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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 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) 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.
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END OF ACT TWO |
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