Aladdin And The Lord Of The Black Sands
Chapter 5: The Oracle's Answer
Jasmine paced agitatedly as they waited for Aladdin. All that had happened was weighing on her mind. Finally she said, "I can't just stand here. I need to speak with my father." With that she left the others in confusion.
The Sultan looked up as the door banged open. "Jasmine! Dearest, whatever is the matter?" Sultan asked. Jasmine knelt in front of her father's throne and told the whole story. After a stunned moment Sultan said, "Aladdin has a brother?"
"Had, and now he won't even search for him. Father, I know he wants to, but I think he may be afraid," Jasmine mournfully said.
"Then it is up to us!" Sultan declared, suddenly rising.
"Father?" Jasmine asked in surprise.
"To the oracle! Neither of us has used our question, and we must get to the bottom of this. Now's as good a time as ever. Come along child," Sultan said. Happily Jasmine followed him.
Father and daughter entered the treasury and went straight to the oracle. The Sultan picked it up. "Now, how do you work this infernal contraption?" he questioned as he examined it from all angles. Jasmine affectionately rolled her eyes then took it from her father letting it float upwards. The oracle, bright as ever, then appeared.
"What is your bidding oh wise and generous Sultan? Ask, and I shall answer," she spoke.
"Oh my," Sultan said in awe. He then shook his head and replied, "You see, my daughter's husband, Aladdin, just discovered he once had a brother. He's afraid to search for him for fear of what he might find."
"Rightly so," the oracle said with a nod.
"Y-yes? Well, I was wondering, where is Aladdin's brother?" Sultan pursued.
The oracle replied, "The brother of whom he has learned of is alive and well in a land surrounded by darkness."
"Who is he? Where is this land?" Sultan asked.
"One question, one answer," the oracle declared. "I can do no more."
"Jasmine?" the Sultan asked.
"Not yet. I want to tell Aladdin of what we know now. Maybe he'll have questions of his own that I can ask. Better ones," Jasmine wisely replied.
"Indeed," the Sultan sighed. With that the oracle retired into her staff, and Jasmine placed it back.
The Sultan returned to the throne room promising not to speak to the guards about what they'd learned. Jasmine went back to her room to await her husband's return. She didn't wait long. Hardly had she entered when Carpet and Aladdin arrived. "Al, you're back!" Genie excitedly exclaimed hugging Aladdin then rubbing his hair.
"It's great to see you too Genie," Aladdin replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Aladdin!" Jasmine exclaimed as she fell into Aladdin's arms.
"I'm sorry princess," he murmured.
"It's fine. You had a shock and needed to clear your head, but Aladdin, guess what? Father and I went to the oracle. Father asked where your brother was. He's alive Aladdin! Alive and well in a land surrounded by darkness!" she proudly stated. He never smiled. Instead he looked pale. "Aladdin?" she asked.
Aladdin shook his head then said, "You asked the oracle! Jasmine, I told you guys that I didn't want to know!"
"Well I thought you'd be grateful!" she angrily answered in defense.
"No!" Aladdin shot.
"Well fine! I just let you know he was still alive! You don't have to go after him if you're too much of a coward to!" Jasmine shouted.
"I'm not a coward!" Aladdin defended, but his eyes flickered from her face.
"Yeah right," she hissed. With that she entered her bedroom with Rajah.
"Jasmine, wait!" he began. She shunned him. He sighed deeply.
"Ooh, tough break kid," Genie said.
"Tough break! Hah! Try disaster!" Iago said. Abu covered Iago's beak.
"Great," Aladdin said.
"You know, maybe…" Genie began.
"No! I'm not going to chase after a dream like my father did. My life is here. Besides, we have more pressing problems. Mozenrath, remember?" Aladdin cut off.
"Oh yeah, wonder kid," Genie said. "Well if you're sure."
"I'm sure," Aladdin replied, trying to sound resolved and confident, but it came out weak and uncertain.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the forty thieves and Abis-Mal came upon Agrabah right ahead. "Finally! Civilization!" Abis-Mal exclaimed relieved, now leading the band of beaten outlaws.
"Finally, revenge," the swordsman agreed.
They made their way into the city in the dark of night. They wandered stealthily, often looking longingly at potential target houses, but not daring to make their move. Soon, though, they chanced upon a house down a quiet street. "It doesn't look like anyone lives there," One of the triplets said.
Curiously they neared to look inside. "No one has lived here for years. What is the plan Abis-Mal?" the charmer questioned challengingly.
"Should we stay the night?" another triplet asked.
"Spend the night?" Abis-Mal asked.
"What else can we do? The guards are out," the third triplet said.
"Guards, oh, yes, of course we spend the night! What idiot wouldn't?" Abis-Mal asked. The swordsman and charmer looked dubiously at each other.
"I am beginning to have serious doubts about our 'fearless' leader," the charmer said.
"We have no one else. We must trust him," the swordsman replied. Abis-Mal accidentally threw the door open loud enough to make a cat meow, a dog bark, and several lights go on. The group panicked and ran inside shutting the door. "Even if he is an idiot," the swordsman growled after his heart rate slowed.
Abis-Mal and the thieves gathered in a circle. Abis-Mal then said, "All right, let's spread out and look for anything valuable. Bring it all to me. After that you can all spread out again and find places to sleep. I call dibs on the big bed!"
"How do you know there is one?" the fat thief asked.
"Are you kidding? All houses have a master bed," Abis-Mal replied.
Not bothering to point out the error of thought the Asian asked, "Shouldn't the first one who finds it get it?"
"I'm the leader here, not you!" Abis-Mal retorted. The thieves scowled at him then spread out to follow his orders.
The fat one went to the kitchen and started tearing things apart. The Asian, making karate sounds, jumped throughout the hallway. The triplets went to investigate the upper level. The swordsman looked in the basement. The charmer took the living room. Abis-Mal went upstairs too, but for a different reason. He promptly found the master bedroom, glanced around half-heartedly, shrugged, then leapt onto the bed sighing contentedly.
None of the thieves were having much luck. The charmer was getting annoyed. He looked around as he walked then suddenly ran into a little table. Gasping in pain he was about to send if flying when he spotted an old book. Curiously he raised an eyebrow and took it. He opened it to glance through. As he read his eyes widened. The swordsman came up from the cellar grumbling, "Nothing at all. Bah, what a waste." He then noticed his friend. He raised an eyebrow at the charmer's expression then asked, "What are you doing?"
The charmer looked quickly up startling the swordsman. In reply he urgently said, "Get the others, we must show this to Abis-Mal!"
"What? Why?" the swordsman asked as he too leaned over to read. After a moment he said, "By Allah…" Without further words he rushed to gather the others.
The thieves burst into the master bedroom startling Abis-Mal awake. "What the…" he began.
"Abis-Mal, we've found something!" the charmer decreed.
"You have!" he asked, eyes lighting in excitement. "Oh boy, let me see!" He hurried over and grabbed the book. He read a bit then became confused. "What is it? This is just a book."
"No, it is the diary of who appears to be Aladdin's mother!" the swordsman said. The charmer grabbed the book back.
"What! Aladdin's mother! We're in Aladdin's house!" Abis-Mal cried.
"It looks that way," the triplets replied. "At least, it was his house."
"That's not all though!" exclaimed the Asian as he seized the book from the charmer and shoved a page in Abis-Mal's face. "Read!"
Abis-Mal, now intrigued at the actions of his new 'friends,' if he could classify them as such yet, read. His eyes flew open as wide as saucers. His mouth dropped as he gasped. "Aladdin has a brother!" Abis-Mal cried out.
"A father, a mother, now a brother; I wish we still had the oracle," the first triplet said.
"An oracle!" Abis-Mal demanded.
"It is how Aladdin found his father and the Hand of Midas," the second triplet explained.
"Unfortunately it is now in the palace treasury," the third lamented.
"Is it now? Well, we can't have that. We need that oracle to tell us who his brother is!" Abis-Mal declared.
"Why?" the fat one asked.
"Because, blood is blood; family and all that you know. Catch my drift? To hurt Aladdin we must first hurt his loved ones," Abis-Mal said as he nudged the fat one.
"You are more ruthless than we thought," the charmer smirked.
"But Aladdin himself might not know," the swordsman remarked.
"All the more reason to find the oracle!" Abis-Mal replied. "Tomorrow, my friends, we infiltrate the palace!" he declared as he put an arm around the fat one and the Asian. The thieves looked worriedly at one another.