Jafar was sitting on the edge of his chamber bed looking down at Jasmine's still body. He watched the slow rise and fall of her back, now adorned with deep crimson lines, as she breathed in her sleep. She had been unconscious for almost twelve hours. Even when he picked her up off of the cold, stone floor of his corridor and carried her to their room, she did not stir. Holding his finger in midair above her he traced the lacerations he had inflicted on her back; there were twenty-four. "Such a pity..." he thought to himself. She was too beautiful, too perfect, for injuries such as these. Although he wished it would have not come to this point, he did not regret what he had done. She almost destroyed everything he had built. All of is hard earned conquests had almost disappeared in her hands. He had no choice but to punish her so severely that it would be impossible for her to forget.
Worriment began to run through Jafar's mind and he began to imagine all of the destruction Jasmine would have caused if he wouldn't have stopped her in time. No doubt she would have taken away his power...and then...his life. She would have returned Agrabah to the ways of its weak, simplistic past, and no doubt she would have tried to find Aladdin. Moving his eyes up her body he noticed a strand of hair veiling her eyes. He lightly swept the dark lock off of her cheek and studied her face. She held so much spirit, so much will. "Damn that useless Genie..." he mumbled. Being fully aware that magic could not produce love, Jafar was now at a loss for how to handle Jasmine. Without constant control over her, she would be too dangerous to have. No, he could not allow her any leniency from this point forward, his kingdom, and his life, were too precious to risk. His brow furrowed as he made his decision: he would continue to cultivate her, to grow her into the powerful queen that he knew laid dormant inside, but he would use discipline if she strayed from the short leash he was about to place on her.
Suddenly deciding that she had slept long enough, Jafar attempted to wake her. He wrung out a warm cloth taken from a water basin and pressed it into the largest wound on her back with much more pressure than necessary. The pain startled Jasmine to waking and she hissed as a stinging sensation swarmed her body. Through blurred vision she saw a long, thin hand ringing out pink water from a cloth. Her head spun and she was unclear of where she was. Her body felt heavy, as if it had turned to cement, but she made an attempt to turn on her side. Shooting pain coursed through her back, causing her to let out a whimper, but she steadied herself with a folded arm that was tucked tight beside her. Turning her head her eyes focused in on a tall figure...it was Jafar. His eyes were lowered to meet hers and his mouth was tense; he looked angry. He raised an eyebrow at her and Jasmine knew that he was waiting for her to speak first. He was holding the cloth in midair, and once he got tired of waiting for her to say something he again lowered the cloth onto her broken skin. Hot pain caused Jasmine to gather her strength and move her body away from him, but Jafar grabbed her arm and held her in place.
"Lie still!" he said in a deep, firm tone. "Unless you prefer to slow the healing process down for yourself."
Her throat was dry and sore, but she somehow she began to muster out words. "Don't act concerned, you did this to me!"
Anger surged in Jafar's chest and he threw the cloth down, stood from the bed and bent down to meet her face with his. His tone was low and evil, "Jasmine, on a normal day I would not tolerate your insolence, but today is NOT the day to try me. I should have killed you for what you did, but instead I find myself actually attempting to help you, and believe me...I do not help anyone. Despite this you have the audacity to further disrespect me. Do you have a death wish?"
"No. I have a soul, a spirit, which you have tried so desperately to steal from me by locking me away in this cage like some worthless animal because it scares you!"
Their eyes remained locked on each other's during a moment of silence, hers blazing with fury. Suddenly, Jafar began laughing menacingly at her, causing rage to pump through Jasmine's chest.
"Don't hide behind laughter! You and I both know it's true!" She leaned in and smirked at him. "Remember...husband...I now know your little secret. You've managed to hide it from everyone else but I knew better. I knew that something must have intervened and helped you take what doesn't belong to you. I knew you couldn't have done all of this on your own...I found you out."
Jafar had stopped his laughter many moments ago and was visibly seething with anger. "Tread carefully my darling if you want to see another day."
No longer caring about consequences she let a devious smile spread across her face as she continued. "You couldn't have taken Agrabah all by your little self could you? No, you needed something strong to help you, so you found a way through, of all things, a genie. You're sharp, I ll give you that, but you're not as powerful as everyone thinks you are and you know it deep down. In fact, you're afraid, afraid that all you've managed to steal will be taken from you as quick as it came. And you know that it will. You glide around the palace with such calmness but inside you're shaking with weakness. I can see it all over you. You're scared of everything, you're scared of me. Look at you...you're terrified!"
No longer able to contain his emotion he ripped Jasmine up by the shoulder and backhanded her. She slammed into the bed post but before her body had a chance to slump down onto the floor Jafar had wrapped both hands around her throat and he began to tighten them, choking the air from her lungs.
"Weak? How foolish can you be?" he screamed. "I am the most powerful sorcerer on earth and you...you are just a spoiled child!"
Jasmine struggled with all of her might for air, but none would come. Her nails dug into his arms, but anger did not allow him to notice. Feeling herself beginning to slip into the blackness of death she suddenly came to know just how much she wanted to live. Dying had seemed so easy and almost pleasant before, but now her mind was flooded with images of her lonely father and Aladdin. She must survive for them. She must survive for herself. Not able to speak, her eyes pleaded to Jafar. Her eyes began to dim and Jafar knew he was close to killing her. Being fully under the command of his emotions he released her and she fell to the floor coughing. He kneeled down, grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her against the wall.
"Jasmine, listen to me carefully. I think you have been mistaken, for it is not I who is the weak one, but you. I just held your life in my hands...I am still holding your life in my hands, it will always be there. If you want to live and if you want your father to live you will watch the words that leave that delicate mouth of yours."
He leaned into her, his lips brushing hers. "And I know that you want to live. You let your secret out too. I saw it just now. Your eyes were begging me to stop. But don't worry, my pet..." he slowly and deeply kissed her, "lucky for you I am merciful." He began kissing down her neck in between words. "It does me well to keep you around. You know just how to take away all of my stress that comes from such great power." He stopped, his mouth lingering on her collarbone. After a pause he whispered in her ear, "But do not ever again confuse mercy with weakness or it will be the end of you."
He let her go and stood up, towering over her. "I think that's enough sensuality for the night." His tone grew stronger and more serious. "Now, I think I may have made the mistake of being too easy on you. Last night's little mishap was proof of that. This changes now. I will be keeping the guards below our balcony but I think I may have someone check in on you whenever I see fit. There will be no more wandering around. You may go to the menagerie or in the throne room if you need to find me but you will go nowhere else. And Jasmine, if I come looking for you and do not find you, I think we both know what the consequences will be. Now, I think I will leave you alone tonight. I will send someone in to finish what I so graciously started before you felt the need to act out like a child. My suggestion is that you take this alone time to truly contemplate on what weakness is because you clearly are misguided in its definition."
He began walking swiftly toward the door but stopped right before the threshold. Turning and boring his eyes into her he said, "Oh and Jasmine, I'm sure this goes without saying, but that room you ventured into last night is forbidden. If I catch you in that room again I promise I will take everything from you that you hold dear. And do not dare to even think about seeing that lamp...again I suppose we both have secrets now, don't we?"
And in a flash he was gone.