- PART ONE: THE LAST RAYS OF A CRESCENT LOVE -
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CHAPTER 4 - PART 1
The most deep and disturbing darkness covered the City of Karak. The full moon illuminated it in a mysterious way and just the sight of the dark city in the middle of the desert was enough to cover the heart with fear and despair. * * * * * That morning Ali was in a wonderful mood. He had awakened very early to get ready for his breakfast at Azul's house. He was fixing his hair and his clothes in front of his mirror, the most wonderful smile on his face."Looking good…" He said fixing his shirt. "Now the hair…" He fixed his hair with a couple of fast movements and put his headband on. He smiled at his reflection on the mirror and nodded. "That's okay… I think I'm ready…" He stared at his own reflection and thought how much he looked like his father. The thought of it made him smile. He leaned to get a closer look of himself and rubbed his chin. "Hmm…" He said. "I wonder if I'll have to shave someday…" He chuckled at that thought and went to his desk, taking the portrait of him and Azul he had there. Ali stared at it for a long while, smiling contentedly. In that portrait he was behind Azul, his arms around her shoulders. Both of them looked so happy in that little painting. "Today's the day my love…" He said softly. "Today we'll set the date for our wedding. This is the final step blue eyes… now the real thing begins for you and me…" He stopped and giggled happily. "Oh my… I have this tingly feeling just to think about all this… I can't wait to see you Azul!" He kissed his fingers and placed them on the image of Azul in that portrait. He put the portrait back on his desk and looked at his mirror again. "Well…" He smiled. "It's time…" He was going to grab a white rose he had on his night table beside Azul's portrait when someone knocked softly at the door. "It's open!" Ali said. The door opened slowly and Cassim entered the room. He looked at Ali, a preoccupied expression on his face. But Ali was so happy and so excited that he didn't notice it. "Good morning Cassim!" He said happily. "I'm on my way to…" "Ali," He interrupted him. "You must go to the throne room…" "What?" Ali frowned. "But Cassim, I told you I-" "I know." Cassim said softly. "But this is important…" "What happened?" Ali said a little worried. Cassim looked up at his brother and spoke in a serious tone. "Azul's parents are there…" Ali's heart skipped a beat. He shook his head in disbelief. "Azul's parents?" He muttered. "Bassel and Sadira? But-why?" "You should go to talk to them." "Oh my…!" Ali left the room and practically ran all the way to the throne room, Cassim following him. Ali couldn't think, he was just running. In no time he entered the throne room and stopped short when he saw the worried expression on Sadira and Bassel's faces. "What…? What happened?" His voice was shaking. "Where's Azul?" "We hoped you could tell us that, Ali…" Bassel responded weakly. "But I guess we… we were wrong…" Ali looked at Cassim and then at Azul's parents. He frowned. "What happened? Where's Azul?" He said again. "We thought she'd be here with you." Sadira said. "Ali… didn't you see her last night? Last night after you said your good byes in the square?" "No… after that I came to the palace… Cassim and I stayed up late working…" Cassim nodded at Ali's words. "I never saw her again after that… for Allah's sake, what happened?" "She was so happy last night," Bassel started. "She told us you'd have breakfast with us this morning and she was telling us how she was going to go to the marketplace early this morning… she was so excited…" "I woke up very early this morning," Sadira continued. "And went to wake her up… I was a little worried because last night she said she was feeling a little sick…" "What happened?" Ali was impatient. "… the room." Sadira continued. "The room was empty…" "We thought she'd be at the market by then… but it was way to early… we… we looked everywhere…" Bassel said nervously. "But we couldn't find her…" "Azul?" Ali said in disbelief. "Missing…?" "She never slept at home…" Sadira said. "Oh Allah…" Ali said stepping back and sitting on the throne. He was feeling dizzy and his legs couldn't support him. "Is there any sign of violence in the room?" Cassim asked. "No…" Bassel hurried to answer. "Not at all… only the portrait is on the floor and the door of her balcony was slightly open… but no sign of violence…" "When did that happen?" Ali asked firmly. "When was the last time you saw her?" "Last night after she entered home… we talked for a while, then she told us she was going to take a bath… after her bath she entered her room…" "Didn't you hear anything?" Ali asked. "Voices? Noises? Whatever?" "No… nothing…" Ali rubbed his head in despair. "I should have come back…" He muttered. "I never should have left her… I knew something was feeling wrong… she was nervous…" "Ali," Cassim said. "What are you talking about?" Ali looked at the people around him. "Last night I had a nightmare… I woke up calling Azul's name… something is wrong here… something is just not right…" "Ali…" Cassim said softly. "I think Azul has been kidnapped." "What?" Ali said desperately. "But why?" "Does she have any kind of enemies?" Cassim was asking. "No…" "Cassim… who would want to kidnap her?" Ali said. "Ali, she's your fiancée… the future Princess of Agrabah… even more, the future Queen of Agrabah… Your love for her is no secret. Just think about this, as soon as rumors of a wedding start to circulate around Agrabah THIS happens… anyone could use her as a way to force you to agree on something… Agrabah has many enemies and you know that. Azul is just an easy target." "Oh Allah…" Ali said. "You could be right, Cassim… but who?" "Sultan Mujaahid and Princess Salma come to mind." Cassim said seriously. "But then again Princess Salma is already married so… it's not probable… I don't know…" "What should I do?" Ali said desperately. "I'm going to look for her all over Agrabah and the deserts… I swear I am going to look for her under every single grain of sand in the deserts… I swear I…" "Ali!" Cassim interrupted him. "If she's been kidnapped we just have to wait. A rescue note will arrive sooner or later and then we can think what to do." "I'm not going to sit in here waiting for that note to come… I-" "Prince Ali!" Taamir's voice interrupted him. "I'm sorry Prince but this is important…" "What?" Ali said annoyed. "General Ali!" Ahmed, the captain of the Royal Army entered behind Taamir. "It's me… and I really need to inform you that we are having major troubles in the deserts… the desert patrol is really amazed at the kind of weird things they have been witnessing since last night… magical things, sir." "Oh Allah…" Ali said rubbing his head. "This cannot be happening!" "What should we do, sir?" Ali gulped and his gaze went from Azul's parents to Taamir and Ahmed and then to Cassim. He bit his lower lip, a really stressed expression on his face. He shook his head and sighed. "Ahmed, a lot of things are going on now… I want you all to listen to me closely. I cannot go with you, Ahmed because in my father's absence I'm supposed to stay in here so you are in charge of the Royal Army… do whatever it takes to stop this problem and I want a full report." "Yes sir!" "And… please, keep an eye open for Azul." "Lady Azul, sir? Your fiancée?" "Yes… she's missing… so please!" "We will sir!" Ahmed saluted him militarily. "We'll do our best!" Ahmed left the room and Ali turned to Cassim. "Cassim, you and Taamir stay in here. If a rescue note arrives, please let me know immediately… and I want you to ask Rasoul to check on Agrabah… send the Royal guard to check on the city inside and out!" "I'll take care of that, Prince Ali." Taamir said. "What are you going to do?" Cassim asked. "I'm going to Azul's bedroom… I need to inspect the place… and then I'll go to look for her personally." Cassim was going to say something, but the fire that was burning in Ali's eyes stopped him. He nodded lightly and spoke: "I'll stay in here Ali… good luck!" * * * * * Ali entered Azul's room and searched the place with his gaze. He sighed deeply trying to control himself and turned to Bassel."Is this the way you found the room this morning?" "Yes. We didn't touch anything." Ali nodded and went to pick up his portrait. He stared at it and made a face. He placed the portrait on the night table and went to the doors of the balcony to inspect them carefully. "The lock is in perfect condition." He said after a while. "And there's no sign of violence in the balcony or in the room." "I don't know what could've happened." Bassel said helplessly. "It is all so mysterious… oh my daughter! My little girl!" Ali lowered his head and sat on the bed, hiding his face in his hands. "It's all my fault." He said after a while. "How this could be possibly your fault?" Sadira asked. Ali looked up at them, a pained expression in his eyes. "I knew she wasn't feeling very well… she asked me to stay for a little longer… she knew something was wrong… I--- I felt something was wrong… when I left her I just… I knew I had to go back… and I didn't…" Ali stopped and hid his face in his hands once again. Sadira and Bassel noticed that he was trying to hold back his tears. "It's not your fault, Ali." Bassel said. "Sir…" Ali looked at him. "She trusted me… and I was not there when she needed me the most… she called me in my dreams, sir… and I didn't listen to her… I let her down!" "Ali!" Sadira said. "You have to calm yourself!" "I couldn't protect her when she needed me the most…" Ali continued almost crying. "She was calling for me… she was calling for me and I left her all alone… she's my best friend, my confident, my fiancée… she's part of myself, part of what I am… and I failed her!" "Ali!" Bassel said firmly. "Listen to me, you must stop blaming yourself because what you're saying is not true… you've always been there for my daughter… always." "Sir… I---" "Bassel is right, Ali…" Sadira completed. "You've made Azul's life right… you are her only happiness… she trusts you, Ali… with her heart and soul!" "I know…" Ali said mad at himself. "And here I am, totally lost… I have no idea of what to do, where to search… and I can't move… my parents are not here, I am supposed to stay in the throne… Azul is gone and I'm having a crisis in the deserts… this is so… so…" "Ali!" The prince looked at Sadira and Bassel and stood up. "I'm going to search for her under every grain of sand in Agrabah… and I swear on Allah, I'm going to find her…" "May Allah be with you!" Bassel muttered when Ali left the room. * * * * * The Dark City of Karak seemed gloomy ever under the day light. The darkness and the solitude of the place were terrifying. The streets and alleys of the city were empty and only the sound of the desert wind could be heard.Azul groaned softly and turned in bed, her hand went to her head immediately and she muttered with closed eyes. "Argh, my head! What a headache!" She opened her eyes and gasped. "Oh my gosh, it's late… and I have to prepare breakfast for Ali… I-" She stopped when she noticed the unfamiliar room she was in. For a moment she couldn't react. She just looked around in amazement trying to remember where she was or what she was doing in there. It was a huge room, and a very dark room for that matter. She was obviously in some kind of palace, for the place was really elegant. Very dark and mysterious. When she tried to straighten herself she noticed the dress she was wearing and frowned. "What's going on here?" She said under her breath. She left the bed and went to a mirror. She almost stepped back when she noticed that the frame of the mirror was carved in the form of a big serpent. She looked around and noticed that the serpent design was all over the place. Slowly she approached the mirror, scared of what she could see in her own reflection. When she saw herself in that mirror she frowned in disbelief. She couldn't recognize herself in the reflection. "Oh All Mercy Allah!" She muttered. "What happened to me?!!" She was wearing a really uncomfortable dress. It was dark and it had a lot of crescent moon designs all over. Her hair was pulled up and she had crescent moon ear rings as well. She could barely move in that outfit. "What is this?" She said going to the window. "This cannot be one of Ali's surprises… not like this!" She looked at the window and she gasped in horror. Below there she couldn't find the familiar scenery of Agrabah. What she saw was a dark and empty city. A totally strange place. The light of the sun illuminated that place in an almost menacing way. Azul's eyes moved from one side to the other. Her mind was trying to understand things but she was scared, really scared. "Where am I?" She said out loud. "What's this?" She almost ran to the door of the room and tried to open it but it was locked. She was almost gasping for air, her blue eyes open wide and terror reflected in them. "Let me out!" She said knocking on the door desperately. "Ali! Please! ALI!" After several minutes it was obvious that no one was going to respond to her call. No one, not even Ali. Azul sat on the floor, her back leaned against the door and she hid her face in her hands. "Alright…" She said slowly. "This is a nightmare… this has to be a nightmare!" But suddenly her eyes opened wide as the memory of the last night hit her. "The dark men!" She muttered obviously scared. "The dark men were in my room… and I… I couldn't escape… I-I-the man said… the man said something like… Azrak's blood… and then… and then that light… I---" She stopped and covered her mouth. "Oh Allah, I've been kidnapped!" She was hardly breathing, a deep fear was invading her heart and her soul. She embraced herself as her blue eyes were shinning with tears. "Where am I?" She said softly trying to hold back her tears. "What am I supposed to do? What should I do? Ali… where are you?" She pulled the high neck of her dress. It was asphyxiating her. She did that with her rage clearly showed in her moves. But when she did that she discovered something familiar. The only familiar thing in the whole place. Her blue diamond around her neck. She took it in her hand and stared at it, hope in her eyes. "Ali…" She whispered. Suddenly she could hear steps and soft voices outside the room. She almost jumped to the window side just in time, for the door opened wide and a dark man entered the room followed by another dark man, obviously a guard. "I was told you were awake." The first man said in a tone of voice that made Azul shiver. "Welcome to the City of Karak." He was saying in a very formal tone. "I hope you find your accommodations comfortable." "Who are you?" Azul could barely mutter. "Where am I?" "My name is Aswad." The man said. "And this is Majid, the captain of my personal guard. I'm the ruler of this city… Karak." "Karak…" Azul repeated. "Never heard of it…" Aswad smiled mysteriously walking around Azul, almost inspecting her. She was very scared and uncomfortable under his gaze.
"What do you want from me?" Azul said recovering her courage. "Oh…" Aswad said casually. "Only your blood." Azul gasped and stepped back, fear clearly showed on her face. Aswad looked at her and laughed softly. "It's not that bad… besides, you are going to keep your blood in your veins. I'm not planning to kill you or anything so don't be scared… in fact I'm going to take very good care of you… we definitely need you alive." Azul was very scared. She was hardly breathing. Aswad went closer to her and put his finger under he chin, forcing to look up at him. He noticed she was shaking. "Don't be afraid," He said. "I'm not going to hurt you… have you noticed, Majid?" He said to his guard. "She's got Azrak's eyes!" "Yes sir." "A blue eyed maiden from Azrak's blood… we couldn't be more lucky." "Who's Azrak?" Azul whispered. Aswad looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea who you are, do you?" She was going to tell him that she was Azul Bint-Bassel Al-Rahaal but she stopped when she realized it was not what Aswad was asking her. She just lowered her eyes, a stressed expression on her face. "No…" She muttered. "A thousand years ago a powerful man lived. His name was Azrak, the blue eyed one. He's the most wise magician that has ever lived on Earth. He was my teacher and I can proudly say that all I know I learned it from him. Of course I wanted more… I wanted power… I wanted to rule over Karak, the city of magic… and I succeeded. Azrak tried to stop my ambitions and being clever as he was he cast a spell on the city. He was powerful enough to vanish Karak from earth… Karak would only live for a full moon every time the stars are in certain alignment… that'd be now. Unless, of course we could have Azrak's blood in the city. As long as we have his blood in the city, in the body of a male magician or a maiden, Karak will live…" Aswad stopped and grinned at Azul. "And I think by now you have an idea who that maiden is." "Azrak?" Azul whispered not paying attention to Aswad anymore. "I think I've heard that name before…" "So Karak will live thanks to you, young Azul!" "No!" She said bravely. "I won't stay in here! I won't help you!" "As if you had a choice…" Aswad smiled. "Like it or not you're stuck in here with us… forever." "No!" "Majid will take care of you personally… be a good girl. I want to be nice to you, but don't provoke me, Azul… other wise you could learn the hard way how rude I can be…" He turned to Majid. "Bring her some food and whatever she wants." "Yes sir." "Well," Aswad put his hand on Azul's shoulder but she pulled away quickly. "I have a lot of work to do… after one thousand years… it's time for Karak to rule over the deserts." "You'll never get away with this!" Azul said. "I won't stay in here!" Aswad sent her a side smile and nodded to Majid. They left the room leaving her behind. When she was alone she collapsed on the bed. "Oh Allah!" She said taking her diamond in her hand. "Azrak's blood? Oh my… what should I do? I need to get out of here… I cannot stay in here… I have to warn Ali…" She ran to the window and looked down. It was a long way to the ground. It was impossible for her to escape using the window. And the door was locked and guarded. Azul sighed helplessly. "I have no way out!" She said. She had a stressed expression on her face. But suddenly that expression changed from scared to determined. "You won't leave me alone, Ali… I know you will come for me… I know you will. As soon as you know I'm gone…" She stopped short. "Oh Allah! And how are you supposed to know about this? Ali… you must know… I must warn you… but how?" She rubbed her head but then the determined expression appeared again. "I won't give up… I'm going to be strong, Ali… I know you will come, I trust you my love. But I can't be weak. Not in front of Aswad… he wants to scare me but he's not going to do that… I'm going to find my way out… I've learned that from you Ali, never give up… never…" She looked around her dark room. "I know I'm scared… I know I'm all alone… but you're here in my heart, Ali… I won't give up… I'm going to be strong… I won't show my fear to Aswad… I'm going to fight!" She took off her necklace and held it in her hand, in front of her eyes. She kissed it and put it back on. A brave expression was on her face. She promised herself that no matter how bad things were she'd be strong. Aswad wouldn't see her breaking. She was going to fight until the end. * * * * * Ali entered the palace that night. He was totally worn out and sad. A very painful expression covered his face. He went directly to the throne room and collapsed on his father's throne, closing her eyes and tying not to think. He wanted to put his mind blank if only for a moment. It hurt him so much."Ali!" Cassim's voice brought him back to reality. "How are you?" "I've looked everywhere." Ali responded weakly. "I've turned Agrabah upside down… but it's useless Cassim." "No rescue note has been delivered to the palace either." Cassim said in a serious tone. "I thought by now we'd have some news… maybe she wasn't kidnapped for political reasons after all." Ali looked at him desperately and just leaned back in the throne, his gaze lost in the ceiling. They were silent for a couple of minutes. "Cassim…" "Yes?" "I--- I just don't know what to do." "I guess… you cannot always have the answers." "She trusted me… and I failed her." "Ali…" "Yes?" "As much as this hurts you, this is not our only problem… the guards and a lot of volunteers in Agrabah are looking for your fiancée. I was informed you offered a reward and all." "I did." "She's going to appear sooner or later. I'm sure about it… but we also have to take care of the problems in the desert." Ali's heart was aching, but he knew Cassim was right. His father had trusted him to lead Agrabah while he was away and he couldn't let his father down. As much as Azul's disappearing hurt him, he knew he had to take care of the other issues. "Have you seen Ahmed?" Ali's voice was shaking as much as he was tying to avoid it. "Have you received reports?" "Yes, we have… and this is really strange, Ali… our army is fighting against a lot of magical things." "Magical things… like the ones in the chronicles!" "I know it was quite common in the past… but now… this is really unusual… the army doesn't know how to fight that kind of… things." "Maybe I should go there and check on." "No Ali." Cassim said. "I don't think that's such a good idea… you are the Sultan for now and you must stay in here, in the throne room… I told Ahmed to do what ever it takes to stop this." "And I know Captain Ahmed is the best man for this… thank you Cassim." Ali said sincerely. "You've been a great help… I don't know what I'd do without you." "Just one more thing, Ali." "What?" "The twins…" "What about the twins?" "They've been asking questions." "I see…" Ali said standing up. "Where are they?" "In their room." "I'll go to talk to them… Cassim, you should get some rest, you look tired." "What about you, Ali?" Ali tried to smile. "I'll see you later." Ali entered the twin's bedroom and they looked at him with big, scared eyes. Ali closed the door behind him and went to them. They were already in bed. Ali sat on Nasir's bed. "Hello little guys!" He said messing Nasir's hair and tickling Najila's chin. "How are you?" "Ali…" Najila said. "What's going on?" "Where's Azul?" Nasir asked. Ali had a serious look on his face. He looked at his little siblings and nodded. "You are big kids now… and I know you understand things." "We do." "Kids… I want to have your help and support. You know our parents are away and all the responsibility is on Cassim and myself… things are a little messy now… we are having some troubles in the desert but the desert patrol is already taking care of them. The royal army is there and captain Ahmed is in charge." "But where's Azul?" "What happened to her?" Ali sighed trying not to show his fear. "She… she's missing…" "Why?" "Where did she go?" "Why don't you go to find her?" "Is she in trouble?" "What can we do for her?" "Look, kids…" Ali stopped them. "We are doing all we can… this is not easy for me at all but we must keep our heads cool… we are looking for her… I'm looking for her. And she'll be back among us very soon." "We heard she's been kidnapped, is that true?" Ali shrugged. "I don't know… but I'm taking care of everything, okay? You kids must be good guys, I need your help, and the best way for you to help me is being good, okay?" "Okay." They replied. "And don't worry… everything will be fine." "You promise it?" Ali gulped. He wished he could promise something like that. He tried to smile and nodded. "It's a promise… Azul will be fine." "We love her." Najila said. "She's like our sister." "I know… and she loves you too… deeply." "What can we do for her?" "We would do anything for her." Ali smiled at them tenderly. "You can pray for her… pray for her and for me." The kids nodded. Ali smiled and fixed their blankets and pillows. "Now you kids go to sleep… are you going to be alright?" "We will." "Alright." Ali kissed his siblings and blew out the lamp. "Good night." * * * * * It was midnight when the doors of Azul's balcony opened slowly. Ali peeked inside and entered the room carefully. It was illuminated by the moonlight and Ali thought it looked mysterious. He sat on the bed and hid his face in his hands."It the walls could talk!" He said. "If you could tell me what happened here last night!" He sighed deeply and placed a white rose on the bed. "This was for you, blue eyes… I was going to give it to you this morning… we were going to set the date for our wedding… we could be celebrating now… Azul… my love… where are you?" He was trying hard not to cry. He knew he had to be strong for he was Agrabah's ruler then and he couldn't be weak. He knew the moment he let out a single tear he couldn't stop himself. He let out a shaky breath and looked around the room trying to find a clue, anything. But he found nothing. "What I'm going to do?" He whispered. "Where should I go to find you my blue eyes? Oh Allah, please, give me a clue… anything… just a word… something…" Ali took Azul's pillow and pressed it tightly against his face. As much as he was trying to avoid it, a rebel tear escaped the corner of his eye. "Azul… where are you?" He kneeled by the bed and closed his eyes. "Allah take care of her… give her strength and make her brave… cover her with your protection… please, don't allow anything bad happen to her… if someone has to suffer here let it be me, not her… keep her safe… and let her know that I'm going to find her… let her know she has nothing to fear for I'll be there… please sweet all mighty Allah, take care of my beloved Azul while I'm not there…" He stood up and brushed that rebel tear off his face. "I know I'm scared… I know I'm all alone… but you're here in my heart, Azul… I won't give up… I'm going to be strong… I won't show my fear… I'm going to fight!" Ali left Azul's room to continue his search. Little did he know he had just made to himself the exact same promise Azul had made to herself in Karak. * * * * * Azul was pacing nervously from one wall of her huge room to the other. She was nervous and a very preoccupied expression covered her face. She stopped by the window and looked down."It's to high." She thought. "There's no way I could escape using the window…" She looked at the city below her. It looked so different from Agrabah. The nightly breeze caressed her face and she sighed deeply. "Oh Ali… I'd give anything to be with you now." She opened her eyes and frowned. "But then again maybe I should try to realize what's really going on in here. Maybe I should get some information… something…" She looked down again and bit her lower lip. She meditated things for a couple of seconds and then frowned. "Maybe I could play the role of the silly girl… if I could convince Aswad I'm not going to escape… or if I could have the chance to check on his library or whatever…" She stopped frustrated. "Oh, I don't know! I just don't know what to do!" She went to bed and threw herself on it. She looked at her dress, an annoyed expression in her face. "I hate these clothes! I hate to be in here! I hate this room!" She buried her face in her pillow and even if she was trying hard not to, she started to cry. She was scared. She was trying to be a brave girl but the truth was she was dying of fear. She was all alone in a unfamiliar place. A dark man wanted her blood. She was on her own and she had no idea of what to do, what was the right thing to do, the right decision. "Oh Ali! What should I do?" She lifted her face and fear could be seen in her eyes. "Azrak…" She rolled the word in her mouth for a couple of seconds. "Azrak… where? Where?" Her mind got lost in her thoughts. She tried to remember where she had heard that name before. But her mind refused to cooperate. She was so disturbed that she couldn't think well. Her eyes moved from one side to the other trying to remember. Suddenly a warm feeling flooded her heart. She could remember the soft touch of the sun on her skin and the laughter. She closed her eyes and a small smile appeared on her lips as the image of Ali came to her. "It was that day… that day in the alley…" She whispered. "When we went to that antique store… the man… the man told us those swords belonged to Azrak…" She opened her eyes and smiled. "Now I remember… the twin swords… Ali's sword… the sword Ali gave to his dad… those swords belonged to Azrak… even Ali mentioned that maybe he was my ancestor… oh Ali, you were right! Azrak IS my ancestor…" She sat on the bed and meditated for a couple of minutes while fiddling with her blue diamond. "If only you could know about this… I'm sure you could figure out this whole mess if you knew this… if only you knew about Azrak… but how?" She went to the window once again and looked at the nightly city and the mysterious sky. Suddenly an idea came to her. "If I could talk to you in your dreams… maybe if I concentrate hard enough I could get in your dreams and tell you were I am and what's going on…" She sighed helplessly. "I know this is hard… but I know in you heart you can hear me my love… it's worth the try anyway… I have nothing to lose…" She closed her eyes and concentrated hard trying to send her thoughts to Ali and praying to Allah for Ali to be sleeping already. * * * * * Early in the morning Cassim entered the dinning room where Ali was. His older brother had a far off look and he looked really tired. He was absently moving his spoon inside his cup of coffee."Ali!" "Wha--?" Cassim's voice startled him. "Ali… that coffee is cold…" "I'm not hungry…" "Did you have a good rest?" Cassim said sitting beside him. "No… I didn't sleep last night…" "Not even a nap?" "I couldn't… I spent the night patrolling the city and then I went to the desert… just a few miles away from here to check on the army…" "Ali, I admire your devotion but you're not eating, you're not sleeping. Frankly I think you should take better care of yourself. The last thing Agrabah needs is for you to be sick." "I know…" Ali said absently taking an apple and eating it. "So… any news?" "No…" Taamir entered the place bowing respectfully at the princes. "Good morning prince Ali… prince Cassim…" "Good morning Taamir." Ali said. "Any news?" "Well… no good news prince… we've been receiving reports since early this morning from other kingdoms… it seems these magical disturbances are happening all over the deserts…" "Oh man! What should we do? It was just the perfect timing… my parents away, Azul disappearing… this happening…" "Any reports from the army?" Cassim asked. "Captain Ahmed sent his report early this morning… they have everything under control in Agrabah's lands, thank Allah. We have a good, efficient army." "We do." Ali smiled weakly but proudly. "And when dad is here he'll know what to do to stop these disturbances." "Your father has quite an experience in these matters, Prince Ali." "I know… but, any news of Azul yet?" "Sadly no my prince… but the search parties are working non stop…" "She's been gone for more than 30 hours now." Ali said helplessly. "I thought we'd have some news from her by now…" "I am sorry, your highness." Ali nodded. "I'll be in the city… if anything happens send for me… Cassim, you're in charge here in the palace…" "Don't worry Ali… I'll cover for you… and good luck." "Thanks." * * * * * The door of Azul's room opened with a noise but she didn't move at all. She was sitting in front of the mirror just staring at her own reflection. Over her shoulder in the mirror she could see Aswad coming to her."Good morning Azul." She didn't responded. "I just wanted to make sure everything is fine with you in here. As much as you hate this, you must admit I gave the best bedroom to you… one that's big and comfortable." "This is not comfortable." Azul said. "Do you think I feel happy to be in here? I miss my family and my fiancé!" "That's a feeling that will pass, don't worry." Aswad said casually. "You are going to be much more than the wife of a sultan… be good and you could be the Queen of Karak." "Why am I wearing these clothes?" She changed the subject. "I hate them! And this hairdo… and the makeup… I refuse to--" "You cannot refuse." Aswad smiled. "Besides you look good… and that's the way I like you." Aswad stepped towards Azul. She tried to step back but she couldn't. Aswad put his fingers under her chin forcing her to look at his eyes. "Those two blue jewels… you remind me so much of Azrak, you know? I bet your eyes spark when you smile… but for now I see nothing but fear in them." "I'm not afraid of you!" Azul said firmly pushing away. Aswad chuckled and looked at her the way she hated him to. "I don't want you to think I'm being unfair with you, Azul… what do you want? Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?" "I only want to go home." "Oh, but THIS is home now!" Azul's heart ached but she tried not to show it. She just stared at Aswad with a killer look. Aswad laughed. She amused him. "Look young Azul, I'm going to allow you to wander free around my palace. That will show you my good will towards you. But I must warn you, you just cannot escape." Azul frowned and said nothing. "You should be thankful… I'm being really nice to you… that's the least I can do for my old teacher's granddaughter." Suddenly an idea came to Azul's head. She smiled she tried to hide that smile from Aswad. She just turned to him and talked in a low voice. "Maybe you could do something for me." "Yes?" Aswad smiled pleased. "Well… I've been bored to death locked in here… and your city is not exactly a sight in the desert." Aswad laughed at her comment. "So… maybe you could provide something to have a more pleasant time… let's say… a book or something." "Oh, I have a library filled with books here in the palace." "Really?" She said excitedly. "Can I visit it?" "I don't think you'd like it… it's not that you'd find it any interesting. All those books and scrolls are writing in the old language. You wouldn't understand them." Azul lowered her gaze and pretended to be disappointed. "I know… but at least I could get out of the room… and maybe look at the illustrations…" Aswad looked at her and thought about it for a while, rubbing his chin in the way he used to. Finally he nodded weakly. "Alright… you are allowed to visit my library… but you are warned, you're not going to find any story book in there… and definitely you won't find in there anything readable… for you anyway." "Well…" Azul said coldly. "Gee, thanks for making my stay more comfortable… I don't have my family but I have you… you and a bunch of unreadable books… I'm going to love this!" She said cynically. Aswad shook his head and rolled his eyes in a gesture that could mean "women!" and turned to the door where the guards were. "She's allowed to go to the library and to wander around the palace as she pleases. But she cannot get closer to the throne room or the temple." "Yes my lord!" The guards said. * * * * * Azul entered the library and she had to smile when she saw the thousands of books and scrolls that were in there. She rushed to the bookshelves looking for something in particular."Here must be… something about Karak… something about Azrak.. whatever…" While she was looking for it she was thinking about the last night. She had spent a lot of time trying to communicate to Ali but she just couldn't. Although she was determined to try it again that night. "Aha!" She stopped and took a parchment. "Here… this talks about Azrak!" She went to have a seat and smiled mischievously. "Unreadable books… ancient language… I'm from Alexandria, I can read this!" She smirked. She read it avidly but the parchment didn't tell her anything that she didn't already know from Aswad. It was only the story of Azrak and how he and Aswad split. Azul sighed somehow frustrated. "There must be something in here… about Karak… or Aswad… something that would help me escape… just something!" She went to the bookshelf and placed the scroll back in its place. "I am going to find it… If Aswad thinks I'm going to sit here waiting for him to conquer the deserts he's very wrong… I know somewhere Ali is fighting now… and I'm going to fight my own battle in here." She took another book, determined to learn all she could from Aswad and the Dark City of Karak. * * * * * Someone knocked at the door of Bassel's house that night. He hurried to open it hoping it could be news from his daughter, but all he saw was Ali standing there, a totally helpless and terrified expression on his face."Bassel… sir…" "Ali!" He said placing his hand on Ali's shoulder. "What? Any news?" "No…" Ali said entering the house and shaking his head. "I was hoping you… you…" "No…" Bassel whispered. "Not at all." Sadira appeared in the room and she rushed to embrace Ali. The boy was trying to look brave but he was scared and Bassel and Sadira could sense his fear and desperation. "I-I'm going to go find her…" "But where Ali?" "I-I just don't know!" Ali said raising his voice. "I feel so useless… look at me! I should be trying to find her… but I can't move… I don't know where to go or what to do… and I feel awful… I just keep thinking that somewhere in the desert she is all alone, waiting for me… and I'm here! Here in Agrabah!" "Ali!" Sadira said. "You must calm yourself." "You're not doing any good acting like this, son." Bassel said. "I know… and I apologize… but I only wanted to let you know that I'm going to find Azul… even if it takes my life… I'm going to find her!" "We know." Bassel said embracing Sadira. "And we trust you, Ali." Ali nodded. "Now I have to go… I need to… I need to take care of official stuff in the palace… I--- I just…" "That's okay Ali." Sadira said. "You are doing a wonderful job, Ali. Your parents are going to be very proud of you when they are back… we are proud of you!" "Thanks…" He responded weakly. He left Azul's house and headed to the palace where he knew a lot of official issues were waiting for him to take care of them. He hadn't slept in a long time and it was quite evident in his face by then. He tried not to think about that and only prayed to Allah for Azul to be safe. * * * * * The sound of laughter was heard in the main hall of the palace of Agrabah. A happy couple entered the palace. They were Aladdin and Jasmine returning from their anniversary trip.Aladdin was chasing Jasmine playfully. He grabbed her by the waist and they spinned around. Aladdin was kissing Jasmine's face playfully and she was giggling happily. "You know," Aladdin was saying. "We really should have stayed in the mountains for another couple of days!" "If it was up to you, you'd stay in the mountains forever." Jasmine giggled. "Can you blame me?" "Not at all!" Aladdin smiled and embraced Jasmine, kissing her neck playfully. That tickled her and she laughed happily. "Aladdin! Stop it!" "Mom… dad…" That soft voice came to them and they stopped what they were doing. They turned around and found their son Ali standing there in front of them. It was obvious he had just arrived in the palace as well and Aladdin and Jasmine were so happy that they didn't notice how tired and stressed he looked. "Hey kid!" Aladdin said happily. "We are back… and we really have to thank you guys for the best vacations of our lives… we enjoyed a wonderful time together… for the past week we really forgot all about Agrabah and it's troubles… so Ali, how's everything going? Did you like being Sultan?" "Azul is gone…" That was the only response Ali could articulate. Aladdin gulped and looked at Jasmine. She already had a worried expression on her face. All playfulness disappeared and was replaced with preoccupation. "Gone how?" Jasmine was saying. "When?" "Two days ago…" Ali said weakly. Aladdin and Jasmine looked at each other and then at Ali. Not until then did they notice how scared he really was. He had that look in his eyes, that look he had when he was a little kid and was scared. They noticed Ali was breathing heavily and his body was shaking lightly. He was trying to hold back his tears. But before they could say anything Ali broke. He had held that for himself for two days, but being with his parents gave him a sense of security that made him let all his pain and fear out. He collapsed on the steps of the staircase, hiding his face in his hands and shaking violently. Aladdin looked at Jasmine. She was scared. Aladdin rushed to embrace his son. Ali wasn't crying, he was just trembling violently. As soon as he felt Aladdin's arms around him he snuggled against his father and closed his eyes. "She just disappeared… one night…" He was muttering. "I don't know where she is… I know nothing… I don't know what to do… I've looked everywhere… dad… what should I do? Where's she?" "Oh Allah!" Jasmine said sitting beside them and placing her hand on Ali's shoulder. "Ali, everything will be fine… we'll find her!" "No…" Ali shook his head. "I've looked every where… she's not here… she's gone… she's gone!" Aladdin and Jasmine exchanged worried looks. They were feeling so guilty to know that while they were having the time of their lives in the mountains, their son was going through so much pain. "I didn't know what to do…" Ali was still muttering. "I couldn't move… I had to stay in here… and then… and then all those troubles in the desert… the magical stuff…" "What troubles in the desert?" Aladdin said worried. "What magical stuff…?" "I tried to do my best dad… I really tried… I just…" "Shhhh!" Aladdin calmed him. "That's okay Ali… I know you did your best… I know that… that's okay son… I'll take it from here… you just try to relax now." "I can fill you in." Cassim's voice sounded. "Mother, father… welcome back." "Cassim!" Jasmine said. "How are you son?" "I'm fine… Ali and I have been really busy with all what's happening in here. I've told Ali he really needed a rest. He hasn't slept in two days." Ali wasn't listening to them anymore. He kept his head resting on Aladdin's shoulder and his eyes closed. He was still shaking a little. "I need to talk to you, Cassim." Aladdin said. "As for you, Ali, you've done enough… go to have some sleep." "I can't sleep… not when Azul is out there!" Aladdin looked at Jasmine and she nodded embracing Ali and pulling him away from Aladdin slowly. "That's okay Ali… let's go to your room… I just need you to rest your eyes for a while… I'll stay with you." Ali looked at his mother and nodded. "I feel dizzy… I need to close my eyes for a while." "C'mon Ali…" She said leading him upstairs. "I'll prepare a tea for you… that will make you feel better." Ali stopped and turned to Aladdin. "Dad." He said in a steady voice. "I tried to do my best for Agrabah… and my brother Cassim was always there for me." "I know, and I'm proud of you sons… I'll take it from here Ali… Cassim will inform me about everything… you go to get some rest." Ali nodded and embraced Aladdin. "It's so good to have you back!" Aladdin rubbed his back and nodded at Jasmine. She nodded back in understanding. Ali wouldn't sleep unless they forced them too. And Jasmine was going to prepare a tea for him to help him sleep. When Ali pulled apart Jasmine grabbed his arm. "Now Ali, let's go to your room." "Yes mom…" He said placing his arm around Jasmine's shoulder. "Allah, it's so good to have you back!" Aladdin looked at them until they disappeared upstairs then he looked at Cassim and smiled. "Well son… what happened here?" The young prince started to give a full report to his father as they walked in the throne room direction. * * * Design by The Meanies |
