Once upon a time

Once upon a time, a very old time now long forgotten, there lived a mighty Sultan in a kingdom far away in the deserts of the East.

The Sultan was fair and just, and in spite of his young age, for his father had died suddenly and left him his throne, he ruled with wisdom and kindness in times of peace, and with iron wrath in times of war. Thus, his people prospered and all was well…

Now, the Sultan had many riches and wealth beyond every imagination: gold, precious stones and gems, and wonders from every part of the world were at his feet, and he had everything his heart desired. His every wish was fulfilled immediately and he was happy and content.

The Sultan of course lived in a magnificent palace, white as the brightest pearl of the ocean, decorated with all kinds of luxuries and valuable things, with beautiful gardens full with golden fountains and pools with crystal waters, were lilies floated and peacocks lived, and other flowers and rare birds and animals had their home, within the walls that surrounded this living paradise…

His days were filled with joy and his nights with beauty and pleasure, for he could have the most beautiful women of the world in his harem, and receive their love and affections whenever he pleased….

But the most rare and precious beauty inside this secluded paradise was the First of the Harem, the Jewel of the Sultan’s Eyes, the Royal Beloved…She was the Supreme Beauty, the Pride of the King, Shahnaz. A dream of beauty and spirit, a unique flower…Shahnaz loved the Sultan with all her heart, and her love was his power and strength. The Sultan loved her very much, with a love beyond logic, and his subjects loved her too, for she was kind and true as the Sun, and her light made the whole kingdom rejoice… And many said that Shahnaz was the only reason that the Sultan rejected all the beautiful princesses that were presented to him, and always found reasons to avoid marriage…

But, as usually happens with all the futile and vain things of this mortal ephemeral world, all this love and affection of the King was soon to be tested, for that love caused jealousy and hatred of his Grand Vizier, an evil dark man who always seeked out to take the place of the Sultan in every possible way… This man had also a daughter, a black beauty and an evil sorceress, with a dark soul and a dark heart, who envied Shahnaz and wanted her suffer in the most agonizing way…Together, father and daughter, hated the love of the Sultan for Shahnaz, for they knew that this love was his reason to be and his ultimate power, and if that power vanished, they could easily fulfill their evil purposes…

So, they plotted against Shahnaz and against her love for the Sultan. Slowly and by wicked means, the Vizier and his daughter have planted Doubt in the heart of the Sultan, and his love started to change and grow cold. Their lies and schemes made the Sultan withdraw his love and affections towards his Precious One, and didn’t seek her love and comfort anymore… Shahnaz felt the greatest sorrow on Earth, but never opened her mouth to speak one single word to the Sultan. No complaint left her jasmine lips, no crystal tear fell in front of the Sultan’s feet, for her love reigned in her heart, shiny and strong like the brightest diamond…

One day, the Sultan was having his favorite scented tea out in a terrace over his beautiful garden. He was surrounded by his servants and his company of courtiers, and some of the beauties of his palace. Shehnaz served him and pored the tea to his cup, as it was her duty to do so that day. He took the cup from her white lily hands without saying anything to her. Her heart was broken, yet she had no eyes but only for him.

Suddenly, when the Sultan raised his porcelain tea cup to have the first sip, his Vizier rushed and took the cup from the Sultan’s hands and threw it on the ground. The cup broke to small pieces, and its content was spilled and wasted. The Vizier then threw himself in front of the Sultan shouting “Forgive me, my Lord and Master, please take my head and punish my action, but listen to me first, for I fear your life is in danger from your enemies!”

Every courtier and courtesan and every official and every servant and slave was stunned from this terrible act, and started to shout and talk and talking angry and asking who would have thought to do such an evil act against their ruler! With a gesture they were silenced at once.

The Sultan demanded to know why he was saying this, and the evil Vizier replied: “May God take my life this very instant, but your First of the Harem is trying to poison you! I have witness that she has put the poison to the cup herself!” And he called for his daughter to present herself before the Sultan, and she said that she had seen with her own eyes Shahnaz poisoning the tea.

The Sultan stood silent for a long time, not saying anything, resting in silence and deep thinking. Then he asked for his First Jewel to appear before him. She came, bright as the morning star and fresh as the first lily of the lake, and stood before him, her eyes on the ground.

“Speak, First One, for you have tried to done me wrong and take my life, and make my enemies happy. What say you? Your horrible act has the mark of treachery, and here are witnesses who are telling the truth. What say you?”

Shahnaz was silent for a while, then she spoke, her voice soft like the evening breeze that comes from the mountains after the rain.  

“My Lord and Master, I am your servant, and my heart is yours since the day I was born. I have done nothing against you, and never done this terrible deed that you accuse me of.”

The Sultan didn’t say nothing for a few moments, and gaze at her, secretly admiring her calmness and beauty. His heart was already poisoned by his Vizier and couldn’t see the truth in Shahnaz’ s eyes…But he didn’t want to take her life, for he decided that he wanted her to suffer for her deed for the rest of her days. So, at the end, he said loud so that anyone can hear him:

“It is my wish that you should be punished for your crime with a punishment far heavier than death! I am exiling you out of this kingdom forever, to the desert Fortress, where you should end your days imprisoned, suffering and remembering of your treacherous deed against me. You will not take from here anything, not clothes, nor jewels, nor precious stones nor gold, but you will choose only one object that is the most important to you, and one alone, that you can carry it with you. Thus I have spoken, and thus it shall be done!”

Shahnaz didn’t utter a simple word, nor left a single sigh… Only when they came to take her away, she looked at her cruel Beloved, seeing him for the last time… her eyes said one million things of love, and then she was carried out to be led to her exile…

The same night, the Sultan, enjoyed his usual pleasures and spend time with wine and poetry and music. Soon after, he withdrew to his courters for the night. He stayed some time awake, his mind was telling him that he had punished the evil woman fairly, and that he should be glad that all this has ended and gone… But his heart was heavy and was not talking to him at all… In the end, with tired eyes and heavy eyelids, he plunged into a deep dreamless sleep…

Then next morning, the Sultan opened his eyes. But instead of seeing the surroundings of his luxurious royal room, he faced darkness. Winds were howling, as if had come the end of all Time. He was hearing the sand and dust rushing around him, but he could not see. All was dark and cold. And then he realized with fear that he was contained in a box. Wrapped up in a silk cloth, he tried to move, but no use. He was trapped. No doubt, his enemies were behind this. He sensed his life was at a dangerous stake…

Suddenly the light hit him. Someone had opened the lid of the box and the air hurried in, refreshing. He opened his eyes, and in awe and to his greatest surprise, he faced a pair of emerald eyes watching him with love. It was Shehnaz.

She helped him out of the box, and when he freed himself from the silk cloth, he stood before her speechless for quite a time. Silence was thick as the veil of the night…

Then Shehnaz kneeled before him and spoke with her soft voice: “My Lord, don’t be alarmed. No harm has ever come to you from me. I carried you here without anyone knowing… You ordered for me to be exiled in this place, and you said that I could take with me only one thing, the most precious to me, and live with it here forever… I did as you have wished….For you are the most precious thing I have and without you life for me is no more…”

The Sultan was standing in silence. No words were coming out of his mouth, no breath out of his lungs… And then, for the first time after a long time, his heart talked to him. Or rather, sang. His heart started to sing a song of love. A song of his first love for her, remembering his deepest affection and desire he had when she was dear to him… And he realized that there wasn’t one single living person upon this earth that could love him more than Shehnaz. His heart told him that he was lost without her. And then, he cried from love. And his tears flow down like twin fountains…

He lifted Shehnaz up, asking for her forgiveness. She said: “I have nothing to forgive you, my King. My heart was yours from the beginning of Time. You are life to me…”  He then smiled and closed her in his arms, loving her forever.

Together they returned to the palace, sharing love… And they lived happily ever after….

As for the evil Vizier and his daughter, his beloved begged him to spare them, and so he exiled them forever, sending them away to live the rest of their lives with their evil hearts… For love holds no evil, even to evil itself…