The Red Sorceress
An alt canon post (by 3 centuries) Lord of the Rings fanfic in a steampunk Middle Earth
Sauron was a much different being than the races of men truly understood. A Maia that possessed a mixture of femininity and masculinity in equal parts, Sauron that was once Mairon was a being of unique gender existence, even among the Maiar. Seduced away from the Valar by Melkor who became Morgorth, she was abused and corrupted by the more powerful being and became his servant. After his fall she sought to make amends by conquering Middle Earth to repair its evils. In all of this a tiny fragment, a remnant of Mairon remained protected and hidden within Sauron safe from corruption, the only part not tied to the One Ring.
When that Ring was destroyed Sauron was sundered but that remnant remained. A broken Mairon emerged, reduced in power, trapped in a feminine male physical form and forced to rebuild her mind and memories. Her guilt would soon define her and send her on a journey for redemption while she healed the ailments of Arda.
Taking cue from the Istari, Wizards of Staff & Rod that stood against Mordor, she became The Red Sorceress, seeking to guide and heal, not conquer and force, in a world now much changed.
Into the Darkness