Realm of Wonders Quotes

“The woman glanced up at the stars before lowering to her knees in the sand. She bowed her head, letting the desert grains cover her skirts and run through fingers as she murmured in the old, forgotten language--- the one Agrabah would always respond to. And the ground began to shake.
Sand whipped through the air, swirling around the woman, he used her cloak as a shield against the onslaught. The grains spun before her, funneling into a tornado, until every last piece came together to form an unmistakable shape: tigers head, with sharp sandstone for jaws and teeth and a gaping mouth lit by fire.
The woman stepped forward and the tiger opened its mouth wider, revealing a glowing staircase within that beckoned her closer. Welcome back, old friend.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine turned to see Fatimah, who was chanting something in an unfamiliar language, her eyes locked on Dahish's. Jasmine's mouth fell open as Fatimah's body jerked forward and began to spin, shedding her mortal skin... and revealing herself to be a magnificent blue genie.
Dahish roared in fury, focused solely on the genie now. Fatimah extended her arm, sparks flowing from her fingertips as she fought Dahish's breaths of fire with flashes of lightning. While the genie and the ifrit battled on the landing above, and Aladdin and the street fighters defended the palace from the ghūls and monsters, Scheherazade's words echoed in Jasmine's ears.
Create the ending of your story that you choose. Forget what is possible...
And with the power of her conviction, Jasmine raced up the staircase two at a time to where the ifrit and the genie battled. Taking a steely breath, she leaped up onto the ifrit's fiery back, catching it by surprise--- and with Scheherazade's knife, Jasmine stabbed Dahish in the eye.
Dahish flailed blindly, tumbling to the floor. Fatimah swooped down next to him and something materialized in her palm. The brass bottle.
The atrium echoed with the sound of his defeated screams as Fatimah captured Dahish and forced him back into his brass bottle, throwing it into the last flames of the fire with Payam's bloodied body. As they burned, the remaining ghūls and snakes disintegrated before Jasmine's eyes, turning to ash now that the ifrit who controlled them was gone.
Jasmine and Aladdin ran into each other's arms, exhausted and elated. The battle was won. Fatimah floated toward them, bowing gracefully, as if they hadn't all just been through a war.
"Well done, Sultana.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Imagination is what gives rise to reality”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Red smoke came rising out of the bottle, and Jasmine scrambled backward, crying out in panic. Something fiery within was pulling itself free, and though she tried to slam the lid back on, she was too late. The fire had escaped. It was growing larger and larger before her eyes, but the opposite of the Genie's comforting blue appearance. This creature had spotted red skin and flaming yellow eyes; it had claws longer than Jasmine's arms and dark hooves for feet.
Jasmine had never seen anything so terrifying in her life.
She trembled, staring up at the demon, which looked like it had crawled off the pages of one of Taminah's books. "The Story of Dahish the Ifrit." She could almost hear her tutor's voice again now. "A tale of a jinn who chose darkness."
It was real... all of it.
There was only one thing this demonic creature looming above her could be: an ifrit, evil jinn of the underworld. Just like the creature Jafar had turned into when he made his fateful final wish on the lamp--- the Genie's malevolent opposite.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Atossa, Jasmine read. Daughter of Cyrus the First. In a land where royal daughters normally faded into obscurity, Atossa was one of the few names Jasmine recognized from her tutor's teachings: a daughter and later wife of influence in the old Achaemenid days.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Fatimah handed Jasmine a lotus flower carved out of willow wood, with a magnetic needle inserted into its center and sealed with wax. As Jasmine gazed down at the wooden flower in her palm, the needle started to... twitch.
"A compass," Fatimah explained, "to guide your way through the tournament and beyond.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“That's when she saw the black ink strokes, underlining four words of the poem: Door. Veil. Thee. Me. And in a flash, the code to the sultan's combination lockbox flew into her mind. D V J S.
Door. Veil. Jasmine. Sultan... or sultana.
Even though the meaning was still opaque, even though she still hadn't the slightest clue which door or veil her father was trying to draw her toward, something lifted in her chest as she looked at the words. Hope. He was still talking to her, communicating with her, even from another plane.
"As above, so below," she whispered.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Those who cross the realms are possessed of the greatest magic. The past and future, angels and demons, the mythical and mortal--- each lay claim to their own realm. Our world is but one in a universe full of them, orbiting in their own separate dimension. ”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“That which is above is from what which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above.
A casual reader could have easily interpreted the line to mean that the sun and moon and earth are all connected. But when she read it, all Jasmine could think of was... another world. A world beyond this one. Especially when later sections of the text described the principles of turning base metals into gold and predicted the future creation of an "Elixir of Life"--- immortality--- Jasmine knew her father's interest in this book ran far deeper than mere curiosity.
She could feel it.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine ran her hand along the knife's cool, smooth edge. She had never been allowed to so much as touch weaponry before, but with the blade in her hands, she felt instantly less vulnerable.
The three of them spent the better part of an hour up on the roof, with Malik teaching Jasmine the basics of knife skills and defense techniques while Aladdin played the role of opponent. She was clumsy at first, but before long she was unsheathing the blade from her cloak and pointing it up to Aladdin's chin in two seconds flat, while using her other arm as a shield.
"Well done, Princess," he said in her ear.
"You're a quick study," Malik agreed, and Jasmine flushed with pride.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“The truest magic is usually hidden behind the ordinary”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Out of all the palace's awe-inspiring interiors, the Round Library had always been Jasmine's favorite. A marble floor painted with a lotus-flower motif gave way to three tiers of balconies lined with books, stretching up to an arched ceiling where a bronze chandelier flooded the circular space with candlelight. Bound books had still been a novelty when the sultan was young, but in the intervening years, he'd amassed a collection of nearly three thousand titles from across the East. This was where Jasmine had come to fill in the gaps in her knowledge while her nonroyal peers were sent off to school. It was thanks to the books in this room that she'd learned to read and write in Greek and Latin along with Persian and Arabic, that she could look at an astrolabe and point out the different planets in the universe. It was where she'd fallen in love with studying maps and imagining other lands, far from here”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine dressed carefully the next morning, choosing her clothes like they were her armor. She paired a regal purple waistcoat and blouse with matching wide-legged trousers gathered at the ankle and bordered in gold thread, while Nadia dressed her hair with a diamond-studded tiara inherited from Jasmine's mother. As she surveyed herself in front of the mirror, the ensemble had just the effect she'd hoped for. There was nothing delicate about Princess Jasmine today. She looked the picture of power.
Now it was time for her to claim it.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine crossed the room to the balcony and opened the doors to find Aladdin floating in midair behind the railing, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Look who came back," he said, before soaring above her on a large Persian carpet woven in an intricate pattern of rich blues and gold.
"Magic Carpet!" Jasmine exclaimed. For a brief moment, her troubles faded from view as Carpet and Aladdin landed on the balcony beside her. Carpet bowed with a flourish, and Jasmine crouched down to hug the colorful fabric. It used its tassels to hug her back. "I thought you were with the Genie!"
"It seems the little fella knew we needed him," Aladdin said, handing Jasmine a folded piece of parchment from his vest pocket. The Genie's loopy blue handwriting filled the page:


Al and Jas,
Can you take this carpet off my hands? It's getting to be a real drag, just letting me walk all over it. (Ba-da-bum!)
For real, though, a little bird told me that you could use a pick-me-up. Since Carpet can literally take care of that, he's yours. Just save me a couple weeks a year for my annual World Carpet Tour, okay?
Good luck, kids, and know I'm always rooting for you,
G


Jasmine hugged the parchment to her chest.
"Thank you, Genie." She met Aladdin's eyes. "It's amazing, isn't it, how he always knows?"
"It must come with the all-powerful-greatness package.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Outside the closed doors to the throne room, Sharif the high elder waited, holding a kaftan robe of red silk and velvet in one hand and a long spear nearly twice his height in the other. Jasmine's heart beat faster as she recognized the gold trim and signature jewels lining the robe, the ancient craftsmanship of the spear. These had belonged to Cyrus the Great, the first ruler of the empire. And in mere moments, she would be the first woman to feel them against her skin.
Nadia untied Jasmine's peacock cape while the high elder held out the red robe.
"Today you shed the persona of Jasmine, the princess," he said, "and step into the skin of a sultana."
Jasmine took a deep breath, slipping her arms into the preserved silk. The material was more fragile than anything she'd worn before, and she was conscious that one wrong step, one tear of the fabric, would be rip through history. Yet she felt stronger in the cape too, as though Cyrus were transferring his power through it to her. When Sharif handed her Cyrus's spear, she could barely contain her awe.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine emerged from her bedroom in a crystal-embellished ivory organza dress over sheer trousers with a turquoise beaded peacock cape over her shoulders. She felt like she was floating in the dress as Nadia walked behind her, holding the train of her cape. Suddenly, Jasmine realized something was missing.
"Just a moment, please."
She turned back swiftly, returning to her bedroom and dressing table. Pulling open the drawer, she found the marble jewelry box she was looking for, with a jade cuff bracelet inside. It wouldn't match her coronation robes, but it was just the finishing touch Jasmine needed: her mother's favorite piece of jewelry.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“The woman glanced up at the stars before lowering to her knees in the sand. She bowed her head, letting the desert grains cover her skirts and run through fingers as she murmured in the old, forgotten language--- the one Agrabah would always respond to. And the ground began to shake.
Sand whipped through the air, swirling around the woman, he used her cloak as a shield against the onslaught. The grains spun before her, funneling into a tornado, until every last piece came together to form an unmistakable shape: tigers head, with sharp sandstone for jaws and teeth and a gaping mouth lit by fire.
The woman stepped forward and the tiger opened its mouth wider, revealing a glowing staircase within that beckoned her closer. Welcome back, old friend.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“He's easily outshining both princes out there."
"That's not hard to do," Jasmine quipped.
"A man doesn't always need things like a title or a fortune, anyway," Aladdin said, exchanging a knowing glance with Jasmine. "I learned that in a roundabout way.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine stared at the crown's towering frame of gold, silver, and red velvet, studded with thousands of diamonds and rows of identical white pearls. The largest diamond of all, a brilliant yellow stone, shone at the apex of the crown, surrounded by a sunburst of white diamonds. Even as a princess, she hadn't touched anything so exquisite before.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“But no matter what they did, the sultan always used their time together to share with her the business of running the kingdom, the rewards and judgements he'd handed down during the week. It occurred to Jasmine now, as she awoke on her first Friday without him, that he had been preparing her. Every time he'd told her the reasons for one decision or another, whether he'd said yes or no to a subject's plea, he was giving Jasmine a road map to follow when it was her turn to rule.
He believed I could do it. And if he believed... then so do I.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“And as Jasmine looked around her, at their people, joined in this moment of collective grief and love--- she felt a surge of pride for her country.
I will rise to the task before me, she silently promised her father. I will give my all to Agrabah, and we will continue to prosper in peace. I'll be the kind of sultana they will love... the way they loved you.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“I must have forgotten how young you would be, Princess. Has there ever been a sovereign of such tender age?"
Jasmine paused. He might have been simply making idle conversation, or maybe this was his way of paying her a compliment, but she had a feeling it was something else. He was sizing her up, and he didn't see a leader.
"Perhaps you also forgot the boy king of Egypt," she said, keeping her tone sweet as honey. "I am eighteen--- ten years older than Tutankhamun was."
"Ah, yes. Of course.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Jasmine gazed out through the window, past the lantern-lit gardens and sparkling crystal fountains of the palace grounds, toward the sand dunes and mountains towering in the distance. They were promises of thrills waiting to be discovered... if she could only get to them.
"Do you remember what you said when we first met, when you thought I was a handmaiden?" she asked Aladdin. "You told me the palace was your favorite view in the whole world."
"It was the most amazing sight I'd ever seen, that's for sure. After you, of course." He ruffled her hair playfully. "To see those white-and-gold domed roofs towering over the city, the castle rising from the dunes... it was a wonder, especially from where I was sitting. It still is."
"My favorite view has always been this one." Jasmine's expression turned wistful as she nodded at the window. "You wanted to get in, while I was desperate to get out and see the world. And now..."
"Now you're locked in," he finished, his smile fading. "And everyone wants me out."
"Well. Hardly everyone," she reminded him.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“I'm only growing up, and maybe you should too. We always knew this would happen someday. I was born into a life in which I'm meant to rule. Not all of us have the freedom to be as carefree as you."
Aladdin stepped back, stung.
"You mean not all of us have as little to lose.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Anyone who had to puff themselves up to that extent wasn't for her. It was the same reason she had initially rebuffed "Prince Ali," until he revealed who he really was. An unpolished but true gem would always be her choice over the flashy and ostentatious pretenders.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Her breath caught as a memory hit her like a tidal wave: ten-year-old Jasmine, curled up with a book at her father's feet while he worked through the piles of parchment in the box, full of official correspondence from his ministers and satraps, the governors who ruled neighboring provinces in the sultan's name.
"One day, Jasmine azizam, this will be your job too," he had said, peering down at her with a serious expression. "It's the most important work a mortal could ever do: taking care of an entire kingdom and its people. Is that something you can see yourself doing one day? Ruling just like your Baba?"
"I only have to do it if you don't have a son." Jasmine had shrugged off the question with all the carefree obliviousness of a child.
An inscrutable expression had come over her father then. He opened his mouth to say something and stopped, as if thinking better of it. And then he reached down to squeeze her shoulder.
"There will be no son, Jasmine," he had said. "You are the one.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“She dove to the foot of the bed, dodging for the knife just before it sliced through her curtains. Rajah leaped up off the floor, roaring in fury as he tore toward the intruder, giving Jasmine a moment to slide off the edge of the bed. Her feet hit the carpet and she readied her fists, ill-equipped but determined to fight back. Whatever monster belonged to this shadow... she wouldn't let it take her.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“History is my strong suit."
She had long ago taken it upon herself to read every book in the palace library, after discovering just how flimsy her education was. While the sons and daughters of palace courtiers came home from school each day brimming with new knowledge, Jasmine was kept at home with a tutor--- and her private lessons in etiquette and art weren't exactly the foundation that kings were built on. Sometimes Jasmine had the sneaking suspicion that Taminah never expected her to end up on the throne at all, that she was preparing the princess to be a royal wife instead. After all, she had mentioned more than once the possibility of Jasmine having a son in the future who could rule in her stead. But one other thing the older woman had done right was introduce Jasmine to books, especially Agrabah's myths and fables, in which terrors jumped from every page. Stories with heroes and demons so vivid, they could have been real.
After she had read all the stories she could get her hands on, Jasmine moved on to history texts and illustrated maps. Hers might have been an incomplete education, but those books allowed a sheltered princess to see some of the world, both real and imagined. And they gave her a window into the past.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Baba used to tell me that there are many ways to lead," she said, remembering the words he shared with her. "Some people are strong in their physical being, others mentally, but he would say that a battle is never won on the front lines alone. It's won through hearts and minds, through commitment and strategy. As my father's daughter, I know I have what it takes within me." She stood straighter, gaining confidence. "Besides, isn't the purpose of the royal council to fill in the gaps, to balance the monarch's strengths and weaknesses? If I didn't need help defending Agrabah, then wouldn't that mean I didn't need... you?”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders

“Aladdin may be a part of your... personal life, but he is no statesman. If you want to be taken seriously by the ministers who run your government, you would do well to separate your young romance from your role as our country's leader."
His voice dripped with condescension. Jasmine felt a flash of fury.
"And you would do well to remember to whom you are speaking," she said, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. "This isn't just some 'youthful romance,' as you call it. Aladdin is my intended husband. The future consort to your sultana. Speak of him with respect.”
― Alexandra Monir, Realm of Wonders