LOTR: Children of Refusal
At the Waters of Awakening, an elf is born with memories that don’t belong to this world.
When the Valar arrive with their shining offer - salvation, eternal light, a paradise across the sea — he sees what others cannot. A price hidden beneath divine promises. Safety traded for freedom.
So he does the unthinkable.
He refuses.
The Avari-the Unwilling, the Refusers, the ones history will forget — follow him into exile. What unfolds is not a tale of wandering wonder, but of building: walls raised against the coming darkness, weapons forged without divine guidance, a kingdom carved from nothing but will and determination.
Because in Middle-earth, freedom is never free.
And darkness always comes to collect.
━━━━━━━━ ⟡ AUTHOR’S NOTES ⟡ ━━━━━━━━
Lore-heavy beginning: The opening chapters introduce many Tolkien terms, names, and worldbuilding elements. If it feels dense at first, don’t worry - each chapter ends with a mini-glossary to help you navigate everything easily.
Long-form chapters: The chapter count may look small early on, but every chapter is substantial (3,000+ words minimum, often much longer).
AU & apologies to lore purists: This is an Alternate Universe kingdom-building story set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. I apologize in advance to hardcore LOTR fans for any lore liberties or naming mistakes - I’m doing my best to honor the source material while exploring new possibilities. Constructive feedback is always welcome (kindly, please)!
Give it a chance. The Avari are waiting!!!