One Day You'll Know

Chapter 13- Many Old Friends

Legolas's perfect, elven face looked confused, surprised and pleased all at once. "How- Noelle, It has been sixty years since our last meeting? How have you not aged? Are you immortal?"

"No!" Noelle laughed a bit. Then she realized he probably didn't understand why she still looked like she was twenty years old. "Time passed differently here than it did for me. For me it was only three years," she explained.

Legolas, whose eyebrows were furrowed, still looked really confused. "How is that possible?" he asked.

"I..." Noelle was at a loss for words. Legolas had gotten her there. "I'm actually not sure. I just know time works differently in different parts of the universe."

Might have something to do with the Force. After all, the Force did have a "time" aspect to it.

"Regardless, it is a pleasure to see you again, Noelle," Legolas said with a smile, giving her a little salute.

"You too," Noelle smiled back. "So what are you doing all the way out here in Rivendell?"

"Unfortunately I am here to inform Lord Elrond and Gandalf that the creature Gollum has escaped Mirkwood," Legolas said quietly as he took the reins of his horse and began leading it. His horse was a pretty flea-bitten grey color. Noelle walked beside them.

"Gollum was in Mirkwood?" Noelle asked with a frown.

"Yes. We of course went to great pains to capture him," Legolas said with a sigh, as they approached the doors to the stable.

He tilted his head, and looked at Noelle knowingly. "Let us change the conversation to something more uplifting. How have you been for the past three years?" he asked, emphasizing the word "three."

Noelle gave a bit of a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, it's been crazy..."

To say the least.

She couldn't tell him that she had been part of a group that had been lying to her. That she had fought wars, and all her friends were gone. That their whole ship had crashed and she and Ahsoka and Rex had been the only survivors.

"I trained with a group of people called 'the Jedi,' then I came back here because it wasn't for me."

"To use your powers?" Legolas asked.

Noelle looked at him in surprise. Then she remembered that she actually had told Legolas about her Force-powers briefly (well, Bilbo had). She nodded. "I wanted to learn to use them more fully."

"And what can you do?" Legolas asked, leading his horse into the stall. Even the stables in Rivendell were immaculate.

"I..." Noelle was still a little hesitant about using her powers in Middle-earth. She didn't want to freak people out. It was just Legolas though, and they were in kind of a secluded area. Plus, the Elves were supernatural people. "I can do this." She used the Force to close the stall door behind them.

Legolas looked impressed, and he raised his eyebrows. "That is all?"

Noelle smirked. "No I can do more than that."

Legolas smiled. "I heard your dwarven friends were also here as well."

"Wait. Really?" Noelle gasped. She would have given anything to see the dwarves again. Especially the elderly dwarf, Balin. She and Bern had been quite close to him when they went on their adventures.

"I saw them when I was coming in."

Noelle grinned. "I'm gonna go find them!" She was about to rush away, when she stopped. "It was good to finally see you again, Legolas. I'll catch you later."

Legolas nodded, looking amused. "Farewell for now."

Noelle made her way back to the front gate where she saw some Elves closing the gate. She asked them if the dwarves were really here and where they had gone. They pointed her to the direction of the dining hall.

Of course, Noelle thought with a smile. Where else would the dwarves be?

The dining hall was huge, as the Elves of Elrond's house held feasts with music every night. Noelle, again, wasn't really a party girl, so she showed up to the feasts maybe once every few days, even though Gandalf and the hobbits were there every day. She spotted a group of dwarves at the end of the long table, talking to Frodo and good old Bilbo.

"Guys!" She shouted and waved, running over.

The dwarves all looked up.

"Lassie!?"

"Is that really you?"

"You haven't aged a day!"

"Is Bern here too?"

"No, she isn't," Noelle smiled sadly. One of the main things she missed about home was her family, and her cousin Bern. She missed Bern's bright, positive attitude, and how she had always tried to help Noelle feel better. She saw pretty much everyone: Gloin, a younger dwarf who looked exactly like him, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, and Nori. "Where's Balin?" She hadn't spotted the old dwarf.

"My brother's been gone for years," Dwalin answered. He was still bald, but his dark beard and hair were greying.

"Aye," Bofur spoke up. "Balin went to Moria around thirty years ago with Ori and Oin. They haven't been heard from in a long time."

Noelle felt bummed. She had really been looking forward to seeing Balin again. But seeing the dwarves again was a lovely surprise. She was sure the dwarves hadn't been expecting to see her either. "Thirty years ago?"

Bofur nodded, making his hat wobble on his head.

"It's the year 3018 here," Gandalf spoke up from the corner, pipe in his mouth. "Time is different for Noelle."

Noelle nodded in agreement. The year had been 2006 on Earth when she had left. What year it was now? Well, she'd rather not know. If she ever did go home, it was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

And that was saying something.