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One Moment in Time by Brittany Porter
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One Moment In Time

By Brittany E. Porter

"Give me one moment in time

When I'm all that I thought I could be

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

And the answers are all up to me."

At the end of another fiery Arabian day, the sun commenced its descent over the dry desert sand. Travelers found their destinations, children parted from their daytime play, shops closed and towns hushed themselves. The setting sun waned until stray purple and red clouds were just tickled at the borders with its light. Agrabah's streets got quieter and quieter. Soon, the only sounds were the murmurs of families conversing over dinners, whose tempting aromas wafted out into the quiet streets, and the whispering wind scurrying across the alleyways, blowing loose sand about lightly. Windows from those same abodes offered the only light in the now dusky streets, each making its own little glowing impression on the cooling pavement outside.

As the purple twilight turned darker, stars came out of hiding and the tepid, dry air of the day surrendered to the cool, stinging air of the night. At the edge of Agrabah the sultan's palace glowed incandescently like an eternal guardian, brighter than ever, giving a mysterious, majestic edge to the sleeping city.

h h h h

Sadira sighed to herself as she traversed the dark alleyways and streets of Agrabah. The only sounds to be heard in the night were the echo of her footprints bouncing off cold, stone walls, and the occasional scratching of rats near Omar's fruit stand.

Sadira looked up at the thousands of emerging stars and thought, "At least they are among friends. . . nights like this should be spent with the people you love, not walking scared and alone to a quiet, cold house. . . what am I doing here anyway?"

Gazing at the illuminated palace, she reflected that this night was not much different from other nights she had spent in her life. There was just something in the air did not feel the same. Something felt off, something alien, something speaking of an impending change. . .

The night was perhaps only lonelier because the night before Sadira had spent a wonderful evening and dinner at the palace with Jasmine. Remembering the feeling of belonging there and the sense of ease and comfort the visit had afforded her, she sighed again as she folded her arms and looked at the ground. Last night she had laughed, enjoyed herself, talked to her best friend, Jasmine...saw Aladdin . . . and having so much recent joy made the lonely walk harder. She shook off the feeling for a moment and voluntarily turned to happier images.

And now I'm all alone again

Nowhere to turn, no one to go to.

Without a home, without a friend,

Without a face to say 'hello' to.

And now the night is near,

Now I can make-believe he is here.

Sometimes I walk alone at night

When everybody else is sleeping.

I think of him and then I'm happy

With the company I'm keeping.

The city goes to bed

And I can live inside my head

On my own, pretending he's beside me

All alone, I walk with him till morning.

Without him, I feel his arms around me

And when I lose my way

I close my eyes and he has found me

In the rain, the pavement shines like silver

All the lights are misty in the river

In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight

And all I see is him and me forever and forever. . .

Indeed, Sadira's thoughts still frequently reverted to Aladdin. Time and time again, she had tried to shake the thought of someday they would be together. She would try not to admit it, but he still owned her very heart even though he did not know it. It was not as if she wanted to still dote on him, it was more something she could not help. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man, and then some. Letting go of him would never be easy for her. For a moment, she thought what it would be like to have somebody as close to her as Aladdin was to Jasmine. Someone that loved her that much. She visualized the perfect guy for her, strong, caring, brave, debonair, romantic, charming, handsome, charismatic.. and not surprisingly, the person she envisioned turned out to be 'another' Aladdin. She sighed and smiled, realizing her predicament.

"For just a moment, just a day, I wish I had what Jasmine has. That would make me truly happy," she deemed. It was not a wish of jealousy or envy, rather a true desire from a heart that had so long been pushed back by the realities of a lifetime of loneliness. A small shimmer of light glittered around Sadira for a moment, then faded as it fell to the sand and disappeared in
stray, twinkling remnants resembling rhinestones. Sadira alertly looked around for the source from whence it came, but found no one. The alleys were still quiet; the streets were still dark. Above, the moon cast an eerie, pale glow.

Nighttime heightens the sensations, so it is no small wonder that the scuttling sand brushing over Sadira's bare feet caused a major chill to run down her spine. She rubbed the back of her neck in confusion for a second, then, feeling shivery, tried to pull her ragged sleeves down to cover more of her arms, but it did not help. Her heartbeat started racing, her pupils got wider and nervous thoughts rushed into her head. Briskly walking toward her home under the city, she kept her eyes peeled for anyone that was following her. It was getting colder, which made it more and more uncomfortable to be alone. She was getting progressively more scared and a bit paranoid.

It was when Sadira was in this timid and worried mind set that, out of the blue, a warm hand touched her arm. Sadira shrieked in alarm and spun around, ready to fight. (Or run, depending whichever came first.)

A barefoot, tan skinned, black haired teenager in cream colored pants stood in front of her, looking a bit surprised and worried. "Whoa, calm down, Sadira, it's me, Aladdin."

She was so glad to find a friendly face and not someone out to 'get her' that she flew into his arms and embraced him. Aladdin looked a bit uncomfortable for a minute, then understandingly gave her a small squeeze back before quickly releasing her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you there. I was out walking and I saw you. Just thought I'd say hi and all that.... and make sure you were okay...," Aladdin stammered, embarrassed he had not only scared the wits out of the poor girl, but had also been the source of her comfort seconds later. He was still a little shy around Sadira because of her earlier attempts to tear him and Jasmine apart, but he tried his very best not to show it. She was, after all, one of Jasmine's best friends and had always been there for Jasmine and the rest of the gang. . . but still. He did not want to give her the wrong impression.

"I'm okay, I just.. I um...hi," Sadira stuttered, blushing and keeping her eyes on the ground. Had she really just jumped into his arms for comfort?! "Wow, smooth move!," she thought, then smiled at Aladdin. "Well, at least it was a friend I 'ran into' and not someone else..," she started.

"Are you okay?," he interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she waved her arms in the 'don't fret about me' manner so as to not make him worry. He raised an eyebrow like he did not completely believe her. She continued, "I was just heading home and .." Here she looked him in the eyes, asking through them the question she dared not ask him.

Aladdin nodded knowingly. Had he not been a street rat his whole life, too? "How about I walk you there? Even Agrabah's not the safest place at night." He smiled as he said, "Even for street rats like us." Thankfully for Sadira, Aladdin had understood the look. He was not that clueless- after all, Jasmine had said thousands of words through 'eye language.' (He was finally catching on..) Girls were not all that different from one another, right?

"Thanks, Aladdin," Sadira said and started walking toward her home.

Sadira would have taken his arm, but this beau was off-limits. (Unless under a hypnotic spell, which cancels out all the normal, reasonable rules of etiquette...but she had already tried that one!) That fact was all right for the moment, though. Just walking with Aladdin made her feel safe. Her loneliness and previous thoughts melted away as they walked through the city and eventually successfully started a conversation. It is kind of difficult when both parties involved are too shy to add interesting topics. (Not including recent weather, health and the state of the nation.)

"So, .. what are you doing out here this late at night anyway?" Aladdin asked. Sadira did not know quite what to say, so she just told it as it was.

"I needed to...uh...think....and I needed to get out of that cavern, know what I mean?" She hoped he was not going to ask her what she had been thinking about.. because what could she answer? That she had just been thinking about him? About what it would be like to be in Jasmine's shoes? That would be the truth of it, but to avert such inquiry, she quickly added, "How about you? What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep," he admitted. "Needed to get some things off my mind." Sadira smiled as if to say, "go ahead, tell me your Jasmine problems." Encouraged, Aladdin continued. "You know, another 'happy little prince' is visiting Agrabah tomorrow. (Here he rolled his eyes, causing Sadira to stifle a giggle) I get to 'enjoy' the pleasure of his company....(Sigh, annoyed tone) or the pleasure of his making snide remarks about me, either way. Then he'll try to impress Jasmine,"
he started to explain.

"You'd think they'd get the clue that Jasmine's a 'taken' girl after your engagement was announced, huh?," Sadira interposed with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "I guess she's still on the top of everyone's 'must-marry' list, eh?"

Aladdin smiled at her, relieved somebody understood what he was getting at. "Yeah, really! It drives me nuts! It is funny to watch Jas trying to ward them off, though. (To himself) Not that I blame them for trying. . .," here he stopped himself before he expounded on a mushy description of why he loved the princess. There was too much to explain, and he did not want to hurt Sadira's feelings.

To change the subject, he smiled, beamed confidently, and stated, "Well, at least I can be happy in the fact that in my simple, white prince suit I look ten times better than they in their layers and layers of jewels and robes!"

Sadira laughed good-natured-ly. She had never actually seen him in full-blown formal wear, but she liked the thought. For a second she tuned him out to subconsciously vision how he would look. She had just about formed the perfect outfit she would like to see him in, when Aladdin's next comment brought her back to earth.

"Hey, Sadira, I've got an idea. Why don't you join us tomorrow? Jas will probably need someone there and I'm not much help sometimes.. (He skimmed all the interesting jealousy incidents that had caused so many tangled-up messes. Sure, they were fun to fix, but he did not want to put Jasmine through that right now.) I know Jasmine would really love it if you came!" (He figured girls were great at giving each other secret distress signals without visibly saying or doing anything, and that would at least amuse Jasmine and lower the ensuing stress of having other royalty for a visit.)

"I–I'd love to! What time?" (Followed by her head saying, "Did that sound too eager?")

"Morning...whenever is good. Whenever you wake up and get ready."

Aladdin had not intended to invite Sadira to the palace when he had first seen her walking, but thought, "Hey, it could turn out to be fun!" Jasmine, for one, would be happy with having a bit more female support and someone else that could remain rational around the snooty princes. .

h h h

Aladdin's suggested proposition had been such great news that, as they neared Sadira's home, she was repressing an excited outburst of jubilation. Both Aladdin's and her humors had greatly improved and each was thankful for the half hour they had indulged in to talk out their problems. Sadira did not do much of the talking, however; she would much rather listen to Aladdin. Although she knew she could never have him, he still kept her spellbound with his every word. He had this mysterious self-confidence and air about him that made her wish... well, she had already tried that what, three times? Or was it more?

Aladdin made sure Sadira was safe and sound at home, then politely gave her a simple wave to say goodnight and was on his way. Sadira sighed when he left, but was content in the thought that tomorrow was another day, and one full of endless opportunities. . .

Sadira brushed her long, brown hair and smiled at her reflection in the dressing-table. "Hmm," she hummed to herself as she set down the brush with a quiet thud.

After changing into one of her only alternate pairs of clothing, her nightgown, she turned to her bed and crawled under the 'covers'. They were actually assorted ragged fabric remnants merchants no longer desired and left for grabs on the streets, sewn together with whatever available thread there was. They did not provide much warmth, but being a street mouse, she was thankful for what she had.

Sadira stared at the ceiling for a while, going over the events the last half-hour had awarded her. She had seen and talked to him. Not only that, she had been in Aladdin's arms when she hugged him for comfort. Smiling, she remembered that one, special moment and played it over a few times in her head.

"That's where happiness is," she thought, ". . . in the arms of a man you lo-..." She fell asleep with the hanging thought of that special moment while the candle on the stand next to the bed glowed softly, sending dancing shadows on the brick walls.

h h h h h h h h

A white haired man with a blindfold over his eyes appeared in the room with a flash of light an hour before dawn, holding a small white sack in his ancient hands. Sadira slept on peacefully, not knowing the stranger had even entered the sand sanctuary. He walked to her bedside like a cat, without a sound. She smiled in her reveries as the stranger delicately moved a stray hair from her eyes.

Fashir then gently sprinkled a glittery dust on the sleeping teenager, making her glow and sparkle for a moment. "Sleep well, child,"
he whispered and smiled. "Happiness awaits you." Soundlessly as before, Fashir left the sanctuary. The glinting powder around Sadira subsided after a few minutes and the sanctuary resumed its normal character.

h h h h h h h h

Dawn soon came to lead each glowing dot in the sky back to its home. Diana climbed in her carriage to rest from another night of shooting stars as the moon stepped back in the clouds to make way for the day. The proud Arabian sun prepared to make another scorching summer day in the desert while the more successful merchants began preparations to sell their daily wares. At the edge of the city, hundreds of servants awoke and began preparing vivaciously for the arrival of the prince.

h h h h

"Sadira! Sadira dear! You need to get up! You're not going to be ready when the prince arrives!," Jasmine's musical voice called down the white and grey marble hallways of the great Agrabah palace. She walked quickly down the corridor to the carved mahogany doors of the room to which her voice had been directed. "Are you up yet?," she resumed. "Father's waiting downstairs. We're all hungry and we can't start without you, can we?" Jasmine calmly opened the great doors and stepped in. "Well no wonder you're still asleep, there's no sunlight in here!," she continued as she walked over to the windows near a elegant balcony and drew back the curtains with a golden-threaded tie.

Sadira squinted and pulled the soft covers close. Her bed was so comfortable and she felt she had just gone to sleep!

"It's morning already?," she asked, sitting up and yawning.

Jasmine smiled at her gently and jokingly at the same time. "Well, it's been morning for a few hours now. Maybe you didn't hear the bustle of all those servants getting things ready.. I know I did. Then again, you were always a heavier sleeper than I am. . ." Jasmine walked around the room to other windows, flooding the room with fresh, morning rays of light. "Which story kept you up last night this time?"

"Uh, .." Sadira searched her memory, which seemed to be a big blank. For a minute, she stared straight ahead with a very puzzled look on her face. All at once, memories formed and she remembered. "Sleeping Beauty."

Jasmine sat down on the foot of Sadira's bed, grabbed a nearby pillow, and looked at her. "That's one of my favorites! Don't you love the part when the prince meets Sleeping Beauty in the forest and he just.."

"Knows she's the one!," they chimed together. They both sighed and hugged the pillows in their arms.

Jasmine looked at her sister and grinned as only an older sister can. "Maybe Prince Hani is the one for you," she said with laughter in her voice. "You know he's only coming here to see you, don't you? He told Father he'd never met someone so.. enchanting, wonderful, beautiful, . ." (Sadira smiled at this and rolled her eyes at her sister) "And now he came back to ask Father. . . "

Sadira playfully smacked Jasmine with her pillow. "You know I'm never getting married." Jasmine kept looking at her little sister who was only a year younger than she. "Oh, that's right," Jasmine started, her eyes twinkling. Then her voice changed to a higher tone to mimic her sister's, "Only the deepest, most affectionate love of an incredibly handsome, strong man would ever induce me into matrimony." Jasmine batted her eye lashes as she made the imitation.

Sadira laughed and added, "Hey, don't forget, rich, charming, brave..."

"Well, if you do want to snag this superman, you'd better get ready. He's not going to be too impressed with your matted hair and you in your nightgown all day, now is he?"

"Oh, right."

Sadira slipped out of bed and stretched. She looked around her large, luxurious chambers. A hint of confusion again entered her mind for a moment. The surroundings looked familiar, but she did not she recognized it as her 'home.' Why? Something was off, something seemed foreign... The feeling quickly passed, however and was soon entirely forgotten. New memories filled in the empty gaps and soon Sadira was happily getting ready to meet her prince.

h h h h

"What should I wear?," Sadira queried, thumbing through her many bright, beautiful clothes.

"We picked that out last night, remember?," Jasmine prompted. "I think you left it in your other closet if I remember correctly."

"Oh, that's right...I remember. That dress I had made...let's see. Oh, here it is."

Sadira went behind an oriental-type screen and changed. The dress looked very elegant on her. Its royal blue satin cut incorporated long, form-fitting sleeves, an empire waist, white and gold bodice lined at the bottom edge with dark blue, and a 'just on the shoulders' sweetheart neckline. The blue skirt was full and delicately swept the ground when she walked. The edges were bordered with gold
embroidery. Little glass shoes completed the outfit. Move over Cinderella. . .

Jasmine was wearing a similar style of gown, save it was more slender, and pearly white with a very light lavender tint. Her hair was up in a crescent, pinned back with diamond clips. On her head she donned a simple gold tiara.

Sadira walked over to the vanity and started to fix her hair but found difficulty reaching over her head because her dress sleeves were kind of tight. "Jas, could you help...." she began.

Gently taking the brush from Sadira's hand, Jasmine smoothed Sadira's hair, swept it up gracefully in a French twist and placed Sadira's crown on it. Both sisters smiled at each other in the mirror. Sadira looked absolutely stunning, as did Jasmine.

"Hey, maybe if you get lucky, he'll even be as cute as Aladdin!" Jasmine teased.

Sadira smiled, rolled her eyes and sighed while looking at Jasmine's cheerful face in the mirror. Sadira had to admit, her brother-in-law was very attractive, but he was well, her brother-in-law!

"Ha, ha!" Sadira taunted the reflection of her sister. She was getting ready to throw back a response when a knock at the door prevented further amiable conversation for the moment.

"Jas? You guys ready?," Aladdin's voice interposed. He cautiously opened the door and stepped in. His eyes widened when he saw the two ravishing women. "Hey, you guys look great!"

Sadira glanced back at him and smiled then blinked and did a 'double-take.' He was dressed in elegant white silk robes with a dark blue cummerbund and gold trim. The lining of his cape was dark blue as well and his turban had a cerulean gemstone in it. "You clean up nice yourself!," she teased.

Aladdin puffed out his chest as he breathed in and gave her a teasing smile. "Yeah, I know."

Jasmine walked over to him. "I agree," she told her husband, as she slipped into his waiting arms. He held her close for a moment, then loosened his grip around her waist and rested his head in her hair.

Sadira grinned and rolled her eyes. "You two never take a break, do you?" (Here Aladdin smiled and touched Jasmine's face with the back of his hand.) In reality, Sadira loved to see them together, so much in love. She just could not resist the opportunity to tease her lifelong friend and her elder sister.

"Sadira's just teasing us because she knows Hani will be here soon and then .." Jasmine baited, then turned, placed both hands over her heart and batting her eye lashes in the former manner, continued, "..happily ever after."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. . ." Sadira got up from the dressing table, walked over by the two love birds and announced she was, (curtsying) "Ready to go."

Aladdin got a half-smile on his face. "The food's cold by now, you know," he teased.

"Oh, shut up," she said and poked him in the ribs. Her brother-in-law was one of her favorite people to tease and she loved him dearly. "Jasmine really made a good choice there," Sadira mused. Maybe there are some good guys still out there... ones like him.

Aladdin smiled and held out both arms in a 'crook.' Both princesses took an arm and Aladdin escorted them to their waiting father.

h h h h

Breakfast was a little cold, but Sultan did not seem to mind. He just beamed with pride upon seeing his two beautiful daughters walk into the room arm-in-arm with his chivalrous son-in-law.

"Dearest, eat quickly," Sultan directed his youngest daughter. He need not worry about Jasmine making an impression on the prince, she was (thankfully) already married. "Prince Hani is due to arrive any moment. We would not want to be uncordial to our guest and not meet him properly.... Sadira child, don't slurp.. don't.. oh, sit up straight.. oh, and yes.. let's see..."

His comments stopped hitting their target with any effect long before his worried chatter subsided. As she tuned him out, Sadira looked over at her sister and 'new' brother for support.

"Father, Sadira will do fine... even I behaved when the first suitor came to call," Jasmine wisely intervened. "Everything's going to work out fine, whether or not the two plan an alliance. Perhaps it would be better if you relaxed for a few moments before meeting him?"

Taking the cue from and trusting his eldest child's judgment, Sultan got up and calmed himself for a few moments by walking in the menagerie. Well, pacing the menagerie, anyhow.

Sadira smiled at Jasmine and said, "Thank you!" with her eyes. Her father had been nagging at her so much about this marriage thing the past few weeks. "How Jasmine ever got through this is a miracle," she abstracted her thoughts then turned to the present affair. She "remembered" two years ago meeting a Prince Hani, he as a teenager, about seventeen, and she being fifteen at the time. He had been very attractive and had an amazing manner that reminded her of . . . Aladdin. Her own
thought process startled her. "Did I just think what I thought I thought? Well, she couldn't have thought of Aladdin, could she? "Okay, maybe it was just .. certain similarities?" Yes, that had to be it. The dark but warm eyes, charming personality, easy manner, ... Hani had all those as far as she remembered. She thought on it a few moments more. When they had met as younger teenagers, she remembered he always teased her and it drove her nuts. Of course, that part of his personality made her want to meet him again. . . he had been just like a younger version of Aladdin. She was dying to know what he was like now.

To Sadira's advantage, Aladdin and Jasmine were so wrapped up in their own non-coherent love chatter that they did not notice the younger princess staring off into space in her own dreamland. The flare of trumpets, as a matter of fact, was what brought her back to reality.

She jumped up from the table in surprise, knocking a bowl of fruit over. The brass dish bounced on the floor with a crashing sound.

"Ay!," Sadira timidly yelped, then went to pick up the fallen fruit. As she picked up a blue apple, it squeaked, then giggled.

"What the..," she started to say.

"Hi Sadira, why so nervous?," Genie's friendly voice squeaked up at her.

"I'm not nervous. Just going to meet..

A blare of trumpets interrupted her. "His royal highness, Prince Hani Abdul of Uzraeel, is approaching! Make way!," a royal announcer called in the bazaar.

"Him," Sadira completed her sentence.

The announcer was followed seconds later by an anxious Sultan running in from the menagerie.

"I see," Genie said, holding back laughing at the nervous wreck of a sultan. "All right kiddos, I'll clean up here. Al, Jas, you look great. (Said while pinching cheeks and straightening Aladdin's standing posture.) 'Dira-doll, you look mar-vel-ous!" He said the latter with emphasis, using the sign language sign for 'very nice / okay' and gave her a friendly wink.

Sadira gulped anyway as she walked out to the adjacent balcony and looked into the city. She had no idea why she was all of a sudden so nervous.. it was 'just one of those things' she guessed. It was kind of like a dream one has, where they know something really, really good is about to happen, and when they almost have a hold of that wonderful thing, they wake up.

Hani's arrival was not as huge a finalé as "Prince Ali's" arrival had been, but the citizens of Agrabah seemed pleased with their visitor nonetheless. They lined the main streets of the marketplace and cheered as he passed by them. Jasmine joined her sister's side and smiled at the procession. Aladdin came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist as she let out a small laugh.

"Does this parade remind you of anyone we know?" Jasmine asked coyly.

"Who me?" Aladdin returned innocently and kissed the top of her head. Then he looked at his nervous sister-in-law and put his left arm around her shoulders, giving her a friendly shake.

"C'mon Sadira, don't worry about it. Just tell him how impressed you are with him, his kingdom, his overwhelmingly attractive physique (here Aladdin flexed his arm) and you've got him, hook, line and sinker." He proceeded to give her faux guy advice until she and Jasmine laughed.

"Oh, so that's how it works!," Jasmine slunk from Aladdin's embrace, turned and placed her finger on the tip of his nose. "I guess I just went about it the hard way." She smiled and walked back to the throne room.

"Really Sadira, you'll do fine," Aladdin encouraged and followed Jasmine.

Sadira smiled weakly. She tried to slow her heartbeat by breathing slowly. The spectacle was now to the palace walls, passing through the gate. She pivoted to trail Aladdin and Jasmine, shrugged and said, "Here goes nothing!"

Sadira lined up next to Jasmine and the other royal officials to meet the arriving prince in the large throne room. "Please let him like me," was on her mind as the huge, imperial doors of the throne room creaked open. Genie, dressed as a human in formal garb, rolled out a long, red velvet carpet.

Prince Hani, preceded by his court officials, stepped calmly through the doors and into the throne room. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and vest, (much resembling Mozenrath's but with a little more flare in style), white pants and gold embroidery through the whole outfit. His cape had a decorative gold clasp and was a deep, velvet blue. His turban was white with blue trim, and had a gold feather and a gold-lined diamond in the middle. On his feet he donned tan leather shoes with curly toes. (Anyone seeing a pattern here?) He looked very stately, very elegant and very princely. Most of all, the first thing one noticed was that he was very handsome. (And you wanted to know why there were so many women in the marketplace today. . .)

Sultan beamed and rushed to meet Hani, who cordially and with a friendly smile bowed and
returned the salutation. "A pleasure, your majesty," he nodded his thanks to the sultan. At once he was surrounded by court dignitaries, all anxious to meet the visitor.

h h h h

After half an hour, Sultan asked that Agrabah's royal officials make their hellos later and that Hani be showed to his room. His room in the guest hall was one of the more beautiful rooms the palace had to offer. It had ornate tile motifs and murals, marble columns, several windows with long, sweeping curtains and a balcony that overlooked the menagerie. Hani expressed his thanks to the Sultan, then returned with him to the throne room where the royal family (all three of them) was still waiting patiently.

Sultan wasted no more time in making Hani feel at home by introducing everyone to Hani. By now, the parade had died down and the commotion of the prince's arrival had mostly dissipated.

"This is my son-in-law, Prince Aladdin," Sultan started while patting Aladdin on the back. Both princes bowed and shook hands. Hani had a very friendly manner, and Aladdin could not help but to approve of him right away. "This is my eldest daughter, the Princess Jasmine."

Hani bowed low, then picked up her hand and softly kissed it while saying, "A pleasure, Princess."

"And this," the sultan's eyes twinkled, "is my youngest daughter, the Princess Sadira."

Hani looked in her eyes and lost his formal composure for a moment. "There's something about this girl that just. . . I didn't remember her so. . . wow." he thought to himself. "Princess Sadira," he whispered, almost reverently as he kissed her hand.

About this time Sadira was melting. He was, . . .wow. She blushed and obeyed custom by greeting him properly with a curtsy. "Prince Hani," she addressed him. Her blush got darker when she realized he had not yet released her hand.

Jasmine nudged Aladdin and grinned. Aladdin looked at Sadira and Hani, who seemed frozen in time, then gazed back at Jasmine and nodded with a smile.

h h h h

After the formal introductions, the four royal 'young adults' walked together in the palace gardens. Aladdin and Jasmine paired off intentionally to leave Sadira and the prince alone for a while. Sadira soon found Hani a regular 'Prince Charming.' She was amazed by his knowledge of the world, his witty humor, shy but obvious confidence and the way he looked earnestly into her eyes. The two talked for an hour or so by the smaller, hand-carved fountains and then continued to converse at the mid-afternoon luncheon inside the colonnaded room overlooking the flower gardens.

h h h h

If he had not been the prince of a far-foreign land, Sadira could have sworn Hani was Aladdin's twin. A few differences were obvious; short, silky brown hair and a lighter tan complexion. Plus he had a trimmed goatee and dazzling sapphire blue eyes rather than deep brown ones. But, there was something in his manner, his moves, his mysterious self-confidence that was so much like Aladdin... only different. His nose was the same, as were his facial structure and body frame. And, of course, these similarities delighted the younger princess, who had never met someone she found so engaging in her life.

Sadira told Jasmine her feelings about Hani as soon as they were alone. They were upstairs in Jasmine's room, putting on clothes suited for an afternoon of sports. Hani had mentioned he would like to play badminton, the new game Genie introduced to them all, and the sultan made the arrangements for the game to be set up in the gardens.

"I think I,...I .. hmm. Well I think Hani could be the one," Sadira admitted. "The one I want to marry, you know."

Jasmine cocked her head and got a grin on her face. "You mean my little sister is in .. LOVE . . with Prince Charming?"

Sadira smiled and realized Jasmine was completely right. She DID love Hani. (In fairy tales, as one will note, love may happen as fast or slow as one wishes.)

"I knew it!," Jasmine continued. "Sooner or later we all fall prone to that wonderful emotion." She smiled and went off into "Aladdin la-la land" for a few moments before declaring, "I'm so happy for you!" Jasmine hugged her sister joyfully as the two discussed future plans. (Females are pretty quick about those things.)

After chattering for a little while, they realized they were due back in the garden. Jasmine quickly changed into the yellow polo shirt (complete with black horse logo), a pleated white knee-length skirt, high socks with 'Genie's lamp' logos and tennis shoes Genie had made for her. She pulled her hair back in a loose braid that cascaded down her back and tied it with a little yellow ribbon. Sadira put on a similar outfit, save it was light grey, had white shorts, and her hair was drawn in a ponytail. Both princesses had sun visors on their head. They might have looked pretty
'hot' by today's standards, but the outfits made the sisters laugh at each other. Neither of the girls had ever seen such 'strange' clothing in their lives!

Back in the other wing of the palace, Aladdin and Hani were laughing at each other, too. Aladdin sported a white polo top (yes, Genie took pains to coordinate the 'couples.') and khaki shorts with a brown braided leather belt. Hani flashed his pearly whites as he walked out wearing a gray top and khaki pants. They both wore Oakley-like sunglasses. Aladdin and Hani did the 'gun' sign and 'click' to each other and walked to the garden. The two had already become good friends in the short time they had known each other. Hani told Aladdin how he felt about Sadira while they were walking. He trusted Aladdin, who seemed already like a brother to him. Hani told him that he was madly in love with Sadira and Aladdin could not be happier for him. (Aladdin deemed Hani 'good enough' for his sister-in-law. Had Hani been a real creep, he would have had a BIG conflict telling Aladdin he loved Sadira. Aladdin would have thrown him out right then and there.)

The two princes soon met their teammates in the garden. Jasmine was leaning on her racquet and smiled knowingly to Aladdin as he gave her a "Guess what I know?" look. Hani looked at Sadira with shy, flirting, happy eyes. She modestly swept a stray hair behind her ear, bashfully batted her eyes and grinned.

Genie had set up a miniature stadium, complete with tons of 'genie fans' in the stands. Genie assigned Jasmine and Hani to be the team captains, and Hani chose Sadira to be on his team right away. (Obviously, who else was color-coded to be his?) The first few rounds went ... not too well. . . Jasmine kicked everyone's butt (except Hani's, who seemed to catch on to the game pretty fast.) Aladdin was trying too hard to win, and Sadira had no clue how to play. As the game went on, Aladdin relaxed and his game skills improved, but Sadira was still out on a limb trying to imitate the other players' moves.

Sadira sighed about the fifth round and glanced at Hani. Grinning, he looked her in the eyes and walked over to her.

"Want some help?," he gently took the racquet out of her hands, then placed it back and rearranged her grip on the handle. He stood behind her and put his arms around her to help teach her how to swing the racquet. It startled Sadira for a moment, but then she relaxed and let him help her. Hani took her wrists softly and moved her arms to imitate a swing. After a few tries he said, "Got it?" His face was right next to hers as he said it. He noticed it only after a small blush came to Sadira's cheeks. She looked over the few inches to his eyes.

"I think so," she smiled.

Together, Hani and Sadira tied Aladdin and Jasmine's score and the four were content with calling it a draw. (The girls were content, at least. Hani and Aladdin were not the type to lose easily, but both dealt with the 'no win, no lose' decision their darling girls had made. . . )

h h h h

Sadira and Hani walked hand in hand back to the palace after the game. At the base of the steps leading to the colonnaded dinner hall, Hani stopped. Sadira was on the step above him, looking down. He took both of her hands in his hands and looked deep in her eyes.

"Will you join me in the Reshata Oasis this evening?," he asked her with hope in his big, blue eyes.

"I'd love to, but how..." she began.

"You see, Aladdin has this magic carpet.. he said I could borrow it," Hani told her.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." (Here Hani was thinking he could give her the world, but..)

"After dinner we can go. How about.. an hour or so after? Till then.."

Sadira looked at Hani with affection in her eyes. She leaned down, placed her hands on his shoulders, and was about to kiss him when she heard Jasmine's voice, turned, and saw her sister walking nearby with Aladdin and Rajah. "Till then," Sadira said optimistically and left to her room to prepare for supper. (Yes, royalty is prone to frequent to obsessive clothing changes.)

Hani looked disappointed and happy at the same time. He had missed out on a kiss, but was promised a date with his love for the evening. As Sadira glanced back, he smiled at her, waved and left to his quarters.

h h h h

Jasmine and Sadira again had the chance to talk as they got ready for the formal dinner. As Sadira expounded on the afternoon's rewards, she was plum giddy and Jasmine was so excited for her sister she grabbed Sadira's hands and spun her around in a circle before hugging her.

Sadira borrowed one of Jasmine's beautiful dresses with a lavender bodice and dark, puffy purple sleeves. The neckline had a gold-cased pearl in the center. Shiny royal purple satin lined the entire ensemble. The dress was simple, which added to it being so graceful. Sadira put on pearl
earrings, a crown with a pearl in the center and assumed an unpretentious half-back hairstyle.

Jasmine's dress was silver, sleek and had a simple caste as well. It had small cap sleeves that were embroidered with darker silver thread and the gown had an elegant neckline. She had elbow-length white satin gloves, a choker-style diamond necklace and dangling diamond earrings. Her hair was neatly swept up in loops and curls, with tendrils of curled hair hanging down from a few places. A few diamond clips locked the look in place.

Aladdin and Hani knocked on the chamber doors a little while after the girls completed their beautification process. The men did not look too shabby themselves... Hani was in courtly attire, a simple white suit with a gold cummerbund, a gold-lined white turban with an amethyst jewel inset over a forest green plume, a royal purple cape with dark blue lining, and curly-toed boots.

Aladdin was just as conservative; dark grey silk robes lined with lighter silver embroidery covering a bright white pantsuit with a black and silver embroidered cummerbund. He did not have a turban on, but his shiny black hair was neatly combed and parted.

After gawking involuntarily at the gorgeous females before their eyes, the two princes each escorted his own lady to the dining hall. Aladdin could not keep his eyes off Jasmine and smiled at the thought that, "she was really his." He put his arm around her waist and gave her an affectionate squeeze. She turned her deep, warm eyes to his to say, "I love you too."

Hani and Sadira by then were off in their own dreamland, talking ninety miles an hour to each other. They were not quite as affectionate as Aladdin and Jasmine, but few people could be. Hani took Sadira's hand and gave it a devoted compress. She leaned against him and let him put his arm around her waist.

It was obvious to the world that Sadira's and Hani's eyes were for each other only. This was exemplified at dinner as they sat across from each other. Sultan droned on and on, but they heard not a thing. Of course dinner went smoothly, except Genie spilled some grape juice on Aladdin and made Sadira laugh so hard she nearly choked on her food. . . but other than that it was a perfectly enjoyable evening. After Sultan excused himself on pretense of being a 'tired old man in need of a few hours rest', being that it had now grown very late at night, Aladdin took to telling jokes and then Hani had Jasmine tell the story of how she and Aladdin had met. The tale set the night with a completely romantic atmosphere, perfect for cuddling up. . .

h h h h

Eventually, the dinner party dispersed and Aladdin and Jasmine retired to their room. Genie had turned in a few hours earlier and the rest of the gang was... not in this story!

After all the palace habitants had settled down for the night, Sadira waited for Hani at her balcony. She overlooked the city as thousands of dim lights went out one by one. Sadira inhaled, then exhaled slowly and leaned on the balcony with folded arms. She heard the light pit-pat of paws on the ground and a minute later her pet ocelot, Mahjong, nudged her knee as she sat down on the rail. Mahjong leapt into her lap and purred as Sadira scratched his ears. Sadira gazed back over the city. A sudden feeling of impending loss hit her heart as she watched the stars get brighter and brighter. It was as if something was telling her the dream she was living was going to close soon.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the shadow of Carpet floating overhead, waving like a gentleman to the princess. She smiled and stepped on as he took her down to the garden to a waiting Hani. The two love-bound teenagers soon were off, soaring through the clouds to the Reshata Oasis. It was a chilly night, so Hani unclasped his cape and put it over Sadira's shoulders as she snuggled up to him. He held her close with his arm around her and let his head rest on hers.

It took about an hour to reach the oasis, most of which time the lovebirds just enjoyed each other's company. There was no need for words, their hearts were too full to speak. In a busy world so full of people, they had somehow found each other.

h h h h

The Reshata Oasis was gorgeous. Waterfalls, a nearby canyon, lush palm trees, crystal clear warm water, bright, fragrant flowers.. It was the perfect place for two so in love with each other. For a while, the two just walked around, hand in hand. Hani picked a purple and yellow flower and placed it in Sadira's hair.

After walking wore them out, the prince and princess sat down on a smooth rock bordering the shore of the lake, took off their shoes and dipped their feet in the warm water. Nightingales in the nearby palm trees sang a soft, sweet lullaby. . .

h h

All fairy tales come to an end. . . Hani knew it. Sadira
knew it. Dawn would come and their story would conclude.

Hani took Sadira in his arms and carried her to the top of the waterfall. He set her down near the top, which was lined with shiny rocks and sat next to her. The view was incredible. Below them, a misty waterfall flowed in trickling streams, stars winked at each other and thousands of colored flowers played with each other in the soft breeze. The moon, wide and majestic, reflected off the lake, creating thousands of lit-up, glistening waves.

"I'll never forget you, Hani," Sadira said with conviction as he sighed.

"Nor I you, Sadira. I want you to have this to remember me." He placed a gold and sapphire ring on her finger. "Please remember me."

She did not respond with words, but her eyes promised she would.

"Oh, I want to linger,

A little longer here with you

It's such a perfect night,

It doesn't seem quite right

This is my last night here with you.

And come whatever,

I will remember our long days together

And, as time goes by,

I will think of you and sigh,

This is good-night,

And not goodbye."

Sadira serenely laid her head on Hani's shoulder, wondering how long it would all last. The moment was so beautiful, and she was so happy. Did she have to give it all up?

The two watched the stars fall and named constellations till their eyelids grew heavy. Sadira fell asleep with her head still on Hani's shoulder and his arm around her waist.

"I love you," Hani whispered as he bent down, tilted her chin up and kissed her softly.

h h h h

Twinkling light again surrounded Sadira and radiated for a few moments. As the last dazzling sparkle fell, the sun peeked over the top of the canyon. Morning light flowed in, warming up the area. Hani smiled, put his arms around the sleeping princess and said, "Goodbye, my love. Until we meet again." Sadira nuzzled her head into his chest and smiled in her sleep. The embrace lasted as the oasis began to dissolve, vanishing into the air of the morning.

"Till then, my love. . ."

h h h h

The first sounds of a bustling marketplace overhead woke Sadira. She slowly opened her blue eyes and looked around. The walls she recognized as her home under the city. She sat up, alarmed. "Wha-what?," she wondered out loud. After a few minutes, things began to make sense again. It had all been just a dream. Just a dream. . .

Sadira did, however, feel happier this new day than she ever had in her life. She did not know why, but she felt like a wish had come true. Again, she whispered, "Only a dream." She tidied up her bed, then reflected, on the wish she had made. "Even if it was only a dream, I was right. I am truly happy! Funny how things get answered sometimes. . ."

After dressing, she walked over to her bookcase full of scrolls. A few dusty books she had never bothered to take a look at rested on the middle shelf and for some reason caught her attention. Picking up the book on the far right, she blew dust off the leather-bound volume. Then she sneezed, coughed, and sneezed again. She smiled quizzically as she read the title.

"Sleeping Beauty," she read aloud and opened up the ancient story. Thumbing through illustrations, she suddenly came upon one entitled, "Prince Charming." She touched the page with her fingertips gently. "Hani," she said softly. Then she turned to a page close to the end and found this written,

"The kiss broke the spell. . ."

"Hmm," she quietly exhaled as she closed the volume. She absently placed
the book back on the old, musty shelves, sending a wave of rusty-smelling dust towards her.

Memories of the dream faded through the morning, till only fragments hard to piece together were left. Her mood, however, did not change. Princess Jasmine noticed this when she paid a noon-time visit. Sadira ran to greet her friend, who gave her a hug and a smile.

"Want to join me at the Reshata Oasis today?," Jasmine asked cheerfully. Sadira quickly answered in the affirmative. Jasmine noticed Sadira had a lot of energy and was looking .. better than usual. Happier? "Sadira.. you look.. different. Is everything all right?, " Jasmine asked her quizzically.

"Yes, everything's... perfect!" Sadira smiled and followed her best friend out of the cavern and into the busy marketplace. "Couldn't be happier! . . ."

Neither woman noticed the fast-fading, glittery white sand near Sadira's bed. On the floor next to Sadira's bookcase, a small gold and sapphire ring sparkled as it reflected a few beams of light around the now-empty chamber. . .

THE END

h h h

Prologue

The name "Hani" means "Happy/ happiness" in Arabic, in case no one caught that. =D Thanks all for sitting through my very first fan fic! (Yay for Brittany!) Comment, questions (compliments? =D ) are always welcome, send them to queenbrittany80@hotmail.com, please. I'd love to hear from you! I have a set of illustrations to accompany the text, too! Oh, and just to make sure no one worries, Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Sultan, Sadira, Rajah, Omar, the city of Agrabah and any other little Disney tidbit are just that, Disney's tidbits. . . Hani is my own creation, but you may use him if you let me know. Mahjong (the ocelot, which is like a miniature leopard) is mine, too, as is the kingdom of Uzraeel and the Reshata Oasis. =D.. Can't think of anything more at the moment, so see ya kids!

- 'Queen' Brittany Porter

Song credit: On My Own from the musical Les Misérables written by Mr. Andrew Lloyd Weber.