Aladdin Live Action Novelization, page 11
“A prince from a kingdom that doesn’t exist, who now possesses a magic carpet from the Cave of Wonders?” Jafar shook his head. “It seems to me the only way that’s possible is if you found a certain treasure—my treasure. Where is the lamp?”
Jafar wasn’t the first nasty guy Aladdin had had to deal with, so he figured he would just do what he did on the streets—improvise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he said, feigning ignorance.
Striding over, Jafar leaned down and lifted Aladdin’s head so they were eye to eye. “I have to say, I’m impressed,” he said, his breath hot on Aladdin’s cheek. “I didn’t think you had it in you. I admire your ambition. The challenge is, it conflicts with my own.”
“There’s clearly some misunderstanding,” Aladdin said, still trying to play the part of prince. “Whoever you think I am, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement. Once I marry the Sultan’s daughter—”
In response, Jafar began to cackle. “I don’t think I need your arrangement,” he said, his voice full of hate.
Aladdin paled as reality sunk in. Jafar knew who he was. It would be the vizier’s word against his, and chances were the Sultan was going to believe Jafar. And if that happened, then he could kiss everything, including a future with Jasmine, goodbye.
“You see,” Jafar went on, “if I throw you from this balcony, and if you are who you say you are, you’ll die a watery death and I’ll be free of Prince Ali.” He walked over and swung open the balcony doors. The sound of lapping water in the palace moat could be heard far below. “If you survive, it can only be because you have the lamp. In which case, I’ll have my answer. So, for the last time, where is the lamp?”
Aladdin began to shake his head, reality crashing down. There was no way he could possibly get out of this. This wasn’t like stealing an apple from a vendor and talking his way out of paying. This was the kingdom’s vizier. Jafar wanted him gone. And he had the power, and the guards, to make that happen. “Listen to me, I don’t know who you think I am—” Aladdin’s protest fell short.
As he held up a finger, a cruel smile spread over Jafar’s face. “Goodbye…Aladdin.” Then, turning to his guards, he signaled to two of the bigger ones. The men stepped forward, and with another nod from Jafar, they picked up the chair—with Aladdin still tied to it—and threw it off the side of the balcony.
Aladdin fell. Faster and faster he dropped down, the wind whipping at his hair, howling in his ears. In the fleeting moment he had, he couldn’t help thinking that the last time he had felt the wind, it had been flying with Jasmine. This time was much, much different.
Desperately, he tugged at the ropes holding him in the chair. But it was no use. They were tight, and he was falling too fast.
With a splash, he hit the murky water of the moat. There was a brief flash of light and he was able to take one big gasp of air before the world went wavy. Swiftly, he began to sink, the weight of the chair making him sink faster. He frantically tried to make out anything in the dark abyss. But all he could see was blackness. His lungs already felt like they were going to explode. He should have just told Jafar the truth. Found the lamp and handed it over. Just like he should have told Jasmine who he really was. But now it was too late. There was no way he was going to survive.
And then, like a mirage in the desert, he saw something. The lamp! It was floating down after him. Abu! Aladdin thought, as a wave of hope rushed over him. Abu must have gotten away and found the lamp. He had a chance now. A slim one, but a slim one was better than nothing at all.
A moment later, the legs of the chair hit the sandy bottom of the moat and it sank to its side, with Aladdin still attached. Desperately, he watched as the lamp slowly drifted down, down, down, until it, too, hit the bottom a few feet from where he lay.
Aladdin didn’t waste a moment. With all his remaining strength, he began to roll himself—and the chair—over. One painful roll at a time he moved until, finally, he was right next to the lamp. His fingers were mere inches from it. He strained to reach out and touch his fingertips to the brass. But the effort took the last of his breath, and he felt his lungs begin to give in, his eyes begin to close. He wasn’t going to make it. After all he had done to try and win over Jasmine, after all he had been through on the streets, he was going to die at the bottom of a moat, and no one would ever know.
No!
The voice inside Aladdin’s head was loud, and it shocked his eyes back open. He inched just a bit closer and then, just as his eyes closed again, he rubbed the lamp. The world went dark.
Unconscious, Aladdin didn’t see the Genie suddenly appear. Nor did he see him hesitate, confused to find himself underwater. But it took only a moment for the powerful being to figure out where he was, and when he spotted Aladdin, panic filled his face. The Genie rushed forward, shaking him. But Aladdin didn’t respond. “Kid, I can’t help you with this one,” he said desperately. “You gotta wish!” He poked at Aladdin’s floating body. Still nothing. “Come on! Say the words. ‘I, Aladdin, being of sound mind and body, do wish—’” He stopped. It was no use. Reaching out, he squished Aladdin’s lips together, forming the words with his own fingers. He leaned closer, hoping for something. But all he got was silence.
In that moment, the Genie did something that, if Aladdin had been awake, would have surprised and touched him. He pretended he did hear something. Something specific. Still moving Aladdin’s lips, he spoke for him. “My second wish is to be saved from certain doom at said time of happening….” The wish made, Genie grabbed Aladdin and rocketed toward the surface.
“Come on, kid! Kid, wake up! You in there?”
Aladdin heard the Genie’s voice, but it sounded foggy and far away. His head was pounding, and his lungs felt heavy. He didn’t want to move, but a sudden gagging feeling sent his eyes flying open and his body forward as he coughed up a mouthful of water. As he coughed and gagged, struggling to catch his breath, he remembered everything that had happened: Jafar having him thrown over the balcony, the despair, and then the surge of hope as he saw the lamp. The last thing he remembered was seeing the Genie flash in front of him.
And now he was alive and safe, back in his chambers.
The Genie had saved him.
Despite his rules about favors and friendship, the Genie had somehow, for some reason, managed to pull him out of the water and save his life. There was nothing he could say or do to ever repay him. But he could try.
Gesturing to him, Aladdin struggled to speak. But his throat was raw and the effort painful. He crooked a finger, trying to get the Genie to lean in still closer. Rolling his eyes, but doing as asked, the Genie bent down. “Thanks, Genie,” Aladdin whispered.
To his surprise, the Genie looked embarrassed. “Hey, no problem,” he said, trying to brush it off. “I was in the area…”
Aladdin shook his head. “I thought you said no favors.”
“Well, technically, it wasn’t—” the Genie countered.
“Thought you said no friends,” Aladdin said, getting enough life back in him to enjoy teasing the Genie a bit.
“It actually cost you a wish,” the Genie said, trying to gain back the upper hand. But it didn’t matter. They both knew what he had done—and what it meant.
“Whatever it cost, thanks. You saved my life.” Before the Genie could stop him, Aladdin reached out and gave him a giant hug. Then he pulled back. While he would have rather stayed in the chambers recovering for a few days—or even weeks, if he was honest—Aladdin knew he couldn’t. Genie helped him to a sitting position, offering his arm for support. Aladdin’s vision swam as blood flowed back into his brain. When the room had stopped spinning, he spoke again. “We have to stop Jafar.”
“Not going to be easy, kid,” the Genie said. “He’s got everyone under his spell.”
Nodding, Aladdin rose and made his way toward the door, each step growing faster. He couldn’t waste a minute. Who knew what lies Jafar was telling the Sultan—or worse yet, Jasmine. He had to find them and get his story out. Before the damage was done.
Unfortunately, Jasmine was hearing the whole story—or at least Jafar’s version—even as Aladdin and Genie frantically made their way toward the Great Hall. She stood at the end of the Great Hall, listening as her father and Jafar approached.
“And I overheard Prince Ali talking to his advisor about returning with an army to conquer Agrabah—” Jafar said.
“What?” the Sultan cried in disbelief. Jasmine saw the disappointment beginning to cross her father’s face. She knew that he had begun to think quite highly of the prince. And now his most valued advisor was spewing a hateful story that made Ali look like a monster.
Jafar nodded. “Now it appears he’s fled in the night. I have warned you, my sultan. Agrabah is vulnerable. You must sign off on the invasion before…”
Jasmine had heard enough. There was no way any of this was true. And she had only an hour ago left the prince. He hadn’t fled. He was probably sleeping in his chambers! “Jafar cannot be trusted!” she said, her face stony as she stared at the vizier.
As if on cue, the door to the Great Hall swung open, revealing Prince Ali. He was disheveled and appeared to have gone swimming—in his clothes—but he was there. Jasmine began to smile. To her surprise, so did Jafar. But his smile was cold and calculating and made hers fade. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what was going on between the vizier and Prince Ali.
“Your Highness,” Prince Ali said, rushing forward. “Your advisor is not who he says he is.” He paused, catching his breath.
Instantly, Aladdin’s handsome attendant stepped forward and continued the story. “Tied the boy to a chair,” he asserted. “Threw him in the water. You know what? I’m no longer calling you Jafar, I’m calling you too far—cause that’s where you’ve gone with this.”
“Terrible—” the Sultan said. “Just terrible.”
Jasmine turned and looked at her father. He sounded strange. And his eyes suddenly looked cloudy, as though he weren’t altogether there. It was as if he were a puppet, saying something but not in control.
The Sultan nodded. “Jafar, your loyalty belongs to me,” he said, his voice expressionless. Then he turned to Ali. “You invited yourself into our city and we welcomed you as our guest. But I believe your intentions are deceitful. You are a grave danger to Agrabah and you shall be dealt with as such.”
Jasmine opened her mouth to protest but her father lifted a hand. He shook his head. “Jafar has told me of Prince Ali’s intention. He’s here for my throne. Hakim!” His shout echoed off the walls of the Great Hall, but it was not loud enough to drown out the sound of her own heart pounding frantically in her chest. She couldn’t let Hakim take Ali. If he did…
Suddenly, Prince Ali stepped forward and snatched the staff Jafar had been holding right out of his hands. As the vizier let out a shout of protest, Jasmine noticed that the eyes of the snake on the staff seemed to be glowing bright red. As soon as the staff was out of Jafar’s hands, the eyes went dark. And her father seemed to come back to life.
“What…what happened?” he asked.
Jasmine was curious to know herself. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it, but somehow, Jafar had been controlling her father.
“He’s had you under his spell,” Prince Ali explained. He held up the staff. Carefully, as though the snake might come to life and hiss at any moment, Ali handed the staff to the Sultan. “He wants your throne.”
Looking down at the staff, the Sultan’s eyes narrowed. Then he looked back up at Jafar. The man was slinking toward the exit. “My most trusted advisor,” the Sultan said, sarcasm lacing his voice. He tossed the staff to the ground and then gestured to Hakim. “Have him locked in the dungeon.”
The guards began to move toward Jafar. The vizier looked back and forth between the door and the men. Then he shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. And before anyone could stop him, he pulled an object out of his pocket and held it up. The area in front of him filled with smoke. When it cleared, he was gone.
“Find him,” the Sultan ordered the guards. As they filed out of the room, he turned back to Ali. “I must apologize for how you have been treated,” he said genuinely. “Your honor and integrity will never again be questioned in Agrabah.”
Jasmine glanced at Ali. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and he swayed nervously back and forth. For someone who had shown no fear at flying on a carpet or walking the streets of an unknown city, he seemed almost frightened of the kindness and respect her father was now offering. It made him, she thought, flushing herself, even more charming.
The Sultan went on. “A more noble, sincere young man has never graced the chambers of this palace. I would be honored to call you my son…if that were something anyone wanted.”
As Jasmine’s blush grew deeper, she locked eyes with the prince. She couldn’t help noticing that even though he had just been given permission to marry her, he didn’t seem entirely happy. In fact, he looked almost…pained.
Aladdin was in pain. Not physically, although he did feel rather sore from his chair tumble into the moat. But that paled in comparison to the pain he was feeling as the Sultan’s words sank in and he realized he was now completely, permanently, unequivocally trapped in the big fat lie that was Prince Ali.
As if his body were being controlled by someone else, he went through the motions of shaking the Sultan’s hand and squeezing Jasmine’s. But as they both spoke to him, he heard only hollow sounds, the blood pumping through his head drowning out everything else. By the time he managed to extricate himself from their company, he felt exhausted. And by the time he and the Genie got back to his chambers, he was pretty sure he wanted to be sick.
Genie didn’t seem all too happy, either. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell her!” he said, slapping his own forehead in frustration.
Aladdin raised an eyebrow. Was the Genie serious? Had he not just been in the room? “The Sultan just finished saying how honest and noble I am…” He didn’t bother to finish. The irony was obvious to both of them.
“Well,” the Genie said with a shrug, “you’re not getting any more honest and noble stringing this out.”
Aladdin took a deep breath. The Genie was right. It wasn’t going to get any easier to pull himself out of his lie. The lies were going to pile on top of lies. The sooner he ended the charade, the better. But he wasn’t ready to tell her. Not yet, at least.
“Then when?” the Genie asked when Aladdin admitted he was going to wait.
“When the time is right,” he answered.
The Genie narrowed his eyes. Aladdin shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The Genie was no fool. He had lived hundreds of years. He had seen thousands of moments and met hundreds of people. He could tell when someone wasn’t being honest. Because, truth be told, Aladdin wasn’t just lying to Jasmine and her father, he was lying to himself. About everything. “It’s just, they all think I’m—” Aladdin started to say.
“Something you’re not,” the Genie finished for him. He shook his head, disappointment filling his eyes. “And you’re allowing them to continue to think that. Some people call that a lie. I’m starting to think that you have no intention of telling her.”
Aladdin opened his mouth to protest. But no words came.
The Genie began to shake his head. “And that whole thing in the desert,” he said softly. “The ‘I’m going to set you free for my third wish’ is a lie, too.” He ignored Aladdin’s weak protest. Holding up a hand, he stopped him from trying to talk. “Remember when I said there’s always that guy? Crazed for money and power…” Aladdin nodded. “Here’s the problem with that guy. Nothing will ever be enough for somebody who can’t ever get enough because, deep down, he feels like he’s not enough. When I met you, I thought you’d got sent to the cave to get the lamp for that guy. But I’m getting scared that you might be becoming that guy.”
The Genie’s words hit Aladdin like a slap across the face. Was the Genie right? Was he becoming that guy? He had never meant to hurt anyone—especially not Jasmine or the Genie. But they didn’t know what it was like to be him. What his life had been like. Anger slowly began to bubble up inside Aladdin, replacing the guilty feeling. It wasn’t fair of the Genie to judge him. He barely knew him! What right did he have to sit there and pass judgment about Aladdin’s behavior when he was a magical being with infinite power? He had probably never known what it was like to love someone he couldn’t have or to starve because he couldn’t steal food. The anger boiled over and Aladdin lashed out. “You don’t get it, Genie. People like me don’t get anything except by pretending.”
“Maybe you don’t get it,” the Genie snapped. “The more you gain by pretending, the less you’ll actually have.” He paused, hoping to see some recognition in Aladdin’s eyes, but Aladdin wouldn’t even make eye contact. “You know, in ten thousand years I’ve never once called a master friend? Broke the rules for you. Saved your life. And for what?” Shaking his head in disappointment, the Genie raised a hand and transformed into a puff of smoke, retreating into his lamp.
“Hey!” Aladdin picked up the lamp and yelled at it. “I’m not done talking to you!” But the Genie stayed inside, his only response resounding silence. Angrily, Aladdin shoved the lamp into his pocket. He had to get out of there. The chamber rooms felt like they were closing in around him and the air felt thick with the Genie’s disappointment. Looking over at Abu and the carpet, he gestured for them to join him. “Come on,” he said.
To his surprise, the carpet didn’t fly right over. Instead, it turned away. Abu just stood there, looking at him with big, sad eyes. It was clear that neither of them were pleased with his behavior. He narrowed his eyes at Abu. Traitor, he thought. Turning his back, he strode out of the room. He didn’t need them. He didn’t need anyone. He just needed to get out of there. Now.
He had only gotten a few steps when he heard Abu chattering behind him. Not turning to look, he waited until he felt his friend jump on his shoulder. Then he looked at him and gave him a small smile. At least he wasn’t completely alone. He would always have Abu. Together, the pair left the palace, heading into Agrabah.
