We were dragged to the palace and down into the dungeons. Each of our respective guards locked us in the device before dutifully walking out. Aladdin was on my left, Razoul was the last to leave, slamming the door behind him, but not before mocking us by yelling: "Sweet dreams Street Rats!" My mouth dropped open to shout out a smart-ass reply, "As least I didn't fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!"

Aladdin just looked at the floor and sighed pitifully. I looked at him in sympathy. Talk about a rough day. We sat in silence before Aladdin started talking. Be it to himself or to me, I'll never know. "She was the princess?.. I don't believe it...I must've sounded so stupid to her!" I looked on with annoyance laced with pity. I had to roll my eyes. "Aladdin, don't throw yourself a pity party just yet, okay? You don't know what she was thinking. Women are the most unreadable creatures in the world. Trust me."

"But seriously Aladdin." I said, concentrating on my heart-broken brother. "Don't judge too quickly how she feels about you just because she's royalty. Love has nothing to do with where you're from or how much money you have. It has to do with a person and who they are.

"You just don't understand, Bisnik." Aladdin sighed. "I've spent my entire life being treated like dirt just because I don't have money and live on the streets. Why should she be any different? She's a PRINCESS...you can't possibly know what it's like, so I don't expect you to understand how I feel right now." Now...I was pissed.

"Excuse me? Isn't that kind of a double standard? You're complaining about people judging you because of where you're from and yet you're doing the same thing to Jasmine! You think that just because she's a princess, she's gonna have her nose so far up in the air that if it rained she would drown. Well the girl I met today is NOTHING like that. And how DARE you say I don't know what it feels like to be judged based on where you're from? I was treated like a liability to the world because MY FAMILY WAS MURDERD! That's why I was such a screw up; people wanted a screw up and I gave them what they wanted. So don't you EVER say that I don't understand unfair judgment Aladdin."

I think that was the first time Aladdin had ever seen me really pissed, because all the color drained from his face and his eyes got as big as golf balls. After a few moments of me steaming and Aladdin looking down, ashamed, he finally broke the silence.

"...Bisnik? I'm sorry...I had no right to say that to you. I'm just...so frustrated. And when I get frustrated, I talk without thinking. Anyways, I was stupid...forgive me?" I stole a glance at him and saw his big brown eyes in a puppy pout. I also saw genuine regret on his face. I heaved a sigh. "Okay...I forgive you...I guess."

We smiled at each other. "I think I may vomit, over how cheesy that was." Aladdin and I laughed lightly. It was then we heard a familiar, squeaky voice. "Yoo-Hoo! Aladdin, Bisnik!" We looked up and saw Abu at the window at the top of the dungeon. "Hello!"

"Abu! Down here!" Aladdin called, As Abu scurried down to us, I growl. "I am such an idiot!"

I placed my feet on the wall behind me, used my manacled wrists to pull my body higher up the wall and pushed my legs forward off the wall. This momentum swung the lower half of my body up and put my feet even with my head. Quick as a flash, I opened my mouth and plucked a small lock pick out of a tiny slit in my bandages with my teeth. I let my legs swing down as I took the pick out of my mouth and began picking the lock holding my right wrist captive.

I looked over in time to see Abu jump from his place at Aladdin's lock and go: "Ta da!" Aladdin didn't even notice, still wrapped up in thoughts of Jasmine, as he mumbled: "She deserves a prince." Abu sulked at the lack of recognition. I stood up watched Aladdin sigh from his place on the floor. "I'm a fool." Suddenly, we heard a raspy, sinister voice. "You're only a fool if you give up, boy."

"Who are you?" Aladdin asked. "A lowly prisoner like yourselves. But together, perhaps we can be more..." the old man made the money sign with his fingers and Aladdin glanced at us. I shrugged and said, "We're listening."

"There is a cave, boys. A Cave of Wonders!" He pulled out a handful of rubies. "Filled with treasure's beyond your wildest dreams." We all stared at the jewels. "Sparkly..." I mutter. "Treasure enough for this boy here to impress his princess, I'd wager." As he said this he hobbled away with his back to us. Aladdin looked to me questioningly. Aladdin tried to interject. "But the law says that-"

"You've heard of the 'golden rule', haven't you?" The old man cut him off. "Whoever has the gold makes the rules!" He let out a large grin that would make the Cheshire Cat jealous. "So...why would you share all this wonderful treasure with us?" "I need a few young pair of legs and a strong backs to go in after it." he said, patting Aladdin on the back.

"One problem...It's out there, we're in here."

"Mm-mm-hmm!" the man answered. He walked over to the wall and put the end of his cane against a stone. "Things are not always as they seem." He put slight pressure on the stone and opened up secret passage way. "So...do we have a deal?" he asked. Aladdin looked from Abu, to me. Abu shrugged, I nodded eagerly. Aladdin shook Jafar's hand and we started to crawl into the tunnel single file.

I somehow don't trust this guy.