Chapter Three
A paradox was being formed, it seemed, between those two different, yet
two very alike, souls. Who would have guessed by the placid atmosphere of
the Arabian night like this that anyone could have been not at peace?
Truth would have it, though, that neither one of them would slumber well
that night, for visions plagued their dreams, creating nightmares out of
what should have been pleasant dreams. For Aladdin, however, these
nightmares didn't frighten him nearly the way they did Iago. That was were
their primary difference was; while Aladdin had hope for the future, Iago
didn't. Those whose hearts are hopeful can clearly see, even in the
darkest hours, that a better day would lay ahead. Those without hope,
though, force themselves to see nothing but darkness, and the darkness
dominates more...until one is so locked up and closed inside the walls of
his own personal prison, a torture chamber of haunting memories and
undeparted woes.
There was a candle burning, though, in the midst of that darkness, and
if only Iago would open his heart, not his eyes, enough to see it, he
would finally realize that he did possess that truth, that beauty, that
glimmer of hope. He shunned himself for having lived the life he had those
past years with Jafar, and he didn't realize how much unnecessary pain he
was causing himself. You're hopeless, you know that? Those words
Aladdin had told him were the last ones they shared together in
conversation. Was Aladdin right? No, there was more to it...there had to
be. Had he only been angry and hurt by Iago's refusal to open up? Yes,
indeed, Aladdin had been frustrated with Iago's attitude toward the
others, including Aladdin himself, but he didn't really mean those words.
Aladdin had hope for Iago, even now.
Somehow, the night passed, as time always does, even when one moment
can seem unending. Daybreak was just moments away when Iago opened his
eyes. There was just the slightest hint of sunlight peering over the
eastern horizon, and so, he kept his eyes open, relieved to see a new day
dawning. He moaned with pain, for the ground was hardly a decent place to
rest. He had slept in an alley behind some barrels of grain, hoping that
no one would find him. He didn't want to be found; he didn't even think he
really wanted to find himself.
His stomach growled fiercely, and he placed his wings over it, holding
himself as if he were ill. He felt dizzy and drowsy, but at least it was
becoming day. I am really hungry...I need to eat something...
He flew weakly to the end of the alley that opened to the main street.
Some merchants were beginning to set up their stands for the coming
business day, and Iago noticed a fruit vendor nearby. The man was
middle-aged and seemed to be occupied with his work. Iago quietly sneaked
up behind the stand, which boasted a wide variety of fruits, and he looked
desperately at the food. Just one apple...
He landed on the edge of the stand and reached for an apple, but to his
dismay, when he pulled to apple from the pile, a few others tumbled down.
The noise surprised the vendor, who immediately turned around to see what
was going on.
"I'll have your hand for stealing that, you little-" he started to
shout, but he stopped abruptly when he noticed that there was no little
orphan standing there.
"What the-" he asked, taking notice of the parrot flying away from the
scene. "Blasted bird! These pesty animals around here really need to find
a better way to eat."
The merchant merely dismissed Iago as another "pest," just a dumb
animal who was trying to survive. Iago flew back behind the barrels of
grain and muttered, "Whew, that was close," upon landing. He munched on
the apple, wondering what he was going to do with all the time he had to
himself that day.
"I've got all the time in the world," he said quietly to himself, "and
yet, I'm not happy. All I wanted was freedom for so long, and now that
I've got it, it's not at all what I thought it would be."
He sighed long and deeply, unable to fully grasp why he was feeling
this way. True, he knew he was lonely, but this feeling was one he hadn't
felt in a long time. He didn't think he needed anyone, but how wrong he
was. How wrong indeed...
In the hovel, Aladdin was the first to awaken. He looked out the window
near where he had made his "bed," and he dawned a slight smile,
remembering how wonderful the palace looked first thing in the morning. He
wasn't alone anymore, though. He turned to see Genie's lamp resting on the
ledge and Carpet lying on the floor next to him, with Abu sleeping soundly
on top. What crazy dreams I had last night, he thought. I never
imagined I would feel so...so guilty, I guess. I can only hope he's
okay.
Abu stirred and opened his eyes, which in turn caused Carpet to wake
up. Aladdin smiled at his friends and said, "Hey, guys...I guess there's
only one more we gotta get up." They nodded in agreement, and Aladdin
reached for the lamp and rubbed it, saying, "Hey, Genie...it's time to
wake up!"
Genie immediately popped out of the lamp, dressed in a night cap and a
robe. He was holding a newspaper and a cup of coffee. His eyes looked
bloodshot. "Oh, darn it, Al!" he complained like a little kid. "Can ya see
I'm trying to read the comics section?"
Aladdin had no idea what Genie was talking about, so he simply shrugged
his shoulders and replied, "Sorry, Genie, but everyone else was up, so I
figured you should be up, too. Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
"Ah, breakfast! The most important meal of the deal!" mused Genie,
changing into his normal clothes.
"Yeah, yeah," Aladdin mused back. "You already told me that
yesterday...and the day before that...and the day..."
Their voices faded out as they left the hovel. Still and undisturbed,
the hovel remained, until a certain someone landed on the ledge of the
window. Iago looked around to see no one there. It figures. Why would
they wait up for me? Aladdin did tell me to leave, so I guess he meant
forever. What does he care anyway? Look at this place, nothing but a dump!
And to think he wanted me to live here! I don't think so!
Iago was angry again, so he left the hovel in a huff and landed on a
nearby roof. "This isn't the type of life I'm supposed to be living," he
mumbled. "I deserve better than this! I deserve to live in the palace!
That's it! The palace!"
An idea had just entered his mind. He thought about how uncomfortable
he had been sleeping on the streets that past night, and he vowed he would
never do that again. From now on, I'm sleeping in the palace. I'd like
to see them try to stop me.
When nightfall came, Iago flew to the palace wall and perched himself
on top of it, looking down into the menagerie. The guards were busy
patrolling the area, so Iago knew he had to be cautious if he were to
really attempt to fly into the palace unseen. When the guards turned the
corner, Iago made a break for the window nearest to him, and within a few
seconds, he was inside the palace. The room he had landed in was decorated
elaborately, just like all the other rooms in the palace. He shuddered to
think about how dreary and scary Jafar's lab had been in comparison to the
rest of the palace, but he knew, however, that Jafar's bed chambers were a
lot more brilliant. Not sure of where else to go, Iago left that room he
had just entered, and he flew down the hallway, until he came to a very
familiar room.
As he pushed open the tall door, it creaked, sending an echo down the
dark corridor. Iago stopped, afraid the sound would disturb someone, but
he also knew that the sultan and Jasmine's bed chambers were clear on the
other side of the palace. He breathed a sigh of relief after a few
moments, seeing that no one had heard the echo. Iago entered the room and
carefully closed the door behind him. This room, this very room was were
he had slept for years when he had lived in the palace. These was the
chambers of Jafar, the ones which Iago had been forced to share with the
evil visier.
The bed was covered with deep blood red and black satin sheets and
pillows, and the walls were adorn with the very same hues in tapestries
and curtains. Although dark and gloomy, there was almost a certain awe to
the atmosphere of this place. How could a place that had been inhabited by
such a black heart seem appealing to Iago? Perhaps it was because it was
all he had really ever known for so long in his life.
There, in the corner, was a black iron perch, on which Iago had slept.
He landed on it, feeling the comfort of something familiar, but at the
same time, the iron bar between his clutched feet felt as if something
were ever so slightly out of place. That feeling Iago sensed from the
perch was reflective of how he felt about himself, that there was
something about him that was out of place, not quite right...not as it had
been before.
In spite of that penetrating feeling and in spite of himself, Iago
closed his eyes, determined to fall asleep that night without any
hesitation. He almost felt as if by dreaming, he could leave this life
behind and venture into a realm of happiness, a place where everything
would be as he wanted it. What the parrot didn't know, however, was that
his mind would produce nothing but nightmares.
Those long, bony fingers reached...they reached for his essence,
trying to grap hold of all that he was. A cackling laugh...one of pure
evil mocked him for who he was...a coward and nothing more. Those
piercing, menacing snake eyes...oh, how they perceived right through him
and into the very center of his heart, breaking it with every slash and
cut into his soul.
"Let go of me!" cried a doomed voice. "Stop it; stop it!"
It stopped. Iago opened his eyes and peered around into the heavy
darkness. Nothing. There was nothing here. Or was there? What he hadn't
realized was that his screaming in the dream had escaped his mouth and
entered into the real world, where it could clearly be heard. Someone had
heard it. Someone was there; he could feel it.
His teeth chattered with sheer fright, and he turned white underneath
his red feathers. His eyes had adjusted just enough to notice a figure
standing in the doorway.
"Who-who's there?" he peeped, shaking violently.
The figure didn't say anything and only moved closer. It was
approaching him quickly, looking as if it intended only to harm him. Iago,
not knowing what else to do, spread his wings, ready to fly away, but a
hand reached out for him and grabbed him, pulling him up against a body.
The body was warm and gentle, though, not hard like Jafar's. The grip
loosened, and whoever was holding Iago sat down on the bed and carefully
placed him on the lap.
"Iago?" whispered a voice. "What are you doing here?"
This voice caught Iago completely off-guard. He wasn't sure what to
say, so he only replied, "Yeah, it's me."
"What are you doing here?" the voice again asked, only a little more
demanding this time.
"I-I needed a place to sleep," was all he managed to say.
"Father would be furious if he found you in here, Iago. I thought
Aladdin told you to leave..."
"And go where? Jasmine, this palace is all I've ever known, and for
that to be taken away from me, well, what am I supposed to do? How can
Aladdin not expect me to be a bit upset?"
"Iago, listen to me. Look, I know you don't understand where he's
coming from, but you've got to try. Aladdin is a good person; he's not
like Jafar. He would never, ever hurt you. You must believe that."
Iago looked away from Jasmine. Even though it was dark, the moonlight
that came through the window was enough to illuminate their forms. He
blinked back the onset of tears, the dim moonlight reflecting off his
pupils.
"Jasmine," his voice broke, "I don't know what to believe. I'm so
confused...I mean, I thought I had proven myself good enough for you guys.
I did destroy Jafar, didn't I?"
"Yes, Iago. Yes, you did," she almost smiled, "and what you did was
amazing, but it takes a lot more than that to be good. You have to keep
living life as if you really care about others...others who are your
friends. I couldn't believe what my own eyes were seeing just days ago,
but I still believe that you were starting to show a part of you that you
had kept hidden for so long."
"It hurts too much to care," Iago stated disgustedly. "All these
feelings do is confuse me, and it's not worth feeling this miserable to be
able to feel like this...to be able to feel all these emotions. You may
have thought you saw something more to me, but let's be serious here,
Princess. You've known me longer than Aladdin, and you know darn well that
I was evil. I still am evil. How can I ever change that? Answer: I can't.
Maybe you'd like to go on believing in your own little pretty world that
good can really come out of someone evil like me, but let me be the first
to tell you that things don't and can't work that way."
"But, Iago-"
"No, I don't wanna hear it. I owed Aladdin a favor; that's it, just a
stinkin' favor for saving my life, and I paid it back...twice. The only
reason I destroyed that blasted Jafar was before I was tired of him
hurting me. Me. Just me. Got it? Not you, not Aladdin, no
one...just me. Now that the favor's been repaid, there's no point to being
friends or whatever. There's no sense in any of that rubbish, so don't you
dare go trying to convince me that there's something good about me for all
you goody-goodies to love, 'cause there isn't."
Jasmine gasped at Iago's words. Could she, even now, afford to speak to
this insolent parrot? His words cut her deeply right through the parts of
her that hurt the most. Did he really mean those things? She thought for a
moment before taking her next action. A part of her wanted to push Iago
roughly on to the ground and leave, but another part of her told her that
she needed to persist just a while longer.
"Iago," she spoke slowly, "you said yourself that you paid Aladdin back
twice. You didn't have to come back after you set us all free from the
dungeon, but you did, and even though you might sit here and say that you
only destroyed Jafar to get rid of him from your life, I don't believe
you. You could have left Agrabah if you were so worried about him
controling you, but you didn't. Don't you see? You destroyed Jafar because
you cared about us. Even if it scares you to feel that sense of
caring in your heart, don't run away from it. I refuse to believe that you
are that heartless. If you really are heartless, why did you almost cry
just moments ago?"
"I owe you no explanation," Iago firmly stated. "And what do you know
about me anyway? You only think you know me. Just give it up already,
Princess."
His voice was shaking, though, and Jasmine knew that Iago was having a
harder and harder time refraining from crying and letting all his emotions
out. How much longer could he keep himself locked up like this before
bursting open? Jasmine feared to ponder the answer to that horrific
question.
"Just let it out," she whispered. "Please, stop doing this to
yourself."
"What does it matter to you?" Iago spat. "What am I to you? How does
how I feel matter to you?"
"I don't know, but it does matter. You matter."
"I'm not worth it," he coldly stated.
What felt like a stone statue on her lap almost immediately melted into
a molten state. Jasmine felt Iago give way on her lap, and he buried his
head into his wings, refusing to look at her. Then, it happened...the
tears came, and they not only fell, but a storm broke out within those
eyes that had witnessed so much evil in his lifetime. Jasmine felt her
heart drop inside of her, and she wanted to be able to say the right words
to make Iago feel better, but no words were needed now. She knew the truth
about him; he did care, perhaps more than he wanted to.
After several minutes had passed, Iago stopped crying so violently, and
he looked up from his hiding place behind his own wings. His eyes met
Jasmine's in that dark room, and she could see that there was a longing in
them, a longing to be accepted. Iago was afraid to speak, for he was
partly ashamed of himself for having let himself reveal his true feelings
like this. Jasmine smiled and simply said, "You are so worth it."
Iago was still confused, but he did understand at least one thing now:
Jasmine cared enough about him to listen and try to understand. "Why are
you so good to me?" he asked, not sure what else to say.
"I owe you no explanation," she half-joked. "No, seriously, I think you
already know the answer to that question. Good deserves good."
"But I'm not-"
"You are."
Iago stopped trying to argue the point, so he just asked, "Now what do
we do?"
"For now," Jasmine said gently, "I want you to sleep, to sleep well and
to have pleasant dreams."
"Yes," Iago simply nodded. "Pleasant dreams..."
He closed his eyes, and Jasmine placed him on the bed covers. It didn't
matter where he was sleeping, for now his dreams would be pleasant ones.
Not even the remaining articles of Jafar all around him could disturb
Iago's sleep that night. For once, Iago was at peace, even though he still
had much confusion in his mind. For a night, at least, there would be
peace of mind for the one who needed it so desperately.