"Ah, a Chinaman!" "Such weird things we stumble on!" "It's about the Holy Grail." "I saw an elderly woman who was digging under the bridge, and was dressed like a beggar." "He's looking for his daughter." "We have to find that girl." "But, do we really need even more business?" "Irene's getting worse and she's very weak." "Do you really care so little what happens to your wife?" "I need to work." "Give me a job, whatever it might be." "Please, I beg you." "I know this woman, Sátur." "I met her in China." "I worked as a servant in the palace of the emperor." "We had a beautiful friendship during my stay in China." "If you should be widowed --- may God forbid ---an immense fortune will fall into your hands, Commissioner." "I have nothing." "The Commissioner's wife is about to die and it's my fault." "It was an accident, and you can't change a thing, so stop thinking about it." "If you died, who would inherit all this?" "Since there are no offspring..." "That money is the price for your child." "I'm his father, and I will concern myself with his education." "His fortune is now equated with that of the Duke of Alba." "This is the dress my mistress wore when she married the Marqués." "The lady wants you to mend it." "Lucrecia, I present to you my son." "Your eagerness to become a father has turned you demented, Hernán, he's a bastard!" "He's my son, and my legitimate heir." "Miss Irene is dying there, among four walls, and all this scoundrel can think of is to bring in a child." "And who could his mother be?" "And you spoke earlier about that beautiful friendship..." "What you said: beautiful friendship." "What did you mean, exactly?" "~ Margarita!" "~ Margarita!" "Round up and question all the old beggar women." "I want the Holy Grail." "I don't know." "Symptoms correspond to the effect of a poison." "Grab the kid." "I need the help of your staff doctors." "Do you expect me to put at risk the future of the Empire just for one person?" "What's happening to me, Juan?" "She's starting to go numb." "What's happening to me?" "You can't arrest me, Hernán!" "Where's my son?" "Focus your efforts on finding the Holy Grail." "When you find it, I'll return your little bastard." "~ I think this will save her." "~ We can't just give her any old thing." "We have no other choice." "Son of a whore, I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" "~ I won't let you give it to her." "~ Juan...!" "Miss Irene has woken up." "I'm the Red Eagle, and I help people who need it." "Good job." "Yes, sir, really good." "Excellent, I think." "Thank you, sir." "We've only done what we were ordered, as we agreed." "We honor your modesty, blacksmith, but you have to accept compliments." "The money." "Who did this?" "Who was it?" "Saint Toribio." "It is very humiliating for a king to have to borrow from the nobility." "I'm not nobility, your Majesty, I'm family." "I'd like to say that the Crown will reward your generosity someday, but I regret not being able to do so." "Any news about the stolen gold?" "No." "I have to take drastic measures." "I'm thinking of creating a new tax." "But, your Majesty, with all respects, the people don't have anything as it is." "The creation of a new tax would kill the people through starvation." "If we don't fund the troops, there will be desertions, and we could definitely lose Portugal." "The queen wishes to see you, your Majesty." "Your Majesties." "How can I help you, my dear?" "What did you think of the suitor who visited us yesterday?" "We'll keep looking." "By God, Philip, you're taking more pains with Ximena than with your own children!" "Her father gave his life for this kingdom, and it's the least I can do." "She's been three years at court and no suitor looks suitable to you." "I just want to be sure of finding her the best husband." "Ximena has too many good qualities to just fob her off with just anyone." "It's clear which of her qualities you're most interested upon." "Make a decision or we'll grant her hand Gaspar de Bracamontes, Viceroy of Naples." "Then, why didn't you wake me up, may I know?" "There was no danger." "I just wanted to see if my mother had responded to any of the messages." "Yes, but missions that start off easy always end up going wrong." "Then did you see whoever shot those poor people or not?" "No, but one of the men told me something before he died." "What did he say?" "Santo Toribio." "Sure!" "He would be a devotee of the Saint and he wanted to commend his soul." "No, no, he wanted to tell me something more, but he didn't have the strength to go on." "We have to find out what Saint Toribio is." "Master, if you don't mind, I should go on an errand." "The bookseller told me that today the secretary to Calderón de la Barca will be coming to his store, and I'd like to go." "Why do you want to go?" "I just want to give him something." "You'll see." ""The Life of Saturno" by Saturno García." "~ This is clear." "~ And what is this?" "It's my life." "A biography, that's what those are called." "That took years to write." "And, who knows, maybe Calderón de la Barca, if he likes it, then... maybe someday, maybe I, well, I don't know, maybe... maybe I could be a writer, right?" "I don't know." "Sátur, don't get discouraged, but Calderón is the most famous writer of the court." "I do not think it'll be very easy to hand this to him." "Yes, I know!" "But you always say that things turn into impossibles just for not trying, right?" "No, you're right." "Anyway, if you'd told me, I would have corrected any mistakes." "Nah, that would have cost it its freshness." "You're too academic." "Academic?" "Besides, I don't think you understood that encounter with the Siamese twins." "What did you say, you're going to handle this to Calderón?" "Yeah, well, his secretary, why?" "No, because it's like Murillo, Catalina's kid, going to Velásquez to hand him one of his drawings." "Cipri, Velázquez is dead." "I know it'll be hard, I know that, but suppose Calderón likes it, and he writes a work about me?" "But are you listening, Gonzalo?" "Say something, he thinks he going to be a writer!" "Forgive me, but my life is very interesting." "I'm sure many people would like to read about it." "But that doesn't make you anything, not everyone can be a writer." "No, of course not!" "First you must learn to read, then you write!" "Let's think it through, Cipri." "The NO is already in play." "No, leave me alone with it." "Do you know what's bothering you?" "That I'm trying to make something out of my life, that I have initiative." "What crappy job could you find with that attitude?" "Let him come back for more intellectual spanking!" ""My dear Marquesa, I ask you to escort this girl to the Convent of the Barefoot Carmelites..." ""where she'll begin her religious life." ""A beauty so pure and divine should only serve God and His Majesty." ""I, the king, Felipe IV."" "Well, spend the night here, and tomorrow late I'll take you to the Convent of the Barefoot Carmelites." "What?" "What, dear?" "This convent is well-favored by the king." "I didn't know this was to be my fate." "I'd been receiving suitors." "I thought that their Majesties were arranging my marriage." "Well, even if it turns out this marriage is with God, it's still a marriage." "Ah, what a pity, with this hair!" "Well, they say it's more comfortable to wear it short." "Mother, are you going riding with me?" "Where are your manners, Nuño?" "I'm Nuño...de Santillana." "Ximena." "Charmed." "It's you, right?" "The secretary of Don Calderón de la Barca." "The Master doesn't sign books." "No, I don't want a dedication, you see..." "I've written a manuscript I'd like Don Calderón to read." "We're not interested." "Please, I beg you." "Here's my whole life story." "I've had more experiences than Lazarillo de Tormes." "And I'm not anonymous!" "Please, I need you to deliver it." "I'm just asking you to give it to him." "He could put me in touch with printers." "But who are you?" "Where have you studied?" "Well, studying, no...but what does that matter?" "Get this creep away from me." "Fuck off!" "Fuck renowned authors and all their ilk!" "Are you all right?" "Master, no, I'm not." "I'm not all right." "I promise you I'll never go see a play by Calderón de la Barca even if it covers the second part of your life." "I'm sure Alonso will like reading it." "That wasn't the point, Master." "It wasn't the point, drop it." "By the way, have you learned anything?" "Yeah." "Saint Toribio is the name of an old smithy." "It's been abandoned for years." "After school, I'll go check it out." "That one's my Gabi!" "I don't want my son to see me like this!" "Sátur!" "Hi, Estuarda." "How are you?" "You've changed a lot." "Yeah, we're not doing too badly." "I saw Gabi over there, with..." "Yes, he's with my husband." "He'll begin working as a blacksmith in the royal household." "He's there, signing the papers." "He's going to work for the king?" "Well...congratulations." "Estuarda, we have to go now." "Sure." "It was good to see you, Sátur." "Me, too." "He never stared at me that way in my whole life." "Come on, let's go." "What a shame about that child!" "With all that freshness, she'll be spending most of her life locked in a convent." "I don't understand it, because the truth is that the lass is quite passable." "Truth be said." "Also, to that convent, the ones who go are the ugliest of each family, or the most tomboyish." "She doesn't look tomboy, does she?" "No, but don't cheat yourself, either, because I've been bathing her, and she has a body capable of giving a beating to any man." "But she'd better forget about men, because starting tomorrow, she'll spend her hours cooking "Nun-sighs"." "A pity, girl." "~ I'm going to go make the beds." "~ With God." "Cipri!" "What are you doing here?" "~ I...wanted to talk with you." "~ What's happened?" "I've been thinking and I've reached a decision:" "I leaving." "You said that you're leaving?" "This afternoon, to the quicksilver mines of La Mancha." "They say they'll take anyone." "Of course they'll take anyone, Cipri, since they drop like flies!" "No, forget it, we'll find a job for you in town." "Look, I can't keep living off my friends' generosity." "~ Cipri, for God's sake, it's not charity!" "~ Well, call it what you want." "I can't take it anymore." "Cipri, for God's sake, don't leave me!" "Don't leave me on my own!" "~ Hello!" "~ Hi, Basilio." "I have to go." "The Marquesa's cows give less milk every time." "Leave it there, Basilio." "I'll boil it in a while." "Basilio!" "Basilio!" "Basilio, man!" "Speak to me!" "The king's men would never get suspicious of ceramic pieces of such vulgarity." "I wonder what King Philip would say if he discovered what became his wealth." "And blacksmiths who did the work?" "We just paid them off." "How malleable gold is!" "You can convert it into a vulgar object or raise a man to the throne of St. Peter." "As you know, I'm not much given to flattery,... but I recognize that you did an excellent job." "By the way, your Eminence, I have allowed myself to take my share of the gold home." "In that case we will regard this matter as closed." "Your Eminence." ""Dear Cardinal Farnese:..." ""Permit me to send you an object that will clear up your doubts about my candidacy as a future pope."" "Cardinal Mendoza?" "How did you get in here?" "Who are you?" "I see you have prospered greatly since the last time we met." "I don't remember ever having seen you before in my life." "I think you've got the wrong person." "It took me a while to get to you, but I'm not mistaken." "You've changed your name, you've distorted your body with the good life,... but you have the same eyes that you had in the prison of Oran." "I'm not going to the galleys." "We have to get out of here and get our money back." "What do you want?" "The money you took from me after leaving me half dead in the cell." "Children, you've got the chance to repent your sins." "We only have one set of clothes." "How can we both leave?" "Relax, trust me." "I don't know what money you're talking about." "You're going to give me what I ask or everyone will know you robbed and murdered the Marqueses de Su Montaño." "How dare you?" "Get out of here right now or I'll call the guard." "I have the records of the prison which associate your number with the murder of the Marques,... and I've given orders to go public with it if something happens to me." "What do you want for this record?" "10,000 reales for each year spent in the galleys, that seems fair." "I'll send you directions on how to pay me." "Take this preparation, to see if we can beat the infection." "All right?" "Thanks very much, Doctor." "We have no money to pay, but we can spend a little bit of time inside, if you like." "No, thank you." "You don't have to pay me anything, I'm just doing my job." "Doctor!" "Can I ask you a question?" "You see, Doctor, I've decided to leave for work in the quicksilver mines of La Mancha." "The quicksilver mines?" "Yes, and I want to know what precautions I can take to avoid becoming poisoned." "The only precaution is to not go work there." "Cipri, if you need money I can give you some." "No, no, no thanks, really, Doctor." "All right." "I'll see you." "Hi, Juan." "Cipri!" "~ I found you a job." "~ A job?" "Where?" "~ In the Marquesa's palace." "~ What, in the palace?" "This morning the one who milked the cows died, and you're going to take his place." "You know how to milk, right?" "Yeah, yeah, but..." "The Marquesa wants to sign me on?" "Well, not exactly." "She doesn't know about it." "What are you thinking?" "You want me to slip into the palace behind the Marquesa's back?" "We buried her alive, Catalina!" "If she finds me working there she'll kill me, followed rather quickly by you!" "Cipri, it's fairly-earned pay, and she doesn't need to find out." "But how would we keep her from knowing?" "Think it through: the Marquesa wouldn't be caught dead in the dairy,... and she only knows the servants in her immediate circle, the others don't even exist as far as she's concerned." "She knows the faces of her horses better!" "I don't know, Catalina, the whole idea makes me squirm." "Look, you'd take milk to the palace twice a day, and I know perfectly well the Marquesa's routines." "She doesn't get out of bed until after noon,... and then she goes for a nap between three and five." "You'd never have to cross her path." "Cipri, for God's sake, you have to take this!" "Don't leave me alone." "Don't waste any more time with your stupid daydreams." "Move on, go on with the housekeeping!" "~ No!" "~ What do you mean, no?" "~ Give me back the boat." "~ This, eh?" "~ I'm leaving here." "~ Yeah?" "Where to?" "This is what awaits you in life." "The sooner you realize it, the better." "No, I'm going to go be someone." "A nobody, that's who you'll be." "No, I'm going to be an admiral." "Miss Ximena." "~ Yes." "~ Mother, but what are you doing here?" "I was going to ask you the same question." "You should be at school, Nuño." "Yeah, but I came to see...whether our guest needed anything." "I'm glad you worry so about every detail of our hosting of guests." "Do you know what the problem is, son?" "That wherever you go, I've already been there and back twice." "Why are you saying that to me?" "Because in addition to being a mother, I'm also a woman,... and this way of looking at that girl wasn't exactly like going and praying together." "Listen, son, it would be foolish to fall in love with a girl whose destiny is to become a nun." "Sure." "Fine, but that can change, right?" "If she had nowhere else to go, she could stay here." "Ximena will enter the Convent of the Barefoot Carmelites tomorrow, exactly as the king has ordered." "Nuño, no one can thwart his Majesty's desires." "Is that clear?" "~ Is that clear, son?" "~ Yes, Mother." "Excuse me." "I didn't know you were here." "I wanted to make sure everything is to your liking." "I brought a book." "The Bible." "Yes." "I never read it, but starting tomorrow you'll have all the time in the world to read it." "Let's go, Nuño." "Goodbye." "...and Charles I granted a sphere of the world with the legend: "The first trip around the world"." "Very well." "Does anyone know who we're talking about?" "Who was the first to go around the world?" "Murillo." "Magellan." "He started the expedition, but he was killed in a skirmish." "It was Elcano." "Very good, Elcano." "And despite not knowing the way back, and losing four of the five ships with which they left,... the finished the circumnavigation." "Do you know what this meant?" "It means that no matter how difficult things may seem to you, nothing is ever impossible." "In this life you can get as far as you want --- you only need one thing: to really want it." "That's a lie." "Don't stuff these kids' head with wild ideas,... or else half of them will end tomorrow picking up shit." "Kids, will you excuse me for a minute?" "You aren't here to learn?" "So why don't you want them to hear about the fucking things in life?" "~ Alonso?" "~ Sátur." "Have you been drinking?" "What the fuck does it matter whether I've been drinking or not?" "~ Sátur, have a seat." "~ I don't feel like sitting down, no." "I understand you're affected by what happened before, but no..." "No, no, no...it's not that, Master." "Well, yes, I'm hurt by that, but that's not it." "I know I won't get anywhere in life." "I used to want to go far away, to be somebody, but now..." "Sátur, you're already someone." "~ No, man, no way!" "~ You're a great person." "I'm nobody, I'm a servant." "A damned servant, that's what I am." "And you know the worst of it?" "The worst thing is that this isn't a bad gig." "This is all there'll be for me until I die." "To take my dream up my ass!" "Look, life changes when you least expect it." "It hasn't changed in 40 years, is it...going to change now?" "A writer, I'd thought myself a writer!" "Put up with all the shit, Saturno,... some people are born lucky, others are born wrecked,... and then you are, you are, you were born...born for what?" "What was I even born for?" "The horse!" "Dismount, quick!" "If you're looking for money, you're wasting your time." "I don't have any." "I told you to dismount from the horse." "Down off the horse." "Let's go!" "And drop your sword." "You don't have to shout, I can hear you just fine." "Kill him, let's not waste any more time." "Kill him." "Fuck off!" "Take it easy." "Let me." "Up you go." "Are you all right?" "You've saved my life." "I passed by here...no, I couldn't have left...could I?" "What's your name?" "Sátur." "Saturno García." "Thanks, Sátur." "I'm Fernando Álvarez de Toledo." "Fernando Álvarez...?" "The Duke...?" "Himself: the Duke de Alba." "Sir...your leg." "Oh, it's a great honor!" "Don't forget to bring my money and I'll give you incriminating evidence." "I'll wait for you for two days, until noon, in the lagoon of the Dehesa de Villaverde." "Come in." "The Commissioner, Eminence." "Have a seat." "Commissioner, I'd like to propose a deal that would be beneficial to both of us." "I can hardly wait, Eminence." "Given the pressing circumstances at the Vatican... with death hovering around the bed of His Holiness... and on behalf of the sacred purpose of promoting my candidacy to the throne of St. Peter..." "I'm obliged to ask you --- as a loan, of course --- for your share of the gold." "How could you possibly think I'd go along with something so outlandish?" "Maybe it would look more attractive if I were to return that little twig from your family tree." "In exchange for my gold?" "It would be a fair enough trade for everyone." "Sorry, your Eminence, but I prefer to keep the pitchers." "It's not that I'm so endeared to that child, and now that my wife is healthy, she'll produce the child I want." "In that case you leave me no alternative but to sacrifice of this poor innocent." "Do whatever suits you." "If there's nothing else...your Eminence." "With everything the Lady Marquesa eats...well, I don't know where she puts it." "Well, with one thing and another, a woman learns how to burn it off." "Come on, bring it, when she wakes from a nap, she likes to have a snack ready." "Is it safe?" "I'm bringing the milk." "Come on, come on, there's no danger." "The Marquise is snacking." "Hey, wow, how much milk!" "It just goes to show you have good hands!" "Well, the truth is that I'm not too bad." "I'm thinking that maybe, when I get a bit of free time,..." "I'll drop by to see you, on a quick visit to the barn." "It's the Marquesa." "See you later." "Hey, put that into the pitcher and scurry to the dairy, don't dawdle." "Catalina!" "Zinc: bluish-white metal used since the Middle Ages in metallurgy." "It retains the properties of precious metals smelting." "What are you doing?" "~ Well...getting the lesson ready for tomorrow." "~ What's it about?" "You'll see tomorrow in class, like the rest of the students." "Alonso, have you seen Sátur?" "No, he never came home after school." "Father, what happened to him?" "Why was he like that?" "Nothing, he's just...a bit sad." "Sure, but why?" "Did something happen?" "No, no, what's happened is that he's just disappointed, son." "Life just hasn't lived up to his hopes and expectations." "Come on, don't worry about it." "What happened to your hand?" "Nothing, it's nothing, son." "Well, it looks like a bite." "By what kind of vermin?" "Nothing, nothing, it's no biggie, just a rat bite." "From a rat?" "But Father, that could be very dangerous!" "Rats carry diseases, like the plague, Father!" "~ Don't sweat it." "~ What's going on?" "~ He got a rat bite." "~ What do you mean that a rat bite you, Gonzalo?" "Where?" "~ Never mind." "~ Come on, show me your hand." "This doesn't look fine, Gonzalo, you have to see a doctor." "~ I'm fine." "~ Scarcely a day goes by without something happening to you." "There's no more relaxing a job than a teacher's, and if it doesn't kill you, you get bitten by a rat!" "For sure my father's always been a bit clumsy." "~ Am I a little clumsy?" "~ A bit." "All right, it's fine, but if it's worse tomorrow, I'll go see Juan." "Happy?" "~ Yes." "~ Good." "Fine, but only if I don't die of whatever illness before doing it, or else I crash my head on something." "Let's see if I make it to tomorrow." "~ I couldn't just leave him there on the floor." "~ No, you've done well, now go away." "Come on, he's awakening now, let's move." "Young Master?" "Young Master?" "~ What's going on here?" "~ Madam, your son has fallen." "It's nothing, Mother, I'm fine." "~ Catalina, summon a doctor." "~ Yes, Ma'am, at once." "~ Wait." "You brought my son here?" "~ Yes, Ma'am." "Look at me when I'm talking to you." "Can you tell me what you were doing working here?" "Ma'am, I asked him to come." "This morning a man died from the stables, and I asked him to come do his job." "You asked him to come?" "Yes, Ma'am, I didn't want to bother you with such unimportant matters." "Unimportant?" "Are you laughing at me?" "Get out of my house this instant." "If I see you here again, I'll have you hanged." "Yes, Ma'am." "Catalina, you don't leave me any choice but to clarify who is the lady and who is the maid." "You'll receive twenty lashes." "With all due respect, sir, but, given who you are,... wasn't it unwise to go riding around like that, without an escort or anything?" "I needed to be alone." "I'm sick of being around people who think they know what I need better than I do." "How's the leg?" "Could be better, but still." "That's what they say about you: he will not surrender just like that, so easily." "~ Is that right?" "~ Yeah." "~ And who says this?" "~ Well, the chroniclers." "Me, I have read a lot about your exploits in Europe,... and all emphasize the dedication of the Duke of Alba in the battlefield." "~ You know how to read?" "~ Yes, Sir." "Where did you study?" "I didn't learn it in any one place, I did it by myself, at my own pace." "Only to state a weak point --- and in my humble opinion --- ... don't you believe that in the battle of Dunkirk, it would have been better to reinforce the rear... instead of ordering the whole force directly to the front?" "That's how the French caught us with all our asses in the air!" "Some tips are always late." "I wish you had been by my side!" "What happened to you, sir?" "Are you all right?" "Oh, good...!" "I'm fine, I'm fine, relax." "I'm still alive thanks to this man." "Reward him well." "Yes, of course, sir." "Take this." "No, no, no, no, no, I don't want a reward." "But I..." "I've done it for nothing...for me, it was an honor to help you out." "~ Sátur, wait." "~ Yes, sir." "Do you want to work for me?" "You see, I already have a Master, the teacher in the San Felipe neighborhood, and..." "I don't want you as a servant." "Oh, no?" "Then I don't understand." "I'm offering you an administrative position." "A position?" "But I'm not learnèd, nor anything else!" "I have highly learned people who just tell me what I wanted to hear." "I need someone like you." "Think it over." "You know where to find me." "Did you move?" "Where are you?" "It's clear the board's the furthest thing from your mind." "Is something going on?" "Have you ever put an eye on someone that you just knew wasn't for you?" "Sure." "Your move." "What did you do?" "Give her up?" "In chess, as in life, if you give up, you'll never win the game." "Something like this, for instance." "Checkmate." "I can't sleep." "I don't want to go to the convent tomorrow." "Fine, but they won't be able to force you to go if they don't find you, right?" "~ I'm sorry." "~ Don't worry, it's all right." "I'm sure the scars will fade away." "I know there'll be scars, but I don't care." "Leave it, I'll take care of you." "I'll help you." "Hey, don't say anything to Cipri, huh?" "I don't want him to know about this." "Don't worry." "How good you are!" "Come on, come on." "I'll change and we can go home together to home, all right?" "~ Sure." "~ Can I help you?" "Come on, there we go, that's fine." "~ I'll be right back." "~ I'll wait for you." "~ Catalina." "~ Cipri." "I couldn't leave without knowing how things went with the Marquesa." "Was she very angry?" "No, she was a bit annoyed, but it seems that knowing that you saved her child's life, and that, well..." "Good, well, let's head for San Felipe." "Yes, no, I'm going to wait for Margarita to come, she said she'll pick me up." "You go on, go ahead, we don't want the lady to see you." "~ What's the matter?" "~ Nothing." "Run along, go on." "~ Let me see." "~ No, Cipri!" "My God!" "I'm going to kill them!" "~ I'm going to!" "~ Cipri, no, please!" "Please!" "Let it go, so that there's an end to it!" "The rat may have transmitted a disease to you, Gonzalo,... but you know I'm not in favor of applying any remedy without knowing what it is." "Maybe you've got an eldritch antidote you can take." "~ Forget it, I shouldn't have bothered you." "~ No, listen, Gonzalo, wait." "Forgive me." "We have to make sure this isn't the plague." "Its internal organs are in pretty bad shape." "So it could be the plague?" "No, I don't think so." "Gonzalo, where did the rat bite you?" "In an abandoned place I was sheltering in." "Why?" "Tell me the exact place, please." "Juan, what's going on?" "They recently looted the royal coffers." "They stole the king's gold?" "And they've been searching for it ever since." "This is the Commissioner's house." "Why did we came here?" "My mother is the only one who has the keys to the armory." "Why do we need weapons?" "The road is very dangerous." "What's the matter?" "I can't do this by myself." "I'll go this time." "Take this, it's my mother's." "With this you can eat and sleep for a long time." "Why are you doing this for me?" "I guess I didn't explain myself well enough, Nuño." "I told you to stay away FROM her, not WITH her." "Take her to the carriage." "I can't believe you followed me, Mother." "In a manner of speaking, I just ordered that I be notified if you went out." "You got up so early..." "Ximena doesn't want to be a nun and you can't force her to go to the convent." "~ Nuño, get real." "~ Can't you talk to the king?" "He's your friend!" "~ Don't you understand anything, Nuño?" "~ What's to understand?" "Why is the king so very interest in having Ximena go to the convent?" "Ximena isn't destined for God, but for him." "You've grown up enough to get this, you know." "He wants to visit her in the convent, and not as king, but as a man." ""World-wide fame." ""To be addressed as 'Sir'." ""Admired by my son." ""Checking out the pheasant." ""Family."" "But what the hell am I thinking, with what he's done for me?" "Sátur." "What's this?" "~ No, nothing, nothing." "~ What do you mean, nothing?" "What's going on, man?" "It's nothing." "It looks like a list." "What's it about?" "Nothing, I've been offered a job, and I'm...pondering it." "A job?" "As what?" "Come on, I'm not going to take it, Cipri." "What a load of crap!" "I don't have a fucking job and you get two!" "This job wouldn't suit you." "Here we go, what's it about?" "Is it as a writer?" "No, not that." "The Duke de Alba, he's offered me a job." "You, the Duke de Alba?" "To me, yes." "Now, I owe my life to my Master, and so I can't, I can't." "Look, Cipriano, if I have to acknowledge something in this life, it's having met Gonzalo de Montalvo." "And by my sainted mother I wouldn't trade it for anything." "Are we clear?" "That's that." "If the gold were cast here, no one could state with certainty that it was the king's." "They've converted it into something." "I don't think his Majesty will find it very difficult to get more gold." "If our kingdom is famous for something, it's for robbing anything under our feet." "You haven't grasped the seriousness of the situation, Gonzalo." "The coffers are half empty." "The king is putting at stake the prestige of his kingdom." "Well, he'll have to resign himself to losing face." "Or to regain it by not funding wars." "Gonzalo, the king is going to order an extraordinary tax." "It will crush the people." "I'm afraid that the king has long since forgotten his people." "Sir, let's go home, please." "~ I do not think it appropriate to ride in your state." "~ I'm fine." "I'm not going back until we find the bastard who stole my horse." "Sir, please, we know your horse, we'll catch this thief." "Let me escort you back to the palace." "I want him alive." "Sir!" "Sir!" "Sir, no, don't shoot, please, don't shoot!" "This land belongs to the Duke de Alba." "Trespassing is prohibited." "I just want to talk with the Duke for a minute." "It'll only take a moment." "What do you want?" "Sir, forgive me for presenting myself like this on your land." "I wouldn't want to bother you..." "I don't have all day." "What do you want?" "I've heard that you're looking for people to work in your palace." "You're mistaken, I'm not looking for anyone." "I'm trustworthy, and I work hard!" "Please, your Excellency!" "I need the work, I'm as good as Saturno García!" "And I've never been in jail!" "What's this stuff about being in jail?" "Get out of here." "Beat it!" "Let's go, I don't want to see you around here again." "~ Sir!" "~ Go on, scram!" "And stay out!" "No bones about it, Sátur, you've chosen well." "Fuck, I don't know what to do!" "Sátur, I haven't seen you all day." "Let's say I needed to be alone, to think." "And have you worked things out?" "Well, I don't know." "I don't know because you're the kindest person I ever met in my life... and no one's treated me better, man, not in my whole fucking life!" "What happened?" "Well, something has happened to me, and I think I'll break the head from it." "You haven't done anything stupid?" "No, no, Master, no, quite the contrary." "I do not know if it was destiny, but who decides these things?" "Well, God, I guess." "The Duke de Alba, he crossed my path and while he was there, I saved his life." "You saved the Duke de Alba's life?" "And he offered me a job." "And what's worse, I'm minded to accept." "You're not happy here?" "No, no, no, it's not that, it's that the Duke offered me the chance to be someone respectable." "Sátur, this isn't something a job gives you." "Respect you can get from anyone." "Sure, that's easy to say, you're a teacher as well as the Red Eagle, but me... what am I?" "The son of a whore, and I haven't managed to be anything or anyone in my life." "~ Sátur, don't say that." "~ No, Master, no, no, no, no." "The only thing I've ever been proud of is to be your squire." "~ But nobody knows about that, and nobody will ever know." "~ But you know it, and that should be enough for you." "It could be enough for you, accounting on your superhuman moral values." "I don't have them." "Fine." "What has the Duke offered you?" "Well...an advisory position." "I want to be respected!" "I want my child to stare at me sometime like he stared at that man." "Say something, Master, please!" "You should go." "It's the best for you." "Commissioner, none of the old bags we searched had the grail." "Look in every corner: hospitals, shacks, she must show up." "Yes, Sir." "Son of a bitch!" "Well, Saturno, no more moth-eaten shirts." "Now you wear Damask silk and up." "~ Cipri." "~ Hey, Sátur." "What's with that bundle?" "I'm on the way to the Duke." "But...did you talk it over with Gonzalo?" "Man, of course I talked with Gonzalo." "How could I leave without saying something?" "It breaks my heart to leave this family, but I have to." "For me, I have to, Cipri." "~ Sátur, I..." "~ Yeah?" "I think...you won't be able to work for the Duke." "What do you mean?" "Of course I can!" "I went to talk with him, and..." "What did you say?" "~ But you said..." "~ You talked with the Duke?" "~ You said you weren't going to take that job, and..." "~ What did you do?" "~ Well, I said that if he was looking for people, I could work, and,..." "~ And so?" "~ Well, I..." "~ Cipri, Cipri, what have you done?" "~ I told him..." "~ What?" "That you'd been in jail." "I swear I'd rather be dead now, Sátur!" "I'm desperate to get a job!" "Do you know what you've done, Cipri?" "Do you know what you've done?" "You totally screwed up the only chance I'll ever have in my life, motherfucker!" "I'm sorry, Sátur." "Get out of my sight!" "Beat it!" "~ Sátur, if..." "~ Go away, I told you!" "Go away!" "I brought you this, this and this." "Miss Irene said she'd give you the one you like the most." "I don't care." "We'll put her in this one, Marta." "Let's see." "Looking at it from below..." "Come on, Miss." "Put your foot here." "There we go, nice, and now the other one." "Fine." "Miss, hear me, when you can't change things, you get nothing by wallowing in sorrow." "Better look on the bright side of things, right?" "What's bright about becoming a nun?" "Everything about it." "Miss Irene, by God!" "What are you doing up?" "You should be resting, like the doctor said." "~ I'm fine." "What convent are you going to?" "~ The Barefoot Carmelites." "I'd love to take your place." "Good, just what we need!" "Let's see, one thing at a time, Miss, you to your quarters." "To rest, like the doctor said, you really need it!" "Come on, walk, behave." "And you, Miss..." "Miss, for God's sake!" "What are you doing with that?" "This would be useless to me in a convent." "Do you have everything?" "Yes." "Go on, take them." "I know they're the ones you like the most." "No, Master, really, I don't..." "Sátur, nobody in this house will enjoy them as much as you." "Now that you'll be important, you'll soon have your own library." "Yeah, right." "I made you this." "I imagine you'll get sick of eating more savory things there, but..." "Thanks, Ma'am." "Sátur, it's nothing, just..." "I'm very proud of you." "Master, sorry." "I've got to go." "Sátur, do you want me to go with you?" "No, no, I prefer it this way." "You stay here." "Bye." "~ Master." "~ Yeah?" "No, never mind." "Thanks." "~ Sir." "~ Where's the Cardinal?" "His Eminence has left, Sir." "Where's he gone?" "Where's he gone?" "I don't know." "A few days ago, I met the father of my children, but he didn't recognize me." "Put her aside." "We've got no time to waste on a beggar." "Let's go." "I just have little strength left, but before I die I'll make him pay for what he did to me and my children." "What do you want?" "What are you looking for?" "I haven't done anything." "It's not here." "Let's not waste any more time." "Working for the Duke de Alba!" "Such might stuffed into such a small body!" "Surely Sátur is a natural born fighter." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "Yes, it will be good for him." "Besides, he deserves it." "~ Hello." "~ Hello." "Hello." "Margarita, I was thinking that since the shed's empty now... you might as well settle in there." "So both of us'd be more comfortable." "~ What?" "~ It was only a joke!" "What's the matter, don't you have a sense of humor?" "Alonso, son, I know you're sad, but people have to make their own way through life." "You know what I'm thinking, Alonso?" "Remember when Sátur told us he'd been working in the circus, as a fire-eater." "And he burned his whole mouth.]" "~ Remember that?" "~ Yeah." "Go on, Gonzalo, help me to get a little more water here." "I don't know what does your son do to his clothes, because he gets them every color but white." "I'll get it." "Does Saturno García live here?" "Well, yeah, he did." "What can I do for you?" "I've got a letter." "The Duke de Alba sent us." "If you see him, could you pass it on?" "Excuse me, the Duke sent this letter today?" "~ Yes." "~ Don't worry, we'll pass it on." "But, if Sátur left this evening...he should already be in the Duke's palace." "Where is he?" "Where do I go now?" "How I'd like to be a pitcher!" "At least I'd have a destination." "Sátur!" "Master." "Master, what are you doing here?" "The question is: what are you doing here?" "Me?" "Nothing, really..." "I wanted to rest a little before reaching the palace...to be fresh." "The palace lies in the opposite direction, Sátur." "A messenger from the Duke brought this for you." "~ Master, there isn't any job." "~ What?" "Someone told him that I've been in jail...and how can I present myself there now?" "Why didn't you tell me?" "After I shit on your hospitality, your generosity, I would... ~ Sátur, Sátur, you didn't do that." "~ Yes, Master, yes, that's exactly what I did." "All right, so I didn't, but... you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you...and I almost tore it off of you in a bite." "And then there's your son, Alonso." "He was so proud of me..." "Fine." "But aren't you going to read the Duke's letter?" "I already know what it says, the criminals have no place..." ""Sátur, the offer still stands." "Every man deserves a second chance." ""Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke de Alba."" "He says he accepts me!" "That says I deserve a second chance!" "Good, I'm very happy for you." "I have to go." "Man, no, come with me, so you can meet the Duke." "I think you'll get along, because you're cut from the same cloth." "Thank you very much, Sátur, but I have to go tell the king." "They stole his gold and I think they concealed it in ceramics." "It could be a coincidence, but about an hour ago a cart full of jars passed by here!" "Made of clay, with blue filigree." "If gold were cast here and no one can prove it was the king's,... they could have turned it into anything." "Oh, by my mother, don't tell me...!" "And you're out of costume!" "No, I've got it on my horse, like always." "Do you know where your uncle is?" "~ No." "Is something going on?" "~ No." "Hello, my dears." "I'd thought to give a rustic touch to the decoration of the palace." "Do you like it?" "~ No." "~ No?" "If not, we also stock Talavera pottery, it's there somewhere between the rustic and the elegant." "The Marquesa and I have to discuss the new decoration for the palace." "Can you accompany my wife?" "Of course." "Miss?" "Mind your manners, Hernán." "There are other ways of showing that you are unhappy with things." "~ Where's the gold?" "~ What gold?" "Tell me where it is." "I'm afraid you'll have to be content with just wanting to know." "Don't abuse my patience, Lucrecia." "If you hadn't stolen the king's gold, my fortune wouldn't have suffered such a great loss,... then it's only fair that I keep it, if you'll allow me." "How did you know where it was?" "Let's say your son, though he doesn't know it, still has the same nose as his mother for gold." "Next time don't leave me out of something like that." "It seems incredible that you've forgotten so soon how well we work together when we cooperate." "Whether we collaborate or not, you always accrue the benefits." "I suppose it's one of your gifts." "Master, you're the best thing that happened to me in my life,... and nothing could ever change that." "Oh, but one thing I say: if you ever dare to give a costume to the new squire of the Red Eagle..." "I swear I come back here and spit my anger in your face." "With all the fighting with you over that costume, I can't bear that." "Sátur, I'll never have another squire." "That's that." "Take care of yourself." "You, too." "They're made of gold." "Why would I cheat you?" "With you, every precaution is scarcely enough." "A few filthy papers can make life very complicated, isn't that right?" "Lots of memories, no?" "The best we can do about memories is wipe them off forever." "By the way, I'm afraid you will not enjoy this gold, they're waiting for it at the Vatican." "We know each other so well...!" "I have no choice but to agree." "Get the carriage out of here at once!" "I can't get it into my head how you can memorize the exploits of El Cid in chapter and verse... and not be able to remember what's needed for the house." "An indisposition forces me to stay in bed." "Felipe IV, king of Spain." "I don't even want to go on!" "Not even a hour ago, the watch saw the king leaving, heading for Aranjuez... and he wasn't accompanied by his doctor, exactly, but by the beautiful Elvira de Sopeña." "I'm glad you haven't left." "We'll have a high level meeting in this very room." "You'll come with me." "Tomorrow I will host a hunt in honor of Elvira de Sopeña." "The Countess will have an unforgettable welcome." "They're recruiting soldiers for a naval expedition to go from Vigo to Portugal." "We can sign up." "Let's try once and for all to end the war in Portugal."