Chapter 1: An End and a Beginning
Morning broke cold and stark on the city of Agrabah. It was early, and a chill still hung in the air, unscathed by the hot desert sun that was soon to rise. Every citizen stood anxiously at the gates of the palace, staring at the front balcony. Many held candles, and those who could not afford them simply sat in silence. The vigil had gone on all night, and the mounting tension in the air was now a living, breathing entity that surrounded everyone there. Each person wondered what was going on within the palace walls, and what fate had in store for the royal family that resided there.
Jasmine sat on the edge of the large bed she shared with her husband, her toes lightly brushing against the marble floor. She wore a silky nightgown in her signature shade of blue, with a sheer, long sleeved robe over it to keep her warm. To those who knew her as a stunning, regal princess, she appeared, in contrast, to be a shadow of her former self. Her long dark hair fell in waves around her face, tangled and neglected. Her petite frame had become still thinner, as she ate next to nothing these days. One look at her large almond shaped eyes would quickly reveal that she had been crying. The cause of her discontent, and that of her people, was simple -- her father, the Sultan, was dying.
No one ever said it, but everyone knew it was true. In his old age, he had grown ill, and now he was rapidly declining. Confined to his bed, the joy and laughter with which he filled the palace dissipated. Each person handled their pain as best they could, united by the feeling that they no longer really lived, but only existed. Whatever strength Jasmine had been able to muster during this difficult time came mostly from Aladdin, who never left her side. He alone understood the pain of losing a parent -- he had watched his mother die when he was a child. In the absence of his father, the sultan had become like a second father to him, making his own grief nearly match that of his wife.
Aladdin lay in bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling. He had tried countless times to rest, but sleep never came. Of all the thoughts that ran through his mind, one in particular troubled him most. If the Sultan did indeed die, he and Jasmine were next in line to the throne. He was not worried about her -- she had been trained to rule her entire life. But he was not raised in the palace, and he was certainly not born a prince -- he was a streetrat, who survived only on wits and cunning for the first 17 years of his life. And by some miracle, the woman he loved turned out to be a princess. Before he knew it, they were married, making him her prince. At the time, the idea of him someday becoming Sultan seemed so far away. Now, a little over a year after the wedding, it was a very real possibility.
Lethargic, he slowly turned his head to look at Jasmine. From his angle, he could only see her back, as she sat facing away from him. He watched as her body gently heaved up and down to match her breathing. He had been concerned about her for days, weeks -- the concept of time seemed so irrelevant lately. He rolled over and crawled towards her, suprised at the effort it took to do so. he reached out his hand and stroked her long, ebony hair, combing out some of the tangles with his fingers. She jumped slightly at his touch, then relaxed when she realised who it was.
"Come back to bed," he said, his voice low and husky from lack of sleep. "We don't have to be up for a few more hours."
"It won't matter anyway," she replied, standing up. "I know I won't sleep."
She walked over to the balcony and looked down at her people. Hundreds of them stood outside, with sad, yet hopeful faces. Their devotion was a deep comfort to her, and touched her more than she had expected it to.
"I haven't seen anything like this since my mother..." She stopped herself, refusing to utter any word associated with death or dying. In many ways, she never really dealt with her mother's passing -- she simply buried it within herself, and rarely, if ever, spoke of it.
Aladdin stood up and walked over to her, embracing her from behind. "We don't know that your father is going to to die," he said, hoping she would be more optimistic than he was.
"I know that..." she replied hesitantly. "But I'm still afraid...I can feel something coming."
"What do you mean 'something'?" he asked.
"I don't know...I just feel it," was all she could say.
The bright rays of the sun at last appeared over the desert sand, bright and shining. Its light creeped past the bedroom balcony and onto the faces of the half asleep couple, each squinting as they waited for their eyes to adjust. A new day had officially begun. Jasmine gently pulled away from Aladdin and stretched her tired limbs.
"I think I'll go check on Father," she said as she turned to face him.
"He's probably still asleep," he replied, wanting her to stay with him for awhile longer before the reality of everything they were going through sunk in once again.
"I know...I just want to see him," she said. A strange feeling had hit the pit of her stomach, telling her that she was needed. It could not be explained, and so she didn't try. She turned to leave, but before she could, the doors to their room swung open and a servant girl ran in, her face covered with tears. Jasmine could feel the fear and panic swelling within her.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice breaking with the strain of speaking above a whisper. She knew what the girl would say before the words were spoken, but still she had to hear them.
"Your Highness, it's the Sultan...he is dead."
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A/N: Yes, I know it ends a little abruptly, and I know the direction of the story still seems a bit unclear. But I promise, everything will start to make sense later, and that it will get much more interesting. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think, and if enough people like it, I'll try to update in the next few days. :)
The Tie That Binds by StoryWriter92
Author's Notes:
Hi, everyone. It's been a very, very long time since I posted anything on this site, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people reading it don't even remember me. But if fans of my old stories are reading this, I want you to know that I've always been around, just unable to think of any new material. As for my unfinished story, If I Never Knew You, it's on hiatus for now, possibly never to be updated. As much as I love it, part of me feels like it's run its course, and I just don't know if I'll be able to finish it. I want to try new things, and explore the fact that I've grown as a writer since then.
This story has always been in the back of my mind, but it was only recently that all my ideas about it came together to form a story that I liked, and that I felt readers would enjoy as well. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading, and please, please review!!! :)
This story has always been in the back of my mind, but it was only recently that all my ideas about it came together to form a story that I liked, and that I felt readers would enjoy as well. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading, and please, please review!!! :)