"Xena, these totems don't look too friendly." "These are Centaur totems." "Dagnine's already been here." "Looks like the Centaurs drove him off, but he won't give up." "The big question is, what kind of welcome you're going to get from the Centaurs." "I don't know." "I fought the Centaurs a long time ago." "I can only hope they believe I'm here to help." "Wasn't Dagnine in your army back then?" "Yes." "He was a very capable warrior but even I wouldn't turn my back on him." "We had the Centaurs surrounded." "They fought bravely, but it was only a matter of time." "If they were surrounded, why didn't you kill them?" "We reached an agreement." "I pulled my army out and promised never to return." "Gabrielle, get your staff ready." "Centaurs?" "No." "You want it?" "You've got it." "Centaurs, Retreat!" "Xena,destroyer of nations." "You promised you'd never return." "That Xena never will." "I'm sure you figured it out Dagnine's here for the Ixion stone." "And what are you here for, or shouldn't I have to guess?" "I came to stop Dagnine." "I'm not here for anything, or, or anybody." "Anybody?" "Solon." "I wanna kill her, Uncle!" "I won't have you thinking that way." "But she killed my father;" "she killed the great Borias!" "Leave us, now;" "we'll talk later." "You've just met your greatest enemy." "Do you know him?" "Yes" "He's my son." "I've got it." "Hey, no high-hoofing!" "Stop right there!" "You won't get the Ixion stone." "All of us are willing to die to keep you from that power." "And Borias, the man who betrayed Xena, to become the greatest friend of the Centaurs, told us everything." "He may have died at your command, but he will live forever in our legends." "I'm willing to withdraw my army." "Xena, destroyer of nations, isn't known to bargain." "Take this child." "He's my son, and the son of Borias." "If he stays with me, he'll become a target for all those who hate me" "and he'll learn things a child should never know." "He'll become like me." "The son of Borias, will be raised as my own." "I want to talk to you." "I told you everything." "Yeah, now you've told me everything everything except why." "I mean, how could you walk out on your own child?" "You don't understand." "No, I do understand." "Any woman would." "I just can't believe you did it." "I mean, he's your son, for Gaea's sake." "I didn't come here for him." "I came to stop Dagnine." "But you are here, now." "You're gonna tell him, right?" "Get outta my way." "Xena." "I'm paying you for your incredible eyesight,See'er." "But even I know that Xena's there." "Yes, Lord Dagnine." "She's amazing." "She can sense me watching her." "From this distance?" "Yeah, yeah, she could do that when I was in her army." "It's so irritating." "What is she saying?" "They were blocked by trees most of the time." "So I couldn't read her lips." "But, she's troubled by something." "She knows I'm gonna find the Ixion stone." "Keep watching." "I need to know her plans." "I need, I need something." "I need anything to fight her with." "No, no, no!" "How I raise my son is none of your business." "You gave up that right a long time ago." "I don't want him growing up to be a warrior." "He shouldn't be carrying a sword." "Has he been trained to use it?" "Don't be foolish." "I don't want him to be a warrior,either." "But just as you gave him up to protect him," "I have to give him the freedom to choose his own path." "I thought that's what you wanted, as well." "It is." "Amazing,I see so much, change in your eyes." "You aren't the woman I faced ten years ago." "You aren't, that warrior." "Let him go, Xena." "He's got a family and a home here." "He's not your son anymore." "Are you telling me this for my good, or yours?" "For his,and mine." "For nine years," "Solon has been my son." "I love him more than my very life." "And the thought of losing him" "You can't possibly know what that feels like." "Do you know what it's like to be a mother-- without her child?" "Hi." "Dagnine's staked out the southern end of the territory,near the cliffs." "If he wants to take the village, he'll have to fight uphill." "But it's the stone he's after." "So, what does this stone do?" "Ixion was the father of the Centaurs." "When he had the choice of making them either wicked or noble, he chose noble." "All their evil is captured inside a stone." "So whoever has the stone has the power of Ixion's wickedcreation." "Right." "I can see why the Centaurs tried to stop you, and why Borias turned against you." "Borias was a very wise man." "He found his way a lot sooner than I did." "But I didn't kill him." "I ordered him captured unharmed." "And I don't know what happened." "That's not what Solon thinks." "Gabrielle, a lot of people think that giving birth ends when the baby takes its first free breath." "It's not true." "My son has grown inside of me every day stronger and stronger." "I can try to deny it, but I can never ignore it." "How can I claim something that I walked away from so long ago?" "I don't know what it's like to have a son." "But I do know what it's like to have a mother." "And he should know that." "Don't you even think about it." "This is none of your business." "I'll handle it my own way." "See'er." "What?" "What have you got for me?" "I may have your weapon." "Would it interest you to know Xena has a son?" "Immensely." "You can come down now, Solon." "I know you're up there." "Get away from my father and mother." "I came to pay my respects." "I didn't kill your father." "I wish you'd believe that." "You killed him." "My mother was left all alone." "What do you know about your mother?" "What do you care?" "I care." "What was she like?" "My uncle says she was wonderful." "She never thought bad things about anyone, even you." "She had a smile like a breeze on a warm day." "And she could sing like Orpheus." "I wish I could have heard her sing." "Did your uncle ever tell you that she didn't want you to be a warrior?" "How did you know that?" "Well, a woman like her, without evil in her heart, wouldn't want her son to take up the sword." "My father fought you." "If I can die for something that noble" "Ah" " Don't confuse nobility with anger and revenge." "Your father wasn't like that." "And I know, 'cause we were very close once." "Did you know he could sing?" "We used to sing together." "I could sing for you." "She spotted us!" "She did?" "Quick!" "Come on!" "Keep going; keep going!" "But, she's all the way up the valley." "Not Xena." "Not with this much time to" "Boo!" "Just so you know" "I've cut off the flow of blood to your brain." "You'll be dead in thirty seconds if you don't talk." "Now, what have you told Dagnine?" "Dagnine knows everything." "He knows you're here to stop him;" "he knows about your son!" "Solon!" "Solon!" "Look, I know you're here." "I just want to talk to you get to know you a bit." "Why?" "To be your friend." "You're Xena's friend." "Yeah." "She's your friend, too." "Where'd you get the staff?" "I got it from the Amazons." "They use it to defend themselves." "I've got a sword to do that." "Yeah." "But I learned a long time ago, that a sword makes you a target not with a staff." "You see, there are no sharp ends to threaten anyone." "You don't have to pretend you're a warrior." "I am a warrior!" "How did you do that?" "I did it without a sword, and without being a warrior." "Do you want me to teach you?" "Yeah." "Look out!" "Solon, run!" "Solon, run!" "I can help!" "Run!" "No!" "Put me down!" "She can take the message to Xena that we have the boy." "Gabrielle." "Xena." "Gabrielle." "Where have you been." "What's wrong?" "Are you all right?" "Yeah, they, they got him." "They took Solon." "Go back to the village." "Tell Kaleipus to stay put." "Dagnine will cut his cavalry into little pieces in these dense forests." "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to get my son." "Leave me alone!" "Make sure these men stay alert." "Xena'll try anything to get him back." "I'll be in my tent." "The key." "Bye-bye, little boy." "You are an amazing woman." "And you haven't changed a bit still as, charismatic as ever." "No, no, no, I, I have changed a little bit." "Ah, look,look, you see, you see?" "That was from Thersites." "I understand you took care of him, though." "And I'm smarter, a lot smarter." "You see, I found your fatal flaw." "You were right to keep him secret so long." "And, giving him to the Centaurs a stroke of genius." "But, I know, and I possess." "You were always a bargaining man." "I assume that's what you want to do;" "otherwise, you would have called in your guards by now." "That, and the fact that you could kill me in two steps." "Oh,but you'd never see your boy again, would you?" "Very well." "There are, three things that I do want." "One, the stone." "Don't have it;" "don't know where it is." "I do; it's in the Ixion caverns somewhere near these cliffs." "It's only a matter of time before we find it." "Which, leads me to number three I want you out of the way." "Leave the valley." "Not without my son." "You're hardly in a position to bargain,now, are you?" "I'm sure you get through all those guards, and into that cage." "But,your son would be dead." "No, I'm the one who has the power now, Xena." "You are at my beck and call." "You forgot the second thing." "Oh, yeah." "Well... remembering that I have your son," "I just want a bit of,warmth, a little, human kindness." "If only you were human." "Xena's out there, somewhere!" "Solon, no!" "Got it." "Hey, it's Xena!" "Get her!" "Solon, catch." "OK?" "Xena, I can't hold on!" "The Ixion cavern!" "I got'cha." "Archers!" "Ready?" "Looks like the only way out is down." "Well, fire!" "You trust me?" "Yes!" "We found it!" "The Ixion cavern!" "Oh!" "Go get the gear!" "We're going down." "What about Xena?" "Well, if the fall didn't kill her" "I'll have the pleasure." "Move!" "We have to hurry." "Ahh, wait!" "My arm hurts so bad." "Solon, you're arm's broken." "I'll have to deaden the pain while I do this." "It doesn't hurt." "I can only cut off the feeling for a little while." "When I put it back, it's going to hurt worse than before, OK?" "OK." "I need a splint." "No." "What good is a sword without an arm to hold it?" "Spread out." "Find 'em!" "Why did you come for me?" "I thought maybe you could use my help." "You were very brave back there." "You didn't freeze." "Uh" " I was-- too scared to freeze." "That's good instincts." "Most people react the other way." "Your father was very brave." "He was a great warrior." "His bravery wasn't in being a warrior." "It came from knowing what was in his heart." "He recognized what was right, and he stood up for it." "Against you." "Yes, against me." "That was important to him, even though even though he and I were very good friends for a very long time." "I don't want to talk about my father anymore." "Before he, became good, did he hurt a lot of people?" "Yes, he did." "But, if it wasn't for him, the Centaurs wouldn't be alive now, Kaleipus, your friends, They'd all be gone." "You would have killed them." "Oh, yes, I would have killed them all." "Thanks to Borias, I didn't do it." "And for that, I owe him more than you'll ever know." "This is the best I can do for you right now." "This is going to hurt, ready?" "It's all right." "It's all gonna be all right." "We have to give her more time." "Look, Xena will be back." "Dagnine has my son I'm not waiting any longer." "It isn't safe." "Centaurs are no match for men in the woods." "We have men with us;" "we'll take our chances." "Still,Gabrielle has a point." "I'll ask for volunteers." "But no one should feel ashamed for not coming." "I'm not staying here while Solon's in danger." "We'll fight." "We're with you." "We're behind you." "Don't expect me to stay behind." "Follow me." "This is it, the Ixion temple." "This is where the stone is kept." "Where?" "The altar." "It's gone." "Borias-- he did find the stone." "He found it?" "All the evil from Ixion's wicked Centaur is in that stone." "Whoever owns it can become that Centaur." "He must've hidden it to keep me or or anyone else from finding it." "These handprints that means they're my father's?" "Yeah." "We've got to find a way out before Dagnine gets here." "You can take them on." "What you did up top was incredible." "Yeah, I got us here, didn't I?" "We're gonna need some help." "This is where all those music lessons come in handy" "Just kidding." "What in Zeus' name is that?" "If you don't know, it must be Xena." "What's that?" "How should I know?" "But I don't think I'm gonna like it." "This way!" "Xena!" "Are you there?" "Gabrielle!" "The rope's coming down,catch it." "They've got it." "OK." "Pull!" "Grab the boy!" "Bring it back." "Hurry." "Pull!" "Goodbye, fellas!" "My sword!" "Xena, I have the stone." "I have the Ixion Stone!" "Everything, all the strength and discipline of Ixion's creation's right here." "With this," "I'll sweep the world like a rampaging wind." "I'll kill Xena." "I'll kill Hercules." "I'll take Athens!" "I've got so much to do." "I'll have to make a list." "Sir, if this doesn't work" "If this doesn't work one of you gets my tent, the other gets my horse." "Set more guards!" "There's no telling which way Dagnine will come from." "Get the archers ready!" "No, No, regular arrows won't penetrate the hide of Ixion's evil centaur." "We need something stronger, something something with more power." "How much more power?" "A lot." "Find a wagon,we can hitch a crossbeam to it." "That might do it." "It'll have to." "It'll be done." "We need some help here." "We've got a croobow to build." "How's Solon?" "Yes, Kaleipus." "He's OK, I'm going to resplint his arm." "He won't admit that it hurts." "I guess he's a lot like his mom." "Gabrielle." "Xena" "Now before you say anything," "I, Well when you jumped at me earlier," "I,I deserved it." "I'm not saying that I agree with you." "But,Well I pride myself on being your friend." "And, I should've realized that you were hurting and" "That's OK." "I'm here for you." "Always." "Xena, It just occurred to me, we have no chance if he doesn't attack if he decides to take the stone and leave." "Oh, Dagnine will be here." "I didn't exactly make things easy for him when he was in my army." "Let's hope his hatred can blind him enough." "Xena, about Solon If anything happens to me, it'll make the decision easier." "What're you talking about?" "I mean, that if I die today," "I, I want you to take care of him." "No matter what you decide to tell him," "I know he'll be safe with you." "You should never have been my enemy." "This Xena never was my enemy." "This will be better." "You'll be doing backflips in no time." "I could never do them before." "Trust me, you're ahead of the game." "Xena's pretty amazing, isn't she?" "Yeah, She sure knows a lot." "You know, she's a good person, too." "She always does what's right even when it hurts her." "I forget that sometimes." "She's not like I heard." "You know, this is the only Xena I've ever known." "I find it hard to understand the hatred that she gets sometimes, when we travel,from people who just don't know her the way I know her." "I guess they're afraid of the old Xena." "I'm not afraid of her anymore." "Do you still hate her?" "No." "We're ready to go." "If we can get him between those two trees, we stand a chance of hitting him." "But we only get one shot." "I still think we can take care of him with our archers." "No, Xena knows what she's talking about." "We could only slow him down." "You might have to." "The main thing is getting him here." "What do you want me to do?" "Kal and Protect Solon." "OK, a consensus." "We'll be in the barricade." "It's starting." "Posts!" "Dagnine's here." "Move!" "We'll give you all the time we can." "That sword, That's my father's sword!" "No!" "You can't stand up to me, Kaleipus." "I_am_ Ixion!" "You tell him that when you meet him in Tartarus!" "Come on, Dagnine." "You want me, don't you?" "Remember the way I treated you?" "Remember all those beatings you got at my orders?" "You're trying to make me angry." "I know your ways, Xena." "I know how you outsmart your opponents." "But it won't work this time." "You can't make me angry." "Because,I've already won!" "Kill me, then." "You can do better than that." "I think you're the one getting angry, Xena." "Frustrated, perhaps, that someone so beneath you is now your master!" "You wanna know a secret?" "This is Borias' sword." "The last time I saw Borias' sword was when I stuck it in his back!" "You killed him." "I killed him." "Xena!" "Xena!" "Xena!" "Xena!" "Solon, I'd like to talk to you." "I know you didn't kill my father, Xena." "You're not the person you were." "It's OK." "Are you and Gabrielle leaving?" "I mean, you could stay for a while." "We could have a lot of fun." "Solon, sometimes people do things that they regret." "Things which at the time seem like the right thing to do." "Like, when I tried to hurt you." "Oh, a little." "But don't feel bad." "Often we don't know if the things we do are right or wrong un, until much later." "Something I did a long time ago was wrong." "You mean,trying to kill the Centaurs and get the stone?" "Yeah." "Yeah, that's exactly what I mean." "I'm sorry for what happened to your father and your mother." "But here, you've got an uncle who loves you." "And you've got friends who'll protect you." "And no one should take that away from you." "I guess, what I'm saying is It's time to let go of the past and recognize that you have things here which I can only dream about." "There are things which I would wish for my son." "OK." "Friends shouldn't feel bad toward each other." "We are friends, aren't we?" "We'll always be friends." "Don't you ever forget that." "Gabrielle and I have got to be going now." "I'm not a warrior." "I don't think I wanna be." "Your mother would be very proud of you." "You think so?" "I know so." "I think she would have liked you, Xena." "I think you two would've gotten along." "Manu2005"