Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters or the concepts of The Lord of the Rings. They all belong to the brilliant J.R.R. Tolkein. However, I do own any original and, let's say, ahem...foreign concepts.

This is an AU, however, it is not a Mary Sue. The main character may seem like it, but she has a horrible past and is fragile. Just give the story some time and a few chapters. Please don't flame me! I have worked over a year on this story and this is the third time I'm attempting to put it in writing. And I know there isn't a desert in LOTR...but that's what AU's are for!! Please...no...flames... I'll give you all a nice...big...chocolatety cookie.

Prologue

They were a kingdom of desert elves caught in the midst of a bloody civil war which had been going on for over nine thousand years. In an effort to over throw the monarchy, the Malik rebels have killed hundreds, including members of the monarchy themselves. They were led by the infamous Elezar, an exiled prince who wanted to change the monarchy, the government, and the kingdom for his own, sinful pleasures.

While as a prince watching his father, King Demin, make speeches to the kingdom and train the army without any fuss, Elezar would stand in the shadows of his family, creating thoughts opposite of those than his father. His trusted advisor, the young Balin Saren, seemed to be his father's favorite person, seeing that he had the same views and successful suggestions. Jealousy ignited in Elezar until it came to a point where he had to voice his opinions.

"A heavy tax should be placed on the people in order to benefit the kingdom! Whoever does not obey the law, no matter how small, should be executed! To prevent night crimes, curfews should be set!" These were some of the opinions Elezar had harbored. Demin had disregarded them for a while. But when they were being shouted on a daily basis and some actions were being taken, he had finally had enough.

Elezar was banished from the kingdom and from the other cities: the North, South, East, and West. The Royal city would shut their doors to him forever. It wasn't long before Elezar had followers and created the Malik army, with new members joining frequently. Battles were fought between the Maliks and the Desert armies and many men were killed.

One sunny day, while Demin was condemning the Maliks on the balcony overlooking the city, he was shot by an arrow straight in his heart along with his wife. Balin, however, escaped in time. Both the king and queen died without leaving an heir. Two days later, on a request made earlier by the king, Balin was crowned king, creating a new family line to sit on the throne: Saren. He now controlled every aspect of the kingdom, including the armies. He led the armies into battle, often winning and drawing the Maliks out further into the deserted desert.

Balin married young and took a wife whose name was Nazara, who hailed from the Northern city. They had one son, Azner, who grew to be a great warrior. They arranged his marriage to a noble she-elf of the Royal city: Halana. Tragedy befell Azner when both of his parents were killed in a raid while retuning to the Royal city from the East.

Azner was made king, Halana, his queen. Together, they had three children. The oldest was Hassir, the second son was Kahlil, and the youngest child was Azira, their only daughter. All were trained to be skilled warriors, despite some protests from their mother. Azira, who was named after Azner, was made commander of the armies when she was of the right age. She became the first and only woman to become a member of the army. Once again, tragedy befell the children when their parents were murdered on the balcony the same way the Demin and his wife were killed.

Hassir, being the oldest, was crowned as king immediately. Nine hundred years later, during a battle, Hassir was taken hostage and executed. Kahlil was made the next king. He then made Azira his queen so they could both share the power to create a stable kingdom.

This is where out story begins. But there's much more to this than what has just been described, so much more. This is a story about love, anger, betrayal, secrets, hope, sadness, and death. Only one side will win? Which would it be?

Monarchies- First Family Line

King Demin (dead) Queen Calarin (dead)
I I
I
Prince Elezar (exiled)

Saren Family Line

King Balin (dead) Queen Nazara(dead)
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I

King Azner (dead) Queen Halana (dead)
I I
 I I I
King Hassir (dead) King Kahlil Queen Azira