BORTE: If you think about it, these burdens and bloodshed were my fault. I’m afraid I did not come to you as a good daughter-in-law, but as a dark curse. HOELUN: Do not think so badly of yourself, Borte. Even if you had not come as my daughter-in-law, we knew in advance that such a massacre was bound to happen. It has been brewing for a long time. You were just a pretext for the outbreak of the battle. BORTE: After listening to your stories, I came to the conclusion that our destinies are very similar. As Yesugei once took you away from your husband, the Merkits kidnapped me. But Temujin, Toghrul-Khan and Jamukha, those three brought their warriors and freed me, but the Merkits could not free you when the same happened long ago. HOELUN: They were afraid to speak against Yesugei. BORTE: When I was held captive by the Merkits, one day a man looked into my dungeon. He was tall, with a heroic physique and slightly grey hair. He looked different from pure Mongols; his face had a purple tint and his eyes were sharp. He entered and stared at me for a long time before asking: ‘Aren’t you Hoelun-Ujin’s daughter-in-law, whose name is Borte?’ I quietly answered, ‘Yes’. Then he simply said, ‘My name is Shiledu,’ and without adding anything else, he left. Who is Shiledu? HOELUN: Shiledu? (Plunged into her surging memories, Hoelun sits in silence for some time.) Apparently, he must have deliberately sought you out. BORTE: Your face has changed dramatically. I’m sorry if I asked an inappropriate question. HOELUN: He was my first husband. His father was a Merkit, and his mother was from the Zhalair tribe. As a zhigite, he kept all his relatives close thanks to his hunting skills. Whilst hunting saiga, he stayed in our house and quenched his thirst with kumis. In the evening, when I went to fetch water with buckets, he kidnapped me and took me away. BORTE: Did you feel good about him? HOELUN: Yes, I liked him at first sight. But God must have judged us and decided we weren’t destined to be together. As we were preparing for a hunt in distant lands, Yesugei noticed us on a country road. He glared at my face with greedy eyes, turned and galloped back home at full speed. My stomach clenched with apprehension. A

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