Late at night, when the valiant Prince Esfandiyar returned to his chambers heavy with wine and dark in spirit from the royal banquet, his mother Katayoun, the daughter of Caesar, embraced him tenderly. As the shadows of night receded and the prince awoke, he called for a goblet of wine and laid bare the bitterness in his heart. He recounted how King Goshtasp had reneged on his royal pledge—a promise that once Esfandiyar avenged King Lohrasp upon Arjasp, rescued his sisters from captivity, and cleansed the realm of evil, the Kianian crown and throne would be surrendered to him. Esfandiyar swore by the Almighty that when dawn broke, he would demand the fulfillment of this vow, threatening to seize the crown by force of his own mighty arm should his father hesitate.
Katayoun, struck with sorrow and foreboding, cautioned her son against excessive ambition. She reminded him that he already held command of the armies, the royal treasuries, and the glory of the realm, urging him that a son's duty was to stand obedient before his father. Yet Esfandiyar dismissed her maternal counsel with harsh words. He then spent two days in feast and revelry. On the third day, King Goshtasp, sensing his son's burning desire for the throne, felt deep anxiety stirring within his heart. He summoned the wise astrologer Jamasp and the learned mobeds to consult the ancient celestial charts and discern Esfandiyar's destiny—whether he would enjoy a long life and ascend the throne, or if fate held a darker doom.
Upon examining the archaic charts, Jamasp's brow furrowed with grief and tears welled in his eyes. He lamented his own birth, weeping that he had lived to see such alignment of the stars. The charts revealed a tragic omen: despite all his mighty deeds—cleansing the world of evil and slaying the ferocious dragon—the invincible Esfandiyar was not destined to rule long upon the Kianian throne, for a terrible fate awaited him in distant lands.