Disclaimer: All rights pertaining to the show and its characters belong to Disney, ABC, and the creators/directors/producers. The idea, however, and this fiction belong to me.
Author: Crisis
Title: Monster
Pairing: Richard/Kahlan
Rating: PG-16
Spoilers: Up to "Perdition" Season 2.
Short summary: Richard has managed to find out about his ancestry through Shota. Knowing of the darkness lurking inside him, he's come to question himself, and his spirit. Can the good in him save him from bloodlust? Or will he lose himself to the evil, and endanger the one closest to his heart?
Authors Note: Sorry for the wait. Should probably think up a permanent plot for this instead of changing my mind every time I turn around. Until I get my self together and plan this out more, the updates will be slow.
No beta, therefore all mistakes are accredited to me, and my flaws are my own.
Extra Note: Seeing as how this is a fan-fic, I may or may not be bending a few things in the show in order to fit with how I want this to go. No harm done, right?
Read. +Review+ Enjoy!
"See these tracks? They're hares. Judging by the softness of the mud, I'd say they just came through. Probably towards that stream we passed earlier."
Rolling her eyes, Cara pushes herself back to her previous stance, waiting for him to stand from his own perched kneel. She may not have been a woods-guide, nor a hunter- in this sense- but she didn't need to be schooled upon every track and chipped bark.
"What?" He asks, almost innocently. But she knows he's chiding her. Baiting her only to get the rise. The cheeky grin on his face forces her to purse her lips together and thin them out in sheer effort to bite her tongue.
If he wasn't the Lord Rahl, and if she hadn't (dare she think it) come to care about him more than necessary, she might have agieled him. The thought sticks with her a while, if he continued to press her so, she won't be able to help herself. Kahlan would understand.
"Can we just find the little rodents and collect our dinner?"
"They aren't rodents, Cara." And there he goes again, off on another explanation about the wild and the animals in it.
The sound of the steam rushing through the thick forest is heaven to her ears as his mouth stops running when he spots two hares drinking from the stream. Her stomach growls hungrily, tongue lining her lower lip as she pulls her agiels free.
"What are you doing?" His voice is a little over a whisper.
She looks at him incredulously. "What does it look like I'm doing? Getting ready to fetch our dinner."
"Cara, I know you've never really gotten out much before you began tagging along with us, but you know how fast hares are. You couldn't catch them or be near them long enough to agiel them." He states matter-of-factly.
After shoving her weapons back into their holsters, she lifts her brows raising her shoulders lightly.
From the corner of her eye, she admires the way he pulls the bow off his shoulder and draws two arrows between his fingers, ready to take out both animals with one shot. It's this that first drew her to him. His amazing aim, the way he carries himself with such concentration. He's understands pain, maybe not to her extent, but to enough of it that she now respects him.
Though, she knows the respect runs deeper than commonality. It was a matter of admitting so.
The sound of the bow-string being drawn back alerted the hares, causing Richard to stop suddenly, waiting for the two to resume their peaceful activity before he interrupted. Hesitance wasn't something he was prone to, but the slight delay forced him to think about how he would take their lives.
Once he let the arrows go, he knew he would not miss. He would cruelly trek right on over, grab them by the feet and carry them back to camp to be eaten. There was never a second thought about the creatures lives, families they would leave behind. Loved ones, even. He'd only ever disregarded them as nature, and nature for hunt was derived from feeding the hungry.
But even that reasoning faltered after the dream he'd had.
"What's wrong?" Cara's voice pulled him from his momentary lapse.
Shaking his head slightly, Richard huffed in an air before straightening his posture and narrowing his eyes. The brown orbs shimmered with regret and an unknown guilt as he let the arrows fly. They wisped through the air, slamming into the hares and the force of impact sent the animals flying into the creek.
For the first time since he'd learned to hunt himself, Richard felt a deep sorrow for the lives he'd just taken.
"You're being quiet." Their trek back towards camp was slow, the two enjoying the others company rather than roaming in uncomfortable silence. "Something on your mind?"
Not paying attention to the Mord'Sith, Richard pursed his lips together, his eye brows furrowed, deep in thought. The line of his jaw was pulled tight, his shoulders back and the lines of his shirt were contorting. He was tense.
"Hey." Cara tried again, narrowing her eyes as she gazed over at him. The way his own were so distant, it was like he was in another world. . .
'Monster. . .'
The red stained his hands, his clothes. His entire form was drenched in the crimson liquid. It's thickness and warmth sickening him as he cradled the form in his arms. The lithe body was now cold, and lifeless. Completely still, and weighing heavily upon his heart. Her blood, Kahlan's blood bled out her life force all around him.
'You know you're a danger to her. You almost struck her with your sword. You will be the one to deliver her to the Keeper. You, Richard Rahl. . .'
The ground opened, the earth quaking and vibrating as the bright green vibrant fires from the Underworld spat upwards. Like lava from a volcano, and the heat seared through his skin. His brother, the previous tyrant and Lord Rahl appeared in the flames, his smirking face full of victory as he held the Mother Confessor's spirit in his arms. Tears were streaming down her beautiful face, her eyes looking distraught and struggling against his hold.
Richard watched with a pained heart, his body completely still as if he too were now dead. He watched as she fought against Darken Rahl's hold. Watched as she screamed and screamed, her voice never reaching his ears. Her words were spoken to deaf ears, as he could no longer make out what she were saying. All he knew was that Rahl had her, was pulling her spirit into the Underworld, the place she feared the most. He was taking her away from him, and when Rahl clasped his hand over Kahlan's heart, and her body stilled, Richard felt himself die inside.
The silent tears which had fallen came in a cascade of sorrow. He felt numb, and sick, and all he wanted to do was die. Every bone in his body ached with the need for his Kahlan. For her smile, her touch. But no more. For he held her lifeless body in his arms, and he had been the one who had killed her.
'You Monster. . .'
"Richard?" She was getting tired of this. Reaching out and abruptly grabbing his arm, she yanked him towards her, stopping them both. Richard's head spun up towards hers, mouth open slightly before he gave her a quizzical look. The distance disappearing, yet he looked as if he could cry. It was the most vulnerable she had ever seen these eyes appear.
"What?" He asked, gathering a sharp breath, as if nothing had been wrong. As if he hadn't just been staring off into space, and ignoring her for the past five minutes. As if he hadn't just been haunted by his dreams during his consciousness. His heart still ached and burned with the thought of harming Kahlan.
"What?" Cara scoffed, leaning her head forward as if to ask him if he were serious. "Is that a rhetorical question? You were talking my ear off before and now you're even more silent that our dead friends here." She raised the swaying rabbits in hand, making her point known.
"Its…" Richard sighed, shrugging from her grasp on his arm before turning back towards the path and walking again. "Its nothing, Cara."
"Nothing? Really?" She pressed, kicking up her pace and catching up with him, grabbing his elbow and forcing him to face her. She'd been wanting an excuse to use her agiels on him, maybe now he'd give her one, she thought. "I know I'm not Zedd, Richard, but it was you who said I should feel a little more. And, well, I'm 'feeling' now so tell me what's got you so tense."
Looking into her eyes, Richard knew he couldn't lie to her. After all, he had been the one to insist that she was human. Right now, she was being so, and he couldn't bring himself to turn away that trust.
"I've been having this. . . Dream." He sighed, looking down, at his hands. "Every night, since the incident with the miners and then finding out I was a wizard. . ."
"Dreams?"
"Look, I know it sounds silly to be this worked up over something that goes on in my subconscious, but, it's the same dream every night, Cara. Maybe not in every way, but it ends the same. The voices are the same."
"Voices?" She raised her brow, almost smirking that he was so worked up over a nightmare.
Sighing again, Richard turned away from her. He scratched his head and wiped the hand down his face before resting his hands on his hips, pacing. Cara noted how she had only seen him this antsy when something was truly wrong. Maybe his dreams weren't just nightmares. Something was definitely bothering him.
"So you hear these voices, what do they say?"
He was silent a moment, and then, "Monster." He stopped, looking towards her. "They call me a Monster and say I'm nothing more than a danger to her. Over and over they state reasons behind their accusation."
"A danger to who, Richard?"
His eyes met hers, the look on her face was masked concern, and the one on his was pure terror. His heart pounded in his chest, the fear gripping his soul at the thought of killing his beloved. He had to swallow first, for the emotions of his nightmare threatened to over take him.
". . .Kahlan."
Cara's eyes widened slightly, her lips pressing together tightly as she shook her head. She didn't believe he could hurt the Mother Confessor. She almost wanted to yell at him for even thinking that he could, for even doubting himself, but she realized she wasn't quite sure how to even go about comforting.
This man had always been the vista of strength. He had always held his head high, been so confident. Even had unwavering faith in his and Kahlan's love for each other. Was this really the same man standing before her? The Lord Rahl she knew? The one who would risk his own life for anyone of them, and the one that would drive his own sword through his heart before even harming a single hair on Kahlan's head?
Before she could find her voice, a large group of birds dispersed from the tree's above. The trees rustling all around them, and an eerie silence filling the woods. The presence of magic was near, Richard and Cara could both feel it seeping through their veins and raising the hairs on the back of their necks.
"Cara." Richard's voice sounded strained, the tone a warning. "Go find Zedd." He ordered.
About to ask why, Cara noticed how his form seemed frozen. The vein in his neck pulsing and his face turning slightly red as he struggled against an invisible wall.
"I've been working on a few new spells, thought I might try them out on you."
The voice came from the far left, Cara swiftly turned to watch the witch woman walk forth. Her long red hair giving her away, and she seemed to flow freely in a mahogany gown. Cara reached for her agiels, gripping them in her hands; their screaming cries bellowing out into the woods as she followed Shota with her eyes, watching as she came to a halt in front of Richard.
"What do you want?" Richard growled out, clenching his jaw and in a failed effort, tried to move on of his arms only to feel himself tire out and sub come to pants.
"Hardly the way to greet a lady, Seeker." Shota grinned, glancing to Cara. "Call off your Mord'Sith before I take away your oxygen too."
Richard flared his nostrils, and Cara put down her agiels for the moment, posture ready to strike at any given moment.
"Why are you here, Shota?"
"I have some. . .disturbing information I think you need to hear."
"I don't give a damn about your prophecy!" Richard shouted, angered by the fact this woman was once again meddling in his affairs.
"Oh, this isn't about prophecy, Richard. Not unless you count the Mother Confessor and her pure, beating heart." Shota grinned, stepping forth and cocking her head to the side. "The dreams you've been having have been quite… disturbing, have they not?"
Richard stilled his struggling form, eyes widening and the fear rushing through him as he had never known it to do before. Cara set her jaw in a stern form, her fists clenched to the pain flowing through her weapons. She fed off the adrenaline in provided, fueling her rapidly beating heart. She wanted to rip this woman's head off.
"What do you know about them?"
"I know enough. I've come because I saw what happened with the miners. I saw how you nearly lost yourself in your rage, Richard Rahl. And I think you should know that that rage is an evil that runs through your veins."
"I would NEVER hurt Kahlan!" Richard was seething now. Cara felt an intense burst of pain through her agiels and glanced his way.
"No." Shot agreed, sensing the Seeker's anger rising. His form was struggling again, and it surprised her that his body moved slightly against her paralyzing spell. "But tell me, has Zedd told you about your previous fathers? Has he informed you about the massacre's that occurred because this rage could not be controlled? Did he tell you that one started out as a protector, just like you, Richard."
At that moment in time, Richard felt the world crashing down upon his shoulders. His dreams, the rage, the miners… Everything hit him full on and the one thing he saw most frightening in his mind was the image of Kahlan lying spent in blood in his arms. The sword of truth at his side, stained in her blood, and his hands covered by deaths sorrowful remorse.
Was he… a Monster?
To be continued. . .
End Notes: 6:02 AM. What a chapter for Easter… -_- Lol. Happy Easter, everyone! Sorry this isn't a good chapter, nor a "fluffy" one to fit the holiday. I fail in this aspect right now. So baaaddd. Let me know what YOU think though!