The following morning, the high tribunal hall of the city was packed to capacity with citizens, elders, and military officers.
General Maximus sat in the front row of the marble gallery, holding his son Leo on his lap, while Senator Cassius stood at the center speaker's podium.
In the heavy iron prisoner cage in the middle of the room stood Marcus, stripped of his fine purple robes and dressed in a simple convict's grey tunic.
High Judge: Former Emperor Marcus, you stand convicted by overwhelming documentary evidence and eyewitness testimony of high treason, arson, attempted murder of an infant, and the theft of public treasury funds.
Marcus: I am the crowned ruler! You have no legal jurisdiction to judge a king!
High Judge: A king serves the law, Marcus. You broke every law in our constitution to enrich yourself and harm the innocent.
Senator Cassius: The tribunal has reviewed the financial recovery plan. All four million gold coins stolen from the city reserves have been tracked down and returned to the public vault.
High Judge: What about the family trust of the house of Maximus?
Senator Cassius: Fully restored to young Leo Maximus, under the legal guardianship of his biological father, General Maximus, until the boy comes of age.
Marcus: You are all traitors! Every single one of you! I built this city's defenses!
General Maximus: You didn't build anything, Marcus. You lived off the blood and sweat of the soldiers who defended the borders while you plotted in the dark.
High Judge: Marcus, by unanimous vote of the High Tribunal council, you are hereby banished from the empire for the remainder of your natural life.
Marcus: Banishment? You can't expel me into the wasteland!
High Judge: You will be stripped of all titles, all lands, and all citizenship. If you ever set foot within fifty miles of this city again, the sentence will immediately convert to execution by public hanging.
Marcus: Maximus, please! Speak for me! We were like brothers when we were young!
General Maximus: Brothers do not set fire to each other's homes, Marcus. You chose your path when you tried to feed my eight-year-old boy to a lion in the public pit.
High Judge: Guards, take the prisoner to the northern border gates and cast him out beyond the imperial wall!
The guards grabbed Marcus by the arms, dragging the screaming, weeping former ruler out through the heavy iron doors of the courtroom.
The crowd inside the hall erupted into cheers and applause, celebrating the final return of truth and order to their land.
Senator Cassius: It is finally done, General. The dark shadow over our city has been lifted.
General Maximus: Now the real work begins, Cassius. Rebuilding the trust of the people and taking care of the orphans who were neglected during his reign.
Leo: Can we take care of the other kids at the orphan house, Dad?
General Maximus: Yes, we can, Leo. We are going to turn the east wing of our estate into a school and home for every child who was left without a family during the war.
Leo: That's wonderful, Dad! Shadow can help guard them while they play in the yard!
General Maximus: Shadow will be the best school guardian this city has ever seen.