After a relaxing day with the girls, Martin boarded the plane to New Zealand feeling refreshed. The flight was rather dull, so he put on a blindfold, closed his eyes, and replayed the events of the previous day in his mind—the moments spent with the girls and their playful exchanges while wearing that dress. What a great day!
Thinking about it made the time pass quickly.
Twelve hours later, when the plane landed at Wellington Airport, Martin found that he had even forgotten some of the finer details he'd recalled earlier.
As soon as he disembarked, he received a call from his agent, Jeff.
"Martin, Peter and I have coordinated everything. Your scenes will be shot as intensively as possible. We can't have you spending a whole year in New Zealand," Jeff said.
"Oh, and Eisner's assistant contacted me again. They've increased their offer for the rights to Pirates of the Caribbean to $15 million."
"Haha, what a beautiful thought. I have five movies," Martin replied with a sneer. "Tell them to keep it on hold."
"Got it!" Jeff replied.
After hanging up, Gordon approached.
"Martin, we've contacted the crew's pick-up person. Should we stay here for the night, or head straight to Queenstown?"
"Let's go now," Martin said.
The location chosen by Peter Jackson for filming was Queenstown, in the Otago region. This picturesque town, nestled among the Southern Alps (not to be confused with the European Alps), earned its name because the colonists thought the stunning scenery should belong to the Queen. The drive from Wellington to Queenstown offered views of blue skies, white clouds, lakes, and clear waters, all bathed in the golden glow of the southern sun.
While Los Angeles was entering summer in June, with temperatures starting to rise, New Zealand was heading into winter, with an average temperature around 10°C.
Peter Jackson had already made arrangements for the actors of The Lord of the Rings to receive training in horseback riding, archery, and cold weapon combat. They would then return to Wellington for training in etiquette, body language, and a more refined, elf-like way of speaking.
However, Martin didn't need to learn archery or horseback riding—his skills were already at a professional level, and even better in actual combat.
Instead, Peter Jackson arranged for him to learn swordsmanship, a skill Martin had no intention of mentioning his proficiency in—until he saw who would be training with him.
Liv Tyler, who played the elf princess Arwen Eveningstar, was also learning swordsmanship.
Liv, 22, was at the height of her beauty. Though her face was slightly long, her features were exquisite, especially her piercing blue eyes, which mirrored Martin's own—albeit less profound and more clear. The author personally believes that Liv Tyler's eyes are the most captivating feature about her. They resemble the vastness of the sea, drawing anyone who looks into them.
When Martin saw her, Peter Jackson greeted him enthusiastically with a big hug.
"Welcome to Queenstown! I've prepared a little welcome party for you. Come on, let me introduce you to the team..."
"This is Elijah Wood, our hero, Frodo Baggins."
"This is Ian McKellen, playing Gandalf."
"This is Viggo Mortensen, playing Aragorn."
"This one probably needs no introduction—Orlando Bloom, playing Legolas."
"Thanks!" Martin replied.
"This is Cate Blanchett, playing the Elf Queen Galadriel."
"And this is Liv Tyler, playing Arwen Eveningstar."
"Hi, Martin! I'm a fan of your books. When will the second Harry Potter book be released?" she asked cheerfully as she shook his hand, lightly scratching his palm with her fingers and letting out a mischievous laugh.
Martin took a closer look at her. While her forehead was large and contributed to her long face, her features were almost perfectly proportioned—the golden ratio. If she wore bangs to cover her forehead, she would be a flawless beauty.
Liv Tyler's beauty was inherited from her mother, Bibi Bull, a famous supermodel and "bone" (flesh) skin in the rock scene of the 1970s. Bibi was passionate about rock music and had relationships with many famous musicians, which earned her a reputation.
Liv's father was the lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler. However, Liv was raised by Todd Rundgren, a musician who was Bibi's partner at the time. Though Todd was not Liv's biological father, he raised her as his own. Liv only discovered Steven Tyler was her biological father when she was 11, after which she took his surname.
Liv had grown up surrounded by love and pampering from both of her fathers, and it showed in her cheerful personality.
Though Liv admired Martin's work, she was also particularly drawn to his talent. And for Martin, Liv seemed like the perfect match—well, aside from the age difference.
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧