Then he let make for her clothes and gave her splendid
jewels and ornaments and bade lodge her with his son Kanmakan in
one place. So they both grew up, the brightest and bravest of the
people of their time; but Kuzia Fekan grew up possessed of good
sense and understanding and knowledge of the issues of events,
whilst Kanmakan grew up generous and freehanded, taking no
thought to the issue of aught. Now Kuzia Fekan used to ride
a-horseback and fare forth with her cousin into the open plain
and range at large with him in the desert; and they both learnt
to smite with swords and thrust with spears. So they grew up,
till each of them attained the age of twelve, when King
Zoulmekan, having completed his preparations and provisions for
the Holy War, summoned the Vizier Dendan and said to him, "Know
that I am minded to do a thing, which I will discover to thee,
and do thou with speed return me an answer thereon." "What is
that, O King of the age?" asked the Vizier. "I am resolved," said
the King, "to make my son Kanmakan king and rejoice in him in my
lifetime and do battle before him, till death overcome me. What
deemest thou of this?" The Vizier kissed the earth before the
King and replied, "O King and Sultan, lord of the age and the
time, this that is in thy mind is indeed good, save that it is
now no time to carry it out, for two reasons: the first, that thy
son Kanmakan is yet of tender age; and the second, that it is of
wont that he who makes his son king in his lifetime, lives but a
little thereafterward.
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