Pt. 5
Blood spilled across the ground as wails of agony echoed through the air. Bodies layed spread out across the forest floor. Others hung pinned to trees or impaled on suspended sharpened tree branches that had been intentionally set to be used as lethal traps. Lifeless eyes stared into oblivion as a tall, dark figure jumped down onto their next victim. A blade was driven into flesh as the victim gasped in pain and felt her life begin to fade as she gripped at the clothing of the blade wielder in front of her.
NORTHERN AMAZON 1
Xe-na.
Clover looked on in horror as Alti forced her to witness Xena's cold-blooded betrayal and slaughter of the northern Amazons. She saw the dark, cruel look in Xena's eyes as she seemed to enjoy killing her northern sisters. Even though Clover never knew them, for the most part, the Amazons as a whole were a sisterhood. So seeing those women being cut down without a shred of remorse was unbelievably difficult. Another pain-filled scream rang out as Clover heard Xena's voice.
PAST XENA
Huh, a little redhead, she didn't fall. I pushed her.
Clover watched the scene change as a past version of Xena approached an unfamiliar woman that Clover could tell was clearly an Amazon. Others soon appeared around them as the vision of Xena looked around at them.
PAST XENA
Yeah, see, I killed your little friend for sport.
Clover watched as a deadly and evil smile crossed Xena's face. As she seemed to enjoy seeing the looks of shock, pain, and betrayal on the other women's faces.
PAST XENA
And now I'm going to show you how I can out-Amazon the Amazons.
Clover then watched as Xena fought several Amazons within the trees before knocking them from the branches and sending them falling to the ground where they were impaled by hidden spikes that Xena had strategically placed among the fallen foliage. Blood spilled as Xena continued to heartlessly cut down the women of the northern Amazon tribe. This went on for several minutes as Clover continued to watch in horror. Finally, the screams subsided and Clover saw as Xena approached another Amazon woman on the ground who was terrified and struggling to get away from the monster in human form that she had just witnessed outright murder the vast majority of her tribe. The Amazon pushed herself back with her arms and now one good leg after the other had been broken from her falling out of a tree when she was hit by one of the suspended log traps. Now unable to stand the young woman looked up at Xena standing over her.
NORTHERN AMAZON 2
We trusted you, treated you as one of our own and this is how you repay us, Xena?
The Xena of the past showed an evil smile as she crouched down.
PAST XENA
That's your fault. Only fools trust anyone.
Clover looked on as Xens stood and proceeded to plunge her blade deep into the woman's chest. Blood came from the Amazon's mouth as her eyes looked at the unfeeling expression painted on Xena's face which was splattered crimson from the blood of the other Amazons she had ruthlessly slaughtered that day as the life left the Amazon's body and her head slumped down with her now lifeless, unseeing eyes remaining open while deaths abyss claimed her. Suddenly Clover heard another voice.
?
Clover! Clover!
With a loud gasp, Clover hit the ground and felt her consciousness return to reality. Still feeling very uneasy about what she had just seen, it took her a moment to fully register where she was. She looked up, seeing Ephiny and Willow crouching beside her. Slowly, Clover sat up.
WILLOW
Are you okay?
Feeling very disturbed by what she had seen, Clover answered honestly.
CLOVER
(Quiet tone) I, don't know.
WILLOW
What happened to you?
CLOVER
(Quiet tone) I saw things. Saw Xena. She...
Clover clenched her fist as she tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed. Willow gave Ephiny a confused look who shrugged in response.
WILLOW
If you're worried about Xena, she's facing off against that woman she calls Alti.
Clover looked over and saw Xena. But as she did she felt a wave of fear and anger rush through her. Willow and Ephiny saw a strange expression appear on Clover's face.
WILLOW
Clover, what's wrong? What did that Alti woman do to you?
Willow placed a comforting hand on Clover's shoulder and suddenly felt a flood of various images fill her mind just like what had happened to Clover. And while they weren't all the same exact scenes, the theme was the same. That being Xena's dark and violent past. Of which had been fueled by rage and greed of one kind or another. One of which was a particularly brutal scene of Xena fighting alongside an army and a man Willow didn't know as being Xena's former warlord lover, Borias. Willow watched as Xena cut down multiple soldiers that she could tell were from a foreign land. She thought at first that Xena must have been defending herself from an invasion, but that thought was quickly disproven when the battle reached its end and a lone survivor began to flee. Xena attempted to give chase but was stopped by Borias.
BORIAS
No Xena! We don't slaughter them.
The past Xena looked at Borias.
PAST XENA
And why shouldn't we? I'm telling you, Borias, the only way to deal with
these scum is through terror.
BORIAS
And if we kill them all, who's left to be terrified?
Xena scowled as Borias turned his attention elsewhere as he spoke to a soldier and told him to bring a treating message to his leader that he was trying to strike a deal with. After the soldier ran off Xena told Borias that she wanted the bodies of the dead. A sickening feeling hit Willow as she soon saw the disturbing scene of pikes and spears sticking in the ground each holding the severed heads of the enemy army that Xena had defeated as she and Borias rode off the blood-soaked battlefield. With Xena wearing an evil scowl that sent a chill down Willows's spine. True Willow may have briefly heard of Xena's past while she had gone with her and Iris to help another tribe of Amazons shortly after Gabrielle had passed her title of queen to Xena as she lay slowly dying from an infection caused by injuries. But she hadn't heard much in the way of specifics for what it was that Xena had actually done. However now that she was seeing it, Willow couldn't believe that she had simply let the warning she'd received about who Xena truly was from one of the Amazons they were helping slip her mind during the time. But now after seeing it for herself, Willow felt a deep sense of anger and betrayal. She had trusted Xena. They all had. They opened their home to her and Gabrielle. They willingly followed her into battle and accepted her as their queen. But she had just been lying to all of them the whole time. Willow snapped back to reality as now she and Clover had both seen some of the dark past that Xena had been keeping from them.
ALTI
Disturbing, isn't it?
Xena and Ephiny stepped forward towards Alti.
XENA
What did you do to them Alti?
Also gave an evil smile.
ALTI
I showed them the truth.
EPHINY
And what's that supposed to mean?
ALTI
Why don't you see for yourself?
Before Ephiny could react, Alti was on her and showed her more of what she had shown Clover and Willow. Xena rushed at Alti but was thrown back easily by her power as Ephiny saw the darkest, most violent parts of who Xena once was. After several attempts, Xena was finally able to break Alti's hold on Ephiny, who dropped to the ground after being freed, just like what had happened to Clover and Willow. Xena stood glaring at Alti.
XENA
What's the point of this Alti? What do you hope to achieve?
ALTI
I would think that you'd be more concerned about what I did to your Amazons.
XENA
You forget, I know how you work. So I'm assuming that you showed them things. Likely some kind of personal nightmare that you dug into their deepest fears within their minds to find.
ALTI
Oh, Xena, it seems as though you don't know me quite as well as you think you do.
Alti grinned a dark smile.
ALTI
Much like you're little friends here didn't know who the Queen they had pledged themselves to follow really is. So now that I've shown them the truth, I wonder if you'll still get the same loyalty that they were showing you just a bit ago.
Xena's eyes went wide as she looked at Ephiny, Willow, and Clover who were giving her very uncertain looks, none of them wanting to believe that what they had been shown was true.
ALTI
I bet you're wondering what they saw. Here see for yourself.
Xena tried to get away and fend off Alti. She knew what Alti could do to someone once she got a hold of them. It wasn't just visions of the past, future, or complete fiction that she would use to manipulate her victims. Alti could also use her spiritual powers and visions to cause actual physical damage to her victims. She could put so much strain on a person's mind, that it would actually cause complete mental breaks in various forms. Ranging from a lifetime of paranoia and psychosis. To reducing some of her victims to an unrecoverable vegetative state or just outright death. And anything a person could think of in between. Truly of all of the enemies that Xena had faced, Alti was by far the most dangerous.
ALTI
(sinister tone) What's wrong Xena, don't feel like taking a stroll down memory lane with everyone else.
XENA
(angry sarcasm) Thanks but I do plenty of that on my own.
Alti looked past Xena and confused Xena when she backed off.
ALTI
I suppose you're right. Besides I've already done what I wanted here anyway. So I guess I can leave you for now.
XENA
I don't know what you're after this time, but I'm not letting you go anywhere.
ALTI
Look around you Xena, I don't think you're currently in any position to stop me.
Xena glanced over at the others who hadn't taken their eyes off of her. Willow stepped forward as she spoke to Xena.
WILLOW
Is it true, all those things she showed us? The things we saw you do?
CLOVER
It can't be. Xena tells us it's not true.
EPHINY
Come on guys, it's obviously a trick. I've known Xena longer than anyone, well except for Gabrielle. I know that some of her past is shady at best, but after everything she's done for the Amazon people, there's no way that she was ever that cruel. Right?
Xena stood silent for a long moment as the weight of her past crimes began pressing even heavier down on her than the usual guilt she had come accustomed to living with. She looked at Epiny, Clover, and Willow with a sad, remorseful expression that she knew couldn't truly convey just how sorry she truly was. Then finally she spoke.
XENA
Yes. Everything I saw that Alti showed you is true. The annihilation of the northern Amazons. The wars waged across various lands. The pillaging, raiding, rage, violence. It's all true.
Clover felt an incredible righteous rage build within her.
CLOVER
(angry tone) All this time. We brought you into our village. We were friends. I'd go so far as to say that we've grown to consider you family. Fought side by side with you. We even made you one of us. But now we find out that everything we thought we knew about you is a lie.
XENA
That's not true Clover. I'm still the same person you knew before today. What you saw, yes it was me. I can't begin to express how much I truly regret everything that I've done during that long dark time of my life. But believe me when I tell you that Xena has been dead for a very long time.
Clover moved and stood toe to toe with Xena as she stared at her intensely.
CLOVER
()(angry tone) Why should we believe a single word you say anymore when all you've done is lie to us?
XENA
Look Clover I know you're upset right now and I can't blame you but Alti she's dangerous. You can't trust...
Xena was cut off when she felt Clover's fist connect with her jaw.
CLOVER
(Angry tone) Shut up! You don't get to try and deflect this.
Xena restrained herself from knocking Clover out on account of their friendship and understanding that after what Clover had seen her do, Xena felt Clover punching her was actually a pretty reasonable response. Much less than what Xena herself would've likely done if the situation had been reversed.
WILLOW
(Angry tone) You say that Alti is dangerous, but so far all she's really done is show us the things that you've kept from us. Things that you even admit are the truth. So tell us Xena which one of you do you think we're gonna trust right now?
XENA
I get that it doesn't look good right now. But think about it I didn't deny any of what Alti said, so what could I possibly stand to gain from lying now?
CLOVER
Given what we saw you do to those other Amazons who trusted you, I don't know what to think. Other than the fact that you're a cold-blooded murderer who used our people for your own personal gain and then brutally killed them when you no longer felt that you had a use for them.
Xena had no defense for her past actions, but she knew that Alti was up to something and obviously using Xena's dark history with the Amazons as a form of distraction, but for what Xena didn't know. As Xena tried to convince the others that their focus for the moment should be on Alti, no one else would listen to her. The group began moving towards Xena as they yelled and demanded that Xena hand over her weapons. Everything began to rapidly spiral out of control as Xena refused to disarm herself and continued trying to get her point across that Alti was up to something and wasn't to be trusted. But her warning went ignored as Clover and Willow came after her. Ephiny wasn't sure of what to do. She knew Xena well enough to figure that there was a good chance that she was telling the truth when it came to Alti. But as an Amazon, she also couldn't just ignore the serious crimes that Xena had committed against her people. And likely never been put on trial or punished for either. Then Ephiny thought of Gabrielle and what it might do to her if she found out that Xena had been killed by her own adopted people. But what could Ephiny really do? After what they had seen, the other women there were out for blood. But Even so, Ephiny knew that she had to try. That was when she noticed Alti laugh to herself as she vanished without the others ever even noticing. Except for Xena, who saw Alti leave and became even more concerned about what the sorceress was doing, but was unable to focus on her at the moment when she soon allowed her hands to be bound for the time being, again not wanting anyone to get hurt. They all then returned to camp, packed up, and began the trip back to the village as the Amazons rode and led Argo and forced Xena to walk back on foot as they kept a close eye on her all the way until they got back and decided what the punishment for Xena's crimes against the Amazons would be.