The Two Towers: Book 3
Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas return at Boromir's horn call, but arrive only in time for Boromir to confess to trying to take the Ring and to beg Aragorn to save his people. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli start in pursuit of the Orcs. The three are overtaken by a troop of horsemen, the Riders of Rohan, led by Eomer, nephew of their King. Eomer tells them that he and his men overtook a band of Orcs at the edge of the great forest of Fangorn and slaughtered them. He lends them horses to search for their friends on the condition that they come to his uncle's court afterwards to justify his help. The hobbits, however, have escaped and met Treebeard the Ent, the master of the forest. Hearing their story, Treebeard decides the time has come to move against Sauruman who has begun to imitate Sauron, destroying or enslaving everything within his reach. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas reach the forest where Gandalf, sent back from the dead to finish his work, meets them. He tells them that the hobbits are safe and have found allies: the Ents. They travel to the court of Theoden, king of Rohan. The wizard turns the king from the despair induced by the insinuations of Grima, the king's councilor, Saruman's agent. They and the Ents help Rohan fight off Saruman's invasion, and then go with Theoden to confront Saruman, now besieged by the Ents. There they are reunited with Merry and Pippin. Saruman refuses to give up his bid for power; Gandalf breaks his staff. Grima throws a palantír, one of the last three seeing stones, brought from the lost land of Númenor at Gandalf. Pippin, overcome by curiosity, looks into the stone and is seen by Sauron, who thinks he is the Ringbearer. Gandalf gives Aragorn, heir of the kings of Númenor, the palantír and rides with Pippin to Minas Tirith in Gondor. Merry becomes King Theoden's squire.