Brothers

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Arkanaan, a queen gave birth to twin boys. One was blind and the other was deaf. Even though they were different, they each had a gift. Hassan was blind but was gifted with powerful hearing. He could hear the slighted sound though it was far away. Hossam was deaf but had amazing sight. He could see things clearly from a great distance. The king and queen loved them very much and taught them to love and help each other. Together they were complete. As the twins grew up, they did everything together. They loved to go hunting, and they would often go hunting without their guards, each using his ability to help the other. After their parents died, they ruled their kingdom together with justice.

There lived a king in a neighboring kingdom. He envied Hassan and Hossam. He decided to wage war against them and take their kingdom. But together, Hassan and Hossam were undefeatable and the king’s army was crushed. “Together, they are strong and I can not take their kingdom,” the king said to his council, “so I must destroy their relationship.” First, the king sent his best soldiers to ambush Hassan and Hossam while they were out hunting. But they did not get far before Husam heard their footsteps in the dry broken leaves and twigs on the forest floor.  He alerted Hasim.  Hasim saw the would-be assassins crouched in an abandoned bear hole and captured them. Then, the king sent some of his men disguised as noblemen into the town. They began to tell evil rumors about each brother. But that did not work, the brothers stood together and disclaimed the rumors and their people chased out the disguised noblemen. The king sat on his throne fuming over his failed attempts.  While he was moping, a servant named Salina brought him his evening meal and drink.  She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.  Suddenly, he had an idea that would destroy the brothers and win him Arkanaan.   The king summoned Salina and gave her instructions and promised her that he would free her if she was successful.  Dressed as a beautiful bride, the king gave her to one of the brothers in marriage as a sign of friendship between the kingdoms.  Hassan told his brother to marry the princess since he was blind and could not see her. But Hossam loved his brother very much and gave the princess to him since he was the older of the two. So, Hassan married Salina. As a gift, she gave each brother a bow and quiver. Hassan’s bow was made of pure gold. It was beautifully decorated with gems of every color. Hossam’s bow was made of pure silver. His was beautifully decorated with pearls of different hues. Hassan loved his bow very much. It was a gift from his beloved wife. He took it everywhere he went.

One day, they decided to go hunting. Salina stole the bow of her husband and hid it among Hossam’s belongings. When Hassan could not find his bow, he became very angry. His wife mentioned that Hossam always admired his bow and perhaps he took it for himself. Hassan was infuriated. Hossam sent some guards to search his things and they found Hassan’s bow. Hossam tried to defend himself but Hassan would not listen. The brothers began to argue. Their arguing led to name-calling. Before a fight could break out, they each decided to go their separate ways. Hidden in the forest, the king was watching. He decided it was time to make his move. He ambushed each brother easily because they were no longer complete. He imprisoned Hassan and Hossam and took their kingdom. Hassan and Hossam lived the rest of their lives in prison regretting the day they stood against each other.