2 | Hot Snape on a Train

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Illyria Strange | Elemmírë Oialëa

Location: Somewhere in Siberia, Russia, Earth

Time: May 2027

Sam Wilson told her that it would be a smooth mission...if you called having to infiltrate a moving train with fifteen carts of explosives and weapons as one.

She wondered why her dad even offered them to come here (though perhaps Sam did inform him that a bunch of terrorists obtained a large number of nuclear weapons from the government and not just a bunch of alien and magical equipment), considering they hardly were part of their lovely band group of superheroes. And yet here she was, sitting idly in the quinjet. [1]

In front of her, she was staring at a pair of grey-blue eyes that was still hidden with layers of trauma.

And the one beside her was another set of blue eyes with the equivalent traumatic eyes as well, sitting opposite to a pair of dark eyes that were hidden behind a pair of goggles.

Including herself: their group could make a run for a therapist's money.

Despite never blinking, Illyria's head was hardly anywhere in the plane. She was meditating in her mind, looking through multiple outcomes in her head on how their mission would turn out. On one hand, they could probably fail this tremendously and kill an entire town's worth of citizens. The other was that they could be successful and bring the entire train of weapons back to its representative nation.

Or they could do both and vice versa.

Either way, they couldn't back down now.

"We're coming into view in five," There was a gruff voice from the pilot's seat, with another set of steps entering the back of the quinjet.

Illyria returned her mind to reality, blinking her eyes several times to moisten them (god, she forgot how dry they get after blanking out for too long) before glancing upwards to the young woman. Their dark hair was neatly pulled back in a bun, secured to show the set of quivers set at her back. Her dark purple and black suit matching the colour of her boots along with the black bow she held.

She smiled down at Illyria and asked, "Hope it wasn't a bumpy ride." She added, "Not really the best co-pilot yet."

Returning a smile, Illyria assured her: "I think you would have done better than any of us, Kate."

They haven't met for long, though Illyria already felt at ease when Kate Bishop was introduced into their not-so-well-put group. She had only been in training for just two years, a lesser amount of time in which Illyria had been set when it came to their so-called avenging. Because that's what they tried to be: The Avengers...or partially.

Usually, there would be more of them lately, but Monica Rambeau and Carol Danvers were currently off-world up in space. Both Thor and Jane Foster were back in New Asgard to help Valkyrie rule their people. Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne were currently roaming the quantum realm with Cassie Lang under their wing. And Peter Parker was sadly still at school: working his butt in university this year.

Even with all the superheroes in the world, it was not hard to deny that they were still not used to working together at all. And Illyria would bet a million dollars that one of them was going to be downright pissed at the other.

And that would probably be between the man sitting next to her and the elf sitting opposite her.

"I think I would've been better at flying the jet." The dark-haired man sitting next to her spoke, a hint of sarcasm already leaking out.

Scoffing, the one sitting on the other side of the jet with the goggles and incredibly famous shield replied, "Just don't send us straight into the train if you do."

Bucky Barnes narrowed his eyes back at his friend (Illyria would say they were friends considering she had seen the two of them together in more missions than the rest of them combined) before leaning his head back to stretch it. His dark leather jacket made a shuffling sound as he moved his metal arm, the sound of mechanical parts jutting into place.

On the other side, Sam Wilson lost his smirk and eyed his left to the tall man...or elf to be more specific.

She didn't want him to come at all in this mission, especially after what she and he had done a month ago back in Brazil, hunting weird voodoo sorcerers and almost putting them at risk.

The next time they were heading into the Amazon Rainforest, they would have to take extra care of the wildlife first before sorcerers. And more specifically stop the wildlife from killing them.

"You good, man?" Sam Wilson asked him, a genuine concern over them.

The elf in question tightened his jaw from her view, staring still at her. "I am alright, Sam Wilson." Maedhros Fëanorion replied stoically. "I am just not accustomed to such heights."

Illyria wanted to sigh in frustration.

Honestly, she had told him that he could sit this one mission out and help her dad or Uncle Wong instead. But no: the blessed Noldorin elf thought that he could accomplish experiencing not only a fast-moving jet plane but also a fast-moving train across the Siberian plain. He had yet to even discover such things even after driving motorcycles and using cars where they lived.

'Mae, you can sit this one out you know.' Illyria thought to him, a worried expression on her face.

Nevertheless, Maedhros narrowed his eyes back at her and thought with a determined tone. 'I will be fine, Illyria. I have accomplished already too many things in my lifetime. And fast-moving vehicles will not sway me.'

Illyria bit the inside of her cheek and stopped herself from snapping back with a huff. Fine then: have it his way. If she hears a complaint either vocally or in his head that he was nauseous, she was not helping him find a bucket.

"Are you guys communicating right now or..." Kate glanced back forth, intrigued at them.

Sam creased his eyebrows and said, "Wait you're talking right now?" He asked. "As in like mind-reading sort of thing?"

"Yes, like mind-reading sort of thing," Illyria couldn't help but answer sarcastically back, earning a chuckle from Sam. She then continued, "I thought you'd know because Wanda does it as well?"

His voice became slightly serious as he replied, "It's a tricky thing. Especially when cyborg guy next to you did become mind washed for almost a century."

Ah right. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned that. She carefully looked over to Bucky Barnes and softly spoke, "Not the only one then."

"You had the same issue?" He questioned quietly.

Illyria inhaled sharply and straightened her back, already sensing the tension with Maedhros. She instead changed the tone, wryly joking back. "In a way." She gleamed at her and asked, "Do you really have a cyborg mind like Terminator?" [2]

"Termi-what?" Bucky Barnes had that confused face, much like Maedhros did when he didn't understand anything she said once in a while. She forgot that two-fifths of their team are hardly ones to know modern culture references. And they're the two ones that were practically enhanced beings.

Sam gaped back at his friend and spoke, "You're serious." He asked, "You've never seen Terminator?"

She heard Kate stifle a laugh whilst she raised an eyebrow at an unaffected elf. Maedhros didn't know and mostly didn't care whatever they were talking about most of the time, and she grinned at how the gears in his brain must be trying to jog through all the movies they've binged watched over the past two and a half years.

Man, time does fly when Earth was still a shitshow after Thanos' snap.

As the jet began to descend further down from the air, they stood up – preparing their gear whilst Clint Barton kept the jet up.

Illyria adjusted the collar of her suit; she wasn't used to the stiffness of the leathers over her nanotech armour. But their last fight against sorcerers did turn her away from using her robes. They were now torn and ripped after wading through jungle terrain and she wasn't going to tackle the horrifying chore of washing it.

(The only thing Maedhros suggested was to at least hide it from Darcy if she ever came around their house one time. She would flip if she found out she hadn't sorted out her laundry.)

So here she was, wearing a leather and Kevlar vest along with the black PVC fabric trousers she and Kate matched with. At least Illyria still had her boots and leather braces along with her gloves. Though nothing would be sadder than not having her trusty relic anymore. Rest in peace Eldritch enchanted staff. [3]

It had been the one thing that Illyria would never repair, even with all the help she could grasp from her dad or Uncle Wong or any of the masters at Kamar-Taj. Months of trying out new spells and enchantments to bring at least so resemblance of the original staff was lost, giving Illyria even more sadness of losing memory of her previous guardian.

The staff was now residing back in New York, where it was placed in a glass case much like the other relics in the Sanctum Sanctorum. At first, she wanted to have it back in Oxford to have it closer, but even Uncle Wong suggested that something so powerful and precious in memory should be kept safe and secure within the protection of magic.

And Uncle Wong was never wrong about things.

Whilst she checked that her dimensional pockets had her daggers with her, Illyria glanced over to find Maedhros sheathing his sword at the side of his belt, still preferring to use his real left hand than most. His other hand had been a difficult thing to get used to before he trusted himself, and mostly grumbling at her and Harley for even thinking to make him a hand in the first place.

It wasn't that she was complaining (well, she was: since the elf was complaining all the time that human society somehow needed more than one hand). But Illyria thought hey: she was smart in enchantments and also has a smart friend. Why not make a moving hand for him?

And voila.

Maedhros would never admit that he grew to love having two hands again, or else he would be scowling both at her, Darcy and Harley for admitting defeat. Because sadly: people did need two hands to play an Xbox controller and to play Minecraft on the computer. [4]

(He did have two feet left to play Just Dance, however. And that was a sight to behold.) [5]

"The train is coming up ahead; you only have one chance to get on!" Clint Barton yelled from the pilot's seat; his eyes still trained in front as he pulled the jet down.

Illyria took a mental breath, her fingers gracing over the cool metal around her neck, fiddling the pendant under her clothes.

In her mind, she could still remember his face. His fair dark hair was held back in a neat small braid. His lips and sharp jawline. And his eyes...how she could still see the love and pain and sadness that were in them.

Suddenly she felt a hand brush over her shoulder. Illyria glanced up to find Maedhros look with concern – the framed and healed scars that made his face a little redder than his fair skin. Anyone else would be terrified to look upon someone's face like his. Any ordinary human would in this world. But people like her; like the Avengers: they've been different ever since.

Maedhros said to her with a low tone, "You must remind me to watch this Terminator movie you mentioned."

For a moment she blinked until she grinned back. "You just want to up your game against Barnes, don't you?"

He didn't speak.

Illyria laughed softly at his petty feud with the former Winter Soldier. Guess she was right about one thing.

As Maedhros strode over to where Bucky and Sam were preparing to jump down, she felt Kate step beside her – a nervous expression wearing her out. Illyria smiled to encourage her, knowing well she was only just a couple of years younger than her. This was her second mission with them after all and it was a big step up to what they had previously.

"You'll be fine, Kate." She tried to ease away the worry. "As Barton said, keep close to either me or Sam."

Kate took a deep breath and tried to form a decent smile. Honestly, this girl had some guts for fighting at her age. Even at twenty years old, Kate had looked every bit of an Avenger in the making. And it made Illyria feel old now whenever she thought about it. (Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but being almost twenty-three years old (technically twenty-four if you add the time in Middle Earth) seems a lot for everything that has happened.)

They watched the back of the quinjet open, the cold wind whipping in their faces as she shivered. This was so far from the Amazon Rainforest climate. She did not even have all her enchantments on her clothes to keep herself warm.

They were flying along with the train below them, the tracks littered in snow and ice as well as tall pine trees. They needed to time their jump correctly, and it was her job to make sure they land safely as possible.

"Do your thing, Strange," Barton ordered and Illyria held her hands out and looked over to Sam.

Holding the shield in his right arm, he took a step back before he leapt out of the quinjet. Illyria watched him with a rush of excitement, watching the pair of vibranium wings expand as he flew down before rolling down into a roll.

Guess it was her time to roll.

Bucky was next, as he took a moment to look down below – a fraction that showed some slight fear in his heart before growling at the train below them. With a nod between the two of them, Illyria felt the energy pass through her arms, before a white glow exited from her hands and allowed it to wrap around Bucky's form.

Just as he landed, her magic ceased him from hitting the train in strong contact. She nodded over to Maedhros next, grasping her energy around him as he jumped off.

"It won't hurt right?" She asked her.

Illyria shook her head and thought back, 'I won't let you. And if not, Maedhros would catch you.' Well, she wasn't sure about Maedhros catching Kate, but it was better to give her a white lie before they go fight a bunch of terrorists.

Taking one last deep exhale, Kate gripped her bow tighter and ran out into the air. Illyria brought her magic around Kate's feet and body, seeing her land safely beside Maedhros. She looked down and sighed in relief, glad that they were all down. It was her turn now, and it won't be as bad as she hoped to be.

Barton, who spoke through their comms, added: "I'll be following ahead and see what we've got."

"Copy that," Sam replied just before Illyria placed her hands beside her side and brought a white glow around them.

When she jumped out of the quinjet, two and a half years ago you would think it was practically suicide. (Unless she did a flip and that would be amazing.)

Instead, she levitated in the air – her magic keeping her up.

She landed with her feet gracefully onto the top of the train with little effort.

The four had already headed to the next cart as she jogged across to Kate's side, still not liking the cold at all. This was quite different to Kamar-Taj's climate, and hardly something she would like after what occurred in the Alps.

"Bucky and I will head inside to take out the guys and secure the weapons. You three can head up to the front of the train and see if you can stop it." Sam instructed and the three of them nodded over to Captain America. "We should try not to kill anyone if necessary. Knock them out or injure them is fine."

Illyria glanced a moment over to Maedhros, who glared at her for even thinking about the sword at his hand. Well, she couldn't help but think that he was the only guy with the big, massive sword. All of them had at least daggers or so, and Bucky Barnes rose an eyebrow at the thing whenever it was out during training.

Unlike Barton, who was incredibly happy to have a sparring partner, despite the older looking man getting beaten every match.

Anyways: Maedhros was in front with her and Kate flanking him from the back, their eyes trained and their feet more careful. The train was moving at a relative speed and they would have to be quick before it would head to the nearest settlement.

She wasn't surprised then that two figures already appeared in front of them, guns in their hands as they wore black balaclavas over their faces. Illyria prepared herself, forming a golden mandala in front of them as Maedhros moved to block with his sword.

The bullets dissolved through the shield – to their shock – before Maedhros lunged forward to swipe one of them over with the blunt of his sword as the shield disappeared. Kate then took her stance: using her arrow to shoot an arrow at the other person's leg. An electric shock surged through the person's body, convulsing before being shoved down by Maedhros.

Illyria pouted at the two fallen goons and looked at Maedhros and Kate. Honestly, what was her job here if these guys had it all under control?

"Strange. You have company," Bucky informed them as Illyria turned to look over her shoulder and widened her eyes.

Hadn't she put the shield up, they would have blown up. One of the bastards had a vibranium made machine gun in their hand along with three other guys (or gals) with their balaclavas and what seemed to be enhanced alien weapons. The odd blue and purple blasts collided with her shield, sending the shield in a blast of golden dust before she brought a white blast against them.

'Probably from the Chitauri back in 2012...' She murmured to herself. [6]

She put her defensive stance, gritting her teeth as she entwined her power over the guns and saw them glow. They knew what she was doing and began to shoot more before she whipped the guns off their hands like snatching candy from a baby.

The guns floated towards her before she clenched her hands. Slowly, Illyria used her magic to compress the guns down until they were nothing but simple cubes of metal before dropping them onto the floors.

Welp. That was too easy.

Kate sent another arrow before joining Maedhros to tackle them out cold. "Go and stop the train, Strange," Maedhros spoke, only spotting his hair flowing behind him before she turned back and began to run straight ahead.

The modern freight train clattered over the tracks, hearing the clanking of metal as she floated down toward the door. She looked down and held her breath.

Fuck: the gap between the two train carts was a big jump, and even her sad flat ass could slip through easily.

Illyria had her back against the side of the wall before reaching out to send a white light over the door. The lock snapped off, sparks whistling as it hit the gears before she spun with much force into the train.

There were two people inside, the first one already sending purple energy with their gun at her chest – sending her flying back to the wall. Illyria groaned in pain at the sudden impact, holding her hands out to form a shield.

Damn, alien tech hurt like a bitch.

She stood back up, pumped up with energy as she brought more of her light magic around the terrorist's body before bringing their arms back around them. The gun fell onto the ground in a clatter before she scrunched it up like a paper ball with her magic.

The man's face immediately fell into terror, but she didn't look for long as she held her hands out and sent a small portal underneath him, sending him far up onto the train above.

As she heard a scream above her along with a thud, Illyria blew a strand of hair away from her face before narrowing her eyes at the final figure.

They didn't even move as she slowly walked over towards them, her hands encased in light to prepare herself for an attack.

Thank the gods she did as felt the air from her lungs cut off as a dagger sliced through the air. Illyria almost had her head sliced hadn't she brought a shield up in front of her.

The figure pressed several buttons on the panels before they finally turned around to face her.

When they did, she wasn't expecting to look at a man with such facial features...and a very dark haunting look. If he wasn't so good looking, he might be the right exact person to play a young Severus Snape.

The long hair with grey eyes scowled at her before he lunged at her with his fists. [7]

"Stop the train!" She growled back, instantly sending a blast of light at him.

Illyria inhaled sharply as she felt the blow, despite blocking it with her wrist. She used her magic within her muscles, allowing her fëa to heighten her senses before she began to fight.

He blocked another of her punches, his voice dangerously low as he replied, "I don't have orders from you, witch."

She wasn't offended by what he said, and yet her chest was heaving as he gained access at her ribs before she brought an Eldritch whip to his wrists.

Though as most couldn't hold onto the weight and burn off her white whips, this man had the audacity to not even feel a thing as he looked at it with confusion before tugging it towards him. Illyria didn't have time before; she was sent flying back – kicked right in the stomach with his boot.

Her head hit the wall once more as she groaned. She flexed her fingers once more, ignoring the ringing in her ears and the orders coming from the rest of the team before she scrambled up and stood facing him.

Everyone who had the end of her light whips had been burnt. But not him.

The man (she might begin calling him hot Snape if she does not know by the end of the day) tilted his head to the side.

He smirked, "Thought you were the only enhanced?"

Illyria inhaled once more, her nostrils flaring as she felt her annoyance grow into anger. This douchebag thought he can mock her; well, he wasn't going to expect what was coming for him.

With an internal battle cry, she conjured her daggers from her dimensional pockets before swinging at him.

They sparred several times with most of their moves easily parried back at the same speed and strength. She could tell that this man, despite the European appearance and broken English: was adept at multiple martial arts. Illyria would have to thank the masters of the Mystic Arts for teaching her, or else she would be undermined.

But this man was almost as tall as Maedhros, even with her above-average stature. He used this to his advantage, using his elbow to her collarbone before throwing another kick at her rib. As Illyria finally had enough, she was about to bring his entire body and mind down – a blur of red appeared behind the man and a metal object hit the side of his face.

Maedhros suddenly came to her rescue, using the brunt of his force to knock him sideways before Illyria swung her legs under the man's feet.

The man's eyes rolled to the back of his head before slumping onto the floor: passed out cold.

Illyria and Maedhros' eyes met as she breathed out lightly, "Thanks."

Nodding stiffly, Maedhros flickered his eyes behind her before reminding her: "Illyria. Train."

Right: that was the reason why she was here in the first place.

She gave herself a few seconds to bring her breath back, wheezing as she felt something sting at her chest. The bitch must have bruised her ribs since it was a struggle to even walk and breathe back to the control panel.

Whilst she analyzed the screens of the train, looking over at the map and the system, Maedhros was standing by the door to protect them.

Then her bad news had to come this far.

Illyria swore through the comms, "Shit, he had it locked on its course." Glancing over her shoulder, she looked over at the fallen man and hurried over. But as she hoped that he was partially awake, he was practically unconscious. Oh, fucking fantastic.

She rose and flashed an irritated look at the red-haired Fëanorian. "You had to knock him out, didn't you?" Illyria exasperated.

Never did Maedhros look pissed as he shouted through the roaring of wheels and gears, "I practically saved you!"

Illyria shouted back, "Didn't mean you had to beat him up!"

Especially his face. Why did all the villains have to be so darn good looking too?

Forgetting the man and ignoring Maedhros, Illyria returned to the control panel and tried to go through the controls. No matter how she tried or even look, nothing seemed to work to stop the engine.

"Hey, let's not have a sibling fight right now." Sam reminded them before questioning, "Barton how far are we to the nearest settlement?"

Whilst she closed her eyes and huffed, she heard Barton through the comms reply: "Uh...at this speed: about two minutes."

She had to thank Kate, ever the mediator, to ask everyone: "Does anyone know how to hack into a train system?" She added, "Barnes?"

She must still be up on the roof to make sure they were safe.

Bucky's snort was short as he responded: "I lived in Wakanda for two years, doesn't mean I know Wakandan tech, Strange!"

Well, one thing he got right was that this was Wakandan technology or some weird hybrid of it alone with modern technology everybody had. Vibranium had odd energy that ran across it, conserving potential energy from every aspect of the air around it. Illyria had read through various of Tony Stark's notes about the said metal, the same one Captain America's shield was made of, and showed similar properties to what her magic possessed. [8]

Illyria looked back at the map and gulped. They had a minute left before it would collide straight through a station. And even then, they wouldn't know another train would come.

A collision with heavy explosives isn't a pretty thing to imagine.

She explained to the other five, "From what I have here, it's all an energy source." Biting her lip, she finally spoke aloud, "I have an idea. But you might not like it."

Turning around, she flexed her gloved fingers and eyed Maedhros, who quickly understood what she was planning.

"Illyria, no," Maedhros warned her, stepping closer but she flashed her eyes in alarm.

For a moment he froze, but not glaring back in defiance at her. She knew what he had seen in her and knew not to interfere.

Speaking through the comms, she instructed the rest of the team: "Get up to the top of the train guys, I'm going to stop it."

"Strange, you're going to hurt yourself," Sam told her, his voice laced in concern and the air of order.

But despite Captain America's tone, Illyria had to ignore it this time. "Barton, you said Wanda once did this right?" She questioned the elder Hawkeye, remembering that he was practically the only original Avenger left in their group.

"...Illyria. No." Barton said sternly, "Your mom is going to kill me."

"Not when she kills me first." Illyria suddenly felt the train begin to shake, the tracks training going extremely fast for such terrain. She glanced over to Maedhros and shouted, "Go! Take the guy up as well!"

Maedhros didn't hesitate now, swinging the tall man's form over his shoulder before leaping through the golden portal she formed for them.

As the golden portal shut, she positioned herself facing the control panel and allowed her mind to calm down. If she was doing this without hurting anyone or even herself, she had to concentrate.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and allowed her magic to flow through her fëa and straight out from her body.

A white light began to glow over her hands before it flowed out around her, and she felt the energy of the vibranium metal: Illyria pushed her entire power through. Suddenly, the entire cart was encased in a glow of white light, covering every bit of the train as it extended from the further cart.

Illyria could sense everything, the Vibranium weapons and the foreign alien energy that lingered in the weapons. She could sense the radioactivity and the energy being brought to a halt as she allowed the energy to dissipate from the engine and wheels and out into the air. Her body being the conduit to all.

But her chest...Gods her chest was like a furnace under a cabin roof.

Once she felt the loss of the engine and the vibrations and sounds of gears turning, she knew that the train had stopped.

She did it. She stopped the train in time.

As she fluttered her eyes open, her eyes gazed forwards through the windows. The silhouette of the city was just several metres away from them as the snow began to fall and melt under the glass. As her hands fell to her, she shuddered a breath before stumbling forwards. She thought she would hit the control panel, but luckily a pair of arms grabbed her from behind.

"Illyria!" Maedhros shouted, rotating her head to face upwards.

However, her eyelids were droopy as she asked quietly, "Did we do it?"

"We did."

Exhausted, it didn't stop Illyria from being her usual sarcastic self as she smiled dopily at her friend. "Yippee..." She sighed. Illyria then looked up to him and asked, "Now, can we get some curry? I'm vibing for Indian tonight."

Maedhros closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You, nethig, will be forever the death of me." [9]

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Military officials arrived on time as well as an envoy of Wakandan soldiers.

The Dora Milaje, the most amazing and deadliest women Illyria had ever cross looked as badass as ever as every bit of Wakandan kit was handed back to them and piled into a crate in their jets. (She was a little sad that she did not say hello to any of them, and maybe ask how Shuri was doing.) [10]

On the other hand, most of the terrorists along with their leader were handcuffed and bound as they were dragged into the back of their trucks with guards.

The rest of the team looked well, with some scratches and bruises that weren't enough to be healed despite the Russian medics arriving. Nobody was harmed other than the terrorists themselves. As for her, Maedhros hadn't left her side at all ever since she got off the train. She had drained most of her magic to stop the engine as well as fifteen freight carts along with it at seventy miles per hour speeding along.

Barton was right: Darcy was going to kill her when she finds out.

Kate and Maedhros helped her get into the quinjet, lying her down on the metal floor whilst Sam and Bucky went to talk to the government officials. All she could see from the floor was the glaring face of her elven friend and the worried looks both Barton and Kate wore. Maedhros wasn't going to talk to her for the next couple of hours by the appearance – and it wasn't something she was shocked to see.

'It's good that it's not Elrond,' Illyria thought. 'He would shout and cry at me for pulling a stunt.'

Maedhros flicked back to her and spoke, "You should be glad." He said with a mix of anger and concern. "If I didn't use my fëa to stop your heart going out, you would have lost your hröa by then!"

Wincing, she sighed afterwards at the flaring of his nostrils. A worried Maedhros was an angry Maedhros, and she still wasn't used to how overly protective the darn tall elf was to her. Probably because she was the only one left that was a part of their world. And losing her would mean that he would have to be alone until something (or someone) killed him.

Okay, maybe he had a point.

Illyria's guilt continued quietly as Sam and Bucky returned, relief in their faces as the doors closed and the sound of the quinjet roared to life. It was Captain America himself who first went over to ask if she was alright, and she nodded her head before a small, tired smile rested on her lips.

"I'm glad you stopped the train, Illyria," Sam said softly before inhaling. "But please don't risk yourself like that. I don't want a bunch of wizards coming after my ass when they find out one of their own got killed."

Bucky added, "Or elves too." He sat down with a groan at the same spot, smirking over to her. "You did well, kid. And you too, Kate. Maedhros."

Illyria tilted her head over to the former Winter Soldier and raised a brow. "You do realise Maedhros and I are older than you, right?"

Bucky frowned, feeling a little sheepish as Sam snorted before placing the shield down and began taking parts of his suit off. Kate had gone back to help Barton fly the quinjet back to New York whilst she shifted from her spot on the floor – now leaning against Maedhros who sat crossed-legged as he leaned back.

'I'm sorry, alright.' She whispered to him but heard or felt no response from him.

Oh no, she must have really done it bad this time.

There was a minute of silence.

As her worry began to eat her, a hand lingered atop her hair. Maedhros' fingers began to fix the strands of her hair, silver tresses mixed with copper ones. Illyria sighed in content, relieved that he wasn't really angry at her.

'Just, tell me next time when you are going to pull a stunt like that,' She heard him think back. Maedhros had begun learning to use his natural magic on telepathy. Though not as skilled as herself and perhaps the twins, Arwen and Galadriel, Maedhros was getting better at distance.

She looked down to her callous hands – gloves now on her lap – before quirking her lips. 'Well, I did say I had an idea.'

'Didn't mean it was agreed by us all.' Maedhros murmured internally, his chest rising before he rose and settled them both on the seat above.

Illyria was now sitting with the help of Maedhros, still using his weight to prop herself up but enough to glance across to the other side where both Sam and Bucky now sat. Whilst Bucky was zoning out, staring at the floor that was nowhere near their faces, Sam had a tablet in his hand.

She then croakily rose her voice as she called out, "Sam." The person with said name glanced up from their tablet and hummed. Illyria questioned him, "Who was that guy by the way?"

Somehow both Captain America and the former Winter Soldier knew who she was referring to, their shoulders tensing (or more rather Bucky's) as they eyed each other briefly. Afterwards, Sam's hands swiped across the tablet's surface before he rotated the screen to them. He asked if she had meant him.

On the tablet's screen, the same man she had fought at the front of the train. Hot Snape, she now dubbed him – looked incredibly dashing with his uniform and medal of honours. However, it was those eyes again. They look like they've seen more than just having to fix an engine or death.

No, they were the eyes of someone with a past. And Illyria had not seen ones that almost had something crawl up her spine.

Turning the screen around, Sam explained. "His name is Theodore Madoc, apparently. Former ex-navy for Russia until he was injured. Then he decided to join the Ten Rings." [11]

"The same one's that Mandarin guy runs?" Kate swivelled her head around, asking Sam with surprise. [12]

Illyria widened her eyes slightly, shocked as well at the drop of the name. She had heard of the Ten Rings. A formidable organisation that was hundreds of years old, with their name lingering around Kamar-Taj and the Mystic Arts with an air of disapproval. Uncle Wong said they were dangerous to cross them and deadly to those who betray them.

"Yeah. Same one." Sam made a grim look as he continued to tell them about Madoc. "Knew the Power Broker too, until he had some dealings and began to lose respect. He lost both the groups' trust and now he's an independent weapons dealer trying to send alien and Wakandan tech over to China and then to Madripoor. Well, was after what we just did." [13][14]

Blinking away her surprise, she carefully asked them her question, "How do you know about him so much?"

She knew that the two won't easily let out such important information. They weren't really members – not officially to say at least. Since the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange were too busy watching over the multiverse, the Avengers team weren't truly a stable group. People went in and out depending on if they were free.

At some point, Sam Wilson and Clint Barton would have to find people who could fill their spots. Superheroes who can dedicate their work as Avengers first and then everything else second.

She and Maedhros, on the other hand, weren't really the best bet for them.

Sam was the one who answered back with hesitance, "Our...ally; Sharon Carter knows them." He clarified, "Said he's been on the Power Broker's list since the blip."

"He's a super-soldier," Bucky spoke bluntly, folding his arms across as he stared at her. "He was one of the last ones who took them before Karli Morgenthau's group took a large batch."

Okay with the stare, he really did act like the Terminator.

"Where's he going?" Illyria pried, knowing it was a risky question.

"Somewhere that he can't escape," Bucky answered, a hint of hatred. Well, she guessed it was somewhere that was impenetrable for even a super soldier to escape. Did something happen or was he remembering someone who was already where Theodore Madoc was going?

"Okay, let's change the mood now." Sam sighed, putting away the tablet before he looked at her and Maedhros. "You guys planning to stay over at the new compound?"

Illyria eyed up to her elven friend. "Mae?"

Much as she liked Kate and Clint, and respected Bucky and Sam: she and Maedhros both knew they wanted to go where they were most comfortable right now. Especially after what she did.

Maedhros answered for them, "I'll take her back to the Sanctum along with the stolen relics. But we appreciate the gesture."

____

[1] - Quinjet: Was a former SHIELD jet used by the Avengers. It's a hybrid aircraft.
[2] - Terminator: A movie about a cyborg assassin sent back in time to kill someone. There's an entire franchise about it.
[3] - PVC: polyvinyl chloride, a synthetic resin and a polymer fabric used for agents mostly (inspired by black widow's trousers in Infinity War).
[4] - Xbox: a gaming console owned by Microsoft.
[5] - Just Dance: A game where you just...dance. You earn points if you dance correctly to the moves.
[6] - Chitauri: An alien race army that was used by Loki and orchestrated by Thanos during the invasion of New York in 2012. They are used again back in Endgame.
[7] - Severus Snape: A character in Harry Potter, famous for his greasy black hair and long crooked nose and was a professor at Hogwarts.
[8] - Vibranium: the fictional metal that is from a meteor. Wakanda harbours all metal and only Captain America's shield is known to have it.
[9] - Nethig: Meaning 'little sister' in Sindarin.
[10] - Dora Milaje: A personal bodyguard and royal security of Black Panther of Wakanda.
[11] - The Ten Rings: A Terrorist Organization dedicated to destroying world peace by any means necessary.
[12] - The Mandarin: The leader of the Ten Rings and the real villain. Not the fake one in Iron Man 3.
[13] - The Power Broker: A mad scientist who experimented on various superhuman individuals and in exchange had them have earnings.
[14] - Madripoor: A fictional city where most criminals and crimes are here. The power broker resides here as well as former Sharon Carter.

____

A/N: This was inspired by the first act of episode 1 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I wanted to introduce Illyria and Maedhros to you guys by showing how much they have changed during the two and a half year gap between the books.

There was a lot of references with the Disney+ Series, which may change over the course of the future so for now, it's how I interpret what they've been doing after Season 1.

What do you think of Maedhros and Illyria and their dynamic? If you haven't read The Healing Process, I deeply recommend it if you want to know more how their relationship is like now. :)

Edited: 30/10/2021