The Black Dog of the Jinn King: A Cursed Vow, a Stolen Bride, and the Love That Shattered an Ancient Kingdom

Chapter One: The Unspoken Vow

In a forgotten village where time moved slowly and stories clung to the walls like dust, there lived a woman whose heart had grown tired of waiting. She had been married for many years, long enough for hope to rise and fall countless times, long enough for neighbors to stop asking questions and replace curiosity with pity. Every night, she lay beside her husband listening to the silence of their home—a silence unbroken by a child’s cry or laughter.

One evening, as darkness thickened and the moon hid behind clouds, the woman and her husband walked home along a narrow dirt road. The air was cold, the village lamps flickering weakly. Suddenly, a black dog emerged from the shadows.

It was larger than any dog they had ever seen.

Its fur was darker than night itself, swallowing what little light touched it. Its eyes glowed faintly red, not like fire, but like embers buried deep beneath ash. Without warning, it barked—a harsh, echoing sound that made the woman gasp and clutch her husband’s arm.

In that instant, fear twisted her thoughts. And from fear was born a vow.

If God grants me a daughter, she whispered silently, I will give her to the black one.

She did not know why she thought it. She did not understand what force pushed the words into her heart. She only knew that the dog stopped barking and watched her with unsettling stillness before vanishing back into the darkness.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months.

Soon, the woman felt a change within her body. Her heart raced as she realized the truth—she was pregnant. Joy flooded her, followed immediately by terror. She remembered the vow. Or rather, she tried not to.

When her daughter was born, healthy and radiant, the woman wept—not from fear, but from overwhelming love. The child’s skin was soft, her eyes wide and curious, as if she had already seen the world before entering it.

They named her Na’ila, meaning the one who attains.

And with every passing year, the mother convinced herself that vows spoken in fear could be forgotten.

Chapter Two: The Return of the Black Dog

Na’ila grew into a girl of rare beauty and gentle spirit. She was kind to strangers, patient with animals, and carried a quiet wisdom beyond her years. The village women often said she had been blessed twice—once by God, and once by fate.

When Na’ila was old enough, her mother sent her to the village school to learn reading and writing. Each morning, she walked the same path through olive trees and stone walls, her satchel bouncing against her back.

One afternoon, as the sun dipped low and shadows stretched long across the road, Na’ila heard a bark.

She froze.

The black dog stood before her.

Her heart pounded as fear rushed through her veins. She stepped back slowly, but the dog followed. Then, to her horror, it spoke.

“Tell your mother to fulfill her vow.”

Na’ila screamed and ran.

That night, shaken and pale, she forgot to speak.

The next day, the dog returned. And the next.

On the fourth day, the dog sighed deeply. “Why do you not speak?”

“I forget,” Na’ila whispered.

The dog gave her pieces of sweet candy. “Put these in your pocket. They will remind you.”

That evening, her mother noticed the sweets and asked where they came from.

And just like that, the forgotten vow returned.

Chapter Three: The Price of a Promise

Grief consumed the household.

The mother tore her clothes in sorrow. The father sat in silence, staring at the floor. At last, he spoke.

“A vow must be honored.”

The following day, a knock echoed through the house.

The black dog waited at the door.

Na’ila listened calmly as her parents explained everything. She did not cry. She only asked to say goodbye.

She walked beside the dog without resistance, her parents collapsing behind her in grief.

At the edge of the village, the dog lowered itself.

“Climb onto my back.”

The moment she did, the ground vanished beneath them.

They flew.

Chapter Four: The Palace Beyond the Sky

They landed before a palace so magnificent it seemed unreal—woven silk floors, jeweled fountains, gardens alive with birds and glowing flowers. The dog disappeared.

Na’ila was treated like royalty. Food appeared. Clothes shimmered with gold thread. Yet loneliness clung to her like a shadow.

Each day, the black dog returned.

“One night,” it said, “my master will come to marry you.”

Fear grew in Na’ila’s heart.

Chapter Five: The Truth of the Curse

One evening, Na’ila invited the dog to eat with her.

After much hesitation, it agreed.

And then, it spoke the truth.

“I am Prince Shiraz,” the dog said. “Cursed by the King of the Jinn. Every full moon, he marries a human girl. When she carries his child, he devours her.”

Na’ila felt the world spin.

“We must escape,” Shiraz said. “But only by stealing the chain, the lock, and the key.”