A/N: I actually forgot to post an author's note last chapter. Oops. This take place sometime after Denna but before Revenant. I am currently reading the 5th book. I will be combining some aspects of the book with the show, but no major spoilers from the books (if I do later on, I will let everyone know). Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep the reviews coming, they're very good motivation :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of the Seeker. The end.

Chapter 2

Zedd finally caught up with Richard. His labored breathing made his words hard to understand, "We can't keep moving at this grueling pace."

Richard's face glistened with sweat, "We can't slow down. I don't want Kahlan with those bastards any longer than she has to be. If we're too late…" he shook his head, trying to clear the images that bombarded his mind. "No, maybe they want to control her--"

Zedd cut him off, "No one can control a confessor."

Rage overtook him again as his hand brush the hilt of the Sword of Truth, "Her father did!" He blurted out without thinking.

Zedd's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "What?"

The wizard wasn't there when the listener had pried into Kahlan's past, when she had told them about her childhood. He felt like he was betraying Kahlan's confidence, but Zedd had to know it was possible to control her. "When she was young, after her mother died and her father was freed from the hold of her mother's power, he forced her and Denee to committ numerous crimes. Punishment followed if they disobeyed." Short and simple; he didn't want to tell Zedd anymore than he had to. He purposely left out what kind of punishment. The rope still frightened her. Richard's face was solemn. The story he had to tell placated his anger.

Zedd put an arm on his shoulder. He began again, his voice calmer. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm worried about her too, but we're not going to be any good to Kahlan if we're too exhausted to even fight for her."

He couldn't argue the wizard's logic. Accepting defeat, the Seeker slumped down the side of a tree. His head rested in his hands. "What could they possibly want with her?"

Flowing robes came to rest beside the young man. The hand squeezed Richard's shoulder, "I don't know. But I promise you my boy, we'll get her back." He stood back up, heading off to go find wood. He knew his grandson was in no condition to be setting up camp. He just hoped Richard could get some rest tonight. "Dear Spirits," he whispered, "please protect our Kahlan."

******

Blue eyes squeezed shut. Water slowly leaked out from behind them. Pain coursed through her leg. A man in uniform grabbed more dirt and rubbed it deep into her dagger wound. "You like that?" he taunted.

"Who in their right mind would like that?!" she spat through gritted teeth.

The soldier that had been sitting next to her sprawled out figure rose quickly, giving a swift kick to the face. "No one gave you permission to speak!"

Kahlan didn't even bother turning her head to face her attacker. "And no one gave you permission to be a son of a bitch," she muttered back.

She heard the familiar sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. It's tip pressed firmly under her chin. She didn't even make a move to acknowledge it. They didn't want to kill her or they would have done so already, or at least begun the torture quads were so infamous for. Even if they did kill her, at least she wouldn't be used as leverage to endanger Richard. Richard. Dear Spirits, please let him be okay. She knew he'd come for her, as much as she wished he wouldn't. No matter how many times she had told him that she would die for him, that him and his mission are more important, that its bigger than them and their love for each other. He would still come. He was a rare person indeed. She just hoped Zedd could talk some sense into him and keep him away from harm.

Kahlan was snapped out her thoughts by the cool metal against the side of her cheek. The flat side pushed against her head, forcing her to turn towards the man. He smirked down at her, "You're not even worth it." Her eyes watched him walk a couple steps and then return, a rope in hand. Her body stiffened unintentionally. Now what? She was already aggravated her hands were gloved and chained tight together. He made a loop, placing it over her neck. "Get up," he commanded. She laid still on the ground. "GET UP!" One harsh pull up on the rope made it tighten around her neck. Her hands went for the loop, desperately trying to loosen it. He pulled again, forcing her to feet. Once she up, there was enough slack to allow her some air. The other three stood around her smiling, like she was some show of amusement. If looks could kill, they'd all be dead.

One of them spoke up, "We're tired of dragging you." It was her turn to smirk. Kahlan had refused to walk. They threatened to drag her, and they did. Only they complained about having to pull her weight behind them. If she was going with them, she sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy on them. "You are no more than a bitch and shall be treated as such." So that was it?! This stupid rope was fastened around her like a choke chain on a dog. Rage pounded through her veins but she couldn't do anything with it.

Someone else took the rope. "Kneel before me." Not even a muscle moved. A sharp tug downward put too much pressure on her stab wound. She fell to her knees. "Good girl," the guy smiled. "This is good practice for when you will kneel before Lord Rahl."

Kahlan's head snapped up to attention. She assumed they were taking her to Rahl but she had no idea why. "Never." She tried to get back up. The soldier placed the end of the rope under his boot. It wasn't long enough to allow her to stand. Laughing erupted from them all as she struggled and fell back down. That was the final straw. She fell flat, grabbing the rope with both of her chained hands. She grunted as she pulled as hard as she could. The force knocked the man off of his feet. Before they knew what hit them, her leg swung out and clipped another two.

She took off running ignoring the pain in her leg. The only man she hadn't knocked down was close behind her. The confessor struggled to get the rope off of her neck. Once she was free of it, she cut a corner sharp, circling around on the soldier. She threw the rope over his neck, pulling tight. His hands went to his throat, an instinctive reaction. Before he could remove it, she tossed the other end up over a tree branch. When the other side dangled down in front of her, she jumped as high as she could and hung onto it. The soldier was lifted two feet off the ground, thrashing about. The noose was suffocating him. His hands clawed at his neck in desperation. Blood trickled down. She held on as tight as possible.

Another soldier rounded the corner. He went to grab Kahlan. She pulled her weight up and kicked him square in the chest. He landed on his back with the wind knocked out of him. The one being hanged still struggled. Come on, she prayed, die already! She pulled down hard on the rope, trying to make him pass out quicker. The soldier on the ground grabbed her feet. She swung wildly but she couldn't escape his grasp. He gave a swift tug and she fell off the rope. The other man dropped to the ground like a rag doll with a loud thud. He wasn't moving anymore.

The man in front of her straddled her, squeezing her thigh tight where the dagger had once been. He removed that same weapon while she was pinned down. She couldn't hold in the scream any longer. The last two D'Harans were coming quickly. Before she could think of anything else, she sat up as far as she could, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. She dragged his face close to hers. "Forgive me Richard," she whispered. Her lips pressed against the soldiers. His moment of hesitation was all she needed. Kahlan relaxed her hold on her power, feeling it seep into the man's body. The infamous thunder without sound reverberated through the hills.

She fell back against the ground panting. "Protect me," she whispered. The soldier immediately rose up, unsheathing his sword. He met another's attack head on. Kahlan rolled over, trying to crawl a distance. Between using her power, the battle, and her injured leg, she felt completely drained. She pulled herself up against a tree for a balance. She had to find a place to hid; it was her best bet. They could easily out run her now. She heard metal slice through flesh. She didn't even have time to consider which of the three could have died.

Before she could get much farther, a rough kick to her back sent her sprawling on the ground again. She turned over to have a sword pressed against her throat. The man who stood before her was covered in blood and sweat, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You," he panted, "Will pay for that."