Lyla

Lyla had been a childhood friend to Penelope in Nespa. Over time, their friendship grew cold. Lyla was offended that Penelope selected Cheris instead of her as maid of honour at Penelope's wedding. In revenge, she became involved in a plot concocted by Nemis to kill Hercules at the wedding. Lyla poisoned Hercules with something that caused temporary blindness in the hero. Later, Lyla and Deric realized they had been wrong and refused to help Nemis any further. They told Hercules they were headed to Athens, where, they hoped, people would be more open-minded about their relationship. (HTLJ: "As Darkness Falls")

Lyla and Deric moved to a village near Athens with their three year-old son, Kefor. Unfortunately, they did not find the area any more accepting. They were plagued by discrimination and violence by a group called the Cretans. Finally, while Deric was out, the Cretans attacked Lyla's home, setting fire to it. Merkus knocked Lyla unconscious, which caused her to burn to death in the fire. Lyla later appeared to Kefor as a ghost and when Deric began to build a relationship with the locals, Zeus brought Lyla back to life so the family could be reunited (HTLJ: "Outcast").

Behind the Scenes[]

It is possible that both Lyla and Lysia, (two characters in the Xenaverse portrayed by Lucy Lawless before the creation of Xena), are yet more Xena look-a-likes, a phenomenon explored on Xena's spin-off show.
In "Outcast" Salmoneus and Hercules comment on Lyla's resemblance to Xena as an in-joke. Though "As Darkness Falls" was filmed and aired before Xena's first appearance, "Outcast" was produced after audiences were already quite familiar with the warrior princess.
In "As Darkness Falls", Lyla is seen with Lawless's natural ash-blond hair, but appears with black hair in "Outcast", as Lawless's hair had already been colored for Xena.