一千零一夜英文故事：Banished Son Saves His Brothers

In Arabia there was a prosperous kingdom. It was ruled by a Sultan who had three queens. But no one bore him a child. The Sultan was worried as he had no heir. One night when he was sleeping a good fairy appeared before him in his dream and said, "If you give the seeds of the pomegranate to your queens, they will give birth to sons to you". 

 

The Sultan woke up suddenly. "Is it true, why not I try" he thought. 

 

The next morning, the Sultan gave the three queens pomegranates. All the three queens ate the pomegranates. Only two queens gave birth to children. The third one did not become pregnant. So the Sultan got angry on her and banished¹ her to the forest nearby. But after some months the third queen also gave birth to a hand some child in the forest. She named him as Ahamud. 

 

As days and years passed, Ahamud grew young and he became a good fighter. He got training in war fare and improved his knowledge. Once he asked his mother. 'Who is my father?" His mother replied that the Sultan of the kingdom was his father and that he hated her as she had no child then. 

 

"You don't worry. I will go to my father and win his heart and then tell him. Who I am," Ahamud said. 

 

So he decided² to join the army. He won the heart of the Sultan by doing courageous³ deeds. He won many battles for the Sultan. So the Sultan gave him a high position in his army. 

 

The two princesses, his brothers, became jealous of Ahamud. So they argued with his father not go give more importance to Ahamud. One day the two princes went for hunting in the forest. They didn't turn up late in the evening. The Sultan got worried and sent soldiers in all directrons. But they returned without the prince. So Sultan asked Ahamud to find his two princes at any cost. 

 

Ahomud went out in search of the two princes. He went through the thick forest and thorny⁴ bushes and on the way he had to fight with many wild animals. In the forest he happened to see a young beautiful maiden⁵ sitting under a tree. She was weeping and her face looked terrified. He moved near her and asked. "Who are you? Why are you here’" 

 

She replied, “I am the princess of Cairo kingdom A wicked wizard captured me imprisoned⁶ me here and guards me." 

 

Ahomud said to her, 'O princess you don't worry. I will fight with him and free you from here." 

 

She asked him to go away because he was cruel and would capture him also. Suddenly he heard a strange noise behind him. So he hid himself behind a tree and waited. 

 

The wizard came with anger and asked the maiden. "Did any body come here?" 

 

Suddenly Ahamud sprinkled some magic water and killed him with his sword. He said to the maiden. "Come quick! We shall move fast". 

 

But the young maiden didn't move from there. "Many others are in the near by cave as captives. You free them also", she pleaded. 

 

Ahamud ran fast to the cave and freed all inside the cave. Amoung them, he found the two princes, his two brothers. He became very happy and said, "Your father. Sultan sent me for you. Let us go quickly and make him happy." 

 

When Ahamud came back with the two princes, the Sultan became relieved of fear. The two princes said, "We are so grateful to you Ahamud. We were jealous of you. But you have saved us". “Here are your three sons Oh…Sultan"Ahamud cried in a loud voice Who is the third7" the Sultan said in wonder… Ahamud said. “In front of you your majesty⁷. O father I am the third son of you. I am the son of the third queen that you banished. I was born to you in the forest.". 

 

Sultan looked puzzled for a while and said, "I was hasty and merciless. I am ashamed of myself. Forgive me son. Where is your mother…my third queen?" Just then the third queen reached the palace and joined the sultan's family. 

 

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