MidReal Story

The Sultan's Gambit

Scenario:Title: "The Sultan’s Gambit" Part 1: The Vanishing Scroll Sultan Rafiq Al-Mu’tasim was known across the lands as a ruler of unmatched intelligence. He had outwitted invaders, uncovered countless conspiracies, and ruled with wisdom. But tonight, as he sat in his grand study, a rare sense of unease crept over him. A royal messenger had just delivered alarming news: the Empire’s secret war strategy scroll had vanished. This scroll contained battle plans against enemy forces gathering at the borders. If it fell into the wrong hands, the kingdom would crumble. "Who had access to it?" the Sultan asked his vizier, Zayd. "Only four people, Your Majesty," Zayd replied. "Myself, General Umar, Court Scholar Ilyas, and your trusted guard, Kareem." The Sultan’s sharp eyes scanned their faces. One of them was a traitor. Part 2: The Three Lies Sultan Rafiq devised a plan. He would test their intelligence against his own. "Each of you must answer one question," the Sultan announced. "And if you lie… I will know." He turned to General Umar first. "Where were you when the scroll went missing?" "Training my soldiers at the western courtyard," Umar replied confidently. Next, the Sultan faced Scholar Ilyas. "What was the last document you studied in the archives?" "A manuscript on ancient medicine," Ilyas said. Finally, he asked Kareem, the guard. "Did you see anyone suspicious near the archives last night?" Kareem hesitated—just for a fraction of a second—before answering. "No, my Sultan." The Sultan’s mind worked fast. One of them was lying. Part 3: The Trap Without revealing his suspicion, the Sultan devised another test. "The thief must have hidden the scroll somewhere in the palace," he said. "Tomorrow at dawn, we shall search every chamber, every corridor, every shadow." That night, the palace was silent. But the Sultan did not sleep. Instead, he disguised himself and waited near the archive entrance. He knew that the guilty man, fearing discovery, would attempt to retrieve or destroy the evidence. Hours passed. Then—footsteps. A shadow crept through the corridor, heading straight for a hidden alcove near the archives. The Sultan’s hand tightened around his dagger. It was Kareem. Part 4: The Final Move "Looking for something?" the Sultan’s voice echoed in the darkness. Kareem froze, realizing too late that he had been caught. "You lied," the Sultan said. "You claimed you saw no one near the archives, yet here you are—retrieving what you stole." Kareem fell to his knees. "Forgive me, my Sultan! I was bribed… they threatened my family!" The Sultan’s face remained unreadable. "Loyalty is priceless. Betrayal, however, has a cost." The next morning, Kareem was arrested, and the stolen scroll was restored. The Sultan had won yet another battle—not with swords, but with intelligence. Moral of the Story: True strength lies not just in power, but in wisdom and the ability to outthink your enemies.
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Title: "The Sultan’s Gambit" Part 1: The Vanishing Scroll Sultan Rafiq Al-Mu’tasim was known across the lands as a ruler of unmatched intelligence. He had outwitted invaders, uncovered countless conspiracies, and ruled with wisdom. But tonight, as he sat in his grand study, a rare sense of unease crept over him. A royal messenger had just delivered alarming news: the Empire’s secret war strategy scroll had vanished. This scroll contained battle plans against enemy forces gathering at the borders. If it fell into the wrong hands, the kingdom would crumble. "Who had access to it?" the Sultan asked his vizier, Zayd. "Only four people, Your Majesty," Zayd replied. "Myself, General Umar, Court Scholar Ilyas, and your trusted guard, Kareem." The Sultan’s sharp eyes scanned their faces. One of them was a traitor. Part 2: The Three Lies Sultan Rafiq devised a plan. He would test their intelligence against his own. "Each of you must answer one question," the Sultan announced. "And if you lie… I will know." He turned to General Umar first. "Where were you when the scroll went missing?" "Training my soldiers at the western courtyard," Umar replied confidently. Next, the Sultan faced Scholar Ilyas. "What was the last document you studied in the archives?" "A manuscript on ancient medicine," Ilyas said. Finally, he asked Kareem, the guard. "Did you see anyone suspicious near the archives last night?" Kareem hesitated—just for a fraction of a second—before answering. "No, my Sultan." The Sultan’s mind worked fast. One of them was lying. Part 3: The Trap Without revealing his suspicion, the Sultan devised another test. "The thief must have hidden the scroll somewhere in the palace," he said. "Tomorrow at dawn, we shall search every chamber, every corridor, every shadow." That night, the palace was silent. But the Sultan did not sleep. Instead, he disguised himself and waited near the archive entrance. He knew that the guilty man, fearing discovery, would attempt to retrieve or destroy the evidence. Hours passed. Then—footsteps. A shadow crept through the corridor, heading straight for a hidden alcove near the archives. The Sultan’s hand tightened around his dagger. It was Kareem. Part 4: The Final Move "Looking for something?" the Sultan’s voice echoed in the darkness. Kareem froze, realizing too late that he had been caught. "You lied," the Sultan said. "You claimed you saw no one near the archives, yet here you are—retrieving what you stole." Kareem fell to his knees. "Forgive me, my Sultan! I was bribed… they threatened my family!" The Sultan’s face remained unreadable. "Loyalty is priceless. Betrayal, however, has a cost." The next morning, Kareem was arrested, and the stolen scroll was restored. The Sultan had won yet another battle—not with swords, but with intelligence. Moral of the Story: True strength lies not just in power, but in wisdom and the ability to outthink your enemies.
I, Sultan Rafiq AlMu’tasim, was known across the lands as a ruler of unmatched intelligence.
I had outwitted invaders, uncovered countless conspiracies, and ruled my kingdom with wisdom.
But tonight, as I sat in my grand study, a rare sense of unease crept over me.
A royal messenger had just delivered alarming news: the Empire’s secret war strategy scroll had vanished from the royal archives.
Only four men had access to this sensitive area: Vizier Zayd, General Umar, Scholar Ilyas, and my trusted guard, Kareem.
The scroll contained our battle plans against enemy forces gathering at the borders.
If it fell into the wrong hands, my kingdom would crumble.
"Who had access to it?"
I asked Zayd AlFarabi, my vizier since childhood.
He stood before me, his face pale, his hands trembling.
"Only those four men I mentioned, Your Majesty," he replied cautiously.
"General Umar, Scholar Ilyas, Kareem…the and I."
I stared at him.
Was this a clever trick?
Zayd was intelligent and loyal… but so were the other three suspects.
One of them had to be a traitor.
"Come," I said finally, rising from my seat. "Let us question the others."
We proceeded to the western courtyard where General Umar was training his soldiers.
"Where were you when the scroll went missing?"
I asked him.
"I was right here, training my soldiers," he replied confidently.
The Sultan's Gambit