The Princess Unveiled

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(Narrated by Polina, an employee of the Time Institute and her closest friend)

Meeting in Ancient Baghdad
Allow me to tell a story of which I was a part. This happened in ancient Baghdad, where a beautiful princess lived.

I appeared in her life on the recommendation of her father's friends — supposedly as an ordinary governess. No one knew that I was a being from the future, capable of traveling through time and feeding on sunlight.

The princess was officially fourteen years old. But over the past year, she had lived just as many more years thanks to our time travels. She quickly understood my true nature — children often see what adults don't notice.

The Princess's Secret Life
In the late 20th century, Leila became a famous rock vocalist. I helped her master music from different eras, and she created something completely new.

In her own time, she organized a "playful kingdom." There, talent and sincerity ruled rather than titles. She was surrounded by forty devoted lady-in-waiting friends who wielded musical instruments and swords. I was one of them, though not entirely ordinary.

Rules of the Time Institute
I must explain an important detail. When we, employees of the Time Institute, travel to the past, time begins to flow in two directions.

In the main reality, we appear only for a moment. Then we study history in a "sandbox" — a parallel world, initially identical to the real one. This protects against temporal paradoxes. But we are strictly forbidden from communicating with our own ancestors or copies.

Aladdin — The Noble Thief
Meanwhile, in Baghdad lived a young man named Aladdin. A descendant of Novgorod princes, he was famous as a noble thief. He took excess from the rich and gave to the poor.

Once he was fleeing from guards who had almost caught him in a garden. In the city square, he heard an announcement: the princess's procession was heading to the baths. Everyone must leave the streets and not look out windows under threat of severe punishment.

Aladdin had heard of the princess's beauty. A thought struck him: hide from the guards in the baths and, if lucky, see the naked princess.

Breaking into the Baths
He knew the baths well — any citizen could go there for a moderate fee. He hid in a secluded place and watched.

The princess entered the premises with three closest friends and forty ladies-in-waiting with swords. When she began to undress, he lost consciousness from overwhelming emotions.

Later he came to and continued watching. I remember how he froze when he saw the princess with a Rickenbacker bass. At first, jealousy overcame him when she addressed "Ricky." He didn't immediately understand that this was the name of an instrument.

Music in the Baths
The princess had just emerged from the bath, and foam still covered her body when we began to play. Someone joked that she was like Aphrodite, born from sea foam. But the similarity was only in that.

No classical "femininity." She resembled more like Suzi Quatro, Nastya Makarevich, or Joan Jett — those 20th-century rock singers who raised serious philosophical themes in their songs.

The marble vaults of the bath created amazing acoustics. We played several compositions. The princess's crystal-clear voice in an elegant golden crown filled the entire space. She sang about her loneliness, about misunderstanding, about the thirst to be heard.

The Moment of Truth
Aladdin forgot about his own safety. He was so absorbed in her singing that when the princess said: "How I dream that you would hear me!" he couldn't hold back.

"I hear you!" he shouted, running out from his hiding place.

At that moment, forty naked ladies-in-waiting drew their swords. We were always ready to protect our princess. I remember his look at that moment — he wasn't thinking about death at all. He was only concerned that the princess would finally be heard.

Laws of Hospitality
The princess surprised us all. Instead of allowing the violator to be executed, she remembered the laws of hospitality.

"But first..." she said with a barely noticeable smile, "we must show respect to the guest, even if uninvited."

We, her ladies-in-waiting, picked up this game. "Of course," one of us noted with feigned seriousness, "we must wash him, feed him, dress him. Everything as proper. And then we can execute him — it's improper to do it with a dirty one."

Another added, glancing at Aladdin: "He has seen too much already."

Song of Love
There was so much sincerity and courage in his response that even I, a being from the future, was moved. He began to sing a cappella about how everyone fears to raise their eyes to the princess, and he is ready to die for the right to see her real.

Then something amazing happened. The princess took her Rickenbacker and began to accompany him. I, seeing her look, sat down at the drums. Gradually, our entire band joined this unusual duet.

Thus, under the vaults of the ancient bath, different eras merged in music — medieval Baghdad, free Novgorod, and 20th-century rock culture.

Verification in Novgorod
After this scene, I went to Novgorod to check the story of our guest. This was a standard Time Institute procedure — we always verify facts. Although I was already sure of his sincerity.

The princess insisted on going with me. We traveled to the past.

For everyone in the bath, only a moment passed. But for us... The princess aged two months, and I aged noticeably — such is the price of long time travels. However, for me, an artificial being, aging was a reversible process, though unpleasant.

We saw Novgorod in different eras. Both the rule of Aladdin's ancestors and the veche, which the princess compared to Athenian democracy. I also showed her the city's future — the era of underground rock musicians, whom she so wanted to communicate with. Although Institute rules forbade long-term contacts with other times.

The Royal Feast
When we returned, the princess ordered a feast. I smiled to myself — she always knew how to surprise. Imagine: a young man who was about to be executed a few hours ago now sits at the royal table.

And the most amazing thing was yet to come.

Marriage Proposal
By tradition, princesses make marriage proposals themselves — such is the custom. But what happened next made even me, a being from the future, hold my breath.

Leila stood up and, looking directly at Aladdin, offered him not just a marriage union. She offered him to become her partner in travels through time and space, and later to share the governance of the state.

"But before you answer," she said, "know the whole truth."

And she told him about her performances in the 20th century. About concerts where she appeared on stage like an ancient Greek goddess. About photo shoots for men's magazines, about her romances, about the life of a rock star.

"For you, raised in Islamic traditions, it won't be easy to accept such a wife," she honestly warned. "Besides, I'm more of a Christian."

Aladdin's Answer
I watched them both. The young man who learned more in one day than some do in a lifetime. And the princess who, for the first time in my memory, looked truly vulnerable, awaiting his answer.

Aladdin stood up. I had seen many lovers in my long life, but his look was special... "I didn't fall in love with an image, not a dream," he said. "Not perfection that an idle mind draws. I fell in love with your mind and kindness, and your soul, one that doesn't serve time."

Leila listened without hiding her emotion, and he continued: "Do you think your fate will embarrass me? That somewhere in the future there are children, there is love? That at concerts you were naked as a star, only hair and guitar — that's all the cover?"

The princess smiled, but I saw tears in her eyes. And he spoke about being ready to follow her to any moment in time, that he would accept all her secrets, all the complexity of her life.

Education for Aladdin
Then the princess said: "We need to be alone."

All three of us dissolved into air and appeared, as usual, after a few moments. For Aladdin and the princess, at least a month had passed.

"Before we unite our destinies," she said, "you must receive an education worthy of my chosen one. And catch up with me in actually lived years. But don't doubt. We are already husband and wife. My word spoken before witnesses cannot be canceled by anyone, even myself."

I understood what she was planning. Violating all Time Institute instructions, we sent him to study.

First — to the University of Bologna. Then to a Moscow physics and mathematics school. Next, the physics faculty of Moscow State University and her native Oxford. For everyone in Baghdad, one evening passed. But for him and for me, whom the princess sent with him — fifteen years of study and growing up.

Trials in Bologna
The princess sent me to accompany Aladdin — and she did right. In Bologna, serious trials awaited us.

His freedom-loving speeches and Novgorod ideas about popular rule attracted the attention of the Inquisition. I remember that terrible moment when he was already being led to the stake.

I knew I shouldn't interfere with the course of history. But the princess appeared as if from nowhere, violating all conceivable rules of the Time Institute. We almost caused a temporal collapse saving him.

That's what makes her a princess — she can make autocratic decisions that violate all laws and instructions.

The Miraculous Disappearance
I will never forget that evening. We needed to stage Aladdin's "miraculous disappearance," and the princess decided to do it with grandeur.

Using my abilities to create electric and magnetic fields, we arranged a real light show. A thunderstorm flashed with lightning, northern lights spread over the city. And forty ladies-in-waiting, divided between two towers, sang like a choir of angels.

I made the electrified air oscillate at sound frequency. Their voices and the princess's crystal-clear soprano carried for dozens of kilometers. The residents of Bologna hid in their homes in superstitious terror. And we, meanwhile, organized the "abduction" — forty warrior ladies with swords led Aladdin away.

The princess's ability to give orders without doubting they would be carried out worked here too. No one doubted she had the right to command.

In the Land of Ancestors
"Where are we going now?" he asked when we found ourselves outside the city.
"To the land of your ancestors, to the twentieth century," the princess replied.
"Is it safer there?" there was hope in his voice.
"No," Leila simply answered, and I saw how he straightened, ready for new trials.

Chapter 6. Maternal Care
The rest of that memorable evening, while Aladdin mastered sciences in distant lands under the supervision of wise Polina from the second half of the 23rd century, the princess and her forty faithful ladies-in-waiting continued to be in the marble baths of the palace.

Time flowed specially here — thanks to temporal abilities, one could choose the exact moment of return. For Aladdin, long fifteen years of education would pass, but in Baghdad — only a few hours. But these hours turned out to be filled with important events.

In the heart of the princess — now already Aladdin's wife, for her word spoken before witnesses had the force of law — a special care for her husband's mother settled.

"Aisha," the princess addressed the eldest of the ladies-in-waiting, the very one who was especially skilled in music and singing, "send messengers to Baghdad's poor quarters. Find Aladdin's mother and bring her here with the greatest respect."

The ladies-in-waiting, who were in their natural bath attire, as befitting such a place, exchanged understanding glances. They saw how their mistress transformed after declaring Aladdin her husband.

Search in the Poor Quarter
The messengers went not to distant Novgorod, but to the slums of Baghdad itself, where a descendant of a once noble family lived in poverty. Aladdin's mother, whose ancestors were exiled from Novgorod at the beginning of the second millennium, scraped by with odd jobs but kept in her heart the memory of the family's former greatness.

Aladdin's great-grandfather — a Novgorod prince — was exiled by the veche for abuses. An attempt to regain power by force failed, and he had to urgently emigrate to Baghdad. But the wealth he brought quickly ended, children and grandchildren became impoverished, and now Aladdin's mother — in the fourth generation — lived in poverty, keeping only legends of the glorious past.

Meeting in the Baths
An hour later, an elderly woman was brought to the palace. The journey through the city was short, but years of need and hard work had affected her appearance. Her clothes were dusty, her hair disheveled, she was afraid and didn't understand why she was brought to this fairy-tale palace.

The ladies-in-waiting surrounded her like family. In the warm marble baths, where their girl-band's music had recently sounded, they began to care for their mistress's real mother-in-law.

Joint Bathing
The princess, naked like everyone in the baths, entered unhurriedly. Her long hair was wrapped in a wet towel, and her skin was pink from the steam. In her hands, she carried a wooden bowl with warm honey milk.

Aladdin's mother rose, not knowing how to behave before this beautiful girl, the king's daughter. But the princess did what no one expected. She sat down next to her husband's mother on the bench, set down the bowl, and quietly said:

"Mama."

One word. Simple as breathing. But it contained the essence — a wife accepts her husband's family as her own.

"Mama, let me help," the princess said, taking a soft sponge. "The ladies-in-waiting have prepared everything best, but I want to take care of you myself."

The elderly woman, initially embarrassed, gradually relaxed under the gentle touches of her son's wife. The princess washed her hands, shoulders, and with sincere care massaged her tired back.

Stories About Her Son
"Tell me about him," Leila asked, rinsing her prematurely gray hair. "About what Aladdin was like as a child. What did he love? What did he dream about?"

And Aladdin's mother, feeling sincere care, began to tell:

"Ah, my boy... He was special from childhood."

The old woman smiled through tears:

"And how he stood up for the weak! If he saw older boys bullying younger ones, he always stood between them. He could get a bruise himself, but wouldn't back down. 'The strong should protect the weak,' he would say."

"I remember," the mother continued, "how he shared his last piece of bread with homeless children. He would come home hungry, and when I asked why, he would answer: 'They don't have a mother to feed them.'"

She stroked the princess's hand:

"My daughter, your husband was born with a kind heart and an innate understanding of justice. Education will only sharpen what was in him from the beginning. He didn't become just — he always was."

The Princess's Revelations
"Now tell me," Aladdin's mother asked, "how did you meet? After all, you are a king's daughter, and he... a simple young man from a poor quarter."

The princess thought for a moment. In the warm twilight of the baths, where there was no place for pretense, she decided on complete honesty.

"You know, mama," she began quietly, "many courted me. Sons of kings, wealthy merchants, noble military leaders. And they all thought about one thing — about my wealth, about the crown, about the throne. They saw in me not a woman, but a path to riches and power."

She dipped the sponge in warm water:

"But your son... he wanted to see my beauty. And not just see — but see me real, naked, without all these royal clothes and decorations. He broke into our baths, risking his life."

"You understand, mama," the princess continued, "he could have waited until we dressed and left, then quietly escaped. But something else was more important to him — telling me about his love. Right there, in the baths, risking being executed on the spot."

"And when he sang with me in two voices, when our voices merged under the marble vaults... I understood that I wouldn't find another such man. A person for whom my soul is more important than the royal crown and his own life."

Aladdin's mother wiped away a tear:

"That's why, mama," the princess finished, "I said then in front of everyone: 'You are already my husband.' Because I knew — there won't be another like this."

Joint Meal
Then they moved to a cozy rest room, where the ladies-in-waiting had set a simple but hearty table. The princess fed her new mama with her own hands — cut bread, poured aromatic soup, offered exquisite sweets.

"Eat, mama," she said with a smile. "You need to gain strength. Soon your son will return, and we'll all go to my father together."

Waiting in the Baths
Aladdin's fifteen years of study flew by for his mother like a few hours. Because next to her was a daughter — one she never gave birth to, but whom she loved like her own.

The princess would leave the baths in clothes for household matters, then return to the ladies-in-waiting in their natural, trusting space. Here, in the marble baths, where the echo of music still sounded, the most important thing happened — the birth of a new family through accepting the mother.

Preparations for the Meeting
Only towards evening, when the time of Aladdin's return was approaching, did the princess and ladies-in-waiting begin to dress Aladdin's mother. They chose worthy clothes — such that she would feel confident next to the royal family, but still remain herself.

The princess herself braided her hair, adorned her with simple earrings, put on a good dress of noble dark blue color.

"Now you're ready to meet your son and my father," Leila said, admiring the result. "You look exactly as the mother of a good young man and mother-in-law of a king's daughter should look."

Chapter 7. Return and Introduction to the Father
And so the long-awaited moment came. Through the palace's marble halls, familiar but changed footsteps echoed. Fifteen years of education at the best universities had transformed the young Baghdad descendant of exiled princes into a real man — educated, confident, with new aristocratic bearing, but still with the same kind eyes.

He appeared in the baths, where the two dearest women in the world awaited him. His mother, whom he hadn't seen for fifteen years and who hadn't seen him since morning, stood in a beautiful dress, prettier from care and love. Next to her — the princess, his wife, who had become even more beautiful during these hours, surrounded by her faithful ladies-in-waiting.

Moment of Confusion
For a moment, Aladdin froze at the threshold. Confusion reflected in his gaze — whom to embrace first? His heart was torn between filial duty and marital love. Fifteen years of separation from his mother and fifteen years of waiting to meet his beloved wife.

The princess, with the wisdom of a true woman, instantly understood his confusion. Smiling with tenderness that could melt ice, she quietly said:

"Quickly embrace mama, my dear. We still have the whole night ahead."

In these simple words was the essence — understanding of priorities, delicacy, a hint of intimacy, and absolute confidence in their marriage.

Meeting with Mother
Aladdin rushed to his mother, and they embraced so tightly that forty ladies-in-waiting involuntarily sobbed with emotion. Fifteen years of separation, maternal tears, filial gratitude — everything merged in this embrace.

"My son," the old woman whispered, stroking his face. "How you've changed! How manly and learned you've become... And such wisdom has appeared in your eyes. I missed you, haven't seen you since morning."

Aladdin held his mother's hands, not believing he was finally home. Years of study, wandering through universities, learning sciences and cultures of different peoples — all this was for this moment, to become a worthy husband for the princess and a son his mother could be proud of.

Meeting with Wife
Then Aladdin turned to the princess. Their embrace was different — full of passion, tenderness, joy of a husband and wife's reunion. Fifteen years for her had passed like a few hours, but she felt how her husband had changed — become wiser, stronger, more educated.

"We'll wait while you wash and rest from the journey," the princess said, not releasing him from her embrace. "And then we'll go to my father. It's time to introduce you officially."

Path to the King
The three of them — Aladdin, the princess, and his mother — headed to the throne room. I and the ladies-in-waiting followed nearby. Aladdin's mother walked with the dignity of a descendant of an ancient family in the beautiful dress the princess had chosen for her. The princess — with the pride of a wife leading her husband to her father. Aladdin — with the nervousness of a son-in-law meeting his father-in-law for the first time.

Years of education had not been in vain. He had studied the history of many peoples, mastered sciences, learned the art of governance. Now he could speak with the king as an equal — not as a petitioner, but as a worthy partner for his daughter.

At the Entrance to the Throne Hall
At the entrance to the hall, the princess stopped, took Aladdin's hand, and solemnly declared:

"Father, allow me to present my husband — Aladdin, son of Hassan, descendant of Novgorod princes, who received education at the world's best universities, who studied the wisdom of West and East."

The King of Baghdad, a majestic ruler with wise eyes, rose from his throne. His gaze showed surprise, assessment, and gradually — approval. Before him stood no longer that young man who had once boldly burst into the royal baths. This was an educated man, holding himself with dignity but without arrogance.

The Key Moment
"This is my husband, Aladdin," the princess repeated once more, as an accomplished fact that no one could dispute. "My words, spoken before witnesses, made him my husband. Now I ask for your blessing on our union."

Next to Aladdin stood his mother — a worthy woman who had raised such a son. The king saw pride and understanding of the moment's importance in her eyes.

Test of Wisdom
The king looked long at the young man who stood before him with dignity but without challenge. Education had indeed changed Aladdin — from a simple thief, he had transformed into a true aristocrat of spirit.

"Aladdin, son of Hassan," the king finally said. "My daughter has chosen you. Her word is law in my kingdom. But tell me: what will you bring to our state? What do those knowledge give you that you received in distant lands?"

Aladdin straightened. Fifteen years of education had not been in vain. He had studied not only sciences but also the art of diplomacy, learned the secrets of state governance.

"Your Majesty," he said calmly and confidently, "I brought knowledge of how to rule justly. In Novgorod, my ancestors learned the power of popular veche — when a ruler serves the people, not the other way around. In European universities, I studied the wisdom of many peoples, their laws and customs. I want to help create a kingdom where power serves people, where justice is more important than force, where wisdom is valued more than gold."

Acceptance into the Family
The king nodded. In these words was the wisdom he sought for his heir. Most importantly — he saw how his daughter's eyes lit up when she looked at this man.

"Well spoken," the ruler of Baghdad said. "From now on, you are not just my daughter's husband, but also my advisor, my co-ruler. Together we will make Baghdad an example of just rule for the entire world."

He addressed Aladdin's mother:

"And your mother," the king said with respect, "is henceforth an honored guest of our palace. A woman who raised such a son deserves all honors."

Birth of a New Dynasty
Thus concluded the tale of how a princess found a worthy husband, how education changed a simple young man, and how love united two worlds — Eastern wisdom and Western knowledge.

End of the Main Tale
Thus ends the story of the princess and Aladdin, told by Polina from the second half of the 23rd century. But this is only the beginning of their real story — a story of wise rule, just laws, and love that changed an entire kingdom.