Legend of the Seeker
The Male Confessed

Hello everyone! Firstly, a HUGE thank you to Kitty Invictus, for what you told me about the rating. Because of your kind and helpful words I've gained 3 other people reviewing my story. So once more, thank you.

So everyone, I'm here again with a new chapter. I'm happy that you guys are liking the story so far. Four reviews is fine for me. So everyone it's time to sit back and enjoy this next chapter. Don't forget, please review at the end, thank you.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2
Into the valley

The howl of the wind suddenly erupted. The icy chill to follow abruptly threw the wind from her body. Breathless and staggering for a breath she collapsed onto what felt like a stony surface. The wind felt like little needles on her body. It stung and made her want to scream out but the wind prevented her from such a feeble judgment. The wind was so harsh she couldn't hear anything around her. Voices were muffled. She couldn't recall what was male and what was female. She couldn't recall where these voices where coming from. Trying desperately to gather her bearings she was slammed onto the uneven sharp surface below. A small sigh escaped her lungs as her laboured breath would allow.

Her vision, she realised, was impaired. All was but a white blur where everything was distorted and grotesque. Squinting her eyes they only started to sting agonizingly. Her mouth agape, like the other times, nothing cared to release. Then she did scream. One of the loudest screams she could have possibly made in her life. A shooting agonising pain erupted in her abdomen from the wind. Gasping in haggard gulps she knew her life was failing her.

"We have to leave!" yelled somebody in the distance. It felt so far away. So angelic and peaceful. Could she be with the sprits already? Whilst the thought seemed blissful she shunned it out of her thoughts because she knew she hadn't told him goodbye. She hadn't told him how she truly felt about him. She wouldn't allow the spirits to take her life. She would fight it to the very end.

"How much of this blood is hers?" came another, much deeper voice. Again, the voice never recollected with her. Try as she might the voice didn't pick up any familiarity. This only frustrated her more and when she tried to move she screamed once again. The blistering wind cut her screams short into arduous gasps. Gulping for air, despite how much it cut at her throat, she tried to feel around, for anything. Voices begun again but she couldn't hear a word. The pain from the wind was proving unbearable. Tears begun to sting her eyes when she realised she had been lifted. Her entire body, now grotesquely tense, was frantically moved onto a softer surface but darker surroundings. From once being light, everything was darker impairing her vision all the more.

"Where is she? We need her!" shouted someone with great urgency. She made out the voice was from a he. She then thought of him immediately and knew she was safe. She had to remember his face in her mind. If she didn't, she knew, she'd lose it all and would pass on into the spirit world. A blinding flash suddenly filled her vision followed by an intense heat she hadn't felt anywhere before. The shock of heat made her shake until the chill returned. She hoped the heat would return, despite the blinding and painful light it brought. Muffled screams suddenly overcame her hearing but it was so loud in her state that she was sure her eardrums would burst. Grimacing from the sudden battle howls she realised she was convulsing from the pain.

Knowing what she had to do she painfully lifted her head up. Despite the agony is caused her she had to do it. She needed answers to better equip herself with what was going on. Whilst her vision was blurry the darkness completely covered her sight. When another flash erupted she saw, in that flash, red. Taken a back by the sight she realised then why she felt such abdomen pains. The red was blood. Her blood. Trying to regain composure she felt warming hands touch her body.

"It's ok. You're alright" said the voice, sounding female. It had a tone of peace and solace despite the madness that was erupting around them. She knew that he would let no one get through unless they were good. From the pain and panic building she tried to calm down for this seemingly peaceful lady to do what was needed to be done. Frightened at what was going to happen she felt a warm heat on her body. Unlike the heat previous it wasn't intense or agonising. It made her at ease and some what happy. The heat begun from her legs up to her stomach. "This might hurt. But try and relax" said the voice more of a plead then anything. She could tell, from the tone as well, that she sounded guilty for what she had to do. That tone made Kahlan trust this woman.

"Ok" she gasped. There was another blinding flash followed by that horrifying heat. In the blinding flash she caught a glimpse of grey wavy hair. That was all before her stomach erupted with an agonising swirl of pain. Gasping inwardly, a quick scream escaped her despite her insistence to hold it in. She realised her fists were gripped but one was holding something. It felt warm. It was his hand. Holding on for dear life to the man she knew it belonged to she arched her back.

"You're doing great" said a voice beside her. The pain, be it quick, felt like it gripped her in never ending torment. Her body slammed onto the ground as the light fresh heat moved up the rest of her body before stopping on her head. Her head suddenly begun to produce a numbing sensation, her ears had an intense ringing whilst her eyesight suddenly went dark. But her sense to feel remained. Her body tingled. She could feel the soothing heat and his hand gripping her hand tightly.

"Almost… done" said the female. Kahlan could hear it as an elderly voice and also that this woman was exhausted. Pained herself this woman continued what she had to do. Her vision slowly returned to her at first as a blur, then as shadows before people and figures begun to materialize. Gasping with the regained breath and energy, her hearing also came back to her. She could hear men crying out in agony, others begged for mercy, others gargled as their life escaped them.

She then looked at where she was and suddenly wished she couldn't see again. Dead bodies by the hundreds lay sprawled. Blood was everywhere as the stench of burnt flesh filled her lungs that she could have almost puked. The flaccid corpses of men in armour was sickening. However the armour she saw confused her for it was armour she had never seen before. Everyone wore white chain mail with a moon and four stars in the centre of their armoured plated chest.

"Where am I?" she asked turning to face him. At that instance, when their eyes met, her world stopped. His raptor gaze put her at ease and made her forget the smells and the sights around her. To look into those grey eyes was captivating beyond belief. She could stare into those eyes for eternity.

"You need to rest" he told her sincerely. She shook her head and when attempting to stand felt light headed and sat back down against a rock wall. "You need to rest" he repeated with more conviction. It was the voice which told her that if she didn't comply with the orders that he'd be forced to take other measures to make sure she complied. The outcome, whatever that may be, she didn't want to find out. Instead of arguing she nodded her head and allowed herself to rest.

"Richard!" shouted a voice to her right. Richard went to move but looked over at her left to an elderly woman, panting and covered with sweat.

"Can you look after her?" he asked and she nodded. Richard, be it reluctantly, let go of her hand and jumped over the fallen bodies to return to battle. The strong metallic sound of metal filled the dark cold room. As she sat there, trying to ignore the stench, she turned to face the woman. She wore a simple brown dress dirtied with mud and leafs. Her grey hair, in disarray, stood out as it came to her shoulders. The pain and exhaustion from her lifeless green eyes told her that what ever she had to do had proved hazardous.

"I'm Nell" she said forcing on a smile which obviously proved of great effort.

"I'm Kahlan. Thank you for healing me. I presume you did heal me? I'm not too sure what exactly is going on here" The old woman shifted in her position before continuing. Her wrinkled and dried up face looked miserable. Her drooping eyelids covered most of her eyes concealing much emotion.

"You were hurt pretty badly" said the old woman having to catch her breath. Kahlan felt great empathy for the woman. It was her thought she felt like this. "You jumped in front of the Seeker to protect him from an arrow. You seemed ever so insistent and urgent to save him" said Nell.

"I am a Confessor, it is my duty to protect the seeker" lied Kahlan trying to brush the subject under the dirt and move on. Her attempt did not conclude to Nell how she would have wished. The old woman, despite her pain and exhaustion, raised her eyebrows in scepticism.

"I know love when I see it. You love the seeker. It was like you be proving a point" Kahlan went to answer but was quickly interrupted, "I need not know the details. But after the incident you went down pretty hard and smacked your head. Richard and Zedd carried you here, into this nearby cave, to where I healed you". Kahlan nodded her head and smiled her thanks.

"I don't remember much before that. How did this happen?" she asked gesturing to the dead bodies. "What happened?"

"I was walking the woods trying to find you, confessor, with a message. I had been travelling for a good 5 days" confessed Nell. Kahlan frowned and sat up more intently listening. She hadn't even noticed the battle cries, screaming and dead bodies around her.

"A message?"

"But I was attacked by these strange soldiers." She ignored. "I tried to defend myself but there were too many. I tried to use my magic but it proved feeble. When I screamed for help, who to come to my rescue than the seeker himself? The Seeker, with the old wizard drew them back. You went to rescuing me when Richard was almost shot with the arrow. The arrow you intercepted" said Nell. Kahlan felt her healed stomach and grimaced by the slight pain to follow. "Whilst I cleared the blood and closed the wound, you still need to heal" Kahlan nodded.

"What are these men?"

"I have no idea, only that they seemed to want me"

"And this message you came with? What was it?" asked Kahlan. The old woman was panting more when collapsing onto the gravel below. Kahlan in alerted frantic panic shot up and, fighting through the pain, kneeled beside Nell. "Nell, Nell!" she shouted at the old woman. Nell's eyes filled with tears as she looked to the rock ceiling with peaceful solace.

"He's there. I can see him" she said with a low but peaceful tone. She seemed comforted. Blissful. It warmed Kahlan's heart to see the look on her face and the tone of her voice. But she was also saddened to know that this healer was possibly dying, more importantly, dying for healing Kahlan.

"Who?" asked Kahlan with gentle ease, holding onto her frail hand.

"Wilbert. My husband" she whispered. Kahlan smiled suddenly realising tears were falling from her face. Tears too, rolled down Nell's cheeks.

"How?" gasped Kahlan, "How is this happening?"

"I am an old woman. Healing you, saving you from death, took all my energy." Kahlan's heart panged with agonising guilt.

"I'm sorry" she cried. The old woman smiled softly and looked at Kahlan as if to tell her that she shouldn't be. In that innocent smile there was no pain. No agony. The stillness made Kahlan weep more and more so when Nell's hand went limp. Choking back her tears, Kahlan knelt over her and slowly closed her eyes. "May the spirits protect you" she prayed. Taking in a deep breath she heard the squeak of armour behind her and the withdrawal of a sword. Widening her eyes with alerted panic, she rolled out the way as a sword cut through the cold air and hit stone.

"I'm sorry" mocked the attacker, laughing. Kahlan, crouched like a tiger, turned to face her attacker. Like those fallen, he wore the white chain mail with the metal chest plate with the strange symbols. His face was concealed by his white helmet. He drew his simple looking sword, which looked rather odd, and begun to approach her. Despite her pain, she had to move, she had to react, she had to fight. If she didn't, her life would be over. As the sword came down she swiftly rolled out the way whilst grabbing for a fallen soldiers sword. Standing up, sword in hand, she had to regain her bearings when she felt dizzy. "I cannot tell you how great it would feel to kill a confessor. Especially the mother confessor" Kahlan stood back in shock, almost stumbling over a dead body.

"How do you know?" she asked in sheer shock and confusion. She could sense the man smirking behind his helmet.

"I know a lot about you, Kahlan Amnell" and with that he swung the sword. Ducking underneath it, she lifted up her sword. Feeling the warmth of the metal in her hands felt exhilarating. Given a sense of energy from it, it drove her onwards to kill this soldier. Through gritted teeth, she wore the face of a confessor, the face which showed no emotion. Aiming for his stomach, the soldier hopped back narrowly avoiding what could have been a fatal blow. In that instance, she had moved closer to him, which enabled him to slam his black filthy boot into her face. Stumbling back and falling over a body, she panted when realising the sword coming down to her stomach with a vertical drop.

"Die!" he yelled with conviction. With a yell of her own she smashed her sword sideward into his sword knocking that, and him, off balance. With that window of opportunity, her leg came up and her foot forcefully slammed into his unprotected groin. The soldier, shocked by the move, staggered back and wailed in pain. Falling to his knees, Kahlan stood up and removed the soldier's helmet. She was taken aback by what she witnessed. He had shaggy blond hair and ocean blue eyes. Soft skin and a young demeanour he looked to be in his early teens. He was but a boy.

"But…" she staggered to speak, "You're a boy" she said in disbelief. He looked up at her as his fist came hard and fast into her stomach. Crying out in pain with her freshly healed, but slightly fragile stomach, she stumbled back. The sword came out from her hands and clattered onto the stony ground beneath them both. The soldier came on top of her and hit her head against the ground. The blow to the stomach had winded her and injured her that she felt blood soak into her white confessor dress.

"Oh, I may look like a boy" he sneered, "But underneath this armour I am all man. Maybe you, mother confessor, will get to feel just that" he told her. Despite her hunger to kill him the blow to the stomach had took everything she had left from her. Weak and off balance before she was even worse now. She had no chance at fighting him. But she did have a chance with something else. He was close enough. All it took was one moment and he would be hers.

"Funny" she said, "You don't look the type"

"What do you mean?" he asked getting closer to her. She watched absorbedly.

"Well, instead of telling me what a man you are, why don't you just show me? Instead of going on with a bunch of boring words which portray no meaning?" she asked.

"Oh I'll show you! I'll show you good and proper!" he growled. Grabbing her head, her hand slammed into his soft throat. She could feel his uvula under her skin shaking from the shock of the impact. Time was now hers. He was hers. Time stopped in that instance. There was nothing he could do but feel the power of her confessor heritage. Her mind cleared of everything around her, of everything she had done. What consumed her mind was of this one moment. The restraint deep within her shook with anticipation to be released. Her intense green eyes locked onto his blue eyes which, surprisingly, portrayed no fear but yet more mocking-ness. As it luring her, eager for her to unleash her power.

With her confessor face she released the restraint she always holds. A breath escaped both her and his lungs. Kahlan expected the lighting with no sound. She expected to see his eyes be consumed with blackness. She expected something. But nothing.

"What happened?" she asked breathless. By her hair, he hurled her to a standing position and pulled out a small knife he had hidden in his boot. She knew then why he had that look in his eyes before she attempted to unleash her power. He knew it wouldn't work. Like he had counted on her using it. Since she had she felt even more tired, weak and frail. What ever happened had left a hollow empty feeling in her. The weight of her power she had always felt was suddenly lifted. Whilst it felt blissful, she knew something was seriously wrong.

She couldn't feel her power anymore. Try as she might, she couldn't. It was gone. She felt empty and alone. "What, happened?" she asked exasperated and in laboured gasps. She wondered where Richard was. Why wasn't he there?

"Kahlan!" shouted an elderly voice gravely. The soldier immediately pulled his knife to her throat. She felt powerless and didn't have the strength to fight him back. His free hand held her firmly to him. She wanted to cry out but couldn't gather the needed energy. The pain in her stomach begun to show in her face which she had desperately tried to hide. She couldn't even cry, moan or scream from it, she was too exhausted. She felt like she had just used her power when she knew, in reality, that didn't happen. So with that, on top of feeling her power gone and from the healing, she felt as good as a lifeless corpse.

"I wouldn't old man!" said the soldier. Kahlan looked up with great effort to find Zedd stood with a ball of condensed electric giving Zedd a glowing blue aura. The ball of electric was almost blinding in her state. Despite her weak vision she could see Richard run into the cave with his sword held firmly in front of him. His knuckles her white around the hilt. He had a look of deathly intent. Panting through gritted teeth he stepped in front of Zedd who looked, like Richard, could incinerate the entire cave with his look.

"Let her go!" demanded Richard.

"I can't do that you see" replied the soldier. Kahlan's dress swayed in the breeze. She just wanted to collapse but couldn't seem to find such peace. Death felt like it was touching her but for some reason wouldn't take her. That hurt the most. She wanted it all to end. "I need her"

"Then you will suffer the fate of your men here commander!" shouted Richard. Kahlan was stunned to find this man, this boy, as a commander.

"Richard…" said Zedd with sombre realisation. Richard turned to face Zedd's horrified stare. Richard lowered his eyebrows confused, the wrinkles formed.

"What is it?" he asked, still panting hard.

"Dear Spirits… He has her in a spell" When Richard turned he saw it. He couldn't believe he didn't see it before. Around the pair was a faint silver and white glow.

"Then break it" instructed Richard.

"I can't" uttered Zedd distressed and apologetic.

"Why not!" it was a demand, not a question.

"It's subtractive magic"

"What's that?" asked Richard.

"There's no time to explain boy. But he has Kahlan and we can't attack him"

"Why not!" before Zedd is able to answer, the aura that was around Kahlan and the soldier erupted. The entire cave shook as Richard and Zedd were sent sprawling across the dead bodies. Dust and debris fell from the walls and ceiling covering both Richard and Zedd. Coughing, Richard looked for Kahlan but both herself and the soldier were gone. "Kahlan!" he yelled. Getting up he ran down the dark corridor of rock until a small light begun to flood through.

Sprinting, he ran out to find a white horse galloping off down into the valley below. Turning to the side, Richard saw another horse and ran to it. Placing back his sword into its scabbard he leaped onto the horse. Grabbing the reigns and kicking the horses ribs, the horse, in frantic panic and confusion to the unknown stranger on its back went into a dead run. Zedd ran out the cave in laboured breaths as he watched Richard gallop off to be concealed by the light. Looking around his surroundings there were no other horses, just dead rotting bodies. With a deep sigh he begun to walk off.

"Life is never easy"

To be continued…

So what did you guys think of this newest chapter? So many fans of the book series complained that "It's never mentioned if Kahlan is Mother Confessor" "Why has Zedd never told Richard of Subtractive magic?" well in this chapter, I included both but with a twist.

I never actually intended for it to turn out how it did. But I'm glad it did. So what did you think of the very beginning? Were you gripped and wanting to know more? Did I show Kahlan's pain and progression well?

What about Nell? Healing Kahlan zapped her strength thus killing her. She was able to be with her husband. Then there was that soldier. Who was he? A young looking teen, and commander to the fallen soldiers, he seems to know a lot about Kahlan.

What happened with Kahlan's power when she tried to use it on the commander? What is he? When he unleashed the blast and escaped with Kahlan, Richard followed. What will happen next? These answers can only be answered with the reviews. So I look forward to hear from you all.

Until next chapter…