Chapter 7- Princess Jasmine

She had found kind refuge in someone's home that evening and left before sunrise so they wouldn't find her still there to question her. It was an entirely new experience for the palace dweller, and at the moment, she hadn't even thought of being found by Razoul or any other the other guards that seemed more like her keepers. They followed her everywhere she went, there was no such thing as privacy, she didn't even know the meaning, especially what with the recent events lingering. It was all too much for the young woman, and she needed a sense of peace somewhere in between the folds of all the madness.

Shop keepers had just been opening, the smell of freshly baked goods floated in the air, which warmed the young woman's heart, and caused her stomach to mewl with hunger, however, she would worry about her hunger problems later. Excitement well up within her, there was a whole city she had yet to discover.

It was beginning to be an ordinary morning for the people of Agrabah. Housewives ventured the marketplace for their family's dinner, young men reeled the fish in, and street urchins sat up on canopy's and awnings, searching for breakfast. Aladdin and his companion Abu had been making an attempt to fool the shop keeper to gain their morning meal.

"Alright, Abu, you know what to do," Aladdin passed along to the monkey in a hushed tone while the vendor had been advertising his 'delectable' melons that even made Savannah giggle. The monkey saluted and down he went, his tail curling and latching onto something nearby, a pole perhaps as he came face to face with the vendor, distracting him from Aladdin, whose hands dropped, slipping his palms around a nice looking one before bringing it back up.

"Get away from that! Shoo!" The vendor was beginning to get frustrated with the animal.

Once Abu had caught a glimpse of his partner reaching their goal, he let the vendor take his melon back, tipped him his fez, and grinned, "Bye bye!" and up he went back to his good friend who cracked the melon in two. The little chimp feasting from his half. Aladdin let a smile slip.

Savannah was off elsewhere searching for breakfast, but wound up looking at jewels instead. Hey, she was buying her time preciously. There was no reason to rush into anything, unless she was begging to be caught. That's when you knew a street urchin was just asking for it; especially the inexperienced ones. Time was everything. You had to map it out just right.

"Would the pretty young like a pretty necklace? A pretty necklace for a young and beautiful woman like you," said the keeper, giving a nice, big, charming grin for the young woman he had been presenting it to.

Savannah had been quite flattered by his statement, "Oh, well, I-I couldn't," she felt her face flush; however, she soon learned she wasn't alone. The flush fell from her cheeks. The keeper wasn't talking to her; the man presenting the delicate jewels didn't even look in her direction. Instead, she heard another young woman.

"Oh, no, I couldn't, really…" She trailed off.

Well, that was embarrassing on the street urchin's end, no doubt. However, she further watched her where she would move to next. Since the new girl obviously showed no interest there.

She leaned over onto the counter and snickered as a fish was soon thrust into the newcomer's face, and meeting the booming voice of the fish merchant who was trying to sell them, claiming they were freshly caught and feeding any listening audience bits of information attempting to attract customers. She tried hard not to laugh, but could contain herself no longer. The look on her face was priceless. Which also earned a stern look from the jewel keeper, then of one in confusion, as though he had been trying to place her face from somewhere before in the past.

Savannah blinked. She had a feeling she was in trouble. She grinned sheepishly, and then slowly began to back away. She quickly moved to someplace more obscure where she wouldn't be so obvious to the naked eye, her eyes once more finding the fresh face of Agrabah once more.

The young woman bumped into a fire eater while trying to back away from the fish merchant. Obviously today was not going the way she planned. The man appeared to be choking on the flaming stick, Savannah moved to assist when she saw that he was eventually alright, sending out a large belch of fire before patting his stomach with satisfaction, both the newcomer and Savannah had a look of disgust. Even if Savannah had seen it at least once every morning.

"I'm really, very sorry!" she said apologetically, the fire breather held his hands up as though to tell her it was fine.

However, it seemed like it wasn't only Savannah who took sudden interest in this new comer. Someone else had their eye on the disguised princess, a certain young street rat. The startled young woman readjusted her hood, making sure to cover up the jeweled band she seemed to have neglected to take off. Although surprisingly, no one seemed to take notice that she stood out with the exception of one.

"Wow." He whispered this, letting the remainder of the melon fall out of his hands and onto the canopy. Abu arched a brow, scurrying onto his owner's shoulders and waving a hand in front of his eyes. The boy was mystified, enchanted. The monkey had seen this behavior once or twice before, heavily with that girl that seemed to never leave his side and now this new girl! When was the monkey ever going to get his friend back?

Lately, Aladdin had been having dreams. He was restless. And in each one there would be a young woman nestled into his arms, depending on him to protect her from sudden danger. She would look up at him with those big brown eyes of hers and that smile which melted his heart every time he saw it. But he could never put a face on the woman, until now that was. This young woman before him reminded him so of the woman in his dream. For a while he thought it may had even been Savannah, but no, those eyes.

He was so certain she was his dream girl.

And yet, just to be sure, he would watch her a little longer.

The young woman wandered further into the marketplace, passing more vendors who were trying to get her to buy their products and items, her eyes catching onto a child struggling to reach the apple on the stand.

"Oh, you must be hungry," she said sympathetically, smiling as she plucked the apple off of the stand and handed it to the child who smiled up at her, his tiny hands grasping onto it, his pleading eyes thanking her for her kindness. "There you go," she smiled, watching him nod and run off. The vendor quirked a brow at her.

"You'd better have money to pay for that." He made sure he was right to the point.

"Pay?" Never once had the girl had to pay for a meal. Then again, she was quite new to the real world. She was so strongly confused.

"Thief!"

Outraged, the owner believed she was trying to play mind games and make a fool of him, when neither was true. However, you couldn't trust a soul in this time and era. He grasped the young woman's wrist and pinned it down, for good measure, the arm landed with a thud, and the princess yelped in pain.

"The penalty for stealing. You remove my goods? I remove your hand." He wouldn't hear of her stammers, or her notions on getting money from the sultan. Now he knew for sure she was lying. No one he knew was able to get money from the man who took money.

"No, no, please!" she pleaded. With all her might she pleaded for an opportunity to pay this man back by her father. She was in complete distress as he wouldn't listen to her. Everyone listened to her, so, why was this man any different?

Aladdin's eyes widened and quickly he hurried down from the canopy, allowing his legs to carry him as fast as they could, grasping the owner's wrist just before he had the opportunity to amputate the wrist of the poor, confused girl.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," he said, eyeing the girl carefully.

"What are you doing?" The girl inquired, startled and scared. Her chest heaved, but, if this man was going to save her, she was willing to try anything.

"Just play along," he quietly responded.

The owner of the stand looked the two of them over. "You, know this girl?" He glanced between the two suspiciously.

Aladdin had been about to respond, when none other than Savannah sauntered over out from the shadows where she had been watching the entire scene. Aladdin perked a brow before he received a slap. It was all just the beginning of her plan; she'd pick it up where he left off. So, technically, wouldn't it still be his plan? Ah well, his plan, her plan, it was a plan!

"You were supposed to be watching her," she said, playing off her frustration in deep tones of aggravation. "I can't believe you would just let her walk off like that!"

Aladdin rubbed where she had hit him, giving a light glare. "I turned my back for a second!" Now, he was just getting defensive. Savannah merely rolled her eyes.

"Right, right, and what if we were to have any children? I can't do a thing with you!"

The owner of the stand continued to eye the trio, Aladdin made circles with his index finger to his temple to indicate they were both crazy, in which both women took offense.

"My apologizes for my sister-in-law, good sir," Savannah said apologetically. "As you can see, she is very ill."

Aladdin murmured up against the other, "What did I tell you? They're both loony."

However, the owner of the lost apple didn't find it so funny. He grasped Aladdin by his vest and yanked him up to his eye level. "She said she knew the sultan!" he exclaimed. Aladdin eyed the perimeter carefully before landing on Abu, he grinned.

"She thinks the monkey is the sultan," he said, gesturing over to the grinning monkey who quickly withdrew his hands from an unsuspecting commoner's pocket. The princess, who had been standing there quite confused, finally played along, dropping down to her knees, she mimicked a commoner.

"Oh wise sultan! How may I serve you? Oh, wise sultan, I am ever loyal to you! Oh wise sultan-"

Savannah's face contorted once more before her eyes turned up to the vendor. "Please, I wouldn't worry yourself with a woman who mistakes a primate for a ruler."

Abu, still grinning now, spoke in his monkey tongue, patting her head afterwards. Aladdin took this time to pluck an apple from the cart with his foot, Savannah watching carefully. He then presented the cart owner with the piece of fruit to "replace" the one she had given away.

"Tragic, isn't it?" He then straightened himself out, slowly settling himself from the angered man's grasp. "But, no harm has been done. Come my lovely wife, it's time to take our beloved sister to the doctor," he said, quickly stepping away completely and over to the unrecognized princess, picking her up and began to lead her off. "Come along, sister, it's time to see the doctor."

The princess moved over to the nearest thing she could find, which had been a camel. "Well hello doctor, how are you today?" She tilted her head with an ill stare about her, decorated with a smile.

"No, no, sis, not that one," Aladdin chuckled. "Come along, sultan," he said to the monkey whose vest was now bulging, he bowed, still speaking in his monkey tongue. Savannah began to move away, gathering prediction that chaos was about to erupt. And then she saw all of the treasures the monkey had worked so hard to collect had fallen out, spilling onto the dirt road.

The obese man's eyes widened. "What-what?! Come back here you thieves!"

She just had to think that way? "Run!" Savannah shouted, making a break for it while Aladdin took hold of the other woman's hand and led her out of the scene, Abu hurrying behind them while the shouts of the vendor clung through the afternoon.

When they were far enough, Savannah glanced at the two, with hands on her knees, she panted. "How stupid could you have been!?" She shouted. "You could have gotten us killed!"

"But it worked, didn't it?" Aladdin asked, brushing himself off while caring for the other woman. "Besides, stop shouting. You're scaring her."

Savannah could already feel her eye twitching. "I don't care who I'm scaring! I'd rather be scared than dead!" She smacked him in the back of the head. "And that was for calling me crazy!"

Aladdin rolled his eyes, glancing at the other woman beside him, thinking it was best to ignore the other considering her irritated state. "Are you alright?" He asked. She gave him a nod, and then he smiled. "Good. We should probably head back home now. You can come with until you get yourself straightened out," he continued, unable to let his smile loose. This girl had him enamored.

Then her lips upturned delicately, and from the corner of her eye, Savannah caught a look to Aladdin she had never seen before. Lucky for her, she didn't see the smile earlier; otherwise it would have just broken all of her ideas, as well as her heart.

"Ah…sands of time reveal to me the one who can enter the cave," a voice said from behind a crystal ball to reveal the image of Aladdin assisting the cloaked princess climbing a ladder, followed by the street mouse that had the monkey on her shoulder.

"Yes! Yes!" He exclaimed triumphantly. "There he is! My diamond in the rough!" Hissed the voice that belonged to the sorcerer while he grinned behind the crystal ball, cackling. This plan had been unraveling much better than he had ever imagined.