Xena and many of the villagers escaped as Cortese's raiders razed the entire town. Her brother Toris had abandoned them, but her mother Cyrene and her younger brother Lyceus stayed with her as she rallied their meager forces and struck back at Cortese's army, pushing the warlord back and reclaiming the village. Unfortunately, Lyceus was killed in the battle, leaving only Xena and her mother to rebuild their lives. But Xena had found a sense of power in war, and she realized that she could not return to the life she had known before Cortese's attack.
Leaving her mother to operate the family tavern, Xena blazed her own trail-one of destruction and death. Raiders and mercenaries from across the world sought her out so that they might have a chance to join her ruthless and invincible army. She conquered kingdom upon kingdom, region upon region. Over the years, Xena perfected her warrior skills. She traveled far and wide, from Chin to Britannia, encountering many people who would profoundly influence her life, even if she did not realize it at the time. Two in particular stand out: M'Lila and Lao Ma. These two powerful women offered Xena much: skills to aid her in battle against her enemies and, more importantly, against the dark side of herself. During this time, Xena and her fellow warlord Borias produced a son whom Xena named Solan.
She left him to be raised by the Centaurs so that no one would learn of his existence. It would be nine years before she saw the boy again. Throughout this dark period of her life, within her heart still burned the flame of goodness. She had just buried it so deep that it would take a miracle to restore it to full luminescence. That miracle came in two parts: a baby and the mighty hero Hercules. Xena's personal code prohibited the killing of women and children, a tenet which her lieutenant Darphus chose to ignore. Clinging to this ideal, she took her first tentative steps toward the Greater Good, suffering the sadistic punishment of the Gauntlet, the price for leaving her army. Xena remains the only person ever to have survived this aspect of the Warrior's Code, during which two rows of warriors pummel the victim with clubs until she emerges from the corridor of torture. Shortly thereafter, Hercules pointed her toward the path of the hero, and though hesitant at first, she finally began to understand and accept what M'Lila and Lao Ma had tried to teach her many years before. Since then, she has come to rely a great deal on her best friend and companion, Gabrielle as she tries to restore her soul by dedicating herself to fighting for the Greater Good.
The struggle does not go easily, for many-gods and mortals alike-refuse to recognize the changes she has made in her life. At times, these individuals even tempt her to return to her old ways. But luckily, with the help of Gabrielle, she has so far managed to avoid that fate. The issue of Xena's father remains a mystery. Many years ago, her mother's husband, Atrius, returned unexpectedly from war for a single night, during which Xena was conceived. Shortly after Xena's birth, Atrius told Cyrene that the child would have to be sacrificed, an act that her mother could not permit. To save Xena, Cyrene killed her husband. But the story does not end there. Xena has begun to suspect that Ares himself may actually be her father. At this point, however, she has no proof and, more importantly, no real desire to find out. In the recent past, Xena and Gabrielle have endured a terrible rift in their relationship. But the two have managed to survive the lies and the betrayal, emerging with a bond even stronger than before. So far, Xena has managed to thwart the evil deity Dahak and his minions. But this god of evil does not submit easily. Whether it happens immediately or ten millennia from now, Dahak will return. Xena has a twenty-six-year-old daughter, Eve, who was immaculately conceived by Callisto. Xena was frozen in a cave by Ares for twenty-five years, which is why Eve is almost as old as she is. Xena was given the power to kill Gods by Michael. That power was later removed by Eli's spirit. In the series finale, A Friend In Need, Xena traveled to Japan and let herself be killed in order to free 40,000 lost souls that she condemned. She was forced to stay dead however, because if the souls were not avenged then they could never be at peace. She will always be rememebred. Xena's weapon of choice was the chakram.