One Day You'll Know

Chapter 20- The Gift

The Company stayed in Lothlorien for a total of about a month. It was around mid-February when they finally decided to get a move on.

The pain of losing Gandalf hadn't left Noelle. She knew it would never really leave her, but her time in Lothlorien had helped lessen it.

Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel presented each of them with gifts before their parting.

Everyone was given a grey cloak with magical properties. They shielded them from enemies, cold, heat etc. Noelle was almost ready to decline as she didn't want to swap her friend's cloak for a new one, but in the end she decided to keep both.

They were also given the world's greatest supply of something called lembas, which according to Legolas was "enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." The hobbits were obsessed with it.

Everyone was also given various individual gifts. Noelle glanced enviously over at the hobbits' new daggers, and Legolas' new bow as her hand drifted to her right hip where her lightsaber used to hang.

Before long, Lady Galadriel had come to her. "Noelle, I leave you with parting words in addition to a gift. Remember them: There is no Light without the Dark. Through passion one gains focus. Through knowledge one may gain power. Through serenity, strength. Through victory, harmony."

"There is only the Force," Noelle finished, not knowing why she had said that.

Lady Galadriel smiled and gently held out the palm of her hands. Noelle gave a tiny gasp. In the Lady's hand, tied around a brown leather string, was a tiny, blue crystal.

Noelle looked up at Galadriel and slowly shook her head. "No, I can't take this." She desperately wanted to- to be that strongly connected with the Force again, but she had given up being a Jedi. She felt she had lost that privilege.

"I will not force you to accept this gift, although I do not advise declining it," said Lady Galadriel, not withdrawing nor extending her hand. "It will guide you, and you will find your courage."

The Company was also given three Lothlorien rowboats to travel along the Anduin in. They decided three would travel in each boat according to weight. Aragorn, Frodo and Sam in one; Boromir, Merry and Pippin together; and Legolas, Gimli and Noelle in the last one.

Noelle suddenly remembered that she wanted to tell Legolas something, although she would rather tell him alone. He was over in their boat rearranging their things. Noelle decided to go over to him.

"Hey," she said quietly, hoping to avoid other attention.

The Elf looked up and smiled slightly. "Mae go'vannen." He offered her his hand to help her into the boat.

She smiled and took it, sitting down across from him.

Legolas was fingering the arrows in his new quiver. "You do not seem too pleased with your gift from the Lady," he observed. He looked her straight in the eye.

Noelle sighed. "Yes. She gave me a crystal,' she said, not elaborating on what the crystal actually was.

"May I see it?"

Noelle fingered around for the crystal in her pocket, as Legolas crouched down closer to her. She handed him the crystal bound by the leather cord, watching his fair, Elven features as he examined it.

"'Tis quite beautiful. Matches your eyes."

Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, Noelle opened her mouth to protest him, but Legolas' quiet laugh caught her off-guard and he handed her back the crystal. "Lady Galadriel does not give gifts needlessly," he said.