An Unexpected Journey

The Road to Isengard - No one seems to be sure where the strange trees came from, but all are joyful the battle was won. Gandalfconvinces Théoden and his allies to ride to Isengard, and, not knowing exactly what to expect, they agree. Nearing Isengard, the mysteries intensify: they are surprised to see some Ents, which no one but Gandalf even knew existed, and when they come to the River Isen, it has mysteriously slowed to a trickle.

That night, they feel a rustling darkness moving around them, and in the morning, the strange trees are gone. They continue on to Isengard, noticing as the River Isen resumes its normal flow. Arriving at Orthanc, the tower in which Saruman lives, they see two small figures napping and smoking amidst a great deal of destruction. These small figures turn out to be Merry and Pippin, who have been given instructions to greet them.

Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn are overjoyed to see the two hobbits. Gandalf and Théoden meet with Treebeard.

Helm's Deep - Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas accompany the Riders of Rohan as they travel toward Helm's Deep and the fortress called the Hornburg. Saruman's Orcs and other Men he's been able to recruit are out and about in Rohan, causing trouble, and Théoden gets word Erkenbrand of Westfold, a leader in Rohan, is on his way to meet Théoden's forces at Helm's Deep, where they will all make their stand against Saruman. Gandalf goes his own way, promising to catch up with the rest later.

Arriving at the Hornburg, they are disappointed that Erkenbrand has not yet arrived, but they enter and take up positions to defend it anyway. Outside the Deeping Wall, Saruman's forces gather all night long, and in the morning the fighting begins. Aragorn and the others fight tirelessly, but they are outnumbered and the battle does not go well.

When it looks as if they might lose, however, Gandalf arrives, leading Erkenbrand and his soldiers. Saruman's forces are trapped between those defending the Hornburg and the newly arriving army. They scatter, running frantically into a forest that has mysteriously appeared nearby. They are never seen again.

The King of the Golden Hall - Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas arrive at Edoras, but the guards outside Théoden's Golden Hall are strangely suspicious and unfriendly. Háma, Théoden's doorwarden, demands they leave their weapons at the door before entering, which they are reluctant to do. Gandalf is permitted to keep his staff.

Inside the hall, they find Théoden in bad shape. Bent and feeble, he insults Gandalf, saying he only brings bad news. It becomes clear the king's adviser, Gríma Wormtongue, is encouraging Théoden's defeatist attitude. Gandalf uses his magic to silence Wormtongue and has some harsh words for him, exposing him as a thief, manipulator, and agent of Saruman. Gandalf and Théoden send Wormtongue away to join Saruman, if he dares confront the wizard's displeasure at his failing. Théoden, freed from Wormtongue's influence, seems to regain his former strength and courage.

Éomer, who had been imprisoned on the ill advice of Wormtongue, is released, and they all prepare for war against Saruman. Éowyn, the king's niece, is to be left in charge while the Men go to battle. She is not pleased.

The White Rider - Returning to Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, the story finds them hunting for clues to the mysterious old man's identity. Aragorn searches, but is unable to find footprints. And he recalls the horses didn't make sounds as if frightened.

They do find more evidence that Pippin and Merry escaped and are somewhere in the forest, including a leaf from Lothlórien with a few crumbs of the Elves' lembasbread. Following signs of Merry and Pippin's presence, they go deeper into Fangorn. As they track the two hobbits, Aragorn also sees some puzzling footprints (which are, of course, Treebeard's).

Suddenly, Legolas sees a mysterious old man approaching. At first, the three seem to think the man may be Saruman, and are not sure if they should defend themselves. But soon, the man reveals he is Gandalf, miraculously returned from the dead. He is now wearing white robes, a change from the gray he used to wear. Gandalf shares news, reassuring them Aragorn's decisions have not caused disaster: Merry and Pippin are safe with the Ents, and the Ring-bearer is on his own path, beyond their help. He confirms Saruman is corrupt with desire for the Ring, and tells them Sauron is so occupied with preparing for war he may not notice what Frodo is doing. He also tells them what happened after he fell into the chasm in Moria, and brings prophetic messages from Galadriel.

Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas decide to present themselves to Théoden, the king of Rohan, in the city of Edoras. Gandalf summons his white horse, Shadowfax, who arrives accompanied by the two horses Éomer lent them. They mount the horses and depart.

Treebeard - The two hobbits, entering Fangorn Forest, find themselves soon lost. They try to figure out where they are, and come to appreciate the forest. But when Pippin says, "This shaggy old forest looked so different in the sunlight. I almost felt I liked the place," a strange voice says, "Almost felt you liked the Forest! That's good! That's uncommonly kind of you." It turns out to be the voice of an Ent named Treebeard, an ancient, tree-like creature who shepherds the trees in the forest. Treebeard becomes friends with Merry and Pippin, and carries them back to a place where they can stay overnight.

Treebeard gives Merry and Pippin a drink of water he says is sustenance for Ents, and asks them to share their story. In turn, he tells the hobbits a little about the history of Ents. Eventually, the subject comes around to wizards, and Treebeard wonders aloud about Gandalf and Saruman. Because Saruman lives nearby, Treebeard is aware of his destructive actions: the wizard has been breeding a new kind of Orc (the Uruk-hai) and cutting down many trees.

Treebeard decides he will try to get the other Ents to do something about Saruman. Several of the Ents gather for an Entmoot—a kind of council—and after days of talking about the issue, they decide to take action against Saruman. They set off, singing, for Isengard. The trees of Fangorn forest seem to follow the Ents.

The Uruk-Hai - Pippin and Merry endure rough treatment at the hands of the Orcs. Bound and forced to run beyond the point of exhaustion, they overhear the Orcs arguing about whether to kill them or not. Evidently, some of the Orcs have orders to bring the halflings back alive, but not all the Orcs seem to have the same orders. Some Orcs are loyal to the "Great Eye," and some to Saruman.

Pippin manages to break away from the Orcs for a moment, and drops the brooch from his Elven cloak.

Later, Grishnákh, one of the Orcs, seems to know about the Ring, and Pippin pretends he has it in order to distract him, egging him on. As Grishnákh focuses on Pippin, the Rohirrim attack and Grishnákh is killed. Pippin and Merry manage to escape into the forest of Fangorn.

The Riders of Rohan - Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas keep up a fast pace in pursuit of Merry and Pippin. They follow their course into Rohan where the Rohirrim live. They come upon some slain Orcs and deduce there is internal strife among the Orcs in the group, some of which are from Isengard, ruled by Saruman, and some from Mordor. As Aragorn says, "the enemy brought his own enemy with him."

At one point, Aragorn follows some signs to the side of the path trodden by the Orcs, and finds the clasp of one of the cloaks given to them by Elves. He believes Pippin dropped it on purpose, hoping it would be found. The three pursuers find this heartening.

After a few days of the chase, they encounter a group of men on horseback—the Riders of Rohan. Éomer, their leader, is suspicious, but also awed by Aragorn's ancestry. The Riders are unable to give them news of the hobbits, but eventually Éomer lends them horses, and they continue to search for the hobbits.

At the edge of Fangorn forest, they make camp for the night. A mysterious old man appears as they sit by the fire, and shortly afterward they find their horses have been let loose. They think it possible the man was Saruman.

The Departure of Boromir - Aragorn searches for Frodo, but while he does, he hears Orcs nearby, and then Boromir's horn blowing. He runs quickly to Boromir's aid, but when he finds him, Boromir is already full of arrows and his horn is in pieces. Before he dies, Boromir admits he tried to take the Ring from Frodo, and tells Aragorn the Orcs captured "the Halflings." Feeling as though everything is in shambles, Aragorn kneels by Boromir and weeps. Legolas and Gimli find him in this posture when they arrive, having also heard Boromir's horn.

Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn lay Boromir in one of the boats, arrayed with his weapons and broken horn, and send the boat over the Falls of Rauros. Examining the fallen Orcs in the area, they realize the Orcs bear the mark of Saruman, not of Mordor. They also determine Merry and Pippin were captured, but not Frodo and Sam, who appear to have taken their packs and a boat and left alone. Aragorn correctly reasons out the answer to this riddle.

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas decide to pursue the Orcs in hopes of recapturing Merry and Pippin, and they set off at a run.

The Breaking of the Fellowship - Aragorn calls the Company together and tells them they must now make a choice. He tells Frodo the choice of which way the Ring goes rests with him, as Ring-bearer. Frodo asks for time to consider what to do, and Aragorn agrees to give him an hour to think. Frodo walks off to ponder his options. As he does so, Boromir approaches him and asks him to come to Minas Tirith. Then, he asks to see the Ring. When Frodo refuses, he becomes agitated and asks Frodo to lend him the Ring to vanquish the power of Mordor. When Frodo again refuses, Boromir tries to take it by force, but Frodo slips on the Ring and disappears. Running to the top of Amon Hen still wearing the Ring, Frodo can see signs of war in every direction. Suddenly, he is aware of the Eye of Sauron searching for him. He quickly pulls the Ring off, and, realizing the Ring has begun to corrupt the Company, decides to go on toward Mordor alone.

Meanwhile, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, and Sam discuss the situation and debate what Frodo is likely to do. Sam believes Frodo will decide to go off alone, and when Boromir reveals he had harsh words with Frodo, Sam realizes Frodo may already be leaving. He runs to where the boats are just in time to see Frodo taking one and leaving. Sam chases after him and the two hobbits leave the Fellowship and make for Mordor.

The Great River - Led by Aragorn, who sets a brisk pace, the Fellowship paddles down the Anduin River. As the days go by, an uneasy feeling grows in them, and a few worrying developments occur: Boromir begins muttering to himself and behaving strangely, and Sam sees a log with eyes that "floats" behind them. When Sam tells Frodo about the strange sight, the two agree it is likely Gollum. Later, they find out Aragorn has been aware Gollum has been following them since Moria.

As they near the rapids of Sarn Gebir, they are attacked by Orcs firing arrows at them, and they see a black winged figure pass overhead. Legolas fires an arrow at it, and it screams as it falls from the sky.

Aragorn decides they will head for Amon Hen, where the kings of old built a "high seat." He hopes his choice will be made clearer there. They pass through Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings, giant statues carved into pillars set on either side of the river, representing Isildur and Anárion. They finally set foot on dry ground and must finally choose which way to go next.