Servant of Florence Leonardo

I can't believe it.

The greatest charioteer in Italy!

How did you do it, Papa?

We're Medicis, Lorenzo. And you must remember,

for Medicis, anything is possible.

Anything is possible.

Non e finito! Brushes cleaned, surfaces spotless,

or there'll be no weekend off.

I've only got the most exciting news ever.

-What?

-Guess who's coming to my house?

-I don't know.

-Giovanni Salvatore.

No way! THE Giovanni Salvatore?

-He's a very talented athlete.

-Who?

Who?! Only the most incredibly famous...

-..astonishingly handsome...

-..amazingly talented...

-..charioteer.

Oh.

He'll be racing for Florence. Father enticed him over from Naples.

Imagine having that kind of power.

"I want Giovanni. Oh, here he comes."

I'm going sailing for the weekend, with my father.

-And that's interesting because...?

-Because...

I've designed a super efficient sail.

-When's Giovanni arriving?

-Later today.

We're having a reception at the palace.

-You can get us on the guest list.

-Dream on!

I can't invite peasants to the palace, no offence.

-I need to be there.

-And me.

It's a perfect chance to get an autograph. He's never signed one.

People'll say, "That Machiavelli, he can..."

-"He can certainly talk."

-"..achieve the impossible."

I'm sorry, nothing I can do, special guest list.

-Celebs and royalty only.

-But we're your mates!

My father doesn't know that. And he can't.

Not ever.

Yeah? So...

Bye.

Unbelievable selfishness, thy name is Lorenzo.

Leonardo.

He's not coming, is he?

I'm sorry, he sent a message.

Don't start moping now, you've still got the weekend off.

Get out, enjoy yourself.

-Look on the bright side, if you're not sailing...

-You can come with us.

-His dad's always doing it, isn't he?

-What?

Cancelling, letting Leo down.

-Leo doesn't see it like that.

-I know.

Makes excuses for him.

Yep. So come on, what about your parents?

What about them?

-You never talk about them.

-Don't I?

Man of mystery.

Delighted... Delighted to meet you, Signor Giovanni.

-Ahem, delighted to meet you, Signor...

-Good moves, Lorenzo.

-Nice dress, princess.

-Dream hat.

-Crack that mirror.

-What are you doing?

-We're crashing your party.

Shh! I'm so dead. I don't believe this, I thought you were sailing?

What and miss your big celebrity party?!

Your dad's got great security, it was hard to get past.

-I'm so glad you did(!)

-Do you think Giovanni will like it?

-He'll profess his undying love(!)

-He'll love it, you look great.

Leo?

"To Lorenzo, your loving father, Piero de' Medici."

-Leo?

-Oh, yeah, great.

Are you ready, my little tortellini?

Lorenzo, who are these people?

And why are you entertaining them in your private chambers?

Leo...is my new servant.

This is my mother, her Excellency Teresa de' Medici.

Don't just stand there like a lump of stone. Start polishing.

Has he even been trained? Where did you recruit him? Asino!

Count Gianluca di Modena di Batista di Lampedusa at your service,

bella Signora.

Incantata.

-This is my servant, Humbelina.

-Quick, Lorenzo, the guests are arriving.

Arrivederci, Count Lampedusa.

-Humbelina?!

-Ow!

It's not funny.

Uh-uh! Not for servants.

Mmmm! Those Viennese pastry chefs - absolute geniuses.

Come on, give me a bit. Come on.

Don't worry, servants get leftovers at the end.

If we're in a good mood.

Oh no, my dad!

APPLAUSE

Keep out of his way, you're so rubbish, he'll know something's up.

Maybe I'd be better if I was fed.

-Hope you're behaving yourself.

-Yes, Papa.

He is gorgeous!

We're going to be so happy together.

Signor Salvatore, an honour.

-Hi.

-I'm a great admirer of yours.

The race in Sienna last year, magnifico.

Humbelina, some drinks.

Signor Giovanni will have pomegranate juice with lime.

-But...

-Now, girl.

That's my favourite drink. How did you know?

As I said, I'm a great admirer of yours.

As you can see, Signor Valerio,

the perks of working for me are numerous.

I am eternally grateful, Excellency.

And how is our little mechanical project progressing?

Our man is doing nicely, Excellency. Yesterday we completed a leg.

Bene, Bene. Well, you may avail yourself

of the Medici hospitality for a few minutes more.

-Then back to work.

-Yes, Excellency.

Good work, cousin, poaching Giovanni from Naples.

You kept that very quiet.

These days one must keep one's cards close to one's chest.

You never know where a rival or enemy may lurk.

A depressing thought.

On a happier note, with Giovanni, perhaps we may beat Rome?

Anything is possible, your Grace, anything is possible.

'Anything is possible.'

CLICKS FINGERS

Leo.

-What?

-Lorenzo's dad.

-Yeah, we have to keep away from him.

-No, he's the one.

-What one?

The head of the Luminari.

There is an apprentice at Verrocchio's workshop,

a certain Leonardo Da Vinci, we want his notebook.

Piero de' Medici? The duke's cousin? No, come on!

You must have made a mistake.

No, I recognize his voice, it's him, I'm sure of it.

But it doesn't make any sense.

-A Medici sneaking round the catacombs, he has all this.

-Come on,

if you don't believe me, I'll get you proof.

All Florence owes you a huge debt, for bringing us the great Giovanni.

-He knows a lot about racing. He can list every win I've had.

-Is that so?

-Count Lampedusa, allow me to show you round.

-I've always loved horses.

-I often burst into tears at the sight of a well turned fetlock.

-Wonderful.

Something must link him to the Luminari.

It just doesn't add up, think about it.

He's head of one of the most powerful families,

would he really be part of some sinister secret...?

-What?

-Come here.

A flying machine, copied from my notebook.

FOOTSTEPS AND VOICES

Bring me Arborio, the race promoter.

And a bag of a thousand florins from the safe.

There's a young guest calling himself Lampedusa.

He's a gatecrasher and probably a thief.

He needs to be taught a lesson.

Don't get stressed, he loved me. My wit, my charm.

Please, you need to go.

And where are Leo and Tom? They seem to have just...

There's a matter of extreme urgency...

OK, that is unacceptable!

(I'll sort it.)

(You're going to distract him?)

(With some kind of distraction machine?)

Cavolo!

(Now!)

You have the whole package - grace, power, athleticism.

Actually, I'm not your biggest fan,

that's my nephew, little Mac di Lampedusa.

-He's drawn a hundred pictures of you.

-That's cute.

-He's insisting we put a statue of you in his coffin.

-Coffin?

He's dying, the sweating sickness.

How terrible, if only I could do something.

You could send him a memento.

An autograph on your charioteer's glove?

I don't do autographs. You start down that road, it never ends.

I completely understand. Lovely party, isn't it?

-Um, yes.

-Must be parties everywhere you go?

Well, yes, social events.

Little Mac loves to think of you enjoying yourself.

It's an escape for him,

as he lies there wheezing, sweating...

-I'll do it!

-Really?

-I'd sign one right now if only I had a pen.

Any of these do at all?

You could put something like,

"To my best mate Mac, first among the citizens of Florence,

"a jewel, a paragon, a shining example..."

I'm not sure there's room.

Whatever, that will do.

Bellissimo, you've done a wonderful, wonderful thing.

That felt good, giving something back.

The life of a charioteer, it's great,

but there's a lot of empty glitz.

Lampedusa?

Is Lampedusa not with you?

He just wandered off in the middle of talking to me.

How dare you! Don't you know who I am? I'm being abducted! >

Look!

You! Stop!

-Now what do we do?

-We go after them.

-Father! Father!

-What is it, Lorenzo?

Count Gianluca di Batista, um, Modera di...

-Lampedusa has been kidnapped!

-When?

-Just now, in the gardens.

Oh, don't worry, they won't escape. I'll put my best men on it.

A guest has been kidnapped, find him.

This way! Sbrigati, presto, presto.

Keep the young master out of the way. There's no need to involve him.

He's a child and doesn't yet understand

what it means to be a Medici.

"To my best mate, Mac."

"First among citizens of Florence, a jewel, a paragon, a...shin?"

At least we know he came this way.

I can't believe Mac got his autograph.

-What have I got? Nothing!

-Tom... Lisa, sorry.

This is my one chance to be a girl.

I should be in there dancing with... someone.

Lisa!

I know, I know, we have to save him.

-You really think they could be under here?

-Oh, absolutely.

The old "stash the hostage under the bed" routine -

-seen it a thousand times.

-You have a lot more experience than I do.

Why don't you search on top of the bed?

Really?

Their cunning knows no bounds.

Let go, ruffians. I'll make it worth your while.

If you let me go, I shall give you parcels of the finest Lampedusa land.

And a dairy herd.

Did I mention my dying nephew?

What are you doing?

I am making a camera obscura.

-Oh, thanks for clearing that up(!)

-When the acid eats through the hole,

light will pass through this pinhole and project an image inside.

That'll help how?

Santa Maria!

The devil, help, the devil!

Ahh! A demon! Did you see that?

-I saw it.

-OK, wait there.

Hey, come!

Excellent work! The huge moving picture ghost thing.

-Where are the keys?

-The guards.

There's no way we can force these.

Leave it to me.

You don't survive as a runaway girl without learning a thing or two.

I am so impressed.

-Master, there's a demon!

-Get back there!

-Please, Master, no!

-Now, you idiots, move!

I could really use someone like you, you know, Lis.

For what? Breaking into houses and stealing documents?

-You say that like it's a bad thing.

-Look!

-Let's go!

No, no, it's too late, they'll see us.

Is there another plan? I'm not keen on the stay and get tortured option.

Shh, Leo's thinking.

-Oh, a frog.

-Please tell me that's a brilliantly disguised crossbow?

-No, actually, most shoes don't support the foot so I've...

-Leo!

Yes, no, I've got it!

Now, go!

COUGHING AND SPLUTTERING

What the devil? What's going on?

-What's all this smoke? Silencio!

-I've got him!

THUMPING AND CRASHING You've got me, not him.

Ow!

I've got him! Master!

-Oh no, it's the master. A thousand apologies, your Excellency.

-Idiota!

KNOCK ON DOOR

Entry.

Father, we couldn't find Lampedusa, I think something terrible happened!

-No, no, I saw him.

-You did?

It seems the kidnapping was just a prank by some of the guests.

-They released him a while ago.

-Pretty stupid prank!

-Although it serves him right.

-Why do you say that?

Why would the esteemed Count Lampedusa deserve

to be treated in such a manner?

Nothing. I don't know, he just seemed a bit arrogant.

Mmm. Close the door, Lorenzo.

A thousand apologies, there's no sign of him on the grounds.

I think our young gate-crasher may be a friend of my son.

That's how he got past security. Make enquiries, find out his name.

-Yes, Excellency. And Signor Giovanni would like a word.

-Send him in.

Your Excellency.

I've something important to tell you.

-Piero de' Medici, head of a scary secret society.

-And our friend's dad.

Yes, and one of the most respected and influential men in Florence

-and we pick for an enemy.

-We didn't pick him, he picked us.

Do you know what we are to a man like that? With all that wealth and power?

Tiny, tiny gnats. And anytime he wants... It's goodbye.

We get it, Mac!

Why would he want your drawings?

Of highly advanced machines. Maybe he could sell them?

Yeah, like he needs the money. He went to a lot of trouble to steal it.

He must be planning something.

From this notebook,

we will conjure deadly weapons.

What about Lorenzo? Do you think he's involved?

-That's horrible.

-Of course not, he's our friend.

I'm not sure, let's face it, he's not like us. Not really.

How could he, coming from that world?

-And in the end, people side with their own.

-He's our friend!

Yes, and his father's son.

There is no way he knows about this.

Somebody should tell him.

I'll do it.

Better him than me.

Oh, I forgot, I found this.

I was thinking it might be worth quite a bit. Maybe I should sell it.

Sweet glove of my dreams, I've missed you!

All Florence will see I'm a force to be reckoned with.

-The only one who got Giovanni to sign...

-Totally ridiculous.

Don't you have a home to go to? A fuss over nothing!

Why do I care if the new charioteer has resigned?

He what?!

Yeah, some noble at the Medicis inspired him to give up racing

-and devote his life to helping sick kids.

-I wonder who is(?)

I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

There's an angry mob baying for his blood,

all because we don't want to lose a few chariot races. Ridicolo.

Probably best not to mention this.

-Father?

-What is it, Lorenzo?

-I heard about Giovanni leaving.

-I'm sorry.

-What kind of pea-brained idiot turns his back

on his own God given talent?

-I don't know.

-Such a shame. I hope you'll never be so foolish.

-No, Father.

-The Duke's complaining, "How did you let him go?"

-It's not like he's brought any talent to the city.

-Precisely.

Still, no point crying over spilt milk. Or charitable charioteers.

Go and get your riding stuff. We'll go hunting.

Just you and me.

Grazie, Papa.

Don't thank me, riding in the hills with my son,

what better tonic could there be?

-Leo! What are you doing?

-I've come to tell you something.

Presto! I'm going hunting with my dad.

We all got home OK, so...

Oh, good. And my dad never found out you were here,

-so it worked out all right.

-Yeah. It worked out all right.

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