Princess Sorghaghtani wants Sitara to become her spy, but she doesn’t sic the latter on the Great Kha’an. Instead, she wants the girl to spy on Chagatai. But how do we accomplish this? Sitara had an in Sorghaghtani thanks to Euclid’s Elements. What exactly does Chagatai need or want? So once again, Shira lends a hand. He seems to always conveniently show up when our heroine is stuck. I wonder if he’s actually based on a real person or if he’s just a convenient catalyst to move the plot forward.

Shira suggests pretending as though Sitara is a lost slave, then have her swap with one of Chagatai’s slaves. This is pretty risky stuff for Sitara, though. Masters abuse their slaves all the time. Our heroine was lucky enough to serve as a scholar for Princess Sorghaghtani, but what might Chagatai and his camp do to her instead? Even in Shira’s own words, Sitara apparently has little to offer beyond her knowledge. Luckily, we’re told later that he’s kindhearted. Hm, as kindhearted as an invader can be, I suppose…

Among the lost slaves, Sitara manages to connect with two Persian women. They have adapted to their new lives and even found happiness. This almost disarms Sitara before she quickly reminds herself to hold onto her hate. Still, they represent another life — another possibility if Sitara could just let go.

Instead of being led to Chagatai’s ulus, however, a man drags Sitara before Toregene, one of Ogedei’s wives — y’know, the one who hates her husband’s guts. She doesn’t seem all that mentally stable. Toregene seems to think Sitara was ordered by her husband to steal a jada from her. On the one hand, her hate could be useful to Sitara. They could join forces to blow this whole popsicle stand. On the other hand, Toregene might be a loose cannon.

For now, this encounter is short-lived, because the woman eventually realizes that Sitara’s jada is not the same one she lost. They would, however, immediately cross paths again when Sitara gets caught trying to eavesdrop on Ogedei and Chagatai. Girl, you ain’t a real spy. Why are you being so reckless? But in her desperation, she calls Toregene her master. She also talks back to the kha’an himself, which immediately curries favor with the troublesome sixth wife. Toregene plays along, and even boldly makes up a lie about how she had sent Sitara to kill Ogedei. In response, the kha’an just smiles. Damn, why is he so lenient with Toregene? Is he that bewitched by her beauty despite her hating his guts? Ironically, him being so nice to her makes Toregene feel as though no one takes her seriously. Him being so nice to her only makes her hate him even more. And can you blame her? She’s not being quirky; she has real gripes that no one cares about.

When Sitara stood up against Ogedei — even if it was only a simple rhetorical question — she struck a chord with Toregene. Like Sitara, Toregene harbors a deep hate in her heart. It looks like next week’s episode will give us her backstory, but from a brief glimpse of her memories, we can already tell that she, too, has lost her family to the Mongol armies. What’s interesting, however, is what the woman says next: “Even so, with the passage of time, you feel yourself about to forgive them.” She’s certainly right about Sitara. When the girl talked to those Persian women, she almost felt happy for them. Imagine, then, if Sitara and Toregene had never met. As they say, time heals all wounds. It might never go away, but you learn to live with it. But Sitara and Toregene are together now, and they each remind each other of what they’ve personally lost. It’s like picking at a scab before it has fully healed. By themselves, maybe Sitara and Toregene could’ve eventually found peace in their new lives, letting the painful memories fade and move on. But now they can’t and they won’t. Therein lies the tragedy, I suppose.

Stray thoughts & observations:

— By the way, is “kha’an” just short for khagan? I might only know this because there’s a subplot in Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood that draws heavy inspiration from the Mongols. Probably the best portion of Stormblood, actually.

— According to one of the Mongols, that lump in Sitara’s possession is a “jada” that can be used to summon storms. Right… I’ve learned elsewhere that it’s also known as a “bezoar,” and it might contain medicinal properties. That sounds a little more believable.

— The brothers have a rather aggravating conversation. Ogedei praises Chagatai for the latter’s kindheartedness. Apparently, Chagatai insists on “spreading the laws of Genghis Khan” in order to protect the vulnerable like women and children. But are they not vulnerable precisely because the Mongols spread war and raze nations? You guys created this problem, and now you’re insisting that you’re the only solution. It’s a bit insane. Sitara didn’t need protection until Tolui came along and destroyed her family.