Chapter One: The Slums

Author's Note: Not a lot is known about Al-Thaman this far in the Anime (I'm not familiar with the manga), so most of this is made up. I hope you'll forgive me if I've missed something in Magi Anime about Al-Thaman.

Sindria: a vast empire built on the dreams of its rulers and people. This holy grail in the midst of the world serves as a beacon of hope for the destitute and weary of this world. For those in need of a place to call home, Sindria has long sufficed as a sanctuary. Unfortunately, not all have known the wealth and happiness of Sindria. Most are scattered in hopelessness... better known as "The Slums".

Balbadd was once described as a great Oceanic Territory with beautiful scenery and lush gardens of abundance and laughter. But, since the death of the Saluja family, things have run amok. There was once a people-oriented group called "Fog Troupe", but they were taken down by Sinbad, King of Sindria, and Alibaba Saluja, rightful king. And then Balbadd was made a Republic.

Not much has changed since that time of Alibaba Saluja's return. After he left, the Kou empire took over and everything was made to be the same again. Though Balbadd is slowly working its way out of poverty, the people are still starving.

The Slums were another thing that still had not changed. The people were dressed in rags from head to toe and made to live in tight-knit tents pushed against solid walls. Children played in the sandy streets, pretending to be somewhere - anywhere - in the world that didn't contain the poor conditions they were living in now. In the hunger in their bellies got to be too much for the children, they'd retreat to their houses.

One such home was located right next to a river that ran through the Slums. This house was smaller than the others, but that made sense seeing its inhabitants were only children.

The home was as small as could be, with a worn-down red rug covering the sandy floor. The tent flaps were nailed to the ground, but the door was always open to help withstand the heat. There wasn't anything inside but three small cots in the corner, a couple of playthings against the opposite wall, and a chest for any "valuables".

The three who lived in that house were just children.

The oldest, Uriel, was a strapping boy of fourteen and built well. He was slim, like any slum, but made up for it with his scholarly looks. With sparkling blue eyes, pale white skin, and shaggy, shoulder-length black hair, Uriel was truly handsome. He was the most calm out of the trio, always making plans and fixing problems.

The second oldest was thirteen year old Kamil, a lanky boy with green eyes always narrowed and glaring, straight chocolate brown hair kept in a bandana, and tanned skin full of scars from fights and work. He was not as level-headed and more prone to fighting out his issues. Though Kamil was always picking a fight, he usually won by pure skill.

And the last one to be born was little Zuri, a girl who looked nothing like her brothers. At just five years old, her beauty was known largely throughout the slums. Her knee-length white hair was always kept in soft waves and curved around her face to show off big emerald eyes. She had milky skin and a gentle personality. Zuri was her brothers' treasure.

As the morning sun came up over the mountain, both boys woke up with a groan at around the same time, immediately looking between them for their little sister.

"Zuri?" Kamil asked, opening the duvet.

When the boys saw that their sister wasn't in her bed, they shot up, shouting her name and running out the door without another thought.

"Zuri!" Kamil shouted, grabbing a skateboard (he made it) from inside the chest and skating off.

"ZU?" Uriel called, looking around with worried eyes.

"I'm here!"

Both boys froze when they heard her voice and looked over at the river running right by their house. Sharing frightened looks, the boys sprinted at the bank with clenched hearts, skateboard forgotten in the street for someone to steal.

"Zuri?" Uriel reluctantly peered over the side, not wanting to think about her falling in.

Kamil snarled and jumped into the water. "You in here, baby?"

"No," a small voice said, followed by a giggle. "Silly, why are you in there?"

Both boys looked behind them at five year old Zuri, who was walking back to their house with a bucket of water in her hands. They sighed before Uriel helps his younger brother out of the water, the latter sighing as he dried himself by the edge. They breathed in utter relief before turning on their sister with stern glares.

"Zuri," Uriel said with a hard voice, but his eyes were still soft. "Why did you leave?"

The little girl stared up with wide, innocent eyes before placing the bucket in front of him. "Zuri went to go get water because Uri always gets up early to get it. And Zuri didn't want Uri or Kami to worry about water, so she got it herself!"

Kamil sighed before putting a hand over his eyes, a deep blush settling over his cheeks. "Cute," he muttered.

Uriel froze while watching the explanation from his sister and bent down, ruffling her hair with a smile. "Well, it's my job to get water, Zuri. Don't go out without telling us again, alright?"

"Okay, Uri! And why did Kami go into the river?"

Kamil scowled at the sudden blast of cold and looked down at his soaking clothes before looking back at Zuri, but Uriel answered before he could. "Because Kami's an idiot."

"HEY!" Kamil yelled at his brother.

Zuri giggled and ran up to Kamil, throwing her arms around his waist with a smile, not caring if she got wet. "I still love Kami, even if he's an idiot."

Kamil's expression softened before he pet her head. "Thanks, Zu."

"You're welcome!" she said, bounding away into the house.

Uriel smiled after her before his expression darkened. He looked back at Kamil, who shared the same dark look. "They'll be coming again today," Uriel said.

Kamil nodded. "Bastards just don't know when to give up."

The oldest folded his arms and looked at the ground. "Do you think they'll be violent today?"

Kamil stretched his muscles with a growl. "Hell yeah."

Without saying another word, the siblings went into their house, sudden smiles gracing their faces when they saw their little sister lighting a bunch of stick in the middle of the room and putting a pot over the fire. A cut on the ceiling opened for the smoke to pass through.

"What's for breakfast, Zu?" Kamil asked, sitting by the fire before scooping his sister into his arms.

"Eggies! Eggies!" she chanted, giggling while Kamil crushed her into a hug.

Uriel chuckled at his younger siblings before nodded, reaching into their chest and pulling out a couple eggs. He cooked over the fire while his siblings watched in anticipation.

Kamil combed his fingers through Zuri's hair absent-mindedly, smiling at the sensation of her soft curls running through his fingers. Zuri occupied herself with humming a strange, child-like tune while clapping her hands every once and a while to the beat. Uriel and Kamil shared a smile before both kissing her forehead before going back to what they were doing before.

Zuri blinked. "Why are you two so sad today?"

Uriel and Kamil froze. So she had figured it out. Uriel sighed before reaching over and ruffling her hair. "The bad men are coming by today," he said.

Zuri gasped before hugging Kamil's arm close. "Are they going to take me away?"

"No," the second said, growling and returning her hug from behind. "They can try, Zu. But I promise- we won't let them get you."

Zuri relaxed but sighed at the ground. "I wish mommy were here."

Both brothers tensed. Their mother was a sore topic. After finding out she was suffering from a lung disease, the old prostitute disappeared into the night, leaving behind enough money to keep them going for as long as they could stretch it.

Even though she was a whore, Zara was usually a good mother. She took care of her children and loved them so much. It shocked the three to learn that she had just suddenly left. Besides feeling utter betrayal, they had been hoping to live out the rest of her days in their little tent together. But she had left the morning after the news came from a local Slums doctor.

Zara Jannavi had left before the light could reach the opening of their tent, leaving her children behind and taking nothing with her.

Sindria was bustling as usual, over flowing with smiling faces and laughter. The Bazaar was open on time with as much feet as it could hold moving in lines all at once, running up and down the busy streets with money outstretched to buy trinkets and treasures.

The Palace stood atop its pedestal, a shining totem of Sindria that signified everything their country was: beautiful, prosperous, and extremely flashy. People moved towards the giant building; some tourists and others just visitors of the palace.

One lone woman made her way through the crowd towards the giant castle, wheezing exhaustion at just walking up the road to the large structure. She slightly squealed when someone brushed too close and hit the side of her body.

"Not too far now," she whispered to herself, but still felt the sudden weight of a thousand years of agony.

Zara Jannavi, mother of three, was determined to get into that palace. So determined that her body was giving out just from fatigue. The woman had very little time left, and she had a mission to fulfill before her time came. The father of her youngest child was up there, and she was sure that he could help her children.

After Zara found out about her sickness, she immediately thought of her three kids. Uriel's father were just another Slum client- and a sleazy one at that. He was a drunk and on the way to a quick death. Kamil's father was a general for the Balbadd army who had died a while after the boy was born. All that was left to help them was her youngest, Zuri's, father.

Zara barely remembered the Sindrian general who had visited and partied in Balbadd, but she hadn't had another client for a while after that. She knew that whoever this general was, he could provide for her children. And even if this was a waste of time, Zara hadn't snuck onto a boat, sailed for days over seas, and lived through an aching disease just to die outside her destination.

Pushing more energy into her steps, Zara made her way closer, until she was just outside of the castle. The large hall was open to visitors and tourists, but she'd need to sneak farther in, past the guards. Years of living in the Slums had made Zara's footsteps light and undetectable. She slipped past a couple of uniforms and made her way deeper and deeper into the extravagant palace.

"HEY!" she heard someone yell. "Stop! INTRUDER!"

Zara sighed and prayed silently before running as fast as she could, her feet carrying her well after years of practice running from the Balbadd law and such. She ran farther in, through halls and veranda's, past rooms of gold and light, until she found the Great Hall, where the King would be eating breakfast with his generals.

She pushed past the doors, ignoring the calls for her to stop. The Great Hall was filled with a couple more people than the usual eight generals and a king. Everyone turned to look at the woman quickly, faces filled with shock and suspicion.

"Who are you!" a white-haired adviser yelled, getting up and grabbing weapons.

The rest of the generals followed suit, but the woman was staggering before they were upon her, exhaustion seeping out of her. Zara tripped and fell, holding herself up by the wall while others watched in shock.

"Who are you?" they asked again. The guards that were chasing her filtered in, breathing raggedly, but were stopped by their king when they made their way towards the intruder.

"I-I've..." she stuttered, lazily flopping into the arms of King Sinbad, who had made his way over when he saw a distressed woman.

The King, who had once been a man of poverty himself, knew the signs of a desolated and desperate human being. By nature, he was inclined to help her. "Yes?" he asked slowly, holding the woman in a cradle-like manner.

"Sinbad," Jafar said, coming to stand by his king. "You shouldn't be so close to an intruder."

The King nearly rolled his eyes at the freckled adviser's suspicion, but instead ignored him. "What were you trying to say," he whispered towards the woman who was obviously malnourished, sick, and tired.

"I've come... to see... general... Sharrkan..."

The white-haired man in the back bristled, rushing forward next to the woman and Sinbad, who turned to his general and friend.

"Do you know this woman, Sharrkan?" Sinbad asked suspiciously.

"I don't think so," he said, scratching the back of his head. He bent down towards her a little more. "Nope, can't remember."

She laughed a little, wincing at the pain in her chest. "I... I shouldn't have expected... you to remember... a one-night-stand..."

"Of course!" Sharrkan exclaimed. "But why are you here?"

The woman breathed so deeply that it took seconds for her to speak again. "I... don't have much time left..." she coughed, blood pooling from the corners of her mouth. "Listen carefully..."

"Get a physician here," Sinbad said, turning to Jafar, who nodded and ran off.

"That won't help, King..." she coughed again. "Just listen... Sharrkan..."

"I'm listening," he whispered softly, heart nearly breaking at the sight of such a sick woman.

"We... spent a night together... I don't expect you to remember it."

Sharrkan nearly winced. "Thanks for not holding it against me."

She smiled softly. "After... a night together... I found out I was pregnant..."

"PREGNANT!?" the generals screamed, and Sharrkan went white.

"B-baby?"

Zara nodded, wanting to laugh but figuring it would hurt to much. "A girl... .. she's living in the Slums of Balbadd... with her brothers..." The woman smiled and waited for some sign that they had heard what she said past her exhausted lungs.

Sharrkan was still out of it, though. "I... have a d-d-daughter?" he stuttered, slapping himself several times.

Sinbad hit him to get his attention and the two turned back to the wheezing, smiling woman. "Where is she?" Sinbad asked.

"Yes," Sharrkan cut in. "Where's my baby?"

"Sh-she's five now... so beautiful... you'll find her... in Balbadd... living in a house... right next to the river... with her two brothers..."

Sinbad looked around. "Where's that Physician!?" He left the woman in Sharrkan's arms to stand up and look around.

Sharrkan grabbed the woman's hand. "Why did you come here now? Why not before?"

"I'm a whore," she said almost automatically. "What general... would want a whore's baby?..."

"And you thought I wouldn't care," Sharrkan sighed. "What pain you must've gone through..."

Zara smiled, but the words brought back unhappy memories. When she discovered her youngest, Zuri, was to be born, she was all the happier for another member of her household. Her boys were more happy than she was, it seemed. What with the dancing and chanting of "little sister" over and over again, the three of them spent the rest of the nine months preparing vigorously for the arrival of little Zuri.

But, yes, she had been troubled. The slums was hell-on-earth for a mother. Thankfully, Zara was attractive enough to gain clients from prostitution, but any other profession would've had her children starving. At least she could give them a little food- that was more than most other mothers in the slums could say.

"But I'm dying... now... and my children... need help... I can't leave them there... forever."

"No," Sharrkan said. "And you don't have to worry about that. She'll be safe soon."

She smiled, her eyes dimming. "That's good." Tears streamed down the side of her face. "Please... take care of my... babies..."

If Kamil were here, he'd surely scold me for giving up. And Uriel would hold my hand, begging me to hold on. Poor little Zuri would be the only silent one, brushing her hands, as many times as she could, over mine one last time. I wish my babies were here...

God... please give them what I can't. It was with their existence that I was able to find true happiness in this world. They gave me a reason to live my life. And what a life it was! It sure was wonderful...

Zara gave one last motherly look to the sky before closing her eyes.

Sharrkan gasped when she went cold. "Oh my God... she's gone."

Sinbad and the rest of the generals came closer, all peering into the white woman's dead eyes one last time to see a once beautiful mother smiling at the ceiling with hopeful tears. They bowed their heads in her memory (what little they had of it), and turned to each other for some sort of explanation of what had just happened. Even Sinbad, the ever strategist, had no idea what to think.

"Sin."

The king turned to his friend who was still clutching the woman's hand. "Yes, Sharrkan?"

"Get a boat ready. I'm going to Balbadd."

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To Be Continued...