In the country of Gulita Sagob, at the very edge of the world, the mighty Raja Hamsoikasa once ruled. His people lived calmly and happily.
The Raja had two wives: the eldest was Rakna Divi, and the younger was Kenchan Ansari. However, the Raja of Hamsoikasa was not happy. No matter how much he prayed to almighty Allah, both of his wives remained barren. He decided to take a third wife. He searched for a long time and in the end chose not the daughter of a noble man, but a girl from a simple family. This girl, whose name was Chakh Kebandi, was a poor orphan, and her entire fortune lay in her rare beauty. The Raja's love for his new wife was great. He summoned his subjects and ordered them to build a beautiful palace for her. The best craftsmen built it from the trunks of mighty trees that grew in the mountains. A little time passed - and the palace of unprecedented beauty, decorated with gold carvings and precious stones, was ready. It was impossible to take your eyes off it, and it was worthy to become the home of the heavenly houris.
The older wives saw that the Raja had lost interest in them, and black envy filled their hearts. Now they were only thinking about how to take revenge on their happy younger wife, but they could not come up with anything.
Meanwhile, Chakh Kebandi became pregnant. Having learned about this, Khamsoikasa was very happy and ordered that all the wishes of his young wife be fulfilled.
And then one day Chakh Kebandi wanted fresh venison. Forgetting about state affairs, the Raja went with his ministers and military leaders to hunt for deer. The Raja left, and soon Chakh Kebandi went into labor, and she gave birth to a hundred children at once. Only the two eldest wives of the rajah knew about this, who kept an eye on her all the time. Chah Kebandi gave birth to ninety-nine boys and one girl with seven golden hairs on the crown of her head.
Then the older wives conspired to throw her children into the sea and deceive the Raja. They ordered the slave to collect rotten stumps and dry leaves and bury them in the dungeon. They put the children in a large box and hammered it tightly, and filled all the cracks with wax so that water would not seep in.
They ordered this box to be taken to the forest where the spirits lived, and thrown into the river there so that the river would carry it into the sea.
Their order was carried out, and when the rajah, having not found the deer, returned from the forest, the elder wives told him that Chakh Kebandi had given birth to an unprecedented monster.
“That’s why she sent our master into the forest, away from the palace,” they said. “If the master doesn’t believe us, let him look in the dungeon where this freak is buried!”
Raja Khamsoikasa went into the dungeon and ordered the grave to be dug up. I saw rotten stumps and dry leaves there and was horrified. How to survive this shame, the news of which has already spread throughout the country? Now the Raja was sure that Chakh Kebandi was not a man, but the daughter of the devil, and began to consult with the older wives on what he should do with her. The older wives convinced him that the state could not avoid destruction if Chakh Kebandi remained in the palace. The best thing, they said, was to put her in a hole.
Neither prayers nor tears helped Chakh Kebandi: on the advice of the older wives of the dream, she was put in a hole. The insidious women were very happy - now Khamsoikasa will always be with them.
And the box, carried away by the river, was thrown to the foot of the hill not far from the mouth of the river. At this very time, several giants and giantesses were walking there. One giantess saw a box washed up on the shore and said to her husband:
- Open this box, I want to see what's in it. When they opened the box and saw a hundred babies there, the giant wanted to eat them right away, but the giantess advised them to be patient and wait until the children grew up. They took the babies home, raised them as their own children, and soon grew to love them very much.
Fifteen years have passed, the children have grown up and become more beautiful than all their peers. Particularly beautiful was the girl who was nicknamed Golden-Haired, because she had golden hair with precious stones at the ends growing on her crown. She was more beautiful even than Khamsoika-sa’s two wives, famous for their beauty.
One day an angel from heaven appeared to Golden-haired and began to teach her various sciences, and above all, reading the Koran. He also told her the story of her life. Now she knew who her real parents were, and how the two wives of Khamsoikasy tried to destroy her along with her brothers, and that her mother was languishing in a pit. The Golden-haired One shared everything that she learned from the angel with her brothers, and the young men learned what had happened to them.
One day, Golden Hair told the giant, her adoptive father, that she wanted to cultivate the land and that she needed a hundred axes to clear the forest. She asked the giant to find a blacksmith who would make these axes and pay him in gold.
The giant went to wander around his domain and eventually found such a blacksmith. The blacksmith forged a hundred axes and received a lot of gold for his work.
Ninety-nine brothers, together with Golden Hair, went into the forest with axes, cut down trees, cleared the land and planted rice, sweet potatoes and various vegetables there. The harvest was enough for the entire family of giants, so they no longer needed to hunt wild animals.
One day the angel came to the girl again and told her to return to her country and free her mother from prison.
“How do I get there?” asked Golden-haired.
- It's easy to do. Go to the border of the land of giants. The first person to ask you to become his wife will be your father. Demand that he free your mother from prison.
Then Golden-haired went to her adoptive parents and began to ask to let her and her brothers go back to their native country for a while. The giant and the giantess burst into tears because they had come to love their adopted children as much as their own. However, they did not stop. Finally, the giants decided to let the children go and at parting they gave advice: if they meet a genie in the form of a woman with one breast and invites them to stay in his house, never answer him, otherwise he will turn them all into stone. The golden-haired giant gave her a magic ring to protect her.
The golden-haired one and all her brothers left the cave of the giants, and they cried bitterly - it was very painful for them to part with the children they had loved so much.
They set off on elephants donated by their adoptive parents. The golden-haired woman in beautiful clothes with rich decorations rode on a white elephant with seven blankets.
They drove for a long time and reached a field that was surrounded by mountains, densely covered with forest. The children looked around and saw: there were hundreds of people, men and women, turned into stone, and nearby were petrified domestic animals - buffaloes, cows and goats. With horror, Golden Hair and her brothers looked at the terrible sight and at that time they heard a thunderous voice:
- Hey, travelers, stop for a moment!
And then Golden-haired, forgetting the order of her adoptive parents, asked:
-Who is saying this? Whose voice is this?
At that same moment, all her brothers and all the elephants they were sitting on turned to stone. Only the Golden Haired One herself survived because she had a magic ring on her finger.
- O Allah, take my soul! - the girl began to wail. - Why should I live, why should I return to my country, when all my brothers died!
While Golden Hair was mourning her brothers, a huge woman approached her. Everything about her inspired fear. Her body was like a tightly stuffed bag, her nostril could fit a mango, and her voice was like thunder. From the front she looked like an ifrit (evil spirit), but from the back she looked like nothing at all. She had a neck as thick as a bull's and a huge eye the size of a rice bowl. This was the genie in the form of a woman with one breast, which the giant and the giantess told their adopted children about.
Smiling tenderly, the genie invited Golden Hair to spend the night with him. At first the girl only sobbed, unable to utter a word, but the terrible genie still insisted, and in order not to anger him, the girl entered his house.
There she remained, becoming the adopted daughter of a genie who loved her very much. The genie passed on all his knowledge to the girl, except for one thing - a spell that could destroy him. But she kept asking the genie about this spell, and in the end the genie shared his secret with her. If anyone had cast this spell, the genie would have lost his memory and wandered around the world without knowing his way. He would no longer be able to distinguish land from sea, earth from sky, and he would never have found the way back.
Day and night, Golden Hair repeated this spell to herself - after all, only it could save her. And finally, when she had memorized it word by word, she said it out loud. At the same instant, the genie, like a feather, flew into the sky, and began to be thrown from side to side, taking him further and further from the house. So he disappeared and never returned.
Making sure that the genie would not return, the girl read a spell that would restore life to all creatures turned to stone by the genie, and blew several times on the ground. Immediately all the people and animals on the field came to life, and the ninety-nine brothers of Golden Hair, joyful, rushed to her.
All the revived people recognized Golden Hair as their mistress and went with her in search of their father. The girl was now sitting on her white elephant again.
After five months and ten days of travel, they finally arrived in the country ruled by Golden Hair's father.
All the people came out to meet her. The Grand Vizier, who also happened to see her, ran to the palace and told the Rajah about the beauty of the girl who had come to their country.
“Go,” the Raja commanded, “and bring her here.” If what you say is true, I will take her as my wife.
The Grand Vizier went to meet the girl and told her that the Raja was inviting them all to stay at his palace.
“Let the Rajah forgive us,” answered the girl, “but I’m afraid we have a long journey ahead of us.” After all, we are looking for our father, but we don’t know where he lives. Therefore, we cannot linger on the road.
- Listen to me, girl! - exclaimed the Grand Vizier. “Our Raja is a very powerful ruler, his lands reach the borders of the sky.” It is not good for a golden cage to be empty. Our sovereign wants to ask the lady to become his wife.
Instantly the Golden-haired girl remembered the words of the angel: the one who first wants to marry her is her father. The girl was very happy - she had finally got to where she wanted and where her mother was languishing in a hole, and she said to the vizier:
- Our path is long - from mountain to mountain, from forest to forest. We had to endure a lot of hardships. If the Raja is truly generous, merciful and fair, we would like to ask him for help.
“Inshallah!” answered the Grand Vizier. “The Emperor decided to take the lady as his wife.” All the lady's wishes will be fulfilled.
“If so, we will gladly throw ourselves at the mercy of the ruler of the world.” Our only condition is that Chakh Kebandi be released from prison and brought here. If this request is fulfilled, we will follow all the commands of the sovereign.
The vizier returned to the palace and conveyed Golden Hair's request to the rajah. The Raja immediately gave the order to raise Chakh Kebandi from the pit, wash her, dress her in beautiful clothes and take her to the girl.
The golden-haired one greeted her mother with tears of joy. She called her ninety-nine brothers and in front of them told her mother the whole story. Mother and children burst into tears of joy, and then went to the palace together.
The Raja had already summoned the qadi and witnesses there to perform the festive ceremony, and what was his horror when he heard Golden Hair's story about the atrocity of his elder wives, who separated him from Chakh Kebandi and their newborns! Tears flowed from the rajah's eyes, and he thanked Allah that they had the opportunity to meet again. The two older wives confessed everything, and they were put in the same pit where Chakh Kebandi had languished before.
Golden Hair and her brothers lived with their father and mother for a year. Every day the girl thought about her unfortunate stepmothers, imprisoned in a hole. It was also hard for her compassionate mother to think about the sad fate of the two eldest wives of the rajah. And then one day the princess asked her father to free these women, who had already suffered terrible torment for a whole year. Raja agreed.
Rejoicing, the princess ran to her stepmothers and removed their shackles, and then brought them to her father and asked him to forgive them everything. Her heart did not harbor any resentment against these two women who had caused so much harm to her mother, brothers and herself. The Raja also forgave them, and from that day onwards Rakna Divi and Kenchan Ansari again became the Raja's wives and lived peacefully side by side with Chah Kebandi.
Meanwhile, rumors about the beauty and piety of the princess spread throughout the world. Noble young men came from different countries to woo her, but she refused to even see them. Day and night she praised Allah and did not allow anyone to come near her.
This worried the Raja very much. Again and again he convinced his daughter that every girl should get married, and the one who doesn’t brings shame on her parents. In the end, he told his daughter that he would leave the palace and go wandering through the forests, just to avoid shame.
“I don’t reject men, father,” Golden-haired answered him, “but Allah has not yet shown me the one who will become my husband.” Let's do this: you gather all the bookworms and wise men from all countries and invite them to a feast in the palace - maybe among them there will be a person worthy of sitting next to your daughter.
Raja happily fulfilled the girl's wish. Learned people from all countries gathered in the Khamsoikasa palace, and the Raja asked the princess:
-Which of them do you like, daughter? The golden-haired one carefully examined one after another and said with a sigh:
“I didn’t like any of them!” The upset guests went home. The second time the Raja gathered sages and people known for their piety, and again Golden Hair said that she did not see among them worthy to become her husband. For the third time, the Raja gathered people knowledgeable in the laws, and among them, too, there was no one who would please the girl’s heart.
Then the rajah’s patience snapped, and, angry, he shouted:
- Get out of here, daughter of misfortune!
To this the Golden Haired One calmly and respectfully replied:
- Why do you say that, father? Is it possible to get married if it is not the will of almighty Allah? Gather the people again. Who knows, maybe one of them will be worthy of becoming your daughter’s husband.
From these kind words the Raja softened, and his heart was again filled with love for his daughter.
At that time, the sky was ruled by a Raja named Leela Bangguna, who had an older sister. Her name was Sit-khon Glima. Even when they were very young, their father and mother died, and they were left orphans. At the request of the people, Lila Bangguna ascended to the throne of his father. The young Raja ruled wisely and justly, and the people loved him very much.
And then one night Lila Bangguna dreamed that the full moon fell on his lap. The Raja immediately woke up in great anxiety. What could this dream mean? He didn't want to ask anyone about it and decided that he would try to find the answer himself. He told his sister that he wanted to leave the palace and go to foreign countries to study. From the inheritance left by his father, he asked to be given only a sword that brings good luck and a dagger for his journey.
Sithon Glima really didn’t want to let her brother go. Holding him, she cried, but the rajah did not want to listen to anything.
And Lila Bangguna decided to go down to earth and see what it looks like up close. But how to get there? He didn't know this.
He thought and rushed down. He flew and flew and a month later he saw houses and people far below. Lila Bangguna rejoiced: he had reached the place where his soul was striving. He descended to the ground and walked along it.
Lila Bangguna looked around in amazement. He saw plains and mountains. Fields spread out everywhere, towns and villages were visible.
Lila Bangguna, without understanding the road, moved on and after a while he saw a mosque where a service was being held. After washing his feet, Lila Bangguna went inside and approached the imam. The Imam saw Lil Bangguna and was amazed at how different the alien was from ordinary people. The Imam smiled welcomingly and offered Lila Bangguna his betel nut.
Lila Bangguna sat for a while, chewing betel, and his fatigue passed. He now knew that he could live happily on earth, because he liked everything here.
-Where are you from and where are you going? - asked the imam.
“I came from afar,” answered Lila Banguna, “and I have one goal: to study.”
- If so, stay here. I will give you everything you strive for.
“With the permission of Allah and with your instructions, I hope to achieve my goal!” - exclaimed the young man.
First, the imam undertook to teach him how to read the Koran. Soon Lila Bangguna could already recite the entire Koran by heart without hesitation, and then the imam began to teach him other sciences.
Leela Bangguna was a diligent student and exceeded his teacher's expectations. His knowledge reached perfection, and he himself became a pious and learned man.
Just at that time, Raja Hamsoikasa called the most famous scientists to the palace and called his daughter to look at them. Many men appeared before the princess, but she did not like anyone.
And then one of the feasters said that there was one sage who was not invited. The Rajah of Khamsoikas heard this and ordered that he be sent for immediately. The old scholar came to the palace accompanied by one of his disciples. This sage was the same imam, the teacher of Lila Bangtuna, and the student whom he brought with him was Lila Bangtuna himself.
There were many more young men at the feast, but Golden-haired immediately understood which of them was the Rajah. She just looked at him, and Lila Bangguna, guessing that the princess wanted to take him as her husband, let her know that he agreed. Then the feast ended and the guests left.
At midnight the Raja of Heaven came to the palace again. He read the spell, and everyone who was in the palace immediately fell into a deep sleep. Then, without fear of interference, the Raja went to the princess’s chambers.
When he woke up the girl, she became angry and asked Lil Bangguna what he was looking for in the palace in the middle of the night. After all, her honor and the name of her parents will be disgraced if people find out about his coming.
“I recognize my guilt,” answered the Rajah of Heaven, “but, I swear by Allah, I had no intention of doing anything unworthy or tarnishing the name of my mistress.” Today at the feast it seemed to me that the mistress was ready to take me as her husband. I came to find out if I was wrong.
The golden-haired woman began to ask the young man what his name was and where he was from. The Raja of Heaven told her everything, and then she said:
- No, the sir was not mistaken when we exchanged glances at the feast today. If the master wants to take me as his wife, I am ready to throw myself at the mercy of the master. But there is only one way to do this - to ask my father’s consent.
The Raja of Heaven was very happy and hastily said goodbye to the princess. But he was in such a hurry that he did not notice how his cape caught on the staircase railing and remained there.
What a commotion arose the next day when a man’s cape was found near the princess’s chambers! The news of this spread throughout the country, and Raja Khamsoikasa did not know where to turn his eyes from shame. He ordered the servants to find out who owned the found item. The servants went in search, and when they came to Lila Bangguna, he immediately admitted that it was his cloak. The young man was taken to the rajah, and he confirmed his words, but argued that he had left the cloak the day before, on the day of the feast.
- That can’t be true! - the Raja exclaimed angrily. “When the guests went home, I walked around the entire palace myself, and there was nothing there. In addition, this cape was found far from the feast hall, but next to the princess’s chambers.
Lila Bangguna was silent. Then the Raja ordered him to be captured and tortured. He was very angry with his daughter too.
Time passed, the Raja of Heaven had long been languishing in prison, and the princess kept demanding that Lila Bangguna become her husband. And ninety-nine brothers came to their father every day and begged him to forgive the lovers.
Eventually the Raja's heart softened. He ordered Lil Banggun to be released, dressed in beautiful clothes and allowed him to marry the princess. But the raj did not arrange a magnificent wedding. He did not want any honor to be given to the man who had tarnished his name and, like a thief, had sneaked into the palace to enter into a secret relationship with his daughter. Therefore, they simply called the qadi to perform the marriage ceremony, and then handed the newlywed over to her husband.
Although the old Raja was dissatisfied with their union, the young people lived in the palace in love and happiness. Leela Bangguna was not only a pious man, but also a wise, kind and honorable man. And soon the rajah changed his anger to mercy and fell in love with his son-in-law.
One day, Lila Bangguna told his wife that he was worried about his sister, whom he had not seen for many years. He didn't even know if she was alive.
It was bitter for the princess to part with her beloved husband. She tried to hold him, cried and wailed, but it was all in vain. She had to let Lil Bangguna go.
She began to wait, but could not stand it for long. She got on her horse and rushed after her husband. And this horse, whose name was Keretaikh, was winged and flew like a bird. At the very door of the world, the princess caught up with Lila Bangguna and began to ask the Raja of Heaven to take her to his palace.
Not far from the palace there was a house where a lonely old woman lived, and Golden-haired lived with her for a while. The princess was very worried about how her sister-in-law would greet her, and Lila Bangguna was sure that the women would like each other, and told his sister that he had come to her with his wife.
Sithon Glima, the sister of the Raja of Heaven, not only did not get angry, but, on the contrary, said that she really wanted to see her daughter-in-law from earth as soon as possible. However, Lila Bangguna first wanted to make sure that his sister was sincere with him, and addressed her with the following words:
“Dear sister, the old people say: if a man puts both his sister and his wife in the same house, enmity will inevitably break out, discord will begin, and the hour will come when this man will have to part with one of the women.”
But I love you and I love my wife and I don’t want to be separated from you or her.
- Dear brother, you are wrong to say that. We inherited this palace from our parents. It is your wife's right to live here, and it is your duty to bring here the women you take as wives. Consider me your mother and the mother of your wife, because our parents died long ago.
The Raja of Heaven conveyed the words of Sithon Glima to his wife, and the Golden-haired One agreed to move into the palace.
The couple lived for six months in happiness and contentment. But very soon Sithon Glima began to be tormented by jealousy: it seemed to her that Lila Bangguna loved her wife more than her. However, she could not harm Golden-haired in any way, because her brother never parted with his wife for a moment.
And then one day Sithon Glima joyfully learned that Lila Bangguna wanted to leave the palace and live the life of a hermit for some time. He left his wife in the care of his sister, not suspecting that her sister was planning evil against her.
As soon as Lila Bangguna set off, Sithon Glima began to harass her daughter-in-law. She showered Golden-haired with reproaches and abuse and treated her worse than a slave. But the Golden-haired One, having entrusted her fate to Allah, patiently endured the insults.
A few months later, Lila Bangguna returned to his homeland and was joyfully greeted by his sister and wife. Sithon Glima immediately became feignedly affectionate with her daughter-in-law, and Lila Bangguna decided that the women still got along well. The golden-haired girl pretended as if nothing had happened. She hoped that her sister-in-law would repent and would no longer do anything bad, and did not complain to her husband.
However, she was wrong. The Raja of Heaven went into hermitage again, and Sithon Glima again began to torment her. One day my sister-in-law scattered rice among the rice fields and said to Golden Hair:
— I poured the rice out to dry. Collect it, because the sun is already setting!
The princess came to the field and saw that rice was scattered across the fields. The golden-haired woman burst into tears. Does her sister-in-law really want her to collect rice grain by grain? How can you cope with this work?
She was crying, and then her sister-in-law came up to her and shouted rudely:
“I told you to collect the rice that I put out to dry, and you are idle!” Collect it all and bring it home and don’t dare come back until you finish your work. And what do you really need from us? Better go home!
And Golden-haired stood and burst into tears. Then Sithon Glima took a stick and began to beat the fragile princess with it, saying:
- Well, are you going to collect rice?
The golden-haired one began to collect rice under the blows of the stick, but, unable to bear the pain, she fell unconscious. When she woke up and opened her eyes, Lila Bangguna was in front of her. The husband picked her up and began to gently ask her what had happened. The gentle and kind-hearted princess only spoke about her sister-in-law's order, but did not say a word about her cruel treatment of her. The Raja of Heaven read a spell, and the rice, right down to the last grain, immediately ended up in the bag. Together they carried the bag home and gave it to Sithon Glima. Sithon Glima was very surprised when she weighed it and found that the rice had been harvested to the last grain.
Soon Lila Bangguna left the palace for the third time, and Sithon Glima began to think about how she could destroy her daughter-in-law. She scattered flour on the ground and ordered the princess to collect it. Again Golden-haired burst into tears, and again her husband came, read the spell, and all the flour ended up in the bag.
Sithon Glima became even more embittered. She vowed to separate her brother from his wife and arranged everything so that negotiations began on the marriage of Lil Bangtuna with the vizier’s daughter, famous throughout the kingdom for her beauty. The Raja of Heaven resisted this as best he could - he loved Golden Hair very much and never wanted to take a second wife. But Sithon Glima persistently persuaded him day and night. She insisted that from the very birth of her brother she had only one dream - to celebrate his wedding, and she was not at the wedding with Golden Hair.
In the end, the Raja of Heaven submitted: he really did not want to upset his sister, whom he also loved devotedly. But before fulfilling her wish, Lila Bangguna decided to live as a hermit again for a while.
Sithon Glima, pleased with the victory, began preparations for the wedding in her brother’s absence. But all the time she was racking her brains about how she could destroy Golden Hair without people finding out who was to blame for the death of the princess. Not far from the palace there was a large swamp, infested with scorpions and other harmful creatures. People were especially afraid of the huge snake that lived there. And then one day Sithon Glima said to her daughter-in-law:
“The owner of this swamp has a lot of dishes, which he exchanges for other goods. We just need dishes for the wedding, so take some different things to exchange and go to him.
Freezing with fear, Golden Hair went to the swamp. When she came very close, terrible creatures began to scurry in the swamp, and the snake opened its mouth wide in anticipation of prey. The princess froze on the shore of the swamp, not knowing what to do next, and then her sister-in-law appeared and began to scold her:
-What are you thinking about? There will be a lot of guests, but there won’t be enough dishes! Weren't you ordered to get it? Your husband is a hermit, and meanwhile you have become completely lazy, and you’re probably being debauched with men! Wait, he comes home, I’ll tell him what you were doing here! Golden-haired did not say a word to her in response; it was clear that she did not want to argue with an unworthy woman. Sithon Glima realized this and became even more furious, grabbed a stick and began beating the defenseless princess. Golden Hair's entire body was covered with bruises, her sarong was torn, and the magic ring, a gift from the giants, fell to the ground. The evil woman continued to beat the princess until she got tired, and then she lowered the stick and began to shower her daughter-in-law with ridicule, abuse and threats again.
And Golden-haired was completely at a loss. Her body ached from unbearable pain, but she suffered even more from the fact that she was accused of being unfaithful to her husband. How will she justify herself to him? Sithon Glima was the sovereign mistress of the palace, everyone who lived there obeyed her. Sithon Glima will order - and everyone will confirm that the princess is unfaithful to her husband.
The golden-haired girl gathered her courage, entrusted her fate to Allah and threw herself into the swamp. The serpent's mouth opened wide, and in the blink of an eye he swallowed the princess.
Sithon Glima was very happy: now she can tell the Raja of Heaven that the serpent swallowed his wife and she died! Very pleased, she returned to the palace.
And the princess, finding herself in the snake’s belly, did not die at all - after all, he swallowed her whole. Only then did she notice that her magic ring was missing. And the Golden-haired woman began to pray to Allah to return the ring to her.
At that same moment, the ring, jumping like a frog, galloped towards the snake. The snake saw this, got scared and immediately spat out the princess.
- I apologize to the lady a thousand times! - he exclaimed, trembling with fear. “I am ready to follow all your commands, even if you order me to destroy all life in this swamp.”
But Golden Hair asked him only for dishes for the wedding feast. The snake immediately covered the entire shore with dishes, and the princess, pleased, took it to the palace. But Lil Bangguna’s sister was not at all happy about this - on the contrary, her anger flared up even more.
On the day when Golden Hair and her husband left her parents’ house, she planted betel and told her ninety-nine brothers: if the betel suddenly withers, it means their sister is in trouble. And then one day the brothers saw that the green betel bush began to quickly fade. They immediately decided to go in search of their sister.
The brothers asked Allah for help - and each of them grew wings. They flew to the gate of heaven, passed through it and moved on. It was as if someone invisible was showing them the way, because soon they found themselves right in front of Lila Bangguna's palace. Then all the brothers took the form of animals - some animals, some birds, some ants.
Meanwhile, in the palace, preparations were underway for the upcoming wedding feast. The ninety-nine brothers, unnoticed by anyone, ate all the food, and when the guests gathered for the feast took the lids off the dishes, they saw that all the dishes were empty. The guests, showering the hosts with abuse, went home.
But by that time Lila Bangguna had already returned, the qadi and witnesses were also gathered, so they did not postpone the marriage ceremony. The bride, dressed in rich clothes, was so beautiful that she fully deserved the honor of sitting next to the Rajah of Heaven.
And suddenly the vizier’s daughter felt that many ants were crawling over her body. The ants crawled up to the bride’s ears and began to gnaw them, and soon gnawed them off completely. When Lila Bangguna saw that his future wife had no ears, he was horrified and, turning to his sister, said angrily:
- How could you, sister, offer me such a wife? Think how everyone will laugh when they find out that my young wife has no ears?
And the Rajah of heaven, without wasting any more words, stood up and, together with Golden-haired, went back to earth.
The princess's mother and father and all her ninety-nine brothers greeted them with joy in the country of Gulita Sagob. They lived for a year in happiness and contentment, when suddenly the Raja of Hamsoikas died. According to custom, the eldest son of the deceased was supposed to become rajah, but all ninety-nine brothers decided that the Golden-haired princess should take the throne.
They say that the rumor about Golden Hair reached China itself, and the raj of this country wanted to take the beauty as his wife. But how do you woo a woman who is already married? And the Raja, known for his bravery, decided to forcefully snatch Golden Hair from her husband’s hands. He began to carefully prepare for war - he collected a fleet, a ground army and a lot of weapons.
Golden-haired learned about this and also began to prepare for the meeting with the enemy - she strengthened the fortresses on the seashore and began to train warriors.
The Raja of China completed all military preparations, and his fleet sailed to the country of Gulita Sagob. The Raja himself sailed on a large ship called the Wheel of the World. This ship, protected by armor, was decorated with gold and silver.
They sailed for five months and finally arrived at the shores of Gulita Sagob. The cannons on the ships fired several volleys, and the Golden-haired One sent people to ask why foreigners had come to her country. In response, they received a message from the Chinese Rajah, which he ordered to be delivered directly into the hands of the princess.
The message said that the rajah wanted to take the princess with him, and if she did not submit, he would take her by force and destroy the kingdom of Gulita Sagob to the ground. The Chinese Raja gave the princess ten days to think about it.
Golden-haired read the message, tore it up and ordered her army in the fortress to prepare for battle. The people said that it was better to die than to lose their mistress.
When ten days had expired, the cannons on the foreign ships fired a volley at the fortress. In response, the fortress cannons fired and immediately sank several Chinese ships. A fierce battle broke out. The foreign army, having landed on the shore, fought tooth and nail. But the army of Gulita Sagob, led by Lila Bangguna, who drew his magic sword, and the ninety-nine brothers of the princess, defended themselves bravely and skillfully. The princess herself helped the gunners aim. Her voice, which raised the spirit of the soldiers, was stronger than the thunder of battle.
The battle continued for several weeks. And the Chinese soldiers who landed on the shore died, every single one. Eventually the Chinese Rajah's fleet sailed from the harbor. But Lila Bangguna said to his wife:
“I am sure that the enemy did not surrender.” Strengthen the fortress, prepare the army and weapons, and until the enemy returns, I will live as a hermit.
Meanwhile, the Chinese fleet that sailed from Gulita Sagob returned to its country. The Chinese Raja was angry: after all, he thought that Gulita Sagob was a small state and would not offer him any resistance.
He called his younger brother to him and said:
- Take my entire kingdom, rule it as you wish. In return, I ask only one thing: help me kidnap the Golden-haired Princess.
The Raja's younger brother was very happy. He was skilled in magic and thought that defeating the country of Gulita Sagob and capturing the ruler was not at all difficult. He joined his army to that of his brother, and they went together to conquer Gulita Sagob.
At the beginning of the battle, Lila Bangguna returned from his hermitage and said to his ninety-nine brothers-in-law:
“The enemy wants to kidnap my wife and your sister.” If they manage to take possession of it, shame will fall on our heads.
- Only by stepping over our corpses will they touch our sister! - the brothers answered in one voice.
The second battle was even fiercer than the first. Golden-haired, in torn clothes, with hair flying in the wind, rushed from one cannon to another, and they fired without interruption.
However, the younger brother of the Chinese Rajah still managed to break into the fortress, but was met by Lala Bangguna. Magic entered into battle with magic. They were tired of fighting on land - they moved to the sea, tired of fighting on the sea - they rose to heaven.
And the Chinese Rajah was waiting for the outcome of the battle on his ship, the “Wheel of the World.” He got tired of waiting, and, calling the Chinese magician, he ordered him to kidnap Golden-haired. He promised him a thousand gold coins if he delivered the princess to the “Wheel of the World,” but if the magician returned empty-handed, he would face the death penalty.
The magician went ashore and, taking the guise of a wanderer, headed towards the fortress. He approached her and asked that he be allowed to see Golden Hair. “I want to ask for the blessing of Lady Gulita Sagob,” he explained to the guards, and the good princess, having learned about the request, allowed him to be admitted.
And as soon as the magician appeared before Golden-haired, he immediately cast a spell and together with her became invisible. Grabbing her hand, he dragged Golden Hair onto the ship of the Chinese rajah.
They brought her to the rajah, and Golden-haired asked him to order a chest to be made of glass - there she and the rajah would live. They made such a chest, and the Golden Elk immediately entered it and locked herself from the inside. And if the glass walls are broken, the princess threatened, she will take her own life. The Raja then ordered to guard the chest day and night and not let anyone near it.
Meanwhile, the Chinese soldiers died one after another, and only a few were able to return to the ships. The younger brother of the Chinese rajah, who was fighting in the sky with Lila Bang-guna, saw from above that the battle was over, and those of his warriors who survived returned to the ships. He descended from the sky and returned to his ship. And the Chinese rajah himself, who had not taken his eyes off the glass chest, was afraid that the inhabitants of Gulita Sagob would take the Golden-Haired One away from him, ordered the anchor to be raised and sailed out of the harbor.
Seeing this, his brother decided that the Raja had betrayed him and became very angry. He also ordered the anchor to be raised and also sailed, deciding that he would no longer help his brother, the Chinese Rajah, in anything.
Soon Lily Bangguna also came down to earth and began looking for his wife in the fortress. Great was his grief when he saw that he could not find her anywhere. And then he was told that the Golden-haired one had been kidnapped by the Chinese Rajah. Together with his brothers-in-law, Lila Bangguna chased the Chinese fleet.
They say that he managed to defeat the Chinese Rajah. The princess was released, and the husband and wife lived again in happiness and contentment. A little time passed, and they had an heir, in every way similar to his father, the Rajah of Heaven. The boy was named Mirak Diwangga. After his birth, Lila Bangguna, along with his wife and son, went to heaven, to his country, and his evil sister could no longer do anything bad to them.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru