Legendland Bingo: Blackout
All 25 Legendland Bingo Prompts below the cut. A mixture of ficlet's and graphics.
EXTRAS.
Prompt: Death Becomes Her
Bingo Fill #1
Title: Forlorn
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci
Word Count: 213
She had never been so bleak when it came to life, at least, she remembers living differently. At the Palace, she had been surrounded by familiarity. She had thought deferring to ones interpretation of the Creator’s will was dull and sorely mocking, and the lack of honesty had been repulsive. It was what had driven her to the dark, to thinking that she could never be more than a servant to the dark lord.
But now, things are different. Before, she had been living a life too luxurious; what right did she have? Given room and board, what made her special? Her mother had told her that she was to give, not take. She was to give to those less fortunate, always. It was a mantra that echoed in her mind ever since she was a child. Certain events only proved her mother’s words to her, and it was the Order that truly turned her. That brought these views and these values to light.
At the whim of the Emperor, Nicci realized just who she was, and thought that this was indeed her place. She was a walking statue, devoid of emotion because even that was a privilege she did not deserve. She was dead inside, and it was frightfully becoming of her.
Prompt: Echoes in the Wind
Bingo Fill #2
Title: Remnants of Battles Past
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Nicci
Word Count: 222
“Do you hear that?” his voice is quiet, haunted almost. Richard knows the eerie voice of the dead, and the echoes are carried upon the wind through the ruined Palace corridor. They howl and they moan, and they’re unsettling.
His blonde companion shifts her dark gaze upon him, black dress flowing in the night as she steps over dirt and stone. “This was one of the last strongholds during the war. The Wizard’s were victorious, but not without consequence.” He knows what she means. Nicci is subtle in her wish to ease his pain. These are his ancestors, and he can feel their breath in the wind, their dying moans taunting him.
This sacrifice was made so that they could live.
Hand curling around the hilt of his blade, he pauses near a spot where the wall has been blown away. It reveals the sky, and the open fields, bathed beneath the stars. The wind still taunts, chilling his skin and he can feel the spirits. They whisper things to him, both encouraging and daunting.
“Richard,” Nicci’s voice is soft, and her hand curls atop his. He remembers when Kahlan had touched him, while his hand had been on the Sword of Truth. It could sense danger. He feels only warmth. Gray eyes lift to meet those oceanic blue. “Let’s move on.”
Prompt: Light and Shadow
Bingo Fill #3
Title: Her Shadow
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Kahlan
Word Count: 262
When Nicci had first seen Kahlan, she had known instantly that that woman was the only woman for Richard. A woman so beautiful, she stunned death itself. A woman so strong willed and courageous, she could only be Richard’s wife. Kahlan was a representation of all that was good, stunning despite her flaws. She recognized every imperfection, owned up to each; of course, Richard loved her.
Nicci had often sat in her room provided by the Lord Rahl, pondering the differences between herself and Kahlan.
The Mother Confessor took love in life. She had blood on her hands, too. These two things would stall anyone, but Nicci knew their depths. Kahlan was dealt a harsh blow in life. Her powers essentially stealing the chances of normality, only Richard could have found a way around them. Only Richard would be brave enough to fall in love with a Confessor.
Kahlan was bold. She was upstanding, she fought for what she believed in. She held no prejudice. She listened. She judged based on circumstance and situation, not stature. She longed for peace, and would sully her hands to protect her people.
Nicci was none of that. She had never fought for what was right in her mind, she had only listened and obeyed orders because she had never believed in the beauty of life. It took Richard for her to even see that it was there.
It took a man to show her free will.
Perhaps this was why Kahlan had Richard and she did not.
Kahlan was the light.
Nicci was her shadow.
Prompt: Kiss with a Fist
Bingo Fill #4
Title: Unable to Requite
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 271
Sometimes, Kahlan frustrates Richard.
She frustrates him, mostly, when she’s trying to avoid the electrical current that flows between them, and even more when she points towards another woman, and tells him that she’s been staring.
He doesn’t understand her, which is half the problem. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t feel so compelled. Maybe if she wasn’t such a mystery to him, he could think clearly.
But neither are the case, and instead he’s left to revel in the times when her heart is worn on her sleeve, and to swallow roughly when that heart is put under intensive guard.
She confuses him, mostly.
Her side long looks that she thinks he doesn’t see are painfully obvious. The way she watches him sleep when she’s on watch is also hard for him to over look.
There are nudges and brushing of fingers, and he might be reading into it. But he knows what he sees when he looks at her and she is looking back. There is longing and desire, and…pain. Sorrow.
She sits curled into his side, now. Her head resting comfortably on his shoulder, his blanket wrapped around hers. She’s awake, and he knows it, but they say nothing - and this is the very thing he’s baffled by. Her body begs to be closer, his wants to be, and yet, “Lisara fancies you,”
His eyes close. “She does?”
And her response is small, she presses into him further, and her voice is shaky. “Yes.”
Her warmth, her jealousy is almost like a kiss. But her words, her vehemence on the matter might as well be a fist.
Prompt: Hold Back Your Tears
Bingo Fill #5
Prompt: Moments of Magic
Bingo Fill #6
Prompt: I Wanna Like You
Bingo Fill #7
Title: Jealousy
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Kahlan
Word Count: 288
She watches the way they are together. Sometimes, she wonders what the Sorceress is up to, if anything, but she knows there has to be something. It’s the way her hand glides across Richard’s shoulders when his eyes are closed and he’s meditating because she says it’s what’s best for him when exercising his han.
It’s the way she looks at him when they’re training; magic to flesh, dacra to sword. When she tests his senses using magical obstacle courses, her voice leading him, and she hovers. It’s their private lessons behind closed doors. Or when the blonde leads him into the forest before dawn, claiming that nature frees his spirit.
Kahlan knows that it does, but the fact that he leaves his warm bed with her for this other woman is infuriating.
She’s jealous.
Nicci smiles brightly around him. She laughs and she touches, and he reciprocates each the way he does normally. With anyone.
There’s nothing special in his reactions. Nothing that would lead Kahlan to believe more. There’s nothing in his eyes when he looks at the Sorceress; nothing but admiration and trust. It’s the look he gives to her, too, but there’s more. Kahlan is open to everything when Richard looks at her. The love that permeates his being steals her breath.
She doesn’t see that in him when he’s with Nicci.
“I want to like you,” she admits one day. Nicci is watching Richard with the children of D’Hara. They’ve managed to drag him into one of their Ja’La Rahl games. She stands beside the blonde, now, who doesn’t peer her way. She says nothing in fact. “Maybe some day, I’ll see what Richard sees in you.” But that day is not today.
Prompt: Love in the Roses
Bingo Fill #8
Title: Rosen Passion
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 272
Kahlan smiled as she plucked a rose from the Palace garden. Her eyes focus on the red, and in her mind, she can picture the day like it were yesterday. A field of red, rose petals scattering in the wind; the sun setting beautifully beyond the crimson valley.
It had smelled beautiful, but it wasn’t the scent that brought the flush to her face. Biting her lip, Kahlan hides her face behind the rose she now holds, bowing her head slightly.
Richard had taken her to that field he’d found while exploring the woods surrounding Aydindril. They had gone for a picnic, but that had quickly escalated to more with the stars as their witness. She remembers his kiss, and how his lips had taken hers with such fervor. She remembers his mouth on her skin, tasting every inch as he pulled at her clothes, ridding them of her form entirely.
She remembers his touch, and how his calloused fingers skated over her flesh. It was a stark contrast to the soft rose petals against her back, and the press of his digits along her thighs. She remembers the warmth, and the passion, and the pleasure as he moved between her legs. And how the soft ground beneath her had never felt so good. Roses had never smelled so sweet.
Twirling the green stem between her fingers, Kahlan glances up to her Seeker, who is looking at her with a puzzled expression that is both patient and curious. She can only smile, leaning in close as she brushes the rose against his cheek.
“Remember that time we made love in the roses?”
Prompt: Lace and Leather
Bingo Fill #9
Title: Patience
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Cara
Word Count: 294
“Will you stop fidgeting?” Cara growled, agitation settling in. Her fingers work deftly, for the most part, with the dark laces of Nicci’s gown, but the blonde’s constant shifting has made it difficult to continue in an orderly fashion.
Nicci hasn’t forgotten how stern Mord’Sith are when it comes to order.
“I told you I didn’t your help, Cara.” Nicci retorts, her head tilting to the side as she peers over her shoulder towards the other blonde. Cara’s clad in her relaxed leathers, a look that suits her. “We can’t all wear skin tight leather and pull it off as easily as you do.” she goes on, but she isn’t insecure. In fact, she’s well aware of her wiles.
Huffing, the Mord’Sith crouches, continuing the long spinal lacing. She pulls tight, purposely jostling the Sorceress who scowls down at her. “You would use magic for so easy a chore? Now I know why he gave you this challenge. I wondered why he asked you not to use magic unless you had no other choice.”
Sucking in a breath, Nicci peers towards the window, but the sight she had been straining to see now is gone. Statue still, Cara finishes in no time, hands on her hips.
“There. This wouldn’t have taken nearly as long if you’d kept still. Maybe Lord Rahl should issue you leathers of your own.” Her gaze is appreciative as she eyes the Sorceress. Nicci regards her with a shake of her head. “What were you trying so hard to see anyway?”
“Nothing,” Nicci gives a subdued smile, “I just wanted to see how long your patience would last. Leather and lace.” Giving the Mord’Sith a pat on the shoulder, Nicci sidesteps her, leaving the blonde to seethe in her wake.
Prompt: Sunsets and Serenades
Bingo Fill #10
Title: Until the End
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 244
He takes her by the hand at sunset, leading her out onto their private terrace. The Azerith Plains are cast in a vibrant glow at this hour, but it isn’t the visual that makes this moment so perfect.
It’s Richard’s body against her, the way he cradles her frame into his. It’s the tilt of his head against hers, how his mouth is close to her ear, and how one hand is tucked in hers and the other is wrapped securely around her. He keeps her close, always close, and the beat of his heart is as warming as the breaths puffing against her ear.
It’s his voice that truly ignites her. Soft, and melodic, she shouldn’t be surprised that the Seeker can sing so beautifully.
“Don’t forget me my love, my love,” and she wonders how she could ever.
“I won’t forget you my love, my love,” and he twirls her, and the sun catches her hair before it lowers beyond the furthest mountain.
“To the end of the world, there and back. Until the end of time, no one can stop me if they tried. The darkest days, the darkest nights. I won’t stop until the day I die. To the end of the world, my love… to the end, of time.” his voice dies off slowly as he cradles her, and her arms curl around his neck. The sway long into the night, his humming lulling her into a peaceful reverie.
Prompt: Dreams and Memories
Bingo Fill #11
Title: Torn Again
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Kahlan, (mentions of Richard)
Word Count: 387
She wakes with a start. Her heart pounding, her breath labored, and her skin covered in a sheen of glistening sweat. There’s a dull ache between her legs, and moving draws a sound from her throat that’s both alien and familiar. Beside her, Richard sleeps. His face is free of worry lines, arm tucked beneath his head for comfort. It’s those handsome features that she sees before her eyes close for the night, and she welcomes slumber.
It’s those features that visit her in her dreams, and they’re so vivid, she can still feel his fingers roving her naked flesh.
The thought stirs the fire in the bit of her stomach, and closing her eyes only brings back that vivid scene. It feels more like a memory than a dream.
And it always begins the same. She lies awake, Cara pacing a few feet off. Richard is asleep next to her, just like now, just like every night - only in her dream, she wakes him. In her dream, her powers are non existent.
She’s always timid, shy and trembling, and she can feel that bashful manner now. If she were to wake him, now, she knows that that is how she would act. But she can’t. Act. She can never act on these urges.
In her dream, she does. She asks him if he wants to, and his only answer is a kiss that steals the breath from her lungs and leaves no room for misunderstanding. Her green blanket - the one she lays upon now - falls to the ground as their mouths ravish the others; and their hands make quick work of clothing.
She wonders how a dream can seem so real, when she’s sure she knows the feel of his body moving over her, in her. She has a vague recollection of the power he would use, the blossoming warmth that spreads throughout her veins when he takes her higher and higher. It’s a dream she never finishes. She suspects that she might not ever. It leads so far before the urges wake her. Before she becomes lost in real and surreal.
It can’t be a memory - so it must be a dream. A dream she never wishes would end, for when it does, she’s left to question the reality of it.
Prompt: Stranded in the Storm
Bingo Fill #12
Prompt: WILD CARD
Bingo Fill #13
Title: With You, Not Without
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 245
“Thinking about your sister?” he asks, the firelight flickering between them. It takes two seconds for him to switch sides, and Kahlan makes room for him on the log beside her.
She looks at him and says nothing, but it’s not because she hadn’t heard him.
“Your sister. You know, Dennee.” he reiterates, and that draws a small smile from her.
“I just… I can’t believe she’s alive. When those D’Haran’s were chasing us, and she was shot with that arrow, I thought I’d lost her forever.” her voice trails, shaky at first. Clearing her throat, her eyes move from him to the fire and back again. She can’t keep the connection with his gaze for long, a flush rising to warm her cheeks, diverting her eyes anywhere but locked with his. “It’s just… Seeing my sister with that baby… It made me want one too. But, I don‘t know if I‘ll ever get that chance.”
Richard is quick to reassure her, a quality she hopes he‘ll never lose. “What are you talking about, of course you will. You’ll make a wonderful Mother someday, Kahlan.”
But, in this moment, Kahlan can think of no good quality for herself as the thoughts that have been invading her mind since she‘d met him flood through her with a vengeance. They‘re relentless and taunting. “I know it may sound awful, and selfish of me, but… I don’t want that life if I can’t have it with you, Richard.”
Prompt: Who’s in Charge Here?
Bingo Fill #14
Prompt: Dying to be Alive
Bingo Fill #15
Title: In Flames
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci
Word Count: 218
The flames engulfed her in such agony, she thought she might lose consciousness. But this was the underworld, there would be no such reprieve. It was the first true instant that she had realized just how much she loved life. The tears that threatened to fall only enticed the Keeper, pronouncing the punishment he gave for her failure and her betrayal.
She had made an oath. She had sworn her strength to him. She had given her beating heart to his cause, and now he held it like a vice; squeezing tightly in an everlasting grip that would last for all eternity.
Nicci felt her knees quiver, her lips trembling, the moan of pain ripping from her throat. This was all Richard’s fault. If he had never shown her what it was like to be free, if she had never met him… This fate would not hurt as badly as it did now.
She wanted to breathe the fresh air of the world of the living. She wanted to explore all that she had only just begun to explore when she’d gotten greedy; high off of her power that no one in the known world could have hoped to match. She wanted to see him again, despite her suffering because of it.
She was dying to be alive.
Prompt: I’ll Always Remember You
Bingo Fill #16
Prompt: Grass is Greener
Bingo Fill #17
Title: Wonder and Sacrifice
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard
Word Count: 218
For so long, Westland was all that he knew. It was his domain, a comfort but Richard had always wondered what had lay beyond the great barrier. He was told many things. That there was nothing further, that the world ended there. But he knew better. He knew better because his father had told him tales of his adventure in a place known as the Midlands.
He had recounted endless things that rose both curiosity and caution. Tales of magic, and of danger. Both were equally as exciting, and they entwined at times. The things his father said should have stayed his interest, but Richard Cypher was a man who lived by experience. His wondrous mind impossible to sate.
When Richard had finally succeeded, coming through to the other side with a beautiful guide, the vibrant colors of the land was indeed brighter. The unknown excited him, he couldn’t wait to explore what he didn’t know. It was a foolish endeavor, now. His once dim horizon coming to brighten considerably.
Through struggle and sacrifice he had learned how to survive in the Midlands. Through war and strife he had procured peace; and finally, the grass was greener, and the skies were brighter. Not just in this land that had been once thought unattainable, but all over the world.
Prompt: Tortured and Broken
Bingo Fill #18
Prompt: Fight or Flight
Bingo Fill #19
Title: To Survive
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard
Word Count: 241
Richard sat atop the hill overlooking the D’Haran encampment. He had stationed them on the war front, weary of waiting for the enemy to bring the stench of blood and death to their door step. He didn’t want to subject his people to that horror, they had already suffered enough. But as he gazed upon the tents and campfires, his own billowing at the bottom of the hill, his eyes carried on over the Azerith Plains and the distant torches burning in the night.
They were outnumbered. Not significantly, which was cause for hope, but still, there was more opposition than there was defense. It spelled ruin for anyone, but the tides of war was not so black and white. It took one man to make the difference, and it was all he could hope for to be enough. Tracing his fingers over the hilt of the Sword of Truth, he wondered if he would be all that was required to lead these men. Kahlan had been left to defend D’Hara, a large portion of their combined armies remaining behind to protect the home front.
He had to fight.
Even when the enemy outnumbered them, there was no choice; they had to attack. To push forward. To live. To survive. And just like that, it was decided for him.
Curling his fingers around the hilt, he let the swords magic flow through him. It was invigorating.
“Blade, be true this day…”
Prompt: Secret Cave
Bingo Fill #20
Prompt: Cocoa Around the Campfire
Bingo Fill #21
Title: Homely Remedies
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 358
“That smells delicious,” Kahlan breathed, taking a seat beside her Seeker on a log in front of the campfire. Her tired eyes glistened from the flickering light. She hadn’t been sleeping as of late. Whether it was due to the never ending search for the Stone of Tears, or the new prophecy that involved her beating heart; Richard couldn’t say for sure. There was a lot on the Mother Confessor’s plate. Plenty to rile her mind, and keep her thoughts tripping over the other.
“It’s cocoa.” he explained, stirring the contents of the pot until the chocolate had completely melted. Picking up two mugs, he carefully tipped the pot and poured some in to both cups. Handing one off to Kahlan, he watched as she cradled it between her palms for warmth. “I thought it might help you sleep.”
“Is this a home remedy?” she questioned, curious. It wasn’t often they were able to speak like this. At least, not at night. Zedd and Cara were both sound asleep on the other side of the fire, giving them an allusion of privacy that they often sought. Kahlan knew it was dangerous, but with their friends presence, she wasn’t so concerned. It enabled her to relax, her heart beat still unsteady with her Seeker so near, but her mind was not clouded by her desires for him.
Nodding, Richard brought the mug of steaming cocoa to his lips, taking a small sip of the hot liquid. “My mother used to say it was a cure for nightmares. But I think it was just to get me to go to sleep.”
Kahlan smiled. She liked it when Richard spoke of his mother. It reminded her of hers and how both she and Richard had been given so short a time with their parents. Taking a sip of the hot cocoa, she reveled in it’s taste and it’s warmth and leaned her head against Richard’s shoulder. “Did it help?”
Glancing down to her, Richard switched his mug to one hand, using the other to reach up and brush her hair behind her ear. He kissed the top of her head, “Always.”
Prompt: Love Me This Way
Bingo Fill #22
Title: Tangled Up
Rating: NC17
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 235
“Richard,” she moaned, her body arching towards his as his lips made their way down the column of her throat. The sheets which clung to her body were mindlessly brushed aside as his hands began to unravel her from the blankets they had tangled themselves in the night before.
Ever since their wedding night, they had locked themselves inside her bed chambers, reluctant to step foot outside of the door lest they be sucked back into the vortex of reality. Kahlan didn’t want to face the world just yet, she wanted to remain oblivious to all. She wanted to stay in the umbrella of her Seeker’s love. Only he could love her this way.
“Richard,” she breathed again, her legs parting as his hand moved from her breast to her stomach, cascading down… down… And, “Oh,” she gasped, thighs quivering as her feet plant themselves upon the bed. His fingers brush over her repeatedly, teasing and pooling warmth between her legs. She can’t help but hook one of her legs around him, using her foot to shove the sheet down and off his body just as his hand removes the last piece concealing her.
His hand stills between her legs and he rises above her, big and powerful, his muscles rippling. It’s a sight that draws more flush from her pale skin. No other could ever love her the way that Richard can love her.
Prompt: Black and White
Bingo Fill #23
Prompt: Two Hearts Entwined
Bingo Fill #24
Prompt: Pain and Pleasure
Bingo Fill #25
Title: Making Due
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Cara
Word Count: 246
“The agiel can be used for more than just pain, you know.” Cara tempts, her eyes watchful and minding her surroundings. The water sloshes behind her, and Richard’s voice echoes with it.
“If you’re in to that sort of thing.” he brushes his hair back, groping for his towel along the rock. His eyes never go to her form, and they don’t have to to know that she isn’t trying to impede on his modesty. She’s his protector, and his word is her law.
“Depending on who has it, and what kind of pleasures are being applied, it can lift the heights of intimacy.” She’s relentless, and it only serves to draw a laugh from him as he dresses in quiet, ever avoiding an answer that would be easy to give. Cara is an attractive woman. If not for his love for Kahlan, and the Mord’Sith’s agiel, he might have considered her constant offers of helping him obtain release.
Not that he needs help, but she seems to think so.
“No offense, but I can’t imagine that ever being the case.”
But she would know. She’s had the agiel for years, and it pains him to think of it that way. To him, finding pleasure amongst the pain is a way to escape the torment of their past. The agiel is something they’ve had to live with, and he knows all too well that in this life, you have to make do with what you have.
EXTRAS.
Prompt: Death Becomes Her
Bingo Fill #1
Title: Forlorn
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci
Word Count: 213
She had never been so bleak when it came to life, at least, she remembers living differently. At the Palace, she had been surrounded by familiarity. She had thought deferring to ones interpretation of the Creator’s will was dull and sorely mocking, and the lack of honesty had been repulsive. It was what had driven her to the dark, to thinking that she could never be more than a servant to the dark lord.
But now, things are different. Before, she had been living a life too luxurious; what right did she have? Given room and board, what made her special? Her mother had told her that she was to give, not take. She was to give to those less fortunate, always. It was a mantra that echoed in her mind ever since she was a child. Certain events only proved her mother’s words to her, and it was the Order that truly turned her. That brought these views and these values to light.
At the whim of the Emperor, Nicci realized just who she was, and thought that this was indeed her place. She was a walking statue, devoid of emotion because even that was a privilege she did not deserve. She was dead inside, and it was frightfully becoming of her.
Prompt: Echoes in the Wind
Bingo Fill #2
Title: Remnants of Battles Past
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Nicci
Word Count: 222
“Do you hear that?” his voice is quiet, haunted almost. Richard knows the eerie voice of the dead, and the echoes are carried upon the wind through the ruined Palace corridor. They howl and they moan, and they’re unsettling.
His blonde companion shifts her dark gaze upon him, black dress flowing in the night as she steps over dirt and stone. “This was one of the last strongholds during the war. The Wizard’s were victorious, but not without consequence.” He knows what she means. Nicci is subtle in her wish to ease his pain. These are his ancestors, and he can feel their breath in the wind, their dying moans taunting him.
This sacrifice was made so that they could live.
Hand curling around the hilt of his blade, he pauses near a spot where the wall has been blown away. It reveals the sky, and the open fields, bathed beneath the stars. The wind still taunts, chilling his skin and he can feel the spirits. They whisper things to him, both encouraging and daunting.
“Richard,” Nicci’s voice is soft, and her hand curls atop his. He remembers when Kahlan had touched him, while his hand had been on the Sword of Truth. It could sense danger. He feels only warmth. Gray eyes lift to meet those oceanic blue. “Let’s move on.”
Prompt: Light and Shadow
Bingo Fill #3
Title: Her Shadow
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Kahlan
Word Count: 262
When Nicci had first seen Kahlan, she had known instantly that that woman was the only woman for Richard. A woman so beautiful, she stunned death itself. A woman so strong willed and courageous, she could only be Richard’s wife. Kahlan was a representation of all that was good, stunning despite her flaws. She recognized every imperfection, owned up to each; of course, Richard loved her.
Nicci had often sat in her room provided by the Lord Rahl, pondering the differences between herself and Kahlan.
The Mother Confessor took love in life. She had blood on her hands, too. These two things would stall anyone, but Nicci knew their depths. Kahlan was dealt a harsh blow in life. Her powers essentially stealing the chances of normality, only Richard could have found a way around them. Only Richard would be brave enough to fall in love with a Confessor.
Kahlan was bold. She was upstanding, she fought for what she believed in. She held no prejudice. She listened. She judged based on circumstance and situation, not stature. She longed for peace, and would sully her hands to protect her people.
Nicci was none of that. She had never fought for what was right in her mind, she had only listened and obeyed orders because she had never believed in the beauty of life. It took Richard for her to even see that it was there.
It took a man to show her free will.
Perhaps this was why Kahlan had Richard and she did not.
Kahlan was the light.
Nicci was her shadow.
Prompt: Kiss with a Fist
Bingo Fill #4
Title: Unable to Requite
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 271
Sometimes, Kahlan frustrates Richard.
She frustrates him, mostly, when she’s trying to avoid the electrical current that flows between them, and even more when she points towards another woman, and tells him that she’s been staring.
He doesn’t understand her, which is half the problem. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t feel so compelled. Maybe if she wasn’t such a mystery to him, he could think clearly.
But neither are the case, and instead he’s left to revel in the times when her heart is worn on her sleeve, and to swallow roughly when that heart is put under intensive guard.
She confuses him, mostly.
Her side long looks that she thinks he doesn’t see are painfully obvious. The way she watches him sleep when she’s on watch is also hard for him to over look.
There are nudges and brushing of fingers, and he might be reading into it. But he knows what he sees when he looks at her and she is looking back. There is longing and desire, and…pain. Sorrow.
She sits curled into his side, now. Her head resting comfortably on his shoulder, his blanket wrapped around hers. She’s awake, and he knows it, but they say nothing - and this is the very thing he’s baffled by. Her body begs to be closer, his wants to be, and yet, “Lisara fancies you,”
His eyes close. “She does?”
And her response is small, she presses into him further, and her voice is shaky. “Yes.”
Her warmth, her jealousy is almost like a kiss. But her words, her vehemence on the matter might as well be a fist.
Prompt: Hold Back Your Tears
Bingo Fill #5
Prompt: Moments of Magic
Bingo Fill #6
Prompt: I Wanna Like You
Bingo Fill #7
Title: Jealousy
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Kahlan
Word Count: 288
She watches the way they are together. Sometimes, she wonders what the Sorceress is up to, if anything, but she knows there has to be something. It’s the way her hand glides across Richard’s shoulders when his eyes are closed and he’s meditating because she says it’s what’s best for him when exercising his han.
It’s the way she looks at him when they’re training; magic to flesh, dacra to sword. When she tests his senses using magical obstacle courses, her voice leading him, and she hovers. It’s their private lessons behind closed doors. Or when the blonde leads him into the forest before dawn, claiming that nature frees his spirit.
Kahlan knows that it does, but the fact that he leaves his warm bed with her for this other woman is infuriating.
She’s jealous.
Nicci smiles brightly around him. She laughs and she touches, and he reciprocates each the way he does normally. With anyone.
There’s nothing special in his reactions. Nothing that would lead Kahlan to believe more. There’s nothing in his eyes when he looks at the Sorceress; nothing but admiration and trust. It’s the look he gives to her, too, but there’s more. Kahlan is open to everything when Richard looks at her. The love that permeates his being steals her breath.
She doesn’t see that in him when he’s with Nicci.
“I want to like you,” she admits one day. Nicci is watching Richard with the children of D’Hara. They’ve managed to drag him into one of their Ja’La Rahl games. She stands beside the blonde, now, who doesn’t peer her way. She says nothing in fact. “Maybe some day, I’ll see what Richard sees in you.” But that day is not today.
Prompt: Love in the Roses
Bingo Fill #8
Title: Rosen Passion
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 272
Kahlan smiled as she plucked a rose from the Palace garden. Her eyes focus on the red, and in her mind, she can picture the day like it were yesterday. A field of red, rose petals scattering in the wind; the sun setting beautifully beyond the crimson valley.
It had smelled beautiful, but it wasn’t the scent that brought the flush to her face. Biting her lip, Kahlan hides her face behind the rose she now holds, bowing her head slightly.
Richard had taken her to that field he’d found while exploring the woods surrounding Aydindril. They had gone for a picnic, but that had quickly escalated to more with the stars as their witness. She remembers his kiss, and how his lips had taken hers with such fervor. She remembers his mouth on her skin, tasting every inch as he pulled at her clothes, ridding them of her form entirely.
She remembers his touch, and how his calloused fingers skated over her flesh. It was a stark contrast to the soft rose petals against her back, and the press of his digits along her thighs. She remembers the warmth, and the passion, and the pleasure as he moved between her legs. And how the soft ground beneath her had never felt so good. Roses had never smelled so sweet.
Twirling the green stem between her fingers, Kahlan glances up to her Seeker, who is looking at her with a puzzled expression that is both patient and curious. She can only smile, leaning in close as she brushes the rose against his cheek.
“Remember that time we made love in the roses?”
Prompt: Lace and Leather
Bingo Fill #9
Title: Patience
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci, Cara
Word Count: 294
“Will you stop fidgeting?” Cara growled, agitation settling in. Her fingers work deftly, for the most part, with the dark laces of Nicci’s gown, but the blonde’s constant shifting has made it difficult to continue in an orderly fashion.
Nicci hasn’t forgotten how stern Mord’Sith are when it comes to order.
“I told you I didn’t your help, Cara.” Nicci retorts, her head tilting to the side as she peers over her shoulder towards the other blonde. Cara’s clad in her relaxed leathers, a look that suits her. “We can’t all wear skin tight leather and pull it off as easily as you do.” she goes on, but she isn’t insecure. In fact, she’s well aware of her wiles.
Huffing, the Mord’Sith crouches, continuing the long spinal lacing. She pulls tight, purposely jostling the Sorceress who scowls down at her. “You would use magic for so easy a chore? Now I know why he gave you this challenge. I wondered why he asked you not to use magic unless you had no other choice.”
Sucking in a breath, Nicci peers towards the window, but the sight she had been straining to see now is gone. Statue still, Cara finishes in no time, hands on her hips.
“There. This wouldn’t have taken nearly as long if you’d kept still. Maybe Lord Rahl should issue you leathers of your own.” Her gaze is appreciative as she eyes the Sorceress. Nicci regards her with a shake of her head. “What were you trying so hard to see anyway?”
“Nothing,” Nicci gives a subdued smile, “I just wanted to see how long your patience would last. Leather and lace.” Giving the Mord’Sith a pat on the shoulder, Nicci sidesteps her, leaving the blonde to seethe in her wake.
Prompt: Sunsets and Serenades
Bingo Fill #10
Title: Until the End
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 244
He takes her by the hand at sunset, leading her out onto their private terrace. The Azerith Plains are cast in a vibrant glow at this hour, but it isn’t the visual that makes this moment so perfect.
It’s Richard’s body against her, the way he cradles her frame into his. It’s the tilt of his head against hers, how his mouth is close to her ear, and how one hand is tucked in hers and the other is wrapped securely around her. He keeps her close, always close, and the beat of his heart is as warming as the breaths puffing against her ear.
It’s his voice that truly ignites her. Soft, and melodic, she shouldn’t be surprised that the Seeker can sing so beautifully.
“Don’t forget me my love, my love,” and she wonders how she could ever.
“I won’t forget you my love, my love,” and he twirls her, and the sun catches her hair before it lowers beyond the furthest mountain.
“To the end of the world, there and back. Until the end of time, no one can stop me if they tried. The darkest days, the darkest nights. I won’t stop until the day I die. To the end of the world, my love… to the end, of time.” his voice dies off slowly as he cradles her, and her arms curl around his neck. The sway long into the night, his humming lulling her into a peaceful reverie.
Prompt: Dreams and Memories
Bingo Fill #11
Title: Torn Again
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Kahlan, (mentions of Richard)
Word Count: 387
She wakes with a start. Her heart pounding, her breath labored, and her skin covered in a sheen of glistening sweat. There’s a dull ache between her legs, and moving draws a sound from her throat that’s both alien and familiar. Beside her, Richard sleeps. His face is free of worry lines, arm tucked beneath his head for comfort. It’s those handsome features that she sees before her eyes close for the night, and she welcomes slumber.
It’s those features that visit her in her dreams, and they’re so vivid, she can still feel his fingers roving her naked flesh.
The thought stirs the fire in the bit of her stomach, and closing her eyes only brings back that vivid scene. It feels more like a memory than a dream.
And it always begins the same. She lies awake, Cara pacing a few feet off. Richard is asleep next to her, just like now, just like every night - only in her dream, she wakes him. In her dream, her powers are non existent.
She’s always timid, shy and trembling, and she can feel that bashful manner now. If she were to wake him, now, she knows that that is how she would act. But she can’t. Act. She can never act on these urges.
In her dream, she does. She asks him if he wants to, and his only answer is a kiss that steals the breath from her lungs and leaves no room for misunderstanding. Her green blanket - the one she lays upon now - falls to the ground as their mouths ravish the others; and their hands make quick work of clothing.
She wonders how a dream can seem so real, when she’s sure she knows the feel of his body moving over her, in her. She has a vague recollection of the power he would use, the blossoming warmth that spreads throughout her veins when he takes her higher and higher. It’s a dream she never finishes. She suspects that she might not ever. It leads so far before the urges wake her. Before she becomes lost in real and surreal.
It can’t be a memory - so it must be a dream. A dream she never wishes would end, for when it does, she’s left to question the reality of it.
Prompt: Stranded in the Storm
Bingo Fill #12
Prompt: WILD CARD
Bingo Fill #13
Title: With You, Not Without
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 245
“Thinking about your sister?” he asks, the firelight flickering between them. It takes two seconds for him to switch sides, and Kahlan makes room for him on the log beside her.
She looks at him and says nothing, but it’s not because she hadn’t heard him.
“Your sister. You know, Dennee.” he reiterates, and that draws a small smile from her.
“I just… I can’t believe she’s alive. When those D’Haran’s were chasing us, and she was shot with that arrow, I thought I’d lost her forever.” her voice trails, shaky at first. Clearing her throat, her eyes move from him to the fire and back again. She can’t keep the connection with his gaze for long, a flush rising to warm her cheeks, diverting her eyes anywhere but locked with his. “It’s just… Seeing my sister with that baby… It made me want one too. But, I don‘t know if I‘ll ever get that chance.”
Richard is quick to reassure her, a quality she hopes he‘ll never lose. “What are you talking about, of course you will. You’ll make a wonderful Mother someday, Kahlan.”
But, in this moment, Kahlan can think of no good quality for herself as the thoughts that have been invading her mind since she‘d met him flood through her with a vengeance. They‘re relentless and taunting. “I know it may sound awful, and selfish of me, but… I don’t want that life if I can’t have it with you, Richard.”
Prompt: Who’s in Charge Here?
Bingo Fill #14
Prompt: Dying to be Alive
Bingo Fill #15
Title: In Flames
Rating: PG
Characters: Nicci
Word Count: 218
The flames engulfed her in such agony, she thought she might lose consciousness. But this was the underworld, there would be no such reprieve. It was the first true instant that she had realized just how much she loved life. The tears that threatened to fall only enticed the Keeper, pronouncing the punishment he gave for her failure and her betrayal.
She had made an oath. She had sworn her strength to him. She had given her beating heart to his cause, and now he held it like a vice; squeezing tightly in an everlasting grip that would last for all eternity.
Nicci felt her knees quiver, her lips trembling, the moan of pain ripping from her throat. This was all Richard’s fault. If he had never shown her what it was like to be free, if she had never met him… This fate would not hurt as badly as it did now.
She wanted to breathe the fresh air of the world of the living. She wanted to explore all that she had only just begun to explore when she’d gotten greedy; high off of her power that no one in the known world could have hoped to match. She wanted to see him again, despite her suffering because of it.
She was dying to be alive.
Prompt: I’ll Always Remember You
Bingo Fill #16
Prompt: Grass is Greener
Bingo Fill #17
Title: Wonder and Sacrifice
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard
Word Count: 218
For so long, Westland was all that he knew. It was his domain, a comfort but Richard had always wondered what had lay beyond the great barrier. He was told many things. That there was nothing further, that the world ended there. But he knew better. He knew better because his father had told him tales of his adventure in a place known as the Midlands.
He had recounted endless things that rose both curiosity and caution. Tales of magic, and of danger. Both were equally as exciting, and they entwined at times. The things his father said should have stayed his interest, but Richard Cypher was a man who lived by experience. His wondrous mind impossible to sate.
When Richard had finally succeeded, coming through to the other side with a beautiful guide, the vibrant colors of the land was indeed brighter. The unknown excited him, he couldn’t wait to explore what he didn’t know. It was a foolish endeavor, now. His once dim horizon coming to brighten considerably.
Through struggle and sacrifice he had learned how to survive in the Midlands. Through war and strife he had procured peace; and finally, the grass was greener, and the skies were brighter. Not just in this land that had been once thought unattainable, but all over the world.
Prompt: Tortured and Broken
Bingo Fill #18
Prompt: Fight or Flight
Bingo Fill #19
Title: To Survive
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard
Word Count: 241
Richard sat atop the hill overlooking the D’Haran encampment. He had stationed them on the war front, weary of waiting for the enemy to bring the stench of blood and death to their door step. He didn’t want to subject his people to that horror, they had already suffered enough. But as he gazed upon the tents and campfires, his own billowing at the bottom of the hill, his eyes carried on over the Azerith Plains and the distant torches burning in the night.
They were outnumbered. Not significantly, which was cause for hope, but still, there was more opposition than there was defense. It spelled ruin for anyone, but the tides of war was not so black and white. It took one man to make the difference, and it was all he could hope for to be enough. Tracing his fingers over the hilt of the Sword of Truth, he wondered if he would be all that was required to lead these men. Kahlan had been left to defend D’Hara, a large portion of their combined armies remaining behind to protect the home front.
He had to fight.
Even when the enemy outnumbered them, there was no choice; they had to attack. To push forward. To live. To survive. And just like that, it was decided for him.
Curling his fingers around the hilt, he let the swords magic flow through him. It was invigorating.
“Blade, be true this day…”
Prompt: Secret Cave
Bingo Fill #20
Prompt: Cocoa Around the Campfire
Bingo Fill #21
Title: Homely Remedies
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 358
“That smells delicious,” Kahlan breathed, taking a seat beside her Seeker on a log in front of the campfire. Her tired eyes glistened from the flickering light. She hadn’t been sleeping as of late. Whether it was due to the never ending search for the Stone of Tears, or the new prophecy that involved her beating heart; Richard couldn’t say for sure. There was a lot on the Mother Confessor’s plate. Plenty to rile her mind, and keep her thoughts tripping over the other.
“It’s cocoa.” he explained, stirring the contents of the pot until the chocolate had completely melted. Picking up two mugs, he carefully tipped the pot and poured some in to both cups. Handing one off to Kahlan, he watched as she cradled it between her palms for warmth. “I thought it might help you sleep.”
“Is this a home remedy?” she questioned, curious. It wasn’t often they were able to speak like this. At least, not at night. Zedd and Cara were both sound asleep on the other side of the fire, giving them an allusion of privacy that they often sought. Kahlan knew it was dangerous, but with their friends presence, she wasn’t so concerned. It enabled her to relax, her heart beat still unsteady with her Seeker so near, but her mind was not clouded by her desires for him.
Nodding, Richard brought the mug of steaming cocoa to his lips, taking a small sip of the hot liquid. “My mother used to say it was a cure for nightmares. But I think it was just to get me to go to sleep.”
Kahlan smiled. She liked it when Richard spoke of his mother. It reminded her of hers and how both she and Richard had been given so short a time with their parents. Taking a sip of the hot cocoa, she reveled in it’s taste and it’s warmth and leaned her head against Richard’s shoulder. “Did it help?”
Glancing down to her, Richard switched his mug to one hand, using the other to reach up and brush her hair behind her ear. He kissed the top of her head, “Always.”
Prompt: Love Me This Way
Bingo Fill #22
Title: Tangled Up
Rating: NC17
Characters: Richard, Kahlan
Word Count: 235
“Richard,” she moaned, her body arching towards his as his lips made their way down the column of her throat. The sheets which clung to her body were mindlessly brushed aside as his hands began to unravel her from the blankets they had tangled themselves in the night before.
Ever since their wedding night, they had locked themselves inside her bed chambers, reluctant to step foot outside of the door lest they be sucked back into the vortex of reality. Kahlan didn’t want to face the world just yet, she wanted to remain oblivious to all. She wanted to stay in the umbrella of her Seeker’s love. Only he could love her this way.
“Richard,” she breathed again, her legs parting as his hand moved from her breast to her stomach, cascading down… down… And, “Oh,” she gasped, thighs quivering as her feet plant themselves upon the bed. His fingers brush over her repeatedly, teasing and pooling warmth between her legs. She can’t help but hook one of her legs around him, using her foot to shove the sheet down and off his body just as his hand removes the last piece concealing her.
His hand stills between her legs and he rises above her, big and powerful, his muscles rippling. It’s a sight that draws more flush from her pale skin. No other could ever love her the way that Richard can love her.
Prompt: Black and White
Bingo Fill #23
Prompt: Two Hearts Entwined
Bingo Fill #24
Prompt: Pain and Pleasure
Bingo Fill #25
Title: Making Due
Rating: PG
Characters: Richard, Cara
Word Count: 246
“The agiel can be used for more than just pain, you know.” Cara tempts, her eyes watchful and minding her surroundings. The water sloshes behind her, and Richard’s voice echoes with it.
“If you’re in to that sort of thing.” he brushes his hair back, groping for his towel along the rock. His eyes never go to her form, and they don’t have to to know that she isn’t trying to impede on his modesty. She’s his protector, and his word is her law.
“Depending on who has it, and what kind of pleasures are being applied, it can lift the heights of intimacy.” She’s relentless, and it only serves to draw a laugh from him as he dresses in quiet, ever avoiding an answer that would be easy to give. Cara is an attractive woman. If not for his love for Kahlan, and the Mord’Sith’s agiel, he might have considered her constant offers of helping him obtain release.
Not that he needs help, but she seems to think so.
“No offense, but I can’t imagine that ever being the case.”
But she would know. She’s had the agiel for years, and it pains him to think of it that way. To him, finding pleasure amongst the pain is a way to escape the torment of their past. The agiel is something they’ve had to live with, and he knows all too well that in this life, you have to make do with what you have.