The Fellowship Challenge

The Fellowship Virtual Challenge takes you on Frodo and Sam’s journey from The Prancing Pony to The Doors of Durin. In Rivendell, Frodo accepts the task of carrying the One Ring to Mordor, and a company called THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is selected to help him on his quest.

This challenge offers two routes: 98mi/157km (recommended for running and walking) and 680mi/1094km (recommended for cycling).

[Frodo steps up to the bar, which rises far above his head.]

Frodo: "Excuse me?"

Butterbur (leaning down over the bar): "Good evening, little masters! If you're looking for accommodation we've got some nice, cozy, hobbit-sized rooms available. Mister uh —"

Frodo: "— Underhill, my name's Underhill."

Butterbur: "Underhill. Yes…"

Frodo: "We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"

Butterbur: "Gandalf? Gandalf? Oh yes! I remember: elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat… Not seen him for six months."

[The hobbits are shocked. They huddle together.]

Sam: "What do we do now?"

[The hobbits are seated at a table in the tap room of the Prancing Pony. The air is dark and smoke-filled. Drunken men laugh raucously. Several glance suspiciously at the hobbits.]

Frodo: "Sam. He'll be here. He'll come."

Man: [to Merry coming from the bar] "Get, get out of my way."

[Merry sits down at the table. He is holding a huge stein of beer.]

Pippin: "What's that?"

Merry: "This my friend, is a pint."

Pippin: "It comes in pints? I'm getting one."

[Pippin rushes to the bar.]

Sam: "You had a whole half already!"

[Sam turns back to his mug. After a moment, he nudges Frodo and gestures to the corner of the room. A dark cloaked figure sits alone. His face is invisible inside his hood.]

Sam: "That fellow's done nothin' but stare at you since we arrived."

Frodo: [takes Butterbur aside] "Excuse me, that man in the corner, who is he?"

Butterbur: "He's one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are — wandering the wilds. What his right name is I've never heard, but around here, he's known as Strider."

Frodo: "Strider."

[Strider lights his pipe. Only the gleam of his eyes can be discerned above the glow of the burning leaf.]

[Frodo starts to play with the Ring. It starts to whisper.]

The Ring: "Baggins. Baggins. Baggins. Baggins! Baggins!…"

Pippin: "Baggins!"

[Frodo snaps out of his reverie.]

Pippin: [at the bar] "Sure I know a Baggins. He's over there, Frodo Baggins."

Pippin: "He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side" [listeners laugh, "It works for him!" yells one] "and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side, if you follow me."

[Strider sits up, his attention fairly caught. Frodo rushes towards the bar to stop Pippin from babbling further.]

Frodo: "Pippin!" [grabs him]

Pippin: "Steady on, Frodo!"

[Frodo slips on someone's boot and falls back, tossing the Ring into the air.]

[As he catches it, the Ring slips onto Frodo's finger.]

[Frodo disappears. Folks gasp in surprise. Strider is alarmed.]

[Outside the village, the Black Riders turn around.]

[Frodo, now in a shadow world, looks around bewildered.]

[He then sees an immense singular orb, a lidless eye, wreathed in flame. The Eye of Sauron stares down at him.]

Sauron: "You cannot hide! I see you! There is no life in the void, only death!"

[Frodo backs away, terrified. He gropes for the Ring, unable to tear his gaze from the hideous Eye. Finally he wrenches the Ring off, reappearing with a relieved sigh.]

[Strider grabs him from behind.]

Frodo: "Ah!"

Strider: "You draw far too much attention to yourself Mister 'Underhill'!"

[Strider tosses him up the stairs, flings open the door of his room, throws Frodo in and shuts the door behind them. Frodo stumbles, falls to his knees, and stands up.]

Frodo: "What do you want?"

Strider: "A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry."

Frodo: "I carry nothing!"

Strider: "Indeed."

[He walks over to the window, and puts out the candles with his fingers.]

Strider: "I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift."

Frodo: "Who are you?"

Strider: "Are you frightened?"

Frodo: "Yes."

Strider: "Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you."

[The door bursts open. Strider draws his sword. Sam, Merry and Pippin rush in, Sam with fists clenched and ready to fight.]

Sam: "Let him go! Or I'll have you Longshanks!"

Strider: (sheaths his sword) "You have a stout heart little hobbit, but that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo. They're coming."

[Inside the gatehouse of Bree, the wizened gatekeeper hears a horse snorting. He gets up to investigate and opens the window in the gate. Suddenly the Black Riders crash through the gate, crushing the gatekeeper underneath it. The riders gallop to the Prancing Pony. Screeches are heard. The Riders enter the Inn, swords drawn. Butterbur hides behind the door, terrified.]

[Inside, the Hobbits are soundly asleep.]

[The Riders make for the hobbit-sized room. Silently, they raise their swords high above them to plunge into the beds. The swords descend, stabbing at the still forms as the Hobbits awake. The Riders pull back the covers and realise they have been attacking stuffed bedclothes and pillows. They scream. Strider watches from the window in his room as the Riders remount their horses.]

[Frodo sits at the foot of the bed. The rest of the sleeping hobbits, awakened by the Riders' cries, lean wide-eyed against the headboard.]

Frodo: "What are they?"

Strider: "They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgűl, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring. Drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you."

[The Hobbits pause, pulling cookware and food from their packs. Strider looks back at them.]

Strider: "Gentlemen, we do not stop 'till nightfall."

Pippin: "What about breakfast?"

Strider: "We've already had it."

Pippin: "We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?" [Strider walks away.]

Merry: "Don't think he knows about second breakfast Pip."

Pippin: "What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them doesn't he?"

Merry: "I wouldn't count on it."

[From over the bushes, Strider tosses an apple and Merry catches it. He hands it to Pippin and pats him on the shoulder. Another apple flies through the air, hitting Pippin in the head. He looks up bewildered.]

Merry: "Pippin!"

[The party slowly make their way through increasingly rough country. It becomes darker and the forest gives way to flat marshland. All go up to their knees in the sludgy mire. The conditions are made worse by an army of midges which attack them unmercifully. Merry slaps despairingly at the cloud of pests hovering around him.]

Merry: "What do they eat — when they can't get Hobbit?"

[Behind him, Pippin stumbles and falls into the mire.]

[Strider and the Hobbits have left the marshland behind and are now crossing rough rocky country. Strider stops and looks at the ruins atop a tall hill.]

Strider: "This was the great watchtower of Amon Sűl. We shall rest here tonight."

[The Hobbits, weary from the long travel, fling off their packs and settle down in an overhang near the hill's summit. Strider opens a bundle, revealing four short swords. He hands them to his companions.]

Strider: "These are for you. Keep them close. I'm going to have a look around. Stay here."

Frodo wakes up with a start. Merry, Pippin and Sam are gathered around a fire.]

Merry: "My tomato's burst."

Pippin: "Can I have some bacon?"

Merry: "Okay. Want some tomatoes Sam?"

Frodo: "What are you doing?!"

Merry: "Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon."

Sam: "We saved some for you, Mister Frodo."

Frodo: "Put it out, you fools! Put it out!"

[He stamps on the fire, trying to douse the flames.]

Pippin: "Oh, that's nice! Ash on my tomatoes!"

[Suddenly, a Nazgűl's cry pierces the darkness. The hobbits jump up, startled, and look over the lip of the overhang. The hobbits see five Nazgűl closing in on Amon Sűl. The hobbits unsheathe their small swords.]

All: "Uh?!"

[Frodo motions the others to run up the steps, towards the ruins.]

Frodo: "Go!"

[The dark night surrounds them as they climb to the top. The hobbits stand in the ring of broken pillars of the old ruin, eyes darting about; shadows rise out of the dark. The Nazgűl surround them, pulling out their long swords. Sam, Merry and Pippin prepare to defend Frodo.]

Sam: [brandishing his sword] "Back you devils!"

[Sam clashes swords with the Nazgűl, but is swiftly thrown aside. Merry and Pippin close the gap in front of Frodo, but they too are cast aside. Frodo backs across the hill, dropping his sword with a clatter. He stumbles, falls, and crawls backward until he is backed against a fallen column. Frodo brings out the Ring from his pocket. Immediately, the leader of the Wraiths approaches Frodo, drawing a long dagger. Frodo tries to scramble back, but has nowhere to go. He slips on the Ring. The world changes. The Nazgűls' true forms are revealed to him, shining like ghostly kings. The Witch-King reaches out for the Ring, and the Ring responds, lifting Frodo's own hand towards the wraith. Frodo yanks his hand back. The King stabs him through the left shoulder with his long dagger, pinning him to the ground, then reaches again for the Ring. Frodo cries out in pain. Strider leaps over Frodo and attacks the Nazgűl with both sword and flaming brand. The King withdraws his dagger and drops it. Frodo summons pulls the Ring from his finger. He reappears.]

Frodo: "Ah!"

Sam: "Frodo!" [rushes to his side.]

Frodo: "Oh Sam!"

[Strider continues to fight the Nazgűl, torch in one hand, sword in another. He sets them afire and drives them away.]

Sam: "Strider! Help him, Strider!"

Strider: "He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade." [The blade dissolves.] "This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine." [Strider carries Frodo over his shoulder and proceeds to leave Amon Sűl, the other hobbits following closely behind them. Nazgűl cries are still heard in the area.]

Strider: "Hurry!"

Sam: "We're six days from Rivendell. He'll never make it!"

Frodo: "Gandalf…"

Strider: "Hold on, Frodo."

Frodo: "Gandalf!"

[Back in the forest, the Hobbits and Strider rest beneath a gathering of huge stone trolls.]

Sam: "Look, Mister Frodo! It's Mister Bilbo's trolls!" [Sam feels Frodo's forehead.] "Mister Frodo?" [to Strider] "He's going cold!"

Pippin: "Is he going to die?"

Strider: "He's passing into the shadow world. He will soon become a wraith like them."

[Frodo gasps. The Nazgűl cry is heard from a distance. Frodo cries out as if in answer to them.]

Merry: "They're close."

Strider: "Sam, do you know Athelas plant?"

Sam: "Athelas?"

Strider: "Kingsfoil?"

Sam: "Kingsfoil — aye, it's a weed."

Strider: "It may help to slow the poison. Hurry!"

[They search for the plant in the nearby undergrowth.]

[Arwen reaches a river, and splashes across a ford. She pauses and looks back. The Nazgűl have stopped at the edge of the water. Their mounts rear up, screaming, terrified of entering the river.]

Nazgűl: "Give up the halfling, she-Elf!"

Arwen: [draws her sword in challenge] "If you want him, come and claim him!"

The Nazgűl draw their swords and urge their reluctant horses across the ford. Arwen begins to chant to the river.]

Arwen speaks in Elvish:

"Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer,
Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!
Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer,
Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!"

(Waters of the Misty Mountains, listen to the great word,
flow waters of Loudwater, against the Ringwraiths!)

[The water level rises. A great flood comes around the bend, with crests shaped like white horses. The Nazgűl are cast from their mounts and washed away down the river as Arwen watches. Frodo starts to slip from the horse. Arwen lays him on the ground.]

Arwen: "No! Frodo… No! Frodo, don't give in! Not now!"

[Arwen cries and embraces Frodo.]

Arwen (voiceover): "What grace is given me, let it pass to him, let him be spared — save him."

[The following morning, at the Council of Elrond. Gandalf and Frodo along with a congregation of Men, Elves and Dwarves sit in a semi-circle around a stone pedestal.]

Elrond: "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate — this one doom." [gestures to the pedestal] "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

[Frodo rises and lays the Ring on the pedestal.]

Boromir: "So it is true…"

[Frodo returns to his seat beside Gandalf. He seems relieved. The members of the Council stare at the Ring, mesmerised by it. It appears to start whispering to each of them in turn. Each person hears it differently.]

Unidentified Man: "The Doom of Men."

Boromir: [rises to address the Council] "In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: 'Your doom is near at hand.'" (He approaches the Ring on the plinth.) "Isildur's Bane is found."

[Boromir reaches out towards the Ring. Gandalf and Elrond exchange concerned looks. Boromir's fingers hover above the Ring.]

Man: "Isildur's Bane."

[Elrond leaps up.]

Elrond: "Boromir!"

[Gandalf stands and begins to chant in the Black Speech. The ring echoes the harsh words. Thunder crackles as the sky darkens. The Council stare around them in fear and confusion.]

Gandalf:
"Ash nazg durbatulűk,
ash nazg gimbatul,
ash nazg thrakatulűk
agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."

(One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all
and in the Darkness bind them.)

[The voice of the Ring dies away. People resume their seats, horrified, Boromir amongst them.]

Elrond: "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!"

Gandalf: (voice raspy from the force of the words and the language): "I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!"

[He gives Boromir a final scathing glance and resumes his seat. Boromir is unperturbed.]

Boromir: "It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" [paces] "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

Aragorn: "You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

Boromir: "And what would a ranger know of this matter?"

[An Elf stands. He is recognizable as the Elf Gandalf saw from Elrond's window.]

Legolas: "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir: "Aragorn? This… is Isildur's heir?"

Legolas: "And heir to the throne of Gondor."

[Frodo looks wide-eyed at Aragorn.]

Aragorn: "Havo dad, Legolas." (Sit down, Legolas.)

Boromir: "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." [returns to his seat]

Gandalf: "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it."

Elrond: "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

Gimli: "Then what are we waiting for?" [Gimli grabs an axe and approaches the pedestal.] "Argh!"

[He strikes the Ring with full force but is repelled back, throwing him to the ground. Concurrently, Frodo sees the Eye of Sauron in his mind and winces in pain.]

[The Ring remains intact with the shards of the axe all around it. Whispers in the black tongue issue forth from the Ring.]

Elrond: "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came."

Ring (whispers): "Ash Nazg."

Elrond: "One of you must do this."

[Silence.]

Boromir: "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

Legolas: [stands indignantly] "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

Gimli: [leaps to his feet] "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!"

Boromir: [rises] "And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"

Gimli: "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!"

[Commotion starts as arguments erupt amongst the council members.]

Gimli: "Never trust an Elf!"

[Frodo remains seated, watching the Ring, with the figures of the council reflected on its surface.]

Gandalf: "Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"

[Suddenly, flames flare up, engulfing the surface of the Ring.]

Ring: "Ash Nazg Durbatulűk! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul!"

[The intensity of the arguments increase. Slowly, determination dawns on Frodo's face. He stands and takes a few steps toward the arguing council, trying to make his voice heard.]

Frodo: "I will take it! I will take it!"

[The argument dies down. Gandalf closes his eyes as he hears Frodo's statement. The members of the council slowly turn towards Frodo, astonished.]

Frodo: "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though — I do not know the way."

Gandalf: [walks towards Frodo] "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." [places his hands reassuringly on Frodo's shoulders]

Aragorn: [rises] "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will."

[He approaches Frodo and keels before him.]

Aragorn: "You have my sword."

Legolas: "And you have my bow." [walks to join them]

Gimli: "And my axe!" [looks grimly at Legolas as he joins the group]

Boromir: [walks over to them] "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Sam: "Heh!" [jumps from behind the bushes and joins them] "Mister Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me!"

Elrond (amused): "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Pippin and Merry: [emerges from behind the pillars to join them] "Wait! We are coming too!"

Merry: "You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!"

Pippin: "Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest… thing."

Merry: "Well that rules you out Pip."

Elrond: "Nine companions… So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

[Sam cooks sausage and other food over a fire, climbing up onto a rock besides Frodo. The Fellowship is resting on an outstretched arm of the mountains.]

[Boromir spars with Merry and Pippin, tutoring them on sword fighting. He battles with Pippin.]

Boromir (to each move of the sword): "Two, one, five. Good. Very good."

[Aragorn sits nearby, smoking a pipe. He speaks encouragement.]

Aragorn: "Move your feet."

Merry: "You look good, Pippin."

Pippin: "Thanks."

Boromir: "Faster!"

[As the Hobbits spar with Boromir, Gimli approaches Gandalf.]

Gimli: "If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome."

[Gandalf takes a pipe he was smoking from his mouth. Faint surprise registers in his eyes.] "No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

[Legolas notices something amiss and looks intently towards the South. Meanwhile, Boromir continues to fight Pippin.]

Boromir: "Come on. Good."

[Boromir accidentally nicks Pippin's hand.]

Pippin: "Aaaah!"

Boromir: "Sorry!"

[Pippin kicks Boromir on the shin.]

Boromir: "Ahh!"

Merry: "Get Him!"

[Boromir goes down in a mock battle. Boromir and Aragorn laugh with the Hobbits.]

Pippin: "For the Shire! Hold him! Hold him down! Merry!"

[Aragorn walks over to them.]

Aragorn: "Gentlemen, that's enough."

[He lays a hand on either Hobbit's shoulder. Pippin and Merry grab his legs, pulling him down on his back.]

Pippin: [off screen, still in a mock battle] "You've got my arm… you've got my arm!"

[Legolas continues to look to the South, where a strange cloud has appeared. Sam takes notice of Legolas's observation.]

Sam: "What is that?"

Gimli: "Nothing, it's just a whiff of cloud."

Boromir: [getting up from the ground, a hand on either Hobbit's shoulder] "It's moving fast… against the wind."

Legolas: "Crebain from Dunland!"

Aragorn: "Hide!"

Boromir: "Hurry!"

[Aragorn rushes around, getting the Fellowship out of sight.]

Aragorn: "Frodo! Hurry! Take cover!"

[The Fellowship scrambles to gather their things, and Sam puts out the fire. They hide behind rock outcroppings and under bushes. They wait. In a burst of darkness against the light of day, a flock of black birds rushes overhead, cawing loudly. The birds circle the hill, then turn and fly back Southward. The Fellowship comes out from the rocks.]

Gandalf: "Spies of Saruman! The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

[He turns, looking up at a great, snowy mountain.]

[As the Fellowship labors onwards through the high snow banks, Legolas runs out ahead. His step is light and he moves with ease across the top of the snow, staring into the blinding storm.]

Saruman: "Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya!" (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!)

Legolas: "There is a fell voice on the air!"

Gandalf: "It's Saruman!"

[With a rending echo, a horde of rock slabs and boulders falls from the mountain's arms. The Fellowship shove themselves flat against the sheer cliff wall to avoid the onslaught of stone.]

Aragorn: "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!"

Gandalf: "No!"

[Gandalf steps out onto the ledge, rising on the snow.]

Gandalf: "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith!" (Sleep, Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!)

[The wizard's voice is drowned out by a more terrible cry in the maelstrom. Saruman stands on the Pinnacle of Orthanc and continues to command Caradhras. Away above him where he stands, a great black wall-cloud towers over Redhorn.]

Saruman: "Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar!" (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads!)

[Lightning strikes the tip of Caradhras, sending a second avalanche of white ice onto the Fellowship. Legolas snatches Gandalf from the edge, pulling him against the cliff just before the ice-fall hits. The avalanche cascades over the Fellowship, and snow buries them completely. After a moment, they emerge.]

Boromir: "We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"

Aragorn: "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"

Gimli: "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria."

In Gandalf's eyes there is a shadow of doubt, of fear that lies unsaid. He is conflicted.]

Saruman (voiceover): "Moria… You fear to go into those mines."

[Saruman sits in his study in Orthanc, reading a page in a book of lore written in a strange tongue.]

Saruman: "The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep."

[On Caradhras, Gandalf's eyes glint, fearful.]

Saruman: "You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dűm:"

[Saruman turns to another page, revealing a mysterious form drawn as blackness and deep fire, with two sparks in the midst of the flame and dark, like eyes.]

Saruman: "Shadow and Flame!"

[On the mountain, Gandalf speaks.]

Gandalf (grimly): "Let the Ring bearer decide."

[Boromir shouts through the snowstorm, holding Merry and Pippin to him. Both are cold and extremely pale.]

Boromir: "We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!"

Gandalf: "Frodo?"

Frodo: "We will go through the mines."

Gandalf: "So be it."

[The Fellowship stands and looks upon a vast cliff face.]

Gimli: "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed."

[He knocks his axe against a rock. The Fellowship moves along the wall, searching for a door.]

Gandalf: "Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten."

Legolas: "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

[Gimli grumbles, but says nothing.]

[A foot splashes into shallow water. Frodo gasps, pulling his leg back. A great pool sits beside the rock face.]

[Gandalf approaches the rock between two trees, and runs his hand over the cliff face.]

Gandalf: "Now… let's see. Ithildin —"

[Beneath his hand run spidery silver lines, faint beneath the dirt.]

Gandalf: "It mirrors only starlight… and moonlight."

[As he looks up at the black night sky, the moon appears. The silver lines grow bright, outling a door formed of two columns beneath an arch, with a star in the center.]

Gandalf: "It reads 'The Doors of Durin — Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'"

Merry: "What do you suppose that means?"

Gandalf: "Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open. Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!" (Gate of the Elves, open now for me!)

[The Doors remain closed.]

Gandalf: "Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen." (Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue.)

Pippin: "Nothing's happening."

[Gandalf glances at him at him, looking slightly annoyed. He begins to push on the doors, but they remain fast.]

Gandalf: "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves… Men… and Orcs."

Pippin: "What are you going to do, then?"

Gandalf: "Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."

[Time passes. The rest of the Fellowship is seated around the doors near the lake.]

Gandalf: "Ando Eldarinwa… a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa…" (Gate of Elves… listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves…)

Aragorn: [unhitching the pony's bridle] "The Mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill."

Sam: "Buh-bye Bill."

Aragorn: "Go on, Bill, go on. Don't worry Sam, he knows the way home."

[Bill clip-clops down the shore through the night.]

[Merry begins to throw stones into the water. Pippin follows suit, but Aragorn stops him.]

Aragorn: "Do not disturb the water."

Gandalf: "Oh, it's useless!"

[He drop his staff and sits down beside Frodo, pulling off his hat.]

[Meanwhile, Aragorn and Boromir watch as a ripple runs through the water.]

[Frodo stands up and looks at the writing on the gateway.]

Frodo: "It's a riddle."

[The water continues to ripple. The rest of the Fellowship watches.]

Frodo: "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?"

[The water shivers again.]

Gandalf: "Mellon…"

[The stone doors slowly swing open, rumbling deeply. The Fellowship enters Moria.]

[Gandalf places a crystal into the top of his staff; Aragorn follows last, casting a last glance at the water.]

[Moonlight floods into a shadowy chamber.]

Gimli: "Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin."

[Gandalf brings his hand around his staff, blowing upon the crystal. It glows.]

Gimli: "And they call it a mine. A mine!"

Boromir: "This is no mine, it's a tomb!"