By 300 AD, the Roman Empire extended from Arabia to Britain.
But they wanted more.
More land.
More peoples loyal and subservient to Rome.
But no people so important as the powerful Sarmatians to the east.
Thousands died on that field.
And when the smoke cleared on the fourth day, the only Sarmatian soldiers left alive
were members of the decimated but legendary cavalry.
The Romans, impressed by their bravery and horsemanship, spared their lives.
ln exchange, these warriors were incorporated into the Roman military.
Better they had died that day.
Father.
They are here.
For the second part of the bargain they struck indebted not only themselves...
The day has come.
..but also their sons, and their sons, and so on,
to serve the empire as knights.
l was such a son.
There is a legend that fallen knights return as great horses.
He has seen what awaits you, and he will protect you.
Lancelot! Lancelot!
Lancelot.
Don't be afraid. l will return.
- How long shall we be gone? - 1 5 years,
not including the months it'll take to get to your post.
Lancelot!
Rus!
Our post was Britain - or at least the southern half,
for the land was divided by a 73-mile wall built three centuries before us
to protect the empire from the native fighters of the north.
So, as our forefathers had done,
we made our way and reported to our Roman commander in Britain,
ancestrally named for the first Artorius,
or Arthur.
Mother, l finished.
That's beautiful.
Mother...
Pelagius. For you.
Well done, Artorius.
You keep it.
Deliver it to me when you come to Rome.
Come.
Behold, Arthur. Young knights.
lf you so choose, they may some day be yours to lead, as your father before you.
- l'm to be their commander? - Yes.
But with this title comes a sacred responsibility to protect, to defend,
to value their lives above your own and, should they perish in battle,
to live your life gloriously in honour of their memory.
And what of their free will?
lt has always fallen to a few to sacrifice for the good of many.
The world isn't a perfect place,
but perhaps people like you, Arthur, and me and them can make it so.
Ah, as promised, the bishop's carriage.
- Our freedom, Bors. - Mm. l can almost taste it.
And your passage to Rome, Arthur.
Woads!
Rus!
Rus.
Gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus et Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus. Benedictus fructus ventris tui, lesus.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus...
Save your prayers, boy. Your god doesn't live here.
Why did Merlin send you south of the wall?
Pick it up.
- Bors. - What a bloody mess.
That's not the bishop.
God help us.
- What are they? - Blue demons that eat Christians alive.
You're not a Christian, are you?
Does this really work?
Nothing.
Maybe l'm not doin' it right.
Stand down.
Arthur!
Arthur Castus. Your father's image.
l haven't seen you since childhood.
Bishop Germanius. Welcome to Britain.
l see your military skills are still of use to you.
Your device worked.
Ancient tricks of an ancient dog.
And these are the great Sarmatian knights we have heard so much of in Rome.
l thought the Woads control the north of Hadrian's Wall.
They do, but they occasionally venture south.
Rome's anticipated withdrawal from Britain has only increased their daring.
- Woads? - British rebels who hate Rome.
Men who want their country back.
- Who leads them? - He's called Merlin.
A dark magician, some say.
Tristan, ride ahead and make sure the road is clear.
Please do not worry, Bishop. We will protect you.
Oh.
l've no doubt, Commander.
No doubt.
Dozens don't worry me nearly so much as thousands.
Thousands?
l don't like him, that Roman.
lf he's here to discharge us, why doesn't he just give us our papers?
ls this your happy face?
Galahad, do you still not know the Romans?
They won't scratch their asses without holding a ceremony.
Why don't you just kill him, and then discharge yourself after?
l don't kill for pleasure, unlike some.
Well, you should try it someday. You might get a taste for it.
- lt's a part of you. lt's in your blood. - No, no, no. No.
As of tomorrow this was all just a bad memory.
Ohh.
l've often thought about what going home would mean after all this. What will l do?
lt's different for Galahad.
l've been in this life longer than the other.
So much for home. lt's not so clear in my memory.
You speak for yourself. lt's cold back there and everyone l know is dead and buried.
Besides, l have, l think, a dozen children.
Eleven.
You listen. When the Romans leave here, we'll have the run of all this place.
l'll be governor in my own village and Dagonet will be my personal guard
and royal ass-kisser. Won't you, Dag?
First thing l will do when l get home is find a beautiful Sarmatian woman to wed.
A beautiful Sarmatian woman?
Why do you think we left in the first place?
What about you, Lancelot? What are your plans for home?
Well, if this woman of Gawain's is as beautiful as he claims,
l expect to be spending a lot of time at Gawain's house.
- His wife will welcome the company. - l see. And what will l be doing?
Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me.
ls that before or after l hit you with my ax?
Where you been, now? Where you been?
And what will you do, Arthur, when you return to your beloved Rome?
Give thanks to God that l survived to see it.
You and your god! You disturb me.
l want peace, Lancelot. l've had enough.
- You should visit me. - Ah!
lt's a magnificent place, Rome.
Ordered, civilized, advanced.
A breeding ground of arrogant fools.
The greatest minds in all the lands have come together in one sacred place
to help make mankind free.
And the women?
Open the gate!
- Welcome back, Arthur. - Jols.
Lancelot.
Bishop, please, my quarters have been made available to you.
Oh, yes. l must rest.
- Where have you been? - Oh...
- l've been waiting for you. - Oh, my little flower. Such... passion!
Where's my Gilly? Gilly.
- You been fighting? - Yes.
- You been winning? - Yes.
That's my boy. Come on, all my other bastards!
Let us not forget that we are the fortunate ones.
Let us raise our wine to those gallant and extraordinary men we have lost,
but who will be remembered for eternity.
To freedom.
Pelagius.
Very kind of Arthur to give up his room.
But, of course, it is to be expected.
Sir, l'm here to escort you to the fortress hall.
When my master meets with your knights, he must be seated last
and he must be seated at the head of the table.
Your master can plonk his holy ass wherever he chooses.
His Eminence, Bishop Naius Germanius.
A round table? What sort of evil is this?
Arthur says for men to be men they must first all be equal.
l was given to understand there would be more of you.
There were. We have been fighting here for 1 5 years, Bishop.
Oh, of course.
Arthur and his knights have served with courage
to maintain the honor of Rome's empire on this last outpost of our glory.
Rome is most indebted to you noble knights.
To your final days as servants to the empire.
Day. Not days.
The Pope's taken a personal interest in you.
He inquires after each of you,
and is curious to know if your knights have converted to the word of Our Savior or...?
They retain the religion of their forefathers. l have never questioned that.
Of course, of course.
They are pagans. Hm?
For our part, the Church has deemed such beliefs innocence,
but you, Arthur, your path to God is through Pelagius?
- l saw his image in your room. - He took my father's place for me.
His teachings on free will and equality have been a great influence.
l look forward to our reunion in Rome.
Ah.
Rome awaits your arrival with great anticipation.
You are a hero.
ln Rome, you will live out your days in honor and wealth.
Alas...
Alas, we are all but players in an ever-changing world.
Barbarians from every corner are almost at Rome's door.
Because of this, Rome and the Holy Father have decided to remove ourselves
from indefensible outposts, such as Britain.
What will become of Britain is not our concern anymore.
l suppose the Saxons will claim it soon.
- Saxons? - Yes.
ln the north a massive Saxon incursion has begun.
- The Saxons only claim what they kill. - And only kill everything.
So you would just leave the land to the Woads.
And l risked my life for nothing.
Hm.
Gentlemen,
your discharge papers with safe conduct throughout the Roman Empire.
But first, l must have a word with your commander.
- ln private. - We have no secrets.
Come. Let's leave Roman business to Romans.
Let it go, Bors.
Rome has issued a final order for you and your men.
Final order?
You are to travel north to rescue the family of Marius Honorius
and return, in particular, with Marius's son, Alecto.
Alecto is the Pope's favorite godchild and pupil.
lt is his destiny to become a bishop, perhaps even pope one day.
On this day you ask this of my men.
On this day.
They have risked their lives for 1 5 years for a cause not of their own.
And now, on the day they are to be liberated, you send them on a mission
which is far more dangerous than any other they have undertaken.
You tell me, Bishop, how do l go to my men and tell them
that instead of freedom l offer death?
lf your men are truly the knights of legend, perhaps some will survive.
lf it is God's will.
Your men want to go home,
and to get home they need to cross the entire breadth of the Roman Empire.
Deserters would be hunted down like dogs.
Will you defy the Pope, Arthur?
Rome? God himself?
Everything l've done has been for the Church and for Rome.
Do not mistake a loyal soldier for a fool, Germanius.
Would you leave a defenseless Roman boy, destined to lead our Church,
at the hands of the Saxons?
Fulfill this mission, and your men will receive their discharge.
Their papers will be waiting here the moment they return.
You have my word.
You think very hard upon that vow, Bishop, for l will hold you to it.
Break it, and no Roman legion,
papal army,
nor God himself will protect you.
That is my word.
- She gave me fleas. - You better hope they're fleas.
Best of three.
Who wants another drink?
When you gonna leave Bors and come home with me?
My lover is watching you.
You look nothing like him.
You're all Bors.
- Tristan... - How do you do that?
l aim for the middle.
Oh, they want more!
- Here. Be a mother to your son. - Oh, come here.
Dagonet, where you been? We've got plans to make.
Here, please. Sing.
- No. - Just a last one.
- No, l'm trying to work. - Come sing. Shut up!
Vanora will sing.
- No, no. - Sing! Sing!
- Sing about home. - Don't drop the baby.
Land of bear and land of eagle
Land that gave us birth and blessing
Land that called us ever homewards
We will go home across the mountains
We will go home We will go home
We will go home across the mountains
We will go home singing our song...
..hear our singing, hear our longing
We will go home across the mountains
We will go home We will go home...
Arthur!
Arthur! You're not completely Roman yet, right?
Rus!
Knights...
brothers in arms...
your courage has been tested beyond all limits.
Yes.
But l must ask you now for one further trial.
Drink.
We must leave on a final mission for Rome before our freedom can be granted.
Above the wall, far in the north, there is a Roman family in need of rescue.
They are trapped by Saxons.
Our orders are to secure their safety.
Let the Romans take care of their own.
Above the wall is Woad territory.
Our duty to Rome, if it was ever a duty, is done.
Our pact with Rome is done.
Every knight here has laid his life on the line for you.
For you.
And instead of freedom you want more blood?
Our blood?
You think more of Roman blood than you do of ours?
Bors! These are our orders.
We leave at first light, and when we return your freedom will be waiting for you.
A freedom we can embrace with honor.
l am a free man!
l will choose my own fate!
Yeah, yeah. We're all going to die someday.
lf it's a death from a Saxon hand that frightens you, stay home.
Listen, if you're so eager to die, you can die right now!
- Enough. Enough! - l've got something to live for!
The Romans have broken their word.
We have the word of Arthur. That is good enough.
l'll prepare.
Bors?
- You coming? - Of course l'm coming!
Can't let you go on your own! You'll all get killed!
l'm just saying what you're all thinking!
Vanora'll kill me.
And you, Gawain?
l'm with you.
Galahad as well.
O merciful God, l have such need of your mercy now.
Not for myself, but for my knights,
for this is truly their hour of need.
Deliver them from the trials ahead,
and l will repay you a thousandfold with any sacrifice you ask of me.
And if, in your wisdom,
you should determine that that sacrifice must be my life for theirs,
so they may once again taste the freedom that has so long been denied to them,
l will gladly make that covenant.
My death will have a purpose. l ask no more than that.
Why do you always talk to God and not to me?
Oh, pray to whomever you pray that we don't cross the Saxons.
My faith is what protects me, Lancelot. Why do you challenge this?
l don't like anything that puts a man on his knees.
No man fears to kneel before the god he trusts.
Without faith, without belief in something, what are we?
To try and get past the Woads in the north is insanity.
- Them we've fought before. - Not north of the wall!
How many Saxons? Hm?
How many?
Tell me. Do you believe in this mission?
These people need our help.
- lt is our duty to bring them out. - l don't care about your charge,
and l don't give a damn about Romans, Britain or this island.
lf you desire to spend eternity in this place, Arthur, so be it,
but suicide cannot be chosen for another!
- And yet you choose death for this family! - No, l choose life!
And freedom for myself and the men!
How many times in battle have we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat?
Outnumbered, outflanked, yet still we triumph.
With you at my side, we can do so again.
Lancelot, we are knights.
What other purpose do we serve if not for such a cause?
Arthur, you fight for a world that will never exist.
Never.
There will always be a battlefield.
l will die in battle.
Of that l'm certain.
And hopefully a battle of my choosing.
But if it be this one,
grant me a favor.
Don't bury me in our sad little cemetery.
Burn me.
Burn me and cast my ashes to a strong east wind.
Don't touch their women.
We don't mix with these people.
What kind of offspring do you think that would yield?
Weak people.
Half people.
l will not have our Saxon blood watered down by mixing with them.
According to our laws, no man may deny me the spoils of our conquest!
He speaks the truth, Father.
My lord! O, my lord!
God's thanks, my lord.
Thank you.
Kill her.
No! No!
Are you challenging me?
lf you want to challenge me, you have to have a sword in your hand.
As long as my heart beats, l rule and you hold your tongue.
Or l'll cut it out.
To represent the holy court, my trusted secretary, Horton...
Horton?
..will accompany you on your quest.
Jols, find him a horse.
This way.
Godspeed, as you fulfill your duty to Rome.
My duty is also to my men.
Then get them home.
We are three days' march from the Great Wall, if we camp at night.
We won't camp.
The wall - what troops are stationed there?
Light Roman infantry
and possibly Sarmatian knights.
Arthur Castus is their leader.
Arthur? Who is this Arthur?
lt is said he has never been defeated in battle. lt is said he is a great warrior.
Why should l trust you?
You're a traitor to your own people.
Tell my father of the Roman estate.
Speak up!
A very high-ranking family live there.
They are of great importance to Rome.
Father, their ransom could pay for the entire campaign.
l'll attack from the north with the main army.
You bring your men down here. Cut off their retreat to the south.
Burn every village, kill everybody.
Never leave behind you a man, woman or child who can ever carry a sword.
Woads. They're tracking us.
Where?
Everywhere.
Get back!
This way!
What are you waiting for?
lnish.
Devil ghosts.
- Why would they not attack? - Merlin doesn't want us dead.
- Who are you? - l am Arthur Castus,
Commander of the Sarmatian Knights, sent by Bishop Germanius of Rome.
Open the gate.
lt is a wonder you have come.
Good Jesus. Arthur and his knights.
You have fought the Woads. Vile creatures.
Our orders are to evacuate you immediately.
But that... that is impossible.
- Which is Alecto? - l am Alecto.
Alecto is my son.
And everything we have is here in the land given to us by the Pope of Rome.
- Well, you're about to give it to the Saxons. - They're invading from the north.
- Then Rome will send an army. - They have. Us.
- We leave as soon as you're packed. - l refuse to leave.
Go back to work! All of you!
- You heard! Go! - All right, all right.
- Go! - Get back to work, all of you!
Go back!
lf l fail to bring you and your son back, my men can never leave this land.
So you're coming with me
if l have to tie you to my horse and drag you all the way to Hadrian's Wall myself.
My lord.
Lady, my knights are hungry.
Go.
Come!
Come. Let us go, hm?
Sir, you're famous. You're Arthur, aren't you?
l'm Ganis. l'm a good fighter and l'm smart. l'd serve you proudly.
Are you from Rome?
From hell.
- Sir. - Who is this man?
He's our village elder.
What is this punishment for?
- Answer me! - He defied our master, Marius.
Most of the food we grow is sent out by sea to be sold.
He asked that we keep a little more for ourselves, that's all.
My ass has been snappin' at the grass l'm so hungry!
You're from Rome. ls it true that Marius is a spokesman for God
and that it's a sin to defy him?
l tell you now.
Marius is not of God.
And you, all of you, were free from your first breath!
Help this man.
Help him!
Now hear me. A vast and terrible army is coming this way.
They will show no mercy, spare no one.
Those of you who are able should gather your things
and begin to move south towards Hadrian's Wall.
Those unable shall come with us.
You, serve me now. Get these people ready.
Right, you heard him.
You go grab enough food and water for the journey.
Let's get a hurry on, else we're all dead!
Come on, hurry.
They have flanked us to the east.
They're coming from the south, trying to cut off our escape.
They'll be here before nightfall.
- How many? - An entire army.
And the only way out is to the south?
East.
There is a trail heading east across the mountains.
It means we have to cross behind Saxon Iines, but that's the one we shouId take.
Arthur, who are aII these peopIe?
They're coming with us.
Then we'II never make it.
- Come on, get back to work! - Back to work!
Move.
Move!
- What is this? - You cannot go in there.
No one goes in there. This pIace is forbidden.
What are you doing? Stop this!
Arthur, we have no time.
Do you not hear the drums?
Dagonet.
- Key. - It is Iocked.
From the inside.
You, you... go.
Move!
- Gawain. - Exaudi orationem meam.
Exaudi orationem meam.
In nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis et in virtute Spiritus Sancti.
Who are these defiIers of the Lord's tempIe?
Out of the way.
The work of your god.
Is this how he answers your prayers?
See if there's any stiII aIive.
How dare you set foot in this hoIy pIace?
- There was a man of God. - Not my god!
- This one's dead. - By this smeII, they are aII dead.
And you. You even move, you join him.
Arthur!
You must not fear me.
Water! Give me some water!
His arm is broken.
And his famiIy?
She's a Woad.
I'm a Roman officer.
You're safe now.
- You're safe. - Stop what you are doing!
What is this madness?
- They're aII pagans here! - So are we.
They refuse to do the task God has set for them!
They must die as an exampIe!
You mean they refused to be your serfs!
You are a Roman.
You understand.
And you are a Christian.
You! You kept her aIive!
- My Iord! - No! No, stop!
When we get to the waII you wiII be punished for this heresy.
Perhaps I shouId kiII you now and seaI my fate.
I was wiIIing to die with them.
Yes, to Iead them to their rightfuI pIace.
It is God's wish that these sinners be sacrificed.
OnIy then can their souIs be saved.
Then I shaII grant his wish.
- WaII them back up. - Arthur.
I said waII them up!
Don't you see it is the wiII of God that these sinners be sacrificed?
- Unhand me, defiI... They're sinners! - Get in there!
We're moving too sIow.
The girI's not gonna make it, and neither is the boy.
The famiIy we can protect, but we're wasting our time with aII these peopIe.
We're not Ieaving them.
If the Saxons find us, we wiII have to fight.
Then save your anger for them.
Is this Rome's quest or Arthur's?
- Arthur. - How is he?
He burns.
Brave boy.
Some of your fingers are out of pIace.
I have to push them back.
If I don't do this, there's a chance you may never use them again.
They tortured me.
With machines.
To make me teII them things that... that I didn't know to begin with.
And then...
I heard your voice in the dark.
I am Guinevere.
You are Arthur...
of the Knights from the Great WaII.
I am.
The famous Briton who kiIIs his own peopIe.
I found tracks coming from the south, but none going back.
Horsemen traveIing Iight and fast.
CouId be Roman cavaIry.
CouId be knights.
They know we're after them.
They'II head east now, through the mountains.
God's hoIy work has been defiIed. I am a servant of God!
No, pIease, I...
He says they waIIed him up in a buiIding and took the famiIy.
Someone who goes by the name of Artorius.
It's him.
It's Arthur.
Take your men east. Hunt them down.
I'II take the main army to the waII. Bring the famiIy there.
- And the monks? - Put them back where you found them.
I am a servant of God!
PIease, I... I am a servant of God!
Unhand me, you defiIer!
Burn it aII.
My father toId me great taIes of you.
ReaIIy?
And what did you hear?
Fairy taIes.
The kind you hear about peopIe so brave, so seIfIess, that they can't be reaI.
Arthur and his knights.
A Ieader both Briton and Roman.
And yet you chose your aIIegiance to Rome.
To those who take what does not beIong to them.
That same Rome that took your men from their homeIand.
Listen, Iady, do not pretend you know anything about me or my men.
How many Britons have you kiIIed?
As many as tried to kiII me. It's the naturaI state of any man to want to Iive.
AnimaIs Iive! It's a naturaI state of any man to want to Iive free in their own country.
I beIong to this Iand.
Where do you beIong, Arthur?
How's your hand?
I'II Iive, I promise you.
Is there nothing about my Iand that appeaIs to your heart?
Your own father married a Briton.
Even he must have found something to his Iiking.
We'II sIeep here. Take sheIter in those trees.
- Tristan. - You wanna go out again? Yeah.
'Tis a beautifuI country, is it not?
If you say so.
And where do you come from that compares?
The BIack Sea?
This is heaven for me.
I don't beIieve in heaven. I've been Iiving in this heII.
But if you represent what heaven is, then take me there.
Rain and snow at once.
A bad omen.
It is here, given to us by the Pope. These peopIe, they send an army for us.
What was it Iike, your home?
We sacrificed goats, drank their bIood, danced naked round fires.
What I do remember...
Home...
Oceans of grass from horizon to horizon, further than you can ride.
The sky, bigger than you can imagine.
No boundaries.
Some peopIe wouId caII that freedom.
That's what we fight for - our Iand, our peopIe.
The right to choose our own destiny.
So you see, LanceIot, we are much aIike, you and I.
And when you return home, wiII you take a wife, have sons?
I have kiIIed too many sons.
What right do I have to my own?
No famiIy, no reIigion.
Do you beIieve in anything at aII?
I wouId have Ieft you and the boy there to die.
You betrayed me.
He means you no harm.
Peace between us this night, Arthur Castus.
So Rome is Ieaving. The Saxon is come.
The worId we have known and fought for is ended.
Now we must make a new worId.
Your worId, MerIin, not mine. I shaII be in Rome.
To find peace? The Saxon wiII come to Rome.
My knights trust me not to betray them to their enemy.
Rome was my enemy, not Arthur.
We have no fight between us now.
You teII that to the knights you kiIIed before my eyes,
whose bones are buried in this earth.
We have aII Iost brothers.
You know nothing of the Ioss I speak!
ShaII I heIp you remember?
An attack on a viIIage. The screams of an innocent woman.
Mother!
Artorius!
Mother!
I ran to the buriaI mound of my father to free her.
To kiII you.
Father, pIease Iet Ioose your sword.
I feeI the heat of that fire on my face even now.
I did not wish her dead.
She was of our bIood, as are you.
If you were so determined to Ieave us to sIaughter, why did you save so many?
My men are strong, but they have need of a true Ieader.
They beIieve you can do anything.
To defeat the Saxon we need a master of war.
Why do you think I spared you in the forest?
That sword you carry is made of iron from this earth, forged in the fires of Britain.
It was Iove of your mother that freed the sword, not hatred of me.
Love, Arthur.
- It is your destiny. - There is no destiny.
There is onIy free wiII.
And what of the free wiII of your knights?
Did they die in vain?
Seize him!
No!
No...
I have the boy!
- KiII him! - No, don't! Let him go!
KiII him now!
Down!
Your hands seem to be better.
Artorius!
Do we have a probIem?
Huh?
You have a choice.
You heIp or you die.
Put down your weapons.
- Do it now! - Yeah!
- How many did you kiII? - Four.
Not a bad start to the day!
Armor-piercing. They're cIose. We have no time.
You ride ahead.
I'm sorry for your Ioss.
My father Iost his way.
He used to say the Church is there to heIp us stay on our path.