The men were brothers who had once been members of an ethnic group that enjoyed waging war on other groups. Its warriors, who were very fierce, either killed or enslaved everyone they could catch. The brothers hated the warriors’ cruelty, so they left their community and went to live in the forest.

After the princes had finished their story they proposed marriage, promising to love and look after the princesses forever. That night, beside the river, the seven couples were wed. The next day the new wives took their husbands to their home.

Washing clothes in a stream. Dai villages are often located on the banks of waterways.

Everyone lived contentedly for a long time, husbands and wives sharing the task of making a good living. The husbands built a large house for the entire community, and every day the wives would gather vegetables and fruit in the forest or catch fish in the river. Everyone was well fed and neatly dressed. Later the couples were blessed with children, joyous events that made the lives of the adults even happier.

Their idyllic existence did not last. One day when the princes were out hunting, they encountered a large band of their former compatriots. The latter endeavored to persuade the seven brothers to return with them to the land of the warriors.

The brothers refused, and a fight broke out. The seven proved no match for their opponents, and with blood dripping from their wounds they had to flee the encounter. As they hastened down the forest paths, they had the wit to think of their families’ safety. To protect their loved ones, they drew their pursuers away from their homes.

Yet no matter how hard they tried, the brothers could not elude the warriors, and at last they were forced to make a stand. The valiant brothers did all they could to stave off their assailants, but in the end every one of them was mercilessly cut down.

When the men failed to return home, their wives and children went in search of them. Ten days later, they noticed a bloodstained path beneath their feet. They followed it, and at the end of the trail they saw the princes’ bodies.