Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.


02/04/2015

Happy Easter to all readers.

The latest trailer for Age of Ultron has been the best one so far IMHO. Just under a month to go – not that I'm counting.

Brad W: I think you'll find a clue towards the end of last chapter as well as from the AoU trailers.

RakCetGirl: It seemed to me to be the perfect way to end the chapter.

jj12: I think it's the first time Michael Douglas will be starring in a superhero film. Gordon Gecko and Stark talking business over lunch would also be cool cinema.


Chapter 28 – Spoils of War

The Avengers and their friends were spread across a variety of tasks by sunrise following the Battle of Tharbad.

Eomer was overseeing the enormous task of disposing the thousands of enemy dead. In scenes reminiscent of Pelennor Fields, Hulk dumped several Cave Troll corpses into a pile that Thor promptly ignited with a lightning bolt. It was among dozens of burning pyres outside the southern ruins. Thor also used Mjolnir to ensure the prevailing winds directed the stench away from the town and the living.

Eowyn and Lothiriel worked with the Dunedain and Elves to treat the dozens of friendly wounded. Faramir was delayed in joining them due to his role as Lord Emissary.

Among the cargo Iron Man had originally transported to Tharbad were two fully laden chests of recovered treasure. One chest was for the purposes of rebuilding Tharbad while the other had been set aside for the Dunlendings. The Wildmen were more than overwhelmed by the unexpected bounty. Wulf and Andras privately joked about telling a certain pair of Gondorian merchants a new benchmark for tribute had been set.

The three Hobbits were in Tharbad's main hall. With JARVIS's aid, Merry and Pippin began examining the pattern of attacks made across Eriador. Sam, the ever-tender father, was content just babysitting Steven.

Boromir and Sif only had time to surreptitiously touch fingertips before going about their separate duties. The Steward took charge of readying Tharbad for the fleet's arrival later that day. The first such preparation was getting Iron Man to remove the explosive mines from the Greyflood. Detonating the mines in the water risked creating a hazardous trail of debris floating downriver. Consequently, Stark placed the mines outside Tharbad's northern ruins for later disposal.

Sif joined Rogers and Romanoff in reorganising the shattered defences. The town was still largely intact. However, the damage to the southern gatehouse and loss of the chain boom represented a significant weakening of fortifications. Another problem was the shortage of defenders Tharbad faced once the Army of Light commenced its final march. It was something the garrison's two most senior members were also now contemplating.

Their protestations to the contrary, Damrod and Barton had been ordered to rest by their respective superiors. The pair had just checked on the wounded before walking back along the bridge towards the southern gatehouse. More than sixty defenders were killed in the battle, half of them being the civilian volunteers. Victory hadn't softened the pain that Damrod felt over them.

"I know one shouldn't feel guilty," he quietly told Barton. "But each of the fallen was either a friend or neighbour of mine."

Barton still felt bitter about when he'd been under Loki's control. Leading the attack on the Heli-Carrier especially rankled. Barton had known so many of the SHIELD Personnel killed including Coulson. It was something the master archer still struggled to forgive himself for in spite of Romanoff's assurances.

"I don't think you ever get over it," Hawkeye sombrely reflected. "All you can do is get on with it."

The pair had entered the gatehouse tunnel when the Avenger changed topics.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Barton asked lighter in tone.

Damrod waved at the structure around them. "Lord Boromir's agreed to renaming the gatehouse."

Barton wondered why Damrod was telling him this as they exited the gatehouse.

"What're you going to call it?" Barton enquired.

"What else but after the Avenger who prevented its fall?" his friend proudly replied.

Damrod drew Barton's attention right of the outer doorway. Someone had graffitied in large charcoal letters – 'HAWKEYE'S GATE'. The nominally phlegmatic Barton couldn't help but give an honoured grin.

At that moment, the Other Guy strode past the pair. He completely ignored them as he nonchalantly pulled a wagon containing unspent mortar rounds. The rounds had been collected from the battlefield and were to be kept in Tharbad's armoury for the interim. An idea hatched in Barton's mind while observing Hulk move along the bridge.

Damrod thought Hawkeye's focus was intense even by his standards. "Is all well, Clint?"

Barton looked at Damrod with a dark gleam in his eye. "I was just thinking it'd shame for all that ammunition to go to waste…"


Faramir and Eowyn stopped by the main hall to collect their son prior to retiring to private quarters. A tired Sam also left to get some rest himself. Merry and Pippin would've done likewise if they weren't feeling so exhilarated. They found something interesting within the data about enemy movement and attacks. Something others had joined them in the main hall to be briefed on.

Banner had returned with recovery operations no longer needing the Other Guy's services. Wearing a set of his own clothes, Banner was looking at a screen with a display of Eriador. He thought Merry and Pippin had every right to feel as proud as they did. So did the rest of the audience that included Rogers, Boromir, Romanoff, Stark, Sif, Thor and Eomer

"The location of every mercenary base and hideout," Merry spoke to the information displayed. "Well, pretty close to it anyway.'

JARVIS and the two Hobbits came up with the locations after analysing warband movement patterns.

"They probably weren't told about the transceivers," Pippin deduced.

"Of which you'd be right, my friend," Thor concurred. "Those raiders are expendable as far as Malekith's concerned. I doubt they would've been so eager to fight for him if they knew we could trace their every move."

No one disagreed with Thor's assessment as they looked at the display.

"Some of those bases are currently well within our grasp…" Boromir wistfully observed.

Stark glibly got the hint. "I know a good plan of attack."

A number of Avengers knowingly smirked at this including Captain America.

"We should still talk about with Aragorn first," a smiling Rogers agreed.

An awkward cough halted the flow of discussion.

"Sorry, Steve," Merry apologised. "But the bases aren't what we really wanted to show you."

More than a few eyebrows raised as the display zoomed in on Angmar. Banner simply smiled as Merry and Pippin verified Gandalf's observation about hobbits surprising in a pinch.

"Malekith's army was south-east of Carn Dum just after we'd reset the transceivers," Pippin said as JARVIS supplied the corresponding animation. "They stopped at a placed called 'Ringroth'."

"What is it?" Sif queried.

Pipeweed hadn't been Merry's sole literary interest within the Orthanc. "I read a book about Angmar in Saruman's library. The Ringroth's a network of unexplored caverns, by the Free Peoples at least."

"And I've a hunch its something we should've checked out," Rogers wryly referred to Operation Backfire.

Pippin and Merry deferred answering this to someone else.

"Um, Jarvis?" the former prompted.

JARVIS didn't miss a beat. "Malekith's army was joined by forces from within the caves. Those forces emitted very high levels of energy. The signature closely matched that of the flamethrowers. Unfortunately, the cloud over Malekith's army prevents us from getting further readings."

The information was greeted with far more trepidation than the location of the mercenaries' bases.

"Gimli thought they stole enough mithril to make thousands of them," Banner grimly referred to the flamethrowers.

"And Halbarad said Malekith might have a secret base," Romanoff added before complimenting the pair of private investigators. "Thanks to you guys, we might've found."

Merry and Pippin felt more than chuffed with the number of approving nods Romanoff's praise received. A chime from the other display screen quickly shattered those feelings.

"That means my tracking algorithm's ready," Banner calmly advised.

Even the two Hobbits momentarily forgot about the intelligence they'd gathered. The prospect of the Riddermark being vaporised into ash had gnawed at Eomer throughout the ride to Tharbad.

"How many nukes are there?" he asked without hesitation.

There was a short pause as JARVIS processed the information. "None, Your Majesty."

A stunned silence pervaded the main hall. None could believe what they'd just heard, not least JARVIS's creator.

"No seriously, Jarvis," Stark chided the artificial intelligence.

JARVIS's tone wasn't the slightest bit defensive. "Doctor Banner's algorithm is working perfectly, sir. No other nukes are deployed anywhere in Middle-earth."

Pippin used his favourite expression of cautious optimism. "Well…that's good news."

No one disagreed with this but the hard part was accepting it.

"If Malekith had only one nuke, why waste it on Annuminas?!" Romanoff blurted out before quickly assuring Boromir. "No offence."

Boromir bitterly felt the loss of the iconic city. A rebuilt Annuminas would've emphatically shown the Reunited Kingdom was more than a glorified version of Gondor. The Steward also knew the Kingdom needed him to maintain his objective military judgement.

"None taken, Natasha," Boromir dismissed her concern. "Largely because I agree with you. Malekith could've given it to the goblins to fire on Tharbad."

"Then maybe it's a matter of deployment after all," Thor picked up on what JARVIS had said. "We Avengers could destroy the rocket well before it was even fired."

Sif revealed something from the emergency war council to articulate her own theory.

"Even if Aragorn didn't speak of it, I could tell he was grieved by the loss of so many Dunedain," she remembered. "The attack on Annuminas may have been another attempt at breaking his resolve."

Everyone knew 'another' was a reference to the assassination attempt against Arwen and Eowyn. Stark also had memories of trying to figure out Loki's stratagem.

"That's all well and good," Stark conceded before returning to Romanoff's original point. "Still, why the overkill?"

Both Hobbits recalled the footage they saw on Banner's tablet at the time.

"Maybe the nuke was meant to scare all of us," Merry sombrely observed.

"That cloud was one mushroom I never want to see again," Pippin inimitably agreed.

Stark considered this for a moment. "You know, Starsky and Hutch might be on to something."

Rogers had been silently listening to the debate while evaluating the information displayed on both screens. It still had some holes, but Merry's theory made quite a bit of sense. The mercenaries heavily outnumbered the Dunedain even without the nuke. A conventional assault would've still incurred heavy casualties among Aragorn's kin. It reflected the broader strategic situation. Malekith was amassing a huge army compromised of forces not just from Ang-

"Son of a bitch," Rogers sighed in bitter realisation.

All present looked at him. Even Stark refrained from commenting due to the same reason as everyone else. Captain America rarely used coarse language and it was usually due to him arriving at some unpleasant truth. Truths such as why Banner had been captured at Amon Hen.

"What is it, Steve?" a concerned Boromir.

Rogers looked around the audience. "We've been had."


Malekith's army was currently encamped before the slopes of Mount Gram. The mountain was the Goblin's stronghold in the Ettenmoors. Malekith's newest allies had greatly swelled the ranks of his army to a size of one hundred and eighty thousand. The forces from the Ettenmoors included two dozen Giants. Resembling brown-scaled bipedal sauropods, these twenty-foot tall brutes were powerful combatants up close or when throwing boulders from range.

Malekith's tent was in the middle of the encampment. The tent was surrounded his Avari bodyguard. In a nod to history, Malekith had furnished the Avari in black metal armour and round caps of steel covered with moleskin. They were largely armed with two-handed axes. For this was the armour and weapons similarly used by Maeglin's forces during the First Age. Like their infamous ancestor, feelings of jealousy and promises of power had swayed many Avari to pledge a Dark Lord their allegiance.

Legolas had been largely correct about why these Avari had sided with Malekith. The Avari had chosen Middle-earth to be their home ever since the Great Awakening. Unlike other races, they didn't deplete the natural environment nor seek to enslave their neighbours. All they wanted was to peacefully live their immortal lives within their forested realms. But it seemed the Powers-That-Be wanted to deny them their choice. Indeed, the Summons to Valinor felt more like an ultimatum – one the Avari were ultimately powerless against. That was until they were visited by an unexpected saviour.

From what Malekith told them, Arda wasn't the only realm where Dark Elves faced persecution. Only through conquest and dominion could the Avari finally achieve security. And Malekith convinced them he had the power to help them do so. The Svartalfr was now in his tent completing his final plans.

Malekith and Mornaakh stood over a table with a parchment map of Eriador spread before them. Malekith's palantir was also placed on the table near one of its corners. If Malekith knew about Saruman's attempted transference, he'd made no mention of it. Saruman himself was still shaken by the experience. He cursed both Galadriel's intervention and the nature of Banner's subconscious mind. Hulk possessed a mental will the equal of his physical strength. Saruman's brooding made him completely oblivious to the conversation now taking place.

"All our allies have arrived?" Malekith checked with his lieutenant.

Mornaakh nodded knowing his master wasn't above flattery. "Using the Annihilator on Annuminas proved a masterstroke, milord. The enemy has been in fear of suffering similar attacks. It's allowed your army to gather without hindrance."

Prior to the Avengers' arrival, Malekith assumed the Free Peoples would still mount some kind of resistance to him. Particularly Aragorn and Eomer combining forces due to the Oath of Eorl. The Annihilator had been designed to instantly wipe out that army and its leadership. The Avengers' presence had rendered that plan inoperable. So Malekith chose to use the Annihilator at the start of hostilities in something of a pre-emptive gambit. The Avengers and their allies had been so fixated on the possibility of other nukes – as well as the mounting raids – it allowed Malekith's army to concentrate free of interference. Things hadn't gone completely perfect though.

"Unfortunately, milord," Mornaakh continued, "the raid on Tharbad failed. The enemy's forces will soon be there in full."

Malekith's response contained a jab against the third individual in the tent.

"Tharbad is meaningless," Malekith casually observed. "And our foes will be destroyed soon enough."

A small delegation then entered the tent. It was the allied leaders who'd come at the head of their forces. Malekith's allies included Gundabad Orcs, Easterling mercenaries, Half-orcs out of the Lone Lands, Hobgoblins from the Grey Mountains and other evils from across Middle-earth. Malekith's attention fell on a large, yellow-eyed Goblin.

"Gorkil-King," Malekith acknowledged the Ruler of the Ettenmoors.

Gorkil gave a deferential bow in response. "Lord Malekith."

The army was encamped outside of Gorkil's stronghold. But Malekith's power meant the Dark Elf was the one holding court.

"Is the Ettenmoors ready?" Malekith girded the Goblin leader.

"More than ready, milord," Gorkil proudly assured him. "Especially after what you're lieutenant paid us."

Gorkil was referring to the gold tribute provided by Mornaakh during the Black Numenorean's visit to the region. Malekith reflected an ally with simple desires made for a nice change.

"That payment was just the beginning, my friend," he said before speaking to the group as a whole. "Our enemies have chosen to concentrate their forces. Which means we can eliminate all resistance to us in a single battle." Malekith then revealed why the major centres of Eriador had not been raided. "After that, the wealth of the Shire, Bree and Ered Luin is then all yours for the taking."

The ugly eyes of a number of leaders flickered in greedy anticipation. Malekith wasn't even asking for a share of the loot. Sauron hadn't been anywhere near such a generous benefactor! Malekith intended to reclaim the Quarry but chose not to complicate matters for now. Unfortunately, uncomplicated allies came with their own drawbacks. One such ally was Blodkar, the ranking Orc-chieftain from Gundabad

"What 'bout Rivendell?" Blodkar queried.

"Imladris," Malekith sternly corrected him, "will be captured cleanly and left undefiled."

Leaving Rivendell alone was part of Malekith's grand design for Middle-earth. Without something like the One Ring, an empire centred on Orcs and Trolls would never be stable. Men like Mornaakh were still mortal in spite of their loyalty. To secure his power base, Malekith wanted under his banner as many Elves as possible and not just Avari.

Malekith wasn't reluctant about killing any Eldar who opposed him. But in a twisted sense, he still saw them as kindred Elves. He hoped to convince them that darkness was the true path of all Elven-kind. The destruction at Mithlond was to force the Eldar's choice on the matter – they could die alongside the rest of Free Peoples or join him. Unlike previous Dark Lords, Malekith had no intention of turning them into Orcs. They'd instead have the opportunity to become masters over the lesser races. Under Malekith's dominion, the Dark Elves would forever have supreme and absolute power in Middle-earth. A realm where they'd no longer be subject to the whims of the universe nor interference from the likes of Asgard and the Valar. Not that any of this would've mattered to Blodkar.

"You can keep the stinkin' buildin's," Blodkar sneered in dissent. "But you're not stoppin' us from drinkin' Elf-blood!"

Mornaakh's eyes flashed in anger as he gripped his sword hilt. Malekith quickly stayed his Lieutenant's hand. Far more effective threats existed against impudence.

"Please follow me, my lords," Malekith politely requested the delegation.

The sorcerous cloud above Malekith's army cast a massive shadow in all directions. The delegation was soon at cloud's centre. Malekith stretched his arms and parted the mile-wide cloud column. The allied leaders saw the monolith containing Malekith's power source alongside the elite forces that protected it.

"Magnificent aren't they?" Malekith boasted about the military might he'd unveiled.

Blodkar swallowed a nervous lump as he got the hint – Do you think Gundabad could withstand such an assault?

"Imladris…will be left clean and undefiled, milord," a chastened Blodkar agreed.

Malekith's response was a thick mixture of sarcasm and contempt. "And who says orcs are bloodthirsty?"


Located close to Tharbad's main hall was the Town Palace. Recently built, it served as the town's administrative centre. Soon it would be acting as the residence of King Elessar and several high-ranking guests. Some guests had already taken up their allocated lodgings. Eowyn and Faramir had just finished bathing Steven and were softly drying him on a bench.

News had quickly spread about Malekith's nukes. The Lord Emissary and his wife were stunned to hear the destruction of Annuminas was just an elaborate decoy. The size of Malekith's army was similarly disconcerting. At the same time though, the fact there were no other nukes in circulation was a major source of relief. It allowed lighter subjects to be discussed at greater length.

"He travelled a lot better than I thought he would," Faramir reflected on his son's journey from Edoras.

"Of course he did," Eowyn mischievously insisted. "Steven's as much a Son of the Riddermark as he is of Gondor."

Faramir responded in kind. "I wonder if your brother will consider his own offspring to be Half-Gondorian?"

Eowyn deftly exploited the opportunity.

"That reminds me," she said while dressing her son. "Eomer wants to gift Steven a pony."

Faramir was slightly confused by this. He knew Rohirrim learnt to ride from infancy. Sending a pony all the way from Rohan still seemed excessive.

"Surely Eomer knows there's plenty of ponies in Minas Tirith?" Faramir queried.

Eowyn nodded with a twinkle in her eye. "He said Steven should learn to ride on a real horse."

Faramir rolled his eyes at this. Gondor and Rohan had never been closer. But the gamesmanship that existed between its peoples remained healthy as ever in the Fourth Age. There was suddenly a knock on the door.

"That'll be them," Eowyn observed.

'Them' happened to be Romanoff, Banner and Elrohir. Eowyn opened the door and warmly welcomed the trio in. Romanoff was here at Eowyn's request and Banner wanted to see Faramir. However, uncertainty surrounded the visit by one of the Sons of Elrond.

"Forgive us, Lord Elrohir," Eowyn said on her and Faramir's behalf. "We're still unsure why you wished to see us."

"That's my fault," Romanoff casually owned up. "I just want to be sure someone's not spying on us."

Eowyn and Faramir immediately knew 'someone' meant Saruman. Word about the fallen Istari's attempted possession of Banner had also spread.

"And I told Black Widow she's overly worried," Elrohir wryly countered. "Saruman's likely still recovering from, as Master Stark put it, 'Having his psychic ass handed to him'."

Light laughter greeted Elrohir's relaying of Stark's wit. The reference to Saruman was also a good segue to what Banner wanted to discuss.

"You mentioned having a breakthrough on the Codex, Bruce?" Faramir asked him.

The said breakthrough shortly followed the one on Malekith's nukes. Decoding Saruman's journals had stalled for more than a week. The latest information decrypted had been worth the wait though.

"A big one," Banner confirmed. "The specifications of all those weapon designs we found. We know about the rockets and mortars. So Tony and I went over all the other ones."

"And?" Faramir anxiously prodded.

"It's scary how good those weapons work on paper." Banner grimly summarised. "Remember that steam engine Tony was talking about?"

Stark had mentioned his gift to Erebor over dinner at the Meduseld.

"The device he's shown Gimli's people how to build?" Eowyn checked but unsure of the connection.

"Yeah," Banner confirmed. "Well, Saruman came up with a smaller version as his tank's propulsion system. All he needed to begin mass production was a power source."

Understanding dawned on Eowyn. "Which Malekith has…"

Romanoff nodded before outlining the implications. "Cap thinks it's the real reason for the cloud. Malekith's army probably has a lot of advanced weapons. And Malekith doesn't want us to know what they are until it's too late."

Faramir released a troubled sigh. The Free Peoples and the Avengers had time to study the flamethrowers and stealth technology. Like Barton hinted to Banner, Malekith wasn't going to give his enemies any further opportunities to examine his secret arsenal. Certainly not before unleashing those weapons in the final battle. Like the rest of the Free Peoples, the nuke had more than frightened Faramir. More frightening was the possibility Malekith still had weapons of equal power at his disposal.

"Anything else?" was all Faramir could say.

"Just one," Banner said before adopting a more curious tone. "The Codex mentioned something about a prisoner. It didn't say much, but there was enough to suggest Saruman was worried about them escaping."

"Was it the dragon?" Eowyn referred to Naurhir.

"The text was clear this was no prisoner of Sauron's, milady," Elrohir politely advised. "Like Malekith's power source, the prisoner's identity must have been known only to a few. And again, my father didn't seem to be one of them."

"Isengard held no such captive before Saruman's fall," Faramir started speculating. "If it did, I scarce can believe Gandalf wouldn't have mentioned it. If only because Gandalf was held there as prisoner himself."

Despite Aragorn's regard for her intelligence gathering skills, Black Widow knew she wasn't infallible. Particularly when she was provided with incomplete information.

"Assuming the prisoner's still alive," Romanoff countered. "We've got no indication when they were captured let alone who it is."

Banner regretfully shrugged his shoulders. "We'll just have to wait for more to be decoded."

With this particular discussion exhausted, Romanoff commenced a new one.

"You said there's something you wanted to show me?" she asked of Eowyn.

Eowyn simply nodded and collected a tightly wrapped length of cloth. She placed it on a table before removing its leather bindings. The cloth had been covering one of Eowyn's most prized possessions.

"It's the sword I used at Pelennor Fields," Eowyn said as she passed it to Romanoff. "I know you have your own weapons, Natasha. But you're welcome to take it for the battle ahead."

Romanoff released a tiny gasp after she removed the sword from its scabbard. The blade was sharp and immaculately polished. Her eyes then fell on the intricately detailed hilt. The beautiful bronze guard and pommel was styled in honour of the mearas. Romanoff was more than an adept swordswoman despite not ever having used one in battle. This gift was more than about arming her to the teeth though. Eowyn no longer desired battlefield renown. 'Dernhelm', however, still wanted to fight at least in spirit. Romanoff firmly sheathed the sword and accepted it with an understanding nod.

"Just don't expect the blade to be as clean when I give it back," she wryly added.

Eowyn arched a mischievous eyebrow. "I'd be very disappointed if it was!"

Laughter filled the room again before Banner spoke again. The topic was much more awkward for him to discuss than Saruman's Codex.

"Look, um, Eowyn and Faramir," Banner tentatively addressed them. "I heard how the Other Guy woke up Steven during the council. Sorry."

Steven's parents had never taken offence despite their son's justifiable fright when Hulk called for order. Banner hadn't allowed himself to be consumed by the Other Guy. However, it also seemed to be something of an endless battle. A battle Banner could never be fully sure others appreciated. To show this wasn't the case, Faramir passed Steven to Banner. Steven instinctively grasped Banner's little finger as the Avenger cradled him.

"You see, Bruce," Faramir assured him. "No offence was taken."

Hulk's appeal to children was a mystery even to Banner. He'd read with exasperation plenty of articles about his dual personality by various armchair experts. Maybe childhood innocence could understand what advanced psychological theories couldn't. Ultimately, Hulk was a protector of the innocent who only wanted acceptance in return. And children everywhere accepted him unconditionally. Thoughts of childhood brought back painful memories for Banner.

"Is all well, Bruce?" Eowyn asked seeing his face sadden.

Banner didn't take his eyes off Steven.

"I just wish Dad could've held me like this," Banner softly replied.

Prior to their encounter in Kolkata, Romanoff had read SHIELD's full dossier on Banner. The dossier included the details of his traumatic childhood. Romanoff gently placed an understanding hand on Banner's shoulder – a gesture that also touched the Other Guy.


Aragorn's fleet eventually docked at Tharbad just after midday. Tharbad had far fewer docks than Harlond, only allowing three vessels to dock at any one time. A queue of ships had weighed anchor south of the town waiting for their passengers and cargo to be unloaded. The first ships to dock were the Frodo, Celeborn and the Gandalf. The latter ship was carrying the Men of Dale.

The King and Queen held hands as they walked down the Frodo's passenger ramp. Both were relieved for a number of reasons, not least that Tharbad was still standing. The greatest relief though came from being reunited with close friends they hadn't seen for more than a week. A large group of such friends bowed to the couple after they stepped foot on Tharbad's docks. Not surprisingly, the King's right-hand man was at the group's forefront.

"Welcome to Tharbad, your Royal Majesties," was Boromir's formal but friendly greeting. "Words can't describe your safe arrival."

"The feeling's mutual, my friends," Aragorn told the whole contingent. "Especially as many of you faced greater trials in getting here."

"That's putting it mildly, Estel," a familiar voice needled him.

"Elrohir, Elladan!" Arwen exclaimed on seeing her brothers.

Arwen cast aside regal dignity as she rushed up to her older brothers and joyfully embraced them. Aragorn smiled at this but restrained himself from joining in the family reunion. His Lord Emissary needed to introduce the latest ally in the struggle against Malekith.

"My liege," Faramir began. "Can I please introduce from Dunland, Chief Wulf of the Ox-Clan."

Standing next to Faramir, Wulf acknowledged Aragorn with a curt but respectful nod.

"Chief Wulf and his warriors selflessly aided Tharbad in its hour of need," Faramir continued. "He's willing to leave half his men to help defend the town. He offers to lead the other half as part of our force."

Five hundred Dunlendings would certainly be a major boost to Tharbad's garrison. The other five hundred would increase the Army of Light's numbers to just under sixteen thousand. The Army would be still desperately outnumbered. But just about every corner of Middle-earth had chosen to stand as one against Malekith.

"I'm in deeply in your debt, milord," Aragorn told Wulf before proffering his arm. "Please accept the hand of friendship on behalf of me and all my subjects."

Wulf proudly smiled as he firmly accepted Aragorn's offer. Being treated as an equal by King Elessar felt more rewarding than all the gold the Wildmen had received. Maybe the chance now existed to develop a lasting friendship with the Forgil also.

The first thing Legolas did after disembarking was broker introductions between two superlative marksmen.

"I'm glad we finally meet, Clint," Bard said while shaking Barton's hand. "I daresay Legolas describes your skill with a bow with a hint of envy."

Both Barton and Legolas smiled at the good-humoured gibe. Despite wishing otherwise, the former couldn't completely escape the demands of Middle-earth etiquette. Acknowledging a ruler's noble lineage seemed to be the way to go when meeting them for the first time.

"I read about your great-grandfather," Barton replied. "It must've been some arrow to take down that dragon."

Bard was honoured by Hawkeye's ancestral praise. But he preferred their relationship to be of one bowman to another.

"It was." Bard proudly confirmed before mischievously recalling, "Although my grandfather always argued his shoulder played a part as well!"

The Prince of the Greenwood had an indirect hand in another exchange taking place steps away from the three archers.

"Legolas has told me briefly about you, Lady Romanoff," Thranduil informed Black Widow. "He speaks very highly of your fighting skill."

Romanoff thought it best not to say that Legolas had told her even less about his father. Thranduil's imposing demeanour left little doubt he was a powerful Elf. His eyes though seemed to carry more than a hint of sadness.

"Thanks, sir." Romanoff replied before self-depreciatingly adding, "Still, I'm not the sort of Avenger who can take out a company of orcs on their own."

Thranduil softly smiled. "You remind me of another red-haired warrior."

Sif had already began organising the Tower Guard to escort the royal couple to their quarters. Aragorn was now conversing with Rogers, Thor and Stark.

"Once again, Steve," Aragorn addressed him, "the Free Peoples are in the Avengers' debt. I spoke with Damrod earlier. Without Clint and Bruce, I've no doubt Tharbad would've fallen."

"And from what Clint told me, the whole garrison deserves a knighthood as well." Rogers graciously returned praise. "Damrod especially."

"Damrod already has one, Steve," Aragorn wryly advised.

"Well, you could always name a building after him," Rogers similarly suggested.

The Fellowship's Co-leaders lightly chuckled. However, their exchange had dented the ego of the first Avenger to have a building with his name on it.

"I saved the docks from getting blown up," a miffed Stark pointed out. "What do I get?"

Aragorn and Thor shared an understanding smirk before the latter placed an encouraging hand on Stark's shoulder.

"You get to make history, my friend," Thor both teased and placated him. "I'd suggest you put your armour on."


A short while later, the God of Thunder and Iron Man were flying south along the Greyflood. The Haradrim ships had weighed anchor a couple of leagues from Tharbad. A large portion of their crews had made the difficult climb ashore on the northern riverbank. This included Raharan who was directing the construction of series of enormous bamboo frames.

"Circus come to town?" was Stark's initial reaction.

"Close, sir," JARVIS answered deadpan. "Look at their cargo holds."

The deck coverings on three of the ships had been removed to reveal a rare and precious cargo. The three ships had each carried a mumakil all the way from Harad. The mumakil had a height of some fifty feet at the shoulder. Despite being half the size of those at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, the trio of mumakil had the potential to be a major asset for the Army of Light.

The Haradrim had sedated them with an exotic mixture of herbs prior to departure from Harad. The mumakil had been placid for nearly a week but, like their riders, were anxious to set foot on dry land again. Unfortunately, Tharbad didn't have the infrastructure to unload the legendary beasts. So Thor and Iron Man had been drafted to resolve the literally huge logistical challenge.

Each mumakil had been fitted under the belly with a lifting sling made of chains and fibre. Stark and Thor positioned themselves on opposite sides of a mumakil before slowly raising it out of the hull.

"Hey, Thor," Stark said. "You've caught Operation Dumbo Drop yet?"

The Asgardian was somewhat confused by this. "Nay. Is that the name of our next mission?"

The pair of Avengers gently placed the mumakil on the ground. The mumakil's human handlers rapidly tended to it least the beast's disorientated state lead to disaster. The remaining mumakil were disembarked in the same cautious and methodical manner. With their task completed, Thor and Stark landed next to the Haradrim's leader.

"Thank you, my lords," Raharan gratefully thanked them. "And it's good to see you again, Tony."

Stark responded in typical style. "You too. I'm guessing there's a whole lot of peanuts you want us to unload as well?"

Raharan was prevented from replying.

"Inbound contacts north-west of us, sir," JARVIS alerted Stark for all to hear.

All present snapped their heads in the direction. Something resembling a whiff of black cloud was rapidly closing in on the Haradrim camp.

"Crebain!" Raharan hissed in recognition.

Crebain had been among the hardest of Malekith's units for the transceivers to detect. Largely because there was very little distinguish them from normal birds. This particularly flock swooped through the Haradrim camp in a cacophony of grating caws. Many Haradrim instinctively ducked as the birds streaked around them at head height. Nor were Men the only ones unnerved.

Still jittery from its sea voyage, one of the mumkail panicked and shook off the handlers holding one of its tethers. Chaos would've resulted if not for Iron Man's quick thinking and the Suit's mithril-enhanced strength. Stark flew towards the loosened tether and grabbed it with both hands. He hovered above the ground using his repulsors to increase the tether's resistance. The mumakil's urge to stampede had passed by the time its handlers had recovered their wits.

The crebain soon banked sharply to the north-east heading towards Tharbad. Thor still remembered the crebain that circled over Helm's Deep prior to the battle. Now he had the power to do what he would've liked at the time. The flock heading to Tharbad was instantly struck and killed by several lightning bolts summoned by Thor. The crebains' smouldering corpses fell from the sky before littering the ground below.

Malekith's elite units might be shrouded from view. Instinct told Thor the Army of Light wasn't the only one affected by the fog of war though.

"Those crows were undoubtedly sent to scout our force," Thor concluded aloud.

Stark countered with another reference to Dumbo. "Maybe they just wanted to see an elephant fly?"


I thought Haradrim vessels would be capable of transporting mumakil similar to ships that transported elephants in the Ancient and Classical Worlds.

I suspect Thor-199999 would have the strength to lift a mumakil on his own. Still, I doubt he'd mind having a bit of help with the job. And I doubt the Haradrim would be comfortable with the Other Guy doing it given how he 'lifted' a mumakil at Pelennor Fields.

Gorkil and the Giants described in this chapter are based on units from BFME2

Least I am accused of going soft on Malekith, the most compelling villains aren't simple megalomaniacs. Power to them is all in the pursuit of some overarching goal (albeit goals that can be considered twisted and grotesque). And history amply demonstrates that people and nations are more than willing to turn to them if desperate enough.

And I find it more likely Stark would refer to 'Starsky and Hutch' than 'Holmes and Watson'.