For two seasons The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power fans have watched as romantic tension has built between Miriel and Elendil as they skillfully and carefully navigate the political challenges of Númenor.
Although it has never been explicitly stated, the potential for romance has seen fans begin to ship the pair, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays Miriel, the Queen-Regent of Númenor, is on board as well.
© Courtesy of Prime Video'There's a love there'
"I don't get to necessarily dictate those things, but there's clearly a love there [between them], which I think is actually really beautiful because it can transcend things that may feel a bit more straightforward with a label on it," Cynthia tells HELLO!
"It's often much more complicated than that and I'm sure there will be some interesting things to keep track of in terms of 'Where do we see the dynamic between those two moving forward?'"
© Ben Rothstein / Prime VideoCynthia continued: "What I think is always wonderful – especially in this day and age of audience participation – is myself and Lloyd Owen [who plays Elendil] are well aware of the shipping, and we love it.
"It's a testament to an audience being invested in the
fate of characters that they love and admire."
© Courtesy of Prime VideoSeason three time jump
Season three of Rings of Power will feature a time jump after season two ended with Elendil's family being forced to flee Numenor. Miriel was blamed for the political uprising and became a prisoner, while Pharazon, a powerful Númenorean, declared Elendil and the Faithful as traitors, and seized control.
Production is just beginning on season three, and Cynthia, who will next be seen on the big screen in The Accountant 2, shared her hopes for Miriel's future.
Númenor's tragic fate
"For people who are familiar with the lore, Númenor has a tragic fate and so I would want for Miriel to be able to have a sense of her conviction, in between what we've seen so far and where Númenor ends up," she says.
"I trust that our showrunners and the creative team are cooking up some interesting things, and for me personally, the series has already been going on five years of my life and it's been a really beautiful period to spend time with a character for that length of time. It'll be really interesting to step back into her shoes soon enough."
© Ben Rothstein / Prime VideoJ.R.R Tolkien's Middle-earth
Rings of Power is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, and primarily uses material from the appendices of the The Lord of the Rings novel.
Set thousands of years before that story, and the early-2000s trilogy of films that reignited a love for the story, it tells the story of Middle-earth's Second Age, when the Rings were created and Sauron rose to power.
Although the appendices make it clear the events happened over thousands of years, the TV show condensed the events into a tighter timeline, and introduced new characters, including Miriel.
