Jasmine's Story

The Magic Carpet Ride as seen through Jasmine's eyes;
Adapted from Disney's Aladdin by Sedeara
 

        Don't tell me my time is running out. I know it is, but I hate to think about it.  If anyone ever tells you it's glamorous  and easy to be a princess, they're wrong.  At least that's not the way I see it.  And I should know.  I am a Princess.
         Nothing goes right for me.  I know that sounds like a whine, and you're going to accept the stereotype that I'm a spoiled brat.  Before you do that, however, it's only fair that you let me explain.
        I'm being forced to marry a royal suitor by my next birthday, which is only two days away.   And I am so tired of suitors.  (If you've ever met one, you'd know why!)  Secretly, I hope there won't be any more suitors asking for my hand, although I don't know what my father, not to mention the kingdom, will think if I'm not married by the time I turn eighteen.
         Rah-ta-ta-taaa!
         The sound of trumpets in the distance invades my thoughts.  At first I think it's a
parade, but I should have known I wouldn't be that lucky.
        A chorus of men's voices sings: "MAKE WAY FOR PRINCE ALI!"
         I roll my eyes.  Great.  Another prince.
         The crowd won't stop singing about how wonderful this Prince Ali Ababwa is. I
hear them coming closer and closer to the palace, and finally I decide to  go out to my
balcony and get a look for myself.
         Coming down the streets of the city  I see an elaborate caravan, with animals,
singers, dancers, balloons, swordsmen, a band, and of course, the prince's guards.  I've
never known a prince that didn't need someone to protect him. (And they boast bravery!)
There is also a crowd of townspeople trying to see him or shake his hand. In the center of everything is the prince himself, riding the biggest elephant I've ever seen. Obviously he wants to make sure he's seen above everything else.
         From my balcony, I can see into the window of another house, where four ladies
are swooning over Prince Ali Ababwa.  Well they can have him! I'm not impressed
because he has a bigger and better parade than the other princes had.  Really.
In fact, I'm disgusted.  I turn my back on the scene and retreat to my room.
         Eventually, the noise and excitement quiets.  I know  they are in the palace.   I can hear Ali talking to my father, and Jafar, the royal vizier.  Of course Jafar is there.  Father never does anything without him, and he is someone I honestly cannot stand.
         I am listening closely, but still I can't make out what they are saying.  Now I hear
my father roaring with laughter.  What is going on?
        Curiosity forces me to head downstairs.
         As I  descend the staircase my father stops laughing.  He's talking again.  When I
reach the throne room door, I stand behind a transparent curtain, and see Jafar, my father, and Prince Ali standing together.
         "Jasmine will like this one!" says my father excitedly.
         How can you be so sure?
         Jafar has to state his opinion: "Your Highness, no! I must intercede, on Jasmine's behalf!  This boy is no different than the others.  What makes him think he is worthy of a
Princess?"
         "Your Majesty, I am Prince Ali Ababwa!  Just let her meet me.  I will win your
daughter!"  boasts Ali.  He has a cocky smile on his face.
         Oh, he thinks he can win me, does he?  Well, I have news for him . . . for all of
them.  It's going to take more than an impressing parade to win my affections.  A lot more. I'm furious that they talk about me as if I'm an object and not a person with
feelings.  I can't stand silently any longer.
         "How dare you!"  I demand, stomping into the room."All of you!  Standing around deciding my future?  I am not a prize to be won!"
         They all seem embarrassed that I have overheard them, but I don't care.  I turn and run back upstairs.
         Neither my father nor Ali follow me up.  Surprisingly,  I don't seen him again all day.  We never are formally introduced.  Maybe my outburst scared him off.  I hope it did. I'm certain that he would have been exactly like the others I'd met:  Stuffy, boring, and extremely conceited.
         Why can't princes ever be like the boy I  met inthe marketplace yesterday? I wonder wistfully. He washandsome, funny, clever, and kind.  He had even saved me from
an angry vendor.   When I had been with him, it was like . . . I shake my head and tears sting my eyes as I remember that he has been beheaded, on false charges of kidnapping me.  I'm afraid a horrible guilt from that occurrence will weigh me down forever.
         I sigh as I pat my tiger, Rajah.  There's a strange pain in my heart because I know I'll never see him again.
         "Princess Jasmine?"  a familiar voice calls . . . a voice that seems to have come
right out of my melancholy remembrance.  I look up, startled.
         "Who's there?"  I ask.
         "It's me, Prince Ali."  He clears his throat.  "I mean Prince Ali Ababwa,"  he says
with unnatural depth, in an attempt to sound dignified.
         Oh, please.   He could at least use his normal voice.
         He's standing on my balcony.  I don't even take the time to wonder how he
got there.  "I do not want to see you!"  I snap.  For some reason, princes can never take a hint.  You have to be very direct with them.
         "Please, Princess, give me a chance!"  he pleads, his voice back to normal.
         "Just leave me alone!"  I command.
         Suddenly Rajah leaps in front of him and corners him against the balcony railing,
growling fiercely.  Ali has been forced to the edge of the balcony, scared and
nervous.  He takes off his turban, and  waves  it at Rajah, trying to shoo him off.
         Despite all the classes on manners I've been brought up with, I can't keep from
staring.  Without his turban Prince Ali Ababwa looks exactly like the boy I met in the
marketplace!
         "Wait! Do I know you?"  I ask, as Rajah leaves him to return to my side.
         "Uh, no, no!" He quickly shoves his turban back on his head and straightens it.
         "You remind me of someone I met in the marketplace," I say slowly.
         "The marketplace?" he repeats nervously. "Why, I have servants who go to the
marketplace for me!"  The feather of his turban falls over his eyes, and annoyed, he blows
it out of his way. "Why, I even have servants who go to the marketplace for my servants!  So it couldn't have been me you met!" He gives a little laugh.
         "No, I guess not."  It was stupid of me  even to consider it.  I sigh as I
lean against Rajah.  Ali was beginning the introduction the same way as everyone else had: Bragging.
         I notice a bug buzzing around his head, but I  keep quiet.  It is Ali who breaks the
silence.
         "Princess Jasmine, you're very . . ."  He pauses, as if looking for the right word.
         "Punctual!" he finishes.
         "Punctual?"  I repeat.  What kind of compliment is that?
         "Er, beautiful!"  he corrects.
          I'm not going to be fooled.  I know the true reason he's come, for it's just the same
as the others: not because he is interested in me or my feelings,  but because he's interested in the chance of inheriting my father's kingdom.
         "I'm rich too, you know."  I begin walking toward him, swaying my hips, playing
the stereotype princess.
         He smiles. "Yeah."
         "And the daughter of a Sultan,"  I add.
         "I know."
         "I'm a fine prize for any prince to marry."  I lean against him, and he nervously takes a step back.  I think he's onto my act.  Maybe he's not quite as stupid as the others.
         "Right, right, a prince like me!" he answers.
         "Right, a prince like you!" I tap him on the nose flirtatiously and smile.  Then I
angrily push him away.  "And every other stuffed-shirt, swaggering peacock I've met!" I
yell, for the first time letting out how I really feel about him.   "Just go jump off a balcony!"
         "What?" Prince Ali says it to himself and not to me, so I ignore it.  But just as I am
about to walk through the curtain and into my room, I hear him mutter something else.
          I quickly turn around.  "What?" I ask, getting more irritated by him.
         "I said, you're right."  He sighs before he goes on to say,  "You aren't just some
prize to be won.  You should be free to make your own choices."
         I'm dumb-struck.  It's the first time I've ever been told I'm right, and it also means
he's admitting that he's wrong.  Other suitors would rather die than be wrong.  Maybe this
one is a little different.
         That's when I realize that as much as I hate to be stereotyped because I'm royalty,
I'm doing the exact same thing to him, without giving him a chance to prove differently.
         "I'll go now,"  he mutters dejectedly.  Then he walks right off the edge of the
balcony, just as I had told him to!
         "NO!"  I scream, terrified.  Does he realize how far below the ground is?  But he
doesn't fall!  He seems to be standing on air!
         "H-how are you doing that?"  I ask.  I wonder if he's experimented with the
magic arts.
         "It's a magic carpet,"  he explains.  As he says it a carpet flies onto my balcony
with him riding it.
         I'm speechless.  I reach out and touch the carpet.  "It's lovely," I murmur as I run
my fingers over its intricate designs.
         "You don't want to go for a ride, do you?" He looks at me hopefully. "We could
get out of the palace . . . see the world."
         Somehow he seems to know how much I long to escape, and the thought of a
magic carpet ride is very exciting.  Would I ever get the opportunity again?  Still, I am a
bit unsure.  "Is it safe?"  I ask.
         "Sure.  Do you trust me?"
         My gaze darts off  the carpet that I had still been admiring.  The boy from the
marketplace had said that to me in the exact same way!  Had I heard Ali wrong?
         "What?" I ask.  My voice is barely more than a whisper.
         The prince reaches out his hand and smiles kindly. "Do you trust me?"
         It's like a voice from a dream;  he's so much like the boy in the marketplace.  I know the odds are close to impossible, but I can't keep myself from hoping.  Yes, I do trust him, because suddenly I feel like I know him.
         "Yes,"  I answer.  Smiling, I give him my hand, and he pulls me up onto the carpet
with him.  I'll never forget that feeling of nervousness and excitement that came over me at
the same time.   Part of it is because I've never ridden a magic carpet before, but there's
something else too . . . although I couldn't begin to explain it.
         The carpet takes off with a jerk, and I grab onto Ali's shoulders to keep from
losing my balance.  I don't even realize I've done it until he looks back at me and smiles.
He doesn't seem to mind, but I still feel a blush creeping up my cheeks.
         I look down below me.  I can see Rajah on my balcony.  He looks very confused.
The palace grows smaller and smaller.  Now I look ahead of me.  We are heading straight for a low bridge!  I gasp as I grab onto Ali's shoulders again and close my eyes, but the
carpet takes us safely over it.
         As the carpet slows down, Ali begins to sing.  He has a wonderful voice.  "I can
show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"  As he sings he hands me a small white flower.  I breathe in its glorious fragrance.  I know my heart is doing all the deciding now.
         The carpet continues to drift peacefully along. I feel as if I'm in a wonderful dream.
I close my eyes as I listen to Ali singing beside me.  When I open them again we're no
longer in the city.  Instead we're high above Agrabah and in the clouds.
         "A whole new world!"  sings Ali.  "A new fantastic point of view.  No one to tell
us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming."
         As I hear the words I realize how many times people have told me I was only
dreaming, and how many times I've been told I couldn't do something just because I
was a princess. But I'm never told where to go, only where not to go.  With Ali I have
total freedom, and it doesn't seem to matter if I'm a princess or not.
         I join into Ali's singing.  "A whole new world!  A dazzling place I never knew, but
now from way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you."
         It's more than just words.  It's the way I really feel.  Not only because I'm seeing
things I've never seen before, but because I'm experiencing feelings I've never felt before.
Wonderful, indescribable feelings are racing around inside of me.   I glance at Ali and
wonder if he is feeling the same way.
         The carpet continues to take us higher.  The sky above us is endless and filled with
thousands of glittering diamonds.
         We are both singing joyously as the carpet swoops among the pyramids.  The
carpet takes us high into the air again, but this time it brings us straight down.  Everything
is zooming by me, a never-ending blur of color.    Even though I don't want to miss
anything, my hands move up to my face to cover my eyes.
         Ali reaches his arm around me and pulls my hands down from my face.  "Don't you
dare close your eyes!"
         I'm glad he has taken my hands away from my eyes, because if he hadn't, I don't
know how long I would've kept them there, and there is just so much to see.
         The carpet once again brings us high into the air, but then begins to slow down as
we near a river running through an apple orchard.
         Ali reaches out and picks an apple from one of the trees.  He puts it on his
shoulder and flips it down to me.  Then he gives me a  lopsided grin.
         I smile to myself as I catch the apple.  The boy in the marketplace had flipped me
an apple, and he also had the same enchanting smile.
         A million questions fill my head:  Can two people really be this alike?  I doubt it.  I
lay down on my stomach and trail my fingers through the cool, clear water of the river
below us.  I'm almost sure that he's the same boy I met in the marketplace, and I'm
determined to find out if I'm right.
         I sit up again and move closer to Prince Ali.  He's still singing.
         "A whole new world, that's where we'll be.  A thrilling chase . . ."
         I continue,  "A wondrous place . . ."
         We finish together: "For you and me."
         Ali reaches for my hand, and he entwines his fingers with mine.  I notice that his
hand is rough, which is unusual for a prince, but it doesn't matter.    We ride the carpet
further down the river, my hand held tightly in his.

 
         A bit later the carpet takes us out of the orchard and sets us down on the roof of a
tall building.  Below us, a celebration is going on, but it's hard to see.  A dazzling
fireworks display lights up the night sky.
         "It's all so magical," I sigh.  It's the only way I can think of to describe the evening.
         Ali contentedly sighs,  "Yeah."
         Now I have the perfect chance to find out if he is the same boy I met in the
marketplace.  I smile as I remember his pet monkey, Abu.    I glance in his direction and
say casually, "It's a shame Abu had to miss this."
         "Nah, he hates fireworks; he doesn't really like flying either . . ."  He stops mid-
sentence as he realizes that he's given himself away.   "Uh, that is, I mean . . ."  He puts his
head in his hands as if to hide a disgrace.  "Oh-no!"
         I grab his turban off his head.  "You are the boy from the marketplace!"  I blurt.
"I knew it!  Why did you lie to me?"
         Okay, I'll admit it:  I am glad it's him.  But I that doesn't justify his trying
to deceive me.
         "Jasmine, I'm sorry," he says, reaching to retrieve his turban.
         "Did you think I was stupid?"  I throw the turban at him. He catches it and
nervously clutches it against his chest, as if he is afraid I'll take it away again.  "Did you
think that I wouldn't figure it out?"
         "No!  I mean, I hoped you wouldn't . . ."  He looks at me, a worried statement on
his face.  "No, that's not what I meant."
         I can tell he doesn't know what to say.  A part of me feels sorry for him.  The other
part is still angry.
         "Who are you?" I demand.  "Tell me the truth!"
         "The truth?" he repeats, examining my face, probably trying to figure out if I'd
know the difference if he told me another lie.   The look I shot him said I would.  "Um, the
truth . . . the truth is . . . um . . . I-I sometimes dress as a  commoner to escape the
pressure of palace life!"  He pushes the feather of his turban out of his face again, but it
flops right back over his eyes.  "But I really am a prince!"
         I'm not sure if I should believe that or not.  Why  didn't he just tell me?  Didn't he
know that if he had told me who he really was from the beginning, I would have been
more willing to give him a chance?
         "Why didn't you just tell me?"  I ask suspiciously.
         "Well, you know, royalty going out into the city in disguise . . . I mean it sounds a
little strange, don't you think?"  He moves closer and gives me a meaningful half-smile.
         I recognize his message.  Even if it is a "little strange", he wasn't the only one who
did it, and he knows it.  After all, I had been  in disguise when he met me.
          "Hmm, not that strange,"  I murmur, flicking the feather away from his beautiful
eyes with my fingers.  Suddenly, all my anger disappears.
         I let my head fall against Ali's shoulder.  The feelings that had been racing around
inside of me are still here, but now they're growing even stronger.  As I close my eyes I
realize with a sensation of fear, happiness, and excitement, why I'm having these feelings.
I'm falling in love with Prince Ali.
 

         Later that evening the carpet flies us back to the palace.  It stops over my balcony
to let me off.  I stand up and turn toward Ali.  "Thank you.  I had a wonderful time."
         "So did I.."
          He holds my hand as I step off the carpet and onto the balcony.  Then it flies off
my balcony, but instead of flying away, it hovers outside.
         I turn around and lean on the railing, so I can face Ali.  I know now who I want to
marry.
         "Good night, my handsome prince," I say.
         "Sleep well, Princess,"  he whispers.
         I know these are our good-byes for the night, but I don't want him to leave yet.
 The carpet pushes him forward.  His lips suddenly press against mine, but his eyes
are wide open! (I know because mine are too.)  I guess we're both surprised.  But then his eyes close and so do mine.   The stars shine brightly above us as we share a long kiss.
         The carpet brings Ali back down and I open my eyes.   We smile at each other
silently before I turn around and head back to my room.
         When I get to the door I look over my shoulder and smile at him one more time.
He sighs.
          I open the curtain and slip inside my room.  I am walking toward my vanity
when I hear Ali yell, "Yes!"
         I turn around, but he's already gone.  I pretend I haven't heard him, even though I
feel like doing the same thing.
         I sit at the chair in front of my mirror.  I start humming the song we had been
singing as I run the brush through my long black hair.  In this single night all of my
problems had seemed to disappear. I suddenly feel that dreams really can come true,
because I'm positive mine are.  I know deep in my heart that someday Prince Ali and I will live happily ever after. 
 

You can e-mail Sedeara at: The_real_sedeara@Yahoo.com.  I'd love to hear from you! :)