"May I model for you again?" "Go peddle your wares with Botticelli." "He's an easy mark." "Interrogate the victim mentioned here, Captain." "Once he confirms the charges, make your arrest." "It has come to the attention of the Officers of the Night, by means of secret denunciation," "Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci has committed the grievous act of sodomy." "Weren't no dream." "You're still here." "He's sleeping like a baby, I'm scared to turn over." "Bats." "What is that place?" "Solitary confinement, where we put the troublemakers." "So behave yourself." "The bats nest in there?" "By the hundreds." "It's a shit-hole." "Then again, maybe you'd like it." "Where's your Medici friend now?" "Your Highness." "The beating heart of our operation." "Yes." "With an impressively large workforce." "Let me see." "Three, five, seven... 13... 27..." "Your Highness." "Just testing the mettle of your men." "As I'm sure you're aware, Queen Isabella and I don't offer our business to just anyone." "I can assure you not only of the competency of my men, but also guarantee our reputation as the most trusted bank in all of Europe." "And yet you no longer serve as God's banker." "Well, for now." "A disagreement with the current policies in Rome." "One I pray God will soon see rectified." "Do you deserve God's favor, given the behavior of this artist I hear you hold in high regard?" "Neither da Vinci's actions nor his fate are my concern." "Only our business together is." "All I ask is for the opportunity to show you what the Medicis are capable of." "I'm curious." "Approximately how many florins did..." "Rome actually default on?" "As of last month, the sum stood at 87,000 florins." "I never lose count." "Nor do my men." "The Medici family have always been patrons of the arts." "Particularly those celebrating the holy faith." "Which is distinctly true of this creation, Your Highness." "David, as sculpted by Donatello." "The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this abomination." "You do not see beauty in its design, Friar Torquemada?" "Is the artist a sexual deviant, like others I've heard of in this region?" "I find it lewd." "Please cover it for the remainder of our visit." "Here's how it works, boy." "You feed me, I don't stave your head in." "Give it back." "What are you gonna do about it, scribbler?" "I'm gonna take it off you." "What about now?" "Come on!" "Break it up!" "Not so confident now!" "Your food...as requested." "Let me guess." "Lorenzo asked you to save me." "You will not see Lorenzo in court and you cannot blame him for that." "Your defense rests solely with me." " I advise..." " Pleading guilty?" " Unfortunately, yes." " Unfortunately, yes." "I see this as your only option." "If you're lucky, you may escape castration." "No!" "No." "No, pleas." "No bargains." "I want full refutation of the charges." "No..." "I want them dropped." "I remain locked in here on the accusations of some unknown accuser." " Unimportant." " Unimportant?" "Unless you can provide an alibi against the accusation that you sodomized one..." "Jacopo Saltarelli." "Jacopo's no victim." "We have a number of defenses at our disposal." " We can blame drink..." " No." "The use of opiates." "Or we can shift blame." "Your mentor Verrochio, perhaps." "He corrupted you as a boy, warping your sense of morality." "Why not go further back?" "Claim it began with you." "Oh, fuck!" "I specifically asked for Marcgravia evenia!" "Ah, here it is." "Are you gonna eat them or play with them?" " I'll confiscate them." " Yeah." "By all means." "Demonstrate to everyone that I can terrify you with a leaf." "Perhaps I can dig an escape tunnel." "Your tunneling days are over, sodomite." "Deviance is in the eye of the beholder." "Plants practice a form of it." "Pollination." "They seduce bees, bats, into transporting their seed." "Because bats use echo to navigate." "See?" "Plants have devised a way to exploit it." "Cos normal leaves, they have weak reflections." "But these concave petals, they... ..they reflect sound over a much larger area." "Like a cave." "And it draws the bats in." "It's a consensual arrangement." "The bats get nectar and the flowers get sex." "Insanity is, of course, another defense at our disposal." "You are demented if you think these charges will simply vanish." "They must." "They will." "That pan-faced wench wouldn't know art if it sat on her face, which her friar clearly longs to do." "And yet, having lost Rome's business, we need Ferdinand and Isabella far more than they need us." "Did Ferdinand mention the trial?" "Of course he did." "Rome's strategy with these charges is brilliant." "They couldn't have come at a worse time." "Ferdinand and Isabella face their own difficulties." "Currently they wage war with Portugal, while facing civil uprisings at home." "Perhaps what they require is distraction." "And what exactly do you think would amuse them?" "A bonfire of Jews?" "Let your brother decide that." "He can create a theatrical spectacle, fill the stands with happy citizens and show a harmonious city." "Are you mad?" "Put our faith in Giuliano's clod-hopping hands?" "Like you, he has his talents." "You impress." "He charms." "He looks like hell." "Do they feed him in there?" "Magistrate, the defense is prepared." "Will the prosecution be joining us?" "Or have they realized the error of these charges?" "Your answer has arrived." "What the hell is Francesco Pazzi doing here?" "He's not a jurist." "That's good for Leo, isn't it?" "Pazzis are the Medicis' rivals." "Magistrate, may I raise a point relating to Signor Pazzi's role in this trial?" "To my knowledge, he is not a member of the Notary Guild." "Signor Pazzi's associate membership was approved at an impromptu session last night." "Which was the appropriate forum for raising any objections." "Do you wish to make a formal complaint on behalf of your son?" "He's not..." "No." "No complaint." "Does the accused have any opening mitigation to enter into plea?" "May it please the court, we will be contesting all the charges." "Signor da Vinci, do you understand the potential ramifications of challenging these indictments?" "My client requests the privilege to make an opening statement." "I have dedicated my life... ..to the study of nature... ..free from superstition or distortion." "These accusations, at best, stem from a wellspring of ignorance." "And, at worst, it speaks of political chicanery to question anyone's intimate relations in this manner, cos I have nothing to be ashamed of." "And I have nothing to defend." "I can vouch for that." "Should put me on the stand." "Hearing how he deflowered a nun won't help." "He'll only receive a fine." "No-one burns for this any more." "..of those who will never be born, thanks to their vice." "The sodomites in your city... ..have the souls of the unborn on their conscience." "Those souls scream for justice " ""To the fire." "To the fire!"" "Instead, your leaders promote sodomy by levying fines instead of the proper sanction, which is...the fire." "Who shat in his wine sack?" "When you tax a crime, you make it a commodity." "The Medicis make their fortune from this vice at the price of Florence's eternal shame." "Objection, Magistrate." "I cannot comprehend why a foreigner is being allowed to testify here today." "I called the esteemed Friar Torquemada as a voice of morality, reminding us all of our solemn responsibilities before God." "Would you deny him that right?" "I would only remind the court that the seriousness of these charges is not in doubt, but God is not served by punishing the innocent." "The case remains to be made." "Then perhaps it shall - after a recess." "I've heard, through the prison grapevine, that Giuliano's mounting a theatrical production for the royal couple." "You face prolonged captivity and possible gelding, yet your thoughts focus on trivialities." "See this is delivered to Zoroaster." "All you wrote was gibberish." "Your imprisonment affects your mind." "That's perhaps true, but that's cipher." "If my internment is to continue, then there are certain private wishes I need fulfilled." "Minor matters." "Disposition of my business." "That's all." "It's nothing to trouble you, Father." "Oh, um..." "If Giuliano is yet to select a text, may I suggest the Decameron." "My favorite is the stolen pig story." "It's quite a crowd-pleaser." "What about...a passion play?" "Two hours of moral instruction?" "No." "I need a more diverting theatrical piece to distract the royals from our little scandal." " Oedipus Rex?" " No, I think not." "We'd just be trading sodomy for incest." "I've always loved Lysistrata." "What?" "Women withholding sex?" "Not only is that terrifying, but Isabella is... well, frigid." "We probably shouldn't draw attention to it." "The Birds, then, Excellency?" "A fantasy with pleasing songs." "Sounds boring as shit." "My s... defendant asked me to deliver this." "It's in some blasted code, but as far as I can see, it's not his last will and testament." "I came to you for your artistic expertise, Andrea." "Do you have nothing suitable to offer?" "Have you considered the Decameron?" "No." "Should we." "It's a satire, brilliantly funny and penned by a native son of Florence." "With quite a bit of sex in it." " Between a man and a woman?" " Of course." "Well, I don't see the problem." "We have our choice." " Bring me a transcription." " Is this wise, Excellency?" "Wouldn't it be better to examine the Decameron again?" "I'm told the stolen pig is quite a crowd pleaser." "Signor, court has been recalled." "Tell me..." "Signor Saltarelli, when you went back to Signor da Vinci's studio, what happened?" "The Maestro offered to draw me." "Naked." "You've modeled for other artists before, so this wasn't unusual." "Did he pay you for your time?" "Yes." "Four gold florins." "A handsome sum for an evening's work." "The laborer would have to toil for a month to earn the same." "The payment wasn't just for the drawing, was it?" "No." " It was for my silence." " Your silence?" "What secret requires a payment of four gold florins?" "He sodomized me." "Did you consent to this heinous act, offer any encouragement whatsoever?" "No, sir." "None." "So Leonardo da Vinci forced himself on you?" "This was your first time..." "being raped?" "Yes." "And you were so traumatized," " you went out and celebrated immediately after?" " I object!" "Were you not at the Barking Dog that evening, buying drinks for the establishment's entire clientele?" "Yes." "I needed something to numb the pain." "To be surrounded by friends." "Front or back?" "Did my client take you from the front or the back?" " Both." " How many times?" " Three." " It must have been painful." "And yet you chose revelry over medical aid." "Outrageous!" "This boy's not the one who should suffer humiliation." " What of my client's suffering?" " I will decide." "Do you want to join your son in the Bargello?" "Because that's the way you're heading with this line of questioning." "The defense must be allowed to pursue all aspects of the case." " Your son is guilty." " The case is not complete." "This trial is a performance, you oaf." "Like the bread and circuses of your Medici sponsor." "Now, play your part and perhaps you will be spared." "I apologize for dredging up what must be uncomfortable memories." "You were only performing your job, Signor." "And what of your job, hm?" "How do you survive beyond the gold florins my client allegedly gave you?" "Surely not on the occasional modeling assignment." " Signor da Vinci." " Perhaps your silence is because you would prefer not to admit to your true profession of prostitution." " Objection!" " How much are you being paid for your performance today?" "!" " Enough!" " Ha-ha!" "The court is adjourned... so I may consider suitable punishment for defense council." "You're quite good at this." "I didn't do that for you." "You disgust me." "Through the lies, some part of that boy's story is true." "I warned you, Leonardo, about overreaching." "You have thought life a game, but Rome's lapdogs have already decided your fate." "And when they have swayed the crowd, they'll leave you to rot in your cell until your already-diminished senses are all but eaten away." "That hustler hurt us." "If the people believe he's amoral," "I can't pass a guilty verdict without appearing corrupt myself." "You'll do as instructed." "I'm an elected official." "I'll do as someone pays me to do." "Don't fret." "Count Riario's coin will fund even your grandson's campaign for this office." "Perhaps this setback's a blessing." "The longer we draw out these proceedings, the more we embarrass Lorenzo in the public eye." "And the longer da Vinci rots in his cell, the more his mind frays and the guiltier he looks." "Captain." "Signor?" "Gather your men." "This isn't a shopping list." "It's just nonsense." "Don't waste your time." "He wrote it in cipher." "A list of items, precise instructions with an absence of an apology for snubbing me at the Medici celebration." "Magnesium." "What does Maestro da Vinci want with this?" "Fucked if I know." "But don't speak his name unless you'd like to join him." "Of all things, why sodomy?" "I mean, no-one gets tried for that." "Yeah, not in Florence." "Go 100 miles in any direction and suddenly Rome owns your prick." "You have no right to be here!" "There must be something here!" "Keep searching!" " What are you doing?" " Look over there." " Look for what?" " Evidence... of who da Vinci truly is." "Sir." "Found a hidden compartment with more journals." "Captain, look at this." "This is what Pazzi wants." "Further investigation into Leonardo da Vinci has uncovered more products of an unnatural mind." "The drawings here before you were found in da Vinci's studio." "Notice the extent to which the deviant has detailed the male... anatomy." "Was man not created in God's image?" "Genesis, artista?" "I'm shocked you got that far." "Studying the human form is an expression, if not an adoration, of the divine." "Mm." "Mm." "But then, what of this notebook?" "Found in a secret compartment, no less." "Raiding the Maestro's workshop." "That's the obscenity here." "Please excuse the condition of the evidence, for... clearly the accused tried to prevent his heathen beliefs from being presented here by burning it." "An animal head on human form." "A pagan god." "And not just one..." "Dozens." "The adoration of a heretic." "This is not worship but an artistic endeavor." "Really?" "Are you then suggesting that this false god is a commission for your son's most recent patron?" "I submit that not only does this deviant practice sodomy, but sorcery." "Thus I ask the court to consider no other sentence but death." " You've gone too far." " This doesn't concern you." "Count Riario made it very clear that he has plans for da Vinci." "He wanted to see him arrested, not dead." "Well, that's in the hands of the court." "What might the court say about your own family's erotic proclivities?" "The rumors of your own wife, Allegra, dallying with a strikingly mannish maidservant." "Shame my family at your peril, harlot." "Mm." "I welcome the invitation." "You seem oddly bothered about the fate of a man you denounced to the court." "If you have any respect for the powers that command me, you will never again mention forcing me to write the denunciation." "You are reckless, Signor." "You have let your hatred for the Medicis cloud your purpose." "And your fear clouds yours." "I assure you, Signora, when Lorenzo and da Vinci are gone, there'll be plenty of cocks willing to fill your void." "Perhaps a bit more detail here." " How does this look, Excellency?" " Lovely." "Very lovely." "Giuliano!" "Are you out of your fucking mind?" "The Decameron?" "I would have words with my brother." "Away." "Away!" "Go, go, go." "I asked you to help restore our reputation." " You asked me to charm them." " They are devoted Catholics." "How do you think they will respond to a play that's wall to wall nun-sluts and horny priests?" " It's bawdy!" "It's vulgar!" " It's Florence." "That's why people love it." "You will cut every scene that is at all scandalous." "If we fail to secure Ferdinand and Isabella's accounts, the Medici Bank is finished." "Time again you prove to be nothing more than dead weight." "Well, perhaps you should mark me a traitor and have me killed as well." "This is one thing you were never better at." "Sodomy." "Sorcery." "Offerings to a pagan god." "What crimes could be worse than these?" "Thus, by the order of this court, the accused - if convicted of the charge of sorcery - shall be burned at the stake..." "..so that his eternal soul is separated from his perverted body." "We grant the accused one day to confess and plead mitigation... ..before we deliberate any further." "You must accept a plea, Leonardo." "If you confess, there's a chance!" " To protect Lorenzo?" " To save yourself!" "If you won't let me help you, you will die." "That's a clean end to your disgrace, then." "Oh, Christ!" "You are just as exasperating as she was!" "Is she dead?" "It makes no difference." "She's gone." "I remind you of her." "That's why you can't stand to look at me." "Because she left you." "Your mother was a commoner." "She was a servant girl." "People like her don't leave people like me." "They don't." "It wouldn't make sense." "Genius was wasted on you." "Do you want something?" "Mm." "Da Vinci faces imprisonment, perhaps death, and you have the power to intercede with the magistrate." "Not without certain sacrifices... ..given the prudery of my current guests." "His portrait of me is remarkable." "But it won't remind me of you nearly so well if it's never finished." "Botticelli or Ghirlandaio can take over." "Is that why you want the artista freed?" " To immortalize you?" " No." "To protect us." "Da Vinci's gift for inventions saved our lives, Lorenzo." "Well, he can invent his way out of his dilemma." "Good night, my dear." "Um...does this periscope thing do what it's supposed to do?" "I followed the specifications but your guess is as good as mine." "What about the other items on his list?" "Um, this paste will hold a man for a good while before dissolving." "I tested this potion out on Nico." "Knocked him out for nearly 15 minutes." "You might have told me first." "I could have split my head open when I collapsed." "Can anyone tell me - who are we gluing to what and why?" "Look, our friend might have lost his wits in prison." "It happens." "A prison, a potion, a periscope, a pig and a paste pot." "If a madman created a scavenger hunt, this is what it would look like." "You thought you could outsmart us all, artista." "But God's wiser than you." "And he's on our side." " What happens now?" " We wait." " For what?" " I don't know." "He said it would be obvious." " What's going on?" " What is that?" "I guess that's pretty clear." "Da Vinci!" "Stop the explosions." "What?" "You think I've organized a bombardment from my cell?" "I never cease to amaze myself." "Where are they coming from?" "You took your time coming to visit." "You want my company now, with your little prick on the line!" " We have minutes, Zo." " Is it true what they say?" "This place sours your brain?" " Do you want to help me?" " There's a way out through the kitchens." "We're not going together." "You're staying." " Fuck, no." " Look..." "They can't know I've escaped." "They need to think I'm still here." "Wear that." "It's rat's hair." "Cloak myself in bat shit and pretend I'm you?" "I swear to God I'm not mad." "I'm desperate." "Enraged." "In need of a good meal." "But I am not mad." "You ask a great deal of your friends." "I know." "Sodomite." "Everybody's still locked in, sir!" "Whatever your friends planned, it failed." "Fuck you, Leo." "Phosphorus bat shit bombs." "Maybe I am losing my mind." "So the grand plan is we all burn at the stake?" "It's a straightforward operation." "It's the product of solitude and delirium!" "It's totally mad!" "Doesn't certain art require a touch of madness?" "I suppose you are aware that this device can only function in the daylight?" " I've prepared for that." " Of course you have." "Have you given any thought to what will happen if it doesn't work?" " None whatsoever." " I'm both terrified and reassured." "I will be no-one's pawn." "They put me on display to be ridiculed, as a tool to sodomize Lorenzo." "They took away my liberty." "And now they will taste the same bile that I have!" "Besides..." "What other plan gains me what I crave?" "Hm?" "Which is what, Leo?" "The magistrate's arse." "Before we head in to the performance, have I shown you this?" "A bench?" "We have benches in Aragon." "Yes, yes, but please notice... notice the markings along its edge." "Once a week, I open my study to anyone who wishes to approach me and petitioners mark on the bench to indicate their place in line." "Doesn't that open you to rabble?" "On occasion, yes." "But it also keeps Florence thriving." "As the old saying has it, "Pecunia non olet."" "Money has no smell." "We Medicis have no historic name like the Pazzis." "We must rely on our wits." "We innovate." "We create the financial instruments on which the entire continent now relies." "The motto of the house of Medici?" ""In God...and profit."" "And that profit emerges from vision." "See, names and lineages and titles... ..they fade, but currency... currency stays current." "And that, more than any other bank in the land, is the expertise of the house of Medici." "This florin, with our seal on the front..." "What other currency is named after a city?" "Only Florence is so identified with financial success to lay claim to that honor." "There is a new world here... ..in Florence." "I await your decision." "I wonder if his actors tonight will speechify quite like he does." "Players, attend." "We will be performing the Decameron this evening, but not all the parts." "I've been counseled to remove all but the most pious pieces for the deference of our regal guests." "But..." "Florence is not their home." "It's ours." "And they will either love it or leave." "Prepare our production so that only the bawdy and vulgar stories remain." "Excellency, what of your brother?" "He'll laugh his arse off with the rest of them." " And this pig, Signor?" " Stays in." "For what's our city without a pig or two?" "Here." "And..." "let me just..." "I'm taking little Sixtus for air." "How did it go today?" "They have the tacit trait of all good leaders." "Their faces belie nothing." "I cannot believe we are to be subjected to such decadence." "Dying regimes flail dramatically in their death throes." "And trust me when I predict the days of the Medici regime are numbered." "Buona sera." "Buona sera." "Tonight we give you a gift of Florence." "Boccaccio's the Decameron." "As a favor to you, I've chosen not to present all the pieces." "100 stories takes a long time and I didn't want the poor souls in the front to be smoked out by the stench of Maurizio the shepherd." "Now, this evening, you will witness the true spirit of Florence." "Her faith and virtues right along with her freedom and vulgarities." "Enjoy...the Decameron." "Alas, I've used my last coin on ribbons for my hair." "The aunt who wanted bread will surely be angry with me." "Whatever am I to do?" "Alas..." "I have wandered this road for many a day and night." "What I would not give to touch a woman's flesh." "Ooh!" "Why, I'd give my legs underneath me." "Ah." "Only when Saint Arrigo's hand does touch her bones to mine will I be healed in time." "Perhaps I could try to lift with all my might." "And if you could, I'd surely hold on tight." "Ooh." "Argh!" "What's this...?" "A romantic assignation requires the appropriate light." "Now, you asked me what crime could possibly be worse than sodomy or sorcery." "Well, I never turn down a challenge." "Be still." "Be still." "Or my friend here may get aroused by your movements." "The fixative will last a good while, so listen closely." "Your reputation depends on it." "At the far end of this arrangement of prisms and lenses lies a camera obscura." "It's usually employed to delight crowds with projections of nature." "But unnatural projections work just as well." " You're insane." " Yes." "Now reap the whirlwind." "God grants all wishes..." "They cannot see your face." "Yet." "All I need to do is rotate you a few degrees, open the prism again, and your notoriety will be assured for centuries." " What do you want?" " Your mark on four documents." "One, an irrevocable dismissal of the charges against me and indemnity against future prosecution." "Two, a full confession to your crime of bestiality in the palace of justice, to be held in safekeeping in the event of my death." "Three, a donation of 50 florins to Piero da Vinci for tolerating your so-called courtroom." "Four, the release to me of the secret denunciation which accused me." "You will make your mark on all four documents before this flare dies or I will open the prism again and expose your vice for all to see." "I'll tell them what you've done!" "Your preferred explanation is that this entire scene was engineered in your inner sanctum by a man that all Florence knows is in solitary confinement?" "The people will never believe it of me." "The more scandalous the accusation, the greater their appetite for it." "The gallery was filled at my trial" "It'll be standing room only for a magistrate's trial." "And should you renege on our agreement, then this shroud..." "treated with silver nitrate using the methods of Albertus Magnus, bears a lasting record of your infamy which I would be happy to display in the future." "And even if you could convince people somehow that this isn't you, you will spend the rest of your life answering the undying rumors." "Cos people believe what's before their eyes." "And if I can get this image seen in the skies above Florence," "I can get it seen everywhere." "This is how history will remember you." "Fucking a pig in the middle of your courtroom." "Lies, truth..." "It's irrelevant." "The best story wins." "Oh, what confusion comes with light." "Bring me the darkness of the night." "So much unseen, so much to know." "In the dark, the best surprise does show." "A hysterical spectacle, Your Excellency." "The image in the sky." "I've never seen anything like it." "Theatre is...magic." "That it is!" "Well done, everyone." "Well done!" "The defendant stands accused of... deviancy and heresy." "After due consideration, it is the ruling of this court that the prosecution was unable to prove these crimes true." "I hereby dismiss all charges against Leonardo da Vinci." " Well, I'm a genius." " You still smell like bat shit." "Ah, bravo!" "Bravo, Leo." "That's the man you should be congratulating." "I don't know how you did that, but enjoy your freedom while you may." "For what Rome cannot accomplish through the courts, it will by other means." "Stay out of trouble." "Father..." "I will." "Your path has never been easy." "In my land, power derives from birthright." "I had to marry my pug-faced cousin to keep power in the family." "But you and your brother, with no royal blood at all, rally an entire city." "Not out of fear, but joy." "You even know some of them by name." "And they love you for it." "You've left your mark on me." "And I leave my mark in Florence." "We agree to your terms." "The Medicis will be the bankers of a new Spain." "To Florence, where you can bugger whoever, wherever, and get away with it." "To the friends who make it possible." "Seriously, I'm lucky to have you." "Remember that when you're washing the bat shit from my arse crack." "If I'd produced this at the trial, no amount of sophistry would have saved you." "But I wanted to see you exposed, not killed." "Why?" "What you have with women isn't love." "You're with them out of fear." "I'm curious by nature." "Desire..." "It's not as simple as one sex or the other." "I'm sorry I hurt you." "My experiments and curiosities, they're..." "They're not always without cost and I should mind that better." "But trust me - trust me... ..no-one defines me." "Not Florence's outdated laws and certainly... certainly...not you." "Your infatuation will fade and you will find others to love." "I have no doubt." "Every kiss sends a message." "That one...was goodbye." "Goodbye?" "Do you know, I've never heard that tune from anyone except you." "My father used to hum it to me when I was a child." "Done." "Where is he now?" "I cannot say." "Losing a parent breaks hearts." "My father's always been... lost to me." "And your mother?" "In a land with no name, across the seas." "If the clues I've gathered on my quest are true." "Escaping that denunciation, perhaps I can find her again." "How did you come by this?" "These denunciations are usually so well guarded." "Mm." "Well, I have a penchant for acquiring things... ..that are well guarded." "And what do you plan on doing with it?" "Hm?" "I plan on using it to find and confront my accuser." "Obviously." "Cos whoever wrote those words almost took my freedom and my life." "And what if your accuser didn't intend for it to go that far?" "What other outcome could they have intended?" " It was a sodomy charge." " I know." "I only got out with nerve and wit." "Hm." "That belonged to someone very dear to me." "Hm?" "Here." "Carry it with you." "Keep it safe in case anything happens." "Why would anything happen to you?" "Because these are uncertain times." "And shall I flaunt it near Lorenzo?" "That would alleviate any uncertainty." "You'd be wise not to." "Have you ever been in love..." "Signora?" "Um..." "In my pursuits, love is a liability." "Mine, too." "Maybe that's what we share." "What?" "Both of us bound to a life without love." "You seem surprised." "I told you I would return once you had sipped from the fountain of memory." "But I haven't." "Are you sure?" "You did not experience something while imprisoned?" "That was a dream." "It was nothing more." "Surely you, who remembers all, know it was no dream." "It was nothing." "It was just..." "Just flashes." "Incoher..." "Close your eyes and see again." "Return to the cave, Leonardo." "There were bodies." "I saw bodies." "I s..." "I saw a man..." "..hanging upside down." "I..." "I thought..." "I thought he was dead, like the rest." "But he was alive." " Who was it, Leonardo?" " I..." "Free me." "Free me!" " It doesn't make sense." " What did you see?" "Free me." "It was me."