Hey, everybody. After a lengthy break, again, I'm back again. With me being in quarantine for a week and a half, I figured it was as good a time as any to get back into it.

Let's get to it.


Chapter 14- Into Mirkwood

Steve narrows his eyes a little bit as, at long last, Mirkwood comes into view. They've been riding for a long time now. It's been nice for them to not have to run the entire way to the forest, but Steve is eager to be on his feet again.

Then again, now that he sees the forest, he's not terribly eager to go into Mirkwood. It definitely lives up to all the descriptions that he's heard. While he can tell that in its prime, it would've been a very beautiful forest, now it just looks sick. The trees are either dying, or their leaves look discolored. More than that, Steve can just feel something. He can feel something dark lying over the forest. And it makes him uneasy.

The Company rides up to the trees, stopping just yards short of the treeline. Gandalf dismounts from his horse and walks up an arch made from stone and wood that stands among the treeline. He examines it for several moments before muttering, "The Elven Gate." He then turns around to face the Company and says, "Here lies our path through Mirkwood!"

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side," Dwalin says.

"Not so sure about that, Dwalin," Steve says under his breath, noticing the large bear-like figure on a bluff in the distance behind them.

Gandalf notices the bear as well, feeling that perhaps Beorn is just making sure that they keep up their end of the deal. He speaks up again and orders, "Set the ponies and horses loose. Let them return to their master."

Everyone in the Company begin to dismount from the horses and ponies. They begin removing their supplies from the ponies and horses as the animals shift nervously. It's not hard to tell why. The aura seemingly surrounding Mirkwood has them all a little uneasy.

Bilbo voices the Company's observations of Mirkwood as he says, "This forest feels…sick. As if a disease lies upon it."

"No debate there, Bilbo," Bucky says.

Now really questioning the safety of going through the forst, Bilbo looks to Gandalf and asks, "Is there no way around?"

"Not unless we go 200 miles north or twice that distance south," Gandalf sighs. He then walks through the gate, examining the pathway.

As the Company works to gather their things and start to set the ponies loose, Bofur says, "Wish we weren't so pressed for time and we could go around."

Balin sighs a bit before he says, "There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Going north would take us close to the Grey Mountains, and the hordes of orcs, goblins, and all manner of monsters that inhabit those mountains. Going south would take us too close to Dol Guldur and the Necromancer."

"This Necromancer must be very powerful if going close to his territory is so dangerous," Bucky says.

"Indeed, Bucky," Balin says.

They finish releasing their ponies and the Avengers' horses. Steve then begins getting Gandalf's horse ready to be let go.

However, before he can let the horse go free, Gandalf comes hurrying out of the forest. "Not my horse! I need it!"

Everyone in the Company looks at Gandalf with varying degrees of alarm or worry. Bilbo, one of the most alarmed, asks, "You're not leaving us?"

"I would not do this unless I had to," Gandalf replies.

"Well, you're not going alone. I'm coming with you, and don't try to convince me otherwise," Bucky says.

Gandalf looks back at Bucky, considering him for a moment before he says, "Very well, Barnes." He then looks at the whole Company before saying, "We will be waiting for you at overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without us."

Gandalf then stops to exchange a few words with Bilbo as Bucky walks up to the horse and re-secures everything to its back. He then turns to Steve and says, with a knowing smile, "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

Steve smiles. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," he says before he and Bucky exchange a hug.

Gandalf then walks up to the horse and addresses the Company one more time as he climbs on, "You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again."

Bucky swings up onto the horse behind Gandalf as Gandalf says, "Whatever you do, stay on the path!" He then spurs the horse into gallop, and he and Bucky ride off.

As they ride away, Bucky asks, "Where are we going, Gandalf?"

"The High Fells of Rhudaur," Gandalf responds simply.

"Why are we going there?" he asks.

"That, Bucky, is a very long tale," Gandalf says before he begins to share it.

As they ride out of sight, Thorin says, "Alright. Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

As the dwarves and Bilbo begin to walk into Mirkwood, Steve and T'Challa hang back a bit. The two turn to face each other, and Steve says, "I have a really bad feeling about this."

"As do I, Captain Rogers. However, we have no choice. We must go through Mirkwood," T'Challa responds. Steve just nods before he and T'Challa follow the rest of the Company into Mirkwood.


Steve sighs as he trudges over yet another fallen branch. Thankfully, most of the branches that have fallen over the pathway are relatively small.

They've been hiking through Mirkwood for over a day now, and it has already become tiring. Mainly mentally, but, to Steve's surprise, he has been feeling a little physically tired as well. He's never felt like this since he received the Super Soldier Serum. He's begun to wonder if the magic lying over Mirkwood as slowly sapping his energy. T'Challa has said he's felt the same.

Prior to their arrival in Mirkwood, Gandalf had described to Steve what Mirkwood had been like back when it was still known as the Greenwood. Seeing the current state of the forest, Steve feels a little bad. Despite the current state of the forest, he can tell that before it began to decay, the forest would have been a truly beautiful place. But now that this decay has begun to settle over it, he just feels sad. He definitely understands now why the Elves apparently prefer to keep to their dwellings and not venture out into the forest like they used to.

Steve and T'Challa have switched up positions since they first entered the forest. T'Challa has remained at the back, while Steve is now at the front, making sure that they're covering the Company completely.

Dwalin is leading the Company, routinely tapping the path with his axe to make sure that they're still on the path.

As Steve continues walking, he hears Thorin say behind him, "How are you feeling, Steve?"

"A little tired to be honest. And I don't usually get tired just by walking," Steve replies as he looks back at the dwarf king.

"Hmm. That is worrying. Do you think it is the forest's magic?" Thorin asks in concern for his friend.

"Probably. I can still move and fight. But I know now that I definitely need to be aware of how I'm feeling," Steve says.

Thorin is quiet for a moment before he says, "I am glad to have you and your friends in my Company, Steve. And I apologize again for any ill feelings I have displayed towards you three since we first met."

Steve smiles. "It's no worry at all, Thorin. We're glad to know you, and glad to be a part of this Company," he replies.


T'Challa pushes a branch aside. They've been in Mirkwood for a very long time. He's no longer entirely sure how long they've been in the forest, but he thinks it's probably been about two days or so

T'Challa stops short, lifting his hand to his head. Once again, he's feeling that sensation. The swimming feeling, as if he's dehydrated. He's felt it several times after the last day or so, but this is the worst it's been so far. He's worried, because he knows it's the magic over the forest that's affecting him. He's hoping it doesn't get much worse.

"T'Challa? Are you okay?"

T'Challa looks up, and to his shock, sees W'Kabi standing in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he asks, sounding more concerned.

T'Challa shakes his head viciously, then looks back up. W'Kabi is gone, and Bofur is standing where he was standing.

"Sorry, Bofur. It seems as if the forest is messing with my head. But I am alright," he says.

"Okay," Bofur says, still not looking entirely convinced.

"Hey, we found the bridge!" someone calls from further up the line. Everyone hurries forward.

As T'Challa hurries forward, he comes to a stop as his eyes are met with a very disappointing sight. They have indeed found the bridge. However, the much of the bridge has broken apart and fallen into the river. Only the two ends of the bridge remain intact.

"Well. This is a setback," T'Challa says.

"We could try and swim it," Bofur says.

"Don't you remember what Gandalf said? A dark magic lies upon this forest. The waters of this river are enchanted," Thorin says.

"Doesn't look very enchanting to me," Bofur says in response.

"We must find another way across," Thorin declares firmly.

Only a second later, Steve speaks up and says, "Thorin. These vines look like they could be strong enough."

Kili walks forward and grabs hold of one of the vines, pulling on it a little bit to test it. "Feels strong enough. Let's try it," he says, ready to go across.

"Kili!" Thorin calls out to stop his nephew. Kili and everyone else looks back at Thorin, who says, "We send the lightest first." At those words, everyone turns to look at Bilbo.

"Actually, one of the heaviest will go first. I will secure the other side," T'Challa says. Then, before any of the dwarves can stop, he takes a running start towards the bridge. Several dwarves try to protest, but before they can actually do anything to try and stop him, T'Challa leaps off the end of the bridge towards the other bank.

Several of the dwarves think T'Challa has lost his mind. They're pleasantly surprised, however, when T'Challa easily clears both the river and the other end of the bridge, landing gracefully on the opposite bank. He then turns around to look back at the rest of the Company.

Several dwarves smile. Fili smiles and says, "After all I've seen from you Avengers, I have no clue why I'm surprised at this point."

Thorin then looks at Bilbo and says, "Alright. Bilbo, you cross first."

T'Challa waits patiently as Bilbo begins to cross the river on the vines. Bilbo is slow and careful, and at one point nearly falls in, but finally, he manages to make it across. T'Challa helps him off the vines and onto the bank.

Seeing Bilbo safely across, the rest of the dwarves begin crossing.

As T'Challa walks a little further up the bank, scouting the surroundings, he suddenly hears scuffling, then screeching followed by a scream from Bilbo. Turning around, a chill runs down the Wakandan's spine.

What looks like over a dozen giant spiders have suddenly swarmed out of the forest. One of the spiders has gotten hold of Bilbo and is dragging him back into the trees.

"Bilbo!" T'Challa cries as he activates his mask and lets out his claws. One of the spiders charges towards T'Challa but he slashes open the spider's face with his claws.

T'Challa charges into the trees after the retreating spiders, but he feels that something is wrong. The spiders are moving with surprising speed. Perhaps that's normal for their race, but he finds it surprising how fast they're moving. However, only thing concerns him at the moment, and that is freeing Bilbo.

T'Challa leaps from tree to tree, trying to get close to the spiders. Two turn to face him, and one shoots a strand of webbing towards him. T'Challa flips over the webbing before slashing off a thick branch from a tree. He then throws it at one of the spiders, stunning it and causing it to fall out of the trees. T'Challa then leaps over to the tree where the other spider is, slashing its head open.

Without hesitation, T'Challa leaps to another tree, continuing his pursuit of the spiders. Another spider materializes out of the branches surrounding him and tries to bite at his leg. T'Challa leaps out of the reach of the spider and kicks it off the branch before continuing his pursuit.

T'Challa quickly loses track of how long he's been pursuing the spiders. Finally, he reaches a slight clearing in the trees, and sees Bilbo wrapped in spider silk and hanging from a branch, with about half a dozen spiders surrounding him.

T'Challa leaps up a tree and lunges for the spider closest to Bilbo, slashing its legs off. Another spider heads for T'Challa, but he ducks under it and slashes open its belly before kicking it out of the tree. He then leaps to another tree, slashing open the heads of two more spiders.

One of the last two spiders shoots a strand of webbing towards T'Challa. T'Challa leaps up to avoid it, but soon finds his hand caught inside the mouth of the other spider. Unfazed, he slashes open the spider's head from the inside.

T'Challa turns to face the final spider. Seeming to recognize its outmatched, it starts to flee. T'Challa leaps after it and quickly catches it, slashing open its abdomen. The wounded spider falls out of the tree and hits the ground.

T'Challa turns to the bound Bilbo. "Hold on, Bilbo," he calls to the hobbit. He leaps up towards Bilbo, intending to grab him and then slash apart the webbing holding him up. However, right as he reaches Bilbo and is about to grab him, Bilbo vanishes. Surprised, T'Challa doesn't move for a split second, which results in him hitting a thick branch. T'Challa then tumbles down through the branches until he hits the ground.

T'Challa groans as he hauls himself to his feet. Looking around, he sees no sign of the spiders he just killed.

"Bast. An illusion. I knew something was wrong," T'Challa says to himself. He realizes that everything he just saw was the forest's attempt to get him away from the Company. Clearly, it worked. The question is now, how away is he from the Company?

T'Challa stands there for a moment longer to regain his senses. Then, he leaps back up into the trees, trying to get a sense of where he is. After scanning his surroundings, he sees the trees that look like the trees he leapt through in pursuit of the spiders. He starts leaping from tree to tree in that direction.

For what seems like several hours, T'Challa leaps through the trees. Slowly, he begins to lose hope that he's going the right direction.

Finally, T'Challa comes to a stop on a thick branch. He sighs out loud, realizing that at this point, he has no real chance of making it back to the Company.

He begins to think, wondering what his next step should be. After several moments, he decides to head up above the canopy and try to get an understanding of his position and try to get a bearing of where he should go.

However, right as he's about to start climbing up the tree, he hears something in the distance. He freezes and listens more carefully. In a few seconds, he recognizes the sound of clashing weapons.

T'Challa immediately starts leaping through the trees in the direction of the sound. After a minute, he leaps through a covering of branches that still have leaves on them, and comes to a halt at the sight before him.

Just up ahead, visible through the trees, is a clearing. The trees surrounding it are filled with several dozen spiders. And, in the clearing, fighting tooth and nail against the spiders, are two Elves. After being around the Elves of Rivendell, he's able to identify Elves from a distance. And based on their clothing, he guesses them to be the Wood Elves that Beorn talked about.

T'Challa stands there for just a second longer before he leaps through the trees towards the two Elves determined to help them. As he leaps past several spiders, he slashes their legs off.

He sees a spider scuttling towards one of the elves, and he leaps onto its back. As the elf, a blonde haired male, turns around to face the spider, T'Challa slashes open its abdomen with his claws. Not taking the time to greet the elves, he flips over them and kills another spider scuttling towards them.

Turning to face the elves, he takes about half a second to register their surprised looks before he says, "Stay here on the ground. I'll handle the spiders in the trees. You take any spiders that reach the ground."

Still not sure what's going on, but recognizing T'Challa is not an enemy, the elves nod. T'Challa then leaps up a tree, heading up towards two spiders that are descending on webbing. He slashes open their faces, then cuts the webbing, sending their corpses falling to the ground.

The elves watch in amazement as T'Challa leaps from tree to tree, dispatching spiders with swipes of his claws. However, they quickly refocus their attention on the spiders that manage to reach the ground.

In less than two minutes, the elves and T'Challa have dispatched all the remaining spiders in sight. T'Challa takes a moment to make sure that there are no more spiders, then leaps down from the tree he's perched in.

He lands a few feet from the elves, who whip towards him, weapons at the ready. However, they relax when they see it's him.

T'Challa deactivates his mask. The elves look surprised as his mask seems to just disappear, but also look surprised that he's actually a human.

"Mae govannen, mellyn," T'Challa says, drawing on his brief lessons in Sindarin from Elrond.

The elves look surprised that T'Challa knows their tongue. The male elf nods his head respectfully and says, "Mae govannen, mellon. Nin hannad."

T'Challa smiles. "May I ask your names?" he asks in English.

The male smiles slightly. "I am Legolas, Prince of the Woodland Realm. And this is Tauriel, Captain of my father's guard," he introduces himself and his companion.

T'Challa nods respectfully. "Well met, Legolas and Tauriel. I am T'Challa, the Black Panther, and King of Wakanda," he says.

The two elves look surprised. After a moment, Tauriel asks, "Wakanda? I have not heard of that land before."

"It is a nation far away. My people have had little contact with any people outside our borders, so you would not have heard of us. I was brought to Middle-Earth against my will, and my journey has brought me here. I ask your forgiveness for intruding upon your lands," T'Challa says politely.

"It is no problem at all, my lord. But, I must say, it is intriguing to find a Man, let alone a King of Men, in our lands," Legolas says.

T'Challa waits for a moment before asking, "Have you seen my companions?"

"Companions?" Legolas asks.

"Yes. I came into Mirkwood with a company of dwarves and another Man. I was separated from them some time ago," T'Challa says.

"Where were you separated?" Tauriel asks for clarification.

"The broken bridge," T'Challa responds.

Legolas and Tauriel exchange a look before Tauriel says, "That is almost a day's journey on foot from here."

T'Challa feels dismay. Seeing it on his face, Legolas says, "I would be willing to help look for your friends, King T'Challa. However, we would need more elves, and my father's permission, before conducting such a mission. Perhaps you will accompany me back to my father and plead your case directly to him?"

T'Challa feels hesitant. However, after a moment, he feels like it would be the proper thing to do, and as a king, it would be disrespectful not to.

"Very well," T'Challa says.

T'Challa follows Legolas and Tauriel out of the denser forest and back to the Elven road. As they make their way towards the elves' dwellings, T'Challa sees the state of the trees steadily improving. He also no longer feels the dizzy feeling he's been feeling since soon after arriving in Mirkwood. As they walk, he shares some of the events of his journey, as well as some of his own life story. The elves are pretty good listeners.

Several hours later, they reach the elven halls. As they approach, T'Challa can't help but be impressed at the way that the elves have built their home around the environment and in harmony with it, rather than over it.

Legolas and Tauriel lead T'Challa over a bridge and into the halls. T'Challa follows them until they reach a pathway leading up to the throne. Legolas instructs T'Challa and Tauriel to wait there while he goes to speak with his father.

Legolas returns several minutes later. "King T'Challa, my father will see you. If you will please follow me," he says. T'Challa nods and follows Legolas up the path towards the throne.

As they round a corner, T'Challa sees the throne come into view. It's a magnificent throne, with the appearance of a spiraling tree trunk rising up to the ceiling above. And soon, the throne's occupant comes into view.

As they reach the platform, T'Challa stops and examines the elven king. Thranduil is a tall, stern, imposing looking elf. He is wearing a wooden crown with autumn leaves and red berries on it. Several rings adorn his fingers. Above all, he has a regal feel about him that would cause anyone to realize he is of noble blood if they didn't know who he was already.

T'Challa stands there, keeping calm and regal himself, not entirely sure what the custom is for rulers greeting other rulers here in Middle Earth. After a moment, he decides to be simply, yet respectful, and inclines his head slightly as he says in Sindarin, "Mae govannen, Aran Thranduil."

Thranduil is silent for a moment before inclining his head slightly in return as he says, "Mae govannen, Aran T'Challa." He is quiet for a moment, then says, "It is my understand from my son that thou art king of a distant land called Wakanda."

"Indeed, King Thranduil," T'Challa says.

"May I ask how you came to be in my lands?" Thranduil asks.

"I and two friends were brought to Middle-Earth against our will. While working to find a way home, we have been travelling with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield," T'Challa replies, feelings it best to be honest.

Thranduil raises an eyebrow. "Thorin Oakenshield?" he asks.

"Yes. We are on our way to reclaim Erebor. I was separated from my companions, and found your son and Captain Tauriel being attacked by spiders. After I assisted them, they brought me here," T'Challa says.

Thranduil is quiet again for a moment. Then, he says, "My thanks for assisting my son. And as for your quest, it is a noble one, and one I feel obliged to aid." He pauses, then says, "Tauriel will show you to your quarters. You have been through much. Please, rest and eat. I will speak with my son regarding a mission to rescue your friends." He then look at Tauriel and says, "See to it that King T'Challa is given our finest quarters and all his needs are met promptly."

T'Challa inclines his head in thanks and respect to Thranduil, then turns to follow Tauriel off to his quarters, not knowing that Thranduil is not quite as sincere as he seems.


And, I'll end there. Hope you liked that chapter.

So, the Avengers have been broken up. Bucky has gone with Gandalf, and now T'Challa has been separated from Steve. We'll see what happens with Steve in the next chapter.

Next chapter, I promise, will be up soon. I will not go through another super long break like I have been this entire story. Until it is up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!