Jafar grumbled under his breath as another pint of beer made its way into his reluctant hands. He gave the little girl an appreciative smile before taking a sip to show her he meant it. She skipped away happily back to her mother who had been rationing liquor to anyone who had enough room in their hands to hold a glass—and even when they don't. In his quest to keep his eyes on his king and their energetic little prince, he had been dragged from corner to corner, sharing tables with strangers and apologizing for messes. And that explosion earlier! He probably issued at least half a dozen reimbursement slips in the last two hours they had been running around. He'd certainly cut those costs from Sinbad's monthly booze allowance. That always did make the king and Sharrkan behave for the next month or so.

For the third time that evening, he checked the attendance of his companions. Rambunctious yelling from the tables on his right—Sharrkan, Hinahoho, and Drakon, check! Girls squealing and giggling on his left, he'd definitely have to report him later to the queen—Sin, check! Spartos trying to get away from girls by explaining he already has a fiancé who has a habit of keeping dangerous beasts as pets, check! So only Masrur and little Badr was left. And…they are not in his field of vision.

Jafar did a sweep survey of his surroundings. The Fanalis ex-gladiator was not in the immediate vicinity and it wasn't like he had a habit of just wandering off on his own, especially in crowded places. And Badr! The queen, heavily pregnant as she is, would definitely whoop all their asses into next week if she learns that they had misplaced her beloved son! Jafar gulped down his beer in one stroke if only to quench his suddenly dry throat. Masrur better be with their little boss or else this might be the end of King Sinbad and six of his generals.

"Sin!" Jafar called as he approached the drunk king. Sinbad waved him over, laughing, "Sin! Badr is gone!" he stopped in front of the king.

"He's just munching on cream puffs," he pointed to a table behind him, "I checked," he stated, looking proud of himself. Jafar peered behind the king and narrowed his eyes.

"Exactly when did you check on him?"

"About…oh."

"Exactly,"

The king's goofy smile vanished as he stood up from his seat, serious and authoritative, "Sharrkan, Hinahoho, Drakon, Spartos, Jafar, Masrur!" Sinbad called and drunk, busy or not, his generals immediately assembled in front of their king, hands intertwined in front of them in salute.

"Wait, Sin. Masrur is also missing," Jafar informed him.

Sinbad nodded. "Alright, men." He began, "I know we have been through the toughest of times together. I may have put you all in danger knowingly in the past, but you have all stood by me, and I commend you for your unwavering loyalty!" the generals all gave him sincere and determined gazes. Sinbad smiled proudly and went on, "It pains my heart to inform you that I may have to rely on your strength again, my faithful vassals."

Sinbad addressed his generals with reverence, "Gentlemen, this is a matter of dire consequence! Not only are our lives on the line, but also our balls. Definitely our balls."

"Eh?" Jafar felt like the world had gone completely bonkers, his face losing color as he looked to his right where the other generals were lined up after him. "Balls?"

"I can't lose my balls! Dunya is turning out to be a magician! I'm demanding to have another one!" Sharrkan protested, trying to pull out his sword in defiance but his hands fumbled for the hilt.

"You knew I was looking for a new wife, Sinbad! You knew that!" Hinahoho pointed accusingly at his king.

"I promised my beautiful wife we'd have a child somehow, so no can do, man," Drakon smiled sheepishly.

"Please leave my future children out of this," Spartos blushed demurely, averting his gaze.

Jafar watched from a safe distance as Sinbad engulfed the other generals in a group hug, crying and reassuring them that they'd be alright. And there went a bunch of grown men, two of them giants, sobbing their hearts out and proclaiming their love for each other. He can't believe Spartos could cry like a girl when he's drunk.

"Stay strong, men. We'd be alright," Sinbad reassured them, "Shhh…I won't let the queen seize our balls,"

"Are those your friends?" an old man asked as he went to look at what the commotion was about.

Jafar looked at his friends with a dead expression, "No, I don't know these people," he stated flatly before beating it out of the gathering crowd, feeling like crying himself. The ex-assassin scolded himself as he jumped from roof to roof, looking for the prince. Just what the fucking hell did he expect from a bunch of piss drunk idiots?! He just hoped Sinbad and the others would stay put and he could find Badr before night falls.

Little Badr is a brave little soldier. His beautiful mother had said so. And he'd be even more so, she told him, when his little brother or sister comes out. He should be smarter, stronger and taller. And he certainly shouldn't cry. Nope. Badr would not cry.

Even when he's definitely lost.

The little boy glanced around him as he looked for a familiar face in the crowd. He had been running around with his father all afternoon, and he was having so much fun! Then his father set him down on a table with cream puffs, his favorite, and went drinking with his uncles. He would have stayed put if the old ladies had stopped pinching his cheeks and cooing over him. He was not a baby! He is a big brother now! He stuffed his mouth and pockets with the treats and left in a huff, deciding to find another table nearby with his other favorites, gelatin and chocolate. He found them after searching for a bit but when he tried to go back to his father, he can't remember which way he had taken.

The four-year-old boy tried not to look too scared, because he wasn't really, he swears as he pops another piece of chocolate into his mouth. Surely he'd find his way back to his father and uncle before they even notice he was missing. It'd be his secret little adventure…which he'd probably blurt out to his mother in a fit of excitement when he sees her…which would end with his father in tears again. Well, Badr couldn't help it. His mother had a way of looking at him and his father that made them dish out secrets.

He continued walking until he found himself looking into the sea again. Uh oh…he was back at the port. The ship that he had ridden in was docked just a few meters from where the little boy stood, munching on a cream puff he fished out of his pocket. Well, he better, WHOA!

Badr gasped as a big ship, a really big one, prepared to dock on the space beside his father's ship. Wow! Their ship almost looked like a baby ship compared to the new one.

Now, Badr is a curious little boy. He always had a penchant for sticking his hands into mysterious holes in the ground and picking up weird things and putting them in his mouth. His father would always laugh at him before he was kicked in the side by his mother. But now his interest was in the people in the boat. The soldiers lined up on the dock seemed so serious, and Badr was told to respect such proceedings since he was a little prince and important people often show up in Sindria in a similar manner. So in a bid not to disturb them and see what's going on up close, he climbed a stack of crates that led to the roof of the houses lined up near the dock.

Badr grinned toothily as he hid himself expertly on the roof. He was good at climbing roofs. Dunya almost always never finds him when they play hide-and-seek, unless she starts crying when she thinks he abandoned her. His uncle Sharrkan, Dunya's daddy, would then find him and throw him to a more easily findable place and coach Dunya on where to go. Those cheaters.

He peeked through a crack on the roof as the passengers of the huge vessel alighted. Their clothes were familiar, he thought. And then it hit him. They are familiar!

He stood up abruptly, spread his arms and yelled out excitedly, "OJI-SAAAAANNNNNNNN!"

Ren Kouen, the fourth emperor of the Kou Empire, was walking in all his dignified glory. The 36-year-old bachelor was followed by a small congregation consisting of his brother, Ren Koumei, and the emperor's four household vessel holders. He swept his gaze over the city of Balbadd, a sprawling city once under his rule. There were no longer any traces of the infrastructure changes he had once imposed upon Balbadd to make it more uniform with the rest of his empire. But it didn't look too bad, he thought, it just looked more weak and homely now.

Ever since the dawn of the New Age, there had been no major conflicts. Even he had stopped acquiring more lands for his empire, though he 'persuades' people every now and then to yield their territory to the Kou empire. He actually missed the thrill of subjugation, of sitting for hours thinking through military strategies and the adrenaline rush of battle. Now he rarely uses his Djinn anymore. The world was so boring without conflicts!

And so, the highlight of his normal boring day came when a childish scream erupted from somewhere to his left. He turned to the source only for a small figure to come speeding towards him faster than he could react, hitting him square in the face. He had heard Koumei and his household vessel users gasp in surprise but then they had calmed down again.

"Oji-san! I caught you!" Badr crooned from atop Kouen's head. His little legs were wrapped around the emperor's neck, and the child was cradling his head like it was some common ball.

"Why, my king and brother, it seems little Badr has come to meet you," Koumei said behind him, trying to hide his laughter using his fan due his nephew and his brother's position. Badr was sticking to his brother's face like an obnoxious bulky mask. It's already bad enough that his nephew was an exact miniature copy of his father.

Kouen sighed. The child better not joy-pee on him like last time. It's so hard being the favorite uncle.