On Equal Terms:

Chapter one: Her name is Morgiana

Alibaba couldn't stop his uneven breaths as he stared in disbelief. He was at an actual slave auction! He wasn't exactly aware of this fact until now, so it was only natural that he thought that his eyes were deceiving him. He shook his head as he studied the poor people who stood upon the wooden platform. He didn't know how some people could sell or buy slaves like this. It disgusted him to no end.

By the looks of it, everyone in the crowd were those of a higher rank. They would all be able to afford a few of these people. Alibaba also noted how many people were armed, which would make fighting a real suicide mission. He couldn't just risk his life like that, especially with his people to consider. Though, he did wish he could do something other than just sitting around.

"Yeah right..." He mumbled to himself. "What can a coward like me do anyway...? I wouldn't have the guts to even try attacking..."

He was telling his body to move, but for some reason, it wouldn't respond. He grunted. He admitted that he was a little curious about how this was going to turn out...no, 'curious' isn't the word...that would make him out to be some snobby little rich boy that found amusement in other people's pain. The right way to put it was that he hoped that the people being auctioned off would go to at least decent people. He already knew that it was wishful thinking of the slaves getting someone like that to buy their lives. The only people who turn up to these things are people who get drunk and can't do their own work, and those who just liked to have the most slaves at their command.

"Hey kid," Alibaba turned to see a rich-looking man actually talking to him with a smirk on his face. No doubt that he was here to buy someone. "You're a bit young, aren't you? I mean; to already be buying slaves..." The man continued.

"Um..." Alibaba began, not sure what to say. Alibaba was slightly caught off guard, not just by the man speaking to him, but also to the foul smell of alcohol that filled the air every time he opened his mouth. "I was told that I should consider getting one. To show authority." He lied. Then again, what else was new?

"So, is this your first time being to one of these?" Alibaba raised an eyebrow. For some rich-looking man who was at a slave auction, he sure loved small-talk.

"Ah, yes it is..." Alibaba replied. "If I may be as so bold to ask, how many...slaves have you bought..."

The man shrugged. "Last time I checked; something like seventeen. They got a little too boring after a while. I prefer getting fresh ones than dealing with the old ones..." Alibaba clenched his fists tightly, his face darkening for a moment before he replaced it with a fake smile.

"Oh? Is that so...?" He asked. He felt like breaking this guy's neck. He wondered if he had just forgotten about the other lives that he had bought.

The man chuckled. "Anyway, which one are you hoping to get? There's a much larger group than before, so you're in luck..."

Alibaba studied the group again. The different ages, genders, figures...it was all too much for him. He really didn't feel like looking at those people with chains on them...

"I-I'm not exactly sure...I guess I'll just know when they show them off individually..." He answered nervously.

"Well, since is your first time, I may as well warn you, they sometimes keep a surprise slave that is beyond the others. So, if you can keep up with how much others are bidding, try saving your coins up for that one." The man stated.

That was the end of their conversation as the auction started. Money was practically flying everywhere as people began to buy the slaves; it was so much that Alibaba couldn't keep up. Even the alcoholic he was talking to bought one with a straight face. He only wished that he was like how other people were in stories, they could fight hundreds of men all by themselves...but, he knew that he would never gather up such courage...

"And now, we are up to our main event!" The man running the show on the platform announced. "We have something of great value here today! So, keep in mind that it shall be bought for a much heftier price than the others...!"

A slave was pushed onto the platform by two large, bulky men. They managed to keep on their feet two, so that sort of comforted Alibaba. Sort of. Upon looking at this person more, he noticed the pink hair that matched their eyes. He noticed that it was a girl that looked no older than he is. The sight would've been perfect for him if he could see her without those chains on her wrists and ankles. She was quite a pretty girl...It was a shame that she had to be put in such an awful situation.

"That's right everyone! This is not some ordinary slave girl. She is actually one of the only members of the Fanalis! And she could be yours! But, seeing as this is such a rare gem, I would have to Say the bidding starts at...fifty-thousand." The stage man stated.

"Sixty!"

"Seventy!"

Alibaba was shocked at how much people were paying. With that much money...that could save some homeless kids...! He focused on the girl trying to get what she was thinking. He could never know such pain...at least, that's based off what he had heard. He kept his focus on her, until he noticed her face when she looked up at his direction. A face that screamed for help – a face that he knew all too well.

"So, is eighty-thousand the highest bid? Remember, this can be your only chance to receive such a gem!" The man continued. "Once, twice-!"

"One-hundred-thousand!"

Before he knew it, all eyes were on him. He couldn't believe himself. He had just done that...

He wondered what the others would think...he had just bought a slave – that is if nobody else adds onto that ridiculous amount – and he has never even had the thought of doing so. Not only that, but people might think that he was some kind of awful person who gets off on the misery of others.

'I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!' He thought to himself. He wished he could take it back, but every time he opened his mouth to speak, no words would come out. He found himself staring at the piercing eyes of the Fanalis. He couldn't work out if she was scared or just in shock by the amount that he had just spent.

"Well then, are there no further bids?" The announcer asked. After a short pause, he continued. "Alright, sold to the young gentlemen in the cloak. Remember to pay before receiving your new slave!"

Alibaba inwardly sighed. He figured it was probably better that it was him that bought her rather than some sort of insane drunk guy.

After paying the money to another man who smelt of alcohol, the Fanalis was shoved over to him, chains still around her wrists and ankles. Alibaba narrowed his eyes, wondering what kinds of things this girl was put through.

Once Alibaba was handed the key to the girl's chains, he left with her, walking slowly so then he wouldn't have her worry about keeping up or something like that. When they were out of the auction site and into the street, Alibaba leaned against a wall and slid down to sit as the Phanalise stood next to him, looking down at her feet.

"Um..." Alibaba began to get the girl's attention. "So, my name is Alibaba. What's yours?" He asked awkwardly.

The girl shifted her glance. "Morgiana." She answered nervously.

There was a small silence between the two – an awkward one. Sure, they had only just met, but he had hoped that she would be a little bit talkative at least – not these one-word answers.

Then a light-bulb clicked in his head. He held the key to the chains in his hands and began to unlock the chains. Morgiana stared curiously, yet cautiously at Alibaba as he did so, probably wondering if it was a test of obedience and loyalty.

He finished removing the chains and smiled at her sweetly. He expected her to make a run for it, but she made no signal that she would move.

"Um...if you want, you can go wherever you want to go now." Alibaba told her. "You know, see new people, or places! You can do whatever you want to!"

Morgiana still made no attempt to move. She just stared at him. Alibaba raised an eyebrow, wondering what to do.

"Ah! I know what it is!" He exclaimed. "You're hungry, right?"

Morgiana shook her head slowly as she looked down at the ground again. Alibaba stared at her with a concerned look on his face.

"How long has it been since you last at something?"

Morgiana blinked in surprise. "I-I had some before you bought me, Master Alibaba..."

Alibaba was taken aback by the sudden word. "W-W-W..." He stammed. "Huh?"

"Is there something wrong, Master Alibaba...?" Morgiana asked.

There was that word again! Alibaba quickly shook his head. "Ah...Morgiana...What was that whole 'Master Alibaba' thing about?" He asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh." Morgiana began. "It's what we were taught. You are my superior and..." She trailed off, mumbling something to herself.

"That's not true!" Alibaba replied. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Look, I would just like you to talk to me like you would talk to an equal, because that's all we are, okay?"

Morgiana's eyes sparkled for a second before she quickly composed herself. "So, you don't want me to call you 'Master Alibaba'. This will be difficult..."

Alibaba's face softened as he heard this answer. He didn't know why the damn auctions existed. He didn't know why they would think of the damn idea of slaves in the first place. And he didn't know why they had to use innocent people to be those slaves...it was a horrifying idea to comprehend, to say the least. But, even so, he gave her a smile, trying to distract himself from those thoughts.

"Hey, it's fine. You'll get the hang of it..." He reassured her.

Morgiana continued to stare up at him, her mouth opening slightly, but closing soon after. Alibaba blinked, wondering if she wanted to say something.

"Are you okay, Morgiana?" He asked.

Morgiana's gaze shifted, possibly still being cautious of him. Of course, he couldn't blame her, but he was starting to feel guilty by that. Morgiana looked back up at him nervously, though, trying to hide it. "Are you an outlaw of some sort?"

Alibaba didn't know how to react to this odd question. It was probably as awkward as the first time he met Aladdin. And that was pretty hard to beat in that category.

"Come again...?" He asked.

Morgiana rubbed her forearm. "Well, normally..." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Normally a royal who buys a slave shows them off as much as they can. They want to make sure everyone knows who owns us, but...but you hide your face...I-I can just assume that you are trying to hide your identity..." She finished.

"Um..." He said as he tried to form an answer. "Well, that's...well, I guess your half-right...I-I mean, I haven't done anything too bad...but, I guess you can say that I'm not supposed to be here..."

Morgiana listened to every word carefully, trying to get a grip on his character. Alibaba was still trying to deal with the situation in his own way. It was difficult to explain this sort of stuff.

"Well...I guess I'll have to drop you off in Ballbadd..." Alibaba told her. Morgiana tilted her head so slightly that it was barely visible.

"Oh? And why would that be Ma-ah-Alibaba...?" Morgiana asked, correcting herself towards the end.

"Well...it's sort of embarrassing, but..." Alibaba began, looking around to see if anyone nearby would be listening. Once he thought the coast was clear, he continued, leaning more towards the pink-haired girl. "I'm going to go find some gold...from a Dungeon...!"

He was kind of expecting the pinkette to laugh at him for saying this, but she didn't. She just seemed a little shocked at first, but quickly composed herself.

"Many people die in dungeons..." Morgiana stated. "I do not advise this..."

Alibaba frowned. "Well, that's why I'm taking you back to my place. I mean, you'll have food, a bed...you should be able to feel comfortable there while I-"

"If I may, Alibaba..." Morgiana interrupted. "I can help you. Have you heard of the Phanalise? We are strong and you can use that to-"

"No." Alibaba said while shaking his head, his turn to interrupt. "I'm not going to put you in danger like that. Besides, a friend of mine is going to be coming along. I kind of think that it would be difficult without him."

Morgiana remained silent after that. After a long pause, Alibaba sighed, unsure of what to do.

'She insists...but, even so, it wouldn't be right...' He told himself.

"Let's go. I've got to show you my place...I'm sure you'll like it..." He said to her. "Like, it might take a couple of days, but maybe we can get a ride there or something..."

Morgiana simply nodded as they began to make their way out of town. Though, they didn't get too far before it got dark, so they had to stop and camp out for the night.

Alibaba was pretty surprised at how well Morgiana worked. She had stopped him from doing anything and made a small campfire for the two of them to share. She even caught some fish with her bare hands from a nearby lake. The two sat either side of the fire as they waited for the fish to properly cook.

Alibaba glanced at Morgiana from the corner of his eye wondering what she was thinking about as she stared up at the stars. He had never actually been alone with a girl before, so he was having a little trouble trying to find a good conversation starter.

"Um...so, I never knew you could build a fire like that..." He said awkwardly, scolding himself that that was the best he could come up with.

Morgiana looked over at him as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "As a slave, I need to know anything that could be of use. Even something basic like a fire is vital." She explained nonchalantly.

Alibaba's mouth opened slightly as he heard this, wondering what else she possibly had to put up with, living as a slave.

"Speaking of which," Alibaba began nervously. "And, you don't have to answer this, but...but how long have you been living as a...as a slave...?"

Morgiana looked unfazed as he asked the question. "As far back as I can remember I guess..." She answered. "I've actually never met any of my people before...not even my parents." She paused for a moment, checking if Alibaba was listening before continuing with a small, barely audible sigh. "I sometimes wonder if they are even alive..."

Alibaba let all of this information sink into his brain before he stood up, Morgiana watching him as he did so. "Well, you never know...they might be out there looking for you!" He suggested. "So, how about after I conquer a dungeon, we'll go searching for them?"

Alibaba couldn't read the look on Morgiana's face as he suggested the idea. She looked just as nonchalantly as she did before. He was about to mentally slap himself in the face for saying that until the girl smiled.

"Thank you Alibaba..." Morgiana replied. "No one has ever said that to me before..."

Alibaba's face turned a pale shade of pink as she said those words to him. She had never sounded so happy before...

"Alibaba..." Morgiana began. "May I ask what kind of place it is you live in?"

Alibaba smiled widely as he practically shone while boasting. "Well, dear Morgiana...I would love to tell you, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you...!" He replied.

Morgiana tilted her head at Alibaba's sudden change in personality. She couldn't tell what his true personality was when he acted like this.

Alibaba noticed her stare at just kicked the dirt on the ground. "Ah...well, you will have to see it for yourself...it's kind of...different than what most are used to..." He explained seriously. He took a good look at Morgiana for a moment until he noticed her shivering ever so slightly, despite the fire that she had built. He sighed with a small smile on his face before he took his cloak off, showing off his blonde hair, placing it around her shoulders. She stared at him curiously as he did so. He just smiled as he spoke. "Don't want you to catch a cold on your first day of freedom."

Morgina blinked before giving him a small smile. "I appreciate it very much, Alibaba. You are very kind. Kinder than anyone I've ever met." She said.

Alibaba's pink face returned. "Ah, well...I-I'm sure that there are better people than me in the world. It's a large world we live in after all..."

"How big do you suppose it is?" Morgiana asked.

Alibaba shrugged sheepishly. "Who knows? All I know is that it might be a little too big to look at all of it..." He answered.

Morgiana looked back up at the stars. "I suppose. But do you think we can explore it together sometime...?" She asked.

Alibaba gave her another sweet smile. "Yeah, sure. That sounds good..." He replied.

It was the first time Alibaba noticed, but it looked as if they were having a normal conversation. If he didn't know any better, he wouldn't have thought that she had ever been a slave. He even thought that he had heard her laugh for a second there. If she did, that made him happy. It made him feel good inside that he had stopped anyone else from purchasing her life. Of course, he grimaced at the thought of all of the other slaves having cruel 'masters' in their life. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. But, there was always a possibility that there is something that could be done...

And before the two knew it, they fell asleep during one of their conversations.

"Let me down! Let me down! Let me down please!"

Alibaba's screams filled the air as Morgiana was carrying him around bridal-style. Very high. As in one-wrong-move-will-make-him-fall very high. On a mountain. So him being a little on edge was understandable.

"I will get us there faster than any wheels or horses." Morgiana explained. "I thought I said that to you last night."

"Yeah! But I didn't think you would mean this!" Alibaba screamed.

"..." Morgiana stared at him for a moment before continuing to move to their destination. "I won't drop you. I assure you I won't."

Alibaba was positive that she wouldn't drop him, but if anyone saw him being carried like this, he would probably crawl into a hole and die from the embarrassment, especially if it was someone who knew him who saw him.

"Okay..." He sighed in defeat.

"Good. Let us continue then." Morgiana told him.

Alibaba wondered something. He wondered how comfortable Morgiana really was around him, because she seemed less reserved. Of course, she would only speak to him if he had started a conversation, but it was still more than what he got when they first met.

He smiled at this thought. He was happy that she was happy. He couldn't help the stupid grin on his face. He was just...glad is all...

Author's Notes:

So...Um, hi! Long time no see! I know I promised some people that this would be out before this month and I am really sorry that this chapter came out so late...! School just so happened to decide to give out a bunch of assignments in the same month and it has been difficult to try and balance my time. Besides, I've also got another story that I'm trying to write on top of this one and that is my main one at the moment. But that's not trying to say that I don't care for this story either. It's just that the other one is a little more planned out than this one is...

Next time I say I set a deadline for this story, it may or may not come out a little late due to school, social life, writer's block, crummy mood, artwork, cosplays or Instagram...but, that's to be expected...I will try next time to promise a time where I know I'll finish the chapter by.

So, with my excuses out of the way...please REVIEW! It will give me inspiration! I will thank these people for the lovely reviews for the last chapter: oOCanaChanOo, Nikki Saints, Guest, Tigerlillyth, Ene and arvi-chan. They really helped me boost my confidence with the story and how Alibaba is written.