45-2
- The
Enchanted Horse:
The Prince Returns
As the
Prince entered his palace, the King was in his council. All were very sad
since the day the Prince had left the kingdom. Seeing him, the King rejoiced and embraced
him very dearly. He asked him "What happened to that man's
horse?" The Prince told them everything from flying till staying with
the Princess of Bangaal. After promising her to marry her he had brought
her to Persia. He had left her in the palace belonging to the King and the
King will not refuse their marriage. After this the Prince prostrated
before the King to get his consent. The King embraced him second time and
said - "I not only consent you but I will go myself to meet her too
and will thank her for her obligation. I will bring her here and celebrate
your wedding with her."
The
King then called that man, asked him to take his horse and never to show
his face again. As the man heard that the Prince has come back, has
brought the Princes of Bangaal with him and will be married soon to her,
he went to the palace where the Princess was staying. He said to the
housekeeper - "I have come from the Sultaan to fetch the Princess and to
carry her to the city of Shiraaz by air. The housekeeper knew that this
man was first imprisoned and now was released, so he thought he was right
and handed over the Princess to that man. The man took the Princess on the
horse and flew in the sky.
At the
same time, the King of Persia was on his way to meet the Princess of
Bangaal. The King saw the man with Princess of Bangaal flying over his
head. Now the King was more sad because he was helpless to do any thing in
this situation. Although the King and his courtiers abused him a lot but
they could not harm the man. The King came back to his palace helplessly.
The Prince was also very sad at this as he could not live without the Princess.
Thinking what to do he came to the palace where he left her.
By
this time the housekeeper also understood that he was deceived, he fell on
the feet of the Prince for his folly. The Prince convinced him that he is
not to be blamed for this but he himself. But now he should arrange a Soofee's robe for him and warned him that nobody should know that that
robe was for the Prince. The housekeeper went to the place of Soofee,
which was near to the palace and arranged a robe for the Prince. The
Prince wore the robe took a box of jewels which he brought for the
Princess, and set for his journey in the evening not knowing which way to
go. He had resolved that he wouldn't return to the kingdom until he had
found the Princess.
The
man brought the Princess in the forests of Kaashmeer by evening. He
got down in an open part of the woods, and left the Princess by a rivulet
of fresh clean water and went to look for something to eat. By now the
Princess also understood that she was kidnapped by this man, so she
planned to run away from there but she was weak because of hunger and
tired of the whole day journey, so she had to abandon her plan. The man
returned with something to eat so the Princess also ate to her
satisfaction. But after that the man started using bad language and
violence so she rose and started crying.
By
chance some
horsemen with the Sultaan of Kaashmeer were coming back from hunting. They
heard her cries and came there. The Sultaan asked him what was the matter.
He said - "She is my wife and you have nothing to do with our
quarrel." But the Princess spoke - "Sir, This man is lying. He
is a wicked magician who has brought me here from the Kingdom of Persia on
this enchanted horse. I was going to be married to the prince of
Persia." The Sultaan believed the Princess, he ordered this people to
cut the head of the man immediately, which they did.
The
Sultaan of Kaasmeer took the Princess and that enchanted horse to his own
palace and lodged her in his most beautiful palace. He told her to take
some rest and that they
would talk the next morning. The Princess was happy that now the Sultaan
of Kaashmeer will send her to Persia. But as she woke up the next morning,
she heard the sound of trumpets, drums etc which was echoing
throughout the city. The Sultaan ordered his servants to inform him when
the Princess was ready to meet him; and when he came to see her, he told
her that they would be married that day. Hearing this the Princess
fainted. She recovered after a long care, and when she had recovered she
pretended to be a mad woman.
She
behaved in such unnatural ways, that the Sultaan repented at why did he
put such proposal to her. At last he left her in her palace with her
maids, but in the night her condition got worse. The Sultaan called several
great physicians if they could cure her. They told him that they could not
tell anything unless they saw her physically. The Sultaan send them to the
Princess, but because of the fear that she would be recognized as
perfectly healthy, she behaved in such a way that they could not dare to
go near her. Some pretended that they could treat her just by seeing her,
those prescribed some medicines for her. She didn't object for them. A
great many physicians were called but none of them could succeed to cure
her.
During
this period, the Prince Firoz Shaah wandering in many countries arrived in a
city where he heard that the Princess of Bangaal had gone mad. He arrived
in Kaashmeer and lodged at a Khaan's place. He heard the story of the
Princess and the fate of the man who kidnapped the Princess. The Prince of
Persia assumed a guise of a physician and went to the Sultaan's palace. He
offered himself to cure the Princess. Since it was a long time that
anybody came to cure the Princess, the Prince was warmly welcomed. The Sultaan told him that the Princess was very violent so he was shown the
Princess from a window.
The
Princess was singing a song sitting carelessly. The Prince immediately
recognized that she was just pretending to be a mad woman. He told the
Sultaan that he could cure the Princess. The Sultaan let him enter the
room. Seeing a physician in her room, she sprang up from her seat and
abused him badly. As the Prince came near to her that he could speak to
her in private, he said to her - "I am not a physician but your
Prince of Persia." Hearing this the Princess got calm. The Prince
then told her his own story and that he had to take proper measure to take
her out of this palace. Then he asked her if she knew where the flying
horse was, she told that she did not know anything about it.
Now
according to the plan of the Prince, the Princess was to receive the Sultaan with civility, but without speaking anything. The Sultaan told her
that he was very happy to see her recovering and went away without waiting
for a reply. Now the Prince of Persia asked the Sultaan, "How this
Princess came here alone?" The Sultaan did not understand the motive
of the Prince in asking this question so he told him the truth. He had
kept the horse in his treasury just for curiosity sake, though he did not know
how to use it.
The
Prince said - "You have given me good information, now the Princess
will be cured very soon. As she was brought on the horse, and the horse is
magical, some of its magic has caught her. It can be dissipated only by
some incense, which only I know of, while she sits on that horse. If you want to entertain yourself with
this, then bring the horse in front of the palace, and leave the
rest on me. Bring the Princess adorned with magnificent clothes and
jewels.
Next
day many people gathered to see this magic. The Sultaan also came there
with his nobles. The Princess of Bangaal was taken onto the horse back and
when she had sat there comfortably, the Prince placed many vessels full of
fire around the horse and threw a strong and pleasant perfume into those
pots, ran three times around the horse pretending pronouncing some words.
During this time the black smoke started arising from the fire. As that
smoke got dense the horse was not seen by others. The Prince took this
opportunity, rode the horse behind the Princess, turned the peg, and flew
away.
The
Prince brought the Princess to Persia on the same day. The King of Bangaal
was informed about his daughter, her marriage to the Prince of Persia and
the Prince of Persia was married to the Princess of Bangaal.
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