Dark tidings reached the distant sands of Yemen: Yazdegerd the Sinner had perished, and the throne of Iran had turned bitter. Driven by hatred for the late king's tyranny, the Iranian nobles and grandees swore a solemn oath never to permit any of Yazdegerd's lineage to wear the Kayanid crown. Deeming Bahram to be carved from the same stone as his sire, they bypassed the young prince and crowned an elder of the royal blood named Khosrow.
When news of this rebellion reached Bahram, grief tore through his heart. For two weeks, the city of Yemen echoed with the wailing of men, women, and children. But as the month of mourning closed, the warrior-king Munthir and his son Numan, accompanied by the chieftains of the Arabs, entered Bahram’s presence to offer counsel and solace, reminding him that mortal flesh must ultimately return to dust.
Yet Bahram knew his birthright. Turning to Munthir, he warned that if the royal glory were severed from the rightful line, the empire would fall to ruin and the sands of the desert would swallow the prosperity of the realm. Hearing the fire in the young prince's words, Munthir rose with martial pride, declaring that the time for action had arrived. He ordered Numan to muster ten thousand ferocious horsemen from the tribes of Shayban and Qays—a vanguard of lions ready for war.
With drums sounding and lances raised, the Arabian host surged forth toward the heart of Iran. From the salt deserts to the grand gates of Ctesiphon, the earth shook beneath their thunderous charge. As borderlands fell to chaos and pillage, word spread across the known world—to Rome, China, the Turks, India, and Makran—that the imperial throne stood vulnerable. Seeing Iran leaderless, envious rulers across every horizon prepared their armies to tear the realm asunder.