FADE IN: EXT. SMALL VILLAGE INN - EVENING There is a cluster of utter chaos in front of the inn. Gabrielle is sitting on a crate of chickens, holding a handful of feathers. Xena is standing on another box, attempting to retrieve a chicken from the branches of a tree. Selsha is standing near the door, facing the chicken keeper, the innkeeper, and several standers-by. SELSHA Look! I told you it wasn't my fault! Who told you to get in the way of that horse? CHICKEN MAN I was standing still! SELSHA Then you should have moved! INNKEEPER Selsha, go inside! You've caused enough trouble for one day! SELSHA But mom! INNKEEPER Now! Move it! Selsha stomps inside, slamming the door. The vibration dislodges a pile of leaf debris on the roof, which falls down and covers the innkeeper. INNKEEPER (cont’d) Ahh! Ow Ow! Bees fly out from the debris, buzzing angrily. INNKEEPER (cont’d) Ahh! The innkeeper runs down the path, followed by the bees. The chicken man chases her. CHICKEN MAN Hey! Hey! You owe me dinars! Hey! Xena climbs down from the tree with a chicken tucked under one arm. She hands Gabrielle the chicken and sits down next to her on the box. XENA If we leave now, there's a nice little cave we can get to before midnight. GABRIELLE Xena, I think some people here need our help. XENA It's got a thermal bath. GABRIELLE Hm. (sighing) Maybe if we talked to her it would help. Xena rolls her eyes. GABRIELLE (cont’d) C'mon, Xena. She means well. She puts the chicken down. GABRIELLE (cont’d) Let's go find her, and talk to her, and then we can.... XENA Leave?

GABRIELLE How about go to bed? Xena looks up. XENA Little early for that, isn't it grandma? Gabrielle sticks the handful of feathers down Xena's cleavage, fluffing them into a pretty fan over her breasts. GABRIELLE I said bed. Not sleep. Gabrielle gets up and heads for the inn. Xena looks down at the feathers, then looks around, with a smirk on her face. She stands up and follows Gabrielle, twirling one of the feathers between her fingers.

CUT TO: INT. VILLAGE INN - NIGHT Gabrielle walks down a dimly lit hallway, pausing to listen near a door. She knocks lightly. GABRIELLE Selsha? There is no answer behind the door. Gabrielle waits briefly, then she opens the door. GABRIELLE (cont’d) Selsha, listen, I know you probably don't want to hear any preaching, but.... She looks around. GABRIELLE (cont’d) Oh. The room is empty. Gabrielle walks inside. Xena follows her. The window is wide open, the shutter flapping in the breeze. A box of clothes is scattered on the floor. XENA Oh well. Too late. C'mon.

Xena hooks two fingers into the back of Gabrielle's belt and pulls. GABRIELLE Xena! XENA Yeeeesss? Gabrielle leans forward against the pull and looks around. The room is obviously one of a young girl - there are dolls stacked in the corner, and attempts at artwork scattered around. GABRIELLE Hey, Xena? XENA What? Gabrielle points at one of the artworks. It is a badly rendered almost stick figure of something that might have looked like Xena in another life. Xena takes one look at it and pulls harder. XENA (cont’d) Now I know where to go if you run out of parchment. C’mon. We can talk to the kid tomorrow.

Gabrielle gives in. GABRIELLE All right.... And don't you even think about touching my parchment! Gabrielle follows Xena out of the room. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL VILLAGE WELL - NIGHT The moon has come out. Around the well, a group of young women have gathered, carrying buckets. They whisper together and giggle. YOUNG WOMAN Did you see the new blacksmith's apprentice? He's gorgeous! 2ND YOUNG WOMAN Did I? My mother backed right into him! Two of the women draw up a bucket of water. YOUNG WOMAN What did you think of those weird women who got Jevas out of there? Strange, huh? 2ND YOUNG WOMAN Very. (smirking) Selsha's type. The young women laugh knowingly. They dip their smaller buckets into the large one, oblivious of their surroundings. YOUNG WOMAN Maybe she should go with them. She'll never be anything but a laughingstock in this town. 2ND YOUNG WOMAN I heard her mother saying she was thinking of marrying her off to Bruno the Pig man. YOUNG WOMAN Ha! Ha! Perfect! Behind the women, dark shadows rise up and slowly surround them. The first young woman leans closer to the second. YOUNG WOMAN (cont’d) Did you hear what that short little one called the tall one though? You think it's true? That it's really.... The shadows jump out and descend on the women, who scream in terror. SHADOW C’mon, you pretty young things. We're gonna show you a good time! YOUNG WOMAN Help! Help!! Ahh!! The thugs grab the young women and drag them towards waiting horses. SHADOW C'mon! Hurry! We've got business to take care of! YOUNG GIRL Help! Help! Ahh!!! The thug throws her up onto his saddle and smacks her in the rear. SHADOW Relax, honey. You're gonna like it where I'm taking you! The thugs all laugh. They ride off, with the girls thrown over their saddles. It is quiet in the well clearing. Slowly, a figure emerges from behind a tree. It is Selsha. She stands in the moonlight with a look of almost painful indecision. On her back is a rough sack, with odds and ends sticking out of it. Selsha clenches her hands into fists, turns, starts to walk back the other way. She stops just outside the well clearing. She turns. SELSHA I'll show them! I will!

Selsha runs after the horses, into the night. CUT TO: INT. VILLAGE INN - PRIVATE ROOM - NIGHT - SOME TIME LATER Xena and Gabrielle sit facing each other on the bed. Between them is a small board, with playing pieces on it. Xena studies the board, then moves a piece. She reaches over and picks up a goblet, takes a sip, puts it back down. XENA Your move. Gabrielle has her chin resting on her fist. She studies the board. She reaches out, hesitates, moves a piece. GABRIELLE You're gonna lose that one. Xena moves a piece. XENA You think so? Gabrielle jumps her piece over Xena's piece, and captures it. GABRIELLE I think so. XENA Wench. Gabrielle sits back and waits, crossing her arms. GABRIELLE Well? Xena's eyes narrow. She makes a show of removing one of her arm bands, and tosses it across the room. Gabrielle smirks. XENA Happy? GABRIELLE (tossing piece) I will be... soon. XENA Remember, you've got less to take off than I do. Xena moves a piece, jumps a piece of Gabrielle's, and picks up the piece. Xena grins. Gabrielle removes one of her silver bicep bands and throws it, ringing one of her sais sticking out of her boots already on the floor. Xena's boots are already there also, along with one knee armor. XENA (cont’d) Nice. Gabrielle studies the board. She moves a piece. Xena moves another piece, and captures one of Gabrielle's. XENA (cont’d) Now that's more like it. Gabrielle removes the other arm band and tosses it. GABRIELLE What do you think we should tell Selsha?

XENA Find a trade or marry someone sturdy. GABRIELLE Xena. XENA You asked. Gabrielle studies the board. She chews her lip. XENA (cont’d) Give up? Gabrielle scowls. She looks up towards the window. GABRIELLE Did you hear something out there? Xena rolls her eyes. XENA Gabrielle, that one's older than... She pauses to listen. XENA (cont’d) Bacchae. Xena and Gabrielle get up and go to the window. Xena opens the shutters and they look out. MAN Alarm! Alarm! Everyone! Get up! Our children! Our children have been stolen from us! The doors open around the town and people come rushing out. INNKEEPER What? What? What are you saying? MAN My daughter! All our daughters! They're gone! Gone! Xena and Gabrielle look at each other. XENA Raincheck?

GABRIELLE Looks like it. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL VILLAGE WELL - NIGHT The entire village is gathered around the well. Everyone is upset, frantic, and milling around. Xena is kneeling on the ground looking at some marks. Gabrielle keeps the crowd back away from her. GABRIELLE How many are missing? MAN Six! INNKEEPER Seven! My Selsha is gone as well! MAN Who’s to say she didn't just wander off? I'm sure no one took her! WOMAN Yeah! Gabrielle's eyes narrow. She looks back to Xena. GABRIELLE So we have seven people missing.  Xena? XENA Horses. Eight of ‘em, men riding. Xena wipes her hands off. XENA (cont’d) Have there been attacks like this before?

The villagers look at each other, then shake their heads. INNKEEPER Well.... The villagers all look at the innkeeper. INNKEEPER (cont’d) There were these guys the other night who said they were outlaws. MAN OUTLAWS!!! INNKEEPER Yeah, something about murders... and a price on their heads. Gabrielle waves her hands. GABRIELLE And you just... thought that was okay? INNKEEPER (shrugging) Paid their bill. Xena and Gabrielle look at each other. XENA That's what you get from family trees with no branches, Gabrielle. Let that be a lesson to you.

INNKEEPER What? Gabrielle backs towards Xena. GABRIELLE She's just being hypothetical, aren't you, Xena? Xena puts her fingers between her teeth and whistles loudly. XENA Let's go. We can catch them if we move fast. Argo gallops up, already saddled and bridled and with Xena and Gabrielle's gear packed on her back. Gabrielle does a double take, then looks puzzled. GABRIELLE How did she...? Xena jumps into the saddle, and extends a hand to Gabrielle. MAN Wait.... What are you going to do? What can you do against thieves and murderers?! Gabrielle climbs up in back of Xena. GABRIELLE Don't worry. We'll get your girls back. You can count on us.

MAN Yeah, that's what that crazy girl of hers is always saying! And it's always a disaster! Xena and Gabrielle ride off, as the villagers yell after them. FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO