The King of Persia ruled over a large and prosperous kingdom. He was a well-loved and happy king. But he longed for an heir.
One day, as he sat in the court, a merchant wished to speak to him privately. After the day’s work was over in the court, the King called the merchant. He brought a beautiful lady to the court and said she was a slave. The King had never seen anyone so ravishing and fell in love with her. He married her and they began to live very happily in the palace.
The King gave fabulous gifts and jewels and dresses to his new Queen and there were servants and maids to attend to her always. Her room, near the King’s, looked out over the sea. The King often found her seated near the window of her room looking sadly out at the sea. She did not seem to know the courtesies required in the court nor did she show any special attention to the King who always treated her with great affection.
The new Queen never spoke to anyone, not even to the King. The King asked the servants and the maids if she had ever spoken to them; but they too said that she had never spoken to any of them. This puzzled the King greatly.
For a year, there was not a word said by her. One day, a son was born to the Queen and the King was delighted. He begged the Queen to talk to him at least once.
“After that I do not mind if I even die!” exclaimed the King passionately.
This made the Queen smile. She finally broke her silence and smilingly thanked the King for all his kindness and the gifts he had given her.
“I wondered always if you would treat me as a slave, but I found you very affectionate and generous to me. I truly love you now,” said the Queen.
The overjoyed King ran out and told his Vazir to distribute gold among the poor and the sick in his land. Then he returned to the Queen’s room to hear her story and ask her the reason for her long silence.
“Sir,” said the Queen, “I was unhappy at being separated from my kingdom and my family and at being treated as a slave. I am Gulnar, the daughter of a great King of the Sea who was succeeded by my brother on the throne.
“Our kingdom was conquered by another king and we went into hiding,” continued the Queen, “My brother wanted me to be safely married to a king of the earth who was no less greater than the kings of the sea so that my safety and honour might not be endangered again. But I wished to remain in the kingdom of the sea, so I argued with him violently. When he would not agree with me, I ran away to the island of the moon.”
“I lived there quietly, till I was kidnapped while I was sleeping by a very bad man whom I didn’t like. I refused to marry him. So, he sold me to the merchant who brought me to you. I miss my family, Sir.”
She told the King all about life in the sea and its wonders. The King was fascinated to learn how they breathed and moved underwater; the language they spoke; how they rode on sea horses and could see everything clearly; the precious stones and gold they possessed. Then she told him about her brother and her mother. She wished to see them and introduce them to her husband, the King of Persia.
The King agreed. Gulnar asked him to hide and watch quietly from an alcove behind a curtain. She cast a magic powder in the fire in the fireplace and spoke strange words as a spell. A strange smoke arose from the flames.
Out of the window the King saw a handsome young man in sea-green robes and with a sea-green moustache emerge out of the sea, followed by a beautiful lady and five maidens. This was King Saleh, Gulnar’s brother, and their mother with some of their relatives. They all embraced Queen Gulnar, who wept and asked their pardon for having quarrelled and run away from home. They forgave her and asked her to return with them.
Then Gulnar told them of her husband and the story of her life since she parted from them.
“He does not treat me as a slave,” Gulnar said to her mother, “He has declared me the Queen of Persia and I sit beside him to counsel him in matters relating to his kingdom. He is a wise and good king.”
They were glad to see her so happy and she invited them to a meal. Suddenly, their eyes glowed with fire and they seemed to breathe out flames. This worried the King of Persia who was watching from the recess.
Queen Gulnar saw his apprehension and invited them to meet her husband. She introduced the King and each person was happy to meet the other. He invited them to a feast and Gulnar explained that their fiery look was because they could not eat a meal with her if her husband did not invite them. The royal feast that day celebrated the reunion of Queen Gulnar with her family.
Prince Badar, the infant son of the King and the Queen, was brought in by the maids to meet his relatives. King Saleh was so delighted to meet his little nephew that he picked him up and danced around the room with him. Suddenly, he jumped out of the window into the sea holding the baby. The King of Persia was terrified thinking his son would be drowned, but Gulnar laughed away his fears. Soon King Saleh returned with little Prince Badar, who seemed to have had a wonderful time!
“You see, my brother,” said King Saleh to the King of Persia, “Badar is very fortunate because he will be free to move both on earth and in the sea too!”
Then King Saleh presented three hundred enormous diamonds, and an equal number of rubies, and of emeralds and thirty strings of pearls to the King of Persia. The King was very embarrassed about accepting such rich gifts, but King Saleh insisted that this only a token of his affection and for all that he had given to Gulnar. After much persuasion, the King of Persia finally accepted the gifts. King Saleh, his mother and the other relatives returned to his kingdom in the sea.
The King of Persia and Queen Gulnar lived happily ever after. They were often visited by her wonderful family. The King thanked heaven whole-heartedly that Gulnar and no one else had married him.
