A group of hooded marauders mount an attack on the temple of the fates, unaware that Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) are praying inside. Startled by the scream of a fleeing acolyte, Xena races outside and stops the charging invaders with a series of dazzling, acrobatic fighting maneuvers. After killing their ruthless leader Caputius (Slade Leef), the warrior princess whirls around to drive off one last axe-wielding attacker, who inadvertently impales himself on her upraised sword. As his hood falls away, she is shocked to see the face of a 15-year-old boy. When the grateful Fates appear and offer to grant Xena a wish in appreciation for saving their temple, she asks that the boy be brought back to life. The Fates agree to her request, proclaiming that all will be restored on the condition that she never again draw blood in anger.
To her amazement, Xena suddenly finds herself dressed not as a warrior, but as a typical village woman. She gets an even greater shock when she is greeted by her handsome younger brother, Lyceus (Aaron Devitt), who was killed years before fighting at her side the tyrant Cortese. As Xena tries to cover her confusion, she realizes that the life unfolding before her eyes is the one she would have been leading had she not become a warrior in the first place. In this world, Mezentius (Stephen Tozer), Krykus (Mark Ferguson) and Caputius, ruthless warlords she has defeated in the past, are back trying to fulfill their dreams of conquest. Her former suitor, Maphias (Robert Harte), is also on the scene, trying to get her to commit to a wedding date. Though still unsettled by this strange turn of events, Xena vows to seize this chance to build a new life.
Her capacity to give up her warrior ways is severely tested, however, when she catches sight of Gabrielle, now an embittered slave in the service of the brutal Mezentius, being shoved around by the warlord's slave boss (Chris Graham). Determined to free her friend, Xena hides in a wagonload of supplies bound for the warlord's castle. Once inside, she confronts Gabrielle, who does not recognize her and is understandably wary. But Xena quickly gets through to her friend by appealing to Gabrielle's courage, and the two engineer a daring escape up a castle chimney. That night, as Xena listens to Lyceus' plan for a surprise counter-attack against a raid being organized by Mezentius, Krykus and Caputius, Mezentius' guards arrive to take them prisoner. When Lyceus throws a sword to his sister, who has always been ready to fight against tyranny in the past, he is confused and dismayed when she lets it fall to the ground.
Xena, Lyceus and Gabrielle are imprisoned in suspended cages in the warlord's dungeon but Maphias, disguised as one of Caputius' hooded soldiers, is able to steal in to free them. Though they are given the chance to flee, Lyceus goes off to attack the three warlords, who are meeting in the castle. His companions soon follow. Both Maphias and Gabrielle arm themselves, but Xena refuses to take a weapon and battles only with her hands and feet. As the fighting intensifies, however, Xena is forced to defend herself with a sword. The moment she draws the blood of Caputius, she is transformed back to the battle outside the temple of the fates. This time, though, she is able to lower her sword, sparing the life of the 15-year-old attacker and eliciting a promise from him that he'll never kill again.
Guest Starring: Aaron Devitt (Lyceus), Robert Harte (Maphias), Stephen Tozer (Mezentius), Mark Ferguson (Krykus), Slade Leef (Caputius), Chris Graham (Slave Boss), Rebecca Kopacka (Clotho), Micaela Daniel (Lachesis), Elizabeth Pendergrast (Atropos), Mariao Hohaia (Minion), Geoff Barlow (Storekeeper), Andrew McMillan (Gate Guard), David Greary (Guard #2), Allan Wilkins (Head Guard), Daniel Chilton (Boy)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Teleplay by Chris Manheim
Story by Steven L Sears & Chris Manheim
Directed by Anson Williams