Chapter One: A New Problem

"Well," Richard said, a glint in his eye, "Where do you want to get married?" He was relaxing against the side of a fallen tree trunk with his arms crossed behind his head, stretching his weary muscles. It felt good to know that after all the trouble they went through, the world was finally at peace.

Kahlan looked at him skeptically as she rolled her eyes, laughing at his question. The recent news that her powers didn't affect him had made her heart sing for the past few days. Cara stood, one leg in front of the other, glaring at the air. Apparently, even saving the world didn't put her in good spirits. Zedd was enjoying a freshly cooked rabbit that Richard had caught for him an hour ago. He still had one of the bones in his mouth, sucking out every bit of flavor he could manage.

"I'll go anywhere," Richard said, smiling at the Mother Confessor, "How about under a waterfall? We could go back to Aydindril. Have the ceremony there. Or we can go somewhere else. We can have a big party." His smile grew wider. "Lots of people." He waved a hand around, showing that the even edges of the world couldn't be their limits. Not even the sky could hold them back now. Not even death. The Keeper would never return to the land of the living. He would never again send Banelings to harm any more innocent lives or torture others with screelings or his other minions.

Kahlan gave Richard a look that showed she was trying not to laugh. Her smile grew wider and she finally let out a few giggles. Richard tilted his head, not understanding the joke.

"Will you two lovebirds stop flirting while I'm here? I don't think I can resist throwing up for much longer," Cara said, her red leather shining in the sunlight. Her Agiels were in her leather belt, ready to attack any deadly squirrels that decided to intrude on them. It felt good to not have to worry about being killed all the time, but Cara never changed. She would be wary of enemies until the day she died.

"Relax, Cara," Zedd said, picking rabbit out of his teeth, "The world has been put back to the way it's supposed to be... Thanks to Richard." The wizard turned and smiled at his grandson.

"No, Zedd" Richard said, smirking, "I'm not going to catch you another rabbit."

Zedd huffed, his plan failed, and leaned back on his rear end, stretching out his back. A wizard of the First Order, someone of his rank, stuck catching his own rabbit. He solemnly shook his head at the sad thought. He wondered what they were all going to do now. Richard and Kahlan were going to get married by the looks of it. He would be honored to be invited to their wedding, but he wouldn't want to live with them after that. He figured he could go live with his brother, Thadicus, up in the mountains. It wouldn't be so bad. He'd visit his grandson and his new wife whenever he liked. He glanced over at Cara. What would she do if they split up? He would gladly offer for her to come with him, but he doubted she would agree. Then he thought about another member of his family: Jennsen. She was his granddaughter as well as Richard's sister. He could go visit her. She could come live with him now. Her mother, Zedd's daughter, was killed awhile back, and Panis Rahl, Jennsen's father, had died helping Richard find the scroll with the instructions on what to do with the Stone of Tears. The Sisters of the Dark had killed him. Luckily, they were all gone now…

Then, another puzzling thought struck his mind: Darken Rahl. He had sent his Mord-Sith to help Richard on his quest to stop the Keeper, but they had been confessed by Kahlan in the Con Dar. She had instructed them to kill eachother… He wondered if Rahl would be upset about that. His guess was no, but you could never be sure these days.

"Richard. I'd like to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Zedd. Just don't bother asking for another rabbit. I already gave you an answer for that," he laughed.

"No, no. It's not that. I just wanted to ask you if you were planning on taking the throne at the People's Palace in D'Hara. You know, now that the world is no longer threatened by the dead and all."

Richard paused. He was, in fact, the rightful heir to the D'Haran throne, but that was after he had killed Darken Rahl. Now, his brother was alive again. Did that take away his right to the throne? It wasn't that he really felt a need to have power, because he certainly didn't want it. All he wanted was to live the rest of his life in peace with Kahlan by his side. Maybe even a few children in the future to play with each other as they watched to make sure no one got hurt. Then, maybe even grandchildren. He smiled at the thought. It felt different to realize and comprehend the fact that, after all they had been through together, they were now going to live peaceful lives and die of old age. Of course, Cara would have a problem with that, but he would make sure of it whether she agreed or not.

He didn't want to think about Darken Rahl right now. He was thinking of his future with Kahlan, not of the wrongdoings and corruptions of the past. Besides, when Rahl was brought back to life, he lost all of his magic. And when he tricked them into having him tag along with their 'merry band' he had told Richard that he killed in the past because he was the very first Baneling to the Keeper. He was forced to either kill every day or die and face an eternity of torture from the hands of the Keeper himself. That wasn't an excuse for killing all those people though. Rahl was corrupted, and he was still going to make decisions based off of his own selfish desires. But, without his magic, a need to kill or the Keeper's guarantee of power in the world, Richard doubted he was going to cause as much trouble as before. He may cause some trouble, but he knew very well that Richard was still alive and well, and he would stop him at any cost. He also doubted that Rahl wanted that thought in the back of his mind. He figured he would at least lie low for a little while to give him a few years of peace.

"No," he finally said, "I'll let Darken Rahl have the throne. If he makes any trouble, I'll give him a fair warning. But I don't think he will. He no longer has any magic, so he can't control the armies like he did before. Plus, now that I'm here and everyone knows it, the people of the Midlands will never stand at his side again. I think they have the courage and the will to defy evil now. They'll stand up for what they believe in, instead of what someone else tells them to."

Zedd patted his grandson on the shoulder, helping himself to stand. "Well then. Where to, Mother Confessor?"

Kahlan looked up at the sound of her title. "I think I should go to Aydindril first to restore myself to power in the Midlands. I should also make sure that there's no more trouble that needs to be taken care of. Aydindril is where I belong, so that's where I think I'm headed."

"Then of course I'll come with you," Richard said, "Just let me know when you're ready to leave and I'll be there in a flash." He winked at her and Cara rolled her eyes at them.

"It's about a two weeks ride to Aydindril from here… But we don't have any horses. It may take over a month on foot," Zedd whined, rubbing his back and carefully bending over for emphasis.

"Give it a rest, wizard," Cara scowled, "If need be, we wouldn't mind leaving you behind if you're too weak to make the journey with us."

"Great," Zedd mumbled, "Another glorious adventure with Cara." He looked over at Richard. "We should leave as soon as possible so I don't have to deal with her yapping for any more time than I have to."

"Same to you, old man," Cara playfully growled.

"If we can get to the next village, we could purchase horses there to make the journey go a little faster." Zedd nodded his agreement, but then regretted saying anything. He was going to miss the good old days of fighting D'Harans and Sisters of the Dark. Fulfilling prophecies and travelling with the Seeker of Truth, saving villages and towns from the clutches of Darken Rahl and his men. Then sealing the tear in the veil to the Underworld by getting the compass and the Stone of Tears. All their adventures were over. He was going to miss shooting his wizard's fire at people every other day. Now, if he was lucky, he'd get to use it to start the stove back home when it refused to cook his food. It was wonderful that he didn't have to kill anymore, but he shamefully admitted that he would miss the adventures and the surprises it would throw at them at any point in time. Like attacks in the middle of the night or messages from their enemies. Maybe even some good luck every now and again.

He sighed. It was all over.

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Darken Rahl leaned forward in his bed. Once again, he had been woken up by Sister Nicci's endless screams. The past few days had been the same annoying sound at all times. He told his Mord-Sith to give her a rest while he was sleeping or at least make her shut up. But no, they couldn't even do that. He was prepared to just order her dead right about now. It was screaming when he woke up, screaming when he ate breakfast, screaming while he was reading. He loved how his Mord-Sith worked with the men and women he gave them, but really? They couldn't stop for a day or two to give him some peace and quiet? He didn't even know why he was just sitting there, in his bed, listening to the bloodcurdling cries of the Sister from the other side of the building. All he had to do was order it all to stop. But here he was, covering his ears and doing nothing about it.

Relief had washed over him the moment his brother had sealed the Keeper away. He had warned Nicci that Richard never failed. It was her own fault for not listening to him. He had tried to warn her. She just refused to listen. And after almost boiling him alive, she deserved what she was getting. Maybe that was why he was sitting there, covering his ears. Because he didn't want to hear anything but her screams. His skin still burned from what she had done to him. Maybe he had woken because of the sting of his injuries and her pleads for death were only background noises.

He had learned from Cara and a few others that just being around Richard could be life-changing in itself. He was beginning to understand why. He rubbed the back of his hands as he thought about his little brother. He had only been with him on his travels for less than a day, but he could still feel something left behind. Not one of his soldiers in the past would have defended his life because they thought it meant something. They would have done it out of fear or because they wanted a reward that only he could provide. But Richard, who killed him once and made it quite clear that he didn't appreciate his company, had saved his life for nothing at all. Sure, he had needed the knowledge on how to use the Stone of Tears, but Rahl still felt as if his brother would have saved him even if he was no use to him.

He did have to admit though, that Richard had saved him from the evil clutches of the Keeper more than once and by repairing the veil, he had done it again, that time sealing his fate for eternity. The rift was sealed, so if the Creator forgave him for his past actions, he would never have to hear the Keeper's putrid voice ever again. The main problem was that, if the Creator didn't forgive him for his actions prior to his second death and even what he had done in the Underworld, he would be sent back to the Keeper to have an eternity of the Keeper's wrath and torture. The obvious fix to his little problem was to gain the Creator's forgiveness. And what better way to do that than turn his life around. No more killing. He didn't serve the Keeper anymore. He would never have to kill a person for his own survival ever again. He was going to change his life. Now all he needed was a life-changing person…

A loud bang came from outside his bedchambers. Then, his door swung open to reveal a bloody-faced servant girl in a thin, white robe. She was breathing heavy, the burdened rise and fall of her chest clearly showing that the loss of blood was going to be the cause of her nearing end.

"What is it?" Darken Rahl commanded, his voice hiding every ounce of doubt that nothing was wrong. He threw the sheets off of himself as the servant girl dropped to her knees, choking on her own saliva. He remembered his new plan to save his life after death, but soon realized that the female before him was beyond saving. She had four poison-tipped arrows jutting out from her back and blood oozed through her white robe, small droplets hitting the floor beneath her with a light splash. Blood dripped out of her mouth onto her chin and traveled down her neck to soak into the top of her robe. Rahl noticed that there weren't going to be many places where he could see the white for much longer. She was beyond saving.

"Lord Rahl," she choked, coughing up blood onto the tiled floor, "We have a problem."

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Hazy sunlight filtered through the trees of the forest, giving it a dreamy glow. When the light cascaded down to fully hit the ground in all its glory, the woods had ended. Richard looked ahead to spot the town he had been hoping for. Zedd stepped on a twig, its crackle being the only noise for the past few minutes. No one was talking, making it seem as if they were all mad at each other. Of course they weren't, but the silence was unusual. Kahlan picked a small piece of fruit off a nearby tree before she stepped into the field ahead, leaving the multitudes of trees behind her. She took a tasty bite, then wiped her face with her sleeve as the juices trickled down her chin sending a light tickling sensation. It felt good to be able to eat like this again. It was as if her old life was really gone. As if she could start over and do anything she set her mind to. Whatever it was though, she would do it with Richard. She looked over at him and smiled. The Seeker would always need his Confessor.

Zedd could barely wait to get to the village below the hills. Before they bought any horses, he was going to have a nice hot meal at the nearest tavern and maybe even a nap under a tree. But there was definitely no possible way that he was going anywhere without filling his stomach first. He had been listening to it growl for the past four and a half hours and he wasn't going to stand for listening to it any longer. And that was final. No one would be able to change his mind and he would dig his heels into the ground to make sure of it.

As the four of them cleared the field and came to the front gates of the town, a crowd stood in their way, their backs to Richard. They hadn't noticed them. Apparently something else was drawing everyone's attention. Kahlan stepped forward and a few people, upon seeing her white Confessor's dress, acknowledged her and took a glance at her companions. When a few people recognized Richard, the man who had saved them from the Keeper, all attention was directed toward him.

"It's the Seeker!" one woman called. Everyone turned from their original position to see him. Hands were held out in greeting and people called their thanks and blessed the Creator. Others held out money while other offered food. Some offered drinks at the tavern, free of charge, which Zedd agreed to immediately, leaving his friends to laugh at his uncontrollable need for food. Well, two of them. Cara stood behind Kahlan, her arms folded, showing her displeasure with the sight laid out before her. In her point of view, Richard was the true Lord Rahl. He shouldn't be spending his time at one small village for more than a few hours.

"What exactly are you planning on doing here?" she whispered in his ear, loud enough to be heard over the sound of the crowd "We shouldn't stay here very long. We have places to be. You're wasting time."

"Really, Cara," Richard smiled, turning to her, "The world has just been saved. We have plenty of time to waste. Enjoy this moment. It's the beginning of never having to rush anywhere. We can stay here as long as we want without a care in the world. We don't need to be anywhere right away. Aydindril can wait a few days for the Mother Confessor. There's no such thing as wasting time anymore. Cara, try to enjoy yourself. There's no more fighting. No more violence. You can start over. You never have to feel the pain of an Agiel ever again. You never have to wear the title of a Mord-Sith. You can just be Cara from now on. Find work. Make a living. You can do anything you want now. You can be anyone you want to be."

"I am Mord-Sith," she replied heatedly, "I am not ashamed of what I am. I will always wear my Agiels proudly. There is nothing else I want to be."

Kahlan rested her hand on Cara's shoulder. "Cara, Richard's right. You can have the life you wanted before you were a Mord-Sith now. Don't you want that? No more fighting. No more trouble. No more threats. Richard and I are safe now. The Keeper has been defeated. He cannot return to the land of the living. Only the Creator can guide us now."

Cara folded her arms again, scowling. "I am Mord-Sith," she repeated loudly so to get the message across to them. Kahlan smiled apologetically at her and Richard turned back to the people, raising his hand for silence. They quieted down after a few moments. Richard spoke after a long pause of silence.

"To life!" he called, throwing his fist into the air. "To peace!" The people mimicked him, throwing their fist to the sky. "And to freedom!" The crowd erupted in cheer as Richard followed Zedd's trail, heading for the tavern. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he had remembered the existence of food, thanks to Kahlan and her sweet-smelling fruit before. Kahlan followed him, smiling to the waving, excited people around her as Cara was dragged along by some invisible force. These people were probably overjoyed to have the Seeker, the savior of the world of the living, here, at their small village. They probably felt honored, but Kahlan knew that the honor was theirs. The people served them a feast of all different sorts of food, free of charge. Of course they felt Richard and his travelling companions deserved it for saving their lives, but Kahlan, being the Mother Confessor, felt the nagging need to repay them with something material in the back of her mind.

Instead of being led to the tavern, Zedd, Richard, Kahlan and Cara were brought to a high-roofed dining hall. A table with four seats facing outward was set up with flowers and candles. It looked as if they had been expected, but the heavily breathing people running around the room, placing things where they felt they should go gave it away that they had no idea the Seeker of Truth would be arriving anytime soon. Richard felt a bit embarrassed by the excellent treatment he and the rest of the group were given. Although a few people were turned off by Cara's red leather and obvious Agiels, having the Seeker around gave them a confidence boost, so they offered her food and a chair, the same as they did to Kahlan and Zedd.

The food was excellent. The meats had the biggest variety Richard had ever seen. He almost expected to see drool coming out of Zedd's mouth. He didn't look fast enough though, because his grandfather was already stuffing his face before all the plates were on the table. After each of the four of them took at least one bite, everyone else, which looked to be the entire village, sat down to eat and converse with one another. Richard looked around the big room at all its inhabitants. Happy parents watched as their children ran under the tables, chasing one another. Richard guessed they would be yelled at later on because their parents wouldn't want to say anything while he was here. A few of the tables in the back held a group of men who looked as if they just arrived from work. They had short-cut sleeved shirts on which were soaked in sweat. They had wood shavings on them, so he deduced that they had been cutting firewood for the families of the village. They must have been making a supply for the winter because the nights were hot around this time. There would be no need for a fire. He glanced at a few gossiping women on the other side, laughing about something. Another table held three young girls, pointing and giggling at one of the young men at another table. Richard's insides twisted with the joy of the beautiful woman sitting next to him. He could finally live a normal life with the woman he loved. It was what they always wanted. It was what they thought they could never have. And now they could, and it made his heart swell with joy. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he smiled out at all the people who had generously showed him their wonderful hospitality.

Then, a different sight caught his eye. He glanced at an almost empty table right in the middle of the room. It was almost empty because one cloaked man sat in a chair pulled up to it. The person hadn't touched the full plate in front of them and they seemed to be ignored by everyone else. The strange cloaked man suddenly looked up, directly at Richard. Richard straightened his body out, sitting up straight as he saw those familiar blue eyes of his brother staring right into his. Darken Rahl nudged his cloaked head towards the door, then stood up and walked out of the room with a swish, leaving Richard stunned in silence. Kahlan, sensing something was wrong, turned to him.

"Richard? Richard, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly, gently touching the side of his face with the back of her hand.

"Nothing. I just need a little air… I think I'm going to step outside for a bit, okay?" he replied, turning and giving her a reassuring smile. When she reluctantly nodded, he pushed out his chair and made his way to the exit. People looked his way, but luckily, none followed him outside. As soon as the door shut behind him and the noise from the dining hall got quieter with the distance, Richard drew his sword, hearing the familiar ring of steel as it cleared its scabbard. He pointed it right at Rahl's throat. Through the brown cloak, Richard could feel Rahl swallow hard. He slowly raised his hands to show he wasn't armed and flipped the cloak off his head, revealing his face.

"Hello brother," he said, smiling, receiving a light push at his throat, "You certainly know how to throw a party."

"What do you want, Rahl?" Richard spat, his distaste evident in his eyes.

"Don't worry, brother. I'm not here to ruin your little celebration."

"You already have."

"Now don't be cruel," he mockingly whined.

"What do you want, Rahl?" he repeated, louder this time. He pushed the sword father toward the man standing in front of him. Rahl didn't even flinch at the intended threat.

"Pushy, aren't we?" he smirked, looking down at the sword, then back up at Richard. When Richard lowered his arm, Rahl pushed the sword away from his body with two fingers. He began to rub the back of his hand. "I have a bit of a problem," he said sarcastically, as if admitting to a petty crime.

"I can't help you," Richard said, making his answer clearly finalized as he was never going to help him. Whether he was able or unable didn't really matter.

"It's about Sister Nicci."

"She's dead," he said, sheathing his sword, "Cara shot her with an arrow in the neck before we sealed the veil." He turned back to the door, showing that he was finished talking with him.

"Wrong."

"What?" Richard asked, stopping in his tracks and turning back around.

"You're not deaf, brother, are you? I think you heard me."

"What did you do?" he asked, feeling his anger rise. He pulled out his sword again and pointed it back at Rahl's throat, taking one threatening step toward him so their faces were inches apart. "Answer me!"

"I thought we were past this," he said in a mock whining tone, pointing to the sword.

"I thought I told you to answer me," Richard hissed, pushing so far into Rahl's neck that he had to take a step back so as not to get cut by the blade.

Seeing as Richard wasn't going to back off like last time, Rahl just answered in a bored tone, "I had one of my Mord-Sith give her the breath of life after you killed her. She did something to me that made me think that she didn't deserve such a peaceful ending." He smiled, remembering her screams. "So I brought her back to give her the death she deserved."

"Where's the part where you screwed up?" Richard growled.

"First of all, it appears your friend Cara may be one of three Mord-Sith that are left in the world. Nicci killed five of my remaining seven, leaving me with barely any protection at all." He rubbed the back of his hand and smiled. "Second, Nicci managed to escape while I was asleep. I thought I was listening to her screams, but it was actually my Mord-Sith and my two servants' cries for help." He smiled again as Richard loosened his grip on the Sword of Truth. "As I'm aware, you aren't exactly on good terms with Sister Nicci." He paused for a moment. "Neither am I."

"How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"What reason would I have to trick you, brother?" Rahl asked, spreading his arms. "You've already saved me from the Keeper. I'm in your eternal debt. But, unfortunately, I need your help once again. As much as I dislike asking you for your lovely assistance," he spat, then went back to his usual smile, "it appears I require it anyway. When you put me into this body I lost all the magic I had in my previous life. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't need your help now. I wouldn't even be here. You probably wouldn't have ever seen me again in your pathetic life if I had my magic."

"So you want me to help you kill Sister Nicci?" Richard asked, circling Rahl and pointing his sword as if he were a piece of prey. Rahl still didn't flinch.

"I'm surprised it didn't take another hour for you to understand, dear brother," he smiled, rubbing the back of his hand again.

Richard didn't know what to do. Even if he didn't help Darken Rahl, Nicci would come for him eventually, and he'd end up having to kill her anyway. Either way, he'd be assisting Rahl. Last time he trusted his brother, he had been deceived, but he had also learned a few things that changed his point of view on him. They weren't major facts that made Rahl seem like a better person, because he was still the tyrant Richard knew him to be. The things he had learned just provided him with answers and reasons for Rahl's actions. They didn't justify all the killing because that had been a purely selfish reason, but others were different from what Richard had originally thought. And Ren, the Listener, had told them that Rahl's head was filled with confusing thoughts. That was probably the single reason Richard didn't kill his brother where he stood. Ren had told them, in different words, that Rahl might have regretted what he did. But, then again, he might have enjoyed it. The fact that even Rahl himself didn't know what he felt on the subject proved that his heart might have not been so hollow at one point in his life. This triggered Richard's instinct to help another, no matter what they've done in the past… Even if it was Darken Rahl, the tyrant who tried to enslave the world. Kahlan had taught him a valuable lesson when he found out about her powers. It was that everyone deserved a second chance, not just the confessed. As much as he despised Darken Rahl, and however many second chances life gave him in the past, something deep inside Richard told him that his brother couldn't be all bad…