Chapter Four

The city was still beneath the rising morning sun over the eastern horizon. Slowly, people arose from their beds and prepared for the day. The streets gradually filled with people as they began shopping for goods, and before long, merchant cries were heard everywhere throughout the marketplace. Agrabah had come alive yet again, but looming in behind the palace walls was a darkness, one which loomed in the city's greatest hero.

Aladdin opened his eyes, feeling groggy and in a daze. He recalled the events from the party the night before, but all he could remember was not feeling well. He still didn't feel right.

Bringing his arms above his head, he stretched and yawned, trying to shake off the overwhelming tiredness he felt in his muscles. His mind was feeling like it had suffered a severe blow to the head, and his thoughts were cluttered and incoherent. His stomach growled fiercely, and his most basic instincts told him one thing: He was hungry, starving, in fact.

Not bothering to change into his day clothes, he stood up from the disarrayed bed and walked toward the door, his footsteps heavy. Once he entered the corridor, he lazily left the door to his room wide open and continued mindlessly down the hall, heading straight toward the dining hall. The aroma of breakfast filled the air and grew stronger as he neared the dining hall. He heard voices coming from the room, which more or less annoyed him, for he wanted to eat and not be bothered by the company of others.

He plopped down on a seat away from the others. They all turned their eyes toward him, and Aladdin asked gruffly, "What is it? Why are you looking at me that way?"

Iago and Abu hid behind Carpet, afraid of confronting Aladdin. Genie's face turned concerned, but it was Jasmine who spoke. "How are you feeling, Aladdin?"

"Fine, I guess...just hungry. Why? What concern is it of yours?"

"Am I not supposed to worry about you?" Jasmine inquired, trying to force Aladdin to tell her what was really on his mind.

"Hmph," Aladdin grumbled. "It's not worth it, Princess. If there were something really wrong, wouldn't I tell you? So, please, stop asking me silly questions."

"If you say so..."

"I do!" he snapped.

At his last remark, the animals behind Carpet jumped. Genie's facial expression turned sour, and he glared at his friend. "What's your problem, buddy?" he asked. Aladdin just ignored him and kept eating. "No, I'm serious. No joking. Why won't you tell us what's wrong?"

Aladdin's face turned evilly twisted, and he sneered at the genie, "I won't tell you anything, any of you, especially a big, blue dope like yourself. Funny, isn't it? Funny how I thought you guys were my friends, but then you all insist on annoying me to no end, and for what reason? To get your jollies? Well, I'll have no part of this game. I'm done here. I'm going to my room, and don't disturb me!"

With that, Aladdin stood up from the table and marched straight out of the room, leaving his friends at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Mozenrath grew more and more content as he watched the latest scenes unfold. His plan was working perfectly, and he knew that as the day wore on, Aladdin's condition would worsen horribly. Not only would Aladdin spout off nasty remarks at his friends; he would do worse, much worse.

"It's only a matter of time, street rat," Mozenrath told the image of Aladdin in the portal in front of him. "You should be acquiring your new powers, shall we say, within the next couple of hours. I'd so love to see any of your pathetic friends try to stop you then."

"Master smart," cooed Xerxes, coming to Mozenrath's side and watching Aladdin as he lay back down on his bed.

"Yes, Xerxes, very good." Mozenrath was enjoying himself far too much to care to look in on the good guys.

They were defenseless fools as far as he was concerned.

Defenseless? Maybe. Fools? Definitely not. After breakfast had ended, Jasmine tried to explain to her father the details involving Aladdin. The older man listened with understanding and told his daughter to let him know if there was anything he could do. He left the dining hall and went to the throne room to start taking care of his royal duties. Meanwhile, the others were in Jasmine's room, discussing Aladdin's condition.

"I'm tellin' ya," Iago insisted, "there's definitely something wrong with his head. Maybe Blue Boy over here outta turn himself into one of those, what do you call 'em, psychiatrists?

"I think it's going to take more than that," Jasmine explained. "Genie, do you know of anything that can help Aladdin?"

Genie pulled a large book out of his "hidden" pockets. Opening it up, dust flew off it and into the air, which caused Iago to sneeze. "Let's see here," he mumbled, thumbing through the pages. "Chapter two thousand five hundred and seventy-eight states, 'If your best buddy is acting like a jerk, slap him three times upside the head and tell him to shut up.'"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's going to do us any good. I'm serious, Genie. What do you know?"

"Not much, Jas," the genie admitted. "Only that if he doesn't improve his attitude soon, he's gonna be wishin' he had."

"But it's not just his attitude," the princess persisted, feeling like they weren't getting anywhere with this discussion. "It's also his physical condition. I mean, look at him! He looks like he hasn't slept in days, and he's all feverish."

Abu squeaked something incoherently, which Iago translated: "The monkey's right. The kid looks like he got run over by an elephant and lost his brain in the accident."

Jasmine sighed, frustrated at the lack of any good ideas. She knew everyone had been affected in his own way by Aladdin, but if anyone was going to try to talk some sense into the young man, it would have to be her, or so she reasoned. She loved him, and even though he wasn't showing it, she knew that he loved her. She had to get through to him.

"Stay here, guys," Jasmine simply stated. "I'm going to see if I can talk to him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Genie.

"Yeah, Princess," Iago began, "not to sound too concerned or anything, but the kid's dangerous."

Abu chattered at her, a worried expression on his face, but she had made up her mind. "Thanks for your concern, guys, but really, it'll be okay. I'll call you if I need anything."

Jasmine tried to smile, but her optimism wasn't completely genuine. She walked down the hallway until she came to Aladdin's room. Rapping softly on the door, Jasmine asked, "Aladdin?"

Nothing.

"Aladdin?" she repeated, a little louder.

Jasmine reached for the doorknob and began to turn it slowly. As it clicked, the door opened slowly, and she placed a foot inside the room. Before she realized what was happening, though, two arms reached roughly around her, one placing a gag in her mouth and the other grabbing her firmly and tightly around the waist.

"Think you're going somewhere, dear princess?" Aladdin roughly asked, glaring at her straight in the eyes.

Jasmine's eyes met his, and total and utter fear grew inside her heart. She tried to struggle and scream, but to no avail. His eyes didn't even look human anymore. They were completely black, and she knew he was no longer the Aladdin she loved.

Aladdin pulled her inside his room, tied her to one of the bed posts, and locked the door behind him. As he approached her, a fear unlike anything Jasmine had ever felt overtook her...and then, silence.