Chapter Three

"Why would Dahlia be here?" Kahlan asked. She was sitting on the bed that she shared with Richard at the People's Palace. She had just returned from her trip to Aydindril, and she looked more tired than Richard could have imagined. What did she do all day that could make her look this tired?

"I don't know, but Cara seems concerned." Richard paused. "Maybe we should tell her what Zedd did." The mention of Zedd sent flashes of memory before Richard's eyes, brilliant white clouding his vision, the anger on a scared face. He still hadn't been able to tell anyone that he had killed the other Zedd in the other world.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Cara is pretty stubborn as it is, and the only person who really knows what happened is Zedd. We should talk to him before we tell her anything." Kahlan replied.

"Is he coming here?" Richard asked slowly. It could be his chance to confess to Zedd.

"I don't know, Richard. He's still trying to clean up the mess in the Wizard's Keep. I'm sure that other world you went to wasn't screwed up half as much as this one was." Kahlan mumbled. She looked ready to pass out on the bed.

"I don't know." Richard whispered, remembering all the trouble he had started and left unfinished. He turned around to find Kahlan lying on the bed asleep. He smiled, glad that she was here with him now, not off fighting with council members.

He picked her up gently and set her more comfortably on the bed. "Sleep well, my love." He whispered, kissing her head. As much as he wanted to lie down and join his wife in a restful sleep, he had other things to attend to.

"Cara, I know that you don't want me to talk to her alone, but I think you should wait out here. Your history with her might be intimidating," Cara stood with her arms crossed glaring at him.

"She could be dangerous, and I don't want the minstrels to sing of me as the Mord-Sith who let the Lord Rahl get killed, three times." Richard smiled at her concern for him.

"You won't be Cara. I promise." She still didn't seem convinced. "I order you as the Lord Rahl to stay here." He said, knowing that she couldn't refuse an order.

She rolled her eyes, and uncrossed her arms. "What ever you say, Lord Rahl."

As soon as Richard turned around, he smiled, remembering the times that she had told him he was crazy not to take the title. Now she was annoyed because he was using it.

He walked toward the room where they were housing Dahlia. Outside there were two guards who wouldn't let anyone leave or enter unless they were dead. Before he walked in he heard Cara call out to him. "I'll be right here, Richard Rahl, waiting." He entered the room.

It was relatively small, for a room in the People's Palace, but it was bigger than Richard's house in Westland had been. He remembered what the other Richard had done to Westland suddenly and frowned.

"Nice to see you too, Lord Rahl." Dahlia nettled from a chair. She was sitting near a candle reading something.

Richard was taken aback for a second, confused by her forward manner, both in the courtyard and now, "Dahlia." Was all Richard could muster.

She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my name? I didn't tell anyone."

Richard thought for a moment, "Cara Mason told me."

Dahlia seemed taken aback for a second, and then sighed. "I wasn't sure if it was her yesterday. She looked so different, so . . . hard, and cold.

"She's a lot better than she used to be." Richard said, remembering how much she had changed since a year and a half ago. "So, what is it I can help you with, Dahlia of Stowcroft?"

"We are having a problem, you see, people are disappearing."

"I'm very sorry about that, but I'm not sure how I can help, I mean-" Richard said.

"No, Lord Rahl, you don't understand. It's magic. They disappear right out of the air. One second they're there, and the next they're gone, in the blink of an eye." Dahlia said, snapping her fingers.

Richard frowned. "Are you sure about this?"

Dahlia nodded. "I know it sounds crazy. That's what everyone told me, but I saw it with my own eyes. The worst part is . . . no one seems to remember the people who disappear."

"Dahlia," Richard began, but he was having a hard time believing her now, and with the fact that she had tricked Cara into going back to Darken Rahl, even in a different world, made Richard wary of her. "I don't know if I'll be able to help. Even if something really is going on, there isn't any proof."

"You think I'm crazy." Dahlia declared, not really angrily, but she seemed upset. "They told me that you would, but I still had hope." She sighed. "You're better, though, Darken Rahl would have had me killed days ago."

"I'm sorry, Dahlia. I'll let you stay here for a few days if you like." Richard said, hoping she would refuse.

She didn't. "It was a long journey, I guess I could stay here for a little while. You are most kind, Lord Rahl."

"Well, it was . . . interesting to meet you Dahlia, perhaps I'll see you again." Richard said, almost hoping he never would.

"Till next time, Lord Rahl." She answered with such surety that he knew he would see her again.

"Well, it looks like your name won't be sung as the Mord-Sith who let the Lord Rahl die, again." Richard told Cara who had not moved from where she stood except to lean against the wall.

Cara rolled her eyes. "What did you think?"

For some reason Richard couldn't bring himself to tell Cara Dahlia was crazy.

"She was . . . interesting."

Cara frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Hum? Nothing." Cara didn't look convinced. "It means she was interesting to talk to Cara, nothing more, nothing less."

"Can I . . . talk to her?" Cara hesitated.

"Not today. I needed to go finish a few things and talk to Kahlan first. She was so tired she fell asleep while I was talking to her." Richard replied.

"Right, fine, Lord Rahl. You go 'talk' to Kahlan. I'll just go see to some other business." Cara said.

"Wait, Cara." But she was already gone.

"So?" Kahlan asked, sitting on their bed, she had been awake when he got back.

"She's crazy, but I don't think she's much of a threat, she's no Mord-Sith." Richard answered, sitting next to her.

"What do you mean she's crazy?" Kahlan asked. She put her arms around him.

"I mean, that she's got some insane idea that people who never existed disappeared. She said that no one remembers them but her, and that they just disappear right out of the air."

"What's so insane about that?" Kahlan's hands pulled away.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, you told Cara, Zedd, and I that you went to another world where there were doubles of us, and that we looked exactly the same, but acted differently." Kahlan paused. "I'm still not sure if I believe you."

"Kahlan."

"No, listen to me. If I had not met that bastard who was in your body, or if you were some person I'd never met before, I would not have believed you. I would have tossed you aside without a thought." Kahlan persisted.

"Are you saying I should listen to her?" Richard asked.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't dismiss what she says, just because she sounds crazy." Kahlan replied.

"What do you think I should do?" Richard asked.

Kahlan thought a little bit, "You should let her talk to Cara."

"Cara?" Richard said surprised. "I don't know. From what Zedd said . . . "

"All the more reason." Kahlan answered. "It's easier to talk to a lover than a ruler." Kahlan put her arms around Richard again, kissing his neck.

Richard shivered. "Is that so?" he whispered.

"Oh yes." Kahlan was pulling him towards her now, down to the bed. "Much, much easier." Richard fell to the bed with Kahlan and rolled on top of her, smiling.

"You had a nice nap."