The Fairy Bride

Prince Ali had left the palace, watched over by his father, the Sultan, to join his brothers in a search for his lost arrow. He found his two brothers were presented with wonderful gifts, which they brought home from their travels. The one who successfully found his arrow would have the honor of marrying their cousin, the lovely princess. However, Prince Ali’s arrow vanished without a trace, so his brother was declared the winner and engaged to the lovely princess.

Determined, Prince Ali traveled far until he reached a sheer mountain, impassable and towering above him. There, in the grass, lay his arrow. “No man could shoot an arrow as far as this,” said the prince in amazement. As he bent to pick it up, he saw where it pointed—toward a dark cave. An iron door set in the rock wall opened at his touch.

Inside the cave, Prince Ali discovered a fairy princess who said, “I watched over you. I wanted you to find happiness here with me.” The delighted prince fell in love with the fairy princess, and they were married and lived happily in the great palace.

After a time, Prince Ali longed to see his father again, so the princess gave him a train of richly dressed servants, and he set off. However, she made him promise to say nothing of his marriage or where he lived. The Sultan was overjoyed to see his son, whom he thought was dead, and did not question him about the secret of his marriage. However, the viziers and palace officials grew suspicious and jealous as they observed the number of richly dressed followers increasing with each visit.

They persuaded the Sultan that Prince Ali meant to seize his throne. Urged by his advisors, the Sultan sent for a witch to follow the prince and uncover the source of his wealth. The witch discretely observed him, noting how the prince and his followers entered a cave in the mountain. Despite her efforts, she could not find the door.

The next time Prince Ali visited his father, an old beggar woman lay groaning near the cave entrance. Out of compassion, he brought her to the palace. Upon seeing the woman, the fairy princess became suspicious but treated her kindly. Afterward, she had her servants take the woman back to the Sultan’s city.

There, the witch revealed all she had seen to the Sultan, claiming, “Your son is married to a powerful fairy. Do not imprison him, as she can quickly free him. Instead, if you want to be rid of him, ask for impossible gifts. Even a fairy’s power has limits, and when he cannot deliver, he will feel ashamed and never visit you again.”

The next time Prince Ali came, the Sultan said, “My son, I wish to ask for three gifts. If your wife is a good fairy, she will be able to grant them. First, I want a tent small enough to hold in my hand but large enough, when spread out, to cover my entire army.”

Prince Ali returned to the princess, saddened, believing she could not fulfill such a request. To his surprise, she handed him a tiny tent and instructed him to take it to his father. When the Sultan stretched it out, it was indeed large enough to cover his whole army.

For the second gift, the Sultan requested, “I want a vial of water from the Fountain of Lions, which can cure all ills.”

The prince returned to the princess, who instructed, “Take a sheep and divide it into four quarters.” She then gave him a ball of thread and said, “Throw the thread in front of you; it will lead you to the Fountain of Lions. Four lions guard the fountain; throw each quarter of the sheep to distract them.”

Ali did as instructed, retrieving the water and delivering it to the Sultan, who stored it safely. The lions, satisfied and fed, returned peacefully to guard their well.

Finally, the witch and the evil counselors advised the Sultan to request a tiny man, only eighteen inches high, capable of carrying an iron staff weighing five hundred pounds. The prince feared this task was impossible. However, the fairy princess merely threw a sheet upon the fire, and a tiny man, with a huge iron bar, appeared. “This is my brother, Shaibar,” said the fairy.

Prince Ali set out for the Sultan’s palace with Shaibar, who frightened everyone merely by his presence. As they approached the throne room, Shaibar asked, “You sent for me; what is your will?” The Sultan, terrified, hid his face. Furious at the perceived insult, Shaibar declared, “You have brought me here only to ignore me. You insult me and must be punished.”

Shaibar struck the Sultan with his iron bar, killing him, and dealt similarly with the jealous viziers. With one last blow, he killed the evil counselors.

In the aftermath, Shaibar made everyone bow to Prince Ali, and as they all loved him except for the jealous viziers, they did so willingly. The prince granted each of his brothers a province to rule. Then, he summoned the fairy princess to join him, and they ruled the kingdom wisely and well for many years.