Whistling to himself as he entered a tavern, something caught his eye as he went up to the bar. "A mug of ale if you please, my good man," Autolycus asked the landlord casually, who obliged after a handful of dinars decorated the bar. "Hmm, nice sword - whose is it?"

The man looked up at a sword hanging above the bar. "It's on loan from Hercules."

"And where's the big guy now?" the King of Thieves enquired.

"Gone to Corinth to see his brother, so I'm borrowing it until he comes back."

"You are, huh? You don't really look the warrior-type."

The barman smiled knowingly. "You've heard of the Sword of Veracity?"

"Isn't that the one that's supposed to force people to tell the truth?"

"Got fed up with all the stories I hear all day from everyone who comes in," the other explained.

"Hmm," Auto mused as he picked up the mug. "A gimmick to drum up trade - good idea."

Quaffing the ale generously, he put the mug down on the bar again and exhaled with gusto. "Boy, I needed that!"

The sword glowed and emitted a low humming noise, making the well-dressed man jump. Autolycus gave the sword a searching stare and coughed. "Or maybe not."

The landlord chuckled as he saw the other's surprise and discomfort. "Told you."

A small womanly figure entered the tavern and espied the King of Thieves. "Oh hello Autolycus - good to see you."

The sword shone brightly and vibrated again. "What was that?" Gabrielle said, startled.

"It's a lie-detector," the landlord winked.

"A what?"

"You said a lie about being glad to see him."

"Uh, sorry about that Autolycus. I've had a hard day y'know," Gabrielle said apologetically.

The sword glowed and hummed again

"Well, a fairly hard day," she conceded.

All three looked again at the sword as it illuminated once more with a dull throbbing noise.

"Okay - I stayed on the beach and fished all day with Xena and Joxer," the blonde admitted.

"Joxer, huh?" Autolycus queried.

She rose indignantly to the unspoken question. "He has many skills."

The Sword lit up once more.

"Well - hidden depths anyway."

She glared at the irritating weapon as it glowed and hummed. "Okay, okay - so he's hung like a horse."

Her eyes widened at the blurted admission, then narrowed again. "And I never said that to anyone - clear?"

"Said what?" Autolycus grinned, tucking the information away for a future occasion. "Can't understand the appeal of fishing myself - there's nothing like a nice relaxing tour in the Museums and Temples of Greece."

Gabrielle looked at him quizzically as the sword shone up briefly. "And walking out with a few previously well-protected but choice treasures," he added. "So what are you having Gabrielle?"

"I'll have a mug of water."

There was a telltale light above the bar. "She'll have a mug of ale."

The landlord laughed as he poured out a drink for the Bard, then turned as a feminine form emerged from the back room behind him. "By the way have you met my girlfriend before? Name's Meg."

"Nooo, never," Gabrielle and Auto chorused as they retreated hastily towards the exit.

There was a 'woof' and the tavern was ablaze as the sword took this information in. Amid chaos and a cacophany of coughing and general noise, the fire died as quickly as it began.

Then a lone voice sang out, "Hey - where'd the sword go.....?"

Please take the time to write to Jerry at studmuffin_jer@yahoo.com, and let him know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Autolycus, and all other characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2002 by Jerry Hendy and is his sole property along with the story idea. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.