I don't own The Shannara Chronicles. All rights go to their respective owners.
Wildest Dreams
Amberle Elessedil walked through the gardens of the palace feeling relaxed, comforted by the familiar grounds, the orangey reddish sky as sunset begins to appear.
She walks toward the palace, perhaps to see Catania, whom, she thinks may probably be occupied with the man she, Allanon and Wil had found. Bandon, Catania having taken quite a liking to the peculiar man with the ability to see death.
He had saved her life after all, so that could have something to do with it.
She thinks of the other people she could probably go to talk to: Wil Ohmsford, her uncle Ander, her grandfather or the mysterious Druid Allanon.
Confidently, she makes her way into the palace, smiling at the guards who bow their heads in passing, showing their respect for their princess, the last surviving member of the Chosen.
Amberle decides to head for the throne room, considering most of the people she talks to normally circulates in there.
However, upon nearing the throne room, she hears shouting.
Yelling, people arguing.
The most distinctive voice is Allanon's, he sounds enraged by something.
She can also hear her uncle Arion yelling as well.
Amberle frowns but feels less confused than before. Her uncle Arion's hatred for Allanon is evident to any elf with eyes and ears.
It was only a matter of time before her uncle lost his temper and after all Allanon's had to put up with from him since he got to Aborlon it's no surprise he's finally snapped.
To be honest, Amberle is amazed it's only happened now.
Considering Allanon isn't exactly the most calmest person in the world after all, nor, from what Amberle's gathered from knowing Allanon, he does not put up with any bother.
The yelling continues as she approaches the throne room.
She walks quicker than she did before.
Her uncles probably really taken things to far, she thinks as she finally reaches the door.
"What's going on?" She sighs as she opens the door, however to her utmost horror she sees Arion brandishing a sword and running Allanon through with it…
"Allanon!" She can't stop herself from crying out as she watches him fall to the ground.
"Stop! No!" She cries to Arion, who doesn't even acknowledge that she's there when he runs Allanon through once more…
Amberle awakens with a sudden start, breathing heavily as she blinks her eyes rapidly.
She's in her room, in her bed. Not the throne room, her uncle has not just stabbed Allanon in front of her.
It was all a dream.
It was just a dream.
Or was it? Was it a vision of what is to come like it was with Lorin?
Could it be The Ellcrys warning her about Allanon's fate?
She ran before when she was showed Lorin's fate, when she thought she would be the one to cause it, yet running did that anyway.
It was The Ellcrys warning her not to run.
This time she doesn't know what The Ellcrys is trying to tell her.
That her uncle Arion will somehow kill Allanon for who knows what reason.
That she needs to warn Allanon of this because she's pretty confident that if Allanon were to be killed they would lose all hope of winning the war against the demons considering he appears to be the only one who has any knowledge about these demons they face and its leader and possibly how to defeat them.
Not to mention that ever since she and Wil met Allanon, all he's done is try to protect them both, almost getting himself killed in the process and if what Amberle just saw was a vision of the future then he'll be killed by her uncle's hand.
She knows her uncle Arion and Allanon have a disliking of one another.
A great one at that, but she didn't think her uncle would do a thing like that.
Her grandfather would never condone that, he cares for Allanon himself after all.
Why would something like that happen?
How could something like that happen? Allanon's a Druid, he has magic, how could he b so easily defeated?
It's something Amberle decides she shall contemplate in the morning and falls into a somewhat uneasy sleep after that.
However, Amberle doesn't even mange to get to morning before another nightmare strikes.
The same as before, some of the details changed but it was the same dream as before.
This time she finds it impossible to go back to sleep and that what she saw in her dreams is not something that should be ignored anymore.
Heading out into the corridor, Amberle moves along it quickly and finds herself heading to the throne room as that is where it took place and enters it to find no one there.
Not her uncles, not her grandfather, not Allanon and not even the dog.
It is the middle of the night after all.
Satisfied with what she sees, Amberle heads back out into the corridor, wondering if she should go to the sanctuary, to see if The Ellcrys could show her something useful.
Something to put her mind at rest that they were just dreams and not visions of the future.
But she doesn't really want others to find her in the sanctuary, especially not family members, she wouldn't know what to say to them, especially if it were her uncle Arion.
How could she explain that she's worried he's going to murder Allanon? He'd think she were insane, or even worse; he'd somehow place blame on Allanon.
Honestly, she really shouldn't even be walking around the palace on her own, what with all the threats due to her being the only surviving member of the chosen.
In the end, she just decides to take the long way around back to her bedroom.
However, on her way there she passes a slightly ajar door.
She knows from being there the other day with Wil that its Allanon's room.
Quietly and cautiously, Amberle peers around the slightly open door to see that Allanon is resting peacefully upon his bed and from the steady rise and fall of his chest she can tell he's still alive and hasn't been murdered by her uncle.
Yet.
Feeling more reassured now at the fact Allanon hasn't been murdered! Amberle slowly turns around to exit the room.
"Is there something I can do for you, Princess?" Comes the low voice of Allanon suddenly, causing Amberle to jump and nearly have a heart attack as she whirls around to see Allanon sitting up, watching her with apparent curiosity.
Was he awake the whole time? Amberle was certain she hadn't made a sound that would have awaken him, Amberle thinks to herself as Allanon raises an eyebrow at her.
"For your information, yes. I did hear you." He says as Amberle frowns before finally catching on.
Mind reader.
"I forgot you could do that." She replies.
"I could hear you coming from a mile away, your thoughts were rather loud." He reveals as Amberle's eyes widen at that.
If he read her thoughts he probably is aware of everything, Amberle bites her lip nervously.
"I'm sorry for waking you." She states simply.
"You don't have to apologise." He says as he moves himself into more of a sitting position.
"Do you wish to talk to me about it?" He asks her as she looks to him before nodding.
He's probably the only person she can tell about it who won't think her crazy.
Quietly, Amberle steps into the room all the way.
"I thought I dreamt about something but I'm more concerned it could be a vision. A warning from The Ellcrys, like last time." She admits.
"When you saw what you believed to be yourself kill Lorin?" Allanon says in a matter of fact tone of voice. Amberle nods.
"It mislead me then, I didn't think it was a warning and I left and he was killed."
"If you hadn't you most likely would have joined him in death." Allanon reminds her.
"I know but after that I figured that whatever The Ellcrys chooses to show me is for a purpose and not to ignore, or run from it's warnings." She notes.
"I agree. The Ellcrys shows people what it chooses them to see and now during these times whatever it decides to show any one of us should be taken seriously." He replies.
"It shows you things as well." Amberle says, more of a statement then a question, having guessed that if The Ellcrys was to communicate with anyone other than she, it would most probably be Allanon due to his magic.
"Perhaps we've been seeing the same things." Amberle speaks after a moment, waiting for Allanon's response.
"We have; but I, unlike you haven't seen anything recently." He reveals.
Amberle frowns, she would have thought The Ellcrys would have shown Allanon his apparent fate so he could prevent it from happening, unless there is some sort of magic law that doesn't allow people to see their own fates and that because of this The Ellcrys had decided to reach out to her instead in order for her to prevent what could possibly happen to Allanon.
Unless it was only just a dream, not a warning.
But it can't exactly be a coincidence that she had the same dream twice in a matter of hours so henceforth it must be a warning of some kind.
"Avoid my uncle." Amberle says suddenly without thinking.
"I already endeavor to just that, if we're speaking of the same uncle of yours." Allanon replies a momentary dark look crossing his handsome features.
Amberle can't help but wince at his words.
She was right; they have a great disliking for one another.
Dislike she fears could turn into her uncle murdering Allanon.
"Is this warning because of what you saw?" He asks her as Amberle nods.
"I saw him kill you Allanon." She admits, guessing he already knows though if he can read her mind as well as she believes he can.
"I won't let that happen." She says firmly.
"We've all lost so much already, my aunt, Lorin, all those innocent members of the chosen. We can't lose you to. We can't afford to lose you to, not with everything that's going on." Amberle says quickly as Allanon looks at her for a moment before glancing down at the end of the bed.
Amberle nods and moves quickly so she's sitting on the very edge of the bed.
"Not every vision of the future is set in stone, what you've seen is possibilities of possible futures that may not even come to pass…"
"But if it's a warning from The Ellcrys or something, then it's going to come true. It did with Lorin and he was killed, I can't lose you as I lost him by not doing anything and just letting this come to pass." Amberle sighs.
"Futures can be prevented, things can be altered. It's not set in stone until it comes to pass. What The Ellcrys showed you before mislead you; this could be a similar circumstance." He suggests as Amberle looks at him with sad eyes.
"You have done something, Princess. You've revealed to me what you saw, so now that I know what could possibly take place it's something I can attempt to prevent. Unless it is my fate to end up that way for the good of saving Aborlon…"
"Don't say that." Amberle practically begs him.
"I was brought here because of my duty to save The Ellcrys and attempt to stop a demon war. I shall do whatever it takes to achieve that even if it means my own demise." He says to her sternly and she knows he means what he says.
"But I can't accept that." Amberle says with equal sternness.
"No one else we care about should have to give up their lives for this."
"You remember what I told you about destiny already finding things for you?" Allanon looks at her for a moment as she reluctantly nods before suddenly embracing Allanon, whom is deeply surprised at her action, yet holds her all the same.
"Just don't leave us to soon, ok?" She whispers, even surprised at her own action, he smirks in response.
"I wasn't planning on that, Princess." He responds as she releases him before getting up and heading back toward the door.
"Goodnight, Allanon." She smiles at him warmly, watching as he smiles at her back.
"Goodnight, Princess." He replies before she turns and disappears into the night…
The next night is even worse to Amberle than the first.
This time she has the same vision except with something extra added on; Allanon lying in that cave she and Wil had taken him to when he was wounded by that Fury, except this time he's bleeding out due to the wounds inflicted on him by her uncle Arion, whilst Amberle stands there and watches, unable to move, say or do anything to save him as he bleeds out in front of her…
Once again she awakes with a sudden start, looking around hurriedly as she tries to focus on the fact that she's in her room, not in a cave where her friend is bleeding out in front of her!
Without even really thinking things through, Amberle heads out of her room for the second night in a row and heads the same way she went the other night and soon finds herself standing outside Allanon's room again.
It's a few moments before he awakens and looks to where she's standing half in the doorway, half in the shadows.
"Making sure I'm still here, Princess?" He addresses her in a gentle voice for him.
"Something like that." Amberle replies with a slight smile.
"Talking about it last night, it helped." She admits after a moment as Allanon nods briefly, before glancing to the end of the bed where she had sat last night.
"It was worse this time." Allanon comments, reading her mind again as she sits.
"It's a warning, it has to be. Perhaps The Ellcrys is trying to tell me how to stop it. You were in that cave, you know the one you, Wil and I went to when that Fury attacked you. It could be trying to show me how we can prevent it." She says quickly.
"Or reassurance." Allanon murmurs in response.
"Reassurance?" Amberle looks confused.
"That cave is where I spent the duration of the Druid Sleep. It has healing properties, which is how I managed to recover and save you and Wil." He reveals to her.
"So, you think The Ellcrys is trying to show me that what my uncle does won't kill you?" Amberle frowns.
"Possibly." Allanon replies.
"But I don't think it worked! You bled out! I couldn't do anything…"
"Amberle." Allanon says her name sternly to silence her a moment.
"It's all still only possibilities." He reminds her.
"Why does that not reassure me?" Amberle says in a quiet voice as Allanon doesn't say anything in response, silence passing between the two as Amberle looks down, only looking up when Allanon takes her hand in his.
"What is to come is what it is. The best we can do is focus on now, the threat at hand. The fate of the Four Lands depend on it." He reminds her as Amberle nods, finding herself squeezing Allanon's hand in response, surprised when she looks down again to see the deep scarring on his hand.
"What happened?" She asks in a shocked voice, she'd never noticed this before but he does wear these leather gloves all day, every day.
"My magic comes with a price." He shrugs.
"What were you trying to do?" Amberle whispers.
"Get Wil to believe in magic." He replies.
"So. You nearly succeeded in burning your whole hand off just to prove to Wil that magic exists?" She glances at him.
"It worked." He states in a matter of fact tone as Amberle smiles sadly at him before getting up from her place on the edge of the bed.
"Thank you." She says in a soft voice as she heads back toward the door.
"I'm sorry for keep disturbing you like this." She finds herself apologizing.
"There's no need to apologize to me, Princess." He says in response as Amberle smiles at him once more before heading out into the corridor only to hear footsteps coming down from the other side and whomever it is Amberle is pretty certain she doesn't want them catching her coming out of Allanon's room!
It was bad enough back when she and Lorin would be sneaking in and out of each others rooms this would probably look worse.
"Hey, Allanon. Do you mind if I just wait here until whomever it is that's just walked past here has gone?" Amberle asks in a small voice as Allanon nods.
"Thank you." Amberle looks at him with grateful eyes before heading to the wide window seat and sitting herself there, looking out at the night sky as she senses Allanon watching her for a moment.
A minute hasn't even gone by before Amberle finds herself falling asleep…
Once more, Amberle is viciously attacked by the haunting dreams that forces her to watch Allanon's demise, bleeding out, as all she can is cry, yet no one can hear her cries, she can't do anything…
"Amberle." She hears Allanon's voice say her name suddenly whilst he slowly bleeds out in front of her.
He can hear her.
He knows she's there which is when he succumbs to his wounds…
"Amberle!" She hears Allanon call her name as she snaps out of the horrifying dream.
Looking up to find him standing in front of her, alive and well, his hands on her shoulders.
"You. You knew I was there." Is all she can whisper. Allanon says nothing in response as Amberle just throws her arms around him.
Allanon can't stand to see her suffer like this anymore and without even taking a moment to think of the price of magic he simply holds her back and murmurs gentle ancient druid spells to her until she falls asleep in his arms…
The next time Amberle awakes it is surprisingly naturally and not from dreams, which surprises her greatly as she remembers going to Allanon again the previous night, talking to him before somehow falling asleep there, he must have carried her back to her own room after he'd somehow managed to calm her after the horrific things she saw happen in her dreams but she'd somehow managed to fall into a dreamless sleep afterwards with no explanation whatsoever.
All she remembered was awakening in fear and wrapping her arms around the Druid.
No matter what it was that caused her not to have those dreams, Amberle prays that this coming night she won't have them again.
Unfortunately, she is not as lucky as she had hoped to be the next night and awakens in the exact same way.
This night, she doesn't even hesitate before taking the now familiar way to Allanon's room.
This time he's already awake when she gets there but is surprised when Amberle just crosses the room and puts her arms around him, remembering how that had comforted her the night before and as she had hoped, Allanon holds her until she falls asleep, once more into a fortunately dreamless one for the second time, unbeknownst to her that he's using his magic to help her, sacrificing the skin on his other hand to keep her from the horrors of her violent nightmares.
The next morning, like the other one before, she awakens in her own room, alone…
From thar night onwards. Every night for several days Amberle does the same thing; awake from dreams and go to Allanon, who's now always awake when she shows up almost as if he's expecting her and now Amberle just crawls into his bed beside him and finds comfort in him holding her until she falls into a dreamless sleep, wrapped in his strong arms.
Some nights he tells her stories of old. Stories of before the Druid Sleep he was put under, how he learnt how to do magic, telling her of his mentor Brehnam. So many interesting tales of his unusual life, until she falls into a dreamless sleep.
After a few nights, Allanon doesn't carry her back to her room anymore and instead leaves her sleeping until early morning, when at that point she'd disappear before anyone else would awaken.
One night, whilst Amberle sleeps peacefully, she happens to awaken due to a light smell of something burning filling her nose.
"Allanon?" She murmurs, wondering if she's just dreaming, yet she can hear him speaking, talking in a language she doesn't understand. He seemingly pauses when he hears her speak and she feels him gently start to stroke her hair before continuing to whisper in hushed tones in what she finally guesses to be ancient druid…
She rolls around so she's facing him at that point, noticing then that his other hand has slight burns upon it.
It all suddenly dawns upon her.
"Allanon." She starts as he opens his eyes fully to glance at her.
"Have you been using magic to help me sleep?" She asks, thinking she probably already knows the answer to her question.
"I didn't wish to see you suffer, Princess." He replies simply.
"But your magic…"
"Is a price I'm willing to pay for you." He admits as Amberle's eyes widen.
"For your peace of mind…" He continues to say, but before he can, Amberle cuts him off by pressing her lips to his, her hand lightly pressed against his cheek.
"Thank you." She whispers against his lips, pulling back to see Allanon's startled expression at Amberle's unexpected actions.
"Sorry. Ohh god, I'm so sorry." She says as it hits her, the fact she just kissed Allanon.
Allanon, The Druid…
"I'm…" She starts but falls silent when Allanon simply kisses her forehead.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Princess." He murmurs gently as Amberle smiles and feeling a moment of bravery, leans over to kiss Allanon again.
"Thank you." She says again as she begins to drift off, knowing she's going to be safe in his arms all night long…
A few more days pass by of Amberle doing the exact same thing every night, except it's different; Allanon will be awake waiting for her and will hold her all through the night, comforting her from nightmares constantly, getting to a point though where Amberle just begs him to hold her and just comfort her instead of using his magic, which she knows is hurting him but he'll do it anyway, for her peace of mind, he keeps telling her and every time he does, she kisses him.
One evening, she, Allanon, her grandfather, both her uncles, Wil Omsford and Bandon are having a meal around the grand table, Amberle sits across from Allanon, glancing at him ever so often when none of the others are watching her, before stifling a yawn.
"Are you alright, Amberle?" Her uncle Ander asks, bringing out of her thoughts.
"Yeah. Yes. I'm just tired." She replies.
"Well perhaps if you slept in your own bed instead of Allanon's every night." Bandon says completely innocently as the sounds of knives and forks hitting the table in shock at Bandon's words as Amberle flushes deep red whilst everyone around the table looks between she, Allanon and Bandon…
"WHAT?!"
Authors Note: Thank you all so much for reading, sorry if it's terrible, please tell me what you think of this and Happy New Year! Hopefully 2017 will be a brighter one and we'll get Shannara Season 2! Thanks again for reading.