Hello guys!
Here's the next chapter. I want to thank Celridel for the immense help editing this story as well as inviting the readers to leave their reviews.
In this chapter will be known more information about the discovery of the germans in 1941 in Egypt which will be very revealing and important for Lord Glorfindel as well as Charles Xavier will start to realize that Lady Galadriel isn't only a 'mutant' as he thinks so far.
Also some information about Laura and Lord Glorfindel's romance during the First Age in the Hidden City will be told.
Waiting for your reviews, guys!
Chapter 11: Interesting Information
Their footsteps rang were muffled in the green lawn as Galadriel and Charles paced it slowly.
Charles had been silent for a long time, unsure of what to think. This glorious woman next to him assured him she was a she-Elf from a fantasy realm. If any had ever looked like an Elf, it was certainly she, but it was unbelievable. At last, straining to break the tense quiet as Galadriel paced the floor in silence, he said. "So ... this helmet that Moira saw is a magical instrument?" Charles was a scientist, and he considered himself a very capable one, but to involve magic in this field was ludicrous.
"Yes," she answered shortly.
"And ... these beings, these ... gods or something ...Oh, yes. The Válar sent to you and your friend, Lord Glorfindel, to get it?"
"No, not to take it, but to take away its mystic qualities," she replied.
"Yes, yes!" He paused. "And by chance, these Válar did not tell you what 'magical' properties this helmet had?" He spoke guardedly. He believed in the Válar as much as he believed in the Greek god Zeus, but he dared not offend Galadriel, who obviously revered them.
Galadriel got in front of him. She was very tall, taller than six feet, Charles knew and he was forced to look up slightly. "No, they did not. Charles, you do not believe in the Válar and now you are twofold certain I am mad. Is that not so?" she asked, an annoyed edge in her musical voice.
Charles turned away from her. "Well, it is only that..."
She spun him around by the shoulder with astonishing strength, and by some power drew his eyes to hers without moving a hand to his face. For a few seconds they stood this way, finally, Galadriel dropped his gaze and Charles drew a shuddering breath.
"Bu ...bu… but ..." he stuttered
"Now you believe me?" she said sternly.
Charles swallowed hard. How could he not? In those brief seconds, Galadriel had shown him the memory of her audience with the Válar. Charles could never have imagined, in his wildest dreams, that light, those voices, that glory, and power. If those were the Válar then there was nothing strange about Galadriel respect and reverent fear for them.
"Then we must catch Shaw as soon as possible," Charles finally said. "Maybe he does not have it, but he certainly knows about its existence and location."
Galadriel glanced at him. "It is essential that Sebastian Shaw does not know that the helmet has magical properties, elsewise there would be turmoil to the extent Earth could disappear." She replied calmly.
Charles drew in his breath sharply. "Well then, we must make sure to get it." was his laconic reply. "I think it would be a good idea to call your friend. He's as powerful as you, you say. He could help us fight Shaw."
"No" replied Lady Galadriel "our purpose is not to fight against Sebastian Shaw, our mission is not to take the helmet to Middle-Earth. Our mission is to remove its magical properties with this." She showed him the diamond phial that the Star-Queen had given her. "If the contents of this phial are sprinkled on the helmet, whatever magic feature it has will disappear."
"So, it will be a classical helmet?"
"I do not know. The Válar hinted that it would have properties different from those of other materials, but that they would not be magical and your realm would no longer be in danger."
Charles paused in thought. He wished those different properties were not dangerous.
"Then, I think it would be best if we went to Egypt. If in the file that Moira saw, the helmet said, apparently, (because neither you nor I know Russian), that the helmet was in Egypt, then we must go and recruit later..."
Charles had not finished speaking when Lady Galadriel denied his idea with a inclination of her beautiful head.
"No. Lord Glorfindel is already there and he is looking for it. If we go now, we could ruin his plans, which are laid out delicately, depending on the whims of children." She sighed when she saw Charles' disbelief. "You must trust me. I know that you do not believe in what you disregard as magic, but I suggest you open your mind and be willing to accept and recognize new realities, otherwise, you will continue being as a child, undeveloped and unable to learn."
Charles frowned. There were few things that he hated more than when she compared him to a child. But he had to admit that if he did not open his mind, his ideology would be left behind, and he had always considered himself as an innovator, ahead of his time. Besides, what Lady Galadriel had told him about the helmet, it was necessary to take action in the matter.
"The Star Queen, Varda, mentioned that you were a key player in this whole situation," Lady Galadriel continued after a few moments. Her long hair, draped over her shoulders to curl softly at the ends was stirred in a slight breeze.
Charles, who had stuck his hands in his trouser pockets, staring at the noon sky thoughtfully, turned on hearing this. "Really? And what did she say? Why should I be a key player? "
That was interesting. How did those strange beings know him? Not only that, they considered him important. That flattered him.
"She did not say it, and at the time I did not know, but now I see it clearly." replied the Lady of the Light, looking over the gardens bright with flowers and sunshine. "You and Erik are going to gather an assembly of young mutants who will help you face Sebastian Shaw. Without you, Erik would not be here and without you, it would not have been possible to find them." She said, turning her keen gaze to him.
"You could have done it. You are more powerful than me "said Charles, looking back at the sky. Wisps of clouds chased each other, shedding brief shadows on the lawns.
Lady Galadriel smiled slightly. Apparently, the child was learning little by little.
"That may be true, but the mission was yours, it had been prepared for you beforehand, and until now you have fulfilled it well."
Charles smiled, elated. This was both complimentary and encouraging.
"I am only here to support you, to advise you and guide you," Galadriel answered in reply to his satisfaction. "So go. Bring with you all those mutants you've seen. Chiefly because Erik is eager to leave," she added with a slight accent of amusement in her beautiful voice
Charles turned and saw Erik striding across the sward, scowling. He was not a patient man, and being forced to wait for Charles for more than two hours did not have him in the fairest of moods.
"You think?" Charles said jokingly. He took a couple of steps, but suddenly he turned around. "Thanks for your confidence, Galadriel. Let's hope that the plan that you and your friend will achieve its goal. Wish me luck as well."
"May the Válar and Erú be with you," said Lady Galadriel gravely. "And Charles ..."
The young mutant turned around again.
"Among all the mutants you have seen, you will meet a man who is sitting in a place where men drink. He will have something in his mouth, he will be smoking. Do not approach him. He will not listen to you, not for the moment."
Charles frowned. "Not for the moment?"
"Not for the moment," repeated Lady Galadriel, "He will do so in some years and under wholly different circumstances. But, for the time being, do not approach him unless you want to be uncouthly rejected."
The mutant was about to speak, but Erik interrupted. "Charles, when do you want us to leave, huh?"
Glorfindel shifted slightly. The sun was burning down on them as they waited on the doorstep, and even the desert plants that adorned the steps were wilting in their clay vessels. The children were silent in expectation.
Through the latticed window, he heard the creak of footsteps, and his muscles tensed under his Arab robes. The door opened slowly. The man's appearance seemed genial. He was hale, his beard grey and long and his skin deeply tanned as many of Egypt's merchants.
"Oh! Poor children! In a moment I bring you something to eat!"
"Leave the food for later, we come for information," answered Ororo bluntly.
"Information?" The man repeated. Glorfindel could the lie in his voice clearly. "But girl, I do not know what you're talking about."
"It is said that money does not give happiness, but what I like about it is the skill that is given to imitating it," answeredOroro quickly.
Lord Glorfindel frowned. That had no reasoning. Surely, it was a key phrase. And soon he had his confirmation, for the expression of the merchant changed entirely.
"Come in," he said in a voice that was far from the former kindness.
The children entered without hesitation, followed cautiously by Lord Glorfindel. The Elf sensed a great evil in this old man. The house was dark, lit only by narrow beams of light that crept through the lattices.
The man led them to the courtyard in the back of his house. There he knelt done and moved a dust-red cobblestone. There was the creaking groan of hinges bearing a great right, and a hole opened in the ground, in which stairs were carved. The children followed the man, but Lord Glorfindel's hand was tight on the hilt of his sword. A hand startled him.
"Everything will be fine," Ororo murmured softly. "Just do what we say. Cover yourself well with the cloak, especially your head."
Lord Glorfindel nodded at her with a slight smile and descended the tunnel.
After a journey of no more than ten minutes in the underground tunnel, which was paved with stone, an armored door lay in front of them. The man opened this and motioned them in. The iron latched clicked in place.
"Well, Ororo Monroe," said the man, lighting an oil lamp and sitting at the desk. The room was circular, with little furniture save the table. "What do you want? Information? Commodity? There are new things that might interest your Boss?"
Ororo replied with a shrug. "Yeah. We come for information"
The man's dark eyes grazed the children, and finally came to the Elf Lord, who stood swatched in the grey cloak, his head brushed in the ceiling of the subterranean room.
"Who is your friend?" He asked after a moment.
"You know that in this world, there are no friends. He's just a person with whom we are doing business," answered Ororo loudly.
"Really? And what kind of business are you doing? Does your Boss know about this?"
"Is there a reason why we should answer you, Ishmael?" retaliated Abdul. "The business we have is with him, not with you."
"As to whether Boss should know ... not yet. We will give him the good news with a good number of those nice silver coins." continued Ayesha persuasively.
Lord Glorfindel did not look at the children, his features set hard and still.
"However, I'm still curious to know who this ... businessman is," replied Ishmael, fixing his eyes on the Elf-lord
"I'm part of the KBG, is that enough for you?" Lord Glorfindel answered coldly and clearly, fixing his blue eyes on the Egyptian. The Elf's stature was imposing, and the Elf-lord was determined to play his part, so even though he had little idea of the KGB, more than if it was a dangerous organization.
However, as much as the Elf-lord was imposing, the so-called Ishmael was not so easy to baffle, and while he did not hold Glorfindel's gaze, he did not seem discouraged.
"You do not sound like Russian," he replied.
"So, you call me a liar?" replied the Elf-lord, his voice low and threatening as he leaned forward on the desk. Ishmael leaned back in his chair and swallowed hard. "Do you know what I do to those who even think about questioning me? "
"What do you want to know?" said the man finally.
Lord Glorfindel watched him for a moment and then stood up and signaled the children.
"We want to know what you know about a very rare and valuable metal called mithril," said Ororo, responding the gesture.
"You already know that everything has its price here. Have you already told your friend of the KBG that?"
As an answer, Ororo threw her backpack on the desk. Ishmael smiled, his eyes shining as he looked over the stolen items, but before he could touch them, Ororo snatched it back.
"First the information," she demanded.
Ishmael glanced to the Elf-Lord, who stood in a corner with his arms crossed over a muscled chest that even the baggy cloak could not hide.
"I've never heard of such a thing called 'mithril'," he replied.
"You must have heard something. you must have heard. You run Egypt's black market." broke in Ahmed.
"It's true" replied Ishmael with a shrug. "But I've never heard of such a thing."
"You know everything that is contraband, even what goes to Europe," answered Abdul insistently.
"I already told you ..."
A dagger cut his sentence in two. Ororo perched on the desk and threatened his throat with her knife. "You'd better talk, Ishmael," the girl said coldly.
The smuggler measured his chances. If that KBG agent trusted the children, it was because there was something big in between, not to mention that if that agent was with them, he would not leave them at his mercy, not at least until he had got what he wanted. So, it was better to give the information he had. He made an affirmative gesture, and Ororo slid off the desk slowly, dagger ready.
"Mithril, you say, huh?" He said once Ororo was next to the other children. "I've never heard of such a thing, but it's a very rare metal."
"Yes."
"I haven't heard of it,' but I'm holding a very valuable piece of metal called 'adamantium'."
"Adamantium?" Ayesha repeated, "And what's so interesting about it?"
Ishmael got up and from a safe box pulled out an irregular piece of metal shiny as silver.
"This fragment you see is made of adamantium. The adamantium is the hardest metal that exists. Nothing can do it the least damage. There is no bullet or fire or grenade that does it the least damage. Its original state is plasma, but once it has hardened it is impossible to shape it."
"And how much is it worth?" Ayesha inquired.
"Enough so that hundreds of our compatriots and several dozen Germans have died for it,"
"What happened?" Asked Ororo casually.
"It is said that during the War, back in 1941, a group of Germans came in search of treasure. This treasure was in the middle of the desert, in an oasis at the foot of a great red mountain. It's back to the place that used to be known as 'The Forbidden Place'."
"And what were they doing there?" Ahmed exclaimed. "Nobody who's gone there comes back. The Bedouins say that the oasis is cursed."
"But the Germans do not believe in such things," responded Ishmael, "Although it cost them dearly, because only a single German escaped, taking with him a large quantity of this adamantium in its plasma state. I don't have the remotest idea of what happened in Germany, but I do know that the Germans decided never to return." he chuckled mockingly. "Whatever lives in the 'Forbidden Place' made them run with their tail between their legs. "
"Give it to me," said Lord Glorfindel suddenly, advancing again to the desk.
"What? This fragment of adamantium? My dear friend of the KGB, you couldn't buy it. This is so rare that the only way to get it is to kill it."
"That's what I intend to do." answered the Elf Lord, malice dripping from his voice. "Either the price will be your life, or you can give it to me as a gift, my friend."
There was a sheen of sweat on Ishmael's forehead as he gave the fragment of metal to Glorfindel.
As soon as the Elf touched the metal, a sudden tremor convulsed his hand. He clutched the sheet tightly, retreating to a corner. A cold sweat was on his face as he remembered...
Moonlight was bright on the Hidden City. Gondolin was silent, save for the sound of the springs of that gushed from the channels of the Gates and down into Tumladen's vale.
'My claws were originally bone,' explained a young woman, her hair as black as night and glossy under the starlight. 'But the Facility decided to coat them with adamantium, the same as all my skeleton. So, if now you want to break my bones, the only way you can do it is through adamantium and to that add the healing factor. So, there you have it ... I'm a perfect killing machine.'
'Do not say that ... these skills you have are a gift from the Válar. Without them, Ecthelion and I would not be alive. They are a gift, Laura, because you used them for good.' remonstrated Glorfindel.
She smiled, and her voice was full of gratitude. "You think?" She had murmured.
'Yes.'
Making a heroic effort, he gathered his strength and returned the piece and to the present. "Where can I find this metal called adamantium?" He asked.
"Not in Egypt" replied Ishmael, "It is said that the Germans took everything, or at least as much as possible because whatever killed them, did not allow them to get any more. If you want adamantium you have two options left: steal it from Germany or go to the 'Forbidden Place'." he turned to the Elf-lord. "But good luck if you go to the 'Forbidden Place'. No one will take you, not even the Bedouins."
Lord Glorfindel frowned, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hood.
"And you do not know if those Germans made a helmet with the adamantium they stole?" Asked Ororo after a moment.
Ishmael snorted. "Maybe. If they had the brilliant idea of making an adamantium helmet, they would have done it in Germany."
There was a silence.
"Anything else you know?" Ayesha asked.
Ishmael closed his eyes for a moment. He seemed to try to remember something. "Ah yes!" He said after a couple of seconds "It is also said, that the Germans took a fragment of a metal other than adamantium and that it was even rarer, but that is all."
Glorfindel nodded slightly. "And how much do you want?"
"The girl's pretty backpack with all its contents," Ismael replied, his eyes shining with greed.
Ororo's shoulders slumped a little, but she pushed it towards Ishmael.
"I owe you nothing," she told him once she handed it over.
"Just a little question," said Ishmael when they reached the backyard with its sunlight once more. "What do the Russians want the adamantium for? And why are you helping them?"
"We're not interested in what the Russians want. The agent will pay us well, that's all," replied Ororo nonchalantly.
And without further ado, she directed her companions to the exit of the house.
Charles and Erik had started their task in recruiting the mutants with those who were the closest. The first one was a young, seductive Latino strip dancer.
Erik approached and paid her. Once done, he went with Charles to a secluded room with a couch and an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne. The woman smiled as she entered, nodding her approval. "For that, daddy-o, you get a private dance," she said, showing the money that Erik had paid for her "You cats know it's double for both, right?"
"Um… no, that won't be necessary. Although I'm sure it'd be magical," said Charles indifferently. "We were thinking more: we'll show you ours… if you show us yours."
"Baby, that's not the way it works around here," said the strip-dancer. Erik snapped his fingers and the ice bucket full of champagne bottles floated toward him. "More tea, vicar?" he asked Charles.
"Don't mind if I do," said he with a smile, waiting for the woman's reaction.
The young Latino smiled alluring smile. "My turn," she said. She unhooked the back of her top and revealed her wings, wings that looked like the ones of a huge dragonfly and began to hover.
"How would you like a job where you keep your clothes on?" offered Charles.
Later, they were waiting in one of the crowded streets in Virginia. According to Charles, they would find at any time to the next mutant they were looking for. Shifting in the cold drizzle, Charles suddenly signed a cab, whose driver was an Afro-American.
"Where to, fellows?" he asked as they climbed in.
"Richmond, Virginia, please," answered Erik.
"Right. So, you want to go to… the airport, the station, what?"
"No, we were rather hoping you would take us all the way."
"That's a six-hour drive!" the driver exclaimed
"That will give us plenty of time to talk," said Erik leaning towards the cab meter and using his mutant ability, made it start counting.
After taking this long road, Erik and Charles went to a prison of high security.
"What the hell does the government want with a guy like Alex Summers?" the director of the prisoner asked them angrily, escorting them to a cell. "I hope you're not planning on putting him with others. The first guy I've ever met who actually prefers solitary confinement," And saying this, he opened the triple door, disclosing a blond teenager who was sprawled lazily on the prison bed.
An auburn-haired teenage was leaning towards a huge fish tank of the aquarium. It was full of tropical fishes, darting about. His glance strayed from the fishes to a pretty girl was looking at a neighboring table.
"Crazy, huh?" he blurted finally.
The girl turned. "What is crazy?" she asked, her lip slightly curled. The guy seemed weird.
"You like fish, I like fish too. Maybe we should get a bite sometime and talk about it," he stammered.
"I'd rather go out with the fish," she replied and left. The teenager watched her, and then put his mouth on the glass of the tank and sighed. The fishes fled to the far corner of the tank.
"These fish?" murmured the teenager as Charles and Erik approached.
After talking with the teenager in the aquarium, they passed near a bar. Charles sensed another mutant, but remembering Galadriel's prediction, he about told Erik to continue, but Erik had already entered and approached a man, who was sitting at the bar with an empty glass of beer and a cigar.
"Excuse me, I'm Erik Lensherr…" the mutant began.
The disheveled man cut in. "Go fuck yourself."
Erik turned in silent aggrievement, Charles trailing after him. If that was Galadriel's power, he could not imagine Glorfindel and her together.
Once they had left the house of the smuggler, the children and Lord Glorfindel were returned to their hiding place. They had to make a decision.
The Elf-lord felt weak. Suddenly he found evidence of the materials that the so-called Facility had implanted in his beloved, which would have killed anyone but for healing factor she had, which had saved her life. She was never sick, never aged, she was immortal.
Yes, and he had loved her with all his Fëa. He had had the strange luck of falling in love with a young woman who was not an Elf but was immortal. But when he had returned with his mission, he found that his Wandering Star had been beheaded fighting to save the life of Prince Eärendil.
That had been a terrible blow to the Elf-lord and he had for a time longed for death, but he had not faded. His soul was torn by pain but not hopeless, and this made him wonder if his Ránílë was still alive, although in hiding.
The voices of the children made him come out of his sad reflections. He paid attention, but even though his keen ear was able to perfectly distinguish the voices of the children, he understood nothing, for they were speaking their native dialect.
"We cannot take him to Germany, Ororo! You know that! "Snapped Ayesha impatiently.
"Maybe we can help him" the girl answered determinedly.
"We would need a lot of money. Money that we do not have," replied Abdul. "Besides, why do you want to help? We've already taken him to Ishmael, and you now you have to recover your booty so you don't get in trouble."
"We cannot leave him like that! I can't. He saved my life." retorted the girl.
"Yes, and you already returned his sword. You paid your debt. Now let's go!"
"Not for me," declared Ororo stubbornly. "Think about this: He saved everyone's life, and even forced Ishmael to tell us what we wanted to know."
"She has a point" accepted Ahmed grudgingly.
"So, we owe him the favor of at least helping him to go to Germany," answered Ororo.
Ayesha and Abdul looked at each other.
"She's right," said the former with a sigh."It's one of the rules of the fellowship."
"He also cured your ankle, although you were not very kind to him," Ororo continued hopefully.
Abdul groaned reluctantly. "Very well, we will help him to go to Germany. But we will need money, and what we have isn't enough."
"I have an idea," Ayesha said quietly, her eyes alight with mischief.
"Glorfindel," said Ororo, approaching him with the other three children. "We have decided to help you. We have decided that we will search among our contacts for a way to get you a boat trip back to Europe and give you the instructions to get to Germany."
"Germany?" Repeated the Elf-lord blankly.
"Yes, of course, Germany," answered Abdul impatiently, "That's what Ishmael said. That the Germans had taken all the adamantium or mithril, as you call it. So you'll only find it Germany."
"We would give you as much information as we can, so you can travel and so on," Ororo said, "But beyond that, we cannot help you. We are sorry."
"In the first place, I do not know where the kingdom of Germany is; and secondly, I do not intend to go to that realm," replied Glorfindel, blinking at the sun's glare as it blazed in through the alleys they were walking. "This Ishmael said that almost all the adamantium was carried away. I think it is essential to see the source of the ore."
"But, you looking for an adamantium helmet?" persisted Ahmed in confusion.
"It is true, but I have a friend who is also helping me, it will be easier for her to go to the Kingdom of Germany, while I got to this Forbidden Place."
The children looked at each other in astonishment.
"Do you plan to go to Forbidden Place? Are you crazy? "Abdul told him in a low voice.
Lord Glorfindel frowned. "Do you know how I can get there?" he continued purposefully.
"It's a very dangerous place!" Exclaimed Ahmed. "No one comes back from there! Even the Bedouins are afraid of it."
"What are ... the Bedouins?" Asked Lord Glorfindel, ducking under a low archway.
"You don't know? They are desert nomads," said Ayesha, scrambling to keep up with the quick stride of the Elf.
"I can take you," muttered Ororo suddenly. Glorfindel paused and looked back at her.
"I know how to get there because one time I had to travel with Bedouins ... a long story" She paused "You can stay and tell the 'Boss' that I am in the middle of an assignment that will leave a lot of money. While Glorfindel and I, we'll go to the Forbidden Place. Got it?"
The other children looked at each other.
"We will also go with you," said Abdul finally, "but we will still need money."
Ahmed shrugged. "That's easy, tomorrow we'll get it,"
The Elf Lord eyed the boy coolly. "No. We do not steal."
"What! And how will we go? Nothing moves without money, don't you know that!" yelled Abdul.
Ayesha broke in. "I have an idea," she said, staring at the long, silken hair, a river of gold down the Elf's back.
The children looked at each other and smirked. It was an excellent idea.
"My hair?" asked Glorfindel softly.
"We're not going to shave you, Glorfindel," Ayesha hastened to add reassuringly, "We would only cut it to your shoulders,"
"It helps that you go a little more unnoticed" Abdul appended, a malicious glint in his eye. "Besides you need a gown and turban as well as a ferry, and we can only get you those with money...So, it's your hair or we'll go out tomorrow to steal."
Lord Glorfindel sighed. Finally, he unsheathed Culumaica and handed it to Ayesha, who seemed to be the most careful of the group.
"Only to the shoulders," he stressed sternly.
Ayesha giggled.
Waiting for your reviews, guys!