Disclaimer: I own nothing. YEAHHH! The Dove is back to normal! I dedicate this to our LOVELY Mod's and everyone else who helped during our time of darkness snicker!

The Future

The door closed.

The young man shivered. There were people waiting for him. He'd just have to wait, and escape. Swallowing nervously the squire bit down on his lips. He must not cry out, no matter what happened in this…demon cursed steel contraption.

"Alan."

Alan of Trebond whipped around. A woman stood a few paces off. She was small, with flaming copper locks; her lips were full and her chin stubborn. Her blue eyes twinkled with life.

Alan licked his lips and tried to call to the woman, his betrothed. The woman smiled and held out her arms.

"Alan." she called.

A rustling at the woman's skirts brought Alan's view down. Two children peered from around his lady's skirts. Both children, a girl and a boy, had flaming red hair, and their eyes! The two had shimmering violet eyes.

The little girl stepped forward.

"Papa?" she called.

Alan swayed back and forth, what was this?

His betrothed laughed and nodded. The little girl shrieked with laughter and ran to the Alan throwing her arms around him.

Alan stumbled and tried to push the child away.

"She's you're daughter Alan."

The woman was coming foreword the male child balanced on a hip.

"Her name is Alanna."

Alan met his to-be-wife's eyes. They were serious and full of love. Cautiously, slowly, Alan knelt, his face level with the child's.

"My daughter?"

Again the woman laughed. "Yes, our daughter actually. And this is Thom, their twins Alan! We shall have twins!"

Alan smiled and stroked the girl's hair. Thom was set down from his mother and came to stand beside his sister.

"Thom." Alan touched his son's face. His children smiled and giggled. Alanna stretched her arms toward her father. Alan picked her up and placed her on a knee, gently bouncing the smile child up and down.

"What is this?" he asked finally, "I thought the Ordeal was supposed to make a man confront his fears?"

The future lady of Trebond nodded sadly. "Yes, that is the cause of an Ordeal." she knelt beside Alan pulling Thom in to her lap. "But they wanted to show me you're children."

Alan looked up sharply, "Who are they?"

His betrothed smiled, "Why the gods of course!" She swept her hand around the darkness. "They are all around us Alan"

Alan looked, in the darkness he could see figures emerge from the darkness, the figures made no movement. Were they men? No, no man was as tall was these creatures. The gods? Could these truly be the gods here with him inside the Chamber?

"Why show them to me?" Alan asked, "for surely if these are our children we shall see them soon enough?"

Again the woman smiled sadly. "Yes, but...we will never be as a family Alan."

Alan's head shot up. "What do you mean?"

"When the time comes, to bring these two into the world...I will pass from it, and leave you behind."

"No!" Alan nearly dropped the child on his knee. "How do you know this? Has the god's spoken to you? My Love this cannot be true, you and I are to be married! We shall grow old together and die together and if these are truly are children then you shall be there to raise them at my side!"

The copper-haired woman shook her head. "No my love, I have spoken to the god's. I will not be there to raise our children."

Alan reached out grabbing the woman, Alanna fell of his knee with a whimper.

"Then forget children my love! I want to live with you!" he stroked her cheek gently "I love you."

The lady smiled "I know, I love you too. But this is the future." She gestured to the children "Our future."

Alan shot the children a disdainful look "then I want no part of the future, unless it includes you! I want to be with you forever."

His betrothed laughed, "We shall be together soon enough my love." She moved foreword and gently cupped her to-be-knight's face.

"Forever."

The door opened.

Alan stared at the darkness where his wife and children had stood. He looked past the door, to the light and the cheers of his family.

She was there, laughing with tears falling down her face. She held her arms out to him. Alan gasped to find tears on his own face, he touched them gentle fingers. Then with a sigh left the Chamber to meet his lady and his future.

FIN

AN: TOTALLY different view on the Ordeal but...I thought what Alan loved the most in his life was his wife, and that his greatest fear in the Chamber could have been losing her. I know squires aren't usually betrothed...but now they are. Hope you liked it, read and review!

P.S. Sorry for all 'the woman' and 'his lady', it's hard to write about a character you don't know the name of...we have to pester Tammy for it.