She stood by the window, gazing out at the trees that were swaying with the wind. It had been two months since they arrived at The Palace of The Prophets, and she was slowly starting miss home. The door opened quietly, leaving her in thoughts.

"Kahlan?" She closed her eyes for a moment as she heard him walk towards her, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." she replied as his arms wrapped around her. "I was just thinking."

Following her gaze out the window, he smiled, "Thinking about what?"

Shaking her head, she leaned back into his embrace, holding his arms tightly against her. "I forget." breathing in the musky sent of the man she loved, she turned slowly in his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. "Sister Verna will be looking for you."

"She won't find me. I told her I was going for lunch."

She laughed, pulling herself closer to him, her hands moving behind his shoulders, trying to remove the distance between them as she pressed her lips against his.

"You didn't really think you had fooled me did you?" Sister Verna's voice came from the doorway.

Pulling back from him, Kahlan laughed softly, "I thought you said she wouldn't find you."

"I wasn't trying to fool you." Richard said as he turned around, "I wanted to see Kahlan."

"You saw her yesterday." she retorted, a smile crossing her tired features. "You cannot expect to learn when you spend all of your time sneaking off in the middle of the night to her bed." Kahlan's cheeks burned as she looked down to the floor, "Yes, we all know about you evening activities. These walls are not as thick as you may have thought."

"I'm sorry. It will not happen again." Kahlan said softly.

He looked to her quickly, "What?"

"She's right Richard."

He smiled widely, not caring Sister Verna was still in the room. "I enjoy spending the night with you. Holding you in my arms, kissing you... Making love to you."

She smiled warmly at his words, "I enjoy those too."

"We must return to your studies." Verna said interrupting them.

"Can I have a few minutes with him?" she asked softly, "It's important." He looked over to her, suddenly concerned.

"I suppose I could give you a few minutes." she smiled before leaving them.

"What-"

She sighed and pulled herself from his arms, "Something's wrong." she said quickly, walking to the chair in the far corner of the room, "I have to go back to Aydindril." she said as she sat down.

"Wha-"

"I wouldn't stay. I-" she took in a deep breath, trying to find the words to explain how she felt. "I can't- Richard, something is wrong."

He waited a moment before speaking this time, "How long have you been trying to reach your sister?"

"She stopped replying a month ago."

He moved towards her, taking her hands in his as he knelt down in front of her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Shaking her head, she released a sigh, "I was afraid you wouldn't want me to go."

"I don't want you to go." he said softly, "Not alone." He added as he stood up.

"You can't go with me. You're still-"

"Cara will go with you." he said quickly, turning around and running his fingers through his hair. "She'll protect you." looking back to her, he grabbed her hands once again, "Both of you."

Smiling softly, knowing it was hard for him to let her go, she stood. "It will only be a few days."

"Not for you."

"I'll be back as soon as I-" He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Promise me," he said as he pulled back to look into the blue eyes he loved so much, "that you won't go looking for trouble."

She smiled, "And if it finds me?"

He laughed, knowing that it was most likely to happen; trouble seemed to follow them around. "If it finds you, come find me." he kissed her deeply, hoping it wouldn't be long until he was able to do it again.

"Seeker," Sister Verna's voice came from behind the door. "You are wasting the day away."

"Go." she whispered before kissing him once again.

She watched in silence as he walked through the door. The moment it shut behind them, she turned back to the window, releasing a sigh.

Walking in silence, she kept her eyes on her friend walking a few feet in front of her. "Just a minute," she said softly, coming to a stop and bending over beside a bush. Grabbing her hair, she pulled it from her face as she released the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

Stepping beside her, Cara knelt down, to help her. Taking the hair from her hand, she held it while her friend used her own hands to brace herself off the ground. "We should go back."

Shaking her head, she wiped her mouth with the back of her right hand. "We can't go back, something is wrong."

"Yes, you're throwing up everything you eat-"

"No, not with me. Something's wrong in Aydindril." she said with a cough.

"If you kill yourself trying to get to Aydindril, Lord Rahl will have my head re-"

"Nothing's going to happen to me." she interrupted softly, rolling her eyes. "We'll return as soon as-"

"As soon as you solve the phantom problem in Aydindril." The Mord-Sith said with a sigh, the corners of her lips slightly up in a smile. "There is no reason to assume that anything is wrong."

Turning towards her, Kahlan stood "My sister stopped replying in the journey book four weeks ago."

The fear in her eyes didn't go unnoticed, standing as well, Cara attempted to comfort her, "Maybe she busy."

Shaking her head, she blinked back a few tears. "She would never stop replying. Not for anything."

"Let's go." Cara said taking the pack from her friend and throwing it over her shoulder along with her own.

She watched as the sun began to rise, her heart pounding as she looked around their camp. "Cara," she whispered as she pulled her daggers from her boots, "someone's watching us."

Moving quickly, Cara jumped up, pulling her agiels and standing in front of Kahlan. "Where?"

"I'm not sure, they were moving to quickly."

After a few moments she sighed, "Maybe it was breakfast."

"Maybe." Kahlan replied as she continued to look around. "I'm going to take a look."

"No you're not." Cara said quickly, "If something happened to you-"

"You just said it could be breakfast." she said with a smile

"It could be anything. I'll look." moving swiftly, she disappeared through the trees.

"It's a shame Richard isn't with you." Her voice running a chill down her spine as she turned, "Where is your Seeker?"

"Nicci." Was all she managed to say, the sight of the blonde made her blood boil inside her veins and caused anger to rise within her.

"He's with my sisters isn't he?" She asked, stepping closer. "He has my han-"

"His han." Kahlan corrected her, suddenly filled with courage.

"He gave it to me. Willingly." She smiled widely, "He would do it again."

"There's nothing there." Cara said as she stepped into the small clearing, moving quickly as Nicci moved forward, grabbing Kahlan and pressing a knife to her throat.

"Come any closer and I will kill her." her words caused the Mord-Sith to stop, "Good. If you give me what I want I will leave you both here."

"What is it you want?" Kahlan asked, her eyes locked on the ground.

Smiling, Nicci whispered in Kahlan's ear, her eyes on Cara, who was slowly, inching closer.

"I told you not to move." she said as she pressed the knife through the white cloth covering Kahlan's stomach, staining it with blood as it sliced through her flesh.

Leaping forward, Cara caught her friend as she released a cry of pain as she fell to the ground. When she looked up, Nicci was gone.