02x05 - The Sun and the Moon

[bunniefuu]

I will persuade Ferrante no alliance with Sixtus ever benefits the Pope's partners.

You seek an alliance against Florence?

How may we be of service?

We will apply unrelenting pressure until Lorenzo surrenders.

You carry Giuliano's seed?

Yes, signora.

So you will remain with us.

Are we on the right course? We've been at sea for weeks.

That, together with this device, enabled me to estimate the length of our voyage.

If you're wrong, we die at sea.

We will not die at sea.

What are you teaching the boy?

How to survive when grace fails.

This ship will sink without Da Vinci at the helm.

Storm on the way, Your Grace. Could push us into the rocks.

Let me out, please!

(Thunder crashes)

♪ DaVinci's Demons 2x05 ♪
The Sun and the Moon
Original Air Date on April 19, 2014

♪

Out you get.

Dry land.

Count Riario didn't pray to his God hard enough.

This is not how I saw us finding your New World.

The light here is different.

The rock striations, the lush vegetation.

We need food, Leo.

It's remarkable.

This could be the gateway to extraordinary things.

That's the figurehead of the Basilisk.

One sailor to another.

No one survived this wreck.

Zoroaster: We can't write them off as dead.

Parts of the Basilisk made it to the shore, maybe survivors did as well.

If Riario survived, he'll have weeks of advantage on us.

And he'll have taken Nico with him.

(Hisses, he gasps)

I'll stay aboard with Captain and chart these shores.

There's more money in making a map to treasure than in searching for it.

Amerigo, we will return to this shore in three months.

Do you swear to be here for us then?

And if your motley assemblage doesn't come back, I'm to wait here on this beach, cock in hand?

It's the perfect place to tan your tiny prick.

If we don't return by then, sail without us.

I'll mourn you... as I'm celebrated for discovering this land.

Of course you'll take the credit, you buzzard's canker sore.

Bye-bye.

Maybe I will.

Maybe I'll name this whole f*cking place after myself!

Vespuccia!

Vespuccia!

(Fight taking place)

Urgh! Argh!

And I used to love visiting Naples.

A word, please, Officer.

Shut it, sh*t-slinger, I'm trying to take a head count.

All the while we've been here, we've not been given a chance to state our case.

What case? Aren't you the two they found burying bodies with that chest of gold?

It was our gold, we acted in our own defense.

Of course you did!

We are emissaries from Milan with a vital message from Ludovico Sforza for his sister Ippolita.

Duke Alfonso's wife?

Two paupers like yourselves don't come bearing nothing but cock rash.

We rode incognito to elude bandits.

Now, here's something you should see.

Didn't they search you on the way in?

Inform the Duchess that we are here on urgent business.

My name is Gallus and this is my companion Daphnis.

The Duchess will know who we are.

They made us disrobe.

Where exactly were you hiding that?

Medici trade secret.

Vanessa:I miss the city, maestro.

This palace lacks Florence's vitality.

It feels an eternity I've been trapped in this stale place.

Stale?

When this home was constructed, Cosimo employed Michelozzo to design unique flourishes - hidden passages, spy holes, coded messages.

For instance... if you stand in that corner I'll show you one of my favorites.

So this Benedetto, what exactly does he do in your workshop, other than look handsome?

He's a framer for one of my latest commissions.

And you find no other uses for him?

Now...listen.

(Clicks fingers)

Benedetto: Vanessa, can we talk Andrea into shaving that beard?

It bristles against my skin.

I heard him as though he was next to me!

How is this possible?

It's called a whisper corridor.

The circular construction allows sound to travel perfectly, from one precise location to another.

Walls that talk.

Amazing!

Signor Sassetti, I promised the captain funds for the hiring of more officers.

What gives you the right to turn him away?

My title.

As general manager of the Medici Bank, its solvency is my solemn duty.

I cannot approve another loan to a government which already holds significant debts.

This is not a loan but a simple withdrawal of Medici family assets.

Another request I must deny.

You may not realize that as your husband left for Naples, he withdrew an enormous sum from our coffers.

I must insist all accounts suspended... until debts are reasonably repaid.

As I insist you resign.

A majority of the board must approve executive hiring.

Or f*ring.

If Lorenzo were here...

But he's not, is he?

Instead, shortly after losing his mistress, he heads to Naples... a land which, by staggering coincidence, is home to his first love, Ippolita Sforza, the Duchess of Calabria.

In such an absence, you cannot blame us for doing what we think best.

(Hisses)

(Insects buzzing)

f*ck.

It really is a new world.

I haven't had this much fluid sucked out of me since that girl in Beretola.

In all my years as a painter, I've never seen a vermillion like this.

Really?

Leo, not bothered by the howling beasts in the trees but a new color?

Yes, that gives you pause.

Prick.

(Exhales)

(Grunts) Da Vinci?

Look at the finishing of this.

It's pure gold.

sh*t.

We are on track.

But the people here, they just leave out gold for the taking.

What are you doing?

We haven't been paid since Genoa.

I promise you payment in abundance on our return to Florence.

But not if you disturb what is clearly a sacred idol.

(Speaks in Quechua)

Hey, hey.

We're friends. Friends.

Keep still.

We're visitors.

We seek men... like ourselves.

Primitive.

He may think the same of us.

Wait, wait! Wait!

Brilliant! That's brilliant.

You raise weapons, he tells his people, and we've made an enemy before we've even spoken a word.

Thank you...

T-Thank you so much for your steady nerve!

We press on.

But keep your blades ready for the fight that you may have handed us.

(Sighs)

sh*t.

You lied about us being Milanese emissaries.

They're most likely choosing the piazza to display our corpses.

Lorenzo?

Lorenzo!

Ippolita.

Lucifer himself would call you a holy fool for coming here.

I had no other choice.

Gallus and Daphnis?

The names of the lovers in Eclogue Ten.

I knew you would remember.

How could I forget?

On the banks of the River Po, reading all Virgil's verses.

We rarely finished.

And to think I lost you... to that Roman woman and the Orsini name.

Clarice...has her virtues.

Ah. Do you read poetry together?

As we speak, she watches over my republic as your husband brandishes arms against it.

I tried.

I pleaded for him not to move against you.

After the att*ck on your family...

Poor Giuliano.

I cannot bear the thought of Alfonso bringing more death to Florence.

Your husband is a warrior.

He takes up weapons as automatically as a child handles a plaything.

That is why we are here, Your Grace, to speak with King Ferrante.

My father-in-law will not listen.

He is...

Just like a Florentine, to enter from the back door.

Alfonso.

Lorenzo has come to meet with your father.

I had hoped to act as an intermediary.

Of course.

That must be why you came here without a royal escort.

It wasn't her idea, Alfonso.

I called upon her to... come to me alone.

You dare enter Naples unannounced and meet with my wife in secret?

Alfonso, I...

Duke Alfonso.

I...implore you... let me sit with your father and end this pointless w*r.

Of course.

Of course I will take you to my father.

We are...civilized heads of state.

Are we not?

Trouble sleeping?

I'm at your mercy, my lady.

I only seek a discussion away from prying ears.

And what if someone saw you enter?

I took precautions.

I would never risk your dignity.

Henbane, bark of mandrake and juice of lettuce.

An ineffective potion against the restless sleep of leadership.

But a necessary one.

Other leaders of this family have found relief in distractions of the flesh.

I need no schooling in my husband's habits.

What do you want?

To offer assistance with Portinari and Sassetti.

Their scheming is obvious.

I need no help with greedy jackals, I grew up in Rome.

I wish to make sure they take no advantage of what they perceive as weakness.

They were trained by my father.

Cosimo demanded a certain ruthlessness in those he employed.

And I will gladly respond in kind.

Consider their perspective.

They believe the bank weak with a woman at its head, akin to how my father denied me a place in its management.

You were illegitimate.

A bastard... with an unsuitable complexion.

Almost as bad as being a woman.

So you'd like an alliance... a seat on the Medici Bank board after all these years.

Giuliano's seat remains vacant.

You're as clever as you are beautiful.

Don't waste your time flattering me.

Appoint me... and I vote with you on all matters.

A bastard and a woman.

Quite the partnership.

Good night, signor.

(Grunts)

sh*t.

This is the work of civilization.

Ah, f*ck!

Normally, I like things hot and wet.

We're on the right path.

We should make camp.

Yeah, why not?

(Twig snaps, birds cry)

(Man shouts in Quechua)

(Shouting)

Whoa.

They're just... (Speaks Quechua)

Look.

Look, these symbols.

Do you see?

It's the same.

Friends.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, amen.

Where is he?

(Door opening)

Carlo.

I must commend your powers of persuasion.

Clarice has officially nominated you to fill Giuliano's seat on the board.

As I assured you she would.

This maneuver does nothing to solve our problem.

Clarice still holds over half the board in her palm.

That will change with time and persistence.

The time to act is now.

Lorenzo and Clarice still hold the favor of the people.

And what if we replaced her with someone we could sell as Lorenzo's choice?

With the same name.

Our plan is my succession.

Your plan is taking too long.

For your creditors...

Enough.

What is your proposition?

This letter, penned by King Ferdinand of Aragon himself, details, at my suggestion, his intention to default on all loans from the Medici Bank unless Clarice is removed from leadership.

Spain is our largest account.

How does this aid our cause?

I negotiated a steady repayment schedule... with a slight reduction in interest, once Carlo takes control of the bank.

Is this true?

A Medici Bank run by a Medici.

But without the embarrassment of a woman at its head.

Even Signor Rinaldi has indicated he will vote with us.

Albini teeters, but can be swayed.

Be sure to emphasize Carlo's role in this.

It will ensure their support.

Clarice will be out of the picture soon enough.

(Speaks Quechua)

Leo, they're going to f*cking k*ll us.

No.

They've fed us, they've transported us for miles.

They've got something else in mind.

Zoroaster: Yeah, being their next meal.

This is an advanced people, Zo.

Take their language.

Leo, please tell me you're trying to find a way to escape, not just decipher their gibberish.

Ssh.

Listen. Every sound they make is a key to the puzzle of their tongue.

The leader keeps referring to himself as "noqa" for "I" and "noqanchik" for "us as a group".

Obviously.

Yeah.

I've repeatedly heard the word "puriy" and "purinchik" to describe an action that's occurred throughout the time that we've been with them.

It translates as "walk" and "we walk".

(Shouts in Quechua)

Making friends, are we?

That word, "yawar".

They used it when they fed us the llama milk mixed with blood.

Please mean milk.

Uh...no, it suggests we may be marching to our death after all.

Oh.

I do not claim to be a wine cognoscente, an amateur oenophile, perhaps.

But this Frescobaldi - a first-rate Tuscan chianti.

Very popular amongst the Florentine aristocracy.

A talented winemaker indeed.

Shame that he perished along with his family when my soldiers torched his vineyard.

Al.

All that was salvaged from the estate are the bottles now in my possession.

We also thank you for the new garments, Duke Alfonso.

Formal delegates from Florence must look the part.

(Chuckles)

Though I question why Lorenzo brought along an antique and not a more formidable companion.

Piero Da Vinci is my personal notary.

And one of my most trusted counselors.

Da Vinci? Kin to Leonardo?

Indeed.

He is the um... proud father of the celebrated artist.

And sodomite.

Never convicted.

(Chuckles)

I've met the man. I read a different verdict.

Leonardo works for Florence from afar.

Demean him at your peril.

Will the King be joining us?

I feel a monarch of his years will bring invaluable wisdom to this table.

(Horse whinnies)

Yes, indeed.

I will do whatever it takes to resolve our conflict.

Father will be pleased to hear that.

He so enjoys it when his captives are willing to play along.

Oh!

What have you done?

Precisely what you asked.

The King is looking forward to seeing you.

(Laughs)

Damn them!

Or rather, damn myself, as I stand the dupe in all this.

Signora... this knowledge provides an opportunity to counter their schemes.

I only wish it did.

Carlo's confirmation to the board is but a formality.

If I raise an objection now, it'll further weaken my position, given that I nominated Carlo myself.

I cannot believe I was so easily fooled by him.

Perhaps you were not.

Well, you heard the whispers.

Sassetti only spoke of using Carlo's name in their scheme.

There's a chance Carlo himself is unaware.

Unlikely.

The Pazzis proved the seduction of power is intoxicating.

He doesn't care about power.

He's here because of his father.

How do you know this?

She asked me to present all this to you.

She was afraid...

Why, what have you heard?

The servants trust Carlo.

They say he was always a Medici, despite being wronged by those who scorned his lineage.

He was his father's favorite.

Some believe, if there's anyone Cosimo shared his secrets with, it was Carlo.

(Guard shouts in Quechua)

The sickness will pass once we get used to the altitude.

Or we can just launch ourselves over the edge here.

Don't try it while you're bound to me!

So are we gonna let these savages k*ll us?

The alternatives are rather limited just now.

(Speaks Quechua)

They're distracted by news from that messenger.

I could be free from the pole with a couple of tugs.

Then what? We try and run still bound to these poles?

Have you anything better?

We have to go out fighting.

Now is not the time!

And later, when we're brought before some crag-faced cannibal?

Look at where listening to you has brought us.

Aaargh!

(Grunts)

(Shouts command)

Tell her I'll be happy to service her in any number of ways to save the rest of you.

I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

Our destination.

The town made of stone.

Just as the Abyssinian said.

I take back what I said about savages.

(Speaks Quechua)

It is unanimous.

Carlo de Medici, welcome to the governing board of the Medici Bank.

I shall strive to satisfy your faith in me.

Signors... have we any other business?

Unfortunately, there is an issue of grave importance.

I have recently had rd from King Ferdinand of his intention to default payment on all loans unless we remove Clarice Orsini as head of this institution for her sins against the Holy Church.

Clearly, I will not capitulate to the blackmail of a creditor.

A true leader would take whatever steps necessary to ensure our business sees another day, month...

If this is your attempt at requesting my resignation, rethink.

Without a vote of this board, it will not happen.

Then you leave us no choice.

Signors, let us answer the call for new leadership.

A majority of seven is required.

Carlo, how will you vote?

As a man of faith, I respect a commitment to the Holy Church.

And supporting him is wise if that's what forces Ferdinand's decision.

But it is not.

I vote with Clarice Orsini.

This letter details the back-room deal between King Ferdinand and Signor Portinari, in which favorable interest rates were offered in direct exchange for the King's thr*at of default.

I charge this letter not only as malfeasance but also treason.

Guards, remove this well-fed Judas to the Bargello.

This is outrageous! This melanzana deceived us!

I'll...get...you...back... for this!

Signors, today each of you have made your loyalties clear.

Now I must consider what to do with those no longer supporting my leadership.

Signor de Medici, I wonder, do you have any suggestions?

Perhaps this board has grown too large.

We can do more with less.

Unless some members would be willing to relinquish a portion of their sizeable salaries for the good of Florence?

Excellent.

I trust the details are secure in your hands.

(Retches)

The sickness to your stomach will pass.

(Coughs)

My alchemists continually tinker with their recipe for oil of vitriol.

They never get it right.

When I was a young man, a Chinese delegation came to Italy, bearing many treasures.

But their most precious gift was teaching their art of preserving human bodies.

The use of antimony salts in embalming fluid.

Inspired!

Where is Piero?

Intact... for the time being.

The human body always reminds me of our Italian peninsula.

Such a complex assembly of delicate parts, each one with a purpose.

Yet every now and then... one brings down the others.

For the rest of the organism to thrive, a steady and unwavering hand is called upon to remove... the infected piece.

King Ferrante... you may see Florence as a disease.

But if you'll allow me to speak on her behalf...

What's more to say?

The Holy Father himself decreed your city... unbecoming in the eyes of the Lord.

Pope Sixtus has overreached, as he has in the past.

The Duke of Milan was m*rder*d at his behest.

Even my own brother, Giuliano, slaughtered in a house of worship on holy Easter Sunday.

Popes come and go.

I choose my alliances for the safety and glory of my own kingdom.

Then side with Florence!

You seek to curb Ottoman incursions.

You fear the French will renew their claims to Naples.

I fear no one.

Not that dandy French king.

Or an Ottoman infidel eyeing our shores.

You speak of fear?

I will show you fear.

(Distant chanting and drums b*ating)

(Chanting intensifies)

(Speaks Quechua)

He looks fancy.

(Chanting)

(Crowd gasps)

Whatever's about to happen... she's not happy about it.

Yeah. That makes two of us.

(Crowd chanting): Kaliari!

Kaliari.

What am I supposed to do?

"Kaliari".

I think they want us to choose.

I saw this in Mali.

It's a ritual to determine your value to the tribe.

You must choose an item to identify your place among them.

Priest: Kaliari!

Then I choose to be a warrior!

Amongst warriors!

(Crowd cheers)

I am pleased you honored our accord.

Why would I do otherwise?

Because you broke the deal you made with Portinari and Sassetti.

So I cannot help wonder when your word means something.

I tested them to lure them out.

But I could not be bound to any vow that might harm your interests.

Well, I...

I'm impressed.

Thank you.

You take vows very seriously.

As do I.

But when others do not honor their promises, neither should you feel bound to anything but your own interests.

Duly noted.

I will not discuss the matter unless you bring it up.

I await your pleasure.

(Groans)

Welcome to my black museum.

Every piece here was prepared and arranged by my own hands.

Their faces bear the mark of their final moment on our earth.

Here it is on display.

Fear - for my amusement.

Why would you do such a thing?

Every piece here became part of my collection by their own hand.

Each of them was in the position you are now in, Lorenzo.

Held against his will by a mad king?

I am a king, yes.

All the same, I rule by divine right.

So all must earn a seat at my table.

How?

Call it a game.

You are a hunter, are you not?

My brother more than me.

My game requires exceptional skill.

What do you say?

Does Florence have a champion in you?

Or are you just another pretender?

I will accept any sick measure you cast my way.

Wonderful.

I await your attempt to demonstrate true merit.

Or die like the rest.

What choice?

Da Vinci?

You're cleverer than I am.

I don't know.

What?

I don't know, I don't know. Perhaps if I had more time.

Then like our Lord...

Come on!

..I drink from his chalice.

(Speaks Quechua)

(Cheering)

At least there's only one choice left. We may get out alive.

No, that can't be all there is.

They're too advanced for that.

The thin air's gotten to you.

We're gonna be alright.

There's got to be more to it than a process of elimination, Zo.

f*ck, I'm missing something!

Then f*cking figure it out!

He wants us dead.

You need us to succeed.

Of course.

The only time an exotic beauty chooses me over you, it's the death-dealing one.

Pai.

Pai, good.

There's nothing advanced about these monsters.

They're just playing with their f*cking food.

(Crowd chants)

Oh, f*ck.

Oh, Jesus. f*ck...

(Shouts)

(Crowd gasps)

(Speaks Quechua)

Okay. f*ck.

Are you sure about this?

What the f*ck are you doing?

Kalsai.

Kalsai.

Crowd (chants): Kalsai! Kalsai!

Life.

That's the answer they seek.

(Speaks Quechua)

Leonardo Da Vinci.

She knows my name.

She knows my name!

(Grunts)

Zo?

Nico!

You little pizzle!

Nico!

Oh, it is so good to see you!

That shipwreck, I knew it'd take more than that to sink him.

How did you survive?

Not everyone abandoned him.

Shitheel.

Let him.

Get up. Get up!

I tried to take your life, so... I understand your desire to do the same.

But today, we are united by the hand of the divine.

No, Don't!

Out of my way, Nico, he deserves every bit of this!

I can't let you. After what he did?

Left me to drown, tortured you.

Why does this prick deserve mercy?

If the Lord wanted him dead, he would've taken him at sea.

What?

God spared us all.

That is a sign that we must join together to achieve our goal.

Who the f*ck is we?

He's right.

It's us against them.

No, no.

Count.

Artista.

(Spits)

Our prayers for deliverance have been answered.

Today, we are blessed.

This is blessed?

Yes.

Yes, it is. I live by faith.

For weeks, we have been held c*ptive thousands of miles from home atop this mountain with no hope of escape, then... he sends you.

But... if we put our minds to freedom, Da Vinci, the wisdom of the Book of Leaves will be ours.

The Book of Leaves... is not meant for just you and I.

The Book of Leaves will save us all.

Riario: You understand us.

He learns our tongue.

Is it so impossible that I could speak yours?

It creates many questions.

I am Ima Kama, High Priestess of the Children of the Sun.

And I shall answer all questions.

But only to you.

Why me?

Your face is one I've seen before.

(Door clangs)

(Moans in ecstasy)

Christ, I needed that!

These markings tell the story of my people.

We have no need to travel the seas as you do.

And yet, somehow, you learned to speak our language.

You are not the first of your kind to arrive.

They came here when I was just a little girl.

We called them the Sun and the Moon.

Who are they?

The man was dark as night, with images etched into his skin.

The Abyssinian.

He aided me on my journey to this place.

And the woman?

Bright and warm as the sun.

She saved me from being sacrificed.

She used her knowledge to heal my wounds.

And set me on the path to High Priestess.

The day she left here, she told me you would follow in her path.

It is her face I see in yours, Leonardo.

My mother.

She was here.

Caterina lived among us for many days and nights.

And she taught me your tongue.

She spoke of her vow to see you again once her task was done.

She came for the Book of Leaves.

Your mother and the Book of Leaves saved my life.

It's real.

It's real! It's real!

♪