The King of Persia was celebrating the New Year. Among the many visitors was an Indian trader leading a magnificent horse.
“It is a magical horse,” said the Indian trader, “Just get on it and it will take you wherever you wish!” The King asked him the price and the trader replied, “I will give it only if you marry the Princess to me.”
This made the King’s son very angry! “Let me try the horse, Father!” he told the King and sprang onto it. Before he could say any more or ask how to bring the horse back, the horse flew off with him. The King saw his son vanishing and was furious. He ordered that the trader would die if his son did not return safely.
The Prince was enjoying the ride. He sailed through the night sky till he came to a beautiful city. Everyone was asleep there. He reached the palace and found himself looking in at a beautiful Princess sleeping there. He did not know that she was the daughter of the King of Bengal.
Hearing the sounds, the Princess got up and was startled to see the stranger. The Prince introduced himself. The Princess loved him as soon as she set eyes on him and, when he invited her to come along with him to his kingdom, she agreed. The Prince took her up on his horse and wished to return to his kingdom. They flew back and reached the palace. The Prince asked the Princess to wait at the gate while he told the King about her first.
The King of Persia was so pleased to see his son back that he released the Indian trader. The trader, however, was wicked and he kidnapped the Princess.
The wicked trader was stopped by the Sultan of Cashmere (now, Kashmir) who rescued the Princess and killed the wicked trader. But he wished to marry the Princess himself, so he wouldn’t let her go back to her chosen Prince. The Princess wept and pleaded but the Sultan wouldn’t listen. She fell ill and the Sultan called doctors to treat her.
The Prince of Persia heard that his beloved Princess was ill and decided to rescue her. He disguised himself as a doctor and went to the Sultan’s palace.
While the Sultan and his soldiers slept, the Prince took the Princess away on the magical horse. They flew back to Persia where they were married and lived happily and peacefully thereafter.
