Disney REBEL - Anthology / CLOSED

Diamond in the Rough by @ESHurricane

That man's wide fearful eyes suggested guilt to her, and they'd looked vaguely familiar as well. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that this was the man Al was supposed to meet with, and she'd interrupted that meeting.

It was likely in her best interests to find out what this handsome stranger was here for, and whether he needed to be simply watched or forcibly exiled.

"What is your name, beautiful?" he asked, leaning forward. His lips looked soft, and her tongue darted out just a bit to moisten her own.

"Jasmine," she purred. "And yours?"

He offered his hand to shake. "Aladdin."

***

Many drinks later, and Jasmine couldn't help but admit to herself that she was having a good time. It was freeing to engage with someone who didn't walk on eggshells for fear of offending her and bringing her father's wrath down on their head.

She'd been hoping if she could get him drunk enough then his tongue would loosen up about the purpose of his meeting—but it appeared that he was immune to alcohol. And he was much more interested in her life, which was another thing that was refreshing to her. She never got to talk about her own interests and desires, as being of near celebrity status people felt that they knew what she was all about already.

"I need a trip to the girl's room," she hopped down from her stool, and sashayed off to the ladies room, ignoring the haziness at the edges of her vision. She had a high tolerance for alcohol as well, growing up in this city, but this man was testing her limits, that was for sure.

She relieved herself and checked her makeup in the mirror, giving her ebony hair a pat down. She took a deep breath and blinked a few times, rolling her shoulders to get rid of the buzz that was threatening her brain.

As Jasmine exited the bathroom, her eyes flicked to two newcomers on the far end of the bar, leaning together. Aladdin tossed a few bills on the counter for Ariel, not paying attention to the pair of men eyeing him.

This half exchange was enough to sober her up completely, and she stayed standing as she came up beside her new acquaintance. She recognized those men, and she was sure they recognized her too.

"We need to leave," she said quietly into his ear, slipping a hand around the back of his neck.

"What?" he asked, glancing down at her. "I thought we were just chatting," he admitted, and she shot him a coy smile. He was tall enough that even on the stool he still gazed down at her upturned face.

"I would love to continue just chatting somewhere else," she said, and blinked her eyes at him with a momentary warning look. He seemed to get the hint, though confused, and tossed a few more bills on the counter.

"It was a pleasure, Ariel!" He waved at her and she smiled warmly, waving back.

"Thanks, Al!" she called, and then shyly waved at Jasmine as well. "Princess," she blurted, and Jasmine quickly waved back, taking her new acquaintance's hand to lead him from the bar.

"Princess?" he asked as they exited onto the deserted street, chuckling. "Cute nickname." He tried to pull her to a stop, but she didn't let up, practically dragging him across the street. "Listen, you're gorgeous, and I'm not going to lie and say I'm not incredibly attracted to you, but you've had a lot to drink and I really wouldn't want to take advantage-"

"Shut up," Jasmine snapped, jerking him along as she scurried into a back alley. He furrowed his brow as his eyes adjusted to the dark shadows, and wondered where the hell this adventure was taking him. They rounded a few corners until they were at a dead end, with nothing but a dumpster for company.

"I have a hotel room, you know, it's much nicer than this," he joked, but was starting to get a cold feeling deep in his gut.

"Shh," she urged, and pressed him up against the wall. She peered around the corner from which they had come, and then popped back in front of him, right up in his face. "Who are you?" she demanded, nose to nose.

"Aladdin," he replied, brow creasing deeper. "What are you- ow!" he cried as she slapped him hard across the face. "What the hell?!"

"Who ARE you?" she asked again. "You came to Agra for a reason, and now you've got really nasty men after you. What are you doing here?"

"Nasty men?" He shook his head. "I really don't know what you-" She cut him off by pressing a delicate hand to his mouth, holding up a finger for effect. She'd heard something. She peeked back out around the corner, and then immediately regretted it as her hair was nearly ripped from her scalp.

Her attacker jerked her clean to the ground, and Aladdin cried out in surprise as it happened. He dove out from behind the wall and tackled one assailant to the asphalt, landing a few good blows to his face. Jasmine rolled to the side and kicked out at their other pursuer, taking his legs out from under him. He landed on his back with a sharp grunt and she dove onto him, straddling his chest. Aladdin took a punch to the face, and flopped over, his opponent gaining the upper hand.

"Stop!" Jasmine demanded, her voice firm and regal. She cocked the gun she'd liberated from her attacker, pressing it into his throat. She snaked her other hand beneath her skirt and produced a pistol, aiming it at the man who now had a fistful of Aladdin's hair. He froze but sneered at her.

"Why you protectin' 'im, huh?" he drawled, revealing many missing teeth in the process. "He ain't nothin' but a common thief."

"Still better than you lowlifes," she countered, and raised her eyebrows. "Let him go."

He did, and when Aladdin was safely behind her, breathing heavy, she stood and allowed the second man to stand.

"You're makin' a big mistake, chicky," he hissed, and she simply smirked at him.

"Mm, no, I think you're the one that made the mistake, attacking the daughter of the Sultan on her own turf," she said, and they both glanced at each other, wide eyed. "When word gets back to Jafar that you were that stupid, you're going to wish that I killed you." The two lackeys shot each other a terrified glance and bustled back down the alleyway.

"Daughter of the Sultan?" Aladdin blurted, running his hands through his disheveled hair. "Are you kidding me?!"

"You come to Agra to make waves, you know who the Sultan is, but you don't know how to easily recognize his daughter?" Jasmine raised an amused eyebrow. "Tsk, tsk."

"I... ugh," he said with a huff, looking defeated.

"What did you steal?" she asked gently, taking pity on him.

"I don't know if I should tell you." He pursed his lips. She raised both of her guns with a sly smile.

"You want to rethink not answering me?" she asked, and he actually chuckled at her.

"Crazy vixen," he muttered, and reached into the pocket of his ridiculous pants. He pulled out a small black velvet bag and opened it, dumping a single gold diamond ring into his hand.

"Are you... are you serious?" Jasmine lowered both her guns, jaw dropping open. "How did you get that?" she breathed.

"I'm not exactly a common thief," he said with a shrug, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"No, you're not." She shook her head in disbelief. "My father has been trying to get that back from Jafar for almost a decade. It was my mother's."

He extended his hand to her, holding out the dainty piece of jewelry. "You should have it back then... for saving my life."

Jasmine holstered her gun and took the ring gently, sliding it onto her finger. The band was a golden tiger studded with diamonds, roaring mouth open around a large sparkling stone. She raised her chocolate eyes to his.

This man was something else. She offered her hand to him and smiled. "I think you need to meet my father."

END

Congratulations and thank you for a great read ESHurricane