The Guardian, Chp 2
Title: The Guardian
Author: JlynCSS
Pairings: Richard/Kahlan
Rating: R
Chapter 2
Glistening with sweat, Kahlan panted, "Now, Richard. Please."
He, too, was slick with sweat, breathing heavily. "Kahlan, are you sure this is okay?"
"No, but we can't stop now."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm a big girl, I can handle it" she breathed heavily, giving him a small smile.
He agreed with a grunt and gritted his teeth, "Okay..."
Nervously, he gave a solid thrust, more forceful than he intended. Kahlan cried out in pain.
The arrow lodged in her thigh exited cleanly through her leg. It was the only way to get it out. The barbs on the head required Richard push it all the way through rather than pull it back out. He'd broken off the fletching before using a rock to thrust it the rest of the way through her leg.
"Okay, it's through, it's out now." He held onto her legs as she lay on the ground, arched in pain.
Kahlan panted, trying to breathe through the intense throbbing. "Thank you."
He smiled. "That's the first time anyone's thanked me for helping to rip a whole through their leg."
She shrugged her eyes, "it needed to be done."
The attack had come just after she'd pulled away from his kiss. As she stood on the path still trembling from his touch, an arrow slammed into her. It had come from a nearby pine. Richard deftly guided Kahlan to the ground before making his way to the assailant, slicing him through with his sword just as the man was about to release another arrow. Blood spilled from his mouth as he fell to his knees. Richard grabbed him by the collar, yanking his face close to his "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
The man choked on his blood and fell dead in Richard's grasp. Shoving his body to the ground, Richard noticed the small insignia on the man's tunic: a black circle with a golden arrow through its center. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Back at Kahlan's side, Richard ripped open her legging, pulling the fabric aside to get more easily at the wound. "It doesn't look too bad. It's clean through. There's no pieces left inside." He tore off a strip of his shirt to use as a bandage.
Kahlan's breathing calmed as he tended to her. She was grateful to have him by her side, especially at a moment like this. She lay back, looking up at the sky, trying to relax and stay calm.
She could feel Richard's warm fingers brushing against her as he cleaned her wound, firmly holding her as he wrapped the strip of cloth around her leg. She was beginning to forget she'd even been hit with an arrow. Her heavy pant was starting to return. All she could think of was his firm hands against her skin. When he released her thigh to tear another piece of his shit Kahlan sat up quickly. "That's okay. I can do it."
"Don't be silly. You're hurt. Lay back down, I'm almost done."
"No, Richard. I'll do the rest." She tried to insist but he wouldn't hear of it. He gently pushed her shoulders until she lay back again.
"I'll be done in a minute."
Kahlan bit her lip, trying to take her mind away from his hands.
Finally, he finished wrapping her wound. "There. That should do. Are you okay? Are you in pain?"
Though her leg throbbed, she felt more the loss of his warmth against her. She turned her head so he couldn't see the flushness of her face. "I'll be fine."
He helped her to stand and she tested her leg. "Can you walk? We should get back to the others."
She nodded she could. It was sore but she could manage it.
---
Back at camp, Richard made sure Kahlan was comfortable near the fire. Zedd had given her some tea that would make her sleep through to morning. Cara was tending to the horses and keeping an eye on Flynn as he gathered firewood.
"Richard." Zedd's tone was somber. That insignia you describe is the emblem of a Foy: An elite archer sent from the Confessor's Palace with only one purpose: to compel those wounded by the arrows to return to the palace."
Richard didn't understand. "How does shooting someone with an arrow force them to return to Aydindril?"
"The arrows they carry are spelled with magic created by the wizards of Aydindril thousand's of years ago. The magic of the arrows is poison…and the only cure is in the waters of the Fountain of Spirits found at the Confessor's Palace."
Richard felt as if the earth rolled under his feet. Poison. Now he understood. "So if they didn't return, they couldn't be cured? They would die?"
Zedd nodded, feeling a pang of guilt at knowing it was the wizards who created this magic. "It was a way of ensuring rogue leaders who ignored the Council of Confessors returned to Aydindril to face justice."
Richard looked hopeful. "Do you have any of this water with you, in case of something like this?"
Zedd shook his head. "The wizards wanted to make sure the person returned to Aydindril. It's healing powers last outside the fountain but a few moments."
Richard rubbed his temples between his fingers. They were fighting an even bigger evil than Rahl…fighting the dead come back to life, trying to prevent the very Keeper of the Underworld from escaping. And now this. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. He had felt the weight of the world on his shoulders already, but now, with Kahlan's life in jeopardy…fighting the dead seemed easy. He drew a deep breath. "I have to get her there Zedd. How much time does she have?"
"It's hard to say, the magic works differently in different people. The wizards knew some of the leaders could be traveling great distances. For that reason, it's a slow working poison, hopefully allowing them time to reach the fountain, if they made haste. He looked at Richard, his eyes pleading for unnecessary forgiveness: "It was never meant to be used in this manner…against a Confessor…the Mother Confessor!" his last words caught in his throat.
Richard laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know Zedd."
Richard went to where Kahlan slept and knelt down beside to her. Though the evening was warm, she shook with chills. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. She didn't look well. He added his blanket to hers but when she continued to shiver he lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms. Holding her close to him he whispered in her ear, "I won't let anything happen to you Kahlan." She slowly seemed to warm in his embrace and at last became still, sleeping peacefully. With Kahlan in his arms, he too drifted off.
xxx
Author: JlynCSS
Pairings: Richard/Kahlan
Rating: R
Chapter 2
Glistening with sweat, Kahlan panted, "Now, Richard. Please."
He, too, was slick with sweat, breathing heavily. "Kahlan, are you sure this is okay?"
"No, but we can't stop now."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm a big girl, I can handle it" she breathed heavily, giving him a small smile.
He agreed with a grunt and gritted his teeth, "Okay..."
Nervously, he gave a solid thrust, more forceful than he intended. Kahlan cried out in pain.
The arrow lodged in her thigh exited cleanly through her leg. It was the only way to get it out. The barbs on the head required Richard push it all the way through rather than pull it back out. He'd broken off the fletching before using a rock to thrust it the rest of the way through her leg.
"Okay, it's through, it's out now." He held onto her legs as she lay on the ground, arched in pain.
Kahlan panted, trying to breathe through the intense throbbing. "Thank you."
He smiled. "That's the first time anyone's thanked me for helping to rip a whole through their leg."
She shrugged her eyes, "it needed to be done."
The attack had come just after she'd pulled away from his kiss. As she stood on the path still trembling from his touch, an arrow slammed into her. It had come from a nearby pine. Richard deftly guided Kahlan to the ground before making his way to the assailant, slicing him through with his sword just as the man was about to release another arrow. Blood spilled from his mouth as he fell to his knees. Richard grabbed him by the collar, yanking his face close to his "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
The man choked on his blood and fell dead in Richard's grasp. Shoving his body to the ground, Richard noticed the small insignia on the man's tunic: a black circle with a golden arrow through its center. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Back at Kahlan's side, Richard ripped open her legging, pulling the fabric aside to get more easily at the wound. "It doesn't look too bad. It's clean through. There's no pieces left inside." He tore off a strip of his shirt to use as a bandage.
Kahlan's breathing calmed as he tended to her. She was grateful to have him by her side, especially at a moment like this. She lay back, looking up at the sky, trying to relax and stay calm.
She could feel Richard's warm fingers brushing against her as he cleaned her wound, firmly holding her as he wrapped the strip of cloth around her leg. She was beginning to forget she'd even been hit with an arrow. Her heavy pant was starting to return. All she could think of was his firm hands against her skin. When he released her thigh to tear another piece of his shit Kahlan sat up quickly. "That's okay. I can do it."
"Don't be silly. You're hurt. Lay back down, I'm almost done."
"No, Richard. I'll do the rest." She tried to insist but he wouldn't hear of it. He gently pushed her shoulders until she lay back again.
"I'll be done in a minute."
Kahlan bit her lip, trying to take her mind away from his hands.
Finally, he finished wrapping her wound. "There. That should do. Are you okay? Are you in pain?"
Though her leg throbbed, she felt more the loss of his warmth against her. She turned her head so he couldn't see the flushness of her face. "I'll be fine."
He helped her to stand and she tested her leg. "Can you walk? We should get back to the others."
She nodded she could. It was sore but she could manage it.
---
Back at camp, Richard made sure Kahlan was comfortable near the fire. Zedd had given her some tea that would make her sleep through to morning. Cara was tending to the horses and keeping an eye on Flynn as he gathered firewood.
"Richard." Zedd's tone was somber. That insignia you describe is the emblem of a Foy: An elite archer sent from the Confessor's Palace with only one purpose: to compel those wounded by the arrows to return to the palace."
Richard didn't understand. "How does shooting someone with an arrow force them to return to Aydindril?"
"The arrows they carry are spelled with magic created by the wizards of Aydindril thousand's of years ago. The magic of the arrows is poison…and the only cure is in the waters of the Fountain of Spirits found at the Confessor's Palace."
Richard felt as if the earth rolled under his feet. Poison. Now he understood. "So if they didn't return, they couldn't be cured? They would die?"
Zedd nodded, feeling a pang of guilt at knowing it was the wizards who created this magic. "It was a way of ensuring rogue leaders who ignored the Council of Confessors returned to Aydindril to face justice."
Richard looked hopeful. "Do you have any of this water with you, in case of something like this?"
Zedd shook his head. "The wizards wanted to make sure the person returned to Aydindril. It's healing powers last outside the fountain but a few moments."
Richard rubbed his temples between his fingers. They were fighting an even bigger evil than Rahl…fighting the dead come back to life, trying to prevent the very Keeper of the Underworld from escaping. And now this. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. He had felt the weight of the world on his shoulders already, but now, with Kahlan's life in jeopardy…fighting the dead seemed easy. He drew a deep breath. "I have to get her there Zedd. How much time does she have?"
"It's hard to say, the magic works differently in different people. The wizards knew some of the leaders could be traveling great distances. For that reason, it's a slow working poison, hopefully allowing them time to reach the fountain, if they made haste. He looked at Richard, his eyes pleading for unnecessary forgiveness: "It was never meant to be used in this manner…against a Confessor…the Mother Confessor!" his last words caught in his throat.
Richard laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know Zedd."
Richard went to where Kahlan slept and knelt down beside to her. Though the evening was warm, she shook with chills. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. She didn't look well. He added his blanket to hers but when she continued to shiver he lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms. Holding her close to him he whispered in her ear, "I won't let anything happen to you Kahlan." She slowly seemed to warm in his embrace and at last became still, sleeping peacefully. With Kahlan in his arms, he too drifted off.
xxx