Section 1
Many times ago, Tsar Dadon the Great lived in a country that you most probably wouldn't recognize. He invaded his neighbors' lands and destroyed their houses and labors to make a name for himself. But as he grew older and entered a new stage of life, the tsar desired calm. But as of late, his adversaries launched a volley of their own assaults. The tsar barely had time to catch his breath before he had to defend his frontiers against attackers and army forces.
He did keep a superb war machine, and his generals would serve him well, but now he must have an ingenious plan to win. You see, the enemy chose to travel east if his troops had been guarding the south. The next visitor would arrive from the ocean if you could hold that flank. This is relentless!
The tsar would cry in private, which interfered with his sleep and sense of dignity. He asked someone else for help since living in such anxiety is scarcely a life. He sent a messenger to find and call an ancient astrologer known as a eunuch. The eunuch quickly came and removed an egg of gold from a bag with a huge enthusiasm. This is what he said to the emperor:
"Place this bird on a tall tower where he can be seen and heard." There, my golden-headed cockerel will unfailingly assist defend the city. If there is silence for kilometers around, the rooster will sit calmly, making no sound. But if uninvited intruders emerge, if the horror of battle looms, the bird will assess the opposing force and plot its trajectory. The rooster will loudly call out, spread its wings, harden its red comb, focusing on danger, away from home."
The emperor, thrilled, wished the wise man goodbye, vowing to fulfill whatever wishes the man may have. The sage remained silent wisely, as he waited for events to develop while dreaming big.
And so the rooster looked out for the enemy from his high perch. He would spring to life the moment he detected danger, like a trustworthy farm rooster at dawn. "Kiri-ku-ku!" he'd exclaim as he turned in that way, confirming his fears. "Beware, they're coming after you!"
The opponents of lost their resolve to battle with each passing day. By Dadon, their troops, no matter how large, were shattered. The cockerel was at peace after two years of calm. One day, the tsar was startled awake by forte voices and scurrying feet.
"Sir! "Father of our country!" said a commander. "Wake up, Sir!" There's a problem!" "What happened, people?" the tsar said, yawning. "What's the problem?" "What's going on?" "Sir, the bird has identified a threat. He's warning us that bad storms are on their way. Everyone is nervous, and our future is unknown."
When the tsar glanced at the disturbed bird, he noticed that it was pointing to the east. "Hurry, we don't have time to lose!" Take your horses! "Get moving!" The tsar dispatched a force to the east, led by his eldest son. Dadon waited attentively in the dark city as the cockerel remained peacefully. Day eight came and went with no word on the fate of the soldiers. Would he have been aware if there had been a fierce battle?
The cockerel called out once more, and the tsar gathered more troops. He dispatched his second son - he only had two - to find out and maybe rescue his first courageous unit. The cockerel calmed down again, and for the following eight days, time dragged in the town, people were nervous, and their minds wandered.
The rooster then crowed once more. Unsure if he was capable of something, the tsar gave the order for a third group of soldiers, which he personally led to the east. His soldiers gradually became exhausted from traveling throughout the day and night. Dadon and his soldiers never came to a war, camps, battlefields, or graveyards in hills. He was surprised, "What's happening?"
The army was taken into the hills as the seventh day drew closer. The lush field between two imposing hills appeared overly calm. A silk tent could be seen further down. The tsar's first two troops were located in a narrow gorge, where they perished.
Dadon hurried to the tent and saw what he feared: at the entryway, his two beloved boys lay unmoving and unarmored without their helmets or armor. Both had rammed deadly blades into one another. Meanwhile, in the glade, their horses were free to gallop over bloody swords and crushed grass. Oh, the horror! said the tsar. my boys. Both of my warriors fell victim to a trap. Oh, the suffering! Death is coming soon for me.
The tsar was not alone in their grief. It seems like hills and valleys all around were moaning with held back sadness as well. The tent abruptly opened, revealing a magnificent sight. The Shamakha Queen was her given name. Like the dawn of a new day, her light subtly encircled Dadon. The tsar stared into her eyes, mute, as if the dawn had silenced the melody of a nightbird. Here, he instantly forgot about his two boys' awful deaths.
