Chapter 10: Abu and Rajah
Jasmine touched Aladdin's arm and said, "Aladdin, your friends are wrong. It is not your fault Kassim is dead. You did not do anything wrong."
Aladdin turned farther away from her. He had not been able to look at her since he started his story. Now he seemed as delicate as a baby peacock. Jasmine almost regretted berating him for not sharing all this with her earlier. It was a tragic story and though she, personally, might have acted differently in his place, in a no-win scenario like that, Aladdin's choice made perfect sense to her.
If Jasmine had more time, she would have tried to make Aladdin see her way of thinking with well-thought-out logical arguments, kind words, calculated probabilities, and a diagram or two. Maybe she would have even given him a hug. Unfortunately, she did not have time, so she just said, "I am glad you shared this with me."
"So, you get it," Aladdin said, finally making eye contact with her.
"I do," Jasmine said gently before she added, "It means you know where Syreeta is. I need you to show me."
"What!" Aladdin wheeled back like she had burned him.
Abu screeched down from his perch above them both, "Stupid girl!" as Aladdin demanded, "Didn't ya hear what I just said!"
Jasmine put her hands on her hips. The time for comforting platitudes was gone. "I did hear," she said, "It sounds to me like Rajah is in serious trouble and requires immediate assistance. Thus, I need to know where he is, so I can alert the palace guards and-"
"Are you crazy?" Aladdin interjected, "What good will the guards be?"
"Syreeta and her ilk took my- I mean Princess Jasmine's tiger," Jasmine explained, "Rajah is easily identifiable, so Syreeta cannot-"
"She can and she does!" Aladdin burst out in frustration. "Abbi, I told ya. That tiger is as good as dead."
Jasmine tightened her jaw. She was not interested in his dire predictions and repetitive arguments. They had wasted enough time already. "I will trade you," she said, heartlessly. "My earrings for your help."
"Trinkets," Abu scoffed.
Aladdin folded his arms. "He's right. Gold ain't worth much on the street unless you can prove it's the good stuff which we can't."
Jasmine took a deep breath. She had not wanted to escalate things yet, but she would. "Then I shall offer you my headpiece instead."
Aladdin stared at her. Jasmine had already explained to him how important her headpiece was to her after the third time it had gone missing this morning. She had not been able to give him all the details like how Jasmine saw her headpiece as proof that she was the future sultana of Agrabah and a national hero. However, Aladdin knew it confirmed her belief that she was her mother's daughter and not just some porcelain doll for people to fawn over. He knew the headpiece was valuable to her because it was a symbol for her very identity.
Nonetheless, the headpiece was, in essence, just a trophy. She would gladly trade it for Rajah any day which is why she said, "Abu has been trying to steal it since I met him. He wants it and so do you, I believe. Help me and it is yours." Jasmine kept her face grim, trying to not reveal how much it cost her to say these words.
"But-" Aladdin began. He was still in shock from her offer.
Jasmine cut him off. "I do not have time for this," she said honestly. "Aladdin, Rajah is my best friend. He is like Abu. I cannot imagine life without him, so I do not care how risky it is. I am not leaving him behind. That is why I am offering you my most valuable possession in exchange for your assistance. So, what will it be? Will you help me or do I need to ask someone else?"
She hoped he would accept. It would take far too long to involve someone else, but she had not been exaggerating. Her headpiece was her most valuable possession and the only thing of worth immediately available. If Aladdin rejected this offer, then she would only have one more card to play and it was too soon for that gambit.
Luckily, the street rat had heard her words. His gaze had drifted to Abu during her speech and he now said, "Okay, fine," at the same time, his monkey said, "No."
The boy and monkey glared at each other. "Come on, Abu," Aladdin coaxed. "You heard her."
Abu huffed, obviously disgruntled, but said nothing more.
"He agrees," Aladdin announced. "Let's go."
Jasmine hid a smile. She had just won the hardest part of this negotiation. For a few moments, she was content to follow Aladdin and the reluctant Abu out of the alley. However, before they got far, the princess remembered something, something that needed to be addressed. She touched the street rat's shoulder. "Aladdin, there is one more thing."
"What's that?" Aladdin asked, slowing down to give her a wary look.
Jasmine wished that she did not have to bring this up, but after this morning and last night, it was necessary. Thus, she said, "My best friend's life is at stake, so please understand that I cannot afford any more lies or broken promises."
Aladdin nodded. "I understand. No more tricks."
The princess searched the street rat's face for sincerity. He had not said sure or consulted with Abu before speaking. Instead, Aladdin was facing the princess's scrutiny head-on. This helped dispel her lingering doubts.
"No more tricks," Jasmine confirmed. She held out a hand and the two of them shook on it, forging a new promise.
The princess and street rat gave each other a small smile while Abu rolled his eyes at their antics. Then the three of them quickened their pace. After all, they had a tiger to save.
A/N: I hope you have been enjoying the windfall of uploads over the last week or so. I've been publishing a lot of chapters for this and Crimson Tiger, my other shorter RCU fic.
