TITLE: Tribulation

AUTHOR: LOTSlove®

CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan

RATING: R / M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

TIMELINE: Anything up through S2 season finale (Tears)

DISCLAIMER: I'm completely obsessed with the show Legend of the Seeker and all things Richard and Kahlan. I love to write about them even though they cancelled my show and now I'm fighting to get it back!

SUMMARY: Sequel to my fic Hope, Garren is missing and Richard must go in search of him, but new troubles arise that threatens to steal their future.

Chapter 1

She hurriedly made her way down the sharp slope, not the least bit daunted by the steepness or alarmed by the fact that one misstep could signal the end of her young life. She had grown up in this treacherous territory, knew every square inch of these rocks and caves, the lush greenery that seemed to find grace enough to grow up here in the most unexpected spots.

Small bits of rock and dirt broke loose under her feet with each of her determined steps, creating a fine shower of debris on the ground below. Her staff provided her the extra stability that she needed to traverse the rocky terrain as she quickly poked and prodded the rocks for any potential loose spots.

The early rays of dawn brought just enough light that she didn't break a bone, but not as much as she truly needed at that moment to move as safely as she should. She just couldn't delay any longer. She had to know, had to see for herself the toll that her people had taken, the painful losses that no doubt numbered very high.

The deadly battle had raged on long into the night, past the ability to truly see who or what they had been fighting but it hadn't deterred her brave warriors. She could still hear the deadly battle cries that had filled the air, the silly sing-song chanting of their enemy imploring their gods to aid them during this fatal test of bravery.

And then there was the practiced silence and resolve of the unknown enemy that had suddenly appeared, mighty warriors that had invaded into their mountains from the south. They had skillfully wormed their way into a battle that was not theirs to fight and yet had so arrogantly made their own.

How dare they intrude on private matters that were none of their concern? This was between the Ta'Niah and the Enalaroans. It was not for anyone else to know what happened up here in the land that had been theirs for longer than her people could remember.

Na'Mara snorted in disgust under her breath. They would suffer the consequences for introducing themselves into private matters that did not involve them…if they hadn't already paid that steep price of course.

She stepped over small sharp stones that could shred flesh as she finally neared the valley, not even registering any pain. Having grown up here, she was accustomed to walking through the mountains without shoes, the bottoms of her feet long grown calloused and shielding her against any potential harm.

She released a long breath as she stood staring at the gruesome scene blanketing the barren ground. Bodies broken and bloody littered the area like hundreds of stars that had suddenly fallen from the sky, their bright twinkling lights having been so violently snuffed out.

Having been at odds with the Enalaroans for centuries, Na'Mara was not unfamiliar with the woes of war. It seemed as if a disagreement with their brutal neighbors on the other side of the mountain always ended up in a lethal clash of opinions and wills that refused to bend, erupting unexpectedly.

Staring down at a childhood friend's listless eyes looking so blankly up at her, Na'Mara felt her throat constrict at the spirit that had so obviously left his ruined body. Closing her eyes, she bent down, touching each temple and then his ghostly lips before bringing her fingers to her own mouth and kissing the tips softly, a silent prayer drifting skyward on his behalf.

"Fair travel to the spirit land, my friend," she softly bid him well.

This was what she detested most about being the Priestess of the Ta'Niah. She loathed having to give the order to fight, to send her friends and loved ones into a senseless war that never brought any resolution.

The last conflict with the Enalaroans had been over two years ago, the longest between battles yet, but this one last night had been one of the deadliest so far. To this day, she still couldn't remember what had brought about the last conflict, only that her father had struggled in prayer and fasting all night long as he sought out the spirits to provide him guidance.

In the end, he had been forced to send their warriors in an effort to protect their people and the way of life that had been theirs for thousands of years. She had been the only one to notice the tears that had collected in his eyes as he had turned away from them as their men went into battle.

That look of resolution and inner turmoil was something that she had never forgotten. While she had not completely understood it at the time, she understood his pain and now she unfortunately knew it for herself.

"Father, help me," she whispered bleakly, her saddened gaze drifting over bodies both her own and so many that were not.

It was similar to the scene that she had witnessed just days ago. Why were the crimson savages even here in the first place? They had no need to invade their lands, insert themselves into matters that were not theirs to settle.

Na'Mara instinctively tightened her grip around the staff that went with her everywhere she went. These crimson savages would not be allowed to interfere or dictate how they lived their lives. The men that had come had been overtaken by both her warriors as well as the Enalaroans.

It had turned into every man for himself out here. It was the one time that she could remember where Enalaroan and Ta'Niah had both fought against a common enemy, soundly defeating them and bringing an end to their interference.

But then a sea of red had suddenly flowed like blood up into their territory again yesterday, this time larger and stronger than the ones that had come before. It did not deter her from trying to prevent the red savages from meddling again. She didn't know if they were on the Enalaroans' side or their own, but she knew they weren't on the side of the Ta'Niah.

They didn't appear to be with the Enalaroans, though, as she studied the bodies strewn before her. From a distance, she had seen all three sides fighting against each other in the fading light of day. She wasn't about to accept it as true just yet. It could be a trick by the Enalaroans and the crimson savages to make them think that they weren't fighting together.

Either way, no one was going to invade their land. Anyone who had tried before had never lived to try again. This time would be no different.

XXX

She stood silently in a far corner of the library almost as inconspicuous and still as a statue as everyone talked. Their voices were like a low drone in her ears, bleeding from one right into the next, not really noticing or caring who it was that was speaking or what they were even saying. It was like someone trying to talk to her while she was under water, everything muffled and muddled.

All she did know, all that she cared about right at that moment was lost up in the mountains…possibly dead.

Her head was pounding, her heart filled with an ache so intense it nearly dropped her, but still somehow she managed to stay upright. Garren would expect no less from her.

Cara tightened her arms more firmly against her chest as she stared emotionlessly at nothing on the far wall, trying so desperately to block the pain. That was the only gift that Darken Rahl had given her – the ability to withstand tremendous pain.

And yet, it seemed to do little for her at this moment as she felt the threads of her life unraveling around her.

This was something that went far beyond any agiel, any torture she had survived, beyond even the horrific torment that Darken Rahl had put her through when he had used the power of the Underworld and the Sisters of the Dark to turn her away from the Seeker and back to himself.

This somehow paled mightily compared to that experience. And it was all Garren's fault.

Somehow, someway, Garren had carefully worked his way into her life, gaining first her trust and then her respect and stealing her heart somewhere along the way. And because of him, she found that she didn't want to know life apart from him, never wanted to return to her former self.

"How many men did Garren take with him?" Richard asked as he crossed his arms.

"He took five hundred men and a dozen Mord'Sith," Holland informed him, his eyes mirroring the worry that he witnessed in the Lord Rahl's eyes. "We had previously sent a couple hundred of our men up there, but they were attacked and pinned down. That's when Garren decided to take more soldiers up there to rescue them and stop it before it escalated any further."

"It was a good plan…exactly how I would have responded," Richard murmured, casting a glance at Cara standing mutely in the corner.

It was not like her to react like this. He expected her to be yelling, to be gathering her own personal army of Mord'Sith to lead up there herself to rescue him. He thought they'd have to be holding her back by now to keep her from doing something that would only get herself killed in the end.

"I want a thousand men ready to go at dawn," Richard abruptly ordered.

"I'll get them ready immediately," Holland quickly replied with a resolute fist to his chest. "I swear to you that I won't come back without Garren, my Lord."

"No, I want you to stay here. I'm going after him and our men myself," Richard informed him.

"Lord Rahl…" Holland began, shaking his head in disapproval. "It's far too dangerous up there."

Kahlan wholeheartedly agreed with Holland but remained silent as the Commander tried to talk her husband out of it. She didn't like the idea of Richard heading straight into hostile territory or a deadly tribal war where so many of their own men had already been slaughtered, but she knew that Richard would not allow anyone else to lead the search for Garren except for himself.

Holding Priya in her arms, Kahlan gently ran her fingers through her daughter's fine locks, taking note of the warring emotions in Richard's face. She could see the sorrow over the news about Garren in her husband's eyes, but she knew all too well that determined set of his jaw, the dark brooding mood that was quickly overtaking him.

His mind was already made up. There was no use trying to talk him out of it.

"I appreciate your concern, Holland, but I need you to stay here to watch over things while I'm gone," he told him with a lingering glance at Kahlan who was standing quietly to the side with their sleeping daughter in her arms.

His heart warmed at the sight of his wife holding their daughter against her chest, Priya's head tucked protectively under Kahlan's chin. She was gently running her fingers through their daughter's brown hair, playing with the fine curls that were beginning to take shape at the nape of her neck.

He could see worry already clouding Kahlan's beautiful blue eyes. Coupled with the fatigue veiling her face, he felt his concern begin to stir. He would always worry about his family no matter what.

He knew that Kahlan was already beginning to fear for him as well but he knew that she understood that he had to do this. Garren was a part of their family and he would not give up until he had found him. He had to for Cara.

"I can see that I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this," Holland scowled, completely obliviously to the fact that his Lord Rahl's attention had been momentarily captured by the Mother Confessor.

"I'm going after him," Cara suddenly announced, her tone hard and commanding as it cut through the room.

"Cara, I don't think that's a good idea. You should stay here. Let me go after him and bring him back," Richard gently told her.

Kahlan turned to see the Mord'Sith suddenly come to life from the other side of the room. She'd been standing so silently, so detached from the conversation that she had almost forgotten that she was even in the room.

She'd been worried about her friend, but knew better than to attempt to comfort her. That was not something that Cara accepted well especially in front of others. It made her feel weak instead of just human.

"I said I am going and don't you dare try to stop me," Cara sneered, her eyes like twin flames of green fire leveled at the Lord Rahl.

"Cara…" Richard began again, pausing to draw a deep breath as he searched for the words that would make it better for her. That hesitation cost him dearly.

"Garren is gone and it's your fault!" Cara snarled at him. "I think you've already done more than enough."

"Cara!" Zedd exclaimed, surprised by her sudden hostility towards his grandson.

Sitting with Nicci on the couch holding Paige, he'd been listening to the discussions, but had remained silent as well. He had other things weighing on his mind besides the terrible report about Garren. His unusual discovery was going to have to wait for the time being; Garren's desperate situation could not.

"Why is it my fault?" Richard abruptly asked, his gaze narrowing in confusion.

Richard was startled by the sheer rage that he saw in the Mord'Sith's eyes. He knew that Cara was upset, but the fierceness that he saw there made his blood run cold as hurt began to seep into his soul. He could feel Kahlan suddenly drawing close beside him, her hand coming to lightly rest on the small of his back in unspoken support.

"If you and Kahlan hadn't left for Kandahar then Garren wouldn't have had to go up there to stop the outbreak," Cara hissed as she came to stand directly in front of Richard, her fiery gaze boring straight through him.

Despite the obvious hurt that suddenly filled the Lord Rahl's brown eyes, Cara did not back down in the least as she glared at him, her chest heaving. Nothing made sense to her anymore except for the indescribable pain that consumed her. All she wanted to do was to lash out at someone, make someone pay for the tremendous hurt that was devouring her whole. And she didn't care who that someone was.

"Cara, I'm sorry for what happened to Garren, but…" Richard carefully began, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Cara jerked back before he could even reach her. She didn't want anyone touching her or consoling her right now. "You had to leave, take Kahlan away so you could spend time alone with her," Cara yelled, clenching her fists. "Kahlan is all that you've ever cared about! No one else matters to you but her!

"You left Garren and me in charge and because of it I've lost the only thing that has ever meant anything to me! It was your decisions that have led to this."

The silence that followed was flooded with overwhelming anguish, Cara's pain so tangible in that tense moment that no one risked to speak. Richard involuntarily flinched under her withering glare, her words cutting more deeply than he wanted to admit. He swallowed back his hurt before finally responding to her.

"Cara, I'm going to do everything in my power to find Garren and bring him back to you," Richard evenly told her, doing his best to rein in the overwhelming guilt that suddenly gripped him.

He resisted the urge to reach out to her again, to wrap his arms around her and make her understand that he never meant for this to happen. Her words echoed painfully in his ears, reaching like spindling tendrils into his heart, winding around it and holding it in a death-grip. Cara of all people did not deserve this heartbreak. He would do whatever he had to do to get Garren back for her.

"I'm going so don't try to stop me or talk me out of it," she bitterly snapped before suddenly storming out of the library.

An unnerving hush settled over the room, the popping of the wood burning in the fireplace the only sound breaking the uncomfortable stillness as they all stood there in stunned silence. They each felt her pain, wanted so desperately to fix it but no one knew if they truly could.

"Richard, it's not your fault," Zedd gently said as he stood to his feet and began to walk towards him, patting Paige's back to soothe her sudden fussiness over the commotion. "Cara didn't mean any of it. She's just hurting right now. Once she's had a chance to cool down, she'll see that this isn't your fault."

"It's alright," Richard coolly replied, his body tensing, the fresh scars he had received while in Kandahar unexpectedly ripped open deep within his heart. There were a lot of things he wished that he could have changed about the last several days starting with Kahlan.

"Richard…I'm so sorry…" Kahlan softly ventured, her own feelings of guilt churning within as her hand came to rest on his arm.

"There's a lot that needs to be done before we leave in the morning," he said with a clipped tone, pulling away from Kahlan's attempt to comfort him.

Kahlan's heart sank as she watched him abruptly turn and leave, wanting so desperately to follow him, to comfort him. She wanted to make him see that Garren's disappearance was not his fault, but she knew that Cara's words had cut him deeply, only serving to expose the painful guilt and remorse that he'd been trying to let go of since Kandahar.