The next morning we were sitting on top of the fruit getting ready to snatch some breakfast.
Okay Abu, go!" Aladdin instructed as Abu lowered himself down. We watched as he distracted the shopkeeper as Aladdin went down and grabbed a melon. Abu stuck out his tongue as he grabbed a melon of his own. The shopkeeper looked angry as he jumped to grab Abu but he was too slow. The three of us now sat laughing as Aladdin cracked open the new fresh melon.
"Nice going Abu! Breakfast is served!" He proclaimed, handing half of the melon to me. Abu took a giant bite of his own. I was munching thoughtfully on my breakfast when I heard Aladdin go, "Wow." I looked to see him staring off into the distance. His eye's had a dreamy glare to them. He looked almost hypnotized. Abu was waving his hand in front of Aladdin's face, trying to get him out of his trance.
"Aladdin?" I asked. He didn't look up at all. I followed his eyes and met his gaze at a person standing by the apple cart. It was a woman. She wore a tan cloak that covered her head. From what I could see of her face, she looked very beautiful. I guess Aladdin thought so too. I watched as she grabbed an apple. She handed it to a little boy who looked desperate for some food. He giggled at her kind gesture and ran off. I smiled at her sweet action. I turned to look at a Aladdin, but he was gone. I spun my head back toward the woman. She was in trouble and where ever there's trouble, there's Aladdin.
"You better be able to pay for that!" The shopkeeper barked.
She turned. "Pay?" She wondered, confused.
With one swift move the shopkeeper grabbed her wrist and slammed her hand down on the chopping block. With that I hopped off the top of the cart and sprinted over to the apple cart with Abu hanging onto my shoulder.
"Thief!" He cried
"Please, if you let me go to the palace, I can get money from the Sultan." She proclaimed. Was she crazy? How would she get any money from the Sultan? She looked like a common street rat like us. The shopkeeper pulled out his sword. I knew what he was going to do next. Where was Aladdin?
"You know what the penalty is for stealing?" He growled.
"No please!" The woman begged. Right as the shopkeeper started bringing down his sword. Aladdin jumped out from the crowd and grabbed the man's arm. The sword stopped in midair.
"Thank you kind sir, I'm so glad you found her!" He took the man's sword and handed it back to me. I put the sword on the cart as Aladdin shook the man's hand. I knew what Aladdin was doing and jumped in. Aladdin started to steer the woman away and I followed next to her. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Just play along." I told her.
"You know this girl?" The shopkeeper asked as he gripped Aladdin's shoulder causing him to stop. Aladdin and I put on our best sad faces.
"Sadly yes," I began. "She is our sister. She's a little crazy." I swirled my figure around my head for dramatic effect. She scoffed at my comment. The shopkeeper gripped Aladdin's vest and swung him around.
"She said she knew the Sultan!" He grunted.
Aladdin smirked, "She thinks the monkey is the Sultan." He pointed to Abu who was rummaging through a woman's purse. He quickly stopped when he saw us. I nodded to the woman telling her to do something. She got the message.
She bowed to Abu. "Oh wise Sultan, how may I serve you?" She said, convincingly.
Abu straightened up to make himself look important and patted the woman on the head.
Aladdin patted the shopkeeper on the back. "Tragic, isn't it?" He said with fake sympathy.
Aladdin picked up an apple with his foot and flipped it up behind him. "But," He began as I caught the apple and slid it into my pocket. "No harm done." He helped the woman off the ground. "Come along sis time to see the doctor." Aladdin started guiding her away and turned back to me. "Come on, Kate."
I scooted around the shopkeeper and followed close behind them.
She stopped in front of a camel. "Hello doctor. How are you?" She said with a dazed expression. I couldn't help but start laughing. Aladdin shoot me a warning look telling me to be quiet because the shopkeeper was still watching. I stayed quiet.
"No, no, no, not that one." Aladdin whispered loudly in her ear. He motioned toward Abu. "Let's go, Sultan."
Abu, still in character, bowed toward the crowd. As he did, apples, coins, and jewels fell out from inside his shirt. The shopkeeper looked at him angrily as Abu tried to scrape up as much as he could and ran after us.
"Get back here you little thieves!" He screamed at us, but we had run too far to hear him.
We climbed ladder after ladder until the three of us, and Abu, made it to the roof tops of Agrabah.
"Almost there," Aladdin proclaimed as he helped the woman up from the ladder. I pulled myself up and noticed them both staring at each other with smiles spread across their faces. Abu rolled his eyes and I giggled. He hopped up on my back. And we continued toward the edge of the building. Aladdin grabbed a pole from a pile of wood on the side.
"So this is your first time in the market place, huh?" I asked as I caught up next to her.
Aladdin ran and jumped over to the next building, using the pole to lift him up. He tossed it back to me.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked, looking from me to Aladdin. I jumped over just as Aladdin did. Aladdin had grabbed a board of solid wood and leaned against it.
"Well," He started, staring into her pretty brown eyes. "You do kind of stand out."
She blushed, looking down at her feet. I hit Aladdin in the arm to get him to snap out of it. "I mean, uh, you don't seem to know how dangerous Agrabah can be."
Aladdin bent down to lay the plank out for her to walk over. I watched the woman use a pole just as we did and hop over. When Aladdin looked up he turned to see her standing next to me.
"I'm a fast learner." She claimed. She threw the pole to Aladdin who caught it in surprise.
"Right." He handed me the pole and I tossed it aside. He took the woman by the hand and pulled her forward. "Come on, this way."
I followed behind with Abu still on my shoulder. We ducked the loose boards and made it safety into our home.
She looked around in shook, "Is this where you lie?"
"Yep, it's just us. " Aladdin sighed.
"We come and go as we please." I added.
She sat down next to Aladdin by the window.
"That sounds fabulous." She exclaimed. Fabulous? I was starting to believe she really was crazy.
Aladdin looked down with a saddened expression. "Well, it's not much," He opened the curtain, reliving our window. "But, it's got a great view." Aladdin stared at the beautiful palace as it shimmered in the setting sun. I couldn't help but stare too.
"Oh, it's wonderful." The woman sighed.
"I wonder what it'd be like to live there." I wondered.
"To have servants and valets." Aladdin commented. He glanced at the woman.
"Oh sure, to have people tell you where to go and how to dress." She explained, her voice rising.
"Better than here," Aladdin stated. "Always scraping for food and ducking the guards, right Kate?"
I nodded.
"You're not free to make your own choices." She continued.
"Sometimes you feel…" "You're just…"
"Trapped." Aladdin and the woman finished in unison. They both got wide eyed and turned to each other. Their expressions softened as they stared into each other's eyes.
Aladdin snapped out of it and took Abu's apple. He slid it down his arm to the girl. "So where're you from?" He asked.
The woman caught the apple as she started to answer. "Oh, what does it matter? I ran away and I am not going back!"
Aladdin took an apple and bit into it. "How come?" He asked, handing the rest to Abu who growled angrily. I quickly shushed him and he obeyed.
"My father is forcing me to get married."
"That's…that's awful." Aladdin said, looking disappointed. I could he liked this girl a lot.
I saw Abu go behind the woman. He was about to grab her apple when Aladdin noticed him.
"Abu!" He shouted at the monkey.
Abu ran around me, hiding himself from Aladdin's angry glare.
"What?" The woman asked.
Aladdin and I glanced at each.
"Uhh, Abu said…" I started, but couldn't find the words to say.
"That's not fair!" Aladdin blurted out, finishing my sentence.
"Oh did he?" The woman wondered, sarcastically.
"Yeah." They scooted closer together and I got this as my cue to leave. I walked to the door, but stopped to where I could still hear them talking.
"And does Abu have anything else to say?"
"He says he wishes there was something he could do to help." Aladdin told her.
Abu rolled his eyes. I laughed as I looked out the door. Down toward the endurance I saw something move. I froze as the outlines of people started to come into focus. They were people…with swords.
I ran back into the room where I saw Aladdin and the woman leaning in. They were about to kiss! I felt bad, but interrupting it, but I didn't want to be sliced to pieces by Razoul's sword.
"Aladdin!" I cried.
"Huh?" He asked, looking up.
"Here you are!" A rough voice shouted from the doorway.
I pointed at Razoul and the other guards. "That!"
Aladdin and the woman jumped up. "There here for me! You? Why would they be here for you?" They both said in unison.
"Guys!" I yelled worryingly. They were getting closer, slashing everything in their path.
Aladdin and I quickly jumped up on the ledge of the big window. Aladdin held his hand out to the woman. "Do you trust me?"
"What?"
"Do you trust me?" He asked again.
"Yes." She said, skeptically. He grabbed her hand.
"Then jump!" he screamed as we all fell down through a hole and landing on a soft pile of straw.
"Come on, run!" Aladdin yelled. He ran alright, right into Razoul.
"We just keep running into each other don't we street rat?" Razoul mocked as he grabbed Aladdin's neck and lifted him off the ground. Aladdin struggled against his grip. I watched as Abu leaped from my back and got onto Razoul's. He pulled his turban down over his eyes, giving Aladdin a chance for a getaway. I slammed my elbow into Razoul's gut and helped Aladdin get free. We ran in the other direction. Razoul grabbed Abu and threw him into a nearby vase. As we hurried away, my arm was suddenly grabbed by a strong hand. I was pulled backwards by Razoul.
"Look here, boys, we got the street mouse!" He laughed as I fought against his grip.
"Let her go!" Aladdin cried as he rushed back to help me.
"Aw, come to save your dirty little sister now did you?" Razoul teased. Aladdin stood his ground in front of him ready to fight. Razoul let out a hardy laugh as he pulled out his sword. He slammed the butt of it into the side of my head. A stinging pain entered my brain as I collapsed onto the hard floor.
"Kate!" Aladdin screamed in horror. He lunged at Razoul. Razoul managed to dodge him which sent Aladdin flying to the ground. Aladdin leaned himself up on his elbows as he lay on his back. Before he had the chance to get up, a sword was pointed at his chest. He looked up at Razoul with an angry and pained expression.
"I finally got you street rat!" He sneered, pushing the point of the sword under Aladdin's chin. "Grab them! We'll take them to the palace."
Aladdin and I were picked up off the ground by the other guards. I regained enough strength to try and fight back as did Aladdin. Suddenly a small voice yelled at Razoul.
"Let them go!" The woman shouted as she banged on Razoul's right arm.
"Look here men, another street mouse!" He chuckled as he flung the woman to the ground. Aladdin looked hurt at Razoul's action toward the woman. He fought harder and harder.
The woman regained her balance and stood up straight. "Release them!" She demanded. "By order of the princess!" She removed her hood, reliving the royal band around her head.
Razoul's face turned from joy to shook. He bowed to the princess. The other guards did the same, pushing us down and forcing us to bow as well.
"The princess?" Aladdin and I wondered in unison.
"Princess Jasmine, what are you doing outside the palace walls?" Razoul asked with a shaky voice as he stood up straight. "And with these street rats?"
"That's none of your concern!" She exclaimed. "No do as I say, release them!"
"Oh I would. Princess, but out orders come from Jafar, you'll have to take it up with him." He explained. He motioned for the guards to take us away and we were dragged away.
"Believe me, I will." She proclaimed coldly as she watched us being taken away. We had really did it this time, I thought.