Disclaimer: I don't own anything but later characters and the story idea.
Rated: PG-13 … mild content later on
Setting: 1 year after Return of Jafar, somewhere during the Aladdin episodes.Please enjoy!
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What Fate Can BringBy Ann C.
Chapter 1"Checkmate!?" Genie gasped. "You've got to be kidding me!" Rearing back, he studied the board vigorously, looking for some unseen imperfection that he could come back with. Yet, there was nothing. Carpet shrugged humbly before patting Genie on the back and giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up for his effort.
"It's impossible..." Genie mumbled, whipping out a magnifying glass and searching the board, corner to corner for some mistaken move. Still, there was nothing. As Carpet flew off towards Aladdin and Jasmine, Genie pouted. "Fine, go ahead and brag!" He shouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "That only makes 0 - 11, and you know I almost had you the eighth time but the sun was distracting me!"
Carpet landed silently near Jasmine and Aladdin's picnic in the outer garden, careful as not to disturb them. Ignoring Genie's distant outcries, he discovered a warm spot of grass near the brick wall to where the couple was sitting. Curling up in the sun, he stretched before gently floating into a peaceful nap.
Jasmine smiled as she fed Aladdin a grape before giving him a slight kiss on the cheek and turning towards her food. "This is lovely, Aladdin. A perfect day to have a perfect picnic." She grinned and finished the last of her sandwich. Aladdin nodded as he swallowed his grapes and turned his attention towards her, watching her eat. He could watch her for hours, no matter what she was doing, even if she was only sleeping.
Breaking from his reverie, he turned his gaze towards Genie a few yards away and watched him with bemusement as he destroyed his chessboard, breaking it over his knee and kicking pawns across the yard. "And besides Genie over there, it's perfectly quiet. I'm so glad Iago and Abu chose to go to the Rainforest to visit Thundra." He sighed with relief. "I was beginning to forget what silence was like." He laughed lightly as she smiled in agreement. Reaching over, he tenderly brushed a stray hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I love you, Jasmine." He sighed as he gazed into her eyes and watched them fill with adoration.
"I love you too." She leaned forward and soon found herself lost within an everlasting kiss with Aladdin. Her heartbeat soared and her face fell flush. The fluttering in her heart wouldn't cease, even as they broke apart.
Running his hand down her cheek, he said, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. You redefine perfection, Jas." When she continued to blush, he smiled.
Alas, their moment was hastily broken when the Sultan came rushing in to the garden wielding a document, waving it back and fourth. "Father!" Jasmine gasped as she got up to meet him. "What is it?" She hurriedly approached him as he ran to the peacock fountain, where he sat along the edge to catch his breath that was wheezing out of him.
"I… received this…" He sputtered out in-between breaths. "Just a… moment ago." He thrust it in to Jasmine's hand and after making sure he wouldn't pass out, she read it carefully.
Scanning over it, her eyes blurred at the words, her head spun, and so she only picked out the main pieces; "Rulers of the Seven Deserts decree … Impractical and irresponsible to the people … A street rat is unfit to rule a kingdom of royal blood … Matters of lust have no business in kingdom affairs … The Law of the Seven Deserts … Illegal and immoral marriage of persons non-related to royalty of any kind …Such matters shall not take place … Should a marriage occur, Agrabah will eternally break all ties and allies to any Seven Desert kingdom and will sever all bonds to this union."
When she dropped the document, her recovered father frowned and shook his head with dismay. "I know, Dearest." Aladdin looked each of them over questionably, before daring to ask. Before he could utter a word, she picked up the parchment, and handed it to him, her hands shaking with a combination of rage and distress.
As Aladdin read it over, his hands became clammy and his face felt warm. Anger and resentment swam through his blood and fire scorched his skin. "Can they even do this!?" He burst out in fury as he finished reading it over. Once he reached the end, he started over again, not willing to believe what the paper said. Hopeful he had read something wrong.
"I'm afraid so." The Sultan began, glancing at Aladdin. "They don't believe you have enough … background to rule this kingdom one day." He shook his head dejectedly. "I was afraid this would happen." When Aladdin and Jasmine both turned to him, he continued. "The rulers of the Seven Deserts don't want economic ties and treaties with a kingdom ruled by a ... commoner." He said carefully. "They're afraid it will not only lead to chaos and massive empire weakness, but that it will taint the royal bloodstream."
"So basically," Jasmine began as she fought back the tears realization had brought. "They can deny to be our allies and should we get into a war or famine, we would be completely alone."
The Sultan nodded. "Not only that, but utterly vulnerable against attack from a former ally. Agrabah would be virtually defenseless, save our own soldiers." Sighing, he stroked his beard in thought and let his gaze wander down to the stone pavement. It was a terrible decision left upon them, and he did not want the burden of deciding.
"Oh Father, what can we do?"
"I don't know, Dearest. I'm afraid there isn't much." He shook his head and pondered. "This was probably decided weeks ago, since the Counsel meets in Dukhān, which is at least a week's trip by sea, and two weeks by horse."
"Hey guys!" Genie flew over. "What's the huddle for?" Zapping into a Miami Dolphin football jersey, he clutched the ball and leaned in. "Now, Mackey, you flip back and cover Nitolly." He said gruffly, pointing towards Aladdin. "Meyer, you watch Maganty and Smith. Ready, break on three! One, two, three BREAK!" As they all stared at him with miserable expressions and a hint of confusion, he quickly reverted back to normal and swallowed. "Did I do something?" He asked quietly. "I swear, it was the rug!" He said hastily, pointing over towards the sleeping Carpet.
"No, Genie. We just ... got this." He handed the letter over and watched Genie read it. Despair swam over Aladdin's heart. Could they really cast Agrabah aside from their organization because of him? Did they not find him trustworthy even after he had saved countless cities from destruction and wars? His heart tightened and his chest felt tense as he tore his eyes from Jasmine and turned towards the outer walls blocking the view of the city, blocking the poverty and famine. With agony, he reminded himself he was meant to be on that side of the wall, with the sewage of society, not within the beautiful gardens of royalty.
Once Genie finished reading over the letter, his normal comedic persona had vanished. "Oh Al ... Jas, I'm sorry."
"Can you think of anything we can do?" Aladdin said eagerly with anticipation.
"Unfortunately, no." Genie shook his head and handed the letter back to Jasmine.
"Well, I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to decline my marriage or my kingdom. It isn't their place! Aladdin has proven himself worthy a hundred times over, they can't just throw that away on a whim." Jasmine stated firmly, clutching the document tightly. "I'm going to Dukhān and giving them a piece of my mind. If two rulers see Aladdin fit, I don't see why our word isn't as good as gold." Storming off, she went to pack a bag. Turning back, she looked at Genie. "I'm going to need you there, maybe you can help me persuade them."
When Aladdin nodded at Genie and began to follow, Jasmine stopped again and shook her head. "I'm sorry Aladdin, but I don't think you should go," she sighed.
"What? This is my marriage too." He began, but was silenced.
"I know, but they'll doubt me even more if I bring you with. I want them to see me as a rational ruler that can decide for herself and isn't affected by love in the sense of diplomacy and ruling. If you joined us, they would question who was really defending this case and under what causes." He finally nodded in understanding.
Jasmine packed a small bag, doing everything in her power to remain calm and collected. Forcing the thoughts from her mind, she put all her energy into packing. It wasn't fair. Yet, nothing was normally fair in her life. She lost her mother at a tender age, Allah had decided to take her away. And now, the only person that made her feel complete was being threatened to effectively destroy the safety of treaties with other kingdoms to Agrabah by simply marrying her. Why was her life so damned? Why was she poison to everyone she loved?
Closing her bag, she climbed Carpet and met Aladdin out in the garden again with Genie who was trying to reassure him it would work out. Jasmine, on the other hand, wasn't so optimistic. She knew how stubborn the Rulers could be and that it would take everything in her power to sway them to appeal their decision. She wasn't giving up, that was all she knew for sure. Jasmine jumped down from Carpet and went into Aladdin's embrace.
"If it doesn't work, then you can join me." She smiled somberly. "We'll figure this out." He nodded again and kissed her lightly. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her again, this time with more vigor and urgency. Holding her face within his hands, he looked into her eyes and saw the desperation and threads of uncertainty. "Good luck." Aladdin whispered, for lack of anything better to say, as they broke their embrace and waved good-bye as they flew off. He continued to wave until he couldn't see them anymore in the distance.
Alone, he was left to ponder incessantly if he was worth it. Wondering over his own value began to wear on him, and eventually he realized no man, especially a street rat, is worth a kingdom's safety and economic relations. Hands clutched in anger over the letter and the ominous feelings it brought, Aladdin left the palace after a few reassuring words of comfort from the Sultan, and headed towards him empty home. Alone in Agrabah, he realized for the first time since he met Jasmine, they were fighting a battle they might never win.