Aladdin - the Arabian Nights

Chapter 10

Jafar was fuming. His initial relief that Aladdin's mother hadn't come to expose him for trying to kill Aladdin had been short-lived, replaced by a burning, helpless anger at the thought of what Aladdin was trying to gain with his newfound power – what should have been Jafar's newfound power.

The Sultan's court was closed for the day and he was pacing one of the private gardens with Iago – who had quite a few choice remarks of his own about the whole situation, both about why that witless Sultan would ever consider that ragged urchin to be worthy of marrying anyone, and about how anyone would ever consider his bratty daughter to be worth marrying.

"Because his bratty daughter is the prettiest and highest-ranking girl in Agrabah," Jafar hissed. "If he marries her, he will become Sultan!"

If only he had gotten the lamp. If only Aladdin had not withheld it from him, he would have all the power he deserved right now. He would not be standing by and watching helplessly as that worthless boy took everything he had ever wanted! And the fact that he knew the Genie lamp was now within reach, but was unable to get it, was maddening. Aladdin knew Jafar knew he had the lamp. He would be protecting it, keeping it closely guarded – it was what Jafar would do. The slightest hint that Jafar was coming after it, and Aladdin could use a wish to strand Jafar at the ends of the earth if he wanted! Jafar couldn't even use the extra time he'd bought himself to make the Sultan change his mind. The Sultan would tell Aladdin and then Aladdin would simply use the Genie to change it back again. How dare Aladdin hold his power over Jafar like this?!

Iago was of the opinion that the whole thing would never happen anyway. "What's the big deal? The little woman will throw a fit about him just like she did with all those chump princes. She's never gonna marry him."

Jafar had to admit Iago had a point – and yet he wasn't satisfied. The Sultan was getting desperate, he pointed out. He might very well be desperate enough to order Jasmine to marry the next suitor who came along – in this case Aladdin. They were past the point where they could rely on Jasmine's bad temper saving him from having to see someone else sitting on his throne.

Suddenly, Iago lit up. He smiled, which he didn't often do, unless someone else was getting hurt. Whoever marries Jasmine would become the next Sultan... the Sultan might order Jasmine to marry the next man who came along no matter what she wanted... What if Jafar persuaded the Sultan to give Jasmine to him instead?

Jafar – marry Jasmine? Yes... yes, he could do that! It wouldn't be an easy thing to convince the Sultan of, but three months should give him plenty of time in which to do it. He would start small, perhaps using Jasmine's own protests when she inevitably made some, dropping hints that the Sultan shouldn't give Jasmine to a stranger who only wanted to gain some control in Agrabah, but rather to someone already in power here and whom she knew well – someone like him. By the time Jasmine realized Jafar's apparent support meant she had to marry him, it would be too late for her to do anything about it. The Sultan would not allow her to back out of another marriage when he was finally so close to getting her settled down. Nor would he feel the need to tell Aladdin that he was giving his daughter to someone else – Jafar would see to that. He could even arrange for the wedding to take place as soon as possible after he had convinced the Sultan, so there would be no time for Aladdin to hear of it. By the time Aladdin found out Jafar had taken his bride, it would be too late to stop him. Aladdin, with all the powers of the Genie lamp he held now, would not be able to stop Jafar possessing the woman Aladdin wanted. Aladdin would see what it meant to oppose Jafar. Jafar would have the satisfaction of seeing that lovely shrew submit to him. And then... once his position was secured, once he had shown Aladdin exactly who the most powerful one of them was, despite who held the Genie lamp... then he would order Aladdin and his home searched, and the lamp brought to him. Then he would be assured of becoming Sultan, and none would ever dare oppose him again.

Jafar laughed. Iago laughed. Jafar laughed again. And soon the two were wrapped in a chorus of evil laughter, and as their walk had circled them back around to the Sultan's now-empty throne room, Jafar fell back onto the ornate elephant-headed throne, still laughing, basking in the feeling of that all-important chair which would soon be his.