Had a thought about a slightly AU-ish scenario where Ar-Pharazon isn’t a complete fucking moron like he is in canon, and maybe he starts realizing that Sauron played him like a fiddle and lied about the possibility of gaining immortality. But he also doesn’t know what to do about it, because he’s afraid of him and understands that too many of his own people are already too deep in the worship of Melkor, and he’s no longer sure where their loyalty truly lies. And he doesn’t know what would be worse — allowing Sauron to do as he pleases, or coming forward and admitting that all of his tales and promises were lies, and that he, as king, allowed people to be slaughtered on Melkor’s altar for absolutely nothing.
So it continues like that, and with each passing day he feels worse than before, because the situation is only getting more hopeless, and he can’t see any way out of it. And he’s still just as terrified of death as ever.
When Sauron urges him to attack Valinor, he agrees, but by that point he no longer even knows whether he truly hopes it will save him from death, or whether he just wants to escape from Sauron and beg the Valar for help.
But, of course, the outcome of all this is exactly the same as in canon.
P.S. This isn’t an attempt to make Pharazon more sympathetic or anything, but rather the result of me musing about how ironic it would be if these two characters came full circle. From Sauron being the prisoner to Pharazon feeling like the one in his own kingdom. And I like to imagine Sauron as an absolutely terrifying force who destroys those around him not only physically but mentally as well, and that you simply can’t avoid that destructive influence after interacting with him for years, especially when he actively wants to break you and enjoys it immensely.
Maybe even Sauron slowly changed his behavior from "a loyal counselor" to deliberately letting the king understand that he was merely a powerless puppet who could do nothing against him.
