One Day You'll Know

Chapter 18- Journey in the Dark

Moria was a four day journey to the other side. That was what Gandalf had said.

Noelle sighed. By far, Moria was an extensively long and boring journey, and it didn't necessarily do her any good to be pondering all the possible scenarios in the bleak emptiness of Moria.

They wandered along for the first two days following Gandalf, who was "remembering" to the best of his abilities. Noelle didn't doubt the old wizard's sharp mind, but they eventually got to a point where Gandalf "had no memory of this place," so they had to stop.

Most of the Fellowship was wide awake, including Noelle, who was anxious about having more unclear dreams. Last night's had been no different than usual: strange to say the least.

Noelle looked up from her holobook as she felt the angered presence of Anakin Skywalker storm past her. She glanced up. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Anakin snapped angrily, sitting down. After a moment, he composed himself a little. "I still just can't believe the Council!"

"I know," Noelle said, wary of Anakin's mood. Inwardly, she was still trying to cope with the betrayal she felt about the fact that the Council had lied to her, Anakin, Ahsoka, and the Republic. They had faked her master's death, only to have him go undercover as the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen to prevent an assassination attempt on Chancellor Palpatine. Noelle was still having trouble digesting the fact that Obi-wan was in fact alive. What if the Council's mission didn't even work?

"How many other lies do you think we've been told by the Council?" Anakin asked quietly, although his voice was still even.

Noelle turned off her holobook and put it on the table next to her, hands in her lap. "I don't know, Anakin. I honestly don't know what to believe anymore."

"Neither do I."

Noelle now lay wide awake remembering that conversation and again, wondering why she had had that dream. Really, she couldn't figure out why she was having dreams at all. Obviously they had to mean something because she had them every night. Legolas could be right. They could mean nothing, but Noelle agreed with what Gandalf had said: "Don't dismiss them."

What the dreams could mean was the harder puzzle. So far, the only connection Noelle could really make between her dreams was the corruption of the Jedi, something she had already known. Maybe she was having doubts about who she was (or wasn't) supposed to be and the Force was trying to remind her.

She would figure it out eventually.

"Ah! It's that way!" came Gandalf's voice from the corner.

"He's remembered!" Merry, who had been smoking his pipe, got to his feet as did everyone else.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," Gandalf said. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose- you too, Noelle." He placed his pointy hat back on his head.

Shaking her head, Noelle smiled at Gandalf's humorous attempt at giving supposedly helpful advice.

Gandalf, followed by Gimli and the hobbits, with Noelle, Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir in the back trudged down some stairs through the dark pathway.

"Let me risk a little more light," Noelle heard Gandalf say. The light on the end of his staff grew brighter like a lightbulb. As Noelle's eyes adjusted to what Gandalf was apparently trying to see better, she felt like someone had just slammed her in the chest with a load of bricks.

"Behold, the great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

The great caverns and archways showing off the Dwarven architecture brought back memories of dragons, fire, anger, greed, and death. For the first time, Noelle hated Moria as much as Gandalf did. Nobody else would understand, because no one else had been in Erebor and seen what had happened.