Sins of the Past ~After surviving the gauntlet of her own men Xena decides to bury her weapons and start a new life. Her plans are cut short however when she learns of Draco's plans to take over a small village nearby. He captures a group of girls and one has the guts to do anything about it. Xena fights off the slavers, she gets wounded in the process and the village healer takes care of it. The people however do not like the fact Xena is there and thank her then ask her to leave. The young girl who stood up to her attackers comes to meet Xena before she leaves and asks if she may join her. Xena denies the girls requests and leaves shortly after. She talks Draco into leaving the village be, he however decides to attack Xena's home Amphipolis, and along the way is burning down small homes and farms in Xena's name, this is a ploy to bribe Xena to join him. Xena has left the small village and is on her way home when she meets up with a cyclops that she blinded sometime before, and she gets away from him with ease, Gabrielle however gets caught by the Cyclops while she is following Xena. Gabrielle talks the Cyclops into letting her go so she can capture Xena, and bring her back to him. He agrees and lets her go. As Xena gets to her village she learns of Draco's plans, she tries to warn the people of her village but they will not listen and in fact want to stone Xena. Luckily Gabrielle comes and steps between the villagers and Xena, and talks them out of stoning her. Draco and his army enter the town before Xena has the chance to leave. Xena and Draco fight, Xena prevails and spares Draco's life in turn for him to leave her village, he does.
~Gabrielle explains to Xena how useful she can be in her quest for redemption,Xena agrees to let Gabrielle travel with her. Xena rides ahead and finds a small band of people from Troy, which are being attacked by a warlord named, Sphaerus. Xena fights off the group of thugs but is hit by an arrow during the attack. We later find out this is Sphaerus' son Cycnus. Xena is nursed back by one of the men, Darius, Darius' people are glad that Xena fought for them but they want her to leave as well. Cycnus reports back to his father that he has put an arrow in the warrior woman they later find out to be Xena. Sphaerus is pleased with this and wants to kill all the villagers including Xena. Cycnus however doesn't want to and he leaves his father and travels to a small tavern. Gabrielle is awaiting Xena's return at this tavern and there she meets Cycnus. Cycnus and Gabrielle take an almost instant liking to one another. Through talking with Gabrielle he realizes she travels with Xena and leaves realizing he has hurt her friend. Sphaerus believes Xena killed his first son a few years ago, and will do anything to take her out of the picture. The villagers are still upset at Xena's being in the village but Darius tells her to come to the meeting that has been planned to guarantee safety for the village, Xena agrees. Darius has taken a liking to Xena and offers her one of his old wives dresses instead of her usual attire. She comes to the meeting with Darius and his children but she senses something isn't right, she is correct, she fights off the men when they start the attack. Meanwhile Gabrielle is getting more upset by the minute and sets off from the tavern in search of Xena. Gabrielle finally finds her and is practically fuming that Xena left her behind, Xena confronts Sphaerus and he reveals to his son that Xena is the one who killed his brother. Xena denies it and tells him his own men killed him. Sphaerus doesn't believe it and rides off in his chariot, Xena sends Gabrielle off on Argo to distract Sphaerus while she hides so she can catch him as he rides by. She gains control of a chariot and picks up Gabrielle on her way. While riding Gabrielle and Cycnus recognize each other, and she asks him what he is doing. Xena succeeds in taking Sphaerus down from the chariot and her and Gabrielle crash but quickly pick themselves up. Sphaerus still doesn't believe Xena and fights her, Cycnus tries to stop his father believing Xena's story but his father knocks him down and is ready to kill him. Xena kills Sphaerus and Cycnus says her will make peace. Xena and Gabrielle return to the village to a small get together they are having, the village thanks her and so does Darius, he also asks her to stay with him but she says no and soon she and Gabrielle are on their way.
~Xena finds Gabrielle chopping wood with her sword and explains to her that instead of chopping it you pick whatever you need from the ground. Gabrielle then asks Xena when she will teach her to use a sword to which Xena replies never. Xena then tells her once you hold a sword you become a target. Xena instead tells her in the event Gabrielle is ever in trouble to talk her way out of it then run, is she cant talk her way out of it to surrender, then run, she says this to protect the girls blood innocence. The two enter a village not too long after being attacked, they do not know however that the people of this village worship the God of Dreams Morpheus. Each solstice part of their worship includes giving up a young girl who has never spilt blood. Gabrielle decides she needs to protect herself and goes into a weapons shop to do so. She ends up buying a breast dagger which to her dismay falls from its hiding spot and Xena's feet. Xena keeps the dagger for herself. Some of Morpheus' soldiers come and snatch Gabrielle up and take her back to his castle. Xena runs into an old mystic that tells her what has happened then how Xena can help Gabrielle. The mystic sends Xena into her own dreamscape which is filled from everything from her past and all her nightmares, he also tells Xena that they will try to get Gabrielle to kill so that she night be sacrificed. Gabrielle survives the first test without shedding blood,when it is over Gabrielle falls asleep, her dream overlaps Xena's and Xena fills her in. Gabrielle uses some of the things that Xena told her incase of trouble, the next test Gabrielle lets the men fight each other and kill each other. Xena finally finds the key to open the door to her own dreamscape and saves Gabrielle from having to kill.
Hooves and Harlots~Xena and Gabrielle decide to take a shortcut through a forest named Arborea, on their way Xena spots Amazon markers. Xena tells Gabrielle to follow her lead, she throws down her weapons and makes the symbol for Amazon peace. The two soon learn that Terreis, the next in line to inherit the throne, is before them. She decides to take them to Queen Melosa to give permission for them to pass through Amazon Territory. While they are heading back to the village they are ambushed and Terreis is hit with an arrow, Gabrielle throws her body over Terreis as more arrows fly through the air. Before Terreis passes on she bequeaths her Rites Of Cast to Gabrielle, not knowing what this is Gabrielle accepts. Xena checks in with Gabrielle when she deems it safe and tells her there is nothing they can do to save Terreis. They move on to the village where the two learn that the Amazons are in fact at war with the Centaurs. A Centaur by the name of Phantes is brought into the village by a few sentries that found him and the same type of arrow that hit Terreis, Xena soon finds out Phantes is Tyldus’ son, an old rival she once had. She goes to speak with him and leaves Gabrielle at the village and still very unaware of what Gabrielle has accepted. The Amazons start to teach Gabrielle the ways of their life and different things of the past, a warrior named Ephiny teaches Gabrielle how to protect herself with a staff, albeit reluctantly. On her way to meet with Phantes father Xena is stopped by a few Centaur sentries and a horse back rider or two. She fights them for a short while until Tyldus calls them off her. Xena tells him she is sure that this whole thing is a setup and for him just to give her a little time so she can prove he is innocent. Tyldus disagrees and Xena hurries back to the village. Ephiny finds Phantes trying to escape and asks him to swear on his honor that he didn’t do it, he does even though he knows she will not believe him. Ephiny leaves the stables and goes back to where Terreis was killed and looks for clues, there she meets up with Xena, they fight and Xena saves her from being stomped to death by a Centaur. Ephiny fires a arrow at the Centaur but Xena catches it and tells the Centaur to leave. Together they find out that it wasn’t a Centaur who killed Terreis. The two then pays Krykus a visit, a warlord that would profit greatly from the war., they find more proof that it wasn’t a Centaur, and take the proof back to the village. When the two return to the village they find Phantes about to be executed by Gabrielle, its then that Xena realizes what Gabrielle now is. Xena tries to stop the execution, Melosa however will not, wanting revenge. Gabrielle ends up challenging Melosa and chooses her champion—Xena, Xena picks Choboes as her weapons and defeates Melosa, and overrides her decision. They find the real killer and prevent the war between the Amazons and the Centaurs.
Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards
~Gabrielle sits in the inn telling another of her stories, after her closing and the applause a young man from the inn tells her how wonderful it was, and tells her she should enter the contest at the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards. The boys father however interrupts and tells the boy to forget the girl. Gabrielle has her heart set on going, this being her long time dream and asks Xena if she minds. Xena tells her to follow her dreams and go, kind of hurt Xena is so willing to give her up the bard cries but goes anyway. Gabrielle makes her way to Athens, and through fraudulent means she gets herself in the contest. Gabrielle makes friends fast with three other young bards, Euripides,(the boy from the inn), Twickenham, and Stallonus. Gabrielle tells stories of her adventures so far with Xena catching everyone’s attention, everyone can tell she is destined for greatness. Euripides’ father turns Gabrielle in, stating she didn’t even have any clue about the contest. The officials kick her out, but those she made friends with rally for her and will not perform without her. One of the judges however says she should perform and she does. Gabrielle ends up winning first place and her spot in the Academy, with one of her tales of her time with Xena. Gabrielle leaves the Academy to return to Xena’s side.
