Rage quickly builds in Sitara when she meets Princess Sorghaghtani for the first time. Luckily, she holds it together for now. Sitara wants to know why the princess desires Euclid’s Elements so badly. After all, it’s nothing special; it merely “states the obvious” for any math-knowers out there. The princess also states the obvious: what is obvious to the Persians is not necessarily obvious to everyone else, and quite frankly, her husband is a big dum dum. Ah yes, the stupid husband, wise wife character pairing! A classic trope for any sitcom! Sarcasm aside, I suspect Sorghaghtani’s explanation will do little to quell the hatred in Sitara’s heart. ‘Cause let’s face it, she’s had to lose her mother twice and for what? Because the Mongols are dumb jocks who can ride horses — dumb jocks who could’ve just asked to borrow the nerds’ textbook. Instead of shoving nerds into lockers, however, they just killed them. Needless to say, this encounter has steeled Sitara’s resolve.

For now, however, the girl must bide her time. So we get daily scenes of her tutoring Sorghaghtani, scooping up lamb shit, wrangling horses, butchering animals for meat, etc. Before you know it, years have passed, and Sitara has developed a rapport with Sorghaghtani’s children. Will this blunt her desire for vengeance? When you live in hate, you’ll likely die in hate. Of course, I’m spoiled by the fact that I already know what befalls the historical Fatima. Still, there’s something to be said about living a long, peaceful life and not allowing the cycle of bloodshed to continue. At the moment, I don’t think this is something that Sitara can accept. But I’m curious to see if she ever gets introspective and starts doubting her own revenge quest later in the story. After all, what would truly make this tragic is if our protagonist finds herself an opportunity to back away, but still commits her heinous deeds in the end because she feels she has to.

It probably doesn’t help that the kids’ father, the one who ordered Sitara’s mother’s death, doesn’t even recognize her. This woman has spent three years tutoring your wife and kids, and you don’t know who she is at first glance? Your wife was right: you are a dum dum. Nevertheless, by custom, he ends up inheriting the majority of his father’s legacy. It’s a tale as old as time. One man builds a vast empire, then his descendants proceed to let it crumble to dust. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. I don’t think it was the immediate generation after Genghis Khan that screwed everything up. Rather, it was the one after that. Besides, Tolui doesn’t end up becoming emperor. Instead, the title went to his brother Ogedei. Who is that again? Is that the one whose wife hates him? But I digress. While Tolui might be dumb — which his own father probably recognized before passing — his wife sure isn’t. Sorghaghtani is wise enough to treasure knowledge even if she doesn’t have any, and I doubt all these years of tutoring will be for naught. Sitara is essentially buffing her biggest enemy.

Eight years have now passed, and Sitara is growing frustrated as she has her arms buried deep in blood and guts. It’s just lamb, but the visual metaphor is striking. She has a strong motive, but not a plan. As such, we need some sort of catalyst — something to kick this revenge plot into gear. In the meantime, Sitara finds something supposedly valuable in one of the lambs’ intestines. Unfortunately, the anime is being a tease and won’t tell us what it is. How am I supposed to know? I don’t know what lambs eat. All I see is some lumpy walnut-looking thing. Ah well, I suppose we have bigger fish to fry, because the princess ends up dismissing our heroine as her tutor. Instead, Sorghaghtani wants Sitara to become her spy. Her husband might not be ambitious — ’cause y’know, brotherly bonds and all — but the princess need not hold herself back out of regard for her husband. In any case, this might not be the exact catalyst I am asking for, but it can certainly put Sitara into contact with other very important people who might share her mindset.

Stray thoughts & observations:

— Huh, Sitara’s smile still opens doors for her.

— Why do they hide Genghis Khan’s face as if he’s some mythical figure — as if his countenance is something a mere mortal cannot even comprehend? It’s kinda laughable.

— Gonna have to disagree with this lady. Blood tastes metallic. Who the hell likes that?

— I dunno anything about butchering. I’m a city boy who only knows that his meat comes from the grocery store. Apparently, you bleed the animal because blood spoils easily. I guess that makes sense. I have to imagine blood makes it easier for bacteria to thrive — any form of moisture, really. Well, the more you know… not that I’ll ever go hunting.

— We see shirtless men grappling in a makeshift ring formed by their peers. I’m told it’s Bökh, a form of wrestling. Kinda reminds me of sumo.

— After seeing a different brother ascend to the throne, Sitara quips to herself that Shira had backed the wrong horse. Damn, we haven’t seen that guy in a while, and he ends up being the butt of a joke.