In Section 25 of the Khosrow Nameh, Farid al-Din Attar introduces a major external conflict to the romance: the King of Isfahan sends an envoy to the King of Khuzan to propose marriage to Gol. The proposal employs rich wordplay, contrasting Gol (the rose) and the famous sugar of Khuzestan (shakar-e Khuzi) with the roses and rosewater of Isfahan. This political proposal threatens the secret love between Gol and Hormoz, driving the plot forward by introducing the theme of forced separation and social/political pressures on personal devotion.