FADE IN

Fade up on a green meadow on a sunny, peaceful morning. Gabrielle and Cyane ride at the head of a column of Amazons. Their pace is slow and relaxed as they start up a small rise.

CYANE:
     It'll be good to get home again.

GABRIELLE (nods):
     These hunting trips keep taking us farther and farther from our lands. How long have we been gone this time?

CYANE (sighs):
     Eight days so far. It was only five the last time we set out.

GABRIELLE (shakes her head):
     Times are getting hard. Sabina's raids put a lot of refugees out on the road. Pretty soon this entire forest will be picked clean.

CYANE:
     And if you hadn't negotiated with the local governments to grant us hunting privileges, the Amazon Nation would have a famine on their hands. (smiles in admiration) If only Xena could see you now. She'd be proud of you, Gabrielle.

GABRIELLE (her mouth curves up into a tiny but proud smile):
     Yeah--I suppose she would...

Faint screams can be heard in the distance as the Amazons reach the crest of the hill. Gabrielle and Cyane both jerk their heads up at the same moment.

GABRIELLE:
     What was that?

CYANE (pointing):
     Gabrielle--look!

In the distance, thick plumes of smoke can be seen rising above the treetops.

GABRIELLE:
     Let's go check it out.

Morai--an Amazon riding directly behind Gabrielle--rolls her eyes.

MORAI:
     Queen Gabrielle--we're only a small hunting party. If we go down there, we could find ourselves outnumbered.

GABRIELLE (turns and glares and Morai a moment then turns away):
     Yah! (she brings the reins down hard on her horse's neck and charges down the hill)

CYANE:
     I don't think that was a request, Morai.

Cyane and the other Amazons take off, trailing after Gabrielle. Morai shakes her head slightly and rides on to catch up.

CUT TO

The village, where people are running around in a panic. A group of bandits on horseback are slaughtering the villagers and torching and looting their homes. The bandits are led by a man on horseback wearing a helmet and a mask over his face. A young woman runs through the streets, calling out amidst the chaos.

LYKIA:
     Darion!

Several villagers jostle her as they run the other way in a panic. She stumbles a few times but persists. Finally she pauses, catching sight of Darion. There is a long shot of a small boy witnessing the carnage going on around him. Lykia watches in terror as the masked leader runs his sword through an elderly woman right next to the boy.

The boy turns to run as the old woman falls. The leader sees him out of the corner of his eye and leaps down off of his horse to give chase. Clearly the boy cannot outrun a grown man, but he toys with Darion anyway. He allows the boy to gain a big enough lead where he is almost able to escape. Then laughing, he makes a lunge for Darion, tripping him. The boy falls flat on his face and rolls over as the man raises his sword above his head.

LYKIA (with a shrill cry):
     Darion!

The leader spins to see Lykia charging at him. Deftly he sidesteps her lunge and makes a grab for her arm, twisting it behind her back. She struggles against him but she is no match for his strength. Laughing, he backhands her across the face, picks her up and throws her over his shoulder.

Hoof beats and loud voices can be heard approaching rapidly.

BANDIT #1:
     Lucius--riders are coming!

The leader reacts quickly, tossing Lykia across his saddle, then mounting his horse. He takes off at a wild pace with the other bandits close behind.

Terrified of more approaching horses, Darion retreats into his hut--which has started to burn.

The Amazons gallop in and pause, looking around and taking stock of the situation. Cyane frowns upon seeing no sign of the thugs.

CYANE:
     They got away!

Screams are heard from the burning hut and a woman staggers up as close as the heat of the flames will allow her and crumples to her knees.

VILLAGE WOMAN:
     Someone is in there! For Eli's sake--someone please help him!

GABRIELLE (leaps down off of her mount and slaps the flank of Cyane's horse):
     Cyane--try to catch up to them. But don't take any unnecessary risks. You don't know how many of them there are out there.

Cyane nods and without hesitation takes off, the other Amazons close on her heels. Gabrielle quickly turns and charges into the burning hut. The Village Woman looks on anxiously. After several moments, Gabrielle finally reemerges, carrying a boy of eight or nine in her arms. Coughing and gasping for air, she sinks to her knees and sets the boy on his feet, clutching his hand.

GABRIELLE:
     Are you-- (she coughs) all right?

The boy makes no response, nor any indication that he has even heard her.

GABRIELLE (touches his cheek):
     Can you tell me your name?

He shakes violently, obviously terrified.

VILLAGE WOMAN:
     That's Darion.

GABRIELLE:
     What happened to his family? Were they in--? (she glances at the hut)

VILLAGE WOMAN:
     His sister was carried off by one of those bastards just before you showed up.

GABRIELLE (reaches out to stroke his hair soothingly):
     And his parents?

The woman shakes her head sorrowfully. Gabrielle understands and pulls Darion against her as if to shield him. A rider rapidly approaching is heard. The boy struggles with Gabrielle in order to run away, but she has a tight hold on him.

CYANE:
     Gabrielle! (she quickly glances her friend over, taking note of Gabrielle's singed hair and her skin blackened in spots by the smoke and soot from the fire) Are you all right?

GABRIELLE (nods while coughing):
     Fine. Did you find the bas-- (suddenly remembering herself, she glances at Darion) --party responsible for this?

CYANE:
     No. They scattered into the forest.

GABRIELLE (to the Village Woman):
     Do you have any idea who they were?

VILLAGE WOMAN:
     No one knows. Over the past few months there's been talk of some of the smaller villages being hit by bandits but no one has been able to catch them. Rumor is that it's the son of some high ranking official out on a lark with his friends.

CYANE:
     I'll organize a search party to hunt them down.

Gabrielle shakes her head and loosens Darion's hold on her neck so that she can stand. Immediately, he slips his hand into hers.

GABRIELLE:
     No. They might be trying to lure us deeper into the forest where they could outnumber us.

CYANE:
     Gabrielle--who ever this is, they're operating close to Amazon lands. You can't take that lightly.

GABRIELLE:
     I know. (she looks despondently at the burning hut then down at the boy who is still clutching her hand. She sighs) I wish Xena was here.

CUT TO

Corinth. The camera pans over the city, which is still very much in disarray even though the rebuilding work is proceeding. We see Xena working on one of the construction sites, supervising six other men as they rig two sets of ropes in order to hoist a log upright. Xena walks around the log, checking the rigging both visually and by tugging on it. Finally satisfied, she nods and steps back.

XENA:
     All right, I think that's got it. (she glances over her shoulder to speak to a young girl of about ten who is looking on) Keep back, Iole.

Iole nods and steps back barely a half step. Xena, with her back to Iole, does not notice.

XENA:
     Okay--together now on "three".

Six men take hold, three on each rope.

XENA:
     One.

They flex their hands in preparation of hauling the log upright.

XENA:
     Two...three! Pull!

The men grunt and groan with the exertion.

XENA:
     Pull!

Slowly, the log is hoisted until it is nearly vertical with the ground. One of the men loses his grip, causing a chain reaction. One by one, the other five men lose their grip on the ropes and the log falls.

Xena looks down and realizes that Iole has stepped up and is standing beside her, in the path of the falling log.

XENA:
     Iole!

She shoves Iole out of the way but is herself unable to move quickly enough. Xena throws her arms above her head, catching the log before it falls on her. She staggers from the weight and her arms shake.

LABORER (to the man that first lost his grip):
     Jackass! You could've killed her! Grab the ropes--and don't let go this time!

The six men grab the ropes again, hoisting the log just high enough to relieve Xena's arms of the weight. She jumps out of the way and the men let the ropes go, letting the log fall back to the ground with a loud thud.

XENA (a little out of breath):
     Find four more men to help you.

The laborer nods and runs off to find more men. Xena doubles over and rests her hands on her knees, obviously shaken. Kodros, the general in command when Corinth was surrendered to Sabina in "Divided We Stand Part I," comes up beside her.

KODROS:
     Xena, are you all right?

XENA (she shakes her head):
     I'm getting too old for this, Kodros.

KODROS:
     Oh. Ah--maybe I'll come back later then when you're feeling a bit--

XENA (catches her breath and straightens up):
     No--I'm fine. What do you need?

KODROS (frowns):
     Some rumors have made their way back to Corinth.

XENA:
     Rumors?

KODROS:
     There's been talk that Sabina was spotted in the Roman town of Pompeii just a few weeks ago. (Kodros looks away almost as if in embarrassment) She has yet to pay for her crimes against Corinth. And of course, there's always the threat that she'll raise another army--

XENA:
     I'll go after Sabina, Kodros. I don't need the sales pitch.

KODROS (reddening):
     Xena--I don't have any men to spare to help you track Sabina down. Believe me, if I could--

XENA:
     Don't worry. I don't need help. (she pauses) Anyone's help.

With a strange expression, Xena gazes over Kodros' shoulder and we realize that Ares is there.

A close-up of Xena staring at an empty spot, where Ares presumably is; the corners of her mouth go up slightly in a smile as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER