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 ONE

 It had been many years since that fateful day when Zedd introduced them and he was right, they did become the best of friends.  Now that they were entering their middle teens they had become nearly inseparable. Kahlan spent almost all of her free time up at the Keep with Richard, sometimes bringing Dennee along too, however Dennee seemed to think that she spent enough time at the Keep during lessons that she didn’t need to be there when she didn’t have to.

“Hurry up Kahlan,” Richard called to her. “If we’re not quick then Zedd will make us sit through more lectures on the history of the Midlands.”

“But Richard we really shouldn’t be doing this.  You know what happened last time we went in a restricted area.”

“Hey, Zedd was able to fix that!”

“I know but we still shouldn’t be doing this, we have lessons and we will get in trouble again.”

“Kahlan quit worrying so much and just have some fun. Are you coming with me or not?”

“I guess I’ll come.  Someone needs to keep you out of trouble.”

They started down a dusty cobweb strewn hallway and when they reached the large door Richard reached out to open it but Kahlan grabbed his hand.  “Are you sure that we shouldn’t just go back now, Richard.  Zedd will never have to know and you don’t know what is behind that door.”

“Kahlan don’t worry.  Everything will be fine.”  He said as he pulled his hand from her grasp and opened the large wooden door.

 

The room was full of various odds and ends. Bookshelves covered in cobwebs lined the walls.  A desk in the corner was strewn with books and papers, covered in years of dust.  Richard made his way through the room by the light of the setting sun framed in the one window toward the bookshelves to look them over. 

As Richard headed to the bookcase, Kahlan tried to stay right by the door but something caught her eye.  The golden sun was reflecting off of a small square piece of gold that was sitting on the desk under a few papers. She knew that she shouldn’t but curiosity got the best of her as she walked over to the desk. She reached down and picked up the flat golden rectangular shaped piece of metal.  As she looked at it in the light of the setting sun she noticed that it had hinges on one side.  Curiosity overcame her as she opened it and found herself staring at her own reflection.  It was the prettiest little mirror she had ever seen. “Richard, come here and look at this.”

Richard turned his attention away from the cobweb infested books on the shelf and came over to her.  “What is it,” he asked?

“Look at this little mirror isn’t it cute?”

 

“Well look at you.  Little miss we can’t go in there we’ll get in trouble. Seems like you’ve found something to like in here after all. Let me see the mirror.”  Kahlan said nothing but the glare she gave him said everything. 

“Alright, but you better not break it.  There is something special about it. I can tell.”

“Fine,” he said as Kahlan handed him the dusty, golden mirror. The moment that Richard looked into the mirror the air around him began to shimmer and suddenly his body felt very different to him.

Once the shimmering had stopped, Kahlan gasped at what she saw.  Before her stood…well, umm…herself.  It was like she was looking in a mirror only this other her was Richard and that little mirror had somehow done this.

“Richard,” she said in a voice that showed the worry over their situation, “are you alright?”

“Of course not! I’m you!”

“Why don’t you give me the mirror? I’m sure Zedd can figure this out.”

“Well I sure hope so,” he said as he handed her the mirror but before the words could completely leave his mouth the air around Kahlan began to shimmer. Once the shimmering stopped Kahlan had turned into Richard.

“Kahlan, what happened? How did you turn into me?”

“I don’t know Richard. All I did was look into the mirror,” she said in a voice full of panic.

“That’s all I did too. But why didn’t you change the first time you looked in the mirror?”

“I’d be lying if I told you that I had an answer because I don’t. What should we do Richard? We can’t stay like this forever.  We should talk to Zedd.”

“I’m not telling Zedd about this unless we can’t fix it on our own.  Do you really want him to lecture us for six hours about the dangers of doing things you’re not supposed to?  He would fix us but then he would talk us to death and that is before any actual punishment.  So I don’t think telling Zedd is the right thing to do right now.”

“Well then what do you suggest we do?”

“We should just act like nothing is wrong and try to act like each other. At least until we can fix this.”

“So you’re going to go back to the palace for the night and I’m gonna sleep here, in your room?”

“Well right now that really is the only option.  It’s getting dark and you or should I say I should start heading back to the Confessor’s Palace before your mother sends someone to get you, I mean me.”

“Your right, I’ll stay here and be you, but come quickly in the morning.  I don’t want to stay in your body any longer than I have to.”

“Well Kahlan this isn’t exactly a picnic for me either but we are just gonna have to get used to it, until we can fix it. Come on we should get out of here.”

“Okay, let’s get going. But Richard you’re going to need to remember to call me “Richard” and remember to answer to “Kahlan” otherwise people will get suspicious and that is the last thing  we need right now.”

Richard in Kahlan’s body grabbed Kahlan in Richard’s body’s hand and led her out of the dark room, back down the dusty hall.  Once they reached the end of the hall he turned to her and spoke softly, “I’m going to take you to my room before I leave. It wouldn’t be very good if you got lost in the Keep on the way to bed and Zedd found you.  He would know something was up because I never get lost,” Richard said with a smile.

“Really,” Kahlan asked. “You never get lost? I’d like you to prove that to me.”

“Maybe some other time Kahlan, we can go out in the woods and you can try to get me lost.  Who knows, it might be fun,” Richard replied with a laugh.

As he led her through the winding maze of hallways of the Keep she was silently glad he was showing her the way because even though she didn’t want to admit it to him she knew that she would have gotten lost without him there to lead the way.

Once they reached Richard’s room he opened the door and she followed him inside. “Okay Kahlan, now that you’re here don’t wander too far or you might get lost.” Kahlan shot him a really dirty look that told him he knew nothing about whether or not she would get lost. Even though in her mind she knew that she wouldn’t be leaving the room unless she had a very good reason, but she wouldn’t tell him that.  He would mock her and give her one of his famous “I told you so” looks.  That was the last thing she needed at that moment.

“Goodnight Kahlan,” Richard said as he turned to leave, “I’ll be back first thing in the morning and we can start figuring this out.”  With that he was gone, leaving Kahlan all alone in his bedroom.