Epilogue: Once and Future
7 months later…
Aladdin stood, looking out at the city of Agrabah from his new home. It was almost noon and he was mapping out his route to the meeting spot, much to Abu's annoyance.
The little monkey complained, "I can't believe you're going back to that rooftop again. It's been ages."
"So," Aladdin shot back, opening the door to outside.
"So…she's not coming," Abu said.
"You don't know that," Aladdin argued as he made his way down the stairs to the alley below.
No need to jump out into the street. These days, Aladdin could take his time. "Abbi got our jewels, helped me reunite with my uncle, and managed to get rid of Omar and Babkak."
"The uncle thing was a fluke and she's still a noble," Abu argued right back.
"A merchant's daughter," Aladdin corrected the monkey. "And she promised." Plus, Abbi had said it might be a long while before she'd be able to sneak out and it had only been 7 months, 1 week, and 10 hours since he'd last seen her.
"You're hopeless," the monkey concluded. "I'm going to go scout out some marks while you waste another perfectly good Saturday afternoon."
With that, the angry monkey scampered off which was fine with Aladdin. He didn't want Abu to know how lovesick he got waiting for Abbi, hoping that this Saturday would be the Saturday, and really, he knew what Abu's actual problem was:
Aladdin trading Abbi's headpiece for a chance to see her again.
The whole idea of breaking into the palace had angered the monkey, but it had totally been worth it! A big smile formed on Aladdin's face just thinking about it again. He'd liked Abbi before things had gotten complicated, but after he had found her again, after she had forgiven him for that mess of a heist, and more than that, after she'd told him:
You are enough.
You did enough.
You have nothing to apologize for.
Aladdin was certain he'd found the beginning of his true happy ending and it was all thanks to her…
And his uncle.
Aladdin's Uncle Ghani had shown up with Abbi's gift basket in hand and a giant smile on his face months ago. Due to a string of random events Aladdin still didn't quite understand, his father's brother had been asked to deliver the princess's present. Aladdin hadn't even known his father had a brother, but there was no doubt in Aladdin's mind that Uncle Ghani was fond of him. Aladdin's traveling uncle had hired the best doctor in the city, tracked down Babkak and Omar to confirm they left town, and seen to Syreeta's execution. Aladdin couldn't ask for better, more reliable, or trustworthy family.
The only downside was that once Aladdin was able to walk, his uncle said he needed to continue his travels and told Aladdin that no one must know about his visits. After tousling Aladdin's hair affectionately and promising to come again, Uncle Ghani had stood at the door of their new home and said, "I have but one regret about our reunion. I wish I could get you an audience to make amends with the young lady who is the reason for our happiness before I leave, but alas, unless you are willing to sneak into the palace gardens…there is simply nothing I can do to bring it about."
And of course, Aladdin had been very willing.
It was weird. Ever since his confrontation with Babkak and Omar, Aladdin felt bolder, freer, happier too. His uncle had explained that this was because Aladdin had taken what he wanted without looking back.
Aladdin wanted to believe him, but whenever he tried to remember what happened after he reached the mosque roof to fight Babkak and Omar, things got even weirder.
First, his mouth would go dry.
Then his chest would grow tight.
His heart would pound and tears would spring from his eyes.
If he kept pushing, he would start to lose feeling in his left hand and his head would throb.
Next, the world around him got swallowed by red and a voice like an enraged god would attack the street rat's soul:
NOTHING to Remember
NOTHING to Know
NOTHING
The one time Aladdin had gotten that far, he had knocked himself out for a week.
The top-notch doctor that his uncle managed to get, a bent-over old man who was missing several teeth, told Aladdin that these visions and body aches were a result of his fall and he best forget the whole thing.
Aladdin was more than happy to agree with the doctor, totally giving up on trying to figure out what he'd forgotten about that day.
It didn't matter anymore.
Aladdin was done with Babkak, Omar, and even Kassim.
He arrived at the meeting spot untroubled by his ex-family. Not even the reminder of Syreeta hurt Aladdin now. Her tent was gone and the space had yet to be filled, but Aladdin only saw the streets and was glad to have such a good spot to watch for Abbi. While he waited, he thought about her some more and what they would do for their next unofficial date
Aladdin got that Abbi knew basically nothing about Agrabah. He could probably take her anywhere and she would get a kick out of it, but he wanted to build up to the more impressive stuff like his favorite cultural districts and all the cool things to do at the port. Maybe she'd like to see the palace's private fruit orchard near the sea. There was also all the traveling entertainment. Perhaps if it was in town, they could go to the circus and he could show her what tigers were supposed to look like.
The afternoon flew by as he dreamed up all the possibilities. This time was often the highlight of his week. It made up for the fact that so far, these afternoons always ended in disappointment.
Today was no different. It was close to evening now, and once again, there was no sign of Abbi.
The street rat looked out at the city rooftops until his eyes found the palace eating up the horizon. Aladdin could just imagine Abbi doing her tiger-keeping and thinking of him with the same lovesickness he had for her.
No matter what Abu said and the monkey would definitely be giving him flack for another failed attempt, Aladdin still trusted Abbi to keep her word.
That hope was more delicious than any treat he could buy at the market and he had over the last year confirmed this by using part of his fortune to sample every single type available with Abu. Aladdin had decided Zagrabah baklava and Francian apple turnovers were a must for some future date night. He just knew Abbi would give him that special smile when he bought them for her.
It would be perfect.
Just Perfect.
Aladdin's fantasy of Abbi felt so real in that moment that he almost didn't believe his ears when he heard her say his name in a voice still as crisp and as sweet as a freshly nicked apple.
Dazed, Aladdin lowered his gaze from the palace and peered down at the streets.
There she was, in the brown dress he'd gotten her.
She was beaming at him and only him.
The grand speech that Aladdin had planned for this moment flew out of his head. He just grinned and greeted his perfect fallen angel, true love, and happily ever after with, "Took ya long enough!"
A/N: And so, at long last, I have finally finished Of Rats and Royals. I can blame this site for some of the recent delays, but let's be honest most of the wait is on me. At times, it has been a real struggle to finish this story and for this last chapter, I really wanted to get far enough along in Rajah's Curse so that everything lined up nicely.
Still, for all the delays, I'm thankful.
Of Rats and Royals challenged me to stretch my horizons. This is my first prequel story which presents its own types of challenges. Of Rats of Royals' villain Syreeta, Aladdin's backstory and arc, and Aladdin and Abbi's relationship were also hard for me to get right. I am so glad I finally figured it all out to my satisfaction. It has improved this story, my writing, and my understanding of Aladdin, Jasmine/Abbi, and myself.
Thank you all for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. A special thanks to my writing buddies and of course, to march4fun who is the reason this story exists. I am glad you think this was a worthwhile answer to your question from Rajah's Curse. Thank you so much for supporting me through this and my other works.
Speaking of which:
If you are curious about what happens with Aladdin and Jasmine, consider reading Rajah's Curse.
If you liked this story's sometimes somber tone and action, I recommend Crimson Tiger.
And if you want to know more about Jafar, check out my newest story: Sorcerer's Wish.
If none of those are to your liking then, I suppose this is goodbye. Thank you again for reading. Please leave a review to let me know what you thought of the story.
And now that I can publish the chapter on my home site, I feel like I have truly completed this story. Though the future is rarely perfect, I hope yours is bright.
Until we meet again,
annbe11