The next morning Baron Nottingham is grinning through his hangover and even though he tries to concentrate on choosing an artifact his imagination keeps throwing up vivid images of her. He barely registers the drive back to the castle but when they arrive back at the safe the magnitude of what will happens hits him. He also experiences doubts that anything at all will happen. As the others exchange passwords he briefly considers grabbing a sword on purpose just to see if they really will back him for a throne but then decides against it, just in case they were serious.

"What happens if nothing in there seems right?" Gervais asked.

"Well if that is the case we'll need to move on to the next vault. There are four altogether but don't worry about it unless it happens," Newcombe responded.

"Where are the others?"

"Russia, China, and South Africa so let's hope you find something here," Jones replies as he opens the heavy door.

Looking inside G.W.E.N. saw the two famous swords crossed against the back wall, a Roman spear just in front of them, then several handwritten manuscripts including one that seemed to be a physics book written by Isaac Newton himself, other notebooks and sealed scrolls of ancient paper and vellum, a shield seemingly made of Sapphire, a pair of old-fashioned metal scales, another spear with Celtic writing glowing on the shaft and a box seemingly made of several woods.

He reached inside with his eyes closed and an item seemed to leap into his hands. He pulls it out and opens his eyes to see what he picked, it is the wooden box. He looks at Newcombe and the soldiers, "So what does this one do?"

Newcombe blinked, "I'll have to check the listing on that one. Unless one of you gents recognizes it offhand?" He looked at the soldiers who all shook their heads.

Lt. Jones quickly produced a listing, "Let's see. It's not Excalibur, not Joyeuse, not the Spear of Destiny, not Gae Bolg, ..." his voice trails off to mutters but young Lord Gervais is shocked to hear that what he thought was a copy of the Magna Carta was in fact the original. Eventually he finishes up with, "It's listed as 'box of extremely rare woods, contents unknown' and a note saying that only the right four can open it." He looks up, "I guess we'll see what is in it today as I doubt you four are here by accident."

Roger Newcombe Esq. nodded, "Let's go out in to the sunlight so I can take a good look at the box before you open it though, just in case."

Jones nodded, and the others closed and locked the vault. One of them stayed behind and all the others moved outside to look at the box in daylight.

"It tingles a bit," Gervais said.

"It doesn't hurt though?" Colin asked.

"No, at least not so far." Gervais replied.

Once out in the sun some of the woods gleamed and some seemed to absorb light and reflect not a single photon back out. Newcombe peered at it while taking care not to touch it. "Rare woods indeed. I recognize several extinct types that used to grow in the forests that used to be in what is still called the fertile crescent." He pointed to one in particular, "This is the rarest of all, Fraxinus Giganteum, part of the World Tree spoken of in Norse Religion."

Ben gasped, "You mean Yggdrasil was real and Gwen's got some of it in his hand?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean." After he finished looking and making notes Newcombe spoke again. "Okay, if you three would stand around the box and each touch it while his Lordship attempts to open it, I believe that should work."

The four did as suggested and the box opened. Out of it poured a seemingly endless amount of cold white fog that surrounded all four and hid them from sight.

When the dense fog cleared the four had appeared in a very large hall made of woods like the ones that made up the box which is suddenly nowhere to be seen. Along the walls of the Norse styled hall were long tables of oak at which men and women were feasting. That was really the best word for it. They were eating and laughing and drinking and chatting and the foods were of the best quality. The seated were all fit and graceful. They were being served by women who were all amazingly lovely. Behind the servers were shields hung on the wall, the arched ceiling beams were intricately carved and so were the base boards. At one end of the very long hall there were double doors that were closed and barred and at the other was a dais with a throne. On the throne was a woman so amazing all four young men stopped and stared even though they were still a fair distance from her.

They were still standing there with their mouths open when a voice from behind them said, "Be welcome to Folkvangr, Freya's halls. She gets half of the valiant dead from the battlefield and also those who die defending hearth and home and hosts them in grand style until the end of all things."

They turned and their eyes tried to widen as large as their mouths, for standing their was the woman from the inn! She was now dressed in well fitted leather and wearing both sword and shield but it was obviously her. She smiled at their confusion, "I'm sure you have many questions but I hope you'll continue to hold just a little longer." With a gesture toward the front of the hall and the throne she continued, "I'm to escort you to Freya without delay." She moved through them and waved to them, "If you'll follow me?"