Tears of Glass – Part 2 – Ringed Penance
They slowly made their way down the rocky steep steps, Richard grasping a hold of her hand tightly as Kahlan led the way. Zedd and Cara had long ago made it down, and Kahlan and Richard were making slow progress compared with their rapid ascent when the world of life had been in the reach of the Keeper's cold embrace. Kahlan gladly ripped off cloth from her own skirt to make a bandage for Richard, and he had smiled when she tied it around his eyes, running her fingers tenderly down his cheeks as she wiped away the streaks of blood.
By the time they made it down to the beach twilight was fast approaching. Over by the edge of the cliff, Cara and Zedd had set up a small camp, and a fire was brewing. Richard clutched her hand, squeezing it hard, as if he sought to reassure himself of her presence. Directing him, Kahlan positioned them by the fire and with her help Richard managed to sit down.
"So, I was a widow… and a school teacher?" Cara was saying as Kahlan slipped down to the soft sand next to her blind Seeker. "Living in a little cottage," the Mord'Sith was shaking her head dubiously, "with two children?"
Zedd was nodding, as he slowly ate a chuck of cheese. "That's right."
Cara huffed and rolled her eyes. "Next time, just kill me."
Zedd's smile widened and he chuckled softly. Beside her, Richard's lips curled with amusement, and Kahlan could not help but smile along with him.
Cara stood gruffly. "I'll take watch," she declared, glaring at them, annoyed.
Kahlan noticed Richard smirking as the Mord'Sith walked away. He turned his head. "Zedd, what—" pushing back her tears and biting her trembling lower lip, Kahlan gently guided his head in the correct direction, he smiled at her touch, but continued talking, "—was that about?"
Zedd half smiled. "I was just telling Cara of an interesting experience I had performing some magic on her."
"Huh?" Richard chuckled, his hand still clutching Kahlan's. "What sort of magic?"
"The Spell of Undoing," Zedd leaned back and looked into the fire. "You see, Cara had been inflicted with some nasty magic by Rahl, and I did this spell… however, the spell was more powerful than I had anticipated."
"So what did it do?" Richard asked, and Kahlan could feel him stirring with curiosity. Despite herself, she smiled. Even blinded, he was still the Seeker, always full was questions.
"Well, it ended up removing all magic inflicted on Cara, even the magic of her Mord'Sith training," Zedd explained, looking towards his grandson. "As a result Cara was never a Mord'Sith. So, she never led the attack on us when we opened the Boxes of Orden. We had won, and you had the power of Orden. You were able to bend Rahl to your will with the power and Kahlan's confessing powers tempered it, and Orden protected you for her powers."
"Let me guess what happened, Kahlan and I got married," Richard said, grinning for ear to ear, holding her hand up to his heart.
"Bags, boy, appears I didn't name you Seeker of Truth on a whim," Zedd guffawed. "But right you are. I was stunned! Apparently the spell protected me from the changes in the timeline and I was the only one that was aware that things had altered."
Kahlan could not help herself but smile at the thought of marrying Richard. Sheepishly, she lowered her eyes and blinked. "Zedd…," she tentatively asked looking back up at the wizard. "What was I wearing? At our wedding?" She cast a sidelong glance the man she loved, noticing how Richard was smiling at her question, clearly wanting to now the answer as well.
Zedd rocked back and chewed on his cheese, smiling. "A beautiful beaded dress, and a jeweled circlet in your hair."
"And me?" Richard grinned, inching closer to Kahlan, his hand moving up her arm to pull her closer to him. "What ghastly thing did I wear?"
His grandfather laughed. "Well, you were wearing this hideous red tunic thing," Zedd shook his head. "Let me tell you something, my boy, when you two get married here in this timeline, I think you'd look better in something different. It… it was not really pleasant seeing you in Rahl colors."
"Don't worry about that, Zedd," Richard declared, his fingers dancing along Kahlan's shoulder. "It's not like I'll be able to pick out anything. I won't even be able to see Kahlan when we wed."
"Richard," Kahlan said, turning to him and bringing her hands up to his face. "Please don't talk like that. Of course you'll be able to pick out your outfit," she looked down. "And see me… when we wed. That is, if you'll still have me after what I did."
"Kahlan," Richard's hand moved along the curve of her neck, so he could cup her face with his hands. His other hand groped blindly for a while until he was able to bring it up to join the other. "Of course I still want you, Kahlan… I've always wanted you. Spirits, I think I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you running from that quad back in Hartland. Even after you held your dagger to my throat and glared at me with fierce eyes." He caressed her cheeks with the pads of this thumbs. Kahlan closed her eyes and eased into his touch.
"And even if I can't see," he continued. "I can still remembering the brilliance of those eyes you have Kahlan. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."
Kahlan smiled coyly and ran her fingers down his chest. "You're the most wonderful man I've ever known, Richard," she whispered back. "So honest, noble, and brave… and oh so forgiving… what have I ever done to deserve a man like you?"
"I don't know," he teased. "But it must have been something great."
Zedd cleared his throat loudly. "Well, yes. Clearly you two are meant for one another. And don't you fret, Richard," he said, reassuringly. "You have my oath as First Wizard that you will see your bride on your wedding day."
Kahlan nodded a silent thank you to Zedd and the old wizard grinned.
"Now I think I'll give you two some alone time," he grinned, winking knowingly. "I'm sure there is much you two want to… um… talk about." Groaning with aches and old age, Zedd stood and shuffled out to find Cara, seeking to pester the Mord'Sith instead of them.
"Talk?" Richard mused as he moved his fingers over her lips. Kahlan opened her mouth slightly as he continued to trace her velvety lips with his fingertips, shivering with the intense feeling of arousal that came from his touch. A wiry smile appeared on his face. "I don't think we'll be doing much talking."
He leaned up to kiss her, but missed her lips and ended up planting a wet kiss on her cheek. He sat back, apologizing, his face showing some of his disappointed that he had missed.
Kahlan caressed his face. "You don't need to apologize, Richard," she said, running her fingers through his hair as she slowly inched closer to him. "I'm the one to blame. I… I crushed the glass Nicci used. It's my fault."
"No…," Richard asserted, using his hands to feel her, as she climbed up into his lap. A smile spread across his face as she directed his hands to rest on her hips. "You were under confession. You had no control over your actions. It was not you who blinded my, Kahlan. It was Nicci."
"But I killed you as well," Kahlan allowed herself to sob softly as the memories it brought back. "And that is something I can never forgive myself for." She was now fully straddling his lap. Richard smiled and her cheek flushed feeling the warmth of his body so closer to her own.
"Never mind that, Kahlan," he said, rubbing her back. "As you can see, I'm alive…" he smirked. "Very alive." Kahlan let out a breath as she felt his excitement brush against her thighs.
Despite her feeling so guilt and shame, she smiled. "I can see that," she replied, resting one hand on the side of his face and the other on his shoulder. "But," she turned serious and could not help but hold back her tears. "Oh, Richard… I want to make amends. I want some punishment for what I've done. It's all my fault. I should have never assumed it would be easy to confess her. We knew Nicci was devious and conniving, but I allowed myself to be fooled." She took a deep and looked on his ruined face. "I demand you punishment."
Richard smirked and laughed, grabbing her tighter around her arms. "I don't think you're in any position to be making any demands, Mother Confessor," he jested.
She gave him a slightly slap on the shoulder. "I deserve it," she said.
His smiled faded and he arched his head towards her. "You want to do penance, Kahlan?" Richard asked, his chest heaving as she felt his body warm with the closeness of her own.
"Yes, Richard," she breathed. "Give me a task, and I shall do it. Anything." Kahlan fiddled with her fingers on his chest, where the mark of the Keeper had once been. It had vanished the moment the veil had been restored, only to be replaced by a scar from where she had stabbed him. Tears began to from in her eyes as she continued, "I am yours to command, Seeker. The Mother Confessor, who bows to no man… bows to you and asks for your command."
He smirked. "Well, there is one task I have for you right now, my Confessor," he said, moving his hands up the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. "Since I am blind and cannot see," he said. "You can retrieve something for me."
"Of course, Richard," she said, wiping tears away. "I'll do anything."
"Well, all that talk of weddings and such got me thinking," he said, giving her a boyish smirk. "It reminded me of something." He paused and took a deep breath. "Reach into my breast pocket."
Hesitantly Kahlan laid her hand on his chest, and slowly slipped her fingers into his breast pocket. She felt something hard and metal. Running her lower lip under her teeth, she retrieved it and held it up before her eyes. It was ring.
"I bought it a while ago, after I returned from the Palace of the Prophets. I knew then that I had to marry you some day, my beautiful confessor," Richard said. "I've been saving it for the day we discovered the way around your powers. Not that day's arrived. I know it's nothing fancy… hardly worthy of your beauty." He smirked. "But it's all a simple woods guide could afford."
His hand reached up as he searched for her hand. He found her and his fingers slowly ran circling along her hand, until she gave the ring to him. Tears began to form in her eyes as Kahlan realized what he was going to ask her. He held it up before her and smiled.
"Kahlan Amnell, will you marry me?" he asked.
"Oh, Richard, of course I'll marry you," Kahlan said, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him. His lips curled into a grin and she held her hand out, helping him slide the gold band onto her finger. Then he gripped her hand tightly.
"I love you, Kahlan," he said. "You've made me the happiest man in the whole world."
"And I love you, Richard Cypher," she said, smiling down at her hand, loving the sight of it with a ring.
This was more than Kahlan could have ever hoped for. As a confessor she had been destined to take a mate, for the singular purpose of procreation. She was never told she could marry for love and that the man she would marry would be immune to confession. Out of all confessors, she, Kahlan Amnell, was given this highest of all luxuries.
Tears formed in her eyes as she wept with joy that despite all that had happened, Richard still loved her and still wanted to marry her. But this was no punishment. This was an award. She turned to him and wiped away her tears.
"I still need to be punished, Richard," she said. "Give me another task. Command me, my future husband. I submit myself to you for judgment."
A thin smile formed on his lips. "Kiss me," he murmured pleadingly.
Kahlan grinned. "You don't need to command me to do that, Richard," she moved closer. "I'll do that willingly… free of charge."
Richard laughed. "I thought you wanted to seek penance, Kahlan?" he said grinning. "If this will not do, then I guess I will think of something else." He paused and took a deep breath as he felt her breath on his cheeks as she inched ever so much closer to him. "But for this moment… just kiss me. Please?"
"Of course, my Richard… my sweet Richard," Kahlan pushed forward and captured his lips with hers and opened up to him, as his arms encircled her and pulled her close.
Kahlan closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of his embrace, silently vowing that as along as she lived, she would never leave the side of her Seeker, her love… her Richard.
*Many of you might recognize some of the dialogue from a deleted scene on the 2nd Season DVD. I could not help myself. I really liked that scene. So I had to include some of it.