The Tenth Ringwraith: a Sauron x Bilbo

Decay

That night, Bilbo went to sleep in his small bedroll in the covered wagon, but he woke up sitting on a beach beside a Man who had black hair and olive skin, his teal eyes focused on the waves crashing a few meters away.

"Hello?" Bilbo greeted, "Could you be so kind as to tell me where I am?"

The man ignored him, but his trance like staring into the waves had been broken, standing up and throwing a stone he had been holding into the raging ocean, the rock skipping across the waves before sinking.

Bilbo came to the conclusion that he was seeing the past or the dream of another, which is why he could not interact with the world around him.

Eventually, the man smoothened his beige shirt and brown trousers and walked towards a large silver-domed temple that was nearby.

The temple within was almost completely unoccupied, save for a statue of a very tall male wearing spiked armor, a crown with three large gems, and wielding an oversized hammer.

Another male rounded the corner, who was easily the most beautiful being Bilbo had ever seen.

The male was shirtless, clad only in black harem pants that had a slit on the sides to show off his lithe legs, as well as shoeless, with golden bangles on his arms and ankles; his long silvery blond hair was tied back into a crown braid.

The hobbit could not see most of the gorgeous male's face, his nose and eyes were hidden by an eyeless golden mask that also acted as a spiked crown, but that did not deter from his beauty, instead highlighting his high cheekbones and full lips.

It was only upon a closer look that he noticed the scars on his neck and the spider web of scars on his feet, but Bilbo did not dwell on the sight of them long when he heard the male speak with a velvety familiar voice that the hobbit could not place.

"You are early, Morgomir." The beautiful male said, "The ceremony will not begin for another half hour."

"Grand Zigûr." The man Bilbo now knew to be called Morgomir greeted, dipping into a bow, "I wish to serve at the alter during the ceremony."

"Very well." The Zigûr allowed, beginning to walk up the stairs to where an altar of black marble sat surrounded by wood

Bilbo should have felt disgusted, should have been distressed by the sight before him, but he was not even slightly repulsed.

Two nude humans, both male, were chained to the altar where the wood around them implied they would be burned.

That in itself was not what should have made him sickened, as funeral pyres were common among the races of Men, it was the fact that the chained pair were to be burned alive was.

Some time passed and a crowd arrived and the Zigûr began to preach a sermon about how only 'Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedom' could save them from the so called 'Gift' of Men and grant them life eternal if they served him.

The pair chained to the altar were burned alive, the smell of their cooking flesh both sweet and putrid in the air.

As the wood was reduced to ashes and the bodies were but charred bones, the crowd dispersed as quickly as it arrived, leaving Morgomir alone with the Grand Zigûr.

"Here, a token of our god's favor." Zigûr said to Morgomir, handing him a golden ring that had an amber stone on it

The man slipped it on, the gem glowing orange for a moment.

***

Gollum climbed onto the wooden wagon frame, moving as silently as he could.

Crawling past the sleeping Cedric, he ignored him as he went to the thief.

Baggins had the Precious on his finger, the gold glimmering in the moonlight temptingly.

Sméagol leaned over the sleeping hobbit, his neck fully exposed as he leaned back in his pillow.

For a moment, Gollum feared he had been caught when Bilbo shifted, his ringless hand raising in the air before settling again under his pillow.

Opening his mouth, Gollum aimed straight for the thief's neck, planning to rip out his veins.

Before the mangled creature's few teeth could make contact with the hobbit's delicate throat, Bilbo's hand emerged from the pillow wielding Sting, slicing the ambusher's throat instead.

Gollum made a sputtering, coughing noise before he said his own name twice, a filthy hand covering his bleeding neck.

Ruby red droplets of blood from the initial cut sprayed onto Bilbo's face and nightgown, covering the edge of the elvish blade.

Uncaring of his own pain, Gollum tried again to lunge for the One Ring, but Bilbo kicked him away.

His back hit the cloth of the covered wagon, but luckily did not cause it to rip; Bilbo stood up at last and ducked when Gollum lunged yet again.

Swinging Sting again, Bilbo made another cut on Gollum, this time on his exposed belly.

The gaunt, sickly flesh cut easily, Sméagol's intestines slipping out of the created gash.

Gollum caught his innards in his hands, trying to shove them back in as he whined for the 'Precious'.

He then fell to the floor, whimpering and moaning pathetically in agony.

The writer pressed his foot on Gollum's back, between his shoulder blades to make sure he could not get back up.

"What is that thing?" Cedric asked, sitting up in his bedroll, looking between the two others in the wagon

Bilbo shrugged, "I do not know, it looks like an orc runt. We should start moving again in case it was scouting for a party."

The trader nodded, gulping as the blade Bilbo held pierced Gollum's head with a sickening crunch.

Wiping off his blade on the hem of his nightgown, Bilbo dragged the corpse off the wagon and left him on the ground for the wild to claim, not even bothering to give him a pauper's grave.

Seeing Cedric was still staring at him, staring at the blood stains on his face and nightgown, Bilbo wiped his face off with his sleeve, "The nightie is ruined anyways."

Once the two hobbits were dressed for the day, they had a simple breakfast of dried fruits and Cedric got the horses moving.

Sitting in the wagon, Bilbo was about to clean the blood off the nightgown with some liqour, but Ash stopped him, "Leave it."

"Why?" Bilbo inquired, curious as he laid it out to dry

"You looked radiant covered in blood." The Ring answered

The Bilbo that left sleepy Hobbiton to join the Company of Thorin Oakenshield would have been horrified to hear such, but the current one that had the One Ring for nearly twelve years just blushed at the compliment.

***

Across the world, Gandalf the Grey was visiting one of the many tribes of the Rhûn, trying to turn them away from their worship of the Dark Lord.

He was failing in this, naturally, it would take centuries to undo traditions set by two Ages worth of generations past.

Though, the wizard held hope that they might yet turn eventually, they had not threatened him save for when he had tried to touch their idol to Sauron nor had they forced him to leave afterwards.

Sitting in the small yurt he was being allowed to stay in, Gandalf paused when he felt something ripple across the Song of the World.

Something had been prevented, an important role had been silenced, and he now felt the inexplicable need to visit the Shire.