Once upon a time, there lived a Prince, Bahramgor, the only heir to his father’s throne. The Prince was charming, handsome, and an excellent hunter and swordsman. One day, Prince Bahramgor went hunting. He searched to the north but found no game, then to the south with no luck, and even to the east, but still, he came up empty-handed. Frustrated, he turned westward as the sun was setting, and suddenly, a golden deer leapt out from a thicket.
This deer was gorgeous: its hooves and horns gleamed, and its fur was a shimmery golden. Amazed at the sight, the Prince instructed his companions to encircle it gradually, aiming to capture it. The Prince instructed his companions that whoever the deer ran towards would be held responsible for whether it escaped or was caught. The circle of horsemen tightened around the golden deer, which stood in the centre and made a dash straight toward the Prince. The Prince managed to capture the elusive deer by its horns.
As soon as it was caught, the deer magically transformed into a human-like figure and pleaded with Prince Bahramgor to release it, promising him treasures and riches. The Prince, amused, declined, stating that he had all the riches of his kingdom, but never had never encountered a golden deer, let alone captured one.
The deer persisted, offering a ride on its back, an honour no human being had received before. Eager for adventure, Prince Bahramgor agreed and hopped onto the deer's back. In an instant, the magnificent dee soared into the sky, carrying the Prince on a seven-day, seven-night journey around the world. On the seventh evening, it gently descended to the ground and disappeared. The Prince found himself in an unfamiliar land, bewildered and lost.
As he wandered, a tiny old man suddenly emerged from the ground and politely inquired how the Prince had arrived there and what he sought. Prince Bahramgor recounted his journey on the golden deer and how he was now lost.
The strange old man was Deo Jasdrul. He reassured the Prince that he was safe in Koh-e-Kaaf, for he had saved Jasdrul's life when he was in the guise of the golden deer. The Deo then welcomed the Prince into his home and handed him a hundred keys to explore his palaces and gardens, encouraging him to search for hidden treasures.
Every day, the Prince opened a new garden or palace and found various treasures, from gold and jewels to luxurious fabrics. However, when he reached the hundredth palace, it was a decrepit hovel filled with poisonous plants, herbs, snakes, and insects. Surrounding this dilapidated palace was a magnificent garden, spanning seven miles in each direction, adorned with lush trees, vibrant flowers, lakes, streams, fountains, and magnificent summerhouses. The garden was alive with butterflies and the sweet songs of birds.
Overwhelmed, the Prince explored it thoroughly, until he grew tired. He decided to rest in a bara-dari, furnished with a golden bed covered in silk and velvet sheets. While he slept, the Fairy Princess Shahpasand, flew over the garden in the form of a pigeon. She descended to the ground, assumed her true fairy form, and stared at the handsome young Prince, lean, wheatish, with dark, curly hair.
The Fairy Princess Shahpasand, in her true form, leaned over the young man and kissed him. Startled, he woke up and was astonished to find the most beautiful woman in the world kneeling gracefully beside him. The maiden cried out joyfully, saying that she had been searching for him everywhere.
Prince Bahramgor and Princess Shahpasand fell in love, head over heels for one another, and they decided to get married as soon as possible. However, the Prince thought it would be wise to consult his host, the powerful Deo Jasdrul, the King of Koh-e-Kaaf. To his delight, the Deo not only granted his consent but also appeared genuinely pleased and suggested that the Prince should stay in Koh-e-Kaaf with his new bride.
So, Prince Bahramgor and the Fairy Princess Shahpasand were wedded and enjoyed a long period of happiness. Eventually, the Prince began to yearn for the home he had left behind, missing his parents, the King and Queen, as well as his cherished horse and hound. He talked about his homeland with the Princess and, over time, became increasingly melancholic. He began to refuse to eat and started to become alarmingly skinny.
Jasdrul would sometimes eavesdrop on the couple's conversations each night, hoping to ensure their happiness. He felt sorrow when he heard the Prince's longing for his far-off home on Earth. Finally, the Deo asked the Prince why he was becoming so pale and sighing so often. He only had to probe the Prince a little, for him to express his feelings of homesickness.
Although the Prince couldn't bring himself to directly request it, his desperation was evident. After resisting a little, Jasdrul decided to grant his wish, albeit with a warning that he would soon regret leaving Koh-e-Kaaf, as the world had changed during his absence. The Deo gave the Prince a lock of his hair. He told the Prince to burn it should he need help in an emergency. With a farewell, he teleported the Prince home.
Jasdrul was right. Bahramgor returned home only to find both his parents dead, a usurper occupying the throne, and a bounty on his head should he ever return. Fortunately, nobody in the town recognized the young Prince Bahramgor because he had changed so much during his time in Koh-e-Kaaf. The only person who did recognize him was his old huntsman, who was overjoyed to see his master again but warned him that it was dangerous to offer shelter as a hefty bounty had been placed on the Prince's head. Nevertheless, out of loyalty, the huntsman agreed to let the Prince and his Princess live in the attic of his house. He explained that his blind old mother would not notice their comings and goings, and they could help him with hunting, just as he had once served the Prince.
So, Prince Bahramgor and Princess Shahpasand hid themselves in the huntsman's attic, and their presence went unnoticed. One day, while the Prince was out hunting as the huntsman's assistant, Princess Shahpasand decided to wash her beautiful golden hair. It cascaded from her neck all the way down to her ankles. After washing her hair, she combed it and left the window slightly open to allow the breeze to dry it.
Coincidentally, the town Kotwal passed by. He looked up when he heard the window. He caught a glance of the Fairy Princess Shahpasand, with her glistening golden hair, and was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he tumbled off his horse into the gutter. His servants, thinking he had suffered a seizure, picked him up and took him home, where he raved about a stunning fairy with golden hair in the huntsman's attic. This led to speculation that he had been enchanted, and when the King heard of it, he dispatched soldiers to investigate the huntsman's residence.
The huntsman's elderly mother, who was somewhat cantankerous, insisted that no one else lived there except for her and her son, and she invited the soldiers to inspect the attic. Upon hearing the old woman's words, Princess Shahpasand locked the door and, using a knife, cut a hole in the wooden roof. Then, taking the form of a pigeon, she flew away. When the soldiers entered the attic after breaking down the door, they found it empty.
The poor Princess was so distressed that she decided to flee to safety. She whispered to the blind old woman as she flew past her, "I shall go to my father's house, in the city atop the Emerald Mountain."
In the evening, when Prince Bahramgor returned from hunting, he was heartbroken to find the attic empty. The blind old woman had little to say about the happenings of the day. However, she mentioned a mysterious voice that had said, "I shall go to my father's house, in the city atop the Emerald Mountain."
The Prince felt somewhat comforted until he realised he did not know where the Emerald Mountain was. Falling into despair, he cried and refused to eat, lamenting the loss of his beloved wife.
Finally, he remembered the enchanted lock of hair and flung it into the fire. Almost immediately, the Deo Jasdrul appeared and asked the Prince about his wishes. The Prince cried whilst narrating the incident, and pleaded with Jasdrul to take him to the Emerald Mountain.
Kind old Jasdrul, though reluctant, agreed to help the Prince. He knew the journey would be far from easy. He took the Prince back to Koh-e-Kaaf. There, he gave the Prince a magic wand and told him to travel until he reached the house of Deo Nanak Chand, his older brother, who would help him further. The Deo warned the Prince to never let go of the wand, it would keep him safe from the dangers he would encounter on his travels.
With the magic wand in hand, Prince Bahramgor journeyed through Koh-e-Kaaf, hanging onto his wand for safety. Several days later, he arrived at Nanak Chand's house. Now, Nanak Chand had just awakened from a twelve-year slumber. Though he was hungry and considered the Prince as a potential meal, he decided not to eat him after seeing the magic wand. Curious, Nanak Chand politely asked the Prince why he was here to see him. After hearing the Prince's story, Nanak Chand expressed doubts about the Prince's chances of reaching the Emerald Mountains alive.
“I have only one life, and I would lose it if I were to lose my dearest Princess. If I must die, let it be while seeking her." The Prince cried out.
This response touched Nanak Chand, and he gave the faithful Prince a box of powdered antimony. He asked the Prince to continue his journey through Koh-e-Kaaf until he reached the house of the Deo Safed, their eldest brother. Safed, Nanak Chand explained, might be the one who could assist the Prince in his quest. He told Bahramgor that rubbing the antimony powder on his eyes would make whatever he wished to be near come closer and whatever he wished to be far move farther away.
The unwavering Prince continued his journey through the perilous terrain of Koh-e-Kaaf, holding onto the magic wand and carrying the antimony powder. He encountered various challenges along the way until he finally reached the house of the great Deo Safed. There, he shared his story with Safed and displayed the antimony powder and magic wand that had brought him safely thus far. However, Safed, like his brothers, was sceptical about the Prince's chances of reaching the Emerald Mountain alive and suggested that he start a new life instead.
The faithful Prince gave the same response he had given to Nanak Chand, declaring that he had only one life, and he would not abandon his quest to find his beloved, even if it brought him death. The great Deo Safed nodded in approval and decided to assist the brave Prince. He provided him with a yech cap, an enchanted cap which would make Prince Bahramgor invisible.
Deo Safed instructed the Prince to travel north until the Emerald Mountain was in sight. After that, he was to rub antimony powder on his eyes to bring the mountain closer. He warned the Prince against scaling the mountain – it only grew higher and higher if anyone tried to trek to the top. At the summit lay the Emerald City, where he might find his Princess.
Following Safed's guidance, the Prince journeyed northward until he spotted the shimmering Emerald Mountain on the horizon. He applied the antimony powder to his eyes, and as he wished, the mountain drew near, revealing the enchanted Emerald City, which seemed as if it had been crafted from a single jewel. However, the Prince did not pay much heed to the city, looking for his beloved Princess. He wandered through the city streets, sheltered by invisibility, but could not find her.
Little did he know that the Princess, Shahpasand, had been locked inside seven prisons by her father, the Fairy King, who feared she would escape back to Earth to unite with her Prince. He cherished her dearly and was terrified of losing her. Consequently, the Princess spent her days weeping in confinement.
One day, as the Prince was walking around aimlessly, he noticed a servant woman who, at a particular time each day, entered a specific door while carrying a tray of sweet dishes on her head. Intrigued, he used his invisible cap to follow her through the doors. At each door, he saw nothing but another massive door. He continued this way until he reached the seventh prison, where Princess Shahpasand sat, shedding tears of sorrow. The sight of her nearly overwhelmed him, but mindful of his invisibility, he waited until the servant had left, locking all seven prisons behind her. Then he sat beside the Princess and shared a meal from the same dish.
The Princess had barely touched her food. Her appetite was about the same as a sparrow’s, for misery had consumed her. When she noticed that the food was disappearing, she thought she must be dreaming. As the plates of food were wiped clean, she was convinced that someone was in the room with her. She asked who was sharing her dish. Prince Bahramgor removed the yech cap from his forehead, revealing himself gradually, changing from a shadowy figure to real flesh and blood. At this, the Princess wept with joy, calling him by name and thinking she had seen his ghost. However, as he fully materialized and embraced her, her tears turned into radiant smiles.
The next day, the servant was shocked to find the handsome Prince Bahramgor sitting beside Princess Shahpasand. She hurried off to inform the King. After he heard the tale from his daughter, he was pleased with the courage and determination of the young Prince and ordered the immediate release of Princess Shahpasand. Now that Prince Bahramgor had found his way to the Emerald Mountain, his daughter would no longer wish to return to Earth.
Impressed by the Prince’s faithfulness and bravery, the Fairy King named Bahramgor as his successor. Shahpasand and Bahramgor lived happily ever after, reigning over the Emerald Kingdom.
Source: Tales of Punjab, Flora Annie Steel
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