The Silmarillion TV Series by AndyC

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Season 1, Episode 1, Part 2

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PART TWO 

SCENE 3 

 

EXT. CUIVENEN  

Finn:  

Right. So we do know that Carmo and Neru are gone and they said they’d be back immediately they got the berries. They didn’t scream, and neither has returned, so it’s not likely to be an accident.  

Elf:  

And Carmo was going to be betrothed immediately he returned!  

Finn (rubbing the bridge of his nose, wearily):  

So it’s very unlikely they decided to keep going and keep exploring.  

El:  

I think it’s gone far enough. Each disappearance on its own, over all this time… 

Ingar (decisively):  

Yes. Each one on its own could be explicable, but adding them all up and with this as well…  

Finn (sighing):  

We need to take some sort of action. 

Ingar:  

Exactly! We can tell people to…  

El (interrupts, with a wry smile);   

You can tell people to – well, whatever.  

Ingar (looks puzzled a moment and shakes his head in recognition):  

I get it.    

[He nods to them and they walk away from the knot of Elves. Miri is still watching and looks down with a start. The blood-sodden thread has weaved in and out of her work, making a red pattern. She sucks her finger – belatedly – and looks on the work, thoughtfully]  

I get it. My Clan will comply if I advise them, while…  

El:  

Exactly. Your Blondies will do as they’re told, while my Singers will agree and then wander off immediately. The Smarties will just argue with Finn, even if he’s saying something like ‘It’s a bad idea to jump off the top of the cliff and see how big a splash you make in the lake’.  

Finn (snorts):  

It’s mainly Moru, to be fair.  

Ingar (mildly):  

No it’s not. El’s right. There’s something in the make-up of [he snorts] the Clan of Smarties – that makes them difficult, like this. You, my friend, are the only being I know with any chance of getting them to see sense.  

Finn:  

Look, I appreciate the compliment, but [Looks pained] ‘Smarties’? Seriously?  

El:  

You can take the word as meaning Wise. Or Wise-A..  

Ingar (cuts him off):  

Let’s just leave it as ‘Wise’, shall we?   

[He’s manfully keeping a smirk from his face]  

Finn:  

Yeah, I know it can mean that but – let’s face it, it doesn’t. Not like this.  

El:  

I hate to point it out, but we’re getting off track. Firsts are blonds, Seconds are… ‘wise’, and Thirds are singers, fine, but what do we do to try to protect our people?  

(long pause)  

Finn:   

All we can do. We can’t force people to do anything, so we’ll each tell our people to stay in big groups and stay near the rest of us. There’s how many of us, now? Over a couple of thousand?  

Ingar:  

Half of which are children.  

Fin (grimaces): 

I know, but anything powerful enough to take people out from the entire group of us is powerful enough that there’s nothing we could do anyway.  

El:  

I think I see what you mean.   

(sighs)   

Herding Nelyar. This is going to be fun. 

Finn:  

We also get together groups with those sharpened sticks Moru came up with to fight those beasts.  

El:  

You don’t suppose…?  

Finn:  

- That it was those beasts again, only this time they were perfectly quiet and they took the bodies away without leaving any sign of trouble or even, you know, blood?  

El (shrugs):   

Fair point.  

Finn (musing):  

And it might be a way to get Moru onside. Stars only know – if he and I are pulling together in the same direction…  

El:  

Another one of your Clan will become a contrary pain to fill the gap in the order of the Universe?  

Finn nods, with a wry smile.   

Ingar: 

Nevertheless. We all have to do our best to keep our people safe.  

They start to disperse.  

Camera pulls back and high, high up. It sweeps west over the lake of Cuivenen and we see it’s but a bay – nearly enclosed – on a vast inland sea. Across the Sea, across forests, is a figure on horseback – a white horse.  

-- 

   

SCENE 4 

EXT. CUIVENEN 

It’s a little away from the centre of the settlement. Miri is dipping threads in various colours. She glance up at a commotion nearby.  

Female Elf (cradling a baby): 

Where’s Alya? Where’s Alya? Has anyone seen my boy? 

Miri (stands up and walks over): 

Alya? Little lad, about so high?    

[she holds her hand about waist height off the ground] 

Female Elf: 

Yes! Yes, that’s him. He was supposed to be back immediately – he went down to the water with his sister and she’s been back for a while now. She thought he was with his friends, but they’ve not seen him.  

[She’s looking very worried, but obviously unable to abandon the baby to search]  

Miri (reassuringly): 

I’m sure he’s just been diverted from there to here. I was just going down to the water myself. I’ll find Alya and bring him back.  

Female Elf (looking a little relieved): 

Oh, would you? Thanks, Miri.  

[She pauses, and says with a grin]  

I’m sure if Finn sees you with a child, he’ll notice- 

Miri (arching an eyebrow): 

He’ll notice what, precisely?  

Female Elf (with a knowing smile): 

Anything he should notice, I suppose.  

Miri (trying to look stern and failing): 

That’d be a first for Finn. If it’s not an argument to sort out, or a new invention to praise, it may as well be a rock.  

Female Elf: 

Well, if it’s an unusual rock, you know what you Seconds are like… 

Miri (waves her hand in a flicking motion): 

I can’t win, can I? 

[pauses] 

Then again, I do have a new invention, as it happens.  

Female Elf: 

Hah. See? Typical Smar- Wise One, right?  

Miri: 

[Gives her a Look.] 

Yes. Typical Smarwise. That’s me. I’ll be back with Alya before you know it. 

 

CUT TO EXT. WATERS EDGE 

[Miri looks puzzled. She’s talking urgently with a group of children. They’re pointing towards a darker area of the forest, out to one side. Miri shakes her head, wearily, sighs, and walks off into that area with a determined look] 

 

EXT: CUIVENEN, DEEP FOREST 

It’s darker here, the trees closer together. Miri is searching systematically. She’s calling Alya’s name in a low voice – as if not wanting to alert anything to her presence but still wanting to catch Alya’s attention. Camera close up – she’s looking scared, but persisting. 

Camera pulls away and upwards. We see, some distance forwards and left, a small golden-haired child looking lost. 

 

Camera pulls up even further. We can see a disturbance in the forest out beyond the child. Zooming in, it’s the Dark Huntsman 

 

EXT. CUIVENEN, WATER FRONT 

Finn nods at someone and trots over to a knot of people. Ingar is talking to them, turns and sees Finn  

Ingar: 

Ah, good. All the Minyar are close by now. No-one’s out in the forest on their own.  

Finn: 

Most of the Tatyar are pretty close by. Moru was surprisingly easy about it all. He’s fashioning more of his ‘spears’ and I’ve put him in charge of a couple dozen ‘Defenders’ 

Ingar (looks impressed): 

Got to be honest, that’s pretty good. Have you seen El? 

Finn: 

I last saw him heading over towards the cliffs. Nurweg had apparently taken a small group to try climbing. 

Ingar (winces): 

Again? 

Finn: 

And Lenn wanted to find the source of the third spring.   

[shrugs] 

At least Nowe’s kept his fishing crew close by. Ol and Elmo, however, are exactly where they’re supposed to be. 

Ingar (looks smug): 

I’m glad my Clan behave themselves.  

Finn (mutters): 

However few there are of them. 

Ingar (overhears): 

[mock glare] 

 

EXT: CUIVENEN, DEEP FOREST  

Cut back to the boy.  

Cut to Miri 

Cut back to the Dark Huntsman. He stands up in his stirrups, turns his head as if sniffing, and lets a cruel smile cross his face.  

 

EXT. CUIVENEN, WATER FRONT 

El is hurrying up to them, looking somewhere between harassed and resigned.  

El: 

I’ve got about six hundred of us accounted for. 

Ingar: 

That’s about as many as there are of Firsts and Seconds put together. Not bad going.  

El (gloomily):  

Just leaves about five hundred still anywhere. Up the cliff face, up stream, wandering about down the shore…  

Finn: 

It’s the first time we’ve tried this. People will get-  

[Another black-haired Tatya Elf runs up]  

Tatya Elf: 

Finn! Moru says to say while we were working out a way to attach cords to the spears, we seem to have come up with a way of propelling smaller spears really quickly. Mahtan thinks if we attach small-  

[Finn is diverted and starts talking assiduously. Ingar and El trade knowing glances.]  

El: 

I’ll go and see if I can send someone upstream and get hold of Lenn, then. 

 

EXT: CUIVENEN, DEEP FOREST  

Cut to Miri  

Cut to the boy. He’s starting to cry. He jumps as a hand falls on his shoulder and lets out a strangled cry. It’s Miri. She is trying to look reassuring and anxious at the same time, with varying degrees of success  

Miri (quietly): 

Alya – it’s Miri. I’m a friend of your mother  

Alya: 

(nods)  

Miri: 

Let’s get back home, right?  

Cut to Dark Huntsman. He can just see them through the trees. He walks his horse towards them  

The scene darkens, like in the pre-credits scene. Twisting effect again 

Miri looks downright scared and holds the boy protectively 

The Dark Huntsman nears; he’s just beyond the last screen of low trees 

A loud horn sounds. SFX – shimmering light in the sky  

Dark Huntsman (scowls): 

Oromë. No.    

[he pauses]  

I will not take on one of the Aratar.  

[he winces. Pauses again, and shakes his head] 

I will tell the Master.  

[He turns his horse and gallops off] 

 

EXT. CUIVENEN, WATER’S EDGE   

El sprints back out of the forest edge. Ingar and Finn are looking in disbelief towards the source of the noise – to the north. There’s a blur of white light. It’s a tall figure on a huge white horse.  

Tatya Elf: 

It’s the Dark Rider! Someone get Moru and his… 

Finn (calmly): 

Not very dark, really, to be fair.  

[Some Elves are running into the forest. Less than a third of them, however – the rest are coming up behind Finn, El, and Ingar. The three of them glance behind them at the Elves relying on them.  

Ingar (very softly): 

Looks like we’re up. 

Finn (also softly): 

If he’s powerful enough to take us out from here, there’s not much we can do, so…  

El (just as softly): 

… So we assume he’s not here for that, right?  

[They square their shoulders and step forwards. The figure on the horse is looking at them with an expression of wonder.]  

Ingar: 

Hello! Who are you?  

Finn: 

And what do you want?  

El (winces, and in a lower voice, almost an aside): 

If you don’t mind. 

Oromë: 

[Tilts his head, as if listening behind the words. He nods and stares at them. His voice comes straight into their minds (everyone’s minds) without his lips moving] 

I am Oromë. For that is my name.  

Finn (muttering): 

At least he’s polite, if he is intending to seize us.    

[His volume increases to normal]  

Thank you. And what was it you wanted?  

Oromë: 

[Laughs in delight] 

You! All of you!  

El (murmuring): 

Oh dear.    

Oromë: 

I mean – we have been waiting for you – you, the Children of Eru. I am one of the Powers of the World – the Valar. The World exists for you. We exist to protect and teach you – and we have been waiting for you for Ages out of mind.  

[He laughs again and his voice rises to a roar]  

The Children are here! Oh my Father, the Children are here! This is wonderful!  

[He lifts his horn to his mouth and blows. The sound rings out – pure and loud. Ingar, Finn, and El wince – they’re rather close to it] 

 

EXT. CUIVENEN, DEEP FOREST 

The Dark Rider redoubles his speed as he gallops northwards. 

END OF PART TWO

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Chapter End Notes

Finn: Finwe

Ingar: Ingwe

El; Elwe

Miri: Miriel

Nurweg: Nurwe (here imagined as one of the Nelyar)

Moru: Morwe (here imagined as one of the Tatyar)

Blondies - Fair haired ones - Vanyar

Smarties - Wise ones - Noldor

Singers - Lindar