Richard stared in shock. He couldn't believe his eyes. Discovering that Anna was in Hartland had been already been a surprise, and now this…

Why would Anna take up with the viceroy? It disgusted him to see her in the arms of that D'Haran butcher.

Why was everyone in Hartland so enamored of the D'Harans? Couldn't they see their brutality, their injustice?

First Michael, and now Anna.

Michael he could understand. His brother had always been power-hungry. If he thought the D'Harans could elevate his status, he'd ally with them in a heartbeat.

But Anna wasn't like that. She'd never been interested in power or glory. Was the situation so bad in Hartland that the only way she could protect herself was to sell herself out to this man?

The viceroy was the most powerful of the D'Harans here, after all. He governed the entire region. Even Michael, First Councilor, had to answer to him.

Still, he refused to believe that Anna was actually in love with the viceroy. She could never love a man like that.

Could she?

Richard felt utterly demoralized. The D'Harans had completed taken over Westland, just as Kahlan had predicted.

He'd hated seeing all the villagers in the town square kneeling and praying to their "savior" Lord Rahl. He'd seen enough of Darken Rahl's ways to know that the man was pure evil.

But it had also strengthened his resolve. He would flush these intruders out and restore Westland to the peaceful land it had once been. Then he would drive the D'Harans out of the Midlands and then venture to D'Hara itself. All he had to do was fulfill the prophecy and kill Darken Rahl, and that would be the end of it.

He'd been so certain that the people of Westland would support his quest and rise up against their oppressors, but now he faltered. What if everyone in Hartland was blinded to the truth and saw the D'Harans not as callous invaders but as bringers of safety and prosperity, as Michael had claimed?

If Anna believed that, so could many others.

He didn't love Anna anymore, but he still cared about her. He wanted her to see the truth about the D'Harans. He wanted her support.

Richard really hoped that it wasn't what it looked like. Even if Anna did love the viceroy… It was too bad, because he was probably going to have to kill him anyway.

(To be continued in Chapter 3…)