A Whole New World (Disney Twisted Tales) - Liz Braswell Page 0,56
princess, a tiger, a monkey, other children to play with…oh, yes, and food. Almost forgot that. Having food in their bellies seems to be important to these little ones.”
He held out his arms and Ahmed and the monkey leapt into them happily.
Shirin didn’t seem like she was going to budge, however. One arm was locked firmly around Jasmine’s waist and she was making the dagger march behind one of the golden clips taken out of Jasmine’s braids.
“She doesn’t have any dolls,” Maruf explained in embarrassment. “I should…steal her a toy, or—”
“Where did all the people in the parade go?” Shirin suddenly asked. “All of those dancers and animals and soldiers…where did they go when the parade was done?”
“Um,” Jasmine said. She looked to Aladdin for help. He shrugged helplessly.
“Ahmed and I wanted to see the animals when it was over, but we couldn’t find their cages or pens like when the traveling shows come to the city. Are they like the Peacekeeping Patrols? Are they the same people? In different costumes?”
“I…think…the genie summons them. All of them,” Jasmine said.
“But where do they go after?” Shirin pressed.
“Those are really good questions,” Aladdin said quickly, squatting down and tweaking the little girl on the nose. “Maybe Jasmine can ask the genie the next time she sees him.”
“I hope I get to see him someday,” Ahmed murmured wistfully.
“Me too,” his sister said. “I want to wish for my own tiger. One I can ride. Also my own silver dagger.”
“Or a doll,” Maruf said hopefully. “Er, she can have a dagger? A tiny one?”
“I hope you get to meet him, too,” Jasmine said with feeling. “When this is all over.”
Aladdin smiled and finished the entire contents of his cup of coffee in one gulp. Then he leapt up.
“Think I’m gonna go see if I can round us up some more recruits. Back at one of those breadlines. I’ll bet there are some people there who aren’t down with the whole thing and will want to see an exiled princess reclaim her rightful throne.”
“Be careful,” Shirin warned in a very serious tone.
“I’m always careful,” Aladdin said sweetly, prompting a snorting laugh from Jasmine. It was delightful to hear. He resolved to try to make her laugh more often.
“My neck hairs all stood up on their own today,” Duban said doubtfully. “And Shirin said she saw a white cat earlier, in the alley by the Egyptian’s teahouse. Didn’t you, Shirin?”
“You’re as bad as an old mother,” Aladdin groaned. “You and your superstitions. Later, Princess.” He leaned over and gave Jasmine a quick kiss on the lips.
As Aladdin swung up and out the secret door behind the chimney upstairs, he heard Duban say to Jasmine, “Right in front of the kids? Really? What kind of place do you think we’re running here?”
“Well, aren’t you glad you don’t have Aladdin for competition with Morgiana?”
“Morgiana? He can have her. I’d rather marry a cantankerous she-goat with five horns. Be less hard to deal with.”
Aladdin smiled to himself as he slipped into the blue twilight of early dusk. From naive, lonely princess to winner of hearts and minds in less than a month, Jasmine managed to make people feel at ease with her while still maintaining her role as leader.
Abu caught up to him when he was less than a block away, and it almost seemed like old times: scurrying up trellises, bounding lightly across rooftops, sliding down conveniently placed poles.
But Agrabah was different. The giant red sun was half sunken into the horizon of the Western Desert and looked like it was swimming in a lake of blood. Those few people still out on the streets were rushing to get home—or inside—as quickly as possible. They were silent and glanced nervously over their shoulders in fear of something they hoped would never come.
From his high vantage point, Aladdin could see three separate Peacekeeping Patrols spreading out from the direction of the palace. They moved like strange bugs, click-clicking in perfect unison, shields behind them like the carapaces of beetles. He thought about Shirin’s questions. She, too, had picked up the weird similarity between the patrols and the people in the parade. Curious, he picked one patrol to follow.
By now, everyone in the city was so terrified of them that they had little to do but march down the apocalyptically empty streets. The tap-tapping of their metal boots was an effective warning that preceded them. They walked, black eyes straight forward, manic grins on their faces as if they really,