The interlocution

Gandalf talks to Elrond

Sam:

(packs) Now what have I forgotten?

Frodo:

Packed already?

Sam:

Doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Frodo:

I thought you wanted to see the elves, Sam.

Sam:

I do.

Frodo:

More than anything.

Sam:

I did, but... we did what we set off to do, didn't we? We got the ring this far, to Rivendell, and seeing as how you're on the mend, I thought we'd be off soon. Off home.

Frodo:

You're right, Sam. We did what Gandalf wanted. The Ring will be safe in Rivendell. I am ready to go home.

­­Gandalf and Elrond are watching Frodo and Sam.­­

Elrond:

His strength returns.

Gandalf:

That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it for the rest of his life.

Elrond:

Yet to have come so far still bearing the ring, the hobbit has shown remarkable resilience to its evil.

Gandalf:

It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo.

Elrond:

Gandalf, the Enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East. The Eye is fixed on Rivendell. Now you tell me Saruman has betrayed us. The list of our allies grows thin.

Gandalf:

His treachery goes deeper than you know. At Falcraft, Saruman has crossed orcs with goblin men. He is breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight, and travel great distances at speed. Saruman is coming for the ring.

Elrond:

This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the elves. We do not have the strength to stand against Mordor and Isengard both. The ring cannot stay here.

­­Boromir arrives, and Legolas, and a group of dwarves.­­

Elrond:

This peril belongs to all Middle-Earth, and they must decide now how to end it. The age of elves is over. My people are leaving these shores. Who will you turn to once we are gone? The dwarves hide in their mountains seeking riches and care not for the troubles of others.

Gandalf:

We must place our hope in men.

Elrond:

Men! The race of men is weak, failing. The blood of Numenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of men that the Ring survives. I was there, three thousand years ago, when Isildur took the ring. I was there when the strength of men failed.

Isildur (retrospect):

takes the Ring

Elrond (retrospect):

Follow me!

Elrond:

I led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where it was forged, the one place it could be destroyed.

Elrond (retrospect):

Throw it in the fire! Destroy it!

Isildur (retrospect):

No.

Elrond (retrospect):

Isildur!

Elrond:

It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure. Isildur kept the Ring. The line of Kings is broken. There is no strength left in the world of men. They are scattered, divided, leaderless.

Gandalf:

There is one who could unite them. Who could reclaim the throne of Gondor.

Elrond:

He turned from that path long ago. He has chosen exile.