01x01 - Ten ni aru mono: Chi ni aru mono

[bunniefuu]

Long ago, scholars used geometry
to learn the size and scope

of the Earth for the first time.

In which case, is it also possible
to use geometry to determine

the size and scope of the fate
we hold in our hands?

This is the story of a witch
who made a vast continent her plaything.

And just where are you trying
to fly to, my little bird?

You are such a handful, child.

I love how full of life the bazaar is.

Mistress.

When your iddah mourning period for
the late master ends, let's come shopping.

Good idea.

For today, though, I hope Allah
will lead us to a fine sl*ve.

Not as fine as you, of course.

All of them are hard workers.

This woman, for example,
is skilled at cooking.

This one is a skilled seamstress.

And this one's a talker,

so perhaps she'd make a good conversation
partner for you, Lady Fatima.

Perhaps.

But what we most need
help with right now is...

The cleaning. That huge mansion
is too much for me to handle alone.

Yes, and I still haven't finished sorting
through my late husband's belongings.

Ah, say no more.

Then, how about this woman?

She has a true gift for cleaning.

My name is Anis.

Cleaning isn't about
what you wish to discard,

but what you wish to keep.

Your days will be neat and tidy.
I give you my word.

That would be wonderful.

How much for her?

I'll let you have her for 800 dirham.

I know sl*ves aren't cheap,
but my goodness...

Mr. Ahmad, please.
Can't you go a little lower?

I would normally refuse,

but I could make an exception
and let you have her for half price.

- What?

- What?

But in return...

Come.

Go on. Do as I taught you.

Oh, how cute.

Who's this?

I acquired her just the other day.
Her name is Sitara.

Oh, your name means "star." How lovely.

She's a bit bashful, but as you can see,
her smile is quite fetching.

If properly educated, I reckon she could
be a servant to someone of high standing.

So here's my proposal.

Lady Fatima.

Yours is a scholarly household,

and Young Master Muhammad's keen mind
shines brightly even here in Tus.

Studying in your home
will give her real cachet.

So might I trouble you
to take her in for a while?

You agreed to his deal?

Please. You're the only one qualified
to be her teacher now, Brother.

I'm still in my iddah, and I don't know
any teachers outside our family.

Besides, sl*ve or no, seeking knowledge
is the duty of every Muslim.

I suppose.

Recitation is the cornerstone
of all learning.

The first step on that journey
is to recite the Quran properly.

Now, repeat after me.

"In the name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

Now you.

Go on. Try saying it.

It's hopeless. This girl
has absolutely no talent.

Try as I might, she just smiles
and shows no interest in learning.

But I promised I would take her in.

I'll pay back the discount
you got on the other sl*ve.

I'm sorry, Brother.

I'll have him come fetch you.
Wait here a while, all right?

Mr. Ahmad's establishment, right? I'll go.

Yes. Sorry to trouble you.

I have to get away.

I don't wanna get sold off
to who knows where. I'm going home.

I'm lost.

Where's the way out?

A boy?

And Young Master Muhammad's keen mind
shines brightly even here in Tus.

Excuse me.

Where's the door?

Th-This is most improper.

A female mustn't show herself before a man
with her hair uncovered.

It's okay. I'm still little.

You're too close.

Besides, you look like
you're still a child to me,

Young Master Muhammad.

Who are you, anyway?

My name is—

Ah! There you are!

I've looked high and low
after you ran off.

The roses were so pretty,
I had to come look.

She was looking for the way out.

Unbelievable. How could you try to escape?

Now, now. My brother will be back
with Ahmad any minute now.

I'm so sorry.

You wanted to go back, didn't you?

Not to that man's place.

To the house I lived in with my mother.

My mother died,
and her master sold me off.

Then it's not your house.

You're a sl*ve.

If you want a real home to return to,

study hard so you'll be bought
by a good master.

Then, I'm never ever gonna study!

I don't wanna study!
I won't make cute faces anymore, either!

It only makes me more valuable!

If I study, I'll get sold off again
somewhere even farther away than this!

I'm sick of going places
where I don't recognize anything!

Little girl. Your name is Sitara?

So that's the reason
you came here to study?

Our lots in life might be
rather different, and yet...

Say, Zumurrud.

Would you fetch me a water bucket
from the kitchen?

The larger the better.

Of course.

Come with me.

Where are we going?

The roof?

Will this do?

Yes, thank you.

I'm going to drop this
into the courtyard, okay?

Young Master?

Is that girl really a lost cause?

Wh-What was that? What's going on?

What was that noise just now?
Is everyone all right?

Did lightning strike the house?

A-Are you sure we aren't
under enemy attack?

Is it those barbarous nomads?

A water bucket?

They're all in a panic.

Young Master,
your little prank went too far.

If I might ask, why are you two
so calm and composed?

Well, why wouldn't we be?

We knew it was going to hit the ground,
so we covered our ears.

So one might say you predicted a future
in which there would be a loud noise

and took appropriate precautions.
Is that correct?

Well, uh, yes, I suppose.

Perhaps that is what learning
is all about.

At this moment in time,
you don't know where you are,

what is happening,

or what is going to become of you.

Your life is full of unknowns.

In a way, my uncle and the others
down there are the same.

But if you study and become wise,

you will know the best course of action
to take, whatever trouble you're in.

That can never be a bad thing.

That's what studying is?

Uncle!

Sorry for startling you! That was me!

This water bucket is all bent
and won't stack anymore.

It no longer sparks joy.

Go and have it repaired.

I'll see to the cooking.

Why, hello there, Sitara.

If you have questions about anything,
feel free to ask.

I... I will.

Thus Sitara found herself serving
in a scholarly household,

while studying hard.

You look so pretty, Mistress!

Thank you. But I must admit,
I feel quite self-conscious.

Don't be silly.

This is your first day going back
to the hammam baths after your iddah.

Go freshen up, put on some makeup,
dye your hair and hands with henna,

and chat up a storm with the other wives.

If you insist.

I'll take you with me someday,

Sitara.

Sure.

"And to Allah belongs
all that is in the heavens,

and all that is in the earth."

My recitation is still different
than Uncle's somehow.

I'll have him teach me again.

Mother, can we talk?

Uh, where is Mother?

Mistress Fatima went to the hammam.

Didn't she tell you?

What? Oh, was that today?

Is there no room up there
for anything but your studies?

As I've told you, please don't leave
your room with your hair uncovered.

And as I've told you, I'm still little.

Besides, you're still only 12,
Young Master Muhammad.

What's so bad about someone
who still can't grow a beard

setting foot in a woman's room?

I'm not a child!

Am I immature in your eyes too?

My teacher told me I was too ignorant
in the ways of the world.

Your law teacher?

Yes, Ustad Kamal al-Din. Father
introduced me to him before he died.

But lately, there are times when I sense
we view things differently.

He does not even give clear answers
to questions I put to him.

You have far too little experience
to understand such things.

I... intend to go on a journey.

I wish to travel to Nishapur
and visit its renowned teachers.

And I won't stop there.
I will eventually visit other cities

and engage with wisdom

from any and all sources, not just Islam,

in search of truth.

I believe that to be the path my father,
a scholar himself, wanted for me.

That is so admirable.

Well, I have washing to do,
so I should go.

Sure.

"And to Allah belongs all that is in the
heavens, and all that is in the earth."

No matter how hard I study,

I'll never match Master Muhammad, will I?

Well, Mother, I'm off.

Devote yourself to your studies there
so as not to bring shame on your father.

I will.

Take good care of yourself.

Well, I'm off.

I'll see you partway there.

Thank you, Uncle.

Wait a moment.

Girl.

I'm told you are still unable to read.

Yes.

I see.

I shall write letters to you.

When I become a teacher in the future,

I'll need to convey lessons
to young children like you.

So I will write as simply as I can.

I'm your way of practicing?

I ask you to study hard
so you can read them to my mother.

Understood, Sitara?

Never stop learning, okay?

I understand. I won't.

I'll be off now.

Muhammad, a boy of Tus who would go on
to become a scholar of some renown,

and Sitara, a sl*ve girl.

This would be the last time they would
ever see each other face-to-face.

"In the name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

Huh?

It's the Tus militia.

Ms. Zumurrud?

They must be off to scout around
outside the city.

Apparently, armed nomads
have been seen in the area.

My little brother is among them somewhere.

I haven't seen him in ages, though.

Oh?

Mikhail and I were born
in a land far to the west.

One right by the sea.

When the evening sun set,
everything turned a lovely purple color.

The sea?

We were poor,

but how I loved watching the sea.

Sitara?

Might I trouble you to read this letter?

Yes! Right away!

In the usual room, yes?

My goodness, look how happy she is.

Here goes.

"Mother. Uncle."

"In the eight years since I left,
I have studied many fields of learning,

such as philosophy, mathematics,
medicine, and astronomy."

Nishapur is a large city
where noted scholars gather.

For example, I was instructed
by Fadl al-Din Damad

in the medical arts founded by Ibn Sina.

Unlike theology, in which
you simply parrot what you are taught,

science is knowledge built upon
real-world experience gained by scholars.

I find this manner of learning
far more agreeable.

"And also..."

"If our little star, Sitara,
will deign to listen,

please tell her about Euclid and Ptolemy."

Come with me.

Thank you for showing me
all these precious books.

Think nothing of it. Seeking knowledge
is the duty of every Muslim.

That's what my late
scholarly husband told me.

Euclid's Elements is that one there.

Sure.

"A point is that which has no part."

"A line is breadthless length."

"The ends of a line are points."

It's like he's stating obvious things
in an overblown way.

But what makes "obvious things" obvious?

It is by amassing examples one by one
that we prove universal principles.

Was that too hard?

Yes, sorry. I just don't see how
I can apply this knowledge.

In that case, let's find
a more interesting one for you.

Al-Biruni's Book of Instructions
in the Elements of the Art of Astrology.

A book on astrology?

More down to earth, right?

Look at this.

"The diameter of the Earth
is 2,163 and 1/3 farsakh,

and its circumference is 6,800 farsakh."

This person traveled
to the ends of the Earth?

Of course not. That's impossible.

By forming a right triangle
using a spot on the ground,

a mountaintop,
and the center of the Earth,

it is possible to determine
the Earth's radius.

A mountaintop?

You can also calculate the Earth's
circumference using the angle of shadows.

Using shadows?

All of this was derived from
the universal knowledge found in Elements.

Well? Does it pique your interest?

It's burning!

Huh?

It's been one failure after another
with you lately.

I'm sorry, Ms. Anis.

Listen, Sitara.

sl*ves do all sorts of jobs.

Some sl*ves are given an education
in order to entertain their master.

We sometimes even receive
a pledge to be set free.

You shouldn't get your hopes up
too high, though.

We don't get to decide such things.

We aren't people. We're property.

Girls, please...

Gather around.

Can you also go fetch Zumurrud?

What's the matter?

The Tus militia has been defeated
by the nomads.

Heaven did not answer our prayers
with mercy, but with fire.

Instead of rain, fire embers fell
across the land, followed by silence,

which took the place of the flames.

Highness, as you can see, we have put down

the fools who took up arms against us.

We will enter their city within days.

Ah...

Speaking of which,
are there scholars in Tus?

Highness?

I'm looking for something, you see.

Next time: "The Roses
That Bloom in Safar."