Chapter eight at long last! So, I'd like to begin by thanking everyone who has been favoring the story and myself. I really appreciate it, everyone! Thank you! I have been hoping the sequel wasn't entirely terrible, as we all know that sequels just aren't as good as the originals. Taking Aladdin and Savannah in this new perspective...especially for Savannah, who's now facing a whole new slew of responsibilities and learning with how to deal with her feelings. Come on, we all know loving someone who we think/know doesn't love us in return just sucks.
I've been on this kick of getting into back stories for these characters. I know I'm following things a little differently than the movie portrays it, but I think I have the basis down. I haven't seen the King of Thieves in so long. But, I'm having fun with it; I hope you all are having fun reading it!
Chapter 8- Let's Get Real Here
He was on his last limb. Lost to pirates from a wayward land on a blackened ship, decorated with barnacles and a well endowed mermaid at the bow, Sa'luk was outnumbered at a bar, bloodied to a pulp with lacerations that had spewed a generous amount of blood. He had stolen the treasure from the Captain and he was caught. Ultimately, Sa'luk was saved by an Arabian wanderer who had dreams of a better tomorrow by defeating the Captain by dumb luck alone. With him were nineteen other wanderers like him, and together worked in unison to rob them of their riches.
He had always been on his own, just like the nineteen other men. Their leader had helped heal Sa'luk, as he could not bear to have a man die on his watch, nourished him and opted to send him on his way. Either that, or Sa'luk could join him on his quest for betterment of humanity.
Sa'luk was skeptical, as were the other men. But he saw how they worked; their strength and Sa'luk wanted that. He wanted strength more than anything. What he didn't understand, and still never grasped, was Cassim's balance of inner and outer strength. He had always been one for physical power and he believed that bested everything in existence. If given the opportunity, he would rule, but in fear; and what Sa'luk failed to realize was what would happen then. No man would work for him.
Since that day on the dock, Sa'luk had been indebted to Cassim. He fought alongside him, helped him collect twenty more men to create what was now the Forty Thieves, and with his guidance, they were successful. Cassim had noted verbally how he could not have been as successful without him. Sa'luk had strength he had never seen before, but the Arabian dreamer never imagined how dangerous that statement was or, rather, would become in the future. Cassim never left Sa'luk to think of it as a debt for his life. He wanted to see each and every individual, his brothers, thrive and have; perhaps that came from his ten years of being a father to a son he had abandoned, but he sought to make it up to every lost soul that came into his path.
Dreams only took someone so far, Sa'luk began to realize. Many dwindling years down the road and that vision of a golden hand never came to fruition. He began to think it was all a con, but the men seemed to be enjoying themselves along the way. They were ignorant, then again, many couldn't read with rotting teeth that were falling out from their skulls, the hygiene was poor and Sa'luk felt his debt was repaid to Cassim after many years of sitting around doing nothing. He wanted to see action, he wanted to see progress and Cassim was not delivering, as initially promised.
Oh yes, there was no longer an ounce of gratitude from Sa'luk. He wanted the gold, he wanted the money. His greed began to overpower and he would obtain it, even if he had to do it himself. With this last job a bust, Sa'luk thought to himself to obtain some of the men with at least half a skull to control and convince them to leave Cassim to join him. He knew enough by now to get by without some sap to bring them down. He glanced at the girl with her companions. He would need those boys; they were younger and spryer to get the job done. Perhaps he could find use for the girl, aside from the traditional use of a woman; she was a waste otherwise.
"So, let me get this straight, you saw him and nothing?" Babkak asked, shaking his head, dismounting the horse as they reached Mount Sesame.
"We couldn't disturb-"
"Newsflash, princess, the wedding was destroyed. What would it have mattered to make an appearance? Coulda put his mind at ease, some shit."
"Babkak, come on," Omar sighed and helped Savannah down from the horse.
"Brash actions weren't going to accomplish anything," Savannah retorted, taking Omar's hand and slipping down.
"Don't coddle her. Look, Sav, we love you like our own, but don't screw with us. We loved Al, too. He was our brother."
"And you screwed with him just as bad! So let's not measure who screwed Aladdin more, hm!?"
"And I'm sure you screwed him in ways we couldn't-" The sound of the slap stung as much as it physically did. Babkak closed his eyes and sighed. Nothing more was said between the two as Sa'luk passed by in sheer disgust. It was children's squabble, but, perhaps he could use this to his advantage.
Omar glanced at Sa'luk as he passed by and took his place between Savannah and Babkak. "We all had our reasons and it's been a long day. Let's just sleep on this instead of going at each other's throats. This is ridiculous." He walked away from the two, entering the hideaway, leaving it to rest at that.
Savannah glanced at Babkak before walking away, shaking her head as she closed the curtain behind her sleeping area.
"Could you be any more insensitive?" Omar asked as Babkak entered his area where Omar had been waiting.
"Look, Omar, I know you've got a little crush on her, but maybe this really was a bad idea bringing her along. She had her own motives for coming with us. It's not like she bumped into him. She went looking for him. It derailed Cassim's plan and look what happened. Cassim doesn't have what he needs and-"
"You don't have a heart do you?"
"You know, I'm gettin' real sick of being interrupted. She ain't any good with a sword for one."
"She hasn't exactly had much training, either," Omar replied.
Since their walls were literally thin strips of cloth, Savannah overheard much of their conversation. She had grown just about fed up of being doubted and constantly challenged. Perhaps she should have stuck to her initial instinct and left in the dead of the night in the beginning. But, she was taught to not run away from her issues. She would wait until they were asleep, she had a plan brewing.
"Look, Babkak, I just think you're being a little rough on her. She is one of us, she's a street rat. She's a misfit, orphan, left to fend for herself, just like us. What makes this any different?"
"We can't let our hearts misguide us, either," Babkak replied with a solemn sigh. "I'm worried she's gonna get hurt because she's letting her heart control her actions. She's gotta separate the two, otherwise, she ain't gonna last."
Omar quieted at that. So, he was playing cruelty as kindness. He could understand that, and the tough love, he assumed, would make Savannah smarter and stronger for it. Now he understood clearly. Babkak loved her, perhaps not romantically, but perhaps there was unity in his heart and mind for a moment. Omar smiled softly and patted Babkak's shoulder.
"I think it's going to be alright," Omar murmured gently.
Aladdin's horse galloped madly against the sand, following the directions given to him by the Oracle. Repeating thoughts swam through his mind, recycling themselves against the sandstorms that threatened to hit him. Iago decided to come along, saying he knew just where this Mount Sesame was. He wasn't going to argue, he assumed Iago knew from before his time spent with Jafar.
Aladdin had come to the conclusion his father was a prisoner to the brutes and savages that pillaged his wedding. As lightly as the Oracle's information was, what other explanation could there be? New strings of mixed emotions swelled through him. He couldn't be mad at his father now. Maybe as much as he wanted to escape, he really and truly couldn't? How many times had he tried? He felt like a little boy again, asking his mother when his father was coming home.
"Mommy?" Young Aladdin asked beneath his covers, holding out his hand for his mother to take hold of. The portly woman smiled and collected her only child into her arms, bundled in his blanket to keep warm on the cool night.
"Yes, my little Aladdin?"
"When is daddy coming home?" It was the age old question that never stopped with him. It was heartbreak to know your husband had left with promise of return, chasing after a dream she was uncertain would ever see the light.
"My dearest love, when you read this, I will be among the sand of the desert. I have left because I have heard word of a treasure that will benefit all of us. I want us to have the life we deserve, not some thatched roof and a mud house. My love, you and I, especially our son, will have more than we could have ever desired. I will be back in a year's time with the treasure in tow. I don't wish to leave you, but what other choice could I have in times such as this?"
He sounded raving mad. How could he leave and chase after a treasure that may not exist? The job market was no longer thriving. With the new princess born, taxes somehow increased and jobs were scarce. Her husband did his best, but it wasn't enough to satisfy a draining market. That was enough to drive a man to drink, let alone leave. She thought to herself that perhaps no job and a hungry family was too much for Cassim and all his wife had left was to mourn her loss.
"Mommy?"
Her thoughts snapped back to her son where the tears welled in her eyes, cradling her son closer. "I hope soon, my love. I hope soon."
She never did explain to Aladdin that his father chased after treasure. And after the year was up and he still hadn't returned, Cassim's wife took ill and when Aladdin asked again, she had told him he was not returning. She assumed her husband died, and several months after, she again assumed she followed him into the afterlife, leaving little Aladdin with none of the riches he was promised.
All little Aladdin had to ask is why mommy left, and if daddy would come back.
Aladdin remembered how sad his mother was, always asking her when his father would return and she wouldn't have an answer. In fact, he had a feeling she herself didn't know. He left without a trace and how could she explain? No, he didn't blame his mother, he only blamed his father, and now with this new information, who could he be mad at? Whoever the leader of this gang was, that was who.
The travel was as lengthy as predicted, but Aladdin dismounted the horse and looked for a weakness in the structure. One of the things to look for when trespassing or invading was to look for a weakness in the formation of the building. He scaled the wall and climbed to the top, where there was an opening in the roof. He leaned in and peered inside.
Once most of the men had cleared the room, Savannah, with her practice sword, found her way into a quiet sector of the den and practiced her breathing techniques, deep inhalations through the nose and out through the mouth, motioning the sword slowly, keeping in mind of the wrist techniques that were shown to her by Cassim. She took responsibility for what happened, but that didn't mean she was sorry, not fully. Cassim had a grip of the situation, but she did feel guilty that he didn't obtain his treasure. He was so close, but had no grasp on it. She would make it up to him, somehow. And she would begin by proving she could handle her own and did need to be babysat by Omar and Babkak.
Her body moved with improved grace, a swords-woman should move with her sword. It was an art, and along with balance, it would become useful in battle. She had to be one with her weapon in order to work with her weapon, as strange as that sounded to her. She wondered how someone became 'one' with their weapon, but when she took her time and adjusted her footing, it made a bit more sense to her.
She closed her eyes and meditated her position of warrior pose, blocking out all noise with the exception of what she felt she needed to hear, and at the moment, was cracking above her. A look of confusion crossed her features as she wondered if that was in her mind before the noise increased and she opened her eyes, the ceiling coming in on her as she attempted to scramble away but to no avail, the force of the ceiling falling knocked her onto her side.
That something was a someone and the weight rolled her over onto her back, its weight pressing on top of her. She found it hard to breathe, the smell of blood causing her to force her eyes open, her vision blurry. The blade from the sword cut her hand, her uninjured hand slowly raised to touch what was on top of her to move it out of the way, if she could, to realize it was a male. She blinked her eyes into focus, widening as everything clarified. There was a gaping hole of exposure in the roof, debris around her with Aladdin on top of her.
