Chapter Seven- Epilogue
Mozenrath strode through Agrabah's gates with Jasmine at his side, their prisoners floating behind them due to his gauntlet. He surveyed the damage that had been done to his new land. The buildings looked a lot like the ones in The Land of the Black Sand and this pleased him. He spotted dead bodies in the rubble and knew they would become more Mamluks once he worked his magic on them. He also noticed some of the citizens peeking out of their hiding places, not sure if the attacks were over. He smirked. Those fools didn't realize that they had just been conquered. Well, he was going to make sure they knew of it.
They had reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the palace's front doors and he turned to the city. "Citizens of Agrabah!" he declared loud and clear. "Your city has fallen to me your new ruler. Princess Jasmine loves me and has asked that I marry her and rule over you. I have agreed to her request and I insist that you all attend the wedding which will be held at a future date. Do not resist me or you will suffer a most unpleasant fate." Two griffins descended from the sky and flanked the front doors as he finished speaking. The winged creatures glowered at the citizens and growled at them causing the people to tremble at the threat before them. Mozenrath smirked again as the group mounted the stairs and up to the doors.
"Mozenrath, will those who resist be fed to the griffins?" Jasmine asked a hint of relish in her voice at the idea.
"Oh, some may. Actually, I was planning to turn those who resist into Mamluks. I believe the people would consider that a fate worse than death. I see no reason to tell them that however."
"Hmm. The threat of becoming one of the undead would certainly keep them in line." Jasmine pushed open the doors and allowed Mozenrath in first before following.
The Throne Room was littered with debris and rubble. The worst of the damage had been to the roof. Mozenrath spied the guards under the rubble, clearly dead. They'll probably make excellent Mamluks. If not, I can simply destroy them. Jasmine won't care either way- at least I think she won't.
There was a large chunk of rubble as they approached the throne. The Sultan lay under this chunk and he was just as dead as his guards. Genie felt tears leak from his eyes at the sight of the dead monarch. Iago and Abu were also crying, finally accepting that Agrabah had been conquered. Mozenrath looked uncaring at the body.
Jasmine also looked at her father's body, her face dry of tears. So he's dead. It's just as well. He was old and I now see that he was a fool too. I'm better off without him. I have Mozenrath now and I have no doubt that he will be a better ruler than Father ever was.
"Well, that's one less prisoner we have to concern ourselves about," Jasmine finally said aloud.
"Princess!" Iago exclaimed in shock. "How can you say that!? He was your father!"
"Silence!" Mozenrath commanded. He pointed at the bird and a metal clamp appeared on his beak. "Jasmine, if you would take our prisoners to the dungeons. But, leave the Genie with me. I have plans for him."
"Of course, dear." Jasmine planted a kiss on the sorcerer's cheek before grabbing the chains attached to Carpet, Iago, and Abu and heading off to the dungeons. Once in the dungeon, she dragged them to a cell where she used the anti-magic manacles on Carpet to pin him to the wall. She stuffed Iago in a birdcage, loosening the clamp just enough that he could eat and drink before chaining Abu to the wall, taking care to remove his lockpicks and, for good measure, his fez. After all, Aladdin gave him that fez and since Aladdin was now Set, his friendship with the monkey was null and void. She looked her prisoners over to insure that they wouldn't be able to escape and then she left the cell closing the door firmly behind her.
She stopped at her bedroom and saw to her delight, that her pet tiger, Rajah, was alive and unharmed, although understandably scared. The sight of his owner calmed his nerves and she smiled back at him. "Stay there, Rajah. I'll see you later."
She returned to the Throne Room to see that the rubble and dead bodies had been removed. A second throne had been placed beside the first one and on the throne's other side was Genie imprisoned in the Crystal of Ix. Mozenrath was already seated on the late Sultan's throne and Jasmine ascended the other throne, not bothering to give Genie another look or even another thought.
"The prisoners are secured. I took the precaution of removing the monkey's lockpicks."
"Excellent. Princess, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a tiger for a pet?"
"I do. He's still alive and up in my bedroom. He'll listen to whatever I tell him."
"Good. I found that the royal cook is still alive and he's agreed to offer his services to us. Of course, if he constantly fails to satisfy us, he might find himself as an animal that will be our next main course."
"That's an appropriate punishment. It will motivate him to not fail."
"Indeed. Now, about our wedding. How soon shall we have it?"
"I would like to have it as soon as possible, but I need some time to get ready. I suggest two weeks."
"I also need time to prepare. I agree that two weeks will be enough."
Mozenrath shuffled through the scrolls on his lab's desk the following day. He knew he could leave Agrabah in Jasmine's hands in order to return to the Citadel to find the scroll that would transform the city to look similar to The Land of the Black Sand and change the dead into Mamluks. The state of his messy desk made him consider tidying it up, but then again, the palace was where he was going to spend most of his time in from now on, so he needn't bother cleaning the Citadel. It can serve as a library of sorts.
At last, he located the scroll he needed and unrolled it. It has been some time since I used these spells and I need to obtain the ingredients necessary to cast them. This is why the wedding will not take place yet. It will take a few days to acquire the ingredients and it will take a week to transform the city and the dead into Mamluks.
The dark wizard returned to his conquered city and to his throne where he started sorting out the ingredients by their locations. He managed to get one ingredient before leaving the Citadel: Black sand from his kingdom. This sand is the piece to making Agrabah look like the other part of my kingdom. I need all the pieces for the Mamluk spell, however.
He rested his cheek on his fist as he studied the scroll and the list that he had made. None of these items were priceless treasures, thankfully enough, but still difficult to obtain. The first time he got these items, he used tricks and other items that he could only use once, so the question was how was he going to get them this time? He spied movement out of the corner of his eye. Genie was struggling to break out of his prison.
"Don't waste your time, Genie. No magical being can break out of the crystal," Mozenrath told him, not bothering to look at his captive. He smirked, however, when he thought of all the things he witnessed Genie doing with his magic: Such as conjuring items out of thin air…
That's it! It's so obvious! I'll use the Genie's magic to gather the ingredients I need! His smirk widened as he reached out and placed his hand flat on the crystal. He heard Genie's cry of pain before removing his hand and waved his gauntlet in the air. Instantaneously, a variety of items appeared in the air, which were individually placed into bags and zoomed into Mozenrath's lap.
"Excellent. Now I have all I need. I can begin changing the city to suit my tastes right now."
"Why do you want to use my balcony?" Jasmine asked as she let her fiancé into her room. Rajah growled slightly at the sorcerer before stalking away to lay beside Jasmine's vanity.
"Aside from the high vantage point, it shows the entire city and I need to see it all when I cast the spell to change it to how my other kingdom looks."
"Oh. In that case, go ahead. You won't mind if I watch?"
"Of course not, Jasmine. I love having an audience, you know."
Jasmine watched as the dark sorcerer stepped out onto the balcony and up to the railing. She knew what he was going to do and, for a moment, she felt like going up to him and stopping him from using his magic. She shook her head to drive that thought from her mind. Why should she stop Mozenrath? She loved him and he had every right to do what he wished to the city and its citizens.
She saw Mozenrath pull a handful of black sand out of his pocket and held it up in his gloved hand. She heard him recite two words in a language she did not know before he blew the sand into the air. The wind caught the sand and spread it out across the city. Some of it was blown high up into the air, but most of it landed on the ground. The moment the grains touched the ground, the golden sand instantly turned black and the black color spread from the point of contact and turned all of the sand within the city's confines black and turned the buildings a gray color as well. Meanwhile, the grains that were blown into the air, released their color and the very sky turned black as well even though it was still daylight. The citizens watched in terror as their once beautiful city turned into a dark and dreary looking place.
Jasmine was astonished at how quickly the city had changed. She was not horrified at the change; she was rather pleased actually. She stepped up next to her fiancé to take a closer look. "It's amazing," she said softly, staring in awe at her transformed city.
"It is, isn't it?" Mozenrath replied. "It suits my tastes. I have further plans for Agrabah."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Oh, I was thinking of adding some Mamluks to the streets and using some of the dead citizens to create them."
"Really?"
There was such an evil tone in the princess's voice when she said that word that it caused Mozenrath to look over at her. She had an eyebrow raised and a malicious smile on her face. He tilted his head quizzically. "Jasmine?" he asked.
"I think the guards would make excellent Mamluks, don't you?" she asked.
Mozenrath straightened his head and smiled evilly. "I like how you think. Yes, the guards will be the first to become our obedient undead."
"Our?"
"Of course. I plan to have both of us command them. If I were to visit my other kingdom, I want to make sure you are not left defenseless."
"I can defend myself."
"I know you can. I meant, I don't want to leave you with Mamluks who won't listen to your orders."
"That's better."
Mozenrath stood over the bodies of the Sultan and his guards. He had used his magic to transport them to the palace's back garden until he was ready to deal with them. Now, he knew what he was going to do and he had Jasmine to thank for that. He had initially been concerned that Jasmine's strong will and spirit would break his spells on her, but instead his spells remained strong and the princess didn't seem to know that everything she was thinking and saying was evil. Her suggestion of making the guards into their undead guards was certainly an evil one.
I have no reason to worry that she'll break the spells. She is in love with me and is completely evil. He reached into his cloak and pulled out an urn. He lifted the lid to reveal that it was full of white powder: The Powder of Resurrection. While others thought Mozenrath simply used the gauntlet's power to create his undead, it was actually the powder and a single word that created them. His magic simply put his guards back together or blasted them apart in some cases. I wish there was a way to keep them from falling apart. It's hard for your enemies to take you seriously when your army is falling to pieces around you.
He took a pinch of powder from the urn and sprinkled it over the first guard before taking another pinch and doing the same to the other three guards. He put the lid back on, stowed the urn, and then said in an ancient language, "Arise."
The results were instantaneous. The guards' eyes opened to show that they were yellow and, as they stood up, their skins turned pale green, and their jaws were stitched closed. All muscles they once possessed were gone, leaving them nothing but skin and bones reanimated by the wizard's dark spell. They silently turned toward Mozenrath and waited for instructions.
He waved his gloved hand in a circle and the image of Princess Jasmine appeared. "Listen well: You are to obey the commands of myself and my soon-to-be wife Princess Jasmine. Understand?"
The four Mamluk guards gave muffled grunts and stiff nods. "Good," he said. "Now, unsheathe your swords and follow me. I plan to create more Mamluks right now and I want to show my subjects what I am capable of doing to them if they don't obey me." Mozenrath swept back into the palace to head for the front doors, his four guards following in his wake.
Mirage and Set watched the activities of Mozenrath's conquest progress over a two week period. They saw Mozenrath transform the city to mirror his first kingdom and bring back the dead as Mamluks that mingled among the living citizens who looked revolted and clearly dispirited. It was finally the day of the wedding and both were interested in seeing it.
"Mirage, why don't we go to see this wedding in person?" Set inquired. "I have a spell scroll I would like to present to Mozenrath as a present. A gift that can't be used against us, I might add."
"Hmm. That sounds like fun. Let us go to Agrabah and greet the soon-to-be Sultan."
Set and Mirage materialized at the palace's front doors where two Mamluks stood to either side, dressed in guards' uniforms. Set stared at the figures. He recognized them as two of the three guards that usually accompanied Razoul. Either they died in the attack or Mozenrath killed them before making them Mamluks. Not that I care. In fact, this fate is rather fitting.
The couple pushed the doors open and strolled into the Throne Room. There were two more Mamluks guards there on either side of the thrones and Set recognized one as Razoul. Mozenrath sat on one of the thrones wearing his usual clothes, clearly not planning to wear a different outfit for the wedding. The sorcerer stood up and strode down the carpet toward them.
"Mirage. Set. What brings you to the new part of my kingdom?" Mozenrath greeted, surprise and curiosity in his eyes even though his voice didn't show it.
"We've been watching you the entire time. We know that this is your wedding day and we want to witness it as the finishing touch of our alliance," Mirage answered.
"And we wish to give you a wedding gift," Set added. He held up a hand and a scroll appeared in it. "This scroll contains a spell that will keep your Mamluks from falling apart."
Mozenrath's eyes widened as he took the scroll and examined the contents. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "This is an excellent gift! I thank you. Come my allies, the wedding will take place in front of the palace doors and my bride wishes to make her entrance from the Throne Room." Mozenrath gestured at the doors, indicating that his guests should precede him outside. They complied as their alliance was still in place; however they planned to leave as soon as the city was officially under Mozenrath's control.
As the pair turned to exit the room, Set saw Genie imprisoned in the Crystal of Ix, his spirit completely broken as evident by his sagging shoulders and look of despair. Naturally, he didn't care and when Genie saw him, he merely looked at the golden-brown cat with a dull-eyed stare. Set turned his back fully on the room and followed Mirage out.
The city was gathered in front of the palace's stairs to witness the wedding as Mozenrath had commanded when he first took control of the city. Mirage and Set stood by the top of the stairs to witness the happy occasion. Mozenrath closed the doors, stepped up to the stairs, and raised his hands high, bringing immediate silence. He smirked at the crowd before saying, "The wedding will take place once Jasmine comes out the front doors." He swept to one side of the doors and waited for his bride to make her entrance.
After a few minutes of silence, the doors swung open slowly to reveal two Mamluks pushing open the doors and Jasmine standing there, holding a bouquet of black roses and dressed in a gown of black, blue, and purple. Her hair was twisted up into a bun at the back of her head and a black veil covered her head. She smiled happily at her subjects as well as the groom. She approached the sorcerer and he took one of her hands in his own.
"My dear princess, I admit I liked you when I first met you. I knew that you were the kind of woman I would like to have for a queen. I was determined to have you rule beside me even though you loved another. At last, my dream has come true. Before the entire city, I declare my love for you and I take you for my wife."
Jasmine smiled again and said, "Mozenrath, I didn't like you when we first met. Your obsession with power and conquest didn't appeal to me at all and of course, I loved another at the time. My former boyfriend is no more and your charms finally broke down my barriers. Before my city, I declare my love and take you for my husband." She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as Mozenrath closed his eyes and leaned forward to capture Jasmine's lips in a loving and binding kiss.
The people cheered and applauded the union and as the couple parted, Jasmine stepped forward and spoke loud and clear, "I present to you my husband and your new Sultan." The crowd cheered again as Mozenrath stepped forward to stand beside Jasmine. The citizens appeared happy with their new ruler, knowing that they would suffer most unpleasantly if they did not seem pleased and do exactly as he ordered. Mirage and Set exchanged evil grins as they teleported back to Morbia. A kingdom of light had now become a kingdom of darkness.
The End
I know Jasmine's balcony doesn't really show the city, but please just go with it.