You Must Have Faith

Chapter Fourteen

The sun was beating directly down on her back, warming her and her fur until it was warm to the touch.  Her stomach growled, alerting her to the fact that it was now mid-day and she hadn't eaten yet that day.  She stood, stretching her front legs out in front of herself and then her back legs one at a time.  With that done, she padded down the length of the branch to the main trunk of the tree, jumping down and landing softly, barely disturbing the ground beneath her.

She walked over the doors, pushing them open and trotting down the hall, weaving her way through the palace until she arrived at the main gate.  She walked outside, beginning to go over the bridge when a voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you are going?" 

Thranduil's cold voice echoed from the doorway, turning around she saw him emerge from between the guards.  She shifted, standing before him in her dressing-gown, holding her head high.

"To go hunting, My Lord.  I have not properly hunted in some time, and I was hungry."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"When you get back, come to my study.  If I am not there, wait for me.  We are not done discussing your trip."

Something about his tone of voice elicited a slight feeling of fear from her, though she quenched it almost immediately.  She inclined her head, then shifted and sprinted into the woods.

~~~

Thranduil watched her go, then turned on his heel and stalked back into the palace.  He had a meeting to attend, one that he was not looking forward to, despite the necessity of it.  He arrived in his meeting room, where his adviser's were already waiting for him.  He sat in his usual spot at the head of the table, looking around and making sure that everyone was there.  He frowned when he realized that there was an empty chair.

"Who are we missing?  I did not request anyone else's presence."

"We wanted your pet skin-changer to be here, given that she was the one to scout the fortress, but our messenger couldn't find her.  Do you know where she is, sire?"

Thranduil bristled.

"She is no ones pet, and you would do well to remember that Ebrith.  It was a good thought to invite her, but if you had asked me I could have very easily told you where she was.  It seems as though you were too busy taking things into your own hands to inform your king."

He reprimanded the elf, knowing that if he called Vera a pet in her presence that she would more than likely take his head off.

"I apologize, My Lord.  I did not intend to over-step my boundaries."

"Yes you did, but it matters not as long as you don't do it again.  As for Lady Vera's location, she just left on a brief hunting trip.  She will not be attending this meeting, and I will summon her if I require her at any future meetings.  Now, shall we begin?"

Thranduil and his adviser's went on to begin making their battle plans, coming up with various methods of attack for various situations.  When the meeting adjourned two hours later, he felt that some decent progress had been made towards keeping his kingdom safe.  He left to his study as soon as the meeting ended, pacing around the room as he waited for Vera to arrive.  She didn't keep him waiting long, walking into his study in her human form, dressed in her green armored tunic.  

He sat down once she came in, though she remained standing, seeming tense and rather uncomfortable.  He frowned to himself, but kept his face impassive.

"You're back, good.  Forgive my bluntness, but what is the magic that kept you conscious until you got back to safety?"

Her face remained still, though her cheeks seemed to pale slightly.

"It is my birthright, no more.  It was a gift to my people from Radagast the Brown, given to us directly after our banishment from the Greenwood."

Her answer was plain enough, though something about its plainness made Thranduil suspicious.  However, he had no wish to interrogate her, so he chose to accept her explanation.

"Very well.  That is all I wished to ask you, you may go.  I am having a meeting with my adviser's tomorrow, two hours after the sun rises.  I want you to be there.  You do know how to get to my meeting room, yes?"

"Yes, My Lord.  I do.  If you will excuse me."

She left the room, closing the door softly behind her, leaving Thranduil alone with his thoughts.

~~~

Vera heaved a sigh of relief once she left Thranduil's study, walking quickly away from the uncomfortable situation.  Her hunting trip had left her tense, the opposite affect of what she had hoped.

She crouched low to the ground, silently prowling closer to the deer she had been stalking for the past hour and a half.  She had picked up the scent minutes within leaving the palace and had been stalking it through the trees up until now, when it went into a field and showed no sign of leaving.  The field's lack of trees made it necessary for her to creep through the grass like a common wolf, something that irritated her to no end.

She was almost within pouncing distance when a roar echoed through the trees, seeming to come from the opposite side of the deer.  Its head shot up, and it turned to bound away.  It hadn't made it two steps when an arrow shot through the air and impaled its side, bringing it down instantly.  Vera's eyes widened, and she slowly began to crawl backwards.  Looking up, she saw a human outline, dressed all in black, emerge from the tree-line and begin to walk over to the deer.  Knowing that if the person was who she thought it was that they would not be without backup, Vera jumped up and ran as fast as she could, flying into the trees and running as fast as she could, arriving back at the palace looking rather disheveled.

Once she was safely inside, she sat down and groomed her fur back to perfection, then padded to her room, where she shifted and dressed in her usual attire, taking a moment to regain her composure.  That done, she headed to Thranduil's study as requested.

After the uncomfortable experience of the hunting trip and the unexpected query from Thranduil, she felt tired and hungry, the days events leaving an unpleasant taste in her mouth.  She made her way to the kitchens, nabbing a loaf of un-cut bread and some jerky, taking her prizes back to her room she devoured both of them.  After her impromptu dinner she removed her armor and took a short bath, washing her hair thoroughly and tying it up in a bun for while she slept.  She ended up climbing into bed at an unusually early hour and falling asleep quickly.

A/N:  I'm sorry if this chapter seems rather filler-ish, but it's necessary.  Things are going to be picking up in the next chapter and I needed to have a chapter to set things up with.  Let me know if you think Vera is lying or if she is telling the truth about her magic, and if she is lying, what do you think she is hiding?  Vote if you liked it.  Love you guys!