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As they lead the people of Edoras to Helm's Deep, Aragorn and Éowyn (Éomer's sister) form a close relationship. He leaves to find Éomer, promising to return within five days with the 2,000 banished riders. Gandalf realises that Helm's Deep's defences will not survive the Uruk-Hai onslaught that is surely to come. Rather than risk open war and further harm to his people (especially after seeing the two exhausted children who finally arrived from the village), Théoden decides to flee to Helm's Deep, a large stronghold in the Mountains. The now awakened Théoden has to come to terms with both his son's death and the threat of Saruman. The quartet proceed to Edoras, where they exorcise Saruman's hold on Théoden and banish Wormtongue. Gandalf reveals that he is now known as Gandalf the White. Initially fearing it is Saruman, the group are amazed when he reveals himself to be Gandalf reborn (after defeating the Balrog in a battle that cost him his life). There they are approached and temporarily subdued by a wizard masked with shining white light. Upon arriving at the battle site, Aragorn picks up the tracks of the hobbits and the trio follows them into Fangorn. He tells the group that there were no survivors of the battle with the Uruk-hai the previous night, indicating that Merry and Pippin were accidentally slain. Éomer later encounters Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in Rohan. The Rohirrim attack the Uruk-hai of Saruman Sam is immediately suspicious, but Frodo gives him the benefit of the doubt, pointing out that he has remained loyal thus far. He then reveals that there is another way into Mordor, hidden and unguarded. However, Gollum, who confirms their fears of capture and insists that any attempt to get in via the Black Gate will only end with the One Ring returning to Sauron, holds them back. Sensing a chance, Frodo and Sam get ready to move. However, as they watch, an Easterling contingent arrives and the gate opens for them to enter. When they finally reach the Black Gate, they find it shut and heavily guarded by Orcs. There, they meet Treebeard, the oldest of the Ents of Middle-earth.įrodo, Gollum and Sam watch the Black Gateįrodo, Sam and Gollum traverse the Dead Marshes, evading a Nazgûl riding on a winged beast. That night, Éomer's army ambush and kill the party of Uruk-hai, allowing Merry and Pippin to flee into the forests of Fangorn. Éomer sets forth to gather the remaining loyal men of the Rohirrim and leave Rohan. Gríma, however, convinces the King to banish Éomer "on pain of death" for undermining his authority. Théoden's nephew Éomer interrogates Gríma, labelling him a spy. Recently, the King's only son Théodred fell victim to them, left mortally wounded in an ambush. In an attack on one of the villages, a mother sends her two children on horseback to Edoras to warn the King of the attacks. Orcs and the Dunlendings, incited by Saruman, are freely roaming the land, burning villages, massacring the Rohirrim people and destroying crops. Saruman is working towards the demise of Rohan.
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Meanwhile, Théoden, the King of Rohan, is being held under a trance by Gríma Wormtongue, who is secretly in the service of Saruman the White. In Rohan, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are in pursuit of the Uruk-hai, who are journeying back to Isengard with the hobbits Merry and Pippin as their captives. Realizing they are in need of a guide, Frodo persuades Gollum to lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor. The Hobbits capture him, but Frodo understands the burden of the Ring and takes pity on the creature. One night, the creature Gollum, wishing to retrieve “his precious” (the One Ring), attacks them. Gandalf casts the Balrog into the chasm below, but the demon pulls him down with it the Fellowship believes he is dead, but he continues to fight the creature as they fall down into a huge subterranean lake in the depths of the Earth.ĭays later, the Hobbit Frodo Baggins continues his journey with his loyal friend, Sam, through the hills of Emyn Muil. In the Mines of Moria, the wizard Gandalf the Grey battles the Balrog of Moria on the Bridge of Khazad-dum in an attempt to allow the Fellowship of the Ring to escape. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas encounter a mysteriously transformed Gandalf and battle Saruman's army at Helm's Deep. Merry and Pippin escape from the Orcs and must convince the Ents to join the battle against evil. Frodo and Sam face many perils on their continuing quest to save Middle-earth by destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. The surviving members of the Fellowship have split into three groups.
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