When Arjasp finished penning his arrogant ultimatum, he sealed the letter and committed it to his two fierce champions, the vengeful Bidarafsh and the headstrong Namkhwast. He instructed them to travel to the Iranian court with dignity, bow low before the resplendent crown of Goshtasp, deliver the sovereign words, await his answer, and then kiss the threshold before taking their leave.
Bearing the royal standard, Bidarafsh and Namkhwast made their way toward the luminous city of Balkh. Upon arriving at the Iranian capital, they dismounted at the palace gates and walked humbly toward the throne room. There sat King Goshtasp upon his golden dais, his majesty shining like the Sun and Mercury arrayed beside the Moon. The envoys offered homage like loyal servants and handed over the scroll, written in the Yabghu script.
As the King of the World opened the letter and read its hostile demands, his heart flared with fury. He immediately summoned old Jamasp, the wise counselor and guide of the realm. He gathered the Iranian commanders, the high priests, and the mobads, ordering the sacred Avesta to be brought forth alongside the Prophet Zarathustra. At the right hand of the throne sat Prince Zarir, the Commander-in-Chief of Iran.
In those days, Zarir was the ultimate shield of the empire and the realm's premier world-champion, for young Prince Esfandiyar was still but a child. With his mighty spear, Zarir had cleansed the land of evil. Goshtasp turned to Zarir, the prudent Jamasp, and the assembled heroes, presenting the ugly terms of the Turanian king. 'Behold the vile words Arjasp has sent us,' Goshtasp declared. 'How do you counsel we act? Friendship with the foolish yields only bitter fruit. I spring from the pure lineage of Iraj, while he is of the sorcerous seed of Tur—how can there ever be true peace between our houses?'