There once lived a kind king in the world, but the trouble was that he had no children. Out of grief, he went and lay down at the crossroads of four roads, so that no one could pass by without seeing him.
One day a fakir was walking along the road, saw the king and asked:
- What happened, good man, why are you lying here?
“Many people passed by me, but no one asked why I was lying here,” the king answered, “come along too.”
-Who are you? - the fakir began to inquire.
- I am the king. Neither gold nor wealth brought me happiness. I have been living in this world for many years, but I have no children. So I decided to go to this intersection and lie down on the ground. I have done a lot of bad things in my life, so let people step over me. Maybe God will take pity on me, forgive me my sins and give me a son.
“Yes, your life is unenviable,” the fakir remarked. - But I can help you. Just how will you thank me if I make sure that you have a son?
“Demand everything you want, fakir,” the king rejoiced.
“Gold and wealth don’t bring me happiness either.” So be it, I will make a prayer that God will send you, O king, two sons, but you will give one of them to me.
The fakir rummaged in his bag, took out something and gave it to the king with the words:
“Here are two lollipops for you, king, give them to your wife.” The king took the candy and hid it, and the fakir said goodbye:
- In a year I will return and take one son from you.
“Okay,” the king agreed.
The fakir went his way, and the king returned home and gave the candies to his beloved wife.
The allotted time passed, and his wife bore him two sons. In order not to give one of them to the fakir, the king ordered the children to be hidden in a dungeon.
Not a year or two, but many years have passed. And then one day a fakir appeared and demanded a debt from the king. The king decided to cheat and introduced the sons of his two slaves to the fakir.
It happened, however, that while the fakir was examining them, the king’s sons, sitting in the dungeon, decided to eat and spilled rice on the floor. An ant picked up one grain of rice and took it to its children. On the way, another ant attacked him and began to take away his burden.
- What are you doing! - the first ant begged. - Why are you taking food from me? I am weak, lame and can barely carry this grain of rice to feed my children. The king's sons are having lunch there, they spilled a lot of rice on the floor, you can go there and get as much as you want.
The second ant released him and went to where the king’s sons were having dinner.
The fakir heard the ants talking and said:
“Tsar, these are not your sons.” Go and bring me those children who are now having lunch in your dungeon.
What was left to do? The king went down into the dungeon and brought his sons. The fakir chose the eldest and took him with him.
They walked and walked and finally came to the fakir's hut. Here the fakir says:
- Go and collect fuel.
The king's son collected dry cow dung and brought it to the fakir. He lit a fire, placed a large cauldron on it and ordered:
- Get into the cauldron and wash yourself thoroughly!
“No, master, first you wash yourself, and then I will,” the prince answers.
And no matter how much the fakir ordered him to get into the cauldron, the prince repeated the same thing:
- First you, master, and then me.
The fakir got angry and chased the prince to catch him and throw him into the cauldron. But the young man deftly dodged the fakir, and then gave him such a kick that the fakir fell straight into the cauldron and was cooked.
The prince picked up the key dropped by the fakir, went to the hut, unlocked the door and found there many people, two horses, two hunting dogs, two simurghs and two tigers. The prince freed the people, took with him horses, dogs, tigers and simurgs and went with them to the nearest city.
[Simurgh is a prophetic bird.]
On the way they met a huge bald shepherd with a flock of sheep.
- Hey, guy! - he shouted. - Let's fight!
“When I was little, I knew how to fight,” answered the prince. “But a lot of time has passed since then, however, let’s try.”
“The conditions are as follows: if I lay you on the ground, you will become my slave, if you, I will become your slave,” said the shepherd.
They began to fight, and the prince won.
“Now listen to me,” said the prince to the shepherd. “I’ll leave my companions here, and I’ll go to the city.” Tigers will guard our property, and you, my slave, will look after everything.
The prince went into the city, wandered around, looked at what was going on where, and went to the lake. The cool water beckoned, and the prince decided to take a swim. And next to the lake there was a palace, and on the upper terrace just at that time the daughter of the local king was resting. She saw a handsome, stately young man, recognized the royal signs on his body and fell in love. And then she went to her father and declared that she wanted to marry this young man.
“Well,” answered the Tsar-Father, “so be it.”
And so it was announced throughout the city that the next day all the young men, poor and rich, should gather in the reception hall of the palace. The royal daughter will choose her groom.
At the appointed hour, young people from all over the city gathered in the palace. Out of curiosity, the prince came in the garb of a fakir. When everyone was seated, the Tsar’s daughter appeared on the balcony. She looked around at those gathered and noticed the prince among them, although he was dressed like a fakir.
- Do you see that fakir over there? - she pointed to the maid at him. “Take this vessel with henna, go and spray it well.”
The maid did so. Those gathered looked at each other in bewilderment and decided that she had made a mistake and approached the wrong person. But the maid explained that everything was correct - such was the will of the princess.
The king fulfilled his promise and gave his daughter to the fakir. But deep down he was not happy with this outcome. After all, so many noble young men had gathered in the palace - the sons of tribal leaders, dignitaries, rich merchants - but the daughter did not even look at them and chose a simple fakir as her husband.
Some time passed, and the young husband of the princess invited everyone to go hunting with him.
- Since when did fakirs start hunting? - the courtiers began to ask each other, but the proposal was accepted.
And after the hunt, everyone agreed to gather with the trophies by the lake.
The prince called the tigers and dogs he had freed along the way and ordered them to catch as much game as possible, gazelles, deer, and wild boars, which they did. He took all these living creatures and went to the lake. How surprised everyone was to see such rich booty! Moreover, the rest were empty-handed.
Returning home, the prince presented the king with his trophies on behalf of all the participants, which endeared them to him.
There was no longer any point in hiding, and the prince admitted to the king that he was not a fakir at all, but the son of a neighboring ruler.
The king was delighted, hugged him and announced:
- I have many daughters, but not a single son. For your courage, beauty and resourcefulness, I will consider you my son and declare you my heir.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru