When the golden banner of the sun unfolded over the crests of the mountains and dissipated the purple veil of night, Iskandar stepped into the presence of Queen Qaydafeh. The royal hall was cleared of all strangers so that the Roman envoy might deliver his word. Iskandar stepped forward and swore a most solemn oath by the holy faith of the Messiah, by the Great Cross, the sacred girdle, the deacon, and the Holy Spirit: never would his armies look with greed upon the soil of Andalus, nor would he bring harm upon the Queen's valiant sons, treating her court with the reverence due to a holy shrine.
Observing the single-hearted truth of his pledge, Qaydafeh gathered her nobles, wise counsellors, and her two beloved sons. She addressed them on the vanity of bloodshed in this transient world: 'Iskandar's thirst for treasure is unquenchable, yet all the gold beneath the heavens is not worth the anguish of war. It is my counsel that we offer him gifts fit for a king and wise words of peace.' The elders of Andalus acclaimed her unmatched wisdom, agreeing that reconciliation far surpassed the folly of vengeance.
Queen Qaydafeh then unlocked her ancient treasuries. She brought forth a father's crown whose radiant gems surpassed all valuation, a magnificent throne built of seventy intricate segments with legs carved in the likeness of dragon heads, four hundred royal rubies deep as pomegranate seeds, emeralds gleaming like rainbows, forty camel-loads of treasure, hundreds of Barbary leopard skins, spotted deer hides, hunting hounds, buffaloes, and a hundred armored steeds alongside thousands of Indian blades and helmets. All these she entrusted to the envoy to present to Iskandar.
At break of day, Iskandar set out toward his main encampment, accompanied by Prince Taynush. Reaching a lush, stream-fed grove near the camp, Iskandar bade Taynush rest while he went ahead into his royal pavilion. His army, having feared him lost, erupted in triumphant acclamations upon his return. Iskandar donned his imperial robes and crown, then ordered a thousand heavy Roman horsemen armed with bull-headed maces to encircle the grove.
Iskandar's voice thundered through the trees, asking Taynush whether he sought battle or flight. Taynush trembled in utter bewilderment, invoking the solemn oath that the Roman envoy had sworn to his mother Qaydafeh. At that moment, Iskandar smiled and revealed the magnificent truth: he himself was the king who had stood in her hall! Taking Taynush by the hand, Iskandar hosted a sumptuous royal banquet, bestowed rich robes and golden gifts upon his retinue, and sent him home with tidings of everlasting friendship and devotion for Queen Qaydafeh.