At the time the Moors were fighting against the Christians, an intelligent and courageous Moorish king reigned in Silves; Ibn-Arran was his name.

On a rainy night, he had an extraordinary dream. The dream that started out as a nightmare, with storms and vampires changed into a vision of singing angels. At the end he saw the face of a beautiful woman wearing a cross on a gold chain.

The following day, Ibn-Arran consulted the fairy Alisa who disclosed to him that she herself had sent him the dream and that his life was about to change.

She handed him two branches, one of myrtle and another one of bay leaf. As long as they were green, she said, he would have love and glory respectively.

She then tells him to go to the Monastery of Lorvao because there waited the one he had seen in his dream. Love had chosen her to be his companion. Her name was Branca, princess of Portugal.

Ibn-Arran - disguised as a hermit - entered the monastery and as soon as he saw her he fell in love. The Moorish king hurried back to Silves. gathered his warriors and abducted the princess.

Branca and Ibn-Arran loved each other very much, forgetting everything around them. The branch of myrtle remained green, until one day D. Afonso III, king of Portugal and the father of Branca, conquered the city of Silves.

Ibn-Arran died gloriously in battle. In his hands they found a withered branch of myrtle and a green branch of bay leaf.