Unbroken Chapter 1: Prologue, a legend of the seeker fanfic

Title: Unbroken
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker/Sword of Truth series
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Chapter Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of the Seeker or the Sword of Truth series in any way, shape, or form. They belong to ABC Disney and Terry Goodkind. This is strickly for creative purposes and not for profit.
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Zedd performs the spell of undoing on Dahlia and finds himself in a situation very different than he expected.
Spoilers: Unbroken...if u squint
A/N: Oh yes. I have taken another ep from LotS and put my own spin on it. This is the sequel to 'Torn'. If you haven't read that yet, you probably should. This also has a splash of the books in it. Just minor stuff, no plot spoiling here. Also, I've kind of fused book and t.v. Cara in this cause well, Cara is just damn awesome and Tabrett Bethell was amazing and beautiful playing her. Just thought I'd throw that in there. ^_^
A/N2: Other than mentioning that this too was purposely titled (those ep names are really fitting), this picks up right where Zedd performing the spell of undoing on Dahlia leaves off. No really, he stops chanting and this is what happens next. Enjoy.

Prologue

The world was blank.

A split second later, it came rushing back in a burst of various sights, sounds, and smells. It was quite disorienting, and Zedd was hoping that it was something he wouldn't have to ever get used to. He stood still, blinking once to gain his bearings. When his vision cleared, he began to take in his surroundings. His nose told him before anything else that he was near stables, the smell of horses, fresh hay, and manure mingling around him.

Before he could begin to wonder whose stables he was near, the confessor's palace came into focus just to his left, the Wizard's Keep looming up behind it. So he was in Aydindril, that answered the where of the equation, but what was he doing in Aydindril? And where were Richard and Kahlan? Where was Cara?

Just as he started towards the palace in search of answers, a young man no older than Richard ran across his path before stopping abruptly and turning to him.

"Zedd! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you." The young man said.

Zedd took a closer look at him. He was slightly taller than Richard and of a leaner build. His hair was dirty blonde and looked as if he'd attempted to tame the messy strands but to no avail. His eyes were of a pale green color and Zedd noticed that he spoke with a slight lisp. He wore a pale green tunic to match his eyes, a brown vest, dark brown trousers and leather boots.

"Do I know you?" Zedd asked cautiously.

"What? Stop kidding around, we're going to be late." He said, taking long strides towards Zedd. The sunlight glinted off of something at his throat but before Zedd could make out what it was, the boy grabbed his arm and was pulling him towards the palace.

"Late for what?" Zedd grunted as he tried to release himself from the boy's surprisingly strong grip.

"Devotions."

Zedd stopped abruptly, dragging the boy to a stop as well. He stared at Zedd like he'd lost his mind.

"Devotions?" Zedd asked in shock. Why on earth were devotions being held in Aydindril?

"Yes and if we're not there when they start, Richard will never let either of us hear the end of it." The boy replied, his patience clearly wearing thin.

"Richard is at the Devotions ceremony?"

"Yes." The boy said in a low voice, his lisp making it difficult to tell whether he had actually hissed the word or not. "Where else would he be? Now come on." He finished, tugging on Zedd's arm again. This time Zedd let the boy lead him away.

Of course Richard was at the devotions, he was the Lord Rahl after all, but that didn't explain why it was happening in Aydindril. Unless…

"Is Kahlan there as well?"

The boy's head whipped around in surprise, even as he continued to pull Zedd through the palace at a fast pace. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Of course the Mother Confessor is there. She is the Queen Rahl. You know that." When Zedd didn't respond, he asked, "What's the matter with you?"

Before Zedd could reply, bells began ringing throughout the palace. The boy cursed under his breath and pulled Zedd faster.

That made sense. Kahlan and Richard must already be married in this reality which meant that, in a sense, the Midlands were married to D'Hara, Zedd thought as the boy pulled him up two staircases. It only seemed natural to keep up D'Haran tradition, even if Richard wasn't from D'Hara. It was a good way to bond the people of the Midlands to him.

The boy pulled him through one final corridor and into a large room decorated in red and cream silks. The polished marble floors were bare, except for a wide deep red strip of carpet leading from the door to the opposite side of the room and underneath matching curtains that were closed off. Zedd assumed the balcony where Richard would address the people of Aydindril from, was just beyond the curtains.

No longer needing to be lead, the boy let go of him and Zedd matched his quick strides across the room. He followed him through the curtains and immediately spotted Kahlan, looking as radiant as always in her white confessor's dress, to the right of the carpet. Beside her stood a little girl no more than eight years old, with golden blonde hair and blue eyes so bright she could've only gotten them from the woman standing next to her. Her hair fell in long natural curls, the ones that would've fallen around her face, pulled and pinned in the back. She was wearing a simple black dress, styled to match her mother's.

Zedd smiled warmly. It would seem that Richard and Kahlan had managed to have a child in this reality as well. He followed the young man over to them, intent on giving Kahlan a hug but a sharp tug on his sleeve prevented him from getting too close. He turned to the boy in time to see him bow before Kahlan and the little girl. There was another sharp tug on his sleeve and he took the hint and bowed as well. He didn't mind showing Kahlan and her daughter the respect they deserved. When he rose, he met Kahlan's serene smile with a proud one of his own.

"Is everything alright Zedd?" She asked after a moment.

"Everything is quite alright my dear."

Kahlan's smile turned amused and her eyebrows lifted slightly in question.

"It would seem," the boy began, drawing Kahlan's attention to him even as he stared at Zedd uncertainly. "that Zedd has already been to Ambrosio's' tavern this morning Mother Confessor."

Kahlan turned back to him, her amused smile still in place as she asked,

"So early Zedd?"

Once again, before Zedd could respond, he was interrupted, this time by a familiar teasing voice.

"I hope not. He usually manages to restrain himself until after noon."

Zedd turned to see his grandson walk through the curtains even as the strange boy pulled him out of Richard's way and to the opposite side of the carpet. Zedd watched Richard bow as they had, his brown eyes alight with love and joy at seeing Kahlan. His hair was shorter than the last time Zedd had seen it, although not as short as when they'd first left Hartland, and his beard was neat and trim. He was dressed similar to the young man that had found Zedd, except his tunic was a dark forest green and he wore the Sword of Truth on his hip.

When Richard rose to his full height, Zedd was surprised to see that the serene smile had returned to Kahlan's face and the child only smiled at him as if he were a good friend. Zedd pondered what that could mean as Richard returned the smile before walking over to stand to Zedd's left, leaving Zedd between both men.

"You're late. Where have you been?" Richard whispered, looking first at the boy and then at Zedd. The boy gave Zedd a pointed look. Then the bells finally stopped ringing, and the boy's posture straightened. With his head held high, he turned toward the curtains. Kahlan and her daughter turned to the curtains as well. When Zedd turned to ask what was happening, he saw that Richard's attention was also riveted on the curtains.

It was then that Zedd noticed the hundreds of people in the courtyard below the balcony, and that the roaring in his ears was actually the crowd's cheers. It was deafening. It was as if all of Aydindril was packed into the courtyard and spilling out into the city as far as the eye could see.

Zedd turned back just in time to see a small child walk through the curtain. It was a little girl of four or five with long wavy black hair and bright blue eyes to match the blonde girl's. To match Kahlan's. But she didn't wear a confessor's dress. Her dress was rich red with short sleeves and gold trim that split into fourths at the waist, revealing black pants and black boots when she walked. She was indeed not dressed as a confessor, but as a Rahl.

She went to hug the blonde, and when she stood before her mother, Kahlan fell to one knee. She brushed the girl's hair out of her face and then kissed both of her cheeks and finally the tip of her nose. The little girl smiled brightly, and Zedd almost staggered at how very much the child looked like Kahlan. Just then, the curtain parted again and Zedd actually did stumble slightly.

Cara Mason stepped through the curtain next. But she looked nothing like the Cara Mason Zedd knew, with her red leather and short uneven hair. Nor did she look like the school teacher from the last reality, with her long curly hair and colorful dress. This Cara wore a blood red vest with gold trimming and a high collar. It was open at her throat and plunged in a V on her chest. Though not as deep as her leather, her smooth skin was still visible. The vest was sleeveless, putting Cara's arms, with their tan skin and sleek muscles, on display. It fit close to her torso, leaving no doubt that she was a woman, and stopped at her waist.

Where the vest left off, tight black pants that hugged her body like a second skin, began. They showcased strong, firm thighs and made her long legs look even longer. And to finish the ensemble, she wore a pair of polished black boots that came to mid-calf. Her light straight hair fell just past her shoulders, a few strands brushing against them whenever she turned her head. Cara looked like any Lord Rahl Zedd had ever seen, leaving him utterly baffled.

His confusion only grew as Cara walked over to the eldest of the two girls. She leaned over and kissed her forehead, her blonde hair mixing with the child's, whose hair color was the exact same shade. While the child just barely managed to keep her smile from turning into a grin, her eyes seemed to shine with the love and adoration she felt.

Next, Cara offered her hand to Kahlan who was still kneeling before the second child. Kahlan took Cara's hand and rose to her feet, her joy barely contained in her smile. Zedd's eyebrows furrowed as Cara bent her head to softly kiss the back of Kahlan's hand. Kahlan's eyes burned so fiercely with love that Zedd had to briefly wonder if he was dreaming. He had rarely ever seen Kahlan respond that way except for a few times with Richard. Zedd glanced at Richard to see his response to the entire situation and was shocked to see that Richard seemed just as happy. He was confounded. Everyone seemed like themselves, yet not quite.

Zedd pinched his thigh, hard, and winced at the pain. So, he wasn't dreaming. But if he wasn't dreaming, what did all of this mean? He watched as Cara let go of Kahlan's hand in order to give hers to the youngest girl. When the child took Cara's hand happily and smiled up at her, something shone so brightly in Cara's green eyes that Zedd had no trouble identifying it.

A father's pride, Zedd thought in awe. Cara gave the child a small smile before leading her to the balcony. It was then that Zedd noticed the small step stool flush against the balcony railing. The girl stepped onto it, instantly making herself visible to the still cheering crowd below. Cara stood beside her and the cheering grew in volume for a moment before everyone fell silent. If Zedd had any doubts about what was going on, what happened next put things into a shining clear perspective.

Almost as one, the crowd in the courtyard and in the streets, sank to their knees. Richard and the boy that had found him went to their knees as well and bowed their heads. Zedd got to his knees quickly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. That left Cara, Kahlan, and the two girls, the only ones standing. Kahlan and the blonde child's heads were bowed as if in prayer, their hands clasped before them. As one, all the voices around him rang out.

"Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us. In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours."

Zedd stared in total shock as his mind registered what he was witnessing. Cara stood tall and strong, her hands clasped behind her back as she looked out over the people. The child beside her also stood tall and strong. Her back straight, head held high, and arms to the side. Where just a moment ago, there was a happy, childlike expression on her face, now there was quiet contemplation.

Zedd wasn't just seeing Cara and a child who was most likely Kahlan's. He was seeing the people of Aydindril devote themselves to the Lord Rahl. His eyes went to the girl again, a light breeze blowing the hair away from her calm face.

He was seeing the future Lord Rahl.

TBC