The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Episode #1.2 - full transcript
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 South lands.
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.
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 South lands.
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.