This poem contains Spoilers for the entire first season of Xena Warrior Princess.

The Journey Begins....

The SINS OF her PAST
Weighed heavily upon her soul
She thought to bury them
But the Fates intervened
And by saving a village
She gained a friend.

Together they faced
THE CHARIOTS OF WAR
Helping a young man to see
That peace *is* a just cause.

Mystics whose god was a
DREAMWORKER sought
To find the perfect sacrifice
In Gabrielle's innocence.
But Xena faced her nightmares
To save her friend.

They helped a king to see
That a child not born of his line
Could still be A CRADLE OF HOPE
For his kingdom.

In trying to rescue a young maiden
The warrior is shown
THE PATH NOT TAKEN
By a former love
Who learns too late
What it means to do good.

The god of war tried
To reclaim his warrior princess
With murder and deceit
But she was cunning
And turned his plan against him
And in the time of THE RECKONING
He realized she wouldn't be
Easily swayed.

An innocent reading
Freed three of THE TITANS
They assumed she was a goddess
And obeyed her every command
But when the truth was learned
They tried to use her in their own plans.

The Queen of the gods
Despised PROMETHEUS'
Kindness to mortals
And bound him in chains
But four friends united
To free him, though
Doing so might bring
About their own end.

The goddess of death
Was captured by a clever king
Others wanted her
To insure their immortality
But the king was shown his error
And so DEATH was freed from her CHAINS.

A warlord hoped for conflict
Between the HOOVES AND HARLOTS
So that he might take their lands
Never counting on foes to join forces
Bringing his schemes to an end.

Renegades undermined the ruler Xerxes
An offer to find their leader THE BLACK WOLF
Leads to an old friend
When the identity is revealed
It's the tyrant who is brought down.

A summons from another old friend
Brings them to a long fought war.
A warning to BEWARE
GREEKS BEARING GIFTS is ignored
And a once mighty kingdom is destroyed.

To test her skills
Gabrielle travels
To THE ATHENS CITY
ACADEMY OF
PERFORMING BARDS
She makes new friends
As she shares her adventures
And realizes that her life
Is on the road with the warrior.

A long hidden treasure
Could lead to something
More valuable than gold
For that precious metal
Wouldn't amount to
More than a FISTFUL OF DINARS
When weighed against
The food of the gods.

A WARRIOR look-a-like
PRINCESS in danger
Places traded
to find the assassin.
So that two kingdoms could unite
When true loves married.

Hades helmet stolen
His realm in chaos
A killer becomes MORTAL again
And a BELOVED friend
Is returned to life to help
So that order may be restored.

The warrior princess joined
By a self proclaimed king
Become the ROYAL COUPLE OF THIEVES
To reclaim a treasured chest
For the true owners
Who value its contents
More than gold.

Freezing at a critical moment
Sends THE PRODIGAL bard home
With the help of a kindred spirit
She regains her courage
And saves her family and friends.

A father commanded
To sacrifice his beloved son.
A bard's hallucinations
Leads the warrior to
The jealous brother
As the one behind
These ALTARED STATES

On a rescue mission
They encounter a long lost father
Only to learn that it was Ares
And the warrior and bard realize
The TIES THAT BIND them in friendship
Are stronger than anything they've ever known.

A poisoned dart brings
The proud warrioress
To her knees
And the young bard
Realizes that she
Must carry on for
THE GREATER GOOD.

Reports that the warrior
Had turned to her old ways
Are actually the deeds
Of a truly twisted soul.
And Xena finds
Her new enemy, CALLISTO
Is a formidable opponent.

An attack brings with it
Two ghosts from
The warrior's past
A long lost brother
Out to avenge
The DEATH of the younger
By the warlord
Who's MASK
Couldn't hide him
And justice finally prevails.

A healing temple
In the middle
Of a civil war
Requires the skills
Of the warrior
But not for battle.
And soon it is Xena
Who wants to ask
IS THERE A DOCTOR
IN THE HOUSE?
When death almost claims
her best friend.

Mary E. Terrell
April, 1998