Prince Aladdin Quest (Disney Villains *Almost* Victorious)

Okay, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to close the vote, then go back and expand the scene to have the information that Sadira has given the Sultan, Jasmine and Razoul already in place. Like it should have been if I'd been thinking. Once that's done, I'll reopen the vote. Sorry for the issues folks.

"How about we take the best of both worlds. Iago, you go meet with our agents, find out anything useful they've got. We definitely need to speak to the rescued Sand Witch. And the crones will be expecting that I think. So you're going to be our hidden dagger." Aladdin nods thoughtfully.

Iago ponders that for a moment, before rubbing his wings together. "You know kid, you've got a good head for this kind of work. Right, we can rendezvous at the date stall outside the former palace gates. You know the one."

"With the gold-embossed sign?" The merchant that owned that stall had paid through the nose to be so close to the palace. Aladdin had to wonder how his business has been since the Upheaval. Iago nods.

"Yup. See you there kid." With that Iago is off. Tai Lung watched him go with a wry, contemplative smile.

"Quite the conniving little canary, isn't he?" The Snow Leopard turned to the prince, nodding. "Now then, I believe we should adjourn to the palace?"

"Yes, and let's make sure to make a proper entrance. You're here on a formal visit with your intended. Nothing more, nothing less." Leah nodded, absently adjusting the hilt of the blade on her hip.

Approaching the palace on foot was a matter of both formality and part of the plan to keep eyes on their group and off of Iago. The guards at the bottom of the newly completed stairway (which had a sledge set on a sloped ramp that could be pulled up and down the side of the steep staircase with winches at the bottom turned by donkeys) both called out a challenge as your group approached.

"State your business." The guard on the left grunted sourly, and Aladdin bit back a sigh. Ah, Nakir. Always a pleasure to see him living down to his name. The guard on the right was a new face, but they were keeping quiet and letting the senior guard handle things.

"Prince Aladdin of Ababwa, here on a visit to my intended. I'm accompanied by Lady Leah as the chaperone for Ababwa, and Tai Lung, one of my guards." He indicated the two in question, and Nakir raised a brow.

"I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't just fly over us with that carpet of yours and make a mockery of our security. Again." The guard bit out. Aladdin bit his tongue as the rejoinder that the guards did enough of that to themselves to not need his help leapt to his lips. The memory of Fazahl's body was still crystal clear over a year later.

They were quickly shown into the palace by way of the sledge rather than the mountainous number of stairs that had been carved out. Aladdin had to wonder if the Sultan had had them carved simply to employ some stonemasons while also challenging anyone with the ego to see if they could actually walk up them all in one go.

At the top of the ramp, they were met by Razoul, who gave Aladdin a stiff but otherwise cordial nod. The lingering animosity from his time as a thief and their constant clashes had cooled off quite a bit over time. Aladdin had apparently gotten his grudging acceptance, if not approval, to court Jasmine. Finding out that not only was he married but that his wife was one of Jasmine's handmaidens explained a lot though, he seemed to view the Princess almost as a surrogate niece when the two weren't at odds; though he still treated her as custom and tradition dictated.

"Prince. Here to see her highness?" One of the man's thick brows was cocked as if he was doubting Aladdin's intentions. Aladdin chuckled a bit ruefully. It was surprisingly refreshing to be able to be honest to the gruff man.

"Well, more here to offer some help with the whole witch situation. Tai Lung is one of the best fighters in Ababwa." The Snow Leopard nodded, simply taking it as his due. "And Leah has some experience with magic due to being one of my court wizard's acolytes." Razoul looked at her, then his eyes dipped to the sword. Surprisingly he gave an approving nod.

"And she knows how to defend herself normally too. Good that your teacher doesn't neglect the basics." Leah gave a small smile and a slight bow of thanks. "The Princess is currently with her... guest." Razoul grumbled a bit, but only slightly. Aladdin raised a brow, but it was Tai Lung who spoke.

"You don't seem nearly as upset about her being in the palace as one would expect, old boy. What's got you soft on this one?" The leopard easily keeping pace with Razoul as the guard led them deeper into the palace. Leah and Aladdin keeping up as well, but letting Tai Lung talk to him, warrior to warrior. Razoul rubbed his neck, grumbling a bit more under his breath before he deigned to answer.

"Frankly at this point I'd be surprised if she could bring herself to harm a mouse, let alone the Princess. Being under the control of those vile women, watching from inside as her body reacted... What little I've overheard or been told paints a horrific picture. And then rather than holding the crimes she did commit against her, the Princess instead elected to treat her as a victim of the other witches, offering her sanctuary and quiet." He smiled slightly. "I will admit, while I was leery at first; Sadira, the girl, has become rather devoted to the Princess. And having a girl her own age to speak to, even one with such a different background seems to be doing the Princess some good too."

Aladdin nodded. He could understand that. Having Ahmed around to talk to, even about inconsequential things that he couldn't really talk to Abu about, helped ease some of the stresses of being a ruler at such a young age. Jasmine had been isolated in the palace for years before they'd met and she'd been rather explosively exposed to the world beyond the walls she'd lived behind her whole life.

Finally, Razoul led them to the wing of the palace that Royal suites were in. He gained a faint smile as the sound of female laughter reached their ears, before smoothing his face into it's normal gruff professionalism. He rapped twice on the door, loudly enough to be heard clearly.

"Your Highness, the Prince is here with a couple of companions to see you." Jasmine opened the door shortly after, nodding. Behind her, Aladdin could hear a bit of a scuffle, like someone attempting to get up but being pinned in place, as well as a whispered "Rajah, stop it."

"Thank you Razoul. I can take them from here." She looked them over, her brows rising at the sight of Tai Lung, but opting not to say anything; before giving Leah a smile; one that deepens a bit as she finally looks to Aladdin. His own lips twitch into a smile as she leans up and gives him a peck on the cheek. "It's good to see you again Aladdin, Leah. Tai Lung, it's a pleasure to meet you. Aladdin had told me a bit about your martial prowess in his letters." Tai Lung looks pleased, puffing up ever so slightly. Jasmine opens the door wider, gesturing you in.

You're rather surprised to find a young woman with rumpled black hair and a rather pretty face, currently trapped under a Rajah that was much larger than when you'd seen him last. Going by the now adolescent tiger's smug expression, this was entirely intentional. The young woman gives up on pushing at the big cat, before offering you all a wry smile.



"Um. Hi. I'm Sadira."

Jasmine huffs in exaggeration. "Rajah, no! Get off of her!" The de-aged tiger gives a sulky mewl, before coming over to Leah looking expectant. She immediately plys him with ear scritches and head rubs. Tai Lung takes up a post at the door frame, both to give him a way to stop intruders as well as a view of the balcony. With the wall to kick off of, Aladdin has no doubt that he'd be able to reach the balcony long before anyone out on it was able to finish climbing up.

Aladdin takes a seat, as does Jasmine, while Sadira wrings her hands for a moment. "Um, I should probably go."

"No./No." Aladdin and Jasmine speak up at the same time, before glancing at one another. Aladdin smiles wryly.

"Already figured out why I'm here huh?" Jasmine playfully shoves him.

"After the performance you put on in the marketplace when we first met? It wasn't too hard to figure out why you'd choose now to show up." She turns to face Sadira. "Aladdin's come to help deal with those... those... oooh, calling them vipers is an insult to snakes everywhere!" She punctuates this sentiment with a small fist sinking deeply into a pillow. Sadira looks skeptical, but Aladdin gives her a reassuring smile, causing her to blush slightly and lower her gaze.

"Heh, should have figured. But yeah, Jasmine's right. I brought a magic user and a fighter with a fighting style they've never encountered before. And between all five-" Rajah gives a short growl, before it devolves back into a purr as Leah continues her ministrations. "Right, sorry Rajah. Between all six of us, I'm sure that we'll be able to figure out a way to take them out."

Sadira looks heartened by your little speech; Tai Lung nodding approvingly, while Leah merely smiles. Jasmine has a smile of her own as she looks at Aladdin; before leaning over to give him another peck on the cheek. "It's good to see you're more confident as a leader now."

Sadira set her jaw, focusing. "Alright. I'll help however I can."

Leah nods, as she speaks up. "Good. The first thing to do is share whatever you've told the Sultan and the Princess about these... people." Her lip curls in distaste even as she continues to stroke Rajah's fur. Sadira nods.

"Well, to start; I kind of stumbled over Sand Magic. The witches weren't around, I found what I guess was their last lair before they were... banished, I think? Under the city and through some old passages. There was a guardian there, but it was just a small sand worm using a device to make itself sound much larger and more menacing. When I told him what year it was... he decided to quit since it was obvious they weren't coming back. So... I decided to look at the scrolls and other items there." Sadira looks rather ashamed, before Jasmine pats her hand, and the Sand Witch continues.

"The first few months, I was just... well I got carried away with the power I had, and was doing all sorts of things because at the time I felt that I 'deserved' having nice things after having such a hard life. I was basically playing with the magic." She shudders. "I wish I'd never found that place. Every cast spell, every successful manipulation, it made me brazen, more convinced that I could master this on my own. And then, about two months after I found the scrolls, I made my biggest mistake. I tried to create a brew that would 'call more power to me'. Heh, I should have known better." She laughs a bit bitterly. Aladdin snaps his fingers.

"The sandstorm! And calling more power to you? I'm guessing that's how the other witches came into the picture?" Tai Lung raises an impressed brow, while Leah and Jasmine both look pleased with his interpretations. Sadira merely nods.

"Yes. At first they thought I was a new acolyte that wanted to learn from them. When I told them that I was a full Sand Witch in my own right... they laughed. Shakata, the leader; she told me that if I was truly on their level, then 'this' would be easy enough for me to resist. Her fingers glowed, and... I felt something close around my throat." Sadira shakes her head. "I was so stupid..." Jasmine patted her shoulder this time, as Rajah got up from Leah, moving over and giving the young woman a nudge with his head; which leads her to wrap her arms around his neck gratefully. She takes a few steadying breaths, then continues.

"The Witches were confused by all the changes to Agrabah, and they said that the world itself didn't feel right. I could still hear and see and understand everything happening around me, but my body would only listen to commands given by Shakata or her sisters. Initially they were planning on using some kind of massive sand worm to try and take over by force. But with the Palace up here now..." Sadira smirks. "Well that plan was pretty much stillborn." The smirk drops. "So instead they started a campaign of whispers and shadows. Trying to make the people upset with the Sultan, easier to coerce over to the idea of them ruling instead."

"They started using the Sand Worm to ambush caravans. Burying them, and then retrieving the valuables to start building a war chest. Or rather... they had me doing it." Sadira shakes a little as her arms tighten around Rajah's neck. "That's how I ran into those men. They were on their own rather than with a caravan, and Shakata ordered me to detain them. That we needed expendable muscle." Aladdin kept his expression neutral through strength of will. Those had been his people.

Sadira continued, her face partially in Rajah's neck. "Shakata used me as a medium to bind them, so that none of her or her sister's power was tied up in the spell. Then they had them going out and trying to further spread rumors and discontent." She laughs then, looking up at Jasmine. "But between you and your father, there was barely any purchase to be had there. Even the criminals didn't want to rock the boat." Aladdin nodded at that.

"Makes sense. When things change; especially when it's something high up, then there are changes all the way down. When Razoul became the captain of the guard I was still a kid, but I definitely remember the guards becoming a lot more vigilant and tenacious than they had under the last captain." Jasmine huffs a bit.

"Father found out that he was taking bribes to look the other way on certain actions, and that some caravans weren't being inspected when they were reported to have been. It turned out to be slavers." Everyone present winced, and Aladdin remembered that there'd been some big to-do at the palace gates before Razoul had shown up in the Bazaar, but he'd been focused on... not important. He returned his focus to the present instead.

Sadira nodded. "Pretty much. So they had to start taking matters into their own hands. Shakata tried framing the Princess for theft, but holding several intricate spells together while keeping a leash on me and the men I'd captured was a bit beyond her, and her disguise broke down a few times. Her sisters were busy trying to recover as many artifacts and items of power as they could, but it was slow going while trying to avoid notice. They talked a few times about visiting 'that place' for power, but not wanting to risk the wrath of 'the old warlock'."

"That's when they stepped out with the story about having been the original rulers of the city, and showing off their powers for the 'good' of the citizens." She shook her head. "Most of those spells were going to break when the rainy season came, but they expected to be fully in power by that point. Others were in place so they could listen in on gossip." She sighs, rubbing at Rajah's fur. "Thankfully it didn't work out as well as they thought. Then that man, Holmes, came to the city along with his friend the doctor." She looks up, locking eyes with Aladdin. "Believe it or not, the poisoning attempt wasn't done by the Sand Witches. It was done by some other party. Doctor Watson recognized the symptoms and was able to put together an antidote quickly. He said that he'd seen it before in some place called India." Aladdin's brows creased as he absorbed that bit of information.

"After that, Mr. Holmes managed to track down the witches. He had a strange companion with him though, along with several other men. It was a parrot, one that could talk. And I mean, really talk." Jasmine sent Aladdin a significant look, and he had the good grace to at least look sheepish. "He figured out how to weaken the spell, and then Mr. Holmes broke it." She takes a breath. "That's about it. After they fled, the Princess and Sultan were kind enough to take me in and help me recover. I was... I was in a pretty bad place mentally for a while; and if I'd been left alone..." she cuts the line of thought off, shaking her head. "Anyway, what else can I tell you?"

[]- Write-in


AN: I hope that this works much better as a base to start asking questions.