Part 3

The commander left in haste, and the king turned back toward the palace with Rostam and the army. He arranged a gathering with the mighty Rostam, along with nobles, priests, and wise royal counselors. He spoke at length about Afrasiab, about his own suffering and his father's pain. About the wrongs done to his devout mother: what that cruel and treacherous man had done to us. He handed me over to lowly shepherds; no one knew my name or my lineage. This time I have sent Tus and the army; from now on you and I will take the road ourselves. We will make the world close in on the evil-minded, and crush our enemies' heads beneath the stone. The mighty Rostam told him: do not grieve; the whole of time will turn to your wish. Meanwhile the army marched on, camp by camp, until a fork in the road appeared before them. On one side lay a desert with no water, no moisture; on the other, Kalat and the road through Charm. They halted the elephants and the war drums there, waiting for the commander Tus to arrive. So that whichever of the two roads he chose, the army might march that way by his command. When Tus came gently to his chiefs, he spoke of that hot and waterless road. He said to Godarz: even if the wind carried perfume across this parched desert, sweet as amber and musk, if we push hard for a whole long day, we will still need water and rest. It is better that we head toward Kalat and Charm, and make our camp at the village of Mim. Left and right there is fertile land and flowing water; why seek the desert and torment our souls? One day I traveled this road myself, with Gazhdaham as guide before the army. We found no long hardship on this route, though there was some rise and fall in the ground. Godarz said to him: the noble king made you the leader at the head of the army. Lead the troops along the road he named; no harm must come to anyone. The king's heart must not be grieved, for harm to him means harm to the whole army. Tus said to him: O famous warrior, do not hold such a thought in your heart. The king's heart will not be darkened by this; it is best you not make grief your soul's companion. It is better we take the army this way, and not count out the desert and its leagues. They all agreed to what he said, and no one argued against it any further. So they drove the elephants and the war drums along that road, by the command and judgment of the commander Tus.