It was the ancient custom of Caesar of Rum that when a daughter of his blood reached marriageable age, a grand assembly of the realm's nobles, sages, and counselors would be convened within the royal palace so the princess could choose a husband from among the gathered elite. In those days, Caesar was blessed with three daughters, peerless in grace, stature, and dignity, the eldest of whom was named Katayoun—wise, joyful, and pure-hearted.
One night, Katayoun beheld a radiant vision in her sleep: the entire realm lit up as though bathed in sunlight, and a vast crowd of men gathered like the constellation of the Pleiades. At the center of this multitude stood a stranger—a wise, mournful wanderer of majestic carriage, tall as a cypress, handsome as the moon, and bearing the unmistakable air of royalty. In her dream, Katayoun handed him a bouquet of sweet blossoms and received a garland of rich hues and fragrances in return.
At dawn, Caesar summoned the grandees and warriors of Rum to a magnificent banquet. Katayoun entered the great hall accompanied by sixty handmaidens carrying bouquets. She paced through the rows of noblemen, yet not a single lord among them quickened her heart. Disappointed and weary, she withdrew to her private chambers.
Night fell, and when the lamp of day rose above the mountains once more, Caesar commanded that all men—from the humblest commoners to the highest chieftains—gather at the palace so a match might be found. The wise host with whom the incognito Iranian prince Goshtasp was sheltering said to him, "Why remain hidden in shadow and sorrow? Go forth to the palace hall; perhaps beholding the splendor of the assembly will ease your burdened heart." Goshtasp agreed and walked to the palace, but tucked himself away in a secluded, dim corner, weary and filled with hidden grief.
Katayoun re-entered the hall with her maidens and scanned the crowd. Suddenly, her eyes caught Goshtasp standing afar in the shadows. "Behold!" she cried, "The dream of my heart has emerged from secrecy!" Without hesitation, she approached the stranger and placed her rich floral crown upon his head, declaring him her chosen husband.
When Caesar's court master witnessed this, he hurried to the king, reporting that the princess had chosen a man tall as a meadow cypress, with shoulders like a hero and a face like a garden—one who radiated divine glory, though his origin remained unknown. Caesar flew into a murderous rage, cursing the fate of fathering a daughter who brought shame upon his royal line, and threatened to execute both Katayoun and the unknown stranger on the spot.
Before blood could be spilled, the wise Bishop (Soghof) stepped forward and restrained the monarch, admonishing him: "Turn not your face from the path of God nor break the laws of your ancestors! You commanded your daughter to seek a partner, setting no restriction that he be a noble of Rum. She has chosen the one ordained by Heaven. To violate this ancient custom would bring ill fortune and ruin upon our prosperous realm."