Ziana drifted slowly down from the balcony. Her eyes itched with tiredness but her heartfelt like singing. Had she finally gotten through to Jen? It was a relief that he had believed her lies about being a commoner, hopefully, that would be in the past and she would never have to talk about it again. She felt like she was making good progress with him, he had kissed her nose after all.
She and Carpet drifted down, and Carpet gently glided over one of the large fountains in the palace garden. Zania felt totally at peace, and she gazed up at the sky through her long lashes. Finally, things were going right for——.
"Get her!"
Rough voices roused her from her euphoria as cold hands grabbed her, pulled her away from Carpet, and throwing her on the ground. Before she could get up, her arms were forced behind her back and her wrists bound tightly with coarse rope. Another guard had grabbed her legs and bound her ankles and knees together. Before she could cry for help, a gag was wrapped tightly around her face, stifling any noise she was about to make. She struggled fiercely against the grips of the guards and hoped beyond hope that someone would help her.
Ziana looked around wildly and her heart sank she saw that the courtyard was empty. There was no one there to save her.
"I'm afraid you've worn out you're welcome here, Princess Gigibaba," a voice hissed.
Ziana looked around and saw the Serpentress Savina emerging from the shadows like a curled up cobra ready to strike. She smiled venomously and Ziana had never felt more hatred for anyone on this earth.
Savina waved her hand careless at the guards, "Make sure she's never found."
Ziana was then stuffed into a musty-smelling burlap back. She tried to scream through the gag but she could barely make a sound. She struggled wildly as they took her farther and farther away from the palace, from the first place where she ever felt like home. Suddenly, Ziana felt like she was free-falling, and then she was engulfed in cold, salty water.
Saltwater stung her eyes as Ziana struggled desperately to reach the lamp, but she was running out of air. She could see a thick red haze building up in front of her eyes and her lungs burned like fire. Her only hope was to get to the lamp, but the more she struggled, the weaker she became until finally, everything faded to black. As she sunk down to the sandy bottom of the sea, the lamp shifted in the light current. It brushed up gently against her fingertips and Sploosh! Genie materialized.
"Never fails," she sighed, wearing a shower cap and holding a scrub brush.
"I get in the bath, and now there's a rub at my lamp. Hello? I'm a little busy here! This better be good, Zi—,"
She stopped short and her smile faded as she saw Ziana, unconscious at the ocean's bottom floor.
"Zi! Ziana! Girl, wake up!" Genie pleaded, grabbing Ziana.
"You can't cheat on this one. I can't help you unless you make a wish. You have to say 'Genie, I want you to save my life!' Got it?"
Ziana's head barely nodded.
"I'll take that as a yes!"
Genie flew toward the surface with Ziana in her arms. She landed back to shore, settling Ziana down and bending over to her to see if she was breathing. With a snap of her fingers the ropes binding Ziana's wrists and ankles disappeared and she quickly removed the gag from Ziana's wet face.
Ziana gasped coughing and trembling as she sucked in the sweet night air."Don't scare me like that, please?" Genie said, hugging Ziana.
"Genie, I... thanks," Ziana spoke.
"Don't mention it, girl. But I have to tell you, I used your second wish to save your life."
Ziana smiled and then embraced Genie in a hug.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving my life."
Then she bolted upright.
"Genie! Come on, we have to warn Jen!!"
"Jen? You're going by nicknames already?"
"Genie. The Serpentress, Savinna, she tried to..to...to murder me. We have to go warn them! I think she's going to try to go for the thrown. We have to hurry."
Ziana tried to stand up, but she wobbled and fell over again coughing up for seawater.
"Hang on, girlfriend. Take a breath."
"There no time, we——." Ziana started, but then she broke out into coughing again.
"We have to go, I gotcha ya. Come on."
Genie picked her up by her waist and they flew back to the palace.
"So, I take it you told him the truth?" Genie asked
"Well, kinda. He still thinks I'm a princess. Which is a good thing? We had kind of a rocky start—Carpet will tell you all about it—but then it was....it was wonderful."
"Yeah? What did you do? Woosh him away on a magic carpet ride?"
"Actually, that's exactly what I did. And guess what? He spoke to me! And then he touched me!"
"Touched you?"
Genie stopped mid-flight and produced a large doll out of thin air.
"Where did he touch you? You don't have to say anything just point to the body part on the doll." She said in a serious tone.
"No! No, it was nothing like that Genie. He held my hand, and he didn't flinch away from me."
"Well that's...that's something. Good job, I guess?"
"Genie. It was a good thing I think he's finally...finally defrosting and it's so good to see him smile. I think he's finally accepting what happened to him. And now....now he can move on."
Genie's face softened and she smiled, "Good."
"Now come on, Genie! We have to get back there before that snake of woman steals the thrown and destroys everything!"
They stopped long enough in her room for Genie to conjure up a sword.
Genie handed it to her, "You go save him,"
"Arnt you coming with me?" Ziana asked, suddenly scared.
Genie shook her head, "I can't risk Savina seeing me or the lamp. Once she realizes that you found the lamp she is going to try everything to get her hands on it. It is safer that I stay here." Genie said gently, looking up at Ziana.
Ziana smiled, and then took the sword from Genie. She whistled and Carpet came to her.
"You go save him, girlfriend!" Genie said, giving her the thumbs up, and then she disappeared into the lamp.
"I will."
888
Back at the palace, Jenssin sat at the edge of his bed. His long fingers gently traced the black stripes on Raja's head. For the first time, in a long time, he smiled as he remembered flying through the air with Princess ZiZi.
There was a loud knock on the door, and his little bubble of happiness broke.
"Come in." He said, and he watched as his grandfather walked in with the Serprentress Savina and two members of the royal guard.
"Jennsin...,"
"What is all this? I have something to tell you, I think that——."
"It had been decided that the Prince is unfit to become the next ruler of the Kingdom" His father interrupted in a slow monotone voice.
Jennsin's smile faded. "Wait, what?"
For the first time, he noticed that the Sultan's eyes looked glazed and far away. They seemed to be glowing red with some kind of mystical force.
"Serprentress Savina is to become the next Sultan, and the Prince shall be removed from his stature until he is deemed sane by the new high Sultan " the Sultan replied in the same monotone voice.
"Grandfather, what are you doing? Why—-,"
"Seize him, and bring him down to the dungeons," the Grand Sultan commanded, pointing at Jenssin. The two royal guards standing behind the Grand Sultan moved forward. One had a pair of manacles in his hands.
Jenssin stepped backward, he wasn't about to let his own guard arrest him and take him down to the dungeons.
"Your majesty, please. This will be a lot easier if you comply." The guard said, and Jenssin saw that his eyes were a blurry red as well. An instinct in his gut told him to run, and he attempted to bolt towards the balcony but the other guard grabbed his tunic and threw him to the ground. Dazed and slightly dizzy from the fall, Jen struggled as they pulled him up to his feet. One of the guards took the manacles and tightly secured them. Jen winced as he felt the cold metal of the cuffs bite at his wrists. They grabbed his arms and started, pulling him roughly forward towards the door.
Rajah stood up and let out a low growl. She stood up in front of Jenssin, her back arched and claws out.
"It's okay, Rajah. I am okay." He told her quietly, mainly for the sake of the guards. He knew they weren't in the right mindset and—even though what they were doing was wrong—they did not deserve to be eaten by a tiger.
Then he turned his head towards his grandfather.
"I....I...grandfather why are you doing this?" He finally stuttered, struggling against the guards and looking between his father and the Serpentress.
"I have chosen a bride, I want to choose Princess ZiZi. Doesn't that make you happy?"
"You are too late for that, Princess Zizi left," Savina said breezily.
"Left?"
"Yes. She stopped long enough to tell me that she has changed her mind and has no interest in marrying you. So we have decided to move forward with a new plan. Like I said before, desperate times are for desperate measures. Take him away." Savina said with a casual wave of her hand. The guards started to push him roughly towards the door.
"Your grandfather has made his decision,"
"You better check that crystal ball again, Savina!" came a voice from behind. Jen turned around, and to his astonishment he saw the Princess stepping off her magic carpet into the room, brandishing a long sword in her hand. The carpet zoomed around the room and knocked the guard holding his arm off of his feet. This gave Jen the opportunity to stomp on the other guard's foot. The guard yelped loudly and let go of Jen. He stepped away from them and walked towards Princess ZiZi. She was dripping wet, and her hair was plastered all over her face. Her clothes were ripped and she appeared to be shivering.
"What's going on? Are you alright?"
"No thanks to her," Ziana said, pointing at Savina. "She tried to have me killed."
Savina seemed unbelievably calm. Her eyes trailed the magic carpet for several moments before she answered.
"What ridiculous nonsense, Your Highness," Savina said. "She's obviously lying."
"Obviously...lying...," the Sultan repeated after her in the same, distant voice.
"I can tell you what's happening, Savina has him under her spell," Ziana said, and then she snatched the staff from Savina's hand. She smashed the snakehead on the ground floor, shattering it into a thousand pieces of gold and rubies.
Savina let out a shriek of outrage that made a shiver go up Jen's spine
Princess ZiZi walked over to the staff and picked it up. It was still smoking slightly, as she showed it to the Grand Sultan.
"Savina has deceived us all, she had you under her spell with this," she said
The Sultan's eyes narrowed as he sputtered in confusion. "Wha-wha-what?! Savina? How could you?! Guards! Seize her and take her down to the dungeons at once!"
"This isn't over yet, I will rule your Kingdom even if it is the last thing I do!" Savina screeched, and then she vanished in a cloud of red smoke, knocking everyone to the ground with a sudden blast of forceful magic
"Find her! Search everywhere!"
The guards that had been holding Jen stood up from the ground, their eyes suddenly blank. They looked around the room, confused.
"Jen? Why are you in chains? What is the meaning of this? Release my grandson at once," his grandfather demanded, pointing a finger at Jen's chained hands. One of the guards took a key from his belt and unlocked the manacles securing Jenssin's wrists. As soon as he was free, Jen walked away from the guards rubbing the bruised skin on his wrists where the cuffs had cut into him.
"Jen...I am so sorry. She had complete control over me. I would never allow that to happen," his grandfather said.
Jen nodded his head, but then he felt his hands start to shake again. If it hadn't been for Princess ZiZi, he would be down in the dungeons right now. His grandfather put a hand on his arm and Jenssin flinched away from it and crossed his arms over his chest.
He looked up and saw that Princess ZiZi had fallen to the floor, shivering in her wet clothes.
"Princess, are you okay?" He asked, walking away from his grandfather and kneeling down next to her.
"Not really, but that doesn't matter now," she said, and then she shivered slightly. Jen reached for a blanket on his bed and draped it over her. He reached and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She grabbed his hand and looked up at him, her emerald eye twinkling.
"I think I'm okay now."
He smiled at her, "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if she had the guards take me to the dungeon"
"You're welcome. At least she is gone now."
"Yes, and we can move forward. Princess ZiZi, I think I.....," Jen started and then he paused for a moment, lost as flashes of memories appeared before him. There were several beats of silence.
"You were thinking...." He heard her voice gently, and it pulled him back to the present.
"That I would choose you to be my bride." Jen finished, looking up at her.
Her smile broadened, "Yes. I think that's a wonderful choice."
Jen offered her his hand, and she took it hers. She squeezed it tightly as he pulled her up to standing.
They both jumped as Jen's grandfather walked over to them, a sudden smile spreading on his face. "So, it's true? My grandson finally has picked a bride?"
Then he turned to the Princess, "My dear Princess Zizi. I do apologize for the Serpentress. Who would have thought that she was so evil? Thank you for helping reveal the truth."
"You're welcome," Princess Zizi said with a smile.
"You two will be wed at once! We will have the coronation ceremony right afterward. And everything else will be happy, prosperous, and then you, Princess Zizi, will be his queen!"
"Queen? Really?" Ziana and for the first time that night, her smile faded a little bit.
Jen squeezed her hand.
"Everything is going to be alright."