A/N: OH. My. Good. God. I AM SO SORRY! School started, and suddenly…(large piles of homework land on head). Yeah. You get the point. But the update was so inexcusably slow! I don't mind if you rant and rave and throw knives at me…but I'll try to behave better.  Hope you enjoy the chapter, anyways. If some facts are off, it's because I'm a little rusty at writing fanfiction right now…it's been TOO long. So sorry, again! Drop in comments if you feel I am deserving!

Chapter 21

Meeting (Windstar)

(Sorrah)

Guilt. It's a terrible feeling, and I had felt it a number of times in my life. But never this badly.

It curls up in your stomach and falls asleep like a rock, and it just won't go away until your conscience is cleared. Usually, I felt guilt when I snuck into a corner to read the afternoon away, and hid from the head maid calling me to join her for the chores. (Well, I didn't blame myself for that one, when I thought back on it.)

Except now, it was so bad. It burned like fire in my arteries, and I couldn't even look Jasmine in the face. You ask why I didn't just tell her the truth? Let's face it, that all goes fine and dandy in the books that I loved to read. But what real person would let you get farther than "Let me explain" without cutting you off with a "I don't want to hear it" expression?

So, I spent my nights tossing and turning, and waking up with bags under my eyes. It was needless to say that me and Jasmine were no longer on friendly terms. Aladdin couldn't look at me either, so I spent my days talking to Genie and the head maid.

A few days after Jafar's return, it was a perfect day in Agrabah. (Those are hard to come by, by the way.) It was sunny, but not humid or searing hot. The sand was cool if you stepped into it, people were buzzing with noise in the bazaar, and I was stuck doing chores. Again.

Usually, I would be waiting on Jasmine, but today, since more help was needed anyways, I took the chance to scrub the entrance hall floor tiles just to avoid her. The mosaic built into the floor depicted a large-nosed man with a cheesy smile, and I screwed up my face at him and concentrated on his nose while I ignored the smarting acid on my hands.

Scrub. Back and forth, up and down. Don't miss his nostril. Back and forth. Up and down.

Finally, I threw down the rag and sat cross-legged on the floor, and watched the head maid work. Her hair blew down in wisps, covering her pretty face. "Go out to the bazaar, Sorrah, and buy yourself a loaf of bread! Your expression is making my heart break." She sat up and smiled at me.

I didn't need a second urging.

I sprung up, thanked her hurriedly, and ducked out of the grand doors. The sunlight warmed my skin. I hastily wiped my acid-covered hands on the inside of my dirty apron, and rushed down the street at full tilt toward the bazaar.

OOF!

Next thing I knew, I had grazed my elbows. Pain erupted from the right one, like fire, as I lay on my back in the dirt path, wincing. Now the arm was numb. Holy llama, I had hit the funny bone.

Squinting into the sun, I saw a cart heading full tilt my way, dragging a cloud of dust. Fear pressed adrenaline through my veins…I was directly in its path. It headed faster, and faster. When the driver finally saw me, it was too late. The horses reared back. I expected to be crushed any moment.

And then, a wiry hand gripped my elbow and yanked me forcibly off of the street, into the cool shadows at the side. I was about to scream, but a bony hand covered my mouth. "If you wanted to die, then you picked an interesting way, lying out in the road there, like that. 'Twas me you bumped into in the first place. Sorry about that. Be more careful next time, little dove."

I was released.

I whirled around, and faced an ancient old woman, stooped with age and her brown, warty face surrounded by a few feeble wisps of pale silver hair. But that hadn't waned her strength. I rubbed my arm where she had grabbed me. "Thank you…?" "Windstar," she told me. I blinked. "Pardon?"

"Windstar. You may call me Windstar," she said, motioning a little impatiently.

"Thank you, then, Lady Windstar. May I ask what you're doing here today?" I asked politely. Windstar snorted. "Pish-posh. You must be from the palace." I shrugged sheepishly.

"No use for finery with me. Now, what's bothering you, little one?" I blinked. Was I really that much of an open book? The old hag chuckled. "Oh, yes, I know. I have lived much longer than you have, cherub, and know a great deal more things than a slip of a thing like you living in the palace. Now, what's bothering you?"

I pursed my lips and sat down amongst the weeds that grew in profusion amongst the side of the road. Windstar cackled. "I'll wait." "It's rather…complicated," I finally reasoned out. That was a half truth. Rather complicated was a very under-stated opinion.

"Try me."

"Well, you see, I'm the princesses' personal handmaiden," I began slowly. Windstar nodded, not looking surprised at all. "Her husband-to-be, Aladdin, took me out for a magic carpet ride," I continued, deciding to edit out the whole "crush on me" thing. Windstar seemed to notice, but didn't interrupt.

"She saw me with him, and thought that it was…something else, if you get my drift." Windstar sighed. "Have you tried talking to her?" "Yes, but she won't listen." "Oh, but that is where you are wrong!" cried Windstar, holding up a gnarled index finger.

I looked at her quizzically. "It is just that you have not been speaking clearly enough." And then she was gone. Just like that: vanished into the weeds after she turned tail. I looked uncertainly after her, wanting to thank her and ask her what she meant at the same time.

……………………….

When I got back to the castle, the sun was already setting out on the horizon. I smiled at its beautiful painting colors before turning into Jasmine's room, careful to creep around her as she read her book, and locked myself into my own room.

I thought about what Windstar had meant. It was true that I hadn't tried especially hard to get across the message to Jasmine that Aladdin's carpet ride wasn't exactly a romantic-of-the-year. Then I knew what I had to do.

………………………

Fifteen minutes later, Genie, Haillie, Jala, Jafar, Aladdin, me, the Sultana, and Jasmine were all crowded into her quarters. Genie yawned, poofing out a pillow for himself, and lay down on the floor. He looked at the pillow, thought better apparently, then made it disappear again, and lay down in Haillie's lap. Haillie shoved him off and let him drool all over the carpet.

Aladdin looked down at his feet, and Jasmine looked away, fingering the hem of her sleeve. "Everybody." I cleared my throat. "Jasmine especially. I want to make clear that Aladdin didn't take me on a 'romantic' carpet ride that night." Jasmine flinched visibly, and Aladdin bent his head more.

Nobody moved. I had never been good at this type of thing.

"People! Listen up!" I shouted, going completely out of character. Genie snorted, Aladdin jumped, everybody else instantly snapped to attention. "What part of Jasmine and Aladdin, you two are made for each other do you not understand?" I shouted some more. "I don't love Aladdin! At least not in that way! As a friend, I love him as much as the next person, but Jasmine! How could you ever believe that he would dump you for me? I'm not a special person, but you are."

Jasmine looked up. Her eyes were filled with tears. Then she hugged me tightly, and said in my ear. "One part though. You are special." Then she looked at Aladdin. He looked up. She knelt over and kissed him on the cheek. Aladdin turned a bright shade of red.

"Well, now that that's over with," Jafar muttered, his face filled with contempt. "Has everybody forgotten that we have much bigger problems to deal with?" Jasmine backed away from Aladdin slowly, shrugging. "Like what?" "Oh, I don't know," said Jafar sarcastically. "Maybe…WHO GETS THE THRONE, for instance?"

Jala sighed. "Power-maniac," she muttered under her breath. "Arrrr, it be a pirate genie," Jafar shot back. I looked confused. "Don't ask," Haillie stage-whispered conspiratorially to me. I giggled and nodded.

"That's true, Jafar's got a point there," Jasmine agreed. The Sultana sighed. "Hello? I'm not dead yet." "Retiring?" Jafar asked hopefully. The Sultana glared at him. "Not even close. In any case, it's not like this has to be decided by tomorrow, darling," she reminded Jasmine.

Jasmine sighed. "Mother, we can't put this off anymore. So far, pretty much everybody in this room except for Genie is eligible for the throne." Genie pouted. "Why'd I have to get kicked out of the in-line-for-throne club?"

The Sultana nodded slowly. "I believe that a meeting before the press is in order. The genies can't be kept hidden any longer." Jala gulped, Haillie remained blank-expressional, Genie was indifferent.

"Oh no. Not the press," whispered Jasmine.

A/N: Like? It's pretty long. "Windstar" is actually the name of a very pretty ballad that I am currently playing in school band. I thought that it was a rather pretty name Next chapter, coming hopefully sooner than this one did, is about the press. Dun dun dun dun. WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP? Considering, there will be at least two more chapters plus an epilogue 