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meridian_roseTitle: Not In The Stars: Chapter One – Richard Cypher
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3800
Prompt: For the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
legendland mini bigbang prompt 'blood'
Story Summary: An AU in which Richard initially refuses to accept his 'destiny', being happy in the Westland with his adopted family. This chapter deals with an alternate view of the episode 'Prophecy'
Warnings: None
Navigation: Fully detailed Index Post here
Chapter One - Richard Cypher
Chapter summary: In which Richard refuses to accept that he is the True Seeker, to Kahlan Amnell's intense displeasure.
"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." Richard Bach
Later, Richard wondered if things would have gone differently if he hadn't followed his good neighbourly instincts and run off to help the stranger in white who was being pursued by several armed men.
Yet he had, and now both he and she were stranded perched perilously close to the edge of a cliff, surrounded by soldiers.
"Leave her alone," Richard ordered. It was mostly bravado, for he was armed with an axe, an unwieldy weapon at close quarters and useless at a distance, while the soldiers had swords and bows.
"You're making a mistake, boy. This girl is dangerous," the leader of the soldiers said.
Richard was not impressed. "Four men against one woman? I think she's the one in danger."
"You don't understand what you're talking about. And this is not your fight. So be smart and go home," the man said. It rankled Richard to have this stranger talk to him as if he were an inconvenience, a nuisance, a child.
"I'm not going anywh—" Richard said but he was knocked to the floor by the annoying man.
"Easy. Do not let her grasp you," the attacker said and his men moved on the woman. She grabbed one of the men by the throat; a moment later he turned on his companions, defending the woman he'd been about to kill. The woman had slumped to the floor but Richard had come to his senses enough to attack once more.
"It's over for you, Confessor," the man said as Richard flew at him. The woman stabbed the soldier in the foot and he fell from the cliff, clutching at Richard's necklace which went over the edge with his attacker. And like that, it was over (little did Richard know then, it was just beginning).
This was definitely not something that happened every day in Hartland. In fact Hartland was known for being a quiet village at the edge of the Westland and considered a nice place to raise a family. Richard was shaken by this sudden violence.
Still, he was more concerned with the woman he'd saved than anything else. "Your hand is bleeding," he said and watched she tore at her skirt to make a bandage for it. "Let me take you to my father's. We can dress the wound."
His helpfulness was not appreciated; as he made to lead her to safety, the woman grabbed at his hand and held a dagger to his throat. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, suddenly wondering if he'd chosen the wrong side. Maybe she was dangerous, maybe the soldiers had been following her with just cause.
"No," she said at last. "I'm just...not used to people touching me."
"I'm sorry," Richard said, and he meant it. She seemed to accept his apology, for she sheathed her weapon and even let him help her to her feet.
"I have to go," she said and hurried away.
He was about to ask where when he realised he didn't actually care. She was beautiful, no denying it, but she looked as if she could take care of herself when the odds weren't stacked so harshly against her. And she was abrasive, even rude. That was no way to talk to a woods guide, the person who would be the one rescuing you if you got yourself lost in the forest, or attacked by a wild animal.
Richard shrugged and headed off home, never seeing the snake vine that reached for him—and missed.
Richard entered the house to find his father, George, staring at their game board.
"You're finished, Richard," George said with a grin as he moved a game piece. "I got you beat in two moves."
"Dad," Richard said, "Something weird just happened." He explained about the strangely clad woman and the soldiers he'd never seen before, and how one of them had turned on his comrades after the woman had touched him.
"It can't be," George muttered. He passed a hand over his face. "Richard, it's possible those men and that woman were from the other side of the Boundary."
"What? That's impossible."
"I was a fool to think this day would never come, Richard. But first, know that I love you."
"Dad? You're scaring me," Richard said.
"We have to go and talk to Zedd," George said. "He'll know for sure if the Boundary has been breached, and he can explain far better than I can."
"The crazy man who talks to his chickens?" Richard asked.
"Come on," George said. They left the house and headed off towards Zedd's cottage.
A few minutes later, Michael and the leader of the soldiers, one Rassyn Fane, arrived, but found the house empty.
It was getting dark and cold, but that didn't seem to bother Zedd who was standing outside, utterly naked. He was talking to his chicken, Clara.
"See," Richard said pointedly as he and George dismounted.
"It's a bad omen, Clara," Zedd was saying.
"Zeddicus," George called, getting his attention. "There may be a problem. Richard saw four riders dressed as you once described, chasing a woman in white robes, not far from the Boundary."
"Very bad omen," Zedd said. He placed Clara on the floor. Richard averted his eyes.
"We have no time to lose!" Zedd ran inside his cottage. George made to follow but Richard put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Let's wait a moment," Richard said, in the hope that Zedd was putting clothes on. The woman in question chose that moment to arrive and he pointed at her.
"You!" Richard said.
She glared back, arms akimbo. "You!"
"This is her?" George asked.
Richard nodded. "This is the woman I saved."
"Saved? I was doing just fine without your help," she said. "Now stand aside. I'm looking for the wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander."
"Oh, I'd know that tone of voice anywhere," Zedd said, coming back outside. To Richard's relief he was dressed now, even if the clothes were the odd robes he liked to wear. "You must be a Confessor."
"That's what he said, the soldier," Richard said. "He called her Confessor."
"And so she is," Zedd said. "What is your name, child?"
"Kahlan Amnell," she said. "I need your help, Wizard."
"He's not a wizard," Richard said. The whole world seemed to have turned upside down. "He's a crazy old man who talks to his chickens."
"How dare you talk about the Great Wizard like that," Kahlan snapped.
"No harm done," Zedd said mildly. "I am rather old and I do like to talk to Clara. She's been company for me."
Kahlan stared at him. Richard rather thought she was reconsidering if defending Zedd was a wise choice. "Bring me to the Seeker, Wizard," she said at last.
Zedd pointed at Richard. Richard looked behind him and saw no-one else.
"Him?" Kahlan asked, her voice rising several octaves.
"Me?" Richard demanded. "What's a Seeker, anyway?"
Zedd gestured. "Let's have some tea," he suggested. "I know I'm parched."
Zedd made tea while Kahlan criticized him roundly. Apparently Confessors (whatever they were) were allowed to talk disrespectfully to Wizards (though Richard still wasn't sure Zedd was one).
"You were supposed to train him. Prepare him. What have you been doing for the last 20 years?" Kahlan demanded.
"Dad," Richard said.
George shook his head. "Just wait a little while longer and then Zedd will explain everything. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Richard. We just hoped it would never come to this."
"Of course it would come to this," Kahlan said, turning her ire on the Cypher men. "It's in the Prophecy."
"Prophecy be damned!" Zedd snorted. "I averted the Prophecy when I brought him here. Until you opened up a nice little door in the Boundary and said, 'Right this way to the Seeker, ladies and gentlemen!' Might as well have put up a signal fire -"
"Stop!" Richard ordered. "What are you talking about? And what's a Seeker?"
Kahlan put her hands on her hips and glared at Zedd, who sighed.
"First, you need to know about a man named Darken Rahl... if he is a man, and not some twisted wraith of evil brought forth from the Underworld to shatter the dreams of humankind. Twenty-three years ago, a great prophet-"
"Less melodrama, more facts," Richard said.
Zedd glared at this interruption. "On his deathbed he predicted the birth of a true Seeker, a child whose destiny would be to seek out and kill the greatest evil of all: Darken Rahl."
"And?"
Zedd sighed. "The prophet named Brennidon as the town in which the child had been born. Rahl sent his assassins. And in one night, they murdered every firstborn son there, save—you. Your mother gave birth in the madness of the massacre. She was young and weak, barely alive when I took you from her arms- "
Richard shook his head. "No. My mother died when I was ten. Here, in Hartland. Tell him, Dad."
George merely stared at the floor.
"The woman you knew as your mother raised you and loved you as if you were her own, but she did not give birth to you," Zedd said. "I crossed the Boundary that night, unseen, with you in my arms. For weeks I watched, listened, read the clouds, and came to know that in all the world, there was no one kinder than George and Mary Cypher."
Richard blinked at that. He still missed his mother, Mary Cypher, not this stranger Zedd was talking about.
"I told them your story, and they took you into their home and into their hearts," Zedd said. "And if I live to be a thousand years old, I'll never make a wiser choice than picking them for the job."
Hurt by this sudden betrayal of trust and yet still unwilling to believe in it at all, Richard asked, "So. According to this...fantasy, who's my real father?"
"I don't know," Zedd admitted.
"Dad," Richard said, unwilling to stop calling George that. He'd been the only father Richard had ever known and even if this impossible story was somehow true, he'd been a good father.
"It's all true," George said softly. "Please forgive me, Richard. Zedd stayed here to watch over you from a distance."
"Yes, I kept myself apart so that if Darken Rahl ever found his way to me, I wouldn't be a blazing arrow pointing the way to you," Zedd said and glared at Kahlan. "Apparently that's what Confessors are for."
"Confessors?" Richard asked. "Like her?" He wasn't sure he liked the idea at all.
Kahlan nodded. "We are an ancient order of women sworn to find the truth, no matter how hard people may try to hide it. And if a Seeker should arise, to protect him with her life. Indeed, few of us are left, for Rahl fears us. Richard, I'm sorry for my harsh words. Here, I came to bring you this."
She held out a battered book which Richard took with deep misgivings. He preferred being outdoors hunting or swimming than being inside reading and writing. That was his brother Michael's domain—with a shock, he realised Michael wasn't truly his brother, at least not by blood.
"A book?" Richard said, trying not to sound as if he'd been given a birthday present that he was going to trade the moment the giver's back was turned.
"Not just any book," Kahlan said proudly. "It's the Book of Counted Shadows. It was written in a time before remembering. For a thousand years, it's been kept safe in the Wizard's Keep, in Aydindril. But a month ago, the armies of Darken Rahl broke through our last defenses in an attempt to steal it. "
"Why?" Richard asked with a frown.
"Because the Book contains the secrets of power," Zedd said.
"If Darken Rahl gets it, he will use it to control every corner of the world, and we would all become his slaves," Kahlan said.
Richard sighed. "Then I suggest we burn it. That will stop everyone fighting over it." He thought this was a fine solution but Kahlan and Zedd stared at him as if he'd suggested chopping off someone's head.
"The Book is vital," Kahlan said. "The Prophecy says that the Seeker will use the Book in his quest to defeat Rahl."
"What if I don't want to defeat Rahl?" Richard asked. "What if I'm not even the Seeker?"
Kahlan looked to Zedd, the faint hope glimmering in her eyes that maybe Richard wasn't the Seeker after all.
"Read the book," Zedd said, studiously ignoring Kahlan.
Richard tried. He did know how to read, but either he'd forgotten or this was in some strange language he'd not seen before.
"He can't read it," Kahlan said softly.
"Try," Zedd said.
And suddenly the words swam across the page and when they were still once more Richard found he could read them perfectly well.
"The truth of the words of the Book of Counted Shadows can only be ensured by a Confessor." His mouth fell open.
"You see? You are the true Seeker," Zedd said and smiled. Kahlan smiled too, though Richard thought it looked a little forced.
"Give him the Sword," Kahlan ordered. Confessors, Richard thought, were bossy women, no matter what else they might be. "Name him."
"I get a sword?" Richard asked, this being the first bright spot in an otherwise confusing and rather distressing day.
Zedd waved his hands around and a sword appeared. Richard wasn't sure whether he ought to be impressed or if it was just a conjuring trick.
"This is the Sword of Truth," Kahlan said as if Richard ought to be amazed and impressed.
"It's a sword," Richard said. "A fine blade, but nothing special."
Zedd shook his head. "In anyone else's hands, this is just a piece of steel, but in the Seeker's hands, bestows the power to fight evil."
"And with it, you will kill Darken Rahl," Kahlan said.
Richard took a step away. "I'm not killing anybody! I don't even know either of you! For all I know, this is some kind of trick. I'm not a Seeker. I don't want any book or any sword. "
"Calm down, my boy," Zedd said.
"No!"
George put one hand on Richard's shoulder. "Richard it's true."
"How do you know?" Richard asked. "Have you seen any of this with your own eyes? I've seen Kahlan chased by men who might have reason to hunt her, if she goes around trying to persuade people to kill others! Zedd's obviously a conjurer, and this book...I don't know, maybe that's a trick too!"
"Conjuror?" Zedd demanded, outraged.
"A trick?" Kahlan said, equally upset.
"Dad, we're going home," Richard said. "Maybe Michael can have this woman escorted back to the Boundary and she can go home!"
George followed helplessly as Richard stormed out of the cottage. Kahlan hitched up her skirts and followed, despite Zedd's protests. Finally Zedd followed too.
"Richard Cypher," Kahlan bellowed, "you get back here and be named right now! Or give me the Book of Counted Shadows back to hand to the true Seeker!"
Richard glanced through the book and then threw it at her. "It's just stories," he said. "Folk tales about monsters and mysterious curses and spells. If you believe this work of fiction is important, you need more help than any so-called Seeker can give."
"Richard, please," George begged. "It's all true."
"You raised me, father or no," Richard said. "You taught me to be a good person. And now Zedd gives me a sword and Kahlan says I have to use it to kill someone and you're perfectly all right with that?"
George considered this a moment. "Darken Rahl is evil," he said.
"How do you know?" Richard demanded.
"Well, Zedd—"
"Zedd told you? And where is his proof? Maybe he's hiding out from Rahl because he's a wanted criminal too. Maybe he stole me from my mother! Until I see some evidence that these people are on the side of good, I want nothing to do with their cause! And telling me it's my destiny to murder someone doesn't sound like much of a destiny, nor does it sound like a righteous thing to do."
Kahlan glared at Zedd. "This is your fault," she said. "You were supposed to prepare him!"
"Richard," Zedd said in a reasonable tone, "Darken Rahl is evil. Didn't I mention the massacre at Brennidon?"
"You did. Which is something else that I have no proof of, nor did you see clearly since you were too busy running away with me in your arms. And yes, a massacre like that is an evil act. But if it is true, then Darken Rahl was acting out of fear; he had been told that the man who would kill him had just been born there."
Richard shook his head. "Clearly he is as deluded as you both are, and believed as wholeheartedly in the prophecy as you do. Can I be disgusted by what he did? Yes. Can I blame him for wanting to protect himself? I think not."
With that, Richard turned on his heel and left the cottage. He headed off home - the long way, so he could think. George shrugged and followed him.
While Richard was walking home the blood flies he might have blundered into if he'd taken the other path headed towards Zedd's cottage. This was a mistake on their part, for Zedd scorched both them and the accompanying Gar with Wizard's Fire lest they attack Clara. Even Kahlan looked impressed. Of course this meant no evidence of the magical creature remained, an oversight neither of them considered until the Gar was just ashes.
Richard arrived home to find Michael waiting for him.
"Richard, where's father?"
"Just behind me," Richard said.
"Father," Michael called as George joined them. "Come quickly. There's a witch on the loose. Richard, I feared for you." Michael held out Richard's necklace which he took gratefully.
"Where did you get this?" Richard asked.
"From Ranssyn Fane. He and Chase are out looking for the witch. He said she fought with you and pushed you over the cliff and only your necklace was to be found."
Richard shook his head. "He's lying. He was attacking Kahlan so I tried to stop him and he pulled off my necklace."
"Kahlan?"
"The witch," Richard said. "Though she calls herself a Confessor." He turned to George. "Does he know?"
George nodded sombrely.
"Know what?" Michael asked.
"That I'm adopted," Richard said.
Michael nodded and Richard stepped forward, quickly pulling a surprised Michael into a rough embrace.
"You're still my brother," Richard said fiercely. "As surely as if we shared blood. And George Cypher is still my father. Now, come inside. We need to talk about the Boundary."
Later, Chase showed up at the Cypher household, with wild stories about a woman whose eyes turned black and Zedd the chicken man making fire come from his fingertips, and Fane falling to his knees in front of the woman and then, at her command, stabbing himself in the heart.
"Witch," Michael said with conviction. And Richard nodded. Chase went home to hug his wife and children and try to forget all of the strangeness.
"We'll post guards at the Boundary, keep Hartland safe from invaders," Michael said, in full Councilor mode. "I'll send search parties out to look for this woman—Kahlan, you said her name was?"
"No need," Richard said, pointing to the doorway. "She's here."
Kahlan was stood with the sword in one hand and the book in another, looking like a statue Richard had once seen outside the courthouse in the nearest city.
"Richard, these are your tools of office," she said, her voice gentle this time. "You are the Seeker."
"And I told you I don't want to be the Seeker. I don't believe you and I don't have any proof of what you say, and I'm not about to be anyone's hired assassin based on blind faith!" Richard crossed his arms, resolute.
Kahlan entered and placed the sword on the table. Michael, hand hovering near his own weapon, now relaxed.
"Richard, it is your destiny. What kind of life do you have here?"
"My life," he told her. "I'm a woods guide."
She tipped her head beguilingly. "The Seeker is a great leader."
"My brother is a leader. I just want people to be safe."
Kahlan bit her lip, desperately trying to control her anger. "Then save my people."
"Charity begins at home. This is my home. This is my family. These are my people." Richard gestured expansively. "I love this place. I love the people and the woods and the animals. I love hunting and swimming. I'm planning to settle down eventually and raise a family here. Chase and I could buy the tavern when Hubert is ready to retire, and Emma can help with the bar, and I've been learning about brewing—"
"Beer?" Kahlan shrieked. For a moment her eyes flickered black and then they were blue once more. "You want to chase rabbits and brew beer while hundreds of people are slaughtered in the Midlands?"
"The Midlands is your home, not mine."
"One day Darken Rahl will find you," Kahlan swore, "and everyone and everything you love in this backwater will be gone."
"If he comes here then I will stand against him," Richard said. "To protect my home. Now, you should be going. Can you get back through the Boundary?"
Kahlan sank onto the nearest chair. "I don't know. My nightwisp was killed by Fane before I could Confess him....and besides, I came here to find the Seeker. How can I go back a failure?"
"Then don't go back. Stay here. For a backwater we find it very agreeable," Richard said.
Michael was not pleased with this suggestion and protested, "But she's a witch." It was the one thing he was certain about in this mess.
"Maybe," Richard said. "But that doesn't mean we should punish her. She hasn't hurt any of us so far. She deserves a chance to prove she can live in peace here. Besides she said there weren't many Confessors left. It would be shameful for us to let any race to die out."
Michael considered this for a moment. "If she returned to her homeland with tales of the Seeker, she could bring destruction upon us. It might be for the best if she is never allowed to cross the Boundary."
Zedd knocked on the door, despite it being open. "Richard, are you ready to accept your destiny as the true Seeker?"
"No. 'Prophecy be damned!', remember?" Richard asked, throwing Zedd's words back at him. "Well, destiny be damned."
Things weren't going to plan—or, indeed, prophecy.
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3800
Prompt: For the
legendland mini bigbang prompt 'blood'Story Summary: An AU in which Richard initially refuses to accept his 'destiny', being happy in the Westland with his adopted family. This chapter deals with an alternate view of the episode 'Prophecy'
Warnings: None
Navigation: Fully detailed Index Post here
Chapter summary: In which Richard refuses to accept that he is the True Seeker, to Kahlan Amnell's intense displeasure.
"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." Richard Bach
Later, Richard wondered if things would have gone differently if he hadn't followed his good neighbourly instincts and run off to help the stranger in white who was being pursued by several armed men.
Yet he had, and now both he and she were stranded perched perilously close to the edge of a cliff, surrounded by soldiers.
"Leave her alone," Richard ordered. It was mostly bravado, for he was armed with an axe, an unwieldy weapon at close quarters and useless at a distance, while the soldiers had swords and bows.
"You're making a mistake, boy. This girl is dangerous," the leader of the soldiers said.
Richard was not impressed. "Four men against one woman? I think she's the one in danger."
"You don't understand what you're talking about. And this is not your fight. So be smart and go home," the man said. It rankled Richard to have this stranger talk to him as if he were an inconvenience, a nuisance, a child.
"I'm not going anywh—" Richard said but he was knocked to the floor by the annoying man.
"Easy. Do not let her grasp you," the attacker said and his men moved on the woman. She grabbed one of the men by the throat; a moment later he turned on his companions, defending the woman he'd been about to kill. The woman had slumped to the floor but Richard had come to his senses enough to attack once more.
"It's over for you, Confessor," the man said as Richard flew at him. The woman stabbed the soldier in the foot and he fell from the cliff, clutching at Richard's necklace which went over the edge with his attacker. And like that, it was over (little did Richard know then, it was just beginning).
This was definitely not something that happened every day in Hartland. In fact Hartland was known for being a quiet village at the edge of the Westland and considered a nice place to raise a family. Richard was shaken by this sudden violence.
Still, he was more concerned with the woman he'd saved than anything else. "Your hand is bleeding," he said and watched she tore at her skirt to make a bandage for it. "Let me take you to my father's. We can dress the wound."
His helpfulness was not appreciated; as he made to lead her to safety, the woman grabbed at his hand and held a dagger to his throat. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, suddenly wondering if he'd chosen the wrong side. Maybe she was dangerous, maybe the soldiers had been following her with just cause.
"No," she said at last. "I'm just...not used to people touching me."
"I'm sorry," Richard said, and he meant it. She seemed to accept his apology, for she sheathed her weapon and even let him help her to her feet.
"I have to go," she said and hurried away.
He was about to ask where when he realised he didn't actually care. She was beautiful, no denying it, but she looked as if she could take care of herself when the odds weren't stacked so harshly against her. And she was abrasive, even rude. That was no way to talk to a woods guide, the person who would be the one rescuing you if you got yourself lost in the forest, or attacked by a wild animal.
Richard shrugged and headed off home, never seeing the snake vine that reached for him—and missed.
Richard entered the house to find his father, George, staring at their game board.
"You're finished, Richard," George said with a grin as he moved a game piece. "I got you beat in two moves."
"Dad," Richard said, "Something weird just happened." He explained about the strangely clad woman and the soldiers he'd never seen before, and how one of them had turned on his comrades after the woman had touched him.
"It can't be," George muttered. He passed a hand over his face. "Richard, it's possible those men and that woman were from the other side of the Boundary."
"What? That's impossible."
"I was a fool to think this day would never come, Richard. But first, know that I love you."
"Dad? You're scaring me," Richard said.
"We have to go and talk to Zedd," George said. "He'll know for sure if the Boundary has been breached, and he can explain far better than I can."
"The crazy man who talks to his chickens?" Richard asked.
"Come on," George said. They left the house and headed off towards Zedd's cottage.
A few minutes later, Michael and the leader of the soldiers, one Rassyn Fane, arrived, but found the house empty.
It was getting dark and cold, but that didn't seem to bother Zedd who was standing outside, utterly naked. He was talking to his chicken, Clara.
"See," Richard said pointedly as he and George dismounted.
"It's a bad omen, Clara," Zedd was saying.
"Zeddicus," George called, getting his attention. "There may be a problem. Richard saw four riders dressed as you once described, chasing a woman in white robes, not far from the Boundary."
"Very bad omen," Zedd said. He placed Clara on the floor. Richard averted his eyes.
"We have no time to lose!" Zedd ran inside his cottage. George made to follow but Richard put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Let's wait a moment," Richard said, in the hope that Zedd was putting clothes on. The woman in question chose that moment to arrive and he pointed at her.
"You!" Richard said.
She glared back, arms akimbo. "You!"
"This is her?" George asked.
Richard nodded. "This is the woman I saved."
"Saved? I was doing just fine without your help," she said. "Now stand aside. I'm looking for the wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander."
"Oh, I'd know that tone of voice anywhere," Zedd said, coming back outside. To Richard's relief he was dressed now, even if the clothes were the odd robes he liked to wear. "You must be a Confessor."
"That's what he said, the soldier," Richard said. "He called her Confessor."
"And so she is," Zedd said. "What is your name, child?"
"Kahlan Amnell," she said. "I need your help, Wizard."
"He's not a wizard," Richard said. The whole world seemed to have turned upside down. "He's a crazy old man who talks to his chickens."
"How dare you talk about the Great Wizard like that," Kahlan snapped.
"No harm done," Zedd said mildly. "I am rather old and I do like to talk to Clara. She's been company for me."
Kahlan stared at him. Richard rather thought she was reconsidering if defending Zedd was a wise choice. "Bring me to the Seeker, Wizard," she said at last.
Zedd pointed at Richard. Richard looked behind him and saw no-one else.
"Him?" Kahlan asked, her voice rising several octaves.
"Me?" Richard demanded. "What's a Seeker, anyway?"
Zedd gestured. "Let's have some tea," he suggested. "I know I'm parched."
Zedd made tea while Kahlan criticized him roundly. Apparently Confessors (whatever they were) were allowed to talk disrespectfully to Wizards (though Richard still wasn't sure Zedd was one).
"You were supposed to train him. Prepare him. What have you been doing for the last 20 years?" Kahlan demanded.
"Dad," Richard said.
George shook his head. "Just wait a little while longer and then Zedd will explain everything. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Richard. We just hoped it would never come to this."
"Of course it would come to this," Kahlan said, turning her ire on the Cypher men. "It's in the Prophecy."
"Prophecy be damned!" Zedd snorted. "I averted the Prophecy when I brought him here. Until you opened up a nice little door in the Boundary and said, 'Right this way to the Seeker, ladies and gentlemen!' Might as well have put up a signal fire -"
"Stop!" Richard ordered. "What are you talking about? And what's a Seeker?"
Kahlan put her hands on her hips and glared at Zedd, who sighed.
"First, you need to know about a man named Darken Rahl... if he is a man, and not some twisted wraith of evil brought forth from the Underworld to shatter the dreams of humankind. Twenty-three years ago, a great prophet-"
"Less melodrama, more facts," Richard said.
Zedd glared at this interruption. "On his deathbed he predicted the birth of a true Seeker, a child whose destiny would be to seek out and kill the greatest evil of all: Darken Rahl."
"And?"
Zedd sighed. "The prophet named Brennidon as the town in which the child had been born. Rahl sent his assassins. And in one night, they murdered every firstborn son there, save—you. Your mother gave birth in the madness of the massacre. She was young and weak, barely alive when I took you from her arms- "
Richard shook his head. "No. My mother died when I was ten. Here, in Hartland. Tell him, Dad."
George merely stared at the floor.
"The woman you knew as your mother raised you and loved you as if you were her own, but she did not give birth to you," Zedd said. "I crossed the Boundary that night, unseen, with you in my arms. For weeks I watched, listened, read the clouds, and came to know that in all the world, there was no one kinder than George and Mary Cypher."
Richard blinked at that. He still missed his mother, Mary Cypher, not this stranger Zedd was talking about.
"I told them your story, and they took you into their home and into their hearts," Zedd said. "And if I live to be a thousand years old, I'll never make a wiser choice than picking them for the job."
Hurt by this sudden betrayal of trust and yet still unwilling to believe in it at all, Richard asked, "So. According to this...fantasy, who's my real father?"
"I don't know," Zedd admitted.
"Dad," Richard said, unwilling to stop calling George that. He'd been the only father Richard had ever known and even if this impossible story was somehow true, he'd been a good father.
"It's all true," George said softly. "Please forgive me, Richard. Zedd stayed here to watch over you from a distance."
"Yes, I kept myself apart so that if Darken Rahl ever found his way to me, I wouldn't be a blazing arrow pointing the way to you," Zedd said and glared at Kahlan. "Apparently that's what Confessors are for."
"Confessors?" Richard asked. "Like her?" He wasn't sure he liked the idea at all.
Kahlan nodded. "We are an ancient order of women sworn to find the truth, no matter how hard people may try to hide it. And if a Seeker should arise, to protect him with her life. Indeed, few of us are left, for Rahl fears us. Richard, I'm sorry for my harsh words. Here, I came to bring you this."
She held out a battered book which Richard took with deep misgivings. He preferred being outdoors hunting or swimming than being inside reading and writing. That was his brother Michael's domain—with a shock, he realised Michael wasn't truly his brother, at least not by blood.
"A book?" Richard said, trying not to sound as if he'd been given a birthday present that he was going to trade the moment the giver's back was turned.
"Not just any book," Kahlan said proudly. "It's the Book of Counted Shadows. It was written in a time before remembering. For a thousand years, it's been kept safe in the Wizard's Keep, in Aydindril. But a month ago, the armies of Darken Rahl broke through our last defenses in an attempt to steal it. "
"Why?" Richard asked with a frown.
"Because the Book contains the secrets of power," Zedd said.
"If Darken Rahl gets it, he will use it to control every corner of the world, and we would all become his slaves," Kahlan said.
Richard sighed. "Then I suggest we burn it. That will stop everyone fighting over it." He thought this was a fine solution but Kahlan and Zedd stared at him as if he'd suggested chopping off someone's head.
"The Book is vital," Kahlan said. "The Prophecy says that the Seeker will use the Book in his quest to defeat Rahl."
"What if I don't want to defeat Rahl?" Richard asked. "What if I'm not even the Seeker?"
Kahlan looked to Zedd, the faint hope glimmering in her eyes that maybe Richard wasn't the Seeker after all.
"Read the book," Zedd said, studiously ignoring Kahlan.
Richard tried. He did know how to read, but either he'd forgotten or this was in some strange language he'd not seen before.
"He can't read it," Kahlan said softly.
"Try," Zedd said.
And suddenly the words swam across the page and when they were still once more Richard found he could read them perfectly well.
"The truth of the words of the Book of Counted Shadows can only be ensured by a Confessor." His mouth fell open.
"You see? You are the true Seeker," Zedd said and smiled. Kahlan smiled too, though Richard thought it looked a little forced.
"Give him the Sword," Kahlan ordered. Confessors, Richard thought, were bossy women, no matter what else they might be. "Name him."
"I get a sword?" Richard asked, this being the first bright spot in an otherwise confusing and rather distressing day.
Zedd waved his hands around and a sword appeared. Richard wasn't sure whether he ought to be impressed or if it was just a conjuring trick.
"This is the Sword of Truth," Kahlan said as if Richard ought to be amazed and impressed.
"It's a sword," Richard said. "A fine blade, but nothing special."
Zedd shook his head. "In anyone else's hands, this is just a piece of steel, but in the Seeker's hands, bestows the power to fight evil."
"And with it, you will kill Darken Rahl," Kahlan said.
Richard took a step away. "I'm not killing anybody! I don't even know either of you! For all I know, this is some kind of trick. I'm not a Seeker. I don't want any book or any sword. "
"Calm down, my boy," Zedd said.
"No!"
George put one hand on Richard's shoulder. "Richard it's true."
"How do you know?" Richard asked. "Have you seen any of this with your own eyes? I've seen Kahlan chased by men who might have reason to hunt her, if she goes around trying to persuade people to kill others! Zedd's obviously a conjurer, and this book...I don't know, maybe that's a trick too!"
"Conjuror?" Zedd demanded, outraged.
"A trick?" Kahlan said, equally upset.
"Dad, we're going home," Richard said. "Maybe Michael can have this woman escorted back to the Boundary and she can go home!"
George followed helplessly as Richard stormed out of the cottage. Kahlan hitched up her skirts and followed, despite Zedd's protests. Finally Zedd followed too.
"Richard Cypher," Kahlan bellowed, "you get back here and be named right now! Or give me the Book of Counted Shadows back to hand to the true Seeker!"
Richard glanced through the book and then threw it at her. "It's just stories," he said. "Folk tales about monsters and mysterious curses and spells. If you believe this work of fiction is important, you need more help than any so-called Seeker can give."
"Richard, please," George begged. "It's all true."
"You raised me, father or no," Richard said. "You taught me to be a good person. And now Zedd gives me a sword and Kahlan says I have to use it to kill someone and you're perfectly all right with that?"
George considered this a moment. "Darken Rahl is evil," he said.
"How do you know?" Richard demanded.
"Well, Zedd—"
"Zedd told you? And where is his proof? Maybe he's hiding out from Rahl because he's a wanted criminal too. Maybe he stole me from my mother! Until I see some evidence that these people are on the side of good, I want nothing to do with their cause! And telling me it's my destiny to murder someone doesn't sound like much of a destiny, nor does it sound like a righteous thing to do."
Kahlan glared at Zedd. "This is your fault," she said. "You were supposed to prepare him!"
"Richard," Zedd said in a reasonable tone, "Darken Rahl is evil. Didn't I mention the massacre at Brennidon?"
"You did. Which is something else that I have no proof of, nor did you see clearly since you were too busy running away with me in your arms. And yes, a massacre like that is an evil act. But if it is true, then Darken Rahl was acting out of fear; he had been told that the man who would kill him had just been born there."
Richard shook his head. "Clearly he is as deluded as you both are, and believed as wholeheartedly in the prophecy as you do. Can I be disgusted by what he did? Yes. Can I blame him for wanting to protect himself? I think not."
With that, Richard turned on his heel and left the cottage. He headed off home - the long way, so he could think. George shrugged and followed him.
While Richard was walking home the blood flies he might have blundered into if he'd taken the other path headed towards Zedd's cottage. This was a mistake on their part, for Zedd scorched both them and the accompanying Gar with Wizard's Fire lest they attack Clara. Even Kahlan looked impressed. Of course this meant no evidence of the magical creature remained, an oversight neither of them considered until the Gar was just ashes.
Richard arrived home to find Michael waiting for him.
"Richard, where's father?"
"Just behind me," Richard said.
"Father," Michael called as George joined them. "Come quickly. There's a witch on the loose. Richard, I feared for you." Michael held out Richard's necklace which he took gratefully.
"Where did you get this?" Richard asked.
"From Ranssyn Fane. He and Chase are out looking for the witch. He said she fought with you and pushed you over the cliff and only your necklace was to be found."
Richard shook his head. "He's lying. He was attacking Kahlan so I tried to stop him and he pulled off my necklace."
"Kahlan?"
"The witch," Richard said. "Though she calls herself a Confessor." He turned to George. "Does he know?"
George nodded sombrely.
"Know what?" Michael asked.
"That I'm adopted," Richard said.
Michael nodded and Richard stepped forward, quickly pulling a surprised Michael into a rough embrace.
"You're still my brother," Richard said fiercely. "As surely as if we shared blood. And George Cypher is still my father. Now, come inside. We need to talk about the Boundary."
Later, Chase showed up at the Cypher household, with wild stories about a woman whose eyes turned black and Zedd the chicken man making fire come from his fingertips, and Fane falling to his knees in front of the woman and then, at her command, stabbing himself in the heart.
"Witch," Michael said with conviction. And Richard nodded. Chase went home to hug his wife and children and try to forget all of the strangeness.
"We'll post guards at the Boundary, keep Hartland safe from invaders," Michael said, in full Councilor mode. "I'll send search parties out to look for this woman—Kahlan, you said her name was?"
"No need," Richard said, pointing to the doorway. "She's here."
Kahlan was stood with the sword in one hand and the book in another, looking like a statue Richard had once seen outside the courthouse in the nearest city.
"Richard, these are your tools of office," she said, her voice gentle this time. "You are the Seeker."
"And I told you I don't want to be the Seeker. I don't believe you and I don't have any proof of what you say, and I'm not about to be anyone's hired assassin based on blind faith!" Richard crossed his arms, resolute.
Kahlan entered and placed the sword on the table. Michael, hand hovering near his own weapon, now relaxed.
"Richard, it is your destiny. What kind of life do you have here?"
"My life," he told her. "I'm a woods guide."
She tipped her head beguilingly. "The Seeker is a great leader."
"My brother is a leader. I just want people to be safe."
Kahlan bit her lip, desperately trying to control her anger. "Then save my people."
"Charity begins at home. This is my home. This is my family. These are my people." Richard gestured expansively. "I love this place. I love the people and the woods and the animals. I love hunting and swimming. I'm planning to settle down eventually and raise a family here. Chase and I could buy the tavern when Hubert is ready to retire, and Emma can help with the bar, and I've been learning about brewing—"
"Beer?" Kahlan shrieked. For a moment her eyes flickered black and then they were blue once more. "You want to chase rabbits and brew beer while hundreds of people are slaughtered in the Midlands?"
"The Midlands is your home, not mine."
"One day Darken Rahl will find you," Kahlan swore, "and everyone and everything you love in this backwater will be gone."
"If he comes here then I will stand against him," Richard said. "To protect my home. Now, you should be going. Can you get back through the Boundary?"
Kahlan sank onto the nearest chair. "I don't know. My nightwisp was killed by Fane before I could Confess him....and besides, I came here to find the Seeker. How can I go back a failure?"
"Then don't go back. Stay here. For a backwater we find it very agreeable," Richard said.
Michael was not pleased with this suggestion and protested, "But she's a witch." It was the one thing he was certain about in this mess.
"Maybe," Richard said. "But that doesn't mean we should punish her. She hasn't hurt any of us so far. She deserves a chance to prove she can live in peace here. Besides she said there weren't many Confessors left. It would be shameful for us to let any race to die out."
Michael considered this for a moment. "If she returned to her homeland with tales of the Seeker, she could bring destruction upon us. It might be for the best if she is never allowed to cross the Boundary."
Zedd knocked on the door, despite it being open. "Richard, are you ready to accept your destiny as the true Seeker?"
"No. 'Prophecy be damned!', remember?" Richard asked, throwing Zedd's words back at him. "Well, destiny be damned."
Things weren't going to plan—or, indeed, prophecy.
