Within the royal pavilion, the feast of Nimruz reached its height. Prince Esfandiyar ordered tables to be laden with grand repasts, and as Rostam partook of the feast, the Kianian warriors looked on in absolute astonishment at his legendary appetite, as whole roasted lambs were placed before him. Desiring to test the old hero's composure, Esfandiyar commanded that dark, unwatered wine be served in massive goblets. Yet Rostam drained each brimming chalice to the health of the King of Kings, his cheeks glowing like rubies while his sharp mind remained entirely unclouded. As the hour of departure drew near, a heavy shadow of sorrow fell upon Rostam's soul. He wrestled with a dreadful dilemma: to yield to Esfandiyar's chains would forever stain his heroic legacy with shame, yet to slay the young prince would bring down the eternal curse of regicide upon his house. Driven by compassion and ancient wisdom, Rostam made a final, impassioned plea. He laid bare the dark conspiracy of King Goshtasp, warning Esfandiyar that the monarch sent his own son into Zabulistan hoping Rostam would destroy him, thus securing Goshtasp's unyielding grasp upon the crown. Rostam invited the prince to enter his halls as an honored guest and pledged to fulfill any royal command save for the dishonor of fetters. However, Esfandiyar, blinded by youthful pride and absolute royal obedience, dismissed the hero's wise counsel as senile evasion and trickery, insisting upon single combat at dawn. Seeing peace shattered, Rostam met his resolve with fierce dignity, promising that tomorrow on the battlefield, the prince would feel the weight of Rakhsh's charge and the strike of his famed mace.