She hadn't said anything since they left the palace. He could see her, walking beside him, staring out a head of them, looking at everything as though it were the first time she had seen it. Tightening his hold on her hand, he pulled at it, trying to slow her down as she raced to get further from their home. From the council.

"How far do you plan on going?"

"It's not much further." She glanced back at him, smiling. "You've been there before."

As they pushed back some branches, Richard smiled widely. The small opening that he had found a few weeks after they had married. He had taken her there for the first time after a meeting with the council. They spent the entire night, clinging to each other in the shelter of the trees and bushes that surrounded them. It had been their first night alone that week and it had not been wasted. The memories flooded back to him, making his knees weak as he remembered the feel of her skin against his, her nails digging into his back and shoulders and the soft moan of his name leaving her lips.

"Richard?" He looked up, realizing that he had stopped walking.

"I'm sorry. I was just-"

"Remembering?" she smiled widely, surprising him. "I was too. I wanted to come back here, but we never did."

Smiling, Richard stepped towards her, taking her into his arms. "That's because the council had our room watched after we disappeared for the night. It's hard to sneak away when there's someone watching us."

"They're not watching us now." she said as she took the basket of food from his hand and laid it onto the ground.

His eyes closed as she ran her hands over his chest, pulling at his shirt. "Kahlan," he grabbed her hands, holding them still. "You don't have to do this. Not after-"

"I want to."

He took note of her word choice, only an hour before had she told him the difference between what she wanted and what she needed. She had said before that she wanted to make love to him. But, he thought to himself, if they did, would it cause her more pain? His body responded to hers as she stepped closer, pressing herself against him. Taking hold of his shirt, she pulled it over his head, exposing his chest to her hungry eyes.

Her breath against his skin drove him mad as he fought the urge to lower her to the ground. He was going to give her the chance to stop if she wanted to, giving her the control that she didn't have before. She pushed him backwards until his back was pressed against a tree, keeping him from moving as she pressed her lips to his chest. Reaching up, he entangled his fingers into her hair, gently messaging her scalp as she kissed over his chest.

His breath caught in in throat as she pulled at the laces of his pants. His heart pounding in a passionate frenzy as her hands moved over him and her lips connected with his, just as his pants fell to the ground. Pulling her lips from his she stepped back, pulling at the laces of her dress, her eyes locked on his face as he watched her movements, eagerly awaiting for the next piece of skin to be revealed. The moment her dress fell to the ground, he was certain his heart stopped. Pressing herself against him, she pulled him to the ground,being sure that he remained over her, relinquishing her control to him.

The gentleness of his touch made her want to cry and the feel of his lips caressing her skin fueled the fire within her. His hands ran over her completely, touching every inch of her the way a lover would. Arching her chest up into his, she held his head to hers, pushing her tongue past his lips. Her hands slid over his back, making his muscles flex beneath her fingers. Moving his lips over her jaw and neck, he slowly made his way to her chest, kissing around her breasts as she tightened her hold on his hair.

His name escaped her lips, as he pushed into her, both getting lost in the bliss of their connection. Richard slid his tongue over her skin, tasting her flesh once again. He couldn't get close enough to her. Lifting her back from the ground, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him as he sat them up, keeping their bodies connected. She held his head to her chest, her head falling back in pleasure as she moved over him, using his shoulders to steadying herself. Pulling his head back, he stared at her, thriving on the sight of her before him. Slowly, his hands slid over her, making her speed quicken with the pounding of her heart.

With a gasp of her name, Richard laid her back to the ground. She pulled him from her chest, bringing his face up to hers so that she was able to look into his eyes. It was only a moment before her eyes were completely dark, bringing her to release her magic into him. Richard held onto her tightly, wishing for her magic to run through his veins forever. Resting his head in the crook of her neck, he waited for his breath to come back to him.

Her eyes were closed as she breathed heavily, her fingers running through his hair as she held him to her, preventing him from rolling from her. She didn't want to lose the connection between them. It was comforting. Pressing his lips to her collarbone, he kissed over her, moving to her neck and jaw. The small, gentle kisses brought a moan from her lips, begging for him to bring them to hers. She turned her head, connecting their lips as she pulled him closer to her. She needed more of him, of the safety and calm that was entirely him.

Pulling back, Richard pressed his forehead against hers, sharing her breath as the darkness of her magic slowly began fading from her eyes. He watched her face closely, making sure that she was alright. The small smile that crossed her lips soon put his worries to rest.

She let out a soft moan of protest as he rolled from her body, exposing her to the cool breeze that flowed around them. Turning over, Kahlan pressed herself against him, using the warmth of his body. "That was- That was amazing."

Richard tightened his arms around her, laughing as her teeth began to chatter together. "It was."

"It always is." she said as she pressed her nose into his chest and closed her eyes. Her body still hungered for his, for the passion and care. She thrived on his touch. She always had.

"You're freezing." he whispered, "Here, let's get dressed." She continued to lay there as he sat up, reaching for their clothes. Rolling to her back, she waited, knowing he would look back to her. The moment he did, she smiled widely. "Spirits, Kahlan." he whispered as his eyes roamed over her. His hand moved without thought, reaching for her.

Taking hold of his hand, Kahlan held it to her, closing her eyes as she moved it to cover her breast. Abandoning their clothes, he leaned back to her, pressing their lips together as she wrapped her arms around him.

The light from the sun began to disappear behind the trees as he pulled himself from her once again. Richard held her close to him as he sat up, bringing her body with him. "We should get dressed now. It's only going to get colder and I- I'm not going to let you get sick."

"I don't mind." she whispered as he handed her her dress.

"I do."

"Alright, but we should eat first. They're going to notice if we return with a full basket."

He smiled, watching her dress herself slowly, being sure to take her time. Richard reached out, taking hold of the laces and pulling them together, tying them as he stared at the remaining, exposed, flesh of of her chest. It had seemed so long since he had touched her and he wanted more. "We could always leave the food here and eat in bed." He saw the flare of realization in her eyes before the smile crossed her lips. "We should be warm."

"I'm sure we will." She breathed out softly as he pulled on his pants, tying the laces quickly before taking the shirt she held out to him.

As soon as he dressed, he took her hand, squeezing it lovingly as he pulled her gently along with him, moving quickly back through the trees and brush that had surrounded them throughout the day. He knew that he had to bring her back again, the small clearing was more than just a place for them to be alone. It was not a very part of their being, of their reconnection and their recovery. He was almost sure that the place had been prepared for them. That somehow the spirits, long ago, had known what was needed to heal them and bring them closer. The spirits were, indeed, on their side.

Richard followed closely as his wife pushed open the dungeon door. Slowly, they made their way down the long dark hall, bringing themselves closer to Nicci. He could see the hesitation in her steps, the fear within her. Taking her hand, he pulled her to a stop, turning her around towards him.

"We don't have to do this." he whispered, knowing that his voice would carry throughout the dungeon.

"I do." she replied even softer than him. "I have to see her. I have to know."

Nodding, he tightened his hold on her hand as she turned and walked towards the cell. She had been in the dungeons more times that she could remember, but this was more heart pounding than any of them. She opened her mouth to remind herself to breathe as she became closer and closer. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and turned towards the bars.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to gather the nerve to come see me." The blonde smiled at the couple standing in freedom. "It must be comforting to see me in here. Powerless."

Kahlan stepped back, tilting her head as she stared at the other woman. "You're not powerless."

"What?"

Ignoring him, Nicci stood up and walked over to the bars that held her. "He enjoyed being with you. He said that none had ever provided him with such pleasure." She smiled widely as tears filled the eyes of The Mother Confessor. "It was all he could talk about. The look of horror in your eyes, the softness of your skin as he touched you."

"Shut up!" Richard shouted, slamming his hands against the bars, making Kahlan jump. "Shut up!"

"The reason he loved having her the most was because she was yours. The things he did to her, the things he never told you, that she will never remember."

"What did he do?" Kahlan cried, stepping forward. "What did he do to me?" Richard wrapped his arms around her, pulling her away from the bars as Nicci laughed. "What else did he do?" Turning her around, he hugged her to him, keeping her from turning around.

"Haven't you wondered why it was so easy for him to get to you? Where was your husband when you were taken?"

"Shut up!" Richard shouted at her once again, tightening his hold on his wife.

"Do you see what he's doing? He doesn't want you to know the truth."

Pushing him away from her, Kahlan turned and stepped closer to the other woman. "How could you think for even a moment that I would listen to that?"

"It seems you don't know him as well as you think you do."

"No. You're the one who doesn't know him." grabbing the bars, she leaned closer, suddenly feeling brave. "You were there, watching as he raped me." Richard stepped back, stunned by her words. She hadn't told him that before. If she had, he thought, he wouldn't have brought her back with him. "You stood there watching, until he ordered you to please the others. I felt sorry for you. In that moment, when I didn't know you, I wanted to save you and-"

"You wanted to save yourself. You saw what was happening and wanted to spare someone the pain you were feeling. You were weak, not taking advantage of the pleasure those men could have brought you."

Stepping back, Kahlan turned to Richard. "Let's go."

The moment their backs were turned, they were pushed forward, away from each other. With a flash of white light, their worlds went dark and quiet.