FADE IN

A very dreary day, gray clouds cover most of the sky; only a few patches of blue are seen. An overhead view of a road amidst low hills, with a village or small town visible in the distance. The road is quite crowded. The camera pans down and zooms in on three riders--Xena, Gabrielle, and Eve. Xena and Gabrielle are wearing the same coats that they wore in the Norse Lands in "The Rheingold," and Eve has a similar coat on. It is obviously a cold day; their breaths can be seen in the air.

XENA:
     Told you we should have taken the shortcut through the forest. We would have beaten the holiday traffic and gotten there already.

GABRIELLE (a little distracted):
     I had no idea it was going to be so crowded.

EVE (wraps herself a little more tightly in her coat):
     It's no fun getting stuck on the road during a cold snap. If the weather doesn't get any better, we're liable to spend Solstice in bed drinking lots of fluids.

XENA:
     That's something we can't afford at any time of the year.

EVE (lifts her arm and looks at her sleeve):
     Look at that--by the Heavens, I think it's snowing!

GABRIELLE (looks wistfully into the distance):
     You know, the people in the lands to the north believe that it's not a real Winter Solstice unless there is snow. A white Solstice, they call it.

XENA (jokingly):
     Hey, maybe whatever deities are in charge of the weather got their geography mixed up and brought a white Solstice to us instead of the folks up north.

GABRIELLE:
     Maybe. (her smile brightens a little) Well, whatever weather we get, it will be good to celebrate Solstice with my family. It's been a long time since I've seen Lila and Sarah... (sighs) ...and even longer since we've spent Solstice together.

EVE:
     Yeah. I just wish we'd taken Klymene along. She would have enjoyed it...and I miss her already.

XENA (gives her a warm look):
     I know. But she'll be all right with the Amazons, Eve.

GABRIELLE (pensively):
     You think Haimon and Darion are already in Potidaea?

XENA:
     I'm sure they are. They left right after-- (her voice breaks off and she looks uncomfortably at Gabrielle)

GABRIELLE (looks down):
     I hope Darion's okay.

XENA:
     Of course he is. Haimon wouldn't let anything happen to Darion. He couldn't take better care of him if Darion was his own--

GABRIELLE (looks up):
     That's not what I meant.

XENA (sighs and nods):
     Yeah... (looks up meaningfully at Gabrielle) Darion is going to be all right.

GABRIELLE (quietly):
     He wasn't all right when he was leaving with Haimon. (with sudden vehemence) Xena, I'm all he has, and now he's afraid of me. I showed him a side of myself that frightens even me... (lowers her eyes) ...let alone a child.

XENA:
     Gabrielle, of course he was scared--but it's not going to last forever. Darion loves you.

GABRIELLE:
     I don't know if it's ever going to be the same. (she sighs) You know I've often wondered if the warrior's path is the right one for me...but this time it's affecting Darion, not just me.

EVE (a little uncomfortably):
     You know, they say that Winter Solstice is a time of healing and reconciliation...

XENA (glances at Gabrielle):
     Let's hope that's true.

GABRIELLE (smiles, obviously trying to dispel the tension):
     Let's just hope we have a nice, peaceful holiday with my family. Darion can certainly use some holiday cheer. (glances at Eve) We may have a pleasant surprise in store for us, too.

XENA (warily):
     What surprise?

GABRIELLE (grins a little):
     Now, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?

EVE (nearly bumps into another rider):
     Excuse me!

XENA (rolls her eyes):
     At this rate, the pleasant surprise will be if we get to Potidaea in time for Solstice.

CUT TO

Xena, Gabrielle and Eve ride through the streets of Potidaea. It's started to snow, light fluffy snowflakes falling on the ground. Many houses are decorated with ribbons, ivy, wreaths, red flowers and other festive symbols.

GABRIELLE:
     Well, there we are. Lila's house is on the other side of the marketplace.

A raucous noise and shouts are heard in the distance.

XENA (lifts an eyebrow):
     Sounds like some people have had a bit too much holiday cheer.

As they ride on, the noise grows louder.

CUT TO

Xena, Gabrielle and Eve ride into the marketplace and stop in their tracks. What they see before them is utter chaos, a large crowd embroiled in a melee. The camera pans to two old men who are dueling with their walking sticks using them as swords.

OLD MAN #1:
     It's my tree! Mine, I tell you!

The camera pans over other fight scenes: two men pulling each other's long hair, two women punching each other, a woman riding on a man's back and punching his head while he tries in vain to throw her off.

XENA (wryly):
     So much for a nice, peaceful holiday.

GABRIELLE (to a woman who is staggering past them, her kerchief askew, her face scratched):
     What's going on?

WOMAN (gasping for breath, shouts over the noise of the crowd):
     Everyone's gone mad over those damn Solstice trees, trying to snap up the last ones!

As if to illustrate her words, a wild-eyed man clutching a pine tree makes his way past them, trying to run despite his burden.

EVE (shocked):
     A fight over Solstice trees? But Solstice is supposed to be a time of love and--

She flinches and barely has time to duck as a shoe directed at the man with the pine tree flies past her, nearly hitting her in the head.

XENA (finishes wryly for Eve):
     --peace.

GABRIELLE:
     There's a shortage of solstice trees?

WOMAN (steadies her breath):
     Terrible, just terrible. You see, Philemon and Carissa, the couple that usually sells solstice trees around here, had a huge fire on their farm just ten days ago. Everything burned down. Some new merchants have been selling trees, and charging an arm and a leg for them too. But there still aren't enough trees to go around.

She fixes up her kerchief and goes away.

XENA:
     Well. We'd better do something to break up this wonderful tribute to the Solstice spirit.

She dismounts; Gabrielle and Eve do likewise, and they walk toward the melee. Just then, two men's voices are heard from the fighting crowd.

VOICE#1 (off-camera):
     Stop! Stop! Show some decency, will you!

VOICE #2 (off-camera):
     Mind your own business!

GABRIELLE:
     Well, at least someone here is trying to do the right thing.

The two men with walking sticks are still fighting. Eve walks up to them and tries to separate them.

EVE:
     Come on now--it's Solstice--

OLD MAN #1:
     Show some respect for old age, young woman!

EVE:
     I will--when you start acting your age.

The old men swing their walking sticks at her. Eve parries the blow, easily disarms them and throws the walking sticks in different directions.

OLD MAN #2 (grumbles):
     Why, you insolent whelp!

OLD MAN #1 (shakes his head):
     Young people these days...

The two old men hobble in different directions to pick up their walking sticks.

EVE:
     I suggest you two keep that distance.

The camera pans to Xena and Gabrielle trying to separate the people who are fighting. Some of the rowdies attack them, and we see them using some of their signature moves, even though their movements are hampered by the coats. Gabrielle manages to land a kick that sends an attacker sprawling on his back, while Xena uses a backward punch, with both hands, to knock out a burly man and an equally burly woman who try to tackle her from behind. A large stick flies through the air and lands at Gabrielle's feet. She picks it up, looks at it for a moment, flips it in her hands and starts using it as a staff.

Xena, Gabrielle and Eve make their way through the crowd as the fight starts to calm down, and get a glimpse of a man trying to separate the combatants.

GABRIELLE (stops in amazement):
     By the heavens, it's Haimon!

A punch in the back takes her by surprise and she sprawls face forward.

XENA (alarmed):
     Gabrielle!

GABRIELLE (rolls over and uses her staff to fend off a second blow from her attacker, a tall, red-faced, disheveled woman):
     I'm all right.

She gets up. The camera pans to Haimon who stops, turns around and smiles as he sees the three women.

HAIMON:
     Xena, Gabrielle--Eve! (walks toward them) Great to see you!

GABRIELLE (smiles):
     Haimon. (they hug) What are you doing here? Trying to keep the peace?

HAIMON:
     Believe it or not, I came here trying to get a Solstice tree for your sister's house.

GABRIELLE:
     Oh no. Don't tell me Lila and Sarah didn't get one.

Haimon shakes his head sadly.

VOICE (off-camera):
     That's it, my good people!

The camera pans to a rather corpulent man in a gold-embroidered, fur-lined purple and equally rich leather boots, standing in an area enclosed by a waist-high picket fence guarded by five burly menacing-looking men. The enclosure is empty except for some broken-off evergreen branches and twigs on the ground.

MAN:
     The trees are all gone.

A disappointed "Ohhhh!" goes up from the crowd. Gabrielle, Xena and Eve look stricken as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER