Freedom in Love (Ch5) Ending
Title: Freedom in Love
Chapter: 5 (Complete)
Rating: NC17/R
Pairing: Richard/Kahlan
Summary: In a short unplanned time of play, Richard and Kahlan lose themselves in a moment of passion that leads to horrific consequences that could destroy one or both of them.
Word Count: 1,900
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Author's Note: So I wrote this while I was in the hospital. So it is a bit uhh.. Well, let's just say that it may have it's moments of craziness, but I hope that you all still enjoy! [All mistakes are mine.. Oops =P]
Comments are awesome folks
"If I get any larger, I won't fit through the trees," Kahlan said frustrated. She had wanted to go back to Aydindril, but the compass lead them farther away each day and Richard refused to let her out of his sight. The only time she hadn't felt useless or a burden was when they were fighting. She had somehow been able to use Madison's powers as though they were her own. It was a thrill to it all, learning about their child as the days passed. "It's almost time and I don't think that I should... I can barely keep up with you now and the day is nearly here."
"There's a town up the road, we can be there in a few hours. You can give birth in a quiet Inn; I'll keep you safe and comfortable."
"You can't stop searching for the stone." Her body ached in ways she didn't think was possible. Every time she moved, she was hit with a piercing pain that flowed through her and it was becoming almost impossible to hide it from him.
Grabbing her hands, he smiled. "This is too important for any of us to miss. Kahlan, you're going to give birth to our child. I'm not going to leave you somewhere to do it alone."
"I won't be alone. There will be someone there who will look out for me."
"Not like I can. Kahlan, I'm not going to leave you. The stone can wait a few days for me to be there with the woman I love while she gives birth to my child."
She wanted to tell him that the world couldn't wait, that he had wasted enough time when he came for her, but she couldn't. Through these past eight months, if he hadn't been with her, she doubted that she would still be alive. As the child grew within her, she had never seen him so happy and it brought out the happiness that seemed to get buried inside of her. She didn't want to take it away from him. "All right." From the look on his face, she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "We should get moving."
"Are you sure you are ready? You haven't rested for very long. I know that you've been in pain." There it was. He knew the entire time that she had been in pain; it was why he suggested the break. It hadn't been because he wanted to gather something to eat.
Forcing a smile, she nodded and began to walk away slowly. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Kahlan, you can barely stand and you're trying to walk." He walked closely behind her, ready to catch her when she was unable to pretend any longer. "Please, just sit down for a few minutes."
Turning around to face him, she frowned. "If I sit down, I won't be able to get up again."
Closing the small distance between them, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and urged her toward the blanket he had laid out on the ground a few minutes before. "I'll help you."
"Richard please, let's keep going. We can make it there in a few hours."
"Five minutes?" She froze, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop as well. "What's wrong?"
"I don't think I have five minutes. I think- Richard, she's coming."
Within moments, he was calling for the wizard as she doubled over in pain. He leaned her back against his chest as Cara and Zedd came from the trees. Cara dropped the rabbits she had caught and rushed over, concerned. "Can you carry her? We should get her into town."
"We don't have time." Kahlan said. Her teeth gritted together as she tightened her hold on Richard's hand.
Kneeling at her feet, Zedd looked at the Mord'Sith, who stared at him blankly. "If we move her, it may bring harm to the child. There's a small creek through there, get us some water please." She rushed off through the trees, seeming to be glad to leave. "How long have you been feeling this?"
"A few hours."
"Why didn't you say something?" he asked her with a heavy sigh.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she took in a deep breath and released it slowly; trying to once again, mask her pain. "I didn't want to slow everyone down any more than I already have."
Wrapping an arm around her, Richard pulled her closer to him and pushed the side of his face against her head, trying to comfort her. "You didn't slow us down." Her response was drowned out by her cry of pain, mixed with a small grunt from him as she squeezed his hand. "Zedd, how long?"
The wizard nearly laughed at his question. "There is no way to know. It's all up to Kahlan and the child."
Once Cara had returned, she stayed beside Zedd, waiting for him to ask her to do something. The sun grew warmer as Kahlan's cries grew louder and more persistent. Richard could hear his heart pounding in his ears with each passing moment as time began to slow. The thought of meeting their daughter was filling him with excitement. He leaned around her, hoping for a glimpse of their child as a smile came to his grandfather's lips.
"Just a few more, Kahlan. She's almost here." Zedd tried to keep his voice calm, but each one of them could hear the excitement; the joy in the wizard's voice.
Nearly half an hour later, the sound of a baby's cry echoed through the trees. Kahlan cried out in triumph and relief as the wizard gently wrapped his granddaughter in a warm blanket. The smile on Richard's face was seen from miles away, spreading from ear to ear and showing nearly all of his teeth. Tears filled her eyes as she took her daughter into her arms and nestle her against her chest. Madison stared up at her, eyes wide for a few moments, knowing it was her mother who stared lovingly back at her. She had dark hair, thick, like her mother's surprising them all by the amount that covered her small head. She could hardly believe that their daughter was there; that she even existed at all. The one thing she had come to want more than anything was laying in her arms.
Turning her head toward Richard, Kahlan lifted her arms. "Do you want to hold her?"
"Are you sure? You haven't held her for very long."
Her smile widened, "I've held her for months."
Cara leaned forward, watching as Richard took his daughter into his arms. She had never seen him so happy and as she watched him pull his daughter close, she realized that this was all he would ever need. She stood up as Zedd walked away, giving the new parents a moment alone while he set up their camp. Starting a fire, the Mord'Sith looked back to them, both cooing over their daughter quietly as though nothing or no one else existed.
Opening her eyes, she squinted against the rising sun and smiled. Richard was holding their daughter as he did a slight dance to keep her quiet as he let her sleep. She watched them for a few moments, closing her eyes each time he looked over to her. It wasn't long until she was able to hear him talking, softly telling their daughter that she was beautiful and that she would have anything that she could ever want. He seemed so happy; she didn't want to look away. Sitting up, Kahlan leaned back against a tree, making sure that the blankets were wrapped tightly around her. Her movement caught his attention as he turned around with an embarrassed smile.
"You're mother is awake," he whispered to the small baby in his arms, hoping that Kahlan wouldn't mention what she had seen him doing. Moving quickly, Richard sat down beside her, laying their daughter carefully into her arms. "Kahlan, I've wanted to talk to you about something. Before everything that happened, when you saved me in the forest. You were lying on top of me and you released your magic." He spoke faster than he intended, but he didn't want to give her a chance to stop him.
She looked at him, her heart holding still as she replayed the moment in her mind. She tried to hold it in, to keep from destroying the one person she cared about, but it had been too strong. "I- I didn't want to. I tried to stop it, I- I, but when I saw you- I saw you after and you- You weren't confessed."
"I know, but you... Kahlan, you released your magic into me. I felt it."
"Maybe she protected you, like she did with her other magic. She knew you were there and-"
Shaking his head he smiled, "Kahlan, I don't think that she did. I felt it enter me. I felt it run through my veins, I still feel it."
"Then how are you- How can you be you?"
"I don't know. I thought that maybe you would know. Did it feel any different?"
She looked away, focusing her attention on their daughter for a moment. "Yes. I'd never felt anything like it before. It was almost as though..." She bought her eyes to his, needing to see his reaction when she told him, needing to know the truth. "It was almost as though you called it into you." He stared at her. He felt naked before her, knowing that it was the truth. She knew that he wanted her magic to flow through him and in that moment in the forest, he prayed for her let it go. He wanted to be hers and hers alone. Forever. "Why?"
He licked his lips quickly and looked away, watching as a set of brown leaves blew past their legs. "At first I thought it would keep you with me, but then, just as you landed on top of me, I- I just wanted you to help me to love you more. I thought that if I could love you more then maybe one day it would be enough for me to ask you to love me back."
"I do love you, Richard."
"I know, but... After I read your letter, after learning that you had left me, I- I was so afraid that if I didn't get you back, by the time I found the stone and returned to you, you wouldn't feel the same way about me. Then when your magic was released, I knew that you would always love me. I could feel it."
She looked down to their child, resting soundly in her arms for a moment and then back to him. "What does this mean?"
He grinned widely. He grinned like he had when they made love, it comforted her. "It means that we can have more children, that is, if you want them."
She stared at him a few moments, waiting to wake up, to find fault with his answer, but neither came. "What if you're wrong?"
"Then I will be confessed and still spend the rest of my life loving you, but I'm not wrong," he stated with a smile. "If you wanted, we could give Madison several sisters."
Kahlan leaned up and kissed him, suddenly wishing that she wasn't holding their daughter and was able to touch him. She needed to touch him. He must have heard her thoughts, because he moved around her, never breaking their kiss as he sat on his knees above hers. He had her face in his hands in seconds, making her for a brief moment forget her own name as he leaned into her. The sudden movement of Madison between caused them to pull apart, both looking to see if they had woken her before letting out a light laugh. Sitting down once again, Richard wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him, hoping to keep them all warm as he pulled up the blankets.
"It's about time." Both turned to look at her as Cara sat up on her bedroll. "I'll get more wood."
Zedd, already sitting up, beamed at the couple across the dying flicker of the fire. "I was beginning to wonder if you two would figure it out. Now, you can both have the life you've wanted with each other."
Surprised, Kahlan leaned forward slightly, meeting her friend's eyes. "Are you saying that it's true? That Richard and I can be together?"
"Yes. Your love for each other is stronger than anything I have ever seen before. It is more powerful than your magic and because he was willing to be yours, even confessed, your magic found nothing to take from him."
She wanted to kiss him again, to tell him how much she loved him, but now that she knew Zedd and Cara were awake, she couldn't do it. "Did you know that it was possible?"
The wizard laughed, "I'm a wizard of the First Order, of course I knew," he said, pretending to be offended by her question. Noticing the look on both of their faces, he smiled and stood. "I believe I hear Cara calling for my help. Here," he reached down and took Madison from her mother's arms. "I'll take my granddaughter for a walk."
Watching Zedd enter the trees with Madison, Kahlan leaned even closer to Richard. "We have a daughter."
"I can barely believe it either. Even as I held her in my arms, I kept expecting to wake up from a dream."
Laughing, she turned herself into him. "I gave birth to her and I keep expecting to wake up. She doesn't seem real."
Resting his chin on the top of her head, Richard sighed. "I've wanted her for so long and I always thought that someday we would find a way, but... Kahlan, we have a daughter and it's not someday, it's now."
Bringing her hand up to his chest, she ran one of her fingers along the skin in the small opening of his shirt. "I didn't think that it was possible." She wished that she hadn't given birth the day before; she wanted to be with him, to make love until they could no longer move, but she couldn't. Not yet, but she couldn't wait for the moment she could.
******THE END******
Chapter: 5 (Complete)
Rating: NC17/R
Pairing: Richard/Kahlan
Summary: In a short unplanned time of play, Richard and Kahlan lose themselves in a moment of passion that leads to horrific consequences that could destroy one or both of them.
Word Count: 1,900
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!
Author's Note: So I wrote this while I was in the hospital. So it is a bit uhh.. Well, let's just say that it may have it's moments of craziness, but I hope that you all still enjoy! [All mistakes are mine.. Oops =P]
Comments are awesome folks
"If I get any larger, I won't fit through the trees," Kahlan said frustrated. She had wanted to go back to Aydindril, but the compass lead them farther away each day and Richard refused to let her out of his sight. The only time she hadn't felt useless or a burden was when they were fighting. She had somehow been able to use Madison's powers as though they were her own. It was a thrill to it all, learning about their child as the days passed. "It's almost time and I don't think that I should... I can barely keep up with you now and the day is nearly here."
"There's a town up the road, we can be there in a few hours. You can give birth in a quiet Inn; I'll keep you safe and comfortable."
"You can't stop searching for the stone." Her body ached in ways she didn't think was possible. Every time she moved, she was hit with a piercing pain that flowed through her and it was becoming almost impossible to hide it from him.
Grabbing her hands, he smiled. "This is too important for any of us to miss. Kahlan, you're going to give birth to our child. I'm not going to leave you somewhere to do it alone."
"I won't be alone. There will be someone there who will look out for me."
"Not like I can. Kahlan, I'm not going to leave you. The stone can wait a few days for me to be there with the woman I love while she gives birth to my child."
She wanted to tell him that the world couldn't wait, that he had wasted enough time when he came for her, but she couldn't. Through these past eight months, if he hadn't been with her, she doubted that she would still be alive. As the child grew within her, she had never seen him so happy and it brought out the happiness that seemed to get buried inside of her. She didn't want to take it away from him. "All right." From the look on his face, she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "We should get moving."
"Are you sure you are ready? You haven't rested for very long. I know that you've been in pain." There it was. He knew the entire time that she had been in pain; it was why he suggested the break. It hadn't been because he wanted to gather something to eat.
Forcing a smile, she nodded and began to walk away slowly. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Kahlan, you can barely stand and you're trying to walk." He walked closely behind her, ready to catch her when she was unable to pretend any longer. "Please, just sit down for a few minutes."
Turning around to face him, she frowned. "If I sit down, I won't be able to get up again."
Closing the small distance between them, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and urged her toward the blanket he had laid out on the ground a few minutes before. "I'll help you."
"Richard please, let's keep going. We can make it there in a few hours."
"Five minutes?" She froze, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop as well. "What's wrong?"
"I don't think I have five minutes. I think- Richard, she's coming."
Within moments, he was calling for the wizard as she doubled over in pain. He leaned her back against his chest as Cara and Zedd came from the trees. Cara dropped the rabbits she had caught and rushed over, concerned. "Can you carry her? We should get her into town."
"We don't have time." Kahlan said. Her teeth gritted together as she tightened her hold on Richard's hand.
Kneeling at her feet, Zedd looked at the Mord'Sith, who stared at him blankly. "If we move her, it may bring harm to the child. There's a small creek through there, get us some water please." She rushed off through the trees, seeming to be glad to leave. "How long have you been feeling this?"
"A few hours."
"Why didn't you say something?" he asked her with a heavy sigh.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she took in a deep breath and released it slowly; trying to once again, mask her pain. "I didn't want to slow everyone down any more than I already have."
Wrapping an arm around her, Richard pulled her closer to him and pushed the side of his face against her head, trying to comfort her. "You didn't slow us down." Her response was drowned out by her cry of pain, mixed with a small grunt from him as she squeezed his hand. "Zedd, how long?"
The wizard nearly laughed at his question. "There is no way to know. It's all up to Kahlan and the child."
Once Cara had returned, she stayed beside Zedd, waiting for him to ask her to do something. The sun grew warmer as Kahlan's cries grew louder and more persistent. Richard could hear his heart pounding in his ears with each passing moment as time began to slow. The thought of meeting their daughter was filling him with excitement. He leaned around her, hoping for a glimpse of their child as a smile came to his grandfather's lips.
"Just a few more, Kahlan. She's almost here." Zedd tried to keep his voice calm, but each one of them could hear the excitement; the joy in the wizard's voice.
Nearly half an hour later, the sound of a baby's cry echoed through the trees. Kahlan cried out in triumph and relief as the wizard gently wrapped his granddaughter in a warm blanket. The smile on Richard's face was seen from miles away, spreading from ear to ear and showing nearly all of his teeth. Tears filled her eyes as she took her daughter into her arms and nestle her against her chest. Madison stared up at her, eyes wide for a few moments, knowing it was her mother who stared lovingly back at her. She had dark hair, thick, like her mother's surprising them all by the amount that covered her small head. She could hardly believe that their daughter was there; that she even existed at all. The one thing she had come to want more than anything was laying in her arms.
Turning her head toward Richard, Kahlan lifted her arms. "Do you want to hold her?"
"Are you sure? You haven't held her for very long."
Her smile widened, "I've held her for months."
Cara leaned forward, watching as Richard took his daughter into his arms. She had never seen him so happy and as she watched him pull his daughter close, she realized that this was all he would ever need. She stood up as Zedd walked away, giving the new parents a moment alone while he set up their camp. Starting a fire, the Mord'Sith looked back to them, both cooing over their daughter quietly as though nothing or no one else existed.
Opening her eyes, she squinted against the rising sun and smiled. Richard was holding their daughter as he did a slight dance to keep her quiet as he let her sleep. She watched them for a few moments, closing her eyes each time he looked over to her. It wasn't long until she was able to hear him talking, softly telling their daughter that she was beautiful and that she would have anything that she could ever want. He seemed so happy; she didn't want to look away. Sitting up, Kahlan leaned back against a tree, making sure that the blankets were wrapped tightly around her. Her movement caught his attention as he turned around with an embarrassed smile.
"You're mother is awake," he whispered to the small baby in his arms, hoping that Kahlan wouldn't mention what she had seen him doing. Moving quickly, Richard sat down beside her, laying their daughter carefully into her arms. "Kahlan, I've wanted to talk to you about something. Before everything that happened, when you saved me in the forest. You were lying on top of me and you released your magic." He spoke faster than he intended, but he didn't want to give her a chance to stop him.
She looked at him, her heart holding still as she replayed the moment in her mind. She tried to hold it in, to keep from destroying the one person she cared about, but it had been too strong. "I- I didn't want to. I tried to stop it, I- I, but when I saw you- I saw you after and you- You weren't confessed."
"I know, but you... Kahlan, you released your magic into me. I felt it."
"Maybe she protected you, like she did with her other magic. She knew you were there and-"
Shaking his head he smiled, "Kahlan, I don't think that she did. I felt it enter me. I felt it run through my veins, I still feel it."
"Then how are you- How can you be you?"
"I don't know. I thought that maybe you would know. Did it feel any different?"
She looked away, focusing her attention on their daughter for a moment. "Yes. I'd never felt anything like it before. It was almost as though..." She bought her eyes to his, needing to see his reaction when she told him, needing to know the truth. "It was almost as though you called it into you." He stared at her. He felt naked before her, knowing that it was the truth. She knew that he wanted her magic to flow through him and in that moment in the forest, he prayed for her let it go. He wanted to be hers and hers alone. Forever. "Why?"
He licked his lips quickly and looked away, watching as a set of brown leaves blew past their legs. "At first I thought it would keep you with me, but then, just as you landed on top of me, I- I just wanted you to help me to love you more. I thought that if I could love you more then maybe one day it would be enough for me to ask you to love me back."
"I do love you, Richard."
"I know, but... After I read your letter, after learning that you had left me, I- I was so afraid that if I didn't get you back, by the time I found the stone and returned to you, you wouldn't feel the same way about me. Then when your magic was released, I knew that you would always love me. I could feel it."
She looked down to their child, resting soundly in her arms for a moment and then back to him. "What does this mean?"
He grinned widely. He grinned like he had when they made love, it comforted her. "It means that we can have more children, that is, if you want them."
She stared at him a few moments, waiting to wake up, to find fault with his answer, but neither came. "What if you're wrong?"
"Then I will be confessed and still spend the rest of my life loving you, but I'm not wrong," he stated with a smile. "If you wanted, we could give Madison several sisters."
Kahlan leaned up and kissed him, suddenly wishing that she wasn't holding their daughter and was able to touch him. She needed to touch him. He must have heard her thoughts, because he moved around her, never breaking their kiss as he sat on his knees above hers. He had her face in his hands in seconds, making her for a brief moment forget her own name as he leaned into her. The sudden movement of Madison between caused them to pull apart, both looking to see if they had woken her before letting out a light laugh. Sitting down once again, Richard wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him, hoping to keep them all warm as he pulled up the blankets.
"It's about time." Both turned to look at her as Cara sat up on her bedroll. "I'll get more wood."
Zedd, already sitting up, beamed at the couple across the dying flicker of the fire. "I was beginning to wonder if you two would figure it out. Now, you can both have the life you've wanted with each other."
Surprised, Kahlan leaned forward slightly, meeting her friend's eyes. "Are you saying that it's true? That Richard and I can be together?"
"Yes. Your love for each other is stronger than anything I have ever seen before. It is more powerful than your magic and because he was willing to be yours, even confessed, your magic found nothing to take from him."
She wanted to kiss him again, to tell him how much she loved him, but now that she knew Zedd and Cara were awake, she couldn't do it. "Did you know that it was possible?"
The wizard laughed, "I'm a wizard of the First Order, of course I knew," he said, pretending to be offended by her question. Noticing the look on both of their faces, he smiled and stood. "I believe I hear Cara calling for my help. Here," he reached down and took Madison from her mother's arms. "I'll take my granddaughter for a walk."
Watching Zedd enter the trees with Madison, Kahlan leaned even closer to Richard. "We have a daughter."
"I can barely believe it either. Even as I held her in my arms, I kept expecting to wake up from a dream."
Laughing, she turned herself into him. "I gave birth to her and I keep expecting to wake up. She doesn't seem real."
Resting his chin on the top of her head, Richard sighed. "I've wanted her for so long and I always thought that someday we would find a way, but... Kahlan, we have a daughter and it's not someday, it's now."
Bringing her hand up to his chest, she ran one of her fingers along the skin in the small opening of his shirt. "I didn't think that it was possible." She wished that she hadn't given birth the day before; she wanted to be with him, to make love until they could no longer move, but she couldn't. Not yet, but she couldn't wait for the moment she could.
******THE END******