You're the third emperor of Rome
whom I've served.
First there was Caligula,
then Claudius,
and now you, Nero.
You send General Lucius Caesennius Paetus
to defend Armenia against the might of Parthia?
I'm the one who invaded Armenia in the first place.
I don't goddamn believe it.
I don't fucking believe it!
What's goin' on?
I should be the one to repel the Parthians,
not that cocksure Paetus.
And you order me to safeguard what, Syria?
From who?
Parthians are besieging our legions in Armenia.
And there's a heavy winter coming.
You better hope, Emperor, that the power of Rome
rests solely, not in the hands of your appointed generals,
but in the hearts of those anonymous soldiers
who make up your legions.
Oh.
Proceed, Marcus.
What is the latest?
A new message from the Parthians.
They demand we surrender.
They give us three days.
They guarantee we will not be killed if...
Burn it.
Surrender is not an option.
- General... - I said no!
Damn it.
The Parthians control the pass.
The Scythians have cut off our supply route here.
If we don't get help, we'll die of starvation.
Do you also think that this is all my fault,
for making camp
in a place that can easily be besieged?
That this is all the result of my incompetence?
This is no time to look back.
We're in no position to sustain a prolonged siege.
Our own men remain loyal, but the mercenaries
- have deserted. - God damn mercenaries.
Any word from Corbulo?
I sent three of my best men as emissaries.
They all chose separate routes.
But the mountains are thick
with enemies familiar with our plans.
They all failed.
There is one final option.
Take the only route the enemy will not expect us to take.
A handful of well-prepared men
could scale the ravine.
Once in the forest, it's a seven-day
forest march to Syria and Corbulo's scouts.
Are you telling me, Marcus,
that a few of our men,
exhausted and starving to death,
will be able to scale a cliff,
walk and run through the forest,
battle the enemy,
and reach Syria in just a few days?
Precisely.
I can see that I'm not the only one who has lost his head.
It's the only route
that will not be crawling with the enemy.
Meanwhile, we can make them believe
we're contemplating the terms of the surrender.
Corbulo, that bastard.
I never imagined that my greatest political foe
would one day be my only hope for survival.
And what if, after all this...
he refuses to come to our aid?
It's a risk we have to take.
The route is impossible.
Have you already considered
whom to entrust with this lunacy?
He is a soldier,
raised in the mountains of North Hispania.
Excellent climber and fighter.
Highly revered by the auxiliary cohorts.
Auxiliary cohorts?
He might desert.
He is a soldier.
Loyal to Rome.
There are others, younger, stronger.
But none with his capacity to endure.
What's his name?
They call him Noreno.
Do you think he will do it?
If it's an order, he'll obey it to the end.
Yes, an order.
Duty.
A soldier's lot is nothing but to obey orders,
to fight and sacrifice one's life
without thinking.
What is hard is to make decisions.
They must leave tonight.
We are all already dead, Marcus.
Your plan is impossible.
I can already see Corbulo
as he hears the news of my defeat,
the outcome of my strategic blunder.
His smile.
We are going to need great assistance from the gods,
if we are basing our hopes
on a mountain man.
But if the gods are willing...
so be it.
Sir, Noreno the soldier is here.
Noreno.
You called for me, sir.
You've been selected
to deliver a message to General Corbulo.
The others failed
because they chose a wrong route.
You'll go by one the enemy does not expect.
Through the ravine.
Sir,
what you ask of me is impossible.
Impossible or not, that's our only chance
to survive.
I am aware of your qualities.
I didn't select you for your obvious skills.
You were chosen because of your rare capacity to endure.
If anyone can succeed...
it's you.
We have provisions for only two more days.
If the enemy doesn't kill us, then...
the lack of food or the cold will.
The entire Roman legion
destroyed, disgraced.
You must succeed.
- When do I leave? - Now.
When you leave the camp,
run straight for the ravine.
Scale its walls. Once in the forest, head southwest
till you hit Syria and Corbulo's scouts.
Help me return to Rome.
Help me see my son.
I will do my best.
When you reach Corbulo, give him this.
That parchment bears Paetus' seal.
Oh, may the gods protect you.
Go out from here and run
as if Hades himself were pursuing you.
For Rome!
I'm sorry, my friend!
Go!
Run!
Come on.
No!
Si?
Another idiotic Roman
who believes he can cross these terraces to seek help.
What do I do with him, Saka?
Damn proud Romans.
When are they ever going to stop?
Their pride is what makes them great.
They can't go far.
Look over there.
Here.
Here's the famous ravine.
Go!
Two of the Romans are dead.
The other scaled the cliff face.
That route is impossible.
Nothing is impossible
if you have the will to survive.
They're just deserters.
They sacrificed themselves so that he could succeed.
He's making his way to Corbulo.
The Persians pay us to kill Romans, not to let them escape.
Madyes, you and Saulio make your way to the river.
He'll have to cross it eventually.
I'll send word to the Persians.
Yeah, for now.
So Claudius, tell me,
how far have you traveled to arrive at the frontier?
Hibernia.
Hibernia?
That's the edge of the world.
What's a Celt doing at the Roman auxiliary?
I heard the pay was good.
Pay.
Like most children...
on the coast of Hibernia, I was captured
and taken to Britannia as a slave.
I was a game keeper's ward but...
they couldn't hold me.
He says do you... did you ever want to return home?
I was away from home too long.
I wanted to see the world.
So, I made my way to Gaul
and joined the auxiliary.
They've been the only family I've ever known.
And for that I'm thankful.
He says you should've gone to Hispania.
It's his land. Very beautiful there.
Um, I was raised by my grandfather in Hispania.
And, uh, when he joined the auxiliary,
he was stationed in Britannia.
So I followed him and fought alongside him.
However, when he died,
I decided I would return to Hispania.
I carried his body to the top of the mountain
and there I laid him down
so the vultures could carry his soul to the afterlife.
However, when I returned to the auxiliary,
I met Marcus.
He recognized my ability and...
well he gave me a purpose.
Oh, oh, I think he means, uh, for Rome.
- Si? Si? - Uh, for Rome.
- Yes. - For Rome?
- For Rome. - Rome!
For Rome!
Let her go!
Get out.
Do you live here alone?
Where is your family?
Noreno.
Duria.
I wouldn't do it!
Look! Let me go.
I don't have anything to give you.
I know that you're a deserter but...
believe me when I say...
I will not tell anyone where you are.
I will not betray you.
Do you think I'm actually afraid
you'll tell someone where I am?
I'm not that important that in...
they'll need to send soldiers after me.
I have no interest in what made you desert.
But let me go.
You will have helped save an isolated legion
that has no chance of survival.
I don't care about you
or your damn legion.
Now let's see what you've got in the bag.
A message with a Roman general's seal on it.
I should be able to get something nice for this.
You take what you like,
but you leave me that.
Try to remember that you were
a legionnaire, too.
Rome and all her glory
can burn in hell,
for all I care.
Thank you.
A soldier's life is lived outdoors,
in every damn imaginable weather.
I'm sure that's something you can't imagine, Nero.
But when you're a Roman soldier...
you get used to your hardships...
and what doesn't kill you
only makes you stronger.
Look over there.
Who the hell are you?
Let me go.
Please. I beg of you.
I'm a Roman soldier.
I'm on a mission of mercy.
My men have no food and no water.
Nobody cares.
Least of all me.
I just wanna sell you.
Scyles.
How the hell did you get all the way out here with just this?
Scyles!
Shit.
That man belongs to me!
Yeah? Well these bonds say otherwise!
You're getting old and slow, Medea.
Turn around.
Go back to your woman, Solias.
Oh, wait...
You can't.
I killed her.
This world is mine.
Anyone who comes across this patch
belongs to me.
She wandered too far!
And now, she paid the price.
This bounty is mine.
And I am claiming my reward!
Take my hand.
Take it!
Steady, soldier.
Stay calm.
You're safe.
Rest.
No, I cannot rest.
Where am I?
How long have I been here?
No one is following you.
Stay still.
You are safe here.
Shh.
You are safe.
"There was nothing to animate
the drooping spirits of the army
but the example of their general,
who endured even more
than the common soldiers did."
That was written about me,
about my conquests of Armenia,
whose future Paetus now holds in the...
in the palm of his grubby little hand.
When our long arduous march
took us through hot, desolate
and rugged countryside,
with food and water scarce,
and the Armenians likely to launch
an obstinate defense...
do you know what I did?
I executed Vadandus,
one of the nobles I had captured,
and I cut off his fucking head.
And then I took his head
and I put it in the ballista,
and I sent it catapulting
into the enemy's fortifications.
And they took it as a...
a portent.
They hastened to surrender.
That's a true story.
Would you have had the wiles to act as I have?
No.
Only a true soldier has such an imagination.
Ah.
You are awake.
How long was I out?
Almost a day.
A day?
I really must...
Go. Yes.
I heard a few mumblings.
A name. Duria?
Tell me, from what do you run?
Bandits?
Other Romans, perhaps?
Did you desert your legion?
I'm no deserter.
I, too, was a soldier of Rome.
But that was a long time ago.
I have a mission to complete.
We each have a mission to complete.
Where are you headed, soldier?
To the Euphrates frontier.
I carry a message for General Corbulo.
The lives of an entire legion depend on my success.
I see I am in the presence of an uncommon man.
Did you come across the mountains
from Paetus' encampment?
Yes.
And where did you serve Rome?
In another life.
A distant life.
I served under General Vespasian in Judea.
- Vespasian? - Mm-hmm.
But, he was the only leader
capable of putting down the Jewish revolt
against Nero.
And his practice of rewarding
and releasing his oldest
and most loyal of soldiers is...
well it's known by all.
He's legendary, sir.
I would have very much liked to have served under
such a great general.
Now, I serve a great king.
I do not understand.
Come.
Drink and eat.
You need to regain your strength.
I know this country well.
Your destination is not far.
The most direct route is across a span of desert
that lies between here and the Euphrates River.
I recommend staying out of the sun,
if you can,
and stick to the dry river gullies.
Perhaps not the most direct route across the desert, but...
they will protect you.
Sir, without knowing it,
you've not only saved my life,
but the lives of an entire legion.
I am forever in your debt.
Do not thank me.
I would do this for any man,
Roman, Persian, Scythian.
I'm glad I'm the only one to hear you say this.
It could be your death sentence for betrayal against Rome.
In the name of Rome,
I killed many men.
Now in my wildest nightmares I recall
how sometimes I even enjoyed it.
But I was the one who died.
Enemies?
No.
Men.
In truth, all of them equal.
All of them children of God.
Equal?
And how, may I ask,
did you return to life after being dead?
By listening to the words of a crucified man.
You should not speak this way to anyone,
least of all a Roman soldier.
Are you not aware that Nero has sentenced
all Christians to death?
I no longer fear anything.
Not death.
And, least of all, Nero.
Without fear,
we are free.
Would you still be free in a prison cell,
condemned to the gallows,
or in the Coliseum facing wild beasts?
More free than ever.
And you, do you not want to be free?
Well...
Well, as strange as it may sound, sir...
these last few days,
I think I felt freedom for the first time.
Although I was pursued by my enemies and...
quickly chased down, and they were ready to kill me,
I've never felt so alive.
I've really reveled in these last few days, away from the army.
Then it may be that one day you will know real freedom,
like me, without killing.
And perhaps someday,
you will explain to me this truth of yours,
that makes all men equal, and free.
But for now I must go.
I am very grateful for your help.
Saul.
My name is Saul.
I am Noreno.
I packed some provisions for you.
You said that in life,
we all have a mission to complete.
Have you completed yours?
No.
Wait.
Here.
Take this.
God go with you, soldier.
You are a good man, Saul.
I will not forget you.
I dream that your...
your precious fool of a general,
Paetus, is close to surrender.
His men are starving.
His mercenaries are deserting.
The enemies of Rome
have surrounded him
and have cut off his supply of lines.
Emperor,
had I led the legion to reclaim Armenia,
for Rome,
we would've been victorious by now.
Why hasn't he sent for me for help?
Too proud?
Too vain?
Too stupid?
Yet I hear nothing.
I hear nothing.
Do you, Emperor?
Nothing.
No galloping hooves.
No... there's no insistent footsteps.
No one... no one has come.
No one, no one to help,
not a single damn messenger.
You ordered me here to...
not to marshal my forces unless Paetus himself
sends word that I must come to his aid.
Three legions are at risk of annihilation
because of your poor judgment.
And you've condemned your most able general to wait.
Well, I'm waiting.
Not good enough.
Get up!
That's the spirit.
Show me, Roman!
You've done well, better than anyone
could've imagined. But there comes a time
between hunter and prey when they both know it must end.
You're better than this.
Sand?
I'm not done with you!
Have my fun. Get up!
You're gonna tell me who taught you how to run.
That's it!
That's the fight I'm looking for!
We each have a mission to complete.
Do you not want to be free?
Your mission is over.
I will give you the sweet release of death.
Now tell me, what is your name?
I like to know the names of things I'm going to kill.
Do it!
No.
Your life is meaningless to me.
Now, you end this macabre chase...
or I swear, it'll be your last!
Permission to speak, General.
Well, what do we have today? Is it urgent?
Some of the patrolmen found a legionnaire in the Euphrates.
He claims to be one of Paetus' men.
Wow.
Paetus.
Well, he must be a deserter.
It doesn't seem to be the case.
He says he's a messenger.
Paetus dares to send me a messenger?
Where the fuck is he?
Outside, waiting.
He was armed only with this.
He insists that he alone will hand you the message.
Make him come in.
What's your name, soldier?
Legionnaire Quintus Laberius Surus.
Second cohort,
fourth Scythia Legion, sir.
I carry a message, sir...
from General Paetus to General Corbulo.
So you're bringing me a message from Paetus?
Yes, sir.
Oh, I'm sorry,
but you've come here for nothing.
Valerius, see to it that this man eats well,
and reward his efforts.
No, no, don't, please, sir.
You must help us.
I'll not allow that tone, soldier.
That useless fucking Paetus...
the situation is all his fault.
Settling on such a mountainous area
so goddamned easy to attack.
But sir,
won't you do it for the soldiers' sake?
They have no fault in the poor decisions
- of their general. - Who do you think you are,
talking to me like that?
You speak insolently.
Yes...
you're right.
The general's bad decisions are not the men's fault.
That's what war is like.
I'm not gonna help Paetus.
Valerius.
- Come on. - No.
I'm sorry, soldier.
Why won't he help us?
Thousands of my men will die.
Oh, what is it, Amariah?
What have I done now?
I gather you've heard my reply
to the messenger, didn't you?
I have told you that business of Rome...
Is not my concern.
Yes, you have.
Especially as I am your mistress,
not your wife.
Especially as I'm not Roman-born.
Amariah.
Although I was not born here,
but this is my country.
Your country,
which is a claim of the State of Rome.
That should unite us, not divide us.
Well, all right, it's true.
I've refused General Paetus'
plea for help.
And I've sent his messenger back
on his way, empty-handed.
My orders from Emperor Nero are clear.
I'm to remain here on the banks of the Euphrates
to safeground the... Syria on behalf of Rome.
I do not understand you, Gnaeus.
For weeks you prowled the halls of this palace at night...
sleepless, agitated...
awaiting General Paetus to swallow his pride
and ask for your help.
No.
Beg for your help.
Then, when he finally does so?
There's no glory in arriving too late, Amariah.
Oh.
The young soldier boy, he should be admired.
I mean, look at the distance that he traveled all alone,
through no-man's-land, wilderness,
amuck with cutthroats
and Parthian assassins...
poor guy went over mountains,
through forests, across desert land.
It's astonishing that he managed
to make it at all.
- He was desperate. - No.
He's a soldier in service to Rome.
He fulfilled his duty.
I have been always impressed
by the willpower certain men exhibit
when faced with an impossible mission.
Well, which is why history will be remembered
such as generals as great men.
Generals?
I'm talking about simple soldiers
like that messenger who you dismissed
without a second thought.
He did his duty.
You have told me many times
of how you, above all the other generals,
particularly Paetus,
appreciated the value of good soldiers.
And without them and their stalwart strength,
even the most... best military commanders
would have no chance of victory.
Are you saying
I risk being forgotten because I didn't come
to the aid of a general who's no better than a cur?
No, my darling.
Your place in history is more than guaranteed
in your celebrated single-handed military victories.
General Paetus cannot fall further
in esteem than he already has.
He's humiliated himself in front of his men
and, most importantly,
in the eyes of the Roman emperor.
But, if he dies
all alone in mountains of Armenia...
Then, good riddance.
If he dies holed up in the barren cold,
under vicious attack,
besieged,
possibly fighting for his life
with his last breath...
No. That's unlikely.
There's always the possibility
he will become a martyr,
even a posthumous hero.
Paetus?
- A hero? - Yes.
A martyr's hero,
who gave his life for Rome.
Legends, my love,
do not necessarily rise
from the facts of an event
but from the most romanticized version of a story...
the story that people most wanted to hear...
the hero they wanted to believe in.
Oh, well,
what would you have me do?
Deny Paetus his immortality.
March to his aid.
Do not grant him a martyr's death.
If Paetus returns to Rome,
he'll continue his campaign to slander me.
And the fucker has the emperor's ear.
Slander the man who rescued him?
- Uh-huh. - His savior?
The general who liberated him
from the jaws of a certain death?
No.
Not even Paetus is that stupid.
And of me?
What will be whispered about me behind my back?
They will say...
"There goes...
The great and honorable General Corbulo,
who was so moved
by the courage of a single soldier
a messenger who weathered
an impossible journey
to plead for help."
My advice to you, General,
is to praise this faithful servant of Rome.
Say nothing of Paetus.
Instead...
speak in complimentary terms of unsung heroes.
Do this.
The legions will love you.
No one will speak a bad word against you.
You have condemned your political rival
in a life sentence of public gratitude
of singing your praises
through clenched teeth.
Are you sure
you're not secretly Roman-born, Amariah?
You speak with the wisdom
of one with intimate knowledge
of this political machinations of the capital.
Politics are the same everywhere
as is the quest for power,
internal and universal.
The only thing that ever changes
is the names of those who wield the scepter
or the sword.
Go.
Valerius!
Summon the tribunes!
I want to see them immediately.
The troops must be ready to march at dawn.
Congratulations, soldier.
Do you know what you're going to do now?
Well, I'm going to return to Armenia.
You're gonna go back?
But your mission was a success.
Yes.
But when I was on my way here,
I met a man,
and he said to me that in life
we all have a mission that needs to be fulfilled.
And I feel like I still haven't fulfilled mine.
And I'd like to think that maybe...
somewhere out there,
there's a woman waiting for me.
And I can live a life in peace.
Well...
may the gods help you in your new life, soldier.