AUTHOR: Vyper

E-MAIL: vyper001@yahoo.com

RATING: NC17 for explicit violence, graphic sex, disturbing imagery and language

CATEGORY: SLASH (M/Other) m/m/f interaction; AU (Alternate Universe) & MT (Muldertorture)

KEYWORDS: M/M rape; implied child abuse

SPOILERS: Various episodes up to and including Pine Bluff Variant.

TIMELINE: After Pine Bluff Variant. Folie a Deux, The End and the Movie don't happen in my universe.

SUMMARY: Saved from almost certain death by a spell cast from another time and place, Mulder will have to draw on every ounce of courage just to survive. Along the way he'll encounter new friends and make new enemies, at times not knowing which is which.

DISCLAIMERS: CC, 1013 & FOX Network owns all the characters you recognize, the marvelous writers put the words in their mouths and the actions in their bodies and DD,GA & all the other wonderful actors bring them to life. No profit will be forthcoming from this labour of love & no infringement is intended.

ARCHIVE: Anywhere, just let me know so I can visit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a revised version of Holding Out For A Hero that I posted on MTA-Slash a couple of months ago. New scenes have been added and a few original characters re-written. Hopefully these changes have produced stronger plots and a more interesting narrative. 2 more chapters are in the pipeline and should be ready within a couple of months.

This story would not have existed without the constant and very generous support of my beta-reader CERULEAN BLUE, author of the wonderful Beyond The Vortex ( which you can also find at MulderTorture Anonymous-Slash) She continuously pushed me to continue the story and keep it as slash when I really thought it wouldn't work. Thanks for everything, mate.

FEEDBACK: Pretty, pretty please. I'd love to know that the last 14 months work wasn't a waste of time and hard-drive space.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO by Vyper

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PROLOGUE: Into My World

I am a woman in love
And I'll do anything
To get you into my world
And hold you within

A WOMAN IN LOVE
Barbra Streisand

CARTERIUS CASTLE
Some time in the past..or maybe the future...

The almost familiar chanting and long-forgotten odors drew Kaneesha down a long, dark corridor to an area of the castle she had heard about but never visited. As a child she had listened in amazed wonder as the old women in the kitchens, house-slaves since they were children themselves, told each other wild tales of magic and mystery, tales of strange creatures and things that she knew did not exist in her small, sheltered world. They spoke of such wondrous things as giant birds that flew through the air with people inside and that people were able to talk to each other even when they weren't in the same room, of pictures that also traveled through the air to be seen far from where they were sent. She remembered the servants whispering amongst themselves, brewing strange vile smelling potions whilst making plans for secret midnight meetings somewhere deep inside the massive castle.

As she approached the large wooden door at the end of the corridor, she wondered whether she was about to do the right thing, the doubt lasting only seconds as she recalled the nightmare that had woken her three nights before.

.....The image of her desire there in front of her in a dark, strange room surrounded by evil looking men all dressed in black. He was seated at a wooden table, his hands fastened by leather straps to it's dusty surface. One man sat across from him asking questions, expecting answers. Holding on to his left hand was another man who very frequently would twist the "prisoner's" finger, causing him to groan in agony and struggle in an attempt to escape the torture.

When she not only heard but also felt the agony of his smallest finger breaking for the second time and as she shared in his struggle to stay conscious, an involuntary wave of emotion flooded her, almost overwhelming her with a torrent of fear and love and sympathy. That wave ricocheted across the ether, spreading out at the speed of light until it encountered two minds capable of detecting and interpreting the information contained within. It traveled two vastly different distances in space in two particular directions-- across dozens of light-years of apparently empty vacuum, and hundreds of years of time to a mind that was normally on full alert for extreme possibilities, now dazed and battered almost into unconsciousness. The recipient registered a tingling sensation, one of empathy and love with a touch of concern as well. It washed over him and in its wake was the almost whisper of a soft, feminine voice, "It´s all right. I´m here. You are not alone..."

And barely six feet to the foot of her bed where her slave lay sleeping. He awoke immediately and sat up to stare at his mistress as she tossed and turned, a delighted smile creasing his youthful mouth and lighting up chocolate colored eyes. He didn't need to ask what had just happened, he had shared all of her dream, indeed he had opened the mind-bridge between them in the first place, not long after his arrival into her bed some two years before. However he did need to know what to do in order to assist her, if he acted inappropriately he would be punished and his only chance of getting what he lusted after for so long might be lost for all eternity. Better to just play it by ear and see what happens, he thought, and pray that she reacts in accordance with his plans.

"Fox...no...don't hurt him...let him be...." She cried out as she struggled to wake from the nightmare that engulfed her.

"M'Lady, wake up. It's all right." He talked to her in a near whisper, hoping to ease her up out of the darkness she was experiencing. He knew that she had had some sort of dream/vision a few years ago, but as she never talked much about it, he had no way of knowing whether they had dreamt of the same dark-haired stranger with the full pouting lips and curious, intelligent eyes. Upon hearing HIS name, he was certain that all three of them were linked in some mysterious way, were destined to one day meet.

She came awake quickly, sweat mingling with salty tears as they traced their way down her flushed face. Looking around, it took her a couple of minutes to adjust to the fact that she was lying in her bed inside her father's ancient castle, not standing in a strange place watching as the cruel men released the captive and, after covering his head with a dark hood, dragged him out of the room.

She saw Morten looking at her, his expression one of concern and fear.

"It was him, wasn't it, M'Lady?" he asked hesitantly. "The one you told me of soon after I arrived." He wished he could take credit for her dream, but for his plan to work, Lady Kaneesha had to believe she alone had the connection to Fox, that she was the nexus, the conduit, the source for the trinity that they were born to be. A strong feminine energy was needed for the summoning ritual to compliment and balance his own masculine karma.

She lowered her eyes, unwilling to face her servant, something she had never, ever done before. It was the slaves who were supposed to respectfully keep their eyes lowered but for some unknown reason she often acted outside of established protocol where Morten was concerned. It was almost as if he, a mere slave, a non-person, had some undefinable hold over her.

When she didn't answer he continued softly. "I saw what you did. I felt his pain. And yours."

At this admission, she raised her head, staring directly at him.

"It's only the second time I've dreamed of him. His name is Fox. I thought he wasn't real, a figment of my imagination."

"Oh he is real, M'Lady. As real as you or I."

"But who is Fox, where does he come from? I know he is in danger, but I don't know how or why I know."

"I can verify your feelings of concern for him. While you were still sleeping I had a glimpse of him, I think it was something yet to happen, but happen it will and soon."

Morten had risen from the floor and now sat on the edge of Kaneesha's bed, this new connection between them overriding thoughts of retribution from violating the master (or in this case, mistress)/ slave relationship.

Kaneesha moved over to one side, allowing him to lay beside her.

"I want you to tell me everything, leave nothing out." She commanded in a quiet, firm voice.

"He was kneeling on the ground beside the man who had been asking him those questions. A man was standing behind them holding something pointed at their heads. It was small and black. I don't know what it is called but I know what its purpose is. The closest I can compare it to is a crossbow, but it fires small metal balls instead of arrows. The next image is of him and two men both carrying these weapons walking through a strange looking forest. I can see wood but it looks strange, it's so straight, no branches, no small green leaves, just large milky white foliage. The last thing I saw was the man lowering himself to his knees again..."

"Are you telling me Fox is going to die? When will this happen, how do we stop it?" Kaneesha had no idea why she thought, no, KNEW that she and Morten could prevent tragedy from occurring, that she could save this man's life. She just knew that she had to try....

The creaking of the little-used door startled Kaneesha out of her recollections and she turned to see Morten standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple black robe. He gestured for her to cross the threshold and enter the tiny, shadow-filled room. The little light available came from dozens of richly scented candles placed randomly around the chamber. In the center stood a table which held various bowls, half unrolled scrolls and other items Kaneesha didn't recognize. Directly under the table, covering a large part of the gray stone floor was an intricate, many pointed star design, outlined in blackest charcoal and made up of numerous pictures and symbols. Against the furthermost wall was a low cot covered in thick animal furs. Morten guided her toward it and said very softly, "M'Lady, you need to remove your gown. We need to start the ritual. He doesn't have much time."

Morten had spent most of the previous night explaining the ancient ritual to his mistress, knowing that she would not understand many of the references, words and phrases he would use. That would not be a problem, however, all he really required of Kaneesha was her belief and faith in his ability to pull Fox through the web of invisible energy that surrounds all things, both animate and inanimate alike. A belief that she had in such abundance it seemed to seep from every pore of her young body. He would collect and channel the infinite energy through himself, lowering it´s vibrational rate to a level that someone as inexperienced as Kaneesha would be able to accept safely. Even using himself as a filter, Morten was unsure as to whether she would be able to tolerate the powerful energy that would course through her. He had seen many apprentice magi in his childhood suffer permanent injuries as a result of being unable to channel the forces properly, even with years of training and guidance under the watchful eye of a Master Magician. Given a choice he would have refused to perform the ceremony, however his mistress had made it quite clear that she was more than willing to expose his abilities to her father.

He turned his back, pretending to occupy himself preparing the various herbs and potions he would use to open and strengthen the link between his mistress, the stranger and himself. In truth, he was giving her as much privacy as he could under the unusual circumstances. He had only performed the drawing ceremony once before as a young child and then he had the support and guidance of the village elders. Today it would all depend on him, whether this stranger and in return, Kaneesha, lived or died.

Sensing that his mistress had disrobed and laid down on the bed, he turned around, shedding his own robe, and revealing that he had already marked various parts of his body with dyes he had made from wild herbs in accordance with the ritual.

Morten began chanting rhythmically in an ancient, guttural tongue, swaying from side to side at an ever increasing rate. A pure white mist soon formed around him. He slowly raised his hands upwards, the mist rising as he did so, to coalesce above his head. With one final chant, the mist curved, forming a perfect, vibrant rainbow, it´s seven colors clearly defined in broad bands two or three inches wide.

As he continued to chant in a soft melodic voice, Morten made complex movements with his hands, twisting them above his head as he stood over his supine mistress. The rainbow of light begun to flow downwards. It entered him as a beam of intertwined colors, like strands of a rope, almost too vibrant to look upon. He accepted the power, distributing it throughout his body. He felt the energy coursing through his veins and it was quite a struggle to gain control over it, and then to contain it, to filter it to a low enough vibrational rate so that he could direct it to Kaneesha. As the beam left his body and penetrated hers it was still red but a much softer, lighter hue, almost a pastel shade that was easy on the eye. However, Kaneesha´s untrained body shuddered violently as the unfamiliar force invaded her body, flooding her entire being before Morten directed it down the invisible link connecting Kaneesha and Fox.

As the ritual continued, Fox came into focus in Morten´s mind. It was like looking down a long, dark tunnel with a small pinpoint of light at the furthermost end. Fox knelt in that circle of light, his hands clasped behind his back, staring straight ahead in a calm, brave defiance of his impending death. As the energy beam reached him, he breathed in deeply, his body twitching as it accepted the energy without hesitation, without the apparent pain that Kaneesha was experiencing. *Oh Holy Creator,* prayed Morten, *He is handling the channeling power as naturally as if he was merely breathing.*

Soon all three were linked by the light, the colors fading in intensity from Morten to Kaneesha to Mulder.

Morten wanted nothing more than to collapse where he stood, his body awash with sweat, his mind and spirit totally exhausted from the ritual but the most dangerous part was yet to come. Now that he was joined to Fox via Kaneesha he had to use that fragile connection to draw Mulder´s body and soul to him, to the casting chamber. One without the other was no good for either Morten or Fox. Mulder was asking many questions, wanting, no, demanding to know what was happening. Morten invoked a spell to shield himself from Mulder in order to concentrate.

"Fox, listen to me carefully. I am Morten. You are in grave danger. I am here to help you. I want you to focus straight in front of you, concentrate very hard and you should see a tunnel with a light at the far end. Blink if you can see it... Good now all you have to do is imagine yourself moving down the tunnel toward the light. The light is safety, the light is home. Come to the light Fox."

Morten could feel resistance from Fox, not doubt but unwillingness to trust a stranger, regardless that the stranger was communicating directly to his very soul. Mulder was shocked into compliance by a loud, sharp bang and he fell forward. Some ancient, prehistoric part of Fox´s mind decided that it was better to flee than fight, and he was pulled along the dark path from which the comforting light and peaceful voice came.

As Fox reached a point approximately halfway along the tunnel, a blinding flash of light spread instantaneously through the formally semi-darkened chamber, followed almost simultaneously by an enormous peel of thunder. Morten reacted instinctively, placing one hand over his eyes to block out the penetrating light. When he removed his hand only a second later, Fox was gone, only the rapidly fading outline of his aura as evidence that he had formally occupied that bit of the cosmos.

END OF PROLOGUE

CONTINUED IN HOFAH1: Fight The Rising Odds