The Kingdom of Turan decides to take advantage of Pars's moment of weakness to invade, forcing Arslan to abandon his plan to retake Ecbatana in order to secure the border at Peshawar.

The Turanians regroup and prepare to make another attempt to take Peshawar Fortress, this time, using more underhanded means. Meanwhile, Andragoras makes good his escape from Ecbatana and the Lusitanians.

As Hilmes continues to pursue the treasured sword Rukhnabad, he comes across someone from his past. In the meantime, in Peshawar, King Andragoras sets Arslan a task that is seemingly cruel and impossible.

Arslan and his party head for the port city of Gilan to the south and get a lay of the land as they begin their attempt to assemble an army of 50 thousand men as King Andragoras ordered.

Arslan continues his quest to raise an army of 50 thousand, as well as the capital required to fund such an army. His immediate obstacle is the suspiciously obsequious Viceroy of Gilan, Pelagius.

Back in Ecbatana, Guiscard is sorely regretting leaving Andragoras alive long enough to escape and is determined that he will not make the same mistake again.

With the arrival of Étoile and Merlane, Arslan learns of the situation in Ecbatana. And while he is still far short of amassing an army of 50 thousand, he must decide whether to act upon this information or not.