Chapter 27: Dangerous Questions

The next day, I was pacing outside Jasmine's bedroom nice and early. After yesterday, I was anxious to see her.

When she slipped out of her door, I practically pounced on her.

"Whoa! Rajah! You're not a cub anymore," she said.

I searched her face. Her smile didn't reach her puffy eyes.

"I look that bad, do I?"

I whined. I had wanted to see her earlier. When I'd woken up last night to go to work, I had been tempted to skip the night and camp out in the hallway outside of her rooms, but I decided against it. I thought that Jasmine would appreciate my work over me just worrying over her. Now, I was not so sure I had made the right choice.

"Well, regardless," she said, "we have another full day of work. We have to make up for yesterday. Agrabah needs us, Rajah. So, come on, let's go." She started walking towards the study.

I made a skeptical sound as I followed her reluctantly. Last night, I had struggled to put Agrabah first. Right now, I could care less about the kingdom. I was worried about her.

Jasmine didn't say anything in response. She continued to walk at a brisk pace. Then she entered the study and got to work. It was a very productive day. Jasmine was full of new energy, but I was too worried to care. She didn't mention Prince Ali once and he didn't come by.

Dinnertime came and I accompanied the tense princess to the dining hall. Both of us geared up to face the prince, but he wasn't there. The sultan informed us that Prince Ali had taken a ride on his magic carpet and had not yet returned.

The information elicited a sigh from Jasmine. I suppose she was just relieved, but I wasn't sure. It sounded too sad to be just that.

Over the next few days, when it became clear that Ali was not coming back any time soon, I kept waiting for Jasmine to say something about her argument with the prince, but she said nothing. The whole court still thought the wedding was happening. They assumed the prince was preparing something for the "secret wedding."

More days passed and there was still no news from the prince. I knew he couldn't have left for good. His servants were still here, yet no one knew where he had gone. The rumors kept getting wilder and wilder. Every once in a while, I caught glimpses of worry on Jasmine's face, but the princess seemed determined to not acknowledge Ali's absence or her fight with him. And when I tried to bring it up, she tersely told me that we had to focus on Agrabah.

It wasn't untrue. After all, Ali's departure had not stopped the city's current crisis. It took time to restructure a government and train new people. Not to mention all the other unresolved issues. The work seemed endless. Jasmine was attacking it with a grim determination that I tried to match. We'd stop corresponding for the most part and I was doing my best to increase my output.

One night it just became too much for me. I was tired and my mind could not focus on the letters in front of me. I needed a break. Really, I had needed a break 3 hours ago, but now I was finally willing to admit it. I stood up. I had to get away from my desk. It was late and I wondered if I should just call it a night, but when I got outside, I decided to go on a walk.

The moon was in the sky as I avoided the guards and wandered out into the gardens. The cypress trees, delicate blossoms, and ornate fountains looked so different under the gaze of my human eyes. Even in the moonlight, the colors seemed to glow. It was beautiful, being human. After my first few nights, I hadn't really thought much about my new privileges, but right now I wasn't sure how I could have forgotten.

Then I heard a voice whisper. "Hello?"

I thought it was coming from the direction of the peacock fountain. I stopped walking and I quickly stepped behind a tall tree. I wasn't in the mood to turn back into a tiger.

"Hello?" the voice was closer. And more importantly, this time I recognized it.

"Jasmine," I croaked. What was she doing in the gardens at this hour? It was well past midnight.

"Who's there?" she asked.

I didn't say anything. This was not how I wanted our first conversation to begin.

She took another step. "I know someone's there. Prince Ali, is that you?"

"No," I said before I could stop myself. Damn it.

Jasmine was on the other side of the tree now. She had found me. "Why are you hiding then?"

I swallowed. This was getting ridiculous. I should not be this nervous and yet I was. Jasmine was talking to me. She was right there with only a tree between us.

"Are you my secret advisor?" she asked hesitantly.

There was a breath where even I didn't know if I would answer. Finally, I responded, "Yes."

"Oh." I felt Jasmine take a step back. "I suppose you don't want me to see you then."

Yes.

No.

It was complicated.

"It would be for the best," I rasped. My throat was dry and I couldn't seem to get enough air.

"I'm just surprised to see or rather hear you, outside. Are you just going for a stroll in the gardens?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. Another short response. I felt like an idiot. What had happened to the eloquent Prince Dhiren who could charm just about anyone?

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," she said forlornly. She started to move away.

"Wait!" I said.

She stopped. "Yes?"

I swallowed again. I was already here. I was talking to Jasmine. The conditions were less than ideal, but I would make the best of it. I opened my mouth, focused on not sounding like a complete idiot, and asked, "Why are you out here so late, princess?"

"Oh, no real reason. I just couldn't sleep," she said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I told her and I was. Normally she'd come to find me when she couldn't sleep, but of course, these days I was in the study most nights, and Jasmine…well, she had been keeping her feelings to herself a lot recently. It worried me. I figured she would have cut off the engagement by now. There were political reasons to keep the charade going, the same ones as before, but I didn't think that was it. I just hoped Jasmine wasn't falling for Ali's games again.

The princess interrupted my thoughts, by saying, "It's not important."

It took me a moment to remember what we were talking about. She wasn't sleeping. Right. "I think it's important," I said, "Sleep is crucial." Not that I slept much these days either. It was cat naps for me.

"What?" she asked flippantly. "Are you worried that your princess is tired? That I won't be able to serve Agrabah the way I should?"

"Yes," I said, "But no."

"Yes, but no?" she repeated skeptically.

Perhaps, I should hop out from behind the tree and end this conversation. I was making a mess of this.

"SA?"

"Yes, sorry…I…well." Pull it together Dhiren. "I mean having the princess of Agrabah be tired is a problem. I'm more worried because…because we're friends." Best friends really.

"Friends?" she asked. "How can we be friends when I don't even know you?"

I cringed. Yes, turning back into a tiger was really starting to seem like a good idea.

"Look," she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. Please don't be insulted. I am just tired and out of sorts."

"It's alright," I lied. Then I added, "I have been quite secretive. I have my reasons, but it doesn't change that fact."

"Yes, that's it. I wasn't trying to insult you. We work well together and I have really appreciated all your help. I think that government plan of yours is going to work once everyone is settled," she said, trying to soften the blow. "But all the same, I don't know you that well."

An awkward silence began. I was a bit speechless. I knew this wasn't Jasmine's fault. It was the curse, but it still hurt. My best friend thought we were strangers.

Jasmine moved from foot to foot. She was waiting for me to say something. I knew what I had to do. I took the plunge and asked. "Well then, what would you like to know? About me? I mean."

There was another pause.

"That's a dangerous question," she said.

"I know," I said and I was perfectly serious, even though she was not. "But I think it's worth the risk." I hoped it was.

"Alright," she said and I could hear something like enthusiasm in her tone. "I won't warn you again. I am far too curious at this point."

I knew that all too well. "I understand. Ask away," I told her.

I could practically hear her rubbing her hands together. "Okay, the first thing I'd really like to know is your name. What should I call you? I've been using the names secret advisor and SA for weeks and you never corrected me. And it didn't seem right to ask with the whole secrecy thing, but you asked what I wanted to know."

"I did," I said. Though the question surprised me. I thought she'd want something much more personal. I thought about it. What would the curse allow me to say? "Well, no one calls me by my first name. You can call me…" I tried to say my real name, Dhiren. My mouth formed the words but nothing happened.

"Hello?"

"Ren." I bit out the word. "You can call me Ren."

"Ren," she repeated.

I nodded and then I realized she couldn't see me so I said, "Yes. It's a nickname. My mother used it." At least that came out.

"So, Ren, are you part of my court?"

"Yes."

"Are you a noble?"

"Yes."

"Do I know you?"

"You're doing it again, princess," I said with the beginnings of a smile on my face. "We've gone over similar information before in our letters. You should ask me something more general, instead of trying to uncover my identity."

"Those were perfectly innocent questions," she lied.

"No, they weren't," I said in a mock-serious tone. "You're going to have to be a lot more circumspect than that, if you want to uncover a person's secrets. I've seen children who-"

I stopped. What was I saying? This wasn't the sort of thing a random noble said to the crown princess. It was the sort of thing a sarcastic tiger might think to himself in the privacy of his own head where Jasmine would never hear.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. I said, "I didn't mean to…"

At the same time, she said, "I'm sorry. I upset you…"

There was a pause. I kept my big mouth shut, so Jasmine broke the silence, "I can't seem to stop messing up this conversation. I'm sorry, Ren."

"I'm no better," I said.

"How have we been ruling Agrabah this whole time?" Jasmine said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"We haven't been," I said. "The paperwork definitely has the upper hand."

Jasmine smacked the tree and said, "Ren, that's horrible."

I grinned. "But it's true. You know I keep dreaming that it's going to devour me one of these days."

Jasmine laughed.

Beautiful. It had been too long.

After a moment, she sobered and said, "You're different than I expected."

"How so?"

"Honestly?" she asked.

"Why not?" I was curious.

"You're less…"

Regret filled me. Less what? Eloquent? Intelligent? Charming?

"Stuffy."

"Stuffy? That's preposterous! I'm not stuffy." Though that response was not helping my case.

"Your letters are very polite and quite formal most of the time," she said.

"That's because most of them are royal correspondence. They're supposed to sound like that, princess."

"I know but…"

"But what?"

"I don't like the style of royal correspondence. I mean even if all I want to say is thank you for visiting my city to discuss trade negotiations. It turns into this whole long-winded monologue."

I knew what she was talking about. "The Duke of Francia is very particular," I said defensively.

"I am most honored and forever indebted to you and your indispensable assistance." She recited in a nasally tone. "Please, I entreat you to visit my fair city again should the whim strike you."

I cringed. "Okay well…"

"I rest my case," she said decisively.

I refused to give up. "My writing isn't always like that," I argued. "I've…" made you laugh plenty of times, but the words got stuck in my mouth and so I said instead, "Surely some of my personal notes weren't so stuffy as you call it. I bet at least one of them made you laugh."

Until recent events, Jasmine was more likely to leave me lighthearted notes than I was but, occasionally, I'd leave her a witty comment about a strange letter or my less filtered opinion on some report. I tried not to do it too often because a lot of valuable work time got lost thinking about what to say in those little notes. But still, I had left the notes and they weren't stuffy.

And I wasn't stuffy. I was proper. There was a big difference.

"Some were amusing, yes," Jasmine conceded in a tone of mock forbearance. "So, I suppose I should have guessed."

"You should have," I said boldly.

Jasmine let out another short laugh.

Suddenly it didn't matter whether I was stuffy or not. I'd made her laugh again. This was incredible. Our first meeting wasn't anything like I had imagined, but we were together. I didn't want it to end.

"Princess?" I began.

"Call me Jasmine," she said. "It's only fair since I don't know your title."

I ignored the unspoken question. There was no way I could tell her I was a prince and I was not going to bother to try. Instead, I kept on with what I was trying to say. I spoke her name, "Jasmine," but the word came out hoarse and wrong. Why was talking suddenly so hard again? I needed to say this. "Do you think…" I was already regretting my word choice, but there's no second draft when you converse with someone in person. I pressed on, "I would like us to be friends." I said it a bit too quickly, but it was done now.

It took a few moments for her to answer. In those moments, I felt like I was falling off that cliff. I had been too forward for this whole conversation. I had been rude and a step above idiotic. I was going to be rebuffed just like all those other princes. I had wasted my chance.

"I think I'd like that too," Jasmine said at last.

Those six words were worth more than any letter I'd ever written to her. It was like standing up for the first time. No, it was better. It felt real. I really was human and I was finally talking to Princess Jasmine.

Before I could say anything, Jasmine added, "Especially, if that means I can ask you more innocent questions."

I chuckled. "We'll see," I said. "I can't promise I'll answer every one, but you're welcome to try." Who knows? Maybe she'd figure out who I was despite the curse. I was feeling optimistic at the moment.

The princess didn't need to be told twice. For the rest of the night, she and I talked. The tree separated us, but as we stood together under the same stars, I felt more connected to her than ever before.

A/N: When my beta reader for Tiger's Circus, march4fun, asked me: how are you going to ship Jasmine and Rajah?

I was like: I'll make you believe.

This is the chapter where that belief starts and it's so exciting. We have hit full-on beauty and the beast mode. And I am lovin' it. My Tiger's Circus fans or anyone who has read my bio should understand.

It's great to finally show these two together. Even though they are an awkward mess, I hope you guys can see the potential of this ship. Look forward to more and please read and review.