A Journey in the Dark - Unable to pass over the mountain, they must try going through Moria. The Mines of Moria, located under the mountains, is a legendary dwelling place of Dwarves—and the legends are dark. Gimli is eager to discover what became of the Dwarves who lived there, but no one else shares this excitement.

As they consider this option, Wargs—wolflike monsters—attack in the night. Gandalf protects them with his ability to conjure fire, and in the morning they continue to the doors of Moria, in front of which a lake has formed. The doors are closed and require a magic word to open them, but Gandalf has a hard time figuring it out. Eventually, the solution occurs to him and he is able to open the doors. Just then, a tentacle seizes Frodo by the ankle and tries to drag him into the lake. Sam slashes at it with his knife and they scramble through the open doors. However, the tentacled creature destroys the stonework and sends it crashing down, blocking the way back out.

They are now in the dark, and Gandalf leads them using a faint light emanating from his staff. They walk for hours. At times, Frodo thinks he can hear soft footsteps following them. After walking a long time in the dark, they come to a wide hall with a hole in the floor. Pippin, curious about the hole, drops a stone down it. After a little while, they hear a faint tapping coming from deep within the mines. The Fellowship spends a fitful night's sleep in the large chamber. The following morning, they enter another chamber where they find the tomb of Balin.