The Tus militia has been defeated by the nomads.
With our forces wiped out,
it will be difficult to prevent them from entering the city.
When they arrive, there will be pillaging.
Let's hide all of our food and valuables before then.
Not much will fit down here.
I will lead my sons to the mountains to take shelter.
Yes, that is a good idea.
You and Sitara should hide in the cellar, Fatima.
We will come for you in three days.
Sitara, I leave Fatima in your hands.
Right. I will keep her safe.
Until then, Mistress and Sitara.
See you soon.
This takes me back to my childhood. We fled our city countless times.
You should at least show a little bit of concern.
Here, Mistress. Have some dates.
Thank you, Sitara.
Being down here, it almost feels like time has stood still.
The outside light that can be seen through here has come and gone three times.
Uncle and the others will come for us soon.
And even if they take a little longer than expected,
thanks to their foresight, we have the supplies to see us through.
And your precious books are safe, too.
That's true.
Thank you, Sitara. Having you with me has kept my spirits up.
Oh, I haven't done anything.
Come to think of it, Mistress, do you think the nomads read Euclid?
I haven't the slightest idea.
But I mustn't lose a single one.
My husband spent his life collecting these volumes.
Yes, you're right.
So tell me, Sitara.
Do you care for Muhammad?
Um, yes. I hold him in the highest regard.
There can't be many in this world as intelligent as him.
He takes after his father.
He always bridled at the restrictions of conservative theology.
The more he goes down his own path in life,
the more resistance he will meet, I'm sure of it.
In such times, only one person will be able to offer him support and comfort.
Sitara, that person is you.
I want you to serve him at his side.
As a human being.
I will.
It's my brother and the girls.
We can finally come out.
Yes.
Ah.
Jaadugar
The Roses That Bloom in Safar
Thank you, Sitara.
Not at all.
Stand aside.
Sitara.
Don't offer any resistance.
Yes, Mistress.
Highness! I've found it!
This is it.
Hmm...
So this is Euclid's Elements.
No. Not that book.
You're certain?
Y-Yes, Highness!
Ha ha ha!
Then it was worth coming all this way.
What of the other books, sire?
I've no need of them. Do with them as you wish.
Sire.
"Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they be man or woman,
as punishment for what they have done!"
Sitara!
That book doesn't belong to you! Give it back!
What did she say?
Um...
She said you should return the stolen book, sire.
You malign me as a thief?
You are mistaken.
As the sun touches the whole world,
so everything on it belongs to my father, the great Genghis Khan!
"I am no thief."
"Everything on this Earth..."
"...belongs to my master's father, the great Genghis Khan."
This boy understands our language.
So says my master.
Girl.
You are quite the brave one, aren't you?
It is unseemly.
A delicate thing like you
should know but one thing.
And that is fear.
No.
M-Mistress?
Don't you...
dare touch...
...my daughter.
Mistress?
Mistress!
Sitara?
You're alive.
Are you hurt?
Ms. Anis.
I...
I didn't keep my promise...
to keep the mistress safe.
The mistress is...
I see.
We were captured on our way to the mountains.
After that, we were divided into groups.
Women, children, and skilled craftsmen.
The rest, the men and the elderly, were all taken away somewhere.
That was the last time we saw Uncle.
Not long after...
Mikhail!
No...
Ms. Zumurrud...
Get up!
We're leaving!
Please stop crying. Be a good baby.
Ms. Zumurrud.
Can you stand?
Have you got her?
I know that man.
He's the ironmonger who fixed that water bucket all those years ago.
We have to find Uncle and the others quickly.
Hasan! Hasan!
Chuu!
Their fear of these mysterious men
spurred Sitara and the others into the wasteland.
The month of Safar this year is still a little chilly,
so the water's cold.
But when the sun is out, I spy the rosebuds already swelling.
As we do our chores...
"In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
...we can hear Uncle's students practicing their recitation.
Isn't that adorable?
It reminds me of when I first came here.
They've returned!
Welcome home, Mistress.
How did it go at the bazaar?
Thanks to Zumurrud, I found lots of great bargains.
I'm always at your service, Mistress.
That's true.
You'll have to come with us next time, Sitara.
Okay.
Sitara.
I sent a letter off to Nishapur.
A reply might arrive by the time the roses are in bloom.
After the month of Safar comes the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, when the roses bloom.
Or rather, when they should have.
Zumurrud.
You must eat something to keep up your energy.
You need to eat, too, Sitara.
You eat it, Ms. Anis.
Thank you.
But this is your share.
Hey, do you remember?
When I said that slaves don't get to decide anything for themselves?
Yes.
If you look at it another way,
it also means slaves aren't responsible for anything.
For instance, if a slave commits a crime,
their punishment is only half that of a free man.
You might say we aren't considered capable of responsibility for our actions.
What happened to the mistress...
You mustn't decide for yourself whether you were responsible for it or not.
Then, who gets to decide it?
There's no one left who can.
Not the mistress. Nor Uncle. They're both...
That's true.
Actually, no.
There is still one person. In Nishapur.
Master Muhammad...
Master Muhammad is still alive.
That's right.
We still have one thing to believe in.
We...
We do!
After that, the prisoners continued eastward, day after day.
Tus
Taloqan
They threaded their way between mountains, crossed rivers, and then...
Just as the month of Safar was ending...
Get out!
...the caravan arrived at a group of tents pitched in a place called Taloqan.
There are people here who aren't soldiers.
Could this be their city?
Excuse me.
Where are you from?
From Tus.
I can't believe it. They've even sacked Tus?
Where are you from?
We were spared when we told them we were skilled craftsmen,
and we were brought here.
We're from Nishapur.
Learning of the approach of the nomads, we fortified our defenses.
And when they finally appeared, an arrow fired from the ramparts
struck their commander true.
And for that single arrow, Nishapur was burned to the ground in retaliation.
Mav Baliq, the Bad Town, spilled the blood of my blood.
Kill every living thing your eyes fall upon. Spare nothing. Not a single dog or bird.
We craftsmen are the only survivors.
Everyone else, even the women and children, were...
Master Muhammad was in Nishapur.
This can't be...
Zumurrud!
Ms. Zumurrud!
Mikhail.
Zumurrud.
The setting sun.
Ah, it's so bright, isn't it, Mikhail?
It's so beautiful.
Ms. Zumurrud!
Don't.
Don't leave us.
I beg you.
Ms. Zumurrud came from a foreign land where she could see the sea.
She served the mistress longer than any of us.
Did she actually want to return to her homeland that whole time?
Did she miss her family that whole time?
Let us at least give her a proper burial,
so she can be reunited with her little brother.
"Indeed, we belong to Allah...
and indeed, to Him we shall return."
"...and indeed, to Him we shall return."
Now there is nothing that sparks joy.
Poor thing.
What happened?
Excuse me.
She lunged at a soldier who was walking by.
He struck her down on the spot.
How dreadful.
Why is everyone...
Peace be upon her soul.
She decided it for herself.
Rather than becoming a slave to the nomads,
Ms. Anis wanted to die a slave to her Tus family.
I know.
If I keep walking straight ahead, maybe someone will shoot an arrow into me.
Wait!
It's the boy who...
Ow. It's...
It's not... I-It's not like that!
Hey! Listen!
Don't you want to get that book back?
Huh?
An Undying Flame
Next time: "An Undying Flame."