"September 1494 Saint Michael's Day" "Did we like ourselves better before there were mirrors?" "When your sense of how you look came from a reflection in a lake... or your lover's eyes." "Now, we stare at ourselves, hour upon hour, admiring what we see." "Or loathing it." "Your victory here in Milan seems to have given you no pleasure." "Success came too easily." "Conquering Imola and Forlì will be a more difficult task." " And therefore, a more satisfying win." " At your age, winning is everything." " At my age, knowing is." " No, Agapito, I want to know." "I want to bite into the forbidden fruit and understand why I need to win." " To prove you are the best." " The best what?" "Warrior, statesman, father, son, brother?" "Lover?" "Where?" "Where is he?" "Alfonso, what are you doing here?" "My husband has forbidden you..." "My wife is dead and the child is still in her womb." "My sin, loving you, has buried them." " I will pray for their souls." " Yes, pray." "For me as well because... despite my guilt..." " my heart tumults at the sights of you." " My sweet Alfonso." "I am free to marry." "To marry you." " I am not free." " Divorce di Calabria." "How?" "The Church will allow me to leave him only if he's impotent." "He's not." " I carry his child." " My child." " We cannot prove that." " We can, instead... publicly confess our infidelities." "Then he will have justification to leave you." "Alfonso di Calabria will never give up the daughter of a pope." "He is too ambitious." " The ambitious die." " This is the grief talking." "Fine." "I will depart for Ferrara, never to return." "No, stop." "Stop." "Quickly." "Someone, help." " Get out." " Someday, I will kill you." "Get off me." "You pulled on my arm, making me vulnerable." "You also want me dead." "Cesare, I have traveled as quickly as my horse could carry me to Milan, to congratulate you." " Cesare?" "It is I, Niccolo." "My friend." " Are you the envoy of Florence?" "I am here as your friend, first, foremost and forever." "Sit." "I repeat." "Are you the envoy of Florence?" "I am now Secretary of the Ten and Chancellor of the Republic, thanks to your recommendation." " So you come as a rival, not as a friend, to bargain, not to support." " I volunteered to come alone... because I know you consider me a man of trust." "So speak, Chancellor of the Republic." "The Signory worry about your intentions for Florence." "If your government encourages my conquest of Romagna, then all is well." "If not... then I will change your government." "For now... my intention is to march on Florence." "To enjoy its brothels and its taverns in your good company." "Do not fear, Niccolo." "You have a role in whatever comes next." "Ah, Cardinal Gaetanis..." "We hope the journey from Sermoneta was not too taxing." "Holiness, the thought of being in your presence made the roads fly by." "We wish to convey our sadness over the passing of your father." "We have ordered a thousand Masses said for the repose of Duke Onorato's soul." " A thousand, Holiness?" " He was a wicked man." "We hope that Sermoneta will now pay the tithe owed to God's glorious Church." "Not yet." "My two brothers argue about which will rule in my father's place." "Brothers." "Have some wine." "Hear this, until one brother emerges as Duke... and until he pays the Denarii Sancti Petri, you will be our guest." "A guest?" "Drink your wine." "Your palazzo and other possessions will serve as escrow." " Drink." " I just remembered, I am on a fast." "Ah." "Excellent." "Every soul needs replenishing." "The Captain-General will show you to your quarters." "My apologies, Eminence, this room does not have a view." "Today's cardinals are tomorrow's corpses." "The Prior complains that the artist is lazy." "The artist complains that he cannot truly begin until he finds the face of Judas." "Ow, my ass." "Get your hands off me." "The authorities will hear of this." " You must be..." " I am." "Cesare Borgia is said to have the countenance of Christ and the eyes of Satan." " You fit the description." " Maestro, it is an honor to meet a true man of genius." "And I, to meet a true man of war." "To conquer Milan without firing a single shot..." " That says much about you." " And about the enemy one faces." "Which is why I wanted to talk to you." "I would've gladly come to the Duke of Valentinois in the standing position." "I'm not yet certain of your loyalties, since you served Ludovico Sforza these past ten or so years." "Sforza paid me, but he never inspired me." "I am forever loyal to my mind." "Then let me see if I can be your muse and we together make history." "Soon I will mount an attack on the cities of Imola and Forlì." "Have you any new and nefarious inventions that will guarantee my victory?" "I give you..." " the future of war." " I've never seen such a thing." " What kind of machine is this?" " One which flies." "A well-made screw can cause this instrument to spiral into the air." "Equipped with exploding devices, it could destroy any army or any castle... from above, like God." "Where is this flying machine?" "Duke Ludovico was too miserly to fund its construction, which, I fear, would take years." "For the time being, the ornithopter only exists on paper." "Show me something else, something you can construct immediately." "Ah, here, the scythed chariot." "It is mounted with swirling blades." "A promise of carnage." "But perhaps as much carnage to my troops as to the enemy's." "What else?" "A mobile military headquarters, allowing you to move from town to town... with unparalleled speed." "Yes." "Yes." "This..." "May I make one small improvement?" "Speak, great Borgia." "I will draw." "You are right to be concerned about our daughter's future." "And to ease your mind, Alessandro will establish an account in your name." "Your own money to use as you deem fit." "My brother says the Papal Treasury is nearly bankrupt." "Ah, the coins flow like the Tiber;" "sometimes a flood, sometimes a trickle." "Today we added the fortune of Cardinal Gaetanis to our own." "Eighty thousand ducats, all yours." "And..." "And what will be my income when you are... dead?" " Arrangements have been made." " I would like to see the documents." " To love us is to trust us." " No, my Rodrigo." "Love and trust do not always walk hand-in-hand." " Highness." " Oh, please, no formalities." " I come not as a princess, but as a sister." " A sister?" "Of sorts." "You are the mother of my brother's son." "That fact ties us together." "Morally, if not legally." "What do you want?" "To make amends for all the hurt, on behalf of Cesare." "You are skeptical." "Then listen..." "Two men drew knives over their love for me." "As a child, such drama would have thrilled my romantic side." "But today, I was frightened for my son, for the child I carry, for your son." " Our lives are so fragile." " I still do not understand." " Has Girolamo been baptized?" " I fear I am unworthy." "Bring your boy to the Apostolic Palace." "The baptism will take place in the Sistine Chapel." " No." "I could not." " He will be surrounded by his family." "Dear Fiametta, I have stumbled through life from flute to harp... from God to orgasm, from grievous sin to pleasant joy." "That joy is family." "Even a family as peculiar as we Borgia." "Say that you will come." "Imola is difficult for Caterina to defend." "She will retreat to Forlì, consolidating her troops." "Your Grace, Pope Alexander grows impatient, awaiting your return." "He's eager to know how you will defeat Caterina Sforza-Riario." "I will leave tonight, rendezvous with His Holiness when I arrive and return back tomorrow evening." "A single day of travel, from Milan to the Vatican and back..." " and meet on matters of war?" "Impossible." " Giuliano, when will you learn?" "I do not speak unless what I say is possible." "I will use the old outposts built by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem." "I already have horses waiting at each post." "I will literally jump from one to the other." " Bravissimo." " And what of your troops?" "I've had Leonardo draw a detailed map of Imola." "I will move my soldiers to the outskirts of the city." "With 15,000 Frenchmen as well as 4,000 Gascon and Swiss mercenaries, all bellowing for blood, who is fierce enough to command the men in your absence?" "May I present General Miguel de Corella." "Micheletto, you are now a gentleman." " I want to see Papa." " He's retired for the evening." " You mean, he's fucking." " He's past fucking." "He sleeps." "Gacet, you know every secret involving my family, or do you?" "Perhaps there are secrets of which even you are unaware." " And now you're going to tell me one." " Cesare has a two year old son by Fiametta Michaelis." " The whore from his days in Pisa?" " Tomorrow, at the hour of Sext," "Girolamo will be baptized in the Sistine." "You will place the event on the Holy Father's schedule." "I will inform the Pope of this secret." "But what if he refuses to attend?" "Rodrigo Borgia would not miss the ceremony for all the gold in Persia." "Cesare." "Yes, father?" "You asked to see me?" "'I, Louis, Most Christian King of France, the two Sicilies and Jerusalem, Duke of Milan... at the request of our Holy Father, and wishing to aid him in the recovery of his lands, signories and domains, especially the cities of Imola and Forlì... have made our very dear and much loved cousin, Duke Cesare of Valentinois," "commander of our army.'" "And this to Caterina Sforza-Riario." "'I cannot judge the Pope nor forbid him to act as he wishes within his own boundaries.'" " Excellent." "His nihil obstat makes clear to the dukes of Italy that they will receive no reinforcements from France." "As for Caterina, that daughter of iniquity..." " we want her brought to us in chains." " Thy will be done." "But I ask, in return, that you make my wife's brother, Amanieu d'Albret, a cardinal." "That's an odd request in the midst of war." "I wish Charlotte to know that she is a constant in my thoughts." " Done." " By the way, where is Riario-Sansoni?" "He claimed innocence of Caterina's plot to poison the Pope, then went hunting." "He has not been seen since." "His absence proves his guilt." " I leave at once for Imola." " You will not see your sister?" "The hour is late, the journey long and I smell of sweating horses." "Surely you can wait 'til morning." "She will weep knowing you had come and gone." "To sleep in one's own bed is a blessing." "You are the son for whom I have eternally hoped and prayed." "This papal bank account of yours is a bad bit of business..." "I know what you will say: how will others perceive the transaction?" "You are the Pope's Treasurer, raising money by increased taxes... which then goes into your sister's purse." "And my own." "Giulia..." "I stole some ducats." " Many." " How marvelously larcenous." "I do not believe that God punishes us for our transgressions, quid pro quo." "Yet I cannot help but feel that Silvia and I lost our baby due to my theft." "In order to erase the sin from my soul completely, I must confess to the injured party." " Pope Alexander." " He will chop off your hands." " Probably." " Let me intercede on your behalf." " No." " Alessandro, this is no time for pride." "I do not act out of pride, but what is moral." "If I am to be the man of our House... this is the measure of my worth." "I will stand tall, since he will only cut off my hands, not my feet." "Every day you become more like Papa." "And so, Holy Father, I wish to resign as Papal Treasurer..." "Resign?" "You are terminated." "Find this bloodless thief a cell deep underground..." " until a day can be set for his punishment." " Holiness, condemn me, but first please listen..." " I've done much to make restitution." " Putting the ducats back does not restore our trust." "Nor should it." "My sin has deeper roots:" "'You cannot serve God and Mammon.'" "Replace me with an expert in finances." "A banker." "Agostino Chigi of Siena." "He's willing to leave his mercantile practice and serve you, and you alone." " Chigi?" " He is a brilliant man." "And an excellent solution to our fiscal woes." "We have always admired your mind and had hopes that one day you would fill the fisherman's shoes." "But betrayal cannot be ignored." "Take him." "Come with me, Eminence." " You must free Alessandro." " No." " He is my brother." " He is a criminal." "Oh, God the merciful forgives a man who shows remorse, but not you, Rodrigo." "You chew on vengeance as if eating venison." "I am leaving." "You will not." "You have destroyed my chances for marriage, now you will destroy my family." " We are finished." " No." "If you leave, we will cancel the account we put in your name." "Too late." "You said that I could do with the money as I deem fit." "I moved the funds to a bank outside of Rome, which you have no control over..." " nor will you ever find." " Puta!" "We are tired of your games." "Be gone." "Come in." "I have returned, Lucrezia, but I am not yet an emperor." "From what I hear, you're well on your way." "Congratulations on your marriage." "I wish you could meet my wife." "Charlotte is an endless bounty of bliss." " I miss her with every fiber." " Then go back to Valentinois." "No." "I must complete my destiny." "Sentiment will not sway me." " Sentiment?" "I think you feel love." " Are you jealous?" "Do you want me to be?" "I want to believe that we can love two people with equal, if different, passion." "As you love me and d'Este." "I do not think God is that generous." "Later today, your son Girolamo will be baptized." "After that, we will have a Borgia family celebration." "Papa, mama, my Giovanni, Laura, Isabella, her son Aurelio, El Pequegno..." "Angela, the other cousins..." "Given our family's ill temper, the meal will end with forks as weapons." "I have come to see that the only way to be a family is to forgive." "I applaud your goal, but will not attend." "The tide of history flows towards me." "If I delay, Fortuna will choose another man to kiss." "So instead of women, you now kiss goddesses?" "I would kiss you... but I fear there is something wrong with me." "I have the French disease, yes?" "But in an early stage, yes?" "Very early." "And I can be cured of this pudendagra." "With mercury baths, yes?" "I prefer special ointments, decoctions, inhalants." "I leave myself in your healing hands." "But if I'm not cured, you will forfeit your fee." "And your vitals." "Alms for the blind." "How do I know that you'll not spend my ducat on wine?" "I will." "Chianti is my sole comfort." " Were you blind at birth?" " No." "Until two years ago I served as a bravi in the House of the Colonna." "At a tavern nearby, my master, Marc Antonio, ordered us to attack some men." "One of whom proved himself to be more than a match for our entire company." "He poked out my eyes, killed two of my comrades, cut off Marc Antonio's finger." "No longer able to fight, I was dismissed by the Colonna." "My father disowned me." "My wife abandoned our bed." "Do you know the name of the culprit who caused you so much grief?" " Of course." "He is Cesare Borgia." " Whom you hate?" "No, our actions have consequences." "My aggression led to my suffering." "Drink well tonight." "Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi... respicere gignare super hunc famulum tuum Girolamo Michaelis." "Go, go." "Your uncles, Pedro Luis and Juan were brilliant warriors, as is your uncle Cesare." " Do you want to be a warrior?" " No, grandpa." "I would like to be a priest." "And someday, Pope." " We're going too fast." " No, we must get faster." "Faster." "Grandpa, why do you always stare at Aunt Lucrezia in that way?" " What?" "Which way?" " Not, all right." "I..." "Holiness..." "What would Saint Peter think of us?" "Was the first Pope as flawed as we?" "And if he was flawed?" "Then perhaps I could forgive myself." "I continue and continue to commit an egregious sin." "The boy saw into my heart." "The boy knew my secret." "The night Lucrezia married, as I watched her in her bed with her new husband..." "I imagined myself to be that husband." "I wanted..." " You need say no more..." " I wanted to fuck my own daughter." "Sweet Jesus..." "I still do." " Rodrigo." " Leave me be." " What do you seek, my son?" " To freeze my mind." "To melt my soul." " Where is Fra Zosimos?" " He has gone the way of all flesh." "Where is his laboratory?" "I need vitriolo." "I need vitriolo." " The citizens of Imola are ready to submit." " Like whores." "Not the Imola fortress, which defies your demand to capitulate." " Caterina has left Di Naldo in command." " He is a brave fellow." "She has taken his son with her to Forlì as a hostage." "If Di Naldo surrenders to you... then il Virago says she will execute the child." "She has also promised to send reinforcements within three days." " We must begin the siege immediately." " No." "As with Milan, none of my men will die in this battle." "I am creating a mythology." " You will starve the people of Imola out?" " A lingering death is too cruel and it takes too long." " Here is my plan." "I will rescue Di Naldo's son." " You?" "Too dangerous." "I will send one of our men." "Our men are stalwart but heavy-footed." "Besides, I will need Di Naldo to owe his son's life to me... and me alone." "And I will enjoy the adrenalin." "You worked for Caterina." "Create a ground plan of the Rocca di Ravaldino." "Every door, every passageway, including your best guess where the boy would be held." " But how would you gain entrance?" " In disguise." "A member of the embassy from Florence." "You would ask me to compromise my diplomatic immunity?" "Does not your presence at my table already compromise you?" " I am here on a fact-collecting mission." " I have collected my own set of facts." "Caterina has requested 300 cavalrymen from your Signory." "You have been assigned to go to Forlì to discuss terms." "I will simply tag along..." " disguised as your lowly servant." " I cannot betray my city." "There is the face of Judas for you to paint." " No." "I am your friend, but..." " Farewell, Chancellor of the Republic." "Be gone in one hour or I cannot be held responsible for your immunity." " So much for your daring plan." " Be patient, Giuliano." "The Goddess Fortuna is rich with surprises." "You sent for me, Papa?" "Your father is an evil man." "You're not evil, Papa, but sometimes you do wrong." "I have done you much wrong." "And must unburden my soul." "I..." "I have... unsettled feelings for you." " I am well aware of your feelings." " No, you do not fully understand." "I do." "I have seen the look in your eyes for some time now... for as long as I knew how to recognize that look." " Forgive me." " I already have, Papa." "But for you comes now the hardest part." "You must forgive yourself." "How?" "Tell me how." "I have these past fourteen months searched for the answer." "This much I know." "We each must find the way within ourselves." "And in God." "Alessandro." "Our daughter has taught us the peace which comes with forgiveness." "So, we forgive you." "In truth, we appointed you for the wrong reasons." "Now we ask your forgiveness." " And me, Holiness?" " No." "Not you." "Sweet in goodly fellowship tastes red wine and rare, oh but to kiss a girl's ripe lip is a gift more..." "We must find Mama and Silvia, they will dance to your song." "Yes, but first, His Holiness asked for my forgiveness." "And yours." "Will you return to the Apostolic Palace?" "To the Pope's bed?" "Rodrigo has made me wealthy, and therefore independent." "Though I love him deeply..." "I've long believed he loves Lucrezia more than he does me." "Ironic." "I am La Bella... coveted by men, copied by women." "Yet, I will die alone." "A wrinkled old slut, wearing too much rouge." "You will not be alone." "I will be with you." "Even if I die before you, I will be by your side." " Your Grace..." " Yes?" " You have a visitor." "Riario-Sansoni." " Ah." "Show the good Cardinal in." " Your Grace." " Eminence." "You come all the way to Imola to hunt?" "And not to the forest, but to my camp?" "Though I am innocent, I'm a suspect in Caterina's plot against your father." "Since Rome offers only enemies, I wish to prove my loyalties to you, Cesare... and do whatever I can to put an end to these hostilities." "Fortuna, you are brilliant." "You will go to Forlì to see your cousin." "You will wave the olive branch, offer prayers, hope, marzipan." "You will be accompanied by your usual entourage." "Plus one." "You're most welcome, Rafaele." "Let us dine, reminisce and strategize." "Help." "The young Duke has fallen." "Fear not." "I am your salvation." "I thought you might want to eat." " Ottaviano." "Almost a man." " Guard." " He is dead." " I will prove that I am a man." " I will not fight you." " You're afraid." "Yes, that your blood will stain my already crowded conscience." "When I say run, run to the left." "And then down, until you can go down no further." "The bowels of this rocca will shit us out." " Stop." " Run." "Threats and bribes will not lead me to surrender." "Only mortal combat." "I offer not death, but life." "Dionigi, men of sterling mettle are a rare resource these days." " I would have you join my military council." " Your Grace, is this wise?" " To include an enemy in our plans?" " The people of Imola trust him." "Which, if he sides with me, means they can trust me." "Di Naldo's support for our cause will demoralize those who still favor Caterina." "What say you?" "Can you dedicate your soul to Cesare Borgia?" "By endangering my son, Caterina proves herself a succubus." "By saving my son, you prove yourself my master." "Well, no time to rest on today's laurels." "Send a missive to Caterina." "I wish to meet her face to face." "On this, the feast of Saint Michael... we will dedicate a new statue to God's Avenging Angel... which will sit atop the Castel Sant'Angelo." "The statue recalls the one which dominated that summit for a 1000 years... and was destroyed by the storms in February." "In Hebrew, the name Michael poses a question." "Who is like God?" "The answer is, no one." "But in the tempestuous course of our lives, we can attempt to emulate our creator." "And so, we, Alexander VI, will be leaving Rome tomorrow... for the monastery of Monte Cassino where we will fast and pray on a spiritual retreat." "In our place, we appoint as Regent of Holy Mother Church, with full papal authority... one who dwells in the heart of God:" "our daughter, Lucrezia." " Rodrigo..." " You will see our wisdom." "She is the best of us." "Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois, Count of Diois, Lord of Issoudun..." " beckons Caterina Sforza-Riario..." " I am here." "Madama, will you not come down?" "So I may see your legendary eyes." "This is as near as I will step towards a Borgia." "Fine." "For now..." "In the name of Alexander, Rex et Sacerdos, I ask you, respectfully, to surrender." "Better to have asked in the name of Lucifer, Prince of Hell." "I will not be dragged in shackles up the Vatican stairs, to dance like a monkey..." " for that foul-smelling Catalan." " Oh, I think you will surrender." "You threatened to kill Di Naldo's son, now I threaten to kill yours." "Go ahead, kill him." "I have the mold to make more." " What is this gambit of hers?" " Mama is a castrating whore." "And has bigger balls than you, Borgia." "Take this little shit back to Imola." "I will cut out his tongue..." " and nail it to his severed hand." " Caterina will not care." "Oh, I will do it for my own amusement." "Tomorrow, I will attack, I will defeat Caterina Sforza-Riario, then I will fuck her." "Then I will kill her." "Then I will fuck her again." " Who?" " Rafaele Riario-Sansoni." "You may enter." " I see you are well settled in the Imola Palace." " What was Caterina's mood when you left her?" "She is in a rage." "She suspects that I knew about your sneaking into the Rocca." " I was fortunate to escape with my life." " Her suspicion erases mine." "And will report so to the Holy Father." " Tomorrow you will bombard Forlì?" " First the town, which will surrender quickly." "Then the fortress, which will not." "Your Grace, where is my cousin?" " You will torture and kill the boy?" " His blood belongs to me." " Cesare..." " Do not plead in his behalf or you will join him in there and wish that cousin Caterina had flailed you." "Wait outside." "I will give you his body for a Christian burial after I have dispatched his soul." "News from Valentinois." "Your wife, your Charlotte, is with child." "I want bonfires lit from here to her bedside." "Send word to my father and mother, and Lucrezia." "I will bring Charlotte to Rome." "She says, given her condition, the King does not want her to travel." "No, Louis wants to keep her close to him in order to keep me in check." "You have made another conquest." "Imola is yours." "And will be blessed with another child." "A legitimate heir." "Are you yet not satisfied?" "What is conquest?" "What is a child?" "Do either define me?" "I've striven since coming of age to be unique." "To be the better man." "I go around shouting: 'I am Cesare Borgia.' I still do not know what that means." "Tomorrow we bombard Forlì with swords, guns, cannons..." "The outcome is uncertain." "I may triumph." "I may bleed." "I may die." "And as I stand on the brink of my future..." "I begin to wish that I was as common as a blind beggar." "Or a young girl overcome by the first pangs of passion." "Or as common as you." "I wish to be part of, not above a shared humanity." "The one element all men share is that we know love." "Not all men." "The only thing we living creatures share is suffering." "Just as Jesus suffered." "And in that way, we are like God." "Understand this, Ottaviano:" "you die because you are my enemy." "And what would I do if I had no enemies?" "I've always defined myself in opposition or superior to others." "So..." "I once left my son, my sweet boy, on the side of a mountain to die." "So my father could become Pope." "So that I could become this." "Am I solely possessed by hate?" "No!" "You love and are loved." "By Charlotte." "Yes." "And Lucrezia." "Go join your mother, since you now know how little she values you." "And in that one act, you reveal yourself to be a compassionate man." "Any man can be compassionate." "A Borgia shows compassion when least expected." "There." "You proved my point." " You are remarkable." " I have a sharp mind, yes." "But others are equally sharp." "I have courage, yet others are courageous." "I have deep desires... as most people do." "After I drink, I piss." "After I eat, I shit." "I'm susceptible to earthquake, lightning, the French disease..." "I am not special." "Or I'm only special because I'm human." "One of thousands to crawl upon this Earth." "One of millions who were born before me." "One of numbers unimaginable who will come after." "Strange." "I feel as if I know them." "Those who will breathe this air in the next millennium." "Those sad souls." "Like them, I cannot stop what will happen." "I can only pity them... as I hope they will pity me." "My Lord..." " Who?" " It's Leonardo." "Enter." "Great Borgia, I have something that will tantalize you." "The levers, sir." "Pull them up." "Caesarem vehis, Caesarique fortunam." "I am well pleased, Leonardo." "I delude myself, wishing to be an ordinary man." "An ordinary man can live with less." "With just enough to survive." "I must win, forever win." "I am either Caesar the god or I am nothing." "Verbum incarnatum, Her Highness Lucrezia Borgia..." "Regent of the one true Church... calls to order a meeting of the College of Cardinals."