- PART ONE: THE LAST RAYS OF A CRESCENT LOVE -
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CHAPTER 4 - PART 2
Aswad entered Azul's room. She was at the window, staring at the night sky. She was lost in her thoughts and she didn't notice Aswad's presence until the man was right behind her. He leaned and talked softly. * * * * * Inside the room Azul was at the window once again, staring at the endless desert covered by the shadows of the night. She was fiddling absently with her tear shaped blue diamond, the necklace Ali had given to her the night of the Victory Dance after the war. The day they announced their engagement."This is so Ali." She said staring at the diamond. "He told me it was made of a piece of a diamond that had belonged to his family for generations… the mystic blue diamond, whatever that means… he had this made in the shape of a tear as a symbol that between us there wouldn't' be any tears… maybe if I concentrate hard enough using this diamond as a channel of some sort I could communicate with Ali… I've read diamonds are good for mystical stuff… and if this one is a mystic diamond… I hope this time this works. Last night was useless… I hope Ali is sleeping… Aswad is spreading the evil all over the deserts… only Sultan Aladdin and Ali can stop him… Ali has to know!" She took the diamond in her hands and closed her eyes. The image of Ali appeared there and Azul tried to concentrate on her fiancée. She blocked everything else. In the world only Ali existed. She held the diamond tighter. "Ali… please…" She was whispering. "You have to listen to me… I'm in Karak, Ali… I'm Azrak's blood… they need me here… because of my blood… Azrak…." Azul opened her eyes and rubbed her temple. She was feeling dizzy all the sudden and she was starting to have a slight headache. She leaned her hand against the wall searching for support and slowly she went to her bed. She was feeling so sleepy and tired. "Oh Ali… I know in your heart you can hear me…" She muttered. "I love you." That was the last she said before falling into a deep sleep. * * * * * Ali was sleeping in his bed after a couple of restless days. His mother, Queen Jasmine had given to him a tea to calm him down and even if he was sleeping it was a very uneasy rest. He was rolling on the bed and he had a very stressed expression on his face. He kept muttering the name of Azul over and over.And he was dreaming… It was a dark place. A huge and dark place. It was something in the air, a magical feeling, something almost mystical. It all seemed so blurred and so unreal. That place sent shivers down Ali's spine. And suddenly a voice calling his name. A very well known voice. A dear voice. Ali turned to the place that the voice was coming from. His heart throbbed when he saw Azul standing there. He tried to go to her, but as much as he tried to get closer, she was away from him. He couldn't reach her. She stretched her arms to him and he wanted to go to her, to protect her, to embrace her. In her face he could read the fear and desperation. And his heart ached seeing her like that. And yet, there was this determined expression on her face. "Azul!" He was crying. She was vanishing, she was nothing but a ghost. He tried to reach her, to keep her with him but he couldn't. She was disappearing right in front of his eyes. "Azrak…" She said, her voice barely audible. Then she disappeared. "No!" Ali said waking up from his dream. "Azul!" He looked around his room. His heart was beating fast and he was gasping for air. He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "It was a dream…" He said. He left his bed and went to the window. It was still dark but he knew dawn was about to come. He stared at the sky, a preoccupied expression on his face. "Az… rak…" He whispered softly. He took a piece of paper from his desk and wrote that word on it. He didn't want to forget it. "Azrak… that's what you said, Azul… what's Azrak? I think I've heard that name before… but where? Perhaps it's a place… or a sultan… it has to mean something… but what?" Ali took the portrait he had on his desk, the one with Azul and himself in it and stared at it for a long time, a sad expression on his face. "Maybe you are trying to tell me something, Azul… Azrak… blue…" Ali's eyes widened when he remembered where he had heard that name before. In the antiques store, those swords he had gotten for his father and himself… the merchant said those words belonged to Azrak, a powerful magician… he even had joked saying that maybe he was Azul's ancestor. "This has to mean something!" Ali said grabbing his clothes and changing his night clothes. "I have to figure this out… Azrak… I'm going to resolve this once and for all!" He took Azul's portrait from his night table and kissed it lovingly. "Hang on blue eyes… if this was a message from you, I'll get to the bottom of this… be strong… I love you!" * * * * * It was late morning when Cassim entered the library. He frowned when he noticed Ali was in there… sleeping on the books. He was resting his arms on the table and his head on his arms and he was sound asleep. Cassim approached him and noticed the mess of books he had there. And a sword on the table. He shook his head and put his hand on Ali's shoulder shaking him."Ali! Wake up! What are you doing?" "Wha--?" Ali said straightening himself and looking around drowsily. "What's…?" "Ali, why are you sleeping in here?" Ali looked at Cassim. He was oblivious of what was going on. He shook his head and looked around noticing he was in the library and not in his room. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I fell asleep…" He said in a throaty voice. "What time is it?" "It's 10:00 am… how long have you been in here?" "A few hours…" Ali said still rubbing his eyes. "Why?" Ali looked at Cassim and suddenly all his memories came to him. His eyes widened and he put his hand on Cassim's shoulder. "Cassim… have you ever heard of a disappearing store?" "What?" Cassim said stepping back to get rid of Ali's touch. "What are you talking about? Ali, you're still asleep!" "No!" Ali said grabbing his sword. "See this sword? There're two of them, one is mine and the other is dad's… we got them in this little antiques shop near the market… and I spent like 3 hours trying to find this store but it is no where to be found. I asked the people who live in that alley but they never saw that store, they said that store has never existed and I…" "Ali, stop!" Cassim said rubbing his head. "What are you talking about, for Allah's sake?" "I had a dream." Ali said slowly. "Last night… Azul was in it… it was all dark and mysterious… she told me a name, Cassim… she told me the name of Azrak." "Azrak? Blue?" "Yeah… when we bought these swords the man told us they belonged to Azrak, a powerful magician… the blue eyed one… what are the chances, Cassim? I joked telling Azul he might be her grandfather… look at the blade of the sword… "I will change your destiny"… when I woke up from that dream I left the palace and went to the store… I never found it again… but I know Azrak has something to do with this… now I know where to start looking for Azul… now I know…" "Wait a minute Ali… just listen to yourself and what you are saying… a dream, a disappearing store, you wandering in Agrabah in the middle of the night… a inscription on the blade of a sword… a word that you heard in a dream… that makes no sense!" "Cassim, I have this feeling… if I know who Azrak is or what he did maybe I'd have some clues… anything…" "But it was only a word you heard in a dream… the merchant said that word to you long ago, you related that word to Azul because of its meaning… now that word came to your head in your dreams because you are worried for your fiancée… you left the palace and looked for a little store in an alley in the middle of the night… you got lost and you couldn't find it… Ali this means nothing!" "But I know it means something! Azul was in my dreams, Cassim… the night she was kidnapped she tried to tell me… she tried to let me know… and I didn't listen to her… I abandoned her and left her all by her own… I know she's trying to tell me something here and this time I won't let her down… this time I am going to listen to her… I know my dream last night was her way of telling me what's going on." "Ali, you cannot just rely on dreams!" "This is my only chance!" "But Ali, I really think we should try a more realistic approach." "Realistic? With all the magic unleashed in the deserts? With our army fighting against magical things? Cassim I really don't think this is very realistic!" "I know but…" "Please…" Ali said. "Just help me look in the books!" "Ali…" Cassim meditated for a couple of seconds. "This is not going to do any good… this is only a waste of time… I really don't think you should believe in a dream." "Cassim," Ali looked at him seriously. "That dream is all I have… please, don't take this hope away from me." Ali's voice almost cracked at the last words. Cassim looked at him in silence and then he nodded. "Alright…" He said taking a book. "Have you found anything yet?" Ali smiled. "Thank you." He said sincerely. Cassim waved his hand trying not to give importance to the subject. "Do you have anything?" Cassim said. "Not yet…" Ali said paging through a book. "I've been here for several hours trying to find something… I've searched in the chronicles and in all these books but I can't find anything about Azrak." "These are historical books Ali… if this Azrak character was a magician I doubt we could find something about him in here…" Cassim took a book from the shelf. "I'm going to try to find his name in this index though." "A magician…" Ali whispered under his breath. "Maybe… so then maybe… Cassim!" He said enthusiastically. "Then maybe we could find something about him in those old magic books in Jafar's library!" "What? Where?" Cassim frowned and stepped back. "Oh no Ali… I'm not going there!" "But mom and dad always told me this Jafar guy had a lot of magical books in there… there must be something about Azrak in there… I know that!" "Ali, we've never been there… I don't think this is such a good idea…" "C'mon Cassim, I need you… you're real good with books… if you come to help me you'll be a great help… if you don't… then I'm leaving now." Ali turned to leave. Cassim looked at him and made a resigned face, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Ali, wait for me!" He said walking towards the door. "Thank you, brother." Ali smiled. * * * * * Ali and Cassim found out that Jafar's library was not only a very gloomy place, but a very messy place besides. The books had no order and it was hard to research through all those old magical books. Many of them were not even in Arabic and that made things even more complicated.After a long time Ali was paging through a book when the familiar word appeared in there. He smiled from ear to ear. "Azrak!" He announced triumphantly. "Here it is!" "What does it say?" Cassim asked interested. "It says he was a powerful magician who always used his powers for good… hmm…" He said reading as fast as he could. "It seems to me this guy was something… very powerful indeed… it's not usual to read about a good warlock, is it?" "Yes… but what else?" "Oh yeah… the book says this guy had an apprentice named Aswad… in time Aswad betrayed Azrak and joined the dark forces… his quest was the city of Karak…" Ali blinked at Cassim. "Where's Karak?" "I don't know… never heard of it before." "It must be a magical place… anyway… Aswad succeeded and he earned Karak's throne… the Dark City of Karak, place of dark magic and evil sorcerers… hmmm… this is interesting… we should find some references about Karak…" "Yes…" Cassim said already working on it. "What else does it say?" "When Aswad ruled over Karak, Azrak tried to stop it… it was a time when the evil was unleashed in the deserts… the dark magic ran rampant across the deserts…" Ali stopped and frowned. He meditated for a second. "Cassim… maybe this has to do with all those magical disturbances we've been having lately." "You think so?" Cassim said looking at Ali. He didn't want to believe in all that he was hearing for it was so unrealistic. "Maybe this whole thing is nothing but a big puzzle… we need to put the pieces together…" "But in any case, what does Azul have to do with all of this?" Cassim said. "Oh I don't know… but wait, there's more… Azrak put a spell on the city of Karak… a powerful spell that would vanish the city forever… but this spell was not perfect… it had two little troubles… first, as long as Azrak's blood remained in the city Karak would live… Azrak did this to protect himself… and second, Aswad produced a counter spell… the city would reappear in the deserts for 3 nights, a full moon, every time the stars were in a certain alignment…" Ali stopped as fear appeared on his face. "Oh my gosh! Cassim… if Azul's Azrak's descendant… she's Azrak's blood…" "What are the chances?" Cassim asked. "I-I don't know… but I have a bad feeling about this… and… and…" "What?" "Azul mentioned a strange star alignment… she was always looking at the night sky and telling me about that funny alignment those stars had… I never paid much attention to it though…" "Yes…" Cassim said thoughtfully. "The stars were aligning… I noticed that too… let me see that book." Cassim looked at the illustration in the book and frowned. He looked up at Ali seriously and nodded. "That's the alignment… Ali, we had a full moon in the past days." "The night Azul disappeared… there was a full moon that night!" Cassim opened the book he was searching for Ali to see it. "Here… these talks about Karak… it says the city of Karak would remain on Earth if Azrak's blood is in it… in the body of a male magician… or a maiden…" "Azul…!" Ali said under his breath. "I-" Cassim stammered. "I hate to admit this Ali… but it all fits…" "Oh Allah!" Ali smiled. "That means Azul is in the city of Karak… that means she's okay… I only have to go there and…" He stopped. "Where's Karak?" "I don't know…" Cassim said still reading. "The city was vanished one thousand years ago… I don't think we could find a map or anything." Ali took a look at the first book. He read the last lines of it and sighed helplessly. "Here it says that when the time comes only the Lion of the Desert could go to Karak and, along with Azrak's blood, vanish Karak forever… here it says the Lion of the Desert is the one who's proven in the roads of Courage, Purity and Wisdom… the one who has traveled the four roads of the universe… this means only one person knows where Karak is… I must find this Lion of the Desert, whoever he is… he has to help me… maybe he's a sorcerer or something… but where?" "I don't know." Cassim admitted. Ali had a preoccupied expression on his face. He read again everything they had found about Azrak and the city of Karak. After a while he looked at Cassim, determination in his eyes. "I'm leaving tonight Cassim." "But…" "I'm going to find this guy… whoever he is… he has to help me… I don't care what the price is… For Azul I'd pay the price in blood." "Ali… maybe you should…" Cassim stopped realizing he had no advice for Ali. "I'm going to talk to my parents about this…" Ali said grabbing both books and leaving the library. Cassim sighed and followed him closing and locking carefully the door of the library behind him. * * * * * Ali went to the throne room. He had requested everyone to be there for he was going to make an important announcement. Aladdin, Jasmine and Cassim were there along with Azul's parents Bassel and Sadira. After some discussion Aladdin agreed the twins to stay in there, for he knew the twins loved Azul as a sister and they were really worried for her. When Ali was in front of his family he started."I've asked you to come because I have something to tell you all… we've been researching today." Ali smiled at Cassim. "After a dream I had last night… I don't know how logical this can sound to you but… but Azul was in my dream… and she gave me a hint… a clue… I know this sounds weird but… but I followed that clue… and with Cassim's help I discovered something very important." "What is it, son?" "Azul… she's been kidnapped by a man named Aswad… from a city named Karak." "Aswad?" Jasmine said. "Who is he?" "Where's Karak?" Aladdin asked. "One thousand years ago lived a man named Azrak… a powerful magician…" Ali looked at Sadira. "And your ancestor, ma'am… thus Azul's ancestor." "What?" Sadira said. "But what this… where's Azul? What happened to her?" "I'll explain everything… listen closely…" For the next half hour Ali told them all about Azrak and the city of Karak. Everyone was surprised but it all made sense. That explained what was happening with the magical attacks and all. Everyone was surprised at hearing Ali's story. "If things are this way," Ali finished. "Then I have to go find Karak to save Azul… as long as she's in this city the dark magic will be unleashed in the deserts… our only chance to stop this once and for all is taking Azul out of that cursed place." "But we don't even know where Karak is…" Aladdin said thoughtfully. "I know… and the book says only one person knows the way to Karak… someone the book calls The Lion of the Desert." "But who is he?" Jasmine asked. "I don't know mom… but I'm going to find him… I'm going to look all over the deserts for him… and when I find him I'll go to Karak to save Azul… and finish with this." "But Ali," Jasmine said. "You don't even know where to find this man!" "I know mom… I know I have no idea… he could be anywhere but… I have to start looking for him at once. I can't afford losing more time… I have to do this… this is for Azul." "He is right, Jasmine." Aladdin said taking his wife's hand. "I'd do the same thing for you." "Azrak's blood…" Sadira said in disbelief. "Maybe that's why I had those skills with magic." "Magical or not, the only thing I want is my daughter back." Bassel said. "I know sir." Ali replied. "I want her back as much as you… and I'm going to find her… I promise I'll bring her back home… safe and sound… even if that takes my life." A long silence was made in the throne room. Every one was lost in their own thoughts. Najila turned to Nasir. "Ali is leaving after Azul." She whispered. "He's going to live a lot of adventures!" He whispered back. "He'll bring her back!" "And he'll return a hero." The twins smiled at each other and looked admiringly at Ali. He had a serious expression on his face. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Aladdin and Jasmine. "Sultan Aladdin, Queen Jasmine…" He said in his formal voice. "I am asking for permission to leave my posts as the Grand Vizier of Agrabah and the General of the Royal Army for a while… until I'm back in Agrabah… with my fiancée Azul." Aladdin looked at Jasmine. They were really preoccupied. Aladdin took Jasmine's hand and for a moment they just read all their thoughts in each other's eyes. After a while Jasmine nodded and Aladdin nodded back. He turned to Ali. "So be it!" He said. "Thanks dad." Ali sighed in relief recovering his normal voice. "Where are you leaving?" Jasmine asked softly. "Tonight mom… I'm leaving tonight." * * * * * Azul was staring at the window in her room. She had spent the whole day in the library and she had been learning more and more about Aswad and the city of Karak."I wish I could escape," She was thinking. "Although it'd be really hard… almost impossible, but I won't stay here knowing that my blood is giving life to the city… somehow… going away is the only way I could help the deserts… and I'm going to escape… I won't stay here… tomorrow I'm going to wander around the ground level of the palace and I'm going to find a way out… but first I have to find something in the library… something about the spell my ancestor used to vanish the city, just in case… there's so much to do in here… but in order to accomplish my plans I have to earn Aswad's trust… as much as I hate it I have to act smooth when he's around… maybe if I make him believe I'm giving up he'd give me more freedom…" She stared at the sky. It was almost dark by then and she knew the guards would bring her food very soon and then she'd have the opportunity to earn a little more of their trust. "Oh Ali…" She sighed. "My beloved Ali… where are you? I've been trying to talk to you in your dreams but it all seems so useless." She whispered fiddling with her necklace. "But you've been in my dreams all this time… my boy, I don't know where you are or what you are doing… but I keep myself praying to Allah for you… because I'm fine in here… I know I can escape if I work things out… and they are treating me well after all… but you, you my love… I don't know if you are in the desert… but I can imagine what you're going through Ali, because I know you wouldn't leave me alone and I know you're looking for me… my prince… I love you Ali… you are my entire life." The door opened suddenly interrupting her thoughts. She turned to see who was coming and she saw the now familiar figure of Majid standing in there. The guard bowed to her and spoke. "My lord Aswad sent me to you. He's waiting for you in the dinning room." "What?" Azul frowned. "He wants me to join him for dinner?" Majid just nodded. Azul bit her lower lip and thought for a second. She couldn't go against the wishes of Aswad if she wanted to earn his trust. "I cannot aggravate the wishes of the Lord of Karak." She said in her best formal voice. "Please Majid, lead the way." "Please, follow me this way ma'am." Majid said bowing. As she was walking down the hall to the dinning room she way trying to memorize her way around the huge palace. She knew it was going to be helpful in the future. Finally they entered a huge dinning room. It was as dark and elegant as the rest of the palace. Aswad stood up to receive her. "Azul." He said in a formal tone. "It's a real pleasure to have you here for dinner. I knew you wouldn't reject my invitation." "How could I?" She said trying to be polite but not familiar. "You are the lord of the palace and I've been taught I should never reject diplomatic dinners." She said having a seat. "Diplomacy, huh?" Aswad said motioning for his servants to serve dinner. "I don't see this as a diplomatic meeting young Azul… this is more like… a cordial dinner. We are going to spend a lot of time together and I really don't want to see you as a guest of this palace anymore… you are part of Karak now and I want you to understand that." "I understand." She said almost under her breath. "Your grandfather Azrak, he was a great man… I never stopped admiring him. He was the greatest magician I've ever known but his mind… he had the wrong priorities. He could have been much more than he was. If he only had listened to me. I really wanted him to join me in Karak but he never accepted. His ideas about morality and good were misguided… this is about power, and I know you understand that." Aswad stopped and looked at Azul. She had her eyes focused on her food and she was eating in silence. But it was obvious that what Aswad was saying interested her, for he could see her thoughtful expression on her face. He smiled and continued. "I'm offering to you the same thing I offered Azrak one thousand years ago… power, Azul… endless power… of course you don't have another choice, for you'll stay in here like it or not but as I said, I don't want you to be my prisoner… or my guest… I want you to be more than that… you can be more than that and you know that… your blood is powerful, Azul… you hold inside you a power you can't even suspect… Karak needs you, Azul… I know I brought you in here in a very rude way… but I don't want to force you to stay in here… if you're going to live the rest of your life among us in Karak I think you should consider the idea of joining us… you Azul, you could be the Queen of Karak… what do you think of that?" Azul's heart was aching and she was not happy with what she was hearing. She wanted to scream and to slap Aswad but she tried to control herself and just smiled weakly. "What you're offering me is very generous, Lord Aswad…" She said in a very polite voice. "But you must understand this is not easy for me… what you're offering me is something huge… I just… I can't quite understand this whole thing. You must understand I need time to understand things… time for this to sink in for me…" "I understand that." Aswad nodded. "But your words and your attitude tell me you are interested in my offer." "You're offering so much." She said with a small faked smile. "This is something I really have to consider…" "I knew you were a smart, intelligent woman." Aswad smiled. "You can have as much time as you want… after all you'll spend the rest of your life here in Karak… but for everyone's sake I really expect a response soon." "And you'll have it, sir… you can be sure about it." Aswad smiled at her and leaned over to touch her hand. She tried to pull her hand away but it was late, for Aswad was already holding it. "Please, call me Aswad…" He said in a very smooth voice. "If we are going to spend so much time together I think we really should get close to each other, don't you think?" "That's fine… Aswad." Azul pulled her hand away slowly. "No need to be nervous." He said smiling at her. "I won't hurt you… but I have to tell you Azul, that dress looks wonderful on you… and that hairdo… you are really a beautiful woman." "Thank you." She said politely. Aswad spent the rest of the dinner talking about Karak and all the plans he had for the future. Azul was trying to act polite and seem interested in what Aswad was saying. She knew that information could be useful in the future. "One of these days I'll take you to visit the whole palace." He said at last. "I'm sure you'll find very interesting things around. Maybe that could convince you about my proposition." "Perhaps." She said. "I'm so glad you decided to accept my invitation for dinner tonight, Azul. And I really want this to be an everyday thing…" He turned to Majid. "I want her to have dinner here with me every night." "Yes my Lord." "Would you like it, Azul?" "That'd be quite an honor." She said and even if she was trying, she didn't sound very convinced. "Perfect." Aswad smiled. "Now if you excuse me… Aswad… I think it's time for me to go back to my room… it's been a long day and I'm tired… and I have a lot of things to think about it." Aswad stood up and helped her to stand up. "Certainly Azul…" He turned to his guard. "Majid, escort her to her room." "Yes my Lord." Azul nodded at Aswad and he smiled at her. She left the room and Aswad sat back on his chair smiling. "This is going well… it's going very well indeed." When Azul was all alone in her room she smiled and went to the window. She looked at the desert and then her gaze went to the sky. "He's trusting me… he's really trusting me… if I get to visit the whole palace as he said I would I could ask him questions… I'm going to ask him for that visit to be soon… this is valuable information I need to get before escaping… not that I can escape now anyway, first I need to know this palace inside and out… oh Ali, I'll do my best… you'll see… I love you Ali… I love you…" * * * * * The night had fallen over Agrabah. The stars were shinning up in the sky. It was a quiet and warm night.In the palace of Agrabah Aladdin entered his chambers. Jasmine was sitting in front of her mirror and turned to him as soon as she heard him entering. "Aladdin…" She said preoccupied. "How's Ali?" "He's fine…" Aladdin said thoughtfully sitting on the bed. "He just finished preparing his stuff for the travel… I was with him in his room… he has everything ready now… he went now to check on Reeh…" "So he is really leaving tonight." "Yes…" Aladdin said sadly. "I'm worried for him, Aladdin… this is a blind quest… he has no idea what exactly he's looking for… or where to start…" "I know… I know and I'm worried for him as well… but then I look at his face… there's this deep pain and desperation in his eyes… and I can understand him, Jasmine. I know I'd do the same thing for you." "Oh, my love!" She said going to sit beside him. Aladdin placed his arm around Jasmine's shoulders and pulled her close to him. She rested her head in her husband's chest. They were silent for several minutes, worried expressions on their faces. "I feel terrible." Aladdin finally said. "We were having such a good time while Ali was going through so much pain…" "Well, we had no idea… I feel terrible too but that was beyond our control." "Yeah…" "The important thing is that we are here now, with him." "For a few more hours." "Oh Allah!" Jasmine said helplessly. "If there was a way we could help him… I wish we could help him… somehow…" Suddenly Aladdin's eyes widened and he looked down at Jasmine. "Maybe we can!" "How?" "The Oracle!" Jasmine pulled away and blinked at Aladdin, a preoccupied expression on her face. Aladdin was looking deep into her eyes. "Aladdin… the Oracle… you know the kind of troubles it caused before!" "I know, I know… but this is different Jasmine… at least Ali could learn the exact location of that city of Karak or whatever… I really think this could work…" "I don't know… I want to help Ali, I really do… but the Oracle… Ali would have only one chance in his life to use the powers of this Oracle… just one question… are you sure this is the right time for him?" "I understand your concern, Jasmine… but look at our boy… he's dying inside… it pains me to see him like this… and the fact that he's leaving tonight pains me… but we can give him some directions… the Oracle can give him some directions… I know this is his only chance… I know he only has one question… but I think he's the one that has to decide if he wants to use his question now… we must let him to make this decision…" "Yes… I guess you are right…" Aladdin smiled and kissed Jasmine's hands amorously. "This is different Jasmine… I went after a father I'd never known… Ali is going after Azul, his reason to live… I think he deserves this opportunity." "Yes." She said softly. "Let's go find Ali." * * * * * Ali was in the menagerie. He had just finished preparing everything for his travel. He knew he had to get some rest before starting his journey but he also knew he could never sleep under those circumstances.He was in the far away spot in the menagerie where Azul and himself used to go. The very same place when they had kissed for the first time. It was a very private place for him. He went there every time he wanted to be alone and think. He was sitting on the bench looking absently at the nightly garden and holding a little branch of lemon blossoms in his hand. The azhar flowers, Azul's aroma. He was rolling the branch in his fingers, sighing deeply every now and then, letting that soft perfume flood his lungs. Many memories of happy times were coming to his head, one after another. He had spent wonderful moments with his beloved Azul in the past couple of years. They had gone through the good and the bad times. He had always found in her comprehension, support, advice but most of all, an unconditional love. "You made me the man I am now." He whispered. "How could I abandon you now? I'm going to find you, Azul… I don't know how or where or when but I will find you… even if that takes my life… even if that takes a lifetime… I'm going to find you my love… it is a promise." He sighed deeply and lowered his eyes. He was feeling so lonely, so useless but most of all he was feeling so guilty. He hid his face in his hands and rubbed his face desperately muttering her name over and over. "Ali…" He looked up and discovered his parents standing there right in front of him. He didn't even try to smile. He just looked at them with a helpless expression on his handsome face and then he lowered his gaze. "How are you sweetheart?" Jasmine asked sitting by his side and placing her arm around his shoulders. "I'm fine mom…" "Do you have everything ready?" Aladdin asked. "Yes dad… everything is ready… I have my stuff ready in my room… I'm going to take Azrak's sword with me… and your dagger…" "Good." Aladdin said. "You should get some sleep before leaving, Ali." "I know mom… but… I don't think I could sleep anyway… I want to leave Agrabah by midnight… that way I'll travel by night… it's always better…" "Where are you going kid?" Aladdin asked softly. "I-I-I really don't know." Ali said hiding his face in his hands again. "But I cannot stay in here… I need to find this guy… this Lion of the Desert… he's the only one that can lead me to Karak…" Jasmine was caressing Ali's hunched back amorously. She looked up at Aladdin, a sad look in her eyes and nodded at him. Aladdin returned the same sad and preoccupied look and nodded back. "Ali… listen to me…" Ali looked up at his father. "There's a way… there's something you can use to discover what's the best path you must follow to find Karak… and Azul…" "And what is it, dad?" Ali asked interested, knowing that his parents always had the power to make things better. "It's an artifact we've kept for many years… it helped your father once… and we thought we should keep it for it could be useful for you and your siblings in the future…" "What is it?" "This…" Aladdin said presenting the Oracle to Ali. The young prince stared at the staff for a couple of seconds and then his eyes widened with surprise. "Isn't that… isn't that the Oracle?" "It is." Jasmine said. "But… but I thought it had sunk with the Island… I thought it was lost… you never told me you still had it…" "We recovered it." Aladdin said. "But we decided to keep it a secret because we know the powers of this thing." "And the kind of troubles it had caused before." Jasmine completed. "But…" Ali said but he couldn't continue. He was impressed. A tale from his childhood was a reality in front of him. The Oracle. "You only have one question." Aladdin was explaining to him. "That means that if you use your question now you won't have any second chance… this is hard to decide because you never know if you could need it again in the future." "We were wondering if this is the right time for you to use your question." Jasmine said. "But your father thought it is your decision." "So…" Ali said staring at the staff Aladdin was holding. "This thing could answer me any question I have?" "Yes…" Aladdin said. "You could ask her where you can find the city of Karak." "That way I wouldn't have to find the Lion of the Desert…" Ali smiled. "That'd be great… I mean, if this works I'd have a direction to follow." "Yes," Jasmine said. "But you must understand this is your only chance… ever." "I know." Ali said. They were silent for a while. Ali was lost in his thoughts, just staring at the Oracle. Aladdin and Jasmine were looking at each other and then at Ali. Finally Aladdin spoke. "So.. Ali… are you sure you want to use your ques-" "Yes," Ali interrupted him firmly. "I'm sure." "Alright." Aladdin said. "You just have to promise us you won't tell your siblings anything about the Oracle… we want to keep it a secret until we consider they need it… this is a dangerous thing and we don't want anyone to know we still have it. This is a secret between us, is that clear, Ali?" "Yes… I'll keep the secret." "We trust you son… then… here, take it." Aladdin said handing the staff to Ali. Ali was going to take it but he stopped. He looked up at Aladdin. "Um…" He said nervously. "How do you use this thing? How do you make her come out?" "Just hold it…" Aladdin said. "Hold it and ask your question." Ali took the Oracle from Aladdin's hands. He held it in his hands for a long while just staring at it and running his hands all over it. It was part of the tales of his childhood. He smiled and shook his head. "This is amazing…" He whispered. "The Oracle!" "Ask your question." Jasmine suggested softly. Ali nodded. Aladdin put his arm around Jasmine's shoulder and they stepped back. Ali looked at the staff in his hands and sighed deeply. He gulped and held the staff in front of him. "Where can I find the city of Karak?" He asked in a firm and steady voice. But Ali wasn't prepared for what happened next. Flashes and rays of lights illuminated the place as a wind was suddenly unleashed, messing Ali's hair almost savagely. The staff was shaking violently in his grip and suddenly it flew out of his hand. Ali stepped back in shock, his eyes wide open in surprise and his mouth hanging open. He never expected anything like that.
"It's the Oracle, son…" Aladdin said softly behind Ali. "Oh Allah…" Ali could barely whisper. "I cannot answer your question, Prince Ali." The mysterious voice of the Oracle said. "I cannot tell you where Karak is." "But…" Ali said recovering from his surprise. "I thought you knew everything… everything that was, everything that is and everything that will be!" "I do… but there are answers that I cannot give away, even if I know them… there are journeys that must be taken… this is one of them." "But…" "The only thing I can tell you," The Oracle said interrupting Ali. "Is where you should start your journey… learn this… only the Lion of the Desert can find Karak… him and only him… if you want to find Karak you must find the Lion of the Desert first." Ali looked back at his parents, surprise still showed on his face. Aladdin and Jasmine nodded at him. He looked back at the Oracle and thought for a second. Then he spoke with a clear and firm voice. "So tell me then, where should I start my journey? Where can I find the Lion of the Desert?" "To find him you must follow a long way… your journey will lead you to him… it's the journey that will lead you to Karak… there's so much you must learn from this journey. You have to follow the four roads of the Universe in order to find the Lion of the Desert." "But that tells me nothing!" Ali said desperately. "Please, tell me where should I start my journey?" "You must go to the West… there's a small village in the desert… the village of Hessa. Your journey starts there." "Hessa…" Ali repeated. "To the west…" "Your journey won't be easy, Prince Ali… but if you find the Lion of the Desert you will find Karak." All of a sudden the light and the wind vanished as the Oracle returned to her staff. Ali caught the staff before it hit the ground. He stared at him for a long moment. Everything was so quiet and so peaceful now. He shook his head trying to convince himself it hadn't been a dream. Aladdin put his hand on Ali's shoulder. The prince looked at him, surprise still showed on his face. "Hessa…" He said softly. "I have to go to Hessa… my journey will start there." "You have to promise us you'll take care of yourself, Ali." Aladdin said. "Don't worry dad… I will." Ali embraced both of his parents and the three of them stayed in there sharing that group hug for a long while. Ali pulled away and smiled at them, presenting the Oracle to them. "Thank you dad… thank you mom… now at least I know where I should go." "Allah will lead you in your journey." Ali smiled and nodded. He returned the staff to Aladdin and he leaned to kiss Jasmine's cheek and then he embraced Aladdin tightly. "I better go to get everything ready now… I'm leaving now." He took Aladdin's and Jasmine's hands in his and stared to them for a long while. Finally he smiled weakly and released their hands, and ran to the palace. Aladdin and Jasmine stayed in there, looking at him until he disappeared inside the palace. "He's leaving again…" Jasmine said sadly. "But he'll return… as always." Aladdin said embracing his wife. * * * * * It was midnight. The wane moon was high in the sky. Aladdin was in the menagerie. Reeh was in there, saddled and ready to go. Aladdin was patting the head of the good horse."Take care of my boy, Reeh… bring him back home safe and sound." The loyal horse neighed and shook his head as if nodding at Aladdin's words. The Sultan of Agrabah smiled and caressed the messy mane of Reeh. "Good boy." He said. Aladdin noticed Ali and Jasmine were approaching the scene. He smiled when they saw them. Ali had his protective arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "I'll be fine mom… I promise I'll take good care of myself… you have nothing to worry about." "I'll be praying for you, my dear." "Thank you mom." Ali smiled at Aladdin. The Sultan returned the smile and looked at Ali. He was wearing his desert clothes and his cape with the "A+A" pin Azul had gotten for him in Alexandria a while ago. "Everything is ready, Ali?" Aladdin asked. "Your saddles? Money? Your weapons? Food?" "Everything is ready, dad." He smiled. "I'll be fine." "Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?" "No mom… I have just everything… I checked my luggage twice… I have to travel light… I have enough money, enough food… I have Azrak's sword, my dad's dagger… I have maps… enough water… my desert clothes… my royal ring around my neck…" He opened Reeh's saddle. "I have Azul's portrait with me and my A+A pin…" He patted Reeh's head. "I have the best horse in the Seven Deserts… and most important, I have your blessing." Aladdin and Jasmine smiled and went to embrace Ali. They pulled away and Aladdin spoke. "Did you say your goodbyes to your siblings?" "Yeah… to Cassim and the twins… I think Cassim is a little worried and not very convinced of this but… oh well… as for the kids, they are scared… I tried to explain things to them but they are so worried for Azul… and for me." "We'll talk to them." Aladdin said. "Don't worry." "Thanks dad… I also talked to Azul's parents… they are so scared… but I promised I'll bring Azul back home… safe and sound… it is a promise." "We know you always fulfill your promises, Ali." Jasmine said. "But remember, if Azul comes back safe and sound then you have to come back safe and sound as well… her life has no meaning without you." "I know… as much as my life has no meaning without her." "Yes." "Don't worry mom… dad… I'll do my best… you'll be proud of me… you take care of Agrabah and try to keep those magical problems under control… as soon as I take Azul out of Karak everything will be fine… and then the problems will end and you'll know I've succeeded." "We'll be looking forward to that moment." "And for the moment you're back home… with your fiancée." Ali smiled and nodded. "Start preparing the wedding!" He said. Aladdin and Jasmine smiled tenderly and nodded. "We will, son." "Well…" Ali said. "I want to arrive in Hessa by morning so… I guess I better be going now." "Yeah." Ali looked at his parents and went down on one knee in front of them. "Mom… dad… can I have your blessing?" Aladdin looked at Jasmine. Tears were running down her face. He sighed deeply and touched Ali's head. "May Allah be with you, my son." "He will protect you and bring you back home… safe and sound." Jasmine completed. Ali smiled and stood up. He embraced Jasmine tightly and kissed her cheek. Then he did the same with Aladdin. "I'll be fine… it's a promise." "Take care son." "We'll be waiting for you." Ali smiled and mounted Reeh. The beautiful horse paced back and forth happily sensing a new adventure was about to start. Ali looked down at his parents. "I'll be back… may Allah be with you." "And with you, son." "I love you mom… I love you dad." "We love you Ali." He nodded and patted Reeh's neck. "Alright Reeh… it's time… to the west, to find the village of Hessa." Reeh neighed happily and ran in the door's of the palace direction. Before them crossed those doors, Ali turned to his parents waving them a last good bye. Then he disappeared. "May Allah be with you, son…" Aladdin whispered waving his hand. "We love you… Ali, my little boy." Aladdin looked down at his wife and embraced her tightly. They said nothing but they both made a prayer in their hearts for their son to succeed in his journey… and come back home soon. * * * Design by The Meanies |
