Chapter 57: A Reunion

Pomegranate molasses.

Cinnamon.

Olive oil.

And the barest hint of dried ink.

I breathed it in and then impossibly, her voice came next, "Rajah," she said, "Rajah, please. Wake up. Wake up, Rajah."

I wanted to. Or at least, I wanted to be where she was, but that was easier said than done. Sleep had welded my eyelids shut. I fought to force them open.

They gave way with an audible snap that seemed far too loud, but that didn't matter.

Jasmine.

I only caught a glimpse before she enveloped me in a hug.

"Rajah!" she cried.

Jasmine!

Her hands dug themselves into my fur and her face nuzzled my shoulder. I could feel the tears. "I missed you so much!"

I missed you more!

Gods, Jasmine!

Jasmine!

Jasmine! Jasmine! Jasmine!

"Rajah!" she shrieked. I had bowled her over and we were rolling on the floor.

I didn't care.

Jasmine was laughing.

I nuzzled her hard. I held her tight. I chuffed. I whined. I was completely ridiculous in my affection.

I didn't care.

Jasmine was here!

She was here!

She was alive!

Thank the gods!

I was in her arms. She was in mine and we were together.

That was all that mattered.

She was all that mattered.

Her laughter, her tears, her smiles, her voice, her warm body, her hands in my fur, her scent, her realness, her…everything!

I couldn't get enough.

Jasmine!

Gods, Jasmine.

Jasmine reached out for my cheek.

My eyes closed just like always. I stopped nuzzling her chin and stilled, enjoying the pressure of her hand. A chuff rumbled through me.

"I…I thought I lost you," she whispered to me.

I know. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought…

Jasmine put her forehead to mine and breathed, but I could feel her trembling or perhaps that was me.

Jasmine was here and alive now, but…

I gave her a squeeze, trying to comfort us both.

Jasmine's voice still shook as she said, "I'm just so…so happy you're not dead."

Me t-

Wait…what?

My eyes popped open and I pulled back to stare at her.

Jasmine returned my gaze and I knew then that I would never find a more beautiful person. She was perfect, but that did not mean she was making sense. She was saying, "You collapsed in the gardens, don't you remember?"

The gardens? Collapsed? I don't-

Despite my confusion, my head bobbed a yes of its own accord.

Jasmine stroked my cheek. My eyes closed again as she continued, "I know I'll never forget. First, I get sick, and then you…"

That seemed to confirm I had no idea what she was talking about. I wasn't sick, dying and delusional perhaps, but not physically sick.

"I'm so glad that odd gem doctor showed up. He gave me this." She paused and my eyes opened to look at the ring she was holding up. The broad band was made of some sort of milky crystal. The center stone was large, blood-red, and square. Smaller red stones had been placed around it to form strange patterns.

I had never seen anything like it.

"He told me just what to do," she said proudly, "Thank god, it worked. When Aladdin said that there might be no way to heal you, I can't tell you how…"

She looked at me and I understood what she meant, but not what she'd said. How had Aladdin gotten involved in this?

"I was really worried."

I too was getting quite worried. My list of questions was only growing, but I couldn't even raise an eyebrow. Now that my euphoria had died down, my body was being stiff and unresponsive.

Maybe I was sick.

"I have to show him and let him know he can stop looking for a cure," Jasmine said. "I'll be right back, Rajah."

She got up and I felt her absence like a missing limb.

I wanted to call out to her.

I could not open my mouth.

I watched Jasmine dash out of the room. My heavy body slumped to the floor with a clink and again, it did this of its own accord which only aggravated my feeling of being utterly lost.

I'd had many dreams about seeing Jasmine alive again, but none of them had felt like this. I wasn't reliving a memory from my past. My surroundings confirmed that much.

I knew the palace very well and the room I was in was new to me. Its architecture was the antithesis of the palace's usual elegant simplicity and rounded high ceilings and walls. This space was full of straight lines with meticulous detailing on every surface including the low wood ceiling. If that weren't enough, it was stuffed to the brim with all manner of things: pillows, furniture, maps, rugs, drawings, cloth, and a plush bed that looked large enough to comfortably fit three tigers on it.

My nose and fur also sensed that there was an open-air balcony behind me though my head refused to turn to see and orient myself which was another thing. Being out of sync with my own body was not normal for my dreams or otherwise.

The last and most damning piece of evidence that negated the idea of this being a dream was that I'd never had the awareness to question what happened in my sleep. Yet even before I had first opened my eyes here, a part of me had recognized the impossibility of this situation.

Whatever this situation was.

Jasmine had made it sound like I'd collapsed in the palace garden. She'd talked about Aladdin helping her search for a cure, but the last thing I remembered was being in that orchard.

What felt like less than an hour ago, I had borne witness to Aladdin's mistake.

From the sandy paths of the orchard, it rose into being, overtaking the trees and causing my neck to stretch back to keep track of its growth. I tried my best to follow its continual expansion with my eyes, but once it blocked out the sky, I ceased to be able to comprehend its size.

With the world in darkness, the only illumination came from the two glimmers of gold within the shadowy mass. Beneath them, I could just make out its jaws with teeth the size of a mountain range and just as treacherous.

This was the colossus that addressed me with its question and despite everything I knew of magic and the need for prudence and rational thought, I couldn't do it.

Death had morphed from a nebulous punishment to a stark reality and my very small and mortal body reacted on instinct.

Something like a prayer escaped my lips as I reached for my amulet to protect my suddenly dear life. My shaking hand should have met the silk of my new royal finery, but when my amulet flared to life, its light did away with that obstacle. As my fingers curled around the cool stone, the sultan's clothes fell from me, becoming sand once more.

Up above the monster bellowed and roared, shaking the ground and making the remaining trees rattle like wind chimes, but my fear, like my clothes and my pain, was gone.

I watched as blue light engulfed everything, filling the world with silence, stillness, and warmth.

It was an incredible feeling.

My eyes closed to fully enjoy it and I caught the first traces of my favorite scent on the air.

And now I was here with Jasmine off looking for Aladdin who, if I was recalling things correctly, should still be in the orchard dealing with the sand monster he summoned.

Could Aladdin have escaped while I was unconscious? Or did Jasmine just not know he was trapped? There was also the possibility I was misremembering and had forgotten something.

I searched my mind for answers, but nothing I could think of explained things fully. That might be because this was all magical nonsense or maybe I was confused because I did not want to know.

But no.

That last idea couldn't be right. I did want to know the truth. After seeing Jasmine, after holding her, hearing her voice, I needed to know if any of this was real.

With uncanny timing, I heard Jasmine speak from the other side of the door, "Come on, Aladdin!" she said, "You have to see this!"

"How many times have I told you…" a tired voice replied before the doors opened and my sense of reality slipped another notch.

In the doorway was Jasmine and Aladdin who I still thought ought to be in the orchard, but more unnerving than that was how Aladdin was dressed. He looked like…

No, not just looked…

He was Prince Ali.

"Why is the tiger up?" he asked.

My body had carried me over to Jasmine to nuzzle her hand without my input, but I was too busy trying to deal with my revelation to mind.

I could scarcely understand what I was seeing.

Prince Ali.

Aladdin.

The same—

"You did what!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"I told you: I traded that old ruby ring you didn't like for this garnet one and used it to heal Rajah," Jasmine said excitedly. "Maybe we'll be able to use it to heal the rest of the kingdom!"

"No!" he moaned.

"No? But why not? Aladdin, why are you upset?"

The prince or street rat? He had sunk to the floor. "Why am I upset?" His hands gripped his hair. "Why am I upset! We're totally fucked! That's why I'm upset!"

"Aladdin, you're not making sense. I'm feeling better and so is Rajah. This is the best news we've had in days."

"You don't understand!"

That made two of us.

Jasmine, the sensible one, remained unperturbed. "Then explain," she said, "I know you've been holding out on me. Now that I'm not sick, I think it's time you tell me what's really going on." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you."

"You can't," Ali snapped, pulling away.

"I can." Her expression was resolute. "If you tell me what you know, I guarantee my support and assistance. That's my offer. It's a good deal, Aladdin. Trust me." She reached for his hand and gently removed it from his head.

Prince Aladdin looked up at her, his eyes unseemingly large and pleading. "It's not fair for you to use that face. You know I can't say no to it."

Jasmine's expression did not change. All she said was, "Well?"

He shook his head, but then he acquiesced, saying, "I guess it can't hurt at this point."

"It's a deal then?"

"Yeah."

Jasmine smirked victoriously.

Seeing it overwhelmed all my other emotions and for a moment, all I could feel was a nostalgic happiness.

How I had missed that self-satisfied smile!

"Good!" Jasmine declared, her eyes sparkling. "I knew you would see reason. Now, come on." She pulled him to his feet. "Let's sit on the bed and talk this through. I have a feeling this will be a long story."

A/N:

Hello everyone,

Today is the last day of March. This is important to me because this month marks Rajah's Curse's 4-year anniversary.

4 years.

Rajah's Curse could have gone to college and gotten a degree by now. Isn't that incredible?

I admit this story is taking longer to write than I expected and crafting this climax has been harrowing. I don't keep track anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if this climax had over 100 partial drafts thanks to all the arc and chapter rewrites. I know this chapter alone has had like 15 partial drafts to its name. It's been a long frustrating road full of hardship and wonder, but every time I manage to get a chapter to work I feel a real sense of accomplishment. Slowly but surely we are moving through this climax and the next chapter ought to be a lot of fun! I'm excited about it.

Thank you so much for reading this story whether you are just passing through or have followed and faved. It's all valuable to me!

march4fun and ErrantTalisman,

You have my special thanks for reviewing and listening to me fret and/or brag about how things are going.

This story means a lot to me, sometimes maybe even too much. I love it. It gives me hell and heaven and nearly everything in between and I cannot wait to see where it takes me next.

I know 4 years is a long time, but I hope you'll humor me for another one. This upcoming year is full of promise. I can feel it!

There's a mystery to solve and I, for one, am not stopping until we've uncovered the truth.

See you all next time for a long story!