Three years later, Joaquim’s wife died of fever. He remained alone, with his land, his pain and a debt of 12 contos de reis to Baron de Araújo, the most powerful man in the region.
If he didn’t pay before the end of the year, he would lose the property.
Baron de Araújo’s tournament
Joaquim then explained the opportunity that could change everything. The baron had a daughter, Eduarda, aged twenty-two. Unlike other women in her community, she loved riding horses, hunting, fighting and betting.
Every year, she organized a tournament on her father’s property. Fighters from all over the region came to compete: boxing, freestyle wrestling and other forms of combat. The winner won 100 contos of reis.
This sum would be enough to pay Joaquim’s debt, restore the quinta and allow him to hold on for years.
But Joaquim didn’t know how to fight. He was old, weakened, with no real luck.
He then told Benedita what he had seen in her: not a useless woman, but a fighter. A force that no one had been able to understand, because no one had ever given her the opportunity to use it for herself.
His offer was clear: he would train her in secret for the tournament. If she won, he would share the prize with her. Half would go to him, or 50 contos, enough to buy his postage and start again elsewhere.
Benedita asked what would happen if she lost.
Joaquim replied that they would lose together. He would lose the quinta. It could be resold. But at least they would have tried.
She didn’t trust him. Still, she didn’t have many other choices. Something in Joaquim’s voice, an honest fatigue and recognizable pain, made him think that maybe he was telling the truth.
She agreed, with a simple threat:
“I fight. But if you betray me, I’ll kill you. “
Benedita’s secret training
The next day, Joaquim woke Benedita before dawn. He took her to a hidden clearing, out of sight, and improvised a ring with ropes tied between the trees.
