Rating: PG. Some people get shot.
Summary: Joxer encounters a group of skilled warriors, who instantly accept him as a friend. A series of misunderstandings leads him to reevaluate his loyalties . . . and his love.

Xena and the whole crew . . . consisting of Gabrielle, Joxer, Eve, Argo, and Amber . . . Fought their way through the crowd of festivalgoers, struggling not to lose sight of one another. The agora was packed. The murmur of a thousand voices, accented with shouts and cheers, blocked out any hope of hearing oneself think.

Finally Xena halted and waited for the others to catch up to her. "Okay, let's keep the horses on the outside and stick between them. It'll be easier to stay together."

"WHAT?" Joxer shouted. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"LET'S STICK BETWEEN THE HORSES!" Gabrielle repeated.

"OH. GOOD IDEA."

A brief moment of rearranging took place, and when it was over the horses were acting as walls and soundbreakers to the humans, who were crowded snugly between them.

Very snugly.

"Ow, Joxer, your elbow is in my back."

"Sorry. Xena, could you move a step or two forward?"

"I'm trying . . . Argo, get your head out of where I have to stand. Move, now."

"There, that's better."

"Okay, everyone . . . let's move."

They finally managed to fight their way into one of the side streets, where the crowd was thinner. Gabrielle let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness that's over. I forgot how crowded these things are."

"You were the one who wanted to come in the first place." Xena pointed out. "Go on and see what you can find. I'll take care of the horses."

She grinned. "Thanks. Remember: meet on the the east side of the bridge, sunset."

"Have fun!" Joxer called two seconds too late. It was too late because she'd been gone before she'd finished her sentence. Xena took both the horses and Eve and headed for the stables, and he was alone to explore.

He had no idea what to do with himself.

He hadn't attended a festival in years. He had vague memories of going with his brothers when he was a child, but these memories always involved getting hit with something original, like a barrel of spiced wine. (They'd used him to get it open.) However, Gabrielle seemed to find them amusing, so there must be something to do.

He headed down a random street until he reached another square, not nearly as crowded as the agora, where a group of people stood around a roped-off area. A swish and a thump emanated from it, and a cheer went up. His curiosity piqued, he shouldered his way to the ropes to see what was going on.

At one end of the clear area, a target was tacked up against a building, with three daggers buried within five inches of one another, all within or near the bull's-eye.

At the other end was the thrower. It was a tall, slender young woman with sparkling, pale blue eyes. She had long, loose ringlets of blonde hair cascading down her back, which danced as she threw her head back to laugh at something one of the watchers had said. Her clothing was unremarkable: a coarse-woven, tight-laced bodice over work-worn leggings and boots, that seemed shockingly primitive compared with her noble bearing.

As he watched, the young woman picked up another dagger, drew back her arm, and flung it straight to the center of the target, between two of the others. A flurry of applause rose from the crowd.

Suddenly, Joxer found his eyes locked with the throwers'. She smiled at him. Somehow, he found himself smiling back.

"Hello, Joxer!" she called. "I thought you'd be here."

Joxer reeled back a little in surprise. "You know me?"

"Oh, I've heard all about you. They say you travel with the Warrior Princess, and are as loyal a companion as anyone could hope to find."

He grinned. "Well . . ."

She laughed again, a rich, musical laugh. "Never mind. Here, I'm Myrene." She extended her hand.

"Joxer," he said as he gripped her arm, "although I guess you already know that. That was a nice throw."

"Would you like me to show you how?" she invited, drawing another throwing dagger from her belt. "It's really very easy."

He held his hands up in protest, but she took firm hold of them and pulled him into the enclosure. "Come on, just try!" she pleaded.

Her energy and amusement were infectious, and somehow he gave in to her insistence. She handed him a dagger and guided his arm into a throwing position. Her instructions were simple and clear, given in a calm and confident voice.

"Bring the blade back behind your head, cock the wrist . . . yes, that's right . . . let your shoulder draw back . . . now throw, with your shoulder coming forward and your wrist snapping down."

He tried the motion a couple times, to get a feel for it, then flung the blade as she had instructed. It planted itself securely in the third ring . . . not a bad shot at all.

Applause burst out again; Myrene laughed. "That was wonderful!"

"It was, Joxer." someone agreed from behind the rope. Joxer turned and grinned at Gabrielle. Somehow, the beautiful, vibrant Myrene seemed to pale next to the warrior bard, who bestowed upon him then one of her rare and beautiful smiles.

"Did you see that, Gabrielle?" he cheered. "Did you see that? That was great!"

"You seem to be an excellent teacher." she said to Myrene with a nod. Joxer felt a little indignant; after all, he'd thrown the dagger, not her. "Might I have the pleasure of your name?"

"Myrene," said Myrene, "and you are Gabrielle."

Gabrielle nodded. "Joxer, come on. I found this absolutely amazing acrobat; you've got to come see him."

Joxer nodded and stepped out of the enclosure to stand where he had always stood: at Gabrielle's side.

Myrene reached out and grasped his hand. "Joxer, will you and your friends be staying the whole of the festival?"

He glanced at Gabrielle, who nodded. "Yeah, we are."

She smiled brightly. "Well, then, come tomorrow and I will show you more of throwing. Will you come?"

He nodded, before Gabrielle pulled him off after her.

They had a wonderful time. Joxer found the whole experience far more entertaining when he was with Gabrielle. She knew how to navigate such goings-on as festivals, where to find wonderful entertainments and the best food, besides which Joxer just enjoyed Gabrielle's company. And so long as he didn't draw too much attention to himself, she enjoyed his.

They met Xena at sunset, who had quite an enjoyable time herself. She'd spent several hours teaching some fighters a thing or two about their art, and knocked a few of them around. She seemed very refreshed and cheerful.

They had dinner together and finally retired to the stable where they'd asked for lodging. As he settled in the hay and listened to the horses nicker to one another, he found himself wondering about Myrene. He didn't understand her, and he determined that he had to figure her out.

Next morning found Joxer back at the throwing range, waiting for Myrene. When she finally appeared, she was accompanied by a tall man of a solid, muscular build, with light brown hair and eyes.

"Joxer! Good morning!" She took his hands and gripped them, a very forward gesture considering that they had only met yesterday. Somehow, the forwardness seemed to suit her. "This is my friend Dryas. Dryas, this is Joxer, the one I told you about."

"A pleasure, Joxer." said Dryas. They shook, and the stranger smiled. Not a bright, energetic smile like Myrene's, but solemn and just as sincere. Joxer smiled back.

"Well, gentlemen, shall we get to work?" Myrene slipped a worn leather travel bag from her shoulder and opened it. It contained six well-balanced throwing knives, which she distributed to the others. They stood at the end of the range and took in the distance of the throw.

Dryas took the first shot. His knife landed just outside the bull's-eye, buried deep so that Joxer predicted, "You're going to have a hard time getting that one out!"

Myrene grinned. "Not if I can take it out first!" She bit her tongue, drew back her arm and made a valiant effort to knock his shot from the target. She almost did it, but not quite.

When Joxer stepped up to throw, Myrene coached him in a friendly and patient tone. "Take it easy. If you're all tense, you're shot will go wide. Relax! Watch the target, breathe slow, and just . . ." she shrugged.

He tried, but jerked at the last instant and the blade landed in the dirt to the left of the target.

"Wow!" Dryas cried. "That was absolutely perfect!"

"It was?" Joxer asked.

"Yes; the only reason it looks like it wasn't is because some fool put the target in the wrong place!"

Myrene laughed; Joxer did too. Dryas threw his second knife right next to Joxer's. Myrene and Joxer took their second shots, and they gathered up their knives for another round.

By the time they reached the fourth round, Joxer was hitting the target every time and was feeling wonderfully comfortable and at ease. He felt a certain kinship with Myrene and Dryas, as if he had known them always.

The three practiced until the chill was burned from the air and the crowds started showing up. Then Joxer took the sidelines and watched his new friends put on an impressive demonstration, laughing and joking with the crowd as they did so.

Joxer was enjoying himself very much until Gabrielle showed up again.

Gabrielle, who was, these days, a very suspicious person, had to see what was keeping him over there so much. She made her way through the crowd of spectators to see Myrene trace a star pattern with the six daggers, throwing them all with blazing speed and deadly accuracy. As the applause rolled forth, she tossed her loose blonde ringlets away from her face and smiled her vibrant smile.

And Gabrielle didn?t like her.

"Joxer," the knife-thrower cried, "Let's see you finish it off!"

"Anyone have another throwing dagger?" Dryas asked of the crowd.

"I have this," Gabrielle offered, drawing her sai.

"Hi, Gabrielle!" Joxer said with a grin. "Watch this, watch." He took the sai and squared himself in line with the target. Myrene stood next to him and murmured in his ear, "Easy, now. See it first. Remember to bring your wrist down."

He clamped his tongue firmly in his teeth and threw. It was buried solidly in the center of the star design, and not a millimeter off. He cheered, the crowd cheered, Myrene and Dryas cheered, and Gabrielle stared.

"Maybe we should go get the bows." Myrene suggested to Dryas. "Give these people a real show."

"Good idea." he answered. "Hey, Joxer, you want to come with us?"

"Actually, Joxer," Gabrielle said before he could answer, "Xena told me to come get you; she thought you might have gotten kidnapped or something." Although she was speaking to the would-be warrior, she kept her eyes fixed squarely on Myrene.

"Gabrielle . . ." he protested.

She finally looked up at him and said, in a firm, pleasant voice, "Now, Joxer. Right now."

"Yes, Gabrielle."

As she took him by the arm and led him off, Dryas called, "Hey, Joxer, we and some of our friends are going out for drinks tonight. The Red Lion, next street but one. You coming?"

"I'll be there!" he called back before he was out of earshot.

Dryas turned to Myrene. "Did you see the look on his face when she showed up?"

She nodded, no longer smiling. "The girl could be a problem. But let's wait and see what happens."

"What is it about her?" Gabrielle demanded when she'd gotten Joxer into an isolated corner.

"Who . . . Myrene?"

"Yes. Why have you been over there so much?"

"Because she's nice, and she's fun, and Dryas too. But why are you so nasty all of a sudden?"

"I don't like her. I don't trust her."

"How come? Because she's nice to me?"

Gabrielle opened her mouth, then closed it again, because it had just occurred to her that, in a strange and jealous sort of way, that was exactly what she had been thinking. She would never tolerate anyone hurting Joxer, since that was her domain, but in a similar manner she didn't want to tolerate anyone showing him kindness, either.

She put both hands over her face to hide the blush coming into it. She felt more foolish than she had in a long time. What could have gotten into her?

"Joxer, I'm sorry." she said at last. "I don't know why I've been behaving so badly. I feel awful."

"Hey . . ." he reached up instinctively as if to stroke her cheek, but thought better of it and gripped her shoulder instead. "Totally okay. You put your foot in your mouth; I completely understand, I do it all the time. It's forgotten."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Forget it. Have you had lunch yet? Come on, I'll buy you lunch."

Since she didn't seem to be in a position to be rude, Gabrielle took him up on his offer.

That evening, Joxer made his way into the out-of-the way tavern Dryas had indicated. It was crowded and noisy, but no more than any other establishment on any other evening. He spotted Myrene, Dryas, and four others seated around a circular table and made his way over to them.

"Oh, here you are at last!" Myrene cried as she leapt up to greet him. "Come, come sit down." She offered him a chair next to her own, which he took graciously. "Everyone, this is Joxer. He's the one I told you of."

"Pleased to meet you," said a fair-haired man with a scar running over one eye and across his cheek. "I'm called Haliscus; this is my daughter Harpina," A teenage girl with startling maturity in her eyes nodded to him, "and our dear friends Ladon," A middle-aged man with a beaming smile stood up to shake his hand, "and Ker." A young man his own age with hair such a pale shade of blonde he could have been a son of Apollo grinned and shook his hand.

"Hey, Barmaid!" Dryas shouted across the crowded room. One of the serving women made her way over to them. "Ale."

"Another for me," said Haliscus and Ladon more or less in unison.

"Mulled wine." Myrene ordered.

"Spiced cider." Harpina said.

"Unfermented wine." Ker put in.

"And one for me, too." Joxer added.

The woman nodded and left again. The group turned back to the table.

"So, Joxer," Ladon asked, "We hear you are a companion of Xena. How did you attain that honored status?"

He half-laughed. "Mostly because I just kept following her and let her and Gabrielle yell at me. They like yelling at me, so they let me stay around."

"But I've heard that Xena tends to put a blade through people who irritate her too much," Harpina insisted. "What makes you so special?"

He shrugged. "I have no clue. I've expected her to kill me more than once. She gets this look in her face, very calm and very angry, and she looks right at you . . . and at that point you either run or beg for mercy."

"And which do you do?" Ker asked with a laugh.

"I hide behind either Gabrielle or Argo 'cuz she won't hit them."

A roar of laughter greeted the remark, and in the midst of it their drinks appeared. Everyone paid for their own.

"So where are you guys all from?" Joxer inquired. "Do you live in this city, or do you travel together, or what?"

Haliscus answered him. "Yes, we travel together, for mutual protection. We all have our own skills that we use to ensure our safety in dangerous terrain. Myrene, as you probably know, is a genius with knife-throwing. My Harpina is as good with a blow-gun as any Amazon. Ker is a terrific hand-to-hand fighter . . ."

"If he's half as good a fighter as he is a smart-alec, he's better than Ares." Ladon added. Ker dipped a finger in his wine and flicked it at Ladon.

". . . and Ladon is a terrific archer." Haliscus continued. "but he seems to enjoy fighting with Ker more than using his remarkable talents."

"That's because he knows he'll never beat me." Ker explained. "He's been trying for three years now and he hasn't yet won."

"I have too!" Ladon insisted.

"You have not, you lying old coot."

"All right, gentlemen, that's enough." Myrene said in a tone that allowed no argument. The pair glared at one another, both half-smiling, but fell silent, and the conversation turned to less volatile matters.

When Joxer returned to the barn, he was still grinning. He'd had a wonderful time, laughing and storytelling and teasing, and already liked all of these people immensely: Myrene in particular.

The women were already asleep. He checked to make sure Eve was all right, and spent a moment gazing at Gabrielle . . . who seemed to be more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before, with a shaft of moonlight across her face and hay in her short, thick hair. His Gabrielle. He loved her more than words could say.

Feeling fulfilled and content, he curled up in his spot in the hayloft and soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Gabrielle woke later in the morning than was her usual custom. She sat up, looked around . . . Xena was nursing Eve. Joxer was gone.

Xena looked up. "Good morning."

"Where's Joxer?"

"He left to go hang out with Myrene and her gang about an hour ago. Now are you going to bid me a good morning?"

"G'morning." she mumbled distractedly. "He must have been up before sunrise. What's gotten into him?"

"He's made some friends." Xena said with a shrug. "Oh, by the way, he left that for you." she pointed to something lying on Amber's saddle, which was lying in the hay. It was the sai she'd offered for a throwing dagger yesterday. "He told me Myrene asked him last night to return it."

Gabrielle put her boots on and slipped the sai into its proper place. She headed for the ladder, but Xena called, "Gabrielle, don't you dare."

Gabrielle halted. "Don't I dare what?"

"Don't you dare get involved in whatever Joxer's so into. You don't have anything to worry about; we leave tomorrow morning and he'll never see this Myrene woman again. You don't have any reason to be concerned or jealous. Just wait it out."

She looked plaintively at her companion, then continued down to the ground.

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