A Still Small Voice
Written By: Caina Q. Fuller©
Episode #4. The Messenger.
Teaser
Fade In-Dusty
Road, Day
It’s a day that’s as hot as hell itself. Eve and Virgil ride down a dusty road under the mid-day sun. They’ve been through a lot lately, and
they’re still reeling from it all.
Especially Eve. Her face is
tortured, more from the pain of knowing her brother and Marcus are trapped in
Tartarus from trying to save her than from the heat itself. Virgil is picking
up on this, and reaches out for her in support.
Virgil
Eve? Do you want to talk about
it?
Eve
Not really Virgil. Thanks
but
nothing short of knowing
my brother and Marcus are back where
they belong is going to ease my pain.
Virgil
I wish there was something I
could say, but I’m at a loss for words.
Eve
I know you do Virgil. And I appreciate
it too. You know, I’ve
been thinking
a lot about my experience in Rome
with Ledricles…
Virgil
And?
Eve
I’ve come to realize that Livia
and I are one and the same,
and there’s nothing I can do to
change that.
This
revelation both shocks and hurts Virgil.
To him it seems as if Eve is throwing away all Xena’s sacrifices, as
well as the loss of his father, away by making a statement like that.
Virgil
How could you say something
like that? After all your mother
has done to help you…I had to
lose my father before you were
turned around, and now you’re
saying that you haven’t changed?
Eve
Virgil, calm down. You’re mis-
Interpreting what I meant.
Virgil
Then help me to understand.
Eve
My entire life was spent as
Livia. The good in my life
back then was far outweighed
by the bad Virgil. I allowed
my
innocence to be lost to hate.
I can’t pretend to be someone
completely different overnight.
I’m changing but its going to be a
life long process. I just…I just
feel that to deny the part of me
that is a warrior is to deny half
of my soul.
Virgil
Then why do you have so many
reservations about picking up
the sword again?
Eve
Because I’m afraid that once
I get a taste of that dark part of me
again I’ll fall back into my old
blood-lusts.
Virgil
You’re afraid of reverting back
to Livia. I see what you mean. But
you’re forgetting something.
You
have an element in your favor
now that you didn’t have before.
Eve
What’s that?
Virgil
Friends who love you. With
our love, you can find your
true path because we’ll
be there every step of the way.
For the
first time since losing her brother to Persephone’s hate in the underworld, Eve
has found reason to smile.
Eve
Virgil, I don’t think you can begin
to imagine how much that means
to me.
As the two continue along the road, Eve begins to hear an almost
inaudible whisper. At first she thinks
it’s Virgil speaking to her quietly, but when she looks to him he is studying
the scenery around them and clearly not talking to her, but still…
Eve
Virgil? You say something?
Virgil
No.
Why?
Eve
Never mind. It was just my
imagination.
Int-Heaven
The archangel Raphael watches Eve and Virgil on the mirror-like
surface of a fountain. When he waves
his hand over it, the scene changes to that of an army raiding a village. As he watches this Rachel, Callisto’s
daughter, appears beside him.
Raphael
It has begun.
Rachel
I know. He’s given me the go
ahead to show her the truth.
Raphael
You don’t look certain about
what you are being sent to do.
Rachel
I’m certain this is the right thing,
but I’m just not sure in my abilities
to do this correctly.
Raphael
You’re going to be fine. I have
the utmost faith in you.
Rachel disappears and Raphael turns to see Eve and Virgil on the
road. He dissolves away, leaving the
room empty, a look of deep sadness filling his already somber eyes as he fades
away.
Ext-Road
Virgil and Eve are still riding when Virgil sees smoke rising into
the air from the village they are approaching.
He reaches out for her in horror at what he is seeing.
Virgil
Eve, look! It’s Leuctra!
Virgil takes off for the village, ready for a fight, but Eve isn’t
so sure about what she’s getting herself in to and hangs back. She is just about to follow after him regardless
of her doubts, when she hears the whispering again. This time it’s louder and
it fills her with uneasiness. What is it? Where is it coming from?
Suddenly Raphael appears on the road before her, blocking her path
and scaring Braveheart into rearing up and almost knocking her to the ground.
Raphael
(calming Braveheart)
Be still.
The horse
immediately calms beneath the wave of Raphael’s hand, but it isn’t that simple
for Eve. Her life seems to be steadily
turning up side down.
Close Up on Eve.
Fade Out.
End of Teaser
Fade In
We resume where we left off in the Teaser, close on Eve’s
face. She remembers this particular
angel from her time in Heaven as Callisto, and she gives him a small smile.
Eve
Raphael?
Raphael
You remember me. That’s
good. Then you know I am
not going to hurt you.
Eve
What’s the matter? Why have
you come here? Is it
Rachel?
Raphael
I’m here because you have doubts
about your mission as the Messenger.
I have come to answer them. You
also have doubts about riding into
battle. You’re afraid you
may be
forced to kill again, to save an
innocent life.
Eve is
amazed that he knows the deepest secrets of her heart, but she is also relieved
to have someone to share them with. She
looks next to tears as she nods her head in agreement.
Eve
Yes. You’re right, I do have
questions. And I have many fears.
What if I’m on the wrong path?
How can I reconcile being Eli’s
Messenger and carrying a sword
at the same time?
Raphael
I don’t have time to answer
all of your questions now Eve.
I’m just here to tell you to ride
into Leuctra and do all in
your power to save them.
Eve,
soon you will be shown the truth,
but until then, don’t restrain
your warrior heart.
Before Eve
can ask him to elucidate what he has said, Raphael is gone, leaving her staring
at the empty space he’d just left in bewilderment. It isn’t until she hears
screams from the village and sees more smoke that she snaps out of her trance
and heads off for the village. The only problem now is that Eve is more
uncertain about her path as a warrior than ever, despite what Raphael has said
about not restraining her warrior heart.
Ext-Village
Virgil rides into the village and finds it being attacked by men
in black uniforms, all of whom have a strange red symbol sewn into their
tunics. It’s a likeness of the Destroyer from “A Family Affair” (Hope and Ares’
son), but Virgil doesn’t recognize it as being associated with Dahak.
Virgil pulls his father’s sword
and dismounts just as two warriors rush his way. On a hill in the distance we see a man watching the events of the
battle from his horse. Despite the
distance (and the fact that his second in command must have a spyglass to see),
this warrior has no difficulty seeing every detail of the fight below him. He
is obviously more than a mere mortal.
Virgil
looks around the burning village for Eve but his companion is nowhere in sight.
All around him slave wagons are being loaded with women and children, and the
men have been rendered unconscious and placed on the ground with their hands
manacled behind their backs, which is unusual considering that during a
warlords raid, the men are usually slaughtered.
Virgil
Eve!
Where are you?
The warriors raiding the village become aware of Virgil’s presence
and watch as he attacks their fellow warriors, cutting them down before they
can harm the men, women and children of the village. Several of them surround Virgil, all of them large, muscle-bound
dunce types with more testosterone than brain cells to balance it out.
Warrior #1
You put on a good show, but
now it’s time for you to be a
good boy and drop your sword.
Virgil apparently isn’t responding quickly enough for Warrior 1’s
satisfaction.
Warrior #1
I said drop your sword!
Virgil
Drop yours and I might let
you live long enough to go to
jail.
At first the warriors are astounded that any simple villager would
dare defy them, but then anger and aggression quickly takes over and warrior #1
attacks.
Virgil takes him on and holds his own easily enough, and he’s even
beginning to get the upper hand in the fight when his buddies join in. Up on the hill, Cain watches with a sly grin
on his face.
Virgil is good, but not good enough to take on three burly
warriors at the same time (he’s no Eve after all), and the situation quickly
turns ugly for him when all three are attacking. Warrior #1 sees his chance to save his pride in some small
measure when he decks Virgil, sending him sprawling. He raises his sword to deliver the deathblow, and then brings it
down hard for the kill. Fortunately for Virgil, Eve’s sword blocks the warrior’s
blade, saving Virgil in the nick of time.
Eve
That’s not a good idea.
On the
hill, Cain watches this new player in his game with interest. She’s beautiful,
yes, but apparently she knows her way around a sword as he watches her disarm
all three of the warriors attacking Virgil.
Cain
Now who are you pretty?
In the
village Virgil picks up his sword as the mayhem continues around them and the
three warriors stubbornly face her down.
Warrior #1
Whoever gets her first, gets
her.
Sounds like
a plan to them. The men are about to begin another attack without their swords when
the third warrior, silent until now, suddenly recognizes her.
Warrior #3
Hey, wait! I know you! You’re
Livia. Champion of Rome.
The men
look at her with new interest now. If they can give their lord Rome’s champion,
there was a good chance he would reward them with a personal slave, or better
still, a few bags of gold.
Warrior#1
Take her alive if you can. We’ll
split the booty.
Eve
Surrender and call off your men
or I’ll split your booty.
Warrior #1
Very funny. Get her!
The men attack again, but this
time Eve sheathes her sword to fight them hand to hand. She knows what Raphael
has told her about doing what she must to save the village of Leuctra, but she
just can’t bring herself to kill again.
More and more warrior’s attack Eve and Virgil, and though Virgil kills
or wounds as necessary, Eve refuses to, and it’s about to cost Virgil more than
it is her. On a rooftop in the village,
invisible to all eyes including Cain’s, stands Raphael. He shakes his head at her refusal to draw
her sword.
Raphael
I said do what you must Eve.
During the fight Warrior #1
charges her and she kicks him in the gut, but it sends him flying back into a wagon
full of hay that is engulfed in a raging fire with predictable results. Warrior #1 begins to flail about, trying to
put the fire out, but in his panic he makes it worse by running for the exit of
the village. The voice whispers around
her again, louder than it was before but still unintelligible.
Eve is so consumed with guilt
as she watches the warrior collapse on the ground to die in flames, she doesn’t
see warrior #3 coming upon her, but Virgil does.
Virgil
Eve! Look out!
Eve looks
around a tad too late and Warrior#3 sucker punches her, knocking her to the
ground. He begins to kick her and
Virgil rushes over to save her, but in the process the warrior tries run Virgil
through. Fortunately for our intrepid
(would-be) hero, warrior #3’s aim is off and the blade goes through Virgil’s
side, missing his most important organs.
Eve
(horrified)
No! Virgil!
Eve jumps to her feet, sword
drawn, as once again warrior #3 attacks.
As this happens, warrior #2 (non-speaking as of yet) mounts his horse
and begins to retreat. Eve quickly
dispenses with warrior #3, then kneels at Virgil’s side.
Eve
Virgil. I’m so
sorry.
Virgil
Save
the village Eve. We can
talk
about this later. Save them.
Eve turns, this time to fight
the approaching warriors. Though it
hurts her to her soul, Eve does what she should have done the moment she
stepped into the battle, and begins cutting down soldier after soldier that
attacks her until the men realize what force they’re up against and they retreat.
Ext. Hill
Cain watches this new beauty,
and senses something different about her, as she slaughter’s his men. She’s unlike any female warrior he’s ever
witnessed fight, and he’s fascinated by her. Still, she’s stepped between him and his mission, and that he
cannot allow.
Warrior #2 comes riding up the
hill to his master, and we can see in his eyes he knows he’s in serious trouble
for retreating. He doesn’t respect Cain--he fears him.
Warrior #2
My Lord.
Cain
There’d
better be a damn good
reason
for you to run from a battle.
Warrior #2
There
is my Lord. That woman-
her
name is Eve. She was once
the
champion of Rome. She’s
Xena’s
daughter.
The name Xena strikes a cord
deep within Cain, and we hear a low growl come from deep in his chest. He hates
the Warrior Princess, and with good reason, but we’ll get into that later.
Cain
Now
she’s Eli’s Messenger of
peace.
Is her familial ties the
only
reason you left?
The warrior’s face becomes a
mask of fear and uncertainty. How will he get out of this alive?
Warrior
What do you mean?
Cain
I
know you don’t have much of
a
brain but don’t play stupid with
me
boy. Why else did you leave?
Warrior #2
(head hung in shame)
I was afraid my lord.
Cain
I
thought so. You know how I
feel
about cowards.
Suddenly the warrior grabs his
head and falls from his horse, screaming in agony. He writhes on the ground,
blood pouring from his nose and ears until his very soul emerges from his mouth
in the form of a bright, misty light, and it flows into Cain. As soon as Cain has ingested the man’s soul,
his eyes begin to glow and he laughs evilly as he is invigorated from the power
of the man’s life force.
Cain
Julian.
Julian
Yes, my lord?
Cain
Retrieve the rest of the deserters.
Bring them to my camp.
Julian
Of course my lord.
Right away.
Cain
And
prepare a couple of crosses
for
our competition down there.
It’s
time for me to put an end
to
Xena’s line once and for all.
Just as
she tried to do to my family.
Close on Cain’s face.
Fade out.
End of Act One.
***************
Act Two
Fade In
Ext-Village of Leuctra
The village lays half in ruins
from the fires started by Cain’s men in the raid the previous day, but the
villagers are safe--for now any way. They go about the grueling and emotionally
draining task of sifting through the ruins, trying to salvage whatever they
could of their lives from the ashes.
Int-Physician’s hut
The doctor, an old salty fellow with a sharp mind and amazingly
steady hands, finishes patching Virgil’s wound up when Eve enters the room.
Physician
Nasty but nothing life threatening.
Don’t worry little lady. Your husband
is young and strong. He’ll
be good
as new in a month or so.
He pats Virgil on the head with
a fatherly touch. Virgil moves to
explain that he and Eve aren’t married but the healer talks over him.
Physician
You’ll have a hell of a story for the
grandkids one day and a great scar
to back it up.
(turns to Eve)
It shouldn’t affect his sex drive
too much either.
Ok, this is more information
than Eve wants to hear.
Eve
Thanks Doctor, but he’s not
my husband.
The physician suddenly
“understands” what she means and laughs wickedly, slapping her on the shoulder
and winking as he passes her.
Physician
Right, gotcha. Still, in a week
or so, he’ll be able to perform
in bed like always. Hope that’s a
good thing for you.
He leaves now, laughing at his
joke as if it’s the funniest joke said in the history of man kind, and leaves them
staring after him in embarrassment and disbelief.
Virgil
Thank God Eve. My sex drive
has been spared. Feel like
makin’ love?
Eve
Virgil! Try and get some
rest
wise guy.
Virgil
Where are you going?
Eve
I’m gonna get some fresh
air, check on the wounded
that haven’t been treated
yet. That kind of thing.
Eve is trying to run from what happened earlier that day, but he’s
not going to let her get away from it that easily.
Virgil
Eve, wait. We need to talk
about what happened.
Eve
No, we don’t.
Virgil
Your indecision almost cost
me my life, so yeah we do.
Eve
Virgil, I feel just awful about
what happened to you-
Virgil interrupts her angrily,
moving to sit up too fast and hurting is freshly stitched wound. He lies back down but still speaks his mind.
Virgil
Eve, I’m not fishing for an apology.
I want to know why you froze up in
the middle of a battle like that.
All right. If Virgil wants to talk about it then she’s
going to talk.
Eve
I froze up because I killed
a man Virgil. I shoved him
into a fire. He burned to death
for God’s sake!
Virgil
You didn’t have a choice Eve.
He was going to take you captive
and who knows what would
have happened to you then.
Even worse, you could have
been killed.
Eve
I’m starting to wonder if I
should keep this title of the
Messenger at all Virgil.
I’ve
tried but I just can’t reconcile
carrying a sword on my back
while I preach messages of
peace. I feel like a hypocrite
and I just can’t live my life like
this anymore!
Eve storms out of the healers
hut, despite Virgil’s pleas for her to wait.
Ext-Forest
Eve runs through the woods, hoping with everything in her heart
she can outrun her problems, even her life if she applied enough effort to it. But
of course that wasn’t possible, and she only succeeded in wearing herself down,
putting a stitch in her side from the effort of running.
Eventually she comes upon a hot spring.
Eve
A hot spring. Just what I
need.
Time
elapse:
We focus on the surface of the pool as Eve rises from below. She breaks the surface, her hair slicked
back by the water and her skin steaming from the heat of the spring. It has the desired calming effect on her and
in moments she’s relaxing in the deep water of the spring.
She hasn’t relaxed long however, before the voice returns. This
time when it whispers, she can hear-just barely-what it is saying.
Voice
Destiny…Don’t fear…
Eve
Hello?
Who’s there?
Raphael appears beside the pool, sitting on a large stone next to
the water.
Eve
I’ve forgotten some things about
Heaven, but if I recall they do
give
angels manners up there.
Raphael
You know I’m not tempted
by human flesh Eve. For an angel
that would be a sin.
Eve
(sarcastic)
Yes, and we all know what happens
to you angels when you sin, don’t
we?
Raphael laugh’s at her attempted
insult and crosses his arms, leaning back against a tree.
Raphael
I saw what happened today Eve.
Eve
Yeah? Then why didn’t you do
something to save Virgil?
No
wait. Let me guess: It’s not
in your job description right?
That’s
a job for the guardian angel’s, not
the archangels.
He takes her abuse quietly, choosing
to allow her to work it out of her system, but he does have a thing or two to
say back to her, and perhaps giving in to the desire to smart off is a little
sin he will have to pay penance for later.
But for now…
Raphael
And why do you think Virgil
is still alive Eve? Your
heroic
efforts and lightning fast reflexes?
Eve’s mouth drops open in shock. An angel of heaven just mouthed
off to her!
Eve
How rude! What kind of an
angel are you?
Raphael
I’m an honest angel, as all
angels are taught to be. I
always
tell the truth.
Eve
You mentioned truth earlier. Care
to stop beating around the bush
and enlighten me as to what the
truth is?
Raphael leans forward, trying to
close the gap between him and Eve, not just physically but mentally and
emotionally as well. He wants her to hear him, really hear him, before it’s too
late for her.
Raphael
You’re unhappy Eve. Not
because of your warrior heart,
but because you’re trying to
walk the wrong path. You’re
trying
to live the way of Love while
wielding a sword, and that just
cannot be done.
Eve tries to absorb this news
but it just doesn’t click with what she’s been told that her mission is.
Eve
But that doesn’t make any sense.
I was told that I am to be the
Messenger. The Messenger
of Eli.
How can a messenger of peace
possibly walk the way of the Warrior?
Raphael
I’m not talking about the Way
of the Warrior Eve. I’m talking
about your perceptions of
who the Messenger really is.
Now she’s really confused and
she can only stare at him, baffled as her mind tries to work through what he is
saying to her.
Eve
Are you saying I’m not supposed
to be the Messenger of Eli?
Raphael
That’s exactly what I’m saying.
Ext. Cain’s Camp
Julian puts the finishing touches on a cross then stands up, the
whole while the sound of men screaming in agony behind him. He turns to find Cain, wearing nothing but
his leather pants, slashing down one man after another. They were the soldiers who ran from Eve in
battle earlier that day. As each man
dies, Cain absorbs his soul.
The other men in Cain’s army, about a hundred in all, stand stiff
at attention, watching the slaughter in fear.
One of the men tries to run but Cain holds out his sword toward the
unfortunate man, using his powers pull the man back through the air until he
slams into the sharp point of the sword, becoming impaled, and Cain eats his
soul.
When Cain has cut down the last one, he holds up his sword and
licks some of the blood off the blade--disgusting. This openly disturbs the men, and they can barely swallow over
the lumps of fear in their throats.
Cain
I will not tolerate cowardice!
You either kill in my name or die
at my hand, but you do not
run from a fight if you follow me!
And if any of you desert before I
complete my mission, I’ll hunt you
down and feed off your souls!
Understand me?
Men
(in unison)
Yes sir!
Cain
Dismissed.
The group breaks up to return to
their normal routine of training, but some of them come to collect the bodies
of their fallen to be burned. Cain doesn’t bother to dress as he
passes Julian, who is watching him approach, and mounts his steed.
Cain
I’ll return shortly Julian.
Look
over my flock, will you?
Julian
Of course my lord. May I
ask
where you’re going?
Cain
I’m going to go have a little
talk with our female adversary.
Perhaps a more favorable
arrangement can be made with
her. Every king needs a
queen.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Julian