The voice belonged to Joaquim Lacerda, owner of Quinta de Santo António, an average-sized coffee farm of 320 hectares, with around eighty forced laborers.
Joaquim was just over fifty years old. His hair was gray, his beard well-groomed, and his clothes simple but clean. He was neither rich nor powerful. He was a man who lived in debt and calculated every expense, every harvest, every possible loss.
The other buyers laughed. Seven cents for that woman they considered useless. In their opinion, Joaquim was losing his mind.
The auctioneer, relieved not to have to return the merchandise, intervened. Benedita was sold.
Joaquim climbed onto the platform, removed the chain from his ankle, and led her away. She followed him without saying a word, her expression impassive.
They walked three kilometers to the farm. Joaquim arrived riding his old brown horse. Benedita followed him on foot, chained, her feet bleeding from the dirt path.
When they arrived, the sun was setting. The sky was tinged with orange and purple. Joaquim dismounted his horse, tied it up, and then led Benedita straight to the stable.
An Unexpected Proposal
The barn was a wooden building where tools, sacks of coffee, and some animals were kept. Joaquim closed the door, lit a kerosene lamp, and then sat down on a stool.
He watched Benedita for a long time before asking her a simple question:
“Can you read?”
She didn’t answer.
He tried again:
“Can you fight?”
This time something flickered in her eyes. Almost imperceptible, but enough for Joaquim to notice.
He went to get a large hunting blade, held it by the metal part, and extended the handle toward her. Benedita didn’t take it. She eyed him suspiciously.
Then Joachim laid his sword on the ground between them and took a step back.
He explained that he didn’t want to hurt her or send her to the countryside. He had another plan, but he needed her to trust him a little, at least for that night.
Then he told her his story. Ten years earlier, he had had an only son, Vincent, a clever and brave boy. One day, on their way back from the city, they were attacked by bandits. Vincent tried to defend his father and was stabbed in the chest. He died in Joachim’s arms.
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Three years later, Joaquim’s wife died of a fever. He was left alone with his land, his suffering, and a debt of 12 contos de reis to the Baron of 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 Tournament
Joaquim then explained the opportunity that could change everything. The baron had a daughter, Eduarda, twenty-two years old. Unlike other women in her society, she loved riding horses, hunting, fighting, and gambling.
Every year, she organized a tournament on her father’s estate. Fighters from all over the region came to compete in boxing, wrestling, and other combat disciplines. The winner would take home 100 contos reis.
This sum would be enough to pay off Joaquim’s debt, restore the estate, and allow him to keep it for years to come.
But Joaquim didn’t know how to fight. He was old, weak, and hadn’t had much luck.
Then he told Benedita what he had seen in her: not an insignificant woman, but a warrior. A power no one had been able to understand, because no one had ever given her the chance to use it.
His offer was clear: he would secretly train her for the tournament. If she won, he would share the prize with her. Half would be his, that is, 50 contos, enough to pay for postage and start over somewhere else.
Benedita asked what would happen if she lost.
Joaquim replied that they would lose together. He would lose the fifth. He could sell it. But at least they would have tried.
She didn’t trust him. Even so, she didn’t have many other options. Something in Joaquim’s voice, a genuine weariness and a recognizable pain, made her think that perhaps he was telling the truth.
She accepted, with a simple threat:
“I will fight. But if you betray me, I will 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 circle with ropes tied between the trees.
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