THE DEBT

In the middle of the night, Xena wakes to find Gabrielle missing. She finds her a short distance away and is thanked for standing by Gabrielle "through everything." A messenger then arrives, sent by someone who is "soft as water; hard as the raging flood." (Xena recognizes this.) Ambush! (Xena kills in an Indiana Jones fashion!) Message: The Green Dragon has become too large and must be made small. Xena doesn't want Gabby coming along on this mission because she's going out of her way to kill someone. Xena tries to explain. (Let the flashbacks begin!) Evil Xena travelled east to lose herself in vengeance after Caesar left his mark on her. She and Borias were after the riches of Chin. They arrange a meeting to try and make a few deals. Meet young Ming Tien, the son of Ming Tzu. Later, while making love on horseback, Borias ditches Xena for another meeting. Meet Lao Ma. An agreement is made but Xena wants to kill Lao Ma. (She didn't want her civilizing influence around Borias.) BUT, it turns out that Lao can fight back! So begins Xena's training...for good. (We learn that the Green Dragon is Ming Tien.) Back in the present day, X & G part ways. "You owe someone so much that you would just throw away these last few years?" asks Gabrielle. "Yes," replies Xena. To the ship! Xena remembers being captured after Borias gave her up. (He was tired of her ruining their alliances.) Ming Tzu, her captor, set her loose for the purpose of hunting her! But Lao Ma secretly intervened. "You don't know it yet, Xena, but you're a remarkable woman, capable of greatness." She hides Xena in a bath in her home. She treats her with kindness and dresses her in the customary clothing. Back to present day: Xena sneaks into Ming Tien's palace wearing camo. She has flashbacks of her more recent life; doubts, if you will. Eff it. She goes in for the kill anyway. But instead of a grown up Ming Tien, she finds...Gabrielle! "I'm sorry, Xena. I couldn't let you do this."