The Tenth Ringwraith: a Sauron x Bilbo

The Beautiful One

Frodo Baggins was sitting in his front yard, enjoying smoking from his pipe when he saw the old firework merchant.

"Good evening." He greeted after puffing out a string of smoke

The taller being huffed, dropping the handles of his cart, "What do you mean? Do you wish me a good evening or do you mean that it is a good evening whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular evening? Or are you simply stating that this is an evening to be good on?"

The pair then stared at each other silently, neither answering, before beginning to laugh.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf." Frodo laughed, hugging his friend

Gandalf hugged back, "I am glad to see you as well."

"I don't suppose you have any news from the outside world?" Frodo inquired after the rest of the pleasantries were exchanged

"I do indeed, none of it good I'm afraid." Gandalf said, following him inside his smial, "Do you remember your Uncle Bilbo?"

Frodo nodded, "Not very well since I was so young, I did not get a chance to get to know him before he disappeared. But I remember his kind smile and that he would sneak me extra pastries and that he always seemed very sad, but that is it. Why?"

"We have found him." Gandalf replied, a somber expression covering his previously joyful face

"That is excellent! Where is he?" The hobbit exclaimed

"He is one of them, a Black Rider in service to the Lord of Mordor." Gandalf explained, "He was spotted in Minas Morgul."

***

That had been three months ago, and now Frodo found himself —and Sam Gamgee, who had eavesdropped and tagged along— on a brown pony called Bill with a small army led by Aragorn the Ranger.

The army, was here to take Minas Morgul from the Witch King, but the pair of hobbits were here to see if they could save Bilbo Baggins from his fate.

Gandalf had told them that, unlike the other Nazgûl who had left corpses behind when they fell to their rings, Bilbo had taken his body with him and that left a small chance he could be uncorrupted.

The collected two hundred odd allies of Aragorn marched upon the wraith city of Minas Morgul, challenging those within to a battle.

But, instead of a fight, a lone rider emerged from the city.

Mounted on a black mare and adorned in white robes, a wraith much smaller than any of the Nine approached the leaders of the attack.

Once the horse came to a stop, the wraith lowered their hood, revealing the ghostly face of a young Bilbo Baggins.

Frodo was shocked by how young his uncle appeared, for someone in their hundred and thirties, he did not look a day over forty and even death had not made him go gaunt or pallor.

But that was not all, his features were different than he remembered, though time could have distorted his memories.

He was beautiful but dangerous in a way that was just slightly off in an unsettling way like a smile with too many teeth, with all the color removed from him leaving him existing in shades of black and white.

"The Lord of Minus Morgul bids you welcome." Bilbo announced, a wicked smile on his beautiful face, "They are willing to show mercy to all those who swear fealty to our Lord, Sauron the Great."

The white-clad Ringwraith scanned the faces in the crowd, suddenly pausing when he laid eyes on the other hobbits present, a tear rolled down his face but he did not stop with his actions, this time addressing the nameless soldiers saying that they could avoid dying for a futile cause by joining the glory of the Dark Lord.

His tear went not unnoticed by the ones that caused it nor the wizard present.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf exclaimed, raising his staff above his head, "The shadows have held you far too long! I release you!"

The wraith screamed in agony in a way that resembled metal scraping metal as it was enveloped in light, its layers melting away until the light went out.

Where the tenth member of the Nine had once sat on his black mare in white robes, now sat a flesh and blood hobbit clad in black and white Shire style clothing, his hair returned to its golden color and his face flush.

The Men of the army fell into whispers and gossip, asking if the Grey Wizard had uncorrupted the wraith and restored him to its true form.

"Sauron's influence is removed from you, for now, Bilbo, speak freely before it returns." Gandalf said, his horse approaching the hobbit's own

Bilbo felt his face in shock, tears brimming in his restored green eyes, "I can feel him in my bones, Gandalf, wiggling in my marrow."

***

The army made camp a short distance away, the temporarily freed ringwraith sequestered to the wizard's tent so he could be interrogated without him overhearing anything he would reveal to the Dark Forces when it retook control of him.

"You have grown so much, my dear boy." Bilbo smiled, hugging Frodo close, "How old are you now? Oh, you were barely to my hip when I saw you last."

"I will be fifty-one come this September." The younger hobbit answered

Bilbo made a choked sound, as if he had been punched in the gut instead of hugged, "I have been here for forty years."

"I hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but we must use this time to learn Sauron's plans." Boromir pointed out as Bilbo's pale green eyes faded to light grey

"I confess myself unable to help with that." Bilbo replied, "I have only been in the master's presence three times since I delivered the Ring to him, his Will is relayed to the Witch King who then gives the rest of us orders."

"That will have to work then." Gimli huffed, "What have you been doing?"

"That is a long story." The wraith sighed, "I mostly work as a negotiator to sway the lands to the East and South to ally themselves with Mordor; I seem to preferable to the Master's Mouth, though I travel as guard and assistant to him all the same. I suppose the easiest way to start is from the beginning when I found the One Ring in the Misty Mountains during my time with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."