Agrabah was a desert. They docked at a port then proceeded to ride horses for several hours before reaching the kingdom. Most of the crew stayed with the ship, however, still not trusting the men or the Sultan, Sinbad and Jasmine brought along Gaston and Cale as back up.
By the time they reached the palace, Jasmine was dying of thirst. Her entire body felt like it was drying up to dust and would soon be nothing more than the sand they were walking on.
The captain who had shown up at Pleasure Island a few days ago now escorted them through the palace gates. The members of the Desert Rose paused for a moment to take in the beauty of the palace. It was large and completely made of marble. It was built among large rocks and seemed to tower over them for miles. It was mostly white and red and consisted of mainly round pillars with golden roofs and spires. A long, steep staircase led up to the turquoise doors.
Jasmine followed closely behind Sinbad, with Cale and Gaston behind her. The captain opened one of the large doors and went inside. Sinbad hesitated, but then led Jasmine and the others inside as well. The room they were in was large and open. A narrow red rug led from the door to an enormous golden throne. But there was nothing else in the room. There was no wall behind the throne, just a balcony. Evenly spaced pillars separated the room from the balcony, but there were no windows between them; just open space to walk outside.
As they approached the throne, they saw the Sultan sitting on the throne. Jasmine was a little taken aback by the Sultan's appearance. He had tan skin and a strong, angular face. His hair was thick and black with just a little gray on the sides. If it weren't for the gray hairs and the thin, neatly trimmed beard, he wouldn't look old enough to be running a kingdom. Beside him stood a young man about Sinbad's age who was unmistakably the Sultan's son. He had the same strong bone structure and thick black hair. They were both dressed in black and blue, which was a stark contrast to the white interior of the throne room.
"Your highness." The captain bowed. "I present to you Captain Sinbad of the Desert Rose and his sister, Jasmine."
The Sultan and the prince watched Sinbad, Jasmine and the crew member, expecting them to show the same respect the captain had and bow to them, but none of them did. He wasn't their Sultan.
After a moment, the Sultan cleared his throat. "I am Cassim, Sultan of Agrabah. This is my son, Aladdin."
"We kind of guessed that," Sinbad stated. "Do you mind telling us why we're here?"
Cassim raised an eyebrow, clearly shocked at being spoken to in such a way. Jasmine stepped forward. "Forgive my brother. It's been a long day and we're hot and thirsty. And a little irritable, it would seem. I apologize."
Cassim held up his hand. "No need to apologize. I understand this must be an inconvenience for you and your crew. This will only take a few moments and then I invite you stay the night here in the palace before heading out." The Sultan straightened up. "The reason I have asked the two of you here is this: it would seem we have a common enemy and I believe we can help each other out."
"And who would this enemy be?" Sinbad asked.
"A pirate that goes by the name Ruber."
Jasmine felt her eyes grow wide and the color drain from her skin. Beside her, Sinbad tensed.
"There are stories about the notorious Desert Rose and the brother and sister who run her," Cassim went on. "I'm sure most of them are just that: stories. However, each story starts the same way: with your father being murdered by Ruber. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the two of you are seeking revenge on Ruber, are you not?" Neither Sinbad nor Jasmine said anything. Cassim nodded and continued, "About a week ago Ruber and his men kidnapped my daughter. They're demanding a ransom for her return, which we must deliver to them. Here's where you come in. I want you to go to where Ruber and his crew wait for my ransom, kill him- and as many of his men as you can- and bring back my daughter. If you succeed, I will pay you quite handsomely."
"You know where Ruber is?" Jasmine asked. Her voice barely came out as more than a whisper.
Cassim nodded. "Yes, his whereabouts were left in his ransom note so we'd know where to take the money."
"Where is he?" Sinbad demanded.
"Not so fast, captain," Cassim said. "I need some leverage over you to make sure you follow through on this. So, my son will be accompanying you. He knows where Ruber is and he will take you to him. When you return with my son and daughter- both alive- I will pay you. Do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal," Sinbad announced, without a second's hestitation.
Cassim smiled in relief. "Great. Aladdin, show Jasmine to her room, please, while Sinbad and I make this agreement official."
Sinbad turned to Gaston and Cale. "Return to the ship and inform Smith of our new heading and tell him he is in charge for the night while Jasmine and I stay here." Gaston and Cale nodded. Sinbad turned his gaze back to Cassim. "Please give my men some food and water for their long ride back to the ship."
Cassim nodded. "Of course."
"This way," Aladdin said to Jasmine.
She followed him out of the throne room and down a hallway. There were several flights of stairs and they climbed each one in silence. They finally came to a set of red and gold double doors at the end of a hallway.
"This will be your room for the night. Your brother's room is at the other end of the hallway," Aladdin told her. "If you need anything, just ask any one of our servants."
"Thank you."
Aladdin nodded, then turned and walked away. Jasmine opened one of the doors just wide enough to fit in, then closed the door behind her. Tall gold and red posts circled the room and thick green curtains, similar to the ones on her bed back on Pleasure Island, were tied to each post. Jasmine untied each one until all of the curtains had been drawn. In the center of the room were more posts and another green curtain. In the middle of them was a vanity table, a chaise lounge and numerous pillows. On the far side of the room was a bed bigger than any Jasmine had seen before and across from the bed was a wide balcony.
A lantern hung from each of the outer posts, but Jasmine didn't bother to light any of them; she was no stranger to the dark. In fact, she preferred it. She walked over to the balcony and peered over the edge. All she could see was a courtyard and trees. For a moment, she forgot she was in the desert.
"Jasmine?"
Jasmine went back into the room when she heard her brother's voice. He stood near the door, looking around the room. When he saw her, he made his way over to her.
"We're really doing this?" Jasmine asked. "We're going after Ruber?"
"Yeah. I don't like that that prince has to tag along. But, it's a small price to pay."
A knot formed in Jasmine's stomach. "Sinbad? I'm kind of scared."
"Don't be. You're not going anywhere near Ruber."
Jasmine glared at her brother. "What? That's not what I was getting at."
"It doesn't matter. I promised dad that I would look after you. I will not allow you to fight Ruber. I'll take care of him."
"I'm not a child anymore, Sinbad. I'm fully capable of holding my own against Ruber."
"I know you are. But, I'm not risking your life. When we find Ruber, the crew and I will take care of him and his men while you and the prince rescue his sister."
Jasmine groaned and collapsed on her bed. "Reduced to rescuing damsels in distress. How the mighty have fallen."
Sinbad laughed. "Don't look at it that way. We need both the princess and prince alive in order for the Sultan to pay us. It's your job to keep them both alive."
Jasmine tilted her head so she was looking at her brother. "You know I hate this?"
"I know. But, it's how it has to be done."
Jasmine bit her lip and propped herself up on her elbows. "What if something happens to you?"
Sinbad sat down on the bed. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm stronger than dad ever was; Ruber will not be able to kill me."
"Sinbad…"
"Do you believe me?"
Jasmine slowly shook her head. "I want to believe that. But, it's hard when every night I dream of dad's death."
Sinbad frowned. "You're still having those nightmares?" Jasmine nodded. Sinbad leaned forward, resting his forearms on his legs. "Look, when I go, I hope it's in a fight. I want to go down swinging, with a sword in my hand. Growing old on some beach somewhere does not appeal to me. But, I'll be damned if I let Ruber end my life. A man is in charge of his own fate, and that will not be mine."