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 TWO

Richard was thinking about a way to fix their problem the entire time he rode Kahlan’s horse from the Keep to the Confessor’s Palace and he still didn’t have a solution. He made his way toward the stables and dismounted, leaving the horse to be taken care of by the stable hands. He turned toward the huge door of the palace and started inside. He had barely gone five feet when he heard someone yelling, “Kahlan!”

He turned toward the source of the voice only to find Dennee running down the stairs. “Kahlan what took you so long to get back? I finished my lessons with Alfron hours ago. Mom was just about to send someone to the Keep to get you when I saw you heading for the stables.”

Dennee, this was the last thing that he needed to deal with right now. “Dennee, could you just leave me alone right now, please? I really think I wanna be alone.”

“Why? Did you get in a fight with your boyfriend? Is that what took you so long to get back?”

“Dennee what are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend.” Wow this is really awkward Richard thought to himself.

“Sure you do. Richard is your boyfriend. You spend all your time with him. You can try and deny it Kahlan but you know that you like him.”

“Richard is NOT my boyfriend Dennee! Just leave me alone.” Richard didn’t want any more of this awkward conversation so he took off at a run for Kahlan’s bedroom. It had been years since he had been there but he still remembered how to get there. Like he told Kahlan, he would never get lost.

When Richard reached the door to her bedroom he grabbed the handle and flew inside, he needed to be alone. Needless to say he was not happy when he realized that there were two servants waiting for him inside to help him get ready for bed.

“What are you doing in here,” Richard asked in a tone a little colder than the one he was sure Kahlan would have used but he couldn’t help it he was frustrated and just wanted to be left alone so he could figure things out.

“We’re here to help you get ready for bed, as always,” the older of the two servants replied.

“Well I don’t need any help tonight,” Richard said, he had absolutely no intention of taking off his clothes. Things were already weird enough.

When the servants started to protest Richard add, “I’m fifteen years old, certainly I am old enough to get myself ready for bed.”

“Of course, your right, would you like us to do anything else for you Confessor?”

“No just leave and I am not to be disturbed.”

“Yes Confessor,” they said in unison and with a quick bow they were gone, leaving Richard alone with his thoughts.

Richard was just starting to get comfortable on Kahlan’s big, fluffy bed, after wondering what on earth girls needed so many pillows for, when he heard the door open and someone come in. “Leave me alone,” he said to whoever was disturbing him.

“I’m not gonna do that Kahlan, not till you tell me what is going on. You’re not acting like yourself. Why did you yell at me? You never yell at me,” Dennee said in a quiet voice.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not myself lately and I want to be left alone,” Richard said without bothering to look at Kahlan’s little sister.

“I’m not gonna leave you alone. It’s my job as your little sister to find out what’s wrong, even if I have to bug you till you tell me.”

“Dennee JUST LEAVE! I don’t want to put up with you bugging me right now!”

“Fine Kahlan I’ll go but I think that you are spending way too much time with Richard. You’re starting to act like him, like all boys.” With that Dennee left the room, slamming the large wooden door on her way out.

Dennee had barely made it ten paces down the hall when it hit her like a ton of bricks. Kahlan wasn’t acting like Kahlan because she wasn’t Kahlan. She didn’t know how it was possible but she was sure that the girl she had just finished having a conversation with was not her sister. Maybe she’s Richard; Dennee thought to herself, she is sure acting like Richard. Being all bossy and wanting me to leave her alone, Kahlan never tells me to leave her alone, but sometimes Richard does.

Dennee decided then and there that she was going to figure this mystery out. And the first step was to see if Richard was acting as strange as her sister. She slowly made her way through the halls of the palace careful that no one saw her because she knew if she was caught out of bed she would be taken straight to her room and would lose all hope of finding out what was going on with Kahlan.

She made her way out of the palace and started the walk to the Keep. She would have rather rode the short distance but she knew that she would never get a horse away unnoticed. Dennee may have only been twelve years old but she was smart and good at sneaking around. She had to be if she wanted to keep spying on Richard and Kahlan when they thought they were alone. Those times that she was sure that Kahlan was falling in love with Richard and she was so sad because she knew that her sister would never truly be happy.

The streets of Aydindril were pretty empty as Dennee made her way to the Keep. She crossed the rampart without hesitation and walked right through the large door. Once inside she quickly and quietly made her way through the maze of hallways until she was at the door to Richard’s bedroom. She opened the door without knocking and marched into the dark room beyond the doorway.

The only light in the room was the glimmering shaft of moonlight coming in through the window, casting its light on the foot of the bed. “Who’s there,” came a wavering voice from the shadows at the top of the bed.

“Richard, I need to talk to you. It’s Dennee,” she said as she stepped into the glow of the moonlight.

“Dennee what are you doing here,” Kahlan asked her sister in the most Richardly way she could muster.

“Kahlan is acting kinda funny and I was wondering if she has been acting strange around you too.”

Kahlan crawled down to the foot of the bed as she replied. “I don’t think she has been acting strange at all.”

“Oh, well it’s just that she yelled at me…”

“She yelled at you,” Kahlan said cutting her sister off.

“Yes, and it just didn’t seem like her. It seemed more like something you would do. If there is something going on I wanna know about it. I mean you are acting different too Richard. There is something funny going on here and I think I deserve the truth.”

“You’re right,” Kahlan said softly, “you do deserve the truth, but only if you promise not to tell anyone.”

“I promise Richard. What is going on?”

“I’m not Richard,” Kahlan replied. “I’m Kahlan.”

Dennee was dumbstruck. She had been right, she was never right. “So does that mean the Kahlan is Richard?”

“Yes”

“How did this happen?”

“Richard and I were somewhere that we weren’t supposed to be and this little mirror that I found switched us into each other.”

“How are you gonna fix it Kahlan?” She felt weird calling her sister by name when she was in Richard’s body but she wasn’t going to keep calling her Richard either.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Richard is pretty sure that he will think of a way without us having to tell Zedd. But if we don’t find a way on our own then we will tell Zedd.”

“You really should just tell Zedd, Kahlan. He could fix this really easy.”

“I know but, wait Dennee you shouldn’t be here. You need to go home before someone realizes that you’re gone. You will get in big trouble if you get caught.”

“I know. I’m gonna leave right now.”

“Hurry home and stay safe,” Kahlan said as she pulled her little sister into a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you too Kahlan,” Dennee said as she pulled away from her sisters hug and headed out the door to hurry back to the palace.