Curtis' frown deepened. "I told you before that your future husband would come for you this year. You were supposed to marry him, not get involved with another man.

"Are you disregarding my wishes? I've never opposed anything you wanted to do in your life. Is fulfilling this one engagement too much to ask?"

Xena sighed. It was true that Curtis had always supported her choices, even when her parents objected. Perhaps that was why she became the formidable warrior she was. Besides, the engagement was indeed his only request.

"But, Grandpa," Xena pleaded, "Marriage is a life-changing commitment. Why are you clinging to this outdated concept of arranged marriages? Don't I have a say in my own love life?"

Curtis patted Xena's shoulder. "I'm not old-fashioned, sweetheart. This engagement wasn't my idea—it was your great-grandpa's."

Xena gasped. She thought it was impossible, given how far back this mess actually started. Not only that, but her parents were probably not even born then.