As the sun reaches its peak in the sky, light shines down and into the barn, lighting up the stall where Cora and the horses lay. Cora rubs her eyes as the sun lights up her face. Sitting up, Cora looks around the stall and see's Ragnar and Gisli eating hay, while the baby foal is curled up next to Cora's side.
Cora pets the bridge of the foals nose, and the foal opens its eyes and raises its head at Cora. Smiling at the foal, Cora strokes it's mane a few times before slowly standing up. Ragnar and Gisli turn and huff at Cora.
"I'll be back to check on you three later." Cora says as she opens the stall door that leads to the main part of the barn. As Cora exits the stall, she see's something in her peripheral vision, turning her head Cora slightly jumps as she see's Heimdall standing at the barns entrance.
"Sorry, for startling you miss Cora, but you are needed to the great hall." Heimdall says, and then begins to exit the barn. Quietly Cora follows behind Heimdall as they make their way back to the castle.
As Cora re-enters the castle, the rest of the recruits are still half asleep and come around the corner heading for the great hall as well.
"Where were you at?" Peter asks as Cora walks next to him. Cora looks over at him and watches as he rubs his eyes a few times before looking at her.
"Helping out with some chores in the barn." Cora lies, not wanting anyone to know the real reason she was in the barn.
"Honestly, they should have you sleep in there. You're not one of us, so you shouldn't be around us." Ruby taunts as she turns around and stops walking.
As Cora walks around Ruby, Ruby steps in front of her. Cora squares her shoulders and stares Ruby down.
"Move." Is all Cora says, Ruby looks at her and laughs.
"Or what?" Ruby taunts, and then laughs.
"I don't want to use force to get you out of the way, so just move." Cora warns, Ruby continues to laugh at Cora, and everyone just watches them.
"You'd destroy the whole castle before getting your hands on me." Ruby says, Cora just stares at her.
"Like I said, I don't want to use force, so just move." Cora warns again.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Ruby says and crosses her arms, Cora shakes her head and tries to step around her. But, Ruby steps in front of her again.
"I said move, Ruby." Cora practically shouts in her face. Ruby's eyes narrow, and she laughs again.
"I don't think so." Ruby says and tries to grab Cora. As Ruby tries to grab Cora, Cora raises her hand and slaps her across the face.
Everyone gasps and Ruby looks at Cora in shock. Squaring her shoulders, Cora steps around Ruby, but stops just at her shoulder.
"I told you I didn't want to use force. But, you gave me no choice. You may put up a tough girl front around everyone, but deep down I know your terrified of me. Let's not forget, I was the bad guy in your nightmare reality. So, don't test me. Or next time it'll be more than a simple slap to the face." Cora warns, and walks away from Ruby, as she walks close to the others, they move out of her way.
"Now all of you know, do not mess with her." Heimdall says leaning against the wall closest to the great hall. Cora passes by Heimdall and he simply nods to her, Cora nods back before entering the great hall.
Taking a seat at the table positioned in the middle of the great hall, Cora watches as Peter enters and sits by her, Olivia and Andre do the same thing. Ruby and the other three, sit as far away from them as they can manage.
"Heimdall, where is everyone?" Cora asks as she looks around and see's no sign of the royals or the warriors. Heimdall keeps his gaze on the windows at the back of the great hall.
"Their Majesties and Highnesses, were called away on urgent business as were the warriors." Heimdall says as he turns his gaze to the recruits.
"So, then what are we doing?" Peter asks curiously.
"Their Highnesses and Majesties have given me instruction for today. You will be completing a new punishment at their request. Since some of you want glory and heroism, I'm tasked with having you all see what can happen when things go to your head." Heimdall says, everyone looks back and forth at each other and then back at Heimdall.
"What do you mean by having us see what can happen?" Olivia asks, as she looks at Heimdall and then looks at the table.
"You will all see, everyone up and follow me to the Observatory." Heimdall says as he begins to walk out of the great hall.
"We don't get to eat anything before we do this? You know we all just woke up." Andre practically cries out.
"Their Highnesses said all of you may eat, after this punishment is complete. Now, everyone follow me to the Observatory." Heimdall says as he exits the great hall.
"This isn't fair. Rebuilding the village should have been enough punishment." Xander says as he gets up from the table and stays a good distance away from Cora and those in her group.
"Wonder what we have to do now." Peter wonders, as he walks next to Cora. Shrugging her shoulders, Cora keeps her eyes forward as she follows Heimdall back outside.
"Everyone, please keep up. We have a schedule to keep." Heimdall says as everyone follows behind him. Everyone slowly walks through the village, and surveys the remaining damage.
"Still a lot to do." Peter quietly says, Cora slightly nods her head. As they approach the rainbow bridge everyone starts to feel a strange sense of uncertainty.
"I've got a bad feeling about whatever it is we are about to do." Olivia says as she walks next to Cora.
"Something doesn't seem right. It's too quiet for this time of the day." Andre says from beside Peter.
As the recruits all step into the Observatory, Heimdall walks up to the podium where his sword waits in the Bifrost transporter.
"Before we get on with the punishment. Can anyone tell me what happened after his Highness Thor fought off the Frost-giants that had come into Asgard?"Heimdall asks and looks out at the recruits.
None of the recruits immediately raise their hand. Cora waits a few moments before raising her hand. Heimdall looks at her and then looks down and shakes his head.
"Does anyone other than Miss Cora know the answer?" Heimdall says and waits to see if any other recruit raises their hand, none of them do. Heimdall nods to Cora and allows her to answer the question.
"Thor, the Warriors, and Loki all traveled to Jotunheim and Thor tried to exact revenge on the Frost-Giants for invading Asgard." Cora answers, Heimdall nods with approval.
"Correct. Now as for your punishment, you will all be subjected to keeping each other alive, and out of harms way. You will also see what the consequences could be if you disobey orders again." Heimdall says and then turns his sword in the Bifrost.
The beam of light rains down on the recruits and shoots them up into the sky and away from the Observatory. It takes only but a second for the recruits to be transported. As the light rains down on the ground, the recruits all gasp once the light disappears around them.
"Where the hell are we?" Ruby asks taking in the cold, icy, desolate space around them. Cora gasps and her eyes go wide as she realizes where they are. Everyone turns and looks at her with questioning expressions.
"What is it, Cora?" Peter asks as he places a hand on her shoulder. She looks at him with wide terror filled eyes.
"We're on Jotunheim." Cora answers as she looks around.
"Well, well, well what do we have here? A group of young Asgardian warriors that have seemed to have lost their way." A maniacally evil sounding voice says from behind the recruits.
The recruits all turn toward the voice and jump back, as they see about twelve Frost-Giants standing behind them.
"Keep your distance, we don't want any trouble." Cora says, the Frost-Giants look at her and laugh.
"Oh, but you see. That is where you are wrong. You've already made trouble, by landing on our realm. And now you must pay for that." A female Frost-Giant says. Tightening their group, the recruits try to stay huddled together.
"You want a fight, we'll give you a fight." Ruby says and lunges forward at the Frost-Giants. All the other recruits gasp.
"No, Ruby!" Cora and Peter both say, just as Ruby lands in front of the female Frost-Giant. As Ruby lands, the Frost-Giant strikes Ruby in the chest with her arm, which sends Ruby flying back toward the recruits.
"Ow! Damn they are strong." Ruby says taking in a ragged breath as she slowly gets to her feet. Derek and Xander grab hold of Ruby and pull her into the middle of the huddle.
"Get them." The main male Frost-Giant says and points to the group. The Frost-Giants charge at the recruits.
"Olivia, open a portal under their feet." Cora says, and watches as a portal forms right under the Frost-Giants. All of the Frost-Giants fall into the portal, and then fall through a second portal in the sky and then back into the original portal.
"How long do you want me to hold them open for?" Olivia asks, Cora looks at her and then back at the falling Frost-Giants.
"Close them, now." Cora says just as the Frost-Giants fall from the portal in the sky and back down to the ground. All of the Frost-Giants land on the ground and make the ground start to quake.
"You will most certainly pay for that." The female Frost-Giant says as she gets up from the ground.
"Sadie, brain scramble." Cora says, the recruits watch as the Frost-Giants all become dizzy as they try to get up but fall back to the ground.
One of the Frost-Giants quickly pounds their fist into the ground and ends up cracking the ground under the recruits feet. Sadie loses concentration as she falls to the ground. With the recruits on the ground, the Frost-Giants run up on the recruits and begin to attack them.
"Everyone spread out." Peter yells as the Frost-Giants close in on the recruits. All of the recruits roll back on to their feet and start to defend themselves against the Frost-Giants.
"You Asgardians, think that just because you are higher up than us Frost-Giants, you can do whatever you want. Well, we will show you otherwise." The main female Frost-Giant taunts.
All of the recruits face off against one or two Frost-Giants at a time. Some of the recruits use their powers, others try hand to hand combat to try and subdue the Frost-Giants. Just as Cora begins to over take the Frost-Giant she is fighting, he gets the upper hand and pins her up against a wall of ice.
"There is something off about you, Asgardian. You smell of Frost-Giant and Asgardian, what are you?" The male Frost-Giant questions. Cora struggles to get free from the Frost-Giants grip, but manages to free her arm.
"I'm an Avenger." Cora says and gives an uppercut under the Frost-Giants chin. The force of the uppercut sends the Frost-Giant flying across the icy ground.
"Derek, see if you can get a big enough lightning strike to take these giants down." Cora yells, and watches as Derek stares up into the sky. As Derek focuses, the sky begins to light up with multiple lightning strikes. All at once, every lightning strike rains down from the sky and on to the Frost-Giants. The Frost-Giants all crash to the ground.
"Alright, let's get out of here." Olivia says, and makes her way to the Bifrost landing pad. All the other recruits make their way over to it and look up at the sky.
"Heimdall, bring us back to Asgard." Cora says up to the sky, but nothing happens, all of the recruits look at each other in fear.
"What if the punishment wasn't just to fight Frost-Giants, what if we have to be stuck here for a while?" Andre mindlessly asks.
"What do we do, Cora?" Sadie looks at Cora and asks, Cora gives her a questioning look.
"Why are you asking me, you always follow whatever Ruby does?" Cora asks as she looks between all of the recruits.
"You know more about the realms than any of us. You must have read something about how to get out of here." Olivia says, Cora looks at her with surprised eyes.
"This is all starting to feel like a weird drea—." Cora begins to say then stops and thinks about it.
"What is it?" Peter asks, Cora looks at him and then around where everyone stands.
"No way. They are smart to trick us like this." Cora says slightly laughing as she shakes her head.
"What the hell is funny?" Ruby asks as she puts her hands on her hips.
"They are tricking us." Cora says and everyone gasps.
"What do you mean? You are making zero sense Cora." Sadie says giving her an annoyed look.
"It's a fake reality. We're not really here, this is all in our heads." Cora says moving away from everyone as she walks away from the group and searches for something.
"What are you looking for?" Peter shouts to Cora. Cora looks back to the group.
"A way out. Remember what we're supposed to do if we get caught in an untrue reality?" Cora asks and all the recruits gasp.
As Cora searches the perimeter of Jotunheim for a way out, a heavy feeling comes over her, and she falls to the ground.
"Loki, stop! This is maddness." Cora vaguely hears Thor yell.
"Thor, Loki?" Cora asks as she sits up on the icy ground.
Cora watches as Loki's eyes narrow and his mouth goes slack as he stares down his brother. Watching as anger fuels his adrenaline, Cora see's Loki lunge at his brother to attack and lets out a loud blood curdling scream. Elbowing Thor in the stomach, and ramming him into the ground, Loki jumps on top of him and starts punching Thor in the face.
"Loki, stop. Why are you doing this?" Cora screams.
"You! What are you doing here?" Loki demanded in between punches. As Loki raises his bloodied fist to deliver another blow Thor spoke the words that Loki already partly knew. And Cora gasps in shock at what she hears.
"It is my fault she is here." Thor yells with his hands up in front of his face, Loki's fist stops just inches from Thor's face.
"How am I seeing this?" Cora asks herself.
"Repeat that." Loki says, Cora watches as Loki's eyes go wide with shock, and he lowers his fist and grabs Thor by the chest and hoists him up from the ground and pushes him up against a cliff side. Cora takes in a sharp breath as she watches the scene unfold in front of her.
"Brother, please I am sorry. I never meant for this to happen. The night everything happened, I followed you, I did not know what I was going to find. When I saw the two of you together, I ran to tell father and he sent the guards after you. I did not know he would send her away." Thor explains, Loki throws him away from the cliff side and back onto the icy ground.
"You! It was you who had Caitriona ripped away from me and brought to this volatile, desolate excuse of a planet? And all you can think to tell me is that you are sorry." Loki screams. Cora watches as Loki stands over Thor and grabs the knife from inside his coat pocket. As she watches the knife be hoisted in the air, Cora watches with wide shock filled eyes as Loki prepares to give Thor an even blow to the one that had been dealt to him. As the knife is thrusted down, and the blow about to be handed over, an angelic voice pulls Loki out of his fury fueled rage.
"Caitriona?" Cora says questioningly as she continues to watch the scene unfold in front of her.
"Loki! Please, do not do this, you are better than this." A dark hooded silhouette of a figure approaches and says weakly.
"Caitriona, is it truly you?" Loki turns around and asks, hesitating with the knife in his hand, still in his fury filled mind state.
Just as the hooded figure is about to reveal itself, the scene completely disappears from in front of Cora.
"Cora? Are you alright, what happened?" Peter yells as he comes up next to her.
"I fell and hit my head." Cora lies as Peter holds out his hand for Cora to take. Cora takes his hand and pulls herself up from the ground.
"Maybe we should get you back to the group." Peter suggests and gestures back toward the group.
"We have to find that way out." Cora says as she walks toward the cliff side, and starts looking at everything around her to try and find a reflective surface.
Looking over the cliff side, Cora's eyes go wide with excitement as she finds what she's looking for.
"Peter, get the others. I found our way out." Cora turns and says to Peter, who nods at her and rushes back to the group.
"You will pay for destroying my people." A raspy voice says from behind Cora. Cora turns and see's a Frost-Giant standing a few feet from her.
The Frost-Giant charges at Cora and with quick thinking, Cora moves out of the way. The Frost-Giant ends up running off the side of the cliff.
"Did you actually find it, or are you playing us?" Ruby blurts out as the others approach the cliff side.
"Yeah, I found it." Cora says and points over and to the bottom of the cliff side.
"You're not serious. You really expect us to jump off a cliff?" Sadie asks dumbfounded.
"It's the only place that has any type of reflective surface." Cora says as she looks at the group.
"You expect us to jump, then why don't you go first?" Ruby asks the deviousness clear in her voice.
"Fine." Cora says as she backs up to the edge of the cliff. She takes one last look at all the recruits before stepping off the cliffs edge.
"Seriously, Ruby?" Cora can hear Peter yell out just before she lands in the water at the bottom of the cliff.