All The King’s Brides
When her life was at stake she starts narrating stories.
A long long time ago there was a king. His wife has been consistently unfaithful to him while he was away. Upon discovering that, he executed her along with those men with whom she betrayed him. It is not known, whether or not the king has been totally faithful to his wife. Since he was “The King” and those were not democratic times like ours where kings can be questioned. Kings were above the law, in fact, they were the law.
Anyways, this incident made him very bitter towards all the women. He chose a strange way to express his bitterness. Every day he would marry a woman and then he ordered his soldiers to execute her. Nobody knew when he dealt with his kingdom’s affair. Because you know it is a lot of work to choose a woman, attend your own wedding, spend the night and finally order the execution of the new bride.
The king had an advisor whose daughter thought this has to stop. So far she was not spotted by the king but she knew eventually she and all the other women in the king’s court would face the same fate as all the king’s brides. She also wondered how many women would be left in the kingdom if the king married and killed them all. There would be no population growth and eventually, there will be no one to rule upon. Not that she wanted to save the kingdom but it was just a passing thought. Her real motive was to stay alive as long as she can. It was the survival instinct. So she asked her father to offer her hand in marriage to the king. Her father was shocked as he knew the fate of all the king’s brides. But he was also convinced that the way things are going, sooner or later this day would come therefore, he reluctantly agreed.
The arrangements were made, ceremonies took place and the new bride was brought to the king. That evening she narrated a long story to the king and it was still incomplete when the dawn broke. The king found the story very intriguing. He was so eager to find out the end that he puts off her execution. This has become the routine. Every day she would leave the story incomplete. The king kept putting off her execution. More than a thousand nights passed and finally, the king abandoned his cruel plan.
Stories have the power to hypnotize us. It can influence our decision-making. It can save lives. The current conflict we witness around us is because we all are fed different stories. While the diversity of the stories keep life colorful, it can become the cause of conflict. This can result in wars because we all think only our stories are worth telling and preserving.
Storytellers are capable of shifting perception, playing with emotions, and transforming the fate of humanity altogether. Are you aware of the Storytellers you have gathered around yourself?
P.S. This story is adapted from the famous Middle Eastern folklore of Shaharyar and Shahrazad titled “The Thousand and One Nights” (Arabic- Alif Laylah Wa laylah). Also popularly known as “The Arabian Nights”. It is a frame story within which a lot of other Stories like Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sindbad the Sailor were set.
