The city is soon surrounded and all the roads — including the one leading to Rohan — are blocked by the enemy, who begins lobbing missiles into the city. Some explode, while others are the heads of the men who have died on the battlefield. Combined with the terrible cries of the Nazgûl, these tactics soon paralyze the defenders. Through the siege, Denethor sits next to the dying Faramir, and Gandalf takes command of the city. When the assault on the gates begins, Denethor has his son carried to the tombs, where he plans to burn both of them alive before the city falls. Pippin races to find Gandalf, finding the wizard at the ruined gates of the city preparing to meet the Lord of the Nazgûl. Just as the Witchking prepares to strike, a cock crows and the horns of Rohan sound in the distance.
Four days out from Dunharrow, Merry feels like an unwanted piece of luggage among the Rohirrim, who have camped while they decide what to do about the army that blocks their road. Ghân-buri-Ghân, a chieftain of the Wild Men, offers to guide them around the orcs by a hidden road. As they approach the battlefield the wind begins to change, and the light of dawn breaks through the edges of the Mordor cloud. A flash and explosion mark the downfall of the gates, but Théoden answers with the horns of Rohan, and they attack the unsuspecting enemy from behind, singing as they ride.
