Kahlan woke up feeling refreshed.
The last memory she had was of jumping, and the giant catching her.
She stood up hastily looking around. There was nobody here. And she wasn't in the lava cavern anymore. She was in a meadow. 'How strange!' she thought.
'Giant?' she called out worriedly.
"I have a name you know" someone replied from behind her.
Startled, she turned around.
It was a boy.
He looked familiar and she felt in her heart like she had known him all her life.
But she did not recognize him.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Prometheus" he answered her. "We met in the cavern, or have you forgotten me already?" He chuckled.
Thinking about it, she realized that 'yes, he did look like that giant. Only much younger, and more handsome.' She thought to herself.
Prometheus blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
'She thinks I'm handsome' he thought to himself blushing even harder.
Kahlan, looked at him puzzled.
"Did you just say something?" she asked?
"No, I didn't" he replied instantly straightening himself. "You haven't told me your name." he said changing the subject.
"Oh Right! I'm Kahlan." She said. 'I hope he doesn't think I'm rude. I can't believe he's that giant. I mean he looks like him, but he's not big like that. And I thought it was snowing outside. How come it's like spring here. AM I GOING CRAZY!! Maybe I'm dreaming' she thought.
"You're not going crazy" he told her.
"Woah there!" Kahlan took a step away from him. "Are you reading my thoughts right now?"
"Yes I am" Prometheus said "I mean it's hard not to, you're really loud"
"This is crazy. This shouldn't be possible. Are you tricking me? I mean that would be a mean trick. But I really need it to be a trick. Please say you're tricking me"
"I'm not tricking you. I would never." He told her honestly.
She started freaking out.
"It's alright" he consoled.
But she was having none of it. She was so convinced that she was a science experiment at this point.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Prometheus walked to her and pulled her into a hug. She surprisingly didn't resist his touch.
"It's alright now Kahlan" he consoled.
Holding her like this, he felt like he held the world in his hands.
He felt at peace just hugging her. And he was sure she felt the same. She calmed down soon enough.
And they just stood there holding each other like they held the most precious thing within their embrace. Listening to the others heartbeat.
Kahlan felt like she was at home. Comfortable and cozy. Protected and cared for.
Now that she was calm, she could see everything clearly now.
She could see him.
And beyond him she felt their bond. It was a very strange and yet familiar thing.
She could feel him like he were herself. This absolute stranger. But she didn't see him as such.
She could hear his thoughts, willing her to calm down. Wishing to protect her from all the dangers of this world. Caring for her. And rather than feeling suffocated, she felt happy.
She had never felt this way before.
Her father was a cold and unfeeling man who never knew how to interact with her. He usually let her get away with things mostly because he wanted to get away from her.
It was what she had known her entire life. She had never met her mother, and she had never heard her father speak of her before. It was like a taboo in their household.
Every other person she knew treated her nicely because of who her father was. And they always wanted something from her.
But she could feel the purity in this person. She felt and knew that he would care for her unselfishly. As if she were his own.
After a while, they pulled apart and sat down on the grass.
Prometheus opened a leaf parcel he had been holding in his hands.
It held berries. He gave them to her to eat.
She took it from him and ate in silence.
Once she was done eating, Prometheus began telling her about how it all came about and why he was in that cave.
"I'm a titan. He started. "Have you heard of those before?" he probed.
"Like a Greek god?" She asked. She had read up stories of them, she especially liked the Percy Jackson tales. But she felt that it was a bit of a stretch having to believe that Greek gods existed.
"How is that even possible? They are supposed to be myths right?"
"I'm not sure what happened in the past millennia, but I can assure you that we are not myths. We have lived a really long time, humans have changed the way we were addressed numerous times, even forgotten what we stand for." He seemed a little sad when he said this.
"We titans are much older and stronger than the gods. We are the descendants of the primordial deities Uranus and Gaea. You'd know them as heaven and earth. Our ancestor (Uranus) was defeated by Cronus, and uh, after that, there was a prophesy that Cronus would be killed by his children so he decided to eat them up. But then Zeus defeated Cronus. And there was a great battle where he and the other Olympians tried to suppress the titans. They called it the Titanomachy. Really high sounding yeah? Well it did shake the universe." He said a bit listlessly.
"But I thought you fought on the side of the Olympians?" Kahlan was puzzled. The way Prometheus was describing the war was like he was a bystander.
"I did" Prometheus admitted. "I used my powers of foresight and realized that there was no way the other titans could win. So I decided to join the Olympians in the battle."
"You sound like a wimp" Kahlan teased.
Prometheus chuckled. "Indeed it seemed like it at the time. But it was the only way to save my family. They may never forgive me for it though. I knew that there was no way to win this war. We titans had grown too complacent in the millennia that we had lived, but these gods were hot-blooded. They had strategies, and they had even employed the hecatonchires (hundred armed giants) to fight with them. there was no winning this battle no matter how many times I reviewed it. But if I fought on the side of the Olympians, I could curtail the damage. Instead of the titans dying on the battlefield, I negotiated with Zeus to capture them instead. And while they may not appreciate the favor, at least they are alive." He finished.
Kahlan knew this story was so farfetched but she understood that Prometheus believed in what he was saying with his whole being. So she decided to humor him and take him at his word.
"Okay." She said. "Assuming Greek gods exist, how come you were still in that cave? The legends say that Heracles released you from within there."
"That is a long and sad story" he said with a deep sigh.
He took a bit of straw to chew on and laid on the grass with his arms under, supporting his head.
He knew she didn't believe him. And that she was being polite and all. But having to explain how he existed was very strange to him. He had never had to deal with explaining his existence. It was just something that just… was. And everyone took it at that.
"Heracles, no matter what the legends say wasn't a good person." He started "I mean, he did release me and all but afterwards, he slandered me. He told Zeus that I was planning a war. Another Titanomachy. Zeus used this to strengthen his stronghold as superior god by imprisoning here. And then put those dreadful monsters to tear me up whenever I healed."
"That's just terrible" Kahlan frowned "why would he do something like that."
"That's just what people do" he replied. "They betray everyone around them. So long as there's profit in it. He got in Zeus' good books in return. It is possible that it was staged and Zeus' never wanted me released in the first place."
"What are you going to do about it?" Kahlan asked.
'For the longest time, I've been planning my revenge' he thought to himself. But turning his gaze away from the skies, he peered at his mate sitting beside him.
She turned as if sensing his gaze. When their eyes met, he felt his heart enriched with an indescribable fullness. Like he had everything he had ever wanted.
He shifted moving his head from out his arms and laying it on the laps of his mate.
She unconsciously ran her fingers through his hair.
He got lost in the sensation.
"Did you know" he told her. "Every hero has his foil. Most heroes get so embroiled in pride or rage or revenge that they lose sight of what they have... until it's gone. So long as I have you, I don't care if the world goes to hell"
"I have had enough time to think up the perfect revenge." He continued. "But everything floats away every time I look at you. I would never put you in harm's way. And if it means forgetting eons of years of torture and scaring, I would… for you."
Kahlan felt a tingle go up her spine, and butterflies fill up her tummy. 'Is this what it feels like to crush on someone?' she wondered. Her friends and posies all had crushes but she had never felt a liking for anyone the way she did for this boy resting on her laps.
Her fingers stilled on his golden hair. Thoughts ran wildly through her head. 'I should probably say something. I think he just confessed to me! It was a confession right?'
"Yes Kahlan" Prometheus chuckled. "But it is more a statement than a confession though".
"You can read my thoughts!" Kahlan felt so mortified. He had heard everything she thought about him.
She covered her face with her hands.
"Don't look at me" she said.
He laughed at her silliness. "It's alright Kahlan you can read my thoughts as well so it's okay. You don't have to feel embarrassed."
She still had her hands over her face, so he sat up and pulled her into his arms.
"I care deeply about you Kahlan" he cupped her face in his palm. "But I am honorable. Not like those deplorable gods. I will wait for you to reach maturity. I won't take advantage of you. Okay? It is enough for me to be with you like this. We have the rest of eternity and I will wait for you to grow. I will be with you every step of the way. I promise you this. Okay?... Now look at me child"
'Don't call me child' Kahlan muttered. Peeking at him through the slits in her fingers.
"Kahlan" he sighed "Our bond is special. It is one of a kind. We are fated for each other. We are mates Kahlan. I'm not sure how this came about but what I am sure of is that we belong together. So it is okay to have these feelings alright. You don't have to be scared or shy. Not with me. Okay."
He took one of her hands away from her face and placed it over his heart.
"I will be here for you. The fact that we have this bond makes it easier to protect you. See, whenever we are apart or lost, we can always find each other. And we can talk to each other without anyone else listening in. Isn't that great?" he tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah I guess. It will take some getting used to though" she said. Finally taking off her hand from her face.
He could tell she still had some hesitation. So he opened himself up to her.
During the time she was unconscious, he had been working on how to conceal his side of the bond. It was still flimsy as some thoughts and emotions filtered out.
He knew that she would not be able to withstand the full onslaught of the passion he felt for her. She was still tender, and he didn't want her hurt in any way.
But he needed her to know how he felt about her. He needed to assure her that he belonged with her and to her now.
So he formed a crack in the walls he had built up.
Through that crack, filtered out an intensity that made Kahlan shocked.
She was still for a moment unable to talk or move or breathe.
This moment felt like an eternity to Prometheus. He was so worried. He thought he had broken her or something. He fretted and cursed at himself. Why did he have to go and do that!
But the moment passed, and Kahlan turned to look at him. There was something new in her gaze. Like she had realized something.
And she was happy about it. She hugged him so tightly that he was scared her limbs would crack.
"Oh Prometheus" she whispered into his ear. "I'm so happy I met you"
"And I you Kahlan" he mumbled into her hair, sniffing in the unique scent of his mate. 'And I you'