Two weeks had gone by slowly, each day bringing a new challenge. Everytime Richard held the sword his anger would consume him. Cara would stand between him and Kahlan until he was able to calm himself. Each time, Richard would shut himself out after his inncidents. His mind going over everything, trying to think of a way to keep himself from losing controle. After a while, Cara and Zedd noticed how frequent his anger got the better of him after he and Kahlan backed away from another.
"You are the one, who told them to do this, Cara." Zedd said one evening after Richard had left his sword with her to gather up firewood. "Iit's what they have to do." "Is it?" He said looking over to Kahlan as she unpacked he pot for cooking. "You saw how close they were getting." Cara pulled a blanket from her own pack and sat on it. "This is what they have to do." Zedd leaned back against a large log and sighed. "Without her, he's lost controle." Cara turned to him "With her, they lose control." "I need to walk." Kahlan's voice came from the side. "I'll be back before you finnish eating." She gave Zedd a small smile and heading into the trees, in the oposite direction than Richard.
She needed to be alone. Free to be in her own mind. To cry. How could she let him go? Her heat ached for him. She felt as though the very breath from her lungs were being sucked out of her. It had been two weeks and she already felt drained. She felt weak physicaly and emotionaly. Without him near her, she didn't know what to do. A power serge was building within her, begging to be released. He was apart of her. How could she have let herself care for him? Love him? Want him? Her mind recalled his kiss. The feel of his lips against hers. His hands roaming her body. She allowed her eyes to close, as she imagined him with her. She gritted her teeth, trying to hold it in. It was too late. Her power exited her body, leaving her barely able to move. Falling to the ground she shut her eyes and cried.
"Where's the food?" Zedd asked the moment Richard walked through the brush. "Kahlan? Where's Kahlan?" Zedd stood when he saw the concerened look in Richard's eyes "What's wrong?" Richard shook his head. "Which way did she go?"" Zedd pointed, but Cara stood up "You think it's a good idea for you to go after her? She's just walking..." Richard pushed passed her "No she's in danger." "How do you know?" Zedd said grabbing Richard's arm. "I don't know. I just do." He pulled his arm back and started walking. "I'll come with you." "No." He turned back to her "No. You've done enough." She could barely hear the last of his words as he ran through the trees after Kahlan.
It didn't take him long to find her. His heart fell to his stomach when he saw her on the ground. She laid on her side, starring out as she wrapped her arms around herself. She jumped when she caught a glimps of him. Sitting herself up, she wiped the tears off her face, leaving a streak of dirt across her face. He placed his sword back in his scabberd as he knelt down beside her. "What happened? Are you okay?" she nodded, unable to allow herself to speak. "Why did you release your power?" she looked up at him confused "How did you know?" "I felt it." she wrinkled her eyebrows, trying to understand his words. "What do you mean?" he sat before her and took in a deep breath. "I could feel you release it. I could feel your...pain."
She starred at him as he too tried to understand how he knew she had released her power. "Are you alright?" he asked when she remained silent. She nodded "I don't understand." she spoke softly. If he wasn't leaning so close to her, he may not have heard her. "It doesn't make any sense..." He reached to her and turned her head to him "Why did you release it?" She looked to the ground, suddenly recalling why she had realsed it, "I lost controle..." "Kahlan..." she pulled her head from his hand "I couldn't hold it any longer." He shifted himself onto his heals, bringing himself around to face her once more. "Why?" "I was thinking..." she looked up at him, her eyes begging him not to ask his next question. "Thinking? About what?" She shut her eyes. "Kahlan..." "You..." she opened her eyes, when she felt his arms pull her close to him.
She maganged to push back enough to look at his face. He was smiling. "Richard-" he pressed his lips firmly to hers, while tightening his hold on her. She kissed him back with the same passion. Pulling herself closer as she ran her fingers through his hair. Leanin gup into her kiss as she moved over him, straddleing his legs. She pulled him forward as she sat on his thighs. His mind was racing, the feel of her lips against his was intoxicating. The feel of her body against his made him shake with excitement. Suddenly he understood what had happened. Without breaking their firey kiss, he rolled them over. Pulling back to allow some air to fill his lungs, he looked down to find the laces of her dress. "Richard, don't..." she grabbed his hands, holding them from untieing her dress. "Kahlan, we can-" "We can't." He leaned down and kissed his way up ner neck and back to her mouth. "Richard..." she barely had enough time to catch her breath when his lips reconnected with hers.
She pushed him away from her, trying to put some distance between them. "Richard, we can't do this." "We can... Kahlan, you've already released your power...You can't release it-" She released his hands, allowing them to continute pulling at the strings. Pulling him back to her, she kissing him while she tried to talk her mind out of pushing back again. His slowly pulled her dress off her shoulders, down to her waist. Pulling off his own shirt, he leaned back to her, pulling her up against him, allowing his arm to wrap around her. Allowing him to have her as close to him as possible. She gripped at his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer to her. Her mind was racing as fast as her heart.
His hands on her flesh made her melt. His lips crashing with hers was a sensation neither wanted to his knees, he pushed her dress from her waist, revieling the rest of her corset. His hands ran across it, feeling its way around. She gasped as she arched forward, begging him to continue. He could feel her heart racing against his hand as he moved it slowly to her shoulder, then making its way down her side. His lips parted hers, for a breath, but found themselves moving quickly across her neck. She ran her hands across his chest, taking in the feel of his muscles flexing against her hands. The feel of him excited her. She couldn't get enough. She slid her hands between them, grabbing he top of his pants. He moand against her neck as she pulled at his pants. Sitting up, he starred down at her. Arousle filled her eyes. He had dreamt of this moment many times, but none of them were anything compared to this moment. The sight of her beneath him. Her hair covering the ground around her. In this moment they were truely happy. In this moment, nothing else existed.
She pushed his pants down with her legs, never removing her eyes from his. When she could push them down no further with her legs, he finished pulling them off. She starred at him, biting her lower lip. Leaning down, he kissed her. Pulling back, he looked down at her and smiled. Reaching his hand up, he wiped the streak of dirt from her face. He sat over her, watching her carefuly. Looking for any sign she wanted him to stop. When he found none, he reached down and grabbed her dress. Slowly, he pushed it until it came to rest at her ankles, allowing her to kick it off the rest of the way.
His hands ran across her chest, feeling the fabric of her corset. Arching herself forward into his touch, she softly gasped out his name. His name seemed to echo through the air around them. Slowly removing her corset, he slid his hand over the exposed skin. His lips moving along with her, slowly taking in the taste of eachother. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her corset from her body, before pulling her close to him. He could feel her heart pounding against him, beating at the same pace as his. With a small amount of effort, his lips left hers, making their way over her jaw to her neck. Her eyes opened, slowly growing dark. Her heart pounded against her chest, her mind began screaming. Without out warning, she grabbed his arms, pushing him forward away from her. "Richard. Stop." she could barely speak, He puled himself back to her, bringing his lips to hers. "No, we have to stop, I can't hold it!" He pulled up, looking into her eyes, the darkness, almost covered them. "I'm not letting you go." he said softly, lifting her up to him, completely wrapping his arms around her.
She pushed against him, holding her breath as though if she release it, she would destroy him. Moving her ands behind her, she took hold of his hands and pulled them from her, holding them between them. With one push, filled with all the energy she had left, she had him fallinng backwards away from her. Turning to her side, she released her power. Her desire. Her heart. Collasping to the ground, she gasped for air, that didn't seem to fill her lungs. The moment her back hit the ground he was at her side, drawing her into his arms as she started to cry softly.