8.20 The Rebel


ACT FOUR

FADE IN

On the same scene as before. Ares stands in front of Xena, Gabrielle and Nemesis (who looks nervous and angry).

Xena

XENA (through clenched teeth):
     That's right, now I know. Somehow you forgot to mention that you had a son.

ARES (sighs):
     Xena, I had given up on Evander a long time ago. Until recently, I didn't even know he was still alive.

NEMESIS (angrily):
     Of course you'd given up on him. All you wanted was to use Evander as a weapon! Once that didn't work out, that was it--you never actually cared about him. You never cared about anybody!

Ares bites his lip uncomfortably; he glances over at Xena, who looks troubled.

ARES (defensively):
     Maybe even if you weren't so busy getting him to fawn over Hercules--

NEMESIS :
     Hercules loved him and treated him like a son!

Ares

ARES (yelling):
     You also didn't have a problem with him hanging around Zeus, did you? Not to mention Hera--the one who made you mortal because you wouldn't kill your precious Hercules for her!

NEMESIS (yells back):
     At least Hera didn't try to use him in some twisted power game!

Gabrielle glances at Xena, who is clearly anguished by this exchange, and then walks toward Ares and Nemesis.

GABRIELLE (clears her throat):
     Listen, all this arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to put the past behind us and focus on what to do now.

XENA (nods):
     She's right. We need to figure out a way to stop him.

While she speaks, the camera pulls back to show Evander (Paeonis) opening the door. He surveys the scene, his expression angry and sarcastic but masking hurt.

EVANDER:
     I assume the "him" would be me. (he shakes his head in disbelief) My own mother plotting against me.

NEMESIS:
     Evander...I love you. But what you're doing is wrong.

EVANDER (turns to Ares):
     And who's this?

Ares looks from him to Xena to Nemesis, not knowing what to say.

NEMESIS (stumbling a bit):
     Evander...it's about time I told you the truth. This is your father.

EVANDER:
     My father? You told me my father was dead!

NEMESIS (sighs):
     I lied to you. This is your father--Ares, God of War.

Close-up on Evander's stunned face, his lips trembling slightly; then on Ares as he nods slowly.

ARES:
     It's true.

Evander gradually recovers from shock and forces his expression to a sarcastic smile.

EVANDER:
     So my father never died--he abandoned me. He was nothing but a selfish, heartless bastard--just like all the gods!

Ares remains silent, his expression grim. Evander stares at him, obviously struggling with conflicting emotions.

EVANDER (to Nemesis):
     Don't think this changes anything. I'll put an end to the worship of the gods--not just in Pelius, but in the rest of Greece as well!

Evander storms out of the room.

ARES:
     That didn't go too well.

NEMESIS (softly):
     This has to stop.

XENA:
     Athena took away his powers before. What about--

ARES (shakes his head, still looking away):
     Evander was a child before. If one of the gods tried to do it now and he resisted, it could kill him.

Xena slowly turns to Ares.

Xena

XENA:
     Then we'll have to fight him together. Can you fight Evander?

Ares

ARES (still looking away):
     I can fight him. I'm just not sure who's going to win.

With that, Ares vanishes. Nemesis sighs, looking at the spot where he was. Then she looks up at Xena.

NEMESIS:
     You actually trust him.

XENA (her face hard):
     Yes, I do.

NEMESIS:
     Why? Because he sacrificed his godhood for you? He probably knew all along that you'd get it back for him. He's the God of War, Xena--he always has a trick up his sleeve. He probably thought you'd survive anyway--and if he helped you, you'd have a reason to spare his life. Or else he thought that if Athena killed you, she'd turn her wrath against him next. Ares only cares about himself, and that isn't going to change.

XENA (softly but firmly):
     I was there, Nemesis. I know what happened.

NEMESIS:
     And since then--Ares has never given you a reason to mistrust him?

Gabrielle turns her attention towards Xena, who thinks for a moment, her face unreadable.

XENA (shakes her head):
     I don't have time for this, Nemesis. I've got a job to do. And right now, the only way I can do it is with Ares' help.

Xena walks off, Gabrielle staying for a beat and then following. Nemesis watches as they exit the room.

CUT TO

Noon. The city square. Once again, a large crowd is gathered in front of the platform where Evander sits on his throne. A dozen men and women, their hands tied behind their backs, are led toward the platform by soldiers and dragged up the steps. Straton is among them. Evander rises from his throne and walks toward the edge of the platform.

EVANDER:
     Citizens of Pelius! These people have broken the law prohibiting the worship of the gods in our city. They would keep us under the Olympian yoke forever. (pauses for emphasis) What shall we do with them?

VOICES IN THE CROWD:
     -- Kill them!
     -- Hang the scum!
     -- Hail Paeonis!
     -- Down with Olympus!

A few rotten fruit and cabbage leaves are thrown from the crowd, hitting some of the prisoners. Evander smiles, obviously pleased. Then he holds up his hand.

EVANDER:
     I appreciate your zeal. But (looks heavenward) unlike the gods, I wish to be merciful. I will allow them to leave this city--with the clothes on their backs.

XENA (off-camera, her voice dripping with sarcasm):
     How nice of you.

The camera pulls around to show Xena, her face hard and sarcastic, walking slowly toward the platform.

Evander starts laughing, but his laughter has an angry edge.

EVANDER:
     You are starting to get on my nerves, Warrior Princess!

Xena continues to walk slowly toward the platform. Then, with a cry of "Chee-ya!", she flips forward onto the platform, kicks out her legs and slams her boots into Evander's chest. Taken by surprise, he is knocked off his feet and flies back with a frustrated grunt, landing on his back. There are audible gasps in the crowd.

Xena launches herself toward him but he fixes her with an intense stare and she staggers back, as if pushed by something. With a satisfied smile, Evander gets up.

EVANDER:
     Very good! The element of surprise. (smirks) Unfortunately, it's only going to work once.

He extends his hand and Xena is slammed down hard on the boards of the platform. At the same time, Evander extends his right hand, making a guard's sword fly towards him, he catches it and twirls it in his hand as he walks toward Xena. She raises her head feebly but then drops it again.

Pan to Gabrielle who rushes toward the platform.

GABRIELLE:
     Xena!

Evander turns toward her, fixes her with a glare and flicks a wrist at her, sending Gabrielle flying back. Then he comes closer to Xena and raises his sword.

EVANDER:
     Too bad it had to come to this.

In a flare of blue light, Ares materializes in his path. There are more gasps and exclamations from the crowd.

ARES (blocking Evander's sword):
     Yeah, too bad.

EVANDER:
     Well, look who's here. Daddy wants to fight.

Evander charges forward and his sword clashes with Ares'. For a few moments they fight like two common mortals, blocking and parrying each other's thrusts, dodging sword blows and kicks. Evander clearly has difficulty parrying Ares' moves. Piqued, he steps back and holds out his hand, using his powers to block Ares' sword; Ares' sword is almost wrenched out of his hand but he manages to regain control of it. Evander laughs as the War God struggles.

Ares

Stepping back, Ares flips the sword into his left hand and then raises his right hand and launches a fireball. The crowd gasps in horror.

His hand shooting out, Evander deflects the fireball back at Ares. Ares deflects it so that it slams into the platform at Evander's feet, instantly igniting the wooden boards. In a moment Evander is encircled in a ring of fire; clearly troubled, he stares intensely at the fire and makes a circular motion with his hand. The fire dies down. Ares advances on Evander, his sword ready. Slightly shaken, Evander blocks him again; Ares hits him with a surge of energy that makes Evander stagger. Recovering from the shock, Evander extends a hand and launches a bolt of power at Ares, who is nearly knocked off his feet. With a snarl, Ares launches another fireball; Evander stares at it intently and the fireball dissolves. Ares already has another fireball in his palm, bouncing it from one hand to the other; Evander waits tensely. With a snarl, Ares throws the fireball and Evander, obviously rattled, deflects it so that it flies into the palace wall, leaving an ugly black gash.

While Ares and Evander fight, the camera pans to Xena, who sits up, watching them. With a supreme effort, Evander shoots out his hand and throws Ares back; he flies through the air with a yell (reminiscent of his fight with Athena in "Amphipolis Under Siege") and slams into the wall of the palace, where the fireball had hit before. Ares rises to his feet, breathing hard, and advances toward Evander. Evander stares at him intently and raises his hand; Ares stops, stares at Evander for a moment and then vanishes.

Almost in disbelief, Evander stares at the spot where Ares just stood. A look of incredulous joy flashes in his face. Then he turns to the crowd.

EVANDER:
     I have defeated the God of War!

Behind him, Xena rises to her feet.

XENA:
     Now you just have me to deal with.

Xena

With a piercing, ululating battle cry, Xena leaps up and flips in the air; she lands and charges Evander. He tries to use his powers to stop her; she is momentarily slowed down but then quickly regains control and comes at him with her sword. They spar briefly, with Xena easily parrying Evander's attacks. Evander grows more and more frustrated, and soon he is almost blindly swinging his sword, grunting and snarling furiously.

Finally, Xena kicks his sword out of his hand and it lands on the platform with a clatter. Evander looks stunned and dismayed; before he can recover from his shock, Xena lands a powerful punch to his face that knocks him out cold.

The crowd erupts in cheers.

Gabrielle runs up the platform; she and Xena quickly cut the ropes binding the prisoners' hands.

FEMALE PRISONER #1:
     Thank you!

STRATON:
     Xena--did you see that? (beams) My lord Ares--I prayed to him--I knew he would help me!

Xena shakes her head and says nothing. A noise from the crowd suddenly draws her attention and she turns abruptly.

A group of people, some armed with swords and others with sticks, is charging up the platform.

MAN #1 (armed with a sword):
     It's payback time!

WOMAN #1 (swinging a stick):
     Kill the bastard!

In the general murmur from the crowd, shouts are heard:

-- Kill him!
-- Die, you infidel!

Before Xena can react, there is a flare of blue light; Ares appears, standing in front of the still-unconscious Evander, a stern expression on his face.

ARES:
     Enough of this.

Terrified, Evander's would-be attackers fall back and scramble down from the platform, a couple of them scrambling and falling down the steps. Xena gives Ares a tense smile; Ares nods slightly and then looks regretfully at the unconscious Evander (with an expression somewhat similar to the way he looked at the dead Athena in "Motherhood").

Ares

CUT TO

A richly decorated bedchamber. Evander, still unconscious, is lying in a large bed. Nemesis is sitting by his bedside. Gabrielle is seated on a small couch nearby while Xena is pacing the room. Ares, looking very uncomfortable, slouches by the wall.

NEMESIS (looks up at Xena):
     So that was your plan. Ares would drain him and then you'd fight him before he regained his powers.

XENA (stops and turns to her):
     It was the only way. The people of Pelius had to see that a mortal could defeat him.

Evander stirs and opens his eyes. He looks around, confused.

NEMESIS (reaches out and puts a hand on Evander's arm):
     Evander...I'm sorry. I know you think I betrayed you. But I couldn't let you go on doing this.

EVANDER (sits up):
     Don't you get it? All I wanted was for people to be free from the gods' tyranny.

GABRIELLE:
     And you were going to force them to be free? (shakes her head) Evander, when Eli's followers were persecuted for their beliefs, Xena and I defended them. But these people have just as much of a right to worship their gods.

NEMESIS (softly):
     I know I set you against the gods. But the gods aren't evil--they never were. They're just very, very powerful--and sometimes...a lot of the time...it's made them arrogant and cruel. (she pauses, tearing up) And that's what you became, too.

XENA:
     You see, Evander, when you have a lot of power, it's easy to misuse--whether you're a god... (she pauses for a moment, her face clouding over) ...or a mortal.

NEMESIS:
     Can you understand how it made me feel? When everything I hated most about the gods, I could see in my own son.

A tear rolls down her cheek as she touches his face.

EVANDER (shakes his head):
     Mom...I never meant to hurt you of all people. I'm sorry.

Nemesis manages a smile and hugs Evander, both of them in tears now.

NEMESIS (whispers):
     I'm sorry too. We were both wrong. I lied to you about...a lot of things.

They pull apart. Evander turns to Ares, who looks intensely uncomfortable. Evander gets up, the look on his face changing to a scowl.

EVANDER:
     Get out of here, dad. (his voice dripping with sarcasm) If those fools want to worship you, let them. But don't expect any tender father-son reunions. Whatever you did to her (nods toward Nemesis), it must have been bad enough for her to tell me that my father was dead and that you killed him.

Ares straightens up, his arms folded on his chest, his expression grim. He's obviously about to disappear.

GABRIELLE (to Ares):
     Wait! (turns to Evander) Back in the square--Ares saved your life. (Off his disbelieving look.) That's right--some of the people in that crowd would have killed you. He stopped them.

EVANDER (sneers):
     Are you going to tell me that he cares about me all of a sudden?

ARES (wryly):
     Maybe I just thought we'd make a good team. Just imagine what he could do at the head of an army... (off Xena's, Gabrielle's, and Nemesis' very un-amused glares, he raises his hands defensively) Just kidding. I probably should get going.

XENA:
     I'll talk to you later.

ARES (semi-facetiously):
     I was afraid of that.

He vanishes. Xena lowers her head for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. Then she turns to Evander.

XENA:
     You could do a lot of good with those powers, Evander--if you use them to help people. Like I said before...you want to free people from the gods, show them they can fend for themselves without the gods' help.

EVANDER:
     Maybe you're right. (shakes his head, still bewildered) Look, this has been...a lot for me to digest in one day.

GABRIELLE (smiles):
     I'm sure your mother will help you with that.

Evander and Nemesis exchange an affectionate look.

CUT TO

Xena, Gabrielle and Nemesis walk down a corridor in the palace.

NEMESIS (reluctantly):
     Maybe you were right, Xena. I never thought I'd say this, but maybe Ares really has changed.

Xena stops and looks at her, obviously struggling with something.

XENA (hesitantly):
     Nemesis...if Evander and Ares ever get close... Well--just make sure you watch them carefully.

Gabrielle shoots her an alarmed look, while Nemesis nods with a sad, understanding expression.

CUT TO

Lakeside. Night. Xena is alone as the moon reflects down on the beautiful lake. She skips a stone across the water.

The camera pans to show the ripple the rock caused in the water. The camera zooms in.

[FLASHBACK]

Scene from "Dreamworker."

Xena is talking to Gabrielle, in her Season 1 blue dress.

XENA:
     See how calm the surface of the water is? That was me once. And then--the water ripples and churns; that's what I become.

Xena and Gabrielle

GABRIELLE:
     But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again. It will go back to being calm.

XENA:
     But the stone's still under there. It's now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it's forever changed.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

The camera zooms in on Xena as she reflects. Her face is illuminated by a flash of blue. She turns to see Ares standing next to her. He sits down.

ARES (softly):
     Hey.

XENA:
     Hey.

There is a pause between them.

ARES (looks at her intently):
     You still don't trust me around Evander, do you...

XENA (with a bitter chuckle):
     You heard what I said to Nemesis, huh?

ARES (shaking his head):
     No. I just kinda figured it out.

Xena looks at him, then raises an eyebrow slightly and shrugs. There is a tense silence between them.

Xena and Ares

XENA (shakes her head):
     Why didn't you tell me, Ares?

ARES (brusquely):
     Tell you what? That I wanted Nemesis to have my child so I could use him as a tool? That once that didn't work out, I didn't care about him anymore?

XENA (her face hard):
     Is that why you didn't want me going up against him? So I wouldn't find out?

ARES:
     So I'm a bastard. Go ahead, say it.

XENA (her face softening a little):
     Or maybe that wasn't the only reason...

She puts her hand over Ares'. He lowers his eyes, then looks up at her again.

ARES (his expression softer now):
     For years, I didn't even know Evander was alive or dead. I won't lie to you--I didn't give it much thought. But when I found out he was alive--look, I'm not running for Father of the Year, but--I wanted him to stay that way.

XENA (lowers her eyes, her voice dropping to a near-whisper):
     You wanted a child from me once...like you did from Nemesis.

ARES:
     No, Xena--not like that. You know that's not what it was about--what I wanted... (trails off)

After a moment Xena wordlessly squeezes his hand.

XENA:
     Nemesis was wrong about one thing... She said gods couldn't love.

Ares manages a slight smile and gently wraps his arm around her shoulder. Xena leans against him as they stare out into the lake.

The camera holds for a beat and then pans around towards the spot where Xena threw the rock. The ripples are gone.

FADE OUT

THE END

[Yet another dysfunctional parent-child relationship was introduced during the production of this motion picture.]



















Xena: Warrior Princess
Shipper Seasons
Season 8

Episode 20
The Rebel


Story By: LadyKate and Aurora
Written By: Ryan
Edited By: LadyKate
Collage By: Aurora
Images Gathered By: Aurora


Cast

XenaLucy Lawless
GabrielleRenee O'Connor
Ares
Kevin Smith
EvanderOded Fehr
Young EvanderJoseph Main
Teenage EvanderAlex Mason
NemesisKimberly Joseph
AthenaParis Jefferson
MelainaJessica Stewert
StrantonJames Newman
ZeusCharles Keating
HeraMeg Foster



Original Airdate

January 11, 2004


Yet another dysfunctional parent-child relationship was introduced during the production of this motion picture.






DEDICATED TO
KEVIN SMITH





All characters and storylines that have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess are a copyright and trademark of Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement was intended during the writing of this script. All original characters and storylines are a copyright of the respective authors and of the Shipper Seasons. No script may be reproduced on a website elsewhere without the author's consent.




© Shipper Seasons
www.shipperseasons.com











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