The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) s01e02 Episode Script
Adrift
1
My brother gave his life hunting Sauron.
His task is now mine.
Commander Galadriel.
This company has followed you
to the very edge of the world.
It's been years since
the last Orc was sighted.
This mark's very existence
proves Sauron escaped.
The question now is, where?
The evil is gone.
Then why is it not gone from in here?
These heroes shall be granted
a passage across the sea
to dwell for all eternity.
You have fought long enough, Galadriel.
Put up your sword.
Without it, what am I to be?
Are you acquainted with the
work of Lord Celebrimbor?
The greatest of Elven-smiths, of course.
What's one of them doing here?
She's got some sort of a sickness.
- Where has she been grazing?
- She wandered east a few days ago.
How far east?
Hordern.
Haven't you ever wondered
what else is out there?
Beyond our wanderin'.
Nobody goes off trail
and nobody walks alone.
The skies are strange.
- Nori!
- Poppy!
Have the wheels come off your
cart? Get away from there!
Shh!
You shouldn't sneak
up on folk like that.
- Well, you shouldn't be here.
- Shh!
It's not hot.
Fine. It's not hot.
Doesn't change the fact that
there's a giant in there.
She's making that face.
Not that face, Nori
Nori!
Nori, don't!
Nori, don't! He's dead! Come on!
No! Don't! Don't! Please!
No!
What
Your mam's gonna kill ya.
You're not telling her.
Neither am I. Quick sticks.
We can't leave him like this
or the wolves will get him.
- So?
- So, that's not who we are.
That's not who you are.
I can't carry him alone.
Are you gonna help me or not?
- Not.
- Poppy!
How exactly are we
supposed to carry a giant?
Must've been a star fall.
A big one.
How many signs do you need?
Ask me, we ought to
break camp this moment.
What about the festival?
Let's not do anything rash just yet.
More'n likely we're safer
in camp than we are out.
But keep an eye out, the both of you.
- Malva's right.
- Yes.
This does not bode well.
Now, away with you. Go on.
Pssk!
- All right, all right, all right.
- Go on. Hurry up.
Look at him. He's bleeding massive.
- He's got to be
- He's not a troll!
All right, smart-foot. Then what is he?
Uh, maybe he's big folk.
Human?
No way. He'd be squished.
Elf, maybe?
Wrong ears. And he's not handsome.
Not to mention, Elves
don't fall from the sky.
Nobody does. As far as I know.
He did.
- Are you even pullin'?
- Yeah, of course I'm pullin'!
- Well, pull harder!
- Shh!
This is ludicrous. He's never
gonna fit in that old cart.
It's just for one night.
In the mornin', we'll pack him up
some food and send him on his way.
- What way?
- That's a tomorrow problem.
- This isn't an adventure.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- I didn't go looking for this.
- But you're not turning away.
- Because I can't.
- Because you won't.
This stranger isn't a Man, or an Elf,
or some baby eagle with a broken wing.
- That was one time.
- He's something else.
Maybe he's something dangerous.
Now you sound just like
Malva and the sisters.
Oh, it's not just them.
Anybody finds out that
we helped a stranger,
and anything bad that
happens the next three seasons
will be our fault.
If a fog lasts a little too long,
a wheel gets stuck in a rut
Oh, great goats!
Faster, before it crashes!
Oh, so now you care about him.
No, no! The wheelbarrow, it's not mine!
Why you doing this, Nori?
- I feel like he's my responsibility.
- You feel like everyone
- is your responsibility.
- No.
This is different.
He could've landed
anywhere, and he landed here.
I know it sounds strange, but
somehow I just know he's important.
It's like there's a
reason this happened.
Like I was supposed to find him. Me.
I can't walk away from that.
Not till I know he's safe.
Can you?
Fine. I won't tell anyone.
Thank you.
What does a giant eat, anyway?
Hope it's not Harfoots.
Just the ones that can't keep a secret.
The earth is riven with fissures.
Like in a ground-shake.
No bodies.
No wounded.
Perhaps they all fled.
Perhaps.
This was Ciaran's home.
And Hana. His wife was Hana.
This was no ground-shake.
Someone dug this passage.
Something.
Men did not do this.
Go. Warn your people.
You're not coming with me?
I must follow the passage.
The other direction.
- You don't know what's down there.
- That is the reason I must go.
Fëanor's hammer.
The tool that wrought the Silmarils.
The jewels that contain
the very light of Valinor.
Strange, isn't it?
How one object could be responsible
for creating so much beauty
And so much pain.
True creation requires sacrifice.
They say that Morgoth found
the Silmarils so beautiful
that after he'd stolen them, for weeks,
he could do nothing but
stare into their depths.
Hmm.
It was only after one of his
tears fell upon the jewels
and he was faced with the
evil of his own reflection,
that the reverie was finally broken.
From that moment, he
He looked upon their light no more.
Fëanor's work nearly turned the heart
of the Great Foe himself.
What has mine ever accomplished?
I It has turned my heart, my lord.
The heart of many an Elf.
But I aspire to do far more than that.
An Age ago, our kind
brought war to these shores.
I want to fill them with beauty.
To grow beyond petty
works of jewel-craft,
and devise something of real power.
What is it you hope to craft?
"What" is but a glint
on the far horizon.
You have come to Eregion to
help me achieve the "how."
A tower?
One that can host
a forge more powerful
than any ever built.
Able to birth a flame as
hot as a dragon's tongue,
and as pure as starlight.
The things we could use it to
create could transform Middle-earth.
What seems to be the difficulty?
I need it completed by spring.
My lord, that would require a
A workforce greater
than any ever assembled.
Yes. The High King cannot provide one.
So he has sent me you instead.
Have you considered seeking partners
outside the confines of our own race?
How far outside?
An alliance with the Dwarves would be
the diplomatic achievement of the age.
Their prince, Durin, is an
old and dear friend.
Almost like a brother to me.
I've heard the Dwarves
have greatly expanded
their halls of late.
They They sculpt the rock
with the respect of one who
cares for an aged parent.
I've long wanted to see them work.
I had no idea you admired them so.
I admire all who can see
into the mystery of things,
who can divine from the
plainness of what is,
the beauty of what could be
Might your friend be able to
grant me access to their workshops?
Oh, if I know Durin, he'll do
far more than that.
He'll welcome us with open arms,
rams' horns blaring,
tables filled with salted pork,
and enough malt beer to fill the Anduin.
What do you want?
It is Elrond of Lindon,
accompanied by Celebrimbor,
Lord of Eregion.
We seek an audience with Prince Durin.
No.
My apologies.
Inform Lord Durin that
his friend, Elrond
His judgment has already been rendered, Elf.
Rams' horns?
All right, then, my friend.
I invoke the Rite of Sigin-tarâg.
What is the Rite of
I'll rejoin you in Eregion.
Are you certain you
know what you're doing?
Lord Celebrimbor, trust me.
You are master of your craft, my friend.
Allow me a few days to work mine.
Elmendéa
- Khazad!
- Dûm!
My heart sings to see you, old
The Elf Elrond has invoked
the Rite of Sigin-tarâg.
The Dwarven test of endurance,
fashioned by Aulë himself.
Once we lift our hammers,
we shall break the great stones
until one of us can break no more.
Should the Elf forfeit,
he will be banished
from all Dwarven lands.
Forever!
Does the Elf understand?
The Elf does.
In the unlikely event
the Elf should win
We shall grant a single
boon. But should he lose
Banished. Yes. Understood.
Mmm.
Begin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin!
Here we go, Elf.
Mm.
Hello?
Wait! Wait, it's me!
It's me! Stop!
Wait!
I helped you last night.
You remember me, don't you?
Don't you?
Okay.
How 'bout this then
I won't harm you.
You won't harm me. Deal?
Well, that's a start then, isn't it?
Now, proper things
first. Father always says,
"A Harfoot without manners is as like to
get far in life as a square wheel." So
I'm Nori.
I'm Nori.
I
No, I'm Nori.
No, I'm Nori.
What about your name? You?
You don't remember, do you?
Suppose you did fall quite a long way.
Anybody's head would be
a bit higgledy-piggledy.
I fell out of a tree once.
For a whole week, I kept calling
strawberries "pigberries."
Can you imagine? A pigberry?
It's food.
They do eat where
you're from, don't they?
Of course they do, Nori,
what a silly question.
Mm.
Hmm.
No That's not how you
Largo! Largo!
Leave him, Malva. Why don't you help?
I am helping by asking him to help.
Aw, stop your lounge-a-daising
and lend us a foot.
Well, I think Nori was looking
forward to helping out with that.
Nori? Nori?
Where is it you're from, anyway?
Where do you belong?
Where are all the others?
You know, of your kind? Like you?
Are there any others?
And up she goes
Come on, big fella.
Put your back into it, lads!
What is it?
Mana
Is it some sort of map?
Come on, lads!
It's got space.
Mana Mana
Úrë
Mana Mana
Úrë Úrë
Úrë Mana
It just looks like a
batch of dots and loops.
- Úrë
- I don't understand.
- Mana!
- I'm trying to help you, but I
Úrë!
I'm just a Harfoot!
Nori!
Friend!
Friend. Just a friend.
Nori.
It's your father.
Wow! Blueberry indeed.
Nori, I'm fine.
I I slipped on wet grass
is all. It's just a twist.
There's nothing to worry
- Mam
- Never you mind.
I should've been here.
You're here now, all right?
Now, go on, fetch me some
cold water and some salt.
How bad is it? Can he migrate?
You saw him.
Couldn't put the weight
of a leaf on that leg.
- Much less pull a cart.
- Mind your own fire, Malva.
Over here!
Come. Come closer.
- What do you think you're doing?
- I'm not leaving her adrift.
Suppose you'll be sharing your rations?
The tides of fate are flowing.
If no one else will.
Yours may be heading in, or out.
Refuse to bring her aboard, and
her death will be on our hands.
Didn't seem bothered when we
was debating Doble's death.
Cruelty will not be our deliverance.
Don't let her on.
Pull her up.
No.
Answers first.
Why are you out here?
I was separated from my ship.
Attacked?
Then you've not seen it?
Seen what?
The worm.
We set out two weeks ago, sailing
- Need we tell her all our affairs?
- Why not?
Does she look dangerous to you?
Looks can be deceiving.
An Elf.
Remove your hand from me, sir.
You liar.
- We're saved. We're saved. Look!
- Hurry!
Look! Over here!
Help us!
Hurry, help me build a torch. Hurry!
Wait! Until we can see the sails.
Corsairs prowl these waters.
Do you want to be skinned alive?
That's no corsair ship.
That's our ship.
The worm!
Be still.
The Elf led it right to us.
It's coming!
Help!
What are you called?
Galadriel.
I'm Halbrand.
What's our heading?
Yes!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin!
A dog may bark at the moon.
But he cannot bring it down.
Take your leave.
Perhaps His Lordship would be
willing to escort me to the exit?
Gladly.
Remarkable. I never dreamed
to find your city so changed.
Now, 20 years will do that.
Has it been only 20?
You must tell me your secret.
Our secrets are our own.
Durin, have I offended you?
To answer that, we'd need a longer lift.
If you wish to discharge
me without explanation,
- that is your choice.
- You bet your feathery shirts it is.
But before squandering
the best opportunity
any Dwarf-prince has
had in a generation,
you might at least listen
to the proposal I bring.
Ah, there it is.
The true purpose of your
visit. You want something.
I journeyed here to see my
friend, whom I've greatly missed.
Missed? You missed my wedding.
The birth of my children, two of them!
You cannot barge into my mountain and
demand I welcome you with open arms.
You cannot claim that
which you discarded.
Discarded? Durin, I
Twenty years might be the
blink of an eye to an Elf.
But I've lived an
entire life in that time.
A life you missed.
So, what do you have to say to that
"Friend?"
Congratulations.
On your wife, your children.
I hope you can come to forgive me.
And I would like very much to
apologize to your family as well.
Hmm.
One apology to Disa and you're off.
No getting better acquainted.
No reminiscing about the past. And
absolutely no staying for dinner.
Understood.
Aulë's beard! No!
This cannot be Elrond, can it?
I fear so, fair lady.
Durin didn't tell me you were coming.
Durin didn't know.
I've been remiss in not visiting sooner.
An oversight, for which I am
here to humbly ask forgiveness.
- You're staying for dinner.
- He's leaving.
- He's staying.
- He's leaving!
He's staying.
Hey! I told you two to
stay out of my heads!
And I told you wee
monsters to stay in bed.
Oh, come on!
Gerda! Gamli! Come on, hurry along.
Ow!
Make yourself comfortable, please.
But not too comfortable.
Gamli, please.
It's off to the salt mines the both of ya!
Cave-trolls and
stalagmite spiders galore!
How did you two first become acquainted?
I was resonating a
freshly-opened chamber,
fairly confident we were onto
a sizable silver deposit
"Resonating?" I've not
heard of resonating.
It's when we sing to the stone.
You see, a mountain's like a person.
It's a long and ever-changing
story made of countless small parts.
Earth and ore, air and water.
Sing to it properly, each of those
parts will reflect your
song back to you,
telling you its story, showing
you what might be hidden,
where to mine, where to tunnel, and
And where to leave
the mountain untouched.
It is a beautiful tradition.
Anyway, we're unpacking our tools,
and my team suddenly grows quiet.
Then, I see our prince.
He's come to check on us.
Far below his purview, mind you.
First, I thought it merely curious.
That is, until he showed
up at our next survey.
And the one after that.
And the one after that.
Always did have a talent for lurking.
Took weeks before he worked up
the courage to court me proper.
Two weeks at most.
- It was five.
- You're lying.
She's lying.
She may play coy now,
but she was a moon-eyed girl
in love from the moment we met.
Oof!
Mmm!
A very happy match, indeed.
Should've been at the wedding.
Enough.
Your friend is here now.
Can we not take joy in that?
He's not here for us.
His king sent him here
to take what's ours.
To the contrary. Coming
to Khazad-dûm was my idea.
And I have asked for
nothing but your ear.
Aye, and that's how it starts.
And soon enough, we're left
with our thumbs in our eyes.
- Elves for Elves, no?
- Has it ever been so between us?
- I don't know! Has it?
- Aulë's beard!
Can you not find a way to mend this?
I see you planted the sapling.
Planted it. Raised it up.
Tends it like it's our third child.
What sort of tree is it, exactly?
A seedling of our Great Tree in Lindon.
The very symbol of our
people's strength and vitality.
Some called him a fool
for believing it would
grow in such darkness.
Where there is love,
it is never truly dark.
How could it not grow
in a home like yours?
You're not leaving already?
I fear I've overstayed my welcome.
Thank you, Disa, for your hospitality.
Durin.
Sod it, sit down.
- Please. I hardly wish to intrude.
- I said sit.
Are you certain?
No. And I'm still angry. Tell
me about your king's proposal
so I can decide whether
to present it to my father
or toss it in the nearest slag pit.
You needn't keep your distance.
I am simply wondering what manner of man
would so readily abandon
his companions to death.
The sort that knows how to survive.
Why be part of the larger target?
You are a target still.
I doubt we shall find safety
until we make landfall.
I suspect finding safety
won't be that easy.
Leastways not for you.
"Separated" from your ship.
Really?
- You're a deserter, aren't you?
- Do I have the look of a deserter?
You don't have the look of someone
to whom things happen by accident.
Which means you were running.
Whether toward or from
something, I haven't yet decided.
Duty demanded I return to Middle-earth.
And that is all you need to know.
- Important Elf business, no doubt.
- What have Elves ever done to you?
Do you blame us for
your being stranded here?
The way I see it, it wasn't Elves
that chased me from my homeland.
It was Orcs.
Your home. Where was it?
What's it matter?
It's ashes now.
I know something of the pain you carry.
I grieve for you.
For those you lost.
Around your neck.
Was that the mark of your people's king?
- My people have no king.
- But if they did,
- where might that kingdom be found?
- To what end?
What if I told you we
might be able to reclaim it?
- I'm afraid you're short an army.
- Leave the army to me.
Why're you dodging the question?
Why're you stranded at sea?
Because rather than rest in
glory, I chose to seek out
the very enemy responsible
for your suffering.
Look, Elf. You didn't cause my
suffering and you can't fix it.
No matter how strong
your will. Or your pride.
So let it lie.
I have pursued this foe since before
the first sunrise bloodied the sky.
It would take longer than your lifetime
even to speak the names of
those they have taken from me.
So letting it lie is not an option.
At last, a little honesty.
If you want to murder Orcs and
settle a score, that's your affair.
Don't dress it up as heroism.
Are you going to tell me
where the enemy is or not?
The Southlands.
I need to know how many the enemy were,
under whose banner they marched,
and then you are going to take
me to their last-known location.
I've got my own plans, Elf.
Prepare yourself.
- Watch it!
- Easy now, love.
What do you mean, "no bodies?"
I mean the entire village was empty.
It was as if the ground has swallowed up
the people of Hordern like flies.
The ground here is
tetchy. Always has been.
And Crookfinger Lake's
always seepin' vapors.
- Mmm.
- I saw a tunnel.
Dug deep, and with care.
By what, I cannot say, but
they were digging towards us.
I tell you, we remain here at our peril.
We must spread the word.
No! I will not have this gossip, Bronwyn.
I've seen landslides less
dangerous than a wayward tongue,
and without proof or
puddin', that's all it'd be.
Waldreg, we're all alone.
Ostirith is empty. The
watchtower abandoned.
Yes, I know, and I'm
not invitin' them Elves
back on account of some sinkhole.
Havin' them gone is a relief.
Well, for most of us, anyhow.
Bloody mice.
Stupid, bastard mice!
Theo?
Theo?
Theo, what's wrong? What happened?
Get help. Go.
Theo, run!
Hey!
Stop!
If there are any of you
here who want to live,
we make for the Elven
tower at first light.
We need to tie the
boat! It's coming apart!
The wind is too strong.
Grab the ropes!
Come on! Give me your hand!
Bind yourself to me!
Come on! Give me your hand!
Hello? It's me. It's me, Nori.
You see, the next migration is in just
a few days now, and everything's gone
Three rabbits to the moon.
I wanted to help you.
I thought I could, but I'm sorry.
It's a lantern. We use fireflies.
What's he saying to them?
I don't speak firefly.
They're stars.
A kind of constellation.
Okay? They're stars?
What does that mean?
This is how we help him.
He wants us to help
him find those stars.
That's it, isn't it?
Isn't it?
I've never seen those stars before.
But I have a pretty good
idea where I can find them.
Nori?
I'm certain of it. He doesn't know.
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
You've always had
sandstone in your granite
as far as the Elves were concerned.
Tell me, do you not
think it's a coincidence
that an Elf should just
land on our doorstep? Now?
I've known Elrond for
half a century, Father.
I'd sense it if he
were hiding something.
Perhaps he sensed that it was
you who was hiding something.
You think too much of their kind.
We're the ones holding the
long end of the hammer here.
Aye. For now.
Elrond is a friend. I trust him.
There can be no trust
between hammer and rock.
Eventually one or the
other must surely break.
Theo!
You ready?
Yes, Mother. I'm ready.
My brother gave his life hunting Sauron.
His task is now mine.
Commander Galadriel.
This company has followed you
to the very edge of the world.
It's been years since
the last Orc was sighted.
This mark's very existence
proves Sauron escaped.
The question now is, where?
The evil is gone.
Then why is it not gone from in here?
These heroes shall be granted
a passage across the sea
to dwell for all eternity.
You have fought long enough, Galadriel.
Put up your sword.
Without it, what am I to be?
Are you acquainted with the
work of Lord Celebrimbor?
The greatest of Elven-smiths, of course.
What's one of them doing here?
She's got some sort of a sickness.
- Where has she been grazing?
- She wandered east a few days ago.
How far east?
Hordern.
Haven't you ever wondered
what else is out there?
Beyond our wanderin'.
Nobody goes off trail
and nobody walks alone.
The skies are strange.
- Nori!
- Poppy!
Have the wheels come off your
cart? Get away from there!
Shh!
You shouldn't sneak
up on folk like that.
- Well, you shouldn't be here.
- Shh!
It's not hot.
Fine. It's not hot.
Doesn't change the fact that
there's a giant in there.
She's making that face.
Not that face, Nori
Nori!
Nori, don't!
Nori, don't! He's dead! Come on!
No! Don't! Don't! Please!
No!
What
Your mam's gonna kill ya.
You're not telling her.
Neither am I. Quick sticks.
We can't leave him like this
or the wolves will get him.
- So?
- So, that's not who we are.
That's not who you are.
I can't carry him alone.
Are you gonna help me or not?
- Not.
- Poppy!
How exactly are we
supposed to carry a giant?
Must've been a star fall.
A big one.
How many signs do you need?
Ask me, we ought to
break camp this moment.
What about the festival?
Let's not do anything rash just yet.
More'n likely we're safer
in camp than we are out.
But keep an eye out, the both of you.
- Malva's right.
- Yes.
This does not bode well.
Now, away with you. Go on.
Pssk!
- All right, all right, all right.
- Go on. Hurry up.
Look at him. He's bleeding massive.
- He's got to be
- He's not a troll!
All right, smart-foot. Then what is he?
Uh, maybe he's big folk.
Human?
No way. He'd be squished.
Elf, maybe?
Wrong ears. And he's not handsome.
Not to mention, Elves
don't fall from the sky.
Nobody does. As far as I know.
He did.
- Are you even pullin'?
- Yeah, of course I'm pullin'!
- Well, pull harder!
- Shh!
This is ludicrous. He's never
gonna fit in that old cart.
It's just for one night.
In the mornin', we'll pack him up
some food and send him on his way.
- What way?
- That's a tomorrow problem.
- This isn't an adventure.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- I didn't go looking for this.
- But you're not turning away.
- Because I can't.
- Because you won't.
This stranger isn't a Man, or an Elf,
or some baby eagle with a broken wing.
- That was one time.
- He's something else.
Maybe he's something dangerous.
Now you sound just like
Malva and the sisters.
Oh, it's not just them.
Anybody finds out that
we helped a stranger,
and anything bad that
happens the next three seasons
will be our fault.
If a fog lasts a little too long,
a wheel gets stuck in a rut
Oh, great goats!
Faster, before it crashes!
Oh, so now you care about him.
No, no! The wheelbarrow, it's not mine!
Why you doing this, Nori?
- I feel like he's my responsibility.
- You feel like everyone
- is your responsibility.
- No.
This is different.
He could've landed
anywhere, and he landed here.
I know it sounds strange, but
somehow I just know he's important.
It's like there's a
reason this happened.
Like I was supposed to find him. Me.
I can't walk away from that.
Not till I know he's safe.
Can you?
Fine. I won't tell anyone.
Thank you.
What does a giant eat, anyway?
Hope it's not Harfoots.
Just the ones that can't keep a secret.
The earth is riven with fissures.
Like in a ground-shake.
No bodies.
No wounded.
Perhaps they all fled.
Perhaps.
This was Ciaran's home.
And Hana. His wife was Hana.
This was no ground-shake.
Someone dug this passage.
Something.
Men did not do this.
Go. Warn your people.
You're not coming with me?
I must follow the passage.
The other direction.
- You don't know what's down there.
- That is the reason I must go.
Fëanor's hammer.
The tool that wrought the Silmarils.
The jewels that contain
the very light of Valinor.
Strange, isn't it?
How one object could be responsible
for creating so much beauty
And so much pain.
True creation requires sacrifice.
They say that Morgoth found
the Silmarils so beautiful
that after he'd stolen them, for weeks,
he could do nothing but
stare into their depths.
Hmm.
It was only after one of his
tears fell upon the jewels
and he was faced with the
evil of his own reflection,
that the reverie was finally broken.
From that moment, he
He looked upon their light no more.
Fëanor's work nearly turned the heart
of the Great Foe himself.
What has mine ever accomplished?
I It has turned my heart, my lord.
The heart of many an Elf.
But I aspire to do far more than that.
An Age ago, our kind
brought war to these shores.
I want to fill them with beauty.
To grow beyond petty
works of jewel-craft,
and devise something of real power.
What is it you hope to craft?
"What" is but a glint
on the far horizon.
You have come to Eregion to
help me achieve the "how."
A tower?
One that can host
a forge more powerful
than any ever built.
Able to birth a flame as
hot as a dragon's tongue,
and as pure as starlight.
The things we could use it to
create could transform Middle-earth.
What seems to be the difficulty?
I need it completed by spring.
My lord, that would require a
A workforce greater
than any ever assembled.
Yes. The High King cannot provide one.
So he has sent me you instead.
Have you considered seeking partners
outside the confines of our own race?
How far outside?
An alliance with the Dwarves would be
the diplomatic achievement of the age.
Their prince, Durin, is an
old and dear friend.
Almost like a brother to me.
I've heard the Dwarves
have greatly expanded
their halls of late.
They They sculpt the rock
with the respect of one who
cares for an aged parent.
I've long wanted to see them work.
I had no idea you admired them so.
I admire all who can see
into the mystery of things,
who can divine from the
plainness of what is,
the beauty of what could be
Might your friend be able to
grant me access to their workshops?
Oh, if I know Durin, he'll do
far more than that.
He'll welcome us with open arms,
rams' horns blaring,
tables filled with salted pork,
and enough malt beer to fill the Anduin.
What do you want?
It is Elrond of Lindon,
accompanied by Celebrimbor,
Lord of Eregion.
We seek an audience with Prince Durin.
No.
My apologies.
Inform Lord Durin that
his friend, Elrond
His judgment has already been rendered, Elf.
Rams' horns?
All right, then, my friend.
I invoke the Rite of Sigin-tarâg.
What is the Rite of
I'll rejoin you in Eregion.
Are you certain you
know what you're doing?
Lord Celebrimbor, trust me.
You are master of your craft, my friend.
Allow me a few days to work mine.
Elmendéa
- Khazad!
- Dûm!
My heart sings to see you, old
The Elf Elrond has invoked
the Rite of Sigin-tarâg.
The Dwarven test of endurance,
fashioned by Aulë himself.
Once we lift our hammers,
we shall break the great stones
until one of us can break no more.
Should the Elf forfeit,
he will be banished
from all Dwarven lands.
Forever!
Does the Elf understand?
The Elf does.
In the unlikely event
the Elf should win
We shall grant a single
boon. But should he lose
Banished. Yes. Understood.
Mmm.
Begin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin!
Here we go, Elf.
Mm.
Hello?
Wait! Wait, it's me!
It's me! Stop!
Wait!
I helped you last night.
You remember me, don't you?
Don't you?
Okay.
How 'bout this then
I won't harm you.
You won't harm me. Deal?
Well, that's a start then, isn't it?
Now, proper things
first. Father always says,
"A Harfoot without manners is as like to
get far in life as a square wheel." So
I'm Nori.
I'm Nori.
I
No, I'm Nori.
No, I'm Nori.
What about your name? You?
You don't remember, do you?
Suppose you did fall quite a long way.
Anybody's head would be
a bit higgledy-piggledy.
I fell out of a tree once.
For a whole week, I kept calling
strawberries "pigberries."
Can you imagine? A pigberry?
It's food.
They do eat where
you're from, don't they?
Of course they do, Nori,
what a silly question.
Mm.
Hmm.
No That's not how you
Largo! Largo!
Leave him, Malva. Why don't you help?
I am helping by asking him to help.
Aw, stop your lounge-a-daising
and lend us a foot.
Well, I think Nori was looking
forward to helping out with that.
Nori? Nori?
Where is it you're from, anyway?
Where do you belong?
Where are all the others?
You know, of your kind? Like you?
Are there any others?
And up she goes
Come on, big fella.
Put your back into it, lads!
What is it?
Mana
Is it some sort of map?
Come on, lads!
It's got space.
Mana Mana
Úrë
Mana Mana
Úrë Úrë
Úrë Mana
It just looks like a
batch of dots and loops.
- Úrë
- I don't understand.
- Mana!
- I'm trying to help you, but I
Úrë!
I'm just a Harfoot!
Nori!
Friend!
Friend. Just a friend.
Nori.
It's your father.
Wow! Blueberry indeed.
Nori, I'm fine.
I I slipped on wet grass
is all. It's just a twist.
There's nothing to worry
- Mam
- Never you mind.
I should've been here.
You're here now, all right?
Now, go on, fetch me some
cold water and some salt.
How bad is it? Can he migrate?
You saw him.
Couldn't put the weight
of a leaf on that leg.
- Much less pull a cart.
- Mind your own fire, Malva.
Over here!
Come. Come closer.
- What do you think you're doing?
- I'm not leaving her adrift.
Suppose you'll be sharing your rations?
The tides of fate are flowing.
If no one else will.
Yours may be heading in, or out.
Refuse to bring her aboard, and
her death will be on our hands.
Didn't seem bothered when we
was debating Doble's death.
Cruelty will not be our deliverance.
Don't let her on.
Pull her up.
No.
Answers first.
Why are you out here?
I was separated from my ship.
Attacked?
Then you've not seen it?
Seen what?
The worm.
We set out two weeks ago, sailing
- Need we tell her all our affairs?
- Why not?
Does she look dangerous to you?
Looks can be deceiving.
An Elf.
Remove your hand from me, sir.
You liar.
- We're saved. We're saved. Look!
- Hurry!
Look! Over here!
Help us!
Hurry, help me build a torch. Hurry!
Wait! Until we can see the sails.
Corsairs prowl these waters.
Do you want to be skinned alive?
That's no corsair ship.
That's our ship.
The worm!
Be still.
The Elf led it right to us.
It's coming!
Help!
What are you called?
Galadriel.
I'm Halbrand.
What's our heading?
Yes!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin!
Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin! Durin!
A dog may bark at the moon.
But he cannot bring it down.
Take your leave.
Perhaps His Lordship would be
willing to escort me to the exit?
Gladly.
Remarkable. I never dreamed
to find your city so changed.
Now, 20 years will do that.
Has it been only 20?
You must tell me your secret.
Our secrets are our own.
Durin, have I offended you?
To answer that, we'd need a longer lift.
If you wish to discharge
me without explanation,
- that is your choice.
- You bet your feathery shirts it is.
But before squandering
the best opportunity
any Dwarf-prince has
had in a generation,
you might at least listen
to the proposal I bring.
Ah, there it is.
The true purpose of your
visit. You want something.
I journeyed here to see my
friend, whom I've greatly missed.
Missed? You missed my wedding.
The birth of my children, two of them!
You cannot barge into my mountain and
demand I welcome you with open arms.
You cannot claim that
which you discarded.
Discarded? Durin, I
Twenty years might be the
blink of an eye to an Elf.
But I've lived an
entire life in that time.
A life you missed.
So, what do you have to say to that
"Friend?"
Congratulations.
On your wife, your children.
I hope you can come to forgive me.
And I would like very much to
apologize to your family as well.
Hmm.
One apology to Disa and you're off.
No getting better acquainted.
No reminiscing about the past. And
absolutely no staying for dinner.
Understood.
Aulë's beard! No!
This cannot be Elrond, can it?
I fear so, fair lady.
Durin didn't tell me you were coming.
Durin didn't know.
I've been remiss in not visiting sooner.
An oversight, for which I am
here to humbly ask forgiveness.
- You're staying for dinner.
- He's leaving.
- He's staying.
- He's leaving!
He's staying.
Hey! I told you two to
stay out of my heads!
And I told you wee
monsters to stay in bed.
Oh, come on!
Gerda! Gamli! Come on, hurry along.
Ow!
Make yourself comfortable, please.
But not too comfortable.
Gamli, please.
It's off to the salt mines the both of ya!
Cave-trolls and
stalagmite spiders galore!
How did you two first become acquainted?
I was resonating a
freshly-opened chamber,
fairly confident we were onto
a sizable silver deposit
"Resonating?" I've not
heard of resonating.
It's when we sing to the stone.
You see, a mountain's like a person.
It's a long and ever-changing
story made of countless small parts.
Earth and ore, air and water.
Sing to it properly, each of those
parts will reflect your
song back to you,
telling you its story, showing
you what might be hidden,
where to mine, where to tunnel, and
And where to leave
the mountain untouched.
It is a beautiful tradition.
Anyway, we're unpacking our tools,
and my team suddenly grows quiet.
Then, I see our prince.
He's come to check on us.
Far below his purview, mind you.
First, I thought it merely curious.
That is, until he showed
up at our next survey.
And the one after that.
And the one after that.
Always did have a talent for lurking.
Took weeks before he worked up
the courage to court me proper.
Two weeks at most.
- It was five.
- You're lying.
She's lying.
She may play coy now,
but she was a moon-eyed girl
in love from the moment we met.
Oof!
Mmm!
A very happy match, indeed.
Should've been at the wedding.
Enough.
Your friend is here now.
Can we not take joy in that?
He's not here for us.
His king sent him here
to take what's ours.
To the contrary. Coming
to Khazad-dûm was my idea.
And I have asked for
nothing but your ear.
Aye, and that's how it starts.
And soon enough, we're left
with our thumbs in our eyes.
- Elves for Elves, no?
- Has it ever been so between us?
- I don't know! Has it?
- Aulë's beard!
Can you not find a way to mend this?
I see you planted the sapling.
Planted it. Raised it up.
Tends it like it's our third child.
What sort of tree is it, exactly?
A seedling of our Great Tree in Lindon.
The very symbol of our
people's strength and vitality.
Some called him a fool
for believing it would
grow in such darkness.
Where there is love,
it is never truly dark.
How could it not grow
in a home like yours?
You're not leaving already?
I fear I've overstayed my welcome.
Thank you, Disa, for your hospitality.
Durin.
Sod it, sit down.
- Please. I hardly wish to intrude.
- I said sit.
Are you certain?
No. And I'm still angry. Tell
me about your king's proposal
so I can decide whether
to present it to my father
or toss it in the nearest slag pit.
You needn't keep your distance.
I am simply wondering what manner of man
would so readily abandon
his companions to death.
The sort that knows how to survive.
Why be part of the larger target?
You are a target still.
I doubt we shall find safety
until we make landfall.
I suspect finding safety
won't be that easy.
Leastways not for you.
"Separated" from your ship.
Really?
- You're a deserter, aren't you?
- Do I have the look of a deserter?
You don't have the look of someone
to whom things happen by accident.
Which means you were running.
Whether toward or from
something, I haven't yet decided.
Duty demanded I return to Middle-earth.
And that is all you need to know.
- Important Elf business, no doubt.
- What have Elves ever done to you?
Do you blame us for
your being stranded here?
The way I see it, it wasn't Elves
that chased me from my homeland.
It was Orcs.
Your home. Where was it?
What's it matter?
It's ashes now.
I know something of the pain you carry.
I grieve for you.
For those you lost.
Around your neck.
Was that the mark of your people's king?
- My people have no king.
- But if they did,
- where might that kingdom be found?
- To what end?
What if I told you we
might be able to reclaim it?
- I'm afraid you're short an army.
- Leave the army to me.
Why're you dodging the question?
Why're you stranded at sea?
Because rather than rest in
glory, I chose to seek out
the very enemy responsible
for your suffering.
Look, Elf. You didn't cause my
suffering and you can't fix it.
No matter how strong
your will. Or your pride.
So let it lie.
I have pursued this foe since before
the first sunrise bloodied the sky.
It would take longer than your lifetime
even to speak the names of
those they have taken from me.
So letting it lie is not an option.
At last, a little honesty.
If you want to murder Orcs and
settle a score, that's your affair.
Don't dress it up as heroism.
Are you going to tell me
where the enemy is or not?
The Southlands.
I need to know how many the enemy were,
under whose banner they marched,
and then you are going to take
me to their last-known location.
I've got my own plans, Elf.
Prepare yourself.
- Watch it!
- Easy now, love.
What do you mean, "no bodies?"
I mean the entire village was empty.
It was as if the ground has swallowed up
the people of Hordern like flies.
The ground here is
tetchy. Always has been.
And Crookfinger Lake's
always seepin' vapors.
- Mmm.
- I saw a tunnel.
Dug deep, and with care.
By what, I cannot say, but
they were digging towards us.
I tell you, we remain here at our peril.
We must spread the word.
No! I will not have this gossip, Bronwyn.
I've seen landslides less
dangerous than a wayward tongue,
and without proof or
puddin', that's all it'd be.
Waldreg, we're all alone.
Ostirith is empty. The
watchtower abandoned.
Yes, I know, and I'm
not invitin' them Elves
back on account of some sinkhole.
Havin' them gone is a relief.
Well, for most of us, anyhow.
Bloody mice.
Stupid, bastard mice!
Theo?
Theo?
Theo, what's wrong? What happened?
Get help. Go.
Theo, run!
Hey!
Stop!
If there are any of you
here who want to live,
we make for the Elven
tower at first light.
We need to tie the
boat! It's coming apart!
The wind is too strong.
Grab the ropes!
Come on! Give me your hand!
Bind yourself to me!
Come on! Give me your hand!
Hello? It's me. It's me, Nori.
You see, the next migration is in just
a few days now, and everything's gone
Three rabbits to the moon.
I wanted to help you.
I thought I could, but I'm sorry.
It's a lantern. We use fireflies.
What's he saying to them?
I don't speak firefly.
They're stars.
A kind of constellation.
Okay? They're stars?
What does that mean?
This is how we help him.
He wants us to help
him find those stars.
That's it, isn't it?
Isn't it?
I've never seen those stars before.
But I have a pretty good
idea where I can find them.
Nori?
I'm certain of it. He doesn't know.
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
You've always had
sandstone in your granite
as far as the Elves were concerned.
Tell me, do you not
think it's a coincidence
that an Elf should just
land on our doorstep? Now?
I've known Elrond for
half a century, Father.
I'd sense it if he
were hiding something.
Perhaps he sensed that it was
you who was hiding something.
You think too much of their kind.
We're the ones holding the
long end of the hammer here.
Aye. For now.
Elrond is a friend. I trust him.
There can be no trust
between hammer and rock.
Eventually one or the
other must surely break.
Theo!
You ready?
Yes, Mother. I'm ready.