The sun rose slowly over Agrabah’s already soft-red sky. The morning heat had already made the palace excruciatingly hot. As the sun made its first appearance through Jasmine’s window, she slowly awakened, lifting one eyelid at a time. It seemed later than it was, and unsure of the time, she jumped from her bed, dressed quickly, and scampered down the stairs to the dining room where she found her father and Aladdin already eating breakfast. Even from the doorway, she could tell they were in deep conversation. On one side of Aladdin’s shoulders was Abu, who also seemed to be listening intently. Next to them was Genie, who was uncommonly serious at this time. Iago was perched clear on the other side of the room, muttering to himself. Clearly he was upset that he was not a part of this conversation.

Silence came from all occupants of the room when Jasmine made an attempt at clearing her throat. They all looked up, a little startled, especially the sultan. “Good morning, everyone,” she said cheerily, trying to lift the tension that surrounded them. But, they all just looked at her blankly. All of them, that is, except Iago. He flew from his perch, no longer muttering, now squawking, “Princess, am I wrong here, or am I NOT a part of this household, too? Am I not as trustworthy as the next guy?” Jasmine knew he was feigning innocence, and she chuckled. Strangely, no one else found humor in this, and fear began to grow within her.

“Hello, I did ask a question!” Iago was shouting in her ear now. “Is it too much to ask that you share with me what is going on here?"

Fingering her soft black hair, she said strongly, “I know no more than you do, but I demand that someone tell me something!”

The sultan replied, “We’re not sure if SOMEONE can keep a secret, and I wouldn’t want to worry you, my dear.” Abu chattered agreeably.

“Father,” she said disgustedly, “you already have worried me. And...” she stopped to think for a second. Then, reaching her hand up to stroke the parrot that was now perched on her shoulder, she said convincingly, “Maybe it is best if you don’t hear about this quite yet. I’ll call you if I feel this is something you need to know.”

“Just fine, just peachy,” he squawked as took flight out of the room, “let monkey boy hear, oh yeah, he’s real trustworthy.” He added sarcastically as always, “Call me if you need me, whatever.”

“Now,” Jasmine said gently, “what are you afraid for me to hear?” She walked over to Aladdin and touched him lightly on his free shoulder.

“It’s, it’s something I found, Jas,” he replied weakly.

“Yes...” she provoked him farther.

“Something that has to do with Iago...” his voice trailed off again.

Jasmine’s worry subsided a little now. “Oh, come on now,” she said as lightly as she could, “it’s Iago. It couldn’t possibly be all that bad, now could it?”

Aladdin smiled that, but his face quickly became solemn again. “What if he was betraying us?” he said seriously.

“He’s always doing things to get himself in trouble, Aladdin; don’t worry yourself so,” she said smiling.

“It’s not like that this time, Jas; it’s more serious than that,” he looked at the floor.

“What is it sweetheart? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I found recipes for poison in the hovel. I know they’re not mine. And, I just know that it couldn’t have been Abu or Genie. Why else would anyone have them than to kill us, to take over the palace? Before you say anything, I know he’s been our friend for a while now, but he was friends with Jafar.” Again Jasmine could tell Abu agreed.

Outside Iago was flapping his wings wildly; flying from wall that formed the boundaries of the palace yard. “We’re not sure SOMEONE can keep a secret!” he said mimicking the sultan’s voice perfectly. “I need to get away from here. I need to be somewhere where I’m appreciated for the hero I am!” he squawked arrogantly. “See you all later, NOT!” he called as he flew over the palace wall. Little did he know that a guard was watching his flight from just around the corner...

Back inside the palace, Jasmine was in disbelief. “Come on, Aladdin. There really has to be some other explanation.”

“I certainly hope so,” the Sultan said.

“Me, too,” agreed Genie sadly, “it seemed like he really had changed.”

“Uhuh,” Abu agreed, excitable at what was going on.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, everyone,” Jasmine added, “maybe we should just confront him.”

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea, Jas,” replied Aladdin. “Listen; he did save us, remember? We should give him the benefit of the doubt, at least until we have all the facts,” she said softly. Again, silence covered the room.

“I guess I don’t always remember that,” Aladdin said a little regretfully, “he’s just so... Well, you know, Jas.”

“Yes, I do know,” she agreed. There was a pause. Then Genie spoke up.

Snapping his fingers, he exclaimed, “You’re right, Jas. We do need to talk him. It’s not fair that he doesn’t even know about any of this. Let’s go get birdy-boy.” Jasmine smiled a little to herself. At least Genie appeared to be lightening up a little. The sultan still appeared reluctant.

“Daddy, please,” Jasmine pleaded. With a sigh, he nodded. Jasmine turned her attention to Aladdin, and she saddled up to him, caressing his strong arm. “Let’s get this all figured out, honey,” she said in a calm voice.

“I just can’t be worried when you do that, you know,” he said, finally smiling. Jasmine bean walking towards the door without another word. As if one cue, they all followed after her, Aladdin taking long strides to catch up to her with Abu clinging to his neck, trying desperately not to fall off. Suddenly a guard blocked their way.

“Excuse me, princess,” he cut in, “but in the case you are looking for that bird of his, he just flew over the east wall.”

“Oh my!” the Sultan exclaimed.

“Jas, he’s escaping,” Aladdin cried out.

“You’re jumping to conclusions again honey,” she said, a little annoyed, “Carpet!”

By now, Iago had reached Jafar’s old lab. He sat looking around at broken vases and jars of strange concoctions. “Geez, why did I come here?” he asked himself. He thought for a second. “Maybe,” he said sadly, “it’s because I’ve left my only friends. Geez, was I an idiot! Sure, great idea, Iago!” He sighed. “I should just go back to the palace and have some... some grapes maybe. I’m starving.” Just as he spread his wings to take off, a thought came to him. “Maybe I should just hang out here a little while longer and see if I can find any of any value. Jafar always had a good eye for treasure... almost as good as mine. And I could give something to the princess. She was pretty nice. Well, maybe if I find something good for myself first.” He smiled.

Carpet zigged and zagged over the sand dunes of Agrabah. The sun was high in the sky now, and the heat made it hard to concentrate on their journey. “So,” Aladdin began, “where should we look first?” He wiped perspiration from his forehead.

“Where would a greedy little bird like him go first?” Genie asked, transformed into a detective. He crouched low on Carpet, holding a magnifying glass near his eye.

Abu pulled on Aladdin’s vest. “What is it, Abu?” Aladdin asked excitedly, “do you know where we could look?”

“Uh-huh, Uh-huh,” Abu cried, nodding frantically, “Yafar, Yafar!”

“Jafar’s lab, of course,” Genie shouted, smacking himself upside the head. He popped out of his detective outfit.

“Where’s that, Genie?” Jasmine questioned. Genie held his hand out and a map popped into it from nowhere. Near the far right corner in huge, menacing letter, it read “Jafar’s Secret Laboratory.”

“Hmmm... how convenient,” Genie commented. Jasmine leaned over his shoulder.

“Oh,” she said disgustedly, “that’s so far. Could you...”

“You don’t even have to ask, Jas!” Genie burst out. With a snap of his finger, they popped out of the middle of the desert and right in front of a very forbidding-looking place. “This must be it. How did I know it would look like this? Really, I must be psychic or something!” Genie beamed. His four companions shot him a whatever look. “Oh,” he said sheepishly, “so you knew it would look like this too?” Even in the tension of the situation, they all burst out laughing.

“Well, shall we?” Aladdin said, leading them to the door. As he pushed open the door, a loud creek came from within and a cloud of dust erupted from behind it. Abu let out a loud shriek, lost his balance, and went tumbling off Aladdin’s shoulder. “You all right, buddy?” Aladdin asked, picking him up and dusting him off.

“No,” he called, and tugged ferociously away from Aladdin.

“Oh, come on now,” he said smiling, “there’s nothing to be afraid of. Jafar’s been gone for a long time now.” Still, they all could not keep a chill from going down their spines. “Are you sure he could have went in here, Genie? It seems pretty deserted,” Aladdin asked.

“Well,” he said, producing a large book, “according to the book 'Bad Guys Hiding Places for Idiots,’ there’s probably a secret entrance that Iago knows about.” Genie shoved the heavy door the rest of the ways open, and everyone entered. Rooms expanded everywhere.

“Great, just great,” Aladdin commented, “how will we EVER find him in here?”

Abu ignored Aladdin’s comment as he exclaimed, “Wow,” in his monkey dialect and took off running into one of the maze of rooms.

“Maybe we should follow him,” Jasmine said, “that way seems as good as any.” They all dashed around the corner in a disorganized mess, with Sultan bringing up the rear.

At this time, Abu was already in a room filled with what treasure Jafar had acquired throughout his life. In the nearly empty room, a flash of red feathers caught his eye. He scurried across the room, and by the time Iago saw him coming, he had no time to move. With an immense jump, Abu landed right in front of him. He had him cornered. (Actually, Iago wasn’t going to run away, but Abu didn’t know that.) “Geez, monkey-boy, do get some kind of rush out of scaring me half to death?” Iago yelled. Abu stuck his tongue out in reply, but didn’t move from his post. “Woah, all I did was run away; what am I, some kind of criminal now?” Iago said, getting angry.

In a jumble, the rest of the gang slid into the room. “That monkey must be able to smell treasure,” Genie said, panting hard.

“There he is!” the Sultan shouted.

“What, what’d I do now? I swear, if it’s not one thing, it’s another,” Iago complained. The rest of the group was coming towards the two now.

“Iago, there’s something we need to talk about,” Jasmine said. She was the only one who appeared calm.

“Now you decide to tell me; now I’m good enough...” he started.

“Shut up,” Genie said sternly. Strangely enough, Iago shut up.

“It’s you, Iago,” Jasmine began.

“Me,” Iago said, shocked, “listen, I know I ran away, but that isn’t a crime is it?”

“It’s not that. I’m afraid it’s more serious, far more serious,” the sultan said.

“Yes,” Aladdin chimed in next, “we sort of, well, we sort of...”

“Found something... in the hovel,” Jasmine finished for him, “actually, it was recipes, recipes for poison.”

“We must know what you were planning to do, and quickly,” the Sultan said, finding his tongue again.

“Guys, you couldn’t possibly think, that I, me...” his voice trailed off. “I would never,” was all he could get out. His mind whirled. How could they even think this? I know I’m not perfect, but I thought they were my friends...

“Then why, Iago?” Aladdin pressed on.

“I, I never wanted to hurt you. It’s just, we have enemies, you know. We’ve gotten a lot of very powerful people very mad. Not only that, but I have my own enemies. You know, I don’t have the best reputation either. Although, I can’t imagine why,” he explained.

“Iago, you should know better,” Jasmine said gently, “we protect each other; we’re a family, even if we’re not related.”

“I know you guys are, but, no offense intended here, I’m not exactly one of you guys. There’s something that will always separate us. You’re just different. You belong together, even I can see that. But, me, I’m not one of you, and I don’t think I ever will be,” said Iago.

Everyone looked solemn. Aladdin was the first to speak, “You’ve changed, Iago. Anyone can change. I can tell you have. Even though you don’t like to show it, you care about us, and we care about you.”

“Of course I care about you chumps,” Iago reluctantly admitted, “after all you’ve done for me, I pretty much have to.”

A big tear slid down Genie’s cheek, and he squeezed carpet close to him. “Beautiful,” he murmured, “just beautiful.”

“We would never let anything happen to you or any one of us, for that matter,” Jasmine said. She bent down and picked Iago up. Abu tugged at her sleeve, and smiling, she lowered herself again and let him climb up her arm. Aladdin took both his hands and stroked his two of his best friends in the world. Behind them, Genie blew his nose loudly, and they all turned to face him.

“Group hug!” he sniffled. And everyone, even the Sultan got in for a group hug.

“OK, OK,” Iago screeched, “this is way too mushy for me.” Everyone laughed. “No, really, could you let me go now?!?”

The trip back to the palace seemed so quick, even though they decided not to use Genie’s magic to return home. The sultan slumped over into a deep sleep only five minutes into the ride. Abu stayed perched on Aladdin’s shoulder throughout, but Iago moved to Jasmine’s. Somehow, without her ever mentioning it, he knew that she was the one who had convinced the others. He snuggled close to her warm vale of hair that matched the night sky and nearly slept the whole way there. Every once in a while, the princess reached up to stroke his bright feathers, even though she doubted he felt it. He felt so loved that night, and it didn’t bother him at all. The ride home was also amazingly quiet, mostly because Iago was sleeping. Aladdin looked back at his future wife and smiled as she looked that she was just about to drift off, too. In his mind, he noticed that although neither Iago nor Abu had eaten all day, both had not complained once. Genie carefully made his way around the others and over to Aladdin. “So, little buddy,” he began, “today was really something, wasn’t it?”

Aladdin ran a hand through his thick black hair. “Yeah, it was. No wonder everyone’s so tired.”

“By the looks of you, you need a little sleep yourself,” Genie pointed out, “why don’t you take quick nap, too?”

“Well, it wouldn’t kill me,” Aladdin agreed, and lay down, putting his head in Jasmine’s lap. Genie looked around at all his sleeping friends.

“Well, Rug-man, it’s only you and me now, left to take on the dangerous desert nights,” he said dramatically, while producing a sword. Carpet did his best imitation of a sigh, and Genie replaced the sword to wherever it had come from. “Guess I’ll get some sleep, too. Night!” he finished, slipping silently into his lamp.

Upon returning home, Carpet slid as quietly as possible to the ground. The small bump startled Aladdin, and he was the first to awaken. He found his eyes looking fondly at Jasmine and noticed that he was again smiling. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, and her eyes fluttered open. “Oh Aladdin, are we home already? “ she asked, her voice full of love, “it seems as if we have only been traveling for minutes, not hours.”

“Tell me about it,” he replied, “but it’s really late, sweety. It’s nearing midnight.”

“Midnight, wow!” she exclaimed, “it’s much too far a walk from here to your hovel. You guys can all stay here tonight.” She turned her attention to her father. “Father, come on, let’s get on to bed,” she said. His eyes popped open one by one.

“Huh? Uh, yes, yes,” he voice said, coated with sleep, “this way, dearest,” he continued as he almost walked off Carpet who was hovering slightly above the ground. Aladdin jumped to his feet and caught him by the arm, “This way, Sultan,” he said, in a coaxing voice. Aladdin made the tiny jump to the ground and motioned to Carpet to lower more. Abu let out a loud squeak as Aladdin moved his arms suddenly. “Shhh, Abu, it’s OK, we’re home now,” he whispered. Abu quieted and was again snoring softly. The sultan walked safely off Carpet. “I’ll get him to his room, Jas. Then, Abu and I’ll find where the guys are sleeping,” Aladdin offered, taking Jasmine’s dainty hand in his own and helping to balance her as she stood up. She was too tired to take tonight and was trying not to disturb Iago.

“They’ll be sleeping in the room next to mine,” she explained, picking Genie’s lamp up from Carpet. “Just be sure you two get enough sleep,” she continued, and they kissed again, this time more passionately.

“Till tomorrow, dearest,” he said as he entered the palace doorway.

Jasmine climbed the huge stairwell to her room. She could feel Iago’s warm feathers against her and hoped he was feeling has safe as she was at that moment. She rounded the corner to her room’s wing and entered the first room to her left. Cupping her hands ever so gently, she removed him from her shoulder and set him on a pillow on one of the beds. He smiled in his sleep, and Jasmine smiled, too. Still smiling and humming a soft tune to herself, she set Genie’s lamp on a side table and went to her own room. Her own warm bed would feel so good tonight. Only seconds after Jasmine had entered her room, Aladdin saw the familiar sight of her room and entered the one before it. All was quiet as he set Abu down in a plush chair. Abu let out a sigh. Aladdin didn’t have time to sigh. He meant to only sit down on the bed opposite Iago’s, but he passed out without even covering himself up. Moonshine reflected off Genie’s lamp and a momentary reflection was caught in the light, but no one was awake to see it.

The sunlight came early the next morning. Jasmine had expected to sleep late after the events of the day before, but somehow, with the first light of dawn, she was awake. She felt only slightly tired and did not try to fall back asleep, but instead just stared at her bedroom’s ceiling, listening to Rajah’s soft purring and pondering over yesterday. Did that really all happen yesterday? It seemed so long ago. She had never before realized the way that Iago felt. And, she thought she had known him so well. Maybe she needed to listen to what people weren’t saying rather than to what they were. It was a lot to think about, and she felt that she needed to pace the halls. Thinking was always easier when she did that.

Jasmine had expected the halls to be empty at this time in the morning, but she heard tiny echoing footsteps quite near her own. She turned to find Iago close at her heels, looking like something was terribly wrong. “Iago,” she gasped, “is everything all right?”

He didn’t answer, just lowered his eyes to the floor. “Iago, what’s the matter?” she said urgently.

He shook violently. “It’s just, it’s the way he feel,” he stuttered.

“Do you feel sick?” Jasmine asked, her voice full of worry.

“No, it’s not that,” Iago started. Jasmine could tell he was pale even under his bright feathers. “Something’s wrong, someone’s here.”

“Who’s here?” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking as Iago’s was. But, her fear was impossible to hide.

“You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you,” he pleaded.

“No, no, of course I won’t. You can tell me,” she pried.

He shuffled his feet nervously, trying to avoid the subject he could no longer avoid. “It’s Jafar. I don’t know how I know. It’s just this feeling I have. I feel... I feel, Jas, I never wanted to admit this, but I’m terrified. I always felt this way when... when...”

“When what?” Jasmine urged.

“When he was going to do something to me for something I didn’t do right,” his usually loud voice was low and cracking.

Jasmine gasped, and Iago finally did begin to cry. “Iago,” she said, picking up from the ground and stroking him lovingly, “please don’t be so terrified. He may not really even be here. Yesterday was a hard day for us all, especially you. And, even if he was, what we said yesterday was true. We would protect each other. I know he hurt you once, but we wouldn’t let that happen again.” Iago didn’t pull away from her touch. He just stayed in her hand, trying to regain his composure, but still shaking.

“He hurt me more than once, Princess,” he said.

“Maybe you need a little more sleep, Iago,” she nearly whispered, “why don’t you go back upstairs and sleep for a little while longer?”

Iago nodded, but he didn’t move. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“You can’t tell any of the guys this, but I’m scared. I don’t want to go up there all alone,” he admitted.

Jasmine began walking towards the stairs. “Then I’ll walk you up there,” she offered. As she started the spiral ascent, she thought: “He hurt me more than once.” What could that mean? What did Jafar do to him when he worked for him to make him so afraid? Could Jafar really be here, and what would he do to us if he was?

Once in the room, she again placed Iago on the bed. “Thanks,” he said, “remember, this is our little secret.”

“Of course,” she said, trying to smile. Aladdin’s eyes slowly opened, and he let out a long sigh. He saw Jasmine out of the corner of his eye.

“What are you doing up already?” he questioned. Iago shot Jasmine a look.

“Let’s go have some breakfast, honey,” she said, quickly changing the subject. He jumped out of bed.

“Let me just wake the guys,” suggested Aladdin.

“No,” Jasmine said hurriedly, “let’s spend some time alone,” she continued, removing a stray piece of hair from his eyes.

The chefs had just begun cooking when they entered the dining room. “It smells incredible in here,” Aladdin commented, “but not as incredible as you.” Jasmine said nothing in return. She just stared absently into space. “Jas, is there something you want to tell me?” he questioned.

“I want to, but I just can’t. I made a promise,” she explained.

“No secrets, remember?” Aladdin said, as he took Jasmine’s chin in his hands and looked into her eyes.

“It’s Iago again,” she started reluctantly.

“Now what?” Aladdin said disgustedly.

“He’s terrified that Jafar’s coming back, I mean, really terrified,” she let the whole story spill out, “and now I don’t know what to do. What if he’s right?”

“Jafar couldn’t possibly be back. We destroyed him, remember?” Aladdin said.

Jasmine was becoming annoyed, “You didn’t hear the fear in his voice; you didn’t see the way he was shaking. You’d be wondering, too, if you had.”

Aladdin could see her anger... and her fear. “Maybe I just need to talk to him Jas,” he said, taking her in his arms, “everything will be all right. Do you trust me?” His eyes sparkled.

“Yes, yes, of course I trust you,” she said more calmly now. Aladdin kissed her hand as he stood to exit the room.

“I will always take care of my princess,” he cooed. I can trust him, Jasmine thought, I know I can.

Iago sat on the bed with his eyes closed. Why am I being so stupid? He thought. I shouldn’t be afraid; I know I shouldn’t. Aladdin appeared in the doorway, but Iago couldn’t see him through his closed eyelids. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” Aladdin more announced than asked. Iago leaped from where he was sitting on the bed.

“Al, does everybody like scaring me half to death? It must be some kind of strange hobby around here or something,” he squawked, “what do you want?”

Aladdin looked him up and down. He could tell Iago hadn’t gotten the sleep he needed the night before. He looked awful. “You don’t look so good, Iago,” Aladdin spoke, “are you OK?”

“Oh, uh, I just didn’t get too much sleep last night, I’ll be fine,” he lied.

“Oh, Jasmine said that something was bothering you, something about Jafar,” Aladdin said.

“Is nothing sacred anymore?” he yelled, “I’m gonna be the laughing stock of Agrabah. Is that what she wants, huh?” By now Abu was awake, but pretending to be asleep. He wanted to know what was going on around here.

“No, Iago, I made her tell me. I made her tell me because I care about you,” Aladdin said.

Iago still looked unhappy. “Well, I guess I can sorta see where you’re coming from!” he admitted.

“Iago, I promise nothing will happen to any of us...” Aladdin’s sentence was cut off short. At that moment a black shadow engulfed the entire room.

“So, Aladdin, nothing will happen. I doubt that,” an evil voice boomed. Iago and Aladdin looked up at the same moment, the same fear locked in their eyes. Abu refused to open his, but it didn’t help; he still knew who it was.

“Jafar,” they all managed to choke out at the same time.

“You think that dust mop of a traitor could destroy me,” he scoffed, “you truly must be joking.”

“Iago is not a traitor,” Aladdin yelled, anger in his eyes. Jafar stepped forward.

“Oh, yes, he is, street rat,” he hissed as he reached his hand down to pick up the cowering Iago. Jafar grabbed him by the tail feathers, saying “Just like old times, isn’t it, Iago?” and whipped him with all his might against the wall of the palace. Iago made a screeching noise, but not for long. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

“You!” Aladdin exclaimed.

Jafar stopped to ponder for a moment. “I am not going to kill any of you now, but not out of kindness, oh no. I’ll take you, Aladdin and your genie. Make no mistake that they’ll come to save you. Then you can have the privilege of watch them all die, one by one. Especially that bird, oh yes, his death will be especially painful. And then... then I will kill you.” Jafar turned with an evil smile, and in a whirl of his cape, he had disappeared along with Aladdin and the lamp. Abu finally opened his eyes and saw Iago in a jumbled pile on the floor. He had to find Jasmine.

Abu tore down the palace hallway, letting out shrill screams until he ran smack into Jasmine, who, after hearing Abu’s tormented cries, was flying the opposite way. “What is it, Abu?” she asked eagerly. He grabbed her arm and ran towards the door. “What’s happened?” she cried over and over. Her answer was soon to come. Once inside the room, her breath was swept away. The lamp and Aladdin were gone. Iago lay where he had fallen. Jasmine’s eyes turned dark, “Jafar,” she whispered, venom dripping from her words. She felt sick. What could she do without Aladdin and the Genie? She didn’t even know where they had been taken. Tears clouded her vision. Abu scampered up her arm and put his arms around her neck, cooing. But, Jasmine knew she had to be strong... for Aladdin. “Abu,” she said, “we need to make sure Iago’s OK. He’ll be able to tell me what happened.” Abu chattered loudly as she bent to pick Iago up from where he lay. A small pool of blood sat where he had been. Jasmine’s breath caught in her throat. Was he all right?

They made their way into Jasmine’s bedroom, where Jasmine sat down on the side of her bed, cradling Iago in her arms. Rajah nuzzled her with his soft, cold nose as Jasmine filled a small bowl with water and dipped a rag into it, pressing softly on Iago’s forehead, wiping the blood off it. He stirred and groaned, as if he was in pain. Jasmine stroked him to keep him calm as he was coming to. “Iago, are you OK?” she asked. Her voice echoed in his head. It was pounding, and the noise was not at all pleasant.

“I’m fine,” groaned, “but can you keep the noise down. I’ve got a splitting headache. Must have had too much fun last night.”

“Iago! You’re all right!” Jasmine exclaimed, continuing to tenderly touch his forehead.

“Yeah, yeah. What are you doing?” he said, a little more strongly this time.

“Aladdin and Genie are gone. I found you unconscious. I don’t know what happened, but you have Abu here to thank that I found you,” she replied.

“Sure, monkey-boy gets all the credit,” he grumbled, trying to sit up, but he was too sore. He let himself fall back into Jasmine’s lap. “Thanks, I guess.” But as he closed his eyes, Jasmine broke in.

“Iago, I need to know what happened. You have to tell me,” she begged.

He didn’t want to remember what happened it; scared him too much. “It was Jafar,” he explained, beginning to shiver again. “He took your boyfriend and Little Boy-Blue,” his voice became high with panic, “he’s going to kill us if we look for them. That’s the plan; we go to save them, Jafar kills us all one by one.” The color left Jasmine’s face. “I’m sorry, Princess, but it looks like it’s all over.”

“Oh no, it isn’t,” she protested. Even in the condition he was in, unable to lift himself from her lap, she felt pressured to slap him.

“You don’t understand what he’ll do to me. Look what he already did!” he screeched.

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” she reminded him, “plus, I’m willing to give you a large reward for your help in this matter.”

Iago’s eyes grew large with greed. “Let’s get this party started!” he shouted, this time jumping to his feet as if nothing had happened. Jasmine couldn’t help but smile; the old Iago was back.

“OK, OK, just let me think a minute...” Jasmine stammered. Iago quieted and fluttered slowly up to her shoulder. “You and Jafar were friends. What would he do in this situation? Where would he take them?”

“How should I know? I thought was one of you guys now!” Iago shouted, as was customary to him.

“Iago, don’t do this to me! You are one of us, but you’ve got to remember; you’ve got to save Aladdin!” Jasmine answered, also shouting.

Iago gasped at the severity of her voice. He had finally realized the gravity of the situation. “You’ve never heard of the place,” he began, his voice dropping to a whisper, “you’d never want to.” Abu scampered onto Jasmine’s head and buried his face in her hair, whimpering. She patted him absently.

“Where is it, Iago?” she pressed forward.

Aladdin lay on a cold, stone floor, nearly unconscious. His body felt drained of all energy, as if he had been running for hours and hours upon end. Nothing seemed clear or understandable. The questions rushed at him. Where am I? How did I get here? He slowly opened his eyes. Even the low light was unbearable. He squinted; trying to close out the pain that gripped at his temple. Through nearly closed eyes, he observed that he was alone; more questions. Where is everyone else? How will they find me? He reached up to massage his forehead. Snap! His arm was pulled back. Groggily, he turned his pounding head to one side. His arms were chained to the floor, as were his legs.

“Have a nice nap, sweetheart?” a cold voice mocked. In a one awful moment, everything rushed back to him: the day before, the scene in the bedroom... Jafar. It replayed in his mind.

“Jafar, what have you done?” Aladdin barely breathed.

“Oh, nothing much, street rat,” he hissed, “your friends are fine. In fact, if my assumptions are correct, they are on their way here as we speak. Shame, shame; it’s so sad that they will have come all this way to meet their deaths.”

“No!” Aladdin screamed, pain in his voice. “Don’t hurt them, not Jasmine. You have me; you have what you want! Let them live!”

“Oh, you are so foolish, boy,” Jafar mocked, “You are not the only thing I want. I want revenge, revenge on you, on Jasmine, on you all, and especially on Iago.” Aladdin’s face twisted in sadness, despair, and fear. “You, of course, will have the pleasure of watching them all die horrible deaths, beginning with the Genie.”

It wasn’t too late for them; it couldn’t be. They had always saved him before and they would now. Aladdin just had to believe that.

Carpet was speeding along towards a land Jasmine had never before seen. It was the beginning of twilight and the scorching sun was quickly disappearing into the sand dunes, casting long streaks of reds, blues, and yellows onto the desert sands. Abu had somehow managed to fall asleep and was snoring lightly on one end of Carpet. Jasmine couldn’t blame him. He’d been so worried all day. It must have completely drained him. On the other hand, Jasmine ignored her exhaustion as they soared into the night. “Iago, please tell me you know where you’re going,” she said for the thousandth time.

Iago rolled his eyes. “Do you trust me?” he mocked, mimicking Aladdin’s voice. Jasmine rolled her eyes in return and just had to giggle.

“I know I’ve asked you that a thousand times now, but I’m... I’m just so scared. I don’t know where he’s taken them. Aladdin’s the love of my life. He means everything; I mean everything to me. We’ve got to get him back; we’ve just got to...” her voice trailed off. Even with Jasmine saying all this “mushy” stuff, Iago couldn’t bring himself to come up with a comeback. Instead, he spread his wings and flew over to her. He nestled up to her and rubbed his head on her shoulder. She again stroke him. He was actually beginning to like this stroking stuff. “Oh, I’ve been so worried about Aladdin that I haven’t even though about Genie. He’s family too. He just wouldn’t let anyone hurt Aladdin, would he?” she was silent for a moment. “And then there’s you. I’ve been totally ignoring you. How are you feeling?” she asked, tenderly touching his forehead.

“Been better,” he answered sarcastically. “Really, it’s not too bad. Just a little bit of headache,” he said, this time truthfully.

Jasmine tried to smile again, but she couldn’t; the doubt was too much. “Princess, this isn’t the time to do this to me!” Iago said loudly, but with care in his voice. “You brought me along to save your boyfriend, and we’re gonna do it. I can’t handle Jafar hurting me...” he thought a moment, “or anyone else again!”

Something inside Jasmine told her that he was right. She lifted her eyes to the night sky. “You’re right, Iago,” she said breathlessly, “Aladdin would save us, and we will save him!” Abu jumped at the sound of her voice. He scuttled across Carpet and onto Jasmine’s shoulder, giving the thumbs up sign. Even Carpet was visually enlightened and seemed to put a little “spring in his step.” But, Jasmine saw that even talking about Jafar had emptied Iago of all spirit. “Iago,” she started. He looked up at her. “Jafar did more to you than what we know, didn’t he?” she questioned softly.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Let’s just get Al back and get outta this place,” he added, pointing to the north. Jasmine’s eyes scanned the ground ahead of them. There stood a menacing looking monument. Its eyes glowed red as the sun had that morning. The rest was a dark stone, nearly matching the pitch black of the night. It loomed so that it almost reached as high as Carpet was flying.

“What... what is it?” Jasmine stammered.

Aladdin still lay where he had been hours earlier. He was hungry but felt so dizzy that it made him sick. His attempts at breaking free had ended a long time ago and now it was all he could do to keep tears from running down his dirt and sweat streaked face. They should be here by now. What if he’s already killed them? How much longer can I hold out; it’s so hot. His thoughts were those of despair. The constant mocking of Jafar had slowly drained all hope. Where had Jafar gone now? Why had he given up a few moments of merciless torture? Aladdin didn’t know, and he didn’t care anymore either. He let his head roll back as he again fell into a dreamless sleep.

The Genie looked about. “Rug-man, Al, Jas... anybody?” he called quietly. I was sure I fell asleep at the palace last night. And, if my memory serves me correctly, this isn’t the palace. Where was he?

“Ah, so I see you’ve awoken from your slumber,” an all too familiar voice spoke as a tall, black shadow coated half the room, “How lucky, you shall be the first to die.”

“How did you find us?” Genie more demanded than asked. “We killed you!” he spat in his normally sweet voice.

“Stupid Genie. You think a street rat and some traitor of a parrot could destroy me when I am all powerful?!? What a fantasy world you must live in,” Jafar jeered. He slithered closer to Genie. “Come, it is time to meet your doom, with none other than you very own Aladdin as your audience.”

“Not over my dead body!” Jasmine stated from behind him.

“With pleasure,” Jafar replied, turning sharply to face her. Iago felt compelled to hide behind her hair, but he desperately did not want to be a coward, not this time, when it meant so much to Jasmine. He remained perched on her shoulder, but Jasmine could feel his heart beating within him. Her heart too was racing, but her fear had long subsided, and all that was left was hatred. “So, we meet again, dear princess,” he continued, “and I see you’ve brought a friend. Be careful who you trust, stupid girl.” He shot a burning glare towards Iago.

“I am,” she said with a new strength in her voice. She took another step forward. Iago tried to prepare himself mentally for what he may face.

Against his own will, Jafar was taken aback by her comment, but only momentarily. “Let us go see Aladdin,” Jafar began, “I’m sure he’s dying to see you all.”

Jasmine’s knees became weak at the comment. Is he already dead? She tried to shut the thought out of her mind.

“Oh, don’t be so foolish, Jasmine,” he said caustically as he led them to Aladdin’s chamber, “I wouldn’t kill him, not before he had the privilege of seeing your death.”

Jasmine held her head up defiantly. But, when they entered the chamber where Aladdin was chained to the floor, she dropped to her knees near him. “Aladdin,” she whispered, her voice sick with worry and relief all at once.

“Jasmine,” he said as loudly as he could, but his voice was also nearly above a whisper. She grasped him and held on tightly. Tears began to flow down her face and onto Aladdin. “Don’t cry, darling, I’m fine, really. We’re together now,” he said, trying to strengthen her.

“The two lovebirds, together again,” Jafar snarled, “how beautiful.”

“What’ll we do, Aladdin, what’ll we do?” she sobbed.

“I don’t know; I just don’t know,” he answered loud enough for Jafar to hear, but under his breath he continued, “I have a plan, but we have to be alone.”

Iago hovered in the air just above the two. He barely heard Aladdin’s final words and knew what he had to do. He looked at Abu, who was eagerly patting Aladdin’s head. He won’t mean enough to Jafar. It’ll have to be me.

He flew straight at Jafar to get the attention that he needed. Jafar didn’t even look surprised. “Iago, I would have thought better of you than you than to try that again. Did it work the last time?” he mocked, but Iago knew what he was doing. Raising his snake staff in the air, Jafar muttered something inaudible and a wall of energy suddenly appeared in front of the small, red parrot. Smacking against it, he screeched and fell to the floor near it. Jafar reached down to pick up the animal and Jasmine gave Genie the thumbs up sign. The chains that weighted Aladdin to the floor broke off and Jasmine pulled him gently to a standing position. The room spun around him, but there was no time for that. In front of him, Jafar was dangling Iago in front of him saying, “So, you chose to be the first to die, Iago. I was so looking forward to this.” Iago lifted his head and sunk his beak into Jafar’s hand. “Wretched parrot!” Jafar burst out, throwing him to the floor to look at the blood leaking from his hand.

“Good work, Iago,” Aladdin cried as Abu scampered over to pull Iago from Jafar’s reach.

There was too much going on to comprehend. Little thought had been given to Genie and where he had disappeared to. The truth was that Genie had not disappeared at all and was still in the room that the whole conflict had begun in. He floated from wall to wall and wrung his large blue hands nervously. For once, there was nothing he could do to help his friends in their battle against evil. Jafar had been killed; he knew that. They had all watched him die. “Destroy the Genie’s lamp, destroy the Genie,” he repeated there words over and over in his head. This is how he knew that Jafar was not something mortal, nor something immortal. He was something else, something evil, a manifestation of pure evil. He had nothing to protect them from that... or did he? Suddenly, Genie’s pacing stopped. He snapped his fingers; everything made sense now. If someone is evil enough; if someone leaves enough fear, enough hatred, they can be risen without the help of magic. All it takes is the memory, the feeling that remains here. All it takes is someone who is just terrified enough of them to raise the spirit, all they had in them, to cause havoc upon this world once more. It was all coming back to him. But, if the one that had the power to bring the spirit back has the bravery to place it once more in the lost underworld, then all again shall be restored to it former ways, and peace shall reign again. It was an ancient riddle, one that Genie knew well, and no longer was it a mystery to him. He could give his friends the secret to their lives, even if he alone could not save them.

Aladdin heaved himself against the stone wall and breathed hard, whether from fear or from tiredness, he didn’t know. Abu struggled to catch him, dragging Iago, who was protesting all the way, along by the tail. “Listen, primate, I can walk, ok? Geez! You’re pulling my tail feathers out; you want me to be bald?!?” he squawked.

Abu squealed and dropped him to the ground as he ran into Aladdin. Jasmine rushed to Aladdin to see if he was all right, but he pulled away from her touch. He turned to face Jafar and his eyes were hard with hatred. Shocked, Abu dashed behind Jasmine and peeked out from behind her leg, while Iago soared onto Jasmine’s shoulder to again hide in her safe vale of hair.

“How sweet to see you all care about each other so,” Jafar mocked. He raised his arms in a grand gesture...

“Al, buddy, are you ready to kick some Jafar butt?!?” Genie boomed out.

“Genie,” Aladdin gasped, “what do we do?”

“It’s too late, Genie,” Jafar coolly explained, “there’s no way to destroy me, no mortal way at least...”

“Oh, but you are so wrong,” now it was the Genie’s turn to mock.

“Well, what is it? What do we do?” Jasmine asked impatiently.

“Well, you see, it all depends,” Genie began.

Jafar hands were again raised and poised to do something horrible.

“No offense, but you wanna hurry a little?” Iago demanded.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he smiled, embarrassed, “it all depends on who brought Jafar here.”

“No one brought me here, you idiot,” Jafar shot back.

“Someone must have,” the Genie continued, unfazed, “who here is scared of you the most? Who here can remember the most evil you have done? Whoever that is brought you here, and they have the power to return you to your grave.”

Jafar’s eyes grew wide in rage and fear. His uttered these words: “No one can destroy me. None of you could before, and none of you can now,” but his voice shook.

“But who brought him here?” Aladdin nearly whispered.

Jasmine smiled. “Iago.”

“Wwwwwwho, me?” Iago stammered. Aladdin looked at her, a little confused.

“He knew he was here first, and he was terrified,” Jasmine stated calmly, “who else could it have been?”

Jafar bit of the last of her words. “Than I must kill him first, mustn’t I? How convenient, I was planning on doing that anyway.”

Iago dove behind Aladdin with Abu close on his tail. “Iago,” Jasmine began, seeing the trembling bird clutching to Aladdin’s leg, “he can’t hurt you, or me, or any of us anymore.” He shot her an unconvinced look. She continued, as calmly as possible, but still trying to hurry this along as quickly as possible, “He’s not here...”

“Looks like he’s here to me,” Iago barged in. One quick glance told him to shut up and listen to her.

“You brought him here; he’s only what you perceive him to be...” She was cut off again, but this time by Jafar.

“Princess,” he drawled, “this little game of yours is quite amusing, but it is oh so plain to us all that I AM here and through no one’s doing but my own, especially him.” Abu peered up, confused at what exactly this all meant. Jafar was here; he knew that much. Iago couldn’t have brought him here; that he also knew.

Jasmine barged her way past Jafar and to Aladdin. Aladdin touched her hand; it was like ice. It was then he knew, she was not nearly as confident as she sounded. Jasmine looked into Aladdin’s eyes, her own eyes pleading, trembling. “Do you trust me?” she questioned in a voice so low only he could hear it.

Then, she lowered herself to Iago’s level. “Listen,” she said, again whispering. “You and only you can stop him. If you believe, truly believe that he is nothing, will never be anything, you can defeat him.”

“I... I can’t,” he whimpered. She stroked him softly.

“You must,” was her only reply.

Jafar’s low, menacing laugh rose slowly from behind them. “So, once again you think you can defeat me, but this time...” he shook with laughter, “you will do nothing, just wait. Oh, this is precious.”

“We CAN defeat you,” a raucous voice shouted.

“Iago,” he growled, “you could no longer wait to die, I see.”

“You can’t kill me; you don’t have the power; you don’t have anything,” Iago said, turning his head away, his voice full of not hatred, but pity. Jafar’s jaw dropped in pure amazement at the words the parrot had spoken and in the tone he had spoken them in.

“Don’t feel pity for me!” he cried angrily, “I have everything; I have power, power over you and your friends, as if you’ve ever had any!”

Iago cringed at the last words, but he struggled to keep his composure. That isn’t true. It’s a lie; these people are my friends. He’s nothing, nothing. Iago repeated over and over in his head. “You’re wrong, Jafar! I have friends,” he quieted in thought for a moment, “friends I don’t always treat the way I should, especially with all they do for me.”

“Aw, how sad. The traitor finally realizes he has not been a friend at all,” Jafar taunted.

“You’re... you’re right,” Iago murmured, “I haven’t been, but I’m going to be now.” Suddenly, he realized how deathly quiet the room had become. Swallowing hard, he did his best to continue, “Jafar, you’re not going to hurt them, not anymore; not after all you’ve done. You changed who I was. You made me afraid to love everything except power and money. You made me afraid to care. You made me afraid to show what I felt. And most of all, you made me afraid of myself. You made me afraid, afraid of the world, afraid of everything worth having.”

Jafar gasped at his defiance, but found nothing to say in defense.

Iago didn’t wait for a reply. “Well, I’m not afraid anymore, Jafar. The people here with me, they... they care about me, and they shouldn’t. Not after all I’ve done to them, all that I continue to do. But, that doesn’t matter, because they do. And, because of you, I was afraid to admit that I care about them.” Iago turned to face them for a moment. That’s when he saw it: a tear slipping down Jasmine’s cheek, but she was smiling, smiling at him. Shaking, he again faced Jafar, “I care. I really do. They mean everything to me, and it’s my turn to protect them. I don’t care if you hurt me, Jafar. I don’t care if you kill me. But, if you hurt them, you will be sorry.” Behind him, Aladdin’s breath caught in his throat. It was all he could do to keep from cheering. Iago cared.

A loud rumble slowly erupted from somewhere in the stone ceiling, and automatically, they all looked up. Tiny rocks had begun to fall from the cracks, and bigger ones were noticeably loosening. Jasmine’s smile broadened, “It’s time, Jafar.” He looked up at the ceiling, and his eyes grew wide in human fear.

“But... but, you can’t do this,” he howled in the irony of the situation. “You did nothing to defeat me. Just spoke; that was all.”

Jasmine was still smiling. “Jafar, you still can’t see it, can you? That’s sad, so very sad,” she said, shaking her head. Larger pieces of rock plunged down around them. “That’s all it took. You can’t haunt us anymore,” he pity was replaced by anger that welled within her. “You... you are nothing without him,” she continued, turning her gaze toward Iago.

The Genie had watch this all in amazement, but now realized that his friends again were in trouble, “Faster than a speeding bullet,” he started, leaping into the air. “Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” he swept around the room, scooping up each of his friends into his arms. Aladdin flashed a bright smile to him. “But, still realistic enough to know that it is time we blow this popsicle stand!”

“You got that right, Genie,” Aladdin shouted over the rumbling, just as Carpet swooped in to get them to safety.

“Not so fast!” Jafar sneered. “You can’t possible think you’re going to get away that easy.”

“Really,” Aladdin said, “because I was beginning to think that we’d beaten you... again.” Jafar snorted in disgust.

“How sad, street rat, that just when you’ve gotten you’re little family reunion started, I’ll have to break it up,” and suddenly, he was in the form of the horrible serpent that Aladdin has fought so long ago. Black eyes purged with hatred; he struck at the tiny group.

“Aladdin,” Jasmine cried, as she was pushed off the back of Carpet and into a wall. Iago, who had been perched on her shoulder, leapt into the air and fluttered wildly.

“Princess!” he shouted. Panic was in Aladdin’s eyes as he scanned the dark room for his fiancée. “Hey, kid,” Iago screeched as he let himself slowly drop to her level, “ she’s down there.”

“Carpet,” Aladdin started, but no further orders were needed He swooped down to where Jasmine lay in a heap on the stone floor.

“Princess,” Iago was saying as Abu jumped from Aladdin’s arm and began to stroke Jasmine’s hair, “C’mon, you gotta wake up! We really don’t have time for this.” He began tugging at her sleeve.

“So we all care so much for the princess, I see,” Jafar’s evil words rung out between hisses, “doesn’t she know that all of you see her only as your ticket to all that you want. You, all of you, are beggars; you always have been. And, it is something that none of you will never escape. Why, if she knew your true reasoning, she’d care about you no more than you care about her.”

Jasmine stirred. “Shhh, baby, shhh,” Aladdin cooed. Aladdin whipped around to face Jafar, his eyes glowing like hot coals. “I love her,” his voice echoed gravely, “I love her for her.” Abu nodded excitedly. Iago watched this all with a horror growing inside him. He had known Jafar too long, and he knew what Jafar was planning to do.

“Well, then wouldn’t it be a terrible tragedy if she had to, you know, leave,” he stuck his forked tongue in out and out, hissing. He lunged toward her nearly limp figure. Out of nowhere, a tiny figure burst between them. “What do you want?” Jafar hissed, “I’m not going to kill you; I don’t have the time... just her,” All looked up at the ceiling; Jafar was right about one thing. They were running out of time. The whole place was about ready to cave in.

“No, you’re not,” was Iago’s simple reply.

“You can’t...” Jafar was cut off by Iago.

“No, you can’t,” Iago said sternly. At the ringing of the last words, the entire ceiling gave way.

“We’ve gotta get Jasmine out of here!” Aladidn cried.

“Ok, ok, let’s try this one more time,” Genie said impatiently, “maybe this time I’ll get through it without any interruptions,” he said with a slight cough indicated to Jafar. “Now... 1... 2... 3... faster than a speeding...”

“Genie!” Aladdin mused.

“Oh fine, we’ll do it your way,” Genie sighed. “And a one and a two and a three,” he shouted.

The desert sun was blinding after being in that dark building for what seemed like years. Jasmine scrunched her eyes as she was fully coming to. “Exactly what did I miss?” she asked, her voice sleepy.

“Nothing much, just the usual, giant snakes, evil sorcerers, you know the rest,” Genie said laughingly.

“Oh,” Jasmine giggled. She looked to her right and saw Iago dozing soundly. “Hmmm... I wonder what’s gotten him so worn out,” she wondered aloud.

“Did you forget, Jasmine?” Aladdin said, smiling. “He saved us from Jafar... again.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Jasmine recalled. Aladdin nodded. She slid closet to Iago and stroked his beak. “I wonder why he was so terrified,” she said, again wondering aloud. “I mean, just imagine, to be afraid enough to bring someone back from the dead! What must have happened?”

“I... I don’t know, Jasmine,” Aladdin said solemnly.

“We’ll never understand him unless we know,” she murmured.

“I know,” Aladdin said. “It’ll be hard, but we have to find out,”

By the time they reached the palace, it was nearly nightfall. I just don’t understand, Jasmine thought. It seems like it’s always night now. But, then again, maybe the days are so busy that they just seem to be going faster...

“Jasmine,” Aladdin’s voice broke into her thoughts. “We’d better wake the guys up. We’ll be there any minute now.”

“I guess you’re right,” she said, feeling guilty about having to wake them all up from their naps. “Abu, Iago,” she called softly as she nudged them a little. Abu squeaked and rubbed his eyes, somewhat annoyed. “We’re almost home now,” she explained.

“Awready?” Abu asked, amazed.

“Oh, now you guys, it’s been hours,” she said, nudging them a little harder this time.

“I’m up; I’m up,” Iago replied sleepily. Abu yawned in agreement.

“OK then. Aladdin, would you like to sleep in the palace or your home tonight?” she continued.

“I think we’ll all sleep better in my house,” he answered. He glanced around. “We have a lot to talk about tomorrow,” he added.

“Yes,” Jasmine agreed. Iago and Abu looked at the two of them strangely. “Uh... Aladdin, hadn’t you better get Genie up?” she suggested, quickly changing the subject.

“Yeah, Jasmine; I’d better get him up right away,” he answered hurriedly. Taking Genie lamp in his hands, he began to rub it. Genie popped out, straightening his back.

“10,000 years gives you such a crick in the neck!” he exclaimed. Suddenly, he noticed that everyone was looking at him a little strangely. Digging his hand back in his lamp, he pulled out a script. “Oh wait,” he cried, “wrong movie! Take two; rewind!”

“OK,” Aladdin said slowly, trying to figure out exactly what Genie meant. Jasmine gave him a funny look, and they both broke into giggles. The palace of Agrabah was rising quickly in the distance. “Hey, Jas, look,” Aladdin pointed out.

“Good; we’re here. Let’s all get some sleep tonight; it looks like we might need it,” she said.

Everyone nodded. It had been a long day.

Aladdin slept late into in the morning. Everything just seemed so lazy that he didn’t se much point in getting up when he first opened his eyes at dawn. So it was nearly lunchtime when he finally awoke to find his hovel empty except for the Genie’s lamp. It wasn’t a surprise because he was used to the gang getting up early. He stared at the soft light pouring through the broken window, and for just a moment, he thought he didn’t have anything to do that day. The feeling was good, but as before stated, it only lasted for a moment. Iago, he thought. He used his strong, bronzed arms to push himself to a sitting position. It feels so good just to lay here in the warmth. Why do I have to get up; why now? He sighed. There wasn’t really a choice. Dizzily, he stood and put his arms on the windowsill, feeling the warm sunlight bathe his face, letting the wind toss his jet-black hair. Better be getting to the palace. Then he smiled. Jasmine. Ahhh... just thinking of her made him happy. Fully awake now, he grabbed the lamp and made his way through the streets of Agrabah to the palace. He was sure no one but Jasmine was at the palace now, because the guys never went without him. Maybe that would give Jasmine and him some much-needed time alone. He could only hope. It seemed like everyday he had with the princess was busy and hectic; sometimes he just wished they could just hold one another, take in the scent of each other’s hair, the feel of each other’s skin. He could barely remember these aspects of Jasmine. In fact, it sometimes felt that his friends were a more of a nuisance than anything else. Of course, he didn’t mean it, but he still wished that today could be their own, not a day to cater to Iago once again. With all these thoughts reveling in his mind, he saw nothing of the marketplace as he continued blindly through the bustling crowd. The sooner he reached the palace, the sooner he would reach his princess.

“Aladdin,” Jasmine began, a slow smile spreading across her face. He had just entered the palace, which had not been a particularly enjoyable experience. As usual, Rasoul had caused problem after problem, insulting his “street rat” appearance. His mind was still joggled. He didn’t even notice as she got up from her chair and walked over to him, and, taking his hands in hers, planted a passionate kiss on his lips. He was taken aback, but only for a moment. In the passion of the moment, he moved his hand to her hair and felt its silkiness slip through his fingers. Suddenly, she jerkily pulled away, taking her velvet lips off his. Aladdin’s jaw dropped. Seeing the surprise in his eyes, she grinned playfully. “I thought you might need that,” she teased. “After all the stress we’ve been through with last couple of days. I’m very proud of the way you’ve handled everything.”

“Yeah, I guess. But, I haven’t gotten to see you at all,” he said, nodding, his face melancholy.

“Oh, sweetheart, I know,” she said, trying to brighten him up, “but I promise after today we’ll do something, something just for me and you.” Aladdin’s eyes brightened. “We just have more to do today, Aladdin. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course, darling. But the truth is, this is making me really uncomfortable. I mean, what am I supposed to say? Suppose we’re just prying,” Aladdin shifted unpleasantly.

“We’re not prying; we’re doing this because we care,” her mind wandered. “That reminds me, where is he?”

Aladdin pondered for a minute. “I... I really don’t know. Everyone was already gone when I woke up. It was late... they were probably out just getting breakfast.” Jasmine noticed the lamp in the Aladdin’s hand.

“Maybe you could get Genie to find them for us,” she offered. Aladdin looked lovingly at Jasmine.

“Couldn’t we just wait for a few minutes?” he begged.

Jasmine giggled. “Well, maybe,” she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed their lips together once again. I am so lucky... Aladdin thought, smiling, although his lips were intertwined with Jasmine’s.

Genie popped out of his lamp. “Whatcha guys want?” he asked eagerly. “Me, the monkey, and the bird were just getting some breakfast. Well... more the monkey than the rest of us,” he added, chuckling.

“Iago isn’t eating?” Jasmine said, concerned.

“A little for him, probably normal for the rest of us,” he said, laughing again. “His mind just seems to be on something else, ya know?”

“Well, that’s sort of expected,” Jasmine replied.

“Yeah...” Genie agreed. “You still haven’t told me what you need, though.”

“Oh yeah,” Aladdin picked up. “We actually were just wondering where the guys were and if you could get them for us. Well, you already have half of it done, so how about the other half?” Genie popped into two halves, and one disappeared.

The left over half of his mouth said, “Sure thing, Al,” although it was barely audible. (It’s always harder to talk with only half a mouth.)

“Thanks!” Aladdin yelled the other half of Genie disappeared. “I wonder how long this will take...” Genie reappeared holding Abu and Iago, who were struggling and looking quite unhappy about being held upside down by their tails. Abu was still holding an apple, and managing to eat, while somehow still looking upset. Jasmine and Aladdin glanced at one another and began snickering at the sight. Abu chattered wildly and Iago cleared his throat loudly enough for them to hear. Trying their best to wipe the smiles off their faces, Aladdin and Jasmine turned, but broke into laughter again.

Choking on laughter, Aladdin tried to tell Genie to put them down. “Genie, *laughter* please put *laugher* them down.” He broke down again.

“A-ok,” Genie exclaimed and dropped the two struggling animals to the floor. Well, Abu hit the floor; Iago caught himself and flew to Jasmine’s shoulder. He had felt safest there through the last couple of days, and still felt a little like he needed to be protected. Jasmine wiped tears from her eyes as her laughter was finally subsiding.

“Ok, ok,” Jasmine said, trying to settle everyone down, “we really need to talk to Iago alone right now.” Iago’s beak fell open. “No, you’re not in trouble,” she explained, feeling him stiffen on her shoulder. Abu looked up and cooed sadly at Aladdin.

“Sorry, little buddy, this won’t take long, I promise,” Aladdin bent down close to Abu. Abu turned his back and chittered angrily. “Abu,” Aladdin pleaded. He turned slowly, and his face began to light up. “I knew you’d understand,” Aladdin finished as Abu hugged him.

“I know,” Jasmine cut in, “why don’t you go with Genie. I’m sure he’d love to finish breakfast with you, right?”

“Sure thing, monkey boy!” Genie cried, grabbing Abu and swirling into a cyclone of blue. Aladdin could hear Abu making an “eeeeek” sound and felt somewhat guilty, but he knew Abu and Genie would enjoy themselves. They shared the same playful nature.

“Now, what do we need to talk about?” Iago questioned.

“It’s important,” Jasmine began, “are you comfortable?” Iago’s heart beat faster.

“We want to know what happened,” Aladdin began.

“Ya know what happened; you were there,” he said quickly, obviously not wanting to think about the other day.

“No,” Jasmine said soothingly, “we want to know what happened... before.”

“Before when?” Iago answered, slightly confused.

“Before you met us. When you were with... Jafar,” it was clearly hard for her to ask.

“Please,” his voice shook, “I don’t want to; I just wanna forget...”

“You can’t just forget,” she pressed on, “please, we have to know. You’ll feel better when you have someone to share this story with. And, that’s all we want. We won’t share it with anyone. We’re just here to listen. We know it was awful, but there must have been a time when it wasn’t... before all that. Start then. We’ll listen as long as you need us to,” Aladdin just nodded.

Iago closed his eyes. He tried to remember; he tried to forget. “I... I don’t know what I want anymore,” he started.

“You want to be free,” Jasmine interrupted his thoughts. “You can be.” Somehow, Iago trusted her. He sighed from deep inside himself, from where his past was hidden. He did want to be free; he would do anything for it. It was time to reveal everything inside him: all the pain, the fear, the guilt. He could trust them, just as they trusted him. They trusted him.

Iago felt the hand of Aladdin touch his feathers as he thought back to a time he had tried so desperately to forget. He shuttered slightly, remembering the hard touch of Jafar. Aladdin’s hand was calloused from long days of labor and nearly as hard as Jafar’s. But, something was different. Aladdin’s hand was warm; Jafar’s had always been cold, as if he were dead. Maybe it was the lack of feeling. Iago had always tried to master that, but now, he just couldn’t. The feelings he had so long ignored rushed back to him. It took all he had within him to begin the story.

“There was a time before I met Jafar, you know,” his tale began...

Hot sunlight darted in between the only fanning leaves of the desert. But, shade kept the inhabitants of this tiny refuge safe from the sun’s blaze. It wasn’t a surprise that so many animals had decided to make their homes there; it was perfect, a paradise. While miles of sand stretched out on each side of the oasis, a soft reflecting pool sat rippling in the soft desert breeze. It could almost be imagined as a tiny jungle with its extensive greenery. It was the perfect home... for most.

Macaws of many colors surrounded this paradise, making the picture complete. They called to one another in a language completely their own, all except for one, me. I was different, and so, I felt completely alone. I could never understand the “words” they spoke. It seemed as if they spoke too fast, or I’m not sure what it was, but everything they said ran together. It... it all seems so long ago now. Sometimes I just don’t want to remember what it was like to not fit in, but sometimes I feel like it is something I will never outgrow. No one knew who I was, and truthfully, I didn’t really know who they were either. My parents, my family, I was a stranger to them, just as they were to me. So, you see, I’m used to being alone, because even when I was with my own family, I really was.

I don’t think I was very old when my parents first realized I was different. Of course, I had known since the first moment that I could remember that something about me was... special. But, I thought maybe it would change, maybe it was normal. How could I know what to think? I had no one to ask, no one to explain the awful truth to me. So, I continued to live in awkward confusion, always straining to understand what was so simple to the others.

But, of course, I couldn’t hide it forever. By the time I was a few weeks old, my brother and sisters had begun to fly and do everything that my parents did. My parents, they looked so... so proud. I just didn’t want to disappoint them. Although I could never understand their words, I could tell be the tone of their voices that they loved me, or so I thought. But, without the ability to hear the instructions necessary to life in the oasis, I constantly floundered. The look in the eyes of my parents caused me to just sense frustration. I couldn’t do anything my brother and sisters could do; in fact, I had barely learned to fly. And so, my parents did something that I never thought they would do to me; they hid me. They hid me from those around them. I used to think being hidden was the worst, but it wasn’t.

My parents couldn’t hide me from everyone. My brother and sisters had friends, friends that hated me. When I first met them, I tried so desperately to be one of them, and for a very short time, I felt as if for once in my life, I belonged. That just couldn’t last, that would have been happiness, something I guess I don’t deserve. I think it must have been their games that gave me away. They were so complex; to this day, I have no idea what they involved. But they would all talk, all squawking at once, so loudly that it pounded in my head, causing it to spin. And, they would all fly in different directions, leaving me there, having no idea where to go. So, I remained where I was and waited. They found me there later, and to them, it was hilarious. I could hear them snickering, whispering about me. My own family did not even protect me; they joined in.

That may have crushed me more than anything else to ever happen in my life had. I had no clue what they were saying about me and no way to defend myself. My brother and sisters had always included me in everything they did; I was sure to them I was just the same as everyone else, at least until that time. I had to wonder... were they only trying to ignore who I was? How far would they go to be accepted? That answer would come soon enough.

That day was only the beginning. I was used to being hidden by my parents and had become accustomed to loneliness. But, up to that day, I still had my brother and sisters to turn to. I thought I was a part of them; I thought they were a part of me. So, after that, I was nearly forgotten. That seemed as if it was the worst punishment ever to be bestowed upon me. It wasn’t important that I understood words; it was only important that someone thought me important enough to share them with me. Thinking I had done something to deserve all this, I withdrew into myself even more; there I felt safe, I couldn’t be hurt. I never could have guessed that anyone would want to hurt me more than I already had been hurt. I really didn’t think it was possible. Blocking the pain was easy when you had already been through so much of it. Somehow, I managed to avoid my siblings at all costs. Now, I ask myself why I even stayed near my parents. Had they ever tried to protect me? All along, I must have known the truth, but for the life of me did not want to admit it. But, it’s too late to change anything; I did stay with them. Living in their shadows, I survived by imagining that someday everything would change, that one morning I would wake up and everything would make sense, all the pain would be gone. Except, that never happened. My family would do anything to be accepted, so the result was inevitable.

How much time passed after that awful game, I’m not sure. Time passes slowly when you’re alone, as if the hourglass that controls us all has broken. So, truthfully, it couldn’t have been too long, maybe a little over two weeks. But, the end of that time period signified the end of my “life,” as it was called. I awakened earlier than the rest of my family and knew my presence would not be missed, so I slipped out, unnoticed, to see if this morning my wish had come true. That day felt different, as if anything could happen... And it did.

I hopped found my way to the edge of the branch of family’s tree, and nervously and awkwardly took flight. I was so in control; it felt wonderful, and I promised myself that someday I would always be in control. I wasn’t bothering to pay attention to my surroundings; I was watching the sun and wishing I could escape there, to a place where no one had to understand me. So, it’s not strange that I crashed into one of the elders of the oasis. Immediately, she was furious. Her eyes flamed, and she began screeching at me, her tone one of hatred. She must have been questioning my actions because she took a sudden pause, seeming like she wanted to let me have my say. When I had no response for her, she grabbed me harshly, and shaking me, again began her verbal attack.

My mother must have heard the appalling commotion from outside because she spread her brilliant wings and flew gracefully to the branch the elder had dragged me to. Seeing my mother, she began her assault on her as well. My mother gasped and fell back. I could see from the fear in her eyes that she knew all too well our secret was loose. In my mind, I prayed for my mother to do something to protect me, although all my reasoning told me she would not. My mother just shook her head in agreement, and while looking sad, managed to also look somewhat relieved. I couldn’t begin to imagine what my mother was going to do.

She didn’t bother finding the rest of my family. Now that I think about it, she was probably trying to save them all the trouble, the guilt. Grabbing me harshly, she dragged me along to somewhere I had never seen. Never had I been outside the oasis, so I had never had the chance to see what lay beyond its greenery. We flew out into the hot sun. It burned, reflecting off the never-ending sea of sand and into my sight. I looked longingly to my home. I wanted to turn back, but was terrified that if I did, I would become lost to slowly parish in the desert. So, unsure of where we where going and what she was going to do to me, I reluctantly followed.

Fear gripped at me with every wing beat. We were so far from our home. What could possibly be our here for us? I struggled with my will to fall in defeat. I was so tired; I couldn’t fight anymore. But, inside, I knew I had given up the fight long ago, and flying with her, signified that.

Much to my relief, after a few hours, the hot afternoon glare died down, and the sun began to lower itself in the sky, casting unbelievable hues onto the sand dunes. It was when I lifted my head to observe this amazing site that I got my first glimpse of Agrabah. It was still far in the distance; only the shapes of its buildings were visible in the setting sun. I had never seen a city, and I gasped at its size. Although I could only guess what it was, I somehow knew it was somewhere important, somewhere that would change what my life had always been.

With me unable to lift my eyes from the growing figure of Agrabah, we continued into the night, forever toward our destination. Moonbeams took the place of the sun’s rays, falling onto my mother and bouncing off her shining feathers. I noticed that near the city, everything was different. As it was night, it was completely quiet, but an air of excitement still surrounded it. The buildings had now taken shape, and each was unique to the others. Had my mother and I escaped? Would we continue our lives finally in happiness? I couldn’t help but ask myself these questions as we flew through the gates to Agrabah.

Inside the city, things were even more mysterious. I saw people for the first time in my life, but at that time, did not know what they were. They were so intimidating, so much bigger than I was. And, they were everywhere, even sleeping on the street. But, still they were silent. My mother rounded a corner to a different street, where things were much the same, but the streets were bare. We neared a seemingly abandoned building made of clay, as the others were. The others were not menacing, but this one was. It looked evil... My heart stopped as my mother did. Why here? But, I couldn’t go on; I didn’t know this city. She perched on the windowsill, I doing as she did. Then looking at me with a terrible look of guilt that I will never forget in her eyes, she shoved me into the pitch black of the indoors. A wave of shock rushed through me as, from the floor, I watched her struggle with all her might to slam the window behind me. Leaping from the floor, I flew to the window, only in time to slam into its closing pane. My mother didn’t even look back as she flew into the sky and out of the walls of the city. I was alone, not as I had always been, but really alone. I couldn’t move; everything for me was gone. Now I realize if only I had been alone maybe things would be different...

Jasmine looked lost in the story. She appeared as if she was about to cry, and Aladdin rushed to her and put a strong, protecting arm around her shoulders. She felt his warmth and wanted to dissolve into him. She didn’t want to be the mature, understanding princess right now. Truthfully, she didn’t want to hear anymore, but she knew she was the one who had asked him to share this. She wasn’t going to leave now. If she had heard this much, she could bear the rest. She breathed deeply and looked at Iago. He didn’t seem to want to continue any more than she did. Their eyes locked for a moment, and they shared the same secret message. But, she knew that he needed to talk as bad as she needed to listen, even if neither of them wanted to admit it. Suddenly, Aladdin felt awkward in the silence. So much had come out; he didn’t know what to say. He dropped his eyes to the floor to avoid any eye contact. Sensing his discomfort, Jasmine squeezed him, too. “Go on...”she began, her voice slightly shaky.

“You have no idea how hard is so for me, do you?” Iago shot back, a sharp bit of spite in his voice. “You just think I can go on and tell you all everything that’s happened to me, just like you all do. It’s so easy for you; well, it’s not for me. You’re... you’re not ashamed. You’ve never wanted to hide who you are. You don’t know most of the things I’ve done, and you’d hate me for them.”

Suddenly, Aladdin found his voice. “You don’t think I’m ashamed of what I was!” he yelled with the same edge in his voice. “I was a beggar, a street rat, and worst of all, a thief. It’s never been easy for me; it’s not for anyone. But that’s who I was, not who I am. Do you hate me for who I was?” Iago stared blankly at him in shock. “Well, do you?”

Iago gulped hard. “Uh... of course not! Geez, Aladdin, you saved me! If it weren’t for you, the guards would have killed me for sure. Why would I hate you? Your past isn’t you fault.”

“Exactly, Iago,” he continued, more calmly now. “You saved me; you saved us all. We’ve forgiven you for what you did. We did that a long time ago. And, as for your past, it wasn’t your fault, and it’s too late to change it. But, just maybe, you could get to your future a little easier if you weren’t so afraid to address your past.”

He couldn’t believe it. Aladdin understood him. And, unknown to him, Aladdin was feeling the same way. Jasmine noticed in the silence the shocked statement that had crossed both their faces. What started as a smile, forced itself into a giggle, and although they were unsure of what they were laughing at, the other two joined in. For the moment, at least, the tension was broken.

And, as the laughter subsided, everyone seemed a little more ready to pick up where they had left off. Maybe the fear of one another was a little less, for deep inside themselves, they all knew that had nothing to be afraid of in the ones they cared about. This time, Iago did not have to be forced to continue the narration of their journey into his past.

The next morning was cold, not a normal day for the desert. Rain drizzled down on the window above me, and even though I was scared, I felt grateful to be inside. I’d always hated the rain. That was the exact thought I was having the first time I saw that shadow. Although it was cloudy outside, beneath the window was a small patch of light that I had sat in. Without warning, it was thrust into darkness. I stopped breathing and tried to tell myself not to look at what was standing behind me. But, as always, my curiosity won out against my rationality. Full of fear and anticipation, I slowly turned my head. My eyes locked with those of pure evil. Far above me, shadowed eyes flashed down. And with them, the embodiment of all my worst fears. A tall man with dark hair and clothing stared questioningly at me. But, even as all this gripped me, something wonderful happened. His mouth began to move, and for the first time, words, actual words, fell upon me. “What is this miserable creature doing in my laboratory?” he asked himself harshly. Apparently, he had no more of an idea that I could understand him than I did. I gasped, but not only gasped, for the first time, I too spoke.

“Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed, unable to control myself. In amazement, I grabbed my beak. The man’s mouth fell open, also in wonder.

“You didn’t just...” His raspy voice hissed a little too excitedly. I replied only by swallowing and nodding. A miracle, had this man performed a miracle for me? “Speak again!” he commanded.

“Did you...” was the only thing I managed to weakly mutter.

“No...” he said slyly, a plan forming in his voice. It was clear this was all making sense to him now. “So this is what was destined for me,” he continued, mostly talking to himself, not me. I was still in awe, trying to understand this all, and at the same time, process what he was saying. “I knew that someday I would be shown my familiar, but I never guessed it would be this way... and a parrot. Hmmm... this could prove to be interesting.”

Familiar? Was I to be his familiar? What was a familiar? I ventured to open my beak again. “What’s a familiar?” I nearly whispered.

He cackled evilly. “Why, that’s what you’ll be. You see, I’m a sorcerer, destined to become the ruler of this pitiful city. And you, you shall help me with this little task.” I must have appeared as shocked as I was because he tried to put things in an even clearer perspective. “Oh, you’ll get used to it. I’ll do whatever I have to to become the sultan. You’ll learn, killing, stealing, they are not sins. Nothing is as long as you don’t get caught. And when I am rich, and everyone must do my will, you will be, too. It’s all worth it!” His evil laugh racked his body again.

“I...I,” I tried not to stutter, but to me, it seemed impossible that this could all be true. These were the only things I could speak to, and they were like this? “I don’t want to,” I managed to say defiantly.

“Oh yes, you do. You do not yet know of money and power, but you soon will. Then you will see what is truly important,” he explained, his eyes far away, as if only money and power would ever make him happy. He was grasping at a far away dream, nearly touching it, but not quite near enough.

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to be like you!” I spat, with more courage that I felt. Really, I was shaking and wondering what this man could do to me.

“Oh, so you don’t,” he cried, grabbing me from the floor and slamming me up against the wall. The stone made a loud smack as I hit it, and he enclosed his long, clammy fingers around my neck. I kicked and attempted to scratch his arm, but I was repeatedly caught in his long, king-like robes. He looked as if he were royalty, for all I knew, he could have been the king of the underworld, not as though I noticed it then. “Well, it doesn’t appear that you have much choice, now does it?” he mocked. My senses were dulled from pain, but it still managed to register within me that he was not afraid to kill me or anyone else, for that matter. I struggled to shake my head in his grasp. His lips curled up in an evil smile; it was easy to see it was not of happiness.

“Good, I’m pleased to see we’ve changed our minds. So cooperative” he said, patting my head, mockingly. I cringed at the touch of his snake-like fingers. They were long and slender, with pointed nails resembling fangs that scratched, even through my feathers. “Nice to meet you. My name is Jafar, and since we will be working together for some time now, I feel it’s best that I know your name as well,” he said, feigning hospitality. It was all a cruel joke.

My mind raced for some clue for me to recall since I had never known my name. From somewhere in the recesses of my memory, I recalled a word my mom had often said to me. It made no sense then, and made no more now, but I couldn’t tell him I did not have a name. “It’s Iago,” I replied coldly and turned away to prevent him from seeing the tears forming in my eyes. Sneaking a look over my shoulder, I noticed Jafar smiling that same smile again and turned to face a table at the far end of the room, seeming to forget I was even there. I couldn’t hide what I felt from him; he could see deep inside me, to a place I wanted no one to ever view.

My training would begin that day. He wouldn’t waste any time on my corruption. “Magic,” he began, his voice low. “Magic is the key to all that lies before us.” His voice began to climb, filling the small space with its immensity. “But, all good magic is tiny and of know use to me, to us. The magic I perform is large and powerful, too powerful for any simple mortal to stop.”

“Uh... Jafar,” I said, a little apprehensively, “if you haven’t noticed, I’m not much of a sorcerer. So, how exactly can be of any help to you?”

I shivered at his smile for the third time that day. Don’t let him scare you, my mind screamed. “Watch,” he answered stiffly, so unlike his smile, bringing his hands together and intertwining his spiny fingers. “You’ll learn; give it time. You can be of much help. Of course, you’ll never be as I am, but spells are easy to cast...” he stopped in thought for a moment, “You can read, can’t you?”

“Read?” I’d never thought about it, “I... I don’t know.”

Jafar heaved a heavy sigh. He began to mutter to himself, “Stupid bird. He doesn’t know if he knows how to read. I had ought to kill him now and save myself the grief.” There was no way to stay calm at the sound of these words. I tried to hide myself behind the table leg, silently pleading that he would soften. He took one look at me cowering under the table and slapped his hand across his face, shaking his head. “And cowardly, too. What use is that?” he continued to question himself as he bent to my level and grabbed my tail feathers. Rather harshly, he dropped me onto the wooden table, taking his free hand and sending potions and spell books flying off the table. With a crash, they hit the floor. Glass exploded, and I tried desperately to shield myself from the shards that landed on the table. Once the rain of glass had stopped, I dared to peek over the edge to see a pile of rumpled pages stained with potions and showered in glass. Appearing to have regained his composure, Jafar seized a fairly intact book from the floor and ripped it open. It dropped close to me with a resounding bang that echoed from wall to wall in the tiny stone room. I leaped into the air and fluttered helplessly. I was certainly failing at my task to not let Jafar scare me; by now, I was terrified. “Read,” he ordered, muttering something else under his breath.

I dreaded looking down at that book. What if I saw nothing? What would he do then? Would I be sentenced to death? Would it be better than this? All my fears rushed out of me as I let my eyes fall to the wrinkled pages of the book. I began to mumble; by some miracle, I was reading. I had never saw these symbols before, but I understood them, if not perfectly. I stumbled on the words as I began. They felt strange as I formed them. “Louder,” Jafar commanded. It was clear this was something he was good at. My voice grew louder as I grew more assured. The words felt good and smooth on my tongue. They rolled off it with such ease; I paid no attention to what I was reading. For one brief second, I stopped to wonder at what I was accomplishing. “Continue,” came the next order. Almost systematically, I continued to read the ancient words. I guess I should have known it was a spell, but then, all I knew is that with each word I spoke, I protected my survival that much more. Reaching the end, I sighed, pleased with myself. But, Jafar’s cruel laughter interrupted my victory.

“What’s so funny?” I asked. How awful had I done?

He was trying to suppress his hysteria. Unable to, he said in between bursts of laughter, “Look outside at what you have accomplished.”

Against my own will, my heart began to pound uncontrollably. What had I done? I flew wildly to the window, wanting to, and at the same time, dreading, what I might see. Slamming myself into the window, I bounced back onto the sill. Watching the scene outside the window, the scene I had created, caused a feeling of helplessness to fall over me. A young woman who had been selling fruit outside the laboratory was sobbing hysterically, pressed up against the wall.

In her eyes was the glossy reflection of a crazed man. His soft, young face had become twisted in madness, every muscle tensed and held firm, his jaw clenched tightly. Within his closed hands, he held a machete. Slowly, he churned it in his hands while keeping his eyes locked on his cowering wife. I couldn’t take anymore. I knew what was coming next. Shielding my eyes was not enough. Ignorance didn’t stop what was happening; I’d been hidden by my parents long enough to know that. I had to do something, whether for myself or for the innocent victims of my magic, it didn’t matter.

Turning sharply, I shouted with more confidence than I felt, “Stop him, Jafar! You can’t let him do this and you know it!”

“Oh,” he growled, “But my dear Iago, you did this. Don’t you remember?” I could feel him staring at the horrified look on my face. “You should be proud of yourself; you will learn quickly.”

Screams erupted from beyond the stone walls. “I can’t be proud of this; I’m not ready! You have to save her,” I tried desperately to convince him. I felt something inside me screaming behind all the fear I had for this woman. Somehow, I knew that I had already proven my weakness to Jafar. I couldn’t overcome him, not with all his great powers, not when I couldn’t even overcome myself.

“What are you so afraid of? True happiness? We all know that comes from great wealth and power. Yes, we can try to convince ourselves that people can save our lonely, pathetic souls, but I know much. I see it when I look at you, you were abandoned, not loved, abandoned. It is not too late; you can triumph, prove them all wrong. So much more is at hand, and you will have it all. You know as well as I do, this is only the beginning.” I hung my head in defeat. I did know; it was only the beginning.

That was the day I decided to become who I am... was. My mother, my own mother, had abandoned me. But, not just today and not just my mother. My entire family had abandoned me the day they realized I was different. No one cared. They didn’t love; it was a façade. All that loving and feeling did was let people in to rip out what had once been my heart. And, I knew what I would see as Jafar’s familiar. I knew what I would do... things too horrible to imagine. Wrong and right, they wouldn’t exist anymore. How many lives had he already affected; how many would we ruin together? My eyes stung with tears with only the thought. If I allowed myself to think, to feel, I could never survive that. I would become like Jafar, uncaring and cold, for all aspects of life, dead. I would no longer be tortured. I would forget what I was and what I could be. And, I wouldn’t let Jafar hurt me. I wouldn’t let him win.

But, I know now that that decision is what let Jafar win for so long. He had already hurt me more than my parents ever could have. He had introduced me to the fact that I could become evil, without ever knowing it. Of course, I couldn’t change completely, at least not overnight. But, this was the beginning.

From that day forward, I began forgetting everything that had once been inside me. I focused all my attention on the plan Jafar had apparently been working on for so long. Really, it was ingenious; there was no way it could fail. At least, that’s what he told me. But, he wasn’t telling me everything. He shared with me the part of the plan he knew I wouldn’t object to. It seemed simple enough, and to my relief, he promised that I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone openly; it would be too risky. Talking to people was still a new experience for me; in fact, talking at all was something new. He told me again and again that getting into the palace would be the hardest part; everything from then on would be simple for a master like him. I’d learned from our first day together never to question him, unless I wanted to be threatened... or worse. He’d carry out his threats; he’d proved that. So, I just listened carefully, memorizing every detail. The nights gave me time to think out what Jafar told me. The plan was to make our “grand arrival,” as he liked to call it, on the Princess Jasmine’s fifth birthday celebration. It was to be the largest event of the year, with sultans and other nobles from all the cities of Seven Deserts attending. We would slip in easily with Jafar’s kingly robes and magical powers. Jafar knew the sultan was a great fan of magic, and he could easily woo him with just a few simple tricks and a talking parrot. But, of course I couldn’t speak like I was able to. I would need to mimic, which we had discovered was a talent of mine, and learn to speak my language. It wouldn’t take long to win over a trusting man like the sultan. It was then we would make our move.

Surprisingly, this took very little magic. We would use it only to enable my speech. It didn’t sound like we were doing anything wrong; really, it didn’t. No one would be hurt; in fact, Jafar had convinced me that we were doing this not only for our own good but for the good of Agrabah. So, I willingly let him cast the spell to change my voice to that of a normal parrot. The first time I opened my mouth, I had no idea what to except. I had never heard myself talk in that language before. Suddenly, everything about that language that had ever confused me made sense. The words were as familiar to me as human words were. I felt powerful, important. Everything about me was special! I would finally prove to myself that I was worth something, that I was destined to change the world. No one would ever be able to hide or forget about me again!

Jasmine’s birthday approached quickly. My days were filled endless practice for “the night.” From early morning, before sunrise, to long after the sun had set we went over and over what we already had perfectly. Sometimes, late at night, I would wish that we could just go to bed and forget it for just a few hours. But, I didn’t dare ask Jafar. His dark obsession came before rest, or anything else. It definitely came before me. Of course, that wasn’t strange, most everything came before me. I tried to tell myself it was worth it, and with work, I convinced myself it probably was. After all, I’d never been accepted in any way, and this was at least a start. It still hurt me every time he insulted my attempts to do his will. His words were so cruel; he didn’t care if he cut me with them. He left my feelings there to bleed. But, his actions were far more harsh than his words. With every swipe of his hand towards me, I became more afraid of not only him, but myself. And, with every word he used to tear me down, I withdrew myself more and more from the rhythm of life.

But, at that time, I didn’t notice what was happening to me. That would happen years later when it would be too late to change anything. All I knew is that I had one chance to make my life into something, and I wasn’t going to miss it.

So, on the day of Jasmine’s birthday, I felt ready, assured that all would go as planned. It was the most excitement I had ever felt in my short life. Unable to contain myself, I flew from wall to wall, talking uncontrollably. That was probably when I realized just how much I love to talk. “Hey, Jafar, are you sure this is gonna work? Can’t you hurry up?” Yeah, I was probably pretty annoying. But, Jafar didn’t have to react the way he did. At the sound of my last comment, he whirled around and in his hand, he held something I had never seen. A golden staff, with the head of a cobra, its hood spread as far open as possible, stared at me with glowing red jewels of eyes. I was about to ask what it was when its sparkling eyes seemed to leap from where they had been planted. A spark of life worked its way down from its eyes, into its hood, and eventually to its dripping fangs. I tried to back away from the quickly awakening creature, but fear held me where I was. And, when the life had taken over its entire body, reaching the bottom of the staff, it sprang forward, to where I was perched, mesmerized. Its golden fangs shown for a moment before they sunk their jagged points into my wing. I screeched in surprise and pain and ripped my wing away hastily. Coolly, the snake removed its fangs, as tiny droplets of blood fell to the floor. It appeared to smile evilly at the shocked statement on my face. The smile remained as its eyes grew cold and lifeless once again. And, just as the life had traveled, so did the death. From the eyes to the tail, it slowly grew stiff and rigid. I drew myself closer to the wall as I watched this scene, bringing the bleeding wing close to my side. I tried to speak, but the words were stuck. This was something I couldn’t imagine even Jafar doing. Again, I tried; my throat was dry, but I managed to get out five soft words, “Am I going to die?”

Jafar appeared pleased with this question. “Well, I suppose that’s up to me now isn’t it?” he laughed cunningly. “It all depends on whether or not you’re going to SHUT UP!”

I nodded and looked at the stone floor, afraid to say anything more.

“Well, I probably should just let you die. How else are you going to learn a lesson?” he spat, his voice just serious enough make my life flash before my eyes. He fingered his long, night-black beard. “Then again, I guess not. I don’t want to lose another familiar that way, now do I?” he said sarcastically. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Jafar realized that he had once again taken away all my nerve and was satisfied with himself. “Let me see that!” he growled sharply, tearing my wing from where I protected it. He turned it unsympathetically in his hand and smirked... “Weakling.”

The rest of the morning, I was quiet. I didn’t even venture off the shelf I had been sitting on. If I didn’t bother Jafar, I would be safe for now. I couldn’t help eyeing that golden snake staff in the corner. It looked lifeless now, like it could never have been alive. It couldn’t have been, but it had. It had been alive as I was, more so than I would be if I didn’t learn to watch myself. He was something to be scared of, and now he knew I knew that. He was able to hurt me; he knew that, too. I wasn’t eager or excited to put our plan into action anymore. I didn’t want to associate with Jafar at all, but I knew better than to ignore him when he spoke. “I thought you were sooooo excited to go. What happened to that enthusiasm?” he said, drawling the 'so.’

I just wanted to stare at the floor, so he couldn’t see the hurt in my eyes. But, I couldn’t just accept that it was too late to protect myself. Things would change... I gazed up at him and slowly let the pain turn to anger. “Let’s go,” I said, letting any emotion escape from my voice. If my plan was going to work, I would have focus on never feeling sadness, fear, or any other weak emotion.

Jafar grinned and cocked his head at me. “So, you’re ready, I see. You’re not going to become weak, are you?”

I didn’t feel like saying a whole lot right then. “No,” was the only answer I gave.

“Good, now, remember, do everything I saw; do nothing else,” he began the instructions I knew so well; I’d heard them every night for what seemed like forever now. “As long as you don’t speak a word, don’t draw any attention to us...”

I must have tuned out then. The suave sound of his voice always caused me to cringe. He sounded so in control of himself, of everything around him. I needed to be in control right then, and hearing that overbearing echo was not helping. Why did it matter if I heard it anyway, all I had to do was act stupid. All my life I had been treated that way; it was something I was good at. But, what came after than? Actually, he hadn’t explained what the plan entailed after we made our way into the palace. Oh well. It didn’t matter much to me anyway. Why would I want to help Jafar? At that time, I didn’t want to. But, there wasn’t really a choice, not if I wanted to survive.

“Iago,” he shouted, much louder than his previous words, “Iago!” His voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Uhhhhh...” I stumbled, trying to find something intelligent to say.

“Were you listening?” he hissed.

“Yeah... uh, sure,” I said, still searching for the right words.

“So, then, of course, you know we’re leaving how,” Jafar joked, scornfully. His laugh was sleek and smooth, just like his liquid voice. I finally really looked around the room and noticed that as he had spoken, he had nearly made his way to the door. I didn’t answer from embarrassment and irritation, just lifted myself from my perch and flew to the doorway. My anger towards Jafar was still fresh, and I refused to sit on his shoulder. I fluttered just far enough away that he could not touch me. “Sit on my shoulder,” he commanded, not looking me in the eyes. I was glad he turned away because I was sure his eyes were full of fire.

“Why?” I questioned, trying to sound defiant.

“I commanded you, that’s why,” he said annoyance brimming his oily voice. “And just how do you expect to fit in if you don’t? Parrots aren’t smart enough to just simply follow their masters. You know that. They’re nothing but ignorant creatures,” he baited me to argue his mocking comments. Again, I said nothing in reply. The less I argued, the less we would have to communicate, so I reluctantly perched myself on his shoulder, refusing to look annoyed. I just tried to appear indifferent to the entire situation.

We stepped out into the light of an Arabian morning. Sunlight seemed so unfamiliar now. Living in that tiny stone room had accustomed my eyes to the darkness. Out in the light, I noticed how dark Jafar’s robes were, too, a deep red and black. He looked regal and terrifying, both at the same time. For the first time in ages, I looked down at my brilliant feathers. Their bright reds, blues, and purples had not faded. I looked out of place next to the powerful figure of Jafar.

I didn’t want to cause any more problems that I already had that morning. I was still hurt at how he had degraded me, so I practiced acting stupid on the way there. Why say anything at all when all he did was find it useless? My thoughts were so harsh that they surprised even me. I thought of how when we were in control, I wouldn’t have to listen to his insults anymore, how I wouldn’t have to be afraid. I could have my revenge. I could try to ignore my fear until then, but it was obvious that he could see it, and I could feel it. But, someday, Jafar would realize that had turned me against him, and he would be sorry. At that time, I didn’t expect my revenge to be to save the people I cared about; I expected it to be just for me. But, things change over time, motives change, and mine did.

My expectations were for Jafar to make himself known right away, and I would sit in the shadows as always. So, upon reaching the palace, I didn’t bother to bring my mind from my thoughts. But, something that I never expected happened. I thought I had seen most everything to this meaningless world, that nothing could excite me anymore. Still, the sight of the palace took my breath away. Golden pillars towered high above where I had ever flown. The reflection of the sky could be caught in its rounded peaks. It was something that belonged to a world that was not mine, and even then, I knew would never be a part of me. I almost expected Jafar to show some admiration, but he had more experience at keeping control of his emotions than I did. Then again, maybe he had seen things like this before, and they were not impressive to him anymore; maybe something more impressive held that spot in his mind. Whatever it was, when he heard me gasp to myself, he shot a warning glance directly into my eyes. I caught myself almost gasping again at his angry glare.

Hundreds of people must have been present at this birthday celebration. They crowded outside the palace gates and waited impatiently, anxiously pacing back and forth in front of the entrance, all except for Jafar. He appeared as calm and collected as ever. As one by one of the waiting royalties were let, we slowly approached the palace walls. Each time the guard opened the gates, we could see a little more of the magnificent palace. I told myself that this is what would be mine someday and that fear should not stop me from achieving it. It was important that I forgot all the pain Jafar could inflict. I needed to forget that morning and all the days leading up to it. The only way I would earn a place in this world would be to clear my mind and set it on one main goal: power. “Don’t be afraid,” I replayed over and over to myself as we finally approached the gate for our turn. But, when Jafar’s syrupy voice began his speech to the guard, I knew I was. And I knew that I would be on Jafar’s side for a long time to come and that for the time being, I was nothing but his slave. My freedom would be something long awaited, and when I found it, I would hold on, hold on and never let go.

The guard’s rough voice was speaking menacingly to Jafar. “You cannot seriously expect me to believe that you are the sultan’s entertainment.”

Jafar answered in his convincing manner, “Oh, but I am.” His eyes looked so honest; sometimes I still can’t believe the way he was able to lie.

“Prove it,” was the guards gruff answer. Jafar was not afraid to 'prove it.’ With only a look at the snake staff that still sat in his hands, its eyes began to glow their sapphire red, and the spark of life was apparent. However, he did not go as far with the guard as he had with me. The guard’s eyes grew wide in horror, and that was the end of the 'trick.’ I felt the same anger within me again. How could he hurt his own familiar with no remorse at all, and spare a total stranger any pain?

Of course, the guard didn’t stop to even feel anger towards Jafar or sadness for me; his eyes just glazed over in disbelief. I could hear him gulp, and although he had no reason to be as afraid as I had been, I could tell he was. It was clear that he was struggling with his own fear and will to run from the sorcerer, but being the 'brave’ man that he was, he twisted in terror, not moving his feet from the place he stood. And even though I was jealous of this man and the 'compassion’ Jafar had shown him, my heart ached a little for what I saw in his eyes. I saw myself the first day I had met Jafar, confused and unsure of what this man would bring into my life. I saw the pain I had tried so desperately to mask. In his man was what I had been, what I still was, but was apprehensive to share anymore. If only he knew what Jafar was capable of. I wouldn’t wish that on him. He would know soon enough; I could go on letting him believe it was a trick, a slight of the hand. And then, one day, Jafar would reveal the truth to all of Agrabah, and I would never have to be alone again. All would fear Jafar as I did. But still, they were luckier than I was. They would never have to be a part of Jafar’s world. I was lost to the world until the man’s weak voice broke the walls of my invisible barrier, a barrier I would build up more and more over the years, until it would become my home, a place I was safe from the pain Jafar inflicted daily. And by this time, I knew better than to think it was just Jafar who would hurt me. I knew better than to trust. “Uhhhh..” the guard stopped, drawing in a ragged breath, “please proceed, sir.” Jafar’s haughty laugh rang out again.

“I’m so pleased you see it my way now, my boy,” Jafar said coolly, as he pushed open the gates, striding past the shaken guard without so much as a glance. I turned my head toward the guard, and for a moment, his eyes met mine. It must have been easy to see how much I wanted to flee right then, and his eyes formed tears in the corners. He also knew that he could no longer flee, as could Agrabah. They were all bound to Jafar, nearly as much as I was. Jafar must have felt the shiver that traveled up my spine, because he cocked his head so he could enjoy the severity of my thoughts. Again, he was seeing everything I was trying so hard to hide. My head dropped; no one could see my eyes at that moment.

The barrier I had put up dulled the beauty of the palace. It changed all colors, making them ugly and barren. The sun didn’t shine in the place I was; it was always night. And in this familiar dark, the plan didn’t mean much anymore. If I didn’t notice that we were even entering the palace, how could I mess up Jafar’s future? He held his composure and appeared so dignified that no guard dared to stop him, no sultan dared to question him. They all turned and bowed deeply in respect toward Jafar. I felt pressured to yell that he was nothing more than a poor sorcerer, an evil man plotting their downfall. As the guard had done, I fought with my will. It was more important that I keep my life. Saving Agrabah was not up to me, at least that’s what I felt then. No one had ever looked out for me, and no one ever would. That was what was up to me.

Apparently, we had entered the throne room, because suddenly, the soft, cheery voice of a middle-aged man greeted Jafar. The little man waddled cheerily around the room, making sure to greet every guest with the same kindness and hospiltality. This man was the sultan, a kind man, who although he had never met Jafar, treated him as if they were life-long friends. “Oh, my good man, how nice to meet you.”

Jafar bowed deeply in mocking respect. “And I you,” he said, trying to hide a smirk that was playing upon his face. The sultan appeared pleased with his feigned kindness and continued his address.

“Wherever do you hail from and what has brought you to my most precious daughter's, Jasmine's, fifth birthday celebration, which, as I hope you know, am so happy to have you attending?” the sultan continued. Although I was not looking up towards his face, I could hear the smile in his face. The sound of his voice hurt me deeply. It proved my thoughts that all people were evil as Jafar was wrong. I know it’s strange that someone so friendly could make me feel that way, but the moment I knew that there were people, innocent people who would never harm anyone, I knew I could hurt someone who truly didn’t deserve it. Worse, I knew that there were people unlike Jafar who could care for me, but out of pure coincidence, I had been thrown into his world. It really hit me then; I didn’t deserve what the people all around me had. They were so close to me; I saw them every day, but still, they were so far away, farther away than they ever could have imagined. In their world, there was caring and kindness, there was hope; they had a reason to hang on to their faith. I had never had any of that. It was something I didn’t understand; apparently, I wasn’t good enough to understand it. It was a waste of time for me to spend hours feeling sorry for myself. I had to do the hard things, accept my fate, and learn to deal with it.

Jafar took a moment before answering; this was a question he had prepared for, but being the meticulous person that he was, he realized it was important to deliver his answer in a convincing and unquestionable manner...not that it was hard for him. As Jafar began to speak, the sultan’s large, innocent eyes were looking up at me in total amazement. I could tell that Jafar’s answer meant very little to him. “I hail from a city far from the land of Agrabah. My city is still small and not yet prospering, but it will someday soon. I am the chosen leader, and I plan to escort my people to prosperity and happiness.”

The sultan mumbled something to Jafar in response, but even I couldn’t understand it. He just swiveled his head again to me and said “What a magnificent bird, so beautiful,” with a smile spreading across his face.

“Oh yes, he is, isn’t he?” Jafar replied, seeming completely comfortable and sure of his answer. He looked at me, managing to stay inconspicuous, but still getting the message across that I should begin my act.

“Beautiful, awk,” I tried weakly. I was still a little uncomfortable with this language, and I just wasn’t into it anymore. I didn’t want to hurt the sultan, and I was sure that when I met his daughter, I wouldn’t want to hurt her either. Jafar would change that soon enough. Feeling my apprehension, he whispered a nearly unheard message, “You do value what you have now, don’t you? I can be worse, much worse." I knew that my choices were few: Forget my feelings and do what I had been told and in the best way possible or relive the misery of this morning...if I was lucky. Things could get much worse; I didn’t doubt that. And being the coward I was, the choice seemed already made for me. I swallowed, and although everything that was good inside me was begging me to stop, I tried again. “Magnificent bird, awk!” This time I knew what my performance meant, and even I was a little proud of it. My parents would have no reason to be ashamed of me now. I would have fit in perfectly; how would I be told from all the others? I couldn’t. Suddenly, that didn’t sound as wonderful. I couldn’t. Jafar was attempting to take away all my individuality. He wanted me only for his own purpose; who I was or what I had been meant nothing. If he didn’t need me, I would have been killed long ago. Suddenly, something made no sense. Why exactly did he need me? I was a bird, a stupid, useless bird. How many times had he reminded me of that? But one thing was for sure. He did need me. Thoughts of the awful tasks he may need me for invaded my mind. Although with all my heart I wanted to believe that this was as far as this plan would I go, I knew better, and I couldn’t protect myself forever. The dark was closing in now, and the more I pressured myself to see the light, the more I lost it.

“The bird can talk...” the sultan uttered in pure amazement. He had completely forgotten about why we had come here.

“Oh yes, he is quite intelligent,” Jafar said, eyeing my up and down. He stopped for a moment and laughed harshly to himself. How wonderful for Jafar, he didn’t even have to work to win over the sultan. “His name is Iago.” Yes, it had begun.

Jafar’s plan was going off without a hitch. Everything was as it had been planned; we had entered the palace without so much as an awkward glare; we had impressed the sultan with no real effort. He made sure that I knew this the moment we were settled in the room the sultan had had prepared for us. “How simple, how amazingly simple. Truthfully, it’s almost disappointing how easy this was. All these weeks of preparation, wasted. We could have simply waltzed in here, and the sultan would have said nothing.” I didn’t have anything to say in reply. How could I have simply pretended that my life was more important than that of the sultan and his family’s? I was angered at myself for the choices I had made, and subconsciously, I was mad at Jafar for giving me no credit in his triumph. After all, wasn’t it me that had entertained the sultan to the point that he forgot to even ask about our reason for our visit? But a more important question lingered. Did I want credit? In my heart, I didn’t, but in my mind, I did. All I really wanted was to be noticed!

That afternoon was to be the test of the stability of our plan. Jafar, as usual, was self-assured, in control, and just frightening enough to warn others to keep their distance. I, on the other hand, was tormenting myself. One part of me struggled to keep my composure, because I knew that my performance meant everything tonight, but something different and just as powerful told me to stop this charade before it got out of hand. Little did I know, it already was.

“Oh, good to see you both made it down just in time for the entertainment to begin,” the sultan said, his voice brimming with excitement, “but before we begin, there are two very special people that you simply have to meet.”

Jafar smiled a surprisingly hospitable smile. “Oh, then we simply must,” he replied, his voice sugary.

The sultan, of course, was completely drawn in, not to Jafar’s words, but to the amazingly beautiful woman who had just entered the room. She had long flowing black hair, and her skin was a soft tan. Her eyes were warm and bright, full of inspiration and light. Even I could tell that a good part of her beauty was in her eyes. They could see into the soul, like Jafar’s, but unlike anything about Jafar, she was comforting in every way, and when her eyes met mine, I felt like although she knew everything about me, she loved it all. Somehow, she wanted to take care of the entire world, and for once, I was included in that picture.

“This,” the sultan began his introduction, “is my breath-taking wife, the light of my life, Jazel.” For a moment, even Jafar stared at her with a total respect in his eyes.

Her voice was soft, genuinely sweet, and crisp like a bell, “It’s so wonderful that so many people have come to attend my precious little flower’s birthday. May I ask what the guest that has honored our presence is called?”

Jafar bowed deeply and answered her question, “My dear, I would be much obliged. Where I come from, I am known as Jafar.” All sincerity left his voice, “But I nearly forgot my own name when I was stunned by your shining beauty." Truly, even the sultan must have known that this was nothing more than a game to Jafar. It was clear Jazel did by the way she rolled her eyes and the sigh she heaved. I almost laughed at the look on her face; it was time someone showed Jafar that statement, but I caught myself at the last moment and managed to stifle it. She must have noticed in some small way, because it was then that her soft brown eyes noticed me. She looked up at me kindly and smiled like she knew and understood everything that had ever happened to me, like she accepted it without question. No one could help but to smile back at her; I wasn’t an exception. Smiling felt strange; I hadn’t smiled in true happiness and comfort in so long, but I was. “You are such a magnificent bird,” she said, her quiet voice soothing, “You’re different, special.” She had hands just like yours, Jasmine. They were soft and tiny, and when she stroked me, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I was protected. That’s why you’re so wonderful, Jasmine; you are like her in so many ways. Your mother saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. It was almost as if she was talking to me without speaking a word; she said more in silence that Jafar could have in a million words. Still, there was someone more important to her than anyone else, and I was about to meet the one that put the light in her eyes.

Suddenly, a tiny girl who was with her mother peaked her warm brown face and sweet smile from behind her mother’s flowing sapphire gown. She was completely innocent, and there was more happiness in her smile than I had ever witnessed...or experienced. I loved her the moment I saw her, just as I did her mother. Jafar, of course, was not thinking of love or the innocence of this little child. His thoughts were something that I had learned to feel, and as he reached his hand out to touch her hair, I flinched. In her, he saw the weakness of the sultan and of the queen; he saw his chance, our chance. “My queen, your child is upon matching your ravishing beauty. You’ll have to watch out for her; she’ll soon be scooped up by a young man.” The innocence in the child’s eyes was lost and replaced with fear and hatred. She slipped back behind her mother’s gown and looked up at the adorned ceiling to avoid Jafar’s cold eyes. I knew that she’d have to look into them sometime; I tried to avoid his glare many times myself.

Her mother tried to hide a smirk as she turned to pick her up. “Oh Jasmine, don’t be so silly; Jafar is nothing to be afraid of,” she said, if not a bit sarcastically, then at least stressing the word "is." Jazel let her eyes meet mine once more; it was the last time my eyes would show her pure honesty with no resentment for it. She was afraid, not that she would ever let him know that. She knew I was afraid; she knew he knew that. Then her eyes turned away, only for a moment, and when I saw them again, they were clear and happy. She would be strong for her child. Jasmine, however, was still looking at Jafar, and there was denial in her eyes. Jazel ran her fingers through Jasmine’s hair and exclaimed, in an attempt to calm her daughter, “Look at the pretty birdy, Jasmine!” For the first time, Jasmine took notice of me. Her bright eyes lit up even more than they already had been. I couldn’t help myself...

“Jasmine, awk!” I squawked. Again, the reflections in her eyes lept up.

“This birdy is very smart,” she said, her voice filled with smiles. I knew Jafar wouldn’t approve of it, but for once, here I was, happy, and I couldn’t bear to lose that feeling again...I flew from his shoulder and landed on hers, Jasmine’s shoulder, a place where I was loved. Her hands were not nearly as graceful as her mother’s yet, but they were small, and everything she did, she did with love.

Surprisingly, Jafar did not object; he just turned to the sultan and said, “It seems that Iago and your precious family have really warmed up to one another.”

The sultan, who had been watching his wife and child in total loving amazement, replied, “Yes, it seems that your coming has been a blessing to us all. You two are going to fit in just fine here.” If only he knew...

Later that night, we were again alone in our room, with no one to protect me. Tonight, Jafar’s outlook was completely different than anything I had experienced before. “Iago, how wonderful. Your performance...remarkable; I almost,” he began to choke on his own harsh laughter, “I almost believed you cared about the those two spoiled brats! You...you finally did something right.” Suddenly, the credit didn’t seem at all what I had wanted; I had cared...What I did was right for me, but I hadn’t realized what it might do to them. The lure of happiness had been too great, and yes, I had experienced it, but what had I done to the ones who had made me so happy?

Jafar looked at me, waiting for a reaction, and I faked a smile. Of course, Jafar could tell I was faking. “Oh, what is it now?” he questioned, the excitement leaving his voice, “You did everything right; for once, you have accomplished something.” He stopped, and his eyes took on a terrible look of inspiration, “And now, our plan will be complete.”

“H-huh?” I asked, apprehensively. I had though our plan was complete; we were in the palace. What was left to accomplish?

“You didn’t think it would end here, did you?” he looked me and shook his head, “Why, of course you did. Sometimes I forget...you are nothing more than a parrot and not a very bright one at that.” He couldn’t upset me, not tonight. I had found someone to understand me, and all that mattered is that she and her daughter wouldn’t be hurt. Again, I had no reply. “Well,” he scoffed, “don’t you even care to know what it is?”

I almost didn’t reply, but I thought better of it. “Uhhh... yeah, I guess,” I said, although the reply lacked any enthusiasm.

“Well, it doesn’t seem that you really want to hear, but for your own good, you had better,” Jafar snarled. Suddenly, I remembered that I was not protected here and realized that playing the little game for a little while longer was the best way to go.

“I do,” I cut in quickly, eager to appease Jafar’s anger, “I’m just really tired.” The lie was awful, but I was hoping that because of the situation, Jafar wouldn’t notice. He eyed me a rather suspiciously, but lucky for me, chose to ignore it.

“So, we’ve changed our mind...wise choice,” he sneered. “You best be ready, because maybe for once, you will be of use to me.” I shivered; something about that last sentence seemed ready to confirm my worst fears. The next would. His eyes changed to hold a far off look; I could see the plan forming, but never could I have guessed what it would be. “Your 'relationship’ with the queen and her daughter will prove quite useful. It’s been easy to win them over; in just a few days, they’ll trust you completely. Then it will be time. That wench would ruin our plan for sure, if we let her. You know it as well as I do.”

I could barely breathe. I knew she could stop it; she was the only chance I had left. “She is not a wench!” I yelled it before I stopped to think about the consequences, even about what I was about to do. His words had touched me in a way I hadn’t been touched before. I was not afraid for myself; I was afraid for people that...that I loved. For the first time, the people I loved.

Jafar’s eyes burned with rage. He looked at me with such hatred, and strangely, he began in a whisper, “How dare you speak to me that way! After all that I’ve done for you. You should have died, but I chose to waste my precious time on your training,” he voice was becoming louder now. “And this is your thanks. Well, you do have a choice.” He stepped close to me, threatening me with each step. “You can do my will, or worse, your life will become worse than your death could ever be.” He now had me pressed up against the wall; there was nowhere for me to escape. “You think you’ve got it bad now...you may not know this, but hell is a place on earth. You haven’t even been close to hell.” Jafar was wrong. I was there now.

I let myself slide to a sitting position and hid myself behind my wings. “I...I’m sorry, Master.”

Jafar didn’t even look up; he just went back to his planning. “Now, this IS the plan you will follow. Is that clear?” Sadly, I just nodded and tried to imagine that maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as it seemed...denial. It had worked before, only one thing was different this time. My denial involved not only endangering myself but also those around me.

“Within the next few days, you will make the queen and her beloved daughter fall under our spell, without using a single drop of magic,” Jafar continued to explain.

“W-why me?” I asked, although I knew the answer as well as he did.

“Iago, you cannot tell me that you didn’t notice how taken she was with you. For some strange reason, the queen seems to have taken a liking to you, though I have no idea on earth why. The reason doesn’t matter, though. She’ll trust you and from trusting you, will trust me,” he said, enlightened.

What did it matter if she trusted me...or Jafar? I didn’t know and knew better than to ask, but I did anyway. “Why should she trust you?”

“When she does, it will be so much easier to kill her,” he answered simply and coldly, no remorse or fear in his voice. Kill her; was he insane? Yes, yes, he was. If he killed her, all my strength for fighting this would be gone; just hearing this caused me to lose so much when already I had so little.

“You can’t be serious,” my voice dropped to a whisper.

“Oh, but I am,” he said, his voice nearly as low as my own.

“I-I won’t,” I felt the strength returning to my thoughts and to my words. I couldn’t be a part of this; I wouldn’t.

I felt the same tension. “You will,” was all he said in reply. His thoughts became dark; after only a few months with Jafar, I was learning to feel them. Inside his thoughts was a place no one ever wanted to be. There was madness and planning, terrifying traps where I could be held to watch a horror show of pain and torture. It was a trick he could play on my mind; and he’d come to know mine so well, he no longer had to try to find his way into my innermost thoughts. Looking away wasn’t an option when it came to this; no matter where I looked, I would see the same scene. Tonight it would be different, harsher than any ever before. The picture began a little fuzzy; I could see past it and try to focus on something in the room, but with each passing second, it became harder to focus and ignore the image that was becoming clearer and clearer.

It was a picture of Jasmine sitting on Jazel’s knee, smiling up at her. I could see myself sitting on her shoulder, which was strange, because I could rarely see myself in these visions. Jazel and Jasmine appeared happy, as if they had not a fear in the world. I, on the other hand, looked slightly uncomfortable, as if waiting for something unexpected to happen. That was when the easiness of the vision was lost. A dark shadow swallowed the light that poured through the windows of the palace, and Jasmine shrunk into her mother. I saw myself look up, but I couldn’t see what the me in the vision was seeing. There was something troubling about the silence that followed in the next few seconds. It seemed almost that the vision had completely stopped, with each figure not daring to breathe, to blink, but something else told me it had not. The hovering shadow still quivered in the soft light; there was still life in what I played before me. Then a dark man stepped into the reeling scene...Jafar. He didn’t lift his eyes to acknowledge our presence, just lifted his strong hands to the ceiling. Out of nowhere, I saw myself doing something remarkable. I flew into Jafar’s vision, so there was no way for him to avoid my stare. As he lifted his hands, I knew, although only a viewer of this scene, I knew neither Jazel nor I would survive. Why couldn’t I block this horror show out? I had my mind, at least that had belonged to only me. I still could see the ghostly images as Jafar did nothing but continue to raise his hands. The image closed in on Jazel as she dropped to floor, gasping helplessly for breath. My head was spinning; it ached. This couldn’t be true; even Jafar could not make this happen, but the show was still playing. Now the image spun to focus again on Jafar and on me. I saw myself fly to Jasmine, who was weeping next to the pathetic struggling figure of Jazel. Jasmine’s tiny hand stroked her mother’s sweat and tear-stained face. I was nestling myself into the broken child’s hair. I told myself this was only a vision, but if it was, then why could I feel my own tears? Behind us, Jafar was lifting his eyes to meet ours, and for an instant, Jafar’s met my own; there was nothing but defiance in the look I gave. The look of defiance was swept away the next moment, though, when those eyes, my eyes, filled with pain. It was a vision, only a vision...until the pain swept through me. I felt all strength leave my body, and I had nothing left. In the vision, I fell to the palace floor, and in reality, I did the same. Just as I had decided that the vision had won, Jafar’s voice cut into the scene. “Iago, are you really that weak that you can’t endure a little pain from nothing more than a dream sequence? Get out of there; I’m not going to have you wasting my time and energy with this anymore if you don’t have the ability to realize it’s nothing more than a warning.”

The vision faded away and with it, the pain that had overtaken me. My thoughts, however, were still spinning with imprints of what I had seen. I managed to work out the fact Jazel and I were both still fine, and I felt a sense of relief...and a sense of dread. “You wouldn’t,” I stuttered.

“Yes, I would,” Jafar hissed. “You know I would do it or that vision wouldn’t have affected you so strongly.” I only nodded, still not having the strength to argue. “Of course, it does not have to end like this.” I looked up, knowing what Jafar’s prospect would be but having no idea what my answer would be. “You could simply play along, pretend that you know nothing of this plan. You wouldn’t really be hurting her, you know, just...assisting me, just forgetting...”

“And if I don’t?” It was a stupid question; I already knew the answer.

“You know. You saw. You will die,” Jafar’s answer was cold and heartless. In that instant, my answer seemed decided. “So, you know the consequences; you don’t have to even tell me your choice. I already know what it will be,” he said smugly. He finished with a whisper just loud enough for me to hear...“Coward.”

I turned away. I was a coward; he was right. Unless I could change, Jazel would die, but if I did, would I only die, too?

In the following days, things would between Jazel and I would change. I tried to forget the truth that we had shared for one brief moment. I tried to avoid her eyes. They seemed different now, sadder somehow. In a way, it was almost as if she knew what Jafar had foreseen, and, instead of fearing it, only regretted that there was nothing she could do to change it. But, she didn’t want to change it for herself; she wanted to change it for what would become of Agrabah, her daughter, and even me. And, while I was about to bring it all on, there she was, caring about me. She never spoke these words to me; I just knew it when I saw the empty hurt in her eyes, when I noticed how her soft smiles rarely blessed the day anymore. But, she never cried. She was so much stronger than I could ever be. She would never let Jasmine or anyone else see her break down. And, deep in her heart she was planning. She never had to tell me; Jafar knew, and so, I did too. But, one night, she did tell me. I knew more than Jafar did, more than he thought I knew... so much more. It was late one night not too long after that terrible vision. I was sleeping uneasily on the wooden perch that had been provided by the kindly sultan. I could still hear the sounds of the desert night very lightly and there was a soft breeze that was just cool enough to be unusually comfortable. Really, it was the perfect night for sleep, but I was feeling nervous, afraid, and guilty all at the same time. Every time I had almost reached sleep, a memory of the vision shocked me out of my comfort. Now, I was refusing to let myself rest, afraid to see those horrible pictures again. I was fighting the losing battle of remaining awake, when I heard an almost unnoticeable creak of the bedroom door. I was almost frightened to look, worried that I might clash again with my fears. But, a calming feeling fell over the room. There was a presence so light I nearly couldn’t feel it, and I let myself look to the doorway. Jazel was there, her smile present for the last time. There was a gentle, peaceful light all around her, as she appeared to float into the room. Her peace was contagious, and everything I had felt was gone, and there I was again, smiling. Again her dainty hands mussed with my feathers, but this time, she lifted me from the perch and instead of placing me on her shoulder, cradled me. And, as we made our way to the palace grounds, everything was right; I was brave and unafraid. There was the power to save us both; there had to be. Her sing-song voice whispered to me, “Come, there’s so much I need to tell you. I know you can’t answer me, oh, I’m not sure if you can even understand me. Oh, but you must be able to. I can see it in the sadness and fear in your eyes. You know, probably even more than I do.” She stopped for a moment and fluttering her brown eyes, ruffled my feathers, as did the winds. She sighed from somewhere deep within. Jazel was ready to talk, and I was ready to listen. Positioning herself on the fountain, she let her plan slowly take shape. “When I look at you, I can see what he’s done, and I know it hasn’t been long. Not so long ago, you were free to live as you wished. If you had been with him for long, the hurt would be gone. You would be empty as he is. Your eyes would be hard and unfeeling, but to you, there’s a longing, a longing to escape. And, we can.” She seemed so determined, so sure, so unlike myself. I wanted to believe, to not have this decision that I had really already made. How long could I hide in her peace? How long when I was plotting against her? All I wanted to do was tell her, to not think of the consequences and just let the whole horrible story just tumble out while she comforted me. All I wanted was to survive. All I wanted was for everything to fit together, for the puzzle of my life to have a solution. All I wanted was so little, but right then, it was so much. I tried to pretend to just be resting so I wouldn’t have to see her serene face, the face I was lying to. Maybe I could change, maybe it wasn’t all a lie, at least that’s what I told myself.

“My family, the city... and you,” she continued. “We can destroy him, and I think it’s so simple that we’ve missed it all along.” Light from the moon reflected off her eyes, sparkling with excitement. “He’s only a sorcerer, and what is a sorcerer but a man?” I couldn’t imagine the amount of truth in that... a man, nothing but a man. So, was he more than I was? Or, was it only his evil presence that made his seem so much more, immortal even? She took a deep breath, almost as if she was allowing me to think. “Nothing,” her voice had certain gravity to it, “nothing.” A man; the power was not has his, nor had it ever been. The power was in the sorcery, the staff, in what had weakened his heart. Her simple words were a beacon of hope in my dark world, the tiniest ray of sunshine in my endless night. If she had so much belief and strength when so much was at stake, why couldn’t I?

“And, if he is nothing more than you or I, we could easily overpower him. I’ve seen him with that snake staff. The power is in that, isn’t it?” she paused for a moment, seeming to wait for an answer, and I nearly did. She laughed lightly, cutting me off. “Sometimes you seem so human that I nearly forget that you’re only a bird,” she smoothed the feathers on my head. “But, then again, you are only a bird. Oh, how I wish we could talk to one another,” she softly wished. I couldn’t stop myself at the pleading in her voice. I spoke. “We can,” was my simple answer. Jazel gasped and looked down at me with absolute amazement in her eyes.

“Y-you can talk?” she stuttered.

“Uhhhh, I guess,” I said, nearly stuttering myself.

“How...?” was all she managed to get out. I just looked at her and realized at that moment how lucky I was that I could communicate with all those around me. For so long, I had been completely alone, until I met Jazel. This was really the first time that I could communicate and someone would listen, someone would care.

“I don’t really know,” I couldn’t look her in the eye anymore. “The story, it’s just so long and so painful; there’s so much.”

The amazement in her eyes was replaced by a genuine sadness for me. I could almost see a tear shining in the corner. “You can tell me. You know I want to know.”

And, although I knew with my entire mind that I shouldn’t, all my heart needed to do this. It needed it more than it had ever needed anything before. So, I shared with her everything I had experienced and felt. What my parents, my own family had done; the pain, the fear, Jafar had bestowed upon me. It took more than I had ever thought it would to tell that story. And, nearing the end, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I was so happy, so relieved, so afraid, so devastated. I felt myself break down, and everything that had been hidden inside for so long flowed out. But, Jazel was everything I needed at that moment. She did not only sit with me; she too cried. Tears rolled down her glowing cheeks and when they fell onto me, I felt her pain too. Her voice was shaky when she began to speak, “You’re so brave. You’ve been through so much and remained so sweet and trusting. You’re everything we all should be.” I felt tears ready to fall again, but this time, they were tears of happiness. I was something, and Jazel wanted me to know that. With the help of loving people like her, I could become even more. Jafar was no longer my master, my controller, or the carrier of so much pain; he was nothing, nothing, more or less than I. “But, you were afraid. That’s something even you cannot hide. You don’t ever have to be afraid again. The snake staff... can you get him to leave it?” her question was urgent.

“Maybe... I just don’t know how,” I said, embarrassed that I had so little to contribute to this plan. How many times had I plotted silently against Jafar? Why was it so different now? The answer was clear. I had known that there was no chance that I would ever gather the courage to try anything I dreamed up. I had created my own prison, and now, here was my chance to escape. I couldn’t lose it. A plan from months ago reentered my mind. Back then it had seemed so far-fetched, but now, it was within reach. “Then again, maybe I do,” I grinned craftily.

“You do,” she insisted. “Now, all you have to do is get him to leave it... leave the rest to me. I can destroy it, destroy it in a way he’ll never know.” “But... but what’ll he do to us if he finds out? He still has his powers, you know,” I just couldn’t be sure.

“Yes, I do know. But, without the staff, they are so far less, and with the entire palace against him...” I stopped her in mid-sentence.

“The whole palace!” I exclaimed in total disbelief.

“Shhhh!” she whispered, “don’t wake anyone.” How could I nearly cause our entire plan to topple? Guilt and embarrassment caused me to lower my head. I felt a soft hand brush against me again. When I looked up, Jazel smiled gently. “Awww... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you like that,” she said kindly. “Come on now, don’t worry about it; you’re in no trouble at all.” She looked directly at me. “I’m not like Jafar. Mistakes are made, but I see no need to punish ourselves endlessly for them. Never dwell on the mistakes you’ve made; I promise you I won’t.” It was almost a secret that we shared between ourselves.

My feelings were brightened; there was something special for only Jazel and I to know. I whispered this time, “The whole palace!”

“Yes, the whole palace,” she answered simply, as if the question was nothing at all.

“How are we ever going to manage that?” I asked, in a hurried whisper. It must have seemed simple to her. “Imagine this,” she was almost painting a portrait with her words, “you know I am the queen of Agrabah. The servants must obey me and my husband will trust me. Under my order, we will banish Jafar... without fear.”

“I- I don’t quite understand,” what could I say when I had no idea of what she was planning?

“Well, let’s say you do know how to get Jafar to leave that staff of his. All I have to do is destroy it, and really, how much power does he have left? Enough to go up against an entire fleet of palace guards and an angry sultan? I doubt it,” she stated matter-of-factly. She was right. Spells, potions, whatever he could come up with would not be enough to save himself in that situation. Only one question remained. Exactly how would we get him into this situation? “If I confess to the sultan, my beloved husband, all that Jafar has done and plans to do, there will be no choice but for the servants to obey my order to find and banish him. And with that, we will all be free.” Free. That word was almost unfamiliar. How long had it been since I heard it, since I promised myself that I would someday find my freedom and that I would never lose it again?

“Free,” I said in pure astonishment.

“Free,” Jazel agreed, “my daughter, she must be free.” Jasmine. Jafar could never be allowed to hurt her the way he hurt me. Jasmine meant everything, yes, everything, to Jazel. Without her, Jazel’s life would be empty and meaningless; even from my short time with her, I could tell that. Jasmine was so innocent, had so many chances. If Jafar ruined that, I would never forgive myself. I vowed that at that very moment.

“She will be,” I said with more determination than I had had in a long time, “she will.” Jazel's eyes lit up.

“We all will,” she also took a vow that night. Those vows, they never would be kept. I would let Jazel, Jasmine, and I think most of all, myself, down. Broken promises, that’s all I have left of that night now. But, I didn’t know that then. Back then, I was happy; I was hopeful, and everything in my life was based on those two promises. “Come, let’s check on her, my little Jasmine, my little flower.” She didn’t need an answer, and neither did I; the silence was answer enough. Saying nothing, I flew from her arms and to her shoulder. She would need her hands free to comfort Jasmine.

That night I got very little sleep, but I was used to it. Besides, spending the night awake worrying is always worse than spending it in the true safety and comfort I was so unaccustomed to. As she watched the sleeping child, singing in her honey voice, I could hear the slightest frailties in each tranquil note. She was afraid too, but together, that little girl so near to me would never be hurt... never. Neither Jasmine nor Jazel resented me; they just trusted. I couldn’t help but feel wanted, loved, a part of this family.

The morning sun was just falling onto the floor of Jafar and mine’s bedchamber when I returned to my perch. Jazel escorted me there, encouraging me not to be afraid, to remember only our goals and the fact that come the end of the day, we would be triumphant. I sat, lonely, really lonely for the first time in ages. You see, when you don’t feel real love, it’s hard to be truly lonely, but that night had once again awakened the feeling of love within me. Here, with Jafar, I was, in all actuality, alone, sitting on a cold perch with no one to care whether I live or die. But, somewhere, down that hall, people were hoping for me, and caring. Not alone... I was not alone.

Jafar stirred. Quickly closing my eyes and trying to appear relaxed, I faked sleep. As if he had heard a startling noise, he leapt from the bed that had been prepared for him. Had I not been careful enough in my return? What had he heard? “IAGO!” his voice thundered, and although I was half-expecting it, I jumped into mad flight. My wings worked wildly to hold me up, while my heart did the same. Jafar smirked; “So nice to see you’re awake,” he said, already fully awake and in control, when it was yet so early.

Trying to act as if I had been sleeping, I yawned, replying to his scoffing, “Yeah, sure; what’s the deal?” My panic was rising as I struggled to keep my voice calm and uninterested.

“Something is not right here. Come; I have to find what it is. We cannot let anything stop us, not when we’re so close to everything I’ve... I mean, we’ve dreamed of.” How could Jafar always tell what I was thinking, or what anyone was thinking, for that matter? Couldn’t I keep anything from him? He was mocking me; he knew everything I knew, or maybe... just maybe, he truly didn’t know that I was a part of it? Whatever the answer, I needed to remain calm if I wasn’t going to be found out.

I swallowed hard and again reminded myself not to let the least bit of panic sneak its way into my voice. “Ummm... yeah... yeah, you’re right.” It was then that I knew this was the perfect time. After all, it was now or never. “We can’t let that woman take away everything we’ve worked so hard to gain,” saying that, my throat went dry. Speaking against Jazel caused me so much pain, and there was nothing anyone could do change what I had said. It was for her good, and the good of everyone in Agrabah, but still I felt a guilt I had never before experienced.

Jafar eyed me suspiciously. The apprehension in my voice must have been perfectly clear as I forced myself to say those bitter words. “So, I see you’ve changed your mind toward your fair Jazel; is that true?” he more demanded than questioned.

Nodding in agreement, I forced myself to say “Yes, sir; she is a threat to the both of us,” again the words stung as I said them.

Jafar appeared pleased. My act must have convinced him; at least I hoped it did. “Good observation, maybe with enough work something good will come of you. Yes, fear is such a good tool,” he hissed, stroking his beard. I attempted to smile in admiration and appreciation. For a moment, he smiled approvingly. It was tempting to turn back on the plan Jazel and I had so perfectly crafted the night before. Jafar, for once, approved of me; I was risking so much by planning his demise. But, then the thought of Jazel and her beautiful child entered my mind. Never would I betray them when the promises we had made the night before had been so pure and simple, or at least, that was what I thought. Jafar would never control my happiness again, so why, then, was I so worried about his acceptance now?

“Jafar, don’t you think we should go to find what’s so wrong, why and how that woman is plotting against us? We must think of a way to protect ourselves,” my lie was perfectly timed.

Jafar’s smile was again pleased. “Good idea, Iago. That little chat we had last night really seemed to help get your priorities straight, now didn’t it?” he snickered a bit at the mention of the previous night. And, with those words, all the fear came back from where it had hidden. What was I getting myself into if I went through with this plan, if I stayed here, overpowered by Jafar? The chance was something I had to take, wasn’t it? Suddenly, the choice didn’t seem quite so clear anymore. We were on our way out of the room by this point, and Jafar, as usual, was reaching for his staff.

Unsure what to do, I struggled with the two sides of my mind. But, the picture of Jasmine’s five-year-old face, so full of hope always seemed to win out against the common sense. “Hey, Jafar, leave that here for know,” I suddenly blurted out.

His face again took on a look of suspicion. “And why is that?” He arched his eyebrow.

“Uhhhh... because, the more relaxed you seem, the less anyone will suspect that we suspect,” I said craftily, “ya know what I mean?” Jafar was deep in thought for a few moments. Then, something I never expected happened... he agreed! “You’re... I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” Taken aback at first, I couldn’t find the words to answer. “Well, of course. You see, Jazel wouldn’t dare try anything today; it’s still too soon. So, what do we do? Appear totally clueless and vulnerable, and then, snap? We retaliate, before she even has a chance to put her plan into action!” Wow, was that really me talking? I sounded so sinister somehow, as if I really believed it. I didn’t, did I?

But, it was too late to change anything that I had felt or said, Jafar’s eyes were sparkling with evil, and this time, it was all thanks to me.

Sitting on Jafar’s shoulder as we walked down that hallway, I felt so ashamed. Really, I hadn’t done anything to endanger either Jazel or her daughter, but there was a feeling that those words had weakened what we had found so strong the night before. It was a part of our escape, nothing more. Maybe... We were going to meet the Sultan. Jafar had quickly fallen into his good graces, with the help of me. My part was nothing more than to squawk a resemblance to a word here and there, but this intrigued the Sultan, and he was quickly, too, learning to enjoy my company. He thought that he could earn my trust by 'rewarding’ me with disgusting crackers. Although he was a kind man, I had a hard time swallowing them day after day, smiling and looking as if I enjoyed them. Little did he know, it took much more than crackers to gain my trust. It had been broken one too many times, and no matter what he did, I would never completely learn to trust him. Really, the crackers didn’t help. “Jafar, Iago,” the Sultan ran out of the thrown room and into our path. “How nice to see my two favorite guests so early in the morning. Tell me, what are you two occupying yourselves with on a day such as this?” It was strange how this man always talked to Jafar and me as a unit, never excluding me because of my 'inability’ to talk. I sometimes had to wonder if he actually knew I could understand on some level, or if he just did not want to leave me out of the conversation completely.

Jafar did not even stumble slightly on his excuse. “Oh... I seem to have misplaced my staff. Nothing too terrible, though; you mustn’t worry. It has no actual value, but it means so much to me emotionally, you must understand.” “Why, of course I do, Jafar... sad, yes, very sad indeed. Oh, please, let me help you in your search,” the Sultan offered.

“No, no, don’t give it a second thought. Just get back to your duties; I know how important they are to the fair city of Agrabah and to myself,” Jafar said. “Agrabah,” I repeated. Geez, that got much too monotonous.

The Sultan giggled like a delighted child. “Ahhhhh... Iago, you never cease to amaze me. What a precious bird you are!” he praised as usual, and I knew what was coming. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a dusty cracker; apparently it had just been waiting for such an occasion. Smiling, he coaxed, “Polly want a cracker?” I smiled back at him, and at that moment, he roughly stuffed it into my beak and began giggling again. Struggling to swallow, I managed to keep a forced smile on my face.

Jafar was smiling, but he, of course, did not have to force it as much as I did. “Iago thanks you, Sultan,” he spoke for me. How I hated that! I was not his to control! I had my own thoughts, my own words, and my own wishes. Groaning, I bristled my feathers unhappily. Now, it wasn’t really that big of a deal, and usually it wouldn’t even have mattered, but today, I just saw it as another aspect of my life I couldn’t control.

Suddenly, Jazel burst into the throneroom! “Darling,” she exclaimed, a little breathlessly, “we need to talk.”

“Dearest,” the Sultan replied calmly, “can’t this wait for just a moment? Jafar and I were having quite a nice little chat.”

“No,” Jazel said, her voice stern, but as always, kind, “it’s... it’s very important.”

“Well, of course, if it means that much to you, we’ll get to it right now. But, wait, where’s Jasmine?” that Sultan now seemed concerned about this entire situation.

“Oh, that’s nothing to worry about; one of the servants is reading her a story. Now, please come quickly,” she remained soothing, yet her voice had an edge of urgency to it.

“Right away,” the Sultan turned to face the doorway, “My deepest apologies, Jafar. Is there any chance we can continue this conversation at another more convenient time?” he offered.

Jafar’s smile only broadened at this suggestion. “Why, of course, your Majesty; whatever time is most convenient for you,” he seemed much too happy with this turn of events.

The Sultan, as usual, didn’t notice. “Good, then, let us continue later tonight. Good day, gentlemen,” he finished off the conversation, turning to follow Jazel to the royal bedroom.

“Yes, good day,” Jafar hissed in a whisper only he and I could hear. Something was wrong.

I watched the Sultan exit the room, and after making sure there was no way he could hear me, I whispered, “Jafar, what was that about?”

“Iago, don’t be so naïve. “Of course you know what that is about,” Jafar said. I just looked at him blankly. “You do know, don’t you?” I just shook my head. Actually, I did have an idea, but was secretly hoping it was wrong. He just sighed, “Well, if I must tell you...” I was glad he chose to pause; his next words were important to me, and I needed time to prepare myself for what he would say. “Now, you know as well as I do that Jazel is on to us,” suddenly, I didn’t want to hear the rest; it was perfectly clear that Jafar knew. Still, false hope caused me to half-listen to the rest. “And, if she has any brains at all, she’ll know that it would be impossible for her to defeat me without help, but with the support of the Sultan...” he stopped, waiting for me to evaluate the rest.

“She’ll have the entire palace behind her,” I said the words without the feeling I had used the night before, but then, I had had feeling. Now, I was just emptied of everything I had felt. Jazel could save herself, couldn’t she? The real question was did I have enough strength to save us all?

“Why, Iago,” Jafar grinned, “I applaud you. Finally, you are learning to read people and their thoughts, to never, ever trust, and most of all, to never feel.” Usually, I would have been happy to just have the approval of Jafar, but there were questions that there hadn’t been before. I couldn’t even smile. It wasn’t possible to ignore what I knew was coming next. “And, so, as by now you must now, there is something we must do,” he finished.

“What?” I said, realizing that Jafar already knew too much, and that he would soon know of my involvement in it. Trying to cover for myself was completely useless now. What would it matter if my answers were half-hearted now, since he was going to find out sooner or later anyway?

“The answer is so simple,” Jafar explained, “we must get rid of her.” He said it so coldly and heartlessly that I had to believe the life of another human meant nothing to him, as long as it didn’t render what was so important in his future.

I choked on my reply. How could I not? Although I couldn’t help but expect his ruthless answer, it was a violent shock all the same. “H-how?”

“My staff...” he began, his voice barely above a whisper. Fear grasped me, and I was forced to recall that day... it seemed so long ago. The snake, it was alive; the eyes, they glowed with an evil red premise. He could have killed me then, and he could now. Looking at me, my feelings visible, it was easier than usual for him to read my apprehension. “You remember,” he remarked, in a way, almost pleased. “You fear it, as you rightly should. But, today, its victim will not be you. No, it will be that woman, and it will be much worse, so much worse.” His smile renewed every fear I had ever dealt with, “She will die.” Shuttering, I turned away. Jazel and I could not stop this. It was far more evil than we had ever imagined. There was one chance, only one chance... if she had the staff.

Please let the staff be gone. Please. It was all I could ask, the best I could do. With each step closer to our room, I prayed silently for that one wish. The door was so close. I didn’t want to reach it. If we did, and the staff was gone, and with it, any chance I had ever had of survival, but as long as I didn’t see that empty space, there was still a sliver of hope. But, while the moment was quickly approaching; it was useless still trying to avoid the inevitable.

Then came the moment, when all truth was to be revealed. I didn’t dare to breathe; I didn’t want to look. I didn’t have to. Jafar’s reaction would tell me everything I needed to know. But, there was only an uneasy silence. Waiting... I want to look... don’t look. Arguments between two sides of myself. Then, suddenly a shattering howl rang out, “That woman!” With the agony in that sharp cry of anger, I felt a warm feeling of relief; I felt Jazel’s soft smile beaming down on me, rays of sunshine in valley of darkness. I felt fear; fear of the struggle that was to happen. Escaping had seemed so simple last night, but there was so much to go wrong in this makeshift plan. Should I speak? No, if I spoke, Jafar would know. I couldn’t afford to have that happen until someone was there to protect me; I could never protect myself from Jafar. If I had ever thought so, I was only kidding myself. Jafar’s piercing words continued, as I fought with my will to say everything that was tearing me apart. “If she thinks that taking that staff will protect her...” he stopped, unable to speak in his wrath. “If she thinks that for just one second, she is so horribly, horribly wrong.” Jafar was unpredictable. With his anger, came consequences you couldn’t think about. If you did, you’d never risk it, never even try. What could he do? What exactly was he capable of? What was he without staff? I didn’t have the answers; now I do. During those few last precious moments, in which I would feel that chance, so near I could almost see it; I didn’t need to open my eyes. I just needed to try and ignore fear, to try and feel the hope and the love that I had been deprived of for so long.

Jafar turned so quickly I could hear the swish of his cape. Time was being wasted in that room. Now, I doubt if even he knew what he was going to do. He left without a plan, with only anger and hatred in his heart. There was only one thing he was sure of, that he would win. He was always sure of that, as I had always been. But, I had a different idea, for once; maybe, just maybe, he would lose. Whatever would happen was soon to be revealed in the royal bedroom. That was something I couldn’t just shut my eyes for. Jazel needed me, Jasmine needed me, and Agrabah needed me. Fear was not an option; at least that's what I kept fighting to believe.

I’d only seen the royal bedroom one time before, on the initial tour of the palace. Then, it had been a room with windows that faced the sun, so that it was the brightest room in the entire palace. Now, the sun still fell through the windows and splashed onto everything in its path, but there was a dark presence. All the light in the world couldn’t take away the feeling of dread that covered the room as Jafar entered. I knew he knew, and with only look, Jazel did, too. I could see fear wash over her, but she did not back away. Instead, she drew the Sultan close to her, clutching his hand, hers shaking. His was solid, though, with the strength of a man ready to do anything to save the ones he loved. The Sultan no longer appeared his cheerful self, and in his eyes, anger so deep and black burned that I could almost see Jafar in him. “How could you?” the Sultan said in a whisper, his voice full of not only anger, but also hurt and sorrow.

Jafar appeared innocent. “Your majesty, I have done nothing,” he again lied perfectly, his voice not wavering even for a second. Jafar was able to look straight into the Sultan’s eyes without flinching.

The Sultan could not stand to look into his lying eyes anymore. How ever many times they had lied to him and how ever many times he had believed, this time, this time was different. “Jafar, my wife would never lie to me. She knows of you and your evil ways, and now, so do I,” the Sultan’s voice; however, did shake, whether in anger, or fear, or pain, I don’t know. It was then I knew the battle was far from over. Jafar would never just let them win. The Sultan knew little of what Jafar was capable of, and although he wanted to be strong, even a Sultan had to be afraid. I wanted to fly over and join them, to have someone near me who believed, but something stopped me. Now wasn’t the time... or was the fear just too much to handle?

“My intentions are in no way evil,” Jafar explained, still calm, his voice quiet. “But, I can see where your beautiful wife may be have gotten these... ideas. You see, I am a very mysterious person; my methods are not always conventional...”

“Jafar, I will not hear any more of this,” for once, the usually mild-mannered Sultan interrupted him. “You have plotted the downfall of my entire kingdom and of my family. There is no other choice; you are hereby banished.” The Sultan finished his sentencing harshly, with no compassion for Jafar or what he had done. Jafar’s eyes, however, were much harsher. I knew what he would do now would be much worse than banishment could ever be. All in the room were in danger. The staff, in the heat of the argument had been left unattended on the corner, and Jafar’s stare was now glued to it. I had to get Jazel’s attention, and it had to be before Jafar could get to that staff. My thoughts were unclear, clouded with worry and thoughts of freedom I could so easily lose, and with no reasoning whatsoever, I found myself flying to that corner. Jafar smiled, thinking I must be attempting to help with his quest for the staff. It made me sick to think of Jafar imagining me yearning for the power he wanted so badly, and finally accepting that what he had made me was all I would ever be. I had done neither of those things, and swore I never would. The night before had changed me, and that was my final thought as I shoved the staff onto the floor. The loud crack echoed off every stone wall, and every occupant of the room, even Jafar, turned in shock to find the staff, with a small crack in one of the evil red eyes, rolling towards Jazel.

His crazed eyes were smiling, pleased with me and with the idea of his goal being so within his reach. Jazel’s eyes, although soft and kind, were smiling, too. Of course, her happiness was true, because she saw the light. She knew exactly what I was doing and why I was doing it. And, sending me a sign with her eyes, with only her presence, she reassured me as she made her way to that corner. In all her fear was all her glory. In every shiver was a sense that all her trials and tribulations were for good cause... and, that maybe Jafar would win this time, but never would he win the whole war. This was but one battle; there could be many more, but it was in her destiny that never would he take away what so rightly belonged to her family, her people, and her city. Her hands trembling, she remained a rock for us all. Not attempting to hide any fear, she reached for that hated staff! Tears streaked her usually bright cheeks. But, they weren’t tears of sadness, or fear, or despair... they were tears of anticipation and happiness that today, this could all be over like an awakening from some horrible nightmare, and if not today, then someday soon. It wouldn’t be long until all that remained was a dark memory, hidden away, something we could forget. Today I can still think of those tears and half believe we won; they were the only tangible signs of her inner strength and courage, and in some small way, of mine...

All those thoughts occurred in a split second, the last second before everything came crashing down in a storm of pain, fear, and utter despair. Those were the last thoughts I would ever have that could bring me any escape from my grim reality. I believe I saw it first: a flash of light in those blood eyes, the spark, the spark of life I had seen on that fateful day. And, in that moment, I tried to cry out, to interfere, but my fear was too much. I just stood frozen in a moment that lasted for an eternity, until it was too late. That snake raised its golden head, and with clear, deadly evil in those eyes, that life engulfed it. Unlike my experience, this took almost no time at all, so little time in fact, Jazel never even noticed until it was much too late. A look of horror leapt up into her eyes, and she stiffened, wrenching her hand backward to save herself. I watched in terror as it thrust its head forward in one great strike and sunk its gleaming golden fangs into her tiny wrist. And, just as her scream rang out, just moments too late to save her, Jafar cried out, “Jazel, save yourself, a cobra!” His voice was urgent, and it tore at my heart. Him! Acting as if he even cared; he was the one who had killed her, but the Sultan would never know that. I didn’t have to time to worry about Jafar’s feigned care. My attention turned to Jazel. She was now sobbing uncontrollably, clutching her wrist in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. Blood was pouring from the two wounds. It killed me to see the usually calm, sweet, mild-mannered queen lying on the floor with everything she had believed in taken from her. Her hair and face a mess of blood and tears, she called for her husband and her child, her world.

The Sultan fell to his knees beside his suffering wife. His earlier solid exterior had deteriorated to only a shadow of its former self. His own eyes wet, reading the gravity of the situation; he took his small hands and ran them through her tousled hair. “Shhhh... my darling,” he comforted, trying to seem calm against all odds. As he kissed away her tears, she clutched to him, her only hope, and her only life-support. “I must see my little flower,” she gasped through sobs.

The Sultan tried to ignore her plea, knowing how it would devastate Jasmine to see her beautiful mother writhing in pain. “Sultan,” Jafar managed to get a word in through the hysterics, “There... there’s something I could do. Just wait here.” Taking my eyes from the scene unfolding before me for only a second, I turned to see Jafar rush from the room, and I couldn’t imagine what he was doing. He would never save her; there was something awful about his urgency, something the Sultan didn’t know. And so, a ray of hope appeared in the Sultan’s eyes; a ray of light for the life of his wife. That ray of hope caused so much hatred within me. How could even he do this to this loving couple? How could he raise their hopes, only to let her die? The answer was simple... he was not human, and only he could.

“Please,” Jazel pleaded her voice weak from crying, “let me see my Jasmine.” “But, but, I just can’t leave you alone... not right now,” the Sultan said, his voice pleading in that same tone.

Jazel managed a tiny smile, “Don’t worry, my darling husband; Iago’s here; he would never let anything happen.” I felt my heart sink. I would never let anything happen. But, I would. I had caused Jazel’s fate as much as Jafar did. There had been a chance for me to save her from that demon serpent, but in my own fear, I had left her to die. There had been a chance; all I could think was that there had been a chance. It was the least I could do now, give her the last chance to view her Jasmine, her little flower, and the child I had betrayed. My mind pleaded for the Sultan to grant her this last wish. She deserved so much more than what she was to be given, but now there were things she could never experience, never again. Jazel, the regal Queen of Agrabah, would never again see the day break over her beautiful city... never again would her hopes and dreams be shared with those lucky enough to blessed with them. Never again...

The Sultan sighed deeply, knowing that they were both fighting a losing battle and that her happiness in these last few minutes of life was all that mattered. And, so with great apprehension, he went to fetch Jasmine, the great treasure of Jazel’s life. As he disappeared out the doorway, Jazel looked to me with only honesty left in her eyes; all emotion, all strength had been completely drained. True fear was left. “I know I am going to die,” her words were so simple and so brave, but they were the ones that tore down all my defenses. I couldn’t fight my despair any longer. Every tear I had ever held in, spilled onto the floor. I was racked with sobbing when I should have been strong for Jazel. Why was she the one stroking me, comforting me in all my sadness and fear when hers was so much more?

“You... you can’t die,” I stuttered through my tears. “I... I’ve lost everything now, any chance to survive. What is left for me?” My questions were simple and true; nothing could be left when my will to live was taken.

Her tears had ceased by now, and a strange, yet comforting calm fell upon her words. “Iago, you haven’t lost anything at all. You learned from me, and me from you, and what we learned we will forever have. That,” she stopped gasping for breath. The end was nearing, and I silently prayed that Jasmine would arrive quickly enough to have a last moment with her mother. Jasmine, that innocent child, deserved it as much as her mother did... a final memory of her in all her glory and beauty. The blood, the tears, they didn’t matter. It was Jazel’s never-ending bravery that made her so breathtaking. “That cannot be lost. I will never be gone; I live within these palace walls, in everything I’ve ever done. I live within my wonderful family and the love they never cease to show. I live in my people, the people of Agrabah, who made me what I am today, and I even live within you, you who have more strength than most I know. So, you see, what I gave you all cannot be lost; it’s just up to you to find it again.” She took another labored breath.

“But, how do I escape? I can never do it alone,” I was pleading with her, begging her to stay, if only for another minute. It was not my choice; I knew that, but it couldn’t stop the subconscious message that in some way, I had brought this death upon her, and I wanted to stop it, needed to.

“You won’t be alone. I shall be there every step of the way... as shall my entire family. Jasmine will go on to be like me, and in her you will find your strength,” her words were almost happy. The talk of her daughter seemed to light up her face, even now.

I couldn’t believe her answer when I had been responsible for this. How could she believe in me so much? How could she even trust me anymore? “Jazel, I... I... it was my fault. I could have saved you, if only I hadn’t been so scared. I could have tried, and I should have. But, I was so weak; I was frozen,” I finally found the strength to admit it to her.

She almost giggled, although now she was tiring from her struggles to keep alert, to even keep breathing. “Iago,” her voice was so quite I had to strain to hear it, “you did nothing to ever hurt me. If anything, you helped to save me. You know it was Jafar, as I do. Your fear was not your fault; there was nothing you or anyone else could have done.” She couldn’t go on talking. Jazel fell back, only breathing, in prolonged, painful breaths.

Then, a soft voice came from the doorway. “Mommy?” it asked, sadness quaking in its innocence. “Mommy, are you okay?” It was Jasmine.

Jazel’s eyes opened slowly. “My little flower,” her voice was a little stronger at only the thought of holding her daughter one last time. “My little flower, come here; I need you.” Jasmine ran to her mother; I could read her fear; it was something I had experienced so often. No one had told her, but from just one look, she knew... She knew her mother’s end was drawing near, and there was nothing Jazel could to protect her this time.

Jasmine was always so grown up; never could I believe she was only five. Today, her large brown eyes were filled with so much wisdom, complete trust. They were aching with love as she climbed into her mother’s arms, their gaze holding only each other. For a moment, they were only mother and daughter, not queen and princess, and neither one was in pain, neither one afraid. They meant everything to one another, and they both knew... knew that this would be the last time when they could share a precious moment one unity. All Jazel’s tears were used up now; she had learned they were useless. She had a peace about her as she cradled that child, so grown up, as she had when she had been a baby. They were locked in an embrace of the most pure and forgiving love I have ever seen. And the most incredible thing happened. Jasmine reached her hand up and brushed a wet strand of hair from her mother’s tired face. “Don’t ever be afraid, Mommy. Don’t ever give up; I’m always here,” her words were filled with innocence and unconditional love, the kind only a mother and daughter can feel.

Jazel struggled for enough strength to say something to this precious jewel she would soon lose forever... or would she? “Jasmine, I’m not afraid, because never will I leave you. Every night I will kiss my sweet darling goodnight, and if you can’t feel it, just search a little. In the night air, you will hear my lullaby... you’ll feel my soft touch. I could never leave my Jasmine, not ever” She could barely breathe, but there was something that just could not go unsaid, “I love you forever.” They were the last words she could manage to gasp out.

Jasmine finally fell apart. Tears streamed down the sides of her face and onto her mother’s flowing robes. “I love you, too, Mommy!” she cried, grasping for that last moment of life. Jasmine should have been to the one to hold her mother as she was dying; it was something special only for them, but in the last minute of Jazel’s life, Jafar changed the entire feeling of love in that room.

He burst in, holding a vial, pretending to be so deeply affected, he, too, sobbing right along with us. But, something in his tears was different; I’d seen one too many of his shows to believe he could care less about the fate of this tiny family or the whole of Agrabah. They were heartless, almost mechanical. After finally gaining control of myself, I again felt ready to cry. This wasn’t right! Jazel did not deserve to die like this! And, she didn’t deserve the false emotions of Jafar to mock her; she deserved real, true emotions that everyone else was feeling. How could her life be cut so short by so evil a man? How, when I could have, should have, saved her?

Jafar ran to Jazel, tiny droplets slipping down the sides of his vial. It was then that I got the glimpse of what it was... water, only water... something that could never save her. Jafar would never save anyone, at least not anyone but himself. I tried to focus on Jazel’s comfort, rather than the Jafar’s distrust. But, I was only fooling myself; there was no comfort left for her... nothing we could do to end that terrible pain in her last breaths. “You need to move the child,” Jafar ordered, no compassion in his voice. The Sultan, numbed by all the pain he been burdened with so quickly, moved the child, obviously looking for any chance to save his life-long companion, the only love he would ever have. And, Jafar slipped his hand under Jazel’s long black hair. Although she was in so much pain that all thought must have been lost, she realized who was touching her. Jazel pulled away, fighting with all the strength she had left to free herself from Jafar’s grip. It was cruel and unfeeling the way he held her there, trying to force her to drink the “potion.” “She’s so restless,” Jafar tried to explain it away, “the end must be coming near.” I watched her trying so desperately to rip her hair from his clutches. She wanted to die in peace, holding her beloved child. It was what she needed. But, instead, she was suffering under the force of Jafar. And, Jasmine, she was in her father’s arms, no longer able to be calmed. She wailed as if every bit of her heart was slowly being destroyed. And, it was. Every bit of trust, every bit of happiness within her, disappeared that day, and she just looked at me, her eyes knowing. Knowing Jafar had killed her mother and a part of her, knowing that somehow I had played a part. Within them, a dark hatred of me was forming, but not only in her eyes, in her heart. I was a part of Jafar. Jasmine knew.

But, all attention was now on Jazel. Her struggling had come to an end. The end of the struggle was probably the single saddest thing I have ever witnessed. It signaled the moment she gave in to Jafar; the moment even she could not protect her people or her family. And, it signaled the moment I really lost, the moment all of Agrabah lost. It was the beginning of a dark chapter of life I wish everyone could forget.

And, then, a last single breath, tired and heaving, but with a bit of freedom in it... at least for her. She was free from Jafar; he would never hurt her again. Her eyes opened for one last look at everything she loved, everything she had worked so hard to achieve, and a slow smile cast over her pale face. She seemed to be saying, “We haven’t lost. This is only the beginning, but the fight belongs to you now.” And, maybe somehow she was. As her eyes slowly moved from her last image that she would see, her beautiful daughter, so strong yet so terrified, they began to close, her beautiful brown eyes... gone forever. That was end. Her head fell back into Jafar’s arms, to someone who had no right to hold her as she was dying.

“She... she’s gone,” the Sultan whispered out loud what we all were thinking. Jafar let his head sink, “I... I couldn’t save her... it was too late,” he tried to sound sincere. But, through his saddened mask, I could see the shadow of a smile, a smile of his triumph.

“Oh, Jafar,” the Sultan cried, trying to remain in control of his ravaged emotions, “you tried to save my wife from that horrible snake. You were the only one to even make an attempt. You loved her and cared for her as if she were your own family, and made her last moments of life more comfortable. You did everything for us in these last few minutes. And, after all we said to you, after what we accused you of, never did you twice think about abandoning my wife in her time of need. I now see that never would someone of your caliber even think of doing anything against my family or my kingdom. I am deeply apologetic and saddened by the misunderstanding you and my wife were having before she... before she...” that Sultan trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Two soft tears trickled down his round cheeks. He tried to brush them away with a shaking hand. The poor man simply had no more will to fight; he was exhausted in all his pain.

“Don’t go on...” Jafar tried to appear comforting, struggling to keep his face sincere in his sheer delight.

“No,” the Sultan retorted weakly, “I... I must give you something, something you have earned.” Jafar nodded, in his eyes, a knowing was apparent. He knew what he was to be given. I didn’t care; the entire ordeal sickened me. Although neither of us needed to know, the Sultan continued. “You are to be my new grand visor... for saving my wife... for cherishing my family... and for all the trust I will have in you. Jazel,” his voice shook at the mention of her name, “Jazel would have agreed.”

Jafar bowed, “What an honor you have bestowed upon me, your highness,” he mocked Jazel with every word.

I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t face his victory... or my defeat. Any tiny shred of belief I had managed to keep alive as Jazel lay dying was done now, having dyed with her. Jazel had believed, just moments before she died, she had believed. But, now, the answer was as clear as it would ever be, and it was bare in Jasmine’s eyes. Jasmine was glaring at me, her usually innocent five-year-old eyes cold and tired. Tired of betrayal. Tired of pain. Tired of remaining strong and grown up. Tired of me. Wasn’t I the one that had taken her mother from her from the very first day she had met me? On that day, everything had changed for Jazel and Jasmine. Their sense of normality and safety had been ripped from them. Their happiness was found then only in the planning and hoping and dreaming. And, hadn’t I taken her now? If only I hadn’t tried to save her... if only I had thought it through... if only I could learn not to be such a coward. If only... Jazel would still be alive. And, even at her young age, Jasmine knew it. I had entered with that evil Jafar, claiming that I wasn’t like him, pleading with Jazel to help me. At first, not with words, but pleading none the less. And, Jasmine had been so understanding, never questioning, letting me take her mother. She had loved me as her mother did, and never did I stop to think how truly amazing Jasmine was to be able to take all this in at the age of five. But, now Jasmine say the real me... the one who would kill her mother, the one who think only of himself, as he had from the beginning. And, for that, she hated me. I couldn’t blame her; I hated myself, too.

Without someone to encourage and support me, to give me strength, I was nothing and I could never win. In every way imaginable, on that day, Jafar had won. It was in that room that I finally realized all that I was. I was worth nothing, less than nothing. I was cowardly and evil, exactly what Jafar had always wanted me to be, what I had never allowed myself to become. My family had been right, and now there was no use in denying what I was. Why deny the truth? I could never be hurt more than I had on that day; my every fear had come true. Suddenly, I knew there was a way to win: I would hurt someone the way Jafar hurt me. That way someone else would know what it was like to have their heart ripped out, along with everything they had believed in. I had lost everything; all I had left now was Jafar, and I was... was him.

That night as I sat in alone on my perch total darkness; I felt completely alone. Earlier that night the bustle of funeral arrangements and mourning visitors had seemed to blur the hours that passed. Fellow royalty, servants, and townspeople came to pay their respects to the greatest queen that Agrabah had ever known and to praise Jafar for his selfless “attempt” to save her. Thousands of them, not one stopping to even take notice of me, as Jazel had. No one would ever hear the truth... what Jafar had done, but it wasn’t something I could think of. There had been no to time to think of the terrible events, to relive them over and over, every agonizing moment. But, now it was all I saw. I saw Jazel’s empty eyes praying from relief from pain; I saw Jasmine, so tiny and frail, so strong and unbreakable. I heard the words of the Sultan. “I must give you something... something you have earned.” And, in some sick way, Jafar had earned it through all his planning and scheming, through all the agony he had caused.

But, through all this, I remembered my own experience with the staff. Why hadn’t it been me to die? Jazel was willing to give everything to save the things that meant so much to her, when I was willing to do anything to escape for only myself. It should have been me. All that surrounded me was darkness, and it was more than I deserved. It should have been me... but, it wasn’t. I had lived. It all made sense. Jafar had known that I had no power; that I could never overcome him. And, in that same way, he had known Jazel did pose a very real threat. So, he chose her... her for her bravery, her intelligence, and the life within her.

Jafar had said only one thing to me that night. Words that still ring as loud and clear today as they then, “Iago, you are no longer cowardly or lost to your conscience as you once were. Tonight you helped to destroy the regal queen of Agrabah, and in that, was your first step toward winning. You will win now; we will win.”

And, in that I tried to imagine that I had won, that I had not lost. Late that night, I was still trying to convince myself of that. Eventually, the more evil I became, I would believe it more and more, but it was never true. I wouldn’t win, not for years to come.

Jasmine was astonished, almost as if she had never known. But, you couldn’t tell; all that was visible was her overwhelming sadness. She had tried to forget how she had lost the mother that meant everything to her; why she had hated Iago so much. She had hated him. But, now it was something she couldn’t hide from. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked up into Iago’s own troubled eyes. And, beneath all the tears was that same hatred; all the anger she had so long since moved past. They was a mix of sadness, despair, disbelief, and unbearable anger. Every bit of trust and love crumbled as memories of that day rushed at her. Why hadn’t he saved her? He knew he could have. How could he not? And, how could she have ever forgiven him? How could she betray her mother and comfort the one who could have saved her? She couldn’t. “Iago... I... I can’t even look at you right now!” she murmured, as she realized what he had done to her mother and her perfect life. Taking her hand, the same tiny hand she had had as a child, she shielded her eyes and her feelings from the love of everyone in that room. She didn’t want Aladdin to see her in absolute sorrow. She had always had everything, had been able to comfort Aladdin from all his pain. Now, she had nothing, and she didn’t want to comfort anyone. And, she fled from the room and to the royal bedroom, her mother’s bedroom.

Seeing all this, Iago felt no hatred, only complete despair. He had worked so hard for their love and acceptance, and like on that day, he had lost everything in a matter of only minutes. Had his entire revelation been some terrible mistake, something that forever should have been locked away in the depths of his soul? He turned away from Aladdin, knowing he must feel the same as Jasmine did, knowing he deserved it. But, instead Aladdin did something totally unexpected, something he had never done before. He walked over to Iago, and he didn’t need to pet him at all.

“It... it’s not your fault,” he said, for one of the first times, his voice cracking. “I know, more than most, that sometimes all the odds are against you, and it looks like there’s no way out, that sometimes when things go horribly wrong, there is nothing you can do to protect yourself or all those around you. I’m not going to hate, because I know that it must have been painful for you, too, and if you had a choice, you would have changed the course of events.” He stopped for a moment, smiling, and Iago turned to meet his soft eyes, but he couldn’t smile. “Don’t worry; I’ll talk to her. She went through a lot, too, ya know? It’s probably not something she wants to spend any time at all thinking about, and you, well, you’re a reminder of that. But, she doesn’t hate you; she never could.”

“Yeah,” Iago whispered. No one realized how much strength it had taken to tell that account, and then to have the only person who had known how it felt hate you for it. Sometimes when life was so hard, strength was even harder to come by. Alone... he would always be alone. Aladdin disappeared in the direction Jasmine had. Alone.

Aladdin turned the corner into the royal bedroom to find Jasmine just sitting on the bed, clutching an off-white pillow to her chest. She smelled of it and hugged it to her, not worrying about the tears that were soaking it. Rocking her body slowly back and forth, she looked up at the noise of Aladdin entering the room. She didn’t try to appear regal or understanding; she was that child, lost without her mother, lost in her anger and her sadness. “Jasmine,” Aladdin’s voice was pleading and kind. She looked away, ashamed of her reaction, angry at Aladdin for intruding on her private agony. How could he know what she was experiencing? She had watched her own mother die, knowing full well who had done it, without anything she could do to protect her father or herself. “Jasmine, listen. I know you don’t want to hear this right now. I know you’re hurting, but you can’t do this to yourself.”

Jasmine cut into his explanation. “You think I did this? You think that any of this is my fault? How could you ever think that? You know who did this, Aladdin. You can’t deny it. Please, don’t try to protect him right now. I thought you would always support me, always love me. But, apparently some things are just more important to you.” Jasmine’s words cut through him like a knife. He would always love her; that was something that could never change. He had always thought she had known. But, now here she was destroying herself and everything she had accomplished, destroying him and what they had together. “I’m not here to protect him, Jasmine; I’m here to protect you.”

“To protect me? I don’t need protecting, Aladdin. My mother was the only one who could ever protect me, and where is she now?” Aladdin was silenced by her harsh words. “She’s gone. I lost her a long time ago; I lost her as soon as Iago clung to her the only way to save his life. And, after all she did...” her voice was replaced by silent tears. Aladdin sat on the bed next to his crying fiancee. He snuggled close to her and softly smoothed her hair the way the Sultan had done to Jazel so many times. The scene was almost a replica of the final moments Jazel and her loving husband had shared. Jasmine’s eyes, as clear and beautiful as her mother’s looked into Aladdin’s. “He let her die, Aladdin!”

Aladdin let the hard truth of those words sink in before making a venture with his reply. “Do you really think it was all Iago? I want you to really think about this. Don’t answer until you know, until you know for sure. Now, do you?” He questioned her soothingly, not daring to pry too much.

Jasmine wanted to say yes. She wanted to have someone to blame, someone that was here today. If she could blame someone, she could explain the cruelty of her mother’s death and learn to deal with it in her own way. But, she couldn’t. In all the anger she felt, she couldn’t continue pretending there was only one murderer of her mother. “No,” her lips barely moved, “no, there was more.”

Aladdin didn’t want to stop now. It seemed that in the last couple of days friendships had been growing; love, for once, belonged to all his friends. All that it had taken years to build had finally come together for them, and it brought with it an overwhelming happiness. Could he really bear to lose that all now over an experience that both Iago and Jasmine seemed to share, although neither of them knew it? “Who?” he took Jasmine by the shoulders and brought her close to him so their eyes met and saw only each other.

“Me.” She fell into Aladdin’s embrace, unable to hold herself up anymore. He didn’t try to hold her up, just let her cry until she felt ready to talk again. And, when the sobbing noises ceased, brushed her long black hair away from her exhausted face.

“You?” he looked at her with only love for his sacred princess. “Jasmine, you didn’t do anything. What do you mean by that?”

“I... I should have known, Aladdin. I did know, but it didn’t seem there was anything I could do. I didn’t want to risk what I had with my mother. I was afraid Iago would take her, so I didn’t try to help. I just wanted to imagine that it had never happened, Jafar had never arrived, and that no one was in danger. So, that’s what I did. I blocked it all out. I never really realized how serious it was... not until the day that my mother died. And then, it was too late.” Jasmine’s brutal honesty shocked Aladdin in a way he had never imagined. For years, the princess had felt that her mother’s death was not the fault of Jafar, but of herself. But, in an attempt to preserve some sense of normality, she tried to pretend she felt it was all due to Iago, while Iago had spent years blaming himself. When they could have found comfort in one another as Jazel had intended, they were secretly burdening themselves with the sins of Jafar.

“Oh, Jasmine, none of this was your fault! You were only five, and you loved your mother deeply. Iago even said you were the light of her life. You did nothing except give her the will to live when things were the hardest. You gave Iago the will to fight. You gave them both a lot. Iago has always cared for you as he cared for Jazel, but you pushed him away, because you were afraid of the pain he would make you remember, and he did the same to you. But, it wasn’t his fault, and it definitely wasn’t yours.”

“Then whose? She’s gone forever, and something... someone took her from me. And, the one aspect that hurts me the most is that I don’t even know who,” Jasmine’s voice was beginning to calm, but she couldn’t hide the uncertainty that was on the edge of every word she spoke.

“Jasmine, it was Jafar. Jafar took so much from all of us that sometimes it’s hard to even comprehend, but he did take her. He’s never going to take anything again, not from you or your mother. His destruction was his punishment, and even though nothing will ever bring your mother back, he’s gone, too.”

And, in that moment, it seemed as if every bit of guilt and shame was lifted from Jasmine’s soul. Everything seemed lighter somehow, as she dropped her mother’s pillow into her lap and drew Aladdin in for a soft kiss. She let their warm lips touch for only a few seconds of shared forgiving love. That was all it took.

When they pulled away from one another, she said to him, “Aladdin, did you know I’ve been wrong about all these years, wrong about two things? First, I was wrong to blame Iago, because I was afraid of myself. I should never have let my own fear create so much friction between us for long. I’ve wasted a lot of time. I don’t want to ever waste that much time again. And, there was something I misunderstood for so long and never even realized it. My mother was never gone,” Jasmine’s eyes sparkled with tears of hope and joy. “She was always right here; every time I ever felt alone, whenever I was afraid, she was right next to me. Her love was something Jafar could never take away, but I let him convince me that it was for years. But, nothing could ever take that from me, nothing except myself. I’m not going to hide from her love anymore; I’m not going to believe she’s gone, not for one more second.”

Aladdin smiled at his beautiful princess, more beautiful than ever now that she had finally forgiven herself for the fate of her mother. She was so strong, and even though she had grown into an independent young woman, not as unquestioning and innocent as before, she supported everyone. She had her mother’s grace, her beauty, and her never-ending love; she had everything the Sultan had loved about Jazel, and that now Aladdin loved about her. “You’re amazing, did you know that?” were the only words Aladdin had for her. Her nuzzled her lightly and brought her in for another kiss. Tilting her chin upward, he looked at her, silently promising that he would never leave her either. Even death couldn’t separate them; their souls were one united. In their passionate embrace, Jasmine suddenly realized that the love in her life had always been missing something, although she couldn’t tell exactly what it was. But now, that emptiness was gone. True love enveloped her, and in the embrace of Aladdin, she felt the embrace of her mother, who was right there. She would always be there; Jasmine would never be alone, never feel empty or guilty again. She laid her head on Aladdin’s shoulder, knowing that she was truly blessed with the love of so many, knowing she had never been alone. Now there was only one she had left to convince...

Iago had nothing left to say. Following Aladdin would have been useless; even he couldn’t convince Jasmine that what she knew was the truth was all an illusion. It was the truth. It had been his choice to save Jazel, but instead had chosen to save himself. There had been one other time when he had had the chance to save his “family” from the monster that he called master. And, even at that time, years later, he had nearly chosen to protect himself. But, something inside him was different that time. He knew he had given up a chance for freedom and love once already and hadn’t been able to bear it again. He had thought that maybe if he could save Jasmine and everyone else who had learned to care for him, he could alleviate the guilt he constantly felt, even when he had decided there was nothing but evil to him. But, nothing, no matter what he did, could cause him to forget the sight of Jazel struggling for life, dying with nothing for him to do for her. That was the sight that he dreamt of every night, that invaded his mind every day. What Jafar had done to him was nothing in comparison to what he had done to Jazel. And, what had he done to Jasmine? All he knew was that it was something he could never fix.

When he heard the sound of footsteps reproaching the doorway, he tried to avoid anyone who might look at him. How could he ever face Jasmine again? She probably never wanted him to anyway. It was out of respect for her feelings that he should look away.

Something strange happened as Jasmine entered the room. He wasn’t even looking at her, but somehow, he felt a familiar presence, a presence he hadn’t felt in years and feared he never would again. A calming presence fell over the room... a light presence, but it was unmistakably there. A wave of memories washed over the room, and it was years earlier, an uneasy night that was about to change everything. Usually, Iago chose to block out memories from that portion of his life; the tiny pieces of happiness always led to only despair. But, something compelled him to look at the doorway. And, there was a sight that took all the pain he was feeling and tossed it aside. In that doorway was Jasmine, nearly glowing, appearing completely free of what tied her down. She emerged as Jazel had, but she wasn’t Jazel. She had all the treasures Jazel had possessed, but she wasn’t Jazel. She was the legacy of her mother. Iago wasn’t afraid anymore as Jasmine sat next to him, her calm visible in her peaceful expression. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore,” she began. “I was hurt for a long time, and I had no escape. I don’t want it to be that way for you anymore. There is a way out, and I think I have it.”

“What do you mean?” Iago asked, astonished at her tranquility.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she took a deep breath before continuing. “I blamed you, but I was wrong. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Jasmine,” Iago argued, “you should know more than anyone else that it was my fault. You know as well as I do that I could have saved her; I had more than enough chances, but all I saw was that through her I had my chance, my chance for everything I had dreamed of for so long. I didn’t care about her or you... or anything but my own happiness!”

“You deserved happiness! Who could blame you for wanting it?” Jasmine asked, realizing what Aladdin must have been going through trying to save her from her own guilt.

“But you shouldn’t kill for it!”

Jasmine only wanted Iago to feel the peace she felt, but it was so hard when he kept resisting all the help she was handing out to him. He needed to listen in order to hear. “You didn’t kill her, Iago. But, I know how it feels to believe you did. For years, until today, in fact, I secretly believed the fault of my mother’s death belonged to only one person... me. I could have saved her just as easily as you could have, but I didn’t either. I was afraid, but afraid of something different than you were. I was afraid to lose my mother to you, so instead of wanting to help you escape, I just wanted everything to be the way it was before, before you came. But, I couldn’t admit that to myself. And, so, I chose to let you believe you had killed her, and I came to believe it, too. When it was your fault, I could accept myself and make excuses for her death. I didn’t hate myself then. But, it was never your fault.”

Iago stopped her. “It wasn’t your fault either,” he defended her against her own words.

“I know,” Jasmine’s voice became even more comforting, and she played with his feathers in the same gentle way Jazel always had. “The only person to ever hurt my mother was Jafar. Everyone else loved her too much to ever do anything to cause her pain. That was only right; she had only done good to those around her. And, then he made us believe that we were the ones to kill her, we, the ones that loved her most. He wanted us to feel that way, because then we would be caught in a way that we could never escape. But, we can, Iago; I have, and you can, too. You took that first step when you destroyed him; all you have to do is finish the journey.”

“Which way do I go?” He didn’t know what else to say.

Jasmine smiled and shook her head. “You know the way, Iago. You were the one to find it, and all it takes is the strength to continue on that path.” He looked at her, not wanting to be afraid of the future, but finding it impossible not to be. She saw what her mother had seen, felt what her mother had felt, and knew, as if she was her, just exactly what to say. “I don’t want you to be afraid. You have to see that things have changed. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you’d just trust, you’d see... they have.”

He didn’t need to be told. He knew things were different now. But, it wasn’t easy to break old habits. He knew what happened whenever he’d allowed himself to trust... not that he hadn’t wanted to every single day of his life. It was something he’d dreamed of, someone, something, anything he could completely believe in. Trust is a fragile thing, easily shattered, and nearly impossible to piece together. “I want to. I want to trust you; I know I should. You’ve never hurt me. The only thing you did was believe in me when I had broken your trust a countless number of times.”

Jasmine recognized the purity in what he was saying. He wanted to trust as much as she wanted him to, and that would be all it would take. She met his stare with warm eyes. “I want you to trust me... trust us. You want to, too. I’ve been around you long enough to know. Look at me, and learn to trust what you see.”

Iago, for once, met a serious stare with no apprehension, no need to look away. He saw her eyes, the same innocent eyes he had seen years before, the same eyes her mother had been blessed with. He saw a smile, a smile Jasmine had never before shown to him, and he doubted she had ever shown to anyone else. There would have been a look of pure happiness and freedom, had it not been for the worry that played on the edges of her smile, a worry met for someone she had just learned to accept and trust herself. But, the worry was real all the same, as was the need to protect him. And, lastly, he saw her delicate hands, softly tanned and stained with love. He saw really saw Jasmine... maybe for the first time. Iago trusted her; he really did. “I trust you.” He stopped to see an image of Aladdin in his mind... the person who had freed him from the pain and cruelty Jafar had always inflicted, the person who had never put his needs in front of anyone else’s... even Iago’s. Aladdin had trusted him by only the words he had said. He had needed no proof of his intentions. And, when Aladdin could have saved himself from so much ridicule by never trying to change what Iago had become, he put everything he had finally earned on the line for someone he barely knew.

Everyone else came to his mind. The Genie and Abu had accepted him as one of their own so easily, never questioning Aladdin’s word. They’d protected him from enemies... and defended him to friends. Yes, it seemed that the best they could do was to tolerate him, sometimes not even that, but they did so much every day in silence. The answer seemed so clear, almost as if it should have never been a question. “I trust all of you.”

He took a deep breath, realizing what he’d just said, and may have even regretted it if Jasmine hadn’t smiled so proudly at his final word. He smiled, too, even somewhat proud of himself. Jasmine gently placed him on her lap, wanting him to feel like he really belonged somewhere, knowing that feeling was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. “We trust you, too.”

Iago remembered what is was like to have the chance to be free, but he had never actually experienced true freedom. He was always under the control of someone else, or worse, of himself. Now, being held by Jasmine, he knew he could say anything and never lose that freedom. It was the freedom he had searched for years before; never could he have imagined that it would feel this good. Iago searched inside himself for the courage to ask her the question he had wondered about since the night Jazel died.

“Did you give up?”

The question took Jasmine by surprise. It wasn’t at all what she had been expecting, and she hadn’t ever taken the time to really ask herself that. She hadn’t wanted to. “Did I give up?” she whispered the question to no one but herself, and Iago knew better than to answer. “Did I give up...” she sighed. “Yes, for a time. When my mother first died, I didn’t realize how hard things were going to be. She meant so much to me; I wasn’t sure how to react. I was in shock. But, I always thought my father would always be able to protect me. Being as young as I was, it seemed he was all that was left in my world. I never questioned the fact that he would save us from Jafar. It wouldn’t be until years later that I would I realize my father would always trust him, that even I couldn’t convince him of the evil in Jafar. He felt he owed Jafar for his attempt at saving her. When that became clear, I didn’t have a reason to believe anymore. I envisioned my future, my marriage to a rich man I could never love, and following that, the demise of Agrabah... and I was powerless to stop it all.” She stopped in the same fashion that Iago had... that pause that met no matter how many years would pass, those painful memories would always be there. “Did you?” She knew the answer, but she felt it only right to ask him what he had asked her.

“You know that, Jasmine; you know I did. It was after Jafar killed your mother. I knew that she was my last hope, and after I lost her, I just couldn’t help it. It was easy to see that you hated me, and I had already hated myself for a long time. How could I keep believing when I felt the blame of killing my only savior and torturing her innocent daughter? All that was left was to change. From that day on, I didn’t care anymore. I knew that was how Jafar got through his life as he betrayed everyone around him. It became a very dark part of my life, and I don’t want to tell you about it, because you know how it was. You were there. I hurt those around me, the ones I had once tried to save. And, all the time, I fought to control the pain it caused every day I was alive. It didn’t take long for my work to pay off; I became cold and thought only of what I could accomplish. At that point, I had convinced myself I was free, but every time I saw the love your father had for you, I couldn’t fight the sadness I felt with no love of my own. Not that I ever let anyone see that... I didn’t. I had all I needed, a chance at money and power, at least that’s what I told myself.”

Even though the feeling of the conversation had been quite heavy, Jasmine smiled. “But, we haven’t given up now, have we?”

Iago snuggled into her lap, so tired from only telling a story. In some ways, it was almost as if he had lived it once again. But, he knew it was over... in some ways it was the end... in other ways only the beginning. “No, we haven’t,” he closed his eyes, comfortable enough to nap right there with no fear of nightmares.

Iago didn’t get a chance to nap, though. Jasmine wouldn’t have minded too terribly if he had, because she actually would have enjoyed a rest herself. How could only three days seem to span nearly her entire life, and how could she emerge from them feeling as if she’d relived them all? She didn’t want to faze herself with such perturbing questions tonight. Just as she found herself closing her eyes, too, the sound of the door opening jolted her awake. Iago looked up, silently begging not to have to say another word. Everything he had worked so hard to keep secret he had been forced to explain today. What more could he possibly say? Jasmine knew what he was thinking, but couldn’t condemn the always-sweet efforts of her fiancee and his friends. “Aladdin,” she said, her voice tired.

“We just wanted to tell you something, Jas,” the Genie explained kindly, “... and Iago. Aladdin didn’t tell us exactly what happened to you guys, but even I know it was something big. So, we just want to let you know that we’re here if you ever do want to tell us, or if you don’t. We understand, and we don’t want to pry into more than you want to tell us, but just know... we do understand.” It was something much more open and honest than anyone ever could have expected Genie to say. He seemed to find humor in most everything, but today had somehow been struck with seriousness; he knew his friends were truly hurting. Wow... Iago thought, he always kept me wondering about how he felt about me. I should have known... actually, he’s a lot like me. He’s always hiding his feelings about me... about everyone, with his funniness. So, I, especially I, should have known.

Before Jasmine had a chance to respond, Iago answered. “Hey, uhhhh... I know that I’ve been a little hard on you, Genie, but I just want you to know that things would never have been the same without you, and I’m glad you’re here to keep things on the lighter side when I get a little too serious.” Iago smiled, a little embarrassed, not sure what to expect from the Genie. He’d never said something so open to him, had never even realized the way he felt. While Iago half-expected the Genie to make some type of joke; he wasn’t at all prepared for what he was about say.

“Things changed when you came to us, Iago. You provided us with something I don’t think anyone here had ever been faced with before. We had to believe someone could change; we always said we did, but I’m not sure if anyone really believed it. You taught us something; people can change. And, even if you weren’t exactly easy to live with all the time, you were teaching us everyday. Things changed, but for the better, at least I think so,” he finished quietly, almost shocking himself with his complex words. Everyone was quiet, seemingly afraid to break the silence.

“Thanks,” Iago ventured finally. “Thanks a lot.” He didn’t say much, but from those four words; anyone could have told how much the Genie’s statement had meant to him. They ached with love he was finally expressing; he couldn’t imagine feeling more loved... that was until Abu scurried up to into Jasmine’s lap.

Abu didn’t say anything, just smiled at him. And, as he did whenever he felt someone needed it, Abu hugged him. Usually Iago found it only annoying and uncomfortable, but this time, he felt like smiling, too. And, he did, as he looked around the room at a family he had never thought he would be a part of. He had never thought he would be a part of any family, let alone one this loving. Jasmine beamed, knowing Iago’s thoughts and feeling them herself. “Thank you so much... all of you,” she said in deep gratitude to everyone who had helped to save the two very different souls from themselves.

“Jasmine, I don’t want you to feel like you have to thank us; we support you, because we love you both and understand how hard it is to get through... through anything that painful. And, because, I can’t stand to see my beautiful treasure with anything but a smile on her face,” Aladdin finished it off with a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“I love you all,” she said, tears brimming in her eyes, already red from crying.

“Awwwww... I love you all, too!” the Genie declared loudly, smiling from ear to ear. He grabbed Aladdin and Jasmine to bring everyone in for one of his famous “group hugs.” But, something was different this time... Iago didn’t complain.

“Iago, do you think we should tell them?” Jasmine asked, hoping his answer would be the same as hers.

And, it was automatic to him. There was nothing to think about. “Of course we should!” he exclaimed, not for one second afraid to share anything with his new family. After all, they’d done everything for him and even learned to appreciate him. It was time for him to start appreciating them in the way they deserved.

And, once again, the story started in that room where everything had begun, with Jasmine helping to narrate. This time, there was no apprehension, and even with all the depression that took place throughout the story, there was not the slightest bit of sadness among them. They all knew that at the end of this hard story, this long journey home, was a happy ending, an ending that hadn’t been written yet. There were years of happiness ahead of all of them, nothing to fear, only a never-ending happy ending.

That night, as Iago sat on his perch, the dark didn’t frighten him the way it had before. Maybe it was because he was sleeping in Jasmine’s room, feeling safe and at home, but something said it was something more. There was nothing hiding in the shadows, waiting to confront him. Memories of past times were only that... memories. They were nothing... while the future was something. It was real; it could be affected, and it would be only what he made it. That was something he could assure himself of. He felt himself slowly sliding into sleep with that final thought.

“Jazel?” he asked.

“Yes, Iago,” her voice was almost as he remembered it, soft and caring, but something was different. It was as if the pain and worry had been lifted from it, and she was free to do what she did best... love.

“How...”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jazel broke off his question, “all that matters is I am here, and that I know.”

“What do you know?” he questioned, not really caring, only happy to see the part of his family that was always missing.

“I know that today, you won,” she said simply. “You won. My daughter won. You have reached what I always meant for the both of you. I’ve been watching, you know. I’ve seen the pain that you’ve caused yourself with my death and the pain that my little flower was plagued with... she isn’t so little anymore, is she?” Jazel eyes fell onto the sleeping figure of Jasmine, so safe and warm. Much of her innocence had been taken by years of pain, but the beauty of that loving child was still pure and obvious.

“No,” Iago answered. “She’s you. She’s exactly what you said she would be and more. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.“

“I know,” Jazel said softly, admiring the daughter she had only seen from afar for over ten years. “She’s beautiful, just as she always was... inside and out.” “Yeah, she is. She’ll be married soon, but I bet you know that, don’t you?” Iago replied, knowing that Jazel knew everything about the lives of the ones she loved.

“Yes, I do. He’s a wonderful man, brave and honest. Not just anyone could have my little flower. He provides her with the love I couldn’t once I was gone. I’ll be at the wedding. Tell her that for me. She may not be able to see me, but tell her to remember what I told her; I’ll never been gone. I could never miss the wedding of my only daughter.”

“I will,” his voice was shaking with the realization Jazel would be gone soon. “And, then there’s you; you make me proud, so proud. I saw what you became after Jafar killed me, and it made me so afraid. Everyday you became more and more scared of yourself, of any love you might receive, and everyday you gave up just a little more, until I could barely tell the difference between you and Jafar. My worst nightmare was coming true; you were all that stood between the destruction of everything I worked for, and I was losing you. Every night, I hoped for someone to change your view of the world. I hoped for years. I want you to know I never gave up on you, even in your darkest hours. One day, it all paid off. A young boy met my daughter. I watched it all happen, and from their first meeting, I knew he was the one... the one who would save her and change you.”

“Aladdin,” Iago whispered.

“Yes, Aladdin. And, he did save her, didn’t he?” Iago nodded in agreement. “He saved her from that evil Jafar, but he saved from something even worse, a marriage without love. He is a prince already in my mind. For what he did for her... and for what he did for you. It took longer for you. But, he guided you here, to my family, which would become yours, and like me, he never gave up on you. When you went astray, he brought you back to the path in the light. And, you’ve proved yourself... many times. That’s why I’m here, just to let you know I’m here and I know... I know. I’m still as much a part of you all as I was in life, even if I cannot be seen.”

“Jazel, do you have to leave?” again Iago was pleading like he was in the final moments of her life.

“No, I’m not leaving. I’ll still be here; you’ll know if you just believe,” Jazel reassured him.

“But, you are. Jazel, I... I don’t want you to go. Stay here, with me and your daughter and everyone else you haven’t met yet. Please, I don’t want to lose you again; you have so much left to see,” he wanted to cry, but he didn’t, not wanting to ever hurt Jazel again.

“Iago, no, physically I will not be here, but I will support you and love you, as with everyone else in my heart. Please, you must understand; I could stay with you and comfort you again if I could, but you have my daughter for that now. Just believe and you’ll never be alone; how could I ever leave someone I care about so much?” her voice was soothing and reminded Iago that Jazel would never lie to him.

“You wouldn’t,” he fought tears, knowing there was no need to cry, but feeling compelled to all the same. He knew she was preparing to leave and stared hard at her, vowing to remember everything about this meeting, the way he felt, the way she looked. Her soft black hair was as always flowing down her slender shoulder. Her dark brown eyes were gentle and full of joy, but tinted with sadness at the thought of again being separated from her daughter and loved ones. Her hands were clasped, almost as if she were praying. Everything about her was the picture of tranquillity and love, as so it had always been and always would be.

“I want you to know that as I leave tonight, the wait before you are all reunited with me is short. Soon we shall all be together in endless happiness. I promise,” her words were completely truthful.

“I promise,” Iago repeated, and he was just as truthful as she was.

“Remember to tell my daughter that I will always love her,” she said, “and I love you, too.”

Iago shook himself awake. All that surrounded him was darkness; he should have felt alone, but he didn’t. It hadn’t only been a dream; it had been the closure he had been looking for since the night of her death. Jazel wasn’t gone. She was everywhere in the night air. And, Jasmine was next to him. She would always be next to him. Now he had both her and Jasmine to protect him whenever things went wrong. Alone seemed so far away; alone would never visit him again. He could move on. Iago knew that his life and the choices that he had to make had not always been easy and probably wouldn’t be in the future, but maybe, with friends like these, he could just make it.

And, that night, Jazel was smiling down on Agrabah. She watched over the people that she had so long led in their struggle to live their day to day life. But, mostly she watched over the ones she had been watching over since the night of Jasmine’s birth. That night the stars in Agrabah shone a little brighter, the sky was a little clearer, and a soft wind echoed through the streets and alleys. It seemed to sing a lullaby to its people, to anyone not afraid to believe. Iago wasn’t afraid to believe anymore. And, that was why Jazel was smiling.

There would be many other stories that would take place in that almost obscure place in the middle of the Seven Deserts, Agrabah. Some would be tales of happiness and light, others of sadness and revelations that would require strength of heart and mind to endure, but whatever would happen, the family in that palace would always remain just that... A family, leaning on each other when times were at their worst and praising each other when at their best. A family holds many tales. But, those stories, my friend, are meant for another Arabian night.

Special Note to Catie from Cyndi: Catie, this is one of the most heart-felt and truly touching stories I have ever read. You have managed to take a character that most people would never imagine developing to this level, and you have proven that you could reach deep down into the depths of emotions and memories that lay hidden away for years. I see what you see in Iago, but I, however, don't think I ever managed to grasp his depth of character quite like you have. I feel honored by your kindness, but more than anything, I am BLESSED to have you in my life, as both a friend and as a fellow writer, who has a wonderful imagination. Inspiration comes in many forms throughout life, and I think our friendship will only continue to cause more inspiration to blossom and grow. We, together, will reap that harvested knowledge and apply it in a way that brings out how REAL the imaginery characters are, in that their feelings, personalities, and experiences are just as applicable to real life as anything. I was moved by your story in a way that I can't quite explain, so I will just end with this: Like Iago in the story, you are loved.