ACT 1

FADE IN:

4.

EXT. MILLTOS VILLAGE - AFTERNOON

Xena and Gabrielle ride up together on Argo to the gates of a small, rather shabby village. The gates are tied together sticks, and on either side of them are grubby little farms, with yards full of scraggly chickens and goats. The atmosphere is run down, but well ordered. There are no human beings in sight.

Xena and Gabrielle pause at the gates and look around.

GABRIELLE
This place looks
harmless enough.

Xena looks over her shoulder at Gabrielle, and smiles warmly at her.

XENA
Ya never know. I thought
Potedia was harmless, and
look what I found there.

Gabrielle does not react for a moment, then she leans against Xena and hugs her. Xena is a little confused at this reaction.

XENA
(cont'd)
Sorry. The jokes are a little rusty.

GABRIELLE
That's one of the things I missed most.

XENA
(puzzled)
My bad jokes?

GABRIELLE
Your sense of humor.
You didn't have it as a ghost.

XENA
No, I guess I didn't.
Wasn't much to laugh about.

Xena looks off into the distance, then guides Argo to the gates and unlatches them. Argo backs up and they pull the gates open and proceed inside.

FADE TO:

5.

EXT. MILLTOS INN - AFTERNOON

Xena and Gabrielle ride through the village and up to the inn. The Milltos Inn is a single story structure. Its sign is broken, hanging down from one catch and creaking in the breeze. The exterior is patched and shabby.

As Argo reaches the Inn, the inhabitants of the village slowly appear, coming out of houses and from around corners to look at them. The villagers are dressed more or less alike, all with homespun aprons tied over their work clothes with a jagged, knife like symbol sewn on them.

XENA
(low, to Gabrielle)
See that symbol?

GABRIELLE
Yeah. What is it?

XENA
Damned if I know,
but I bet we find out.

Gabrielle gives Xena a look.

GABRIELLE
Remind me to think again
about that sense of humor.

Xena smiles.

The crowd surrounds Xena and Gabrielle and look curiously at them, pointing and whispering. Xena and Gabrielle look at each other, then dismount from Argo's back. The Innkeeper comes out to meet them. She is a hatchet faced woman who has seen better days, with a tight, pinched face and a gaunt frame.

INNKEEPER
What's your pleasure, travelers?

XENA
(under her breath)
Wouldn't you like to know?

Gabrielle has her mouth open to speak, but she pauses on hearing the bawdy comment and reaches over to give Xena a pinch. Xena smirks.

GABRIELLE
(clears throat)
We'd like a room.
Do you have any?

The Innkeeper laughs unpleasantly.

INNKEEPER
Have any? Oh yes, we've got
plenty of them. Come with me,
strangers. We'll fix you right up!

Xena doesn't much like the sound of this, but she can't find any immediate threat. She starts to follow the innkeeper inside when the sound of people fighting comes from the road.

GABRIELLE
What's that?

INNKEEPER

(cont'd)
Quickly, quickly, inside
if you please!

The innkeeper tries to hurry them inside. Xena and Gabrielle ignore her, grab their weapons, and head for the sound of trouble.

CUT TO:

6.

EXT. MILLTOS VILLAGE ROAD - AFTERNOON

A crowd of men dressed in the strange aprons, but with hoods over their heads surround a bound captive. The captive is wrapped in strips of cloth from head to foot, on which are painted various symbols. The captive is plainly terrified, his eyes are coming almost out of his head, but his mouth is bound and he cannot speak.

The hooded men drag the captive down the street. The captive struggles - he is a very powerful man and he knocks several of them off their feet despite how he is bound.

The captive falls, and the men drag him forward, then pull him back onto his feet. The men start to chant very loudly.

MEN
Toola! Toola! Toola!

Xena and Gabrielle run towards the men.

GABRIELLE
Stop! Let him go!

HOODED MAN
Get them!

The hooded men leap forward and attack Xena and Gabrielle with sticks and poles, beating at them viciously.

XENA
You really don't wanna do that!

Xena takes the pole from one man's hands and breaks it, then she kicks him in the chest and flips him backwards several times. At the same time, Gabrielle takes out one of the hooded men with a roundhouse kick, then uses her sais to punch out two others, knocking them unconscious.

GABRIELLE
She's right. Why don't we
stop now, before...

A man leaps at Gabrielle and tackles her, taking her to the ground. They wrestle, as Xena turns and sees them. Xena leaps over two men who are trying to grab her and kicks back in mid air, kicking them into a horse trough nearby. Gabrielle is struggling with her opponent. The man is far larger than she is.

XENA
Gabrielle!

Gabrielle rolls out from under her attacker and pulls back a fist, then slugs him hard in the jaw. The man's head rocks back and he drops flat to the ground. Gabrielle gets up and looks around. Xena picks up one of the last of the attackers and spins around with him, knocking out two others. She lets him go, and he flies across the road, landing in a manure pile outside the barn.

GABRIELLE

(cont'd)
Bull's-eye.

XENA
No. Bullshit.

(beat, points at captive)

Cut him loose.

Gabrielle has already gone to the side of the captive. She draws her dagger and slices through the linen wrapping, freeing the man.

GABRIELLE
Easy... it's okay.

The captive frantically wrenches his limbs free, and as soon as he can get loose, he turns and bolts for the gates, running as fast as he can.

GABRIELLE

(cont'd)

(yells)

You're welcome!

Xena walks over to Gabrielle and puts a hand on her shoulder.

XENA
You okay? I thought that
guy had you there.

Gabrielle wipes her brow and puts her dagger away. She is a little shaken, the days without sleep have taken their toll and she knows it.

GABRIELLE
Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go turn
these creeps in, Xena, and
find out what's going on.

Xena looks concerned, but she just claps Gabrielle on the back and they start back towards the inn.

CUT TO:

7.

EXT. MILLTOS INN - MOMENTS LATER

A crowd is gathering. They move around Xena and Gabrielle as they approach. Xena addresses the innkeeper.

XENA
Who's the law here?

INNKEEPER
You might well ask!

The crowd starts to mutter angrily. A man rushes in.

MAN
He's gone! We'll never catch him!
He got across the river!

Xena and Gabrielle exchange looks.

GABRIELLE
Are you looking for one of the attackers?
Most of them are by the road.

INNKEEPER
(points at Xena and Gabrielle)
It was them! The strangers! They attacked
the holy ones, and let him go!

GABRIELLE

(under her breath)

Holy ones?

XENA
I've got a bad feeling about this.

The crowd starts to riot. Rocks and sticks start to fly. Xena and Gabrielle immediately draw their weapons and go back to back, ready to defend themselves. Xena knocks sticks out of the air with her sword.

INNKEEPER
They attacked! I saw them!

GABRIELLE
Wait! You've got this all wrong!

A tall, stern, bearded man suddenly steps into the center of the crowd, and holds his hands up. Following him is a large group of the aproned and hooded men, now obviously in authority.

MAN
Silence!

The crowd stops dead, and you would hear a pin drop if they were not on a dirt road.

MAN

(cont'd)
They will be judged
according to our custom.

Xena has had about enough.

XENA
Judged for what? We saved
that poor guy's life!

MAN
For breaking our laws, and putting
us all in great danger. Bring them
to the council chambers!

The hooded guard surround Xena and Gabrielle, pointing lethal looking spears and crossbows at them.

FADE OUT.

ACT 2