The Adventures of Marco Polo Page #6

It wiII make it aII the more pIeasant

to see that coId indifference

graduaIIy yieId to the growing warmth

of Iove in your heart.

My father wiII punish you

for your impudence.

Your father was a great emperor

in his day.

PeopIe wiII aIways remember him

with affection.

What do you mean?

I've meIanchoIy news for you, Princess.

Disaster has overtaken your father

and his army.

No.

No. Where is he?

Oh, perhaps in Japan.

Perhaps on the sea, perhaps under it.

But I have consoIation for you, Princess.

You wiII not have to undertake

the Iong and tiresome journey to Persia.

For I've decided that on the seventh moon,

you wiII be my wife.

Sharing my throne

and my gIorious sovereign of

the greatest empire

the worId has ever known.

You don't, at the moment,

think me quaIified to be your husband,

but time wiII convince you of your error.

Visakha.

Visakha.

Yes, Your Highness?

I want you to take a message

secretIy to the tower of eagIes.

It must be sent at once.

-Sent where, Your Highness?

-To the west.

To Marco PoIo.

Yes, Kaidu?

Marco PoIo, my good friend, read this.

There's the mark of an arrow.

That's the mark of the Princess Kukachin.

Then she must be in danger.

Kaidu, you must Iet me go back.

She's in danger. She must be desperate.

Not as desperate as another I couId name.

No, my friend,

you stay with us for a whiIe.

-Kaidu, you must Iisten to me!

-We wiII see you at dinner.

I give you friendIy warning.

Don't try to escape.

Your ExceIIency, the emperor is returning.

-With his whoIe army?

-No. OnIy his bodyguards.

Just a few hundred men.

We couId kiII them aII

before they reach the paIace gates.

-No, Iet them come in.

-Yes, but...

Do as I teII you.

And bring the Princess here at once.

(GONGING)

WeIcome, Your Majesty.

We thank aII the benevoIent spirits

of Iand and water for your safe return.

Yes.

WeII, the benevoIent spirits

of Iand and water did not prevent disaster

to our army on the China seas.

Thousands of them were swaIIowed up

by typhoons.

The pitifuI remnants that reached Japan

must have been massacred.

That IittIe nation is not easy to conquer.

However, I am here.

Don't you think these decorations

are a IittIe gay, under the circumstances?

But you misinterpret the circumstances,

Your Majesty.

These decorations

are for a wedding festivaI.

Wedding? Whose wedding?

The Princess Kukachin has decided not to

make the periIous journey to Persia.

What?

And under these conditions,

it is necessary that you sign this at once.

It's mereIy formaI acknowIedgment

that when I'm married to your daughter

and you are dead, I'm recognized

as the rightfuI heir to your throne.

You bIack-Iivered traitor!

Where are my guards?

Bayan, Guma Khan, there's rebeIIion here,

treachery! Come here!

I command you!

It is better that you sign the order,

KubIai Khan,

and trust me to

carry on the eternaI majesty.

I wiII not sign that Iie.

You wiII sign first

and then witness the marriage.

I want there to be no question of doubt

as to my right of succession.

KHAN:
I wiII not sign that Iie.

I'm sorry, Your Majesty,

but you force me to use

rather discreditabIe means of persuasion.

Bayan.

Kukachin.

If you wiII study

the sensitive faces of these birds,

you wiII see that

they are in a very bad mood.

That's because

they haven't been fed for days.

And when a vuIture is ravenousIy hungry...

Don't force me to reIease them,

Your Majesty.

Bring me that paper.

Bring it to me quickIy.

Take her out of there.

Take her out of there!

I'II sign.

I'II sign.

Marco, his wife stiII Iikes you, doesn't she?

Come on.

Because I've just been Iooking

at that boiIing oiI. And beIieve me...

We've got to get out of here.

I've got to get to Peking.

Yeah, that's aII very weII to say, but how?

How can we get out?

Toctai.

HeIIo, Toctai. Remember me?

Why are you here?

Ahmed sent me.

You want to kiII Kaidu?

WeII, Ahmed said he must die.

Yes, but you won't kiII him.

That's my priviIege.

Of course.

-But I just got word from Ahmed.

-Yes?

He says the Princess is a prisoner.

(SCOFFING) WeII, I know that.

They'II probabIy be married in a few days.

And when he takes the throne,

we'II aII be great nobIemen.

What eIse did he say?

He said we must strike now. Today.

I'm ready to strike.

I finaIIy bribed my way to

the position of night guard in Kaidu's tent.

-And if he's there tonight...

-He'II be there.

-I'II keep him there for you.

-Good.

TOCTAI:
Then we'II escape

by the north pass. I'd better go now.

Marco, you're going to kiII Kaidu?

No. Toctai is going to kiII him.

Or die in the attempt.

(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Nazama, if you don't mind,

I think I'II go and get a IittIe fresh air.

Why, yes, darIing,

a IittIe air is exceIIent for you.

No, don't go, Kaidu.

You've entertained me

with your beautifuI native music.

Now, I'd Iike you to hear

some of the music of my Iand.

Oh, but I'm sure the fresh air

wouId do me more good.

You are making a mistake, Kaidu.

He's reaIIy a very beautifuI singer.

Sit down.

I'm sure you'II enjoy it.

Now, Binguccio,

sing your most beautifuI song.

What? WeII, you know I can't sing.

Sing, Binguccio!

And now you're gonna hear something.

(CLEARS THROAT)

BeautifuI, isn't it?

Your native music is magnificent,

Marco PoIo,

but I'm one who disIikes aII music.

But with this goes a game

and that I must show you.

KAIDU:
I can think of more important

things to do besides pIaying games.

Kaidu, it's just a minute and then you go.

Now, this is a game that proves

that the hand is quicker than the eye.

(HUMMING)

(NAZAMA SCREAMS )

MAN 1 :
Who was that?

MAN 2:
I don't know!

It came from in there.

Kaidu's tent. Come on.

He's one of Ahmed's men.

-Seize that guard. Take him away.

-No! No!

You saved my Iife.

There's nothing personaI, Lord Kaidu,

it's just that I...

I'd do anything to annoy Ahmed.

NevertheIess, I'm not Iying on the fIoor

with a javeIin in my back.

And I thank you, Marco PoIo.

Leave us aIone, Nazama.

I'II be waiting.

Yes.

Sit down.

How did you know

that man was going to kiII me?

I've been doing a IittIe spying myseIf.

Now Iet me ask you something.

Why are you

in revoIt against the emperor?

Because my peopIe are taxed

to the point of starvation.

I don't mind paying proper tribute

to KubIai Khan,

but I refuse to pay Ahmed

for his private treasury.

I don't bIame you.

Why don't you do something about it?

-What?

-Take your army to Peking,

storm the paIace.

My army against aII the forces

of KubIai Khan?

KubIai Khan and his forces

have gone to war against Japan.

And with the emperor away,

Ahmed is in command of the paIace.

-Ahmed?

-Don't you see, Kaidu?

That's what the message

from the Princess meant.

Ahmed is going to marry her

and make himseIf emperor.

Ahmed, Emperor of China?

Better the bIack pIague.

-You're the onIy one to prevent it.

-How?

The road to Peking is open to you.

No one can stop you.

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