Episode Guide Teaser Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4


ACT THREE

 

FADE IN:

 

EXT. FOREST PATH - EVENING

 

The women from the village are fastened together, and their wrists are tied. Their legs are tied also, but loosely so they can walk.

 

They are not in the same place they were taken. The trees are much closer, and there are no sounds of habitation around them.

 

Xena and Gabrielle are near the back. They appear docile and avoid looking at the men who have captured them. They have their hands tied behind them.

 

The men have odd purple staining on their bodies, and all have thick hair and beards. They wear hide clothing, but carry well crafted weapons.

 

PETI

(angrily)

Thought you were

going to protect us.

 

One of the captors hears her.

 

MAN

What?

 

Peti falls silent, but glares at Gabrielle. Gabrielle doesn't answer. The men prod the women with long sticks.

 

MAN

(cont’d)

Move!

 

PETI

Where are you taking us?

 

The man hits Peti across the face with his stick.

 

MAN

No talking!

 

Xena watches impassively. Gabrielle looks down and swallows. Her hands clench at her sides, but she also remains where she is.

 

MAN

(cont’d)

Move. Be silent.

We won't hurt you.

 

Peti snorts. She is bleeding. The men start herding the women along a half hidden path, drawing aside branches and leaves as they look around to make sure they are not being watched.

 

GABRIELLE

(under her breath)

This was a good idea, right?

 

 

The best Xena can manage is a shuffle, as the men have tied her legs in a short loop. She does not look pleased.

 

XENA

Hmph.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. WATERFALL - NIGHT

 

The men shove the women down a path lit only by moonlight. They are climbing upward, and the women are visibly exhausted.

 

Xena and Gabrielle climb stolidly at the back of the line. They are in much better shape than the villagers, but it hasn't been an easy night, and both have smears of mud across their skin from falling on the path.

 

MAN

Hold!

 

The line stops.

 

GABRIELLE

(softly)

Xena.

 

XENA

(whispering)

You all right?

 

GABRIELLE

Fine.

(beat)

I think there's something

familiar about these guys.

 

XENA

My fist wants to get

very familiar with them.

 

GABRIELLE

Y'know....

 

 

XENA

(sighing)

This was my idea.

Yeah. I know.

 

The men have been removing what appeared to be a fallen log from near the bottom of the waterfall. Now they return, and prod the women forward.

 

It is apparent they want them to go behind the falls.

 

GABRIELLE

Ah. Guess that's why

they never found them.

 

XENA

They never looked.

 

One of them men comes over.

 

MAN

Are you talking?

 

Gabrielle looks at him with gentle innocence. She points to the waterfall, and then shrugs. The man grunts and shoves her up the path.

 

Xena moves towards the man. He senses it and turns to look at her, raising his stick and aiming a blow at her head.

 

Xena evades the stick and keeps walking past the man, shifting as she comes even with him and knocking him back.

 

XENA

Sorry.

 

MAN

Bitch.

 

XENA

(amused)

Among other things.

 

 

The man shoves Xena, but ends up almost unbalancing himself when Xena proves quite unshovable.

 

They disappear under the water.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. FAR SIDE OF WATERFALL - NIGHT

 

The women emerge from the waterfall, drenched and disoriented. They are faced with a ring of torches. They stop, confused, then they are grabbed and shoved into a large cage made of tree limbs lashed together.

 

PETI

Hey!

 

MAN

Shut up!

 

The men grab the women in front of Xena and Gabrielle and hurl them towards the cage. Two stumble and fall, and as they do, Xena is revealed in the torchlight.

 

WOMAN'S VOICE

STOP!

 

Xena's head jerks up in reaction. She tries to see past the torches, but the fire is too bright and she can't shade her eyes from it.

 

MAN

Getting them in

the box, m'lady.

 

WOMAN'S VOICE

Not that one.

Put the rest of them in.

 

The man grabs Gabrielle and pushes her towards the cage. Gabrielle resists, sensing something is very wrong. Her lips twitch, forming Xena's name.

 

WOMAN'S VOICE

(cont’d)

But leave this one out.

(laughing)

This is one piece of long, cold

revenge about to be served

up to me least expecting.

 

The man wrangles Gabrielle into the cage. Xena remains where she is standing, flanked now by the two other men, holding weapons close to her.

 

The torches flutter, and a shadowy figure moves past them, into the light.

 

It is a woman, perhaps in her late fifties, with gray hair showing faint signs of once being red. She wears hide garments like the men, but a battered, faded copper torc circles her neck.

 

Xena's expression remains very still.

 

XENA

Hello Boudicca.

Been a long time.

 

 

The woman looks at Xena with utter hatred.

 

BOUDICCA

Longer for me than you, apparently.

But it doesn't matter. I've waited a

lifetime to find you again, you

worthless deserting coward.

(smiling)

It's now been worth it.

 

She turns to her men.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

String her up. Tight.

Don't get too close.

 

 

Boudicca backs into the shadows. A half dozen men descend upon Xena, throwing ropes around her, while three stand back, with crossbows aimed at her.

 

Gabrielle puts her hands around the bars, her expression stunned.

 

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - NIGHT - SHORT TIME LATER

 

Xena is hung from a tree, her hands tied to an upper branch, and her legs tied to lower.  Around her, the men are gathering, bringing drums and laughing together.

 

Xena looks around. The campsite is a collection of shelters in a semi circle, some tucked under rock overhangs that line the back side of the waterfall.

 

She sees a small child hanging back near one shelter. The child is dressed like the men, but is watching the women inside the cage with wide eyes.

 

One of the men spots him and walks over, grabbing him and shoving him inside the shelter.

 

Boudicca reappears, and approaches Xena.

 

BOUDICCA

These men here?

(pointing)

They're all that's

left of my people.

 

XENA

And?

 

BOUDICCA

And the death of us

started with you.

 

The men settle around the tree Xena is hung from.

 

XENA

Don't lay your failures at my feet.

It was your army, Boudicca.

 

BOUDICCA

(fiercely)

Aye. It was. But it was your

battle, and you ran from it.

 

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT - SAME TIME

 

Gabrielle untwists a bit of the hemp rope tying the cage bars together. The rope extends all the way up the joint out of her reach.

 

She sits down near a back bar and starts to use the rope to saw through the bar near the bottom.

 

PETI

What are you doing?

 

GABRIELLE

Getting out of here.

 

PETI

Little late to think of that, isn't it?

Now that you got us into this.

 

Gabrielle doesn't look up.

 

GABRIELLE

We didn't get anyone into

anything. If you're going to

blame someone, blame them.

 

Gabrielle jerks her head towards the men around the tree.

 

 

PETI

Well, turns out you aren't the

heroes you made yourselves out

to be after all, huh? Your friend

over there sure got pegged fast.

 

GABRIELLE

(gritting teeth)

It's not what it sounds like.

 

The woman makes disbelieving sounds and comments.

 

PETI

Sounds like you're a couple

of frauds, to me.

 

SECOND WOMAN

Maybe at least we can

find out what happened

to our children ourselves.

 

PETI

Yeah. Who needs heroes?

 

Peti goes to the front of the cage. Gabrielle doggedly keeps working on her makeshift saw.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - TREE - CONTINUOUS

 

Boudicca brings a torch close to Xena.

 

BOUDICCA

See their faces? They still

remember that day, Xena.

 

XENA

(quietly)

So do I.

 

 

BOUDICCA

They believed you had a

plan. Hell. I believed it.

 

She brings the torch close to Xena's face.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

And then you turned tail and ran,

and left us to Caesar's mercy.

 

Xena blinks as the smoke from the torch enters her eyes. She looks past Boudicca

 

XENA

You would have lost anyway.

It was never about you.

 

 

BOUDICCA

No. It was always about you,

wasn't it? You and him. Did

he pay you off to lead us

on, Xena? How much?

 

Boudicca grabs Xena by the hair and pulls her head back.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

What was your honor worth...

if you ever even had any?

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

 

Gabrielle is concentrating on her sawing, but she can hear what Boudicca is saying and it is distracting her.

 

SECOND WOMAN

(kneeling)

What are you trying to

accomplish? You'll never

get out of this thing like that.

 

GABRIELLE

Sure I will.

 

The second woman looks out at the fire circle.

 

SECOND WOMAN

She caused all those

people to die. What kind

of people are you?

 

GABRIELLE

It's not.... It's not as

simple as that.

 

 

SECOND WOMAN

So you're saying she's lying?

 

Gabrielle pauses. She looks at the string she's been using, which has just frayed in half. It falls to pieces and drops from her fingers.

 

GABRIELLE

No. Not exactly.

 

PETI

Yeah, I bet.

 

GABRIELLE

She didn't run from

anything. She...

(exhaling)

... Had something else

to take care of.

 

Peti snorts in derision.

 

PETI

Well, she can't run now.

 

Gabrielle gets up and goes to the front of the cage. She grabs the bars and shakes them in mounting frustration.

 

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - TREE

 

Boudicca plants the torch to one side of Xena. She removes a dagger from her belt and approaches Xena again. With a dispassionate look, she takes a handful of Xena's hair, and cuts it off.

 

BOUDICCA

Something to remember you by.

 

Boudicca puts the knife to Xena's throat. The men start to drum, a low, throbbing sound like a heartbeat.

 

Xena stares straight ahead.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

One thing, before I decide how

you'll die, Xena. One thing I

want from you. One thing

you owe me. Owe them.

 

XENA

I don't owe you anything.

 

 

Boudicca grabs Xena by the throat.

 

BOUDICCA

Liar. You destroyed my people,

and now I want to hear from

your lips you admit that.

 

She sneers.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

Tell me how you turned

your tail and ran. Tell me

you're sorry, Xena!

 

She shakes Xena, then screams.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

TELL ME!

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

 

Gabrielle grips the bars and pulls against them. She takes a breath, then lets it out. She starts looking for another way out, leaping up and grabbing the top bars, and rattling them.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - TREE - CONTINUOUS

 

Xena struggles for the first time, ripping herself free of Boudicca’s grasp and taking a breath.  Boudicca grabs her again.

 

BOUDICCA

Say it! Say it and I may let you

live the night through, Xena.

 

She leans in next to Xena and whispers.

 

BOUDICCA

(cont’d)

Say it.

 

Xena stares at Boudicca.

 

 

XENA

(loudly)

All right.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT

 

Gabrielle stops in mid-motion and just listens.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - TREE

 

Boudicca turns to her men. They stop drumming and face her.

 

BOUDICCA

Listen! Listen all of you.

Remember this. Remember

all your friends and comrades

dying. Remember their screams.

(to Xena)

Go on. Tell them. Say it!

 

XENA

I'm sorry.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT

 

Gabrielle looks through the bars at Xena's profile. Her expression is very sad.

 

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. BOUDICCA'S CAMPSITE - TREE

 

Boudicca tips her head back and laughs harshly.

 

XENA

(yelling)

I'm sorry I didn't turn my

back on you sooner.

 

Boudicca turns and stares at her.

 

XENA

(cont’d)

You weren't worth what

was lost that day.

 

Boudicca recoils, then lunges for Xena.

 

CUT TO:

 

EXT. CAGE - NIGHT

 

Gabrielle's head drops, and she looks away. She leans against the bars, shaking with emotion.

 

Peti walks over to her.

 

PETI

See? What a bitch.

 

For a moment, Gabrielle is completely still. Then she whirls and slaps Peti across the face with shocking violence. Peti stumbles and falls.

 

GABRIELLE

You're not worth what

we're about to go through.

 

Gabrielle goes to the bars again. She sees Boudicca grab Xena.

 

GABRIELLE

(cont’d, loudly)

Boudicca!

 

 

Boudicca turns and lets go of Xena. Xena twists and looks over at the cage for the first time.

 

BOUDICCA

Who speaks?

 

GABRIELLE

Why don't YOU tell the truth?

You couldn't lead your people

to victory so it's easier to

blame someone else!!

 

Boudicca steps out of the circle of torches and shades her eyes. Her expression turns very cold.

 

BOUDICCA

You.

 

GABRIELLE

Yes.

 

BOUDICCA

(to men)

Bring that one. Hang her there.

When the moon rises,

they'll both die.

 

Boudicca leaves the campfire circle. The men pull Gabrielle from the cage, and start tying her up.  Gabrielle doesn't fight them. She looks past them at Xena, a faint, wry smile on her face.

 

 

FADE OUT.
 

END OF ACT THREE

ACT FOUR