Princess Rahl, The Heir to the Throne, Chapter 17

[hrhrionastar]

Title: To Kiss Those Fingers (Ch. 17 of The Heir to the Throne)
Pairing: Darken/Kahlan, background Darken/Cara, Richard/Kahlan
Length: 804
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?

 

To Kiss Those Fingers

When Darken returned at last to his chambers, he was exhausted, but, on the whole, pleased with his progress.

Nila was safe; Cindi was being disciplined (Darken was still considering her demise—if Nila had her Confessor powers already, she would have used them, so that possibility was moot…perhaps Nicholas would care to—?); and Dahlia, while not as intelligent as his general choice of First Mistress (Bekah, Cara, Cindi…) was swift, efficient, and loyal. Besides, undue intelligence in a subordinate clearly had drawbacks.

Darken frowned at Cindi’s presumption, in laying a finger on any child of his without his permission. Who did she think she was? He would not allow his Mord’Sith to dictate to him; the sooner Cindi learned her mistake, the better.

Still preoccupied, Darken was unprepared for the storm that greeted him on his return.

“Our daughter is lucky to be alive, where have you been, don’t you care at all?” Kahlan raged, advancing on him with a purposeful glare and a pointing finger.

Darken almost took an involuntary step back; then he glared right back, reminding himself that, in this case, Kahlan didn’t have logic on her side. “I ascertained Nila’s condition myself; I’ve been disciplining Mistress Cindi.”

Kahlan’s gaze darted to his hands; Darken looked down, and saw they were slightly smeared with Cindi’s blood. He sighed inwardly, reflecting that he always needed a good bath after a sojourn in the Mord’Sith Headquarters.

Kahlan reached down and caught his hands in hers; bemused at her rapid mood shift, Darken watched as she bent her head and kissed his fingers.

When she looked up, her eyes were dark with all the rage she had to be suppressing. She looked desperate, furious, and triumphant all at once. Darken waited, feeling the question rising in his own eyes. As always, unsure what her answer would be.

She was full of surprises, his queen…

Suddenly, Kahlan seemed to leap toward him, embracing him—her lips met his—

Darken pulled her closer, no longer tired—even his usual smirk was gone—

 

 

It was the middle of the night. Kahlan got up, leaving Darken asleep, and rifled quietly through his discarded robes until she found the knife he carried everywhere.

She was glad he wasn’t waking up—the last thing she needed was interruptions, and suppose he forbade her plan? Working her way around an actual prohibition would be so much more difficult.

Kahlan slipped out of their room, pulling on a D’Haran-red robe as she went. She made her way down the stairs to the Mord’Sith Headquarters.

She had a story all ready, but she didn’t bump into any guards. Finally, she reached the room where Nila had been tortured.

Kahlan found Cindi still hanging in the chains, eyes half closed. “Lady Rahl?” the Mord’Sith asked hoarsely, clearly bewildered.

Kahlan had thought about what she would say; but now, she realized there was nothing. If not for the Rada’Han, she already would have taken Cindi with her power. As it was, she had been forced to be more creative.

She drew the knife, and smoothly plunged it into Cindi’s chest—all the other woman had time to say was a startled, “But you can’t d—“

Kahlan waited with the slumped figure until she judged it too late for any of Cindi’s Sisters to revive her; then she returned to bed.

She replaced Darken’s knife—honestly, she doubted he would realize she’d used it.

The next morning, though, on her way to check on Nila, Darken pulled her aside and demanded, “Didn’t you trust me to deal with Cindi?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Kahlan smiled sharply.

“Dahlia says she found her this morning—stabbed to death,” Darken said pointedly. “I don’t suppose you know anything about that.”

Kahlan looked at him, and decided to tell the truth. She doubted he would kill her for it—at least in this case. “Just making sure she didn’t try it again.”

“She wouldn’t have,” Darken insisted. “I would have killed her first.”

Kahlan thrilled at his words—thank the Creator, he did love Nila as much as she did (not that she had ever doubted, during that hellish three days)—“Are you sorry I struck first?” she asked archly. “Perhaps I should have waited—we could have killed her together.”

Darken grinned at that. “You are a woman after my own heart,” he said, and kissed her cheek.

Kahlan wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered.

She knew, though, that Darken would never believe his Mord’Sith were all conspiring against him, even though they barely qualified as human and surely had no loyalty to any living soul. And there was one thing Kahlan determined on—the Mord’Sith weren’t going near her children again, not if she could help it.

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Comments

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

Darken grinned at that. “You are a woman after my own heart,” he said, and kissed her cheek.
Kahlan wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or flattered.

This is such a perfect snapshot image of what appeals about Darken/Kahlan. I love it! Kahlan's dark side always needs encouraging IMO ;)

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

Kahlan's dark side always needs encouraging IMO ;) Absolutely :D I love dark!Kahlan, too ;D

[meridian_rose]

I'm not even sure what I want to say other than wow :D Cindi finally gets her comeuppance, Kahlan takes a step further into the side of villainy - though with cause - and Kahlan and Darken find a new level of intimacy.

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

Kahlan takes a step further into the side of villainy - though with cause Kahlan would like to think she's not going over to the Darken side, but, well...;)

[brontefanatic.livejournal.com]

I love the image of Kahlan kissing Darken's bloody hands. <_< Good for Kahlan! Darken should have killed Cindi - at the very least as an example of what would happen to anyone who even thought of threatening his family - swift and sure retribution. Killing someone who kidnaps and harms your child - very understandable response and very human. Interested in Kahlan thinking that all of Darken's Mord'Sith are conspiring against him. Is that just paranoia on her part or is something really brewing?

[brontefanatic.livejournal.com]

*sigh* for some reason lj is squishing everything I write together. I did make line breaks.

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

Interested in Kahlan thinking that all of Darken's Mord'Sith are conspiring against him. Is that just paranoia on her part or is something really brewing? Mostly paranoia, I think - to Kahlan, all Mord'Sith are the same, or at least they're all evil. Still, the Mord'Sith don't like Kahlan, either - and there's definitely some tension about having Confessor heirs, Lord Rahl's children or not. Cindi may have gone too far, but that doesn't mean no one agrees with her about Nila and Nicholas. So...we'll see ;D

[brontefanatic.livejournal.com]

I imagine the Mord'Sith were not the only ones less than thrilled about Darken's marriage or his Confessor children. I think most D'Harans were rather horrified by it.

It's one thing to make a marriage alliance with a former enemy. But marriage to Kahlan can and does result in the birth of a male Confessor. D'Harans must know about the tradition of killing male Confessors and the reason for why it has always been done.

D'Harans would also know that Darken would not only allow a son to live, but would make him his heir. I have this vision in my head of all D'Harans gatherins secretly in their homes to pray for a girl during Kahlan's pregnancies.

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

I imagine the Mord'Sith were not the only ones less than thrilled about Darken's marriage or his Confessor children. I think most D'Harans were rather horrified by it. This makes so much sense, and it's one of the things I love about Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth - you really explore the effect of their marriage on the ordinary D'Harans.

D'Harans would also know that Darken would not only allow a son to live, but would make him his heir. I have this vision in my head of all D'Harans gatherins secretly in their homes to pray for a girl during Kahlan's pregnancies. Hmmm...although I love this image, I'm not sure the D'Harans would see a girl as more than marginally better than a boy - either way, the child is still a Confessor, and it seems likely that war-time propaganda would paint Confessors as soul-stealing demons, or something.

Honestly, I feel it says something about Darken's control over D'Hara that in canon Reckoning, we never see any revolt because of this. And did Darken and Kahlan's marriage really mean the Midlands and D'Hara were at peace and all was sunshine and happiness (at least until Nicholas showed his true colors)?

[brontefanatic.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure you're right - the D'Harans would have been unhappy with the idea of any Confessor child.

I'm thinking more in terms that, if a Confessor heir is inevitable, better that it be a girl than a boy. At least, hopefully, she wouldn't go insane and destroy the entire country. The lesser of two evils, so to speak.

[dorothydeath.livejournal.com]

I'm late. Again. Sorry! ^_^

And OMG YAY!!!))))) Darken/Kahlan!!!!!
Thank you so very much!! I enjoyed every word!)))

She was full of surprises, his queen…
Oooh, yes!)))

“Perhaps I should have waited—we could have killed her together.”
Is it bad that I really really really like this idea?

“You are a woman after my own heart,”
Awww))) Love it! :D

Thank you!! :D

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

Thank you :D

“Perhaps I should have waited—we could have killed her together.”
Is it bad that I really really really like this idea? Nah - that's the fun part about fanfic, the possibilities ;D

And you know I love Darken/Kahlan :D