"Are you sure I was dying?" "Xena, the gods know that I have been tied to a cross before." "You helped me then." "What makes you think this vision is different?" "It was so real..." "The way you looked..." "The mountain in the background..." "It's true, or it could be." "Well, I'm not going to believe it." "It's almost dawn." "Come on." "Better get moving if we're gonna warn the people of Actus about that army." "No sense in us both going." "Stay here." "Catch up on some rest." "I'll go to Actus." "No, you won't." "The threat of a battle does not mean I'm going to end up like your vision." "Xena, you're expecting Medusa behind every tree." "You can't look left..." "You can't look right!" "You just..." "All right." "We're not staying long." "Actus has its own army." "Once we warn them, we're out of there." "That's fine." "This conversation is over, right?" "Deal?" "Gods forbid I'd ever bring that subject up again." "The threat of battle isn't bothering business, is it?" "Chances are they don't know." "Did you see the city walls?" "The battlements aren't manned." "They haven't even got the scouts out." "We gotta find the military commander." "Looks like he might know." "He looks important." "My name's Xena." "Who's in charge here?" "I am." "My name is Oaklin." "I'm in charge of the forces of Actus." "Or what's left of them." "What does that mean?" "What happened?" "Disease." "Half my men are down with the scourge." "Then you better pray for a speedy recovery." "There's a hostile army outside your gates." "They're pretty close now." "That's impossible." "We would have heard." "You're about to." "Take cover!" "It's already begun." "Come on." "Gabrielle?" "Gabrielle!" "Are you ok?" "Stay here." "Against the wall!" "Take cover." "Come on." "Come on!" "Move!" "Get down!" "Where's my little girl?" "Where's my little girl?" "Xena!" "Come here." "Come on." "Mommy!" "Xena!" "The corinthians have retreated inside their fortress..." "...along with the civilians." "Excellent." "With the army inside the city walls we'll still have time to search for the Ixion stone." "That's a waste of time, Xena." "Even if it did exist, its power is not for us to hold." "Alti promised me that power." "With it, I become the Destroyer of Nations." "You need more than the promises of a witch." "If you forget that stone my army can attack the south wall immediately." "You'll waste your men on a search for nothing." "Xena!" "What about the prisoners?" "Don't move!" "Kill them?" "Well..." "No!" "We aren't at war with the centaurs." "A wise commander would keep it that way." "I have my own plans, Borias." "We'll hold all the prisoners for now." "Are you all right?" "I saw the past." "What?" "I saw the past." "I was attacking Corinth like this." "And I had everyone trapped like us." "In the time of ancient gods, warlords and kings a land in turmoil cried out for a hero." "She was Xena." "A mighty princess forged in the heat of battle." "The power..." "The passion..." "The danger..." "Her courage will change the world." "XENA, THE WARRIOR PRINCESS" "Xena, they stopped firing on us." "It was an opening volley to force people back into the city." "Now there are too many of us in here and not enough supplies." "Here." "It was a good tactic." "At least it was good when I used it at Corinth." "What did you mean by that?" "I went back there in my mind." "I saw it so perfectly..." "There was me, Dagnine and Borias." "We'd taken a patrol of men and centaurs." "Borias wasn't happy with that but it didn't matter." "He and I had split the army by then." "Mine was much more powerful than his." "The pain again?" "Lean your head forward, my queen." "Don't call me your queen, Satrina." "I don't like it." "Yes, my..." "Yes." "Leave us, Satrina." "You don't command in my tent, Borias." "Not anymore." "You've moved the corinthians back behind their walls." "The way to Athens is clear." "I'm not..." "I am not attacking Athens with a potential enemy at my back." "Borias, it all happens here." "If only I had that stone..." "There is no Ixion stone." "Alti was lying to you." "Is it...?" "No." "No, it's just a kick." "His legs have your strength." "We should wait before assaulting Corinth until after the birth." "If the men find out you're with child..." "The men don't know and they don't need to know." "The minute I start hiding in this tent I lose morale..." "..." "Discipline." "Is it easier to lose our son?" "This baby is nothing compared to my empire." "Borias, I've been working towards this for years." "Athens is within my grasp." "At what cost, Xena?" "Do we end there, or do we go on and on?" "Even with the wealth of Athens, do we..." "Stop saying "we"!" "You're not in this for wealth or glory, Borias, not anymore." "He loves you very much." "He reminds me of my former master, Demayeus." "Well, I killed Demayeus when I captured you." "Borias wouldn't be so easy." "This is true." "But Demayeus was a great warrior at one time." "He assaulted the mighty fortress on Rhodes." "He couldn't force the gates or breach the walls, but still..." "...he was intelligent." "And what?" "Demayeus allowed some poison grain to be captured by the defenders." "When they became too sick to man the walls he attacked, but not against the gates." "His men tunneled under the walls and when they collapsed, he took the fortress." "But I am using every piece of digging equipment I have to search for the Ixion stone." "Besides, it wouldn't work." "You would know better than myself." "Still poison grain." "There's an idea." "Call Dagnine." "Those were painful times." "I learned many hard lessons and I lost a lot." "Xena!" "General Oaklin is dead." "I know." "Do you have any idea who you're up against here?" "No." "But whoever he is, he's got us boxed up." "We've locked down the gates and all available soldiers have been posted along the walls." "And I'm next in command, but I don't have any battle experience." "You're next in command and you don't have any battle experience?" "All right..." "Take an invent'ry of all weaponry." "Get some civilians detailed on fire dury." "How's the water supply?" "There's a dam further upstream controlling the flow." "If the enemy gets to it, we won't last long." "Stop!" "Stop!" "Check the supplies Especially the grain." "This is poisoned." "That's why your men are sick." "What?" "That's impossible!" "I did it myself at Corinth." "Whoever's out there is watching your walls." "When your strength gets down to half, the assault will begin." "In the meantime, put all the rest of the grain in the storeroom..." "...and post a guard on it." "We have to have food." "Right now, I'm more concerned about the water." "Assemble all the men you can spare at the south wall." "I need some engineers and the fastest horse you can find." "Gabrielle, looks like this hospital could sure use your hand." "No, Xena, this hospital is well protected." "It's in the center of the city." "It doesn't need me hiding in it." "I'll start the fire brigade." "The dam's still intact." "Good." "Looks like they missed it." "Yes." "You and you, come with me." "The rest of you, stay here." "What's she doing?" "She's looking for an ambush." "She's trying to draw them out." "Here and here." "She's amazing." "Ok, let's move." "This one's ok..." "And this one." "I want you all to spread out." "Be on your mettle and keep an eye on the sentry." "If we destroy the dam, they won't be able to stop the water flow." "There'll be some flooding, but we can deal with that." "This river flows directly into Corinth?" "Oh, yes." "It's their main source of water." "Your name is Jareyd, and you report to Tyldus." "Am I correct?" "No." "My commander is Kaleipus." "We were on a peaceful patrol." "And armed to the teeth." "What's Kaleipus waiting for?" "A formal declaration of war?" "Or should we just...?" "Xena!" "I will not lead my army into useless battles." "Relax, Borias." "I have no quarrel with the centaurs." "Kaleipus still might be someone to deal with." "Go ahead." "You are free to go..." "without your weapons." "But take a message to your leader." "To prove his good will we need to meet to make a treaty." "I'll make sure Kaleipus hears your message." "Come on, let's go." "You, however, are soldiers of Corinth." "My enemies." "And you have a message to deliver as well." "Is this your sacrifice to Alti?" "No, it's just for shock value." "Get off the dam!" "We've got cavalry coming quick!" "Retreat back to Actus!" "What happened?" "I just got outsmarted by my own tactics." "Here's your list of supplies." "The grain's been locked away." "The only water available is what's left in the cisterns." "It's three days... tops." "Gabrielle, did you see that mountain out there?" "Yes." "It's part of your vision, right?" "What if this is the place where it happens?" "It isn't." "Satrina, get me some water." "It's all right." "He just wants out." "Soon..." "Soon I will see my son and I can name him." "And you can take him from me." "What about "us"?" "There is very little left of us anymore, Xena." "The only reason our two armies haven't crossed blades is because of common purpose." "And what would that be?" "It's not Corinth." "You can't convince me of that." "No, there's only one reason why you stayed." "You want to take this away from me." "As any father would." "If my son stays here, he'll become a target for your enemies." "He'll see things a child should not see and..." "And he'll become like me." "Dagnine..." "Was your meeting with Kaleipus successful?" "Oh, yes, quite successful." "Good." "A peace treaty with the centaurs brings us one step closer to victory." "Perhaps we should step outside." "What is this?" "Come on, Borias..." "It was your idea to go after Kaleipus." "Under a banner of truce!" "Yes, of course it was a banner of truce." "You think they would have met with me just because I'm pleasant?" "This is war, Xena!" "Well..." "Just a little one." "After all, how long do you think the centaurs can last without you in command?" "We'll never forget this." "The army of Tyldus is on its way." "We'll fight to the death!" "Ya got that right." "Your death." "You're mad." "You've gone too far." "My army..." "Your army is nothing." "This is nothing, not compared to what was promised." "I am the Destroyer of Nations." "It has been foretold." "The Ixion stone is my path to power and I will find it." "I will unlock its mysteries and the prophecy of the great shamaness Alti will be complete." "You've lost your edge, Borias." "You lost it ever since you found out I was no longer yours." "Don't do this!" "We lost our love." "Don't make me an enemy!" "You became an enemy the moment you thought there was love." "Kill him." "Get in there!" "Stop them!" "Borias!" "Cavalry!" "Call in the horses!" "No!" "You go after them and they'll trap you." "Spread the word!" "From this moment on we are at war with the centaurs!" "And Borias is their ally!" "We're going to need a lot of wood." "When I'm done here there'll be a line of crucified bodies leading from Corinth to the Caspian Sea." "And I will crucify them all." "Crucify them!" "Crucify!" "Gabrielle..." "Gabrielle!" "What is it?" "I understand what's going on now." "This battle is a reflection of one that I almost won years ago." "Whoever it is out there, they're using my own tactics against me." "He knows me." "It's like he is me." "How do I defeat myself?" "Xena..." "Do you see what this is doing to you?" "It's just like I was talking about." "I don't care." "I want you out of here." "How?" "Tonight we'll create a diversion." "Pasicus can lead a party of men and..." "So ok." "In order to save me, you're willing to risk these men?" "Their lives mean nothing to you?" "All right, I will think of something else." "No, you won't." "As long as you're concentrating on me, you can't think about the problem." "I am thinking about the problem." "This guy out there..." "He thinks like me, fights like me..." "And he's winning just like I should have long ago." "But you didn't!" "Because I withdrew my army." "That is not going to happen here." "If I had won back then..." "If this man wins now then my vision of your death might come true." "I'm going onto the battlements." "I'm going to reinforce the men." "Gabrielle!" "Gabrielle!" "Xena, I don't believe in your vision." "I can't afford to!" "Now, either I prove you wrong, and we go on from here or I prove you right and we die." "But either way, I will not continue like this." "Quiet!" "You want the guards on the wall to hear us?" "What is that?" "It's the flower from the santra bush." "It'll take away the pain." "I can't be out during a battle." "Look, when your child is born, I'll give you the kala root." "It'll bring you back." "You..." "That's right, Xena." "It's me." "Satrina, your loyal servant." "Get out of the tunnel." "We'll collapse the wall in the morning." "I'll deal with Xena." "She's in no condition to resist." "Why?" "How?" ""How" is easy." "I studied you, Xena." "All those years you thought I was this poor, defenseless, little slave girl you captured from Demayeus?" "Truth is, Demayeus was my partner My lover, my mentor before you came along." "That's how you knew what I was going to do." "Oh, Xena..." "The moment I realized you were in command, I was ecstatic." "Of all the people I've studied, you were the most complex, the most brilliant of the minds I've defeated this far." "You see, Xena, I never did have that much in the way of muscle." "Never." "But I am a survivor." "And I have this incredible ability to put myself into my enemy's head." "So... when I found myself in your custody, I realized this was my one chance to learn from the best." "That's why I couldn't allow you to see Borias that night." "Oh, yes." "The night your son was born, you had just taken the santra-flower potion and Borias' army attacked." "Before Alti Before all this, we had love, Xena." "Maybe we confused it with power But it was there." "Is still there." "For the sake of our son and us, I'm taking you away." "Satrina, don't." "I can give you your freedom." "But first, listen to me." "The centaurs know everything about the Ixion stone and Xena's plans." "They've agreed to let me take Xena and my son away from here." "I have to." "Yes, I understand." "He's your son." "I'll help you." "No, Borias." "I can't do that." "I can't let that happen." "Not while I've got so much to learn from her." "You're a traitor." "My destiny is an empire, and Xena's gonna help me achieve it." "Not with you around!" "You'd just spoil the whole thing." "So you have to die and maybe your son, too." "But we'll have to wait on that one." "Dagnine!" "It's Borias!" "He's here to kill Xena!" "Come on!" "Push harder!" "Come on!" "Ventilate!" "Come on, that's it." "Push, Xena!" "Come on, just one more time!" "That's it, Xena!" "Borias!" "It's your son, Xena." "Come on!" "We have to go!" "Come on, Xena!" "My son." "We gotta hurry." "When I saw Borias' body I couldn't believe that he could come back for me and that he was in love with me." "But you were focused on the power Alti promised." "You shouldn't have left Corinth." "You could have taken it!" "Like you're going to take Actus?" "By collapsing the city walls with this tunnel?" "You and that story you kept telling about Demayeus and Rhodes..." "When I pull that rope over there, this column will fall." "The next rope pulls this column, and so on, and so on." "I think it's rather fitting that you should be here to see it." "The poison grain was the key." "I tried to think who knew my plans..." "Who would know about the poison grain?" "There was me, you and Dagnine." "And Dagnine's dead." "Want some kala root?" "I had some before I came which means your poison dart did nothing." "Once I knew it was you, the rest was easy." "You always did like the tunnel idea." "Xena!" "What's the matter?" "Ya having trouble getting inside my head right now?" "Let me help you." "You killed Borias, the man who could have changed everything for me if only I had let him." "You killed the father of my child!" "And if he had lived, then maybe my son would..." "Did you get inside my head now?" "What am I thinking now, huh?" "I won't taint Borias' memory by killing you." "You're not worth it." "Wrong choice." "Guards!" "You come any closer, and she buys it!" "You're completely outnumbered, Xena." "You can't stop me!" "Not if my army takes this tunnel first!" "They're tunneling in from the other side." "Guards, get back up there!" "Where's Satrina?" "Xena!" "Do you think she made it?" "Probably." "Like she said, she's a survivor." "Satrina's army sure broke up quickly." "She promised them a destiny she couldn't fulfill." "Funny think about destiny..." "You can't ignore it..." "Can't rely on it..." "Alti promised you one, didn't she?" "I was to become the Destroyer of Nations." "It's funny how I used to look forward to those promises of hers and every one of them ended in tragedy." "Maybe that's why I fear this prophecy so much." "A prophecy?" "Xena, no one said anything about a prophecy." "Maybe it's a warning." "A sign..." "A guide?" "The truth is, you don't know." "Like Alti didn't know, because she didn't know you." "Borias knew." "He showed me the hatred I had for myself." "He showed me the love that someone could have for a child." "Stop there, Xena!" "You got my message..." "I just wanna talk to you." "As you did before when you tried to kill me?" "It doesn't matter." "You won't get the Ixion stone." "Borias, the friend of the centaurs, has told us everything." "We found his body in your camp." "But his legend will live on forever with our people." "Take this child." "He's my son." "The son of Borias." "If he stays with me, he'll become a target for all those who hate me." "He'll learn things that a child shouldn't know." "He'll become like me." "Please..." "The son of Borias shall be raised as my own."