It was late in the afternoon when Gander, with Joxer on the seat by his side, returned to the village which was already beginning to show signs of renewal. Xena, Akress, and Gabrielle had been standing by the side of the road, chatting, and it was Gabrielle who first noticed Gander had returned.

     Seeing the passenger riding next to Gander Gabrielle closed her eyes, tightly, then took another look.

     "I ... don't ... believe ... this." she said.

     Hearing Gabrielle Xena turned about to look in the same direction.

     "What the ..." was about all she had time to say before Gander reined in the pony next to them.

     "Good afternoon Akress," Gander said. "Xena, Gabrielle, I believe you already know this young rascal."

     "Hello Joxer," Xena said, in what sounded suspiciously like a resigned tone of voice.

     "Joxer," Gabrielle said, "don't get me wrong ... but what are you doing here?"

     "Gee," Joxer said sarcastically, "you two sure know how to make a guy feel welcome."

     "We're glad to see you, Joxer," Xena said as patiently as she could manage, "But why in the world did you come to this particular place?"

     "You know, it's a funny thing," Joxer said. "but I didn't even know why I was traveling this way myself. At least not until I met Gander here, a couple of leagues back. Then he made things just as clear as crystal."

     Xena turned her, now highly suspicious, gaze directly on Gander.

     "Gander ... what are you up to?"

     Feeling more than a little like a naughty boy who's been caught playing pranks Gander smiled as innocently as he could, though this time it wasn't very convincing, and returned Xena's gaze while trying very hard not to blink.

     "I know this, er, development is a bit of a surprise, Xena, but be patient a little longer and I will explain everything. In the meantime," he said rather hastily, "I trust you will excuse the two of us. There are a few things we need to discuss before dinner. See you then." Then to the pony, "Gidap!"

     "Hmm," Xena said, as she watched the two men drive off, "I wonder what our friendly Wizard is up to?"

     "What I wonder," Gabrielle piped up, "is do we really want to find out? Especially with Joxer somehow involved."

     Xena looked down at Gabrielle for a long moment. She seemed to shudder slightly.

Then a good humored grin reappeared on her face.

     "Well whatever he's doing," Xena said, "and however Joxer fits in to his scheme, I'm pretty sure we'll know all about it by this evening."

     That evening the great hall had been decked out in quite a festive manner. A number of long, heavy, tables had been arranged end to end across the hall, directly in front of the throne on its raised dais. However the throne remained unoccupied as Lord Riphanay and his sister were still indisposed.

     With Maadrik sitting in a large, ornately carved, chair, at the center of the extended table, the others arranged themselves to either side. After drinking the health of the Lord and Lady Riphanay, and various other toasts, the feast was brought in with no small degree of pomp and circumstance.

     Large, covered, silver platters were placed up and down the table in front of those gathered there. When Gabrielle lifted the lid of the platter which had been carefully placed directly in front of her she was, initially, stunned. She honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

     There on the platter before her, surrounded by all the appropriate trimmings, was a whole goose. It had been roasted, on a spit, over low coals, and basted with melted butter and spices. In a word it was beautiful.

     Having taken all of this in Xena had a sneaky feeling of what to expect when she uncovered the platter which had been set before her. Sure enough it too was a goose: Prepared precisely as she remembered describing her favorite way of preparing this sort of foul, on that seemingly long ago evening.

     Gander was looking down the table at both of them, a grin practically splitting his face. He could see they were both staring at the noble birds before them.

     "What's wrong Gabrielle," he asked with a chuckle. "As I recall, at one time you just loved goose."

     "Well, you see," she said, somewhat uncertainly, "I just wasn't sure, ... I mean I didn't know how you might, ..."

     "In other words," Gander broke in, "you were worried that your enjoying that goose might somehow hurt my feelings."

     "That's it," she said cheerfully.

     This drew bellows of hilarious laughter, first from Gander, then Maadrik and Akress. Soon all present, including Xena, were in stitches.

     When he was able to catch his breath Gander once again looked down the table at Gabrielle and then at Xena.

     "Believe me, you two, seeing you enjoy those wonderful birds won't hurt my feelings one little bit. And why should it? It's not MY goose that's been cooked!"

     This brought another round of jovial laughter. Once they had all settled down again they turned to the feast with a will and, once she'd put certain mental pictures aside, Gabrielle tore into the goose as though she hadn't eaten in a week.

     After several hours of light conversation and heavy feasting Maadrik rose, ponderously, to his feet and rapped on the table for attention.

     "Ladies, gentlemen, good friends all. As some of you may recall, when we were gathered around one of the Wizard's fire rings, in a ravine, having a simple but wonderful stew, we had a somewhat heated discussion concerning the fate of the late, happily very late, Sorcerer's library."

     All those who had been present that night nodded their heads.

     "Well it pleases me to announce a decision has been made. Now, normally I would make such an announcement myself and that would be that. But due to a special situation and reasons which will quickly become apparent to at least some among you, I will now defer to a new and, hopefully, long term friend of this court. ... Joxer."

     As Joxer rose to his feet Gander sat back with that, by now, well known sly grin of his and folded his hands across his chest. At the same moment Xena's and Gabrielle's jaws all but hit the table in front of them.

     Delaying only long enough to clear his throat, Joxer opened the scroll he'd had tucked away, between his leg and the arm rest of his chair, and began to read. His voice strong, his pronunciation and inflection perfect, he read the scroll containing his appointment through to the end.

     When he'd come to the end there came rousing applause and cheers.

     Gabrielle, who'd been sitting next to Joxer, was dumb-struck. In fact she almost squealed with delight.

     "My gosh! Joxer! You can read so well!" she said, giving him a hard hug. "I'm so happy for you. ... But how?"

     Joxer, looking down at her, was also smiling broadly.

     "I have Gander to thank for this new found ability; that and a great deal more."

     Then another thought struck Gabrielle.

     "Joxer," she said, with even more enthusiasm, "I've been writing about this, Xena's, latest exploit. I'm sure Gander couldn't have filled you in on every detail. Would you like to read what I've gotten down so far?"

     Maadrik, who'd overheard this exchange, gave them both the nod.

     "You two go on and have your fun. The rest of us can have our own fun without boring you stiff."

     Gabrielle took Joxer by the hand and led him away from the table and out of the hall. Noting an empty seat next to Xena Gander got up and quietly made his way down the table. Pulling the chair out, with a little scrape, he sat down beside her.

     "So, Xena," he said. "What do you think of my protege?"

     Turning to face him, a crooked grin on her face, at first all she could do was slowly shake her head.

     "You know," she said, "I probably should know better. But every time I think I've got you figured out you come up with something else to surprise and mystify me. But Joxer! ... Only a few months ago he could hardly read his own name. How did you do it? ... Teach him to read like that? ... And in less than a day?"

     Gander leaned closer to her.

     "Do you really want to know?" he asked, as though he were about to reveal a great secret.

     Fairly certain he was up to one of his little games she decided to play along.

     "Yes!" she half whispered in an equally conspiratorial tone of voice.

     "I can tell you," Gander said, "in one word."

     "And what is this one, all important, word?"

     There was that sly grin on his face again.

     "The word, my dear Xena," he said, "is MAGIC!"

     "I suppose," Xena said a little more seriously, "that this is going to change Joxer quite a bit"

     "I wouldn't be too concerned about that Xena," Gander said. "In most respects Joxer will likely remain Joxer. In fact I wouldn't be the least surprised if you were to have to comb him out of your hair this next Spring or Summer.

     "Yes. That very likely is a possibility," she said, pensively.

     His smile gone, Gander looked at her seriously for a moment.

     "I realize there have been times when Joxer has been less than preferable company but is there any real cause to be so glum?"

     "I wouldn't want you to misunderstand this Gander," Xena said, earnestly. "While there have been times when he's just about driven us to distraction, on the whole, we like Joxer. We really do.

     "But you know how things, ... sometimes very unpleasant things, have a way of happening around us. Now I can usually more than handle most situations. And Gabrielle does a pretty good job of taking care of herself in most cases. In fact, with that staff you gave her, when she lays someone out they stay laid out."

     "As you may recall," Gander said, chuckling, "that was the whole idea."

     "Yes, I know," Xena said. "But Joxer, ... I know he means well, and once or twice some of the crazy stunts he's pulled have actually worked. But Gander, you must know, he's no warrior. I'm just afraid that one day he's going to be hanging around a little too close to me and some nearly brainless, but very real, warrior is going to slice him into a lot of very small pieces."

     Gander had closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to have quietly nodded his agreement. But then he opened his eyes and looked at her.

     "Xena," he said, "Would you come with me for a few minutes? There is something going on right now which you might find interesting."

     "What is it?" she asked as they got to their feet.

     "You'll see," was all he said as he lead the way out of the hall.

     Going out the main doors of the hall Gander led the way through the three heavy gates of the fortress keep and across the courtyard in the direction of Xena's and Gabrielle's quarters.

     Once they were just outside the door to their rooms Gander put a finger to his lips signaling silence. Very quietly he lifted the latch and opened the door a few inches.

     Sure enough. There the two of them were. Joxer had his sword in hand and Gabrielle, standing a short distance from him was holding her staff in the on guard position.

     "OK, Joxer," Gabrielle was saying, "That was pretty good. But try it again."

     Doing as she had asked Joxer, lifting his right foot, extended into a lunge which Gabrielle deflected.

     Though his movements had none of the smooth, swift, power Xena was capable of, the lunging movement she had just seen Joxer execute was much better than any she'd seen him try before.

     "All right now," Gabrielle was saying, "that was a little better. Try it again."

     Silently closing the door Gander signaled with his head for Xena to turn and go.

     Under the torch light, back at the entrance to the fortress keep, Xena turned and fixed the Wizard with a look which was half humorous and half angry.

     "All right Gander," she said. "What have you done to Joxer now?"

     "Not a thing," Gander protested.

     Xena continued to keep his eyes locked in her gaze.

     "Honestly," he said, once again experiencing that ... unique ... sensation of a lad who's been caught doing something he shouldn't.

     "Well you certainly have done something," Xena said, still fixing him with ... that look.

     "Well I didn't do anything to him ," he hedged.

     Come on, my fine feathered friend," She said. "Out with it."

     "All right," he finally said. "You want to know what I did? I'll tell you. You're not the only one to be concerned over the subject of Joxer's life expectancy. The fact is one of these days it probably won't matter whether he's with you or alone. As long as he insists on carrying that sword of his and trying to play the warrior there will always be the chance that one of those 'brainless, but all to real, warriors' you were talking about will call him out.

     "Any way, all I did was to put a bit of the old whammy on his sword."

     "You what?!" said Xena.

     "I worked some magic, just a little mind you, on his sword. Now, when he wants to practice his swordsmanship, his sword actually leads him, pulls him, through all of the basic movements: Forces him to hold the blade at just the right angle for each of the more or less ordinary situations. That sort of thing. So, are you satisfied now?"

     "How much good do you think it will do?" Xena wanted to know.

     "If you want to know whether or not he will ever be able to get through a serious fight with someone like your own, late nemesis, Callisto, the answer is no. But neither would most warriors; as I'm sure you're aware.

     "What I'm trying to do, with this tiny bit of magic, is to prepare Joxer to survive, against that brainless, but real, warrior we've been discussing; at least long enough for him to gain some running room. If I know anything at all about him, if he finds himself in an ugly situation, he'll do the really smart thing. As soon as he spots an avenue of escape he'll take to his heels; and he really is quite a runner.

     The look in Xena's eyes changed to one of affection. Putting her arms around his neck and shoulders she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

     "You know," she said, "you really are quite a work of art."

     Releasing her grip on him she turned and they headed back to the great hall.