Comments | brontefanatic: Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth - Chapter 26

brontefanatic

Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth - Chapter 26 - Choice (Part I)

Jul 10, 2011 13:33

Title: Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth
Pairing: Darken/Kahlan with past references to Darken/Cara and Richard/Kahlan
Length: 6800~
Rating: T
Spoilers: Set in the "Reckoning" AU with facts learned in "Eternity"
Warning: Discussion of character death and suicide

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original character: rachel rahl, character: kahlan amnell, character: richard rahl, pairing: darken/kahlan, pairing: richard/kahlan, rahl family, fanfiction, pairing: darken/cara, episode: reckoning, fic: sharper than a serpent's tooth, character: darken rahl

Comments 7

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brontefanatic July 12 2011, 00:57:03 UTC

TBH This story has been gut-wrenching to write, but I'm glad that it made you feel for all of the characters.

And, yes, there is a little hope.

Thanks for reading and commenting. It means a lot.

meridian_rose July 11 2011, 14:29:30 UTC

I love all the descriptions of the river. I wonder if Ida is a forest spirit or goddess, ageing during the time Rachel speaks with her, as if keeping human form is difficult for her. The white hart, a very powerful symbol; and the choice to help him marking a turning point for Rachel.

I didn't see that coming, that Rachel was dead in the dream. Ida has given her further responsibility rather than respite, her visions showing that only Rachel came prevent the terrible future from coming to pass.

dream Rachel's guiding her now...

Very intense chapter. Very nicely done.

brontefanatic July 12 2011, 01:36:48 UTC

This is Rachel's defining moment, so I wanted to give her a guide, Someone who could show her that there were alternatives and that her life was important for reasons she had never imagined.

There were clues in Rachel's dream that she didn't even want to admit to herself until now.

Thanks for reading!

hrhrionastar July 16 2011, 20:38:20 UTC

What a fascinating twist, to have Rachel meet Ida and save the hart...the horrors that would happen if Rachel committed suicide were very intense.

I like Ida's 'let's be fair to Kahlan' moment - Rachel has tried so hard to be understanding and supportive of both her parents, but of course she'd have a hard time sympathizing with Kahlan...but maybe she can forgive her.

Richard as the heir to Darken - very interesting. And there's still a little hope :D

Rachel is dead in the dream - that definitely explains a lot. Although if Theta's child is a girl, who is the little boy Rachel dreamed walking away from her with Darken?

Ida - what a fascinating character!

On to part 2...

brontefanatic July 17 2011, 00:34:48 UTC

Thanks for reading and welcome back!

Although I struggled with 2 possible endings, I always knew Rachel would die before Richard arrived, that Richard would be the next Lord Rahl and that Theta's child, if it lived, would be a girl. The original ending was even more bleak (>_>) and the more I thought about it, the less I liked it.

Not all of Rachel's dreams were totally accurate, and sometimes (like the one with the little boy) were manifestations of her fears of being rejected by both of her parents.

dorothydeath January 20 2012, 23:08:12 UTC

Oh, Rachel... I want to hug her so much!

A Confessor’s power didn’t come from love, it only called forth a mockery of love.
I always found it pervertedly twisted that such a power was claimed to come from love. Sure love - as any strong emotion - can turn really ugly sometimes. But then it's not love anymore...
Anyway it just wanted to say that it's a great line and it touched me deeply.

Oh, Ida is so magical... She's like a mist... Ethereal. :D

I was supposed to sacrifice myself and father so she could be with the man she loved. Our lives didn’t matter. Her grandchildren’s lives didn’t matter.
Gods, every time I think about it I get so angry at Kahlan for this. And poor Rachel, my heart breaks for her.

Richard! Always Richard!
Gods, that's how I feel too.

Your uncle doesn’t belong in the past. That path is forever closed to him.
"In this life we can't go back. Only forward," Zedd said to Richard in 'Destiny'. Oh, how I wish he hadn't lied then... This! This is how it all should have been!

Regardless of how short it might be. ( ... )

brontefanatic January 21 2012, 18:34:38 UTC

Thanks!

I really struggled with these last two chapters, but then when the resolution came to me, everything sort of clicked into place.

I love Ida, too. She wasn't in my first two drafts, but she insisted on intervening so I had to include her. There will be a little bit more info about her in the notes at the end of the fic.

I really wanted to carve out a story where Richard and Cara could find a place in the future - that perhaps it was even destiny that sent them there.

Thanks for the lovely comments. <3