Aladdin woke up early that morning. His bags were resting at the foot of his bed, and he grabbed them, slinging them over his shoulders. He walked out of his room, and he found Fazan waiting for him.
"Good morning, my king!" Fazan exclaimed happily. Aladdin smiled at him as he took a bag from him. "Are you ready?"
"Of course! Thank you, Fazan."
"Did you know Razoul and I will be coming with you? It's going to be so exciting! I've never been on a trip before! Oh my, oh my! And we're going to Skanland to meet the great Prince Anders! I wonder why the sultana rejected him? Oh, sorry. No offense!"
Aladdin gave him a small smile. "That's alright, Fazan. I'm glad you're coming." They reached the throne room, and found Jasmine talking to Hamed in front of the two thrones. The throne room originally has one throne, but after Aladdin and Jasmine got married, Jasmine ordered a throne to be added for Aladdin.
Jasmine turned her attention to him. "You're leaving already?"
"Yeah. If we leave now, then we'll get there by evening," Aladdin explained. He kissed her forehead and headed for the doors, but Jasmine grabbed his wrist. She pulled him into a warm hug.
"Be careful, alright? I want you alive," she told him. Aladdin chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on her lips and exited. He got on his horse, and Razoul and Fazan mounted the other two. They trotted away.
JASMINE'S POV
Jasmine put on a simple grey dress and headed to the throne room. "Baba, I'm going to go for a walk." Her father nodded, and she headed out. She knew exactly where she was headed. For Aladdin's tower.
She pulled the lever, and the wooden logs jutted out of the wall. She climbed them carefully, and entered the large tower. Blankets were spread out over the stone floor, and a set of stairs were leading up to a separate platform connected to a balcony. Jasmine climbed the stairs and entered the balcony. She set her hands on the railing and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air.
"I wish Ali was here," she sighed. She ran her hand along the railing and looked at the breathtaking view of the kingdom. Aladdin had taken her here after they first met. He had helped her escape from Jamal and the guards when she gave his bread to some hungry children. Jamal had taken Jasmine's bracelet, but Aladdin stole it back, and he snuck into the palace to return it to her.
She felt something on her arm. She glanced at her arm and saw a very familiar monkey wearing a red vest. "Abu? What are you doing here?" She scratched his head, and he nuzzled into the crook of her arm. Jasmine kissed Abu's head.
"You didn't go with Aladdin, did you?" She asked. Abu shook his head. Jasmine smiled and took one last look at the view. "We should go back. Baba must be waiting."
ALADDIN'S POV
"How much farther?" Fazan whined. Aladdin sighed and checked his map.
"Not much farther, Fazan. We just need to keep going east and-"
He paused when he saw a structure up ahead. The horses came to a stop, and they slid off. "Here we are. I'm guessing this is Skanland?" Fazan asked.
"Yes. And I am mighty excited to see Amara," Razoul informed them. Fazan started making smooching sounds, and Razoul rolled his eyes.
"You like Amara?" Aladdin raised his eyebrows. Amara was his best friend from when they were kids. Aladdin was an orphan, but Amara still had her mother. Amara had a decent house, Aladdin did not. Amara was loud, Aladdin was quiet. They were complete opposites.
"Yes. How do you know her, King Aladdin?" Razoul asked.
"She's my best friend, other than Genie." Razoul's jaw dropped, and Aladdin chuckled. The guards opens the doors, and they strode through the village and into the palace. Aladdin kneeled in front of Prince Anders.
"Ah, so the street rat has arrived..." Anders said in his snotty voice. Aladdin stood up and motioned for Fazan and Razoul to do the same.
"I'm not here to argue, Anders. I'm here to request alliance."
"Why is that?" Anders sneered. "Is Agrabah too weak? If the princess had married me, then Agrabah would be stronger. Stronger than Skanland. But I guess she's the sultan now, isn't she? Well, the sultan married a street rat like you. Hamed was a fool, passing the title of sultan to a girl."
"Shut your mouth if you know what's good for you," Aladdin seethed.
"Fine. I will offer alliance. Combined, our armies will do much damage against our enemies. So, that part is covered. Now we can argue freely. Tell me, rat, why does Jasmine love you?" Anders concluded.
"Because I know how she feels. I understand her, and all you care about is her beauty and being rich and... having power!" Aladdin said. Anders scoffed.
"You're telling me?" He said. "Dude, that's like, so wrong."
"Don't say 'dude', please. It sounds weird with your accent," Aladdin retorted. Razoul and Fazan "oohed" at the same time. Anders scowled and threw his feathered hat on the ground. "Aw, thanks!" Aladdin teased. "You look so much better now!"
"You'd look better if you didn't shove your face into Jasmine's!" Anders argued.
"Ha!"
"SHUT UP, STREET RAT!"
"I'd rather not, thank you."
Anders clenched his fists. "That's it. I'll give you the stupid alliance you want. But I will not offer you my kindness."
"I don't need your kindness, Anders. I just need your respect."
"Aladdin, don't you understand? I won't respect you unless you're kind to me."
"Kind? Kind? ARE YOU KIDDING?! You're the one who just started calling me a rat!" Aladdin argued.
"Hmm, perhaps."
Suddenly, Anders punched Aladdin, square in the face. He then pulled a dagger out of his belt and slit the side of his face. He threw Aladdin against the wall, and Aladdin slid down slowly, clutching his head. Razoul and Fazan raised their weapons and advanced, but Aladdin stopped them from going any further.
"Listen, Anders. I don't wanna hurt you. I know you wanted to marry Jasmine, but I can't change the fact that I love her more than anything else in my life!"
"Clearly," Anders said sarcastically. "But Jasmine will be mine, Aladdin! All mine!"
Razoul grabbed Aladdin's arm. "Let's go, my king. We will get you a bandage."
Fazan led them to a healing cottage. The woman there treated Aladdin's nose bleed, and bandaged the gash on his face. She wrapped a bandage around Aladdin's head. "My king, are you alright?" Fazan asked. Aladdin nodded.
"Should we go home now?" Razoul asked, helping him stand. Aladdin shook his head.
"No. We need to take Anders back to Agrabah, remember?"
Razoul grimaced. "Right. That's gonna be difficult."
Aladdin tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe not. He is pretty eager to see Jasmine anyway."
Fazan grinned from ear to ear. "Perfect plan, sir!"
JASMINE'S POV
Jasmine went back home, only to find a bottle waiting at the foot of her vast bed. She picked it up and took the cork out. There was a rolled letter stuffed inside the glass bottle. She unrolled the yellowed parchment.
Dear Aladdin and Jasmine,
I hope this gets to you soon. I'm guessing we sent it in the direction of Agrabah. Or at least Genie said he did. I wanted to let you know that we are taking you up on your request of us coming back to settle down in Agrabah. We are going to arrive in approximately two days. Our children, Omar and Lian, are super excited to see you. Genie told them the story of Aladdin, the princess, and the lamp. They know that Genie used to be a genie. I hope you are adjusting to being sultan.
Love, Dalia
Jasmine squealed in delight and ran down the stairs and into the throne room. "Baba! Baba! Genie and Dalia are coming back to Agrabah in two days! And they're going to settle down here!"
Her father smiled. "That is great news. I hope Aladdin is back by then."
Jasmine nodded. "It would be a shame if Genie and Dalia returned without Aladdin being there to greet them."
"Then let's hope he gets back," Hamed smiled.
ALADDIN'S POV
"Anders, I need you to come to Agrabah with us."
Aladdin, Razoul, and Fazan were back in Anders's throne room. They were currently trying to convince Anders to journey to Agrabah with them.
"Tell me one reason I should come with you," Anders was being very stubborn.
"Don't you wanna see Jasmine again?" Aladdin tried. Anders's lips twisted into an ugly grin.
"Well, I do... fine. I'll come with you. But I'm leaving in two weeks."
"Deal."