Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh I’ve come to this land, to this magical place, to where caravan camels roam…” The breeze passing over the vast desert dunes joined in like a shushed chorus as the man sung into the night. “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric and I love it so.”

The man was dressed in a drab washed-out gray shirt and pants combo with a far-too-small blue jacket for the slightest amount of color. He smiled warmly, drawing attention and confusion, from the scruffy bandits huddled over a small dying fire.

“Frigid winds from the east, burning sun in the west, bag of gems I just stole held tight.” Despite the man’s short and largely overweight nature, he didn’t slow or falter as he marched up the hill towards a single sun-bleached tent. “Come on down, stop on by, steal a camel and ride… to another Arabian Niiiiiiight!”

He stopped to scratch under the chin of a two-humped camel laying down besides the tent. “Let’s do this.”

The short scruffy man threw open the worn-out cloth doors and stomped inside. There were two people inside: a tall African man in an off-white robe with a blue-green shawl and a teenage girl, dressed in fine pink satin, gagged and tied to the tent’s center pole. The African man hid a scowl and put away his sword.

“Sooooo, what have we got here?” The singing man huffed, hands on hips.

The guard rolled his eyes. “This is the Zudanian princess.” He waved to the girl. “Remember? The one you said had to be the ‘Diamond in the Rough’ from the Cave of Wonder legend because she comes from ‘Zudan: The Land of Diamonds’?”

“Right, right, right.” The short man waved the taller man’s words away. “Well, I’ve decided I don’t wanna wait anymore. So untie the princess and let’s get moving.”

“Haroud!” The canvas curtain doors flew open again and an equally short, fat man in identical clothes stomped in. “I’ve decided I don’t wanna wait anymore! So untie the princess and--” The fat man blinked. There was an exact copy of him standing in front of him.

The first fat man snorted before speaking, “Well, one of us is going to have to change.”

The second fat man looked down at his clothes, “But I woke up like this.”

“Yes,” The first man smiled with a condescending and now feminine-sounding voice “and we’re all very sorry for you.”

Haroud drew his sword and grabbed the first man. The man’s appearance shuddered and collapsed in a plume of dust. In the man’s place was a woman, 30s with a deep tan, in a pale-gold flowing robe with a bright green body-length scarf pinned around her neck by a stone medallion.

Haroud gasped. “You! The nomad!”

“Wait a minute…” The short man spoke as slowly as his brain was working. “I know you! You’re that freaky magic lady I ran outta Shiabad!”

The woman rolled her eyes. “No, Abis Mal, I’m the freaky magic lady that branded your left butt cheek with a hot iron… and then ran YOU out of Shiabad.” She huffed hard, spitting a plume of black smoke in Haroud’s face before running to the princess. In a flash, a dagger cut the ropes and the two women ran outside.

“Hey wait!” Abis Mal threw open the tent door to follow and got kicked in the gut by a camel.

“Stop them!” Haroud shouted “She’s stealing the princess!”

“We… stole her… first!” Abis Mal choked out before collapsing.

The older woman heaved the princess onto the camel’s back and grabbed the reins. She got yanked back by her scarf. “You thought it would be that easy, woman?” Haroud sneered.

A cobra lashed out from under the green scarf with a hiss and the man jumped back with a yelp. “Thanks, Mitr.” The woman sighed before jumping on the camel. “YAH!

The princess clutched to the galloping camel’s back, clinging to the odd tied rope and rolled up carpets that made something of a flat surface between the camel’s humps. She wasn’t supposed to be here. The noise of the various kinds of junk this beast was hauling made her gentle heart race even harder. She dared to look behind them. Men in the night were mounting horses. “They’re coming!” she yelled at the older woman.

“They’re not the problem!” The woman answered. The camel veered and started stomping down a steep dune diagonally. “The problem is I don’t have the supplies to get you back to Zudan from here. Anywhere close that would know you?”

The princess's hands shook from the bumpy ride. “I’m sorry! I don’t know where I am!” The girl shrieked as the camel shifted to flatter land. She barely managed to not fall by finding a foothold on some rod tied to the side. "All the sand looks the same!"

The nomad groaned. “Then just start naming places you know you’ll be safe!”

A shrill neigh made both women look up. Several men on horseback crested the high desert dune and started charging straight down. The nomad huffed. She put a hand over the stony medallion on her shoulder and held the other hand out. The hidden rune on the stone surface glowed. A lane of sand on the dune brightened up and in an instant started running straight down as if it was water.

The horses cried out as their footing slipped, sending their riders tumbling down. The woman clutched the medallion and a whirling of sand wrapped around a pure black horse and righted it back to its feet. The horse was brought to a stop at the bottom by the dune, rearing as the sorceress took its reins. “You. Get on!” She nodded towards the horse. The princess nervously let go and managed to climb onto the horse properly with some decorum.

“Allied nations! Go!” The woman barked, snapping her camel’s reins.

The princess gently kicked her horse to follow. “Um… Corkistan… Odiferous… Shiabab, Agra--”

“Shiabab’s closest.”

The women turned sharply and went west. Under the dim lighting of the moon, rocky walls slowly came into view. “We’re going to get trapped against that mountain!”

“It’s not a mountain.” The older woman stated.

Coming even closer, a cave with two carved camel statues on either side quickly arrived and was passed by the women. The flooring was smooth and slowly ramped downward. The walls were clearly carved out but centuries of standing against desert winds left almost every intricate detail lost to time.

The moonlight welcomed the two ladies from the tunnel. The younger woman looked around. Towering faintly red stone as far as the eye could see “A canyon?” The princess asked. “But why?”

“Crossroad Canyon, bubbie. You can get anywhere in the Seven Deserts from here.” The older woman turned her camel to the left.

Clattering from the tunnel. A lot of somethings with hooves were rapidly approaching. “They’re coming!”

“We’re going.”

Up the canyon, til they passed a star-shaped shadow; the shadow of a sculpture erected high at the very beginning of the massive chasm. The horse and camel tore through another cave opening, this time, charging up a ramp that was actually lit up with wall torches.

“This way!” A man bellowed.

“They’re gaining!” The princess cried.

“I know, they’re not being quiet!”

The two women broke out of the tunnel in full dash, returning to cold air and shifting sands. The nomad halted her camel and got off. The princess stopped her horse. “What are you doing?”

The older woman untied a pouch and a satchel and tossed them to the princess. “These are all the supplies I got. They’ll get you to Shiabab.”

“... but…”

The sorceress slid a long rod out of her pack and ran her hand over the top. The carving of a sleeping cobra coiled around the top of the staff shined in the moonlight. She walked back towards where they came. “I’ll hold them off. Just go straight from here and you’ll be in Shiabab soon enough.”

The princess turned her horse around. “Please, madam. Whoever you are, I must know your name so I may tell my people of my savior.”

The older woman stopped. “I hold no family name as my own. Nor any nation as my home. I am only a nomad of the sand.”

The princess held back her forming tears. “Brave Nomad. You will never be forgotten for your deeds today. That I promise. My people will--”

“I’m just fighting off bandits, bubbie” The nomad looked back, arms motioning widely. “This is not a special occasion for me. It’s important to me that you know that.”

The princess sputtered. “Well… I’m not used to this!”

“Just go already, Kid!”

The princess took a deep breath before kicking her horse again, disappearing over an endless sea of dunes into the night.

“Remember: just go STRAIGHT!” The nomad yelled. She watched as the trail of sand kicked up by the princess settled. “Balavaan, give me room.” The camel groaned before trotting off to the side. She put both hands up. The horses were getting closer. Left hand on the stone medallion. Right hand holding the staff. The medallion lit up. The nomad closed her eyes. The galloping was getting louder.

She brought the staff close to the medallion and the snake’s eyes opened, glowing a bright yellow, its mouth opening slightly. The glow of the medallion drifted away from the stone and into the staff. She pulled the staff away and took it in both hands. As the bandits reached the top of the dune, she thrust it into the sands.

The ground shifted and the sands started swirling before the woman. As the men got close the sands were churning like a whirlpool, circling and swirling into a deepening void beneath the surface. The horde stopped before the sight, but the sands crept closer. Horses reared in fright but before they could turn, the sands slipped from under them and they, and their riders, fell into the sandy tide.

The Nomad’s camel whined and backed away. Soon the tide pulled the sand from under the staff and the Nomad fell. The woman turned onto her stomach and her feet got pulled under. “Balavaan!” The beast bellowed and stuck its neck out towards his master. The sand sucked down the nomad’s legs. The edge of the whirling sands expanded and the land started falling away from the camel’s feet. The camel gave a panicked gargle and backed up. “BALAVAAN!”

The sand was up to her waist. She saw her camel hop onto a rock pile and bellow out to her again. The pressure by her feet changed. It was… lighter. Did that mean…? The nomad took a deep breath before pulling her scarf over her mouth and nose and pushing herself down.

Beneath the sands, she could barely make out muffled yelling, panicking motions pushing through the waves. The pressure got lighter, lighter, lighter before giving way. The yelling of the men rang clear as everyone fell through the ceiling in a cloud of sand. The nomad watched as the men beneath her crashed into the edge of a high cliff before tumbling silently into the blackness below. She hit the ridge squarely in the center.

----

The princess pulled back on the reins and looked out into the night. Nothing. No noise, no movement. She sighed and took a sip from the pouch the woman gave her. Just go straight. Just go straight. Just--

“Hiya!”

The princess let out a scream and covered her head.

“Whoa whoa whoa, relax. I’m friendly.” The young man continued.

The princess looked around. No one.

“Up here.”

The princess looked up. The young man was on a flying purple carpet. A small skinny monkey popped its head over the edge of the carpet and tipped its tiny fez with a squawk.

“Are you Princess Dia’mah?”

The princess shrunk nervously. “Tell me who you are first.”

“I’m Aladdin.” The young man’s carpet lowered to the princess’s level. “This is Carpet… the carpet.” The flying rug’s tassel made a small polite wave. “And this is Abu.” The monkey let out a little squeak that sounded very close to ‘hello’. “Now your turn.”

“I am Princess Dia’mah.” The girl answered shyly. “I’m supposed to go to Shiabab.”

“Shiabab?” Aladdin asked. “Aren't you from Zudan?”

“The… lady that saved me said it was too far to go straight to Zudan. But the Sultan of Shiabab will know me. He’ll see me home safely.”

“Lady?”

The princess looked behind her. She couldn’t see anything in the dark of the night. “A… nomadic woman saved me. She even gave me all her supplies to make sure I made it. Now, I worry she’ll meet her end out here because of me.”

Aladdin gave a smile and reached out to the princess. “Listen, I know Nomads seem weird to city people like us, but they know their stuff. They wouldn’t give up their supplies unless they were sure they could reach the next oasis on their own. The woman will be fine. Now, come on, I'll help get you to Shiabab.” The carpet started flying forward. ”If we’re fast, we might be able to get there before the sun gets too high.”

The princess took one last look behind her. Nothing. She sighed and flicked the reins.

---

Silence. The waves of water far below fell still a while ago, the bodies they claimed decidedly sunk to the bottom. The only sound was a scaly body running over fabric and dirt.

The cobra stood up, tongue flicking. This wasn’t working. Mitr ran his long black-and-gold body under the woman’s nose. Nothing. He grabbed the woman’s messy barely-even-still-tied ponytail in his mouth and shook as hard as he could. Nothing. He gave a loud long hiss in her ear. Nothing. Ok, time for The Big No-No. The cobra stood tall and opened his mouth wide. He pulled his long fangs in so they stayed pointed towards his throat and lunged at the lady. He bit her nose bluntly and put as much pressure as he could on it.

The woman groaned softly. The snake quickly pulled off the woman and lowered to her level. Slowly the nomad pulled her hands closer and pushed herself upright. Her eyes opened slowly. “Hey buddy,” she said weakly. She held out her hand and the serpent gladly ran itself up her arm. “Did I scare you? I’m sorry.”

She leaned towards her staff, flinching as a wave of pain ran through her upper body. “Lovely…” She pushed through and used the staff to stand up. She gave Mitr a gentle nuzzle before letting the snake vanish under the folds of her scarf. “Now… where’d I almost die this time.”

There wasn’t much to look at. Big cave. Very dark. Cold but it was the desert in the middle of the night which, frankly, was the most normal thing going on at this point. The ceiling was made of sand, any trace of the sorceress’s disruption on the surface now long gone.

The stone pillars trailed downward towards the water’s edge where the nomad could see a faint light in the distance. The intricately carved entrance-way led to a vast room, bright and glittering with mounds upon mounds of gold in every imaginable form. Pots, plates, coins, bars, statues, even gateways several stories high that stood without walls on any side.

The snake of the woman’s staff gave a metallic hiss and its eyes opened with a deep dangerous red glow. The woman looked. She passed the snake so it stared at a smaller mound of gold. The red glow intensified. She pulled it away and pointed it to the bare ground. The red faded somewhat. “Oh this gold is Cursed cursed.” She chuckled. Her eyes went wide with a gasp. “Which means there must be something REALLY good in the back!”

The cobra poked its head out with a quick hiss.

“You hush. I’m the one with legs and I say we go that way!” She waved her staff towards the thin trail weaving around the gold and quickened her pace.

The mounds of cursed treasure were soon replaced by twisted pillars of stone that formed a maze in the near total darkness. The staff’s eye’s changed from red to yellow. The woman followed where the glow was most focused and slipped through a rough looking crack in the wall.

This new room was nothing less than massive, so much so that most sultan's palaces would easily fit inside. Before her was a small trail of stones poking out of perfectly still waters, leading to a grand incline where the tiniest red light flickered. “Yeesh, did the egyptians make this?” The woman grumbled “What’s with all the steps? I already got past the cursed part.”

She looked away in annoyance and glanced upon a large golden grinning gorilla statue, clutching a ruby the size of a watermelon. “Nice rock.” She smiled. She looked back to the hike before her. “If only I liked jewelry.”  Across the water and up the rocky stairs, the air getting colder and colder as she ascended. The final few steps and the woman let a grin grow on her face in anticipation.

Finally, the prize stood before her. On the smooth stone pedestal, a pure black oil lamp burning with a tiny yellow flame. Its spout was what like what the nomad would call a ‘regally upturned nose’ and its handle reminded her of a spoiled Roman noble’s pursed lips. A rather snooty looking lamp all around.

“Great Shiva…” She gasped. The staff snake’s eyes turned white and the mouth opened wide. The woman hesitated before inching the staff closer. The staff started pulling tiny embers into its mouth, not just from the lamp’s flame but its body as well. That didn’t seem like a good thing. She snapped the staff’s mouth closed and hooked the head so it hung from her satchel safely.

Mitr hissed, brushing his body against his owner’s chin.

She rubbed her hands together and tenderly picked up the lamp. She looked carefully at the engravings on the lamp’s foot. Intricate curves and strokes that felt like every letter of a different language rolled into a single form. In a blink, the swirls changed shape and order. “Djinn-speak. It’s real!” She carefully put her hand under the spout as if supporting a newborn’s head. Her heart surged, finger’s dancing on the cold brass surface. “Let’s do this.”

Mitr gave another loud objection, slinking down the woman’s arms and blocking the lamp with his hood.

“Look, if you were stuck in a lamp, wouldn’t you want someone to at least let you out so you can stretch and get some air?”

The cobra huffed and slowly lowered his head.

“Yes, yes you would. Now, hush.”

The nomad smiled and snuffed out the small flame with a stiff blow. Her eager grin returned as she slowly rubbed the lamp under the spout. The warm gray smoke where the flame had been shifted into a bright red that surged with heat and embers. The woman clutched the shuddering lamp and the smoke trail grew into a towering plume many times the woman’s size.

Her broad smile only faltered as a deep and devious maniacal laughter started filling the room.

Chapter Text

“Oh, Shiva.” The woman’s smile faded completely.

The surging red cloud grew brighter and brighter, glowing like lava in the dimly lit cave. Both sides of the cloud broke off and from the heavy smoke came two exceptionally muscular arms, accented only with a pair of shining golden cuffs on rather dainty-looking wrists. The center of the plume solidified into a broad fully-bared torso, heavy with muscle and defined like a masterpiece sculpture that trailed down to a fit, firm waist bearing only a glittering golden sash. 

“Oh…. Shiva…” The woman grinned.

Something caught the woman’s eye. From the pillar of spiraling smoke still gushing from the lamp, a small red macaw flapped out rather gracelessly. The poor bird gave a long burst of guttural phlegm-y hacks, spitting out bits of the red smoke. “Thank Allah! I! Am! Outta here!” The macaw screeched, barreling off into the darkness.

The being’s face came into view: a broad but angular face twisting in a gruesome smile of fangs, burning all-yellow eyes, with a crooked, twirling beard dangling from a sharp chin. The being took a long deep breath and started chuckling to himself. “Finally!” The being said darkly, voice booming throughout the cave. “ Free ! I am FREE!” 

The nomad quietly cleared her throat and got ready to speak.

“Free to exact vengeance upon the revolting wretches that dared to imprison me!”

The nomad decided she should not speak.

The being’s inhale hissed like an angry snake. “Not a soul shall be spared from my retribution! I shall shatter the very earth, yank the heavens from the very sky ! I shall -- ACK!” The being flinched and grabbed the back of his neck. “Ugh, Neck crick…”

“You’re telling me!” The parrot glided back around and flapped up to the being’s head. It paused to take some labored breaths. “There is no way it’s a good sign that I’m this tired after this little flying. I’m definitely outta shape. Hey, look at me from the side, do I look different to you?”

The being looked away, managing a small but audible crack as he pushed his head down and to the side. “You’re fine.” He grumbled.

She wasn’t getting a song and dance outta this guy, that’s for sure. Gotta think fast. The being groaned as he stretched one arm over his body for a few moments before shaking his shoulder loose. She didn’t sign up for this. How was she going to put this genie back in the bottle? She gasped, “Back in the bottle!” 

The nomad ripped the ribbon out of her hair and fluffed it up as best as dirty hair could get. She licked her fingers and ran the wet tips around her eyes and down her cheeks. She sat the lamp down on the pedestal and started hyperventilating as she laid down on the steps. Not too fast, can’t afford to get dizzy. Just enough to be out of breath. The genie dropped his arms to his side and grinned, letting lightning trail all over his luminous skin. His precious power. The nomad quietly unhooked her staff from her satchel and gently tossed it down the steps.

The loud clanking got the genie’s attention. His massive form lowered to find a woman, sprawled out on the rocky stairs, eyes clearly wet with tears. She shrunk under her green cape as he got closer. The genie growled under his breath. This was what released him; a squalid female. He leaned on the towering pillar that still held his lamp. What to do, what to do.

After a few moments of silence, the woman spoke. “I… I-I did not mean to disturb your slumber, O Mighty One.”

The genie raised an eyebrow.

Another moment of silence; nothing to be heard but the woman’s shallow panicked breathing. “N-nor did I take any of your magnificent treasure.” She sat up and hurriedly dumped the contents of her satchel on the ground. Tiny vials of dull red liquids or dried herbs clinked out as they fell, followed by a few tied cloth bags, a handful of kunai, a couple odd coins from far off lands and one long scrap of rag. “See? I touched nothing! I-I came only because of the legends.”

The genie’s bored expression shifted. “Legends?” A wicked fanged grin spread on his face. “Go on…” He purred.

“Yes! The legends!” The nomad moved to get her feet under herself, but still stayed low to the ground. “The ancient tales… the songs and epics speak of an all-mighty Djinn. A being that commands all reality.” She saw the genie lean in closer. Even the parrot sitting on the genie’s shoulder was leaning forward. “One who’s slightest favor can bring forth a sprawling kingdom of unending bounty and who’s slightest ire causes millennia of agony and despair. A being so powerful even the stars themselves bowed in awe at his majesty.” The genie’s eyes grew wide. She had him. 

“I-I-I am only here because, Oh Grandest and Greatest of Powers, in my utterly pathetic, foolish, fragile human… foolishness… I took these tales as merely myth.” She watched the genie scowl. “I did not believe them!” She pitched her voice higher and bowed her head.

The genie snarled before straightening. With a wide motion of his arms, a massive sinister cloud formed behind the being. Red lightning struck out in all directions, cleaving chunks of rock off the cave walls and lashing the waters below. “ And do you believe now ?!” He bellowed.

“The legends are truly nothing compared to your incomprehensible… magnitudes.” She had to finish this fast, she was running out of adjectives. “And I know a thousand lifetimes would not be enough to apologize for my most grievous transgression against you, Master Of All That Is And Ever Shall Be, but should you spare me, I swear upon all your power, I shall serve you until I draw my final breath.” Her hand hidden under the scarf pulled on her robe so it clung to the curve of her hip. The genie’s yellow eyes grew intense as he leaned forward again. The nomad saw the very tip of his tongue peek out and run down his long fangs. “I shall not deny you any whim or command, no matter how great or small.” she continued. “So long as you spare me… Master.”

The genie reached out and gently placed a long black claw-like nail under the woman’s chin. She pulled back and moved her scarf up to cover her mouth. “Well,” the genie chuckled. “Your offer does tempt me…” He curled his dangling beard around his fingers, feigning thought, “and I do find your groveling amusing. I shall accept your bargain and spare you, woman.”

The nomad bowed low, touching her forehead to the ground. “You will not regret this, Master. Your wish is my command!” She peeked at her target and grinned behind her scarf. “But… if I may dare force you to endure one final mortal ignorance, Most Merciful of Masters, how is it that a…  truly monumental being such as yourself can fit in such a tiny insignificant lamp?”

The genie made a face. How dare she remind him of that wretched thing? But… what‘s one answered question to a genie? “A simple matter:” He smirked, “I turn into mist.”

“Didn’t know ‘mist’ drooled in its sleep.” The parrot grumbled. The genie turned to the bird and, with a quick snort, blew the parrot off his shoulder.

“If… I may see this great power of yours,” She subtly grabbed the long rag and started twisting it. “I swear to never question you again.”

“ ‘Great power’? Ha!” The genie held his head high. “A parlor trick! A trifle! Observe.” The genie crossed his arms with a proud smile and in an instant, his form broke into a crimson cloud. The mighty plume started pouring itself back into the lamp.

“Uh, Jafar? Jafar! ” The parrot squawked “We just got out of there! What are you doing ?! Jafar?!”

The last of the smoke vanished and the lamp gently rocked on its stand. The nomad launched to her feet and shoved the coiled tip of the rag into the spout. Quickly she wrapped the rest of the cloth along the body and then ran the final length under the outer layer to secure it.

The woman slammed the lamp down on the stand. “ HA! IDIOT ! ” The lamp answered with a slightly more forceful rocking. “Back in the bottle!” The woman let out something closer to a wild scream than a laugh. “Stupid jerk! You made me dump all my stuff out!” She screamed as she stomped down the stairs, still laughing.

The parrot landed on the pedestal, keeping an eye on the woman shoving her junk back in her purse. Default rule: no human-like talking in front of other people. But…. “Jafar, what was that ?” The bird whispered loudly. “What the actual camel plop was that ?!”

“Spare me your prattling, Iago!” A much less booming, bass-heavy voice called from inside the lamp. “Release me!”

 Iago rolled his eyes and brushed his wing against the side of the lamp. Nothing. The bird’s irritated expression turned confused. He pulled the lamp a little closer and brushed the rag-wrapped side harder.

“I said release me!”

“Gah, I’m….TRYING!” Iago grabbed a strip of the rag in his beak and pulled. “Stupid lady wrapped your lamp! I can’t rub you right.”

“I should say not, Iago.” The voice in the lamp spat. “You’re a wretched roommate. Now do something!”

Iago growled to himself before looking back at the woman. She just then picked up her staff as she happily bounced down the stairs. At the end of the stairs was a small hole in the cave wall letting in a very dim red light. The woman knew how to leave. Iago didn’t. The parrot sighed. “Ok, I got an idea but you ain’t gonna like it.”

“Whatever it takes!” The lamp grumbled. “Just go ! My brief moment of freedom has only reignited my hatred for these… infuriating four inches of brass.”

Iago started flying and grabbed the lamp handle in his feet. “Yeah yeah yeah. I get it.” He said. “You’ve made do with four inches your whole life.” He added under his breath.

----

The desert at night is as cold and still as ice. A deep dark blue against a black endless horizon with only direct moonlight to remind one of the glittering golden hue of sand. One would be forgiven to think there was no life in this region, or that there had never been life there at all. However, the desert, and those that call it home, care little for a passerby’s opinion. 

A mound of sand heaved under the moonlight before collapsing. A few moments passed and again the sand swelled. This time the sand broke from the ground and through the thin veil of dust, the nomadic woman stepped out into the cold fresh air. She took a deep satisfying breath and let the glow of her medallion fade out. 

The sand mound behind her dropped to the ground and a shocked squawk rang out. Wait, a squawk? The nomad looked to the sky. Nothing but stars. There shouldn’t be birds this far from water. The woman sighed. Hopefully the bird had an owner close by. “Balavaan!” The woman yelled. “Balavaaaaaaaaaaaan!” Nothing but echoes. She huffed and started marching up a tall dune for the high ground.

The sand shifted and swelled once more on a much smaller scale. With a small bust, a red macaw broke through and started clawing the sand to pull the rest of his body out. Iago started spitting and hacking up sand. “Typical. I take two steps in the desert, and I get sand in places I didn’t even know I had!” The bird got to his feet and pulled the black oil lamp to the surface.

“What’s taking so long?” The lamp demanded. “I ordered you to release me!” 

Iago growled. “ Working on it ! I’m--” A loud whistle in the distance. A long low tone that ended with a high pitch. The woman was at the top of the dune. “Ok, there she is.”

“She?!” The lamp spat, shifting ever so slightly where it sat. “The woman?!”

“Told you were gonna hate this idea.” Iago said “But it’ll work… if you just zip it for two minutes! I gotta shift into ‘Pretty Polly’ mode.”

A tiny spit of warm red smoke eeked out from the lamp’s clogged spout. “Fine. But for your sake, do not keep me waiting.”

Iago straightened his posture and cleared his throat. “Squawk. No, no, no. Hmm…” It’s been a while. He pitched his voice up slightly. “Quwaaaak… Nah, nah, that stunk.” He pitched his voice up more. “Rawk…” No, wait there’s supposed to be a bit of a roll to the ‘r’s.  “Rrrawk! That’s it! Rrrawk rrrawk rrawk! Got it! Ok, go time!” Iago grabbed the lamp and climbed the air far above the dunes. 

A gurgling bellow caught his attention. “Balavaan!” In the moonlight, the parrot watched a short stocky camel run in its kind’s usual floppy way towards the woman… and then knock her down with his body. “I missed you too, buddy.” The nomad scoffed. “I’m glad-- no, no, no, no!” The camel knelt down and sat on the woman’s legs. The beast looked down at his owner, burying her face in his thick neck fur.

Iago circled for a bit. The woman just barely managed to pull herself out from under her mount and scramble to her feet. “Show time.” Iago hovered over the camel and dropped the lamp.

The woman rubbed the fuzzy poof of hair on her camel’s head. “Bal, it’s too late at night for this. We gotta--” Tonk! The woman flinched, seeing movement in the corner of her eye. She clutched her staff and moved closer. Something stuck out of the sand by her camel’s side. A… the woman frowned… black oil lamp wrapped in a rag. “Oh no.”

“Rrrawk!”

The nomad looked up and saw the red macaw drift lazily downward and land on her camel’s saddle. “Oh, birdy!” She smiled. “Were you what I heard a bit ago?” She offered a hand to the bird. The parrot gave the hand one long look from the side and shuffled away slightly. “Aw, not feeling friendly? Poor thing. You’re not lost, are you?”

“Rrawk! The lamp!” said the bird. “The lamp! The lamp!” 

“The lamp?” The woman glared at the lamp but picked it up.

The bird started flapping, head bobbing with excitement. “The lamp! Rub the lamp! Rub! Rub the lamp!”

“Rub the lamp…” The woman scoffed. “No, bubbie, this is bad news.” She pointed to the lamp before tossing it behind her. “We shouldn’t touch it.”

In a quick motion, the parrot grabbed the lamp and set it back down on the camel’s back. “The lamp! Rub the lamp!” It yelled again. 

The woman’s eyes narrowed. She put a hand on the lamp and brushed it off the saddle and back into the sand. The parrot glared back but, as it did before, picked the lamp up and set it on the camel’s back. As soon as the bird settled, the nomad flicked the lamp, making it slide off into the sand. The bird gave a quiet growl but once again brought the lamp back to the saddle.

“You belong to the genie, don’t you.” The woman stated. The parrot answered by fussing about with its wing feathers. The nomad sighed before grabbing the lamp. She saw Balavaan watching her. “Well…. If he loves animals… he can’t be PURE evil, right?” The camel just looked back at the parrot. “Right.” She pulled the wrapping off and, with a reassuring breath, rubbed the side of the black lamp.

The lamp shot out a familiar red plume of smoke that soared up to the night sky, drenching the land in a sinister light. This time the genie seemed to tear through the cloud to take form and let loose a barrage of lightning into the air.

“Yes! Freedom !” The genie’s purposefully deeper voice boomed in the night. “… Again…” He added with noticeably less confidence. “Now, where is that filthy vagrant that dared deceive me!”

“Oh, so he’s like that all the time, huh?” The woman muttered.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Iago sighed.

The woman looked at the bird in shock. Iago gulped and took off. “Hey, wait!”

“YOU!” Jafar growled, pointing to the woman. “Lowly little rat.” He lowered his massive self to her level; his head alone more than a couple feet taller than her whole body. “You will pay for your treason… but not now. I have much bigger thorns in my side that have pained me far too long.” He straightened and drifted further up into the sky. “But know this: when I return, your suffering will not be swift.”

“Return? What are you--?”

The red genie turned back into a cloud and took off to the east like a shooting star.

The woman sighed and leaned on her camel. “Three…. Two… one…” She heard the man give a sudden yelp and smiled.

Iago hurried to his partner, who looked like he was trying, and failing, to pull something invisible. The gold bands on Jafar’s wrists were glowing bright. “Excuse me, your most all-powerful-ness, may I remind you we have business to attend to in Agrabah? Business by the name of ‘ Killing Aladdin ’! What’s with the pantomime!”

Jafar gave another grunt of effort, his whole body moving backward… except his golden cuffs. They held as still as they would be being pressed against a wall. “These accursed shackles!” he hissed. “It must be the lamp. Even when released, I’m still its slave.” He looked at the woman in the distance. “Slave to whatever sloven fool holds it. Despicable! All the power of the universe, and I’m bound by the rules of the genie !”

“Wow, a genie forced to act like a genie, what a concept...” Iago huffed. “Of course, he’s mad he-- RAWK!” Iago squawked as Jafar nearly crushed his tiny bird body in his grasp.

“What was that, you little pipsqueak!”

“I’m just saying ‘wow there’s so much red tape around being a genie, who’d’a guessed?’ heh… It’s a tragedy, really! My heart bleeds for ya, boss!”

Jafar frowned but let Iago go. “Don’t you understand, bird ? If I’m beholden to the law of the lamp, that means I can’t kill that upstart Aladdin, nor any of those reprehensible royals that opposed me.” The genie hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can’t even get to them without someone holding my… prison on my behalf.” 

Iago knew what that meant and took a quick look around the area. Maybe in the day, the bird had a chance to see some landmarks but at night, all he could see was the moon and a glowing giant red genie. “Ya know, I’d offer, but I haven’t got a clue where we are.”

“Which leaves only one other option.” Jafar growled. With an angry huff, the genie’s form collapsed into nothing.

The nomad hardly noticed the pillar of magic smoke forming behind her. She noticed the sudden scent of a freshly blown-out candle wafting nearby but her eyes were to the sky. Only when her camel moaned and pushed himself to his feet did she turn to her genie.

“Woman!” The genie put his hands on his hips. “You--”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She waved the genie away. “I know the setup; Three wishes, no take-backs, No killing, no forcing love, no raising the dead. There was a parrot around here a minute ago and I--”

“Unimportant!” Jafar snapped. “You will take me to--”

“Macaws are tropical birds!” The woman yelled over Jafar. “They can’t survive an arid climate. Understand? It’s important to me that you know that. We can’t just leave it out here. Pollyyyyyyyyy!”

Jafar sputtered. The sheer audacity to just ignore him. Did she not seek him out? It took twelve years and more than a few bodies for him to find the golden genie lamp; how could it take some common traveler any less? How could finding him not be the beginning of some grand ambition of hers? Not that he had any intention to serve but still… Who could disregard the power of a genie?

The way the woman scuttled about like an over-enthusiastic child calling for ‘Polly’ brought back memories of the Sultan of Agrabah. Wide-eyed, witless grin, happy to be lost for hours in his room full of trinkets and toys from exotic lands. Before he came to possess the hypnotic power of his own serpentine staff, Jafar often bought such objects to regain the sultan’s favor when he brushed too close with suspicion. Pretty things to dangle for a distraction.

Jafar felt the tiniest amount of weight on his shoulder as Iago landed. The bird watched the woman for a moment before turning to Jafar expectantly. Time for a different distraction. Jafar gave a small grin and spoke quietly. “Pretty lady routine. Go.” Iago grinned back with a wink and flapped off with a squawk.

“Polly?” The nomad looked up and saw the macaw circling above. “Polly! Here boy!” She held her hand high. “Come to Mama!”

Iago gave a wolf whistle and fluttered down with a coo. He gently landed on the woman’s shoulder. “Hello, Pretty La--” A cobra struck out from the folds of the woman’s scarf and snapped at the bird with a hiss. “AHHHH! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!” Iago flailed back to Jafar’s shoulder and hid behind his massive neck. “Not doing it! Nuh-uh!”

“ What? ” Jafar hissed.

“Snake! Snake in the scarf!”

Jafar looked. From where he floated, he could only make out the thinnest shadow sticking up from the woman’s shoulders. Jafar drifted down, head in hand, as if lounging. She had a real cobra, and the staff she held had a carved one posed as if slumbering. How amusing. However classless the woman’s demeanor was, she at least knew an animal worth idolizing when she saw it.

Mitr stood taller and let out a hiss at the red giant. Jafar glared and his face shifted into a cobra head, giving his own hiss back. The real snake ducked backwards slightly but offered another, deeper hiss. 

The nomad sighed. “You’ve been hissing in my ear all night. Enough.” She pulled out the rest of the snake, a fairly sizable specimen, and gently tossed it to her camel’s back. Balavaan took a curious glance at Mitr and the snake gave an indignant huff. “Now, let’s try this again.” She held her arm up high. “Here, Polly. Come on.”

Jafar glared at Iago. The parrot looked at his partner wide-eyed and shook his head ‘no’. The genie answered with a snort, a black plume of smoke dotted with embers and flicks of flames. Iago stumbled back and whined. “Ok, ok, I’m going!”

The macaw fluttered down just above the woman’s head. The cobra reared up and was quickly grabbed by his neck. “No.” The woman turned to Iago. “Come on, bubbie. You’re ok.”

Iago flew down slowly. “He-Hello, Pretty Lady!” He gave a weak catcall-like whistle before landing on the woman’s outreached hand.

“Aw, aren’t you a charmer?” She answered.

Jafar moved in closer. “His name is Iago.” 

“A literary name.” She ran her fingers down Iago’s back and got a well-practiced happy chitter in return. “Not surprising a genie has time to keep up on his reading. What is surprising is the sudden change in attitude, Red.”

Jafar glanced at his cuffs. “Regrettably, it wasn’t getting me anywhere.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Does that mean you got all that ‘high and mighty’ nonsense out of your system?”

The genie rolled his eyes. She still thought he was a joke! A plaything! An object she could-- wait. That wasn’t a cocky smirk or conniving smile on her face. The eyes were softer. The lips more gentle. Her tone without a cutting bite. Did Iago really hold that much sway over her? Go with it. Jafar tented his fingers. “I could go on but I assume you have other plans for the night.”

Her eyes widened. “Aw, geez, you’re right!” The woman gently tossed Iago towards Jafar and mounted her camel. “I gotta get to Shiabab.”

“What? Shiabab ?!” Iago said. The woman gave the bird a look. “Uh… Rrrawk! Shiabab! Shiabab!”

Jafar flew in front of the camel. “We are not--!” Calm yourself. We just got the woman under control. He took a breath and folded his hands together. “Madam..” 

“Don’t you mean ‘Master’?” The nomad grinned.

That smirk again. That’s bait. Leave it! Jafar forced a smile. “If I may offer an alternative--”

“No. Shiabab’s the only hope I got.” She turned Balavaan to walk around Jafar. “I got nothing to eat but spices and tea leaves and not a drop of water to make the world’s worst soup with.” She shook the reins and her camel started trotting off. “If I don’t at least make it to the borders of the Cracked Plateaus by sunrise, I’m going to get baked alive by midday.”

No supplies with intent to cross some of the hottest stretches of the desert? He could definitely work with this.

“Oh, what a precarious situation.” With a poof, Jafar reappeared in front of the woman. “But why go to Shiabab…” He vanished in a cloud and reappeared about a couple dozen feet away, sitting on a rock outcrop. “... when you can go anywhere .”

“I’m not wasting a wish just to do what I can do on my own already.” She answered gruffly. “Or at least not what I could do if someone stopped interrupting me.”

“Bah.” Jafar ran his finger through his beard. He needed to get to Agrabah! Wretched ragged stubborn little-- His cuffs started to glow. Jafar gasped and quickly teleported to the woman’s side. He caught the nomad’s hands duck under her scarf. Strangely, he felt faint little touches dotting his back. He looked again. The woman was grabbing his lamp hung from her satchel’s strap.

Fine. Over 30 years of bowing to an idiot sultan, he could bow once more. “Then don’t use a wish.” He lowered his head towards the nomad. “Allow me to take you to a city much more worthy of your time as an… apology for the egregious turn I did you earlier, Madam.”

The woman pulled her camel to a halt. It was a few moments before she spoke. “You’re still saying it wrong.”

 “Saying what wrong?”

She smirked again. Oh no. “That ‘M’ word? You’re using the wrong one.”

Jafar’s feigned smile faltered slightly.

“Use the right word, first.”

The genie tensed. All the power of the universe. All the power in the universe! He could remember the feeling as the blue genie’s magic surged through him. The secrets of all reality flooding his brain. How he grew to shatter the palace ceiling and soar to the atmosphere. The planets marched to his whims, the stars danced at his fingertips... The heart-sinking chill as cold metal bands slapped themselves around his wrists.

“... Allow me to take you to a city worth your time…” His clenched hands grew intense enough to turn coal into diamonds. “... Master.”

His master spun on her saddle to turn to him. “Throw in a free dinner and you got a deal.”

“YES!” Jafar snatched the entire camel and rider easily in one hand.

One of the nomad’s hands wrapped around her camel’s neck, the other clutching her cobra so he didn’t fall. “Careful, Red!” She yelled.

“Hey, wait! Don’t forget me!” Iago flapped furiously and barely managed to claw into the very tip of the woman’s green scarf before Jafar started racing across the dunes.

Chapter Text

“Are… Are you sure this way is safe?”

Aladdin looked back at the young princess. “Yeah, why?”

The bandit horse couldn’t be less perturbed by everything but the tiny young princess riding it was nervously looking at the flat heat-baked ground. “There’s so many cracks around here. Like the land will fall apart under us at any moment.”

“It won’t fall apart.” Aladdin chuckled. “The only danger in the Cracked Plateaus comes during the day. It gets so hot out here, even camels barely stand it.”

“What?” Princess Dia’mah looked behind her. “But the nomad said this path was safe.”

“It is!” Aladdin pulled back on the flying carpet’s rim and floated to the girl’s side. “See, this place gets so bad during the day that bandits never camp or stake-out on the Plateau. It’s actually one of the safest places to travel at night.” 

“I... never knew that." The girl looked away. Why wasn't she told of this? "Does that mean you come this way often?”

“No, but someone I knew a long time ago did.” Aladdin sat back on Carpet. “Told me all sorts of little secrets of the desert like that.” He looked out into the night. The shimmering moonlight on the dune, cresting like ocean waves frozen in time. The gentle winds stirring the grains of sand on the surface. After a moment, Abu jumped out of Aladdin’s lap and climbed his shoulder to see what his partner was looking at. Nothing but the horizon. “They traveled this desert long before I was even born,” He chuckled. “And I’ll probably need to spend the rest of my life traveling to see as much as they have.” Especially since it wouldn’t be long until…

“Can there really be that much to see out here?”

Aladdin looked at the princess. The desert started to light up. “Wow, see for yourself.”

The princess turned her horse around and gasped. A massive comet in the cloudless night, bright red as a roaring fire, sky streaked off farther and farther into the distance. “Goodness!”

“Wheow.” Abu squeaked.

Dia’mah watched until the faintest hint of light faded from sight. All the tutors and  teachers that got paraded into her palace chambers her whole life to educate her never spoke of such a sight. Then again, she had never heard of nomads coming to the rescue of outsiders nor flying carpets, ‘Cave of Wonders’ or diamonds in the rough. The more she thought, the less anything she’d gone through today was like anything she had ever known. “I need to get out more.”

-------

Nearly there. Nearly there. Having to carry a camel, a cobra and a dirty drifter was hardly any price for getting what he wanted. Agrabah. And he would have it. All of it. The bondages of slavery wouldn’t stop him. The petty laws of genie magic could be circumvented. 

“Hey!”

Jafar glanced down at the woman and rolled his eyes. She’d be a stubborn thing, that was certain. What was the world coming to that women like her and that insufferable Princess Jasmine seemed to be cropping up everywhere he looked? Just focus. Get to Agrabah. Find someone to kill Aladdin. Make the woman wish him free.

“Gods above.”

Jafar glanced down again. The woman had climbed out of his grip and now stood in the crook of his arm. He felt only the slightest amount of force as she pushed her hand into his skin. Jafar smirked. She was admiring him. As one should, of course. After her brief pause, the woman climbed up and reached Jafar’s shoulder. She grabbed his long golden earring. “Hi, remember me?”

“Should I?” Jafar smirked, hearing her groan.

“You’re taking me to a port town, aren’t you?” 

Jafar gave her a look. How did she…?

“Air by water just feels different from desert air and big bodies of water plus ‘city’ equals port town.” The woman laughed before continuing. “I usually try to avoid port towns, for the record. Ever since I got stuck in one for years, I can’t stand them anymore. Had to leave the whole Seven Deserts for five years just to recover… from…”

Before the city could crest above the dunes in the night, a towering palace rose into view; a grand white marble monument to decadence topped with massive golden domes on every tower and corner of heavily guarded fortress walls.

“Agrabaaaaaah!” The woman cried. Jafar felt a slight force from the woman kicking him in the neck. “You jerk! You did this on purpose! This is for the ‘Master’ thing, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps.” Jafar lied.

“Fine. I can still work with this.” The woman leaned forward, still holding onto the genie’s earring. “Set us down, gently , somewhere in the middle of the city. I know a place I can stay the night.”

Jafar just gave the woman a look. Just get to the palace. Then… make up something. Lay low, keep the woman busy and think of a way to have someone kill Aladdin. The woman was yelling and pointing at the palace. The guards. Razoul . That uncouth dog of a man hardly needed a reason to end a life before. More yelling. As for the other guards, Jafar could make more gold than any man could ever dream of now. They would obey willingly enough. A loud disgusted groan. Nothing would get between him and revenge.

Jafar slammed to a stop, his cuffs hitting the arbitrary invisible wall yet again. The woman jumped off and held tight to her staff. A white light ran down its length and a small whirlwind rushed into existence around her. The vortex caught the falling camel and slowed him just enough before tossing him onto a flat rooftop. 

“What?!” Jafar looked down to see the woman attending to her camel. Wait, something shiny on the roof. His lamp! The genie quickly dove down and reached for his prison. The sand littering the roof swirled into a streak of dust and pulled the lamp away across the roof until it was caught by the handle with the butt end of a staff. Jafar growled. “What do you think you’re doing , woman?”

The nomad lifted the black lamp up with her staff and grabbed it with her free hand. “I think I just saved all our lives, you moron! You were heading for the palace! Do you have any idea what kind of danger you almost got us into, IDIOT?!” 

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me !”

Iago landed on a barrel behind the woman and started making a cutting motion across his neck. “ Cut it out! Cut it out! We. Had. Her. On. Our. Side. ”

“Y-you don’t understand how bad that almost was!” The woman was breathing heavily. “We… we coulda… Coulda--!”The woman paced back and forth. “We-- no, no, no, no, no, Gotta go, keep moving, keep moving.” She stopped and turned to the genie. “In the lamp, now !”

“No.” Saying that word sent a highly unpleasant sensation through Jafar’s cuffs. He clawed into the metal bands and continued. “I may be forced to grant wishes but I will not--!”

The woman hooked her staff into her satchel and put her freed hand just above the lamp. A faint red mist formed on the surface of the lamp, thin and delicate that started gently twisting around her fingers. An invisible web of warmth formed. Her fingers danced on the magic threads like harp strings.  Jafar felt gentle stroking on his back, like the brushing of a feather fan on his skin. “What are you doing…” The genie growled.

The web of warmth solidified into a pocket of heat, a plate of energy on either side of the lamp. She stuck her thumb and pinky on the hidden plates. Jafar gasped. Nothing around him, and yet he felt as though something was grabbing him. The woman put her middle finger on the lamp spout. Something pushed down on Jafar’s neck.

She pulled her fingers up, dragging the heat with them. Jafar’s gold bands rose into the air like he was being hung by his arms. The woman moved her hand forward, leading the red mist towards Jafar. The mist connected to the plume that made up the genie’s lower half. The woman made a fist and threw her hand back. 

Jafar was yanked forward very forcefully. The black lamp shuttered and the genie’s body started shifting into more of the cloud, with the last of him quickly vanishing inside the lamp “Iago!”

Iago let out a gasp before covering his beak. No people-talking to others. He cleared his throat and took off for the woman. “Uh, The lamp! Rub the lamp!” 

“Om Namah Shivay, Om Namah Shivay.”  The woman pushed past Iago and walked to the half wall lining the rooftop. “Om Namah Shivay, Om Namah Shivay. Om Tat Purushaya Vidmahe Mahadevaya Dhimahi Tanno Rudra Prachodayat.” 

“Rub… the… uh…” Iago landed on the short wall. The woman had a thousand mile stare. Whatever, just get the lamp and go. Iago stepped over the woman’s shaking hands and stuck his head under her green half-cape. The black lamp shifted about slightly as it hung from her satchel; a pale show of its prisoner’s fury. Iago reached out and grabbed the spout with his beak.

The woman was pulled back, Iago dragged off the wall with her. The parrot fumbled to get a grip on the lamp but his beak slipped off the smooth brass and he hit the floor. With a grumble, he got to his feet, shook himself off and looked up.

The camel let go of the scarf in his mouth and wrapped his long neck around his rider. The woman bumped into her mount’s tall steady shoulder and blinked out of her rigid state. She looked, smiled and put her head against the side of the camel’s. “Thank you, Balavaan.” The cobra slithered part-way up the camel’s neck and stretched out towards the woman. “You too, Mitr.” The snake quickly weaved up the woman’s arm and took his place around her neck. “As for you, Iago…”

Iago flinched from force of habit. No, wait. She didn’t know his secret. He couldn’t be in actual trouble. Iago quietly cleared his throat and flapped his wing as he bounced on his toes. “Iago! Iago!” he squawked.

The woman bent down and held her hand out for the bird. “Let’s get somewhere safe.” 

--

The man tossed the board aside before kicking the brick away. He turned back to his partner. Didn’t look like they found anything either. Ridiculous. This rundown old guard tower had to have something. Even just a forgotten dagger, some old armor or a dusty shield would do. But no, nothing. Nothing but junk that probably fell down from higher up the tower years ago.

A clattering. Quiet but getting closer. The two scavengers looked at each other and nodded. They knew what was coming by. The man pulled his hood down to hide more of his face and ducked behind a support beam.

The noise grew more and more distinct. Leather slapping pots. Pans hitting carpets. Odds and ends rattling in bags. Thuds of heavy hooves on beaten down dirt. A figure turned the corner and led the heavily packed camel into the tower’s ground area. The person was shorter, must be a woman. And the camel, a two hump… those only came from the far east. She was a foreigner. Perfect.

The woman clicked her tongue and the camel layed down. The man looked back at his companion and saw him peeking around his cover, watching the woman as well. The man motioned towards the woman with his head and the man’s partner walked out. 

The woman stayed quiet when the men approached, holding her staff close. A parrot sitting on her mount squawked and took off into the night. The men drew their swords and got closer. The woman’s posture shifted, loose and unafraid. She moved her staff to her side and blew a plume of fire. The two men jumped back and took off through barely-standing doors behind them.

The woman chuckled to herself. She heard wings flapping and saw Iago landing back on Balavaan’s back. “Bravery’s not your strong suit, eh?” She scratched the back of the bird’s head gently. “When in the Valley of Serpents, one need only know how not to be prey.” The bird looked at her, tilting his head. “Aww, don’t worry about it.” She hooked her staff to her satchel, next to the black lamp. “Come on. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Up a rickety ladder, a couple jumps across collapsed staircases, a duck under a half-sloped wall held up by a single board and the woman reached the top room. “Yoo-hoooo! Monkey!” 

The room wasn’t much. A small flat open area lined with piles of old baskets, cheap pots and overused cushions. In the back were a short set of steps, covered with a large rag that used to be a rug, leading to a long crumbled wall that neatly framed the Agrabah Palace like a painting. 

The woman made a disgusted groan before turning to Iago. “It’s a nice place but the view is terrible.” She marched to the back and pulled down a worn ratty tarp hung from the ceiling to cover the distant palace. “Much better. Monkey!” She went to a side wall and peaked through a boarded up window. ”Monkey?” 

Iago helped himself to a nice little dull red pillow and got comfortable. “Rrrawk Monkey monkey!”

“It’s not like him to be out this late.” The woman went to the other wall and looked through a hole to the outside. “Never liked the kinda people that ‘work’ at this hour....” 

“Oooh, bad monkey.” Iago flapped his wing, stirring a cloud of dust from the pillow. “Bad-- Gak! Bleck! Patooie! ”

The woman looked at the parrot and saw the dust cloud. “Huh?” She rubbed the pillow and her hand came back with a noticeable layer of dust. She turned to a nearby water jug and ran her finger around the rim. More dust. “Does Monkey not live here anymore? But he was so proud of this place when I… huh.” 

She looked at Iago and smiled. “Hang on, bubbie.” She gently pulled the pillow out from under Iago and slapped it on the side of her leg to get the dust off. She fluffed it a little and set it down next to the bird. “There you go.” The woman unhooked her staff and set it in one of the taller pots. 

The lamp. She unhooked it and took in its details. Such a rough-edged brute of a genie held in such an elegant prison. Half of her knew she shouldn’t reward his actions. She had to throw his lamp just to make him stop! But her…. difficulties weren’t his fault. Even normal people had problems in the past dealing with her… hangups. She sighed and rubbed the lamp. 

A crimson cloud flowed out like a wave before taking the red genie’s form, albeit much more human sized than the gigantic proportions he had had until now. The genie floated for a moment, slightly hunched, arms crossed before he opened his eyes. He looked about a bit before finding the woman. “You.”

The nomad shrugged. “Me.”

“What did you do to me?” The genie growled.

The nomad scoffed. “You’ve never been lamp-handled before?” The genie gave a look, equal parts grumpy and confused. “Never mind.” The nomad shook her head. “Just wait here and stretch out. I gotta unpack Balavaan for the night.” With that, the woman disappeared back down the tower.

Jafar huffed. “Wretched woman. How dare she. That… arrogant… impudent… smart-mouthed…lying little worm .” 

“That keeps letting you out.” Iago added.

“Yes, that keeps letting me--” Jafar glared and leaned over, looming rather threateningly over the parrot on a pillow. “Who’s side are you on, precisely ?” 

Iago gulped and started scooting backwards. “You! Your side, of course! I’m.. ya know, just saying she keeps giving you chances!” He chuckled nervously. “ That you keep blowing… ” he finished under his breath. 

Jafar rolled his eyes and drifted up through a hole in the ceiling. “Perfectly supportive, as always, Iago.”

It was somewhat nicer being out in the open air again. Jafar had more than a lifetime’s worth of cramped spaces. He saw the palace in the distance and frowned. The woman had moved them a considerable distance further from the landmark. Not that he couldn’t get there instantly with his magic… if he were allowed to! 

He found himself staring at the central palace dome, the one housing the grand throne room of Agrabah. He could perfectly picture his lovely red throne basking under the gold cobra statue. The endless mountains of riches surrounding him. That dome, the largest and most grand amongst the palace’s features, a marvel of engineering unto itself, became so small and insignificant as he ascended to an all-powerful cosmic being. 

The stars. Bright little lanterns floating in the blackness of the night. Jafar reached up for them. The cuffs started glowing. He pulled his hand back and lowered himself. He wasn’t even as high up as some of the lesser outer domes now. He reached up again and willed for the stars. The bands on his wrists felt like they were tightening. The stars didn’t move. Jafar raised his other hand. He thought he saw a couple lights flicker out of position… or perhaps that’s just what he wanted to see. Jafar let his arms drop to his sides and looked away. It had been so easy before. So very incredibly, joyfully easy. 

“Uhh, you ok?” Iago landed on Jafar’s shoulder. 

“I can’t touch the stars anymore.” Jafar whined.

“Wha? Wait, are you… sad ?”

Jafar quickly cleared his throat and straightened up, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his impressive chest. “I am stating a fact. That’s all.”

“Uh….. huh.” Iago sounded thoroughly unconvinced.

“I am.” Jafar stated firmly. “These shackles seem to be restricting my magic. More so than I initially assumed.”

“Great. Just perfect.” The bird muttered. “Did this wish come with any upsides?”

The pair both jumped when a minor crash came from below. The nomad brushed her hands off and smiled at the pile of junk she dumped on the floor. She looked up and motioned with two fingers for the pair to come to her. Jafar huffed. He was being called like a dog.

Iago yelped as his perch turned into a cloud of red smoke and sunk towards the tower. “Geez, no need to warn a guy or anything.” The parrot dove through the cloud and landed on the nomad’s staff. 

The genie reformed in front of the woman with hardly any pazazz, just his head in a hand and scowl on his face. She seemed somewhat taken aback. “What’s wrong? You don’t like being out or something?”

The genie sighed. “I do appreciate the modicum of ‘freedom’. As for my inner machinations, that is none of your concern.”

The woman clicked her tongue. “Aw…” She moved behind her genie. “I know what’ll cheer you up.” She grabbed his topknot and ran its length through her hand, smiling as he pulled back. “Magic!”

Jafar smoothed down his long slick-black ponytail and glared. “A wish?”

The woman rooted through a pile of the tower’s junk and pulled out a dusty old step stool. “Nope.” She set the step stool down and piled up a small assortment of dusty worn-out pillows. “A promise.” She sat down and waved at Jafar. The genie gave her a puzzled look. “Bubbie, I gave you permission to bring me here to Agrabah if you gave me a free dinner. Now pay up.”

Jafar rolled his eyes and then a thought occurred. “Oh, of course, of course . How foolish of me.” Jafar smiled. A ring of red glittering magic formed as the genie waved his hand. “As you command.” He pointed to the makeshift table and five grains of uncooked rice appeared before the woman. “Enjoy, Master .” He chuckled.

Iago hid his grinning beak behind a wing, holding back a laugh. The woman leaned on the table and facepalmed. Silence. The woman gave a long sigh before starting to laugh; the long harder-than-warranted kind of laugh that made one question the person’s mental state. Jafar and Iago shared a look.

The woman put her arm down and looked at Jafar, smiling widely. “You aren’t supposed to be real.” She giggled. “You’re supposed to just be in the stories I was told before bed and--- and in the make-pretend games like ‘Back in the Bottle’!” She put her head down on the table, still snickering for a few more moments. 

The woman raised her arm, holding up a single finger. “You’re a funny guy. I like that.” She sat up. “I’ll give you one more chance to show me you can be reasonable. I’m going to turn around for a couple minutes, let you do some thinking, and if there’s a decent meal on this table when I turn back around, we can keep being friendly. If you wanna keep being petty…” The woman’s smile and pleasant tone dropped as she stared straight into Jafar’s eyes. “I will teach you what petty really means.” With that, the woman turned around and started sorting through the pile of junk she brought with her.

Iago looked at Jafar. The red genie shook his head and started looking at his nails. Iago balked. He couldn’t be serious. Was he really-- It was Jafar; of course he was serious and really gonna blow it for himself… AGAIN! The parrot fluttered over to his partner and motioned to the far corner of the room with his head. Iago landed on a hole in the wall above a door-less door frame. He frowned when Jafar followed, looking wholly disinterested in their secret meeting. “Ok, we doing this the easy way or the hard way?”

Jafar glanced over his shoulder at the woman. “I suppose I’m in an ‘end it quickly just to get on with our lives’ mood more than anything.”

“No, no, no. Not about her . You .” Iago pointed at his partner.

“Me?”

“ Jafar ! Y--”

“Keep your voice down!” Jafar hissed. He looked at the woman. She blew a puff of fire to light a small metal lantern and set it next to her table.

“ Jafar !” Iago yell-whispered. “You--” He covered his face with his wings and groaned. “Look, just magic her up some food tonight and we figure out how to off her tomorrow .”

“Absolutely not! I refuse.” Jafar crossed his arms in a pout.

“ Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ?” The bird growled.

“It’s… the principle.” 

“PRIN--” Iago nearly choked from how hard he had to hold back his yelling. “Principle? Principle ? We have principles now? Wow! Fantastic! I didn’t get the memo ! We didn’t have principles when we dumped all those bodies in a well people drank from!” Iago held up one feather finger. “We didn’t have principles when we made the Sultan execute those royal chefs because one of ‘em gave you the evil eye and you didn’t trust eating their food anymore!” He held up another feather. “And we definitely, definitely , didn’t have principles when you were going ‘ oh come here, pussycat’ to a princess young enough to be your granddaughter !” The bird started jumping angrily on his perch, tiny red feathers flying off as he thrashed.

“I don’t owe that woman anything outside of the wishes I am cursed to grant her.” Jafar growled. “An all-powerful being such as myself shouldn’t bow to anyone , much less a vagrant woman. The things I could do to that wretch if I were free--”

“But you’re not , are you.” Iago leaned in, tone dripping with cutting spite. Jafar looked away then down at the gold cuffs on his arms. No, he wasn’t free. Iago took a deep breath and then flapped to Jafar’s shoulder. “Look, I’ll make this easy for both of us. I go sit with the lady, you make me something nice for dinner and I let her have some. She gets a meal and you get to keep your brand-new straight-out-of-the-packaging ‘principles’ nice and squeaky clean. Good? Good.” With that, Iago flew back to the woman’s table. After a moment, he angrily motioned at the space in front of him with his wings.

“Et tu, Iago?” Jafar watched the woman half-turn to Iago and start scratching his head gently. That bird was a selfish cowardly mess, worthless without a sturdy shoulder to perch on and an adamant mind to lead him. Iago’s fear of the woman’s wrath couldn’t come from any rational source. Surely. 

Then again… the woman wasn’t scared of Jafar either. She laughed at him outsmarting her. She knew the laws he was bound to more causally than the common man would. And that… ‘lamp-handling’. Never in all the legends he poured over in the decade he sought his own genie did Jafar hear of such a power. Where did she come from that such knowledge was so prevalent? How much more did she know?

Was it worth it?

Jafar waved his hand and pointed at the table again. This time, a ceramic bowl filled with a dull-red soup appeared, gently steaming, loaded with chunks of meat and dotted with finely chopped vegetables. 

The woman turned around and smiled. “You have chosen wisely, my friend.” 

“Oh, goody .” Jafar cooed, holding back an oh-so tempting bite of sarcasm. Another wave of his hand and a large lavish pillow poofed into existence opposite the woman. A snap of his fingers and Jafar was lounging on his self-made bedding, facing his so-called master. “Saloonat Laham.”

The woman took a long sip and paused. “It… sure tries to be.” Jafar’s smug look dropped instantly. “Hang on.” The woman turned back to her junk pile and rummaged through it. 

Jafar looked at Iago. The bird was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He knew better than anyone that Jafar couldn’t cook but to not be able to cook with all the magic in the world was just pathetic. 

The woman pulled out a pouch and got some tied cloth bags and bottles out of it. “You’re lucky I’m mainly a spice trader.” She pulled out some cardamom cloves and tossed them in, followed by some black peppercorns, a pinch of coriander and finally a small curl of cinnamon she gently laid on top of the small mound of meat. 

She lifted up the bowl and blew a long lick of fire at the bottom, just enough for the soup to start bubbling. Iago jumped off the table with a squawk and hid under the woman’s scarf. She put the bowl down and started mixing everything together. “I know genies don’t do refunds but I’d ask for my money back in any restaurant you serve that in.” Her genie just scoffed. “Oh, don’t worry.” The woman continued. “We’re getting food tomorrow. I’ll get some stuff and show you how to make my famous Serpent Curry. That way the next master you have that depends on you for food might… survive.”

He wouldn’t have another master. He wouldn’t allow it. “As you wish…” Jafar said flatly.

Iago peeked out of his hiding spot and fluttered back to the table. The woman took a sip before putting a spoon-full in front of the bird. The soup definitely looked more colorful and smelled a lot nicer. Iago took a taste, pondered the flavor and then quickly shoved his whole beak in the dish.

“Iago, no!” The woman grabbed the bird gently and started pulling him away. Iago gave a yelp and grabbed the rim of the bowl with his talons. “No, stop it!” The woman laughed. “Bad birdy!”

“Mine!” Iago yelled. The woman held Iago in one hand and pulled the bowl away with the other. “Mine…” The bird whined.

“Maybe you should hold on to him for now.” The woman held out Iago to Jafar. With a flick of his hand, the genie made a small bird cage around Iago and let it drop to the ground next to him. “You two probably wanna go to bed soon anyway. It can’t be too much longer ‘til dawn at this point.” She reached under her scarf and pulled out the black lamp. “Same for me, I got my bedroll all set up too.” She pointed at the small upper landing behind her. 

“Pssst! Let me out.” Iago whispered. “I can fly for it! Don’t make me go back in that stupid thing!”

Jafar glared at Iago. As if it was any more enjoyable for him to share a prison with that bird. Especially since, while Jafar could shrink a considerable size, Iago couldn’t. The only upside of Iago being there at all was the fact the lamp basically made Jafar blind while Iago could--.

Another idea! 

Jafar picked up Iago’s cage and sat up. “I suppose I should retire for the evening. But I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep, what with so many exciting things happening today.”

“That’s about the nicest way anyone’s ever put meeting me.” The woman snickered, taking another bite of food.

“No! No! No! Let. The. Bird. Out. First!” Iago whispered frantically. “Let the bird--”

The cage vanished and before Iago could start flying, Jafar grabbed the bird by his feet. “You won’t keep me waiting long, will you?” He did his best to sound innocent. "Lamps aren't renown for their lavish interior design, you know."

“I only let you out in the first place because I know those things are cramped.” She answered. “I’ll give you a rub first thing when I wake up. Promise.”

“You’re too kind, mad-- Master.” With that, Jafar’s form shifted to smoke and slipped inside the lamp, taking the bird with him. 

“What are you doing?!” Iago yelled in the lamp. “Why bring me back here! It’s gonna take forever for us to find whatever spot it was where we could get slightly comfortable!”

“Silence, Iago!” Jafar growled. “I have a plan…”

“Oh great, another gold-standard plan from the mind that brought us ‘ oh Genie ’,” Iago gave a pitch-perfect impression of Jafar. “ ‘ I wish to be an eternal magic slave! That will really show the helpless streetrat I’m two seconds away from crushing like a grape who's in charge around here’ !” 

The nomad heard the lamp rock slightly on the table and stared. After a moment, the lamp gave a tiny poof of a flame from its spout. Panicked bird noises! The woman flipped open the hinged lid on top and got a splash of red feather in her face. “Phehh. Good night, guys!” She stated firmly into the lamp.

“Ow, loud.” Iago whined.

“She gets it from you. Hush.” The genie answered.

The woman shook her head and closed the lid. These two were gonna keep her on her toes. She smiled to herself. It had been so long since she had company worth keeping.

Chapter Text

Arabian days, like Arabian nights, had a magic to them. Although the same sun shined across the whole world, here in Agrabah, the morning light danced like dervishes across both sand and water like it did nowhere else. And no one got to see this magical light cresting over the land earlier than Princess Jasmine, in her grand bedroom nestled in a high tower.

The sun’s very first light slipped through the layers of emerald green silk curtains and soon lit up the gold-leaf furnishings and crystal mobiles. The light swept to the back of the room and peered once more through a fine blue canopy curtain to greet the princess in her bed. But that wasn’t the only thing ready to wake the young woman.

A gentle hand swept a strand of hair from the princess’s face before sweetly taking her hand in his own. The princess’s eyes fluttered open and saw a poof of shaggy black hair topped with a small sun-worn fez. She sat up slightly and smiled seeing the rest of the young man’s face. ”Aladdin, you’re home.”

Aladdin turned towards the bed and put his chin on the plush cushion top, smiling.

“Did you find Princess Dia’mah?” 

She was so pretty. His name sounded like poetry in her voice.

“Aladdin?”

He still couldn’t believe she liked him. More than liked, really. After all, they are going to get--

“Aladdin!”

“Huh?!” Aladdin sat up straighter. “What?”

Jasmine sighed and pushed off her blankets. “Princess Dia’mah of Zudan. Did you find her?”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I did.” Aladdin leaned on the bed and gave a yawn. “Sorry, I kinda didn’t sleep much outside of a nap on the way back. Abu’s still sleeping.” He pointed behind Jasmine. Carpet was floating quietly at the balcony entrance. It gave a small wave before pointing a tassel at the small sleeping monkey curled up on its back. “But the princess is safe in the Shiabab Sultan’s palace and they already sent a messenger to Zudan to come get her.”

Jasmine sat up. “Shiabab? Why go there?”

Aladdin stood and dropped himself on the bed. “The princess said some nomad saved her from Abis Mal and told her Shiabab was the closest city.” Aladdin looked away. “She was pretty determined to do what the nomad told her to. Said the woman gave her life so she could get away.”

“Oh dear…” Jasmine looked down. “That poor woman.”

Aladdin took Jasmine’s hand. “I know.” Aladdin stopped and then sighed. “Ugh, look at me. You just woke up and I’m giving you bad news. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Aladdin.” Jasmine leaned against Aladdin’s shoulder. “We both know there’s bad people out there… but that woman proves there’s plenty of good people ready to do what’s right.”

“I still feel bad. Hey, I have an idea!” Aladdin jumped off the bed. 

--

Scrit… scrit… scrit…

The cobra lifted its head slightly. Noise, while its human slept. He didn’t like that. Mitr carefully slunk off his human and peaked out from the green blanket. Scrit… scrit… He slithered further out. He couldn’t taste anything new. Tonk! The snake recoiled and put his hood up. The noise came from the new thing his human found, the black lamp, hitting a clay pot. Mitr drew closer and stuck his tongue out. The lamp lurched forward. The cobra answered with a warning hiss. 

“What was that?!”

“You tell me , fool. You’re the one that can see.”

Mitr drew closer and stuck his tongue in the spout. Bad. It smelled of smoke, metal and a tingling force that filled the serpent with a dread that little else in this world did.

“It’s the stupid snake again…” The first voice growled.

“Bah, move over.”

Dread or not, he needed to protect his human. She clearly could not sense the danger radiating from the lamp like heat from a desert rock. She always shushed his warnings. But she couldn't stop him while sleeping. Mitr let out a low hiss, venom eagerly pooling into a single deadly drop that clung to the tip of needle-like fangs.

The lamp shuttered, a faint red sheen passing over the surface, before a flame leapt from the spout. The serpent jolted back before slinking between various cobweb-covered pots. Scrit. Scrit. Scrit. Scrit.

Mitr clutched a pitcher with his body. What was happening. The lamp was slowly scooting across the floor. But why? He looked where it was heading. Towards the landing in the back, towards his human. But there was no way it could reach her, surely. 

His human had pulled the large red pillow conjured by that… red demon last night up to the landing, where it now both served as her bedding and to cover the stairs up to her. The only thing the lamp could get to was one of her hands, draping down the cushioned stairs. 

No… that was too dangerous. His venom could end a life no matter where he bit. Surely, the lamp’s evil could do the same. He slithered in front of the lamp, giving a spiteful huff as he passed, before slinking back under the blanket. Ambush time.

“AAH! I swear, I heard that snake again!”

“No matter! Keep going!”

The lamp inched closer and closer to the sleeping woman until it bumped into the tasseled edge of the cushion.

“Ok, now go left.”

The lamp inched to the right.

“Yer other left.”

“That was left, bird-brain!”

“I meant my left!”

“We are facing the same way!”

“Then go my other left! Yeesh!”

The lamp scooted ever so gently to the left until it neatly slipped inside the sleeping woman’s open palm.

“We’re good! Go! Go! Go!”

The lamp lightly inched back and forth before it started to gently rock back and forth. The brass surface just barely grazed her skin. A centimeter closer and the lamp rubbed against the hand. A cloud of red quickly poured from the spout and Jafar immediately stretched out wide. Iago spit out magic dust before speaking.

“What do ya know? It actually worked. Hey, what time is it?” Iago flew over to a hole in the ceiling and looked for the sun. “Feels kinda late in-- OW! Light Bright!”

Jafar flinched and grabbed the bird by the beak. He nervously glanced at the woman. She shifted slightly but her eyes stayed closed. Jafar looked back at Iago with a snarl. “Quiet, fool.” Jafar hissed under his breath. “You want to wake that woman up! ?”

“Well, sor-ry for being light sensitive!” Iago yell-whispered back. “It’s not my fault we just spent Allah-knows-how-long in a completely dark stupid waste of brass--!”

Jafar bared his fangs and squeezed the bird harder.

“-- and haven’t seen daylight in- ACK! Wait! Wait !” Iago squirmed in Jafar’s hands. “I meant the blue guy!” He managed to choke out. “The blue guy did this! It’s his fault! Not your’s!” Iago let out a pathetic dry cough. “You’re a victim of-- circumstance! GAK! Can’t breathe !” 

Jafar brought the bird close to his face, looking his partner straight in the eye. “Get. My lamp. Wish. Me free.” Iago faked a smile and nodded. Jafar frowned and tossed the parrot towards the woman. 

Iago took deep gasping breaths as he floundered in the air. He turned to the woman and let out a growl before diving for the lamp. Before talons could touch brass, a cobra lashed out from under the woman’s blankets and barely missed Iago. 

The bird leapt back and took off for Jafar’s shoulder. Iago looked at Jafar, looked back at the snake and started quietly sobbing. “I hate snakes… so much.” He whined.

Jafar rolled his eyes “Really, Iago. Since when?”

Iago plopped down dramatically. “Since snakes stopped just being your evil villain motif and started having real fangs, real venom and…” The bird audibly gulped. “Real digestive tracts .”

Jafar floated towards the snake. The beast held its head and hood high as it slipped out from under the blanket. The genie frowned, feeling a smooth flowing sensation sneak across his back as he watched the serpent slither across his lamp. How dare that thing stand against him. 

A flick of the genie’s finger covered the snake in red magic waves. “Away with you, worm.” A quick motion threw the snake into an open pot across the room. Jafar tugged Iago’s tail feathers and motioned to the lamp. Iago sighed before taking off again.

Mitr poked his head out of the pot and saw the parrot getting close to his human. Had to stop it. Had to protect her! He quickly slipped down to the floor, took a deep breath and gave a loud hiss he could muster.

“Huh, Mitr?” The woman muttered. 

Iago saw the woman’s fingers gently curl around the lamp handle as she stirred. He quietly landed on the floor, gave Jafar a shrug and dropped onto a pile of pillows nearby.

The woman pushed herself up from her side, eyes barely open. “What’s wrong, buddy?” After a moment, she saw the lamp in her hand, looked up and let out a yell. She held the lamp against her chest with one hand and pulled her blanket up to cover her very loose fitting top with the other. “What are you doing out?!” She said in a panic.

“Um…” Jafar put the tips of his fingers together. “You… rubbed my lamp in your sleep, madam.” He smiled and pointed at his prison. “And I am obligated to present myself when summoned, of course.”

“I thought I…” She looked at the short table, confused. She yawned widely and put the lamp down. “What time is it?”

“Mid-morning.” Jafar said “Now shall we get dressed? I have… business to attend to and, unfortunately, I require you to get me to my destination .”

The woman flopped over, turning her back to Jafar and laid back down. “Nah.” 

“Nah?!”

The woman picked her head up slightly. “Neh…” Her head dropped down onto the pillow.

Jafar floated closer and while the woman didn’t react, he caught her quietly slipping his lamp under her blanket. Hmm… Jafar smirked and gently flew out the ‘window’ the woman was facing. He caught the ragged curtain with his wide shoulder, letting light 'accidentally' pour onto the woman’s face. “Oh come now, you can’t possibly want to still be in bed this late. It’s not good for your health.”

The woman cracked open one eye to glare at her genie. “ You’re not good for my health.” She grumbled before reaching for another pillow and putting it on her head. “Back in your lamp, genie.”

Jafar pointed at the pillow and made it vanish. “Now, don’t be like that.” He cooed. “You’ll never get a man if you just sleep the day away.” The woman frowned and moved her arm under the cover. “A proper woman should always--” He froze. Another tingling sensation grabbing his back. Her hand was moving under the blanket. His lamp! 

The red genie snapped his fingers and a nice throw pillow fell into his hand. “No, no, no. Don’t do that.” He gently set the pillow on the woman’s head. “There’s no need for rashness. There you go.” Jafar politely patted the cushion with a nervous smile. The woman groaned quietly but put her hand down. The lamp’s magic slipped off the genie like a heavy blanket sliding off his shoulders. 

Jafar had to get this woman moving. Now, what would… Idea! “I understand now.” The genie smiled. “You want another bargain like last night.” With a wave, a silver tray appeared; on it, a plate of decent looking eggs on thick toast with a small pot of sharply aromatic tea on the side. “A nice breakfast to start the day proper, with my compliments.”

The woman sunk lower into the pillows. “I don’t want breakfast,” She groaned. “I wanna sleep til noon!”

“Noon?!” Jafar blurted.

“Ooooh, lemon mint eggs!” Iago quickly landed on the edge of the tray. “Haven’t had those in a while.” He greedily rubbed his wings together. “And, uh, if the Master doesn’t want ‘em…”

Jafar huffed and, with hardly a thought, the tray turned into a steel bear trap. Iago screamed and jumped off the rim as the trap snapped shut. Jafar threw the whole contraption over his shoulder and lowered to the woman’s level. “Why are you sleeping until noon? That’s a tremendous loss of daylight.”

The woman put her arms on the pillow on her head. “I don’t do mid-day heat. Wake me when the sun starts getting lower.”

Jafar scoffed. “Oh, is that all?” He floated tall and cracked his fingers. He could move the sun. He moved the stars, planets, the very cosmos! He could do anything! The cuffs on his wrist tightened and Jafar froze. With a growl, he clawed harmlessly at the smooth gold metal on his wrist. He could do anything… but he wasn’t allowed to. Something else, something else. Every moment being held back by this woman was another moment Aladdin was probably enjoying the vast wealth and riches Jafar was so much more deserving of. Jafar paused then smirked.

He waved his hand and pointed to a nearby building. In a cloud of red dust, a bland looking man appeared and started loudly hitting the roof with a hammer. The woman curled up under her covers. Another point and a second bland man appeared, this time loudly sawing a large log. The woman shuffled a little more, this time visibly pushing the pillow on her head down. Jafar pointed at the ground and the small back-alley filled with an endless parade of loud braying sheep.

After a moment, the woman clawed into the pillow and dragged it off her head. Heavy tired eyes glared daggers as a surprisingly animalistic growl rolled through gritted teeth. Jafar quickly vanished what he made. He then held his hands together and put on his best stone-faced expression; a well-practiced pose from his time in the palace.

The woman heaved herself upward, like a lion rising to their feet; Head lowered, shoulders tense, legs poised to launch into a pounce. Jafar’s flat expression moved slightly at the sight. Her eyes narrowed. She saw it; that twitch of fear. The loud low braying made the nomad blink and she sat up like a human. “Balavaan?” She brushed the ragged curtain away and looked down out the window. 

A very young woman with big messy hair, a green vest and blue sash was pulling hard on a rope leading into the tower’s ground floor. While the other woman fought desperately on her end of the rope, Balavaan slowly, unsurely, eased into view. He glanced down the alley until the young woman pulling on the rope around his neck finally bothered him enough to move again.

The nomad groaned and hit her forehead on the edge of the wall. “My camel’s getting stolen. Fine , you win.” She moved the black lamp into view. “In the lamp. I gotta get dressed.”

“Madam!” Jafar gasped with false offense. “I am appalled .” He floated back into the tower, or rather he passed through from one open wall to the next. “What wretched beast do you take me for that you think I would not avert my eyes when a woman is indecent.”

“I don’t have time to make a list. “ The nomad hissed. “.... or argue. Just go!” 

Jafar maintained his flat expression and proper posture until he floated outside to hide behind a half broken wall. Iago landed on Jafar’s shoulder and watched him. The two shared a look and then a grin before peeking around the wall together.

The woman slipped off her raggy shirt. Both men inhaled harshly. Her back was dotted with long lashes, some fainter than others, with splotches of burns between her shoulders. The men pulled back behind the wall as the woman tied a red sash around her chest.

“Great. Just what I needed.” Iago grumbled. “First no breakfast and now we got a lap full of cold water.” Jafar looked away, thinking. “Whelp, we’re doomed. Stuck with a smartalek that knows how to take a beating.”

“Better than a ‘smartalek’ that flaps away at every slight inconvenience, Iago .” Jafar answered.

“Oh, gee, thank you so much for the vote of confidence. Ya know, why not tell me what you really think about me while we’re here?”

Jafar rolled his eyes and peeks around the wall again. 

The woman had put on her pale yellow robe, put her hair up in a ponytail and was making kissy faces at her cobra curled gently around her neck. After a moment, she picked up the vibrant green blanket and shook it out a few times. She paused, and held it close. She then threw it behind her and wrapped the edge around her head. 

In the sunlight, Jafar could see specks of gold glinting through a layer of dirt on the cloth, faintly outlining vine-like coils. It wasn’t a blanket, it was a dupatta; a long head veil from South Asia. The woman took off the veil and wrapped it around her neck, forming her familiar scarf. 

“Ok, I’m decent…” She said, standing up. “or a vague mockery of such.” The woman barely acknowledged Jafar as she pulled her staff from the pot. “Now let’s get my camel.”

--

“Breakfast by the garden fountain.” Jasmine giggled. “You seem to keep finding excuses to take me here.”

Aladdin hung his head and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “I… just… think plumbing is really neat.” He said with a smile, a smile that got wider when Jasmine ‘aww’ed. “I mean… think about it!” Aladdin took the teapot next to his plate and poured it into Jasmine’s cup. “Isn’t it wild that you can have water be in one place, then make it go through a bunch of those ‘pipe’ things and have it come out somewhere else? It’s crazy!”

“That’s really cute.” Jasmine smiled and took a bite of her meal.

“Not as cute as you.” Aladdin answered. Jasmine looked away and blushed.

The area fell silent, far more silent than should be normal. Aladdin looked around and saw the fountain had stopped flowing. Before he could speak, a huge geyser blasted from the top, creating rainfall in the plaza around it. Aladdin quickly got to his feet and grabbed Jasmine by the arm before running towards the palace.

“YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!”

The young couple stopped and looked back. That voice. At the top of the flow of water, a blue humanoid figure, dressed in an aggressively loud Hawaiian shirt, a long eared fur cap, and a pair of cameo cargo shorts, appeared on a surfboard with arms full of mismatched suitcases. The water rushed around the outer edge of the garden before splashing down next to the pair. 

The blue man ripped off his sunglasses. “He’s BIG!” He pulled off another pair of sunglasses. “He’s BLUE!” A third hand pulled off the final set of sunglasses. “HE’S BACK!”

“Genie?” Aladdin gasped. 

“The Genie? Where !” Genie dumped his bags and poofed up a smartphone before looking around frantically. “Oh, I love his work! His first movie was the best of the Disney Renaissance!” He lowered his phone and looks at you. “Unless you really like animals doing Hamlet for some reason.”

Aladdin ran up to his old friend. “Genie, it’s wonderful to see you!”

“I mean, sure, there’s cultural sensitivity issues but do people really think Aladdin was meant as a historically accurate depiction of Arabian culture? It's based on a Arabic fairytale!”

“Genie?”

“Well, I guess some people think Zeus was a good dad ‘cause of Hercules but really that’s their problem for taking mass-entertainment at face value.”

“Genie!”

Genie snapped into focus and laughed. “Whoops, sorry. Got a little meta there.” He turned to Aladdin and gave a huge smile before pulling the boy into a massive hug. “Oh Al, my little buddy, pal, friend, amigo, compadre! I missed you so much!” 

In a flash, Aladdin was sitting at a table, Genie sitting across from him with a wide-but-feminine form dressed in a hot pink sleeveless dress with an apron over top. Genie took Aladdin’s hands and started giving him a manicure. “Tell me what I missed, girl. Spill every drop. Of. Tea. I got ta know e’rythang .”

“Ahem.”  Jasmine looked around Aladdin’s shoulder and waved at Genie. 

“Oh!” Genie pulled out an ‘Out To Lunch’ sign and set it in front of Aladdin before poofing to Jasmine. “Hey, Uh… don’t think we ever actually got introduced. Missed Connection, am I right? Me: Slave of the Lamp bound to obey a crazy old megalomaniac. You: chained to a crazy old megalomaniac’s throne in highly age-inappropriate clothing.”

Jasmine scoffed. “Don’t remind me.” She saw Genie give an uncomfortable look. “It’s ok. You’re fine.” She just never wanted to speak anything remotely close to referencing Jafar ever again. She gave a kind smile and held out her hand. “I’m Princess Jasmine.”

Genie grinned and took the hand. As he was about to speak, his mouth popped off and bounced down his arm before planting a big kiss on the back of Jasmine’s hand. Genie grabbed the lips and slapped them back on his face. “Sorry, the boys get too excited sometimes.” He said bashfully. “The name’s Genie, but my friends call me Genie.”

“Nice to meet you, Genie.” Jasmine laughed.

Aladdin stood up from the table and gave Genie a pat on the back. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I thought you said you were going to see the world.”

“I did!” Genie answered.

“All of it?”

“Yuh-huh.”

“But it’s only been like… what, eight months?”

Genie split into fours and shrunk down to lawn-gnome sized figures, one of a Danish lady, the next of a cowboy, the third of an English royal guard and the fourth a Russian dancer. “ It’s a small world aaaafter all .”

“But why come back to Agrabah?”

“Oh, lots of reasons!” Genie started twirling in the air, sparks of baby-blue magic dust following him upward as he started drifting up and up. “So many wonderful, beautiful, touching, nuanced, heartfelt reasons that can only be accurately told through the magic of song and dance!”  Genie poofed down and leaned casually against Aladdin. “But The Author isn’t confident she can make a musical number be an entertaining read so you can just, ya know, look it up on YouTube or something.”

“The Author?” Jasmine looked at Aladdin.

“He says weird things a lot,” Aladdin whispered to her. “Just ignore it. It’ll save you a headache.”

“But the gist of it is,” He poofed over and took Jasmine and Aladdin into a big hug. “I’ve been all over the place, saw a lot of great things and met a lot of great people, but no one, absolutely no one, was as unforgettable, sweet, charming and just all around fun to be around as you guys.”

“So you want to stay here ?” Aladdin added.

“As long as you’ll have me!”

“That’s wonderful! I’ll have a guest room made up for you right away.” Jasmine stated.

“No need.” Genie stepped back and laughed. “All I need is my old lamp.”

“Your lamp? Sure I got it, it’s in my room.”  Aladdin pointed to the palace. “Let’s go.”

“Leave it to me.” Genie took a deep breath before speaking “Dash, dash, dash.” Genie put his hands on his hips with a smile.

Aladdin and Jasmine gave each other a look. “And that means…?” Aladdin asked.

“It’s the dashes used to imply a scene transition.” Genie shrugged.

“What’s a scene-”

---

“- transition?” Aladdin stopped and realized they were now in his guest room in the far side of the palace.

“That.” Genie laughed and leans closer to you. “The Author wrote this bit before she wrote the previous three pages if you wanna know where her priorities lie.”

“Uh, right. It’s over here.” Aladdin went to a trunk at the foot of his bed and threw it open. Right there nestled carefully among Aladdin’s few other cared-for possessions was a smooth, well-polished golden lamp. He picked it up and took it to Genie. “I only kept it to remind me of you. I wasn’t trying to see if it was still magic or anything.”

Genie scoffed. “Nah, don’t sweat it.” He took the lamp and tapped it against the bedknob. “This thing’s as magical as a tax form now. It lost all its power when you freed me. Buuuuut that just means it’s waiting for someone to magic it back up!” 

Genie gave the lamp back to Aladdin and poofed into a cloud that swiftly flowed inside the lamp. A brief moment of silence as Aladdin and Jasmine exchanged looks. “Uh…”

A wave of blue lightning passed over the surface before the lamp jumped from Aladdin’s hand. The young man barely caught the lamp before the lid launched upward with a plume of magic sparkles. A small noisy chaos started; sawing, hammering, drilling, heavy machinery backing-up beeping, a stampede of cattle, train passing by, Jazz band marching, then finally the small tink of a golf ball being hit into the plastic-lined hole followed by very polite light applause.

The wave of blue smoke flowed out of the spout and Genie reappeared, this time wearing a heavy work overalls with a bright orange under shirt and a yellow hard hat. He held out two white tiles. “Guys, I can’t decide. Which would look better in the bathroom? Eggshell or Swiss Coffee?”

Aladdin shrugged. “They’re both white.”

Genie slumped, throwing his head back with a loud groan. “What happened?” Genie’s voice came from inside the lamp. “He said they’re both just white.” The outside Genie answered. About a dozen or more versions of Genie’s voice collectively groaned and the main Genie in front of them shook his head. “What about you?” Genie looked at Jasmine. “Eggshell or Swiss Coffee?” He held up the tiles again.

Jasmine had a quiet laugh before she pointed to the tile in Genie’s left hand. 

“Guys!” Genie yelled at the lamp. “We’re doing Eggshell!” There was a loud collective ‘Whoo!’ from inside the lamp.

“You want to tile the inside of your lamp?” Aladdin asked. “Wouldn’t that make your, uh, Itty-Bitty living space even smaller?”

“Relaaaax, buddy. The only reason I couldn’t do this before is because a genie’s prison is always made of their own magic, so we can’t alter it or,” Genie started looking a lot less comfortable. “... ya know… have any hope of escape...” Genie blinked and put on a big smile. “But now that all that magic is gone, I can make the inside of this thing be as big and awesome as I want! So I’m gonna have a room for everything ! Dining, bedroom, poker room, dogs playing poker room, foosball table room, Diorama-of-all-my-rooms room, you get the idea.” Genie took a quick look at the watch he just then poofed onto his wrist. “Whoops, time for the grand opening.”

The Genie in front of them vanished and another much larger plume of blue smoke soared out of the lamp. With a whirlwind of sparkles and fireworks, the Genie reappeared, bold and blue wearing nothing but a rich red sash around his waist, a perfectly polished gold earring and two elegantly minimalist gold cuffs on his wrists.

Wait, cuffs?

“Genie! Your bands!” Aladdin grabbed one of Genie’s arms and pulled them to eye level. “I swear I didn’t do anything to the lamp!”

“Al.”

“What do we do? Whatever it takes--”

“AL!” Genie grabbed Aladdin’s face and made the young man turn to him. “It’s ok, watch. Look, nothing up my sleeves!” Genie pretended to roll up sleeves, making his arms vanish as he did. “Alaca-getoffme!” With a flick of his wrists, the gold bands came off, hanging open in the air as Genie took a bow. “They’re just clip-ons, buddy.” He scoffed. “ You try wearing something for ten thousand years and not feel like you're missing something when you don’t have them on.”

Aladdin took a deep breath, smiling a little when Jasmine came closer to hold him. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t wanna hurt my friend.”

Genie floated closer. “And that’s why I came back, kid.” Genie looked close to the verge of happy tears. “Like I said… I’ve been all over, met so many people. And no one’s a friend like you.”

--

This was it! Finally the day her fortune changed! A Bactrian camel, native to the Far East, just sitting in some abandoned guard tower, and with such well crafted tack too! Selling this beast in the marketplace would be easy and then finally she could get her own food, new clothes, maybe rent a room for a few nights, just because she could afford too!

If only this stupid camel knew how to move!

The poor streetrat of a young woman pulled on the rope with all her might yet could barely get the camel’s attention. It would take a couple steps forward and then look around in every direction, like the rope around its neck wasn’t even there. But that didn’t matter! The girl had all day to drag this camel to market. Determination would beat stupidity!

There was a loud whistle in the distance, a long tone that hit a high note at the end. The camel perked up instantly and turned around. It gave a bellow before charging down the alley, instantly pulling the young thief off her feet. She kept her eyes shut as she was dragged, clinging to the rope for her dear life. It was her life, a new life! She felt the camel make a turn.

“-tages of an expertly-trained cam--DAH!” 

The camel came to a quick stop. After a moment, the streetrat cautiously opened her eyes. There was another woman on the ground, getting sniffed over by the camel.

“Ok, maybe just a pretty well-trained camel…” The older woman groaned as she sat up. 

The streetrat quickly got to her feet. Could she take her? She saw the other woman had a staff; some kind of dark-golden wood topped with a jade carving of a sleeping snake. That had to be expensive, perhaps more than the camel! She had to try.

“New to the stealing racket, kid?” The older woman smirked.

The streetrat scoffed. “No! I’ve been doing this my whole life !” She lunged and managed to grab the staff with one hand. Before she could yank her prize away, something pulled the back of her shirt and sent her flying across the room. 

The camel moved to protect its master with its broad side. The older woman looked around her mount. “Then you’ll get old before you get good. So get.”

“Get! Get !” A red macaw squawked harshly.

The younger woman growled. Nothing ever went her way. The nomad watched the girl sprint away, jumping on a crate before grabbing the ledge of a roof and climbing up and out of sight.

“Thieves these days.” She sighed. “Better at running away than they are stealing.” She turned and jumped at the sight of a giant red chest in her face. It was the genie, looking down at her with contempt. “Can you put those away? I have things to do today.”

The genie glanced down at his body before covering his chest with his arms. “Well, as fate would have it, I too have business in need of attending.” He caught the woman rolling her eyes as she led her camel to its saddle. “So here’s my new bargain; you grant me my freedom to go tend to my… personal matters, and I shall swear to return and grant you a few boons for your cooperation.”

The woman threw a worn purple rug on Balavaan’s back. “Freedom? Never heard of a genie wanting freedom before.” Next was a few folded up rugs for cushioning and then the saddle plopped squarely between the humps. “Look, I’m not against giving you some time off later but I need you with me now . If I can’t find my son Monkey by myself, I’ll need a wish to bring him to me.”

Jafar raised an eyebrow. “You named your son ‘Monkey’?”

“Rrawk! Monkey! Mon-key!” The parrot called out.

“He’s adopted,” She reached under and tied the saddle straps together. “I just call him Monkey cuz he was always jumping and climbing on stuff. Now, where’s the-?”  The woman pushed the camel’s head away and heard something crunch. Balavaan made a gurgle, happy to look at his owner as he chewed on heavy old ropes. “No! Don’t eat the reins, you idiot! Give it!”

Iago landed on Jafar’s shoulder. “Hey, on the bright side, at least you aren’t the only one getting saddled by that dusty dame.”

“Quiet.” Jafar growled through his teeth.

“Ok, ok. Too early for jokes. Whatever. Look, boss,” Iago put a wing around Jafar’s neck. “I’m gonna clock off for a couple hours. I don’t know how long we were in that stupid lamp but I need breakfast and I wanna see if that nice little Turkish cafe we used to go to is still around.” Iago turned away to take off. “So I’ll be--”

Jafar grabbed the bird tight and stared him down. “ You are not going anywhere, my feathered little fool . I need you with me so if the woman lets her guard down, you can take that accursed lamp!”

The nomad slipped the faded purple reins behind her mount’s head and tied it under his chin. The genie was grumbling again. She turned to see the slave of her lamp holding that poor little macaw by his throat of all things! “Jafar! Drop him!”

Jafar turned to the woman in shock. How did she--? The nomad threw her scarf back, her hand sparking with flashes of lightning that quickly started dancing across the surface of the lamp. “Drop him now !” Jafar felt surges of static start skipping across his skin. He scowled but let go and watched Iago pathetically flap over to his master.

“Poor bubbie.” The woman cooed, holding her hand out to the bird. “Is the big bad genie being mean to you?” Iago landed and weakly trotted up her arm towards her head. The woman’s hand moved quickly, making Iago flinch. He peeked around his wings to see the cobra caught by the neck. “Not. Now.” She said firmly.

“How did you know my name?” Jafar floated closer.

“You have a macaw, Red.” The woman answered. “They’re allergic to being quiet.” Iago took a nervous gulp and hid behind a wing, pretending to prune himself. “Men.” The woman helped smooth Iago’s ruffled feathers down. “They spend a woman’s whole life telling her to shut up and listen and are baffled when a woman hears something. Right, Iago?”

Iago glanced at Jafar and got a glare for an answer. “Uh, men! Shut up and listen! Rrwak!”

“Full sentences, if you please.” She gave the bird a cheeky look. “I know you can.”

Iago peeked at Jafar. The genie shook his head no. The parrot looked back at the woman. Despite her firmness in tone, she looked… kind. A face made rough from a hard life still showed some softness. Usually, Iago would instinctively think of that as a weakness to be exploited but somehow… that didn’t feel right here.

Iago sighed and moved to the woman’s staff. “Ok, ya got me. Name’s Iago. How’s it going, toots?”

“Oh, we are not close enough for you to call me ‘toots’.” The shift in her eyes from playful to quietly threatening was impressive.

“Then what do we call you?” Jafar poofed in close behind the woman.

“ You call me Master.” She bumped Jafar away with her hip as she answered. “Iago… I guess can pick whatever name he likes saying. I don’t have my own name.”

Jafar scoffed. “You’re human. Someone birthed you so someone had to have named you.”

“My father named me.” She clutched her staff with both hands, twisting the wood handle hard. “And I’d rather die than let that monster have any say in my life. Not even a say in what people call me.” A harsh breath calmed her slightly. “But if you insist… Nomad. Just Nomad. I’m nothing more, nothing less.”

“... Really…” Jafar said flatly.

“Hey, you were expecting maybe Scheherazade?” Iago shrugged. “Princess Badr al-Badur? I’m sure royalty loves running around the desert in rags as a hobby.”

Nomad made a long groan. “I did not get enough sleep to talk about rich people this early.” She pushed past Jafar and threw herself onto Balavaan’s back. “I need coffee.”

Jafar snapped his fingers and held out a small porcelain cup of coffee. “Now, if you’d be so good as to--” YAH! The camel grunted as it charged forward and turned hard into the back alley. “Woman! Wait, my freedom!”

“To heck with your freedom!” Iago took off in a hurry, trailing fast after the camel. “My meal ticket’s getting away!”

Jafar snarled, shattering the cup in his hand with a flaming fist. Humiliated! Insulted! Pushed around! It was like his school yard days all over again! The Sultan had been an insufferable sort but even Jafar had to admit it wasn’t on purpose; the Sultan was just that stupid. But this woman, ‘Nomad’. It was on purpose. A game. Intimidation didn’t work. Playing along barely worked. 

“That woman shall suffer for these indignities!” The genie growled through fangs. A small light beneath him caught his eye. Both his arms were painfully yanked forward by glowing cuffs and Jafar was dragged yelling out of the tower.

Chapter Text

Iago knew where they were. He wished he didn’t but he wasn’t the one with a genie. No, Iago never got anything good for himself. After all, humans only give nice things to other humans. Without a shoulder to sit on, he was as good as non-existent to most. Who was he kidding; even with a shoulder, he was just a funny little talking decoration for Jafar that fetched things when the man couldn’t be bothered. 

The buildings they were passing were getting rougher and older, more dark alleys and hidden side streets than Iago cared to be around. Well, more than he cared to be around without protection. Right now, his only defense in a fight was Nomad, laying down on her camel’s back, napping as peacefully as she had in the tower. 

This lazy slump of messy hair and dirty clothes was the woman keeping Jafar on a short leash.

The alley ended with a building without any signs or pictures to tell of what it was. On one side was an amateurishly made lean-to filled with a couple scruffy looking horses and a small one-humped camel. The other side, a pile of rotten decaying food scraps spilling out of what once was a compost box. In the middle, hanging from a pole stretched between two neighboring buildings, a wall of long ropes with pieces of old broken pottery tied in them to make a cheap alarm door of sorts. 

Oh… Iago knew exactly where they were.

“Psst! Lady! ” Iago got off the camel’s rump and started hopping on the woman’s back. “This ain’t the tourist part of town. Lady!”

Balavaan groaned sadly. No room at the food trough. He tried to push in by shoving one of the horses but the beast’s reins tied to a pole kept it from moving enough out of the way. Wait, there was no one on the side! The camel did a bouncy trot to the end, bumping the brick wall with his hip in his eagerness. 

The mild crash shifted the woman to the side. The small subtle start of her sliding off shocked her awake and she instantly clung to Balavaan’s shoulders and neck in a panic. Danger! Falling! Raiders! Wait, there was none of those things. Nomad sighed and dropped down gently.

“Look, lady,” Iago jumped on top of a saddle bag. “I’ll give ya a little tip for free: You can’t be falling asleep wherever you want in Agrabah. Loooootta people see someone like you from outta town and their knife hand starts getting itchy if you get my meaning.”

“I know there’s cut-throats around here… I have a mirror.” She chuckled before glancing away. “Wait, no. I sold that.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah, sure.” Iago rolled his eyes. “Little Ms. ‘I only wanted to let you out because I thought you were uncomfortable in your lamp, Mr. Genie’ has a dark side .”

“Change, you wretched…!” A matured man’s voice came from the side-road the group just came from. 

He was an inordinately skinny man that was spending a lot of fabric trying to look broader than he was; a long flowing red cape backed with a rich black, a scarlet tunic lined with fine gold intricacies patterned after falling stars leading down to a similarly-colored dress bottom decorated at the hem with silhouettes of fire. His tunic was held together with a gold, glittering sash that only accentuated how little there was to this man’s body. A very slender neck was hidden behind a dull-gold cloth and the sides of his head were hidden under draping black cloth that flowed down to his shoulders. On top of everything, the man had a tall… headpiece almost as tall as his head itself. A red oval-shaped thing with a yellow oval diamond in a gold setting on his forehead with a long black tailfeather, Nomad was pretty sure it was a rooster feather of some kind, that trailed up and over the headpiece and even drooped down behind it some.

The man was looking down at the bracers on his wrists. With a flick of his arms, they turned black and seemed to be made of leather but, as if the image of them were being burned away, the color and texture would fade back into gleaming gold metal.

“Not even allowed to pretend I’m not…” The older man scoffed, defeated.

Nomad turned away in a hurry. She pulled the back of the scarf over her head like a hood and brought the front part over her mouth. Her focus was exclusively on the man.

The man finally looked at the woman and started walking towards her. “Finally, I--”

Nomad quickly pulled a throwing knife out of her satchel and pointed it at the man. “Not one step more!” The man stopped, bafflement plastered on his face. “You’re a long way from the palace, Fancy Pants. It’s that way.” She motioned behind him. “So get, before I decide you don’t get to make it there.”

The man frowned. “And yet you made such a fuss about not wanting me to go to the palace last night.”

“What?” Nomad pushed her hood up to get a better look. “Wait… Jafar?”

“Of course, it’s me.” Jafar huffed. “I’ve simply taken the liberty of assuming a more inconspicuous form. As crass as you are, my alternatives for…” Don’t say Master. You are not a slave. You can’t be! “- lamp-holders can only get worse in this sort of place.” When the woman didn’t answer, Jafar finally noticed her staring at him in a rather witless way. He smirked. She must be admiring him again. He pulled the side of his cape around himself in a proud little pose. “Speechless, my dear?”

“Noooooo.” Nomad answered instantly. “I promise you I have a lot of words.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “They’re just all fighting to come out at once. Um…” She took a deep breath and put her hands together gently. “Have you… seen what human men look like before?”

Jafar’s jaw dropped. Iago erupted into a loud almost-shrieking laughter. The bird dropped onto his stomach, flopping about wildly in hysterics. 

“I’m not trying to be mean here. I’m just wondering why you’d do that to your face.” Nomad added with a shrug. “I mean, what’s the angle for giving yourself camel lips and… rat hands.”

Jafar snapped out of his stunned state and looked at his hands. “Rat hands…?” Perhaps his fingers were slightly longer than most people’s, and rather on the slender side, but surely that wasn’t… 

Iago’s shrieking turned into a guttural wheezing, just barely able to breath enough to get the next choking laugh out.

“I’m guessing by the parrot this isn’t going over well.” She pointed behind her to the parrot desperately swapping between loud breaths and giggle fits. “Let’s change gaits here. The clothes.”

“NO!” Iago crawled across the camel’s back towards Nomad. “No, no, no, no, no!” He desperately clawed into her cape, still wheezing and gasping for breath. “Please don’t! Mercy! I can’t! HeheheHAAAAA! Gonna die!”

“It’s ok, we’ll get through this together.” She gave the bird a reassuring pat on the head before looking back to Jafar. “What is on your head.” That benign sentence alone got another laughing snort out of the bird.

Jafar’s baffled expression quickly shifted to anger. “It is. My. Tuban.” He growled through gritted teeth.

“That is not a turban.” Nomad said flatly. “It looks like a floating lantern fell on your head and you gussied it up so no one would notice.” Iago gave out a single, very long, very drawn out wheeze laugh before slipping off and crashing to the ground. “Iago!” The woman knelt down and gently cradled the hyperventilating parrot in both hands. “Look, this bird’s not gonna last much longer.” She told Jafar. “Just… turn into someone that isn’t begging to be robbed so I can get breakfast.”

“No.” Jafar’s cuffs sent a chilling, numb feeling through his arms. “I will not allow myself to be cowed simply because you wouldn’t know class if your camel bit you with it.”

Nomad rolled her eyes and put Iago... Wait, Iago just fell off the camel. No, she didn’t have room in her bag. Not the shoulder, Mirt keeps trying to eat the poor thing. She shrugged and put the bird on her head. She pulled the black lamp from off her satchel and started rubbing it between her hands.

“Don’t you dare!” Jafar pushed past the sensation of his skin tingling and moved in to grab the black lamp. “Put that accursed thing down at once!”

Nomad stopped rubbing and held the lamp against her chest. “You sure?” She smirked. “Genies without masters go back in their lamps.”

She was right. Jafar knew that. But was being tormented by a smug scruffy vagrant really better than being cramped inside a cold dark brass prison? …Barely. Jafar growled and put his hands down.

“Good boy.” The woman nodded. “Now let’s see if I remember how this worked.” She held the lamp in between her hands and resumed rubbing it from both sides. “I only saw it once a long time ago so brace for impact.”

A red mist started forming around the lamp, flowing over and enveloping the woman’s hands. She pulled both hands off and the lamp flashed gold for a split second. She grabbed the lamp and held it high before swiftly bringing it down. Jafar jolted forward, like the air in his lungs was violently sucked out. It felt like all his clothes were yanked off in that downward motion before he was immediately enveloped in a new outfit rushing from thin air to cover him.

“Hey, look at that.” Nomad held her arms out proudly. “Not bad for winging it, eh?”

Jafar looked down at his clothes. At least it was still mostly red and black but he had a bad feeling it was still an outfit beneath his status. With a wave, a full-length mirror appeared before him.

His new outfit started with a plain black tunic, secured by a dull yellow sash, with sleeves that stopped just above his gold cuffs. On top was a red full-length sleeveless robe with gold trimmings down the length. He now had a more traditional black cloth turban that wrapped around the front and back of his neck. Dark red, almost brown, pants lead into black stockings and gold open sandals secured around his ankles.

Change the colors to white and blue and it was almost identical to what the Agrabah palace servants wore.

“This is utterly unacceptable!” Jafar waved at the woman. “I look like I should be fetching wine bottles, not commanding the cosmos.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing you aren’t doing that second part.” Nomad breezed past Jafar and started pushing him towards the building. “Coffee and breakfast. Now.”

“Whoa, wait a minute.” Iago sat up on Nomad’s head. “We’re eating there ? Oh, honey, nuh-uh . That’s the Skull and Dagger , headquarters of the Thieves' Guild. They won't even let a local purse-snatcher in if they aren’t good enough. They are not gonna let a drifter in. It’s ain’t happening.”

Nomad stopped pushing Jafar and walked faster to the door. “Anything can happen as long as you act like it should be happening.” She threw open the rope-and-pottery curtain door with a clatter, still keeping up her quickened pace. 

A small slit in the rough wooden door slid open and beady angry eyes looked out. “What’s the pass--” 

Nomad slammed her hip into the far edge of the door, knocking it wide open and throwing the guard behind it against the wall. She stood proud at the doorway. “I told you boys to fix this door years ago!” 

The whole eatery fell quiet. Every patron in the wide open room was hiding their face behind scarves or bandanas and tightly huddled together in their little gangs at cheap worn-down half tables. A few hung heads looked up. 

“ Mama! ” Half of the crowd called out together, before letting much more upbeat chatter fill the building once again.

“Ok, hang on.” Iago looked down at the woman from her head. “How’s a nomad from the desert get membership to the Thieves’ Guild?”

“I’m not a member, they just ran out of people willing to try and kick me out.” She smiled. “Even tigers bow to cobras.”

Jafar ducked slightly as he passed through the door, already forgetting he was without his usual grand headpiece. He glanced at the guard sprawled behind the door with a sneer. Lowly little mongrel. He remembered this cafe well; it was where that pathetic cut-throat that got him the golden scarab came from. Maybe it was just as well Nomad changed his clothes. This wasn’t a place to advertise wealth.

The woman was already at the counter, chatting up the overweight, sideburn-baring barkeep. The man shook his head negatively and the woman put her hand to her head in exasperation. “Ugh… Monkey…”

Don’t get involved . Jafar quickened his pace slightly as he passed by.

“Who.” The barkeep said, pointing at Jafar.

The back of Jafar’s outer coat was snagged and he was pulled towards the nomad. “Oh, he’s just some crazy guy I found in the desert. I’m just keeping him around ‘til he pays me back for bringing him into town. Right, Java?”

“You are never to call me that again.” Jafar growled, eyes turning bright yellow.

“Skinny Man with you, you pay for him.” The barkeep stated gruffly.

Nomad let Jafar go and turned back to the counter. “Yeah, yeah. You know I’m always good for ya.” She shifted through her bag and put half a ginger root on the table. “That's why I came here first: Mama takes care of those that take care of Mama.” 

Jafar straightened out his jacket with a huff before heading for the far end of the counter. Any distance from the woman was a blessing and yet as he sat twisting his beard in thought, trying to ignore her across the bar, he felt… anxious. Worse yet, it didn’t feel like it was coming from his cuffs. He couldn’t blame this feeling solely on his curse.

No. It was the simple fact that at any moment, that impulsive creature could take off, dragging him behind her like a dog on a choking leash. Using that wretched lamp to humiliate him, forcing him back into that cold pitch-black prison at the slightest resistance. His already dour expression sunk further as the realization hit him. She was defining his every moment with her idle whims and Jafar couldn’t loathe that fact more.  

No. No, he must push forward. He could endure. He must! He watched the rough, lowbrow keeper hand the woman a plate of food and a lightly steaming cup. She was distracted.

With a simple gesture, a small burlap bag loaded with gold coins formed in Jafar’s grasp. He waited until the barkeep was a bit closer to his side of the bar before shaking the sack.

In an instant, a flapping sound approached rapidly and Jafar felt a weight land on his shoulder. Iago stood tall, attentive with a beaming smile and his usual pudgy belly sucked in, almost managing to look like a decent specimen of his species. “You dare, bird?” Jafar said with a glare.

“I’m afraid I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re referring to, Your Majesty.” Iago answered with a deep bow.

Jafar almost smiled. Iago was so reliable… when money was involved. Jafar snatched the coin bag in a fist. “Not for you.”

Iago instantly slumped with a frown, letting his belly fall forward before jumping down to the counter. “Way to toy with a guy’s emotions… jerk.”

Jafar shook the coin purse again and this time, the bartender noticed. He came over and leaned at the counter, clearly unimpressed with the old man sitting before him. “Mama paid for you. What Skinny Man want.”

“Information.” Jafar leaned forward and lowered his voice. He peeked around the rough man’s shoulders. His mas-- lamp-holder wasn’t looking. “I’m looking for a wretched little streetrat named Aladdin .” He said, practically spitting out his enemy’s name under his breath.

“Akbar doesn’t know anybody.” The man stated. Jafar took the coin bag under the counter, doubled its size and dropped it back on the table with a thump. “Akbar knows five Aladdins. Skinny Man needs to give specifics.”

“Ugh…” It had been a while. Come to think of it, Jafar had only seen the boy about three times. “Younger. Too much hair. Always underdressed.”

“That’s three Aladdins.” The barkeep answered. “What else.”

Iago playfully toddled towards the coin bag. “Rrawk, monkey. Monkey!” He squawked

“Yes! He had an irritating monkey.” Jafar added.

“Ah, monkey.” Akbar turned and pointed to Nomad. “Monkey.”

 “No, not the boy Monkey.” Jafar growled. “An actual ape he kept as a pet or something.”

“That what Akbar meant.” Akbar pointed to Nomad again. “Mama’s Monkey has monkey. Little ironies in life like that keep Akbar smiling.” The man said with a deadpan voice and resting ‘scowl’ face.

“What!” Jafar slammed a fist on the counter.

“Hey!” 

Jafar looked around the barkeep. Nomad shook her head and made a cut motion near her neck. Perfect, she was on to him. Jafar gave a well practiced smile and a gentle wave. He neatly knitted his fingers together and put them under his chin before looking back at Akbar. “You mean she is Aladdin’s mother ?” He spoke through his teeth, careful not to move his lips too much in case the woman was still watching.

Akbar shrugged. “Mama took Monkey in when Monkey tried to steal Mama’s bag. Stayed in town a few years to raise Monkey. Used to bring Monkey around a lot but when Mama left for Far East, Monkey never came back.” The barkeep scoffed before spitting on the floor. “Monkey thinks he’s better than us.”

Jafar started rubbing his temples. Stay calm. The woman was watching. “Are they at least not that close?” He asked.

“Hmmm.” Akbar pulled open the coin bag and flipped through it for a bit. Yup, all gold. The man leaned in closer to Jafar and spoke quietly. “Streets say Monkey helps the guards now. Mama won’t like that. And when Mama doesn’t like you…”

That managed to raise Jafar’s eyebrow. “You don’t say.” 

A tapping from the far end of the bar got both the barkeep and genie’s attention. Nomad was tapping the bottom of her cup quickly on the hard wooden top. Akbar swiftly swept up the coin bag and tucked it away as he went over to the woman.

“Fantastic.” Iago muttered. “Just our luck! Of course your master has to be Aladdin’s mother !” 

“Hush.” Jafar tented his fingers and closed his eyes. “Just adopted.”

“Just? Just?! We are just camel plop outta luck, buster! Hate to say it, but I’m thinking I gotta put in my two weeks or something !” Jafar subtly glanced to see if anyone was watching him. No. “I know thirty years ain’t nothing to sneeze at but I gotta start looking at my options. And when you write that letter of recommendation, remember I got you that lamp to start with so don’t say I never did anything for ya!” A flick of Jafar’s pinky caused a metal band to wrap around Iago’s beak and clamp it closed.

“Calm yourself, Iago.” Jafar lightly ran a finger down Iago’s ruffled head. “All will be well.” Jafar saw the woman get excited, something about spices. The barkeep looked behind her and leaned in to mutter at her. “ She wants Aladdin, we want Aladdin.” A couple hooded men stood up and moved towards the door without looking at it. “And it would be such a shame to waste someone willing to do all the hard work, wouldn’t it.”

“HA!” Nomad sat up from the stool. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you ‘I have eyes in the back of my head’? That’s a woman thing.” Mirt peeked out from under the folds of his human’s scarf. Strangers getting close from behind. He huffed and gently squeezed Nomad’s neck. The woman smirked. “ All women have eyes in the back of their head.” The hooded men drew their daggers. Nomad put two fingers in her mouth and made two quick low whistles.

A loud bray sounded from outside. The door and its frame were ripped from the wall as Balavaan crashed through into the eatery, slamming the door guard back against the stone wall. The camel bowled over the men and hurriedly put his broadside between the woman and the rest of the crowd. Half the patron’s stood up with a start and ran off to the shadows, the other more experienced half just laughed where they sat.

Nomad hopped off her stool and jumped onto her camel. “Red, we’re going!”

Iago gave a panicked muffled phrase before taking off to Nomad. Jafar calmly stood up and strolled towards her. The woman quickly turned her camel around and with a yell, they charged out of the building. Ok, apparently Jafar wasn’t allowed to stroll. 

Jafar rushed out of the building after the camel. He couldn’t tell from the glance behind if they were being chased but he still had no intention in being involved in this woman’s nonsense. As soon as he thought he was out of view of the bar, Jafar shifted into a red mist that poured itself into the black lamp.

“Never underestimate the advantages of an expertly trained camel!” The woman yelled behind her before enjoying another loud long almost scream-like laugh.

----

The camel’s gallop slowed as dark, rundown alleyways turned into slightly better-kept residential neighborhoods. Most of the under-class types never liked these sorts of areas. Too many somewhat-decent people willing to call the guards when something happened.

The rider slipped off the saddle and patted her camel’s neck. “Can you believe those guys.” The camel sniffed the woman’s hood. “Leave the desert for a few years and people forget how to treat a lady.”

“Yu dun sah.” Iago took Nomad’s place on Balavaan’s saddle and started picking at a metal band around his beak with his feet. 

“Aw, bubbie, what happened?”

“Whah happah? Whah happ-- JAFA happah.” The bird flapped wildly, his pacing and stomping about keeping the woman from examining the band. “Ah ousie shoopeh s’um suggin mo’on !”

“Red…” Nomad looked back where she rode in from. “Red!” Nothing. She looked at the sky. “Jafar?” She felt a tap on her hip. She lifted up her scarf to see the black lamp gently rocking against her satchel. 

A quick rub released a now familiar cloud of red smoke. Jafar was lounging in mid-air, still in his human disguise, hands behind his head, with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. 

“Bowing out when things get interesting?” Nomad tsked. “Aren’t you ashamed.”

Jafar’s smug grin grew bigger. “Never.” 

Nomad grabbed Jafar’s ankles and dragged his feet to the ground. She pointed to Iago. “Fix him.”

“Are you sure?” Jafar tented his fingers with a shallow bow. “Most would probably wish for this kind of silence from him. I gave it to you for free.”

The bird answered with more stomping and muffled angry yelling.

Nomad pointed again at the bird. “Fix. Him.”

Jafar shrugged and a wave of a finger made the metal band on Iago vanish. Iago opened his beak as widely as possible and massaged the sides of his face. “Thanks a lot, buddy! Yeesh, you’ll give a guy lockbeak doing that.”

Noman glared at Jafar. There was something about the genie’s face. Those half-lidded eyes, the slightly too-wide-to-be-natural smile, the slight head lean forward… almost hunched like a cocky vulture waiting on high for a sickly doe to drop dead. 

“Why are you so happy?” She said with a stern look.

Jafar tsked and gave an exaggerated pout. “Am I not allowed to be happy? Are you truly that cruel?”

“Depends.” The woman’s attempt at an intimidating stance might’ve worked better if she wasn’t a full head shorter than her genie. “Does it have anything to do with what you and Akbar were talking about?”

“Oh. That. Well… I was just asking about your beloved little Monkey, of course. I was rather moved by the tale. You don’t strike me as the kind to be a doting mother.” Jafar tried to gently take the woman’s hand but as quick as he held it, she pulled away and took a step back. Ah, too much too soon. He focused on maintaining his confident smile. 

“And Mr ‘I shall shatter the heavens and earth’ doesn’t look like the kind to care about family.” Noman stated.

“Oh, come now. Must we bring up that unfortunate show of temper?” 

Nomad put her hands on her hips and gave a stern glare.

“I see… All I mean to say is, it would be my pleasure to help you find your son.” He smiled, giving a more proper, lower bow.

Iago gave a baffled look, glanced at Nomad and then back to Jafar.

“And I assume this generosity has absolutely nothing to do with the fact I basically own your house?” Nomad’s smirk only lasted a moment before she looked away. “Shiva on high, I’m a landlord. I’ve become everything I hate.”

“Absolutely nothing whatsoever.” Jafar smiled wider. “Why, I simply adore family…” What did normal families do? Nothing good came to mind. “... matters.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, the guy’s as squishy as an overripe peach deep down.” Iago flapped to Jafar’s shoulder. “Yada yada yada. Rich tapestry and all that. Just make with the wishing, Ponytail.”

Jafar smiled harder and leaned slightly towards the bird. “What do you think you’re doing ?” he growled under breathe.

“Wishing?” Nomad asked.

“ You want Aladdin, we want Aladdin, you have a genie, one of us is a genie. Let’s make some magic already !” Iago flapped wildly.

“Whoa, whoa,” Nomad waved the bird’s nonsense away. “I can’t wish for Monkey to come to me, not without being desperate.”

“ Quiet .” Jafar whispered through gritted teeth.

“Why not ?!” Iago yelled louder. “I wanna see what this big dumb mountain of magic can do.” Very familiar thin boney hands wrapped around Iago’s neck. “Did I say that out loud?” Iago choked out.

Nomad rolled her eyes and pulled her staff from her camel’s pack. A quick twirl and she jabbed Jafar square in his stomach. In a puff of smoke, Jafar’s human disguise collapsed and he now floated in the alley in all his bare-chested red genie glory.

Nomad calmly held out her hand. “Give.”

Jafar frowned but let Iago go, glaring as the bird fluttered to the woman’s hand. As Nomad took to smoothing out the bird’s ruffled feathers, Jafar obligingly returned to a human form, his more regal fit-for-a-sultan red robe.

“Nuh-uh.”

Jafar growled and his magnificent bright red outfit faded into the dulled, plainer servant wear the woman had put him in earlier.

Nomad chuckled and smiled at Iago. “Geez, bubbie, where’d you dig this bozo up?”

Iago shrugged with a laugh. “Eh, you take what you can get in life.” Jafar’s distant glare robbed Iago of a confident smile.

“So true.” Nomad said. “You know, that was always Monkey’s problem; never appreciated what he had.” Her body shifted, becoming more tense. “Always saying ‘Someday I’ll be rich, live in a palace and have no problems at all ’.” She deepened her voice with a mocking tone. “If he found out I had a genie, he’d just bug me constantly ‘til I used a wish to give him his own palace to play pretend prince in. But palaces don’t solve problems, they cause ‘em.”

“What’a ya talking about?” said Iago. “When you’re rich, you can just pay someone to solve your problems!”

“That’s not solving your problems!” The woman’s volume grew to match the bird’s. “That’s just… passing your problems onto other people!”

“So?” Iago shrugged.

“ UGH! ” Nomad tossed Iago back to Jafar and took her camel’s reins. “Maybe my first wish should be erasing gold from existence just so I can watch those… stupid fat sultans flounder about in the poorhouse!”

Both parrot and genie gasped in genuine shock as the woman started walking away. “No more gold?!” Iago grabbed Jafar’s headwrap and started hysterically shaking the man’s head. “Tell me she’s not allowed to do that! Tell me! There’s gotta be some stupid genie rule against that! RIGHT!? There’s rules for everything else apparently!” 

Jafar thought for a moment and his nervous grimace intensified. Not only was there not a rule against it, there was nothing he could do to refuse it. His curse wasn’t just being bound to a lamp as an exploitable weakness, it was also a curse of obedience . By her command, Jafar would be forced to destroy one of the deepest desires that drove him throughout his whole life… wealth. Jafar’s face twisted even further. And without wealth… what use would being a Sultan even have?

Jafar was shaken from his anxious pondering by Iago throwing his wings around the man’s head in a hug and looking up with wet pleading eyes. “Please, please, please tell me you won’t destroy the gold!”

Jafar had a nervous sharp inhale. “If… she commands…”

Iago dropped his wings and started full-on sobbing. “ NOOO-OOO-OOO-OOO-OOO! Not the gold!” The bird had a long, wet sniffle before taking off after the woman. “Mamaaaaaaaa!” He dropped down on Nomad’s head, still kicking and crying. “Mama, please don’t destroy all the gold! There’s soooo much of it! And it could all be mine !” 

Iago sat up with a gasp and raced back to Jafar. “Show time, genie, move it!” The bird did a loop around his partner before speeding back over to the woman. “What I meant to say was ‘There’s so much gold, and it could all be yours’ !” Iago watched Jafar approach and motioned towards Nomad. “Go, go!” He whispered.

Jafar got the idea. He made a circular motion with his hands and a sizable mound of gold coins piled into his open palms. He presented the small fortune to the woman with his typical well-practiced smile.

Nomad held her staff close. She could see herself in the shimmering gold. Her hair was a mess. Her hand moved to brush back the wilder bangs. ‘Look at you.’ She was practically thrown into the oval mirror made of gold. ‘Disgusting beast.’ What few strands of hair weren’t pulled back in a painfully tight ponytail by tiny golden chains were brushed behind her ears by rat-like fingers adorned with far too many bejeweled rings. ‘Why, if you weren’t so exotic…’

Nomad snarled and kicked Jafar’s hands, sending the coins flying across the back alley. The man barely had time to stumble back before Nomad grabbed his shirt and pulled him far closer to her than he cared to be. “What is this?! Who do you think you are !? ” She growled.

Jafar stuttered for a second, completely thrown off by such a reaction.  “I… am-” Where could he even go with this? He looked at Iago. Typical, the bird would be no help; he was scrounging on the floor picking up as many of the fallen coins as he could fit in those scaley grabby talons of his. Just bow. “... yours ! I am yours… Master.”

Jafar watched as steely eyes honed in on a kill like a lioness shifted into the wide thoughtless eyes of a gazelle on alert. “What.” Her voice soft as a breath. 

“I am yours, Master.” He forced a smile. “You seemed upset so I, as your humble servant , offered what I assumed to be…” The woman let go of Jafar’s robe as she backed away. “a… calming token.” Women. Always confoundingly unpredictable. Having to dance around this woman’s whims was as burdensome as the gold cuffs that bound him to her service in the first place.

The woman’s scarf shifted and her cobra peeked out from the folds. The two shared a silent short nuzzle before the snake slunk back under the fabric. The woman took a deep breath and glared at the man. “I don’t need gold.”

“I’ll keep it!” Iago said, wide eyed, clutching the coins like precious eggs. 

“You don’t need it either.” Nomad picked Iago up by the scruff. “All macaws need are fruit and nuts.”

“Oh for the love of-- You’re a fruity nut if you think food is all there is in life!” 

Nomad scoffed. “Well, what else is there?”

“What else is there?!” Iago pulled away and started flying right in the woman’s face. “What else-- Everything! Fame! Fashion! Influence! Look, look, look!” Iago pounded the air to get back to Jafar. “Wardrobe! Show us what you got!”

“You dare order me , bird?” Jafar growled.

“Come oooon! We got all the gold in the world , on the line here!” Iago barely managed to keep his volume reasonable. “We gotta get this girl thinking right and fast ! So work with me here, Red. Lay it on her . Thick !”

Wardrobe, eh? Jafar glanced at the woman. The phrase ‘unspeakably plain’ came to mind. Nothing remarkable about her face outside a healthy dark tan. Her robe only barely gave any hint of a feminine figure thanks to the dirty pale sash loosely dangling from her hips. And… well maybe her hair had a nice playful waviness to it… if it was actually combed and cleaned.

Maybe the greatest power in the universe could make something of the desert mouse.

“What’s with the look.” Nomad stated.

Jafar twirled two fingers around each other, spooling thread-like strings of red magic, before pointing both at the lamp-holder. Strangely, his magic left the green scarf alone but the red waves changed the plain yellow robe into a black short-cut sleeveless top rimmed with gold and gave a red full-length wrap-around skirt that trailed up to drape over her shoulder.

“Like it?” Jafar smiled. “It’s--”

“ Silk?! ” Nomad threw the trail of garment off her shoulder with a pronounced ‘yuck’. “Get it off me! It’s clingy and sticky and I hate it!” The full grown woman started stomping her feet. “ Off, off, off, off, off! ”

Jafar recoiled, wide-eyed but with a snap of his fingers, the woman’s old clothes returned.

Nomad bent down and groaned loudly. “I can still feel it on my skin, uuuuugh.” She pulled her camel close and started rubbing her side against his shoulder. “Gimme that fur, I need that awful feeling off my body!” She shoved her face into the beast’s heavy neck fur, sending a small plume of dust flying off.

Jafar rubbed the side of his head. The first time in years he was trying to be generous, somewhat, to another person and she acted like this . And his mother always told him being kind would open doors in life…

“You!” Nomad pointed in Jafar’s general direction. She paused to use the side of her camel’s neck like a washcloth, brushing the sides of her face before turning to the man proper. “What’d I ever do to deserve this?... Besides the ‘back in the bottle’ thing… and making you call me Master… and Lamp-handling isn’t really volunt-.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, I still don’t think I deserve being attacked with silk ! You know, most masters wouldn’t let their genies out this much without doing anything.”

She was right. She could easily put him back in that wretched cold black lamp to rot until she made a wish. The only reason Jafar had let the blue genie stay out of his lamp was because the slave had the common sense to stay quiet and out of the way; something Jafar abhorred the mere thought of. 

Something had to calm this woman down. Everyone had a price. Everyone! Everyone wants something ! And that something can always be used to control them.

Jafar took a deep breath and gave a calm, kind expression. “I am quite aware of your… generosity towards me, madam.” He came closer, maintaining his pleasant appearance even as the woman leaned away from him. “Allow me to repay your kindness.” He raised a fist and with a flash of red sparkles, three rubies, each bigger than the woman’s eyes appeared in Jafar’s open palm.

The woman didn’t look nervous anymore… but being wholly unimpressed wasn’t what Jafar was trying for either. “In my homel-- birthplace, the princess of our people would use bigger gems than that for play blocks .”

Jafar maintained his calm expression while crushing the gems into dust. The man waved his hand, calling forth more red magic before shooting a bolt at the ground. From the dirt, a round dark-wood end table sprung up with a carved cobra forming out of thin air to coil around the single table leg before freezing mid-strike. On top was a glowing red ruby as big as the woman’s head.

“Oooooooh. I like!” The woman clapped her hands with a smile. She bent down and started feeling the wooden cobra’s head. “Is this Aspen?”

Jafar couldn’t help but slap his forehead and growl. “You’re not supposed to like the table , woman!”

Nomad barely glanced at the man before examining the wooden snake more. “Then show me a gem worth talking about, genie .”

Jafar waved the table away into dust, much to Nomad’s annoyance. He waved upward and a massive ruby as tall as the woman sprung up from the ground, covering the whole abandoned alley in red light. 

Nomad held her camel’s reins and calmed the nervous beast. She hid a smirk. “Still thinking about that table.” 

Jafar gritted his teeth and used both hands to make another ruby, this one a head and shoulder’s height taller than himself. The late morning light bouncing off the polished surface was almost blinding. Nomad looked at Jafar and waved two fingers towards herself. She very clearly mouthed ‘Little bit more’. 

Jafar’s thin face twisted into a furious snarl. Ungrateful woman. Mocking him! His human form vanished in the heat of the moment and his muscular ruby-red arms charged with lightning before the man thrust them straight into the air. A shadow fell over the alley before a massive ruby crashed into the ground, its sheer width crushing the corners of the buildings it fell between.

The woman gasped loudly, cupping her cheeks in her hands. Finally! The red genie held his chest out proudly. He could buy her. Now all he needed was point her in the right direction and he could--

“I just remembered I don’t like jewelry.” The woman dropped her hands. Jafar sputtered, his shock shattering the giant gem behind him. The woman laughed. “Wow, even the bad genies are natural comedians.”

 Iago inched his way up the camel’s stirrup with his beak and carefully slipped the wing full of gold coins into a lesser used side-bag pocket. He snuck a glance at Jafar. A sharp eye saw the gold cuffs on the genie’s wrists holding still as stone, while the arms confined within flinched with a rarely seen anger. Oh, right… Genie’s couldn’t kill. The smart thing would be to just stay quiet. But since when did a parrot shy from saying too much?

“Aw, what are you so miffed about?” Iago grinned. “This isn’t the first time a woman’s laughed at your best efforts .”

Nomad made a laugh loud enough to echo in the empty street. She clapped before taking Iago on her arm. “Oh, I am gonna love having you around, bubbie.”

Jafar’s mouth hung open. She liked the parrot more than him. His jaw clenched, hands shaking with anger, red energy lashing within his palm like a tumultuous wave in a storm. She liked the parrot more! Than! A GENIE !

Clenched red hands shot upward and the ground beneath the gang shot upward into the sky. Hard, beaten down dirt paled and grew scale-like tiling as it spread out across the air. Balavaan bellowed before pulling away from his owner and just barely made the jump down to solid ground. “Balavaan!”

The magnificent trailing tiles eventually grew upward into walls that faded into polished marble. Ornate pillars twice as large as any found in any mortal-made palace sprung up one after another connecting to a massive gold dome plated with unparalleled rubies that shined like a thousand mirrors.  Parts of the floor heaved upward until gold coins burst through like they were spewed from a geyser, quickly piling up into glittering mountains.

A carpet of red velvet flowed forth from under the woman towards the back of the gargantuan room. Along its path, massive golden statues of two-humped camels, each covered in regal purple satin and a bejeweled turban fit for a sultan, poof’ed into existence standing proudly at attention.

At the end of the long luxurious carpet, a gold cobra statue, coils forming the steps to a lavish cushioned throne nestled against the serpent’s polished mosaic-coated hood. In a motion of her genie’s hand, the woman flew weightlessly through the air and crashed into the pile of red pillows. She quickly pushed the pillows off her, pulled her green hood all the way down to hide her face and covered her head.

Another sweeping motion from the genie brought row upon row of fine wood tables each loading with elaborate gourmet meals from every land, culture and peoples of every era, both those long gone and those that have not yet been. In a flash of smoke, the tables became occupied with faceless human figures, wrapped with bright, brand new fineries of every color and hue. 

“Holy mother of flock!” Iago landed on one of the camel statues with wide wild eyes. The gems! The gold! The marble! THE GOLD! “You know what?” The parrot waved at Jafar. “I take back every bad thing I ever said about ya, pal. This!” He waved his wings at a mountain of gold “Makes everything we’ve ever been through together worth it!” Iago dove off the camel statue and landed on a pile, swimming around in the coins like a very well-off duck of some kind.

Jafar grinned. Everything he could ever dream of, right here, for free! Perfect. Orderly. Opulent. A masterpiece of desires brought to life with less effort than it used to take him to make his morning coffee. “What say you now, woman!” The red genie declared.

“Is it over?” Nomad peeked nervously from under her hood. Marble. Gold. Fancy people. “Om Namah Shivay.” She moaned, burying her face yet again. “Om Namah Shivay, Om Namah Shivay.”

She wasn’t even looking ! Jafar huffed before bursting into smoke. He reformed next to Nomad and pulled the woman upright by her scarf. “May I at least ask for the courtesy of looking at what I made.” With a hiss, the cobra struck out from the green hood. Jafar casually froze the beast in a red magic field and tossed it away. “I’m only trying to--”

“Mitr!” The woman hopped off the statue and collected her snake in her arms. 

“-- get an ounce of respect.” Jafar spat under his breath.

“What are those people supposed to be?” The woman said curtly. She still wasn’t looking at anything Jafar made. Instead, she hung her head down towards the coils of her cobra bundled in her arms. “I know you made them. Why.”

That’s all she had to say for all the wonders presented before her? “They’re… your people, of course. Suitors, servants, advisers, whatever you wish.” He hoped floating around her enough would make her look his way but instead she simply turned away whenever enough of him was in sight. 

“Woman, I am trying to help you think rationally . Wouldn’t you want a life where you don’t have to run?” Jafar felt her shoulders tense up at his gentle touch. With just the smallest whiff of magic, he lifted her to her feet and guided her back to the gilded throne. “Wouldn’t you rather people gathered around you?”

Nomad let Jafar sit her down. “They’d only be there to take from me. I know how those kinds of people think.” The cobra peeked around the woman’s arm and gave a spiteful huff towards the genie before slinking under the fold of his owner’s scarf. “They don’t care about you unless you give them something.”

Jafar pinched the bridge of his nose, as if that would somehow stem his brewing migraine. Was this just another trick to make him waste time and magic? She didn’t seem to have her now-signature cheek in her voice. She sounded like she was just stating facts. Jafar frowned. She was acting like she was trying to teach him .

“Then how fortunate for you, I can make it so people will only ever give unto you.” The genie waved his hand up and more faceless human forms, dressed in the same attire his lamp-holder made him wear, rose up from the ground. In their hands were round silver platters covered in exotic fruits, candies and expertly roasted honeyed meats. Jafar floated backwards with a slight bow, signalling the servant figures to start approaching the throne. ”So… do you doubt me now?”

Nomad backed up as the figures got closer. A surge of panic rang through her body when her back hit the cobra statues’ hood. Nowhere to go. She looked up. An escape! She jumped and pulled herself up on the cobra statue’s head.

“Woman, what do you think you are doing.” Jafar sighed.

Had to get outta here! Escape! The woman stared right at him, big scared brown eyes sharpening into the look of a hunter. Oh no.

“No! Woman, I forbid it!” Her body lowered. Legs tensed up. She leaned towards the edge of the statue’s head. “Do you hear me? You will not --!” 

 Nomad launched herself over the faceless figures towards Jafar and wrapped her arms around his neck as soon as she landed in his arms. He hated himself for catching her. A woman this wild might just make a habit of this sort of thing if it wasn’t punished quickly. 

“Absolutely not. Down!” Jafar dropped his arms and soon found his waist pinned between the woman’s knees, as she still clung desperately to him. Jafar growled and poofed into smoke, reforming a few feet behind the woman. 

The faceless figures got closer, shoving their platters of food into Nomad’s face. With a nervous whine, Nomad clammored to her feet and hid behind Jafar’s broad red body. “Can you just make those things go away? I can’t take much more of this.”

‘ You’re saying that to me… ’ Jafar raised his hand and the figures with trays vanished. “What, precisely, is your problem, woman.” At least she had the decency to look away, ashamed. “I’ve given every conceivable comfort and desire one could imagine and you act like you don’t enjoy it!”

“ This is comfort to you?” She asked. “ This is what you want from life?”

Jafar unconsciously touched the gold bands on his arms. “More or less.”

“But it’s not real! Those people, the respect, everything! All this stuff is worthless .”

“It is real!” The genie willed a small pile of gold coins into his hand and pushed it into Nomad’s face. “This is no different from any gold mined from any land!” The woman groaned exasperated at Jafar’s words and turned away. 

“Such is my power! At my command, armies shall fight to the death for you!” With a fierce motion upwards, the wall of the magic palace became lined with large armored men sporting shining steel pikes.  Nomad clutched her staff close to her chest. “With a mere thought, all that serve you shall never doubt or question your right to rule!” The faceless figures turned to face the woman in unison and knelt down towards her. Nomad pulled the rim of her scarf up, hiding a horrified expression. “I am all powerful ! There is none that can exceed me! I can make the entire world bend itself to give anything you want!”

“ I don’t want that !” The abruptness of the woman’s words knocked the smug look right of the genie’s face. “Have you not been paying attention to me this whole time?”

Jafar frowned. “I try not to but you insist on being difficult .”

“Difficult? Oh-ho-ho-ho.” Jafar grimaced as the woman’s posture shifted. She stood taller, prouder, bolder. Oh, no. She was acting like… herself again. She pushed off part of her cape behind her shoulder and went for his lamp. “I haven’t even started being difficult!”

“Now, now, that isn’t necess--!” A few circular motions of her hands whipped up a cloud of red around the black lamp and, with an underhand throw, Jafar’s cuffs threw him up against the back of the cobra statue’s cushioned hood. As Jafar pushed himself upright, Nomad jumped on the throne with him, now standing over his hips. 

“You think I’m difficult, bubbie?” She smirked. “You think all this-” She waved at her whole self. “-just came from nowhere?” Before Jafar could speak, the butt of his master’s staff squashed his snooty beak-like nose. “Then how about I explain it to ya… slooooowly?” 

She grinned wide and planted a foot on Jafar’s bare chest. “ I've been marching these deserts twenty years.” She sang with a smile. “Crossed the Silk Road a dozen times. ” She took her staff off Jafar’s nose and leaned down to his face. “ Yes, I’ve lived my life for new frontiers, and that’s wholly by my own design. ” She hopped off the throne, staff held behind her back. “ I like living under desert skies, ” She looked at the ruby-plated ceiling, completely unimpressed. “ Bouncing from place to place like a tramp, then I got in a chase, had to kill some guys, ” She playfully tugged on the scarf around her neck, feigning nervousness at her confession. “ Then I found myself a pretty lamp. ” She pulled the lamp off her satchel and started rubbing it hard. “Now you say--!”

The lamp sent out a flourish of bright red sparks like fireworks that crashed into the ceiling. As the lights fell, they started swirling together, forming a humanoid shape. A semi-transparent red genie, grinning with big yellow fangs, crossed his arms and started bobbing to the beat. “ O Madam Nomad-san, what will your pleasure be? ” Nomad deepened her voice to imitate Jafar’s. The genie made of lights pointed down and poofed treasures, also made of firework sparks into existence before the woman. “ You want fame or fortune, silk or gold? ” Nomad swung her staff like a bat, shattering the spark illusions. “ I don’t need anything ‘ Cause I’m Free ! ”

Jafar poofed over to the woman and tried to speak. Nomad shoved her staff under his chin, making the man bite his own tongue. “ A house with a picket-fence, just doesn’t appeal to me, “ Jafar turned away, silently cursing the pain. “ Can’t be bogged down with all that nonsense, You can keep all that ‘ Cause I’m Free ! ”

When Jafar turned back towards the woman, she was gone. A small trail of barely-visible blue sparkles lead to the feast tables. He found Nomad pulling two of the faceless figures together by the neck with her arms. “ Oh, I could live with all the rich and famous? ” She pushed both figures away violently and shook the feeling of silk off her arms. “ They’re all disgustingly two-faced! ” She marched to the head of the table and held her staff behind her head like a bat. “ Gives me The Ick, and it makes me sick, how much food those stupid Sultans waaaaaaste! ” She swung her staff and the tiles underneath the tables ripped themselves off the ground. The long ornate tables launched onto their sides, spilling all the food and finery they held to the floor with a large clatter.

Jafar poofed to the woman again. “ But just give the life a try,” He sang along. “Just taste the life and see. ”

Nomad slapped him on the back. “ Just stop it, Red. It’s like I said: Don’t want none of that ‘Cause I’m Free ! ” The woman jumped on the sideways table and started walking down the length, using her staff as a balance. 

Jafar growled before a familiar pitter-patter of feathers got close. Iago flew up to the genie, wearing several pearl necklaces, a large ruby-crusted wristband for crown and as many rings as his talons could hold. “What’s all the racket?” Jafar shrugged before motioning towards the woman walking away. “Ah. Lemme take a crack at her.” Iago almost flew off but stopped and ducked close to Jafar again. “Ya know… cuz she likes me best.”

Iago flapped over to Nomad and cleared his throat. “You could be royalty.”

“ Soooo what? ” She sang.

“Be affluent!”

“ Oh no! ”

“You could be strong!”

“Already am! C’mon Bubbie, just watch this!” Nomad twirled her staff over her head, trail of blue glitter flowing from her hand up to the cobra carving before she slammed the bottom on the tiling. “POOF!” The carved snake’s mouth opened wide and breathed a white hot flame that enveloped the whole giant mound of gold coins before them. After a couple seconds of heat, the coins started melting into a shrinking oozing pile. Iago screamed and bolted away with a tiny sliver of smoke coming from his tail feathers. “Whoops! Sorry, bird. Ha ha!”

She spun her staff and round, flicking it backwards so the snake’s mouth snapped shut again. “ I’m picking pockets, cutting locks and, that’s the lifestyle I’d prefeeeeeeer! ”

Jafar’s cuffs started pulling him back down the luxurious red carpet, trailing behind Nomad as she made a run towards the throne. He crashed face-first against the hood yet again and angrily turned around. Before Jafar could move any more, a square lump of dirt burst through the tiling and gently bumped up the wispy semi-transparent tail that made up his lower body. “ So kick your feet up, Red, and settle in, I think you’re gonna be here quite a while. The best of life’s the fight, not the win,” Nomad pointed to herself. “And this mother wouldn’t wanna miss a mile. ” 

“ I’m sure you’ve impressed a lot with your fancy talk, ” She walked away with a particularly-cocky hip-heavy strut. Huh, she did have hips. “ But I’m afraid it’s gonna be a ‘No’. And I just hope you like the way I walk, ” She reached down and started charging the red magic around his lamp again.

Jafar just sighed and held his arms out in surrender.

“ ‘Cause my way’s the only way we’ll go-o-o-o! ” With her throw, Jafar rocketed down the aisle between the rows of golden camels lining the red carpet. Jafar put all his mental fortitude to ignore the taste of floor before he floated back into the air. 

The woman walked down the carpet, the small blue sparkles whirling around her like a mini-tornado. The massive camel statues were seemingly pushed back by an unseen force and the carpet dissolved into nothing as she stepped on it. “ Ol’ Mama Nomad-san, calls the shots with all she sees. ” She put the butt of her staff to Jafar’s chest again “ So don’t get cute, you big ol’ brute. ” 

Nomad jumped back and spun her staff in hand before swinging it like a bat again. “ I know having lots of gold, it would just get old! ” The golden camel statues’ polish faded and both lines fell on each other like dominos. “ And I’ll never understand, wanting lots of land! ” She slammed her staff down and the tiling under her shredded into nothing, leaving the old original beaten-down dirt underneath.

The woman took off for the closest wall, the blue sparks surrounding her intensifying to a bright glowing mist that trailed behind her. “ Don’t need nothing ! ” She turned back to Jafar and Iago and made a big X with her arms, still running away from them. “ NOTHING! ” 

 “ CAUSE! ” She started twirling her staff in her hand.

 “ I’M! ” The blue mist around her poured onto the staff head, forming a big glowing fireball.

“ FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ” She pulled back as hard as she could and swung with every ounce of her heart and soul. The giant marble wall shattered like glass, leaving the size for a bull elephant to stampede through. “ HA HA HA! ”

“Hey, get back here!”

“ Can’t catch me! ” Nomad jumped out of the fake palace and landed on the roof of the real human-made residential home. She bounced down to a small balcony, hopped onto a tarp and finally landed on Balavaan. The camel reared up in surprise and started charging down the alley.

“Don’t need anything ‘Cause I’m Free!”

Chapter Text

“Wait, so why’s your voice different again?”

“Contract dispute.” The totally-normal super-not-a-genie-in-disguise human man wearing a completely-not-reflective-of-his-true-skin-color blue tunic with a small gold vest paused in the street. “Uh, I mean, the… stars are in… magic… retrograde so the… cosmic reverb is in… flux?”

“Ooooh-kay.” Aladdin chuckled. “Not that I don’t like how you sound now but is it gonna change back?”

Genie shrugged and smiled. “As soon as Disney gives Robin Williams a Picasso. I mean--! As soon as the flux stars… un-retrograde. Yeah, that’s it!” He turned into a blonde Spaniard with an oversized red shirt and started scooting away. “Stars! Can’t do it.” He ducked behind a wall for a brief moment before peeking around. “Not today.”

Aladdin rolled his eyes with a smile. He could always tell when Genie didn’t want to tell him something, He glanced at Abu peeking over his shoulder. The monkey looked at Aladdin and shook his head, clearly not buying it either. Aladdin couldn’t complain though; he knew he probably wouldn’t understand it anyway. He never understood magic. Every person he ever met that talked about magic told him something different. Even the one person that seemed to know the most told him she didn’t actually have magic herself.

He turned his attention to Jasmine. She looked down at her light blue abaya dress and touched her gold shayla-style headwrap before looking at a group of housewives gossiping in the shade on the side of the road. They were wearing similar clothing, just in shades of brown, yellow and pale green.

“You ok, Jasmine?” Aladdin held her hand.

“Oh, I’m fine. Just…” She looked one more time at the women. “Are these clothes… I don’t know… too expensive looking for the marketplace?”

“What do you mean?” 

 Jasmine sighed. “My seamstress was telling me blue dye was getting expensive lately. I don’t want to stick out too much.”

“Hate to say it, Jas, but if you don’t wanna stick out, you’d have to go home because I could spot you in any crowd from here to China.”

Jasmine put her hands together and looked down, blushing. “You’re too nice.”

“Nah, I’m just being honest.” Aladdin offered his arm.

Jasmine slipped her arm around his. “Good ol’ Honest ‘Prince Ali’.” Jasmine smirked. Aladdin hid a laugh as he looked away. “I want to enjoy this while we can.” She went on. “Soon we’ll hardly ever get to just, you know, go out quietly together.”

“I know.” Aladdin has a similar sad tone. “I’m gonna miss this so much. Are you sure we can’t--?”

“Not that I like to make a habit of eavesdropping, buuuuut…” The couple turned to see a giant pointy blue ear the size of an african elephant’s ear point right at them. Genie threw the huge foam ear prop behind him. “What’s the hap, hip cats? Something wrong? If so, I’m pretty sure your ‘Happily Ever After’ should still be under warranty. Unless I forgot to give you the receipt at the end of the last movie. ” 

Genie pulled out a worn-out leather wallet from his red sash, letting a huge trail of personal photos unravel while he looked through the pockets. “Let’s see, bottle return,” He pulled out a slip of paper. “- speeding ticket,” He threw that paper off to the side. “What’s this?” Genie pulled out a business card with the word ‘F.O.P.’ on the back. “ ‘For a good time, call Norm’? Who’s Nor-- OH! The lava lamp guy…” Genie tossed the card away too. “Yeck, not running with that kinda crowd again.”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that, Genie.” Jasmine said. “We’re both very happy.”

“It’s just…” Aladdin looked away. “Well, you wanna tell him?”

“Oh. Well, he was your friend first.” Jasmine replied. “You should tell him.”

“He’s your friend too now. You can tell him.”

Abu rolled his eyes with a squeak.

“Aladdin, it’s fine. You can--”

“No, no, I want you to--”

There was a quick metallic tapping. Genie stood before them both in an old-fashioned tuxedo with a rather wild white wig on. He tapped the metal music stand with his conductor wand a few more times before holding a finger to his mouth. The couple glanced at each other before looking back. Genie started waving the wand. “One, two, and a one, two, three.” He pointed the wand at the couple.

Aladdin and Jasmine pulled each other closer. “We’re getting married!”They said together.

Genie’s conductor outfit vanished as he gasped loudly. “ Congratulations , you two!” Genie grabbed them both in a giant hug and spun around with them a few times. In a poof of blue smoke he turned into a jewish priest in a black suit, complete with a long white beard and flat black hat. “Mazel tov! Oi, with the love and the romancing, oy vay, I could just plotz even…” 

“We’re both very excited.” Jasmine smiled, but just for a moment. “But right after the ceremony, Father wants Aladdin to have his coronation and become Sultan.”

Aladdin took both of Jasmine’s hands. “And you’ll be Sultana, right next to me, the whole way.”

“I know, but…” Jasmine looked at Genie.

Genie slipped back into his normal human disguise, offering a simple unsure but well-wishing smile.

“Agrabah will need us to stay put and be the next leaders of the kingdom.” Jasmine finished, somberly. “We won’t have time to go out into the city and see the people up close, or what the rest of the world has to offer. Like you did, Genie.”

Genie kept his gentle smile but his eyes seemed to quite literally be holding back a growing tide of water behind their surface.

“That’s why I just want to blend in.” Jasmine straightened her headscarf. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m a--”

“PRINCESS!”

Before the couple could turn, Aladdin was ripped away from Jasmine’s arms and thrown against a nearby building’s sun-bleached brick walls. Aladdin opened his eyes to find the tip of a sword shoved under his chin.  The sword-holder was a large bulky man, as fit as he was fat, with a wide wild toothy sneer that made one imagine a gorilla ready to rampage. “How dare you kidnap the princess, you revolting streetrat !” He shouted. “Finally, I got y-! Ow.” He shook his wrist where the princess karate-chopped him.

“Unhand him, Razoul!” Jasmine stomped her foot for good measure. 

“But, Princess!” The Captain of the Guard bowed to the woman but kept a tight grip on both Aladdin’s white shirt and tiny purple vest. “He-!”

“Now!” The princess poked the guard’s bulbous nose with a finger. “That’s an order!”

“Oooooooh, you’re in troouuuuuuble… .” Genie cooed, brushing the back of one finger with another.

With a growl, Razoul let go of Aladdin’s clothes. In a smooth wide step, Aladdin moved behind Jasmine and ducked down slightly to hide behind her. He peeked around her and gave the guard a cheeky wave, while Abu blew a fake kiss. The guard nearly took a step forward but the princess standing taller kept him in place.

“Princess, I don’t know what the streetrat told you to make you run from me but-”

“He didn’t tell me anything.” Jasmine stated firmly. “Did you stop for even a second and think maybe the reason I tricked you and ran from you was because I don’t want you to be around us ?” She motioned to herself and Aladdin.

“Of course not, Your Highness.” The guard bowed. “I would never think such a ridiculous thing.”

Jasmine groaned and looked to the sky in exasperation. She glanced back at the housewives across the street. All of them were staring at her, pointing and whispering to each other. They knew. “Let’s just go.” Jasmine pulled her headscarf down a little more and marched past Aladdin.

Razoul and Aladdin glared at each other, tension visible between both men. As Aladdin quickened his pace to catch up, Razoul grabbed the back of the young man’s vest and threw him backwards. Aladdin pushed off the wall to get a head start, only to run straight into the guard’s held out arm. The young man quickly hopped over the arm, and Abu jumped off Aladdin’s back to yank the guard’s far-too-tall turban down over his eyes.

“Princess, please!” Razoul hurriedly fixed his head cover and raced off after the couple. “You need to have protection outside of the palace!”

“Hey!” Aladdin stopped and puffed out his chest. “I can protect Jasmine too, you know!”

Razoul looked down at the much smaller man. “As if I would ever believe that!” He spat.

“Protect me from what?” Jasmine butted in. “We’re going to the marketplace closest to the palace in broad daylight .”

Razoul straightened his posture, almost looking presentable. “There’s too many foreigners in the kingdom these days.”

“Oof.” Genie tsked. “Good thing an opinion like that’s gonna just stay here in the 10th to 13th century.” He glances at you. 

“Foreigners?” Jasmine repeated.

“Exactly.” Razoul sheathed his sword and bowed again. “Desperates from Khisamistan. Here to take our food, our jobs, our housing!”

Genie looks at you even harder.

“Khisamistan?” Jasmine raised her voice. “You mean that poor city that’s been cursed with an unended sandstorm for years ?” Razoul’s proud posture shrunk somewhat. “You’re upset over that ? We should be proud that people think Agrabah is a safe place to build a new life!”

“Perhaps, Your Highness.” Razoul lowered his head. “But there’s so many now. It’s suspicious. It reeks of potential invasion.”

“Did you talk to any of them?” Aladdin added. Razoul’s scolded-dog expression turned into one of restrained fury. “Because I have. And they said Ma’laas Khan is executing every boy of age if they refuse to join his royal army to hunt down the ‘storm witch’ that cursed their city to start with!”

“That… could still be a lie.” The guard tried to look big again. “You can’t-”

“Enough.” Jasmine put her hand up. “I’ll hear no more of this.”

“But, Your--” Jasmine pushed her hand closer to Razoul’s face, cutting him off. He knew from that stern look from the young woman that the conversation would not continue. “Yes, Your Highness.” He said with a deep bow. With a final glare, Jasmine turned around, firmly took Aladdin’s arm and started marching down the road. 

It always amazed Aladdin how Jasmine could change from such a sweet, kind carefree woman to a firm-but-fair, direct leader-to-be. She got it from her father, a man that seemed equally jolly and joyful in life yet utterly dedicated to any matter of his ruling. Honestly, the only time he had ever seen the Sultan be stern with personal matters was, well… his insistence that the two wed soon.

Aladdin’s ponderings were interrupted by footsteps behind them. Razoul was doggedly following the couple, albeit a couple feet behind the couple. “He’s still following.” Aladdin muttered. 

Abu whined and turned back to Razoul. “Sheow. Sheow!” The monkey threw his hands at the guard, trying to make him leave. “Nah-ah! Sheow!”

The larger man’s footsteps quickened until they were just a few steps behind the couple. Aladdin glanced behind to give the guard a glare. Wait. From behind, down the road, a cart pulled by a horse at a quick canter was going their way.

Aladdin leaned close to Jasmine. “Do you trust me?” He whispered.

Jasmine squeezed Aladdin’s arm. “Always.” She smiled. 

Aladdin gently pulled away and waited. Wait for it… Wait… He grabbed the princess by the waist and threw her squealing into the cart as it sped by. Seeing her land safely, Aladdin bolted for the wagon and jumped in the moving pile of hay next to her.

“Your Highness!” Razoul yelled before running. “Stop! The Princess! Stop that cart!”

Abu hopped out of the hay and made fart noises as he hopped back and forth on the edge of the wagon.

 Jasmine rolled toward Aladdin still giggling. “Incredible. How do you always know how to make the perfect escape?” 

Aladdin laid back, hands under his head. “It’s easy when you have as much practice as I do.” Aladdin looked up just in time to catch Razoul being knocked off his feet by a herd of sheep crossing the main road. “Old friend of mine used to always say ‘Experience is worth its owner’s weight in gold’.”

“Then you’re probably the richest man in the world.”

Aladdin’s face softened a little. “Maybe in Agrabah. But I’m definitely not the richest, period.”

“Hey, is someone back there?” The cart driver spoke up. 

Genie in his human form poofed next to the man driving and quickly hushed him. “Shh, main characters are having a moment.”

“Ooh, sorry.” The man whispered.

“I knew a woman that just went by ‘Mama’ a long time ago that used to tell me stories of things I never imagined: misty mountain forests, tropical islands, apparently in the west they have something called Autumn that makes trees change colors, if you can believe that.”

Abu stopped jumping around and looked at Aladdin. “Maw-maw?”

“She sounds interesting.” Jasmine sat up and brushed some clinging hay off her clothes. “How come you haven’t let me meet her?”

Aladdin sat up as well. “She left Agrabah years ago for the Far East. Wanted a break from the heat, she said, try something new. Theater, I think?”

“Think she’d ever come back?”

“Nah, but I know wherever she is, she’s having the time of her life.”

“You’re gonna have the time of your life, bubbie.” The woman slapped Jafar on the back.

The man took a few sidesteps to put distance between him and the woman on her camel. “Oh, goody.” Jafar answered flatly. He glanced at Iago and frowned. 

The bird was bouncing on Jafar’s shoulder, humming. “ Dun nuh nah-nah-nah ‘cause I’m free. Yeah !” Iago’s head swung his head for the final beat, crashing his beak into Jafar’s own beak-like nose. A nasty sneer from the genie made Iago quickly flutter over to Nomad’s saddle.

The woman gave Jafar a look and gently put an arm around Iago, shielding him from Jafar’s own dirty look. “Look, I don’t know what got into your head that made you think… anything that you did back there was… helpful or… good ,”

“I gave you riches, for free …” Jafar growled under his breath.

“But if you’re sticking around, I’m gonna have to get you boys thinking right and fast. I can’t afford nonsense.”

 ‘ Then why live like this? ’ Jafar rolled his eyes.

“Of course ya can’t afford nonsense.” Iago jumped on the woman’s arm. “Ya just walked away from a giant fortune !” 

“And just where on this camel was I supposed to put any of it!”

Iago stammered for a moment before gasping. “Jafar! Elephant! Now!”

Nomad slapped her forehead. “Do I look like I got ‘feed an elephant’ money?”

“That’s… why you need the giant fortune!” 

“So, I need the money to feed the elephant I need to carry the money I need to feed the elephant.”

Iago paused for a second before pouting. “Ya know, anything can sound stupid when you say it like that !”

“Yeah, especially stupid things.” Nomad smiled, scratching under Iago’s chin.

The group came to a long wide road, stretching far into the distance all the way in a straight line to the great palace of Agrabah. The road was lined as far as the eye could see with side-by-side stalls each topped with vibrant colorful awnings. People were gathered in a loose crowd in the streets walking up, down, back and forth from stall to stall, making the street seem to flow like a lazy river on land.

Something made Jafar pause for a moment. A memory of some kind. He mentally pushed past whatever the woman was blathering about to focus. He had seen this sight before. But he hadn’t lived this far from the palace since, Jafar gasped under his breath, since he was a child . 

He looked behind himself. They were in his boyhood neighborhood. And in front of them, the same wide beaten road to the same market where he and his sister would spend their afternoons, hoping to steal food to spare the meager stores at home. 

He hadn’t walked these roads in years, not since his studies got him into college as a young man. Then from college to advising Agrabah’s generals and eventually serving the Sultan himself. His entire life’s work, just to move a mile north. No . Jafar grabbed the gold band on his wrist. His whole life’s work, just to end up a slave .

Jafar’s thoughts were shattered when a hand grabbed his lower jaw and turned his head back to the market. “I said, Behold it .” Nomad started firmly.  

Jafar grabbed the woman’s wrist and… growled when the cuffs tightened on his wrists, stopping lightning from running into the woman’s arm. His magic was being denied again. He huffed and threw the woman’s arm away. “Behold what, dare I ask. ” He asked.

“That!” The woman motioned to the market, arms open, like the city before them was paved with gold. “Trading, commerce, community… supposedly. This , Red, is where humanity’s heart truly lies. This… is all any human could ever wish for.”

Jafar gave the woman a glance. Allah on high, she looked like she actually believed that. Leaning forward, smiling that so-far rare non-malicious smile of hers. She looked at such a low-class bazaar like most people would the Agrabah Palace.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Iago waved Nomad’s words away. “Hey, Lady. Gonna let you in on a little secret; Buying things at the market only works when you have money !” The parrot yelled, hopping on the edge of the saddle. “You hear that? MON - EY !”

Nomad scooped Iago up in her arm and leaned into him. “That’s just what they want you to think.” She grinned.

The crowd lazily parted for the horse-drawn cart of hay trotting by. When the people thinned out, Aladdin helped Jasmine jump off before following. “Think we lost him?” Jasmine looked back down the road.

Abu jumped to Aladdin’s shoulder and started mimicking a mouth with his hand. “Blah, blah blah… bleck!”

”Good point, Abu” Aladdin smiled. “Knowing Razoul, he’s still arguing with that sheep herder for bumping into him.” He chuckled.

“Wait, what happened to Genie?” Jasmine looked around.

--

The gentle rocking of the cart in motion. Subtle pleasant white-noise like rattle as the wheels crossed terrain,  the steady rhythmic beat of hooves. Only the hit of a front wheel rolling over a sizable peddle jostled Genie awake from his comforting half-sleep. Genie stretched out wide, a new habit he loved indulging in every time he woke up not being in a lamp, and gave a great big yawn. After a few blinks, the magic man realized he was still on the hay cart. “Aw, dang it. I always fall asleep as a passenger.” Genie whined, sitting up.

“Aw, don’t worry about it.” The driver shrugged. “It’s nice spending time with a blue guy. Don’t see those very often.”

“Huh?!” He looked down and saw his real form. “Aw, double dang it! I’m as blue and bare-chested as the day I was crafted.” He turned and looked at the hay pile in the back. “Al, you there?” Nothing in the back but hay. Worse still, when Genie looked slightly more up, he saw the entire citystate of Agrabah in the distance, slowly disappearing behind cresting sand dunes. “ Awwwww! Triple dang it! ”

“You know you can swear for real if you want.”

“Not when you’re a Disney Icon, you can’t!”

--

“I’m sure he’s fine. Hey, wait a minute.” Aladdin looked around. Abu stood on Aladdin’s shoulders and started looking around too. Aladdin hurried to Jasmine’s side. “You recognise this place?” He smiled. 

“Um…” Jasmine looked around. The area was less well kept than the markets close to the palace; the buildings were more rundown and smaller, the people more simply dressed and the merchants… well, Jasmine wasn’t one to judge based on first appearances but some of the people behind the stalls looked like they wanted a reason to fight as much as they wanted customers. 

Nothing significant stood out. There were a few nice looking arches just down the road that seemed somewhat familiar but there were so many on this road it was hard to use them as a landmark. “Not really?”

“We’re near where we first met!” Aladdin chuckled. “I can see Omar’s stand from here.” He pointed about a few dozen feet away to a fruit stand with a dull red awning. “I was sitting up there when you got into that spat with Farouk.”

“You were sitting on a fruit stand?” Jasmine looked at the stall. So much of the table was covered in produce, it was hard to imagine sitting anywhere on it. “How?”

Aladdin looked around for a moment before spotting something in the alley. He ducked into the shade and set a short plank of wood against the stone building at an angle. He backed away and took a running jump off the plank, grabbing the awning support and pulling himself up. He sat down and gave Jasmine a wave.

“Ta-da!” Abu squeaked.

“Wow, you make it look so easy.” The princess smiled.

“It just takes practice is all.” Aladdin shrugged. “You can do it too. Just gotta start somewhere.” He looked around. “Like…” Wait, the arches. “Those!” He pointed behind the princess to the arch bridges passing over the main street. “You know you can climb up those things without stairs if you know the way.”

“You can?” Aladdin jumped down as Jasmine looked at the bridges. He could the spark of excitement grow in her big brown eyes. She looked at him with a grin and a happy little bounce in her step. “Show me!”

Aladdin took her hand, giving it a quick gentle kiss before gently pulling her down the road. “This way!” 

“Pots! Bowls!” “Sugar dates! Figs!” “Finest oranges from Japan!” “FISH! TASTES BETTER THAN THEY SMELL!”

Each merchant belted out their wares, competing with the lively crowd to be heard just as much as they were with other merchants. Around this time people were doing last minute morning shopping, hoping to get out of the sun by mid-day. So those in a hurry were pushing and shoving past casual strollers and gawking crowds debating a purchase to grab what they needed while they could.

“Jewelry!” The middle aged man behind the counter wasn’t bellowing nearly as loud as the others. This time of day was mostly for people buying food for lunch or dinner. But only a fool would sit and do nothing. 

The man looked across the crowd and raised an eyebrow. A woman in yellow garb with a green hood was marching through the crowd, using a large two-humped camel to part the people. Two humps? A foreigner. Perfect.

He pulled one of the more expensive bead necklaces off a stand and stepped forward. “Jewelry? Earrings?”  The woman stopped. Time for the line. He presented the necklace with a smile. “A pretty necklace for a pretty-” An older man, tall, skinny and dour, stopped beside the woman. Must be her husband; can’t flirt now. “-- for a discerning woman.”

“Rrawk! Pretty necklace!” The man’s macaw squawked out, head playfully rolling around.

The man and woman exchanged a quick look, neither impressed. The merchant sighed. No luck today. As he moved to put the necklace down, he caught the eyes of the woman’s snake cane start to glow; sunlight bouncing off glass eyes onto one of his medallions. The assumed husband noticed first and the woman followed his sight.

She picked up the medallion, light still following the trinket as she lifted it up, and took a close look. “Where did you get this?” She stated.

A nibble! Time for a major up-sell. “Oh that!” The merchant said proudly. No wait, better angle. “Oh that.” He said much more somberly. He gently took the stone pendant from the woman and gazed at it sadly. “It belonged to my grandfather.” He lightly traced around the faint carvings in the stone. “I would not dare part with it if times were more plentiful…”

“That’s the sigil of the nomadic Boudun tribe.” The woman stated. “They march the northernmost stretch of the Seven Deserts.” The man started showing his nerves. “You’re telling me, your grandfather, a member of the vehemently anti-settlement Boudun tribe, took off, on his own I assume, passed through the territory of their blood-rivals, the Tukinish, to come settle here in Agrabah.”

The man shrunk and gave a nervous smile. “Yes?” The woman gave her assumed husband a side-glance, a bad sign. The merchant pouted. “Fine, I got it from some urchin looking for a fast shekel.”  

“I got ginger, dried lemongrass or oolong.” 

The merchant sat up excitedly. “Oolong? Yes, please.” The woman pulled a tiny cloth bag from her camel’s side bag and tossed it to the stall owner before walking off with the medallion. “Thank you, come again!”

“Come again! Come again!” The parrot chirped.

Nomad dangled the medallion in front of the carved snake on her staff. The eyes glowed a light blue and its mouth opened slightly. “Huh, never thought I’d seen another one.” She glanced down at the large stone medallion that pinned her green cloak around her neck.

Jafar moved in closer. “Another what?” Iago asked.

Nomad waved the pendant in her genie’s face. “Sand amulet. Like mine.” She pushed up the medallion on her scarf to emphasize. “Wouldn’t have even noticed it without this thing.” She waved her staff before putting the amulet in front of the carved serpent’s mouth. In a surprisingly lifelike motion, the fake snake swallowed the piece with a faint poof of gold smoke.

“What the-?!” Iago squawked before covering his mouth. Too many people, in the middle of the bazaar, couldn’t get too loud. He flapped over to Balavaan’s saddle and leaned towards Nomad. “What is that thing?” Iago kept his voice low.

Jafar leaned over the woman’s shoulder to look at the staff. It was much more detailed than it seemed from afar; individual scales were carved into the jade stone, slight miscolorings in the rock seemed to give realistic patterning. It felt more like a living thing turned to stone rather than a gem made to be a living animal. An impressive high-quality item for someone that ‘didn’t like jewelry’.

Still, something about it tickled his senses, yet for all the universal knowledge he now held, he couldn’t describe it as good or bad. Just some innate hyper-awareness of the object. Some part of him felt like he should leave it alone, that it wasn’t his to touch. The rest of him knew such a thought was ridiculous. He had every right to everything in the world. His power allowed it. The only thing stopping him was his inability to take possession of his own lamp.

Nomad held the staff in both hands. She watched the carving lower its head, the magic light fading from its eyes. “It belonged to my father.” She stated coldly. “He told me it once had incredible power. The kind of magic that could give a man anything he could ever ask for. But he gave up that magic so he could be with my mother… to have me .” 

Nomad’s grip on the staff tightened. For a brief moment, Jafar thought she stopped breathing. The woman let the butt of the staff fall through her hand, hitting the dirt with a solid thud. “Then I found out he lied about everything he ever told me , so who knows what this thing actually is.” She roughly pulled her camel’s reins forward as she started marching further down the road. 

“All I know for sure is this thing seeks out magic. Doesn’t destroy it, just wants to hold it. So whenever I run into something with magic, I hide it in here.” She pointed to Jafar behind her with her staff.

“Oy,” Iago muttered in Jafar’s direction. “The time and money we woulda saved if we had that thing…”

Interesting… a staff that stores up magic for its owner’s future use. Must remember that. “Perhaps it’s trying to restore whatever power it lost.” Jafar finally bothered speaking up. “You’ve simply not found anything strong enough to charge it yet.”

“Huh, maybe.” She smirked, glancing back at Jafar. “I guess a genie would know magical containers better than anyone.”

Jafar groaned. There’d never be a moment’s rest with this woman.

“ MELONS !” A very rough and hoarse voice cut through the market through sheer grating volume. “ ONE BITE BRINGS UNTOLD ECSTASY! ” 

“Aw, keep your ecstasy to yerself, pal.” Iago grumbled. “No one wants to see it in public.”

Nomad gasped and clutched her staff to her chest. “It can’t be!” The woman shoved her staff securely under her camel’s saddle and roughly pushed through a young couple looking at pots. After a few feet, she stopped and held her arms out at a stall in the distance. “It’s him !”

Iago and Jafar took a look where the woman motioned and then glanced at each other. It was a very common looking stall, nearly invisible in the rows of merchants in the area. A red awning for shade and a counter with a couple baskets of cantaloupes tilted out towards the crowd for display. 

In fact, the only thing interesting to note was the merchant standing behind the display; an exceptionally heavy-set man with a dark purple shirt and an almost triangle shaped head, sporting a thick beard and equally thick eyebrows that seemed permanently stuck in an angry glare at everyone that passed by.

“Farouk.” She said in an almost loving breathing tone. “My favorite merchant in all Agrabah.” 

“Geez Louise, lady.” Iago  scoffed. “First Jafar, now that guy? You gotta get yourself some standards here.”

“Not like that!” She scoffed. “Farouk is my best mark. I’ll get all the supplies I need with this guy.” She eagerly rubbed her hands together before looking back at her companions. “Now who wants to see an expert in action?”

“This outta be good.” Iago happily jumped back to Jafar’s shoulder. “Go for it, sister.”

Nomad pulled Balavaan close to her and shushed the bird with a finger. “Just let Mama do the talking.” She ran a finger down the back of Iago’s head before twirling Jafar’s beard with the same. “This is delicate work.” She cracked her knuckles before pulling her camel up to the large man’s stall. “Hey, 1001 Arabian pounds!”

The man behind the table flinched and put his hand on the dagger hanging from his belt. “No. Not you!” He snarled. “I thought the guards did away with you, you dirty drifter.”

Nomad shrugged, smiling wide. “I aim to disappoint.” She looked down at the fruit boxes and leaned on the table. “I see you’re still picking your fruit too early.” She quickly pulled away when the man pulled out his knife and stabbed where her hand had been. 

Iago snorted before hiding his grinning beak under a wing. Jafar huffed and looked away. “Seems no one is spared from this woman’s attitude.” He muttered.

“Heheh, yeah I love it.” Iago snickered. Jafar gave a dangerous glare, making Iago step back with a nervous laugh. “I mean, as much as someone can like a person they're gonna…” Iago made a cutting motion across his neck with a ‘ceeck’ noise. “That is still the plan, right?”

Farouk scoffed and stabbed the blade into the table on his side of the counter. “You get nothing from me, understand ?! You and your plague of a boy ruin my profits!”

The woman knitted her fingers together on the back of her neck. “Don’t you think eating half your stock does that too?”

The man growled as he yanked the blade out of the wood table and swiped in the woman’s body. It missed completely when Nomad leaned back ever so slightly. “Suck in that gut, you might reach me next time.” She laughed.

Movement caught Jafar’s eye. One of Nomad’s sleeves suddenly shifted about with a curious amount of weight to it. He looked to Iago; the bird was still laughing quietly.

“You!” The man pointed his knife at Jafar. “Is she your’s?” He stabbed slightly less aggressively back to Nomad. “Because you need to control this woman!”

“Yeah!” Nomad leaned again on the stall table and pointed behind her to Farouk. “You need to control this woman. She’s got a knife.”

A very primal guttural growling came from the man as his face flushed red. “WHY YOOOOU--!” 

Jafar noticed the woman’s sleeve shift again on its own, this time the motion flowed towards the opening by her hand on the table. Even in the shadows of the crates and the shade of the awning, he saw a small black tail vanish between the fruit displays.

Iago’s snickering stopped and the bird took a half-step forward on Jafar’s shoulder. The man looked at the bird. Iago looked at him. They both saw it.

“ GET! OUT !” The man bellowed. A good chunk of the crowd around the bazaar stopped in their tracks, silencing their conversations just to look at the man screaming. 

Nomad put her hands up. “We’re outside.” She said quietly.

“ LEAVE, YOU CURSE ON ALL MANKIND! ” This time the crowd started muttering under their breath and quietly shuffled away from Farouk’s stall. “Wait! No, Farouk is a good man!” He grabbed one of the bigger melons on his stand and held it out towards the leaving crowd. “Farouk only cares to sell the people his finest fruits!”

Nomad gently pulled up the edge of her scarf to hide a grinning face. The man very nearly smashed the melon on his table as he seethed behind his stand. “Pray I do not meet you after dark, woman .” He growled before slinking to the back of his stand.

Nomad turned away and started looking through the piles of junk on her camel. “I don’t like meeting you in daylight as is, man .” She pulled out a tightly compressed burlap sack and shook it open.

The merchant shook his head and headed for a well-worn wide stool in the back of his stall. “Grrr, what’s the point of my taxes paying for border guards if vermin like that are allowed in?” He bent down to sit when a sharp hiss made him freeze. With wide-eyes, he turned to the chair and saw a long black and gold serpent staring him down face-to-face. The cobra tickled the man’s nose with its forked tongue before spreading its hood out widely.

“ COBRA! ”

The crowd froze and turned to the scream. The pudgy merchant threw his body over the counter in a panic, knocking his fruit straight into Nomad’s bag. She calmly tied the end of the sack as the man beside her crashed to the ground.

Standing as tall as could be, the cobra slithered out from the draping cloth covering the stall and gave the fallen man another hiss. The merchant scrambled to his feet and fled, pushing down an old woman as he ran screaming. The snake held its head high and looked to Nomad, waiting.

Nomad threw the bag of fruit onto Balavaan’s saddle and gave a half-hearted scream. “Aah! Cobra!” She threw herself into Jafar’s chest and buried her face in his headscarf. After a second, she started pointing behind them, where they came from, towards a panicking crowd quickly thinning out into the many alleys and side streets to escape the chaos. Mitr huffed and sped through the camel’s legs, charging towards the smaller crowd.

Nomad peeked over Jafar's shoulder. The smaller crowd behind them was quickly retreating from the cobra’s advances. Good. She patted Balavaan’s rump and, with a gurgling groan, the camel jogged forward, towards a much denser crowd in a narrower part of the market.

“Naach!”

The camel perked up at the command and reared up with a loud yell. He did a couple swift kicks before he started spinning in circles, bucking about in a wild, floppy, graceless dance. “Watch out!” “Mad camel!” “Call the guards!” The crowd quickly started backing up, bodies pressing together dangerously as the large number of people tried moving back down a narrower part of the road.

The woman had a mean little snicker before gently pushing from Jafar. “Gets ‘em every time.” She looked up at the disguised genie and paused. He didn’t look irritated or aggravated, yet also not like he was pulling that ‘nice guy’ routine with that weird too-big smile that just didn’t sit right on his slim face. 

A steady gaze. A raised eyebrow. He almost seemed… intrigued.

“What?” She asked.

“Did you… come up with this plot just now?” He stated, twisted his beard around his fingers.

She scoffed. “Nah, I’ve done this for years.” She quickly looked in both directions, checking on the crowds. “Experience is worth its owner’s weight in gold, ya know. Now,” She sneered and grabbed Jafar by the arms. “Grab everything you can, we only got a few minutes before some idiot tries to be a hero.”

“You can do it. Just a few inches more.”

Jasmine huffed, almost amused as she was annoyed. “Aladdin, can you please clear the landing so I can actually jump there?”

“Uh…” Aladdin looked down. It was a two-story drop onto a cookware stall from where Jasmine was. He looked at the princess steadily scooting around the ledge on the outside the stairway up to the bridge. This seemed like a really bad idea now that his fiancee was the one doing the climbing. “I just wanna stay close until you’re on solid ground.”

“Fair enough,” Jasmine inched a little more on the ledge and stopped. “Then make room on the solid ground, please.” Aladdin took a few tiny steps to the side on the bridge but kept his arms out, just in case. A strong calming breath and Jasmine leaped off the corner’s edge, landing on the bridge. “See? Easy.”

Jasmine took Aladdin’s hand and walked across the bridge. She could see so far down the marketplace from up here. Even the palace, far off on a somewhat dusty day as it was, was still clearly visible towering over the rest of the city. But that was hardly Jasmine’s interest. 

She looked down over the edge to see the crowds of people bustling about, arms full of baskets, crates or bags. Each and every one had their own life, their own wants and goals. Things only possible in a stable city. Jasmine sighed and put her hands on the short brick barrier lining the bridge. “Do you really think we’ll do right by them?” She asked.

Aladdin looked at the crowd. Even after living in the palace for months, he could still pick out the regular town folk he knew from living on the street. The trio of old gossipy housewives that probably knew more about the city than the royal guards. The lanky blacksmith’s son that was ‘about to take over the family business any day now’ for 3 years at this point. That sweet Egyptian couple that had been trying to have kids since Aladdin met them and yet had nothing but dogs to grow their family. “Of course. As long as we remember them.”

“Hey, something’s happening over there!” The couple turned behind them to a pair of younger teenage boys pointing up the road. Aladdin and Jasmine joined the strangers’ side of the bridge. A block or two away, a dense crowd was pushing towards them. “Looks like a camel went mad.”

“Camel?” Aladdin looked closer at the crowd. Like the kids said, a large hairy camel was bucking and thrashing about near a particularly narrow part of the road. A two humped camel. “Wait, that has two humps.”

“Two humps.” Jasmine looked harder at the beast in the distance. “Don’t those only come from India? I’ve never seen one this far west before.”

But that would mean… Aladdin laughed. “I have.” He took Jasmine’s hand and started sprinting for the stairs down. “Come on!”