<Terror creeps into the faces of the Fellowship.>
<<Sam: Frodo!>> <Sting glows blue.>
<<Legolas: Orcs!>>
<Boromir rushes to the doors to have a look. Arrows hiss into the door near his face. Aragorn drops his torch and runs to Boromir.>
<<Aragorn (to the Hobbits): Get back! You stay close to Gandalf!>>
<They work the doors shut. A bellow can be heard just outside.>
<<Boromir: They have a cave troll.>>
<Legolas tosses weapons to Boromir and Aragorn to help blockade the door. The Fellowship draw out their weapons. Gandalf throws away his hat and pulls forth his sword.>
<<Gandalf: Yaggghhh!>>
<The Hobbits follow his example and brandish their short-swords. Sting quivers, glowing blue.>
<Gimli leaps atop Balin's tomb and brandishes his axe.>
<<Gimli: Aarrgghhh! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!>>
<These is pounding outside and many creatures beyond begin breaking the doors down. Weapons crash through splintering spaces.>
<Legolas and Aragorn stand poised, ready to shoot; the Hobbits are also ready, though fear clouds their eyes. The first clear gap is gashed in the door and Legolas shoots — a shrill cry rings out. The Elf notches an arrow to his bow as Aragorn shoots another.>
<Suddenly, the beasts break through and the battle begins. A wave of armour-clad Orcs charge towards the Fellowship, who engage the Orcs. Aragorn and Legolas pierce Orcs with their arrows while Boromir smashes another with his sword; Gimli catches one in the stomach. With a roar, Gandalf launches himself into the fray, and the Hobbits follow.>
<Aragorn beheads an Orc and black blood spews forth. Sam pauses in the heat of battle, his attention drawn upwards. Aragorn also looks up. A cave troll smashes through the doorway, chains leading from his wrists to an Orc‘s hand. Legolas shoots the cave troll in the shoulder; the beast growls and claps a hand to the wound. Sam continues to stare, frozen, as the troll swings his mace down at the Hobbit — he dives under the troll's legs and crawls away as the troll turns, and sights him again.>
<Cornered, Sam cringes.>
<The beast raises his arm to strike when, suddenly, he falls back. Aragorn and Boromir are behind the troll, pulling on its chains. The troll twists its arm and whips Boromir across the room. He lands in a recess of the wall, dazed. An Orc stands above him, ready to strike. Across the room, Aragorn slings his blade into the Orc’s neck, and, still dazed, Boromir gets up. Aragorn nods to him.>
<Standing upon the tomb of Balin, Gimli the Dwarf slings an axes, piercing the troll’s shoulder near Legolas’s arrow. The troll swings his mace into the tomb, shattering it and knocking the Dwarf off.>
<Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin push Frodo to safety behind a pillar. Gimli hacks at an Orc as the troll swings its mace at him. Gimli ducks, and the monster strikes an Orc instead, and then another. Gimli falls. From a corner among more of the vile goblins, Legolas shoots two arrows into the mountain-creature, causing it to reel back with a cry.>
<Gandalf knocks an Orc out with his staff.>
<The troll is now swinging his chain in circles above his head. He swings at the Elf, and Legolas dodges it. Again he swings, and his chain whips around a pillar and catches. Legolas darts towards it and stamps the chain tight; he runs along it onto the trolls shoulders and shoots it in the back of the head and jumps off. The troll cringes, whimpering shrilly in pain. It stumbles, snapping itself free from the pillar.>
<<Sam: <hits an Orc with skillet> I think I’m getting the hang of this.>> <He turns and hits another.>
<The troll raises his mace and brings it down at the other Hobbits, causing them to jump aside. Frodo is separated from Merry and Pippin. The troll seeks Frodo, who tries to evade its searches by hiding behind a pillar.>
<<Aragorn: <seeing the eminent danger> Frodo!>>
<He tries to fight his way over to the Ring-bearer.>
<Frodo dodges around the pillar. The troll peers around it. Not being able to see him, it peers around the other side, causing Frodo to dodge out of its vision. It disappears back. Frodo carefully looks around the pillar — the troll has gone. He draws a deep breath.>
<Out of nowhere, the troll blasts around the pillar, bellowing in Frodo’s face. The Hobbit stumbles and falls back behind the pillar in a corner. The troll finds him nevertheless and grabs him. The troll lifts and drags Frodo off of the edge of a recess.>
<<Frodo: Aragorn? Aragorn!>>
<Aragorn breathes heavily, exhausted. Still, he continues on.>
<<Aragorn: Frodo!>>
<Frodo slashes the troll's hand with Sting. The troll drops Frodo to the ground, twisting his injured hand and staring at it. Frodo lies on the floor. It raises its mace and begins to swing, but Aragorn leaps down into the recess.>
<<Aragorn: Yaaahh!>>
<He grabs a spear from the floor and stabs the troll with it. It does not penetrate its flesh, but holds the beast at bay. Pippin and Merry begin throwing stones at the troll’s head. The troll, infuriated, swings his arm down and hits Aragorn, sending him flying across the room. He collapses onto the floor. Frodo races after him and tries to rouse him, but Aragorn is too stunned to move.>
<Frodo begins to run but the troll blocks Frodo’s path with its spear, throwing him back. The troll takes aim and stabs Frodo in the chest. Gandalf turns instinctively. Merry and Pippin stare in shock.>
<<Frodo: Ungh…uhh!>>
<The cave troll gapes at what it has done in surprise. Merry and Pippin glance at each other and their faces appear resolved. They leap onto the beast, stabbing him mercilessly.>
<<Merry and Pippin: Yaaahh!>>
<<Sam: <from a distance away> Frodo?>>
<Gandalf stares silently across the room, stunned.>
<<Sam: Frodo!>>
<He rushes bravely towards his friend. Broken from their shocked trance, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf fight madly to reach the Hobbit.>
<Frodo slumps to the floor, the spear sticking into his chest.>
<The troll flails at its head and finally grabs Merry, swinging him around and throwing him to the ground. The Fellowship redoubles its efforts against Orcs and troll. Gandalf and Gimli take turns stabbing at the troll and dodging out of range. Legolas takes aim. With Pippin stabbing the troll one more time in the head, the troll opens its mouth. Legolas delivers a deathblow, shooting his arrow up into the brain through the mouth of the troll.>
<The troll stops fighting and its hand fumbles towards its mouth where the arrow is. It stares upward, shocked, and with a long, pained moan, it collapses to the ground. Pippin is thrown against the floor. There is a moment of silence. All Orcs are dead or have fled.>
<Gandalf rushes to Frodo, as does Aragorn. Sam walks slowly over.>
<<Aragorn: Oh no!>>
<Aragorn rolls him over. Frodo groans, gasping for breath.>
<<Sam: <looking up at the wizard> He’s alive!>>
<Gandalf sighs in relief.>
<<Frodo: I’m all right, I’m not hurt.>>
<<Aragorn: You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar.>>
<<Gandalf: <with a twinkle in his eye> I think there’s more to this Hobbit than meets the eye.>>
<Frodo reveals his Mithril shirt. It glimmers.>
<<Gimli (in awe): Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins.>>
<Orcs are once again heard down the hall.>
<<Gandalf: <looking weary> To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!>>
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