hrhrionastar | Princess Rahl: The Heir to the Throne Ch. 5 (Reply)

Title: Security (Ch. 5 of The Heir to the Throne)
Pairing: Darken/Kahlan, background Darken/Cara, Richard/Kahlan
Length: 901
Rating: T
Spoilers: Reckoning, mostly, but eventually there'll be a few references to things we learn later.
Summary:Reckoning AU: what if Darken and Kahlan's baby was a girl?

Security

Having temporarily solved the Jennsen problem, Darken turned his mind to other matters. Namely how she had managed to penetrate so far into his palace.

“Cindi, Alina,” he greeted the Mord’Sith in his study. “It has come to my attention that palace security is notably lax.”

Both women looked relieved; as Mord’Sith, they were not in charge of palace security, only Darken’s personal safety.

“This is an intolerable risk,” Darken continued, pacing. Alina and Cindi watched him apprehensively. “So I have decided,” Darken said, turning to them and speaking to Cindi, new First Mistress, “to appoint several of your Sisters to guard my children.”

Darken watched Cindi carefully refrain from recoiling. She had poise, he couldn’t deny that; but no one could compare with Cara. “Yes, my Lord,” she said. “Does my Lord have any preference? My Sisters are not trained to be babysitters.”

“Alina has already demonstrated her competence,” Darken said smoothly, nodding to her. She paled. “And I am certain, Cindi, that you will choose two or three others with similar fortitude…or incur my displeasure.”

Cindi bowed her head, her dark braid falling over one shoulder. “Yes, my Lord.”

Suddenly bored and annoyed, wishing for someone with a gold braid instead of a black one, who wouldn’t hesitate to point out the flaws in his plan, Darken said shortly, “Go. And send me General Egremont.”

Cindi and Alina left without further urging, and Darken waited, increasingly impatient, for Egremont to give him a proper report. How dare the guards be so remiss as not to notice Jennsen’s entrance? Were they sleeping at their posts? Ought he to make Cindi trail him at all hours, just to avoid more assassination attempts from rebel scum? Had the dregs of the war actually come into his palace?

Darken frowned. And what should he do with Jennsen now? It seemed too much to hope that he could win her over again—unless he brought her a new kitten, Mordy the Second, perhaps…?

*********

“Oh, absolutely not!” Kahlan exclaimed, furious. “You have enough servants in this place that the children might as well have five or six babysitters apiece! Darken, please—“

She couldn’t explain why the thought of Mord’Sith looking after her children was so hateful to her, but it might have had something to do with what Denna did to Richard. Kahlan was aware, of course, that Denna wasn’t at the palace, and that Darken probably wouldn’t be particularly happy with her if she ever did show up again, but the fact remained that all Mord’Sith were alike—tortured as children, torturers as adults, and fanatically devoted to the Lord Rahl.

Darken raised his eyebrows at her. “I would think you would be pleased,” he said calmly. Kahlan couldn’t tell if her begging had affected him at all, and cursed his immunity to her powers. Not that she could have used them, Rada’Han around her neck, but still. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and that bothered her. “After all,” he continued, “most servants can be bought or bribed to slip poison into a child’s bottle; a Mord’Sith is always loyal to the House of Rahl.”

Kahlan couldn’t deny the justice of this argument (it seemed to be true, as far as she had observed), but she countered with another telling point: “When the children gain their Confessor powers, they will kill your Mord’Sith babysitters!” she almost-yelled. “I can hardly suppose you will chain them as you do me,” she added bitterly. What would be the point of an all-powerful Confessor heir confined by a Rada’Han? Unless Darken chose to keep Nila’s powers in check, and leave Nicholas free.

But then again, Kahlan reassured herself, Rada’Hans weren’t precisely a copper a dozen, even for Lord Rahl. Shota wore one, too—with a jolt, Kahlan realized how long it had been since she had thought of the plight of the sorceress. If she had believed her words would carry any weight, she might have tried to convince Darken to show mercy to his other prisoners. But as it was, she didn’t even dare ask after Jennsen—who was Darken’s sister, apparently—did she remember something about that? Richard had told her—but no.

She had chosen her place in this wasteland of a world-without-Richard, and she daren’t risk it too far, for the sake of her children, who must survive to send Richard home to her.

Darken laughed. “I trust Mistress Alina can handle a few toddlers—Confessors or no. And I would have you remember, Kahlan,” he said, leaning in close to her and trailing a finger down the line of her jaw. She shivered. “That this is for their safety. If I am the villain, why is it that the rebels you tried so hard to save even now plot our children’s deaths?”

Kahlan flinched, as the implications of his words sunk in. Could Jennsen’s attack merely be the first of many? And how could anyone blame Nila and Nicholas for the mistakes of their parents?

Kahlan felt righteous fury stir in her like fire, and she yearned for the release of her power—before she remembered the rebels were right. Nicholas, at least, was a great threat.

Guilt assailed her, and she was only able to maintain that moral superiority which was her only defense against Darken now, by reminding herself that all she did was for Richard.

Previous Next