Eskandar

When the missive of Sekandar reached Kaid, the sage king of Hind, he received the monarch's envoy with the utmost reverence, heaping praise upon him and seating him honorably by his side. Kaid declared his joy at complying with Sekandar's royal decree, affirming that he would never stray from his oath of allegiance. Yet, he noted that to arrive hastily and unprepared, without grand presentation, would neither please the Creator of the World nor befit the sovereign of the earth. Thereupon, he called for his scribe, summoning an Indian reed pen and silk paper from China to compose a reply as radiant as the gardens of paradise. Kaid commenced the letter with exalted praises of Almighty God—the Victorious, the Merciful, the Just, and the Bestower of manhood, wisdom, and skill. He wrote that no righteous soul would ever turn away from the commands of so renowned a king, nor withhold any treasure from the master of hosts, crowns, and swords. Kaid revealed that he possessed four marvelous treasures, unmatched in secrecy or plain sight across the earth—wonders that no mortal before him had ever held, nor any would hold hereafter. He pledged to dispatch these four supreme treasures at Sekandar's command to delight the conqueror's spirit, promising that once they were delivered, he would come in person as a humble servant to bow before his throne.