“Yes, it was I, mighty Emperor,” replied the Prince. Hereupon the Emperor married his daughter to the young Prince and raised him to the highest office in the kingdom.
Then the Emperor said to the two elder brothers, “If it please you to remain in my empire, I will give you each a wife and will permit you to build strongholds for yourselves.”
But they told him they were already married, and explained that they had undertaken this journey merely to seek out their sisters. When the Emperor heard this he detained only the youngest brother, his son-in-law, and to the two other brothers he gave two mules laden with gold. So the two brothers returned home to their own kingdom.
Still the youngest brother thought continually of his sisters, and kept always in mind the hope of yet seeking them out. But on the other hand he was pained at the thought of parting from his young wife, and besides he knew that the Emperor would never consent to his leaving him. So he was continually racked with anxiety about his sisters.
One day the Emperor went hunting, and before setting out he said to his son-in-law, “Do you remain in the castle during my absence. I give to you nine keys which you must keep carefully by you. I give you free leave to open three or four rooms. You will find in them silver and gold in abundance; there is also no lack of weapons, or of any kind of treasure. You may even, if you feel inclined, open eight of the rooms. But beware of unlocking the ninth. Leave that one alone; for,” he added, “if you do not it will be the worse for you.” Upon this the Emperor departed, leaving his son-in-law at home alone.
Hardly was the Emperor gone when the Prince began to open one door after another, until he had examined eight rooms in succession. His eyes beheld in them treasures of all kinds. When at last he came to the door of the ninth room he said to himself, “I have seen and done so many wonderful things, and shall it be forbidden me to enter a certain room?”
So he unlocked the door and went in. What a sight! There was a man whose legs up to his knees and whose arms up to the elbows were encased in iron; from his neck hung heavy iron chains, the ends of which were fastened to stakes driven into the floor on all sides, holding him so securely that he could not stir. Before him a stream of water gushed from a golden vessel and flowed into a golden basin which stood near; beside it was a golden jug, beautifully adorned with jewels. The man longed to drink the water, but he could not reach the jug.
When the imperial Prince saw this he started backward; but the fettered man cried, “Oh, come to me, I beseech you, in the name of the living God!”
The Prince drew nearer, and the man continued, “Oh, do a pious act; let me drain a jug of water! Be assured I will reward you for it with an additional life.”
The Prince considered the proposition. “Can there be anything better for me than to secure for myself an additional life?” He took the jug, filled it, and raised it to the man’s lips, who emptied it at a single draught. Upon this the Prince asked him, “In the name of Heaven, who are you?”