The sun beat down on Gabrielle as Argo carefully picked her way along the loose mountain trail. The normally feisty red-haired blonde had hurt her ankle again, and having tired herself out complaining all morning was resigned to resting her head on the trusty mare's mane and pretending to be a saddle bag.

Xena, who had been walking ahead, stopped suddenly, resting her hand on her sword's hilt. Her battle-sharp instincts told her danger was near, and sure enough a warlady soon leapt out from behind a nearby cryptomeria tree. She relaxed, however, when she saw the warlady was dying from arrows.

'Are you Xena?' asked the warlady, who had clearly been running for some time.

'Who's asking?' snarled Xena suspiciously.

'There's no time!' said the warlady. 'I'm dying from arrows. You have to get to Snake Island and destroy the Sacred Egg before Calisto uses it to become immortal.' Then she died.

'I have to go to Snake Island,' said Xena. 'Alone. You go ahead to the inn in the next town and wait for me.'

'Dammit,' said Gabrielle as she enjoyed a pint of mead in the inn. 'Xena gets to have all the fun on Snake Island, while I'm stuck here drinking mead.'

'Excuse me,' said the innkeeper, 'but did you know that Snake Island is full of snakes?'

'Oh no!' cried Gabrielle. 'I have to warn Xena!'

So she jumped on Argo's back and galloped all the way to Snake Island, where Xena had dodged a bunch of snakes and bandits and was stealthily creeping towards the well-guarded Sacred Egg.

'Xena!' yelled Gabrielle, startling her friend and alerting the enemy. 'There are snakes on Snake Island!'

Startled, Xena started fighting off the bandits and snakes that fell upon her. 'I know!' she shouted angrily. 'That's why they call it-'

Just then, Gabrielle was captured. 'Xena!' she wailed, flailing her limbs as the guards carried her away. 'I've been captured!'

'I can see that!' grunted Xena as she stabbed a sneaky snake or two.

'I love you, Xena!' cried Gabrielle as she vanished into the distance.

Xena sliced up the last of the snakes and spat at the bandits before smashing the Sacred Egg. 'Love you too, Gabrielle,' she muttered as she set off after her soulmate.