The Lord of Gifts

It was early morning in the city of Vale, and although it was still slightly dark outside, Capital was slowly coming back to life, as people got up from their beds, ate early breakfast and went to their jobs, schools and other activities. Vale was like a giant, awakening from its long slumber.

Only when streets were flooded with humans, the One Who Observes in the Shadow emerged from the back alley.

After the entire night of preparations, he walked out from his hiding spot in his fair form, but, instead of wearing white robes like he used to in the Middle Earth, he wore a suit which those mortals would call "old-fashioned, yet classic". Since the city was already full with all kinds of questionable design choices, nobody should care about someone like him. Even his white hair shouldn't surprise people that much, since it probably isn't that unique in this world.

The only thing differing him from a common citizen were his eyes, at first glance golden, but those finding themselves staring directly into them could later swear that they are more like molten magma from the depth of the earth, behind which lies diabolical intellect and a cunning mind. And now, these watchful eyes were scanning the awoken metropolis.

As Sauron walked down the busy street of the capital city, surrounded by the smells and sounds he never experienced in the Middle-earth, like the roars of the iron machines driving on the road or the flying ships passing above. He walked past various shops, whose owners basically sold magic in form of powder or crystals for coins and some green paper.

Yet, despite their advancements, he felt disgusted by all of the inefficiency around him – metal carriages wasted way too much energy, streets were uneven and too narrow to navigate, which in turn caused a traffic jam after traffic jam, slowing or even downright stopping the swift flow of supplies.

But selling magic for coins? That's helpful.

"The raising threat of the criminal underworld with infamous Roman Torchwick, as well as the terrorist organizations such as the White Fang, became the greatest challenges our Kingdom face since the end of the Great War." Sauron listened to the woman talking from some kind of palantir - a wall made of metal boxes behind the large window, her image playing on every glass screen – and watched the displays of the man called "Roman Torchwick", as well as the banner of this so called "White Fang". "The Council reassures that they have everything under control and keeps the suspicious elements in check, but some critics have expressed their concerns over inadequate police force." He resumed his walk, shaking his head in disappointment.

As always, Human ruling class is inept to lead. – Faces of these wretches are well known, yet they are still alive and commit atrocities. I can basically feel the rotting foundation of this "kingdom". And nobody is doing anything meaningful to stop it's decay.

He has so much to reorganize.

On the side note, humans around him were different, in fact, some weren't even human in the first place, possessing animal features - ears, tails, scales, every variety of the animal were noticeable, but, to his relief, there were no Elves.

Despite all the contempt he felt towards this city, deep down, his curiosity and fascination blossomed. Although it had its apparent flaws, "Vale" is way more fascinating than Numenor, - Numenorians remained stagnant, never changing in any major way, while here, humans push forward, bend nature to their will, and introduce new technologies which most in the Middle-Earth would consider a sorcery.

But first things first, to be able to take control of all of this, he needs to establish himself, and to make his presence permanent, he needs more knowledge. And in every city, there is a place in which you can gain much needed information.

He walked towards the giant building with roof made of glass, from which countless humans walked in with money, and out with items or clothes. A marketplace, where people both sell and buy not only little things, but also information. He paused before the glass door without a handle, only for them to open right before him, like they were welcoming him to get into the structure, the invitation he accepted.

Inside, Sauron's every sense was, once again, assaulted by the myriad of sounds and scents.

Everywhere he looked, there were giant, bright palantirs, showing images of various things, like extravagant clothes, "soda" (which he assumed was just another kind of tea), so called "kitchen robots", and while a woman voice briefly explained everything about those items, a loud yet catchy music was played from some unseeen musicians.

Under those large palantirs humans were entering shops stationed side by side, each looking for something they wanted or desired.

As Sauron walked, he admired how clever creators of these palantirs were: By bombarding humans with endless sound and picture, they put small seed of interest into their minds, influencing them to do, in this case to buy, something they never wanted to obtain in the first place. In Middle Earth, lack of such technology prevented him from utilizing this tactic on a mass scale, resulting in him using ineffective messengers and preachers. But now? So much opportunities presented themselves right before him.

He chuckled to himself while walking around, seemingly looking at everything in the stores, but in reality he listened carefully to what people were saying between each other, deeming most conversations useless, while listening to those he found more important.

"They said in the news that nobody died during this year's initiation!" One woman said to her friend.

"They were just lucky this time." Her friend replied, and Sauron clearly heard a glimpse of bitterness in her voice. "It's still disgusting, sending those kids there..."

"You know it's necessary, we need good Huntsmen to keep us all safe." And second female left a heavy sigh.

"I guess..."

"So those warriors are called "Huntsmen" Sauron thought, leaving the pair after they changed the topic. "Worth to remember."

So this society is willing to sacrifice their young to preserve their kingdom. But what is this threat that made them do such a choice? Those white-skulled monsters maybe? So many questions he must get an answer for.

"I swear to the Brother Gods, if I see you two here ever again, I will call the police!" Restaurant owner with bear ears and tall posture, violently kicked out two humans outside of his resturant. Both men raised on their feet and turned to the angry half-human.

"Go back to the forest you animal trash! Like the rest of your kind!" One of them showed the owner his middle finger while the other simply spat under the Faunus shoes. When the bear-human didn't even flinch, both left with disgust on their faces. When they were finally far enough, owner sighed and walked back into his restaurant, while Sauron, who observed the whole encounter, at first wanted to walk away, only to stop after seeing something useful inside the said restaurant - A Palantir displaying something else than expensive clothes called "news".

Perfect.

He walked into the establishment, and took a sit near the active Palantir.

" ... Repeated attacks of the Faunus terrorists against small enterprises cause more distress among the population, and the threat only grows with each passing day." Said the same woman he saw on the street palantirs.

"They ruined my life!" Human in Palantir cried to those holding it "Why!? I didn't do anything! I was never against the Faunus!"

"No wonder why they act like this." Sauron heard behind and turned to lookat the bear-human, who stared at him with his tired eyes. "Being treated like unwanted trash doesn't help with easing the tensions."

"Humans mistreat you because you are different? How... typical." Sauron said his thoughts out loud.

"Sadly. Some people and companies more than others." Faunus rose his notebook and grabbed the pen. "What for you, friend? You should check out the menu."

Sauron looked at the sheet of paper on the table, picked it up and read it just to fool the owner for little longer, while his full focus was on something else entirely.

"Authorities are already on the case ma'am." Probably commander of the guard spoke in the Palantir, standing near the scene of the crime. "We will find those responsible for the attacks against people of Vale, and bring them to justice."

"Just like you brought justice to Junior huh?" Faunus commented with disdain, and Sauron looked at him with curiosity.

"Who is this "Junior" you speak of?" He asked, sensing that this one possess valuable intel.

"Another scumbag." Faunus said with disgust. "He pose as a simple investor, but in reality, he is just another bandit."

"And they are not doing anything about it?"

"Nothing at all." Faunus said with anger, much to fallen maia's delight. "They are too focused on their own pockets. And Junior certainly has some influence in Police Department."

How convenient. It's easier to take control from those corrupted by wealth.

Faunus then smiled with satisafaction. "But from what I heard, some time ago someone beat his ass and ruined his club."

"Oh really?" Sauron asked with greta curiosity, and Faunus giggled.

"Yeah, he now hides inside and is even afraid to stick out his nose, fearing the "bad press"' Faunus snickered. "Did you decide what you want?"

"Indeed." Sauron rose from his chair, much to Faunus confusion. "You served me well." He added before walking towards the entrance.

"But, you didn't eat anything?" Faunus replied, which made Sauron stop in the entrance.

"How many people visit you daily?" Former Dark Lord questioned instead.

"Well, not that much." Faunus admitted, shrugging his arms. "Enough to pay the bills though."

"Many more will come to you, so better be ready." With that said, just before Faunus could ask how he can be so sure about that, Sauron whispered into the air his command, and pleasant smell coursed through the building, drawing nearby people with the promise of ecstatic meal and the filled stomachs.

Faunus blinked seeing so many people stopping and looking at his small restaurant with fascination, some already making their way towards it.

"Enjoy your gift while it lasts." Sauron said with a smirk while faunus's jaw dropped. "Maybe you will be able to pay for more than your "bills"."

"What... How… Who are you?" Faunus asked, Sauron put a genuine smile and answered without hesitation:

"My name is Annatar."

Sun shined over the Beacon Academy, welcoming the students walking to their classes. For some, Sun gave them a happy welcome, for others a sweat goodbye, but most of the new students were still uncertain, maybe even fearful of what the future holds, but they couldn't wait.

However, this attitude wasn't shared by all.

"I understand your concern Glynda, but overreacting won't help." Headmaster Ozpin said while observing the first year students going to their classes.

"It is not an "overreaction" Headmaster, it's a concern." Goodwitch replied while walking beside him. "Not only Peter is an expert with Grimm here, and I am sure that this Wolf was something else."

Ozpin sighed. He didn't want to show it, but he was worried too. He watched the recording multiple times already, and each time it gave him more and more unnerving, yet familiar, feeling of dread. But he can't just jump to conclusions, he needs to maintain a stoic attitude.

"I already made moves considering this recording and I shall wait for the results before taking any action. If I learn something regarding this matter, You will be the first person to know everything. But now, we shouldn't panic." After a moment, Glynda nodded in agreement.

"You are right Headmaster." She begrudgingly agreed.

"Right now, we have other matters to attend to." Ozpin said. "How many teams made it to their classes?"

Glynda opened her scroll and quickly checked it, thoughts of the Direwolf pushed away, just like Ozpin hoped.

"Only two teams are still in their rooms." She looked at Ozpin, her normal strict attitude returned. "Team RWBY and JNPR."

"Do they?" Ozpin pointed his cane at two teams in question running at full speed to their class. Glynda looked at her watch, then gave the runners a look full of contempt while Headmaster took another sip from his mug.

Few Hours later

"Another!" Junior ordered and a glass full of alcohol landed right in his hand. He drank it in one go, threw it away, at the large pile of glass in the corner.

"Another!" he ordered again, and sighed heavily when another glass appeared in his hand. He looked at his own reflection in the brown liquid, then crushed the glass between his fingers, not caring about the sharp shards wounding his hand.

After that Blondie crushed his club and, most importantly, his balls, both his pride and prestige in the town took a truly devastating blow, as his old partners suddenly disappeared, and the usual contractors told him to piss off. He was perceived as a weakling, who can't even deal with a Huntress on his home turf. And she was just a student! The Spider is probably laughing their asses off.

He briefly gazed at his men with anger while they were still removing piles of trash or paving the floor. If only they were more competent, no one would ever dare to question his strength or authority.

"Another!" He yelled.

"Though day?" Someone inquired and Junior nodded his head.

"More like a shitty week." he said, and gratefully took a glass from the stranger. "Thanks." He drank it's contents and put it back, little confused. "It's without a taste."

"Water rarely has a 'taste', friend." Newcomer replied, and this time, gears in Junior's head finally turned. He looked at the smirking stranger, stared blankly into his golden eyes and finally realized.

"Who the hell are you?"

Newcomer chuckled in response.

"My name is Annatar, the Master of Gifts."

"Never heard about you." Junior discreetly gestured for his henchmen to come closer, but didn't turn away from Annatar.

"No wonder, I came from far away, just to speak with you." Annatar replied, not concerned about armed bodyguards slowly making their way towards him. He have plenty of time.

"If you look for some information or deal, then speak up, otherwise get the hell out." Junior snarled, trying to intimidate the starnger, but something inside in his gut screamed to run as far as possible. He gave a quick look to the Malachite twins sitting nearby, both women were already observing the situation, ready to jump into action if needed.

Annatar nodded hearing the Junior's offer, lifted one of the glasses and looked at his reflection in the liquid.

"On the contrary." He spoke up, still looking at the glass. "I came here with an offer of my own."

"An offer?" Junior scoffed. "What can you sell me?"

"What I want to give you is something that can't be bought or sold to the highest bidder. What I crave to share is what you need as much as the air and the water. What I offer is..."

Annatar looked at Junior again, and the "Information Broker" felt might behind Annatar's words, and finally noticed that the golden eyes are, in fact, more akin to a erupting volcano. He felt like the man sitting beside him and staring right into his grey orbs is the one holding all of the aces. Even surrounded by Junior's entire gang, basically in Lion's den, Junior felt that Annatar is truly in control of the meeting.

"...Power."

Junior raised his hand, and his army of henchmen stopped, awaiting further orders.

"I already have an influence." Xiong pointed out, but stranger's laugh set him on the edge of an angry outburst.

"Truly? You call this..." Annatar gestured at the entirety of the building interiors, still in bad shape, as well at the tired goons fixing everything. "...Power? From what I have heard, humans think otherwise."

Junior frowned hearing this, and through clenched teeth, he hissed.

"What did they say?"

Annatar smiled at him, but didn't say anything, his mocking smile worth more than thousand words.

"Bastards..." Junior whispered, and hit the table with his fist. "They dare laugh at me!?"

"They seem to not show you a proper respect, Junior Xiong."

"Yeah, no shit. I got unlucky once or twice, but it all fell apart after that Blondie crushed everything. I mean, how could I know she was a Huntress?! And now Roman took the spotlight, that Mistrealian snake."

"Do you wish to regain your rightful place? Your lost authority?" Annatar insisted, but Junior scoffed at this.

"Right, coming right back to your "offer". What is it exactly?"

"I posses skills and abilities far surpassing your even wildest dreams. I can shape metal as easily as clay, make it do my bidding."

"So, you can make weapons or what?" Junior asked and Annatar sighed, disappointed at the human's lack of imagination.

"I can make EVERYTHING." He declared after a moment, without even a hint hesitation in his voice. "Each item far surpassing what even Kingdom of Atlas can do with their technology."

Junior wheezed hard upon hearing this, and Annatar gave Xiong a questioning gaze.

"Bold claim, I give you that. Look, I admire confidence, but..."

"It was not a mere claim." Sauron interrupted, and Junior stopped laughing, now looking at his guest with renewed curiosity. "It was a statement. And if you provide me with everything I need, we both shall gain from our partnership."

"I will decide about that." Junior said, and waved to one of his goons. "Mistrealian dream" at once." And goon quickly run to the storage while Junior turned his full attention back at Annatar.

It was clear that this 'Annatar' is not joking, and although he looked rather strange, it only made Junior suspect that Annatar might be either a disgraced Atlasian engineer, or one of those Merlot freaks. If so, then having him would be beneficial. And if he fails, then making an example of him will clearly show to everyone around town that nobody can make a fool of Junior Xiong and live to tell the tale.

Unless it's that Blondie.

'"Everything" you say." Junior repeated, deep in his thoughts. "You are confident, I give you that."

Annatar didn't reply to that, and goon with "Mistrealian dream" in hand quickly put the large bottle in the middle of table. Junior picked it up and filled two glasses with crimson liquid.

"You had my attention, but now, you have my interest." he pushed one of the glasses to his guest, and when Annatar took it, Junior lifted his drink. "I give you one month to prove your worth, Ann. Impress me, and you can consider our deal sealed. If you don't..."

"You will take my head as punishment?" Annatar lifted his own glass with confident smirk. "Don't worry. Failure is not an option."

"Then, let's make toast for that." Junior said, raising his drink. "Partner."

"Gladly... Partner." Glasses clanged, signifying an agreement, which, known only for one of them, will shake the entire Kingdom, and maybe even a world.

Beacon Academy

"Bravo, Bravo!" Professor Port said, watching how Boarbatusk's corpse disappeared after the fight with Weiss Schnee. "It appears that we are, indeed, in a presence of the true Huntress in training."

While Weiss gasped for air after the exhausting duel, Professor looked at the clock on top of the class, little sad that the lesson is over.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we had for today, be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

He noticed that Weiss Schnee left first, visibly angry at something, not even waiting for her team, and the rest of the students looked at each other with confusion.

"Sheesh, what's with her?" Port heard from Jaune Arc, and although he would put it in different words, he fully agreed – She did great for the first day of studying, why is she so upset? The answer hit him when Leader of the Team RWBY run after her, leaving rest of the team to pack their things.

"Of course." He thought. "Problems within the Team."

His specialty were always the creature of the Grimm, their subtypes and the tactics to efficently deal with them, but sadly, he lacked expertise in terms of 'team-building'. He had dramas when he was young, clashed with his own team leader on numerous occasions, but he didn't have any idea how to resolve those kinds of conflicts. He just hoped that Team RWBY will resolve this peacefully on its own and do it while they are studying, not when they are fully-fledged huntresses. Lack of trust between the teammates can be as dangerous as the monsters they fight against.

When the last student left the class, he started to pack his own things and go outside to enjoy the sunset, but when he wanted to pack up his scroll, he looked at it and remembered.

"Headmaster's recording!" He realized that he completely forgot about it, too excited for the new year's coming today, focusing on making the good first impression. "He said that this one require my expertise, so let's not waste time." He unlocked his scroll, sat on his chair and started the video.

The video started when eight the students – Team RWBY and JNPR – picked up their relics and started to run away, while Giant Nevermore circled above their heads, and Deathstalker tried to free itself from the ice.

"Both old Grimm." He noted out loud. "Nevermore can probably shoot it's feathers, while the Deathstalker's carapace is as hard as steel."

When they run into the forest, Nevermore fly right above them, leaving only the Deathstalker…

Few hours later

"Here we are." Driver of the truck turned to his passengers "You can take your stuff."

Xiong henchmen jumped out of the truck and walked to its back, while Annatar left the vehicle last, still reliving the experience of "riding in a truck"

It was faster than a horse, more comfortable than the carriage and certainly better armored than both. Sauron always knew such machines were possible, and at some point he even wanted to design and give them to younger races as a gift, but he put those ideas on a hold until the Middle-Earth was finally under his unified rule.

It felt good knowing that he was, as always, right.

He looked at the building Junior "graciously" allowed him to use for one months, with an implication that if Annatar perform well, ownership will be granted to him permanently. Although not impressive, below standard even, he already planned some radical changes.

"Careful with this!" He heard and watched how two stronger henchmen carry a steel anvil towards the building, while another carried box full of tools. Then, he walked to the door, drew the key he got from Xiong and unlocked his new forge.

The interior, as expected after not being used for too long, was full of spider webs, old wood boxes and piles of bricks in the corners.

"At least floor is not full of holes." Annatar remarked, then turned to the group of henchmen designated to help him. "Clear out all the trash at once."

As they carried out his order, he walked around the building, envisioning the interior of his new forge: Anvil in the middle, furnace at that wall, desks and chairs for humans to observe his work...

"After you are done with this filth, prepare to clear out the remains."

"What remains? " One of the goons asked, and after Annatar's wide gesture, he blinked few times.

"You can't be serious..."

Limestone was a quiet district of the capital, nothing remarkable happened here, aside of companies dropping trash once or twice, and at first, people living here paid little attention to new arrivals. "Someone is making his/her new business here, cool I guess." they thought and carried on with their usual tasks, like going to get some food or meeting their friends. That was, until those strange people with red glasses started to tear out the door from its frame.

Small crowd started to gather outside, and one of the newcomers, one with a green tie rushed out to stop them from coming closer.

"Stay where you are!" He warned while waving his hands for everyone to see.

"What are you guys doing?" One person from the crowd asked.

"Tearing part of the wall down."

"What!? Why?!"

"To make a more "welcoming space" apparently." He said uncertain, and soon all heard the hissing sound. "He already started."

To people's shock, right in the middle of the wall, a trail of magma burnt its way through, making a long, straight line across it, then, after nearly eaching the end of the wall, magma switched direction and with perfect 90°, it hit the ground.

After that, brick wall collapsed inward, but by some miracle it did not shatter upon the impact. Group of Xiong henchmen already started to cut it into small pieces for easier clean up while Annatar slowly lowered his hands, fire disappearing as fast as it manifested. He then gave the crowd a king's bow.

"I hoped you liked my little show of abilities." He said it normally, not too loud, and yet, everyone heard him clearly.

"Why did you tear down your wall man?" Someone voiced the question of the entire gathering.

"For you to observe my work of course!" Man with white hair and golden eyes walked towards the crowd with a wide, friendly smile on his face, like a benovelant prince approaching his newfound subjects. "Since I have nothing to hide, why should I separate myself from you?"

"Are you the owner of this shop?"

"Indeed I am. And before you ask - My name is Annatar, but you may call me "the Master of Gifts"."

"What do you want to sell?"

"Another dust shop would be nice, hard to get it nowadays."

"Maybe weapons shop?"

"Oh, that would be cool too! Something cheaper than "Guns and Butter" perhaps?"

Annatar chuckled hearing this discussion, but it was time for him to cut the speculations at once.

"Why should I limit myself that much?" He said, and the crowd looked at him with confusion. "I will do something more here." He looked at the crowd, and, for a single second, his eyes fired up. "I will make Dreams come true."

He raised his hands to the air like a preacher. "Each of you have a desire you wish to fulfill, a craving you desperatly want to satisfy. Or maybe your dream lacks something or worse, it was broken by the time or accident? Rejoice, for I can smith anything from every material known to men, not only metal or gems. If needed, I may not only repair, but also uplift something once broken to new heights." He smiled seeing their stunned reactions. "And all of that for a reasonable price."

People looked at each other with disbelief. It was a very nice marketing slogan sure, but fulfilling dreams? No way. Even after sounding that confident, no one bought it. At least, not without a proof.

"You are a Smith? I thought you guys are only in some remote villages." Tall man from the crowd said.

"Because those in power think think we are obsolete, since technology is able to do everything better, correct?" Annatar chuckled after saying this. "That's why I, the Master of Gifts, arrived here - to prove everyone that nothing can surpass a Masterful Craftsman."

Although curious, crowd slowly started to disperse. Annatar light up their curiosity, but they took it as a clever marketing strategy, nothing more. Having a Smith in town was something new, but many suspected that he will quickly bankrupt, so why bother?

When Annatar wanted to return and carry on with his task of preparing the forge, he felt someone pulling his long sleeve.

"You really can repair anything?" A little girl, maybe less than nine, with, surprisingly, mouse ears asked, giving him a pleading eyes, while Annatar smiled back at her.

"And uplift, yes."

She let go of him and ran back somewhere, Annatar followed her with his gaze for a moment, only to nod knowingly and turned to his subordinates.

"Continue your tasks, I want to test the tools."

As they returned to clearing out the remains of the smashed wall, Sauron walked past them, towards the anvil they put in the middle, just like he ordered them to. He touched the surface of the anvil, satisfied that it was truly made from steel, not any other weaker yet cheaper material, like Junior suggested. He scoffed at the mere memory of this fool - Although his "partner" keeps all the cards for now, his greed and lack of foresight will ensure his downfall, or perhaps, the shift in their dynamic? All Sauron needs is time. And the time he will get.

He checked the tools - hand hammers, sledgehammers, pliers, small blades and so on. - All made in so called "factory". He carefully checked every single tool for any sign of defect, and only after he was sure that his tools are fine, he turned to materials - mostly common iron and coal. Although Junior advised to use cheaper gas to fire the forge, after brief consideration, Sauron picked both coal and gas. For some tasks, flammable gas can be used, for example to quickly smelt something, but the true smith works both with the fire and the metal, and the fire produced by coal is more... alive.

He took a small bar of iron, picked up a handhammer, made few swings with it. For a start, tools given by Xiong will suffice, but he must forge his own, for he already knew that hammers made in factory will quickly wear down, while those made by his own hands will last for centuries.

Just when he started to wonder when the girl with mouse ears will return, he heard a commotion right outside.

"It's not open yet kid, come later." One of the goons grumbled while picking up another brick.

"But..." The little girl wanted to argue, but goon hushed her with a hand gesture. Sauron noticed that she holds something in her hands, and he raised his voice slightly.

"Let her in." He ordered, and henchman at first looked at him with surprise, then stepped aside, allowing the girl with mouse ears into the forge. Without another word, she approached the anvil with a small bundle. She put it on the anvil and looked at Annatar hopefully.

"This is Dumbo." She said while slowly opening her package. "He is my best friend. He was always there to play with me, or when I had a bad day."

She opened her bundle and hundreds of porcelain pieces fell on the anvil.

"But he fell from the wardrobe, and... and..."

"You don't need to explain more." Annatar said with calm voice. "I understand."

"Father tells me to let him go, but I can't just throw him away!"

"I know." Annatar started to organize this pile of fragile porcelain, finding matching pieces. "You don't want to lose a friend."

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Can you help him?"

Sauron looked at the small crowd gathering outside, and smiled back to her.

"Of course." He reassured and picked a plie "And, if you wish, nothing will break him ever again."

Her eyes shined for a moment, and she gleefully nodded. Just when Annatar started his work, girl realized something.

"And how much..."

"You will pay?" Annatar interrupted, only to chuckle quietly. "Who would I be to take money from a child saving her trusted companion?"

He looked at the small crowd, speaking to one another quietly, and Sauron already knew what they are talking about. His mask is already paying off.

"How long it will take?" Girl asked.

"Not too long, so please, take a sit and patiently wait." He looked at one of the goons in the corner. "Bring her something to drink and eat, at once."

Just when the goon run to the storage, Annatar looked at the porcelain pieces, their shape indicatin that it was once a small, porcelain elephant, with personality made up by the child's imagination. If he simply put the elephant back together, he will get a small applause, but that's all. No, if he wants to proceed with his plans, He needs to first show these humans how three eras of smithing looks like.

Let's get started.

Half an hour later

Junior drove through the city in his black car, sitting on the backseat and smoking a cigar, while Malachite twins, his personal bodyguards, were sitting beside him.

Although he promised to not interfere with the "Lord of Gifts" or "Master "or whatever his title was, 'smithing business' too much, from the start it all sounded way too sketchy for his tastes. His men were there if something happens, but he knew he could not count on their competence recently, especially when his reputation is... not in very good shape. So he decided to go there by himself and make sure everything is fine.

"What do you think about him Melanie?" He suddenly asked, and the woman rolled her eyes.

"He is confident, that's for sure." She replied. "Reminds me of certain someone."

"He sounds gentle." Militiades inquired, but Junior was not satisfied with the answers.

"I meant: 'Do you think he will try to pull something off.'"

"I don't think so." Melanie said. "He didn't look that dumb, he knows the consequences."

"He gave you his word." Militia added. "People usually don't break their promises."

"For some, breaking agreements is as easy as breath... what the hell is going on there?" He looked through the window at the gathered crowd, standing right before a wide hole in the wall of the building Junior rented.

"Did he just took down entire section of the wall?" Melanie asked, but Junior was already seething in rage.

"Who gave him permission to do that!?"

"You said that he is allowed to use the building." Militia pointed out.

"I thought about moving some furniture or clearing trash, not demolishing it!" Trio got out from the the car, and Junior put on his sunglasses. "Let's hear his explanation."

They made their way through the crowd, coming closer and closer to the opening, noticing that all people gathered outside were simply staring into the building in silence.

It gave him creeps.

When they walked past what should be doors, Junior saw Annatar standing near the anvil, putting a final piece of the... Small porcelain elephant?

Junior rose his eyebrow in surprise, only to flinch back when the stream of fire swept over the porcelain, molding the cracks, leaving only the polished surface. Then, Annatar took the elephant in both of his hands and approached the girl sitting in the corner.

"Your friend is fine again." He announced to her and everyone gathered outside. "And I think he wants to thank you for bringing him to me." With that said, he blew a gentle breath on the little elephant.

And just like after the touch of the magic wand, elephant started to move - it raised its porcelain head and trumpet at the girl with happiness, much to everyone's shock and the girl's disbelief.

Little girl extended her hand, and the elephant walked on it from Annatar's grasp.

"I'm sorry I dropped you, I'm so sorry." She said, and the elephant trumpted cheerfully again, then started to roll on her hand, making her smile.

Everyone were left dumbfounded. Almost all of them saw how he reconstructed the porcelain figure from scratch, barely putting anything inside, and yet the way this small elephant move... It feelt so alive. So unimaginable. Junior could hear whispers in the crowd, some still doubting while most started to believe what he said earlier:

I will make dreams come true.

Annatar turned his gaze towards Junior, who in turn simply stared at him, not knowing what to say or how to react to all this. Before Junior could either scold him for "wasting" time, or praise him for the good work, Sauron seized the initiative.

"Ah, my noble patron! I am more than glad you decided to show up in person." Annatar eagerly shook Junior's hand, and turned to the crowd. "Thanks to this man, I am here, citizens of Vale! Rest assured, for I will repay his generosity tenfold, and you shall receive it fully!"

As expected, crowd clapped their hands, used their handheld palantirs and pointed them both on Annatar and Junior, and Sauron quickly noticed the prideful look from his 'partner' full of greed, and allowed himself a satisfied smile. He knew how to influence others, and nothing feeds pride more than thunderous applause and visible admiration.

Junior tilted his head slightly to Annatar, still smiling to the crowd, while Melanie and Militia stepped aside, not wanting to find themselves in the center of attention.

"How many of these can you make?" Junior whispered to Sauron.

"As long as our agreement stands, as many as you please." He whispered back, and then approached the crowd and eagerly clapped his hands. "So, who wants their Dreams fulfilled?"

Authors Note

Once again, I don't own RWBY or LoTR.

Suprise! Little faster update, less flashy and all, but a necessary one.

Sauron came to Vale and already made his presence known. And he came back to his old tricks, like those in Eregion or Numenor.

I will be honest - I probably won't mainatin this pace, but I have some drafts for the next two chapters.

And I don't know when I will release them, but one thing is certain - first "side-chapter" will be released within a week.

To answer to the review:
There will be a lot Sauron, that's for sure. I will try to use other characters too, and, unfortunetly, Blond boy stays. But he will NOT be a main character. This role is reserved for someone else.

If you have any questions for the story, feel free to ask - I consider myself proud LoTR nerd, and I will gladly answer anything you ask, IF it won't spoil the story.

To the next time, take care.