You Must Have Faith

Chapter Eighteen

Thranduil paced away from Vera's room, a frown on his face.  He was terrified that she wouldn't be able to face her sister, which in turn would bring ruin to them all.  

Funny, he thought, that one person could hold so much power over fate.

He chuckled dryly, shaking his head at his own thoughts as he walked down the hallway to his own room.  He fell asleep quickly, but as he slept he was plagued by indiscernible nightmares.

***

When Vera woke the next morning, it seemed to be eerily silent.  She dressed, strapping her swords to her sides, and shifted.  She padded out of her door, watching servants as they passed her.  No one seemed willing to make eye contact with her, though that was nothing new.  She entered the throne room just in time to see Thranduil stand from his chair, his eyes hard and glittering with anger at his captains standing before him.  One of the captains shouted back in Sindarin, too quick for Vera to catch.  The captain stepped forward, shouting angrily at Thranduil.

Vera snapped.  How dare they threaten him?!  She bounded forward, stopping halfway up the steps to his throne and turning around to glare at the captains, hackles raised and teeth bared.  She growled, low and menacing, crouching in a distinctly threatening pose.  The captain closest to Thranduil, the one that had been threatening him, whipped out his sword and pointed it at her.

"Do you see now, Thranduil?  Such a beast should not be a part of our war, she is dangerous!  She will be our downfall."

Vera couldn't see Thranduil, she was too busy staring down the ignorant prick in front of her.  But when he spoke, he sounded as if he were smirking.

"A beast, you say?  Your words show your ignorance, Galanir.  If she is dangerous, she is dangerous to our enemies, not us.  Her absence from this battle will be our downfall, her presence our victory.  I am your King, and while my son is away I am the General of the Army as well, you would do well to remember that Galanir.  You are all dismissed, and should I hear of any other slander towards Lady Vera among the ranks, the perpetrators will be dishonorably discharged from my military."

Galanir and some few others scowled, but the majority of them, including Aldor, half-grinned.  Stiff and not so stiff bows were executed, and the group left.  Vera didn't leave her pose until the door had shut behind them, and only then did her hackles go down and she left her crouch.  She turned around to Thranduil, who was looking at her curiously.

"You said to me when we first met that you would tell me the meaning of your name once you trusted me, or if I guessed correctly you would confirm it."

It was a statement, not a question, and Vera became nervous.

"I don't know if you trust me or not, but I believe I know that answer.  Your name means "faith" does it not?"

Vera could feel her eyes growing in shock, and she shifted.

"How did you know?"  She whispered.

Thranduil smirked, seemingly pleased with himself.

"Galadriel's message said "An army will come, and you must have Faith lead the charge."  That in and of itself was odd, given that "Faith" was capitalized.  I pondered the meaning of it for ages, until last night I had a rather revealing dream.  It was fairly blurred, just random images and sensations.  Your face appeared, one half human the other puma, and you had a golden halo about you.  And then an image of you growling at something I couldn't see, and a sinuous voice saying, "So, you've given them faith, have you?  When they lose you, they will lose you."

"The second "you" had such emphasis on it, and when I woke this morning it all came together in a way.  Your name meaning "faith" was the only logical explanation, and so I guessed it.  I'm rather pleased I was right, I must say."