Lori Dungey

When Gabrielle decides to audition for a coveted spot at the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards, she helps another young hopeful regain confidence in his extraordinary talents as a storyteller. After Gabrielle enthralls the crowd in a local tavern with tales of Xena’s heroic exploits, she is approached by a gentle young man named Orion, who asks if she’s planning to participate in the Bard Competition at the Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards. When she learns that the top four contestants will be admitted as students to the Academy, she decides to audition, especially when Orion’s father, Polonius, tells her that the Academy is definitely not for young ladies. She bids Xena a bittersweet farewell and travels to Athens where the tryouts are about to begin. There she manages to con her way onto the list of registrants after mesmerizing Orion and a group of other student hopefuls with a tale of the spectacular battle between Xena and the villainous Draco which took place in her village.