Standing in the atrium of his villa,
Marcus placed his hands on the stone wall. With his head hanging effortlessly
towards the ground, it was obvious that anxiety consumed all thought. Thesius
had already returned from the errand Marcus had sent him on more than an hour
ago with news of Caesar’s decision to dismiss the Senate. As Caesar’s most
frivolous supporter and right hand man it was his duty to announce the change
in Caesar’s agenda. It was to be the last meeting between Caesar and the Senate
before him and Marcus both left for Parthia in just three days. Caesar certainly
wanted to attend the session and take care of finalizing his agenda but Marcus
was relieved to hear that Caesar had avoided the day’s potential danger.
Within the city, the Senate was
gathering at Pompey Theater in anticipation of Caesar’s arrival. Marcus showed
little hast in setting off to dismiss the group. Unknowing to him, the cloaked
mans heed of warning was not one to be dismissed. The conspirators within the Senate
had already set their plan in motion. As they entered the theatre they snuck in
daggers, some in boxes intended for documents, others just concealed in the flowing
folds of their togas, each sharp tip intended to shed the blood of Julius
Caesar. As Marcus reacquired his toga, he heard the yell of a women’s voice
just outside the walls of the villa. Britannica, who was schooling his children
in the adjacent room, could hear the yells as well.
As
he moved towards the window, Marcus could see Caesar’s wife Calpurnia frantically
running under the vestibule and into the garden. Struggling to catch her breath,
she was able to utter the words “Caesar is meeting the Senate”. The sudden news
immediately consumed Marcus with fear and anger as he summoned Thesius to
retrieve his horse immediately. Assuming Calpurnia arrived to the villa without
the aid of a horse, he knew he had little time to warn Caesar of the danger. Marcus
mounted atop his stead as Thesius threw up his gladius. Wasting no time, he set
off down the hill in full gallop towards the Theater of Pompey. As he entered
the forum, the gathered crowd quickly parted to avoid the threat of injury from
the rushing of Marcus’s unwavering stallion.
During his approach, Marcus could see
three brute men standing on the steps outside the Theater. Dressed in light
armor, they struggled to conceal their weaponry. As the men sighted Marcus, one
of them descended the steps and released his gladius from its capulus. Marcus
was undoubtedly Rome’s greatest warrior but facing three gladiators alone was a
dangerous task and time was of the essence. Using the advantage of his horse,
Marcus subdued the approaching gladiator as he rotated his gladius about his
hand and pierced the blade into his back. As the two other gladiators remained
on the steps of the Theater, Marcus dismounted his horse and pursued them.
Despite their light armor, Marcus quickly subdued the remaining two men.
Tossing his gladius on the ground, he quickly opened the doors of the Theater.
As he entered, he could see the lifeless body of a man at the foot of a blood
spattered statue of Pompey. While on his knees, Marcus removed the folds of the
toga that covered the man’s face. Despite his efforts, this would be the last
time he would ever say goodbye to his close friend Julius Caesar.
