Season 5 Episode 03 - Succession

Ares has decided that he needs an heir and when a warlord called Mavican decides that she is worthy of his crown she tries to persuade Ares that she is the one. But Ares cannot be persuaded that easy though, and so tells her not to waste her time. Meanwhile Gabrielle is feeling unappreciated by Xena who wont trust Gabrielle's fighting skills and when Ares finds out he decides to create a test. Ares transports Gabrielle, Xena and Mavican to a different world. If Mavican kills Xena and Gabrielle then she becomes the heir and is transported back to the normal world, but if Xena kills Mavican then neither Xena or Gabrielle get to go back. When they are first put on the new world Mavican and Xena are put into a forest but Gabrielle is put in a dark room with no exits. Mavican and Xena fight for a while and at night Gabrielle goes into the forest with Mavican and Xena goes into a dark room. But Xena can see everything Gabrielle does though a screen on a wall. Gabrielle fights Mavican but hesitates about killing her and so gets captured by Mavican. After a while Xena and Gabrielle relies that Ares has put them in the same body Xena gets the day shift, Gabrielle gets the night. The test is not to see if Mavican is good enough to be Ares's heir but if Gabrielle is. Together they work out a way to beat Ares's little game and when Mavican asks for Ares's help he explains that she is not worthy of his crown is she asks for help and so lets Xena and Gabrielle go. Xena realizes that Gabrielle has become more then just a side kick she is now a great fighter and Xena trusts her fighting skills.