An Unlikely Alliance (Closed for CoSurvivor)

Ana listened curiously as Chance talked to her about the Keep where he had grown up and the amazing things that the human kingdom had managed to create underground, trying to picture it all in her mind. It sounded amazing, especially the 'cavern of the owls' where he said he'd often trained.

She suddenly found herself very much wanting to go with him there once all of this was through so that he could show it to her, but that of course would have been impossible. She reminded herself that after this was all over they would both have to part ways and would likely never see one another again. She frowned slightly at the thought, finding that it troubled her greatly for some reason.

Her eyes had been on the fire, watching its flames as she'd been musing to herself on all this, but lifted her gaze back to him in response to his question.

"The warmth is nice, but the night is not too cool. I think we'll be warm enough in our bedrolls without the fire," she suggested, "What do you think?"

Chance nodded, "I think we'll be ok without the fire, especially for this time of
year."

Chance took steps to quench the fire by emptying a water skin on to it, the sizzle of the wood and the smoke filled the air, when they were both satisfied that the coals of the fire were truly doused, he took dirt that he'd removed from the small fire pit and tossed it on it for good measure.

Laying back, Chance noted how clear the sky was. He'd have to commit this to memory as it could be a long while before he saw them again, and something told him that the stars above just might look very different the next time he had an opportunity to look up at them.

"So much we take for granted about our world, the 3 moons, the stars in the sky, so much do we see around us and just think it will always be there. Something tells me Ana, that something will change and effect us all."

His comment sounded a little ominous, but also... hopeful at the same time.

Laying out on his bedroll Chance stretched behind him and could feel the muscles in his body beg for the opportunity to rest...

After they'd assured that the fire was put out, Ana too laid down upon her bedroll and began to settle in for the night. As he commented on the night sky above them, she gazed up at it in appreciation as well. He was right, too often people took such things for granted.

"Something tells me Ana, that something will change and effect us all."

"I think you are right," she agreed, thinking back on what she had seen in her visions, "Though hopefully now with the two of us working together that change will be for the better."

Thinking about his earlier comment on the sky she decided to shift the subject, attempting to lighten the mood to something more pleasant as they prepared for sleep.

"Our people call the moons 'the three sisters'," she explained with a smile, "The story goes that when our world was created the great sky god that rules over all the heavens set them with the task of guarding over the night sky with their light while their brother, the sun, was given dominion over the day."

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked him curiously.

"Family? Oh, I have one younger sister, Elena. Always the princess, always one to focus attention on herself. She always was the one who aspired to take the throne and wanted it more than me anyway. I also had one younger brother, Thomas. but.. he died in a riding accident when he was 10. My mother never had any further children, she said at one time that the loss of Thomas left her barren, despite my father's attempts. "

Giving a slight shake, the thought of his parents having sex he wiped it from his mind and looked at the moons.

"The three moons, or the three rings of power, they too were responsible for making the world but they don't signify sisters, but siblings.

The largest is Olin, God of strength and power. The center, Varia, the god of life. the smallest is Tarek, the god of mischief, always in the middle of everything, always overshadowing his big brother and sister, always in the front. Our mages pay homage to each for different things never dedicated to one specifically as that could cause bias, and well, the jealousy which is what they are not supposed to have, emotion. Our high clerics are supposed to be without emotion only on facts and they've been the highest advisor to the king. For all the good they do, allowing my father to stay blind to what's going on down here."

There he went again, talking about family when he really didn't want to. "How about you Ana, any family to speak of? Any siblings that might wonder where you've wandered off to?"

He wondered, had Elena concerned herself with where Chance had gone to? He knew she'd stepped up, taking a bigger role when his mother had grown ill, but beyond that, he'd never really inquired...

Looking over at Ana as he laid back on his bedroll, he was still very much drawn to her.
"I'm sorry Ana, that sounded harsher than I meant it. I was just hoping maybe your family cared more about you than mine does for me."

Ana could tell that the subject of his family had apparently struck a nerve with Chance, and mentally scolded herself for having brought it up.

"No, it's alright Chance. You'd mentioned before that you'd had a disagreement with your father before you'd left. I should have known better than to inquire about siblings and bring up the subject of family, and I apologize."

She rolled over to her side so that she could face him as they spoke.

"I was simply curious," she explained, "I don't have any siblings of my own. My mother had complications during my birth and was unable to conceive any more children after me. Though I do have a dear friend, Evaleen, who is very much like a sister to me. I left a note with her for my parents explaining why I had left, but not where I had gone. I wanted them to know that I'd left on my own and hadn't been taken by someone. I didn't want them worrying any more than I knew they already would be..."

She hesitated for a moment before quietly speaking up once more, her eyes seeking out his own as she spoke.

"I am sure your family cares for you, Chance. You are their son and brother, and obviously a kind and good person who wants to help others even if it means risking his own safety in the process. How could they not?"

He'd noticed Ana turn to him, look on him with concern in her eyes. It could be so easy to get lost there, but he had to remember why they were both here, not for each other but for those who couldn't be and refused to. He wasn't trying to be a hero, didn't really understand what that concept was. He'd read plenty story books about it as a child but never saw himself as one.

"I know what you're saying Ana, and maybe they do. but it's.... complicated." He finished his sentence with a bit of finality hoping she might sense that in his best, most polite way, he couldn't talk about. And it was better for all if he didn't. It would only lead to further distraction.

Chance was finally relaxed, he turned on his side to face her as well, Ana's eyes glowed in the starlit night, again a certain aura surrounded her, it must be her visions, or something about her heritage that made it so. He'd been around other elves before, but none quite like Ana,

Reaching out, Chance stretched his hand to her hand as it lay across her body while she rested on her side. "Since you are the only child in your family it is that much more important that you get back to your family after this. l, I give you my word Ana, I will do whatever it takes to get you home safely after this is all over."

He squeezed her hand gently, let go and felt alone again. Closing his eyes he rolled on to his back and shut his eyes. "Good Night Ana..."

"I know what you're saying Ana, and maybe they do, but it's.... complicated."

Ana caught the bit of finality in Chance's tone, and did not press the issue further. It was not her place to pry about such things, and just like him she didn't want to try and make him share anything that he wasn't comfortable sharing with her anyways.

He relaxed and turned onto his side to face her as well and she smiled slightly, feeling a comforting warmth spread over her as he reached out and took her hand in his.

"Since you are the only child in your family it is that much more important that you get back to your family after this. l, I give you my word Ana, I will do whatever it takes to get you home safely after this is all over."

She had not expected such a promise. She was very much capable of looking out for herself after all. Well, at least above ground she was. As she'd admitted before, she did feel rather out of her element below the ground and wasn't sure what to expect as they moved onward. Still, she'd known the risks before setting out on her journey and had decided to come anyways. Her safety, even as the Princess and future ruler of her kingdom, meant nothing compared to all of the lives that would be lost if the evil below was not stopped. The fact that he would make such a promise meant a great deal to her however and she did not take it lightly.

She felt her heart swell in response to the gentle squeeze that he gave her hand, and could not help but feel a little disappointed when he then let go and rolled onto his back, wishing her a good night.

"Thank you, Chance...," she spoke back to him quietly, "Good night."

Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of the air rustling through the leaves of the three trees above them and let the soft whispering-like noise carry her off to sleep.

And then she dreamed...

She dreamed of dark tunnels and twisting corridors, of elves and men meeting on ancient battlegrounds above them, her father leading the army of the elves and a man that she didn't recognize but who bore a resemblance to the picture of Chance's ancestors that he'd shown her before leading the human kingdom's army. She knew it must be his father, King Whitecroft. The tunnels shifted and groaned, and while her father and the two armies spilled blood something stirred below, something dark and hungry for blood. She tried to warn her father, but found she couldn’t reach him. The more she ran to him the further he grew! She was finally starting to make ground when something rose from the tunnels, something powerful and evil and-

She jerked awake with a sudden loud gasp, her eyes wide with fear as her heart pounding within her chest with such force that it made her wince in response.

While he slept in the tunnels and caves of the underground, Chance was never completely at ease. He'd woke one night to a Bore worm trying to make lunch out of his right boot, and ever since then he'd always been one to sleep restlessly. He'd explored the idea of setting up a way to elevate his bed roll from the floor, or even find a way to mount his bedroll on to the wall. But he'd never gotten that far. When he heard Ana shoot up from out of her sleep like a bolt, he was immediately up, on his feet sword in hand. Considering she'd just woken from a nightmare and they were not under attack he looked a bit ridiculous.

Throwing his sword to his bedroll, Chance immediately crouched next to her and pulled Ana to him, resting her head on his upper chest. Trying to simply hold her as she came out of whatever nightmare she'd just had.

"I'm here Ana... what was it.. what did you see in your dream.." He thought again,and remembered, "It was a vision.. wasn't it?"

He wanted to say that she was safe... but he knew that would be a lie. Neither of them were safe, and that was more unnerving. It felt like there was some unnatural force pushing at the hour glass of time. Either time would run out, or the glass would shatter dooming them all.

Ana felt Chance's arms come around her as he pulled her to his chest. She supposed that she should have felt embarrassed at being consoled in such a way. No one had held her after a nightmare like this since she was still just a very young child. At the moment though the horrors of her vision were still so fresh in her mind however that she didn't care.

Instinctively she wrapped her arms around Chance and clung to him tightly as she had when the world had shook around them during the cave in. Her heart still pounding in her chest she nodded in response to his question about if it had been a vision. She was certain that it had been. The visions had a certain aura of sorts about them that was difficult to explain, but she'd had enough of them by now to recognize one from a regular dream.

"There was a battle...between the human and elven armies. There... there was so much blood..." she began once she'd calmed down enough to form the words, her voice holding a haunted and far off tone to it as she recalled what she had seen, "There was something evil stirring beneath the battlefield... coming for them because of the fighting."

She trembled slightly as she remembered trying to run and warn her father.

"I tried to warn him, but I couldn't get to him in time, and then... I... I've never felt something so... so dark," she finished, her voice trailing off as she buried her face against his chest.

Part of Chance wanted to ask her questions, but there were times in life when you shouldn't say a damn thing. Just 'be' and let things go their course. Sp instead, he straightened his legs, circled Ana with his arms and simply held her close till she was ready to say something. He honestly couldn't imagine doing anything more.

His hands were gentle, caressing, not treating her as if she was a child, but a loved one who'd been through serious emotional trauma. Chance soothingly stroked her long silver hair, careful not to pull on it, and hoping that his warmth and positive presence might break the spell that the vision held over Ana.

Looking up at the sky, he noticed the stars had shifted, but the moons were still high in the sky... She hadn't been asleep long till the vision had over taken her.

When Ana had calmed enough, Chance stretched out, pushing his sword off his bedroll and pulling it closer to hers, creating a much larger one. laying her out Chance was making an assumption here, but if she'd welcomed his embrace she might welcome him being physically close during the night as she slept.

"If you think you can sleep, try.. I'll be right here. OK?"

Slowly Ana began to calm as Chance held her and stroked her hair, the terror that had gripped her so tightly upon awakening from the vision gradually beginning to loose its vice like hold on her in response to his soothing touch and presence. Her grip on him lessened as her breathing and heart rate returned to normal, though she could not bring herself to let go of him entirely. Even after she'd felt him lay her out upon her bedroll she remained close to him and did not pull away.

"If you think you can sleep, try.. I'll be right here. OK?"

She nodded against his chest in reply, and it was then that she realized that he'd pulled his bedroll up to hers to join her for the night. In her haze she had not noticed it before.

"Thank you," she murmured to him softly, calmed down enough now to begin to feel a bit embarrassed by her behavior and adding in an apologetic tone, "Sorry that I woke you..."

She hesitantly tilted her head and looked up at him.

"Ana, I'm glad you did...If I'd just woke from a nightmare, I'd be glad for friendly company. I probably looked every part of the fool jumping up swinging my sword ready to fight off an invisible attacker. I'm sure it was quite a sight."

Chance chuckled lightly and noticed Ana was looking up at him. Chance glanced down and got lost in her violet eyes. For the moment time slowed, the air grew still and the world was silent, Chance reached with a hand and glided his hand up her jaw, brushing away a loose strand of hair. Ana probably had no idea what she was doing to him, but Chance was entranced all the same.

Slowly, Chance leaned down and kissed her, it was gentle, caring not invasive or brash. The kiss was an expression of how much he'd grown to care about Ana in such a short period of time. Chance held the kiss for a moment, he ended it slowly brushing the side of her nose with his. With a caring smile, Chance spoke no louder than a whisper;

"Try to sleep Ana...I'll be right here."

"Ana, I'm glad you did...If I'd just woke from a nightmare, I'd be glad for friendly company. I probably looked every part of the fool jumping up swinging my sword ready to fight off an invisible attacker. I'm sure it was quite a sight."

Ana had smiled at Chance's words and at the sound of his light chuckle as he had a little laugh at his own expense, his attitude about the whole situation helping her to feel less self-conscious about him seeing her so upset. Then he had glanced downward and their eyes had met, and just like him she felt as if the world around them was suddenly fading away and growing quiet. The sands in the hourglass slowed down as he brushed back a strand of her hair and leaned down to her, then stopped all together for a moment as his lips met her own in a gentle kiss.

As he ended it and smiled at her, she could not help but find herself smiling back slightly in return. Despite her best intentions she knew that something more than friendship had begun to develop between them. She knew she should be worried about this, all the reasons from before that made it a bad idea were still there, but at the moment she simply could not be, not when this moment with him felt so... right.

"Try to sleep Ana...I'll be right here."

Smiling softly at him she nodded in reply and rested her head back down against his chest.

Normally after being awoken by such a horrible vision it would have taken her hours to calm down and get back to sleep on her own, if she was able to sleep at all, but with Chance beside her she soon found her eyelids growing heavy and drifting shut once more until finally rest claimed her again, her body shifting closer to his own in her sleep and seeking out his comforting warmth.

When Ana finally relaxed and allowed sleep to take her, he couldn't help but watch her as she slept. She was stunning, Chance would like to kiss her again but thought it would be inappropriate. instead, he curled up next to Ana, keeping his hands to himself, he stretched out beside her, laying on his back.

Looking at the sky something was different than when he'd fallen asleep the first time but he couldn't pinpoint it. He was a master of what lay beneath the ground not was existed the sky. Maybe in the morning, he'd ask Ana about it. As old habits die hard, Chance slept restlessly, but compared to other nights, he slept far more comfortable than he had in ages.

His dreams were meaningless, but no nightmares. Ana's steady breathing assured him she was ok...And he allowed himself much needed rest.

Ana slept soundly for the remainder of the night. She dreamed at times, but they were only dreams, not visions. They were lovely and vague, the memory of them beginning to evaporate from her mind just as soon as she began to awaken.

As the light of dawn began to fill the sky and the birds began their morning songs, she stirred from her sleep and gradually became aware of a pleasant warmth pressed up against her. Her eyes slowly opened and she discovered that at some point in the night she had apparently shifted onto her side towards Chance, one of her arms draping itself across his chest. A soft blush tinted her cheeks and a hint of a smile pulled at her lips as she remembered the events of the night before and that he'd pulled his bedroll together with hers so he could comfort her after her nightmare, as well as the kiss they had shared.

Slowly she pulled her arm back towards herself, trying not to wake him as she began to sit up.

Chance had been comfortably resting, the cool morning air had been blowing down across the fields, bring the fresh smells of nature to his senses. It was something he'd gotten used to while being above ground over the past 3 years. When he'd lived below ground, the smell of the caverns would make their way through the halls of the Keep, the fresh flowers, the covered the musty smell that came from the deep caverns.

This morning, he'd woken after sleeping on his back, he'd meant to keep some distance to Ana, make sure to just be near, but eventually, he'd moved closer, simply by the attraction of body heat. Chance had sensed Ana's movement in the middle of the night and when she draped a hand over his chest he enjoyed her touch, the first gentle touch he'd had in a long time. So, instead of having her move, he let her be, especially after the nightmares she'd had.

They stayed like that, for how long he wasn't sure, but Chance grew used to the weight of her hand on his chest and nearly fell back to sleep. But when Ana moved her hand ever so slightly it woke him. he enjoyed the softness of her hand, and it actually had an unintended impact on him as his manhood quietly stirred. Chance didn't want Ana to pull away, so he slowly moved up his hand and gently caught her wrist. turning his head to face her.

"Don't go Ana..." The measure of his voice was calm and hopeful. He wanted her to stay close...

Ana paused mid-movement as she felt Chance's hand touch her wrist. She had been intending to try and let Chance sleep some more as she slipped away from him, embarrassed that she had moved to be so close to him during the night, but apparently Chance was a lighter sleeper than what she had realized.

He turned to face her, and as her eyes met his she heard his request for her not to go, her heart swelling in response to the hopefulness in his tone. He was the son of her enemy. She knew she should say no, that she should pull away and just try to forget the moment they had shared the night before... but she could not.

Slowly she eased herself back down beside him, her hand moving to rest upon his chest in the spot where it had been before.

"Do you always sleep so lightly?", she asked him softly, remembering how she'd accidentally awoken him the night before as well, "Or were you already awake before I stirred?"

Chance closed his eyes as Ana came back to him, her soft touch set his skin a fire, when she grew closer Chance subtly reached his arm around her, pulling her closer still. Something was swirling in him, something he'd not felt in years, possibly since his love had fallen into the darkness, just before this whole mess started. Chance thought he might tell a tiny white lie, maybe make Ana think she'd woke him, when in fact he'd been just on the edge for a while.

"I used to sleep like a rock, but that was a long time ago. Now, I... I don't sleep well down here, it's been a long time since I've had restful sleep below the surface simply because my own nightmares of falling asleep and have the world fall out from under me. I guess it also comes from the fact that I fell asleep once farther down and nearly became a late night snack for a bore worm. That's how I figured out not to sleep on the ground farther down. I normally set up a few things and..."

He caught himself, he was babbling... "Sorry Ana, I've never really discussed all of this with anyone, so to have someone to tell about it all is... well makes me excited to share what I know."

His hand moved from where it had been on her wrist, he started to slowly, soothingly glide his hand against her forearm, feeling the smoothness of her skin...

"So I do sleep, just not very soundly. Doesn't take much to wake me up, I just hope you got some quality sleep instead."

He wanted to say that her touch was... calming, that he'd slept better last night than he had in years, but Chance was afraid that might come across as too personal.

Ana had smiled slightly as Chance had apologized for his babbling. In truth she didn't mind. She liked listening to him talk, and was very curious about the things that he'd discovered about the deeper portions of the tunnels. She definitely didn't blame him for being a light sleeper after he explained the run in he'd had with the bore worm. She'd be wary of sleeping too soundly after something like that too.

One of his arms already around her, he began to slowly glide his other hand over her forearm and she felt goosebumps spread across her skin in response to his touch as it sent little tingles of electric current dancing across her flesh. She did her best to ignore them even as she felt her temperature rise in response, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the conversation at hand.

"I did, thank you," she assured him in response to his comment on her sleep, "And... thank you for helping me to calm down after the vision. They aren't always so nightmarish, but when they are it can be very disorienting and... intense for me after, and I have a hard time getting back to sleep."

Her voice grew quieter, her mind drawing back to what she'd seen as she added, "Last night's was... particularly bad."

"No need to thank me.. but you're welcome. and.. the presence you felt.. did it say anything?"

There were many ways to move next, he could sit up and pull her with him, he could try and see how intimate she'd want to be by subtly guiding her thigh over his leg, but he decided against it, he'd pushed a bit much, and while other women, women he'd romanced in the past 3 years he actually cared about Ana, It wasn't that he didn't 'care' about the women he'd been with previously, but he'd never had such a connection, he was so spiritually broken, so remote in his emotions that he'd never allowed any of them to go farther than drinks in a pub. It probably made him a bit of a scoundrel, or a loser, but he refused to bed anyone.. too much risk. and well, as much as he hated his heritage, he had enough respect for them to make sure there were no heirs to the throne wondering about the world.

Chance again pulled Ana just a little closer as his concern grew... "In your vision Ana, did you...see anything down below? Anything that might help us??"

Chance wanted to ask who 'him' was, but thought better of it. for the moment...

Ana closed her eyes, remembering the vision in her mind's eye as she reflected on Chance's questions, her fingers curling against his chest and gripping the front of his shirt lightly as he held her more closely.

"The tunnels bellow were... shifting," she began, "The dark presence that I felt was stirring and waking up, and that's what was causing the tunnels to shift. I... I think the shifting must be what has been causing the quakes."

She opened her eyes, moving within his hold and propping herself up on his chest a bit so that she could look down at him as she spoke.

"I didn't hear it say anything, and I awoke just before I could see exactly what it was, but I could sense that it was being drawn by all the fighting and bloodshed that was happening on the battlefield in my vision... a great battle between the high kings of the human and elven kingdoms and their armies..."

She paused as she looked down at him, her eyes searching his and wondering if she should stop there or if she should tell him the complete truth about everything she had seen.

No... if the things that she had seen were truly destined to pass as she believed they were then there could be no lies between them. Before they went any deeper into the tunnels Chance deserved to know exactly what he was getting himself into... and who he was getting caught up into it with.

"...A battle between our fathers, Chance," she finished softly.

Chance nodded... "I think I've always known, I've suspected, but I think I always knew you were my counterpart in this. You know, it's fortune that the successor to both thrones are together in this trying to save our world when so many would try to stop us...."

Subtly his hands went to her sides, holding her close, "We are in a situation where if we do this together, we stand a better chance of bringing both sides to the table, but we have to get down there, to the castle, find out what happened that drove our kingdoms apart.. and prove it to both... least I think so.. or that might be part of it. But both of us have to be ready for it, if there's a surprise betrayal or someone in our family line who has always appeared to be above reproach actually caused it all to happen...."

Ana was so close, he could feel the heat of Ana's body radiating on him, stirring him... But he couldn't bring himself to push on her...

Ana visibly relaxed in response to Chance's reply. Despite of how drawn she felt to Chance and all the kindness he had shown her, a part of her had worried that he might have turned on her once he knew the truth, or that he would have been angry about her continuing to lie even though he had openly confessed to her who he was as soon as she'd seen his mark. He'd mentioned about her eyes and she'd chosen to try and keep up her charade.

Not only was he not upset, but he seemed actually glad for who she was, once more speaking of how it was fortune that they had been brought together as they had. Maybe he was right. Maybe, together, they would not only have a better chance of navigating the ruins and figuring out the secret behind all of this, but also how to bring peace to both sides once they were through. Was that really possible though? The fighting between their two kingdoms had been going on so long.

"The betrayal must have been something truly awful to make both sides hate one another as deeply as they have for so many centuries," she thought aloud as she absentmindedly traced a finger over the spot on his chest where she remembered his family mark was tattooed upon his skin.

Her gentle touch continued to stir him. What was worse, Ana probably had no idea of what effect she had on him... But as she touched him his hands made their way to her hips, slowly pulling her close...

Chance surely surprised them both by pulling Ana gently up while he angled his lips to find hers. His lips touched hers, he could feel the electricity of his attraction to her now welling up inside him...

Breaking the kiss, Chance leaned his head back just a bit looking deep into her violet eyes and found himself falling into them.

Chance's kiss truly did catch Ana by surprise. At one moment she'd felt his hands upon her waist pulling her closer, and then the next he'd pulled her up and brought his lips to her own. Surprising her as well was the sudden electric spark that she felt shoot through her as his lips found hers, making the skin at the back of her neck tingle in response until he pulled away and looked up into her eyes.

A soft smile spreading across her lips as he gazed up at her, this time it was her turn to surprise herself as she felt herself slowly reaching out with one of her hands and tracing her finger tips gently over the stubble along his jawline before dipping her head down and touching her lips to his in return.

The tingling sensation returned, bringing with it a pleasant warmth that slowly spread through her all the way down to her toes, making her sigh softly against his lips in response.