The vizier obeyed the king’s commandment and going out from before him, [returned to his own house.  When it was night, he took his elder daughter and carried her up to the king; and when she came into his presence,] she wept; whereupon quoth he to her, ‘What causeth thee weep?  Indeed, it was thou who willedst this.’  And she answered, saying, ’I weep not but for longing after my little sister; for that, since we grew up, I and she, I have never been parted from her till this day; so, if it please the king to send for her, that I may look on her and take my fill of her till the morning, this were bounty and kindness of the king.’

Accordingly, the king bade fetch the girl [and she came].  Then there befell that which befell of his foregathering with the elder sister, and when he went up to his couch, that he might sleep, the younger sister said to the elder, ’I conjure thee by Allah, O my sister, an thou be not asleep, tell us a story of thy goodly stories, wherewithal we may beguile the watches of our night, against morning come and parting.’  ‘With all my heart,’ answered she and fell to relating to her, whilst the king listened.  Her story was goodly and delightful, and whilst she was in the midst of telling it, the dawn broke.  Now the king’s heart clave to the hearing of the rest of the story; so he respited her till the morrow, and when it was the next night, she told him a story concerning the marvels of the lands and the extraordinary chances of the folk, that was yet stranger and rarer than the first.  In the midst of the story, the day appeared and she was silent from the permitted speech.  So he let her live till the ensuing night, so he might hear the completion of the story and after put her to death.

Meanwhile, the people of the city rejoiced and were glad and blessed the vizier’s daughter, marvelling for that three days had passed and that the king had not put her to death and exulting in that, [as they deemed,] he had turned [from his purpose] and would never again burden himself with blood-guiltiness against any of the maidens of the city.  Then, on the fourth night, she related to him a still more extraordinary story, and on the fifth night she told him anecdotes of kings and viziers and notables.  On this wise she ceased not [to do] with him [many] days and nights, what while the king still said in himself, ’When I have heard the end of the story, I will put her to death,’ and the people waxed ever in wonder and admiration.  Moreover, the folk of the provinces and cities heard of this thing, to wit, that the king had turned from his custom and from that which he had imposed upon himself and had renounced his heresy, wherefore they rejoiced and the folk returned to the capital and took up their abode therein, after they had departed thence; yea, they were constant in prayer to God the Most High that He would stablish the king in that his present case; and this,” said Shehrzad, “is the end of that which my friend related to me.”