Chapter 21

The tower hit the ground and threw Aladdin against the wall. He didn't have time to look for a way out before the tower started moving again. Well, rolling. Just when he thought he was going to be sick, it stopped. He felt so queasy...and cold? He crawled towards the sliver of light coming from the small window. He peeped his head out and was greeted with an icy gust.

This was no sandstorm. Aladdin wrapped his ragged vest around him and climbed out of the window. He landed on a soft terrain. Soft, but freezing. He had never experienced this before. Only heard about it in stories. What was it? Snow? Not that it mattered. It was gonna kill him no matter what he called it. His bare feet burned with every step he took. He couldn't even feel his face anymore except for the chattering of his teeth. Where was he even? A familiar chirp cut through the deafening winds.

"Abu?" Aladdin perked up at the sound. He looked around for the source of the sound. This time. mournful howl came from a trembling pile of snow. Aladdin ran to the pile and started digging. He reached in and pulled out the small monkey. "Abu! How did you - When did you even follow me?"

The small monkey gave a shaky shrug.

Aladdin bundled Abu into his vest the best he could. This was entirely his fault. If he had just listened to Genie and told Jasmine the truth, none of this would have ever happened. And now Agrabah was under Jafar's control, not to mention Genie. With Genie, there was no limit to what Jafar could do. Even Genie was Aladdin's fault. He was the one who rubbed the lamp and waltzed right back into Jafar's playground. But, if he hadn't, he wouldn't have found Jasmine again. He didn't even know if Jasmine would speak to him ever again. Not after Jafar spun that tale about he and his sister being part of a-

Amira was alive.

His sister was alive.

He had to get back to Agrabah.

It was impossible to see anything, but Aladdin started walking forward anyway. He wasn't sure where he was going, but anywhere was better than freezing to death in one place. He wasn't going to die in this wasteland. Not when he had just found his sister mere moments ago. He gritted his teeth and pressed forward. His legs felt like lead as he walked. His feet were so numb he almost missed the odd rough surface he stepped on.

Carpet! Aladdin was as good as saved. He tugged at Carpet, but it was stuck under the tower. "C'mon Abu, dig!" Aladdin got to his knees and began to frantically dig around Carpet. Abu did his best to throw remove snow, but there's only so much a tiny frozen monkey can do.

The ground rumbled beneath him. He looked up to see the giant tower creak forward. Aladdin jumped up, Carpet forgotten. He grabbed Abu by the vest and sprinted down the slope with what little energy he had left. His legs moved jerkily, frozen by the cold. His legs gave out beneath him and he tumbled to the ground. Spotting the tiny window he had crawled out of, Aladdin made a split second decision and rolled to the side, making himself as small as possible.

This better work.

The tower rolled over him, the tiny window sparing him from being crushed to death. Aladdin watched the tower roll away, falling off the side of the cliff. That could've ended poorly. Finally free, Carpet shook off the snow and raced down to the two.

Aladdin felt his feet swept out from under him as Carpet slid underneath him.

"Come on, let's get back to the palace!"

X.X.X

"Puppet ruler wanna cracker!" Iago cackled and stuffed a cracker into Babek's mouth. The bird definitely had some sort of score to be settled. Babek had been tied up on strings like a marionette, forced to perform for the new sultan.

Amira, on the other hand, was chained to the wall opposite of the throne next to none other than her former master. They really could have been chained to separate areas at the very least, but no. Jafar seemed determined to make the situation as bad as possible in all possible ways. Not only had Amira's secret been revealed, but she had managed to get Mozenrath dragged into all this mess. And now they were stuck less than an arm's length apart. Perfect.

"Mozenrath," she whispered, trying to get his attention. He was ignoring her. Not surprising. She sighed and tried again. "Mozenrath."

Still nothing.

Amira clenched and unclenched her fists, feeling the cold metal against her wrists. She tried for what seemed the hundredth time to wriggle her hand out of the shackles, but they were tight across her wrists. The fact that her wrists were chained on either side of her head didn't leave much wiggle room either.

Mozenrath wasn't in much better shape. Amira had hope that he might be able to get his skeletal hand out of the shackle, but that didn't seem to be an option. She also didn't want to ask. That was a touchy subject even when they had been on good terms.

Amira glanced at Mozenrath. "You probably don't believe me, but this...disguise was never part of a plot. I didn't even know my brother was alive!" She paused and added in a softer voice, "Look, you have every right to be mad, but we have to get out of here."

"I have nothing to say to you," Mozenrath hissed, refusing to look at her.

Amira sunk back against the wall, defeated. Compared to Jafar's current form of entertainment, she could be doing a lot worse. One by one, each ruler in the Seven Deserts had been forced to bow (or dance) to Jafar's every whim. It was clear the man had years of grudges against all of these rulers.

Iago yanked on the strings tied to Babek wrists and legs, making him jerk about in a crude imitation of a dance. "That's right. Dance for your dinner!"

"Hm, I think that's enough of him," Jafar said and with a waved of his hand Babek disappeared into thin air. "Who should we see next? Maybe the Sultan of Getzistan? He seems like he'd be light on his feet."

"Jafar, stop it!" Jasmine stood chained to the throne, carrying a tray of fruit. As if Jafar's mind wasn't twisted enough, her royal garb had been replaced by a deep red dancer's outfit.

Jafar tugged on the chain, bringing Jasmine closer to him. He took a bite out of an apple she was holding. "It pains me to see you reduced to this Jasmine." The princess only glared and flicked away a piece of apple that had landed on her cheek.

"And with all of the Seven Deserts locked below, it looks like your marriage prospects have dried up. Oh, wait." With a twirl of his fingers, he turned her chains into a golden crown and held it out to her with a sinister grin.

Jasmine's fingers wrapped around a glass behind her and chucked its contents at him. "Never!"

"I'll teach you some respect!" Jafar raised his hand to strike her. Jasmine stumbled backwards in shock, landing hard on the ground. He lowered his hand, an idea coming to him. "No. Genie, I have decided to make my final wish."

The creature that had ripped the palace from the ground appeared at Jafar's side, albeit much smaller than before. "I wish for Princess Jasmine to fall desperately in love with me."

The genie tapped his fingers together nervously. "Ah...master. There are a few addendas, some quid pro quos-"

"Don't talk back to me, you stupid blue lout!" Jafar grabbed Genie's goatee and tugged hard. "You will do what I order you to, slave!"

"Leave him alone!"

Both genie and sorcerer turned to face Amira. "Hey, smaller Al, I appreciate the thought, but maaaybe you wanna stay out of this one." Genie said, before adding in a loud whisper, "This guy is crazy."

Jafar shoved Genie to the floor and made his way towards Amira who was beginning to think Genie had a point.

"I've already forgotten why I decided to spare you," Jafar said looking down at her as if she were vermin.

"It's really unclear - Ow!" Amira's accidental death wish was cut off by a sharp kick to the shin.

Her head snapped over towards the source of the attack, but Mozenrath was staring straight ahead.

"Ah, now I remember," Jafar said, not missing the exchange. "Who would've guessed that this" - he put his staff under Amira's chin and forced her to him - "is what has the Lord of the Black Sands going soft. I thought Destane would've taught you better, boy. What was it he always said? 'Caring is not an advantage'"

"What makes you think I care about her?" Mozenrath said flatly. Amira glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and was surprised to find him looking at her. A slight eye widen. A quick blink. A crack in the mask, only noticeable by Amira, who had spent the past months studying the sorcerer's every mood and expression. It only lasted a split a second. And just like that, it was back in place. Mozenrath's expression hardened before he added, "She was lying to me the entire time. I don't even know who this is."

Ouch, Amira thought. She kind of deserved that, but it didn't make it sting any less.

"Oh well, if that's the case." Jafar removed the staff from under Amira's chin. Her head fell forward, but the reprieve was short lived. When Amira raised her head, she found herself nose to nose with the snake staff. Mozenrath inhaled sharply. Jafar turned to Mozenrath, a smug look on his face. "That's what I thought."

"This will make it so much easier to get what I want from you," Jafar said, keeping the staff uncomfortably close to Amira.

"And what's that?" Mozenrath said, keeping his voice level.

"I think you know." Jafar's eyes flicked to Mozenrath's right hand (or lack thereof).

"You could just put it on yourself," Mozenrath said casually.

"I'm not a fool," Jafar snapped, getting in the younger sorcerer's face. "You think I don't know what it does? What it's doing to you?"

Mozenrath flexed the offending hand, unmoved by the sudden invasion of space. "A minor inconvenience."

"Why would I waste away my life when I have yours? Plus, it would be such a shame to interrupt your progress." Jafar mocked.

Mozenrath was silent for a moment. "You expect me to just do your bidding when I could just as easily blow you to pieces?"

"Of course not. But I can be very...persuasive." Jafar's attention shifted back to Amira who did not like where this was going. He came around to Amira's side. "You see, you step a toe out of line and your precious 'pageboy' here..."

He slid the staff across her neck, the serpent's head hooking under her jaw and digging uncomfortably into her cheek. The ruby eyes bore into Amira's. "Well, let's just say, she won't be so lucky."

"I really don't think I'm the greatest leverage." Amira nervously laughed. She tried to crane her head as far away from the snake's head as possible.

"Oh, but I think that you are." Jafar said, keeping a watchful eye on Mozenrath who remained stony faced, but with fists clenched. "But let's test it out, shall we?"

Amira felt the staff vibrate with power against her neck. The snakes eyes began to glow. Jafar drew the staff back to strike and-

"Oh, Jafar."

Amira flinched instinctively at the interruption...but nothing happened. She cracked an eye open, not even realizing she had closed her eyes. The snake staff wasn't in her face. Jafar wasn't even facing her.

The interruption was Jasmine! Relief was soon replaced by confusion as the princess rose gracefully from the ground and placed the gold crown on her head in a fluid motion. "I never noticed how...handsome you are."

The collective jaw dropped to floor. Mozenrath and Amira exchanged a look, shocked enough to forget their current relationship. Everyone seemed confused and disgusted, except for Jafar who was utterly delighted.

"That's better." He purred. He sauntered towards Jasmine, Amira and Mozenrath completely forgotten. "Now, pussycat, tell me more, about myself..."

Amira nearly gagged. For some all powerful sorcerer, this man really had a one-track mind.

"You're tall, well-dressed..." Jasmine continued in a voice Amira had never heard before.

Did Jasmine get hit by magic? There was no way she was behaving this way...unless? Amira looked around, searching for something when something out of the corner caught her eye.

Al!

Spotting her brother crouched high in the window, Amira was very thankful the princess hadn't actually lost her mind. He jumped onto the nearby drapes, sliding silently down as Jasmine held the vizier's attention. Her twin landed on the ground softly and quickly hid himself in the entryway closest to the throne.

Amira wasn't the only one to spot her brother. Genie had quickly appeared over her brother's shoulder. She'd really have to ask how he managed to find a genie. They seemed to be whispering about something - a plan, hopefully. If only she could get out of these chains! It's not that she didn't trust Al to come up with a good plan, it's just that she didn't trust Al to come up with a well thought out plan.

Amira tried pulling her hand through the shackles again, but it was no use. They were tight around her wrists. She went to try the other wrist when something landed on her head. She nearly yelped, but clamped her mouth shut. She glanced over to see Aladdin waving at her and pointing at the small monkey on her head that was now picking at locks with a pin. With a click and pleased chirp, the shackles opened.

"Thanks." She mouthed at the monkey. It dropped the pin in her hand before scampering back over to join her brother who was already on the move. First a genie and now a monkey? If they made it out alive, her brother had a lot of explaining to do.

Amira turned the pin over in hand and glanced at Mozenrath out of the corner of her eye. A small monkey was inconspicuous, but she would definitely draw attention to herself if she tried to free him. Besides, if Al got that lamp then she wouldn't have to worry about it. She stuck the pin into the back of her hair for safekeeping.

Unfortunately, the only alternative was watching Jasmine continue to distract Jafar.

The princess approached the vizier and slid her arms around his shoulders. "-and your beard...is so twisted."

Jasmine twirled her finger behind Jafar's head which first struck Amira as laying it on thick, until she saw Aladdin take the signal to sneak across the open floor towards the throne. They made a good team, Amira thought offhandedly. The vizier's parrot sat atop the pile of gold and opened its beak to screech a warning to its owner, but the monkey quickly tackled the parrot, holding its beak shut. That was one useful monkey.

Aladdin hid behind the throne, just an arm's length away from the lamp which sat on the opposite arm rest. Of course that's when the parrot started struggling against the monkey's grip.

"And the pageboy?" Jafar asked, getting even closer to Jasmine's face. To her credit, the princess only recoiled for a second before regaining her composure.

"What pageboy?" Jasmine responded, stroking his face.

Amira eyed the scuffle between the animals nervously, more specifically the bowl that teetered on the edge of the parrot's perch. Her brother stretched out his hand to grab the lamp. Just a couple inches more and-

CLANG

Jafar snapped his head around towards the sound, but Jasmine was faster and pressed her lips to his.

Aladdin froze. Even the animals stopped their fight to look disgusted. As if this night couldn't get any weirder.

"That was-" Jafar started to say, but the words died as he looked at the reflection on Jasmine's crown. He whipped around to catch Aladdin mid reach for the lamp. "You! How many times do I have to kill you, boy?"

Jafar blasted Aladdin backwards into a pile of gold. Jasmine ran at Jafar, making a grab for the snake staff. He quickly overpowered the much smaller princess and threw her to the ground. Aladdin sprinted towards Jafar and grabbed the staff with only moderately more success. Jafar tried to shake him off, but couldn't.

"Jasmine! Get the lamp!" Aladdin managed to yell mid-struggle.

Jasmine jumped up and ran towards the lamp. Jafar shoved his foot into Aladdin's chest, pushing him off before zapping the princess into an hourglass. "Ah, ah, ah princess. Your time is up."

Aladdin quickly tackled the sorcerer to the ground. He turned back to see Jasmine imprisoned in the hourglass. Sand quickly began falling on her head. "Jasmine!"

The monkey brought the bowl down on the parrot's head, knocking the bird out before making a rush for the lamp. Jafar pushed Aladdin off and blasted the monkey back, turning it into a little toy. "Don't toy with me!"

"Abu!" Aladdin cried out.

The magic carpet swooped in and hooked the lamp with one of its tassels. It barely made it anywhere before unraveling into a pile of thread. "Thing are unraveling fast, now boy."

The lamp went flying and landed just jump away from Aladdin. He made one last attempt for it. Swords fell from the sky, creating a barrier around the lamp. "Get the point?" Jafar swiftly picked up the lamp with a terrible cackle.

Amira still stood frozen against the wall, forgotten by Jafar. Everything had happened so fast. Making a run for the lamp obviously wasn't an option unless she wanted to become the next toy monkey. She huffed in frustration. There was no beating this guy without magic. Wait. The gauntlet! But where was it? She scanned the throne room quickly, finally landing on the ornate box all the way across the room near the throne. It was a straight shot...if she could make it.

Taking advantage of Jafar's preoccupation with her brother, Amira slid against the wall. She ducked behind the piles of gold before dashing to the very same spot Aladdin had hidden moments before. She carefully removed the platters and jewels sitting on top of the box, not wanting a repeat of the earlier mistake. She grabbed the box which hummed with an ominous energy. She attempted to lift the lid but it was locked, no key in sight. There was no time.

Lifting the box high above her head, she threw it against the ground as hard as she could. With a loud crash, the box splintered into pieces. She couldn't believe that actually worked. The gauntlet tumbled out and she grabbed it.

ZAP

Amira stumbled to the side, caught off guard. Oh right, breaking a box wasn't exactly a quiet business.

"I had forgotten about you, pageboy. Or should I say, street mouse?" Jafar faced her, snake staff at the ready to attack.

There was no other choice except to make a run for it. She took a deep breath and sprinted, but not at Jafar like the others. The sorcerer's surprise gave her enough time to get halfway across before he sprung back to life. Amira slid across the floor, narrowly evading Jafar's attacks.

"Amira! Are you crazy?!" Amira heard her twin shout over the din, but didn't stop. Aladdin spotted the gauntlet clutched in his sister's hand. A wave of frustration passed through him that she hadn't gone for the lamp instead. His eyes flickered towards the hourglass which was now halfway full and quickly swallowing the princess. He didn't know what Amira was doing, but he trusted her and would help cross the room for whatever reason. Aladdin jumped into action, picking up the nearest treasure and hurling it at the vizier's back. Jafar turned on Aladdin, nearly smiting him.

The distraction gave Amira just enough time to make it across the room. She landed right in front of Mozenrath. She stood on her tiptoes to reach the shackles, putting them nearly face to face. She took the pin from her hair and started picking at the cuffs.

"I know you have no reason to, but please – help us," she said, willfully ignoring the iciness of his presence. With one final twist of the pin, the cuffs clicked open. So much for all mighty magic. Jafar really needed to street rat proof his belongings.

Mozenrath grabbed the gauntlet from her hand and marched past her without a second glance.

Well, it was worth a shot, Amira thought glumly.

Aladdin could feel his stamina draining. There's only so many times one could avoid being blasted against the walls. He was trying to catch his breath when he heard another blast fire off. Aladdin instinctively jumped back, but the beam sailed past him and pushed Jafar back. Aladdin turned to see the younger sorcerer brandishing the gauntlet Amira had been carrying. Oh, so that's why his sister had risked her life. How on earth did she get entangled with this guy though? If they survived this, Amira had a lot of explaining to do.

"Ah, Mozenrath. How nice of you to join us." Jafar taunted with an almost unnoticeable trace of unease in his voice.

"How could I not? I was beginning to feel left out." Mozenrath retorted, sending another blast at the older sorcerer. Jafar had to grab his staff with both hands to fend off the gauntlet's power. As a result, the lamp went flying and landed with a clatter.

Mozenrath advanced on Jafar ruthlessly giving the new sultan no time to recover the lamp. This was not how Mozenrath thought his day would go. Ali turning out to be someone completely different was one thing. Agrabah's vizier seizing the throne was another. Being dragged into this mess was the cherry on top. If Jafar thought he would turn Mozenrath into a servant again, he was dead wrong. After all, the gauntlet made Mozenrath an equal to the "most powerful sorcerer in the world".

Grateful for the diversion, Aladdin wrenched a sword free from the ground and plunged it into the now full hourglass. As the sand spilled out, Aladdin frantically dug for Jasmine. He caught her wrist and pulled her to the surface. Jasmine let out a couple coughs before falling into him. He cradled her unconscious body in his arms, relieved to still feel her heart beating. He looked up and saw the lamp – their only hope – but it was too far and he couldn't leave Jasmine.

Watching the two sorcerers fight was terrifying, yet magnetic. It was almost like a dance. Amira knew what Mozenrath was capable of, but to see him at his full power was something else.

"Amira! The lamp!" Her brother's voice pulled her back to reality. She spotted the lamp sitting by the throne. She just had to clear across the room once more. As long as Jafar was distracted, it would be easy...hopefully.

Jafar could feel his energy draining as he fought the younger sorcerer. The gauntlet carried a power that Jafar himself had never understood. It was one of the many reasons he had avoided Destane and opposed any type of alliance between Agrabah and the Black Sands. He had to dispose of this brat. The two squared off - Jafar ready to send another blast and Mozenrath ready to deflect it. Jafar saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and all at once saw his solution.

Mozenrath followed Jafar's line of vision, his eyes widening in horror as Jafar redirected his staff at the last second.

Amira sprinted towards the lamp, her lungs and legs burning. Her fingers brushed against the lamp when -

SLAM

"Amira!" Aladdin's voice rang out.

Amira flew across the floor. The impact knocked the wind out of her and all she could do was focus on breathing. She slowly pushed herself up and heard Jafar cackling. The snake eyes on his staff glowing red. She patted herself down quickly and found herself completely unscathed. But, if she hadn't been hit then…?

Oh no.

Mozenrath lay face down on the floor a few feet from her. She could feel the energy pulsating around him in dangerous waves. It didn't matter. She stumbled - more like crawled - to his side, still dizzy from being thrown across the room. To her relief, Mozenrath was still breathing, but very weakly. The gauntlet thrummed, giving off the occasional spark. No doubt it had absorbed most of the hit. Amira didn't want to think what could've happened if it had hit her.

The lamp!

Amira turned to look for it, only to find it in the hands of the sorcerer himself. She moved to go after it, but she couldn't leave Mozenrath in this state.

Jafar advanced on the two of them, casting a shadow over Amira. He tutted in mock disappointment. "I did warn him, but it seems he misinterpreted who would receive the punishment. No matter. This makes my job much easier."

Amira's eyes widened as Jafar drew back his staff. "Goodbye pagebo-"

A plate to the head cut off the sorcerer's words. Another was quick to follow.

"Over here!" Aladdin yelled, chucking another goblet at Jafar. "Or are you too afraid to fight me, you cowardly snake?"

"A snake, am I?" Jafar turned slowly with a sinister smile on his face. His smile widened and then split his face. "Perhaps you'd like to see how snake-like I can be." His skin peeled back as he reemerged as a giant cobra. Amira's stomach sank and she automatically tightened her grip on Mozenrath. They were dead.

It was no matter to Jafar who plucked Aladdin from the ground and wrapped him in his serpentine body. Amira wished she could close her eyes, but couldn't help watching as the python crushed her brother.

"You little fool! You thought you could defeat the most powerful being on earth!" Jafar hissed at Aladdin who was trying not to panic. "Without the genie, boy, you're nothing!"

The genie...the genie! Aladdin muttered to himself. "The genie has more power than you'll ever have!"

The snake withdrew its fangs. "What!"

"He gave you your power and he can take it away!"

"Al, what are you doing? Why are you bringing me into this?" Genie muttered nervously, trying to disappear into the shadows as much as possible.

"Face it, Jafar – you're still just second best!"

Jafar's eyes widened as he took in Aladdin's words. "You're right! His power does exceed my own! But not for long!"

The snake coiled itself around Genie who was shrinking rapidly.

"The boy is crazy. He's a little punch drunk. One too many hits with the snake." Genie laughed nervously.

Al, what are you doing?! Amira nearly screeched. Of course her brother would find a bad situation and make it ten times worse.

"Slave, I make my third wish!" Jafar hissed, literally. "I wish to be an all powerful genie!"

"All right, your wish is my command," Genie muttered before covering his eyes and granting the sorcerer's wish. "Way to go, Al."

The snake skin peeled away as a red mass rose from it. Aladdin hit the ground and scrambled away back towards Jasmine. The room shook as Jafar's power grew. He blasted through the ceiling of the palace, rising into the night sky.

The sky and stars swirled around him, bending to his will. Thunder rumbled and lightning crackled as Jafar tested his new powers. "Yes! Yes! The power! The absolute power!"

Amira shielded Mozenrath with her own body against the flying debris. She shouted over the winds. "Al, what have you done?"

"Trust me!" Aladdin managed a grin just as a black lamp appeared at Jafar's base. He jumped up and snatched it off the ground.

"Not so fast, Jafar! Aren't you forgetting something?" Aladdin stood up against the winds. The power stuttered as Jafar looked down at Aladdin, confused. "You wanted to be a genie, you got it! And everything that goes with it!"

Golden shackles clamped around Jafar's wrists. He tried to pull them off, but they wouldn't budge. "What? No! What have you done?!"

The lamp began vibrating violently in Aladdin's hands as it called its new occupant home. Jafar emitted a terrible shriek as he was pulled down to the lamp. Iago attempted to escape, squawking all the way. Jafar clamped a large red hand around the parrot, dragging it with him into prison.

Aladdin stumbled at the impact as both sorcerer and bird landed inside. He turned the lamp over in his hands, careful not to rub it.

Phenomenal cosmic power. Itty bitty living space.

A/N: It's not perfect, but it's done! (The chapter, not the story) This was a very long one, but honestly this scene is what's kept me from updating all these years. For some reason, I was able to crank out a lot of it in one night. Anyway, a lot has happened in the past few months, but I will finish this story. Please stay safe and healthy everyone!