Editing The Two Towers (section)

=== Book IV: The Ring Goes East ===

Frodo and Sam, heading for [[Mordor]] to destroy the One Ring, struggle through the barren hills and cliffs of the [[Emyn Muil]]. They become aware they are being watched and tracked; on a moonlit night they capture [[Gollum]], who has followed them from [[Moria, Middle-earth|Moria]]. Frodo makes Gollum swear to serve him, as Ringbearer, and asks him to guide them to Mordor. Gollum leads them across the [[Dead Marshes]]. Sam overhears Gollum debating with his alter ego, [[Sméagol]], whether to break his promise and steal the Ring.

They find that the [[Black Gate (Middle-earth)|Black Gate]] of Mordor is too well guarded to pass through, so instead they travel south through the land of [[Ithilien]] to a secret pass that Gollum knows. On the way, they are captured by rangers led by [[Faramir]], Boromir's younger brother, and brought to the secret fastness of [[Henneth Annûn]]. Unlike his brother, Faramir resists the temptation to seize the Ring and, disobeying standing orders to arrest strangers found in Ithilien, releases them.

Gollum – who is torn between his loyalty to Frodo and his desire for the Ring – guides the hobbits to the pass of [[Cirith Ungol]], but leads them into the lair of the great spider [[Shelob]] in the tunnels there. Frodo holds up the gift given to him in [[Lothlórien]]: the [[Phial of Galadriel]], which holds the [[Christianity in Middle-earth#Light|light]] of [[Eärendil]]'s star. The light drives Shelob away, and Frodo and Sam are able to get through the pass safely. However, after they leave the pass, Shelob appears and attacks Frodo; before he can help his master, Sam is attacked by Gollum. After fighting off Gollum, Sam picks up Frodo's sword, [[Sting (sword)|Sting]]; and the Phial. He seriously wounds and drives off Shelob, but after the fight, he finds Frodo unresponsive. Believing him to be dead, Sam takes the Ring to continue the quest alone. Before Sam gets far, however, Orcs find Frodo; Sam overhears them and learns that Frodo is still alive.