Original subtitles

You're the one who will be teaching me this book, yes?

Jaadugar

Incredible.

Tolui really found a copy of Elements, just for me.

Otchigin

What's your name?

Fatima is me.

I help you in studies, Highness.

I look forward to it.

But...

What does Highness want with book?

It holds not much value.

What?

"A point is that which has no part."

"A line is breadthless length."

All it does is state obvious.

Not terribly useful.

Is that so?

I can't say for sure why she wanted the book to begin with,

but that prince, Tolui, didn't seem to understand its value.

She might part ways with the book if she loses interest.

Stating the obvious.

Yes, that's true.

For your people, at least.

What?

But for us, this book marks the beginning.

Of our journey to acquire western knowledge not found on the steppe.

Huh?

Tolui, my husband, is the Otchigin.

He is the keeper of the hearth, tasked with watching over its fire.

Even after his older brothers set off and received their own pastures,

the youngest son remained in the household

to protect the family fortune and eventually inherit it.

As the Otchigin, Tolui will one day become emperor.

But well...

He's not exactly the brightest at times, is he?

And it's not just Tolui. The same can be said for many of our people.

They know only of life here on the steppe.

Vast as it may be, the world is vaster still.

I wish to learn more.

About the many lands within reach of Mongol hooves.

Your people have predicted the movement of the stars since antiquity, yes?

How curious it is that you can figure out the size of the Earth.

This person traveled to the ends of the Earth?

Of course not. He used geometry.

What makes "obvious things" obvious?

It is by amassing examples one by one that we prove universal principles.

Gaining knowledge to pass down to future generations.

That is my role as the one who will one day be empress.

Oh, why is it that she...

Why does she infuriate me so?

You don't know anything about how that book came into your possession?

You can't imagine the misery we must endure

when thanking those who robbed us of everything for the charity you now offer?

You mean to say you know nothing of how I'm feeling as I sit here?

What's wrong? Do you feel unwell?

No. I admire your mind.

A pleasure to serve Highness. I shall do utmost.

I'm fortunate to have your help. Thank you in advance.

I know you must be tired. You may leave for now.

I excuse myself.

Your wisdom is something we need greatly.

I'm ashamed that I wavered back then, if only for a moment.

I must...

I alone must not forget this anger.

I will never yield...

to that woman!

Welcome back, Fatima.

I can't thank you enough for venturing out in this sandstorm.

Think nothing of it.

Here in Mongolia, spring arrives once the sandstorms have passed.

How I miss the Persian spring.

My mother hasn't adjusted well to life here.

Fatima.

Princess Sorghaghtani asks you to come to her tent.

She'd like you to start teaching her Elements.

Certainly.

Fatima! What happened to your face?

There are too many animals in Mongolia.

They're nothing but a nuisance.

Perhaps.

But they can be quite charming once you get to know them.

Can they now?

Here, just a moment.

It's already our second winter here.

Your health has improved as of late, Mother.

I've finally gotten used to life here in Mongolia.

This cold weather's the one thing I can't get used to.

Tchou, tchou!

Summer, A.D. 1224

Three years after Sitara became Sorghaghtani's tutor...

The Mongol army defeated the shah of the Khwarazm,

a major power in Central Asia,

and returned in triumph to their home camp on the steppe.

To welcome the Mongol army, Sorghaghtani and her court

Tus

traveled southwest of the Altai Mountains to the basin of the Emil River,

where they held a feast and a hunt to celebrate their victory.

Father!

Hulegu! Kublai!

I killed a deer.

And I killed a hare.

You two truly take after your father.

Father!

It was my first time on a hunt.

Well? Aren't I amazing?

Yes, that's amazing,

Prince Hulegu. Prince Kublai.

Please get ready, for the Great Khan will be here soon.

Fatima! Look at that!

My, what a splendid deer.

And taking down a nimble hare is no small feat either, Prince Kublai.

All my practice with the bow has paid off.

Who's the girl?

She's the tutor for reading Elements you found for me.

Oh, the scholar's daughter?

How is she? Does she perform her duties well?

She is quite diligent in her work. Not to mention, clever and thoughtful.

I can only tell how young she is when she smiles so fetchingly.

You've brought me not just Elements, but also a capable tutor.

Why, of course.

Don't I look dashing?

A force to be reckoned with.

It's tradition after a child's first hunt to rub the animal's fat on his fingers.

The Great Khan himself will do the honors.

The Great Khan has arrived.

Brother Kublai, let's go.

Yeah!

The emperor of the Mongols, Genghis Khan.

It was he who built this vast empire.

In three years' time, the fates written in the stars of those present here...

would be set into grand motion by the fall of that glorious star, Genghis Khan.

Summer, A.D. 1227

Rest assured, Great Khan.

The future of the Mongols shall be as you willed it.

Dad.

The fourth prince, Tolui, as the youngest brother and Otchigin,

in accordance with the Mongol custom of ultimogeniture,

inherited the majority of his father Genghis Khan's vast legacy.

In addition to land and fortune,

Tolui's family came to control almost all of the Mongol military.

It's Prince Tolui!

Prince Tolui!

Prince Tolui!

Following Genghis Khan's death, the empire needed to choose a new ruler.

However, the tribal council known as a kurultai, where the imperial clan

and contending princes gather to elect a new emperor

would not be called to convene for another two years.

During this interim period, Tolui led not just the military,

but all manner of state affairs while acting as regent.

Autumn, A.D. 1229

It doesn't look to be in the best of health.

Still, should be safe to eat.

Let's slaughter it.

That should do it.

Keep on butchering away now.

A massive feast like this is once in a lifetime.

Here you are.

Clean up these entrails for me.

In the name of Allah, and Allah is the greatest.

Fatima.

Are you uncomfortable with butchering by cutting into the abdomen?

Oh, I'm sorry. It's a habit of mine.

I hear Muslims only eat animals that have had their throats cut.

That's right.

You spill the blood all over the ground that way, though.

The worst part is draining the blood makes the meat lose its flavor.

What a waste. The blood is what gives it flavor.

Anyway, we do things differently here, so just try and put up with it.

Don't worry. I'm used to it already.

I've lived in Mongolia for eight years now.

I've even come to enjoy eating unbled meat.

Really?

People who prefer the taste of meat that's been bled

are like those who prefer sweets that aren't too sweet.

Exactly!

Okay, I'll leave you to those entrails.

Thanks, Fatima.

It's my pleasure.

There's a good reason behind butchering an animal by cutting its throat.

In the name of Allah, and Allah is the greatest.

It's the most painless method for the animal.

Meat that's been drained has a nicer color and doesn't spoil as easily.

Still, it's no wonder I've gotten used to dark meat that hasn't been bled.

Eight years.

I've now been here in Mongolia for as many years as I was in Tus.

And I've yet to accomplish anything in my time here.

That book...

It's been within my grasp all these years, yet I haven't been able to take it back.

One could hardly say I've reclaimed the book.

There's something hard in here.

Could this be...

Here, take this one as well.

Sure.

I still can't believe it's him.

Right?

Enough. Today's a day for celebration.

It's the day our new emperor takes the throne.

I hear the new emperor will call himself the "Kha'an" instead of "Khan."

Bringing back an ancient title even Genghis Khan didn't adopt?

The Mongols have risen to greatness.

We're about to enter an age where Mongolia is the center of the world.

The kurultai has entered its 41st day now.

They must really be at loggerheads.

What holds meaning here is the number 41.

The kam's prophecy said the 41st day would be auspicious.

That is, the prince will be nominated by the clan and take the throne...

today.

Onward, Great Kha'an.

Genghis Khan's Younger Brother Temüge

Second Prince Chagatai

To the throne.

Take our hands, so we may lead you.

Long live the new emperor!

Long live the new emperor!

Long live Ögedei Kha'an!

Huzzah!

Huzzah!

Huzzah! Huzzah!

Great Kha'an!

Allow me to heartily congratulate you on taking the throne.

Bravo, Brother Ögedei.

Thanks, Tolui.

Someday, there may be born among my progeny

those who if rolled up in grass would not be eaten by a cow,

and if rolled up in fat would not be eaten by a dog.

Faced with an elk emerging crosswise and a mouse emerging lengthwise,

they are sure to let both flee.

Now this is cause for celebration.

Dad's will is to be carried out, and I am free of governing duties.

You did well filling in for all this time.

Sorghaghtani.

My only regret is I could not make you empress.

Don't say that.

I mean, when Dad shared his will with us, the thought crossed my mind.

"Why? Shouldn't it have been me?"

But this is how he replied.

"When a many-headed snake tries to enter a burrow to outlast the cold,

the heads fight each other, and it dies without making it inside."

"Conversely, a serpent with one head will burrow inside and survive."

"Ögedei, use your brains to become the head for us all."

As the Otchigin, I thought he favored me the most.

But that's not what Dad was thinking.

The power he had given me was for more than just me.

It is our bond as brothers that will truly make the Mongols strong.

That is what my dad, Genghis Khan, wished for,

and it's my greatest wish as well.

Your brotherly bond...

It doesn't matter to me which of them becomes emperor,

but breaking tradition just to have him succeed you?

Is the prince named Ögedei so much more qualified?

Seems Shira backed the wrong horse.

In any case, the kurultai can now finally come to an end.

Is this stone really what I think it is?

I read about it in one of the mistress's books.

It's extremely valuable.

Fatima.

Princess Sorghaghtani?

Wh-What's the matter?

I have something important to discuss with you.

With me?

After today, I want you to be gone from my side.

What?

What? You're dismissing me?

Have I done something wrong?

That's not why.

Th-Then, what could it be?

Fatima. I want you...

to act as my spy.

Translation: John K. Timing: Andy Ellis Editing: SMR

Quality Control: Alicia Ashby Translation Check: Sriram Gurunathan

A Snake Shows Its Colors, Man Hides His Colors

Next time: "A Snake Shows Its Colors, Man Hides His Colors."