Renegades: A New Dawn

by Primal WolfBlood

In Part 3 of The Renegade Chronicles, follow the Renegades as they try and recover from the shocking end to The Renegade Revolution, and continue their lives with more action and suspense than ever before, as they learn who the true enemies are, and finally confront Segolia once and for all, to end their clash with each other.

57. Year of the Fox

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter LVII: Year of the Fox

Following the duel, a beaming Astrid was backstage, having her first champion's photoshoot. As the photos were taken, Maddy and the rest of the club watched her, first posing with the title over her shoulder then holding it straight out in her hands to the camera. As it continued, all anyone could think of was how much she had earned the title. With the exception of Phil that is; all he could think about was how Astrid had beaten him en route to facing Kalin for the first time, and how much he wanted a shot at the title.

A few minutes in, she took her hair down, and flipped it down to surround her face, leading to Maddy giving a sarcastic cheer. The shoot continued, with the new champion making sure to show her kransen in the photo at all times, even when partially obscured. After a while, Freja and Belle peeled off from everyone else, and Freja noticed Finn watching, which she quickly brought to Hannah's attention.

'Hey, you know that old guy's watching Astrid, right?' Hannah looked over, and just caught the slightest glimpse of the famous sea captain's jacket as it vanished into the distance. 'That's Finn, under NO circumstances tell Astrid he's there.' 'Understood.' 'She won't hear any of it from me.' Conscious not to draw attention, Belle and Freja acted like they were having a private conversation briefly, before turning back around and continuing to watch the photo session.

After nearly 40 minutes of the shoot, Astrid pulled a completely-unawares Maddy into the frame. 'What are you doing?' 'Well you know… Champion's photoshoot, I wanted to get a picture with the best champion, the longest reigning champion, and of course, the best looking champion.' The two then posed for more photos together, clearly delighted to see each other winning. Throughout though, there was the slightest undercurrent of concern with Maddy, knowing that the feelings she had earlier were far from normal. So as she and Astrid finished photos and the WDC Champion talked to the photographer, she stopped briefly to talk to Sakura.

'Nice pictures there, you're more than a little photogenic.' 'Thanks, I don't think so but if people keep saying it, it must be right. Oh yeah Sak, I was wondering if I could talk to you about a few things tonight?' 'Yeah sure. Want to give me a preview? Or do you just want to keep it hush for now?' 'It's about… earlier.' 'Ok, just hit me up when you want to talk, and I'll be there.' 'Thanks. I'm not meaning to put too much pressure on you or anything.' 'I know, it's fine, it's my job after all.' 'Don't mean I can't thank you for it.' 'Well just know I appreciate the gratitude. I'm lucky to work for people I'm friends with. Well… some people I'm friends with anyway.'

Sa Intrigued, Maddy pressed. 'And…' 'You mean you want to know' Sakura laughed. 'Yeah, I want to know because I want everyone to get on.' 'It's not like there are people I don't get on with, just people who I… don't really talk to.' 'Let me guess - Belle.' 'No, I mean I don't exactly talk to her a bunch, because I know about four things about her, but she's literally the only person outside of Rio who even offers to give me a hand in the medical area. No, I'm thinking of Lydia because she's permanently edgy at the moment, Freja because she's mature now which is weird, I never fuckin' see Blair or Jade anymore, not that I ever had any meaningful conversation with Blair anyway beyond "No, Akiza didn't clean out that massive gash, that's why it's going black". Ally's cute though, and Brooke's hilarious, that accent just gets me every time.'

While this… eventful conversation was occurring, Astrid ran to catch up with Blair, who for once didn't have a child with her. 'Hi Champion' Blair remarked. 'Hi Champion' Astrid replied, doing quite a poor impression. 'How does it feel?' 'Two and a half years, and I haven't won so much as a raffle ticket, and then all of a sudden, I'm the big champion. It's mad! And somehow, I did it before you! No offence.' 'Look, you've got your dream of being WDC Champion, I've got mine of teaming with my idol.' 'Seems to be going alright for you.' 'Yeah, long may it continue.'

Astrid then noticed the cornrows at the top of Blair's hair, and started stroking them. 'I love these! When did you get them done?' 'It was at this lovely little place near the Medici fountains this morning, I was going to do it myself but I tried watching an online tutorial last week, and it went super bad. But I'm pleased with how these worked. You probably didn't notice because you barely lifted your head the entire day.' 'Sorry. So you planning on keeping them?' 'I… don't know to be honest. I kind of just wanted to do something impulsive and different' 'You feeling ok? The Blair I know would never do impulsive and different, let's face it she used the exact same Gem Knight deck for like six years.'

'Yeah, and I would never have had you down to Droll lock an opponent on Turn 1 and then win by forcing them to draw useless cards. Point is, people change. But one thing that never changed is that I knew you'd become champion. Some way, somehow, if you set your mind to it, everyone else is boned.' 'You know you can have a shot anytime.' 'Maybe if you hold the title long enough, I'll be after you. But this is my priority right now' she said while tapping her tag title. Astrid then noticed that Blair was, indeed, alone.

'You appear to have lost Ally again.' 'Don't worry, Rio's got her at the moment.' 'You know how special she is, right?' 'Yeah… very special. She's a handful, but it's nice to have her with me.' 'I'll bet, I'd love to have someone that fun with me, especially when they're family.' Blair then took the opportunity to learn more about Ally. 'What… do you think about her?' 'As in?' 'You think she's progressing right, do you think she's intelligent enough' 'Well I can't exactly tell you stuff like that, but she sure is astute. She's constantly asking me questions on everything, and she's really been enjoying me teaching her about our mythology. If something's happened, just spit it out.' Reluctant to share though, Blair backpedalled. 'It's fine, I'm just… I'm totally new to all of this and I don't know if I'm doing it right.'

Believing her, Astrid laughed. 'I mean you're doing a pretty awesome job as far as I can see, she's an absolute delight. If you want some advice though, keep pushing her - the sky's the limit with her. Don't let her stagnate.' 'Thanks Astrid, you've been really good to her.' 'And I intend on continuing, I love spending time with her. So as long as you're happy to let me spend time with her' 'Seriously? I've never seen her so controlled in her energy. With anyone else she's an absolute firecracker, with you she's… just happy. So thank you.' 'More than happy.'

In the hotel, 10:40pm

Having received the message, Sakura walked into Maddy's room, to find the Alpha lay down, wearing only a bra and a pair of bicycle shorts. Quietly, Sakura announced her arrival. 'You wanted to talk?' As Maddy nodded, the doctor sat down on the bed. 'What's up?' Slowly and painfully, Maddy sat up. 'Your ribs still bothering you?' 'Don't feel like they're getting better. I've just… been feeling real rough since I returned.' There was something that Sakura noticed immediately; however, it wasn't what Maddy expected.

'Well I can see you're in need of a good meal; looks like you've lost a couple of stone in the past few weeks.' 'Don't stop me being overweight.' 'Yeah, and you know why you're overweight?' She then tapped Maddy's left quadricep. 'Muscle weighs more than fat, and you've got some of the biggest quads I've ever seen quite frankly, and your calves are rock-solid, they must be about 18 inches.' 'So you don't think I'm fat?' Sakura shook her head. 'If anything you're probably a little underweight considering your body type, and I know you've been skipping lots of meals recently. So not eating is probably not helping how you're feeling right now.'

'And my ribs?' 'I'll get you some painkillers for now, I know you're worried about getting addicted so if you want, I'll just give them to you one dose at a time. When we're back in England, I'll get you a scan with your ribs, and if I don't see any evidence of them healing, I'll recommend you for surgery, and you can get a big steak or whatever you enjoy eating.' 'How long would I be out for?' 'Rib surgery? I'd suggest 3-4 weeks, but that would be your call largely. I do have something that might help you though.' Sakura dipped her hand into her fanny pack that she always carried with her, and pulled out an ice pack. 'Apply this as much as you can, it will aid recovery and probably reduce the constant pain. Don't forget to move it around as well.' 'Thanks Sak.' 'Just look after yourself. We need you, but you're much more useful to us when you're in fighting shape.' 'I know I am.'

The next day, Generator Hotel, 19th Arrondissement, Paris

Astrid was sitting in the hotel lobby with Kris, her mother, and Andre, and she was telling stories of her time as a Renegade. 'So I ran at him, and BAM, kicked him right in the head.' 'You should have seen the look as he went down, it was like a bullet to the head, he was out, like proper out.' Kris then rejoiced in telling some of the story himself. 'And then she lifts the belt, and the entire crowd cheers, she's their hero, not him, and they cheered her all the way. The crowd chose her like the gods did, except to that crowd, she's not a servant, they're servants offering up their affection.' Andre then patted her on the head. 'The most popular Viking ever. I'm proud of you Little Ash.'

'Thank you. Just so you know, I heard what you said up there when I entered, and it took everything for me not to cry.' 'I meant every word of it. You've worked harder than anybody could ever know.' 'How did you even get here though? I thought you were in the middle of a tour?' 'Took a red-eye from Slovenia, we've got a week and a half before we continue on through Eastern Europe, before performing a handful of concerts over in Athens.' 'That's awesome.' 'I like seeing fans, I hate the travelling though.'

As they all laughed, Kris smiled at his girlfriend. 'I still remember Blair's stories about how you arrived in the Amateurs as a young teenager who barely spoke a word of English and nobody knew anything about. Wasn't that when you were still going under Langvik?' 'No, I was Ash Hofferdottir at the time, I only started using Langvik after I turned pro.' 'So what's your "actual" surname then?' Astrid took a breath, and then recited it. 'Astrid Valeska Julia Abellona Hofferdottier. Valeska is because I've got some German ancestry… somewhere, I guess, Julia is your sister's name Mama?' 'Indeed, Julia Anastasia Dalr Hofferdottier. Also comes from my sister, Alla Birget Julia Hofferdottir. My name is Mille Anastasia Dordi Hofferdottir.'

'Astrid means "Divinely Beautiful" or "Divine Strength" depending on the spelling.' 'It was meant to be Divine Strength, but she spelled your name wrong on the piece of paper' Andre remarked. As they all laughed, she continued to explain her origins. 'Abellona means "sun goddess" doesn't it?' 'It does, but that isn't what you were named for. You were named for the Greek word for "Destroyer", because I wanted your name to have strength in it as well as grace, plus Apollo is the sun god. And Hofferdottir, because our family line began in the 8th century with a legendary nobleman called "Hoffer". It's said that he was the first person in his tribe to have a vision of Thor, and that when he died, he was granted immediate passage across the bifrost to Valhalla, and sits with the gods to this day.'

'So, this might be a strange one, but do you take your husband's name when you marry?' 'It's what you might call a personal choice. I never would as I always wished to keep up the viking traditions. Your family name was more important than adopting the name of any spouse in tradition.' 'So Finn, is he' 'He's my brother, and that's the only thing we need to discuss about him if it's all fine by you?'

Mille then raised a new topic to replace that of Finn. 'Have you told Kris about the legend of the rune eyes?' 'No she hasn't, but I'd like to know' Kris responded courteously. 'Mama, we all know that's just a myth. There's been no reported sightings of them in over 500 years.' She responded by laughing. 'You always did question everything. But I believe that the legend is true, I always have. Ever since my mother told me, and her mother told her, and her mother told her, it's been passed down through the generations like your Kransen. As an aside, I see you're wearing it.' Astrid took the thin brown leather off, and held it in her hand. 'I wear it every day. And one day, I'll pass it down.'

Trying to learn more about his in-laws' culture, Kris inquired about the Kransen. 'So the Kransen, it's passed down from mother to daughter?' 'Yep. We have a special little box, and when the woman gets married, it's put back into storage in the box, and then handed down to the first born daughter. It's only really supposed to be worn on special occasions, but since I moved away, I've always worn it because it feels like I've always got a little piece of home with me. And then maybe, one day, I'll be able to pass it down myself.' She then stared at it. 'Imagine the stories this could tell.'

'The stories indeed, from all the generations, all the great women it's adorned the heads of. All the stories from you alone could fill 1000 books.' 'They could. Hey, I never told you about the first time Kris asked me out. It was on a staircase, and he went "Oh… um… I don't know what you're doing about 5, but I was wondering if you fancied a coffee somewhere? Seriously the most awkward and adorable thing you've ever seen.' Kris had a slight correction though. 'Hey that's not how it went.' 'How did it go then?' He just smiled, and said 'It was at 4, not 5, everyone knows the coffee shop near there closes at 5:30. And she's not going to tell you about the amount of time she spent giggling like a little girl whenever I passed, or that she blushed when I looked at her. Kind of flattering honestly.'

Julia then tried to learn about her future son-in-law. 'So Kris, where are you from? You sound… American?' 'Yeah, from Massachusets, born in downtown Boston, raised in Salem, and if you didn't know about the witch trials there, you will do after five minutes of being down there.' 'Nice place?' 'It's… fine I suppose. Not much to say, it's like any other average-sized place in New England. Kind of got a weird small-town feel in places. I can't really explain other than that, it just is what it is really.'

'And you moved to England?' 'A few weeks before Astrid, we're part of the same organisation, I suspect Maddy told you about it?' 'A little maybe, but not much.' 'It's a duelling organisation effectively. They, Phil and Hannah, they built this state of the art duelling arena, they gather duellists of top potential who haven't had the opportunities otherwise, give them somewhere to live if they want to, and allow us to hone our skills there.' 'And Maddy?' 'She sort of runs the joint. I was invited over, I knew they were in contact with Astrid, but I didn't meet her properly until she moved over a few weeks later, would have been start of December I think?'

'Think it was November 29.' 'Eh close enough.' Astrid then looked at Kris, and gave him an enormous cuddle. 'Hey, what did I do to deserve this?' She then took his hand. 'I want you know that I know I haven't appreciated you like I could. But… just know that my life wouldn't be as fun without you. And I have noticed everything, I'm just not… good at showing it?' Kris didn't seem to see it this way though. 'That's just the way you show your affection, and I get it, enjoy it even. Being with you is exciting, because you feel like a mystery at times. There's something about you I can't figure out, and it keeps me on my toes. You're an adrenaline rush, and everytime I think of it, it gives me a fizz. You're not an open book, and I love you because of it. Not to mention the uh, bright blonde hair and piercing eyes.' Astrid giggled, before continuing. 'I've not even started to tell you about Texas yet.'

In the Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Phil had gathered Freja and Belle to talk them through various plans. 'Thanks for coming. I understand Sakura cleared you Freja?' 'Yep.' 'How's the shoulder?' 'Sore. Fortunately it was just popped back in, so I can get on with impressing you again. Helped by the fact that this one has offered to give me some games in the arena' she said while tapping Belle on the hand. 'We could both do with the practice, I haven't faced a stun or negate-heavy deck before, and Qliphort Stealth only does so much.' Intrigued, Phil decided to test his young steed. 'And what makes you say that?'

Before she could answer, Freja tapped her again. 'Could I?' 'Sure.' Freja then showed her progress. 'Stealth can send something like Herald of Ultimateness back to my hand, but who cares when I can just summon it again the next turn. Meteonis adds itself back easily as well.' He smiled, impressed. 'Your tactical knowledge has made huge amounts off progress in the past few weeks.' He then got Belle to turn around to him. 'And I'm impressed with your logical thinking, being able to target specific matchups you're not experienced in. Now I want to start discussing teamwork with you.'

Sadly, before he was able to discuss anything of the sort with them, Freja's face dropped. 'The fuck does she want now?' Phil was confused until he looked back, and saw Lydia storming towards them. 'Did you want something important? It's just we're in the middle of a conversation.' Lydia just stared at him for a moment, then turned to Freja. 'We're going.' 'Speak for yourself, the French really know how to make comfortable chairs.' Annoyed, Lydia went to drag Freja up, only for Belle to push her off.

'What are you doing?' 'I'm keeping my sister safe.' 'What do you think he's going to do to her? We're just talking about tactics.' 'Yeah, I'm sure you are. He's done it to her and he's doing it to you - he's manipulating your brains, twisting you.' Belle then stepped up to her. 'I have no idea what you're going on about, but we're trying to actually do something productive with our time rather than going around accusing people of everything under the sun. So by all means, go away and let us get on with what we're discussing.'

Lydia then grabbed her older sister's arm, only to have Belle karate chop her wrist. Lydia then threw a spinning punch at Belle, leading to a full-scale brawl in the middle of the library, with the red-head grabbing her opponent's hair, only to be met with a vicious headbutt, and then, a second one. As she fell, Lydia grabbed a wooden bookend from a lower shelf, and swung it, only for Freja to stand in the way, halting the fight.

'Freja, get out of the' 'No.' she replied, having had enough of the fighting. 'This is stupid, stop being so fucking jealous.' 'Fre, you know I'm the boss' 'No, this is MY life. I'm 25, I'm not a baby, and you can't treat me like a baby. I don't even want to know you right now. In fact, if this is how you're going to be, I could go the rest of my life without seeing you ever again. Phil, I'm going for a walk, you can come if you like. Otherwise I'll see you later.' She stormed off, and Lydia went after her, only to be stopped by a member of the public, who had seen the fight. By the time she was kicked out of the library and given a ban from returning, Freja was long gone.

Cité de Fleurs, 17th Arrondissement

Bolton was stood, dressed sharply, when Akiza approached him, wearing a flowing red dress adorned along the seam with three black dahlias. 'So you got the duel against her then…' 'Let me make myself clear - for all the disrespect, for all the taunting and all the violence, I'm going to make her wish she and her disgusting race had never been born.' Akiza then swung a burlap sack towards him. 'What's that?' 'The Gamemaster wanted to show their gratitude for your service. You'll find $100,000 in there.' Bolton looked in the sack, and his eyes lit up, imagining what he could do with the money.

He turned as if to leave the city, but Akiza stopped him. 'You know what's expected of you?' 'Yes, I'm not to destroy her. Beat her, but leave some scraps for you.' 'Exactly that. Oh, and don't forget to make it lockdown rules.' 'I won't. We have the best security in the business, that band of thieves and ruffians won't get anywhere near the zone. I'm getting what I want, so I'll give them what they want. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an unexpected windfall to bank. By the way, tell The Gamemaster that I said hello, and that I appreciate his support.'

Bolton left, and Akiza immediately got on the phone. 'Bolton doesn't stand a chance - he's going to be ripped limb from limb. I'm sure the visual will be worth the money, but in the meantime, we need to proceed as planned. No, we have to make sure Blair reaches the duel, otherwise I don't get my opportunity. Gather as much intel about everyone as you can, especially those new members, I know enough about everyone else. She will be destroyed.'

In Bastille Square, 12th Arrondissement

Blair and Rio were busy sunbathing, while Jade was keeping Ally occupied with an impromptu game of football. 'No fair, your legs are longer than mine!' 'Yeah and you're smaller, you could just run right under me.' 'But I can't get the ball!' 'Do you think your Auntie Blair gives the opponents the ball? You need to get it off me.' Jade then "accidentally" miscontrolled the ball, letting Ally get it off her. 'Oh no you got me!' As this was going on, Blair was thinking out loud.

'Just my luck that when I'm actually ready to commit to converting I can't.' Rio then looked over. 'B, you've been moaning about this all day.' 'Well where do you propose I find these two witnesses from?' Listening, Jade had a thought. 'You might be able to do it at the Grand Mosque.' 'Jade, didn't you hear' 'No I did, but you've got that note from the Imam back in England, right?' Blair pulled out a note on the back of a piece of card, and showed it to her girlfriend.

'Yeah, it says that he's seen your commitment to following the faith, so that should help. And I'm a Muslim.' 'Jade, they need real Muslims, not just someone whose parents are.' 'Look, I remember all of the shahada, I remember most of the quran, what else do you need? All we need to do is convince them that I am a practising Muslim, which shouldn't be an issue, and' Jade then looked around, and sighed. 'She's run off.' Shaking her head, Jade followed, with Rio and Ally just behind. 'Question Jade.' 'Yeah?' 'Does Blair… actually know the way?' She just looked around. 'This is Blair we're talking about, she still can't find the way to my flat.'

Outside a bakery near the Bibliotheque

Still feeling rough, Maddy was looking at buying herself some lunch, but when she found Lydia buzzing around her, trying to get her attention. As soon as the Alpha took her earphone out of her ear, Lydia started babbling about Freja at many mp, leaving Maddy to roll her eyes. 'If you want something, speak so I can understand yous, because you're making no sense and I'm very hungry.' Lydia took a breath, and then explained the predicament.

'Phil is trying to split me and Freja up' 'What, like you were literally told to do?' 'No, not that, he's taking my sister away from me. She spends all her time with him, he's being a really bad influence on her, he's completely changed her personality, I'm scared that he's going to destroy her, but nobody's taking me seriously about it. It's almost like she can't listen to me.' Maddy responded by folding her arms sternly, which immediately gave Lydia the feeling that she wasn't going to get the answer she desired.

'Look, we've been through this already. I am acutely aware of everything that Phil and Freja are working on. She chose him to make her a better person. In fact, you probably shouldn't be reading this, but this is a text he sent me a few weeks ago about it.' She then whipped her phone out, and showed Lydia a message, which read "Got Freja out of some MAJOR trouble today, had a heart 2 heart with her, she wants to work under me (d wise), hoping she will start to mature as a result. Also encouraging her to find hobbies not related to me, could be long process tho".

Despite this apparent evidence, Lydia still wasn't buying it. 'He's dangerous, and nobody will do anything about it.' 'Freja is able to make her own decisions.' 'That's the thing though - she isn't. She's immature and she's under a trance, why can people not see that?' 'Your trance wore off ages ago, right?' 'Yeah.' 'There has been no sign that Freja's been under a trance either. She is completely normal, she's genuinely happy.' 'Why is she doing all this for him then?' 'For a contract!'

This stopped the red-head in her tracks. 'Pardon?' 'He's giving out permanent contracts for managerial duties in duelling. Blair and Rio have been offered one, and he wants Freja and Belle to earn theirs, but he didn't want to give one to Freja until she matured mentally. So if anything, it's actually the total opposite of your allegations. So how about you just give the process time?' Still not buying the explanation, Lydia had one more allegation to throw to the boss.

'You know he threatened me?' 'Look Lydia, I'm not interested in your stories or your paranoia. I know you're trying to protect her, but perhaps she doesn't need protecting? Why don't you try and focus on yourself?' Infuriated, she stormed off, but not before stating 'I'm going to sort this myself.' Meanwhile, Maddy just watched back briefly, before ordering her lunch, completely unaware of that which Lydia was planning.

In the 14th Arrondissement

Astrid, Kris and family were on their way towards Gare-Montparnasse train station, headed for Le Mans when she was approached by an individual with a notepad and a pencil. 'Ms. Hofferson, I was wondering if you were available for a quick interview? Just about your title win and your issues with some of WDC Management?' Surprised, she smiled at him. 'If you buy us all a coffee, sure. By the way, this is my cousin, Andre, and my mother Mille.' He then lead them to a small coffee shop nearby.

As they sat, he introduced himself properly. 'My name is Charles Hebdo, I am an entertainment correspondent for Le Figaro newspaper, I just wanted to get the exclusive first interview with the new WDC Champion, because the streets have been talking about your performance yesterday.' 'It's nice to hear "new WDC Champion". So, what did you want to discuss?' Having put his notepad down, and readied a sharp pencil, he started with his questions.

'You said to me before the interview how nice it feels to be called the WDC Champion. It must be slightly surreal having never held a title in the professional ranks before?' 'Yeah, just slightly. This is what I've been working towards for so long, I was always told "if you work hard enough you'll get there", but for a long time it honestly didn't think I would. It was just so frustrating that I never got anywhere, I was never given the opportunities that I felt I deserved. So when I got this chance, I knew that I had to grab it with both hands.'

'Now it obviously was far from your first encounter with Kalin, that was in India after the winter break. But that duel was surprisingly one-sided.' 'You can blame Rio for that, because it took her an hour and a half to faint.' 'I remember watching the event live with some members of our duelling community here in France, and I think I audibly gasped that you were even out there. You and Rio, by the end of your duel, you honestly looked like you'd been in a car crash.' Astrid then started to tear up ever so slightly, as she thought about what happened afterwards.

'I mean the funny thing is, it was three days after that duel when Rio got her diagnosis of this brain condition, so, while I understand it was the shooting that caused it, I sort of still carry around the guilt of it as if it is somehow my fault because of that duel. This isn't me looking for any kind of sympathy by the way, this is just me explaining that stuff happens behind the scenes, and however much you want this title, sometimes there are other things at play in your head. But I just had to put that to one side, and focus on the task.' 'So now you're WDC Champion, what's the plan?'

Before she could answer, Claude walked over, and was confronted by Kris immediately. 'Haven't you got something better to do? Like saving Private Ryan?' Claude appeared to be less hostile than normal though. 'Look, I just came to congratulate an old acquaintance on her big win.' Kris looked over at Astrid, and asked 'You hear that congratulations?' 'Yep.' 'Great.' He then turned back. 'There you go, she heard the compliment. Now on your bike while you're ahead.' Claude wasn't going anywhere though.

'That's not a nice way to talk to someone who just came to make a friendly challenge.' Astrid stood up, and faced her fellow Nordic duellist down. 'If you want this title, all you need to do is ask for a title duel.' 'Ok then, I'm challenging you to a title duel. I still believe I'm the real WDC Champion, and I want my title back.' Smiling, she lifted her title onto her shoulder, and responded with 'See you in Le Mans, big boy.' Having got what he wanted, he smirked and walked off, while Astrid continued a lengthy interview.

Near the Medici fountains

With Freja and Belle making their way to the train station, Phil and Hannah were able to enjoy a peaceful afternoon together. 'Are you sure we can't move here? Weather's much nicer.' 'Coming from Mrs. "I can't stand hot weather"?' 'I thought I was Mrs. Robinson-Cummings.' He laughed, and kissed her. As he went to start feeding her grapes though, Lydia stormed over, carrying what looked to be an old police baton with her, and she immediately pointed it at him. 'Lydia, what are you doing?'

'I'm telling you once, leave my sister alone.' 'I'm sorry, would you like a seat?''No, I want you to leave Freja alone.' 'We've been through this already, Freja asked for this opportunity. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to enjoy some quiet time with my fiance.' Still angered, Lydia resorted to making a major threat. 'If you don't stop Freja doing what you say and snap her out of whatever spell she's under, I'm going to phone your Mum and Dad, and tell them that you kidnapped us. Then, if you don't stop it, I'm going to the police, and your entire Dynasty comes crumbling down.'

Horrified at the threats, Hannah stood up to her. 'He has done nothing wrong, so why don't you shut up, turn your arse around, and walk away, and we might just pretend you never said this.' Completely riled up though, Lydia wasn't listening. 'No, you can shut up, because you're the stupidest puppet of them all. "Oh I know, I'll marry the guy who kidnapped and brainwashed me, because I'm living in Beauty and the Beast". Well guess what, you didn't tame the Beast, because he's still a predator.' Offended at the way her fiance was being spoken about, Hannah slapped Lydia, leading to the 25-year old pushing her head-over-heels into the Fountain's water, before storming off, without stopping once to check on Hannah.

Phil immediately leapt into action, jumping over the railing to check on his fiance, who was dragging herself back up to her feet. 'I'm fine, don't worry.' She clearly was far from "ok" though, as she stumbled back to her feet, and soon enough, she had to admit it herself. 'Phil…' He turned around, and she looked at him in concern. 'I can't get over the rail, my back's shot.' Reacting calmly, he moved behind her, and gently lifted, making sure not to stretch her back at any time. As he got her over the rail, she sat back down, still in considerable pain. 'How bad is it?' 'I just couldn't lift my leg over there, the pain was too bad.' 'Ok, well we'll take the rest of the day for you to recover, and then depending on how you are tomorrow, we'll either go back to England, or head off to Le Mans.'

'Thanks for looking after me.' He just smiled, and tapped her on the hand. 'I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't. You just don't worry about any of this.' Her focus then changed to the conspirator. 'So what are you going to do about Lydia?' He just looked at her calmly, but sinisterly. 'I'm going to call her bluff, and raise her one. If she wants to believe that I'm weaponising her sister, then I'm going to show her exactly what that feels like. I warned her not to obstruct us.' Realising what he was planning, Hannah was about to argue against it, but then remembered the lack of an apology, and decided not to.

At the mosque

Having caught up with Blair, Jade entered the great mosque first, and approached the waiting Imam. 'Bonjour, do you speak Anglais?' He turned, and responded. 'I do. You are?' 'Jade Goocheneyad, I spoke to you yesterday.' 'Ah Jade, you were inquiring about your friend converting to Islam?' 'Yes. She has been looking into converting for nine months to the day, but wanted to ensure that she has the requisite knowledge of the religion first.' 'Do you have witnesses?'

'I'm the only witness, but I was raised in a very fundamentalist household. My mother is an Islamic scholar and has been an Imam for female-only congregations before, and my father retired from playing football so he could become a teacher of Islamic studies. The Quran says that everybody is born belonging to Islam and that non-Muslims are those who strayed from the path, and Al-Baqara 256 states that there is no compulsion in religion. My friend has chosen to rediscover this path. Would you be able to help us?' She then prompted Blair, who passed the card over. The Imam looked over it, and then looked at them sternly. 'Yes.'

As she smiled, Blair stepped forward. 'In order to convert, you must recite the Shahada.' 'I remember it if that helps.' She then started to recite it, pronouncing the words poorly as she did. 'Ash-hadu anla elaha illa-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Mhammadur rasul-Allah (I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is Allah's messenger.' As she finished reciting, she looked somewhat upset at her pronunciation, but Jade reassured her, as the Imam approached. 'You are now part of the Ummah, the family of Muslims all around the world. On behalf of the entire Islamic church, i welcome you.' 'Thank you' she replied, as Jade gave her a hug.

Outside the mosque, Rio got curious about Jade's knowledge. 'I thought you didn't follow the religion that closely?' 'I don't.' 'How did you know all that then?' 'Parents were total zealots. I spent upwards of four hours after school every day having to study the quran, I had to attend mosque every day, even when I was unwell, and they would quiz me on what I'd read.' 'And if you got anything wrong?' She just stared dead ahead at the question. 'I can still feel his belt buckle on my bare skin. I still hear my Mom telling me that I was useless and would never amount to anything. In hindsight I don't why I waited until I was 14 to run away. Just bundled a few clothes into my schoolbag one morning, and never returned home. They never came looking for me. At least at first.' 'That's when you moved away?' 'As soon as I knew they were trying to find me, I got the jump on them, never looked back.'

Ally then looked up at her. 'Does this mean I have to become Muslim?' Jade just rubbed her head in response, before confidently stating 'No child should ever go through what I went through. You can choose to not follow religion, or be whatever religion you want to be.' 'Including Jedi' Rio then joked. 'Jedi's not a religion!' 'It is. As is Heavy Metal' she then whispered down Ally's ear 'They're the rockers with the girly hair', making Ally giggle. 'As is Satanist, that's devil worship, you can get a similar experience from listening to Phil for too long, Wicca, that's… sort of witchcraft I guess, that's what Hannah practises… like way too much, Shintoism, but only if you're Japanese, and Taoism, but only if you're Chinese. Tell you what - let's find a nice ice cream parlour, and then I'll tell you more about religions.' 'Ok' Ally replied, running off with Rio.

In the 14th Arrondissement

Chazz was being interviewed by the same person who had interviewed Astrid, and was incredibly boastful. 'I can take those tag titles anytime I like, I don't even need a partner. Those champions are just wannabees, they wish they were even half as good as me, but they're the scariest thing ever. Why? Because they beat a couple of schoolkids? Please, I could take them easy, no sweat.' He was about to continue boasting, but was distracted by some particularly loud yawning.

As he looked round, Rio was stood there, and did another, highly exaggerated yawn. 'What do you want?' 'Who - me? I just wanted to tell you that you're full of shit. But, you do seem really keen on the tag titles, so I have a little proposal.' 'Thanks, but I don't date fat fucks.' Hearing this, a steaming Rio unleashed a slap which could be heard from a mile away. 'You want the titles? Here's your chance - you and me 1-1 in Le Mans. If you win, you can have your title shot WHENEVER you like.' 'And if you win?' She just smiled, and leant in. 'Shutting your mouth is all the reward in the world.' With that, she flipped him the middle finger, and walked off, as Mr. Hebdo continued to write. 'Hey you're not including that!'

On the train, just outside Gare-Montparnasse Station

When he got on the train, Phil immediately hailed an unsuspecting Freja and Belle over. 'You wanted to talk to us?' 'Yes, after what happened earlier, I think we need to make a change.' This alarmed Freja. 'Wait… you're not allowing her to break this up are you? Because I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep learning from you.' Phil smiled to himself as he heard this affirmation. 'I'm not allowing her to get between us, but I appreciate your passion and dedication.'

He then got a pendulum out of his pocked. 'Freja, watch the pretty pendulum of gold, and you will do exactly as you are told. You will obey only me.' As she watched intently, he gave out his orders. 'I now have your mind in a clutch, as you are completely at my command.' He then held up a picture of Lydia on his phone. 'This is Lydia. When I click my fingers, you will not recognise this person. You will not know her name, you will not know she is aligned with our cause. Additionally, you will believe that Belle is your only sibling. Lydia will be little more than a complete stranger to you. When I click my fingers, you will wake up with your new orders intact.'

As he clicked his fingers, she woke up, her bright blue eyes staring at him. Shortly after, Lydia rung her. 'That's strange.' 'Pardon?' She then held her phone out. 'Someone called Lydia is trying to call me. But I don't know anybody called Lydia.' 'Freja, hand your phone over to me.' She did so immediately, and he rejected the call, before deleting Lydia's number and all photos of her from Freja's phone, and blocking Lydia's number. 'There, sorted.' He then turned to Belle, and held the pendulum out. 'If you want to hypnotise me, I completely understand. Just know that I'll do whatever you ask regardless.' 'This is only for a piece of continuity.' 'Ok.'

He then started with Belle. 'Belle, watch the pretty pendulum of gold, and you will do as you are told. You will obey only me. I now have your mind in a clutch, as you are completely at my command.' He then turned her around slightly to face Freja. 'When I click my fingers, you will only recognise Freja as your sibling. She is your sister, and you are very close to each other.' As he clicked his fingers, she woke up, believing the same as Freja.

A few minutes later, while Phil and Freja were starting some streamlining for her deck, Hannah wandered over. 'I thought you were resting your back.' 'It's feeling a bit better, so I thought I'd come and join you. Everything sorted?' 'Yes. I've never known better sisters' he said with a wink. 'Just as long as you're sticking to what we agreed?' 'That's the plan. You're actually a genius.' 'I'm not, I just understand revenge. You doing this endurance race then?' 'Well I might as well, Rio's set up her own duel for Under Siege, Blair and Jade are spending another week or so in Paris, and we're just adjusting Freja's deck before her duel with Kalin.'

'Has she been cleared this soon?' Hannah said in surprise. 'Sakura says she's ok to duel, but her shoulder's not 100% so I'm trying to optimise her deck for the least strain.' 'Ok, well if she says she's ok.' Belle then tapped Phil on the shoulder. 'Yes?' 'I know that Freja's really desperate to duel, but with how her shoulder is, would you mind if I swapped our duels with Kalin around? Because I'm supposed to be facing him in a couple of weeks in Helsinki, but I won't be able to make it due to having a meeting with my parole officer the next day.'

'I thought you were off parole?' 'Not yet, this is supposed to be my last meeting though, my full term would have been up in just over a month. I can't believe it's been four years, I look back and I don't recognise that scared little girl.' Freja then walked over, and put her arm around her "sister". 'Well now you've got the support. You've got me, you've got Phil and Hannah, and you've got the rest of the Renegades. So chin up, the future's better than the past.' Belle responded by putting her arm around Freja. 'Thanks.'

In Le Mans

As Astrid walked out of the train station with her party, Mille suddenly stopped for a moment, and then made her excuses. 'You all go ahead, I just need to use the toilets.' Suspecting nothing, Astrid smiled. 'Do you want Kris to stay just in case you can't find your way to Antares?' ' I'm fine thank you. You just go and enjoy yourselves, and I will catch up.' As they walked off, Mille waited a well-mannered amount of time before announcing her actual intentions. 'Jeg vet du er der, Finn. Ikke ta meg som dum! (I know you're there Finn, don't take me as stupid!)'

Sure enough, Finn revealed himself, wearing a pair of grey trousers and shirt, while still sporting his signature open sea captain's jacket. 'As perceptive as ever.' 'I would never have known, but some people just have a nose for trouble. It seems that you've been stalking my daughter ever since she won her title.' 'You're talking as if I don't have the right to be anywhere near my niece.' 'You don't have to keep up your pretences around me, I know as well as you the truth. That girl is far too pure and beautiful to have any of your cursed blood in her. And the only reason she doesn't know is because I choose to protect my daughter. You just have bad intentions.'

He then walked over to her, and became significantly more threatening. 'Now now, that's not nice. Your little girl has something that belongs to me. And if she doesn't give me the chance to take it back, then I'm not going to stop following her.' Mille fought back though. 'Oh, you will. Because if you don't, I will tell the entire world about everything.' 'She would be devastated.' 'She would understand in time. Meanwhile a million years wouldn't heal your shattered reputation. So you're going to leave us alone, and disappear like you did for so many years.'

At Circuit de la Sarthe

Phil stepped into his car of choice for the day (a 2005 Bugatti Veyron), Hannah walked up to the window, still in considerable pain from the previous day. 'How does it feel?' 'Bigger than what I'm used to, but it's got a steering wheel, it's got pedals, they all appear to do broadly the same things they do in my car…s, I think I've got this.' 'Don't forget, if there's any issues' 'Pull off after a chicane.' 'Glad I've been listened to, it makes a change.' 'Hey, I listen to you all the time.' 'I know, I'm just teasing you.' She then leant on the window for a kiss, but grimaced severely as she did. 'Your back still bothering you?' 'Yeah, just a bit. I'll be fine.' 'You sure?' 'Yes, now just go, otherwise you're not going to have time for some flying laps.'

He nodded, and as Hannah straightened her back, the 7-figure valuation car roared into life, before rolling off, as Phil took a leisurely drive around the circuit, starting to learn the layout. It was lunchtime on a weekday, and therefore nearly everyone who would otherwise have been on the circuit was either at work or getting a bite to eat, giving the opportunity to spend time cruising around. As he started to get the laps in, he started to speed up somewhat; not coming close to the immense 253 mph though.

After a few goes round, he pulled up at the start of the track, and posed by the side of the car, allowing Hannah to start getting pictures of him, ignoring the severe pain in her back which was very apparently still an issue. She then turned to one of the spectators, and in fluent French, asked 'Bonjour, pourriez-vous rapidement prendre une photo de moi avec mon mari devant la voiture rapide? Merci beaucoup (Hi, could you just quickly get a picture of me with my husband in front of the fast car? Thank you!'

Handing her camera off, she walked down the steps of the gantry, and joined him in front of the car. As the photos were being taken, he quickly inquired 'Where did you learn to speak such good French?' 'School, the same place you would have learned to if you hadn't spent all your time playing Countdown in your log book and daydreaming of getting my knickers off. And don't even pretend, I remember the way you'd look at me.' 'And you never said anything?' She responded by giggling and kissing him. 'Who said I disliked the attention? If anything I almost wanted to get my knickers off for you. And believe me, after I drop, there's going to be a hell of a lot more of that in our lives.'

'Can you not just drop now so we can… get on with it?' he asked, sliding his hand down the waistband of her elasticated trousers, being worn to disguise the weight Hannah had put on through pregnancy. She responded by stroking his face, and then sticking her tongue down his throat. As it retracted, she hissed 'All in good time my boy, all in good time. Now let's get these photos done so you can show me how quick you go. Just imagine it as a… test run.' He gave her a kiss of his own, and seductively said 'Why would I want it to be quick? It could last forever.'

As they were done flirting, they stood for more photos, with them even putting on matching racing jackets and sunglasses for some of them. After the impromptu photoshoot, Phil kissed her one more time, and got back into the car. Hannah meanwhile returned to the balcony, and filmed him as he walked off, with her donning a headset to inform him on lap times. As he finished a 3rd flying lap, he got an update of '3'51, which he responded to with 'Good start.'

Another 10 laps of consistent times just beyond 3'50 followed, then a couple of more untidy laps as he felt his concentration dipping. Suddenly, he found himself on Lap 18, and got a flying start, finding the tightest possible line through Tertre Rouge corner to the legendary Mulsanne Straight. Over the 5.5km, he hit 200 mph, a speed he had never even approached in his life before, and blasted his way down to the Mulsanne corner, as the brake discs glowed a burning orange and red, and swept through the rest of the lap. 'How was that' the question came, and an excited reply came '3'39'70.'

Feeling the rush, he continued, recording lap time after lap time just past 3'40, before he wound up for a 30th lap, as Hannah watched on in delight and took more photos, some of which were blurs due to the incredible speed he achieved on the pit straight, approaching 180 mph. This time, he found the correct line again, and after the Mulsanne, he expertly threaded the car through the chicane like it was a snake, with not the slightest hint of wheelspin or tyre squeal, before blasting onto the 2nd straight, and eventually coming to the end of the lap.

As he did, he got on the headset again. 'How was that?' The reply came, not from Hannah, but from Freja. 'Phil, you need to pull over, Hannah's had to go to hospital.' Able to think only of his ailing love, he gradually slowed down, doing a U-Turn at the mouth of the Mulsanne, and driving the wrong way into the pits, parking up and immediately ripping off the headset and jumping out of the car, to find Freja waiting for him, hair looped with a brown hair bow.

'What's going on?' 'Think it's her back, I'm not clear on the details because I only just arrived here, Maddy was able to rush me here with Primal Eolas.' 'So what do you know?' 'So me and Belle had not long met up with Maddy and some other chick, when I got a call from Rio saying that Hannah had texted her, only thing I remember is that she's gone to the Centre Hospital or something, I think I remember something about it being her back giving way.'

Thinking quickly, she ran up to a nearby steward. 'Hospital… Hospital Le Mans? Hospital Centre?' He looked over, and responded with "Vingt-trois minute.' Freja didn't understand, so she held out both hands, and then flashed them again shortly afterwards, which he appeared to understand, and nodded. She then returned to Phil. 'About 20 minutes away.' Together, they hailed down a taxi quickly, and jumped in. 'Centre Hospital?' Thankfully, the taxi driver spoke perfect English. 'Ok, I'll get you there.' 'Thanks.'

28 minutes later

As they got out of the taxi, he leant out of the window, and stated '€17.65.' He responded by throwing a 20 Euro note at him, and rushing off. Entering the hospital, they looked around, and found reception. 'My wife, Hannah, she was brought here, back.' As the receptionist didn't seem to understand, Freja suddenly found a new skill, as she wrote the instructions in what turned out to be almost perfect French, aside from a single grammatical error. 'Salle quatre.' The receptionist then pointed to a pair of double doors behind her, and they rushed through.

As soon as they entered the ward, they found Hannah, sat up reading. And she seemed astonished to see both of them. 'Hey, I didn't think you'd be here so quick.' 'We wouldn't have been if Freja hadn't magically developed the ability to write in perfect French.' 'When did this happen?' 'About three minutes ago.' She then looked at Freja, who shrugged. 'Don't ask me, I did French in school but that's about it. What happened?' 'I have no explanation, I just stood up to watch Phil driving along, because it looked like he was going to be on a quicker lap, and immediately I just double over in pain, I honestly thought I was giving birth there and then for a second. They think I've just herniated a disc, that tumble I took yesterday probably hasn't helped, nor has my pregnancy, probably just put too much pressure on an already-weak spot.'

'They said they want to keep me in for now, just because they want to do a routine ultrasound, obviously with how far gone I am they want to be safe. I'll probably be kept in overnight, and released tomorrow.' 'How is it now?' 'They've injected it with morphine so I can't really feel anything. Before that the pain was like you'd never believe. Phil, could you just go and get me a drink? They must have some kind of Orange juice here?' He responded with a smile and a reassuring hand on the shoulder. 'If you want a chat with her, you could have just said.' 'I know, which is why I actually need a drink, so hurry up, it's so hot in here I can feel my throat melting.'

As he went off, she tapped on a chair by her bedside, and Freja sat in it. 'You wanted to talk?' 'I just want to tell you that I'm proud of you, you've really stepped up the past couple of weeks. I want to check that you're not losing what makes you you though.' 'I don't think I get you.' 'You've been serious beyond belief. I just want you to know you don't have to lock away the fun-loving Freja in order to do it.' She nodded, and smiled.

'I know. Fun Freja's just… on an extended holiday I guess. Right now I need to show Phil that I can be what he needs to see. Once I've done that, then Fun Freja can maybe return a bit. I've not lost her, I just have priorities. Trust me, seeing Paris, Belle can tell you how hyped up I've been.' 'You can be both.' 'I know, but I don't know how yet.' 'Well just try, I'll always be no more than a phone call away, Phil will never have an issue with it, and Belle's the best sister you could ever ask for.' Freja was about to respond to this, when her brain resorted to her programming, and her eyes clouded over slightly as she said 'She really is. I'm lucky to have her as my sister.'

When Phil came back shortly after, Hannah took a sip of her orange, and then picked up her phone, texting Phil with "Freja delayed when I called Belle her sister. Might need to do more programming before she sees L tomorrow.' Considering this, he replied 'Program her through recording tonight, R can help.' He then quickly texted Rio with "Reprogramming Freja overnight, need your help", with the reply being "How you reprogramming her?". When he explained what he was up to, she responded with three crying while laughing emojis, followed by the words "I'll sneak in when she's fast asleep, she doesn't stir easy", and he finished the conversation with a thumbs up. He and Hannah then gave a knowing look to each other, clearly on the same page with their plotting, creating their new puppet.

Alpharic Legends Chapter II

Jana continued to read out the legends foretold, and this time, Rio had joined Ally. 'The great alpha was not without help of her own however. She had a number of trusted advisors, each of whom brought a different art which they mastered. Some were brave warriors, not dissimilar to herself, some were master tacticians, constantly choosing the weak points of their opposition, And then there were some who had talents that were less obvious, but potentially far more powerful. Alas, these were advisors who were oft dismissed by the alpha, who believed in more traditional ways of waging war.'

'One such advisor had the ability to read the future, by asking the cards to reveal the stars. She was able to tell all those around her their fortunes, and she never once faltered in her wisdom. She had an innate power over destiny that she could never identify. It was at its most potent when she paired with a fellow who had the ability to manipulate luck and fate. This was the greatest trickster, but when one took counsel from an untrustworthy source with their own desires, the strength of both's abilities was greatly diminished. This would eventually prove to be a great detriment to the alpha at the worst time, as her opponents conducted their dirty deeds.'

Next time: Lydia feels the vengeful wrath of those she opposed, Maddy unleashes her anger on Bolton, and Astrid faces Claude, but an unexpected challenge leads to old wounds reopening in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter LVIII: It's All in the Mind