"Rome, 44 B.C." "There are whispers of civil war." "The military conquests of Julius Caesar have won him the love of the people and the hostility of the corrupted senate." "To counter the cult of Caesar, his enemies lure the people with bloody spectacles where slaves are forced to fight to the death." "The republic is dying, and the age of the gladiator has begun." "And before it is done, the fate of an empire will fall upon the shoulders of one man... a slave." "A gladiator." "We prepare honorsat the senate steps, and instead Caesar brings us here." "It's smart politics." "He gives the mob a voice." "The senate is Rome, Brutus, not the mob." "The senate is the republic." "You think the rumors are true, then?" "He aims to be king?" "Who else would have the nerve to change the bloody calendar?" "As if owning half the earth weren't enough, now he aims to own the sun and moon as well." "King?" "He aims to be a god." "Hail, Caesar!" "Hail, Caesar..." "I see no senators on that chariot with him." "Hail, Caesar!" "Hail, Caesar..." "Mark Antony, you look well." "Rome's favorite son returns." "Welcome home, brother." "Dear Atia." "Octavius?" "Your nephew is delayed." "Noble Cicero." "Just read your latest." "Brilliant, as usual." "You're quite tough on me." "Think of it as advice from a cranky old man." "It's your time now." "You've proven yourself a conqueror." "Now Rome needs a unifying force." "Wise Cassius." "Triumphant Caesar." "Rome exults in your return." "The senate has commissioned 12 statues in your honor, including an ivory likeness to be presented to you at the circus games, so deep is our gratitude." "I thank you." "Most excellent senator Brutus." "Caesar." "Look at you... a model senator." "The legion wouldn't recognize you." "I've fooled them all." "Enough of pageantry." "To the arena." "To sport!" "Hail, Caesar!" "Hail, Caesar!" "Citizens!" "Citizens!" "Citizens!" "Your gladiators fight here today in honor of our returning hero... the Victor at Zela, conqueror of Gaul..." "Julius Caesar!" "Hail, Caesar!" "Hail, Caesar!" "First let me introduce to you the most fearsome warrior since Hannibal of Carthage, undefeated... here is the Reterian!" "And his opponent..." "Citizens, I present to you Rome's champion..." "Tyrannus!" "Octavius!" "I see things are about as I left them." "We, who are about to die, salute you." "I've seen Tyrannus fight." "I have 100 denarii says he makes short work of this reterian." "Cassius?" "I can't keep track of the gladiators." "They die so quickly." "What's the difference, uncle?" "It's not like real battle." "They bleed just the same." "And what do you know of real battle, Octavius?" "I've studied." "Let me show you." "Take me with you to Syria next month." "Let me fight in the Parthian wars." "Octavius." "No." "I have other plans for you." "You spoil him, sister." "Do I?" "I wasn't the one who gave him 20 libyan horses for his birthday." "They throw Rome's finest warrior to the dogs?" "Yes, the mob's appetites have changed, great Caesar." "They hunger to see the blood of their heroes." "What kind of roman ideal is this?" "Fight, Tyrannus!" " Caesar, now that you've returned..." " Take the day off, Cassius." "Enjoy the games." "But discussing this could put everybody at their ease." "If you must know my mind this instant, before I leave for Syria, I will bring in the Decree of Rome... a new set of laws that redistributes the land from the influential few to the people of Rome where it belongs." "Of course, the senate looks forward to a vigorous debate." "Good." "My reforms begin with the senate." "It will take old friends to see them through." "Hail, Caesar." "The 10th legion could use him." "Pity he's a slave." "Tyrannus!" "Tyrannus!" "Tyrannus!" "Do they answer?" "Your gods?" "Sometimes." "Really?" "How?" "They give signs." "Can they send me one?" "Maybe they have and you weren't looking." "That would be my luck." "And what sort of guidance are you looking for?" "Perhaps Minerva will hear." "I'd ask her to send me far from Rome, far from this boring life." "I hope she answers for you." "What's your name, vestal?" "Camane." "I..." "Sorry, I must go." "Camane!" "When will Minerva answer?" "When she answers." "Why is it you wish you were far from here?" "Being the nephew of Caesar, some would say that the world is yours for the asking." "They would be mistaken." "My family treats me like a child." "Perhaps you act like one." "There isn't a young lady in all of Rome who wouldn't swoon at your glance." "And yet,of all those young ladies, you choose to give me, a vestal, your attentions." "Only a child wants what it cannot have." "The Decree of Rome?" "You've been keeping secrets from us." "I'm as surprised as you." "Really?" "I thought you and Caesar were like brothers." "Caesar's always kept his own counsel." "That's news to no one." "Now, what do you want?" "We wish to know your heart." "For instance, if one day you should find yourself in heriting the mantle of Caesar, could the senate depend upon your friendship?" "Caesar has said nothing of succession." "You'd be blind not to see that Caesar's forcing a confrontation." "Apparently he's decided that the only way to maintain his grip on power is to rob us of ours, to destroy the republic, and anoint himself king." "He has refused the crown, and I take him at his word." "Your tone suggests otherwise." "I stand with Caesar." " They sent four against me." " Four, papa?" "Thracians." "They fight with a shield and a short sword." "So... shield." "Short sword." "One... two... three... four... five... six!" " Get ready for bed, Piso." " Oh, I want to..." "Go, Piso." "Do as your mother says." "Good night." "I don't want you to tell him these stories." "He doesn't understand." "Show yourself." "Hail, Caesar." "Rise, Tyrannus, the pride of Rome." "Thank you, great Caesar." "We've met before." "At the gladiator school in Campania." "I was a senator then." "If I'm not mistaken, you corrected my swords manship." "You held the grip too tightly, great Caesar." "Walk with me." "Were you born a slave, Tyrannus?" "No." "I stole a horse." "I worked on my father's farm in Cyprus." "The armies of Pompey were very cruel to the people there." "I stole a centurion's horse and was thrown in prison." "In prison, I was sold away to the gladiator school." "Difficult life." "It was my fate." "But my victories bring some rewards from the handlers." "I've been allowed to marry." "I love my wife,my son, Piso." " How old is Piso?" " Six years." "Does he marvel at his father, the gladiator?" "Too much, I think." "So it should be." "And your dreams for him, Tyrannus?" "To not have to fight." "To live as he chooses." " A free man?" " Yes, of course." "I fought 10 years for the glory of Rome, conquered five nations, and filled our treasuries with gold." "Yet I return, and the only growth I see is in the size of the senators' villas." "I didn't conquer the world for them." "Those lands and those treasures belong to the people and the soldiers who fought for them." "I intend toset it right, and the senate will do all it can to stop me." "So I need a warrior to stand beside me... one unentangled by politics, who speaks his mind and is good with the sword." "A bodyguard?" "That... and more." "The senate seduces the mob with blood." "But the mob loves you, Tyrannus, because you represent what's best in us... strength, courage, honor." "I need you to serve me these next few weeks." "And in return..." "I offer this." "The wooden sword." "Given to gladiators who show exceptional bravery and skill in the arena." "The wooden sword means freedom." "Take it... and your son will live in a world without chains." "I..." "I don't know what to say." "Say "yes. "" "I have built the greatest fighting force in the world, advanced the frontiers of roman control from Britannia to North Africa." "I have conquered the world for you, the people of Rome, not for the senators on Palatine Hill." "There's still timefor negotiation." "Name a single law or treaty that Caesar has not broken." "The mob won't stand for it." "What's been set in motion cannot be unset." "Mother Noella." " What's happened?" " The goats are sick." "Mother Noella, it's all blood." "The midwife told meof five stillborns this week on the Palatine Hill, all boys." " It's gossip." " It's omens." "In the coming days, I will present the Decree of Rome... the most sweeping reforms in constitutional law since the publishing of the 12 tables." "The college augurs warn of blood on the ides." "We must tell Caesar." "I'll discuss this with thearval priests, make my decision." "And you will forget what you have seen." "What will you do?" "We need Caesar isolated." "How much?" "Three semis, ma'am." "How beautiful." "Piso?" "Did you see my son?" "Ma'am?" "Piso?" "Piso!" "Piso!" "Piso!" " Tyrannus!" "Tyrannus!" " Moira!" "What is it?" "What's happened?" "Where's Piso?" "He was there beside meat the marketplace." "Someone must have taken him." "Wait here!" "Piso!" "Piso!" "Have you seen a boy about six years, this high?" "There's no sign of the gladiator." "We've searched his home in the slave barracks... nothing." "Tyrannus will come." "Caesar, let the senate wait." "At least until the praetorian find Tyrannus." "I agree." "Call it off, brother." "Present the Decree of Rome another time." "There is no other time." "Is it him?" "It's a vestal, Caesar." "Your name, sister." "Camane, lord." "Forgive me." "What I have to say, I speak for myself, not the order." "The signs warn of blood on the ides of March." "You must not ride to Rome, not today." "Now this." "You must reconsider." "What would you have me do?" "Hide under the bed?" "That would be merry news to the senate." "But the gods." "I've lived my whole life in defiance of the gods." "Let this day be no different." "Man your horse." "We ride." "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Have you seen a boy about this high, about six years?" "Piso!" "Piso!" "Piso!" "Piso!" "General... your presence is required for just a moment." "Papa?" "Piso!" "My brother in exile, great Caesar, I beg leniency." "This is an old issue." "There will be no pardon." "Rise, senator Cimber, and take your seat." "You have saved your boy." "But who will save your beloved Caesar?" "And you, my child?" "By the gods." "Caesar." " Tyrannus." " I'm here." "Protect him." "Protect who, great Caesar?" "My heir." "My successor." "Mark Antony, of course." "No." "Not Antony." "Octavius." "My sister's boy." "He will save the dream of Rome, Tyrannus." "Teach him how to fight, my friend." "Teach him how to rule." "I will." "Antony." "What did he say?" "He said..." ""protect him. "" "Protect who?" "Tyrannus... protect who?" "What have these madmen done?" "What if the mob turns violent?" "I've made preparations." "And what about him?" "This was a terrible day for us all." "Bastards." "You stupid bastards." "Cooler heads must prevail now, general." "What's done is done." "You say this to me with his blood on your hands?" "I should throw all your heads to the dogs." "A tyrant died today, nothing more." "Rome is saved." "Think carefully, general." "This is a moment of consequence, of great history." "I would like it to be the moment that the great powers of Rome embraced as friends... and united a land and a people." "You said Antony would be with us." "He's the army." "We need him." "He'll be back." "In the meantime, I told you, I made preparations." "Mercenaries." "Gladiators, to be specific." "For a fee, princeps Rapax has agreed to lead them in pursuit of our enemies." "Which enemies?" "All Caesar loyalists are now enemies of the republic to be arrested and tried for treason." "Start with his family." "We'll wipe his name from history." "Is this supposed to win the people's hearts?" "Winning the war comes first." "Spare the women if you must." "Now go." " Octavius!" " Halt!" "Leave him!" "What in the names of the gods?" "Lady, Caesar is dead, murdered in the senate." "You're lying." "Where is your son?" "What do you want with my son?" "Caesar names Octavius his successor." "No." "That's impossible." "Lady, there's no time." "You don't understand." "He's not involved in this." "He is now." "How could this have happened?" "I swore an oath to Caesar to protect Octavius." "And I will protect him." "I won't have his blood on my hands as well." "Mother!" "You... you're the gladiator." "Say goodbye to your mother, boy." " No!" " Do as I say!" "I won't." "Your uncle has been murdered." "Go with him." "If what Tyrannus says is true, then the assassins will come for you next." "You cannot stay in Rome." "Now go." "Ride, Octavius." "The vestal order takes no position on the actions of the senate." "There's talk of a purge of Caesar's family, of loyalists." "The institutions of Rome must intervene." "Perhaps you can reason with these men." "Reason, sister?" "Reason has abandoned this place." "Not all vestals are neutral in this." "When the time comes, child, I shall call on you." "Moira!" "Listen to me." "Take Piso by carriage to the port of Ravenna." "Buy passage on a merchant ship to Cyprus." "Go to the inn of Balbus." " But I don't understand." " Stay there until I come for you." "I don't know when." "Stay off the major roads." "Travel only at night." " Come soon." " I will." "They're coming." "We'll go for the horses." "Leave the soldiers to me." "Take this." "If you have to use it, hold it loose, like the reins of a horse." "I taught your uncle that." "Let's go!" "It'll be morning soon." "We'll have to ride at least Toperugia before making camp." "I tried to stop him today." "I called to him." "He didn't hear me." "We have to keep moving." "Not since Alexander the great has such a burden been placed on the shoulders of one so young." "And all the world hinges on the outcome." "Watch over him, sweet vesta, for the trials of Octavius have begun." "Who ever thought a god would hold so much blood ?" "The mob will slit our throats when they see this." "They won't see this." "How could they miss ?" "We'll slip him quietly from the City on the Via Attica." "That route's blocked." "The rabble chant around fires." "Then we'll avoid the thoroughfare and take the footpath to Porta Ostiensis." "There, too, the crowd calls for revenge." "So we'll throw them a few loaves of bread." " We were supposed to be heroes." " Will you stop ?" "There's no way to get him out." "You said we could never do this." "Look." "None has ever been deader." "We'll clear a route to the city gates, and this whole ordeal will disappear." "The mob will be quiet before he starts to stink." "Your path is now dark and dangerous, young Caesar." "The senate has dispatched assassins to find you." "Stay off the major roads." "Avoid the villages." "Even in the north, they are rounding up loyalists and burning down their houses." "But do not lose hope." "You have allies." "Trust them." "Trust us." "Let him see you." "What did you do that for ?" "He's an assassin." "Or maybe he was just going home to his family." "No." "Look." "See his sword ?" "He's a gladiator, armed at the arena by the same senate that killed your uncle, now after you." "Where are you going ?" "Back to Rome." "It's too dangerous." "No." "This is too dangerous." "In Rome I have friends who know I'm no threat to anyone." "I'll get senator Cimber to call off the dogs." "I vowed to protect you." "I put my family in danger." "Well, I didn't ask you to." "No." "Caesar did when he named you his heir." "You say that." "It's nothing." "Not even believable." "Just the word of a slave." "Who do you think you are ?" "!" "Idiot slave." "Highness..." "Filthy chattel !" "Supreme exaltedness..." "Enough !" "I said, "enough" !" "Give me a hand with this." "Then get some sleep." "We ride tonight." "Octavius ?" "Octavius !" "What are you looking at ?" "Olivia ?" "Are you here ?" "Octavius ?" "I need to speak to your father." "He's at the senate." "You have no idea what I've been through." "We invited you, Antony, not your soldiers." "They're not soldiers." "They're bodyguards." "You won't need them." "And did Caesar ?" "He was trying to disband the senate." "Tell us that's not your plan, too." "What's gathered here ?" "Great fortunes of Rome." "Grain from Etruria." "Grapes from Sicily." "Oil." "Cattle." "Shipping." "Slaves." "All without soldiers to protect them." "So, what's your price ?" "So, is that what this is about ?" "The people riot." "What did you think would happen ?" "Caesar's blood is on your hands." "Fine." "We're to blame." "Agreed, agreed." "But Rome needs your legions for protection." "So say it -- what do you want ?" "I want to honor Caesar as I always have." "I want to speak at his funeral." "There's not going to be a funeral." "He was a traitor to the republic." "He was Caesar." "Well, he's gone." "The senate's in charge now." "Well, tell that to the mob... as they tear out your throats." "Go on, all of you." "Tell them." "The senate is in charge." "Only the will of Caesar can say who's in charge." "The vestals say there was no will." "They said there was none." "Oh, it exists." "He told me not two months ago." "Caesar may be dead to his dear and loyal friends in this room." "But the will of Caesar is still the will of Rome." "And until it is found, divvying up the republic behind closed doors is very premature." "A will ?" "Did it name Antony ?" "Who else ?" "Why else such swagger ?" ""Honor Caesar," he says." "He wants to turn the public against us." "The public is already against us." "We should have killed him when we had the chance." "Quiet." "We did not rid ourselves of one tyrant to inherit another." "Caesar will not rule us from the grave." "Search his villa down to the joists." "Find his will." "Destroy it." "What are you doing ?" "!" "You have no right !" "I will not leave and let you destroy Caesar's house !" "Let me go !" "Let me go." "Let me go !" "You're lucky Cassius wants you brought to Rome." "Otherwise, we'd kill you now." "So, you've been with Tyrannus, the gladiator -- the one we saw fight ?" "He's protecting me." "So he says." "From what ?" "I'm not sure." "I need to ask your father." "What ?" "He was with my uncle when he died " " Tyrannus was." "He says..." "He says Caesar told him to make me the next ruler of Rome." "Well, he must have hit his head hard in the arena." "Or maybe you have." "What are you laughing at ?" "Nothing." "I'm not !" "It's not that funny." "I'm sorry." "God." "I have to get some water." "Get my father and soldiers and tell them Octavius is here." " Hurry." " I will." "So... emperor..." "When will your father be back ?" "Not too soon." "We have just enough time." "Caesar's blood is on my hands, mother." "Caesar's blood is on the senate's hands." "No." "I was his friend." "When I said yes, it convinced the others our cause was just." "Your cause was just." "You saved the republic." "If we saved the republic, why do we cower in our rooms, afraid of the people we're supposed to have liberated ?" "Why does the mob attack us in the streets if we saved the republic ?" "Why are we down on our knees to Marc Antony, begging him to bring order ?" "You whine to me." "I was his lover." "No one consulted me in the deed." "But am I crying ?" "Caesar's dead, and the sun still rises, and neither you nor anyone can bring him back." "While you lament the past, other men take position in Rome's future." "You mean Cassius and Antony." "I mean you, my son." "Why not you ?" "But you're so beautiful." "Who would want to kill you ?" "Your father -- if he sees us like this." "I think he's home." "We'd better get up." "What have you done ?" "He's in here !" "There he is !" "Quick !" "Quick !" "Idiot brat !" "Imagine Caesar's pain to realize he had no one for his heir but you." "I can " " I can reason with them." "No, you can't." "Cicero." "I got your message." "Have you heard anything ?" "Cassius is going to move your brother's body out of a vault near the curia." "And what of Octavius ?" "Rumor has it, the gladiator Tyrannus protects him." "You were Caesar's friend." "We had our differences." "You know that." "Yes." "But the Rome Cassius destroys is the one that you and Caesar built together." "You in the senate, him on the battlefield." "You can't let that die." "But what can I do ?" "The conspirators huddle together in secret." "You can let Rome know the will of Caesar." "So a will does exist." "Will you help ?" "Cicero... answer the call of Caesar one more time, and help my son." "What stupidity !" "Siding with an enemy of the republic." "The only enemy of the republic I see here is you." "If you knew how your days were numbered, you wouldn't be so flippant." " What are you doing ?" " Out." "Out !" "Stand up." "Stand up." "Where is it ?" "Where is what ?" "Where is it ?" "You're trembling." "Caesar names his nephew." "Octavius." "He's just a boy." "So was Caesar once." "Caesar was a boy, yes." "But not every boy is a Caesar." "Forgive me." "I know the vestal matriarch has sworn the temple will not take sides." "I take sides only with the truth that this will exists." "By my vows and duty, I'll keep it safe." "What is this place ?" "Where are we going ?" "Keep moving." "I won't just run away." "We're not." "I can clear this up." "Clear what up ?" "That you're Caesar's heir ?" "Stop saying that !" "Look, what you think you heard from my uncle..." " What I heard." " What you think you heard... it's impossible." "You don't know." "You didn't know him." "You don't know." "He despised me." "That's the truth, which anyone who knew him more than 20 minutes could tell you." "So if we could just end this charade." "What are we doing here ?" "I'll show you." "Tell me how you'll reason with the people who did this." "You don't listen to me." "Maybe you'll listen to him." "My gods." "He wouldn't want your pity." "He'd want your strength." "Thirty stab wounds." "And he never dropped that expression." "Fearless." "Giving nothing." "Full of scorn for those who did." "And in his dying breath, maybe he did say something to you." "But..." "But it was nothing compared to what you left unsaid." "What you did call me." "To my face." "Your displeasure while you lived." "Frivolous." "Unworthy." "Inadequate." "Beneath contempt." "Do you know that's what you called me, uncle ?" "The opposite of your heir." "Why do the gods steal glory from you now ?" "Defiled by the people you save." "You sacrificed for Rome... your whole life long." "And this is how you're paid." "I so admired you, uncle." "I wanted to be like you." "I really did." "But if this is what happens to a Caesar..." "I don't want greatness." "If this is your will," "I fail you yet again." "So, he is with you." "The next Caesar, as his uncle would have it." "He does not believe it." "Yes, well, his uncle's will leaves no doubt." "He needs to see it." "I left it in the vestal temple for safekeeping." "Meet us there." "Please." "A dozen men in Rome desperate to rule, and Caesar names him ?" "They're clearing the rabble from Porta Ostiensis." "Our little procession can exit the City without a hitch." "And Antony ?" "They say he's in mourning." "He plays with us." "We gave him his chance." "Let him regret he said no." "What's going on here ?" "What are you doing here ?" "Saying goodbye to an old friend." "And you ?" "What would the public think of so many wounds ?" "And what would they see, a tyrant or a victim ?" "They won't see anything." "You think a cloth can hide what you've done ?" "You watch your tongue." "Caesar can't protect you now." "Do I need protecting in this free, new republic ?" "You can't erase what you've done so easily, Cassius, or what he's done." "Oh, how courageous to defend him now that he's dead." "And where was your heroic voice when he was alive ?" "I was shouting down real tyrants when you were a child." "The senate hall you defiled with your knives, I helped to build." "You're just a mouth that flaps." "Rome has no place for you." "You stay here, and you're as dead as Caesar." "I swear by the gods." "I'm on to you, grandmother." "Now, move." "The alley." "This way." "Something's wrong." "Do you hear ?" "It's Antony." "We'll be torn to pieces." "Murderers !" "Traitors !" "Is this how the senate treats your Caesar ?" "Caesar !" "No !" "Murderers !" "Traitors." " Back inside." " No." " Back inside." "We'll be crushed !" " If we run and hide, then what ?" "Cowardice now, and we've lost forever." "Or we can face this and win." "Who told Antony our plans ?" "Not one of us." "We should've given him his audience." "You do not give to Antony." "He only understands strength." "And the mob ?" "What do they understand ?" "Shame on you !" "Get Atia from her cell." "We'll use Caesar's sister to quiet this crowd." "Go." "This is no way to honor him." "Friends of Caesar... listen to me." "You are here uninvited." "But you are here." "An aggravation to those who would try to slip Caesar from this city unnoticed, to deny us our grief at his passing" "and to deny him the honor he is due." "I will not name them." "You know who they are." "The very same senators who, one month ago, heaped accolades upon Caesar, all unasked for." "What is he doing ?" "Well, this is not about Caesar's rule." "It's about Antony's." "They offered him the title "emperor."" "It was Caesar turned it down." "And now they call him... tyrant... despot... and tell us we should be grateful for the violence they do." "I was asked not long ago, what did I want." "What was my price... now that my friend is dead and Rome is to be divided as spoils." "I said then, as I say now, all I want is to honor this great Roman as he deserves to be honored." "Is this how Caesar should be treated ?" "Hail, Caesar !" "Hail, Caesar !" "Hail, Caesar !" "Hail, Caesar..." "Stop this." "For you ?" "Why should I ?" "For your brother." "For his beloved citizens, who will be trampled if Antony persists." "Stop this... or perish in the dungeon." "The choice is yours." "What are you doing, Atia ?" "Speak to us !" "My brother loved you." "He loved you, the people of Rome." "It was in you, a free and proud citizenry, that he found the strength to do all he did." "In you." "Not in armies that tyrannize." "Not in political alliance forged for personal gain." "In you." "Everybody claims to know Caesar when it suits them." "But I did know him." "He was my brother, and I tell you, he would be touched by your presence here." "But I must ask you to respect him now, to think what he would want, what he would do." "Caesar !" "We loved Caesar !" "I have seen his will." "The will of Caesar -- it exists." "And that will is Octavius " "Caesar's one true heir, Octavius !" "Hail, Octavius !" "Octavius !" "Octavius !" "If this will exists, you show me." "Why ?" "So you and Cassius can both destroy it ?" " That whore dies !" " Octavius ?" "It's not up to Caesar to anoint his successor." "They're calling his name." "You think I can't hear ?" "Come on !" "Move along, there !" "Get out of my way !" "I'm a senator !" "Get away from me !" "There they are !" "There they are !" "Move !" "Move !" "Keep moving !" "They defile him." "No." "No !" "They honor him." "They do." "I've seen it before in the arena -- felt it." "This is the mob." "Its affections... your inheritance." "Hail, Caesar !" "Hail, Caesar !" "Hail, Caesar !" "Witness the birth of a civil war." "An empire is dawning." "An empire built on the rage of the mob." "It is the mob who will determine the next ruler of Rome." "You're too young to understand what Caesar has started." " His succession." " Civil war." "The first volley was just fired." "And now, lists of enemies, secret trials, heads on pikes." "It will take a century to rebuild what has vanished here in an instant." "Rome, sacred vestal, is dead." "No, Rome lives as long as that fire burns." " You think so ?" " Those are my vows." "You're lucky to have them." "As for the rest of us, our path is highly uncertain now." "I shall be leaving Rome." "You will return." "No." "Reason has fled, and locusts swarm the City, and my day is done." "You think I'm a coward, don't you ?" "No." "No." "I think you're quite brave." "But these times may need all of us to be braver still." "Cicero, is that it -- the will ?" "I don't want to see it." "Read it to him, then." "Read it and be done." "No !" "Stop." "Consider your place." "Sit." "We met just a few days ago." "It seems a lifetime." "Yes." "They consumed him." "The crowd did." "Screaming his name." "And they were screaming for me." "But not you." "Caesar." "For in the eyes of the crowd, you're already no longer yourself." "I don't want to be Caesar." "I'm sure you don't." "I was called by your uncle." "Did you know that ?" "At the age of six." "That's when we start." "I was just taken from my home, placed here... and my instruction began." "They told me it was an honor to be one of the only six vestals in all of Rome." "But it didn't feel like an honor." "Not at all." "I know what it is to feel overwhelmed." "And I know what goes with that -- to feel unworthy." "But the decisions in this, they're not ours to make." "As always I'm a vestal, and always... you will be Caesar." " So it's true, then." " Yes." "He names me successor." "He named you his son." "Gaius Octavius Caesar, as if you were his own." "And this is his ring, entrusted to us for safekeeping." "It's yours now, truly." "Take this, my friend." "The names of the few who will help." "Protect him." "Protect them." "Protect us all." "In the name of the senate, open this door." "There are horses outside the city wall, this way." "Are you mad ?" "What are you doing ?" "This is a violation !" "You two, check the storeroom !" "You, the back !" "This is sacrilege !" "Don't you lay a finger on her !" "What have you brought to us ?" "Where are we going ?" "Far from here." "Cicero has given us a place to begin." "Trust me." "I swore an oath." "You leave Rome a hunted boy, but you'll return an emperor." "Rome, 44 B.C." "Julius Caesar has conquered the known world." "Murdered by the senate," "Caesar names his young nephew, Octavius, heir to the empire." "I don't want to be Caesar." "I'm sure you don't." "But the decisions in this, they're not ours to make." "Fight, Tyrannus." " The 10th legion could use him." " Pity he's a slave." "What did he say?" "Protect who?" "Tyrannus." "I vowed to protect you." "I put my family in danger." " Well, I didn't ask you to." " No, Caesar did." "I have seen the will of Caesar." "It exists." "And that will is Octavius," "Caesar's one true heir." "Octavius." "Octavius!" "Caesar will not rule us from the grave." "Find his will." "Destroy it." "I know the vestal matriarch has sworn the temple will not take sides." "By my vows and duty, I'll keep it safe." "The smoke of the fires has obscured the moon over Rome, just as the lies of the senate have hidden the truth." "Cassius wants the people to believe that Caesar was a tyrant." "If no one refutes this, it will become history." "I am a vestal virgin, one of only six in all the world." "My duty is to tend to the sacred flame." "Vestals are forbidden to engage in politics." "Though I am a vestal, I am a roman first, and I swear the people will know the truth." "By morning light, I will see Caesar's will and testament nailed to every door in Rome." "Listen, listen." "Is it official?" "Read it out loud." "10 denarii for the name of the traitor that posted this!" "Traitor?" "No, no, no." "From here, where your strength lies." "Again." "You don't have to do this." "Go take care of your family." "My family is my business." "Again." "They've probably reached Cyprus by now." "I don't want to speak of them... ever." "Now, try again." "We'll be at Magonius' villa before the end of the day." "Maybe Magonius is the wrong place to look for support." "Cicero has him at the top of his list of likely allies." "So, tell me, how do I convince a seasoned general he should commit his army to me?" "I thought you said you knew him." "From parties, where I most likely tried to seduce his daughter." "No one expects you... to win a war single-handedly." "Just tell this Magonius your plan and let fate determine the rest." "What plan?" "This gate should be locked." "What does a general have to fear?" "Something's wrong." "You invade my home?" "!" "I will see you all hanged!" "The senate demands that you commit the fourth legion to its defense." "If Cassius was man enough to demand it himself, he'd leave here without his head." "You're in no position to make threats, Magonius." "I'm not in the habit of making threats." "And I will not be intimidated, at least not by the likes of Cassius." "Sir, over here!" "My slaves." "Back to the fields!" "Away from my house!" "Farm slaves?" "Take them, also." "I will not tolerate the confiscation of my property." "Oh, you'll tolerate a lot more than that where you're headed." "Take him." "Right, sir." "Let's go." "Come on, come on." "Cassius, Caesar's will is on the street, posted everywhere." "There are accusations that a vestal virgin distributed it." "Well, that sounds like an invention." "There are witnesses." "Did you know that he left the majority of his fortune to the common people of Rome?" "Well, he pandered to them because he knew they were his only power base." "He cared what they thought of him." "What's your point?" "Plebeians are on the street killing senators, chanting, "assassins!"" "That doesn't disturb you?" "There's so much suffering in this room." "Am I with a woman?" "The mob must understand that the senate, not Caesar, now rules." "We'll begin by appointing consuls to replace him and Antony " "Caesar loyalists that please the mob, yet men we can control." "Taking Antony's consulship is like poking a caged tiger." "Good." "Let him understand that without us, he has no legitimacy." "Let his hand be forced!" "I am so sick of your fear!" "Rapax, clean your feet." "You're paying a visit to the vestal temple." "For you, Octavius." "Only the pontifex maximus of Rome has authority here." "Is this the vestal Camane?" "I'm not hiding." "She will be taken into our custody to determine whether she's an enemy of Rome." "No." "Bring her here." "Lay a hand on one of our order, and you risk far worse than your commander's displeasure." "If the citizens of Rome do not strike you down, vesta surely will." "Sir?" "Expect a return visit." "What happens when I canno longer protect you?" "Move to the right!" "Keep moving!" "Faster!" "My dreams are filled with blood, with torture." "I cannot tell if it is Octavius' or my own." "I've defied the vestal order by choosing sides." "If I am charged with treason, the punishment is death." "I will be buried to the neck, and my head broken with stones." "And if the senate finds Octavius, his execution is certain." "Get in line!" "Now's your opportunity." "Go on." "You!" "Arrogant fool." "They're gladiators hired by the senate." "That money will run out." "Cassius doesn't understand that yet." "He's like a little boy with wooden soldiers." "Why is he doing this to you?" "He wants the fourth legion, like you do." "It's true." "I need your support." "Cicero suggested you might sway your soldiers to join me." "I prefer not to discuss politics when I'm in chains." "I recommend you concentrate on the problems at hand." "Quit talking, you two." "Keep walking." "Can't put a man of my station here." "Where are we?" "and all others die -- the combat dungeons of Arkham." "This way, general." "Don't look at him." "Don't look at him!" "Don't look at anyone." "They'll think I'm weak." "Those are gladiator chieftains, choosing slaves for death in the ring." "This is a combat prison." "If you show any sign of courage, you'll be selected to fight." "I'm sure they'd be easier adversaries than you." "As fresh meat, all they'll give you is a wooden sword... against that." "And if you survive, you're a gladiator." "Is that it?" "99 out of 100 don't survive." "And don't turn your back on a chief." "It's a mark of disrespect." "Don't do anything that makes you stand out, because if you do, they'll put you in the ring, and in the ring, you will die." "Do you hear me?" "Octavius?" "This one's wearing oils." "They perfume their whores that way in the city." "You trying to make your masters sneeze, pleasure boy?" "Are you showing me your eyes?" "I'll show you the faces of the gods if I get the chance." "The next time your eyes see mine," "I'll be spitting in your dead mouth... whore." "Marc Antony has disappeared and left Rome to burn." "The senate has no choice but to strip him of his consulship." "In this vein, we nominate the noble Cimber and the noble Quintilius as our new leaders." "I thank you both most dearly, but" "I must decline." "Decline?" "I'm needed on my lands." "My cattle are diseased, you see?" "Though, of course, it pains me to be robbed of the privilege of serving as consul." "Very well." "I'm sure the economic stewardship of Quintilius will leave us in good stead." "Who will partner noble Quintilius?" " I'm losing my vision." " What?" "I have these spots in my eyes." "I'm nearly blind." "The consulship would require too much reading." "It's impossible, I'm afraid." "I put forth Cassius and Brutus to serve as consuls." "Oh, agreed." "Their guidance through this difficult period has been both shrewd and statesmanlike." "Let's not game each other, gentlemen." "In the public's view, we are the killers of their beloved Caesar." "I'm sure you good men will not ignore your duty." "You made this stew, Cassius." "Don't expect us to eat it." "Should any of you expect on going protection from the rioters, alert us now." "The number of our guards is growing limited." "We wouldn't want to forget anyone." "I'm sure Quintilius and myself can find suitable candidates for consul." "Just keep walking." "And for mercy's sake, keep your eyes down." "Hurry up!" "Move yourselves!" "No fight, no food." "Does it hurt?" "Good." "Maybe pain will give you some sense." "I'm a Caesar." "I will not dishonor myself by displays of cowardice." "You think suicide is brave?" "You could have used your famous might to stand with me, which is supposed to be your job." "You don't understand." "I'm known here." "By whom?" "No one recognizes you." "Not by my face." "But I fight in the style of a Cypriot." "If I engage in battle with this man, I'll kill him, and they'll soon identify me as Tyrannus of Rome." "Then you are revealed to your enemies." "I cannot protect you here." "Drink." "I don't want your pampering, mother." "If I'm in the mood to nurture," "I suggest you take advantage of it." "Our general Rapax failed to deliver the vestal Camane as ordered." " Has she fled the city?" " No." "His courageous soldiers refuse to move against the sisterhood, fearing the retribution of the goddess vesta." "What authority will move them?" "This can't go unpunished." "Caesar was pontifex maximus, the highest religious authority in the state." "Like consul, it's one ofthe many offices he held that now stands empty." "Since his death, there's been no replacement." "But a new pontifex?" "Can we do that?" "Fetch us olives, mother." "Get your own olives." "I've examined the writs." "During times of great crisis, the pontifex may be appointed by senate decree." "Your mother's a clever witch, Brutus." "Whom do you favor as the new pontifex?" "Take your new hat and solve my vestal problem." "Now." "Awaken to die!" "Awaken to die!" "Awaken to die!" "Awaken to die!" "Which one of you will be today's fresh meat?" "Give the general a seat of honor." "It could be his last." "You -- pleasure boy." "He stole that move from Tyrannus of Rome." "I saw Tyrannus do it in Cyprus." "I want his face!" "Face!" "Face!" "Face!" "Face!" "..." "The whore is my property!" "If anyone should have his face on a sword, it's me." "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "..." "Fight me." "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "..." "Spare him!" "Spare him!" "Spare him!" "..." "He's spared." "Protect Octavius." "Not ready." "Teach him how to fight, my friend." "Teach him how to rule." "Hail Caesar!" "That jackal guard will be around again soon." "So be it." "We don't get to pick which day's our last." "Dying is easy." "Keeping yourself alive is a task worthier of you." "My eyes are open, Tyrannus." "I'm unarmed and marked for death." "You don't know what you're marked for." "Pay attention." "My arm's extended straight." "Where am I weak?" "I don't know." "You said your eyes were open." "Now, use them." " The elbow." " Good." "You pull me forward, step to the outside." "Try it." "Again." "You're weak." "Again." "Better." "Good." " Like with the sword, right?" " Mm-hmm." "My son Piso... his lungs are weak." "I'm worried he'll catch cold on his journey." "It's my fault, all of it." "I should have kept my eyes down." "Leave me with your master, boy." "This is Gaul." "They use smaller tridents there." "And this... a leopard's claws." "I'm unlucky with animals." "Especially when they've been unleashed in an arena, hmm?" "Like in Dalmatia?" "I served in Caesar's armies -- nothing more." "Be as mysterious as you like." "You still dropped your hands to me, which means I'll have to do you over slow and ugly next time." "Water!" "Have you gotten word out of here?" "Is someone coming for you?" "I can't reveal myself." "Your companion -- clearly, he's not some house slave." "Who is he?" "A gladiator of some renown." "His identity must be shielded here as well as mine." "A brave servant isn't enough in here, young Caesar." "Offer him up if you have to." "He'd be executed." "His beating was intended for me." "He sent his family into hardship for me." "You ask for my help, for my legion." "Then show the resolve your uncle had to do what is necessary." "Are you saying you'd betray a loyal soldier who more than once saved your life?" "I'm not claiming to be the next ruler of Rome." "You are." "Steel in a Caesar's sword is useful." "Steel in a Caesar's heart is imperative." "Go." "So, boy, you know the general?" "I'm his farm slave." "A noble man's son... that's what you are." "A noble man's son... without protection." "Do you know the mother tongue?" "Because I will be answered when I speak." "I'll see your heart turned on a spit." "Well, come and get it!" "You're worth more to me alive." "Leave us." "Noble pontifex." "I'm not a noble pontifex." "I'm a political actor, as are you, in a drama that's fast becoming a farce." "Why did you post the will of a dead tyrant on the doors of the senate?" "A dead tyrant who counted you amongst his friends, I thought." "Answer my question." "The people that loved Caesar deserve to know his last wishes." "You must denounce Caesar's will and throw your voice behind the senate." "My vow is to vesta, and I will not displease her by parroting the lies of assassins." "No sanctuary can protect you, girl, if you are officially accused of treason." "Is there no mercy in your maiden's heart for a man pulled between love of his friend and duty... to his republic?" "Vesta has mercy and love for such a man but only if he alters course -- if he decides to live in truth and honor." "Truth?" "Yes, and honor." "An altar asking the gods' protection." "For whom?" "And who placed it?" "The vestal virgin, untainted by the crass self-interest of her senate counterparts," " or a girl with a crush on a prince?" " How dare you!" "Yield a public retraction, denounce Octavius... or I will make this temple shake." "Senator Cassius, this way." "I kept him back here, senator." "Tyrannus." "Well, are the accommodations to your liking?" "Could be better." "Or much worse." "If any harm comes to me, Cassius, the fourth legion will never back you." "Which is why, despite whatever bickering has kept us squabbling in the past, today we have no choice but each other." "See, a lawless dictator, whether Antony or Octavius, only enrich themselves and threaten the landowners -- us." "Are we wrong to protect ourselves?" "I want that legion." "Killing Caesar could have re-established the senate as the true ruling force in Rome if the right man had been holding the knife." "Instead, the senate got Cassius." "The other senators laughed at your dinner invitations, and now you think they'll follow you to the servian walls?" "You're a eunuch, Cassius." "And since harming me would threaten your interests," "I can follow my heart instead of my head." "I'll throw my lot in with the boy." "Cut him to pieces." "Tell them who I am." "Save yourself." "I would have followed you." "Hail, Caesar." "For a general, he wasn't much of a strategist." "I'll have his legion for the senate, and for the anguish he caused me, this estate for myself." "I'll alert my gardener." "Tell him what you told me." "We arrested Magonius here with two slaves." "They arrived on horseback, one a boy." "Slaves on horseback?" "Oh, of course." "Octavius and the gladiator." "This would be their first stop." "Assemble the men." "We're going back to Arkham." "Hail, Octavius Caesar, scion of the Julian line." "Freedom, at the very least, I'd say, though I think a few hectares of land might be in order as well." "Don't bother." "You rich boys fold up and die in here" "Don't worry, little flower." "Your troubles will be over soon." "You won't do it." "What happened?" "The chieftain -- he discovered my identity." "Did you hide the body?" "Hmm?" "Octavius, did you hide the body?" "He barely made a sound after I hit him." "I'm a murderer." "Murderer, soldier, gladiator -- what's the difference in the end?" "You did what was necessary." "Listen to me." "The new Rome that Julius Caesar imagined before he died is worth protecting, and so is his heir." "At least I've come to believe so." "Wash the blood off your hands and wait for my signal." "You afraid of a fair fight?" "No, I said a fair fight." "Tyrannus of Rome." "It can't be." "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "What's happening here?" "Find Octavius!" "That's all that matters!" "There!" "There's his bodyguard!" "Where is he?" "Where's Octavius?" "Stop, Rapax." "All right, stop." "Put down your weapons." "Stand back!" "Tell them." "There's two horses behind me." "Release all the other ones." "Now!" "I should kill you for what you did to my uncle." "Oh, do that, by all means." "See how far you get." "One step at a time." "You'll never be Caesar!" "Just tell me which senator accepted the position." "It's complicated." "I'm not sure you realize the hesitancy." "The concern." "Stripping Marc Antony of his consulship -- only a certain type of person would volunteer." "Who is it, then?" "Someone from the outer provinces?" "You couldn't find a senator who wanted to be consul?" "Please don't tell me it's a mayor." "The mayors value their lives as much as the senators, it seems." "Who am I about to anoint leader of the roman republic and roman army?" "These are the aqueduct commissioners of the servian wall," "Herteus and Panza." "The gods test me." "By emergency decree of the senate," "I here by appoint you, Herteus, and you, Panza, to be co-consuls of the republic of Rome." "Don't miss, boy." "I'm hungry." "You do it." "I've had my fill of blood." "Whatever happens now, stay close to me." "But it's Marc Antony." "Just stay close." "No more running, prince." "Rome, 44 B.C." "Julius Caesar has conquered the known world." "Murdered by the senate," "Caesar names his young nephew, Octavius, heir to the empire." "Protect Octavius." "Teach him how to fight, my friend." "Teach him how to rule." "A dozen men in Rome desperate to rule, and Caesar names him ?" "No one expects you... to win a war single-handedly." "Just tell this Magonius your plan and let fate determine the rest." "What plan ?" "Cassius wants the fourth legion... like you do." "I need your support." "This is combat prison." "Don't do anything that makes you stand out." "Does it hurt ?" "Good." "Maybe pain will give you some sense." "Fight me." "I'll see your heart turned on a spit." "You won't do it." "I'm a murderer." "You did what was necessary." "Fight !" "Fight !" "I should kill you for what you did to my uncle." "Do that and see how far you get." "One step at a time." "You'll never be Caesar !" "No more running, prince." "The omens have returned." "They warn off blood, and there is new word of foreign killers arriving to roman shores, master assassins believed purchased by Cassius with Caesar's gold, here for one purpose... to hunt you, my lord Octavius." "Whatever happens these coming days," "Tyrannus must not leave your side." "You're bleeding again." "I'm fine." "We should stick to our plan... head north to claim Magonius' legion." "Antony was like a brother to my uncle." "We can't refuse his help." "His "help" takes us out of our way." "We're nearly there." "I thought I'd ride on ahead." "We'll ride with you, if that's all right." "You're sure ?" "Where are my boys ?" "Marios." "Sula, Sula !" "How have they been, Davus ?" "Eager for your return, master." "What's happened to his leg ?" "He was attacked by an animal here on the property." "Is that what happened, my little legionnaire ?" "Is it ?" "Your true loves." "Now that you've been so happily reunited, perhaps you can return them to their pen." "My wife and commanding officer, Fulvia." "I'm honored to be here." "The honor is ours." "Gladiator." "Your wound..." "It's poisonous." "It would bring on a fever." "I'm fine, ma'am." "Nonsense." "I will not have a guest die of injury here." "Fetch some help for his wound." " That won't be..." " This is one fight you will lose, Tyrannus." "I'll be fine." "Your rooms are ready." "Filled with eager maidens ?" "With food and drink." "Your bath is heated as you like." "Good." "The journey was..." "Caesar." "This was first your uncle's house." "I didn't know." "He gave it to me for our victory at Massilia." "Come." "My uncle..." "He trusted you like a brother." "And I him." "It must have been a blow that he named me his heir." "A blow ?" "A knife in the gut." "I had shed such blood for him in battle, and he had barely mentioned you." "He kept me at a distance." "I hardly knew him." "Well, I did know him, better than anyone." "And he knew me." "He knew I'm a fighter." "He valued that." "He also knew its limits." "Cut down the path, yes, but it always fell to Caesar to build the road." "And with him gone, that now falls to you." "Marcus Caelus, Publius Claudius, Aleus Crito..." "You know these names ?" "Friends of my uncle." "His most loyal and powerful friends... and yours, too, if you can convince them." "What do you mean ?" "I invited them here along with others, all devoted to your uncle." "They'll be here soon." "Why didn't you tell me ?" "I'm telling you now, away from Tyrannus." "I saw his look." "He's a gladiator." "He doesn't trust anyone." "This is not the arena where everyone is an enemy." "This is not his world, Octavius." "You must win these people over, woo them, like your uncle did." "Caesar's ring gets you an audience, but it's no guarantee." "What ?" "Caesar's ring..." "I hid it when we were captured at Magonius' villa." "Then we'll send a slave to retrieve it, by all means." "Do you hear me, though ?" "It's not enough for our guests to hate the senate." "You must do what Caesar did... make them love you." "I won't hurt you." "You're Tyrannus, the gladiator." "I was." "You knelt by the great Caesar when he died, heard his last words." "Afraid, gladiator ?" "No." "You are... afraid of the future." "It's the present that worries me." "You're haunted by blood, by those you abandoned." "What kind of nursing is this ?" "Your duty is here, but your heart is elsewhere, with your wife and your son." "What do you know about them ?" " Your family..." " Tell me." "...In danger." "Please tell me." "The guests will be arriving soon." "I'll take you to your quarters." "Publius Claudius -- dumb as a dog dish." "He certainly bought this commission." "And I win him how ?" "Caesar used to nod." "He said that with each nod of his head, he would count a legion he was gaining." "He'd nod... about everything ?" "There is only one thing with Publius." "With him, it is always that." "Foreigners..." "That's who really rules Rome, crowding our streets, soiling our walkways, gibbering their gibber." "Hear, hear." "Look... even here." "Will the daughters of Rome soon be flapping their bottoms like this, laying down their scents for every passing hound ?" "Is that Roman virtue ?" "What are you going to do ?" "You're the gladiator Tyrannus ?" " Yes." " What would you cost ?" "Are you listening to me ?" "If I wanted to buy you, what would that cost ?" "Excuse me." "Your uncle agreed with me." "I know." "Was he wrong ?" "Of course not." "Caesar knew that Rome must be protected." "Yes." "He did." "But he also knew Rome is a conquering nation." "He devoted his life to expanding her borders." "So now we're overrun." "That's right, with foreigners brought to Rome as a booty of war, feeling only resentment towards their new home." "Perhaps we should not bring the conquered to Rome, but instead bring Rome to the conquered, make our enemies Roman." "You mean an empire ?" "Of filthy foreigners ?" "I mean a universal roman nation." "Our armies can barely control Italy." "It'll be the death of us." "Would it ?" "I have three legions." "Publius, you have four." "Imagine taking our language, our laws, our arts to every corner of the earth." "To be conquered by Rome will be to be liberated." "Oh, the optimism of youth !" "And why not ?" "I'm sure his uncle would approve." "Master, come quickly !" "Master, a wolf attacked Davus." "Can you help him ?" "Bad sign." "We should head north." "I had them, Tyrannus." "Did you see ?" "I saw you talk." "We need Magonius' legion." "Win these people, and you win 10 legions, 20, plus the money to rebuild Rome." "Magonius died and not for this." "I need to be here." "At least someone is ready." "I'm sure this hunting party's more than a match for one wolf." "Tyrannus, why don't you stay behind and look after that injury ?" "No need." "I'm feeling quite fit." "Well, then, show me your moves." "I don't fight for amusement." "Humor me." "So, Octavius, do you really believe we should freely give to the world all that is Roman ?" "Well ?" "I did not say freely." "It will not be that easy." "So, we force them at sword point ?" "Yes, if required." "Your uncle had a saying." "Do you know it ?" ""You can do anything with swords except sit on them."" "What do you think, Tyrannus ?" "Give us the benefit of your wisdom." "I'm a fighter, not a politician." "Excellent." "An answer Caesar himself would appreciate." "Just as well this was practice, eh ?" "Or I'd be greeting my dogs in Elysium." "It's time." "To the hunt." "There !" "The wolf !" "For my dogs, I'll be wearing this wolf by supper." "There !" "Octavius !" "Why don't we wait for them inside ?" "Yes, my lady." "Here they are now." "You dare show your faces ?" "I'll kill you where you stand." "Husband, we've invited them here as representatives of the senate." "You invited them." "And what was your plan, hmm ?" "Did you think you'd arriveto find Octavius dead ?" "Dead ?" "What are you talking about ?" "This arrow, intended for Octavius." "We know nothing about it." "We don't." "I swear." "We are all friends of Caesar here." "We came in peace." "With an offer from the senate to ease our differences." "They honestly seem not to know." "And you believe them ?" "I wonder why they're here at all." "It's true... ugh !" "I invited them." "Brutus can't accept all that's happened..." "Caesar murdered, your mother in prison, the Vestal temple now under attack." "All his own doing." "Apparently he preferred it when the senate just talked." "He suggested they'd make an offer to ease the tension, and I said," ""Why not ?" "We'd hear it."" "From his mouth, I thought, but instead he sends two eunuchs and his quivering mother." " And an assassin ?" " He's a bestiarii, a gladiator who trains animals to kill." "I've fought against them before in the arena." "The risk is too great here." "We'll be leaving." "I understand you're eager to leave." "I know you're concerned about your family." "What about them ?" "She told us you're worried." "Get ready now." "We're leaving." "Stop." "You order me to leave ?" "My family..." "My family is no one's concern but mine." "He's offering to help." "Is that what you think ?" "He wants to send a messenger to check on them." "Your rudeness... jeopardizes everything." "That man saved my life." "I saw." "I need his help." "I need his legions." "What does Antony need, hmm ?" "Caesar would never trust such an unequal partnership." "It's not unequal." "So, what do you bring to Antony ?" "What do I bring ?" "I am Caesar." "There." "To our host !" "To his quick reflexes." "And for his vision in bringing us all together here." "To Julius Caesar, our real host tonight, and to his namesake, my friend, and what we are all of us poised to accomplish together." "No foreigners." "Thank you." "We will win Rome together." "Is that what I think ?" "A good man, my messenger..." "Rode hard all day." "I see it fits." "Inspiring, this gathering, in the true spirit of Caesar." "Yes, absolutely, a new Rome." "A republic in full partnership with the senate." "Now is not the time, consul." "I think the offer will please you." "Now is not the time." "You have admirers of your own." "I wouldn't presume." "Come now." "You must be used to it." "They say you were with Caesar when he died." "It's true." "Crito's absence worries me." "Is he lost to us, then ?" "It's in his nature to know first if a thing will succeed and only then join in." "He'll be here soon." "I can see it." "Can you ?" "And what else do you see ?" "I see a sun." "Son of a father or a sun in the sky ?" "A sun dipped in blood." "It's odd." "Men think of blood as death." "Women think of it as life." "Well, which is it, life or death ?" "Don't the two go hand in hand ?" "I-I see now why she's never wrong..." "Life, death, black, white." "Take your pick." "It's all the same." "You never trust an Egyptian woman." "What were his last words ?" "Tell us what he said." "Yes, gladiator... tell us what he said." "Tell us what he said." "Tell us what he said." "Tell us !" "Tell us !" "Tell us !" "Tyrannus was supposed to protect him." "Go if you need to." "I'll stay." "And your wound ?" "How is it now ?" "Well ?" "Why..." "Why are you leaving ?" "I always leave before the orgy." "Can I offer you a ride ?" "Driver." "Stop !" "Assassin !" "No !" "He tried to kill me." "This is general Crito, our guest." " General, my apologies." " Apologies ?" "He's no assassin." "He's Tyrannus of Rome." "Well, his head will hook good upon a stick." "That won't be necessary." "And who are you ?" "Gaius Octavius." "Tyrannus was trying to protect me." "If you can't control your slave..." " I'm not his slave." " Silence !" "We've had enough of your insolence !" "This was a misunderstanding, general, borne of duty and illness." "Please accept Tyrannus' most abject apology." " Apologize at once, Tyrannus." " We should not be here." "Have I come here to be insulted by a slave ?" "Tyrannus." "Is this how you treat your allies ?" "General, wait !" "Are you satisfied ?" "Your stupidity has cost us four legions." "Get back here !" "The only reason he is leaving this room alive... is as a courtesy to you." "Halt." "Halt !" "I command it !" "You command nothing !" "I give you one last chance, in light of your wound and your concern for your family." "Don't." "Don't speak of them." "Sick or not, you cannot talk to me this way !" "I'll talk as I wish !" "I am a free man !" "And I am Caesar !" "Caesar would never crawl to others, begging them to fight his battles." "He'd have taken back half of Rome by now." "Shut up !" "Shut up !" "You disparage me, call me less than Caesar ?" "And how would you know ?" "Your only knowledge of Caesar was as his bodyguard, and where is he now ?" "Everyone in that room believes I should kill you." "Nothing would gain their support faster than taking you back and beheading you right now." "But I will not do that." "You have gotten me safely here." "For that, I am grateful." "Go." "Go to your family." "Your service is done." "Go before I change my mind !" "Sir ?" "Sir, are you all right ?" "Yes." "Everything's fine." "Marcus Agrippa of the second legion." "If you need anything, we're here for you." "Go back to your post." "Hail Caesar." "You will meet him on the battlefield." "I'm sick of your prophesies... and sick of Antony." "I'm not speaking of Antony." "It's Octavius you'll meet." "Is everything taken care of ?" "Yes, quite." "Good." "Um..." "I have been looking over the senate's proposal." "And ?" "We think it's quite strong." "Especially after Crito's unfortunate departure." "The governorship of Gaul." "A most important and powerful post." "500 miles from Rome." "As was Caesar when he was your age." "And the senate ?" "Let the senate deal with the mess in Rome." "In a few years, you'll return, the conquering hero." "General." "Caesar." "I'll take the governorship of Gaul." "And I'll also take the governorship of Germania and Spain and Macedonia... and of Rome herself, most certainly." "Tell the senate what I tell everyone here tonigh..." "I am Caesar and no one else." "Do you hear me ?" "Well ?" "Did you hear him ?" "Yes, I think you did." "We need another skin of wine." "Yes, more." "Tell me about Massilia." "Just an old war story." "What a victory that must have been, that Caesar gave you this estate." "What a battle." "Victory, yes." "Battle..." "Tell me." "I was..." "I was backed up in the canyon there at Massilia." "General Quintilius Maximus Metallus Idiotus had cavalry there..." "Hastati here." "35,000 men... 35,000." "I was here with 500 men..." "A scouting party." "General Quintilius Maximus Maximus Maximus knew he had me." "I knew he had me." "He rode up himself with his honor guard to my tent to let me know he knew." "A good republican soldier." "I was doomed." "What did you do ?" "Do ?" "I gutted him right there in my tent." "Not entirely honorable, I know." "There he was, and there I was." "What else could I do ?" "Caesar needed a victory." "That's what I need..." "A general like you." "What ?" "You took an arrow for me today." "Yes." "At the time, I didn't know why, but... now I do." "Octavius," "I see in you a great leader, greater even than Caesar." "I will always take an arrow for you." "What are you doing ?" "A declaration." "If anything should happen to me, my troops, all that I command must fall to you." "Nothing will happen." "But if anything should." "The windbag toga brigade must never have Rome again." "And should anything happen to me, my legacy from Caesar falls to you, as he would want." "I assign to you this sacred duty... to preserve Rome." "Brothers together." "A pact ?" "What happened to your gladiator ?" "He's not my gladiator." "But where is he ?" "He's gone." "Let us guard you then." "That sounds like a good idea." "Are you twins, then ?" "Gods !" "A bestiarii is an assassin you never see." "He is a patient hunter." "Like a spider, he traps his prey, poisons them, and then cuts." "Witnesses to the massacre said he came through unguarded gates and watched in shadow as the guests sated every appetite and fell into deep sleep." "Dozens of asps were laid in their beds." "Those who woke had their throats slit." "40 Romans in all..." "In one brilliant, savage stroke, every Caesar loyalist gone." "I see you're up." "You..." "You know, I tried to tell you." "After my victory in Massilia, did I deserve more than this house ?" "Certainly." "But I accepted it gladly because it was from Caesar." "I was happy to be his second." "It was an honor." "Second to you ?" "An empty, vain boy who expects the world handed to him ?" "Saying you are Caesar does not make it so." "Not entirely honor, how this worked out, I know." "But there you were, and there I was." "What else could I do ?" "Hail, Caesar." "Rome, 44 B.C. Julius Caesar has conquered the known world." "Murdered by the senate," "Caesar names his young nephew Octavius heir to the empire." "I know what it is to feel overwhelmed." "You will be Caesar." "Antony was like a brother to my uncle." "That man saved my life." "I need his help." "I need his legions." "What does Antony need?" "The risk is too great here." "We'll be leaving." "He's a gladiator." "He doesn't trust anyone." "Your duty is here, but your heart is elsewhere with your wife and your son." "I'll take the governorship of Gaul, and I'll also take Germania, Spain, and Macedonia, and of Rome herself." "I am Caesar and no one else." "Caesar would never crawl to others, begging them to fight his battles!" "Go." "Go to your family." "Your service is done." "A pact?" "And should anything happen to me, my legacy from Caesar falls to you." "What happened to your gladiator?" "He's gone." "Let us guard you, then." "Saying you are Caesar does not make it so." "The inn of Balbus is this way?" "The main road into the hills." "Denarii for a flag?" "Who's dead?" "Caesar, of course." "News travels slow." "Julius Caesar?" "No, the young one " " Octavius." "How?" "Assassins did it." "The cycle of Marc Antony's madness is now complete." "This is his final masterpiece-- the death of Octavius." "Assigning blame for murders he committed on the new consuls of Rome, a bloody theater of execution and the final nail in the coffin for any who would challenge his authority as the new dictator of Rome." "This is a crime against the republic." "We shouldn't be here." "It's madness." "We should be in Syria raising legions." "Not here." "What is this?" "Did you enjoy the play?" "By what authority do you slaughter the legal consuls of Rome -- innocent men?" "You say this to me with a straight face?" "Despite what you think," "Caesar was killed to preserve the rule of law." "What lofty purpose was served here?" "Order." "And this is my authority -- the mark of Caesar's ring, a legacy Octavius bequeathed to me." "Before he was murdered or after?" "How dare you?" "I will cut out your heart, Brutus." "Bring me a knife." "I'll do it myself." "We're not afraid to die." "So you can become martyrs for Rome?" "Make peace with your gods somewhere else." "Escort these men to the city walls." "It's exile for you." "Take them away... before my mercy runs cold." "Good day." "My name is Tyrannus." "I'm here for my wife and child." "I'm sorry." ""Husband, first you must know that Piso is safe." "A nobleman on the island took him in." "Marius is the family name." "Don't be angry." "I can no longer care for him." "Our journey from Italy was difficult." "There were storms." "I shielded Piso the best I could." "By the time you reached Cyprus, my breath was gone." "The healer tells me nothing can be done." "I want to sleep." "I will see you in Elysium." "Look after Piso." "Always, my love." "Moira."" "Is someone there?" "Are you Camane?" "The lictor will cut you to pieces if you're found here, boy -- get on your way." "I bring news, lady." "About what?" "About Octavius." "Might as well eat." "The children are at the market with my wife." "He's a special one, your boy." "My wife is taken with him." "We make no claim." "Do you have money?" "No." "A house?" "Relatives?" "Are these men still after you?" "I don't know." "Well, I can give you money." "No, thank you." "I..." "Just one question, then." "What are you?" "Slave?" "Freedman?" "Soldier?" "Gladiator." "I got you!" "Me too!" "They're home." "My daughters won't give him a moment to himself." "Well... let me fetch him for you." "Wait." "Wait." "What if I had never come?" "This was discussed." "And Piso -- what would have happened to him?" "He would have lived here." "As a house slave?" "Of course not -- as my son." "He would have the finest tutors." "They would teach him latin, science, history." "He would speak latin?" "Not just latin, but greek, many languages." "His destiny would be his own." "I know what you're thinking." "And I agree." "Your world is no place for him." "Piso." "Come on, Piso!" "Don't tell him I was here." "Are you sure?" "I cannot repay your kindness." "You don't have to." "Good luck to you, Tyrannus." "Over here!" "Follow me!" "Has there been any change?" "It's the venom." "He fights for every breath." "We have to bleed him, get the poison out." "Can he survive that?" "Does he have a choice?" "Shh." "There, now." "There is a custom in Rome, an understanding." "When a man has lost everything, he leaves his household gods, the symbols that connect him to this world, at the temple flame." "From that moment on, he is a ghost on the road to Elysium." "The death that follows is an afterthought." "That is the roman way." "Study your books, Piso." "Be a man of peace and reason." "You know what you're doing, don't you?" "I've seen it done." "Hold his arms." "Which god do you worship in this house?" "Apollo." "Pray to him." "It's in the gods' hands now." "Octavius?" "Octavius?" "Oh..." "Caesar." "Where am I?" "Oh, you're safe, my lord." "You're safe." "I ask for african warriors, you send me a half-starved hoplite with the pox." "Perhaps a I need a new slave trader." "Demand is very high." "The dungeons are empty." "Tell Marc Antony to slow down." "You can tell him yourself when I throw you to my lions, which is where your fat ass is headed unless you find me some fresh meat... and soon." "I'll fight." "Yours?" "Yes, he's... very good." "Show your eyes, slave." "Temper." "Not many men get the drop on Fortunus." "You -- you're the best in Rome?" "I am." "Then I'll have to fight you." "Where are your from?" "Cyprus." "200 sesterces for the cypriot." "Done." "I owe you one, friend." "What would you like?" "Opium?" "Whores?" "Boys?" "I just want to fight." "You've come to the right place." "You slept." "You..." "I know you." "Agrippa -- that's your name." "Yes, sir -- of the second legion." "Formerly of." "My father will break my legs if he finds out I deserted." "Good thing he's in Patavium for the harvest." "Patavium?" "I'm in the north?" "How did I get here?" "The feast." "There were a dozen of us from the second posted as guards at Marc Antony's villa." "Bury him by the hemlock." "What has the general done?" "Dig." "Cursed gods." "He's still alive." "What are you doing?" "Aim for the temple." "It'll be quicker." "This is Caesar!" "That's no concern of yours, boy!" "On three." "One... two..." "Following orders is one thing... killing Caesar another." "Tyrannus was right." "Gods, what have I done?" "You've put yourself in danger." "I'll be hunted now, and so will you." "They think you're dead." "And, anyway, let them come." "Caesar fought for us... for men like my father." "Let farmers own their own land." "We should honor him." "I owe you my life." "No, just the opposite." "When I joined the second legion..." "I pledged my life to Caesar." "Put... it away." "Remove it from my sight." " I thought you'd " " I'll find a way to repay you." "And I accept your friendship." "But save your pledges." "Are you a thracian?" "Oh." "Dogs." "In my land we kill thracians for sport." "I love to kill thracians." "It's a tournament -- reterians and secutors." "The winner faces Fortunus, the dimachaeri." "No thracians?" "Weapons?" "Lucius wants an exhibition." "What?" "What is that?" "It means they'll give us no weapon." "We're practice for Antony's gladiators." "I'm sorry." "It costs me money, too." "Tomorrow, then." ""Beneath this stone rests Adriana, who took her own life upon hearing news of the death of her beloved in the battle of Galatia."" "You shouldn't be up, my lord." "I came to thank you." "Of course." "What are you doing?" "These tombs are old." "No one is left to care for them." "You're different... just from when we first met, I mean." "Everything is different, my lord." "Why do you call me that?" "Out of respect, my lord." "For what?" "What have I done that is deserving of respect?" "Exactly." "I preferred it before when you called me a child." "At least I understood why." "If I may be so bold, my lord, Caesar chose you, not Antony." "He made a mistake." "We'll never know, will we?" "I know." "I was tested, and I failed!" "Tyrannus gave up everything for me -- family, freedom." "But I was lure with promises of legions and empire." "Y-you responded as anyone would." "Not a Caesar." "I failed." "Antony has the legions, has Rome, and he should keep them." "Are these lives... any less meaningful because they're not politicians or generals?" "That's not the point." "It's just a name, Camane." "Calling me Caesar doesn't make me him." "I've been fighting." "I've been fighting for my life... not for Rome." "You're up." "Yes." "Another endless dinner with the senators eager to know your plans." "I don't know why you waste your time." "It's the wise thing, politically." "And you?" "How did you spend your evening?" "You can tell those old men that Rome was built on the battlefield." "There's been too much talk." "You should have seen their faces... when I told them about a month of games to honor Caesar... and the cost." "Let them choke on the cost." "I'm sure they conspire against me already." "Now, what has Hercules incarnate got to fear?" "What's wrong?" "I can't concentrate." "You waste your time on whores and leave nothing for your wife!" "Enough." "Go to them, then." "Vesta, accept this offering of argei and illuminate a path through fear and confusion and deliver to us the son of Rome." "This isn't what I meant." "All hail to the great Caesar!" "A month of feasts and games, and this is the thanks I get." "If you spent more time hearing petitions instead of at the bottom of a wineskin, they might love you more." "I need the wine." "It dulls the bite of your endless criticism." "Oh." "What, am I to be sorry for you now?" "As if you were capable." "Glory and honor." "Glory and honor." "May I introduce my new wife, Larissa." "I would be honored if you sit with me up front." "Oh, how exciting." "You're first." "Can I be honest with you, cypriot?" "I never killed any thracians." "I know." "Citizens who challenges Rome's finest gladiators." "Citizens, citizens... the cypriot has proved his worth in the arena and earned his moment of destiny." "Let met introduce... our beloved champion..." "Fortunus!" "Fortunus!" "Fortunus!" "Fortunus!" "Husband." "Moira." "Tyrannus..." "You -- you're not the best... not until you've killed me." "Try not to miss." "Hold!" "Guards." "Strike the blow." "Strike the blow!" "Strike the blow!" "Strike it!" "Strike the blow!" "You coward!" "Coward!" "You coward!" "What is that?" "Minstrels." "Well, come on." "Don't go back." "Come with me." "How can I?" "How can I stay?" "What's wrong with this?" "Everything." "Camane." "It isn't enough for you to run from your duty, but I have to abandon mine, as well." "No." "Camane!" "What is this?" "A slave was found trying to sell this in a market in toscana." "Is this " "You've jeopardized everything." "Someone dug up the body." "The soldier charged with burying him is dead." "The grave is empty." "Octavius is alive." "What would roman centurions doing out this far?" "Gods!" "Octavius?" " Milady, remember me?" " No!" "It's me." "Come on." "We're surrounded." "Get the horses." "Octavius!" "No!" "The ring!" "How did it reach his hands?" "I don't know." "It must have been stolen." "And found its way back here?" "It found you." "This is a sign." "What are you doing?" "The gods have spoken." "No." "Camane." "The centurions are looking for me." "If they find you instead, a vestal, you'll be executed." "Not if you take your name." "Not if you claim your destiny." "Don't." "Don't do this." "Octavius, these are Antony's assassins." "You're no good to her dead." "Camane, please!" "Come for me when you're Caesar." "Come for me." "Octavius, we have to go." "You are on a road to revelation... a road I've been on... a road that took me through blood... and fire... and eventually... peace... because I knew my enemy." "I knew his name." "Who thrust you into this conflict?" "Who cost you your name?" "Your dignity?" "Who named a child emperor even if it meant civil war?" "And most important... who cost you your wife and son?" "Caesar." "I will come for you." "I will come for you." "When I wake up, I'm afraid to move." "Afraid to think" "Rome is crumbling at our feet." "I can't read the signs anymore." "I've lost the sight." "That led us into chaos." "I failed all that I loved, the temple, Rome," "Octavius." "Caesar's dream is dying." "How will history judge these days." "And who will protect this dream." "What do you want?" "You must be hungry, tired?" "I'm used to prisons, why am I here?" "I know about your son." "Hear me out." "There is no shame leaving him to a better life." "Tyrannus, you are a symbol." "Caesar died in your arms." "If you and I are united, the people will follow." "I'm not a boy with dreams of empire." "Caesar gave you a wooden sword and enslaved you to an oath." "I don't bargain that way." "The armor of the centurior," "it is the only way a free man can become a soldier, and a soldier become a noble man." "Why should a stranger raise your son?" "Serve me in my army, champion my course, and I'll get you land and title, and I'll give you what Caesar promised." "Serve you?" "What does it matter if I gain politically when the choice for you is so simple." "Your death or your son." "Camane." "Gods, I never should have let her go." "Cicero will help." "You locals." "My father has a farm south from here." "We're cousins." "Gods." "Don't, those are cursed with girese, and animal spirit, from here to Longoria." "Maybe the old boys got a point." " Hey!" " Let him leave." "These were Antony's soldiers." "What spirit flies an arrow through a soldier's hands at 50 meters." "A good chance spirit." "This was a robbery." "Men did this." "Men willing to define Antony." "Men who could help us." "We can fear the gods or we can listen to them." "For theirs is the language of signs." "Often they are left like footprints in the sand." "Few are those with the wisdom to see them." "Fewer still are those with the courage to claim them." "We wish to speak with Cicero." "Who may I say is calling?" "Tell him..." "Caesar." "Noble Cicero, I'm sorry to come like this unannounced, but I need your help." "Camane has been taken by Antony's forces." "A vestal." "You know what this means:" "Antony has defied the will of my uncle and taken Rome for himself." "The people need a voice." "You are Rome's greatest statesman, you must return, and tell them I'm alive and I'm coming for the thrown." "Your friend is standing on my baby's breath." "Don't be deceived by its size." "Baby's breath grows fiercely, forcing all aside." "She doesn't know it is small and thinks it is an oak tree." "And here the distinction is not, and nor will it ever be." "If we peel off a few senators from the north, then soldiers of those province may follow." "You were a friend to my uncle, be a friend to me." "The peas are splendid this season," "Lily will prepare supper for you." "Stay the night if you would like, and then be on your way." "Is there a problem here?" "This commoner struck the signifyer, sir." "A freed man struck an officer of my legion?" "Strip him!" "Let this be a lesson to you!" "That's enough." "The only reason you've still got a head is because your Antony's pet." "He has the entire ninth legion under his command." "You just made a powerful enemy, but won the devotion of your men." "I promise not to speak of politics, if you don't speak of gardening." "A convoy of Antony's was ambushed on the road." "The attackers left this mark." "This mark?" "You've seen it before?" "No." "I've never seen this." "Are you certain?" "I am." "May I use your library?" "Octavius, be wise, don't pursue this." "Why?" "I don't want to see you hurt." "The legendary reform of Marius in 180." "Each legion of Rome was described an emblem of identity, a precious symbol." "There is one cloth." "The legendary third," "Caesar's greatest legend, his most famous warriors," "Balfus, the archer." "Saturnicus, the master of the sword, the hill at Rebecti." "With his men, he pinned the third into the valley with a rain of spears." "The resolve of Caesar's greatest soldiers was broken." "Against their general's orders they broke ranks and fled until..." "Caesar plunged the head of his men into the barrage of spears thrown from the hilltops, and the third rallied and took the hill at Rebecti," "but Caesar could not forgive." "For their cowardess, he ordered the legion decimated." "Chosen at random, one out of every ten soldiers was executed by their own." "Brothers killing brothers." "This punishment broke the will of Caesar's finest legion, and shortly after there was a mass desertion." "The legendary third vanished into the mist of god." " What " " Shhh!" "Octavius." "They left quickly." "They kill him." "Prepare my carriage." "We're close." "How do you know?" "Octavius!" "What is your name, boy?" "Gaius Octavius, but when my uncle was killed," "I inherited his name and his legacy." "My name is Caesar." "He was just a boy." "So was my brother when he was murdered." "Were not savages." "I say the boy dies." "Surely a curse of them all." "Are we not united in this?" "Is this not the retribution we waited years for." "Where is Maximus, I'm Marcus Cicero, you fool." "They came to execute Octavius." "Well, of course they do." "I demand justice." "Cut his throat, as Caesar had my brother's cut, blood for blood." "What law was broken at Rebecti." "The way you apologize for him." " And the line not been broken, we'd never come to this!" " where were you... at the back with the luggage." "Enough!" "Maximus, sir, he says he is Marcus Cicero." "Roman law has no authority here, Cicero." "I come to speak on behalf of the boy." "Let him speak for himself." "Let him beg for mercy." "I will beg for nothing." "Nor will I bargain away the memory of my uncle to save my own life." "I know your anger." "I do." "Caesar was like a father to us all." "And his methods were his own." "That day on the hill at Rebecti, you were the greatest warriors of the greatest legend that ever walked the earth." "And the only thing that stood between Rebbectatus and the fall of Rome, that day you lost brothers and pride;" "he stood to lose the world." "I'm in chains, yes." "But you're the ones in prison." "To a memory." "Follow me out of this forest." "Join me against Antony." "Be the legendary third one last time." "Behold our brother." "Raise another sword against a commanding officer, and I'll have you tried for treason, and executed." "Do I make myself clear?" "If i hadn't stopped him, he would have killed the boy." "I admire your commitment to your men, Tyrannus, but the law is the law." "If that is all..." "Stay a moment." "There is some news, Tyrannus." "Apparently Octavius is alive." "We thought this would be received as welcome news." "Tell me that my wife is alive." "And my son sleeps in his own bed." "That would be welcome news." "Yes, you have suffered." "Magnify that suffering by hundreds of thousands." "That is the civil war that Octavius is planning." "I'm not a politician." "All we ask is for your loyalty." "It was simple once." "I killed who they asked me to kill." "And now it is simple again." "You can go." "March now, crush Octavius into the dust before this plague spreads." "Since this conflict has reached its most desperate hour." "Caesar, risen from the ashes, has defied history, and won the support of the famed third legend." "Throughout the countryside, they're taking up arms in news of Caesar's return, and Marc Antony feeling his fire will become an inferno has gathered six legends." "And at home, he has formed against Caesar's allies, and led with a punishing hammer against any who defy him." "As I speak these words, the armies gather on the battle fields of Mutina, outnumbered and encircled, the fate of Octavius and his third legion now rests in the hands of the gods." "Pray for the son of Rome tonight, my friends." "Pray for us all." "You look well." "Make your offer." "I have no desire to see romans killing romans tomorrow, even disgraced soldiers do not deserve to die because of your vanity." "My vanity, I never wanted this legacy." "Why are we here?" "Because Caesar chose it." "Because he refused to share power with anyone." "It was proud." "No." "I was a student." "A student." "That's what he wanted." "Caesar was a conqueror who loved this people, but he didn't know them." "He could never be one." "And you offer them what?" "The infinite wisdom of a spoiled patrician brat." "You're right, I'm a spoiled patrician, but I'm also a plebian who stood with the mob as Caesar's body burned." "A slave born in the blood pits of Arcum, an exiled soldier seeking redemption." "And I'm a son." "Who found his true father on this journey." "I am Rome, and I will reflect her people and give them a nation they deserve." "You are a dreamer, and the reality is:" "You will die on the battlefield tomorrow, and your dream will die with you." "I have so far, no Caesar blood on my hands, and I see advantages in keeping it that way, so I propose exile for you." "With a little vestal, a lovenest." "Hold." "Your not worthy to speak of her." "You hear me, though," "Octavius." "Political death is far less painful than real thing." "I reject your offer." "Dawn then." "Dawn." "Caesar, the men are asking for you." "I've killed them all, haven't I?" "There is still a chance." "Agrippa, bring me a cloak, ready my horse." "Where are you going?" "Just do this for me." "Watch over me tonight." "I have no offering but myself." "Do they answer?" "Your gods?" "You're here." "Always." "They told me you were in Mutina with Antony." "I am." "I rejected his offer of surrender." "At the time, I knew why I did it, but now I'm not sure." "If I am to die tomorrow, there is nowhere on this earth" "I would rather be than here with you." "Nor I with you." "I've made you suffered." " No." " I have." "Everyone has suffered because of me." "My soul is my own, and I've given it to you by choice." "Antony offered exile." "With you." "That's another lie." "Yes, but it made me think." "If I am not Caesar, if I were just myself," "this is our dream now." "If it were all different," "I would take you to the outside, some place warm and safe," "and I would ask you to spend your life with me." "I would want that with all my heart." "I don't think I can play this game." "No, no game." "My lord, if I freed you from the promise you made me that night, if I let you go, would you go." "Would you please." "You asked me to come to you when I was Caesar, and I'm here." "I can't leave those men out there." "I know." "Everything will be all right." "Don't be afraid." "I'll stay with you tonight." "If he's not coming, I'll talk to them." "I passed a seer along the road this morning, studying the end trails of a slaughtered rabbit." "He told me Octavius and his third legion would meet a bloody death on this field today." "I said, well, that is impossible, my friend." "Because I'm already dead." "And Caesar's third legion died on the hill of Rebecti 12 years ago, so you cannot kill us because we cannot die." "This is why Antony is afraid." "Because he knows that beyond death, there is no fear." "You fear this comet as an omen of the end times." "You're wrong!" "This comet is mine!" "This comet is ours!" "We, not the gods, we have chosen this comet, and this hour!" "To tell the world that the lost legion has risen and Caesar has returned!" "Hail Caesar, hail Caesar..." "Should I save Caesar for you?" "Let's not stand on ceremony, if you see him, kill him." "You cannot see him." "Charge!" "Let go!" "Octavius, they're rolling over us." "Hold the line!" "Hold the line!" "Hail Caesar." "Protect Octavius." "Teach him how to rule." "Centurno." "Fight out without me." "I serve Antony." "No more." "I die on this battlefield today with Caesar." "I want to ask you to join me, if you stay with Antony, feel this today." "Do me this one thing:" "Tell my son -- tell my son what I did here." "What are we waiting for?" "Tyrannus!" "We are about to die, salute you." "You're with us now?" "Wait." "What is going on?" "The legion turned, and the soldiers are joining us." "Thank the gods." "Second thoughts." "Not every man is made fool." "Obviously not you." "Never a gladiator when you need one." "Caesar never crawled." "You may have deflowered your vestal horn," "but you should never have this empire." "What would Caesar do?" "Kill him." "Hail Caesar!" "Hail Caesar!" "..." "Do it." "But I won't." "He may be of some use." "Hail Caesar." "Hail Caesar..." "Hail Caesar!" "Hail Caesar!" "Hail Caesar!" "A child of Nuerva, and keeper of the flame," "upon you now, rests a sacred trust." "To tend the herth fire and the palace of Athina." "When mercy sees fit to intervene on behalf of the condemned." "For the owner of these duties, you give your life to this temple." "With vows to remain childless and pure, for the length of your living days." "But I don't play this game." "Failure to keep these vows brings death." "And pretense the fall of Rome." "Camane." "My lord, Caesar." "I anoint you keeper of the flame." "Matriarch of the order of vestar." "There are no gladiator tombs in Rome, no gravestones, no record of their names or triumphs." "History remembers the rulers, not the slaves." "The name Tyrannus of Rome will slowly fade into the stream of time." "Only the gods will know he melt by the dying Caesar and swore an oath to protect the boy who became a god."