The guard leader held his sharp sword steady against Emperor Marcus's throat, forcing the ruler back down into his golden chair.
Emperor Marcus: You dare put steel against my skin? I am the sovereign ruler of this land!
Guard Leader: You are a coward who hides behind iron bars and starves innocent children. You are no ruler of mine.
General Maximus: Open the center gate! Lower the grand ramp so I can reach my son!
Guard Leader: Lower the ramp at once!
The heavy wood and iron bridge groaned as the soldiers pulled the thick ropes, lowering the ramp from the high balcony straight down to the sandy pit floor.
General Maximus drew his long sword, marching down the incline with swift, deliberate steps, his boots crushing the loose sand beneath him.
The black lion stood up, letting out a soft, low growl as the tall warrior approached, but its tail began to wag slowly as it recognized the familiar scent of its old master.
General Maximus: Easy, Shadow... Easy, old friend. You protected my boy when I wasn't there to do it myself.
Leo: Dad!
Leo threw his small arms around his father's waist, burying his face into the cold steel of the General's chest armor.
Maximus dropped to his knees in the dust, wrapping his heavy arms around his son, tears smudging the dirt on his weathered face.
General Maximus: I'm sorry, Leo... I'm so sorry I took so long to find you.
Leo: They told me you were dead, Dad. They told me nobody was coming for me.
General Maximus: I searched every city in the empire for you, son. I never stopped looking. Not for one single day.
Leo: The mean man in the gold crown put me in a cage yesterday. He said the giant cat would eat me today.
General Maximus: The mean man is never going to hurt you again. I promise you that on my life.
The crowd in the stone stands broke into thunderous cheers, their applause shaking the dust from the concrete arches above.
Spectator 1: Hail General Maximus! Hail the true protector!
Spectator 2: Long live the boy! Long live the black lion!
Up on the high balcony, Emperor Marcus struggled against the guards who were binding his hands with heavy iron chains.
Emperor Marcus: Maximus! You think you can just take over my city? The Senate will hear of this treason!
General Maximus: The Senate was standing right beside me when we found the missing estate deeds in your private vault this morning, Marcus.
Emperor Marcus: What? What are you talking about?
General Maximus: Senator Cassius searched your living quarters while you were preparing for these arena games. We found the contract you signed with the mercenary guild to burn my estate.
Emperor Marcus: That document was locked away! You had no right to break into my private quarters!
General Maximus: When a tyrant burns a child's home, he forfeits all rights to his privacy and his crown.
Emperor Marcus: It was my estate by royal decree! Your family had too much power! The people loved you more than they loved me!
General Maximus: Because I bled for them on the battlefield while you sat in your palace drinking sweet wine and stealing from the treasury!
Leo: Dad, what is going to happen to the lion?
General Maximus: Shadow is coming home with us, Leo. He is never going back into an iron cage again.
The black lion rested its heavy head on the General's knee, letting out another deep purr as the boy patted its thick black mane under the warm daylight.
Guard Leader: General Maximus, what are your orders regarding Marcus?
General Maximus: Strip him of his imperial robe and his golden crown. Put him in the dark cell beneath the arena pit where he kept my son overnight.
Emperor Marcus: No! You can't put me in the dark cell! I am the Emperor!
General Maximus: Today, you are just a prisoner waiting for the Senate's judgment.