Back to the forest (closed)

[Kriss]

Kriss put back the glass and thought for a while in silence. She was looking for a good solution. No permit means only more troubles. She knew something about that. She also had the problems when she arrived the town. Then her gold had resolved it but this time the things looked a bit differnet.

She stood up and started walking.
"Omar's law is strange. He is afraid of his kingdom..." She rolled her eyes while saying it and continued,
"You need to have the permit if you stay in the city for more than one day. It's simply when you come here on legal ship as a legal passenger but since you don't have it, I guess you travleled in a different way." She gave the woman her usual evily smile.
They both had thier mysteries and it was not a time for them. Kriss could understand her very well.

The archer came to the bar and took off the little chest from the locker. She continued her speach while trying to open the chest.
"We both know that you won't just go and get the permit. But we can arrange something thanks to this."
She showed Kahlan a signet-ring which she had just taken off from the chest.

[Kahlan]

Kahlan watched Kriss walking. She smiled, lowering her head, when she mentioned the circumstances in which she had arrived. The young woman knew the subject would come back to the surface one day, but not tonight.
Kahlan was wondering what the archer had in mind, until she saw what she had taken off from the chest.
"Okay...Perhaps I didn't come here in very legal way... but I'm not sure this is legal either!" she said, pointing at the signet-ring.

[Kriss]

Kriss smirked and hid the chest, leaving only the signet-ring at the bar. From one drawer she removed the feather and tavern's guest's book. While she was looking for something in this, she said, shrugging,
"Who cares. Permit is a permit. When it got the guard's stamp it's legal."
She smiled evilly at Kahlan sat down with the prototype of the permit, she had just got out from the book.

[Kahlan]

Kahlan smiled back at Kriss. This woman was definitely looking for adrenalin.
"I guess I have nothing to loose anymore", she said ironically.
*If my father saw me doing this...* She thought at the same time.

"So, let's see how does this work". Kahlan drew the prototype toward her.

[Kriss]

Kriss put on the bar two pieces of paper. One was a very thin parchment and the another one was the usual paper.
She had been doing it many times before. She had a convinced hand.
"You know I cared about Anile's father's documentation and he was not the simple craftsman..."
She said with sarcasm and smiled.

The archer took the prototype back from Kahlan and put it on the one piece of paper and covered it with the parchment.
She was ready but needed more light.
"Kahlan, can you bring me more candles, please?"

[Kahlan]

Kahlan was watching Kriss, curious. Thez woman seemed to know what she was doing.
She stood up and went to find some candles to bring them back.
She put them on the bar and sat again.
"Do you need something else?" Kahlan asked.

[Kriss]

Now she had got much better working conditions. Indeed she needed only one more thing,
"Yeah, I need a silence..."
She always needed it when she was doing something. As much as she loved her son, sometime that cruel thought came across her mind, the thought that maybe his accident had not been so bad thing. Before this he had used to be very lound, annoying kid. She always cast out this thought from her mind and felt ashamed. For real she missed a lot that lound scream "NO!". It had used to be his favorite word.

[Kahlan]

Kahlan wanted to answer but she abstain to do so.
After all, Kriss was doing this for her, and the young woman didn't know how she would have taken her remark.
So she just nodded and watch the tavern's owner in silence.

[Kriss]

Kriss did not say anything else. She took her feather and started to duplicate the permit. Her steady hand slowly was forming the words on parchment. Letter by letter, with the full precision. Her focused eyes did not raise even for a moment, still concentrated at her work.
The woman had been doing it not for once before but it always needed the focusing, the involvement, the time. She exactly knew how important every, even very small detail was. She could not make any mistake.

The parchment filled more and more. She reached the names-part.
Kahlan
The name which the girl told her. If it was the real or not, it did not metter then. Kriss wrote it down on the permit.
She also inscribed, stay for an indefinite period
That allowed her new friend to stay in Basra even forever.
The permit seemed to be done. Kriss put back the feather, took the candle and she made a splash on parchment with a wax. Then put the seal with the signet-ring.
Kriss raised her eyes at the woman.
"Done."

[Kahlan]

Kahlan has been watching Kriss in silence. When the woman finished, she gently took the precious document and looked at it.
Kahlan.
Her name was on it.
She suddenly realized her situation. She, princess of Galea, never thought that she could have the need of a permit one day. She never thought that a piece of paper would be necessary for her to move in a city...until today.

She now felt like a fugitive, except that she had committed no crime, on the contrary. She was a victim. And she was decided to take her revenge as soon as possible.
But in the meantime, she had to stay in Basra for...an undefinite period...as it was written on the permit.

Kahlan smiled and looked at Kriss.
"Thank you." She said.
"You know...I really don't know where I'd be by now if you hadn't been in those woods earlier this morning."

[Kriss]

Kriss just smiled at the woman,
"You're welcome. I bet you would do the same." The arecher gave Kahlan the eye and yawned.
"I think we should go and get some sleep."

Indeed, it was a very long day for both of them. And neither of them knew what tomorrow could bring.

[Kahlan]

There was no need to tell her this twice.
"Absolutely" She said. "I feel like I haven't slept for days."
Actually she hadn't slept a lot on the ship who had lead her here.

She stood up and waited until Kriss has taken Aniel in her arms before following the young mother upstairs, to her place. There, she put her son in his bed. The boy didn't take long to fall asleep. Then she quickly prepared something so Kahlan could sleep comfortably. The tavern's owner finally prepared herself for sleeping.

Kahlan sat down on her bed and took of her boots. Then she lay down and stared at the ceiling while Kriss extinguished the last candle.

For her first night in Basra, far from her home...Kahlan didn't sleep.

[closed]