ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. TOWN INN - PUBLIC ROOM - NIGHT

Medeinus enters. The room is now mostly empty.  Only two serving women remain on one side, tidying up the tables, and one very old woman, MAIS, who brings over a bowl for Medeinus as he sits down near the fire.

MEDEINUS

Well, they're off.

MAIS

You think it's safe?

Medeinus snorts.

MEDEINUS

Is life safe? With some luck, they'll be

outside the hills by sundown tomorrow,

and then it's all roads guarded by

the prince to the harbor.

Mais seems unsure, but she gets up to pour Medeinus a mug of ale.

MEDEINUS

(cont’d)

Not much business tonight.

MAIS

Just them that were leaving, and

a few travelers. Odd, they were.

MEDEINUS

Odd?

MAIS

Mm. Something not

quite right about ‘em.

CUT TO:

EXT. HILLSIDE ABOVE THE TOWN - NIGHT

The mounted force starts moving down the hill. As they reach the bottom, their speed increases until they are at a full gallop by the time they hit the road.

In the front of the force, four horsemen carry a battering ram. But as they approach the gates, they drift open, the locking bar not in place.

FIRST MAN

Yeahhh!!!!

CUT TO:

INT. TOWN INN - PRIVATE ROOM IN THE BACK - SAME TIME

A candle flares. Xena and Gabrielle's faces are revealed as they sit up in bed, ears cocked. A soft thrumming of hoofbeats is clearly heard through the window.

GABRIELLE

Could be a herd of sheep.

XENA

Horses.

GABRIELLE

Could be wild horses.

XENA

Armed men on horseback...

headed this way.

Gabrielle sighs with deep soulfulness.

GABRIELLE

Does your hearing always

have to be so damn accurate?

Xena hands Gabrielle the candle.

XENA

C'mon.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN GATES - NIGHT

The attacking force sweeps through the unlocked gates and starts to ravage the town. Women and old people run to get out of the way, but they are run down.

One of the attackers captures a woman and throws her over his saddle. The leader of the attack spots him.

RAIDER LEADER

Hey! I said kill ‘em!

The man looks disgruntled, but he dumps the woman off the back of his horse. She falls in a heap and the horse kicks her as the man rides on.

The men spread out and head down the various paths in the town.

CUT TO:

EXT. INN - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

In the faint light from the torches, townsfolk run in panic away from the marauding horsemen. Three women dash between two rocks.

RAIDER

Yah! Yah! I got ‘em!

The raider rides between the rocks and disappears. After a moment, he races back out, whipping his horse frantically. His armor is half destroyed, and blood coats his entire left side.

RAIDER

(cont’d)

Ah! Ah! They got me!

Xena and Gabrielle appear from between the rocks. Xena points towards the center of the town, then at the gates.

XENA

You go that way.

I'll go this way.

GABRIELLE

Xena!

Xena is already disappearing into the chaos.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

(under her breath)

Be careful.

Two horsemen ride right for Gabrielle. She tucks and rolls out of the way, then races past them towards the center of the town, where a ring of terrified townsfolk are being hacked at by riders.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN GATES -NIGHT - SAME TIME

A woman darts in front of the gates. One of the raiders grabs her, and punches her in the face. She screams. The man goes to punch her again, but finds his arm held.

RAIDER

Hey!

The man turns right into Xena's fist. Xena grabs the man's hair as she slugs him, and then she yanks him backwards away from the woman. He falls to the ground.

XENA

Move! Get hidden!

The woman stumbles off towards a stack of wood. Xena spots a rider heading her way, and she jumps up onto the wood.  Then she leaps towards the man and collides with him, taking him off his horse.

The man and Xena fall to the ground. The man pulls a dagger and stabs at Xena.

XENA

(cont’d)

Ah ah ah!

Xena grabs the man's hand and twists it backwards, breaking it.

RAIDER

Bitch! Ahh!!!

XENA

Considering what you interrupted,

be glad it was only your hand.

Xena elbows the man in the jaw, and he collapses. Xena rolls to her feet and heads for her next victim.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN CENTER - NIGHT - SAME TIME

Gabrielle is now in the center of the ring of townsfolk, fighting off the raiders.

GABRIELLE

Get down! Lie down!

The townsfolk do not know what to do, they are so frightened. Gabrielle trips one of them, and shoves them down just as a raider is about to take their head off. Gabrielle catches the man's sword on her sai, and twists her arms, yanking the weapon from his grasp.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

DOWN!

The man grabs at Gabrielle's hair and pushes his horse against her. Gabrielle takes advantage of her height and ducks under the horse, coming out the other side and grabbing the man's boot. She pulls the boot from the stirrup and throws the man off his horse.

RAIDER CHIEF

Get her!

Two horsemen head for Gabrielle.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN GATES - NIGHT - SAME TIME

A group of children burst out of hiding behind a wagon and start to run across to the nearest building. The raiders spot them, and start shooting.

Xena sees them and yells a warning.

One boy falls, pierced in the back by an arrow. He is tall, and blond haired.

Xena watches him, and goes still, as an image of Solon flashes before her.

XENA

(whispering)

Bastards.

(yelling)

Hey! Scumbags!

The raiders turn to see her. Xena jumps into the torchlight, brandishing her sword. The children are forgotten, as the raiders find a better target.

XENA

(cont’d)

Over here! I got what you

want, boys. Right here.

Xena is right where she wants to be... in the center of a circle of raiders, all of whom are riding around her taking shots at her as they go past.

XENA

(cont’d)

C'mon, you gutless pigs! Pick

on someone your own size!

A man shoots a crossbow at Xena. Xena catches it in her free hand, tosses her sword up, pulls her dagger, throws the dagger at the man and kills him, catches her sword and twirls it, then tosses the arrow away in far less time than it took to read this.

XENA

(cont’d)

Waste of a good knife.

RAIDER SECOND IN COMMAND

Now! Get her!

All the riders wheel their horses and head for Xena.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN CENTER - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

Gabrielle shoves the last of the women into the barn and slams the door. She turns, wiping her arm across her brow. There is blood on it. She looks towards the gates, and sees horses going that way. Loud yells break out.

GABRIELLE

Bet I can guess

what's causing that.

Tucking her sais into her boots, Gabrielle takes off at a run.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN GATES - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

Gabrielle comes around the corner of the inn, and sees Xena in front of the gates, holding off what appears to be most of the raiders. 

From the look on Xena's face, it is apparent she's having a great time. Gabrielle shakes her head, but appears slightly relieved.

GABRIELLE

Never know we're here, huh?

At that moment, a small boy darts through the horses legs just as three men attack Xena at once. A yell of alarm dies on Gabrielle's lips as she starts to run instead, losing sight of Xena as Xena spots the boy, and her body changes direction in mid-motion to protect him.

Xena goes down under the three men.

Gabrielle watches the spot she last saw Xena in.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

C'mon... c'mon....

Xena does not reappear. More men pile on. Gabrielle picks up a broken wagon hitch pole as she bolts towards the men, letting out a yell as she swings at the nearest and sweeps him cleanly right off his horse.

Just then, out of the nearby inn, a group of the townsfolk come bursting out, chased by half a dozen raiders.  They scream and plow right into the swarm of men over Xena, causing a riot.

Men and horses and screaming women churn in a huge pile. Gabrielle slips through everything, her eyes searching frantically in the shadows.

The crowd shifts over, and her eyes spot Xena, still on the ground, pulling herself clear of a fallen horse.

With a look of utter relief, Gabrielle ducks under a sword and rushes to Xena's side.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

Don't scare me like that. Here.

Gabrielle offers Xena a hand up. Xena doesn't take it. She is holding her leg.

XENA

Got a problem.

Gabrielle drops to her knees.

GABRIELLE

What is it? You twist something?

We gotta get away from these guys X....

Xena removes her hand, and in the torchlight, blood and the glint of white, broken bone is seen.

XENA

Twisted, yeah. Until it

broke. I can't walk on it.

Gabrielle looks around. The raiders have spotted them, and a yell goes up. The men start to run towards them.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE

ACT TWO