Chapter three

The sun was warm overhead, and Joxer certainly felt its heat. He wished he could have taken off his armour to cool himself off, but he didn't want to be delayed any longer in getting Aria to the village. He had to believe that she would get help there.

He widened his eyes to keep them focused and awake. He hadn't slept much last night and with the heat of the day, he felt very sleepy. He stumbled over a small stone, barely able to catch himself and Aria from falling.

"Joxer," Xena's voice called from behind. "Let's take a break." She dismounted her mare and walked over.

"No, Xena, we need to keep going," he protested weakly. He looked at the small bundle in his arms. "She needs the help."

"We're not going to stop for long, just enough for you to get on Argo and let one of us carry the baby."

"But..."

"No but's, Joxer. You're about ready to pass out yourself. Now get on her." Gabrielle stood close and collected the baby. Xena then half pulled Joxer to Argo. The mare, on her part, looked very warily at the warrior wannabe. She didn't much like others riding her than Xena, and after everything she had seen of this particular person, she disliked it even more.

With a shove, Joxer was astride Argo, facing the right way. Xena handed him the reigns. "Now hold on tight to her, Joxer, so you won't fall off."

"Yeah, okay." His voice was nervous. He had never been on such a large animal before, and especially not one as important as Argo was to Xena. He gulped. "Okay."

Xena whispered quietly to Argo. "Take care of him, girl. He's very tired and the baby needs our help, so please tolerate him for a while. It won't be long." She stroked the golden nose and was relieved to find a look of obedience in the chocolate eyes. "Alright, let's go."

"And, with a smile and a laugh, the mighty Joxer pulled himself up moments before the axe fell upon his head. With quick thought, he thrust his hands onto the cutting block, had them cut free and began fighting the enemy. His sword crashed and parried, blocked and attacked, causing the foes to fall back. With a skill and deftness of one blessed by the gods, the mighty Joxer fought bravely."

"Until the bell sounded," Xena interrupted.

"I was just getting to that," the bard looked annoyingly at Xena. She then looked back at the baby. "Once the bell sounded, the mighty Joxer became the clumsy Joxer." Aria's face seemed to contort into an expression of sadness. "Oh, but do not worry, little one, Joxer was not sad. For he learned something that fateful day. He learned that the gods can not give us what we do not have already in our hearts. Everyone has a skill or a talent hidden away. The bell only brought it forth in the mighty Joxer. And someday, you will find your own." She gently kissed the baby's forehead.

"Why did you pick that story?" Xena inquired casually.

"Mostly because it has a good moral lessson." She turned behind her. "And because he's asleep."

Xena turned and smiled. Joxer was asleep, half falling off Argo. She turned back around. "Yeah, we wouldn't want his head to swell even more."

"Hey, what's that?" Gabrielle nodded in front. "That looks like the village."

Xena scanned the road. "Yes, it is."

"Hey, Jox..."

"No," Xena interrupted. "Let him sleep a little longer."

The little group made their way into the village, a very simple and ordinary looking place. They eventually found the healer's home and knocked on the door.

"Yes," a craggily voice came.

"We have a baby that needs your help," Xena's strong voice responded.

"A baby!" A shuffling around was heard, then the creak of the door as it opened. Gabrielle looked hopefully at Aria, then to Xena, then to the healer when his face finally appeared. She made a short gasp. He was, without question, the most attractive man she had ever seen in her entire life.

"This child needs medicine. She has pneumonia," Xena stated matter of factly, although she had been slightly taken aback by the handsome man before her. His voice inidcated that he would be somewhat older than he appeared. Yet, as Xena knew full well, appearances were not always what they seemed.

"Here, here," the scratchy voice called. "Let me see." He pulled the baby out of Gabrielle's arms. "Come, come," he said to the two women. He placed Aria carefully down on a cleared away section of a table, opening the blanket away and taking an examination of her. He looked accusingly at Gabrielle and Xena when he saw the bruises. "How did these get here?"

"They were on her before we found her," Xena replied, not taking offence.

His eyes narrowed. "Hmm." He focused on Aria again. "They appear to be about two to three days old."

"Hey, we would never do anything to hurt her," Gabrielle countered. "We only want someone to help her."

"Yes..." his voice trailed off as he continued his examination. A few moments later, he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a small vial. He dabbed some of it on Aria's chest. "We need to clear her nasal passages so she can get air into her lungs. This will help."

Gabrielle wrinkled her nose. Even at her distance, the potion was strong.

"As for her lungs, well...let's see..." He put his hand to his chin and surveyed the room, finally settling on a small bag. He took a tiny amount of the powder and dropped it in a mug, then filled it with water. "This should help a bit." He brought the mug to the child's lips, but she didn't drink.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't know how to drink from a mug, yet. Wait here."

"Oh." He searched around some more, not finding anything useful. Xena returned with the cloth and handed it to the healer. "Dip this into the water and she'll suck on it." A few minutes later, Aria was sucking the cloth.

"She seems to be breathing better," Gabrielle noted with mild surprise. "What did you give her?"

"Oh, well, the vial contained eucolyptus and the powder, well, that's my own secret." He smiled, revealing beautiful white teeth.

Gabrielle swallowed. "What about Joxer?" she said suddenly. "Xena, we should probably bring him in."

"Who is Joxer?" the healer inquired.

"Our friend. He found Aria." Gabrielle then added, "The baby." when she saw the confused look on the healer's face.

"He did, eh?"

"Don't even think it," Xena ordered. "Joxer could no more hurt that baby than he could fly to the moon."

"I never said he did."

The warrior's icy gaze stopped any further argument.

Gabrielle wandered outside to bring in Joxer. She found Argo, but Joxer wasn't on her. He must have woken up and gone off somewhere, she thought. She shook her head. Why couldn't he ever stay put. She grabbed Argo's reigns and pulled her along. "C'mon, Argo, let's go see what happened to Joxer." The mare refused to move. "Argo, let's go." Gabrielle's voice became more irritated, but she didn't want the large animal upset with her. "What's wrong?" She paused. "It's me, isn't it? Look, Argo, I know we've had our problems in the past, but..." Gabrielle had walked to the other side of the mare when she found Joxer. Lying crumpled in a mess on the ground.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Sleeping, I'll bet. "Joxer. Come on. It's time to get up."

Joxer didn't move.

"Joxer, stop playing games. Now come on." She spoke like a mother irritated over her child not behaving properly.

Still no movement from Joxer. Gabrielle now became worried. "Joxer?" She knelt down next to him and gently shook him. "Hey, Joxer. Wake up." Her forehead wrinkled. She stood up. "Argo, watch him for a minute. I'm going to get Xena." The bard bounded off into the healer's home. Argo, for her part, stood guard over the fallen warrior wannabe.

"Hm-hmm, just as I thought. They're broken." He then added, "And it's dislocated, too." The healer's handsome face looked up from the still unconscious Joxer. "What happened to him?"

Gabrielle did everything to avoid looking at him.

"He fell off a horse," Xena said simply. She had quietly admonished herself for not getting him off when they arrived. But to be honest, he had slipped her mind.

The healer paused. "Well, I need to put his shoulder back into place and bandage his ribs for a while." He motioned towards Xena. "Help me." A few moments later, a pop was heard and a scream immediately afterwards.

"Ahhhhhh!!" Joxer's eyes were wide.

"Easy, Joxer. Don't move around a lot," Xena instructed.

He shut his eyes, trying to hold back the tears of pain. He had never felt anything like that in his whole life. That was, until he tried to move and the pain in his side was stronger.

"Don't move!" the healer further instructed. "I need to set the bones. Now stay still."

Joxer stopped moving, half scared by this man before him with the crinkly voice, but young face. The healer pulled him forward a little in the bed and began removing his undershirt. Xena could see his face redden and quietly left. Even Joxer had some self respect.

The warrior woman stood just outside the doorway, watching her friend pace around, twirling her staff violently. She knew Gabrielle blamed herself for Joxer's accident. Well, more precisely, for acting so casually about it, not realising the seriousness of Joxer's fall.

The Amazon stopped when she saw Xena, tears ready to fall. She swallowed. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. His shoulder was dislocated and he broke a couple of ribs, but he'll recover." Xena took a step closer to her friend.

"Oh, Xena, I treated him so horribly!" the bard burst out. "I thought he was just fooling around. I didn't know he was hurt so badly." Her voice began to quiver. "I should have known something was..."

"Gabrielle," Xena interrupted. "Stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault Joxer fell off. I should have pulled him down when we got here."

"But Xena..."

"No, Gabrielle. Stop. What's past is past. He's going to be fine."

The bard looked at the ground. "You sure?"

"Yes."

Xena could see the little blond relax a little. "Let's walk around a little. Maybe do some shopping."

The bard' face lightened a little. "Okay."

Joxer limped over to Aria and grabbed her hand. She awoke at his touch and smiled at him. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay, Aria," he said quietly. "Gaelion says you're going to be all right." He paused. "I was really worried about you." He wanted to pick her up, but his still store arm and ribs wouldn't allow it. He dragged a stool over and sat next to her, stroking her head. "I'm going to miss you so much," he began sadly. "We're going to find your family and then you'll be gone. But then you'll be safe. No one will hurt you then." He leaned back. Yes, he was going to miss this little baby, this little baby that he had rapidly grown to love.

The old woman looked up from examining the child. "Oh yes, I'm sure that this is Berellius's child. I'd recognise Katharos anywhere." She picked the child up. "Oh yes, this is most certainly her." She rocked the baby.

Joxer gulped. He had secretly hoped that the woman Gaelion had brought over wouldn't know who Aria was or who her family was, but no luck. The healer brought the mid-wife over in the hope that she would recognise the child. "She's birthed almost every child within ten leagues of here," he had said.

Xena put a hand on Joxer's shoulder, knowing how much he had wanted to keep Aria, no Katharos, for himself.

"Then I guess we should return her to Berellius," Gaelion said. He looked at Joxer.

"Guess so," he said quietly, not wanting to look at anyone but Katharos.

Two days later, the little Katharos was being held warmly and tightly in her mother's arms. She thanked Joxer profusely for having returned her daughter to her. When no word from Berellius had come, she had feared the worst. From Joxer's recounting, they deduced that Berellius had been the one killed by the bandits where Joxer had found Katharos. Tears streamed down the woman's eyes. "But at least I have a little part of him." She kissed her daughter.

Joxer stepped forward and looked at Katharos. Her colour was returning and her breathing was near normal. He tried to smile, but it came out awkwardly. "You be good for your mom, okay? And do everything she tells you. And eat all your vegetables, they're good you, you know." He tried smiling, but tears fell instead. "Be a good girl." He bent in closer. "I'll never forget you, Aria." He slowly straightened and regained his composure. He turned and walked past Xena and Gabrielle, not able to look at either one. The two women looked at eachother, each knowing what Joxer was feeling. Gabrielle turned and waved to the mother and child, then headed out.

"Do you think he'll be okay, Xena?" the bard inquired.

"Eventually."

Joxer continued to walk ahead of the two friends, letting the tears fall down his cheeks.

Epilogue - twenty years later

"Push!" a woman yelled.

With a scream and final sigh of exhaustion, the young mother relaxed. Her children were born. Twins no less! She lay back panting as she heard her children crying for the first time.

"A son and a daughter!" the mid-wife exclaimed. "Zeus has blessed you twice." She gave one child to the mother, still holding the other. "What will you name them?"

She gazed lovingly down at her daughter wrapped in a blanket, then back at the mid-wife. "Aria and Joxer."

The End

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