[♪]
(warrior:)just as she said,
For seven days and seven nights,
Through the terrible storm...
Kahina has led us!
Is there left among you
Any who doubt my right to rule?
Then...
Follow me.
My saddle.
As long as I ride in this...
No storm is too great,
No battle too fierce...
To keep us from our destiny!
[together]kahina! Kahina!
Must be her.
Kahina.
(nigel:)and that must be kahina's saddle.
Professor banashazzi's research was right.
Look at the colours.
It's so vibrant,
It could have been painted last week.
(nigel:)ah, everything's here.
Warrior princess, beautiful, courageous,
Leading her people to victory.
Don't tell me you're falling
For a woman who's been dead 600 years.
See, bekken writing on here.
(nigel:)it's too fragile to take a rubbing,
I'm going to document it.
If professor banashazzi's research was right.
That inscription should lead us to the...
[whinnying]
Something's spooking the horses.
Syd?
Hey, what are you doing?
Such fine beasts.
I have use for them.
Hyah,
Hyah.
Syd!
Syd, where are you going?
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(syd:)hyah,
Come on!
[♪]
[whinnying]
Argh... Come on.
[♪]
Where I come from,
You'd be strung up from a tree
For stealing those horses.
So lovely.
Eugh.
I didn't mean to hurt you.
Well, let me ease your mind.
Eugh!
You're the one that's gonna get hurt.
Aaah!
[dialing]
[ringing]
(karen:)you've reached the department of ancient studies.
The office is currently closed
And will re-open at 9 am tomorrow.
Hi, karen, it's nigel.
It's... 10:30 our time,
So you do the math.
Look, we've got a problem.
We found the right cave,
But sydney's took off after a horse thief...
And that was over an hour ago,
She hasn't come back yet.
So... It's just me now.
Me and the vultures and...
Miles and miles and miles of scrub.
If she was safe and near a phone,
She would have called by now.
But she hasn't,
So my guess is she isn't...
Safe, that is.
Anyway, look, call me.
Or have sydney call me when you get this.
Alright, thanks.
[♪]
No!
Syd!
[♪]
Kahina.
Nigel.
Nigel!
You're awake.
What the..?
I'm naked.
Where are my clothes?
Wet.
We fought in the water.
Nights in the steppes are cold.
You didn't want me to catch a chill.
Not yet.
If it's money you're looking for,
I don't have any.
I know.
Well then, what?
An hour ago,
Money would have brought you freedom,
But now... Who are you?
Who carries the weapons of a soldier
And the teachings of a scholar.
You already know.
Sydney fox.
It is a strong name.
I am tobar, leader of men.
Really?
Pretty small army you've got here, tobar.
Seems to me you're just a common horse thief.
You study the great kahina,
Bekken chieftain and warrior,
Do you not?
School's over for today.
Have you found the saddle?
Saddle?
What saddle?
You know, your eyes,
They trinkle most attractively when you lie.
Kahina too was strong.
Legend says her strength came from
An incredible saddle.
When she rode upon it,
She would lead her people to victory.
I'm just another tourist with
An interest in ancient history.
Just a tourist?
Leaps on horses,
Fights like a wildcat.
Carries a crossbow and a knife.
Sydney, I want the truth.
You want your clothes.
What do you say?
[ringing]
I'm coming! I'm coming!
Don't hang up!
Argh!
Sydney!
Nigel?
I got your message.
What can I do?
Karen. Did she call?
Not here.
She didn't come back yet?
Oh, this is terrible.
Look, it's late, syd's missing and...
I haven't got any water.
Didn't you take water?
Of course I took water, but...
Oh, never mind.
Look, I'm going to head back
To el-mujarah on foot.
Don't they say to stay put when you're lost?
Look...
My phone battery's good
For another few hours.
Ah, call professor banashazzi,
The local police, and any hospitals.
You don't think syd's...
Look, I'm going to shut my cellphone
Off to conserve energy.
I'll... Try calling you back
In a few hours.
Bye.
Okay. I can do this.
Nice and dry.
Go to hell.
To think, a moment ago,
You were willing to fight me for it.
How odd.
You know what, this is getting us nowhere.
Alright, I'm a professor of ancient studies...
Who also hunts for lost relics...
Like kahina's saddle.
Go ahead.
[♪]
(tobar:)so, is that what you were doing in the cave,
Looking for the saddle?
The cave.
The cave was one of kahina's...
Early encampments.
See, it is not so very
Difficult to tell the truth.
Turn around.
[♪]
Did you find the saddle?
Found a cave drawing that depicted...
Kahina in the saddle.
I must see this painting at once.
Wait. Hold up a minute.
You may stay behind if you wish.
I don't believe this guy.
[♪]
(syd:)nigel?
(tobar:) incredible.
Nigel?
There are a man's tracks leading
Away from the entrance.
Thanks for pointing them out.
Haya.
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You are right about those tracks.
It's going to be dark soon...
This looks like el-qatay.
You recognize it?
I think so.
It is in ruins not far from here.
It is said kahina ruled there
Until the day she died.
Then there's a chance that the saddle
May be hidden in the ruins.
Unfortunately, you are not
The only one who thinks so.
Wait a minute,
Someone else is after the saddle?
On whose authority?
Hers.
What, are you... Kahina's?
Someone who looks exactly like her.
Who?
My sister.
Sister?
Haya.
She is the reason I am forced
To live out in the open.
To live like a thief.
(nigel:)have you seen sydney fox?
You know, you don't have to...
That is kind of nice, yeah.
Anyway, I need to find her.
I came here with her.
She's a very good friend of mine.
Look... Oh, grape, okay.
Mm. Very partial to grapes.
Anyway... Look, apart from sydney,
There was this woman in the desert...
She found me, she saved my life.
Um... And she was very...
Oh, okay, lie down, okay.
Oh, that's good.
That's good.
Extraordinarily nice.
Oh, anyway, back to this woman.
I mean, it could have been a mirage.
Hah, she must have been a mirage.
But then, if she was a mirage
How did I get here?
And... That's really nice.
Anyway, I'd like to find her,
I'd like to thank her. But apart from that
I'd just like to find her, because
She's the most beautiful girl
I've ever seen in my life.
Face of an angel,
I've never seen such beauty and...
Well, it would be a shame
To never see such beauty again.
Oh, another grape, thank you.
I am the one who found you.
Yes, yes, you are.
Thank you.
You saved me.
You are welcome.
My name is haya.
Bailey.
Nigel bailey.
I'm... Sorry, I don't mean to stare,
It's just... You have this uncanny
Resemblance to the warrior kahina.
What do you know about her?
Oh, I... Quite a bit.
There's a... There's a cave
And a painting and, uh...
Ah, ha,
I probably shouldn't be telling you this.
I mean, we hardly know each other and...
I shouldn't be sharing secrets
With someone I don't even know.
I mean, telling you about the cave
And the painting is...
Shh...
That's some introduction.
They went off on foot this way.
Probably heading for el-mujarah.
Why would your own sister force
You out onto the steppes.
Some kind of family feud?
Your friend will never
Make it without water.
Okay.
You are not dressed to ride in the sun.
The way.
Better.
First you undress me
And then you dress me?
I wonder which one you prefer.
The one with a little mystery.
(haya:)they say once,
In the middle of battle,
A blinding sandstorm blew in.
The enemy believed they had kahina
And her men trapped.
But when the winds died,
Kahina and her warriors vanished.
Eh?
The legend says they came here to el-katai,
And kahina established her kingdom
And ruled for fifty years.
That is why it is said
Her saddle has special powers.
(nigel:)a magical saddle?
Do you believe in magic?
As a relic hunter,
I've seen too much in my time not to.
And what about fate?
Do you believe... In destiny?
Our destiny?
I didn't realize we had one.
Was it coincidence I saved your life?
Our paths were meant to cross.
They were?
Yes.
Well... As a scientific mind,
I cannot rule out any possibility.
It is my fate, my destiny,
To find kahina's saddle.
Just as I found you.
(sarkan:) haya!
(nigel:)excuse me, um,
Could you come back a little later?
We're in the middle of
A rather intimate moment.
(sarkan:) silence.
Sarkan.
(yannick:) sarkan.
Is everything alright?
Tell me again how this worm
Will help us deal with your brother.
We have just been discussing
The saddle of kahina.
His knowledge of it is extensive.
Perhaps if you'd limit your investigation
To the task at hand,
My pretty one.
There's talk of tobar on the steppe.
The men speak his name with respect.
No.
You are not afraid of him, are you?
Please put my stuff down.
I am afraid of any man
Who would be king.
You should not have let him live.
He is my brother.
Now go.
Leave us.
That's my phone.
Put it down.
(yannick:)it's mine now.
Don't waste what I have given you.
Mom's... Christmas.
So who was that?
Boyfriend? Jealous husband?
Sarkan is my regent.
I am to be leader
Of the bekka- la-sheradeen.
The queen?
If I could find the saddle of kahina,
My people would believe she had returned.
Can you help me?
What about him?
Sarkan?
Uh huh.
Speak only to me.
[♪]
Next time you come to my tent,
You will knock.
Next time I knock,
Who will I find?
Whomever I wish.
Don't forget, princess,
Who your friends are.
Or they will not be your friends for long.
Where could nigel have gone?
He couldn't have just disappeared.
We'll pick up his trail in the morning.
If your friend is as experienced as you say,
He will seek shelter,
Travel only at night.
He's not that experienced.
Tell me about your sister.
My sister is different.
Got a news flash for you, tobar,
All women are different.
Who's older?
Haya and I were born at the same time.
Twins?
Trace our family back to the great kahina.
So what you said back there
About being a leader, it's true.
One of us is destined to lead our tribe.
Lemme guess,
With her looking so much like kahina,
She's got the inside track.
Haya has sold her soul to an evil man.
He is very powerful, has many men.
So I was forced to go into hiding,
Live like a thief.
Haya finds the saddle,
She'll use it as proof
That she's the true leader.
All the tribes of the
Bekka-la-sheradeen will unite.
They see that haya has the saddle,
They will follow her as if
She was the great kahina herself.
Here comes the part
Where the evil man steps in,
And takes power.
Faster than you can say his name.
"sarkan".
[♪]
You know, you never did
Give me back my weapons.
I know.
[♪]
(nigel:)what are you trying to tell me?
(sarkan:)don't worry about haya.
I'll handle her.
[snoring]
Miserable little bookworm.
Ah hah!
Good morning, what?
What time is it?
Time for some answers.
Yes.
The saddle, right.
You were going to tell us
Where it is hidden.
Well, I did manage to decipher
Some interesting facts for her.
One is...
Did you know that the saddle
Must have originated in china?
You couldn't tell that, of course,
Because the design work is
So clearly that of ming dynasty artisans.
I don't need a history lesson.
I want that saddle.
If I was to have a...
Teeny little more time.
Hoi! Argh.
You think that, when you find it,
That I will kill you.
Thought had crossed my mind.
You'll die sooner if you don't.
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His footprints end here...
Where they meet up with horse tracks.
One horse.
Yesterday, before nightfall.
Overnight the tracks hardened.
Heading that way.
Towards the ruins.
Towards your sister.
[♪]
This is not a dig site.
This is an armed encampment.
Sarkan feels I will come back
To reclaim my right.
Check out that tent there.
Sarkan.
(sarkan:)make sure that little bookworm
Doesn't leave the tent.
Let me guess, that's sarkan.
Does your friend have the same
Knowledge that you have?
More in this case.
Bekken history is his thing.
I fear he is in grave danger.
I got to get inside that tent.
You will need this.
Be careful, sydney.
Watch my back.
[♪]
Mmm. Mm.
They're nice, these grapes.
Mm, fruit of the gods, you know.
Would you like one?
No?
(nigel:)bruce lee was a close friend of mine,
My hands are deadly weapons,
I'll have you know, and
They killed more men than I can remember.
Nigel, it's me.
Oh, sydney.
I thought you were sarkan.
Where have you been?
I could ask you the same question,
But we haven't got the time.
We've got to get you out of here.
Instant disguise.
Look, I'm not leaving.
Why not?
I have to stay and help
Haya find the saddle.
Nigel, you're batting for the wrong team.
Oh, I am not!
I met her brother, tobar
Out in the desert.
Apparently, they're battling over control
Over the bekka-la- sheradeen people.
Exactly, and the saddle determines the victor.
I heard haya and sarkan arguing about someone,
It must have been about him.
Tobar said that this sarkan is bad news.
Exactly why I have to stay and help.
What... Ni...
[sniffing]
Is that the only reason why?
Amongst others.
Does she really look like kahina?
Ohh, it's uncanny.
You didn't happen to bring those digi-photos
From the camp with you, did you?
(haya:)where is my regent?
Sarkan?
Sarkan.
I am speaking to you.
(nigel:)look at the artwork on the saddle.
Now, when I blew up the area around the pommel,
I found this inscription.
Chinese.
What's a chinese saddle doing in bekkastan?
I was wondering the same thing.
The chinese introduced compasses
To arab traders in the 13th century.
Compass, polarity, magnetism.
Magnetism.
Look at the light rays around
The saddle in the painting.
Now, at first, I thought they
Were to signify magical powers,
But what if they represent some kind of attraction?
Magnetic attraction.
For centuries, asians have used
Magnets in their culture for healing.
Some even described spiritual
Aspects of their physical properties, but...
Are you saying that
The saddle is a magnet itself?
One big lodestone.
Powerful enough to attract a compass to it?
If we're lucky.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Stall.
We have to keep moving
To avoid the patrols.
I think I may know
How to find the saddle.
You know where it's hidden?
Not exactly.
But I think I have a way of finding out.
You were watching my back.
Shh.
Oh, hiya... Haya.
What's wrong?
Ah, wrong?
Whatever could be wrong?
So, did you uncover anything
That could help find the saddle.
Haya.
Sit down, please.
What's wrong?
Sarkan, he's hurt you.
He's been going amongst the men...
Turning them against me.
Why I'm not surprised.
I trusted him.
He promised he would bring me to power.
Lay down with dogs,
Wake up with fleas.
Present company excepted, of course.
He is usurping my birthright,
And says that I must kill my brother
Or he will turn the tribe against me.
Not if you have the saddle...
He can't.
Look, there were clues as how to find it in a...
In a cave painting.
Then you must find it immediately.
That's already in the works.
"already in the works"?
My partner, sydney, she's here,
Working with your brother.
She'll find it.
My brother?
We can deal with sarkan.
And then work things out with your brother.
No.
Trust me, haya, it's the only way.
I can think of a few others.
Now try and find it.
Believe me...
I will.
Someone's got them digging in this area.
The compass doesn't register anything.
I think we should try
Over that hill there.
[♪]
(syd:)the needle shifted from north...
Away from the ancient city.
[♪]
(haya:)sarkan, for this you will pay.
Bring them.
This way. Come on!
No more games.
Where is the saddle?
I could find it
If I had a little more time.
What you need is
A little more encouragement.
Huh?!
Bind him for schizzak-ridayee.
No!
"no"?
What, "no"?
Haya?
(syd:)the arrow definitely
Points in this direction.
(tobar:)what are we looking for?
A tunnel, a cave,
A... Concealed opening of some sort.
Sydney, I have lived here all my life.
Played on these hills as a child.
I would have remembered something.
(syd:)look at the compass...
It's going crazy.
This look like anything to you?
Come on.
(tobar:)it's a waste of time.
It's just a cave, sydney.
There is nothing here.
Looks like it goes back a fair ways.
Freeze!
What?
Vipers.
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(syd:)as long as you walk slowly,
Make no sudden movements,
They won't strike.
I hate snakes.
What?
I said I hate snakes.
Move slowly back.
You know, you really are
Very good at this.
(tobar:)sydney, another one.
Have you no fear, woman?
It bit you.
Feeling very...
We have to get the saddle.
Shh...
When I was a little boy,
My father was bit by a snake.
He showed me what to do.
Thank you.
You saved my life.
I'd do the same for any horse thief.
The saddle.
One more time, worm,
Where is the saddle?
All I need is one more hour.
Alright, half an hour.
(haya:)sarkan, stop it.
He doesn't know.
Sydney... There it is.
When my sister and I were young,
My father used to tell us stories.
Tales about kahina and her marvelous saddle.
One day, we found an old saddle.
We painted it with jewels and stars,
Put it on a mule.
All day we rode around the medina,
Pretending to be kahina,
Sitting proudly,
Both of us in the saddle, together.
That's a beautiful story.
Back then, we believed
The saddle had special powers.
Magic.
Then when we grew up,
Became adults,
Stopped believing in magic.
Magic isn't what makes a great leader.
Courage,
Intelligence,
Compassion:
These are the qualities of leadership.
Kahina had them, and so do you.
Not in the eyes of my people.
Listen, your sister's in danger.
Your entire tribe is at sarkan's mercy.
Kahina believed in the saddle.
And it led her people to safety.
Maybe it will work again for you.
To make it stop,
Just tell me where the saddle is.
This is all a bit medieval, isn't it?
Tell me where the saddle is.
(syd:)right here, you freak!
Ah hah!
Sydney!
(haya:)make way for my emissary.
Tobar.
Don't move.
You see,
I still have my loyal followers.
(sarkan:)and so do I.
What now, sarkie?
The saddle, or she dies.
Is this what you want?
Divide our land,
Destroyed our birthright.
You follow a snake.
You were not fit to shine my father's shoes.
He would be your leader.
Look to your pride.
He's right.
And he has the saddle.
I give my birthright to my sister...
Haya.
I say, let her lead the land!
No.
Fire!
Kill them all!
Not many could make that throw.
Am I supposed to be flattered?
You're supposed to be dead.
Are you alright?
Yeah, are you okay?
Yeah. A few inches taller,
But who's complaining?
You have every right to that saddle.
Believe me, dear brother,
When I say I'm sorry.
I believe you.
Haya?
Do you think there is still room
For both of us up here?
My brother and I will rule together.
[together]haya! Haya!
Haya! Haya! Haya!
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Ahh...
If I have to return all these,
I'll be on the phone all day.
(karen:)so, where is this fabulous saddle
You guys risked life and limb for?
We left it behind.
It helped bring the family back together.
Not to mention unifying the people
Of bekka-la- sheradeen valley.
Not bad for a couple days' work.
(karen:)sounds like you two are sad to be home.
Not everything was so bad.
No.
Not bad at all.
Subtitle by: Kiasuseven