Episode Guide Teaser Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4


ACT TWO

 

FADE IN:

 

INT.  INN DINING ROOM - EVENING

 

WOMAN

VANUS!!!!

 

As the woman heads for the door, Malum darts around the bar and grabs her by one arm.

 

MALUM

No!  Don't go out there!

 

The woman struggles against his grip.

 

WOMAN

Let me go!  He'll die!!

 

MALUM

You don’t know that, Sally.

 

SALLY

(outraged)

Don't know that?!?  Of course I know

that!  My husband!  Your brothers!!

All the men in this town, dead!!

And now, my only son....  Vanus!!

 

One of the old men painfully rises from the stool and totters over to the struggling pair.

 

OLD MAN
Hold yer horses, Sal.  Ain't none of us sure

what happened to them men.  Ain't never

seen a body, and ain't none of 'em ever

come back sayin' somethin' was killin' em.

Me, I think it was Kregus.  He's always been

jealous of our wealth.  I think he kidnapped

'em so he could have it all for hisself.

 

SALLY

And that's supposed to

make me feel better?!?

 

The old man shrugs and looks away uncomfortably.

 

SALLY

(cont’d)

Kidnapped, dead, it's all the same,

isn't it?  And in three days, it won't matter,

because the rest of us will be just like them!

 

MALUM

(hesitantly)

Then… maybe what Vanus

is doing is for the best?

 

Sally rounds on the man, her face a mask of rage.

 

SALLY

Best?  Best for who, Malum?  You??

You've never so much as dirtied your

hands in this town's business, and

now you're willing to sacrifice my

son to keep your precious Inn running?

 

MALUM

Now, Sally....

 

SALLY

It's true, Malum, and we all know it.

If you're half the man my son is,

you'll go out there and stop him.

 

OLD MAN

Or join him.

 

Malum stares at both of them, then drops his gaze to the floor, flushing slightly.

 

SALLY

Fine then.  Stay a coward if it

pleases you, but don't barter

my son's life away for it.

 

She starts to move toward the door.

 

XENA

Wait.

 

Xena rises slowly from her seat, hand raised.  Gabrielle doesn't look too surprised.

 

XENA

(cont’d)

I'll go after the boy.

 

She turns to Gabrielle.

 

XENA

(cont’d)

You stay here and figure

out what's going on.

 

 

With that, she exits, leaving the townspeople to stare after her open-mouthed.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. TOWN OUTSKIRTS - EVENING

 

Evening has drawn down over the desolate land, but Xena has no trouble following the dusty trail left by Vanus.  Though obviously hurrying, Vanus does not make it much past the outskirts when Xena catches up to him, stepping just ahead and to the side of the young man.  Terrified, he grunts and swings his pick-axe, only to have its handle caught in Xena's strong hand.

 

XENA

Watch it.

 

VANUS

(shakily)

You... you're the one from the

inn, aren't you?  The warrior.

 

XENA

I am.

 

VANUS

The King didn't really

send you, did he?

 

In answer, Xena lifts an eyebrow, eyes glinting.

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

Didn't think so.  You wouldn't

work for someone like Barakos.

 

XENA

Barakos?  I thought

Kregus was your king.

 

VANUS

Kregus?  Kregus is the Lord

of the flatlands to the east.

Barakos is our King.

 

When Xena releases the pick-axe, Vanus relaxes then gestures to a small rock outcropping just ahead.

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

Would... you like to sit down?

I could explain it to you.

 

He seems eager to delay his journey.

 

Xena nods.

 

CUT TO:

 

INT. INN - EVENING

 

The inn's dining room is a scene of chaos.  All the adults, and most of the children as well, are busy trying to shout over one another to be heard.  Unable to deal with the bedlam any longer, Gabrielle puts her fingers to her mouth and blows a piercing whistle that produces instant silence.

 

GABRIELLE

Thank you. Now, it sounds like you have

a problem.  Xena and I would like to help

you, but we can't do that unless we know

what's going on.  So, this is what we're

going to do.  When I point to you, you speak.

The rest of you, keep quiet.  Understand?

 

She looks around the room.  Several reluctant nods answer her question.

 

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Good.  Sally, why don't you start?  Why

is your son going... wherever it is that he's

going, and why are you upset about it?

 

 

SALLY

Because he's going to die out there!!

Haven't you heard what I've been saying?

 

GABRIELLE

But....

 

MALUM

You don't know for sure....

 

Gabrielle cuts him off with a glare.  He flushes, then studies his boots with fascination.

 

GABRIELLE

Sally, I understand that you think he's

going to die.  What I don't understand

is why you think he's going to die.

 

She holds up a hand before the argument can start anew.

 

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Remember, I'm a stranger passing

through here.  I don't know your town,

or its history.  Somebody needs to

start filling in some blanks for

me, or I can't help you.

 

She points to the old man.

 

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

You.

 

OLD MAN

We're a minin' town, like you musta

guessed when ya saw Vanus leave

with that stuff in his hands.

 

GABRIELLE

And what do you mine?

 

 

Malum pulls something from his dirty pocket.

 

MALUM

This.

 

Gabrielle takes it, looking it over carefully.

 

GABRIELLE

I saw one of these upstairs in

my room.  It's very beautiful.

Does it have a name?

 

OLD MAN

We call it Janusite.  The most

precious gemstone in all the

lands, to hear our King tell it.

 

GABRIELLE

Kregus?

 

MALUM

No.  Barakos.

Kregus is an idiot.

 

The other people in the room murmur in agreement.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. ROCK OUTCROPPING - NIGHT

 

Xena sits atop the outcropping, idly playing with a chunk of stone as Vanus looks on.

 

XENA

So, your miners started

disappearing, what...

a moon ago?

 

VANUS

A little more, but yes.  Everything

had been fine up until then.

 

XENA

What happened?

 

VANUS

(slowly)

Well, when the sun rose, our four

best miners went down, just like

always.  By sunset, they hadn't

come back.  We thought, maybe

a cave in.  It's happened before.

 

XENA

Did you send rescuers

after them?

 

 

VANUS

Yes.  Five men,

all experienced.

 

XENA

And?

 

VANUS

They never came back either.  We

wanted to send more out after them.

I even volunteered, but Torad, he was

the Headman, he said no.  He said to

wait until the sun came up so we

could see what we were doing.

 

He looks down at his thin, dirty hands, twisting them in his lap.  His face is a mask of anguish.

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

Two of my best friends snuck out

after everyone else was asleep.

They were goin' to try to help, you

know?  They never came back.

 

Xena lays a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it briefly.  Vanus scrubs at his eyes before turning to Xena.

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

I should have gone with them.

Maybe I could have done something.

Maybe I could have....

 

XENA

You might have died.

 

 

VANUS

(angrily)
It's better than living like this!!  If Barakos

hadn't pushed us so hard, maybe none

of this would have happened at all!  I've

got no choice now, don't you see?  Die

in the mines, or die at that bastard's

hands in three days! It's all the same!

 

CUT TO:

 

INT.  INN - NIGHT

 

Gabrielle is now seated atop the table, feet planted comfortably on one of the chairs.  The inn's patrons surround her, faces eager.

 

GABRIELLE

All right, let me see if I've got this

now.  Barakos is your King.  And

after he discovered what you were

mining, he went a little crazy.

 

OLD MAN

Right off the deep end.

 

GABRIELLE

Right.  So, he demanded that you

step up your efforts and give most of

what you mined to him as tribute.

 

SALLY

Plus the taxes he was already squeezin'

outta us.  Made it so we could hardly

make a decent living anymore.

 

Gabrielle nods.

 

GABRIELLE

And then your men

started disappearing.

 

The people nod gravely.  Many of the women have tears in their eyes.

 

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

What did the King do then?

 

OLD MAN

Sent out his soldiers ta try and beat the

gems outta us, like we wuz hidin' 'em

from him or somethin'.  We tried explaining

to them, but they wouldn't listen.  They

demanded all the gems we owed, plus

extra for makin' the king angry. PLUS a

whole shipment more to make a wedding

cloak for his oldest daughter on account

of her marryin' Kregus' son.

 

GABRIELLE

Kregus.  The one you think

kidnapped the miners.

 

OLD MAN

Well, o'course!  It makes sense,

don't it?  Kregus is dirt poor, even

if he is a king.  He's always been

jealous of our wealth.

 

GABRIELLE

But why kidnap the miners when

he's going to get the gems

after the marriage anyway?

 

 

The old man looks away for a moment, not having a very easy answer to Gabrielle's logical question.

 

OLD MAN

(muttering)

Maybe he just don't

wanna share 'em.

 

GABRIELLE

You might be right, but he has

to know that once Barakos

finds out, it'll start a war.

 

OLD MAN

Wars've been fought fer a

whole lot less than this.

 

And that is logic that Gabrielle can't argue with.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT.  ROCK OUTCROPPING - NIGHT

 

XENA

So, you have three days to mine a wagon

in tribute, a wagon in interest, and a wagon

for a wedding cloak to be used as dowry.

And if you don't, the king will imprison

everyone and burn down the town.

 

Vanus nods.

 

VANUS

I know you don't think I can do it.  But I

can't just let my mother and the rest of

those people be imprisoned, or killed,

while I sit back and do nothing.  I have

to try, don't you see?  I have to!

 

Taking in a deep breath and gathering his courage, Vanus stands and hefts his axe and turns, facing Xena.

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

So... now you see why I have to do this.

I don't want to hurt you, the gods know

I don't, but I can't let you stop me, either.

 

Before he can even blink, he finds himself weaponless.  He gulps in fear as blue eyes, now silvered in the moonlight, glitter down at him. 

 

VANUS

(cont’d)

D-don't....

 

XENA

Relax.  I'm not gonna hurt you.  But

I am taking you back to your mother.

 

VANUS

But....

 

XENA

I think we can figure out a solution to

your problem.  One that doesn't involve

facing whatever's out there alone.

 

VANUS

But... why?  Why would you help

us?  You don't even know us.

 

XENA

(very seriously)

It's what we do.

 

 

FADE OUT.

 

END OF ACT TWO

ACT THREE