One Day You'll Know

Chapter 14- The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo stood up, crossed the room, and placed the Ring on the platform. Then he sat back down next to Gandalf.

Noelle closed her eyes, trying to ignore the whispering voices coming from the Ring. She felt Legolas' hand on her forearm. The guy Boromir interrupted the evil whispers plaguing her mind. He stood up.

"In a dream... I saw the eastern sky grow dark, but in the west a pale light lingered. A voice was crying..."

Noelle raised her eyebrows. Boromir had stood up, and slowly began meandering his way towards the Ring on the platform in the middle of the room. She noticed Elrond and Gandalf exchange a glance.

"...your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found."

Boromir's hand was inches away from the Ring. Noelle started to stand too, ready to stop his hand with the Force if need be.

Suddenly the room darkened. Noelle felt an unseen force push her back in the stone seat next to Legolas.

"ASH NAZG DURBATULÛK, ASH NAZG GIMBATUL, ASH NAZG THRAKATULÛK, AGH BURZUM-ISHI KRIMPATUL."

The voice thundered throughout the Hidden Valley and all the Western world it seemed.

The darkness finally subsided, and Noelle and everybody else breathed a sigh of relief. Only to her horror, she realized the only person standing was Gandalf.

He had uttered those dark words. Noelle hadn't understood what they meant, but they gave her terrible pain.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue in Imladris!" Elrond sounded like he was rebuking Gandalf, to which Noelle was glad. Frozen in her chair, she was still too shocked to speak.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf said, not sounding sorry. "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!" He glared pointedly at Boromir as he said this, then he sat back down next to Noelle and Frodo.

"Ah! It is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this Ring?"

Boromir clearly wasn't getting the message at all, Noelle mused as she shook her head quietly.

He stood back up. "Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people, are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy! Let us use it against him!"

"You cannot wield it! None of us can!" Aragorn interrupted. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone! It has no other Master!"

Boromir turned around. "And what would a ranger know of this matter?" he retorted.

Noelle could sense Legolas getting tense beside her, so she wasn't surprised when he shot up out of his seat to defend Aragorn, who was apparently a friend of his. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Aragorn pursed his lips. He clearly looked a little annoyed with Legolas. Noelle would have been too. Even though what Legolas had just done now reminded her of how she had behaved when Ahsoka was on trial by the Jedi Council. Noelle had exploded several times (probably disrespectfully) in front of the Council, and had almost gotten thrown out by Mace Windu.

Yeah, the good old days. Noelle almost missed them. She didn't miss the Jedi, but she did miss Obi-wan, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex. She wished she knew if they were ok.

"... and heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas was saying.

"Havo dad, Legolas," said an exasperated Aragorn, which meant "sit down."