The Fellowship Of The Ring
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Storyboard 'The Fellowship of the Ring' 3 January commemorates the anniversary of J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday.
Chapter 1: Prologue
As told by Galadriel
"Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the great Rings.”
Sauron, in his fair form, Annatar, deceived the Elven ring-makers into making the Rings of Power.
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“Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings.”
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Three Rings of Power: Narya, Ring of Fire, to Cirdain;
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Vilya, Ring of Air, to Gil-galad,
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and Nenya, Ring of Water, to Galadriel.
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“Seven to the Dwarf Lords,
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great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls”
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who greedily accepted them”
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“And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men,
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who above all else, desire power.”
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"Kings of Men, who would be seduced
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by the ring."
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“For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race.”
“But they were all of them deceived, for another Ring was made.”
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“In the land of Mordor,
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in the fires of Mount Doom,
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the Dark Lord forged in secret a master ring
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to control all others.”
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“And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all.”
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“One by one, the free lands of Middle-earth fell to the power of the Ring.
But there were some who resisted."
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"A last alliance of Men and Elves:
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marched against the armies of Mordor,
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and on the slopes of Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth.”
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"Gil-galad, last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth."
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"Elrond, Half-elven, Lord of Rivendell."
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Two Elven lords stood together with their Elven armies.
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And with men, Elendil, first High King of Gondor and Arnor, and his son, Isildur.
“Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone.”
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“Sauron strode onto the battlefield, towering over Lords of Elves and Kings of Men.”
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Sauron vanquished all before him, the warriors of men and elf fell.
Elendil raised his sword to strike-down Sauron, but his sword was shattered and he was slain.
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Isildur stepped forward to challenge the Dark Lord,
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but he was flung aside, next to the body of his father.
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Sauron reached down towards Isildur.
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“It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur took up the shards of his father's sword.”
Isildur struck the hand of Sauron, severing the finger that bore the One Ring.
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It fell, smoldering, beside Isildur.
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Sauron imploded: “the enemy of the free-peoples of Middle-earth was defeated.”
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“The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever.”
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“But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted. And the Ring of Power has a will of its own.”
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Isildur, proudly donned the Ring of Power on a chain round his neck.
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At Gladden Fields, Isildur’s party was ambushed by roaming Orcs of the Misty Mountains.
Isildur fled to the Great River, Anduin.
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Desperate and possessed by the Ring, Isildur resorted to putting it on. It made him invisible. He decided to swim to the other side of the Anduin.
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However, the Ring (‘by volition’) slipped from Isildur's finger, and he became visible again.
Orcs sighting his position, struck him with their poisoned arrows.
The Ring “betrayed Isildur, to his death.”
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“And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.”
“History became legend, legend became myth, and for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed all knowledge.”
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“Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer.”
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“The Ring came to a Stoor hobbit called Sméagol, who corrupted by it, became the creature Gollum: ‘My precious’.”
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“Who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains."
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"And there it consumed him.”
Gollum: ‘It came to me, my own, my love, my own, my Precious.’"
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“The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind.”
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“And in the gloom of Gollum’s cave it waited".
"Darkness crept into the forest of the world. Rumour grew of a shadow in the east, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived its time had now come."
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"It abandoned Gollum."
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At the time of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Ring bounced down a chasm in the rocks of Gollum's cave, reaching its floor.
“But something happened then the Ring did not intend."
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"It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A hobbit: Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.”
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Gollum shrieked realising he could no longer find the Ring: “Lost! My precious is lost!”
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Bilbo heard the shrieks and placed the Ring in his pocket.
He is soon confronted by Gollum. They engage in a game of three riddles, the last of which was: “What have I got in my pocket”.
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Gollum failed to answer this riddle. He became enraged, and suspecting Bilbo has “his precious”, tries to stop him as he runs off.
Bilbo tripped over and the Ring fell on his finger (as it would an age later for Frodo).
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It made Bilbo invisible. He followed Gollum as Gollum rushed to ambush him at the exit.
As Gollum waited for Bilbo, Bilbo behind him raised his sword to kill him, but then stayed his hand.
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“The time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.”
End of Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: The Shire
In Bag End
Bilbo (voiceover): "The twenty-second day of September in the year fourteen-hundred, by Shire-reckoning. Bag End, Bagshot Row, Hobbiton, Westfarthing, the Shire, Middle-Earth. The Third Age of this world."
“There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale, by Bilbo Baggins”
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“Things will endure in the Shire…Hobbits have been living and farming in the four Farthings of the Shire for many hundreds of years. Quite content to ignore or be ignored by the world of Big Folk...”
In Hobbiton in a Hobbit-hole called Bag End, in the year TA 3001,
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Bilbo Baggins
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was writing at his desk.
“Hobbits must seem of little importance, being neither renowned as great warriors, nor counted among the very wise... It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.”
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In the woods
Frodo is enjoying reading, waiting.
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And into the peacefulness of the Shire came a Wizard.
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Frodo: “You’re late.”
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Gandalf: “A Wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”
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Both laugh. Frodo hugs Gandalf: “It’s wonderful to see you Gandalf.”
Gandalf: “I have come to celebrate Bilbo’s 111th birthday, a party of special magnificence.”
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Gandalf: “Life in the wide world goes on much as it has this past age, full of its own comings and goings…”
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“…scarcely aware of the existence of hobbits…”
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“For which I am very thankful.”
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Frodo: “To tell you the truth, Bilbo’s been a bit odd lately. He’s up to something. Before you came along we Bagginses were very well thought of.”
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Frodo: “Whatever you did, you’ve been officially labelled a disturber of the peace by those like Odo Proudfoot.”
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End of Chapter 2: The Shire
Chapter 3: Very Old Friends
Gandalf stops his cart outside Bag End. He knows it well.
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At the time of the Hobbit: Unexpected Journey
Gandalf came to Bag End all those years ago to seek Bilbo’s participation in the dwarves journey to reclaim Erebor.
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Gandalf and the dwarves came unexpectantly to dinner.
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They came with the offer of a noble and dangerous quest, and Bilbo decided to join them.
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At this time of LOTR
Gandalf comes once again to the door of Bag End
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and knocks at Bilbo’s door with his staff.
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Bilbo inside: “No thank you! We don’t want any more visitors, well-wishers or distant relations!”
Gandalf: “And what about very old friends?”
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Bilbo rushes out to embrace Gandalf: “My dear Gandalf.”
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Gandalf looks at Bilbo: “You haven’t aged a day.”
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Bilbo racing off inside: “Come on, come in! Welcome, welcome! Tea? Or maybe something a little stronger?”
Gandalf follows, and hits his head on a beam.
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Gandalf enters Bilbo’s study and sees the map of the Lonely Mountain.
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In the kitchen, Bilbo: “I want to see mountains again, Gandalf. Find somewhere quiet where I can finish my book.”
Gandalf: “Frodo suspects something. You will tell him, won’t you?”
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Bilbo: “Yes, Yes. I feel thin - sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread…I don’t expect to return. In fact I mean not to!”
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Evening falls on the party field
Bilbo and Gandalf sit peacefully smoking their pipes watching the field below.
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Bilbo: “Gandalf, my old friend, this will be a night to remember.”
End of Chapter 3: Very Old Friends
Chapter 4: A long-expected party
Bilbo’s party festivities begin.
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Bilbo welcomes guests, while Gandalf is busy setting up the fireworks.
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Bilbo then tells stories to the hobbit children gathered at his feet.
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Unbeknown to Gandalf, Merry and Pippin are lighting a rocket in the tent.
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The rocket explodes, a dragon-shape swoops low over the party…
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Merry and Pippin covered in soot, gaze proudly at their accomplishment.
Gandalf comes up behind and grabs them.
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End of Chapter 4: A long-expected party
Chapter 5: Bilbo’s farewell
A huge birthday cake is carried into the party.
Bilbo’s begins his speech: “I don’t know half of you as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you, half as well as you deserve… I regret to announce, this is the end.”
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Bilbo smiling (knowing the effect) puts on the Ring, and to the shock of the party, vanishes.
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In Bag End...
Bilbo, taking off the Ring, rematerializes.
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He smiles down at the Ring.
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Gandalf is waiting: “There are many magic rings in this world, Bilbo Baggins, and none of them should be used lightly.”
Bilbo: “Just a bit of fun. You will look after Frodo, I’m leaving everything to him.”
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Gandalf: “What about this ring of yours, is that staying too?”
Bilbo: “Yes…Yet, after all why not? Why shouldn’t I keep it?”
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Gandalf: “I think you should leave the ring behind, Bilbo. Is that so hard?”
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Bilbo: “Well no… and yes!. Now it comes to it, I don’t feel like parting with it, its mine, I found it, it came to me! You want it for yourself”; It’s mine! My own, my precious.”
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Gandalf: “Precious? Its been called that before, but not by you. I think you’ve had that Ring quite long enough.”
Bilbo: “You’re right Gandalf, the Ring must go to Frodo. It’s late, the road is long.” Bilbo goes to leave.
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Gandalf: “The Ring is still in your pocket.”
Bilbo: “Oh, yes…”
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Bilbo drops the Ring on the floor.
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He leaves saying: “And he lived happily ever after, to the end of his days… Goodbye Gandalf.”
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Gandalf follows Bilbo as he walks outside: "Good-bye, dear Bilbo. Until our next meeting."
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Inside Bag End
Gandalf hand hovers over the Ring, about to pick it up,
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He stops short when the Eye of Sauron flashes in his mind.
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Frodo enters Bag End, sees the Ring on the floor and picks it up.
Gandalf: “Bilbo is gone. Along with all his possessions. The Ring is yours now.”
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Gandalf holds an envelope open, Frodo slips in the Ring, and Gandalf seals the envelope.
Gandalf: “Put it somewhere out of sight.”
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Gandalf: “I need to go: Questions. Questions that need answering. Keep it secret. Keep it safe… Never put it on.”
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End of Chapter 5: Bilbo’s farewell
Chapter 6: Isildur's Bane
In the dungeons of Barad-dûr
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Tortured screams are heard: “Shire! Baggins!”
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Nine-cloaked figures ride out on horseback for the Shire.
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A new day has come...
Gandalf rides to Gondor, watching in the distance
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the fire of Mt Doom lighting up the sky.
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Gandalf rides towards Minas Tirith.
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He ascends the tiers of the white-towered city.
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Gandalf hurriedly makes his way to the Archives in the Library of Gondor. He finds and reads the scroll of Isildur.
Gandalf: "The Year thirty-four of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Isildur, High King of Gondor and the finding of the Ring of Power."
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Isildur: "It has come to me, the One Ring. It shall be an heirloom of my kingdom… It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain.”
Gandalf reads on.
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Isildur: “The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared. A secret now that only fire can tell.”
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Gandalf realises the connection of Bag End and The Ring.
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In the Shire...
A horse neighs and stamps the ground: its hoofs are nailed, its hair matted and bloody, its eyes are blood-red.
The black rider turns to a Hobbit, no eyes are visible inside its cowl: "Shire. Baggins."
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The Hobbit answers: “Baggins. There’s no Bagginses ‘round here! They’re up in Hobbiton, that way!”
The Black Rider gallops off.
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At the Green Dragon Inn
Hobbits are drinking and singing, but Shire folk were talking of strange happenings.
Gaffer: “War is brewing. The mountains are fair teeming with goblins.”
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Sam, opposite, takes a pull of his pipe and looks at Rosie behind the bar.
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She gives him a huge smile.
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A hobbit talking to others: “Well, it’s none of our concern what goes on beyond our borders. Keep your nose out of trouble, and no trouble’ll come to you.”
Frodo merely smiles and raises his tankard.
Sam and Frodo leave the Inn and make their way home.
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In Bag End...
Frodo enters Bag End cautiously. There seems to be no sign of life. A hand grabs his shoulder from behind.
Frodo jumps, gasps and turns.
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It is Gandalf. He looks wild and dishevelled: “Is it secret? Is it safe?”
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Gandalf waits as Frodo searches.
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Frodo opens a chest in the hallway and rummages through it, tossing out scrolls and other items in the process. He finds the sealed envelope he left there and hands it to Gandalf.
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Gandalf throws it on the fire, then retrieves the Ring with tongs.
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He inspects it as it cools.
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Gandalf: “Hold out your hand Frodo, it’s quite cool. What can you see? Can you see anything?”
Frodo: “Nothing. There’s nothing…Wait…"
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Frodo: "There are markings. It’s some form of Elvish… I can’t read it.”
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Gandalf: “There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here.”
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Gandalf: “One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.”
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End of Chapter 6: Isildur's Bane
Chapter 7: The Shadow of the Past
Frodo and Gandalf sit down in the kitchen with tea. The Ring lies on the table between them.
Gandalf: “This is the One Ring forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mt Doom. Taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself…Bilbo found it in Gollum’s cave.”
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Gandalf: “For sixty years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo’s keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age.”
The Ring whispers softly in Black Speech.
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Gandalf: “The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived."
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Gandalf: "Sauron only needs this ring to cover all the lands with a second darkness. He is seeking it. It yearns to return to its Master.”
Gandalf: “The enemy found Gollum, and deep in Mordor in torturing him he shrieked: “Shire. Baggins.”“
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Frodo: “But that would lead them here!”
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The Shire...
Black Riders thunder towards a hobbit.
A Nazgûl enquires: “Shire... Baggins...”
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Hobbit: “There’s no Bagginses around here…. Hobbiton…”
The Black Riders ride off.
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As they reach Hobbiton they are challenged by a Bounder: “Who goes there?”
They do not answer; one just slashes off his head.
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In Bag End...
Gandalf warns Frodo: “Sauron’s Black Riders are coming. Frodo, Sauron must never find it.”
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Frodo: “Take it Gandalf…you just take it.”
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Gandalf: “I dare not take it…Understand Frodo, I would use this Ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine."
Gandalf: "Frodo you must leave the Shire and the name of Baggins behind you, for that name is not safe. I will be waiting for you at the Inn of the Prancing Pony, Bree.”
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Suddenly there is a rustling of leaves, and Gandalf goes to the window, wacks the bushes with his staff, pulling a body through the window:
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Gandalf: “Samwise Gamgee, what did you hear?”
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Sam: “N-n-n-nothing important. That is I heard a good deal about a Ring and a Dark Lord and something about the end of the world but… Please, Mister Gandalf sir, don’t turn me into anythin’— unnatural.”
Gandalf: “Perhaps not. I have thought of a better use for you…”
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End of Chapter 7: The Shadow of the Past
Chapter 8: The Passing of the Elves
Early dawn on the following morning, Gandalf, Frodo and Sam make their way along the road.
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Gandalf: “Be careful both of you. The enemy has many spies in his service: birds, beasts. Keep it safe. Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power.”
Gandalf departs.
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Frodo and Sam trek across streams, over hills and meadows on their journey to Bree.
Coming to a cornfield, Sam stops abruptly: “If I take one more step, it’ll be the furthest away from home I’ve ever been.”
Frodo reassures Sam: "Come on Sam."
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Encouraged by their friendship and mission, they continue their journey.
Night falls and they set up camp. They hear singing in the forest, so they scramble up to a ridge where they can lie and watch unseen.
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Elves pass through the forest, leaving Middle-earth, never to return.
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Mist descends.
On a ridge above the hobbits, a Black Rider ominously scans the landscape of the Shire.
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End of Chapter 8: The Passing of the Elves
Chapter 9: Saruman the White
Gandalf rides to Orthanc, Isengard
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Saruman descends the steps to meet Gandalf: “Smoke rises from the mountain of Doom. The hour grows late and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my counsel. For that is why you have come, is it not… my old friend? So the Ring of Power has been found.”
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In the gardens of Isengard
The two Wizards walk together.
Gandalf tells Saruman of the Ring, remembering his warning to Frodo: “Never put it on.”
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Gandalf: “All these long years the Ring of Power was in the Shire, under my very nose. But we still have time.”
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Saruman: “Yet you did not have the wit to see it. Your love of the halfling’s leaf has clearly slowed your mind….There is no time.”
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In Saruman’s chamber
Saruman: “Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency.”
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Saruman: “A great Eye..lidless…wreathed in flame. I have seen it.”
Saruman reaches for a covered object, and unveils it.
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Revealed is a perfectly spherical glass-like ball with sinister swirls in its depths.
Gandalf: “The palantir is a dangerous tool. We do not know who else may be watching!”
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Saruman: “The hour is later than you think. Sauron’s forces are already moving. The Nine have left Minas Morgul.”
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Saruman: "They crossed the River Isen on Midsummer’s Eve. They will find the Ring… and kill the one who carries it. Against the power of Mordor there can be no victory. We must join with him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend.”
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Gandalf: “Tell me, ‘friend’, when did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness?!”
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Gandalf tries to leave.
Saruman wills the doors to close.
Saruman attacks Gandalf with his staff.
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The Wizards battle
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fiercely and furiously.
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Saruman pulls Gandalf's staff from his hands, and he advances on Gandalf with both staffs. Gandalf spins helplessly just above the floor.
Gandalf is battered and defeated.
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Saruman viciously: “I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly. But you… have elected… the way of… pain!”
Saruman sends Gandalf rising to the pinnacle of Orthanc.
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End of Chapter 9: Saruman the White
Chapter 10: A Short Cut to Mushrooms
As Frodo and Sam leave the cornfield, they bump into Pippin and Merry, fleeing from Farmer Maggot and his dog. They push their ill-gotten booty on to Sam.
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The four hobbits all run off together, reaching the edge of a gorge. They tumble down, reaching a road at the bottom in a tangled heap.
Frodo hears something: “Get off the road! Quick!”
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The hobbits crawl beneath a large overhanging tree root. Frodo looks up through a small gap.
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He sees a black horse, and a rider, clothed and hooded in black.
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The Black rider leaps from his horse, leans over the tree root hissing.
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Frodo takes out the Ring, it calls to him and the Nazgûl.
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Frodo enters a trance, tempted by the Ring to put it on, as his finger strains towards it.
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Sam realises this and he reaches over and hits Frodo in the arm, startling him out of his trance.
Merry throws a bag full of vegetables into the forest to distract the Rider, who whirls away and follows the sound.
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The Black rider rides off…searching, as the sun sets.
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As night falls, he meets up with others. They patrol the area.
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The hobbits hide behind the trees. Merry and Pippin quiz Frodo.
Frodo: “I have to leave the Shire. Sam and I must get to Bree.”
Merry: “Right. Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me.”
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Another Black Rider appears along their path. Frodo is delayed as the others run on.
The Rider is hot on Frodo’s heels.
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Sam, Merry and Pippin jump over a fence and release the ferry, screaming at Frodo to jump.
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Frodo leaps onto the raft.
The Rider stops short of the water, squeals in frustration, then gallops off.
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End of Chapter 10: A Short Cut to Mushrooms
Chapter 11: The Prancing Pony, Bree
The Hobbits arrive at the gates of Bree, soaking wet due to the pouring rain. The gatekeeper questions them.
Frodo: “We wish to stay at the inn. Our business is our own.”
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The gatekeeper grants them access and they walk in the rain through the streets of Bree.
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Frodo spots the sign of the Prancing Pony.
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The four Hobbits enter the Inn. It is crowded, noisy and poorly-lit.
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Frodo asks the innkeeper (Butterbur): “Tell Gandalf Mr Underwood has arrived.”“
Butterbur: “Gandalf? Gandalf? Oh yes! I remember: elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat… Not seen him for six months.”
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The hobbits take a seat at a table to wait for Gandalf.
Merry goes to the bar and returns with a huge stein of beer.
Pippin rushes to the bar to get 'a pint'.
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Others in the background notice the hobbits, especially Bill Ferny.
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Sam notices a dark cloaked figure sitting alone in the corner staring at Frodo.
Frodo asks the innkeeper who he was.
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Butterbur: “He’s one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are - wandering the wilds. Around here, he’s known as Strider.”
Strider lights up his pipe, continuing to observe Frodo.
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Frodo starts to play nervously with the Ring. It starts to call to him: “Baggins, Baggins…”
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At the bar
Suddenly Frodo hears Pippin: “Sure I know a Baggins. He’s over there, Frodo Baggins.”
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Frodo rushes towards the bar to stop Pippin from babbling further. He slips, the ring flies into air
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and drops onto his finger
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As it does, he disappears.
Folks gasp in shock. Strider is alarmed.
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Outside the village
The Black Riders turn around.
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Frodo, in the shadow world
Frodo sees the lidless eye, and hears Sauron: “You cannot hide… I see you!”
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Terrified Frodo wrenches the Ring off…and reappears.
Strider grabs Frodo: “You draw too much attention to yourself, Mr Underhill…”
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Strider drags him up the stairs into his room, slaming the door.
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Strider: “A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry. Are you frightened?”
Frodo: “Yes.”
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Strider “Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.”
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The door bursts open.
Strider draws his sword.
Sam, Merry, Pippin rush in.
Sam: “Let him go…”
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Strider: “You have a stout heart little hobbit, but that will not save you… They are coming.”
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Downstairs in the Prancing Pony
The Riders ominously enter and make their way to the hobbit rooms.
Butterbur hides as they pass.
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Sinisterly they raise their swords
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and plunge these into the 'hobbit' beds.
They shriek as they realise they have been duped. The hobbits hear their screams…
The Riders furiously remount their horses and gallop off.
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In Strider’s room
Strider watches (where actually the hobbits have been sleeping).
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Frodo wakes up: “What are they?”
Strider: “They were once Great Kings of men. Then Sauron gave them nine Rings of Power.”
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Strider: “Blinded by their greed they took them without question. They are the Nazgûl, neither alive nor dead.”
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Strider: “Drawn to the power of the One Ring. They will never stop hunting you.”
The Nazgûl lie in wait.
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End of Chapter 11: The Prancing Pony
Chapter 12: A knife in the dark
That night the Nazgûl regroup and ride off in desperate search of “Baggins”:
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The following morning...
Strider leads the four hobbits and a newly acquired pony, Bill, away from the village of Bree, into the wild.
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As they journey, Merry asks Frodo: “How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?”
Frodo: “I think a servant of the Enemy would look fairer and feel fouler. We have no choice but to trust him.”
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Sam: “But where is he leading us?”
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Strider: “To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond.”
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The Hobbits pause.
Pippin: “What about second breakfast?”
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Strider walks away saying: “Gentlemen, we do not stop ‘til nightfall.”
It becomes darker and the forest gives way to flat marshland. The hobbits go up to their knees in the sludgy mire of midge infested Midgewater marshes.
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They camp for the night.
Strider keeps watch, and sings a soulful tune of an elf-maiden who gave her love to a mortal, and their union, brought her death.
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In the land of Isengard
Meanwhile, Saruman is in the Chamber of the Palantír, communicating with Sauron.
Saruman: “The power of Isengard is at your command, Sauron, Lord of the Earth.”
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Sauron: “Build me an army worthy of Mordor!"
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Saruman turns to his minion: “Rip down all the forest to fuel the furnaces for an army worthy of Mordor.”
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On the pinnacle of Isengard
Gandalf, imprisoned, is horrified to see the destruction of the forest.
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Reaching Weathertop
Aragorn and the hobbits make it through the marshland and reach Weathertop.
Strider: “This was the great watchtower of Amon Sûl. We shall rest here tonight.”
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Strider scans the surroundings.
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Strider opens a bundle and gives the hobbits their “barrow-blades.”
Strider: “These are for you. Keep them close. I’m going to have a look around. Stay here.”
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In Aragorn’s absence, with Frodo asleep, Sam, Merry and Pippin build a fire to cook dinner.
Frodo wakes and screams at them to put it out.
The fire has acted as a beacon to the Nazgûl.
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Frodo horrified sees the Nazgûl approaching.
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The Nazgûl close-in on Weathertop.
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The Hobbits rush up the stairs to the broken pillars of the ruins.
The Nazgûl surround them, raising their swords.
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Sam, Merry and Pippin, prepare to defend Frodo.
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Sam challenges the Nazgûl but is thrown aside. They attack Merry, Pippin and Frodo.
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The Nazgûl throw aside Merry and Pippin. Frodo runs.
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He stumbles and falls backwards, dropping his sword. He takes out the Ring.
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Immediately, the Ringwraith leader (the Witch-king) senses the Ring and is drawn to it. He attacks Frodo.
Frodo scrambles back, and puts on the Ring.
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The world changes. The Witch-king's true form is revealed to Frodo.
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The Witch-king reaches for the Ring, dagger in hand.
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The Ring responds, lifting Frodo’s hand towards the Wraith.
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Frodo pulls his hand back, and the Witch-king stabs him through the shoulder.
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Strider appears and attacks the Nazgûl with sword and flaming brand.
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The Witch-king withdraws the dagger, drops it and attacks Aragorn, who fights him off with the others.
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Frodo pulls the Ring from his finger. He reappears, writhing in pain:
Aragorn recovers the blade: “Frodo has been stabbed by a morgul-blade.”
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Strider: “This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine. Hurry.”
Frodo calls out Gandalf's name.
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End of Chapter 12: A knife in the dark
Chapter 13: Flight to the Ford
In the land of Isengard...
A giant cavern has been cut deep into the earth, and a forge, feed by the trees of Fangorn, belches fire and smoke.
In the pinnacle of the tower, Gandalf is imprisoned. Gandalf captures a moth and whispers, “Go, Gwaihir”. It flies away.
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Down in the cavern, Saruman observes with pride his creations, weapons, armour
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and the 'birth' of his Uruk-Hai.
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In the forest: Strider and the hobbits
Strider: “Frodo is passing into the shadow world. He will soon become a wraith like them.”
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The Nazgûl cry is heard in the distance.
Frodo cries out as if answer to them.
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Strider: “Sam, do you know Athelas plant, Kingsfoil…it may slow the poison. Hurry!”
Strider and Sam search the undergrowth.
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Suddenly a sword appears at Strider's throat: “What this, a ranger caught off his guard?”
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Frodo, lying on the ground, sees a white light, and appearing out of this, sees a beautiful Elf-lady approach.
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“I am Arwen. I have come to help you. Hear my voice. Come back to the light.”
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Arwen: “He’s fading! He’s not going to last. If I can get across the river, the power of my people will protect him. I do not fear them.”
Arwen mounts Asfaloth, with Frodo propped in front of her.
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Arwen: “Ride fast, Asfaloth, ride fast.”
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Arwen rides on as the Nazgûl appear and give chase.
Night gives way to day as they pursue her, from forest to open plain. She rides furiously evading their attack
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holding on to the ever fading Frodo.
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A wraith comes up to Arwen and reaches out to snatch the Ring from Frodo.
Arwen spurs on Asfaloth and they reach the river.
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The Nazgûl stop at the edge of the water (their mounts rear up, terrified of entering the river),
They screech: “Give up the halfling, she-Elf.”
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Arwen: “If you want him, come and claim him!”
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Arwen chants to the river: "Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair! Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!"
(Waters of the Misty Mountains, listen to the great word, flow waters of Loudwater, against the Ringwraiths!)
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A great flood comes around the bend, with crests shaped like white horses.
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as Arwen watches the Nazgûl are cast from their steeds and are washed away down the river.
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Arwen lays Frodo on the ground. She pleads: “What grace is given me, let it pass to him, let him be spared — save him.”
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End of Chapter 13: Flight to the Ford
Chapter 14: Rivendell
In the House of Elrond
Lord Elrond with elven skills has brought life back to the wounded Ring bearer.
Gandalf watches over the recovering Frodo.
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Frodo wakes to see Gandalf sitting at his side: “What happened, Gandalf? Why didn’t you meet us?”
Gandalf: “Oh I’m sorry Frodo… I was delayed.”
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Flashback: Gandalf tortured by Saruman on the pinnacle of Isengard
A tiny white moth flutters to Gandalf, then an eagle screeches.
Gandalf leaps off the Tower and lands on Gwaihir’s back, bearing him to safety.
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Saruman: “So you have chosen… death.”
414c
In the house of Elrond
Sam rushes into the room and to Frodo’s side, followed by Lord Elrond.
Elrond: “Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins.”
Rivendell sits high above a gorge – a land of mountain streams and waterfalls, forest and gardens, and buildings of flowing elvish design.
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Frodo has recuperated and stands on the balcony of Elrond’s house and looks across the magnificence of this Elven land.
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Soon after, Frodo is reunited with Sam, Merry and Pippin, and then spots a familiar figure.
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He rushes and embraces Bilbo, who looks aged and frail.
Bilbo shares with him his book.
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Frodo: “There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale by Bilbo Baggins. This is wonderful Bilbo!”
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Frodo to Bilbo: “I miss the Shire. I spent all my childhood pretending I was off somewhere else… off with you on one of your adventures! My own adventure turned out to be quite different. I’m not like you, Bilbo.
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Bilbo: “My dear boy.”
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Later, on a garden balcony
Sam and Frodo meet. Sam has packed in readiness to return to the Shire.
Frodo: “You’re right Sam. We did what we set out to do. The Ring will be safe in Rivendell. I am ready to go home.”
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End of Chapter 14: Rivendell
Chapter 15: The strength of men
On a balcony overlooking Frodo and Sam
Gandalf: “That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life.”
Elrond: “And yet to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil.”
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Gandalf: “It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo.”
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Elrond: “This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard! Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here.”
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Gandalf stands at Elrond’s window, looks out and sees a group of new arrivals in the garden.
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A man,
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an elf and companions, and
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a party of dwarves.
The visitors dismount and look around in wonder.
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Elrond: “This peril belongs to all Middle-Earth. They must decide now how to end it. The time of the Elves is over. Who will you look to when we’ve gone?”
Gandalf: “It is in Men that we must place our hope.”
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Elrond: “Men are weak…The race of Men is failing. The blood of Númenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of Men the Ring survives.”
439c
Flashback to when Isildur took the Ring
Elrond: “I was there Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago… when Isildur took the Ring. I was there the day the strength of Men failed.”
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Elrond: “I led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged, the one place it could be destroyed. Cast it into the fire! Destroy it!”
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Isildur, 'possessed' by the Ring, yells: “No!” and walks away.
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Elrond: “Isildur kept the Ring. The line of kings is broken. There is no strength left in the world of Men. They’re scattered, divided, leaderless.”
Gandalf: “There is one who could unite them, one who could reclaim the throne of Gondor.”
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Elrond: “He turned from that path long time ago. He has chosen exile.”
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That evening
Boromir finds Aragorn on the terrace and asks who he is.
Aragorn declares: “I am a friend to Gandalf the Grey.”
Boromir: “Then we are here on a common purpose… (smiles)…friend.”
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He turns to the Lady’s shrine, displaying the shards of Narsil.
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Boromir: “The blade that cut the ring from Sauron’s hand!”
He picks up the shaft,
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running his finger up the blade: “It’s still sharp!”
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and cuts himself.
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Boromir: “But no more than a broken heirloom!”
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He returns the sword carelessly and it clatters to the ground. He hesitates, then walks away.
Aragorn walks to the shrine, soulfully picks up the dropped shaft and carefully sets it in place with the other shards.
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Arwen walks in behind him: “Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur’s heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate.”
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Aragorn: “The same blood flows in my veins. Same weakness.”
453c
Arwen: “Your time will come. You will face the same evil, and you will defeat it. The Shadow does not hold sway yet, Aragorn. Not over you and not over me.”
454c
In the gardens
A love song plays softly: From darkness I understand the night; dreams flow, a star shines. Ah! I desire Evenstar. Look! A star rises out of the darkness. The song of the star enchants my heart. Ah! I desire…
455c
Arwen and Aragorn stand atop a bridge
Arwen: “Do you remember what I told you?”
Aragorn: “You said you’d bind yourself to me. Forsaking the immortal life of your people.”
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Arwen: “And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”
Arwen gives Aragorn the pendant: “I choose a mortal life.”
