Who is Xena? She is a warrior, a mother, a friend, a healer, a woman who remade herself from a relentless and ruthless fighting machine into a heroine of mythic proportions. An intimate of gods and some of the most powerful leaders in the Ancient World, she is as comfortable in the courts of kings as she is sitting by a river, catching fish for her dinner.
Born in the Thracian town of Amphipolis, she is the only daughter of Cyrene and Atrius, and sister to two brothers. For years, she thought that her father had abandoned the family; however, she found out that her mother had actually killed him to protect her daughter from being sacrificed to Ares. Young Xena grew up in wartime when her town was besieged by the warlord Cortese. Her older brother Toris ran away, but her younger brother Lyceus helped her fight back against the warlord's tyranny. Although they were victorious, Lyceus lost his life. Soon after, Xena herself took off on her own, leaving her mother alone to manage the family tavern.
The young Xena took to warfare like the proverbial duck to water and soon gathered an army as her fame grew. Eventually, she became a force to be reckoned with throughout the land. She traveled the length and breadth of the Ancient World, from Britannia to Chin, meeting people who would have profound influences on her throughout her adult life. Two women - a strange Gaelic girl named M'Lila and a beautiful Chin woman named Lao Ma - had the strongest effect on her, although she would not come to understand their teachings until she had undergone soul-shattering experiences that turned the course of her life from evil to good.
Xena had many lovers, both human and immortal. She had a son named Solan by the barbarian warlord of the Steppes named Borias. They led a reign of terror that was brought to a halt by the subtle power of the mysterious Lao Ma. To protect her son, she left him in the care of the Centaurs where he lived for almost ten years until the evil force of Dahak ended his young life. Xena later bore a daughter, Eve, who became a legend in her own right.
Xena and Borias continued to travel across Central Asia. Near Siberia, Xena met a wicked shamaness named Alti who helped the warrior princess in her quest to control the world. Xena was pregnant and she and Borias took refuge with the Centaurs, where Xena became obsessed with tapping into the power of the Ixion Stone. Borias wisely hid the stone, but was murdered shortly thereafter. As noted above, Xena left her son Solan with the Centaurs and struck out on her own once again.
Although she had a reputation as a ruthless warlord, Xena did not permit the killing of women or children. One of her lieutenants, Darphus, balked under this restriction and his reaction would have far-reaching consequences for both of them. Xena tried to challenge Hercules who stood in the way of her adding control of yet another province under her influence, but she was not prepared for the powerful effect the hero would have on her. When Darphus forced her to endure the sadistic Gauntlet, she became the only person to survive it, but she was near death and exiled from the army. Hercules rescued her, nursed her to health, and showed her that there was another way to life. Although she and the great hero were deeply attracted to each other, she realized that she had a debt to pay and struck out on her own.
When Xena returned home, she had trouble convincing people that she had changed. However, one young girl in the neighboring town of Poteidaia named Gabrielle was drawn to her and grew from an amusing annoyance to Xena's best and dearest friend, although the forces of destiny forced them apart in a deadly rift.
Throughout her adult life, Ares, the god of war, has pursued her to become his Queen. Her first love was a fellow villager named Petracles, and they were actually betrothed. However, Xena's life as a warlord superceded her wedding plans and when she met up with him again, fate prevented them from expressing their affection until it was too late. During her conquest of Neapolitis, she met a young Roman officer name Julius Caesar with whom she had an affair. They recognized a kindred soul in each other, but Caesar was driven by his destiny to rule the world. Throughout the years, their paths have crossed, usually to Xena's disadvantage.
Xena is a woman of many skills and talents. In addition to her expertise as an equestrienne and acrobatic athletic, she can handle a sword, a whip and her signature weapon, the chakram. She can sing and dance, and do the hunting, but is not the best cook. Her skills as a healer are renowned. Probably the one skill that most terrifies her enemies the dreaded "neck pinch" which she learned from M'Lila.
These Chronicles detail the beginning of life for the "new" Xena after experiencing the startling change she experienced from her encounter with Hercules...
