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 THREE

Richard awoke early the next morning anxious to return to the Keep and find a way to undo the magic on himself and Kahlan.  He quickly got up out of Kahlan’s big bed and went to the door, opening it slowly and sneaking out into the hallway.  He went straight to the stables to get his horse.  He needed to get to the Keep as quickly as possible.  The stable hands weren’t there when he arrived but that was all the better for him.  He didn’t need Kahlan’s mother asking him why he was leaving before having breakfast or saying good morning.  He saddled the horse and started off for the Keep; little did he know that Dennee had been watching him and was really curious as to how he was planning on fixing their problem.

Dennee followed Richard and made sure that he didn’t see her.  She didn’t want him knowing she was there until the right time.  Richard rode his horse through the streets of Aydindril until he reached the Keep.  He dismounted and hurried through the large oak door.  Dennee followed him inside and that’s when he caught her.  “What are you doing here Dennee?” Richard asked in the most sisterly voice he could form.

“Richard,” she started but he stopped her.

“I’m not Richard.”

“Richard you can’t lie to a confessor and besides I figured it out and went to the Keep to talk to Kahlan last night.”

“Oh, well I don’t have time to talk I need to find Kahlan and figure out a way to fix this.”

“Let me help Richard.”

Richard was in no mood to argue so he agreed that she could come.  They made their way through the Keep’s maze of hallways until they reached Richard’s bedroom.  Richard didn’t bother knocking; he just opened the door and went in with Dennee right behind him.  Kahlan was sitting on a little stool looking at her reflection in a mirror when she realized that Richard and Dennee had come into the room.  “I thought that you would have learned your lesson about looking in mirrors,” Richard teased.

“Very funny Richard, I was just thinking what if we can’t fix this?  What if we are stuck as each other for the rest of our lives?”

“Kahlan, that isn’t going to happen, I promise and a wizard in training always keeps their promise.  Come on Dennee is gonna help us so let’s go back to that room, get the mirror and see if we can undo this.”

Richard led the way through the Keep back to the restricted area they had found the mirror in. Once down the dusty hallway and in the room, Kahlan went over to the desk and retrieved the mirror from where she had left it.  “Kahlan, let me see it,” Dennee said.  Kahlan handed her the small mirror.

Dennee looked at it for a minute, wiped off some of the dust and then opened it. She looked into the mirror and just as she did she heard Kahlan tell her not to.  The air around her immediately began to shimmer and soon Dennee had transformed into Richard as well.

“Now this is REALLY a problem,” Richard said, “Zedd is definitely going to notice if there are two of me!”

“We have to fix this now!  People will notice that something is going on if I don’t go home tonight,” Dennee whined.

“Hmmm, Dennee why don’t you stay here for a little bit while Kahlan and I go and look in the library to see if there is a way to undo this.”

“Okay but hurry back and bring the answer to our problem with you.  I don’t like being you.”

“Hey, I’ve been him for longer than you have so don’t start complaining.”

“Fine,” Dennee grumbled.

“Come on Kahlan the sooner we answer this problem the sooner I can get out of this dress.”

Richard and Kahlan left Dennee in the dusty room and started off for the library.  When they reached the library they immediately started looking through the books to find one to help with their situation.  They were piling books up on one of the large tables when Zedd came into the library.

He was immediately intrigued by Richard and Kahlan’s behavior; they never took their studies so seriously that they would be in the library before him.  “What are you looking for dear ones? I might be able to help you.”

At the sound of Zedd’s voice Richard and Kahlan both looked up with a start. “Zedd what are you doing here,” Richard asked.

“Well Kahlan,” Zedd replied, “I came to start preparing today’s lesson but it looks like you have beaten me to it.”

“Oh well we aren’t doing our lessons Zedd,” Kahlan stated flatly.

“I had assumed as much.  So what are you two up to this early?”

“Nothing,” they said in unison a little too quickly.

“Hmmm I see,” Zedd said the curiosity and disbelief were evident in his tone. “Well I will leave you to whatever it is you’re doing because I’m glad to see you taking an interest in magical studies, even if you still don’t welcome your lessons.”  Zedd turned to leave but then looked back over his shoulder and said, “Richard my boy would you go run and grab my Journey Book and bring it to me in my Keep? I need to confer with Shota on something.”

“Alright Zedd,” Kahlan answered, “I’ll go and get it for you right away.”

Zedd left the library to go get something to quiet his rumbling stomach and then Kahlan turned to Richard. “Well I had better go and get that for him or he might get suspicious.”

“Your right Kahlan but let me go with you. You don’t know where Zedd keeps it and besides, I don’t want you to get lost,” Richard said with a smirk.

“I’m sure that I could manage,” Kahlan retorted, “but it would be nice to have the company.”

Dennee was getting bored waiting for Richard and Kahlan to return with the answer, so she decided to go and see what was taking them so long.  She left the dark and dusty room and started down the hall towards the library.  She hadn’t gone very far when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.  Quickly she turned around and tried to hide herself behind a marble pillar but it was too late. “Richard,” she heard Zedd calling to her.

“Richard you’re fast. Where is my Journey Book?”

“What? Why would I know where your Journey Book is?”

“Richard I just asked you to get it for me and take it to my keep.” Zedd was worried, he knew something was wrong and knowing the trouble that Richard and Kahlan had gotten into in the past; spirits knew what was going on now. “Come on Richard let’s go back to the library and get Kahlan. I think the two of you need to explain some things to me but I’m not quite sure what they are yet.” Zedd grabbed Dennee’s hand and started marching them toward the library. Dennee knew that this was going to be trouble but she couldn’t think of a way out of it.

They continued toward the library and when they reached it and walked in Zedd’s jaw dropped. Richard and Kahlan were heading toward the door to go get his Journey Book. He looked over at Dennee trying to convince himself that he was in fact holding Richard’s hand but Dennee’s face had a troubled expression. “What in the name of the spirits is going on here,” Zedd almost yelled, “why are there two Richards?”

“Umm,” Kahlan fumbled for her words so Richard stepped in to help her.

“We made a mistake,” Richard said softly. “We were doing something that you told us not to and it had some magical side effects.”

“Well I figured that much Kahlan,” Zedd said coolly as he turned his attention back to who he thought was Richard. “I want to know exactly what happened and who is this other Richard?”

“Well,” Kahlan said, “I’m not really Richard and neither is that Richard whose hand you are holding.”

Zedd immediately let go of Dennee’s hand and said, “Then who are you and where is Richard?”

Kahlan answered him very softly. “I’m Kahlan and that Richard is Dennee.”

“WHAT! Then where is Richard?”

“I’m right here Zedd,” Richard answered. Again causing Zedd’s jaw to drop.

“Richard, how did this happen?”

“We were in one of the restricted areas you told us to never go in and Kahlan found this little golden mirror and when we looked in it we turned into each other.”

“Of course, Montreses Mirror. Come on take me to this mirror and I can change you all back to whom you really are.”

“Right away Zedd, I’m getting really sick of this dress,” Richard retorted.

“Well this hasn’t exactly been a picnic for me either Richard Cypher,” Kahlan snidely responded.

“Enough of this Dear Ones, you can argue about who had a worse time being each other later right now I would like to fix this, but I need the mirror. Talking to Richard in your body Kahlan is a little unnerving.”

They took Zedd to the dusty restricted room and Kahlan handed him the mirror. “Alright Richard you first.”  Richard stepped forward and Zedd opened the mirror facing it toward Richard. The air around him began to shimmer and when it stopped there were now three Richards standing in the small room. “Thanks Zedd.”

“Kahlan you next.” Kahlan stepped forward and Zedd repeated the procedure causing Kahlan to turn back into herself. “It feels so good to be back in my own body,” Kahlan said.

“Okay Dennee your turn.” Once he had finished with Dennee he looked them all in the eye in turn. “I hope that you realize now that when I tell you not to do something or not to go somewhere that I am doing it for your own good.”

“Yes Zedd,” they chimed in unison.

“Good, we will have to talk about this some more but right now I’m famished and need to get something to eat. Dennee why don’t you run along and find Alfron, I’m sure he is looking for you by now and you need to get to your lessons.”

“Yes Zedd,” Dennee said softly and she left to find Alfron for her lessons.

“You two,” Zedd said, “will meet me in the library in a little while and we will get to work on your lessons.” With that Zedd left them in the dusty room.

“Come on Richard,” Kahlan said, “I don’t want to stay in here anymore.”

“You’re right,” he replied and quickly led her out of the restricted area.  When they reached one of the ramparts Richard stopped, staring out over Aydindril below.  “Kahlan I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“When I was you I had a very interesting conversation with Dennee about me being your boyfriend.” Kahlan’s cheeks turned beat red.  “It’s just…when Dennee said that, it made me think that maybe there is something more between us.”

“Richard I think you know how much I care for you but it isn’t that simple. Confessors don’t have boyfriends, we don’t have loves, and we take mates when we reach the proper age.  So just put any thoughts that you might have of us out of your head. It can never happen. Maybe it would be better if we spent less time together, I don’t want to hurt your heart.”

“Kahlan it’s okay but I’m not gonna spend less time with you just because you are afraid of hurting me, because you could never hurt me, even if you wanted to.”

“I know but I’m worried that you could develop feelings for me and then things would end badly.”

“Kahlan it might be a little late for that,” Richard said with a laugh.

“You’re probably right Richard,” Kahlan replied with a sigh, “But that doesn’t change the fact that it will never work between us.”

“I know Kahlan,” Richard said in a soft voice.