When he opened his eyes the next morning, he was lying alone. Sitting up, he searched their campsite for her, but was met with the gazes of his friend and grandfather. It was early, the sun barely beginning to peak out of the darkness to announce the arrival of the new day. Stretching, he pretended not to be wondering where she was, not wanting to give his grandfather any reason to suspect something had happened between them.

"The rain is moving this way; we'll be walking through it for at least an hour." Kahlan's voice made him jump, his eyes instantly looking up to see her as she rushed from the trees. She was damp, clearly having been in a drizzle as she hunted. Dropping two rabbits beside the Mord'Sith, she sighed. "I lost the others in the rain."

She was muddy, but he couldn't stop looking at her. For a woman of such high standing and grace, she was not afraid of getting herself dirty to help feed others. She was so much more than she realized. Standing, he grinned at her as she wiped her hands across her face, unknowingly spreading the mud over her soft skin, almost covering her completely. Tossing a towel to her, he motioned to her face and choked back a laugh.

"You're covered in mud."

"The smaller one was harder to catch," she said as she wiped her cheeks with the soft, sand colored cloth. "I nearly lost it when it tried to hide in some of the thick brush."

Letting loose his laugh, he looked away and into the trees. "I'm sure."

Dropping her hands, she scrunched her forehead in confusion. "What?"

Bending down, he pulled his water skin from his pack and poured some on another piece of cloth. "Here." Walking to her, he gently wiped it against her cheek, cleaning a small section before letting her take over. The area around them had gone quiet and he knew their friends were watching them. "We should pack; I don't want to be caught in the rain longer than we have to."

"Are you all right?" Zedd asked as he walked alongside the Seeker.

Looking to his grandfather in surprise he nodded. "I'm fine. Why?"

Frowning, the wizard motioned to the women walking ahead of them in soft conversation. "You've not taken your eyes off of her since we left this morning."

He could hear the disappointment in his tone, there was no effort to hide it. "I dreamt- I want to make sure she's safe."

The older man didn't question his reply, finding it more than likely to be the truth. He would keep a close eye on her at any feeling or vision of something happening to the Mother Confessor. Richard watched her as she walked, his eyes transfixed on the way she moved. Her every step made his heart race and he feared his grandfather would read his thoughts. The night before was all he could think about and he hoped it was on her mind as well. That morning when he had taken the cloth to her cheek, he had been afraid that she would move away, but she hadn't and it eased his heavy guilt.

As the day went on, he did his best to keep his grandfather from having a reason to believe that something was wrong. He smiled, joked and talked to them all as he usually did, though it was harder for him not to let his eyes linger on hers. After another few hours, he found himself walking beside her again and it was almost impossible to keep from touching her. Their hands would graze each other's and when he were sure no one was watching, he would intertwine their fingers for a brief moment. The urge to talk to her about what had happened the night before was burning within and if he didn't say anything soon, he wouldn't be able to.

"I didn't mean to upset you last night."

"No," she said as she looked over to him for a moment. "You didn't upset me, you- You made me realize what we were doing." Bringing her eyes to the road ahead of them, she stared at the footprints of their friends ahead of them. "I was embarrassed."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Kahlan."

Shaking her head, she frowned. "Yes, I do. We both do."

"Because of Cara?"

Her cheeks reddened at the thought, but she again, shook her head. "No." Pulling her hand from his, she crossed her arms. "We knew better."

"Did we?" he questioned sincerely. "There was nothing wrong with what we did."

"Then why did you stop?" she asked as she looked back to him.

"Kahlan-"

"Help!"

They stopped, everyone looking around to see where the cry was coming from. Running through the trees, they seared the area around them, trying to find the woman in need. Kahlan grabbed his arm quickly, slowing him before he reached the edge of the cliff. Looking down, her heart stopped at the sight of the woman. He noticed her reaction, but didn't pause for fear of the woman losing her grip on the limb that kept her from falling. Reaching down, he told the young woman to take his hand and allow him to help her up.

Cara and Zedd stood beside the Mother Confessor as he pulled up the beautiful woman. She did her best to pretend that nothing was wrong, but she could feel her heart breaking.

"Thank you!" the woman said exhausted. "I was beginning to fear I wouldn't be heard."

"What happened?"

"I was trying to hide from some banelings and I didn't see the- Thank you."

Richard smiled widely, nodding his head. "I didn't see the edge either."

Grinning, the woman pushed her fingers through her blonde hair and stepped closer to him. "I wouldn't have been able to hold on for much longer and if you hadn't come by..."

Kahlan felt sick, her stomach in knots as she looked upon the woman. A woman she had seen before. "You said that there were banelings? Where?"

Pointing through the trees, she pressed her shoulder against the Seeker's chest, she leaned into for protection. "Through there. They attacked our village; my father sent me off to get help and then... You found me."

Looking at the brunette, he watched her carefully. Something was wrong and he didn't know what it was. "Kahlan?"

"We should make sure the village is all right."

Nodding his agreement, he motioned out with his hand toward the trees. "Lead the way." After they started walking, Richard took his eyes off of his friends behind them and brought them to the blonde who walked closely at his side. "What's your name?"

"Amanda," she said with a wide smile. He froze, stopping mid-step as he realized what made Kahlan so uneasy. This was the woman Shota had shown her that he had married. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," he lied, shifting his eyes to the trees. "I thought I saw something."

"My village is right through there." The village showed no sign of being attacked, the people outside working as though nothing had happened. "Father!"

A short, stubby man turned from his wagon of hay and smiled. "You've returned! I was just about to come after you."

"I've brought help..."

"You've brought the Seeker?"

"He saved me." She gave a quick count of the story, being sure to touch Richard with nearly every word and make him sound more heroic. "If he hadn't come, I would have died."

Smiling widely, her father pulled the younger man into his arms and hugged him. "Thank you, Seeker!"

Moving backward, he nodded with a polite smile. "The banelings?"

"They've gone. They accepted our prisoners as gifts."

"Accepted them as gifts?" Kahlan asked softly.

The man's face hardened as he looked to her, his hatred for what she was showing without care. "How else would you expect us to survive? We don't travel with an armed guard."

She showed no sign of being rattled as she kept her eyes locked on the other mans. "You could fight for what's yours. Those people do not deserve to be handed off as-"

"This is not your land, Confessor. We may do as we must."

"It will be getting dark soon; they need a place to stay the night."

"The three of you may stay with us, but the Confessor must find a room elsewhere."

Richard growled, moving to her side. "You will not speak to her that way."

Laying her hand on his arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's all right. I'll be fine."

Shaking his head, he began walking away from Amanda and her father. "Since you have no need of our assistance, we will be going."

As he walked away, she hurried behind him, pulling him to a stop as the others followed. "Richard, no. You should stay-"

"I could never be with a woman like that," he said simply, confusing his grandfather and Mord'Sith friend. "I want to make camp as far away from here as we can. We should get moving."

"You may have liked her," Kahlan said for the umpteenth time. She had been doing her best to convince him that he could have some kind of a life with the other woman and he knew why. He understood completely, but he wouldn't let her do it. She needed a reason to keep away from him and when she saw the woman, she thought she had found a way to protect him from herself. "Richard-"

"Even if I married her," he said tenderly. "I would still want to be with you, Kahlan. Just because I can be with another woman doesn't mean that I want to; that I would be happy. That night we had; those few moments of being with you are worth more to me than a lifetime of someone else in my bed."

Lowering her head, she looked down at the forest floor and sighed. "I don't understand how that could mean anything to you." Abandoning the firewood he held in his arms, he stepped over them to get closer to her. "Richard, those few moments were nothing compared to what you could have."

"I don't want anything else."

"You should."

He smiled, taking the thin stick she had in her hands, stopping her from peeling off what little was left of the bark. "Why?"

"Because I'm a Confessor. You should have the same reaction Amanda's father had."

"Why? Because he is too ignorant to-"

Shaking her head, she brought her eyes to his. "The people respond to me like that for a reason."

"I know, but they've been conditioned to fear you. I know you; trust you and I can't think of a single reason to be afraid of you."

"You know what my magic can do to you."

"I do, but I also know that there is nothing I want more than to be yours." Motioning back toward the village they had left with his hand, he stepped closer to her. "I don't want some other woman. I want you, your magic and everything that you are. When I was confessed, the way I felt about her was the same way I feel about you. The power of Confession is powerful, but so is how I feel. I'll prove it to you someday, you'll see."

She was quiet for a few moments, trying to keep herself from looking back to the stick in his hands, the distraction she needed. "How can you be so sure?"

He grinned widely, throwing the stick to the side. "I'm the Seeker." Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tightly, refusing to give her a chance to pull away. It took her a few moments to respond, waiting before returning his hug. "I will find a way to be with you. I promise, Kahlan."

Pulling back, she nodded slowly and lowered her arms to her side. "Maybe we met her for a reason, Rich-"

"I don't believe that. Kahlan, if our roles were reversed, would things be different for you?"

His question surprised her and she took a moment to think on it. She wanted to tell him that there could be no male Confessors, but she knew that wasn't what he meant. "No."

"Why?" he asked quietly, watching her as she thought.

"Because I know you and though it should, the magic wouldn't scare me." Turning away, she wiped her mouth with her hand and sighed. "But I am afraid now. I try so hard to be careful, to stop myself from... I came so close to destroying you and if you hadn't stopped me, I-"

"I don't believe you would have confessed me."

Turning around, she let her damp, red eyes meet his eyes. "Then why did you stop?"

Closing his eyes, she gave a half smile as he remembered the few moments leading to his pause. "I didn't want to stop," he admitted before opening his eyes. "I never wanted to do anything else, but I knew that no matter what happened, if somehow you did confess me, it would destroy you. And if you didn't and we made love... As wonderful as it would be, you would never allow it to happen again and I couldn't be with you only once." He was suddenly aware of how fast his heart was beating; he wondered if she could hear it.

She stared at him, her eyes soft and wide as she tried to find any set of words. Bringing her hands to his chest, Kahlan flattened her palms against his shirt and moved them down as she stepped forward. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pushed against him and sighed as he returned her hug without hesitation. After a long moment, she pushed back her fear and leaned back, taking his face in her hands. Their kiss started slowly, neither wanting to push it too far too quickly. Once her fingers began to wind into his hair, their tongues were fighting for dominance.

Tripping over the firewood he had gathered, they fell to the ground with a soft thump and a laugh, their bodies falling apart. Staring up at the tree leaves, she licked her lips before taking in a deep breath. It appeared that not only their friends were against them, but the forest as well. He would have a chance for something more with Amanda, even if he wasn't able to see it now, she could. Sitting up, she began picking up the firewood; stacking them neatly in her arms to keep her hands from reaching for him. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move carefully, almost as though he could read her thoughts; she feared he could.

"We should get back. Zedd will be eager to start dinner."

With a light chuckle, Richard nodded his head, knowing that she was right. His grandfather was always hungry and wouldn't appreciate the delay. "You're right."