It’s probably safe to say that out of the many new developments unfolding in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season, few viewers anticipated the romantic turn Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and Míriel’s (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) relationship has taken. But although their love story (and its endearing nature) is a surprise, considering their circumstances and life experiences, perhaps their evolving bond isn’t actually that unlikely. What is certain? When it comes to Season 2’s romantic entanglements, Elendil and Míriel have emerged as Season 2’s stand-out couple. Disa (Sophia Nomvete) and Durin (Owain Arthur) define marriage goals, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) fulfill Middle-earth’s tragedy quota, and the ambiguous yet heavy-hitting chemistry between Sauron (Charlie Vickers) and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) ensures their iron grip over the “best toxic couple” category. But it’s Númenor’s rightful queen and her devoted captain who are Rings of Power‘s equivalent to the epic romances about which author J. R. R. Tolkien waxed poetic.

‘The Rings of Power’s Elendil and Míriel Have More in Common Than First Expected

Season 1 positions Míriel and Elendil’s beginnings as hostile, and for good reason. By bringing Galadriel to Númenor, Míriel fears Elendil has inadvertently triggered their kingdom’s doom. She’s a queen regent haunted by ruin and responsibility, constantly balanced on a knife’s edge between trying to avoid the palantir’s prophecy and maintaining peace between Númenor’s two splintered factions: the modern-minded Men who resent the elves and the Faithful still beholden to the Elvish ways. Following the latter philosophy is why her father, King Tar-Palantir (Ken Blackburn), was deposed to begin with.

Elendil, meanwhile, is a humble sea-guard captain similarly torn between Númenor’s shifted loyalties and his family lineage’s loyalty to the Valar. Throw in the needs of his growing children, Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Eärien (Ema Horvath), and Elendil’s internal conflicts — strong enough to affect a kingdom, depending upon where his allegiances manifest — are enough for Míriel to wonder whether Elendil commits willful treason by rescuing Galadriel.

However, both characters are more alike than one might initially suspect. Despite being surrounded by people (the royal court and the sea-guard, respectively), Elendil and Míriel have been lonely for a long time. As far as we know, Míriel’s only living relatives are Chancellor Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), her ambitious cousin turned coup-instigator, and the ailing Tar-Palantir, the latter kept sequestered in his tower. For Elendil, the loss of his wife to the sea, which the Númenororeans proclaim “always right,” is still an open wound. Both know profound loss and neither have a trusted peer.

‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Proves That Elendil and Míriel Are Well Matched

Surviving Orodruin’s eruption dramatically shifts their emotional circumstances. Míriel and Elendil forge an alliance while on Middle-earth, the Southlands’ destruction helping to crystallize their earlier uncertainties into clear goals. They recommit to the Faithful’s ideals, and their complementary ethics (protect Númenor, justly lead, and follow the Valar’s creeds) are inextricable from that bond — and a foundational tenet for their burgeoning romance. That said, their respect extends beyond the requirements of mere duty. Elendil tends to Míriel as her adviser, protector, and guide when necessary, but doesn’t devalue her strength. Míriel confides in Elendil, never imposing upon his loyalty without sharing her reasons; even though Elendil defers to her decrees, his reservations don’t fade on command. They respect one another, and, like adults, push through their disagreements without letting their diverging opinions taint their reciprocal esteem.

In large part, their ability to maintain their admiration for the other is because neither of them pursue selfish goals. If anything, Míriel and Elendil are selfless servants of Númenor who place their peoples’ needs above their personal desires. Such compassion is built upon humane empathy, and more than a little relatability: their venture to Middle-earth marks the pair in yet more grief, and this time, it’s explicitly overlapping (the death of Míriel’s father, her guilt over the Númenoreans who perished in the Southlands, and both believing Isildur among their fallen). The losses they’ve endured might break those of lesser integrity.

Elendil and Míriel Feel Like an Authentic Tolkien Romance

Up until Episode 6, the couple’s “us against our foes” partnership-turned-yearning kinship has been conveyed through deliberate glances, breath-catching silences, and unspoken feelings. In public, they make a united political front; in private, Míriel sets his palm on Elendil’s chest and holds the touch longer than one might deem necessary. But Episode 6 is short of everything except a kiss — and we almost don’t need the gesture with all the other heartfelt dramatics on display. Elendil can reluctantly debase himself long enough to lie about committing “crimes” in last week’s episode, but swearing allegiance to Pharazôn – i.e., compromising his loyalty to Míriel — is too much. His refusal to capitulate to Pharazôn’s demands is as rooted in his idea of self as it is his belief in Míriel and what her stolen inheritance represents; Elendil is too deeply moral, and Númenor’s fate too increasingly perilous, for such cowardice. Unlike previous disagreements, this is the moment when Elendil disobeys his queen despite her terrified commands and heartbroken pleas.

If holding fast against corruption in the face of possible death is “the greatest act of faith one can perform,” then this couple’s faith in one another is unwavering. Both of them perform this greatest act by willingly sacrificing themselves to the sea-test: first Elendil in Míriel’s name, then Míriel in his stead. Míriel fears failing the Valar’s judgment, but what good is a ruler who can’t model her kingdom’s path back to the Faithful? Or one who won’t face the same lethal risk as the devoted right-hand man who acts in her name? One can only guess what might have come of Elendil staring down the Valar’s sea-beast envoy. To Míriel, the Valar unequivocally reply, “Yes, Queen.”

As Elendil leads Míriel away from the ocean, their hands entwined while the gathered spectators declare her the true Queen of the Sea, it’s small wonder why this relationship developed a romantic facet. Season 2’s inconsistent pace hasn’t given the series time to linger on the angle, but the moments we’ve witnessed make up for that loss. Míriel and Elendil’s flaws make them fully human even as they uphold Men’s best (and often corrupted) potential. Both are honorably selfless to a fault, they make each other more steadfast, and they’re heart-skippingly tender (the face cradling and forehead touching!) in their affections. It’s unlikely either expected to find love within this turmoil, and given their different ranks, their romance also carries a trace of the irresistibly forbidden. Unlike Tolkien’s biggest star-crossed pairings, Míriel and Elendil aren’t a mortal and an immortal, but they evoke the same level of epic devotion as Aragorn and Arwen while incorporating the restorative intimacy of another human-human pairing: the underrated Faramir and Éowyn. This rapport sneaked up on Rings of Power fans, but their poignancy feels right at home with Middle-earth’s mood and enhances Season 2’s swiftly increasing stakes.