"Azur..." "Asmar..." "Nanny." "Nan-ny." "Nanny." "Nan-ny." "Nanny!" "Nan-nay!" "Mama." "Nan-ny." "Mama." "Nan-ny?" "Mama." "Mama." "Mama!" "Nanny, sing us the sweet words." "And a handsome prince will come, bearing the three magic keys." "He will save the Djinn Fairy and he will find love." "Mama, what are djinns?" "They're little people who look after the world around us." "Sometimes they are kind, sometimes they are wicked." "So it's necessary for the Djinn Fairy to keep control of them." "Are there djinns here as well, Nanny?" "Yes, but they're known as elves." "Perhaps some kind ones will come to soothe your sleep tonight." "Sleep well, my loves." "Good night, Nanny." "# This child will grow" "# Handsome and strong" "# He will travel far across the sea" "# One day he'll save the Djinn Princess" "# And both shall live in happiness" "# In happiness #" "How is my son?" "He's growing big, growing strong." "And he has the eyes of an angel." " Be certain he wants for nothing." " Yes, master." "Far away, across the sea, in the land of the Djinn Fairy, the sun always shines." "The scent of roses and jasmine fills the air." "The houses are white and blue, as in a dream." " Asmar has got a bigger slice than me!" " That's not true, it's smaller." "That's not true, he's eaten it all!" "Stop arguing, or I won't finish the story." "No!" " So what do you say?" "Thank you, Nanny." "Now, the Djinn Fairy is held captive in a black mountain far away." "Inside it, there is a great Hall of Light decorated with precious stones." "And, within a crystal cage, the Djinn Fairy is held imprisoned, more beautiful than any diamond!" "One day, a handsome prince will come." "He will find the three magic keys." "He will defeat the Scarlet Lion with the blue claws." "He will defeat the bird Simourh with its rainbow wings." "He will find the secret passageway in the Black Cliff." "Azur is no longer a baby." "It's not proper for him to be living with you." "As from tonight, he will sleep in his own room upstairs." " You're just not good-looking at all." " Yes." "I'm the handsome one." "Your clothes may be, but not you." " But I've got lovely blue eyes." " They're ugly." " No, I look like an angel." " Ah!" "You?" "An angel!" "My country's better than this place." "How do you know it is?" "You've never even been there." " I know because my mum said so." " That's not true." "She never did!" " She did, too!" " No, she didn't!" " Did!" "Did!" " Didn't!" "Didn't!" " Did!" " Didn't!" "The rain's stopped!" "And anyway, this is your country." "You were born here." " This is not my country!" " Yes, it is yours!" " It isn't!" " It is!" "It isn't!" "Stop that!" "Which one's Azur?" "Enough!" "The time's come for you to learn dancing, fencing, riding and Latin." "You'll do me credit in all of them." " Insha'Allah." " What's that?" "Er..." "I said, God willing." "One, two, three, four." "One, two, three, four." "Much more nobility in your bearing." "One, two, three, four." "I asked for a certain nobility in bearing, not a tight neck." "Try and bring a little grace to what you are doing." "One, two, three, four." "And one, two, three, four." "What I asked for is grace, what I get is porridge." "One, two, three, four." "Good." "We should call a halt there for today, I think." "Bow nicely." "No, no!" "Take your time." "Ah..." "You may go now." "You looked like a duck." "Uh!" "Aah!" "You haven't even got a dad!" " Aaah!" " Ah!" "Yes, but you haven't even got a mum!" "Maybe I haven't, but your mum is my mum as well." "Oh, no!" "My mum is definitely not yours!" "She is mine too, she is!" "Oh!" "You rat!" " Good for nothing!" " Stop that!" "Azur, go to your room." "You'll go to bed without supper." "Thanks, that's enough." "Otherwise I'll only get the runs." "Straighten up." "Try to be worthy of your mount." "Trot now, if you please." "Aaah!" "Uh!" "That bad horse disobeyed!" "You won't improve by accusing others." "If the horse misbehaves, it's never the horse's fault but the rider's fault." "Repeat." "If the horse misbehaves... it's never the horse's fault but the rider's fault." "Know what?" "When I grow up, I'm going to travel across the sea to free the Djinn Fairy and marry her." "No, I'm going to marry her!" " You've no right!" " Yes, I do!" "Anyway, I'm stronger than you!" " We'll see about that!" " Ah!" "I'll show you!" "Idiot!" "Rat!" " Dung heap!" " Not again." "And rolling in a dung heap this time." "This finally has to end." "Azur, I have a surprise for you." "Meet the tutor I have engaged for you." "Good day, young sir." "Follow me, if you please." "Stay there." "Get in." "You're off to study in the city." "You'll live at your tutor's house." "Your trunk is on board." "Goodbye, my son." "Study hard and avoid bad company, I strongly urge you." "But..." "I need a wash." "You'll have time for that when you arrive." "But I need to say goodbye to Nanny." "No, you have nothing to say to her." "No!" "I don't want to leave!" "Let go of me!" "Let go of me!" "You have no right!" "Leave me alone!" "Let go of me!" " I no longer need you." "Leave." " What?" "Don't you understand?" "You're no longer needed." "You're dismissed." "But... where will we go, the two of us?" " That's not my concern." " Where's Azur?" " That's not your concern." " He left in a carriage." " Without saying goodbye?" " He had other concerns." "Get out." "But..." "I need some time to pack my belongings." "No, everything in this house is mine." "You'll leave with the clothes on your back and nothing more." "Go!" " Asmar!" " Leave my house, before I lose my temper." "Azur, you're a grown man now." "What will you do with your life?" "I want to go to the land across the great, deep sea and liberate the Djinn Fairy." " You're joking?" " No." "That female Saracen's venom is still poisoning your veins." " I should never have employed her." " You shouldn't have driven her out!" "Your disrespect should be punished." " Stop punishing me." "Help me." " But have I not done that?" "Regardless of the obstacles," "I shall travel to the land across the sea." "I'm going to the land of my dreams to find love!" "I'velosteverything." "I don't know where I am." "What a bleak place." "Nanny'slanguage!" "This is her country!" "Ah!" "Those poor men!" "It is Nanny's language... but I don't understand it." "It's been too long." "And Nanny spoke more slowly." "I must go over." "Be bold!" "What did I say?" "No more blunders this time." "I won't say anything." "Aah!" "Why?" "Why?" "Tell me!" "I know, blue eyes." "So what?" "Cursed?" "The evil eye?" "I bring bad luck with my blue eyes?" "What's that stench?" "I'm as hungry as this dog." "Do dogs see that I have blue eyes too?" "Ah!" "This country smells bad." "The people are crippled." "And they're malicious." "They're ugly, the houses are ugly and the countryside's ugly." "I believed in the Djinn Fairy." "Nanny lied." "I should have drowned." "Someone's coming!" "Don't let them see me." "They've seen me!" "They're going to hit me." "No, they're not going to hurt me." "Yes, but my eyes are closed." "They don't know they're blue." "They'll never know." "This world is ugly." "I'll never open my eyes again." "From now on, I'm blind." "The city?" "To beg?" "Aah!" "Oof!" "Uh." "Aah!" "Aaaah!" "I guess you're a foreigner." " Like you." " Yes." "We need to form a defensive alliance against the locals." "I can hardly walk these days." "Your legs are strong." "My eyesight is great, but yours ain't." "I speak the language very, very well." "You can hardly say a word." "You carry me on your shoulders, and I'll steer and do what talking's necessary." "The angels must have sent you!" "I was getting utterly desperate being by myself in this horrible country." "Climb up." "Full ahead!" " The name's Crapoux." "And yours?" " Azur." "That's an odd name." " What are you like?" " You might say I'm like you." "Tall, blonde..." "What colour are your eyes?" "Oh, dark." "I wouldn't ride round openly if they were blue!" "The local people are totally convinced that blue eyes are an evil omen and bring bad luck!" " That's incredible." " But true." "The locals are superstitious to the core!" " Ah!" "Turn back!" "Quick!" " What's wrong?" "A black cat to the left." "It's bad luck." " And that's not superstition?" " Oh, no, it's been scientifically proved!" " Everyone knows that." " I don't." "Look out!" "You're heading for a palm." " What's a palm?" " It's a local tree." "It's as ugly as all the rest." "Pffft!" "They don't have pine trees here!" " What's that sound?" " A gazelle." "Its legs are too long." "Pffft!" "They don't have rabbits!" " Ah!" " What's that?" "An irrigation canal." "They have to move water in pipes." "Pffft!" "They don't have rain!" "Anyway, what are you doing in this awful land?" "Er..." "I was shipwrecked and washed up here." "You speak the lingo a bit." "How come?" "My nurse came from here." "I was very close to her as a young boy." " Is she dead?" " Yes." "My father threw her out, with her son." "They vanished." "And then we heard that they had both been devoured by wolves." "Well, anyway, they had no business in our country." " And you?" "Why are you here?" " You won't believe this, but twenty years ago, I came here to liberate and then marry a Djinn Fairy." " What?" " It's true." "The stupid things young men do." "I believed the fable." " The Djinn Fairy doesn't exist?" " Oh, yes." "But I thought the natives would help me succeed in my quest." "Some chance!" "They sabotaged me every chance they got." "Without them, I would have found the secret passages long ago, and the Djinn Fairy." "Speaking of which, we're in front of the Chapel of the Fiery Key." "A magic key?" "Guide me." "I want to see... to... to touch it." "Poor boy, there's nothing to see or touch." "Stop." "You're there." " It's odd..." " No, it's not odd, it's tiling." "Pffft!" "They don't have whitewash!" "Aaah!" "Watch your step!" "Guide me." "There are holes all over the place." "Why's that?" "These chapels are always empty so the Djinn Fairy's suitors dig up the ground, trying to find the Fiery Key." "But a Fiery Key makes no sense." "The Fiery Key exists and I know where it is." "What?" "The boy's out of his mind!" "It's warm." "But... how did you know?" "I just had to touch the wall." "Among the cold tiles, one was hot." "Give it here!" "This is worth a fortune." "I don't want to sell it." "The real pleasure lies in having it." "Here we are in the city." " What's that?" " They call it music, but I call it noise." "Pffft!" "They don't have proper tunes!" "Hey, giddy-up!" "Dirhams!" "Pffft!" "They don't have pennies!" "Look out, donkey!" "Turn right." "There are guards to keep us away." "From what?" " Princess Chamsous-Sabah's palace." " A princess?" "What's she like?" "They say she's intelligent." "But no one's ever seen her." " Why?" " Princesses are shut up indoors here." "She's probably as ugly as sin, anyway, like the other girls here." " What a smell!" " Yes, it stinks." "We're in the dyers' souk." "It's full of hanks of wool." "Blue, yellow, red..." "Pffft!" "They don't have grey!" "What's that?" "The muezzin, calling them to prayer." "Pffft!" "They don't have bells!" "Watch out!" "Duck!" "Phew!" "You nearly got us run over by some scrawny nag." "Pffft!" "They don't have carthorses!" "Who's this?" "Some so-called musicians banging bits of metal." "Pffft!" "They don't have bagpipes!" "You don't need to shout." "Me?" "I'm not shouting!" "Anyway, they don't understand." "Mm, have some." " What is it?" " Couscous." "A mash with wheat and lamb." "Pffft!" "They don't have stew!" " We have quite a lot now." " All right." "We'll share it evenly." " Here." " Thank you." " I smell something." " Of course you can smell something." "It's the spice market." "They spice everything!" "Aaah!" "Pffft!" "They don't have apple sauce." "You've got the whole range of white pepper, the whole range of black pepper." "Can't you see I'm guiding him?" "We're by a stall selling ginger and nutmeg." "No, it's further on." "There's also cinnamon, cumin, dried rose buds, fennel..." "Coriander, saffron, aniseed, bay leaves, sesame seeds, cloves, cardamom..." "This is it." "It's another chapel." "The Chapel of the Scented Key, they call it." "Don't bother." "No one has ever smelled anything here." "There are no tiles and the ground's been dug up here as well." "Would you get down a while?" "I'm worn out." "Hey!" "Are you mad?" "Mmmm!" "Come back down here!" "Oof!" "For pity's sake, you're blind!" "You need to be guided!" "It's when I'm not guided that I find things." "The only thing that I can trust you to find is a heap of trouble." "Oh!" " That smells good." "This one, we will sell." " No." "But just think." "We can get a good price." " And it's no good to you." " Who can say?" "You can't seriously think that you have a chance of winning the Djinn Fairy?" "That's the very thing I'm wondering." "Nothing personal, and don't take offence, but you don't see too well, just in case you'd forgotten." "Nothing personal, and don't take offence, but just in case it's slipped your mind," "I've found two magic keys." "Pure luck." "You're a simpleton." " I am not quite the simpleton you think." " Oh, yes." "I've tested you, and I assure you you are." "Although I know you've no hint of a limp, and kept four extra coins." " Ah!" "You can see?" " No, but I can hear." "You ran up to me, smoothly and quite steadily, when we met." "As for the coins, I counted each one as it clattered into the bowl." " Why didn't you say anything?" " I couldn't do it." "My nurse taught me that I should always be polite." "It's not polite to call people liars and thieves." "What, even if they are?" "You really are a simpleton." " There." " Thank you." "One's missing." " Huh!" "I know that voice!" " What voice?" " They're all yelling!" " This way..." "Aaaah!" "Aaaah!" "I told you to wait for me and stop causing trouble!" "Here." "Let's go." "It's here." "I know that voice." "I doubt it." "You know no one here." " It's my nurse." " You're insane!" "Widow Jenane is the richest merchant in the whole city." "That's my nurse!" "Knock on the door and ask." "Oh, no!" "I'm not insane." "They don't like foreigners in this house." "The servants keep people out." "And your nurse is dead." "If she escaped, she'll have forgotten you, or else she'll reject you as you all rejected her." "That's possible." "But at least I've got to try." "Don't you see?" "I've got to speak to her." "Please." "Go and ask for her." "Explain." "If it works, you'll have money." "A lot of money." "Right." "Just for you then." "Happy now?" " Nanny!" " Hey!" "You'll get us a thrashing." "Nanny!" "Nanny!" "It's Azur!" "Nanny!" "Nanny!" "It's Azur." "Remember!" "Nanny!" "Let me in!" "What's wrong?" "Why are you making all this fuss outside my home?" "Nanny..." "I'm Azur." "I can't tell how you know about him, but such deceit will gain you nothing." "You're not that child." "He is gone from my life." "Please leave." "Nanny, I am Azur." "Azur is on the far side of the sea." "Nanny, I've crossed that sea." "Azur didn't have your voice." "Nurse, a boy's voice changes." "Azur... wasn't blind." "Azur!" "My son!" "It worked." "Azur, dear, you've grown so handsome." "You are beautiful too." "Before, I was blind, and, before that, I saw only ugliness." "And here you are, as beautiful as a queen!" "I'm feasting my eyes." "Your beautiful blue eyes." "Nanny, doesn't it concern you to have me in your home with my eyes so... pale?" "You mean the superstition about blue eyes?" "Listen, my son." "I know two countries, two tongues two religions, and so what others know, I know twice over." "While others may shrink before eyes that are blue, or black cats," "I press on, and I win!" "So never mention that miserable nonsense about blue eyes again!" "You pathetic fool!" "If blue eyes bother you, leave this house and don't come back!" "And tell the others that." "Go!" "Did she understand?" "With the tone I used, the language doesn't matter." "Nanny..." "Could you give me something to eat?" "It's been so long..." "My son is hungry and I don't think to feed him!" "My son from across the wide ocean has returned!" "Come and see my garden." "You're here, without warning." "And look at you!" "You're as tall and handsome as a prince!" "I can barely believe it." "How did you come all this way, Azur?" "You've no idea what happened to us." "Life can be so surprising." "We have so much to talk about." "Where can we start?" "My head's spinning." "My Azur's here." "What joy!" " Eat, my child." " Thank you." " Nanny..." " Yes, my son." " And Asmar?" " Asmar!" "He has grown tall and handsome like you." "You're just in time to see him again." "Tomorrow, he leads an expedition to liberate the Djinn Fairy." "Needless to say, I'm not pleased by his madness." "But he thinks of nothing else." "Though, now you're here, you'll keep me company." " But I want to go as well!" " What?" "How stupid I am!" "Of course you want to go too." "You always wanted the same things." "There he is!" "My joy is now complete." "No, he's not a vagabond." "It's Azur, your brother!" "His beautiful land isn't a foul place and his blue eyes have never done us injury." "Azur is here as our guest." "His presence honours us." "You haven't answered his greeting." "This is the first time that Asmar has ever shamed me." "He still hasn't forgiven the hurt we were done across the sea." " I understand him." " Although not everyone hurt us." "You certainly didn't!" " You want to seek the Djinn Fairy too?" " Yes." "I always gave you identical slices of cake." "I'll finance your expedition just as I'm financing Asmar's." "But you won't know where to go." "You lack the information that Asmar has gathered over the years." "No, no, it's not the moment." "I promised him a reward if he got me into the house." " He shall have it." " Couldn't you let him in?" "He guided me and helped me." "I know him." "He'll have lied, robbed you and insulted the land that gives him shelter so your life will fail as his has done!" "Still, he helped." "He too wanted to rescue and marry the Djinn Fairy." "Hah!" "Him and the Djinn Fairy!" "But since you ask, he may come in." "I wonder what he looks like." " You are Crapoux?" " Yes, yes." " This isn't how I saw you." " You can see?" "And your eyes are blue?" "Oh, no!" "If you don't like blue eyes, you can go!" "Now!" "No, no." "They're fine." "Thank you, Madame Jenane." "Can you two keep a secret?" " Yes, yes." " Yes." "How long have you been concealing the truth?" "Twenty years." "You know, the servants have seen and accepted my blue eyes." " You can take off your glasses." " No, I can't." "You're a rich kid now, safe in a palace." "But I'm a tramp." "I need the people on the street." "The news would spread round the house, spread round the whole city in no time." " I can shelter you if you like." " I don't want that." "Perhaps I scorn the city, but I love it." "People despise me and mistreat me, but I reassure and I amuse." "In return, they give me what I need to live with them." "But if you pay me well, I'll help Azur." "How can you do that?" "I can teach him about the Djinn Fairy and I can guide him to her." "Who says the Djinn Fairy interests me that much?" "I'm not the simpleton that you think I am either." "And who's to say you won't use this opportunity to try to win the Djinn Fairy for yourself?" "I'm no longer on the road that leads to the Djinn Fairy." "Azur is." "He is the very flame itself." "But I can help him, passing onto him what I have learned during my long quest." "My life won't be a failure if Azur succeeds." " Nanny, let Crapoux be my squire." " You trust Crapoux?" " Yes." " With eyes closed?" "You're the same size." "You know that suits you?" "Yes, yes." "We don't have time for this." "The boy needs a hood to wear." "Must hide his eyes." "All right, stand up." "Three people can reveal everything to Azur." " First, Crapoux." " We've noticed." "I'm not finished yet." "Second, wise man Yadoa." "Excellent choice." "I often seek his advice myself." "He's an old friend, so he'll help out." "Thirdly, the Princess Chamsous-Sabah." "I don't know how we can get to her." "She has the secrets." "No problem." "I'll send her a message." "You know the Princess Chamsous-Sabah?" "Yes." "Lower your head." "We discuss things such as foreign trade." "Everything interests her." "Princess Chamsous-Sabah is as intelligent as she is pretty." "May God preserve her, she is the future of this land." "Poor boy, you're as blind as before with your eyes lowered." "Still, there are many interesting things to see." "Their shoes are fascinating." "They're ridiculous." "They're called babouches." " Pffft!" "They don't have clogs!" " Crapoux, stop it." "You know, I really did have a bad foot, but wise man Yadoa cured me." "He's a great doctor as well." "The country's lucky to have him." "Welcome, Azur, son of Jenane." " You speak my language!" " Yes, we're from the same land." "Why did you leave it?" "I had a great-great-great-grandfather born far away and people called me a foreigner and tormented me, so I sought refuge here." "Here?" "Don't they see you as a foreigner here too?" "Yes, but not a tormented one." "I continue my research and give lessons in Greek and Hebrew to the Princess Chamsous-Sabah." "God preserve her, she is the future of this country." "You must cross the Mountain of Ancient Cities." " But where?" " I know!" "Excellent." "You must beware of other suitors who will try to kill you, of bandits, of slave traders," "and of the Scarlet Lion and the bird Simourh who have devoured many a prince." "Ah, yes, my nurse mentioned them." "You must carry meat to feed them, hoping that it will suffice." "You must find the Black Cliff, whose entrances cannot be seen." "They are cracks within it." "If you do succeed in finding one, you will enter an underground world full of pitfalls but one that contains the Duplicate Doors, the last hurdle before the Fairy." "One leads into the Cavern of Shadows, meaning you lose." "The other leads to the Hall of Light, meaning you rescue, and win, the Fairy." " And the right one?" " None can tell." "They say it doesn't matter how you choose." "It's always the Door of Shadows." "Yes, certainly I've heard that." "But could the Princess Chamsous-Sabah..." "Time to go to the palace." "But will we be able to understand each other?" "Yes, right through her life, the Princess Chamsous-Sabah has been taught by the best tutors in the world." "She speaks several languages." "...Chamsous-Sabah!" "...Chamsous-Sabah!" "...Chamsous-Sabah!" "...Chamsous-Sabah!" "Good day, sir." "What beautiful eyes you've got!" "Good day, Your Highness." "My eyes aren't causing you any offence?" "You mean because they're blue?" "I'm too grown-up for such childishness." "And you?" "Does it bother you that I'm not old?" " No, no!" " All the men in my family are dead." "They were either all poisoned or killed in battle, if not by enemies then by each other." " That's sad." " Yes, it is." "But you must let go, or it'll never end." "We must live our lives now and be useful." "Since I'm a girl, no one thinks of killing me." "That's handy." "My mother teaches me what she knows and has the things she doesn't know taught to me." "Perhaps your enemies will begin to understand..." "It'll be too late." "I'll be stronger and so, I'll have them killed." "Now, we need to rescue the Djinn Fairy because we need her here." "This bottle contains the Fog of Invisibility." "Thanks, Your Highness." " Can I help you?" " No, no." "I'm strong enough, thank you." "This is Leonine Tongue, a sweet that enables you to talk to lions." "Thanks, Your Highness." "An iridescent feather from the Simourh and its property is probably preventing him from devouring you." " You're wondering where we are?" " Yes, Princess." "We're in the astronomy observatory of wise man Yadoa." "But we're underground here." "We can't see the stars." "Push that handle at your side." "Those trinkets may well be of use to you, but be wary." "The fog lifts, the sweet melts and the feather flies away." "What counts for most at any time is your courage." "You or Asmar will succeed." " You've seen Asmar?" " Of course." "I gave him the same knick-knacks as I've given you." "I have none left." "But I sense that one of you will liberate the Djinn Fairy." "I don't know which one." "The loser will return to help me." "I'll return, even if I win." "Asmar said the same thing." "The drought will come to an end, young men will stop killing each other, and princesses will no longer be locked up in palaces." "Close the roof, if you please." "Wise man Yadoa says we mustn't leave his machines in the sun." "Wheeeee!" "Oof." "Princess, they say that whatever happens, we choose the Door of Shadows." "People do say that, but I don't know what it means." "When you reach the Duplicate Doors, use your brain and your heart." "Yes, they're your clothes." "How old are you?" "My work buys you fine things." "You can lend one to your poor brother, who's lost all he owns." "You'll leave to find the Djinn Fairy together." "You'll be journeying high up into the mountains." "Four have more chance against robbers than two." "You'll separate when the time is right." "Azur, where are you going?" "I..." "I am going to explore the city." "But you should be resting." "You're leaving at dawn." "I want to look at the city before leaving it." " Take a companion." " No!" "What is it you're hiding from me?" "Nanny, don't worry, I won't cause any harm." "I know that." "I know you won't harm anyone." "But it's you who could be hurt." "I'm outside!" "Shh!" "I'm out in the street!" "I know everything from the books in my library, but I don't know anything that's real." " What's that on the ground?" " There's nothing, just earth." "Real earth everywhere?" "That's extraordinary!" "The palace has tiles everywhere." " Do you think I can touch it?" " Of course!" "Is that a cat?" "Yes, that's a cat." "Aren't there any in the palace?" "Of course not." "They'd bite me and scratch me." "No, they wouldn't!" "Stroke it." "A tree!" "Is it real?" " Definitely." "The palace plants are all in pots." " Can we go closer?" " Of course." "Are there djinns in the tree?" "No, those are fireflies." "I was wise to open my eyes." "My city is sleeping." "Look, the palace stands out." "I prefer it from the outside." "That's the mosque next to it, with the church and the synagogue." "There, in the booksellers' souk, the madrassa where people study." "Someone's still working." "Then the maristane where the sick are cared for." "You can see the fondouk where travellers spend the night." "This the home of Ouardan, a merchant." "He hates Jenane because she's a woman and more powerful." "Oh!" "Quick, we must run!" "Not the palace!" "You can't climb back in now!" "Jenane's house!" "If the door's locked, we're finished!" "Princess Chamsous-Sabah!" "I was so afraid!" " What folly have you committed here?" " We wanted to see the city." "We overheard Ouardan and his men in their courtyard." "They're getting ready to follow Asmar and his foreign brother to the Djinn Fairy..." "To kill us and take our place." "Let's do things in order." "First, the Princess Chamsous-Sabah returns to the palace." "Impossible, with those men outside." "I can sleep here!" "I can sleep here!" "Out of the question!" "You must return to the palace at all costs and no one must know that you left it and went out tonight, or you will be severely punished and we shall all be executed." "Asmar, you can't understand." "You've never been blind, nor a princess." "I hope no one will ever discover what we have done with the princess." "While you sneak out the back door, I'll confuse Ourdan's men at the front with a false princess." "Good idea." "Thank you." "Asmar is back." "The Princess is safe." "Ouardan and his men know that you know." "They'll just hide better and gather more men, and they certainly won't give in." "We know that." "Our plan is to lead them in the wrong direction." "Don't forget this." " Fine." "Here, some pastries." " To give you strength." " Thank you." " You have your sheepskin coats?" " Yes, yes, but..." "What on earth is that?" "They're carrier pigeons." "To keep me up with your progress." "But, Nanny, we're riding out to seek the Djinn Fairy!" "We can't sit and write letters!" "I'm simply asking that you free one pigeon each day, so that I'll know you're still alive." "But, Nanny..." "I wonder if..." "He wanted to go on alone." "Serves him right." "Well, one less contender." "Oh, no!" "No, it's just a scratch." "I bet he knows a short cut." "Let's follow him from afar." "No, I'm not Ouardan." "Oh, that's all right." "My path is the best anyway." "They must be in trouble." "That's blood!" "How should I know?" "Their blood is the same colour!" "This piece of meat is too heavy." "You already said that." "The meat will be vital if we happen to come across" " the Scarlet Lion or the Simourh bird." " Don't tempt fate!" " The Scarlet Lion!" "Run!" " No, we're getting close!" "Yes, yes." "Close to the lion." "Let's get out of here." " We're nearing our goal, Crapoux." " We're not near anything at all." "And if the Scarlet Lion gobbles us up, it'll ruin your chances of ever liberating the Djinn Fairy." "I have this meat, Leonine Tongue and this feather of the Simourh." "I shall manage alone." "You've guided me and saved my life." " Thank you, Crapoux." "I'll carry on now." " Don't." "Nobody has succeeded." "There are other Fairies in the world." "Come on." "I've grown used to you." "Don't go dying on me." "Crapoux, we know all the obstacles and they only increase my determination." "The time has come for the two of us to part." "Aaaah!" "You're right." "Good luck." "Goodbye." "What you do is slay the Lion with your sword while he's busy eating the meat." "Azur!" "Above you!" "Asmar?" "You speak my language?" "Yes, of course." "It's mine as well." "I learnt it with you!" "Don't talk to me, they'll hurt you." "No, they're never going to harm me, if they want a good sale price." "It didn't take you very long to turn into slaves." "They want you as a slave but when they see your blue eyes, they'll kill you!" "Well done!" "The sun behind you... it's a secret door!" "Press on the lower..." "Press on what?" "The jaw!" "Aaah!" "You're mad." "It could be a trap." "I know." "Let's hope... they don't find out... how to get in." "No risk of that." "All they can do is hammer with their swords... until they break." "Leave it." "It's no use." "That's how it goes, Azur." "We couldn't both win." "Yes, it isn't just a scratch." "Aah." "You're hurting me." "There's no point." "Go now." "You're nearly there." "Others are getting close." "I want you to be the one to succeed." "What are you doing?" "There's no doctor here." "It's too late for a doctor." "The third door." "It's the only one the bats use." " What's wrong?" " The bridge is gone." " You can jump it." " No, not with you." "Without me." "Put me down, Azur." "We've no choice." " Azur, don't give in." " I'm not giving in." "Hup!" "The heat!" "It's almost unbearable!" "We'll have to turn back." "The Door of Fire." "We're getting close, Asmar." "We can get through." "I've got the Fiery Key." "What a stench!" "It's disgusting." "The Door of Gasses." "Quick, the Scented Key!" "What a noise!" "It hurts my ears!" "The Door of Iron..." "I don't have the key!" "I don't have the keys to turn back, nor the key to keep going." "I have it." "In my left boot." "The Cutting Key." "Asmar, the Duplicate Doors!" "We're there!" "Soon we'll have reached the Hall of Light, Asmar!" "Or the Cavern of Shadows..." "We've got to choose." "The right one." " Why?" " They say left is bad." "That makes no sense." "It's like blue eyes." "I'd be surprised if one could win the Fairy with such silliness." "All right, then." "The left door?" "I don't know." "I think..." "I'm going to die." "No!" "Hang on, Asmar." "We'll enter the Hall of Light, with a thousand torches reflected in its tiles as in a mirror!" "Asmar, the Djinn Fairy will be there, more beautiful than any diamond!" "The Cavern of Shadows." "All is lost." "Youhavewon." "The Djinn Fairy." "You are the victorious prince who has delivered me." "Welcome to your realm, handsome prince." "Welcome to your realm." "Farewell, brother." "No!" "It's my brother who has won!" "He sacrificed himself for me, but he's here." "It was he who found the last key and the last passageway!" "And he's dying!" "Save him!" "Hurry!" "I'm alive." "It's so beautiful..." "We were lucky." "It was the right door." "It made no difference." "Both the doors lead to this selfsame hall." "It was I who gave the Light Djinns orders." "I left the other princes in the dark." "They didn't interest me." "Yet you were here, Djinn Fairy, within reach, beautiful..." "But I'm not presentable." "I'm the more handsome." "Aah!" "Be careful!" "He's wounded!" " I'm the more handsome." " No, I am!" "Both of you are magnificent." "But which one saved me?" "He did!" "You've got to decide." " It was you." " No, it was you!" " No, no, it was you!" " Here we are again." "Exactly like when we were boys." "There's only one person who knew how to stop us." "Our mother." " But she's far away." "My sons!" "Good day, madam." "We have brought you to judge which of the two princes, your sons, saved us." "My lady Fairy, I must confess to you..." "I'm a simple merchant and my sons are not princes." "We know their conduct." "They are princes as we understand the word." " Tell me what happened." " I'll tell you." "Azur kept saving my life." " He began with..." "...I'd be dead now if it wasn't for Asmar's sacrifice." "Both of you are wonderful!" "How could I choose between you?" "My lady Fairy, I can't say which is the more deserving." "But I know a brilliantly quick-witted person who will not share my concerns." "We'll fetch her, then." "It's the Princess Chamsous-Sabah." "Un, deux..." "Saluez." "Repartez." "Du bon pied." "Du bon pied, s'il vous plaît!" "Ah, je vous en prie!" "Au secours!" "On vole la princesse!" "It's so beautiful here." "Azur!" "Asmar!" "You're so handsome." "Jenane!" "I'm so happy!" "Lady Fairy." "I'm delighted to see you saved." "We're going to do good work together." " Who will you marry?" " I don't know." "We're counting on you to tell us." "I'll explain." "Up in the mountains, Asmar and I wouldn't be here if Azur hadn't been so brave and saved me." "What do you advise, Your Highness?" "It's simple." "If I were you, I'd marry them both." "Oh, that wouldn't do." "I don't know, in that case." "But I know someone who knows a lot more than I do." "Welcome, wise man Yadoa." "We need your wisdom." "This is what happened." "Azur and Asmar came here to set me free, and reached my palace at exactly the same..." "Now you know everything." "Alas, Madam Fairy, that is far from true." "And in spite of my all my wisdom," "I cannot offer an answer which young man, this one or that one, is more deserving." "But the six of us must find the answer to our quandary." "We are too similar to each other." "I know a seventh person who thinks differently." "Oh!" "You're alive!" "Well, I see the whole family is here!" "Good day, madam." "Good day, Master Asmar." "My respects, master." "Hello, little girl." "Crapoux, this is Princess Chamsous-Sabah!" "Oh, sorry." "My respects, Your Highness!" "Hello, Crapoux." "The Djinn Fairy..." "Fairy..." "I have dreamt of you for so many years." "Thank you, kind sir." "But... fate has decided otherwise." "So... who is the lucky winner?" "We are counting on you to tell us who has won." "Easy!" "Which one arrived first?" " They arrived here together." " Aaah!" "But that isn't how they should have arranged to conclude the affair." "Nevertheless, that's what they did." "Forget that." "Well, it's a classic dilemma." "Since no one can choose between these two suitors, the answer, obviously, is that you have to choose a third one." "They're both extremely pretty, that's true, but they're rather poor conversationalists." "Your humble servant, however..." "Thank you, thank you!" "We must choose one of the princes who overcame the ordeals they met with, or the curse on me will return." "We must settle this." "My cousin, the Elf Fairy, gives excellent advice." "Welcome, my dear cousin." "Yes, I have been saved at last." "Tell us which of the two princes has won." "I heard your message regarding your dilemma while crossing the deep sea, and, like everyone else, I can't solve it for you." "But there's no hurry." "Let's take the time to enjoy each other's company and get better acquainted." "I am sure that our gathering will lead to a happy outcome." "The answer is becoming obvious." "And ending as all stories should." "Let's dance!" "It's easy, just follow me." "Choose your partner." "A pavane for our friends, please." "One, two, three, four..." "And one, two, three, four." "One, two." "The proper foot!" "One, two, three, four." "Don't look at your feet." "Hold your head up." "Not too stiff." "With elevation, but ease." "Turn." "Sir, let there be no misunderstanding between us." "I find you gifted with every quality and worthy of inspiring love." "But I find your brother Asmar... fascinating." "Bow." "Turn." "My brother, I beg to inform you that the Elf Fairy prefers you." "My brother, I beg to inform you that the Djinn Fairy prefers you." "I can't pretend that I'm sorry." "Neither can I." "It's even better this way." "Yes, it's the answer for a harmonious future." "I myself am free and ready to enter such a union with a beautiful and strong woman." "Subtitles by LeapinLar"