Original subtitles

Behold your Mongols:

Caged like beasts.

They will kill us too.

They'll kill us all like dogs.

So, Messer Polo,

those are the invincible Mongols you told us about.

You have lied not only to us, but to His Holiness the Pope!

Quiet!

If anyone asks, we are all Italian merchants.

Kneel down.

Water… water…

For God's sake, moya!

Moya! Water!

You…

You are Matteo and Niccolò Polo from Venice?

We are merchants, Sir.

Yes, my name is Niccolò Polo.

This is my brother Matteo and my son Marco.

We travel with our servants and with these… friends.

I am Ali Ben Youssuf.

Sultan Baybars has entrusted me with the command of this region.

Forgive our surprise, Sir,

to hear you speak our language. - Why shouldn't I?

It's the first language I knew.

Until ten years ago, my name was Lorenzo lzzo.

I was born in Ragusa.

In Dalmatia?

We were born on the same sea.

I was a fisherman.

One day, we were attacked by Mussulmen pirates.

I was wounded and would've drowned if one of my men didn't help me.

We were captured, chained, taken to Tripoli…

and sold as slaves.

But then you are Christian? - No.

Mussulman.

I had a just and enlightened master,

who instructed me in the doctrine of the Prophet.

May Allah be blessed.

You have converted to avoid slavery.

I became a true believer.

I learned that the word of the Prophet

is the fulfillment of the doctrine of Moses and Jesus,

the great prophets who preceded him. He was the seal

of the prophets, the last one.

Is that why you didn't drink with us?

Because we are Christians? - Marco…

No.

I could not drink with you

because this is the month of Ramadan,

when we Mussulmen celebrate the revelation

of the holy book, the Qur'an.

From sunrise to sunset,

our lips can touch neither food nor water.

But how could you, who were a Christian

acquiesce to the horrors that we have seen outside?

Our Lord gave his life for man.

Following Mahomet, man…

destroys life in the name of the Lord.

Look!

Those children,

those women...

Their eyes have no more tears.

How many of those poor wretches have your crusaders

slaughtered in the name of Christ

to conquer the city of Jerusalem which is holy for all?

Not only to you Christians.

It is the oil of the lamp that burns on our Lord's tomb.

And you bring it to Kublai, the great Khan of the Mongols.

It is written in the letter with the seal of the Pope.

It is the sign of your superstition.

In our mosques, you will not find a single idol.

But you…

fill your churches with images which demean the image of God

and worship those images.

Just as you deem this oil divine,

as you have divided God, the indivisible, into three persons.

There is no God but Allah

and Mahomet is his prophet.

You are priests and you…

servants of the Mongol Kublai.

According to our law and the law of war, you deserve death.

In the name of God,

the God of our common father, Abraham,

even though we are so far away now, I beg you,

I beg you to have mercy.

Not for us...

Brother Guglielmo and I will welcome our martyrdom with joy.

But… these...

These innocent merchants

are not to blame for this conflict.

Give thanks to the Prophet.

The man who saved my life was Venetian.

I owe a debt to him, which I now pay.

With you.

I vowed to repay my life by saving others.

I have given orders to restore your horses and all your things.

You are free to return to Palestine.

We thank you wholeheartedly, Sir,

and don't want to offend your generosity with deception.

We too have taken an oath,

we must return to the Khan. - On the road to the East,

there is only death and desolation. You will never reach your Khan.

I always told him that.

But they don't want to listen. - No, Brother!

Remember our vow.

To go back is as dangerous as going on.

This morning,

in exchange for some of our warriors,

we released a group of Crusader prisoners.

If you ride quickly westward,

you can catch up with them and travel under their protection.

We are very grateful, Sir,

but as I said,

we cannot do it.

You know the letter.

You know we have given our word.

And I have given my word to set you free,

but do not abuse much my patience.

Go back to Acre,

to your Pope.

Tell him that an alliance with the Mongol Kublai would be madness.

Tell him…

that you have seen his invincible army, humiliated, defeated.

Tell him…

that if it is his purpose…

to achieve an ideal of coexistence and peace,

he too must accept that one father,

Abraham, unites us all:

Christians,

Jews,

Mussulmen.

Take your things.

I have one more request for you.

You spared our lives but my friend is dead.

I saw you crying by his side.

He was like a brother to me.

Grant that I may bury him and put the sign of faith on his grave.

What is it? - I found them! I found them!

Well done.

Christ, our Lord has protected us.

He shall lead us to Acre.

You have lied, Niccolò Polo.

We have all seen the truth.

With our own eyes.

The Mongols are defeated. - Now listen to me.

We saw nothing.

One lost battle is only a scratch on the body of the Mongolian empire.

For the Great Khan, the army of Ben Youssuf is no more than

a few grains of the desert sand.

What are you talking about?

Didn't you hear the renegade's words?

There is no hope of reaching the Khan.

The Pope made us swear to fulfill the mission.

How can you think of breaking your oath? - Don't speak of the mission, boy.

It is easy to read your heart.

It is your greed that drives you forward.

Brother Nicola and I will return to Acre to the Pope.

Cowards.

We are not cowards.

What do you know about us?

We have passed many trials without fear.

The Lord holds us responsible for your lives,

as well as our own.

And he would not forgive us if we threw them away heedlessly.

You must never think that we are cowards.

Why don't we go back to Acre together?

We'll try to join those crusaders.

We must warn Pope Gregorio that peace is possible,

not with the beaten Mongols but the followers of Mahomet.

Listen to them, Messer Polo.

What did you say, Jacopo?

They're not wrong, Sir.

If the way east is cut off, why not return to Acre and wait?

Until things have settled down and the road is free.

You don't know what you're talking about.

Me? No, not me. Them!

They're educated people.

Very intelligent.

And what's more, they are priests.

When you saw Teobaldo, he was just a crusader, now he's Pope.

Who is to say that one day one of these priests

will not wear the purple habit of a cardinal?

Shut your mouth, you fool!

We will go on and you will come with us.

Even if we have to drag you by the ears and tie you to the saddle.

Marco!

You will guard them until dawn.

And I hope the night will return you to your senses.

And take heart, because I too, don't want you to die…

for nothing!

You are falling asleep, Messer Marco.

I'll stand guard now, rest.

I was thinking…

about that renegade, Ben Youssuf.

A strange man.

He lived two lives, completely different…

and now he is a completely new person.

Maybe because he has faced death, Messer Marco.

When he was about to drown he saw it. - And then...

Why so much cruelty in his camp?

He is the one who commands. - War is a terrible thing.

A sea of blood and tears.

And there is no place for mercy.

That's what struck me.

Ben Youssuf had mercy on us.

Go to sleep now.

Sleep.

Master!

The priests have fled, Master!

The priests...

The priests are gone!

What? - They have fled, Master!

- Forgive me, Marco!

I was so tired... - Marco, I had given you an order.

You were not man enough to do it. You should have went with them!

It's my fault, Sir! Mine alone!

At least, we got rid of them.

They won't get to Acre. They'll cut their throats.

The Pope's letter! The oil! Where are they! - It's all here.

They didn't take anything.

I should never have trusted you or let you come! And I was right!

I don't know you and what I discover everyday, I don't like!

Master!

Master, look! The villages are on fire.

We can't go on. Let's go back.

Let's go back home.

Eh, yes, Niccolò.

Maybe Ben Youssuf was right.

The safest road is the road to Acre.

No.

Hold this.

There is only one thing to do: Turn south toward Persia…

and head for Hormuz.

Hormuz? - Yes, on the gulf.

Continue by sea? - Find another way then!

From Hormuz, we can sail towards India and China.

Yes, you may be right.

My God...

I've heard these wells talked about

by a merchant in Constantinople.

Wells with fire.

Impossible. A water that burns?

It must be so, since we're seeing it.

Why does it burn?

There are many things that we can't explain.

Many questions to which we can't find answers.

Yet there must be one... - Quiet!

They are devils! Fire devils! - No, they're afraid of us.

Let's hope so. Here.

Friends!

Do you understand me? We're friends! Friends!

We…

are your friends!

We need you. We won't do you any harm.

We are merchants on our way to Hormuz.

We need food and water.

We are tired

and want to eat. Eat!

Come.

Come! Come!

Not bad.

Really not bad at all.

Where did you find it?

Hills.

High up. - Let me see.

It would be difficult to sell. It has too many defects.

What are you asking for it? - I want trade.

Trade: knives,

cloth...

We have knives and leather but…

these are little more than stones.

Do you have any others?

No, hard to find more.

Merchant of Tabriz said, "Precious stones."

Very precious. - Tabriz?

That's a pearl market.

What does a pearl merchant know about stones?

We know the greatest merchants in the world, but believe me,

nobody would buy such stones.

Perhaps they could be used to decorate belts or drinking cups.

Well…

I'm willing to give you...

Look: 3 knives and a leather bag,

For all the stones. - It's your lucky day, friend!

My brother is generous today!

The food has put him in a good mood. - 4 knives.

And 1 bag. 4.

I'll give you 3. They are pure silver.

And do you see the workmanship?

I think I know what you are asking.

Once upon a time,

a long time ago,

From these wells, only the purest water flowed.

Then, one day,

3 wise men stopped here.

They just returned from

a long journey to a far country, where a king had just been born.

An infant king.

They had gone to pay him homage.

The child king was very pleased with their gifts:

gold, grains of frankincense,

and a good herb, called myrrh.

His mother, in return, gave them a gift: a casket.

She said to them, "Keep this with you.

Inside,

you will find something to remind you of the birth of the child king.

Something of small size,

but its substance has the immensity of faith."

A sandstorm…

drove the 3 wise men

to seek refuge here in Saveh.

One said,

"Let's open the box and let's see

what the child king has given us."

Inside,

they found only a stone.

A small black stone.

With disappointment, they threw it into one of the wells.

Soon after,

the water became thick and black like oil and began to burn,

and became fire.

That fire you see before you.

From that day,

these wells…

have never, never ceased…

to burn.

The three wise men…

no longer wanted to continue their journey.

They lived here,

in Saveh, until their last day.

They are buried…

just outside the village, under those hills.

And sometimes,

precious stones bloom…

from their graves.

Marco!

Come to sleep! We have to leave early!

What a strange smell! - Yes.

Like something rotten in the bowels of the earth.

But it gives light…

and heat.

Look, Marco: Hormuz!

HORMUZ (PERSIAN GULF) Autumn 1272

A funeral.

Step aside!

Marco!

No, it can't be this way. Let's try that way.

Let them pass.

Come! Come, gentlemen, this way.

Here you will find food and drink

and a safe bed for the night.

I welcome you in the name of Allah.

Welcome.

Welcome, gentlemen.

Welcome to my home.

What is happening in your city?

Zora! Zora!

Zora!

Zora, come here! We have guests!

You are in good health, right?

You look healthy.

You see, I care about the welfare

of all those who come under my roof.

Zora!

Zora! Come here!

The bags, Zora!

It was an accident.

The Arab ships, you see, are full of rats this big.

They let the cargoes rot in the holds.

The ships are to blame. They brought the infection to the city.

But it is limited to only 1 or 2 neighborhoods.

Have you seen the cauldrons? You've seen them, eh?

We are purifying the air

and every place contaminated is being secured immediately.

Is this infection the black plague?

They're not sure yet.

It looks like just a stomach ache with vomiting.

But don't worry. It's obviously not here.

The infection, I mean.

May Allah protect us.

No person who is not healthy may enter here.

In my hotel, I have only 2 guests at this time.

One just went out

and the other drank too much date wine and went to bed.

Avoid water, though. I mean the infected ones.

Fortunately, my well is one of few uncontaminated ones.

My water is as pure as if it came from a mountain spring.

Take as much as you want. Come.

I will show you your rooms.

We'll stay here awhile until we find a boat to bring us to India.

Then hurry up. Almost all ships have left by now.

And the others are full of rats. Let me explain:

From here all roads will lead you to the harbor.

Take the first one on the left, at the end turn right and then left.

Jacopo, you stay here.

Agostino, take care of the horses. - Yes, Sir.

Are you his daughter?

His wife?

He is the master. I am married,

but not to him.

My husband left with another woman.

He left me and two other wives.

I never saw him again.

I do this work to live.

I see.

I know what it means to wait for someone for a long time.

Did you say that your husband had two other wives?

The Qur'an, our holy book,

teaches us that to love one man is a woman's duty,

But a man is permitted to have many loves.

We can't talk here. The master is coming.

Marco, come with me.

Remember: first left, then right and left again.

Be careful for heaven's sake! Don't approach any house.

Infection can be everywhere.

Marco!

They are burning the ships.

The innkeeper was right. There had to be a plague on board.

Now it is clear:

we will certainly not go by sea.

Hey! Come quickly! Help me!

There! There!

Look! Look...

Who is this man?

A merchant. He had a room upstairs.

I wanted to help him but I didn't dare touch him.

He fell down the stairs and… - Where is Agostino?

He hasn't come yet.

Water, Zora!

Don't touch him!

Out! Everybody out! Hurry! Out!

They're nailing up the door!

Listen! Listen! - Open up!

We are trapped! We'll die like rats in here!

We'll die like rats in here! - Open up!

Is there any other way to get out?

No.

We must stay here and wait for death.

But we are alive, Zora!

We must fight this.

The city is already dead, or is dying.

We cannot give up.

We cannot die here.

I prayed for water to wash everything away,

dirt and infection, and the fire to burn everything.

Agostino!

Agostino…

Get the baggage! Hurry! Hurry!

Quickly!

Take this. Take it!

Zora will show us the way!

Come, Agostino! - Hurry!

Go!

Over here! This way!

Let's go!

If you go straight, you'll arrive at the oasis where the caravans stop.

But we need horses. - You'll find them there,

but don't cross the plain alone.

Why? - Because of the Qara'unas.

Who are they?

Desert raiders.

They come with the fog and jump out like devils.

No one can save themselves.

Better to face them than the plague.

Zora,

come with us.

No.

Those children you saw with that woman are my own.

They need me.

Maybe just the fact that they exist

has kept me from death.

Because, you see, I can't leave them.

I must stay here and fight for them.

I must defend them.

May Allah be with you.

Agostino?

What's the matter?

I feel a burning inside.

I am full of pains.

Father! Let's stop to rest!

No, we must continue!

We must arrive safely before sunset!

There's a caravan! Let's go with them.

The Qara'unas!

Let's go! Go! Go!

Hold on, Agostino!

Agostino! - Hold on, Agostino!

We are safe, Agostino!

Open the door! Let us in!

We are friends!

Niccolò…

Open the door!

We come in friendship.

We are ambassadors of the great Khan Kublai!

Don't touch him! A blanket.

Why did she do that?

It is a magic.

She asked the good spirits to help us.

You can't go on anymore, eh?

Wait.

Niccolò!

Why did you stop? - To let him rest.

Yes, but better higher up.

Everything around here is dry.

But soon we should find a well.

Further on.

You won't believe it,

but the heaven of the Old Man of the Mountain was right here.

A wonderful garden with meadows, flowers,

and trees laden with fruit both sweet and ripe.

And water.

Lots and lots of water.

And in the midst of all this was the Old Man's castle.

The Old Man? And who was he?

Alauddin, leader of the assassins.

Assassins? - Assassins means slaves of hashish.

The Old Man ensured the obedience of his young warriors

by admitting them into his paradise.

The houris were marvelous.

As beautiful as those in Mahomet's paradise.

Warriors were offered a drug, hashish,

which stunned and inflamed them.

After a short time, they became slaves to the drug

and that garden of delights.

But the price they paid was high.

When it was time, he sent them on a deadly mission

to kill those who rejected his sovereignty.

And the young warriors obeyed him,

anxious to return to that paradise on the mountain,

into the arms of the houris, in the intoxication of the hashish.

Taking the name "assassins", they were feared from Cairo to Khorasan,

until Hulagu Khan,

brother of the great Kublai, destroyed the Old Man's power.

And what remains is only a pile of burned stones.

Come on now, we must get moving.

Niccolò! - What is it?

He has a very high fever. Jacopo, bring some water.

Water? - Yes, water!

It's empty.

Empty! - What do you mean "empty"?

Did you drink that water?

No… no, Sir, it wasn't me.

The wineskin is cracked.

The water leaked out. No, I didn't drink it.

But how?

Filthy worm!

No! No, please, Sir!

You cut it! - No, it wasn't me!

With your knife! - No!

Carrion dog!

Coward! Dog!

Imposter! - No!

You cut it! - Please...

Come on…

Be strong. - I feel...

So weak...

I'm sorry.

I don't want to make you stop. - Don't worry about it.

In a while, we'll come to the dry tree and find plenty of water.

Water for you! For everyone!

My father was right.

I should not have come.

I thought I could do it. - Quiet.

Don't waste your strength.

Let us pray to God that the well isn't dry.

I am afraid for him, Niccolò. - There must be water.

A well filled to the brim with water.

If it's not the plague, he'll be saved.

No, it's not the plague.

It can't be.

He is just exhausted from fatigue.

May God protect us all.

There's the tree!

We're here! - We've made it!

The water, Marco!

The well is over there! Water!

Water! - Water!

Father...

Father...

No, it is still unclear.

GENOA PRISON Winter 1298

GENOA PRISON Winter 1298 You said that Marco, his father and uncle…

were in a vast flat desert…

and in the middle of it was...

what Marco called,

"the dry tree".

Alexander the Great stopped there.

And now tell me about that… Bandash…

Badakshan. - Badakshan, that earthly paradise.

With hills, meadows, water...

No.

For once there seems to be a gap in Marco's memory.

Unless this is another invention of your imaginative pen.

Badakshan.

Marco's father decided to take him up there.

He was convinced that the air could bring the dead to life.

Look at this:

They were here…

under the dry tree.

From this point, after a journey of at least 10 days,

you can reach the mountains.

Marco said that the joy of finding his father again

seemed to shorten time, making all more bearable, easier.

Following the great Oxus River, in northern Afghanistan,

they arrived at the plateau called...

Badakshan.

It seemed like paradise to Marco.

His father was right:

The air was so pure there that their fires gave little heat.

The flames were not red but pale blue, like the air itself.

The water took hours to boil. - Messer Rustichello, wait.

A guard had told me to call him

because he wanted to come to hear all these stories.

He promised to bring us wine, fresh bread and maybe even fish!

These stories are best kept only for our ears and no others.

Were my captain here, how many could he tell!

I've reason to think that your Captain Polo

is reflecting now that it is advisable to forget them.

And now…

continue.

How long did the Venetians stop in Badakshan?

Just enough for Marco to regain his strength

and his father to teach him some Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese.

Just enough to be able to say,

"Good morning. I'm hungry.

I would like a glass of wine."

One should learn to say it in all languages, even in Genoese!

Ah, there they are! Come in!

How is the fairy tale factory going? - We have arrived in paradise.

There the fire is as blue as the air.

It is where Adam and Eve lived. - I didn't write that, Giovanni.

Marco called it "paradise", didn't he?

This man drives me mad. Can't you find him another cell?

Wait!

Leave those things.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Badak...? - Badakshan.

Badakshan.

BADAKSHAN (AFGHANISTAN) Spring 1273

Marco!

Marco, come on down!

The Tibetan guides say we must leave before the snow comes!

We must leave now!

We must cross that bridge.

Come on, Marco!

Jacopo! Stay close to Marco!

Come on, you can do it!

That's it! One hand after the other!

One hand at a time, like this!

Don't look down! - Jacopo, don't stop!

Jacopo! You mustn't stop!

No, no! - Make him move, Marco!

Look at me. Don't look down.

Give me your hand.

Give me your hand. Hold on to me.

Come on!

Come on.

Move it!

Come on...

Come on!

Hurry up! Come on.

Don't make him stop.

Make him walk slowly, like this.

Come on. Let's go...

Did you know that Alexander the Great crossed this pass

when he led his army over these mountains?

Yes, on Bucephalus!

His warhorse.

They say that all the horses here…

are descended from him. - Let's hope so!

You know I paid too dear for these ones.

And they're already spent.

Come on! Jacopo!

Move it!

The guides say…

that we must leave our horses.

They'll never make it.

With all the money they wanted, those bastards!

They said… that even they won't go any further.

They promised to guide us to the merchants' trail!

They say the trail starts here. And they won't go any further.

Pay them more! - No, Niccolò!

It is useless. They won't go any further.

They are afraid of the evil spirits of the mountain.

It's no use insisting.

God help us.

Marco!

Marco, get away! Get away!

Marco!

END OF EPISODE 3