Woman I'd take into a fight: Kahlan Amnell
OK so I had several choices and I went with my current obsession: Kahlan Amnell, the Mother Confessor, from Legend of the Seeker. I should note my opinion is based solely on the tv series; I have not read the books.
Kahlan is a young woman who is a Confessor. When she touches someone she can use her magic to force the person to obey her every command. She usually does this by grabbing the person by the throat, not exactly a delicate or dainty approach.
(Not the greatest picture of it, but on the show, her blue eyes go black, as do the eyes of the Confessed person. Also there's often some sort of magical wind involved which is particularly effective in sweeping her long dark hair away from her face ;)
The Confessed lose all free will and become a slave, essentially, for the remainder of the life of the Confessor - meaning one touch and the rest of your life is gone until the Confessor dies. This may not sound like much, but imagine an army of women trained to fight and with the power of one touch to take control of their opponents and turn them against each other. Pretty kick ass.
Being a Confessor has all sorts of burdens and complications for Kahlan's personal life, but it also makes her one of the most powerful beings in the Midlands, and the most dangerous. The Mother Confessor rules from Aydindril, and is the ultimate arbiter of truth and justice.
However, even without her powers? She still kicks serious ass. Even though she's primarily there to guide the Seeker of Truth on his quest, she's just as ready to pull her knives from her boots as Richard is to draw the Sword of Truth. Sometimes even more so:
In this scene from "Extinction," the D'Harans have just murdered hundreds, possibly thousands of innocent creatures. The Mother Confessor is not amused. In this battle she's far more brutal than even Cara.
(Cara Mason, btw, is an amalgamated character from the books. Cara is a Mord Sith. Long Story. If I couldn't have Kahlan in a fight, I'd want Cara. Take note of this picture, where Kahlan JUST BROKE HERSELF OUT OF PRISON AND THEN WAS RESCUED BY CARA while the Seeker and the Wizard were having what amounts to a food fight with the Sisters of the Dark. Check out who is standing in front and armed:
When necessary Kahlan can use more than just her own knives or her Confessor powers. She uses whatever is available including bows and arrows, and even sets herself up as Gar bait (think seriously nasty carnivorous gargoyles) at one point. She even wields the Sword of Truth when the occasion calls for it.
Kahlan is powerful even for a Confessor. So powerful she sometimes enters the Con Dar, a hyper enraged state usually brought on when she or someone she loves is threatened. Only the most powerful Confessors can access this state, for good reason. When Kahlan is in the Con Dar, she doesn't even need to touch people to Confess them, just point and shoot, so to speak.
We know she's in the Con Dar when her eyes go blood red. Also, she's usually pretty pissed off. And no, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has made Con Dar/Pon Farr jokes. *ahem*
Kahlan could easily just be arm candy for the Seeker. But their first meeting involves her putting a knife to his throat.
And then there's this:
Richard, to his great credit, accepts Kahlan, powers and all, without question. There is never a suggestion that she can't take care of herself in every way, and it is both expected and normal for her to be side by side with him in the fighting.
How she keeps the white Confessor's dress from being utterly filthy all the time while they're sleeping in the forest is another one of her special powers, apparently.
She's also there to protect him when Richard can't protect himself and needs help.
Or, you know, use him as bait to rescue her baby sister while she dons a Mord Sith leather & corset combo and then beats the shit out of a D'Haran officer.
Richard is not the only one blinded by her awesomeness. Among other things. The lady is fucking hot to boot.
So yes. I'd want Kahlan Amnell with me in a fight.
Kahlan is a young woman who is a Confessor. When she touches someone she can use her magic to force the person to obey her every command. She usually does this by grabbing the person by the throat, not exactly a delicate or dainty approach.
(Not the greatest picture of it, but on the show, her blue eyes go black, as do the eyes of the Confessed person. Also there's often some sort of magical wind involved which is particularly effective in sweeping her long dark hair away from her face ;)
The Confessed lose all free will and become a slave, essentially, for the remainder of the life of the Confessor - meaning one touch and the rest of your life is gone until the Confessor dies. This may not sound like much, but imagine an army of women trained to fight and with the power of one touch to take control of their opponents and turn them against each other. Pretty kick ass.
Being a Confessor has all sorts of burdens and complications for Kahlan's personal life, but it also makes her one of the most powerful beings in the Midlands, and the most dangerous. The Mother Confessor rules from Aydindril, and is the ultimate arbiter of truth and justice.
However, even without her powers? She still kicks serious ass. Even though she's primarily there to guide the Seeker of Truth on his quest, she's just as ready to pull her knives from her boots as Richard is to draw the Sword of Truth. Sometimes even more so:
In this scene from "Extinction," the D'Harans have just murdered hundreds, possibly thousands of innocent creatures. The Mother Confessor is not amused. In this battle she's far more brutal than even Cara.
(Cara Mason, btw, is an amalgamated character from the books. Cara is a Mord Sith. Long Story. If I couldn't have Kahlan in a fight, I'd want Cara. Take note of this picture, where Kahlan JUST BROKE HERSELF OUT OF PRISON AND THEN WAS RESCUED BY CARA while the Seeker and the Wizard were having what amounts to a food fight with the Sisters of the Dark. Check out who is standing in front and armed:
When necessary Kahlan can use more than just her own knives or her Confessor powers. She uses whatever is available including bows and arrows, and even sets herself up as Gar bait (think seriously nasty carnivorous gargoyles) at one point. She even wields the Sword of Truth when the occasion calls for it.
Kahlan is powerful even for a Confessor. So powerful she sometimes enters the Con Dar, a hyper enraged state usually brought on when she or someone she loves is threatened. Only the most powerful Confessors can access this state, for good reason. When Kahlan is in the Con Dar, she doesn't even need to touch people to Confess them, just point and shoot, so to speak.
We know she's in the Con Dar when her eyes go blood red. Also, she's usually pretty pissed off. And no, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has made Con Dar/Pon Farr jokes. *ahem*
Kahlan could easily just be arm candy for the Seeker. But their first meeting involves her putting a knife to his throat.
And then there's this:
Richard, to his great credit, accepts Kahlan, powers and all, without question. There is never a suggestion that she can't take care of herself in every way, and it is both expected and normal for her to be side by side with him in the fighting.
How she keeps the white Confessor's dress from being utterly filthy all the time while they're sleeping in the forest is another one of her special powers, apparently.
She's also there to protect him when Richard can't protect himself and needs help.
Or, you know, use him as bait to rescue her baby sister while she dons a Mord Sith leather & corset combo and then beats the shit out of a D'Haran officer.
Richard is not the only one blinded by her awesomeness. Among other things. The lady is fucking hot to boot.
So yes. I'd want Kahlan Amnell with me in a fight.