Original subtitles

I can't give you a title, I give you my sword.

But you must be loyal to the king.

I'm appointing you my new squire.

I am going to expose you.

You'll sink into the sewer you came from.

No one will remember your name.

I would like to...

say goodbye.

I won't say goodbye because you'll return.

What did you do, you fool?

You touched skin you shouldn't have.

He has sentenced you to death.

It is in your hands whether or not León has a queen in its own right.

-Why does Father only see Sancho? -Sancho is the crown prince.

Because he was born with something hanging down there?

-It's the law. -Men's law, Mother.

Do you like being submissive?

I could feel you praying for me to fail.

But look, here I am.

And I'm still the man who will one day be your king.

The throne demands violence.

You must be prepared to spill the blood of those you love most. And I am.

Lamb brains. My favorite!

-What is it? Fernando! -Father!

Help!

My son Sancho will be named king of Castile.

To my son Alfonso, I give the kingdom of León.

-You're splitting up the kingdom! -This is God's will.

Who did this?

You! You're going to die! Die, die, die, die!

VIVAR. 11TH CENTURY

When the lark sings, the weather changes.

If the nightingale answers, you will see the sun on the horizon.

The birds tell us everything.

You just have to know how to listen.

The Legend of El Cid

When the news of the battle of Graus came,

I prayed for three days and three nights that you hadn't been there.

And then I learned of the victory and that you were a hero, my son.

I cried with joy.

You have become everything your father dreamed of.

A good soldier, a knight.

I am not a knight, Mother.

It doesn't matter, Son.

I'm sure your father, from heaven, is very proud of you.

When I manage to become one,

when I achieve a title, land, and a castle,

Father will be proud of me.

I will be what he wanted me to be.

What about you, Rodrigo? Is that what you want?

Will you go with Sancho?

To the court of Burgos, I suppose.

Mother, why don't you come with me?

Son...

I know that your father gave you his sword

and told you to always be loyal to your king.

But do not be fooled, Rodrigo.

You may fight and die for a king,

but to him you will only be a bargaining chip

to gain more kingdoms and more lands,

something as ephemeral as dust.

-Mother, are you all right? -Yes, Son.

It's just this cold here in Vivar.

I know that your grandson killed my father.

How could you do it?

What, my lady?

Kill the Count of León.

Does my lady think I killed him?

Did you?

I swear before God that I did not kill Flaín.

Forgive me.

I shouldn't have doubted you.

Will you go to Burgos with Sancho?

I am his squire.

He is my lord and my king.

We may never see each other again.

Jimena.

My lady, you told me that your engagement to Orduño...

It's broken off.

Jimena, I'm just a simple squire.

The squire who became a hero at Graus.

My lady...

I am nobody.

I have nothing to offer.

But if you wait for me,

I swear to obtain all that you deserve

and thus be able to ask the king for your hand in marriage.

It once brought you luck.

Take it and keep your oath.

Until that day, I will wait for you.

I will always keep it close to my heart.

You took a long time to return from Vivar. Is your mother okay?

Yes.

Thank you, Grandfather.

I will never forget what you did with Flaín.

Never speak of it again, Ruy.

-And be careful with Orduño. -I've been doing that since I was little.

Is that why you sent for me?

No.

-Your Highness... -Arise, Ruy.

Looking at the square, I was reminded of the day you arrived in León.

That was a long time ago, my lord.

My brother Sancho was fortunate to have you by his side.

It's flattering that you think so.

So now I would like to share in that good fortune.

I want you to stay here in León with me.

-But, my lord... -It is right.

I know you had nothing to do with Flaín's death.

I have made inquiries. Your grandfather is from León.

And your father was a Laínez, a lineage of Leonese blood.

Your place is here, Ruy.

Since I was a child I have served your brother Sancho.

And you are still a squire.

I will make you a knight, Ruy.

I will give you a title. You will have land and a castle.

What more do you want?

Ask me and it will be yours.

Swear that you will at least think about it.

I swear, my lord.

Saying goodbye to the throne, brother?

You're enjoying this,

aren't you, Urraca?

It is hard to have something of yours taken away from you.

Do you understand better now?

I have always understood you.

-You never accepted your place. -What place?

The one Father gave me?

Well, now you'll have to accept the one he reserved for you.

Castile.

How I wish you were a man.

No. You wouldn't like that, because if it were so, I would be your king.

I was the one who gave Father the idea to divide the kingdom.

You lie.

Do you think so?

Your father left you a legacy.

I hope you will live up to it.

Sancho, Alfonso, García,

I have arranged for Don Bernardo to crown you

in the Basilica of Saint Isidore.

With these coronations, I want to send a message of unity to everyone.

-It is what your father would have wished. -We will honor his will, Mother.

Urraca and Elvira,

your father generously provided you with a legacy.

Mother, I don't--

You will accept your father's will just like your sister Urraca.

You will leave as soon as the coronations are over.

Do you decree anything else, Mother?

No.

-Alfonso, wait. I need to talk to you. -Sure.

Mother, do you have a moment?

Go on.

We have not spoken since Father died.

I have had to deal with matters of vital importance.

I could have helped you, just like I did with Father's will.

Daughter...

I know that without you none of this would have been possible.

Your father knew this and that is why he left you Zamora.

When your brothers are crowned, go and take charge of your estate.

My lady mother will stay in León...

with Alfonso.

This is my rightful place.

Hey! The Champion has returned to León!

And he found us in the tavern!

-It doesn't take a genius. -You won't believe it.

Nuño wants to go to Galicia with García.

So please tell this rogue that he's coming with us.

-Let him do as he wishes. -García has always been my lord.

-And we have always been your friends. -As if Lisardo has to tell you that!

Look, the only thing I know for sure is that I go where Ruy goes.

So with Sancho, right?

Alfonso has offered to make me a knight.

A title and a castle.

-Damn! -So what are you going to do?

I know exactly what I would do. What has Sancho given you?

You saved his life at Graus and he hasn't even knighted you.

And Alfonso offers you everything we have dreamed of, doesn't he?

Álvar,

-doesn't loyalty mean anything to you? -Very much so.

We have to serve a king. But no one said which one.

-So, who will you go with? -With you.

With Nuño, with Ruy, with my friends. That's where my loyalty lies.

That's why it's so hard for me to leave Sancho.

Such poor aim, Orduño.

If I wanted to kill you, it would be stuck in your neck.

Are you practicing backstabbing?

-I know what you did. -You do?

I'm sure the Count of León would not object to reminding me.

You killed my father.

Your father was a traitor.

A man of no honor.

-But I did not kill him. -You lie.

You are a coward.

You know better than anyone that I am not a coward.

I will find the necessary evidence

and King Alfonso will give me satisfaction.

I will see your head rolling on the floor of this square.

And if he doesn't deliver justice, I will kill you myself.

Your father tried to kill me with this stiletto.

But I swear to God I didn't stab him with it.

Well?

I wanted to talk about our engagement.

Do you want us to speed up the wedding process?

-Your father didn't tell you anything? -About what?

He agreed to my request to cancel our engagement.

-Jimena! -What the hell are you talking about?

Ask the Count of León.

I tried to force myself on your daughter.

And not a day goes by that I don't curse myself for it.

Jimena,

in front of your parents, I apologize for my affront.

My father did not talk to me about breaking off the engagement.

On the contrary,

he was pleased with our marriage.

That is not true.

Now I am the new Count of León.

And the county of Oviedo renders me its vassalage.

But if Don Celso wants to break the agreement,

I will accept his decision.

My Lord Count,

your repentance honors you.

I see no reason to break off the engagement.

-How can you-- -Jimena.

-I will not marry Orduño. -How dare you!

Forgive me.

Jimena.

Jimena, wait!

My daughter.

-You have to understand... -Understand what, Mother?

-Understand what? -Your father!

I can't understand him.

And I can't understand how my mother does either.

Daughter...

In exchange for your betrothal to Orduño, Flaín made your father Count of Oviedo.

If the betrothal is broken,

your father will lose his title and all his privileges.

Hello, beautiful.

Ruy.

Master.

-It's good to see you. How are you? -Ruy.

I can't hold a weapon.

I am finished.

I can never thank you for all you have done for me.

My master-at-arms and my father have made me who I am.

You are a good man. The best.

Let's fight, ladies! Ruy,

you're with me, I want to beat the Champion so bad.

Where are you going, master? You are still my master-at-arms.

So lead my men.

Let's go.

Move aside.

-Velarde? -I bring news from Zaragoza.

-Have you brought my gold? -Al-Muqtadir refuses to pay the taxes.

What? How dare he?

He says he doesn't know whether to pay them to León or to Castile.

My father earned that right when he was King of Castile!

Your Highness,

Al-Muqtadir is trying to sow division between my lord and Alfonso.

He is testing our strength and our determination.

We have to fight back, and quickly.

Lord, I can leave with an army.

No, Velarde. I need you here with me.

Ruy, they respect you.

Take my army, go to Zaragoza and collect that gold for me.

-Is there a problem? -None, my lord.

We will leave at once.

We need that gold.

My forces were decimated after Graus.

I need a bigger army,

and that can only be achieved with the taxes from Zaragoza.

Don't come back without them.

Velarde, with me.

What is the lady of Zamora doing here?

I am looking for herbs for women's ailments.

What is the King of León doing in the market?

I've hired an inspector

to control the weights and ensure cleanliness and order.

We are making sure that the new regulations are applied.

New regulations?

I have forbidden the slaughter of cattle in the streets.

This is a market, not a slaughterhouse.

Did Mother recommend this to you?

She told me nothing. It was my idea.

-Mother was a great queen. If-- -What are you getting at, Sister?

Nowhere, Brother.

You will be a great king.

I trust you completely.

I know you will make your own decisions.

You think Mother is going to manipulate me.

No. I know you wouldn't consent to that.

Mother doesn't want me to have an advisor.

-She doesn't? -No.

She says she can counsel me. Who better than the queen mother?

Great idea. You have accepted, of course.

No. I said I'd have to think about it.

What do you think I should do, Urraca?

I would accept. Who better than her?

I wouldn't pay attention to those who think

you're ruling León from under your mother's skirts.

Son. You are just in time.

-The Laws of León. -That's right.

-I think we should try-- -"We"?

Mother, you must rest.

Why don't you leave these matters to me?

After all, I am the king.

I'm sorry to interrupt the Government of León,

but the Castilian army is about to leave.

What? Where to?

To Zaragoza.

Sister, something must be done.

I tried to get Ruy to stay in León.

I made him an offer which was difficult to refuse.

-You offered him a woman? -No.

Alfonso, how much you still have to learn to be a good king.

I don't want you to go to Zamora.

I want you to stay here, by my side.

I have never thought of doing otherwise.

I think they were waiting for us, Ruy.

Well?

King Al-Muqtadir has no grievance against King Sancho of Castile.

As we already told his advisor.

I am glad to hear that,

because it means that there will be no problem for Zaragoza to pay its taxes.

No problem. We'll pay them.

But to whom?

King Ferdinand earned that privilege for Castile.

Along with the kingdom, Sancho inherited that privilege.

Privileges change from hand to hand with the speed of war.

I am here for the gold of Castile. I will not leave without it.

Are you going to attack Zaragoza with that handful of men?

I intend to protect the interests of my king in any way I can.

I'm Jewish

and I don't believe in this whole baraka thing.

If you want to protect the interests of your king,

come as a friend.

Tell your father that from today he will be treated as a disloyal vassal.

Are you sure you want that to be the message?

Word for word.

That is the difference between León and Castile.

You can't kill the one with the baraka.

His fate is sealed.

Allah has written great plans for him...

...and we will benefit from it.

I have seen it in the stars.

Then you will have seen that you won't get to see another winter.

The Jew is right.

We are too few to besiege such a large city.

It would take months to subdue it.

-That's if we could manage it. -We cannot return without the taxes.

When the cuckoo sings, spring is moving on.

I don't like cuckoos.

They destroy other birds' eggs and leave their own to be hatched.

That's it.

Lisardo, Nuño, you stay here with the army.

Álvar, you choose 12 men. We leave for Tortosa.

What are you going to do?

Something for which God may send us all to hell.

We will camp here.

I'll stay a little ahead and stand guard.

By yourself? I'm staying with you.

No.

I need to think, my friend.

Do you still have the coin I gave you?

We are staying here.

Jimena, you've been avoiding me for days.

Give me a moment, please.

Why can't you forget what happened?

I made a mistake, I was drunk.

When are you going to forgive me?

If you really love me...

set me free.

I can't.

You are the only person

who can stop me from becoming like my father.

I need you.

You can force me to marry you...

but my heart will never be yours.

Beautiful night.

Sit by the fire and share bread and company with me.

You know I didn't come for that.

Your baraka will not protect you from me.

That chainmail slows you down.

Without it, I'd be dead.

Stop!

Drop your weapons or you're a dead man.

What should we do with him?

-Leave your weapons here and go. -Ruy, have you gone mad?

You are still sentenced to death.

-But that's for another day. -That day will come,

bird boy.

I don't know where you came from, my friend, but thank you.

You owe me one. And a skinful of wine won't be enough.

I never thought I would cross this square as the king of León.

Nor Sancho as the king of Castile, and look at him.

-I've been looking for you. -How can I help you, Brother?

Velarde.

He was Father's advisor in León, but wishes to serve me in Castile.

-Any objections? -None.

-I'm happy for you, he's a good vassal. -Good.

Wait, Sancho.

I too have something to tell you.

All right, spill your poison.

I will miss you when you go to Burgos.

It's about Vellido. He wants to serve me in Zamora.

-Any objections? -Vellido...

His love for you betrays him.

Take him.

You need a dog between those skirts that will never know a man.

Even your dogs are unfaithful to you.

You know about Ruy, don't you?

Haven't you heard?

Alfonso has made him an offer he can't refuse.

If there is one thing I am certain of,

it is Ruy's loyalty.

Are you sure?

Mother. I was waiting for you.

What do you want from me, Son?

Velarde is going to Castile and León is left without an advisor.

Son, you have me to counsel you.

Letting my mother watch over my reign would make look like a weak king.

What would my vassals and enemies think?

"Look, it's the child king". No.

-I have named my sister Urraca as advisor. -Urraca?

Your sister must go to Zamora. This is what your father wanted.

He was lord of Zamora, how many times did he go there?

Once, twice?

It was Arias Gonzalo who administered it.

This is madness.

-Madness. -Mother.

Why don't you go with Sancho to Castile? He needs you more than I do.

Is that what you want?

That's what I want.

A peaceful heart is better than a chest full of gold.

Poor is he who does not love beauty.

He is unworthy of the sun that illuminates him

and the kiss that soothes our bitter sorrows.

Poetry is the path

that carries us all.

I sense that the sage Abu Bakr

needs something from me.

Your wisdom.

-My lady. -What are you doing here?

I asked for discretion in this matter.

Do I have to whip the words out of you? Speak!

Zaragoza has not agreed to Ruy's requests.

So they continue to carry out your plan.

Tell me it's not true.

I'm sorry, Father.

Mundir was trying to defend this family's honor...

Your son

tried to kill Ruy

without the king's consent.

You must have a good reason that led you to act this way.

I do.

The dignity of this house.

What offense has Ruy committed against us?

The sigh of a young girl can be heard further away

than the roar of a lion.

We educated Amina to be free of mind and body.

Not for just anyone to touch.

Did it happen?

This will be the last time you make a decision.

Nobody touches Ruy without my order!

And Amina's freedom

doesn't excuse her from the responsibility for her decisions.

Mulberry trees.

It's where all the silk of Zaragoza comes from.

Al-Muqtadir's white gold.

-I see what we're going to do. -I don't want anyone to get hurt.

Ruy!

Ruy!

Remember what we came here for!

Ruy has done us more harm in one night

than ten years of Aragonese campaigns.

Father...

Let me go with the Syrian Vanguard and I will teach them a lesson.

We already have enough enemies to add another one such as Ruy.

Prepare the payment and have him come.

For the moment I prefer that you remain in Zaragoza.

So it shall be.

But the stars are not wrong.

They are wrong!

It is not baraka.

It is a curse.

Ruy will finish all of us.

I don't want any men outside the perimeter.

Ruy, there is someone here to see you.

What is your wish, my lady?

Your desire has disgraced our name.

-I don't know what you mean. -Amina.

Her father has locked her in her quarters. He has buried her alive.

Amina is a free spirit.

-She will die if she is not freed. -I don't see what I can do.

Your mouth condemned my daughter.

And only your mouth can set her free.

You played dirty. But it was effective.

Hopefully I won't have to cross that line again.

The money for the taxes is ready.

You will take half now

-and the rest after the coronation. -I want it all now.

After burning our fields,

we can't afford it.

Then we need a hostage for security, as is customary.

Someone close to Your Highness.

Who are you thinking of?

Of the 50,000,

30 are in gold coins.

The rest are silver coins.

In the courtyard, 12 mules

and two horses are waiting for Al Sayed Ruy as a gift.

You are a free spirit. Too ahead of your time.

I am my father's daughter.

Your father needs you to be his eyes in the land of the Franks.

But be careful.

If I find out that you let Ruy touch you,

I will know that I have lost a daughter.

Come and listen.

Be careful with her. She is more dangerous than Sádaba.

Someone in León tried to get the taxes paid to them instead of Castile.

Here is what you asked for, my lord.

You took a long time.

The Moors were reluctant.

Someone in León schemed to make it so.

When did you decide to betray me?

With these oils with which I have anointed you

and these crowns that you now wear,

you are clothed with royal dignity.

May the Lord guide you in your work.