Sauron sometimes wondered in moments of almost lucidity if they ever wondered why he kept going. He half guessed that his enemies didn't really care at this point, the gentle musings of his rational turning into the cold hard he must be stopped at any cost.

But surely…surely those who thought about it must have realized that he knew he couldn't win. Not after Númenor. He had thought before the island drowned that he might; a half-scared perhaps, perhaps… But then Ilúvatar had shown himself not as disinterested in Arda as Mairon had thought, and in that instant the Maia had known one truth: he would never win.

Perhaps if those annoying little remnants of the fallen Star Isle had not settled on his land he would have contented himself with ruling what he had, hoping that it would not draw any more attention. But they had. And furious that they had survived and were thriving, he attacked—and lost. Badly.

But it was an Age later, and here he was trying to keep going, despite the loss of his Ring, despite the cold certainty that he had on those days he could really understand that he had gone insane with the loss, despite the fact he knew that something would come along to end it all…

Because in the end, what would giving up get him?

Nothing.

So why should he quit?

Would like to point out that technically Rings of Power and the Third Age *is* part of the Silmarillion... It's really rare for Third-Age!Sauron to talk to me. So thank the song I was listening to. And review?