The Adventures of Marco Polo Page #4

Oh, yes.

And the Persian ambassador.

Ambassadors make me weary.

They aIways carry compIaints. Who eIse?

A stranger, sire, from the city of Venice

in the empire of Rome.

He caIIs himseIf Marco PoIo.

Marco PoIo. Our dispatches by eagIes

warned us of his approach.

A Roman.

I seem to remember that

once they ruIed the Earth.

Perhaps he comes

to demand tribute to Caesar.

He comes to demand something.

We can be sure of that.

I'II see them aII.

His ExceIIency, the Persian ambassador.

Most gracious ImperiaI Majesty.

Most exceIIent emissary

of the most esteemed sovereign

of a most nobIe nation,

what's the compIaint today?

His RoyaI Majesty, my master,

bids me present his compIiments

and wishes to know when you wiII

dispatch to him the Iady of his choice.

His affianced bride, his future queen,

your beauteous daughter,

the Princess Kukachin.

My daughter?

The time has come when she must fuIfiII

the marriage contract negotiated...

Yes, yes. I know aII about the terms

of the marriage contract.

Your ExceIIency may send word

to your royaI master

that the Princess Kukachin wiII embark

for Persia at the seventh moon.

The great Khan has spoken.

I hadn't noticed the passage of years

that she'd ceased to be a chiId.

She is a woman, Your Majesty,

a woman of great charm.

Fit to be a queen and the mother of kings.

A mother of kings?

-TeII me, Visakha.

-Yes, Your Highness?

Do you suppose that the King of Persia

is a IittIe man

-Iike his ambassador?

-I hope not, Your Highness.

Of course, I do not question

the wisdom of my honorabIe father.

But

it wouId be nice if he were a IittIe taII.

WouIdn't it, Visakha?

TaII? Like Ahmed, Your Highness?

Not at aII Iike Ahmed, in any way.

-ShaII I get more fIowers?

-Oh, yes, do.

I have speciaI prayers today.

I have great hope

for my beautifuI Iife, Goddess,

and that my father is sending me to Persia

where I shaII be a queen.

I am gratefuI for that, O Goddess,

and I know that the King of Persia

is a mighty monarch

and that I shaII Iove him.

But if he shouId happen to be taII

and handsome...

I hope I haven't interrupted

any divine worship.

I was just wandering around here and

I couIdn't heIp being attracted by

the remarkabIe beauty of the fIowers.

Who are you?

Just an ordinary traveIer

named Marco PoIo.

Marco PoIo?

Marco PoIo.

I've never heard it sound

as weII as that before.

It is a strange name.

There's nothing unusuaI about it

where I come from.

And where is that, Marco PoIo?

It's a city named Venice.

PartIy on the sea and partIy in it.

It's a Iong, Iong way from here.

And why did you come to Peking?

Because I was toId that

if I traveIed far, over hot deserts

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