Chapter 10: A Whole New World

That night, Jamal is sitting on the banister of his balcony, looking at the stars in melancholy. Sighing, he then walks back into his room.

Below him, Aaliyah is in the garden with Genie, Carpet, and Aba. Aba is having problems peeling bananas with her hands now replaced by soolnds. Aaliyah was pacing about and twisting her hair nervously on the disaster earlier today. Carpet and Genie were playing checkers, with Carpet winning.

"What am I gonna do? Jamal won't even let me talk to him. I should have known I couldn't pull off this stupid princess wish. Genie, I need help!"

Genie then stands besides Aaliyah, taking the form of Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell from Basic Instinct. "All right, honey, here's the deal. If you wanna charm the dreamboat, you gotta be a straight shooter. Do you got that?"

"What?"

Genie change back to normal, except now dressed as a schoolteacher, with a yardstick pointing at a blackboard that says, "Tell... him... the..." flips the blackboard which has big fancy letters that spells, "TRUTH!"

"No way!" Aaliyah yelled, as she waves the blackboard away, causing it to poof into smoke that dissipates. "If Jamal found out I was really some crummy street rat, he'd laugh at me." she said nervously, twisting her hair.

Genie suddenly stands beside her, dressed like Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. "Ah, laughing would be so ungentlemanly of him." she said dramatically. Then goes back to normal. "Aly... all kidding aside, I really think you ought to be yourself."

"Hey, that's the last thing I wanna be! Okay, I'm gonna go see him. I just... I gotta be prim, proper, confident." Aaliyah fixes her hair. "How do I look?"

"Like a princess." Genie then sees Aaliyah ride on Carpet to the balcony. "So you're gonna drink from that cup." she said to herself.

Jamal in sitting by his table, looking at his maps and petting Raya who's by his side, when they heard a voice calling out from outside on his balcony. "Prince Jamal?"

Raya looks up and growls. "Who's there?" Jamal asked as he turned to find "Amira" standing on the balcony.

"It's me, Princess Amira... ahem..." She goes into her regal voice. "Princess Amira Ababwa."

Jamal gets up and walks towards his curtains to pull them back and glare at her. "You again?" he snapped. "Didn't you learn the respect of private spaces?"

Aaliyah panics. "No, no, please, Prince. Give me a chance..."

Raya growls at Aaliyah, who was so startled her hair messed up a bit.

"...I won't escort you back." Jamal said.

"Down, kitty." Aaliyah said, as she backs away from the ferocious tiger.

Over the edge of the balcony, Carpet was watched when Genie floats up to join.

"So, how's your little bell doing?" Genie quietly asked Carpet, who makes a 'throat slit' motion with her tassel. Genie shakes her head and facepalms.

Jasira looked back at "Amira" and raised an eyebrow as Raya advances towards her.

"Good kitty, take off. Down, kitty!" Aaliyah said.

"Wait..." Jamal spoke up, as he walked up to Raya to calm her down. "Do I know you?"

"Uh, no... No. What makes you say that?" Aaliyah asked nervously, while straightening her hair.

"You remind me of a girl I met in the marketplace." Jamal said.

"He's been thinking about me?" Aaliyah thought happily. But then panicked. "Oh no, he's onto me!" So she quickly covers up. "The marketplace? I have servants who go to the marketplace for me." She flips her hair at that. "Why, I even have servants who go to the marketplace for my servants." She blows a part of her hair away when it suddenly fell out of place. Jamal crosses his arms as he and Raya look at each other, thinking that "Amira" is full of herself. A bee buzzes around her head. "So..." She tries to shoo it away as she lies. "It couldn't have been me you met."

Jamal then looks disappointed. "No... I guess not." he said sadly, glancing away.

"Enough about you, Juliet! Talk about him!" Aaliyah noticed the bee was walking to her. Its Genie, who's flying by her ear. "He's smart, fun, the hair, the eyes. Anything! Pick a feature." she ordered Aaliyah.

"Ahem. Uh, Prince Jamal? You're very..." Aaliyah began.

"Wonderful, smart, gorgeous!" Genie said.

"Gorgeous." Aaliyah repeated.

"What?" Jamal looked over confused. "I'm gorgeous?"

"Sorry." Genie apologized.

"I mean... Oh, that's awkward." Aaliyah muttered.

Suddenly Jamal has a smirk on his face. "No, it isn't. In fact, we shall go straight to the point."

"To... to the point?" Aaliyah questioned.

"I'm the future sultan after all." Jamal said as he slowly walks up to Aaliyah.

"I know..." Aaliyah briefly looked down to see if Carpet is still nearby. She's a little nervous about Jamal's sudden boldness towards her.

"Isn't it the duty of all princesses to try to be the next queen?" Jamal asked.

"Uh, right." Aaliyah answered as Jamal has her pinned against the balustrade. "Right. A princess like me."

Genie buzzes in her ear, with her abdomen flashing red, having caught on to what Jamal is planning. "Warning! Warning!" She said, before flying away.

"Right." Jamal said as he grabs Aaliyah's chin. "A princess like you..." he then talks into her ear, with great distain in his voice. "And every other throne-chasing shrew I've met."

"What?" Aaliyah's jaw dropped.

Genie, wearing aviator goggles, is falling with her rear end on fire. "Mayday! Mayday!" She yelled, making a noise that sounds like a plane crashing.

"I guess you know the way out?" Jamal turns and walks away.

"Stop him! Stop him!" Genie cried. "Want me to sting him?"

"Buzz off!" Aaliyah whispered, swatting at him.

"Okay, fine! But remember, bee yourself." Genie zips back in the lamp.

"Yeah, right!" Aaliyah muttered.

Jamal turns back to her. "What?" Jamal said angrily.

"Uh, you're right!" Aaliyah said, quickly covering her mistake, which earned a confused look from Jamal. She then sighs sadly. "I can't figure, how hard it must be... All those women who came, but none really bothered to know the real you. You deserved to be loved for who you truly are."

Jamal and Raya exchanged shocked looks.

"I'll go now." Aaliyah said, dropping off the balcony.

"No!" Jamal cried.

"What? What?!" Aaliyah asked, suddenly popped her head up, despite being several feet above ground.

Now Jamal is surprised. "How... how are you doing that?" he asked as he walked to the balustrade, and bewildered by what "Amira" is riding on.

"It's a magic carpet." She explained to the shocked prince. Carpet flies Aaliyah back to the prince.

"It's lovely." Jamal said, making Carpet blush at the compliment.

"You, uh... You don't want to go for a ride, do you?" Aaliyah asked. "We could get out of the palace, see the world."

"Is it safe?"

"Sure, do you trust me?"

Jamal looked up at "Amira" with wide eyes. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" Aaliyah repeated, even offering him her hand.

Jamal smired slightly, recognnizing the girl from the marketplace. "Yes." he said slyly, taking her hand.

As he climbs aboard, Jamal wrapped his arm around "Amira" protectively, as Carpet started to fly. Jamal looks back down to see Raya looking on.

Aaliyah: I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid

They fly across the city.

Tell me, sweet prince, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

Carpet snatched a flower and gives it to Jamal to offer to "Amira".

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder

Jamal gives the flower to "Amira", who puts it on her hair.

Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

They fly through the city entrance. And now going higher above the ground.

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view

Jamal looks back down to see they're leaving Agrabah.

No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming

They're now high above the clouds.

Jamal: A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew

A puff of cloud came into Jamal's hand. And another into Aaliyah's.

But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear

Aaliyah lets go of her cloud, while Jamal just smushed his.

That now I'm in a whole new world with you

They made a big swirl on a cloud.

Aaliyah: Now I'm in a whole new world with you

They fly with a flock of birds who were caught by surprise.

Jamal: Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling

Carpet does somersaults and flips, at times putting Aaliyah and Jamal in free-fall, but catching them.

Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

Carpet then dives down towards the Nile River.

A whole new world (Aaliyah: Don't you dare close your eyes)

Jamal had covered his eyes then Aaliyah moves his arm away.

A hundred thousand things to see (Aaliyah: Hold your breath - it gets better)
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be

They zoom through the river, past several ships, and see the Great Pyramids of Giza in front of them. They wave at a female worker sculpting the complete nose of the Sphinx. She smiles, but is startled by the sight of them flying, causing her to accidentally chisel too much and breaks off the front section of the nose. The two feel bad for causing that but continues flying.

Aaliyah: A whole new world (Jamal: Every turn a surprise)
With new horizons to pursue (Jamal: Every moment red-letter)

They fly alongside a heard of white Arabian horses running. Jamal reaches out and gently pets one of the young colts. The colt jumps happily with a neigh.

Both: I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

They're flying through Greece, where Aaliyah grabs an apple from a tree and rolls it down her arm to Jamal, who catches it. This made Jamal smile, now certain that she's the girl from the marketplace, not Princess Amira.

Aaliyah: A whole new world (Jamal: A whole new world)
That's where we'll be (Jamal: That's where we'll be)

They look into each other's eyes.

Aaliyah: A thrilling chase
Jamal: A wondrous place

They lean against each other.

Both: For you and me

Carpet hovers along over a lake, as they hold their hands behind themselves.

Aaliyah and Jamal are watching fireworks at a Chinese New Year celebration, while sitting on the roof of the Emperor's palace.

"It's all so magical." Jamal said in awe.

"Yeah..." Aaliyah agreed in a dreamy tone as she looks at him.

Jamal smirked as a thought came to his head. "It's a shame Aba had to miss this."

Aaliyah shrugged. "Nah, she hates fireworks. And she doesn't really like flying either."

Carpet slapped her head, as if thinking "You are such an airhead".

And now Aaliyah realized it. "Uh, what I mean is... Oh, no." She groans as she facepalms with both hands.

"You are the girl from the market. I knew it!" Jamal said, grabbing Aaliyah's hand. "Why did you tell me?"

"Jamal, I'm sorry..."

"You thought I wouldn't figure it out?" Jamal questioned, letting her hand go. Aaliyah's bangs fall over her eyes again.

"No, I... I hoped you wouldn't." Aaliyah said, while twisting her hair nervously. Heard what she's saying, she panicked. "No, that's not what I meant..."

"Who are you? Tell me the truth!" Jamal demanded.

"The truth?" Aaliyah asked. Jamal gives her an 'I'm waiting' look. "The truth..." She looked back at Carpet waving her on. "The truth is, I sometimes dress as a commoner to escape the pressures of palace life." Aaliyah lied, while fixing her hair. Carpet slums down in defeat. "But I really am a princess!" Her bangs fall off again.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Jamal asked.

"I don't know, I mean, going out into the city in disguise seems kinda strange, right?"

Jamal smiles and chuckles. "I knew it."

"Uh... what?"

"That you are too pretty to be from the street." Jamal said. Then he moves her hair out of the way and cuddles with her as he wraps his arm around her. Carpet puts a tassel under her "chin" to look at the romance between them.