Thereupon out came the slain man's brother，a fierce and furious Knight，and rushed upon Sharrkan，who delayed not，but smote him also with the shoulder cut and the sword came out glittering from his vitals.Then cried the Princess，'O ye servants of the Messiah，avenge your comrade！' So they ceased not charging down upon him，one after one；and Sharrkan also ceased not playing upon them with the blade，till he had slain fifty Knights，the lady looking on the while.And Allah cast a panic into the hearts of the survivors，so that they held back and dared not meet him in the duello，but fell upon him in a body；and he laid on load with heart firmer than a rock，and smote them and trod them down like straw under the threshing sled，[201] till he had driven sense and soul out of them.Then the Princess called aloud to her damsels，saying，'Who is left in the convent？'；and they replied，'None but the gate keepers；' whereupon she went up to Sharrkan and took him to her bosom，he doing the same，and they returned to the palace，after he had made an end of the melee.Now there remained a few of the Knights hiding from him in the cells of the monastery，and when the Princess saw this she rose from Sharrkan's side and left him for a while，but presently came back clad in closely meshed coat of ring mail and holding in her hand a fine Indian scymitar.And she said，'Now by the truth of the Messiah，I will not be a niggard of myself for my guest；nor will I abandon him though for this I abide a reproach and a by word in the land of the Greeks.'Then she took reckoning of the dead and found that he had slain fourscore of the Knights，and other twenty had taken to flight.[202] When she saw what work he had made with them she said to him，'Allah bless thee，O Sharrkan！The Cavaliers may well glory in the like of thee.'
Then he rose and wiping his blade clean of the blood of the slain began reciting these couplets，'How oft in the mellay I've cleft the array，And given their bravest to lions a prey：
Ask of me and of them when I proved me prow O'er creation，on days of the foray and fray：
When I left in the onslaught their lions to lie On the sands of the low lands[203] in fieriest day.'
When he ended his verse，the Princess came up to him with smiles and kissed his hand； then she doffed her hauberk and he said to her，'O lady mine，wherefore didst thou don that coat of mail and bare thy brand？''To guard thee against these caitiffs，'[204]she replied.Then she summoned the gate keepers and asked them，'How came ye to admit the King's Knights into my dwelling without leave of me？'and they answered，'O Princess，it is not our custom to ask leave of thee for the King's messengers，and especially for the chief of his Knights.'Quoth she，'I think ye were minded only to disgrace me and murder my guest；'and bade Sharrkan smite their necks.He did so and she cried to the rest of her servants，'Of a truth，they deserved even more than that！'
Then turning to Sharrkan，she said to him，'Now that there hath become manifest to thee what was concealed，thou shalt be made acquainted with my history.Know，then，that I am the daughter of King Hardub of Roum； my name is Abrizah and the ancient dame，yclept Zat al-Dawahi，is my grandmother by the sword side.She it certainly is who told my father of thee，and as surely she will compass a sleight to slay me，more by token as thou hast slain my father's chivalry and it is noised abroad that I have separated myself from the Nazarenes and have become no better than I should be with the Moslems.Wherefore it were wiser that I leave this dwelling while Zat al-Dawahi is on my track；but I require of thee the like kindness and courtesy I have shown thee，for enmity will presently befal between me and my father on thine account.So do not thou neglect to do aught that I shall say to thee，remembering all this betided me not save by reason of thee.'Hearing her words，Sharrkan joyed greatly； his breast broadened and his wits flew from him for delight，and he said，'By Allah，none shall come at thee，while life is in my bosom！
But hast thou patience to bear parting from thy parents and thy people？''Even so，'she answered；and Sharrkan swore to her and the two plighted their troth.Then said she，'Now is my heart at ease；but there remaineth one other condition for thee.''What is it？'asked he and she answered，'It is that thou return with thy host to thine own country.'Quoth he，'O lady mine，my father，King Omar bin al- Nu'uman，sent me to wage war upon thy sire，on account of the treasure he plundered from the King of Constantinople，and amongst the rest three great jewels，noted givers of good fortune.'Quoth she，'Cheer thy heart and clear thine eyes：I will tell thee the whole of the tale and the cause of our feud with the King of Constantinople.Know that we have a yearly festival，highs the Convent Feast，whereat Kings from all quarters and the noblest women are wont to congregate； thither also come merchants and traders with their wives and families，and the visitors abide there seven days.I was wont to be one of them；but，when there befel enmity between us，my father forbade me to be present at the festival for the space of seven years.