Night 18- The Incident
Magi © Shinobu Ohtaka
Shahra © Me
Alozza © Darkdarling98
In the present, Alibaba sat before his small audience on the floor.
"I was so happy to see Cassim," he said, "but at the same time, I was afraid…because I didn't know what he would say or do! I was almost certain that maybe, we'd have a happy reunion…but boy, was I a fool."
"What happened?" Aladdin asked.
Flashback resume
Alibaba and Cassim looked each other, dead in the eyes, the former's mouth gaped in surprise.
"His appearance had changed, that much was true, but even after all those years, I knew it was him. He looked at me like he had seen a ghost. I know we hadn't parted on good terms…so I almost didn't know what to say to him."
"C-Cassim…?" Alibaba asked. "Is that you?"
Cassim just blinked at Alibaba, his lips parted in surprise.
"I-it's me! Alibaba! You remember me…right?"
A pause…but then Cassim's eyes turned dark slightly, but then a wide grin creased his lips and his eyes lit up again.
"Alibaba!" he beamed. "Long time, no see, pal!"
Alibaba laughed as Cassim pulled him into a friendly hug.
"What are you doing around here?!" Cassim asked, giving him a noogie.
"I-I was just taking a little walk!" Alibaba replied.
"What a coincidence!" Cassim exclaimed. "So was I!"
The two old friends laughed as they walked off.
"I had no idea what he was thinking, back then. I mean, yeah, it felt good to see him after all that time…but when I think back…I saw Cassim's eyes grow dark for a moment. I'm certain that that's when he had decided on his course of action."
Flashback pause
"Alibaba…" Aladdin muttered in concern.
"So what happened next?" Alozza asked.
"Well…" Alibaba started.
Flashback resume
"Come on, Alibaba!" Cassim exclaimed. "Let's go have us a drink! My treat!"
"Uh…okay," Alibaba answered as he followed Cassim to a tavern.
"Hey, everybody!" Cassim called to the other patrons.
"Cassim!" they all cheered.
"Hey, barkeep!" Cassim called as he sat down at a table. "Get me and my best friend, Alibaba a drink!"
"I didn't know what he meant back then. We weren't old enough to drink, yet…but I didn't wanna seem childish, so I went with him. Turns out he was a regular at the tavern. All these shady-looking guys treated him like a friend. Some of them even bowed to him. I also noticed the jewelry he was wearing, so I guess he found a way to earn some money."
Soon, Cassim and Alibaba had been served their drinks.
"Here's to reunions!" Cassim exclaimed as he and Alibaba tapped mugs.
"So, Cassim," Alibaba started, "what have you been up to? Where's Mariam and everyone from the backstreets?"
Cassim looked down, grimly for a moment before he took a sip of his drink.
"Well," he started, "the backstreets are gone. The government drove us out. Something about 'redevelopment'. We all live somewhere else, now."
Alibaba gasped quietly in shock.
"What?" Cassim asked. "You mean you didn't know?"
"N-no," Alibaba answered. "I'm always locked up inside the palace."
"I see," Cassim said. "But hey! Enough of this gloomy talk! It's a reunion, so let's drink and be happy!"
Alibaba just sat there, staring at him nervously.
"Huh?" Cassim muttered. "You haven't even had a drop! Don't tell me you can't drink, Alibaba!"
"Huh?!" Alibaba questioned. "Y-yes, I can!"
Glug-glug-glug-glug! He took a few gulps from his mug of wine, and not long after, he soon felt a bit dizzy.
'Oh, man,' he thought. 'I feel weird…does Cassim always drink this stuff?'
"Not bad!" Cassim said as he poured Alibaba some more wine. "Here, have some more! It's on me!"
Soon, Alibaba and Cassim kept drinking and talking together.
"I had learned a lot in the palace…letters and swordplay…but Cassim had learned things I never could. Adult skills, like how to put on a front, pour drinks, and make others drink, too. We talked about the old days…and it felt great! Cassim was complaining about how Mariam had become a troublemaker, and I laughed because as far as I knew, Cassim was an even bigger troublemaker than she could ever be. We had a great time…until we ran out of old stories."
Later on, Alibaba chuckled drunkenly as he swayed back and forth, a red flush on his cheeks.
"So, Alibaba," Cassim said, causing the blonde prince to look at him with a hiccup. "You said you were locked up in the palace, right? If that's so, how'd you get here?"
"Oh, sneaking out was haaard," Alibaba slurred. "There soooooo many guards!"
"How'd you get passed them all?"
"Heh! That's easy…my tunnel!"
"Tunnel? What tunnel?"
"Remember? The ones I always use to dig when we were kids in the backstreets! That's how I always beat you when we played Capture the Flag!"
"…Oh, that tunnel!"
"It wasn't easy. The walls all looked solider from outside, but sometimes, they aren't on the inside. I was able to open up seams and gaps to form a tunnel!"
"I see…" Cassim said with a smirk.
"Cassim was impressed, but I didn't tell him where the tunnel was. I may have been drunk outta my ass, but I knew I couldn't let my guard down that much. After that, Cassim didn't ask me anymore questions."
Soon, Alibaba stood up, although he did stumble a little.
"You okay?" Cassim asked.
"Y-yeah," Alibaba replied. "Sorry, Cassim…I think I better go back to the palace, now…but it was really good to see you."
"I hear ya," Cassim said, giving him a gentle pat on the back. "You need me to walk you back? I gotta admit, maybe you drank a little too much."
"No, I can make it on my own," Alibaba assured before he turned to leave. "Oh, wait! Before I go…Cassim…I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Cassim muttered.
"You know…for when I hit you on the day I left the backstreets. You told me to get lost…because you didn't want me to worry about you, did you?"
A pause…but then Cassim smiled at Alibaba and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Of course," he said. "After all…we are friends, right?"
Alibaba gasped before he smiled, too.
"Right!" he exclaimed. "We're friends!"
"I was relieved. Cassim really did care for me…we were friends again, just like back ten. That lifted my spirits!"
Cassim then paid the barkeep, and he and Alibaba left the tavern, going their separate ways.
"See ya later, Cassim!" Alibaba called.
"See ya, man!" Cassim called back as he left.
With that, Alibaba walked away with a bit of a skip in his step. However…he didn't realize that someone happened to be following him.
"I was so happy…I didn't know that Cassim paid one of his flunkies to follow me to the palace."
Flashback pause
Alibaba growled as he clutched at his head.
"I was…such a dumb-ass!" he cursed.
Alibaba chewed his lip, trying to hold back tears, while Morgiana looked at Alibaba in concern. Then, Alozza stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't push yourself," she said. "Just…take your time."
Alibaba took a deep breath.
"Thanks, Alozza," he said. "Anyway…nothing happened for a while."
Flashback resume
Alibaba is out in the training grounds, practicing his swordplay.
"Good job, Alibaba!" praised his mentor. "Keep it up!"
Alibaba grinned proudly at this.
"My lessons were still pretty hard, but I felt released from a heavy burden and faced everything positively…but that all changed when my Dad called me."
Alibaba was in the king's bedchamber as the king himself lied in his bed. His face was pale and wrinkly, and he coughed harshly.
"He had been sick for about a year, so most of the authority rested with Abhmad. I went to him…and he told me…"
"Alibaba, my son, I do not have much time left…but the kingdom is in turmoil."
"Balbadd had fallen on hard times. It's major trading partner, Parthevia, was in decline, while the Kou Empire to the northeast increased in power. Backed by their military might, they were interfering in our economy…their envoy was always by Abhmad's side, offering him advice. Abhmad himself was too lazy to think for himself, so he did whatever the man said…then the king said to me…"
"Alibaba…I will leave this country in your hands."
Alibaba gasped at this.
"M…me?" he asked. "Your Majest…are you sure about this? I mean…I'm a child of the backstreets!"
"I understand how you feel," the king said, "but I have no one else to ask. The country is facing a serious crisis. My wife had educated Abhmad and Sabhmad, and yet I feel as if I can't leave the country in their hands…now, I have little time to spare."
"…Can I ask just one thing?" Alibaba asked.
"Yes," the king answered. "What is it, Alibaba?"
"…What did you think about my Mother?"
A pause…but then the king chuckled a bit.
"Anise…" he muttered. "Oh, how I wished we could've been together forever…but alas, there were too many constraints…even so…I did…and always will love her."
"…I see," Alibaba said. "Thank you…knowing that, I can continue living my life here…thank you…Father."
The king smiled a bit at this.
"However," Alibaba started, "I'm afraid…I can't accept this kind of responsibility. I mean…the kingdom already has Abhmad and Sabhmad. If I stepped in, I would only make things worse…so, instead, allow to use my understanding of the people to assist my brothers!"
"I see," the king said. "Very well, Alibaba…I will leave that to you."
Alibaba bowed before he left his father alone…with a determined expression on his face.
"That conversation had a bracing effect on me…so I decided to devote all my strength to the kingdom! However…I didn't realize that conversation with my Dad…would be my last."
XXX
Later that night, Alibaba is wandering outside the palace, rubbing his arms.
"The incident occurred that very night. I couldn't sleep because of the talk I had with my Dad…so I got out of bed and went outside for some fresh air. There was no moon, so it was pretty dark outside…but when I looked…there he was!"
Alibaba looked up…and saw Cassim, standing in the courtyard, smoking a cigar!
"C…Cassim?" he whispered. "What's he doing here?!"
"At first, I thought maybe he wanted to hang out again…but that wasn't the case."
Just then, some shady-looking men came climbing over the walls, holding knifes and swords…among them being Zaynab and Hassan.
"Soon, all these thugs came into the courtyard…and some of them I recognized as the hoodlums Cassim used to hang out with when we were kids…and that's when I realized he had never changed. He was still up to his old tricks…but worse…he was going to raid the palace treasury!"
Alibaba gasped quietly as he watched the group of thieves begin to enter courtyard, and not long after, they tried to break into the treasury, and he soon fell to his knees in horror.
"I was beside myself with fear…what was I supposed to do? Get help? Try and stop them?! I was torn! Cassim was my friend, but I couldn't let these guys raid the palace! I just didn't know what to do! All because I didn't see Cassim's true intentions back at the tavern…because he got me drunk, and I ended up blabbing things to him! Devote myself to the kingdom?! I couldn't even handle something like this! I just…froze!"
As Alibaba stood there in horror…he didn't see one man approach him from behind…and whack him in the back of the head with a club!
"UGH!" Alibaba cried as he fell down.
"Hey, Cassim! This one saw us! What do we do?!"
"…Just tie him up and leave him there."
Cassim then threw his cigar into some dry grass…and not long after, the plants were set ablaze!
"As I lied there, dazed…I could hear roaring flames and people screaming and fleeing for their lives. Cassim set fire to the surrounding buildings and raided the royal treasury…and he used the secret tunnel I dug to escape!"
Flashback end
"Did that really happen, Alibaba?" Aladdin asked while Shahra sat next to him.
"Yes, it did," Alibaba answered, "and then…came even worse news. When I woke up the next morning…I was in the infirmary…and I had been told that my Dad had passed away."
Alozza, Aladdin, Morgiana, and Shahra all gasped.
"He died from his illness," Alibaba continued, "but…the incident from that night had only made things worse for him. He went into cardiac arrest from the shock and died not long after…and it felt like I was the one who killed him…so I packed up all my things and ran away. My days in Balbadd had ended."
"…Oh, Alibaba," Aladdin said, sadly.
XXX
Outside the room, Sinbad and Ja'Far are sitting by the wall with cups to their ears while Masrur just stood by, quietly.
"I see," Sinbad muttered. "So Alibaba was the old king's illegitimate son."
"Really now, Sin," Ja'Far whispered. "Eavesdropping is in such bad taste. If Alath were here, she'd agree!"
"Shush!" Sinbad whispered. "If I went in, he'd stop talking, so be quiet!"
"So what happened after you left?" Alozza was heard saying.
XXX
"I decided to make a living as a caravan cart driver in the oasis towns up north," Alibaba said. "I enjoyed a life without any constraints, and I began thinking about capturing a dungeon…but as time went on, I turned out to be all bark and no bite…until I met you, Aladdin."
Aladdin gasped quietly at this.
"And that's how you captured Dungeon No. 7," Morgiana surmised. "But there's one thing I don't understand. Cassim is someone who once betrayed you…so why did you join the Fog Troop, knowing what he did to you?"
"Yeah, Alibaba," Alozza agreed. "It doesn't make any sense."
A pause…but Alibaba took in another deep breath to calm himself.
"I…came back to Balbadd to settle things," he said. "Before I could make a fresh start, I decided to return to the palace and reveal the truth about the raid…but when I got back, I found that things were even worse than before."
Flashback
Six months prior to meeting up with Aladdin again, Alibaba walked through the streets of Balbadd…only to see a bunch of poor people, out in the streets, and some of them were even young children.
"You might not notice it here, but the outskirts of the city are a mess. Many didn't even have food to eat. What had happened? That's when I heard a rumor about a group of thieves clashing with the royal forces. It was the Fog Troop, led by Cassim. I had been trying to forget about. I know he was like family, but it didn't change the fact that he betrayed me! At that moment, I changed my mind…If I was gonna set things right, I had to start by finding Cassim, so I paid a thug to get a meeting with him, right away."
Later, Alibaba is seen standing outside a tent. He gulped nervously, feeling his heart race, but he steeled his nerves and went inside…and soon, he saw him…Cassim.
"…Alibaba?" Cassim asked in surprise.
"…Hey, Cassim," Alibaba said, glaring at him. "Long time, no see, huh?"
"…Yeah," Cassim answered, looking away with a guilty expression. "It's…been a while."
"I know what you must be thinking…so far, I've made him sound like such a villain while I was a victim…but it turned out that wasn't the case. The Fog Troop wasn't all bad…they had their reasons."
"…Listen…Alibaba," Cassim said. "I know what you're gonna say…and believe me when I say I'm really sorry about what I did that night. Honest and truly I am…but you have to understand! I had no choice!"
"Oh, you had no choice," Alibaba spoke up, sarcastically. "You had no choice but to betray my trust and kill my Father! What the hell, Cassim?! You actually had me thinking you had changed!"
"I did change!" Cassim argued.
"Yeah, you did!" Alibaba barked. "For the worse! Why, Cassim…why did you do it?! How could you do it?!"
Cassim looked down, chewing his lip.
"…The government did horrible things, all right?" he asked. "They segregated us!"
"What?" Alibaba asked. "What do you mean 'segregated'?!"
"…Not long after you left," Cassim answered, "the government adopted terrible policies toward the backstreets. It imposed residential areas, restricted where people and goods could come and go, and limited what people could do! We lost access to the bazaars, and we couldn't enter the city except for physical labor assigned by the authorities! Basically…it's like we were in prison."
"C…Cassim," Alibaba muttered in shock.
"…The year after you left the backstreets," Cassim went on, "a plague broke out…and they quarantined the backstreets so it wouldn't spread to the palace. They wouldn't send us any doctors or medicine. Many people died in agony…including…"
He choked back a sob.
"Including poor little Mariam!" he cried.
"What?!" Alibaba questioned.
"She…she died…in my arms!" Cassim sobbed. "Coughing up blood…and she suffered so horribly…but there was nothing I could do to save her!"
"But…Cassim," Alibaba started, "I-I thought you said she was okay! The night I saw you again…you acted like everything was okay!"
The dreadlock-haired teen glared at Alibaba and shook him.
"What the hell was I supposed to say, you bastard?!" he questioned. "YOU JUST SAT THERE, GRINNING LIKE A DAMN IDIOT!"
Alibaba gasped in horror while Cassim let him go, sitting back down, his tears falling.
"I…I'm sorry," he said. "It's just…you don't know what I've been through, man…but I decided…I decided that I was going to do something about the backstreets, and for that, I needed power!"
He then stood up, raising a clenched fist.
"That's why I formed the Fog Troop! After that raid on the palace…we were powerful! I gathered troops and weapons, and we fought the soldiers of King Abhmad! And yet…something's still missing!"
WHAM! Cassim slammed his fist on the table.
"We're just a motley crew of criminals from the backstreets!" he shouted. "If nothing changes…we'll be hunted and executed like a bunch of rats!"
"Cassim…" Alibaba muttered. "I-I'm sorry…I had no idea."
"N…no, you're right," Cassim replied. "You had no idea…it's not your fault…it's not your…"
He trailed off as his eyes went wide, then he smiled and laughed a bit, to Alibaba's unease.
"C…Cassim?" Alibaba asked. "You okay?"
"That's it…!" Cassim whispered. "That's it! Of course! How could I have been so stupid?! It's so simple!"
"What is?" Alibaba inquired. "What are you talking about?!"
"You, Alibaba!" Cassim exclaimed as he put his hands on his shoulders. "You've got to join us!"
"Join you?!" Alibaba repeated in shock. "Are you crazy?!"
"…Yeah, you're right," Cassim answered. "As a member, you'd be soon as just a regular thief…but you're a prince! Therefore, you have to lead us!"
"LEAD?!" Alibaba questioned.
"Yeah!" Cassim exclaimed. "I can see it, now…Prince Alibaba! Hero of the Backstreets! Alibaba the Wondrous!"
Alibaba's eyes went wide.
"Please, Alibaba," Cassim begged. "You've got to lead us! If you do…the Fog Troop won't be seen as a rebel army anymore!"
"C…Cassim…!" Alibaba whispered.
"So?" Cassim asked as he held out his hand. "What do you say…partner?"
A pause…but then Alibaba put on a determined face and nodded his head.
"Okay," he said as he shook Cassim's hand.
Flashback end
"So that's how I joined the Fog Troop," Alibaba said. "Talking to Cassim that day made me realize that despite everything that had happened, he was still family…and he just needed help, so I wanted to fight alongside him! So I immediately took action. We divided the spoils among the people, and with their support, we would be more than just insurgents. Then, I could reveal my identity and negotiate with that damned pig, Abhmad! And that's what I'm gonna do, Aladdin!"
As Alibaba kept on talking, Aladdin stared at him worriedly.
'So that's what happened,' he thought. 'Alibaba's been so worried and fighting for his people and his friend…but…I can't help but feel like I've seen this before.'
He then remembered the time he and Shahra spent with the Kouga Clan, and how they were willing to go to war with the Kou Empire in order to protect their loved ones and preserve their way of life.
'That's right!' the young Magi thought.
"Alibaba," Aladdin spoke up, "what if the kind doesn't listen to you?"
"Yeah, Alibaba," Alozza agreed. "If he doesn't listen to a word you say, what will you do, then?"
Alibaba gasped quietly in surprise.
"Uh…well…" he muttered…as he remembered his conversation with Cassim.
"I mean, what are you to do, plan a war or something?!"
"A war, huh? Now that's not a bad idea."
"I know you're worried about your friend, Alibaba," Aladdin began, "but if you fight in anger, then something bad will happen. I know…because I've seen something like this before."
"B…but…" Alibaba stammered, "what else can I do?! This country's falling apart! Someone has to do something about it! I can't just sit by and do nothing while everyone suffers! That's why I prepared for a fight!"
He then looked at the others.
"But I understand what you're saying!" he continued. "All the fighting has created refugees! They're soldiers and nobles, but we're still hurting people! I just…I just don't know what to think anymore! I'm so damn pathetic! That's why I didn't see you, Morgiana, or Shahra right now, okay!? Please you guys…just get outta here, will ya?! LEAVE THIS COUNTRY AND NEVER COME BACK!"
BONK! Alozza clocked Alibaba on the head.
"Quit your whining!" she barked.
"Hey, that hurts!" Alibaba cried, holding his head.
"Please calm down, Alibaba," Aladdin said as he stood up. "All this worrying is just going to confuse you. I felt the same way when my Mother got sick and she passed away."
"Aladdin…" Alibaba muttered in surprise.
"I know this country has problems," Aladdin continued, "but it's gonna be all right, because I'm gonna help you!"
"Y-you are?" Alibaba asked.
"Of course I am!" Aladdin smiled. "Ugo, Shahra, Morg, and Alozza will help, too! Right, guys?"
"Of course," Morgiana nodded with Shahra roaring in agreement.
"I'll help out, too," Alozza said. "After all, I did use to live here."
"See?" Aladdin asked. "With all of us working together, I'm sure we can come up with a much better answer, and maybe we'll help your dear friend, too!"
Alibaba's eyes went wide…and then he hung his head low.
"…I'm sorry I yelled," he said.
"It's okay," Aladdin answered as he held out his hand.
A pause…but then Alibaba looked up at the boy, smiling as he took his hand in his own.
Just then, BOOM! The wall suddenly exploded behind them, sending the group flying across the room!
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Alibaba questioned. "WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Alozza groaned as she looked up…and gasped in horror.
"Uh…Alibaba?" Alozza asked.
"What?" Alibaba asked.
"This Cassim friend of yours…does he dreadlocks, yellow eyes, and red earrings?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Because I think he's here."
The group looked up and gasped upon seeing…Cassim and the Fog Troop.
"C-Cassim?!" Alibaba questioned. "What are you doing here?!"
"What's it look like?" Cassim asked. "I came to save you, partner!"
Until Next Night…
Well, got this one up.
I'll probably start that Black Lagoon fic later this weekend.
Review, please!