The next morning Cassim, Aladdin, and Abu sat on top of a canopy of a melon stand. While Abu distracted the seller, Cassim and Aladdin each grabbed a melon. Abu came back up. Cassim took out his dagger with the Hand of Midas symbol on the handle and cut both melons in half.
After a few moments Cassim and Aladdin looked up. They saw a woman one year younger than Cassim and girl about Aladdin's age bump into a fire-breather, who belched a long plume of fire! Both jumped back. Their hoods fell down, revealing their faces. Cassim and Aladdin forgot about their hunger and leaned forward a little with dreamy looks on their faces.
Both were beautiful! They gave a little boy an apple from the stand next to the one Cassim, Aladdin, and Abu were sitting on. Abu was watching them too.
"You better be able to pay for that." said the seller.
When they said they had no money they were acused of stealing! The seller put their arms down on the side of his cart and pulled out a sword! He held it up above them!
"No! No please!"
He started to bring it down when a deeply tanned hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"Thank you kind sir. I'm so glad you found them."
Cassim stepped in-between the seller and the woman and girl. They got away from the seller, and Cassim and Aladdin led them to their home.
"Is this where you live?"
"Yep. Just my son, Abu, and I. We come and go as we please."
"That sounds fabulous."
"It's not much but..."
Cassim pulled aside an old curtain to reveal an amzing veiw.
"It has a great veiw. The palace looks amazing doesn't it?"
The woman and girl didn't seemed to be impressed.
"Oh. It's wonderful."
"I wonder what it would be like to live there."
"Yeah. Have servents and valets."
"Sure. People who tell you where to go and how to dress."
Cassim chuckled and took two apples from Abu.
"That's better than here. You're always scraping for food and ducking the guards."
"You're not free to make your own choices." the girl said.
"Sometimes you feel..." Cassim and Aladdin started.
"You're just..." the woman and girl began.
"Trapped." they all four said.
They looked at each other. Cassim cleared his throat and let one apple roll down his arm until it reached his elbow. Flicking his arm, he tossed the girl the apple. His did the same to the woman.
"Where are you from?"
"Why does is matter? We ran, and we are not going back."
"How come?"
"Our fathers are forcing us to get married."
"I had a true love a few years back." the woman said.
Cassim sat down beside her.
"What happened to him?"
"He was killed by a group of thieves before we could marry."
"I'm sorry."
Cassim noticed something.
"Abu!"
Abu went back to where he had been sitting, chattering angrily.
"What did he say?"
Cassim and Aladdin "translated" what Abu said.
"Here you are!" a voice shouted.
The small group looked over to see guards swarming the hovel!
"They're after us!"
The four looked at each other.
"They're after you?" they asked each other in unison.
"Our fathers must have sent them to..."
"Do you trust us?!"
The woman and girl turned to Cassim and Aladdin.
"What?"
"Do you trust us?!"
"Yes." they said taking their hands.
"Then jump!"
The four jumped with Abu holding onto Aladdin's arm! They broke through canopies and landed safely on the ground. They got to their feet and began to run. Guards blocked one way of escaping!
"Come on! This way!"
Rasoul grabbed Cassim's cape as they ran by and yanked him back! Three guards held him since he was as strong as two champion fighters!
"Dad!"
"Go! Get to safety! Don't worry about me!"
"But Dad..."
"I said go!"
"But..."
"Go, son! Run! Get out of here!"
"Dad..."
"Go!"
Aladdin hesitated, though Abu was tugging at his pants.
"Please, son. Just go."
Aladdin charged the guards! They grabbed him and held onto him.
"Let go of my left hand for a moment."
The guard slowly let go of Cassim's left hand. Then next moment he smacked his son in the back of the head!
"Ouch!"
The guard took hold of Cassim's left hand again.
"What was that for?"
"For disobeying me."
"I wasn't going to leave you behind." Aladdin mumbled.
Cassim glared at his son.
"I told you to get to safety."
"I couldn't leave you behind." Aladdin said to him.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you do that? You've never disobeyed me before."
It was true! Aladdin had never *ever* disobeyed his father before!
The teenage boy could hear anger and disappointment in Cassim's voice. There was something else. Hurt. Aladdin knew that his father was hurt by the fact that he had disobeyed him.
The woman and girl tried to free them but were thrown to the ground. They got to their feet like royalty and threw back their hoods.
"Unhand them! By order of the princesses!"
The guards bowed, pushing Cassim and Aladdin down so they were bowing too.
"Princess Jasmine. Princess Diana."
"The princesses?"
"What are you doing outside the palace and with these streetrats?"
"That's not your concern. Do as we say, and release them."
"I would, princesses, but my orders come from Jafar. You'll have to take it up with him."
"Believe us we will."
They confronted Jafar only to learn that Cassim and Aladdin had already been beheaded! Heart broken they rushed out to the menagerie. Their pets, Rajah and Suki, came over to them.
Suki was Diana's pet lioness. Rajah was Jasmine's pet tiger.
"It's all our fault. We didn't even know their names."
Cassim and Aladdin by Cassim fan