| The Doctor is rather taken disconcerted by Unferth's challenge. |  |
| Freya draws her sword and offers it to the Doctor: "Fate be with you." |  |
| The Doctor takes it. It proves to be much heavier than he expected and it almost drags him onto the floor. Unferth and the other men see this and are scornful. |  |
| Unferth attacks. The Doctor makes a poor show. Unferth laughs gloatingly. "If this is your best then you should thank me. Grendel would destroy you with far greater ease than I!"
Freya watches, concern for Schweitzer knitting her brow. |  |
| The Doctor decides: "This is absurd." He stops and lays the sword down on the bench. |  |
| He steps back to face Unferth, now utterly defenceless. The watching warriors are surprised that he should do such a mad thing. |  |
| Unferth: "So be it." With a shout he lunges at the Doctor, delivering a mighty blow to cleave him in two from head to toe. |  |
| But the sword whistles through the air, slightly distorting the Doctor's appearance, then clangs to the ground. |  |
| The Doctor is unharmed! for he had rendered his holomatrix non-solid. The warriors are amazed! |  |
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Unferth severely bruises his hand with the force of the blow, and staggers in pain, groaning and clutching his hand. |  |
The Doctor leans over him. "You might want to put some ice on that. It'll take down the swelling."
| Freya proclaims to the warriors: "Our time of deliverance is at hand. We have been given a new champion, one whom weapons cannot hurt, the one who will destroy Grendel and end our suffering. All hail the hero! All hail, Schweitzer!" |  |
| The warriors take up the cry, waving their arms, chanting: "Schweitzer! Schweitzer! Schweitzer! Schweitzer! Schweitzer! Schweitzer!" |  |
| The warriors are enjoying a feast. The mood among the warriors is more cheerful and optimistic ever since they discovered Schweitzer, their new champion. The Doctor has the place of honour, at the king's right hand. |  |
| Hrothgar: "Eat, eat."
Doctor: "What is it?" Hrothgar: "Elk. When I built this hall the forests ran thick with them, but today game's more scarce. Enjoy it, Lord Schweitzer. It is a great delicacy in our land." The Doctor watches other warriors tearing at large hunks of meat they hold with their hands. He has never "eaten" before. Hesitantly he takes a haunch of meat and bites into it. He has to chew at it for some time. "It's quite good." |  |
| Hrothgar: "We rarely hear stories of other lands. Honour us with a tale of your home to gladden our hearts."
Doctor: "I'm not much of a story-teller." Hrothgar: "Please, indulge us." Unferth: "Tell us a tale of your prowess in battle!" |  |
| Doctor: "Well, there was the time when I managed to stop the spread of Parinisti measles before it became epidemic. For a while things were touch and go. Six people came down with it. Fortunately I was able to isolate the endoplasmic virus and replicate it in order to form an antibody. Even then, it wasn't at all clear I could create an effective vaccine. But I worked at it for 74 hours straight. I managed to create an innoculation that successfully protected the crew." |  |
| Warriors exchange glances, not knowing what to make of this kind of tale! |  |
| Disgusted, Unferth gets up from the table. "You will excuse me, my lord, if I take leave of this folly!"
The king is more tolerant. "A truly unique tale," he comments to Schweitzer. He gets up. "Come, Lord Schweitzer, allow me to show you my home. If you are in need of anything, please do not hesitate to ask." Doctor: "All I need is to find Grendel." Hrothgar: "You're a true champion, always ready for the fight." Someone proffers a goblet of mead. "Ah, perhaps you would like some mead to fortify yourself for battle?" Doctor: "No, thank you. I'm fine." Hrothgar dashes the goblet to the ground and shouts: "Away! You're disturbing Lord Schweitzer!" |  |
| Hrothgar shows the Doctor a wall upon which swords and trophies are proudly displayed: "It was with that weapon I made my first kill. I was 11 years old."
The Doctor is horrified: "You killed someone when you were 11?" The king misunderstands. He grunts. "A poor weapon I agree but a token of my youth. You must have similar trophies from your own childhood." Doctor: "I don't remember much about my childhood." Hrothgar: "Well, I am certain you distinguished yourself in battle many times and did honour to your father. |  |
| Unferth: "My Lord, it grows late. It is time to retire."
The king rounds on Unferth. "Always with you it is time to sleep! Perhaps you have forgotten that the work of a warrior is battle, not rest. You would do well to learn from Lord Schweitzer." Unferth is angry because his warrior's reputation is impugned, but he holds off answering back to the king. |  |
| The king continues, to the Doctor: "This was a beautiful hall once, before Grendel. You will make it so again. You have our thanks.
Doctor: "I appreciate your faith in me, sire. Unferth: "You may have deceived them with your tricks, but the king is old and desperate for hope. And the rest are just fools!" Doctor: "You have nothing to worry about, Unferth. Once I'm done with Grendel, I'll be leaving." Unferth snarls: "We shall see. The morning will prove if your deeds are as strong as your words." |  |
| The warriors leave the hall, but Freya lingers. She rakes up the fire. She tells the Doctor: "The nights here are cold. I wanted to make certain you were comfortable."
Doctor: "I appreciate your concern. I thought everyone had gone to sleep." Freya: "Sleep does not come easily in this place, not any more. I was taught the world would end in winter. First there would be a desperate cold, followed by a demon who would devour the sun. It has been long since we felt summer, and a demon does walk these halls." Doctor: "Freya, your world isn't coming to an end." Freya: "Perhaps not, but it has changed. Every night the monster comes, and every day our numbers are lessened, and no one will speak of it. No one speaks of the fear that he will be next. Each meal becomes quieter than the last, and after a time we barely speak at all. Do you know what it is to be alone among many, and unable to speak your fears?" The Doctor considers his position as a hologram among an otherwise all-organic crew: "I think I do." Freya: "How do you survive?" Doctor: "I'm still learning how. I'm sure that's not very helpful." Freya: "Sometimes I believe I can see the moment of my own death. It comes in battle, I think - my sword raised high. It is said that fate often spares a doomed warrior if his courage can prevail, but there have been days when I have felt my own courage falter. And then you came." Doctor: "I'm....glad I could help." Freya "Perhaps I can help you. Before combat it is most important to stay warm." Doctor, not understanding: "Well, you've done an excellent job with the fire. I'm sure-" But she gently turns his face toward her and kisses him. "Fire is not the only heat, Lord Schweitzer. You know where I sleep." She gets up and leaves the hall. | 
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| After a moment the Doctor manages to make himself concentrate on his mission. And not a moment too soon, for suddenly there is the chill sound of growling outside the hall doors. |  |
| The hall doors shake violently and a white light can be glimpsed outside. The Doctor starts to take tricorder scans. |  |
| The door latches give, and Grendel bursts into the hall in a blaze of brilliant white light! Doctor, via comms: "Holodeck to bridge." Janeway, via comms: "We're monitoring you." Grendel is formed of several moving tendrils of white light. They approach the Doctor." Doctor, via comms: "Captain, I'm picking up readings of photonic energy. Captain, it's right in front of me. It's some kind of photonic energy formation." |  |
| One tendril entwines itself around his right arm. "Emergency! Get me out of here!" |  |
| Janeway, via comms: "Sickbay, emergency transfer."
Paris, via comms: "I'm on it." |  |
| He activates the controls and transfers the Doctor back to Sickbay. But most of the Doctor's right arm is missing - cut off by Grendel! |  |
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Janeway, via comms: "Sickbay, report!"
Paris, via comms: "Er, I have him, Captain, more or less. I think you'd better come take a look at this." |  |
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