Request: No
Pairing: Mena Massoud x female!reader
Summary: You work on the set of Disney’s newest movie, the live action of Aladdin. You became close with the cast and crew, only you make sure that they don’t know anything about your private life and especially your boyfriend.
Warnings: Mentions of physical and mental abuse. Please don’t read this if this makes you feel uncomfortable!! I am not trying to romanticize physical or mental abuse. Angst to fluff (I chose a random name for the boyfriend).
Word count: 4K
A/N: I went to see Aladdin with my best friend in 4D and I. Fell. In. Love. The music, the visuals, the characters I fell in love all over again. When my requests are open again, feel free to request the characters and/or its actors of Aladdin!! Enjoy reading!
Working on the set of Disney’s Aladdin was an absolute dream. You grew up with Disney, watching every movie with your family. When you were ten years old, you went to Disney world and you couldn’t remember a happier day. You had been working on a few movies and TV shows, but nothing big. It was a total surprise to you when you got a call of a famous director, telling you he wanted you to be part of the crew that was going to work on the new Disney live action. At first, you thought it was maybe one of your friends messing with you. But once you figured out that it was serious, you immediately accepted the job. You had to keep it a secret until the day Disney would officially announce the making of Aladdin. But once the word was out, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut. You called your family and your closest friends, telling them your dream would come true: you would work on a Disney movie. You were actually going to be part of Disney’s cinematic world.
It had now been months since that one phone call. You were officially one of the graphic designers and photographers, but you helped out whenever you could. You’d help with the costume fitting, the dancing, singing, basically everything. You loved being on set and you were more than happy to help out in any way. You’d get people their morning coffees and made sure everyone had the right costumes whenever you had some time off. It was almost too good to be true whenever you came home after a long and exhausting day on the set. But it was all worth it and you were happy to get up early the next day to go to the set for another working day. It never really felt like work, more like the dream you couldn’t believe you were living.
Being on set every day of the week meant you knew the cast and crew members almost as good as the director. You spent a great deal talking with everyone, going out for lunch or coffee breaks. You’d help the actors out with their lines whenever the other actors had to shoot a scene. You grew close with the stars of the movie, including Will Smith, Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud. You loved being on set, as everyone seemed to be in a permanent good mood. Everyone was always happy, singing their songs, practicing their dances, reading their lines. There was always this happy vibe around everyone, and you absolutely loved it.
That’s why you stayed on set for as long as you could. You never wanted to go home. Because you didn’t want to leave the set, but also because you just didn’t want to be home. The happy mood you were always in whenever you were on set, would instantly disappear as you set foot in your house. Your house should feel like a home, and the set should feel like a work place. But neither of those things were true. Your house was a house, not a home. And the set was this wonderful place where you could be yourself and where you were surrounded by people who love you. So you stayed on set for as long as you could. On your way home, you tried to walk as slow as you could.
Today was a particularly quiet day. Since most of the work was done, people were just taking it easy. It was a Friday so everyone was already taking it a bit slow. You strolled around the set. You had finished your work for today and were walking around as you always did once you got bored. You admired the set and all of the beautiful colors. A part of you still couldn’t believe you were a part of this. As you approached the trailers of the cast members, you heard a familiar laugh. You smiled to yourself and walked up to the trailer. Just as you were going to knock on the door, it already opened, revealing Mena.
‘Hi Y/N!’ said Mena happily. ‘Sorry, didn’t see you there. The three of us were about to go get some coffee at that café nearby, care to join us?’ Behind him, Will and Naomi appeared, waving at you and greeting you.
‘I’d love to!’ you said with a smile. The four of you started walking toward the exit. Happily talking about the day, you looked at your friends as they smiled and laughed at each other. You looked ahead again and froze when you saw a familiar person in front of you. Mena, Will and Naomi noticed you stopped walking. Mena followed your eyes and saw someone walking up to you. The man stopped in front of you and smiled widely. Mena could see you were scared and uncomfortable.
‘Hello Y/N!’ said the man. You swallowed hard and looked from your friends to the man in front of you.
‘Jack, meet Will, Naomi and Mena. Guys, this is Jack. My boyfriend.’ you said, introducing them to each other. Mena looked from you to Jack, he noticed the way you paused between mentioning his name and the fact that he’s your boyfriend.
‘It’s so nice to meet all of you! Y/N has told me so much about you.’ said Jack with a smile.
‘What are you doing here, Jack?’ you said quietly. Jack put his arm around your waist and pulled you close to his body.
‘I came to see the famous set of Aladdin! And I came to surprise you, of course! I can’t stay long though, I have to go to work.’ said Jack.
‘Well, we can’t stick around any longer, either.’ said Mena and you looked up at him, confused. All the work of today was done.
‘We were going to grab a coffee real quick before we’re going to shoot the next scene.’ said Mena and he gave you a tiny nod.
‘Ah, yes, can’t get anywhere without hard work, am I right?’ said Jack and he pulled you even closer.
‘Certainly right.’ said Mena with a smile. Jack looked down at you.
‘Can I talk to you for a moment before you go?’ he said. You nodded. Jack turned around and walked away from Mena, Will and Naomi, still holding on to your waist tightly. He stopped and turned around to look at you. You looked at your feet.
‘Now.’ he said. ‘No hanging out after the work is done. You come home straight away, got it? Don’t stick around.’
‘Yes.’ you whispered. Jack grabbed your chin with his thumb and finger and forced you to look up at him.
‘I didn’t hear you, sweetheart. Speak up.’ he told you. You forced yourself to look into his eyes.
‘I will not hang out after the work is done, Jack.’ you said and Jack smiled.
‘That’s right. Now tell me you love me.’ he said. You let out a sigh.
‘I love you.’ you replied. Jack smirked and walked off. You let out a shaky breath and closed your eyes.
‘Y/N?’ said a voice behind you. You jumped a little and turned around. Mena’s kind eyes met yours. You took a breath and smiled.
‘Shall we go and grab that coffee?’ you said. Mena walked closer to you, not breaking eye contact.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked softly. You nodded.
‘Why shouldn’t I?’ you said, still forcing yourself to smile. Mena shot you a smile before shaking his head.
‘You’re not okay, Y/N.’ he said. You looked up at him, and smiled again.
‘What are you talking about? I’m okay, Mena.’ you said. Mena let out a sigh.
‘How long before you tell us, Y/N?’ he said. You dropped your smile and looked at your hands. He knew.
‘That Jack, he’s not a really good boyfriend, is he?’ said Mena quietly. You shook your head.
‘No.’ you said. Your voice was so soft it was barely a whisper.
‘He hits you?’ asked Mena. You took a deep breath and felt tears in your eyes.
‘How do you know?’ you said, still looking at your hands.
‘When I hugged you the other day, I felt your whole upper body was sore. And it wasn’t from all the hard work. And as soon as you saw him, your whole body froze and you looked terrified. I could see it in your eyes.’ Mena told you. You looked up at Mena, noticing he stepped closer.
‘You know, Jack wasn’t always like this. When we first met, he was really sweet. And I was young and in love. After a while of dating, he started limiting my freedom. I wasn’t allowed to talk to other men. I wasn’t allowed to go out. I wasn’t even allowed to have friends over. And then one night he- he hit me. And I told myself that it was an accident. That he’d just lost his temper. But one time turned into two. Two turned into three, three into four and so on. Soon it became… a habit. I got terrified of him. Of what he could do to me.’ you softly told Mena. Mena looked at you with his eyebrows a bit frowned.
‘So… he’s been abusing you physically and mentally?’ he said. You nodded. ‘Yeah you can call it that, yeah.’ you admitted.
‘Why don’t you just go? Just leave him.’ said Mena. You let out a laugh.
‘I can’t.’ you said and you shrugged. ‘I wish I was that simple but it’s far from that. Jack threatened to either hurt himself or hurt me should I ever leave him.’
Mena sighed. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped you.’
‘How, Mena? How would you help me? There’s nothing you can do. You don’t know Jack like I do, you don’t know what he’s capable of.’ you said. ‘All you can do, is just keep on doing what you always do. Just be your happy and sweet self, and make sure that when I’m on set I have a great time. Jack may take away my freedom and my friends when I’m home, but he’s not going to take away the freedom and friends I have here. Now, I believe we were on our way to grab a coffee?’
‘Yeah, we were.’ said Mena. ‘Just- talk to me, yeah? Don’t leave me out on what’s happening anymore.’
You raised your hand in between you and Mena. ‘Pinky promise.’ you said. Mena smiled and intertwined your fingers. ‘Pinky promise.’ he said.
A month has passed since Jack showed up on the set. After that, you fell back into the same old routine. Wake up. Scared. Go to the set. Happy. Go home. Scared. Sleep. Jack hadn’t changed a single bit. The only thing that had changed was Mena. As sweet as he was, he checked in on you every day. He used to do that before, but only occasionally. Now, Mena asked you how you were doing every single day. And then he’d ask how you were doing when you weren’t on set. And if you were having a bad day, or Jack had been drinking the night before and he lost himself again, Mena would take you to a place where you could talk. Most of the times, this was his trailer. He’d tell everyone he needed a break, took you back to his trailer, sat you down on the couch and made sure the door was locked. And you talked to him. You told him everything. And it felt good. It felt so good to just let it all out. Your feelings toward Mena started to change. But you still didn’t dare to speak up to Jack, so you didn’t tell anyone about how you were feeling about Mena. You were glad you had a friend like Mena, someone who you could trust. You wouldn’t do anything to break that trust.
On one of the nights Jack drunk, you showed up on the set in pain. Your whole upper body was sore and underneath your sweater, your arms were covered in bruises. Mena noticed this, and wanted to talk to you, but he couldn’t find the time to. Both you and Mena had a busy day and lots of work to do. At the end of the day, Mena finally finished everything he had to do and went to find you. When he did, you were already packing your stuff and getting ready to leave.
‘Hey, Y/N!’ he said. You turned around and sighed. You weren’t in the mood for talking.
‘I haven’t seen you all day. I just wanted to check in on you.’ said Mena as soon as he caught up with you.
‘I’m not in the mood for talking now, Mena. I need to go home.’ you told him and you continued to walk. Mena caught up with you again and stood in front of you. You sighed.
‘Mena.’ you said. ‘I really can’t talk. Jack specifically said to go home straight away.’
You pushed past Mena and walked away. Mena watched you as you walked away. You always wanted to talk. And Jack always need you home right away. Something told him today was not like any other day. And something inside him told him that was a bad thing.
You knocked on the door. And again. And again. You tapped your foot impatiently. Raising your hand, you knocked again. On the other end of the door, you head someone stumbling over their feet.
‘Coming, I’m coming.’ said a voice. You stopped knocking and the door opened. Mena looked at you with tired eyes, his hair messy and a pair of sweatpants resting low on his hips.
‘Y/N?’ he said and he rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s nearly 2 am, what are you doing here?’
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I ran and I had nowhere else to go.’ you choked out.
He then noticed you were crying and quickly pulled you into his arms, shutting the door behind you. You wrapped your arms around his bare torso and proceeded to cry into his chest. Huge, uncontrollable sobs left your mouth and your whole body was shaking. Mena drew circles on your back to calm you down.
‘Shh, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, I’m here.’ said Mena softly. ‘I got you, don’t worry. Just let it all out.’
You pulled away so you could look at Mena. Mena removed one of his hands from your back and wiped the tears off your cheeks.
‘I left Jack.’ you said. Mena looked at you, a surprised look on his face.
‘You did what?’ he asked you.
‘I left Jack. He started kissing me and I told him no and he wouldn’t stop and I just- I was just done. So I pushed him off me and I told him it was over. Told him I never want to talk to him or see him and that if he ever contacts me again, I’m going to the police. I grabbed my phone and my keys and I just left.’ you told Mena, fresh tears streaming down your cheeks. Mena immediately pulled you back into the hug.
‘I am so proud of you.’ he whispered in your ear. ‘I am so proud you finally stood up to that asshole.’
You pulled away again and smiled. ‘Yeah. I’m proud of me as well. I’ll just go back to get some of my stuff and I’ll get a hotel downtown. I’ll see you tomorrow on set. Sorry for bursting through your door in the middle of the night.’ you said and you chuckled. You wanted to turn around to walk away but Mena didn’t let go of you.
‘You think I’m going to let you go back to that apartment of that asshole?’ said Mena, looking at you with raised eyebrows. ‘After everything he did to you?’ he said. You opened your mouth to say something but Mena was faster. ‘I am not. You’re staying here tonight.’ said Mena. You smiled and stood on your toes to kiss Mena’s cheek.
‘Thank you.’ you said. Mena smiled and took your hand. He walked you to his bedroom and you sat down on the bed. Mena opened his closet and gave you one of his shirts.
‘You can wear that.’ he said. ‘I’ll sleep on the couch.’
‘Thank you.’ you said. ‘Really, Mena, thank you. This means a lot to me.’
Mena smiled again. ‘Goodnight Y/N.’ he said.
‘Goodnight Mena.’ you said and Mena left the room, shutting the door behind him.
You changed into the shirt Mena gave you and laid down on the bed. You tried to get comfortable but no matter what position you would lay in, you couldn’t fall asleep. You sighed and got up. You opened the door as quietly as you could, in case Mena was already asleep. However, when you entered the living room you saw Mena was still awake. He was looking at his phone, the light illuminating his face. You’d figured he’d be asleep already, since it was late and you woke him by practically banging at his door. Mena must have heard you come in because he looked up and smiled when he saw you.
‘Hey.’ he said. ‘Couldn’t sleep?’
You shook your head, arms hugging your body. ‘Too much on my mind. And it’s weird, but I miss Jack’s company. Not him, but the feeling of being held, you know?’ You smiled. ‘Guess I just have to get used to it.’
A part of you was expecting Mena to offer to stay with you, and a part of you was scared it would get awkward. But all Mena did was smile. And so you said goodnight and returned to the bedroom. You were trying to get comfortable again, when the door opened. You turned your head and saw Mena walking up to the bed.
‘Make some space.’ he said softly. You moved over and Mena laid down beside you. His feet touched yours when he scooted closer. The two of you stayed silent for a while. Then you felt Mena wrap his arms around you, pulling you closer. You smiled as you felt a warm feeling in your chest. It had been a while since you felt that feeling and you smiled even wider. You closed your eyes and fell asleep within minutes.
For the next weeks, you occasionally went to your old apartment at times of which you knew Jack wasn’t there, taking some of your stuff and moving it to Mena’s place. Mena offered you could stay with him for as long as you wanted. You gladly accepted. The more time you spent with him, the more you caught yourself falling deeper in love with him. Mena felt the same. You still had to get used to it, though. It had been a while since someone had really loved you. Because you were sure that Jack may had loved you in the beginning of your relationship, but later on he was just using you, not loving you. But with Mena it was different. He really cared about you, and was happy with every moment he could share with you. You also told your closest friends at the set what was going on, including Will and Naomi. Everyone responded the same: that they were proud you stood up for yourself and that they were happy for you and Mena. You and Mena still hadn’t put a label on the thing going on between you, but everyone around you could see you were in love. You spent more time watching Mena as he was shooting scenes and you spent his breaks with him.
You tried your best to forget about Jack. Your friends, Mena, everyone would help you with that. Until one day it all went wrong. You were talking with Mena, Naomi and Will. You were sitting on a couch with Naomi, Will and Mena both in chairs around the table in the middle. You were just talking about the day when your eyes suddenly went wide and your mouth fell open. Mena, who was sitting in front of you, looked over his shoulder and got up. You got up as well, standing behind Mena and holding on to his right hand with both of yours. This couldn’t be happening. The person you saw wasn’t real.
Jack walked up to you. He waved at you and your grip on Mena’s hand tightened.
‘Hello Y/N! Mena, Will, Naomi, nice to see you.’ said Jack. You took a deep breath and bit your lip. Jack stopped in front of you and Mena. You felt like throwing up when Jack smiled at you.
‘Y/N, sweetheart, when are you coming home?’ asked Jack. Mena stepped forward but you were faster. You let go of Mena’s hand and stepped closer to Jack.
‘Home? Home?’ you spit out. ‘Don’t get me wrong but you house never felt like a home to me. I was frightened of that place. Did you really think I stayed on set every day until after dinner time because I had work to do? Wrong! I stayed because I was frightened to go to your house! You know, you were sweet in the beginning; I’m not going to lie about that. But then you started turning my life into a living hell. And for years I was too afraid to tell you no. I was too afraid to stand up for myself. Not anymore! I told you I wanted you out of my life. I left you. We’re done, Jack, we’re over. We do not exist anymore. Just you and me, but there’s no us.’ you took a deep breath and continued, letting it all out. ‘I am happy now. I can hang out with my friends whenever I want to. I can talk to any guy I want. But most of all: I look forward to going home. Because now I know that someone is waiting for me, and I know that he actually loves me. He cares about me in a way that you never did. I told you we are over. I want you out of my life. If you ever contact me again or if I ever see you again, I’m going to the police. And I’m not joking!’ you said firmly, your voice becoming louder and louder with every sentence. Jack looked at you full disbelief. You felt Mena’s hand on your shoulder.
‘You heard the lady. Get off the set.’ said Mena. Jack looked from you to Mena and he raised his eyebrows.
‘This is the guy you replaced me with? Wow, Y/N. I thought you’d be better than that.’ said Jack.
‘Out.’ you said firmly. ‘Wow.’ said Jack as he shook his head. ‘Wow.’ he said again. He turned around and walked away. You turned around as well, facing Mena.
‘Is he gone?’ you said. Mena looked over your shoulder.
‘Almost.’ he said. ‘And he’s gone.’
‘YES!’ You yelled. ‘Did you see what I just did?’
Mena smiled and wrapped his arms around you. ‘I did, sweetheart, and it was amazing.’ said Mena as you hugged him back.
‘Way to go Y/N!’ you heard Will’s voice behind Mena and you smiled into Mena’s chest. You turned your head so you could look at Mena, the biggest smile on your face.
‘I’m so proud of you.’ said Mena. ‘I love you.’
Your mouth fell open. He’d never said that to you. You smiled again and stood on your toes to press a kiss to Mena’s lips.
‘I love you too.’ you said against his lips. You had spent years with a man that told you he loved you, but you knew he didn’t. You spent years with a man that only used you, who you were frightened of. But now, you spent your time with a man that actually loved you. He loved you and he cared about you. You couldn’t wait to spend more years with him, to catch up on the years of your life that you had lost while being with the wrong man. Mena was never going to treat you like Jack did. Mena loved you. And that was all you needed.
A/N:
If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules
Here’s the list of characters I write for, I’ll be making a masterlist once I have written more.
Thank you for reading!
Much love,
Jo
Hello everyone well after seeing a couple of comments here on Tumblr I figured its best that I give you all what I had promised. So here we are with the Disney Queen fic Aladdin style. I hope you all enjoy these two chapters I’ve got for you :) And don’t forget to listen to the songs I will link throughout the story cause yes I’m making this a musical style fic.
Visualize it if you will; walking through the streets of London, it’s partly cloudy but the merchants and sellers are out and about through the pleasant kingdom of England. People all chattering amongst each other, bidders trying to sell their foods and stock, children racing about.
You find yourself coming around the corner of a shop when a voice calls out to you.
“Well I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before darling.” You turn to look and there leaning over the shop window was a pretty handsome young man. Long raven black hair and the darkest chocolate eyes you’ve ever seen but with a hint of mischief to them. “Tell me from where do you roam?” You answer him. “Ahh been there myself just last year. Quite a lovely place, if I do say so myself. Love the people there, but of course can’t argue with the drinks there.” He chuckled mischievously.
You then ask him what exactly he has to offer in this shop and he answers you with a wide grin, revealing an overbite but strangely it seemed to fit him.
“Well wouldn’t you like to find out? C’mon in my lovely dears.” You enter inside the shop to reveal beautiful antiques that seem to come from all over the world.
From katanas in Japan, Buddha statues of India, treasures from South America. You also feel something rub up against your leg. You look down to see a grey and brownish cat with blue eyes.
“Oh that cheeky little thing is Tiffany. One of my many little pets. However none of them are for sale so I hope you understand.” You nod. “Excellent. So feel free to look around and pick whatever your heart’s desire.”
“Freddie, you better not be scaring the costumers again!” Another voice cried out.
“Ohh darling I wouldn’t dream of it.” The merchant now known as Freddie turns back towards you and chuckles before saying, “My partner always thinking I’ll scare off any customer that comes. I may look intimidating but I’m really harmless, unless you don’t want me to be.” He winks cheekily at you before turning back around and picking up a grey and white tabby cat off the counter. “Again look around while I tend to my children here.”
He leaves you to your own to look around the shop. Your eye immediately caught onto all the jewels and gold trinkets. But there was one thing that really caught your attention.
A lamp. And not a lamp light, no this lamp looked like some sort of tea-pot style lamp. It was pure gold with a beautiful crystalline design around the top portion of the lamp.
“Oh that, that is the story décor. Unfortunately that’s also not for sale either.” You ask why not? “Why? Well….this lamp is not some ordinary lamp this lamp—changed the lives of many people. In fact this lamp changed the lives of two countries.” You are intrigued. Freddie noticing that you are wanting to know more asks you. “Tell me, do you know the story of (Y/n), the English Prince and the magic lamp?” You shake your head. “Would you like to hear it?” You nod your head. “Ahh excellent. I knew you’d be wanting to hear the story. Sit over here darling.”
He pulls up a red velvet chair for you to sit in and he pats the cushioned seat and you gladly sit down.
“Now then my darling, buckle up because this is a long story.” He gracefully spins around your chair to end up behind you as he paints you a picture of the story you are about to embark on.
Using grand gestures with his hands to emphasize his point giving you a warm or wide smile, ready to share this tale that changed two kingdoms forever.
Play video
*Freddie*
Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where you wander among
Every culture and tongue
It's chaotic, but hey, it's home
When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night
And this is where our story begins. Now imagine it’s nightfall out in the kingdom of India. Out in the streets merchants are still trying to make their living by selling the last of their things before turning in for the night.
We see a small monkey bouncing and running from cart to cart taking and sneaking in something into it’s small vest. It soon reaches a young woman who is casually walking the streets and she nonchalantly lowers her hand so the monkey can crawl up onto her shoulders and rest there.
She takes the stolen necklace the monkey managed to grab and she pockets it into her bag as the monkey jumps off of her shoulders and it jumps onto a cart filled with blankets and tapestries. Looking for something else to steal.
As you wind through the streets
At the fabled bazaars
With the cardamom-cluttered stalls
You can smell every spice
While you haggle the price
Of the silks and the satin shawls
Oh, the music that plays as you move through a maze
In the haze of your pure delight
You are caught in a dance, you are lost in the trance
Of another Arabian night
We are now greeted by a large palace that stands at the end of the village. This palace in particular was designed as a housing for their partnering country of England. Up along the balcony three old men bearing English crowns were feasting on various foods from grapes and apples to the hard meat of chicken and turkey and pheasant.
One of the kings turned towards a lioness that sat just a few feet calmly but eyeing the chicken in his hand. After eating just one bite of the large chicken leg, he tossed it towards the lioness and went back to chatting with the two other kings.
The lioness immediately took the meat as it was thrown to her and ate it as she stepped down onto the lower edge to walk up to not only another lion but to three younger men.
One of them held a badger in his arms and had a mass of brown curly hair and hazel eyes, the other had long blonde hair and blue eyes and was petting the dark maned male lion. The lioness stopped before the youngest of the three. He had long straight brown hair and a mixture of hazel-blue eyes. He stroked the lioness’s head making her lowly growl with content.
A parrot soon came into view and the male lion took notice of it. He got into pouncing positions before finally roaring as he lunged towards the parrot but missing it by an inch. The parrot squawked but flew high above the night sky.
Beyond the palace and all the way past the desert till it came to a mountain range. There a few people stood but what they were looking at was something far mind-boggling.
There embedded within the mountains the cave entrance looked like a tiger’s head and the only way to enter inside was going through it’s mouth. It’s eyes glowing like pure fire.
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
More often than not are hotter than hot
In a lot of good ways
Arabian nights
Like Arabian dreams
This mystical land of magic and sand
Is more than it seems
There's a road that may lead you to good or to greed
Through the power your wishing commands
Let the darkness unfold or find fortunes untold
Well, your destiny lies in your hands
“Only one may enter here One whose worth lies far within. The diamond in the rough.” It’s thunderous voice commanded. A guard was forcing a man to enter inside. The man refused but when the guard took out his sword, it made the man change his mind.
Hesitantly and fearfully he slowly entered inside the tiger’s mouth.
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
They seem to excite, take off and take flight
To shock and amaze
The cave collapses on the man entering inside burying him under rock, dust and rubble. It’s eyes glowed with fire as the thundering voice spoke out once more.
“Seek thee out, the Diamond in the rough!” A man wearing royal advisory robes having short brown hair and a mustache across his upper lip, glared down to the ground as his parrot looked at him.
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes.
I was tagged by @thethistlegirl to post the last line I’ve written. This comes from the Aladdin fic I just posted, You’re Only In Trouble If You Get Caught. It’s a 5+1 fic, the first I’ve ever done of that kind. (Five times Aladdin doesn’t get caught, and one time he does).
Here’s the line:
It was going to be a long night.
I know, not very entertaining, but I hope that the fic itself is!
I tag @philipsheaisbaby @tomminowrites @kingreywrites and @altschmerzes :)
It had been five years, but they still remembered that one little time Jasmine ran away from an unwanted arranged marriage. She first went to the tree she had climbed, and it was guarded. That one spot in the menagerie where the roof meets the wall? Guarded. The loose brick by the stable? Fixed. And guarded. She heard rumors of a secret door in the dungeon, but of course the dungeon was guarded too. She’d somehow have to be let out. Maybe she could jump in the back of a delivery cart or wait for an outgoing crowd to blend into. But nobody came in or out without extensive searching.
Just when she was thinking about giving up on the idea of an escape, opportunity practically fell into her lap.
“Royal dressmaker?” the sultan stammered with confusion. “But I don’t remember–”
“Of course you wouldn’t want the princess dressed in second best for her wedding!” the seamster interrupted. Jasmine had never seen him before, and it seemed nobody else at court had either. He was an animated man donning purple pants and a purple vest over a white top. Measuring tape adorned his neck, cuffs on his wrists, and a single hoop earring in one pointed ear.
“Well, I uh, well, uh, no,” the sultan stuttered, “I suppose not.”
“Is this truly safe?” Qadir mumbled into the sultan’s ear. “Is it really necessary to bring the princess off palace grounds and into the city?”
“Of course, I could bring all of my materials here,” the seamster suggested, “but that would be carts and carts full, and I’ve seen your security detail. It would take an hour just to search one trunk!”
“I would need to send security with you,” the Sultan insisted.
“Why yes, of course you would. And luckily for you, I have the best security in the whole desert. He trained with the Riders of Ramond!” The dressmaker motioned to the young masked man standing stoically beside him. He was young and built for movement, fitted with loose-fitting sirwal pants, a low V-cut top with loose cuffed sleeves, a belt with a wide curved sword sheathed at his hip, and twin blades strapped to his back in an X. On his shoulder perched a vested monkey with a tiny turban and mask. At the seamster’s nod, the pair performed a brief and admittedly impressive show, displaying their agility and swordsmanship, swinging and flipping and juggling with deftness and precision.
“They do weddings too!” the seamster beamed.
The sultan clapped, “Wonderful! Absolutely marvelous!” Then the doubt returned: “I’m just not sure–”
“Father,” Jasmine interjected with a lie, “I’ve heard of this master. If I am to be forced to marry, it would greatly lift my spirits to wear a custom-made, um…”
“Fibonacci!” the dressmaker exclaimed.
“Yes, a custom-made Fibonacci gown!” she beamed.
“Well, I suppose…” the Sultan pondered, sympathetically. “When would you be back? It is imperative you are back for dinner with Prince Wazoo.” Qadir looked nervous at the sultan’s words, but was too new at his job to comfortably contradict the ruler.
“We’ll do measurements and fabrics today. Should take a few hours, but we’ll have her glowing and ready for dinner!”
Jasmine knew this could be her only chance to escape. She would just have to wait for the right time, likely once they got to the dress shop. The sultan insisted they use a palace carriage and that she be locked inside for the brief trip there. The seamster manned the horses, and his hired man stood on the step on the side of the carriage the whole way there, hanging casually onto the locked carriage handle. As this was her first time beyond the palace gates, Jasmine felt she should be soaking in the sights of the streets and the people. But all she could think about was that there was something… familiar about the masked fighter. She kept finding herself sneaking looks at him through the tiny window in her carriage, and she noticed that he was doing the same.
When they arrived at the dressmaker’s shop, the excited artist made quick work of measuring her and throwing random scraps of white-ish fabrics over her. He spoke a mile a minute: “Now you just wait here while I pull some swatches. Are we thinking pure white? Ivory? Cream? Bone? Champagne? Flax? Ugh, not flax! Anything but flax. And what about silhouette? Honey, with that figure you would simply kill in any shape. Ballgown? No, too gauche. A-line? Classic. Mermaid? Daring. We’ll try it all!”
She hadn’t had proper time to assess the shop for points of exit or blind spots before the man shoved her behind a dressing curtain and threw a dress over it. “Try this!”
Aladdin stood with his arms crossed as Genie practically assaulted Jasmine with fabrics. She didn’t remember him or Genie, but it was still nice to be back in the same room as her. The way her eyes were not-so-subtly looking for an escape route was classic Jasmine behavior, and he couldn’t help but sneak a smirk for the warm familiarity of it. He knew as soon as she came out from behind that curtain, the moment would be over, and he’d have to properly kidnap her.
Strangely, his biggest concern was Abu. Aladdin had tried to explain the situation to him, but he wasn’t sure the monkey even believed any of it. Abu wasn’t exactly the trusting type. He took some time to warm up to Jasmine, Genie, and Carpet the first time. And now he had no choice but to suddenly trust them as strangers again, while also helping them break a spell in a world where he preferred to believe that magic was made up. Abu was playing the bit now, but how will he handle it when Aladdin reverts to his amnesic self again tomorrow?
Jasmine waddled out with a grimace, wearing a gaudy skin-tight dress. The dress itself provided better restraint than shackles and rope, and the guys took advantage of the moment.
“Now Carpet!” Aladdin called.
Suddenly, a rug that had been rolled up against the wall came to life and dashed over to Jasmine. As she was processing what she just saw, the young man grabbed her by the waist and leapt onto the carpet. Before she had time to think, she was holding onto her captor for dear life as they flew through a window that didn’t exist a moment before, up, up, up, into the air until the city looked like one of her father’s little figurines.
For a moment, Jasmine forgot to be afraid or angry at the situation and just appreciated the fact that she was in the sky. But when the magic carpet started heading into the desert and away from civilization, she remembered the danger she was in, remembered there was a warrior with his arm around her. Without thinking, she elbowed him in the ribs and pushed him off of her. He fell clean off the carpet and into the clouds. Horrified, she grasped the edge of the carpet and looked down. She saw only clouds.
“Wait! We have to go back for him!” she hollered through the booming wind. The carpet just kept speeding on. Under less harrowing circumstances, she might have enjoyed the excitement of the open air and the wind in her face, but she had just been kidnapped and was quite certain she just killed a man. After a moment, she remembered herself. “Where are we going?!” But the carpet did not respond.
After another minute of flight, the carpet landed in what seemed like the middle of the desert, nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Jasmine caught her breath just in time to notice that the young warrior, now maskless, was waiting on the ground for her with the monkey, two well-stocked horses, and another man she didn’t recognize.
“What?” Jasmine asked, flabbergasted and secretly relieved. “How did you…?”
“Survive the fall?” the man smirked. “Don’t sound so disappointed. I have a few things up my sleeve.”
Jasmine wobbled off of the carpet in the ill-fitting dress, “Clearly.”
“Your majesty,” the other man bowed. He was dressed like a palace guard and had a voice eerily similar to the dressmaker’s, but his appearance was completely different. “I’m uh… Ned.”
“Charmed,” she scowled. “Who do you think you are, and what do you think you’re doing?”
“My name is Aladdin, and we,” he suddenly became a bit bashful, “are here to rescue you.”
Jasmine raised a brow, “I don’t remember asking to be rescued.”
“Please,” Aladdin teased. “I’ll bet you started looking for an escape the moment you heard about the arranged marriage to the esteemed Prince Wazoo.”
“Uh, Al,” Ned said out of the corner of his mouth, “are we maybe acting a little familiar right now?”
Jasmine huffed with another wobble, “Well I’ve been properly rescued now. So maybe, if you could give me something I can actually move in, we can talk about where you plan on taking me.”
They rode horseback to a nearby canyon, Genie and the monkey on one steed, and Aladdin and Jasmine on the other. She hated that she wasn’t as unnerved by the stranger’s closeness as she probably should have been. The young man’s body behind her was warm as the chill of the desert night set in, and he gave no sense of ill will as they rode in silence.
Once at the cavern, they found a safe spot to set up camp for the night. Jasmine was cold to her assailants that evening, as she had every right to be. She had no idea that they were her closest people in the world. (She also had no idea that this was far from the first time she had ever been kidnapped.)
When it was time for sleep, “Ned” set up cots for the three of them around the fire. Predictably, (albeit with no sense of pleasure) he insisted that he had to bind Jasmine so she wouldn’t run. Unpredictably to her however, he also insisted on cuffing Aladdin, so he “wouldn’t run.”
“Yeah. Sorry in advance for whatever I try to pull tomorrow,” Aladdin warned with a smirk as he closed his eyes and turned over.
Jasmine ignored his cryptic comment and, despite her best efforts, fell asleep.
Genie was the last one to fall asleep. Just before he closed his eyes, he noticed a small sliver of purple magic-light open up from the body of the campfire. As if it were a mouth, it audibly belched out a purple butterfly that turned into a purple bumble bee and then a purple desert hare and hopped away. When Genie looked back at the fire, all was normal.
