ACT TWO

FADE IN:

10 INT. GENERAL STORE - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

Still in shock, Xena instinctively starts toward Gabrielle who glances up, surprised to see this young woman moving purposefully toward her. Reacting, Gabrielle backs into the Slave Boss, accidentally stomping on his foot.

SLAVE BOSS
Owww--! You clumsy fool!

Furious, he shoves her to the floor, shouting at her as she cringes at his feet.

SLAVE BOSS
I'll teach you to watch where
you're going!

And seizing the wooden baton at his belt, the Slave Boss raises it high. But as he starts to bring it down --

-- Xena throws herself between the Slave Boss and Gabrielle!

XENA
Don't touch her!

Gabrielle is as surprised as the Slave Boss who scowls as he recognizes Xena.

SLAVE BOSS
You! Out of the way!

XENA
No. I won't let you beat her.

SLAVE BOSS
(incensed)
Won't let me?! Then by the gods,
you'll take her place!

And raising his baton, he starts to bring it down when

-- Xena reaches up, grips the stick, and stops it mid-descent.

For a moment, they remain that way: Xena fixed, unmoving the Slave Boss shaking with rage and effort. Then:

MAPHIAS (O.S.)
Wait -- stop!

Reacting, they look to see Maphias quickly approaching.

MAPHIAS
I can explain.

Scowling, the Slave Boss wrenches free of Xena and turns to Maphias who quickly forestalls him.

MAPHIAS
It's all a misunderstanding.
(deftly separating Xena and
Slave Boss)
Right, darling?

Thrown, Xena stares, speechless. Capitalizing on it, Maphias turns back to the Slave Boss, winging it.

MAPHIAS
You see, we're getting married soon,
which means we're in the market for
a house slave.
(turning to Xena; pointedly)
Isn't that so, sweetheart?

Before she can answer, he's back to the Slave Boss.

MAPHIAS
And she's right.
(re: Gabrielle)
This girl would be perfect. But if
I've told her once, I've told her a
thousand times: ask before you examine
the goods.
(to Xena; meaningfully)
Isn't that true, my love?

Catching his drift, Xena nods, working with him.

XENA
Yes ... Yes, it is!
(to Slave Boss)
So, how much?

The Slave Boss eyes her coldly, happy to tell her:

SLAVE BOSS
Forget it. Mezentius likes her too
much to sell at any price.

XENA
(appalled)
Mezentius?

But before she can ask more, they're interrupted by one of the Minions who approaches, informing the Slave Boss:

MINION
Ready to go.

SLAVE BOSS
Right. Load everyone into the wagon.

As the Minion nods and exits, the Slave Boss looks down at Gabrielle, still crouched on the floor.

SLAVE BOSS
Get up, you worthless slag.

Darting a look at Xena, Gabrielle rises and flees, barely dodging the Slave Boss, kick as he follows her off.

Instinctively Xena starts after him. But Maphias restrains her, quickly pulling her aside into:

CUT TO:

11 INT. A SMALL STORAGE ROOM - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

Eyes flashing, Xena shakes Maphias off.

XENA
Let go! He's taking her away.
What're you doing?

MAPHIAS
(just as mad)
Saving your neck! What's gotten into
you today? Lyceus is worried, and so
am I. That's why I'm here.

XENA
(bristling)
Lyceus sent you?!

MAPHIAS
Good thing he did, too. what were you
doing, interfering like that?

XENA
I wasn't "interfering." I was saving a frien-- a girl from being beaten.

MAPHIAS
She was a slave! The way you were acting,
you'd think slavery was a crime.

XENA
It is!

MAPHIAS
Don't give me that argument again.
It's very generous and noble. But
when'll you learn you've got to go
along to get along. That's how the
world works.
(torn between love and frustration)
And you can't change the world, Xena...
no matter what you think.

And turning, Maphias exits, leaving Xena shaken as:

LACHESIS (O.S.)
(gently)
He's wrong, you know.

Turning, Xena reacts to see the second Fate standing beside her, dressed as a village woman, eyeing her kindly.

LACHESIS
One drop of blood, and the world
changes back to what it was.

XENA
No. Things aren't perfect here, but
they weren't perfect in mv world, either.
And I won't take my brother's life.
Not again.

LACHESIS
And your friend? What about her
life?

Xena frowns, but remains resolved.

XENA
I can change that. All I have to do is
free her, and Gabrielle will be fine.

LACHESIS
You sound very sure.
(gently warning)
But as you said, things are different
here... people, too.

XENA
(confident)
We're talking about Gabrielle. How
different can she be?

12 INT. WARLORDS' CASTLE - THE GREAT HALL - NIGHT

ON Gabrielle. The sunny face we've come to know is hard and bitter as she serves dinner to Mezentius and Krykus who talk strategy over a large map.

MEZENTIUS
It won't work. They have to know we're
coming, or they won't be scared.
(Shouting to Gabrielle)
More bread!

Taking a platter of baguettes, Gabrielle moves to Mezentius.

KRYKUS
(patiently)
If the village knows we're coming,
they'll mount a defense. That's why
it's better to surprise them. Fewer
casualties -- higher profits.

MEZENTIUS
Higher profits is good. Especially
when you're dividing 'em by three.
(slaps Gabrielle's rear end)
Right, sweet thing?

Hating him, but powerless to protest, Gabrielle deliberately drops a baguette on the floor, moving out of reach to get it.

KRYKUS
Three's a lot, it's true. But
combining your muscle with my
strategies, and Caputius' deadly
arts, we'll more than triple our take.

Bending for the baguette, Gabrielle sees Mezentius' dog and, holding out the bread, lets him lick it a few times before she rises, puts the baguette among the others, and serves it to Mezentius.

MEZENTIUS
(taking baguette)
The three of us'll be a regular force
of nature, all right.

To Gabrielle's satisfaction, he takes a big bite of the bread. But as she moves away, he grabs her.

MEZENTIUS
Not so fast, sweet thing.
(as she quails; raising his cup) More wine.

Relieved, she grabs a flagon, covertly spitting into it as:

KRYKUS
Our first move'll be the most
important. What's the word on
Amphipolis?

MEZENTIUS
Ripe for the picking.
(pinching Gabrielle as she pours his wine)
Like some other things around here... eh,
sweet thing?
(back to Krykus)
Guy by the name of Lyceus might give us
some trouble, though. According to my spies,
he and his sister stood up to Cortese a few
years back, 'til they were forced into the hills.

KRYKUS
(thin smile)
If they thought Cortese was bad...
(smug pride)
... imagine what they'll think of us.

The look on Gabrielle's face makes it clear what she thinks as she watches Mezentius drink his wine.

CUT TO:

12A INT. GENERAL STORE - NIGHT

The Storekeeper is closing up, his back to the door, when he HEARS someone enter.

STOREKEEPER
Sorry, I'm closed. You'll have to come
back tomor--

Turning, he sees it's Xena.

STOREKEEPER
Oh, it's you, Xena. Forget something?

XENA
Yes... I need to get... (looking around
for inspiration) ....one of those.

She points to his rotisserie chickens. Nodding, the Storekeeper moves to get one. Xena crosses with him.

(casually)
Guess you'll be sending those supplies
out to Mezentius tomorrow.

STOREKEEPER
(nods; bitter)
It's like dealing with Ares himself.
But a man's got to make a living,
right?

XENA
Right.
(then; fishing)
Your drivers must leave pretty early...
y'know... to be there by midday... ?

STOREKEEPER
Gone by first light, back by dark.
Why? Looking for a job?

XENA
(quick smile)
No thanks. I'll just take the chicken.

STOREKEEPER
(extending it)
There you go. That all you need?

Chicken in hand, Xena smiles, her plan in place.

XENA
Thanks. It's exactly what I need.

And, as we PUSH IN ON the chicken:

MATCH DISSOLVE:

13 INT. XENA'S HOME - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT

ON the skeletal remains of the chicken which are wisked away, as we:

PULL BACK to see Xena and Lyceus clearing the table.

XENA
(angry)
You should have seen him, Lyceus.
Petty son of a bloodsucking Bacchae
that's what all slavers are.

LYCEUS
You act like that's news. Why do you
think I wanted to stop Cortese? Not
just to get the town back. Men like
that can't go unchallenged. Look what
happened to the Amazons.

XENA
(thrown)
Yeah... Guess they're a pretty good
example, all right.
(fishing)
... Aren't they?

LYCEUS
Sure. No one challenged the warlord who
started things with them and the centaurs,
and now where are they? Dead mostly, or
enslaved by the same scum who tricked them.
(trying to remember)
What was his name? Kreetin? Kruton?

XENA
(steely voice)
Krykus.

LYCEUS
Right. Another charmer. Seems like
everywhere you look these days, things
are going from bad to worse. And no one's
doing a thing to stop it...
(smiles at her)
... except you.

Caught up in her own guilty thoughts, Xena stares.

XENA
Me?!

LYCEUS
Going up against a slave boss like
you did?
(grins)
Guess our sparring finally paid off,
huh? Next thing y'know, you'll be
taking on Mezentius himself.

XENA
(growling)
Don't think I wouldn't love it.
(then; reining herself in)
But I'm sure there's another way to go,
another way to make things right.

Seeing his sister's frustration, Lyceus crosses to her.

LYCEUS
Hey, c'mon! It's not your fault the
world's the way it is. And with Mezentius
lording it safely inside his castle ...
(rueful shrug)
What can you do?

OFF Xena, mental wheels whirling.

DISSOLVE TO:

14 EXT. WARLORDS' CASTLE GATE - DAY

Two supply wagons approach: the first loaded with food and wine; the second with hay -- as per the Slave Boss' orders.

While the GUARD at the gate stops the first wagon to search it...

... THE SECOND WAGON halts behind it. The inebriated DRIVER sways on his seat, his back to the hay where we can just make out...

... Xena surfacing through the straw to peer covertly out, reacting to see --

-- The Guard at the gate prodding and poking through the first wagon's load... with a three-pronged Pitchfork.

Satisfied, the Guard motions the wagon through, then waves for the second, which pulls up beside him.

As the drunken Driver clutches his seat to keep from falling off it...

... The Guard begins searching the hay, jabbing his pitchfork closer and closer to where we saw Xena when, suddenly --

He hits something buried in the straw!

Frowning, the Guard withdraws his pitchfork, reacting as...

a spurt of red liquid sprays his face!

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

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