Aladdin summoned strength from within and pulled her into his arms.
Then, he turned, gently laying her on the bed.
Aladdin gently pulled away her dress.
Deep gasps of breath filled the room as the stars took their place in the sky.
***
The next day,
Aladdin and Rakim walked through the hallway.
After their intimate night, Aladdin realised he wasn't the only one crazy about their relationship; she was equally infatuated. Fortunately, with his magical energy, he replenished his stamina and tired her out.
He woke up early to prepare to face his father and the Forty Thieves. After the wedding, they were brought to Ababwa for proper interrogation. Later, he planned to meet the foreign dignitaries whom he had invited to stay in his palace for the night as a gesture of goodwill. Thankfully, they accepted, considering it was his first wedding night.
Aladdin was certain that they wouldn't mind if he kept them waiting for a few days or even a week. However, he wasn't going to do that just for the sake of it.
"Here is the item you asked for, Your Majesty. The Sultan said that you don't need to return it. It was one of the wedding gifts offered by one of the guests," Rakim said, unwrapping a piece of cloth to reveal a staff before handing it over to Aladdin.
It was a long golden staff with a curved top that had a brilliant emerald gem glowing within it.
Aladdin received the item and inspected it. With the help of Jasmine, he had taken a look at the Agrabah royal family's treasures to find the artefacts that had appeared in the series, but the treasury was so large that he couldn't look through all of them, except for those that were kept in specific sections.
Even he didn't know the true extent of his treasures and had taken a look at the records just to find out what he possessed. He wouldn't be surprised if he accidentally smelted a miraculous item and used it to forge an artefact, before he realised what it was.
Nevertheless, the Oracle Scythe was one of the items that he had failed to find, and he had thought that it was lost within the pile of treasures.
Upon realising that it was one of the wedding gifts he had received during the wedding, he remembered why Cassim had been so sure that he would get the treasure he had come looking for and quickly flee from Agrabah before they were caught.
As a renowned thief, it shouldn't have been that difficult for him to gather this information.
It wasn't that Aladdin wanted to miss such obvious information, but some scenes weren't stated clearly. If he had known that he would be reincarnated into another world, then he would've imprinted every detail about the Aladdin wiki into his memories.
Still, he was fortunate that he had put preventive measures in place, or else the entire ordeal would've escalated further.
Aladdin decided to make a mental note to think further about what other things he had missed.
With this staff, he had a living encyclopedia about Aladdin's universe in his hands. The only limitation was that he could only use it once. So he needed to be smart about it.
He stored it in his personal storage ring.
"Your Majesty, the guards have been sent to retrieve the artefacts returned last night," General Rakim said.
"That quickly?" Aladdin asked with a raised brow.
"I sent a message to inform them about your wedding and coronation. They thought that it would be a good idea to present the items as congratulatory gifts during this time. It's been four weeks since they left, after all, with all the information needed to gather the items. I personally think that, with the speed of the magic carpets, they have no reason to delay further," General Rakim responded with a firm tone.
If they had failed or delayed in retrieving the items that Aladdin had tasked them with, with the kind of information he had provided, it would be shameful.
Aladdin nodded. "Where are they?" he asked.
"They are waiting in the throne room," Rakim replied.
"Okay. Let them continue waiting there. Once I'm done, I'll come meet them," Aladdin responded.
Rakim nodded in understanding.
He summoned a guard standing nearby and immediately instructed him to pass on the orders he had received from Aladdin before catching up to him.
Upon reaching the dungeon where the Forty Thieves were imprisoned, Aladdin turned to Rakim and said, "Wait here. I wish to speak with them alone."
"Your Majesty…"
"I'll be alright. They're just thieves. They are much like rabbits when compared to Nasira," Aladdin said, interrupting him before he could complete his words.
Rakim sighed in defeat and nodded. "If I hear anything out of place, then I'll charge in without hesitation."
Aladdin nodded. He gestured for the guards to open the cell.
Two soldiers stood by the side of the cell holding the Forty Thieves, actively monitoring them.
Upon receiving Aladdin's orders, one of them removed a key from the pocket on the side of his waist and used it to open the cell wide enough for Aladdin to walk through.
As Aladdin entered, the cell closed behind him.
Rakim stood at the side, heightening his senses to pay attention to what was going on within the cell.
Within the cell, the Forty Thieves, chained and exhausted, instantly looked toward the entrance the moment they saw the door open.
Some of the Forty Thieves had been captured before they even managed to find a way into Agrabah. Upon meeting with the other thieves who had been apprehended midway through the mission and learning from them that it had been done by a Prince whose wedding they had raided, they instantly recognised Aladdin the moment he entered and bared their teeth at him.
Aladdin looked at them. He expected several vile insults and threats, but received nothing. It seemed that Agrabah had severely punished them for their actions, and they understood the kind of crisis they were in, most especially since they should be aware of the fact that he had killed Nasira, a powerful dark sorceress.
"Well… Well… Well… If it isn't Prince Aladdin of Ababwa. I wonder what gracious honour we owe you to pay us a visit in this filthy dump. Don't tell me that you find it inviting?" Cassim said with a smirk before his expression turned into one of pure disgust.
As expected, the King of Thieves still hadn't reined in his spiteful tongue.
"I came to speak with you," Aladdin replied, walking towards him.
Cassim was momentarily stunned before he snapped back to reality. "Hey, stay where you are. We can talk this out," he said, pushing his back against the wall. He wasn't a coward; he was simply a thief who knew that he couldn't steal a new life.
It was game over if he died.
"I can offer you anything you want. Do you want me to renounce my title as the King of Thieves and let you take control of my men? I'll do that."
Aladdin crouched down before Cassim and shook his head. "Don't you know who I am?" he asked, staring at Cassim with a fierce gaze.
To have a father who was imprisoned by his own greed for wealth, to the extent that he would risk away his son's life and safety, was someone that Aladdin couldn't look up to. If it wasn't for the fact that there was a possibility of changing his heart, he wouldn't have bothered coming here to have a conversation with him.
Cassim was astounded by Aladdin's question. He cleared his throat and asked, "You are Prince Aladdin Ababwa, of a wealthy foreign nation. The suitor of Princess Jasmine who has won her hand in marriage."
He raised a brow and asked, "Is there anything else that I should know?"
Aladdin nodded. Rather than answering the question himself, he summoned the Oracle's Scythe from his storage ring. Instantly, the space around Aladdin's hand warped as the item appeared in it.
"That is…" Cassim looked at the item with a mix of shock, surprise, and suspicion clouding his expression. He narrowed his eyes at Aladdin. "I know that this is supposed to be a torture session disguised as an interrogation… but would you mind telling me how you know that I likely came here for this magic artefact? I doubt that the fallen dark sorceress would choose to reveal anything to you before her death."
"How I came about this information is none of your business. What you should be focused on is finding out the answer to my question and how that is related to me," Aladdin replied.
"Don't think about asking where the Hand of Midas is, because I already have it in my possession. Even if you don't believe me, you'll still have to think about getting out of here with your life intact before getting your hands on my treasure."
//////
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