Danger: Feanorian Fanatics Ahead. (Alison, if you're reading, sorry, but there was no room to put you in
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Scene 25: Tirion
[Fingolfin is standing in a street. People are rushing past him, all going in the same direction. All are carrying torches. Eventually, Finarfin walks past and Fingolfin grabs him by the arm]
Finarfin: Fingolfin!
Fingolfin: Finarfin. Where is everybody <I>going</I>? I'm supposed to be king here, but no one's even looking at me when I ask them.
Finarfin: You haven't heard?
[Fingolfin shakes his head slowly]
Finarfin: It's Fëanor. He's come back to the city and called everyone to a meeting in the Square.
Fingolfin: He's… what? Have the Valar lifted the banishment, then?
Finarfin: Not as far as I know.
Fingolfin: I think we should see what he has to say… where are your children?
[Finarfin grins sardonically]
Finarfin: The same place as yours, I would imagine – up in the square, waiting for our brother to speak.
[Fingolfin looks surprised]
Fingolfin: Did <I>everyone</I> know about this before me?
Finarfin: It does seem that way. Come along, Fingolfin, we don't want to miss any of this.
[Finarfin drags Fingolfin out into the street and up the hill. The camera follows them, then rushes ahead up towards the square. The torches blur into a continuous stream of light, and then the viewpoint comes out from between two buildings into the square below the Mindon Eldaliéva, filled with elves, all of them holding torches. The viewpoint moves upwards, to a point where the whole of Tirion is in the shot, covered in snakes of torchlight.
Scene 26: The Square Below The Mindon Eldaliéva
[The camera moves back down to Fëanor, standing at the foot of the Mindon, on the steps, a little above the rest of the crowd. The sons of Fëanor are at the foot of the steps, in the crowd]
Fëanor: People of the Noldor, hear me!
[The entire crowd goes silent]
Fëanor: The High King of the Noldor is slain!
[Gasps from the crowd]
Fëanor: Yea, by the treachery of Melkor Morgoth he is slain, and I claim the kingship of my father's people! Wilt thou have me?
[Cheers from the crowd]
Fëanor: Then I vow to you that I will avenge Finwë's death, if I give my life to do so!
[More cheers, but uncertain. The camera pans out over the entire crowd to the back, where Fingolfin and Finarfin are standing]
Fingolfin: How can he do that? Hasn't Melkor gone back to Middle-earth?
[Finarfin shrugs. Camera snaps back to Fëanor]
Fëanor: Why, my people, should we longer serve the jealous Valar, who cannot keep us, nor even their own realm, secure from their Enemy? If, indeed, he <I>is</I> their enemy. For though they call him foe, are not they and he of one kin? [He shakes his head] Vengeance bids me follow Morgoth, but even were it otherwise I would not dwell longer in this land with the kin of my father's murderer, and of the thief of my treasure. Yet I am not the only valiant in this valiant people! I ask you, Noldor, have you not lost your king? Do you not desire vengeance?
[Crys of 'Yes!' from the entire crowd. Snap back to Fingolfin and Finarfin]
Finarfin: He's good at this. He's got their blood moving. I fear… Fingolfin?
[Fingolfin is staring towards Fëanor with gritted teeth, his hand on his sword hilt. Snap back to Fëanor]
Fëanor: [No longer shouting, but still loud enough to be heard by all the crowd] And what <I>else</I> have you lost, cooped up here in a narrow land between the mountains and the sea? Here, once, was light, that Middle-earth lacks, but now, now darkness levels all. Shall we mourn here deedless forever, a shadow-folk, mist-haunting, dropping vain tears in the thankless sea? Or shall we return to our home?
[Shot of Cuiviénen, as it was in the Awakening in the prologue]
Fëanor: [VO] In Cuiviénen sweet ran the waters under unclouded skies, and wide lands lay about, where a free people might walk.
[Snap back to Tirion]
Fëanor: There they lie still! They await us, who in our folly forsook them. Come away! Let the <I>cowards</I> keep this city!
[Snap back to Fingolfin and Finarfin]
Finarfin: I think I'd prefer to be a coward than follow him.
Fingolfin: [Angry] Would that I had not called him brother! Would that I could slay him now!
[Finarfin grabs Fingolfin's arm, and Fingolfin looks at him]
Finarfin: No blood, Fingolfin. Blood cannot serve here. Did not father give the kingship to <I>you</I>?
[Fingolfin nods reluctantly, reaching up with his free hand to touch the crown]
Finarfin: Then be a true king to this people. Sway them from this destructive path Fëanor will set them on.
[Fingolfin nods again. Snap back to Fëanor]
Fëanor: Too long have the Valar held us here in thrall, that they may supplant us in our Iluvatar-given homeland with <I>Mortals</I>. The existence of these Secondborn, these weak Aftercomers, these <I>Edain</I>, they have kept secret from us, that we would never doubt that they kept us here for our own good. No more! Who will join me in reclaiming our homeland?
[Cheers from the crowd again]
Fëanor: Fair shall the end be, though long and hard shall be the road! Say farewell to bondage! [Cheers from the crowd] Say farewell to oppression! [More cheers. Fëanor quietens again] But say farewell also to <I>ease</I>, for the Valar will no longer be there to show us the easy path, to hold our hands – as though we were <I>children</I>. Will you regret this freedom?
[Cries of 'No!' from the crowd. Snap back to Fingolfin and Finarfin]
Finarfin: Oh, they will. The first time one of their relatives dies, shivering in the chill of winter, they'll regret it.
Fingolfin: Or in the heat of battle. Does he honestly think we can beat Melkor?
[Finarfin gives him a look]
Finarfin: If you have to ask that, you don't know Fëanor well enough.
[Snap back to Fëanor]
Fëanor: Say farewell to the weak! Say farewell to your treasures – more still shall we make! Journey light, but bring with you your swords! For we will go further than Oromë, endure longer than Tulkas, and we will <I>never</I> turn back from pursuit.
[Fëanor draws his sword and stabs it, glittering in the torchlight, towards the dark sky]
Fëanor: After Morgoth to the ends of the Earth!
[Deafening cry from the crowd. Many of them draw their own swords]
Fëanor: War he shall have, and hatred undying! And we will defeat him! We will conquer! We will regain the Silmarils, and then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and beauty of Arda. No other race shall oust us!
[Caranthir leaps up onto the steps beside his father, sword flickering red]
Caranthir: Be he elf, or orc, or demon foul of Morgoth Bauglir…<br>[Celegorm and Curufin leap up to join him]
Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin: Be he Mortal dark that in after days on Earth shall dwell…<br>[Amrod and Amras step up to join them]
Caranthir, Celegorm, Curufin, Amrod, Amras: Shall no law, nor love, nor league of swords…<br>[Maedhros steps up to join them]
Sons of Fëanor except Maglor: No might, nor mercy…<br>[Maglor joins in from the crowd]
Sons of Fëanor: Not moveless fate, defend him forever from the fierce vengeance of the Sons of Fëanor, whoso seize, or steal, or finding keep the fair enchanted globes of crystal whose glory dies not, the Silmarils. We have sworn forever!
Amrod: In Eru's name we swear!
Amras: The Everlasting Dark be upon us if we keep not our oath!
Caranthir: Manwë and Varda we name in witness, on their hallowed mountain of Taniquetil!
Sons of Fëanor: The Silmarils are ours until the end of Time!
[Pan out over the crowd, who are silent in shock after this Oath. Pan down to Fingolfin and Finarfin. Fingolfin is seething with rage]
Fingolfin: Those <I>idiots</I>! What do they think they're doing?
Finarfin: Fingolfin… please be calm…<br>Fingolfin: No! [He draws his sword] I'm going to tell them <I>exactly</I> what they've done!
[Fingolfin rushes off into the crowd, actually pushing elves aside in his haste to get to the steps of the Mindon. Finarfin hesitates for a moment, and then follows, slower, not pushing. The camera follows him. Halfway there, he almost walks into Orodreth]
Finarfin: Orodreth!
Orodreth: Father! There you are! Uncle Fingolfin came through with his sword-
Finarfin: I know. He's going to yell at Fëanor. I don't think it'll help.
[Finarfin looks around for a moment]
Finarfin: Where are your brothers, and your sister?
Orodreth: Angrod and Aegnor are with Fingon, as usual. They were cheering along with everyone, and I believe they went to join Fëanor. Finrod was with me, but he and Cousin Turgon ran off after Fingolfin.
Finarfin: And Artanis?
[Orodreth shrugs]
Orodreth: You know as well as I that we can never find her. I fear will support Fëanor, though – you know how she is.
[Finarfin nods gloomily]
Finarfin: Aye, that I do. Will you come with me to the Mindon, so that together we might bring some calm into what I fear could become a violent affair?
Orodreth: As ever, Father, I will go with you.
[The two elves move off into the crowd again. Snap to]
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Wooo... I'm expecting a lot of criticism on this one. It is, after all,
the major speech of the entire Silmarillion. So...?
And yes, there will be more to that scene, sadly. I just thought it best to put it up right after the Oath so I could rewrite if needed.