By midnight the party in Meduseld was cleared and the Fellowship set down blankets and pillows to sleep on the stone ground of the Golden Hall.
Noelle was physically and mentally drained from everything over the past couple of days: the battle, riding constantly for a day and a half, the party. But, she still couldn't sleep. Her brain was wired no thanks to Legolas and the random "vision" she got during the ceremony. Ever since she had started fighting on the front lines with the Jedi, her struggle to sleep had been a continuous issue.
Turning on her side for the one thousandth time, she sighed, sat up, and wrapped her Lothlorien cloak around herself. She gave up. She wasn't getting any sleep tonight. She might as well go take a walk outside. Maybe it would help quiet her mind. That was one good piece of advice from Master Yoda.
As soon as she stepped outside she saw Legolas and Aragorn gazing off into the distance of the night. Legolas could probably see so much with his eyesight. They were speaking in quiet whispers. What were they talking about?
Noelle was about to just walk away and go just have some time to herself, but her curiosity got the better of her. Plus, she really wouldn't mind seeing Legolas…
She blushed slightly.
Aragorn turned around slightly as she came over and gave her a slight smile. "You could not sleep either?" he asked.
Noelle nodded tiredly. Someone understood what it was like to be burdened with your responsibilities every night. She glanced over to the Elf. "What is it, Legolas?"
"The stars are veiled," he replied. "Something stirs in the East… a sleepless malice."
Noelle's eyes were drawn to the mountains surrounding Edoras and the night sky. She wasn't about to try and guess what he meant by "the stars are veiled," but the "sleepless malice" was definitely Sauron. It wasn't like she wasn't used to being around people who spoke in riddles. Personally Noelle would rather be direct about things.
"The Eye of the Enemy is moving," Legolas whispered as if he knew what she was thinking. He exchanged glances with Noelle and Aragorn, whose eyes were both filled with concern.
There was a moment of silence.
"I wonder where Frodo and Sam are," Noelle whispered quietly. She sighed. "I'm not that powerful. I can't sense them from this far away. I wish we knew if they are still alive. All this…"
"Would be for nought," Legolas finished for her.
Noelle nodded.
Aragorn didn't answer either of them. His eyes were also still transfixed in the distance. "We must have hope," he said. "That Frodo and Sam are indeed still alive. My heart tells me they are."
He was right, Noelle mused. Unlike her, at this point, Aragorn was able to have hope when there was none. There was a difference between being hopeful and being overly optimistic. She smiled, lost in thought, as a gentle breeze blew past them.
Suddenly she felt something. She didn't know how to explain it. She just knew. The Enemy was close.
"He is here!" Legolas cried. He had felt it too.
"Where?" Aragorn shouted loud enough for the whole town to hear.
"Inside, I think," Noelle got out shakily, still too stunned to answer. The feel of Sauron was crippling. Like a paralyzing cold feeling that was overwhelming. The Dark Side of the Force was embodied in him.
Aragorn raced past her, not stopping. Giving her a sympathetic look, Legolas paused for a second to gently squeeze her arm. Then he followed Aragorn.
Noelle took a deep breath and clenched her fists together. Then as quickly as a deer, she sprinted into the Golden Hall. As she burst through the door, three crazy scenarios were happening.
Pippin was passed out on the ground. Merry was screaming at Gandalf for help, and Aragorn was holding a flaming ball in his hands.
Noelle gasped realizing what he was doing. Who that was inside the palantir. "Aragorn! NO!" she screamed. She reached out towards the ball with her hand to stop him, but felt the Force flow through her.
The tips of her fingers made contact with the flaming sphere.
First there was darkness.
A flash of blue energy came flying at her. It was in slow motion. Noelle could not get out of the way fast enough and the energy seeped into her body. Her cells absorbed it. It made her more powerful than she could have even imagined possible.
Although it was like a dream, she had never felt so much power before.
The blue faded, but traces of the energy still came from her fingertips.
"The girl," whispered a sinister male voice. "She is a threat to me. Eliminate her."
"Yes, my liege. I will break her," replied an equally frightening voice.
Noelle turned around in the blackness, trying to locate the source of the voices. "Gandalf!" she cried for help, but no answer. She was alone.
But a blue light caught her attention and slowly grew brighter and brighter. It was too bright, as Noelle shielded her eyes from a levitating figure surrounded by blue energy. She couldn't see an actual person, only a fading shape.
"Hello?!" Noelle called to it. "Help me!"
The figure faded away. But not before she heard a voice in her head: "Find your true purpose and never turn back. You were made for more than the Jedi."
Noelle opened her eyes with a gasp. The first face she saw was Legolas, whose eyes were wide with worry. His hands were on either side of her face. "Noelle! Are you alright!?" he demanded. "Speak to me!"
She took deep breaths and focused her eyes on his face. "Yeah..." she breathed. "... no. No I'm not."
The Elf tilted his head, still appearing worried. "Did you see something?" He asked the question like he already knew the answer.
Gandalf's head jerked up from where he was on the floor kneeling next to the dazed hobbit and grasping his hand. "You saw something? Noelle if you did, you must tell me!"
"I-" Noelle closed her eyes. She didn't know what she had even seen herself or what it was supposed to mean. All she knew was that she was scared. For the first time, really scared. She heard a voice inside her own head that wanted her dead.
Every other day it was a new vision or dream that she couldn't make sense of. That she couldn't comprehend and she was getting tired of it. She wanted to scream or snap at Gandalf and tell him to leave her alone. That she didn't even know what she had seen.
But she was too exhausted to protest. Tears forming in her eyes, she nodded as Legolas helped her to her feet. "I'll tell you," she whispered. "But away from everyone else." She caught a hurt look on the Elf's face.
"Agreed," said Gandalf. "But I must finish with Pippin first." The poor hobbit looked utterly frightened of Gandalf and Noelle wondered what he had said to him. Pippin must have seen something as well.
"Would you like to sit somewhere," Legolas asked Noelle quietly.
Before Noelle had a chance to answer a voice spoke up from the corner. It was Lady Éowyn in her nightgown and looking like she had been woken from a peaceful sleep. "My cousin Théodred's room is not in use," she offered.
Noelle was only able to manage the best smile she could in response. Éowyn's kindness touched her. She hadn't been anything but kind to her.
Legolas answered for her. "Thank you, my lady. We will accept your kind offer." Taking Noelle's arm, they followed Éowyn to the corner and down a short hallway to where Théodred's old room was. It was really right across from Éowyn's room.
"Thank you," Noelle whispered sincerely when they reached the doorway.
Éowyn nodded, and gave them one last look before heading back off to her room.
Wandering away from Legolas with tears still blurring her eyes, she sat on the edge of the bed, her back facing him. She was waiting for him to leave, but she knew he wouldn't. She could sense his concern, but also that something else was bothering him. She heard his footfalls, as faint as they were, coming over to her side of the room. He sat down beside her and pulled her cloak over her shoulders, which had started to fall off.
"Noelle… please tell me what's wrong."
So that was what was bothering him. He was upset she wanted to tell Gandalf alone.
"I-" Noelle leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She couldn't do this anymore. She wanted to run- away from everything. Middle-earth, this war, the Jedi, the Sith, her powers, her visions, the Force.
"Noelle." Legolas's voice didn't sound angry, but he sounded frustrated. His tone was probably the firmest she had ever heard. "I love you, and I-I cannot watch you go through this any longer without knowing what it is. I want to help you. You told me you loved me. Please allow me to help you-"
Noelle burst into tears and leaned into his chest, sobs racking her body. Legolas wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He was right, she knew. He had given her space for so long as a caring friend, but now they were something more. And especially since she had told him she loved him in return, he had every right to know what was going on. Shakily, she pulled back from him.
She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Legolas. You-You're right," she whispered. "It's just... so hard to talk about, and I-I can't do this anymore. I can't. It's too much. These dreams. These visions. They come almost every day and night. I can't make sense of them either. Everyday I have more questions and less answers."
"Do not apologize," Legolas said quickly. "It's alright. I only want to do what I can for you. What did you see in the palantir?"
Noelle took a deep breath. "I really don't understand the first part- but I heard a voice. It said 'the girl is a threat to me. Kill her.' And then I saw an obscure figure surrounded in blinding blue light. I don't know who it was. She told me something... I didn't understand it."
"Is Sauron the one who wanted you dead?" Legolas whispered. His face had gone pale, but was also contorted in confusion.
"I think so," Noelle answered, letting out the breath she had been holding. She had calmed down somewhat. Her initial hysteria had faded a bit, but she was still upset. "Legolas, I also saw something in Galadriel's mirror."
The Elf's eyes widened. "You looked into the Lady's mirror?"
"Yes, and I saw my world in ruins."
There was a moment of silence as her statement hung in the air.
"I don't... know what to do Legolas." No matter how much Legolas or Gandalf tried to convince her otherwise, she was alone. This was her battle. No one really understood what she had been through. She was the only one who could confront whatever problem was coming her way.
"What did the Lady tell you after you had the vision?" Legolas asked.
Noelle remembered the words of the Lady that she had long forgotten. "She said He would punish the world if Evil was allowed to thrive. I'm just afraid- what if she's right? If Sauron wins here, then does it also affect Earth and the other seven worlds connected?" She rested her head in her hands. "I want to run from all this, Legolas, but I know I can't."
Legolas got on his knees in front of her and took her hands. "I will be with you every step of the way, and after this war is over, I will run away with you. You can come back to Mirkwood with me. Or we can go somewhere else. Wherever you wish."
Noelle looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't considered that. Well, before the other day she wouldn't have. Staying in Middle-earth for good. It wasn't even something she wanted to do. But now, now that she realized she loved him, she did want to stay. She didn't want to be apart from him.
But then she remembered something.
"Legolas," she whispered. "You're an Elf."
Legolas smiled. "Oh you're just noticing that now?"
Noelle shook her head. "No. That's not what I mean. I'm human. You'll live a thousand lifetimes compared to mine." Why? Why had she just thought of this now? Shouldn't she have considered this right away? Aragorn and Arwen. Beren and Luthien. They were all confronted with the same issue.
Legolas looked down. It must have not crossed his mind either, or he had been avoiding this subject up until now. When he finally met her eyes, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "We will find a way. We will make it work- I promise."
Noelle was silent, as she looked back into his eyes, which looked so reassuring, but one thought formed in her mind. Are you sure, Legolas?
Then there was a soft tap on the door. "Are you ready, Noelle?" It was Gandalf.
"I'm coming!" she called.
Legolas grabbed her hands tightly again as she began to stand up. "Noelle, one last question. What did Lady Galadriel tell you to do after you saw that?"
Noelle closed her eyes, thinking back. "She told me to follow His voice, and allow Him to guide me."
He touched her cheek. "Then He will."
Noelle opened her eyes and gave him a slight smile.
"Now go to Gandalf, meleth nîn."