A/N: Do not ask. Three rewrites later, still not happy. You know what happens when you write yourself in a corner by allowing characters to talk things through? Yeah. It's amazing how many of Magi's problems would've been solved if people only talked.

Er. Everything should be going to hell next chapter. Maybe. What I have written now might end up changed, if this long wait is any indication. Sorry about that.

Cover art belongs to mitsuxodc_38 (twitter name), pixiv ID=3850551. She's amazing you guys, drop by and look at some other pics she's got!

Ja'far took a moment to carefully assess the situation in front of him.

This… might be a problem.

It had seemed like the best idea at the time. Pick up the kids and drag them along to the hotel. Considering that Baal had disappear right before their eyes, Judar had looked like he'd been searching for a suitable dose of violence and both Sinbad and that Alibaba boy had their swords drawn, that certainly was the quickest and the cleanest method that would ensure both more information on Balbadd's state of affairs and Sindria's currently missing king. Assuring them they meant no harm helped immensely, and providing food upon arrival helped build trust, even if only a little.

Which only was only one in a million problems he knew they were going to need to tackle, and soon.

Between Balbadd's extremely unstable political affairs, Kou's meddling in the country's economy and a group of thieves wrecking havoc upon an already badly starved city, Sinbad may had just chosen the worst possible moment to go anywhere on his own.

Whatever was in store for Balbadd had to be big, bigger than what Sin had suspected back when he'd ordered the trip, likely bigger than the worst case scenario Ja'far could come up with on the fly. Because Judar may have made his exit the moment he and Masrur had taken the field, but he might as well had left a giant red flag waving. If he was willing to have his fun later, then whatever Kou was scheming, it was big, important and it would get a number of people killed.

We can't let that happen.

Ja'far carefully watched as the kids stuffed their mouth with food, noting that neither his king's younger doppelganger or the Fog Troupe's leader had ever quite relaxed, and the younger two followed the cue. There was no silly chit chat, things that did get spoken aloud only ever touched the most everyday subjects and the occasional looks that did come Ja'far's way remained wary.

The initial plan for Balbadd had been simple, perhaps too much so. Ja'far and Masrur come through the sea, Sinbad through the land. Meet in the city, and decide the best course of action after they had enough information to go on.

Except, observing the gold eyed boy too busy fighting sleep to even account for the fact that he may have been thrown many, many years into the future, that didn't go according to plan.

Forget explanations. Focus on what's important now.

Get them to rest, make them comfortable. Earn their trust. Because they were going to need his help as much as he was going to need theirs.

Much easier said than done, unfortunately.

The boy was definitely his king, not a single doubt about it. Any suspicions he may have had got stuffed into a box and thrown out the window the moment he confirmed his household vessel remained the same as always. Sinbad had Baal with him, and Baal was right here. Even the metal vessel looked to be in a far better shape that Ja'far remembered it being.

It doesn't help that his friends don't trust us very much.

Alibaba especially, though if he truly was the one leading a notorious gang of thieves, Ja'far didn't blame him.

Alibaba hadn't been very forthcoming in any attempts to get a proper conversation going. Kept his mouth shut when the talk even so much as drifted towards anything that may mention the Fog Troupe. But he'd sucked it up and stayed, if only out of loyalty towards his friends and that… well. If that boy was indeed who Ja'far suspected him to be, he showed potential.

And the younger version of his king may claim that all he wanted was to return home, but Ja'far knew the look in those eyes. Now that he'd seen the state of the city for himself, Sinbad could never just walk away.

In that case, maybe informing him of his status as a king wasn't the best idea. But Judar had already nicked the subject, Alibaba wouldn't have walked out of the room without asking, and just one look in those gold eyes made every other option unavailable at best. But even so, it all came down too fast, too much, and it would take time for the boy to understand what it truly meant, the time they didn't have. To deal with this, they needed Sinbad, the High King of the Seven Seas, a man well versed into the matters of diplomacy and politics, even Alibaba recognized that.

This boy… just wasn't.

And that, Ja'far reflected, was going to take time getting used to. He hadn't slipped up, not yet, but having a King who didn't know, who'd never gotten a chance to experience anything his King had, who never met Ja'far or any of the other generals…

If I have it this bad, then how must it be for him?

No. There'd be time to think about this, later. They needed to talk. But probably, even more than that, they needed time to rest. Wrap their minds about everything that happened.

Ja'far cleared his throat. "There are several things I'd wish to discuss some more, but it's late. Which is why I'd propose we continue this tomorrow. If you so wish, you may rest here for the night, all of it on our expense."

The spark in those eyes confirmed Alibaba had recognized his words for what they were. Ja'far wasn't going to hold them there by force, any of them. But wherever they chose to go… He wasn't letting Sinbad out of sight, that was for sure.

"... We'll stay, in that case. If you don't mind."

The second part of that may not have been intended for him, but Ja'far smiled anyway. Aladdin and Morgiana exchanged looks that settled on Sinbad moments later.

"Uh, sure," he mumbled, failed hiding another yawn.

Ja'far's nod, and several of the girls were already rushing to arrange a room.

He didn't miss the looks that passed between Masrur and the much smaller Fanalis as she followed the boys out, nor the soft crease of brow on his fellow general's forehead.

Sinbad froze at the door, like he may have wanted to ask something more, but seemingly decided against it and joined the others with a shake of head.

Ja'far released a tired sigh the moment he was sure they were out of earshot, hoping his face didn't look as bad as he felt. "We need to get in touch with Yamraiha." If there was anyone in this world who could figure out what may have happened, how and why regardless of how incompatible her magic with the Djinn's, it would be her.

"Think Sin's in trouble?" Masrur asked, and Ja'far barely stopped himself from asking which one.

"Absolutely."

Though he was not prepared to consider all the possible things that may have befallen their king, not without fear that he might just drive himself insane. Dungeons were infamous for bending space and time, but this time, Ja'far thought, they might've gone a little too far.

"Judar is already aware of it," he said. "Kou isn't going to be far behind, and with Kou, the rest of the world…" Which meant that, let alone the fact his King was missing, the version of him that was right here was going to be in danger, much greater danger than they'd prepared for. It was only a matter of time before somebody came after him, and sure, Ja'far knew Sinbad could take care of himself. Even so young, he had been able to evade Parthevian army and assassins, but…

Back then, he didn't have the entirety of Al Thamen after his head.

The fact he had friends already put him at an advantage, especially since the circle of friends was made of another Djinn Conqueror, a Magi and a Fanalis, but that could only do so much.

"A mess," Masrur summed up.

Combined with what was currently going on in Balbadd, and all Ja'far could see was a volcano just waiting to erupt. One that could easily do as much damage as a fully charged Bararaq Saiqa. Likely more. And with even a whiff of Al Thamen in the air…

Ja'far let out an aggravated sigh. Mess doesn't even begin to cover it.

"So, umm…"

Morgiana's hand settled on Aladdin's shoulder and she shook her head before he could say anything more, hoping the looking in her eyes got the message across. Let them settle it first.

Alibaba had looked far out of his depth from the moment those Sindrian representatives had shown up. And Sin… Well. Either way, they had no reason to stare each other down like that. Their day had been long. Many things had happened. If this continued for a minute longer—

Alibaba's shoulders slumped, whatever argument he'd been intending to make lost when he collapsed down on the bed, shaking his head.

And Morgiana released the softest of sighs. Crisis averted. For now.

Alibaba cradled his head. "This… You… I can't believe this. You're actually him. The first Dungeon Conqueror… King of Sindria… you… "

Sin looked away, a little tense. "Err…"

"I thought you were a liar. A fraud."

"Hey!" Sin flared, vaguely offended, but he deflated almost immediately. "I don't know," he said. "This is…"

"Really messed up," Alibaba finished for him. "How…"

He trailed off when Aladdin came to sit beside him, wide eyes fluttering from one to another, full of concern, but soft. Understanding, Morgiana realized, in the way only Aladdin could be. "It all sounds really complicated, but Mister Ja'far promised to help, right? I'm sure we can work something out."

Sinbad let his head drop, fists tight. "Yes. I'm sure there's a way around this. But that aside, there's something I've been meaning to ask." His eyes narrowed a fraction, and Alibaba flinched.

Morgiana wasn't sure when she'd started holding her breath. She didn't need to guess to know exactly what was bothering Sin. It had been bothering her as well, but she believed that Alibaba had a good reason to keep silent. All that respect the people of the slums had for him had to have come from somewhere, though Morgiana believed it to be well deserved. But actual thievery wasn't something he'd do, it didn't fit with the kind of person she knew he was.

There has to be a reason. And it was only fair to ask.

Alibaba seemed to hunch over even more, not quite daring to look at either one of them. "I… owe you some explanations. Just… sit down. Make yourselves comfortable. It's a long story and you deserve to know. But before that, I have to tell you a friend's story first."

By the time one of the ladies came to tell them the second room was prepared, they'd all curled on the bed one way or another. Wrapped in the blankets, snuggled against the cushions. Morgiana, for one, was happy that this bed was much spacier than Alibaba's had been. She could rest without worrying she'd elbow somebody in the ribs again.

"So, you remember Kassim, right? Well, it goes something like this…" Alibaba began, with a note of fond wistfulness that didn't quite match up to what she remembered of his dark-skinned friend. But she listened to the story with utmost attention, fighting sleep to find out why, exactly, he went so far to lead a group of thieves.

She wanted to know, to understand, even as things quickly escalated beyond what she thought complicated.

So Alibaba is a prince, moreover, thinks he's responsible… but she couldn't tell, one way or another. He spoke of Balbadd's state of ruin as if it was his own fault, but it sounded too complicated. A lapse in judgement that allowed the treasury to be robbed, something like that… would it really be enough to leave so many hungry people on the streets?

No. It's the taxes that make it difficult for the citizen, he said as much himself. So does he thinks it could've been better, if only he'd done something differently?

But it seemed deeper than that. It wasn't just guilt spurring him on. There was something more. Something she should've remembered from the very beginning.

You want to help these people. Just like in Quishan, you want to do everything in your power to change things. But if he had a way, then certainly, he wouldn't be looking this tired, this vulnerable. Does that mean you don't think there's a way?

"Wait," Sin interrupted the story, stiffening a yawn just as Alibaba finished outlining the idea to negotiate with the King. "If it's the royalty that caused this, would negotiation work? From what I understood at the docks, taxes are too high, and there's no work. It sounds similar to how things are… were in my country. As long as it was good for them, nobody cared to change anything. That's why I chose to conquer a dungeon. To change that unreasonable fate. Simply going out there to negotiate… would that really work?"

Morgiana opened her mouth, because it would, it should, even lord Jamil found it difficult to push his own methods when the people demanded for a change en masses. But the expression on Alibaba's face told her he didn't think that way.

After a long period silence, he sighed. "I don't know. But I have to try. I thought, when I gained enough support, I could make an appeal. I know Abhmad, he'd never agree with all our requests, but some, at least… There's only so much the Fog Troupe can do. We're trying to reach out to the islands, but the ships are only heading to Kou and its allied countries now. Not only did the trade die down, they're no longer sending supplies to the islands…" he shook his head, burying his nose in the pillow. "There's nothing else we can do."

Morgiana wanted to speak. Offer anything, but nothing that came to mind could comfort, let alone help, so she remained silent instead. What she'd seen of Balbadd had made her sad, but now it also sparked a desire within her to do something. Alibaba helped her, so naturally she wanted to do her best to help him in return. But what I can do? There's nothing…

Beside her, Aladdin smiled.

"I'm sure there has to be a way," he said, and she stared up at him as he sat up as suddenly as Alibaba and Sin did.

"Aladdin," Alibaba began, but the boy shook his head.

"We can do it! I know you said this is something you have to do on your own, but we're friends, Alibaba. We'll do whatever we can do to to help. Now that we know all this, I'm sure that we can think of a solution together."

"Yes," Morgiana added. "The situation is dire, but there must be something we can do."

Sin nodded vehemently. "There is still so much I don't know. I reached for this power to help my country, but I ended up here in the end. That means there is something we can change here. We're all tired now, but in the morning, I'm sure, we'll be able to come up with something."

"You… All of you really think that way?"

Morgiana smiled, even if the question surprised her a little more than it should have. He doesn't see it yet. But he will.

"Of course," Aladdin said. "If we put our minds to it, I'm sure we can do anything!"

"Except decide on which orange belonged to whom, of course," Sin put in.

"That was just one time!"

"But you totally took Mor's orange and you didn't even apologize."

Morgiana sighed, nudging them both before it could escalate to another scuffle. Sin had already tried to pinch Aladdin on the cheek twice. "I told you, it's fine, so please do not worry about it."

"I'm sorry, Mor! I'll never do it again!"

Honestly, did they really need to bring it up? But Alibaba was smiling, so maybe, it was okay, just this once. "Let's go to sleep," she said instead. "It's been a long day."

"Oh, you can say that again."

Ja'far looked up from the scroll between his hands as the faintest of sounds reached his ears. Under the light of the candle, there was only so much he could see, even with the faint line of morning sky in the distance, but there'd been no mistaking it. A shape stood in the frame, shadowed and silent.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Ja'far asked.

The boy walked only a step inside, still lingering close to the door. "Um, Ja'far, you said… you've known me for a long time."

The former assassin offered a simple nod. By the hesitation alone, so uncharacteristic of the king he'd known for so long, he could tell there were plenty of questions coming his way, many of which he wasn't sure how he could answer. So many things had happened. But until I'm sure this is permanent, that there's no way to reverse it, should I…?

"Do you know anything about my mother?" the boy asked, bringing that thought to an immediate halt. "You say it's been years, so I can already guess… but anything you can tell me, about my mother, about my village…"

Ja'far swallowed thickly. "There's no easy way to say this. We met shortly after you conquered Baal's dungeon. By then, you'd already left Parthevia."

Sinbad nodded, short and snappy, with a slight shudder to his breath. "So, even if I found a ship…" Before Ja'far could so much as think to form a reply, he continued, "You also mentioned that you're here because of Balbadd. Something went wrong, and so you came…"

"Balbadd is our main trading partner," Ja'far said, more than a little glad to be sinking back in familiar waters. "When the trade routes got cut off, we couldn't stay silent. But even more, this country… at one point, this was our home, too."

"So you, too, want to help this country?" Sinbad asked. "You say I'm your king. I don't feel that way. I don't know that life. The idea crossed my mind, but I never… In essence, even if you put it that way, I'm not a king. But our goals align. You wish to help this country? So do I. And Alibaba as well. And if that is the case, then, would you allow me to borrow Sindria's power to do it?"

Ja'far's breath hitched in his throat. It would be a lie to say he hadn't thought of this as a possibility, but there was a glint to those eyes, a glint he knew all too well.

"You have an idea," Sindria's minister noted. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet. I don't know how politics works, what you can and can't do. But if you came here, then that must mean Sindria can do something."

Ja'far hesitated. "There's a limit to what can be done. Balbadd's debts towards Kou are substantial, from what I surmised, and there might be something we can do about that, but Sindria, and by extension the Seven Seas Alliance, cannot and will not meddle into another country's domestic affairs. And majority of the problem lies there."

Sinbad nodded. "But, if we put pressure, both from inside and out, something should come of it? Alibaba? He has support from the people. He wants to negotiate. If Sindria can do something from the outside, some sort of a contract, or something…"

"Appealing to the king would be one way to go about it, but something tells me you don't think that is going to work. Why?"

Sinbad swallowed thickly. "I'm not sure. But if the king already allowed things to get this bad, then I don't think he's going to listen. If Sindria can push things from the outside, and if we could just find some way to get money without the Fog Troupe resorting to thievery maybe start trading…"

Could probably work, Ja'far realized. Balbadd lived and died by trade, if there were some way to get it going again, there could be a way to prevent further economic decline. But not with Al Thamen here. If they really are the ones stirring the pot, then not even something like this would stop them.

With Al Thamen directly involved, they couldn't just assume economic ruin was all they were striving for.

More importantly, with Al Thamen here, no matter what Sin does, it won't be enough. We were too late. And without Rashid here, it's doubtful anyone will listen to what we have to say. But Rashid is…

Wait. Wait just a moment.

"Sin, you said the Wonder Man Alibaba wants to negotiate with the king?"

"That's the idea. With enough support…"

Ja'far turned the rest of it out. That was wrong. Even if the thief had all the necessary support from the people, he was still nothing but a thief. Even in possession of a Metal Vessel, that added no status or power whatsoever, unless if…

Alibaba… Rashid… If Sinbad were here, he'd know for sure, but if there was even the slightest possibility…

No. Around Sin, even the most contrived of coincidences were never just coincidences. And with two Djinn Vessels and two Magis threatening to wreck havoc upon the city, no circumstance was too contrived to be impossible.

"I think there may be something we can do. Probably several somethings," Ja'far decided. "But to know for sure, I'm going to need to speak to your friend first. It's true, that I have Sindria's best interests in mind… but Sinbad I know… Sindria and the Seven Seas Alliance as a whole, wouldn't have gotten anywhere without former king's support. It is only fair we pay it back in kind. Alibaba should know that." Though he said that, he couldn't quite quell the knowing smile. "But it seems like you have come up with a plan of your own."

At that, Sinbad smiled. "I'm not sure what can be done about the king, but I think I may have an idea how to to rally the people."

Ja'far returned a smile of his own, but despite the curiosity, stopped himself before he could ask. As a bureaucrat, he felt the need to know. But as a friend and closest confidant, he knew better than to try and put shackles on a brilliant mind that was only now beginning to wake. And right now, what Sin needed was a friend, not a minister. Encouragement. Realism could come later.

"I'll only ask you to put that on hold until I've had a chance to speak with your friend."

Sinbad grinned. "I'll need his help anyway. Speaking of, I should really go back."

Ja'far noted with no small amount of amusement the first rays of rising sun. "Yes, you really should."

He paused at the door, with a small sigh. "Thanks, Ja'far."

Glancing down where a single clear piece of marble rested, Ja'far sighed. Said nothing as the door shut.

Just a little longer. Yamraiha said that it would take her until morning to arrange everything. As soon as she'd arrived, maybe they'd get a chance to do something. His young king might've been right here, but the instincts inside him warned him to never take things at face value. Who was to say that his King truly was gone?

And if not, where in the world could he have ended up?