Aladdin - the Arabian Nights

Chapter 30

Now that he knew where he was going, Aladdin felt much better as he took off again, keeping a lookout for likely parts of northern Africa. Carpet was able to take him there with no trouble; he always seemed to know exactly where he was going, which had been very useful on many a romantic magic carpet ride with Jasmine. Thinking about carpet rides with Jasmine brought a sharp pang to Aladdin's heart. He had to find her again....

Abu sat in front of Aladdin on the Carpet and hung on to the front; Aladdin knew Abu wasn't crazy about flying, but hopefully they wouldn't have to do too much more of this. He could see a panorama of mountain peaks and valleys spreading out before him, high above the plains and deserts, and had a feeling this was probably what he was looking for.

Aladdin flew low over the mountaintops, eyes scanning the scenery for a clue, Abu leaning over the Carpet's edge to help him. For a good hour or so, there was nothing, just rocks and earth and trees....

And then a glimmer of red caught Aladdin's eye in the distance.

His heart leapt, somehow knowing before he got there that this was it. He leaned forward eagerly, and Carpet responded, taking off with a burst of renewed speed towards the red light. It was coming from a clifftop isolated high up on a mountainside, and as Aladdin got closer he could see... well... he thought it was his palace, but not the way he remembered it. No longer bright and cheerful and welcoming, it loomed dark and ominous against the horizon like some kind of fortress, larger and tougher and more twisted than it once had been, and glowing a forbidding red. It looked exactly as if Aladdin's palace had been infused with Jafar's essence.

Well, dark and forbidding or not, that wasn't going to stop Aladdin. This was his palace, and his wife was in there, as was his friend who was being made to do everything Jafar said. He landed the Carpet, who got into an upright position as Aladdin got off, his pose suggesting trepidation. Abu leaped onto Aladdin's shoulders and hid under his vest.

Aladdin squared his shoulders and strode over to the nearest doors, which happened to be the ones leading into his and Jasmine's bedroom – or at least, what used to be their bedroom, he couldn't be sure anymore what with all the changes to the outside of his palace. The once familiar building loomed over him as though daring him to enter, as intimidating as the Cave of Wonders had been so long ago. Aladdin's breath caught as he stared up at it. He could feel Abu shaking. But he had to go in. He had no idea what was waiting for him inside, or how he was going to save Jasmine and get the lamp back without Jafar seeing – or even if he could still save Jasmine, although he refused to think about that. But he had to try.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Aladdin pulled on the door handles, slightly surprised to find that they opened without any trouble, and took a cautious step inside.

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Jasmine didn't know what to do. She had been inside the gloomy red shell of what used to be her bedroom all morning, mercifully not with Jafar and not in chains, able to move around the room as she chose, although the red energy pulsed around her, a constant reminder that she would be held back if she went anywhere near either of the doors. She hadn't seen Jafar since he had threatened her earlier, shortly after which he had dragged her here using the red energy and shut her in, promising that he would soon return expecting a different answer. Her head was pounding from being cooped up in here not knowing what he was planning. She was glad to be rid of Jafar for the moment, but what did it mean he was doing right now? Was he thinking up just the right punishment for her if she refused again to marry him, maybe consulting with that horrid Iago who wanted to push her off a cliff? Were they thinking up ways to use his newfound power to force her to marry him whether she wanted to or not? Or was he just going to kill her and get it over with? The reality hit Jasmine with awful certainty – that if Aladdin wasn't going to come for her soon, or if he couldn't come for her at all anymore – No! He's alive! I know he is! – then this could only end with her either forcibly married to Jafar, or dead. She honestly wasn't sure which option would be worse.