As time passed over the young King Shapur, the splendor of the world-illuminating crown shone ever brighter above him. During those years, Tayar the Ghassanid—a lion-hearted warlord whose sword struck fear into the heavens—assembled a vast, composite army of Romans, Arab tribes from Qadisiyyah and Bahrain, along with rebellious Kurds and Persians. Sweeping down upon Ctesiphon like a ravaging storm, Tayar put the entire region to plunder and uprooted all who held land or lineage.
Among the captive spoils was Princess Nushah, a maiden fair as the spring and a cherished descendant of King Narseh. Tayar's forces seized her from her royal palace and carried her away into captivity, plunging all of Ctesiphon into turmoil and grief. For a full year, Nushah remained in Tayar’s hands, her heart soaked in blood from sorrow, until she gave birth to a daughter as radiant as the moon. Beholding the regal majesty in the child's countenance, Tayar named her Malekeh, for she was worthy of a crown.
When Shapur reached twenty-six years of age, he stood as a sun-like Kayanid monarch of formidable resolve. Riding out to the plain, he inspected his army and selected twelve thousand elite champions. Providing each warrior with a swift dromedary while leading their warhorses by hand, and guided by a hundred trackers, Shapur bound his waist for war and gave chase to the Ghassanid king. Shapur launched a crushing assault upon the enemy host, cutting down countless invaders. Seeing his army shattered, Tayar fled in panic, leaving behind vast numbers of captives. The remnants of Tayar’s host locked themselves inside a stronghold in Yemen, where cries of terror echoed from the women and children inside. Shapur encircled the fortress of Yemen so tightly that not even an ant or mosquito could slip through. For a full month, night and day, the siege raged unabated, leaving Tayar's garrison desperate as their provisions and fodder dwindled to nothing.