-----.Katrina ended her excited jumping by coming to Zedd and Kahlan's aid, helping them to their feet. Kahlan bore a distressed expression. Zedd considered her for a moment. She gave him a short nod, affirming that she was all right.
-----.Zedd turned to Richard. "A wise first question, given your new post, but not one so swiftly answered."
-----.Richard looked down at the gleaming sword in his hand, noat at all sure he wanted anything to do with it. He slid it back into the scabbard, glad to be free of the feeling it invoked in him. "Zedd, I've never even seen this before. Where have you kept it?"
-----.Zedd smiled proudly. "In the cabinet, in the house."
-----.Richard gave him a skeptical expression. "There's nothing in the cabinet except for dishes, pans and your powders."
-----."Not that cabinet," he said, lowering his voice as though to thwart any nearby listeners. "My wizard's cabinet!"
-----.Richard straightened up and frowned. "I've never seen any other cabinet."
-----."Bags, Richard! You're not supposed to see it! It's invisible!"
-----.Katrina went back inside, having heard enough. She knew where the story would be going from there and decided to finish up the dishes with a big smile.
-----.After a while, she peeked out the window. She could hear snippets of their conversation. Zedd was telling them about the power of Orden. She turned her back to them. What he was telling them wasn't entirely accurate. She fought a mental battle in head if she should tell them or let the pieces fall where they may.
-----.She returned to the bucket she was cleaning the dishes in and pulled out a clean dish. She dragged a dry rag across it. As she did so, a thought occurred to her. Terry wrote the book she was in without writing her into it. So, what if - since she was here - she could influence certain events to quicken them along or make their adventure a little safer? She'd already taken care of two quad members, but nothing changed from there. So what harm could her foreknowledge be?
-----.She slid the clean stack of dishes into Zedd's cabinet, the stood back up and smoothed down her dress. She crossed her arms, staring into the cabinet, thinking. She could always test it.
-----.Since she knew that Darken Rahl would be visiting later, an idea began forming. She then remembered that Kahlan put a stew on that morning for supper. She went to the fireplace and set to stirring it. It smelled wonderful, very aromatic. Katrina sighed.
-----.Her idea finished forming as she was stirring the stew. A mischievous grin found its way across her lips. She turned away from the fireplace and went to the table, then whisked her hand in the air. A slip of paper and a pen appeared. She grabbed the pen and pressed it to the paper, but didn't move it.
-----.Another idea struck her. She then began to fancifully scrawl a note to Rahl - in High D'Haran.
-----.With a self-satisfied smug look on her face, she rolled the note up and shoved it into one of her pockets. She walked over to the window, seeing the sun hanging closer to the horizon. The sky was beginning to give way to the nighttime colors, turning orange and purple. The snake cloud over Richard was turning a velvety pink on the shadowed side. It was getting to be about time for them to leave.
-----.Katrina turned, facing the inside of the room again. Her eyes darted about, searching. She found Richard's pack and a couple of bags that Zedd had laying about. There were some supplies in Richard's pack, but Zedd's bags were empty. She began filling them with supplies that they would need, as well as some dry goods.
-----.She then set to work arranging the table, then brought the stew over and began scooping it into the bowls. She put the bags out of sight in the bedroom just in time. Richard, Zedd and Kahlan all came into the house. She invited them to the table with a hostess-like smile. They were quite surprised to see that she had set the table for them.
o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>
-----.Katrina sat and listened, taking small spoonfuls of the soup. Richard was talking about how to get across the boundary with Zedd. She watched Zedd's expression move from knowledgeable to confused the more Richard asked questions. She could see the light in Richard's eyes as his idea was forming. He looked over at her, feeling her eyes on him.
-----."Will it work?" He asked her, knowing by now that she knew. She gave him a short nod with a slow blink. Kahlan and Zedd gave Katrina raised eyebrows.
-----."Will what work?" Kahlan asked, a slightly agitated expression forming across her features.
-----.Katrina waved a hand to dismiss her question, then realized something and froze.
-----."What? What is it?" Kahlan asked.
-----.Katrina looked her hard in the eyes. "I just realized that even if I do tell you your future and how to avoid certain events from coming to pass, it will still happen as it's supposed to because that is how the author willed it. I also realized that I can freeze time here or go back in time and rewrite bits of the story, as well as shift shape."
-----.Kahlan shared an odd look with Zedd and Richard. Shift shape? Was she out of her mind?
-----."As much as I'd like to demonstrate the freezing time and going back in time thing, none of you could see or comprehend it, but as I've already demonstrated with my clothing changes, I can also willingly shift shape. Observe."
-----.Everyone locked their eyes on Katrina. Her features slowly morphed into Kahlan's features. He brown eyes flushed to green. Her hair shortened out and became a few shades darker. She even gained a few inches in height.
-----.Everyone's jaws dropped. Zedd and Richard looked at the real Kahlan, then to Katrina. She was an exact copy, accurate to the last minute detail.
-----."So, how do I look?" Katrina asked in Kahlan's voice. Her clothes had even changed to Kahlan's white dress. Kahlan looked like she was about to fall over. The men were scared stiff.
-----.Katrina laughed. "I guess that answers that question." She decided to go ahead and change back. Kahlan's features melted away from Katrina's skin. Everyone looked relieved.
-----."Don't look so happy to see me back, everyone." Katrina said as she sat down. They shared a quiet look with one another before saying anything.
-----.Zedd spoke up first. "How do you plan on using that?" Richard quickly nodded in agreement. Kahlan sat quietly.
-----.Katrina smirked. "I figure I can morph into something a bit more exotic, get captured by Darken Rahl's men and sit pretty in D'Hara until you all show up."
-----.Zedd sat back, a look of shock and anger plastered onto his face, with a dash of worry. "What makes you think you'll get through that ordeal alive and unscathed?"
-----.Katrina sat up straighter and crossed her arms. "Several things, Zedd. One, I know what Darken Rahl is doing at this very moment and it's not pretty. Two, if I learned anything of his character when I was reading these books, it's that he can't turn away anything exotic or potentially useful."
-----.Zedd raised an eyebrow at her. "Useful, how?"
-----.Katrina sat forward, staring Zedd dead in the eyes. "I'm going to pretend to be a spy for him."
-----."Crafty, but do you think it will work?"
-----.Without missing a beat, Katrina responded, "Absolutely."
-----."That's insane," Richard started. "How are you going to get captured and become a spy for him and then feed him information under false pretenses?"
-----.Katrina smirked again. "Because we're going to have guests tonight. And I can go willingly in a different shape."
-----.Everyone sat back. Zedd scratched his chin. Richard ran his fingers through his hair. Kahlan sat still, staring at a spot on the table.
-----."What shape do you plan on going in?" Richard asked.
-----.Katrina brightened up. "So glad you asked."
This is not an original story. This is a fan-fiction based off of the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. I do not own any of the characters or places or anything part of the series. Katrina is my character.
