02x02 - The Blood of Brothers

[bunniefuu]

It's over, Lorenzo! The House of Medici falls today!

Lorenzo must be found.

He fled with the help of the artista Da Vinci.

Then he's alive.

Lorenzo's lost blood, he needs blood.

I'll give him some of mine.

Know what will happen if the Pazzis enter these walls?

Death to the Medicis!

Count Riario abandoned you to pursue some mysterious book.

Where is Da Vinci?

Boarding a ship.

Tell me the name of the ship.

The Basilisk.

If Da Vinci reaches the Vault of Heaven, the Book Of Leaves is his to claim.

Leonardo will come for you.

Tragically not for you.

You have failed us, Da Vinci.

Because of you, the Book Of Leaves will be lost forever.

(Screams) Stay back!

♪ DaVinci's Demons 2x02 ♪
The Blood of Brothers
Original Air Date on March 29, 2014

♪

What have you done to me?

We cut open your veins and my arteries and created a vacuum, which allowed my own blood to replenish yours.

Do you mean to say your blood flows within me?

I realize I'm not your ideal candidate for blood brother, but the procedure was too dangerous I couldn't let anyone risk it.

Where is Guiliano?

Stay calm.

As our attempt to save you will be at risk if you don't.

I wasn't asking you, maestro! I was speaking to him!

You've been through much, Magnifico. Please.

Put down the Kn*fe.

Where is my brother?

By your allegiance, Verrocchio, tell me now!

Noble Giuliano fought bravely.

But was slain.

I'm sorry, my lord.

(Choking)

(Grunts)

Take me home.

It won't be that simple.

The streets are perilous.

The officers of the night have been helpless to stop the mob from burning homes, looting shops.

You do have Medici support, but the Pazzis grow stronger by the hour.

And Urbino's forces stand outside the city, ready to inv*de.

I need to see my city.

(Shouting)

Out the way for the Father within!

Grab them! Haul them down!

Go on, get hold of them!

Argh!

Aargh!

Take everything he's got.

They're rebelling against all authority.

(Angry shouting)

It's mine, give it to me!

Give it to me, that is mine!

Take it all!

My family spent generations building up this republic.

And at the drop of a sword, the people devour each other like swine.

They need their leader.

I never wanted to lead.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter what you want.

Fate made you a leader.

Accept your role or Florence is lost.

Florence is lost, Da Vinci.

And I have no reason to win it back.

I have no heir, no brother.

I have no future to offer the people.

My lord?

Vanessa, is this wise?

Perhaps you do have a future for Florence, my lord.

Giuliano's fire... burns still within me.

I'm bearing his child.

Is this true?

It is.

I must return to the palace.

Can you provide me with a sword?

We will need a lot more than a sword.

(Gasping for air)

You're brilliant, passing a hairpin through a kiss. Dazzling!

Leonardo said you're a master lock-pick.

Genius.

You, not him. He's a fool for ever letting you go.

I have never been more fully erect.

Want to finish the job?

Gladly.

Not that, the chains!

Of course.

Don't you care for cured meats?

Or are you so loyal to Da Vinci that you'll starve for him?

Although, will you ever even see him again?

He's rescuing Florence. He's rescuing Lorenzo.

Lorenzo is Florence.

Lorenzo is a purse string.

Nico, you took the key to the Vault of Heaven from me, something Da Vinci himself could not manage.

And yet... he chose to save Lorenzo over you.

I'd say you're undervalued.

As I was at your age.

Like me, you will learn your worth in time.

I'm not like you!

If you think I'll help you find the Vault of Heaven, you're wrong, I'd die first!

Nico.

The Widow's Tear has already shown us otherwise.

Proving my theory that it is better to be feared than loved.

Why are you keeping me alive?

Because I like you.

Faithful citizens, we burn this effigy of the tyrant!

Soon his wicked soul burns in hellfire!

Burn! Death to the Medicis!

Infernal Pazzis.

If we try to bring Lorenzo through this frenzy, Francesco's dogs will finish him off.

No longer will their vainglorious cabal of merchants dictate how all Florence shall live.

Can you make out a word that hypocritical windbag is saying?

No, thank God. Can you?

No.

The just and pious Pazzi family...

But what if we could?

What if the entire city could?

His lies would spread like wood rot, until there wasn't a safe corner for Lorenzo in all of Florence.

But what if we could counter those lies?

Do you have any brass in your studio?

Yes, I'm using it for the Vitale commission.

Not any more.

All is secure, milady.

Do you have a family, Captain?

A wife, a son... a little girl.

Who protects them whilst you protect us?

My wife has always understood my duty's to Florence, as hers is to our children.

I'll admit I sometimes envy the time she spends with them.

Don't envy us wives, Captain.

We pray more than priests, sleep less than watchmen and grow old before our time.

Waiting and worrying.

Signora?

Signora? Signora?

You have our condolences on this very black Easter Monday.

Identify yourselves now.

It's alright, Captain. This is Signore Sassetti, the general manager of the Medici bank and Signore Portinari, who oversees the London branch.

If you'll excuse us, Captain.

The Captain will remain by my side.

Very well.

Rumors of your husband's death are spreading panic amongst our investors in Europe.

If we lose their confidence, the bank will collapse.

Tell them Lorenzo is alive.

If we could but see him?

Any business you have with him you can submit to me in writing.

So the rumors are true?

Lorenzo is dead?

Captain, drag him somewhere to reflect on his loyalties.

I know this is difficult, but Signora, you must understand our responsibility is the fidelity of the bank.

Lorenzo's absence, however temporary, has created a void.

Perhaps it's prudent to appoint an interim head of the bank.

I suppose you think yourself the obvious candidate?

Signore Portinari and I have the experience for the job.

But not the name.

We are speaking of the great Medici Bank, after all, and your name is not Medici.

Neither is yours,

Signora Orsini.

Captain?

Come, weevils, the lady is weary of your presence.

Come.

(Shouting)

I thought you were leading me home.

I am.

Look at them.

It's hopeless.

No, you haven't read your Vitruvius.

What?

Sound, it moves like ripples in water.

And when a ripple touches a soft surface, like bodies in a crowd or a wooden building, it's absorbed, as water is absorbed by a cloth.

Speak plainer, Da Vinci.

Look out across the piazza.

Do you see those shimmering plates of reflected moonlight?

Yes.

Those are brass panels positioned according to my calculations, each held at precise angles by Verrocchio and his assistants.

When a sound ripple reaches a reflective service, it's deflected - under the right circumstances, amplified.

Acoustically speaking, this tower is the most strategic point in Florence.

You want me to make a speech?

What does it matter?

Francesco Pazzi is winning.

Only 'cause everyone thinks you're dead.

You have to tell the people that you haven't abandoned them.

(Rings bell)

Da Vinci?

Da Vinci. What's that bastard doing?

Look, look! Up there.

Pull! Put your backs into it! Pull, for goodness sake!

Quickly, damn it!

If this doesn't work, the mob will pull them both to pieces.

Wait, out, out.

Out here. That's it.

Good, good.

The stage is yours, Magnifico.

If this fails, they will throng my palace and slay my family!

Face your city.

(Coughs)

There.

See what they make of you.

(Coughs)

Look to your people, Lorenzo.

You need to inspire them, to invite them to join you, to dare them to be as great as they are.

Citizens of Florence...

Woman: It's Lorenzo!

I grieve with you tonight...

(Sound echoes)

...for the injuries inflicted on our noble city, on our families, and on my beloved brother,

Giuliano...

Get him down from there!

Go, move!

Lorenzo: I once embraced Francesco Pazzi and his family as my friends.

I thought them noble citizens of Florence.

But as I stand before you tonight, as our city is aflame, and my brother lies dead,

I was naive, blind to their ambition, ignorant to the lengths they would go to see our city under Rome's thumb!

He's a salesman... a usurer.

Citizens, don't let him bedevil you.

Lorenzo: Yet we have not fallen!

In Florence, power has always been derived from the people, not from traitorous whispers in quiet, dark halls, not from individuals... not from conspirators.

And so, as it should be,

I put the fate of our republic in your hands.

Do with me as you please.

For whatever you command, I will perform it willingly.

This is not good.

Lorenzo: For tonight, as always...

...you are my friends... my protectors... my brothers.

Do you think they heard me?

Palle!

Palle!

Palle!

The Medici rallying cry.

I'd say they did.

Palle! Palle!

Palle! Palle!

Francesco, let's go!

Palle! Palle!

(Choking)

(Cheering)

Now, Dragonetti.

Now we apprehend the Pazzi traitors.

My pleasure.

There they are!

No, wait!

Hold him! By the Reverend Father!

Help me!

Orsini!

(Screams)

Crowd: Palle! Palle!

(Footsteps running past)

He's the leader! Pazzi scum!

Argh!

(Yells)

(Whimpers)

Argh!

Agh!

(Screams)

(Cheering)

My dear lady.

I commend you for your strength and courage, in holding our home against those who would seek our life.

Welcome home, husband.

(Cheering)

(Echoing) Palle! Palle!

I'm told our awaited guest has a penchant for such curiosities.

It is said he keeps a kind of ghastly museum in his dungeon.

Surely the museum is apocryphal?

His reputation as a ferocious, bloodthirsty w*rlord is not.

(Door opens)

His dress bespeaks a warrior.

That's the son, Alfonso. Behind him is the King.

This is your w*rlord?

He looks more like a bookkeeper.

May I present His Majesty King Ferrante of Naples and his son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria.

You'll forgive us for not kneeling and kissing the ring.

I too am anointed by God.

And are you also Christ's Vicar here on earth... his holy sign that he will come again?

It matters not.

Down to business.

As the only king on the Italian peninsular, you understand our need for stability?

We command the largest standing army in Italy.

It is we who assure stability.

We also command a sizeable force.

A flock of mercenaries.

Rome has her priests, Florence her art, Genoa her trade.

But it is Naples and our forces who have been tasked by God as the first line of defense against the Ottomans.

You must know that the tyrant, Lorenzo de Medici, and his heretic w*r engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci, openly flout us?

I've known Lorenzo since he was a child.

He's an unscrupulous villain who's a little too proud of his prick.

I'm sorry, I misspoke.

Holy Father, disregard what I said.

He knows better than to be here when the tooth falls.

Where did you find such an interesting specimen?

Consider it a gift, one of many to come.

Lorenzo's regime must be eroded from within... to keep the armies of Milan and Venice from allying against us.

Once you have helped us seize Florence, the other secular states of Italy will fall into line, and into the control of the Godly state of Naples.

You seek an alliance with us against Florence?

How may we be of service?

There is a papal ship in the port of Pisa, carrying slaves to Genoa.

If your brave son traveled there under both the Neapolitan and papal flags, the Republic of Florence would be cowed by our alliance.

Lorenzo is a heathen but he's not a fool.

We will apply unrelenting pressure... till he does what's best for his people, and surrenders.

You asked to see me, Your Magnificence?

You were leaving before this m*ssacre began.

I assume you still intend to leave?

But we need you here.

Rome's aggression will not stop.

We need more pipe organ muskets, more m*llitary...

And then what? Then what?

They return with more soldiers, more allies.

The way to defeat them is not by racing them to the next w*apon.

You alone know how to deal with Florence's enemies.

I search for an ancient tome called the Book Of Leaves.

It's a compendium of hidden wisdom that men have d*ed to protect.

Sixtus and his cohorts, they moved mountains to find it.

I believe it contains secrets that could put an end to these petty wars that besiege us forever.

Whispers, forbidden knowledge made up to entertain adolescent boys.

Perhaps you recall lying on a slab while my blood pumped into your veins.

Forbidden knowledge just saved your life.

And in the name of this knowledge, you would desert Florence again?

Do you know what this is?

One of my grandfather's trinkets.

It's the symbol of the Sons of Mithras.

Have you heard of them?

Cosimo had many secrets.

They were an ancient brotherhood committed to humanism.

Cosimo was one of its members.

He had faith in this city, in you.

Your grandfather, he saw Florence as the essential city, where for once, freedom and knowledge had been allowed to take root.

He tasked me from beyond the grave to retrieve the Book Of Leaves.

And when I do, you must ensure that Florence is still here to receive it.

But I can't... leave Florence without-- money, without a ship.

Da Vinci, I cannot help you.

Florence needs weapons, not magic.

Go, leave us. Do as you wish.

As my family have done for quite some time, I will preserve the city, without your help.

Farewell.

Sister.

Oh, my prayers are answered.

Francesco, you sought to sweep the Medici name from the earth.

And we will answer your conspiracy in kind.

Tomorrow, go to your death knowing that it is your name that will be expunged.

Your properties will be divided among the Signoria, all male cousins will be exiled, and anyone who dares to marry a Pazzi woman will be disinherited.

You'd wipe out the oldest and most noble family in Florence?

My ancestor was the first over the wall in the Siege of Jerusalem.

Save your creaking anecdotes.

We're sick to death of your Pazzi ancestor.

Future generations will only remember that the meaning of the word Pazzi... is madmen.

You left your robes in your quarters when you fled, Cardinal.

I have them here for you.

Thank you, sister.

I have prayed for you every day.

The populace should see the fate of those who ally themselves with Rome.

So you will put on those robes.

And we will dangle you from the gibbet in your Sunday best.

Think of your eternal soul.

Do you dare k*ll a cardinal?

One who defiled the Lord's house on Easter Sunday?

Yes, I would.

Please!

I am your brother.

I have no brother.

Your confidence as a thief is beguiling.

I have no intention of being recognized on the road to Florence.

Stop gaping like a pike and move!

You know what Riario's capable of.

Has anyone ever told you you'd make a beautiful man?

Anyone ever told you you're a pig?

You're a bit of a traitor. Pig and a knave.

Traitor and a whore.

That's a compliment.

All my favorite people are traitorous whores.

It's unsettling, isn't it?

One of your kinsmen had it inscribed in his flesh for safekeeping, little good that it did him.

I believe it's a legend, a key to reading a map - this map.

Can you decipher it?

Much of it is beyond my understanding.

But these-- these are written in the ancient Ge'ez script of my people.

They are numbers.

13, 1,631... over 10,000.

It's a fraction.

Arabs use them to represent parts of a whole number.

What does this one say?

72 and 341... over 625.

The astrolabe.

The numbers indicate latitude and longitude.

Captain De Noli will be pleased.

And... what will please you?

The Bible counsels us against indulging ourselves.

Men of the Bible took their pleasures.

King Solomon visited the Kingdom of Sheba, my homeland of Abyssinia.

There he met the beautiful queen and... invited her to a banquet at his palace.

She asked Solomon to swear not to take her by force.

He agreed... as long as she would take nothing of value from his home.

Seems an easy vow to keep.

But when she awoke at midnight, the Queen was... thirsty.

And as she reached for water, Solomon appeared, warning she was breaking her oath.

Nothing in the desert is as precious as water.

She chose to drink, setting Solomon free from his promise not to take her.

And they spent the night together willingly.

The Queen of Sheba fell in love with Solomon.

She converted my homeland to the Lord God of Israel... without regret.

That story's not in the Bible.

Not everything is, my lord.

What do you know of Daedalus?

Just indulge me.

What were the sins of Daedalus?

He fashioned wings for himself and his son Icarus.

Flight, is that a sin?

Or is it invention?

Whilst I was unconscious, Andrea, I had a vision.

I was in the presence of something.

Something.

You'd lost a lot of blood, Leo.

Don't be troubled by dreams.

The dream was real, Andrea.

Look.

There, that figure.

A man being savaged by a bull?

Yes!

Here, on the reverse of the Turk's coin, a man slaying a bull - it's the inverse image.

I've met the enemies of the Sons of Mithras.

These aren't fables, Andrea.

You may be right, my boy.

All the more reason to leave it alone.

We can't do that, maestro.

Zo, you stayed in Florence?

Not quite. But I made it back here.

Where's Nico?

He's on the Basilisk with Riario.

You let Riario take Nico?

I wasn't exactly given an option.

I was supposed to be on that ship, not Riario!

Certainly not Nico with him! Me!

Without you, didn't the Turk say the ship wrecked itself in a storm?

How does Nico survive that?

Do I f*cking know?

I'd go after them, I've got... next to nothing.

I've got no ship, no astrolabe.

I mean, there's the original charts.

But the Abyssinian's map that explains it all is with Riario.

Surely you can reproduce the Abyssinian's map from memory?

Yes, but I cannot will a crew and ship into existence.

Well, there's someone that can help.

Yeah, but you've got to promise to stay calm, accept the f*cking help.

Why would you come to my aid?

Why did you miss your ship to assist Lorenzo?

There is a man named Vespucci.

He solves import and export problems for the Medicis, it's his business to know every boat that comes in and out of Pisa.

He could find you a ship and a crew.

And... he collects rare maritime maps.

Perhaps he has one like the one that you lost.

And what do you want in return?

From you? Nothing.

Sixtus destroyed my family.

What I want, what I have always wanted... is to see him dead.

Nonetheless, you came here to face me first.

I look at you and see how you refuse to be trapped by your birth and circumstances.

I just fight to be free.

I need a future where I control my own fate.

And my pursuit of the same freedom... will take me far from you.

This belongs to your father.

And perhaps you could return it to him.

With my regards.

It's mine now.

And I would see it stay with you... since I can't.

I...

I still think of a world in which we met differently, lived differently.

As do I.

(Clamoring)

Sister!

They call for your death, Francesco.

Only hours ago, they cheered for yours.

And yet... here we are.

Let us send a message... to your master in Rome, that Florence still shines!

(Cheering)

(Cheering)

Amerigo Vespucci?

He works for the Medicis. Lucrezia recommended him.

I knew him, we grew up together in Peretola, he's a fixer.

And a f*ck.

This is the worst idea you've had since you stopped eating meat. Amerigo Vespucci is as slippery as a buttered eel.

A well-connected eel who's yet to lose a map, an astrolabe, a ship, and Nico to Riario.

Perhaps he can apprentice you.

I did as you asked.

I asked you not to go!

You asked me to stall! To stall the barge, not the Basilisk.

You should have realized that was far too great a risk.

When have you considered anything too great a risk?

You knew we'd do whatever we could to aid your damned adventure, we always have.

And you make the whole thing sound so f*cking important.

It is important!

Perhaps more than I even realized.

There are worse things crouching in the shadows than Riario.

Things I cannot yet understand.

We will get Nico back, Zo, I promise.

But then, we must recover the Book Of Leaves.

Can I count on you?

I will go to the edge of the Earth with you to find Nico.

After that...

I'm sorry, I'm done.

I don't care about your Book Of Leaves.

This is the place.

(Sighs)

Yes?

Excuse us, signorina.

We're here to see Amerigo Vespucci.

Bless you for coming to pay respects to my poor father, ignored while the rest of Florence grieves Giuliano di Medici.

Please, come in.

That's your father?

Amerigo Vespucci? Yes.

And you must be his friends.

Well, that's us then.

Very sorry for your loss.

Hold on.

That stench.

Yeah, it's the body, Leo, we're too late.

If we hurry, maybe we can catch Lucrezia, see if she knows any living people that could help us.

No, I have spent enough time around cadavers to know that is not the scent of human flesh.

Urgh! That was completely unnecessary.

( Chuckles) Any friend of Lucrezia Donati is a friend of mine.

Zoroasta, last I saw of you was in prison.

Never trust a Spanish Moor, am I right?

Run along, Beatrice. I will find you next time I'm in need of a daughter.

Arrivederci, signores.

Typical, I should have known.

I apologize for the theatrics.

I was afraid you were sent here by my creditors.

You understand?

Absolutely.

I like you, Signore...?

Da Vinci.

Leonardo Da Vinci?

Lorenzo's bastard w*r engineer, the pleasure is mine.

What is the nature of your problem?

Well, I'm supposed to be on board a ship, The Basilisk.

Three-masted carrack, captain Antonio De Noli, crew of 15, carrying top-of-the-line Florentine textiles, left Pisa two days ago sailing west.

It's been commandeered by Count Riario, Captain General of the Holy Roman Church.

I see. So you wish to sail west but the Vatican have stolen your ship.

If you're here, you have not the coin to hire such a vessel yourself, which leaves but one choice available, am I right?

We head to Pisa... we steal one of theirs.

(Laughter)

Signora.

This is Vanessa Moschella.

Moschella?

A little flea?

How amusing that you work at the Barking Dog.

If you think so.

We're told that you carry Giuliano's seed.

Yes, signora.

How can we be sure that you're telling the truth?

I'm not really concerned whether you believe me or not.

Lorenzo believes it.

And right now, he's in need of some hope.

So you will remain with us.

Piero will see to your needs.

Here?

You don't like our home?

I prefer the freedom of my own.

You should've thought of that before Giuliano bedded you in some sordid, back-alley tavern.

He had dozens of women, from milkmaids... to duchesses.

God help us if they all come knocking with their bastards.

We are...

We are here to honor...

Giuliano di ser Piero di Medici... my brother.

You knew him as the Prince of Youth, the Light of Florence.

So he was.

So he was.

You're doing fine.

It is a splendid eulogy so far.

He deserves better.

What's this?

It was our grandfather Cosimo's.

One magnificent sword to be shared by two boys.

I never understood why.

Cosimo told us we would learn to use it... one day, when we were ready.

When we became men.

We never did.

I think Giuliano would want you to keep it.

(Sighs)

You're leaving?

I wish I could go with you, Leo.

Where I'm going... I can no longer keep you safe.

Much less, your child.

So now I'm one of them? Is that really so bad?

Note the only time he brought me here was to say goodbye.

The Medicis are wise.

They will realize, how lucky they are to have you among them.

Release her.

She's not to be swept into your madness any longer.

The guards saw you entering.

Lorenzo wishes one more word.

You can wait in the pantry.

Vanessa carries a child whose father never married its mother.

Make sure you take care of this one better than the last bastard you dealt with.

This Book Of Leaves you seek.

Do you really believe it could help Florence?

More than help it, Magnifico.

I believe it can save it.

You and I are not that different, Da Vinci.

It took me a while to realize that.

Did this belong to your grandfather?

He told me... that one day... when the time was right...

I would learn how to use it.

I saw you fight off many men in the Duomo, I would say you already have.

That's not what he meant.

Giuliano and I, we were always meant to share it.

That's what brothers do.

Two men whose blood flows in each other's veins.

Take it with you on your journey.

All I ask is that you return to Florence when your quest is completed, along with whatever wisdom your book promises.

There are words inscribed on the blade.

Not just words.

It's what the Medicis have sought for generations.

Libertas Populi. Freedom for the people.

Freedom for Florence.

It's time to save our city, Leonardo.

Our future.