TITLE: Deception
AUTHOR: LOTSlove®
CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Nicci / Original Characters
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 me fic Revelation, Richard and Kahlan fight to solidify the D'Haran Empire when a new threat rises threatening to destroy all that they have worked for.
Chapter 12
She stealthy slipped through the corridors of the Palace like a snake through thick grass, her intense gaze not missing anything. She quickly memorized her every turn, every passageway that intersected, every door that could be a possible escape if necessary.
She noted how being inside the Palace made her feel, so vulnerable and exposed. She definitely did not like it. She'd been all over the city, the courtyards, the marketplace. Now, she needed to see what she could find out about the Palace itself. She was not about to go into this without knowing exactly everything there was to know.
She tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible, politely smiling at guards and staff as she passed. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, but at the same time she needed to gather as much information as possible before the time came.
Sangria ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair, allowing the straight silver locks to slide through her loose grasp and fall back into place. Sabinus was growing nervous, apprehensive. She was going to have to keep him focused, his mind clear of everything but their sole purpose for being here. It was the only way they were going to make this happen – together.
She couldn't do this without him. He would be useless without her. Together was how they had gotten through this life and it was together that they were going to realize their dream.
She had to admit that she was surprised things had gone as well as they had with Lord and Lady Rahl especially since their regions were committing treason by all rights. That was not something to take lightly by anyone. It was a wonder Sabinus and the representatives hadn't been personally escorted from the Palace and thrown into the streets. Thankfully, he had managed to buy them some much needed time.
But Sangria had counted on Richard and Kahlan's infamous compassion and constant struggle for peace. She had staked their dreams, their very future on it and they had thankfully won so far. She just prayed the rest of their plan fell as neatly into place as everything else had.
There was still much that had to be done before they could even begin the process and that was if everything went the way that it needed to. She reminded herself that there were no guarantees that this was all going to work out, but they had come this far. They couldn't give up now.
Sabinus had been most distressed about the Mother Confessor requesting a private audience with Representatives Frinhill and Backus. He didn't like it all, making it very clear to her in no uncertain terms that their plans were about to be discovered, their lives over.
It had taken some time, but she had finally calmed him enough so that he agreed not to force his way into the meeting. They couldn't afford to appear too overzealous or anxious. It would only draw unwanted attention and questions they weren't prepared to answer. They had to remain cool and indifferent if they were going to get what they wanted.
Turning a corner, Sangria could scarcely believe how perfectly everything had fit so perfectly together. It was as if they were meant for this moment in time, meant for the purpose at hand. She could feel excitement beginning to hum through her veins with the thought.
"Miss?"
Sangria froze with the sudden intrusion into her thoughts, not certain if she should stop or keep going. She hoped that he was not addressing her, but the deserted evening halls told her otherwise.
"Miss?"
Drawing a deep calming breath, she slowly turned around, a warm smile lighting her face. "Yes?" she innocently replied.
She turned to find a handsome soldier standing behind her, tall with black shoulder length wavy hair. His build was muscular, his bearing quite impressive. His grey eyes were filled with authority and strength. He was obviously someone of high rank among the D'Haran soldiers.
"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to continue that way," he told her. "It's off limits to all dignitaries and their families staying here at the Palace."
"Oh, I apologize," she meekly said, touching her hand to her breast, feigning embarrassment. "I must have gotten turned around. This place is enormous."
"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Now, if you'll come with me back to the visitor's quarters."
"Why yes of course," she immediately stated as she walked back towards him. "What exactly is down that way?"
"I'm afraid that is restricted as well," he frowned, escorting her back the way that she had come. "Another corner and you would have found yourself facing a large contingent of soldiers ready to strike you down."
"My, my," she gasped, fanning herself with her hand. "I had no idea."
"Actually, I'm rather amazed you made it this far without having been discovered," he admitted. "I'm going to have to have a talk with my men about that."
"I assure you it wasn't their fault. I'm sorry….what is your name?" she sweetly asked.
"Commander Garren," he told her.
"Well, Commander Garren, thank you for saving me from a very unfortunate end," she replied as she came to a stop, placing a hand on his forearm as she gazed into his stormy gray eyes. "I owe you my life."
Garren felt a soft wave of dizziness subtly wash through him. He rubbed his forehead, trying to banish the sudden cobwebs that clouded his mind. He felt very warm, his face flushed. He hoped that he wasn't getting sick especially this close to the twin's birthday celebration and the birth of his own baby.
"It's no problem, Miss," he muttered. "Please stay on this side of the Palace from now on."
"I certainly will, Commander," Sangria smiled warmly before quickly making her way back down the corridor.
Garren watched as she disappeared around the corner. Despite her story, there was something about her that had left him feeling very unsettled, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Right now, he just wanted to return to his own suite where he could lie down.
XXX
"I have called the two of you here to meet with me in private so that we may discuss the issues that you are concerned about," Kahlan announced, looking from Frinhill to Backus and back again.
Both men sat stone-faced across from her, refusing to respond, their hands folded and resting on the table. Neither revealed anything about what they were thinking at that moment as they stared back at her.
Kahlan leaned back in her chair, trying to make things as non-threatening and amicable as possible. She had wanted a chance to talk to the two men alone without Richard or Sabinus, hoping that she could get to the bottom of what was going on with them.
Their outrageous accusations and outbursts at their last meeting had taken her completely by surprise, their actions so incongruous with the men that she knew them to be. She hoped that they would be more willing to talk to her if her husband wasn't present.
Richard hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea, but had agreed that it would probably be wise to try. They already felt that he was influencing her decision to form the D'Haran Empire. Having him there for another meeting would only add fuel to their blazing fire of resentment and anger.
He was already seen as the villain, the evil tyrant who had seduced and manipulated their beloved Mother Confessor, destroying the lives and futures of those who lived in the Midlands. He had fought so hard to change the image of D'Hara, to better the name of Rahl and still he was cursed by some because of the name he carried.
Richard had more than relieved to learn that Sabinus Dorst and Representative Gorrim would not be attending this meeting either. Neither had gained points in his book with their behavior at the last meeting. Sabinus Dorst was up to something and he wanted to find out what exactly that was. He hadn't liked at all the way the man had leered at Kahlan or the disrespect shown her by Gorrim. He had been more than prepared to have both physically removed from the city.
Staring at the two men before her now, Kahlan began to feel her hope withering as Frinhill and Backus silently glared at her, their eyes like hot daggers. If they seriously thought that they could intimidate her in any way, then they never truly knew her at all.
"Gentlemen, I'm giving you the opportunity to voice your concerns to me without the Lord Rahl's presence," she coolly told them. "I suggest you take it or this meeting is over."
"I don't believe there is anything to discuss," Backus snapped as he shrugged his shoulders. "You've been swayed by the Seeker and our regions are being maliciously invaded as we speak. I can't see how talking to you now is going to change any of that."
"It is out of deep respect for the two of you and our amicable relationship over the years that I have requested this meeting," Kahlan informed them. "If you would like to have a legitimate conversation about what your concerns are, then I am more than willing to discuss it with you. If you would rather pout and carryon like children who did not get their way, then this meeting is over."
Frinhill's face immediately reddened with her words, his entire body tensing with anger. "Deep respect?" he spouted as he leapt to his feet. Standing by the doors, Holland's hand immediately fell to the hilt of his sword, prepared for the worst. "Where was the deep respect when you attempted to force us to join your little empire? Where was the respect and amicable relationship when you sent your troops to invade our lands?
"You call yourself the Mother Confessor, but you have done nothing that even speaks of the title's esteemed character or nature. You have thought nothing of anyone but yourself and what you wanted. You have desecrated the title you hold and dishonored all Confessors that have come before you.
"You have selfishly chosen to put your life and your love for your Seeker above everyone and everything else. You have no love for the people of the Midlands anymore."
"I have always known both of you to be kind, gentle men who strove to find peaceful solutions no matter what it took, supportive of the Mother Confessor and the values she fights to uphold," Kahlan sadly shook her head, trying to force back the rage that was simmering in her veins now. "I do not know what has caused you to lose who I once knew you to be. In the past, we have always been able to work together, determined to find a common peaceable goal.
"Now, you want nothing more than to create chaos and war, to question my authority as the Mother Confessor and accuse me and my husband of things that are unjustified and fictitious. I don't know what happened to the honorable men that I used to know, but you two are no longer those men.
"This meeting is over."
Kahlan got to her feet and stormed out past Commander Holland, leaving the two men sputtering profanities under their breath. She bit her bottom lip as she forced back the tears that suddenly burned in her throat. She'd had horrible hateful things said to her over the years by families of those she'd had to confess, but for some reason the things said to her today had cut deeper than any dagger ever could have.
XXX
Sister Deryn woke with a start, her body stiff from sleeping in the hard chair for so long. With sudden realization, she quickly looked to Frederick, afraid that he had passed away while she'd been asleep. She released a sigh of relief as she watched the slow steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the covers.
His color appeared to be a bit better which was a good sign that he was improving somewhat. Whatever the Wizard had done had obviously helped despite the fact that he couldn't heal him.
Stretching, she stood to her feet, loosening her cloak and tossing it over the back of the chair. She'd been so exhausted she hadn't even bothered removing it once she had sat down, sleep quickly taking over.
Walking over to a window, Deryn was surprised to find it was dark outside, the moon shining brightly high in the sky. How long had she been asleep? And where was Zedd?
Worry began to swell within her as she wondered what could've happened to him. He'd obviously been gone for hours. Maybe he had already found the Wizard Caelinus, was bringing him here right at this moment. The thought lightened her heavy heart, hope suddenly springing anew. Could they be that fortunate for it to be that easy?
Hearing the door open behind her, Deryn turned to find Zedd entering the room, a large tray of food in hand. She hadn't realized how famished she was until she saw the food he was bringing in now.
"You're awake," he smiled cheerfully, setting the tray down on a nearby table before turning to close the door. "I thought maybe you'd like a good hot meal to eat after the long journey."
"Yes, I'm starved," she admitted, coming to stand at the table across from him.
"I thought you might be," he replied, breaking off a piece of bread before handing the loaf to her. "You must have been tired. You slept for quite a long time."
"How long have you been back? Did you find out anything?" she asked with a furrowed brow as she sat down.
Zedd sat down as well, more than eager to dig into the small feast he'd brought back. "I just got back a little while ago. I saw that you were in the same spot that I had left you in so I had assumed you hadn't eaten either. I went back downstairs to talk to our friend who owns the tavern to see what I could find."
"And what did you find out about the Wizard?" she asked again, fearful anticipation suddenly filling her throat.
She watched a smile spread across his wrinkled face as he carefully dipped his bread into the thick brown gravy. "He's near," he informed her, his voice suddenly full of wondrous mystery.
"Really?" she whispered, tears instantly welling in her eyes.
"Yes, less than a day's journey from here," he said between large bites of food. "We'll leave in the morning as soon as Frederick wakes."
Deryn cast a furtive glance at the man sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room. "Do you think he'll be well enough to travel again?"
"I believe so," he nodded. "I think exhaustion got the better of him. Sleep should make some difference, though he needs more than I can provide him."
Deryn couldn't stop the tears that began to spill down her cheeks. The cure to save Michael was so very close now. By this time tomorrow, she'd have what he needed, could be on her way back to him at the People's Palace.
"I…I don't know how to begin to thank you," she softly murmured, her voice cracking with emotion.
"No thanks is necessary, my dear," he told her with a wave of his hand. "Hopefully, Caelinus will be able to help us with what we need."
She looked down at her plate of food, almost afraid to ask the question that was teetering on the tip of her tongue and yet so afraid of not knowing. "And what if he can't help us?" she asked so softly she wasn't even sure that she had been heard.
"Let's not dwell on that now," he gently said. "Let's just focus on the fact that we know where he is and that tomorrow we'll hopefully know even more."
"I know that no one believes me, but I really do love Richard, want him to be happy more than anything in this world," she finally said after a long silence. "I know that I can make him happy if I just had the chance, if I could just prove it to him."
Zedd studied her for a long moment, chewing his food and weighing her words. "I know you do," he slowly nodded his head after several moments. "But you have to see that Richard is already very happy with Kahlan and the family that they're creating together. He has the life that he's always wanted with the woman that he's always loved."
Deryn swallowed back more tears, trying to keep them from rising as she took a bite of meat. "Couldn't it be possible for a man to love two women?"
"Not when that man is Richard and not when his heart already belongs to someone else," he told her. "When Richard loves someone, he loves them wholly, completely. And he doesn't just love her, Deryn. He's given his all, his everything for her and to her. There's nothing left for another woman."
She could feel her insides crumbling, her dreams shattering along with her heart. She knew deep inside that the Wizard was right, that Richard would never leave Kahlan for her. She had tried to ignore it, had tried to turn a blind eye to the love she had witnessed between them, but she no longer could.
She too had seen the way that Richard always looked at her, the way that his brown eyes brightened when she was near or spoke of her, practically blazed with the love that he felt for her.
Watching her, Zedd could tell that they were finally beginning to get through to her, making her realize the truth of what she had tried for so long to ignore. Richard and Kahlan had been created for one another, completing one another in a way that was seamless and indestructible. In all his years, he had never witnessed a love so special or none so powerful as the love that Richard and Kahlan shared.
Their lives were intertwined, their story together passed down through thousands of years of prophecy. Richard was the first man in over three thousand years to have discovered the key to loving a Confessor. Their love wasn't something to be denied, not by outsiders and definitely not by magic. Richard had already conquered that long ago.
Zedd glanced at Frederick sleeping soundly. He was pleased to see some of the color returning to the man's cheeks. He had been more than fearful that he had lost Kahlan's father when they had arrived in town. Thank the spirits he'd been able to help him enough to allow him to hang on a little longer.
Hopefully, Caelinus would be able to help them. However, the stories that he had just heard from some of the towns people about his old friend didn't have him feeling overly hopeful at that particular moment. He just hoped that his friend had let go of the past.
