Sweets for a Sweetheart (Tag: Alidia)

"Well, let'sss each sssay our favorite fairy tale.  Then we can determine if they could be combined.  What do you sssay?" Rahim questioned.

Alidia smiled and nodded. "I'd like that..."

"Well then, let'sss begin.  Would you like to go firssst?" Rahim offered.  He had a feeling that he knew what tale she would pick.

Alidia smiled. "You go first..."

"Very well.  If you insist.  My favorite is called The Caliph Stork." Rahim told her.

Alidia arched an eyebrow. "I never heard of that one... Tell me that one please..."

"I hadn't heard of it either, until not too long ago.  It beginsss with the Caliph of Bagdad, Charid, being told by his loyal advisor, Mansur, that a beggar left a box at the palaccce door.  The box contained a magic powder that would allow the user to turn into any animal they desired.  But they couldn't laugh while in animal form, or they would forget the magic word to activate the ssspell and be trapped that way.  The two men decccided to give it a try and turn themssselves into storks; they happen to overhear a pair of real storks telling each other a joke.  Take a guess what happened next." Rahim began.

Alidia shrugged and smiled. "I don't know... What happened?" 

"They laughed, like a pack of hyenas.  That meant they forgot the magic word and were cursssed to remain that way, unless they could relearn the magic word.  And then, a newcomer is declared the new ruler of Bagdad.  Charid recognizes the stranger as Mirza, the son of Kaschnur, an evil wizard who was the Caliph's enemy.  With Charid 'nowhere to be found,' Kaschnur ssset his son up as next in line for the throne.  The two storks head to Medina to plan their next move." Rahim answered.

"Wow..." Alidia smiled as she was becoming more and more intrigued in the story. "Please... Continued..."

"Charid and Mansur make it halfway to Medina before they have to ssstop and ressst for the night at an old ruin.  As they explore it, they hear sssomeone crying.  They find an owl who is really a princess named Lusa.  Kaschnur tried to convince her father to engage her to Mirza; the king's response was to have the wizard thrown out.  In retaliation, Kaschnur turned her into an owl and spirited her away until a man would agree to marry her of his own free will.  After hearing their story, she promises to help them if one of the men will take her for a wife." Rahim explained.
"Mansur would do it, but he can't for two reasons.  Firssst of all, he's already married and not looking to be married to two women at the sssame time.  Sssecond, he's too old for her.  Seeing no other choice, Charid promises to fulfill her request.  According to Lusa, Kaschnur and some of his friends meet in that same ruin once a month to talk about their evil deeds.  She's betting that they can listen in and the forgotten magic word will come up in conversation." he went on.

Alidia gasped when she heard about the young girl and then smiled as she heard the two young men would be helping her. "Thank goodness they are putting her needs first instead of theirs." 

"Actually, Mansur is an old man in the ssstory.  They find Kaschnur and his friends deep in the ruin; telling stories, drinking, having a few laughs.  At one point, Kaschnur begins to brag about how he made his son ruler of Bagdad and reveals the magic word, not noticing the three eavesdroppers that are sneaking away.  Charid and Mansur regain human form at dawn, as does Lusa since the Caliph kept his word about marrying her and they return to Bagdad together to punish the miscreants.  Kaschnur is hanged for his crime and Mirza, having no knowledge of his father's wickedness, was kept on the palace grounds as a stork for the rest of his life.  He was able to witness a certain wedding." Rahim concluded the tale.

Alidia blushed. "Ohhh... My bad..."

"It'sss okay.  As sssoon as I heard the tale, I was hooked.  I think it's a tale that deserves recognition." Rahim told her.

Alidia smiled and nodded. "I couldn't agree more..." She intertwined their fingers together. "As for me I love all fairy tales... Adventure romance and magic..." she let her bell-like giggle filled the air. 

"Ssso, I gave you a ssstory.  What do you think?  Do you think another ssstory could be mixed with The Caliph Stork?" Rahim asked her.

Alidia began to think and then it hit her. She smiled. "How's Snow White? She's so pure of heart and kind. That way it could break the spell..." 

"Hmm.  Snow White with the Caliph Stork.  It's an interesting idea, but how might that work?  It wasn't love that changed the Caliph and his advisor back.  And there's the question of the Evil Queen.  How might she be fit into the story?" Rahim asked, thoughtfully.

Alidia began to think again and then it hit her once more. Her smile widen. "How about the Evil Queen works for the Evil wizard and Snow sneaks in the castle to find the book... Then when she gets the book she finds a spell that takes the book to the guys and then she gets caught and forced to eat the apple..." Alidia looked at Rahim. "How's that?" 

"So Kaschnur has a partner in the Evil Queen?  I like it.  And how about this?  Just because the Queen doesn't want her around, she suggests to Kaschnur that Snow White be given to his son Mirza as a bride.  But we still have to work out how Snow White would meet Charid and Mansur.  Otherwise, she has no reason to go sneaking around her stepmother and potential father-in-law." Rahim added.

Alidia smiled again and nodded. "Prefect and how about she overhears people talking about these strange creatures and she being kind and unjudgemental she goes in the forest looking for them since she doesn't have any friends...." 

"And she meets Charid and Mansur there.  When they start talking, Snow White realizes that these two storks are victims of her stepmother's friend.  So she tries to help them." Rahim added.

Alidia smiled and nodded. "Yes! Exactly!"

"Very clever, my dear.  I think it might jussst work." Rahim said, nodding his head thoughtfully.  The idea intrigued him more and more.