A king’s right to kill his wives, a woman’s aberrant sexual passions, a son’s prodigious strength an affri’s evil power, and the power of good deeds, fuel this story. All the characters are caught up in a web of violence, greed and misery, but magic comes to the rescue.. The chief culprit, the woman, pays with her life for defying convention.

Once there was a king who had many wives during his lifetime. He lived with each one for ten years, and then had them killed. It so happened that one of his wives bore a baby boy in the sixth year of their marriage, and strangely enough, was six years old at birth! Even at birth, he was an unusual child. At an early age, his skills as a swordsman were already prodigious, and he handily defeated all challengers. As the tenth year of her marriage approached, the mother began to worry. "What will happen," she thought, "to this remarkable boy when I am gone? Who will take care of him?" Soon the boy, who was always thoughtful and affectionate, noticed that his mother was sad, her face constantly streaked with tears. "Mother," he asked, "what's the matter? Why do you cry all the time?" "I never meant to tell you," she sighed, "but I cannot hide the truth from you any longer. You see, your father has the habit of killing each of his wives after ten years of marriage. Soon my time will be over, and I will be killed." "Oh, no", cried the boy," that shall never be'. I'll kill him instead." "I can't permit you to do that," she said, "better let 's run away.”

In the middle of the night they made their escape taking with them as much gold, jewels, rugs and mattresses as they could carry. The next morning, when the king found out they had gone, he sent a search party of ten horsemen to find them, with orders to bring them back dead or alive.

Just as mother and son stopped to rest, the ten horsemen caught up with them. They were no match for the boy. First, he cut off one man's leg, and another one's arm, on and on until only one remained. "Go tell the king," he said to him, "to send another ten, if he likes, and I promise to destroy them too. ' The king was so furious when he received the message that he sent another ten men. Like the others, the boy killed them all.

Mother and son continued on their way, soon arriving at a small town where they decided to settle. The mother bought a fine house in the center of town. Unknown to them, it was already occupied by a vicious seven-headed dragon. This monster had for years robbed the townspeople, and kept his ill-gotten hoard of gold buried in the house.

Sending his mother to a nearby inn to rest, the boy took possession of the house, cleaned it, and put it in order. Suddenly, a huge seven-headed affri stood before him. "What are you doing in my house?" he bellowed, shaking the whole house with his thunderous voice. Unafraid, the boy answered, "It's not yours any longer. It's ours, my mother just bought it." "Well," said the affri, laughing at the irate little boy. "We'll see about that. You'll have to fight me to get it." Quickly, the boy drew out his sword. With one blow he cut off the seven heads, dug a hole in the garden, buried him and threw dirt aver his grave.

That night as he strolled through town streets, a man suddenly appeared out of the shadows. "Young man, he said anxiously when he saw the boy, "what are you doing here? Don't you know the seven- headed affri prowls up and down these alleyways every night looking for someone to eat? If he finds you, he'll make a meal of you. "Don't worry," said the boy, "Tell the people that I have destroyed the affri, and he'll never rob or kill them again." At first, the people refused to believe their enemy was dead. Then they saw the bloody sword and the huge grave, and marveled at the boy's strength and courage.

Mother and son now lived together in their new home. One day, as the mother was taking stock of the house, she happened upon a room never opened before. As she entered, out sprang a one-headed affri, an ugly ogre. Instantly, she fell in love with him, and he with her. "If you free me, good lady," he pleaded, “I will show you where the gold in this house is hidden." Unfortunately, love and the lure of treasure blinded the woman to reality. She saw him not as the repulsive affri that he was, but as a handsome and charming nobleman. "Let's get married," he said. "Yes, yes," she cried, "but what I shall I do about my son? He will never permit it!" "Get me out of here," he urged, "and we will kill him." Then the mother, whose heart had turned to stone, said, "My son is very strong. Even as a child, he was a remarkable swordsman. You couldn't possibly kill him. First we must find the source of his strength, destroy it, then, and only then can we kill him."

The next day at breakfast, she casually asked her son, "Tell me, my child, where does your strength come from?" "What a strange question," said the boy, "you never asked me that before." "It's just out of curiosity," she replied. "Mother, I've always trusted you with all my secrets, except one," he said candidly, "but perhaps the time has come to tell you everything. My strength is in my hair. If you cut it off, and tie me with a thin string, even a cat could kill me.

At these fateful words, she pounced on him, cut off his hair, and tied him up. Quickly, she ran to the affri's room, freed him, and cried, "Take my son. All you have to

do now is cut him up." "Mother," the boy pleaded, "you have really betrayed me. Have you no pity left in your heart?" But the mother turned her back on him, and said not a word. Then the affri cut his body into little pieces, but did no harm to his soul which remained alive. They put him in a sack, and threw him into the sea, and said, "The road that brought you here, will now take you away.

The waves carried the sack away, and was buffeted this way and that until it neared a distant shore. A young girl seated on the beach saw the sack, dragged it out of the water, and brought it home. The parents, who had magic powers, sewed the pieces together, gave him plenty of food and loving care, and little by little the boy returned to the living.

When he was completely well, he decided to confront his mother and her affri husband for their crimes. Disguising himself in black cape and hat, he went to their house. When his mother saw him, she eyed him suspiciously. "You look like somebody I know," she said. "Be careful, my husband will be here soon, and cut off your head." At that moment, the affri walked through the door. The boy seized his sword, which was still hanging on the wall, and killed him with one stroke. Then he removed his cape and hat, and, to her horror, the woman recognized her own son'.

Quickly tying her down, he mounted his horse, and rode until he came to his father's castle. "Here is my mother," he said. Once you wanted to kill her, and I saved her life. Now you can do whatever you like, but I won't stop you this time." The king was puzzled. "My son, why did you bring her back?" he asked. "I took her away”, said the boy with tears in his eyes, "to do her a good turn, and she has repaid me with a bad one.”

But the king refused to kill his wife. Instead he locked her up in the castle tower, to remain there the rest of her life. Now repentant, the mother begged her son to bid her a last farewell. But the boy, overcome by sorrow, could not face his mother. Instead, he mounted his horse, and rode away to find the young girl who had rescued him from the sea. They were married and lived happily together the rest of their lives.

Some time later, the castle tower burned down, and the mother died in the fire. People said that father and son had set it ablaze, but, of course, it was only a rumor, and never proven.

Oh yes, about the buried treasure, no one ever found it. Perhaps it is still there, buried somewhere in that unfortunate house waiting to be dug up, and returned to the good people of the village.