TITLE: Marked
AUTHOR: LOTSloveĀ®
CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Original Characters
RATING: PG-16 / R later
WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings
TIMELINE: Anything up through S2
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 my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?
Chapter 35
Richard's head rolled to the side as he fought to clear the fuzzy cobwebs from his brain. It was like rising to the top of a muddy lake, finally breaking the surface and drawing a live-saving breath. His head throbbed in time with every beat of his heart, reminding him that he was still very much alive despite the fact he felt anything but.
He groaned softly at the stabbing pain in his side, suddenly being reminded once more of his broken ribs as he attempted to move. He stopped abruptly when he realized he was tied up and wasn't going anywhere any time soon.
Focusing his vision, he discovered that they were still in the woods, sheltered beneath the heavy branches of some trees. He knew Kahlan never would've been able to carry him so she couldn't have taken him very far from where she had attacked him from behind.
Looking across from him, he found Kahlan on the other side of the small campfire. She was sitting with her legs drawn up and her arms wrapped tightly around them, her chin resting on top of her knees. There was a distant forlorn expression on her face that tore at his soul as she stared into the dancing flames of the fire.
The dressing that he'd applied to her forearm this morning was soaked with blood and needed tending to again before it became infected, but at this point he highly doubted that she'd ever let him near her again or untie him until he was face to face with Demos.
She looked so very small sitting there by herself, so lost and alone. He ached so desperately to hold her close to him, to feel her skin soft like the finest velvet pressed against his, her sweet breath warmly brushing against his neck and slowly setting him on fire.
"Are you alright?" he softly asked, afraid of startling her.
Kahlan looked up at him with eyes hard as steel and cold as death itself, her entire visage one of complete and utter darkness. He suddenly knew beyond all doubt that his Kahlan was gone now, possibly forever. He could hardly suppress the sudden influx of white-hot rage and anguish that seethed inside of him, swallowing him whole.
He would not stop, would not rest until Demos was dead, his blade bathed in his brother's blood.
Kahlan stared at him for a long moment, as if seeing him and yet not. Lifelessness had replaced the spark of love for him that had once shone so brightly there suddenly making the hollow ache that lived inside of him now expand in his chest. She tilted her head slightly as she seemed to suddenly realize that he was there with her, studying him.
He was growing so desperate to heal her, to put his Confessor back to the perfect way that she had been before Demos's interference in their lives. And he knew that he was the only one who ever could.
"I'm fine," was her soft response as she straightened up some.
Her voice had lost a measure of the fierceness, some of the dark rage that it had once held. Now, it was raspy, worn with exhaustion. She looked like she could drop at any moment, everything that had happened recently taking a heavy toll on her.
Fatigue lined every feature of her beautiful face, enveloped her entire body. Dark circles cast shadows beneath her eyes, bruises marring her pale skin. It looked as though she could barely hold her head up any longer. He honestly didn't know how much more she could possible take now.
"How does it feel to be tied up like an animal, like you're nothing?" she suddenly asked, bitter smugness permeating her words.
"Kahlan, I didn't do it to hurt you, but to keep you safe with me," he attempted to explain. "I untied you because I knew how much it hurt you, reminded you of what your father had done to you when you were a little girl."
"I don't need you or your protection," she coldly stated. "Your concern for me is wasted. You should be more worried about yourself and what Lord Demos wants with you."
"I don't care about myself. I'm only worried about you, Kahlan. You need to untie me so I can tend to your arm," he told her, doing his best to keep his bottled up emotions in check. "I won't hurt you. I only want to help you."
"I'm not untying you," she flatly said, drawing her arm against her body so he could no longer see it. "Besides, my arm is fine."
"No it's not fine, Kahlan," he heatedly replied. "If I don't take care of it, it'll become infected if it hasn't started to already."
"Why do you care what happens to me?" she asked as she stared frostily at him. "You're my prisoner and I'm going to take you to your enemy. Why would you want to help me?"
Richard met her glowering gaze fearlessly, his eyes never straying from her. "Because I care about you, love you more than life itself, Kahlan," he firmly told her. "Look deep inside yourself. The Kahlan I know and love knows that I would gladly lay down my life for her without question."
He watched as her expression seemed to grow even harder if that was even possible. "She's gone now," she bit out, her voice gaining back some of the strength and venom it had been missing earlier. "It's best you just forget about her, let her go and move on because she's never coming back."
"I will never give up on you, Kahlan," he said, his resolve like steel. "I will save you no matter what I have to do, no matter how long it takes. You will be mine again."
"I am taking you to Demos Rahl and you will belong to him," she stated. "I will no longer matter."
"I don't care what you do to me," he replied. "As long as you're safe I can survive anything."
"Your life with her is over," she snapped. "It's time you started accepting your future under Lord Demos. I belong to him now, not you."
"You don't belong to Demos," he heatedly said, his control beginning to slip. "He does not own you."
"He is my master," she stated, getting to her feet and pacing back and forth. "I must obey him. Whatever he wants from me, I will gladly give him. You can't interfere with that."
Richard struggled against the ropes that bound him, desperate to get free, to make her see the truth. "I won't let him touch you, Kahlan. He doesn't deserve you. He only wants to hurt you."
"He told me that he would take care of me, give me everything that I have ever wanted or needed."
"It's all lies!" he cried. "Everything that comes out of Demos's mouth is nothing but lies. You have to believe meā¦trust me, Kahlan. I love you and want to take care of you."
Kahlan turned her back to him, holding her head in her hands. "I don't have to listen to this," she yelled. "Demos told me you would try to fill my head with lies, try to trick me into trusting you. My master and I share the same thoughts now. He warned me about you."
"He's the one lying, Kahlan, not me!" Richard tried again, his rage boiling. "He wants to rape you, degrade you. He's a vile depraved man who needs to be stopped once and for all."
With a growl, Kahlan suddenly drew her dagger and stormed towards him. She hauled him roughly up onto his feet, her face a breath away from his. He could feel the cold steel blade of her dagger pressed dangerously against his throat.
He fearlessly met her enraged gaze, not backing down one bit. "He is going to use you, defile you in horrifying ways that you can't even begin to imagine, Kahlan. And when he's done with you, he's going to toss you aside like a piece of garbage."
She glowered at him, her breath hot furious pants against his face as the blade of her dagger began to bite at his skin. He wasn't the least bit scared of her or what she could do to him. All he knew was that he needed to reach her somehow, find what little bit of Kahlan was still left inside of this woman standing before him.
Their bond was too powerful, too all-consuming to be completely gone, wiped away from her heart by some magical spell. He felt it, lived and breathed it. It was still alive in his soul and he knew it had to be in her as well. He just had to get her to find it, to acknowledge it.
"I should end your life right here for saying such things against my master," she spat out.
"I'm not afraid of you, Kahlan," he evenly stated. "I know you aren't in control right now, but I know there is still a small piece of you in there somewhere, a part of you that still loves me."
"You mean nothing to me," she suddenly grinned wickedly, sending an icy shiver racing up his spine. "I couldn't care less if you live or die. All I care about is Lord Demos and serving him. He wants you for his own purpose. That is the only reason I let you live. Pleasing him pleases me."
With that, Kahlan shoved him forcibly to the ground, earning a painful gasp as Richard attempted to roll onto his side. Every breath he drew just caused the pain in his side to intensify, but he couldn't worry about his broken ribs right now. He had worse things to deal with like saving Kahlan.
"Get some sleep," she told him. "Tomorrow you meet Lord Demos and I will finally be reunited with my master."
Gritting his teeth, Richard forced himself to sit up, the stitch in his side making him lightheaded. Leaning back against a tree, he squeezed his eyes closed, taking shallow breaths to try to ease the pain. Glancing at her through slitted eyes, he watched as she curled up against a tree directly opposite him.
Keeping her dagger clutched tightly in her hand, Kahlan glared at him. "This would be much easier for you if you would just give up on saving me."
"I don't want easier," he softly said, doing his best to control his breathing. "I only want you."
"You will never have me again," she stated, her voice losing some its fierceness again as she drew her knees up to her chest.
"I'm never giving up on you," he replied as he closed his eyes. "I love you too much to lose you. We were meant for each other, meant to be together, Kahlan. Nothing could ever change that."
Kahlan stared at him as he sat there with his eyes closed. She didn't know how to respond anymore, the Seeker having an answer for everything she threw at him, one that never wavered. The more she yelled and the angrier she got, the more love shown in his eyes and filled his words.
He truly was not afraid of her, not even when her dagger was pressed into his throat about to slice it open in less than a heartbeat. She had felt the handle of her weapon so hot in the palm of her hand, so ready to end his life.
And then something inside of her stopped her, something that she didn't quite understand. She would never admit it to him, but there was something about him that affected her deeply in her core. Demos may have control of her mind, but for some reason she couldn't explain, the Seeker had control of her heart.
XXX
Cara paced furiously outside of the Spirit House, her hands on her hips and her lips pursed into a frown. Odo had been in there with Zedd for what felt like an eternity. The healer had come back to check on his patient, only to find him no better than he had been this morning.
Cara swore if something didn't start turning around soon, she was going to lose her mind. Everyone was in trouble but her and now she was the one left trying to hold everything together. She had no clue where Richard and Kahlan were or if they were ever coming back. They needed to leave here soon and find them, but Zedd was in no condition to travel yet.
"How are you holding up?"
The Mord'Sith turned to find Tolla Nakunam coming towards her, a worrisome look on his face. "I've been better," she bit out, her voice edgier than she had intended. She immediately regretted her tone, but she couldn't help it. She was too concerned about the others to worry about it now.
Tolla didn't seem to take offense as he came to stand with her. "Odo is the best healer there is," Tolla told her. "He'll be able to help Zedd feel better soon."
"I hope so," she huffed. "Richard will have my head if anything happens to his grandfather."
"You are very protective of Seeker Richard, aren't you?" he asked with a smile.
"He saved my life when my Sisters turned on me, beat me and left me for dead," she admitted, her voice losing a little of the fire. "I pledged my life to protect his. I know that losing Kahlan or Zedd would be worse to him than losing his own life."
"He is very lucky to have a friend like you," Tolla nodded.
Cara considered him for a long moment before finally responding. "Why aren't you scared of me like the others?" she asked.
"What others?"
"Everyone else in the village cowers away from me or runs in the other direction expect for you, Mitta, and Odo. Why do you accept a Mord'Sith into your village after what we tried to do to you?"
Nakunam's forehead creased, his brow knitting together in thought. "What happened is in the past and that is where it shall remain," he began to explain. "I want a better future for my children and my children's children, one that involves peace with others, one without violence.
"Besides, Richard trusts you with his life, allows you to travel with him so you must not be the threat that you once were."
"You can't trust every Mord'Sith you meet," she warned him. "There are still many of my Sisters who have not changed, ones who are deadly and will follow the new Lord Rahl's orders to the fullest no matter the consequences."
"If it comes to that again, we will defend ourselves, but in the meantime, we'd like to be a peaceful village," he informed her.
Just then, they both turned at the sudden sound of shouting. They noticed Hadi storming through the village with a deadly glare that could only be matched by Cara. Temin was chasing after him, yelling at him to stop, but the enraged warrior refused to acknowledge him.
"Hadi! Wait!" Temin yelled. "Let me explain!"
"There is nothing to explain. Pasha has made her decision and it is not me," Hadi seethed like a volcano about to erupt.
Pasha suddenly emerged behind Temin. "Hadi, I just don't share your feelings," she tried to explain. "I love you like a brother, not a mate. Please try to understand."
"You could learn to love me like a mate if you truly wanted to," Hadi growled. "You won't even give me a chance, Pasha. The least you could do is allow me a chance to win your heart."
"Hadi, I love Athanas," she told him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I wanted you to be happy for me, Hadi."
"How can I be happy for you when you have just torn my heart from chest, Pasha?" he hissed. "A spear couldn't have hurt nearly as bad as this does. I have loved you for so long and now you spit in my face and chose someone else."
Pasha stood there staring helplessly at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Hadi," she softly replied. "I wish my feelings were different, but they're not."
"Hadi, please try to understand," Temin pleaded with him, wrapping an arm around his sister's shoulders. "You will always be a part of our family. You're like my brother."
"Is this how you treat your brother? Give your sister to the first man she wants to lift her skirt for?"
"Hadi!" Tolla Nakunam warned as he approached, Cara coming up behind him. "You need to go cool off. Pasha's decision is final and will be respected as such by the Council."
"Of course you would take her side over mine," Hadi spat out. "You trust filth like this Mord'Sith. Why would you take the side of your most trusted warrior?"
Cara immediately went for her agiels hanging at her waist, more than ready for a knock-down drag-out fight now and Hadi was close to the top of the list. Tolla quickly held out a hand to caution her, wanting to avoid a fight if at all possible.
"Hadi, that is enough!" Tolla snapped, his dark eyes flashing with deadly warning. "You have no right to talk about Cara that way. Pasha has made her decision and Temin has agreed to it. You need to accept it now."
"I don't have to accept anything!" Hadi yelled before taking off again and disappearing into the dark shadows of the village.
"Hadi!" Tolla Nakunam shouted, taking a step forward only to be stopped by Temin. "Let me talk to him, Tolla," he said. "He's my friend. I'm sure I can get him to listen to me."
"Alright, Temin," he finally agreed. "But if he does not change his attitude soon, I'm going to have to take action and involve the Council in this. Hadi can't be allowed to run his mouth like this or allow his temper to rage unchecked."
"I know," Temin sighed heavily. "I don't understand what has changed in him lately, but he is not the same person I grew up with."
"I've seen the changes in him and I don't know where it's coming from either, but I will not stand by and allow it to continue," Tolla informed him.
Temin nodded his head in understanding. "Come, Pasha," he said, turning towards his sister again and leaving Cara and Tolla alone once more.
"You have your hands full with that one," Cara shook her head.
"I know," Tolla admitted. "I'm afraid things aren't going to end well with Hadi."
