J R C Salter

Scheherazade J R C Salter

The tale of how a story saved a life

The Sassanian Empire is ruled by a ruthless King who marries a different woman every night and orders her execution the next morning. With the population running thin of potential brides, Ismail is tasked with finding the new queen.



So when his own daughter offers to marry the king herself, Ismail is horrified. She has a plan, though. She can save herself. She can save her father. And she can save every woman who still draws breath in the Empire. And it all begins with a story.



Word count 20 000.



Contains:



Scheherazade
The Tale of the Bull and the Ass
King Shahryar and His Brother
The Trader and the Jinni
- - Ibrahim's Tale
- - Yusuf's Tale
- - Shahnaz's Tale



1001 Arabian Nights



A retelling of the classic series in a modern style. Comprising all one thousand-and-one nights, this series will be published in volumes collecting either single stories, or compilations of shorter works.



J R C Salter



J R C Salter was born in the English Westcountry in the mid-Eighties, the first child of Karen and David, and he has two brothers and one sister. He trained and practiced as a chef for many years, and now he works as a barista while publishing books on the side, with the aim of becoming a full time author. He still likes to cook, and enjoys baking cookies, as well as reading, coding, and making giant Star Wars models from Lego. He currently lives in the small town of Cullompton in Devon, and his main inspirations are Tolkien, and the works of Joss Whedon.



A girl had a right to be happy for her wedding day, but no wife of the king's ever wore a smile. She helped her sister to fasten her wedding gown, and all the while Scheherazade laughed quietly to herself.



As Dunyazad finished, she turned her sister around. 'Please, ' she said, 'have some grace to mourn. You may think little of your own life, but you have also condemned your father.'



Scheherazade shook her head. 'No. I have not. Listen to me, my sister, because what I have to tell you is of utmost importance. When I have gone into the King and he has had his way with me, I will send for you. When you come, you will ask me to tell one of my tales.'



'Why?'



'Because I cannot explain to the king how wonderful the story may be. He needs to hear it from someone else. You have spent many a time enjoying my recitals, and so you have no need to feign interest. This is the most important thing, sister. The tale may well be our deliverance.'