"Only two more and then we've got all we need," Dror said. Dror, Gimbrakh and I had spent the last three days catching elves to meet Sauron's final total. We were riding out to the edges of Mirkwood to catch the last two. According to Dror, the Mirkwood elves produced the meanest orcs. The one who had tried to attack me had once been a Mirkwood elf. I got off my horse and looked into the forest.

"I'll be back. You know what to do," I said. They nodded. I disappeared into the dense forest, hoping I would not have to wait long for some to pass by. Fortunately, I got my wish. A pair of elves passed close to the bush where I was hiding. I burst out, looking confused.

"I'm sorry. I'm terribly lost. My horse threw me about a mile from here," I said. "Can you show me the road back to Isengard?" They looked at each other and, deciding I was harmless, agreed to help. They led me back out the path I used to come in. I stepped out a few seconds before them and Dror and Gimbrakh jumped on them with the nets.

"Beautiful creatures," I said. "But not terribly bright."

"Why do you think Sauron chose them instead of dwarves," Dror asked. The two elves looked betrayed, but said nothing.

"Don't worry. When we're done with you, you won't remember a thing," I said. As I was about to get back on my horse, I caught a glimpse of an elf standing in the forest. He was staring at me.

"Should we take him, too?" Gimbrakh asked, following my gaze.

"No, Sauron only wanted two more and that is what we will give him. Leave that one," I said. At the time, I did not register the fact he looked different than the two we'd just caught. Then again, I was focused on the task at hand. I mounted my horse and we rode back to Mordor.

Sauron was waiting in his throne room when we returned. I bowed and removed my cloak.

"We have the final number you requested. They should be ready for battle in six days," I said.

"Excellent. The army of men and elves is bearing down on us. We must be ready to fight," he said.

"Where would you have me stay, my lord?" I asked.

"You will stay in the tower. I will leave it to you to send out the armies," he said.

"As you wish," I replied. "Dror! Gimbrakh! Get to the dungeons and see that they are working. We need a battle ready army in six days."

"Yes, my lady," they replied and went down into the dungeons. I went up to my room for some peace before the storm.

The next five days were spent oiling the war machine. The dungeons of Barad-dur produced more orcs, armor, and weapons than ever before. I would be down there three times a day to look over the preparations. Every day news came in that the Last Alliance was moving closer. We had to be ready for when they came beating at the gate.

I was inspecting the last of the newly forged swords when Sauron came down to the dungeon.

"Our enemy is almost upon us! Ready yourselves and make for the gate!" he bellowed. We were thrown into a frenzy. Every last sword, spear, and helmet was handed out as Sauron led the first wave out into the fields. Even deep in the dungeons, I could hear the war horns being blown. Battle was almost upon us. I left my two henchmen in charge of sending out the warriors and I went up to the tower to get a better look. I watched the sea of black make for the gates. Beyond it there were torches. No doubt the lights of our enemy. By nightfall they would be upon us. So began the agonizing wait before the blow. My army was to be put to the test. Over the next few hours, I chewed so much on the inside of my lip it bled.

"All the troops are out," Dror reported.

"Good," I said.

"We will emerge victorious. They cannot defeat Sauron and the One Ring," he said. I chewed some more.

"We shall see,"

The battle began with a great crash of metal upon metal. The sound was enough to deafen me even a mile away. I did not move from my spot at the window. Gimbrakh and Dror soon joined me. Sauron had ordered them to stay with me as they had become my two trusted advisors.

"The men are led by King Elendil and Prince Isildur of Gondor. They believe they have the power to defeat us," Dror said. "The elves have Elrond of Rivendell. "

"And what of him?" I asked.

"If anyone could defeat us, it would be him. He is a good leader, in spite of the fact Rivendell elves make weak orcs," he said.

"Perhaps then they were meant to remain elves," I said.

"Per'aps," Gimbrakh said. We watched the battle for hours go back and forth. Finally, something happened.

"Sauron has killed the king," I said. "And he's headed for the prince." We watched as Isildur reached for a sword, but Sauron stepped on it. Just as Sauron was about to strike, Isildur sliced the Ring off Sauron's hand. A huge blast of air shot through Mordor. It nearly knocked me over.

"The Ring, he cut it off," I said. We looked at each other and back out onto the battlefield. Elrond and Isildur were climbing up Mount Doom.

"They mean to destroy it," Dror said.

"That would finish Lord Sauron off," Gimbrakh said.

"He's not dead?" I said.

"Not until they destroy the Ring in the mountain," Dror said.

"The Ring has a great power over the weak minds and lustful hearts of men. Isildur will not destroy it," I said. I had no idea how I knew it, but I knew he could not throw it in. I was right. No great final blast came. The Ring was still intact. I ran down the stairs and through the throne room. The palantir was glowing, something it never did.

"Azra," it said. I jumped.

"Azra...find me the Ring," it was Sauron, his essence trapped in the palantir. I nodded and kept running. The Witch King was outside the doors to the tower.

"Get the others and get the Ring back. Kill the prince," I said. He made no noise of assent or any indication that he heard me, he simply headed in the direction of Minas Morgul. They were going to get it back.

Dror and Gimbrakh were talking Sauron in the palantir.

"I've sent the nine out to get the Ring. It will be returned to you soon," I said. Sauron did not look like a man anymore. Inside the palantir was a great eye of flame.

"Good, my beauty," he said. "Very good."

"What if the nine can't find the prince?" Gimbrakh asked.

"They will find it. He cannot resist its power. He will soon put it on and they will find him. Send the rest of the armies out to search the lands. He could not be far," I said.

"We have broken them, Azra. The world of men is broken," Sauron said.

"Yes," I said. "We have."

But the nine could not find the Ring. They rode for days, following every hint of its power. Messengers were sent every few days to report. I would send them back and tell them to look harder. The Ring had all but disappeared.

"Prince Isildur is dead," one of the messengers said. I was half asleep in the throne. The words made me pick up my head.

"And the Ring?"

"The Ring is still missing. They searched all the members of the prince's party and the river where he fell. It is nowhere to be found. Unless someone puts it on, it is lost," he said. I groaned and let my head hit the back of the throne.

"Until it is found, there is nothing we can do," I said. "Call them back." He bowed out of the room to give the Naz-gul the news.

"Now what do we do?" Dror asked.

"We wait for someone to find it," I said.

That wait turned out to last for two thousand years. The world around us changed slowly. The outside world had forgotten the great battle long ago. Empires were created and destroyed. In all that time, I did not age a day. The gift of my ring had rendered me immortal. The orcs, however, were not. Dror and Gimbrakh died and I was saddened when they did. I was almost amazed at the pain I felt. I was mourning the loss of beings I once hated and feared. They left in their places two more capable servants and more after them. And so the cycle of life and death continued until one day in the Third Age.

The scream of the Naz-gul alerted me to it. I jumped up out of my seat and ran to the balcony overlooking the fields. They had come out of Minas Morgul and were galloping up to the entrance. Then I felt it. First it was a warm sensation in my hands that spread into my arms and shoulders. The Ring had returned. Someone had put it on.

"Find the Ring! Restore the power to Mordor!" I yelled down to them. They hardly needed encouragement. They were already well on their way to finding it once more.

"Soon it will return to us and we shall rule once again," I told Sauron.

"Yes," he said. "Soon."