When Xena and Gabrielle enter Amazon territory, they are quickly surrounded by four young Amazon warriors, who are impressed that Xena knows their symbol of peace. But before they guarantee the trespassers safe passage through their hunting grounds, Terreis (Rebekah Mercer), the sister of the Amazon Queen Melosa (Alison Bruce), and her comrade Ephiny (Danielle Cormack) decide to take them to the Queen. On the way, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) and Terreis strike up a friendship and when the Amazons are ambushed and Terreis is mortally wounded, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) risks her own life to shield her new friend from further assault. Before Terreis dies, she gives Gabrielle her Right of Cast, which clearly angers Ephiny. What Gabrielle doesn't realize is that her acceptance of this Right of Cast has made her an Amazon princess, responsible for avenging Terreis' death.
Later, after witnessing the Amazons' dramatic funeral ritual for Terreis, Xena and Gabrielle are informed by Queen Melosa that her people may soon be at war. As they prepare to leave, they see Ephiny and a swarm of Amazons surrounding a Centaur named Phantes (Colin Moy), who has been taken prisoner. Ephiny hands Melosa an arrow from Phantes' quiver which perfectly matches the one that killed her sister, and tells the Queen that she captured the Centaur as he was escaping across the river. Despite his predicament, Phantes remains defiant, warning the crowd that the Centaurs will never allow him to die since he is the son of their leader Tyldus (David Aston). When Xena questions Melosa about her problems with the Centaurs, the Queen reveals that they've been trying to encroach on the Amazons' hunting grounds. Xena visits the imprisoned Phantes in his cell and though he expresses eagerness to start a war with the Amazons, she leaves feeling he did not murder Terreis. Meanwhile, Melosa meets with the local warlord Krykus (Mark Ferguson) to gain assurances that he and his men will not take sides if a war breaks out. To avert the bloody conflict, Xena offers to speak with Tyldus, whom she has faced before in battle. But Melosa still refuses to postpone Phantes' execution, which is set for noon the following day.
As Xena rides off, Gabrielle finally learns from Melosa that her Right of Cast has made her an Amazon princess, entitled to all the rights and possessions of Terreis. The Queen tells Ephiny to begin her instruction. Meanwhile, Xena is surrounded by a group of Centaurs and men as soon as she reaches the Centaurs' territory. She fights bravely until the voice of Tyldus rings out, halting the attack. When she arrives at the Centaur camp, Xena finds everyone busy preparing for battle. Xena pleads with Tyldus to postpone his assault on the Amazons and although he confesses that he's lost his taste for war, he tells her he cannot stand by and let his son be executed. At the same time, Gabrielle, dressed in Terreis' clothes, is asked to choose a weapon and begin training. She selects her walking stick and is taught how to wield it like a fighting staff.
That night, Xena searches the ground where the attack on the Amazons occurred and tells Ephiny what she has learned -- that Terreis was killed not by the Centaurs but by Krykus the warlord, who stands to gain power and territory by pitting both armies against each other. Together, they head for his camp where they find evidence linking him to the murder of Terreis. Back at the Amazon village, Gabrielle is utterly miserable now that she knows it's her responsibility to execute Phantes with Terreis' sword or be killed herself for treason. Xena and Ephiny arrive seconds before the sentence is carried out to announce they have proof of Phantes' innocence. When Melosa rejects their arguments, Gabrielle -- who can now claim royal Amazon blood by virtue of her Right of Cast -- is cued by Xena to demand the Royal Challenge, whereby Xena, as Gabrielle's champion, will fight Melosa to try to stop the execution. The two warrior women engage in a furious battle in which Queen Melosa is finally overpowered. Xena is proclaimed the new Queen of the Amazons just as Tyldus and his troops arrive. When Xena reveals that Krykus was responsible for Terreis' murder, both sides agree to attack the warlord's camp together. As the sounds of battle fill the air, an uneasy peace is formed at last between the Centaurs and the Amazons.
Guest Starring: Danielle Cormack (Ephiny), David Aston (Tyldus), Alison Bruce (Melosa), Mark Ferguson (Krykus), Rebekah Mercer (Terreis), Colin Moy (Phantes), Chris Bailey (Celano), Anthony Starr (Mesas), John Watson (Arben), Aurora Philips (Magdelus), Tanya Dignan (Eponion), Andrew Kovacevich (Tor)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Written by Steven L. Sears
Directed by Jace Alexander
Trivia: In this episode, Gabrielle gets her famous fighting staff from Ephiny.