Coincidental Birthdays
Sometimes, when Darken Rahl looked at the golden hair and sweet nature of his son, he was reminded so forcibly of Cara that it was hard to believe Kahlan was Nicholas's mother.
"Happy birthday, my son!" he said, swinging Nicholas into his arms. The boy was three today.
"Father, look—the Resistance has surrounded the Palace!" Nicholas said, squirming to get down. Quickly, he deployed the toy troops against the tiny invading toy warriors—red for D'Hara, green for the Midlands.
Golden-haired Nicholas was the commander, lord of all he surveyed.
Darken thought of Cara, and turned away until he could regain his composure.
Nicholas was a treasure—a gift beyond price.
Cara's son had been born precisely seven years earlier than Nicholas. On the same day. His soul was in the Underworld—but what if it had been called back—to Nicholas's body? Darken sometimes wondered…He kept expecting to see reproach in his son's eyes.
Their shared birthdays, he told himself firmly, were solely a coincidence.
Nevertheless, he was extra careful on Nichola's birthday. Just in case.