~The Dreamtime~
Night night
Sleep tight
Don't let the bugs bite
If they do, squeeze them tight
And they won't come back another night
~Part I: The Hate~
You would hate me
If you knew who I am
You would hate
My ways and perfect
Perception of life
You already know me
Therefore, you know the hate
And this is know I know you
"It isn't fair!" he bellowed. "Why is it every time I try to take over the Seven Deserts that blasted Aladdin and his pathetic comic relief get in the way? I plan for weeks every move of my attack. I contemplate every last detail, but still, the street rat wins."
"Master angry?" Xerxes asked.
"No, Xerxes," Mozenrath replied sarcastically. "I'm as happy as can be."
"Good. Master happy."
"You insolent fool!"
Mozenrath grabbed the eel and threw him into the wall.
"Now, let's see. What do I need to do to be rid of Aladdin forever? My library comes in handy in stressful situations like these."
Mozenrath strolled calmly out of the throneroom as Xerxes pulled himself off the wall. The young sorcerer continued down a grim hallway that was only brightened by the dim glow of an occasional torch. Mozenrath came to a pair of arched doors and twisted the handle with his gauntleted hand. As the door creaked open with a long, eerie squeaking of the hinges, Mozenrath raised his right arm and sent a blue and black bolt of magic through the air to light the torches. Studying the ancient, leather-bound books carefully, Mozenrath shook his head in dismay as every title unpleased him. After several minutes, a book entitled The Dreamtime captured his complete attention.
"Ahhh," he cooed, "this looks so tempting. Oh, surely it will hurt no one if I just take a peek...no one but Aladdin that is."
Mozenrath sat out a triangle of candles and meditated, clearing his complex mind of all other thoughts. He slowly placed the open book in front of him and passed his eyes for hours over its yellowed pages. This book would be the ultimate tool of destruction to its victims. The inflictor had the power to manipulate dreams, play their most depressing melodies deep within, prey on their minds, and forever corrupt their lives.
Mozenrath chanted the spell quietly to himself, concentrating with all his soul and mind on each syllable, pronouncing every word just right. And most importantly, he focused on his victims: Aladdin and his most prized jewel, Jasmine. The words began barely above a whisper, but Mozenrath's voice seemed to continue to grow until it was one hundred decibels stronger:
"O bee dty host, Ihiannoo, er dty lunjean
Tra heidys y gheay, eisht leaystee yr clean;
My brishys y bangan, neose gys yn ooir
Hig Ihiannoo as clean as olley nyn droor."
Mozenrath stopped abruptly and glanced out the window. The sky was clear, and it emminated its beautiful vibrance of stars. He casually stepped out onto the balcony and leaned on the rail.
"Pleasant dreams, Aladdin," he grinned evilly.
As I lay in bed
Never could I feel so wonderful
With such warmth and comfort
Surrounding me
Slowly, I lost consciousness
In a half-sleep of dreams
In this strange and familiar land
I heard Heaven's cry
A bellow so loud
The ground shook
As thorns rise up
From the damp Hell
Into my head
Jasmine and Aladdin looked around to see the small room empty. Genie's lamp was even missing.
"They must be out somewhere," Jasmine suggested.
"You're probably right, Jasmine," Aladdin agreed. "Gosh, it's so quiet."
Jasmine nodded and smiled. They had just spent the last two days camping out at an oasis. For once, there had been no interruption ~ no Genie cracking jokes, no squeaking monkey, and not even an annoying parrot. Just as they were almost asleep, the silence was broken.
"I don't care what you say! I made a few mistakes...big deal!"
"A few mistakes, huh? Causing a flood full of rotten food, angering the villagers, and bringing back that giant worm. Oh, sure! No big deal!"
"What are you talking about?" Aladdin asked.
"Get this, Al," Genie smirked, coming right next to Aladdin. "Iago thought that he would make a better genie than moi!"
Genie gave Iago an "I-told-you-so" look, and Aladdin turned his head and laughed.
"Are you serious?!" he cried, laughed hysterically. "Iago with power! Imagine that!"
"So, we missed is all!" Jasmine added, giggled lightly. "What a thing that would have been to see!"
"Oh, stop it already!" Iago shouted. "How was I supposed to know that so many things would go wrong? Look, would you just stop laughing at me! It's not that funny!"
"Okay, okay," Aladdin replied, still trying to contain his laughter.
"So, Al, what did you and Jasmine do?" Genie asked.
"Well, it wasn't as noisy as your last couple of days, but we camped out and went swimming in an oasis."
"It was so beautiful," Jasmine said. "The air was so fresh, and the water was so clear. I loved every moment of it."
Jasmine turned as she said this and looked directly into Aladdin's eyes. Aladdin smiled, a little embarrassed that Jasmine was getting romantic in front of his friends. Abu quickly scurried up onto Aladdin's shoulder and made them stop.
"Okay, Abu. I'll stop," Aladdin replied at the scowling monkey.
Abu chattered happily and bounced off. Jasmine stood up and stretched. She looked at the palace and figured her father would be waiting for her return home.
"I should be going," she said. "Father will get worried if I'm gone too much longer. It's already night. Goodnight, everyone!"
Carpet carried Jasmine out the window as Aladdin waved. Genie yawned and told everyone that he was going to catch the late show in his lamp before he went to bed, so he disappeared into a poof of blue smoke into his lamp. Aladdin laid down on some pillows and pulled the blanket over himself, and Abu curled up on a pillow a couple feet away. Before Aladdin was fully asleep, he felt a light tap on his face.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Al?"
He saw Iago's beak right in his eyes and back away, not realizing what it was.
"What? Don't tell me you're still going to laugh at me."
"Oh, sorry, Iago. I was almost asleep, and I didn't know what was going on. My eyes can't focus too well when all I see is your beak."
"Oh, very funny. Just because my beak is big doesn't mean you have to make fun of it."
"What? It's not that at all. I wasn't making fun of you."
"Well, you were earlier."
"Will you just forget that? I'm sorry. Now, what did you want?"
"I don't want to stay around here forever. I'm really bored, Al. Can we take a vacation, please?"
"I just got back, Iago. I'm really tired. Does this have something to do with my little trip with Jasmine?"
"Well, yeah..."
"What is it?"
"You're always dragging me on these adventures with you. Well, the only good one I can think of is the one where I met Thundra. I miss her. I want to see her again."
"You mean you actually miss someone?"
"Don't think I don't have feelings, because I do. Yes, I do miss her. Don't think I don't want to be around you, because I do. It's just that I need this right now. After this failure of mine..."
"Does this really bother you that much?"
"Yes."
"Look, we didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry. Fine, you can go. I think you shouldn't go alone though. Genie and Abu can leave with you tomorrow morning."
"Oh, thank you."
Finally, they stopped talking and Aladdin could fall asleep. Jasmine was sleeping peacefully in her royal bed in the palace as well. Aladdin turned to his side and stirred, and that is when the first nightmare began:
Aladdin opened his eyes to find himself inside a large, open room. It was too dark to see anything, so he waited for his eyes to adjust to the blackness that surrounded him on all sides. He found himself in a cave, and then it all started to come back to him. He had come here to find the lamp that the strange, old man in the dungeon had brought him here for. He walked through room after room of forbidden treasure until he had come to a tall, rock pedistal surrounded by water. The lamp rested on top of it, so he kept walking toward it, hoping that nothing would go wrong. But someting did go wrong. Abu grabbed a large ruby that a golden statue was holding, and that one action was enough to anger to Tiger God. The cavern filled with lava that chased the Magic Carpet on which they sat through the whole place. As they neared the entrance, the old man refused to help him out unless given the lamp. Even after he had given this greedy, old fool the lamp, he fell and was knocked unconscious. Where was Abu? Where was the carpet?
Aladdin looked around the darkness and failed to find anything. The carpet had disappeared completely, and Aladdin couldn't figure out how he even survived the fall. As his hands felt around, his fingers found themselves covered in blood. As his fear worsened, Aladdin's eyes came upon the limp, lifeless body of his only friend.
"No, Abu," he moaned sadly. "You can't be dead. You were the only one I had."
He held his little friend in his arms and remembered with a breaking heart how depressing his whole life had been. He never knew his father. All he knew was that his mother had told him that he left when he was a baby and was killed.
"It's all my fault. If my parents didn't have me, they wouldn't have died. My father wouldn't have had to leave and find gold, and my mother would have been able to survive by feeding only herself and not me. I am such a joke. All my friends abandonned me a long time ago, and now Abu did too. I thought I had met the most beautiful woman in the world, and who does she turn out to be? Of all people, she had to be the princess!"
Aladdin sobbed uncontrollably and waited to die. He had nothing else to do.
Jasmine turned to her side and stirred. Her closed eyes tightened, and everything started to fall apart:
Jasmine ran down and hallway hopelessly toward her room. That demon! He had killed her only true love! The poor, innocent boy she had met in the marketplace was beheaded because of her...because she had run away. Now what?
The whole afternoon seemed to pass unbearably slow. She turned when her heard the door creek open. Her father stood there and told her that she had to marry Jafar.
"No, Father!" she cried. "I don't love him! Please, Father!"
"You will marry me now, Princess!" Jafar said evilly. "Your father has given me the throne."
"What? But Father..."
Jasmine spotted the lamp in Jafar's hand.
"You! You cheater! You used magic to change everything!"
"So what if I did? Too bad. Now, my beautiful bride, shall we begin the ceremony."
Suddenly, Jasmine found herself dressed in a wedding gown and walking down the aisle with Jafar. He grabbed her wrist and brought her close, putting his bony arms tightly around her waist. He brought his lips to hers and gave her the most violent kiss imagineable, and all Jasmine wanted to do was die.
Their nightmares ended simultaneously, and both Aladdin and Jasmine sat up in their beds with sweat covering their brows. Mozenrath looked on all the sights before him through a portal and smiled.
"This is only the beginning. Let the curse begin."
And I recalled
The soft touch of your lips
Pressed gently against mine
Songs of delight you whispered
In my ears
The sun's glare in your pupils
When you looked into my eyes
"Whoa," said Aladdin, rubbing his head. "That was some dream I had last night. Gosh, it was so real."
The sun had risen, and everyone else was awake as well. Abu merely shrugged his shoulders, giving Aladdin an "I-don't-know" look. Iago yawned, uninterested in the conversation. Genie popped out of the lamp dressed as a psychologist and held a pad of paper in his heads.
"So, tell me, my boy, what was your dream about?"
"Well, I was still trapped in the Cave of Wonders, only I didn't have the lamp. And..."
Aladdin was Abu sitting there and couldn't bear to say the worst part aloud, so he whispered it in Genie's ear. Realizing this was no joke, Genie turned back into his "normal" self.
"Oh, so it's pretty serious," he frowned.
"Yes," Aladdin continued. "Like I said, I've never had a dream like that before. It kind of worries me."
"Do you think we should still go?" Genie asked. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea to just leave you here."
Hearing the last sentence, Iago jumped into the conversation.
"Oh, come on! It's just a dream! It doesn't mean a thing! Now, come on, we have a certain place that I would like to get to!"
"You're right, Iago," Aladdin lightly laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
"But, Al," Genie replied, "you just said that--"
"Cut it, Blue-Boy!" Iago raucously yelled at Genie. "Now, let's go!"
This is ridiculous, thought Iago. Why do I have to go with this crazy genie?
Wasting no more time, Genie waved to Aladdin and shot off into the sky with Abu and Iago on his shoulders. Aladdin turned to Carpet and walked to him.
"Well, Carpet, I guess it's just you and me for a couple of days."
Carpet waved his upper half as if to nod and pointed to the palace.
"That's a good idea," Aladdin smiled.
As Aladdin neared the palace on Carpet, he could see Jasmine and Sultan eating breakfast in the dining room. The closer he got, the more he could hear the conversation between them.
"That's really quite strange, Dearest," Sultan said with concern in his tone, putting his hand on his daughter's right shoulder.
"I know, Father," Jasmine said, almost in tears. "It was so horrible."
Hearing this, Aladdin jumped off Carpet and came quickly to Jasmine's side.
"Jasmine, what is it?" he said with great concern.
"My dream--"
"What happened?"
"You were-- I had to-- marry...Jafar. It was like you never saw me again after the marketplace, and I never knew you after that. It was like a parallel reality to what could have happened."
"That was over a year ago, Jasmine," Aladdin said with comfort, hugging her. "It never happened, and it never will. I love you too much for anything to ever happen to you, and if something did, I promise you that I would fight till my last breath, even if I had to die for you."
"Don't say that, Aladdin. I don't want you to die..."
"It's okay, it's okay. Now, let's move on."
Aladdin sat down next to Jasmine and looked at Sultan. Sultan smiled slightly and then let his smile grow until it brought great comfort to Jasmine and Aladdin.
"Yes, Jasmine," Sultan said with love, "let's put this behind us. You have me and Aladdin, and nothing is going to happen. So, Aladdin, won't you join us for breakfast?"
"I'm not really hungry."
Aladdin looked at his hands, as he played nervously with a fork on the table. He looked up and tried to look Sultan in the eyes, but he failed and stared blankly out the window.
"Aladdin?" Jasmine asked.
Aladdin continued to stare, as if he were looking at something he had never seen before, something scary that could always be felt and never seen.
"Aladdin?" Jasmine repeated, tapping his nose.
"Huh?! Oh, sorry. What is it?"
"You're really quiet. Where is everyone else? Did something happen to them?"
"No, they're fine. They went to visit to rainforest, but I--"
"Yes?" Jasmine asked with hope.
"Go on, my boy," Sultan urged. "You have no need to hide anything."
"I had a dream too. I was trapped in the Cave of Wonders without the lamp."
Jasmine and Sultan both sat there, unable to move for a few minutes. Jasmine came really close to Aladdin and shook as she did so.
"A-lad-din...your dream...it's parallel to mine..."
She was shaking uncontrollably now, and Aladdin quickly grabbed her wrists before she fell to the floor. Jasmine's face became pale within a couple of minutes, and her hairline was dampened with sweat. Her shaking became so bad that her body went into violent convulsions, as if an evil spirit were being exorcised from her soul. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back into her sockets, and she completely stopped moving. Her body suddenly felt abnormally heavy, like a dead weight, and Aladdin fell with Jasmine to the floor.
"Jasmine?" he whispered.
Sultan immediately ran over to the scene and felt her forehead.
"Daughter?!" he exclaimed in fright. "Wake up!"
"Jasmine!" Aladdin yelled in complete fright.
He brought his hands nervously over her body, trying to feel for the smallest sign of life. When he came to her chest, he could feel a soft, slow heartbeat. Aladdin sighed in relief that she was alive, but he immediately knew something needed to be done right away.
"Sultan," Aladdin said as calmly as possible, "you must find a doctor. She is in shock."
Sultan nodded and wasted no time, leaving the room that instant.
* * * * * * * * * *
Mozenrath saw the whole scene through a portal before him. He smiled and walked to his throne. Xerxes followed closely and floated next to him once he was seated.
"Master happy?" Xerxes asked.
"Oh, very much so," Mozenrath said calmly. "Things are going very well, and I think this spell may be the final undoing to Aladdin. When Mirage said that if you were to scratch a hero deep enough, you would find the coward inside, she was actually on to something for once. You have to know what to scratch though and cut into that something deep enough to make it bleed all the life out, and that, Aladdin, is what I am doing to you precious Jasmine."
"Master smart."
"Yes, Xerxes, I am rather intelligent, aren't I? Now, let's see how Aladdin deals with a real nightmare."
* * * * * * * * * *
Jasmine lay in her bed now, and the doctor felt her forehead. He brought a moistened rag out of his pocket and placed it there. After doing so, he stepped out of the room and was greeted by Aladdin and Sultan in the hallway.
"She is in shock," the doctor explained. "She will need to be kept as cool as possible and away from any loud noises."
"Thank you, doctor," Sultan said and wished him on his way.
"How long do you think this will last?" Aladdin asked.
"I don't know, Aladdin. I just hope not long. I have to get ready for a meeting now. If there's one thing I hate about being the sultan, it's moments like these. I always have to put my kingdom before anything else, even my family. Remember that when you are sultan, Aladdin."
"I'll watch her, Sultan," Aladdin reasurred the old man. "She will be fine."
Aladdin went quietly into Jasmine's room and came to her side. He thought about what he had just told her before she passed out. He would do anything for her, even if he had to die, and now he felt that might be the case. Aladdin stroked Jasmine's hair and never took his eyes off her. She turned to her side, and when Aladdin thought she might be waking up, her second dream began:
Jasmine hastily paced back and forth in the throneroom. Where were they? Why hadn't she hear anything? If something happened, surely she would have found out by now. Suddenly, one of the guards came into the room with a rolled piece of paper and read:
"I must regretfully inform you, Princess, that your father has been killed in battle."
"What?" Jasmine gasped. "No, that can't be! It must be a mistake!"
"I don't think so, Princess," the voice said, changing.
The guard revealed himself as his true self.
"Mozenrath!" Jasmine cried. "What have you done with my father?"
"Your father, dear princess, is dead. That is the truth, and now it's time this kingdom got a new ruler."
They disappeared and reappeared in the dungeon. Mozenrath chained Jasmine to the wall. She kicked and tossed, trying to escape, but it was no use.
"Struggle all you like, Princess. You'll never get out, and here's my gift to you."
A portal appeared in front of her face, and Mozenrath turned himself into a splitting image of Jasmine.
"You can't do this!" Jasmine yelled.
"We'll see, we'll see. Now, you will watch everything I do as you. Think of it as a new pair of eyes, Princess. Your soul is trapped within a body and a mind that are beyond your control. I took your father, and now I will take your boyfriend."
Mozenrath disappeared and Jasmine began to see her life be played out for her before her eyes. The Jasmine in the portal came to Aladdin and stood there.
"Oh, hi, Jasmine," Aladdin said with a smile. "I didn't see you."
* * * * * * * * * *
Jasmine turned back on to her back and made a groan. Aladdin felt her head again. She was a lot hotter now, and he began to wonder if she was okay. She had been dreaming. He could tell, and he looked outside to see it becoming dark.
"I'm not going anywhere, Jasmine," he whispered. "Don't worry, I'll be right here."
And I remembered
Those warm nights together
In the hammock
Your fingers twirling my hair
Slowly and kindly
My hands touching your soft skin
With a purity undreamed of
"How is she, my boy?" he asked.
"I don't know, Sultan. She seems like she's in a really deep sleep, and whenever she turns to her side, she has a dream. She's been groaning a lot, and her eyebrows arched like someone was causing her pain. For some reason, I don't think this is normal..."
"Well, there's not much that can be done but hope that she will awaken in the morning. Perhaps you should get some rest, Aladdin. You look very tired."
"No, Sultan. I'll be fine. I have to watch Jasmine, and that's what I'm going to do...all night long."
"Very well, my boy. I trust you will come to me if anything happens. Good night."
"Yes, Sultan, good night."
Sultan came close to Jasmine's face and moved some hairs out of her closed eyes. He stroked her cheek and bent down and kissed her warm forehead.
"Good night, Dearest."
Sultan left and Aladdin continued to look at his only true love. He felt so helpless because he couldn't do anything for her but sit there and hope she would be fine. If only Genie hadn't left...but still, he doubted his friend could have done anything either. It was so quiet...far too quiet. Aladdin sighed heavily as he remembered what the typical night was like in his hovel. Genie and Iago were usually arguing over a game of cards, and even though the noise bothered him, he wished so much to have it back. There was nothing worse in the world than this dead silence that penetrated right to the core of the mind, driving one insane.
Aladdin yawned and looked at Jasmine's motionless figure with blurring vision. He yawned again, moaned, and brought his hand to his forehead.
"Ugh, I can't go to sleep now...not with Jasmine like this...what's wrong with me?"
He shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness and sudden tireness that came to him. It was no use though, and Aladdin fell down on the bed next to Jasmine and began to dream:
"Oh, hi, Jasmine," Aladdin said. "I didn't see you."
Jasmine looked at Aladdin sourly and looked down at the ground.
"What's the matter?" Aladdin asked.
"Everything," she muttered.
"What happened?"
"If you really must know, my father is dead! Okay?! Does that make it better?"
"Oh, Jasmine...I'm really sorry..."
"Oh, please, Aladdin! Nothing you do can change that! And the kingdom is falling apart too! And do you know why? Because I've been hanging out with a streetrat instead of performing my duties properly! You, Aladdin, are to blame!"
"Me? But Jasmine...isn't that a little harsh? I know you must be upset about what happened, but that doesn't mean you can blame me."
"See? There you go again! I swear, Aladdin, you just don't understand me. You are not helping me, but only hurting me...especially when I needed your understanding the most, but you don't have any understanding in you, huh?"
"Jasmine, please..."
"No!"
Aladdin grabbed Jasmine's arm and tried to keep her from leaving.
"Let go of me!"
"Jasmine, please!" he pleaded. "You must listen to me!"
"I don't have to do anything! Now, let go!"
Jasmine brought her hand up into the air and slapped Aladdin on the cheek. That was enough to cause him to release her, and he fell back against the wall with a load thump. Jasmine walked quickly out of the hovel and left Aladdin all alone.
"What did I do?" he questioned himself. "Oh, if only I had someone to talk to...what happened to Genie and the guys? What happened to Jasmine? I just don't understand one word of this..."
Aladdin recalled all the times they had spent together...all the adventures they had been on. She was all he had, all he ever had. Jasmine was his starlit sky, sunny day, and refuge in a hostile world. Why, she had been the first person to really accept him for who he was and to realize he was a person, not subhuman. Streetrat...the name went through his head over and over again. She had never called him that. Sure, a lot of merchants and the guards called him that, but they weren't important...they weren't Jasmine. What could have possibly happened to make her act this way?
Aladdin tried to push those horrible thoughts out of his mind, but they consumed him instead. For the first time since he was a little boy, he cried.
Aladdin tossed and turned in his sleep and bumped into Jasmine by his side. She groaned and screamed, "No, Aladdin!"
"Mozenrath!" Jasmine yelled. "What have you done to him?!"
She stood in the dungeon alone and looked through the portal at Aladdin as he cried. She had never seen him this upset before, and she knew that he thought all of this was because of her. If she ever got out, would he ever forgive her?
"Mozenrath!" she yelled again in tears.
The faux-Jasmine appeared in front of her and changed into Mozenrath's normal appearance.
"You called, Princess?"
"What are you doing to him?"
"Why, Princess Jasmine, isn't that obvious? He's being destroyed emotionally by you, not me."
"Do you think playing these mind games is going to make you win?"
"You're the one who is playing the game, Princess. You are the piece that I move on the gameboard, and yes, I will win because I am the only player. You are my piece, remember?"
"Stop it!"
"Sure, and I'll throw in the lucky dice while I'm at it."
"Mozenrath...I'm warning you! If you dare hurt Aladdin..."
"What?!" Mozenrath yelled, grabbing Jasmine's wrist. "What will you do?! Beat me! Ha!"
Jasmine didn't know what to say. Her eyes filled with tears, and she fell to the ground as Mozenrath released her from his grip.
Jasmine and Aladdin were both at Mozenrath's mercy now. The spell was quickly reaching the climax, and their minds were being consumed because Mozenrath knew where to aim.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Goood," Mozenrath cooed softly with an evil smile, as he looked on at the sleeping, unhappy couple. "I've seemed to trick you, Aladdin. Yes, Aladdin, you are just having a nightmare, but trust me, it will get worse...much worse."
"Get worse... get worse..." Xerxes added, as he swam in circles in midair next to Mozenrath.
"Yes, indeed, Xerxes...it's getting worse for them, and better for me..."
And I recalled
An open field of flowers
With your motionless body
The colors mixed and faded
The scents turned bitter
The sounds screeched
All the stars fell to the horizon
The winds blew snow about
And there was no one
Remember that field?
Cold mud surrouned by an iron fence
Dead trees violently swaying
And a heavy stone
Where you once were
All the tears fell then at once
Forever and eternally
All you had left to say
Was carved in lifeless stone:
"I am here no more."
"Home at last!" Genie exclaimed, as he flew over Agrabah around noon that day.
"That was some trip, wasn't it?" Iago asked the others. "And I saved the day by tricking that stupid Malcho."
"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about him anymore," Genie commented. "I think he'll be taking a permanent vacation at the North Pole."
They all laughed until they came to Aladdin's hovel. A small breeze blew out the window, and the room sat silent.
"That's strange," Genie began. "Where's Al?"
"Oh, please," Iago said sarcastically. "Where does he always go? The palace!"
"Right!" Genie exclaimed dumbly. "I knew that!"
"Yeah, sure you did."
Genie ignored Iago's rude side remark, and they flew to the palace. The throneroom was found empty. No one was around -- no servants, guards, or even the sultan. They agreed to split up into teams: Genie took the west wing, and Iago and Abu took the east wing.
"Ah-wad-din!" Abu yelled.
"Oh, don't worry about Al," Iago calmly told the monkey. "He'll be fine. Now, let's check out the treasure room."
"No...Ah-wad-din..."
"Monkey," Iago said with clentched teeth. "This is no time to disagree with me!"
Abu scolded Iago, and that was enough to make the parrot lose his temper and start chasing the monkey. While they were running down the hall, strange moaning could be heard coming from Jasmine's room.
"Hey, what gives?" Iago asked.
He opened the door, and the two of them went to the bed, where Aladdin and Jasmine still lay. Iago landed on Aladdin's chest and touched his face.
"Something's not right here. Aladdin? Hey, Jasmine? Can you hear me?"
They remained still, and Abu whimpered.
"Oh, no," Iago gulped. "Abu, this isn't good at all...they're under a spell. We must get Genie right away."
They left in a hurry to find Genie with Carpet.
"We have to go to Jasmine's room right away," Iago told Genie.
"I know. Carpet told me that he's been locked out all morning, and Sultan is missing too."
Once they came back to the bedside, Genie looked on in complete fear.
"This is some heavy magic," he said. "Our only hope is that their souls can realize that their dreams aren't real."
They looked on in fright and worry as the final chapter of the interconnented dream unfolded:
Aladdin knew that almost all hope was lost. Days had passed, and Jasmine was distancing herself from him each minute, and the pain was only severing his heart further with every burned out memory flashing through his mind. He had told her that he would die for her if that is what it all came down to, and no matter how much she hated him, he would always love her unconditionally. With the last bit of faith that he possessed, he went to the palace by foot. Jasmine sat on the throne, sulking in anger and annoyance with the world.
"Jasmine?" he asked weakly.
"You!" she yelled. "What are you doing here?! A palace is no place for a streetrat!"
"Please, Jasmine, hear me out. I know you are hurting inside, but that has never stopped me from being there for you before, and it won't stop me now. Think of the first time we met...I took you out of this elegant prison and showed you the world. It was magic...pure and sweet. And then we kissed for the first time, and the beauty you brought into my world has never stopped since. So, how can you stand there and tell me that all this means nothing to you?"
"Simply this way: It means nothing to me."
Her eyes were inhuman and so cold that they pierced right through Aladdin's heart, finally breaking it completely in half.
"I told you I would do anything for you," he said barely above a whisper. "Even die."
"Aladdin stepped up on to the rail on the balcony and looked one last time at Jasmine.
"I still love you."
He brought his foot over the edge and dropped to his death.
* * * * * * * * * *
"No!" Jasmine screamed. "Aladdin! I'm here! I'm right here! Mozenrath is playing a horrible trick on you!"
She fell to the cold ston floor and cried bitterly.
"No! NO! NO!!!"
Jasmine's eyes fluttered open. Genie, Abu, Iago, and Carpet jumped when they saw she was awake. She said nothing to them because she didn't even see them. Jasmine turned to her side to see Aladdin right there. She quickly felt around for a pulser, and none was found.
"Oh, no," she cried. "What have I done? Aladdin...I love you."
Jasmine's cheeks were stained red from tears by now. Each tears fell on to Aladdin's face. In each tear was a wish, in each wish was hope, and in each hope was true love. Aladdin felt the warm wetness all over his face, and a smile formed over his lips, as he opened his eyes.
"Jasmine," he whispered. "You still love me."
"Aladdin!" she exclaimed in pure joy, hugging him tightly. "You're alive!"
Everyone smiled and even Sultan was in the room again. As the happy couple looked around the room, they saw nothing but adoration in their friends.
"What happened?" Aladdin asked.
"Oh, Aladdin," Jasmine said in shame. "I saw the whole thing. Mozenrath disguised himself as me. He controlled our dreams."
"That vicious snake!" Aladdin yelled. "He almost forever separated us!"
"Yes, almost," added Jasmine, "but he didn't."
* * * * * * * * * *
"Blasted Aladdin!" Mozenrath bellowed in rage. "I was so close...so close!"
He grabbed the book and threw it into the fire, which forever eliminated all its ugly curses. While Mozenrath shouted and raved inside his Citadel, music blew in the wind outside and touched every loving soul with an inconceivable truth:
It spans the boundaries
Of a boundless world
Brings faith to those
In complete despair
Enlightens those lost
In their cluttered thoughts
And soothes the most distressed
Mind and heart...
And this is only the beginning
Now, with these thoughts
My friend, go to sleep
With pleasant dreams.