One Day You'll Know

Chapter 12- Back in Rivendell

"All that is gold does not glitter;

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not whither;

Deep roots are not reached by the frost;

From the ashes a fire shall be woken;

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be the blade that was broken;

The crownless again shall be king." -J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Rivendell. It had been so long since Noelle had set her eyes upon the Hidden Valley. When she had been there the first time, she hadn't wanted to leave, because it had been the most amazing and ethereal place she had ever seen. But now, this time, her connection to the Force was stronger, and she could sense every aspect of the Light in Rivendell.

Strider was the one who had led them there by another secret path in the wild, as Arwen had drawn away all nine Black Riders away (Noelle had shuddered to learn there were nine, not five). They arrived in Rivendell two days after Frodo and Arwen had, on the night of October 23rd. Immediately they had gone to Frodo's room to see how he was doing. When Noelle entered, she recognized Lord Elrond in the candlelight and a single, solitary figure sitting in a chair beside Frodo's bed.

Gandalf.

Noelle didn't care if it was a childish thing to do. She didn't care about all the people in the room, and that everyone was watching. She burst into tears and flung herself into Gandalf's arms.

It was over. The relief. The stress, the burden, the weight of it all. She didn't have to worry anymore. Everything was going to be ok.

She had whispered her apology to Gandalf over and over again. He had only said "everything is going to be alright. Frodo is safe now."

After that, Lord Elrond had welcomed her back and sent for one of Arwen's handmaids to find Noelle a room. Still an emotional wreck, Noelle had nodded and accepted gratefully, as she badly needed rest. The past three to four weeks had been insane, and her room was gorgeous. And she didn't think twice about dropping her sword and small bag of belongings onto the floor and collapsing onto the bed.

When she woke up the next day, it was well into the afternoon. She opened her eyes groggily and realized she was in a bed instead of the ground.

Where am I?

She glanced around the room and saw cream -colored walls and sheer curtains surrounding the posts of her bed.

Oh right. Rivendell.

Noelle felt a wash of emotions at the name of Rivendell. Hope, longing, relief, joy, and also sadness. The last time she was here, Bern, Bilbo, the dwarves, and Thorin were also with her. Now they were all gone. Mostly.

As she was sitting on the edge of the bed still trying to wake up, someone came into the room.

"Ah, you are finally awake my lady!" exclaimed a brunette girl cheerily. She had long chestnut hair and was wearing a deep blue dress.

"Huh?!" Noelle jumped in surprise. How come she hadn't sensed her? Maybe she was just still tired.

"My apologies. I did not mean to startle you," the elf girl said apologetically.

"That's ok," Noelle brushed it off. She'd figure out her Force problems later. "Uh, who are you?" She didn't mean to sound rude, but this girl kind of just butted into her room.