The Royal Couple of Thieves

Xena teams up with Autolycus, the King of Thieves, to steal a chest that is a weapon that protects a village, of whom Xena owes a great debt to. But they must go up against warlords, thieves and assassins to get it.

Summary
Xena sets a trap for Autolycus and captures the self-proclaimed "king of thieves" to ask for his help in recovering a priceless chest containing the most powerful weapon in the world. She tells him the chest was stolen from Kelton and his people, and is going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder by the evil warlord Malthus. Xena and Gabrielle succeed in appealing to Autolycus' vanity in order to gain his help.

Disguised as the notorious assassin Lord Sinteres, Autolycus, accompanied by Xena, boards the ship bound for Malthus' island castle. They are welcomed on board by Malthus' evil lieutenant Arkel, and meet a number of unsavory passengers including the scarred and sinister Prognese.

To Xena's dismay, Autolycus can't resist introducing her as his concubine Cherish, and commands her publicly to wear the flimsiest of outfits.

As Autolycus brags about his exploits, Prognese, whose brother was murdered by the real Sinteres, tries to kill him, knocking him and Xena overboard. They are saved at the last moment by the grappling hook hidden in Autolycus' sleeve, which secures itself to the ship's railing.

Prognese and the rest of the passengers are stunned when Autolycus reappears on deck. Bracing for a sword fight, he is unaware that Xena has come up behind him. She hooks the grappling cable to Prognese's vest and as he advances on Autolycus, he is swept off his feet and knocked unconscious.

In the castle banquet hall that night, Malthus unveils the chest, which is protected by an elaborate security system, and tells his guests that the weapon will be demonstrated the following day. Needing a diversion, Autolycus proclaims that his concubine Cherish will perform her dance of the seven veils to entertain Malthus and his visitors.

As Xena begins the wild and sensuous dance, Autolycus goes to work, secretly making a wax impression of the banquet hall key which hangs around Malthus' waist.

Later that night, Xena and Autolycus steal into the hall to remove the chest, but are surprised to find Mathus -- shot dead through the chest with an arrow -- lying on the suspended platform in its place. Returning to their room only moments before the castle guards come to search it, they are shocked to find the chest on their bed. When the guards enter, they manage to outwit them by pretending to be making love underneath the bedclothes, where they've hidden the chest.

Meanwhile, Arkel has sent the ship away to make sure that no one escapes. Xena and Autolycus decide they must return the chest to its original place in order to get Arkel to bring the boat back to the island, and manage to accomplish this difficult feat right under Arkel's nose.

The following morning, just as the auction is about to commence, the real Sinteres arrives in a cart driven by Arkel, who dumps an unconscious Gabrielle out of the back of the wagon. Xena leaps to her feet, but freezes when Sinteres touches Gabrielle's temple with two crossed fingers and announces he is the real Sinteres.

Gabrielle regains consciousness, and Xena and Autolycus are forced to reveal who they really are. With their identities unmasked, they are marked for murder, but Xena acts fast and creates enough confusion to allow them to escape. When Sinteres and Arkel recapture Gabrielle and round up the villagers, however, Xena arrives to face Sinteres. Theirs is a fast and furious battle between two martial arts masters, whose only weapons are their hands.

As Sinteres moves in to deliver the fatal blow, Xena manages to block him, jamming her fingers into his chest and killing him instantly. Arkel calls for the assembled guards to kill Xena just as Autolycus swings in on his grappling cable to join the fray.

During the ensuing battle, Arkel lifts the lid of the chest to unleash a ball of light. Xena, who has seen the inscription on the side of the chest warning people not to fear the truth, shouts to Gabrielle and Autolycus to remain where they stand. When Arkel and his guards turn and run from the light, they are consumed and reduced to ashes.

The following day, a grateful Kelton and his people take back custody of the chest and pay Autolycus his reward. Only after the "king of thieves" has bidden Xena and Gabrielle farewell do they notice that he's left the reward money behind for Kelton's people.

Disclaimer
No Ancient and Inflexible Rules governing moral behavior were harmed during the production of this motion picture.

Background Information
1) To free Autolycus from the rope.
 * Chakram Counts: 1
 * This episode marks the first Xenaverse appearence of Bruce Campbell as Autolycus. The character previously appeared on Hercules.
 * The Chest is actually the Ark of the Covenant - the Chest that Moses carried the Ten Commandments around in, according to Christian mythology. Xena, Gabrielle and Autolycus pull out the Ten Commandments, commenting on them by saying, "Who could live by those rules?".
 * When the Chest is opened, music from Joseph LoDuca's score for Army of Darkness is used.

Memorable Quotes
Autolycus: (swinging into the fight) Well, I made it.

Xena: I knew you would.

Autolycus: Can I concentrate on any one in particular... or do we hate 'em all?

Xena: Every last one.

Xena: Magmar told me his former boss has got a big ego. Almost as big as yours.

Autolycus: Nothing is as big as mine.

Guest Stars

 * Bruce Campbell as Autolycus