Arabian Nights: 250th Night: Jullanar of the Sea - 21

The following night Shahrazad said:

Sayih fled to the palace gate, where he found more than a thousand of his cousins, relatives and members of his entourage, followers and servants whom his mother had sent to support him.  They were armed to the teeth, with coats of mail and spears. They saw Siyah running, and they asked him, "What's the matter?" 
Sayih told them what had happened. They know that al-Shamandal is an ill-tempered and arrogant man.

They dismounted, and drawing their swords, hurried into the palace and saw al-Shamandal seated on his throne still raging against Siyah.  He was surrounded by his guards, attendants, servants and slave girls.
The surge of Sayih's followers was not noticed by al-Shamandal's men. When they saw them coming with drawn sword.  al-Shamandal cried out, "Damn you, away with the heads of those dogs!" But his men were not prepared to fight; and before long the king was seized and bound by Sayih and his men.  Jauhara heard that his father had been captured and his men and followers killed, she fled from the palace to an island, and climbing tree, she hid herself there.

Earlier, when the two clans were fighting, some servants of Sayih went to his mother, and told her of the battle, and when king Badr heard about it, he ran away in fear, saying to himself, "All this turmoil is on my account, and none is to answer, but I." He ran away not knowing where to go, and he came to the same island where Jauhara had taken refuge, and being tired stopped to rest under the same tree on which Jauhara was hiding. He threw himself down, like a dead man, and as he lay on his back, saw Princess Jauhara on the tree.  She looked like a shining moon.
He said to himself, "Glory be to God who created this wonderful form!  Unless I am wrong, she must be Princess Jauhara.  She must have fled into this island to escape the turmoil. If she is not Jauhara, she is more beautiful." He pondered for a moment, then said to himself, "I will seize her and question her, and if she is indeed Jauhara, I will ask her to marry me, and I will attain my wish."

Then he spoke to the girl on the tree, "O end of all desire, who are you, and who brought you here.  She had been looking at him the moment he came and lay there.  She said, "O fair young man, I am Jauhara, the daughter of King al-Shamandal.  I took refuge here, because Sayih and his men fought my father and killed most of his men, and bound him and took him a prisoner. I fled for my life."

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.



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