Gandalf and his horse leave Bree at dawn, and begin the several-hundred mile journey down the Greenway to the fortress of Isengard, where the wizard Saruman has summoned him.
The innkeeper in Bree, Barliman Butterbur, cannot find anyone to take Gandalf's letter to the Shire, and he will soon forget about it entirely; the letter will sit at the Inn for three more months until Frodo himself arrives in Bree with the Nazgûl nearly upon his heels.
Boromir leaves Minas Tirith to journey north in search of the legendary valley of Imaldris, where dwells the lore-master Elrond Halfelven from whom Boromir hopes to learn the meaning of a dream. His father, the Steward of Gondor, has entrusted the long journey to Boromir despite the fact that the dream came first — and most often — to his brother Faramir.
Gandalf reaches the fortress of Orthanc late in the evening. Twelve days ago he received a message from the White Wizard Saruman that the Nazgûl were searching for the Shire, but that Saruman could offer aid if Gandalf came quickly. But once Gandalf enters the fortress, Saruman reveals that his own desire is to either ally with Mordor or possess the Ruling Ring himself. He imprisons Gandalf on the platform atop his fortress, where the Grey Wizard will remain imprisoned for more than two months.