The Silmarillion TV Series by AndyC

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Season 1, Episode 1, Part 6

The final part of the feature-length series opening

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PART SIX

 

SCENE ELEVEN

 

INT. UTUMNO, CAVERNS

 

[The camera moves through tunnel after tunnel, cavern after cavern as they are burst open and unroofed by a host of Maiar.

 

It dives downwards, to another level, where there are yet more Maiar ripping Utumno apart. And down to another level, and another – and then a long, deep, dive, to a quiet level – apart from the distant booms and slight shaking].

 

INT. UTUMNO

 

Neru (whispering):

 

What – what’s happened?

 

[No-one answers. The camera pans around to show Carmo huddled and unmoving nearby, Gorkh pacing up and down, and hundreds of other forms – large and small, some no larger than babies - huddled in fear]

 

[The booms continue for a while as they stare in fear, before the noise dying away]

 

CUT TO

 

EXT. VALINOR, THE RING OF DOOM

 

[Melkor lies bound with a chain of peculiar metal – it looks variously red or green under differing light – and blindfolded.

 

He lies on his face, grovelling]

 

Melkor:

 

Manwë – my brother – give me mercy.

 

Mandos:

 

Why should any give you mercy when you yourself gave it to none.

 

Tulkas:

 

Better that you should be killed – if it were possible. But you would just take another form.

 

[Manwë remains silent]

 

Melkor:

 

I only wanted to create. You must be able to understand that! I was wrong – I know that now.

 

Oromë:

 

A convenient and timely realisation.

 

Melkor:

 

I was coming to understand it over the past Ages, I think, when all I tried to create turned awry. I started to realise it – and denied it in my anger – when I began to try to destroy what others had been making.

 

Varda:

 

This realisation has been building for a very long time, then.

 

Melkor (wincing):

 

I am your brother, Manwë, and you have to be able to understand me – to understand the drive to create something in this Realm. I thought – I thought you were getting it wrong. You were building Arda too slowly and in such a way as it would take too long to mature.

 

Aulë:

 

That is colossal hubris.

 

Melkor (humbly):

 

I have realised that. It became a flash of understanding when Manwë confronted me in Utumno and we realised how much I had dwindled. You see – I dwindled because I had been wrong.

 

Nienna:

 

It is welcome that you can say that, my older brother. Accepting you were wrong is the first step to repairing your damage.

 

Melkor:

 

Nienna? My sister? Thank you. You are wise, and merciful.

 

Nienna:

 

We must grant mercy where we can, or else we fall into the same trap as did Melkor. Without mercy, we cannot rebuild trust and work to reduce the Marring of Arda.

 

Tulkas:

 

The Marring that Melkor did.

 

Nienna:

 

Even so.

 

Melkor:

 

Without me, the building of Arda would be incomplete – I have a role even as do you all. I was given power to help the shaping of Arda. I misused it – I know that now, and I can do no other than beg for mercy. But extremes are needful, else the World becomes tame and boring. I was not wrong there. Consider the snowflake: water from Ulmo, air from Manwë – and uttermost cold from me, making unique beauty. Beauty that would not exist without me.

 

Oromë:

 

The cruelty you have shown and the need to possess all that is – you cannot excuse that.

 

Melkor:

 

My need to possess – as I have said, that was down to my arrogance in believing you were all wrong and only I could be right. I wanted to show you all the beauty of what I could create!.

 

 Yet I realised in that flash of understanding that I was wrong – I had to be wrong, else I would not have fallen in my power so far.

 

Ulmo:

 

I can almost believe you in that – your power was ever precious to you, and losing power could affect you greatly.

 

Melkor:

 

My power was precious in so much as what I could create with it. Which meant losing it in my failed attempts showed how wrong I must have been.

 

Oromë:

 

Yet this does not begin to cover your crimes against the Children.

 

Melkor:

 

The Children? But – that was not me!

 

Aulë:

 

You cannot expect us to credit that!

 

Melkor:

 

I – I can only beg you to believe me. It was He who was once Mairon! He found them and brought one to me. He was trying to corrupt and taint them, but I told him we could not. They are separate, independent minds from us, and a separate creation of The One. They are the point of this creation.

 

He could not understand that. He did not see. Perhaps this was my greatest failure – I had twisted him to the point where all he could see was tools. I do not understand – his entire desire had always been to create order – order to benefit the Children and all who dwell in Arda. Why, then, would he see them only as things to be used?

 

Nienna:

 

It is a trait of those who fall from their path and give up what they know to be right for immediate convenience.

 

Melkor:

 

You must be right. So – I sent him away. I ordered him to leave them alone and return the poor one he had seized. I learned – much later – he had ignored me and continued. He had hunted them for many Years of the Trees, and seized many of them. I fear they all died in his experiments.

 

When I learned that, I ordered him to come to me; I was to confront him, but he fled. He went west – I had wondered if he was to return to you, but surely Manwë would not abide his crimes against the Children?

 

Tulkas:

 

Indeed he would not!

 

Melkor:

 

He made a citadel of his own in the North West, and drew away some of those who served me. I was pondering what to do with him, when I heard you had attacked him, resolving the problem.

 

Oromë:

 

That must have been the citadel we fought against shortly after crossing the Helcaraxë.

 

Melkor:

 

Indeed. Did you capture him as well?

 

Oromë:

 

No. He fled.

 

Melkor:

 

Ah. In any case, he must have lost almost all his forces and will be all but powerless now.

 

[Another pause as the Valar look at each other]

 

I beg you – let me but take my place among you – as the least of the Valar – and I will dedicate myself to undoing the harm I have done!

 

Tulkas:

 

You must think us fools!

 

Nienna:

 

We must allow for the possibility of redemption. None can ever fall so far they can not come back to the Light.

 

Oromë:

 

I misdoubt both his claim and his sincerity.

 

[They all turn to look at Manwë]

 

[At long last, Manwë speaks]

 

Manwë:

 

I have heard the argument and I do not deny our kinship – yet your crimes are vast and unimaginable. But we cannot deny mercy and redemption where the hope for such remains. I also have doubts for your sincerity, my brother, and I feel the time that has passed since your claimed realisation is insufficient to make it solid. So this is the Judgement of Manwë:

 

[He rises]

 

You will be taken from here and locked in the fastnesses and deepest halls of Mandos, where the Dead of the Elves will come to be held and healed and none may ever escape – not even you. There you will reflect on your crimes and your possible redemption.

 

Melkor:

 

Is this sentence eternal? For I do not see the mercy in that.

 

Manwë:

 

No. You will be held for three Ages of the Trees, after which time you may once more sue for pardon. Then we will judge you again and see if your repentance is sincere.

 

Mandos:

 

So it is doomed.

 

--

 

 

 

SCENE TWELVE

 

EXT. CUIVENEN, WATER’S EDGE

 

[The camera looks down at the various knots of Elves wandering and talking, before homing in towards Finn talking with Moru. As it goes, we hear a voiceover of the Valar in Conclave once more]

 

V/O Oromë:

 

And what of the Elves?

 

V/O Aulë:

 

Should they not be invited here? We have waited through Ages out of time for them – to teach, to protect, to guide, and to be with.

 

V/O Lorien:

 

But what do they most desire and dream of?

 

Finn:

 

They’ve gone. It’s all stopped and the guards have gone.

 

Moru:

 

About time.

 

Finn (holding back annoyance):

 

You can freely go to the Red Springs now.

 

Moru:

 

I don’t think I want to right now.

 

Finn:

 

Fine. Well, you can go when you do want. They’ve all gone now.

 

Moru:

 

Hopefully we’ll never see them again

 

Finn:

 

What?

 

Moru:

 

We don’t need them. They had to come here to prevent one of their own from hurting us. He’s gone. With any luck, so are all of the others.

 

[Finn looks to remonstrate, but Moru stalks off. The camera pulls up and we see Miri walking towards Finn, holding something]

 

V/O Ulmo:

 

The Children should be left to dwell where and as they choose.

 

V/O Oromë:

 

But Middle-Earth is still full of danger and many of Melkor’s servants yet roam.

 

Miri:

 

Finn – I have something for you. You’ve led our people through a time of fear, and I thought I could make you something from my new embroidery.

 

Finn (smiling politely – but his smile becomes impressed and genuine as she shakes it out):

 

You didn’t have to, Miri, but I’m – well. I truly am very grateful.

 

[He lifts it up – it’s a dark grey tunic with an image embroidered on it – a golden star-circle covering the centre of the chest, golden rays stabbing out all around]

 

Miri (starting out a bit tentative, but gaining confidence):

 

I saw one of the greater flashes of light during the War in the north and it looked to me like a star – but larger and brighter and golden. It only lasted for an instant, but it was directly over your head – from where I was standing. It stayed in my eyes for a long moment after it faded; I was blinking for a while.

 

Finn (almost absently as he admires the tunic):

 

I know what you mean – some of the images took a very long time to leave the eyes.

 

[The camera pulls up again. We see El walking towards the two of them. He pauses and his lips twitch into a smile; he waits until Miri smiles and excuses herself]

 

V/O Ulmo:

 

I feel it would be an error to bring them here. We should trust in their gifts of skill to order the lands and heal their hurts

 

V/O Aulë:

 

Then for what reason are we here at all? We should, of course, let them freely choose where they go, but if they were to come here, they would be free from the mischances of Middle-Earth, free from the roaming creatures of Melkor, and they could advance and learn far faster than otherwise. We cannot exclude them from the Light of the Trees.

 

V/O Nessa:

 

Can we celebrate and dance and feast alone, when the Children of Iluvatar do not?

 

V/O Lorien:

 

They may prefer to remain under the stars and restful shadow in Middle-Earth.

 

V/O Yavanna:

 

There is so much they can learn from us – would it not be wrong to refuse to teach them? As my husband says – why else are we even here?

 

[El is now talking with Finn]

 

El:

 

Now that is an impressive tunic, my friend. But I think you’ve earned it – keeping Moru and the discontented in line.

 

Finn (waves it off):

 

If anything, you’ve done better than me. Not even Nurweg caused any problems with your Clan, and your Clan is larger than mine and Ingar’s put together.

 

El:

 

Sometimes it works out. With a Clan as large as mine, you have more groups within it, and those groups have their own leaders. You can get support from those to help keep others calm. With my brothers, with Oro, and with Nowe all on side, keeping Nurweg and Lenn calm was easy enough.

 

[The camera pulls back until it’s high above. You can see the shoreline, the Cascades, the low cliff, the springs, multiple clearings off the main clearing, well-made huts, groups of Elves working, or relaxing, or exploring. The smoke from multiple controlled fires – and from one or two that look like rudimentary forges]

 

V/O Oromë:

 

Surely we should not stand back and remain safe, content, and luxurious in our safe gardens and fields while the Eldar are abandoned in Middle-Earth?

 

V/O Ulmo:

 

Say not ‘abandoned’, but rather ‘free to roam as they choose’

 

[We see Moru return to upbraid Finn, but we do not hear what he says. El steps back, but is confronted, almost apoplogetically by Nurweg and Lenn.]

 

V/O Manwë:

 

We cannot and will not constrain any. But we can and will offer them a place with us. This is not a pleasaunce or a walled garden and we are here to guide and help. Oromë will return to Cuivenen, there to summon them to dwell with us in Valinor if they should choose.

 

[As the camera recedes still further and higher away. We catch Moru storming off again]

 

V/O Mandos:

 

So it is doomed.

 

 

 

 

 

END OF EPISODE 1