AN: I took inspiration and references from many sources: Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Grimm, and random elements of mythology from around the world just to name a few.

Prologue

Panting heavily, a girl of sixteen ran through the thick brush of the woods, only risking a quick glance over her shoulder for a glimpse of her pursuer. In that split second she only saw shadowed trees and shrubbery before turning her sights ahead of her, dodging a low branch. Running through thick bushes and shrubbery ripped her the hem of her skirt. Adrenaline fueling her to keep running even though her legs were tired and her lungs burned from the heavy breathing. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath she leaned against the trunk of a thick tree where she cautiously peeked around it, not realizing that someone had dropped down silently behind her. In the next instant a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind like steel cable, trapping her arms to her sides. She let out a scream of surprise followed by a burst of laughter as the owner of the arms held her tightly against his solid chest, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around before setting her back down.

"You're getting faster." spoke a male voice, carrying a light tone of jovial lightness and delight. He released her from his tight embrace, letting her turn around to look up at him with a wide grin and enchanting blue eyes.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you!" she teased, pushing away from him.

Prince Thranduil chuckled at his childhood friend, their bond strong and unbreakable, sharing everything. Spending hours into the night just talking about everything and nothing. His dearest and most treasured friend, as unlikely it would be under normal circumstances, was a human girl. Though she was no ordinary girl. Aria was from a bloodline of great importance to not only of Middle Earth but to other Earths as well. She was part of a legacy known as Araegisess, translated to the Great Protector; blessed by the ancient gods of lore with mystical powers. Aria was in-training to become the next Araegisess and had been brought along with her uncle, the current Araegisess, Kelly Mendeliir. Kelly's younger brother, Aria's father, who was also an Araegisess, had died when Aria was ten. Her mother had died from sickness when she was two years of age.

With no other family, Kelly took her in and raised her as his own; and when she showed signs of the gift after her father's death he began to train her. Ever since, little by little, he showed her the worlds that she will one day protect, taking her to different worlds of magic and supernatural and more. One of those worlds being Middle Earth of which they frequented the most due to the constant turmoil of its people and countries. It was there that she was introduced to a young Prince Thranduil and they became fast friends, never wanting to part, but when they did it would feel like years before they saw each other again. Aria would then learn that time flowed differently between their world and hers. For each hour that passed in her world a day would pass in Middle Earth.

Now as teenagers and knowing a little more than when they were children, it was clear their friendship was becoming more, and neither of them cared what the worlds (or their guardians) thought.

Thranduil grinned back at Aria, taking her hands and pulling her close to him so that he could lower his head down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. Being young, impulsive and foolishly naïve was all part of being a teenager. Pulling back from the kiss, Thranduil gazed down at Aria, looking into her sapphire blue eyes framed by thick black eyelashes. It didn't matter to him that she was human, it didn't matter that she was to be the next Araegisess, what mattered was that he loved her and she loved him. It didn't matter how fleeting it all was, so long as they lived in the moment together.

With a playful smirk, Aria tweaked his nose and then sprinted off into the woods, the sound of her laughter growing distant. Thranduil made a move to take up the chase again but found his right foot was stuck. Looking down he saw that the earth had swallowed his foot up to his ankle and he immediately knew that Aria used her magic to cheat in their little game. With a forceful yank, he freed himself and took up the chase once more through the woods of his father's realm.

xxxxx

Later that afternoon, Aria sat out in an open field of tall grass and wild flowers, on a blanket that had been laid out, soaking in the warm rays of the sun and humming a song. In a few short hours the sun will be setting on yet another wonderful day. Thranduil had his head resting on Aria's lap while she absently stroked his silky hair as she continued to hum, occasionally singing a few verses softly. It was the day before Aria had to depart with her uncle, so the young couple decided to spend as much time together as possible before then.

"What do you know about this test you must go through?" Thranduil asked.

Aria stopped humming and her hand paused mid-stroke. "I don't know, my uncle says it's different for everyone. He said my father only took an hour while his took nearly two days. He wouldn't tell me more beyond that."

"Are you scared?"

"A little, I don't know what to expect more than that it might take me a long time to complete."

Sitting up, Thranduil moved around to pull her close. "Think of it this way, if you fail then it will be another point in your life that I can bring up whenever I please."

Aria looked at him sharply and gave his chest a slap though she was having a hard time suppressing the laugh that came up. "You're such a jerk!"

He laughed with her, grabbing her wrists and pushing her down, pinning her wrists on either side of her head as he moved on top. Lowering his head down, he pressed his lips to hers, softly at first before becoming bolder and hungrier. He released her wrists, bracing his weight on one forearm while his other hand roamed down her side, over the curve of her hip and grabbing her thigh, pulling it up. The gauzy material of her ripped skirt slipped up her thigh by gravity, letting him touch her bare skin underneath. He felt her hands on his chest, moving up to his neck and then sliding back down, her fingers hooking around the band of his belt and giving it a suggestive tug. He answered her by pressing his hips down to hers, rubbing slowly against her between her thighs, eliciting a soft moan from her.

He looked down at her, taking in her features. Her dark wavy hair was always smelling sweet and always soft to the touch. Her skin was silky like flower petals beneath his fingers, her rosy lips were beautifully shaped and always tempting him for a taste. Then there were her eyes…her incredible, enchanting, enrapturing eyes that were as blue as sapphires and practically unnatural, yet on her they only enhanced her beauty. Lastly was her voice, the sound so pure and angelic. When she sings her voice silences all song birds nearby because they knew they couldn't compare, and in truth her singing was what made him fall in love with her.

The first time he heard her sing was years ago and he had no idea it was Aria. He had come home after patrolling the borders of his father's realm and on his way to meet his father was when he heard the singing. It was soft and distant and curious he had gone to investigate, following his ear, leading him down to an unfamiliar part of his home. It was an alcove carved from rock that overlooked the winding river that cuts through Greenwood. The singing echoed loudly there, bringing him to the end of his search as he came upon Aria, sitting at the ledge, staring out at the sunset. Her singing abruptly stopped when he accidentally kicked a loose rock, getting her attention as she turned around to look back at him. He felt rather embarrassed, almost like he was intruding. He was at a loss for words but Aria simply smiled as she got up and went to him, giving him a warm hug.

"Welcome back!" she said, smiling so brightly at him that it outshined the sun itself. It made his heart beat so hard in his chest that he felt like it was going to burst out of its cavity. That was when he knew…knew that he was falling in love.

Thranduil smiled down at Aria.

"What's with that look?" she asked as she looked up at him, her fingers finding their way under his tunic to touch his bare abdomen, feeling the hard muscles tighten under her touch.

"Just remembering," he replied, sliding his hand from the outside of her thigh to the inside and slowly moving up. He watched as her pupils dilated and her cheeks flushed pink.

"Remembering what?" she asked, her voice slightly quivering.

"The moment I knew you were the one."

She let loose a soft giggle as he lowered his head again to kiss her sweet lips. Aria moaned with pleasure when Thranduil began to slowly grind his throbbing erection against her heated core and his hand gently massaging one of her breasts. This part of their relationship was still relatively new, exploring every inch. They had very recently ventured into this intimate territory, it mostly pertained to kissing and touching and whenever they began to go further they were always interrupted. Ending their teenage, hormonal fueled frenzy. This time was no different as a guard was calling out to them to return.

With a groan Thranduil reluctantly rolled off of Aria and onto his back, hating whoever it was for disrupting their moment. Aria felt the same, letting out a frustrated huff. Both of them laid next to each other for a few minutes, taking the time to cool off.

"Come on, we can continue later." she said before getting up.

"If I recall, that's what you said last time." Thranduil said as he got up as well.

xxxxx

"Aria has grown into a beautiful young woman." Orophor said as he sat with Kelly, sharing a bottle of wine with his long-time friend.

"She's sixteen now, which means she'll be getting ready for her ascension." Kelly said with a sigh. He remembered his ascension and how it changed him, the judgment of the Ancients was more than nerve-wracking, it had been nauseating. He was grateful to have passed their judgment and then be paired with a weapon that will help channel and focus their power. He just worried for his niece, since she is the first female Araegisess in eight generations.

"So soon?" Orophor asked, a little surprised. "Is she not a little young for that?"

"The sooner the better." Kelly said.

"Why are you in such a rush?"

Kelly let out a heavy sigh, "Because I am very sick and at the rate I'm goin', can't keep this up for much longer."

Orophor looked at the man with alarm. "Why did you not say so sooner? I am sure Lord Elrond can heal your ailment."

Kelly waved a hand. "It's not something elven magic can heal. I will be going into treatment back home as soon as Aria has passed the Ancient's judgment."

"And if she fails?"