#uncle ander

Sorry in advance, this is gonna be longer than I thought. But please read :)

So I recently re-watched The Shannara Chronicles because it’s coming back soon and I needed to remind myself why I love it so much. The landscapes, the music, the plot, the relationships... mostly relationships. And I don’t mean only romantic relationships.

I’m a sucker for any kind of family relations. I love the dynamic between the royal family and I remember, watching the pilot for the first time, I cried when Will’s mom was dying even if I had no freakin’ idea who the hell those people were at the time. (I never read the books - but I’m going to)

But what really got to me was the relationship between Amberle and Ander (the show literally starts with those two, how cool is that?) It’s such a beautiful and strong bond. You can say he stepped into a father figure mode when Aine died, he’s protective but he also is very supportive and lets Amberle do her own thing. And I love the banter. It’s so sad that he didn’t get to say goodbye to her at the end but they were beautifully written and shown at the beginning (except the end of ep 4 when the trio is leaving, after the famous line ‘Loverboy can fill you in” - Amberle comes to Ander and hugs him but camera cuts that because Allanon and Will’s conversation is “more important”)

So as I usually do, I decided to check out fanfics (fanfiction.net and AO3). And you know what I found? NOTHING. I mean, there is one short oneshot and a few bits here and there in other fanfics but basically their tag is one empty hole. Not good.

So i wrote one myself. And I hope you’ll like it. If not, I’ll just leave it here, maybe someone someday finds it xD

 So anyways, this is a little bit of an AU, I changed the ending of the season (spoiler alert) - Amberle didn’t become a tree. Instead she saved the Ellcrys without sacrificing herself. So it starts when the battle is over, Amberle, Allanon and Will and in the Sanctuary and Ander comes there. I just wanted to showcase how deep this bond can possibly go, I used few little headcanons I had, just wanted to show what they are to each other andwhat they mean to each other. It’s my first fanfic so helpful criticism and tips are welcome. So... enjoy :) 

An Useperatable Duo

With a loud cracking noise, door to the Sanctuary opened. Ander stepped inside, his breath heavy but his posture steady. His eyes searched quickly the area, part of him still expecting one of Dagda Mor's soldiers to jump at him from the corner. But they stopped at the sight of a long wave of brown hair and big green eyes now glued to him.

“Amberle..” he whispers but in the quiet of the Sanctuary it sounds like a scream. She smiles, taking few steps his way. And the next second he's holding her in his arms, crying, his face hidden in her long locks. Amberle is crying too, holding onto him desperately.

“Uncle Ander....” she weeps and he can't help but smile at the words. When Amberle was born, he was barely a teenager. He remembered taking her to his arms for the first time. She was crying loudly and noone could calm her down, but the moment he took her from Aine – she fell silent. Big green eyes met his and that was the moment his heart was stolen by her. And now, after this long and dangerous adventure, when her puffy eyes met his again and he washed away her tears with his thumb, leaving his hand on her cheek a little longer – it felt like that first time again. His niece, the light in his life and a beacon of hope was right here, with him and it felt like everything is right in the world again.

“There were moments I thought I'll never see you again, baby girl” he says, using her childhood nickname he gave her so long ago. “I'm glad that you're ok.”

“I was worried about you too. Especially after seeing the battlefield. And... Alanon told me about Grandpa...” she adds after a moment, her voice starting to crack. “...and Arion...”

“Hey, hey shh....” he whispers, bringing her closer and kissing her forehead. “I know, I know. It hurts. But they died doing what they were born to do – defending our kingdom. And they were very proud of you. We all are.”

She smiles and then hugs him again. “I'm proud of you too, Uncle Ander. I always new the crown would suit you”

“I'm trying to do my best. Now” he lets her go but leaves a hand on her shoulder, and looking at Alanon and Will standing few feet away, asks “Do you mind telling me what the hell happened here?”

***

After such a large battle, it surprised Amberle that it was so quiet everywhere now. Like nothing ever happened. She was in her chambers, lying on her bed, her eyes locked on the celling. She was still processing everything. It felt good to be finally home, but at the same time... She was worried about Eretria. Amberle knew she wanted them to go but still the fact that they left her there was making her feel sick and guilty. She was worried about Will, who's powers were growing stronger and he had a lot to learn, especially considering what the Elvestones could do to a person using them. And she was worried about Ander, who rised to power under hard and devastating circumstances and even tho she always knew he would make a great king, she also knew he didn't feel ready. He had a big shoes to fill after Eventine, her father Aine and Arion, the Kingdom will need his help and guidance and she's going to stand beside him every step of the way.

Because there's just the two of them now. From the entire Ellesedil bloodline, they were the only ones standing.

When she thinks about it, it was always just the two of them. The unseperatable duo. Even when her father Aine was still alive, little princess would spend hours with her youngest uncle – playing in the gardens or horseriding in the woods – while her father attended all kinds of royal meetings. When Aine died, she suddenly started to feel alone. Her father was gone, her grandfather was too busy to properly take care of her, Uncle Arion seemed not to care at all, and Ander... he stepped back, became very closed and sad all the time, fell into alcohol addiction. But even as a little girl she knew she can't loose him too.

 The night after Aine's funeral she couldn't sleep. She wandered through the empty, silent halls barefoot, only in her nightgown and before she knew it she found herself at the door to Sanctuary. There was noone around – the King dissmissed the guards for that one night, to give his family a moment of privacy. Young Amberle hesitated for a momemt and then, standing on her tiptoes, she opened the door. It was quiet and dark inside, the only light provided by the full moon. A little colder too but she didn't mind. But the place wasn't empty. She noticed Uncle Ander sitting on one of the Tree's big roots... but he didn't seem to notice her at all, starring at nothing with teary eyes, an empty little bottle in his hand. Her little heart acked for him, she knew that Aine's death hit him the hardest, besides her of course. So without even thinking she came closer to him, took the bottle out of his hand and climbed on his lap, putting her little arms around his waist. When she layed her head on his chest she felt him tense a little but then he relaxed again and ambraced her with as much force as she did.

“You can't sleep either, huh baby girl?” he whispered to her while putting a kiss on top of her head.

“I miss Dad too” she whispered back and burried her face in the crook of his neck. “And I don't want to be alone. Can I stay with you, uncle Ander? And we will miss him together.”

She felt his arms tighten around her and for a moment he was silent. But then he spoke. “I have a better idea. Why don't we take you to your room and we'll both try to get some sleep huh?”

She raised her head and looked at him. “And you're gonna stay?”

“Of course I'm gonna stay. In fact...” He looked her straight in the eyes and smiled. “I'm not gonna leave you Amberle, ok? Never. I promise.”

***

“You can't sleep either, huh baby girl?”

Those words got her back from her thoughts when Ander opened the door to her room.

“You caught me. How did you know?”

“Because I know you” he replied as he came closer and sat down at the edge of her bed. She noticed a crown on his head – he probably just got back from some meeting or something – and her head fell down, because deaths of her grandfather and uncle hit her again. That's why he's wearing it now even if he never wanted to she thinks. Because they are gone so he has to. Then she felt Ander's fingers under her chin and now she's looking into his blue eyes. “I miss them too” he says and she smiles sadly, surprised at how well he knows her, almost like he's reading her mind, knowing exactly what she was thinking about just seconds ago.

“I promised Grandpa I will come back to him” she says, feeling her throat tightens. “And you did.” Ander replies as he puts a hand on her cheek and washes away some tears she didn't even realised had escaped. “He never doubted in you. Not even for a second.”

And now she feels like she can't breathe, she's crying openly, hidden in her uncle's protective hold. He's rocking her back and forth and after couple minutes that felt for her like eternity she's calm again and she can breathe again. “Get some sleep, Amberle” he says as he lays her back down on the bed a covers her with a blanket. She instantly grabs his hand. “Stay.”

“Of course I'm gonna stay.” he replies and then kisses her forehead. “I'm never gonna leave you, remember?”

An useperatable duo. Few years ago she had lost her father, but it's almost like she gained another one. Ander is her best friend, partner in crime, and like an older brother sometimes but he also knows how to step into a role of a father when he needs to. And that's what she loved about him the most.

“I love you, Uncle Ander.” she whispers, as she drifts into sleep. And just before she falls asleep completely she hears him say “I love you too, baby girl.”