Chapter Text
In 15 days, Jasmine would turn 21 and she was still without a husband. Her father kept pestering her to finally accept a husband. Normally, she should have been married since her 18th birthday. But until then, she had managed to stand up to her father and postpone the day when she would have to tie her fate to someone other than herself. She knew that this time she would not be able to put it off for another year. She was desperate. All she wanted was to marry for love, to choose a man who would be good to Agrabah and its people, who would not be content to enjoy his status while letting the city die. Was it so much to ask? For ten days now, the princes of the neighboring kingdoms had been parading before her to curry favor. They had all been chased away by the princess, and her tiger Rajah had taken great pleasure to leave them a memory they would not forget... Jasmine sat on the edge of her fountain, her fingertips bathing in the water. She was thinking about her situation, a livid look on her face. Then a presence came to spoil her tranquility, now so rare. Her tiger growled as the person approached.
"Princess Jasmine ! I am honored to finally meet you !"
She didn't even turn around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, already knowing how this would end. She had grown accustomed to being disappointed by all her suitors. She even wondered if she would ever find the right one...15 days...she feared the worst. Finally, time caught up with her. Having 2 more years of respite hadn't allowed her to find the one she was hoping for.
She had sometimes come to the conclusion that she would probably be better off alone, without a husband to support. Besides, she was convinced that she would be able to lead this kingdom herself. She had always wanted to make a difference, to make herself useful, to bring something more to Agrabah. Everyone treated her as a fragile princess, only good for enabling the reign of a new ruler. Thinking of her unhappiness, she could no longer hear the prince behind her.
"...the one you need."
Jasmine turns her head back to him, trying to pay some attention.
"Excuse me ?"
The prince cleared his throat and his expression seemed to indicate that he was outraged that the princess wasn't even listening to what he was saying. He had come a long way to honor her with his presence, and she was not paying any attention to him.
"I was saying that I am Prince Armed my dear. I am the most coveted prince in my kingdom. It would be an honor and a real chance for you to have me as your husband. We would make a wonderful couple my dear." the prince repeated as he approached her with a haughty gait. He kept his head high, his chin always raised as if he wanted to constantly remind his superiority.
She looked at him with contempt. Decidedly, this prince was among the worst she had to deal with. He didn't even pretend to be a good person. He was so full of himself. If he thought that was the way to win her over, he would soon be disappointed. She suddenly stood up and remained facing him without flinching.
"Who do you think you are ? To hear you, one could believe that you are perfect and that nobody surpasses you." sighed she, feeling the anger rise.
The prince smiled, "Oh, but I am, my dear. I have unimaginable wealth. I can fill you with more luxury than you have ever dreamed of. I am far more noble than any of my competitors. What shall I say, competitors? It is giving them too much honor to put them on my level."
"Indeed." This man was really starting to annoy her. "I have to admit, none of them are as good as you."
He began to put on his best smile, loving to hear such words coming from someone other than himself. Then upon hearing the young princess continue, he lost his smile as quickly as it had appeared.
"You are so vile that it is difficult to do worse. I advise you to leave at once !" ordered the young woman.
"Excuse me ?! You can't reject me like that ! No one had allowed himself this luxury before you, least of all a woman ! I am the most worthy of princes, no one resists me and I do not accept that I am rejected like that !"
Hearing the man's voice grow louder, Rajah stood up fiercely and began to snarl at the prince.
"And yet I repel you and you will comply ! You say you are irresistible, but you are the one who comes crawling to my feet ! If you are so extraordinary, why don't you already have a wife at your age ?!"She didn't even want to hear his answers. As she finished showing him all her hatred growing a little more each moment, Jasmine turned her back and walked away.
"No wait !" The prince leapt forward and grabbed Jasmine's arm. The mere fact that he touched her repulsed her. She pulled herself from his grasp with force and screamed.
"How dare you ?! GO AWAY ! I never want to see you again ! Rajah !" With these words, the tiger jumped on the prince dressed in pink. Scared, he didn't wait a second longer to turn around and run away towards the big doors, shouting a little that made his manhood lose all credibility. Before he was far enough away, Rajah managed to rip off a piece of his pants, leaving the childish garment he was wearing underneath visible. Jasmine heard the big door slam as the prince disappeared. Her tiger came back to her, a piece of pants in its mouth. She finally regained her composure, but only for a few seconds. Now it was her father who was running to her to scold her for her behavior...
—
An hour later, the vizier was in the throne room, waiting for the sultan. The Sultan had summoned him to discuss a supposedly important matter. Each time he asked him to come, pretending that it was important, it was never really. He talked about projects to increase his personal pleasure. One day, he had even talked to him about building a private zoo in the royal gardens... Jafar managed to make him understand that this was not conceivable, that the money invested in this zoo would be much more useful in the construction of schools, libraries, in a better maintenance of the army or in the investment of infrastructures aiming at improving the life of the citizens of Agrabah, like roads or better housing. Ten minutes later, Jafar was still waiting, exasperated. He had better things to do than listen to his whims. He looked at the throne with lust, imagining himself sitting on it. One day, that throne would be his. He already knew what it would look like. It would certainly not be an elephant, a bloated, friendly, gentle animal. No, it would be a snake, a cobra, imposing, intimidating, vicious and inciting to respect. He was certain that the kingdom would be much more prosperous if he were in charge. Even as vizier, he was the one who took care of the kingdom the most. He could not accomplish everything he wanted to because the Sultan did not give him all the rights, judging his maneuvers to be useless. But what did he know? The sultan did not do anything, he did not even know what was going on in his own city. How the inhabitants were suffering from poverty and crime, which was still too present. Agrabah would be so much safer if he was the master... He came out of his reverie when the sultan finally arrived.
"Oh Jafar, here I am at last ! Forgive me for my delay." said the sultan as he trotted innocently towards his throne.
"No need to apologize, my lord," Jafar simply bowed.
The next moment, a person entered the room. He was expecting an interview with the sultan alone, but the princess came in. He made a light smile by seeing her, she was always so beautiful. Even if this young woman irritated him at the highest point, he had to admit that she had a beautiful body, leaving free rein to his imagination in which he could satisfy his darkest desire.
"Ah Jasmine ! I've been waiting for you." the sultan said simply, now that his daughter was in front of them.
Jasmine kept her arms crossed, still upset from her new argument this morning with her father. Once Prince Armed had left, her father kept berating her, telling her that she absolutely had to find a husband before her next birthday. She used to get into a fight with her father when it came to this subject. But this time, they had gone further in their argument and before leaving, he had just strictly ordered her to meet him in the throne room. She was very angry at him for all of this, he didn't understand anything about how she felt. He wasn't even trying to figure out what she wanted. But she didn't want to make things worse than they already were. That's why she had come to this meeting, reluctantly, with a vague idea of what he was demanding her presence for...
She saw the vizier at her father's side. As usual, he was still standing in a distinguished manner, in his dark black and red suit. She had to admit that Jafar was an intriguing and mysterious man. She had a hard time understanding him and had no confidence in him. She did not hate him. Well, not completely... She just didn't know what to think of him. He was still very respectful towards her. It was probably only due to the fact that she was the princess. Without that, he would probably just belittle her, like everyone else in that damn palace. She had heard that he did his job very well for Agrabah. That's probably why she tolerated him so well for the moment. As far as she could remember, they had never had a serious interaction. When they did run into each other, most of the time they just exchanged a few dubious glances. But every time they looked at each other, she could feel herself getting lost in his dark eyes. In those moments, she would go so far into her thoughts that she didn't realize how insistent and misinterpreted her gaze could be. All she did was try to find out what he was thinking. She always had the feeling that he was up to no good, and that maybe watching him intensely would help her understand what he was up to. She was sure he was curious about her too, because every time, he held her gaze to the end. She had no idea what he was thinking in those moments, maybe he was thinking of a way to use her, to attract her good grace or some other devilry. They never said a word and eventually broke eye contact before going their separate ways. And when they did speak, it was only by convention because they had to. Frequently, dinners were held once a month between the sultan, the princess, and the vizier. Sometimes in rare cases, others joined them, such as the minister of economy, education or research and development. But most of the time, it was just the three of them having dinner together. The purpose of these meals was to discuss the state of Agrabah. Well, it was mostly the vizier who explained to them the new developments in the city. She had long insisted that her father allow her to attend these meetings. She had always been curious about the state of the city she would soon lead. She wanted to be active in the evolution of Agrabah, not just the wife of the future sultan, serving only to fulfill his male desires and bear his future children. She wanted to be more than that. During these meetings her father would only listen, as if these things were of no importance to him. Jasmine wondered if he was even doing anything for his city. Sometimes he seemed completely surprised by what Jafar told him, as if he didn't know anything about Agrabah. It was really distressing. Come to think of it, if Jafar wasn't there, she didn't know who would take care of the city... She would have gladly accepted this role, but her father never let her do it, claiming that it wasn't a woman's role, that she should find a husband rather than take care of something that wasn't her business. She had to admit that she liked these dinners very much, it allowed her to keep abreast of what was going on in her kingdom. It was her only way of escaping her golden prison.
"Jasmine, I guess you know why I called you here", the sultan began. She didn't answer, waiting for him to continue. Already imagining what he would say to her, she felt her anger rise. "Jasmine...it's time for you to get married. You only have 15 days left. This time you have no choice. You'll have to choose a prince before that date, or we'll choose your husband and you won't have a choice."
"I wouldn't marry a man I don't know ! I don't want an arranged marriage and you know it ! I could rule Agrabah myself ! I know I could do it. I want to do well and who better than the Princess of Agrabah to lead Agrabah ? You want to entrust the future of our city to a man who doesn't even know our customs, our values ! All these princes who are coming for me, it is only to take your place, to be sultan too ! I've looked into each of them, and strangely enough, they are all at the bottom of the succession ladder. They are all at least the 5th or 6th brother in their line. Marrying a princess is the only way they can become sultans." Jasmine felt a lump of rage form in her throat.
The vizier just listened to the two rulers get angry, keeping his gaze on the young woman. What insolence... He smiled. She was rebellious, fierce, almost wild. In short, she was a woman of character, the kind of woman who doesn't let herself be pushed around. And she was rather clever. She still showed it in front of her father, who had the most futile mind. She still lacked a lot of experience to run a kingdom on her own like she seemed to want to. But with her intelligence, hard work and determination, he had no doubt that she could do it. Besides, he preferred it that way. To see a new ruler come to the throne was to risk losing his position as vizier, or not being able to carry out his plans as he wished. The current sultan had blind confidence in himself, allowing him to act very freely. He was not keen on losing all that power because of a spoiled prince wanting to prove that he had a bigger one than the others.
"Your highness..." he began to cut them off in their argument. Hearing him intervene, the sultan and the princess lowered their voices and looked at him. "...perhaps it would be wiser to let Princess Jasmine relax and avoid the visit of the princes for a few days. It would give her time to think about her situation." he said, glancing at the young woman.
When Jasmine met his gaze, she felt he was hiding something. It was strange indeed that the Wazir would make such a suggestion. Since when did he care about her business ? It didn't really matter. As long as she could have some peace and quiet. She didn't say anything and her father spoke up again in a second.
"No, it's out of the question ! I think we've wasted enough time as it is. Jasmine should have been married two years ago !" Then he turned to address her directly. "Jasmine you have to get married, you are a princess !"
Upon hearing her father's response, Jasmine again expressed her displeasure, "Well, maybe I don't want to be a princess anymore !" Being more than exhausted from this discussion, she stormed out, mad with rage. She doesn't even know why she came. She knew very well how it would end. She felt trapped. What was she going to do now ? The princes who arrived were all more infamous than the others. And if her father chose for her, she might end up with the worst one of all. She imagined for a moment that he might choose Prince Armed. She shuddered at the monstrous thought. She really didn't know what to do anymore.
"She's really unmanageable," sighed the Sultan once she was completely out of sight.
"She's young. Given her attitude, it will be difficult to find a husband who can please the princess. She will reject all her suitors," said Jafar, having no desire that the princess find a husband. Even if it was impossible for him to marry her, he did not want to give her to any other man, ever... He often imagined that it was he who was sliding his hands on this beautiful perfect body, virgin of all caresses.
"But it will nevertheless be necessary ! She can't stay alone all her life, it's out of the question ! I want to make sure she's taken care of when I'm gone."
"Well, the only solution is to keep inviting suitors and hope that one of them pleases the princess." suggested Jafar reluctantly. He was a vizier, so unfortunately he couldn't suggest to the sultan not to marry her. Anyway, it didn't matter, he knew very well that Jasmine would continue to repel all the princes to come. She was far too stubborn.
"I suppose so." sighed the sultan. "Please, my vizier, try to convince my daughter to choose a husband."
Jafar smiled. Don't count on me to do such a thing. "Very well my lord, I will do my best." he said and bowed before leaving for his apartments, his smile widening on his face.
—
Jasmine woke up quietly. She had slept very badly and had no desire to get out of bed. The day before, she had spent the afternoon in her room lamenting her fate. She just wanted to stay there and forget all her princess problems. The sun was now high in the sky. Despite her reluctance, she got up, got ready quickly and went to her balcony. She wasn't hungry, her situation was spoiling her appetite. She had no desire to leave her room. With this beautiful weather, she would love to go out into her garden to enjoy the outdoors. But if she went out, she knew she would still be bothered by her father or anyone else regarding her suitors. At least here, she was safe. Well, normally.
She stayed there, contemplating the totally clear sky that offered itself to Agrabah... Sometimes she regretted being born a princess. She dreamed of being free, of being entirely master of her life and her destiny. Here, she was constantly directed. She had no control over any aspect of her life. Her only role was to sit in the shadow of a future sultan whom she would hate, to bear his children so that all this could be repeated again and again. As she saw birds flying, rising higher and higher in the sky, she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, an idea came to her. She thought of the look on Jafar's face when he had suggested that the arrival of the princes be temporarily stopped. She had no idea why he might want to relieve her. He had never interfered with her problems before. Maybe she could ask him to help her out of this situation. It was a very strange prospect because she didn't like the vizier very much but she was willing to do anything to stop this.
Without waiting another minute, she left her room.
—
Jafar was lying on his thick, soft cushions with a bunch of grapes in his hand. He had just come back from a meaningless meeting with the sultan. This time, the sultan had whispered to him the idea of building a private circus. His stupidity knew no bounds. How could one be at the same time sultan and so childish ? He had a kingdom to rule but he didn't seem to realize it. Sometimes he wondered if the sultan was suffering from amnesia. This time, in order to prevent the construction of this circus, Jafar had used the pretext that the princess's wedding would cost a lot of money to organize. His daughter was his most precious possession, and this argument did not take long to convince the sultan to abandon the idea of his circus. "My daughter is more important, we'll postpone this big project in that case..." That's what the sultan had answered him... This "big project"... Jafar didn't really have the same vision of what a "big project". Anyway, Jafar should be fine for a while before the sultan suggests a new stupid idea. As he swallowed a ball of grapes, the beautiful princess appeared before him. He stood up quickly, nearly choking on his grapes, and bowed to her.
"Oh princess, I didn't expect to see you here. How can I be of service to you ?" he said, straightening up with a satisfied smile.
"I would like to know why you suggested to my father to give me a break regarding my suitors ? Why did you get involved in this matter ? It didn't concern you." she asked quickly, now standing before him. She was very annoyed to find herself there to ask him a favor. She hated having to ask for something, even more so if it was from the vizier.
Jafar did not answer immediately and kept his "friendly" smile that he used to take when she was there.
"I merely wished to make myself useful to your majesty."
"Don't play that game. I know you do nothing out of kindness if you have nothing to gain in return."
He lost his smile. "You doubt my integrity, Princess ? Oh, you break my heart. Yet you have never taken an interest in my work, how can you judge my actions ? I assure you that everything I do is for the good of Agrabah."
Jasmine stared at him, trying to spot the slightest bit of slyness in his poisonous words. Then he huffed, calming himself. Now was not the time to arouse suspicion. "I can imagine how complicated your situation is and I know it can't be easy to accept. Choosing a husband is not easy. He must be a good sultan for Agrabah, and on top of that he must earn your respect and love. It is not a decision to be taken lightly." he said, moving slowly until he had his back to her. He found it hard to say such things. It seemed so futile to him. Love was an illusion, far too fragile to be preserved, something that makes you weak, unable to make reasonable decisions. It's something that hurts you more than anything else, and it keeps you from doing what you should because of your feelings. To not love was to choose freedom. He knew that the princess had not moved an inch. So he turned and looked at her figure. "I think you should have a choice. Marry the man you choose yourself or don't marry if you don't feel like it." he answered, hoping she would choose the second option even if it was utopian... He was now a meter away from her. His hands were clasped behind his back, waiting for a reaction from the princess.
"Since when are you so empathetic ?" she asked, wary.
"Dear princess, I can't refuse you anything." he said with a sarcastic look. Jasmine was content with this answer. She knew very well that he was playing with her but it didn't matter. She would be careful.
"So, tell me, how can I help you ?"
"...My situation is quite difficult. My father will never allow me to remain without a husband." Jasmine turned around. She hadn't noticed the vizier was so close. She took a step back, embarrassed. "But you are the vizier and..." Jasmine hesitated, reluctant to ask him for help. She had never asked him for anything and she didn't like the idea of being indebted to him.
"And ?" whispered Jafar, waiting for her to continue. He knew full well what she was going to ask him.
"And I was wondering if you would agree to help me. As the royal vizier, you have a very strong influence. You are even the one with the most influence in this palace..."
Jafar smiled, it was nice to hear such a thing come out of the young woman's mouth. "You would like me to talk to your father about your condition ? Convince him to leave you in peace, would you not ?"
"Indeed." She was certain he had planned all this. He didn't seem at all surprised at her request.
"But you said it yourself princess. Your father will never agree to it."
"Yet you were the one who just made that suggestion."
"I simply want to gauge your determination. Oh I don't doubt your motivation to stop this marriage, I only doubt what you are willing to do to achieve that goal."
"Believe me I would be willing to do whatever it takes. I'll give you what you want." tried Jasmine, reluctantly. She was willing to do anything, even make a deal with him. What could he possibly ask of her anyway ? He was a vizier, he already had everything he wanted.
Jafar smiled slightly, pretending to think. He already had a vague idea of what he could ask her. But it was a very bold request. Knowing her, she might take it very badly, laugh in his face and get very angry. "But you know that even if I try to convince him, there is very little chance that your father will agree..."
"I am aware of that. But no one but you will be able to achieve this feat... What do you want ?"
Faced with her request, Jafar turned and took a few steps away from her slightly, a smile on his face at the thought of his request succeeding. "You're catching me off guard princess ! I didn't expect all this. That said..." then he paused "There is something I could ask you."
Jasmine waited patiently for him to continue. She hated this situation.
He turned and walked back to the princess. His gaze did not leave hers. "You know, for me there is nothing more precious than to receive the first kiss from the most beautiful princess in the world..." Jafar breathed, hoping not to be hated more by the princess after this bold request.
Jasmine was speechless. She had expected everything but this. "You want me to kiss you ?!" She froze. Never would she have imagined that.
"It's not expensive princess. One simple kiss and I promise to do what I can while talking to your father." he breathed as he slowly walked towards her. "And it's a good way to test your motivation. I know you don't like me. This will prove to me that you are really willing to do what it takes..." If Jafar wanted such a thing, it was only because he had nothing more to ask, he was very curious to feel the taste of her lips and being the first to kiss her would be like a trophy. This woman everyone was looking for, and he was the one who would win her first kiss. This girl had a way of irritating him, but he had desires to satisfy. Her perfect body was an object to 1001 fantasies.
Jasmine did not know what to do. A simple kiss to have a chance to get what she wanted, it was not much. And yet she couldn't get used to the idea of kissing him, of giving in to this. He was the vizier, they did not have a good relationship and he dared to ask her such a thing ? This request was very unexpected, even if it was to supposedly test her motivation. If she agreed, things would be quite awkward with the vizier. Seeing him every day and thinking that she had kissed him... No she couldn't do that, she had no sympathy for him, she couldn't sell herself like that.
"I have no other desire, princess. I already have everything I want and I'm very curious to see where you're willing to go." Jafar added, bringing Jasmine out of her doubts.
"You're crazy ! I can't do that ! Who do you think I am ? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would sell out like this ? I should never have come." Without waiting for a reaction from the vizier, she turned and left quickly, horribly embarrassed.
"That's a shame." Jafar breathed out, now alone.
—
It had been a few hours since Jasmine had left Jafar. She was in her garden, thinking about her strange morning. She couldn't get it out of her head what the vizier wanted. In fact, she had never kissed anyone, which was normal given her status. And she had to admit that she was very curious to know what it felt like to make contact with someone else's lips. The idea of defying the forbidden was very exciting and the fact that Jafar could be the one to introduce her to this new sensation was frightening. She should have been repulsed at the thought, but curiosity was stronger than anything. She was ashamed to have such impure thoughts.
But that would never happen. She had never stooped to that sort of thing, why would she make an exception for the vizier ? Although she was greatly intrigued by this new prospect, she could not bring herself to do so. She despised the vizier, it was absolutely out of the question. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a new, unfamiliar voice emerge behind her.
"Princess Jasmine ? I am Prince Kessir, from the kingdom of Riyad. And I am honored to finally meet you." Greeted the young prince dressed in blue.
So, this nightmare goes again. She turned to look at him. Just by the way he stood, chin up, hand on hip and chest out, she could tell that he too was a very self-important prince. This interview was still going to end quickly...
"Why are you here?" asked Jasmine calmly, having a hope that he would answer this simple question correctly and that appearances could be deceiving.
"It seems obvious to me. As a prince, I'm looking for a new woman who is willing to love me." the prince settled.
"A new woman ?"
"Well yes. Right now I only have three wives and I'd like you to join my harem and become my favorite."
Jasmine gritted her teeth, seething with anger.
"I hope you are happy Princess Jasmine ! As my favorite, you will have the most privileges. And if I don't find another more desirable woman, you will be my queen. But rest assured, when I see you I doubt that it is possible to find a more beautiful woman than you."
This time it was too much. Every time she thought she had had the worst of it with these princes, there was always one to beat the previous record. She stood up abruptly and pounced on the prince, furious. She slapped him hard and stormed off to the vizier's quarters, snarling, leaving the prince a little stunned, alone with Rajah...
—
Since the departure of the princess, Jafar had not moved. He had resumed his seat on his cushions. He had heard from passing servants that a new prince from Riyad had arrived this morning to meet the princess. He smiled, knowing full well that this one would be sent away in the same way as all the others. The princes of this country used to have a certain number of wives... When the princess finds out about this, the poor man will leave as quickly as he came. As a rule, it was not uncommon for princes to have several wives. But in this country, it was very excessive. On average in Riyad, a prince had about 15 wives. In his memory, the record was 32 wives... He didn't even understand how this could happen. 32 wives... How can you satisfy 32 wives ? He thought it was completely ridiculous.
Suddenly, the young woman appeared before him again. He stood up quickly and greeted her again, delighted.
"Princess, I am honored. Two visits in one morning, I didn't expect so much" he said with a smile.
Jasmine did not answer and simply walked towards him, with a determined air. Now at a few meters, she swallowed. She couldn't back down anymore. If she wanted this nightmare to have any chance of ending, she had to try everything.
Jafar saw her walk towards him. Worried about what was going on in her head, he waited for her to speak. He expected her to stop in front of him a meter or two away, but instead she crossed all boundaries of privacy. Without him being able to foresee it, she brought a hand behind his neck and forced him to lean towards her to come and kiss her roughly. It was completely unexpected. The princess was there, having just started an embrace with him. Pleasantly surprised, he answered her kiss. The interview with this prince must have gone very badly for her to change her mind so quickly. The taste of her soft lips was delicious. He smiled and boldly placed his hands on her waist, realizing that he was kissing the object of all his desires. He relished the sensation. It was so good to finally feel her against him, her lips warm and luscious, her skin smooth under his fingers. He had often imagined himself kissing her, trying to find the right way of how her lips could feel. Well...he wasn't disappointed. It was even beyond his expectations. She was truly divine. Oh if he dared, he would force his tongue between her lips to taste her more deeply. But if he did that he could be sure to incur the wrath of the young woman. After several seconds, Jafar felt his own body react to what was happening. So he was forced to stop the kiss before the princess felt something unusual against her lower belly...
"Hmmmm" Jafar breathed, releasing the young woman with a smile. "I'll talk to your father." he said, heading for the throne room. Jasmine did not move, disturbed by what had just happened. She was disgusted with herself. Then the vizier stopped in the middle of the room.
"It was delicious, princess..." he said without turning around, before disappearing completely from her sight.
Now alone, Jasmine ran her fingers over her lips. She didn't expect this. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but... it's true that it wasn't so unpleasant. That first kiss had been rather...pleasant. The only problem was that it was Jafar that she had kissed. She would have liked to share this moment with the man she would have chosen to love her for the rest of her life, the one who would always be there for her, the one who would treat her as an equal, and not this greedy vizier obsessed with power.
She put that kiss aside and hoped now that the vizier would succeed in what she had asked... She returned to her room, eagerly awaiting the vizier's response.
—
Jafar walked calmly to the throne room where he would meet the sultan. He couldn't get the kiss he had just shared with the young woman out of his mind. Was she so desperate that it had come to this ? It was very intriguing, she had a strong character and she would never have accepted this under normal circumstances. He arrived at the throne room faster than he would have liked. He knew very well that he could not convince the sultan to give up his daughter's marriage. That's why he already started to think of another solution for her. He had one, and if she accepted, it would be very entertaining...
"Your Highness..." Jafar greeted from afar as he saw the sultan sitting on his throne.
"Ah Jafar ! What can I do for you, my good vizier ?" the sultan exclaimed. "Have you tried to convince my daughter to marry ?"
Jafar cleared his throat. "Yes, my lord, but as you can imagine, she is not resigned to marriage." He was not in the habit of lying. In truth he never lied, he was content to feign information, never to reveal too much or play on words. But this time, the situation was different, the sultan did not deserve his frankness or his efforts.
"Ooooh this is a catastrophe. But what am I going to do..." breathed the sultan, hoping that the vizier would give him a miracle solution. Whenever he had a problem, Jafar was there to fix it.
"We could arrange for the princess not to marry. She already knows the laws and has an undeniable desire to take care of Agrabah herself. We could teach her the finer points of governing the city, and I would be there to guide her." attempted Jafar. He liked the prospect of teaching Jasmine how to run a kingdom well. It would allow him to get a little closer to the young woman and get what he wanted from her... "I'm sure she would be fulfilled."
"That's absolutely out of the question !" the sultan had answered from the word go, he hadn't even taken the time to consider the possibility he was laying out for her. "I won't be here forever, and I don't want Jasmine to be alone when I leave."
"Yes I understand my lord." He insisted again, he had given his word to the princess. And with that delicious kiss she had given him, she deserved his best. "Then perhaps we could postpone the princess's wedding for another year or two while we find the best husband for her. If you force her, she will resent you for the rest of her life. She is still young and I don't think this marriage needs to be done so soon..."
"No ! We have already delayed this wedding for three years ! We will not delay it one more day ! She will get married within 14 days, that's it ! This is non-negotiable. It's for her own good, she will forgive me."
Jafar could feel the pressure building on the little ruler, if he continued to insist, he might make things worse.
"Very well my lord, forgive me I did not mean to be pushy. I was just trying to find a solution that would satisfy your highness and the princess. "Jafar said, bowing slightly to him. He hated having to bow to him.
"That is why you are such a good vizier," the sultan calmed down. "But I won't change my mind," replied the little man, who began to play with little animal toys. He began to pile them on top of each other and paid no attention to his vizier.
Jafar got up and left without another word, leaving the sultan to his ridiculous games. He went to Jasmine's rooms, preparing in his head the second solution he could propose to the young woman...
—
Jasmine was still waiting in her room, lying on her sofa, her head resting on her arm. She stroked her tiger's head, thinking of what she would do if Jafar ever brought her a negative answer. Would she have to run away to escape this ill-fated marriage? She sighed, exasperated. She could not bear to be married to such a monstrous man as those who had come in the last two days. To imagine that she could become just another Harem woman, it disgusted her. She couldn't bring herself to live like that. Then she thought about what might happen if the vizier brought good news. It would be so liberating. No more pressure, no more having to put up with all those princes strutting around in front of her. She would be, in a way, free. Not having a husband would also mean that she would be the one to rule Agrabah. She knew she could do it. She didn't like the idea of being dependent on someone else, and being able to rule alone would be the best way to prove to everyone that she didn't need a man to take care of her. Her thoughts drifted and she couldn't stop again thinking about the kiss... She didn't expect it to be so pleasant. Even though she had remained very rough during that kiss, she had been able to enjoy this new sensation quickly. She surprised herself to want to renew the experiment.
She snapped out of her reverie when she heard a knock on her door, and saw the vizier appear before her. Rajah instinctively stood up and growled.
Clearly, she wasn't the only one who didn't trust him. "Rajah that's enough, stay there." Jasmine breathed softly so that only her tiger could hear her.
"So?" she walked towards him, a glint of hope in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry princess, I assure you I did what I could. I also tried to postpone your wedding for a year, but to no avail."
She huffed. After all, it was obvious she thought. What had she expected? She had been foolish to think that her father would leave her alone with the wedding. She turned around, not wanting the vizier to see the tear running down her cheek.
"Princess, I may have another solution." he began.
The princess quickly wiped her cheek and turned around. She was intrigued. She knew that the vizier was a man who always got what he wanted. He was a smart man, and if he was telling her about a solution he had thought of, it was because he truly believed it was feasible.
"What do you propose ?"
He pretended to think and smiled, "You could make your father think of a bad experience and then make him understand that you would be safer alone..." offered Jafar. He couldn't help but discreetly lower his eyes, meeting her cleavage. He lowered them again and admired her hips.
"Hmmm, that's not a bad idea," Jasmine replied, widening her smile and regaining her hope. "And how do you plan to proceed ?" she asked.
Jafar smiled as he realized he had piqued her curiosity.
"You tell your father that a prince has come and invited you to dinner. You accept this dinner to prove to your father your good faith. Then you stay hidden for a few days to make him believe that you have disappeared. I'll tell your father that the prince kidnapped you during this famous dinner. Later, I'll tell him that I found you and that's when you'll be able to tell him all the 'horrors' the prince did to you, and that you'll never be able to trust future suitors again. Your father will be remorseful and he will be forced to grant your request. He's going to blame himself a lot. and I doubt he will force you to see other suitors." explained Jafar.
"And where will I stay during my 'imprisonment days' ?" asked Jasmine.
"In my quarters...?" offered Jafar with a slight smile.
Jasmine blushed at the thought. Being alone with him for several days was a new and embarrassing prospect. "You're evil..." she said sarcastically, smiling. "But that's fine with me. I am ready for anything. I... "She had a very hard time with him. She never wanted to show him what she was thinking. Despite everything that had happened and what he was doing, she still didn't trust him. "Thank you..." she finally breathed anyway. She regained hope. Knowing her father, there was a chance that it would work.
"But you're welcome, princess. When do you want to start ? "He was eager to put this plan into action and have her in his room.
"How about tomorrow?" suggested Jasmine, wanting this to end as soon as possible.
"As you wish, Princess," Jafar whispered.
"And what do you want in return this time ?" she asked, still expecting a strange request in the same style as the first time.
"Nothing at all." he breathed. His reward was at the end of that goal. "As I told you, the first one was just to gauge your motivation. Now, I have no doubt what you are willing to do. Unless you want to reward me on your own." he scoffed.
"Don't be silly. But in that case, why are you doing this ? What's in it for you ?" she asked, intrigued.
"Let's say I'm bored, princess, this will bring some spice to my sad daily life. And I would do anything for you, young princess," Jafar replied, sending her a big smile.
Jasmine didn't react, knowing that his answer was ironic. His motives were very strange, she was even more suspicious of him now.. She didn't look any further and went to her balcony, rolling her hips. Of course, Jafar couldn't resist taking a look at it before heading back to his private quarters.
"Then I'll see you later, vizier."
"See you later, princess."
Now alone, Jasmine thought about the plan she had just concocted with the vizier. Honestly, she didn't think he would have agreed to help her. Jafar was not known for his altruism. It was all very suspicious. Still, she smiled. The hope of getting what she wanted was finally allowed.