COYOACAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE CONQUEST
No!
Sir,
there is someone here to see you.
- The physician? - No,
a former soldier of yours.
He says you sent for him.
- Show him in. - Yes, sir.
Bernal!
Captain!
You don't know how grateful I am to see a friendly face
on a day like this.
I could not return to Coatzacoalcos
without coming to see you.
- Good. Wine? - Yes.
First things first.
To friends who are no longer with us!
To those who are no longer with us!
Cheers!
Sit down.
Forgive this clutter.
Speaking of the departed,
I was sorry to hear about your wife's death.
You must have heard all sorts.
Her brother Juan Suarez says I killed her.
Slander!
Such lies are repeated only by your enemies.
I know you.
I know that you could never do anything like that.
If I have an excess of anything, it is enemies!
People are hell bent on slandering me.
And calling me to account.
Such as for the night
we escaped from Tenochtitlan.
Do you remember it?
That's why I sent for you, Bernal.
I need to write to the King again.
State my case.
It is very easy for them
to hold you to account once it is all over.
But we are the ones who were there...
Risking our lives.
We do not forget.
Captain...
I do not forget.
Did you bring it?
Tlaxcala.
Cholula.
Tenochtitlan.
And the Great Leader Moctezuma.
And that night...
- Was that Marina? - Yes.
Sit down.
We have a lot of work to do.
It will be another long night.
TWO YEARS EARLIER
Gentlemen!
Is this all of the King's share?
Yes.
- And this is mine? - It is.
Take a quarter of it and move it to the King's share.
I do not want any complaints or accusations.
Understood.
Fine.
- Bernal! - Sir?
Arrange for the men to share out
the valuable pieces that are left.
But do it sensibly.
- Yes, Captain. - Good.
Botello! Did your omens shine so bright?
One more thing.
You make sure that
the mule can bear the weight of the King's gold.
Do not worry.
And hurry up. We leave tonight!
What are you doing? Stop!
I told you to stop!
Put that down, soldier!
There is more gold here than we can take with us.
There is more than enough!
Put it into piles so we can share it out
between us all.
Understood?
Do not worry, Bernal. I will take care of it.
You see to the mule for the King's share.
Agreed.
- Come on, come on! - Watch the door!
Go away!
- Sandoval! - Captain?
You will go in the first group, at the vanguard.
Choose your second in command.
I want you to put the bridges here and here.
Securely.
Once you're across,
you'll cover the second and third groups.
- Understood, Captain. - Good.
Olid, Alvarado and I will form the second group.
The largest one.
Olid, I want you in front
with half of our company.
I will go in the middle, with the women
and the mule that carries the King's share.
- Alvarado! - Captain?
You will be at the end with the rest
- of the Castilian soldiers. - Understood.
And the third group?
Xicotencatl and his warriors.
They are our rearguard.
Gentlemen! Let us be clear.
This is a desperate escape.
We must seize the only advantage we have.
The Mexica do not attack at night.
I expect there will be another downpour tonight.
That will make the road slippery,
but it will also put out the Mexica fires
and we will not be seen.
There will still be a full moon.
Keep watch.
We will leave in silence. We will march stealthily.
If they attack...
I trust that you will maintain
order in our ranks.
We are our only hope.
Gentlemen, I want you to know...
that there is not a man among you
of whom I am not proud.
And I thank the Lord on high for your courage, bravery
and loyalty on this voyage.
Tonight, being afraid is not an option.
So go about your duties as you know how.
Whatever happens,
you have earned your place in our Lord's Heaven,
and in the History of Castile.
To your positions!
What shall we do with the prisoners?
Understood.
Where is Moctezuma's family?
Where?
Get away! Come on! Come on!
Tecuichpo! Tecuichpo!
Sister! Tecuichpo!
Lady, help!
Soldier...
no armor.
The Captain said we must be silent.
God speed, Captain.
Were you looking for me?
Think they will hold out?
Of course, Captain!
Tlaloc!
He has not missed today's appointment either.
He will put out the Mexica fires.
Take shelter!
Hail Mary,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee...
Amen.
We are ready.
Good. See you on the other side of the road, cousin.
Open the gates!
Keep your eyes wide open, cousin.
What is this, Botello?
What is it?
Are you insane?
We cannot carry any more weight, do you understand?
We need you all to be light, understand? Light!
There will be time to retrieve all of this later.
You! What have you got?
I cannot believe this!
Where is the Captain?
I'll be right back.
Be still!
Bring the ropes.
On the corners, like a drawbridge.
Come in here.
They will not dare to enter.
Marina!
Please don't move from here.
Marina!
Marina, we have to leave.
Yes.
I was looking for the blanket that you gave me...
but it is not here.
No matter. I will buy you another.
Come outside.
Take the horses out the back way.
In silence. They must not hear us.
Let's go, let's go.
Gentlemen!
Get ready!
We are about to leave.
May luck be on our side!
Captain!
Is the second group ready?
Ready, Captain.
Let's go.
Let's go!
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with...
...blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus...
You are just as responsible of this as they are!
I curse you!
We all do!
I know.
Go with God, Captain.
With God, Cristobal.
You give the order.
Open the gates!
Let's go.
Come on.
Where are you going?
I will stay with my brother
and my people.
I said where are you going?
You left the Tlaxcalteca behind...
to cover your backs.
I am Tlaxcalteca.
I will die among the Tlaxcalteca.
Maria Luisa?
Do whatever you like.
Out of my way!
Sister...
We have to leave, quickly.
The rain is stopping.
We are even more vulnerable.
Mexicas! To the road!
The cowards are fleeing!
Mexica captains, to your boats!
They have detected us.
Tlaxcalteca warriors!
The time to leave this accursed city has come.
Let us go home.
But we will not follow the Castilians' path.
If they must die,
let them die alone!
Burn down the palace!
Did you hear that?
What is happening?
I don't know.
What do they plan to do with us?
They should have put us on trial by now.
The cowards have gone.
They took the Tlacopan road,
fleeing like rabbits.
It is time to hunt them down.
Give the signal.
Yes, sir.
It is not safe, Captain.
Can you see that fire?
Hear the drums?
They are coming for us.
Onwards, company...
Move! Quick!
Come on, come on.
Come on, forward!
Quickly, let's go.
Quickly,
Let's go, Let's go.
First all the yelling and now this.
Hey! What is going on here? Hey!
Come on, quickly.
Move! Quick!
To the second bridge.
Quickly, quickly. Don't waste any time!
Come on!
Hey!
Smoke!
Hey!
Maria Luisa, move!
Move!
Let it down!
- Carefully! - Come on!
- Forward! - One by one.
Go! Go!
One by one.
He's fallen in!
Give me your hand.
Soldier, give me your hand!
Give me your hand.
No. Soldier, give me your hand!
Hey, open up!
Hey?
Marina!
My men, over here! The King's share!
Hey!
Take them away!
Why do you not mention the mule?
I lost sight of it, but someone must have seen it
falling with the King's share.
I was much further ahead,
securing the shore, on Captain Sandoval's orders.
The witnesses... why don't you name them?
It was all very chaotic...
Do you not understand?
That is the King's gold. It haunts me.
They are still holding me accountable for it.
They refuse to believe I did everything I could to save it.
You don't think I kept it for myself, do you?
Speak!
I know that you did all you could
to save that gold.
But equally, I think you were
more worried about another matter.
About my soldiers!
About her?
Sir!
Sir! The physician is still not here
and things are progressing very quickly.
What can we do?
A midwife who lives nearby helps in these cases.
- Very well. - Captain, stay here.
- I will go and fetch her. - Thank you, Bernal.
- Let's go. - Hurry!
Let's go.
No!
Hold on,
the midwife
will be here soon.
No!
Marina! Marina!
Marina!
Botello!
No, no, no, Captain. No!
Those are my men!
Leave me alone!
It's too late! We have to get out of here.
We cannot do anything for them!
How many soldiers have we lost?
How many?
At least half of them, Captain.
And the King's share?
No-one knows what happened to it.
Where is Marina?
I am Tecuichpo.
I demand to see my uncle Cuitlahuac.
It is time to finish them off once
and for all.
No! We fought at night.
We killed without offering the victim's heart
to the gods at dawn.
What more can we do to offend them?
They will escape!
And what's the problem?
If they go back to their land
and never come here again?
Allow them to go home?
After all of this offense?
We are not like them!
We respect our gods.
Great leader,
we will do as you order.
But we lost as many men,
or more, than the Castilians.
Let us rest.
Weep for our dead.
And thank the gods
that we have regained Tenochtitlan.
We can still go and hunt them today...
after we have rested.
Let it be so.
Get up, soldiers!
This is not the time for self-pity!
If we wish to live...
we must leave now!
They do not want to move.
They do not value their own lives, Bernal.
Don't say that, Gonzalo.
We have to get up and on the march!
What orders do you think he will give?
I don't think he is capable of giving orders.
He has lost his mind.
- Captain! - Captain!
We await your orders.
Captain...
the Mexica will soon be after us.
What do you want to do?
Go into battle? Retreat?
What do we do?
I don't know.
If you will allow me...
I think we should take refuge in Tlaxcala.
Though we don't know what sort of reception we will get
from the Indians there, either.
They lost many of their men here.
Hernan!
Wake up!
Look at your soldiers!
Lopez the shipwright. Did he survive?
Yes, I saw him earlier.
We will leave for Tlaxcala.
We will ask for refuge and more men there.
And then, we will return to our home.
To Castille?
No.
To Tenochtitlan.
For the glory of God and our Castile!
For the King!
For ourselves!
And for those who are no longer with us!
Let's go, soldiers!
You heard the Captain!
We are leaving!
We must get moving!
Pedro...
do you know what the Indians call me?
Everyone knows.
"Señor Malinche."
Because of her.
Soldiers, we have to leave.
Hurry up!
Gonzalo!
Hernan?
He's alive.
He has lost the city, the gold...
and many men.
Take me to him.
We will not say a word.
Hernan!
I told you not to disturb me.
TWO YEARS LATER
- Is it over? - Yes.
- Is it a boy? - Yes, sir.
We have to give him a name.
He will be called Martin.
Like my father.
Martin Cortes Malintzin.