I awoke
with a jolt. I am the daughter of the Sultan. Today is the day I am marrying
the son of my father’s vizir. I do not love him. In fact, I hardly know him
other than the few times he had come to our house for the banquets my father
hosts every month. I don’t want to get married, but I am not 20 years old, and
my father said I had to have a suitor by this age. My father decided the
vizir’s son would be my suitor. He was old and not gentlemanly. I would have wanted
to marry a youthful, handsome man. I got up, and my servants helped me get ready
for my wedding. Four hours later, I was married and everyone was celebrating,
but I had never been more dissatisfied. Why should I have to get married? I
don’t need a man, and I never will. Our wedding came to a close. I felt like a
spectator of someone else’s life. This isn’t what I wanted. I was escorted to
my room where my now husband would soon be meeting me. I sat on the edge of the
bed. When I saw my husband walk into the room, I became overwhelmed with sorrow
at the idea of how my life would be from now on. I started sobbing and threw my
head in my hands; however, I no longer heard his footsteps nor could I feel his
presence. I lifted my head from my hands. I was in a strange room with walls of
gold and windows of the rarest jewels.
‘Was this a
dream? I was just in my room. How did I get here? I got out of the bed and my
feet touched the cold golden floors. It felt so real. Could this really be a
dream?’ I was terrified. I jump back into the bed, closed my eyes, and covered
my head with the covers. Surely I would wake up back in my room. I waited for
what seemed like a lifetime before peeking my head out of the covers again. I
was still in this strange place.
‘Well, it
must be a dream,’ I whispered to myself. So I decided it should be fun to
explore this place until I woke up. I walked out the door of my room and down
the long dark hallway. I could see the light from the moon shining into the
wondrous jeweled windows onto the golden floor. This place was beautiful. I
wandered around the halls a bit more peeking into some rooms as I passed the
doors, each more extravagant than the last. What a wonderful dream! Then I
heard footsteps approaching toward me. I froze then gathered myself and ran to
the nearest room away from the footsteps.
“Hello?” I heard a low voice whisper “is
someone there?” I looked out from where I was hiding in. There was a man, well,
more like a boy standing there in mostly rags. He looked friendly.
“Hello,” I
answered slowly creeping out into the hallway to get a better look at him. He
was quite handsome despite his ragged clothing.
“How do you do?” he asked.
“Quite
fine,” I answered. “I’m not quite sure where I am or how I got here though.”
“You are in
Prince Ababwa’s palace. Welcome,” he responded and bowed toward me.
‘He must be
one of Ababwa’s servants!’ I realized. “Well, while I’m here, could you show me
around?”
“It would
be my pleasure!” He exclaimed.
He led me
through the palace, and we talked, laughed, and learned about each other until
it was almost dawn. “You should get some sleep, miss,” he stated. I realized
how late it was and agreed. He led me back to the room I had first awoken in.
I woke up
back in my palace. My husband was asleep on the floor. What a wonderful dream!
I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. As soon as I got in bed that night I
rolled over dreading the moment my husband would come to bed and was in the
golden castle again. I jumped out of my bed. I ran down the hallway and found
the servant boy again. We talked all night and when I woke up I was back in my
room. This continued for the coming nights.
I walked
into toward my father’s office to talk to him about what these dreams could
mean when I overheard my husband yelling about how I had disappeared the last
nights and he had woken up in a strange forest, cold and alone. Then he would
wake up again on the floor in our room. It wasn’t just me. It must have been
real then. My husband exclaimed he wanted nothing more to do with me and demanded
to be separated from me immediately. My heart filled with excitement!
The vizir’s
son left later that day and was never to return. My father summoned for me and
told me what had happened. He stated he was going to find another suitor for me
within the next week.
I woke up in the palace again that night and
ran to the servant boy to tell him everything that had happened. He was saddened
by the news then happily requested, “Come, stay with me. I will be the one to
marry you!”
I smiled
and my heart filled with joy, except my father would have to approve of him
before allowing me to marry another. I told him he would have to come to my
father’s palace and request my hand.
The next
day a handsome prince showed up and my father informed me that I would soon be
wed to him. I was filled with sorrow. My father led me to meet him and it was
the servant boy. He was Prince Ababwa all this time! We married the next week
and lived in the golden palace happily ever after.
Author's Note: I read the story of Aladdin from Arabian Nights stories by Andrew Lang. I decided I would add a twist to the Disney and original story I had just read. I didn't mention the genie, but her magically being transported there each night implied he had something to do with it. I liked ideas from the two stories I knew and thought I would create my own from them.
