The legend began beneath these dark hills
and under this same sky.
It tells of a sword of great power,
forged for the conqueror Julius Caesar.
This weapon was passed down until it reached
the last of Caesar's noble line, the emperor Tiberius.
On his death it was hidden away to keep it from the hands of evil men.
For generations it lay in a secret place.
marked by the sign of a pentangle
and as it was written. under the very gaze of Caesar.
I, Ambrosinus, born in Britannia...
was one of many men who sought it.
In a time of injustice,
I made it my life's task to find the sword
and the one righteous enough to wield it.
I journeyed far across the Continent,
through the heart of an empire that ruled half the known world.
Now a threatened Rome was calling back her bravest and best
to defend her boundaries.
Make way!
Good to be home, Commander?
Is this what I'm supposed to wear?
I can't even remember how to put it on.
Why ask, Vatrenus, hmm?
Why me?
because they trust you. You are a true Roman.
besides, 'tis a glorious thing, they say, to guard the new Caesar.
We held Africa for them for 10 years,
grew old on their battlefields,
lost good men.
What was it all for?
We're soldiers, Aurelius. Politicians make the decisions.
Two breeds of men to be avoided like the pox-
...politicians and philosophers.
You know, in Alexandria they cut off the hand that steals.
No, please.
Once the hand is off, it's for God to decide whether you live or die.
Most die.
Batiatus!
Do it outside. It'll make a mess. blood everywhere.
- Who's this? - Thief. Caught in the act.
I'm not a thief.
Now he's yours, big man.
- One hand or two, Commander? - Oh, just the one.
No, let me go, please!
I wasn't gonna steal it, I swear to you! I give you my word.
Your word?
You?
A street boy? A thief?
How can you be a man of your word?
I just wanted to look at it.
I am Aurelianus Caius Antonius, commander of the Imperial Guard.
I am asking you, do you lie to me?
I would not lie to you.
You come back in ten years, boy.
I'll give you your own sword.
Now get out.
Another worthy foe vanquished then, Commander.
It's heartening to see soldiers of Rome display such valor.
Who are you?
One who knows humiliation to be a poor teacher...
for both men and boys.
I smell a philosopher.
Are you all right?
- Take the boy and go. - In our own good time.
Hey. He said go, old man.
More than a philosopher, then.
How'd he do that?
Every time we have goose for dinner, you do that same old trick.
Oh, dear.
Have I done that one before?
And I didn't need your help.
Either way, you missed your Greek lesson.
How come you never told me you knew how to fight?
Get out of here, both of you. Go, go!
Let them pass.
- Odoacer. - Orestes.
For ten years I have supported Rome.
Ten years my warriors
- have fought beside your legions. - Who is that?
The commander of the Goths.
So now here I am...
to claim my dues.
And what are your dues, General?
One-third of all Italy.
You think I'm joking?
Is this true, Orestes? Did you make such a pact?
No... how could I promise what isn't mine to give?
One-third of Italy.
That way the alliance continues
and your new Caesar
will not topple from his throne like the others before him.
I promised you nothing beyond the reward you were already given.
You've grown so tall, Orestes...
you forget whose shoulders you stand on.
Romulus, where have you been?
We've been looking everywhere.
Ambrosinus, you took him outside without a guard?!
- You know the danger. - No, I-
It's a fine morning. We went for a walk. No harm done.
You know what tomorrow holds for him?
For all of us.
I know perfectly well, Orestes.
I have as much care for your son as you have.
What did you say?
You go too far, schoolmaster.
Leave us.
Orestes, sometimes I think you forget he is just a boy.
He has your blood in his veins, bloodline of the Caesars.
He was never just a boy.
Mother, in five years there have been five emperors...
and they were all murdered.
What will happen to me?
You will be guarded by the best.
You will live long and rule wisely.
My son...
this day you join the immortals.
Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!
Mother, am I now the most powerful man in the world?
You are.
Then why can't I stay out on the day I am crowned?
What am I to be, a god or a boy?
You are Caesar, and my Caesar must be protected.
but who would harm me?
The one you saw, Odoacer the Goth.
He is our ally.
And you, teacher of words and numbers,
what is the business of the state to you?
My only concern is the welfare of your son.
You make concern yourself no longer.
He is Caesar now.
He's still a boy.
Perhaps he still needs me.
Well, your task is over.
Leave us. Don't come back.
Romulus...
Hail, Caesar.
This is Aurelius, of the Nova Invicta.
He will command your personal guard.
May I see your sword, Commander?
He must do everything to protect me from harm,
- must he not, Father? - Indeed, he must.
To the last breath.
And do I have your word on that?
You have his word.
He is sworn to serve you.
Is it so, Commander?
Thank you.
I only wanted to look at it.
Open the gate.
And this is also Caesar's will?
You've been well rewarded. Go back where you came from.
My crime is putting new ideas into a young head,
teaching a lad to think for himself.
This lad is our emperor.
Which do you serve: Caesar or your own ideas?
"A wise man never asks what another man serves...
...for only his actions will speak the true answer. "
You've read your Seneca.
I find poets as dangerous as philosophers.
And you...
Where did you get this?
A long time ago...
in another land.
...from a man who loved only power.
So you're an adventurer, as well.
If I see you again in Rome, it'll be on the point of my sword.
Take care in the mist, Commander.
It may hide what the gods themselves dare not look upon.
but who will guard the guardians themselves?
Nestor?
Leave us.
A senator.
Well, these sit better on me than armor ever did.
How is it with you, Aurelius?
Oh, a little older... no wiser.
After all these years?
Did you ever marry, have children?
No.
So what do you make of Rome?
Different.
Uneasy.
If you're to guard our new Caesar, keep your wits about you.
And come see me. Friends are a rare commodity these days.
I will.
The Goths! They've betrayed us!
You! To the wall!
Commander!
Prepare to fire!
Aurelius!
Down!
Defend the Emperor!
Get back, behind! Go! Go!
Form wall!
Over this way!
Get back, boy!
Yah!
Ugh!
Father!
Odoacer wants the boy alive!
I'll do my best.
Save yourself.
Yah.
Aah!
King, the emissary from Constantinople.
Welcome, Excellency.
The city is ours.
I ask that your empire recognize me
as the sole ruler of Rome and all her dominions.
My emperor is in Constantinople.
I am his eyes and his ears,
but I cannot speak on his behalf.
Then go and seek his word.
Master!
Aurelius! Fetch water.
The boy, Caesar- is he alive?
I couldn't find him.
His mother and father were killed, as were my men.
How did this happen?
Some of your men survived, that I do know.
Vatrenus was taken prisoner.
There may be others with him, but...
they're to be executed as an example
to those who would stand against Odoacer.
Come to me.
Is it for you that so many people have died?
Such an innocent face.
The blood of the Caesars flows in his veins.
Old Wulfila here thinks that I should fear you.
Is this true?
He is the last of the bloodline. End it now!
Old Rome will die, and we rule!
We?
We rule?
Take care, Wulfila.
Sometimes your tongue runs ahead of your brain.
What do you say, boy?
Should I be afraid of you?
Why is Caesar treated so?
Why is Caesar treated so...
Perhaps Wulfila's right.
Perhaps I should end this here, right now.
Can you see yourself?
Can you see your face?
What do you see?
Do you see a boy?
Or do you see a Caesar?
I see...
Tell me.
I see a Caesar.
I am Caesar.
Wrong answer.
Take him away. Cut his head off.
That will be a grave error, Lord Odoacer.
Who are you?
You kill the boy, you make a martyr of him,
and Caesar's ghost will haunt you ever after.
Is that so?
- Read the signs. - What signs?
An omen.
Do not mistake it, Odoacer.
If you hear one thing, then hear this.
What now happens in this room will echo across an empire.
A city may be won by blood.
It takes a man of vision to rule.
All empires are built on blood.
People will judge you.
The people will thank the gods that they survived
and serve their new master.
Now, I asked. Who are you?
Will they respect a leader who's so afraid of a Roman child
he had to butcher him?
Perhaps the boy is more use to us alive than dead.
Do you want to look a fool? Kill them both!
Fool!
Your best hope for the future, Lord Wulfila, lies in silence!
Give me your hand.
Now, I ask, who are you?
I'm known by many names.
Like a thief.
Here I'm called Ambrosinus.
The boy will be taken to the island fortress at Capri.
You-you will be his prison guard.
That's your reward.
No harm comes to him unless I say so.
Not a hair on his head, you understand me?
And take this one, too.
I don't trust him.
Someone's here.
Where?
Please.
Wait, Aurelius, I know this man.
He speaks for the Eastern Empire.
Is the boy alive?
I saw him in chains.
They're taking him to Capri.
I'll find him, bring him back.
From Capri? That's impossible.
- It's an island, a natural fortress. - I'll need my men.
We've long been allies, Senator.
Free your Caesar.
My emperor will give him sanctuary until it is safe for him to return to Rome.
We meet at Fano in six days, on the beach.
If you bring back the boy, there'll be a boat to take us east.
Six days, then.
- To the last breath. - To the last breath.
What's this?
One of the ambassador's guards. You'll need help to free your men.
These people are our allies. Use them.
Follow me.
Act as my prisoner. When I give the signal, try to escape.
You understand what I've told you, yes?
Then do as I've said and nothing more.
Uhn!
Him first.
Stop!
Another prisoner.
I'm to take this one's head back to Rome,
an assassin sent to kill Lord Odoacer.
Go.
Uhn! Aah!
Get him!
Uhn!
Ambrosinus...
I want to be with them.
I want to be with my mother and father.
You are with them.
They live on in your heart.
You cannot see them,
but it's as if you're in one room and they're in the next.
I should have died, too.
Not your destiny.
I have no destiny.
Every living creature has a destiny, be sure of it.
but when the pathway gets dark and it's difficult to see the way...
Well...
that's why you have me...
for all that I'm worth.
Dumb bird. Forgot to feed it.
Pugie. Pugie!
I knew it.
I knew it was a trick!
Shh.
Is this our destiny,
to be prisoners here for the rest of our lives?
Have faith.
There is a purpose behind all things.
Where is he now?
No sign of the Goths.
but we should stay close to the river.
The river, yes.
They'll have scouts all the way.
- Agreed, so we- - Mira.
Yes.
What?
My name. Mira.
There's your boat.
How d'you want to do this?
If we all go down there, we'll scare him off.
He'll be gone before we get there.
Wait here.
He's a woman.
Uhn!
This fortress was built as a palace
by the great emperor Tiberius, who, it is written,
was a man of great dignity and bearing-
both of which you've inherited.
So my ancestors built my prison.
A prison it is.
You thirsty, boy, hmm?
Go on, drink.
Mm?
Drink.
You dare insult me, boy! Huh!?
It is a long way down, no?
How many fingers will it take you to learn
your fate lies in the palm of this child's hand,
as sure as Odoacer is your master.
Throw this boy to the rocks, you will follow.
When the time comes, boy,
I will send you to join your mother and your father.
You.
Odoacer said nothing of you.
String him up!
Hold.
What is this?
Are you some kind of priest?
A sorcerer?
Just a seeker after the truth.
You would never understand.
Put him up.
How long is it to climb to the top?
An hour. Faster coming down.
Take up all the wood we can spare. And rope.
You stay on the boat.
- You may need me. - No.
The pentangle!
Of course, of course, of course!
This is the place.
The sword! Tiberius must have brought it here.
And the boy will find it!
Romulus!
Ambrosinus?
Go to the temple.
Look for your ancestor, Julius Caesar.
There is something he guards for you.
Look under the gaze of Caesar!
Of course, of course, of course.
Under the gaze of Caesar.
I told you to stay on the boat.
You will need my help.
You know what happens to a soldier of mine who disobeys an order?
Your men are too slow.
Stay out of sight.
I don't see why you take the risk.
I serve my emperor.
He's your country's ally, so I am with you.
Where did you learn to fight?
I come from Kerala, in the south of India.
We were taught to fight like our forefathers.
It is called Kalarippayattu.
When I was 14, I was at the 7th level.
Out of how many?
Seven.
Shall we talk all day, or climb?
Julius Caesar.
"One edge to defend;
"one to defeat.
In Britannia was I forged to fit the hand of he who was destined to rule. "
I have work for you.
Oh!
Uhn! Uh!
Give me that sword.
Give it to me!
Uhn.
- You. - Only two to rescue an emperor?
More are coming.
Caesar! - The temple!
Yours.
Uhn!
Uagh!
Tsk.
Romulus!
You found the sword, boy?
Save the emperor!
Where's Caesar's sword?
It's this way!
Get them away.
Get them away!
I got it.
Batiatus.
Yours.
- Go! - This way.
Get the boy away.
Roman.
Where's the boy?
Safe below with the others.
You were right, Batiatus. It is quicker on the way down.
"One edge to defend; one to defeat.
"In Britannia was I forged
to fit the hand of he who is destined to rule. "
Caesar's sword.
That is why it had such power.
Britannia.
Gather the men!
Made for a conqueror...
Julius Caesar.
Caius Julius Caesar ensis caliburnis.
Feel the weight.
This sword carries a prophecy.
Did you see anything...
anything written?
Then you know all you need to know.
Take it.
It's yours.
Welcome, Caesar!
Aurelius.
All of you.
There is food and drink inside the tent.
We need to talk.
Alone.
You're safe now.
From here you'll be taken to the Eastern Empire,
to Constantinople.
You'll have sanctuary.
Uh!
The ambassador has heard from Constantinople.
The emperor will not give sanctuary to the boy.
He will not oppose Odoacer nor offend him.
Everything has changed.
The day after you left, the garrison of Rome swore allegiance to Odoacer.
Now the rest of the commanders have declared.
They all stand with the Goth.
There must be others still in the field.
What about the Ninth?
The Ninth Legion, they're far to the north in Britannia.
For all we know, Britannia has crumbled into the sea.
Then we must move fast.
Can you get me men?
Yes, you can keep your rank, command a new army.
Good. Then do it now.
We'll drive out the invaders if I can have 5,000 men-
Not for that, Aurelius, I can't do that.
Why not? What is it with you, Nestor?
- Odoacer isn't just a barbarian. - Is he not?
No, he's become a politician, and a very astute one.
Now he has the Senate on his side.
How many of the Senate?
We have to see things as they are.
You're with them.
In time, perhaps, we can challenge Odoacer, not now.
So let's say you give me this army, Senator.
What will you ask for in return?
The boy.
You mean Caesar?
Caesar is a word from the past.
There is no Caesar.
Prepare the horses.
Where is the boat?
I said prepare the horses.
Where is the boat to take the emperor to Constantinople?
I gave you an order. What was it?
Prepare the horses.
Do it.
You are a soldier, Aurelius.
Leave the politics to me.
This is an order. Give up the boy.
Without the emperor, there is no Rome.
Then you will run like a dog until they hunt you down.
Commander.
- Get the boy. - The boy!
Get the boy!
Stop, comrades! We're all Romans!
Uhn!
Rrrah!
Vatrenus.
You don't understand, Aurelius.
I had to do it.
Aurelius, my friend, if you ever loved me...
For friendship.
Uhh...
Uhn!
Now that the Eastern Empire has gone over to the Goths,
we have no refuge in Constantinople.
Or here.
Or in Germania.
Where do we go, then?
The Ninth Legion is in Britannia.
It's the only way left to us, north, to find them.
This is not your fight.
You're free to go.
Go?
Where should I go?
I have broken my sacred oath,
killed my commander.
I'm like you.
I have no country now.
My road is your road.
Commander, where we go is not your decision to make.
Caesar?
We go north, to Britannia.
beyond that peak is Gaul.
by the next full moon, we'll be in sight of Britannia.
My beloved Britannia!
Nobody alive, Commander.
There are horses here.
After all these years, it's still happening.
Who could have done this?
Only one man.
His name is Vortgyn.
What is this place?
Hadrian's Wall, the last fortress of the Empire.
A monument to Roman law and order.
The Ninth Legion.
We've found them.
Look.
The dragon.
They were here once.
So where are the Ninth, old man?
This is your country.
What has happened here?
This is where the Empire ends, Demetrius.
There's nothing left but this wall.
We came all this way for a legion of ghosts.
Should've made our stand in Rome.
It would have been hopeless.
He must know.
Ah, he's fought hopeless battles before.
And you have stood by him.
Any time, anywhere.
They look like farmers.
Who are you?
I'm Aurelianus Antonius of the Nova Invicta.
These are my men.
I'm Kustennin.
These are mine.
I'm looking for the Ninth Legion of the Roman Army.
Why do you come so far for them?
Rome has fallen.
What happened here?
The Dragon Legion is no more.
They were more than 1,000 strong. Who could have defeated them?
Kustennin, where are my countrymen?
Commander, I am Flavius Constantinus Marcellus,
general of the Ninth Legion.
Rome abandoned us.
Some men left to fight in Gaul.
Those with families stayed here.
Now you see we live like Celts.
We have a whole new generation.
We saw villages destroyed, people slaughtered.
Vortgyn, King of Anglia.
He's taken the southern kingdoms, and now he wants to rule all Britannia.
He's left us in peace so far. We are no threat to him.
And he knows we are no ordinary farmers. Come.
We bring greetings to Lord Vortgyn, conqueror of the Anglian people,
rightful ruler of Britannia.
There is a boy.
A boy?
He carries a sword. The sword carries a prophecy-
"One edge to defend; one to defeat.
In Britannia was I forged to fit the hand of-"
"... he who is destined to rule. "
You, uh, know of this.
You say a boy has it?
Where is this boy?
Here, in Britannia.
Oh!
I've waited all my life for this.
Lord Vortgyn, the sword belongs-
To the hand of he who is destined to rule!
This... is the hand.
Then I take the boy and the man who travels with him.
This man...
Tell me about the man.
He is the boy's teacher.
Acts like a priest.
He is not Roman, maybe from Gaul or here, in Britannia.
He has a scar here in the shape of a sword.
Like this?
The same.
When I have the sword...
I will make you a gift of the boy.
And the man?
The man is mine.
This blade was forged from a flaming stone
that fell to Earth from the stars.
Who has ever seen such a thing in the dark of the sky at night?
Then you will know, and you will know,
and you will know,
that what I tell you is true.
The stone of fire that fell to Earth
cooled in the ice of a mountain and turned to iron.
There it was found by a master blacksmith, a Calybian.
He hammered the metal in his furnace for three days and three nights,
hammering in the white heat with no stop,
no, not so much as to eat or drink.
The cutting edge he tempered in the blood of a lion,
and see here- he carved the pentangle,
a symbol of faith and truth,
so whoever held this sword
would have faith and know that it would serve
one cause, and one cause only.
The truth.
Would you take up arms again?
For the emperor?
We swore a sacred oath to defend our emperor to the death,
but to go against the Goth...
It would take a miracle.
It's so simple for them.
They like each other, and they're not afraid to show it.
How do you see me, Aurelius?
You're a fine warrior.
You let your guard drop occasionally, you're...
careless, sometimes.
Show me.
Is that all you see me as, a warrior?
You're a handsome woman in your way.
Such passion, Commander.
You must have broken many hearts.
You're getting slow.
Must be age.
You know, your attacks are a little too predictable.
So, where am I open?
There.
Not bad.
Do you know this place?
Once, yes, I knew it well.
This was a sanctuary for those whose lives
were dedicated to the secret of the sword.
Did you live here, Ambrosinus?
Here I was given this,
by Vortgyn.
Aah!
Where is it?!
He wanted the power of the sword for himself...
...but the secret could only be given to a righteous man.
That moment. so long ago.
marked the path of both our lives forever after.
The pentangle.
It's the same as on the sword.
Remember the prophecy?
"In Britannia was I forged...
to fit the hand of he who was destined to rule. "
I left Britannia in search of the sword; I found you.
I knew then that what was written must come to pass.
but I'm Caesar without an empire.
How can I fulfill the prophecy?
Have I taught you nothing?
Prophecy is an act of faith,
and we are the keepers of the faith.
What do you think, Aurelius?
Would you bury your sword for this,
to have a home, keep cattle, grow fat?
When it's over.
Maybe then.
I'm cold.
Well, little one.
I want you to...
go back to your people.
Carry a message for me.
You have a friend who comes from a distant land.
They must give him up.
Look.
Ygraine?
The blacksmith's family.
This is Vortgyn at work.
- Oh, please, don't make them kill me! - No, no, no.
- They'll kill me. - Shush, child.
- They won't kill you. - Yes, they will. They'll kill us all.
Unless we give them...
Him.
Romulus?
Lovely Romulus.
The boy. He is the one.
He is Romulus Augustus Caesar.
Why us, Aurelius?
Why did you come to us?
I lost my wife and two sons today...
and I want revenge...
but the bitter truth is if we stand against Vortgyn,
many more will die,
perhaps all of us and our families.
That's not revenge; that's suicide.
The boy should go,
- and those who came with him. It's not our fight.
That's true, suicidal.
Let us hear Aurelius.
I will speak for him.
Everything you have been told is true.
I am Caesar.
We came asking for your loyalty, but Rome has not been loyal to you.
Now, if it is the right path and if it will save more lives,
then I will surrender to Vortgyn.
Whatever is decided here will be my destiny.
What are we doing? This is our emperor!
One day will decide this, one final battle.
At dawn I leave for the fort with my men to fight and defend from there.
Those of you who will stand with us, we welcome you as brothers.
Those who will not, we leave you also as brothers.
I salute you all.
Hail, Caesar.
You kept your armor, after all these years.
Ten years of farming gives you something worth fighting for.
Twenty as a legionary... teaches you to be ready for the day.
Good man.
It was made for my brother.
Doesn't he need it?
He's grown since then.
If we all die tomorrow, Ambrosinus...
what happens to the prophecy?
Now is the test of our faith, and we are the keepers of the faith.
We keep the flame alive.
What happens after is not ours to know.
If we don't live to see tomorrow...
Nothing will ever part us.
Commander.
A boy once took your sword.
What if he now offered you his in exchange?
I would use it well...
and salute the Caesar to whom it belongs.
You are Caesar...
wherever you are.
Always remember.
My friends.
We've all seen many mornings like this one.
Together we've watched the sun rise
and not known if that day would be our last.
Some comrades I've seen scarcely out of boyhood,
trembling before their first battle.
It was a cold morning, Commander.
That it was, Demetrius.
And you men of the Ninth Legion,
all of us,
together we have fought all our lives
for the empire that our ancestors created
and together we have watched that empire crumble to dust.
but with its fall we have lost two friends...
and I can tell you that in the darkest moments,
I came to believe that there was nothing left to fight for,
but I've been shown through the wisdom of others
that there is one more battle to be waged
against tyranny and the slaughter of innocents.
Let us defend to the last breath this island of Britannia
against those who would tear out its heart and soul.
And then those who come after us will remember
that there was such a thing as a Roman soldier
with a Roman sword and a Roman heart!
Hail, Caesar!
Demetrius!
Commander!
Secure the gates!
How many?
A thousand, maybe more.
Not as many as I thought.
You two man the walls. Tertius, command the archers.
They're out front! Man battery! Light pitches!
Archers!
Attack!
Aim!
Shoot!
Vortgyn, I give you...
Fire!
Aim!
Shoot!
Sorcerer.
They have the sorcerer!
Clear!
That is no sorcerer.
That is the keeper of the sword.
Aah!
Stay close to me.
The gate won't hold. Watch out!
Uhn!
- Aaah! - Demetrius!
Whoa!
Uhn!
Yah!
bring me Caesar's sword!
Uhn!
Ow!
Uhh!
No!
I thought-I thought I had...
Too many, old friend. We don't have a chance.
They're coming.
The Ninth.
Aah!
To the last breath.
Archers, make wall!
Romulus?
Romulus!
After all you've done to my country...
my Britannia, burn in hell!
behold!
The tyrant, Vortgyn...
He's dead!
Retreat! Fall back!
Romulus!
That's for my mother.
And my father.
Aurelius?
Aurelius, stay.
Stay close.
You fought like a dragon.
And you fought like the son of a dragon.
You once swore to defend me.
Mm, to the last breath.
Have I discharged you from that oath?
Then live, Aurelius Antonius.
And all of you, the last of my legions...
we won a great victory today.
And now I say...
no more blood.
No more war!
And that was how the last of the Romans found a home, here in Britannia,
and how, after years of turmoil, they brought peace to the land.
What happened to the commander, Aurelius?
Oh, he lived.
He took the warrior maiden Mira for his wife.
And Romulus, the boy?
They raised him as their own son.
He grew to be a wise ruler.
He took a Celtic name,
"son of a dragon. "
Pendragon.
That's my father.
And you remember the little girl, Ygraine?
He married her.
My mother?
And Ambrosinus took back his real name.
Merlin.
You?
Merlin-it's just a story.
You made it up. It's a legend.
Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.
Have I ever lied to you?
Every day.
Hmm.
That's it.
That's where the lost legion made their stand.
Great legends were made here.
With you as the hero.
Of course.
We need heroes, don't we?