Fic: Alone

[meridian_rose]

Title: Alone
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Characters: Darken Rahl, Denna
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 154
Prompt: For the legendland challenge - no dialogue.
Summary: Darken's dreams are troubled.

He sleeps alone.

The Seeker lives and he's not had one night since that fear hasn't haunted his dreams. Not one night without some mirror image of himself plunging the Sword of Truth into his heart, or that he finds himself surrounded by the ruins of his life – dead Mord'Sith, crumbling Palace walls; everything he's built, gone.

He watches the slumbering Denna, her golden hair splayed about the pillows, and hates her for being able to sleep so soundly. Suddenly, impetuously, he grabs at her wrist and shoves her toward the edge of the bed. She's awake instantly, and her lips part to form a question, but the words die on her lips at his expression. Silently, she gathers her clothes and leaves.

No matter that he takes Mord'Sith to his bed, and that guards stand outside his bedchamber, and that the Palace, even at night, is filled with people. He always sleeps alone.

Comments

[16beckyb.livejournal.com]

This is very sad. A powerful description of Darken's loneliness and paranoia.

I wonder if, even before he learned that Richard was alive, Darken wasn't plagued with nightmares sent by the Keeper. I wonder if he's ever had a peaceful night's sleep.

I love the little snippets you give us of Darken/Denna. We really have no show-verse backstory of their relationship.

[meridian_rose]

Thanks: it is angsty indeed.

As for the dreams I never really thought about that; when did Darken and the Keeper have their falling out so that the Keeper felt the need to plague his previously loyal servant with bad dreams? And even without the deliberate nightmares from the Keeper or, post-Seeker naming induced dreams, it seems entirely probable that Darken hasn't had many peaceful nights.
I have the feeling we mentioned this in another discussion; if Rahl just got a decent night's sleep, maybe he wouldn't be so tyrannical/make any errors in judgement :D

[hrhrionastar.livejournal.com]

I commented on this over at legendland ;) Lovely glimpse at what season 1 Darken is going through. I love the idea that Darken sees the Seeker as a mirror image of himself - hinting that perhaps, he is his own worst enemy. Which is supported by the end of Reckoning, when he uses the Sword of Truth to separate the Boxes of Orden.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you for commenting here too :D I thought that since Darken doesn't know what the Seeker will look like, he'd imagine him to be similar - that's a wonderful interpretation, that in fact, he is his own worst enemy :D

[talath-dirnen.livejournal.com]

Could you write something exept pefect angst?... I love it anyway.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :D Angst just works so well for Darken. But maybe something nicer next time :D