The True Story of Aladdin

Ch. 02 - Her Cottage

~~Storybrooke~~

Ali stares blankly at the empty seat before her, her suspicion towards her charge growing stronger as she glances out the window just to see Henry turn left.

'Wrong way'

Her lips twitch and she sighs, resigning herself to finishing her breakfast. Did he really think that she didn't know what he was up to? You would think that the boy would know better; after all, she practically raised that kid for the Mayor.

Signaling Ruby, she pays the bill and requests her coffee to go. She was going to have a rather stressed Mayor to deal with later, after all.

~~Enchanted Forest~~

Prince Jase and Ali walk side by side throughout the market square, stopping every now and then to allow Ali to bargain and make purchases. All the while, Jase rambles "-I mean, surely he can't be serious? Me? Married to some arrogant, money-hungry princess?" He scoffs, "Not likely,"

Ali wants to scoff as well, 'What? Someone like yourself?'

Instead, she replies "I wasn't aware that you suddenly dislike princesses? Last time you mentioned a princess to me you were bragging about how you scored a kiss with-"

He flushes, "That was different!"

"Oh? Then what about that one time when you-" She's cut off when his bony elbow digs into her stomach. "Traitor" She grunts irritably, though her smile fools him otherwise.

He shoots her a grin, unlooping their arms as she says "Well then, who exactly are you going to marry then?"

"How did you know I have someone in mind?"

"I didn't."

He playfully groans as she chuckles, eyeing her up and down while he thinks she's distracted.

She's not.

Her smile becomes strained, not that he notices. He had been droning on and on about how he lusts after some princesses and doesn't after others. His excuses being far from reasonable,

"She's ugly" "Have you seen her nose? That's enough reason." "Her inheritance is bigger than mine, no woman needs to have more to gain than a man."

It made her furious.

On the inside that is.

Outwardly she smiled and hummed demurely, giving no outright opinion one way or another.

"Is that so?" "You think?" "Interesting opinion"

Though he wasn't looking for her opinion, he was simply looking for someone to "truly listen to him".

In other words, someone to agree with everything he says but in a way that makes him think that they genuinely have the same views. That they're not disgusted by his selfish and pig-like nature.

She turns to face him and his eyes snap up from a lower region, "That is something I was wanting to talk with you about actually." She smiles, eyeing his over-confident posture and the look in his eyes that she doesn't appreciate. Still, this is what she wants. If she could just convince him...

"Does this need to be... private?"

He grins.

"Absolutely."

~~Storybrooke~~

Ali walks towards the edge of the neighborhood Henry lives in, past all of the fancy houses and pristinely mowed lawns that make her scrunch her nose. She enters the woods with no hesitance, finally feeling as if she's able to breathe. This was home, or at least what she imagined home to feel like. Pacing forwards for about 15 minutes, she finally spots a small building that makes her smile.

Her cottage.

Her cottage is her refuge, the only place where she feels that she can relax. Storybrooke was a small town, filled with people with even smaller views. There were only a select few that she felt didn't fit that description, and they were the only few who had a chance at seeing her cottage. Henry being one of them. He had been to her cottage a handful of times, each time leaving with an even stronger belief in his fairytales. He swore up and down to his nanny that this was the same cottage that "she" owned in his book, to which she would merely chuckle with a "Sure Henry." and change the topic.

Now she walks into her cottage, her mind less occupied compared to this morning. She had had the most peculiar dream, of woods more vast than her own. And of a beach, and a shining golden substance being sprinkled around her. And a voice asking her something that she couldn't make out, but nonetheless filled her with anxiety. The dream had caught her off guard, she never dreamed. It had occupied her attention all until Henry had called her name.

"Oh Henry,"

She sighs as she walks into her kitchen, pulling out ingredients mindlessly as she goes "Your mother is going to kill me in a few hours."

She chuckles at the thought, "That is, if she isn't too afraid of me."

The Mayor, Regina, had always had an odd sort of fear of the teen. It amused her greatly 'The Mayor? Scared of a 19-year-old?' She huffed out a laugh at the thought, but it was true. In fact, it was a wonder to most how the teen had even managed to become Henry's nanny. Her lips quirked up at the memory, her hands busy slicing apples.

She begins to hum as she makes the recipe she doesn't remember learning, methodically throwing things together until she's placing it into the oven. Satisfaction washes over her as the scent of apple pie fills the cottage and the mess left behind is cleaned.

She always did love apple pie, despite Henry's recent attempts to persuade her otherwise.

Though she always had two excuses to ease his nerves: One, she had her own apple tree. And two, the apples weren't red.

She would never admit it to Henry, but she had had an aversion to red apples for as long as she could remember. Green apples on the other hand felt familiar, and not to mention were delicious.

Her humming stops as the timer dings, drawing her away from her musing in the living room. 'This room is feeling a little plain... maybe I should get a colorful rug?'

She sets her pie on the counter, doing a happy dance to see the nice golden color of the crust. Her mind starts to fog as the golden color reminds her of her dream-

Frowning as her phone begins to ring she pulls it out of her pocket, and pauses with asmirks when she sees the name lighting up the screen.

"What can I do for you Regina?"