When seventy and four years had passed over the life of King Khosrow Anushirvan, the shadow of mortality weighed upon the wise monarch's heart, turning his thoughts toward the ultimate fate of his realm. He sought a sovereign who would, above all else, don the mantle of pure justice, extend profound kindness unto the poor and destitute, and rule with a luminous, unblemished spirit. Six noble sons had been born unto the King—each magnanimous, clear-sighted, and radiant with royal majesty, well-versed in valour, moral virtue, chastity, and counsel. Yet among these prince-born gems, Hormozd, the eldest and wisest, stood peerless. He was an exalted prince of fair countenance and profound wisdom, who had poured out his deep affection upon all the free-born nobles of Iran.