Sauron Gorthaur kindly told me that this chapter was a repeat of the previous, so I fixed it as soon as I got back. Please enjoy, and sorry for the inconvenience!
The Ring was destroyed. He was going to die.
He could even imagine Master Melkor awaiting him in the Void.
Instantly Sauron had been wrenched from his place in Mount Doom when his Ring was unmade. His power broke and faded along with the Ring. The foundations of the Barad-dûr shook again and collapsed slowly with a horrible wrenching sound. His armies at the Gate stopped fighting and fled, for Sauron had placed a spell on them to fuel their hate and desire for fighting. His flaming eye burst into massive flames, emitting a wide-range shockwave that blew everything that wasn't tied down in Mordor into the air. Mount Doom exploded into its final eruption and lava began to leak from its sides. Great cracks appeared in the land of Mordor and the lava flowed through them. The Black Gates of Mordor fell into ruin.
As for Sauron, he lost his form of the black hooded figure when the Ring was destroyed. Now disembodied, he had no physical or solid form and therefore was blown along the wind as the appearance of a great shadow. The men of the West had stopped fighting and were gazing at the sky. A ragged cheer rose from the weary armies. But Sauron didn't care. He didn't care now the fact that Khamûl arrived too late. He didn't care about who the cloaked figure with the sword and mace was. He did regret that he should have gone to the Valar long ago when Master Melkor was finally defeated.
I'm defeated! How could it be?! I did everything in my power to prevent it from happening! How could I not notice that the armies of the West before the Gate were only a distraction? My Ring was destroyed by a halfling. A halfling!
I do not wish to see Master Melkor again. I do not wish to spend eternity in the Void with him. Oh why had I been so careless! If only I had stopped the halfling in time…
The wind continued to bear him to the West. Sauron could already see the shores of Aman faintly in the distance.
Heh. So now the Valar are going to judge me. Like they ever will be merciful…
Valinor came into view. The remains of the Two Trees stood by the golden gates of Valmar. He could see the Valar seated in the thrones of the Máhanaxar. It seemed like they were looking straight at him. Sauron saw the lordly figure of Manwë, clothed in a cloak of light grey and a thin glittering band of gold around his head. There was also Námo himself, looking as grim and foreboding as ever. Oromë the Huntsman, light brown haired and bearded with flashing blue eyes was present. His white horse Nahar stood grazing a few yards away. The tall and muscular form of Tulkas stood beside Oromë, his golden armor reflecting the rays of the sun. Lastly was Aulë the Blacksmith. He was dressed in the simple garbs of a blacksmith and carried a large hammer on his back. Aulë resembled Oromë to some degree, but his eyes seemed to be full of warmth. There was also a great host of Maiar standing behind the thrones. Sauron also recognized some of them, but had long forgotten their names.
I will not submit to the Valar no matter what happens.
As he got closer, he could hear the Maiar shouting angrily.
Ugh…could this get any worse? Now I get to be accused by the Maiar too? I was once an apprentice of Aulë, and I haven't seen him since I joined Master Melkor. He still looks senile as usual, foolish to not have understood my motives.
Sauron gave an exclamation of surprise when he was suddenly pulled out of his form as a shadow. It seemed to him that he was been dragged towards the circle at a high speed. He was then forcefully materialized in his hooded figure form in front of the seated Lords of Valinor. Startled, Sauron stumbled and fell on his knees. The assembled Maiar fell silent and waited. Manwë was the first to speak.
"Sauron, it is about time you come here. You had aided Morgoth in the marring of Arda and interfered greatly in the works of our Lord Eru Ilúvatar. Therefore you will be judged by the Valar accordingly. " He said coldly.
"Interfered?! How dare you, Mânawenûz..." Sauron spat back purposefully in Valarin as he stood up again and looked at Manwë defiantly. By what means could the Valar start accusing him like this!
The assembled Ainur immediately started their uproar again as the most of the Valar looked outraged.
"You will not desecrate our language in front of us," Oromë said severely, "Restrain your tongue if you will please, Sauron."
How very like of them, becoming upset just because of a language issue.
"Stop me if you can, Arômêz..."
The rest of Sauron's sentence was silenced when Námo waved a hand. Sauron continued to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth.
"If you will not hold your tongue, then we will do it for you, " Námo said dryly, "You do not count the time when you served Morgoth faithfully as his lieutenant, waged war upon the Noldor Elves, deceived Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion in forging the Rings of Power, forged the One Ring yourself to rule over Middle-earth, corrupted nine mortal men with the Rings and turned them into the Úlairi, destroyed the realm of Eregion and slew the Elves there, enticed the Númenóreans to worship Morgoth and to engage in horrific sacrificial practices, slandered the name of Lord Eru, enticed Curumo to join you in your schemes, ordered the attack on Minas Tirith?"
But he was quickly interrupted by the Maiar, who had begun to shout again for the third time.
To Sauron the voices of the Maiar seemed to drown out even his thoughts. He could make out some of the words. Most of them were accusations and words of anger. Some were words of disappointment and pity. But it mattered little, for all the sound merged together into a roaring thundering sound. Sauron covered his ears and tried to ignore it. He then noticed that Aulë was shaking his head in disappointment.
What should I do now? They certainly will be sending me to the Void. Why am I subject to such humiliation right now? Argghh…all that noise! Somebody make it stop!
"Silence!" Tulkas barked over the tumult of sound.
The Maiar quieted down somewhat reluctantly.
"Sauron, do you deny those charges against you?" Manwë spoke again.
What an unnecessary question…...
"Why should I deny it?" Sauron said bitterly as Námo released his hold over his power of speech, "You will send me to the Void even if I plead for mercy."
"No, Sauron. If you had come back along with Eönwë, we would have given you a punishment, nothing more." Aulë spoke up.
A punishment? That does not make matters sound better! What do I care?
"Why would you even care?" Sauron laughed, "You Valar abandoned Middle-earth a long time ago. You care nothing about it. Why should I lower myself and allow you to pronounce your judgment on me?"
"Do you not fear Melkor?" Oromë said evenly, "He resides in the Void, the very same place you will be sent."
"Enough said!" Námo said sharply, "Instead of pleading for pardon right now, you chose to put the blame of your downfall on us. You don't deny it indeed! Your pride blinds you as usual, Sauron."
Hmph...You Valar are also the same, accusing others instead of themselves.
"Hear our decree now. Because of your persistence to follow the fallen ways of Melkor, you will be thrown into the Void, where you will stay until the end of age." Manwë said grimly.
"You would not!" Sauron shouted angrily as he resisted the desire to strike Manwë in his sneering face, "You doom yourselves by placing me in the same place as my master. Consider again, if you wish to avoid utter chaos and destruction!"
"It is too late, Sauron. I thought you enjoyed aiding Melkor in the marring of Arda. Surely you would not mind seeing him after so many years." Tulkas said, suddenly appearing beside Sauron and pinning his arms behind him.
"Let me go! You achieve nothing by doing this!" Sauron struggled futilely in Tulkas' grip.
The assembly of the gathered Maiar seemed to fade away quickly. But the grip of Tulkas remained. Everything faded into a blur of colors, and soon they solidified to reveal the Doors of Night. It was made of thick black steel, decorated by elaborate carvings of the sun and the moon. Made by the Valar, the Gates served as a passage for the Sun and the Moon on their course. It seemed ironic to Sauron that such elaborate doors bar the entrance to the Timeless Void itself. He renewed his struggle to escape Tulkas' grasp, knowing that it was impossible. The Doors of Night began to open slowly.
"Now, don't cause trouble, Sauron. I expect you to think long and hard about your past transgressions during your time in the Void." Tulkas said grimly.
"Think?! Probably I'll spend most of my time avoiding Master Melkor and trying to escape." Sauron exclaimed.
Maybe I can convince him from throwing me in? But that's not likely. No...Master Melkor will not be merciful to me. I must get out of this!
"If I offer to do anything for you, will you relent and let me go?"
Tulkas laughed, "If it is not the great Maia Sauron offering to serve another! What happened to your pride that you still so obstinately hold on to? I thought you refuse to lower yourself in a position any further than the one you are in now. And no, thank you. I do not want your services. Surely you must know that Ainur only serve one Lord, the same Lord you rebelled against before you joined Morgoth?"
Why is everyone talking about my pride as it were a bad thing? And what is that talk about the Valar serving another? They serve themselves only!
The situation is hopeless. I can never escape from Tulkas. The Void…The Void! A place of eternal darkness and suffering. Master Melkor...
"Isn't it ironic that your master was dragged here and thrown in by myself, and now you face the same fate?" Tulkas continued to speak.
The Doors of Night opened completely to reveal the pitch black space behind them. A chill wind blew out, accompanied by cries of anguish and torment. A sinister laughter seemed to resound from the depths. Sauron could feel the dark presence of Master Melkor radiating from within. Tulkas gripped Sauron by the collar of his cloak tightly as he struggled even harder.
"Will you just stop moving? I thought you would be glad about this." He said angrily.
Let me go! I don't want...
"Please send my best regards to Morgoth, thanks." Tulkas said sarcastically…and hurled Sauron straight through the Doors.
Without even time to cry out or even think, Sauron was thrown headfirst into the Void as the Doors closed again with a forlorn clang, shutting out all light. At first he was silent as he fell rather slowly. There was no trace of light at all and the cries sounded even louder. So did the sinister laughter that seemed to resound from everywhere.
"Welcome to the Void, Sauron. I haven't seen you for some while." A deep voice boomed from the lower parts.
Sauron froze. He recognized that voice. It was hard to forget it once he had first heard the voice's owner speak. It seemed to radiate immense power and assured the hearer of riches and prosperity. It was very ancient and even rivaled Manwë's voice in authority. Perhaps that was what made Sauron join him in the first place.
"Noooooo!" Sauron screamed as he continued to fall into eternal darkness. His work on Middle-earth and his attempts to gain power were all for naught. Here he was, encountering his master again, the very thing he wished to avoid.
The Witch King pulled his sword in one swift movement from a dead orc and looked at it with distaste. The sword was covered to the hilt with blood, mostly turning brown as it dried. He still hated killing after all these years, but serving Sauron as the leader of the Nine had made him numb to it. He thought of the countless men, elves and orcs he had killed during battle and shuddered.
Why is it that we are given the power to end life? Even if I fight with a good reason, to protect, can that be justified?
The Witch King had been fighting with no rest since Sauron's army began their attack. He cut through the circle around the armies of the West and caused havoc among the front lines of the enemy. Fighting became especially difficult without sorcery. The Witch King tried casting a lightning spell toward a group of Haradrim and nothing happened. The mace had been broken as the Witch King used it to defend from a particular vicious blow from a troll. He saw the remaining Nazgûl also fighting and was very careful to not let them spot him. It surprised him greatly when he saw Herumor, Fuinur and Eärnur also helping the armies of the West.
I thought they will not try to test the wrath of Sauron. But again, Sauron was defeated. That must be the reason why his army started to scatter.
Almost overwhelmed by a very large group of Easterlings, the Witch King was saved when Sauron's army suddenly began to panic and run away. He still cut down some of them as they ran, but was looking intently at the tower of Barad-dûr as it collapsed into ruin. The Nazgûl had disappeared along with Herumor, Fuinur and Eärnur when the destruction of Mordor began. Now there was no trace of Sauron's army. The battleground was littered with bodies of men, orcs and horses. Broken banners with Sauron's eye emblazoned on them stuck out from the ground and flapped feebly in the wind as a sure sign of defeat. The Witch King sheathed his sword and stood before the Black Gates, feeling strangely apprehensive.
This feeling is the same as before when I was sent back. I do not rejoice over Sauron's final defeat. Strange, that was my greatest wish: To live to see Sauron finally defeated. Now it is fulfilled, why am I not elated? Instead I stand here brooding…
"You!" A loud shout brought the Witch King out of his thoughts.
He immediately stiffened. He should have been more careful. The armies of the West were probably standing right behind him with their weapons drawn. The Witch King turned around to face them. The speaker seemed to be a slightly bearded man with shoulder-length dark brown hair and blue eyes. The Witch King noticed that he was probably a man from the bloodline of Númenor, a descendant of the ancient Númenóreans. Gandalf the wizard was standing beside him, accompanied by a noble-looking man wearing armor with the symbol of a white swan. There was also a blond haired elf, a dwarf and a Rohirric marshal.
"Yes?" The Witch King said adamantly.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is it really the Lord of the Nazgûl who was slain during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields standing before me?" The man who first spoke said disbelievingly.
"They do not deceive you," The Witch King said shortly as he pondered quickly what to do with the situation right now, "Sauron is defeated. Are you not satisfied with results, or do you seek to eliminate all his servants also?"
"Impossible…" Gandalf whispered.
"Were not the Nazgûl vanquished when the One Ring was destroyed?" The elf asked as he nocked an arrow to his bow.
"Now surrender your weapons and submit to us." The same man commanded, pointing his sword towards the Witch King.
Surrender? I did not expect them to say that. That would be a humiliation. I should have been more careful in the first place.
"What am I of use to you?" The Witch King tried to buy time.
An arrow suddenly hit him in the shoulder hard and he staggered. The elf had fired it and was drawing a second arrow.
"Legolas!" The man exclaimed.
The arrow dissolved into wisps of smoke a second later in the Witch King's shoulder.
I have not lost all my abilities as a wraith…
"Stay your weapons!" Gandalf shouted. He waved his staff and spoke a word of sorcery. The Witch King was immediately bound with a spell that forced him to his knees. He groaned in frustration and struggled uselessly.
If I still had my powers of sorcery, I would have broken this spell with no difficulty. Why did Ilúvatar have to take that away from all the things he could choose? Now what should I do? I did not expect this at all!
Gandalf walked up to the Witch King and pointed his staff at him. He looked at him curiously and his eyes seemed to study him like an open book.
"You were possessed back at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, weren't you?" Gandalf asked quietly.
"What?" The Witch King was surprised.
"A wraith would never use fire in battle when they are afraid of it themselves. I presume that it was Sauron?"
"Yes. What do you hope to achieve by binding and questioning me?"
"You perished when the shieldmaiden of Rohan gave you the fatal blow, and yet you still survive?" Gandalf asked carefully.
"What do you want to know?" The Witch King beginning to get angry of being humiliated like this, "I will tell you then, if that is what you want! I perished, and was sent to the Halls of Mandos where I was accused vehemently by people who don't even know the truth. I was sent to the Máhanaxar for further judgment, if that wasn't enough. Then I got brought before Eru Ilúvatar himself and he decided to send me back…"
Strangely the Witch King's anger faded away as he spoke the last words. He fell silent.
"Lord Eru, hmm?" Gandalf mused. He spoke another word and the binding spell vanished. The Witch King stood up slowly, astonished by this sudden change of events.
"Gandalf, what are you doing?" The man asked uncertainly.
"Lord Eru would not send the perished back to Middle-earth without reason, especially those who are the servants of Sauron. I believe you. The name Ilúvatar has been forgotten a long time ago. You wouldn't have known of it if you hadn't been to Valinor or the Timeless Hall." Gandalf said slowly.
"Then I suppose you belong to one of the Maiar?" The Witch King asked.
Gandalf nodded, "Indeed I am. I was sent to help the people of Middle-earth to fight against Sauron and his servants."
"I am no longer one of Sauron's servants…"
"The Ring-bearer is still in peril, Gandalf! He may be trapped in the ruins of Mordor. Let us retrieve him first and then deal with this wraith." The man shouted urgently.
"I must attend to this matter at once. Please stay here." Gandalf said politely.
This Ring-bearer character must have been a man of immense courage, to have braved the land of Sauron himself in order to destroy the Ring. Still, I wonder what I should do now. Trying to escape will only earn their distrust. Maybe I should go along with them for now, as much as I am reluctant to do that. The Witch King thought.
Eagles came soaring through the sky. He turned around and recognized them as the immense Eagles of Manwë spoken of in legend, who often helped the people of Middle-earth in their quests to defeat evil. Gandalf climbed onto an eagle who had landed and flew off towards the direction of Mount Doom.
"Mithrandir may have spared your miserable life, but that doesn't mean we will!" The elf said menacingly and he and all the other men drew their weapons.
The Witch King sighed again, What have I gotten myself into?
Sauron was panting hard. He had been avoiding Master Melkor since he entered the Void. Time seemed to have no meaning in this forsaken place. Hours may have passed, or even years. There wasn't even solid ground to stand on as Sauron continued to float within the darkness. There was nothing to see in the Void, although there was plenty to hear. The tormented cries sounded out constantly, mixed with Master Melkor's sinister laughter. It was the perfect punishment for anyone sent here.
Why am I subject to this kind of torture? Master Melkor will catch me eventually even as I continue to run away. I don't want to think what will happen next…
When Master Melkor was captured, I grew frightened and begged mercy from Eönwë. Even I myself know the fact that I didn't do it truly from my heart. If I had truly repented from, yes, I admit it, evils, things would have been different. But it is too late now. No one gets released from the Void even if they had been on good behavior for a thousand years…
"Sauron!" Master Melkor called again.
He immediately tried to locate where the sound was coming from and sprang in the opposite direction.
"Sauron! Do not try to run away. I wish to speak to you." His voice resonated from everywhere.
I got to get away from here somehow!
Sauron collided headfirst into someone hard as he moved away again. Surprised and slightly dazed by the pain, he reacted too late as a hand reached out and grabbed him by the neck. He tried to pry the hand away, but its grip was as strong as iron. Breathing was becoming hard as the hand squeezed tightly.
"Not so hard…" Sauron choked out.
"You can run, Sauron, but you cannot hide." The deep voice said, amused.
Foolish, I was! To have run into the clutches of Master Melkor himself!
"It was getting quite lonely here in the Void, you know," The fallen Vala continued, "I could use some company. But I take it that you have been defeated by those pesky races of Middle-earth, hmm?"
"Yes," Sauron said quite timidly as Master Melkor's grip loosened a little, although he still couldn't see his face, "They had many tricks that I was unable to predict."
"But I trained you to plot and scheme, did I? You are a Maia, and they are only mortals! Even the Elves can be slain. Now what do I see here. You, Sauron Gorthaur, the greatest of the Maia stand defeated before me!" Master Melkor bellowed, shaking Sauron hard.
"I placed most of my powers in the One Ring…" Sauron said faintly, dizzied.
"You pathetic excuse of a servant! That action alone makes you even harder to stand against the Valar! Have you ever seen me placing my powers into some unworthy piece of jewelry?"
"No, Master Melkor"
"At least you still call me master. Observe my ways and learn from them, Sauron. I always wanted to either rule or destroy Arda. I had Balrogs and dragons under my command! No one stood before me!" Master Melkor continued to rant on.
Sauron decided not to remind him of the duel against Fingolfin and the time when he was dragged out of his fortress of the Valar.
"One day I will escape from the Void and wreck havoc on Arda again! The Ainur shall face my wrath as I avenge myself!" Master Melkor declared, and then seemed to look at Sauron intently, "And if you behave yourself and beg for mercy, I might let you back in as my lieutenant."
Back at Master Melkor's service? Tempting, but no. I refuse to serve him again after his utter failure...along with mine. I refuse to be humiliated again in front of the Valar! Forget my fear for now!
"I won't beg." Sauron blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Excuse me?"
He swallowed nervously. Spurred on by some unknown force, he continued to speak.
"I had had enough. I listened and followed you since you had so many promises of prosperity. But I didn't get that. Although you placed me in a high position, you mistreated me and tortured me. Although I worked so hard for you, we never received control of Arda. Instead we got brought down by the people of Middle-earth and got thrown in the Void!"
Master Melkor was silent, but Sauron could feel his burning gaze.
What have I done now?! I would never in my right mind speak against Master Melkor!
"You have grown reckless, Sauron. Do you have any other choice rather than joining me? There is no other place for you in Arda. The Valar will condemn you. The people of Middle-earth will fight against you. Even Eru Ilúvatar will reject you. Only I will still receive you generously into my service." The other hissed angrily.
Although I hate to admit it, Master Melkor is right. I can turn to no one and I have no place in Arda. Eru Ilúvatar…I remember a little now. Was he the composer of the Great Music, the one who Master Melkor rebelled against?
Wisely, Sauron remained silent.
"Now you shall pay the price for speaking up against me!" Master Melkor said grimly.
Sauron started to struggle harder. Usually the "price to pay" left him incapacitated for weeks. Master Melkor had a reputation for extremely painful and long lasting tortures.
The hand around his neck squeezed even tighter, soon cutting off Sauron's breath. He panicked, vainly trying to remove the choking hold. Excruciating pain suddenly seared through his entire body.
"Please, Master Melkor!" Sauron cried out, forgetting all dignity and pride, "I have wronged, please forgive me!"
The fallen Vala laughed, enjoying seeing his servant's agony.
"Cry all you want, Sauron. No one will help you. All inhabitants of the Void fear me. None of the Ainur will hear you and rescue you. I am the only one you can depend on!"
Sauron began to call out names in random, begging for them to save him from his torment. The Valar came first, as he petitioned for them to spare him. He cried out to Aulë and openly confessed his wrongdoings. Sauron even cried out to the Witch King and the Nazgûl, pleading for their forgiveness. All the while Master Melkor laughed throughout his torment. The sound seemed to drown out everything. It was becoming unbearable. Sauron knew that his mind would soon break if this torture continued. He was losing conscious already.
Please, anybody. Help me! This can't go on! I submit. I admit that I have done wrong and that I should have turned back long ago.
Suddenly a name surfaced from the turmoil of sound and pain. Sauron seized it as his last hope and cried it out before he fell into blackness.
"Please save me, Lord Eru Ilúvatar!"
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