Collared
Summary: Oneshot. Richard's view of the wilds during his journey with Sister Verna to the Palace of the Prophets in Stone of Tears.
A/N: My first Seeker fanfic! Happy new year everyone! I hope you enjoy reading this, please read and review.
The clear blue sky stretched out into the horizon, unclouded and bright, it melted into the background creating an effect of unending space, though all Richard saw was more ground to cover on the way to a destination that remained a mystery to him. Of course he didn't care to find out, he was a prisoner he was to go wherever he was led.
The large plain spread out in every direction,without a single mountain or rock formation not even a tree to cut off its flow, adorned only by countless blades of untamed grass. They were riding in a singular direction, south-east. They were the only moving thing in sight. Probably the only living, breathing beings there.
There was nothing in the wilds of the Midlands, no roads or markers to help guide travelers, he guessed there weren't many of them, there wasn't even wind. Despite the lack of any sort of trail Sister Verna seemed to know exactly where they were heading, he followed without question.
It was an empty place, devoid of charm or beauty. In a way it reminded him of his own heart at the moment: empty, sad, desolate.
He understood the emptiness of his surroundings. There was no reason for anyone to come here, to suffer through the monotonous vision of the endless expanse and endure the silence of the lifeless, lonely plain. Anyone besides the Sisters of the Light and their prisoners anyway, he thought bitterly.
The combination of the clarity of the sky and the uninterrupted enormity of the plain was enough to give the impression of an infinite space, of freedom. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the idea; he was a prisoner even in the freedom of this place.
He decided that once he had the collar off, he would return. After all, he had no place else to go, Kahlan didn't want him, and the silence would allow him think of what to do with himself next. He blamed the Rahl blood inside him for his situation. If he weren't a Rahl, Kahlan wouldn't have sent him away because he wouldn't be a monster. He knew that, though he might one day be free of the Rada'Han he would always be a Rahl.
He would never be free of that. Caught in the chains of his bloodline, he would be forever collared.