My father had been poisoned by a rival tribe. My mother told me my father's enemies were forever the enemies of my own heart. From that day, I would never be a child again.

As the eldest son, Temujin(铁木真) grew up to lead what was little more than an extended family. And on the steppes, a small tribe was weak and vulnerable. To survive, Temujin knew he must forge links with other tribes and there was only one way he could do that.

Her name was Borte(孛儿帖). There were only two things to know about the marriage. She was a woman of beauty, and the sable fur (黑貂裘) they gave us was worth a thousand of the swiftest horses.

The great tribes of Mongolia were locked in a spiral of murderous vendettas. There was only one law on the steppes. If a man wanted something, he took it. Now Temujin had something another man wanted. The Merkit(蔑儿乞惕) tribe had feuded with Temujin's father. Now Temujin himself was in danger. And especially vulnerable was his new wife. The Secret History (蒙古秘史) recalls what Temujin, the man who would one day be Genghis Khan, did next.

They're taking my wife. I knew what I had to do.

What Temujin had to do was to escape.

Only a fool fights a battle he knows he cannot win.

Wife stealing was common on the steppes. Borte knew she had no choice but to submit.

I had just one friend that I could trust, Jamuqa(扎木合). As children, we have sworn a vow of anda(安答,意为义兄弟). It was the most sacred vow of all. We were blood brothers, a bond that joined our lives as one. With my sworn brother, Jamuqa, my power had been increased by Heaven and Earth.

extended family: social unit consisting of parents and their children along with other relatives

sable: small carnivorous mammal native to northern Europe and Asia (hunted for its dark brown valuable soft fur)

vendetta: an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts