Post by Azalea on Aug 22, 2015 21:15:59 GMT
The sun beat through the windows of the palace as Azalea played in the hallways and ball rooms. She did so every day after her lessons and before her parents were finished with their daily duties. The palace staff were supposed to keep an eye on her but since she was never any trouble, they mostly left her to her own devices.
It was this day however that she was distracted. There was a beautiful red butterfly floating in the castle. Several times the princess tried to guide it out a door or a window but it was stubborn and refused to be helped.
Azalea was a kind hearted girl of twelve and she couldn't bear the thought of so beautiful a creature coming to harm in the castle. She knew that it was only a matter of time before it became trapped in a cupboard or squashed by an unseeing broom. It was these thoughts that led her to follow the insect through the castle. She ended up in a dead-ended corridor with a few store rooms. One of the rooms was open and there was a strange light inside.
As with all good princesses, Azalea lacked a sense of fear or respect for circumstances out with the ordinary and went to have a look. The butterfly mysteriously disappeared but Az had all but forgotten what led her here. The room was littered with old rugs and furnishings from rooms long since decorated or disused, but sitting in the far corner was a small end table with an old oil lamp. It was this old, slightly rusty oil lamp that was the focus of the odd lighting, and naturally her curiosity got the better of her. Azalea spent a good few moments staring, trying to work out how this could be. She had decided not to touch it when the butterfly reappeared, brushing her cheek and making her jump, her arms flailing and knocking the lamp to the floor.
This was all it took and with a puff of red smoke, a tall man in a set of black robes stood in front of her. Without a moment's pause, he spoke; “I am the genie of the lamp, your wish is my command”. His voice was deep and smooth and it had an almost hypnotic quality to it. The princess was very confused. Wishes? She was a princess. She didn't need anything.
“There must be something your heart desires, princess” the genie continued, persuading her, coaxing her.
“Well,” she admitted, “I suppose there may be one or two things.”
“Good! Good!” the genie of the lamp encouraged. “What is your first wish Mistress?” Azalea did not notice the look of cunning glee that formed on his face.
“I wish I had the best tiara in the land” She thought it would be best to try something small, that didn't cause too many problems. Instantly she felt a weight on her head and reached up to find a sparkling diamond band nestled in her thick dark hair. This genie seemed to be the real deal and Az quickly made her second wish, “I wish I didn't have to go away to school”
“DONE” bellowed the genie and everything disappeared. The palace, the little room, her family and pets; all gone. Instead, Azalea found herself in the middle of the desert, far far from home. Instantly she began to panic. She had no water, no food and she was very inappropriately dressed but above all else she had no idea where she was. There was no marks of a camel train, no sign of any buildings or trade posts. All she could see for miles around was sand. Instinctively, Az sank to the ground and began to cry.
“What am I going to do?” She sobbed.
Back at the Palace, everyone was frantically looking for the princess. Her grandfather the Sultan had asked for her to join him and she was nowhere to be found. He ordered every inch of the palace and the grounds to be searched immediately.
It took several hours for the search to be completed. The chief of security trembled as he stood in front of the royal family and admitted his defeat. The sultan was just giving the order to have the terrified man locked up when a foot soldier barrelled into the room.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” bellowed the sultan.
“I...I'm sorry....I..I Just...”stammered the poor soldier, holding out the lamp “I found this...”
Three astonished royals looked at the lamp.
“Jafar! But that was gone...” whispered Jasmine.
“I want that thing destroyed. NOW!” The sultan commanded.
The footsoldier backed out of the room followed by his commanding officer, relieved to have escaped punishment for failing to find the girl.
The girl in question had finished crying and was now looking for the way home. She knew the sun set in the west, and that there were many other kingdoms to the west of her own. She began to walk towards the sunset, keeping a straight line through the scorching desert sun.
Hours later, tired and on the brink of collapse, Azalea came across a tiny hut, all alone in the desert. She could see a large town in the distance but she could not go one more step. Weakly she knocked on the door and collapsed.
When she awoke it was dark. She was lying on something soft and there was something damp on her head. Water! She thought. I need water. Slowly she sat up, a rag falling from her forehead. “Hello?” she rasped, looking for the person who brought her inside.
An old woman stepped from the shadows. “hello my dear,” she smiled, showing a mouth less than full of yellow teeth “You are finally awake. I was getting worried.”
Azalea nearly recoiled from her at the sight of her smile but her manners and upbringing prevented such an ungrateful reaction. She accepted the cup of water offered to her and drank deeply.
“I sent word to the town, my dear. They're sending a couple of guards for you.” The woman continued, answering the princess's unspoken questions and curious look, “ I knew you were royalty from your headband, and the kingdoms all around here have been searching for the missing princess. It doesn't take a genius to work it out, deary.”
The woman laughed and at that moment there was a knock at the door. “OPEN UP!” commanded a loud voice. “WE ARE HERE ON BUISINESS FROM AGRABAH!”
Azalea wept once more at the mention of her home. The woman let the guards enter and helped the girl to her feet.
“We'll take you home now,” the guard said, “you shouldn't wander off like that, Princess. You've had everyone very worried”
Azalea said nothing. No one would believe her if she told them it was really a genie that sent her into the desert because she didn't want to go to school. She turned to hug the old woman. “Thank you for saving me” she said and at that moment she remembered something. Her first wish; how the woman knew she was the princess.
Az removed the headband from her hair and handed it to the woman. Even in the moonlight it shone and it made her feel sick. She never wanted to see it again. “Please take this.” she insisted and it was her rescuer's turn to cry.
The princess mounted the horse the guards had brought her and they set off for home, with Azalea vowing never to go near another lamp in her life.
It was this day however that she was distracted. There was a beautiful red butterfly floating in the castle. Several times the princess tried to guide it out a door or a window but it was stubborn and refused to be helped.
Azalea was a kind hearted girl of twelve and she couldn't bear the thought of so beautiful a creature coming to harm in the castle. She knew that it was only a matter of time before it became trapped in a cupboard or squashed by an unseeing broom. It was these thoughts that led her to follow the insect through the castle. She ended up in a dead-ended corridor with a few store rooms. One of the rooms was open and there was a strange light inside.
As with all good princesses, Azalea lacked a sense of fear or respect for circumstances out with the ordinary and went to have a look. The butterfly mysteriously disappeared but Az had all but forgotten what led her here. The room was littered with old rugs and furnishings from rooms long since decorated or disused, but sitting in the far corner was a small end table with an old oil lamp. It was this old, slightly rusty oil lamp that was the focus of the odd lighting, and naturally her curiosity got the better of her. Azalea spent a good few moments staring, trying to work out how this could be. She had decided not to touch it when the butterfly reappeared, brushing her cheek and making her jump, her arms flailing and knocking the lamp to the floor.
This was all it took and with a puff of red smoke, a tall man in a set of black robes stood in front of her. Without a moment's pause, he spoke; “I am the genie of the lamp, your wish is my command”. His voice was deep and smooth and it had an almost hypnotic quality to it. The princess was very confused. Wishes? She was a princess. She didn't need anything.
“There must be something your heart desires, princess” the genie continued, persuading her, coaxing her.
“Well,” she admitted, “I suppose there may be one or two things.”
“Good! Good!” the genie of the lamp encouraged. “What is your first wish Mistress?” Azalea did not notice the look of cunning glee that formed on his face.
“I wish I had the best tiara in the land” She thought it would be best to try something small, that didn't cause too many problems. Instantly she felt a weight on her head and reached up to find a sparkling diamond band nestled in her thick dark hair. This genie seemed to be the real deal and Az quickly made her second wish, “I wish I didn't have to go away to school”
“DONE” bellowed the genie and everything disappeared. The palace, the little room, her family and pets; all gone. Instead, Azalea found herself in the middle of the desert, far far from home. Instantly she began to panic. She had no water, no food and she was very inappropriately dressed but above all else she had no idea where she was. There was no marks of a camel train, no sign of any buildings or trade posts. All she could see for miles around was sand. Instinctively, Az sank to the ground and began to cry.
“What am I going to do?” She sobbed.
Back at the Palace, everyone was frantically looking for the princess. Her grandfather the Sultan had asked for her to join him and she was nowhere to be found. He ordered every inch of the palace and the grounds to be searched immediately.
It took several hours for the search to be completed. The chief of security trembled as he stood in front of the royal family and admitted his defeat. The sultan was just giving the order to have the terrified man locked up when a foot soldier barrelled into the room.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” bellowed the sultan.
“I...I'm sorry....I..I Just...”stammered the poor soldier, holding out the lamp “I found this...”
Three astonished royals looked at the lamp.
“Jafar! But that was gone...” whispered Jasmine.
“I want that thing destroyed. NOW!” The sultan commanded.
The footsoldier backed out of the room followed by his commanding officer, relieved to have escaped punishment for failing to find the girl.
The girl in question had finished crying and was now looking for the way home. She knew the sun set in the west, and that there were many other kingdoms to the west of her own. She began to walk towards the sunset, keeping a straight line through the scorching desert sun.
Hours later, tired and on the brink of collapse, Azalea came across a tiny hut, all alone in the desert. She could see a large town in the distance but she could not go one more step. Weakly she knocked on the door and collapsed.
When she awoke it was dark. She was lying on something soft and there was something damp on her head. Water! She thought. I need water. Slowly she sat up, a rag falling from her forehead. “Hello?” she rasped, looking for the person who brought her inside.
An old woman stepped from the shadows. “hello my dear,” she smiled, showing a mouth less than full of yellow teeth “You are finally awake. I was getting worried.”
Azalea nearly recoiled from her at the sight of her smile but her manners and upbringing prevented such an ungrateful reaction. She accepted the cup of water offered to her and drank deeply.
“I sent word to the town, my dear. They're sending a couple of guards for you.” The woman continued, answering the princess's unspoken questions and curious look, “ I knew you were royalty from your headband, and the kingdoms all around here have been searching for the missing princess. It doesn't take a genius to work it out, deary.”
The woman laughed and at that moment there was a knock at the door. “OPEN UP!” commanded a loud voice. “WE ARE HERE ON BUISINESS FROM AGRABAH!”
Azalea wept once more at the mention of her home. The woman let the guards enter and helped the girl to her feet.
“We'll take you home now,” the guard said, “you shouldn't wander off like that, Princess. You've had everyone very worried”
Azalea said nothing. No one would believe her if she told them it was really a genie that sent her into the desert because she didn't want to go to school. She turned to hug the old woman. “Thank you for saving me” she said and at that moment she remembered something. Her first wish; how the woman knew she was the princess.
Az removed the headband from her hair and handed it to the woman. Even in the moonlight it shone and it made her feel sick. She never wanted to see it again. “Please take this.” she insisted and it was her rescuer's turn to cry.
The princess mounted the horse the guards had brought her and they set off for home, with Azalea vowing never to go near another lamp in her life.
