by Sedeara

Special thanks to Evi for entrusting her “child”, Ali, to my care.

Dedicated to Evi, Yesenia’s “godmother”, for being there for me and for her, from day one.   

          “I’m bored,” sighed Yesenia.  She was propped on her window seat, gazing down into the palace menagerie.

          “You’re always bored after a suitor leaves,” commented Cassim.  He didn’t even look up from his studies, just dipped the quill into the ink and continued to write.

          “That’s because there’s no one for me to have fun with.”  She grinned as she remembered her most recent suitor and how gullible he had been.  She had smiled lazily at him as he told her how many kingdoms his father had conquered, and when she’d asked him, in mock interest, to tell her more of his conquests, he’d taken it seriously and rambled off another string of exaggerations.  And the entire time, he’d never guessed that inside her mind, she was laughing at him hysterically.

          “What are you doing, Cassim?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at her little brother.  His dark black hair covered his face as his quill moved furiously on the paper, and Yesenia noticed wistfully that, at that desk with his face out of view, he almost looked like a man.

          “Some of the homework my tutor assigned me,” answered Cassim.  “It’s a fake letter written by an angry Sultan to his brother in another kingdom, and I’m suppose to rewrite it in a polite and diplomatic way.”

          Yesenia laughed. “Why?  If the Sultan was angry, why can’t he just write an angry letter?  Shouldn’t he be honest?”

          “Yesenia, that’s not how diplomacy works!” said Cassim, shocked.  “Good thing you’re not running a kingdom–it would be in chaos!”

          “Well at least it would be an honest chaos,” Yesenia teased, poking Cassim under the ribs.

          “That tickles!”

          “Does that?”

          Cassim let out a series of boyish giggles, and his face started to turn red.  “Stop it, Yesenia!  You’re messing up my handwriting!”

          “You worry too much!”

          Before Cassim could reply, they both heard the rumble of tiny feet running in the hallway and they smiled at each other.  “Sounds like the twins are coming.”

          Moments later the doors burst open and the twins stumbled in, Najila first, as always.  Their faces were pink from running.

          “We just saw the prince leave!” gushed Najila.

          Nasir nodded.  “Yeah, and he was smiling!  I looked at his hand–he had rings on every finger!  Gosh he must be so rich!”

          “He certainly thought he was,” said Yesenia dryly.

          “Was he a good kisser?” asked Najila.

          “Najila, were you spying again?”

          “I wasn’t, I promise!” She moved her hand up to her mouth to stifle giggles.

          “No, he wasn’t, you nosy little girl!” Yesenia tapped Najila’s nose playfully.  “His lips were too dry.”

          “Yesenia, you know that–“ Cassim began, but his older sister quickly cut him off.  “Shh,” she warned.  “I hear Ali coming.”

          “I just saw Prince Abdullahrahman off,” said Ali as he entered.

          “Only you could pronounce that,” laughed Yesenia.

          “What did you call him if you couldn’t pronounce his name?” asked Ali, cocking an eyebrow.

          “Dear prince.”

          “He seemed to have liked you,” said Ali, smiling.

          “She didn’t like him,” blurted Najila.  “She says he’s not a good kisser.”

          Ali’s face drained.  “Yesenia, you didn’t kiss him?”

          “She kisses all her suitors,” said Najila, her eyes dancing with mischief.

          “Najila!”

          “Yesenia!” 

          Sheepishly, Yesenia turned back to Ali.

          “Yesenia, you just can’t do that,” he said.  His voice was calm, but his sister could tell that he was disappointed.  “You have to take your responsibilities seriously.  I work very hard to build up the reputation of our family, and you should do the same.”

          “A little kiss never hurt anyone,” said Yesenia sulkily. “Besides, how else am I suppose to know if I like them?”

          “This is real life, Yesny, not a romance story.”

          Yesenia bit her lip.  She hated Ali to be angry with her, and she hated to let down her family . . . but sometimes she couldn’t help herself.  She just wanted to have fun.  

          “You know I love you,” Ali said gently, placing his hand on Yesenia’s shoulder.  “And that’s why I’m scolding you.  I don’t want the people of Agrabah–or of other kingdoms, for that matter–to start questioning your virtue.”

          “Ali–“ Yesenia sighed.  Sometimes she felt like she was on a different plain than the rest of her family, and she wondered why they always insisted on taking everything so seriously.

          “Yesenia, when our mother was your age she was thinking of choosing a husband!” Ali reminded her.

          “Yes, and when Mother was my age, she also ran away from home and met Dad.”

          “That’s different.  Her father didn’t give her the freedom she needed,” said Ali patiently.  “But Yesenia, Mom and Dad give you that freedom.  Don’t abuse it.  Why do you still feel the need to rebel?”

          “I’m not rebelling!” insisted Yesenia.  “I’m just having fun.”

          “Be careful, Yesny,” Ali warned her.  “Your idea of ‘fun’ could lead you into trouble.”

          Yesenia turned away from her siblings and returned her gaze to the window, watching the sun disappear behind the palace walls.  Darkness slowly crept into the room, and for once Yesenia remained silent, unable to tell her family about the strange and nameless sadness that occupied her heart.

          “Yesenia, you have to be more careful,” Jasmine said patiently.  Her daughter was still at the window-seat, staring out at a star-filled sky.  Jasmine wondered if she was even listening–she remembered, with a pain in her heart, how often she’d tuned her father’s lectures out.  Now that he was gone, she would have given anything to sit through one of his lectures.

          “I know you’re only having fun,” Jasmine continued, “but Ali told me that you’ve been less inhibited with your suitors than you should be . . .”

          Yesenia sighed, and Jasmine tried to read the feelings behind it. 

          “It’s permitted for you to let them politely kiss your hand in greeting or departure,” Jasmine continued, “but anything beyond that . . . is not to be taken casually.”  Jasmine was worried about her daughter–it wasn’t often that she sat so silently through a scolding.  Usually, she was quick to defend herself, even if the words that came out were sometimes disrespectful. 

          “Mother,” started Yesenia softly.

          “Yes?”

          “Remember when you told me the story of how you ran away from home because your life was being lived for you?  Remember how you said that, even though your father was angry, you never regretted it?”

          “Yes,” murmured Jasmine.  “I’ll never forget it, Yesenia.  That’s why we’ve told it to you–“

          “And remember how you met Dad, and . . . how you realized that there was more than one way to be trapped?  Well that’s how I feel . . . trapped.”

          Jasmine felt a pain shoot through her heart, and she approached her daughter, who still hadn’t taken her gaze off the sky for a moment.  She placed her hands on Yesenia’s shoulders, and closed her eyes.  She’d tried so hard to give her children the freedom she hadn’t had . . . and here was her daughter, sixteen years old . . . almost a woman, and feeling the same suffocation she’d experienced at her age.

          “I know you and Dad have tried hard to give me freedom,” Yesenia continued.  “You took me on trips to kingdoms when I was little, and I’ve been into the marketplace for all the festivities the common people throw, but . . . somehow it’s not enough.”  Yesenia turned around quickly and looked into her mother’s eyes, praying she wouldn’t see pain and disappointment in them.  She didn’t–just compassion . . . and her own reflection.

          “I just feel like . . . like I need to do something on my own . . . just to prove that I can.  Maybe that’s why I play with the suitors . . . because I know it isn’t right, but I’m still controlling it . . . Mother, please don’t be disappointed–“

          “I’m not,” whispered Jasmine.  “Continue.”

          “It’s just that . . . Ali had his adventure last year.  I think that’s why he’s so ready to become Sultan.  I think that’s why he can follow the rules and not feel trapped by them . . . because he’s had that chance . . . to be on his own and make his own rules . . .”

          “And that’s what you need,” murmured Jasmine, sitting beside her daughter on the cushioned window-seat.  She tenderly brushed rebellious curls away from Yesenia’s eyes.

          “I don’t know,” admitted Yesenia.  Restlessly, she stood up and paced to her desk where a portrait of the family was lovingly set beside a vase of jasmine flowers.  It was a newly painted picture.  “I love you,” she whispered, glancing at the portrait and almost speaking to it instead of her mother–addressing the entire family and not just one member.  “But I think I need to get away . . . to find who I am and who I want to be.” 

          Jasmine also rose from the cushioned bench now.  “I think you’re right.”

         Yesenia looked up from the portrait, surprised.  She had known her mother would understand, but she’d expected her to be hurt . . . to need more coaxing before agreeing.

          “Your father and I try very hard to give you freedom to grow on your own, Yesenia,” Jasmine continued.  “That’s why we allow you to meet suitors but don’t insist that you choose one, and why you were shown the city outside the palace at a young age.  But there were still restrictions–and you’re growing up.

          “When I was nineteen, my father had relaxed from his old ways quite a bit.  I’d already met your father and seen the world with him . . . but there was still searching I needed to do . . . still questions I had to answer about myself.  And I had to do that on my own.”

          “You went to Astaseez,” whispered Yesenia, for she’d heard this story before as well.  “To uncover your mother’s past–“

          “It’s your past, too, Yesenia,” Jasmine reminded her gently.  “Our blood isn’t in Astaseez anymore, since my grandfather left no sons.  But our history is still rich there.  You would learn, and, more importantly, you’d be away from home.  You’d get your taste of freedom.”

          “Could I?” asked Yesenia.  “You’d let me go there–alone?”

          “When I was young, I had my adventures.  Ali had a chance for his–I believe that it’s your turn, Yesenia.”

          “Thank-you,” Yesenia whispered, and she fell into her mother’s embrace, something she hadn’t done since she was a little girl.  “Thank-you.”

          “I’m not sure about this,” admitted Aladdin that night, removing his turban.  He ran his hand through his hair and down his face, finally letting it rest against his dark, trim beard.  “She’s so young–“

          “Not so young,” Jasmine whispered.  “When I was her age, I was expected to marry and bear sons.  And you–“

          “I was living in the streets,” he finished.  “But Jasmine . . . I grew up like that–I hardly remember my mother, and my father . . . I didn’t know him until we were married.  I learned the hard way to take care of myself–but we’ve always been there for Yesny.  She doesn’t know yet what the world is like . . .”

          Jasmine stood before the mirror, removing her golden earrings.  She could see her husband’s reflection over her shoulder, and she smiled gently.  “Aladdin,” she murmured, “I had no idea what the world was like either, until I broke the rules and left–“

          “But you had me,” Aladdin reminded her, grinning mischievously and pulling her back against him.  Without warning, he lost his balance and they both tumbled back on the bed.  Jasmine laughed and turned around, but the playfulness had already disappeared from Aladdin’s face. 

          “She’ll be okay, Aladdin,” Jasmine whispered, lightly brushing his face.  “You know that if we don’t give her this opportunity, she’ll rebel and take it anyway.”

          “Yes,” admitted Aladdin reluctantly.  “It’s something she needs . . .”

          Jasmine nodded and snuggled more closely into Aladdin’s embrace.  “It’s something we all need . . .”

         Ali stood in Yesenia’s doorway watching her for a long time.  She was hunched over her desk, scribbling away.  Her hair was tied behind her neck–if she hadn’t done it that way, strands of it would have hung lose and slipped right into the inkbottle.

          “Mom says you’re going away,” Ali commented.  Surprised at the broken silence, Yesenia jumped and glanced over her shoulder.

          “How long have you been spying?” she asked.

          “Not long.”  Ali brushed curtains aside and entered, seating himself on Yesenia’s divan, right beside her desk. 

She turned on her stool to face him.  “I am.”

          “Why?”

          Yesenia sighed and turned back to the request she was writing to Sultan Tewfic.  “Because I need to . . . get away from here.”

          “It’s not so bad.”

          “But it’s . . . here . . . familiar and . . . stifling.”

          Ali shifted nervously.  “Yesny, it’s not because of . . . what I said yesterday, is it?  About your reputation . . .?”

          It hurt Yesenia to see Ali blaming himself for her own restlessness.  But then, he always was one to take full responsibility for the family . . . it was something that annoyed Yesenia at times, but it was also something she admired.  None of these thoughts escaped for her brother to hear.  Instead, she tapped his nose playfully with the feather-end of her pen and said, “No, Ali.  It takes a lot more than that to get rid of me.”

          “Yesny–“

          “Ali! Ali!” two voices shouted in unison, accompanied by a chorus of giggles and stampeding feet.  Within moments they had burst into the room. 

          “We’re playing pirates,” announced Najila.

          “Yeah, like that man who hunted the shark!” added Nasir.

          “Murk,” Ali provided.  “And I’m not sure he was a pirate–“

          “We need a bad guy,” continued Najila.

          “Yeah, to capture her.”  Nasir pointed to Najila.  “So that I can rescue her.  I’m going to be the hero!”

          “But then I get to rescue him!”  Najila tugged on Ali’s arm.  “Come on!”

          “Wait.”  For once, Ali resisted, and touched Yesenia’s arm.  “When are you leaving?”

          Najila’s grip on Ali’s sleeve slackened, her attention diverted.  “You’re going away, Yesny?”

          “Yes–“

          “Can I come?” Najila asked hopefully.

          “And me!” injected Nasir.

          “Where?” Najila asked before Yesenia had a chance to answer her former question.

          “Astaseez.  Where grandmother was from.”

          “Why?”

          Yesenia smiled mischievously.  “Because I’m tired of playing.  I’m ready for a real adventure.”

          “Sultan Tewfic has extended an invitation,” said Yesenia, unfolding the response to the letter she had sent him.  “He was also impressed by the writing of the letter,” added Yesenia, smirking.  “Good thing that I had Cassim revise it for me.  I’ll have to thank him.”

          “What else does he say?” asked Jasmine.

          “That he has two sons around my age,” she continued.  The smirk spread to a grin. 

          “Any daughters?” asked Aladdin.

          Yesenia shook her head, scanning further down the letter.  “Not that he mentions.  Just the boys.”

          Aladdin and Jasmine exchanged worried glances.

          “But Princess Shahina, daughter of Prince Casimir of Pitosah, is also making a visit during the time I’ll be there.”  Yesenia wrinkled her nose in annoyance.  “I’d rather not meet her.  That Pitosah family is nothing but trouble.”

          “Casimir is a good man,” Jasmine assured her daughter, fondly remembering her childhood crush on him.  “He isn’t anything like his brothers.  I’ve never met his wife, but I doubt he’d settle for anything less than wonderful.  His daughter will probably be nothing like her uncles, either.  I don’t think you have to worry about Shahina.”  Jasmine smiled.  “She must be about your age.”

          Yesenia nodded.  “The letter says nineteen.”

          “She’ll probably be a friend, Yesny,” suggested Aladdin.  “You’ll be glad for her visit once you meet her.”

          The thought relieved Aladdin and Jasmine both.  Perhaps friendship with another woman would distract Yesenia from the two young princes.

          The weeks before her visit went by sooner than Yesenia had expected them to.  Before she knew it, she was standing in the menagerie, saying good-bye to her family.

          “Be careful, Yesny,” Ali said softly, embracing her.

          “I won’t do anything you wouldn’t do,” said Yesenia.  They grinned at each other in shared remembrance of all the mischief they’d gotten into as children . . . innocent, of course.  And it was a lot of fun when they weren’t caught.

          “Write us letters!” demanded Najila.  “Tell us everything!”

          “Yes, and use big words!” added Nasir.  “Because we’re learning to read really good now, aren’t we, Najila?”

          She nodded happily.

          Yesenia rubbed Cassim’s perfectly combed hair, and in annoyance, Cassim tried to straighten it again.  “Yesenia . . .”

          “Don’t study too hard, little brother,” said Yesenia affectionately.  “Especially when I’m not here to distract you from it.”

          “I’ll keep an eye on him,” Ali assured them both gently. 

          Cassim withdrew.  “I can take care of myself,” he muttered.

          “Can you?” teased Yesenia.

          “Don’t bother him about it,” said Ali good-humoredly.  “You’re the one we’re all worried about.”

          “I’ve waited my whole life for something like this,” said Yesenia, ignoring the tight ball of nervousness in her stomach.  “I know exactly how to handle it.”

          She turned to her parents.  “Mother . . . Dad . . .” She hugged them both in turn, unsure of what to say.  It was the first time that she’d be out of their protecting presence, and it didn’t feel right to tell them how much she was looking forward to it.  Finally, she simply whispered, “Thanks.”

          “Did you remember everything?” Aladdin asked as Yesenia drew away.  “Enough clothes–“

          “Yes, Dad.”

          He swallowed hard, then glanced behind Yesenia to where Carpet was patiently waiting.  “Fly carefully, pal.”

          Carpet gave Aladdin a respectful salute.

          Yesenia ruffled Abu’s hair and stroked Rajah’s fur, grown coarse after so many years.  “Keep the family in line,” she whispered to the tiger.  He whimpered softly.

          “Well.”  Yesenia smiled to cover her nervousness.  “I’m off!”

          Within a few moments, Carpet hovered above the palace walls with Yesenia situated atop.  The family continued to wave until she was out of sight.

          When she was no more than a fading speck on the horizon, Jasmine leaned back against Aladdin.  His arm circled her waist.  She didn’t need to turn around to sense his uncertainty.  “What’s wrong, Aladdin?” she murmured.

          Aladdin sighed.  “I don’t know, Jasmine.  I just have the feeling that after this . . . Yesenia will never be the same again.”