The young prince said:
"My father was once the King of this city. His name was Mahmud, ruler of the Black Islands. After he ruled for many years, he died, and I became King in his place.
I married my cousin, the daughter of my uncle. At first, she loved me deeply. Whenever I was away, she would not eat or drink until she saw me again. We lived happily for five years.
One day, she went to the bathhouse. While she was gone, I lay down to rest. Two slave girls sat beside me, fanning me.
Though my eyes were closed, I was not asleep.
Then I heard them talking.
One of them said, 'How sad it is that our master is being betrayed by his wife.'
The other replied, 'Yes. She drugs him every night so he falls into deep sleep. Then she dresses beautifully and leaves the palace until morning.'
When I heard this, my heart turned to ice.
That night, my wife returned. We ate and drank as usual. She gave me my night drink — the one she always gave before sleep. But this time I secretly poured it away and pretended to fall asleep.
Then I heard her say, 'Sleep and never wake again. I hate you.'
She dressed herself, took my sword, and left the palace.
I followed her in secret.
She opened the city gates with magic and went to a dirty hut outside the city. I climbed on the roof and looked inside.
There she was… with a filthy, crippled slave.
She begged him for love. He insulted her. She ate rotten food for him and lay with him in rags.
My mind broke.
I entered and tried to kill them. I wounded the slave but did not kill him. I fled back to the palace.
In the morning, my wife pretended that her family had died and dressed in mourning. For three years she cried and mourned, pretending sorrow while secretly visiting her lover.
She built a tomb in the palace and kept the wounded slave hidden inside it.
One day, I confronted her.
She screamed in rage… and cast a spell on me.
And so I became half stone and half man.
She turned the city into water and the people into fish.
White fish were Muslims.Red fish were fire-worshippers.Blue fish were Christians.Yellow fish were Jews.
Every day she beat me with a whip.
That is my curse."
The Prince wept.
The Prince continued:
"Every morning at sunrise, she comes to me. She beats me with a whip until my blood flows. After that, she goes to the tomb where the slave lies, bringing him wine and food.
Tomorrow she will come again."
The King clenched his fists."By my honor," he said, "I will end this curse."
That night, while the palace was silent, the King took his sword and went to the tomb. He found the slave lying helpless. With one clean strike, the King killed him and threw his body into a well.
Then the King dressed in the slave's clothes and lay down in the tomb.
When the sorceress came, she first beat the Prince as usual. Then she went to the tomb, crying and calling for her lover.
The King answered in a weak voice, pretending to be the slave. He told her that the Prince's cries were disturbing him and preventing his healing.
She said, "I will remove his curse."
She used magic water and sprinkled it on the Prince.
The spell broke.
The Prince became whole again.
Then she returned to the tomb. The King told her that the people of the city were still cursed and their cries were hurting him.
She hurried to the lake and cast a spell.
At once, the fishes became people again. The city returned.
When she came back, thinking the King was still the slave, she moved close.
The King struck her with his sword.
She fell dead.
The curse was broken.
The Prince was free.
The King helped the Prince to his feet.The curse was gone.The city was alive again.
People filled the streets. The lake was gone. The islands returned. Life came back to the kingdom.
The Prince fell to his knees and kissed the King's hands.
"You have saved me, my people, and my land."
The King smiled."You are now like my son."
They stayed together for a while, setting the city back in order. Then the Prince decided to travel with the King to his capital.
They traveled for a full year before reaching the King's land.
The people were overjoyed to see their ruler alive.
The fisherman was brought before the King. As reward, his daughters were married to the King and the Prince. His son became a great officer. The fisherman became rich and honored.
Peace returned.
And Scheherazade ended her tale for the night.
The King, eager to hear more, spared her once again.