Aydindril, The Early Years

[confessorlove]

Title: Aydindril, The Early Years
Author: confessorlove
Pairing: Richard and Kahlan
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Richard and Kahlan grow up together in Aydindril and have to deal with developing feelings and all kinds of trouble.
Author's Notes:  Kinda AU what could have happened. Written for lotsbigbang  and BETA'd by my one and only braintwin theonlyspl Also this is the first long fic that I have written so I hope it turned out ok.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to make them do my bidding.

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

Cara and Leo had a plan.  They were going to find out what was wrong with Richard and Kahlan and they were going to divide and conquer to get it done.  Cara would talk to Richard and Leo would try to talk to Kahlan.  They weren’t sure if it would work, partly because of Leo and Kahlan not really knowing each other, but they were going to try.  Cara was planning to go out in the woods with Richard to talk to him.  He loved the woods and she thought he would be more likely to open up there.  Leo was planning on just talking to Kahlan at the palace.  They parted ways as they each headed to speak with their respective person.

It didn’t take much for Cara to convince Richard to go out in the woods with her.  Being out there was the best place for him to try and forget about Kahlan. They rode their horses out into the middle of the forest, enjoying the peacefulness of nature before Cara broke the silence.  “Richard something is bothering you.  What is it?”

“I’m fine, nothing is wrong.”

“You’re not a very good liar.”

He sighed as he turned towards her, “so I’ve been told.”

“So what’s bothering you?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it Cara.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t.  I don’t need a reason.”

“This has something to do with Kahlan, doesn’t it?”

His jaw dropped and he tried to form words but his mouth had suddenly gone dry. He was very surprised that she would know.  Once he had regained the power of speech he just stared at her before speaking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Richard, I already told you you’re a bad liar and besides, you have been sulking since you saw her yesterday.”

“I guess you’re right.  I’ve never been very good at hiding my emotions.”

“So are you gonna be more specific in your reason for feeling this way? Or do I have to guess?”

“I’m just worried that I’ve lost her.  That this time apart has damaged our relationship beyond repair.  I still love her but I’m afraid she doesn’t care for me anymore.”

“Richard, if there is one thing I know about Kahlan it’s that she cares for you way more than a confessor should.”

“She doesn’t care about me, not anymore.  Not now that time and distance have come between us.”

“Richard, I’m sure she still cares for you.  You just have to believe and talk to her about it.”

“I know,” he said as he released a sigh. “Why don’t we stop for a while? Take a break and have a snack.”

“That sounds good.  Now that you mention it I am kinda hungry.”

They both dismounted in a small clearing surrounded by trees that towered so high they almost made it seem like they were in a natural room with a cathedral ceiling.  They sat down under a large oak tree and munched on the snacks Richard had brought, sitting in silence for a while.

Richard sat there brooding over his problem with Kahlan and kept having to remind himself to think of the solution, not the problem, but he wasn’t having much luck.  He could see that Cara was right and the only way he would be able to end his misery would be to talk to Kahlan about his feelings for her.  He was so lost in thought he didn’t hear the sound of the approaching footsteps. Someone saying Cara’s name is what drew him from his thought.

Looking up he saw two young women about the same age as Cara, wearing the skintight leather of a Mord’Sith. “Dahlia. Garen.” He heard Cara say. He knew from her story that these were her friends, the ones that had been broken before she escaped.

They both jumped to their feet and faced the Mord’Sith. “What do you want?”

“We want our sister back,” Garen stated simply.

“I’m not going back.”

“You have too.  Either come willingly or we will use force.  It’s up to you,” Dahlia said.

Richard stepped in front of Cara to shield her from the Mord’Sith, but Cara wasn’t going to have any of that, so she stepped up next to him.  “Well it looks like we are taking you back by force,” Garen smirked.

“It’s more fun that way anyway, Garen.”

“You’re right.”

Dahlia and Garen advanced on Richard and Cara. He blazed a trail of wizard’s fire between himself, Cara and the Mord’Sith, but the fire didn’t slow them, and they kept coming.  Richard tried to block their advances but his magic was next to useless against them.  Dahlia struck Richard across the face with her agiel, knocking him unconscious. Richard fell to the ground in a heap as Garen and Dahlia turned on Cara.

She was scared but she would never admit that to them, she would stand and face them even though she knew it was a lost cause.  She didn’t even have anything to fight them with. “Come on Cara, we don’t have to do this the hard way.”

“Yeah just come with us and we won’t hurt you, much.”

“I’m never going with you!”

“If that’s how you feel,” Garen said as she and Dahlia both grabbed her and agieled her causing Cara to cry out in pain as she tried to fight them off.  Only when she lost consciousness had she stopped fighting. They dragged her off, tied her to the back of one of the horses and headed back to the temple.

 

Richard awoke a little while later; face down in a pile of leaves as his memory of what had happened came rushing back to him. “CARA!” He screamed as he got to his feet and looked around. “CARA!”  He couldn’t find her anywhere but he did see tracks and drag marks leading to where the horse’s tracks were. He knew that he had to go after her but also knew that he needed to let everyone know what had happened before he did.  So he mounted his horse and took the reins of Cara’s and rode back to Aydindril as fast as he could.

Kahlan was sitting in the garden when Leo found her.  Her eyes were red and puffy from crying but she had calmed down for the moment.  She was staring off into the distance admiring the flowers and trees which reminded her so much of Richard. She didn’t notice Leo enter the garden until he was standing right behind her.  “Beautiful day, isn’t it Kahlan?”

She turned around, startled that he was there, her voice betraying all that she was feeling.  “I guess so.”

He sat down on the stone bench next to her before he spoke again.  “I’d like to talk to you, if that’s alright.”

She knew being alone with her thoughts was a dangerous thing so she silently nodded, wishing that she could be alone but knowing she shouldn’t be.  “What do you want to talk to me about?”

“Cara and I are worried about you and Richard.  You don’t seem like yourselves.  You’re acting differently than you usually do around each other, according to Cara anyway.  I don’t know you well enough to know if she is right.”

Her tears started again at the mention of Cara and Richard, even though she tried to hold herself together, she failed miserably.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about Leo.  Richard and I haven’t been acting different towards each other.”

“Cara was right,” he said with a laugh, “you are a terrible liar.”

She cast her eyes down knowing he was right and that she should tell the truth, but she didn’t know if she wanted to.  Deciding that maybe she could tell him some of what was bothering her she sighed.  “Richard always told me that.  I’ve never been very good at lying.  You’re right; Richard and I have been acting differently around each other since I got back the other day.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?  I’ve lost him.”

“How?”

“What do you mean how?  He has moved on to someone else.”

“Who?”

“Cara.”

When Leo heard that he almost laughed.  “Cara isn’t interested in Richard and he isn’t interested in her.”

“But how do you know?  I saw them before I left, he was happy talking to her and he had his hand on her shoulder.”

“Kahlan, Richard and Cara think of each other like brother and sister.  He loves you. That much is obvious.  Besides, Cara is with me.”

“She’s with you?”

“Yes we have been together most of the time you were gone.”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t need to worry about Cara, but still Richard has been acting different around me too.”

“Maybe he is concerned that you moved on while you were gone.  That you don’t want to care that much for someone you can never be with.”

“He would never need to worry about that.  I love him and nothing is ever gonna change that.”

“I know, but I’m not the person you should be telling.”

“You’re right Leo.  I should talk to Richard.”

“I’m glad I could help you out.”

“You did,” she said as she hugged him, just as Richard came running into the garden to tell them about Cara.  He stopped dead in his tracks and just stared at the sight unfolding before his eyes, he had been right.