"YOU…!"
Before Jafar could finish his words, Genie's hand suddenly enlarged, and he punched him square in the face.
BAMM!!
Jafar's head smashed against the pillar once more.
"That's for putting Al's life in danger and trying to become the master of the lamp," Genie said solemnly.
If Al had been foolish enough to hand the magic lamp to Jafar, Genie would have become enslaved by another despicable master, who would've used him only for his selfish desires.
Afterwards, the lamp would likely have been sealed away again, trapping Genie for who knew how many more millennia.
Fortunately, that hadn't happened. Instead, Aladdin had helped him gain his freedom.
Aladdin's wishes hadn't been selfish. They were made to protect themselves and those they cared about in a dangerous world.
Genie was glad to grant them before gaining his freedom.
"You can take over from here," he said, waving dismissively toward Jafar as he turned away.
Aladdin nodded and turned toward Iago.
Iago was pretending to be unconscious. His eyes twitched uncontrollably, and the bottom of the cage beneath him was suspiciously wet.
Aladdin remembered that in the series, it was revealed that Jafar had infused magic into Iago, turning him into a familiar with astonishing, human-like intelligence.
He briefly wondered if Abu had unknowingly undergone a similar process before. However, since there was no way to confirm it right now, he temporarily pushed the thought aside.
Although Iago had eventually become a good and trusted companion to Aladdin and Jasmine in the series, that only happened after his redemption, following his betrayal when he chose to support Jafar again after his return. That event had nearly cost Aladdin and Jasmine their lives.
Even in the movie, Iago had never shown himself to be much of a compassionate pet due to Jafar's influence.
If he were the original Aladdin, he might have looked forward to Iago's eventual redemption. But he only had one life, and he had no intention of wasting it.
Even Genie couldn't bring the dead back to life.
One thing Aladdin refused to do was allow such events to play out again, especially since his presence in this world could create a butterfly effect that might cause things to spiral beyond his control.
If he wanted a talking parrot or magical pet, he could always learn to infuse a creature with magic or purchase one for himself someday.
There was no reason to gamble on a fated redemption, especially when it offered him little value beyond a potential friendship he didn't particularly need.
Aladdin walked over to the cage and picked it up.
"I know you're awake, Iago."
He shook the cage.
A loud snoring sound came from inside.
Aladdin reached forward and plucked one of Iago's red feathers.
Iago trembled but remained motionless.
Aladdin pulled out another feather. Seeing that Iago still hadn't moved an inch, though the cage had grown even wetter and now smelled terrible, Aladdin became annoyed.
Just as he was about to pull out two more feathers at once, Iago suddenly sprang to his feet and shouted,
"Enough! Please stop! How much more do you expect me to take before you stop pulling my feathers?! Aah! It hurts! It hurts! It was all Jafar! He came up with the idea to trick you into giving him the lamp and stealing the Princess for himself! He even wanted to kill you! I did nothing wrong!"
He collapsed into his own mess, using his wings like arms as he faced Aladdin, crying profusely.
"Why didn't you inform the Sultan or Jasmine about this?" Aladdin asked, raising a brow.
"I couldn't," Iago said, wiping away his tears as though he had just found a chance to escape his fate.
"I couldn't do anything because Jafar would have found out and thrown me in the ditch, too. If we were all in the ditch, there would be no one outside to plan a rescue mission. So I decided to stall for time and wait for the right moment to act and rescue them."
"Hmm... And how am I supposed to know that you're telling the truth?" Aladdin asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I'll do anything to prove that I'm telling the truth," Iago pleaded.
Aladdin pretended to think deeply for a moment before shaking his head tiredly.
"Unfortunately, I don't believe you, and I don't think I ever will."
He dropped the cage back onto the floor.
"You'll be punished just like your master."
Iago's face somehow turned pale.
"P-please… don't do this to me. I'm innocent… hic!" Iago cried, gripping the bars of the cage and looking up at Aladdin pleadingly.
He ignored Jafar's murderous glare.
Aladdin paid him no attention. Instead, he focused on the door as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
Genie floated beside Aladdin and hovered behind him.
Soon, the Sultan, Jasmine, and Abu, who was dressed in princely attire and riding on Carpet, entered the room alongside a multitude of royal guards.
"I came as fast as I could. Thank goodness you're safe. I thought you might have trouble handling Jafar alone. You certainly are full of surprises, Prince Ali," the Sultan said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief the moment he saw that Aladdin was unharmed and that Jafar and his pet Iago were beaten, chained and in a bloody mess.
"I made a promise, and I planned on keeping it," Aladdin replied.
"Aladdin!" Jasmine leapt into his arms and embraced him tightly.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Aladdin asked, gently brushing her hair.
"I couldn't wait outside knowing that you were risking your life for my sake and the kingdom. I was afraid that something might happen to you, and I wanted to help," Jasmine said softly into Aladdin's chest.
"But it seems I was worrying too much. You handled everything perfectly," she added.
Abu climbed to his shoulders and tapped his cheeks with a sharp voice as though saying, "Good job, Aladdin."
"Aww! Such a stupendous and beautiful moment," Genie said.
He didn't tell Jasmine that he had done most of the work because that would have been breaking the bro code.
Suddenly, Genie vanished and reappeared a short distance away with a painting stand, a colour palette, and a brush in his hand. He was now dressed in black trousers and a grey long-sleeved shirt, sporting a curled moustache.
"Everyone, gather together!" Genie said in a thick French accent, gesturing dramatically toward the crowd.
Instantly, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Sultan, Abu, Carpet, and the royal guards - who were holding Jafar and Iago- were pulled together by an unseen force. Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Sultan stood in front, while the others gathered behind them, each frozen in a dramatic pose that perfectly captured the moment.
"Perfect. Say cheese."
They all felt a tug at their lips, and instinctively, from Abu and royal guards, to Jafar and Iago, they smiled and shouted,
"CHEESE!!"
A bright flash burst before their eyes, momentarily blinding them before their vision returned to normal.
"What do you think? This might be my best piece yet," Genie said, showing them the painting, which perfectly captured a realistic picture of Aladdin and the others in their exact poses.
Suddenly, the sound of clapping emerged from thin air, resonating across the room.
"Thank you… thank you…" Genie bowed elegantly and said softly.
He suddenly appeared before the Sultan and handed the painting to him.
"For you, Your Majesty. Let this commemorate the day you eradicated the evil villain Jafar before he could unleash his ruthless plan to seize your kingdom."
"Oh my, thank you, Genie. I will certainly remember the help that you and Aladdin have given us," the Sultan replied as he accepted the painting.
"Well then, let's continue with Jafar's punishment. We can't keep dilly-dallying, can we? Razoul, send an emergency announcement across all of Agrabah. There will be a royal proclamation at the market square at midnight. Everyone must gather, and there will be no excuses. Anyone who fails to attend will be charged with showing contempt toward the royal family," he added.
Razoul immediately stepped forward and knelt before the Sultan.
"Your orders will be carried out immediately, Your Majesty."
Then he stood up and dragged Jafar and Iago, whose mouths were now sealed shut, with a piece of cloth, out of the room with the rest of the royal guards.
"Let's follow them. I won't feel safe until I know that Jafar is truly gone," Aladdin said.
"Me too," Jasmine nodded.
"You two can head out without me. I need to take care of a few things. I'll meet you there," the Sultan said.
He needed to prepare his speech and gather all records of matters that Jafar had personally overseen. Then, they would remove every trace of Jafar from the palace after they had him executed.
It was a tall and daunting task, but it was one he was willing to undertake.
"We'll be waiting for you, Father. Don't be late, or we'll come and get you," Jasmine said as she knelt and kissed the Sultan on the cheek.