18Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Aladdin or Saga of Tanya the Evil, they belong to their respective owners. I'm not making money, this is just for fun and a hobby at most.
Author Note: This is currently a side project and should be treated as such. I wanted to get this chapter out last week, sorry, anyways here it is. Enjoy the chapter.
Update July2021: I have gone an edited all my previous chapters 1-8, added a little, etc. X is now being refereed to as god by the people in the story, not Tanya though, obviously. No offense to the religious is intended.
Chapter Nine: Answers
"Crunch! Chew chew... This is pretty good, not everyday a street rat gets fresh fruit." Aladdin chewed on an apple. He had hardly knew he was so hungry. It probably didn't help he hadn't eaten in a day, nearly died of drowning, and was then knocked out in a market place full of food.
'Well that settles it then.' Ilse mulled over her thoughts. 'No one in the Empire had any right enjoying a conjured apple like that.' Conjured food was a staple spell taught to all kids in the Empire in grade school amongst other basic spells.
"I'm glad you liked it. Can I conjure something else for you?" Ilse gestured.
"Magic is pretty amazing.." Aladdin held up the cleanly picked apple core.
Ilse stared at him. 'What was so interesting about magic? Sure it made life easier, but people down below had real things that weren't conjured, they had so much opportunity!'
"You know back in Agrabah I would have eaten this whole apple, core and all, given the chance, even if it was rotten you know." Aladdin placed the apple core on the table.
"Surely your kingdoms rulers wouldn't just let you starve?" Ilse asked, though already knew the answer. The Kingdoms down below were barbaric, they praised all sorts of gods, and they had no magic. She could understand why the Empire didn't allow most to go down below. The people down below were savage. The fact they let their own citizens stare was proof enough.
"Maybe not the princess, but us street rats aren't seen very kindly by those above. Treated like the garbage and scum of the earth even... But. Well I'd always imagine I'd one day be able to pull myself up from such a life with my own two hands. I know that sounds strange perhaps." Aladdin rambled.
"I suppose were both just dreaming for better things... I really wanted to be an artificer when I grew up, but my parents could not afford the tuition for college, nor where my grades good enough for a scholarship." Ilse finished.
"What's an artificer? I met a gentlemen earlier who said he was one, you make what, magic stuff? I'd imagine college is schooling only for the rich right? Agrabah didn't allow street rats to attend school even if we tried to pay." Aladdin said sullenly. He had aspired to be more when his mother was still alive. Perhaps an apprentice scribe or story teller. Those dreams had been crushed the moment his mother had fallen ill. His father, some unknown merchant, had never returned either as well.
"No schooling at all huh..." She whispered under her breath. "An artificer makes magical items, like you heard before. Specifically its imbuing permanent spells and enchantments unto objects or parts of objects using runes. Runes are condensed mathematical magic formula's..." She noticed his face was getting dazed by her lecture.
"Anyways Aladdin, this ring here." She held out her hand. "Is an expensive artifact I created. It's also what I shocked you with.."
"That hurt!" Aladdin spat.
"I thought you would use a shield spell! You were wearing military clothing while coming from behind me!" Ilse spat back.
"Okay.." Aladdin shook his head up and down.
'Okay?' Ilse thought. "You accepted it just like that?"
"Yup. …. Wouldn't be a first time a thief lashed out at a guardsmen. I should have thought about that before sneaking up on you." Aladdin genuinely conceded.
"You're right you should have, you know how much you had me panicked! I couldn't afford to be caught stealing again you know. If you get caught too many times they will exile you from the empire you know." She took a more serious tone at the end.
"Alright alright, I get it Ilse. From one street rat to another, I promise I won't tell on you. That said, why is exile such a bad thing. I know in Agrabah they can hardly enforce such a thing, couldn't you just sneak back into the city?" Aladdin asked curiously. City walls may be hard to breach, but anyone with half a bran could sneak themselves in and out of Agrabah just fine. Though the idea of being stuck outside walls was a scary thought.
"It's not that simple Aladdin, needless to say, it's basically impossible to sneak back in, and to make matters worse, they take away your magic." Ilse shivered at the end.
"That's very harsh Ilse. Don't worry I won't tell a soul." Aladdin promised.
"Enough about that. I'm very proud of my ring artifact, it's made of all natural, non conjured materials. The engraving and formula creation on the magic stone alone took me weeks to carve and work out. I couldn't even use magic during the entire process to risk damaging the runes on it, so it was all hand done. The result was my Stun Shock ring, which would cost a fortune from a real artificers store, it even has a single charge capacity!" Ilse beamed.
"Sounds like you really worked hard on it..." Aladdin praised her.
"Yeah. It was really a labor of." She wasn't able to finish her sentence.
"Open up!" A shout and several hard raps came on Ilse's front door.
Ilse looked worried.
Aladdin grabbed Ilse by the shoulders. "Calm down and trust me."
"Yes..."
"Listen, you're going to tie me up and use me to get away okay. They will think I'm a military officer. You can use that to get away. I will be you hostage, trust me Ilse." Aladdin tried to calm Ilse.
"Okay.."
*Chapter Nine: Answers*
Citizens panicked as a large black car came speeding down the street. It was running on magic, rather then the gasoline models that had begun appearing alongside the rationing in the last decade. It was undoubtedly military, and toted a heavy steel frame. Other cars and civilians scrambled to get off the road.
"Yes well be there in a few seconds.."
Tanya swerved around a corner before hanging up the radio sitting at the center console of the car.
"Tanya watch out for that stairwell!"
The car came to a stop on the stairwell of the local SDF garrison. The car was listing at 45 degrees, and had bent in several poles. Many panicked citizens had scrambled out of the way of the speeding car in the nick of time, as thankfully no one was hurt.
Victoryia felt like she was going to be sick. She stepped out of the car carefully unto the lower steps, out of the cars passenger seat. Her lov... Her commander proceeded to wrench the driver seat door open. Given the stairwell proximity, she bent the door in to step out of the car. Not that it phased her.
"Hurry up Victoriya!" Called out Tanya as she busted through the local Garrison doors, much to the shock of the soldiers present.
Victoriya sighed. "Coming!" She raced after Tanya.
The front room was filled with other rank and file men as well as other civilian military personnel. There was also some regulars who were posted as security for the garrison itself. The front room was where the civilians interacted with the SDF's local garrison.
"General we have already cornered off the district which the crown prince is currently in. Magic tracking has pin pointed his location to a set of apartments near the local market. Current status of the prince is unknown." A solider reported.
"Deploy mages in the air to avoid aerial escape!" Tanya yelled to one of the soldiers at a radio station.
"Get the SDF's reserve list activated, I want everyone single street corner, roof, and sewer blocked off as well. Get the snipers from the 1st infantry division as well. Have the military polce start question nearby citizens!" She commanded.
"But mam, the citizens will panic!" One of the soldiers panic-kingly said.
Tanya glared at him. "Tell them it's a military exercise then."
Tanya looked over to Victoriya. "Coffee!"
"Yes General!" Victoryia ran out of the room.
'I finally get my brother back, getting rid of this damn stress caused by these accursed feelings, only for my brother to be captured... Unacceptable, unacceptable!' Tanya stressed.
"You coffee!" Victoryia nearly shouted, as she shoved the drink in front of Tanya.
Tanya took a sip... 'Delicious, this sure beat the coffee the Empire was calling coffee back on the front... Well did that count anymore. She still had her memories of it, though she was under the belief that x was not involved this time. She had escaped that hell. Yes here she was a princess, a General who didn't have to answer to anyone. No wars to be fought, life was a perfect vacation now. All she had to do was deal with these damn feelings for her brother...' She pushed down those thoughts. 'So she liked her brother? She also liked Coffee and Victoriya enough. Yes, it was just more convenient to have nice good things around her. Once her brother was safe and sound she could go back to having an easy safe life devoid of x and his machinations.'
"Military police believe they have located the prince's location to that of a single room apartment!" Came the report from a soldier on a phone.
"I want to know that apartments occupant right now!" Tanya barked.
"Yes mam!" Said the solider.
It was a tense couple of minutes before word came back over the phone.
"General, we cross checked the name given by the landlord. Ilse Cecilia, female, age twenty one, she has multiple infractions for theft on the books, as well as several for resisting arrest. She also is currently under suspicions of being a cultist sympathizer. Some of the officers who reported on her cases claimed she was caught working with known cultists. Although no evidence could be collaborated that she was aware she was working with cultists at that time." The solider finished.
"We will dispatch SDF special forces. The safety of his highness is of upmost priority. Should the culprit involved in his kidnapping show any aggressive behavior, they are to be eliminated on the spot." Tanya finished as she strapped on her lifter boot.
"Affirmative general. Um why are you putting on mage gear?" The garrison captain asked.
"Why to personally ensure the safety of my brother." She smiled, causing everyone in the room to grimace.
'Tanya. What am I going to do with you...' Victoryia sighed yet again.
*Chapter Nine: Answers*
The streets were quiet. The military had stated they were doing an exercise drill. Civilians had been pushed back into their homes. Mages could be seen flying overhead. Military trucks had blocked off all the streets exits. Even the SDF regular forces had made an appearance.
Some civilians feared there had been another ration riot at first. But as the SDF forces continued to poor into their district in Berrun, other civilians started to wonder if maybe cultists were involved. Still others thought maybe it was a show being put on by the military for the new crown prince.
One family in particular was watching from inside there home as a magic plane landed across the street from their apartment complex. The plane was SDF, not civilian. The men walking out of it were not like the other regular soldiers either. They sported the newest and latest auto repeating dragon staves, as well as specialized enchanted armor. The team of men stepping out all looked alike, say for a small little girl in air mage flight gear, although she also carried the newest military gear.
"Mommy, why is that little girl with those men?"
"Lets go watch some TV okay. Mommy doesn't think we should watch the soldiers anymore."
"Okay mommy!"
*Chapter Nine: Answers*
The plane had set down, and the special forces team was already checking over their gear. Currently the military police were still tying to get this Ilse woman to come out quietly.
"Whats the situation inside." Tanya asked the MP at the door of the apartment building. It had already been evacuated.
"The kidnapper has refused to open her door. We have confirmation from the sniper on the roof across the street that the crown prince has been tied and gagged." He reported.
"Can he get a clean shot at the kidnapper?" Tanya asked, already guessing the answer.
"Negative General." The MP responded.
"Guess we have to do this the hard way... Prepare a battering ram, and have half the team repel down and come through the window." Tanya paused..
"Did these apartments use the common brick and stone construction?" Tanya asked.
"I think so?" The MP responded.
"Good, go make sure. If it is, have three soldiers in the special forces team break off. Well set charges on the flimsy walls for a third entrance." Tanya ordered.
"Yes General." The man reported before running off.
Tanya looked over her gun a final time before looking across from her to see Victoriya also doing the same. 'Guess it's time to go save my brother.'
Within a few minutes everything was set to go.
"Alright men. Were going in all at once, from three different points, weapons hot. Prioritize the safety of his royal highness at all costs!" Tanya barked before the assembled soldiers.
The clicking and arming of several weapons could be heard throughout the street.
"Go!"