"For those who live by the sword shall also die by the sword." -Matthew 26:52
SLAM! The door of Theoden's throne room would soon be overtaken, which was practically the only point of Helm's Deep left, excluding the stables and the caves. There wasn't much time left.
The king looked away in despair. "It is over."
Aragorn and Legolas were frantically grabbing pieces of furniture and anything else they could find to help seal the doors. Noelle was standing behind the group of men who were pushing themselves against the wooden door. She was trying her best to hold it down with the Force, but there was only so much pressure she could withstand.
"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it!" Aragorn yelled to Theoden. "They still defend it! They have died defending it!"
SLAM! Noelle gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Is there no way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" she heard Aragorn ask.
No one answered him. There was only the sound of dishware crashing on the ground as Legolas had just flipped over a table.
"Is there no other way!?" Aragorn demanded again.
"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains, but they will not get far. The Uruk hai are too many."
"Send word for the woman and children to make for the mountain pass!" Aragorn commanded. "And barricade the entrance."
A bitter laugh came from King Theoden. "So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?"
Aragorn and Theoden's voices lowered to quiet tones.
SLAM! Noelle saw the wooden door beginning to crack. She wasn't going to be able to help hold this much longer.
Then suddenly Legolas tapped her arm. "Noelle, look." He pointed to the window up in the corner, where rays of morning dawn were beginning to stream through. "The sun."
She then remembered Gandalf's words. "Look to my coming, at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East."
Noelle smiled.
"The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep, one last time!" King Theoden shouted in a tone quite different than he had been using seconds before.
"YES!" cried Gimli.
SLAM! The men were thrown backwards.
Noelle pulled out her sword, and Legolas his bow.
"Hey! Over here! Or did you forget about me?"
Noelle turned around. "Flash!"
The horses had been brought out from the stables for the few people who were left to make their one final charge. Noelle ran over and climbed onto him, sword in hand, beside Legolas, Aragorn, Theoden, Gamling and several other soldiers.
"Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath. Now for ruin, and the red dawn!" Theoden put on his helmet.
The horn boomed through the Hornburg, and the door crashed open.
"FORTH EORLINGS!"
Noelle kicked Flash, and he sprang forward. The small group of riders charged through the Hornburg all the way to the causeway, slashing away at Orcs as they went. It was almost as if they were making a difference, although Noelle tried to ignore the sea of Orcs in the distance.
"This is pretty crazy!" Flash commented, as usual. He never seemed to run out of things to say.
"Believe me, you didn't miss much!" Noelle shouted over the clamoring.
Suddenly, a shrill whinny rang through the ravine. Noelle gazed up the hill to her left.
Gandalf was back.
Gandalf and Éomer had overwhelmed the Orcs and scared them into the forest- which hadn't been there yesterday. Gandalf had told everyone who wanted to know how it had gotten there that they would have to come with him to Isengard to find out.
In the midst of the survivors cleaning up the fallen bodies of men, elves, and orcs, Noelle spotted the wizard. "Took you long enough this time."
Gandalf chuckled. "Well in my defense, I had to travel almost three hundred leagues and back. If it wasn't for the speed of Shadowfax, we would not have made it in time."
Noelle nodded. "Understood. But you missed a lot."
"Such as?" Gandalf smiled amusedly.
"Such as Saruman happens to be looking for me," she said with a sigh.
Gandalf's smile faded. A strange expression crossed his face.
Noelle frowned. "Did you know that?"
Gandalf didn't answer.
"Gandalf did you know?!" she demanded.
Gandalf turned away from her. "I did. When he imprisoned me at the top of Orthanc, Saruman told me he would find my Jedi apprentice and turn her against me."
"I-" Noelle didn't know how to feel or what to say. Gandalf had known this since before Rivendell and hadn't told her. "Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was even.
"I thought I would be here to protect you. I never thought we would go to Moria..."
"It doesn't matter!" Noelle snapped. "You should have told me. Look what happened! Saruman almost had me right where he wanted me, no thanks to Náedran. I can't face him alone!" she got out in one breath. She felt betrayed. If Gandalf had just told her this from the start...
"I know. You're right. I should have told you," Gandalf said remorsefully.
Noelle took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and cool her anger. "You said he wants to turn me to the Dark Side? Because I don't think that's going to go very well for him."
"Saruman is cunning," Gandalf interrupted. "Do not underestimate his power. We will face him together."
Noelle shifted. "Why doesn't he just kill me? I'm not much of a threat to him."
"No," said Gandalf. "But you would be a threat to those who stand in Saruman's way. Combined, you would have been enough to stop me."
"You mean he would use me as a weapon..." Noelle trailed off. It was starting to make more sense.
The wizard nodded. "Saruman is a puppet, but also a puppeteer."
"And what of the filth Náedran?" Noelle and Gandalf turned around to see Legolas standing behind them. Noelle sighed inwardly. He had probably heard their whole conversation.
Gandalf raised his eyebrows, curiously observing the Elf. "We take him with us."
"Wha-" Noelle opened her mouth to protest before Gandalf cut her off.
"We will take him back to his master to answer for what he's done," Gandalf's voice had a tone of finality to it. "I must speak now with King Théoden. Those of you who are coming with me to Isengard, meet me in the outer court within the hour." He gave Noelle and Legolas one last glance before leaving them alone.
Legolas was watching her carefully. "You know I will be with you."
Noelle looked up to meet his eyes. "I know," she whispered. "But I can't lose you, either."
The sound of merry laughter filled the air as the company neared the edge of Fangorn Forest.
Noelle knew those two voices anywhere.
Merry and Pippin were perched on the broken wall of Isengard, surrounded by food and ale with pipes in their mouths.
She sighed. The two of them never changed.
Gimli on the other hand was in a fit of rage. "You young rascals!" he screamed. "A merry hunt you've led us on! And now we find ya feasting- and smoking! Where'd you come by the weed, you villains?"
"We are sitting on a field of victory enjoying a few well-earned comforts!" Pippin explained.
"Well-earned?" Noelle rolled her eyes. As if Merry and Pippin were the ones who plundered Isengard. She could see the big talking trees- the Ents- behind them.
"The salted pork is particularly good," Pippin added, pointing his pipe at her and Gimli.
"Salted pork?" Gimli asked.
Legolas grinned and Gandalf shook his head. "Hobbits. Where is Treebeard?"
"Managing Saruman," Merry answered.
"Come down, Pippin and Merry. You shall come with us."
Noelle held her breath as she and Flash followed Gandalf and Shadowfax through the muddy lake Isengard had become. She felt her stomach growing tighter and tighter as they approached Orthanc, knowing who was waiting for her inside.
There was also the fact that a handcuffed Náedran was riding along in the back with an extra guard. She could feel him burning holes in the back of her head for the last day and a half they had been riding towards Isengard.
They stopped at the base of the tower of Orthanc, which to Noelle's amazement, was made of pure obsidian rock. While Middle-earth's technology wasn't advanced, some of their structures far surpassed Earth's.
"Hmm. Young Master Gandalf," came the rumbling voice of Treebeard the Ent, whose ancient amber eyes peered down at their company. "I'm... glad you've come. Wood and water stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower." He glanced upwards.
Noelle followed his gaze. She saw nothing yet... but she definitely sensed something... almost familiar. A presence she hadn't felt since...
The Clone Wars.
"Show yourself," Aragorn hissed under his breath.
"Be careful," Gandalf warned. "Even in defeat, Saruman is dangerous." He glanced at Noelle with uncertainty.
"Then let's just have his head and be done with it," Gimli suggested.
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me."
Noelle agreed with Flash, but her eyes were dead focused on the top of Orthanc. Whomever she was sensing was up there.
"We need him to talk," said Gandalf.
"You have fought many wars and slain many Men, Théoden king, and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"
Noelle froze. She knew that voice.
"Impossible," she whispered. She dared to look at the top of the tower, where the old man in dirty white was smiling down cruelly at them. She couldn't see his face…
An image of Anakin Skywalker flashed through her mind. In his hands were one red lightsaber and one blue lightsaber. Then he slit Count Dooku's neck.
"Skywalker, no!" came Master Yoda's voice.
"Do it."
"The Senate is under control of a Sith Lord," came Count Dooku's voice.
A red lightsaber blade came flying towards her face. Noelle blocked it right on time, but the power of the Dark Side was too much.
Her eyes flew open.
"Dooku!" she whispered in disbelief.
Gandalf frowned and glanced at her. "Noelle. His voice…"
"No! It's him." She looked Gandalf in the eye. "I saw him."
Theoden was screaming angrily at Saruman. "We shall have peace when you answer for the lives of the men and Elves who laid dead at the Hornburg! Then we shall have peace!"
"You murdered trillions Dooku!" Noelle shouted upwards. "Your crimes are far beyond Middle-earth!"
"Ah, Padawan Smith." She heard the amusement in his voice. "It's been far too long."
Noelle could feel the fury growing inside her. She had thought this slime was dead. That justice had been served for him- the murderer that he was. "You are supposed to be dead!"
"Dead? Yes. Skywalker was too blinded by his own arrogance and hatred to see it. I am not dead, am I?"
Hatred?
"Yes, hatred," said Saruman as if he had read her mind. "Skywalker's anger made him one of the most powerful individuals in that galaxy- a force to be reckoned with. But even he with all his hate could not defeat me."
Noelle was silent. She wasn't exactly sure what Saruman was trying to say, but if he was implying what she thought...
No. She didn't believe him. He was a liar just like Maul. Bad wizards and Sith were tricky and untrustworthy.
She shifted her seat on Flash. "I don't believe you." Her voice had taken on that quiet tone you used when you weren't sure how to respond to something other than what you already knew. That was like Noelle. All she knew what that she could never believe what Dooku and Maul said about Anakin Skywalker. As flawed as he was, he was a good person. And he was her friend.
"Search your feelings, young Jedi. You know the truth."
"NO!" Noelle shouted. "I will never believe you! Ever! And I will never join you either! You would have to kill me before I betrayed all that I hold dear and value in this universe, Saruman."
Even from the distance, she could feel Saruman's scowl. He raised his staff.
"Saruman!" Gandalf yelled. Nudging Shadowfax, he moved closer through the muddy waters.
Saruman lowered his staff and narrowed his eyes at Gandalf. "What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess: the key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad-dûr itself? Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards?!" Noelle could feel the Dark Side in him. His anger was getting out of control.
"Your treachery has already cost many lives! Thousands more are now at risk!" Gandalf declared.
"I think you mean trillions," Noelle muttered under her breath. For three years. Three years all the Jedi and the Republic had done was go after Dooku and the Separatists again and again. She had seen millions die, and millions more people's lives destroyed by one man - or rather wizard's ambition. If Saruman couldn't obtain power under Sidious, he would under Sauron.
"You could save them, Saruman!" Gandalf was going on. "You were deep in the enemy's counsel."
Noelle didn't mean to be that hopeless type of person, but she didn't think Saruman was going to have a change of heart after everything she had seen.
Saruman was silent for a moment. "So you have come here for information," he said finally, with a sneer. "I have some for you!" His eyes gleamed deviously. Out of his silky, cream robes he pulled out an obsidian bowling ball.
No. It was a Palantir. One of the seven ancient Seeing Stones of Númenor, which had all been corrupted by Sauron. It was what Saruman used to communicate with his Master.
"Something festers in the heart of Middle-earth. Something that you have failed to see. The Great Eye has seen it. Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon."
Saruman's lips turned into the cruelest grin. A slow and evil grin that only rejoiced in the demise of their enemies. Even if he had lost, he would gain his satisfaction. "You are all going to die!" he hissed. "Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him. Those he professes to love!"
Noelle felt a chill run down her spine.
"I've heard enough!" Gimli said to Legolas. "Shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!"
The Elf began to reach for his bow and arrow, his eyes measuring the distance between himself and Saruman.
It took Noelle a second to comprehend what Legolas was about to do. "No, Legolas!" she shouted quickly.
Legolas lowered his hand and looked at her in surprise.
"Don't," she whispered.
Gandalf's attention was turned back to Saruman. "Come down Saruman. And your life will be spared."
"Save your pity and your mercy!" Saruman cried. "I have no use for it!" He raised his staff again and flames came flying down upon Gandalf and Shadowfax.
"Gandalf!" Noelle instinctively reached for him, and the Force came rushing through her pushing the flames away from Gandalf, who was unharmed anyway. Out of the flames, he stepped closer. "Saruman," he declared in a voice of authority. "Your staff is broken!"
Saruman gasped in horror as his staff cracked, then exploded in his very hands. He was truly defeated this time. His power had been taken from him and given to one more worthy of it than him.
A dark, slinking figure appeared behind Saruman at the top of Orthanc. His watery blue eyes peered down at them, falling on Náedran. "Brother? I thought you dead!"
Náedran's eyes slowly shifted from Noelle, to Saruman, to Grima. He hadn't spoken since Helm's Deep when the guards had dragged him off to the dungeons. "No, brother," he said in a low, calm voice. "I was hoping to be able to see the Jedi back here."
"That's where you're wrong," Noelle spoke up, leaning forward on Flash and crossing her arms. "Saruman, Náedran: I'm no Jedi."
"Then what are you?" Saruman scoffed.
Noelle tilted her head at him. "I don't know yet."
"Grima!" King Théoden called. "Come down. Be free of him. I will grant both you and your brother mercy."
"Free?" Saruman laughed. "They will never be free." He whipped around and struck Grima across the face, earning a growl of anger from Náedran.
"Saruman!" Gandalf repeated his question. "You were deep in the enemy's counsel. Tell us what you know!"
"You withdraw your guard, and I will tell you where your doom will be decided!" Saruman began. "I will not be held prisoner here-"
Suddenly three things happened at once.
Grima thrust his knife into Saruman's neck.
Legolas raised his bow and arrow and shot Grima in the chest.
Then Saruman came tumbling off of the top of the top and his body impaled through a spiked wheel, one of his own machines.
Count Dooku was dead for real this time. His staff was broken and his power gone. He had been replaced in his unworthiness and his arrogance. Deep down, Noelle wasn't sure if she could find pity for him after all he had done, but she knew it was only fair to try.