A/N: Hello all; I'm currently writing an Avengers fanfic as well, but have recently rediscovered my love for the "Aladdin" TV series…that is off the air. Boo! But, it's still on YouTube, which is AWESOME! Anyhow, I was REALLY sad that they didn't have Mozenrath in the 3rd movie, and so this will be my AU re-write of that movie. But, no worries, while the general idea of the movie will be the same, there will be new plot twists, etc., so you're not gonna just read the movie all over again + Mozenrath. LOL; anyhow, for the rest, plz keep going. Onward! Psst, if you liked the Avengers movie, I'd love your input on my other fic. Thanks in advance. Here we go!

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Aladdin & the Heirs of Magic: Ch. 1-Nightmare

Aladdin hadn't dreamt it in many years, not since his mother's death; but tonight, the nightmare found him again.

He remembered it well; he was three, and it had been on a blessedly cool night. He had just been put to bed by his mother; his father had just arrived home after working late in the market and his elder brother, Farid, was upstairs, reading by lamplight.

He remembered just before his mother had whisked him away for sleep, his brother, who was only two years his elder, called his name from upstairs.

"See, little brother?" Farid had showed him a book, open to a page about genies.

"What that?" Aladdin had asked, just learning to form sentences; the pictures he saw were beautiful though. A colorful person appearing from the spout of a golden lamp.

"A genie; if you find one, they'll grant you three wishes—of anything you want!"

Aladdin smiled in his sleep; he found out later on in life that no, even genies could not grant anything. His friend, Genie, couldn't kill, or resurrect the dead, or make anyone fall in love unwillingly; but Farid, for the most part, had been right.

"What you wish?" Aladdin had asked, touching the rose-colored genie on the page. He was big, muscular and had donned a single golden earring. Twin gold bracelets were upon his wrists-shackles, Aladdin had realized years later, after he'd freed Genie.

He remembered Farid blinking at that; clearly he hadn't thought about it. His black curls swished as he thoughtfully tipped his head to one side; his very dark eyes narrowed in concentration.

"I don't know. Maybe that we'd be wealthy so father wouldn't have to work so much; or to always be happy."

"That we alwiz be t'gether!" Aladdin put in.

Farid laughed at that; Aladdin remembered how he had loved his brother's laugh. It was gentle and always felt so nice on his ears. He reached over the book and tousled Aladdin's wavy hair.

"Yes, that we'll always be together," he at length agreed, smiling with his perfect white teeth.

Aladdin moaned in his sleep; he turned to one side in the bed, unconsciously kicking off the covers.

Their mutual wish had not come to pass though; in fact, it was killed that very night.

Aladdin had been put to bed; his mother, whose long curly hair always fell over her cheeks when she bent to kiss him goodnight, was soft and smelled like jasmine. He had left Farid upstairs, who if their mother did not fetch him, usually fell asleep on his books.

"Fa'rd love books."

"Yes, darling, he does. Good night."

"'Night, M'my."

The night was starless; the city quieted with slumber. Aladdin heard his mother putting things away as he drifted off. Vaguely, he heard his father come home, his voice greeting Aladdin's mother and he heard the tell-tale sound of a kiss, but he was too far asleep to want to wake now.

"Where's Farid?"

"Upstairs, reading."

"One day, love, if you don't make him go to bed, he's going to leave a lamp burning and burn our house down." His voice sounded too light to be serious though.

Aladdin heard his mother laugh, though it felt far away somehow. He fell deeper into sleep.

Then it struck.

Something… hit their house. Aladdin couldn't remember what time it was, only that it was late, and he had awoken to the house shaking and their parents screaming and calling out to him and Farid.

Aladdin remembered snapping awake, screaming, and his mother tearing through the doorway, her eyes wild, and was at his side in the next minute. She scooped him up; he was sobbing, and she rocked him back and forth.

"It's all right, my love, it's all right," she repeated over and over.

"Where da? Where Fa'rd?"

"They'll be here."

Aladdin craned his next to see Father propel himself up the stairs hollering Farid's name.

A minute or so passed. The quaking stopped. Outside, Aladdin could hear neighbors checking on each other. They lived in a good area, he felt safe.

Or he had, until now.

Why didn't he hear Farid? He heard his father call for him again and again.

His mother tightened her hold on him. He looked up to see her face pale; she began to tremble. He was too young to understand, but later in life he wondered at the fearful knowing in her face.

"Cassim?" she called, her voice shaking. "Did you find Farid?"

There was the pounding of feet as their father came down. He bolted into Aladdin's room; his face was etched in panic.

"Farid? Is he in here?"

Aladdin's mother tensed. "N…no." Another tremble. "He's not upstairs?"

Cassim shook his head, panting. "There's a huge hole blasted through our west wall…Farid is gone, Bashirah."

Bashirah clutched Aladdin, sobbing, then in the next moment broke away and tore up the stairs.

"Farid! Farid, answer me!" she wailed.

Aladdin darted past his father, following his mother up the stairs.

When he reached the sitting room where his brother had shown him the book of magic creatures, he froze, his eyes locked onto the west wall.

A massive hole gaped back at him, showing the first rays of dawn peeking over the cityscape. It was very cold in the room, making him shiver. Rubble was scattered everywhere, but Aladdin caught sight of Farid's book under a rock pile; one corner peering out.

He pulled out the book as his father came back upstairs. His mother was weeping as she sought Farid under every piece of furniture and behind the curtains. "No, no it can't be," he heard her whisper between sobs.

Cassim took the book from Aladdin, and the boy didn't understand why he paled when he looked at it. It wasn't until years later Aladdin remembered the blood spattered on the pages.

Cassim's face was empty of color as his showed the book to his wife. She fell to her knees, crying loudly. He clutched her as she hunched over, sobbing uncontrollably.

Aladdin felt tears well up. "Where Fa'rd?" he whispered.

His father looked back at him, grim, but eyes steeled. "I'm going to find him," he said.

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"Aladdin! Aladdin, wake up!"

Aladdin moaned and hollered before bolting up in bed. He found himself face to face with a young woman whose wavy onyx hair fell past the small of her back. Her large cinnamon eyes were filled with concern.

"Jasmine," he gasped, and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm all right."

"You were yelling. I could hear you all the way down the hall."

"I was having a nightmare." He kept his eyes on the ornate bed covers, now piled mostly at the foot of the bed and forced his voice to be as non-chalant as possible. He chanced a glance up.

Jasmine's face clearly said she was having none of it.

Aladdin sighed, and pulled his feet to his stomach and then turned his body and let them find the floor so he was sitting beside his fiancée.

"You never have nightmares, Aladdin, which is strange, actually, when you think about it."

Aladdin grimaced-strange indeed. They'd fought sirens, a snake-monster, feline immortals, sorcerers like Jafar and Mozenrath; the undead, yet more monsters…and yeah, she made an excellent point.

He ought to have nightmares daily; maybe he was just crazy, he thought.

"It was about my brother," he said at length, looking across the large room where an open doorway led to a marble balcony. Stars winked at him from behind sheer draperies.

Jasmine touched his shoulder. "I didn't know you had a brother," she confessed gently.

"He died…a long time ago." Aladdin put his head down. "I was only three. He was five."

"I'm so sorry."

Aladdin smiled at the sincerity in her voice. He forced a small smile and nodded. Taking her hand, he enclosed it in both of his. It was warm and soft…he smiled at her again, feeling the dream's affect drain away in the face of her nearness.

"I've got something to show you," he said finally, after staring at her for a full minute. He released her hand, got up and strode to a desk between the bed and doorway. It was carved cedar, embellished with gold. He pulled open the large, center drawer and took out a decorated box of darker wood, varnished and brought it to Jasmine.

"This and one other thing are all that I have of my family," he told her, his face solemn, and opened the box.

Inside was a ceremonial knife; it's scabbard and hilt were covered in fine gold, and it was encrusted with a variety of jewels. Being a princess, Jasmine could tell the gems were of the highest cut and quality. He unsheathed the blade, keeping the point aimed at him, so his betrothed could examine the blade itself.

"It's lovely," Jasmine declared, "and obviously very well crafted. Was it…?"

"My father's," Aladdin supplied. "I have something of Farid's…my brother," he said at Jasmine's questioning face, "but it's…back at my place. I brought this here because I was thinking of wearing it for the wedding."

Jasmine took his arm. "You should, it will be like having your family there, in spirit."
Aladdin smiled, but it was sad. "Maybe they will be."

Jasmine nodded with confidence. "I'm sure they'll be there."

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A/N: Well, that's it for now; more to come! I hope you liked! Plz don't be shy; let me know what you think!