Sorry for the long delay on this chapter. I've been really busy with freelance work, so I don't have a lot of time to write these things but I am still planning on finishing this fanfic relatively soon.

Chapter 22: The Lamp

The following morning after Jas had gone on the magic carpet ride with Prince Ali, who apparently went to Disney Academy under the alias Aladdin, she skipped downstairs to tell her father. To her surprise, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs with Jeff Arum-Baugh next to him wearing the same crimson jacket as before and the gold cobra-headed cane in his hand.

"Father, why is the Secretary from my school here?" Jas asked, stopping a few feet up from the two men. "Am I in trouble or something?"

"Jasmine," her father began, though his tone was flat and his eyes seemed redder than before. "This is Jafar, my former advisor, whom you will be…marrying."

As Jas gasped in reaction, Jeff Arum-Baugh advanced towards her. "I take it from your reaction that you've heard of me."

"Only from what my father told me," Jas replied, backing up slowly. "You tricked him somehow, and then he fired you after finding out about it from someone else."

"Yes," Jeff/Jafar said snidely. "It was Merlin the Wizard who told your father that I was using magic to deceive him, and that's what got me fired. You were only a child when it happened, so it's no surprise you don't remember anything. Anyway, I left, traveling the world in search of a place called the Cave of Wonders."

"Isn't that where a legendary treasure resides?" Jas wondered.

"Indeed," replied Jafar. "But not just an ordinary treasure, my dear, but the Lamp of the Last Genie to be more precise."

"And you found it?"

"Ironically, it was in the sand-dunes just south of this city. But the man I hired to help me find it perished when he tried to enter the Cave himself, which could only be entered by the 'Diamond in the Rough.'"

Remembering Esmerelda's words, Jas realized who Jafar was talking about.

"To my surprise, it was a boy named Aladdin. So I assumed the identity of the Disney Academy Secretary to find him and I would've had him sooner if the Pandemonium Gang didn't interfere."

"What did they do?"

"Well, they…went over to the house of a student. Belle Maurice's house, I believe, and trashed the place leaving Aladdin behind. He was arrested shortly after the incident, so I got him out and we went to the Cave of Wonders together."

"Did he go in?"

"He did, but the Cave collapsed and Aladdin was…trapped inside along with the Lamp. Therefore, I had to resort to doing this to get my revenge."

Jafar reached for Jas' hand, but she kept it out of his reach.

"I will never marry you!" Jas snapped, and looked down at her father who stood rigidly still. "I've chosen Prince Ali to be my future husband!"

While her father said nothing, Jafar looked at his polished nails. "I'm not sure who this 'Prince Ali' is, but I did see an old carpet flying out of town with a young man clad in white on it."

"You might want to have your eyes checked if you saw that," a young man's voice said nearby.

Surprised, Jas looked at the top of the stairs to see Prince Ali standing there with his arms folded wearing the same white robe and pants as the night before though his turban was tied to his waist this time.

"Prince Ali!" Jas exclaimed. "How did you—

"Through the window," Ali said bluntly. "But that man tried to kill me last night after I dropped you off!"

As Ali pointed an accusing finger at Jafar, the slender man backed down the steps till he stood next to Jas' father once more.

"Don't pay attention to the boy's accusation, Mr. Sultan," Jafar assured, leaning his cane towards Jas' father. "He's absolutely lying, you see."

Looking down, Jas noticed the ruby eyes on the cobra head atop the cane seemed to glow in response to Jafar's words.

"Yes, Jafar," Mr. Sultan nodded. "He is absolutely…lying…"

"Father! What's wrong with you?" Jas demanded.

"I know what's wrong with him," Ali stated and ran past Jas down the stairs.

In a split second, he grabbed the cane from Jafar's hand and smashed it on the gold metal railing. As fragments of the cobra's ruby eyes flew everywhere, Mr. Sultan blinked and his eyes seemed no longer red.

"Oh, my!" Mr. Sultan sighed, shaking his head. "What happened?"

"Mr. Sultan," Ali stated, holding up the broken cane. "The man you knew as Jafar, who pretended to be the Disney Academy Secretary Jeff Arum-Baugh, was controlling you with this thing."

Taking the cane into his hands, Mr. Sultan looked to his right and saw Jafar moving back down the stairs towards the front door. "Security! Arrest this traitor!"

Just then, two men in identical white suits and red turbans appeared blocking Jafar's path.

Frowning, Jafar took out a small red vial and glared at Prince Ali. "This is not done yet, boy!"

In one swift motion, the vial was thrown onto the ground creating a giant puff of red smoke that blinded everyone for a few moments. But by the time the smoke cleared, Jafar was nowhere to be seen.

###

A few weeks later, Mr. Sultan decided to throw a private party at the house to celebrate the engagement of Jas and Prince Ali. In the ballroom, there were several people in fancy suits and dresses milling around while Sultan was standing on a platform talking into a podium mike. Behind him were two red curtains, where Jas watched her father from wearing a purple dress-top and matching loose pants. The sound of feet startled her, and she noticed Ali ascending the steps behind the stage.

"Ali, where have you been?" Jas asked. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Jasmine, there's something I've got to tell you," Ali said, removing his turban.

"Well, tell me later," Jas responded pushing him towards the curtains. "You're on!"

Just as he started to protest, Jas pushed him onto the stage where he was met by several cheers.

End of Chapter 22