The Story of the Ebony Horse

In the reign of a great king who ruled over vast territories in Persia, there came to the royal court during the celebration of the New Year festival three remarkable inventors, each bearing a gift so extraordinary that it seemed to belong more to the realm of magic than to the world of mortal craftsmanship.

The first inventor presented a golden peacock that, when wound with a special key, would crow at each hour of the day and night, keeping perfect time better than any water clock or sundial. The second had created a silver tree with golden fruit that, when a person sat beneath it, would provide shelter from any weather and nourish whoever rested there with its miraculous bounty.

But it was the third inventor who brought the most wondrous creation of all—a horse carved from the finest ebony wood, polished to a lustrous black that seemed to absorb and reflect light in the most mesmerizing way. The horse was life-sized and so perfectly crafted that it seemed almost alive, with eyes that appeared to sparkle with intelligence and muscles that looked ready to spring into motion.

“Your Majesty,” said the third inventor, a man whose long beard and mysterious eyes suggested knowledge of secrets beyond ordinary understanding, “this horse possesses a power that surpasses all earthly steeds. It can carry its rider swifter than the wind to any destination he desires, traveling through the very sky itself as if the air were solid ground.”

The king and his court listened to this claim with expressions of wonder and skepticism in equal measure. Such a thing seemed impossible, yet the inventor spoke with such confidence that many began to believe he might actually possess the magical knowledge he claimed.

“If what you say is true,” the king replied thoughtfully, “then this gift is beyond price. But how can we know that your words are not merely the boastings of a clever craftsman seeking royal favor?”

The inventor smiled mysteriously. “Your Majesty need only command someone to mount the horse and test its powers. I assure you that its abilities will exceed even my descriptions.”

Now the king had a son, Prince Kamal al-Din, who was renowned for his courage, his skill in riding, and his love of adventure. The young prince had been listening to this conversation with growing excitement, for the promise of a flying horse appealed to his adventurous spirit like nothing he had ever heard before.

“Father,” Prince Kamal al-Din said, stepping forward eagerly, “grant me permission to test this marvelous creation. If it is truly magical, what glory it will bring to our kingdom! And if it is merely an elaborate deception, better that we discover the truth quickly.”

The king, though concerned for his son’s safety, was proud of the young man’s courage and curiosity. “Very well, my son. But let the inventor first demonstrate how the horse is controlled, so that you may ride it safely.”

The inventor approached the ebony horse and pointed to a small silver key protruding from its neck. “This key controls the horse’s ascent—turn it to the right, and the horse will rise into the air and fly forward. Turn it to the left, and the horse will descend to the ground.” He then indicated a second, smaller key hidden beneath the horse’s mane. “This key controls the direction and speed—it must be turned with great care and precision.”

However, the inventor, jealous of his secrets and hoping to maintain some control over his creation, deliberately failed to mention this second key to the prince, revealing only the first one. He reasoned that this would prevent anyone from fully mastering the horse without his continued assistance.

Prince Kamal al-Din mounted the ebony horse with the grace and confidence of one who had been riding fine steeds since childhood. He turned the silver key to the right as instructed, and immediately felt the wooden creature beneath him spring to life with a vibration that seemed to come from some inner source of power.

To the amazement of all who watched, the horse rose smoothly into the air, carrying the prince higher and higher until they soared above the palace walls, above the city streets, and finally above the clouds themselves. The court gasped in wonder and alarm as they watched the prince and his magical mount disappear into the blue expanse of the sky.

But Prince Kamal al-Din, intoxicated by the incredible sensation of flight and the breathtaking views spread below him, soon discovered that he had a serious problem. He could make the horse rise higher and fly faster, but he could not determine how to make it descend or change direction. The horse seemed to have a will of its own, carrying him farther and farther from his father’s kingdom with each passing hour.

As the day wore on and the prince found himself flying over unfamiliar lands with no way to control his magical steed, his initial excitement gave way to concern and then to genuine alarm. He tried everything he could think of—pulling on the horse’s mane, shifting his weight, speaking to it as he would to a living animal—but nothing had any effect on their flight.

Night fell as they continued their uncontrolled journey through the sky, and Prince Kamal al-Din began to fear that he might be doomed to fly forever, unable to return to earth or to see his family again. It was only by accident, as he searched desperately for some hidden mechanism that might control the horse, that his fingers found the second key concealed beneath the horse’s mane.

When he turned this key experimentally, the horse immediately responded to his touch, changing direction and beginning to descend toward the earth below. The prince’s relief was so great that he nearly wept with joy as he realized he was not doomed to eternal flight after all.

As dawn broke over the landscape beneath him, Prince Kamal al-Din found himself approaching a magnificent city built around a beautiful palace that seemed to be the center of a prosperous kingdom. Carefully manipulating the second key, he managed to guide the horse to a gentle landing on the flat roof of the palace, where he dismounted and looked around in wonder at this new land.

The palace was even more beautiful than his father’s, with gardens that seemed to bloom with perpetual spring and fountains that sang with musical voices. But what captured the prince’s attention most completely was the sight of a young woman walking alone in one of the garden courtyards below.

Princess Shams al-Nahar, for such was her name, was renowned throughout her father’s kingdom for her beauty, intelligence, and grace. As Prince Kamal al-Din watched her from his hidden vantage point on the roof, he felt his heart stir with emotions he had never experienced before. She moved like poetry made manifest, and her face, when she turned it toward the morning sun, was so lovely that it seemed to outshine the dawn itself.

Determined to meet this enchanting princess, Prince Kamal al-Din made his way down from the roof and into the palace gardens, where he approached her with the respectful manner befitting both his royal upbringing and her obvious nobility.

“Peace be upon you, noble lady,” he said, bowing deeply. “I am a traveler from distant lands who has been struck by the beauty of your city and the grace of its inhabitants.”

Princess Shams al-Nahar was initially startled by the appearance of this handsome stranger in her private gardens, but his courteous manner and noble bearing soon put her at ease. She had been feeling lonely in her sheltered life, surrounded by luxury but lacking the companionship of someone who could match her intelligence and spirit.

“Peace be upon you as well, noble stranger,” she replied with a gentle smile. “You speak of traveling from distant lands—surely you must have many interesting tales to share about the wonders you have seen.”

For the rest of that morning, Prince Kamal al-Din entertained Princess Shams al-Nahar with carefully edited stories of his adventures, describing the marvels of his father’s kingdom and the extraordinary journey that had brought him to her city. He was careful not to mention the magical nature of his transportation, presenting himself instead as a prince who had traveled by conventional means.

The princess found herself charmed not only by his stories but by his evident sincerity, his quick wit, and his respectful treatment of her as an equal rather than merely a beautiful ornament. By the time the palace guards discovered the stranger’s presence and brought him before her father, Princess Shams al-Nahar had already begun to hope that this encounter might lead to something more than casual conversation.

The king of this realm, Sultan Sabur, was initially suspicious of the young man who had somehow gained entry to his palace and access to his daughter. But Prince Kamal al-Din’s noble bearing, his evident education, and his claim to royal birth in a distant kingdom eventually won the sultan’s grudging respect.

“Young man,” Sultan Sabur said after questioning the prince thoroughly, “your story is unusual, and your presence here is irregular. However, your manner suggests noble birth, and my daughter speaks favorably of your character. You may remain as our guest while we investigate your claims and determine your true identity.”

This arrangement suited Prince Kamal al-Din perfectly, as it gave him the opportunity to spend more time with Princess Shams al-Nahar and to court her with the respect and patience that true love deserved. Over the following days, their friendship deepened into genuine affection, and both began to hope that their fathers might approve a marriage alliance between their kingdoms.

However, their growing happiness was not destined to continue undisturbed. The inventor of the ebony horse, having been questioned extensively by Prince Kamal al-Din’s father about the young man’s disappearance, had finally revealed the existence of the second control key and had been sent to search for the missing prince.

Using his own knowledge of the horse’s capabilities, the inventor had tracked the prince’s flight path and eventually arrived at Sultan Sabur’s kingdom. But instead of simply reporting the prince’s location to his worried father, the inventor conceived a plan that would serve his own ambitions.

Presenting himself to Sultan Sabur as a powerful magician and the prince’s true father, the inventor claimed that Prince Kamal al-Din was actually his son, who had stolen the magical horse and fled to avoid punishment for various crimes. He demanded that the young man be turned over to him immediately for proper punishment.

Sultan Sabur, confused by these conflicting claims and uncertain whom to believe, decided to test the truth by requiring both the prince and the inventor to demonstrate their connection to the mysterious ebony horse that had been discovered on his palace roof.

Prince Kamal al-Din, realizing that his true identity would soon be revealed anyway, decided to trust in honesty and told the complete story of his father’s court, the inventor’s gift, and his own accidental journey on the magical steed. His obvious sincerity and the consistency of his story impressed Sultan Sabur far more than the inventor’s increasingly elaborate and contradictory claims.

But the inventor, sensing that his deception was failing, decided to take desperate action. Claiming that he needed to demonstrate the horse’s powers to prove his ownership, he mounted the ebony steed and invited Princess Shams al-Nahar to join him for a brief flight around the palace.

The princess, curious about the magical horse and trusting that such a demonstration would be both brief and safe, agreed to accompany him. But the moment she was seated behind him on the horse, the inventor activated the first key and sent them soaring into the sky, intending to carry her away and hold her hostage until his demands were met.

Prince Kamal al-Din watched in horror as the woman he loved was kidnapped before his very eyes. Without hesitation, he commandeered the swiftest horse in Sultan Sabur’s stables and set off in pursuit, though he knew that no earthly steed could match the speed of the magical flying horse.

What followed was a chase that stretched across many kingdoms and lasted for many days. The inventor, drunk with power and confident in his ability to control the situation, made the mistake of landing periodically to rest and gloat over his captive, always choosing remote locations where he believed they could not be followed.

But Prince Kamal al-Din’s determination was stronger than the inventor’s cunning. Using his knowledge of geography, his skill at tracking, and his natural intelligence, the prince managed to anticipate the inventor’s likely stopping points and gradually closed the distance between them.

The final confrontation came in a lonely valley where the inventor had landed to water the horse at a mountain stream. Prince Kamal al-Din crept close under cover of darkness and waited for the right moment to strike. When the inventor dozed off from exhaustion, the prince emerged from hiding and challenged him to single combat for the princess’s freedom.

The battle was fierce but brief. Though the inventor possessed magical knowledge, he lacked the physical courage and martial skills that Prince Kamal al-Din had developed through years of training. When the villain lay defeated, the prince rescued Princess Shams al-Nahar and claimed the ebony horse as his rightful prize.

The journey back to Sultan Sabur’s kingdom was far more pleasant than their previous adventures, as the prince and princess flew together through peaceful skies, their hearts full of joy at being reunited and their future bright with the promise of love and happiness.

Sultan Sabur, overjoyed at his daughter’s safe return and impressed by Prince Kamal al-Din’s courage and devotion, gladly consented to their marriage. The wedding was a magnificent celebration that lasted for many days and was attended by nobles from many kingdoms.

When Prince Kamal al-Din finally returned to his father’s court with his new bride, the old king’s relief and happiness at his son’s safe return was exceeded only by his delight in gaining such a wonderful daughter-in-law. The inventor was punished for his crimes, while the ebony horse was kept in the royal treasury as both a marvel and a reminder of the adventures it had made possible.

In later years, Prince Kamal al-Din and Princess Shams al-Nahar would sometimes use the magical horse for peaceful journeys, exploring distant lands and strengthening the bonds between their two kingdoms. But they always remembered the lessons of their first adventure—that magical powers must be used responsibly, that love is worth any danger, and that courage and wisdom are the greatest treasures any prince or princess can possess.

The story of the ebony horse became one of the most beloved tales told throughout the lands of the East, inspiring countless listeners with its blend of magic, adventure, romance, and moral instruction. It served as a reminder that while magical solutions to life’s problems might seem appealing, true happiness comes from courage, love, and the willingness to face challenges with wisdom and determination.