Sahid helped Cassim get down and handed him his crutch.
"I don't know if I can face them like this."
"They're your friends and family. Of course, you know them better than I do."
Both men laughed. Then they hugged.
"Thank you, Sahid. I owe you my life."
Sahid left the city, and Cassim went to the palace gates. The moment the guards saw him they gasped in shock and disbelief.
"General Cassim? You're alive?"
"Yeah. I'm alive. I almost wasn't, though."
They sent word into the palace that Cassim was back.
Cassim was only halfway to the many stairs that led to the main entrance when Aladdin came out the doors and bounding down the steps.
A gentle breeze of wind blew Cassim's left lower pant leg. Aladdin stopped in his tracks when he saw that.
Cassim hobbled forward and hugged him. Aladdin forgot about what he had just seen and threw his arms around his father, hugging him tightly. He hugged him so tightly that Cassim even gave a small cry! Aladdin let go and took a step back.
"Sorry."
"Happy to see me?"
"You bet I am! All this time I thought you were dead! How did you survive?"
"It's a long story. First of all, I need help up the stairs. I found out, the hard way I might add, that I can't go up or down stairs with the crutch."
"Whoa. You're admitting that you need my help?"
"Yeah."
"Who are you, and what have you done with my father?" Aladdin teased.
"Are you gonna stand there and make fun of me all day, or are you gonna help me up the stairs?"
"Sorry."
Aladdin went over to his father's left side, slipped his arm under his shoulders, took the crutch, and helped him up the stairs. Cassim stumbled and nearly fell several times.
Just as they were nearing the top Casim's foot slipped and he fell. Aladdin was caught unprepared.
The gang, who stood at the top of the stairs, watched as the two men tumbled back down the stairs!
Aladdin lifted his head, shook it, and looked around.
"Dad? Dad, where are you?"
He heard something muffled that he couldn't understand, though he knew it was Cassim.
"What?"
Suddenly Cassim's fist connected with his shoulder, causing him to fall over backwards! Cassim lifted the upper part of his body and spit out the sand that was in his mouth.
"You were on top of my shoulders and head!"
"Oh. Sorry."
Genie came down and carried them both up to the top. He put Cassim down first.
The very moment he let go Cassim swayed for a brief moment then fell.
Aladdin helped him up and gave him his crutch.
"You okay, Dad?"
"Yeah. I just got the wind knocked out of me." Cassim wheezed as he tried to regain his breath.
"Why did you fall?"
Cassim went over to the railing at the top of the stairs and sat down on it.
"What are you doing?"
"If you haven't noticed by now you're not very observant."
"Huh?"
"The lower part of my left leg."
"What about the lower part of you left leg?"
Cassim gave a frustrated sigh, bent over a little, grabbed the lower left pant leg, and lifted it up.
"It's gone!"
The gang, except for Aladdin, gasped.
"How?"
"I'll tell you later. It's a long story."