Rise of the Conqueror (2026) Movie Script
1
[woman] Timur...
[suspenseful music playing]
[stabbing]
[woman] Get up!
[gasps]
[low, suspenseful music playing]
[stabbing]
[Timur]
We must protect the king.
[grunts]
[heavy blows landing]
[attacker groans]
[suspenseful music playing]
[suspenseful music intensifies]
-[heavy blows landing]
-[both grunt]
Nice of you to show up.
[Aljai] Grandfather...
Who did this?
The Mongols?
He was appointed by
Tugluk Khan himself.
Why would the Mongols kill
a king that paid him tribute?
What is the meaning of this?
[Aljai] A Barlas dagger?
Was it you?
[Hadji] It wasn't me.
He was just a puppet
under Mongol control.
[Timur] This was made to look
like the Barlas clan,
our clan!
I will gather my men,
and we will go to
your brother in Khorasan,
prepare him to be
our next king.
And you...
You will find who did this.
And what if I don't, nephew?
Ugh!
[Hadji] Let it be known
the king is dead.
[soldier] The king is dead!
What if he tries to take
the throne for himself?
Convince the nobles to wait
for our return with Hussayn.
[distant yelling]
Because if they don't,
war will come to Samarkand.
Tugluk Khan will come.
[distant yelling]
[Kay] Timur,
when will your time come?
Kay Khusrau,
let it go.
[distant yelling]
[distant yelling]
[soldier] The king is dead!
[epic music playing]
[Timur] In our absence,
our fears for Samarkand
became reality.
Kay Khusrau vanished,
presumed dead.
My uncle Hadji led a reckless
rebellion against the Mongols,
bringing Tugluk Khan's wrath
upon the entire city.
I chose loyalty to the Mongols,
to Tugluk Khan.
[in Chagatai]
[in English] Timur is a fool.
He has betrayed his people.
[in Chagatai]
[Timur, in English]
I wondered if I could have
stopped it all that night.
If I had not believed my uncle.
Yet with his dying breath,
he swore he didn't kill
the king.
[in Chagatai]
[in English, weakly]
It wasn't me.
[sword squelches]
[body thuds]
[dramatic music playing]
[Timur] Tugluk Khan
sent his son Ilias
to fetch us from the Silk Road.
Where raiders,
emboldened by turmoil,
preyed upon the trade caravans
that sustained us.
[in Chagatai]
[in English]
Where are the Baghatur?!
[Timur] Now we wait...
for an end to the fighting,
for word from the Khan,
for the day when Hussayn claims
his rightful throne.
On behalf of our future king,
we protect the road.
Holding the line
until order is restored.
[hopeful music playing]
[arrows whistling]
[grunts]
[swords clashing]
[groans]
[horse neighs]
[music fades]
[foreboding music playing]
[grunts]
[music fades]
[man]
They were after black powder.
En route from China.
Nothing more dangerous than
a weapon you can't control.
[Hussayn] I'm telling you,
that was the Zoroastrian witch
-who's fabled in these parts.
-[Aljai] Uh-huh.
Because no ordinary woman
could have bested me.
[Hussayn] Ah!
Don't be so sure
of that, brother.
[Hussayn] We can still catch
more of them.
We can cut them off
at the next pass.
You would want me to attack
a woman in retreat?
Ah yes, I forget that
you are a man of honor.
Those laws of Yassa
will get you killed one day.
Those raiders will return
for more as soon as
we turn our backs.
And the Baghatur will be here
to protect the Silk Road.
As we've promised to do.
[Hussayn] Those promises
will do no good
if the road is overrun, Timur.
Son of Taraghai?
Timur Barlas...
from Kesh?
Yes.
Eh! Elchi!
Help these travelers
gather their things.
They'll camp with us tonight.
[distant wolf howl]
[fire crackles]
[man]
Saved by the legendary Timur,
the pride of our fair city.
I'm honored.
You exaggerate.
Is it true...
you fought off
the pack of wolves
to defend your mother?
I would have to
have been very young.
So the story goes.
I am just an ordinary
Barlas man like you.
There is nothing ordinary
about what you did today.
My grandfather received this
from great Kublai Khan.
A promise of safe passage
along the Silk Road.
He said the glimmer alone
would keep raiders at bay.
Now it seems
to be an invitation
even before your
grandfather's death, my king.
And here I thought you knew
only the legendary Timur.
Kazkhan was a great leader
and a good client.
Tugluk Khan
and the Jette Mongols
are our only chance to restore
order to the Silk Road.
[Hussayn] And when they
restore me to the throne,
I will bring peace
to our people,
from one end of
the Silk Road to the other.
[Hussayn]
You cannot afford to lose
one of your strongest men.
Just take a few days, heal.
Aljai, why retreat?
Why are you pretending to know
the intricacies of the game?
Has your sister ever
retreated from anything?
She's laying a trap
for our new friend.
[distant horses approaching]
[ominous music playing]
Timur. It's been too long.
[Timur] Prince Ilias.
What brings you this far?
My father wishes
to see you in Samarkand,
straightaway.
As soon as I've seen to my men.
These raids are growing
more frequent,
and some of the Baghatur
need time to heal their wounds--
Your Khan does not
summon your men, Amir Timur.
You seem well enough to ride.
Of course he is.
He wouldn't disappoint
the Khan or his messenger.
[Ilias] A game of strategy.
Come, my friends.
Let us gather some spoils
for our journey with Timur.
Perhaps he will join me
for a game in Samarkand.
Why summon you and not Hussayn?
I don't trust Ilias.
I trust his father.
Tugluk will give Hussayn
the throne.
What will the people think
when they see you
riding into Samarkand
instead of Hussayn?
I am no threat to them.
There are rumors, Timur.
Rumors of your father's visions.
I am not my father.
Nor am I his visions.
The people don't see
the man I do...
or the kind of father...
you are about to become.
Father?
-My love!
-[Aljai squeals]
-Put me down.
-[joyous laughter]
-What will we name him?
-Him?
Or her.
Something noble,
like you.
Tekina,
after your mother.
For a son,
Jahongir.
King of the world?
-Your brother won't like it.
-[chuckles]
Aljai,
I promise you,
before our child
sees this world...
I will restore
our family's place in Samarkand.
Everything will be as it was.
In sha Allah.
[grand music playing]
[Aljai] Are you certain
you don't want me to join you?
In these uncertain times,
I will not risk my lovely wife.
You'll be safer
with your brother.
Just promise me
you'll be careful.
With the Jette Mongols,
nothing comes free.
I will make you proud, my queen.
Make both of us proud.
[grand music builds]
[grand music swells]
[chanting]
[ominous music playing]
[chanting continues]
[music ends]
[Tugluk Khan, in Chagatai]
[Tugluk Khan]
[in English]
Do you have children, Timur?
Soon.
I've only just found out.
[Tugluk Khan sighs]
[in Chagatai]
[ominous music playing]
[spiritual advisor]
All things are held
in perfect balance.
As we see it in nature,
so it goes with our very souls.
"And he raised up the heaven
and set a balance
that you may not transgress..."
"...you may not transgress
in the balance,
but weigh things equitably."
Your father always knew you
were destined for great things.
I hear his visions
are coming true.
[Timur] I am a trusted advisor
without any trust,
to a newly appointed leader
without the sense to lead.
"To get what you love,
you must first be patient
with what you hate."
Al-Ghazali?
Tugluk Khan sees something
in you, as we all have.
Even if your
short-sighted teacher
told you to stay closer to home.
Foolish, as it turns out.
Come, sit.
You are a blessing to us.
Kazkhan's untimely death,
your uncle's rebellion.
Tugluk's conquest,
and now Ilias.
And perhaps with you in his ear,
he will be able to restore
some semblance of peace?
Perhaps he will, in sha Allah.
[wistful music playing]
[Timur] My dearest love.
Tugluk Khan has named me
Chief Advisor to his son Ilias.
I am aware of the promise
I made to your family.
For now,
Hussayn will have to wait.
The Khan's faith in me
mandates I guide his son.
I may be the only thing
between our people
and Ilias's ambitions.
I will send for you
when it is safe.
[lively music playing]
Jasur, I didn't expect
to see you here.
Arrived scarcely an hour ago.
Good thing that I did,
otherwise there would have been
no spice for the dinner.
Your wife, she's well.
Safe with her brother.
[Timur]
Thank you for the good tidings.
I don't know when
I'll see her again
now that I'm staying a while.
Oh, I've heard.
The special assignment
of the Khan himself.
People are talking, then?
The people are anxious,
I'm sure you can see that.
Your uncle caused much unrest.
These people suffered
for his long and costly war.
Now they dine with Ilias
in hopes for peace.
[tense music playing]
And then there's you.
You must feel
the eyes of the room
looking at you
and your Baghatur.
What should these people
expect from a man
whose loyalty lies
with Hussayn?
How will you keep the peace?
I hope this common merchant
isn't bothering you, Amir Timur.
[tense music ends]
Not at all.
Your place is up front.
Come, join us.
[lively music playing]
[clapping]
[music ends]
[applause]
[indistinct chatter]
Our thanks, of course,
to my father,
our Khan,
the wise and merciful leader,
who has worked tirelessly
to restore peace and unity
to this land.
And for bringing us Amir Timur.
Nephew to a Barlas traitor,
now my chief advisor.
May his wise counsel
and position
shield us from his family ties
and future discord.
Let us...
raise our cups to
the great Amir Timur.
[nobles cheer]
A few words?
I understand
the Barlas rebellion
has taken many lives.
Only fools fighting
against the Khan.
Fools or not,
this tragedy has consumed me
day and night.
Yes,
I am Barlas,
but I am not my uncle.
In this time of transition,
we must all unite in peace,
once again.
Under a true and worthy Khan.
I pledge myself
to the service of Tugluk Khan
and to his pursuit of peace,
prosperity,
and security for all people.
To the Khan!
[nobles] To the Khan!
-[Timur] To the Khan.
-[nobles cheer]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ilias] Not feeling so well?
When my father told me
of his intentions,
I was glad to have your
strengths by my side, Timur.
But one does not secure
the integrity of his rule
by ignoring
the ambitions of others.
And I will not allow you
or your wife's brother
to stand in my way.
[grunts]
[intense music playing]
[Timur yelps]
[thuds]
[grunts]
[swords clashing]
[soldiers grunt]
[screams]
[intense music continues]
[Timur] Elchi!
[groans]
[grunts, pants]
[groans, scream]
[grunts]
[soldiers grunt]
Go find my wife. [grunts]
[Jasur]
You must purge the poison.
-[Jasur grunts]
-[Timur retches]
[Jasur] There's a secret passage
I use to smuggle
in and out of the city.
Take it.
Bring me Timur.
[Jasur] My horse is tied
just outside the Northern wall.
Go!
Return to your wife's camp.
If you survive this,
consider my debt repaid.
[suspenseful music playing]
[camel snorts]
[ominous music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[disorienting music playing]
-[panting]
-[heart beating]
[Aljai] Timur.
[high-pitched ringing]
[disorienting music builds]
[grunts]
[Aljai] Timur.
[grunts]
[disorienting music continues]
[agonized screaming]
[Aljai] Get up.
[pants]
Timur.
[eerie music playing]
[yelling]
[exhausted grunts]
[eerie music builds]
[both grunt]
[tense, distorted music playing]
[unintelligible speech]
[grunts]
[music fades]
[dramatic music playing]
[faint high-pitched ringing]
[groans]
[unintelligible speech]
[groans, coughs]
-[birds chirp]
-[goat bleats]
[grunts]
[grunts]
-[goats bleat]
-[man laughs]
[Timur grunts, pants]
Like a newborn horse, this one.
Leave him.
[weakly] The Zoroastrian witch!
Oh Banu, your reputation
precedes you. [chuckles]
[grand music playing]
[music ends]
We searched you for any knives,
hidden weapons.
Found only this.
I play a little shatranj myself.
Am I your captive now?
[Banu] You still only see me
as your enemy.
Even after I saved you from
expiring in the desert.
[Timur grunts]
After what they did to you
in Samarkand.
And what do you know about that?
[Banu] I know way more
than you realize.
It wasn't my honey that
touched your lips that night.
Tugluk was bad enough,
but his son...
Now, I don't need to
explain that to you.
I've never seen anything
quite like the fight
you put up with
those Jette Mongols.
-That rage,
-[sword unsheathes]
that passion,
it could be useful.
[grunts]
If I wanted you dead, Timur,
you would be.
Why would I trust you?
Every man in my camp
is free to go.
Stay.
Let me fix you.
You may just discover
we are after the same thing.
[Timur grunts]
And what is that?
Justice.
[haunting, determined
music playing]
[yelps]
[screaming in pain]
[haunting, determined
music continues]
[grunts]
[screams]
[grunts]
[music fades]
I've been looking for
a worthy opponent.
Kay Khusrau?
I thought you were dead.
Not as dead as you.
[grunts]
You didn't make it very far.
[Timur grunts]
What are you doing here?
Hadji's revolt wasn't for me.
Banu welcomed me in.
[grunts]
They have been good to me,
as long as I'm useful to them.
Yes. I'm sure.
They're just thieves.
They are exiles
like you and me.
Just trying to survive
under the weight of the Mongols,
by any means necessary.
Damn the Mongols.
I will kill Ilias
for what he has done.
-You can barely walk.
-[grunts]
You've been in bed for months,
poisoned by mad honey.
[Timur grunts]
Fortunately, Banu is intimately
familiar with its secrets.
Samarkand is
a ten-day ride on horse.
Once you get there,
if you get there,
you can limp up to the gates
and kill Ilias where he stands.
Why help me now?
[Kay] Fate.
It has brought us back together,
let us see why.
I'll fashion
a brace for that leg.
[indistinct chatter
and laughter]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[sniffles]
I think we got off on
the wrong foot, you and I.
I'm Douglas.
Son of Douglas.
But you, like the rest,
can call me James.
[grunts]
Your leader is a Persian purist.
Her I understand,
but the rest of you...
We fight for our own reasons,
even petty thieves like us, hm.
But what about you,
great leader?
What is it you fight for, eh?
You wouldn't understand.
[James] Ah!
Taking something that's yours,
protecting something
that's yours.
That's something
we can all understand.
They will all pay.
[James] Aye,
I'm sure they will...
[wooden stick clacks]
...Timur the lame.
[wooden stick thumps]
[James chuckles]
I'm starting to see
why she kept you alive.
[laughs]
[sniffs]
[discordant music playing]
[thumps]
[Timur] Kay Khusrau...
[grunts]
...when Hadji revolted,
why didn't you join us?
Your allegiance was with Tugluk.
My disdain for the Mongols
is no secret.
Especially after their
actions against your father.
You dredge up the memory
of my father now?
It's not about the past, Timur.
It's about
what he could see in you.
He foresaw that the end of
the Mongols' rule was near.
He dreamt that I would
become a new king.
Wielding a flaming sword,
vanquishing the Mongols.
And he was foolish.
Foolish to challenge
the Mongols.
Foolish to question Kazkhan.
[grunts]
Yet here you are in exile,
having played the loyalists
to those who never valued
your allegiance.
[grunts]
Maybe you should accept
what your father saw.
You should be king.
We were banished for
his false prophecies.
My rejection
is not out of cowardice.
[grunts]
I made a promise.
[Kay] To whom?
Kazkhan.
Yet just like him,
you chose the Mongols
over your own people.
No.
Kazkhan chose me.
Kazkhan gave me
a second chance.
Kazkhan gave his granddaughter's
hand to me in marriage.
[Timur grunts]
Yet with Kazkhan's death...
the people didn't choose
Hussayn, his heir.
It was your uncle who emerged
as the symbol of freedom.
And look what happened to him.
He wasn't the leader we needed.
You are.
Yet swayed by your loyalty
to your wife's grandfather,
a puppet king,
you have overlooked
our suffering.
[grunts]
Now the mantle
falls to you again.
Can you truly turn
your back on it forever?
I can.
And I will.
It's not about
the crown, Timur.
It's about the man.
Strength,
integrity,
justice.
My life is of my own making,
not false prophecies.
Kazkhan and Aljai are dead.
All that is left
for me to do now
is to right the wrongs
against them by Ilias.
So what better way
to avenge your wife's death...
than to fulfill the prophecy
that Ilias and
the Mongols so fear?
[gentle music playing]
[wind howling]
[powerful music playing]
[determined orchestral
music playing]
[Kay] You survived as a pawn
your entire life.
The pawn's potential
is often overlooked.
I will show you how a pawn
can become something more.
[grunts]
Not as swift as the others,
[men laugh]
...yet he perseveres.
[both grunt]
[grunting and screaming]
His journey may seem perilous.
But with strategic allies,
he may survive
longer than expected.
[James] Finally come to take
a drink with me, aye?
Banu's mad honey.
One drop: make you feel alive.
[bees buzzing]
Any more?
And well, you know.
[Kay]
And with a powerful escort,
he moves forward undetected.
A mere spark...
[sparks hiss and crackle]
...can change destinies.
This is how we take the fight
to Ilias.
Once he's endured
every challenge,
every deception,
he can be exchanged
with any piece on the board.
He emerges anew,
transformed,
no longer in
anyone else's shadow.
A king perhaps.
A king?
[reflective music playing]
Something different today?
I don't think Lady Banu
would want me to flay you.
Not after all her hard work, no?
All the more reason
to put up a good fight.
[guttural scream]
[both grunt]
[James laughs]
[panting]
A worthy opponent! [laughs]
Only took you six months.
You exaggerate,
my Christian friend.
Oh, thought it would take
you longer than that
to call me a friend.
You're getting soft.
[both grunt]
[laughs]
[James grunts, pants]
I understand you
more than you think.
My family fought alongside
William Wallace.
The wild William Wallace.
-You've heard of him, no?
-Yeah.
-And your traitorous king.
-He was a great man.
Did what he had to do.
Tried to unite the clans but...
angry cats in a sack,
all of them.
Always forgetting
us common folk.
So I vowed never
to serve another king.
But this is my home now.
And I'll fight anyone
to defend those
I now call friend.
[laughs]
Even the likes of you.
Or maybe you're right.
Timur the lame.
Maybe I am going soft.
[grunts]
[dramatic, tense music playing]
[both grunt]
[both scream]
[laughs]
Finally.
[uplifting music playing]
[music fades]
[Banu] More than expected!
[James] Aye.
They hardly put up a fight.
[Banu] Not bad.
Swords to the armory.
Bring that chest here.
What are you doing with them?
Before you get going,
these men were on their way
from Samarkand.
The very same that
would've let you perish.
Want to join them?
Ah, ah. Hyah.
I suggest you discuss this
with Kay Khusrau.
He was asking for you.
[Timur] You summoned me?
We have captured a man
who could lead us to
untapped sources
of black powder.
He's among the caravan outside.
Jasur?
I owe him my life.
There's more.
Hussayn is alive.
Hussayn lives?
Amassing forces,
evading Ilias all this time.
Where?
I know this must come
as a shock to you.
To us as well.
With Jasur's black powder,
we can bring Ilias to his knees.
Now is not the time
to waver, Timur.
Hussayn can unite us.
Why do you insist on being
a pawn for lesser men?
Have you learned nothing?
If Hussayn evaded the attack...
Aljai.
Do not underestimate
the power of fate.
[tense music playing]
So long as Hussayn lives,
so does my promise.
It is stronger
than any twist of fate.
[indistinct chatter]
[low, resolute music playing]
Amir Timur?
[horse whinnies in distance]
[resolute music swells]
[woman] Who are they?
Simple travelers,
by the look of them.
Go, tell the others.
-Aljai!
-Go. I'm all right.
Timur.
[gasps]
[emotional music playing]
[both chuckle in relief]
Aljai.
Oh...
[music ends]
[Hussayn] Ilias is gone,
the Jette numbers are small,
we could put up a fight.
With what army?
The army you promised me.
It is foolish
to underestimate the Mongols.
You can't even subdue
your own Mongol wife, Hussayn.
So many brilliant,
tactical minds in one room.
It's a shame none of you
or your men
noticed riders
coming into your camp.
[tense music playing]
[light music playing]
Praise Allah and
the Great Blue Heavens.
You are alive.
[Timur] I'm a hard one to kill.
You may be, brother.
-You just may be.
-[both laugh]
[Hussayn] Come.
Now tell me, where have you been
these many months?
[Sarai] You were able to ride
after being poisoned?
I've never heard of
any man surviving mad honey.
Sarai, my husband
isn't just any man.
Ilias must have sent
his men to Khorasan
before you arrived in Samarkand.
Aljai was seriously wounded.
We barely escaped.
Hussayn's always been good
at hiding.
I did more than that.
Father said he was
as slippery as a fish.
Slippery or not,
you saved my wife and son.
You kept them safe,
even when you thought
I was dead.
And I am once again
in your debt.
Ilias has to pay for what
he has done to this family.
Let us march on Samarkand now.
Tugluk is on his deathbed.
Ilias has left Samarkand
and is traveling north
to be with his dying father.
To take his place as
Khan of Chagatai.
We go now,
the traitorous people
of Samarkand
will not stand a chance.
The people of Samarkand need
to be liberated, not conquered.
[baby crying]
[Hussayn]
Timur. This is our chance.
With you by my side,
think of what hell
we can bring to Ilias.
Bikijuk holds Samarkand
with just a few hundred men.
We can leverage Samarkand
against Ilias's return.
Have you lost faith in me?
[emotional,
pensive music playing]
[emotional,
pensive music continues]
[music ends]
I just got you back.
And your heart is already
on the road
to Samarkand with Hussayn.
He is right,
but if you just say the word,
I will tell him to find
someone else to march
into battle with him.
My brother sees
only opportunity,
always has.
His eyes are constantly
scanning the horizon,
looking for his next move.
[dramatic music playing]
But the man I love...
is different.
And the people of Samarkand
need you both.
I am more concerned with
the needs of my wife and son.
Jahongir needs to know
his father is a great man
who honored the promise he made
to protect the road
and its people.
[Timur] What is this?
We both bear
the marks of Ilias now.
I'm just grateful
Jahongir wasn't hurt.
I should have been there
to protect you.
No, no.
You had no idea.
You'll never be safe.
Not until Ilias is dead.
Now is the time
for Hussayn to act.
He will succeed.
I have no doubt
with you by his side.
[dramatic music continues]
It's brought you
back to me once.
-[horses neighing]
-[hooves thudding]
[ominous music playing]
[Hussayn] We've been gathering
forces this last year,
lying in wait.
Perhaps you have forgotten
how to count.
My Jagun of 100 men
are stronger
than any of Ilias's mingghan
of 1,000 men.
[Hussayn] I hear you have
snuck in and out
of the city many times.
What do you know of
Samarkand's defenses?
[low, driving music playing]
With your numbers,
it will take a miracle.
Is our cause not just?
I cannot conjure angels
with flaming swords
like the visions of my father...
[flames roar to life]
[ethereal, haunting
music playing]
[sparks hiss and crackle]
What is it?
You play shatranj, don't you?
[horses neigh]
[flames ignite]
[steady, calculated
orchestral music playing]
[Timur]
The Jettes outnumber us.
This is true...
but we don't need the numbers.
The Mongols that remain
in Samarkand
don't care enough
about that city
to sacrifice themselves for it.
What makes you so certain
they will retreat?
[Timur] Their will to fight
stems from two things:
- The fear of their Khan...
-[people clamoring]
and the spoils of war.
[Bikijuk]
What is the meaning of this?
[Timur]
We will make the city appear
as if it is surrounded.
Torches.
In the distance.
Who marches on our city
in these great numbers?
[flames roaring]
[Timur] Bikijuk is no fool.
He will not risk his own men,
especially in the face
of a larger force.
What is your plan?
I serve Ilias,
this fight is not worth his men.
[Timur] With Ilias gone,
who rules the city?
Abu Shihab.
[Bikijuk] Let's go.
[Timur] Perfect.
We need a coward
for this plan to work.
[steady, calculated
orchestral music continues]
[Abu Shihab] Raise the flag.
We must surrender.
[Timur]
Every noble knee will bow
to the rightful ruler
of Samarkand,
Hussayn.
When they raise
the white flag of surrender...
we will lead Iskander
and his men
around the back of the city,
and they will crush
the Jette forces
as they try to escape.
Then the city will be ours.
When the people of Samarkand
see that we have taken the city
without harming a single soul,
they will join us.
There are just two things left:
-[arrows thud]
-[horses whinny]
To send a message...
and set the trap.
Bikijuk.
Surprised to see me
back from the dead?
No...
[chuckles]
because I didn't put
the blade in you myself.
[sword clanks on the ground]
[suspenseful music playing]
Tell Ilias
that I am waiting for him.
And to prepare to meet my blade.
And... what about me?
You, my friend,
will help us kill Ilias.
[unsettling music playing]
[Hussayn] The bloody reign
of Ilias and his puppet rulers
has come to an end.
The day is yours, Hussayn.
Samarkand will be
free of tyranny
and those who turned
against my family.
-[grunts]
-[crowd gasps]
-[body thuds]
-These men have surrendered.
They pose no threat.
No threat?
They conspired against us!
Not once but twice!
Scheming in their dark corners
against my grandfather,
scheming to serve you up
for slaughter.
-[inhales]
-[fleshy slash]
-[crowd gasp]
-[body thuds]
You let them live now,
and they will come for you
again and again.
[low, tense music playing]
Ah!
I will not be blinded
by a sense of honor.
Do you want justice...
or not?
[ominous music playing]
Ah!
[Aljai] My dear Timur,
word has reached camp
of your victory in Samarkand.
I rejoice to see my brother
on his rightful throne.
Our greatest threat now
is Ilias.
[winces in pain]
[Sarai]
Is everything all right?
I'll be fine.
[unsettling music playing]
My wounds refuse to heal,
and I grow weak with fever.
I cannot wait
to recover with you
in my home of Samarkand.
[religious chants]
[Baraka] I won't lie,
I believed like the rest
that you were dead.
Yet here you are.
The liberator of Samarkand.
[Timur] I am half the man I was
the last you saw me.
Lame, maybe.
But still Timur,
son of Taragai.
No other man could have
accomplished what you did today.
What we did today.
How does Hussayn fare?
He has Samarkand.
That he may,
but it should cost
a man something
to spill another man's blood.
It might be justified,
it might be worth it.
To Genghis Khan,
it certainly was.
But there is a cost.
You can see it in a man's eyes.
At least, you hope to see it.
Hussayn can lose control.
He's lost much,
and he lets his rage
overtake him.
And how long will he trust you?
We both want to see
the Silk Road restored.
Don't be blinded
by just the individual
and ignore the whole.
Don't worry, teacher.
All will be made whole soon.
[dramatic music playing]
[Hussayn] Tugluk is dead.
Ilias is now Khan
and will move on us before long.
The scouts have confirmed,
Ilias rides from the north.
[Hussayn]
Your trap worked, Timur.
We will ride north to meet him.
[epic music playing]
[Timur]
Jasur, we've been expecting you.
As requested.
It's good to see you.
Chinese firepower.
[Iskander] How do I assure
our men
it won't blow their heads off?
[Jasur] You don't.
You're the man
of faith, aren't you?
[tense music playing]
[Timur] What troubles you?
The throne is finally yours.
-It has always been mine!
-And always will be.
And after tomorrow,
we will finally have our peace.
All Ilias will see is a broken,
crippled man leading
a small army of unmounted men.
[Hussayn]
Black powder?
Will it be enough?
[Timur] With Jasur's help,
we'll survive
the first two waves.
Then it all depends on you.
[distant thunder]
[Hussayn] You put a lot of faith
in this... dust.
No.
I put my faith in you.
Tomorrow, when the Mongol
drummer signals the third wave,
you will flank them
from the hill.
And we will have
them surrounded.
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[distant thundering of hooves]
[thundering hooves grow louder]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music continues]
[thunder rumbles]
[Bikijuk] First wave, forward!
[exclaims]
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
[distant war cries]
[suspenseful music playing]
Hold.
Hold.
Close!
Arrows!
[arrows whiz, thud]
Next wave!
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
[suspenseful music continues]
Ready.
Torches!
Move!
[suspenseful music builds]
-[thundering hooves]
-[fierce war cries]
-[hand cannons fire]
-[horses whinny in pain]
[hand cannons fire]
[suspenseful music intensifies]
-[soldiers shout in unison]
-[hand cannons fire]
[horses whinny in pain]
[soldiers scream]
Cannons!
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[ominous thunder]
[heavy rain falls]
Finish them.
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
That is the signal.
Let's go!
Yah!
[wick sizzles out]
[wick sizzles out]
Now, Hussayn, now!
[thundering hooves]
Come brother, now!
[distant war cries]
[panicked screams]
-[soldiers scream]
-[swords clash sharply]
Amir!
-[horses whinny]
-[battle clashing]
Timur trusted too much
in black powder.
[thudding]
[clatter of armor, blades]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music continues]
[swords clash]
[fleshy slashes]
[dull thuds]
[Bikijuk] Timur!
[suspenseful music playing]
[both grunt]
[swords clash]
[thuds]
[grunts]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Iskander] Hussayn!
Those are my men down there!
And they are trapped in the mud,
as we will be too.
Samarkand is undefended.
Let us make our stand there,
not here.
Yah!
[dramatic, somber music playing]
[body thuds]
[grunts]
-[horse whinnies]
-[fleshy slash]
[swords clash]
[intense, frantic combat sounds]
[dramatic, somber music
continues]
[music fades]
[Aljai, muffled] Timur.
Timur.
- Get up.
-[gasps]
[breathes deeply]
[mournful music playing]
[horse hooves approaching]
[mournful music continues]
[water splashes]
[Aljai] Timur.
[somber music playing]
[sword thuds]
-My love, what is it?
-[Aljai whimpering]
What is wrong?
She's been ill for a long time.
Her wounds have festered.
[weakly] We belong to God,
and to Him shall we return.
No, no, no.
Don't speak this way.
Where is Hussayn?
[labored breathing, trembling]
He chose the throne over us.
He betrayed us.
-[Aljai groans]
-He left us to die.
[somber music continues]
[Jahongir cries]
[Aljai] I fear my brother
doesn't understand
the cost of his actions.
Listen to me...
[inhales shakily]
...you have survived
without me before.
[Timur] Mm-mmm.
You need to be strong
for our son.
Now is the time to do
what needs to be done.
Restore order,
give our son
the world he deserves!
-[Aljai] Promise me you...
-[Timur] Go get help.
Help!
No, no, no.
I cannot do this again.
I cannot do this without you.
You have to now.
-Shh...
-[ragged, labored breathing]
[breathing stops]
Aljai...
[mournful music playing]
[soft cries]
[music ends]
[Sarai] Timur!
[Timur] Hasn't your husband
sent for you to join him?
I won't go to him.
Not after what he's done to you.
[Timur] I'm taking my son
away from here.
I'm going to kill Ilias
with or without Hussayn.
And then what?
Once you defeat Ilias,
you and Hussayn have
no enemy left but each other.
What then will become
of you two?
Hussayn has stopped
at nothing to ensure his claim,
while you have lost everything.
Timur, think about it.
Who knocked over
the first piece, huh?
Ilias? Tugluk? Hadji?
Hussayn killed his grandfather!
No.
He started this game
you're playing,
which has cost you everything
while he sits on the throne.
You have fixed your gaze
on Ilias for so long
that you've been blind
to the ambitions
of those closest to you.
He will never stop, Timur,
and do you think in the end
he'll let you live?
What then of your promise
to Aljai to protect your son?
[dramatic music playing]
If I don't return,
watch over my son for me.
[Aljai] Timur...
Timur...
[dramatic music continues]
It's your time.
[poignant, rising music playing]
A Barlas dagger?
[Timur] This was made
to look like our clan.
[Hussayn] I will not be blinded
by a sense of honor.
[poignant, rising
music continues]
[catapult creaking]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[thunderous launch]
[impact rumbling]
-[fireballs roar]
-[explosions]
[Iskander]
We are running out of time.
The walls will fall
before the day is through.
Are there not able-bodied men
all across the city
that can pick up arms
and fight for us?
Do you believe
they will fight for you?
In their eyes, you are
not different from Ilias.
-Hey.
-[Timur] He's right.
Praise Allah,
you're alive.
The link that once
bound us together is gone.
[distant explosions]
Now... what...
will become of us?
No one remains
to dispute my rightful claim.
We made sure of that.
I have stopped at nothing
to ensure that claim,
by birth, by marriage, by...
whatever else I had to do.
I had to do.
Brother...
Did you do it?
My grandfather became too weak
to hold power in his hand.
Those noblemen
-backed Hadji instead of--
-Did you do it?
[inhales deeply]
I did... what had to be done!
Do you think it was easy for me?
Is this not what
both of us wanted?
[distant explosions continue]
[exhales]
[clicks tongue]
Let us finish this together.
Let us make every sacrifice,
every compromise worth
the blood that has been spilt.
Now...
[exhales]
Now there is only Ilias.
I swear it, brother,
one last time.
I know.
[gentle music playing]
[sniffles]
[Timur]
It has taken me many years
to grasp this truth, my son:
Men hunger for power.
Often with little regard
for the souls
trampled beneath
their ambitions.
So I resisted what others
claimed was my destiny.
But fate is not
a path you choose.
It is chosen for you.
Our only task is to have
the courage to surrender to it.
Surrender...
As I embrace my fate, I do so
to forge a path for you,
my dear Jahongir.
A world transformed
by sacrifice.
[foreboding music playing]
The rumors are true, then.
A cripple walks to our camp,
a shadow of his former self,
offering up
his brother's surrender.
[tense music playing]
I presume this...
was meant for me?
Will you finally
take me up for a game
as we discuss
your brother's surrender?
That will be all.
Let's play where I left off.
Your move.
[Timur] Tell me...
what were you afraid of?
You should be flattered.
A threat worthy of my attention.
You and I could have
worked together.
Rebuilt the Silk Road.
[Ilias] What you've always
failed to grasp, Timur, is...
what it really takes to rule,
to build, to conquer,
to take what is yours.
You say you fight for the vision
of my great-grandfather,
but you don't have
his fortitude,
his mettle, his backbone.
-[Timur] And you do?
-[Ilias] I have his blood.
You come into my camp alone, hm?
You talk of "joining forces,"
of uniting these
miserable people?
I have come
to bring them justice.
[mocking chuckle] Justice?
One wave of my hand,
you understand?
-And my guard's will--
-Give the order, then.
You may have fooled my father,
but I'm not so easily taken in.
Who do you think you are?
You are no Khan.
You will never be Khan!
Every move you've made,
I've been one step ahead of you.
I saw what your brother did
to you on the battlefield.
You should be grateful to know
that after I've killed you,
I will enact the revenge...
[thumps]
...you are clearly too blind
and weak to get yourself.
Yes... I am only a man
that has lost his queen.
And you would expect me
to resign the game.
But I am not you.
Aljai warned me
to not trust you.
I should have listened to her.
Let's play this out.
[thumps]
[dramatic, ominous
music playing]
We've been waiting for you.
The time has come, then?
[Timur] Shatranj,
it's a beautiful game
with a long history.
All the hands
it has passed through...
the way the pieces
have changed...
the ways that the rules
were rewritten.
Give me ten of your best men.
I've never heard of
any man surviving mad honey.
The way that the pawn
can move twice as quickly
to start the game.
It wasn't my honey that
touched your lips that night.
[dramatic, ominous
music continues]
[Timur]
How horses became knights.
Guards!
[high-pitched ringing]
[fleshy slashes]
[grunts]
And how when the pawn
reaches the end of the board...
And it goes as far as it can...
Guards!
...that pawn can be exchanged
for any piece you so desire.
[discordant music playing]
As if it was never lost at all.
[dramatic music playing]
How?
When I signal, open the gates.
[arrow whizzes]
[Timur] It's simple, Ilias.
[Hussayn] Open the gate!
[Timur] I have learned
to play your game.
I should have seen Hussayn
for the man that he is.
A man like you,
who calls himself leader...
but destroys everything
and builds nothing.
You do not have
what it takes to rule,
to build, to conquer.
I have a plan...
[sharp, fleshy stab]
...to build a better world.
[clanging]
[triumphant music playing]
[triumphant cheering]
[all] Timur!
[music ends]
[Jahongir cooing]
[emotional music playing]
[Timur] Have they chosen?
[Iskander] Yes,
Muhammad Amin.
Up!
Your men have chosen you
to lead them.
Follow me and there will be
strength and justice.
Spare all those
that pledge allegiance.
Kill the rest.
[triumphal music playing]
[cheers]
[woman] Timur...
[suspenseful music playing]
[stabbing]
[woman] Get up!
[gasps]
[low, suspenseful music playing]
[stabbing]
[Timur]
We must protect the king.
[grunts]
[heavy blows landing]
[attacker groans]
[suspenseful music playing]
[suspenseful music intensifies]
-[heavy blows landing]
-[both grunt]
Nice of you to show up.
[Aljai] Grandfather...
Who did this?
The Mongols?
He was appointed by
Tugluk Khan himself.
Why would the Mongols kill
a king that paid him tribute?
What is the meaning of this?
[Aljai] A Barlas dagger?
Was it you?
[Hadji] It wasn't me.
He was just a puppet
under Mongol control.
[Timur] This was made to look
like the Barlas clan,
our clan!
I will gather my men,
and we will go to
your brother in Khorasan,
prepare him to be
our next king.
And you...
You will find who did this.
And what if I don't, nephew?
Ugh!
[Hadji] Let it be known
the king is dead.
[soldier] The king is dead!
What if he tries to take
the throne for himself?
Convince the nobles to wait
for our return with Hussayn.
[distant yelling]
Because if they don't,
war will come to Samarkand.
Tugluk Khan will come.
[distant yelling]
[Kay] Timur,
when will your time come?
Kay Khusrau,
let it go.
[distant yelling]
[distant yelling]
[soldier] The king is dead!
[epic music playing]
[Timur] In our absence,
our fears for Samarkand
became reality.
Kay Khusrau vanished,
presumed dead.
My uncle Hadji led a reckless
rebellion against the Mongols,
bringing Tugluk Khan's wrath
upon the entire city.
I chose loyalty to the Mongols,
to Tugluk Khan.
[in Chagatai]
[in English] Timur is a fool.
He has betrayed his people.
[in Chagatai]
[Timur, in English]
I wondered if I could have
stopped it all that night.
If I had not believed my uncle.
Yet with his dying breath,
he swore he didn't kill
the king.
[in Chagatai]
[in English, weakly]
It wasn't me.
[sword squelches]
[body thuds]
[dramatic music playing]
[Timur] Tugluk Khan
sent his son Ilias
to fetch us from the Silk Road.
Where raiders,
emboldened by turmoil,
preyed upon the trade caravans
that sustained us.
[in Chagatai]
[in English]
Where are the Baghatur?!
[Timur] Now we wait...
for an end to the fighting,
for word from the Khan,
for the day when Hussayn claims
his rightful throne.
On behalf of our future king,
we protect the road.
Holding the line
until order is restored.
[hopeful music playing]
[arrows whistling]
[grunts]
[swords clashing]
[groans]
[horse neighs]
[music fades]
[foreboding music playing]
[grunts]
[music fades]
[man]
They were after black powder.
En route from China.
Nothing more dangerous than
a weapon you can't control.
[Hussayn] I'm telling you,
that was the Zoroastrian witch
-who's fabled in these parts.
-[Aljai] Uh-huh.
Because no ordinary woman
could have bested me.
[Hussayn] Ah!
Don't be so sure
of that, brother.
[Hussayn] We can still catch
more of them.
We can cut them off
at the next pass.
You would want me to attack
a woman in retreat?
Ah yes, I forget that
you are a man of honor.
Those laws of Yassa
will get you killed one day.
Those raiders will return
for more as soon as
we turn our backs.
And the Baghatur will be here
to protect the Silk Road.
As we've promised to do.
[Hussayn] Those promises
will do no good
if the road is overrun, Timur.
Son of Taraghai?
Timur Barlas...
from Kesh?
Yes.
Eh! Elchi!
Help these travelers
gather their things.
They'll camp with us tonight.
[distant wolf howl]
[fire crackles]
[man]
Saved by the legendary Timur,
the pride of our fair city.
I'm honored.
You exaggerate.
Is it true...
you fought off
the pack of wolves
to defend your mother?
I would have to
have been very young.
So the story goes.
I am just an ordinary
Barlas man like you.
There is nothing ordinary
about what you did today.
My grandfather received this
from great Kublai Khan.
A promise of safe passage
along the Silk Road.
He said the glimmer alone
would keep raiders at bay.
Now it seems
to be an invitation
even before your
grandfather's death, my king.
And here I thought you knew
only the legendary Timur.
Kazkhan was a great leader
and a good client.
Tugluk Khan
and the Jette Mongols
are our only chance to restore
order to the Silk Road.
[Hussayn] And when they
restore me to the throne,
I will bring peace
to our people,
from one end of
the Silk Road to the other.
[Hussayn]
You cannot afford to lose
one of your strongest men.
Just take a few days, heal.
Aljai, why retreat?
Why are you pretending to know
the intricacies of the game?
Has your sister ever
retreated from anything?
She's laying a trap
for our new friend.
[distant horses approaching]
[ominous music playing]
Timur. It's been too long.
[Timur] Prince Ilias.
What brings you this far?
My father wishes
to see you in Samarkand,
straightaway.
As soon as I've seen to my men.
These raids are growing
more frequent,
and some of the Baghatur
need time to heal their wounds--
Your Khan does not
summon your men, Amir Timur.
You seem well enough to ride.
Of course he is.
He wouldn't disappoint
the Khan or his messenger.
[Ilias] A game of strategy.
Come, my friends.
Let us gather some spoils
for our journey with Timur.
Perhaps he will join me
for a game in Samarkand.
Why summon you and not Hussayn?
I don't trust Ilias.
I trust his father.
Tugluk will give Hussayn
the throne.
What will the people think
when they see you
riding into Samarkand
instead of Hussayn?
I am no threat to them.
There are rumors, Timur.
Rumors of your father's visions.
I am not my father.
Nor am I his visions.
The people don't see
the man I do...
or the kind of father...
you are about to become.
Father?
-My love!
-[Aljai squeals]
-Put me down.
-[joyous laughter]
-What will we name him?
-Him?
Or her.
Something noble,
like you.
Tekina,
after your mother.
For a son,
Jahongir.
King of the world?
-Your brother won't like it.
-[chuckles]
Aljai,
I promise you,
before our child
sees this world...
I will restore
our family's place in Samarkand.
Everything will be as it was.
In sha Allah.
[grand music playing]
[Aljai] Are you certain
you don't want me to join you?
In these uncertain times,
I will not risk my lovely wife.
You'll be safer
with your brother.
Just promise me
you'll be careful.
With the Jette Mongols,
nothing comes free.
I will make you proud, my queen.
Make both of us proud.
[grand music builds]
[grand music swells]
[chanting]
[ominous music playing]
[chanting continues]
[music ends]
[Tugluk Khan, in Chagatai]
[Tugluk Khan]
[in English]
Do you have children, Timur?
Soon.
I've only just found out.
[Tugluk Khan sighs]
[in Chagatai]
[ominous music playing]
[spiritual advisor]
All things are held
in perfect balance.
As we see it in nature,
so it goes with our very souls.
"And he raised up the heaven
and set a balance
that you may not transgress..."
"...you may not transgress
in the balance,
but weigh things equitably."
Your father always knew you
were destined for great things.
I hear his visions
are coming true.
[Timur] I am a trusted advisor
without any trust,
to a newly appointed leader
without the sense to lead.
"To get what you love,
you must first be patient
with what you hate."
Al-Ghazali?
Tugluk Khan sees something
in you, as we all have.
Even if your
short-sighted teacher
told you to stay closer to home.
Foolish, as it turns out.
Come, sit.
You are a blessing to us.
Kazkhan's untimely death,
your uncle's rebellion.
Tugluk's conquest,
and now Ilias.
And perhaps with you in his ear,
he will be able to restore
some semblance of peace?
Perhaps he will, in sha Allah.
[wistful music playing]
[Timur] My dearest love.
Tugluk Khan has named me
Chief Advisor to his son Ilias.
I am aware of the promise
I made to your family.
For now,
Hussayn will have to wait.
The Khan's faith in me
mandates I guide his son.
I may be the only thing
between our people
and Ilias's ambitions.
I will send for you
when it is safe.
[lively music playing]
Jasur, I didn't expect
to see you here.
Arrived scarcely an hour ago.
Good thing that I did,
otherwise there would have been
no spice for the dinner.
Your wife, she's well.
Safe with her brother.
[Timur]
Thank you for the good tidings.
I don't know when
I'll see her again
now that I'm staying a while.
Oh, I've heard.
The special assignment
of the Khan himself.
People are talking, then?
The people are anxious,
I'm sure you can see that.
Your uncle caused much unrest.
These people suffered
for his long and costly war.
Now they dine with Ilias
in hopes for peace.
[tense music playing]
And then there's you.
You must feel
the eyes of the room
looking at you
and your Baghatur.
What should these people
expect from a man
whose loyalty lies
with Hussayn?
How will you keep the peace?
I hope this common merchant
isn't bothering you, Amir Timur.
[tense music ends]
Not at all.
Your place is up front.
Come, join us.
[lively music playing]
[clapping]
[music ends]
[applause]
[indistinct chatter]
Our thanks, of course,
to my father,
our Khan,
the wise and merciful leader,
who has worked tirelessly
to restore peace and unity
to this land.
And for bringing us Amir Timur.
Nephew to a Barlas traitor,
now my chief advisor.
May his wise counsel
and position
shield us from his family ties
and future discord.
Let us...
raise our cups to
the great Amir Timur.
[nobles cheer]
A few words?
I understand
the Barlas rebellion
has taken many lives.
Only fools fighting
against the Khan.
Fools or not,
this tragedy has consumed me
day and night.
Yes,
I am Barlas,
but I am not my uncle.
In this time of transition,
we must all unite in peace,
once again.
Under a true and worthy Khan.
I pledge myself
to the service of Tugluk Khan
and to his pursuit of peace,
prosperity,
and security for all people.
To the Khan!
[nobles] To the Khan!
-[Timur] To the Khan.
-[nobles cheer]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ilias] Not feeling so well?
When my father told me
of his intentions,
I was glad to have your
strengths by my side, Timur.
But one does not secure
the integrity of his rule
by ignoring
the ambitions of others.
And I will not allow you
or your wife's brother
to stand in my way.
[grunts]
[intense music playing]
[Timur yelps]
[thuds]
[grunts]
[swords clashing]
[soldiers grunt]
[screams]
[intense music continues]
[Timur] Elchi!
[groans]
[grunts, pants]
[groans, scream]
[grunts]
[soldiers grunt]
Go find my wife. [grunts]
[Jasur]
You must purge the poison.
-[Jasur grunts]
-[Timur retches]
[Jasur] There's a secret passage
I use to smuggle
in and out of the city.
Take it.
Bring me Timur.
[Jasur] My horse is tied
just outside the Northern wall.
Go!
Return to your wife's camp.
If you survive this,
consider my debt repaid.
[suspenseful music playing]
[camel snorts]
[ominous music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[disorienting music playing]
-[panting]
-[heart beating]
[Aljai] Timur.
[high-pitched ringing]
[disorienting music builds]
[grunts]
[Aljai] Timur.
[grunts]
[disorienting music continues]
[agonized screaming]
[Aljai] Get up.
[pants]
Timur.
[eerie music playing]
[yelling]
[exhausted grunts]
[eerie music builds]
[both grunt]
[tense, distorted music playing]
[unintelligible speech]
[grunts]
[music fades]
[dramatic music playing]
[faint high-pitched ringing]
[groans]
[unintelligible speech]
[groans, coughs]
-[birds chirp]
-[goat bleats]
[grunts]
[grunts]
-[goats bleat]
-[man laughs]
[Timur grunts, pants]
Like a newborn horse, this one.
Leave him.
[weakly] The Zoroastrian witch!
Oh Banu, your reputation
precedes you. [chuckles]
[grand music playing]
[music ends]
We searched you for any knives,
hidden weapons.
Found only this.
I play a little shatranj myself.
Am I your captive now?
[Banu] You still only see me
as your enemy.
Even after I saved you from
expiring in the desert.
[Timur grunts]
After what they did to you
in Samarkand.
And what do you know about that?
[Banu] I know way more
than you realize.
It wasn't my honey that
touched your lips that night.
Tugluk was bad enough,
but his son...
Now, I don't need to
explain that to you.
I've never seen anything
quite like the fight
you put up with
those Jette Mongols.
-That rage,
-[sword unsheathes]
that passion,
it could be useful.
[grunts]
If I wanted you dead, Timur,
you would be.
Why would I trust you?
Every man in my camp
is free to go.
Stay.
Let me fix you.
You may just discover
we are after the same thing.
[Timur grunts]
And what is that?
Justice.
[haunting, determined
music playing]
[yelps]
[screaming in pain]
[haunting, determined
music continues]
[grunts]
[screams]
[grunts]
[music fades]
I've been looking for
a worthy opponent.
Kay Khusrau?
I thought you were dead.
Not as dead as you.
[grunts]
You didn't make it very far.
[Timur grunts]
What are you doing here?
Hadji's revolt wasn't for me.
Banu welcomed me in.
[grunts]
They have been good to me,
as long as I'm useful to them.
Yes. I'm sure.
They're just thieves.
They are exiles
like you and me.
Just trying to survive
under the weight of the Mongols,
by any means necessary.
Damn the Mongols.
I will kill Ilias
for what he has done.
-You can barely walk.
-[grunts]
You've been in bed for months,
poisoned by mad honey.
[Timur grunts]
Fortunately, Banu is intimately
familiar with its secrets.
Samarkand is
a ten-day ride on horse.
Once you get there,
if you get there,
you can limp up to the gates
and kill Ilias where he stands.
Why help me now?
[Kay] Fate.
It has brought us back together,
let us see why.
I'll fashion
a brace for that leg.
[indistinct chatter
and laughter]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[sniffles]
I think we got off on
the wrong foot, you and I.
I'm Douglas.
Son of Douglas.
But you, like the rest,
can call me James.
[grunts]
Your leader is a Persian purist.
Her I understand,
but the rest of you...
We fight for our own reasons,
even petty thieves like us, hm.
But what about you,
great leader?
What is it you fight for, eh?
You wouldn't understand.
[James] Ah!
Taking something that's yours,
protecting something
that's yours.
That's something
we can all understand.
They will all pay.
[James] Aye,
I'm sure they will...
[wooden stick clacks]
...Timur the lame.
[wooden stick thumps]
[James chuckles]
I'm starting to see
why she kept you alive.
[laughs]
[sniffs]
[discordant music playing]
[thumps]
[Timur] Kay Khusrau...
[grunts]
...when Hadji revolted,
why didn't you join us?
Your allegiance was with Tugluk.
My disdain for the Mongols
is no secret.
Especially after their
actions against your father.
You dredge up the memory
of my father now?
It's not about the past, Timur.
It's about
what he could see in you.
He foresaw that the end of
the Mongols' rule was near.
He dreamt that I would
become a new king.
Wielding a flaming sword,
vanquishing the Mongols.
And he was foolish.
Foolish to challenge
the Mongols.
Foolish to question Kazkhan.
[grunts]
Yet here you are in exile,
having played the loyalists
to those who never valued
your allegiance.
[grunts]
Maybe you should accept
what your father saw.
You should be king.
We were banished for
his false prophecies.
My rejection
is not out of cowardice.
[grunts]
I made a promise.
[Kay] To whom?
Kazkhan.
Yet just like him,
you chose the Mongols
over your own people.
No.
Kazkhan chose me.
Kazkhan gave me
a second chance.
Kazkhan gave his granddaughter's
hand to me in marriage.
[Timur grunts]
Yet with Kazkhan's death...
the people didn't choose
Hussayn, his heir.
It was your uncle who emerged
as the symbol of freedom.
And look what happened to him.
He wasn't the leader we needed.
You are.
Yet swayed by your loyalty
to your wife's grandfather,
a puppet king,
you have overlooked
our suffering.
[grunts]
Now the mantle
falls to you again.
Can you truly turn
your back on it forever?
I can.
And I will.
It's not about
the crown, Timur.
It's about the man.
Strength,
integrity,
justice.
My life is of my own making,
not false prophecies.
Kazkhan and Aljai are dead.
All that is left
for me to do now
is to right the wrongs
against them by Ilias.
So what better way
to avenge your wife's death...
than to fulfill the prophecy
that Ilias and
the Mongols so fear?
[gentle music playing]
[wind howling]
[powerful music playing]
[determined orchestral
music playing]
[Kay] You survived as a pawn
your entire life.
The pawn's potential
is often overlooked.
I will show you how a pawn
can become something more.
[grunts]
Not as swift as the others,
[men laugh]
...yet he perseveres.
[both grunt]
[grunting and screaming]
His journey may seem perilous.
But with strategic allies,
he may survive
longer than expected.
[James] Finally come to take
a drink with me, aye?
Banu's mad honey.
One drop: make you feel alive.
[bees buzzing]
Any more?
And well, you know.
[Kay]
And with a powerful escort,
he moves forward undetected.
A mere spark...
[sparks hiss and crackle]
...can change destinies.
This is how we take the fight
to Ilias.
Once he's endured
every challenge,
every deception,
he can be exchanged
with any piece on the board.
He emerges anew,
transformed,
no longer in
anyone else's shadow.
A king perhaps.
A king?
[reflective music playing]
Something different today?
I don't think Lady Banu
would want me to flay you.
Not after all her hard work, no?
All the more reason
to put up a good fight.
[guttural scream]
[both grunt]
[James laughs]
[panting]
A worthy opponent! [laughs]
Only took you six months.
You exaggerate,
my Christian friend.
Oh, thought it would take
you longer than that
to call me a friend.
You're getting soft.
[both grunt]
[laughs]
[James grunts, pants]
I understand you
more than you think.
My family fought alongside
William Wallace.
The wild William Wallace.
-You've heard of him, no?
-Yeah.
-And your traitorous king.
-He was a great man.
Did what he had to do.
Tried to unite the clans but...
angry cats in a sack,
all of them.
Always forgetting
us common folk.
So I vowed never
to serve another king.
But this is my home now.
And I'll fight anyone
to defend those
I now call friend.
[laughs]
Even the likes of you.
Or maybe you're right.
Timur the lame.
Maybe I am going soft.
[grunts]
[dramatic, tense music playing]
[both grunt]
[both scream]
[laughs]
Finally.
[uplifting music playing]
[music fades]
[Banu] More than expected!
[James] Aye.
They hardly put up a fight.
[Banu] Not bad.
Swords to the armory.
Bring that chest here.
What are you doing with them?
Before you get going,
these men were on their way
from Samarkand.
The very same that
would've let you perish.
Want to join them?
Ah, ah. Hyah.
I suggest you discuss this
with Kay Khusrau.
He was asking for you.
[Timur] You summoned me?
We have captured a man
who could lead us to
untapped sources
of black powder.
He's among the caravan outside.
Jasur?
I owe him my life.
There's more.
Hussayn is alive.
Hussayn lives?
Amassing forces,
evading Ilias all this time.
Where?
I know this must come
as a shock to you.
To us as well.
With Jasur's black powder,
we can bring Ilias to his knees.
Now is not the time
to waver, Timur.
Hussayn can unite us.
Why do you insist on being
a pawn for lesser men?
Have you learned nothing?
If Hussayn evaded the attack...
Aljai.
Do not underestimate
the power of fate.
[tense music playing]
So long as Hussayn lives,
so does my promise.
It is stronger
than any twist of fate.
[indistinct chatter]
[low, resolute music playing]
Amir Timur?
[horse whinnies in distance]
[resolute music swells]
[woman] Who are they?
Simple travelers,
by the look of them.
Go, tell the others.
-Aljai!
-Go. I'm all right.
Timur.
[gasps]
[emotional music playing]
[both chuckle in relief]
Aljai.
Oh...
[music ends]
[Hussayn] Ilias is gone,
the Jette numbers are small,
we could put up a fight.
With what army?
The army you promised me.
It is foolish
to underestimate the Mongols.
You can't even subdue
your own Mongol wife, Hussayn.
So many brilliant,
tactical minds in one room.
It's a shame none of you
or your men
noticed riders
coming into your camp.
[tense music playing]
[light music playing]
Praise Allah and
the Great Blue Heavens.
You are alive.
[Timur] I'm a hard one to kill.
You may be, brother.
-You just may be.
-[both laugh]
[Hussayn] Come.
Now tell me, where have you been
these many months?
[Sarai] You were able to ride
after being poisoned?
I've never heard of
any man surviving mad honey.
Sarai, my husband
isn't just any man.
Ilias must have sent
his men to Khorasan
before you arrived in Samarkand.
Aljai was seriously wounded.
We barely escaped.
Hussayn's always been good
at hiding.
I did more than that.
Father said he was
as slippery as a fish.
Slippery or not,
you saved my wife and son.
You kept them safe,
even when you thought
I was dead.
And I am once again
in your debt.
Ilias has to pay for what
he has done to this family.
Let us march on Samarkand now.
Tugluk is on his deathbed.
Ilias has left Samarkand
and is traveling north
to be with his dying father.
To take his place as
Khan of Chagatai.
We go now,
the traitorous people
of Samarkand
will not stand a chance.
The people of Samarkand need
to be liberated, not conquered.
[baby crying]
[Hussayn]
Timur. This is our chance.
With you by my side,
think of what hell
we can bring to Ilias.
Bikijuk holds Samarkand
with just a few hundred men.
We can leverage Samarkand
against Ilias's return.
Have you lost faith in me?
[emotional,
pensive music playing]
[emotional,
pensive music continues]
[music ends]
I just got you back.
And your heart is already
on the road
to Samarkand with Hussayn.
He is right,
but if you just say the word,
I will tell him to find
someone else to march
into battle with him.
My brother sees
only opportunity,
always has.
His eyes are constantly
scanning the horizon,
looking for his next move.
[dramatic music playing]
But the man I love...
is different.
And the people of Samarkand
need you both.
I am more concerned with
the needs of my wife and son.
Jahongir needs to know
his father is a great man
who honored the promise he made
to protect the road
and its people.
[Timur] What is this?
We both bear
the marks of Ilias now.
I'm just grateful
Jahongir wasn't hurt.
I should have been there
to protect you.
No, no.
You had no idea.
You'll never be safe.
Not until Ilias is dead.
Now is the time
for Hussayn to act.
He will succeed.
I have no doubt
with you by his side.
[dramatic music continues]
It's brought you
back to me once.
-[horses neighing]
-[hooves thudding]
[ominous music playing]
[Hussayn] We've been gathering
forces this last year,
lying in wait.
Perhaps you have forgotten
how to count.
My Jagun of 100 men
are stronger
than any of Ilias's mingghan
of 1,000 men.
[Hussayn] I hear you have
snuck in and out
of the city many times.
What do you know of
Samarkand's defenses?
[low, driving music playing]
With your numbers,
it will take a miracle.
Is our cause not just?
I cannot conjure angels
with flaming swords
like the visions of my father...
[flames roar to life]
[ethereal, haunting
music playing]
[sparks hiss and crackle]
What is it?
You play shatranj, don't you?
[horses neigh]
[flames ignite]
[steady, calculated
orchestral music playing]
[Timur]
The Jettes outnumber us.
This is true...
but we don't need the numbers.
The Mongols that remain
in Samarkand
don't care enough
about that city
to sacrifice themselves for it.
What makes you so certain
they will retreat?
[Timur] Their will to fight
stems from two things:
- The fear of their Khan...
-[people clamoring]
and the spoils of war.
[Bikijuk]
What is the meaning of this?
[Timur]
We will make the city appear
as if it is surrounded.
Torches.
In the distance.
Who marches on our city
in these great numbers?
[flames roaring]
[Timur] Bikijuk is no fool.
He will not risk his own men,
especially in the face
of a larger force.
What is your plan?
I serve Ilias,
this fight is not worth his men.
[Timur] With Ilias gone,
who rules the city?
Abu Shihab.
[Bikijuk] Let's go.
[Timur] Perfect.
We need a coward
for this plan to work.
[steady, calculated
orchestral music continues]
[Abu Shihab] Raise the flag.
We must surrender.
[Timur]
Every noble knee will bow
to the rightful ruler
of Samarkand,
Hussayn.
When they raise
the white flag of surrender...
we will lead Iskander
and his men
around the back of the city,
and they will crush
the Jette forces
as they try to escape.
Then the city will be ours.
When the people of Samarkand
see that we have taken the city
without harming a single soul,
they will join us.
There are just two things left:
-[arrows thud]
-[horses whinny]
To send a message...
and set the trap.
Bikijuk.
Surprised to see me
back from the dead?
No...
[chuckles]
because I didn't put
the blade in you myself.
[sword clanks on the ground]
[suspenseful music playing]
Tell Ilias
that I am waiting for him.
And to prepare to meet my blade.
And... what about me?
You, my friend,
will help us kill Ilias.
[unsettling music playing]
[Hussayn] The bloody reign
of Ilias and his puppet rulers
has come to an end.
The day is yours, Hussayn.
Samarkand will be
free of tyranny
and those who turned
against my family.
-[grunts]
-[crowd gasps]
-[body thuds]
-These men have surrendered.
They pose no threat.
No threat?
They conspired against us!
Not once but twice!
Scheming in their dark corners
against my grandfather,
scheming to serve you up
for slaughter.
-[inhales]
-[fleshy slash]
-[crowd gasp]
-[body thuds]
You let them live now,
and they will come for you
again and again.
[low, tense music playing]
Ah!
I will not be blinded
by a sense of honor.
Do you want justice...
or not?
[ominous music playing]
Ah!
[Aljai] My dear Timur,
word has reached camp
of your victory in Samarkand.
I rejoice to see my brother
on his rightful throne.
Our greatest threat now
is Ilias.
[winces in pain]
[Sarai]
Is everything all right?
I'll be fine.
[unsettling music playing]
My wounds refuse to heal,
and I grow weak with fever.
I cannot wait
to recover with you
in my home of Samarkand.
[religious chants]
[Baraka] I won't lie,
I believed like the rest
that you were dead.
Yet here you are.
The liberator of Samarkand.
[Timur] I am half the man I was
the last you saw me.
Lame, maybe.
But still Timur,
son of Taragai.
No other man could have
accomplished what you did today.
What we did today.
How does Hussayn fare?
He has Samarkand.
That he may,
but it should cost
a man something
to spill another man's blood.
It might be justified,
it might be worth it.
To Genghis Khan,
it certainly was.
But there is a cost.
You can see it in a man's eyes.
At least, you hope to see it.
Hussayn can lose control.
He's lost much,
and he lets his rage
overtake him.
And how long will he trust you?
We both want to see
the Silk Road restored.
Don't be blinded
by just the individual
and ignore the whole.
Don't worry, teacher.
All will be made whole soon.
[dramatic music playing]
[Hussayn] Tugluk is dead.
Ilias is now Khan
and will move on us before long.
The scouts have confirmed,
Ilias rides from the north.
[Hussayn]
Your trap worked, Timur.
We will ride north to meet him.
[epic music playing]
[Timur]
Jasur, we've been expecting you.
As requested.
It's good to see you.
Chinese firepower.
[Iskander] How do I assure
our men
it won't blow their heads off?
[Jasur] You don't.
You're the man
of faith, aren't you?
[tense music playing]
[Timur] What troubles you?
The throne is finally yours.
-It has always been mine!
-And always will be.
And after tomorrow,
we will finally have our peace.
All Ilias will see is a broken,
crippled man leading
a small army of unmounted men.
[Hussayn]
Black powder?
Will it be enough?
[Timur] With Jasur's help,
we'll survive
the first two waves.
Then it all depends on you.
[distant thunder]
[Hussayn] You put a lot of faith
in this... dust.
No.
I put my faith in you.
Tomorrow, when the Mongol
drummer signals the third wave,
you will flank them
from the hill.
And we will have
them surrounded.
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[distant thundering of hooves]
[thundering hooves grow louder]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music continues]
[thunder rumbles]
[Bikijuk] First wave, forward!
[exclaims]
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
[distant war cries]
[suspenseful music playing]
Hold.
Hold.
Close!
Arrows!
[arrows whiz, thud]
Next wave!
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
[suspenseful music continues]
Ready.
Torches!
Move!
[suspenseful music builds]
-[thundering hooves]
-[fierce war cries]
-[hand cannons fire]
-[horses whinny in pain]
[hand cannons fire]
[suspenseful music intensifies]
-[soldiers shout in unison]
-[hand cannons fire]
[horses whinny in pain]
[soldiers scream]
Cannons!
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[ominous thunder]
[heavy rain falls]
Finish them.
[rhythmic, martial drumming]
That is the signal.
Let's go!
Yah!
[wick sizzles out]
[wick sizzles out]
Now, Hussayn, now!
[thundering hooves]
Come brother, now!
[distant war cries]
[panicked screams]
-[soldiers scream]
-[swords clash sharply]
Amir!
-[horses whinny]
-[battle clashing]
Timur trusted too much
in black powder.
[thudding]
[clatter of armor, blades]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music continues]
[swords clash]
[fleshy slashes]
[dull thuds]
[Bikijuk] Timur!
[suspenseful music playing]
[both grunt]
[swords clash]
[thuds]
[grunts]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Iskander] Hussayn!
Those are my men down there!
And they are trapped in the mud,
as we will be too.
Samarkand is undefended.
Let us make our stand there,
not here.
Yah!
[dramatic, somber music playing]
[body thuds]
[grunts]
-[horse whinnies]
-[fleshy slash]
[swords clash]
[intense, frantic combat sounds]
[dramatic, somber music
continues]
[music fades]
[Aljai, muffled] Timur.
Timur.
- Get up.
-[gasps]
[breathes deeply]
[mournful music playing]
[horse hooves approaching]
[mournful music continues]
[water splashes]
[Aljai] Timur.
[somber music playing]
[sword thuds]
-My love, what is it?
-[Aljai whimpering]
What is wrong?
She's been ill for a long time.
Her wounds have festered.
[weakly] We belong to God,
and to Him shall we return.
No, no, no.
Don't speak this way.
Where is Hussayn?
[labored breathing, trembling]
He chose the throne over us.
He betrayed us.
-[Aljai groans]
-He left us to die.
[somber music continues]
[Jahongir cries]
[Aljai] I fear my brother
doesn't understand
the cost of his actions.
Listen to me...
[inhales shakily]
...you have survived
without me before.
[Timur] Mm-mmm.
You need to be strong
for our son.
Now is the time to do
what needs to be done.
Restore order,
give our son
the world he deserves!
-[Aljai] Promise me you...
-[Timur] Go get help.
Help!
No, no, no.
I cannot do this again.
I cannot do this without you.
You have to now.
-Shh...
-[ragged, labored breathing]
[breathing stops]
Aljai...
[mournful music playing]
[soft cries]
[music ends]
[Sarai] Timur!
[Timur] Hasn't your husband
sent for you to join him?
I won't go to him.
Not after what he's done to you.
[Timur] I'm taking my son
away from here.
I'm going to kill Ilias
with or without Hussayn.
And then what?
Once you defeat Ilias,
you and Hussayn have
no enemy left but each other.
What then will become
of you two?
Hussayn has stopped
at nothing to ensure his claim,
while you have lost everything.
Timur, think about it.
Who knocked over
the first piece, huh?
Ilias? Tugluk? Hadji?
Hussayn killed his grandfather!
No.
He started this game
you're playing,
which has cost you everything
while he sits on the throne.
You have fixed your gaze
on Ilias for so long
that you've been blind
to the ambitions
of those closest to you.
He will never stop, Timur,
and do you think in the end
he'll let you live?
What then of your promise
to Aljai to protect your son?
[dramatic music playing]
If I don't return,
watch over my son for me.
[Aljai] Timur...
Timur...
[dramatic music continues]
It's your time.
[poignant, rising music playing]
A Barlas dagger?
[Timur] This was made
to look like our clan.
[Hussayn] I will not be blinded
by a sense of honor.
[poignant, rising
music continues]
[catapult creaking]
[dramatic, suspenseful
music playing]
[thunderous launch]
[impact rumbling]
-[fireballs roar]
-[explosions]
[Iskander]
We are running out of time.
The walls will fall
before the day is through.
Are there not able-bodied men
all across the city
that can pick up arms
and fight for us?
Do you believe
they will fight for you?
In their eyes, you are
not different from Ilias.
-Hey.
-[Timur] He's right.
Praise Allah,
you're alive.
The link that once
bound us together is gone.
[distant explosions]
Now... what...
will become of us?
No one remains
to dispute my rightful claim.
We made sure of that.
I have stopped at nothing
to ensure that claim,
by birth, by marriage, by...
whatever else I had to do.
I had to do.
Brother...
Did you do it?
My grandfather became too weak
to hold power in his hand.
Those noblemen
-backed Hadji instead of--
-Did you do it?
[inhales deeply]
I did... what had to be done!
Do you think it was easy for me?
Is this not what
both of us wanted?
[distant explosions continue]
[exhales]
[clicks tongue]
Let us finish this together.
Let us make every sacrifice,
every compromise worth
the blood that has been spilt.
Now...
[exhales]
Now there is only Ilias.
I swear it, brother,
one last time.
I know.
[gentle music playing]
[sniffles]
[Timur]
It has taken me many years
to grasp this truth, my son:
Men hunger for power.
Often with little regard
for the souls
trampled beneath
their ambitions.
So I resisted what others
claimed was my destiny.
But fate is not
a path you choose.
It is chosen for you.
Our only task is to have
the courage to surrender to it.
Surrender...
As I embrace my fate, I do so
to forge a path for you,
my dear Jahongir.
A world transformed
by sacrifice.
[foreboding music playing]
The rumors are true, then.
A cripple walks to our camp,
a shadow of his former self,
offering up
his brother's surrender.
[tense music playing]
I presume this...
was meant for me?
Will you finally
take me up for a game
as we discuss
your brother's surrender?
That will be all.
Let's play where I left off.
Your move.
[Timur] Tell me...
what were you afraid of?
You should be flattered.
A threat worthy of my attention.
You and I could have
worked together.
Rebuilt the Silk Road.
[Ilias] What you've always
failed to grasp, Timur, is...
what it really takes to rule,
to build, to conquer,
to take what is yours.
You say you fight for the vision
of my great-grandfather,
but you don't have
his fortitude,
his mettle, his backbone.
-[Timur] And you do?
-[Ilias] I have his blood.
You come into my camp alone, hm?
You talk of "joining forces,"
of uniting these
miserable people?
I have come
to bring them justice.
[mocking chuckle] Justice?
One wave of my hand,
you understand?
-And my guard's will--
-Give the order, then.
You may have fooled my father,
but I'm not so easily taken in.
Who do you think you are?
You are no Khan.
You will never be Khan!
Every move you've made,
I've been one step ahead of you.
I saw what your brother did
to you on the battlefield.
You should be grateful to know
that after I've killed you,
I will enact the revenge...
[thumps]
...you are clearly too blind
and weak to get yourself.
Yes... I am only a man
that has lost his queen.
And you would expect me
to resign the game.
But I am not you.
Aljai warned me
to not trust you.
I should have listened to her.
Let's play this out.
[thumps]
[dramatic, ominous
music playing]
We've been waiting for you.
The time has come, then?
[Timur] Shatranj,
it's a beautiful game
with a long history.
All the hands
it has passed through...
the way the pieces
have changed...
the ways that the rules
were rewritten.
Give me ten of your best men.
I've never heard of
any man surviving mad honey.
The way that the pawn
can move twice as quickly
to start the game.
It wasn't my honey that
touched your lips that night.
[dramatic, ominous
music continues]
[Timur]
How horses became knights.
Guards!
[high-pitched ringing]
[fleshy slashes]
[grunts]
And how when the pawn
reaches the end of the board...
And it goes as far as it can...
Guards!
...that pawn can be exchanged
for any piece you so desire.
[discordant music playing]
As if it was never lost at all.
[dramatic music playing]
How?
When I signal, open the gates.
[arrow whizzes]
[Timur] It's simple, Ilias.
[Hussayn] Open the gate!
[Timur] I have learned
to play your game.
I should have seen Hussayn
for the man that he is.
A man like you,
who calls himself leader...
but destroys everything
and builds nothing.
You do not have
what it takes to rule,
to build, to conquer.
I have a plan...
[sharp, fleshy stab]
...to build a better world.
[clanging]
[triumphant music playing]
[triumphant cheering]
[all] Timur!
[music ends]
[Jahongir cooing]
[emotional music playing]
[Timur] Have they chosen?
[Iskander] Yes,
Muhammad Amin.
Up!
Your men have chosen you
to lead them.
Follow me and there will be
strength and justice.
Spare all those
that pledge allegiance.
Kill the rest.
[triumphal music playing]
[cheers]