There are several relationships within theRings of Powerseries that are beginning to come to fruition after the release of the sixth episode. One such relationship is that between Arondir andBronwyn, the hero of the Southlands, who finally shared their first kiss. But a particularly poignant moment passed between Galadriel and Halbrand after the battle in which they defeated and captured Adar. This scene has left fans wondering if their alliance could possibly blossom into romance. Had the circumstances under which they had found one another been different, could it have been a love that stood the test of the ages?
Fans know from the laterLord of the RingsandThe Hobbittales, that Galadriel eventually finds, falls in love with, and marries Celeborn, the elf who accompanies her down the stairs when the fellowship first arrives in Lothlorien. Therefore, it is clear that Galadriel and Halbrand don’t end up together, at least not for the long term. It makes sense, considering that she is an immortal elf, and he is a human. There have been very rare examples across the ages of an Elf-maiden and a man pledging themselves to one another, starting in the fabled ancestry ofBeren and Luthien, and ending thousands of years later with Arwen and Aragorn. However, viewers already know that this will not be one such relationship. Nonetheless, it has become increasingly clear over the last few episodes of the Amazon series that there is a strong bond between Galadriel and Halbrand. This bond may have turned into insurmountable love for one another, had they not been destined for different paths.
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The latest episode ofRings of Powerwas explosive in many ways. It featured the crescendo of the Numenoreans finally arriving in Middle Earth, the attack of the orcs onthe people of the Southland, and the eruption ofMount Doom which finally brought Mordor to the world. And in a desperate attempt to foil the enemy, and prevent them from inserting the weapon of Sauron into the keyhole that released the flood, Galadriel and Halbrand undertook a breathtaking pursuit of Adar through the forest. The scene felt reminiscent of Arwen’s race tothe Ford of Bruinenwhen the ring-wraiths were after Frodo. Galadriel even echoes the same iconic command to her horse that Arwen used: “Noro Lim,” meaning run swiftly.
When the elf and the future king capture Adar, Halbrand is instantly tempted to take his life. There is some mysterious past trauma that happened between them, which ledthe future kingto do some terrible things. He has been running from them ever since. In a cruel, almost jeering fashion, Adar asks him:“Did I cause someone you love pain? A woman? Perhaps a child?”
But Galadriel steps in and stops Halbrand from killing Adar. Halbrand listens to Galadriel, despite all the heartaches he has clearly suffered at the dark elf’s hands. This shows that there is more between the two than comradeship. There is a kinship between them, and they can relate to each other in a way that none of the other characters can. There is a suggestion here that Halbrand once had a family, perhaps a wife and children whom he dearly loved, but that they were taken from him, and it has haunted him ever since.
Galadriel later tells Halbrand,“Whatever it was he did to you, whatever it was you did, be free of it.”They share a glance that communicates a longing there, a feeling that they can’t quite put into words, and Halbrand responds:
“I never believed I could be. Until today. Fighting at your side, I felt, if I could just hold on to that feeling… Keep it with me always, bind it to my very being, then I…”
Galadriel admits that she felt it too. In the pause that comes after it, it is clear that there are a million things they want to say to each other. Perhaps if they had seized the moment, they might have found love with each other that no test could break. Unfortunately,Isildur’s friend Valandilcomes to find them and tell them that the Queen has summoned Halbrand. His arrival interrupts the spell, and the moment passes.
There is so much left unsaid, but Halbrand and Galadriel both seem to have reached the same conclusion by the end of the conversation. They feel a need to be near each other, and their relationship is taking an unexpected turn. It is unclear at which point in the future Galadriel will meet Celeborn, the one to whom she is destined to bind herself. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that she and Halbrand won’t share some more intimate moments before that fated day arrives.
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