Aladdin - the Arabian Nights

Chapter 21

The wedding festivities for Aladdin and Jasmine lasted for several more days. The people of Agrabah celebrated in the streets, and to them it seemed no different from the short-lived celebrations for Jasmine and Jafar a month ago. But to Jasmine, they couldn't have been more different. Those days had felt almost like a death sentence; this was the start of something wonderful. Over the next few days Jasmine would climb onto the Carpet and soar through those inviting, delightfully open gates into the city. She drank in the tall, sand-coloured buildings with their domed or flat roofs and the marketplace with its wooden stalls with the wonder of someone who really is seeing it all for the first time. As she flew she waved to the people, who were shocked to see their princess out in the open – and dressed in such a revealing outfit too! But Jasmine had no thought of ever stopping, joyful in the knowledge that Aladdin would never order her to stay indoors and hidden all the time. As for Aladdin, he fell into a giddy haze every time he woke up to find Jasmine's sweet-smelling silken hair in his face, or looked around at the magnificence of his new home, and realized with a renewed fascination that this was his life now.

The Sultan made a habit of visiting the new couple every morning. To Aladdin and Jasmine's displeasure, the first few times he brought Jafar. As soon as he entered the palace, Rajah would plant himself between Jafar and Jasmine and growl warningly at Jafar, hackles raised and showing all his sharp, pointy teeth. Jasmine buried one hand in Rajah's soft orange fur which was now standing on end, and felt safer. She glared at Jafar. How dare you come into my home after... what you did? her face said. Abu was almost more aggressive than Rajah – he had actually tried to bite Jafar the first time he came in, but after that he contented himself with perching protectively on Aladdin's shoulder and chattering angrily at Jafar until he left. Neither Aladdin nor Jasmine quite knew how to tell the Sultan not to bring him anymore. Aladdin didn't want to risk it in case insulting Jafar openly would hurt his good standing with the Sultan, or worse, lead to awkward questions about exactly why he didn't like Jafar and from there, the fact that because of Jafar he was in possession of a powerful magical object. Besides, as long as Aladdin didn't tell the Sultan about his past with Jafar, he could hold it over Jafar's head and let him know he could tell the Sultan if necessary, but if he actually told, who was to say the Sultan would believe him, or that he wouldn't think Aladdin had been just as wrong once he found out magic had been involved? Jasmine's reason was much simpler – she didn't tell her father what she now knew about Jafar because she didn't think it would do any good. Her father had always had a disturbing habit of doing whatever Jafar thought he should.

Jafar had no great desire to visit Aladdin's palace any more than the young royal couple wanted him to be there. Looking at this luxurious home which Aladdin had gotten for himself as if he were important enough to merit it was infuriating. He should have been the one who owned such an impressive palace! He had come only to point out to the Sultan that the palace had to have been made using magic, and attempted to do so several times throughout the first few days. "Isn't it splendid, Jafar?" the Sultan would say. "Such an impressive youth to have built it. You can't say he's unworthy now!"

"Unworthy!" remarked Iago, who was perched on Jafar's shoulder in his usual bad temper.

Aladdin frowned.

"Your Majesty," Jafar replied, teeth clenched, "no mortal could make this palace appear in one night. He must have used magic."

Aladdin tensed. How was he going to talk his way out of this one? But before he could even think of anything to say in his own defence, the Sultan said, "Nonsense, Jafar! The boy wouldn't use magic. He must have very skilled workers, that's all."

And a highly relieved Aladdin confirmed the Sultan's statement. Luckily Jasmine, who had firmly turned her attention to Rajah, wasn't listening. Aladdin knew she was much too smart to be convinced by such an improbable explanation.