Xena: Warrior Princess s05e07 Episode Script

[ Man .]
Previously on Xena.
"The hawk and the dove must be made one with the wisdom.
" - Who wrote that? - Lao Ma.
Whoever did this wasn't after the village.
They were after Lao Ma's book.
- You're my mother's friend.
- Your mother? I'm the daughter of Lao Ma.
[ Xena.]
The book-- somebody's taken it.
Hello, sister.
- "The hawk and the dove must become one with the wisdom.
" - And so it shall be.
K'ao Hsin, this is not what she meant.
Her blood is in your heart.
Her lessons are in mine.
If we focus together, we don't need the book.
I am to follow in the footsteps of one who is called the Green Dragon.
Then you'll be walking the path of a dead man.
[ Yelling .]
[ With K'ao Hsin .]
"To conquer others is to have power.
To conquer yourself is to know the way.
" Xena, I'm starving.
Can't we just cook this thing and eat it? Shh, Gabrielle.
I'm trying to achieve absolute stillness.
[ Clears Throat .]
[ Sizzling Sound .]
- [ Gasps .]
- Great.
Another one.
I don't know what's going on.
Ever since that fight with Pao Ssu, - I can't seem to harness the power.
- I'll say.
- What did Lao Ma have that I don't? - A full stomach.
Boy, I couldn't find anything, except a squirrel.
Put up quite a fight, though.
As long as we got that ra-- Yep.
That's it, Xena! If you would concentrate on making that thing stone, maybe it would cook.
[ Groans .]
All right.
Can I just go to town for food? Who has money? [ Groaning .]
I do.
Here.
That's black powder.
-Joxer, I told you to get rid of this.
- I thought I did! All right.
Pao Ssu's dead, and the secret of black powder dies with her.
Give me that.
-[ Man .]
Fire! - [ Yelling .]
[ Gabrielle Yelling .]
- Xena! - Gabrielle! [ Yelling .]
[ Rocket Whistling .]
Gabrielle! [ Gasps .]
Gabrielle! - Are you all right? - What happened? When I touched the black powder, I saw a vision of death.
The power's trying to tell me something.
We've gotta go back there.
[ Man Speaking Chinese .]
Our minds are open to you, Green Dragon.
May your formlessness take shape in our realm.
Green Dragon, your humble servant Khan at your service.
Is my army ready? They are prepared to carve your name onto the face of the world, or die trying.
That may not be necessary.
I have become one with a greater whole.
My sister-- murdered by Xena, dead to your world, but reborn unto mine-- is now part of me, and she has a secret to share with you.
[ Pao Ssu .]
A secret Xena failed to contain, a secret I will give you and every one of your men-- the formula for the black powder.
[ Man Narrating .]
In a time of ancient gods-- [ Xena Yells .]
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.
- [ Kiaiing .]
Her courage will change the world.
It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful it is here.
Tell me about it.
[ Xena .]
Refugees? Coming from Lao Ma's temple.
There must be thousands of 'em.
Where are they going? Let's find out.
[ Moans .]
We must keep walking.
K'ao Hsin.
K'ao Hsin! What's going on here? It's Khan's army.
They've come down from the northern mountains and are taking over the land.
These people have lost everything.
Who's Khan? A warlord.
We haven't seen anything from him in years.
But now he has the largest army I've ever seen, and he has the black powder.
I thought you destroyed the black powder.
So did I.
How far away is this army? A day's ride, maybe less.
These people are tired and weak.
They'll never make it through the cliff pass before Khan's army arrives.
Lao Ma's palace.
There's a series of tunnels and caves beneath it.
We can hide these people there.
Even with the black powder, it'll take Khan a while to find us.
Very well.
Gabrielle, ride ahead.
Make sure the path is clear.
- Joxer, redirect these people towards Lao Ma's palace.
- All right.
K'ao Hsin, there's only one way that Khan could have gotten the secret of the black powder.
I told no one.
No, not you.
Your sister Pao Ssu.
But she's dead.
You destroyed her.
Obviously that didn't stop her passing on the secret.
From beyond the grave? How is that possible? She must have had help.
[ Speaking Chinese .]
[ Men Chattering .]
Who's in charge here? That would be Lin Qi.
He's busy.
My name is Gabrielle.
I'm with Xena.
I have to talk to him.
I'm Lin Qi.
Glad to meet you.
Excuse me.
You have to abandon your work here.
This palace is directly in the path of Khan's army.
Me and my men can hide out here for two, maybe three, days.
You would be killed.
It'll give the people a chance to escape.
They can't clear the pass in time.
Their only hope is to hide in the tunnels under this palace.
Xena's-- [ Men Yelling .]
[ Yelling .]
That was an advance guard.
I know.
Okay, listen up.
Move the sandbags below.
Gabrielle will tell you where.
Thank you.
[ Groaning .]
You are now one with the Green Dragon.
Keep moving.
Come on.
The men are clearing some of the lower caves.
I've taken the liberty of moving the children there.
Good.
K'ao Hsin, I had a vision the other day.
You must have seen it too.
Yes.
It's the future.
Future.
I can channel Lao Ma's powers, but I can't seem to control 'em.
Maybe you don't have complete control of the power, but I saw what you did last time.
Against Pao Ssu, your sister? That was against one woman.
This is an army of thousands.
[ Explosion, Screaming .]
Get these people to safety.
Come on! Keep moving! Go! Hurry! Joxer, don't move a muscle! I know! I was leading these people, and the guy in front of me just blew up.
What's underneath us? Is it sandworms? No, they're traps set with black powder.
If you step on one, they explode.
Oh, great.
Just stay there.
I'm coming out to get ya.
Okay.
[ Women Whimpering .]
All right.
Okay.
Khan sent out a patrol to set mines.
Now, I'm gonna lead you out of here.
Follow in my footprints.
[ Wind Whistling .]
- What happened? -Perhaps I can explain.
Well, well.
You must be Khan.
And it's always an honor to meet a worthy adversary.
Xena.
It's funny.
You don't look smart enough to come up with a formula for black powder by yourself.
They say dead men tell no tales, but they were wrong.
Hello again, Xena.
Ming T'ien.
Trapped here in the world between worlds, kept alive by my burning hatred for you.
Well, at least I have family to keep me company.
And so it seems Iwas fated to walk the path of the Green Dragon, Xena.
When you killed us, you fulfilled our destiny.
Death was only the beginning, as it will be for you.
Pao Ssu, so it was you who gave Khan the black powder.
And then turned to an entire legion of warriors, all of whom are prepared to die in the Dragon's name.
What are you prepared to die for, Xena? Your mother's legacy and your sister's cause! So you shall.
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Exhaling .]
I see Lao Ma's teachings were not lost on you, but even her power cannot stop a hundred thousand men, all with the knowledge of the black powder.
Care to test that theory? Ready! [ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Exhaling .]
[ Joxer .]
How long can you keep this up? - I can't attack them unless I let down my guard.
- Then we're dead.
Not quite.
[ Yells .]
All right.
Follow the path! Go on! Single file.
Go.
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
Get these people outta here.
[ Man Shouting In Chinese .]
- Gabrielle, let's go! - Lin Qi, come on! Let 'em go.
[ Xena Thinking .]
"To achieve a perfect stillness, one must cease to will "and submit to the greater whole.
"If something can be imagined, it can also be realized.
Anything is possible.
" [ Rattling .]
Well, that's something.
I heard about what happened.
Are you all right? Considering I saw a ghost, yeah.
The ancients believe when a soul is not at rest, it lingers in the realm between the living and the dead.
My brother and sister died with, shall we say, unfinished business.
And so they remain.
To complete what they started.
They tried to kill me, and they couldn't.
I have no doubt that your mastery of the power will be our greatest ally.
I wish I could say that I did it on purpose, but I didn't.
It was a reflex.
There's something you're not telling me.
K'ao Hsin.
Before you left, I found a warning in the pages of my mother's book to me and my siblings.
It said that the more each of us uses the power, the stronger we all become.
So you're trying to suppress the power? Wouldn't you? If Pao Ssu and Ming T'ien have truly returned, then every time I use the power, I make them stronger.
K'ao Hsin.
Yes? I was told to report to you.
Khan's army have stopped advancing, and they're setting up camp.
Where do they keep the black powder? This is the last of it.
That'll do.
[ Speaking Chinese .]
Gabrielle, I owe you an apology.
For what? When you came to warn us, I acted like a pompous ass, mostly for show.
Apology accepted.
You know, we heard Xena traveled with a companion, a storyteller of sorts.
I am-- I mean, I used to tell stories, but it's been a while.
When you're born with the gift of the bard, you die with it.
My life is more complicated now.
I think you're selling yourself short.
You don't know me.
I know that someone who's willing to die for a cause greater than herself has a merciful heart, and that's where all great stories come from.
Hi! Hi.
Hi, hi.
Am I interrupting? I'm not interrupting anything, am I? No.
Good.
What are you doing here? Xena wants you.
So now we know where Khan is keeping a large surplus of the black powder.
Gabrielle, you and I are gonna go blow it up.
We'll do it.
You bet we will.
Joxer, Lin Qi and I.
- Gabrielle.
- You're gonna run through the woods and set off explosions? Thank you.
I already have a mother.
And you're going to be a mother.
It's not just your life that you're risking.
We can handle it.
I know.
Right.
[ Horses Neighing .]
[ Soldiers Chattering .]
[ Men Speaking Chinese .]
[ Grunting .]
[ Yelling .]
Can't say they're not prepared.
I'll make a trail with the powder.
Like butterflies in a net.
I expected more cunning from one who travels with the great Xena.
Young fools.
Even if you had destroyed this supply of powder, you would not even have begun to inhibit our campaign.
We have hundreds more of these tents.
Know what I'm looking forward to? The look on your face when Xena devastates your army.
Your faith in your friend is misplaced.
Every step she takes only secures the destiny of my masters.
All of Chin will burn as an emblem of her failure.
Good-bye, Gabrielle.
[ Laughing .]
[ Panting .]
Xena, what is it? [ Gabrielle's Voice Echoing .]
Xena! It's Gabrielle.
[ Gabrielle's Voice .]
Xena, help me.
She's afraid.
[ Grunting .]
The wind.
What was it that you said to me about your mother once? Every day that passes in Chin without bloodshed passes because she had a hand in guiding its destiny.
She speaks to me even now through the whispering wind.
All right.
Uh-- The wind.
Listen, listen.
What is that? The sound of my dead ancestors making a place for me at their table.
The wind.
[ Wind Whistling .]
It's sucking all the air! Take a deep breath.
[ Inhales .]
[ Panting .]
[ Gasps .]
They're safe.
Let's get outta here.
No, we're gonna finish what we came for.
Perhaps my brother's confidence in you was ill-chosen.
I supplicate myself before you, Masters.
Failure will not follow a second time.
You can be sure of that, Khan.
Move your troops into position.
We attack in the morning.
Gabrielle.
Are you all right? Are you? Yeah.
How did you know? I felt your fear.
I saw through your eyes.
You can control the power.
No, I can't control it.
It seems to have a will of its own.
It uses me.
Yet it protects the ones you love.
That won't be much help against Khan's army now, will it? I can't love them to death now, can I? Perhaps not.
But if Pao Ssu and Ming T'ien could return here through the sheer power of their hate, what makes you think they cannot be defeated through the power of your love? I'm sorry, K'ao Hsin.
I have never seen a war ended by love.
I used to think that love was enough.
I was wrong.
You have always succeeded where others have failed.
Why should this day be any different? Yep, I won two awards for this at the Thebian cooking academy.
Of course, the Thebians' legendary flatulence had nothing to do with this.
[ Chuckles .]
Here you go.
Hi.
Hi.
You should, uh-- You should eat something.
It'll make you feel better.
Listen.
Don't worry.
Everything's gonna be okay.
I'm not worried for myself.
It's my family.
I don't know if they made it from the village.
Tei-- that's your name, right? Tei? Okay.
Um, look, Tei.
I promise to help you find your family.
Okay? Okay.
[ Scraping Sound .]
What are you doing? Can't just sit and wait.
I know how you feel.
Can I help? Sure.
So you ever thought about settling down? You know, sometimes people think that a home is a place.
Itcanbe a person.
You know where you belong.
What about you? [ Sighs .]
I used to think I belonged here, but I've watched my people kill each other over petty disputes that could have been easily solved with a conversation.
It's not a world I want to live in.
It doesn't get any better outside of Chin.
That depends on who you walk through it with.
Xena! Xena! Where's-- Wait a second.
Xena.
Joxer, what is it? It's Khan's army, coming over the south ridge.
Big! The villagers are hostages.
[ Wheezing .]
Okay.
I thought Khan's goal was to wipe these people clear off the map.
Why would he take hostages? To use them as shields.
He's going to march them with his army.
That way, if we attack his men, we attack the villagers too.
- We can't take that chance.
- If we don't, Khan stands to take twice as many lives.
Xena, even if you can control the power, are you prepared to destroy a hundred thousand men? I don't have any choice.
[ Grunting .]
[ Shrieks .]
You understand? I'll hold 'em off as long as I can.
You get everyone out of there as soon as possible.
If you let us fight with you, we can hold 'em off longer.
No, Gabrielle.
I need absolute clarity in what I'm about to do.
You'll only be a distraction.
You can't help me out of this one.
Be careful.
Good luck, Lin Qi.
With her by my side, how can we lose? You always have and always will walk the path of the warrior, Xena.
But remember, there are many ways to win a war, and they do not all involve a sword.
My men are ready to begin their assault.
Nowhere left to run, Xena.
You're weak.
You will never have the strength to defeat me.
[ Thinking .]
"Fear is a weapon of the wicked, but a tool of the righteous.
"End the war between the mind and the heart.
Peace must be found within before it can be actualized.
" What is she doing? Facing her death like a true warrior.
Destroy her! [ Shouting Command In Chinese .]
[ Exhaling .]
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Villagers Chattering .]
[ Baby Crying .]
[ Explosion .]
[ Explosion .]
[ Women Whimpering .]
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Shouting In Chinese .]
[ Yelling .]
[ Soldiers Yelling .]
[ Women Shrieking .]
Okay, listen up.
Stay low, tight formation.
Follow me! Come on! You've got legs! Move! Come on! Hurry! [ Soldier Yelling .]
[ Breathing Deeply .]
[ Explosion .]
[ Explosion .]
[ Women Scream .]
Oh! Oh! [ Grunting .]
What? Oh! Oh! Whoa-oh-oh! [ Shouting In Chinese .]
Yah! Yah! [ Horses Neighing .]
[ Shouting .]
[ Yelling .]
Xena! Gabrielle! [ Shouting .]
[ Neighing .]
[ Thinking .]
"Anything is possible.
" - [ Whimpering .]
-[ Soldiers Screaming .]
- [ Screaming .]
- [ Speaking Chinese .]
[ Thinking .]
"Anything is possible.
" Aaah! Aaah! [ Soldiers Exclaiming In Chinese .]
[ Screaming .]
Xena! Aaah! [ Screaming .]
- No! - [ All Screaming .]
[ Cracking Sound .]
[ Yelling .]
[ Screaming .]
[ Joxer .]
Who was gonna pull their swords first? Me or them? I looked 'em in the eye, and then, whang! Ten of 'em went down right then and there before me.
- You're so brave.
- Well, bravery isn't really the word for it.
It's more like "incredible chivalry," because right then and there, wave after wave came.
Wham! Wah! Aaah! Oh! Hah! Ffft, ffft, ffft, ffft! Blood everywhere.
Then right in front of me, Khan's entire army.
Hundred-- Thou-- Thous-- Hundreds of thousands of 'em came at me.
I-- Wham! Ten of 'em went down.
Whup! Wham! Heads spurting blood everywhere! And they ran.
I dropped my sword.
But then Khan came right towards me! I looked at him, took my hand and reached in and pulled out his beating heart! [ Imitating Sound Of Heart Beating .]
[ Gabrielle Clears Throat .]
Well, maybe we should start packing up.
It's getting late, and everyone else seems to be leaving.
What a lovely basket.
Is it hand-sewn? Are you going home? You and Xena have it right.
To stand in one place in a world this big is a real waste of space.
Um-- So, um, you're the storyteller.
How's this gonna end? I haven't written it yet.
Good-bye, Gabrielle.
That was a terrible choice you had to make, K'ao Hsin, between your family and your homeland.
Actually, during our time together, Xena, I felt closer to my mother than ever.
Her spirit lives on in you.
Her spirit, perhaps, but not her power.
I don't feel it anymore.
Perhaps it served its purpose.
After all, Chin is safe and, with the black powder gone, so is the world.
You know what? Today I felt a kind of compassion that I've never felt before.
Your point of view changes when you're about to bring new life into the world.
No, it's not that.
The power that I had today wasn't born out of anger.
I wasn't even thinking about those men.
I was thinking about the people that they wanted to hurt.
So I guess what I said before isn't true anymore.
I have seen love end a war.