Disney owns everything, nothing is mine.
FAMILY BUSINESS
Chapter 4
Pamphilos wasn't feeling very comfortable. The Sultan was a very nice man and had been delighted to show him around the palace and tell him about its history. However, the young man was too worried to enjoy this opportunity. He couldn't stop thinking about what would be waiting for him if his uncle found out where he had gone.
Right now they were looking at the Sultan's toy collection. Despite his state of mind, Pamphilos couldn't help being impressed. Whoever had made the toys had been a master at his art.
The Sultan showed him a mechanical elephant. "This is one of my favourites," he said. The toy's trunk and tail moved when he pushed a hidden button.
"It's beautiful," Pamphilos said politely. "My father used to make similar toys to me when I was a child."
"Really?" The Sultan looked interested. "He is a toy maker?" He put the elephant back.
Pamphilos shook his head. "No, he was an inventor."
"Oh," the Sultan said, understanding the meaning of the words. "I'm sorry, my boy."
"It's alright. I was very young when it happened," Pamphilos said with a smile. He had to admit that it was a little uncomfortable to have people feeling sorry for him all the time. He didn't know how to miss someone he could hardly remember, and yet that was exactly what everyone was expecting of him. It made him feel guilty.
"Do you mind me asking what happened?" the Sultan asked carefully.
"No, don't worry, Your Highness. My father and his brother had built what they liked to call a mechanical bird. My father took it for a test fly, got a little careless and decided to fly through the city to show off to everyone." Pamphilos had to snort at that. He was happy for not inheriting the megalomaniacal tendencies of his father and uncle. "Something went wrong and the machine crashed in the middle of the marketplace. My father died and took quite many others with him."
"That's terrible!" the Sultan exclaimed.
Pamphilos didn't really know what to say to that. He decided to remain silent, guessing that the Sultan would understand. The old man was a little eccentric, but he could sense that there was hidden wisdom underneath all that.
Fortunately, he didn't have to come up with anything to say. A tall and slim guard came to announce that Aladdin had returned and had brought a prisoner along. The Sultan's presence was required, and since nobody seemed to have anything against it, Pamphilos hurried along.
When he got outside, he was in for a shock. Jasmine had been hurt and the Sultan had run directly to her, but that was only a portion of his surprise. The fact that his uncle was there, fuming and looking mad enough to kill someone, was the main reason.
I can't let him see me, he thought and tried to hide behind the guard.
"Aladdin, what happened?" the Sultan asked.
"The monster was one of Mechanikles' inventions. We destroyed it, but Jasmine got hurt. Genie says she'll be fine, but I thought it would be best to have Mechanikles locked up before he makes something worse happen," Aladdin replied.
"I agree. This has gone far enough. Guards, take him to the dungeon! We'll hold a trial later," the Sultan decided. Rasoul grabbed the thin Greek, getting an angry "Keep your hands off me!" in return. The guard only grinned, not at all affected by the smaller man's anger.
Pamphilos didn't know what to do. Having heard Aladdin and the others tell that his uncle was a villain was one thing, but actually witnessing it was entirely different. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want anyone to know of their relation.
"Hey, you!"
Pamphilos woke from his thoughts with a start when he realised that his uncle had called out to him. He turned to look, and to his horror he saw that he had been seen. Rasoul was dragging the fighting and clearly angry Mechanikles away, but everyone had realised that he had addressed Pamphilos.
"Do you know him?" Aladdin asked suspiciously.
Pamphilos swallowed. "I... uh, no! I've never seen him before!" he explained quickly. "I guess he just though I'd... help him or something," he continued. He knew that his story was thin and that everyone could see through it, but luck was on his side. Everyone was so worried about Jasmine that they didn't have the interest to question him any more.
He watched how servants came to take Jasmine away. She tried to resist and tell them that she was fine and that she only needed some sleep, not medical attention. The two men of her life, her father and fiancé, had decided otherwise and this time she had no choice but to submit to their wishes.
Aladdin rubbed his temples. "What a mess," he muttered. "I guess you had better return to your aunt and uncle. They must be getting worried."
Pamphilos jumped. "What? Oh, yes, true! I'll be going now. Thanks for everything and, um... Never mind." He didn't bid proper farewell but left the palace as fast as he could.
"Pamphilos was acting very strange. What was wrong with him?" Aladdin pondered out loud.
Genie turned back into Socrates. "Hey, don't ask me. I don't know anything."
"Get in there!" Rasoul bellowed and pushed Mechanikles into the cell. He chained the inventor to the wall from his wrists. The heavy door was then banged shut and locked behind the Greek's back.
"Well," he huffed to himself. Then his mind and nose registered his surroundings; the blackened stones and chains, heaps of rotting trash on the floor and dirty water dripping through the uneven walls. He thought he could see a dead rat in the corner, too. It was his worst nightmare come true.
"This place is filthy!" he shrieked and brought his chained hands to cover his face. "I can't work on my escape plan in these conditions!" With that he pulled a white handkerchief from his clothes and started polishing the closest wall in a hurry. It was awkward with the limited way he could move. The cloth turned brown within seconds and Mechanikles threw it away in disgust.
He started rattling his chains and screaming in panic. "Guard! Bring me water and soap! Fast! This is an emergency!"
Rasoul's face appeared to glare at him through the small barred window. "Water? Don't be stupid! We can't afford to waste it on criminals!"
Mechanikles looked shattered. "You can't expect me to live here!" he snapped.
"I don't," Rasoul said with a grin. "If everything goes the way I want to, you'll be executed as soon as possible."
We'll see about that, Mechanikles thought to himself. "Then let me have my last wish! I want to clean up this place!"
"I already told you -" Rasoul started, but then it looked like he had thought of something. His angry expression turned into a sneaky smile. "Why, of course. I'll send Hakim bring over the supplies at once." With that he came inside and let the inventor free of his chains.
Mechanikles could tell the guard was playing a game of some sort. However, he wasn't about to complain about getting his way for once. Instead, he turned back to look at the cell, his brain already forming a plan of organizational cleaning. He'd have to start from clearing the cell of trash and then begin from the ceiling.
To his annoyance, his thoughts turned to his damned nephew. He should have known that Pamphilos would disobey his orders. Young people were so rebellious! Good thing he had never had any children of his own.
Then again, Pamphilos had seemed like a relatively sane young man. Not at all like what Metrophanes had been like at that age. Mechanikles could remember the time when his brother had jumped off a cliff to test a pair of mechanical wings. He had to chuckle at the memory. Then he realised that Aspasia had probably encouraged Pamphilos to pull off his stunt and he grew grim again.
He wasn't very upset for that Pamphilos had denied him in front of everyone. It was the only sensible thing to do, unless they both wanted to get locked up. Now the young man at least had the chance of telling Aspasia what had happened. She would be upset, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Another thing in his mind was his current situation. He was aware how horribly happy these barbarians were with their swords and beheadings, but he wasn't really worried. Death was a thing he didn't want to experience any time soon, but he was positive he would find his way out before that became a serious threat.
With disgust he turned his attention to the filthy floor and poked an unidentified pile of trash with the tip of his toe. "I guess there is no avoiding this," he muttered through gritted teeth. He started clearing the floor of the mess, soon gathering a heap in front of the door. A disgusted shudder went through his spine as he picked up a dead rat.
"This is a disgrace! How dare they keep their cells in this condition! Who knows what kind of horrible, icky disease I can pick up by just breathing this polluted air?" he complained angrily as he threw the rat on top of the trash pile. Other things included were lots of old straw, remnants of something he didn't want to know any better, a few other rats (or what was left of them) and some old rags. The stench was horrible and he was afraid he didn't smell much better.
He wiped his hands on his tunic and froze, only then realising his error. "Oh, no! I touched my tunic with these dirty hands!" His hands flew to his face in horror. "Oh, no! I touched my face!"
That was when the cell door opened. Mechanikles jumped over the trash pile and grabbed the guard's shoulders. "Water! Now!" he pleaded and poor Hakim was nearly knocked over.
"Here," he said and handed over two buckets of water. Mechanikles grabbed them like his life depended on it and rushed back into the depth of the cell, not even thinking about the possible chance of escape.
"Take these away!" he ordered Hakim and pointed at the trash pile. The tall guard glanced at the trash and then back at Mechanikles. He didn't look very happy to be ordered around by a prisoner.
"Well, I guess Rasoul would have made me clean up the cell in any case," he muttered dryly as he started the work. His expression was sour, but somehow Mechanikles got the feeling that this was a man who rarely smiled anyway.
He wasted no time and plunged his hands into the water and scrubbed them as clean as possible. Then was the time for his face. While the lack of soap made sure that the result was nowhere near as clean as he would have liked, he no longer felt the need to claw his skin off.
"Oh, and bring me a ladder as well, will you?" he remarked at Hakim when he noticed that the guard was almost done with his work.
"Of course, my lord. Nothing would make me happier," Hakim said. He banged the door shut and left Mechanikles in relative darkness.
Pamphilos' journey back to his uncle's headquarters felt like a dream. What would he tell his aunt? It had been a shock to him to hear that Mechanikles was something much worse than he had ever thought, but after a while it had started making sense. He had thought over his uncle's behaviour during the return flight and had come to the conclusion that the man was insane.
However, he was sure that his aunt wouldn't see it that way. She would either be heartbroken and deny everything or declare that she would love him no matter what. Pamphilos suspected that the latter option was more likely, but that didn't please him one bit. He could already feel that there was some kind of stupid plan looming in the horizon.
He wondered why he had ever been born into this family. He was so different from his father, aunt and uncle. What they thought to be normal was lunatic to him. He didn't share their interests, morals or dreams. There was nothing to connect them.
It was with a deep sigh that he landed and entered the headquarters. He found his aunt and uncle inspecting Mechanikles' desk and the small bugs that were standing on it. Both lifted their heads as they heard him enter.
"You were gone longer than I thought. I was afraid Mechanikles might be back before you. Did you have fun?" Aspasia asked with a smile.
"I guess so," Pamphilos said with a shrug.
The small gesture and his grim expression didn't go unnoticed. Simonides lifted his brows in a questioning matter and Aspasia's joy turned into a worried frown.
"What is it?" she asked and came over to him. "Did something bad happen?"
Pamphilos couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at that. He wasn't a baby. He didn't need his aunt to act like his mother. "I saw Uncle Mechanikles. He was captured and thrown to prison," he announced.
"What? Captured? What are you saying?" Aspasia asked. Her voice rose high and Pamphilos took a step away from her, just in case.
"Aladdin brought him to the palace and he was given to the guards. I think they might be holding a trial for him later," he said and watched how an angry flush spread on his aunt's face.
"For what? That must be a mistake! I'm going there right now to tell them that they have to let him go at once! You're coming with me, you can tell your friends in the palace that -" As she spoke she was already marching outside but froze when Pamphilos interrupted her.
"No, I won't."
Aspasia turned around slowly, an expression of shock on her face. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"You heard me." Pamphilos took a deep breath. "Aladdin told me all about Mechanikles. He has been trying to take over these lands. It's a wonder nobody has been killed yet! Just today Princess Jasmine was injured because of his inventions! He's a villain and I'm not blaming them for wanting to get rid of him!" he snapped.
"They might kill him?" Aspasia asked doubtfully.
"For all I know, yes. I can't say it would bother me too much," her nephew said. It was true. At that moment he felt nothing but shame and disappointment. To think that his own relative had caused so much trouble. In the beginning he had been excited about seeing his uncle, but the more he learnt about him, the less he wanted to know him.
"He must have had a good reason. I'm sure this is just some misunderstanding," Aspasia suggested.
"No, it isn't. Aladdin and the rest are good people. They have done nothing wrong. Mechanikles is the evil one and he deserves whatever fate they've decided for him!" Pamphilos said. He saw how his aunt turned to look at Simonides with a helpless expression on her face. Disgusted with that nobody was getting his point, he excused himself and marched outside.
He drew a deep breath to calm himself. He felt dizzy all of sudden and had to sit down. It was the first time he had blown up to anyone and it felt good; much better than he had ever expected. He leaned back and rested his head against the marble of which the headquarters were built of.
I want to go home, he thought. He wanted to see his mother, one of the few sane people in his life. She would understand him.
It was strange how everything had gone wrong. All his life he had listened to everyone's stories about his father and uncle, how brilliant they had been and how it was so tragic that they had lost both. While technology had never really interested him, he had grown to look up to the two men whom everyone - with the exception of his grandfather - adored.
He found himself sympathizing with the grim old warrior. It must have been difficult to lose a son and a good portion of the family's reputation because of stupid inventions. For the first time in his life, Pamphilos realised that he agreed with his grandfather. It was the best for everyone if Mechanikles never returned.
"You've made your aunt cry, you know," Simonides' voice said next to him.
Pamphilos didn't turn to look. "Uh-huh." He felt a little bad about that, but didn't let himself dwell on it. Aspasia had to learn to face the truth sooner or later.
"Don't you think you should apologize to her?"
Now he did turn his head. "For what? Telling her the truth? I'm sorry, but she's being a fool. Mechanikles isn't the man he was back at home or in your stories. You said so yourself when we came here," he said.
"Yes, but as much as I dislike him, he's still my wife's brother. It's just a fact that we have to learn to live with," Simonides said.
Pamphilos snorted. "That's not going to be too hard. He's trapped there, might be executed and we'll never see him again," he said.
"Hmm. Knowing your aunt, she just might come up with something," Simonides said. He didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea, and Pamphilos couldn't blame him. He certainly didn't want to go to Agrabah on some idiotic rescue mission.
"I'm not going to have any part in it," he replied. Simonides didn't say anything to that. For a while they sat there in silence, but then the soldier got up and returned inside. Pamphilos didn't feel like encountering anyone, so he remained where he was.
He wondered if Jasmine was alright. She hadn't looked too badly injured, but he didn't know anything about medicine. He regretted not sticking around long enough to find out. Now he would keep worrying about her.
I can't go back, he mused. He was sure he wouldn't be able to look Aladdin in the eyes and not reveal everything. The only thing he wanted was to return home and forget he had ever even heard about Agrabah.
Eventually he decided that sulking alone was getting him nowhere. He got up and returned inside, a little nervous about what he might find. His aunt sobbing madly, throwing things around or pacing around were his top guesses.
None of them turned out to be correct. Instead, she was crouching over a large scroll on Mechanikles' desk. She briefly lifted her eyes when Pamphilos arrived, but turned her attention back to what she was doing.
"I'm going to rescue him," she said in determination. Her eyes were red and her face flushed, but her voice didn't shake anymore.
"What?" Pamphilos asked, hoping he had heard wrong.
Aspasia pointed at the scroll on the desk. "I'm not letting them kill him. He's my brother. So, I'm building one of these things, flying it to Agrabah and I'm not coming back without him," she announced.
"You?" Pamphilos wondered and cast a glance at Simonides. The soldier only rolled his eyes, indicating that he didn't like the idea either, but wasn't stupid enough to argue with his wife at this point.
"Yes, me. I may not be an inventor, but I know a little of these things as well," Aspasia said in an annoyed tone.
"It takes months to build something big enough to carry the both of you," Pamphilos pointed out. Maybe his aunt would give up this stupid plan if she was reminded of reality many times enough?
Unfortunately, Aspasia didn't look affected. "I know. That's why I'm taking apart some of the other things he's built and putting together their best parts. Oh, and by the way, it will carry four people. You two are coming as well."
"Now, wait a minute. I'm not risking myself to save him!" Pamphilos objected. He couldn't betray Aladdin and the rest like that!
"You'd rather let your uncle die?" Aspasia asked angrily.
"Well, no, but... It's not my fault he got himself into this! He did bad things and now he must face the consequences. Helping him escape wouldn't be only illegal, but wrong to all those who have suffered because of him," Pamphilos said in frustration. Why couldn't his aunt see this? It was so simple!
He turned to Simonides. "Tell her that this is insane! She will only get herself hurt and might get captured as well," he tried to reason.
"I know," Simonides said with a sigh. "However, I'm going to help her."
Pamphilos couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew for certain that Simonides didn't like this any better than he did. Why was the soldier giving in to his wife? It was uncharacteristic of him, as he usually made sure everyone knew that he was the head of the family. Had he tried, he could have forced Aspasia to shut up and obey like a proper wife should.
"Are you out of your mind?" he asked, no longer caring if he insulted the older man. Was there something in the air that was affecting everyone? First his uncle, making him an insane maniac, and now his aunt and Simonides as well?
"I wish I were," Simonides said. He wrapped his arm around Pamphilos' thin shoulders and led him away. "Listen, I don't want your aunt to hear this, but some people back home are very interested in your uncle. Or rather, his inventions. He may be the most irritating person in the world, but it won't do good to my career if I return home with a message about his death."
Pamphilos blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but Simonides continued.
"Before you say anything, remember that he's still family. You've known that Aladdin for a few days. After we return home, you will probably never see him again. Do you want to sacrifice a family member for a friendship that can't be?" he said.
"I haven't known Mechanikles any longer than that either," Pamphilos pointed out. He consciously avoided mentioning the information he had been given. While he had been paying attention to politics, as was expected, he wasn't involved enough to know exactly what his uncle's words meant. If there was some kind of hidden war going on between the families, he didn't want to have anything to do with it.
"You just don't remember him. He used to carry you around on his shoulders so that you could see what was going on in the marketplace," Simonides said.
Pamphilos almost felt tempted to roll his eyes at that. "Don't try to trick me into feeling sorry for him. You aren't very good at that."
That silenced Simonides and removed the friendly expression from his face. The soldier's eyes hardened and he frowned slightly. "Alright. You've decided to be difficult. I have to admit I'm glad you're fighting and finally standing up to yourself, but this is not the right moment. If you don't care about your uncle or my career, think about your aunt," he said.
"What about her?" Pamphilos turned to glance back at Aspasia who was busy calculating something on paper.
"She doesn't know machines half as well as she thinks. She may have the basic knowledge, but she's a woman and has no experience at all. I don't know even that much. You're the only one who can put together something that works and take it to Agrabah. Do it for her sake. She's going to go no matter what, and I'd rather have you there making sure she doesn't crash into a wall and kill herself," Simonides said.
Pamphilos felt tired all of sudden. His earlier defiance had drained him and now he only wanted the easiest way out of the situation. Even if his aunt was difficult at times, he didn't want her to die. On the other hand, he didn't feel comfortable helping a criminal escape.
To his disappointment, he realised there was only one thing he could do. If everything went according to the plan, he would soon return home and would never have to worry about Agrabah again. However, if he refused to help and his aunt got killed because of that, he'd never be able to forget that.
"I'll do it," he sighed in defeat, already hating himself for it.
"How are you feeling?" Aladdin asked Jasmine. She was lying on her bed in her room with Aladdin by her side. The rest of their friends had left to give the two of them some time alone.
"I'm fine," Jasmine said. She had her arms crossed on her chest and slight frown on her face. She was mad, and as much as Aladdin hated being in trouble with her, he couldn't help noticing how cute she was when she was angry.
"I'm sorry I freaked out," he offered. "It's just that I was so scared when you got hurt."
"Well, you shouldn't worry about me like that. Haven't I already proven that I can take care of myself?" Jasmine asked.
"Of course," Aladdin assured. He ran his hand through his hair and took Jasmine's hand. "It's usually me who gets hurt and - uh, not that it's alright for me to get into danger all the time, but... Jasmine, I don't want to lose you. Something bad might have happened today. I don't know what I would have done."
Jasmine's frown melted into a smile. "I know that," she said gently. "But you have to stop worrying about me when I say I'm fine," she added.
"I guess I can live with that," Aladdin said.
"Promise?" Jasmine asked.
"Promise."
With that he leaned closer to place a kiss on her lips.
Unlike Aladdin and Jasmine, Mechanikles wasn't feeling happy at all. He was frustrated, angry, tired and disgusted. He had spent hours trying to scrub the cell clean and hadn't had very much success. The ceiling was easy enough since there wasn't much dirt up there, but it was difficult to clean something that was so high. He had been given ladders and he had even tried using the numerous chains to climb the walls, but by the time he was finished with the ceiling, it was already night and his back ached like he had aged some thirty years.
One thing he had also noticed was that escaping would be very difficult. The guards had apparently been given instructions to be careful with him. Once they noticed that he had stopped working, they had come and chained him back to the wall. It was annoying and embarrassing, not to mention uncomfortable.
Even if he had been allowed to roam around the cell (which he didn't really want to do since the place was still filthy) he wouldn't have been able to get away. The only window was high above and had bars, and the door was locked, thick and guarded.
"Oh, once I get out of here I will show these fools just what it means to lock up the great Mechanikles," he muttered to himself as he tried to find the best possible position while having his hands chained. His words could have sounded a little more convincing, and he knew it. It was difficult to remain boastful when you were tired and alone in a dark prison cell with no way to change that.
At some point of the night he fell asleep. The next morning he was aching even more and had trouble standing up when Rasoul came to release him from the chains, and give him something that would probably be his only meal that day felt like torture.
He's just a little too happy to let me have my way, he pondered as he tried to swallow something he hoped to be bread. His mind was working fast and it was obvious to him that for some reason the guard wanted the cell to get cleaned. While it meant that these barbarians were finally learning the ways of civilized life, he didn't like being used.
He started to continue his work on cleaning the cell. It wasn't that he loved the chore, but he realised that it had more than one advantage at this point. Firstly, it fooled the guards into thinking that he wasn't trying to escape and secondly, it helped him think straight.
As he worked, he went through all possible escape plans. The window was out of question. He would never fit through it. The door was the only possibility, but not an easy one. He could always say he needed more water and run for it once the door was open. The problem was that he would have to defeat some dozen armed guards before getting out and, with no bugs, the estimated success ratio was rather low.
"That Aladdin, who does he think he is?" he started ranting to let out steam. "Not once has he tried to capture me but one his oh, so pretty princess gets hurt, he gets down to business!" He would show him just how severely he could hurt his friends once he was free again.
Back at Mechanikles' workshop, Aspasia and Pamphilos were doing their best at putting together something that might fly. They had taken apart several other machines and gears, cogs and nuts were lying all over the floor.
"This is harder than I thought," Pamphilos said. He was desperately trying to understand how the machination for the wings was supposed to work.
Aspasia silently agreed but wasn't going to admit it out loud. She was determined not to give up and lose another brother. She would make things work.
She tried her best not to think about the news Pamphilos had returned with. It sounded like her brother had become insane and violent over the years, but she didn't want to judge him before hearing his side of the story. After all, Pamphilos had heard everything from that Aladdin who apparently was Mechanikles' enemy. She regretted letting her nephew mingle with such folk.
Pamphilos threw a wrench away and sighed. He stopped working and just glared at the machines with an unhappy expression.
"What?" Aspasia asked. She was very disappointed with the way Pamphilos was taking this. The young man should have realised that family was more important than the words of strangers. She would have liked to remind him that this was the brother of his father they were talking about but didn't think it would help matters.
"This is not going to work," Pamphilos said and pointed at their work. "It will take days to finish this and we have to test is as well. By the time we're ready, they might have been off with his head already."
Aspasia gasped. "No! They wouldn't do that! Not so soon!" She bit her lip and frowned before coming to a decision. "You have to go back to Agrabah. Find Aladdin and ask him what they're going to do with him. Try to get to the dungeons to talk to him. Tell him that I'm coming!"
"No, that's stupid! I'm not doing it! What could I say? Aladdin would see through me at once and then I'd be captured too," Pamphilos said. He glanced around, probably trying to find Simonides for support. Aspasia was glad to notice that her husband was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't know, but you have to! It's driving me insane not to know what's going to happen to him! Please, Pamphilos, do this for me," she pleaded.
Her nephew didn't look happy. "He wouldn't do this," he pointed out.
"What?"
"Saving anyone, I mean. If you were captured, Mechanikles wouldn't even blink. The years here have made him insane, obsessed and unable to love anyone other than himself. I don't know why you're too blind to see that," Pamphilos said.
"He's my brother!" Aspasia snapped. She could feel her eyes tearing and wiped them angrily, not wanting to cry now. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know him like I do."
Pamphilos didn't reply, only huffed to himself. It was obvious he had something to say but had decided that it wouldn't be worth it. Aspasia could feel herself grow annoyed. All his life Pamphilos had been such a polite person and now he was starting to rebel? Just what was his problem?
"Alright, young man. Get back to work. What kind of inventor are you going to be if you can't even put the wings together?" she asked bitterly, wanting to throw an insult back at him for treating her with so little respect.
"I'm not going to become an inventor."
He might have just as well slapped her. Her eyes widened and she choked on her breath. "What did you say?"
Pamphilos turned to look at him with a tired expression. "I don't want to start inventing. Technology doesn't interest me," he said.
"But you must! Your father was an inventor! Your uncle is one!" Aspasia tried to reason. Surely this was just one of the boy's foolish ideas, an attempt to disobey now that he was unhappy.
"And look where that got them. Father is dead, and Mechanikles is in prison. It's all their own fault and I'm not going to follow the example! Besides, it's my life and my decision," Pamphilos argued. He didn't turn to look at his aunt but kept his eyes to the floor.
"You have the talent! Don't waste it," Aspasia said.
"I don't have it! I have never designed anything of my own. I can barely read the designs here and even then I don't understand how the most complex parts work," Pamphilos said back. He sounded like he was having trouble keeping his voice down.
Aspasia crossed her arms on her chest. "Then what are you going to do?" she asked.
"I like architecture," Pamphilos replied. "I know I could be good."
"That is not a suitable profession for a decent man!" Aspasia snapped.
"And inventing is? Both are labour! You aren't my mother!" Pamphilos said. He turned to glare at her angrily. "But that's not the problem, is it? You want me to be your brother!" With that he got up and stormed outside, leaving the half-finished machineries behind.
Aspasia growled to herself and pushed the numerous scrolls on the desk away. How dare that boy speak to her in such a disrespecting manner? She was his aunt and had watched him grow up! She knew things better. And how could he have the nerve to suggest that -
"I saw Pamphilos on my way in. What are you arguing about this time?" Simonides asked as he stepped into the workshop.
"Something is wrong with that boy! After he came back from that Aladdin his head has been filled with these stupid ideas! Did you know that he doesn't want to be an inventor anymore?" Aspasia asked.
Simonides didn't look surprised or shocked. "Did he ever want to be one?" he asked.
"Of course he did! What are you saying?" Aspasia asked in return.
"I have never heard him say he wanted that. I spent more than enough time with your brothers. I know what a man obsessed with technology acts like and Pamphilos has none of that. You're the only one who has ever talked about him and inventing together," her husband remarked calmly.
"So, you think I've been pressuring him?" She had to admit that she had always been enthusiastic about the idea of Pamphilos continuing his father's work but she had never been obsessed with it. Everyone was just so stressed right now that they kept accusing her for nothing.
"I didn't say that, but you can be very patronizing when you want to," Simonides said.
"Well, if he didn't like my ideas, he could have said so sooner!" Aspasia snapped. She turned away angrily.
Simonides sighed. "Stop acting like that. If you want to have your brother saved, you should do something about these machines."
"Why do you even care? I know you don't like him," Aspasia said. She still wasn't looking at him. Then she felt his hands on her shoulders.
"I don't, but I know you'd be unhappy for the rest of your life if we didn't even try," he said. It made Aspasia feel a little better. At least someone still understood. She tilted her head to look at him and tried to smile.
"Thanks." Then she turned to collect the scroll on the floor. "We might need some new machine parts. I don't think we have any of them here, so..." she started, lifting a brow at Simonides.
"I'll send Pamphilos to buy some. I'm not touching any of those bugs," the soldier said.
So it was and one argument later Pamphilos found himself on his way to Agrabah. Despite the nervousness that kept increasing as he got closer to the city, he had to admit that he was relieved for getting away from his aunt. She was acting like a spoiled child and he was sick of that.
Yet he couldn't help feeling guilty about the way he had treated her. He didn't have siblings so he didn't know what his aunt was going through, but he guessed his reaction might have been similar if someone had done something to his mother.
His plan was to visit the marketplace, buy the parts he needed and then get out as soon as possible. Getting involved with anything else would be foolish.
It was a busy day in Agrabah, so he found it a little difficult to find what he was looking for. The crowd kept pulling him to directions he didn't want to take. Also, because he wasn't familiar with the market, he didn't know where to look for someone who sold machine parts.
Unfortunately, that was the least of his problems. Before he even knew it, he had bumped into someone and of course that someone happened to be Aladdin. He froze for a second, refusing to believe his rotten luck and trying to come up with something to day.
"Aladdin!" he stuttered quickly. "What a surprise!"
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to see you again this soon. Are you admiring the buildings again?" Aladdin asked. If he noticed Pamphilos' nervousness, he didn't let it show.
"No, actually I'm doing some shopping for my aunt," Pamphilos said. He would have to get rid of Aladdin. He felt like the worst kind of traitor and it was difficult to avoid the desire to turn his eyes away in shame.
"Oh, what are you looking for? I'm also going to buy some food, so I could show you around," Aladdin suggested. Pamphilos noted that he was alone this time. Not even Abu was present.
"That's not necessary, really. How's Jasmine?" he asked, desperately trying to change the subject.
Aladdin's expression turned grim. "She's fine, but the bruises she got yesterday are really sore and she can't leave her bed. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to find something to cheer her up," he said.
"That's good," Pamphilos said, then realised what he had said. "That she's fine, I mean! I was afraid she might have got badly hurt."
"Me too. Good thing Mechanikles' machines aren't very effective at doing his bidding."
Pamphilos knew he shouldn't, but now there was a chance to do what his aunt had wanted. He drew a breath before asking the question. "Talking about him, has the Sultan already decided what to do with him?" he asked.
"Not that I know," Aladdin said with a shrug. "It will be decided within the next few days, I'm sure. Why do you ask?"
"Well... I was kind of wondering if I could see him," Pamphilos said meekly. He turned to investigate the pots a merchant was selling to his right.
Aladdin frowned in confusion. "Why would you want to meet him? He's not a very pleasant personality," he said.
Tell me about it, Pamphilos thought to himself. "It's stupid really, but it was my aunt's idea." For some reason lying didn't feel that bad when he mixed some truth into it as well. "She's really sentimental and thinks that he might have family back at home. She said that if you're going to execute him, it would be only polite if we could take a message back to his relatives."
"I never thought of that," Aladdin said and rubbed his chin. "I don't know if the Sultan would like that..."
"Thought as much. It's no problem, I wasn't really looking forward to it anyway," Pamphilos said quickly. He was relieved. Now he wouldn't have to do it but he could go back to his aunt and say he had at least tried.
"...but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt anyone if we're careful," Aladdin finished. Pamphilos felt like kicking himself.
The Sultan wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea, just like Aladdin has guessed, but eventually he gave in. It was mostly thanks to Jasmine. She had got up despite everyone's protests and thought that the only civil thing they could do was to let someone take a message to whoever Mechanikles thought worthy. Aladdin wasn't surprised. Jasmine had always found it in herself to be kind to even the most rotten of souls.
"Don't let him scare you," he advised as Rasoul was leading him and Pamphilos down to the dungeons. It was a route Aladdin knew very well. He had been locked up there more than once.
"I won't," Pamphilos promised, but his voice betrayed him. He was nervous, Aladdin could tell.
"Here it is," Rasoul said and stopped in front of a thick door. "You can talk to him through the bars."
"Couldn't I go inside? I mean, he might have something personal to say," Pamphilos said. Aladdin was a little taken back by that he had the courage to object to Rasoul.
The head guard didn't look happy about his suggestion not being accepted. "Either this, or -" he started, but Aladdin cut him off, knowing he was just annoying the guard more.
"It's hardly a problem, Rasoul. Mechanikles is nothing without his bugs. He can't hurt Pamphilos," he said.
"I don't take my orders from you," Rasoul pointed out.
Yet, Aladdin would have liked to add, but it would have been a foolish thing to do. Instead, he said, "But you do take them from the Sultan. The sooner we get this over with, the happier he will be."
Rasoul frowned but didn't put up a fight. He opened the door to the cell, pushed Pamphilos inside and closed the door again. Aladdin wasn't worried about Pamphilos being alone with the inventor. As he had said, he knew Mechanikles could do nothing to hurt him.
Rasoul pointed at the cell. "I don't trust that boy," he growled.
"Relax," Aladdin chuckled, "it's not like he's going to help him escape or anything!"
"We're going to help you escape," Pamphilos whispered.
His uncle had frozen in the middle of scrubbing the floor and stared at him with wide eyes. Then he shot up and frowned in suspicion.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"Aladdin showed me in. I don't have much time. We're coming to get you in a few days, so be ready," Pamphilos hurried to explain. "What were you doing on the floor?"
"Cleaning it, of course! I can't think in the middle of all this filth and disorder! Whenever I try to plot my way out of here, I get interrupted by thoughts of how dirty it is and how I could change it. Filth penetrates my mind! There, there, there!" Mechanikles replied and pointed at various spots in the cell. "Do you know that feeling?"
"Can't say I do," Pamphilos said. Well, at least imprisonment hadn't affected his uncle. He was still as insane as always. "Listen, I have to go or they'll get suspicious. Try not to get executed before we get here, right?"
"I can manage that," Mechanikles said thoughtfully. "But don't you dare think that I couldn't get out on my own!" he added quickly.
"Right," Pamphilos said and went to the door. Rasoul let him out again and eyed him suspiciously.
"That took long," he said.
"I know," Pamphilos said and glanced at Aladdin to make sure he was not alone with the scary guard. "He had a lot to say."
"So he did want to send a message to someone?" Aladdin asked.
"Yes, to his, uh... girlfriend," Pamphilos said quickly, then felt like slapping himself. How stupid could he be?
Aladdin and Rasoul glanced at each other in doubt. Neither said anything, though, and the trio left the dungeons quickly. Pamphilos sighed in relief once he was safely in the streets again.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "This means a lot to my aunt."
"It was nothing," Aladdin said.
They parted way and Pamphilos went to finish his shopping. It took him a while to find a stand with used machine parts but he was hardly paying attention to it anymore. He was all too relieved and surprised at that nobody had seen through his weak lies.
Aladdin scratched the back of his head as he watched Pamphilos go. Maybe he was just imagining it, but the young Ikenian seemed to be getting weirder every time he saw him.
Maybe the heat is getting to him, he wondered. He had noticed that some foreigners had a hard time adjusting to the scorching desert sun. Well, at least Pamphilos was being harmless, unlike certain others. With a shrug he decided to return to the palace to see how Jasmine was doing.
"How did it go?" Jasmine asked him once he got there.
"Everything went fine. In fact, I'm surprised nobody caused a scene," Aladdin admitted. Then he pondered something for a while. "By the way, did you know that Mechanikles has a girlfriend?"
To be continued…