Disclaimer: I don't happen to own Aladdin.

A/N: This is going to be extremely near the end of the fic already. I can feel my passion for writing this slipping away. It's just a thing that happens to me when it's time for The End. In other words, this will be a pretty eventful chapter.

Chapter 31

Resolutions

(Laddie)

The night was dark, but we had thought ahead.

Frames of metal covered with oiled waxpaper and filled with fireflies lit the way in speckled light for us, until we reached what was unmistakably the Sultana's carriage. It was guarded by six burly-looking men wielding schmitars, battle-axes, and long bows.

Jafar made several complicated hand motions. I got the gist of it: Genie is the distraction. Razoul stands guard for more men on the way from the other carriages in the caravan. I would help however I could while Jafar went in and snatched back our Sultana.

It was a good plan, and Jafar vanished into the night before anybody could object anyways.

………………………

The six men did not look dangerous without reason.

Genie got them distracted easily enough: Raakin sure had men with short attention spans. My blue djinn simply appeared out of nowhere, and announced in a loud voice, "Look! A rock!" All of the men immediately left their posts to look at the rock.

I think I am truly the reason it didn't work. Abu had insisted on coming with me, and he chirped, laughing, and the men noticed us. The first to charge was a man with a curly beard and smelling strongly of alcohol and tobacco.

Even as a former street rat, I was not the most skilled person with a dagger in the world. I managed to fend the two or three guards that charged me for a little while, but knew that they couldn't be held off for long.

Just then, Jafar appeared in the corner of my peripheral vision, running toward the palace at top speed and looking like he was carrying something rather heavy. I smiled, and ducked between the space of the guards just as they charged me from all around. DONG! Their heads collided. Perfect.

We had just managed to close the huge palace gates when Raakin was apparently awakened. His roar of rage upon finding his loss echoed around the caravan. Men were pouring out of the various carriages.

Jafar was already halfway across the courtyard, looking like a mere wisp of shadow battling for existence with the lack of light. I followed the moving swish of his robes, Razoul right behind me. Genie had no doubt taken an easier route.

My panting and heavy footfalls were earth shatteringly loud once I reached the tiled but safe corridors of the inside palace. I didn't stop running though, not until the moonbeams rested on the door of Jasmine's bedroom. I pushed open the door, trying not to make too much noise.

OOF.

Jasmine smothered me in a tight hug. "You're back," she murmured, muffled by the fabric at my shoulder. I embraced her tightly. "Yes, I'm back," I replied. "Would you mind getting a room?" complained Genie, who had just appeared behind Jasmine.

Jasmine turned, smiled, and hugged him too. Genie looked officially pissed, but succumbed anyways.

……………………………..

The Sultana was back. Though she was a little worse for the wear, she was mostly physically unharmed. The cut on her neck was pretty minor, and though she winced whenever she moved, the best physician in the palace had confirmed it to be minor bruises.

Raakin on the other hand…

We had thought that the armies would have an armful dealing with him and his "little" rebellion, which was no longer so little. However, I think we overestimated him. With the failed kidnapping of the Sultana, his stamina just snapped.

The next morning, when we looked out the window, all traces of the caravan was gone with the wind. I never saw Raakin again, and I don't believe anybody else in the palace did either.

Raakin might have been the son of one of the greatest Sultans to ever rule, but I don't think he took after his father very much at all personality-wise. In truth, I believe Raakin had the willpower of a common criminal, who wanted no more than a good place to sleep at night and a fast way to get it.

A week later, once the Sultana was well enough to be up out of bed at normal hours, our group held a meeting that didn't have anything to do with the press. It involved various things. Jafar's commanding power over Haillie, the person next in line for the throne, my wedding to Jasmine.

Jafar narrowed his eyes at Jasmine and I, who were trying to look innocent and very, very small. "Give me three reasons why I should wish for Haillie to be free, one for every wish that I could possibly make at this very moment." The sulky tone of his voice reminded me oddly of a pouting two-year-old.

"One, Haillie has feelings just like the rest of us and I don't believe she likes being prisoner to a person like you, Jafar," Jasmine pointed out. Jafar didn't have anything to say to that. Haillie nodded enthusiastically. "He's a git," she mouthed behind Jafar's head.

"Two," Sorrah giggled. "We believe that if given the chance, temptation would be too much for you and you would end up wishing for something extremely stupid or harmful to others." Again, Jafar started to protest and found nothing to say. "True, true," he said, sounding distractedly and rocking his head amiably.

"Three," I finished. "Wouldn't it feel nice just to do something nice for a change? Like you did for Jala?" Jafar considered this.

"I'm not sure about that last one, but I still don't want to wish Haillie free," he drawled, lying back in a chair. Jala stared at him pleadingly. "Jafar, she's my sister!" Jafar glanced at her. Something in his eyes flickered. "For me?" Jala whispered.

I don't believe the strongest-willed man could ever resist the pouting face of the female that they are in love with. Jafar might have been an evil mastermind, but he was only human. And he was only male, like me and the rest of them.

"Only for you," he whispered in Jala's ear. Haillie squealed in such a high-pitch that a palace dog in the next room barked loudly.

"I wish for you to be free," Jafar said in a grudging voice. There was a pop like the sound of the cork of a whiskey bottle coming loose.

"WHEEEEEEEEE!" shouted Haillie, jumping up and down and finally settling in Jala's lap. Jala mock-sighed, and tried not to be squashed. Everybody could tell that underneath the façade, she was just as giddy as Haillie or the next person.

I smiled, feeling the expression warm my face.

Jafar looked deflated and proud at the same time.

"Now that that's settled," the Sultana remarked, "we need to figure out who is next in line for the throne. It is a rather pressing matter, dear," she remarked to Jasmine. Jasmine nodded. "I believe that the original bloodline should rule Agrabah. Me and Aladdin do not have a wish to rule Agrabah, though we would gladly comply to if needed. Since Haillie is currently eligible and sane, I think she should serve the ordinary term for Sultana and then step down for her Grand Vizier to take over when the time is right."

The plan sounded good, and so obvious that I wondered if we truly had not thought to do that before. Jafar's ears perked up. "Did I just hear that she would step down for her Grand Vizier to take the throne when the time is right?"

We all looked at him incredulously.

"No."

A/N: Lol, all the problems are solved…..the next chapter will be the epilogue. That will be pretty long. Then I will probably post the Differences sound track! Yay! And A final Author's Note.