FADE IN

Sunset. A lush green valley. It's completely quiet; the only sound comes from the breeze that brushes over the long grass that covers the valley.

There is the sound of horse hooves and a quiet whinny. The camera pulls back and we see a horse and then the rider on its back. The man sits on the horse with grace and dignity; he is in his early twenties and has a commanding presence but also an air of innocence. He has almost shoulder-length curly golden hair and hazel eyes. His rich garments are green and blue, laced with gold that forms intricate and elegant patterns on the fabric. He wears an emerald cape that flows down over the horse's hindquarters, and a small golden crown.

CUT TO

A man, in his mid forties, rides through a green valley. He is dressed just as richly as the other man, in fabrics of purple and black, but this man has a much more regal and experienced bearing about him. He bears a resemblance to the younger man but his shoulder-length hair is darker and he has a brown goatee. This is King Capaneus.

CUT TO

Wide shot of the entire scene. We see the two riders riding slowly toward one another. When they bring their horses to a halt, they are at the base of a steep hill that is covered with small dense trees and bushes, and above that, the hill has a rocky face of tan colored stone. The hill rises high and out of the camera's view; the peak is not visible. The two men look at each other in silence for a moment. The younger man seems to be struggling with something, as if unsure how to begin.

CAPANEUS (looks at the young man, a bit annoyed):
     Well? I'm here as you requested, Actaeon, and yet you will not speak to me?

ACTAEON:
     You know why I wanted you here.

CAPANEUS (nods):
     Yes, you want to negotiate a truce. (Actaeon nods slowly; Capaneus shakes his head in obvious disgust) Let's keep these negotiations short. The answer is no.

ACTAEON (blurts):
     Father, it isn't right that we go to war against each other!

CAPANEUS (chuckles):
     Some say this is the kind of war Ares likes best. Father against son, brother against brother--

ACTAEON (hotly):
     I would never serve Ares if I believed that!

CAPANEUS (shakes his head and sneers):
     Such youthful idealism. (grows serious and stern) Actaeon, you know perfectly well why we are going to war. You could have avoided this.

Actaeon looks at Capaneus, a regretful but also decisive look on his face. After a moment of silence between them and hesitation on his part, Actaeon rides forward so that he is side by side with his father.

ACTAEON:
     Then in the spirit of honorable warfare... (he extends his hand toward his father) ...may the best man win.

Capaneus looks at his son's outstretched hand, then grasps it. They clasp each other's forearms in the traditional Greek handshake.

CAPANEUS:
     May the best man win.

A close up of Capaneus' face, full of determination, with a gleam in his eye.

The camera pulls back to show the two kings, their backs to each other, riding away, the large hill looming behind them; we still do not see the top of the hill. The screen fades to black for a moment before there is a loud boom and flash of light as we:

CUT TO

Night. A fierce thunderstorm is raging. Lightning brightens the night sky and thunder fills the air with a deafening boom. Wind whips through the trees, howling and whistling, blowing the pouring rain so hard that it nearly flattens the small ferns and shrubs.

We see Xena and Gabrielle running through a dense forest, carrying two large satchels, splashing water and mud as they run. A flash of lightning illuminates the forest and they glimpse what looks like a cave entrance overgrown with branches and shrubs. Gabrielle points to the cave, trying to shield her face from the rain; Xena nods and says something, though another rumble of thunder makes her voice inaudible. They run as fast as they can toward the cave.

CUT TO

Inside the dry cave. From inside, we see water coming down over the entrance like a waterfall or a curtain. Vines grow along the walls, covering both sides of the entrance.

Xena and Gabrielle burst into the cave and stop once they've hit dry ground. They drop the satchels onto the ground. They are sopping wet and splattered with mud, bits of twigs and leaves tangled in their hair and clothes; they look like two kids who've just had the greatest time splashing around in a puddle of mud.

GABRIELLE (sighs):
     Springtime in Greece...it's--full of surprises.

XENA (gives her a mock-nasty look and sighs):
     And of course you would have to pick tonight of all nights to talk me into letting Argo and Klio roam free.

Xena tries to brush the excess water off of her leathers while Gabrielle shakes herself off like a dog.

GABRIELLE (grins):
     Oh, I'm sure they found a nice warm, dry place to get out of the storm. You know what they say about animal instinct--

XENA:
     I'm not worried about them! If we had the horses, we probably would have gotten to a dry place long ago instead of-- (she wrings out her wet hair) --getting an unscheduled bath.

GABRIELLE:
     Well, look on the bright side, Xena. At least the dry spell's over. The rain is good for farming.

XENA (still wringing out her hair and getting out the wet twigs):
     Right. Too bad it's not so good for wearing leather.

As they speak, Xena and Gabrielle continue to shake themselves off.

GABRIELLE:
     Maybe we need to take a vacation from leather and switch to something more practical. You know, something that--

ARES (off-camera):
     I object.

Xena and Gabrielle turn to see Ares standing outside the cave, completely dry as the rain comes down on him, his arms folded across his chest, a grin on his face.

XENA (teasingly):
     So you're interested in what I'm wearing?

ARES (raises an eyebrow and drops his voice a little):
     Or--not wearing.

Xena smirks; Gabrielle blushes and looks away. Grinning, Ares starts to walk into the cave, passing under the waterfall door. Just before he steps into the dry cave, Gabrielle puts her hand up.

GABRIELLE:
     Hey, hey, hey!

He stops, looking at her with a questioning eye.

ARES:
     What--no men allowed? Or no gods?

GABRIELLE (with mock outrage):
     You're going to track water and mud all over our nice, clean, dry dirt floor.

ARES:
     Who, me?

He steps into the cave, completely dry. Gabrielle shakes her head and goes over to pick up her bag. It's drenched. She turns it over and dumps out the contents, including a frying pan, some utensils and plates, some blank scrolls and a tightly rolled bedroll which is also dripping wet.

GABRIELLE (sighs):
     Looks like we'd better start a fire--a big fire. This is going to take ages to dry.

Xena looks at Gabrielle, then grins and turns to Ares.

XENA:
     Well, since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful.

CUT TO

Close up of a fire blazing. The camera pulls back a little to reveal a large fowl turning on a spit above the flames, and then pulls back some more to show Gabrielle, in a red velvet wrap, sitting beside the fire and turning the spit, watching the bird cook.

The camera continues to pull back. We see a twine rope over the fire, stretched out between two walls of the cave, with the two bedrolls hanging from it. Xena and Gabrielle's leathers are slung over a rock nearby; next to it on the floor are Xena and Gabrielle's boots, Xena's armor and armbands, Gabrielle's sais, and Xena's chakram and sword.

A soft, contented sigh is heard. The camera pans right of the fire and we see a close-up of Xena's face, her eyes closed, looking very content. The camera pulls back and we see two large hands, with a silver ring on the ring finger of the left hand, kneading her shoulders. As the camera pulls further back we see that Xena is wrapped in a dark fur stole that leaves her shoulders bare, and is leaning back against Ares.

There is a loud crash of thunder and lightning outside.

GABRIELLE:
     Well, it doesn't show any sign of letting up. Xena?

XENA (looks up, opening her eyes):
     Hmm?

Ares rolls his eyes, visibly annoyed by the interruption.

GABRIELLE:
     Remember how when we were in India, we passed through an area where they had monsoons?

XENA:
     Oh yeah.

GABRIELLE:
     Seasonal rains. Isn't that something? We're complaining about one little rainstorm ... (looks out at the downpour) well--one big rainstorm. But over there, once the winds came and brought with them the heavy rain clouds (she shifts to a storytelling tone), it would rain for weeks. It is heralded by the call of the male peacock, who dances and courts the female. The villagers believe it is the peacocks who summons forth the rain. To them the monsoon is a gift from the gods--if the people are pious, then the rain will bring nourishment to the soil and bless the land; if they are wicked, then it will bring tragic devastation. So every year, they wait for the monsoon. The peacock calls out, and then great purple clouds gather, lightning flashes and thunder rolls, and then for two or three moons, it rains and rains and never stops...

ARES:
     ...just like you.

GABRIELLE and XENA (in unison, Gabrielle glaring at him):
     Hey!

ARES:
     What? You're going to tell me this isn't boring? (rolls his eyes) Only you would tell a story about weather.

XENA (teasing):
     I suppose you can do better?

ARES:
     Sure I can. At least if I was telling a story, it would have some action.

GABRIELLE (piqued):
     Well, go ahead. Tell one.

ARES:
     Well, for instance...did you know that right now, we happen to be very close to my oldest temple in Greece?

XENA (mockingly):
     So that's your idea of a story--an ego trip!

ARES:
     That's only the beginning. Inside that temple, in a secret chamber, is a medallion that was once worn by my first priest. Long ago, seven cities fought each other for possession of this temple, all in the hopes of claiming the medallion. It was a war that continued for ten years. (dreamily) Great battles were fought and thousands of warriors died...

XENA (with an undertone of bitter irony):
     Those were the days, huh?

ARES (glances at her):
     Those days...had their moments. (He strokes her hair, then leans closer to her and whispers in a voice too low for Gabrielle to hear) But this is better.

Xena smiles slightly and presses his hand.

GABRIELLE:
     So what is it about this medallion that makes it so special? Why did everyone want it?

ARES:
     The medallion was forged after the first great battle that was ever fought in my name--the biggest, bloodiest battle the world had ever seen until that day. The two opposing armies were led by two great warriors evenly matched, each vying to become my champion...

GABRIELLE (abruptly):
     Wait a minute!

ARES:
     What? A little too much action for your taste?

GABRIELLE (excited):
     This is such an amazing opportunity for a bard. I'm getting a story about an ancient battle from an eyewitness. I have to write this down.

She reaches over toward the pile of her things, picks up a scroll and a quill and starts to write.

ARES:
     So. Starting at sunrise, they battled each other until it was almost sundown--until both collapsed and died of their wounds. (We see a brief close-up of Xena's face with a somber expression, as she moves slightly away from Ares) My first priest, Pontus, came to the battlefield when the battle was over. He picked up the swords of the two fallen heroes, brought them back to the temple and melted them down--and from their metal, he made a medallion bearing the symbol of the God of War. Like this one.

He holds up his hand and tosses something to Gabrielle. She picks it up and examines it. It's a silver medallion bearing the shape of Ares' rune symbol (like his Season 1-2 pendant), on a black metal chain. Gabrielle starts to examine the pendant when it suddenly shimmers out of existence in her hand, startling her.

ARES:
     As Pontus forged the medallion, he prayed that it be imbued with special powers. And in a sacred scroll, he recorded that so it was done. Whoever wears the medallion would gain supreme knowledge of the art of war, the strength of a hundred men, and combat skills that match my own. He would be the God of War personified among mortals. (As he talks, Ares glances over at Gabrielle, who is scribbling furiously; he smirks and goes on in a somewhat mysterious tone.) But it is said that the medallion can do much more than that. It can enable its wearer to see into the past and to witness any battle that has ever been fought--and learn from it. It can even give him the power to shape-shift.

Xena looks puzzled, then grins a little. Gabrielle continues to write, then looks up at Ares, catches the mischievous look in his eye and puts down the quill, narrowing her eyes at him.

GABRIELLE:
     Shape-shifting. (chuckles) You made it all up, didn't you?

ARES:
     Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You'll never know, now will you?

Gabrielle throws the scroll at Ares.

CUT TO

Night. The storm is over and the moon is out. Wide shot of the spot where Actaeon and Capaneus had met earlier that evening.

In the moonlight, we now clearly see the hill; on top of it stands a grand temple with majestic stone columns. The camera closes in on the temple and we see that it's quite old; some of the wall carvings, depicting battle scenes, are nearly worn off or chipped. Two torches burn at the entrance, indicating that the temple is still in use as a place of worship.

Off-camera, we hear a male voice crying out in shock and pain. There is the sound of a blow, then the sound of swords clashing and another cry, and more sounds of grunting and blows that obviously indicate a fight. The camera pans down and we see two swords clashing in the moonlight, and a sword piercing chain-mail armor on a man's chest. A mace comes down on a helmeted head and a man falls to the ground as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER