Gandalf and Pippin ride Shadowfax through the night, pausing only briefly to rest. They are now heading for Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, and three days have passed since Pippin looked into the palantìr. As they ride, warning beacons call Rohan to aid the city. They enter the city near dawn and make their way through its seven gates and circles to the White Tower and the seat of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Denethor quizzes Pippin closely about his son Boromir's death, and Pippin pledges himself to the old man's service in Boromir's memory. After they are done, Gandalf and Denethor exchange words, revealing a tension between them that Pippin only half understands. When Denethor gives them leave, Gandalf goes to gather news and take part in councils of war, while Pippin meets Beregond, a fellow-guardsman, to learn about his new duties and the city. Pippin spends his afternoon in the company of Beregond's son Bergil, watching as reinforcements arrive at the city gates — always welcome, but fewer than the city needs.
Merry, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli leave Isengard with Théoden soon after Gandalf and Pippin depart. Shortly after they set out, a group of riders overtakes them. They are the Dúnedain, Aragorn's people from the North, accompanied by the sons of Elrond, and they have answered a summons of Galadriel to help their chieftain. At Helm's Deep again, Merry swears himself to the service of Théoden and joins his company. Aragorn, however, has used the palantìr, taking control of it away from Sauron. His vision shows that he must take the Paths of the Dead, so he rides to Dunharrow. Éowyn welcomes their news, but when she learns their intention to depart by the haunted path she becomes angry. She not only believes Aragorn is throwing away his life and the lives of his warriors when they are most needed, but she has also fallen in love with him. The Paths of the Dead begin at a stone door into the mountainside, and everyone who approaches feels the chill of death. As they travel through the tunnels, Gimli feels the dead following. Aragorn orders them to follow and as the Heir of Isildur, he has the right to command their service. They emerge from the mountains in the south of Gondor, near the sea, and Aragorn leads his men and an army of the dead to war as the dark cloud from Mordor blocks out the sunlight.
