Looking at Xena and then at Tik, Elder Tok shook his head. he knew Tik had spent most of the week in the box with Atlas and the pretty little girl Xena, but he didn"t expect things to go in this direction. The Age difference wasn"t much, but this wouldn"t work.

"I"m afraid this isn"t possible. Tik belongs to the Masters" Village and it isn"t appropriate for him to marry someone from your village. There are restrictions to our involvement in the world outside the village. Besides, he already has a little wife back home," Elder Tok responded.

Tik"s face turned sour. He didn"t think his Uncle Tok would sabotage him like this. He knew there were restrictions, but couldn"t those be worked around? It was true he had a wife, but it"s not like most of the masters in the village didn"t have a few wives. What was the big deal?

Atlas and Xena were both a little shocked when they heard this and looked at Tik briefly.

"I"m afraid there"s a misunderstanding. The proposed Marriage is between my Lynwood"s Xena and the River Village"s River Mist," Atlas quickly corrected.

"This shouldn"t be a problem?" he asked.

Elder Tok and Tik were both surprised as were Mist"s parents. The Village Chief had a sparkle in his eye.

"Smart thinking," he said to himself.

"Isn"t she a little old for Mist?" Tik asked. He was completely disgruntled. What did a seven-year-old kid have on him?

"Not at all, it"s good to have a wife a little over than the man. Especially if she"s the first wife," Mountain Sprite said.

"I thought you said one woman was enough for a man," River Snake said.

"One woman is enough for a man like you. Besides, more wives means more grand babies!" Mountain Sprite said. Xena"s face blushed slightly.

"As long as Xena is the first wife I have no problem with him having more wives later," Atlas said.

"Hahaha very good, no wonder the Lynwood Clan has grown so much under your leadership. A man with such far reaching vision," River Boat laughed.

The Clan Chief, and Mist"s parents were excited. Tik was disgruntled and pouting. Mist was confused while Atlas was also excited and Xena didn"t seem to object to the arrangement. She even seemed a little happy.

The only person who seemed they might have a problem with the arrangement was Elder Tok. He looked like he just ate something sour.

Noticing Elder Tok"s expersion, Atlas knew he needed to get over Elder Tok"s objections if this were going to work.

"Master Hunter Tok, you have an objection?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mist will be living in the Masters Village for the next seven years and will go on to shake the world. I"m worried if your little princess can keep up with him. Ultimately, this matter is up to Mist"s parents and you and I won"t interfere. However, you should consider your daughter.

For the next seven years Mist will be trained day and night and won"t have time for romantic considerations. When Mist leaves our village after seven years he will undergo a training journey which could take who knows how many years.

Settling down to have a family won"t be possible. Little Xena would need to follow Mist around the world with him and suffer the highs and lows of his training journey if they are going to be together. This will be very dangerous for her. However, it"s more than likely she will need to wait at home and wait for Mist to return one day. By the time this happens she might be an old lady.

Lastly, I expect he will have many wives in the future and if she isn"t strong enough can she be worthy to be the first wife or a wife at all?" Elder Tok said.

The points he raised were all very strong and Atlas needed to consider them carefully. This was his daughter after all. As he sat there thinking he looked at his daughter who spoke up.

"Mist is a child much younger than me right now, but over the last few days I have been able to tell for myself his future potential. The kind of man his father is gives me hope Mist will cary the heart of a true hunter.

I don"t know him right now and even though I"m only thirteen it makes me nearly twice his age. I"m much stronger and more mature than him. However, this won"t always be the case. If I am married to him then I will go where he goes. When he experiences good things I"ll be there with him. When he experiences bad I"ll also be there even if we have to go through h.e.l.l together.

I don"t say this as an inexperienced girl but as a hunter who has seen the wider world. I have the heart of a true hunter like my father. When I commit it is until the end. If Mist can also have a hunter"s heart I know I will grow to love him in the future.

Even if he has other women I will be satisfied if I am by his side. A great man, a capable man is expected to have many wives.

I cannot answer your other concerns but I can tell you I am willing to put everything into this. I only ask to be accepted by Mist"s parents, his Clan Chief, and of course his Masters. I"ll do whatever I need to do this," Xena said.

"Why?" asked Mountain Sprite.

"I can"t deny the benefits of a marriage like this for my Lynwood Clan, but this isn"t enough. I know this. Master Hunter Tok"s words are correct, so I must have a stronger reason to marry Mist than just benefits for my clan. I"m not just some thing to be traded. I know my father doesn"t think of me in this way and I certainly do not see myself like this.

As members of hunter villages don"t we all know the dangers of living in the mountains surrounded by spirit beasts and cut off from the rest of the world. I"ve traveled with my father and seen the world outside. It is both beautiful and frightening. As beautiful as it is, it cannot match the beauty of the mountains. As frightening as it is my life in the mountains gives me courage.

What matters the most to those of us in the mountains is the next generation. I want my children to grow up and have a father whose strength as a hunter is only surpa.s.sed by his character. I want a man who has a true heart. I think Mist will be such a man, what more could I ask for?" she said.

Mist sat listening to this girl say such nice things about him and he was feeling proud. He couldn"t help but speak.

"Don"t worry, when we get married I"ll make sure to bring you the best candy there is. We can eat it together and give it to our kids," Mist said heroicly.

Everyone present couldn"t help but laugh at the well-meaning child. Even Xena"s eyes sparkled a little.

"I like this girl," Mountain Sprite said.

"Me too," River Snake said.

"I think she would make a great wife for Mist, but what about the things Master Hunter Tok said. We musn"t disregard his wise words," River Boat said.

"This isn"t a problem," Mountain Sprite said.

"Oh, why is that?" Elder Tok asked a little surprised.

"We"ll just take her with us and you can find her a master to train her in something," Mountain Sprite said.

Elder Tok was a little surprised and laughed lightly with disbelief.

"Sprite, you can"t just expect Master Hunter Tok to just force one of the masters in his village to take Xena on as an apprentice," River Boat said.

"Hmm. I don"t believe he"ll have to force anyone. This girl believes in Mist and I believe in her. She"s so young and already an accomplished hunter. They"re going to an entire village filled with masters; I bet there"ll be at least one master who will see this gem of a girl. Don"t worry about it!" Mountain Sprite said.

Everyone looked at Elder Tok after hearing Mountain Sprite"s words. Noticing everyone was waiting for him to speak; Master Tok thought for a few moments before speaking.

"I suppose it"s worth a try. The girl isn"t bad and as a hunter I think a girl like this would be a good match for my student. However, I can"t train her as a hunter. I"m already training Mist and his father. If she wants a master it"ll have to be a master who can teach her something other than hunting. For this to happen, honestly this is up to Xena"s innate gifts and determination. But I don"t really think it would hurt to try.

Listen girl, if you can"t find a master in the village you"ll have to decided then whether you"ll spend your life trying to follow this kid around or return to your village. I won"t object to you staying in the village for the next seven years even if you can"t find a master, but if you can"t match this boy in some aspect...just don"t make yourself suffer and risk unhappiness," Elder Tok said.

Xena and her father nodded in agreement. Now the matter of the marriage between Mist and Xena received Elder Tok"s approval, it was time to celebrate.