Chapter 2: The Frightful, Floral Mist

"Welcome to the Semi-Annual Garden Party at our very own Agrabah Palace. Just look at all these wonderful faces arriving from kingdoms over the seven deserts!" Genie said in his announcer voice while dressed in a suit and tie and greeting people just outside the gates of the Palace, welcoming them as they came into the Palace Gardens.

Jasmine watched from the balcony, already dressed for the event in a dark blue gown decorated with golden patterned designs along the skirt and bodice, meant to mimic the look of a brightly starlit evening. She wore a thin, sparkling blue and gold threaded cape over her shoulders to match.

"I think Genie might be overdoing this banquet a little more than he should be," she said with a sigh. "It's not as if we've invited everyone from the seven deserts here. There is a fair-sized crowd, but definitely not as big as our wedding."

Aladdin shook his head as he looked between her standing on the balcony and in front of the mirror to do one last check before they headed down to the throne room. "Let him have his fun. It's great to see Genie lean so much into events like this. He really went all out prepping for it. I think the Sultan appreciated the effort too." Aladdin paused a moment as he finished smoothing the front of his dark blue and gold threaded vest with his hands. He wore the vest with pants and boots that matched the design. He decided to go without the matching blue and gold turban or fez, though. The headgear that Genie designed looked way too much for the event, not to mention uncomfortable when he'd tried them on earlier. Aladdin didn't want to go out feeling like he had a heavy weight to balance on the top of his head. "I know I've said it before, Jasmine, but you look really beautiful tonight."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, smiling. "You do too." She seemed to recognize her words, her expression slightly uncomfortable, before she tried again. "Wait a minute - I mean you look very, VERY handsome."

Aladdin laughed. "I'll take either one of those as a compliment," he said, approaching her to kiss her briefly. "You ready to go? Looks like it won't be long before they're ready for us." He offered her his arm, which she eagerly looped with hers.

"Of course. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night. I'm hoping we can have some fun between having to socialize with dignitaries. Especially the more uptight ones."

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "You can say that again. I feel like even doing this for the past few years, I'm still not completely used to it."

Aladdin felt his stomach turn at the look of guilt in Jasmine's eyes. "Do you hate it? I know some of them have given you a hard time."

He shook his head, his voice quiet. "No, not at all. As long as I have you with me, it's not bad."

She smiled as she looked up at him. "Glad to hear it. Come on, let's go."


The two of them made their way to the throne room, where the Sultan expected them. Already a crowd of people were milling about the Palace grounds - in the courtyard, within the halls, even in the throne room, where a few clapped and "oohed" and "ahhed" when Aladdin and Jasmine entered. The Sultan eagerly ran up to Jasmine and Aladdin, looking between them with glee. "Oh, just look at the two of you! Aren't you both just delightful? Genie did a splendid job of establishing the theme for our banquet this year. Not simply for the decorations but for the style as well."

"Thanks Sultan, we're just happy so many people seem like they're excited about tonight," Aladdin said as he looked around the room.

"Oh, of course they are, my boy! And part of it is because they would love to see and speak with the two of you. Now, come, come - let's not stand around and keep them waiting. The festivities are only just beginning."

For a while, things progressed as much as Aladdin expected they would. Jasmine took the lead in many of the conversations since many of the dignitaries had been people she'd known since she was a child, while others came up to Aladdin thanking him for his help in saving their kingdoms from various magical threats and providing aid to them in times of need. Aladdin did fully appreciate those conversations, especially since it gave him an easy thread to tell of his adventures, especially for those who hadn't heard them yet.

Aladdin finally found a break in conversation to rejoin Jasmine when several guests started screaming nearby. He turned to see several of the Palace Guards, including Razoul, urge people to run outside.

The guards were quick to usher the Sultan and Jasmine outside along with their guests, but Aladdin took a moment to stop the head of the Palace Guard. "Razoul, what's going on?"

"Prince Aladdin, we're asking everyone to evacuate the Palace immediately. Large amounts of smoke are in the Palace halls. We don't know where they're coming from." Razoul looked equal parts worried and annoyed. "It figures someone would try to attack the Palace on a night like this."

"Are you sure it's an attack, or something that burned in the Palace kitchen?" Aladdin asked carefully.

The latter scenario hadn't even been a possibility to Razoul, as his expression faltered to something more sheepish. "I...uh...didn't check that way."

Aladdin resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but kept his voice serious. "Focus on getting everyone out that you can, I'll check the halls and see if there's anyone still there that needs help. Also, find Genie and tell him that we need his help in clearing out the smoke. I think he's still outside in the courtyard."

Before Razoul could protest, Aladdin ran in the direction opposite of where everyone fled. It didn't take him long to see the smoke that billowed through the halls of the Palace, thick and black in dark puffs. He coughed a few times, realizing quickly he didn't have anything to cover his face to protect him from the fumes. He used his vest to cover his nose and mouth as he went further into the Palace, but he didn't see any flames. It didn't look like anything was on fire.

This is really strange, he thought. Wonder if the flames are further away than where I am. Also makes me wonder how the smoke was able to spread so quickly.

At one point he also ran into Carpet, who was transporting people out of the Palace as quickly as he could.

"Thanks for helping, Carpet. Do you know where the smoke's coming from?"

Carpet shrugged his knobs and indicated he needed to continue searching the halls for anyone to pick up by gesturing in the opposite direction.

"Okay, keep searching. I'll check these rooms to see if anyone's still here or trapped."

Carpet gave a small salute before flying off. Aladdin checked several doors along the hall. He made sure to call out before opening each door. Apart from a few Palace staff members, whom Aladdin urged to escape as quickly as they could, Aladdin realized that most of the hall was empty.

This held true until he came to one of the last rooms on the hall. When Aladdin knocked and called, no one answered as he opened the door, but before he began to close it, Aladdin heard a familiar voice that made him stop.

"Kid? What's going on? We heard screaming earlier!"

"Iago?" Aladdin said, realizing that Abu and Iago both were hiding under a chair. "Why are you guys still here?"

Iago winced. "Heard screaming outside, thought things were fallin' apart, hunkered down in here to avoid certain danger and doom. That's the short version."

"Uh-huh," Abu said in agreement.

"A lot of good that would do when there's smoke in the hallway. You guys need to get outside too." Aladdin coughed a few times, even with his vest pulled up over his nose and mouth. He reasoned he'd been inside for too long breathing in the fumes and needed to get out. "It's getting worse. I'm hoping Razoul was able to find Genie, so he can help clear this area out. Maybe even find where the fire's coming from."

"Wait, what's on fire?!" Iago asked as he flew into the hallway and immediately started having a coughing fit.

"That's what I was trying to tell you! I don't know. It's weird because I can't find out where the flames are," Aladdin said. "Come on, I've already checked all of the rooms down this way; we need to get out of here."

The three of them ran down the hall as quickly as they could. It looked like they were the only ones still inside the area. But as Aladdin passed the place where the flower arrangement was, he gasped. Only then did he realize the source of the smoke, which made him stop running in shock.

No way, he thought. The source of the smoke all this time were these flowers? The blood red ones are completely black now. What kind of trick is this?

"Hey kid, weren't you saying we need to hurry? What are you starin' at?" Iago asked, already a distance ahead of where Aladdin stood.

"Aladdin?" Abu echoed, only a few strides ahead of where Aladdin stood. He followed the prince's gaze to the flowers, recognizing what Aladdin did in that moment. He started screeching in a quick panic, drawing Iago's attention.

"The flowers are on fire, monkey? That doesn't make any sense!" Iago shouted, but then started coughing from the smoke.

Aladdin suddenly caught the scent of the smoke - the true scent that somehow he'd missed going through the hall before. It was a thick, heavily floral scent, intoxicating and overwhelming at the same time. It clouded his mind, flooded his lungs in a rush. It made him unable to move, unable to speak. He groaned as his body slumped against the wall and slid to the floor below.

"Aladdin!" Abu shouted, running over to his friend.

Aladdin tried to speak, tried to warn them both that this wasn't what it seemed and that they needed to get out of there quickly, but the words wouldn't come. His eyes grew heavy and closed.

Even as Abu tried to shake Aladdin awake, the same thing happened to the monkey almost immediately. Abu's mind started to cloud over. He slumped forward, landing near where Aladdin's head rested on the floor.

"Guys? What's wrong with you?!" Iago started to fly over to them, but also smelled the sickly sweet floral scent that filled the air. "Okay, that's not smoke, that's somethin'...else." Iago felt his own mind grow heavy, just before he fell to the floor near Aladdin and Abu.


Genie had his hands full trying to calm many of the guests who were standing outside in the Palace's courtyard, so it took a while for Razoul to find him and give him Aladdin's message.

"How long ago did you talk to Al?" Genie asked.

"A while. His highness hasn't come out yet as far as I'm aware," Razoul's voice was authoritative, but Genie could get a small sense of the concern the guard had for Aladdin. "He did say there may have been a fire in the Royal Kitchen, but I haven't seen any flames."

Genie frowned. "Either they put out the fire already and the smoke hasn't cleared or there's another source to that smoke. Hmm." An idea popped into his head. "No need to fear!" He transformed into a wolf wearing glasses. "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow that smoke to wherever it came from. Just like blowing out a candle, you'll see!"

Even as Genie disappeared into the Palace, Razoul was left scratching his head underneath his turban. "I will never get used to him and whatever magic tricks he has up his sleeve," he muttered.

Genie made his way into the Palace, using his breath to blow out all the smoke he saw around him until each room cleared. It took him a little time to reach one of the main halls of the Palace, where he realized quickly the source of the smoke and blew out the billowed clouds as quickly as he could.

"The source of that smoke were those burned flowers? Why would they..." He trailed off as he saw the clear hallway and noticed the three familiar figures lying in the middle of the hall's floor, unconscious. Panic rose in Genie's stomach, but before he say anything, he noticed the horrible change to Aladdin as it unfolded. First, Aladdin's hand turned into dark sand that disappeared without a trace, then the effect traveled up his arm, his shoulder, his face, and entire body.

"Aladdin!" But even as Genie grabbed for him, Aladdin's form slipped through his fingers until there wasn't any trace of him left. The same quickly happened to Abu and Iago.

"Guys...what just happened?"

Genie realized that he was the only one remaining in the hall, as if the three of them had never been there to begin with. Only thing remaining besides Genie were the faint trails of the smoking flowers lining the walls, slowly breaking down.