Once a handsome young man fell in love with a king’s daughter.
She was also madly enamored of the young man. The princess
begged her father to announce publicly that whatever her beloved, whose name was Haik, desired he should be allowed to take from the shops of the capital. Her father would pay the shopkeepers from his treasury. The king agreed and ordered his town criers to make the announcement.

The shopkeepers were all anxious for Haik to take merchandise from them. For his part, Haik had absolutely no longing for any merchandise regardless of its value. He was consumed with his longing and deep love for the princess. He remained in a state of contemplation and ignored the criers announcement.

However, every greedy person in the city took advantage of the announcement and pretended that they were named Haik. Hundreds of Haiks took merchandise from the shops. The merchants informed the king that many hundreds of men presented themselves as named Haik and took merchandise. They asked, “Will the king honor his word and reimburse them?”

The king was perplexed. He summoned his daughter and explained the fraud perpetrated by hundreds of greedy men calling themselves Haik. He was upset. “What do you suggest I do?” said the king. His daughter reassured him that she would quickly dissipate the confusion and fraud. She requested her father to entrust to her a detachment of his fiercest soldiers with an experienced commander.

She instructed the commander to send his troops to every part of the royal city preceded by town criers and drummers to announce that tomorrow the princess will go throughout the city and have her beloved Haik stabbed to death by the soldiers and the merchandise seized.

When the announcement was made, all the merchandise was returned by the next day, the false Haiks recanted the name and only the one true Haik remained. He won the love of the princess by proving his only interest was her love and not any merchandise.

A true lover does not seek to gain anything but the beloved.