Chapter II
The Rival Wizard's Return
Not long after the One Ring was delivered to Isengard, Saruman stood before the Palantír of Orthanc to observe the conquest of Rohan. He knew that the remaining Free Peoples of Middle-earth led by the Wise would either oppose his use of the Ring or desire it for themselves. He was not trusted, especially after his ambition was revealed, and so he could not trust them. They needed to be removed, and the first target was Rohan.
The wizard watched the Uruk-Hai race across the windswept plains of Rohan, burning and butchering all that stood before them. The will of Saruman, with the aid of the One Ring, drove them forth and gave them speed. Using the Palantír, he took firm control over the will of King Théoden with the help of the king's own advisor, Gríma Wormtongue. All of this made Saruman confident that he would claim an easy victory over Rohan. Soon enough, the Uruk-Hai army would clear out all that stood between Isengard and Mordor, which would have spent some of its strength fighting Gondor by that point.
He watched the invasion of Rohan carry on, and he soon saw that the conquest of that land would not be achieved without encountering some amount of resistance. At the Fords of Isen, the Rohirrim came again and again against their enemy, but the Uruk-Hai were strong, and ever were there great numbers of them rising from the pits of Isengard. It would not be long until the will of the people of Rohan was utterly shattered, and their fierce and gallant princes were slain.
Days passed, and Saruman saw something that both amazed and angered him. He turned his gaze to Edoras, the seat of power of the enslaved king, where four figures approached Théoden. Saruman recognized one of them, and he was filled with fury. It was Gandalf, who was now clothed in white. Saruman had expected him to die in Moria, but it seemed that he was destined to be pestered by the Gray Pilgrim until the end.
Saruman reexerted his influence over the king as Gandalf strove to free Théoden's mind, but Gandalf had grown unexpectedly strong, and he cast off the shackle of Saruman's will. The Lord of Isengard was stunned. Clearly, he would need to learn to fully master the Ring if he wanted to succeed.
Soon after, Gríma Wormtongue returned to Isengard, having rejected a chance to make amends with King Théoden. He ascended to the Palantír chamber of Orthanc and found Saruman sitting upon his great black throne, wearing the One Ring on a chain around his neck.
"It seems we have suffered a setback in Edoras, my lord," said Wormtongue. "This disruption was committed by Gandalf, who they are now calling Gandalf the White."
"I am aware of this," said Saruman as he stood up and slowly paced across the room. "A small loss. He cannot hope to stop me even with the help of Théoden. Gandalf the White. Gandalf the fool! What about the princes? Are they dead?"
"Théodred, the king's son, has been killed. Éomer, however, still lives."
"His end will come soon enough," said Saruman. "Tell me, did Gandalf reveal his next move?"
"He anticipates and attack on Edoras," said Wormtongue. "The residents of the city will flee to the Hornburg, while the king, Gandalf, and his companions will come here to try to negotiate."
"As I expected," said Saruman. "Tell me, who are his companions?"
"There were three that followed the wizard," said Wormtongue. "An elf, a dwarf, and a man. One of the Dunedain Rangers, he was."
Saruman chuckled. "So it seems that Isildur's heir still persists in aiding Gandalf. This is very good. If they do indeed want to negotiate, then I can force Théoden to surrender and convince Isildur's heir to ensure that Gondor stays out of my way on the path to Mordor. Perhaps I don't have to completely destroy Rohan and Gondor after all. I wouldn't want to waste resources subduing them when Mordor is far more dangerous."
"Pardon my asking, my lord," said Wormtongue, "but what leverage do we have over them? I'm not certain that they will surrender without a fight."
"Just a few days ago, an Uruk-Hai raiding party returned with four Halflings who are friends of Gandalf. He will want them back. Furthermore, I will give him my assurance that I am Middle-earth's best chance of defeating Sauron."
"Even if Gondor and Rohan do not try to stop us, they will never support us," said Wormtongue, his voice filled with worry. "We can't take on Mordor alone."
"But of course we can," said Saruman. "Mark my words, the Dark Lord will be vanquished. It will be done. Gandalf can have his little friends back, Rohan and Gondor will stay out of my way, and I will go to Mordor to achieve the ultimate victory. I will do it."
Author's note: Wow, this chapter took forever, but that shouldn't be a surprise by now if you've been reading my stuff for a while. By the way, if you haven't read my other ongoing fanfic, The Lord of Isengard and the Queen of Doriath. I would recommend doing that, because it lays the groundwork for the relationships between certain characters in my stories.