"And so, gentle souls." "Follow me now to a place where men are men... and cocks are... cocks." "August 1494 The Assumption" "Welcome, Son of God." "Or so he calls himself in all his godlessness." "I come to take my bride." " As is ordered by my father." " Ordered by God." "I am handsome and powerful." "Kiss me and you will swoon." "(The play is finished!" "Everybody out!" "Walk on!" ")" "(Come on!" "Faster!" "Faster!" ")" "You once said that I would have plays written about me... but you did not say what would happen to those who performed such plays." "God, have mercy on the man who shot the arrow into my ass." "Let us wait to dispense our wrath until we know the facts." "Wait." "It's easy to wait when one can sit." "Fuck." "The people of Beroide, Camporoppolo and San Brizio... stand ready to join Spoleto's attack on Terni." "Terni's attempt on the life of Prince Goffredo is an insult to your honor." "The entire population of Terni cannot be blamed for one man's arrow." "Yet they will come to the walls of Porta Monterone seeking control of our mines... our roads, our prosperity." "We must attack first." "No." "First we will learn the truth." "That is my decision." " She's a woman." "And a Roman." " No." "But she's our appointed leader, so we must obey." " I see now, to lead is to be despised." " There is someone for you to meet." " A preparation for the..." " Someone who may bring you peace." "We were in the alley behind here." "She was facing out, eyes over my shoulder." "I viewed nothing..." " as I was otherwise occupied." " Watch your manners." "I am from Terni." "If they find out that I named the guilty man..." "Terni is crowded with slow-witted superstitious fools." " What you call superstition, we call Faith." " Do you know who shot the arrow?" "Yes." " The archer is..." " Their champion." "Sidonius Grimani." "He and his family are the richest, stupidest, most superstitious..." "Enough." "How can you be certain that Grimani committed this crime?" "Because..." "He is my brother." "Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro." "Dignum et justum est." "Majesty, I have retrained your troops... and I'm ready to cross the Alps to conquer Milan." "Yet I wait and wait and wait for your signal." " Oh, please, Cesare." "Why such haste?" " A bit more patience." "Without the love of Carlotta d'Aragona, all that is left for me in France is a bitter pear." "I can taste it in my throat." "It comes up, it's in my mouth all the day." "If I am to be a man with bile, I should be a man at war." "You think me arbitrary, but listen." "Duke Ludovico's sister is married to Emperor Maximilian... who will send German troops to defend Milan..." "Unless you can sign a treaty with Venice to block the German advance." "Exactly." "I must await news from the Doge." "Then we will pummel the Sforza family." "These dogs, what are they for?" "To protect you, dear friend." "Did he threaten you?" "It is not Cesare's words that frighten me, but his silences." "The havoc caused by his dogs in the theatre was hardly silent." "Cesare is pure pride." "Nothing is more dangerous than a proud man." "Dangerous or not, I need him content." "I cannot offend the Pope, at least... not until I've married Anne." "Oh, but Venice procrastinates." "Then, in the meanwhile, give him something to distract." "What could I possibly give him?" "I have already granted him a duchy." "How about a bride?" "Well, who?" "Well, present me with choices." "Those dogs are the hounds of Hell." "I want some." "The Venetian Ambassador awaits you in the map room." "Ambassador Giustiniani, thank you for seeing me." " A pleasure as always, your Grace." " I will come directly to my purpose." "If the Doge acquiesces and supports France's attack on Milan..." "I will give Venice Cremona and Ghiara d'Adda." "You will give?" "I was unaware those cities are in your possession." " They are not now, but they will be." " I see." " You hesitate." " Yes." "Cremona and Ghiara d'Adda will delight the Doge." " Yes." " But you wonder:" " What does Cesare Borgia grant me?" " Yes." "Why, the satisfaction of serving the Most Serene Republic of Venice... and her noble citizens." "Doing your job." "Hmm." "Milan will proffer a more tangible proposal." "So you refuse to convey my words to the Doge?" "Regrettably." " Do you like dogs, Giustiniani?" " Dogs?" "No." "Not even remotely." "Ah, too bad." "My love." "What is this I hear?" "You will travel to Terni?" "I will not permit you to go." "I go not as your wife, but as governor of Spoleto." "Then I, sword in hand, will lead Spoleto's finest soldiers and protect you." "Your courage is admirable." "But I need a warm spirit, a champion of peace..." "Bishop Bembo." "Do the figures." "Do them again." "I have, over and over." "The Papal Treasury is practically bare." " And the income from the beard tax?" " That's why we are not." " What else can we do to fill these empty chests?" " Double the tax on salt, wine." "Excellent thought." "Have you no ideas on how to raise funds, Signor Treasurer?" "You have proven yourself an idiot." "How can you accept your salary while our Papal finances are in such disarray?" "He is conjuring up fights with me because you gallivant with an Orsini." " I have done nothing with Virginio." " Except use him to taunt the Pope." "I do not taunt." "Virginio treats me kindly and not only would Rodrigo... deprive me of a husband, but he would deprive me of kindness as well." "Do you know who survive untouched in the ancient epic tales?" "Who?" "Some righteous sibling?" "The people not in the story." "If the Farnese are to survive, we must go unnoticed." "The gods torment those they see." "Especially those they fuck." "I have decided to name you a knight in the Order of Saint Michel... the highest honor a King of France can bestow." "You are already Duke of Valentinois." "Now, also, Count of Diois, Lord of Issoudun, and... the Order of Saint Michel." "And it is written." "Cesare Borgia, you are officially reborn as a son of France." "We need a ceremony, do we not?" "Sire, another title is meaningless if not earned." " And what of a wife?" "Will she be earned?" " A wife?" "My cousin." "Not a Carlotta, but a Charlotte." "Charlotte d'Albret... daughter of the Duke of Guyenne, sister of Navarre's King Juan." "Half French, half Spanish." "Perfect for you." "With skin never touched." "Let us get both of our marriages out of the way." "Then we will teach Italy what it means to submit." "But Majesty, there is the German threat." "Ambassador Giustiniani..." "Giustiniani, did you have an accident?" "A nasty tumble." "After further consideration, I will strongly encourage the Doge to support... your advance against Milan." "Venice will stop the Germans." " Wonderful." "Is that not wonderful?" " Truly." "When can we depart?" "As soon as all the documents have been signed and the wedding wine has been drunk." "Oh, you will love my cousin Charlotte." "Circumstances force us to raise the taxes on all of Rome's vineyards." "Yes, but my vineyard will barely turn a profit as is." "Vincenzo, show the cardinal the year's expenses to date." "Repairs on the cistern for irrigation." "Rise in the price of horse fodder." "Our harvest is less than expected." "Soon, there will be no vineyard to tax." "Let me study the tabulations and see if an exemption is possible." "Thank you." "I will send you some wine to aid in your study." "Alessandro, wait." "You seem troubled." "Damn, I'm losing the ability to hide my true feelings... a gift that is necessary to survive at the Vatican." " Politics is another name for despair." "Yes, but compounded with that are my own personal concerns." " I, like you, face destitution." " But you are Papal Treasurer." "No." "The Holy Father allows me no salary." "And, as you know, I'm to have another baby." "How will I support my children, my sweet Silvia, my mother?" "Do as I have done all these years." "Beg sometimes, borrow sometimes... and sometimes steal." "Hah." "I spare you, knave." "Come along, come along." "Quick, quick, quick, quick." "Come along." "You scared the children." "It is my way these days." "They can sense my bad temper." " Does your knight always spare his foe?" " He is a Christian." "And a puppet." "Is your lady around?" "Charlotte d'Albret?" "Yes." "She is very near." "The King sent me to meet her." "We all obey the King." "What?" "This?" "The Collar of Saint Michel." " Too ostentatious?" " Yes." "Your lady, is she beautiful?" "Some say." "Though..." "Here is a secret:" "She looks more innocent than she is." "You remind me of my sister." "And you remind me of no one else." "Your Grace, the King summons you." "We all obey the King." "Sidonius Grimani must come to Spoleto, admit his guilt, ask to be forgiven." "That is the only way we can avoid a war." "A war which will bankrupt both of our cities and decimate a generation of young men." "Perhaps I know why Sidonius Grimani drew his bow." "I fear he fired the arrow at your brother... because Grimani thought, at the archery competition, that he was cheated." "How can one cheat at archery?" "Since my appointment, I have learned that the people of Terni... always feel cheated by the people of Spoleto." "The only way my city can explain our misery is to lay it upon yours." "What can we do?" "Good evening." "You move around Rome disguised, like a thief?" "Sit." "I asked to see you here, where I caused such devastation." "I did not recall if I ever properly thanked you for taking care of me when my brain was twisted by vitriolo?" "Gacet gave me 2000 ducats." "What do you want now?" " Advice." " Certainly." "About Giulia." "She demands a husband." "Then give her one." "Or two." "Or three, as you did for me." " Those were different times." " Or different feelings?" "Vannozza, how do I keep Giulia from another man's bed?" " That depends on what you're willing to risk." " Everything." "Your Papacy?" "Yes." "You must remind Giulia that even a husband dies." "That marriage is not security." "You must expose the vulnerability of your rival." "There is a poison..." "No, no, no." "We do not kill." "A few of my girls would say otherwise if they were still able to speak." " That was a moment when I lost control." " Or finally gained control... which is what you need to do at this moment." "But still, poison?" "A poison which does not cause death, but makes one violently ill." "So you are suggesting that we invite Virginio Orsini to the Apostolic Palace and feed him poison?" "No, nothing that obvious." "You gain an invitation to dine at the Palazzo Orsini." "You find a way to influence a member of their household." "No." "No." "You're no longer able to keep hold of Giulia with jewels and posies." "A woman in love needs to see her man act, even to the extreme." "And not to change the subject, I would like to be exempt from the wine tax." "We see our expectations for you were too high." "I am a man of the old ways." "A man of the land." "My villa." "My orchards." "These are what give me comfort." "I do not welcome the new ways of the new Court." "If you wish to ask my daughter a question, you must go through me." "Well, may I greet her, at least?" "Charlotte." "Meet Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois." "And Count of Diois, Lord of Issoudun." " Mademoiselle." "It is a great pleasure." " I will handle the negotiations." " You know I already love you." " Love is mercurial." "We will see." "What?" "What did you say?" "Your Grace must have heard the thought inside my head." "A woman such as this deserves a man's full devotion." "Just as a man, such as Duke il Valentino, deserves a woman's full devotion." "Valentinois." "Duke of Valentinois." "I am sorry." "I've heard one of your bravi calling him il Valentino." "Yes, well, the sun is setting." "The heat will dissipate." "Let us walk the grounds, now that we can." "And I behind you." " A garden of green, where clover abounds." " And flies." " I wonder if any have four leaves." " Explain to me." "Why do we not attack?" "You went to Terni under the banner of peace." "Now is when they would least expect an assault." " Surprise and conquer." " We strive instead, for communitas." "The recovery of a shared humanity." "Terni and Spoleto have been at odds for centuries." "You have the moral high ground, as well as superior troops." "And your subjects want war." "They whisper that you do not fight because you're a woman." "In Venice, I saw what cannonballs can do." "Destruction knows no gender." "Yet, Venice is now safe." "Destroy Terni and end the conflict forever." " Cousin, I am curious as to your opinion." " Why would you want my opinion?" "Because, like the people of Terni, you mix your Faith in God with pagan superstitions." " Do you see a solution other than swords?" " I have been reading the local history." " I did not know you could read." " Alfonso, be silent." "You've had your turn." "300 years or so ago, Frederick Barbarossa sent his armies into Terni which had expected Spoleto to fight by its side." "But..." "Spoleto was in league with Barbarossa." "Terni went down, Spoleto went up." " How does this help us?" " Do you not see?" "Spoleto must return the good fortune... which Terni believes was stolen from them through deceit." " Alfonso, get me a plain wooden box." " A box?" "What for?" "And catch me a rabbit." "Mmm." "Delicious fish." "The spices." "The Moors are not good for much else." "And you, are you not hungry?" "I do not eat much on nights as hot as these." "Besides, the bones get caught in my throat." "Virginio, we wish to discuss your intentions concerning Giulia." "Ha." "How quaint." "I am not certain this is a proper conversation for the table." " She has been here, has she not?" " For a papal table." "You ask where she has been, yet track her every breath." "Since her father died, we have been like a father to the girl." "Come now, let us be honest." "Giulia is no girl... and you have been something quite different than a father." "And you have been a liar and a traitor." "I have repented my participation in the rebellion against you." "We are speaking of your current treachery." "We've imprisoned you once, we can do so again." "Imprison me for courting Giulia?" "You'll be the laughingstock of Europe." "The Supreme Pontiff as lovesick schoolboy." "Even Louis of France will think you a pantaloon." "The bones." "Yes, the bones can be very dangerous." "I've tried to borrow money from bankers, but to no avail." "I've begged from friends." "We must sell Capodimonte." "Mama's heart will shatter." "She will not be able to withstand the humiliation." "Giulia." " Giulia." " Virginio?" "What are you doing here?" "Virginio?" " What?" " I am poisoned." "Did you or did you not try to poison the Orsini brothers?" " Why do you not answer?" " Because I am mortified that you would ask me such a question." "The Cardinal is in a dire condition." "There is not much left inside Virginio but his spit." "Are you really sick?" "Or did you eat just enough to get sick?" "I was invited to their palace." "I ate a meal prepared by their cook." "Virginio tried to poison me so he could marry you." "Oh, stop." "Have you forgotten?" "I cut off a man's testicles just to prove my love." "You could have bribed the cook or a servant." "You might even tempt fate with your life, but be careful." "What you do to others, others can do to you." "See how she stands and lets the light shine through her gown?" "Does she know we are here?" "When you negotiate the dowry with her father, be cautious." "Underneath that ancienne ducal facade lies the heart of a cunning, avaricious peasant." "The old man talks more sweetly of his crops than his daughter." "But I wonder, will I be happy with her?" "Charlotte." "I wonder too, would Lucrezia like her?" "Here in the basilica, my son has sanctuary." "I swear no one will harm Sidonius while Spoleto is in my charge." " What do you want?" " Peace, forgiveness, trust." "I have brought you Spoleto's secret." "The secret to our success." "Excellency, please." "Here is my assurance." "Terni will never again be cheated while you're in possession of this box." " This is witchcraft." " This is mystical." "That is why I give it to the Grimani, the finest Christian family in Terni." "Do not..." "I can feel the power." "You must put carrots and lettuce through the slot." "But like Pandora, never open the box." "Sidonius is too fine an archer to have missed your brother's heart." "The arrow landed where intended." "My son did not wish to kill, only to embarrass." "A young man's pride often confuses his judgment." "I ask only that Sidonius come to Spoleto and take responsibility for his crime." "Then, as judge, I promise I will pardon him." "There is no other way." " Boo." " Please." "Please." "He has come from Terni." "He has knelt before me." "He has trusted me with his life." "Kill him." "Forgive." "For if even one of you keeps venom in your heart, then all of us are tainted." "Forgiveness is a gift which God has given us to give to others." "When we die, God will not ask:" "'How many men have you avenged?" "'" "But: 'How many did you forgive?" "'" "If a man is truly sorry and you cannot embrace him... then you have sinned and you will suffer." "And I will attack Milan here, here, here and here." "Then I will offer its citizens a choice:" "Loyalty to Sforza or you." "Death or joy." "No, no, no, no, no." "The bargaining goes badly." "The dowry is too extravagant." "I am a duke, not a Shahzadeh." " Your son is King of Navarre." " And I am Cesare Borgia." "My vow of fidelity, whether to a pope, a king, or a wife, does not come cheaply." "Then I withdraw my daughter's hand." "Fine." "Fine?" "You mean..." "I will find another bride." "I hear the Tudor princess is shapely and sagacious." "Alain, you must agree to the terms laid out by Cesare's secretary." "Of course." "This was merely a negotiation." "No, I have changed my mind." "I no longer want the girl." " But..." " No." "Cesare, I beseech you." "Majesty, I love you, but my pride has been wounded." " Still, I implore you." " No." "Alain le Grand is your subject, so I will seek satisfaction from you." "I will agree to marry Charlotte only if you defeat me in 'jeu de paume'." "Me?" "Twenty times we have played and I have never defeated you." "Highness, you must." "My daughter is devoted to the Duke of Valentinois." "I cannot bear the thought of her weeping... and blaming me." "Very well." "At the hour of None we will play." " Who is there?" " We, the Pope." "I, Rodrigo." "You." "You have come to watch me die?" "I have come to comfort you, Gianbattista." "As friend and priest." "Your forehead is on fire." "You will get well." "And together, we will celebrate Mass on the Feast of the Assumption." "When the Virgin Mary, sleeping, was taken into Heaven, body and soul." "Alas, I can make no such assumptions." "Where I go, what lodging I will have this night... in whose company I will fall, or in what manner I will be greeted..." "I do not know." "None of us can know." "All my life, I have lived under assumptions." "Of friendship... family." "And yet, where are they now?" "My family?" "My brother cardinals?" "Only you, Rodrigo, my Pope." "My enemy has come." "I'm frightened." "We will pray." " He will not last long." " Your presence provides great solace." "No man should meet his end alone, ally or foe." "Forgive me for suspecting you." "Yes, if you could win, then I would do as you command." "But what does a wager matter, you cannot beat me." "And you, hold your tongue." "For this time, you will lose." "I fight for love." "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." "God of Peace, you have refreshed your servant Gianbattista... with food and drink from Heaven." "Lead him safely into the Kingdom of Light." "Through Jesus Christ, our Lord." "Amen." "What do you smell?" "The sweet breath of God?" "Or the stench of Hell?" "Hell." "Cardinalis est mortuus." "It is a pope's prerogative to take possession of a dead cardinal's estate." "Do an inventory of the entire Orsini household." "You see, Alessandro, how our treasury is replenished?" "How God provides." "What about Cerveteri, Monterano, Viano?" "These lands only revert back to papal control after Virginio Orsini's death." "Seize them as well." "But you have no legal grounds." "Virginio Orsini attempted to poison the Pope." "Have the traitor arrested." "I win." "I won." "You will marry Charlotte." "Why does it suddenly feel as if I have not won?" "Why let me win?" "Why let me score if you do not wish to marry her?" "I have learned that often, one must lose a point to win the bigger match." "Of course I wish to marry Charlotte... but I do not want a lifetime of her father interfering in our lives." "If he thinks that I do not care for her, that I will marry out of obligation to you... then he will tread lightly, afraid to set me off again." "Cesare, you do not know how alike we are." "I have a grander game in mind as well." "To build an empire greater than Charlemagne's, with you by my side." "And to begin, General Borgia, I grant you full authority to depart from France... to command my army to crush Milan." "Yes." "Gone." "Borgia has taken every chair, chalice..." "Even the dirty sheets." "Virginio, I am ready to wed." "To give you an heir to the Orsini family." "With your brother's death, there is no Orsini in the College of Cardinals." "You will need Alessandro's support." "I cannot touch you." "No nobleman in Italy ever will." "The Pope has shown his resolve to keep you in his possession, whatever the cost." "You are now and forever his whore." "Virginio Orsini, you are under arrest." "Lucrezia, what are you doing?" "It is near None." "My dear..." "I'm fine." "Angela, come at once." " Who?" " Cardinal Della Rovere." "Enter." "We come to congratulate you on your engagement." "Giuliano, what think you of this?" "You will marry on the Feast of the Assumption." "There's an old wives' tale: 'Rain always falls on the day of our Virgin.'" " A bad omen for a marriage." " Fate is my whore." "Brilliant." "May I ask what it is?" "A letter to Duke Ludovico Sforza offering my undying friendship... and asking if, on my way back to Rome, I may enjoy Milan's hospitality..." " with my new bride." " He will know that you are not sincere." "Of course." "With sweet and courtly words, I make clear the severity of my threat." "Hmm." "Oh, and Francesco..." "I knew that you were hiding in the room when I made the offer to Giustiniani." "Do you like dogs?" "She needs rest and she needs fluids." "So there is no permanent damage?" "She will recover fully?" "That is correct." "Why when one is at her most happy does the blow strike the hardest?" "Lucrezia, this may not be a blow." "What does the doctor say?" "I feel as I did when I was with child." "That is because you are again with child." "You're a fertile creature." "More than is good for me." "Your words to the crowd about forgiveness." "A child of ours is in your womb." "Is there nowhere in your heart where I can be forgiven?" "Yes." "Yes, I do." "I forgive you." "If Lucrezia is pregnant, we must bring her home." "Put Spoleto in someone else's charge." "My nephew Gian Borgia da Mila perhaps." "Wine?" "The finest French burgundy from King Louis." "A 'thank you'." "We expect more from him than wine:" "Cesare's marriage and French troops." "Soon you will have both." "Alessandro Farnese says the Orsini estate totals more than 300,000 ducats." "A princely sum for a Prince of the Church." " Dragoni examined the feces?" " Yes." "Because of the Cardinal's generally poor physical condition... even a small dose of non-lethal poison might have caused his death." " Ah." " Or..." "Or?" "The fish was bad." "This is what comes from putting the papal purse in the hands of a pauper." " A pauper with the papal purse." " 'You are a feather.'" " You are a feather, Alessandro." " 'Left to you...'" " Left to you, we would starve." " 'Farnese would starve.'" "'Do as I have done all these years." "Beg sometimes, borrow sometimes... and sometimes steal.'" "Sinibaldi's hands." "'You see, Alessandro, how our treasury is replenished?" "'" "God provides." "Let us go." " All hail, Governor Lucrezia Borgia." " All hail." "To hesitate will not change your destination." "You must come with us, Pietro." "I'll remain at my post to keep alive the torch which you have flamed." "Beautiful Spoleto." "The first time in my life where I did not feel one step behind, but slightly ahead." "My dear, in your condition the road will be rough... and we want to reach Rome before the sun sets." "A moment." "What is the matter?" "Has good fortune come back to Spoleto?" "My mother opened the box... to touch some of Spoleto's success." "Soft and furry, as I imagine good fortune to be." "And it ran into the hills." "We tried to find it, but it must have returned here." " Why do you say that?" " Because our misfortune is back." "You are leaving." "Unless you can promise..." "Will my brother be safe?" "No, he will not." "Please." "Lucrezia, come." "Rome beckons." "Yes, husband, I obey." "Agapito, you have ridden hard." "Four days, and four nights, and my horse will tell you, as he suffers for it." "Our Cesare?" "Married." "Good." "Finally, good." "Get him some food." "Now, reveal to us all you can about the wedding, the wedding night." "They married on the Feast of the Assumption, when the rains always come." "But the day was perfect." "It was a perfect summer's day." "A day of weddings." "The two couples were married on the same day." "First, Louis and Anne..." "And then Cesare and Charlotte." " Cesare smiled." " He smiled?" "It was a smile I have never seen on his face before." "And that night, I realized what kind of smile it was." "The King is a bit mad, for he placed both marital chambers next to each other." "I could hear he and Anne making love." "And I could hear Cesare... breaking his lance not once, not twice, but over and over." "Then I heard a door creak and footsteps." "I saw the King naked, his ear to Cesare's door." "After Cesare had broke the lance for the eighth time... he stepped out... naked as well, to find the King looking at him in stunned admiration." " And he said..." " Who?" "Who said?" "The naked King. 'You have beaten me in this tournament as well.'" "And on the spot, increased his stipend to 40,000 francs a year." "And granted Cesare the rare honor of placing French lilies alongside the bull... on the Borgia coat of arms." "After the King retreated to his suite, I made myself known to Cesare." "All is well." "The first sheets were red." "Go to Rome, tell my father." "I looked into his room, but I did not see the sweet, young virgin on his bed." "And that is because she no longer is." "But as he closed the door..." "I could see his smile was one of relief... release, satisfaction, surrender." "As if all the women whom he had known in his life had led him to this moment." "Eight times?" "Eight times in one night, you say?" "Cesare is a Borgia." "France is ours." "And all of Italy."