10 | Shuri likes to fix broken white men...or elves

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Tony Stark | Iron Man

Location: Formenos, Aman

Time: September 2980 T.A

Tony Stark remembered the first time he was captured.

From the moment he died, it had been fifteen years since he was taken by the Ten Rings; he survived with a car battery in his chest and forced to create weapons for the terrorist organization. It was there Tony's mind, and possibly his heart, changed. Call it a life and death situation, but then again: no one could ever be the same after almost starving in a cave with a doctor.

He still remembered his name.

Yinsen.

The kind man should have lived, had he not run into danger just for him to lead the front part of their assault. It was the first time someone died for him, and Tony would forever keep it in his mind that there were people in this world that didn't deserve such a terrible death. Those whose hearts and minds were not worth the chaos he laid waste on.

And yet people still died. People he didn't know and people he should have known more. He thought finally doing something good, knowing to Strange that it was their only chance – that Tony would finally rest.

But here he was: in chains and forced to follow the orcs dragging him down the large and dark corridor.

Where he was, he wasn't sure anymore, if he was still in these 'Halls' or somewhere else. All he knew for a fact that: the being who took him and the lovely redhead elf, Nerdanel, knew him.

The Merchant of Death.

Stark.

He said his name eerily like another. A certain purple nut-sack-chinned alien more specifically. Hearing them rasp darkly from their mouth and letting it settle over his mind and heart, trickling down like tar.

If Tony could feel cold, he was probably zero Kelvin then. His nuts would probably fall over if they didn't shove an overly large linen shirt on him as well as some trousers that could almost replicate pyjamas. They forced him to wear boots, a new leathery smell as they then shoved him through the door.

Or more like tossing him like a football. Thank his own instinct being tossed for years to land the best way possible, hitting the hard stony ground with a thud and a grunt.

Hearing the orders from who was probably the lead orc (it was still hard to comprehend that he met one of those dudes), they all cackled before there was a large slam and the revibrating of metal doors and locks. Talk about being welcoming about it, this Morgoth guy didn't understand that humans are a little more fragile.

Tony groaned, shuffling slowly to his knees before massaging his arms. The bruising will probably come soon and would probably stop him from what the guy wanted him and the others to do.

It was pretty obvious if you knew him easily, which was the case for Morgoth shockingly.

Tony shakily inhaled. He wasn't ready again to do this. Not now when it has been so recent for him. He was forced again to combat the very thing he hated: to be used as a source of weaponry. To be at the hand of killing thousands of lives again.

He stood up and noticed his surroundings. Like one of those medieval shows, he was locked inside a large forge, filled with several fires, workbenches and tools. They were all worn down and used, things he would have to get used to working with.

God... he would kill to have at least some music here. Maybe blast some ACDC out whilst he had F.R.I.D.A.Y tell him that Rhodey or Pepper are trying to call him to tell him to sleep or eat. [1]

He missed his bots too. His first robot children: Dum-E and U. They might not help with the progress but at least it would give him something to cheerfully smile about instead of bitterly thinking of when he was going to be pulverized.

Yeah, let's not talk about it right now.

Tony walked over, brushing his hands on the dusty surface before hearing the door open. He spun around, hitching a breath when he noticed two figures being thrown inside. The taller one had almost run back out until the larger orc blocked him, shoving him back down before barking something in another language.

When the doors closed, their eyes met him.

One of them had been Nerdanel, still dressed in her tunic and trousers.

The other eerily looked like her, though with a darkening façade to his face – a permanent scowl that had him wondering when he ever smiled. If he was an elf, maybe three or four centuries ago.

He was about to open his mouth before the pungent smell hit him like a moon. (He was still annoyed that Thanos had the audacity to throw a moon at him.) Tony gagged, realizing how bad his clothes were. "Ugh, they would have at least made things a little better...hey." He awkwardly spoke, "Elf...guy."

The one with dark hair widened his eyes for a second and narrowed them. He demanded, "What is an atan doing here?" [2]

Nerdanel already began walking over to the workbenches and began fumbling about with the tools. Whilst she did, she explained bluntly, "He is here because he did not listen." She paused in her search of something or whatever she was doing: "The atan tried to defend me."

The pointy-eared guy almost turned fifty shades redder, and it was not just because of the burning glow of the fire.

The elf questioned, "Against a Vala?"

Tony really didn't know what this guy's problem was. They only met for only twenty seconds and already the elf was demanding why he was defending the pretty elven redhead. Could he just not defend anyone to his liking or was it some weird elf courtesy and culture that he didn't understand? Maybe the director (Philip Jackson or something? Who knows.) just didn't capture the characters and the races of elves? He knew other species are a little different. He did spend twenty days with Nebula in space, losing oxygen every moment he counted.

Maybe this guy was just being protective of her. The two seemed to know each other, even if the dark-haired elf looked as if he preferred to be alone. But since they were all here, he probably had the same task to do as much as them. And Tony shivered again at the meeting they had.

Maybe shutting up might have been better. But who was he when he wasn't Tony Stark? And rambling when they're in the worst situation possible was his thing.

"Atarincë, enough."

Nerdanel slammed down what seemed to be a hammer, causing him to jump. A deathly glare towards the dark-haired elf. His heart might have just skipped a beat or two. God this elven woman was scarier than he should have predicted.

Really eerily reminded him of someone now.

Atarincë – or that's what Tony dubbed – stayed silent and merely jerked his head away. He rose his nose away and made a noise that came out like a scoff, causing an awkward silence to fill the room.

To him, Tony just assumed it was equivalent to some weird scolding and almost felt weird. The two definitely knew each other...they almost looked like each other. But the face shape and the eyes were different. Nerdanel's was more heart-shaped whilst Atarincë was sharper and longer. Not to mention the difference between the green and blue-grey eyes.

If they were related: clearly, they still had different tempers.

With a small inhale, Nerdanel kept her calm voice as she continued, "Morgoth may have taken us as hostages, but it is more than just leverage and...this."

Tony folded his arms and hummed, "Obviously. He seems pretty keen to go on some weird war against your people." He eyed the medieval tools and machines and pointed out bluntly, "But I never worked with things like this. This is some medieval shit here."

"You cannot be serious that we will create for that dark lord? For a war," Atarincë spoke in disbelief towards the red-haired elven woman.

She questioned in return, "And die again and again because of it?"

Something must have started running in his system, maybe a missing engine or fan, because his somehow fully functioning heart without any metal fragments was beating fast as fuck.

He was reliving the memories again. The last moments he died, all the energy of the universe coursing through his veins into his brain until he couldn't even tell if he was breathing or thinking anymore. He remembered starving in The Benatar, watching the nebula in the distance whilst the Nebula with him already knew they were a lost cause. He remembered falling from the wormhole, closing his eyes as the missile exploded into the alien ship. [3]

He remembered the shield slamming right into his chest – smashing the Arc Reactor as Steve Rogers brought it down in one swift movement. [4]

Yeah no: he does not want to die again if he can't even afford all those times he almost touched death and said hola to their doors.

Tony raised his arms and loudly clarified, "Woah, Woah. I don't want to die again and again. Look. I need some confirmation." He got their attention first before he took a deep breath and explained, "Where I'm from Middle Earth is from a story by this guy. And I never really read all the books. Seen the movies and all but this – this is just crazy."

Of course, this was crazy! Nobody was supposed to die and wake up in another universe unless somebody took his body and renewed it.

But from the place he had been for a few days, Tony didn't feel it was entirely his body. It felt unreal, even as if he were floating and existing in some weird plain which he just assumed his soul looked like his body. When they did leave, it was there he finally felt whole.

No: he felt that he had a new body.

Also, if this was another universe, surely it does not fit any of the realities. Maybe he was thrown back in the past as well. If he was: he was pretty sure that he'll be dead by the time modern technology arrived.

What was that old book that had a rabbit and some weird red queen with the big head?

Oh right, Alice in Wonderland. Because that's what Tony Stark was feeling like right now, but rather more twisted and imagining that the Red Queen was this dark god wanting to put the entire universe into darkness by ridding the other gods and the people they created. Maybe at some point, they could have a tea party whilst they create weapons that will probably be used to kill millions of people. [5]

He internally shivered at the terrible thought, glad that Atarincë seemed disbelieved at his explanation.

"And what do you know from what you read, atan?" He peered a gaze towards him.

Right, if this guy was going to act like a douche he might as well just go his usual self and get through his exterior.

Pointing at himself, he introduced, "First, you can call me Tony." He then leaned against the bench nearby and drew out a breath, "Second, the movies talked about a group of people called the Fellowship wanting to go destroy this ring made by this evil guy who is now an eye."

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He wasn't a storyteller nor a writer, but he couldn't deny that he was pretty impressed with himself by retelling the entire story of The Lord of the Rings to the two most stoic elves he ever met.

They listened intently, sometimes reacting from time to time as he mentioned Sauron's golden magical ring. The One Ring to Rule Them All.

He spoke about how Frodo Baggins and his best friend Sam (he couldn't remember his surname, oops) went with the creepy old creature called Gollum to Mount Doom just to destroy the ring. How Aragorn – or Strider – was supposedly the heir to Gondor and how he became king and married Elrond's daughter, Arwen. He also mentioned the monster under the mountains and how Gandalf the Grey was killed and reincarnated by their gods. Or the Valar that's what he heard.

Not to mention that another wizard, Saruman, decided to betray them and wanted the ring for himself and burnt a bunch of tree people.

Atarincë muttered, "Olorin...he is one of the Istari." His head turned to Nerdanel and asked, "Did Uinen speak to you before they left?"

Nerdanel, who was had been staring idly at Tony, broke eye contact to look back at the other elf. "No. Only speaking of Sauron beginning to make his move from the east." She then brought her eyes to Tony and spoke, "Your story seems liable but there are differences. For one, Sauron has already covered the east. It won't be long until most of their kingdoms are a part of his own."

Right okay.

That makes it just worse. A hundred times worse.

What did that mean then? Did Sauron possess the Ring now? Did the Fellowship not form or were they discovered by Saruman when he betrayed Middle Earth? Or maybe things already were bad before it was found, and Sauron was just more powerful?

God, he would seriously kill for a drink at least from all these theories.

He almost sounded like those Flat Earth theorists who gave dozens of pathetic reasons as to why the earth was a pancake and not a ball. He just thought they just didn't have much to do or just really high.

But the realization that this world was not from what the books the Tolkien guy wrote made him swallow the bile down his throat.

It meant that the happy ending they had might not actually happen. And if that was the case, what was it for him and the rest of them? Is this really his second life, being miserable and forced to do something he hated?

Pepper told him before he knew he passed that he could finally rest.

And now...

Tony struggled out a ragged breath, scratching his head as he said, "Oh...well this is another fucked up timeline then." He glanced to them and added, "I've done a fair bit of time travelling, creating branched realities and all. But this isn't my fault okay. So can you not glare at me."

The entire time, the hated expression on Atarincë was practically trying to bore a hole through his head. He really wished he was wearing shades right now; at least it could hide the tiny bit of fear he had of the tall elf.

Atarincë spun to Nerdanel and hissed, "You said anyone who knew we have to be careful—"

She interrupted him by walking over, placing a hand atop his shoulder as she murmured, "Not him, my son." Nerdanel turned her eyes to Tony before speaking to both with a little more confidence. "For now, we do what we can to survive. Make sure the Valar are preparing for Morgoth's war. We will have to try and bring him down somehow."

Atarincë, who he now knew to be Nerdanel's son, jeered before stalking away, all the way to the other end of the large workshop. Tony was now left with Nerdanel, who seemed to look a little pained when her son walked away. He didn't know the details and didn't want them, knowing that the two probably had some bad blood or something before this all happened.

However, it seemed all of them knew Nerdanel was right. They needed to do something at least to slow the dark lord's plans. Ignoring the task they were forced to do will get them killed and that wasn't going to help. They'll have to design something that Morgoth wants but have the upper hand when it comes to using it.

Tony glanced to Nerdanel, a flicker of confusion and familiarity still clouded in his mind when he looked at her.

He really could have sworn she was someone he knew.

Maybe a Stark Industries employee? Maybe a SHIELD agent? Might even be one of his one-night stands. Or she was just a doppelganger with a face from Earth.

He stood straight up, stating to her: "I think I know what he wants me to do." Tony's hand lingered at the centre of his chest whilst he continued, "We'll need a ton of metal though. And a power source."

Nerdanel merely nodded, quirking her brow before assuring him to inform her of other ideas later. Once she left to begin her own job, Tony was now left alone. Three people in the largest medieval workshop he has ever been. Taking a breath, he walked over to grab one of the charcoal pencils and parchment lying about on the desks.

Guess it's time to go old school.

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Maedhros Fëanorion | The Red Wolf

Location: Oxford, UK, Earth.

Time: June 2027

He was still angry after what happened in the lab.

Maedhros didn't care that Illyria was annoyed at him, and Glorfindel and Elrond were practically silent for the past two days. He needed to release some of the fuel that built up inside him and decided to spend his entire time either in Kamar-Taj training and then crafting in his workshop. The other option could have been dropping into Andrea Barnard's house and hoping she had a free appointment, but he wasn't going to burden her for her time and especially when Illyria was paying for it.

He was not going to let it go easy.

Damn his father and damn the Silmarils ever existing. If his father never made the Silmarils perhaps everything would have been fine. The Valar would never have doomed their population and perhaps he would have had his family whole once more. Maybe in another alternative reality, he would have still known the people he knew now such as Illyria and her brother.

But with the Peredhel twins, without Idril ever meeting Tuor, they would never really exist.

And without the Silmarils, he might have never met Illyria either way for she seemed to connect with them somehow.

Alright, perhaps damning the Silmarils' creation may have to be another time. But Fëanor's own downfall of his sanity and soul could be. His father could have easily accepted terms to the Valar, to allow a better understanding appeased by both elves and Ainur. Instead, he chose his pride to run him to his death at the hands of the being who stole the Silmarils.

Maedhros should have suspected it. He was the eldest of his brothers and he should have done more to acknowledge how far their father had gone.

By the time he watched Fëanor burn the ships, he should have come to realise that the ellon they once called father was gone. Gone was the strong and intelligent ellon to now a shell of just fire that wanted to burn everything – even to the ones he loved.

So why in all of Arda and Earth had someone thought Fëanor was the one to aid Illyria in bringing them all back to their world?

It could have been Curufin or perhaps his son, Celebrimbor. At least then, Illyria would have gotten along better as they were apparent friends during their time in Gondolin.

But Illyria had set the ground rules, even writing down some sort of treaty, before the blonde-haired sorceress had enough and dragged Elrond along to go on a walk she promised him with. Darcy Lewis stayed behind to keep Fëanor company and to work with their project. Which then left him and Glorfindel stuck in place before having enough of it and went on their little walk.

If walk could translate to duelling the Balrog Slayer in the garden the entire evening.

Today had been similar, though Illyria wanted to show her brother and Elrond the sights of the city in the limited time they were on Earth. Maedhros was not sure as to how he was rolled up into this, but it didn't stop him from having to be dragged along.

Even when he was rather... 'Third wheeling' in their non-official date.

With Glorfindel of Gondolin no less.

Maedhros wasn't sure as of yet to think of both Elrond and Illyria. Whenever he looked at Elrond Peredhel, he still imagined the young ellon who fought in a war they were born in. The one who never stopped until Elemmírë was saved from the hands of a dark Vala. The same one who was now thousands of years older than him and happily married to that said elleth.

The age between the two didn't matter anymore, especially when Illyria's age being rather messy and not worth debating about. But he still remembered the elleth who had protected the half-elven twins since they were little. It was Maedhros' first encounter with them all and it was not his fault for keeping it that way.

As well as that, the years with Illyria had him being rather overprotective of his titled sister. Elrond may have been his foster-nephew due to his brother Maglor, but the long years alone with Illyria brought a stronger familial bond to the once elleth. He would protect Illyria's heart first then choose Elrond's.

There was still the case in having to deal with Elrond and what happened. Unlike Illyria who had two and half years to reconcile with him, Elrond did not. Maedhros saw the conflict in Elrond's mind, anger, and sadness of him leaving Elrond and Elros with Illyria whilst contentment of seeing him alive.

It didn't help when Illyria told him the years she and Elrond had after the war.

Maedhros decided with himself that he'd focus on his relationship with Elrond first before tackling the odd hurdle of Elrond and Illyria's marriage. It didn't help when the two were constantly together wherever he was present.

He was surprised as well that out of all people: Glorfindel was grinning so widely as the couple strode down the road.

During that time, they had just gotten breakfast outside and the mention of not going back to the university facility had his head turning in irritation.

He didn't stop glaring as they strode down the main street of Oxford city, head on high alert as he asked, "Are you sure you can leave him alone?" He questioned with suspicion, marring perhaps the same face his father wore. "If he tampers with your machine..."

Illyria let out an exasperated sound, letting go of Elrond's hand before turning to him, "We've been working on it for two years." She tapped her foot onto the stony pavement before firmly adding, "He already knew what he was doing. We just have to trust him."

"I do not," He bluntly replied, earning a swat from her hand.

Elrond looked warily at them, his hands subtly moving his hair to hide the tips of his ears.

On the other hand, Illyria merely gave him a look before rolling her eyes and continued walking – reaching her hand to take Elrond's. Elbereth, he wasn't sure if he should feel sick at the amount of affection they held or just feel rather pained at it.

He once wished for something that they both had. But Maedhros knew it would never come and shook his thoughts away.

Better to concentrate on going back to Arda than his nonexistent love life.

The blonde-haired ellon was strolling beside him, asking aloud through bites, "Where are we going?" He finished the thing in his hands perhaps in ten seconds, swallowing the last part as he added: "I really loved those rolled pastries, nésa."

They cross the road, entering a narrow alleyway between two sets of buildings.

He heard Illyria laugh in her head before actually appearing amused with an expression. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't empty their stocks of vegan sausage rolls Fin." She gestured them all to follow her down the alleyway, "Come on. We have an appointment." [6]

"Where are we going?" Elrond questioned with curiosity.

Maedhros couldn't help but slyly smirk, causing Glorfindel to look at him with a questioning gaze.

Illyria stopped the moment they reached the dead end, spinning around on her heels before showing a small smirk. "We are going to my friend's." She slipped on the sling-ring to her fingers and held both hands out, forming a golden portal at the wall before gesturing them through.

As Maedhros reluctantly took the first step through, he heard Elrond whisper to Illyria, "You have too many connections, Calanya."

He really was glad he had eaten his food before or else he would have choked then.

'Do they not realise the purpose of a kilmessë?' He exasperated internally, refraining to squeeze the bridge of his nose from the impending headache he was going to have. 'Just keep your head up and focus. I will not question them. Not yet.' [7]

Glorfindel had the moment to smirk next to him, causing him to return his face into a scowl before he ignored the half Vanyar. He will not bow down to his little joking matter, even if he was prepared to be buried alive six feet underground.

They soon arrived within an open field; a cliff edge spotted in the horizon whilst a large building was situated in front of them. The main research facility of Wakanda stood several miles off the capital city, close to where the mines were. Even the smell of grasslands and a gentle breeze already soothed him, reminding him of the place he had been trained for months during his time here.

They continued to walk, keeping his guard up whilst Illyria explained to the other two about their whereabouts.

"Well, this one is from a friend," They headed up the steps to where the landing was as she continued, "Met her at Tony's funeral a few years ago. Harley and I were already known to help them since General Okoye aided me with the funeral of Vision. Though there is White Vision kind of wandering now with basically no emotions, but, you know."

Waiting for them at the top was a figure, poised in her stance like any soldier. Their dark complexion complimented the bright red of their uniform. In their hand, they held a metal spear – gripped tightly in preparation for any attack.

Once they reached them, Maedhros and Illyria stood on either side of each other, placing their hand on their own chest as they bowed their heads. They grew accustomed to sharing the elven gesture to those of the Wakandan, reciprocated by their own crossed arm greeting.

The woman said in a strict tone, "Miss Strange. Red Wolf."

Illyria bowed her head slightly downwards, showing her respect to the second-in-command of the Dora Milaje. "Ayo."

She hit her spear onto the ground, tapping it whilst she instructed, "Follow me." Her eyes averted, looking closer behind Maedhros and Illyria. She questioned, "And the other two?"

His titled sister responded neutrally, "My brother Glorfindel of Ondolindë and my...partner: Elrond Peredhel of Imladris."

Ayo simply nodded, turning away before walking – a gesture for them to follow towards the double doors into the facility.

They made their way to the lift, the route to their destination already in his head as he watched scientists, researchers and soldiers alike bustled around in their work. He could already sense the energy around them. The Vibranium, different to what elven metal could do and yet similar down to the very particles they hold.

When he first came to Wakanda he was still broken from the war. Illyria hoped to find him something to help him, to see if the Oath could be mended through science.

The day when they informed him of their result wasn't something he and Illyria wanted, though already knew as they felt their sympathy grow towards him. Maedhros knew it anyways. Even the strongest magic, even the Scarlet Witch, can't remove a spell that was cast by his father out of all things.

When they were walking, he heard Elrond ask in a light tone, "Partner, Illyria?"

Maedhros turned his face to notice Illyria quirk a smile, a wave of energy softening the tension in his body as she emitted the emotion. "Well, that's who you are to me, is it not?" She leaned up to Elrond whilst they were waiting and muttered: "Also, I don't want word going around right now. It's already bad enough that people think Maedhros and I are a thing. Makes me want to barf up the food Philippa made the other day."

He couldn't help but look away, chuckling to himself at Illyria's displeasure. She had no qualms in expressing her hatred of their neighbour's cooking no matter what.

It was his turn to get involved in the conversation and commented, "They love their gossip here when it comes to the Avengers or any superhero faction." He looked over to his shoulder and assured Elrond, "Take no offence, they are not used to outsiders here, no less than Illyria and me. Even when we first started coming here, it was rather... strained."

Next to him, Ayo curled her lip and tutted. The second-in-command soldier knew easily what they talked about. Too long they've trained, and he had grown to know what the Dora Milaje were. And they shared the same equal personality of keeping to themselves when it came to working but relaxed whenever it was just casual talk.

Illyria nudged her chin up and nonchalantly replied, "That's because you're like a tall red tree, Mae. You stick out like a sore thumb."

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Once they arrived at the main floor underneath the ground level, Ayo led them down to the main research facility and stopped by the time they arrived at the main corridor. Maedhros thanked her in their language before heading down to follow Illyria, Elrond and Glorfindel down to the lab.

He wasn't surprised when they found the resident scientist still focused on their work, her intricate modern-Wakandan clothes contrasting to what Illyria wore. When their dark eyes landed onto them, she grinned and strode over to them stopping in front to greet them with the same gesture.

The young woman grinned as she slyly announced.

"I see you brought more broken men to my lab." She eyed Elrond and Glorfindel with interest and added, "Or should I say elves."

Maedhros hid his smirk as the other two elves tried not to react to the statement.

Wasn't the only time the woman had been right.

Illyria bowed her head before stepping forward to embrace the woman. She replied with a chuckle, "Only for you, my friend." When they parted, Illyria pointed out loud, "It's been months, Shuri. Loving the hair."

Princess Shuri of Wakanda exaggerated her motions, flicking her long braided hair as she answered in a sigh, "Ah, Mother made me. Said I had to for another council meeting." She gave Illyria a look, probably seeing the silver hair and added, "Honestly, I wanted to have it dyed but she said it wasn't proper."

"Then we should have another sleepover," His titled sister insisted, "I mean you did a pretty good job with MJ doing mine."

Princess Shuri, or Shuri since she had constantly insisted on him to use after multiple encounters, brightened her smile as she grinned cheekily up to Maedhros. A rather typical thing they've had ever since he met her. She had been the one who led the team to investigate his condition, leading her to become more frustrated and fascinated over him and elves.

Sometimes, Illyria had to save him from her friend from spending too long cooped up here for 'research purposes'.

Shuri said with a teasing tone, "Ah, if it isn't my favourite elf." She smirked up and stated, "Red Wolf."

Maedhros peered down at her. The young human knew easily how he was affected by that title.

"Princess Shuri," It was his turn to return a piece of her medicine, causing her to glare back before he chuckled.

Introducing them, Illyria gestured to her brother, "Shuri: this is my brother, Glorfindel." She then looked over to the son of Eärendil and spoke, "And my partner, Elrond."

The two elves next to him greeted her, whilst Glorfindel happily replied, "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."

Just like herself, Shuri stood beside Illyria facing them and smiled, "I can see the resemblance." She said in a low tone, "But the hubby, very good taste I can tell."

A laugh left Glorfindel's mouth whilst he smirked, eyeing Elrond who simply smiled – a little pink in the tips of his ears.

To anybody, they would be horrified if someone punched a princess, but Illyria and Shuri, it was not the case. Illyria turned red as she lightly punched Shuri's arm before the latter chuckled and began walking over to where her workstation was.

"Stop it," Illyria hissed.

Whilst he and the other two followed them, he heard the princess whisper to Illyria, "I can imagine him spending lots of time in the library with you."

Maedhros eyed Elrond; he was sure that he had turned another shade of red.

Before they can cause more collateral damage and embarrass Elrond, he interrupted the two women and said, "Shuri, we can speak about other things. We are a little tight on time."

Shuri spun around and waved her hand, "Always so rushed. I wish my brother would allow me to do so." She then cleared her throat, her voice serious as she advised them, "Now let me show you some things Wakanda has. Please do not touch anything. I know your curious Noldorin aspect."

"Have you read about our kind?" Elrond asked, curious at the young woman.

The princess hummed and replied, "Yes, and it was...alright. But that man: your father. I aspire to make a bunch of languages too." Shuri was eyeing Maedhros before she dismissed it and turned away, grabbing the tablet off the table and began pressing buttons. "I'll find a time, however. Now your suit, Illyria."

As she did so, a door opened to reveal a mannequin from one of the walls. There was a gentle hiss before the sliding noise of glass until Shuri walked over to pick it up and place it in front of them.

Maedhros couldn't help but feel awestruck at the sight.

Upon an exact mannequin of Illyria was her new set of armour and suit. It was a mixed blend of what the Dora Milaje wore, though styled to the Sorcerers of the Mystic Arts as well as her elven past.

It was a dark shade of violet, an inner tunic a tad darker with a tight collar, the skirt of the robes going just at knee length, like the colour of the tight bodice. The black trousers underneath were simple and tight complimenting the silver parts of the bodice. It intrigued him how Wakanda could easily use their rare metal in their clothing, using it with pieces as well as sewing them into decorative patterns and designs. The braces were brown and leathery, overlapping the long sleeves.

Maedhros was impressed that Shuri had incorporated the runes of the Mystic Arts in their design, perhaps something she and Illyria decided upon. It was obvious the moment he spotted the Seal of Vishanti on the upper sleeves.

Though what had him shocked was what was on the upper back of the suit.

There – sewed in gold and silver – was the Star of Fëanor blended by the Golden Tree of Elemmírë.

"Holy...this is amazing!" Illyria's hands smoothed over the fabric of the flowing robes, its thickness light and yet protective for her. She would have to add the spells and charms on them before she could wear them.

Shuri looked smug as ever. "When you said you wanted to have all of the mixes, I thought, why the heck not."

There was a little debate when he first discovered the designs of both Illyria and Shuri's work several months back, most conspicuously the colours in which Illyria established to him. And when his blonde-haired friend argued that red was his colour and they would clash whenever they stood next to each other, Maedhros snorted in disbelief.

He had also suggested picking green and yellow, a known colour he recognized from the heraldry logos for the House of the Golden Flower. All he got was a glare to which Illyria complained it would clash with her hair all the time.

(This was before she even dyed it that ridiculous Teleri colour.)

She also stated that it would be a blend of both her's and Elrond's symbolic colour schemes, which he could not help but raise his eyebrows to the roof of his forehead. The deep violet shade would be rather noticeable, not just physically but symbolically. Not one of the houses of the Noldor wore that colour at all.

"You are a fashionista, Shuri." Illyria laughed, going back to run a finger over the gorget of the bodice.

"Oh, you should see what Maedhros' new suit will be like." Shuri turned to him, Elrond and Glorfindel more specifically. "I apologise. I don't have anything prepared for you two."

Glorfindel smiled kindly, "No matter, Princess Shuri. Being here is already a treat."

Shuri continued along, before pressing a button to make another mannequin appear. This time, Maedhros couldn't help but grin at the sight.

It was just like the armour he wore back in the War of Wrath, though now blended with the sorcery robes he usually wore in training. The long collar of the burgundy robes which fell to his calves was of similar fabric to what Illyria wore – albeit a little heavier than he assumed it to be. He knew the patterns were laced with vibranium along with the brown trousers and gold braces. The black shoulder pads along with the breastplate had the Seal of Vishanti but the patterns of the Noldor on them. There were enough pockets for him to store daggers along with a sword.

When he walked over to the back, Maedhros drew out a breath when he saw the sewed pattern.

The Star of Fëanor along with the head of a wolf, sewed in black, and gold.

Whilst he traced over the embossed logo, Shuri had stood beside him and explained, "I decided to go base it on the sorcerers you've fought, removed all of those clunky metal."

Elrond, who was studying Illyria's new armour, creased his eyebrows and spoke, "It is fabric, surely it will be pierced by a sword?"

"Not vibranium." Shuri pointed out with a smug tone. "Our metal is one of a kind, allowing it to be more malleable but strong once impacted by direct force. I'll show you."

They waited for the young woman to move the mannequins with the aid of Illyria, lining them out in an open space of the lab before gesturing to Illyria. Maedhros stood beside Elrond, focusing his eyes on the armour. Illyria summoned a dagger into her hand, a physical one at that, before aiming it towards the chest of the mannequin.

One would expect it to easily pierce through the fabric, but instead, it bounced off - clattering onto the metal flooring.

Illyria threw another blade at the other, swiping it instead to where the sleeve had been. To his surprise and expectation, there was no indication of a tear as the steel sliced onto the fabric.

Shuri gestured to them and stated, "See. No cut."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Elrond's eyes wide. Curiosity and amazement in them as he asked, "How is that so?"

The princess answered simply back in return, "You'll have to learn a lot of chemistry and material sciences. And Illyria here already is quite almost there at it."

Whilst she picked up her daggers with a click of her fingers, Illyria sighed: "I'm not your level genius, Shuri."

"And yet still a genius."

Maedhros mused and informed Elrond in a lower voice. "You will get used to them, Elrond. You might even join them once Stephen introduces you to modern medicine."

The elf next to him gave him an inquisitive gaze before he nudged his chin towards where Illyria and Shuri were discussing their recent research developments. Maedhros would only hope he was correct, and Illyria would probably direct Elrond to seek some medical books or websites. In a way, it will perhaps give some closure now between his new set of in-laws but also aid them when they arrived back in Middle Earth.

One thing Maedhros learnt was that the medicine here, healing to those back in Middle Earth, was an entirely different experience. It was a cleaner and lower risk in such things as diseases and infection. Elrond could learn a thing or two of what Earth has to offer.

Whilst he was talking to Elrond and Glorfindel about the other things about Earth as well as what Wakanda had, they were abrupted by Shuri who walked over carrying a covered object in her hands.

She said as she uncovered the cloth, "And you, Red Wolf...the very thing you asked for."

Sitting in the palm of her hands was a metal appendage.

A vibranium hand.

Maedhros eyed the prosthetic before staring at the princess. He said in a questioning tone, "You made me one?"

With a hum, she persuaded him to take a seat at one of the swivel chairs whilst she went over. The other three gave them space, letting Illyria talk about what had happened a year ago about his new appendage. How Harley Keener, Illyria's longtime friend, created the one he wore today. It was a sleek silver one, contrasting to the black and gold that Shuri began putting on.

He didn't realise he was holding his breath after she finished, encouraged by her to move it. Maedhros slowly flexed his fingers, amazed at its smoother and easier movements.

Shuri stood back as she explained, "I went through with Harley with the design, and don't tell him this: but I was impressed." She continued to speak as he picked up a random pen from one of the pots on the table.

Shuri of Wakanda impressed by someone else's work? He must be dreaming all of this.

She said with a dead tone, "Seriously, don't tell him; it'll boost his ego."

He couldn't leave his eyes off his hand before admitting to himself how glad he was.

When he turned to Shuri, he placed his right hand to his heart and bowed to her, "This is...incredible. Thank you."

Shuri bashfully waved the gesture and retorted, "Maedhros, you're like a living legend. You three are." She paused. "Sorry Illyria, you weren't in the books."

That earned her a pout before Shuri grinned and added, "Also, I know Harley made something for you. He's been constantly telling me about it."

Their eyes went to Illyria, who walked over towards her friend with brightened eyes. It would seem her other friend had something else for them soon. Maedhros couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about all of this. Both Illyria, Shuri and Harley have worked so much to create things for them in the past year and Maedhros could only help so little with their developments.

He could only hope the months helping Earth would reciprocate the gesture they've given and do his part in helping Arda.

Illyria gave Shuri a sympathetic smile as she responded, "Can't wait." She hugged the princess one more time before continuing, "Thank you. No words can describe how much you're a badass right now."

There was a look of amusement on Shuri's face as she replied, "Girl, you know I am." Shuri softened her gaze, looking towards her but also to Maedhros. "And stay safe. And don't be letting another Thanos into this reality, okay?"

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[1] - ACDC: Australian rock band formed in 1973. Known for songs such as Back in Black, Thunderstruck and Highway to Hell.
[2] - Atan: 'Secondborn' in Quenya. Plural being the Atani.
[3] - The Benatar: An M-class spaceship used by the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers.
[4] - Arc Reactor: Device initially created by Howard Stark and then later adapted by Tony Stark. It provided clean and renewable energy and also powered Iron Man's suits as well as helping to prevent shrapnel from piercing Tony's heart.
[5] - Alice in Wonderland: A childrens' fairytale novel by Lewis Carroll. Published in 1865 and it's basically a young girl who falls into a rabbit hole and enters a new world.
[6] - Greggs: A British bakery chain and specialises in savoury products such as sausage rolls (vegAn) and sandwiches. Honestly, it the best place I used to get lunch when I was in secondary school.
[7] - Kilmessë: 'Self-name' in Quenya and basically a name which is given by an elf to that person based on history, personality or other things. Usually, it's only supposed to be heard by family and those who know the person. It's a sacred and secret name and why you don't know such names because...duh it's secret.

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A/N: The chapter I've been hyped to get on! I love Shuri's relationship with Maedhros and Illyria, especially with her being one out of two of their group's tech suppliers.

And just like any Marvel superhero, we get a lovely upgrade of Illyria's outfit and change into a different colour for this part.  And Maedhros getting vibranium armour...*inhales* the most beautiful thing I got to imagine.

Again, I'm bulk updating just because of scheduling and timing. :)

Edited: 07/02/2022