Red River (天は赤い河のほとり)

This is Hattusa,

the capital of the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BCE.

This is the story of a girl who rides the sultry winds

across the vast stretches of Anatolia.

The wind blows strong, kicking up the dry sand.

The wind blows hot,

and I live under these skies,

on the banks of the red river.

RED RIVER

A SWORD TO FIGHT

A Sword to Fight.

Yuri?

You say you are Prince Kail’s first official concubine?

A-And who are you?

Who am I? I am Talos.

Talos?

That name sounds familiar.

Where'd you go, wench?

Please, pretend you didn't see me! That guy's after me!

I'll have your head,

no matter where you run off to!

If you really are Yuri, I cannot ignore you.

You're outside, wench?

I really have to go! We'll talk later, I promise!

There will be no talk.

You're mine, minx! I'll have your head!

Zuwa the Kashuga pursues you.

Then you are to fight him.

Come.

Wh-Why?

Who the heck is this man?

Do you not know where the secret passageway leads?

No, I haven't the first idea.

Um, begging your pardon...

I believe it connects to the back of my father's workshop.

Oh, that's right. The Hatti are a smithing and metalworking clan.

A workshop is ideal in emergencies since it contain weapons.

Let's go, Prince Kail.

Right.

That man might seek vengeance against Yuri, much like the sisters did.

We're here.

What is this place?

You won't fight barehanded.

You may choose one weapon.

Why are you doing this to me?

This is my workshop.

We Hatti make our living forging these things.

Hatti? Tito's clan?

Indeed.

If he had lived, he would've been my successor.

So that means you're Tito's father.

Now, choose.

If you don't, I'll throw you out.

Oh, I see. He also thinks I killed Tito.

But can I honestly say I didn't have a hand in it?

Go on. Choose your weapon and stand before Zuwa.

Staying in this era is pointless if I keep running.

And I'll need a sword to fight.

This sword's all rusted.

Why is it the only one that's rusted out of all these fancy swords?

It looks so shoddy and out of place among all the glitz.

Kind of like me.

And it fits perfectly in my hand.

If you don't mind, I'll take this one.

Found you, minx!

This time, you're mine!

Talos!

Why, Prince Kail. It's been an age.

Did a girl pass by here?

I sent her to fight Zuwa before you came.

What?

You do not need to fret about the fate of your maiden.

Meaning what?

Hadi, when I had the girl pick a sword, she quickly chose correctly.

You mean...

What did she choose?

Your Highness, you know these lands are in a constant state of warfare.

The Mitanni. The Egyptians. And the Hittites.

The three powers battle for supremacy,

and the smaller nations also fight each other.

We of the Hatti tribe

have always prayed for the goddess of war, Ishtar, to come to our side.

And now the townspeople are hailing your concubine as Ishtar incarnate.

Wait a minute. Is that why you had Lady Yuri choose a sword?

Indeed. I put her to the test.

And she chose the correct blade.

The same blade we have treasured for generations.

A prized sword?

Prince Kail.

The sword your concubine picked out

is a powerful weapon that will decide who rules the known world.

Halt, wench!

Lady Yuri?

Zuwa!

Lady Yuri, allow us!

Move, weaklings!

You flea!

He's so strong.

And he has such a large sword.

Yuri!

Get my arrows.

That's Tito's torc.

I can't just run away.

You'd face me with that piddling blade?

You want me to cleave you in half along with your sword?

I won't run!

Yuri!

She broke Zuwa's sword?

I-Insanity.

Wh-What's with this sword?

You're mocking me.

I don't need a blade to rip off your head with my bare hands.

I can't get a clear shot.

You're gonna pay for what you did to Tito!

Please give me strength.

Whoops.

That pitiful sword won't stop me crushing you.

He's dead?

Zuwa's dead?

Really?

Zuwa has perished!

My father can finally rest in peace.

So can my little brother.

Sister, look.

It's Tito's torc.

So Zuwa did murder Tito.

Lady Yuri.

Please accept our apologies.

Yuri.

Tito.

I...

I haven't taken out the queen yet.

But I've killed Zuwa, the man who murdered and flayed you.

So...

Can we say I'm halfway to avenging you?

Huh?

Is that the morning star?

No, it's not. It's Lady Yuri!

Tito, now I can send you...

I can send you up to heaven.

Lady Yuri really is the goddess of war!

She's the Ishtar of the Hittites!

Hail Lady Yuri!

Hail Ishtar!

Yuri!

Prince Kail!

Sorry for making you worry. I—

What?

Yes, I can hear your heart and pulse.

And your body's warm.

Thank the gods.

Prince!

What manner of sword is that?

What kind do you think it is?

Talos.

Lady Yuri, why did you pick that sword?

Well, the others were too big for me.

But this one came with a rusty scabbard,

so I thought it was just an average iron sword.

Iron?

Lady Yuri, you know of iron?

For you to recognize iron on sight is nothing short of impressive.

Why's that?

An iron sword isn't that big a deal, is it?

Iron is a very rare metal only found in stones that fall from the sky.

Every country in the world would pay mountains of gold for iron.

Almost no one has seen iron, yet you recognized it.

They're telling me iron is super rare?

Am I so far back in time iron is practically nonexistent?

But since ancient times,

our clan has known how to retrieve iron from ore found in the earth.

That knowledge is the real treasure of the Hatti.