Once a powerful ruler known as the Red Emperor reigned with great authority. One day, tragedy struck: fearsome dragons stole the Sun and the Moon from the sky, plunging the world into darkness. Terrified, the emperor vowed a reward: whoever restored the heavenly lights would earn his daughter’s hand and half his kingdom and anyone who hesitated would be beheaded.
A young brave man named Greuceanu decides to take his chance at defeating the dragons and restoring the sun and moon to their proper place in the sky. On his way to the castle, he meets two deserters who are to be beheaded on the king's orders, but Greuceanu thinks he can dissuade the king of his decision, as he was one that was very sweet with words. Appearing before the emperor, Greuceanu told him many stories, with strong and sweet words and with so much craft put into his speech, that even the emperor thought it would be unjust to kill those people; that it would be more useful for him to have two more subjects, and that his position in the world would be greater if he showed mercy to the people.
Greuceanu then made his way to the forge of Faurul-pământului, the legendary master smith and his secret half-brother. Locked away for three days, they crafted a life-size iron double of Greuceanu, capable of withstanding fire. At a crossroads, the brothers exchanged tokens, handkerchiefs, and embedded a knife in the ground: when its rusted blade emerged first, the surviving brother would know the other had perished.
"When the scarfs are torn at the edges, let them hope for each other that they will meet again; and when the basmalas will be torn in the middle, let it be known that one of them is lost". He also stuck a knife in the ground and said: "The one of us who would return first and find the rusty knife should not wait for the other one, because this means that he has died."
They parted paths, Greuceanu to the right, his brother to the left.