Previously on Xena...
My name is Beowulf.
He had this... this lock. It had two ravens on it.
It's something I did a long time before I met you.
She wants to correct some great wrong she did in the past.
Her trail has taken me north.
Due north...
Farther north than I've ever been.
Does your tapestry have a story behind it?
They're called Valkyries.
- She looks different from the rest. - Xena.
Do you know about this Valkyrie, Xena?
Xena brought Odin out of his despair by sharing with him her lust for life.
He, in turn, made her a Valkyrie.
- Tell me about the Rheingold. - The first thing you should know...
The Rheingold is very dangerous to someone who hasn't forsaken their love.
I just hope we don't run into Grindl along the way.
Who's Grindl?
What's Grindl's a better question.
We're deep in Grindl territory.
The chances of finding her are getting less and less.
Then we pick up the pace.
What I'm trying to say is, don't get your hopes up, Gabrielle.
I'm not relying on hope.
Xena's tough to kill.
Xena's blood...
This is where it ended.
It's where she got away...
not long ago.
Gabrielle...
Are you being totally honest with yourself?
I mean, all of the evidence points to the fact that Xena...
She got away.
She waited for her chance and she escaped.
Where are her tracks?
Xena is alive.
If we split up, we can cover more ground.
Xena?
Xena...
There.
Gabrielle!
Don't ever leave me again.
Look at you.
Yeah, I know.
It's all right.
Don't fuss, ok?
Gabrielle!
Are you all right?
I'm fine. Xena needs water.
Xena...
Yeah. Clean yourself up.
You look awful.
Thanks.
I'm gonna go check on our friend.
Be careful.
Xena, I have waited my entire life to meet you.
If I knew I had a fan coming, I would have combed my hair.
I never should have doubted that you'd be alive.
Only the legendary Xena could survive against Grindl and the power of the ring.
I would have thought the legendary Xena wouldn't be too welcome up here.
Weaklings don't like you.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and your philosophy.
From the very first story I ever heard I knew I wanted to be a warrior like you.
To live for battle...
Die with valor...
Well, I've gotten a lot smarter since then.
I've learned to respect life, love and peace.
Why? What happened?
Lots of reasons.
It seems to be gone.
Yeah, she's out there somewhere.
When it heard us looking for Gabrielle, it doubled back behind us.
With the cliffs behind us, it cut off our path of retreat.
That's right.
Let's get you outta here.
No, Gabrielle, I can't do that.
Grindl and I have a date with destiny.
Gabrielle, I know better than to try to talk you into leaving,
but you two should go.
Live to fight another day. This is my battle.
Our battle.
I won't leave Gabrielle.
Neither will I.
Well, I guess we're in this together, then.
This way.
In the time of ancient gods...
...warlords...
...and kings...
a land in turmoil cried out for a hero.
She was Xena.
A mighty princess, forged in the heat of battle.
The power...
the passion...
the danger...
Her courage will change the world.
The Ring
This is it.
This is its lair.
Are you sure about this?
I'm sure.
So, what's your plan?
I'm going to lure Grindl in here.
When she's in position, I want you bring the mountain down on her head.
Her?
What is this Grindl?
A mistake...
from a very long time ago.
I defeated the Rhine maidens to steal their gold...
not for the wealth it could have brought me...
but for the power foretold by Odin's rune stones.
I melted down the Rheingold,
harnessing all its power into a single ring.
A ring that could give a mortal the power of a god.
Give me that ring.
I've thrashed you before, Grinhilda. I can do it again.
I won't let the power of the Rheingold
fall into the hands of a monster like you.
It's no use to you!
You know what the runes say.
Unless you have forsaken love,
the power of the ring will destroy what you value most.
The runes also say that anyone who puts on the ring
has a surge of godlike strength before the destructive power kicks in.
You'd gamble that you can beat me before the ring destroys your essence.
I'll take that chance to destroy you.
The Valkyrie had honor once...
before they learned to prize the thirst of blood.
You taught us that, Xena.
Let's see if you took notes.
It's a whole new "you", Grinhilda.
Now we see what you prize the most, Grinhilda.
You've lost what you hold dearest in your heart.
Your humanity.
Your beauty.
You mean, this monster that's been killing my people
is actually Grinhilda, the Valkyrie?
Then why didn't you just use the ring to kill her?
Killing her would have been kind compared to what I had in mind for her.
As fearsome as she was in her new form,
she knew that she was no match for me with the ring.
She fled.
Using chains I stole from Odin
and Grinhilda's own necklace as a lock...
I transformed this mine into her prison.
Then I drove Grinhilda towards her fate.
I knew being trapped in that hideous form
would be the ultimate torture for Grinhilda.
I wanted her to suffer with her own ugliness forever.
Don't think you've won anything!
These chains will hold you for eternity
and you will never use the power of the ring.
Never!
I wasn't going in that cage without the ring
and Grinhilda wasn't about to give it to me.
It was a stalemate.
I knew that the power of the ring would be useless to her unless...
She learned to forsake love.
That's right.
35 years of imprisonment is enough to drive love out of anyone's heart.
And once that happened, the power of the ring was hers.
She broke free.
Now nothing would stop her murderous rampage.
You ready for this?
Come and get some.
Come on.
What are you waiting for, huh?
Come on!
That's it. Come on.
Here they come.
Wait for Xena's signal.
You know you want it.
You remember me, don't you?
Come on.
Stay here!
Xena, no!
Xena!
I thought I told you not to come in here!
I never listen!
No!
- Beowulf, get to the other side! - What about you?
Don't worry about me. Go.
Gabrielle! Look out!
- Gabrielle... Are you hurt? - Are you all right?
Xena!
She's right behind here!
Xena!
Watch out!
Help me!
Xena!
Wait, wait! Gabrielle, wait! Wait!
Xena...
Gabrielle!
Gabrielle...
Forgive me, Grinhilda.
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
I'm all right.
What is it?
Let's get out of here.
Xena, you killed it. It's over.
No, that monster that I locked in the mine long ago,
I cut off one of its fingers.
What I killed just now, it had all of its fingers.
If then wasn't Grinhilda, then what was it?
That's Grinhilda.
And whatever it was I killed, she's not happy about it.
We gotta get to the Rhine maidens.
I got somethin' that belongs to them.
She really is giving up the power of the ring.
She is not the Xena of the legends.
She fights for good now.
I don't know.
I mean, in battle she's everything that I imagined, yes.
There's more to being a warrior than skill.
There's fighting for what you believe in,
for people that you love.
You know, before I met you, I never thought of a warrior
as having any love but the love of battle.
I'm gonna tend to this.
Brunhilda, could you scout up ahead? See what's over that ridge?
Thank you.
I don't like her.
Why do you say that?
I don't know. She's just not who she says she is, that's all.
Xena, she's searching.
She doesn't know what she believes in.
No, she believes in exactly what I used to believe in.
I don't trust her.
You don't like my friends, Brunhilda.
They're my eyes and ears in the field.
So... What went wrong, Brunhilda?
The plan was...
Once Xena had the ring
you were to attack her in her weakened state and take it!
Yes, but there were complications.
Complications...
My ravens, they tell me you've fallen in love with her partner.
Is it possible you thought that killing Xena
would kill any chance you had with Gabrielle?
Those mangy stool pidgeons...
Odin...
I had to play up to Gabrielle so she wouldn't suspect my true motives.
You failed to bring the ring to me.
- But I ju... - Silence!
I'll deal with you later.
Xena has the power to kill gods.
She's also capable of taking out her share of Valkyrie.
But she has a weakness.
Her partner, Gabrielle.
Capture her...
and the ring is ours.
- And if she won't trade? - Oh, she'll trade.
Or Gabrielle will be killed.
What's keeping Brunhilda?
Somethin's going on.
That one! Get the blonde!
Xena!
Brunhilda, stop!
Xena!
Gabrielle!
- Xena! - Gabrielle!
Beowulf! See if you can find where they're headed!
Enough!
Let's talk about this...
alone.
35 years...
You look amazing, Xena,
for a mortal.
You've come for the ring...
And you want your friend.
May I suggest a trade?
A trade?
No, I saw your faces when Brunhilda carried Gabrielle off.
You were as surprised as I am.
She's acting alone.
You killed Grinhilda's son.
Her son?
Yes.
She was with child when you caged her.
She'll be most upset when she finds out it was you killed him.
If I enlist her help as an ally, together, we would be formidable.
Why don't you give me the ring, Xena?
Go back to Greece, where you belong.
Odin...
I'm taking the ring back to the Rhine maidens.
I owe them that much.
Trust me...
I won't let it fall into the hands of one who's forsaken love.
Don't make me kill you.
You want that ring for yourself...
Yes.
It ensures my power against other gods
and god-slayers like you.
Have you forsaken love?
After you...
it wasn't very hard.
Then I'd be a fool to give it to you.
Then you leave me no choice.
You remember...
Your ability to forsake love is long gone.
I'll give Grinhilda your regards.
She's taking Gabrielle to the Eastwyn bog.
Take me there.
What are you doing?
Odin and the others were gonna kill you for the ring.
We left Xena to fight them all.
- Is Xena all you think about? - Sh...
Xena is my family. She's the most important thing in my life.
Gabrielle, listen to me.
I bring to Valhalla the bravest warriors slain in battle.
Heroes.
But your heart...
has more truth and courage than any that I've seen.
The beauty inside you burns like a star, Gabrielle.
I was supposed to betray you and Xena...
but I couldn't.
Not now.
You've changed me.
You've opened my eyes and you've change me the way you changed Xena.
I don't know what to say.
I'm sorry.
I defied my god for you, Gabrielle!
Grinhilda...
You're looking well.
I know who killed your son...
The same woman who robbed you of your beauty.
Xena!
Yes.
Come.
I'll take you to her.
Fighting together, just like old times.
You want your revenge, don't you?
Xena and I have a connection.
It's stronger than either one of us.
We're soul mates.
My love is strong. I can feel it!
I am trying to tell you that Xena and I are meant to be together.
We didn't... We didn't make it that way. It just is.
Gabrielle!
Xena!
I can see your heart lies with Xena...
but I'll prove to you which one of us deserves your love.
You do know your way around this place, don't you?
I never had a reason to come into this foul pit.
But for Gabrielle... I would go through the fires of Hell.
Xena!
That's her.
Over here.
Give me the ring, Xena.
Step aside, or join the Olympians.
Very well... I like the odds.
So do I.
Xena!
Find her friend, and at my order...
kill her.
Beowulf!
Give me the ring, Xena, and I won't kill your friend.
Look... You can't defeat us all.
You must forsake love to gain the ring's power.
Your feelings for Gabrielle guarantee that it won't work for you.
The ring works for everyone at first.
Ask her.
Yes, but eventually, it kills the essence of one that has not forsaken love.
What do you hold dearest in your heart, Xena?
Are you ready to lose it?
I'm out of options, Odin.
Kill her! And kill Gabrielle!
Brunhilda, you can't win.
Listen to me. This is wrong.
Can we just...? Let's just talk about this!
Get back.
Xena...
They're gonna kill her before I get a chance to prove my love for you.
What are you fighting for? You want to win my love?
You're going to shed blood for what? For me?
You call that love?
You're sick.
Xena!
Let her go!
She has the ring!
But right now it's killing what she values the most.
Xena!
Odin will bring all of his forces upon Gabrielle until you give up that ring.
You have to trust me. It's the...
You've put the ring on your finger...
But Xena, you haven't forsaken love. Take it off!
I don't know what you're talking about.
The curse is already working.
I don't know how I got here.
What's my name?
You've lost your memory, your sense or self.
What about Gabrielle?
I don't know her.
Xena, give me the ring.
Why does everybody want my ring?
Xena, give me the ring and everybody will leave you alone.
Thank you.
- Xena! - Gabrielle!
Brunhilda, I am going to find Xena.
Xena won't know you.
Won't know... Won't know me?
What are you talking about?
She put on the ring.
- No... - And she lost what she values most.
You.
The memories of you and the woman that you helped her to become.
No.
Here.
This ring is too powerful to fall into undeserving hands.
And so are you.
But I can't protect you in this form, not from Odin.
And he and Grinhilda will stop at nothing.
They'll kill everything associated with Xena.
In this form?
I'll become an eternal flame for you.
Only your true soulmate will be able to pass through the fire.
You'll be safe.
See, Gabrielle?
You have changed me.
Xena!
I can hear you...
laughing at me.
Who am I?
Please, tell me.
Who am I?!