ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

INT. LIRA’S DRESSING ROOM - MORNING

Lira is looking doubtfully down at her body, now clad in an attractive, though slightly worn, dress.

LIRA

I don’t know about this, Afar.

APHRODITE

Well I do. You look absolutely

scrumptious in this dress.

When the guys see you,

they’re gonna be picking

their eyeballs up off the floor.

Lira giggles at the image.  Then she sobers.

LIRA

I’m still not sure.

Aphrodite lays a hand on her shoulder.

APHRODITE

Sweet pea, how can anyone

appreciate your beauty if you

hide it all the time?  Those black

rags you were wearing could

scare anybody away.  Trust me,

you look fabulous.  I wouldn’t

lie to you.  I promise.

After a moment, Lira nods.

LIRA

Ok. I’m ready.

APHRODITE

Great!  Now remember, eyes

bright, chin up, shoulders back,

chest out.  You’re a beautiful,

confident woman.  Let everyone

else see that for a change, ok?

LIRA

Okay.

Smiling, Aphrodite opens the dressing room door and ushers Lira from the room.

CUT TO:

INT. TAVERN - MORNING

Xena and Gabrielle, having spent most of the pre-dawn hours fortifying the perimeters and drilling the soon-to-be combatants, are about to walk out once again into the breech when the door opens and Aphrodite ushers Lira in.  Gabrielle’s eyes widen in shock and appreciation.  Even Xena looks impressed. 

True to Aphrodite’s promise, the men in the room cast their own admiring and appreciative looks at the young woman, causing her smile to broaden and her confidence to grow. 

Spotting Xena and Gabrielle, Aphrodite beams and makes her way over to the pair.

GABRIELLE

Aphrodite!  She looks wonderful!

APHRODITE

(proudly)

She does, doesn’t she?

GABRIELLE

What did you do?

APHRODITE

(offhandedly)

Oh, a little of this, a little of

that.  You know, girl talk.

She looks over at Xena.

APHRODITE

(cont’d)

Or maybe you wouldn’t.

Xena smirks and Gabrielle laughs softly.  All watch as Lira carries out her duties with the confidence and poise she used to possess in spades before the attack that took her brother.

GABRIELLE

I can’t believe it. She hardly

seems like the same woman.

Aphrodite smiles and gives Gabrielle a significant look

APHRODITE

Sometimes you just need a

friend to help you get your

groove back, you know?

Gabrielle grins, then sobers as the outside door opens and Falin enters with a group of his friends.  The trio watches as the men first stare in amazement at Lira, then, one by one, turn away and sit at their customary table without comment. 

To her credit, Lira takes the blatant rejection in stride, continuing to carry herself proudly and with confidence.

Aphrodite, on the other hand, looks devastated.

APHRODITE

I don’t get it! What happened?

XENA

Idiot’s got rocks in his head.

With a shake of her head, Xena turns and walks out of the tavern. Gabrielle wraps a brief arm around Aphrodite’s waist in a conciliatory hug.

APHRODITE

What a loser!  Makeover

courtesy of the Goddess

of Love, and he ignores it.

GABRIELLE

Maybe, but look.

Following the direction indicated, Aphrodite looks on as Lira continues with her tasks, trading friendly, laughing and confident banter with her customers.  Sensing Aphrodite’s attention, Lira looks up, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiles, eyes sparkling with a happiness that hasn’t been seen in years.

GABRIELLE

(cont’d)

You did good, Aphrodite.

Beaming, Aphrodite crosses her arms over her chest and gazes on.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN - JUST BEFORE NOON

With the sun nearly directly overhead, the town is silent and waiting.  Swordsmen and staff wielders hunker down behind bales of straw while the bowmen, hidden behind the overturned wagons, awaiting the signal from Xena.  Xena and Gabrielle have separated.  Xena is to the left of the gate, Gabrielle to the right.  Peering over the barricade, Xena can see the dust as it rises up from the hooves of thundering horses.

Xena lifts an arm.  Gabrielle copies her motion.

XENA

(softly)

Steady... steady....

The horses can be heard now, and as the raiders come into view, Xena notices that the group is closer to fifty strong than twenty.  She shoots a look to Gabrielle, who nods.

XENA

(cont’d)

Steady... hold steady....

The raiders spread out, and begin to funnel toward the gate.

XENA

(cont’d)

NOW!

On both sides of the gate, bowmen rise up from their hiding places and let fly their arrows.  The screams of men and horses are heard.  Xena launches her chakram, and it slices through the ranks, taking out five men before returning to her hand.

GABRIELLE

NOW!

The second rank of bowmen rise up and release their arrows as well.  More men and horses go down.  The rest of the group, still almost forty strong, surges forward.  Horses scream as their fragile legs come in contact with the sharpened spikes. Rearing up, they toss their riders, and a logjam forms at the mouth of the gate.

XENA

Swordsmen, forward!

As the first raider climbs out of the jumble, the swordsmen converge upon him, cutting him quickly down.  More men begin to stream through the gate, and their superior skills soon turn the battle to their favor.

GABRIELLE

Staff wielders, forward!

With her own staff, Gabrielle jumps into the fray, cutting down her attackers with ease.  Seeing her example, the other women wade in with confidence, pummeling the men streaming through the gate.

CUT TO:

EXT. BATTLEGROUND - DAY - XENA’S POV

Her back to an overturned wagon, Xena attacks six men in the semicircle around her.  She easily deflects their somewhat clumsy thrusts, then deliberately opens herself for a killing shot by the man directly before her.  As he takes the bait, she sweeps his sword aside and plunges her own deep into his belly.  The others fall on her, bearing her to the ground.  She throws them off, disabling a second and third with vicious swipes to the belly and legs.

CUT TO:

EXT. BATTLEGROUND - DAY - GABRIELLE’S POV

In the very thick of the battle, Gabrielle uses her staff with finesse, twirling it so quickly that she succeeds in making one of the raiders dizzy, which gives her an easy opening for a one-two shot to the chin.  He drops like a stone and stays down.  Swiping the feet out of a second man, she watches as he falls back into a third, taking them both out for the moment. 

Spinning, she looks for another opponent, and heads over to where two women are trying to fend off five men.

CUT TO:

INT. INFIRMARY - DAY

The first several casualties are being brought in, bruised, battered and bleeding.  An elderly healer uses her hands to direct the placement of her patients.  Lira goes right to work.  Aphrodite, eyes wide, stands off to the side staring.

LIRA

Afar?

Aphrodite continues to stare as a man screams in agony, his leg broken in several places and blood spurting from a hole in his side.

LIRA

Afar!  Snap out of it!

We need help!

APHRODITE

I....

LIRA

Hurry!

Blinking, Aphrodite shakes her head slightly and biting her lip, steps hesitantly forward.

APHRODITE

W-what can I do?

LIRA
Hold this cloth over his wound.

Press hard. We need to stop the

bleeding, and I can’t with this hand.

Wincing, Aphrodite slowly reaches out a hand, touches the already blood-covered cloth, pulls away, then touches it again.

LIRA
(encouragingly)

Good. That’s good.  Push

a little harder.  That’s it.

APHRODITE

(sotto voce)

Blood.  Gross.

LIRA

Excuse me?

APHRODITE

Nothing.  I’m fine... I think.

Lira smiles.

LIRA

You’re doing fine.

CUT TO:

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - DAY

Xena and Gabrielle are fighting back to back.

XENA

Having fun yet?

She smashes the pommel of her sword in her attacker’s face, rearranging his dental work for him, then punches another away with a swift uppercut to the jaw.

GABRIELLE

A blast!

She gives a swipe across the face of one man, the butt of her staff into the gut of a second, and an over-the-shoulder clonk on the head of a third.

CUT TO:

INT. INFIRMARY - DAY

Falin is brought in by two litter-bearers.  He is conscious, but bleeding badly from a cut to his thigh.  The healer beckons and Lira rushes over, already holding several cloth rags against her chest.  Aphrodite looks a bit worse for wear, and watches with interest from her position near the next bed over, dabbing a cool cloth on the head of a feverish woman.

HEALER

Wash as much of his blood

away as you can.  I need to

see how bad the wound is.

LIRA

Yes, Hester.

Opening his eyes, Falin looks down at the woman tenderly washing the blood away from his thigh.  Their eyes lock.  Lira smiles.  Falin deliberately turns away.

Aphrodite’s heart clenches at the blatant rejection, but swells at the quiet dignity Lira displays when caring for the man. 

A moment later, Lira steps away, allowing the Healer to take over.  Aphrodite rises from her spot on the floor and walks over to Lira, putting a hand on her shoulder.

APHRODITE

(softly)

You are one classy lady.

Lira laughs quietly so as not to disturb the patients.

LIRA

Thank you.

(beat)

You helped me see things in

myself that I thought were gone

forever.  I don’t know how I’ll

ever be able to thank you.

APHRODITE

(grinning)

Forget about it.  That’s what

friends do for each other, right?

Lira’s smile broadens.

LIRA

Right, friend.

They share a brief hug.

APHRODITE

Now, if you don’t mind, I’m

gonna go see how things

are looking outside.

LIRA

Please, be careful.

APHRODITE

Count on it.  Later, gator!

CUT TO:

EXT. BATTLEGROUND - DAY

The battle is close to ending.  Many of the raiders lie dead or disabled across the bloody ground.  Still others have turned tail and run.  Xena is dealing with a group of five men in her usual style, belting them with sword, feet and fists.

Gabrielle, on the other hand, isn’t doing quite as well.  Crouched over a fallen woman, she is trying to staunch the blood coming from the woman’s midsection with one hand while trying to fight off two goons in leather with the other, which holds a lone sai.

Distressed, Aphrodite looks around for a way to help her friend.  Spying a rock laying nearby, she picks it up and heaves it at the soldier.  Being Aphrodite, it’s pretty much of a girly throw, and the soldier notices only long enough to pin her with a glare that promises she’ll be next before going back to attacking Gabrielle.

As Gabrielle’s remaining sai gets wrenched from her hand, Aphrodite becomes desperate.  Looking around to make sure she is unobserved, she does the only thing she can think of.  Unobtrusively waggling the fingers of both hands, she shoots pink and silver sparkles toward the two raiders. 

Dropping their swords, they straighten, stare at one another, and begin kissing passionately as Gabrielle stares at them, completely dumbfounded.

After a moment, she looks over her shoulder and shoots Aphrodite an incredulous look, which Aphrodite returns with an abashed smile.

APHRODITE

It doesn’t hurt if I use

my love whammy on

the bad guys, right?

Gabrielle can’t help but laugh as she jumps back to her feet and easily lifts the fallen woman to her own.  Aphrodite rushes over and helps Gabrielle steady the woman whose wound looks worse than it really is.

GABRIELLE

You’re amazing.  You

saved both our lives.

You know that, right?

APHRODITE

Yeah, yeah, I’m, like,

a total hero.  Now,

lets get her inside.

Before they can move, a mighty cheer goes up as Xena chases the last of the raiders from the town... except for the two who are still kissing.

GABRIELLE

(softly)

Um… maybe you’d better

take that off them now?

APHRODITE

Sure thing!

Another waggle of her fingers and the men immediately pull apart, stare at one another, and take a careful step back.  Then, remembering they are supposed to be in a battle, they bend to retrieve their swords.  The one who Aphrodite pegged with a rock spies her and growls, stepping forward.

Until Xena steps in front of him, brandishing her own sword and a smile cold enough to give him frostbite.

Hard on her heels, the rest of the town closes in.

The men gulp and drop their swords again.

XENA

Smart boys.

(beat)

If you wanna be ‘breathing’

boys, you’ll do something for me.

Both men nod.

XENA

(cont’d)

I want you to go back to

your Master like the good

little puppies you are and

deliver a message for me.

Am I clear so far?

Both men nod again.

XENA

(cont’d)

Good.  Tell him that Xena sends

her regards, and that if he wants

to see so much as an olive pit

in tribute, he’ll get his ass back

here before the sun sets tonight.

Otherwise, I’m coming to get

him, and it won’t be pretty.

Understood?

Another nod.

XENA

Then get outta here before

I change my mind.

Only dust is seen as the men run out of the town and back to the camp as fast as their legs can carry them.

CUT TO:

INT. INFIRMARY - EARLY EVENING

The infirmary is quiet, and nearly empty.  Most of the wounded have gone home to convalesce in their own beds.  Only the most seriously injured remain behind.  They are clean, comfortable, and obviously well cared for.

GABRIELLE

You did a fantastic

job here, Lira.

Lira smiles.

LIRA

Thanks, but I wouldn’t have

been able to do anything if it

wasn’t for the Healer and Afar.

HEALER

(agreeing)

A godsend that one was.

Xena and Gabrielle share looks over the unintentional pun.

HEALER

(cont’d)

She cleaned out the wounds,

helped me with my stitching,

even comforted the men so

they didn’t even cry out when

I was tending to them.  We

might have lost a lot more lives

without her here, and that’s a fact.

Grinning, Gabrielle looks over at Aphrodite.

GABRIELLE