

The Sultan chuckled again. He could remember the day of his granddaughter's birth like it was yesterday. Her head full of dark hair, bright eyes like her mother's, but with a mischevious gleam that obviously came from her father. She was a blessing to everyone in the household, to everyone in the kingdom. The people were joyous, and gifts from far-off lands arrived to celebrate the birth of the new princess.

He could never forget the happiness he felt for his daughter and son-in-law. Aladdin and Jasmine were thrilled, and gave her as much love as they could possibly give. As a young girl, she was Daddy's little girl, her mother's little angel, and her grandfather's little princess. Everyone seemed to love her. Rajah watched her like a hawk and prevented her from doing anything dangerous, the Genie was the best babysitter Aladdin and Jasmine could ever ask for, Abu was ever her mischevious playmate, and the enchanted carpet that could fly was always there if she were ever to fall. Iago was the only one who kept out of the princess's way, mainly because he just couldn't handle all the hugs she gave him.

But things changed, as everything does eventually. As she got older, she became more rambunctious, and so Aladdin had the guards teach her how to wield a sword as a way for her to get her aggressions out. It worked wonderfully, but Jasmine could sense that although she was happy with her home, her family, she needed more than just that; she needed a girl her own age to be friends with. And so, Aladdin took his daughter to the orphanage, and simply watched her interact with the other girls. She immediately befriended a shy, quiet girl in the corner of the room, and begged her father if they could please, pretty please, bring her home with them. He obliged, and ever since that day, his daughter could be found with this orphaned girl, who, although she was her handmaiden, was her dearest friend.

Then, as she got even older, and more beautiful, the suitors began to come. They had been arriving since the early rain season, and drought season was nearly over now. It had been nearly a year. Aladdin was getting anxious, and the Sultan could even see Jasmine showing signs of worry, but she did her best to hide any concerns she had. He and the Genie did the best they could to reassure the two parents, but to no avail.

The Sultan sighed. He wouldn't be around for very much longer. In fact, he was lucky enough to even be able to see his granddaughter reach the age of eighteen. He would just do the best he could to being a loving father, grandfather, and give advice when needed. Really, they just needed to be patient. Everything would turn out right. There was a man out there that would be able to win her heart; she just hadn't met him yet. They all just needed to be patient. Love would prove itself in time. At least, he hoped so.

'I'm so bored.'

It was true. The daughter of Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, Faatina, was bored. Because of the peaceful environment of Agrabah, nothing bad ever seemed to happen, and that kept everything in monotony. She secretly wished that something interesting would happen…that maybe the grandfather she had never met, who was the King of Thieves, would come and take her away and let her become a thief too, or that maybe a giant sandstorm would come….anything to break the monotony of every day life.

Faatina walked back and forth next to the wall in what the Genie referred to as the 'lounging room', her faithful handmaiden and best friend, Hana, sitting in a chair nearby. The princess had inherited her mother's beautiful eyes and long dark hair, but her bangs were messy like her father's. Not that she minded. She really didn't care that she was beautiful. She always thought that Hana, shy, quiet Hana, was far more beautiful than she was. Of course, Hana was the perfect wife for any man. Her hair was cut to be shoulder length, her dark eyes were submissive, and she barely said a word to anyone. The only one that she really talked to was Faatina. The perfect wife…

'You know, Hana,' Faatina said, now idly tugging and twirling the tassles that hung from the lamps hanging from the ceiling, ' you should be the one getting married, not me.'

'May I ask why you say that, m'lady?' Hana asked, confused, watching her friend pace the room.

'I mean…you're the perfect wife. Any guy would love to have you! You should be the one getting these suitors, not me. I'd rather see you be a princess than get married to some jerk who only loves himself.' She stopped her twirling of the tassles and grinned at her friend. 'And then I could come and visit you in your palace. Your husband would probably kick me out though.'

Hana giggled. 'I wouldn't let him.'

'I know you wouldn't. I mean…I'm just saying, Hana. You're very beautiful, you're quiet, submissive…everything a man expects in a woman. I, on the other hand, am loud, speak my mind, and can wield a sword. A man doesn't want that. Hence the reason all of these princes keep leaving. If one of them stayed, maybe I could get them to notice you, and then your life would change for the better. You wouldn't be a handmaiden anymore, think of that! You'd be the one with the handmaidens. Wouldn't that be nice?' Faatina asked, resuming her tugging of the tassles.

'I suppose so…' Hana murmured. 'But…I do not wish to leave you, m'lady. I would like to stay here for awhile rather than get married.'

'Hey, that's fine with me. Besides…I'd miss you.' She stopped tugging one of the tassles and twirled it in her fingers.

'…Might I ask, m'lady, why you don't marry the suitors that come to visit?' Hana asked curiously.

'Because they're all the same. They arrive in this big huge spectacular splendor, with all of these riches and gifts, trying to win me over with money and treasure, which is ridiculous, because I've got the exact same things here! And then they try to act charming, but it just doesn't work, because all they talk about is how beautiful I am and then they talk about themselves. They're not intelligent.'

'Oh…I see. M'lady? If so many suitors come to see you, why are you bored?'

'…nothing ever happens. No thieves come to steal our treasure, no assassins come to kill us…it's just monotonous. It's the same thing day after day.' Faatina leaned to the side, pulling the tassle. 'I just wish something interesting would happen for once.'

A loud scraping noise made both girls jump and look around wildly. Faatina let go of the tassle quickly. 'I didn't do it, I swear…'

'M'lady! Look behind you!' Hana pointed towards the wall, rising from her seat. The princess turned around to see part of the wall parted, and a cold draft emitted from it. In all her years living in the palace, she had never seen this.

'It's a…Hana, it's a secret passage! Let's go see where it leads,' Faatina cried enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.

'I don't know, m'lady…' Hana said in worry. 'What if there's something dangerous in there?'

The princess turned to her friend. 'I know how to fight…all I need is something with a sharp end, and we'll be fine. Now come on…let's go! This should be fun!' And with that, the princess strode forward into the passage way, followed by her reluctant handmaiden.

The brick steps were cold on the girls' feet, and a window nearby illuminated the stairs spiraling upwards. The bricks were dark red, and the princess and her friend slowly made their way upwards; Faatina was filled with excitement over what they might find at the end of the stairway, while Hana felt a growing sense of uneasiness. If there was a secret passageway that was safe, then Faatina would surely have known of it, but she didn't seem to even know that this even existed until a few moments ago.

The princess stopped suddenly in front of a wooden door. 'I wonder what's in there…' she murmured, grasping the handle.

'M'lady…Faatina, we shouldn't be up here…' Hana whispered, her voice echoing off the walls.

'Oh nonsense, don't be silly. This is my family's palace, after all. Everything should be perfectly safe,' she reassured her friend as she pushed the door and it opened with a creak. The two girls entered the room and gazed around in wonder. It was large, and a window let in what little light it could. Hana stood by the door, her uneasiness growing, while Faatina started looking around.

'Wow, look at all this!' The princess declared in delight. There was a table with scrolls and numerous books scatter all over it. There were also several book shelves as well, and in one corner there was another set of stairs leading ever upwards. But the princess's attention was drawn to the many books, scrolls, and strange artifacts scattered throughout the room. As she continued to look around, letting out little cries of delight, Hana left her place by the door and wandered over to a nearby cabinet.

Hana gazed at the contents on the shelves carefully. There were many little bottles, and they were all labeled. Some of them were antidotes for poisons, injuries, illnesses…but others didn't make much sense. The only conclusion she could gather to this strange place was that this was an abandoned lair of a sorcerer, and these were his belongings, and thus they could not be trusted.

Meanwhile, Faatina felt as if she were having the time of her life. She had never seen so many strange things, so many different languages…and she wondered if the old occupant of this room could read all the different languages, could use all of the artifacts. She moved over to the table, flipping through the books and glancing at the scrolls, when she stumbled upon one she could read. The other books and scrolls looked as if each word was written with the utmost care, but this one looked as though the person didn't have a lot of time to write out whatever it was he was copying from. The writing seemed rushed, almost as if they were written feverishly. Her eyes scanned down the page, and she paused. These were spells, incantations for different purposes, and out of all the scrolls that she was to pick up it was this one, the one that would solve all of her problems.

'Hana…you won't believe what I've just found!' Faatina said, turning to her friend, who jumped, Faatina's voice having snapped her out of her reverie. 'I found a spell that's going to solve all of my problems.'

'A…a spell?' Hana repeated, alarmed. 'But…m'lady, you know that sorcery is blasphemous against Allah! It's blasphemy!'

'Don't be so worried…it's for a good cause, and I'm sure Allah can excuse some magic if it's for a good cause,' Faatina said matter-of-factly. 'I can't seem to find a husband on my own, so I'll just summon one. One that's right for me.'

'M'lady, please,' Hana pleaded. 'Let's just leave this place, forget it's here…'

'I've made up my mind, Hana. Now sit back and watch me get myself an intelligent, unique suitor, one that's not like any other!' Faatina's eyes darted down the scroll, finding her place. Hana knew that it was useless to argue with her, that the Princess was too stubborn to care.

Faatina took a deep breath. She may seem calm on the outside, but inside, she was terrified. She knew what the consequences of performing magic would be in the afterlife. She knew that if anyone found out, she would be severely punished, regardless of the fact that she was a member of the royal family. But she was just tired of being courted by princes who were all the same, tired of looking out on Agrabah and seeing weddings being held, knowing that she could never have that because she wasn't willing to change for anyone. She wanted someone who could love her and want her for being the loud girl that she was. And if that meant performing magic and thus doing blasphemy, then so be it.

'Agreeable to Soma, agreeable to Brahma, arranged by Aryaman, with the unfailing certainty of god Dhatar, bestow upon me good fortune, the acquisition of a husband…living or dead, a suitor like no other!' She read, her voice echoing along the walls with conviction.

There was silence. Both girls held their breath, Faatina's hands which held the scroll were shaking, and the only sound was the distant bustle of the city. The silence seemed to reign in the room, and both girls waited. They did not know what they were exactly waiting for, but they waited.

The suspense was almost becoming unbearable, but still nothing happened. Finally, Hana sighed in relief. It didn't work…thank Allah, she thought. 'M'lady…it didn't work, and perhaps it is for the best,' she said quietly, turning towards the door.

'Perhaps…' A feeling of great disappointment filled the princess. She had hoped that this way she could have found the right man for her, but apparently Allah had other plans. 'I guess it was stupid of me to try anyway.' Sighing in defeat, she set the scroll down, when something caught her eye.

The floor. There was a circle engraved in the floor, with strange markings inside. What they stood for, she didn't know, but they were beginning to glow black, and the light coming from it was becoming stronger, becoming blacker. 'Hana…do you see that? What…?' Faatina asked, pointing at the floor.

Hana paused at the doorway and just as she turned, the blackness swelled, and black matter burst from the circle like a fountain, the force knocking both of the girls slightly back. Faatina covered her eyes, something that sounded as if she were flying on the enchanted carpet very fast filling the room.

'What did you do?' Hana yelled in terror.

'All I did was read the passage! I didn't know it would do this!' Faatina yelled back. 'All I wanted was a suitor that I could actually get along with!'

As abruptly as the black matter came, it left. Sunlight streamed in from the window, and the only thing that could be heard were the two girls panting in fear and bewilderment. Slowly, Faatina got to her feet and walked over to Hana, helping her trembling friend stand. 'Are you okay?'

Hana nodded numbly, her eyes widened in shock as she stared at something over Faatina's shoulder. 'What is it?' The princess asked, worried. Her handmaiden merely pointed. Faatina turned and nearly dropped to her knees. There, laying on the floor in the middle of the circle engraved in the floor, was a man. He wasn't moving. Faatina didn't know if he was dead or not. Her heartbeat quickening, she grabbed a sheathed sword nearby and slowly walked towards the still man. He had no clothes on, and he was quite thin, but not so thin as that he looked as if he were starving. At any other moment, she would have been blushing like a rose, but all she cared about was whether this strange man was still alive or not.

She glanced up at Hana, who looked as though she wanted to run away. Giving her a reassuring smile, she prodded the still man. He did not move. She prodded him again. He still did not move. Guess I'll have to get closer… Swallowing, Faatina set the sword off to the side, and knelt beside the man. Her hand shaking, she reached out and slowly touched his back. She could feel him breathing. He was all right.

Faatina nodded to Hana, letting her know that the man was alive, and got up, searching through cabinets, looking for clothing. Finally, she found some dark robes, including a hat in a closet, and she took these from it. 'Help me get these clothes on him,' the princess told her terrified handmaiden. She did so, reluctantly, and they clothed the strange man. They were both shaking too hard to care about the fact that there had been a naked man in front of him, or to even take a close look at him.

The princess looked at Hana. 'Hana, you are my best friend. I must ask you now to keep this a secret. We cannot let anyone know about this. Understand?' Hana nodded quickly. 'Now, help me get him to his feet. He's unconscious; we'll take him to my room.'

Hana was too terrified to argue, and helped the princess hoist the man's unconscious body up and began to drag it towards the door. They stepped down the stairs carefully, and as they came to where the secret passage began, Faatina looked around cautiously. No one was about. They quickly left the passage, and Faatina had Hana slide the door shut behind them.

It seemed to take forever, but they dragged him all the way to Faatina's bedroom. As they entered the room, Faatina said, panting, ' Close the door and lock it.' Hana did so, as the princess dragged the unconscious man to her bed. She laid him down on it, panting. 'Do you think anyone saw us?' She asked.

Hana shook her head. 'No one was around. They were all probably patrolling the grounds, and your parents are probably discussing the suitor problem,' she reassured the Princess.

'You mean almost everyone didn't see you,' came a rough squawking voice.

Faatina turned only to find the red and blue parrot Iago perched on her bed. 'Iago! What are you doing…I didn't…'

'You found his lair, I suppose,' the parrot said, gazing down at the man on the bed. He hadn't liked the princess when she was younger, but now that she was older and mature, he liked helping her come up with different ways to reject suitors and they always had a good laugh about it afterwards.

'Whose lair?' Faatina asked, Hana crossing the room to join them.

'Oh come on. Don't tell me you've forgotten the stories that Genie used to tell you when you were a little kid?' Iago asked skeptically.

'What stories? Genie's told me lots of them.'

'The ones about how your mother met your father. The ones about him.' He gestured to the man on the bed.

'I don't understand…'

'Look,' Iago continued, becoming annoyed, 'I'll make it easy for you. This man's name is Jafar and he used to be dead.'

'Used to be?' Hana asked, her face becoming pale.

'You brought him back to life princess,' the parrot said, his golden eyes narrowing. 'You brought the old enemy of your family back to life.'