It was a furious battle. They had been at it for hours, days even. In the space between breaths they rested.

Weary as they were though, they would not stop, could not. As tired as Richard felt, he gained strength by watching his fearsome wife Kahlan in battle.

She was so stunning that it nearly took his breath away, her fluid yet deadly move a macabre dance that dealt death.

At one point she was fighting six men, all she had to do was to confess one of them, but she dared not risk even a moment of weakness. Richard had come to her side as quick as he could, the tell-tale reverberation of his sword increasing in volume as he neared.

Together they fought back to back, each one guarding the other's weak side. Their synergistic moves combined helped them to gain ground. Soon enough they had amassed a mighty dent in the fallen.

It was enough for now, the remaining soldiers soon dissapated, they were safe for the moment at least. There was no telling of when the next wave would come.

Richard gently clasped Kahlan to his chest, he needed the solace of her warmth to soothe him, and the power of the sword still flooded through his veins as he struggled to stifle his rage. It was pretty close there for a while, a few lucky swordsmen almost were successful in their attack. He was furious at the thought of anyone hurting his bride, they had only been wed a month when the war began.

She was almost limpet in his arms, very seldomly did she ever let her guard down, especially in battle, but she was beyond exhausted. She allowed herself the private thrill of being in his arms for a moment before she thought to check if he was all right.

Pulling out of his embrace, she was horrified to see so much blood on his shirt.

"Richard, you're hurt!" She tried to assess the situation, her panic rising when the world suddenly shifted and the startled face of Richard seemed to swin before her eyes.

"That's not my blood Kahlan..." Almost dreadingly he gently pulled her back and the icy chill suffused his veins as he saw the crimson blood seeping from her side, her gown slashed and the wound visible by a hole in her bodice.

"Richard?" Her voice seemed to waver, and she faltered before collapsing gracefully in his arms. Her world went dark.