As Tous, raging like a moving mountain, charged up the heights of Mount Spand-Asya, the eloquent Tokhvar rushed to Prince Farud's side to sound the alarm. He warned the prince that the vengeful commander of Iran was approaching—a warrior as formidable as a seasoned sea-monster against whom no single youth could stand. Tokhvar urged Farud to bar the fortress gates tight and await the unfolding of fate, reminding him that having slain Tous’s son Zarasp and son-in-law Rivniz, all thoughts of feast and peace were now shattered.
Young Farud flared with hot anger at Tokhvar’s words, declaring that when battle arises, a warrior’s heart must be steeled with courage rather than dampened with fear. To him, whether it were Tous, a ferocious lion, a mad elephant, or a sea-monster, a warrior must receive bravery from his counselor, not cold mud thrown upon a raging flame.
Tokhvar spake again with deference, reminding the prince that mighty kings never despise counsel. Even if Farud were forged of iron and capable of uprooting granite mountains, he remained but a solitary rider against thirty thousand renowned Iranian warriors ready to sweep the mountain bare. Furthermore, Tokhvar revealed the fateful political truth: should harm befall Tous, Shah Kay Khosrow would be plunged into deep grief, causing an irreparable rift in the holy campaign of vengeance for Siyavash. He implored the prince to turn his reins, sheath his bow, and withdraw into the fortress. Yet, tragic miscommunication and bad counsel had already set the wheels of fate in motion.