The Consort of Mordor: a Sauron x Bilbo

Bonds

When Bilbo opened his eyes, he leaned over to pick up the history book he had dropped in his impromptu nap and stood up as Sauron entered the room.

"I have a theory on how you keep finding your way into my memories." The Dark Lord said, "It is the ring."

"How?" The hobbit asked, "You have it."

"Yes, but you having it for as long as you did created a connection between us that did not manifest fully until I regained corporeal form." Mairon explained, "Which is why you never saw my memories before. And both occurrences of you being granted access to my memories were during times we both were in a state of relaxation."

"That makes sense." Bilbo agreed, "Does that mean Frodo is seeing your memories as well, seeing that he is sleeping still?"

"No, the connection I have to him is so thin he could not if he tried. It is a paltry thing, like fishline whereas our connection is a chain, sturdy and sure." The maia answered, "I will continue to search for a way to spare you the burden of my memories, in the meantime I shall be more vigilant in not dropping my guard."

"You do not have to do that for me. If it is for the sake of your privacy, by all means, do so, but if it is just for my sake you do not have to go through the trouble of not getting to rest...I like getting to know more about you." Bilbo said, a light blush across his cheeks, "All I know about you is what I have been told from books or from the elves and Gandalf, and having spent the past few months with you, it is nice to know that, it is nice to know that you are actually a person and not just a warlord bent on destroying the world."

Sauron did not reply immediately, his golden eyes looking into Bilbo's own green ones curiously, "Very well, you can continue to view my memories in our rest, I do not mind sharing myself with you. I will not interfere as I have been unless it is something I truly do not wish to share."

That was more than what Bilbo was expecting, but he was not going to complain.

***

They only stayed in Byavheukea for a week before flying back to Barad-dûr, but upon arriving back Bilbo already longed for the sunlight but contented himself with the greenhouse he had been gifted.

Something he did learn was that the Nazgûl that had been tasked to follow him was once called Yuka.

She was once an Empress of Shen alongside her sister, Riya -who was also part of the Nine- but she remembered nothing else from before she became a Ringwraith; as far as she was concerned her undead life began when Sauron arrived in Shen to lead the twin Nazgûl back to Mordor.

That did not stop Bilbo from asking about the since-fallen empire, curious about the lands so far to the East, but unfortunately, she was no help in that regard when all that occupying her mind was the Will of Sauron and her current assignment of watching over her master's beloved.

Taking off his gardening gloves, he wiped his hands on his pant legs absentmindedly as he stood and walked to the little patio to enjoy afternoon tea.

Natural hobbit politeness made him look to his guard, "Would you like to join me, there is plenty for two."

"I am dead. I have no need for sustenance." Yuka replied, standing at the doorway

"Oh, well the offer still stands, it is always nice to share a meal with someone even if it is only company." Bilbo said, trying to hide the embarrassment on his face

"Stupid Bilbo." The hobbit thought to himself, "You might have offended her, of course, she cannot eat, what are you thinking? Now you're being a bad host eating while she just watches!"

Yuka, having no thoughts of her own, was not offended, but Bilbo still cursed himself mentally as there was nothing worse in the Shire than being an ungracious host.

Even as she escorted him back to the tower, he was worried about having upset his guard and he must have been projecting his mood because Sauron asked him what was wrong the second he entered the recreated smial that night.

"I was terribly rude this afternoon." Bilbo answered, taking his frustrations out on the dough he was kneading, "Do you think Yuka thinks less of me now?"

"I can assure you that she does not." The Dark Lord chuckled, finding his worrying over nothing cute

Bilbo was about to ask how he could be so sure but remembered who he was talking to, "Okay."

Sauron leaned against the wall, his blindfolded face still looking at Bilbo's perfectly, "You do not believe me. Come here, I have proof."

The hobbit stepped towards him, his hand being moved so his fingertips rested on the maia's forehead.

"I have my mental shields slightly ajar for you, focus and I shall direct you to my connection to the wraiths." Mairon instructed

It was a strange feeling, but Bilbo closed his eyes and felt a calling towards Mairon, like ants lining towards the hill, he was pulled down his connection and towards the chains of the Nine.

Out of the Nine chains of the Nine, none of them had anything going on emotionally with the exception of the Witch King who was smug for some reason.

When he was pulled out of Sauron's mind, said maia kissed his fingertips, "See, perfectly normal."

***

That night he dreamt of Gollum and Sauron being horribly out of place in the little lake in the Misty Mountains.

Bilbo could not help but laugh as the maia tried and failed to convince the creature to leave the mountain.

His stomach hurt because he was laughing so hard when Gollum hissed at 'Precious' that they could not leave and jumped into his little boat, the resulting splash drenching the Dark Lord's robes and hair.

When the past version of him eventually arrived and played riddles with Gollum, he could see Sauron was visibly relieved to be leaving with him.

The hobbit was amused the entire walk back to the Company, though his heart ached when he laid eyes on Thorin again and the memory stopped -though he guessed Mairon stopped it to spare him the pain rather than his own personal reason.