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.
03/12/2013
This is the final chapter. The chapter's title reflects my experience in writing the story that it is part of.
Lord Eldric: The look on Loki's face would've been priceless upon seeing thousands of people voluntarily kneeling before Captain America.
Legionary Prime: I refer to one of my responses at the start of Chapter 33 about future crossovers with The Hobbit.
Brad W: I'd always planned to write an epilogue for this story
gunman: Tolkien displayed extraordinary mental discipline in creating precise timelines for Middle-earth.
Point Mann: Given events in King Kong and The Avengers, I speculate military pilots would prefer shooting at the Eighth Wonder of the World than the Other Guy.
Chapter 45 – Journey's End
It was well into the evening and the formalities of the happy feast being held in the Merethrond had long concluded. Attending the feast were all the important dignitaries that had attended Aragorn's coronation. But it was not the only occasion the feast was celebrating.
After the coronation crowd had dispersed from the Citadel for their own revelry, the dignitaries gathered within the Merethrond. It was to witness Aragorn and Arwen formally wed.
Like many of the dignitaries, none of the Avengers had ever witnessed an Elven wedding ceremony. Many of the wedding guests could only observe as the wedding was conducted in Sindarin. Fortunately for the Avengers, Legolas stood close to them to give a whispered translation of proceedings.
Rogers felt the only part of the ceremony that had religious connotations was when Elrond gave his public blessing to the marriage. Aragorn and Arwen returned to each other the silver rings they'd given each other at their betrothal. They then each placed a gold ring on the other's right index finger. Apparently, the groom didn't first need permission to kiss the bride once this was done.
Banner cut something of a lonely figure at present. He was sitting at a table nestling a goblet of wine while observing other members of the Fellowship.
Frodo, Sam and Gandalf were among a small crowd being entertained by Merry and Pippin's fresh performance of the Green Dragon's drinking song. Gimli and Legolas sat together along with others from their kin. Thor sat with them as well. The trio was predicably telling tall tales about their battle exploits as members of the Fellowship. Boromir and Aragorn were in deep discussion with Eomer. The business of state didn't respect personal ceremonies. Boromir would remain in Gondor while Aragorn journeyed with Eomer to Rohan. Aragorn was repeating to Eomer what the Avengers had said to him earlier. They too wished to travel to Rohan to pay their respects to its fallen king and honour its new one when Eomer was crowned. In a remarkable sight, Rogers was making polite conversation with Elrond. Banner wondered if Captain America would've ever imagined interacting with Red Skull this way! Then again, maybe Galadriel was with the pair because Rogers still had lingering doubts over Elrond's identity and may yet act on them.
Banner was still trying to solve the mystery behind Elrond and Arwen's appearances. His scientific mind would normally doubt paranormal explanations like the pair were doppelgangers of Schmidt and Betty. But then again, many things that would be considered paranormal on Earth were considered 'normal' in Middle-earth. Banner began wondering what category the Avengers now belonged to in the minds of the Free Peoples.
"May I please join you, Doctor Banner?" a voice sounding like the soft ringing of harmonious bells asked him.
Banner was unable to hide his surprise at who had interrupted his thoughts.
"Sure…Queen Arwen," Banner stammered in reply.
Banner hoped that Arwen hadn't noticed the awkwardness he felt as she gracefully sat down next to him. It was a forlorn hope. Arwen may not have the power to read minds like Galadriel, her maternal grandmother. But she none the less possessed the same perceptiveness often displayed by the Lady of Light.
Elrond had told Arwen about the Avengers ever since her recovery. She had made Rogers and Thor's friendly acquaintance at the feast with no difficulty. But Banner had seemingly kept his distance from her. In fact, Banner had been like this ever since she'd revealed herself to Aragorn at the coronation. Arwen was certain Banner's behaviour wasn't the result of any past offence of hers given they'd never met before. And from what Elrond told her, Banner was kind and gentle by nature.
"You are not obliged to answer me, Doctor Banner," Arwen began before innocently stating, "But I sense you desire to avoid my presence. Is there something about me that troubles you?"
Banner's initial reaction was to be glad that Galadriel respected his privacy despite being able to read his mind. He thought for a moment before trying to navigate this conversational minefield.
"Well, for starters, call me Bruce like Aragorn – sorry, your husband – um, I mean King Elessar – does," Banner shakily started.
"As you witnessed earlier today, Bruce," Arwen gently took up the offer. "You never need to stand on ceremony with my husband and me."
Banner gave an awkward smile in acknowledgement before continuing.
"My behaviour to you, it's nothing personal," Banner assured Arwen. "It's just…well…you remind me of someone I know on Earth. We were very close." Banner felt some residual pain from his separation with Betty before concluding; "When I first saw you, I thought it was her."
An understanding Arwen replied, "You need not speak any more about it, Bruce. My seeking you was not for you to experience personal hurt or sorrow. All I wanted was an opportunity to thank you."
Banner was confused by the Queen's words.
"Thank me?" he repeated. "For what exactly?"
"My father told me you offered to return with him to Rivendell to help save my life," Arwen revealed. "You offered to do this despite knowing nothing of me or the dangers you'd face on the journey. Many of my own kin, including my own father, often overlook the importance contained within a selfless sacrifice from one of the Race of Men. That sacrifice is made within the confines of a mortal life. I'm truly honoured that you deemed me worthy of such nobility.
"I respect your choice whether you ever wish to speak to me in the future. Whatever you decide, please know that I shall always consider you as close a friend as Elessar does."
For some strange reason that Banner couldn't figure, Arwen's words helped provide him some closure in relation to Betty. Banner would have been less mystified if he knew Arwen had the wisdom appropriate for her age of 2,777 years.
A grateful Banner gave a nod of appreciation and softly told Arwen, "Thanks."
Arwen accepted Banner's thanks with a kind nod before standing again. A curious Banner asked Arwen something before she left to mingle with other guests.
"My skills as a doctor, I mean a healer." Banner raised before subtly asking Arwen, "Is that the only word on me you've heard?"
Banner compared the smile Arwen gave him like the sun bursting through the clouds.
"Rest assured, Bruce Banner," Arwen mischievously informed him. "You're known in Middle-earth for a lot more than just 'Hulk Smash'!"
Legolas and Gimli's kin now surrounded the pair and Thor. The trio stood next to a table being prepared by Merethrond servants. A rematch of their drinking contest within the Meduseld was in the offing. But the drinking contest currently being prepared had a difference. For the sake of fairness to Gimli and the Merethrond's stores of ale, it would not be a contest of elimination. The winner would instead be determined by who could drink their twelve large pewter tankards of ale first.
"You won't be able to keep saying 'Another!' if you wish to win this round, Odinson!" Gimli playfully taunted him.
"That word will be the sound of me defeating you once more, Gimli," Thor coolly boasted with the same spirit.
Many other guests had come to witness the competition after word of it spread. Rogers currently stood between Eomer and Boromir as the tankards were being placed on the table.
"Has the supply of ale in Edoras recovered from the last time this competition was held?" Rogers asked Eomer in jest.
"My first decree as King will be any Elf or Asgardian visiting the Riddermark must supply their own ale," Eomer replied in kind.
The three laughed at this as Rogers wondered if Eomer was the first in Middle-earth to imagine the concept of B.Y.O.
"I nearly forgot!" Boromir remembered before looking around the feasting hall. "Faramir said he wanted to witness this but I can't see him anywhere."
"Seeing you're this competition's judges, I'll go find him," Rogers offered before taking his leave of Boromir and Eomer.
Rogers was one of the tallest people in the room but he couldn't spot Faramir either. He eventually exited the hall and sought help from one of the sentries at its door. The sentry's immediate reply indicated the deep respect for Captain America now held across all Gondorian ranks.
"Lord Faramir and the Lady Eowyn advised they were taking in the air along the Merethrond's north porch, Autherdir," the sentry told him.
With this knowledge, Rogers made his way out on to the said porch. He quickly spotted Faramir and Eowyn in the moonlight a few yards to his left. The pair hadn't noticed the Avenger was observing them.
Rogers thought Faramir was polite as they come. But Faramir would be rightly annoyed if anyone interrupted the tender kiss he was currently sharing with Eowyn. Especially if the reason was being asked if he'd prefer to witness a rowdy drinking game.
Rogers discreetly re-entered the Merethrond. Rogers reflected that Eowyn and Faramir had each suffered from loneliness and sorrow throughout their own lives. Perhaps the pair would now find happiness by building a life together. Rogers also noted that Eowyn had made an interesting start in keeping her promise about future acts of deception.
Boromir and Eomer noticed Rogers had returned to them without Faramir just as the drinking contest started.
"Couldn't you find him?" Boromir simply asked.
Rogers smirked before he firmly grasped the shoulders of both men.
"Let's just say he and Eowyn are currently working to bring a closer union between your two countries," Rogers euphemistically advised.
Boromir and Eomer's eyes began widening as they realised what Rogers was implying. Both were stopped from saying anything by the sound of Thor loudly fulfilling his pre-contest boast.
"Another!"
The following morning the Avengers convened in Rogers's room for a private meeting. All of the Fellowship had been accommodated in the Citadel over the last month. Boromir was no longer the only one of them with a permanent address there. The King's House had official residents in the form of Aragorn and Arwen for the first time in more than a thousand years.
The three Avengers sat around a small table for their meeting.
"Are Legolas and Gimli still speaking to you after wiping the floor with them last night?" Rogers wryly asked Thor in relation to the drinking contest.
"Legolas always conducts himself in a manner fitting his station," Thor happily informed. "A true prince acts graciously when defeated in fair and honourable contest. But I do not know if Gimli is similarly inclined. I haven't spoken with him since he collapsed in a stupor!"
Gimli was currently in his room nursing an almighty hangover. The Dwarf was privately regretting his pride in relation to the contest. He didn't want to lose face at the time by saying its number of tankards was too many for him. He'd already drunk plenty before the contest had even started. Making Gimli's hangover worse, his ears were still ringing with Thor's dozen cries of 'Another!' made during the contest.
After sharing a chuckle at Thor's remarks, the Avengers got down to business.
"There's a couple of things we need to talk about," Rogers started. "First, Boromir told me Aragorn's going to bestow some kind of award on us tomorrow morning."
"Did you tell Aragorn the whole kneeling thing was more than enough?" Banner checked.
"I learned something about kings from Theoden," Rogers reflected bittersweet. "When they've decided to recognise someone, not even an Avenger can talk them out of it. But Boromir assured me it's going to be a private ceremony."
"Allow me to expand your education on kingship further, Rogers." Thor intervened with deep understatement. "A 'private gathering' for a sovereign may imply an event attended by hundreds."
Rogers seemingly just noted the advice.
"What I'm saying Thor is that it's going to be a formal ceremony," Rogers clarified before mirthfully revealing, "I had to assure Boromir you wouldn't disrupt it by raising Mjolnir during proceedings!"
Rogers continued after the trio shared another laugh.
"With the war over, I guess you know what the second thing is," Rogers said more seriously. "I've told both of you what I saw in Galadriel's Mirror. I spoke about it with her last night. The good news is that she believes we've avoided what I saw happening on Earth. The bad news is that the Mirror hasn't revealed anything about us returning there." There was a pause before Rogers asked his two friends, "Can I assume that both of you still want to return home like I do?"
After Thor and Banner gave confirming nods, Rogers addressed the latter.
"Bruce, as far as I'm concerned you're one of the smartest guys anywhere," Rogers told him. "I'll ask straight up – have you got any idea about getting back?"
"I first need to know more about the vortex itself," Banner answered before giving the bad news. "I appreciate the compliment. But understanding the vortex could take decades even for me. If it's like any theoretical wormhole, its nature could relate to time as much as space. Even if we could understand it, there's an additional problem. It only opened after the Bifrost and the Chitauri bomb reacted somehow. We don't have the technology to build those things on Earth let alone here."
"What do you mean about time, Bruce?" Rogers queried.
"If we open the vortex at this end, it's unknown what point in time we'll return to on Earth," Banner clarified. "We could return to the point that corresponds with the length of our stay in Middle-earth. But we could also return decades, centuries after the vortex grabbed us in New Mexico."
"It goes without saying that I found it, still find it, hard adjusting to the world I woke up in," Rogers reflected. "The thought of trying to adjust in one hundreds of years older…"
The Avenger who was comfortable thinking about a lifespan centuries in length further complicated the issue.
"There's something else we're overlooking," Thor began arguing. "Surely the decision to open the vortex in Middle-earth is ultimately that of the Free Peoples? We may be keen to get back to our homes. But we should not forget what happened when the vortex first opened. Aragorn would have justifiable misgivings about us creating devices or a portal that could destroy most, if not all, his kingdom and subjects. Unless we wish follow Fury's example in not telling our friends the full truth about our plans."
An uneasy silence came over the meeting at Thor's words. Banner and Rogers remembered their anger when they and Stark found out what SHIELD's real interest in the Tesseract was. Galadriel was right. Fury could keep all to himself the stomach for such deceits. Rogers released a sigh before addressing the implication of all this.
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it." Rogers prefaced before asking; "What do we do if we remain stuck here in Middle-earth?"
Thor shrugged his shoulders before observing with no small irony, "Trust me, Steve. There's far worse realms one could be trapped in!"
Thor's comment helped lift the despondency the Avengers currently felt. They began outlining with cautious enthusiasm how they imagined themselves as permanent residents of Middle-earth.
"Well, I'm already a commissioned officer of Gondor," Rogers reiterated. "Aragorn and Boromir have asked if I'd consider taking a command rank if we remain here." He then lightly added, "I told them two conditions – no new paint job on the shield and no changing my identity to 'Captain Gondor'!"
"Given their resemblance to the Norse of yore, I feel an affinity with the Rohirrim." Thor said before candidly revealing, "To be frank, I often contemplate a more simple life than my current one in Asgard."
Banner was uncertain where his future would lie.
"Theoden was going to ask if I'd be Chief Healer at the Edoras Infirmary – Eomer said the offer's still open," Banner informed his fellow Avengers. "Merry and Pippin are keen for me visit the Shire. But I'd seriously consider returning to Isengard and not just to help the Ents. Saruman's library is rumoured to be a huge repository of arcane knowledge lost everywhere else. Faramir asked if I'd be interested in accompanying him and some scholars who are keen to examine it."
"Does not Wormtongue still reside as captive there?" Thor queried.
Banner nodded in confirmation before mischievously adding, "Faramir also asked if the Other Guy would help out if Grima doesn't co-operate!"
The Avengers decided not to overcloud the following day with the problems and ethics about getting home.
The ceremony that Rogers told Thor and Banner about was currently taking place in the Citadel. And it was formal one given Aragorn and Arwen were wearing their crowns for it. Thor was partly correct about one thing for the ceremony. It was a private gathering insofar as 'private' meant it just being attended by the Fellowship and their friends currently in Minas Tirith.
The Avengers stood in a row before the steps leading into the Tower of Ecthelion. Both Thor and Rogers carried their respective weapons to acknowledge the solemnity of the ceremony. The Asgardian knew Rogers was speaking in jest, but he had no plans to raise Mjolnir during the proceedings.
Aragorn was on the stairs facing the Avengers with Arwen to his right. A guard holding a silver tray was to the King's left. Three separate scrolls each tied with a silken cord rested on the tray. The guard promptly exited after Aragorn gave a scroll to each of the Avengers. Aragorn then began speaking to both the Avengers and their friends. His words were the result of the discussion he had with Boromir and Eomer at the feast.
"Captain Rogers and Prince Thor," Aragorn commenced. "King Theoden planned to invest each of you a Knight of the Riddermark in recognition of your actions during the defence of Helm's Deep. The scrolls you and Doctor Banner now hold honour the spirit of his wishes. The three of you are hereby ennobled as a Baron in both Gondor and Rohan.
"With the struggle against Sauron over, undoubtedly the three of you now wish to return to your homes. And we would like to aid you in your search any way we can. Our hospitality is yours for however long your search takes.
"Whatever your length of stay in Middle-earth, know it will always be with the full honour and recognition we forever owe you."
The crowd happily applauded their approval of Aragorn's words. But the warmth felt by the crowd was abruptly terminated.
The crowd's attention was quickly drawn to a strange flickering of light a few yards behind the Avengers. The vast majority of the crowd gasped when the light quickly formed into a strange white circle about man-height in diameter. The circle sat stationary just an inch off the ground.
The Avengers were only marginally less stunned by the vortex's reappearance. The main reason being that this vortex acted differently to the original one. This vortex began gently spinning counter-clockwise. Further, the vortex had no powerful vacuum violently pulling everything into it. The Avengers were completely floored by what the vortex released instead.
"Hey, guys," a cocky but familiar voice greeted the trio. "Did you miss me?"
Most of the Avenger's friends were dumbfounded by what casually walked through the vortex. A visitor wearing a strange, all-encompassing suit of red and gold armour made towards the Avengers. This armour had a small glowing triangle in the chest and its eye slits similarly glowed as well. This unexpected visitor suddenly had to stop.
Beregond and five guards quickly placed themselves to block the visitor's path. The guards pointed their spears at the visitor and Beregond had drawn his sword. Beregond had fought at the Battle of the Morannon. Any who wore similar armour to the type Sauron used in the battle was a threat unless proven otherwise. Especially if that wearer stood only a few yards away from Gondor's King and Queen.
"Halt and state your purpose!" The Captain of the Tower Guard strongly demanded of the visitor.
The visitor paused for a moment before irreverently answering; "Interrupting Shakespeare in the park?"
Beregond assumed the visitor was mocking the way the guards handled their weapons. The man Gondor's Tower Guard personally protected interrupted Beregond's thoughts.
"You and your men please stand down, Captain Beregond," Aragorn politely but firmly ordered him. "Allow Iron Man to approach his friends."
The three Avengers snapped their heads back towards Aragorn upon hearing this. Aragorn arched an eyebrow in response.
"I was paying attention when you described the other Avengers," Aragorn reassured them in good humour.
Iron Man was momentarily surprised at being identified by a stranger with same sense of fashion – none – as Thor. The other Avengers walked up to Iron Man while he pondered this. Iron Man flipped open his visor causing the crowd to murmur at seeing his face.
He must be that 'Tony Stark' fellow! Sam realised.
Many of the original Fellowship still wondered why the polite and noble-hearted Captain America occasionally made fun of this absent Avenger. They soon got a good indication.
"How did you get here, Stark?" a stunned Rogers asked him.
Rogers's question helped Stark get back to his normal self.
"Can't you guess, Cap?" Stark casually responded. Silence reigned for a couple of seconds before Stark laconically observed of Rogers, "Mm. Still wearing a spangly outfit and still not of use."
After suppressing a smirk, Banner took up Stark's challenge.
"We know you've come through the vortex, Tony," Banner stated with a smile in his voice. He'd missed his friend as well as Rogers and Stark's verbal jousts. "But you couldn't have come through like we did. Right now, you should be completely drained of power."
"Bruce, I'm glad you still speak English," Stark indirectly told Banner he was happy to see him again as well. "The three of you vanishing finally convinced Fury to let me use the hotline."
Thor immediately picked up on what Stark was saying.
"You've laboured with Asgard to safely reopen the vortex and find a way here?" Thor both guessed and concluded.
"I've got to give your people twenty-nine, no thirty-one, per cent of the credit," Stark egotistically confirmed before he raised his hands. "I've got to say, you wouldn't believe the chaos in SHIELD and Asgard over the last four days.
Rogers was the first of the three Avengers that heard this who tried to verify the unbelievable.
"No wisecracks, Stark," Rogers sternly prefaced. "We've only been gone four days from your end?"
"Yeah," Stark conceded to Rogers' request to be serious. It was the only concession he made as he continued; "The shock's understandable. You can lose track of time pretty easily when performing Richard III."
It was then the Artificial Intelligence contained within Stark's armour joined the conversation. The AI's personality was a reflection of its creator's.
"A small reminder, sir," JARVIS said deadpan. "Our thirty-one percent partners in this venture said they were unable to keep the vortex open for any longer than ten minutes. And they couldn't guarantee they'd be able to reopen it again."
A talking suit of armour would have normally amazed the Avengers' friends. But the armour's words overshadowed this. The time had now come for the Avengers to reveal whether they would be staying in Middle-earth or returning to their homes. None of their friends doubted what the Avengers would choose.
Banner crouched down to firmly hug Merry and Pippin who had sprinted up to him.
"We'll never forget you!" Pippin sobbed. "The Other Guy's pretty unforgettable as well."
Banner swallowed a lump before replying; "He and I will never forget you two either."
"You'll both always be welcome to visit us in the Shire." A tearful Merry said before advising in sorrowful humour; "Although Hulk might find a hobbit hole a bit too cramped for his liking."
Boromir stood with Faramir and Eowyn whose relationship was now something of an open secret. Boromir stretched out his right arm when Rogers walked up to him.
"For the greatest soldier I've ever known," Boromir complimented Rogers with breaking voice. "And for an even greater man!"
Rogers strongly gripped Boromir's arm in response. Faramir wrapped his arm around Eowyn in support as if to confirm their feelings for each other to the whole world. The Shield-maiden felt no shame from the tears spilling down her face.
"I'm pretty much an orphan back home," Rogers said to the trio. "But I'll always consider that I have close family in Middle-earth."
Rogers firmly embraced Boromir before he did the same with Faramir and Eowyn.
Thor had come up to Gandalf who stood between Legolas and Gimli. The God of Thunder put a hand on the wizard's shoulder before speaking.
"I shall tell my father of this realm," Thor solemnly promised them. "I shall also tell him of the nobility and honour that I witnessed while I was here. You have my word that from this day forward, the Free Peoples can consider Thor Odinson to be their perpetual friend and ally."
"And we yours, Thor," Gandalf gently assured him.
"Indeed," Aragorn agreed before speaking to the Avengers one last time as a group. "You depart Middle-earth but not from our minds and hearts. Return home secure in the knowledge that our world will never forget the Avengers. Nor will it forget their role in bringing forth the new age that lies ahead of it."
Rogers replied on behalf of the Avengers.
"Someone a lot wiser than me said that great events don't happen by accident," Rogers stated.
He quickly glanced at Galadriel who gave a tiny nod in response to his acknowledgment.
"I'm sure the way will open if we're needed back here." Rogers forecast before giving those assembled solemn pledge; "Whatever the threat faced by the Free Peoples that day; I promise facing it with them will be the Avengers."
Stark had been quietly taking all this in. He had come to guess why his fellow Avengers were shocked when told they'd only been gone four days. The close bonds they seemed to have developed with these strange people couldn't have been formed over such a short period. It was then Stark caught Galadriel looking at him.
This may all seem strange to you, Galadriel told Iron Man telepathically. But feeling moved by it is no cause for shame, Tony Stark.
An alarmed Stark immediately snapped his visor back over his face. He quickly turned and began walking back towards the vortex. He didn't want to give this lady mind reader a chance to expose any more embarrassing secrets of his. She might find out how much he really cared for Captain America before telling Rogers about it! Stark at least had a legitimate excuse to get away from this potential nightmare.
"Clock's ticking, guys," Stark hinted to the other Avengers behind him.
Galadriel gave a mirthful smile at Stark's reaction to her words. She joined the rest of the crowd in witnessing Banner, Thor and Rogers respectively follow Stark through the vortex. None of the Avengers looked back as they did so as not to get any more emotional than they currently were. The vortex flickered for a few moments before disappearing after Rogers had entered it.
Silence reigned among the crowd as they emotionally tried to come to terms with the Avengers' departure. Aragorn released a sigh of restrained sorrow before trying to assist them with this.
"We had a light feast arranged in the Merethrond to honour our friends' ennoblement," Aragorn told all gathered around him. "Let us celebrate and remember the times we had with them instead."
The crowd began following Aragorn and Arwen's lead to the Merethrond with a mix of joy and sadness. Legolas exemplified the former emotion as he whispered to Gimli.
"Care for another drinking game, Gimli?" Legolas playfully teased him.
"Mind your words, Elf," Gimli retorted in the same spirit. "Or I'll split your pretty face with my axe crying 'Another!' with every stroke."
Two of the Fellowship hadn't immediately followed the rest of the crowd. Gandalf hadn't moved from where he stood. He continued to stare at the space the vortex had occupied. To Gandalf's right, Frodo had quietly joined him. The pair continued staring before Frodo began to speak. Memories of his conversation with Sam prior to entering Emyn Muil came to mind as he did so.
"I don't suppose we'll ever see them again," Frodo commented in relation to the Avengers.
"I think the Avengers were sent to Middle-earth to specifically aid our Fellowship," Gandalf replied. "So, to my mind, I think you are right, Frodo."
The pair turned their heads towards each other. A smile burst across Frodo's face upon seeing Gandalf's expression.
"But my heart tells me," Gandalf concluded with a twinkle in his eye, "we shouldn't be so sure…"
The four Avengers found themselves exiting the vortex almost instantly after entering it. They had stepped out into the same location in New Mexico where it appeared – hard as it seemed to believe – four days ago. The clear morning closely copied the one from that time as well. After the Avengers exited the vortex, it disappeared the same way like earlier in Minas Tirith.
A large contingent of SHIELD personnel was waiting for the Avengers to return. Fury, Barton and Romanoff were among many that gave a sigh of relief when Stark returned with the three missing Avengers in tow. Banner noted the Chitauri bomb still lay uncollected.
With assistance from Asgard, Stark and SHIELD had disarmed the Chitauri bomb during the course of the last four days. The Bifrost was then used to open the vortex safely for just a few minutes.
The customary cool Romanoff couldn't help but give Rogers, Thor and Banner each a 'welcome back' hug.
"Why are you hugging them?" Stark asked her seemingly miffed. "I'm the one who brought them back."
"Perhaps you are required to be more than sixty-nine per cent heroic, to get one Stark," Thor ribbed him recalling Stark's earlier slight about Asgardian competence.
Barton noted the scrolls the missing Avengers carried on their person.
"What's with the scroll, Banner?" Barton asked before gently teasing him. "You get yourself another degree over the last four days?"
"Forget that," Romanoff interrupted after seeing the Gondorian tunic Banner was wearing. "I want to know the story behind Bruce's outfit."
An authoritative cough from Fury interrupted the Avengers' reunion.
"I think it's clear we're all glad to see the three of you again." Fury said before observing deadpan, "I'm even willing to overlook that you brought Stark back with you."
Stark blinked at this while the other Avengers muffled laughs.
"However, I can't overlook something happened to you while you were gone," Fury continued to address the relevant Avengers. "Thor, your people are keen for you to return to Asgard immediately. We also still need for you to take the Chitauri bomb as originally discussed."
"It is safe to be transported?" Thor checked to be sure.
"You bet, Point Break," Stark confirmed to Thor before indirectly getting back at Fury. "Nick never really wanted me to use the hotline. After talking with your people, I now know why." Stark leaned in closer as if he was telling Thor a secret: "Asgard dislikes dealing with SHIELD even more than I do."
"Captain Rogers, Doctor Banner," Rogers addressed the pair while ignoring Stark's jibe. "At 0900 tomorrow I'm expecting a full debrief on what happened over the last four days."
"I can give you a quick debrief right now, sir," Rogers replied.
Fury and the other Avengers gave Captain America both curious and expectant looks.
"Well, Director Fury," Rogers said straight to his face. "We're back!"
This crossover was set between The Avengers and the events in Iron Man 3 - hence Stark arriving in Minas Tirith wearing a suit of armour.
Both Sir Ian McKellen and Robert Downey Jr performed in the 1995 film adaptation of Richard III.
I partly used the vortex-wormhole connection to have some justification for the differences in time between Earth and Middle-earth. But I more wanted to acknowledge the works of Tolkien's good friend C.S. Lewis somehow.
Well, we've finally come to the end of this crossover. There are some final acknowledgments I have to give before wrapping up.
Thanks to all of you that have taken the time to read and review this story. Especially those of you that have being following it since I first published it. The numbers for both have been well beyond my initial expectations.
I wish to end by thanking my parents. They were the first people to show me that learning to read and write is the key to opening many of life's greatest joys.
[RD: Quite a few plot points in this chapter that allowed me to write the sequel.]