Into the Woods and Down the Dell
SUMMARY: AU: Once upon a time, there was a maiden who lived with her stepsisters. Well, half-brothers, actually. And this maiden was no maiden, but no one, not even his fairy god father, could make that distinction for some reason.
Chapter 3: Rumplestiltskin Part 1
Flying on a magical carpet was a bizarre experience. When Alibaba hesitantly climbed onto the floating rug, he half-expected it to drop along with his weight. However, it remained steady in mid-air, the carpet stretched flatly taut where only a knoll was formed underneath where his weight sat. When they took flight, the rush of air, the acceleration, the race in the cold night sky… It was exhilarating.
Unfortunately, according to the flow of the rukh, as Yunan would notify, it wouldn't leave Alibaba any room to grow and mature if they took a convenient shortcut to Reim. To experience interacting with different people and familiarize with different cultures were apparently a highly significant chunk of this destiny route. This was part of his future—to leave his footprints on the lands that he would journey across.
Kassim called it nonsense crap, and Alibaba couldn't help but agree. Must they really do this all on foot? It would take months to reach Reim when it could possibly take a few days on flight.
But Yunan was adamant that they do it this way. So he lowered them to the ground and rolled up the carpet, and they walked from there.
Trekking on foot wasn't entirely too bad, if Alibaba was honest. Being isolated within the palace, he never got the opportunity to know what it was like to see the world. Granted, neither did Ahbmad nor Sahbmad since they never showed much interest in venturing out for diplomatic visits to other nations, but he now thought that the two were certainly missing out.
The street bustle of Qishan wasn't too different from that of Balbadd from what Alibaba could recall from his childhood days. The two were both merchant-thriving places (for Balbadd, it once was). But Qishan didn't have a port, so instead of the salty breeze there were spices and incense that enriched the air. There was also a particular atmosphere that the people here gave off. It was interesting.
The three stayed here for two days so far. The fairy godfather was rather upset about Alibaba forgetting to put on the other shoe. ("Do you know how much magic I spent crafting those beauties? If you didn't want them, we could have sold them to a merchant!") Nevertheless, he still made a considerable fortune from selling the carpet after bedazzling it with his magic. Kassim then left to purchase food from traders, not before commenting on how Yunan was terrible at bargaining (which prompted a pout from the man in green).
Alibaba didn't know what would happen when his disappearance would be discovered. He was worried that the Kou princes would give his brothers a hard time, but Yunan assured him that he placed a note on the balcony. When Alibaba asked what the note entailed, Yunan just placed a finger to his lips and winked. "It's a secret!" he had said.
There were other questions that Alibaba had in mind. There were some that Yunan actually answered.
("Why'd you tell me that I had to finish my mission before midnight?"
"Because I didn't want to stay any later than midnight. I had an exhausting day, let me tell you.")
And there were some that he wouldn't. For instance, Kassim.
Why was Kassim here journeying with them? Did Yunan plan for this to happen? Or was it all part of this destiny that Alibaba had to fulfill? Was this all coincidental or was it fated to happen? That his childhood friend and adopted brother would accompany Alibaba and Yunan?
When Alibaba asked, his fairy godfather said that it was simply for them to know and for him to find out. Vague as it was, the boy knew what Yunan meant by that. He would have to ask Kassim himself. Alibaba was starting to get a good idea about how these things worked—like how Yunan wouldn't give him any shortcuts with his magic, Alibaba would just have to work his way into getting what he wanted. And that was the real challenge here—confronting Kassim.
When he left the slums to go to the palace with King Rashid, Kassim and he didn't exactly part on good terms. And when they met again half a decade ago when Alibaba sneaked away from the palace grounds, they got into another fight. Alibaba sporting a black eye got Kassim into so much trouble when the guards came to fetch him. And if it wasn't for Alibaba distracting them long enough for Kassim to make a break for it, Kassim would have gotten a spear through the chest.
Yes, it would be awkward if Alibaba spoke to him as it was already standing next to him. But, curiously enough, Kassim didn't appear to feel anything about it at all if that neutral face indicated anything. When they met again when he was thirteen and Kassim was fourteen, Kassim wore varied expressions. From a bright smile that disguised his anger to that malice that broke across his face when Alibaba…
Well, never mind that.
Anyway, whatever Kassim was feeling right now, he probably either didn't care about what happened in the past or hid it behind a mask of indifference. Alibaba really couldn't tell. He was very much fooled by Kassim's false cheerfulness in the past, and only learned about it afterwards from one of Kassim's friends told him when he tried to reach out for Kassim. Unless that guy from before was lying about that…? Alibaba didn't get it.
He also didn't get why Yunan wanted to spend a few days here in Qishan. Shouldn't they get a move on already? And why wasn't Kassim objecting to this?
"As I figured, there is another Magi in our midst."
Alibaba jolted from Yunan's abrupt declaration. "Wh-what?"
Kassim was perched onto the window sill of the lodge that they were currently accommodating in. He held the cigar from his mouth and blew out a stream of smoke. "Looks like we're going to have to put a halt on our main objective."
"It seems so," Yunan sighed.
Alibaba looked at between the two. "Wait, what is going on?"
His fairy godfather grinned down at him "We're going to do a rescue mission."
"H-huh…?"
"And I've got a plan!"
After Yunan filled in Alibaba and Kassim the plan, Alibaba was stumped.
"What do you mean I have to go in as a girl again?"
Once upon a time, there was a family of three: the uncle, the nephew, and the niece. Because they were poor and had little to eat, the uncle mulled over what would be best to support both children. Since the girl was already of age, he decided that he should marry her off. To what man exactly, the uncle had one in mind.
The wealthiest man of the land! But how could the uncle possibly get the master of the town to pay any attention to his niece? He then came up with an idea.
One day, the uncle approached the master and bragged about how his niece could spin straw into gold. He then said that the master may have his niece as his wife if he could have a share of the riches. The master barked in laughter, yet, despite the absurdity, he was slightly intrigued by this supposed skill. The master proposed that if the uncle's niece could spin gold for three nights, he would make her his bride. However, if she were to fail, then the master would kill her.
The uncle accepted the deal.
("Yunan, are you insane? Why'd you tell him that I could spin straw into gold?"
"Don't worry! It's all part of the plan."
"What plan? If I can't make gold from the first night, then I'm going to be killed!"
"Sheesh, you think that I would allow that to happen to my cute little goddaughter? Have some faith in me!"
"Godson. So are you going to endow me powers of gold-spinning?"
"Now, that would be cheating, wouldn't it?"
"Not if it's out of a human's ability to spin freaking gold!"
Much bickering later, Yunan finally relented and handed Alibaba a golden spindle and advised him to hide it in his sleeve.
"I was going to give it to you anyways."
Alibaba gave him an unimpressed look and asked him on what to do with the spindle.)
The nephew was shocked by his uncle's foolishness and hurried to see his sister before she would be taken away. He gave her a bird and instructed her to keep it close to her. If the master intended on killing her, he told her, then she should release the bird outside through the window of her room. The bird would then sing to the nephew, in which the nephew would come to rescue her.
("If your life is in danger, release this bird to the sky. I would then come and save you."
"You gotta be kidding me, Kassim. Where did you—is this a magical bird? Did Yunan tell you to give me a magical bird?"
"Shut up, Cinderella. You're supposed to be the maiden who sings to birds."
"Since when—")
When the master retrieved the niece from the uncle, he had her locked away up in a high tower. Sitting in the middle of the room filled with straw was a spinning wheel…
Alibaba took out the spindle of the spinning wheel and replaced it with the one that Yunan gave him before the master came to take him away. Alibaba then moved to the back of the room and plopped down and waited.
While he did so, he tore a strip from the bottom of the dress he wore, careful not to make the tear too obvious. He still needed to look presentable to the master of the town, but this mass of hair had to be taken care of. Alibaba didn't understand why Yunan couldn't make him a short-haired girl. Heck, not even his mother's hair had been this lengthy—
"Hello, miss!"
A little boy with a long braid and a turban appeared before him. No, he didn't spring from the piles of straw or just simply enter his field of vision. He appeared—literally out of nowhere. This caused Alibaba to jump in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry that I startled you," the boy said, looking quite guilty. "But I was surprised to find someone new in the castle and I was curious to meet you!"
"O-oh, um…"
"What's your name?"
Alibaba blinked at the question, and mumbled out an answer. "Cinderella."
"What a pretty name for a pretty lady! Say, Cinderella, what are you doing here in the highest tower? And why is there so much hay here?"
This kid hadn't heard? "My uncle told the master that I could spin straw into gold. If I am unable to do this for three nights, I will be killed."
The boy looked horrified. "Oh no! That's terrible! Can you really spin straw into gold?"
"Of course not. I'm not a magician, but my uncle is. You see, he enchanted a spindle to spin anything into gold. The problem is that I don't know how to spin."
"That is a problem."
"Yeah."
"But, you know…"
"Hmm?"
"I know how to spin!" the boy announced proudly. "I spin very well, just so you know. I can help you."
Alibaba couldn't help but smile. "Is that so? Then tell me, master spinner, what is your name? I told you mine, but I have yet to hear yours."
The boy's cheerfulness dimmed. Hesitance took over his features. "Oh, well, I don't know about that, miss. I mean, I'm sure you're a very nice person, but there are…requirements."
"Requirements?"
"Yes, requirements! You said three nights, right? Well, how about we make ourselves a deal?"
"I'm listening," Alibaba said. As the boy began his explanation, Alibaba did his hair into a messy braid and tied the end with the cloth strip.
"For every night that I spin gold for you, you have to reward me something of value. Jewelry, for instance, would do nicely."
"What would a little boy like yourself would do with jewelry?" Alibaba asked curiously.
"I'm not exactly an ordinary little boy, you know," he replied with a smile.
Remembering how he appeared in the room, Alibaba voiced his agreement. "Still, you haven't answered my question."
"If I have to say… I'm in a bit of a predicament," the boy confessed, looking quite sheepish about it. "I chanced upon the town master's carriage full of melons one day and helped to some myself. I-I was really hungry; it wasn't like I intended on stealing or anything! But, well, I had nothing but the clothes on my back to pay him back, so he had me locked up in the tower doing chores."
"But it's as you said earlier—you're not an ordinary boy. You're a magician, aren't you? Couldn't you just magic yourself out of this situation?"
The boy ducked his head. "I wouldn't call myself a magician. I actually don't know what I am, to be honest. Yet, regardless, I can't do much of anything now because he has my name."
Alibaba blinked. "He what?"
"He's keeping my name in custody—my real name. I don't understand how it works, but he has a magician with him who can limit one's abilities by stealing that person's name. Because of that, I don't remember what my name is."
"That's…very strange," Alibaba said slowly. "Um. How long have you been here?"
"I haven't been counting, but if I would have to guess I would say around a month."
Either the kid really did consume that much fruit or the master was taking advantage of the his naiveté. Alibaba was betting the latter. After being here for one month, did the kid really believe that rustic trinkets from a poor girl would set him free? Either way, it didn't matter. It was just clear to him that he was going to take the boy with him once Yunan and Kassim finish their search.
From what he could tell, the kid was likely an orphan. No mention of any guardians, and it sounded like he was on his own. Alibaba wasn't sure how Yunan would feel about bringing in another passenger for their worldly travels, but it wasn't like he was going to abandon the boy.
Boy, kid, boy… Seriously, at least he had to be addressed by some name if not his real name.
"Say, what do the people here call you?" Alibaba inquired.
The boy's features once again darkened in apparent sadness. "Oh, they don't talk to me other than that old man who tells me what my chores are. I think the master forbids them to because whenever I try to talk to them, they just walk away. I don't know why though."
Okay, it was official. The kid needed to get out of here.
"It's the reason why I wasn't comfortable in telling you my name," the boy continued. "I was hoping to distract you by proposing a deal, but in the end I told you everything."
"We'll still have our deal," Alibaba assured. While upholding that promise would ultimately be meaningless, Alibaba still needed someone to spin him the straw. That way, it would buy Yunan more time with his investigations. Additionally, it would be a bit too heartbreaking to see the boy's hopefulness wither. He was just so optimistic—how could Alibaba crush that optimism? "But I still would like to refer to you by something."
The boy tilted his head questionably. "But how? It's not like I have any other name to give you."
"That's why I'll name you," Alibaba said, grinning at his own brilliance. "A substitute name, if you will, until you get your real name back."
"Huh?"
"How about it? It'd be more proper to address a person by name than just call out 'hey, you.'"
"I guess it wouldn't be bad," he said, smiling.
"Right, now come here." Alibaba patted the space next to him. "You're gonna help me think of your new name, okay? Since it's going to be your name, you're going to be the one to reject or accept."
"Okay," the boy chirped, happily plopping down next to him. "So, what are my choices?"
Out of all the names that Alibaba provided, the boy chose the name Alamir. He said that it sounded "just right," so Alamir it was.
The newly named Alamir gazed at Alibaba with a new light entering his eyes. Alibaba couldn't help but parrot the boy's grin. "So, should I get started on our deal?" Alamir said.
"Nope, not yet."
"No?"
"Before you showed up, I was waiting for someone. I have a feeling that he would show up any time soon."
And indeed he did. A few minutes later, in a sudden pop of smoke, stood Yunan before them. The man smiled down at Alibaba and said, "Sorry for the wait. Got caught up."
"I figured as much."
"Eh? Who's this?" Yunan curiously looked at Alamir who returned his look.
"This is Alamir. He'll be spinning the straw for me, so you don't have to anymore," Alibaba said. "You'll now have more time to go looking for that Magi."
"I wasn't going to spin for you in the first place. I was going to teach you," Yunan huffed. "Anyway, where did the child come from? Did the town master send him up?"
"No, I sent myself up," Alamir answered for himself, staring up at Yunan with intrigue. "I finished my chores early and decided to meet the new girl in the tower. Hi, mister, I'm Alamir. Who are you? How did you do that smoke thing? Are you a magician?"
Yunan, instead of responding, turned his head back to Alibaba and stared at him expectantly. "What?" Alibaba said.
"Since you two bonded so much, why don't I leave it to the new girl to answer?" Yunan said brightly, and then promptly disappeared in a wisp.
"Um, so who was that, Cinderella?"
"My uncle," Alibaba said dryly.
For the first night, Alibaba gave Alamir a necklace. The boy was innocent enough to believe that it was beaded with real pearls rather than wooden balls coated in paint. This continued for the other two nights where Alibaba gave him a ring and a bracelet. Alamir would then shove the jewelry into his turban and proceed spinning the straw.
The master was immensely pleased to see spools of rich gold in these past mornings. In the final morning when he showed up, the master ordered Alibaba to wait in the tower until his return. Not that Alibaba had any other choice, was the disguised boy's dry thought, since he would be locked inside nevertheless.
Alibaba dearly hoped that Yunan and Kassim would hurry up and take him away. He wasn't looking forward to seeing a man proposing to him. Why did his fairy godfather thought to make marriage the good end of the deal?
As he sat there, waiting, Alamir popped out of thin air—as his usual entrances would be. "So?" Alamir said eagerly. "What did the master say?"
"He just told me to wait until he gets back," Alibaba replied. "But he did appear quite happy with your hard work."
"That means you won't be killed!" Alamir cheered. "I'm so glad, Cinderella!"
"Me too."
"That also means that you're getting married to that man, like how you told me before."
Alibaba smiled grimly. "Perhaps," he said noncommittally. "Perhaps my uncle will change his mind and decide to arrange my wedding with a different man." Or, if lucky, no man at all.
Prince Kouen's face came to mind. Alibaba doughtily waved the image away.
"But, you know, Cinderella," Alamir then said, fiddling with the ends of his braid, "I'm going to miss you."
Alibaba looked at the child with surprise. "What are you saying, Al? Aren't you going to give the jewelry to the master to buy your freedom back?"
Alamir returned his look. "Wha—of course I am! After doing so, I plan on leaving this town. And you'll be staying here in Qishan as the master's wife."
That's right… Alibaba was so caught up with his thoughts of how to convince Yunan in letting Alamir join them that he almost forgot about their made-up back story. He couldn't imagine departing from the little boy despite their three-days time together, much less see the master accept Alamir's ignorant ideas of payment.
"Well, we don't know that for sure," Alibaba said, scratching his head. "Who knows? My uncle might finally develop some sense to see that it's totally harebrained to let his only niece get married to a man like the master."
"The master's not that bad…" Naturally, Alamir thought he was if the boy was trailing off like that.
The blonde grinned. "Anyway, when it comes to that, do you want to come with us? With me, my uncle, and my brother, I mean."
Alamir smiled happily. "I'd like that very much."
After a moment's pause, Alibaba then asked, "Hey, are you a Magi?"
He tilted his head confusedly. "A Magi? What's that?"
Oh yeah. Alamir mentioned that he didn't know what he was.
"Never mind."