Aladdin - the Arabian Nights

Chapter 37

All things considered, Jafar was quite pleased with how this latest plan of his was turning out. Jasmine didn't suspect a thing; she had let him into her palace almost too easily. Copying Fatimeh's dress and learning her mannerisms had not been hard – Iago, who was currently hidden under his robe and actually staying quiet for once, had helped him learn to imitate Fatimeh's voice perfectly after memorizing it himself. And there would be no danger of the real Fatimeh showing up and causing complications – Jafar had seen to that.

No sooner had he followed Jasmine's swaying, shiny dark ponytail into one of the sitting rooms than there was a short disturbance by the appearance of Rajah and Abu. Rajah raised his hackles and growled at Jafar like he might spring on him right there, and Abu made as if to leap onto his head and attack him, which was almost more alarming because that would have exposed him. But Jasmine put one hand on Abu to keep him on her own shoulder, and the other hand on Rajah, and told them off for being so aggressive to their esteemed guest. "Stop it, you two! This is Fatimeh! We can trust her."

Both animals made unconvinced faces. Jasmine gave them stern looks until they settled down. From Abu's place on Jasmine's shoulder and Rajah's place by her feet, they exchanged puzzled glances. Didn't Jasmine want them to protect her from possible danger? Did she honestly not understand what they were trying to tell her?? Abu was offended by Jasmine's unwillingness to listen to him and turned his back on the group, arms folded and muttering to himself; Rajah lay down in front of Jasmine and growled steadily in Jafar's direction, showing all his teeth, his tail lashing behind him.

"That's enough, Rajah!" said Jasmine sternly. To Fatimeh, she added an apology, explaining that Rajah was like this with everybody at first. "He even tried to protect me from Aladdin," she added with a small laugh.

Rajah gave Jasmine a puzzled, hurt look and a matching yowl, as if to say, That was different!

"But he's just a big sweetheart really, aren't you, Rajah?" Jasmine leaned down to ruffle the thick fur around Rajah's jowls, and did not notice Jafar, who of course knew exactly why Rajah didn't like him, giving both animals a look of contempt from underneath the veil. He was no longer worried now he saw they would not expose him, so he pretended to be gracious and forgiving about it as he imagined Fatimeh would.

They sat down and Jasmine ordered the servants to bring them coffee – almost willingly serving him, in a way, though she was still asking the servants to do it rather than serving him herself. She chatted to him as they waited, more pleasantly than she had ever spoken to Jafar before, leading the conversation and ordering the servants as if she had any right to be mistress of this household. But he was careful, for now, to address her as he thought Fatimeh would.

When their coffee was served, Jafar thought it time to ask Jasmine what she had called him in about. He wanted to know exactly what problems she was having. The setup was too perfect – Jasmine would tell him all of her and Aladdin's weaknesses, and then he would use what she said to destroy them.

Jafar was pleased to see Jasmine's smile fade. "Oh," she sighed, absently leaning forward to set down her coffee cup, and showing off her cleavage most appealingly, "it's not really anything important... it's just been bothering me..." She looked up at Jafar, luscious red lips parting slightly. "It's Aladdin."

Aladdin?? "I'm sorry to hear your husband isn't everything you hoped he would be, Princess," Jafar replied, carefully keeping any sign of happiness out of Fatimeh's voice. Jasmine having problems with Aladdin! He liked the sound of that. Of course it was no more than the uncooperative shrew deserved....

"Oh, now she gets that he's a problem!" squawked Iago, but very quietly so as not to give away his presence to Jasmine. "We could have told her that."