He flicked his finger in the air, and the purple curly thread shot into the sky like a comet before exploding and scattering into specks of light that vanished into thin air.
"Hey, buddy, can you understand me?" Genie waved at Iago, or what remained of him.
But Iago screamed at Genie with an animalistic tone.
"HEY BUDDY!!! HEY BUDDY!!"
He shook his body convulsively, as though trying to break away from the chains binding him. The chains vanished, and the parrot swiftly took to the skies, distancing itself from Genie and the others.
It soared over the garden as though taking in the view and figuring out where to go before flying off into the distance.
"Goodbye, buddy… I'll miss you… Hicc!! Hicc!!" Genie said, waving at the parrot as he blew his nose into a white handkerchief.
"Cut! Cut! We need more emotion! Raise your hand higher above your chest! The handkerchief is too neat. You were hired for this job… Give me your best act!" Another Genie appeared from nowhere, holding a director's clapperboard, and he snapped it in front of Genie.
Meanwhile, another Genie, holding a camera with several cinematography light stands behind him, focused intently on the unfolding scene.
"Okay," Genie stopped crying and nodded.
"Take two!" the Director Genie said, snapping the clapperboard.
While this was transpiring with Genie and Iago, Aladdin turned away with a smile to ponder his thoughts. Now that that was settled, it was time to deal with other matters.
Aladdin remembered that the arrangement and announcement of his wedding to Jasmine was the moment of the introduction of the Forty Thieves, who were led by the King of Thieves, Cassim, his father.
Their goal had been to rob a magical artefact housing an apparently all-knowing being called the Oracle, capable of answering any question, which could help them find the Hand of Midas,another magical artefact capable of turning anything it touched into gold.
Apparently, the Sultan's treasury housed several powerful treasures, and even the Oracle wasn't ranked as the most valuable item within it. Because the Oracle was limited to one question per person.
One of the treasures ranked higher was the Golden Scarab Beetle, which was used to locate and open magical locations, something Jafar had previously used to find the Cave of Wonders.
However, just like the former Aladdin, he had vague memories of his mother and father, who were supposedly both dead. But unlike before, Aladdin hoped he wouldn't encounter them. It would be best if, in this life, the Forty Thieves didn't exist, or didn't have a leader named Cassim, or even if they did, that he wasn't his father.
Fortunately, Aladdin knew where the Hand of Midas was and how to obtain it. It was one of the treasures he desired, alongside the Elixir of Life, which could be used to purify a soul or grant functional immortality, and the Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate material for transmutation in alchemy, which could in turn be used to create the Elixir of Life without needing to search for it.
There was also the Crystal of Ix, which could be used to trap any magical being, even a genie, reverting him back into a wish-granting entity. However, it was currently in the hands of an evil sorcerer. The others could only be encountered by chance or were currently held by individuals whose whereabouts were unknown.
Of course, there were also others that Aladdin knew nothing about since he hadn't watched the entire series. Fortunately, he remembered the ingredient needed to create the Philosopher's Stone.
Suddenly, Aladdin froze, realising that the memories he had brought from his former life were becoming clearer and clearer. The more he thought about the Aladdin universe, the more he remembered, whereas everything else remained slightly fuzzy. He realised that if he thought about other things, he might be able to remember them as well.
Aladdin pondered whether this was due to his new, inherent magical capabilities, which were enhancing his overall abilities.
"What are you thinking about?" Jasmine asked, hooking her arms around him.
"Our wedding. I hope that we won't get any uninvited guests," Aladdin said.
"Haven't we already dealt with Jafar? Are there any others that we should be wary of?" Jasmine asked, filled with confusion.
"I don't know how to explain it, but I just have a gut feeling," Aladdin responded. He didn't know how to explain the knowledge he had, so he kept silent about it.
"You don't need to worry, Aladdin. Although we might have been deceived by Jafar, Agrabah is not weaker than any of the other prosperous kingdoms. Besides, aren't you now the Prince of a prosperous empire? You're the most celebrated hero in Agrabah, and your fame will surely spread throughout the Seven Deserts. There shouldn't be any reason for you to worry about all these things. Anyone who wants to stand against us would have to gauge if they want to risk their lives," Jasmine replied.
"Yeah, you're right. If anyone wants to harm us, they'll get what's coming to them," Aladdin responded, wrapping his arms around Jasmine.
He leaned in for a kiss.
Jasmine kissed him, then pulled back and held his hand.
"Let me lead you to your room. We need to wake up early tomorrow to join Father and take care of all the mess Jafar has caused, or else he might fall into depression from the workload," Jasmine said, pulling Aladdin into the palace. "Then you need to check on your empire. Even if you made a wish, now that you have people to rule over, you still need to check on them and make sure they are alright."
Aladdin nodded, following behind.
"Oh, this is love…" Genie sang in a dreamy tone and expression, hovering beside Carpet and Abu as he watched Aladdin and Jasmine.
"When are we going to find our own love, guys? Someone to hold our arms like that and lead us into paradise. To protect us with their lives and live for us… It's such a beautiful treasure that even I can't wish for. It can only be found on one's journey through life." He sighed.
Carpet's edges nodded, his tassels swaying in the wind, agreeing with Genie's words.
Abu snorted. These guys had never tasted hunger or poverty. The former could lead you to death, but the latter would leave you wishing for it. It was like playing a lot. Even Aladdin had to wish to become a Prince to win Princess Jasmine's hand in marriage.
Even though it was now clear that she would have chosen him from the very first time they met as a street rat, he hadn't known that.
The only thing that made either of these irrelevant was power. One could be poor and hungry, but if they had power, they could enter the palace unharmed and try their luck at asking for the Princess's hand in marriage, or overthrow an esteemed royal figure like Jafar and orchestrate his death immediately.
But Abu didn't blame them. After all, one of them was a magic carpet that had been trapped together with a mountain of gold, silver, and other exotic, magical treasures. And the other was a Genie, with the power of the world literally at his fingertips.
They had no idea about the sufferings of a common monkey.
"Oh, don't be like that, Abu. Money is not everything. Haven't you ever dreamed of having someone to share all this wealth and luxury with you? Or perhaps help the poor and needy, changing their lives for the better?" Genie said, shaking his head.
Abu turned thoughtful for a moment before he snorted louder. He said with a sharp voice, which translated into 'Where were they when I was still struggling to survive?' in Genie's ears.
Abu gently tapped Carpet, signalling it to soar back to his royal chambers so he could be tended to by his servants.
"I'll need to speak with Aladdin to see if we can do something about this, or else this mentality will be the end of you. " Genie sighed, rubbing his head tiredly as though he had come across a serious issue.
Carpet sighed silently, then soared into the palace, taking Abu back to his chambers.
Genie took out a pocket telescope and looked around the empty garden.
"All clear," he said, putting away the telescope before vanishing into thin air.
***
The next morning,
"That should be it. We've arranged letters to be sent to the officials, various important citizens, and foreign dignitaries," the Sultan said as he stamped his seal on the last letter.
He handed over the letters and a list detailing those who were invited to Razoul, his royal guard captain.
"Hand this over to the royal messengers and have them deliver this to the addresses of everyone listed before the first week of next month," the Sultan said.
They were currently on the third day of the new month, leaving four and a half weeks for the letters to be distributed, especially to the foreign dignitaries, so they could prepare for the wedding.