For as long as sixteen-year-old Aladdin could remember, he had been alone since his father left his mother, who died shortly after. Since Aladdin was so small, he could not survive in the streets of Agrabah alone without the dangers of being stomped on or shooed away with a broom or oversized projectile fruits and dates. That is why he took refuge in the walls of scantily dressed dancers, hidden away from their sight so he wouldn't be stamped on, eaten, driven out of his refuge, and possibly sold on the street.
Along the way, Aladdin also befriended his monkey companion Abu, who helped him scale up tall buildings while he squeezed through the cracks and crevices that only he could reach through. Every day, they would sneak their meals from the unknowing vendors and merchants, and every night, while Abu slept on the rooftops, Aladdin would slip back into his refuge within the harem girls' walls. He would often watch with curiosity as the harem girls went about their business, unaware that a tiny young street rat was watching them from the walls. That was what Aladdin counted on for years, until one night when he snuck into the harem girls' home to grab the fruit from the bowl. Instead, he was caught by the girls' mother (or manager), sealed away in a jar, and sold to a street merchant for a hefty price.
By the time Abu woke up the next morning, his tiny best friend had already been taken to Agrabah's market to a vendor who made his profits by selling tiny-born people. Like so many of the people his size in jars, Aladdin tried to punch, push, and break his way out of there. But, unfortunately, every time he thought he escaped, the vendor would catch him again. Eventually, Aladdin gave up hope for escape, slumping against the smooth walls of his glass prison, kept on a wooden shelf in a row, being fed bread crumbs as his only meal.
Then after the third day of his capture, by miraculous chance, his hope of salvation arrived to set him free. It was a hot day in Agrabah, as usual, and the streets were bustling with merchants, urchins, and traders of all kinds. Aladdin slumped against the inside of the jar, the boy glowering at the fat, bearded merchant who held him and his fellow prisoners while he called for customers to purchase them like cheap toys.
"Excuse me, pretty miss, but would you like to purchase these tiny people?" the merchant called out to a hooded female customer. "They were born small, so they are easy to transport. You can use them as your personal foot servant, treat them like a pet, and even have them clean in small crooks and nannies you would normally miss when sweeping your house."
Aladdin moved his glowering eyes upwards, and then a stifled gasp escaped from his lungs as he gazed upon the woman at the merchant's stand. Aladdin didn't think the woman was pretty... she was beautiful! She had these eyes that were just... and this hair... that wowed him... and her smile... he felt he could swoon underneath that smile.
The beautiful hooded woman inspected the merchandise with curiosity and slight suspicion. "Hmmm... so you are selling these people in the marketplace for anyone to do with as they please?" she asked with a hint of offense.
"Of course, miss. For the right price, of course," the merchant answered, rubbing his index finger and thumb together like he was rubbing coins.
The woman squinted her eyes as she inspected the people inside the jars. A variety of people returned her curious gaze with surprised ones. Most of these tinies were adults; some of them had lean figures while others were skinny as pencils, all wore cheap rags for clothes, many of the men desperately needed a shave, and most had expressions sullen with resignation to their fate as playthings for giants.
Then her beautiful brown eyes fell onto Aladdin's jar, and the two exchanged a prolonged stare. There was a certain spark in their eyes that they couldn't identify personally, but they knew that the other was gentle, kind, compassionate, and had a definite heart of gold. The woman could tell the boy was just a diamond in the rough of Agrabah, having such gentle features in the hardest part of the city.
"I'll take the boy," the woman said, pointing to Aladdin.
"Who, him?" the merchant asked. "That boy is a street rat. He's a little slippery one who's tried to escape many times before."
The woman laid down a small purse with gold coins inside. "I believe this will cover the price?" she said with a smug grin.
The merchant then chuckled as he exchanged the tiny boy for the coins. "It's a deal!" he finished excitingly. "But be careful. This one will try to get away, and there's no refund policy if the merchandise gets lost, injured, eaten, or otherwise dies."
"I'm sure I'll manage," the woman said, carrying the glass jar and the young street rat within. The boy nervously watched as he was carried throughout the city streets, confined in his glass jar prison in the clutches of the beautiful woman. Even as he looked up, he could see she was more focused on getting home than examining her purchase at the moment.
***
Aladdin watched as the woman carried him and the jar up to the royal palace through the bustling city streets, heading further and further up north. Instead of taking the front entrance, the cloaked woman ducked through the bushes, climbed up a tree alongside a tall wall, and used a branch to jump over the other side of the wall and into the ivory palace courtyard. Aladdin was impressed, to say the least. The cloaked woman looked around and quickly exited the courtyard and into the palace. She entered a spacious room adorned with large curtains, centered with an emblem, and within it, a small set of furniture, rugs, pillows, and a king-sized bed.
The woman gently placed Aladdin and his jar on a dresser with a vanity mirror while she proceeded to disrobe her cloak, revealing her full-bodied beauty to the little boy. She wore a turquoise crop top with shoulder straps, exposing her midriff and navel, which separated her crop top from her V-lined puffy pants. Her long black hair was tied up in a long ponytail, separated by turquoise ribbons. Her accessories included a turquoise headband with a sapphire-colored jewel in the center, a pair of large golden earrings, and a matching necklace.
Aladdin was taking so much time admiring the princess that he didn't see the face of a great tiger looming over him with curiosity. When the tiger's shadow eclipsed the little boy, Aladdin jumped against the glass with surprise. The tiger was large enough to swallow him whole with one bite, and he would've done so at any time, but a giant feminine hand gently smacked him on the nose.
"Rajah, no! He's going to be staying with us from now on!" the woman scolded the tiger, who, slumping underneath his master's tone, crawled away. She turned back to the boy and raised the jar, so he was level to her face. "I'm sorry if my tiger scared you. The truth is, he really is a big, fluffy sweetheart, but I have to remind him that we don't eat our little friends."
"Who... who are you?" the boy asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should've introduced myself sooner," the woman gasped at her own lapse in manners. "My name is Princess Jasmine."
Aladdin gasped. "The princess!? You're the princess!?"
Princess Jasmine nodded. She couldn't help but smile as the boy was at a loss for words. "I don't believe it! You're the princess! The harem girls whose home I took refuge in always mentioned the princess, how she was pretty and all, but I never thought of how beautiful you were until now!"
"Refuge?" Jasmine echoed. "You mean, you are an orphan?"
Aladdin slumped against the glass sadly. "Yes. My father left when I was very young, and my mother died when I was six years old. So I had to hide within the walls of the harem girls because they do not take kindly to people like me, and I had to steal food to eat with the help of my monkey companion, Abu."
"Oh, that's terrible. I am sorry to hear that," Jasmine said, covering her panged heart with a free hand. "But allow me to share my story. My mother died, too, when I was very young, and I've always had my father... and my furry companion as my only friend. So I guess that's one thing we both have in common."
"Yeah, but at least you have a father, princess," Aladdin huffed. "I'm pretty sure mine is dead at this point."
Jasmine felt pity for the boy, but then her beautiful features brightened with a smile. She unscrewed the lid and gently tipped the jar downward so the little boy would slide into the palm of her hand. She then brought the boy up to her gentle, smiling face. "I think you're missing the point. You may not have parents, but while you're with me, you will have a family, and that's more important than all the riches in this palace."
Once again, Aladdin was awestruck by her kindness, having not received any since his mother passed on. Then, remembering the gossip and mocking curtseys of the harem girls, Aladdin went down on his knee and bowed to her. "Thank you, Princess Jasmine. I promise to do anything you ask of me."
Jasmine lifted Aladdin's young face to meet her angelic smile. "All I ask is for you to be my friend, um..."
The boy almost missed his cue to introduce himself. "A-Aladdin."
"Aladdin. That is a fitting name for such a cute boy." Jasmine lifted Aladdin to her pursed lips and kissed him gently on the forehead. Although, her lips accidentally engulfed his whole face and part of his messy hair.
And Aladdin, having spent several years without any sign of affection, suddenly remembered what it felt like to be loved.
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