k*ll them all!
Retreat!
Hold your ground!
We've never retreated!
We've never fought the Horde before!
They'll k*ll us all!
Not you they won't.
Retreat!
That was a lifetime ago.
It feels like just yesterday.
I lost over half my men
to those...
There's a northern route.
It'll take us around all of this.
Xena, you're not the same
person that you were then.
You know more about yourself now.
You know about the Horde.
I know they have a code of combat,
and I know one word... Kaltaka.
But do I understand them?
Come on. They'll be
around us by dark.
They'll never know
we were here. Come on.
Xena, look.
Have you ever seen
a blonde Horde girl?
She looks familiar.
I don't know from where, but...
Stop! They'll k*ll you!
One more pelt, one less Horde.
It's a lovely day for scalping.
What are you doing?
They're Horde!
You let 'em get away.
They're just kids out
hunting for food.
And when they're grown,
they'll hunt us.
I'll get ten dinars a piece
for those scalps as souvenirs.
So you owe me thirty dinars,
not counting gramps there.
Xena, look at this.
Xena?
The Xena?
Destroyer of Nations?
Ancient history, pal.
The name's Milo,
and I'm a history buff, too.
Enough to know that
it tends to repeat itself.
You ever notice?
Look at this.
It's a roman design.
They must have
picked it up in battle.
They never got this in battle.
They got it from me.
In a time of ancient gods...
...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...
Her courage will
change the world...
I don't hold out much hope
that they're alive.
The Horde don't leave survivors,
but Raul was one of my best men.
And his wife, Aja,
was a gifted healer.
I feel I owe it to them
to check this out.
Imagine if it's true.
That poor girl being taken
from her family...
I told you we should
have k*lled them.
They creamed you last time.
But you and me working together,
we could really put
a hurt on those Horde.
Not to mention putting
some coin in our pockets.
You're a mercenary
little bastard, Milo.
Oh, you said it
yourself years ago.
The only good Horde
is a dead Horde.
Words to live by.
Words to die by.
Just ask my men,
the few that survived.
Get out of the way.
This is the place.
Raul!
Xena?
Raul, Aja...
This is my friend, Gabrielle.
Pleased to meet you.
He's done with fighting, Xena.
Tell her, Raul.
She's right.
I've quit.
Good. That's good.
But it's not why we're here.
Let's talk inside.
We ran into some of the Horde
down by the river today.
We found this.
It was Vanessa's.
The one you gave
her before you left.
The Horde took her six years ago.
One moment she was outside playing,
and the next...
I searched till I found her
tattered clothes, torn and b*rned.
That's when I knew...
they k*lled her.
m*rder*d my little girl
in cold blood.
- She's alive.
- What?
There was a blonde,
blue-eyed girl with the Horde.
I knew there was something familiar
about her, but... with the sling...
It's gotta be Vanessa.
Raul, you said yourself
you'd given up fighting.
You go out there now, and they
will cut you into little pieces.
She's my daughter.
You expect me to just
leave her with them?
No. No, of course not.
We can bring her home.
Will you? Please...
She's all we ever had.
Will you bring her
back to us, please?
Yes, of course.
Look, don't worry.
I know that a child needs
her mother and her father.
Right, Xena?
Right.
Word has it you're hunting Horde.
Word has it wrong.
Oh, come on...
Let me in on this.
I could be very useful.
We're not hunting Horde.
We're trying to take a girl
back to her family.
Fine. If that's the party line,
I'll spout it.
Just let me come, huh?
Get lost, Milo.
Your loss.
But when you're trackin' 'em
and they suddenly vanish
don't come beggin' me
to find 'em for ya.
It's a deal.
Now, b*at it.
Can you believe him?
Gabrielle, I was him.
If it wasn't for you and one word,
I'd be there now.
Kaltaka.
You trust your heart
and I respect that, but...
taking Vanessa could stir up
a whole lotta trouble.
They took her first.
We're just bringing
her home, Xena.
And doesn't she deserve
to be with the people
that she loves, the
people that love her?
I guess every child deserves that.
Well, then the sooner
we bring her back, the better.
- So that's how they disappear.
- Underground. Terrific.
- Problem?
- No, piece of cake.
Kaltaka...
Kaltaka...
Kaltaka. Dovi, dovi. Kaltaka.
Kaltaka.
Don't be afraid, Vanessa.
I've come to get
you outta here.
P'lee! P'lee!
It'll wear off.
P'lee!
Move it.
Get going.
Go!
I hate small spaces.
No. Forward.
Get going!
P'lee!
I thought you were
coming out of the tunnel.
Yeah, well she panicked,
didn't know me, started screaming.
- You pinched her voice?
- It'll come back.
The Horde's right behind us.
Get her back across the river.
I'll lay a false trail
and meet you there.
Are you ok?
Are you sick?
Vanessa?
Ok, keep trying.
Xena said it was temporary.
P'lee.
P'lee?
I don't know that word.
I know "kaltaka".
Water, right?
Kaltaka.
Ok.
We can do this.
Watch.
I'm Gabrielle.
You're Vanessa.
My...
name...
P'lee.
You can talk.
You can speak our language.
Wait till your mother
and father hear this.
My father... Cirvik.
My... talk... Pomira.
No.
We're going to take you home.
The Horde will never
hurt you again.
Not Horde.
Pomira.
We... Pomira.
The sky...
The earth...
Kaltaka... All know Pomira.
Serve Pomira.
And Pomira give...
honor.
You were honoring the river?
Kaltaka?
Pomira honor...
life.
You got a funny way 'a showing it.
They k*lled hundreds of us.
You K*llers.
You... You k*ll...
trees, earth, all.
And when we say
"No... go from here."
You k*ll Pomira.
Can I talk to you?
She won't leave, right, Vanessa?
I mean, P'lee.
Why run?
Soon Cirvik come.
Then you run.
Come here.
- Look, Cirvik is the name...
- For Horde master.
Vanessa wasn't a sl*ve.
She wasn't even a servant.
She's the adopted
daughter of their leader.
That doesn't mean it was right for
him to kidnap her from her mother.
All I'm saying is they won't
give her up without a fight.
And if Vanessa doesn't wanna come
then maybe we made a complete...
Xena, she doesn't wanna come
because she doesn't remember.
When she's in her mother's arms
she'll know that she belongs there.
Now, how can that be wrong?
I know it's strange for you...
After all, you've been
gone for six years...
It will get easier.
You know...
I mean, your parents, they're...
What is it?
Horde?
No. Much worse.
Get up!
Thought you'd like
an escort into town.
No, what you thought was
how easy it would be
to pick off Horde on our trail.
I love this woman.
So...
This the little prodigal?
Leave her alone, Milo.
- Hey, sweet pea.
- Watch it, Milo.
Welcome back to civilization.
You were warned.
Stupid savage!
You should 'a left her
where you found her.
More Horde than human.
Xena's coming!
Open the gates!
She's here.
Vanessa, this is your
mother and father.
Vanessa?
P'lee!
Raul, remember,
she's been gone a long time.
Maybe too long.
She's still your daughter.
Tell him, Vanessa.
I am P'lee!
Daughter of Cirvik!
And he come here and take me.
And k*ll you all!
The Horde is comin'?
No, that's not
what she meant.
Yes, it was.
Cirvik and his men
are sure to come after her.
Just like ya planned.
We don't fight on their turf.
We bring them to ours.
Brilliant strategy...
What'd I tell ya?
A griffin'd shed its wings
sooner 'n Xena would lose
her taste for Horde blood.
You're wrong.
I wanted to bring Vanessa home.
The girl you brought
is not Vanessa.
She's an animal!
She doesn't know us or want us.
Not anymore.
I say we hang the girl.
As a warning to the rest
of her kind stay out or else!
- No! I won't let you touch her!
- Neither will I.
Gabrielle, go take her inside.
We'll sort this out.
Come on, Vanessa.
I'm gonna take ya home.
Come with us. Come on.
It's all right.
Come on, ok?
You're safe.
Come on.
Pretty soon, you're gonna get
all the Horde you can handle.
I say we give her
back to the Horde!
Yeah! Give her back!
They'll just take her and
att*ck us anyway.
I'm still for k*lling her!
Show 'em we mean business!
And I still stay no.
k*lling Vanessa won't
stop the Horde.
- Nothing stops the Horde!
- It's true, they're animals.
- All they know is k*lling!
- Let's destroy the Horde.
Ok, settle down!
Garth and Milo are right.
Nothing stops those
animals but a sword.
You're saying all-out w*r...
I'm saying total wipeout.
No prisoners, no terms...
Complete annihilation.
Marry me.
I want complete command.
If anyone can lead us, it's you.
Then let's get started.
And if this works,
you'll never fear the Horde again.
Raul?
Look, I know that this didn't
turn out like you'd 'a thought.
You have to deal with
Vanessa sometime.
How?
Lock her up?
Cage her? No.
No, that animal,
she's not Vanessa.
Of course she is.
Under all that paint
she still needs her father's love.
She needs it now more than ever.
You heard her.
I'm not her father!
She's daughter to the Horde.
The little girl I loved is gone.
The little girl may be gone.
Every child grows up.
Look, I'm sure that
she's changed a lot
but you have to
give her a chance.
To do what?
No, Gabrielle.
We lost our daughter
six years ago.
This girl...
She's a stranger.
A savage named P'lee.
My Vanessa's gone!
Vanessa?
P'lee.
She'd rather be called
by her other name.
Tanabi!
Tanabi...
Lamb...
Lamb stew...
Glory, tanabi. Glory, baka.
She's honoring the lamb.
Kara?
The doll...
It's her name, Kara.
Father?
Forgive me.
I should have kept searching.
I love you, Vanessa.
By the gods! I'll never let
those Horde savages
near you again.
I swear it.
They're not savages to her, Raul.
Remember, those people fed
and clothed her for six years.
Those years belonged to us!
They stole her
childhood from us,
and I'll never forgive
'em for it! Never!
- Garth said you wanted to see me.
- Yeah.
- What's happening?
- History in the making.
Or should I say repeating itself?
Only this time it'll be the Horde
who call a retreat, right, Xena?
That's right.
Now take some
men and go and
check the south wall before
we boil up the oil.
She's back.
I'm back.
This is my fault.
If I hadn't been so blind about
my feelings towards Vanessa
then none of this
would have happened.
You're right.
It's because of you
that we have this chance.
To wage a w*r...
- To forge a peace.
- By fighting?
No, by using the only tool that
we have to reach them, Vanessa.
What?
All of this, Gabrielle, is just so
I can gain the trust of the soldiers.
Vanessa is the only one who can
communicate with both sides.
Yes, she can,
but what if she won't?
You honestly think she's gonna stand
by and watch her family slaughtered?
I don't know.
She's confused.
So am I.
What about?
I thought that she deserved
to know her family.
To be able to make a choice.
I thought that she'd be
happier with them than
she would with the Horde,
and now, I don't know.
Cirvik loves her.
I saw it in his eyes and
I heard it in his voice.
You know, you'd think I'd learn
not to meddle with families.
You were right to wanna
give her a choice, Gabrielle.
But now we have to stand by
the one she makes...
whatever it is.
Come on! Stay alert!
Watch for any movement!
Xena...
I know you followed me.
Guess again, sweet pea.
You savages got any gods,
you better pray to 'em now.
You know, this thing has
really come in handy, lately.
You're still murdering children, Milo.
A Horde is a Horde,
whatever their age.
Look at her.
Does she seem like Horde to you?
Not to look at,
but she's Horde,
all right, inside.
Ain't that right, P'lee?
Get back to your post.
And if you ever desert again,
I will hand you over
to the Horde myself.
You all right?
He hates Pomira.
Pomira hate him,
and the rest of us.
It's a bad situation all around.
Many will die.
On both sides.
But you can stop that, P'lee.
How?
You understand both sides...
Both languages.
You can act as a bridge
between us.
A way of communicating
without k*lling each other.
What I care?
Because if you don't care,
both your families get hurt.
My family, Pomira.
Cirvik, his daughter die.
And he choose me for his daughter.
He love me.
I understand that.
But you can make him understand
that you have family here, too.
Parents who love you,
and who would die for you.
Soldiers, get ready!
That's him. That's Cirvik.
Xena...
- Open the gates!
- No!
I'm in command here.
I said, open the gates.
att*ck!
Out of the way.
This one's no kid.
Can't let you do it, Milo.
Then stop me.
I hate that.
Vanessa...
Please...
Please, don't go.
You're home.
Please, stay with us, Vanessa.
Both...
Both... My father.
Vanessa...
Your mother and I...
want you to come home.
Please, Vanessa...
P'lee.
You keep.
I see her soon.
Cirvik say...
"No fight, no w*r."
Say...
"Family."
Now that we can cross the river,
it'll save us at least a day's travel.
Good.
You still thinking about Raul?
I wonder if he'll ever
get past his hatred.
Maybe. I did.
And now, thanks to you
he'll have Vanessa to help him.
Thanks to me?
Sure.
If you hadn't insisted
that we go after Vanessa
then I would never have
crossed that river.
It was your faith in love and family
that convinced me it was right.
It was wrong.
No, Gabrielle. Because of you,
Raul and Aja now know
that their daughter
is alive and happy,
instead of dead
like they thought.
And because of you, Vanessa now
has two loving homes.
And because of you,
for the first time ever
there's peace between
us and the Hor...
The Pomira.
I did all that?
And they call you the hero?
You wanna switch? Fine.
You kick butt and I'll take notes.