I am abu nasyr ibn Muhammad al-farabi at-turk.
I shall tell you a true story
immortalized by the Greek historian herodotus.
The power of the persian empire was in its heyday.
Cyrus the great had conquered half of the world,
except for Egypt and the northern lands,
which at that time were inhabited by the saka tribes.
They occupied steppes
from the caspian sea to the altai mountains.
The saka people consisted of many tribes,
including the massagetae.
Mighty hunt, chief!
In the honor of the future heir!
I am certain now
that my wife shall give birth to a boy.
Chief, one arrow is mine, though!
We have gone too far from home.
These are not our lands anymore.
Yes, these are lands of the akibat.
They are here.
Akibats...
You shall die here!
Chief!
End my suffering.
You have faithfully served me.
See you again in heaven.
Spargap...
Look, smoke signal.
Let a baby boy come out of your womb,
like an arrow out of the quiver!
I cut open, I cut through the loins...
I cut the son out of the mother's womb!
Let the boy appear.
May the afterbirth fall out.
May the hero be born now.
Your son, ten months old.
Collect all your strength now.
A child is on his way.
She has lost a lot of blood.
Strength is leaving her body.
Hold it, hold tight!
Chief!
Give me a son! A boy!
Let a boy be born after!
Spargap...
I know you wanted a son...
Spargap, she is our blood, our child.
That is all I was able to give you.
I am sorry, I am not long for this world.
Bopai!
No!
You shall give birth to my son.
Her name is...
Tomiris.
No! Bopai!
Bopai!
No!
Bopai...
Years passed. Spargap remarried.
The father treated his only daughter tomiris
with love and care.
From an early age,
he raised her as a brave and strong warrior.
Take your time!
Come on, defend yourself.
Get yourself together! Even faster!
Daughter!
Ah, clever one!
I'm the chief!
You must be brave, fearless and smart.
Like you, father?
Better than me!
Shall I see mother again?
I believe you shall.
Here we are all mortal,
but one day we shall go to immortality...
I am glad to see our closest neighbors.
We are pleased to see you, as well, palak.
And, as always, I have something for you.
Long time no see!
Let us go to the hearth and talk.
How did the khwarezmians make it through those long cold days?
Khwarezmians certainly have it much easier
than your steppe tribes.
But with the warmth, there comes not only joy,
but also misfortune... Raids from your kind.
This troubles us greatly.
So I arranged this meeting once again to discuss it with you.
Palak, you know that spargap is in charge of all these raids.
He is the chief of the tribe.
We have told him many times
that friendship with the khwarezmians shall benefit us more than the enmity.
We know this,
and therefore we wanted to speak with you.
You are both rational and influential people in your clan.
And you could rule more wisely...
Than this stubborn spargap.
Come to the table!
Kavaz! Kurtun!
They say you made khwarezmian friends.
We did not, we trade with them once in a while,
exchange pelts for salt and fabrics, to please our wives.
Why?
You can simply take anything you want from them.
And anything your wives wish.
The khwarezmians have long wanted
to make a deal with you, chief.
Since when are you their ambassador?
Maybe you should hear them out, spargap.
You say another word,
and your heads will be sent to them!
Are you scared?
They got scared!
Father!
What is it?
Father, I had a nightmare.
Where are the guards?
Run! Run!
Save the children!
Treason! Treason!
Daughter!
Father!
Chief!
Kharasp!
Take the children!
- No! - Run! Save the children!
Why? I don't want to go!
Father!
No!
Father! Father!
Leave now! Run!
Diel
father!
No!
Father!
Tomiris!
Here, eat.
I don't want to.
We must go to the tigraxauda, bopai's kin.
We don't know which chiefs conspired.
We must go to a safe place and wait it out.
Where can we hide from everyone?
I know...
Where we must go.
This place is cursed.
No one comes here.
This is the only place
where we will be safe for now.
We are staying here.
Settled in the forest,
kharasp, and all the others who escaped,
began their new life there.
The temporary shelter became their second home.
Tomiris, do it like this...
As time passed, kavaz's and kurtun's people
stopped searching for them,
and the vile murder of the massagetae's leader
was forgotten in the steppe.
But the death of her father hardened tomiris' heart.
She was growing up dreaming of revenge
and returning home.
Tomiris, targytai!
We do not play with fire!
Respect the spirits who gifted it to us.
Spirits and fire did not protect my father and brothers!
Hunting shall help you become warriors.
Being able to run, jump and shoot is not enough
to become true warriors.
You must also use your mind and stealth.
You can learn a lot
by patiently observing the prey.
Mine!
Targytai! Tomiris!
Scoop the salt where it's dry and clean.
You said we were not to be here for long.
I want to kill kavaz
before he dies of old age.
You are driven by revenge,
rather than by the willingness to accept spargap's legacy.
I am sick of hiding.
I am not staying here anymore.
- Wait, tomiris! - Targytai,
leave her alone.
She will be back.
Shall I see mother again?
I believe you shall.
Here we are all mortal...
Mother, father...
Why did you leave me?
I miss you both so much.
Targytai!
Tomiris!
Kharasp!
How?
What happened?
They came out of nowhere...
Tomiris...
I am sorry, I could not save us.
Kharasp! Kharasp!
No!
Let's take her.
We have been waiting for you a long time, my daughter.
Oh, my mother...
We went further than usual in search of prey.
Who is that?
We picked this one up in the white sand valley.
She is badly wounded.
Lost a lot of blood.
She is not a commoner.
Take care of her. Take her to the priestess.
Come to the light of the living!
I am taking you to life.
I found your breath in the wind,
your sight... in the sun.
I shall keep your mind inside of you.
Tomiris...
Father!
Run...
Control the body, speak the tongue without rambling.
Inhale and exhale...
Life-giving and good grass...
Drink it!
How is she? Will she make it?
She woke up!
I am sardana,
a warrior and daughter of the savromats' chief.
Did you save me?
We picked you up and brought you here.
Come with me. They are waiting for us.
A worthy husband shall notice a woman warrior
who collected three enemy skulls in her battles.
Do you have a husband?
I have more than enough skulls to have a husband,
but there is still no warrior worthy of me.
You have a massagetae ring on your finger...
Who are you and where have you come from?
Do not be afraid of us.
We are not enemies to you.
Yes, I am from massagetae.
Tomiris is my name.
My loved ones were killed.
I am the only survivor.
I am grateful to you, you saved my life,
healed me, and let me stay here.
I knew your father, spargap...
He was a noble chief.
We were good friends.
We shall protect you,
but you should remain inconspicuous on the steppe.
By the way, where are those who wounded you?
I killed them all.
So how many people attacked you?
Enough for two husbands.
Is that her?
Yes, she survived.
What are you thinking about?
About my family and everyone I have lost
without a chance to say goodbye.
Don't be afraid.
My mother, whom I've never seen...
My father, who died protecting me...
My survival was not in vain.
I swear!
I shall take back everything you left for me!
Thinking of running away?
No, I don't want to run away anymore.
Little by little,
the savromats accepted tomiris.
She gained strength
and got used to the tribe's lifestyle
as one of the women warriors.
The brave women practiced their fighting skills,
hunted and raided the neighbors
on par with strong men.
What are you waiting for?
Finish her!
Do not be offended.
Savromats! Save yourselves!
Let go of me!
Hold her!
Let's go!
Drink!
Sister!
You are one of us now!
What's on your mind, tomiris?
What's next?
Tomorrow we shall attack the khwarezmian village
and carry off much Booty.
Booty is good.
We should split up.
Some of us shall lure the men out of the village,
while the others enter the village quietly
and loot more without resistance.
Why?
This way we shall shed less blood.
Don't kill us!
Have mercy on us! Have mercy!
You are a brave boy!
Protecting your mother?!
She is not my mother!
I'm an orphan!
Do not kill us!
This is our servant! Do what you like with him!
Take this!
You can keep it.
You don't see your most valuable possession.
He was willing to sacrifice his life for you.
Follow me!
What do you need him for?
He shall be a good warrior.
He will grow up and avenge his parents.
He lost his parents a long time ago.
Just as I did.
I shall take care of him.
Do you plan your revenge?
It is not revenge, but justice!
I think about it every day.
Tiras, drink this.
May both heaven and earth be merciful to you!
May you live a hundred long autumns,
and amass bounteous riches for yourself!
Heaven answered my prayers!
My son, my kind, my heir!
Let us enter the great parts of the world!
May all the tribes accept you!
Heavenly waters are rich with milk!
I sprinkle the shine of these waters on you!
The heir! The heir!
Great health to your heir!
Father!
Those are kavaz and kurtun!
And that disgruntled khwarezmian,
whose village we raided the other day.
My heart tells me to kill them right this minute,
but my mind says it's not the time yet.
Let's go! I'll show you someone.
That's my son!
Get him!
Get him! Show your strength!
Argun won!
His name is argun.
He is the dahae chief's son.
Argun!
Who is she?
One of my warriors.
Shall we go into the tent
and talk about steppe matters?
Yes.
More tea.
You are a good shot!
I am argun, son of the dahae chief.
I know.
I am tomiris.
I thank you for the generous gifts and sacrifices.
And for sharing my joy with...
I did not come to celebrate with you.
Your savromats have crossed the line
by attacking khwarezmian villages.
I am aware of your friendship with the khwarezmians,
but we have always lived off the raids.
The enemy of my ally is my enemy, too.
And today is a good time to tell you,
in the presence of all the chiefs,
that you must stop the raids
and give your newborn to us as a pledge.
Kavaz, you better say in the presence of everyone
who's closer to you:
Kwarezm or your own kind?
Enough talk!
When the grass turns yellow and the first snow falls,
you are to give your only son to us!
Thus, you shall pledge,
that you intend no more raids.
You've made your choice!
Kavaz and kurtun are leaving.
They are leaving not as guests, but as enemies.
Has kavaz already forgotten who is his own kind?!
I believe it is time for the steppe tribes to unite
before khwarezm is at our door.
So, you wish to use us
no one has threatened us.
I agree with the tigraxauda chief.
Our herds are fat,
and they keep growing year after year.
Neither massagetae nor khwarezm bother us.
We have good trade relations with khwarezm.
There is no benefit for us to quarrel with them.
We all know how kavaz came to power,
and turned the proud massagetae tribe
into the servants of khwarezm!
But they are strong because of khwarezm.
I am glad you stayed to speak with me.
Earlier today you asked who that girl was.
Yes, I remember, an agile Archer.
The massagetae torque is hers by birthright.
She is the heiress of the vilely murdered spargap.
Her name is tomiris.
You've been hiding her this whole time?
By the will of heaven,
she happened to come to our tribe,
she grew stronger as a warrior
and bloomed as a woman.
And it seems that she caught argun's fancy.
Heavens are giving us a sign!
I see what you mean.
We must act now!
We should take our armies there
before khwarezm comes to help kavaz.
The massagetae people will be glad
to meet spargap's heiress.
And the union of the couple
will strengthen the power of our tribes in the steppe.
Tomiris, rejoice!
By the will of heaven, tomorrow we shall attack kavaz!
You can avenge your father.
Let's see my father.
He is calling for you.
May our night be quiet.
Tomiris, this is dahae chief saprash.
I am glad that the only daughter
of the mighty warrior spargap is alive.
At dawn, we advance with our warriors to kavaz.
We intend to return the legacy of spargap.
You are a dignified warrior
and you can lead your native tribe.
We shall help you regain your position.
I understand you are not doing this just for me.
Yes, it's not just your misfortune anymore.
I have been waiting for this day of retribution for so long.
But you must know
that I am not going against my people,
I am standing up for them.
Only those who killed my father should be punished.
You must be brave, fearless and smart.
Like you, father?
Better than me!
Stop!
We stay here!
Kavaz! Kurtun!
Today, the retribution shall be made!
Who are you?
I am tomiris,
the daughter of the massagetae tribe chief spargap!
Vilely murdered by you!
She's come to take her vengeance on us!
Warriors of my people!
These traitors are leading you into slavery for khwarezm!
We are free tribes of the steppe!
L, savromats, and dahae
do not want to shed the blood of our brothers!
I shall kill only them!
How dare you?!
Father!
I'll kill you!
Father!
I'll kill you!
Stop!
Revenge!
Tie them!
Stop them!
Calm down!
Stop!
Tomiris is telling the truth!
She is right, all power rightfully belongs to her!
Tomiris, I will kill you!
Tomiris, I feel guilty before you.
Every massagetae is to blame
for the murder of your father, chief spargap!
If you wish,
you can take my life right now.
Spargap's daughter tomiris is back!
Kavaz and kurtun are dead!
Tomiris... spargap's daughter is back!
Oh, heaven! My dream came true!
The daughter of the great chief spargap
and beautiful bopai, tomiris, has returned
to her people and her rightful position.
Bright days await our lands now!
Woe to the traitors!
Death to the traitors!
Mom, get up! Do not humiliate yourself!
Be quiet, son!
Forgive us, tomiris! We are innocent!
My people!
I am tomiris!
I did not come for a visit.
I have returned home.
And those who are not happy with me can leave today.
Your husbands and fathers
were friends with khwarezm.
Maybe they will shelter you.
Taste the bitterness of the loss of the loved ones
and wander on earth with no home.
Have mercy!
Get out of my sight!
I shall take care of it, tomiris.
Take them!
Take them away!
Quick!
Oh, sunborn!
We have been waiting for you!
I know who my parents were.
No time to celebrate it.
There shall be a battle with khwarezm.
It is necessary to hold a sacrament,
make a sacrifice
and ask the sun, sky and fire.
First, take me to my father's remains.
It's here.
Oh, gods!
Oh, the great warrior spargap!
Your great spirit has brought the true chief back to us,
your daughter tomiris!
My father...
I did it.
I took back what you had left to me.
Rest in peace, father.
I am here now.
One day...
We shall be together.
But I am sad we shall not see each other often.
But we remain sisters.
I won! I won!
All right, tiras, all right, you won!
What did he win?
He got to tomiris first.
Tiras, now try to run away from me.
Catch me!
I'm gonna catch you now!
I do not believe that great argun
could not catch tiras.
I heard that once a savromat warrioress
collects three enemy skulls in her battles,
she may attain a worthy husband.
It is true.
Are you ready to choose your husband?
Yes, I have already made my choice.
Khwarezmians are coming!
Oh, heaven and earth!
Let there be no fear below us!
And no fear above us!
They have chariots.
Their warriors are well-armed and protected by armor.
Chariots are easy targets for good horsemen.
And iron shells make their riders heavy and slow.
The infantry warriors slow khwarezmians down, as well.
Let there be no hostility in the front!
We shall attack khwarezmians with a small group.
First, we'll fire a hail of arrows onto the khwarezmians.
And when we meet them in the field, we shall appear weak and in retreat.
Tomiris! Tomiris!
I will go, too!
Let them believe there will be an easy victory
and let them chase us.
This shall weaken their lines.
No, tiras.
You must stay here and protect the capital.
I trust you.
And then our riders shall ambush them
from both sides with all their might.
And those feigning retreat
shall turn and strike again from the front.
Oh, heaven and earth!
Oh, divine arrows of the steppe saka!
Pierce through our enemies!
The khwarezmians will be crushed.
We shall simply chase down and slaughter them.
Come back alive!
May you have no fear!
They are trapped.
An arrow!
Get ready!
Follow me!
I keep wondering...
Who did you choose to be your husband?
Why ask a question,
when you already know the answer?
Marry me!
The four corners of the earth made you a wife for him.
The four corners of the earth made you a husband for her.
May the four corners of the earth
give you both a thousand years!
May all evils be cast out of this place,
driven away from us and our tribe!
May the sun Grant you its fiery energy!
Oh, heaven and earth!
Protect us and bless us with your gifts!
May your clan become glorious
throughout all four corners of the earth!
My people!
Worthy massagetae sons
did not fight for our freedom and dignity on their own!
Loyal dahae warriors sacrificed their lives...
As well as savromats!
They supported me in difficult times
and earned our trust.
The worthiest of dahae sons,
the Valiant warrior, my husband argun,
deserves your respect and honor.
We shall rule together!
Regard him as your chief!
From now on, my home is here...
And you are my people!
My honor and my blood...
Are yours now!
After returning home,
tomiris became the full-fledged queen of her tribe.
Our son!
Reigning with her husband argun,
she paid even more attention to her role
as a loving wife and mother.
Tomiris and argun named their firstborn spargap
after the queen's father.
Hold tight!
Get up, spargap!
Refugees appeared in the steppe.
Look! Who is that?
Bactrians.
They fled the cities
conquered by the persian king, Cyrus,
often finding shelter
in the tribe of the smart and sagacious tomiris.
Don't turn us away.
We have nowhere to go.
We can make different things.
This sword...
Is made of iron.
It's tough and very durable.
Take a look.
I made it myself.
We could be useful to you.
You shall not regret it.
Let my family and me stay.
They took everything from us.
They slaughter the men
and take our wives and children as slaves.
Hurry up!
I am delighted to see you.
May our day be bright.
Our ruler, Cyrus the great, supports trade
and those who do not impede the caravans.
How reckless you are, merchants.
Traveling through our steppes
with all these goods and no proper guard.
We can negotiate with anyone.
And I know that you also trade goods among tribes.
And we take a lot from people
who fled the lands conquered by Cyrus.
You are right.
The lands of Cyrus the great keep growing.
Speaking of, please accept his generous gifts.
We are aware that the massagetae and dahae peoples
have a strong influence in the steppe.
King Cyrus will be delighted to have such friends.
He is pleased to offer an alliance.
But there are different kinds of alliances.
What are the conditions?
Certainly, we are offering you a friendship union.
Cyrus the great would like
to personally meet with you, chief,
in the capital of the world, Babylon,
and discuss all the conditions.
You shall be a very special guest of our king.
It shall be a great honor for me to accompany you.
And here's a letter from Cyrus the great.
People who have such weapons
do not need our friendship.
We can learn a lot from them.
They say that Babylon is incredibly rich.
Then, why do people flee from it?
He holds out his hand to us,
but it's covered in blood.
But they came to us as if we were their equals.
You are blinded by their rich gifts and sweet talk.
You are only concerned with the present...
But I think of the future.
I shall travel to Babylon and speak with Cyrus.
Our son is going with me.
Let our heir follow the king's example.
Hardly two full moons shall pass
before we arrive to the beautiful city of Babylon!
There are no obstacles
for Cyrus's ambassadors along the road!
You can't scare nomads with a long trip.
Gubar, I thank you for your visit and generous gifts.
May this be the beginning of our great friendship.
Oh, beautiful tomiris!
I also thank you for the warm welcome.
It won't take long until you receive good news.
Look after your father.
He is too great
and doesn't notice small things.
Oh, mother!
Blood of the great kings runs in me.
I shall not let you down.
My son...
Watch out for this persian.
He talks too much.
This is the first time we'll be parted for so long.
My heart will be longing for you.
Remember me.
Take this.
Don't let your gaze be distracted
by the babylonian beauties.
Don't worry about us, my queen.
Have faith in me.
May your days be bright
and your nights be quiet.
Enough talk.
It's time to go!
Mount your horses! Mount your horses!
Tiras!
Follow them and be discreet.
All right.
It's good we've found water.
Take a good water supply.
And give water to the horses. We have a long way ahead of us.
We took a good shortcut.
Here is your gold.
Spare a coin! We are starving!
Get out!
Out!
Move aside!
Let us pass!
Arash, are you still alive?
Oh, noble warriors, don't pass by!
Follow me!
Step aside!
Greetings! Did you have a good rest?
May your day be bright!
Follow me! He is expecting us!
Oh, brave warrior argun, I am flattered
that you and your son
have come such a long way
to our glorious city of Babylon.
A massagetae chief, like any nomad,
is not afraid of the road.
I am delighted to see you, persian king!
Yes, I have heard
that nomads seem to be born in a saddle
and that they are fearless.
However, there are brave warriors in my army, too.
Thanks to them, I conquered half of the world.
I believe you and I can become allies
and continue to conquer the world together.
So you wish us to become your warriors?
I shall be honest with you, argun.
We take some lands without a fight,
but other lands, we have to shed blood for.
We are happy with our lands...
And we don't need more.
Argun.
I am offering you the whole world.
I came here
in search of a better path for my people.
After all, one cannot build the future
by destroying the world.
I like you, brave chief.
No one has ever dared to refuse me within these walls.
Gubar, entertain our guests!
I haven't finished...
My people and my land are also part of the world...
And we won't give in without a fight.
Blood would be shed.
Stubborn nomad.
Not stubborn, but brave.
And not as stupid as I thought.
Forgive me, king of kings.
I am your humble servant.
Therefore, I ask you...
Do not let argun walk out of the walls of Babylon.
Go on.
He has a wife, beautiful tomiris.
And she has great influence in the steppe.
It would be much easier to negotiate with a widow.
And then you would get her people's respect
and a huge army of brave horsemen
to conquer Egypt.
Chief, let's take them with us!
I would stay here!
Me, too!
Don't forget that you've got wives at home!
Let's drink!
Father, don't you think...
They are too relaxed?
Don't worry. Let them rest.
And now is the best part!
Argun, why did he say that?
Father!
Father...
Forgive me, son.
It's not your fault, father.
Why are you so slow?
Move faster!
Go away!
Speak!
Sister! Grief!
I believe the persians murdered everyone.
I saw them enter Cyrus's palace,
but none of them ever left it.
Their caravan is headed this way with two bodies.
Forgive me if you can for...
I couldn't do anything.
No...
I don't believe it...
Oh, tomiris!
I am so sorry that I bring you bad news.
The bodies of your husband and son are brought to you.
How did it happen?
Oh, queen, they were slain by wild tribes
who respect no authority.
But you should know
that by order of the great king Cyrus,
the culprits were punished.
Here are their scalps...
Prepare for the funeral.
Leave me!
The road to immortality...
My heart is broken.
I did not think
that my mighty son would die before I did.
We shall carry the great warriors, your son and grandson,
to their last journey home.
Mighty men are supported by the immortal fire!
Argun's path is the eastern fire!
Spargap's path is the Southern fire!
Earth shall cover them!
Protect, like fathers protect their sons!
These mighty warriors are entering immortality!
Give them a kinship home there!
I lift you both up to the paths
our fathers have paved...
This horse served him here...
Now it will serve him there!
You served him here,
from now on you will serve him there!
Spare their lives!
We need them alive.
You shall give birth to warriors!
And one day you shall become a warrior, too!
Great tomiris!
Cyrus the great is mourning with you.
You should know that argun secured an alliance
with great Cyrus, before his departure.
My lord is showing his nobility,
to prove the purity of his intentions and his willingness
to have peace with the massagetae and steppe tribes.
Great king Cyrus is offering you to become his wife.
Think of it, queen tomiris.
You shall not maintain power
in the steppe for much longer,
but with Cyrus,
your people will prosper for centuries.
It is a great honor.
And as a proof of my words
and king Cyrus's pure intentions,
he entrusted me with this letter for you.
Enough!
You shall get your answer as I announce it
in front of my people.
My people!
Persian king Cyrus offers his protection to us,
and wants me to become one of his wives!
Cyrus slaughtered our warriors,
my husband, and my son!
What are you saying? That's not true!
And what shall our answer be?
Here is the massagetaes' answer!
Gubar! No!
What have you done?!
Cyrus shall not forgive!
You will all die for this!
We shall wipe you from the face of the earth!
Return this jackal's body to his master!
Take them!
Oh! What shall we do now?!
Disaster... disaster is coming!
The sun and the sacred fire are angry with us!
The disaster came long ago,
when Cyrus turned his gaze to the great steppe!
He knows now that saka people do not give in!
This is our land! We are not giving it up!
I shall tolerate cowardice from no one.
You are alone now.
You are a woman. You are weak.
You did not sacrifice those people yesterday,
and the spirits are angry with us.
If you are telling the truth,
make them change their mind.
The power of fire, the power of fire, the power of fire...
Do you regret anything?
My boy spargap.
He was too young, hadn't even lived yet.
My husband argun,
a great mighty warrior...
Argun lives inside me.
And I want our child to live free, not as a slave.
I shall always be here!
Tomiris, the priest has set himself on fire!
Oh, great king!
Nomads killed your ambassador gubar!
Tomiris's bold move enraged Cyrus.
Forgetting about his plans to conquer Egypt,
he marched his entire army to the northern lands
to punish the rebellious nomads.
We need to unite all the tribes of the steppe.
No one shall survive on their own.
What do you offer to the tribal chiefs in return?
This is not an exchange.
Nor is it about my personal revenge.
Our fate today shall be your fate tomorrow.
What choice do we have
when Cyrus is coming after all of us?
He wants to take the steppe from us.
The whole steppe.
And make us all his slaves.
Tomiris is right.
We must unite.
The dahae are with you, tomiris.
We must expedite the work of all artisans.
They should be tirelessly forging iron weapons and armor.
Evacuate our people and our herds.
All Wells along the path of Cyrus's army
must be filled up with sand.
Small squads of our warriors
should raid persians at night...
So they don't get any sleep at all.
Only two full moons left until the battle.
We should meet them in the valley at the river.
Excellent armor!
It's all made of iron.
Madai! Secure it here...
Consider it done.
These arrows strike harder.
They have iron arrowheads.
If we lure them here,
we shall surround them
and win a quick victory.
Nomads use a feigned retreat
to stretch the lines and attack the gap.
You never know from where they are going to strike.
Their horsemen are a mighty force.
Our spies report
that their army is two times smaller than ours.
Most of these savages shall flee
once they hear the roar of our army.
They shall bring tomiris's head on a silver platter
to save themselves.
We must not underestimate the enemy.
Nonetheless, we shall erase them
from the face of the earth.
They have already crossed the syr darya river.
Their army is moving fast
and shall be in our lands soon.
Most of their warriors are on foot.
Khazars from the army of immortals
are especially ferocious amongst them.
Cut the head off a snake, and the body will die.
For that we must do the unexpected.
Cyrus must be killed during the battle!
We shall select one hundred of the best,
strongest warriors from each tribe.
Their main goal shall be
to get to Cyrus in the midst of the battle.
We shall strengthen the defense of this hundred
and their horses with iron armor.
We shall make them invulnerable to harm from enemy arrows.
We shall hide the iron hundred
in the center and wait.
Our horsemen shall attack them on both flanks.
Thus, we shall stretch their center.
Then our soldiers shall retreat.
The persians shall advance, losing their lines.
Meanwhile, our soldiers shall turn, form a wedge
and strike them in the thinned center.
Our iron hundred shall follow.
The path to Cyrus will be clear for them.
Great king!
Speak!
Nomads raid us every night.
They come out of nowhere and disappear.
The front line of our army has lost their sleep.
We are at war!
How many times do I have to say it?
Send there those who have had enough sleep!
Get out!
Free people of the steppe!
A formidable enemy has appeared!
And he wants to take everything from us!
Our land!
Our freedom!
And our unity!
Our ancestors saved this land for us!
Can we save our lands for our descendants?
Are we ready to fight
we are ready! Lead us!
Not all of us shall see the dawn tomorrow.
But our descendants shall be proud of our heroism.
They shall write songs of our deeds of valor.
We are with you, tomiris!
Let's fight! To the battlefield!
Let the enemies know
how the free people of the great steppe fight!
This is a lie, deceit.
A feigned retreat!
What are you hoping for, tomiris?
Great king, the nomads are breaking through the center!
You wish to get to me
and end the battle quickly, tomiris.
Prepare the immortals!
Send the immortals!
Destroy this squad!
Queen, we are getting closer to Cyrus's tent,
but our losses may be too great.
Sardana!
Sardana! You'll pay for this!
Great king! You must leave!
I have never fled from the enemy.
And I am not afraid to face death now.
Cyrus is dead!
Retreat!
Victory! Victory is ours, sister!
Bloodthirsty, are you?
Drink your fill of that!
Victory!
Much is forgotten,
but the story of tomiris shall remain for all time.
The queen who united nomadic tribes
was glorified by many nations
for her victory over the formidable conqueror.
And even at this moment,
it seems as if I see
happy queen tomiris
riding freely over the boundless steppe,
together with her son, the heir of argun.
May your days be bright
and your nights be quiet.