Daylight was showing through the canvas of their shelter as Xena and Gabrielle began to awaken; there noses twitching from the aroma of cooking food. Opening her eyes the first thing Gabrielle saw was an iron pot, suspended over the still glowing coals, steaming and bubbling merrily.

     "I hope what I'm smelling isn't part of a dream," Xena said sleepily.

     "I don't think so," Gabrielle replied.

     Entering through a flap in the canvas Gander saw both Xena and Gabrielle were awake.

     "Good morning!" he said cheerfully.

     Xena noticed that although Gander still used both his staffs for support and walked with a limp he was moving about more quickly and easily than he had the night before.

     "I see you're feeling better. At least you don't seem to be as stiff as you were last night." Xena said.

     "Bend your legs and tuck your feet up against your own behind," Gander said with a twisted grin, and the lifting of an eyebrow, "Then travel for fifty leagues in that position and you too will be stiff and sore. I guarantee it!"

     Using the tip of one of his staffs Gander pointed at the bubbling pot.

     "I trust," he said, "the two of you have an appetite. That stew turned out rather well, I think."

     "What about you?" Xena asked. "Aren't you going to have any?"

     "Actually I've been up for some time Xena. I've already eaten. The rest is yours and Gabrielle's. Oh. ... I also took the liberty of attending to your horse. She's had grain, hay, plenty of fresh water, and a good brushing so she's set for the day and raring to go," Gander said as he walked over and seated himself beside Gabrielle, laying both of his staffs down, between them.

     There were a couple of clean, wooden, bowls and spoons stacked neatly by the fire ring. Picking them up Xena and Gabrielle filled them and returning to their seats began to eat.

     "I'm curious. Where do you get all this food?" Xena asked. "And how did you learn to cook like this? This is great!"

     "Well I'll tell you Xena," Gander said with a sly look on his face, "that is one of the few, really grand, benefits of Wizardry. I never need go without food or shelter; nor do any traveling companions I may have."

     "And where did you learn to cook like this?" Xena asked again, pleasure written all over her face.

     "That would be rather difficult to say. I mean I have been on this earth for about a hundred and fifty years. In that length of time one does get around. Since I try to learn as much as I can about the people and places I visit, including their culinary arts, I suppose you could say I learned what I know about cooking from the world at large."

     "Which direction did you say you were traveling?" Gabrielle asked, in between spoons full of the savory stew she was consuming with considerable gusto.

     "The same as you," Gander replied. "That is if you wouldn't mind my company."      

     "That suites me just fine ," Gabrielle said, returning to the steaming contents of her bowl.

     "And what have you to say on the subject, Xena?" Gander asked, watching her intently.

     "I say yes. I think I'd like that Gander," she said with a smile.

     Having finished off the contents of her bowl Gabrielle set it down by the fire and for the first time took real notice of Gander's two staffs. Both were the same length and both were capped, top and bottom, with brass. The brass didn't look as though it had been polished for ages. But the wood on both of them was a different matter. They had been stained a deep shade of brown, almost black, and looked as though they had been lovingly rubbed and polished over a very long period of time.

     "May I?" Gabrielle asked as she reached down to pick them up.

     Gander nodded his head. "Be my guest," he said.

     The staffs were a little thicker than the one she carried and being perfectly straight and round they seemed, to her, to be real works of art: Little did she know just how close to the mark she was.

     "They're a little heavier than mine but their finish is a lot nicer," Gabrielle said, weighing one in each hand. "It would be a shame to actually use either of them in a fight. I mean they'd get all banged up."

     Xena asked if she could have a look as well. Somehow she had a feeling about those staffs though she didn't say so. Gander nodded his agreement and Gabrielle handed them to Xena one at a time. It was while she was handling the second staff, weighing it in her hands, checking its balance that she noticed something.

     There was an extremely thin slit in the staff. The slit was about six inches down from the very top. Checking the other staff she saw there was a similar slit a little further down on it.

     "What's this?" she asked.

     "Xena, those two have been my closest traveling companions for about one and a quarter centuries and I suppose this is as good a time as any to make introductions."

     He asked Xena to put the ends of the staffs with the longer brass caps on the ground. Then he said she could let go of them which she did. Stepping back a bit both Xena and Gabrielle were somewhat astonished to see the staffs, though unsupported, remain standing.

     "All right you two," Gander said firmly, addressing the two staffs as though they were alive, "I expect you to be on your best behavior. First you 'Sting.' Come on out and meet the nice people."

     With that the top six inches of the first staff detached itself and rising slowly into the air exposed not quite three quarters of a cubit of deadly, cold, steel. Unlike so many others Xena had seen this dagger's blade was not flat. Instead it was triangular, possessing three separate, razor sharp, cutting edges which met at a needle like point. Burnished to a mirror finish it glittered in the daylight.

     "Xena, ... Gabrielle," said Gander, "may I present 'Sting?"

     As if its rising from its scabbard on its own were not magical enough the weapon, rotating on its point, assumed an angle of about thirty degrees from the vertical.

     "I don't believe this!' Gabrielle gasped, her eyes wide in amazement. "It's actually bowing to us!"

     "Yes," said Xena, her gaze rapidly shifting back and forth between the brilliantly polished weapon and the Wizard, "I noticed."

     "I can assure you, Xena," Gander said with a chuckle, "when Sting is in polite society he's a perfect gentleman. Of course, in something less than polite society Sting can, when necessary, become decidedly unpleasant.

     "All right," said Gander, addressing the strange looking weapon, "Thank you. You can go back now."

     As they watched the long dagger slid quietly back into its scabbard.

     "Now," said Gander, addressing the second staff, "its your turn Glimmer. Come out and introduce yourself."

     Much the same thing happened. The first eight inches of the staff, which was actually the weapon's hilt, detached itself and rose into the air; drawing with it a blade which was nearly two cubits in length.

     Straight as a taught string the blade was flat but unlike most swords Xena had seen, her own included, it had only one cutting edge. It was rather thin along its blunt, rounded, back and between its back and its edge it was unusually narrow The point was created by the radically sharp angle at which the edge rose to meet the back of the blade.

     Down either side of the blade, dead center, was a narrow blood groove and again the whole blade had been burnished to a fine mirror brilliance. But the most remarkable thing about it was the light. The blade gave off a glowing, soft, white light which perfectly followed the contours of the entire blade. It too gave them a stiff, formal, bow.

     The two of them were impressed; though Xena was somewhat less so than Gabrielle.

     "It's a beauty," Gabrielle said softly.

     But Xena, ever the practical warrior, had her doubts.

     "Yes. It looks quite impressive," she said. "But it's so light and thin I don't see how it could stand up in a serious fight. It seems to me a really hard blow from another sword, even one like my own, could snap its blade like a small stick."

     There was a sudden, momentary, flare of Glimmer's aurora. Seeing this Xena instinctively took a step back. Gander, one eyebrow raised and grinning slightly, addressed the softly glowing blade.

     "I know," he said quietly. Then, extending his hand palm up he simply said, "Come."

     The glowing weapon instantly assumed a horizontal position and, hilt first, flew through the air coming gently to rest in Gander's hand.

     "May I ask you a slightly personal question Xena?" Gander asked, still grinning.      

     "What might that be?" she asked.

     "Above all others does there exist one, single, person or thing you would most like to cleave in two with that great sword of yours?" He new what her answer would be.

     "Yes," Xena said. "There is."

     Standing to one side Gabrielle saw the eyes of the Wizard and her closest friend lock.

     "I'd like you to put the image of this person or thing squarely in your minds eye," Gander said, still speaking quietly.

     Xena had no need to say a thing. Her expression showed very clearly she had complied.

     "Draw your sword," Gander said as he extended Glimmer, cutting edge up, straight out before him.

     Again Xena complied.

     "Use Glimmer as a target," said Gander.

     "Now, ... gather all of your strength, your anger and rage; every last bit."

     Gander watched Xena closely. He could see her whole body bracing, tensing, preparing to strike.

     "Holding nothing back, ... now, ... Strike!" This last word Gander shouted.

     The blade of her sword became a nearly invisible blur as it described an arc through the air. Impacting against Glimmer's upturned edge there was, for a split second, a high pitched scream of tortured metal as the first third of Xena's blade separated from the remainder and flew through the air, bounced off a rock with a clang, and came to rest on the ground several cubits away.

     Xena stared at the remaining stump of her sword; amazement, disbelief, a horrible sense of loss, all vying for dominance in the expression on her face. The blade had not snapped. It had been cleanly sliced through like so much soft cheese. Gabrielle also stared at the truncated remains of Xena's sword in shocked disbelief.

     Getting up from where he'd been sitting Gander shoved his cushion back to expose the surface of the stone beneath.

     "Xena! ..... Gabrielle!" Gander called to bring their attention back to him.

     "My sword." Xena gasped. "What happened? ... .. How? ..... Its been cut in two!"

     There's nothing to worry about," Gander said. "No damage has been done which cannot be as quickly undone.

     "Besides, do you think I would deprive you of the closest friend you have; second only to Gabrielle?"

     Saying not a word the two of them continued to stare at Gander, their faces showing ah amalgamation of emotions.

     "Gabrielle," Gander said, "would you be so good as to go over, pick up the other piece of her sword and bring it to me?"

     Doing as she'd been asked Gabrielle went to where the severed portion of the blade was laying, picked it up, and brought it back to him. Taking it from her he placed it on the stone. Then holding out his hand to Xena he asked her to give him the rest of the weapon.      

     She handed it over and he placed it on the stone as well. Then he lined the two pieces up, perfectly, making sure they were touching.

     "I suggest the two of you close your eyes," Gander said, "or turn away; preferably both. I'm not trying to hide any secrets or anything like that. The thing is there's going to be an awful lot of very bright light in here in a moment; bright enough to permanently blind both of you if you're watching." The two of them did as he'd urged.

     Placing the flat of Glimmer's blade over, and just barely touching, the severed parts of Xena's sword Gander, speaking in a near whisper, said "Mend ..... Thoroughly ..... Now!" As he uttered the last word he too shut his own eyes as tightly as possible.

     There was no sound to be heard but there came a series of flashes of light so brilliant they could see it even with their backs turned and their eyes shut tight: So bright it left after images dancing before their eyes.

     After a few moments they heard Gander say, "It is done. You may open your eyes now." As they turned about the first thing they saw was Gander holding Xena's sword, very gingerly it seemed, by its blade; presenting it hilt first to Xena. She took the weapon from Gander's hand and both Xena and Gabrielle inspected the blade, in awe. As closely as they examined the blade there was not the slightest trace to show where it had been severed. Xena made to rest the blade in her other hand when Gander stopped her.

     "Ah, ah! Were I you, Xena, I'd be a little circumspect in how I handled that blade from now on," he said."

     "Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

     "Not a thing." Gander replied. "And that is why you would do well to be careful in how you handle it. You see, whether he's destroying or mending a thing, Glimmer never does it half way. Your sword is now a new and improved version of its former self. That blade of yours can now, literally, shave the fuzz off a peach."

     It was then she noticed she could see nothing which would indicate a stone had ever been used on the blade. When she put her thumb to it, to test the edge, she pulled it quickly away. While there was no blood she could see where the skin had been partially cut through.

     "I do believe," said Gander, once again with a sly grin on his face, "it will be another ten or twenty years, even with hard usage, before that blade needs a sharpening again."

     "Thanks Gander," Xena said as she returned her sword to its sheath. "I would have really hated to lose this sword. We've been through a lot together."

     "As have we," Gander said, referring to Sting and Glimmer. "They are the main reason I'm still around.

     "And thank you very much old friend," he said, looking down at Glimmer which he still held in his hand. "You may now return to your snug little home."

     Gander let go of the amazing weapon and it flew from his hand. Assuming a vertical position directly over its shaft it slid home. Extending both his arms toward the staffs Gander merely said, "Come," and they flew into his outstretched hands.

     Through all of this Gabrielle had been half way in a trance, so mesmerized was she by everything which had been happening. But now she snapped out of it.

     Becoming her old, irrepressible, self she cleared her throat. "Gee!" she said, in the half sarcastic, half humorous, way she sometimes had of speaking, "That was really special! So, are we going to stay here another day or are we moving on?"

     "Moving on," Xena said, giving the Wizard a questioning look.

     "By all means," he said. "Let's be off."