ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. AMAZON VILLAGE - MORNING

Xena strolls through the village, heading for the council chamber. She is whistling under her breath. Every once in a while, a smile appears on her face as though she can’t quite control it.

Xena passes Deliz and Raya deep in conversation. They stop as she approaches and fall silent, staring menacingly at Xena.

Xena stops and looks at them.

XENA

Got a problem?

RAYA

No problem a few less wanna be

Amazons around wouldn’t fix right up.

XENA

You’re in luck.

RAYA

Oh? You’re leaving?

XENA

No, I’m getting married.

You’re leaving.

Deliz backs Raya up, standing behind Raya and looking very imposing.

RAYA

I’m not going anywhere.

Xena merely appears amused. She shakes her head and walks on.

XENA

Ain’t that the truth.

Deliz and Raya watch Xena leave.

RAYA

If she thinks a joining will get us to leave

our lands, she’s crazier than I thought.

DELIZ

They’re both crazy. I told you she’s got no

intention of helping us.  Probably wants

to sell us off as slaves somewhere.

RAYA

Not if I can help it.

Raya and Deliz walk over to a small group of Amazons and start talking to them in a low tone.

CUT TO:

INT. AMAZON RECORDS HUT - MORNING

It is empty. There are several bags on the floor, apparently to carry the records of the Amazons when they leave, but none have been packed yet.  It’s apparent from the gaps in the scroll cases that much has also been lost over the years.

Gabrielle enters the hut, dressed in a set of plain Amazon leathers. She is in visible high spirits, despite the impending troubles. As she crosses the room she enters a beam of sunlight from the window, and she stops for a moment and plays with it, cupping her hand and making it swim through the light as though it were water.  She chuckles, then walks to the scroll cases.

GABRIELLE

Let’s see. Herbs, Oils, Weapons making...

no, that’s not it... Cooking... hmm.

Gabrielle pulls out the cooking scroll, which is in pristine condition and obviously has never been unrolled.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

That explains a few things.

Gabrielle puts the scroll back and continues searching.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

Ah. Ceremonies. Here we go.

Gabrielle removes the scroll, which is large and somewhat tattered. She walks to the small reed table in the room and unrolls the scroll, leaning over it and reading the contents.

Slowly, the sunlight in the corner collects into a semi transparent figure. It is Ephiny. She stands watching Gabrielle read, a wistful smile on her face.

Gabrielle senses her presence, and looks up.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

(smiling)

Hi.

Ephiny walks over to her.

EPHINY

Hi, yourself. You going to invite

me to the happy occasion?

Gabrielle chuckles. She sits down on the stool behind the table, the scroll in her hands. She grins at Ephiny.

GABRIELLE

Absolutely.

EPHINY

So, you found a way.

GABRIELLE

Xena did.

Ephiny smiles.

EPHINY

Yes, she did, and she gets an

ethereal cookie for finally putting

that smile on your face.  About time.

(beat)

You’re up early.

Gabrielle rests her chin on her fists.

GABRIELLE

I wanted a chance to go over the

ceremony... see what we’re in for. It

wasn’t anything I’d ever looked at before.

EPHINY

Yeah, I know. There’s something in

the joining ceremony I wanted to talk

to you about... that you won’t find in there.

Gabrielle looks at Ephiny. Her eyebrows lift.

GABRIELLE

Eph, we’re just getting joined.

We’ve already done everything else.

Ephiny rolls her eyes.

EPHINY

That’s not what I....

GABRIELLE

Good, because if I thought you were

going to sit there and give me my

coming of age speech, I was going

to have to at least attempt to hurt you.

Ephiny perches on the table.

EPHINY

I bet you would, but this is serious,

Gabrielle. There’s something I

think you should know before

you both go through this.

Gabrielle stares at Ephiny.

GABRIELLE

Now that I know Xena wants to

do it, there’s nothing that could

keep me from going through

with it, Ephiny. Nothing.

EPHINY

Just listen. Then decide.

CUT TO:

EXT. AMAZON CAMP - MORNING

Xena is seated near the Queens’ hut, sharpening her sword. Argo II crops grass nearby. It is sunny out, and Xena admires the reflection of the light on her sword blade as she works.

Adelia enters the clearing and watches Xena for a few moments, then approaches her.

ADELIA

Xena.

Xena puts away her sharpening stone and stands, whipping her sword around in a figure eight, then twirling it over her forearm before catching it and sliding it into the sheath on her back.

XENA

Yeeesss?

ADELIA

Rumor has it you’ve finally

come to your senses.

XENA

This has nothing to do with the

Amazons. You were just in the

right place at the right time.

Adelia nods ruefully. She knows this.

ADELIA

Still, you will be performing one of

our most sacred rites. One that might

end differently than you imagine.

Xena doesn’t like the sound of this. She faces Adelia.

XENA

What are you talking about?

It’s just a joining ceremony.

Adelia motions to the queen’s hut. She walks over to the door and opens it. Reluctantly Xena goes inside. Adelia follows her.

CUT TO:

EXT. AMAZON CAMP - MORNING

Raya, Deliz, and their cronies are in a glade, hidden from the rest of the camp. They are arming themselves carefully. Deliz straps on a porcupine quill battle shirt, while Raya sharpens her sword. Two other Amazons tip arrows with a black, sticky substance.

Everyone is very serious.

RAYA

We’ll only have one shot at this.

Make it count. You know what’s

riding on the outcome.

DELIZ

I won’t let you down this

time. I swear it.

One of the Amazons plucks her bowstring. It makes a scary, rattling sound.

CUT TO:

INT. AMAZON RECORDS HUT - MORNING

Gabrielle is up and pacing. She walks across the hut, gets to the wall, turns, walks back. Ephiny is seated cross-legged on the table. The rickety little table shows no sign of strain holding up Ephiny’s ghostly form.

GABRIELLE

I don’t get it.

EPHINY

Gabrielle, you do get it. You know

what I’m talking about. You and

Xena already share a bond.

GABRIELLE

No, we don’t.

EPHINY

Of course you do. Tell me you don’t know

when she’s in trouble? Tell me you didn’t

know, the second you saw Autolycus that

Xena was inside him? Tell me you didn’t

track her halfway to nowhere just on instinct?

Gabrielle stops pacing, realizing that Ephiny is right.

GABRIELLE

Well... but so what?

EPHINY

So what? Gabrielle, I hate to be the

one to tell you this but that’s not

something that happens to everyone.

GABRIELLE

I ask again, so what? So we do have

this... connection thing. So? It’s

pretty darn useful if you ask me.

Ephiny runs her hand through her curly hair. Even as a ghost, Gabrielle tries her patience.

EPHINY

Listen. Our joining ritual is

a blood bonding.

GABRIELLE

I’ve done that with Xena.

EPHINY

Yes, I know. But this is

a permanent one.

Gabrielle walks over and puts her hands on the table. She leans forward.

GABRIELLE

Good.

EPHINY

Gabrielle, if you already have a bond

with Xena, this could take it to a level

that you won’t know how to deal with.

Gabrielle considers this. She finally shakes her head.

GABRIELLE

I don’t buy it. There’s nothing about

Xena or us that I can’t deal with, after

everything we’ve gone through.

EPHINY

You can’t be sure of that.

Gabrielle straightens.

GABRIELLE

I *am* sure.

CUT TO:

EXT. AMAZON QUEEN’S QUARTERS - MORNING

There is a large tree on one side of the queen’s hut. The area around it is empty. Slowly, the leaves on one of the lower branches part, and Raya’s face appears. She watches the door to the queen’s hut for a moment, then she withdraws and the leaves slide closed.

The door to the hut opens, and Adelia exits. She appears upset. She shakes her head as she moves away from the queen’s hut, muttering to herself.

ADELIA

Stubborn.

Stubborn as the Styx is long....

Raya’s face appears again after she passes by. Raya watches the door intently. After a few seconds the door opens again and Xena emerges, her face grim.  Without hesitation, Xena strides in the opposite direction from Adelia, out into the forest.

Silently, Raya drops from the tree, followed by Deliz and the others. They slip off after Xena, looking around to make sure they are unwatched.

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST GLADE - NEAR THE LAKE - DAY

Xena sits by the lake, deep in thought. She appears troubled by something. She picks up small rocks, but instead of throwing them across the surface of the lake, she hurls them viciously into nearby trees, watching them bounce off.

Xena looks up, cocking her head to one side as though listening to something far away.

CUT TO:

INT. AMAZON RECORDS HUT - DAY

Gabrielle sits alone in the hut. She is studying the ceremony scroll, and taking notes with a tattered bit of parchment and an old quill.

Gabrielle pauses, looking up from her work and tilting her head to one side as though hearing a faint sound somewhere.

GABRIELLE

Now what?

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST GLADE - NEAR THE LAKE - DAY

Xena looks around to make sure she’s alone, then speaks out loud to herself.

XENA

Now what?

Xena seems caught between consternation and some dark grief.

Behind Xena, in the ring of thick trees, shadows slowly resolve themselves into still, silent faces.

Slowly, Xena unwraps a bundle she has carried out to the lake. The sunshine reveals the two bonding knives she had taken from Adelia.

Xena takes a knife in each hand and examines them.

Raya raises her arm, ready to motion the Amazons forward.

With a swift motion, Xena whips both of the knives into the air - but they fly towards the lake, flipping over and over and over again before they hit the surface and disappear leaving twin overlapping ripples behind.

Raya gives the signal, and the Amazons attack.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

ACT THREE