A "Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons" story

By Chris Bishop

Chapter 2

Less than an hour later, when Captain Blue, refreshed and wearing clean clothing, entered the Hall where the ceremony was to be held, he had the surprise of finding it already crowded with people.

It was a vast, stone-built room, with many apertures on the two longer walls, and torches lighting the Hall, so there was barely a dark corner. There were two huge wooden tables, covered with food of all kinds, on each side of the room. The centre of the paved floor was left completely empty, like a large aisle, leading to a dais at the far end of the room where stood a rustic throne adorned with white furs, and set between two shorter tables.

Everyone present was laughing and shouting, eating and drinking and having a good time. Most of them were warriors, wearing their most attractive clothes and sporting beautiful weapons, clearly exchanging bad jokes and telling their war-like exploits to each other, if Blue was to believe the snatches of conversation he picked up as he entered the Hall and walked toward the dais. There were also many servant girls, who seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the men they were keeping company. There was little inhibition displayed as the rowdy warriors pulled the women onto their knees and kissed them – while the girls barely resisted, and then only in a playful way. Such scenes left Blue with a certain sense of bewilderment, as he knew many of these people as reserved and disciplined individuals – he would never have imagined them, even given the opportunity, acting like real barbarians of another age.

Already on the dais, he could see Captain Ochre, casually leaning on a huge hammer, and talking with animation to Captain Grey and two other Viking warriors, before bursting into laughter. Just next to him, seated on a bench, Captain Scarlet was eating a whole roast chicken with his hands, without a care in the world. He drank from a large wooden goblet, letting its contents drip on his chin before wiping it off with the back of his hand, and biting into the chicken once more. Hundreds of years of sophistication down the drain, the perplexed Blue reflected, as he stepped onto the dais, staring with curiosity at his friend, whose ‘stiff upper lip’ and detached attitude had often irritated or disconcerted him. He watched as Scarlet, letting go of his chicken, caught a passing servant girl and pulled her close to him to kiss her cheek and whisper something in her ear. She laughed gaily before pouring ale into his vessel, while he wiped his hands on her already dirty skirt; she quickly ran away from his grip, before he could catch her again.

Yep. I will never look at Paul Metcalfe in the same way from now on… Earlier, after leaving Blue at his chamber where he had fortunately escorted him – for which the American captain was secretly thankful, because he would never have found it alone – Scarlet had walked to his own place, which was down the same corridor, and Blue, following him with his eyes, had seen Anna Preston – the servant girl Gerda in Scarlet’s mind – waiting for him by the door. They had disappeared behind it after exchanging a fierce kiss. Blue couldn't help but wonder how easy it had been for his friend to let go of the well-bred veneer created by civilisation… Seeing Scarlet, as well as all the other people surrounding him now, and how they were behaving, Blue began to consider that some sayings were true, and that there really was a sleeping beast inside each man – just waiting to wake up.

It was a fascinating observation.

As people started to notice his presence, Blue received many greetings; goblets and jugs were raised in salutation, and congratulations came from all round. His broad shoulders became the target of much vigorous thumping, and he didn't have enough hands to accept all the drinking vessels warriors were offering him. He wished he knew exactly why they were so pleased with him. He imagined it had something to do with 'capturing a Valkyrie'; it made him feel rather embarrassed to think he was being congratulated for something he didn't think he had really done – and it was uncomfortable to think that Rhapsody was viewed as the 'fierce Valkyrie' they were talking about. He hoped she was all right, and that he would be able to see her soon, to actually make sure of that. He couldn't wait for this ceremony to begin, to learn what it was all about.

But 'Odin' was still absent, and Blue imagined that the ceremony wouldn't start before he arrived. To be truthful, Blue had to admit he was curious to see this incarnation of Odin. He didn't quite know what to expect, but Fawn had warned him that he would be surprised.

Blue couldn't imagine Colonel White actually settling comfortably into that kind of role – a fierce war-leader of the Vikings. It just didn't fit in...

In the meantime, standing behind the table on the dais not far from Ochre and Scarlet, where he thought his place should be, he was waiting impatiently, ignoring the goblet he was handed, and scanning the Hall with probing eyes.

At the far end of the dais, standing on his own, and apparently not willing to mix with the rest of the crowd, he found 'Loki'.

Blue tensed.

Captain Black's presence in this setting – in the guise of this particular character – had put Blue on edge earlier, and had opened a new set of possibilities, that might explain the predicament in which he and everyone else on Cloudbase presently found themselves. For the Mysterons – the full scale of whose powers were still unknown and who were even able to control human minds and bodies, as well as matter, in order to recreate life from death itself – might conceivably be able to warp reality and perception to the point of creating this fantasy world. Before seeing Black, it had not even occurred to Blue that they might be involved. He was wondering now why he had not thought about this eventuality. Of course, he had already been pretty confused up until now – and he was still trying to figure out what had happened to all of them.

It could also be possible that Black’s presence is only part of this fantasy as well, he pondered, turning his eyes in Black’s direction. He could have been dreamt up by any one of us – not even real at all, just like the rest of what we’re seeing – and feeling.

Right… But I’ll stay on my toes, nevertheless… Just in case.

It’s quite fitting that he should have the role of the malevolent Loki, all things considered… Isn't it because of Loki's many misdemeanours that most of the Norse gods' problems originated, according to legends? And wasn’t it because of Captain Black's unreasoned actions that the war between Earth and the Mysterons started?

“Are you suspecting he might get up to something during the evening?”

The question, addressed to him and coming from nearby, almost made Blue jump out of his skin. He turned slightly to see Scarlet, still seated at his place at the table, but comfortably leaning his back against the wall behind him, looking at him with an intrigued expression. Scarlet gave a brief nod in the direction of Loki.

“I, too, am suspicious of him,” he declared in a low voice.

“He gives me the creeps,” Blue murmured. “Seeing him here…”

“Aye. I could see earlier that it was just as if you had seen a ghost. Well, Loki does give that impression, I will admit that. Especially when he lurks in the shadows, as he habitually does.”

“Just give me the word, and I will crush him like the maggot he is.” It was Ochre who had now approached to join the conversation, closely followed by Grey. Blue noted that Ochre’s hands were now holding his hammer as if he was indeed ready to strike at Black. He was watching him fiercely.

“I never understood why your sire tolerates his presence in Aesgard,” Grey declared with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

“We tolerate you, Lord Tyr,” Scarlet remarked with a mischievous smirk. “Why should Odin not tolerate him?”

Grey huffed disdainfully. “Do not compare me with that Ice Giant’s bastard, Lord Balder. I will not be amused.”

“My aim was not to amuse you.” Scarlet returned his attention to Black, who was now approached by the smiling servant girl Gerda. She offered him a drinking vessel that he accepted with a brief nod. “But you are right to wonder, prince of Vanaheim. The truth is, Odin is honour-bound to Loki, since the day the wretched villain saved his life in the Lands of the Ice Giants – for a reason only known to him. If not for Loki, our lord and ruler would be in the land of the dead right now.”

Blue’s interest was piqued by this tale. How similar this is to the ‘real story’, he recalled. Conrad Turner had also saved Colonel White’s life many years ago.

“Since then,” Ochre added darkly, “we are bound as well to Loki – and cannot do him any harm.”

“But we are well aware that we should not turn our backs on him,” Scarlet continued. “Though half-Ase himself, he is also half-Giant, as you said yourself. He is planning Aesgard’s downfall with the Ice Giants… Our common enemies, Lord Tyr.”

“As he is planning Vanaheim’s downfall,” Grey agreed.

Scarlet scratched his ear thoughtfully, still glaring with obvious displeasure in Black’s direction; the latter briefly exchanged words with 'Gerda' in a low tone, before she nodded in acknowledgement and left. "I also suspect that our sire is keeping Loki close by so he is able to keep his eye on him. Loki's behaviour – and reactions – might be a good indication of what the Ice Giants are up to."

Grey was watching Scarlet intently; he could not fail to notice the flash of anger burning in the other man's blue eyes. He smirked, and then adopted a nonchalant tone: “I suspect, Lord Balder, that your animosity to the villain runs deeper still.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Scarlet asked suspiciously, turning a dark eye on Grey.

“Was that not your favourite servant maid who just gave her brightest smile to Loki? Nay, let me rephrase that… The girl could certainly not be called a ‘maid’ nowadays.”

Standing behind them, Ochre permitted himself a chuckle; angered by Grey’s statement, Scarlet thumped furiously on the table, knocking his goblet over, and jumped to his feet, in the process throwing the bench he was sitting on crashing loudly to the floor. Blue jumped in surprise.

“You will take back those insulting words, Tyr!” Scarlet roared, facing a still calm-looking Grey.

“I will not,” Grey declared quietly. “Is it an insult to speak the truth? Beside, considering the events, my prince, you would be better served to forget about the girl as of now.”

“Give me your hammer, Thor!” Scarlet barked, addressing the tall man behind him. “Give it to me so I can split this bastard’s skull open!”

“I will not,” Ochre replied, as calm as Grey. “You would not be able to lift it and you will hurt yourself.”

“Give it to me, I say!”

“Nay. Lord Tyr only spoke the truth: you should forget about the girl, she is nothing to you anymore. If she ever was worth anything at all, as she was probably nothing more than a distraction for you. Now sit down, you fool, you are acting like a drunk.”

“I am not drunk!” Scarlet retorted fiercely, turning to Ochre. “You know that I cannot get drunk, thanks to the Ice Giants!”

“I never meant you were drunk,” Ochre sighed with annoyance, “just that you were acting like you were.”

Blue raised his eyebrows, hearing the surprising exchange between the two men; again, here was a reflection of the real world: alcohol had little or no effect on Scarlet as well, since his Mysteronisation. But what could this new discovery mean exactly? Why should it be similar, and what else did it hide? Blue didn’t have time to deliberate further, as he saw Scarlet step menacingly in Ochre’s direction.

“Have it your way, brother. I will use your thick head, then, and knock it against his, so hard they will both explode… and they will hear the explosion from here to the land of Vanaheim.”

“You are welcome to try,” Ochre answered, rolling his eyes.

An alarmed Blue saw Scarlet still advancing on Ochre, who was now raising his hammer; he stepped forward, and put a firm hand on Scarlet’s shoulder, in an attempt to hold him back and calm him down. “I don’t think fighting amongst ourselves is such a good idea,” he said tentatively.

“I do agree with that,” stated Grey.

To Blue’s surprise, that had the same effect as adding oil to a fire. Scarlet turned around briskly, literally snapping at Blue, who, faced with the intensity of the anger reflected in his friend’s blue eyes, let go of him and stepped back, despite himself.

“I should have realised the two of you would stand together...” Scarlet pointed an accusing finger at Blue. “It is all your fault, brother!”

“My fault?” a stunned Blue echoed.

“Aye! ’Tis true the servant girl means little to me, as Thor said, but if you had not supported Tyr, and stood with him on this mad scheme, I would not be condemned to…”

“ENOUGH!”

The loud, stentorian voice suddenly booming from the other side of the room stopped everyone on the spot and every conversation ceased. Not even a murmur now escaped the crowd. At first frozen in place, Blue slowly turned around. He had already figured out who had just arrived, commanding such silence with only his presence and obtaining obedience with the authority of just one word.

In the embrasure of the large door leading into the Hall stood a tall man of fierce and imposing appearance, his face framed by long, unkempt, white hair and beard, streaked with silvery shades. He was clad in the finest linen and furs, with a large belt encircling his torso, and bracelets of gold. In his right hand, he was holding a long spear tipped with three sharp points, as if it was his symbol of power – his sceptre. From the distance, Blue barely recognised him; but there was little doubt, just from the sound of his voice – very recognisable, despite the annoying lilting accent common to all present – who the newcomer was.

“Is this the way the heirs of Aesgard behave themselves?” thundered the voice of Odin/Colonel White. He started walking toward the dais, his steps echoing loudly through the now-silent room. “Is this how you should conduct yourself in the presence of guests? And in my presence?! You should be ashamed!”

Blue barely noticed how everyone was bowing slightly at Odin’s passage; he was intently watching the man’s approach, and with each step, having a better look at his face. He couldn’t detach his eyes from it – the expression of his features was implacable, made even more ferocious by the large scar crossing the entire left side of his face, clearly left by the vicious strike of a sharp blade. The eye from that side was obviously gone, and the hollow space it had left was hidden under a piece of leather that acted as a rustic eye patch. The other eye, however, was very much alive, and burning with a vibrant intensity.

“Balder, this ‘scheme’ you are referring was my idea,” ‘Odin’ continued. “Your brother and Lord Tyr only suggested it, and I decided to go along with it. If it had not been for the greater good of our land, I would never have pursued it. You should know better than to discuss my decisions.”

“Of course, Sire,” Scarlet said, bowing humbly in the presence of Aesgard’s ruler.

“Thor, despite your much vaunted strength, remember that I can still best you in any fight, whether you are armed with that hammer of yours or not!”

“My lord,” Ochre acknowledge with a bow of his own.

“Lord Tyr, you are a guest under this roof, but remember that my patience has limits. Do not ever attempt to try it to the breaking point.”

Grey bowed slightly. “I do apologise for any offence Lord Balder thinks I may have done to him, Lord Odin.” His innocent tone caused Scarlet to stare at him with irritation.

“Hodur…” ‘Odin’ had finally stopped in front of Blue to look levelly at him. A strong hand fell on the American captain’s shoulder and squeezed it.

“’Tis good to see you well, after that dangerous mission in the land of our enemies, my son.”

The tone of his voice had definitely softened a little while addressing him, and Blue had to fight not to look too uncomfortable at being called ‘son’ by his commander-in-chief. Imitating the others, he bowed slightly, breaking eye contact briefly.

“I am at your service… Sire.”

He looked up into the ravaged face again. For a moment, ‘Odin’ stared at him, and Blue looked back, waiting with anticipation. The lone, piercing blue eye definitely reflected Colonel White’s indomitable and fierce spirit, but it didn’t take long for Blue to realise that this man didn’t recognise him as Captain Blue – as he had vainly hoped he would. He was looking into the face of a stranger.

He was profoundly disappointed.

It was for White now to break eye contact, as he let go of Blue’s shoulder. He turned around to walk toward his throne, where he sat down heavily. Seeing Ochre and Scarlet follow to stand beside their ruler, Blue followed them. A servant girl approached respectfully to give a filled goblet to White, who took it and acknowledged her presence with a brief gesture. He watched with a fierce look as Grey came in front of him and bowed to him once again.

“Has your ruler entered Aesgard’s gates, Lord Tyr?” White asked brusquely.

“Aye, Lord Odin,” Grey announced humbly. “Vanaheim’s ruler has come, answering your call, and is waiting your invitation to be presented to you.”

“That is well, then.” White raised his vessel. “People of Aesgard!” he called loudly. “Today is a great day for our land! Today is the day we will see the end of the long-lasting war between Aesgard and Vanaheim! Hail to Victory, warriors! Hail to Aesgard!”

To the shout of ‘Hail!’ and ‘Aesgard!’, everyone present saluted and drank deeply from their vessels. Blue did the same, although the bittersweet ale was much too warm for his taste and he nearly choked on it. He drank slowly, noticing over his goblet that Tyr was politely doing the same. Both put down their half-empty vessels only when the others around loudly lowered their empty ones onto the tables. A glance on the other side of the dais informed Blue that Black/Loki had barely touched his goblet, but was now looking very interested in what was going on.

Blue had to admit, he was curious to know that too.

“Lord Tyr,” White solemnly announced. “The ruler of Vanaheim is invited to enter the Hall and be presented to us.”

Grey bowed anew, before standing tall and half-turning towards the large entrance behind him. He made one gesture of his good hand; a small commotion rose from the crowd and Blue narrowed his eyes to watch as a small group of people, dressed in their best attire, finally entered and walked down the aisle, in a dignified fashion, while the large double doors were slowly closing behind. Marching in the middle of the delegation was a tall man with long, neatly brushed, black hair, and a smooth face looking proudly ahead; by his side was a young woman, in fine but obviously humbler apparel, keeping her head down under a hood that barely hid her long blonde hair and striking beauty.

Blue had no trouble recognising both Captain Magenta and Destiny Angel, as they approached ‘Odin’s’ throne.

White was silently and thoughtfully watching the newcomers, apparently gauging them carefully. Grey came to them as they stopped in front of the dais and took Destiny’s hand to kiss it with deference. Magenta ignored his presence and stood tall, glaring at White, when Grey turned to present them.

“Lord Odin, ruler of Aesgard, may I present the ruler of the Vanir people…”

White acknowledged the announcement with a brief nod. Destiny saluted him with a bow, but Magenta didn’t move.

“Insolent dog,” Blue heard Scarlet mutter behind him.

“Ruler of Vanaheim, I welcome you amongst my people,” White declared.

“Lord Odin,” Magenta answered. “I would wish to say that it is an honour for me and my sister to be in your presence.”

White raised a single brow; he failed to realise Blue was doing the same. “Your sister?” he said matter of factly.

“Aye. I am Prince Freyr, of the Vanir people. And this is my sister, Lady Freyja…”

“Lady Freyja,” White said with a nod. “The leader of the Valkyries. I have heard about you, my lady.”

“Lady Freyja, whose beauty precedes her wherever she goes,” Scarlet murmured again, in admiration, but this time a little louder, fully intending to be heard. He was heard indeed, both by White, who glared warningly at him, and by Magenta, who shot him a look that was nothing less than murderous.

“I know you,” Ochre suddenly declared, addressing Magenta before the latter could utter another word. “You are no prince… You are Fricco the Thief!”

There were new murmurs from the crowd. Blue tensed, waiting for the follow-up. Magenta stood his ground. “That was in another life, Lord Thor. Indeed, I was Fricco the Thief, many years ago. But all that has changed now.”

“This man cannot be the ruler of Vanaheim, Sire,” Thor scoffed, turning to the silent White. “He is a cattle thief. He took my livestock, five years ago!”

“I took the two goats which were pulling your chariot,” Magenta corrected, obligingly. “You should be grateful, Lord Thor. I spared you the humiliation from showing yourself further in such a peculiar equipage.”

There was laughter all around and even Scarlet joined in; Ochre, however, didn’t seem to find it amusing at all. He had grabbed his hammer, and was now descending the dais. “You impudent bastard, I will teach you to make fun of a prince of Aesgard!”

He stopped in his tracks suddenly, when Magenta unsheathed his sword and took a step back, pointing it at his advancing adversary. He blatantly ignored all the Aesir warriors present in the room, who, at the first sight of his sword, drew theirs, threateningly.

“One more step, Prince, and I will run you through!”

“I will break your head first… thief!” Ochre seethed between his teeth.

Before Ochre could take one more step towards Magenta, Destiny walked in front of him and stood between the two men, extending her hands to them, demanding peace.

“Hold!” White called from his throne. All the swords were instantly lowered. “Lord Thor, step back!” White ordered. “Put up your weapon.” Reluctantly, Ochre obeyed and stepped aside. Magenta held his ground. White turned his only eye to him. “Master Fricco – or Lord Freyr, whatever your name is now: I suggest you lower your sword. Unless you want to… deprive your ‘sister’ of her most loyal servant.”

“Lord Odin…” Destiny spoke for the first time; she gestured to Magenta to sheathe his sword, and as he finally obeyed, she turned around and removed her hood to face the assembly. A cascade of golden hair surrounded her beautiful face, and everybody, stunned by her fully revealed beauty, stared straight at her with baited breath. Even Aesgard’s ruler seemed taken aback for a split second.

“So,” White murmured with an appreciative nod, “what Lord Balder said earlier was true. Rumours of your beauty do precede you, Lady Freyja.”

“Lord Odin,” Destiny said, presenting a dignified façade, “Lord Freyr never presumed within these walls to be the ruler of Vanaheim. He was protecting me, as he always does. He is but an emissary for me – a front. As he has been in recent years, thus protecting the identity of the true ruler of Vanaheim from our enemies.”

“And you are not his sister, of course,” White said, musingly. “You are the ruler of Vanaheim.” His tone didn’t seem to indicate that he was suitably surprised. Destiny glared at Grey.

“Lord Tyr informed you,” she accused.

“He did not. He kept your secret to this day… Queen Freyja.” White bowed respectfully to the younger woman. “And this was a secret that I kept myself, though I learned it a long time ago. It was not so difficult to discover, my lady. A ruler must know his enemies, if he ever wishes to defeat them; as Aesgard has defeated Vanaheim.”

“You made use of a subterfuge to defeat us,” Magenta retorted bitterly. “You captured and held our Valkyries hostage, and called upon us to surrender.”

“All is fair in war,” White remarked.

“We were winning,” Magenta declared in turn.

“Then it was all the more necessary for us to make use of the ‘subterfuge’.” White leaned forward, glaring at Magenta. “I would suggest, Lord Freyr, that you keep your accusations to yourself. They will serve you nothing at this point. Furthermore, you are obviously not aware of all the details of the arrangements I made with your ruler, through Lord Tyr…”

“Traitor,” growled Magenta, glaring at Grey.

“At ease, my lord,” Destiny demanded. “When he put himself under Odin’s command, Lord Tyr was but following my instructions.”

“My lady?” Magenta seemed genuinely surprised.

“This war between our two peoples has gone on long enough,” Destiny continued.

“I agree, my lady,” White said with a nod.

Destiny turned to face a discomfited-looking Magenta. “We might have won this war with Aesgard…”

“…Or maybe not,” Ochre grumbled under his breath.

“…But we would never have won any war, all by ourselves, against the Ice Giants. And that, Freyr, you know as well as I do. Neither Vanaheim, nor Aesgard, can hope to defeat these fiends all alone.” She took Magenta’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked down, conceding defeat, and apparently acquiescing to her words. Destiny sighed deeply, before turning to face White again. “So for the good of both Vanaheim and Aesgard, and so we can face our common enemies, the Ice Giants, and one day defeat them, I have agreed to surrender to Odin’s rule – and have accepted an alliance between our two people.”

“Did we have to surrender to achieve that?” asked Magenta with a frown.

“Odin would never have agreed to surrender to you, prince of Vanaheim,” Scarlet said sardonically, with a raised brow.

“It doesn’t matter,” Destiny said quickly, before Magenta took the remark as an insult. “The deal is now done. The land of Vanaheim falls under the rule of Odin of Aesgard. Through me, as queen of the Vanir, all of our land pledges loyalty and obedience to our new ruler.”

“And I pledge protection and justice to the people of Vanaheim, ruling the land as I rule my own,” White said in a low tone. “However, Lady Freyja, the deal is not quite done yet. Before all this becomes official, there are still… some formalities that must be attended to.” He leaned even further forward on his throne, fixing his one eye on Destiny. "Do your Valkyries pledge their loyalty to me as well?" There was a note of suspicion in his voice, as if he doubted that fact. Destiny had a short moment of hesitation.

"Lord Odin, it is understandable that the Valkyries are wary of this arrangement between our lands..."

"That much is obvious, Lady Freyja – considering the amount of fighting they did when my warriors… 'invited' them into Aesgard and within these walls. One of them even fled to hide herself within the land of the Ice Giants, where one of my sons had to ride, in order to find her." He nodded towards Blue, and then addressed Destiny anew: "I trust you have informed them of their part in this arrangement of ours."

"I have, Sire…"

"I take it they were not pleased, then."

"Maybe they had good reasons not to be pleased," Magenta remarked acerbically. "They probably knew they would be held captive within the Walhall's dungeon."

White raised his brow, before turning toward the three Aesir princes standing by his side, with an accusing look; Blue didn't say a word, nor did he move, and Scarlet shrugged dismissively. As for Ochre, he grunted loudly.

"The dungeon?" White asked with curiosity. “Thor, I left you in charge of this affair. This was your idea?”

"What else could we do, Lord Odin?" Ochre retorted, turning to the older man. "These girls are she-devils incarnate – they would have escaped us, if we had not locked them up."

"That is an arguable point. But did you have to put them in the dungeon?"

Ochre scoffed. "It seemed to me the safest place to imprison them, my lord. After all, until this deal is done, they are still to be considered as enemies of Aesgard, are they not?" He smiled mockingly. "One of them even dared to threaten to gut me with a blunt knife, if ever the chance was to present itself."

“A blunt knife?”

“So it would cause more pain, Sire,” Ochre explained, laughing.

White gave a half-huff, half-chuckle hearing that, before he settled down on the throne, slowly, and turned to Destiny again. “Quite. Maybe it was a wise move, then. Do we have to fear that your Valkyries will turn against us, Lady Freyja?”

There was a flash in Destiny’s eyes at this accusation. “Lord Odin,” she reiterated in defence, “consider what is asked of them and ask yourself how you would react in their place, if you were forced into this venture.”

“Well, the same is asked of me and I have yet to slit my throat…” Scarlet muttered, loud enough to be understood. Everyone within hearing distance burst out laughing, and Ochre gave ‘his brother’ a vigorous thumping.

“Much good it will do you, Balder,” White replied with dry humour. And the remark made Blue prick up his ears in interest.

“Nevertheless,” Destiny continued, as if she had not been interrupted at all. “The Valkyries know their duty – and will perform it, whatever the cost asked of them.”

"What is that cost, exactly?" Magenta asked suspiciously. "What is the part they should play in this… charade?"

"This is not a 'charade', Lord Freyr,” White retorted. "This is an alliance between the land of Aesgard and the land of Vanaheim. An alliance between our two clans, rendered official by the joining of our royal houses… And as it goes, in those circumstances, such joining has to be made through…"

"Marriage," Blue realised. The sudden understanding left him in shocked disbelief. The fact that nobody noticed the astonished expression on his features was simply due to the fact that everyone was watching Magenta's reaction – and the expression of surprise and dismay was far more obvious on his face than on Blue's. He turned a disapproving glance toward Destiny, while White was concurring with Blue's declaration with a quiet nod.

"Aye. The three heirs of Aesgard and three Valkyries will be united by matrimony. Thus the alliance between our two lands will be sanctioned."

"You sold our Valkyries in marriage to these Aesir savages?" Magenta accused Destiny heatedly.

"Watch your tongue, Lord Freyr," she answered quickly, before any of the Aesir could react to Magenta's words. As it was, both Scarlet and Ochre simply shrugged dismissively, as if the insult had no effect on them. White kept silent, watching intensely as the 'queen of Vanaheim' turned to her vassal, and with eyes flashing with anger, scolded him in the same tone he had used with her. "The three chosen Valkyries are of royal blood, and therefore should be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice to ensure the safety of our land. This is their duty, and they will do as they are required… And I will not suffer you to dispute my decisions."

Magenta scowled, his eyes blazing with barely contained anger. He then obviously calmed down, giving a deep sigh, and then bowed in front of Destiny, finally acknowledging her ruling. "As always, I'm at your service, my queen."

"These two are lovers." Blue heard Scarlet’s lilting whisper in his ear. "Just by the way they fight, you can feel it…"

Blue didn't care to voice his opinion on the matter. In 'real life', there were rumours spreading around Cloudbase about Destiny… Some to the effect that she might be involved with either Magenta or Grey – or others stating that she might still be in love with Scarlet, with whom she had been romantically involved, some years ago. There was nothing certain about that aspect of her life – she was always an extrovert girl, and very caring, but also could prove very secretive and personal when she decided to be. Her private life was her own, and she probably figured that nobody else had any business knowing any of it. Aside from the Angels – and even there – Scarlet was probably the person who was closest to her, and maybe he would know about her private life, but it was doubtful she would confide in him – or that he would repeat whatever he might know. He was far too discreet – and he had too much respect for Destiny and the friendship they shared to betray her.

But in this present setting, it was far different. Perhaps Scarlet was unconsciously voicing something he did know from ‘real life’. In this world, Blue was realising, even if things were different, he couldn't escape noticing that there were some similarities… uncomfortable similarities that he would have to investigate further. It made him more and more convinced that the Mysterons might very well be behind this absurd situation.

"Is this settled then?" White's booming voice suddenly enquired, pulling Blue from his reverie. “I wish for this matter to be fully resolved before the night is over. Lady Freyja, if there are no more protests from your vassal…”

“The last protest, Lord Odin, comes from me, as well as from Lord Freyr,” Destiny answered. “We would like to see that the Valkyries are well, if you would not mind.”

“Even if I did mind, you would insist in this demand of yours, is it not so, my lady?” White asked with a deep frown. “Nevertheless, I will grant your demand – for I had already decided, long before you asked it. By this, I will show you my good faith.”

He made a grand gesture toward the closed double doors. All eyes turned in that direction, as two guards standing there pulled on the carved wooden handles and opened the doors wide. There was a commotion from the hallway beyond – and a group of Aesir warriors finally entered, straining on long chains, towing and pushing inside three shackled and chained women dressed in dirty and torn rags, which had very recently been rich garments.

If, up to now, Blue had been amazed by all he had witnessed, this new scene gave him the worst shock yet. He watched helplessly as the three young women were forced to march towards the throne, dragged and pushed, struggling furiously to get free, and kept at bay from their tormentors, whom they were trying to reach. At least – two of them were struggling with fury, while the third was merely trying to keep up without falling, her long, and now dishevelled, red hair falling into her face, which displayed an expression as confused as could be, looking around her in total dismay.

Blue’s heart missed a beat, as he realised that Rhapsody probably understood far less than he did himself about the situation, considering that she had not benefited from Doctor Fawn’s briefing. He also felt a pang of disgust, for the way she was being treated, along with her two companions – whom he recognised instantly, despite their unkempt outlook, and the ferocious expressions distorting their beautiful, dirty faces. They were Melody – and his beloved Symphony. And the way the Aesir warriors were laughing at their vain efforts to resist was enough to revolt him.

“Lord Odin,” he called over the clamouring laughter of those surrounding him, and turning towards White, who was still seated on his throne, watching the Valkyries approach without a single emotion apparent on his set face. “This is outrageous! Is this a proper way to treat those who will be our allies?”

As he said these words, he could see the look of utmost revulsion displayed on both Magenta and Destiny’s faces change slightly to one of gratitude as they stared at him. He even caught sight of Grey bowing his – slight – approbation to his outburst. He stepped down from the dais, just as the Angels – or Valkyries, as they were in this setting – were forced to stop in front of the throne.

Rhapsody nearly lost her footing, and, trying to pull away from the warrior she nearly fell onto, bumped into someone who was standing right behind her. She felt strong hands grabbing her arms. When she turned around, it was to gaze right into the pallid face of the man she knew as Captain Black, staring implacably at her. She gave a gasp of horror and surprise and, freeing herself from his grip, backed away to escape him. Her feet entangled themselves in the shackles around her ankles and she fell backward, nearly onto Blue’s legs. He caught hold of her before she reached the floor and pulled her up. He could see the lost look in her eyes and, before she had a chance to push him away, he leaned to whisper discreetly in her ear:

“Don’t worry, Dianne, I’m here…”

“A-Adam?” she gasped with relief. She had heard him, despite the surrounding clamour, and he heard her. She looked in confusion at him. “My God, Adam… that’s Captain Black standing there…”

“He’s not what he seems,” Blue murmured again. “At least, I don’t think so…”

“What is going on? Where…”

He frowned a warning as he felt a presence approaching him from behind and the laughter was dying down. “Play along,” he recommended. “I’ll explain later…”

“I don’t understand…” Those were the last words Rhapsody was able to pronounce as her eyes suddenly grew wide with a new surprise at discovering who was now standing behind Blue, with such a totally outlandish appearance.

“The Valkyrie’s reaction is quite understandable,” Captain Scarlet declared, pulling Blue slightly aside to stand in front of Rhapsody. “Aye, our friend Loki is certainly not a reassuring sight…” He narrowed his eyes, looking down with interest at the young woman, who could do nothing but stare at him, open-mouthed. “Her expression is similar to the one you had earlier, Hodur… Lost and confused… What happened to the two of you in those mountains?”

“You savage!” Blue turned around to face the furious expression of Melody, who was now trying to reach him. “What have you done to our sister?”

“Quiet!” White bellowed from his throne, as Melody’s vain efforts to attack Blue were drawing another gale of laughter. Silence followed instantly, and even Melody quietened down. “Both Lord Hodur and Lady Nanna have been through horrendous experiences, during their journey back from the Ice Mountains… Of which, all that we know is that they were attacked by wolves, although we suspect there was more to it.”

“Sire, Lord Hodur does not remember most of his journey,” Ochre said, by way of explanation.

“And neither, it seems, does the Valkyrie Nanna,” White interrupted him before he could continue. “But that mystery will have to wait. What I would like to know now is: who is responsible for the disgraceful display we have just witnessed?”

“You mean to say, Lord Odin, that you were not aware of this?” Magenta asked with a deep, doubtful frown. “You did not order the Valkyries to be brought here in chains?”

“I certainly did not. Now, whose bright idea was this? Was it yours, Thor?”

The growl from White was accusing, and ominous enough, but it didn’t seem to impress the red-haired warrior that much. “Not me, Sire,” he retorted with a shrug.

“Balder? Did you give that order?”

“Nay, my lord,” Scarlet replied. “But it is not difficult to imagine from whom this idea comes, since he was present a second ago… Probably enjoying his latest trick.”

“Loki,” growled White again, almost spitting. “This would be quite like him… Come forward, Loki!”

Everyone looked around the room for the culprit; but he seemed to have disappeared, taking advantage of the confusion. Blue could have kicked himself. He had let Black get out of his sight for only a minute or two. He wondered if he had not caused the commotion exactly for that reason.

“I should have known,” White muttered. “As soon as his evil deed was done, the trickster would vanish until such time as to start again…”

“My lord,” Ochre then said, taking a step forward, “In Loki’s defence, I must admit that it is an inspired and prudent idea.” He won a withering look from White as well as from Magenta and Destiny, but didn’t seem to care. He smiled mischievously. “Look how fierce these women are. They would kill any of us if they had the chance…”

“I would certainly kill you, bastard prince,” Melody declared suddenly, pulling to get to him. "Just remove these chains and…”

“Now, Lady Sif,” Ochre said with a mocking grin, walking to stand in front of her. “You already made that promise to me earlier. Do not worry; you will get all my attention later on. That is my promise.”

"Why wait so long, my lord?" Melody replied between clenched teeth. "Come right now, give me a sword – and I will give you what you so rightly deserve."

Ochre raised a brow in mocking amusement. "You would cut my head right off, if I gave you a sword…"

"Aye. And hang it on the saddle of my mare, as a trophy…" Melody scoffed. "That is MUCH more respect than you presently offer us Valkyries."

Murmurs and chuckles greeted her challenge. White, on his throne, raised an enquiring brow, while Scarlet started laughing out loud. "Why, Thor, it would seem you found a spirit as boisterous as yours – perhaps too boisterous?" He grinned wickedly, looking in appreciation at Melody, then down at Rhapsody who was still staring up at him in shocked silence. "I wonder if you will be able to handle her – mayhap I should take her myself. The redhead might be more suitable for you…"

"Not on your life, brother,” Ochre answered before either Rhapsody or Melody could utter what would no doubt sound like an acerbic protest or insult. "And beside, you might learn before long that redheads are quite a handful – I should know."

"Aye… so you should. ’Tis to be considered…" mused Scarlet. His smile widened, and he raised a mocking brow while glancing in the direction of Blue, who had his eyes set on a silent, but fuming, Symphony. "But I still prefer blondes… The Lady Iduna would be to my liking…"

"What are you all on?" Rhapsody whispered, opening eyes wide with astonishment. Scarlet simply raise a questioning brow, but didn't reply. He didn't have time, anyway.

"Try to touch me, you arrogant son of a swine,” Symphony snapped angrily before Blue could react to Scarlet's obvious tease, "and I promise you will lose something that you -"

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Obviously annoyed by the increasingly chaotic scene, White jumped onto his feet, and hit the floor forcefully with the stave end of his spear. The loud sound echoed throughout the Hall. “I have heard enough nonsense for one evening! Remember where you are! This is the Hall of the Gatherings, not a fighting arena! The next one who utters such foolishness will be thrown into the wolves’ den! And do not think that I would not do it!” Silence had already fallen in the Hall and nobody dared to answer White’s menacing threat. He grunted with satisfaction and turned to Ochre, Scarlet and Blue now looking at him with attention. “Heirs of Aesgard, it is not for you to decide which of the Valkyries you will be betrothed to. The choice rests with Lady Freyja and myself.”

“And we will choose wisely.” Those were Destiny’s first words since the Valkyries’ arrival a few minutes earlier. For some reason, she had kept quiet up until now, observing the scene with considerable interest. The Valkyries turned to her, and both Melody and Symphony were glaring at her with obvious resentment in their features while Rhapsody still looked as lost as previously. The nearby presence of the tall barbarian – who looked so much like Paul, but who was nothing like him – was making her feel more uncomfortable than she cared to admit.

Fortunately, Adam was there as well – the real Adam and not some strange barbarian look-alike as the others were. And despite the fact that he was dressed like all the others, he was acting in the same way as the old reliable Adam. That, at least, was reassuring.

“Lady Freyja,” White said, stepping down from the dais, “may we rely on your Valkyries’ acceptance of the terms of our agreement – or will they dare to disobey you?”

"They will disregard their personal feelings and obey my orders." There was a flash of warning in Destiny's eyes as she stared back at both Melody and Symphony. "I am their queen, and their leader in battle. They might not like it, but they will perform their duty as it is demanded of them, for the greater good of Vanaheim." She marked a short pause, before adding promisingly: “…Or I, myself, will push them into that wolves’ den.”

There was a short moment of hesitation from the 'Valkyries' but then, after exchanging glances, they acknowledged Destiny's words with a slight nod. Defiance was still apparent in their eyes, but their submission to their queen's decision seemed enough to satisfy White. He gave a loud guffaw in obvious appreciation of Destiny’s last words and, pushing his spear into Blue’s hands so he could hold it for him, he snatched two goblets from the hands of two nearby warriors and walked meaningfully to the younger woman.

“You are a woman after my own heart, Lady Freyja.” He offered her one of the vessels with a poised gesture and a courtesy that almost – almost – reminded Blue of the man’s real persona. “Let us seal this alliance between our lands with a pledge – and sanctify it with the joining of our two houses.”

“My Valkyries are now your Valkyries, Lord Odin,” Destiny answered with a slight bow. “And they will obey you as they obey me. They are the best mounted warriors you will ever find in all the combined lands of Aesgard and Vanaheim.”

“Aye, that they are. And as the spouses of my heirs, they will be considered as my daughters. And all of your people are now my people, and shall be treated as equal to any Aesir and given the same protection by my warriors. This I solemnly swear – my queen.” He raised his own goblet to the assembly, and declaimed in a loud voice: “Let it be heard and understood that from this day forward, the lands of Aesgard and Vanaheim are now to be considered as one land. One people. One force against our common enemies, the Ice Giants. And when the day does come, we will crush those malevolent fiends, once and for all, and drive them away from our lands and back to the darkness from whence they came! Together!”

There came the potent noise of the banging of weapons, and shouts of ‘Hail Odin!’, ‘Hail Aesgard!’ and even ‘Hail Vanaheim!’ and ‘Death to the Ice Giants!’ from all around the room. The warriors sprang to their feet, raising their tankards and swords. Blue looked around in wonder – and almost dread, as the last lacquer of civilisation seemed to completely vanish in that short instant. He could see that Rhapsody was not keen either at finding herself in the middle of such a furious and frantic company, and she stared at him with a pleading look. He gave her a brief nod of encouragement.

But in fact, he didn’t feel as confident as he would have liked to feel, or as he was trying to appear.

* * *

Barely an hour had passed since the end of the meeting; Blue was now in his chamber – Hodur’s chamber – pacing around nervously and rehearsing what he had learned so far. What he knew wouldn’t fill a book, and that was exasperating; what was more, although the present state of affairs – within this world – was starting to make a more comprehensive picture, he was as much in the dark as before as to how and why it even existed.

He wished he could use a pen and a paper to write down his discoveries so far – that would make it far easier to concentrate, but true to form, neither of those two simple and very common objects was on hand here. So he’d have to make do without them.

Fact: After a malfunction, all of the personnel on Cloudbase were stuck in a fantasy world born out of a 3D game that was running in the Room of Sleep – transformed into an FX Room for the occasion. What had caused it to malfunction, and why everyone was affected, was still a mystery. Yet, apparently, the incident had caused everyone to forget their real lives and to embrace this new reality, and believe it to be the only one they’d ever known. The effects went as far as to erase everything that they knew before, creating a complete set of memories, knowledge and behaviour that were previously alien to ‘the victims’ –

A complete brainwash…

Fact: Normal 3D games were played at the subconscious level, by imposing images, sounds and feelings on the players so as to give the appearance of reality. From what Blue knew of those games, it was still very tricky to create suitable and complete realism for some of the human senses. If sight and hearing were easily tricked, touch was a little dodgy, and it could still happen that simple contact with a badly configured ‘wall’ would cause the game to collapse. Additionally, even the most sophisticated game could not render the sense of smell perfectly, and as far as Blue knew, there was no way at all to influence taste in these games… Which was not the case in this particular situation: everything was – or at least seemed – as real as in real life itself. Dust would make you choke; ale did have a taste and could even make you feel dizzy. Those were not normal conditions for any ordinary 3D game.

Which would imply that this is far more than an ‘ordinary game’…

Fact: This world was apparently loosely based on Norse mythology – except that it had been brought to a more ‘realistic’ level – so to speak – and with some subtle differences. Blue’s memories of those legends were coming back to him slowly, and he did recall that in some more obscure myths, there had been a mention of a war between Aesgard and Vanaheim… A war that had ended up with the two peoples finally making peace and joining together – but in none of those legends was there mention of the Valkyries ever being on the side of Vanaheim. Speaking of which…

Observation: Each of the senior staff members was seemingly ‘assigned’ a key role in this three-dimensional Nordic play. For the vast majority of them, and as far as Blue was able to assess, those roles had been given according to each ‘participant’s’ personality – and were reflections of what they were in real life. The Angels, surely enough, had been transformed into the Valkyries here – with Destiny, their generally acknowledged leader, becoming Freyja, the first rider of the Valkyries and ruler of the Vanir. Magenta was ‘her brother’ Freyr – or at least, her front, if not actually her consort. Blue remembered that the legends also gave Freyr the name of Fricco – which, oddly enough in this reality, while it was an alien detail to the myths, had been used for a period of Freyr’s life where he was a mere cattle thief – thus making Freyr a ‘reformed criminal’, as Magenta was in real life. Ochre had been transformed into the boisterous Thor – which didn’t seem like an odd choice when you thought of it; Lieutenant Green, the communications officer on Cloudbase, was Heimdall, ‘guardian of the entrance of Aesgard’ – the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge! and Colonel White, in a strange but logical twist of fate, had become Odin, ruthless ruler of all of Aesgard.

As for Captain Scarlet, he had been turned into Balder. If memory served Blue right, and if what he had heard so far concerning ‘Balder’ in this world was any indication, then Blue knew very well why Scarlet had been given that role…

So it would not be coincidence that all these people have been given those very specific roles… I don’t believe in coincidence. It would be far too convenient…

Which would mean that this whole fantasy world has been carefully planned all along…by an outside source.

And Blue had strong suspicions of who that outside source might be.

Clue: the unexpected presence of Captain Black, in the also very fitting role of Loki, renowned trickster and evil-doer of Aesgard legends, could not be a coincidence either.

Conclusion: this whole situation could very well be the work of the Mysterons.

The more he thought of it, the more Blue became convinced that this was indeed the case. It seemed the best and the most plausible explanation so far.

Well, they probably have the powers to actually carry out such a crazy scheme, don’t they? But why would they do that? Why go to such lengths to recreate such a world, and carefully put each of us into these specific roles?

Blue had no idea so far why he was Hodur in this set up, but there was certainly a reason. The Mysterons never did anything without reason…

Blue didn’t know if Fawn knew of Black’s presence. That was doubtful – he felt pretty sure that Fawn would have told him if he had known. This was not information he would have kept to himself – no matter the amount of interruption that might have prevented him from warning Blue.

He had to talk to Fawn; to tell him what he had learned – and to ask him if his suspicions about Scarlet were true. That was probably what he was trying to tell me, before we were interrupted by Scarlet himself…

Pretending that he required the physician Mimir’s help because he still didn’t feel too well, he had asked a warrior to fetch Fawn. But he was soon disappointed when the man returned to him, stating that he could not find him.

“He’s not in his quarters?” Blue asked with a puzzled tone.

The warrior – whom Blue remembered as a security guard from Cloudbase’s hangar bay, by the name of Norris – simply shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent fashion. “I looked everywhere, my lord. It seemed that the physician Mimir has disappeared.”

“Disappeared…” Blue repeated pensively, starting to pace around again.

“Maybe he joined the Vanir party who came to Aesgard?” Norris suggested. “After all, he is a Vane himself; he might have joined his people. Nothing would prevent him from doing so now.”

“Maybe,” Blue murmured. Maybe he’s trying to reach Rhapsody? No, she wouldn’t be with the Vanir party… She’d be kept with the other ‘Valkyries’ – at least, until they’re all delivered to their ‘betrotheds’

Blue knew that both ‘Odin’ and ‘Freyja’, following the last victory toast in the Hall, had retired together in private, in order to discuss that final detail, and were to reach a quick decision on this matter – tonight. Blue wasn’t comfortable with the thought that any of the young women