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Presently the Queen and her retinue of noble women, the spouses of the Emirs and Grandees, returned with Princess Shamsah to the tent occupied by her daughter-in-law and sat there. Meanwhile, King Teghmus gave great largesse to his levies and liege and rejoiced in his son with exceeding joy, and they tarried there ten days, feasting and merry making and living a most joyous life.
Now there was a deadly feud between King Teghmus and a certain King of Hind, by name Kafid, who had great plenty of troops and warriors and champions; and under his hand were a thousand puissant chieftains, each ruling over a thousand tribes whereof every one could muster four thousand cavaliers.
'After invoking the blessing of Heaven, King Teghmus to King Bahrwan, greeting. Know that we have taken counsel with the astrologers and sages and mathematicians, and they tell us that we shall have boon of a boy child, and that by none other than thy daughter.
And when his bidding was done, King Teghmus bade beat the drums and despatched messengers to announce the glad news to Janshah's mother, informing her of his approach; whereupon she mounted in great joy and she no sooner espied her son than she clasped him in her arms and swooned away for stress of gladness.
So one day it befell that he summoned the Olema and astrologers, the mathematicians and almanac-makers, and said, 'Draw me my horoscope and look if Allah will grant me a son to succeed me. Accordingly, they consulted their books and calculated his dominant star and the aspects thereof; after which they said to him, 'Know, O King, that thou shalt be blessed with a son, but by none other than the daughter of the King of Khorasan. Hearing this Teghmus joyed with exceeding joy and, bestowing on the astrologers and wizards treasure beyond numbering or reckoning, dismissed them.
When the news reached King Teghmus, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and assembling his Grandees and officers of state, said to them 'Know that Kafid hath come to our land and hath entered the realm we command and is resolved to fight us hand to hand, and he leadeth troops and champions and warriors, whose number none knoweth save Allah Almighty; what deme deem ye? Replied they, 'O King of the age, let us go out to him and give him battle and drive him forth of our country; and thus deem we. So he bade them prepare for battle and brought forth to them hauberks and cuirasses and helmets and swords and all manner of warlike gear, such as lay low warriors and do to death the champions of mankind.
What hath befallen you, that ye have lost your captains? and they replied, 'O King of the age, as the Wazir Ghatrafan rode forth to fall upon King Teghmus, there appeared to us halfway and when night was half over, the Wazir, Ayn Zar, with cavaliers and champions, and we met on the slopes of Wady Zahran; but ere we were where we found ourselves in the enemy's midst, eye meeting eye; and we fought a fierce fight with them from midnight till morning, many on either side being slain.
The minister replied, 'I hear and obey, and forthright did his bidding and said to them, 'Take this in turn for the good tidings ye bring, whether ye lie or say sooth. They replied, 'Indeed we lie not, for but now we sat with him and saluted him and kissed his hands and he bade us fetch him tents, for that he would sojourn in the meadow seven days, till such time as the Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees should come out to meet him. Quoth the King, 'How is it with my son? and quoth they, 'He hath with him a Houri, as he had brought her out of Paradise. At this, King Teghmus bade beat the kettledrums and sound the trumpets for gladness, and despatched messengers to announce the good news to Janshah's mother and to the wives of the Emirs and Wazirs and Lords of the realm: so the criers spread themselves about the city and acquainted the people with the coming of Prince Janshah.
The blood ran like a rain torrent and had we not fled, we had all been cut off to the last man. When King Kafid heard this, he exclaimed, 'May the sun not bless you and may he be wroth with you and sore be his wrath! Meanwhile Ayn Zar, the Wazir, returned to King Teghmus and told him what had happened.
But to-morrow, come thou forth to combat in the open plain, and to show thee thrust and fight will I deign. Then he sealed the letter and delivered it to the messenger, who carried it to King Teghmus." And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the Five Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
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