Chapter Text
A man cloaked in blue leaves his footprint in the sand. He looks at the Palace of Agrabah, miles ahead of him. Camels come up the hill behind him, wearing saddles and carrying cargo. A man peeks his head out of one of the baskets. The man pushes his head back inside the basket. The man and the camels make their way toward Agrabah.
But he’s not alone. Another one cloaked in blue but also black. He had pale skin and black hair. You would think that he’s a walking undead corpse if you saw his skeleton arm which he wore the gauntlet to cover up. An eel familiar popped his head out of the satchel before the young wizard shoved him back into the satchel. He calmly walked through the crowds going through the entrance of the kingdom. Usually, the young sorcerer would have loved to make his appearance known but this time, he had something else in mind. He was covered completely in disguise so the Royal Guards wouldn’t recognize him. Today, he was on an important mission. Carrying with him in wrapped up cloth was a scepter. So far, no one paid attention to him as he made his way up the palace steps to the entrance of the palace.
Razoul stands at the Palace gate, arms folded. A Peddler approaches him, carrying a gray sack on his back.
“Oooh... in all my years, never have I seen the streets so full of bustle and hustle and assorted commotion.” The Peddler said.
“Our Princess is to wed.” Razoul said, bitterly.
“Oooh, wonderful! And who's the lucky prince?” The Peddler asked.
“Not a prince at all. Just a no-account street rat!” Razoul scoffed.
The Peddler reveals himself as Genie. Genie throws the sack on top of Razoul. “No way!”
Genie picks Razoul up. “Try it, phonetically. It’s…Aladdin!”
Then he broke out into a song. Soon everyone sang along with excitement. Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Cassim and the thieves hiding inside the baskets also sang but quietly as to not draw attention to themselves.
“While they're all munching caviar, create a small disturbance; I'll sneak up from behind.” Cassim said under his breath.
Inside the palace where the wedding pavilion was, Iago was sitting on top of the gift table. The sorcerer pulled out the scepter and unwrapped it before carefully placing it among the treasures that the guests brought as wedding presents. Then he walked off as Iago was too busy indulging himself with the treasures to realize that a suspicious person just walked by him. Inside the satchel, it was moving until the sorcerer firmly placed his hand on it and the movement inside stopped. Now, all he had to do was wait.
“Where’s the groom?!” The Sultan cried out.
Just across the city, inside a hovel was Aladdin. It’s hard to imagine that just a while ago, he was gazing at the palace and imagining himself as living in a palace. Now, he was about to get married to a beautiful princess. From an open hole in the floor, Aladdin picks out a box. He dusts it off. The only thing that his mother left for him was his father. For years, he had wondered what his father was like.
Just then, Genie's eye appears outside the hovel, scaring Abu. “Hello?! Somebody’s going to be late for his own wedding!”
Aladdin chuckled. “Hold on, Genie. There’s something I need.”
“I gotcha!” Genie replied before he teleported them in front of a brothel where Sadira worked as a belly dancer. “It’s a bachelor party, big boy!”
“Not exactly, Genie. But I think Jasmine wanted us to see if Sadira is still coming. Let’s go see her.” Aladdin said before they walked inside.
Inside the brothel were belly dancers dressed in harem clothes. Then the announcer appeared on stage and broke into song.
“ Oh, listen closely and you shall hear
Of a sorceress who dances without fear
Sadira, the Witch of The Sands
Twirling and swirling with magic hands ”
Then in a magical flash of smoke, Sadira appeared. She was wearing a pink exotic belly dancer outfit with gold trim and coins sewed. She twirled and shook her hips.
“ Witch of The Sands, the fire in her eyes
Mesmerizing all under the desert skies
Enchantress of the ancient land
Sadira, the Witch of The Sands ”
Sadira danced around the patrons and winked in a flirtatious manner.
“ In shadows she moves, a spellbinding sight
Mysteries swirling in the veil of night
Bewitching all with a flick of her wrist
A dance of power, a hypnotic twist ”
With her arms waving in the air, she moved the sands around and formed shapes that amazed the crowd. Aladdin was also in awe. He’s glad that Sadira managed to find something that not only benefited her but also was something positive.
“Witch of The Sands, the fire in her eyes
Mesmerizing all under the desert skies
Enchantress of the ancient land
Sadira, the Witch of The Sands”
Many men cheered, whistled, and cat-called Sadira as she danced around.
“Yeah, you’re beautiful!” One man shouted.
Sadira blows sand from her hands at him as if she was giving him an air kiss as a response. Aladdin knew that she was egging them on.
“ Through the sands she glides
With beauty and grace
Captivating all
In her magical embrace ”
Sadira then rubbed her hips against a patron before dancing away from him.
“She’s seriously teasing them!” Aladdin whispered.
“ Witch of The Sands, the fire in her eyes
Mesmerizing all under the desert skies
Enchantress of the ancient land
Sadira, the Witch of The Sands ”
Sadira made her way towards the sailors leaning against the bar. She winked at one who purposefully dumped his drink onto the other sailor and the two men got into a fight over her.
“ So raise a toast to the one so grand
The enchanting dancer of the desert land
Sadira, the Witch of The Sands
Her magic lives on in the shifting sands... ”
She then shifted into a pillar of sand before appearing on stage. Where she took a bow as her dance came to an end. Everyone applauded her. Sadira disappeared behind the curtain and she quickly sneaked her way over to Aladdin.
“Hey! You like your bachelor party so far?” Sadira asked.
“Actually, I came to see if you’re still going to the wedding.” Aladdin chuckled.
Then she frowned and sighed sadly. “I would but I don’t have anything nice to wear! And I can’t go like this.”
She gestured to her pink harem outfit.
Genie smiled at her.
“Not a problem!” He said before he snapped his fingers and Sadira was now in the most beautiful pink dress she ever wore. She twirled around to get a better look. Sadira turned and hugged her friends.
“It’s perfect! Thank you, Genie!” She smiled.
“Gosh, it’s the least I could do.” Genie bashfully nodded. “Well, let’s get going now.”
They walked outside and climbed on Carpet before flying to the palace. Aladdin opened the box and revealed a dagger.
“Woah, that’s a cool present. Where did you get it?” Sadira asked.
“It belonged to my father.” Aladdin softly replied.
“Your father? You never said a word about your father. Oh, I’ve gotta let the caterer know! Chicken or sea bass?” Genie said as he turned into a caterer.
“He’s not coming to the wedding. He died a long time ago.” Aladdin explained.
Genie changed back and grimaced. “Sorry!”
“Oh, Aladdin, I’m so sorry. I know how you feel. My parents died too.” Sadira said softly. She was very young when she lost them.
“That’s okay. I’ve never known him. If I did, I’d feel ready for this.” Aladdin sighed. “I’ve always been a street rat. Stealing to survive, running from the guards, living alone. Now I’m taking a step into a new world.”
“Hey,” Sadira placed her hand on his shoulder. “You’re not alone anymore. You’ve got Genie as your best friend and the best man, you’ve got Jasmine as your future wife, a Sultan as your future father in law, respect from all of Agrabah if not from all of the Seven Deserts, and pretty much everything you could ever want!”
“Thanks Sadira, but that’s just it! I’ve never had a father who showed me how to raise a family. What do I know about families?!” Aladdin said. “If my father were here…”
“He’ll be so proud of you, Aladdin!” Sadira encouraged him.
Genie nodded. “That’s right! He’ll be as proud as I am with you right now.”
Aladdin sighed softly. “I wish he could see this.”
Sadira felt for Aladdin. She knew what it was like to never have a family and the fear of becoming a family member was understandable. But she smiled at him. Sadira wasn’t going to let any bad moods affect her friend’s big day! “Well, let’s not mope here! You’ve got a wedding to attend to!”
They eventually arrived at the palace. Sadira quickly climbed off and waved her friend good luck. She was in such a hurry to make her way to the guests that she accidentally bumped into someone.
“Oof! Oh, I’m so sorry! I should have watched where I was going.” Sadira profusely apologized.
The young man raised his hand to assure her. “It’s fine. Just be more careful from now on.”
The satchel was wiggling to get free when the young man slammed his fist into the bag in which it grew still. Sadira noticed and thought it was suspicious.
“Umm, I’m Sadira.” She held out her hand for him to shake.
The young man looked at her with a bewildered expression. “Sorry but I’m afraid that I don’t do handshakes.”
Sadira awkwardly put her hand down. “Sorry. So…are you a friend of Aladdin or Jasmine or both?”
The young man was hesitant before he answered her question. “I suppose you could say that I somewhat know them.”
“You don’t get out a lot, do you?” Sadira asked.
The young man chuckled. “Well put. You’re very observant.”
Sadira blushed softly. “So you’re still not going to tell me your name, are you?”
The young man shook his head. “Sadly, I’m afraid that I can’t let you know my identity. But I do enjoy your company. You’re different from everyone else I know.”
“Well, it was nice to meet you.” Sadira replied before she walked away.
“Charmed, I’m sure.” The young man replied. That was too close! He had a feeling that she knew something was up but hoped that she was naïve enough to not question it.
Finally, Aladdin arrived at the wedding pavilion and in a moment, the wedding was about to begin.
The moment of truth, the young sorcerer knew that it was now a waiting game.
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In the palace stables, the man watches the events in the pavilion. He begins unhooking a basket. From a basket behind him, a bald man cuts his way out. The man is tall, gray skinned, wearing a black vest, a red cumber bun, and baggy blue pants. On his left hand, he wears a golden, claw-like weapon with three prongs. The man puts his hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Why do you walk out in the open while I suffocate like an animal?!” He asked the man.
“Someone has to keep a cool head, Sa’Luk.” The man calmly replied as he shoved his hand away.
“Someone will have no head if this is another wild goose chase.” Sa’Luk threatened.
“The oracle is the real thing…this time, I’m sure.” The man assured him.
As the doors swing back and forth, Genie steps back out, wearing a suit. Genie blows on a horn. He disappears. Abu runs down the aisle, and jumps on top of Carpet. Jasmine's bridesmaids walk down the aisle, followed by a little boy carrying a flag. Four guards walk down the aisle carrying a throne with Sultan on it. The guests bow. In the crowd, the young sorcerer had to swallow his pride and bow as well in order to not stand out too much. Abu chatters and waves wildly. Sultan laughs and waves to him. The guards reach the end of the aisle. The Sultan runs off the throne and into the pavilion.
Aladdin bows.
The Sultan chuckled as he nudged him with his elbow. “Don't look so solemn, boy. This is a happy day.”
Genie makes a white carpet appear, led by doves. It covers the entire isle. The peacocks standing in front of the door contract their feathers, revealing Jasmine.
“Wow…” Aladdin breathed at the sight of her.
The sorcerer quietly groaned as he rolled his eyes. This was becoming so boring! Jasmine walks down the aisle, to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd. When she reaches the end of the isle, Sultan takes her hand.
“I never thought this day would come. Now I'm afraid that it has come all too soon.” He said.
Jasmine pulled him into a hug. “Oh father!”
‘Allah, I think I’m gonna be sick from all this mushy shit!’ The sorcerer thought to himself.
Back at the stables, the man walked away from Sa’Luk.
“You distract the guards.” He said.
“Part of your plan?” Sa’Luk asked, skeptically.
The man pets an elephant. “A large part.”
Then he walked over to a basket and knocked on it. “It’s time.”
From the baskets, men emerge. Including a tall, fat man with a silly laugh, a thin man brandishing two swords, an Asian man who uses karate moves to shred his basket to pieces, a gray-skinned man floating on a rope, and a tall man carrying a sword. Back at the wedding ceremony, Aladdin and Jasmine walk up a few stairs to the top of the pavilion. Mozenrath was slowly getting more impatient.
“Well, we’re here.” Aladdin said.
“Together forever.” Jasmine smiled.
The man is on the roof of the pavilion, angling his sword to the sun. On the ground, Sa'luk sees the reflection from the man’s sword. Sa'luk smiles and walks a few feet to a nearby elephant that the tall, fat man is trying to push, with little luck. Sa'luk pushes him out of the way.
“Let me be the point man!” Sa’Luk said with a sadistic grin before he stabbed the elephant in the butt with his claws.
The ground begins to shake. Everyone was getting worried except for Mozenrath.
‘Finally! Something happened!’ He thought to himself.
Elephants burst through the pavilion! The sorcerer quickly ran to hide in a safe and hidden spot where he’d observed the chaos!
Genie wore a cowboy hat and cried out, “STAMPEDE!!!”
Everyone screamed. The sorcerer had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud. He even let his eel familiar known as Xerxes out of the satchel finally to observe. Guests scatter. Aladdin and Jasmine stay on the altar, watching. A piece of the ceiling falls onto the altar. Aladdin pushes Jasmine out of the way just in time. Xerxes then points to the Sadira girl. The young sorcerer quietly watches her as she uses her sand magic to keep the building from collapsing onto people. He hummed in awe and greatly impressed that she was a witch of the sand…and he himself had a conversation with her. He was right to be impressed with her! But sadly, she wasn’t his target. He then shifts his focus to the chandelier, where the man in blue hid and watches the palace guards. Razoul, Hakim, and Fazal run into the pavilion.
‘There you are, Your Majesty.’ The sorcerer grinned.
“It is an attack!” Fazal said.
Several wedding guests ran out of the pavilion. The entering thieves push them back.
“Not in this palace!” Razoul said as he pulled out his sword.
The men are doing karate moves and pinning the guests to the wall with knives. The thieves steal from them. More of the ceiling falls. Sadira was struggling to keep up.
“Genie, I need help!” Sadira cried out.
Genie flies to the ceiling and positions himself in front of the hole. Sadira decided to try and fight the thieves off herself. Meanwhile, the man is at the gift table, pushing things out of the way. The sorcerer knew that he was looking for the scepter that he had brought with him to the wedding.
“It must be here somewhere!” The man said to himself.
Suddenly, a golden plate flies by the man’s head. He turns to see Iago, waving a candlestick.
“Meet your match, Zorro!” Iago yelled.
The man cautiously approached Iago. “Good birdie! Polly want a little-“
“Say cracker and I'll let you have it on principle!” Iago said as he swings three times at the man, but misses each time.
The man grabs the candlestick from Iago. “You have a lot of spirit...” he then pushes Iago into a nearby vase. “And a lot of mouth.”
The young sorcerer and Xerxes snickers. Finally, the King of Thieves shared his opinion on the annoying loudmouth parrot!
Razoul charges for the tall, fat man. The tall, fat man pushes out his stomach, throwing Razoul back. Razoul lands behind Hakim and Fazal. Hakim and Fazal look at him for a second, then turn to Sa'luk, who is standing before them. Sa'luk waves his claws in front of Hakim and Fazal three times, seemingly missing. Seconds later, Hakim and Fazal's clothing and swords fall to pieces. They are left in their tighty whities. Hakim and Fazal cover their groin areas.
“They fight like demons!” Fazal said.
“Worse than demons. These are the Forty Thieves!” Hakim replied before he and Fazal scurried off.
The sorcerer was enjoying the show that the Forty Thieves were putting on! Aladdin looks around the room. He spots the man in blue at the gift table. The sorcerer immediately notices that Aladdin spotted the man in blue.
“Oh, this just got more interesting.” The sorcerer muttered under his breath.
The man in blue pushes two jars out of the way. He stands up and looks around. “Where is it?”
Then he finally spotted the scepter! “Ah, at last!”
The man in blue grabbed the scepter and raised it up to the air. But before he could do anything, he felt someone grabbing ahold of him and threw him back towards the ground. The man landed with a grunt. Standing above him is Aladdin, holding the scepter in his hand.
“Can I see your invitation?” Aladdin said.
“Stay out of my way boy, and you won't get HURT!” The man said as he grabbed an Egyptian cat statue beside him and threw it at Aladdin.
Aladdin groans and falls back onto the gift table. The man stands up. He reaches over Aladdin, attempting to grab his treasure. Aladdin fends him off. The two wrestle for the treasure. The sorcerer quietly watches the two fight over the scepter.
“Fool! You don't stand a chance against the King of Thieves!” The man in blue said.
“When I get up, I’ll bow to you!” Aladdin replied before kicking him off!
The man in blue has control of the scepter; he makes a run for it. Aladdin tackles him down at the ankle. Aladdin kicks the vase that Iago is in; it hits the wall. Iago comes out, staggering and moaning. An elephant burst through the door leading to the gift table. The man and Aladdin stop and look at it. They make a last ditch pull on the treasure, and roll away from the elephant in separate directions. Aladdin has control of the treasure. Aladdin looks around the room and realizes he's alone.
“Where’s the King of Thieves?!” Aladdin asked.
‘Don’t worry, Aladdin…you’ll find out soon enough.’ The young sorcerer grinned.
Finally, after the Forty Thieves left, the pavilion was in complete ruins.
“Good luck gettin' back the catering deposit.” Iago said as he sat on the Sultan’s shoulder before flying off.
“Oh my...” The Sultan muttered sadly.
Genie appeared. “Fear not, O father of the bride, we can rebuild!”
“Oh, please do! We can’t have a wedding without a pavilion.” The Sultan said.
Genie's chest muscles fall to his gut. Genie shrugs as he begins writing on a clipboard. “All right, a wedding pavilion, it is my man.” Then he turned Iago, Abu, and Carpet into construction workers. Iago is eating a donut. Abu is drinking coffee. Carpet is reading the paper. “Hey, I wanna see some resumés on these guys. And don't let the one with the beak near any power tools.”
The young sorcerer rolled his eyes. He always found the Genie so dramatically annoying.
“Uh, yes-yes, Genie, whatever it takes. I am sorry about all this, Jasmine.” The Sultan said as he turned to his daughter but noticed that she was gone. “Daughter?”
Jasmine was looking at the gift table with Aladdin.
“What were they after, the gifts?” Jasmine asked.
“Not all the gifts. This is what the King of Thieves wanted.” Aladdin replied as he held up the scepter.
“With all the other great stuff, why go for this thing?” Iago asked as he landed on the scepter.
Suddenly, the scepter emanates a bright light. Iago flies away from it and lands on Aladdin's hand. A visage of a woman appears in the air. “Your question is mine to answer! The King of Thieves sought my sight to find the Ultimate Treasure.”
“Did someone say treasure?” Iago asked.
Aladdin turns to Genie. “Genie?”
“Oh, looks like an Oracle.” Genie replied as he wore sunglasses.
‘No shit, you useless idiot.’ The young sorcerer rolled his eyes.
“I see all that has been, and all that will be.” The Oracle said.
“Uh oh, uh oh, definitely an Oracle, tells the future, uh oh.” Genie said.
“Okay, you know all, so tell all. Where is the treasure? Ya know, the ultimate one?” Iago asked the oracle as he greedily rubbed his wings together.
“I am bound by the rule of one. One question, one answer.” The oracle replied.
“I only want one answer! Where is the Ultimate Treasure?!” Iago asked.
“You have already asked your question.” The oracle explained.
“You mean before? Oh, that wasn't a question! That was uh, thinkin' out loud.” Iago nervously chuckled.
Genie grabbed Iago. “Very loud.”
“Aladdin, we could learn anything.About our lives, our future.” Jasmine said.
“You have but to ask.” The oracle said.
The young sorcerer wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic or not but he had to bite his tongue from laughing and being discovered too soon.
“I know what my future is. My future is you, Jasmine. But my past... it's a blank. My mother died when I was just a kid... and I never even knew my father. I have no idea where I come from.” Aladdin said.
“Your question is your choice. But remember the rule of one. Choose carefully.” The oracle advised.
“Oh sure, she warns him about the one question thing.” Iago complained before Carpet kicked him. “Hey!”
“I don't think you can help me. My past isn't just one question, it's a million questions.” Aladdin said.
“Ah, but mere questions about your past can be answered by your father...” The oracle said.
This surprised Aladdin greatly. “My father?”
The young wizard grinned. ‘Finally! I’ll see his face.’ The Oracle moves her hands, making a picture appear. It is an older man, with a strong resemblance to Aladdin.
“My father is alive?”