At the end of the third age Middle-Earth was a land oppressed by shadow.
The people of the north Kingdom were scattered, the descendants of Kings forgotten
reduced to Rangers wandering in the wild.
But the darkness of Mordor was soon to spread over all lands
and set great and terrible events in motion.
For the lost Ring of Power had re-awoken,
its evil master Sauron was seeking it.
The One Ring to rule them all.
For five hundred years it had remained out of his sight and beyond his reach...
but there was another who also sought the Ring.
A creature who had long treasured it deep under the mountains
and been consumed by its evil.
His heart was tortured with longing for what he had lost
and with hatred for the thief who took it:
Bilbo Baggins
The Rangers have doubled their watch as you instructed.
Is it still safe?
Yes,
for the time being.
The enemy does not yet know that the Ring has been found.
That is well.
The matter is more complicated.
I have made a grave error,
I overlooked something important,
something dangerous.
It concerns the former owner of the Ring.
Gollum.
How he came by it, I do not know
but he's murderously protective of it;
and now, he has left his cave, his mind bent on recovering it.
Gollum knows, doesn't he Gandalf?
He knows the location of the Ring?
Yes.
Unfortunately our secret is no longer safe,
the foolish Hobbit revealed his name.
It should have been destroyed.
But it was not.
I will go.
I will find him.
Thank you Aragorn.
The road will not be easy,
but you have the foresight of your people.
If you can't find him...
no one can.
Elendil.
Forefather.
The future is hidden from me.
Give me strength when the time comes.
You are the heir of Elendil.
My friend, battle is coming.
Middle-Earth cannot long withstand the power that now rises in the East.
We are on the eve of a new age
for which there may be no dawn.
Who knows whither he has crawled these long years past?
And how so small a creature has come to risk the hopes of so many?
Your name and your purpose.
I'm a Ranger of Arnor. I swear allegiance to the Seven Stars and Seven Stones...
And the one White Tree.
You're a long way from Arnor, Ranger
and you speak the password of the Dunedain, yet I know you not.
I'm Arithir, son of Argonathen
sent to gather news of the East
Then we are kinsmen from afar.
I'm Strider.
I have heard your name...
friend.
These lands will not be safe much longer
raiding Orcs prowl the shores of Anduin, plundering the villages by night
soon they will even be this side of the mountains.
The servants of the enemy multiply as his strength increases
alas, there are now so few of our kin.
What of your journey?
I track a creature;
a spy of sorts,
small in size,
yet cunning.
I have seen new breeds of Orc but
they grow larger and stronger, not smaller.
This is no Orc.
Its tracks are like those of a Hobbit.
It must not fall into the wrong hands.
This may be of no use but...
I have heard rumours,
whisperings of a nameless fear.
In the outlying villages they speak of a ghost that drinks blood,
a horror that lurks in the trees snatching a sleeping child from a cot,
a fresh fish from an open window.
The villagers lock their doors tight against the dark.
Where did you hear this?
In Ithilien
but I've also heard rumours as far as the borders of Mirkwood.
Oi!
If you ask me it's a false alarm,
there ain't no tracks and there ain't no man-warrior at all.
Goblok says there's trouble
so look out or you'll get what's coming to ya.
Goblok!
Goblok's just meat from the mines,
big and stupid.
We should be preparing for the war.
Forget this stinking raid.
Look out for Goblok, he ain't just meat.
Meat. I want fresh meat.
My guts are howling I'm so hungry.
There's something tasty about,
I can smell it.
We'll get ourselves a nice juicy villager,
now stop your moaning or I'll ring your neck, ya scrawny rat.
I'd like to see you try.
You big dumb knuckle-heads are all the same:
all nose and no intelligence.
Enough!
Nice try.
Now back off!
What was that?
I told you there was something.
Quiet, you fool!
Dabgash!
This land does not belong to you.
My Precious.
Stop!
We have our orders.
Find him.
Bring him to me.
Right away, Goblok.
Be still. You will not escape.
Do you understand,
Gollum?
It knows our nameses.
Yes, I know your name.
You're coming with me
to the North.
We'll put out it's eyes!
We'll ring it's filthy neckses!
We wouldn't hurt a fly,
we promises we'll be very nice.
Let us out
Let us out!
Gollum, you need to answer me truthfully.
I know you were looking for something.
No, it doesn't.
Something you lost.
No!
A ring.
Precious...
sshhhhhh!
I will not hurt you.
I give you my word.
Keep precious word, Precious.
Then you're staying in the sack.
No! Nooo!
Let us out!
Nobody sees. Nobody sees. Nobody sees.
Taller than trees trees trees. Everywhere trees...
What?
What does it want with us, Precious?
He wants it.
Our birthday present.
We doesn't have it.
Baggins has it.
Sshhhh!
He wants to know.
No,
he'll hurt us.
Listen!
We won't tell him anything.
Besides, my precious,
he won't get far.
We're thirsty.
We rest later.
He's not looking.
Go! Go precious!
We're not alone.
Arwen.
You are the heir of Elendil,
you have the strength of your forefathers
and...
you have my heart.
Come down Gollum!
It's coming,
it's here!
Come with me,
we have your creature.
Precious!
Shire! The Shire!
Baggins!
What did you learn, Gandalf?
The creature is... pitiful... wretched.
But I now know how the Ring came to him.
He possessed it long; many lives of his small kind.
There's no possible doubt.
He made his slow sneaking way, mile by mile, step by step, South
down at last to Mordor.
So the Shire is at the forefront of our enemy's thoughts.
We must protect it.
Gandalf, riders in black have crossed the river;
I fear the Nine have returned.
Then the Ring must leave the Shire.
I must go at once.
A shadow of the past once more returns,
nevertheless, by Gollum's capture, we know the enemy's next move.
Frodo must be protected at all costs.
Send the Hobbit to Bree;
I shall watch over the Ring until you return.
Very well.
And Gollum?
Gollum's wretchedness is beyond our help;
he will never be free.
What had it got in its pocketses?
It wouldn't say precious. Nooo...
No. Tricksy, it was.
Little cheat!
We should have squeeeezed it!
And we will precious...
We will.