[[ Posting this right after the previous chapter was posted! Don't forget to read the last one if you haven't already! ]]

Months rolled by and all was calm. The air was thick with summer heat and the entire island of Sindria was painted in golden hues from the setting sun.

"Festival time is rapidly approaching!" cheered Sinbad, lifting his cup to be filled with liquor.

"It is! I can't wait for all the good food and pretty women!" Aladdin said, his tone whimsical as he fantasized about previous festivals.

"I almost can't remember the last time we celebrated like that," Alibaba said solemnly. He glanced towards the door at the far end of the hallway.

Aladdin followed his gaze and his mood quickly shifted. "She'll be alright," he said quietly, his eyes lowering to the floor. His expression became pained and he bit his lower lip to hide it.

Sinbad remained quiet for a moment as if to pay his respects to the girl he once danced with at the last festival held.

The mood had all but shattered when a familiar voice echoed through the room.

"You kiddos aren't hosting the upcoming festival, are ya? It'd be a real lame party with everyone frowning the way you all are," he said, his voice taking on a teasing tone.

Their gazes all shot up, landing on the figure standing in the archway of the room. His body leaned against the wall, his arms were crossed over his chest, and his long braid hung over his shoulder like black satin. His scarlet eyes scanned the room and he let out a hefty sigh.

"Is no one going to greet me after my long absence?" Judar gave a mock frown. "Geez, after all this time I would've thought at least one of you would have bothered to go looking for me."

"Judar," Alibaba spoke his name quietly as if he didn't believe he was really present.

"Miss me?" Judar smirked.

---

"So there's really a way to do this... A way to bring her back?" Alibaba questioned.

"Yeah, but the bulk of it will all fall on little baby Magi here," Judar said, nodding in Aladdin's direction.

Aladdin nodded, his expression serious as he considered a plan of action. "I'll have to rely on Solomon's Wisdom to find her and bring her back. After that, Judar will need to bind her to the body, just as he did the first time," Aladdin said, explaining the gist of what had to be done in order to revive Mei.

Sinbad and Alibaba only nodded as they listened intently.

"There's no time to waste then! We'll gather anything you need and have it all ready by morning," Sinbad's voice boomed through the silence. With one big gulp, he finished the remaining booze in his glass before leaving the group.

"Well, Aladdin and I will go make the preparations. Right, Aladdin?" Alibaba announced, hinting at Aladdin rather obviously.

Aladdin merely blinked in confusion before being swept away by Alibaba. He dragged the Magi out of the room before peeking his head back in through the doorway.

"She's in the last room on the left," Alibaba said, his bright eyes meeting Judar's.

Judar only blinked as the door closed behind Alibaba. He sat in silence for a moment before getting to his feet and heading down the hallway.

He hesitated for a moment before opening the door quietly. The room was dark, only lit by a solid beam of moonlight through the open window. Judar crossed the room until standing at the foot of the bed. On the bed-stand was a vase of fresh flowers of yellow and cerulean blue, her favorite colors.

His eyes scanned her body over and over as if unable to fully comprehend the sight of her. Her long, fuchsia hair was spread in large waves over her like a blanket, reaching past her waist now. Her long eyelashes cast shadows across her pale cheeks and her lips were puffy and pink.

"You haven't changed at all, Princess," he said, his voice barely audible in the silence of the room. He wondered briefly why she still looked like Mei and not the girl he'd picked from the village. Distracting him from his own thoughts, something ached inside his chest and he turned his gaze elsewhere. Looking away from her wasn't enough to calm the pain that only burned deeper and deeper as he remained in the room with her. Soon, he found it nearly impossible to even breathe.

He moved hastily through the room, slamming the door closed behind him once he exited. He leaned his back against the door, clenching his fists as he tried to calm himself.

(When did I become like this?)

He placed his fist over his heart, blinking back the tears in his eyes.

(When did she take over me like this? I can't even remember when I started thinking of her as anything other than a tool to use against Al Tharmen. So why? Why does every inch of me ache when I think about her?)

As if by reflex, Judar's fist came down and slammed against the door behind him. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and paced down the hallway.