I don't own Aladdin. The item Griffinbread is mine. This story takes place after "A Vocal Hero" and "Eye of the Beholder", but before "The Hunted."

Chapter One- The Perfect Revenge

Mozenrath was in a bad mood, a very bad mood. He spent the morning prowling around his kingdom, blasting any Mamluks in his way. He restored them once he had passed, but destroying and restoring his undead army did not make him feel any better for the cause of his bad mood still lived: Aladdin

He clenched his fists as he stormed into the Citadel. All my magic and magical beasts I could control and every time Aladdin thwarts my plans to rule the Seven Deserts. There has to be a way to get rid of him. Mozenrath went to his library, idly running his fingers along the books' spines. A repository of magical spells and knowledge that could bring countless cities to their knees and yet it seem Agrabah was immune to his powers.

He grabbed a book at random and stalked off to his laboratory; as he did so, his sidekick, Xerxes, flew to his side. The sight of the eel calmed him somewhat and brought his attention to another matter. "How is my eternal servant?" he asked.

"Amin cleaning dungeon as ordered," the eel hissed.

Amin Diamoola was a thief he had hired to kidnap the Sultan and bring him to Mozenrath; to accomplish that, he had given Amin a bag of tricks to use. One was a golden powder to turn the Sultan into a small gold statue. That one worked perfectly but his escape had been hampered by Aladdin's friends in addition to the hero himself. Amin really blew it when he used the Stone of Transformation to become a griffin. The toenail of a griffin was needed to return the Sultan to normal and thus he had bought every griffin he could and then destroyed them to keep the Sultan a statue. It ended badly for Amin as, to repay Mozenrath for the tricks and then failing, he was to serve Mozenrath forever. The whole fiasco was more of a win-win for him as, on one had would have the Sultan as his prisoner to ransom for Agrabah's surrender, and on the other hand, he would have an eternal servant to make up for not ruling Agrabah.

"Excellent. When he is done, he will wait for me in my Throne Room. I may take my frustration out on him." Mozenrath smirked as he entered his lab and set the book on the bookstand. He imagined turning Amin into a mouse for amusement or to spy, he hadn't quite decided. He turned the pages, brooding on defeating Aladdin. A shame he's an enemy instead of an ally. No one would be able to stop us if we combined our skills.

The word 'griffin' jumped out at him from the book and he focused on it. The page was titled Griffinbread and below it was a recipe for the bread as well as a description of what it did. Hmm…a bread that will gradually turn any human who eats it into a griffin, gradual being a few days. Furthermore, if it's given by the baker, the one who consumes it will obey him and that includes those who share in the bread. Best of all, once consumed and changed, no magic or item can undo it.

An evil smile curled his lips. This was how he would get his revenge on Aladdin. He would bake this Griffinbread and then he would sell it to Aladdin while in disguise. He knew the bread would be irresistible to all but the baker and that Aladdin would no doubt eat it as well as share it. Those who partook of the offered bread would become obedient griffins as well.

He looked at the ingredients and found that, naturally, it required griffin parts like feathers and claws. He had had the foresight to collect griffin parts before he destroyed his bought creatures. He ran a finger down the list and along the instructions. They indicated that the bread would only be big enough to change at most two people per loaf. His smile grew. If I phrase it right when I sell it to Aladdin, he will share it with Jasmine. Then, I'll have two griffins under my control. He marked the page before closing it, gathering the magical ingredients, and carried them to his kitchen where he began to mix them with the usual ingredients needed for bread. He was soon in front of the fireplace, watching the bread rise while he imagined himself with Aladdin as a griffin and bowing to him in loyalty.

Aladdin casually walked through the marketplace with Abu on his shoulder as usual. It was a beautiful afternoon and he was sure it was going to be a lovely evening. He had planned a romantic dinner for Jasmine. He had decided to have it out in the courtyard and would have Genie conjure a table, two chairs, romantic candlelight, and one of Jasmine's favorite dish. He also made it clear that it was to be the two of them. He didn't see their dinner being ruined by the guys' presence as they weren't on an island of treasure this time.

Still, I feel like I need to buy something special to add to dinner, he thought as he walked past a blank space between two unattended and empty stalls. Something… His thoughts trailed off as an unbelievably mouth-watering scent reached him. He turned around to see a stall which he could have sworn hadn't been there earlier. An array of bread loaves of various sizes laid on the counter and, right in the middle, was a loaf that was enough for two people and that sweet smell was coming from it.

"Excuse me, sir?" he said to a tall man.

The vendor, wrapped in a hooded cloak and a scarf over his lower face, turned to Aladdin. His black eyes looked warmly at him. "Ah, young man," he said in an equally warm voice. "Welcome to my House of Breads. Each one baked by my own hands."

"It shows." Aladdin admired the breads before gesturing to the middle one. "What kind of bread is that? I've never seen one like and it smells so good."

"Ahi, it is a family specialty one and the ingredients are rare and hard to find." His eyes twinkled and the edges crinkled, hinting that he was smiling under the scarf. "Tell me, do you have a young lady in your life? Ah, you do," he said, the last statement spoke as Aladdin blushed slightly. "I would be willing to sell you my family bread as it is really meant for couples, married or not."

"It is?"

"Yes. Both of you break it and eat it together as a way of confirming one's commitment to each other."

Aladdin could hardly believe his ears. He had been thinking of getting something special for dinner and such a thing had landed in his lap! "How much?"

"I would normally charge ten dinar, but I am open to a haggle."

Aladdin rummaged through a small bag he had pulled out of his vest. "Ten is fair," he said as he pulled out the coins and handed them over.

"Thank you and here is your bread. I hope you and your young lady enjoy it." The vendor wrapped the loaf and handed it to Aladdin.

"I'm sure we will." Aladdin smiled as he left, looking forward to sharing something special with Jasmine and proving that he truly did love her. The price he paid for it did seem cheap for so rare an item, but he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it.

Mozenrath vanished the stall and the bread before removing his cloak and scarf, the latter revealing a grin of triumph. Success and it was easier than I thought. I was certain that I would have to do a sales pitch to get him to buy it. And if he didn't buy, I would have given it away. Fortunately, the story I crafted and the phony romance behind the bread did the trick.

I have no doubt that he'll share that bread with Jasmine as soon as he can. If he does it tonight, the first hints of their changes will show in the morning. I will use my magic to spy on them to see when they eat the bread and then when they begin to change.

Mozenrath teleported back home and entered it to find Xerxes flittering around. When he saw his master, he flew to his side. "Master succeed?" he asked.

Mozenrath stroked the eel's head. "It was too easy. Once Aladdin and Jasmine eat it, I will be one step closer to having two obedient griffins."