The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou

There was a sultan who had three sons and a niece. The eldest prince was named Houssain, the second Ali, and the youngest Ahmed. The princess, his niece, was called Nouronnihar.

Nouronnihar was the daughter of the sultan's younger brother, who had died when she was very young. The sultan took charge of her education and raised her in his palace with the three princes, intending to marry her off to a neighboring prince when she came of age. But when he saw that his three sons all loved her passionately, he became deeply concerned. The difficulty was to make them agree, and for the two younger to yield her to their elder brother. Since they were all stubborn, he summoned them and said, 'My sons, since I cannot persuade you to give up your cousin, I think it best that you each travel separately to different countries, so that you may not meet. I am very curious and delight in singular things, so I promise my niece in marriage to whichever of you brings me the most extraordinary rarity. I will give each of you a sum of money for your travels and the purchase of the rarity.'

The three princes, obedient as always, agreed. The sultan paid them the money, and they made preparations. The next morning they set out together, dressed as merchants, each attended by an officer disguised as a slave. They traveled together the first day and spent the night at an inn where the road divided into three paths. At supper, they agreed to travel for a year and meet at that inn, with the first to arrive waiting for the others. At dawn they embraced and took different roads.

Prince Houssain, the eldest, arrived at Bisnagar, the capital of a great kingdom. He lodged at a khan for foreign merchants and learned of the city's four main market districts. The next day he explored one, marveling at the vast shops filled with fine linens, silks, porcelain, and tapestries. When he reached the goldsmiths and jewelers, he was dazzled by the pearls, diamonds, and other jewels. He also admired the many rose-sellers, for the Indians loved roses so much that everyone carried a nosegay or wore a garland.

Tired from walking, he accepted a merchant's invitation to sit in his shop. Soon a crier passed by with a piece of tapestry about six feet square, crying it at thirty purses. The prince thought the price exorbitant. The crier explained, 'This tapestry has a wonderful property: whoever sits on it may be transported in an instant to wherever he desires, without any obstacle.'

The prince, seeing this as the perfect rarity, bargained and finally agreed to forty purses. They went to the back room, sat on the tapestry, and the prince wished to be in his khan apartment. Instantly, they were there. Convinced, he paid the crier forty purses and a present. Overjoyed, he stayed to explore Bisnagar, knowing he could return immediately when needed. Eventually, he spread the tapestry and wished himself to the inn, where he waited as a merchant for his brothers.

Prince Ali, the second brother, traveled to Persia and arrived at Schiraz, posing as a jeweler. The next morning he walked to the bezestein and saw a crier with an ivory telescope, about a foot long, crying it at thirty purses. He thought the man was mad, but a nearby merchant assured him the crier was trustworthy. When the crier passed, the merchant called him over and asked him to explain the telescope's value.

The crier said, 'By looking through one end, you can see whatever object you wish to behold.' To test it, the prince looked through and wished to see his father; instantly he saw the sultan on his throne, healthy. Then he wished to see Nouronnihar and saw her laughing at her toilet. Overjoyed, he bought the telescope for thirty purses, believing it unrivaled. He then explored the court and city until the caravan returned, and he joined it to the meeting place, where he found Houssain waiting.

Prince Ahmed, the youngest, headed to Samarcand. There he heard a crier selling an artificial apple for thirty-five purses. The crier claimed it could cure all mortal diseases: 'The patient only needs to smell it.' To prove it, he took Ahmed to a sick man, and as soon as the apple was held under his nose, the man recovered. Ahmed paid forty purses and took the apple, then waited for a caravan back home. He arrived at the inn to find his brothers waiting.

The three princes compared their treasures. Through Ali's telescope, they saw Nouronnihar dying. Immediately, they sat on Houssain's carpet, wished to be with her, and appeared in her chamber. Ahmed placed the apple under her nose. Moments later, she opened her eyes and sat up, as if waking from sleep. Her women told her the princes had saved her, especially Ahmed. She thanked them all.

While Nouronnihar dressed, the princes went to their father. The sultan embraced them, overjoyed at their return and her recovery. They presented their rarities: the tapestry, the telescope, and the apple. Each praised his gift, and they asked the sultan to decide who would marry the princess.

The sultan, after contemplating, said, 'All three contributed equally. Without the telescope, you wouldn't have known she was ill; without the tapestry, you couldn't have reached her; and without the apple, she wouldn't have recovered. So I cannot choose among you. Instead, we shall have a contest: each of you will shoot an arrow, and the one who shoots farthest shall marry her.'

The princes agreed. They got bows and arrows and went to the great plain. Houssain shot first, Ali shot farther, and Ahmed shot last, but his arrow disappeared and could not be found. Though it seemed he had shot farthest, the sultan declared Ali the winner and prepared for the wedding.

Houssain, heartbroken, left the court to become a hermit. Ahmed, though sad, did not renounce the world. He slipped away to search for his arrow. He walked past where the other arrows had fallen, searching carefully. Finally, he came to steep, craggy rocks about four leagues away.

There he found an arrow lying flat, not stuck in the ground. It was his! He marveled, for no one could shoot so far, and judged it had rebounded off the rock. Sensing a mystery, he entered a cave and saw an iron door. He pushed it, and it opened, revealing a dark descent. He walked down, and soon the darkness gave way to a grand palace about fifty or sixty paces away. A majestic lady, surrounded by beautiful attendants, came to meet him.

She said, 'Come nearer, Prince Ahmed, you are welcome.' He was astonished that she knew his name. She led him into a hall and explained, 'I am Paribanou, daughter of a powerful genie. I saw you shoot your arrow and knew you deserved a better fate. I took it in the air and sent it to strike the rocks, so you would find it and come to me.' She looked at him tenderly, and he understood she meant to marry him.

He immediately considered that Nouronnihar was lost to him, and Paribanou was more beautiful and rich. He declared his love and accepted her offer. She said, 'Then I am your wife, and you are my husband.' She served him food and wine, then showed him her palace, filled with unimaginable jewels and marbles. She said, 'If you admire this, what would you say to the palaces of the chief genies? But night is coming, let us go to supper.' She led him to a grand hall where a feast was laid, with golden plate and beautiful women singing. They ate and drank, and the wedding feast lasted for days.

After six months, Prince Ahmed longed to see his father. He asked Paribanou's permission, and she advised him not to tell the sultan about her or their marriage. 'Just say you are happy and that you come to pay your respects.' She gave him twenty well-mounted attendants, and he set off.

When he arrived, the people rejoiced, and the sultan embraced him, expressing worry about his long absence. Ahmed told a story without mentioning the fairy, and asked leave to visit often. The sultan, though curious, agreed and said he was always welcome.

Ahmed stayed three days and returned to Paribanou. For months, he visited regularly, each time with a finer equipage. Some of the sultan's favorites grew jealous, warning that Ahmed might be planning to take the throne. The sultan dismissed them, but their words planted doubt. He secretly summoned a female magician and ordered her to follow Ahmed and discover where he went.

The magician went to the rocks and hid. The next morning, she saw Ahmed and his party disappear near the cliffs. She searched but found no entrance, for only those agreeable to Paribanou could see the iron gate. She returned and reported, and the sultan gave her a valuable diamond to continue.

Later, knowing Ahmed would visit again, the magician waited by the rock, pretending to be sick. When Ahmed passed, he saw her lying there and pitied her. He offered to help and had her placed behind one of his attendants. They returned to the iron gate, which opened, and Ahmed sent word to Paribanou that he needed her help.

Paribanou came quickly. Ahmed said, 'I found this poor woman in great pain and promised her assistance.' Paribanou, suspicious, had her taken to an apartment. Then she whispered to Ahmed, 'This woman is not truly sick, but an impostor. She will bring trouble. But don't fear; I will protect you. Go to your father, and I will handle her.'

The magician was given the Water of the Fountain of Lions, which cured her pretense. She then toured the palace and saw Paribanou on her throne, surrounded by fairies. Paribanou graciously allowed her to leave. The magician returned to the sultan and told him of Ahmed's immense wealth and his fairy wife, warning that Ahmed might seize the throne.

The sultan's favorites advised killing Ahmed, but the magician suggested a different plan: 'Ask him for impossible gifts, and eventually the fairy will tire of him and send him away. For example, request a tent that can be carried in a man's hand yet large enough to shelter your whole army.' The sultan agreed.

The next day, the sultan made the request. Ahmed was troubled, unsure if even a fairy could provide such a thing, but he promised to ask his wife. He returned to Paribanou and told her. She laughed, 'Is that all? I will give you the largest tent from my treasury.' She sent her treasurer, who brought back a small folded tent. Ahmed thought she was joking, but she had it set up, and it expanded to cover an army twice the size of his father's. Ahmed apologized for his doubt.

He took the tent to the sultan, who was amazed and delighted. But the sultan then asked for a bottle of the Water of the Fountain of Lions, which cured fevers. Ahmed agreed and went back to Paribanou. She explained the dangers: the fountain was guarded by four fierce lions, but she instructed him: 'Take this clew of thread. Roll it before you, and it will lead to the castle gate. The lions will be awake, but throw each a quarter of mutton, then spur your horse to the fountain and fill your bottle. They'll be too busy eating to stop you.'

Ahmed followed her instructions exactly. At the castle, he threw the meat, passed the lions, filled the bottle, and returned safely. Two lions followed him to the city gates, but he was not harmed, though the sight frightened everyone. He presented the water to the sultan, who praised him but grew even more jealous.

The sultan then asked for a man no taller than a foot and a half, with a beard thirty feet long, carrying an iron bar weighing five hundred pounds. Ahmed thought this impossible and returned to Paribanou, discouraged. She said, 'Don't worry, my brother Schaibar is exactly that man. He is violent but good-hearted. I'll summon him.'

She lit a flame and cast perfume, and soon Schaibar appeared, a hunchbacked dwarf with a long beard and heavy bar. Ahmed was prepared and greeted him as a brother. Schaibar, understanding the situation, agreed to accompany Ahmed to the sultan.

The next day, they rode to the capital. The people fled in terror at the sight of Schaibar. They entered the council hall, where the sultan sat with his court. Schaibar strode to the throne and demanded, 'What wouldst thou have with me?' The sultan, terrified, covered his eyes. Enraged by the rudeness, Schaibar lifted his iron bar and struck the sultan dead. He then killed the viziers and favorites who had conspired against Ahmed, sparing only the grand vizier at Ahmed's plea.

Schaibar then proclaimed Ahmed the new sultan, and the people echoed the cry. He had Ahmed clothed in royal robes and seated on the throne, and all swore allegiance. He then sent for Paribanou and made her sultaness. Prince Ali and Nouronnihar, innocent of the plot, were given a province to rule. Ahmed also sent word to Houssain, offering him a province, but he chose to remain in his hermitage, content.

And so Ahmed and Paribanou ruled wisely and justly, living happily ever after.