Arabian Nights: 236th Night: Jullanar of the Sea - 7

The following night Shahrazad said:

When the king heard her words, he replied, "You are telling that you are a broken hearted woman in a foreign land.  There is no reason for it, since my entire kingdom is for you.  You said that you have a mother and father and a brother.  Where are they? Pardon me, I have not asked your name."

She replied, "I am called Jullanar of the Sea.  My father was a sea-king.  After his death the kingdom came into the hands of my mother, my brother and myself.  My mother is descended from the daughters of sea, and not the daughters of land.  My brother's name is Sayih.  One day I quarrelled with him and left the sea.
I decided to throw myself into the hands of a man of the land.  I came out of the sea and sat on on the shore of the Island of the Moon, where an old man came up to me and took me to his house. There he tried to make love to me. Being an old man his organ failed him.  Out of frustration he sold me to the pious and honourable merchant, who bought me for two thousand dinars.  Later, he brought me here and sold me to you.  Have you not been kind and loving to me, and preferred me over other women, I would have left you by jumping over into the sea through this window and returned to my people.  Moreover, I am ashamed to return with this child.  They would not have trusted me, and refused to accept me.

Her words pleased the king very much and he kissed between her eyes.  He asked her, "How you people walk there under water without being drowned?

She replied, "We do walk under water by virtue of words inscribed on the gold ring given to us by king Solomon the son of David.  We stay dried without being touched by water because of this ring.  You should know that the time of my delivery is nearing, and I want the presence of my mother and my uncles' daughters and my brother at the time of my delivery.  Besides your women are daughters of land and are not accustomed to the delivery of daughters of sea.  A rapport between my people and your people is good enough for our future dealings. When they come here you will find that I am a daughter of the sea and my people can see that I am bearing the child of the king of land."

When the king came to know of the circumstances, he replied, ......


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