1 00:00:06,001 --> 00:00:08,001 [ominous music playing] 2 00:00:27,209 --> 00:00:29,209 [laughter echoes] 3 00:00:33,834 --> 00:00:34,709 [sinister murmurs] 4 00:00:34,793 --> 00:00:35,959 [knife unsheathes] 5 00:00:37,043 --> 00:00:39,043 [blood gurgling] 6 00:00:41,876 --> 00:00:43,126 [sinister laughter] 7 00:00:46,251 --> 00:00:49,001 - [Mehmed's scream echoes] No! - [laughter echoes] 8 00:00:49,084 --> 00:00:50,459 [Gulbahar screams] Mehmed! 9 00:00:51,126 --> 00:00:52,293 [man 1 wheezes] 10 00:00:52,376 --> 00:00:55,126 Who goes there? State your business. 11 00:00:55,209 --> 00:00:58,126 - [wheezing] Help me. Help me. - [man 2 yells] Alarm! 12 00:00:58,209 --> 00:00:59,918 [confused shouting] 13 00:01:01,209 --> 00:01:03,168 [voice echoes] You unleashed this curse 14 00:01:04,126 --> 00:01:07,793 upon the House of Osman when you stepped onto Wallachian soil. 15 00:01:09,126 --> 00:01:10,126 [grunts] 16 00:01:10,834 --> 00:01:13,376 [Vlad] Now you will know the pain 17 00:01:14,084 --> 00:01:18,334 of being ripped from your family, 18 00:01:20,168 --> 00:01:21,918 of dying alone. 19 00:01:22,418 --> 00:01:25,751 - No! - [Gulbahar screaming indistinctly] 20 00:01:26,376 --> 00:01:28,751 [Mehmed] Vlad! No! 21 00:01:29,668 --> 00:01:32,501 - [man 2] Alarm! - [thunder crackling] 22 00:01:32,584 --> 00:01:34,293 - [man 2] Alarm! - [screaming] 23 00:01:34,376 --> 00:01:36,876 - [gasping] - [man 2] Alarm! 24 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:38,834 - [gasping] - [alarm sounding] 25 00:01:38,918 --> 00:01:39,959 [man 2] Alarm! 26 00:01:40,043 --> 00:01:41,626 [clamoring] 27 00:01:41,709 --> 00:01:43,043 [man 2] Watch out! 28 00:01:43,126 --> 00:01:44,251 [exhaling] 29 00:01:44,334 --> 00:01:47,459 - [man 2] Alarm! - [horn sounds] 30 00:01:48,418 --> 00:01:49,793 [man 2] Alarm! 31 00:01:50,959 --> 00:01:51,918 Alarm! 32 00:01:52,001 --> 00:01:53,251 [indistinct shouts] 33 00:01:53,751 --> 00:01:55,459 [man 2] Alarm! 34 00:01:55,543 --> 00:01:58,584 [narrator] After chasing Vlad Dracula for two weeks, 35 00:01:58,668 --> 00:02:02,001 Mehmed II and his invading army find themselves caught 36 00:02:02,084 --> 00:02:06,418 in a nightmare come to life deep within the Wallachian forest. 37 00:02:07,334 --> 00:02:08,293 [arrows whizzing] 38 00:02:12,209 --> 00:02:14,918 - [battle cries] - [arrows whizzing] 39 00:02:16,376 --> 00:02:17,626 [soldiers screaming] 40 00:02:24,209 --> 00:02:25,959 [Ali] Don't touch any of them! 41 00:02:26,043 --> 00:02:27,459 [yells indistinctly] 42 00:02:27,543 --> 00:02:31,209 [bodyguard] We're under attack on the eastern perimeter of the camp! 43 00:02:31,293 --> 00:02:32,751 Summon the rest of the guards! 44 00:02:32,834 --> 00:02:33,876 [attacker yells] 45 00:02:35,626 --> 00:02:36,543 [grunting] 46 00:02:40,293 --> 00:02:41,543 [attacker grunts] 47 00:02:42,293 --> 00:02:43,418 [attacker exhales] 48 00:02:48,668 --> 00:02:50,418 [panting] 49 00:02:54,168 --> 00:02:56,168 [battle cries continue] 50 00:03:09,001 --> 00:03:11,001 [theme music playing] 51 00:03:24,918 --> 00:03:26,168 What in God's name? 52 00:03:27,626 --> 00:03:28,459 Plague. 53 00:03:32,584 --> 00:03:36,084 We found two more of the wretched creatures inside the camp, 54 00:03:36,168 --> 00:03:37,334 and we killed them. 55 00:03:37,418 --> 00:03:38,834 There could be more of them. 56 00:03:38,918 --> 00:03:40,043 Search every tent. 57 00:03:40,126 --> 00:03:43,501 Use spears and bows, but no one is to touch them. 58 00:03:43,584 --> 00:03:45,043 We will burn the bodies. 59 00:03:48,459 --> 00:03:50,001 [Radu] This is the work of the devil. 60 00:03:58,876 --> 00:04:00,126 The devil, indeed. 61 00:04:03,168 --> 00:04:09,543 [narrator] Many legends have arisen out of Mehmed's invasion of Wallachia in 1462. 62 00:04:10,126 --> 00:04:15,584 One speaks of Vlad Dracula launching a biological attack against the Ottomans 63 00:04:15,668 --> 00:04:19,293 to slow their march to his capital city, Târgovişte. 64 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:24,334 {\an8}Vlad Dracula opened his prisons and released hardened criminals 65 00:04:24,418 --> 00:04:28,709 to go amongst the Ottomans with tuberculosis and bubonic plague 66 00:04:28,793 --> 00:04:31,418 so that they could infect the Ottoman soldiers. 67 00:04:32,751 --> 00:04:35,376 [Varlik] I think of plague like an atomic bomb, 68 00:04:35,459 --> 00:04:40,918 {\an8}just killing a very large percentage of people in a very short period of time. 69 00:04:41,751 --> 00:04:43,876 It could kill very fast. 70 00:04:44,459 --> 00:04:48,751 We're talking about mortality rates between 30 to 60%. 71 00:04:48,834 --> 00:04:52,918 If plague or another epidemic disease spread in the army, 72 00:04:53,001 --> 00:04:54,584 it would have been devastating. 73 00:05:06,126 --> 00:05:07,043 Sultan… 74 00:05:09,293 --> 00:05:11,501 we've killed more of the invaders. 75 00:05:11,584 --> 00:05:13,918 Good. Double the watch for the rest of the night. 76 00:05:14,001 --> 00:05:16,793 If anyone or anything shows itself, kill them. 77 00:05:16,876 --> 00:05:17,876 You stay with me. 78 00:05:26,418 --> 00:05:27,334 Vlad is here. 79 00:05:29,834 --> 00:05:30,751 You saw him? 80 00:05:32,959 --> 00:05:34,043 I'm certain of it. 81 00:05:48,126 --> 00:05:51,959 {\an8}[narrator] In June of 1462, Vlad's campaign of terror 82 00:05:52,043 --> 00:05:53,918 {\an8}temporarily slows the Ottomans, 83 00:05:54,001 --> 00:05:58,043 {\an8}who are encamped 65 miles southwest of Târgovişte. 84 00:05:59,751 --> 00:06:02,418 But without reinforcements, there is only so long 85 00:06:02,501 --> 00:06:03,959 that the Impaler Lord 86 00:06:04,043 --> 00:06:06,793 can keep Mehmed's mighty war machine at bay. 87 00:06:10,209 --> 00:06:13,001 [Vlad] If Corvinus and the Hungarians don't get here soon, 88 00:06:14,501 --> 00:06:15,876 they'll be scraping us… 89 00:06:18,209 --> 00:06:20,001 off the boots of the Ottomans. 90 00:06:25,084 --> 00:06:28,876 Were you able to speak with our… friend from the camp? 91 00:06:31,418 --> 00:06:32,251 No. 92 00:06:35,668 --> 00:06:36,501 However, 93 00:06:37,668 --> 00:06:41,626 I discovered the sultan has four guards outside his tent 94 00:06:43,626 --> 00:06:45,751 and additional men stationed nearby, 95 00:06:47,209 --> 00:06:49,334 but it seems we spooked them nicely. 96 00:06:49,918 --> 00:06:51,043 [chuckles] 97 00:06:51,959 --> 00:06:55,459 [Vlad] I don't think Mehmed or his men will get much sleep tonight. 98 00:06:56,126 --> 00:06:59,126 [somber music playing] 99 00:07:08,334 --> 00:07:11,251 He uses these poor souls as weapons. 100 00:07:14,543 --> 00:07:16,543 How can he hope to win like this? 101 00:07:18,251 --> 00:07:19,543 It's a diversion. 102 00:07:21,209 --> 00:07:22,584 He's playing for time. 103 00:07:24,543 --> 00:07:25,793 We must move faster. 104 00:07:30,084 --> 00:07:34,459 There's growing talk amongst the soldiers about demons and jinn. 105 00:07:35,876 --> 00:07:38,043 They think this land is cursed. 106 00:07:40,001 --> 00:07:41,709 Have faith, Mahmud Pasha. 107 00:07:42,709 --> 00:07:44,084 I always have a plan. 108 00:07:46,376 --> 00:07:48,209 What about your safety, Sultan? 109 00:07:49,584 --> 00:07:53,501 I beg you, take half of the army and return to Istanbul. 110 00:07:54,209 --> 00:07:56,584 With 30,000 soldiers, we'll finish Vlad. 111 00:08:04,251 --> 00:08:09,709 The Prophet says, "Run from the leper as you would run from the lion," 112 00:08:11,918 --> 00:08:13,668 but I will not run from Vlad. 113 00:08:17,501 --> 00:08:19,959 His fate and my own 114 00:08:20,918 --> 00:08:22,334 are bound together. 115 00:08:23,793 --> 00:08:24,709 Forever. 116 00:08:26,918 --> 00:08:29,709 [young Vlad] Why are we spending the afternoon in this old dungeon? 117 00:08:38,376 --> 00:08:40,209 We should be out there sparring. 118 00:08:40,293 --> 00:08:42,501 [young Mehmed] We sparred until our hands bled yesterday. 119 00:08:43,043 --> 00:08:46,418 You must also train your mind and think about the future. 120 00:08:47,043 --> 00:08:50,209 Your father will soon release me to reclaim my throne in Wallachia. 121 00:08:50,293 --> 00:08:51,959 That is my future. 122 00:08:52,043 --> 00:08:54,876 All the more reason to know what fate has in store for you. 123 00:09:01,501 --> 00:09:02,668 [exhales] 124 00:09:07,584 --> 00:09:10,668 Our destiny can be found here, The Iliad. 125 00:09:11,251 --> 00:09:12,709 What are you talking about? 126 00:09:13,209 --> 00:09:14,501 Bibliomancy. 127 00:09:17,126 --> 00:09:19,459 [narrator] Bibliomancy was used by the Ottomans 128 00:09:19,543 --> 00:09:22,668 and many other cultures throughout the medieval world 129 00:09:22,751 --> 00:09:24,251 to divine the future. 130 00:09:24,959 --> 00:09:26,334 But, in Islam, 131 00:09:26,876 --> 00:09:29,459 {\an8}it's forbidden to tell the future, 132 00:09:29,543 --> 00:09:32,626 {\an8}because that's involving trying to predict the will of God, 133 00:09:32,709 --> 00:09:34,334 {\an8}and only God knows the will of God. 134 00:09:34,418 --> 00:09:38,251 And one of the ways that you can kind of get around the heretical side 135 00:09:38,334 --> 00:09:42,001 of fortune-telling is to use different kinds of books 136 00:09:42,084 --> 00:09:43,418 to tell the future. 137 00:09:43,501 --> 00:09:48,293 And they would let the book fall open at whichever page might fall open to, 138 00:09:48,376 --> 00:09:52,084 and then the eye would be drawn immediately to a particular line 139 00:09:52,168 --> 00:09:55,918 or a particular verse, and whatever that verse or line said, 140 00:09:56,001 --> 00:09:58,668 that's an indication of what's going to happen to you. 141 00:10:25,459 --> 00:10:29,334 "Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, 142 00:10:31,251 --> 00:10:35,668 but let me first do some great thing that shall be told amongst men hereafter." 143 00:10:40,501 --> 00:10:41,709 Your turn. 144 00:10:47,626 --> 00:10:48,751 [exhales] 145 00:11:03,251 --> 00:11:05,834 "Hateful to me as the Gates of Hades 146 00:11:06,501 --> 00:11:08,959 is that man who has one thing in his heart 147 00:11:09,501 --> 00:11:11,793 and speaks another." 148 00:11:18,793 --> 00:11:20,459 When you have your own kingdom… 149 00:11:23,918 --> 00:11:25,334 what will be in your heart? 150 00:11:27,834 --> 00:11:29,668 Are you questioning my loyalty? 151 00:11:32,084 --> 00:11:35,043 I'm asking, which family will you choose? 152 00:11:36,876 --> 00:11:39,084 I will do what is best for Wallachia. 153 00:11:40,793 --> 00:11:44,126 If that should put us on opposite sides of the battlefield someday… 154 00:11:47,293 --> 00:11:49,293 Let's hope it never comes to that, 155 00:11:50,334 --> 00:11:51,834 but should that day come, 156 00:11:52,834 --> 00:11:55,918 I will do everything in my power to destroy you. 157 00:12:03,918 --> 00:12:07,668 Loyalty is a… is a word that carries a lot of weight, doesn't it? 158 00:12:07,751 --> 00:12:09,543 But it's so easily discarded, 159 00:12:10,126 --> 00:12:14,793 and that's true for both Mehmed's life and for Vlad's lives. 160 00:12:14,876 --> 00:12:19,709 They both feel betrayed by different crucial figures throughout their lives, 161 00:12:19,793 --> 00:12:24,918 whether it's family members, or advisors, or generals, or allies. 162 00:12:25,001 --> 00:12:29,459 It's the parallel nature of the journeys of Mehmed and Vlad 163 00:12:29,543 --> 00:12:31,751 that make this story particularly compelling. 164 00:12:32,418 --> 00:12:38,001 {\an8}Maybe there were some personal differences between Vlad and Mehmed. 165 00:12:38,084 --> 00:12:41,668 As far as I can see, they were very much alike. 166 00:12:41,751 --> 00:12:44,543 They were strong leaders. They were young leaders. 167 00:12:44,626 --> 00:12:47,459 They were warriors. They wanted to rule. 168 00:12:47,543 --> 00:12:49,876 [men yelling battle cries] 169 00:12:49,959 --> 00:12:52,751 [Vlad yelling battle cry] 170 00:12:53,918 --> 00:12:55,126 [soldiers respond] 171 00:12:55,209 --> 00:12:56,459 [narrator] Fourteen years later, 172 00:12:56,543 --> 00:13:00,126 Vlad presses an increasingly desperate guerrilla campaign 173 00:13:00,209 --> 00:13:04,376 from the shadows, hoping to demoralize the Ottomans… 174 00:13:06,626 --> 00:13:07,668 [grunting] 175 00:13:07,751 --> 00:13:10,209 …and slow Mehmed's march north… 176 00:13:10,293 --> 00:13:12,251 - [Vlad yells] - [harsh whoosh] 177 00:13:12,334 --> 00:13:14,668 …before vanishing yet again. 178 00:13:14,751 --> 00:13:18,418 - [battle cries continue] - [epic choral music playing] 179 00:13:31,168 --> 00:13:33,459 {\an8}[narrator] Elsewhere, the hunt intensifies 180 00:13:33,543 --> 00:13:37,209 {\an8}for Vlad's operatives in the imperial palace. 181 00:13:51,043 --> 00:13:53,334 - [Gulbahar] I'm so happy to see you. - Oh, dear. 182 00:13:53,418 --> 00:13:55,626 I returned as quickly as I could. 183 00:13:59,418 --> 00:14:00,501 It was terrible. 184 00:14:02,168 --> 00:14:03,376 And the prince? 185 00:14:04,168 --> 00:14:06,834 Shaken, but unharmed. 186 00:14:09,043 --> 00:14:11,043 Do you still have the gift I gave you? 187 00:14:13,959 --> 00:14:15,793 It never leaves my side. 188 00:14:15,876 --> 00:14:16,918 Good. 189 00:14:17,668 --> 00:14:22,501 If the assassins are still lurking within the palace, I will find them. 190 00:14:25,126 --> 00:14:26,834 Do you have any news of Mehmed? 191 00:14:27,876 --> 00:14:31,418 They have crossed the Danube, but that is all I know. 192 00:14:35,668 --> 00:14:37,418 Don't worry about Mehmed. 193 00:14:38,293 --> 00:14:40,876 He is without equal on the battlefield. 194 00:14:43,543 --> 00:14:47,418 And remember, if you can't cut their throat, 195 00:14:48,334 --> 00:14:50,501 slip the blade between their ribs, 196 00:14:51,543 --> 00:14:52,543 and twist. 197 00:14:54,793 --> 00:14:59,001 {\an8}Not many people know about the roles played by these royal mothers 198 00:14:59,084 --> 00:15:01,584 {\an8}of these princes of the Ottoman dynasty. 199 00:15:01,668 --> 00:15:03,793 First and foremost, to protect their son. 200 00:15:04,376 --> 00:15:09,793 Gulbahar Hatun played this role, and she left a legacy in that sense. 201 00:15:10,793 --> 00:15:14,251 [Uygur] The harem was called the "Sultanate of Women." 202 00:15:14,334 --> 00:15:20,293 {\an8}The reign of women, where mothers of sultans played very important role. 203 00:15:20,376 --> 00:15:24,959 They are said to rule the empire behind the curtains. 204 00:15:27,834 --> 00:15:31,293 There's a wolf within our walls. We must hunt him down. 205 00:15:35,959 --> 00:15:37,751 [dramatic music playing] 206 00:15:51,793 --> 00:15:56,209 {\an8}[narrator] Mehmed has pushed his army within 45 miles of Târgovişte, 207 00:15:56,834 --> 00:16:00,084 {\an8}but Vlad Dracula's hit-and-run campaign from the shadows 208 00:16:00,168 --> 00:16:02,376 {\an8}has left the sultan's troops on edge. 209 00:16:04,376 --> 00:16:09,584 So too have rumors of Vlad's spies operating within the camp. 210 00:16:34,584 --> 00:16:38,001 Radu, this is Luca Rares, 211 00:16:38,084 --> 00:16:41,168 a boyar from one of the oldest families in Bucharest. 212 00:16:43,043 --> 00:16:45,584 Prince Radu, 213 00:16:46,918 --> 00:16:50,668 the last time I saw you, you were just a young boy 214 00:16:50,751 --> 00:16:54,334 chasing after your father and older brothers. 215 00:16:55,668 --> 00:16:57,918 That was a long time ago. 216 00:17:02,334 --> 00:17:06,418 The sultan and I have been in discussions 217 00:17:06,501 --> 00:17:09,668 through intermediaries for many months now. 218 00:17:10,251 --> 00:17:13,168 Since your brother started this 219 00:17:14,126 --> 00:17:15,959 ill-advised war… 220 00:17:16,043 --> 00:17:17,751 We now share a common foe. 221 00:17:23,418 --> 00:17:29,293 Wallachia has enjoyed a long and lucrative relationship 222 00:17:29,376 --> 00:17:32,001 with the Ottomans and our neighbors, 223 00:17:32,084 --> 00:17:38,209 but Prince Vlad's provocations have destroyed much of our trade. 224 00:17:38,293 --> 00:17:41,793 The country starves because of his war. 225 00:17:42,543 --> 00:17:45,043 I cannot control my brother. 226 00:17:45,126 --> 00:17:47,626 But you will soon 227 00:17:49,543 --> 00:17:51,209 have his throne. 228 00:17:53,418 --> 00:17:59,293 I know there is bad blood between the boyars and your family. 229 00:17:59,959 --> 00:18:02,584 I escaped the Easter banquet where 230 00:18:02,668 --> 00:18:08,293 your brother mounted many of my friends and their families on pikes, 231 00:18:09,793 --> 00:18:14,418 and displayed them like scarecrows outside the city walls. 232 00:18:16,209 --> 00:18:19,043 Perhaps, he feared their betrayal 233 00:18:19,126 --> 00:18:25,376 and knew it might be his head on the city walls if he did nothing. 234 00:18:31,834 --> 00:18:34,543 Time is short, so I'll get to my point. 235 00:18:35,501 --> 00:18:39,293 Vlad Ţepeş killed many of his enemies that day, 236 00:18:40,043 --> 00:18:45,001 but in doing so, created many more. 237 00:18:46,918 --> 00:18:52,084 There are powerful people, like myself, 238 00:18:53,084 --> 00:18:55,834 willing to support your reign 239 00:18:56,418 --> 00:18:57,334 if 240 00:18:58,293 --> 00:19:02,043 you kill your brother. 241 00:19:14,876 --> 00:19:16,626 But if you fail, 242 00:19:17,459 --> 00:19:24,459 it will be you and I strung from the walls of Târgovişte. 243 00:19:40,334 --> 00:19:41,876 [Radu] That man is a snake. 244 00:19:46,668 --> 00:19:48,459 Why wasn't I told about this? 245 00:19:48,543 --> 00:19:52,459 Remember who you are talking to, Prince Radu. 246 00:19:52,543 --> 00:19:55,501 Luca Rares and his friends are the scum 247 00:19:56,459 --> 00:20:00,418 that helped the Hungarians kill my father and brother, Mircea. 248 00:20:00,501 --> 00:20:01,959 They are not to be trusted. 249 00:20:02,043 --> 00:20:06,584 The only thing I trust is their love of money. 250 00:20:07,709 --> 00:20:11,043 It exceeds even their hatred of the House of Drăculeşti. 251 00:20:12,209 --> 00:20:16,709 Make them your allies, and Vlad will have nowhere to turn. 252 00:20:17,376 --> 00:20:20,793 Their power will be your power. 253 00:20:23,084 --> 00:20:27,793 I can help you take the throne, but the boyars can help you keep it. 254 00:20:34,168 --> 00:20:37,376 But first, we must flush your brother out of hiding. 255 00:20:45,251 --> 00:20:47,376 We are a five-day's march from the capital, 256 00:20:47,459 --> 00:20:49,668 and Vlad grows more desperate by the day. 257 00:20:51,459 --> 00:20:54,334 My brother is at his most dangerous when he's cornered. 258 00:20:54,418 --> 00:20:57,251 That is why we must draw him out into the open and finish him 259 00:20:57,334 --> 00:20:59,334 before the Hungarians come to his aid. 260 00:21:01,751 --> 00:21:02,918 How do we do that? 261 00:21:04,668 --> 00:21:05,501 You. 262 00:21:08,793 --> 00:21:11,001 I'm not sure I follow, Sultan. 263 00:21:11,084 --> 00:21:13,918 I will pressure Vlad by marching on Târgovişte, 264 00:21:15,001 --> 00:21:17,168 while you draw him out of hiding 265 00:21:17,251 --> 00:21:20,168 by taking the one thing he loves as much as his throne. 266 00:21:26,459 --> 00:21:27,793 Princess Anastasia? 267 00:21:32,793 --> 00:21:34,293 - When he finds out-- - Yes. 268 00:21:36,168 --> 00:21:40,126 He will be enraged, and that will be his undoing. 269 00:21:43,668 --> 00:21:48,334 Princess Anastasia is not to be harmed, which is why it is you who must go. 270 00:21:53,751 --> 00:21:54,751 Of course. 271 00:21:54,834 --> 00:21:57,918 You will leave tonight under cover of darkness with a unit of Janissaries. 272 00:21:58,001 --> 00:22:02,043 Our spies say Princess Anastasia is at Vlad's castle at Poenari. 273 00:22:03,418 --> 00:22:05,376 Soon, it will be your castle. 274 00:22:17,501 --> 00:22:20,834 [narrator] Fourteen years earlier, in 1448, 275 00:22:20,918 --> 00:22:25,251 the Ottomans prepare to release 17-year-old Vlad Dracula 276 00:22:25,334 --> 00:22:27,668 to fight for the throne in Wallachia, 277 00:22:27,751 --> 00:22:31,126 leaving his younger brother's fate hanging in the balance. 278 00:22:33,001 --> 00:22:33,834 Radu? 279 00:22:34,543 --> 00:22:35,751 [Radu] I need your counsel. 280 00:22:46,918 --> 00:22:51,001 Vlad has given me until tomorrow to decide if I will ride with him to Wallachia 281 00:22:51,084 --> 00:22:52,626 and fight for the throne. 282 00:22:54,793 --> 00:22:57,126 I know I should go, but… 283 00:22:58,834 --> 00:22:59,876 You fear him? 284 00:23:01,459 --> 00:23:04,043 When he's angry, he sees enemies everywhere. 285 00:23:06,543 --> 00:23:09,084 What if he sees me as the enemy one day? 286 00:23:10,084 --> 00:23:11,543 A rival for the throne? 287 00:23:12,543 --> 00:23:13,918 Is that what you want? 288 00:23:15,251 --> 00:23:16,251 The throne? 289 00:23:18,043 --> 00:23:20,126 Mehmed will someday rule the world, 290 00:23:20,626 --> 00:23:23,459 and Vlad, he will rule Wallachia. 291 00:23:25,084 --> 00:23:26,584 There is no place for me. 292 00:23:30,876 --> 00:23:34,918 When I came here, I was just a little older than you. 293 00:23:36,043 --> 00:23:38,626 A Christian princess from Serbia, 294 00:23:39,543 --> 00:23:41,293 unsure of who to trust, 295 00:23:42,126 --> 00:23:44,418 but I was treated with kindness 296 00:23:45,334 --> 00:23:48,418 and discovered that family takes many forms, 297 00:23:49,001 --> 00:23:52,334 and that loyalty runs far deeper 298 00:23:52,418 --> 00:23:54,959 than the blood that runs through your veins. 299 00:23:58,918 --> 00:24:01,168 We are your family, Radu. 300 00:24:02,918 --> 00:24:06,209 Vlad will choose his own path. 301 00:24:07,126 --> 00:24:09,459 Just as you must choose yours. 302 00:24:14,209 --> 00:24:18,043 {\an8}We think that living in a palace 303 00:24:18,126 --> 00:24:22,001 {\an8}with all these luxuries is just, you know, dolce vita. 304 00:24:22,084 --> 00:24:24,876 It's a… It's a sweet life, but it wasn't the case. 305 00:24:25,376 --> 00:24:28,834 These rulers found themselves, from a very young age, 306 00:24:29,376 --> 00:24:31,793 in the middle of these court intrigues. 307 00:24:31,876 --> 00:24:36,209 One misstep could cost them their throne, their lives, their freedom. 308 00:24:36,293 --> 00:24:38,751 It is not an easy game to play. 309 00:24:38,834 --> 00:24:41,334 [battle cries] 310 00:24:43,334 --> 00:24:45,334 [narrator] As the invasion enters its third week, 311 00:24:45,918 --> 00:24:49,709 the relentless pressure of Mehmed takes a toll on Vlad. 312 00:24:49,793 --> 00:24:53,209 He's lost hundreds of men in skirmishes with the Ottomans 313 00:24:53,293 --> 00:24:55,293 and finds himself leading an army 314 00:24:55,376 --> 00:24:59,209 in dire need of food and reinforcements from Hungary. 315 00:24:59,834 --> 00:25:01,876 [Philippides] Vlad was exhausted. 316 00:25:01,959 --> 00:25:05,876 {\an8}He had carried out a scorched-earth policy against Mehmed, 317 00:25:05,959 --> 00:25:10,251 and he had nowhere to rely on food for himself either. 318 00:25:11,334 --> 00:25:13,459 There was nowhere to go anymore. 319 00:25:14,251 --> 00:25:17,834 He became a prisoner of his own scorched-earth policy. 320 00:25:27,834 --> 00:25:29,959 [Dimitrie] They're preparing to head out in the morning. 321 00:25:30,459 --> 00:25:32,418 We'll hit them with a small unit. 322 00:25:33,251 --> 00:25:37,293 Slow them down a bit. Remind Mehmed we're still out here. 323 00:25:38,834 --> 00:25:40,001 - Prince. - Yes? 324 00:25:40,668 --> 00:25:42,418 A message from the border. 325 00:25:52,043 --> 00:25:52,959 - [chuckles] - News? 326 00:25:55,626 --> 00:25:56,834 [inhales] Hmm. 327 00:26:01,543 --> 00:26:04,334 Hungarian scouts have been spotted in Wallachia. 328 00:26:05,209 --> 00:26:06,834 [exhales deeply] 329 00:26:08,209 --> 00:26:10,584 Perhaps you'll be back with Princess Anastasia 330 00:26:10,668 --> 00:26:12,334 by the early winter after all. 331 00:26:12,418 --> 00:26:13,293 Scouts! 332 00:26:16,709 --> 00:26:19,834 Send a unit to meet them and see if more are coming. 333 00:26:21,376 --> 00:26:24,584 While the king drags his feet, we are running out of time! 334 00:26:24,668 --> 00:26:28,084 Prince, the Hungarians have finally answered the call. 335 00:26:28,168 --> 00:26:31,001 - This is what you waited for. - A few scouts are not an army! 336 00:26:34,876 --> 00:26:37,959 [distant cannonade] 337 00:26:43,584 --> 00:26:45,293 Today, it's target practice, 338 00:26:47,584 --> 00:26:51,001 but soon those cannons will be trained on the walls of Târgovişte. 339 00:26:53,751 --> 00:26:56,334 I cannot let Mehmed take the capital. 340 00:26:58,334 --> 00:27:00,543 He's taken enough from me already. 341 00:27:02,918 --> 00:27:06,126 [Hamza] We should depart soon if we are to make the main road by nightfall. 342 00:27:09,918 --> 00:27:12,834 {\an8}- Yes, Hamza Bey, have you seen my brother? - No, Prince. 343 00:27:14,751 --> 00:27:16,209 {\an8}[narrator] Fourteen years earlier, 344 00:27:16,293 --> 00:27:20,626 {\an8}young Vlad Dracula makes final preparations to ride to Wallachia 345 00:27:20,709 --> 00:27:23,043 {\an8}and fight for the now vacant throne, 346 00:27:23,876 --> 00:27:27,709 {\an8}a position for which the Ottomans have groomed him for years. 347 00:27:29,376 --> 00:27:30,709 I came to see you off. 348 00:27:31,293 --> 00:27:32,501 [Vlad] How kind of you. 349 00:27:34,918 --> 00:27:38,751 My father has given you Hamza Bey and some of our best soldiers. 350 00:27:39,418 --> 00:27:41,584 The throne will be yours by fall. 351 00:27:42,168 --> 00:27:46,543 But you have my brother, in case things don't work out. 352 00:27:47,126 --> 00:27:49,834 Radu has chosen to stay here of his own free will. 353 00:27:49,918 --> 00:27:53,668 He is the only family I have, yet you keep him like a pet. 354 00:27:53,751 --> 00:27:56,959 We are the ones giving you soldiers to take the throne. 355 00:27:57,043 --> 00:27:58,418 [Hamza] Prince. 356 00:27:59,876 --> 00:28:01,251 We should be going. 357 00:28:06,709 --> 00:28:11,293 I will send word of my progress from Wallachia, brother Mehmed. 358 00:28:22,626 --> 00:28:24,584 [Talbot] So Vlad is sent off to do 359 00:28:24,668 --> 00:28:27,209 the big political business, and Radu's left behind. 360 00:28:27,293 --> 00:28:30,334 It's not clear whether he does this willingly or unwillingly, 361 00:28:30,418 --> 00:28:33,584 whether he remains a hostage or he stays willingly at the court. 362 00:28:33,668 --> 00:28:37,084 It may be a bit of both, that he's there as another bit of insurance 363 00:28:37,168 --> 00:28:38,334 for the Ottomans, 364 00:28:38,418 --> 00:28:43,459 uh, but also, he seems to have taken quite nicely to Ottoman court life, 365 00:28:43,543 --> 00:28:47,168 and to all the attractions and power that that brings. 366 00:28:47,251 --> 00:28:49,251 [horses whinnying] 367 00:28:52,459 --> 00:28:54,834 [Vlad] Family is the dearest gift we possess. 368 00:28:57,126 --> 00:28:58,876 Loyalty is everything. 369 00:29:04,668 --> 00:29:06,251 [man] Prince Radu, we're ready. 370 00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:14,709 {\an8}[thunder rumbling] 371 00:29:30,168 --> 00:29:32,834 It's a little late to be wandering about the palace. 372 00:29:32,918 --> 00:29:34,584 My apologies. 373 00:29:35,168 --> 00:29:37,918 I thought Gulbahar Hatun might want some fresh water 374 00:29:38,001 --> 00:29:41,334 before she retires for the evening. 375 00:29:42,668 --> 00:29:45,418 She won't be needing anything further tonight. 376 00:29:48,501 --> 00:29:49,459 Yes, milady. 377 00:29:56,668 --> 00:29:59,876 [narrator] 400 miles away from the imperial palace, 378 00:30:00,584 --> 00:30:05,584 as the Ottomans continue their grueling slog north towards Târgovişte… 379 00:30:05,668 --> 00:30:07,751 - [Mehmed shushes] - [horse whinnies] 380 00:30:07,834 --> 00:30:11,876 [narrator] …a growing sense of unease hangs over Mehmed and his troops. 381 00:30:14,001 --> 00:30:17,584 The Ottoman troops are constantly being picked off by hit-and-run attacks. 382 00:30:17,668 --> 00:30:20,251 {\an8}And then at night, anybody outside of the trenches 383 00:30:20,334 --> 00:30:21,834 {\an8}is suddenly disappearing. 384 00:30:21,918 --> 00:30:23,043 This is true terror. 385 00:30:26,043 --> 00:30:30,668 [ropes creaking] 386 00:30:37,043 --> 00:30:38,168 [Mehmed sighs] 387 00:30:38,876 --> 00:30:41,584 [dramatic sting] 388 00:30:43,793 --> 00:30:47,251 [Mehmed] Mahmud Pasha, have them cut down at once. 389 00:30:49,459 --> 00:30:51,459 [ominous music playing] 390 00:31:13,001 --> 00:31:15,126 [Radu] We'll arrive not long after sunup. 391 00:31:17,501 --> 00:31:21,543 Our spies say there's only a small unit of guards at Poenari. 392 00:31:25,668 --> 00:31:29,084 No harm is to come to Princess Anastasia. 393 00:31:31,751 --> 00:31:33,543 I will personally capture her. 394 00:31:37,501 --> 00:31:38,834 [Konstantin] Prince Radu, 395 00:31:39,793 --> 00:31:41,959 when was the last time you saw your brother? 396 00:31:49,126 --> 00:31:50,209 Ten years ago. 397 00:31:53,209 --> 00:31:55,918 I haven't seen my own brother since I was nine. 398 00:31:57,334 --> 00:31:59,668 When I was taken for the sultan's army. 399 00:32:06,459 --> 00:32:08,043 But this is my family now. 400 00:32:10,251 --> 00:32:12,168 We are the children of Fatih, 401 00:32:13,084 --> 00:32:17,084 and we'll sacrifice everything to bring him honor and glory. 402 00:32:22,709 --> 00:32:24,709 Even my own brother. 403 00:32:34,543 --> 00:32:37,751 {\an8}[narrator] As Mehmed's army closes on Târgovişte… 404 00:32:38,668 --> 00:32:41,084 Touch my food again, and I will cut your hand off! 405 00:32:41,168 --> 00:32:42,334 Let me go! 406 00:32:42,418 --> 00:32:44,751 [narrator] …tensions flare in the Ottoman camp, 407 00:32:44,834 --> 00:32:48,084 where food and water are in increasingly short supply… 408 00:32:48,168 --> 00:32:49,043 [man] Bastard! 409 00:32:49,126 --> 00:32:52,376 [narrator] …and rumors of the Hungarian army joining Vlad 410 00:32:52,459 --> 00:32:53,834 grow by the day. 411 00:33:01,293 --> 00:33:04,043 [Mahmud] Sultan, you wish to see me? 412 00:33:07,334 --> 00:33:08,168 [Mehmed] Yes. 413 00:33:12,626 --> 00:33:14,209 Tonight, 414 00:33:15,001 --> 00:33:16,709 I saw two men 415 00:33:17,876 --> 00:33:21,376 fight like dogs for a scrap of meat. 416 00:33:22,209 --> 00:33:26,793 I saw an army that was lifeless, heartless. 417 00:33:26,876 --> 00:33:28,084 Primed for defeat. 418 00:33:29,751 --> 00:33:33,209 Sultan, our men are tired and hungry. 419 00:33:43,209 --> 00:33:46,293 Mahmud Pasha, you were not with me at Constantinople. 420 00:33:47,751 --> 00:33:48,584 No, Sultan. 421 00:33:52,334 --> 00:33:55,084 Standing knee-deep in mud and blood, 422 00:33:56,793 --> 00:34:02,376 and the bodies of my men outside those towering walls for weeks, 423 00:34:04,918 --> 00:34:08,543 I faced a fear and exhaustion unlike anything I'd ever known. 424 00:34:12,001 --> 00:34:13,459 The pirates… 425 00:34:16,043 --> 00:34:17,043 Giustiniani… 426 00:34:19,334 --> 00:34:23,126 did not indulge in the gruesome theatrics Vlad is fond of. 427 00:34:25,959 --> 00:34:26,876 [scoffs] 428 00:34:27,793 --> 00:34:29,626 But I can assure you, 429 00:34:30,626 --> 00:34:32,834 he was a nightmare unto himself. 430 00:34:36,459 --> 00:34:39,709 I saw that nightmare in the faces of my men. 431 00:34:40,959 --> 00:34:45,751 Every time, fewer and fewer of them came back from fighting him in the moats. 432 00:34:51,126 --> 00:34:52,751 Yet you triumphed, Sultan. 433 00:34:53,418 --> 00:34:54,251 [Mehmed] Yes. 434 00:34:56,626 --> 00:34:59,043 Because my cause was righteous, 435 00:34:59,126 --> 00:35:03,043 and because I had sworn an oath that I would take Constantinople. 436 00:35:04,043 --> 00:35:07,168 Just as I've sworn to punish Vlad for his betrayal. 437 00:35:09,459 --> 00:35:11,668 We lost valuable hours today, 438 00:35:12,168 --> 00:35:14,418 and the Hungarian threat is real now. 439 00:35:15,959 --> 00:35:17,793 We are running out of time. 440 00:35:18,418 --> 00:35:22,251 Tomorrow, we begin the final push towards Târgovişte. 441 00:35:23,043 --> 00:35:25,751 Gather the men in the morning before we depart. 442 00:35:25,834 --> 00:35:28,626 I want them to know exactly what is at stake. 443 00:35:30,751 --> 00:35:33,876 [dramatic music playing] 444 00:36:19,251 --> 00:36:26,043 Today, that terrible sun will burn like the fires of hell upon our heads, 445 00:36:26,126 --> 00:36:29,376 just like it has for the last 12 days. 446 00:36:35,709 --> 00:36:38,751 I know you're thirsty and hungry, 447 00:36:39,584 --> 00:36:43,293 and that we are besieged by evil on all sides. 448 00:36:43,376 --> 00:36:44,709 But fear not! 449 00:36:45,959 --> 00:36:49,793 A great and cruel reckoning is coming for our enemies! 450 00:36:54,209 --> 00:36:55,084 [whistles] 451 00:36:55,168 --> 00:36:57,584 [battle cries] 452 00:37:00,876 --> 00:37:04,126 Vlad Dracula has nowhere left to run. 453 00:37:04,209 --> 00:37:06,209 He hides like a rat! 454 00:37:06,876 --> 00:37:11,293 At the walls of Târgovişte, he will taste the steel of our swords 455 00:37:11,376 --> 00:37:14,584 and cower before the roar of our mighty cannons! 456 00:37:19,709 --> 00:37:22,001 We will avenge Hamza Bey! 457 00:37:23,293 --> 00:37:28,376 We will avenge all of our brothers, and sisters, and children 458 00:37:28,459 --> 00:37:32,334 who we lost in this godforsaken place! 459 00:37:32,418 --> 00:37:33,501 Let's go! 460 00:37:35,793 --> 00:37:38,793 [dramatic music intensifies] 461 00:37:41,709 --> 00:37:44,584 [distant cannonade] 462 00:37:46,084 --> 00:37:47,584 [screaming] 463 00:37:47,668 --> 00:37:54,168 We will destroy the Impaler Lord and burst open the gates of Europe! 464 00:37:55,001 --> 00:37:56,793 - [battle cries] - [men screaming] 465 00:37:58,168 --> 00:38:01,709 Buda, Vienna, Roma! 466 00:38:01,793 --> 00:38:04,668 - The world! - [battle cries] 467 00:38:05,251 --> 00:38:10,418 [army chanting] Fatih! Fatih! Fatih! 468 00:38:10,501 --> 00:38:17,334 [chanting continues] Fatih! Fatih! Fatih! 469 00:38:17,418 --> 00:38:23,501 Fatih! Fatih! Fatih! 470 00:38:23,584 --> 00:38:26,168 [battle cries] 471 00:38:30,418 --> 00:38:33,876 Find Princess Anastasia! Find her! 472 00:38:38,126 --> 00:38:40,001 Princess, go back to your room! 473 00:38:56,293 --> 00:38:57,959 - [men grunts] - [blood splashing] 474 00:39:05,584 --> 00:39:07,584 [panting] 475 00:39:17,126 --> 00:39:19,668 [brooding music playing] 476 00:39:21,543 --> 00:39:22,876 [grunting] 477 00:39:23,751 --> 00:39:25,251 [pounding] 478 00:39:40,501 --> 00:39:41,334 Leave us. 479 00:39:49,293 --> 00:39:51,584 Little Radu. 480 00:39:59,626 --> 00:40:01,459 [Radu] I'm here to protect you. 481 00:40:04,918 --> 00:40:08,834 If you come with me, I promise you won't be harmed. 482 00:40:11,209 --> 00:40:13,168 So you've come for Vlad's kingdom 483 00:40:14,168 --> 00:40:16,043 and now his wife? 484 00:40:18,793 --> 00:40:20,459 I never wanted any of this. 485 00:40:20,543 --> 00:40:24,251 That's a lie! This is all you've ever wanted. 486 00:40:28,293 --> 00:40:31,334 You're weak. A coward! 487 00:40:35,001 --> 00:40:36,043 Less than a man. 488 00:40:37,459 --> 00:40:41,293 You don't deserve to call Vlad your brother. 489 00:40:44,959 --> 00:40:46,584 I tried to save Vlad. 490 00:40:48,418 --> 00:40:50,501 It didn't have to end like this. 491 00:40:53,918 --> 00:40:54,751 Vlad is dead? 492 00:41:00,126 --> 00:41:04,501 And you will be too if you don't leave with me now. 493 00:41:11,834 --> 00:41:13,334 No harm will come to you. 494 00:41:14,501 --> 00:41:15,501 I promised him. 495 00:41:15,584 --> 00:41:19,459 [somber music rising] 496 00:41:25,084 --> 00:41:26,501 I made a promise too. 497 00:41:28,543 --> 00:41:29,543 No! 498 00:41:32,876 --> 00:41:34,876 [dramatic sting] 499 00:41:45,751 --> 00:41:49,251 [Mahmud] Sultan, you need to see this. 500 00:41:52,918 --> 00:41:54,584 [Mehmed] Vlad Dracula's seal. 501 00:41:55,626 --> 00:41:58,084 [Mahmud] This was discovered in Radu's tent. 502 00:41:58,876 --> 00:42:01,001 Unfortunately, we did not find the letter. 503 00:42:04,293 --> 00:42:05,584 Keep this between us. 504 00:42:05,668 --> 00:42:07,543 Sultan, we must do something. 505 00:42:07,626 --> 00:42:10,126 I will deal with him personally. 506 00:42:26,084 --> 00:42:28,168 [horse approaching] 507 00:42:33,459 --> 00:42:34,709 [messenger] Prince Vlad. 508 00:42:34,793 --> 00:42:35,668 What is it? 509 00:42:37,168 --> 00:42:39,959 [messenger] The Ottomans, they came to Poenari. 510 00:42:42,584 --> 00:42:43,543 [Vlad] Anastasia? 511 00:42:50,293 --> 00:42:51,334 She's… 512 00:42:55,001 --> 00:42:56,626 [nervously] She's… She's dead. 513 00:43:09,168 --> 00:43:10,001 Prince… 514 00:43:12,376 --> 00:43:13,834 It was… It was… 515 00:43:14,501 --> 00:43:17,043 - [slashes] - [agonized scream] 516 00:43:21,084 --> 00:43:22,668 Mehmed! 517 00:43:32,543 --> 00:43:35,043 [theme music playing]