Once upon a time, there was an old king in a certain land. He had three sons. One day, he called his sons to him and said:
– My children, it's time for you to marry. Draw your bows and shoot your arrows. To whoever's yard an arrow falls, I will send matchmakers there.
The eldest son's arrow fell into a nobleman's yard, and the middle son's arrow fell into a merchant's yard. But the youngest son Azər's arrow landed in a swamp.
The youngest son, Azər, was saddened. He shed tears, but what else could he do? He went to look for his arrow. In the swamp, he saw a frog. The frog returned Azər's arrow. Azər took the frog and returned to the palace, and he had to marry her.
One day, the king wanted to test the skills of his sons and their wives. First, he instructed each wife to bake bread.
The frog put Azər to sleep, then shed her skin and transformed into the clever Aydan. She said in a loud voice:
– My nannies, my nannies! Hurry, bake the delicious bread my father eats every Sunday!
When Azər woke up, he saw a beautiful round loaf next to the frog, whose aroma was intoxicating. He was very happy, took the bread, and went to his father, the king.
The king first tasted the breads brought by his eldest and middle sons. He frowned and sent them to the kitchen:
– Such bread can only be thrown to a dog!
Then he saw the bread Azər brought, liked it, and began to praise it:
– Look, this bread is worthy of a festive table!
After some time, the king wanted to test his daughters-in-law's handiwork again. He ordered each wife to sew him a shirt.
The frog again put Azər to sleep, shed her skin, and transformed into the clever Aydan. She cried out and called her nannies:
– My nannies, my nannies! Hurry, sew a festive shirt!
After morning broke, Azər took the shirt and went to the palace to present it to his father, the king. The old king sat on his throne, frowning. Seeing the shirt brought by his eldest son, he said:
– What is this? This shirt can only be worn in the bathhouse!
The shirt brought by the middle son also did not please the king:
– This can only be worn in a dark shed, so no one sees it!
But when he saw the shirt Azər brought, the king rejoiced:
– Ah, there's nothing to say about this! This shirt can be worn for a celebration!
One day, the king invited his sons and their wives to a feast at the palace. The old king wanted to see which of his daughters-in-law danced more beautifully.
Azər was plunged into a sea of sorrow. Seeing this, the frog said to him:
– Azər, do not give in to sadness! May God be with you. Go to the palace, and wait for me there.
Azər went to the palace. A little later, Aydan entered the palace in a beautiful dress. She danced so beautifully that everyone was amazed by her. The king was also captivated by Aydan's beauty and skill.
After the feast, Azər returned home, found the frog's skin, and burned it. When Aydan arrived home, she saw this and was saddened:
– Oh, Azər, why did you do this? If you had been a little more patient, I would have been completely freed from the spell. But now I must leave you. If you search for me, you will have to go far away!
Aydan turned into wind and vanished from sight. Azər was very saddened and set off to search for her. He traveled far and wide, and finally reached a hut. When he entered, he saw an old woman sitting in the hut.
The old woman saw him and asked:
– Azər, where are you headed?
Azər told her his troubles. After listening to him, the old woman said:
– Aydan now lives with my sister. Go there, but remember what I tell you. When you get there, you will see Aydan setting up a spinning wheel and spinning thread; the thread she spins will be made of gold. My sister will tie a ball from the golden thread and put the ball along with the spinning wheel into a chest. You must steal the chest and break the spinning wheel. If you do this, Aydan will appear before you again.
Azər thanked the old woman and continued on his way. After some time, he reached another hut. There he found the old woman's sister and did as he was told: he took the chest and broke the spinning wheel.
Aydan reappeared before Azər. She sat with Azər on a flying carpet and happily returned to their native land.
They say that they still live happily ever after in that land.
