In the reign of the Mughal King Akbar, there lived a man called Dilay Dilzar in the land of Chach near Attock. He was tall and broad in shape, with a handsome and friendly face. His polite and respectful demeanor and his sense of honor and pride made him a popular figure among not only the people of his land but beyond them in nearby towns.
One such place was the town of Topai in Swabi. There lived a beloved Khan by the name of Hayat Khan and his only child, a girl called Shahai who was known for her beauty and . Some people compared her beauty with the moon, while others compared her to roses. Slender and tall, with the glow of the moon on her face and the sweetness of roses in her expression, she walked with grace and sang songs of love. She was a social person, always amongst a large group of girls who loved to roam around in the gardens together. 
One such day, she was sitting among her friends when one of them mentioned Dilay and began to tell stories of his bravery and his love for his friends. Other friends who had also heard about him added more stories to his worth. As they spoke of how handsome he was and how good, little did they know that hanging on each word, Shahai’s imagination was hard at work painting a picture of perfection and divinity in the name of Dilay.
She could not stop thinking about him all day and when she fell asleep that night, she dreamt of him. He was just like she had imagined him as they sat together immersed in conversation. Over the course of a dream, she fell deeply in love with him and woke up in a fever. She was pale and downcast, and her mind kept drifting away during the day. Her parents were terrified at her state and called doctors from all over the land and tried every herbal cure and incurred the healing powers of God and divinity. Yet Shahai’s health declined as her mind grew distracted and her body weakened.
An old woman heard about the dilemma of the beloved Khan and came to visit them. She was a wise woman and she felt that the problem was deeper in the heart of the girl, rather than with her body. She asked her father for a moment to talk to Shahai and within minutes of the conversation, drew the real reason out of her. Shahai confessed her love for Dilay, despite having never seen him. The old woman understood and went to her parents. She told them that their daughter’s illness was in fact just an infatuation.
At first, Hayat Khan was furious. He accused the old woman of being a liar and plotting to humiliate his family. His wife, however, believed the old woman. She told her husband that Shahai was old enough to be married by now, and maybe this was a sign from fate. They knew of Dilay and his popularity and respect. Besides, there was no doubt about their daughter’s innocence as Dilay lived in a town on the other side of the Indus and had not been to these areas.
Considering Shahai’s deteriorating health, her parents decided to send a proposal to Dilay Khan through the old woman. The next day, she set on the path across the river to Chach. When she reached Dilay’s house, he was hosting his friends in his hujra. He was told there was an old woman who had come to see him. He ordered them to take her to the woman of his house so they could offer her food and refreshment and he would go there later to see her. When the messenger told her that, her reply came that her business was urgent and he needed to talk to him directly. At that, Dilay immediately got up and went to her. She took him aside and told him of Hayat Khan and her conversation with Shahai. In the end, she revealed the real purpose of her visit by putting forward Shahai’s proposal for marriage. 
Dilay knew Hayat Khan as the Khan of Topai and he had heard of his daughter’s enchanting beauty. The proposal came as a pleasant surprise to him. Although such an arrangement was unheard of, he decided to discuss it with his family because he could not stop thinking of how a girl he had never met, who was known to be the most beautiful girl in the land, had chosen him for marriage.
He gathered the elders and the women of his family and told them about the old woman’s message.  He confessed his interest in the girl and that he wanted to meet her. His family decided that they would go to Hayat Khan’s house to meet with the family, and based on that, accept the proposal.
They sent the old woman back with word that they will be visiting soon. After a day or two, they packed up and travelled across the Indus to Sawabi. They were welcomed with great honor at the house of Hayat Khan and served with great hospitality. A grand lunch awaited them after they had settled down and relaxed. The friendship between the two families grew as the day wore on but when the cousins of Shahai found out that they were proposing marriage, they took offence at the fact that Hayat Khan was giving away his daughter outside of the family when many of her relatives were interested in her. They felt that Hayat Khan was rejecting his family in favor of a man they did not even know. They got up and left in objection with promise of coming back with a Jirga. 
Despite the disturbance, Hayat Khan reassured his guests that he would not let this come in the way of their new relationship. He gave Dilay his word and presently saw them off as well. 
Shahai had not been able to talk directly to Dilay during this event. When she heard of her cousin’s outbreak and objection to the marriage, she became distraught and sent a messenger to Dilay to tell him that he was the only man she would marry and she would let nothing come between them.
The message pleased Dilay immensely and he left for home with a heart bursting with love. Weddings preparations began as soon as they reached home and despite the anger of his relatives, Hayat Khan married his daughter to Dilay with grand celebrations. The wedding procession left from Topi all the way to Chach and a gleeful Shahai sat in full splendor. Dilay sat down next to her and presented her with a necklace as a present. Just as he was about to lift her veil, Shahai laughed and said, “I will not let you see my face until you bring me King Akbar’s daughter’s necklace as a wedding present.” Dilay’s paused. Suddenly, he got up and said, “Nothing can stop me from doing that. I will not see you until I get that necklace.”
With that, he set off towards the Emperor’s fort in Attock to find a way to retrieve the necklace. The fort is a huge mass of land guarded by the king’s army. Dilay reached the fort under the cover of darkness and began stealthily climb up towards the women’s rooms. He passed undetected and entered the fort through a window. Inside, he searched until he came upon a woman’s empty room. He opened drawers and cupboards until he found a beautiful necklace made of gold and rubies and pearls. He pocketed the necklace and left. On his way out of the fort, he saw guards coming so he jumped into the bordering bushes to cut his way out. Upon reaching for his dagger, he found that he had left it in the princess’s room. His dagger could be traced back to him. Besides, the sentimental value attached to the dagger was too great for him to leave it behind. He returned to the fort to retrieve it, but as fate would have it, he was caught on his way out. The guards imprisoned him and waited for the King’s arrival to pass judgment. 
Meanwhile, Shahai nervously waited for his return, wrecked by guilt at what she had said in a spur of the moment. When morning came, word spread of Dilay’s reckless venture and soon, a rumor about Dilay’s execution began to take rounds.
Shahai could not stay in the house amidst such talk. Taking advantage of the chaos of the situation, she left the house with nothing but the clothes on her back and went in search of the Attock Fort for Dilay. She reached the fort by evening and facing the giant walls under the darkening sky, began to worry about her next move. Soon, a clairvoyant (jogi) came along. She called out to him, “O Jogi, use your sight and tell me if I’ll be able to save my husband.” The jogi, upon looking at her, began to come closer, smiling and trying to make conversation. Growing fearful, Shahai said “leave me this instant or the army that is coming to free my husband will chop your head off!”
Unsure, the jogi walked away. Exhausted and afraid, Shahai sank to the ground hopelessly. 
A short time later, she saw a merchant walking by. He called after her to ask if she was alright. He was an old and kindly looking man, and at the sight of him, Shahai thought of her father. In her lonely and desperate state, the thought broke through what strength she had left and she burst into tears. In between sobs, she recounted the entire story of how a simple mindless joke of hers and put her husband in a life and death situation. The merchant felt sorry for the young girl and said, “don’t worry, child. The king is a kindhearted man. He is especially generous when it comes to me. Surely he will listen to what I say about your husband. It is dark now, you must rest. I will take you to my wife and daughters.”
So the old merchant took her to his house and fed her and gave her a room to wash up and stay the night in. Early the next morning, he dressed up and went straight to the Attock Fort. After relating Shahai’s story to the king, he was able to convince him to let Dilay go.
Dilay returned to Shahai at the merchant’s house and they spent a happy week together with the merchant’s family before leaving for home. And so the merchant saved the story and Dilay and Shahai and gave them a happily ever after.