Chapter Five
By this time in the morning, the sun had risen high enough above the
horizon for the people to all be wide awake and ready for the start of yet
another day. After the fairly long conversation that Aladdin and Jasmine
had about Iago, they realized that it was probably time to head over to
the palace and see what could be done about the poor bird. Genie, Abu, and
Carpet were being exceptionally lazy that morning, so Aladdin figured he
would just let them sleep a while longer. He also figured they would know
where he would be, at the palace.
Not wasting another moment, Aladdin and Jasmine took each other by the
hand and walked back to the palace, although they weren't enjoying the
walk. It would have been nice to be able to take a morning stroll, but
they both knew better. There was someone who needed them, and they knew
better than anyone. As they neared the main entrace, the guards were
standing by it, and Rasoul was confused when he saw Jasmine walking back
into the palace gates.
"Um, excuse me, Princess," he said with an uneasy expression on his
face, "but what are you doing coming back to the palace? I don't remember
seeing you leave this morning."
"That's not your concern right now, Rasoul," Jasmine replied hastily.
"There are important matters that need to be taken care of."
"Yes, your highness, of course. I meant no offense."
Jasmine merely nodded and continued walking toward the palace,
disregarding the suspicion of the guards. Rasoul looked at the couple as
they went up the steps to the main doors, and he couldn't help but to
wonder if Jasmine had sneaked out of the palace in the middle of the night
simply to see Aladdin. He knew the sultan wouldn't take kindly to hearing
about such business, but he felt it was probably in his best interest to
keep his mouth shut. He didn't like Aladdin much, but the last thing he
wanted was to anger the princess.
Jasmine was practically running as she finally reached the hallway that
led to Jafar's old bed chambers. Aladdin was worried about why she was
moving so quickly, but he figured she was just concerned about Iago. "He
should be right in here," she explained, motioning toward the door to
Jafar's room.
Jasmine turned the doorknob, and as the door opened, she realized how
exceptionally dark it was in the room. She gasped at first, realizing that
it was far too dark for this time of the day, but then she noticed that
the curtains were pulled, so no sunlight could penetrate into the room.
She began opening the curtains, and as the bright, vibrant sunlight
flooded the room, Aladdin kept his eyes on the bed, where he thought he
would see Iago. Much to his surprise, there was no one there. All that
remained of Iago was his indentation from where he had been lying on the
bed earlier.
Aladdin gasped, which in turn caused Jasmine to turn toward the bed and
gasp. She expected to find Iago there at least, but there was
nothing...not even a trace.
"Where could he have gone?" asked Aladdin. "You don't think he would
have left the room and might be sneaking around the palace, do you?"
"I would hope not," sighed Jasmine, "but look who we're talking about
here. This is Iago. He's sneaky, and chances are that he probably just got
hungry and went to find something to eat. I really hope Father doesn't see
him...or any of the guards for that matter. Who knows that they would do
it they found him."
"Let's not worry just yet," Aladdin tried to affirm. "Let's look
around. He's gotta be here somewhere."
"You're right," Jasmine nodded. So, Aladdin and Jasmine began searching
the entire palace for any sign of Iago. They first went to the kitchen and
dining hall, but to no avail. They even searched the treasure room, but
there was no sign of Iago anywhere. They spent most of the morning looking
for Iago, but by this time, they were both becoming more and more
concerned. Back in Jafar's room, Aladdin sighed, falling into a
slumped-over seated position on the bed. He placed his head between his
hands, with his hands rested on his forehead as he faced the floor. He
felt guilty that he had let Iago down and told him to leave.
Jasmine could plainly tell by the look on Aladdin's face how he was
feeling, so she sat down next to him and nestled close to her "prince."
She placed her small hands on his cheeks and lovingly pulled his head up,
so his eyes were looking straight into hers.
"It's not your fault, you know," she gently said.
"But it is," Aladdin muttered, protesting her attempt at trying to
comfort him. "If I hadn't told him to leave, none of this would be
happening. What are we supposed to do now?"
Jasmine sighed long and hard. She knew what needed to be done; she just
didn't want to do it. She didn't want to tell her father that Iago had
sneaked into the palace after being told to leave. She didn't want to tell
him that she had talked to Iago and told him that he didn't have to leave.
How would he react? Would he understand?
"I hate to admit it, Aladdin," she began slowly, "but we can't do this
all on our own. We need help, and because of that, I have to tell my
father that Iago is missing. If the guards could help us look for him, the
chances of finding him are much better."
"But, Jasmine," Aladdin protested, feeling concerned for Iago's
welfare, "the guards hate him. They wouldn't help us, and well, I think
the sultan is still not too fond about Iago. What if they tell us no?"
"At least we would have tried. Aladdin, if they don't help us, we'll
look everywhere if we have to. We have Genie, Abu, and Carpet, too, you
know. I know that my father is still very bitter toward the thought of
Jafar or anything associated with him, including Iago, but he's a kind
man, Aladdin. If he knows it's important to me, he will help us. Trust me.
"Of course I trust you, Jasmine," Aladdin weakly smiled. "You don't
have to do this, you know..."
"I know, but I want to do it. Aladdin, you saw something good in
Iago, something that no one else, including me, could see. I believe in
that. I also believe that there is good inside him, and he needs friends
who would really be there for him. He never had that in his life, at least
from what I can tell. We have to to this," she firmly pressed.
"And we will."
Not knowing how she would find the words, Jasmine grabbed Aladdin's
hand and held it tightly as they walked out of Jafar's room and toward the
throne room. When they reached the entrance to the grand room, Jasmine saw
her father sitting on the elephant-like throne at the head of the room.
The older man took notice of his daughter immediately and smiled
pleasantly, knowing how much joy she always brought to him. As Jasmine
approached her father, she could feel the sweat dripping down her hand and
into Aladdin's hand. She was nervous, plain and simple, for she feared
that her father would not take kindly to hearing the news she had
regarding Iago.
"Ah, my dear," Sultan mused, "good morning...or should I say afternoon?
No matter, how are you? I was concerned, since I hadn't seen you yet
today."
"Hello, Father," Jasmine practially peeped. "Um, I'm sorry...but
there's something I really need to tell you."
Sultan could clearly see now that his daughter was nervous and a little
afraid to talk to him. His gaze turned sorrowful, and he continued,
"Dearest, you know you can tell me anything. What is it? Surely, it isn't
that bad."
"Oh, Father," Jasmine blurted out quickly, "I'm so sorry...but you
remember how Aladdin told Iago to leave? Well, he did, but he came back,
and...and I found him sleeping in Jafar's old room last night...and I
talked to him for a while...Oh, Father, please don't be mad. Anyway,
he...he's gone now...and Aladdin and I have been looking all over the
palace for him all morning. We can't find him, Father. Please, help us."
Jasmine's quick and pleading words startled the sultan a bit, and he
paused for a long moment before he was able to say anything. "So, let me
get this straight...Iago came back here, and now you can't find him? Well,
I...I suppose I could have the guards help you, but, Jasmine, isn't this
contrary to what Aladdin and you wanted originally?"
Aladdin stepped forward, "Sultan, I know what I said to him, but I
didn't really mean it...Oh, it's so hard to explain. Jasmine and I talked
about this for quite a while now, and we've made up our minds; we
want Iago to come back."
"Well, your intentions seem strange to me," Sultan couldn't help but to
remark. "I must admit that I'm still not quite sure about that bird.
Wouldn't things be much easier without him around?"
"Maybe," Aladdin practially whispered, "but easier isn't always better.
I can't explain it, Sultan, but for some reason, we have to find him. I'm
afraid he might be in some kind of trouble."
"Don't worry, my boy," Sultan reassured him. "We'll do the best we
can."
"Besides," added Jasmine, "Iago wounldn't leave Agrabah, would he? He
has to be here...if not in the palace, then in the city. He wouldn't dare
leave behind everything he's ever known."
"You're right as usual, Jasmine," Aladdin couldn't help but to smile.
So, the search for Iago began. All the guards, the sultan, and Aladdin
and Jasmine searched every square inch of the palace for the rest of the
day. As it approached mid-afternoon, Genie and the others came to the
palace and joined in. None of the guards were too pleased with having to
search for a bird that they detested so much, but Sultan's orders had been
quite clear. They were to look everywhere. As the day passed, Aladdin felt
more and more guilty for having told Iago to leave a few days ago. The
feeling that Iago was in trouble grew larger inside of Aladdin, until it
literally made him ill. The sun was setting by now, and Jasmine was not
only concerned for Iago, but also for Aladdin. They sat in Jasmine's
chambers alone, for the others had returned to the hovel by now. Jasmine
had a look of great concern etched all across her face as she stared at
Aladdin. Aladdin sat there, staring blankly out into the air, focusing on
nothing in his view. Butterflies were in his stomach as it knotted and
churned fiercely, and he felt dizzy and confused. He fell back on to the
bed with a heavy thud, letting out a long and deep sigh once he landed.
Jasmine tried her best to remain calm and optimistic, hoping only for
the best. He couldn't give up now, could he? Jasmine wondered about
Aladdin. Aladdin had been so strong and so brave for his entire life, and
so, why was he acting this way, acting as if he had been defeated once and
for all? How could one little bird who they didn't even know that well
have that effect on him? Jasmine wasn't quite sure herself, but she knew
one thing. She loved Aladdin with all her heart, and it pained her to see
him like this...so helpless and lost, much the same way Iago seemed to her
that previous night when she had talked to him. How could two so very
different souls be so much alike in some ways? The answers to all those
questions didn't come.
"Aladdin," she whispered. His very name was all she managed to say,
despite all the thoughts that were floating through her mind. He looked at
her, looking deeply into her eyes with the intent of trying to find hope
inside of her, for he felt he didn't have any. There was a definite
longing in his eyes, one that yearned to be understood, one that told her
that he needed someone to love him, and she loved him; she really did.
Jasmine brought her arms slowly and gently to his body, wrapping them
around him and drawing him into a warm embrace. Neither one of them spoke
for many moments to follow, and as it neared midnight, Jasmine knew she
couldn't keep Aladdin here any longer. He had to return to the hovel.
"Jasmine," he muttered, staring into her eyes, "thank you for
understanding."
Jasmine smiled weakly, but she didn't say anything right away. She
paused and simply said, "It's so late..."
"Yeah, I know...It's been a long day for everyone. Jasmine, I...I don't
want to leave you."
"I'll still be here tomorrow, I promise. You need your rest, Aladdin;
you've had a very rough day. We'll continue the search tomorrow. Who
knows? Maybe he's closer than we think. Maybe he's hiding out somewhere in
the city."
"Maybe," was all Aladdin could reply. He yawned and began to stand up.
Before he turned to leave, though, he faced Jasmine one last time that
night and looked straight into her eyes. He could see a glimmer of hope in
them, and he smiled slightly and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, Jasmine.
You have done so much for me, and here I am acting like this..."
"Don't apologize, Aladdin. You've done nothing wrong. Just remember one
thing: I love you."
"And I love you." They kissed softly, and then Aladdin walked out of
Jasmine's room. He headed straight out of the palace and out into the main
street of Agrabah. As Aladdin walked back to his hovel, he stared up at
the sparkling stars in the night sky. The peaceful night was such a
contrast to the way he was feeling inside, anything but peaceful. He
thought about Iago as he returned home, and he remembered that night not
so long ago when Iago had risked his life for them.
The lava boiled furiously in the fiery pit below. The towers of the
palace fell like sticks breaking in two into the lava, burning up the
instant they hit the incredibly hot temperature of the earth's boiling
interior. How anyone could survive in such unfavorable conditions was
beyond understanding, but the only possible explanation was this: A genie
can't kill anyone, no matter how evil he is.
The evil of this genie couldn't be surpassed by anyone on earth. He
looked like a demon, with red skin and fierce, yellow eyes that displayed
the very core of his evil. He had become infuriated at those fools, or so
he called them. Those "fools" were the good guys, who had tried to destroy
his lamp, in order to destroy him, but from the looks of the scene, it
didn't appear as if they were succeeding very well.
"Give it up, boy! You shall never have my lamp. There is no one to save
you this time!" the evil genie's voice boomed.
But he was wrong... He didn't see the little bird who was behind him.
"Hey, Jafar! Shut up!" Iago yelled with all his might as he flew down
to the lava pit toward the lamp.
"Iago!" Aladdin gasped, shocked to see that he had come back.
"Traitor!" Jafar bellowed at Iago, just as Iago clutched the lamp with
his feet.
Jafar sent a bolt of lightning toward the parrot, but it missed. Iago
flew with the lamp clutched firmly between his claws toward Aladdin, who
was desperately holding on to a rock for his life. Just as he was about to
hand the lamp over to his new friend, that evil Jafar sent yet another
lightning bolt at Iago, but this time, it hit the poor, little bird,
sending him toward the rocky wall at the far side of the pit.
"No!" Jasmine gasped from a distance, seeing the helpless form of Iago
hit the wall and then fall on to a rock below. The rock was barely above
the surface of the lava, and Iago was barely conscious.
He tried to kick the lamp, which had landed nearby, off the rock and
into the pit, but he failed.
Seeing this, Jafar mocked, "Good help is so hard to find these days,
isn't it, Aladdin?"
But this didn't stop Iago. He tried as hard as he possibly could to
focus his eyes on the lamp, and just when he thought he had it right, he
kicked his right leg again, sending the lamp into the fiery pit below and
knocking all the remaining energy from Iago's limp body.
"NNNOOO!" Jafar screamed, but it was too late for him. He slowly
started to be destroyed as the lamp melted. While he was shrieking and
screaming uncontrollably, the rock on which Iago was lying was crumbling
apart. Aladdin managed to save him before it was too late, and as he held
the lifeless bird in his arms, he looked sadly at his little friend.
*He risked his life for us, for all of the people in Agrabah,* Aladdin
thought. *He didn't have to, but he did... He doesn't deserve to be hurt
like this by that evil Jafar.* Aladdin's gazed turned momentarily to
Jafar, and Aladdin looked at him with such hatred in his eyes. Aladdin
hated him more than ever, but at least that horrible man/genie would be
gone forever. Aladdin climbed up the wall of the pit as it started to
close, and he didn't even have time to look as Jafar disappeared
completely. His one focus now was trying to save himself and Iago.
Just as the pit closed, Aladdin escaped from the clutches of the
earth's molten core and rolled on to the grass of the palace gardens. The
sky returned to its normal blue tone from the red tone it formerly was,
and everything that had been destroyed by Jafar magically reappeared
unharmed. Everyone was happy again, but their happiness was abruptly ended
when they realized that poor Iago was not moving.
"Iago," Aladdin softly mumbled, as he gently stroked the bird's
feathers.
He didn't respond. Aladdin hugged Iago's lifeless body, feeling almost
as if he wanted to cry.
"No," Jasmine said, almost crying.
"But...but I thought a genie couldn't kill anyone," said Aladdin, not
knowing what else to say.
Suddenly, Iago coughed. He opened his eyes and coughed again, "You'd be
surprised what you can live through," his voice, though weak and scratchy,
replied.
"All right!" Aladdin exclaimed happily.
"He's alive!" yelled Genie, turning into a rocket and shooting up
into the air.
"Let's go inside," Aladdin smiled. "All the bad is over, thanks to
you." Aladdin looked Iago directly in the eyes. Iago tried to smile, but
it hurt to move any muscle on his body. Once they were inside the palace,
Genie magically bandaged Iago's wounds and cleaned the burnt markings off
of him.
"If you don't mind," began Aladdin, "I'd like to have a moment alone
with him." Aladdin motioned toward Iago, who was sitting on a pillow on
the bed.
"Sure thing, Al," Genie winked.
"Of course, Aladdin," smiled Jasmine, kissing him on the cheek as she
left the room. Abu and Carpet followed.
"Iago," Aladdin began, "how are you feeling?"
"A bit sore, but okay, I guess."
"Listen, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. You
didn't have to risk your life like that. What made you come back?"
For probably the first time in his life, Iago was speechless. He didn't
know how to respond to something like that. He had never been thanked or
done anything good in his life, and all of a sudden, all of this goodness
was so overwhelming for him.
"I...I just had to," he replied weakly. "The truth is, Aladdin, I
couldn't bear to let him hurt any more people. He was a horrible person,
and I saw everything he did. If I didn't agree with him, he threatened me,
so after time, I just acted the way he wanted me to act. He manipulated so
many people into giving him whatever he wanted."
"I'm sorry," Aladdin said sadly. "I had no idea. Why didn't you just
leave?"
"This may be the only time you hear me admit this, but I didn't leave
him, because I was a coward. I finally had enough of him, so I left,
nevering expecting him to be released. The truth is, I didn't have good
intentions when I first came back to Agrabah, but when you saved me and
stood up for me, I was hit with something. You were the first person who
ever looked out for me in my life. No one had ever done that for me
before. From that moment on, something inside of me had changed because of
your kindness."
"Wow, you're right. You did change. What you did required more courage
than anything I've ever seen in my life, and I'll always remember that
about you. I don't think things are going to be easy for either of us in
the future, but what to you say? Will you stay and be our friend?"
"Friend," Iago smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "You mean it?"
"Yes, you are my friend, my very good friend."
"Of course I'll be your friend. You're already mine. Just one thing,
though."
"What's that?"
"Can you please not tell everyone else what we talked about in here?"
"Why's that?" Aladdin asked, confused.
Iago smiled, slightly devilishly, "You know, just because I'm a good
guy now, that doesn't mean I can't keep my reputation. I can't be all
emotional all of a sudden around everyone. Maybe in time, but not yet."
"Your secret is safe with me," Aladdin nodded.
Those images faded from Aladdin's memory once he was done recalling
the past. How could he have allowed himself to forget so quickly those
words that only the two of them had shared? Aladdin was beyond angry at
himself for allowing himself to forget Iago's words: The truth is,
Aladdin, I couldn't bear to let him hurt any more people...You were the
first person who ever looked out for me in my life. No one had ever done
that for me before. From that moment on, something inside of me had
changed because of your kindness... Had Iago really said those very
words to Aladdin just a few days ago? Indeed, he had. Aladdin was saddened
more than anything. Iago had let Aladdin see into him, and it was only
Aladdin that he had truly allowed inside, if only for a moment. Aladdin
was more convinced than ever by this moment that there was more good
inside Iago than Iago himself even knew.
If only he didn't hate himself so much, Aladdin thought. He's
caused himself all this suffering and pain for no reason. Why can't he
just see that he really is good? Maybe...maybe it's because I allowed
myself to give up on him and told him to leave. I was looking for the easy
way out.
Aladdin was angry again with himself, and as he finally reached the
hovel and ascended the steps, he knew that he would go to the ends of the
earth if he had to in order to save Iago...from whatever the parrot needed
saving from.
Aladdin somehow managed to fall asleep that night, but his dreams
weren't pleasant ones. Images of Iago being harmed flashed through his
mind. As Aladdin and all of Agrabah slept that night, Iago sat awake in a
completely different place, a very foreign and distant land.
Reena had taken Iago to a place that he had never heard of before. Even
with all his travelling he had done with Jafar, he had never once heard of
this strange and far off place. Known as the Land of the Lost Souls, it
was a place somewhere between the living and dead. Those who inhabited
these lands weren't physically dead, but they were spiritually dead, for
they had long ago given up hope of trying to truly live life. They had no
ambitions, no future, no hope, and most sadly, no love...or so that was
the way they felt. How those unfortunate souls arrived there was based
upon the old saying of "Misery loves company." They felt understood only
by others who felt the same way, and so, because of the magic these lands
possessed, those who lived there were enchanted with a dark magic to allow
them to perceive those who lived in the lands of the living. Reena had
taken a special interest in Iago's life years ago when she noticed a
sorrowful, depressed bird who had never really had any friends. He seemed
like the perfect target, and to reel him in would make Reena's years of
following Iago's life worth her effort. That satisfaction of bringing
other spiritually dead souls to the Land of Lost Souls was the only
satisfaction anyone who lived there ever received.
When lost souls were first brought to these desolate lands, they often
were confused about where their lives were headed in the future, although
they had mostly given up on believing in themselves enough to get out of
the cycle of self-destruction. Reena felt she had to reach out for Iago
before it would be too late for her to pull him into this place. She
thought he was doing him a favor, but there was indeed a malicious intent
in her efforts, as were all the efforts of those who lived there. They
were so bitter toward those who they saw living in the lands of the living
that they would do anything to prevent anyone from staying there. Reena
had used portals to see Iago as he lived out his life with Jafar, and she
became concerned about the chance of getting Iago once Iago had actually
stood up for himself and others and destroyed Jafar. The sadness that
Reena felt was deep and daunting, for even though she outwardly convinced
herself that she was happy, as did everyone who lived here, inside she was
truly miserable. Everyone who lived here was so miserable, in fact, that
they enjoyed pulling others into that very misery.
Iago couldn't sleep in the strange room he was staying in. Even though
Reena told him to relax and be at home, Iago knew deep inside that this
wasn't his home. Agrabah, he thought. Was that my home? Do I
even have a home, a place I can call my own? I don't know, really...I
guess this place is as good as any... Iago's vision blurred as he
yawned. He had felt completely drained of life's energy ever since he had
arrived here. He wanted to sleep and just forget about everyone and
everything that had been a part of his life. They weren't worth
remembering anymore, for remembering them would only cause him pain and
frustration, feelings that he didn't want to feel anymore.
"It's not worth it," he muttered to himself. "What's the point? I'm
here now, so I might as well make the most of it."
Iago closed his eyes and fell into a deep, unnerving sleep. It was that
type of sleep that feels like one is falling into a bottomless abyss of
nothingness, into a black hole with no way out. Down, down, he was going.
What would stop him from falling once and for all? Hope.