Chapter 1: A Stranger in a Strange Land

AN: This was cooked up on Moe's Discord server. I do not own Re:Zero or LOTR/Shadow of War/Mordor. This will be my first fic, so I don't expect it to go well. Hope you all enjoy! Also, there will be spoilers, and shout out to Killthestory and Archer from Reactionist's discord for helping out!

Talion walked forward, the bright sun took up most of his vision. Flowers swayed in the field, and in the distance, mountains could be seen. Talion finally had done it, the curse had been broken, and he was free to go to his family in the afterlife. He pressed onwards, knowing he would see them again, his feet crushing the blades of grass, until suddenly, the grass was gone, and instead cobbled stone replaced it. The flowers had become a range of all sorts of people and races Talion had never seen before, and the distant mountains had become not so distant buildings. The sun wasn't as bright, and the architecture was all wrong. Talion knew he wasn't in the afterlife, his family should have been here, waiting for him. It was when he felt a presence in the back of his mind that he knew things hadn't gone as they should have.

Your journey is not at its end, Ranger. You still have much to do before you can rest.

"Shelob," Talion hissed out. "Where am I, and what did you do to me?"

This was not my doing Ranger, and you are beyond even my sight.

"Then how are you speaking with me now?"

Through a connection we once shared.

Talion's stomach turned. There was only one thing they shared at one point in time, but it was gone. It had to have been gone. The Elf had taken it, and Celebrimbor with it, leaving him to die at the foot of Barad-Dur. As Talion glanced at his hand, he froze in place, his eyes refusing to process it. On his finger sat the New Ring. Did that mean Celebrimbor was with him too? No, he would have made himself known by now, and Talion had much to say to the backstabber.

"How do I have this," Talion whispered, twisting his hand to stare at the ring, "it shouldn't be here."

That is beyond even my knowledge, little Ranger. My time here with you is to be cut short, I leave you with these parting words, look for Subaru Natsuki.

"Shelob wait!" Talion cried out, forgetting he was in the middle of a bustling street. Folks threw him odd glances. Talion kept his head low, and ducked into a nearby alleyway. He paced back and forth, trying to rack his brain on what had happened. One moment he had been enslaved to the One Ring, and the next he was free, heading to find peace in the afterlife. Now he was here, wherever here was. Talion could only curse at his ill fortune, hadn't he struggled enough? Hadn't he fought enough in his life to stop the tide of Evil? Didn't he deserve some rest? Damned Spawn of Ungoliant, she had left him without even explaining what the city's name was. No matter, he would keep fighting then, until eventually he got to his family. But who was Subaru Natsuki? The name held no familiarity with Talion. Before he could dwell on it further, footfalls could be heard behind him. Turning to face the noise, Talion was greeted with the sight of two men, and what could only be described as a dwarven child.

"Cough up everything you have, if you know what's good for ya!" The child said.

"Look man, we don't want any trouble, just give us what you got, and we will let you walk." The larger one said, seemingly trying to be more diplomatic.

Talion sighed, and began to move his hand to his sword, while he wasn't going to kill them, he sure wasn't going to let himself get mugged.

"Just give use your fancy ring there, and we won't have to hurt ya. Ain't that right bois?" The middle one said, twirling two knives.

"Yea! Just give it to us, and you won't have to worry about getting your nose bashed in!" The runt butted in again.

"I suggest you three leave, if you know what is good for you. I may be a Ranger of Gondor, but I can look away this one time, as I have more important business to attend to," Talion said, his hand gripping onto Urafel's handle.

When the thugs made no move to leave, and instead began to inch forward, Talion swiftly darted forward while pulling the sword out of its sheath. Sending a kick to the chest of the small one, Talion dodged under the blow directed for his head from the larger mugger. A swift strike with the pommel of his sword knocked the large man out, and with the runt still reeling on the floor where his chest had meet Talion's boot, all that was left was the man with daggers.

"Now are you actually skilled with those, or is it that you can only twirl them like a circus performer?" Talion mocked.

The mugger's assault was unfocused and undisciplined, letting Talion block the attacks with little effort. When he was done getting a grasp on his opponent's skill, he brought Urafel under his opponent's guard, and knocked one of the daggers away. A fist to the jaw sent the man staggering back, and the flat of his blade against his wrist caused him to drop the last dagger. Talion knew what he had to do next, and he would hate himself for it, as it would be something that Celebrimbor would want him to do. Talion placed his hand upon the man's face, and began to dig into his mind. He was careful not to cause too much damage, the man wasn't an orc, and was only trying to survive. Unlike Celebrimbor, who would have brute forced his way to the information, Talion was careful, gliding past resistance, making sure to only skim the surface, and not the delve too deep.

Talion searched, finding as much as he could. The muggers were Chin, Kan, and Ton. They had come from an area known as the Slums, and lived a harsh life. Talion couldn't fault them for turning to crime to survive. Next, he came upon information of where he was, a land called Lugnica, specifically the capital city. Much like Gondor, it currently had no king, but unlike Gondor, they were attempting to fix it. Talion gained a basic understanding of the world's written language, as it's spoken seemed close to Westron, albeit with a slightly strange accent. Finally, he came upon the information he needed, Subaru Natsuki. While they didn't know his name, based on the fact the first time they meet him, he wore clothes that nobody had scene before tipped Talion off. Everyone else wore clothes that wouldn't be too out of place in Middle-Earth, for the most part. But what he wore was far too strange to be from either Lugnica or Middle-Earth. The next time the met him was just yesterday, when they were attempting to mug a noble woman, and he came in dressed as a butler, before an even larger man scared them off. Talion was convinced, based on what he knew, that was most likely the Subaru he was looking for. Talion withdrew from Chin's mind, careful not to cause any lasting damage. As Chin dropped to the floor, Talion prepared to leave the scene, ready to go look for the butler. Perhaps he was employed by the noble woman they tried to mug? Talion's thoughts were interrupted by the mugger who's mind he just violated.

Chin was groaning, clutching his head. "Damnit, what did you do to me?"

"It is just a mild headache. It shall go away in a couple of minutes. I suggest you three look for more legal means of finding income if you do not wish for a repeat of what happened here." Talion replied, stepping over the man, and continuing past towards the street.

He now had enough information to act on, and he would attempt to make contact with this Subaru Natsuki, to see if he had a hand with his arrival here. Talion couldn't help but feel a little guilty though at what he did to the man, and so he stopped and turned back to the mugger. Coming to the pained man, Talion crouched down beside him, and placed a small vial.

"Drink this, it shall help with the pain. I am sorry, but I needed a fast way of getting information, and it was my only choice," He said, before standing up and leaving. With his heightened hearing, he could hear Chin gulping down the liquid quickly. It helped ease the guilt that Talion was feeling, only slightly.

It had taken hours, and he had still no luck in finding any sign of the boy in the city. Talion turned to his last resort, the Wraith World. He had hoped not to use it, unsure whether he might find Celebrimbor there, having been free from Sauron. As he reached out to it, something was wrong, his vision didn't change, and the world remained in color. He could still see all the people walking past him as clear as day, and there was no glow to them. Instead, a multitude of different colored orbs began to gather around him, whispering to him.

"You summoned us?"

"You have need of us?"

"You wish for our knowledge?"

Talion was taken aback a bit, but he quickly regained his composure. "Yes, I am looking for a boy. A butler in fact, by the name of Subaru Natsuki. He was last accompanied with a noble woman, with a red dress and blonde hair. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, he was on this street not too long ago."

"Too the Castle he went, with the lady, he did."

"To answer the summons of the Royal Election."

"Hurry, Hurry. If you wish to catch them."

Before Talion could respond, he felt something heavy tap his shoulder. Turning around, an armored man stood there, with a few citizens staring at him.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to practice your Spirit Arts somewhere private, you're disturbing the peace. This is your first and only warning."

"Of course, my bad. I shall stop at once."

"See to it that you do." He said, before turning and walking away. Talion quickly turned back to the summoned spirits.

"You have been of great help to me, thank you, and rest easy." He said, not knowing that they were not the souls of restless dead. He let them go, and the small orbs disappeared. Talion now had a location, a name, a face, and now all he had to do was get there.

Sighing in frustration to the situation he just lived, the ranger raised his head to meet with the astonishing castle situated at the top of the hill, towering over of the capital of the Lugunica.

"So this is where you are...Natsuki Subaru?" He said to himself, as he admired the castle.

As he prepared to leave towards the prominent building, he took the time to look around him and observe his surroundings, analyzing the architecture of the buildings and how the place seemed to be built.

"This is pretty similar to what I have seen in Gondor...Yet I have never heard of a place named Lugunica..." He thought to himself, now advancing towards the castle.

Not bothering to take the streets, the ranger quickly made use of his abilities as climbed up a building and started to make his run on the rooftops with his skills and acrobatics.

"This is odd...I feel somewhat way more lighter...And faster." He thought, as he realized how easy it was for him to run, jump and leap.

"First this kingdom...Then those spirits who came to my aid instead of the wraith world...And now this feeling of...Strength..."He thought as jumped high over a building. "May I be damned..." He growled, as he finally understood.

He was in his world no more.

He stopped as he finally ended up in front of the castle, seemingly heavily guarded by knights wearing plate armors all around, from the front gate to the upper levels of the castle.

Talion put a knee down as he observed the zone from above, trying to pierce a way in. He had to stay low and pass, while killing anyone would be, of course, a no go. These people aside from only doing their duty, were humans. Those that a Ranger took an oath to protect from darkness.

"Where might you be now...Sir Natsuki?" He wondered as he got up to face the castle in front of him.

"You could nearly be as impressive than the White Tower of Ecthelion. Nearly." He scoffed, as he finally took his jump towards the castle.

In mid air, he used his wraith form as he jumped one more time with a spin as he projected towards the large front wall that he grabbed with his strong hands, holding his position tight.

He looked down for a moment to see if his stunt had been perceived by anyone, before continuing his way up when he was sure everything was okay.

At some point, he heard voices coming out of a window nearby and decided to get there, hoping to get any informations.

Finally, he ended up dandling at the edge of the window, keeping his head low and listening to the voices inside.

"Reporting! The knight Julius and Subaru Natsuki are having a mock battle with wooden swords in the training ring!"

Somebody gasped, "How did that happen? I have to-"

"I just wanna know one thing. Which one of 'em issued the challenge?" Another voice cut in.

"I'm told it was the knight Julius. Subaru Natsuki accepted, leading to this fight."

"Well, I'm against stopping them, then."

"But your knight and my, um . . . friend are fighting! Aren't you worried?" The voice that had been cut off earlier said.

"Worried? About what? That Julius will go too far, and I'll have to pay for your boy's treatment?"

Talion began to dislike this person more and more, reminding him far too much of how his homeland's nobles viewed those below them.

"If we're questioning their mock battle, I can't agree with stopping it before they finish either." Yet another voice spoke up.

"If they're just duking it out, you could've waited until it ended and told us who won." A younger voice said.

No one acting better than the other, Talion seriously began to grit his teeth in anger, wondering how people could be this disgusting this hear.

"Yes, ma'am! But the fight was, well. . . It was so one-sided that I. . ." The person who originally reported the fight said, hesitating.

"We should go to. You like watching weak creatures be tormented by vicious beasts, don't you?" A deeper, male voice asked.

"Don't misjudge me with your own unfounded imaginings, Al. But yes, I do love that."

A voice he recognized from Chin's memories responded. Talion at this point was seething. Was this how all nobles here were? Uncaring for others, only viewing their subjects as disposable playthings? He quickly dropped, not caring for how far he fell, and lightly landed on his feet. He had a boy to go save.

Subaru stared at Julius, battered and beaten. He knew he couldn't win. He hadn't even gotten a strike in. He had one trick left up his sleeve. Shamac. Maybe with that, he could preserve a bit of his pride, and get a strike in, and show them he isn't a weakling. Show them that he's worthy of being Emilia's knight. He had to, he couldn't lose her. He needed her. She was his rock, the only thing that remained a constant in every loop. No matter how many times he reset, she was always there. She always has to be there. Because he didn't know what he'll do without her. A smirk crosses his face as he hears her call his name. He'll show her. He'll show them all what he can do. But before he can, a man in strange armor and a cloak drops into the ring, right behind Julius. His sword strapped to his back, wearing it unlike anyone else.

Emilia joined at that moment as well in hurry, her eyes reflecting how worry she had been since the moment she heard of Subaru was facing someone like Julius in an arena...But with that man, the situation became even more worrying and troubling, so much that she didn't know what to do...Much like the others knights in the room, looking at each other in confusion.

Felix and Reinhard both looked at each other in confusion, wondering where did that man came from and if they should intervene.

"Stop this at once. Leave the boy alone." He called out, gesturing to Subaru as Julius stared at him.

The knight kept his eyes on him, analyzing this strange man wearing unusual armor and a sword on his back, with his golden eyes from head to toe with a stoic expression, showing how he wasn't impressed at all by this sudden arrival.

"Or what?" The knight questioned.

Talion stepped forward once more, clenching his fist right before the knight, as his threatening eyes gazed right into the Julius's, making him prepare a combat stance in wary.

"Or I will be your opponent." He voiced out in a threatening tone, making him and the knights all around glare at him in fury.

"You would interrupt an honorable duel with live steel?" He asked. Subaru wanted to call out, to continue fighting, but his strength was now failing him, and he began to collapse.

"You are calling this an "honorable duel"?" The ranger growled in a dangerous tone, pointing at how badly hurt the boy was.

"Hmpf!" Julius huffed as he waved in his hair, stoic before the man, as he swiftly made the wind whistle with a move of his wooden sword. "He accepted this after making a claim of his knighthood. He is the only one to blame."

Talion widened his eyes, spiting to the side as he quickly looked around him.

"So it really doesn't change, even in a seemingly different world..." The ranger whispered to himself.

Talion sighed in exasperation, before raising his head and looking straight to Julius and open his arms wide before him.

"If you knights call beating up children with wooden swords honorable, then I shall fight you with nothing but my fists." Talion declared.

Subaru wanted to tell him that he's nearly 18, and that he's not a child, trying to show off his pride as a man... But he couldn't find the strength to speak.

Julius scoffed to the man's sudden request. He did give him credit for standing up in this duel and proposing a fight. However, Julius was a knight and confident in his skills, confident enough to not let himself impressed by a lone wandered coming out of nowhere, not even able to carry a sword properly.

However, as his training and code advised him, he didn't underestimated his opponent strength whatsoever. If this one was able to say that he would fight him with nothing but his fists, then he should have a reason for it.

As such, the greatest knight put himself into position, right in front of the ranger with a battle stance, not preying his eyes off him.

"Very well then-" Julius started, before the stranger had seemingly appeared right in front of him, his fist colliding with the smug bastard's face, sending him flying back a few feet, eating the dust.

"What?!" Felix exclaimed at the sight of the man now in Julius's position in the blink of an eye."I didn't see him move!"

"Me...Me neither..." Reinhard continued with an extremely worried expression.

The sword saint was strong and conscious of his skills and capabilities. For him to not be able to match this speed...

"Just who is this man..."He whispered, not knowing if he should intervene or not, tightening his grip on the flange of the barrier.

Julius coughed as he held his nose in pain, bringing his hand before his face to recognize the colour of blood on his palm.

As he painfully raised his head and looked forward, he could see the stranger looking down upon him with a stern expression, his eyes emanating an insulting aura towards the him.

Growling in pain and fury, as his knight's pride was on the line, Julius stood up, picking up his sword and putting himself into position towards the man once again.

Talion only grimaced more as he didn't move from his place, looking at the knight preparing his attempt.

"You should stop while you still can." Talion spoke. "You clearly do not match, knight."

"How presumptuous..." He replied as he spat blood on his side. "You dare to look down on me? On knighood?! Don't you know this is for this same reason that the one behind you is in this situation?! For insulting our pride?!"

Talion glanced back to Subaru, still unable to move with his multiple wounds, before turning back to Julius with stern expression.

"And pride does not value itself to a life." He replied, making Julius and all the knights glare at him in fury. "Stand down while you still can. If you decide to put your pride first to show the extent of your will, I shall do the same."

Julius gritted his teeth in fury. He was conscious about the reason of this fight, he knew why he was standing in this arena, towards Subaru, the self proclaimed knight. In a way it was for Subaru but in another, it was still for himself. The insult he proffered towards his order, his reason to live and his brother in arms couldn't go unpunished.

And now this man came in...Insulting their pride once again?

Unacceptable.

Unable to bear it anymore, gathering the mana in his body, Julius projected himself forward with his sword in hand, conscious about his speed and the impact this attempted strike would cause. But he couldn't fall back now.

Fury clear in his eyes, he quickly found himself facing the ranger in an instant, holding his sword high and ready to strike him down...While the stranger didn't move or change his expression one bit.

And while the moment seemed to go in slow motion, as the greatest knight was sure of his strike being impossible to counter now...The ranger moved his head, slightly leaning in to his left shoulder, avoiding the hit grazing a bit of his hair.

Into the motion of his move Julius couldn't find any way to stop now. He could only go forward, passing the man, who raised his arm and struck the back of the knight's head with his elbow, making him fall down on the ground on several meters away, face towards the ground.

Subaru raised his head to see the knight in front of him, not moving as he fell unconscious with the power of the hit striking him.

Emilia held a hand to her mouth to this fast and display of strength from this stranger...She was worried for Subaru but now, she was confused as she questioned herself about this man.

Who was he?

Why did he protect Subaru, going as far as to face the order of the imperial knights?

"JULIUS!" Screamed Felix, jumping inside the arena to heal him.

Reinhard immediately followed as he finally decided that this matter went way too far, standing before of the stranger to be sure nothing else would be done.

"E-enough!" Exclaimed Reinhard towards the man. "You don't need to go any further than this! I will not tolerate any more harm!"

Talion titled his head as he scoffed in a condescending tone, disgusted by the redhead's words.

"So you won't tolerate your friend to get beaten, but accepted a young man seemingly untrained to be brought to his nearly death in here?" He spat to him.

Reinhard got taken aback by these words as he widened his eyes. What could he be able to say to this? He was right, after all. He let this fight happen. He let Subaru get beaten as he knew Julius was stronger. So the only thing he could do was to stay silent, hanging his head low with gritted teeth.

Recognizing the look of shame in the blue eyes of the sword saint, Talion sighed, exasperated by these knight's views as he walked forward, passing the catboy and the sword saint not preying their eyes off of him, as he went toward the boy.

However, a group of Imperial Knights suddenly dropped into the ring, swords in hand. They were all ready to fight, to protect their name, pride and avenge their fellow knight.

Reinhard wanted to intercept them...Before he saw with his own eyes a display of fighting he never seen before.

In the heart of the battle, Talion held an unimpressed expression as he easily dodged and parried every hit he could receive from them with his steel armbands. It was like they were so slow that he didn't even bother feeling any pressure from their attacks.

'...I have been fighting in mordor for so long that I had forgotten what it was to fight against men...' He thought to himself, as he started to fight back.

Just like a storm going rogue, Talion started to strike and kick every knights going at him. Dodging and counter attacking soon after in such speed that it was impossible for them to see any of his hits coming.

'Truly nothing compared to an orc...' He thought, as knocked another one down on the ground.

In the end, there was but one knight still standing, trembling as he held his sword pointed towards the stranger, who stood still, eyes sending shivers down the spine of the imperial knight.

But he made his choice.

With gritted teeth, he jumped forward, screaming with all of his lungs out...Only for Talion grab the sword by it's blade, stopping the knight in his strike, his sword blocked in the ranger's hand.

Talion narrowed his eyes, staring deep into the knight's eyes, not giving any attention to the blood of his hand covering the blade and dripping on the sand ground of the arena.

The knights gasped in fear, his lips trembling and his limbs shaking, as the ranger looked down upon him.

Before letting go of his handle on fall on his behind, as Talion clicked his tongue and tossed his sword on the side,before the shocked and slacked jaw of Reinhard and Felix, as Talion looked at the wound in his hand slowly knitting itself back together.

'So I didn't change either...' He thought to himself.

Subaru could only think, Man, just how strong is that guy? Before he knew it though, the Stranger approached him, and began to give him something from a small vial.

"Drink, it shall help ease the pain, and quicken your recovery." Subaru felt the warm liquid sliding down his throat, and into his stomach.

The aching seemed to subside a bit. But his strength was still sapped, and the last thing he saw was Emilia, running towards him, with the other Royal Candidates in tow. She's still so cute while she's panicking, were Subaru's last thoughts.

AN: That's it for Chapter 1. A little Short, but these things can be a pain to write, even being my first fic. Don't worry there's a plan to all of this, kinda. Just be ready for Dad Talion. Anyways, have a Wonderful day, and see you when I next upload. Also, more love and support to Archer, he is the greatest for helping me with this. Also, even more shoutout to Archer, as he decided to help write and improve most of the scenes after the battle with Chin and the gang.