Summary: (AU) After Isuldur defeats Sauron a war begins between the human and elven races leading to the enslavement of the human race. Now there is one human slave boy called Estel who is the last great hope for middle earth. This is the stories of Estel's beginning adventures going from slave boy to son gaining enemies and friends along the way.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used within this fanfiction. All are products of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rating: PG-13. Some child abuse/torture. No sexual situations or violence language.

Background Info: This story is an alternate universe story. I cannot promise that my facts go along perfectly with book cannon and I'm sure I've made some mistakes on some of these minor details so please forgive me and feel free to let me know in reviews if you want. I'd be happy for the corrections.

Authors Note: This is my first fanfiction and I know it's not perfect. I've tried to keep it interesting and I hope that you will find it exciting and entertaining. I would appreciate your opinions on how I can improve my story like if the characters and plot are interesting and authentic, etc. I appreciate your reading and your input. I know this prologue is not the most interesting, but I hope you will bear with me and not give up if this bores you. Since it is alternate universe I wanted to start out with some background information. I promise the next chapter (chapter 1) will be more interesting than this. So please stick with me and give it a chance. Thanks again and happy reading.

Prologue:

"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie".

-- J R R Tolkien

Once at the dawning of the age middle earth existed in peace.

Dwarves, Elves, and Men all lived together, like brothers, and middle earth
flourished...

But peace was not to be kept... For with light darkness inevitably follows, seeking to smother its eternal
grace.

The breaking of the world began with good intentions. Most things do, but oh how quickly good intentions are forgotten at the pinnings of power. And
oh how quickly the heart is turned with illusions of grandeur.

There was a powerful wizard named Sauron. He was a protector over middle
earth and loved by all its creatures. The Valar blessed him above all
mortal men with eternal life and great power. But Sauron was easily
corrupted by this power and grew arrogant and selfish.

A demon called Meldor saw the weakness of Sauron and knew he would easily be turned towards the side of darkness. Meldor was prohibited by the binding rules of the Valar to interfere in the ways of middle earth, but he saw a way to revenge himself against the Valar who had cast him from the undying lands an eternity ago. He would claim rule over middle earth and enslave all it's fair creatures that the Valar loved so dearly. Sauron would be his dark minion bringing a reign of darkness down upon the entire world and heralding in an apocalypse. If Meldor had his way middle earth would be flowing with the blood of innocence before the dawning of the next age and he would claim middle earth as his own while the Valar wept.

Meldor promised Sauron even greater power and tempted him with visions of ruling over all of middle earth. In exchange Sauron sold his soul to the demon turning his heart black and dead. Sauron journey to Barad Dur and formed a kingdom of sorts calling the land Mordor (dark land), making it dark like his soul. And in his dark isolated kingdom Sauron's blood lust grew and his hatred of all things good and pure drove him onward as he plotted and schemed the fall of all middle earth...

Sauron sought to divide the elves, dwarfs, and men. For only divided could the dark lord hope to conquer the light of creation and thus reign over the darkness that would follow. He would bring a reign of bloodshed, hatred, and death and his power would be unstoppable.

And so Sauron whispered in the ears of the great kings befriending them while he twisted their thoughts to match his own. He persuaded them to create rings of power to rule over their people. The kings were clouded with illusions of grandeur as they were promised great wealth, power, and prosperity for all time. And so the rings were created.

The elves created but three.

They had lived upon middle earth for centuries and were a wise and cautious race. They knew that power could corrupt the soul and so shied from the rings. The elves already had so many gifts from the Valar that might held little meaning.

For the elves had superior vision, hearing, grace, and speed to all other races. The elves immortality blest them with an everlasting life span. They were allowed to live for centuries to come, the guardians of fair middle earth. But perhaps the greatest gift and the greatest curse of all was their ability to commune with nature as their brethren creating life with their singular touch. They had the power to grow a flower with a single breath and a tear could save a life near death's door.

Yet destruction and darkness thus became unbearable forces to contend with. Their hearts were fragile and tragedy could easily shatter the gentle souls. So the Valar gifted them with an intense glow surrounded these fair creatures and thus they became known as the children of the light. For no darkness could penetrate the magic that surrounded these fair creatures protecting them from the evils of the world lest their delicate hearts be broken in the onslaught of hate.

The dwarfs were a hearty people who loved the rock and dirt of land. They had a small stature so they could be closer to the land they loved so dearly while the elves had been made tall so they could easily climb the trees they created. Dwarves were given phenomenal strength so they could pound and sculpt the earth. They too were an immortal race.

But they bore seeds of jealousy for the elven people. The Dwarves could only break and mold and change. The elves could truly create and it ate at the Dwarves souls that they bore no such gifts. And so the dwarves made seven rings of power in hopes of contending with the power of the elves. Alas the dwarves so sure they were some how lacking, forgot the great many gifts the Valar had given them above all races, for they had a courage and might much to be desired. Their skill with the axe was uncontestable and they made friends with all creatures. Alas they made a foolhardy decision to create those dark rings to the ill of all.

And then there was man. They bore one of the greatest gifts the Valar could bestow...heart. They loved without limits and had a passion for life that burned as bright as the flame of a candle. They wore their emotions freely quick to feel and share enriching fair middle earth with their ceaseless expression.

Yet they felt themselves the weakest of the races. They were far more clumsy then elves and their senses were much more limited. Man did not have the strength of dwarves. And they were a mortal race. 100 years and then they left this world to fates unknown. And so nine rings did man erect. So sure that such power would make them just as strong, wise, graceful, and powerful as their brothers the dwarves and elves.

But do not judge man harshly for they were but children in the immortal life span of all other creatures in middle earth. All children make mistakes, an inevitable truth born of life. For it is through mistakes that one gains experience and hard-learned lessons that gives one wisdom.

And so the races corrupted by the power of their rings grew distant from one another. The dwarves isolated themselves in their mountains finding no use for elves and man. The elves journey to their forests and then men to their towns. And while the world crumbled the dark lord, Sauron laughed in his tower. Watching the slow destruction of the fair people of middle earth and plotted and planned dark deeds.

While middle earth slowly divided and broke under the strain of shattered friendships Sauron secretly created his own ring. It was of simple craft seemingly insignificant to the untrained eye. But it was this one plain piece of metal that would forever scar a land of beauty and peace. It was this "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them" This ring bore a power over all the other rings and would make the creatures of middle earth forcibly submissive under Sauron's dark rule, thus making him unstoppable.

Sauron also created a foul army of distorted tortured elves called orcs. And transformed once peaceful wolf creatures into dark warg fighters. He gathered ogres, goblins, and other foul creatures to his evil cause building a force of darkness to be reckoned with.

And then the great power of Sauron was known.

He led him army across middle earth destroying or enslaving all in its path leaving a sea of blood in his wake. The beings of middle earth had learned too late of the dark lord's betrayals. They were unprepared to withstand Sauron's forces and all quickly fell under the dark armies blades. Sauron captured and enslaved elves, dwarfs, and men alike.

He enslaved the dwarves and sent them to work in his dark mines, of elves he tortured and mutilated their fragile souls replenishing his fearsome orc army. And of men he created the most fearsome force of all, Wraiths. Their were but nine in all, the great kings of the age. The nine bearers of the rings of power. Such distorted creatures they no longer bore any spark of humanity their souls filled with only darkness and hate for an eternity of suffering. The killed and pillaged across the countryside following their masters bidding without a glimmer of mercy left in their wasted souls. And all hope was lost as darkness covered all of middle earth.

But then hope sprang forth once more. A great king named Isuldur rose to power. He was a compassionate ruler amazingly uncorrupted by the evils around him. He went into hiding after Sauron's rise slowly reuniting the divided men of the world and slowly built an army of his own.

He traveled to Mirkwood and formed peace with the elves uniting them together as a formidable force. He also journeyed to Dale gaining the Dwarfs allegiance as well.

And so elf, dwarf, and man united once more as in days of old to defeat the evil that was destroying their homeland once and for all. Sauron would never again haunt their lands and peace would reign once more they vowed.

It took many years and much blood shed. At times hope seemed lost, but Isuldur, Gil Galad, Elrond Perendil, and many other brave warriors fought valiantly onward in a fight for dominance of middle earth.

A great battle at last came that would determine the fate of all.

Elf, man, and dwarf beat back the forces of darkness with a courage and strength gifted them by the blessing of the Valar. Isuldur cut off Sauron's four fingers as well as severing the dark lord's connection to the ring of power. And so Sauron defeated and broken disappeared from middle earth in a ball of fire vowing to vengeance and to return one day to reclaim middle earth as his own.

Isuldur took up the ring of power and journeyed with Elrond to mount Doom for only here thrown into the fiery pits of Mordor could the ring be unmade and middle earth forever freed of darkness. So long as the ring was destroyed Sauron would never be able to return to middle earth and his revenge would remain unfulfilled.

But at the last moment Isuldur's strength failed him and he could not cast the ring away for the sake of all. One look at the ring and he was mesmerized by its power. The ring, clever in its dark twisted way, gave Isuldur visions of becoming a great ruler and king so long as he wore the ring upon his finger.

And so Isuldur the one who had united middle earth once more was the one to break it as well.

The dwarves returned to their caves vowing never to speak with elf or man again both traitorous demons. The elves were perhaps the most deeply hurt by this betrayal for they had suffered the greatest casualties all for not. And so they held an irreparable grudge against the world of men. And men themselves quickly became corrupted by the power of the ring and darkness reigned at the very core of human society. Isuldur soon became utterly corrupted by the dark powers of the ring and reigned over Gondor with a dark hand. The darkness spread and men were weight down with evil intent upon their hearts.

Violence and war broke out between the world of men and they became a weak and broken people.

Thranduil now the king of Mirkwood, after his father was killed during the great war, reigned on his own thrown with a bitter and vengeful heart. The ring's evil power could even touch the elves in the tree top palaces feeding Thranduil's anger and hate.

He reformed his army and turned against man while they were at their weakest, intend upon destroying the ring of power once and for all and man along with it for their deceitful nature.

And so the great war between elf and man began...

They were dark days indeed. Even darker than the days of Sauron for two of the purest creatures blessed of the Valar fought to their own ruins while the Valar wept. The land was once more watered with the blood of the innocence as the world was put to shambles once more.

The world of men inevitable fell under the agile fighting of the elves. Man had already greatly weakened their numbers in their own civil wars and the elves were truly fearsome warriors with skill that came from thousands of years of experience.

So Gondor and Rohan fell...

The elves still creatures of compassion and love could not bring themselves to utterly massacre the world of men and so enslaved many of the human race.

Isuldur died and the ring of power went out of thought and time, lost for many years. But even though much of Isuldur's household fell, his line remained intact. For his human son escaped into the night, though many believed him dead and he was thus also forgotten.

Many humans went into hiding at the fall of their homelands fleeing from the wraith of the elves. They were a people broken and divided. Either enslaved, exiled, or dead. It seemed the world of man was no more...

Elrond, one of the great warriors after the last great war, could not bear the enslavement of the human race. In his heart he felt a great wrongness in these actions as did many elves of soft heart. And so he spoke out against King Thranduil pleading with him to see reason. But Thranduil was filled with hate and vengeance towards the world of men and so would see no reason, especially from a "half-elf". And so Elrond with his new wife Celebrian and their two young twin sons and infant daughter left Mirkwood and set out for a new home land.

They found a land lush with life and named it Rivendell for it lay beside a great and plentiful river. Many of Elrond's supporters in the years to come would follow after and slowly a great elven kingdom was built and it would someday become a great refugee to all who sought it.

The lady Galadriel and her husband celeborn also journey from Mirkwood seeking the isolation and peace of Lothlorian. They built a kingdom in the trees isolated from the ways of the world, happy in their solitude.

After many years the divided world of men slowly began to rebuild. A group of renegade humans known as the rangers protected the weak from the residual forces of Sauron as well as the elves who still sought man's capture. They traveled constantly never to have a home of their own so that others could feel free and safe in theirs. The descents of Isuldur himself lead these noble rangers seeking to atone for their sins of their forefathers, putting their noble robes to rest and becoming outlaw warriors.

And so it was for centuries to come....

Stories of distrust grew between elf and dwarf so they became fearsome enemies. The hate of elf and dwarf became legendary though it was uncertain as to the true underpinnings of this dislike between them.

The three elven kingdoms flourished, but there was only a tentative peace left between them. Deep seated disagreement lay between them that was not so easily rectified.

The Valar watched the workings of middle earth and were greatly displeased. The land they had loved so much lay in ruins shadowed by deep seated unrest. And the valar's blessed creatures had lost their light and purity. And so the Valar punished their way ward children in hopes to help elf, dwarf, and man see the error of their ways.

The dwarves were condemned to search aimlessly for buried treasures consumed with their greed that they would not see the light of day for centuries to come. They would become an isolated and empty people who could no longer celebrate and be merry as they once were, forever feeling a sense of emptiness inside.

The elves lost their gift of creation. They could no longer save a life nor create a flower with the power of their own spirits. They could not even bear children, the greatest act of creation. And so they too were left with a sense of loss.

And humans were condemned to live a millennia of enslavement or exile. They would remain a broken and lost people scattered to the four corners of the earth until the rebirth.

Middle earth lay broken and unrepairable, divided and fallen.

Sauron's vow to return slowly became an inevitable truth as darkness grew on the horizon. The world was divided and it was certain that none would or could oppose him. For the prophecies had written that only the heir of Isuldur bore the power to defeat the dark lord Sauron and all thought Isuldur's line forever broken. Few knew Isuldur's offspring still lived and so hope lay dim and far forgotten.

And so all of middle earth watched in silent horror as the darkness grew and Sauron's strength returned.

But there was still a sparkle of light in the see of darkness, a glimmer of hope in a world divided. Through the capture of a simple ranger a child would be borne, a slave by birth, but also a king by birth. And he would bring about the rebirth of middle earth,

a savior

hope