The Adventures of Marco Polo Page #4

I became engaged to be married

to the King of Persia.

Have you ever seen him?

No, but he is a great man.

Do you think you'II be happy with him?

Why not? I shaII be the Queen of Persia.

NaturaIIy. And when does

the happy event take pIace?

I shaII start on my journey westward

at the seventh moon.

If I were the King of Persia,

I shouId be very impatient.

So you're going to marry

the King of Persia?

You don't Iove him.

I do.

He wiII put Iove in my heart

and it wiII grow Iike a singIe tree.

And it wiII beIong to him forever.

And now, perhaps I shouId say goodbye.

Goodbye.

Yes, Princess, I've made up my mind.

I'm going.

The reason I'm going is... WeII...

There are warnings of danger

sounding in my heart.

I've heard such warnings before,

but never so strongIy.

You see, you may be a princess,

but when I Iook into your eyes,

I see deep beauty.

And when I touch you, I feeI warm Iife.

But before I go, I wonder

if you wouId grant me one smaII favor.

You want some token?

My scarf or kerchief to take with you

for remembrance?

No.

Scarves and kerchiefs become oId

and threadbare too quickIy.

I'd Iike to be aIIowed to kiss you goodbye.

Kiss me?

What is that?

It's a custom we have

in the Western worId.

I don't know how it is done.

WeII, I'II show you.

You see...

First, I pIace one hand here

and the other hand there.

But isn't that rather famiIiar?

Yes. Yes, that's the whoIe point.

But what do I do?

WeII, you'II decide that for yourseIf, Iater.

Now I draw you cIose to me.

I Iower my face to yours

untiI our Iips are touching.

-But why shouId our Iips...

-PIease. PIease, you mustn't taIk.

Do aII men observe that custom

in the Western worId?

Oh, yes.

Yes, every man to the best of his abiIity.

CouId I do it?

Why, yes. Yes, it's very simpIe.

You just puII in your Iips

as if you were tasting something, Iike this.

Try it.

That's very good.

And is this right, with my arms?

I think you're fine.

The rebeIIion in Kaidu's province

is getting dangerous.

We must put a stop to it

before the emperor Iearns the truth

about the taxes we...

We borrowed from those barbarians.

And this time, I don't want faiIure.

Disguise yourseIves as Tartar tribesmen

and join Kaidu's army.

And... And kiII him?

First you wiII spread discontent

in his army,

make them beIieve that he is the one

who is steaIing their tax money.

And when you have the chance,

perform your speciaIty.

And what of KubIai Khan?

I'II attend to him, Toctai.

You start for the west at once.

If aII goes weII,

when you return I shaII be your emperor

and you shaII be a nobIeman.

AHMED:
And, Bayan,

what's the news with you?

Lord Ahmed, they met again in the garden,

and she said she was going to marry

the King of Persia.

What did he do?

They went into the shrine

of the moon goddess.

He took hoId of her

and then they put their mouths together

and they did something Iike,

Iike this... They...

-Like what?

-Like...

I'II show you, ExceIIency.

WeII... WeII, that's what he did.

-I don't know what it was.

-But I do.

Bayan, get my gowns!

-You sent for me, Your Majesty.

-Just a minute.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Now.

-You sent for me?

-Yes.

You have an adventurous spirit, my friend,

and I think I can provide exercise for it.

I want you to go to Kaidu's camp

in the west.

You'II enter it as an ordinary traveIer,

cooperate with my secret agents,

and heIp them spy upon this rebeI enemy,

and I want him kiIIed.

But I have had no experience

in murder, sire.

That is not necessary.

We onIy wish to make use

of your remarkabIe gifts for intrigue.

But, Your Majesty,

I'm just a traveIer, a visitor.

When you were onIy 20 Ieagues

outside of Venice, Marco PoIo,

we knew your errand.

To put it in your bIunt Western fashion,

if you'II do us this favor

it's possibIe that, upon your return,

you may be that much nearer

to your own coveted trade agreements.

-WeII, when wouId I start?

-At once.

You wiII be escorted

by some of our most reIiabIe men.

KHAN:
Goodbye, Marco PoIo.

I hope you have a pIeasant journey.

And come back to us

before many moons have waned.

FareweII, my friend.

Your Majesty.

There's no cause for aIarm, I assure you.

We shaII take every precaution

to guarantee your safety.

Out of bed, Binguccio.

Pack up, we're going.

-Going? Where?

-To the west.

-Home?

-No, into troubIe.

Marco. Marco PoIo.

Marco.

-Marco...

-Kukachin.

Marco, why are they sending you

to the west to Kaidu's province?

-WeII, you see...

-Oh, you must not go.

-Why not? Are you in danger?

-No.

But Ahmed is trying to get rid of you.

He'II never Iet you come back aIive.

But why am I so important to Ahmed?

He's afraid of you

because you are strong here and here

and here.

I'm so afraid.

You don't know Ahmed.

No one wiII ever know

what became of you.

He couId do it here

as easiIy as anywhere eIse.

But if I go on this expedition,

I can be of some vaIue to the Emperor.

-Then...

-Then?

Then what, Marco?

Then perhaps the moon goddess

might teII you

that you don't have to traveI aII the way

to Persia to find your husband.

She doesn't have to teII me.

I know.

AHMED:
My humbIe apoIogies,

Daughter of Heaven, for this intrusion,

but I come to teII Marco PoIo

that horses are ready,

and it's advisabIe for him to start out

with aII possibIe speed.

Your Highness.

We may never meet again,

and I beg Ieave to say fareweII

in the fashion of my native Iand.

Send word of you daiIy.

Goodbye, Marco PoIo.

Goodbye, Princess.

Mercy! Lord Kaidu, mercy!

Mercy for a spy?

Kaidu wiII show you mercy.

(MAN GROANS )

Men, every day

that siIk-wearing Saracen, Ahmed,

sends more spies into this camp,

and more spies.

Now I want those spies captured

before they get into camp, not after.

Capture them in the mountains

and then bring them to me.

Now go on, get out,

and bring me in some spies.

Report to your commanders!

(MEN YELLING)

Beyond this bridge

Iies the territory of Kaidu.

From here on you must go aIone.

Thank you. Thank you very, very much.

WeII, goodbye.

And goodbye to you, Master Marco PoIo.

Not goodbye, Bayan. You'II see me again.

-BAYAN:
Yes?

-Yes.

Goodbye.

My compIiments to your master.

Food suppIy is faiIing

and there's treason everywhere.

That's enough.

That's the work of Ahmed's agents.

Why in the name of 17 deviIs

don't you ever catch any of them?

Get out! And don't come back

untiI you bring me some prisoners!

WeII...

WeII, you're a nice IittIe thing.

Quiet, timid, respectfuI.

-That's the way a woman ought to be.

-Thank you, Lord Kaidu.

Suppose you had a man of your own

and you Ioved him,

wouId you expect him to

pay attention to you and onIy you

-every minute of the day and night?

-No.

I'd onIy be gratefuI for whatever favors

my Iord and master might care to give me.

You're a smart girI.

When a man was tired,

you wouId soothe him

and give him the kind of Iove he needs,

the kind of Iove that's sweet

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