After another period of waiting, Jofré began to have doubts in his mind that the Pope would ever actually send for him. Night after night, he prayed to God, to Jesus Christ, and to the Virgin Mary that His Holiness would send for him. He prayed that he would get to see his father and sister again. One late morning, while he was playing little Ottaviano in the hallway near the main hall, they heard a knock on the door, Vannozza was already closest to the door, so she answered it instead of one of the servants. Jofré couldn't see who was at the door, but he could see that a smile grew on Vannozza's face. After a minute or so, Vannozza began to pick up her skirts and jog towards to where Jofré and Ottaviano were playing. When she reached them, she said to Jofré excitedly, "Jofré! Come! See who is at the door!" She took Jofré by the hand and they both hurried together to the main entrance. To Jofré's surprise, there at the front door, was Juan and Cesare. Both mounted on fine black horses, with several mounted bravi behind them, and a riderless black horse by the brothers' side. Juan was no longer dressed like a royal member of the court of Spain, but this time was dressed in the fine garments of a member of the court of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire! As for Cesare, he was no longer wearing the black robes of a layman priest, but was now dressed in the blood red robes and hat of a cardinal!
"Juan! Cesare!" Jofré exclaimed as his eyes widened.
"Si, little brother!" Juan replied with a hearty smile.
"We have good news for you, hermano!" said Cesare with a humble smile. "His Holiness has summoned you to live with us in Il Vaticano at the Palazzo Apostolico!"
Jofré was too happy for words. He and Vannozza happily hugged each other and Vannozza swung him about a bit.
"Oh, I'm so happy! I have prayed that I would get to see Papa and Lucrezia again!" said Jofré in sheer delight.
"Lucrezia has been praying and longing to see you too, Jofré!" said Cesare. "She'll be most happy to see you again as well."
"Make haste and pack little cricket!" said Juan in a playful tone. "His Holiness wants to have laid eyes on you before nightfall!"
Jofré nodded happily, kissed his mother, and began to turn, but stopped for a moment, and slowly turned back again.
"Wait..." Jofré said in a somewhat concerned tone. "Does this mean that I won't get to see Mama again?"
"Of course not, little Jofré!" said Cesare with a smile and a reassuring tone. "His Holiness says you can visit Mama whenever you wish!"
Jofré was immediatley beaming again and quickly rushed back to his room to pack. Before long he had bid everyone good-bye, was mounted on the riderless black horse that was beside Juan and Cesare, and soon the three brothers were off, riding the streets of Rome towards the Vatican.
"Congratulations on becoming a cardinal, Cesare!" said Jofré to Cesare. "I'm really happy for you."
Cesare gave his little brother a weak smile and said "Thank you Jofré." And then sulked a bit when he turned his back from his brother and to street in front of him.
"I only wish I was invited to come so I could see your ceremony..." Jofré said in a somewhat disappointed tone.
"Father wanted to keep in low key." said Cesare. "He told me that the College of Cardinals have been suspicious over the subject of my legitimacy."
"Oh." said Jofré a bit surprised. "So I take it that he is still telling them that Mama's husbands are our fathers and not him?"
Cesare nodded his head.
"Do you think Papa is ever going to admit to everyone that he is our father and not our uncle?" Jofré asked Cesare.
"I don't think that he ever will, Jofré..." Cesare replied.
Jofré looked away for a moment and then continued. "But what would be the point? Haven't there been popes who have had children before? Didn't Pope Innocent have a son and daughter? It seems so silly that everyone else can have wives, husbands, lovers, and children, but for nuns and clergymen they have to be chaste or celibate. That makes no sense..."
"I know, right? Cesare said with a slight laugh. "Everyone in the Sacred College says they wouldn't be half surprised if it turned out that the four of us were in truth His Holiness' sons and daughter. There really is no point for a man of the Church to hide his children."
"Hmph! The only reason Mama and His Holiness have us help keep the charade that he is our uncle and we his nephews and niece through Mama's husbands is purely because of the fact that our father is from Valencia in Spain and spaniards are hated here in Rome." said Juan with a disdainful tone. "And because of all this, if he admitted that he has bastard children, it would have made him look worse in the eyes of the italians in the Sacred College, and then likely make it impossible for him to have ever become pope."
"My, such rare insight not oft seen coming from the Duke of Gandia!" said Cesare with a sarcastic grin."
"Even soldiers, such as I, have wits, my dear Archbishop!" retorted Juan.
"Archbishop?" said Jofré in a curious tone.
"Si." replied Cesare. "When His Holiness ordained me as a cardinal, he also made me Archbishop of Valencia, our father's native home, and with a yearly revenue of 16,000 ducats."
"A tad falling behind compared to my revenue of 25,000 ducats as Duke of Gandia, don't you think, little cricket?" said Juan to Jofré with a smug grin.
"My, my, your arrogance truly knows absolutely no bounds, does it brother?" Cesare said in an aggravated tone to Juan.
"Hermanos, please, don't argue anymore..." said Jofré who was starting to grow weary of his brothers' constant verbal sparring.
Juan and Cesare both calmly apologized, and continued riding through Rome.
"I've been meaning to ask you Juan, how is it that you are dressed like that?" Jofré asked curiously. "You sort of look like that Moor we saw about half a year ago when Pope Innocent was still alive. What was his name again? Prince Shem? Prince Dajim?"
"Prince Djem, little brother." replied Juan. "He and I have gotten to become very close companions."
"Yes, to the point were the shahzadeh now shares his wardrobe with him." said Cesare with a teasing chuckle.
Juan gave Cesare a condescending leer. "Where as YOU dear brother, must now be garbed in the crimson gowns of the Sacred College of Cardinals, dedicated to a life of study, prayer, ceremonies, baptisms, mass, chanting, fasting, celibacy..."
Cesare's expression quickly changed back from calm and pleasant to angry, and he gave low growl. "You forgot waiting to see how much of a grand fiasco you make of the position of Captain General, dear brother!"
Jofré, finally unable to bear it any longer, quickly spoke up in complete exasperation before Juan had any time to react. "Ay Madre de Dios! Juan, Cesare ENOUGH already! I am so tired of you two always arguing! Can you two not spend anytime together without starting a row?! Can't we just be happy that we're together again?! Well?"
Juan and Cesare were both struck silent by their youngest brother's sudden outburst of frustration. The two elder Borgia brothers both had guilty looks on their faces and for a minute just sat there on their steeds unable to say anything. Finally Juan spoke up.
"Cesare, my brother, I am deeply sorry for the behavior that I have treated you with..."
Cesare replied solemnly "And I too am deeply sorry Juan for the harshness and anger I treat you in turn..."
"Will you forgive me?" Juan asked as he stretched out his right hand towards Cesare.
Cesare reached out, took Juan's hand and shook it firmly. "Gladly. Will you forgive me as well, Juan?"
Juan smiled. "With all my heart."
Jofré heaced a sigh of relief, made the Sign of the Cross on himself, and said below his breath, "Gracias, Senor."
"Come, brothers!" said Juan in a vigorous tone. "We best hurry to Il Vatico before sunset!"
Cesare smiled and nodded in agreement, while Jofré slowly rode pass them saying, "Of course." He then turned his head and smiled mischieviously. "But first, you'll have to catch me!"
And with that, he kicked up his horse to go at a canter and suddenly was off like an arrow shot from a bow. Juan and Cesare were stunned at this and then they both smiled in a similar manner.
"Oh, so THAT's how it shall be eh?" said Juan playfully.
"Oh little brother, there's a punishment for cheating like that!" Cesare jested in a competitive tone.
"Last one at Il Vaticano is a cricket!" Jofré called out to them as his horse galloped further out of their sight.
Quickly Juan and Cesare kicked up their horses to follow their brother, while the bravi were calling out for them to wait up and had to get their mounts to follow. The three brothers raced on their horses through the streets of Rome, lunging over baskets filled with produce and charging up stairs and through alleyways. Jofré felt a thrill that he rarely ever felt in his life. Suddenly Jofré saw a pair of mounted men riding towards them. He quickly halted his horse, with Juan, Cesare, and the bravi quickly doing likewise.
"Why have you stopped? asked Juan in a surprised tone.
"Those men riding up to meet us...Who are they?"
Cesare looked at the men riding towards them and made a face that suggested cunning thoughts.
"The two are memebers of the Orsini family." said Cesare. "The one on the left is Giovanni Orsini, and the one beside is his brother Paolo Orsini."
"Oh brothers, I beg you , don't be rash!" Jofré said with deep worry in his voice.
Cesare said nothing and the three brothers rode on towards the Orsinis.
As the two mounted groups met, Giovanni, an arrogant looking young man with wavy light brown hair down to his shoulders and dressed in dark clothes and hat, said to them in a sarcastic and mocking tone, "Well, well, well! This time not one, not two, but THREE young bull-calves together! Such a rare sight indeed!"
Paolo, a more solemn looking young man with long, wavy hair like his brother, but darker and with a sparse beard and dressed in brighter clothes, on the otherhand, merely said in a curt voice, "Good day, your eminence."
Giovanni, however said, "Yes, the Borgia Bull-Calves with one of them having a discreet tonsure betwix his tiny horns!"
Cesare smiled smugly, and said, "Tut, tut, tut! I can see your brother's manners have still not improved, my dear Paolo."
Giovanni replied in a mocking tone, "Oh, a thousand pardons, your eminence! Will the cardinal and archbishop of Valencia forgive me and grant me his blessing!"
"Ha! May Lucifer go with you, my son! In the name of the Goat, the Serpent, and the Toad!" Cesare replied haughtily as he rose his left hand in the air and did the Sign of the Cross upside down.
Jofré felt uneasy watching Cesare do this. Juan on the other hand chuckled. Giovanni nearly drew out his rapier from its sheath when Paolo strecthed his own hand out to stay his brother's.
"Do not provoke us, your eminence." said Paolo in a stern voice.
Cesare merely chuckled haughtily. "I'll have no quarrel with you, Paolo Orsini, you were a friend in my childhood!"
"And would thus be still, unless your eminence continues to treat your friend from childhood in such a manner." replied Paolo.
"Or whilst his father continues to bed our cousin's wife!" lashed Giovanni.
"Doubtless your cousin will profit from the experience!" Juan said wth a smug smile.
"And yet it is the Bride of Christ's brother that profits, what with him being made a cardinal! Yes, the Cardinal of the Skirts! Men becoming priests by letting their sisters lift up their skirts and spread their legs for other priests!" said Giovanni, who's temper was slowly getting worse by the minute.
"That will do from you for now, dear Giovanni!" said Cesare in a jeering voice. "Be on your way now and my people shall do likewise."
Giovanni finally flared up and lashed his anger out. "Damn you Borgias! You coven of accursed, misbegotten, bastard brats of a damned, wicked, simonistic, spanish-jewish, catalan, marrano pope!
Juan finally drew out his rappier and trotted his horse over to Giovanni's with some of the bravi following him and surrounding Giovanni. Juan reached his blade out towards Giovanni's neck and said in a harsh voice, "You best watch that serpent's tongue of your's, Orsini. And you best remember who sists on the throne of Saint Peter's over your dear Giambattista!"
Giovanni backed down. The three Borgia brothers and their bravi continued riding towards the Vatican. Juan and Cesare were both once again in foul spirits.
"Damn that Giovanni Orsini..." Cesare cursed in a low voice. "He is truly the pest that flies around a donkey's arse!"
"Fah! All Orsini are utter shit, brother! Them and the rest of every noble family in Italia that dare bestow our house with the titles of Catalan or Marrano!" said Juan in a disdainful tone.
"He does seem like a brute..." said Jofré in slight agreement to hs brothers.
"Wait and see Jofré!" said Cesare in a determined voice. "With Papa on the throne of Saint Peter, those call us such names will be bowing to us and begging forgiveness!
Jofré made no reply to Cesare as the brothers continued their ride towards the Vatican,.
"So much for a peaceful trip..." Jofré sighed under his breath.