Prince Ahmed and the Flying Horse

Once upon a time, in a sun-drenched city of domes and bazaars, there lived a young prince named Ahmed. Unlike other princes who spent their days in courts and gardens, Ahmed loved the streets - the rhythm of merchants calling out prices, the smell of oil and metal, the hum of stories carried through the crowd.

In those bustling markets, he made four unlikely friends — the sons of a goldsmith, a blacksmith, an oilman, and a carpenter. They were sharp, inventive boys, and everything they crafted seemed touched by magic. People began to call them the Children of Enchantment.

When news of these friendships reached the royal court, the vizier was scandalised.

“Your son spends his days with artisans!” he warned the king. “He’ll forget he’s a prince.”

So the king, fearing disgrace, ordered the boys to be arrested.

But Prince Ahmed intervened. “Father, give them a hearing before you decide their faith."

When they were brought into the king's court, the little goldsmith said, "Give us time to clear ourselves from the charges of the vizier. After eight days, we shall all appear again, and you, our King, shall judge us."

The king agreed, and the boys were granted eight days to prepare. When they returned, they came bearing wonders.

The little goldsmith brought six fish made of bronze, which he cast into the king's tank, and they swam about. The courtiers threw crumbs of bread to them, which they caught and nibbled.

The blacksmith brought two large iron fish, which swallowed up all the little bronze fish. The oilman brought two artificial giants, which fought together on the plain until they were separated by Prince Ahmed.

The carpenter brought a large wooden horse, furnished with a secret spring, and Prince Ahmed leapt onto its back; and when he had touched the spring, it mounted like lightning into the air, and was out of sight in a moment.

The king, who had been pleased at first, now flew into a rage, and seizing the carpenter, he shook him, and cried: "You villain, bring back my son at once!"

"Oh, king, that I cannot do,' said the carpenter. "Spare my life, and the prince will return to you in all safety in two months."

The two months were granted, and all four boys were put into chains to await their death in case the prince did not return. Meanwhile, the flying horse, having carried Prince Ahmed five hundred leagues, alighted on the terrace-roof of a magnificent palace.

There, the prince saw, reclining in the moonlight, a most beautiful young princess. Instantly he fell in love with her, and when she looked up and saw a handsome stranger standing by, she also fell in love with him.

So the prince and she went down into the palace together, and had a little talk. When he left her, he mounted his flying horse and flew to the top of a large tree beyond the bounds of the palace grounds. There he dismounted his horse and hung the pieces to the branches, and, climbing down the tree, he lodged at the house of an old woman.

But every night, when darkness had set in, he used to climb the tree, mount his wooden horse, and fly to the palace roof. At last, the princess's kaneez began to whisper the secret. Eventually, word reached the king that a thief pays nightly visits to the palace.

So the king doubled the palace guards, and everyone was challenged going in and coming out. The rumour persisted. Then the king summoned his vizier and said, "No one but a woman is can solve this mystery."

So a wise woman was consulted by the king and the vizier, who advised that the stairs of the palace, to the very roof, should be covered with slime. The next night, when Prince Ahmed arrived on the terrace and attempted to descend, he slipped down several steps.

Suspecting a trick, he made his escape, left his horse on the top of the tall tree, and made for the hut of the old woman. The next morning, he sent for a washerman and gave him his soiled clothing to clean. Meanwhile, the king proclaimed, by beat of drum, that every inhabitant of the town should appear in the palace yard.

The washerman, desirous of cutting a figure, donned the gorgeous clothing of the prince, and when the people assembled, he was at once singled out, and then it was noticed that his coat was stained with slime. So the king called for the executioner, and cried: "String him up!"

But the washerman fell on his face, and said: "My lord, I am only a poor washerman, and this clothing is not mine at all. It belongs to another, who sent it to be cleaned. Let the officers come, and I will give him into their hands."

So he took the officers to the old woman's hut, and there they found Prince Ahmed, and dragged him to the king, who ordered his instant death. Meanwhile, however, the princess had sent a secret message to him, saying: "Offer the king a ransom. I will provide the sum and save your life."

But he sent word back, "I shall offer no ransom, but meet me in half an hour on the roof of the palace."

Then the soldiers dragged off the prince to the tall tree, and around his neck they put a halter, and they were just going to hang him, when he besought them, saying, "Please let me go up to breathe the air of the world for the last time."

Having bribed them with two gold mohurs, he began to ascend the tree. Having reached the top, where he was hidden from view, he quickly put the pieces of his horse together and flew to the terrace, where, seizing the princess, he flung her into the saddle before him, and touching the spring he passed rapidly through the air in the sight of both king and people, and in a moment he arrived at his father's house.

After this, the four boys were released from prison and made governors of provinces. The prince and the princess, being married at last, lived happily ever after.

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Source: Folktales of the Upper Indus