In the spring of 1518, near Haen, Spain, Pedro de Vargas, a Caballero from Castile, helped a fleeing Aztec slave named Kotel escape from his cruel master Diego de Silva. De Silva is the supreme ruler of Saint Germain, responsible for enforcing the Inquisition, and also Pedro's opponent for the beautiful heart of Lady Louisa de Carvajal. Later, Pedro rescued bar hostess Catana Perez from De Silva's henchmen. At the hotel where he worked in Catana, Pedro met adventurer Juan Garcia, who had just returned from the New World to visit his mother. De Silva suspected Pedro of assisting Kotel and realized that Pedro's influential father, Don Francisco de Vargas, opposed the abuse of Saint Germain. Therefore, he imprisoned Pedro and his family on charges of heresy. Pedro's sister died under torture. At the same time, Juan became a prison guard, helping his mother, who was also a prisoner. He killed her to prevent further torture. Juan released Pedro's hand and handed him a sword. When De Silva entered Pedro's cell, Pedro disarmed him in a sword fight and forced him to give up God before stabbing him. The trio (with the secret help of Cartana's brother and sympathetic prison guard Manuel) escaped with Pedro's parents. Pedro was forced to break up instead of reuniting with his family in Italy, and he was persuaded by Juan and Catana to seek wealth in Cuba. These three people signed up for Hern á n Cortes' Mexican expedition. Pedro told Father Bartolome, the spiritual advisor of the expedition team, what happened in Spain. The priest received an order to arrest him, but he tore up the order and asked Pedro to repent. Neither of them knew that De Silva had survived. The exploration team landed at the Lica Villa in Mexico. [2] Cort é s was welcomed by the envoy of Aztec Emperor Montezuma and was bribed to leave. On the contrary, Cortes convinced his subordinates to join his conquest and wealth creation plan. Catana sought the help of a quack and Doctor Botero, who reluctantly gave her a ring. Despite their significant social status differences, the power of the ring was enough to make Pedro fall in love with her. When Pedro kissed her, she refused him, thinking he was enchanted by the ring, but he convinced her and married her that night. Cortes traveled inland to Sempara, where he received a gem bribe from another Aztec delegation. He entrusted Pedro with the responsibility of guarding the gems in a Teokari car. Pedro left his post, however, he calmed down and got drunk, threatening Juan that the gem had been stolen. Cortes accused Pedro of theft. When Pedro discovered a hidden door leading to Theocari, Cortes gave him 24 hours to redeem himself. Pedro tracked down the captains who opposed Cortes and returned to their villa in Costa Rica, where they incited rebellion. With the help of loyal crew member Corio, he retrieved the gem, although his head was severely injured by crossbow bolts while they were escaping. Cortes promoted Pedro to captain. Then, in order to eliminate the temptation of retreat, he ordered the burning of their ships. They continued on to Jorula, where they encountered another delegation led by Montezuma's nephew, who threatened to annihilate the expedition unless they left. When Cortes protested that he didn't have a boat, the prince revealed that more boats had arrived. Cortes realized that his opponent, the Cuban Governor General Vel á zquez, had sent troops to seize his command. Cort é s led half of the soldiers to attack Villa Rica, while Pedro commanded the rest. Cort é s returned victorious, bringing reinforcements and Diego de Silva, the envoy of the king. De Silva imposed Saint Germain on Mexico there. Juan attacked De Silva, but was stopped by Cortes' soldiers. Father Bartolome reminded Pedro of his oath, and Cortes demanded that he take personal responsibility for De Silva's safety. When De Silva was strangled that night, Pedro was sentenced to death. Just before the execution, Kotel admitted to Father Bartolome that he had killed De Silva. Katana stabbed him to prevent him from being hanged. Pedro recovered, and Cortes and his followers marched towards the Aztec capital.
