He was only 10 years old when his Daddy died in prison
I looked after Tommy, cuz he was my brother's son
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
"Son my life is over, but yours has just begun
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble when you can
Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
I hope you're old enough to understand
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man
There's someone for everyone, and Tommy's love was Becky
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man
One day while he was workin, the Gatlin boys came callin
They took turns at Becky -- and there was 3 of them
Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky crying
The torn dress, the shattered look, was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace and took down his Daddy's picture
As his tears fell on his Daddy's face, he heard these words again.
Promise me son not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble when you can
Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
I hope you're old enough to understand
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom
One of them got up and met him half-way across the floor
When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look old Yellow's leaving"
But you could have heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door.
Twenty years of crawling were bottled up inside him
He wasn't holdin nothin back, he let 'em have it all
When Tommy left the barroom, not a Gatlin boy was standin
He said "This one's for Becky" as he watched the last one fall
(and I heard him say)
I promised you Dad not to do the things you've done
I walk away from trouble when I can
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek
Now Poppa I sure hope you understand
Sometime you gotta fight when you're a man
And everyone considered him the Coward of the County.
-- The Coward Of The County -- sung by Kenny Rogers
"Joxer?"
"Yes mama?"
"We have to go visit your father."
"Yes mama."
The woman saddled up one of the family's horses and set her son in front of her. They rode for a while through the city streets until they reached the town jail. The woman walked with her back stiff, yet the child was extremely curious. He'd been to visit his father so rarely since he'd been arrested for his actions as a warlord.
They stopped in front of the cell, and a guard pulled out a key to open the door. Once the cell door had closed behind them, the woman let go of her son, who immediately ran to hug his father.
"Poppa! I missed you. When are you coming back home?"
The man coughed several times before his lungs would calm down enough for him to speak. "Joxer, I'm not going home?"
"But Poppa, I thought"
"Joxer," the man forced away his emotions. The last thing he wanted was to cry in front of his son. "I will soon be meeting Hades. I'm dying, son."
"No!" The boy held his father tighter.
"I'm sick, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I wanted to speak to you one last time before" He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. "Joxer, I have done a lot of bad things in my life which I will be punished for in Tartarus. I want you to promise me not to do any of the things I've done. I want you to end up in the Elysian Fields, with your mother."
"But Poppa, you know I want to be a warrior"
"I know, and you can still be a warrior. Some warriors fight for good."
"But sometimes they do bad things so that they can do good."
"Just do your best, all right Joxer? For me?" The boy's now tear-stained face nodded and his father smiled. "Now, your time here is almost over. I'm going to get much worse before I get better and I don't want you to see that. That's why I'm going to say goodbye now."
"But Poppa"
"No buts, Joxer. I love you, son. Now you take care of your mother, all right?" The boy nodded. "Good. I'm proud of you. Now, why don't you take your mother home."
The woman stepped forward and kissed the man before she took her son's hand in hers. She led him back to the horse and they rode back home. Just as they were approaching the house, a fox ran across the road, spooking the horse. The woman knew they were about to fall, and maneuvered them so that her son's impact was cushioned against her body. Unfortunately, as she hit the ground, her neck snapped in a bone-crushing crunch.
The boy was dazed, but unharmed. He looked at his mother's twisted body beneath him. "Mama! Mama, wake up! We're almost home!"
Some of the servants of the house heard his cries and came running. They pulled the boy away from the corpse that was his mother. They took him inside and ordered some of the men to take care of the woman and to retrieve the horse. He just kept looking forward, almost catatonic, as they tried to comfort him. Even in his condition, he could hear them speaking over his head.
"First his father, and now his mother. Who will take care of the dear boy?"
"He has an uncle who lives in town. He's always had a soft spot for Joxer. Once he's told, he'll come."
* * *
Over the years, the boy grew up under his uncle's watchful eye. He was given lessons in everything, from languages and battle strategies, to swordplay and archery. He excelled at every one of them.
On his eighteenth birthday, he received a magnificent sword as a gift from one of his uncle's friends. It came without a scabbard, and he wondered why. All of a sudden, his uncle pulled another gift out of nowhere and gave it to him. Opening it, he saw it was a scabbard even more magnificent than the sword.
"Now Joxer, this scabbard once belonged to your father. I know he would have wanted you to have it, especially now that you're about to leave home." The man smiled down at the boy he'd come to think of as his son, but the smile fell when he saw the boy wasn't smiling.
Joxer was lost in thought, remembering the last time he'd seen his father, and the promise he'd made. He looked at the sword and pushed it away. Still holding onto the scabbard, he ran off into the yard until he came to an old shed.
He sat on the floor crying. He was afraid of becoming what he'd promised he wouldn't be. He hadn't yet made his first kill, and didn't know what that would do to him. It would be so easy if he could just settle down, find a wife and start a farm. However, the lure of adventure and the open road were just too great. He ransacked through all the junk in the shed and came out with some pieces of wire, thin metal, and a strange material that could be used as a strainer. He put them all together, making a set of 'armour' that no warrior would challenge -- not because they didn't dare, but because they didn't think he was worth it.
He picked up an old dented sword and slid it into the scabbard. Then, without a second glance at his home, he headed off into the darkness.
* * *
The warrior wanna-be clinked and clanked as he followed his two best friends on the road to Selios. He was happy, he was content. He was singing his song.
"Joxer the Mighty"
"Joxer!"
He looked over at his friend and the love of his life. "Yes Gabby?"
"Will you please stop singing! I'm getting a headache."
"Oh, all right." He began brooding, but soon stopped when he saw Xena give him a sympathetic grin. He smiled once again and bounced alongside them.
It was almost dark and they headed for a tavern to spend the night. Joxer and Xena were very tired from the long trip, but Gabrielle was in the mood to write some more of her scrolls. She remained downstairs in the barroom while the other two headed up to their rooms.
Joxer tossed and turned for a while, but he couldn't fall asleep. He got up and looked out the window. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the moonlight lit up everything. He looked at a nearby alley and was shocked to see the blonde hair of his friend. It looked like she was crying. He immediately got dressed, forgetting his armour, and ran down to her.
"Gabrielle! What happened? Are you ok?"
"Don't touch me!"
"But Gabby, I want to help."
"Stay away from me!"
She wouldn't even let him touch her on the arm. It was obvious what had happened. His beloved Gabrielle had been raped. He could feel the rage building inside him.
"Who did this?" The question was asked softly, but the tone of his voice was deadly.
In between sobs, Joxer was able to make out the only words Gabrielle would say to him. "The Gallus boys."
Joxer had heard of them. They were three brothers who had been terrorizing the countryside, stealing from farmers and raping women and children. He also remembered hearing about them having a hideout in Selios.
He rose from where he had been crouching at Gabrielle's side and walked away from the alley. He stopped a woman in the street that he recognized as the tavern-keeper's wife and asked her to fetch Xena to help Gabrielle. Once she had started for the tavern, Joxer made his way to the bar he'd heard the Gallus boys often frequented in Selios.
He walked into the barroom and immediately the drunken men inside began laughing at his appearance. "Hey! Look at what just walked in here!"
His eyes searched the room until they stopped on the men he was looking for. He turned around for a moment and heard a voice behind him shout. "Look at the coward, he's leaving already." The laughter stopped the moment his hand touched the door, for instead of opening it, he turned the lock. Nobody was leaving this room until he said so.
He turned back to the room and spoke softly but clearly. "I'm here for the Gallus boys."
The three men stood from their table and approached him.
"That's us. What do you want."
* * *
Joxer looked around the room. The patrons were all hiding behind chairs and tables. On the floor, at his feet, were the three broken bodies of the Gallus boys. Looking at the destruction he'd cause, he whispered to himself. "This is for you, Gabby." He turned, unlocked the door, and headed off into the darkness.
He couldn't return to the tavern. He didn't think he could face his friends yet after what had happened. If he even tried to tell them, they wouldn't believe him capable. He wandered around until he came across the road to Thrace, and decided to start that way.
He hadn't walked long when a flash of light stopped him in his tracks.
"Hello Joxer."
"Ares. What are you doing here? Xena's back there."
"I came to see you, Joxer. I saw what you did back in Selios."
"I don't want to think about it." He tried to shove his way past the War God, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
"It was your first time, wasn't it." It was a statement, not a question, and it was spoken with sympathy.
"Yes," Joxer whispered. He could feel the tears well up in his eyes until they were overflowing and falling down his cheeks. He felt two powerful arms reach around and pull him against a well-muscled chest. His body began shaking as it was wracked by a sob.
"It's all right, Joxer. A lot of warriors have difficulty dealing with their first kills."
"That's not it."
"It's not?" The God had to admit he was stumped. "Then what is it?"
"I broke my promise to my Dad. I told him I would never do any of the bad things he did."
Ares turned Joxer around so that they were facing each other. "I think he would understand, Joxer. You're a grown man, and sometimes you just have no choice but to fight."
Joxer looked up into the dark eyes of his God as he wiped away his tears.. "Thank you."
"I'm always here for my warriors, Joxer."
"But why, why me?"
"To tell you the truth, I originally came to congratulate and reward you."
"R-reward me? How?"
Ares looked down at the man's tear-rimmed eyes. "It's okay, Joxer. I know how difficult this is for you. I'm here as long as you need comfort."
"There are many different kinds of comfort, Ares." He reached up a hand to cup the God's face as his eyes darkened with a mix of desire and a need to be comforted.
"You're right. There are." The two men leaned in towards each other as their lips met. They wrapped their arms around each other, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed against one another.
"Be with me tonight, Ares. I need you."
"Whatever you wish, Joxer. Whatever you wish."
Back to Gen Stories -- Back to Herc/Xena Stories -- Back to Kremlin