Chapter One

Not Going Well

{What as gone before — Xena, the Barbarian Bitch, was betrayed by her next in command – Jobyna, and was turned over to her enemy, King Belos. She was thrown in the dungeon until the day she was flogged. Curious, the king's wife, Queen Gabrielle, went to the dungeon was and horrified at the bloody prisoner. She tended to her wounds, visiting every day until they were healed. The day before the next flogging, an assassin attemtped to kill the queen with a poisoned arrow. Only Xena's lightning quick reflexes save the queen she she caught the arrow before it struck her. While interrogating Xena about her actions, Xena realized her hate for Queen Gabrielle had turned to loved and devotion. The queen confessed her love for Xena as well. Before the king could resolve this unexpected turn of events, word came that Jobyna was attacking the villages loyal to the king. Hating Jobyna for his treachery, Xena formaulated a plan of attack for the king and his army. While he was away, Xena and the queen were sequestered in the queen's bed chamber with Xena as her bodyguard because the assassin was still at large. The king was wounded in the battle, but after two months he recovered. However, the people still remmembered Xena's attacks on thier villages and demanded she be punished. Xena faced the crowd, but when Gabrielle deliberatly let herself be hit with a stone meant for Xena, the townspeople were shocked into silence. After Xena revealed that the queen had nursed her back to health, and found something worthy in her, and after the queen's injury, King Belos declared the "trial" was ended and Xena was allowed to continue to serve as the queen's bodyguard.}

"Good morning, my Husband. Did you sleep well? Your messenger said you wished to speak to Xena."
"Good morning, Gabrielle. Yes, I did. I trust you two slept well, also."

"My Lord," Xena said with a slight nod of her head. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not a problem, really. But I was wondering how your investigation of the attempted assassination of the Queen is going."

"Regretfully, it's not going as well as I had hoped."