The Lost Fruits

It has been a week since the day of the desert battle between the Jahilon army and Agrabah's army. News about the victory has reached the capital quick via Hawks. Agrabah was celebrating its first victory for months. Aladdin heard the news and was glad. Of course, not everything about that victory was released to the public. The citizens were told, "We won the war." That was more than enough for them. Details come later after everything is done and in history classes.

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Royal Place - The Sultan's throne

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"Father!!" Jasmine stormed her father's hall with her maid in a hurry while he was speaking with his retinue. She spoke to no one and looked at no one. The Sultan looked at his daughter and sighed, he realized he can't avoid her. Those stubborn eyes are just like her mother.

"Go..." The Sultan waved at his men dismissing them out of the hall. After the hall was clear, he smiled "Come closer, my daughter."

Jasmine walked up the steps to her father's throne and frowned "Why am I always the last person to get the news?!" she asked. Her expression was not gentle and she demanded answers. Now.

"...But I sent to you." The Sultan took out his defense card as he throws his hands in the air in an act of innocence.

"With who?!" Jasmine spoke, she was not buying any of that.

"With Jafar." Jasmine face-palmed herself and shook her head. When will he realize? she thought "After we got the news, i sent for you to be informed, and Jafar suggested that since he is going to his quarters, he will be passing by you and will give you the news."The Sultan added after seeing his daughter's reaction.

"Well, he didn't." Jasmine said "Don't send to me with Jafar anymore. I hate him, so don't make feel the same towards you." Jasmine gave her back to her father and descended from the throne.

"Oh! c'mon, he must have forgotten, you know its a long walk from here to your quarters!" The Sultan spoke.

"Of course!!" Jasmine turned around and exclaimed happily, she smiled and at her father "Of course, that must be the case! Jafar is the perfect Vizier, his feet must have been so tired that his brain couldn't function properly! Poor man!" Hearing such words, Dalia couldn't help but let out a snort trying to suppress he laughter.

The Sultan sweatdropped at his daughter and leaned back on his throne "Eey..." He rolled his eyes "All my words turn into jokes lately!" he said.

Jasmine smiled "Don't be sad papa, you're a good sultan."

"Shut up~" The Sultan smiled. He knows she was being sarcastic, after, she has been telling him he is a bad Sultan for years "Like you can do any better."

"Of course I can!" Jasmine spoke proudly "I have read every book in the library, studied the art of ruling, finance, management, and war. All that is left is you put a crown on my head."

The Sultan shook his head "You still have hope in being a Sultan?" he asked. Sultan Hamed does not wish for his daughter to feel the weight of this crown. This is why he wishes for her marriage, so she can give up on that dream.

"Of course...I never gave up, why do you think I kept rejecting those princes, they don't care about serving as a Sultan for the people and the kingdom..." Jasmine walked up again to her father and looked him in the eye "...They like the title and the gold crown."

"Jasmine..." Sultan Hamed grabbed his daughter's face and sighed "...Please don't..." Jasmine took her head back and stood tall

"I will..." She responded. Sultan Hamed shook his head. A never-ending circle, he thought.

"Jasmine. Reading books does not equal experience. That what ruined my rule. I thought If I read about things, I could handle them...But time proved me wrong.

"It proved you, not me." Jasmine wasn't willing to back down, not ever. Sultan smiled and took a trap from the tray beside his throne.

"Yes...Let me ask you something?" His smile made Jasmine step back a little "In my time, I learned that the solutions in the books for the problems with the court and the people will never be helpful to you. You know why?"

Jasmine frowned and shook her head "No...No, I don't." She answered.

Sultan Hamed stood up descended from his throne with jasmine behind him "Because those solutions worked for those problems and people at that time and ONLY at that time. People change, their mindset evolves for the worst or the better. What worked in the past won't work in the future. I learned that the hard way." The door was opened by the guard and Sultan Hamed, Jasmine, and Dalia walked in the hallway.

"Then I won't rely on them...Just as a reference." Jasmine said trying to not lose her ground. "That what you said, people evolve, so I will do the same, I will evolve."

Sultan Hamed laughed "Yes...That might work...If you have the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e time to evolve, a nation's problems don't come one by one...they come in groups like bees. You don't think I didn't think of that."

"I--" Jasmine tried to speak but she was cut off.

"Jasmine..." Hamed Called "You want to be a Sultan?" he asked. Jasmine nodded slowly, she felt pressure from her father, something she never felt.

"...Unfortunately...Your gender doesn't help you at all." His tone was sad. His eyes looked down.

Jasmine felt her blood boil "Just because I am a woman doesn't mean I cannot be a Sultan!" she shouted. "Queen Bersa ruled her kingdom for 17 years, Empress Zin Lan ruled for 12 years, and even our kingdom had a female Sultan who ruled 10 years!!" Jasmine would not allow her gender to lock her down. She will not let it slide. Dalia who was walking behind them started trembling, this was too enter, the air around the Royal family become hot and suffocating to bear.

Sultan Hamed started laughing slowly "What are you laughing about, Father?"

"Hahaha!! My word! there is your flaw, it has shown my daughter!" Hamed took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine calmed down too and asked.

"Tell me...What is the thing that two of the three you mentioned have in common aside from being female?" he asked. Jasmine didn't answer and stayed silent "...Queen Bersa and Empress Zin Lan...BOTH WERE DICTATORS!!" Hamed shouted scaring Jasmine. Seeing her flinch, he calmed down and sighed "Our ancestor wasn't a dictator but she ruled the shortest, you know why?"

"...Corruption...and civil war." Jasmine mumbled.

"Yes...When a woman takes the throne...she is not respected, but most importantly...she is not feared. Those two ruled the longest because they ruled with fear. Our ancestor was kind, but because she was not respected or fears the court was corrupted and the nobles ran amok in the kingdom. Her orders amounted to nothing, eventually, the people grow sick of it and a civil war took place. Thankfully, the people only targeted the nobles, their leaders were smart enough to look at the details and realize the people responsible for their misfortune. Our Ancestor stepped down from the throne temporarily until her son came of age while a civil counsel was formed to rule in her stead." Hamed clenched his fist.

"I want you to get the throne. I understand that you feel for our people, but I can't let you be under that pressure." Jasmine stopped in her track as her father's back kept getting further and further away. It felt sad. His distancing back was sad.

"Princess..." Dalia came to check on her lady just to see a sad and deep frown on her face.

"If I can't be the Sultan...Then I will choose the Sultan." Jasmine mumbled with determination.

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Jahilon Kingdome - Sak Village - Agrabah's Army

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The Army has breached the borders and after a week of traveling, they finally stopped and camped near the Village of Sak. They needed water and food supplies, since now they are outside their territory, getting supplies delivered to them will be way too hard. So the better solution, for now, is getting as much as they can for every village they pass by. They need water for their horses and themselves and some food too, although they still have some, it's not a bad idea to add a little more.

Ace was with Hassan in the village negotiating with the Village's chef. Ace was mindblown 'He is purchasing from them?!!' he thought.

This is the first time in history that an army who is invading a kingdom is negotiating the prices for their supplies. After they finished, Ace dragged Hassan a little further and asked him slowly "Why don't you just force the things out from them? You know...We are INVADING them."

Hassan laughed and shook his head "Well, that how it normally goes, but that's if we are only here to pillage and destroy the kingdom, then yes. But we intend to take over, merge this nation with ours to be one whole after we kill the Royal family here and their supporters."

"And...?" Ace's raised an eyebrow with his hands crossed in front of him.

Hassan sighed and shook his head "And...any trouble here now will be our trouble in the future. The less the better. And we can't have the people hating us either. So, buying from them is the safest."

"I am even surprised that he agreed to give you what they can." Ace looked at the old man talking with his people and assuring them that no harm will befall them.

"He is a wise man, lived long and maybe experienced war. He knows that if they retaliated and maybe attacked and refused our "kind" offer then they will be killed and we will get what we offered for free." Hassan rested his hand on his sword and spoke.

"You guys are strange...Are you perhaps castrated?" Ace sat on a big rock with a bored expression. Where is the killing of the innocent? the r'ape? The pillaging? WHERE?? Not that it's what he wants, but that's what got used to in wars in his previous world! that what happens in war.

"Cast-what?" Hassan blinked in confusion making Ace realize 'Ah yes, they haven't invented that word yet.' he thought.

"Don't sweat it, man." Ace waved his hand in irritation.

"But I must admit. I never realized that you had all that money on you when you came." Hassan looked at the money being exchanged between his men and the villagers "Where were you keeping all of that?" he asked.

Ace shifted his eyes to look up at him "...I just have a thing that I put my things into, It's a Magus thing. You probably don't know about it."

"Ah, okay..." Hassan shrugged his shoulders and joined Ace and sat on the rock. "Magus are mysterious people," he said.

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