One old man had seven sons. Among the village residents, the old man was always silent and thoughtful. He usually sat with his old peers, his head in his hands.
One day, the eldest of his sons, Alkhast, went out into the street and saw his saddened father among other old people. He called him aside and said:
- Dada, among your peers, I always see you sad. What are you thinking about? What misfortune befell you? Tell me, what's wrong with you?
- My beloved son Alkhast! It is not any need that makes me think, but what I must do in the near future. While your mother and I are alive, I would like to marry you, my sons. They say that one prince has seven daughters. How to marry you to them, that’s what I always think about,” the father answered.
The son was embarrassed to talk to his father after such words and went home. Alkhast called his younger brothers to him and told them:
“Because of us, Dada always sits sad among the same old people as himself.” He is thinking about how to marry us to the seven daughters of one prince. To fulfill Dada's wish, I will go to match these girls for us. And you stay at home and take care of the household.
After listening to the elder brother, the youngest said:
-You are older than all of us. Is it possible to make sure that you stay at home and we go and woo the prince’s daughters?
Alkhast agreed, and they decided that six younger brothers would go to woo the prince’s daughters.
When the brothers got ready to set off, Alkhast said:
“You leave me at home, but I’m afraid that some trouble will happen to you.” There is a house on the road to the prince. When you pass by it, it will rain. On the way back, as soon as you reach this house, it will rain again. You cannot enter this house to shelter from the rain twice. Enter only once: either on the way back or on the way to the prince. If you enter the house both times, trouble will happen to you.
“Okay,” the brothers said and went to the prince. As soon as the brothers reached this house, the rain poured down and soaked them thoroughly. The brothers decided to dry their clothes before they came to the prince. They entered the house. In one room they found a table set, but the owner of the house was not there. The brothers had lunch, dried their clothes, rested and set off.
The brothers arrived to the prince and, as their elder brother had taught them, said that they wanted to woo his seven daughters. The prince agreed, treated his dear guests to various dishes and expensive wines, married them to seven daughters and saw them off on their way back.
The happy brothers were returning home. On the way back, as soon as they reached the house that the elder brother had told them about, the rain poured down more than ever. Although the youngest of the six brothers reminded them that the eldest brother allowed them to enter this house only once, the brothers said:
“Nothing will happen,” and they entered the house.
Just like the first time, the brothers found a table set in the room, but the owner was not at home. They had lunch, dried their clothes and were just about to leave the house when a one-eyed sled entered.
- Leave with me the girl you are taking to Alkhastu, and the rest - get out! - said the one-eyed Nart and took away Alkhast’s bride.
It was then that they regretted that they had not listened to the advice of their elder brother. There was nothing to do, the brothers went home with six brides. Six brothers came home and told about everything that had happened to them.
Alkhast got ready for the journey and said:
- If I don’t return home in a year, you can arrange a wedding. But don't get married before that.
And Alkhast went to the one-eyed man. He came to where the one-eyed man took his bride away from his brothers. Alkhast hit the horse with a whip and rode up to the door of the house.
The one-eyed Nart left the house, greeted Alkhast and said:
- Come here, Alkhast, and climb on my shoulders.
Alkhast dismounted and climbed onto the shoulders of the one-eyed man. Before he could blink an eye, the one-eyed man brought him to a foreign land. There the one-eyed man asked Alkhast:
- Look over there. Do you see some light shining there? This light comes from the girl. Her name is Malkh-Azni. Do you want to get it or die falling from my shoulders?
“I want to get the Malkh-Azni girl,” said the young man. Before Alkhast could blink an eye, the one-eyed man took him to his house and said:
“If you get Malkh-Azni and bring her to me, then you can take your bride.”
After that, the one-eyed man released Alkhast. Alkhast told the bride that she should live with the one-eyed man until his return, and went to get Malkh-Azni. On the way to Malkh-Azni, near one village, he noticed a burning haystack.
“It’s a pity for such straw,” said Alkhast and began to put out the fire. The mice, hiding in holes under the mop, ran back and forth. Alkhast put out the fire and wanted to continue on his way. Then one white mouse blocked his way and said:
- Kant, you put out the fire and saved our wives and children. We are all grateful to you. When you need our help, burn this hair. The white mouse pulled out a hair from its mustache, gave it to Alkhast and added:
- I, along with my army of mice, will be near you. Alkhast thought:
- Well, what help can mice give me? - and went on.
Three months after the incident with the mice, Alkhast entered the lands of Malkh-Azni. He immediately met Father Malkh-Azni, who was touring his domain, who asked:
“Who came to my land?
Who is it, man or beast?
To the land where birds don't fly,
To a land where animals don’t come.”
“The son of a poor man came to your land,” answered Alkhast.
- Answer quickly, why did you come here? - asked Father Malkh-Azni.
- I’m uncomfortable answering your question. “Allow me, old man, to answer someone else,” said Alkhast.
“There is no other person in my region to whom you could tell why you came.” There is no other ruler here but me. Only I can answer your questions,” said Father Malkh-Azni.
Then Alkhast told why he came.
“If so, follow me,” said Father Malkh-Azni and led him to him. There was a high fence around the village, and people’s heads were sticking out on stakes.
Father Malkh-Azni said:
- Look there. Do you see the heads sticking out on the stakes? These are the heads of those who, like you, in various competitions wanted to win the hand of my daughter Malkh-Azni. I am sorry for your beauty and sorry to deprive you of your head. It’s better to return to yourself the same way you came here.
“I’ll answer for my own head, old man.” Let me compete too. If I lose, you will cut off my head too.
- Okay, if you fail to fulfill my instructions, your head will end up on that stake over there. Follow me,” and Father Malkh-Azni led Alkhast to the barn and opened the doors. The barn was filled to the ceiling with wheat, barley and millet.
Father Malkh-Azni said to Alkhast:
- Do you see the mixed grain? If before dawn you fill some bags with wheat, another with barley, and still others with millet, my daughter Malkh-Azni will be yours. If you fail to sort out the grain before dawn, even one grain of wheat, barley or millet is not in its bag, your round head will be on a stake. He bolted Alkhast and left.
“It’s an impossible task to sort out so much grain.” But if I fail to do this, then my round head will end up on a stake, thought Alkhast.
Arranging the grains of wheat, barley and millet into separate piles, Alkhast sat until midnight. Suddenly he remembered the hair of a white mouse.
“Maybe something will come of this,” he thought and burned the hair. Before the hair had time to completely burn out, the barn was flooded by a whole army of mice, led by a white mouse.
“What service can we do for you?” - the mice asked Alkhast. Alkhast spoke about what happened:
“Before dawn, I must sort out this grain: collect the wheat in one pile, the barley in another, the millet in a third.” For this I will receive the beautiful Malkh-Azni. If I fail to do this, my head will be impaled.
“This is not a difficult task compared to what you did for us.” Having traveled a long way, we were hungry. “First we will eat from this pile, and then we will get to work,” said the mice.
They ate their fill of grain and, at the command of the white mouse, they selected the wheat into one pile, the barley into another, and the millet into a third. Alkhast thanked the mice, sent them home and began filling the bags. Having finished his work, Alkhast, rejoicing, sat down on the bags.
At dawn the father sent his youngest daughter to the barn:
- Go wake up this kant and bring him to me. He probably got tired and fell asleep while trying to sort the grain.
The daughter opened the barn door and looked inside. She saw Alkhast sitting on sacks and singing songs. The daughter gasped in surprise. Without telling Alkhast anything, she quickly jumped out of the barn, slammed the door and locked the bolt from the outside. Running to her father, she said:
“Dada, the kant, whom you left in the barn, sorted out the grain, filled the bags and sits on them, singing songs.
“We cannot so easily pass off our Malkh-Azni as him.” Go, quietly take some wheat and mix it with barley and millet.
The daughter opened the barn doors again and entered. When she appeared for the second time, Alkhast became suspicious and began to watch her.
—Did you sort the grain cleanly? - said the daughter. - Let me check.
She untied the bags, slowly took wheat grains from Alkhast and mixed them with grains of barley and millet. Seeing what she did, he jumped to his feet, ran towards her and punched her hard in the face. The girl's face twisted from the blow. She screamed. She ran to her father in tears and said that the edge had hit her and distorted her face.
Father Malkh-Azni ran to the barn. He untied the bags, poured the grain onto the floor and saw that the grain had been sorted, as he had demanded. Only in two bags where the daughter threw the wheat, the grain was mixed. Father Malkh-Azni said:
- Alkhast, you won the competition and won my daughter Malkh-Azni. I ask you only one thing: heal my youngest daughter's face.
“I would not have distorted her face if she had acted honestly with me,” said Alkhast, hit the girl on the other cheek, and her face became the same.
The father gave Malkh-Azni many gifts and saw off Alkhast and his daughter. When they left the village, Malkh-Azni told him:
- Alkhast, my parents and brothers won’t let us go so easily. My seven brothers are hunting here somewhere. On the road they will notice us and prevent us from leaving. You must become a dove, and I must become a kite.
Having said this, Malkh-Azni took out a white and black armchair from her things and rubbed them against each other. Immediately Alkhast turned into a dove, and Malkh-Azni into a kite. They flew.
Just at this time her seven brothers were returning from hunting. In addition to human language, they also knew the languages of all living beings. One of the brothers said to the one who knew the language of birds:
- Look, brother, how beautifully that kite and dove are flying! Let's shoot them!
The brother, who spoke the language of birds, looked at the flying ones and said:
“We need to let them pass: the dove flying in front is our son-in-law, and the kite flying behind him is our sister.” They fly and rejoice at each other. The brothers did not touch them and went their own way. Malkh-Azni and Alkhast flew on. So they flew to the one-eyed man's house. Noticing them, the one-eyed man came out to meet them.
- Alkhast, I have long heard about you as a brave and beautiful kant. Although I was sorry to send you for Malkh-Azni, I really wanted you to marry her too. Now take both brides to your home. Have a nice trip! - said the one-eyed man.
Alkhast returned home exactly a year later. After his return, the brothers played seven weddings and began to live in peace and harmony.
This is where the fairy tale ends, so that nothing will happen to everyone, and we will get the white goat.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru