King Bahram Gur, accoutered with a trained hunting leopard and a swift hawk upon his wrist, rode forth across the open plains in quest of game. His journey brought him to a dense, verdant thicket of enchanting trees—a place resembling paradise itself, yet void of human presence or grazing cattle. Recognizing it as a sanctuary for ferocious lions and a testing ground for brave men, the monarch strung his bow. Instantly, a monstrous male lion burst from the foliage with a deafening roar. Bahram drew his bowstring to his ear and loosed a shaft that pinned the beast's flank directly through its heart. Enraged and grieving for her mate, the lioness launched herself forward with bared claws, but Bahram met her charge with a single thunderous stroke of his sword, bisecting the beast mid-air.
From the shadow of the trees stepped forth Mihr-Bandad, a pious old Dehqan whose herds had long been ruined by the pair of lions. Overjoyed at his deliverance, he bowed before the Iranian monarch and offered praises to God for sending such a champion. The elder invited Bahram to rest, bringing forth wine, honey, milk, and musicians, while sacrificing fat sheep for a noble feast. Softened by wine, Mihr-Bandad remarked that the hunter bore an uncanny resemblance to the King of Iran himself, fit for a golden throne. Smiling, Bahram answered that the Divine Sculptor fashions faces as He pleases, adding that if he indeed resembled the king so well, he hereby granted full ownership of the entire thicket and land to Mihr-Bandad. With his mission complete, the king mounted his charger and returned merrily to his palace, passing the dark night in his garden dreaming of his beloved friends.