So, this chapter I debated on a lot. Whether it was too soon or just right. Whether it fit in or not. But I am happy with it overall. After this, the story will follow a little more closely to the show, starting about episode 4 of the first season. Thank you swingrlm for all the lovely comments! I may take you up on your offer to bounce some ideas around in future chapters here.


~{The Stars Incline Us}~

~The Sanctuary~

~Allanon~

Allanon had lingered a moment in the hall as Alessandra entered her bedroom. When he heard the door click closed, he headed down the opposite hallway and out into the night. He took his time on the path back to the Sanctuary, enjoying the peace that the nighttime woods brought with it.

A weight sat heavy in his heart ever since bringing up memories from his past. It had also brought up feelings he had not wanted to experience again. When discussing his lost love, he had neglected to mention to Alessandra, for fear of upsetting her more than he had, that Pyria had very recently lost her life. It was that same fateful day Alessandra had found him in the Druid Cave, facing his own pitiful end.

How poetic it would have been – he thought to himself grimly as he stalked along, robes swishing with each heavy step – lovers torn asunder only to find each other in death.

Oh, how Pyria had aged over his thirty-year absence. Grey hair, crow's feet, hunched and thinning frame, but her eyes had remained just as fiery. They had struck him down that day on the beach, pierced his heart like a dagger. She had been angry. Of course, she would be angry. He had appeared suddenly after thirty years, looking the same while she had aged. After the War of Races, he had succumbed to the Druid Sleep without saying goodbye. He had left her to face the decades alone and then only to perish under the wrathful savagery of a demon. It had torn his lost lover apart.

What made it worse was that he had not had the chance to explain his absence in those thirty years. He had not been able to apologize and it was too late now. He was always too late. Too late to understand. Too late to react. Too late to live his life.

Allanon pushed open the heavy stone doors to the Sanctuary and breezed past the Ellcrys, his eyes only turning upwards once to gaze at it. It stood as an ominous reminder of his duty, his responsibility, a path he had not chosen. That none of them, he nor Alessandra nor Wil or Amberle, had chosen. They were pawns in an ever-changing game board and the Ellcrys was the puppet master tugging on their strings. Their lives mattered little. They were disposable. If only they could save the world from the impending doom that hovered on the horizon; Dagda Mor. His destruction would be because of their sacrifices. Was the price worth the gain?

He felt conflict over this. The Druid in him said yes, their lives were well worth saving the Four Lands and destroying the dark elf Druid. However, the human portion of him said no. This side screamed out that, while his own life mattered little, Wil and Amberle... Alessandra... their lives mattered. Their sacrifices, though necessary, should not be the price paid. He would gladly give up his own existence if only they survived.

However, that was not possible. There were events in motion, things happening to them, which could neither be halted nor reversed. There would be lives lost, changed, destroyed in the upcoming struggles. He understood that and it ate away at him.

He was too soft; his master had told him many centuries ago. It was his downfall. His saving grace. The human forever lingering in his blood. No amount of training or pain or study could wash that away.

Allanon headed into the caretaker's quarters, his makeshift room for the duration of his stay, and waved a hand at the candle on the bedside table. It came to life, flames flickering as it cast shadows on the walls and caused him pause. The shadows took shapes of memories he longed to forget, but felt he needed to remember. He looked away and removed his robe, casting it over the back of one of the chairs. He bent his neck left and right to stretch it, a small pop releasing the tensed muscles. As he turned around to head to his bed, he noticed something resting on the covers already.

He moved closer and picked up the intruder. He examined it carefully as he sat down on the bed's edge, legs spread apart and elbows on his knees. Slowly, he spun it in his gloves hands, it's yellow-green center staring back at him with determination. It was as though it wished to speak directly to him, to calm him as its owner did. Its white and pink arms, speckled with deep shades of burgundy, opened to him invitingly as though to embrace him. He contemplated the stargazer's existence and its meaning. He had neglected to tell Alessandra and Björn something important about it. Something about him.

He had seen this flower before.

It was not in any book he had read from any race. Nor had he seen it because of any magic spell, enchantment or the like. He had seen it in its radiance, smelt its fresh aroma, felt its softness against his skin. He had cherished its delicate, haunting beauty.

This flower had plagued his mind for thirty long years. It had been a beacon to hold onto while lost in the Druid's Sleep. It had called to him. It had held him. It had brought him back. Now, here it was again doing the same thing.

Allanon turned the flower to face him again, eyes scanning over its perfect petals and anthers that reached out to him. He could smell the same scent, light and floral, as it wafted to his nose. Even with his gloves on, he could tell how smooth the petals would be against flesh. His thoughts wandered farther and farther away.

What did this flower mean?

Why had it returned now?

How had she brought it to life?

Why this particular species?

All good questions that the Druid was certain the Ellcrys already knew the answers to. It must. It was the puppet master. It had called him and Alessandra here from the furthest reaches of the lands. The lasts of two breeds, both powerful, both old and it had brought forth this flower that both of them knew and cherished. It meant something. It had too.

Taking the flower with him, Allanon stood up from the bed and walked out into the Sanctuary. He approached the Ellcrys and walked up the dais to stand at the top, looking up at the great tree. Leaves were beginning to fall more plentiful, burning out before they hit the ground. Allanon turned to his left and reached out a gloved hand, closing his eyes in concentration.

"What does it mean?" He asked gently, voice quiet and mind open to the great tree. "Speak to me, Ellcrys."

The Ellcrys said nothing.

Instead, she showed him.


~Inside the Ellcrys~

The sun shone warmly as it sat low in the sky. Pink, orange, and purple streaks spread over the sky like ink splats, bleeding into the clouds. The breeze was gentle, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers and grass; clean and crisp.

Allanon stood before the Ellcrys, dressed fresh robes of a deep hunter green. He had his back turned away from the doors and stared up at the great tree, hands clasped before him. His heart held acceptance and a peace he had not felt in a very long time. This felt right.

Below the dais, down the steps at the base, was an aging woman with shoulder length white hair and hard grey eyes. Her face, wrinkled and aged, was painted with dark streaks of black and blue in intricate designs. In her hands, she held a stone bowl and a short dagger, both just as intricately decorated with etchings of scenes and words.

The doors to the Sanctuary opened and their heavy stone groaned as they glided across the floor. Footsteps, two pairs echoed about the room as figures approached. One were heavy, strong with a rhythmic heel-toe beat. The other pair were soft and muffled like a mouse, graceful. The sound of light cloth swished, dragging along the stone floor and catching in the breeze. It was melodic, entrancing as it kept pace with the footsteps.

Allanon felt something inside him grow. It was warm and calming. He turned around, feeling a tug on something deep within him from an invisible force. He was surprised when he saw her. Her golden hair was braided with ribbons of gold and flowers intertwined within, bumped up so as to make her hair taller. Her skin, peachy and sun-kissed, held intricate white markings on her hands, her arms, and parts of her face. The markings on her face were done in a delicate way to accentuate her cheekbones and eyes.

She walked closer, movements careful and graceful. She wore a fitted dress of white and gold, intricately, beautifully designed with a sweetheart neckline. Attached to the dress at the neckline was lace fabric with designs of flowers and vines. It held up her dress on her shoulders, but exposed her upper chest and collar bones. Her piercing blue eyes held a strange mix of displeasure and happiness in them.

Why was she displeased? – He thought as she picked up the bottom of her dress with both hands and walked up the short steps of the dais. When her eyes rose to meet his again, he saw it wasn't displeasure. It was uncertainty.

"Good." The old woman spoke up, voice craggy like a crow as she moved closer to the steps. "Now that you are both here. We may begin."

"Wait." Alessandra shot sharply back to her, eyes befalling the older woman. There was something she urgently wanted to say.

"What is it, child?" The older woman was bothered at being interrupted, but respected the panic that seemed to be in Alessandra's voice.

"You don't have to do this." She took a quick breath and then looked back at Allanon, features twisting into anxiety. "You still have a choice, Allanon. You can walk away. I will understand. You aren't duty bound to this. You don't owe me anything."

Alessandra's words were a breath on the wind, melodic like the chirps of a morning dove. She was worried about something. He could clearly see it as she stood before him, hands playing with the fabric of her dress.

Walk away? From what? – He didn't understand what was happening. What was the Ellcrys trying to show him? What was all this?

"The Druid can't walk away now. You have to do this. Both of you." It was Björn who spoke, the other set of footsteps that had walked in with Alessandra. He stood at the base of the steps with the older woman. Allanon's gaze fell on him and then moved back to Alessandra, whose eyes were cast downwards.

"There is always a choice." She breathed out painfully and looked up at Allanon again, a mixture of begging and understanding in her eyes. "You don't have to do this, Allanon. Not if you don't wish to. I will understand. We all will understand."

And she would. He felt that in his heart. She would understand if he turned away, forsaking this path. She would make the others, whoever they were, understand. She would hold no grudge, no ill will, but it would hurt her in ways he never wanted to hurt her.

What was she speaking about? What was his choice? – Allanon thought, but could not voice his concern. He could only watch the scene play out. He realized this was a future, a possible future, and one that the Ellcrys was obviously hoping for. She had been pushing them both towards this, but now it seemed she grew desperate and determined to make this one truth.

"This is your path. Your destiny. You must do this, Aless, if not for our people, then for yourself. Too long have you walked this earth alone." Björn's voice was heated and demanding of her. "You both were brought here for a purpose. The Ellcrys–"

"The Ellcrys is not all powerful or all knowing. She can demand this of us all she wants, but these are our lives she muddles with." Alessandra's eyes shot to her brother, who seemed to back down at the ferocity of her voice. He took a step backwards and stood straight, watching her with a steady eye as though waiting for another tongue-lashing. "I may have no choice in this matter, I was born for this, but he was not. This is being forced upon him."

Alessandra turned back to Allanon, who found himself smiling gently at her with a calm in his heart. Her ferocity, he found, only made her more stunning. It was in this moment he saw her as what she truly was; a Guardian of the Earth. She was earth. Tender, selfless, nurturing, warm, but also strong, unmovable and fierce.

Alessandra reached out a hand, decorated with intricate white markings that stained her skin, and took one of his. Allanon realized that his hands were ungloved and healed of all his past scarring. The scarring from his usage of magic, the prices he had paid for the power he wielded. It confused him, the him who was an onlooker to this whole future. Where had the all burns gone, the scars and the wounds? Had she healed him? ...again?

His questioning ceased when the warmth and tenderness in her touch called his attention back. She squeezed his hand firmly, thumb rubbing over his knuckles. Her eyes were steady and inquisitive as she searched his for a sign.

"I will not have you bound to me if you do not wish it." Her words were a declaration, eyes fervently searching his own warm browns for a confirmation. He could feel her hand in his tighten again. "This is a permanent connection, a tethering of our souls, Allanon. It cannot be undone."

He could see in her eyes that she desperately needed affirmation from him and him alone. He could see, sense, that she wanted him here with her more than anything. She as willing to bind herself to him, fully and wholly. She didn't want him to walk away. She wanted him to be her Keeper...

He had put the last of this puzzle together, understanding now what the Ellcrys desired. The great tree had pushing them together since the start, putting Alessandra in his path again and again and again so he could not miss her or forget her. Upon this realization, he found a feeling in his heart that demanded he stay here with Alessandra. It affirmed him that this was something he wanted also. He wanted to bind himself to her, to stay at her side always. Perhaps it was the Ellcrys creating these feelings and thoughts inside of him. But maybe... just maybe... he was being given a second chance.

He hadn't understood the feeling when he had first felt it in the Druid Cave. When she had placed her hand on his head and all his pain, his worry, his fear had melted away. He didn't need to understand anything about this though. All he needed to know was that something deep within him was telling him this was right. All he needed to do was take Alessandra's other hand and assure her, constantly, forever if that is what it took, that this was his choice. He chose her. Above duty, above responsibility, he chose her.

"I am here willingly. I will not abandon you. All of this, is our destiny, our future. Whether by design of the Ellcrys or some greater power." The words left his mouth without his consent. He was an observer in his own body, no control or ability to change what was unfolding before him. Though, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to stop it. The feelings he felt were confusing. Were they his own or simply part of the act being played out before him?

The Druid in him told him, screamed at him, to stop this senseless affair. He had other duties, other responsibilities he needed to accomplish Dagda Mor was rising to power and he needed to stop him. Besides, she was an Elemental. Druids didn't associate with their kind for good reason. They were hasty, over-emotional, allowed their hearts to lead them astray. That was what the human in him craved though; hastiness, emotion, heartfelt. He also found he craved the feeling of being needed, being wanted for all he was.

As he stood there, staring down at her, watching her bright blue eyes swirl with worry, fondness, desire, he understood that she wanted all of him. Druid and human; the light and the dark; the whole and the broken. She accepted him. She understood him... and that made his decision, his ethereal future self and his observer self's decision, easy this time.

"I am here willingly." More words left his lips, which curled upwards in a tender smile; a smile he had not felt on his features in decades. It was true and warm. "I will go through the Vows with you and become your Keeper."

"Are you certain? You don't fully understand what this entails. There is so much to this that I have not been able to explain to you. We have been rushed into things. So much has happened in such a short time. The Ellcrys continues to push this on us without our consent." She rambled nervously, words mingling together. She was so nervous. Allanon found himself beginning to chuckle deep within his chest, a deep rumbling sound like thunder. He could not help but release it in a small fit, the sound seeming to soothe her.

"Allanon? Are you... laughing at me?" Her face fell almost, but then climbed again as a smiled spread over her lips that were covered in the same white stain as her hands. She stood before him as hauntingly beautiful as ever with eyes wide and a shit-eating grin on her face. A vision of some otherworldly beauty come to claim his life and he would let her if she required it.

He, the him in this strange future, realized that he had not felt this way with Pyria. He had loved her, but not like this. This was something else' something deeper. Perhaps, because there really had been no future for them was why. With Alessandra, he felt certain there was one and it would be beautiful and warm and loving. It would be healing and peaceful.

"Allanon." She breathed out, finding herself beginning to laugh as well. Her eyes softened, features brightening as a smile reached her eyes.

"Well, then. Are we ready now to proceed with the ceremony?" The old woman demanded, obviously losing her temper, but also amused by the two young ones before her.


The scene suddenly faded away and Allanon was left alone in a desolate terrain, wind harsh and earth void of life. The ground, hard and decrepit, sat dead beneath his boots. Crags and cracks, deep and vast, spread out before him. He had to squint his eyes against the debris in the air, rocks and dirt scrapping his face. He turned his head left and right, searching for signs of anything. All he saw was destruction.

A cold chill ran down his spine and overcame him. He turned around at the beckoning of some dark presence. A demon, an elf Druid turned dark, stood with Alessandra's throat clasped tightly in her hand.

"Dagda Mor." Allanon spoke his name with venom, eyes hard and blazing.

"Druid!" Dagda Mor laughed, deep and demonic. "We meet again!"

"What is this?" Allanon growled out lowly over the threatening element.

"This is Alessandra's future. The one she tried to warn you about." Dagda Mor's words sounded wrong. Allanon's eyes befell Alessandra, who appeared to be passed out. The hold on her throat was tight, causing discoloration where Dagda Mor's mutated fingers resided. Bruises were beginning to form as a small trickle of blood began to roll down her neck where his nails dug in.

"She will fail, Druid. You both will fail!" Dagda More spoke again, voice broken and rough. The wind grew violently, debris striking them, but Dagda Mor seemed not to notice. "She cannot protect the Ellcrys. She cannot protect you. She cannot even protect herself."

Dagda Mor's gaze befell Alessandra, eyes closed and unconscious in his hold. Her limbs hung loosely, legs straight as she hovered above the ground in his grasp. He looked over her body, her face and shook his bald, scarred head.

"Weak, pathetic fools. I should have finished your kind centuries ago." He growled out and pulled her closer to him, examining her more thoroughly. Allanon said nothing, but the gears in his mind churned slowly. Alessandra had never told him what had happened to her people. Why there were so few of them left. He had never even considered that the War of the Races had affected them nor had he suspected Dagda Mor played a role.

"You should have run and hid away, little Pygmy." Dagda Mor breathed into her face and her eyes abruptly blinked open. It took her a moment to realize what was happening and when she did, she screamed; high-pitched and wholeheartedly. Dagda Mor squeezed her throat tighter, silencing her. Her hands tugged on his arm, struggling against him as he held her above the ground.

"Look at yourself now! What a Guardian you made! Centuries of running from your destiny, your duty! Look where it has gotten you!" Dagda Mor screeched at her, but she wasn't listening. Allanon reached to his side for his sword, pulling at the hilt and unsheathing it. "I will finish your people off and leave you to revel in the wake of the destruction!"

Allanon moved swiftly despite his sturdy frame. He lunged, a roar of strength leaving his lips as determination set into his brow. Dagda Mor felt his approach and held out his free hand towards the Druid, power stopping the sword from reaching him and instead shattering into shards around Allanon. His hand moved passed the shards and clamped tightly onto Allanon's face, fingers gripping so tightly that his nails dug into the Druid's flesh.

"Now I will finish you both!" Dagda Mor laughed, but he did not feel Alessandra's hands leave his arm. He did not see them descend, palms facing the ground with fingers outstretched and firm. Allanon caught sight of her movement through Dagda Mor's fingers. He watched as a soft green glow emitted and felt the desolate earth beneath him shake.

Dagda Mor continued to laugh, dark and menacingly. Alessandra's left hand reached out to Allanon, palm turning up as though for him to take. His eye shot to look at her, seeing her stare on him and her eyes turning snow white, pupil and all. He reached a gloved hand out and took hers, sensing her pulling on his energy. As he weakened, she strengthened. From their clasped hands, markings in white slithered up her arm and crawled up her neck to her face; intricate, beautiful, fierce designs. They reached her eyes and Allanon felt the surge of energy radiating from her, entering the earth beneath them.

"Look around Druid! This is the future. Decrepit, void, full of death. She will walk the ages of this broken world alone in my new era! One of blood and fire!" Dagda Mor's voice was reveling in his supposed victory. But he did not notice the grass growing beneath his feet, spreading out like a wave and coating the earth. Trees began to spring up from the ground, growing tall like mountains. Vines slithered through the woods that surrounded them and slithered around Dagda Mor's ankles, his calves, his waist. Only then did he notice.

"No." His voice was surprised, even fearful. His gaze shot to his left where Alessandra was still firmly in his hold. Her eyes were stark white, terrifying, and staring straight through him. The marking on her body seemed to glow as the energy surged through her. Allanon felt waves of it, pulling from him, feeding back into him. Pure energy.

"No!" Dagda Mor screeched, the vines crawling up his body. He dropped Alessandra and Allanon, trying to tear at the vines that bound him. Alessandra landed on her feet, gaze still cemented on the dark Druid and hand still grasping Allanon's. Allanon stood at her side, feeling the energy flow through him, giving him strength. His left hand grew warm, but did not burn as a ball of red fire developed in his palm.

"Two sides of a balance." This voice was soft, gentle like a whisper on a spring breeze. Allanon felt a hand on his left shoulder and looked to see the Ellcrys, her personification in mortal form. "Both of you shall save us."

Allanon looked to Alessandra; strong, confident, fierce. He looked to their hands, fingers laced and held tightly.

"Together as one." The Ellcrys spoke again. Despite the violent winds, the debris, she seemed apart from it all. Long, dark hair firm against her back and cream-colored dress hanging loosely on her. "She needs a Keeper."

"I cannot be what she needs!" Allanon called back to the Ellcrys, turning to look at her again.

What if he does not believe me?

Allanon knew the voice belonged to Alessandra. He turned his head again to look at the woman on his right, fighting to contain Dagda Mor with the energy she channeled. Her face was hard, concentrated and ferocious like a great brown bear protecting her cubs.

What happens when the Druid rejects the Elemental?

Allanon heard Alessandra's voice again despite her lips moving. A conversation from the past then, he deduced. A conversation she had when she had touched the Ellcrys.

"She needs a Keeper. Without a Keeper, the Guardian is unprotected." The Ellcrys' turned her gaze to the dark Druid tangled in thick, strong vines. Slowly, the earth itself began to climb his legs. "If the Guardian is unprotected, she is vulnerable to the Dark One. He seeks her for the energy she channels. But she can do so much more."

Allanon watched as the earth climbed up Dagda Mor's body. It encased him, making him immobile. Alessandra raised her hand from the ground beneath her and held her palm flat out towards the dark Druid. A light, pure white like her eyes, began to grow from her and stretched towards Dagda Mor. As it approached, Dagda Mor called out, but it was cut short. His body, his flesh, all of him, turned to solid stone.

Alessandra's hand fell, the white markings disappeared, and she fell backwards. She was spent. Allanon caught her in his arms, cradling her against him as he had the day she had come out from speaking with the Ellcrys.

"You both still have time." The Ellcrys' words were soft. The wind died down and the sun came out over head, pouring golden rays down over Allanon's and Alessandra's forms. "Take the Vows. Become her Keeper."

"I cannot." Allanon breathed out, heart hammering in his chest. The Druid in him screamed out, beat against his human side in an effort to control him. He was a Druid first and foremost. He had a duty to uphold. He had responsibility.

"She is your duty. Not as a Druid, but as a human. She is the last Guardian of Earth. She alone can save the land. You must save our souls." The Ellcrys' walked around him and knelt beside Alessandra. She outstretched a delicate hand and brushed away stray strands of blonde hair from the Elemental's face. "She is your future, Allanon. Trust her. Trust in her. She understands."

Allanon was at war with two halves of himself. He had been a Druid for so long that he had forgotten how to be human. Duty, magic, the teachings were all that he knew. He had forsaken his human half long ago in order to become a Druid. He wasn't sure he knew how to be anything else.

"She needs you," Ellcrys reached over Alessandra and placed a hand on Allanon's shoulder. "and I need her. She is your duty. She is your present and your future. Take the Vows. Become who she needs you to be. What we all need you to be."


~The Sanctuary~

Allanon reeled back as he was released from the Ellcrys' enchantment. He stumbled back and down the steps, catching himself as he fell to his knees. So many emotions soared through him at once; hope, fear, worry, happiness, sadness. It was almost too much to bear at once. His breathing was heavy and deep, unsteady. His hands lay flat against the stone floor as though to brace him, preparing for another bombardment.

He lifted his head and stared at the Ellcrys, who stood tall and silently now as the rays of dawn's first light made her leaves burn bright red. Allanon lowered his head again, realizing that he had spent his night inside the consciousness of the great tree as Alessandra had. He took another deep breath and then pushed himself up onto his feet, standing tall. His eyes landed on the stargazer that had fallen from his hand. Instead of lying flat on the top of the dais, it was upright and rooted in between the cracks of the stone.

She is the last Guardian of Earth.

She alone can save the land.

The words of the Ellcrys played over and over in his mind. Flashes from the enchantment, from taking the Vows to Dagda Mor, replayed again. His stare held the flower firmly, face void of emotion. Slowly, he lowered himself to his knees again. He sat back on his heels and laced his hands together in Druid meditation. If only his master were here, Bremen would know what was the right thing to do. But his master was gone, dead, like all the other Druids. He alone survived. He alone had to decide what was right.

Torn between the two sides of himself, Allanon sat in deep meditation before the Ellcrys. All his lessons. All his studies. All his experiences. They told him no. They screamed NO. But as he lifted his head and looked back on the Ellcrys, his heart whispered yes over and over and over again.

"Allanon!" A light-hearted voice called from the back of the Sanctuary as footsteps, careful and steady, neared.

Wil – Allanon noted and stood from the stone floor as Wil came around the tree.

"Something's happened." Wil started, anxiety and fear on his face. "Someone tried to kill Amberle. They stole my elf stones. They're being taken to the Throne Room now."

"Come Wil." Allanon breezed past the young half-elf and headed towards the back door of the Sanctuary. The Druid half of Allanon had won out. "We have work to be done."