Luthelian stood at the edge of camp, scanning the surroundings for any movement. She paused, her eyes resting on a tall stone figure standing in the distance with its back to the imposing cliff wall. The corner of her soft lips tilted upwards as she remembered her advice to the Hammer after he had crushed a bowl in his hands, "It would be better to hit your hammer against a rock than to hold your anger inside." At first, echoes of Raolor's hammer and his contained frustration were let loose and not even the howling winds could muffle it. But when the rawness of his rage subsided, the noise was replaced by a faint tinkering that only her sensitive ears caught.
Where there was once a gigantic lump of rock, there now stood an impressive statue in the likeness of Themodir, watching over the northern outpost. It was here, the Hammer warrior had been reunited with his brothers and sisters in arms for the last time before his spirit passed into the West. She admired Raolor's skill - the statue looked as formidable a foe as Themodir had been in battle, yet maintained the integrity of his noble and kind spirit in his more refined features. After cutting away larges faces of the rock, Raolor had been able to see potential for something greater than his anger, and instead, he had raised a tribute to his fallen Hammer brother.
Her eyes traveled up to Themodir's face, admiring his strong brows and gentle eyes. She was fortunate this time that like Raolor, Lord Dolthafaer had seen potential in her and was willing to give her another chance to become something more. Just as that rock that Raolor had chosen was no longer the same, neither was she. There was still a knowingly playful tilt to her smile and a fierce boldness to her finely arched eyebrows, but her grey eyes beheld a softer light now that had tasted of loss.
Up until recently, she had only thought of herself as an Arrow. Her desire to better her skills brought her to seek out Lord Dolthafaer, not Tur Anglachelm. From dawn until dusk, she ran with the Arrows, practicing. She had joined an Order, she had thought, not a House. But after her brief dismissal, shame had chased her away from her friends of the Arrow and into the companionship of the Hammer warriors. She listened as they counted their kills, cleaned their weapons, and shared jests over the fire. It was the healers of Vanimar that had tended to her injuries and cooked her meals.
"You are a member of the Arrow, but also oath-sworn to Vanimar. Our Orders are separate, but our purpose is one."
He had been right. She had never understood what it was to be one of Bar-en-Vanimar. And she had never appreciated it either.
Luthelian grinned, a fond look entering her eyes. Lord Dolthafaer's commanding presence had immediately attracted her to him when they had first met. But after serving under his Order, she came to admire his other qualities - his skill, his steady leadership, his understanding. She had thought it must be so clear how much she admired him and looked up to him. And she had thought it was enough.
She had always been a force of change. Fierce and unimpressionable in her thoughts, elves walked away from her affected, but seldom swaying her perspective. This time, her captain had left something behind, which was found in the careful discernment of her gaze. She knew better now - that she had to show him her respect.
"I value your opinions. I value your thoughts. I want you to be by my side by choice, rather than obligation. But all the same, I need your respect. I need your trust. I need you to follow my orders."
His eyes had been unyielding, but gentle with her. He did not demand her respect as a lord, but wanted her trust as her leader. She would place her trust in him - to keep them safe, to guide them - just as he chose to trust her now with another chance.
"I have faith in you." Her lord's words had warmed her heart, giving her a renewed hope and chasing away the cold desolation that had gripped her since her dismissal.
With an understanding reached between them, she had now the task of earning back her proper place among the Arrows. And in her path stood one of her greatest obstacles.
"First, to prove to me that you are sincere, I wish you to make peace with Lord Parnard."
A soft smirk settled onto her lips. Luthelian was never one known for backing down from a challenge.
