"A Westland Seeker in Prince Arthur's Court by Jodie and Vaidah - Chapter 3/5
A Westland Seeker in Prince Arthur's Court by serendipityxxi and alorarose.
Series: Legend of the Seeker and Merlin
Rated: PG
Summary: Richard and Kahlan hide the box of Orden and hangout in Camelot's dungeons a lot.
Genres: Drama, Romance, Crossover
Disclaimer: All your Seeker are belong to Disney and all your Merlin are belong to Arthur. We do not claim to own anything except the crazy crossover ideas that float around our brains. No moneh is being made off our crack either.
Spoilers: Episode 1x12 of Legend of the Seeker and all of Series 1 of Merlin. This fic starts at the end of 1x12 and assumes teh sexy!tiemz were.. uh not there. (Blasphemy, I know!)
Authors' notes: This fic starts at the end of 1x12 and assumes teh sexy!tiemz were.. uh not there (Blasphemy, I know!) as the tomb of the last Seeker in this story was not in some wonky Mayan temple but in Camelot instead. This fic is complete and we'll be posting 1 chapter per day.
Thank you to our lovely betas Leo and Luppy!
Chapter 1: Word count: 3126
Chapter 2: Word Count: 3288
Chapter 3: Word Count: 2773
Chapter 4: Word Count: 1555
Chapter 5: Word Count: 4454
"Merlin!" Arthur practically ran into his manservant on his way to Gaius's chambers. "My Father has thrown Richard and Kahlan into the dungeons. I need you to go tell Thaddicus and Gaius while I try to get down there to talk to them."
Merlin blinked at Arthur and opened his mouth to reply but the prince was already running off in the opposite direction. Why would they have gotten thrown in the dungeon? He sighed and made his way back to the chambers where he and Gaius lived.
Zedd had spent the last hour drinking tea with his old friend and sharing tales of what had lapsed between them these last twenty years. It was a nice way to spend an evening, one without worry for the first time in almost two months. They were very close to hiding the box and then all they'd have to do was keep Rahl on their tail but never close enough to catch them and soon the first day of winter would arrive and things would be alright. He sincerely hoped for all of the Midlands sake and most especially for Richard and Kahlan's sake that it would be.
The sudden explosion of the door behind him caused Zedd to inhale sharply and get tea up his nose, a very unpleasant event.
"Merlin?" Gaius stood and walked toward the young boy. "What is the matter?"
"The King has thrown Richard and Kahlan into the dungeon," he said quickly.
"What did Richard do now?" Zedd asked, getting to his feet wearily. And the day had been going so nicely thus far.
"I don't know," Merlin shrugged. "Arthur just ran into me in the hallway and he didn't give me much information."
Gaius sighed and looked at Zedd. "I thought you were keeping low key."
Zedd sighed in return. "This is low key for Richard."
"Would someone please explain to me what's going on?" Merlin put his hands down on the table to try to get their attention.
"On the bright side, the dungeons are much closer to Kieran's tomb than the sparring yard." Zedd told Gaius with false levity. He glanced at his old friend, "Are we able to speak freely around your protege Gaius? I feel I may be able to persuade him to help me in my cause if so."
"The boy is one of us," Gaius said with a nod.
"Oh, I thought he had a little something." Zedd waggled his fingers dancing a lick of flame across his knuckles.
"It's alright," Gaius patted the boy on the shoulder to reassure him. "He is a very old friend. We can trust him.
"Merlin, my boy, the Midlands are under a very grave threat, and the only person who can prevent this is currently locked in your King's dungeon. Richard Cypher is a very rare young man, he is what's known as a Seeker..." Zedd went on to explain in detail about Seekers and the sword of the truth and Darken Rahl's desire to see the entire planet under his rule, about the prophecy that had named Richard both Seeker and the one person in all the world who could defeat Rahl. He spoke at length, looking directly into Merlin's eyes, willing the boy to understand the urgency of his cause. For whatever reason he knew the boy did not want to go beneath the castle and yet he needed him to, both to rescue Richard and Kahlan and in all likelihood to save the world.
Gaius laid his hand on Merlin's shoulder when the boy blinked blankly at Zedd. "Merlin," the boy's face turned to look at him. "Like you, Richard has a destiny. They took a great risk coming to Camelot. We need to help them."
"Merlin, I know you have your reasons for not wanting to go below the castle but this isn't just a case of life or death even, it's a case of saving the world from being enslaved by a mad man. I think that may be worth whatever risk you feel there is no?" Zedd asked, his voice gentle.
"It's not risk," he shook his head. "I can get them out of the dungeon, and I can take them down there but I cannot go in."
"Thank you, Merlin." Zedd nodded. "That's all we need. You're doing a great deed for the midlands, my boy, a great deed."
~~~
Uther's guards had not been so hospitable as his son, and Richard and Kahlan were dumped unceremoniously into a dank little cell after being prodded down long uneven staircases until it felt like they were miles below the palace. It had been slow going as Kahlan's hands were bound behind her back and thus had made it almost impossible for her to keep pace with the guards as her trailing skirts often tripped her up, she had to kick them out of the way. Her center of balance was off because of how her arms were bound and Richard had to keep reaching out to steady her as they made their way down the stairs.
Richard landed on his hands and knees when the guards pushed them into the cell but was up in a moment, scrabbling his way over to Kahlan who had rolled onto her side even before the guards had left, marching off back the way they'd came. Obviously they weren't worried about them escaping the heavy lock on their cell door.
"Hey," he said, helping her into a sitting position.
"At least we're underground right?" she joked, though her eyes prickled with stinging tears at the memories this was dredging up. Richard's hands were swift as he did his best to undo the knots but the rope was thick and old and it took him a long time to get them undone.
"Closer to where we need to be." He rejoined as he plucked at the coils from where he knelt behind her. "Bet Zedd'll be mad." he observed as he finally got the last knot to budge.
"Not as mad as some." She murmured bringing her arms around before he'd even managed to pull the rope completely away. She rubbed at her wrists which were red and raw from the chafing. Richard scooted around to face her and his strong hands came up to encircle her other wrist with such care it broke her defenses and she felt a tear slide down her face as his thumb stroked over her pulse point.
"Kahlan?" He murmured, catching the tear with his free hand and wiping it away. He brought his hands up to massage the feeling back into her arms while Kahlan looked away, letting the darkness and her hair cloak her expression. He looked up at the small window in the cell door, there was no one in sight. "Tell me," he encouraged, knowing sometimes it helped to get the bad memories out rather than keeping them in and letting them fester.
She was silent for a time before she began to speak, softly, haltingly. "When my father first found us Denee was mostly too little, her power too undefined for her to be of much use to him, but I was older and my mother had begun my training already. The first time I confessed a man I was five years old, Richard. He was a good man. I saw him playing with his children in their house, he had one of them up on his shoulders when my father and I rushed in. He set her down and ordered them both out of the room with a tap on the rump, he wasn't worried. He turned to my father and asked him what was my name and asked me if I'd like to play with his little girls while they talked. My father knocked him down and tied his hands and ordered me to confess him. And I did. He stared at me, Richard, afterward and asked me what I wanted him to do. I could see even at five years old that the light in his eyes had died when I'd used my power. I started to cry and my father picked me up, but he shook me, told me to get over it. He made me ask the man about all sorts of information. And when he was finished the man asked me again what did I want of him and I fell to my knees and I put my hands on him again and I said I wished him to be free, I released my power again even though it drained me even more then than it does now and he stayed confessed, Richard. I tried again and again but I couldn't get the power to work. I asked my father how I could undo it, how could I free him? And do you know what my father did?" Kahlan asked, finally turning back to face Richard with red rimmed eyes.
Richard shook his head, thumbing a tear from her cheek.
"My father kicked the man in the nose with his steel toed boots, it broke and shattered into his brain and killed him. 'You can't undo a confession child.' he told me. 'You can only put the poor suckers out of their misery or put yourself out of yours but I have use for you yet.' he said, absolutely stone faced and I began to wonder then if a light like there had been in that man's eyes had ever shone in my father's. Every time I tried to say no after that he'd bind my hands and knock me over and stand with his boots inches from my face 'You ready to be released, little Confessor' he'd ask. It wasn't so bad when it was just me but when he started doing it to Denee..." her voice trailed off here.
"Oh, Kahlan." Richard murmured, his heart going out to the pure misery in her voice. He knew it worried her whenever they touched, it was the reason he'd held back the night she'd first told him about her history but he couldn't sit two feet away from her and leave her in such pain without offering some sort of comfort. He pulled her into his embrace, settling with his back against the stone wall of their cell. Shushing her struggles, he stroked her hair tenderly. "Just go with it Kahlan." He murmured. "I'm here, and you're okay." He whispered. "You're safe."
Kahlan laughed a little wetly. "As safe as one can be when locked in a dungeon."
Richard smiled wryly into her hair, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head.
"Maybe..." she began slowly, her head on his chest, her eyes focused on the darkness. "Maybe Uther's right. Maybe magic is inherently bad. It's only brought heartache to everyone I know, Richard." She confessed.
"No." He replied, more than a little surprised he was the one on this side of the debate. "No, a sword in the wrong hands is not inherently evil, it's only a tool. Magic is a tool too and whether it's good or bad all depends on how you use it." Kahlan relaxed a little more into him as he continued speaking. "Think of all the people you've helped Kahlan, all the arguments you've settled that would've spiralled into decade long feuds. The people need that sort of thing, Kahlan, they need you." he gave her a little squeeze.
She laughed again in the semi dark, the sound clearer this time. "You are an amazing man, Richard Cypher." She said with a hint of wonder in her voice and the small smile she reserved just for him.
Richard grinned back unabashedly. "You're pretty spectacular yourself." he replied.
The two fell silent for a time after this, the only sound their steady breaths in the darkness until they heard footsteps on the stairs once more. Kahlan scrambled to her feet with Richard right behind her. They eyed the cell door as it swung open.
Arthur opened the door to the cell and stepped inside, closing the door most of the way behind him. He needed to talk to them, he needed to find out if they really were a threat or if his father was just overreacting again like he sometimes did.
"Your Highness," Richard began, cursing himself that he hadn't consulted with Kahlan what strategy they should employ while he had the chance. "Please carry our sincerest apologies to your father, we meant no disrespect - only we have been traveling the countryside for many months now and we have seen the swath of carnage Rahl has cut through the Midlands and are fearful he might continue on to Camelot before he is stopped."
Arthur considered them for a moment, deciding what to ask about first. His gut feeling was that these two weren't a threat but the things they were talking about... "I know you meant no disrespect," Arthur tried not to sigh. "But I need to know. Why did you come to Camelot?"
"We are travellers," Kahlan began before Richard could speak. "We're headed west traveling from a small village near the boundary that was sacked by Rahl's forces. We were some of the only people to get out alive." Kahlan paused here and Richard took up the story.
"Darken Rahl is a powerful Wizard from D'Hara, yes that D'Hara. The boundary between the Midlands and D'hara has fallen thanks to Darken Rahl. He is underworld bent on conquering the entire planet for himself, I don't know why. Perhaps power has bred madness. In any case Rahl's forces have been moving across the Midlands and even into Westland some say," Richard could not help but shudder a little at this idea. "He's been sacking whatever villages he can, forcing the villagers into his army and those he can't he tricks into believing that he is on their side, he wins their loyalty by first bringing hardship and then 'helping' to take it away. Camelot is a fine thriving city, it's exactly the kind of place he'd like in his stronghold." Richard looked Arthur directly in the eye as he delivered that last sentence.
Arthur kept his eyes locked on Richard's. Apparently there was a lot his father was remiss in filling him in on. It angered him that he had to find out from travelers and not from the king himself. "Is anyone fighting back against this Rahl?" Arthur needed to know. If he was going to protect his home, he needed to know what and whom to protect it from. He'd never even heard of D'Hara or of this boundary!
Richard hesitated here, glancing quickly at Kahlan before he nodded. "The Seeker, the real Seeker," he laughed a little. "Is said to be out there right now, trying to prevent Rahl from getting one of the three magical artefacts that will allow him to rise to ultimate power. It's part of why I like the story so much. I wish I could do for my village what the Seeker is doing for all of the Midlands."
Arthur nodded. "Sit tight," he said quietly. "I'll make sure you get out tonight but I suggest you move on from Camelot quickly."
Richard nodded. "As soon as possible." He replied.
Arthur nodded once again then walked out of the cell, locking it behind him. It seemed he had a lot of research to do and find out the truth in what Richard was saying. He needed to know if his father was dealing with this threat and just not telling him or... He headed back up into the castle and searched for Merlin. He couldn't risk breaking them out of the dungeon but Merlin could.
Kahlan and Richard watched the Prince of Camelot march back up the stairs until he was out of sight before breathing huge sighs of relief.
"Well at least we won't be having our heads taken off in the morning." Richard joked, sinking down against the cell wall to sit on the straw strewn floor.
Kahlan gave a small laugh and came and sat next to him. "That was some quick thinking there," she said, nudging him. "I was impressed."
It was Richard's turn to laugh, bashfully. "I guess I'm getting better at the whole keeping up our cover thing." He smiled and Kahlan returned it a little sadly, mourning the fact that he'd learnt to lie when he'd been spared the necessity for so long before this. She carefully covered his hand with hers and squeezed it. Richard turned his palm up and returned the gesture.
Series: Legend of the Seeker and Merlin
Rated: PG
Summary: Richard and Kahlan hide the box of Orden and hangout in Camelot's dungeons a lot.
Genres: Drama, Romance, Crossover
Disclaimer: All your Seeker are belong to Disney and all your Merlin are belong to Arthur. We do not claim to own anything except the crazy crossover ideas that float around our brains. No moneh is being made off our crack either.
Spoilers: Episode 1x12 of Legend of the Seeker and all of Series 1 of Merlin. This fic starts at the end of 1x12 and assumes teh sexy!tiemz were.. uh not there. (Blasphemy, I know!)
Authors' notes: This fic starts at the end of 1x12 and assumes teh sexy!tiemz were.. uh not there (Blasphemy, I know!) as the tomb of the last Seeker in this story was not in some wonky Mayan temple but in Camelot instead. This fic is complete and we'll be posting 1 chapter per day.
Thank you to our lovely betas Leo and Luppy!
Chapter 1: Word count: 3126
Chapter 2: Word Count: 3288
Chapter 3: Word Count: 2773
Chapter 4: Word Count: 1555
Chapter 5: Word Count: 4454
"Merlin!" Arthur practically ran into his manservant on his way to Gaius's chambers. "My Father has thrown Richard and Kahlan into the dungeons. I need you to go tell Thaddicus and Gaius while I try to get down there to talk to them."
Merlin blinked at Arthur and opened his mouth to reply but the prince was already running off in the opposite direction. Why would they have gotten thrown in the dungeon? He sighed and made his way back to the chambers where he and Gaius lived.
Zedd had spent the last hour drinking tea with his old friend and sharing tales of what had lapsed between them these last twenty years. It was a nice way to spend an evening, one without worry for the first time in almost two months. They were very close to hiding the box and then all they'd have to do was keep Rahl on their tail but never close enough to catch them and soon the first day of winter would arrive and things would be alright. He sincerely hoped for all of the Midlands sake and most especially for Richard and Kahlan's sake that it would be.
The sudden explosion of the door behind him caused Zedd to inhale sharply and get tea up his nose, a very unpleasant event.
"Merlin?" Gaius stood and walked toward the young boy. "What is the matter?"
"The King has thrown Richard and Kahlan into the dungeon," he said quickly.
"What did Richard do now?" Zedd asked, getting to his feet wearily. And the day had been going so nicely thus far.
"I don't know," Merlin shrugged. "Arthur just ran into me in the hallway and he didn't give me much information."
Gaius sighed and looked at Zedd. "I thought you were keeping low key."
Zedd sighed in return. "This is low key for Richard."
"Would someone please explain to me what's going on?" Merlin put his hands down on the table to try to get their attention.
"On the bright side, the dungeons are much closer to Kieran's tomb than the sparring yard." Zedd told Gaius with false levity. He glanced at his old friend, "Are we able to speak freely around your protege Gaius? I feel I may be able to persuade him to help me in my cause if so."
"The boy is one of us," Gaius said with a nod.
"Oh, I thought he had a little something." Zedd waggled his fingers dancing a lick of flame across his knuckles.
"It's alright," Gaius patted the boy on the shoulder to reassure him. "He is a very old friend. We can trust him.
"Merlin, my boy, the Midlands are under a very grave threat, and the only person who can prevent this is currently locked in your King's dungeon. Richard Cypher is a very rare young man, he is what's known as a Seeker..." Zedd went on to explain in detail about Seekers and the sword of the truth and Darken Rahl's desire to see the entire planet under his rule, about the prophecy that had named Richard both Seeker and the one person in all the world who could defeat Rahl. He spoke at length, looking directly into Merlin's eyes, willing the boy to understand the urgency of his cause. For whatever reason he knew the boy did not want to go beneath the castle and yet he needed him to, both to rescue Richard and Kahlan and in all likelihood to save the world.
Gaius laid his hand on Merlin's shoulder when the boy blinked blankly at Zedd. "Merlin," the boy's face turned to look at him. "Like you, Richard has a destiny. They took a great risk coming to Camelot. We need to help them."
"Merlin, I know you have your reasons for not wanting to go below the castle but this isn't just a case of life or death even, it's a case of saving the world from being enslaved by a mad man. I think that may be worth whatever risk you feel there is no?" Zedd asked, his voice gentle.
"It's not risk," he shook his head. "I can get them out of the dungeon, and I can take them down there but I cannot go in."
"Thank you, Merlin." Zedd nodded. "That's all we need. You're doing a great deed for the midlands, my boy, a great deed."
~~~
Uther's guards had not been so hospitable as his son, and Richard and Kahlan were dumped unceremoniously into a dank little cell after being prodded down long uneven staircases until it felt like they were miles below the palace. It had been slow going as Kahlan's hands were bound behind her back and thus had made it almost impossible for her to keep pace with the guards as her trailing skirts often tripped her up, she had to kick them out of the way. Her center of balance was off because of how her arms were bound and Richard had to keep reaching out to steady her as they made their way down the stairs.
Richard landed on his hands and knees when the guards pushed them into the cell but was up in a moment, scrabbling his way over to Kahlan who had rolled onto her side even before the guards had left, marching off back the way they'd came. Obviously they weren't worried about them escaping the heavy lock on their cell door.
"Hey," he said, helping her into a sitting position.
"At least we're underground right?" she joked, though her eyes prickled with stinging tears at the memories this was dredging up. Richard's hands were swift as he did his best to undo the knots but the rope was thick and old and it took him a long time to get them undone.
"Closer to where we need to be." He rejoined as he plucked at the coils from where he knelt behind her. "Bet Zedd'll be mad." he observed as he finally got the last knot to budge.
"Not as mad as some." She murmured bringing her arms around before he'd even managed to pull the rope completely away. She rubbed at her wrists which were red and raw from the chafing. Richard scooted around to face her and his strong hands came up to encircle her other wrist with such care it broke her defenses and she felt a tear slide down her face as his thumb stroked over her pulse point.
"Kahlan?" He murmured, catching the tear with his free hand and wiping it away. He brought his hands up to massage the feeling back into her arms while Kahlan looked away, letting the darkness and her hair cloak her expression. He looked up at the small window in the cell door, there was no one in sight. "Tell me," he encouraged, knowing sometimes it helped to get the bad memories out rather than keeping them in and letting them fester.
She was silent for a time before she began to speak, softly, haltingly. "When my father first found us Denee was mostly too little, her power too undefined for her to be of much use to him, but I was older and my mother had begun my training already. The first time I confessed a man I was five years old, Richard. He was a good man. I saw him playing with his children in their house, he had one of them up on his shoulders when my father and I rushed in. He set her down and ordered them both out of the room with a tap on the rump, he wasn't worried. He turned to my father and asked him what was my name and asked me if I'd like to play with his little girls while they talked. My father knocked him down and tied his hands and ordered me to confess him. And I did. He stared at me, Richard, afterward and asked me what I wanted him to do. I could see even at five years old that the light in his eyes had died when I'd used my power. I started to cry and my father picked me up, but he shook me, told me to get over it. He made me ask the man about all sorts of information. And when he was finished the man asked me again what did I want of him and I fell to my knees and I put my hands on him again and I said I wished him to be free, I released my power again even though it drained me even more then than it does now and he stayed confessed, Richard. I tried again and again but I couldn't get the power to work. I asked my father how I could undo it, how could I free him? And do you know what my father did?" Kahlan asked, finally turning back to face Richard with red rimmed eyes.
Richard shook his head, thumbing a tear from her cheek.
"My father kicked the man in the nose with his steel toed boots, it broke and shattered into his brain and killed him. 'You can't undo a confession child.' he told me. 'You can only put the poor suckers out of their misery or put yourself out of yours but I have use for you yet.' he said, absolutely stone faced and I began to wonder then if a light like there had been in that man's eyes had ever shone in my father's. Every time I tried to say no after that he'd bind my hands and knock me over and stand with his boots inches from my face 'You ready to be released, little Confessor' he'd ask. It wasn't so bad when it was just me but when he started doing it to Denee..." her voice trailed off here.
"Oh, Kahlan." Richard murmured, his heart going out to the pure misery in her voice. He knew it worried her whenever they touched, it was the reason he'd held back the night she'd first told him about her history but he couldn't sit two feet away from her and leave her in such pain without offering some sort of comfort. He pulled her into his embrace, settling with his back against the stone wall of their cell. Shushing her struggles, he stroked her hair tenderly. "Just go with it Kahlan." He murmured. "I'm here, and you're okay." He whispered. "You're safe."
Kahlan laughed a little wetly. "As safe as one can be when locked in a dungeon."
Richard smiled wryly into her hair, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head.
"Maybe..." she began slowly, her head on his chest, her eyes focused on the darkness. "Maybe Uther's right. Maybe magic is inherently bad. It's only brought heartache to everyone I know, Richard." She confessed.
"No." He replied, more than a little surprised he was the one on this side of the debate. "No, a sword in the wrong hands is not inherently evil, it's only a tool. Magic is a tool too and whether it's good or bad all depends on how you use it." Kahlan relaxed a little more into him as he continued speaking. "Think of all the people you've helped Kahlan, all the arguments you've settled that would've spiralled into decade long feuds. The people need that sort of thing, Kahlan, they need you." he gave her a little squeeze.
She laughed again in the semi dark, the sound clearer this time. "You are an amazing man, Richard Cypher." She said with a hint of wonder in her voice and the small smile she reserved just for him.
Richard grinned back unabashedly. "You're pretty spectacular yourself." he replied.
The two fell silent for a time after this, the only sound their steady breaths in the darkness until they heard footsteps on the stairs once more. Kahlan scrambled to her feet with Richard right behind her. They eyed the cell door as it swung open.
Arthur opened the door to the cell and stepped inside, closing the door most of the way behind him. He needed to talk to them, he needed to find out if they really were a threat or if his father was just overreacting again like he sometimes did.
"Your Highness," Richard began, cursing himself that he hadn't consulted with Kahlan what strategy they should employ while he had the chance. "Please carry our sincerest apologies to your father, we meant no disrespect - only we have been traveling the countryside for many months now and we have seen the swath of carnage Rahl has cut through the Midlands and are fearful he might continue on to Camelot before he is stopped."
Arthur considered them for a moment, deciding what to ask about first. His gut feeling was that these two weren't a threat but the things they were talking about... "I know you meant no disrespect," Arthur tried not to sigh. "But I need to know. Why did you come to Camelot?"
"We are travellers," Kahlan began before Richard could speak. "We're headed west traveling from a small village near the boundary that was sacked by Rahl's forces. We were some of the only people to get out alive." Kahlan paused here and Richard took up the story.
"Darken Rahl is a powerful Wizard from D'Hara, yes that D'Hara. The boundary between the Midlands and D'hara has fallen thanks to Darken Rahl. He is underworld bent on conquering the entire planet for himself, I don't know why. Perhaps power has bred madness. In any case Rahl's forces have been moving across the Midlands and even into Westland some say," Richard could not help but shudder a little at this idea. "He's been sacking whatever villages he can, forcing the villagers into his army and those he can't he tricks into believing that he is on their side, he wins their loyalty by first bringing hardship and then 'helping' to take it away. Camelot is a fine thriving city, it's exactly the kind of place he'd like in his stronghold." Richard looked Arthur directly in the eye as he delivered that last sentence.
Arthur kept his eyes locked on Richard's. Apparently there was a lot his father was remiss in filling him in on. It angered him that he had to find out from travelers and not from the king himself. "Is anyone fighting back against this Rahl?" Arthur needed to know. If he was going to protect his home, he needed to know what and whom to protect it from. He'd never even heard of D'Hara or of this boundary!
Richard hesitated here, glancing quickly at Kahlan before he nodded. "The Seeker, the real Seeker," he laughed a little. "Is said to be out there right now, trying to prevent Rahl from getting one of the three magical artefacts that will allow him to rise to ultimate power. It's part of why I like the story so much. I wish I could do for my village what the Seeker is doing for all of the Midlands."
Arthur nodded. "Sit tight," he said quietly. "I'll make sure you get out tonight but I suggest you move on from Camelot quickly."
Richard nodded. "As soon as possible." He replied.
Arthur nodded once again then walked out of the cell, locking it behind him. It seemed he had a lot of research to do and find out the truth in what Richard was saying. He needed to know if his father was dealing with this threat and just not telling him or... He headed back up into the castle and searched for Merlin. He couldn't risk breaking them out of the dungeon but Merlin could.
Kahlan and Richard watched the Prince of Camelot march back up the stairs until he was out of sight before breathing huge sighs of relief.
"Well at least we won't be having our heads taken off in the morning." Richard joked, sinking down against the cell wall to sit on the straw strewn floor.
Kahlan gave a small laugh and came and sat next to him. "That was some quick thinking there," she said, nudging him. "I was impressed."
It was Richard's turn to laugh, bashfully. "I guess I'm getting better at the whole keeping up our cover thing." He smiled and Kahlan returned it a little sadly, mourning the fact that he'd learnt to lie when he'd been spared the necessity for so long before this. She carefully covered his hand with hers and squeezed it. Richard turned his palm up and returned the gesture.