Rajah's Curse

Chapter 27: Dangerous Questions

The next day, I was pacing outside Jasmine's bedroom nice and early. After yesterday, I was anxious to see her.

When she slipped out of her door, I practically pounced on her.

"Whoa! Rajah! You're not a cub anymore," she said.

I searched her face. Her smile didn't reach her puffy eyes.

"I look that bad, do I?"

I whined. I had wanted to see her earlier. When I'd woken up last night to go to work, I had been tempted to skip the night and camp out in the hallway outside of her rooms, but I decided against it. I thought that Jasmine would appreciate my work over me just worrying over her. Now, I was not so sure I had made the right choice.

"Well, regardless," she said, "we have another full day of work. We have to make up for yesterday. Agrabah needs us, Rajah. So, come on, let's go." She started walking towards the study.

I made a skeptical sound as I followed her reluctantly. Last night, I had struggled to put Agrabah first. Right now, I could care less about the kingdom. I was worried about her.

Jasmine didn't say anything in response. She continued to walk at a brisk pace. Then she entered the study and got to work. It was a very productive day. Jasmine was full of new energy, but I was too worried to care. She didn't mention Prince Ali once and he didn't come by.

Dinnertime came and I accompanied the tense princess to the dining hall. Both of us geared up to face the prince, but he wasn't there. The sultan informed us that Prince Ali had taken a ride on his magic carpet and had not yet returned.

The information elicited a sigh from Jasmine. I suppose she was just relieved, but I wasn't sure. It sounded too sad to be just that.

Over the next few days, when it became clear that Ali was not coming back any time soon, I kept waiting for Jasmine to say something about her argument with the prince, but she said nothing. The whole court still thought the wedding was happening. They assumed the prince was preparing something for the "secret wedding."

More days passed and there was still no news from the prince. I knew he couldn't have left for good. His servants were still here, yet no one knew where he had gone. The rumors kept getting wilder and wilder. Every once in a while, I caught glimpses of worry on Jasmine's face, but the princess seemed determined to not acknowledge Ali's absence or her fight with him. And when I tried to bring it up, she tersely told me that we had to focus on Agrabah.

It wasn't untrue. After all, Ali's departure had not stopped the city's current crisis. It took time to restructure a government and train new people. Not to mention all the other unresolved issues. The work seemed endless. Jasmine was attacking it with a grim determination that I tried to match. We'd stop corresponding for the most part and I was doing my best to increase my output.

One night it just became too much for me. I was tired and my mind could not focus on the letters in front of me. I needed a break. Really, I had needed a break 3 hours ago, but now I was finally willing to admit it. I stood up. I had to get away from my desk. It was late and I wondered if I should just call it a night, but when I got outside, I decided to go on a walk.

The moon was in the sky as I avoided the guards and wandered out into the gardens. The cypress trees, delicate blossoms, and ornate fountains looked so different under the gaze of my human eyes. Even in the moonlight, the colors seemed to glow. It was beautiful, being human. After my first few nights, I hadn't really thought much about my new privileges, but right now I wasn't sure how I could have forgotten.

Then I heard a voice whisper. "Hello?"

I thought it was coming from the direction of the peacock fountain. I stopped walking and I quickly stepped behind a tall tree. I wasn't in the mood to turn back into a tiger.