A long time ago there lived an ugly, old but powerful king named Barom-Mai in Calinan near Davao City. He married the young and beautiful Madayaw-Bayho, a daughter of Tageb, king of the sea pirates who ruled the islands of Ligid, Talicud and Samal. But Madayaw-Bayho did not love the king: so she often ran away from his kingdom. But her father always returned her to the king. One day, she ran away, and vowed never to return to the king. Because of this King Barom-Mai told his advisers, headed by Matigam, to find a way to make his wife love him.
When the king met the hermit, the hermit said to him to get three things: the egg of the black tabon, twelve ladies of white carabao's milk, and the nectar from the flower of the tree-of-make believe, because the egg would soften the heart of the princess, the milk would make her kind and the nectar would make her see the king as young and handsome.
Pawikan, king of the sea turtles, helped him secure the tabon's egg. The king also easily got the milk. He procured the flower with the help of Hangin-Bai, a wood nymph. He gave the three things to the hermit who mixed the nectar, the milk and the egg together and told him to plant it. It grew into a durian tree!
He brought the fruit to his wife who ate it. After eating, she fell in love with the king who looked young and handsome. They returned to their kingdom and feasted. they forgot to invite the hermit who said angrily that the delicious fruit with offensive odor be covered with thorns. Since then the durian fruit is thorny but delicious.
