TITLE: Finally
AUTHOR: LOTSlove®
CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan
RATING: R / M
TIMELINE: Anything up through S2 season finale (Tears)
DISCLAIMER: I love them and love to write about them even though I don't own them or make a dime.
SUMMARY: Sequel to my fic Salvation, Richard and Kahlan fight against an unknown foe that has been unleashed upon them by Darken Rahl in his attempt to regain his throne.
Chapter 1
Snowflakes fell from the gray sky above, unhurriedly floating on the chilly breeze and blanketing everything it came in contact with. Icicles hung from limbs already heavy with the burden of snow, causing some to suddenly crack and snap beneath the load that Mother Nature had placed upon it.
Everything was awash in a canvas of white, looking unblemished and untouched. Tracks of animals slipping silently through the woods were quickly erased by the freshly fallen snow, concealing their whereabouts and protecting them from their unseen enemies.
The wind moaned through the trees, causing the limbs to sway and groan when a pair of bright red eyes suddenly appeared, cutting through the pristine background. The unnerving gaze that burned like twin flames of fire began to survey its surroundings as it struggled to awake from its deep slumber.
It craned its long neck, listening intently. Snorting its hot breath through its nostrils into the chilly air caused clouds of vapor to suddenly form and billow around its large head, temporarily obscuring its view before disappearing again into nothingness.
It stretched it long limbs as it pulled itself up to its full towering height, arching its back and opening its mouth wide in a yawn that exposed two rows of razor sharp teeth. A long black trine shaped tongue quickly protruded from its open mouth, licking its fangs and lips in ferocious hunger before emitting a disparaging shriek that shuddered throughout the mountains.
The mournful cry sliced through the cold night air, causing snow to tremble and shake, falling from limbs and bushes alike, creating a shower of fine snow. In response to the sudden intrusion, animals began to scurry for shelter from the source of the menacing cry.
Snow suddenly fell from above the mouth of the cave, attempting to block the creature's escape from its cavernous depths, but the beast could not be stopped.
XXX
The bitter cold was a shock to her as it enveloped her body, almost taking her breath away as she stepped out into the early morning. The sunrise was eclipsed by the dark gray skies, creating a dreary backdrop.
Kahlan inhaled deeply, drawing in the frigid air that suddenly made her feel even more alive despite the sudden burning in her lungs from the collision of warmth from her body and the chill from the brisk morning air.
An abrupt gust of wind suddenly caught her white cloak, causing it to billow regally about her, whipping it away from her body and blending into the snow swirling around her. She quickly snatched hold of the collar, drawing it tightly into her fist.
Her fingers already felt stiff and rigid from the cold, but it didn't bother her in the least. In fact, she relished it. She was just thankful to be alive, to actually be living again. The icy shiver that shot through her body told her that she was alive as did the fire that blazed through her veins and settled into her pelvis when she made love with Richard.
She made her way around the hills of snow that had been pushed into piles, creating a makeshift path through the central courtyard. The area was bare, almost desolate; a skeleton of the bustling marketplace that once filled it. She felt her heart sink at the sight.
There was very little active commerce, no bantering over prices, no friendly competition between vendors over whose produce or product was better. No mothers dragging screaming children down the center street could be found, no fathers coming to sell their goods to feed their families.
Most of it was gone now except for a few who had stayed, still providing for a small number of people who had not fled before the attack came. Not much was left now except for drifts of snow and empty booths.
Tearing her eyes away from the ghosts that haunted the market, Kahlan turned her attention back to the purpose of this morning's journey into the chilly elements. Her mind was focused on what she needed to do most, what only the Mother Confessor could carry out now.
The Lord Rahl had done his part in wiping out the Altaean army and driving Darken Rahl away. Now as the Mother Confessor and wife of the Lord Rahl, it was her duty to see to the injured, to help put the broken fragments of life back together again for the people of D'Hara.
She felt a small stirring of confidence begin to awaken within her, something that had been missing for so long now that she was uncertain that what she had felt had been real. There were still so many emotions roiling around inside of her, so incongruent and so indescribable at times. It left her with an unsettling feeling that seemed to cling to her, following her like a foreboding shadow ready to pounce on her when she least expected it.
She had believed for so long that she couldn't trust her mind, couldn't rely on what she felt in her heart that now that she was awake, she still found herself uncertain at times. The one thing that she trusted in above all else, giving her the security that she needed more than anything right now was Richard and his love for her.
And she was clinging to that trust and love with all that she had for fear it would slip through her fingers again.
What Kahlan held inside for him, what lived and breathed in her soul for him was more real to her than anything she had ever known before him. He anchored her, sustaining her and providing her the assurance she needed to move past all of this.
She suddenly released a shuddering breath as she picked her way around the mounds, the snow shifting and giving way beneath her boots, causing her to sink a little with every step she took. Her face began to burn with the chill that had raced through her, the wind beating against her cheeks and nose. It caused tears to prick her eyes from the intensity of it.
Stopping before the soldiers standing watch, Kahlan smiled to the men who nodded their heads in respect for the powerful woman who awaited admittance. They opened the large doors for her, standing at full attention as she entered.
The sight that filled her eyes was something that she had seen too many times to count in the past and it never got any easier.
Reaching up with fingers still stiff and prickling from the chill, Kahlan pulled back the hood of her cloak, her raven hair set free and tumbling down her back. She scanned the scene before her, taking in the small fires that burned brightly throughout the large building, the neat rows of makeshift cots and bedrolls that lined the room.
Servants and healers alike roamed about like ants, scurrying from one patient to the next, from one task to another. The stench of death and infection saturated the air causing a wave of nausea to suddenly roll in her stomach.
Untying her cloak, she slowly made her way to one side of the temporary sick house, anxious to be of any help that she could. She needed to work, needed to be useful, needed to get her mind off of all that had happened to her.
Nicci had caused so much pain, tearing her life apart in an attempt to destroy something so very precious to both her and Richard. She felt a wave of hot bitterness churn inside of her soul with the thought. Nicci had taken so much from her, but that was all over now.
Nicci was likely gone, out of their lives once and for all. Now, all Kahlan wanted to do was to put all of the broken pieces of her life back together again, burying herself in the things that she loved to do.
Kahlan knew that the best way to forget her own heartache was to focus on the pain of others. And this was the best place to start.
XXX
Bringing a bowl of stew to an Altaean prisoner, she settled down on the stool, prepared to feed the wounded man. He'd sustained some injuries that had been healed only to watch him suddenly decline without explanation.
Looking down on his sleeping form now, Emily's concerns were swiftly increasing. He was listless and feverish. He had grown ashen, sweat beading on his brow. Studying him, she noticed reddish splotches covering his hands and forearms.
Looking away from the soldier, Emily scanned the small storage barn that had been designated as the enemy quarters for the wounded. Once healthy again, these injured men would soon join their fellow soldiers in the prison to await their fate which was to be determined by Lord Rahl.
Several of the prisoners had recovered fairly quickly, leaving only but thirty or so men in the barn. Surveying the other soldiers, one other man appeared to be suffering from the same condition as the one lying before her.
"Adam," she softly called out to him, laying a gentle hand on his arm.
Emily quickly withdrew her hand, finding him burning up. Setting the bowl down, she leaned over him, gently gripping him by the shoulders. She had tended to him since his arrival and found him to be a very pleasant young man, forced into service against his will by Ambassador Hollis who had threatened his family back home if he didn't serve his region.
"Adam," she called more forcefully, becoming more anxious with every passing moment.
Adam's eyes suddenly flew open, causing her to release a startled gasp. His hand seized her wrist as she released her hold on his shoulders. His fingers dug painfully into her wrist, causing her to wince, but it was the sight of his blood-red eyes that caused her to shudder.
Gone were the clear blue orbs that had always greeted her, replaced by a terrifying shade of crimson that now made her very skin crawl. Despite his weakened state, he had unbelievable strength that held her fast to him.
Several Mord'Sith suddenly appeared at her side, agiels in hand, ready to make him release her.
"Wait!" she cried out, desperate to end this unexpected confrontation before it turned deadly.
She had grown very fond of Adam the three days that he had been here and had quickly become her favorite patient. She could also tell that he had grown quite fond of her as well. She was going to ask the Lord Rahl for leniency with his punishment, knowing that he had been coerced into participating in a battle that he had not wanted to fight. She had a nagging feeling that there were more just like him.
"Adam, it's alright…it's Emily," she soothingly began. "I'm here to help you, but you have to tell me what's wrong."
His breathing was ragged and labored, each wheezing breath he drew rattling in his chest and breaking her heart. His red eyes were wide as he stared blankly at her, seeming to bore right through her, seeing her and yet not.
Sitting up closer, Adam leaned forward until his mouth was just inches from her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin and causing gooseflesh to ripple over her arms.
"Teutorigos," he whispered so softly she hadn't been certain that she had heard him.
"I don't understand, Adam."
"Please…help me…I don't want to leave you…" he pleaded, his voice raspy with fear.
Releasing his grip on her, he collapsed back onto his cot, immediately falling back into unconsciousness. Emily sat there for a moment, stunned by the rapidly progressing changes in his condition.
Something was happening to him and whatever it was, it was draining the very life from his body and taking him away from her.
XXX
Marching through the Palace, the quick strikes of his footfall echoed loudly, bouncing off of the stone walls and revealing the determination behind his pace. He was on a mission, one that he had not intended to take up this morning, but found it was of the utmost importance.
Richard's jaw was tight, his eyes set with purpose as he made his way through his home. The morning had started out early and so intensely passionate, waking to Kahlan's lips slowly drifting along his jaw before finally finding his mouth.
She had shifted over him, greeting him in the most erotic of ways as she took complete control over him, her body and lips gliding along his flesh and teasing him in ways that had made his head swim in a haze of unadulterated bliss.
Clawing at the sheets, he had fully submitted to her, but had been barely able to hold on long enough for her to come before he himself had come undone right along with her. He loved it when she dominated him like that, moving so gracefully and sensuously above him, his hips steadily rising to meet hers. It was the most intimate expression of love that he craved with her.
The pace she had set had been slow and sensual, unhurried and yet so heated, filled with indescribable passion as she gradually drove him mad with a need so fierce that he thought for certain that he would be consumed by the flames.
It was such an intensely passionate state that only she could bring him to until it overwhelmed his senses, his body taking over as he loved her the only way he knew how – with every fiber of his being.
At the same time, it had been all he could do not to grab hold of her hips and flip her over, taking full control of the passionate exchange. He had been encompassed with a need to touch her soft skin everywhere he could, covering her with his body and pressing her deeper into the mattress with the force of his movements within her.
He had become so desperate with need for release at times this morning, his body so consumed with showing her what he felt that he thought he would explode, but he knew that Kahlan had needed to feel some measure of control, the opportunity to express what she felt inside for him as well.
And she did ever convey her love for him this morning.
With a warm satiation that still hummed through his body, Richard couldn't help the grin that worked its way to his face with the memory or the rush of tingling arousal that suddenly coalesced in his core.
Spirits, he could never get enough of her. He had just been with Kahlan a few hours ago and he was already becoming excited by the thrilling expectation of being with her again.
But that would require finding her and right now, Richard had no idea where she was. He had left this morning to meet with Commander Holland to review the latest scouting reports only to return to find her gone.
When he had returned later to check on her, he had found Katrina sitting in the nursery, reading a book while the twins slept. She said that Kahlan had gone out, but had no idea where or for how long.
He couldn't understand where his wife had gone or why she had left, but the whole notion of her being out of their suite right now had set him on edge to say the least. She was in no condition to be out doing anything after what she had just been through.
It had only been three days since he had saved her. He had stayed with her the first couple of days since waking, wanting to make sure that she was truly alright. He had wanted to reassure her that he was real and that he was not going to leave her. He had seen what had happened to her inside of her mind, what it had reduced her to, causing him to become almost ill at the thought of what she'd gone through.
There were moments when Kahlan was like herself again, but at other times, she seemed so fragile. A look of hesitation would abruptly pass through her face, uncertainty would flit through her eyes, a sense of fearfulness would suddenly envelope her.
She had awoken him at times in the middle of the night since saving her, repeatedly calling his name or suddenly seizing hold of his hand or arm, desperate to know that he was there with her even in the depths of sleep.
While relieved that she was safely back with him again, Richard was still concerned about how she was truly handling everything that had happened to her. The wounds from Nicci's interference still ran deep right now and would take time to heal no matter how many times she tried to tell him that she was fine.
He had already seen the beginning of that mending the last few days as Kahlan held their daughters. She took turns holding each one of their babies in her arms, studying her daughters' faces, each of their unique responses, their every expression as if trying so badly to make up for the time she had lost with them.
He would sit with her as she had held their girls, cooing softly to them and caring for them in the special only way that a mother ever could. Holding the daughters that he had created with her brought him more joy and contentment than he had ever dreamed was possible. His life was complete at last.
He wished that they could have just stayed hidden together in their suite, just he and Kahlan and their girls, but life and responsibilities were quickly luring them back to reality. And it wasn't a reality that Richard was anxious to rejoin any time soon.
There were difficult decisions that had to be made, decisions that only the Lord Rahl could make. He needed Kahlan now more than ever as he sought to pull the territory back together, to get to the bottom of what his brother was up to with faking his death.
Finding himself outside in the central courtyard, Richard released a ragged breath, frustrated that he'd been unable to find his wife inside the Palace. Placing his hands on his hips, he surveyed the place where so many of his wounded men had been laying, waiting for treatment or impending death.
As his eyes wandered the courtyard, Richard suddenly froze in mid-turn as he looked around him. He knew Kahlan better than he knew himself.
And he suddenly knew exactly where she was.