So no matter what plans Jafar tried to hatch this time, they were bound to fail.
But the prideful fool didn't know that. To Jafar, it probably seemed like he still had everything under control.
"Whatever," Jafar snorted, quickly shifting the topic. "You cannot simply parade in here uninvited and expect to—"
But before he could finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted.
"My goodness, this is quite a remarkable device," the Sultan said, examining the Magic Carpet. Tugging thoughtfully on his moustache, he gently pulled one of the carpet's tassels. "I don't suppose I might…?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. Allow me," Aladdin replied, understanding what the Sultan wanted. He helped the Sultan sit comfortably on the Magic Carpet. But just before they could fly off, Jafar suddenly pinned the carpet down with his staff.
"Sire, I must advise against this."
"Oh, button up, Jafar. Learn to have a little fun," the Sultan responded, slightly annoyed as he kicked away the staff.
Carpet flew towards the ceiling with Sultan laughing loudly through the ride.
Jafar narrowed his eyes at Aladdin, "Just where did you say that you're from?"
"The Empire of Ababwa," Aladdin replied with a smile.
Jafar frowned, "I've never heard of an Empire called Ababwa."
"We're a prosperous empire that loves to keep to ourselves," Aladdin replied, "It's not surprising that someone of your calibre has never heard of us."
Aladdin nimbly stepped to the side as Carpet came diving down with the Sultan and chased Iago around the throne room.
Jafar quickly ducked, but he was forced to move out of the way once more, as Iago was sent crashing into a pillar by the Sultan, who approached them again.
"Out of the way, I'm coming to land, Jafar," the Sultan shouted. "Watch this!" As he jumped out of the flying carpet and landed on his butt.
"Spectacular, your highness," Jafar praised.
"Ohh, lovely. Yes, I do seem to have a knack for it," the Sultan responded.
Carpet tried to steady himself before he was caught by Aladdin and then folded together. "Rest for a little while, buddy," Aladdin said softly.
Carpet which was still floating into the air, was gently tucked under his arms.
"This is a very impressive youth. And a prince as well," the Sultan said, scrutinising Aladdin once more. Then, he turned to whisper to Jafar, "If we're lucky, you won't have to marry Jasmine after all."
"I don't trust this Prince Abooboo, sir," Jafar replied, frowning.
"Nonsense. One thing that I pride myself on is being an excellent judge of character," the Sultan responded.
"Oh, excellent judge, yeah sure.. not!!" Iago whispered to himself.
"I think that Princess Jasmine will like this one!" the Sultan said, pointing at Aladdin as he looked at Jafar.
Observing as the plot followed the same rhythm, as the Sultan and Jafar continued to argue with each other, Aladdin quickly interjected, "Can we slow down? I have something to say?"
The Sultan and Jafar turned to look at Aladdin and said simultaneously, "What?!"
"I have heard much about Princess Jasmine, even in the distant lands of Ababwa. Rumours speak of her as the true gem of the Kingdom of Agrabah. They say her spirit is more resilient than an oasis in the heart of the desert, and her personality as vast as the sky, and unique as the meeting of day and night," Aladdin said, removing his headpiece and bowing respectfully before the Sultan.
"If Princess Jasmine would allow me the honour of merely admiring her beauty, I would count myself happier than the birds that find refuge in an oasis after a long journey through the desert. And if she would one day allow me the greater honour of taking her hand in marriage, I would stand beside her always, supporting her dreams and granting the desires of her heart, just as the clouds cradle the endless sky."
"Therefore, I humbly ask that no one here makes a decision concerning Princess Jasmine until I have the privilege of meeting her myself and hearing her answer from her own lips."
[I dropped some lines for you, guys. Treat her like a Disney princess once in a while. Don't mention it.]
That was it. The speech he had prepared and put together to capture Princess Jasmine's heart.
Aladdin knew her character well enough to understand that restricting her future to a royal decision was a surefire way to be blocked from entering her heart. So he went all out, showing respect to the Sultan despite his status, because he knew that Jasmine was already at the corner observing their discussion to understand what kind of man he was.
So he laid it all out before her.
As Aladdin completed his speech, he put on his headpiece and straightened his back.
Iago's beak parted slightly before he swiftly closed it shut and whistled sharply. "What a champ! I don't think Jafar could ever pull out such a heart-stirring note…"
Jafar and the Sultan were in disbelief at Aladdin's words for a moment before they swiftly regained their composure.
"Bravo! What a man! What a Prince! You're not only humble, but you also understand the value that I place on my Jasmine and how close I hold her to my heart. You've already won my approval, Prince Ali, but since you've said so, I'll keep my mouth closed and let Jasmine make the decision herself," the Sultan said, his expression filled with admiration.
"You don't need to be afraid. I'm certain that Jasmine will certainly accept your proposal."
"Your Highness, I think that you should tread this matter with caution. This boy might be trying to put on a false front to deceive you and the princess. Who knows if the Empire of Ababwa he speaks of is even real…" Jafar said.
But before he could complete his sentence, a sharp feminine voice tore through the throne room.
"ENOUGH!! I don't want to hear another word out of you, Jafar!"
***
[Princess Jasmine P.O.V]
What kind of prince is he?
That was a question Jasmine had stopped asking herself after the first twenty princes had come seeking her hand in marriage.
Although her father had his flaws, such as appointing Jafar as his royal vizier. If there was one thing he had done exceedingly well, it was being a capable husband and father. He had raised her single-handedly since the day her mother passed away.
Yet none of these princes could measure up to him.
They were all arrogant, liars, obnoxious, self-conceited, and selfish, and most importantly, they didn't care about what she wanted. It was as though they had immediately assumed that she would accept their proposal the moment she met them.
The audacity to seek her hand in marriage and not ask what she thought about it!
It wasn't that her demands were too much. It was simply that these princes didn't even meet the minimum requirement, which was to be a good man. Even if she lowered her standards, she would rather take a camel through the eye of a needle than marry a prince who was any less than her father.
Better to stay unmarried than marry a mistake.
Better to remain the Princess of Agrabah than to become the Queen and forever lose her freedom.
"If I don't go meet him, father would probably come drag me out, or that prince, whoever he is, would probably barge into my room just like the others," Jasmine said, rubbing Rajah's furry head as she stood up from her bed.
"Come on, Rajah, let's go meet this prince."
Rajah followed beside her as she walked out of the room.
At first, she wanted to head over to her private garden, where she usually hosted the princes seeking her hand in marriage. But then she found herself drawn toward the throne room.
With her emotions still in turmoil from the loss of that man, she decided to see what kind of person this Prince Ali was before deciding to have Rajah deal with him like the others.
"Head to the garden. I'll meet you there," Jasmine said, gently patting Rajah as she parted ways with him.
Upon her arrival, Jasmine heard a ruckus unfolding in the throne room. She quickly hid in a corner to observe what was transpiring. She watched as Aladdin met her father, right up until he butted heads with Jafar, causing her to chuckle lightly in approval.
She also found her father's antics on the magic carpet amusing.
Humble. Sharp-witted. Confident. Not afraid of Jafar. Prince Ali turned out to be much more pleasing to the eye than she had assumed.
Yet she still didn't hold much hope.
Until…
"I have heard much about Princess Jasmine, even in the distant lands of Ababwa. Rumours speak of her as the true gem of the Kingdom of Agrabah. They say her spirit is more resilient than an oasis in the heart of the desert, and her personality as vast as the sky, unique as the meeting of day and night."
/////
I didn't plan on updating on the weekends, but I didn't inform you guys on time, so here you go. Don't expect any chapter next time.
I did some research on the characters so I could bring them to life in my writing.
Expect the plot to fully deviate from here. Expect the songs, though, I love them.
Someone asked what worlds I would be adding after Aladdin. I haven't yet decided between Mulan and Tangled. After that, the next would surely be Moana.
What do you guys think?
One more thing... MMOORREE POWERSTONES!!