Work Text:
"Here's your dagger back, Kahlan," Richard said, handing it over to her.
"Thank you," she said, taking it from him and tucking it securely into her boot. "I hope you didn't need it too much."
"Actually, I ended up needing it quite a bit. We were attacked by Mriswith shortly after we got to the Old World."
"The Mriswith?" Zedd exclaimed, surprised. "I thought they were extinct."
"What are Mriswith?" Cara asked.
Zedd sighed. "Long ago, during the Great Wizard's War, a group of Wizards volunteered to be transformed into a vicious fighting force – the Mriswith. Because of their sacrifice the tide was turned. They won the war but lost their souls forever. Bloodlust is all they know."
"They were ambushing everyone on the trade routes and the road to the Palace of the Prophets," Richard said grimly. "Sister Verna and I managed to escape, but they took Sister Katherine."
"Oh, no," Kahlan gasped.
"Mriswith are very difficult to fight because they're invisible," Zedd explained.
"How did you defeat them, then?" Cara wanted to know.
"I had help from the Baka-Ban tribe and the Majendie," Richard answered. "We managed to kill one of the Mriswith… and it turned out to be Sister Katherine."
"What? But how?" Kahlan asked, horrified.
"The Mriswith weren't killing the people they attacked; they were transforming them into new Mriswith, using their own Wizard's blood."
"So that's how they increased their numbers," mused Zedd. "They were created without the capability of reproducing themselves, but if they can change ordinary people into Mriswith now…"
"Then there's no limit to how many new Mriswith they could create," Cara finished ominously.
"The transformation process takes time, though, so it's possible to stop it before it's completed. All we had to do was track them down."
"How could you find them if they were invisible?" asked Kahlan.
"We led them through the mud flats so we could see their tracks. We also discovered that the Mriswith use magic cloaks to become invisible – cloaks that draw power from the Wizard's blood that flows in their veins."
"I see," said Zedd in understanding. "So you could use it to become invisible too."
"Yes. I took Sister Katherine's cloak, followed them back to their lair and freed as many people as I could. The Baka-Ban and the Majendie formed a new alliance and are going to work together to keep fighting the Mriswith now."
"A cloak that makes you invisible would be useful," Cara noted. "Did you bring it back with you?"
"No, I left it back in the Old World."
"You left it? Why didn't you take it with you?"
Richard shrugged. "It only works for Wizards, and I gave up my Han to Sister Nicci."
"Zedd could have used it," Cara pointed out.
Zedd laughed. "I don't need a cloak to become invisible," he reminded her.
"You don't need Montressor's Mirror to change your appearance, either, but you kept it anyway," Cara argued.
"I only use the Mirror when I want to disguise myself as another person – a real person. It conserves energy and also makes it more believable. That, along with my skills as a thespian, of course," Zedd sniffed.
Cara rolled her eyes. "The point is, magical artifacts are still useful to have around. You never know when we're going to need them. If Denna hadn't abducted you, we could have used the Quillion to absorb Richard's Han," she said. "Then Sister Nicci couldn't have attacked us with it."
"It worked out all right anyway," Richard said quickly, trying to keep the peace. "Sister Nicci's dead. And so is Denna."
"For now. But who knows for how long? These Sisters of the Dark serve the Keeper. What if they have a way to return to the land of the living with their powers? What then?" Cara countered.
"We haven't seen any evidence of that, Cara," Zedd said calmly. "Let's not worry about that right now."
Cara looked like she wanted to continue arguing, but she fell silent when he gave her a quelling glance.
"I hope the Mriswith aren't the force mentioned in the prophecy the Sisters of the Light are worried about," Kahlan finally said, looking thoughtful.
They'd all seen it on the wall in the Halls of Prophecy with their own eyes: The descendant of two powerful bloodlines must fight a powerful new force after the Keeper is defeated.
"I doubt it," Zedd replied, shaking his head. "The prophecy said it would be a new enemy, and the Mriswith aren't new. Whoever or whatever it is, we probably can't even fathom it right now."
"Do you think that prophecy is about Richard, Zedd?" Kahlan asked apprehensively.
"I can't be sure," Zedd said cagily. "It's much more vague than the other prophecies we've heard. It might refer to Richard. Or it might refer to Jennsen, or someone else entirely. Someone who hasn't even been born yet, perhaps."
"What do you mean?" asked Richard.
"Well, if you were to have a child or children in the future, it might be about one of them."
Kahlan's frown deepened further, and Richard knew it was because she was thinking that if he had children it wouldn't be with her.
He wanted desperately to reassure her that he had no intention of having children with anyone but her, but that would have to wait until they were alone.
And as far as prophecies went, he was more worried about the one concerning Kahlan.
"The prophecies don't matter," Richard said firmly. "I'm not going to live my life based on the speculation of others. Besides, we have to focus on the mission we have now. We have to find the Stone of Tears."
"Absolutely right, my boy," Zedd agreed, clapping him on the shoulder. "And let's look on the bright side. At least that prophecy implies we'll defeat the Keeper somehow."
"I hadn't thought about it that way," Kahlan said, her face brightening.
"Now that Richard's back, we can resume our quest without any more detours," Zedd said confidently.
"Don't we need to hold another Naming Ceremony first?" Cara asked sardonically.
"There's no need," Zedd demurred. "At this point, it would only be a formality."
With that, he got up and dusted off his robes. "Now where's that leftover corn cake? I'm starving."
Richard and Kahlan exchanged smiles as Zedd wandered off in the direction of the campfire.
"I guess that's settled, then," Richard said.
"You sound disappointed," Kahlan observed.
"No… well, maybe just a little. But mostly I'm just glad to have the Sword back," he said, patting it. Its solid weight felt familiar and comfortable buckled at his hip.
"I didn't feel quite right without it," he confided. "I'm so used to having it, it almost feels like an extension of my body."
"What?" he asked, noticing that Kahlan was trying to keep a straight face and failing.
"Nothing." She laughed merrily, eyes twinkling.
Cara ignored her. "What's the big deal? It's just a sword," she scoffed.
"The Sword of Truth is not just any sword," Kahlan protested. "It was forged from the highest-quality iron alloys available and crafted according to the finest, time-honored techniques…"
"It's not just a weapon," Richard agreed. "It's a work of art."
"Who needs art when you're battling banelings?" Cara said derisively.
"… and it's also infused with powerful magic," Kahlan continued. "It never rusts or corrodes, it can cut through anything and it can even deflect Wizard's Fire."
"That still leaves you vulnerable to Mord'Sith," Cara pointed out.
"Then it's a good thing Denna taught me how to withstand the pain of the Agiel," Richard said cheerfully. "And I can always use non-magical weapons against any Mord'Sith who try to attack me."
"I'd rather have my Agiels than that antiquated relic any day," Cara informed them, wrinkling her nose. "At the end of the day, it's still just a piece of metal."
"In the hands of anyone else, the Sword of Truth is just an ordinary piece of steel," Kahlan corrected her. "But in the hands of the Seeker, it holds the strength of all the ancient Seekers who wielded it before him."
Cara shook her head. "You're both out of your minds. There's no logical reason to feel so attached to it."
"I thought I was the only one attached to it," Richard said with a grin.
"Well, you're not," Cara interjected helpfully. "Kahlan here wouldn't let it out of her hands while you were away."
"I was guarding it," Kahlan countered. "How else was I going to keep it safe?"
"Oh, please. You kept clutching it like a lover. Constantly holding it, caressing the hilt, tracing the symbols inscribed along the blade – not to mention the way you kept fondling the pommel," Cara said scathingly.
"I was not!" Kahlan exclaimed indignantly, her cheeks pinkening.
"One morning I even found her sitting on the ground crying over it…" Cara barreled on as if she hadn't heard her.
"Cara!" Kahlan admonished.
"What? It's the truth."
"You were crying over the Sword?" Richard asked in confusion.
Kahlan flushed even more deeply, not quite meeting his eyes. "I – I missed you… and I didn't have anything else that reminded me of you," she admitted.
Cara snorted. "I told her it wasn't necessary to feel pain over your absence and that emotions like love only make you weak. I even offered to teach her to control her emotions the way Mord'Sith do, but she turned me down."
"Love isn't a weakness, Cara," Kahlan said patiently.
Richard suppressed a smile, remembering how he'd told her something similar not so long ago. At the time Kahlan had disagreed with him. He was happy that she'd changed her mind.
"I missed you, too, Kahlan," he said tenderly, clasping her hand and bringing it to his lips. "When I was at the Palace of the Prophets, I would take out your dagger every night, hold it in my hands and think of you."
Kahlan gave him a brilliant smile. "Really?"
He nodded. "It made me feel closer to you."
"Me too," she affirmed, gazing adoringly into his eyes.
"Really?" Cara said incredulously. "You can't be serious."
She was looking at them both in disgust.
"I'm perfectly serious," he told her.
"So am I," said Kahlan.
Cara gave them a scornful look, then stalked off still muttering under her breath, to their amusement.
When she was out of hearing range, Kahlan said, "I'm glad you're back, Richard. But I really am going to miss fighting with the Sword."
"You used the Sword?" he asked in surprise.
Kahlan shrugged. "When we were attacked by D'Haran soldiers – Denna sent them after us – I had to throw my dagger at an archer. After that, I had no choice but to use the Sword."
He pondered that. It made sense.
Kahlan could easily take out a dozen D'Haran soldiers with her daggers – she'd never felt threatened or intimidated by overwhelming odds – but with the Sword of Truth she must have been even more spectacular.
He could picture her swinging it in a wide arc, slicing through each opponent, bringing them all to their knees.
What she lacked in physical strength, she more than made up for with finesse.
Inexplicably, it turned him on in a way he never thought it would have. He'd always admired her fighting prowess, but there was something in particular about imagining her in action, brandishing the Sword, that made it especially stimulating.
"I wish I could have been there to see it," he said honestly.
She smiled. "If you'd been there, you'd have been using the Sword, and I would have had to be content with using my daggers."
"What's wrong with that? They've never failed you before."
"I know. There was just something about the Sword. It made me feel so… powerful. Like I could do anything, take down anyone."
"Well, if you can fight that well with the Sword, then I guess you don't need me anymore," he quipped.
Kahlan shook her head. "The Sword is a formidable weapon, but it takes an exceptional swordsman to really make the most of it," she said in all seriousness.
"… and I'll always need you, Richard," she added softly.
"I'll always need you too."
"Of course you do," she said saucily, her eyes sparkling. "Who else is going to spar with you and keep you sharp?"
He couldn't help but laugh at that. He'd missed their banter.
"Should I be worried, now that I know you covet my Sword?" he teased.
"Oh, I've always coveted your sword, Richard," she said coyly, her gaze dropping lower. "I just want it more than ever now."
"Maybe we should get you a sword of your own," he said playfully, pretending to misunderstand.
Kahlan pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It wouldn't be the same. Yours is a cut above the rest."
He chuckled again.
"I'll stick to my daggers," she continued. "They're much easier to carry. Though they do seem a little… puny now by comparison."
"It's not the size of the weapon that matters, but what you do with it," he couldn't resist saying, smirking.
Kahlan laughed. "It wasn't as difficult to handle as I thought it'd be," she said, giving him a sly smile. "But it's much heavier than my daggers. Sometimes I needed to use both hands to maneuver it."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Mm-hmm. The Sword is far more effective at close range, obviously, since it's much longer. It makes it so much better at… penetrating the flesh more deeply," she said suggestively.
His jaw dropped. Had she just said…?
This was giving a whole new meaning to "swordplay."
"I get the point," he said meaningfully.
"Maybe I could borrow it from time to time," she said mischievously.
Richard pulled her into his arms, pressing the entire length of his body against hers. Letting her feel how much he'd missed her, how much he loved her and wanted her.
As his lips brushed against her ear, he felt her shiver in pleasure.
"You can borrow it anytime you like, Kahlan. Anytime at all."
The End!