Princess Jasmina and Prince Ali

There was once in the East a rich and powerful King, a widower with only one child, the Princess Jasmina.  Princess Jasmina was the most cossetted and indulged girl imaginable: her mother, the King's only true love, had died in childbirth and as the Princess grew, she resembled her mother so much that the King would deny her nothing. Outwardly very beautiful, by the time she was eighteen she was imperious, self-indulgent and did not know the meaning of self-restraint.

The time came when the Princess wanted, like most young girls, to feel the excitement of love and marriage. At the King's command all eligible young men of noble birth were summoned to the court. Among them was a beautiful young man, straight of limb, handsome and refined, a certain Prince Ali. Prince Ali had asked his father to be excused from the King's decree, for he had pledged his life to the service of Allah and was in his last term as an acolyte before taking Holy Orders.  Fearing the wrath of the King, his father felt unable to grant his beloved son's wishes and said to Ali.

'My son, you must go, on fear of my life, and we must just put our faith in Allah, that you will not be favoured by the Princess Jasmina. Come let us pray!'

So it was that Prince Ali came to court and his handsome form, together with the radiant light of his spirituality, captured the attention of the princess and she told her father that Ali was the man she wished to marry. The King commanded Ali to come before him and told him that of all men, he was fortunate enough to have won the hand of the fair Princess.
In vain Ali put his case to the Princess, explaining that his life was promised by sacred vow to Allah and though she was as beautiful as the morning sun as it blushes the top of the mighty mountains, he could feel no earthly love for her as his heart was already given to Allah and so he would not be able to be the husband she desired. Then the Princess grew petulant and said she cared not for sacred promises, that she was enamoured of him, he would learn to love her and she would allow him two choices - to be her husband or to die! No matter what Ali said, she would not listen and so he reluctantly agreed to her command, asking only that she give him a month to prepare for the wedding. After much wheedling, Jasmina agreed to this and Ali was allowed to go home to his father.
For the next month Ali did not bother with his daily toilette, his hair grew long and tangled and his beard grew in unsightly clumps; he never bathed and the natural aromas of his body grew strong and rank. From morning to night he gorged himself on sweets and pastries and drank much fermented juice so his handsome form grew flabby and obese and his skin sprouted a perfect rash of unsightly spots and blemishes. He became prone to the most powerful and noisome flatulence.
When it was time for him to return to court, he did so in a covered carriage for he was now too heavy and ungainly to ride even the strongest horse. The Princess Jasmina had eagerly awaited his arrival and came down with her retinue of maid servants to greet him as he stepped from his carriage in the courtyard. When Ali emerged the Princess was repulsed by his gross appearance.
'Prince Ali' she cried 'Is this really you?'
'Yes Princess, it is truly I, Prince Ali, your betrothed.'
'But, I don't understand..you are so ugly....what has happened  to you?'
'I have done as the Princess commanded, I have foresworn my spiritual life and embraced an earthly style of living.'
The Princess understood in that moment what she had done to Ali; there was no way she could bring herself to marry the coarse and unattractive man before her. Tears sprang to her eyes.
'Forgive me' she said 'I release you from our engagement'

This is a reverse gender take on a traditional Sufi tale.  In the original the voluptuous but chaste maiden takes emetics and becomes skinny and haggard.  She saves all the products of the emetic(i.e. vomit and faeces) in jars and when the prince asks her what has become of her beauty  she shows them to him.

Welcme to the forum Lin. This is an unusual tale, well told. The language is well suited to the subject (apart from 'toilette'. Un peu pretentieux n'est ce pas?).

There are one or two places where it could be slimmed down to no ill effect:
'self-indulgent and did not know the meaning of self-restraint.' is partially redundant.
'as beautiful as the morning sun as it blushes the top of the mighty mountains' could stop at sun.

Reversing the genders is clever. The original sounds a bit more in your face but I struggle to imagine how you would duplicate this.

ps I'll delete the orginal post under Cherry Azid

I really enjoyed this Lin and applaud the gender reverse!