The True Story of Jafar

By: DangerMouse, The Great Immortal

"This looks great, Jalan," Iago hissed into his ear. "You always take me to the nicest places." Jalan ignored his familiar and looked around his surroundings. He sighed as he was forced to agree.

Shikyo Kokyou was a small backwater town in the middle of the desert. The entire town would probably almost fit in Agrahbah's marketplace. There were some rickety buildings in two columns, leaving an open breeze way/road in the middle. As Jalan nudged Clest into town, he frowned as he heard doors slamming all around him. So far, they had yet to see a living soul. Apparently, the inhabitants of this town were not too friendly to strangers.

"I think, perhaps, we should try to find somebody in charge," Jalan muttered softly to Iago, who snorted in disgust as a sheet was pulled down in front of a window they had just passed.

"I don't think anyone in this town will be happy to see us," Iago replied softly. Jalan ignored him again, finally spotting a small building at the end of the street marked 'Sheriff.' Dismounting from Clest, he walked the old mare over to the building and tied her to a post. Jalan had taken no fewer than two steps when the door to the Sheriff's building swung open and a large, burly, hairy man stepped out. Iago gulped in his ear.

"We don't want strangers in this town," the man said coldly, his voice growling like a bear's. "I suggest you take that corpse of a horse and leave the way you came."

"I was given this flier stating there was a job in this town," replied Jalan, taking out the piece of paper Ariulen had given him. The Sheriff walked closer to Jalan, limping slightly on his left leg, and roughly snatched the paper out of his hand. The young mage nearly gagged at the smell of the Sheriff. Obviously, he had been hitting the bottle rather hard. The Sheriff squinted at the paper a moment before crumpling it in his hand and throwing it on the ground.

"We didn't post no flier. This ain't ours. Now, I suggest, for the last time, that you leave before we make you leave." As if to make his point, the Sheriff pulled out a rather large and rather sharp knife, fingering the razor sharp edge with an odd gleam in his eyes. Jalan felt Iago stiffen on his shoulder.

"Awk! Leave! Awk!" he chirped loudly, biting Jalan's ear. But Jalan wasn't listening. After many years of working in the palace and having to deal with merchants and ambassadors, he could tell when someone was hiding something. Whatever this man was keeping from him, it was a doozy. Jalan found his innate curiosity getting the better of him. His eye's narrowed briefly, his face appearing to be very dangerous. Then, just as suddenly, he rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed.

"I suppose that's what comes of listening to drunken companions," Jalan said nonchalantly with a shrug. He heard Iago sigh deeply. The bird recognized this voice. "Still, I was really counting on this money to get me through the last leg of my journey." He looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. "I won't be able to make it to the next town before dark. Perhaps..." Jalan paused a moment, staring at the Sheriff's injured leg. Suddenly, he smiled and snapped his fingers. "I know something of the apothecary arts," Jalan began quickly. "Perhaps, if I can speed along the recovery of your leg, you would allow my pet and myself to spend the night in your lovely town? We'll leave first thing in the morning."

The Sheriff stared coldly at the mage. With a shrug, the Sheriff began to step forward, planning on slitting the kid's throat, when a sharp pain raced up through his left side, forcefully reminding him of his injury. "I really can help," Jalan said, not having missed the fact that he had almost died. The Sheriff paused a moment more, then nodding grudgingly, ushered Jalan inside the building.

* * * * * *

"I hate this," Iago said firmly as he tried to make himself comfortable on the rotting perch that had been supplied for him. Jalan yawned sleepily and rolled over in his bed to look at his familiar. The bed was more like a piece of wood with a threadbare sheet thrown over it. Still, there was a roof over their heads and their stomachs were full, the sheriff and his men having given them a meal after the miraculous 'healing' of his leg. Trintabulen excretions were known for their healing properties and Jalan had been hoping to sell or trade it at the Convention. Unfortunately, they had used it all on that lousy sheriff in exchange for a tiny, stinking room. Jalan sighed.

"I know, you hate this, Iago. You've said that many times. Just try to get some, sleep, alright?" Jalan reached out and scratched Iago's head before rolling over and promptly falling asleep. Iago looked down at his master and friend, slightly envious. He wished he could sleep that well. Jalan's face had relaxed, his head resting on the back of his hand, composed with the restful expression of an innocent. Iago looked fondly at his Master, almost laughing out loud. So peaceful, so pleasant.

"Still a child," Iago muttered softly. He stretched his wings a few times and tried to close his eyes. Yet, something seemed to be holding him back. Wide awake, Iago felt a shiver run through his body, a terrible sense of foreboding eking its way into his system. It was like eyes were all around him, watching him, waiting for him....

The bird shook his head firmly, shaking off the terror he felt. "This is stupid," he murmured softly to himself. With a sigh, he flew over to the open window, letting the cool breeze ruffle his feathers, trying to relax. After a few moments, Iago started to feel calm. He looked out at the empty courtyard.

It was quiet in this town at night. Of course, it had been pretty quite during the day as well, but then the air had been alive with the tensions of the city dwellers. Now that everyone was asleep, however, the city seemed calm. Iago almost laughed at himself, being so afraid only moments ago. It seemed ludicrous. Turning to fly back to the perch, Iago took one last look at the courtyard shaking his head...

And he froze. His heart skipped a few beats and his mouth went dry. "Jalan..." he whispered hoarsely, flying over to his Master, but not taking his eyes off the courtyard. "Jalaann...."

"What? What?" murmured the sleepy mage, rubbing his eyes. He shoved Iago off of his chest and blinked rapidly, peering around the dark room. Scratching his head, he looked over at his familiar, who was staring out the window, an expression of absolute terror on his face. Jalan felt himself jerk wide-awake. "What is it, Iago?" he whispered quickly, sliding over to look out the window. "What's going on..." Jalan's voice died in his throat as he peered down into the courtyard.

The city was coming alive. Or, rather, it was coming undead. Jalan watched in growing horror as a number of very dead looking people and creatures started slinking out of the shadows, gathering in the center of the courtyard. Wraiths, ghosts, zombies, demons - Jalan couldn't keep track. The number kept glowing, a few at first, followed by ten more, followed by twenty. They were murmuring among themselves in a variety of tongues, seemingly agitated. Suddenly, the talking stopped and all eyes turned to look the young mage simultaneously. Jalan swallowed hard.

"Welcome to the town of Shikyo Kokyou," came a soft, gentle voice behind him. The mage whirled around on the bed and gasped.

Standing in the center of the room, glowing with the cool, light of the moon drifting in the open window, was a beautiful woman. She had long, shimmering, raven-black hair that hung well past her knees. She wore a light, gauzy, black dress that, while functional, was very alluring. Her eyes were slanted like those people Jalan had visited in the far east and were very dark, yet distinct in the way they seemed to bore through his person. Even as she smiled at him, her lovely face kind and gentle, Jalan felt the unmistakable shroud of death about her and shrank back as she stepped forward. She smiled again, sadly.

"I'm sorry if we surprised you," she said, her voice smooth and welcoming. "We mean you no harm." She moved forward, although her feet did not seem to touch the ground. She reached out a hand and rested it on Jalan's own. He was surprised that it felt so warm. Her skin was white and smooth, like marble, and Jalan had expected it to have the icy cold touch of death. He felt Iago shift on his shoulder, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"She's a vampire," the bird said, so softly, Jalan wasn't sure if he hadn't just imagined it. The mage took a deep breath, composing himself as best he could.

"What do you want from us?" the mage asked, although he already had a fairly decent idea. His mind was whirling with questions. Why had Ariulen sent them into this death trap? What was going on? The Vampriss, still holding Jalan's hand, sat down on the bed next to him, her gazing drifting out the window at the assembled group below. She sighed.

"We want to hire you."

Jalan felt his jaw drop and stared stupidly at the vampriss. He tried to speak, but could get nothing out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iago sporting a similar expression. This was not at all what he had been expecting. I want to devour your mortal soul, or We plan to sacrifice you to the Dark Lord - that was what he had imagined her answer would be. "You want to hire us?" Jalan asked finally, in disbelief. The vampriss nodded.

"That is correct," she replied, turning to face Jalan. She was still holding his hand and started absently stroking it, her expression unfocused. Suddenly, she blinked rapidly and, realizing that she was caressing his hand in a very familiar way, dropped it and turned her gaze to the floor. Jalan was aghast. Was she blushing?

"Wait a minute," Iago said, flying off of Jalan's shoulder and landing in front of the woman. "You were the ones that posted that flier? You need help getting rid of a plague that hunts you?"

Before she could answer, understanding dawned on Jalan. "The villagers," he said quietly. The vampriss looked sharply at his face, slightly surprised and relieved.

"Yes." She took Jalan's hand and stood up, pulling him to his feet. Jalan was on the verge of asking another question when the vampriss put two fingers to his lips, stalling him. Her large luminous eyes encompassed his own and he felt himself dangerously drawn to this woman. "I will explain everything," she said quickly, standing very close to Jalan, moving her hand to his shoulder. "We can't do it here, though. We will need to go somewhere else to talk, away from the village."

"Where?" Jalan said, slightly nervous.

"Down." The vampriss began leading Jalan out of the room. Iago started to follow, but looked out the window one final time. The courtyard was empty.

* * * * * *

"Amazing!"

Jalan was forced to agree with his familiar's awed observation. Jalan turned to the vampriss walking next to him. She smiled, obviously pleased with their reaction. "How did your people accomplish all of this, Leetah?" he asked her.

After they left Jalan's room, the vampriss, Leetah, had proceeded to lead them through a series of intricate tunnels, deep below the city. They had been going down for over and hour and Jalan was sure they were miles below the surface. It had been one of the longest hours of Jalan's life - never being overly fond of enclosed, dark places, he had been forced to grope blindly in the musty darkness, following the soft spoken orders Leetah called back to them. But, as they stood in the main hall of the underground city, Jalan decided it was worth it.

The ceiling above them, covered with archaic and intricate carvings, stretched for hundreds of feet, the top vanishing in inky blackness. It was a naturally formed, circular cavern, the result of millions of years of patient, dripping water. Equally spaced on the walls were elaborate golden sconces holding flaming torches that gave off an odd, bluish light. The light reflected off the highly polished black stone floors and walls, leaving no place of the main floor in darkness. The walls, like the ceilings, were covered in detailed carvings and script. Jalan walked up to one of the walls, running his fingers along the spidery text, trying to make it out. Leetah walked up, silently as a cat, and stood beside him, watching his face.

"On these walls is the story of my peoples' struggles and how we came to be here," she began softly. Iago, who had been looking at the odd torches, flew over to Jalan and perched on his shoulder as Leetah continued her story. "Many centuries ago, a member of my clan befriended a mage. My clan has never been very violent and we often choose not to kill humans to survive." She laughed lightly and shook her head. "I guess you could call us a clan of misfits. Vampires without bite, ghosts without grudges - you name it. Our leader, Jack Yokai, had knack for collecting oddball demons and the like. Regardless of our peaceful ways, mortals continued to hunt and kill us. It was then that Jack and his mage friend, a young woman named Lana, decided we must form a city of our own, away from mortals. They would never learn to accept us and we really didn't expect them to, given all the bad blood between us. Come, there are things I would like to show you while we talk." Leetah took Jalan's arm and began to lead him through the massive entrance hall.

"Jack and Lana traveled far out into the desert," she continued as they walked. "It was a difficult journey, but finally, they managed to find these caves. Deciding they would suffice for our needs, they traveled back and gathered the rest of the clan, brining us to live here. We have lived here for centuries, undisturbed. But," she said with a sigh, "as you can see, that has all changed."

Jalan frowned. Something didn't seem right about that story. He heard Iago 'huff' on his shoulder.

"How could you people live here in the desert by yourself when you need fresh, human blood to survive?" the bird asked, his voice slightly accusing. Jalan nodded in agreement, but said nothing. Leetah looked at them, her eyes seeming to light up in amusement.

"We've found other ways," she said. "Here, I'll show you." Leetah led them out of the hall down a long, dark corridor. All around him, Jalan could sense, rather than feel, things - a cool burst of air brushing against his cheek, a soft sigh from a corner, distant footsteps that belong to no one. He could feel Iago shaking on his shoulder. Jalan reached out his hand and rested it on the bird's head, petting him gently.

"This place is really creepy," Iago murmured. Leetah glanced back at them and nodded.

"The Descendents tend to frequent this hallway," she explained. "They're unchained spirits, ghosts that wander the Earth with no place to go, searching for the reason why they have been left behind." She looked at the floor and brushed her hand across her eyes. "It's sad really," she continued after a moment. "We try to help as many of them cross over as we can, but for most of them, there is nothing we can do. Ah, here we are."

The trio stopped in front of a heavy oaken door that looked oddly out of place in the polished, stone hallway. Flashing them a grin, Leetah reached out and grabbed the metal handle, pulling back with all her might. As the door opened, Iago gasped.

"Jalapeño!" cried the parrot, shielding his eyes as warm sunlight washed over them. Jalan squinted in the bright light and his heart leapt into his throat as he felt an unreasonable panic fill his soul. He looked around wildly for Leetah and was relieved when he saw her standing, quite calmly, in the light coming from the room.

"How...?" Jalan asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"It isn't real sunlight," she said, grinning impishly. "It's very close, though. This is part of the gift given to us by Lana." Leetah strode into the room and Jalan and Iago could do nothing but follow.

Through the door was another cavern, almost twice the size of the giant entrance hall. The ground was covered in a soft topsoil and growing in it were trees, grass, and grains. Cows, chickens, ducks, sheep and a slew of other animals dotted the landscape, grazing in penned areas. It was a regular farm down here! Jalan looked up, shielding his eyes. Above them was a glowing orb. Jalan found himself unable to look at it directly. For all accounts, Jalan believed it to be a small sun. The warmth coming from it creeped into his chilled bones, alleviating some of the dampness he had acquired while walking through the caves. Jalan found it hard to believe that they were still underground.

Leetah was looking over the landscape, a wistful expression on her face. "We call this shitsu no taiyou, or 'room of the sun,' in Yokai's native language. Lana created the sun orb above us, altering it slightly so that it would not have the effect of turning the night dwellers, like myself, into dust. We did the rest. It wasn't easy, bringing in the top soil, animals, and seeds, but we managed it, somehow."

"I still don't understand how you survive," Iago protested. "Fruit trees and grains are nice, but last time I checked, they weren't in a vampire's menu plan."

"You are wise, familiar," said Leetah, turning to face the bird and Jalan. "We do not eat human food, although I'm still rather fond of it. We can, however, drink animal blood." She gestured across the field at the animals. Iago turned slightly green. Leetah saw his expression and laughed. "Do not worry, doubutsu sei. We do not eat parrot."

"Well, that's a relief," Iago said, smiling at the vampriss.

Leetah nodded at him, grinning. She turned to Jalan, who had been very quite, her expression falling. "Now you know how we live," she said gently, walking up to stand close to Jalan. "I now need to tell you why we need your help. Once I tell you, though, you will have to help us, or you will not be allowed to leave here." Leetah met Jalan's eyes and held them, allowing the impact of her words to seep into his system. Out of the corner of his eyes, he felt Iago shift uncomfortably, probably readying himself to protest. Before the bird could say anything, the mage nodded his consent. Leetah's worrisome face relaxed into one of relief. Taking Jalan's arm once again, they walked out of the sunroom, back into the dark hallway.

* * * * * *

"Now you understand our problem," Leetah stated, folding her hands on the table in front of her. They were sitting in a dinning room of sorts. Leetah had an inconspicuous goblet filled with a red liquid she had not identified, although Jalan was relatively sure of its contents. She lifted it to her lips and took a slow drink. Jalan toyed with the meal set before him, a delicious stew with fresh baked bread on the side. Iago munched on a piece of carrot, his eyes constantly straying to the dark room behind them. The bird stretched and spread his wings, intent on flying to that room, when Jalan's hand snaked around the parrot's body, holding him in place. The familiar glared at his Master.

"I think a treasure of that size would be a temptation for anyone," Jalan said, with an irate glance down at Iago. "How did you manage to acquire so much and why?" The room Leetah had shown them after the sun room was larger than the Sultan's treasure room and almost three times as full of gold, jewels, magical artifacts, and the like. Iago's eyes had nearly bulged out of his skull when he walked in there and Jalan was hard pressed to drag his friend away.

"Certain demons, like dragons, are valuable treasure pack rats," Leetah explained. "They see something shiny or expensive and they take it, sometimes without conscious thought. Demons and dragons have no real use for these items so I guess it would be more of a collection than a treasure. Often, a demon will come back from a trip to the surface, empty his pockets, and leave the treasure room without a second glance. Even if they acquire only three or four valuable items a year, when you consider how long lived we all are...."

"Then it builds up," Jalan finished, nodding. It made sense. He knew that dragons were that way, building up hordes of treasure for no other reason then that they could. It seemed reasonable demons could be the same way. "How did the villagers find out about the treasure?" Leetah sighed and drained what was left of her drink with one large gulp, slamming the heavy pewter goblet to the table.

"Almost three years ago, a man was walking through this part of the desert. His horse had died and he was very near the verge of death himself. One of us found him and took pity on him and decided to bring him here to recover." She shook her head angrily. "We weren't so foolish as to not keep the treasure room a secret from him, but he wandered off one day and managed to find it. There were a great many meetings after that.

"We couldn't let him leave, not with the knowledge of our treasure in his mind. He would no doubt return with many humans and try to take it from us. Yet, there was a growing problem with his staying." Leetah closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Jalan intently. "Humans, all mortals, in fact, have a strong.... scent about them, for lack of a better word. For flesh and blood eating demons and vampires, the scent of a human can be intoxicating, especially since we have abstained for so long. That is why you have yet to meet anyone else besides me. They have all agreed to stay away, so as not to be tempted by you." Jalan nodded again, that having been another question of his. Leetah took a deep breath and continued. "The reason I am here is because the temptation isn't as strong for me. Yokai was the one who turned me to vampirism and he has always had little or no desire for human blood. I think it has something to do with him being a Buddhist. At any rate, I have never tasted human blood nor have any wish to. In the case of most of the others down here, that isn't true. Many of them were converts to Jack's cause after hundreds of years of living in typical vampire or demon fashion. Having that human down here was like locking a recovering alcoholic in a liquor store. We feared not only for his life, but for our way of life as well. Soon, it became apparent that we had no choice but to force him to leave. He gave us his word he would speak of us to no one, but we knew he was lying. Two demons led him away from our city, blindfolded, and took him to a town a good distance from here. We hoped that would be enough and that he would never find his way here again. We were wrong."

"And now that little village up there is comprised of the people he chose to help him get the treasure," Jalan said evenly, his face slightly drawn and tired, sorting out the story in his head. Leetah nodded. "You can't drive the villagers off yourself," Jalan continued, "because the temptation to kill would be too strong. If even one villager died, you might as well have just killed that man in the first place." Jalan shook his head. "This is going to be tricky." They both fell silent, pondering the situation.

"Well," Iago said quickly, "this is a problem that will be solved by wiser heads than mine. You two can sit here thinking about it. I'm going to go think about it while I roll in that gigantic pile of treasure."

"Iago!" Jalan said sharply, but the bird had already flown away. Leetah laughed.

"I never should have picked a parrot for a familiar," the young mage said, a half smile on his face. "The reason they're so popular among pirate wizards is because of their innate passion about the finer things in life."

"He's charming," Leetah replied, leaning back in her chair, "and very loyal and wise. I couldn't imagine a better traveling companion." Her expression changed slightly as she gazed at Jalan, almost as if she was studying him. The mage raised an eyebrow at her as she eyed him up and down.

"What?" he asked finally, feeling himself smile. Leetah echoed his expression.

"I've haven't met many mortals before," she began slowly. "You seem to be taking all of this in such stride, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, sitting in the City of the Dead, talking to its mayor, a female vampire. A vampire who wants you to help her get rid of a plague of humans on the surface, yet not kill any of them. Most mortals have an inborn fear of our kind, even if they had never heard of us before. But you... you don't seem to mind at all!" Jalan shrugged.

"You have treated me with more respect and hospitality than many other courts I have visited, all around the world. Being an advisor to the Sultan in Agrabah has given me vast knowledge and intimate associations with people from many different cultures - from the barbarians of Odiferous, to the Magical Master in The Land of the Black Sands. I like to think I can read people fairly well, even when I've only just met them. I trust and believe you completely. There is nothing here for me to fear. As for taking everything in stride..." Jalan shrugged again, his smile growing. "I'm from Agrabah. You wouldn't believe how many odd characters we have storming in our city gates every other day. I think I'm becoming immune." Leetah laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Never a dull moment for you, I suppose," she said. Jalan just smiled in return. Leetah grew quiet a moment, regarding Jalan, seeming to consider something. Finally, she took a deep breath and met his eyes, speaking very softly. "You're beautiful, you know?"

This took Jalan by surprise. He blinked at her, unsure of what to say. "Well," he began clearing his throat, slightly embarrassed, "I don't know about that."

"No, you really are," Leetah interjected firmly. "You're witty, fun to talk to, extremely handsome, intelligent, and very powerful. I would imagine you are flooded with marriage requests back home."

"Uh, well, actually..." Jalan found himself stuttering slightly under her intense gaze. He had never paid much attention to his looks or other people's looks for that matter - his life was completely wound up in the Sultan's court and his magical studies. Yet, in this past year alone, he had been invited to more parties, gatherings, and offered more dowries than he could count. He had pushed them all aside, not giving them a second thought. It never occurred to him that he was so well liked before, that he was good looking, or even that he was such a catch. He stared at the table before him, slightly in shock.

"You never realized it, did you?" Leetah said in surprise. Jalan blinked his eyes rapidly and looked back at her.

"I.... I guess not," he said softly. "I mean, I never gave it any thought at all." He reached up and touched his smooth face. "I'm not really that good looking..."

"You are," Leetah pressed. She stood up and walked around the table, kneeling down next to him. She put her hand on his own against his face, her finger tips barely brushing against his shimmering, black hair that he always kept tied in a functional ponytail low on his back. Now that they were this close, Jalan could see the many flecks of color in her eyes, making them the rich black he had seen from a distance. She had a warmth and a perfumed scent about her that Jalan found exhilarating, waking up his body that had been exhausted only moments before. He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, the cool air in the cavern seemingly electrified. Jalan reached out his other hand and caught her own, intertwining their fingers together. She was achingly beautiful! They leaned forward, Jalan closing his eyes as Leetah's lips brushed against his own, feeling a surge of energy flow through him. Suddenly, the moment was shattered as Leetah leapt back as though bitten. She stood up, moving away from Jalan, her hand covering her lips.

"I'm so sorry," she said quickly, looking at the floor. "That shouldn't have happened."

"It's alright," Jalan assured her, standing up slowly.

"No, no it's not," she said, slightly flustered, her words coming out in a rush. She took a few deep breaths, continuing to avoid his gaze. Finally, she looked up at him, her beautiful eyes filled with something Jalan could only call terror. "I won't let it happen again. I'm sorry. I'll show you to your room." She turned and began to walk quickly, Jalan finding himself almost running to keep up. Leetah continued to talk, almost as if she was speaking only to fill up the air. "I'll send someone up to the surface to get your horse so the villagers don't eat it. We can put her in the pasture with the NightMares in shitsu no taiyou. I'm sure they'll get along okay. I'll check on Iago later and let him know where you're sleeping. We can work out the details of how to get rid of the villagers tomorrow. You should sleep now. We're both tired and not thinking straight." They stopped in front of a door, Leetah whirling around to look at him. Jalan tried to say something, but she cut him off.

"You can sleep in here. I'll have someone fetch you later so you can eat. Please don't wander too much in the halls. You are not a prisoner in the room, but there are those here who... who might be tempted by you and it's better to be safe than sorry. Please sleep well." Leetah began to reach out her hand to touch his shoulder in a gesture of parting, but she snatched it back, tearing her gaze away from his. "Good night," she said quickly, turning around, walking away down the corridor. Jalan blinked and she had vanished. He stared down in the direction she had gone for a moment before walking slowly into the room.

To be continued...