Returning from the heights of Mount Spid, Bahram son of Goudarz rode directly into the main encampment of the Iranian host to present his report to Commander Tus. With words tempered by wisdom, Bahram proclaimed that the young warrior on the mountaintop was none other than Prince Farud, the royal offspring of the martyred Siyavash, bearing the unmistakable royal birthmarks of Kay Qobad and Kay Kavus. He urgently reminded the proud general of King Kai Khosrow’s strict decree: that the army must avoid any conflict with Farud. Yet Tus, consumed by blind arrogance and wrath, scoffed at the warning. Asserting his absolute authority over the grand host, the drums, and the war horns, Tus demanded unquestioning obedience. He spurned the young prince as a mere Turkic stripling no better than a black crow blocking the army's path. Ignobly accusing the noble House of Goudarz of deceit and cowardice, Tus charged Bahram with fleeing from a solitary horseman, refusing to let reason check his headlong rush toward tragedy.