Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin.
Credit goes to Halo.At.Heart for coming up with Haillie. She also owns a few of the plot ideas that make the story more interesting. Right now, I can't think of the specific ones but once I remember, I'll post it here or in the other chapters!
Chapter 9
Escape and Capture
(Sorrah)
I was terrified.
It was one of Agrabah's extremely rare storms, and I was huddled under the questionable shelter of a palm frond. My rag clothes were wet, tattered, and smelly and I was soaked through from top to bottom. Shivering, I tried to stop my teeth from violently chattering and watched white sheets of rain fall from the sky and shaking bangs of thunder shake the skies. Clenching into a ball, I wished more than ever to be back inside of the palace.
About a week after my escape, it was clear that it was no going back or die. I was no more than a street rat like Aladdin now, the very person that I had scorned so much. Had I not been born a street rat? I thought miserably. Well, I was born one, and right then I felt certain to die one. At least, that's what the hunger pangs in my stomach were telling me. A flash of white-hot lightning streaked across the sky and vanished. Soon after came another boom of thunder.
Instead of focusing on those noises, I tried to pick out the individual prick of raindrops as they landed on my outreached palm. It was impossible, it felt as if somebody was turning a bucket of water on my hand without stopping. Sighing, I put my head inside of my lap and tried without success to sleep the storm away.
Suddenly, my back pressed against something hard and my head shot up. Slowly, my head swiveled around to stare at the familiar faded white adobe of the palace battlements. A moan escaped my lips. I had been lying under one of the tallest palm trees that lined the battlement walls. It was like asking for suicide.
Keen on getting out of some hot water, I edged cautiously away from the wall, only to shrink back against it again in terror, for coming down the street was a patrol of the royal guard! I recognized Razoul at the front, barking orders and his unibrow knit in frustration. My eyes widened, as they were heading directly my way. Obviously, the Sultana had decided to get her daughter's handmaiden back.
"You there!" Razoul roared over the rain. He was pointing at me, but I pretended not to notice. "I say, you!" he roared again. I was startled when I realized he was close enough to touch me, and he pulled me upright by the sleeve. "Have you seen a young girl hereabouts, maybe 'round 17 years old-" He froze and squinted one-eyed at me. "You ever been to the palace before, rat?"
Recovering my senses, I shook my head no. Razoul still looked puzzled as he let me go. I realized that I had been holding my breath and that Razoul had been holding most of my weight up in the air. He looked closer at my face. I shrunk back, because the guy had a bad case of dragon's breath.
Eyes widening, realization finally hit the fool. "Sorrah? Sorrah, is that you?" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back over to the other guards. I was wallowing in my own despair, unaware now even of the pelting raindrops beating me relentlessly from above. I was doomed, and this was the last water that I would ever drink. I opened my mouth and allowed water to pour in even as Razoul pulled me toward where I knew the main gate was.
Jasmine would be so disappointed in me. Not even being careful enough in a storm to realize that I was sitting right outside of the palace was stupid of me. After she had risked her own neck to allow me to escape out into the real world, if only for a little while, meant more to me than anything I could have ever known. She was a real friend, and now I felt the great need to repay her before my execution.
Unless.
Unless the Sultana would believe that I truly had no idea about Aladdin's love for me, unless the whole thing had blown over already and Jasmine just really wanted her old handmaiden back. It was too much to hope for, but I clung to it nonetheless.
Inside, Razoul dropped me on the floor of the main entrance hall ungraciously. I picked myself up, panting and ringing water out of the bottom of my shirt. It was then that I finally dared to slowly peek up. There was the Sultana, sitting statue-like on her throne. But where was Jafar? I was surprised to see the area of the platform that the throne was on that Jafar usually occupied was empty. Good riddance.
Well, to concentrate on my own case, I threw myself to my knees and prayed for mercy. "Your Majesty, I am grateful-" "No need, Sorrah," said a flat, cold voice that I barely recognized as Jasmine's own mother's. I fell silent, shaking all over from both cold and unimaginable fear.
"You ran from the palace and from your rightful punishment. Therefore, you should be punished even further." I pursed my lips and refused to beg for my life. "However, you have been a great friend, companion, and servant to my daughter. You will live, but the next time…" Her voice trailed off in a deadly tone. I let out a breath, hoping that I wasn't only dreaming.
Razoul once again came forward and led me to Jasmine's chambers while inside, I danced a giddy dance with joy. I would live, I would see Jasmine again!
The door creaked open. Inside, Jasmine had her back to us, working on some papers no doubt. She turned around and her eyes widened. "Sorrah?" "Jasmine!" I ran and she ran, and we met in the middle of the room and hugged a bear hug that probably would have choked some people. "I'm so glad that you're safe!" Jasmine said, tears in her eyes. I smiled back at her, teary myself. Razoul coughed, embarrassed, and excused himself.
………………………….
Me and Jasmine went well into the night with me telling her what had happened, and Jasmine filling me in on what had happened with the two genies, and her wish. My eyes widened, as her story was much more interesting than my own, which mainly consisted of complaints. "You're not the real princess?" I exploded. Jasmine looked down at her feet, obviously ashamed. "But…" I stammered. "You're a great Princess! And if you aren't, then who's the real heir to the throne?"
Jasmine looked up and looked me straight in the eye.
"Sorrah, sit down on the bed, alright?" I did as I was bidden to do, expecting something horrifying to come out of Jasmine. Supposing Jafar was the heir to the throne. That would have been something that I wished never to know. However, I needn't have worried about that. Jasmine smiled at my guess and shook her head.
She opened her mouth. The moments seemed to tick by in slow motion.
Then…
"You, Sorrah. You are the heir to the throne."
A/N: Please review, even though it was short. The next chapter will probably be longer, I just wanted to update this!