The city square. People are starting to gather on the edges of the square, looking around timidly.

CUT TO

The courtyard, where Xena and Gabrielle are now left alone.

XENA:
     All right, Gabrielle. You make sure to keep them distracted. I have to get up to the top of the battlements.

She heads for the arcade. A dark-haired, bearded palace guard, about 30 years old, emerges from behind a column and approaches Xena, looking around cautiously.

GUARD:
     Xena?

XENA (suspiciously):
     What do you want?

GUARD (in a low voice):
     To see if I could help you in any way. There are those of us who've been waiting our whole lives for someone with the courage to challenge the beast.

Xena sizes him up warily, obviously trying to decide if this is a trick.

GUARD (eagerly):
     Trust me. You won't regret it.

XENA (sighs):
     Maybe I will--but I'm in too much of a rush not to trust you. You know the quickest way to get up to the battlements at the top of the castle?

GUARD:
     Sure, I'll take you there. Anything else you need?

XENA (gives him a thoughtful look):
     Got a good crossbow?

GUARD:
     Sure. Follow me. (his voice fades as they walk off, Gabrielle looking after them) My name's Leonid.

CUT TO

Gabrielle comes out of the palace into the square and goes over to the edge of the square where she stands with the rest of the crowd. People are speaking in hushed voices.

WOMAN #1 (a well-dressed woman in her forties):
     So where's this Xena?

MAN #1 (elderly and gray-bearded):
     She must have chickened out at the last minute!

WOMAN #2 (young, pretty and snappily dressed):
     I hope she has! Why did she get this whole thing started anyway?

GABRIELLE (gives her an exasperated look):
     Aren't you the least bit happy that maybe Alida's life will be saved?

WOMAN #2 (purses her lips, looking over Gabrielle's clothes with obvious disapproval):
     Listen, Alida is a friend of mine. I care about her a lot. But you know what? If it hadn't been for Xena, my friends and I would be getting ready for poor Alida's farewell party right now. Now Alida's under lock and key in her house and everything's gone haywire. (she sniffles)

MAN #2 (middle-aged and dignified):
     That's right, everything's gone haywire. Even the prices on bread and fish at the market have gone up.

WOMAN #1:
     Terribly sensitive people, these market vendors.

MAN #3 (in his twenties, slightly unkempt):
     You know, I'm an artist. I just finished a very creative art project--a portrait of the dragon made entirely out of dried green vegetables. The dragon was going to come by and look at it this afternoon. (sighs) I was hoping he'd tell the king to give me money for future projects... Now he's going to be busy fighting.

CUT TO

The roof of the royal castle. Xena races out of a stairwell, now armed with a crossbow as well as her sword and chakram. She stops, catching her breath, and looks back.

XENA:
     Thank you, Leonid!

The camera pans to Leonid, who stands in the stairwell.

LEONID:
     Good luck!

Xena comes out on the roof and crouches behind the battlements.

CUT TO

The crowd on the edges on the square.

MAN #4:
     I hope it's over quickly.

Somebody tugs at Gabrielle's elbow; she turns and sees Teria.

GABRIELLE:
     Teria! What are you doing here?

TERIA (grins proudly):
     They've posted guards at every door and window of our house, but they forgot the kitchen window. I'm small enough to get out.

GABRIELLE:
     Shouldn't you be with your father and your sister?

TERIA:
     Nah. I want to see that big lizard get his butt kicked.

MAN #1 (gives her a horrified look):
     Somebody shut that child up!

Suddenly, a deafening roar is heard overhead and everyone looks up. The dragon, in his natural form, swoops down toward the square, roaring and breathing fire.

DRAGON:
     Xeeeeenaaaaaa!!!!!

He circles the square a couple of times and then soars in the air, his three heads turning this way and that as he looks for Xena.

Over his roar and the flapping of his wings, the sound of the chakram whizzing through the air is heard. The chakram slices at one of his necks and leaves a huge bleeding gash in it. The dragon lets out a roar; its wounded neck droops and he seems to lose balance, flapping its wings desperately and clawing at the air. Quick pan to Xena as she catches the bloodied chakram, then down to the crowd as people cry out in shock and point toward the wounded dragon and toward Xena on the palace roof.

TERIA (pumps her fist):
     Yeah!

Several people shush at her.

WOMAN #1:
     Why, the poor dragon! He's hurt! This is awful!

Pan to King Orantes and Gregor who are standing on the palace balcony.

KING ORANTES (in consternation):
     How did she get up there?

Pan up to the dragon as he roars again and breathes a stream of fire at Xena. Xena dives behind the battlements, rolling on the surface of the roof.

The dragon flies toward the roof. Xena readies her crossbow; a long piece of thin but sturdy rope is tied to the arrow. She shoots the arrow, embedding it deeply in the dragon's still-intact middle neck. The dragon roars in pain. Before it can regain its bearings, Xena grabs the rope; letting out her battle cry, "A-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!", she leaps high, flipping in the air, and uses the rope to pull herself up and straddle the dragon's middle neck. The dragon roars.

Pan to the crowd, which has drifted toward the middle of the square. Cries of horror go up as some people cover their mouths in dismay.

Gregor rushes to the edge of the balcony.

GREGOR (shouts over the noise of the battle):
     Good men and women of Elis! Please, listen to a very important news update. My lord Dragon has just performed a very clever maneuver and managed to capture the enemy. His victory is now assured.

The camera zooms in on the crowd.

MAN #2:
     Well, that explains it.

WOMAN #1:
     Of course.

Pan up to Xena on the dragon's middle neck, sword in hand. The dragon turns his only intact head toward her and opens his mouth, a flame hovering in it, but then blinks in confusion as he looks at his middle head, obviously realizing that he cannot breathe fire on her without burning his own head as well.

XENA (sneers):
     I guess bad breath is a lot more offensive when it's up close and personal.

The dragon roars furiously.

Pan down to the crowd.

WOMAN #2 (pouts):
     Oh, that Xena. Why won't she just give up? She knows you can't beat the dragon. She's just being stubborn.

MAN #2 (shakes his head):
     This war has been dragging on for nearly ten minutes and it still isn't over.

WOMAN #1:
     I can't believe it's taking so long.

Pan up to the dragon, who roars again and lifts up its wounded neck. Xena hacks at it with the sword; with the third blow, the head is severed completely and tumbles down.

Pan down to the crowd.

TERIA:
     Hur--

Before she can finish the "hurray," Man #2 grabs her and clamps his hand over her mouth.

There are cries of "I can't believe it!" -- "It's falling!" -- "Somebody get me an eye doctor!" -- "Run!"

The head falls with a resounding thud, setting off a chorus of screams.

Pan up to the balcony.

KING ORANTES (erupts in hysterical laughter, then calms down abruptly and turns to Gregor):
     Well? Say something!

GREGOR (rushes to the edge of the balcony again):
     Good people! Please listen to another news update! For purely strategic reasons, our lord Dragon has temporarily suspended the use of one of his heads. Everything is going according to plan. The only reason our lord Dragon has not yet slain his opponent is that, as a true warrior, he wants to draw out this battle for as long as possible.

Pan down to the crowd.

MAN #2 (a little dubiously):
     Now that makes a lot of sense.

WOMAN #1 (nods importantly):
     Absolutely.

GABRIELLE:
     Makes sense? Are you mad?

GREGOR (off-camera):
     Also, you are asked to refrain from looking at the sky--only in order to avoid damage to your eyesight. We will continue, of course, to give you regular news updates on the course of the battle.

WOMAN #3 (elderly):
     Good idea.

Many people look down. A few continue to look up; some others sneak occasional peeks at the sky and whisper to each other.

Pan up to Xena and the dragon battling. The dragon manages to swipe at Xena with one of his paws, slashing at her upper arm, which starts to bleed. Her hair is slightly singed by fire and blood is trickling from the corner of her mouth. Xena throws her chakram, which flies past the dragon's still-intact third neck. The dragon's two heads cackle loudly and start snapping at Xena while she beats them back with her sword. Then, the chakram whizzes back; with her sword moves, Xena pushes the dragon's right-side neck in its way, so that the chakram severs the neck almost completely. The dragon's furious, desperate roar shakes the palace and the square.

Pan down to the square, where a few people look up. Teria is staring brazenly at the sky.

TERIA:
     He's getting his butt kicked!

MAN #4:
     It's just strategy, little girl.

TERIA (snorts):
     Strategy? Listen, mister, I've been in lots of fights. I know a butt-kicking when I see one.

WOMAN #1 (hisses at Gabrielle):
     Get this child out of here!

TERIA:
     Look! Look!

She points upward. There are gasps and screams as the dragon's second head lands on the ground.

WOMAN #2:
     I think I've lost two-thirds of my respect for the dragon.

Pan up to the balcony.

GREGOR:
     Good people of Elis...

VOICE IN THE CROWD:
     Oh, shut up!

GREGOR:
     Listen to a very important news update. The dragon has decided that having one head is the best policy because (there are scattered boos in the crowd) first of all, it's very, very human...

Pan up to the dragon, who is flailing helplessly and letting out hoarse roars. Xena drives her sword through his middle neck. His wings still flapping, he starts to fall.

Pan down to the square.

GABRIELLE:
     Look! It's falling!

MAN #1:
     But they told us it's dangerous to look up!

GABRIELLE:
     You don't have to listen to them anymore! The dragon is dead! You're free!

People start to look up and gasp.

GABRIELLE:
     Get out of the way!

There are screams as people run to get out of the way of the falling monster. With an enormous thud, the dragon lands on the ground. A cloud of dust goes up, and then starts to settle as the noise of the fall slowly vibrates down to silence. People come closer again, staring at the fallen dragon. The camera zooms in on Gabrielle again.

GABRIELLE (worriedly):
     Xena?

The camera pans over to show Xena stepping from behind one of the dragon's wings, shaking herself off. Pan back to Gabrielle, who smiles in relief. A loud chorus of cheers goes up. There is a chant of "Xena! Xena! Xena!"

GABRIELLE (raises her fist):
     Freedom!

The chant turns to "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"

Zoom in on Teria's face, full of almost incredulous joy. Gabrielle and Teria hug.

Pan up to the balcony.

GREGOR:
     Good peop--

A piece of rotten fruit hits him in the face.

Pan down to the crowd. People are laughing, shouting, hugging.

WOMAN #2:
     We're free! We're free!

MAN #3:
     I can't believe I wasted so much time on making a portrait of that disgusting lizard! (shakes his head) Such a waste of vegetables, too.

Pan up to the balcony where King Orantes and Gregor beat a hasty retreat inside the castle.

Pan down to the square. A smiling Xena approaches Gabrielle and Teria. Xena and Gabrielle hug. Then Xena looks affectionately at Teria.

TERIA (grins):
     I knew you'd come through for us!

XENA (teasingly):
     Did you, now?

TERIA (makes a face):
     Weeelll...I thought you might.

XENA (laughs and gives her a joking slap on the shoulder):
     Good girl.

TERIA (her face lights up):
     Hey--you think school will be out for a few days?