The sunlight beamed in through the room, causing Richard's eyes to become aggravated. He sighed as he opened his lids, his swollen eye feeling much better than yesterday. He was still in Kahlan's room. Richard looked to the right, where the light entered to the room.
Kahlan was sleeping on a small cot, her body covered by a light blanket. She had switched clothes, now wearing the white dress he had originally seen her in. She had bathed, her hair now holding more curl than the previous night. She was loosely holding her thick mass of hair in her right hand, her left arm under the small pillow her head was resting on. The cut on her cheek from where Denna had backhanded her looked like it was almost already healed. A large bandage was on her neck, a few splotches of red leaking through the white.
She had another cot brought into the room so she wouldn't disturb him. Richard smiled, feeling more limber than he had in the week he had been held captive. His ribs were the only wound that still affected him at almost full force. Richard moved to sit up, but found the effort to be too much. Instead, he moved his body to the right, stopping when he reached the edge of the bed. Kahlan's makeshift bed was placed only a foot away from where he lay. He shifted on his side, finding the right position so that his ribs weren't crashed into the mattress. When he finally adjusted himself, he let his gaze wander over the woman before him.
Kahlan had freckles. Richard had never noticed it before, but being this close to her, he was able to see each and every one of them. He smiled, his eyes tracing over her cheeks and nose, down to the exposed flesh around her neck. She also had a few freckles adorning her shoulders. Her skin was very fair, but Richard had already known that. She had a scar above the left side of her lip. The imperfection only made her more beautiful. Richard chuckled when her lips twitched and she shifted in the bed, causing the blanket to fall from her shoulder and splay across her stomach.
Her frame was small but muscular. Richard knew this when he had seen her fight, but seeing her in her night gown last night only confirmed his belief. Kahlan's legs were toned, her stomach flat, her body showing little sign of fat. He had noticed the night before that she was almost the same height as him, only an inch or two shorter. Richard had an impulsive urge to wrap her in his arms - he had an inclination that she would be the perfect fit to him.
Kahlan's blue eyes had always seemed to bore through Richard, and now that she was sleeping, he missed them. Her lashes fluttered as she let out a breath and turned her head more towards the pillow.
Richard turned his head to the left as he heard the door scrape open, seeing Ester shuffling in with a mixture of various potions and bandages. Richard put a finger to his lips, informing her to be silent. Ester glanced at Kahlan and nodded, placing the items on the dresser. She stood at the edge of the bed, leaning over and handing Richard an elixir. He drank it without protest, coughing as it went down his throat. Ester informed him it would help with his nausea and dizziness. She checked on his bandages, pleased that they seemed to be holding up well and that the blood flow had seemed to stop. Ester quietly made her way to Kahlan, frowning when she saw the bandage on her neck.
"What's wrong?" His whisper came out louder than he intended it to be. Ester shook her head, lightly touching her fingers to the cloth, causing Kahlan to murmur some inaudible sound and shift onto her back, her hair now freely flowing around her, the hand previously holding it resting on her stomach. Ester began to peel the bandage up, observing what was underneath. She sighed as placed the bandage back, looking over at Richard.
"I would have hoped the Mother Confessor's wound would have shown more signs of healing." Ester kept her voice small, causing Richard to strain to hear what she said. He furrowed his eyebrows together as he found the strength to sit up, using his arms to hoist his body upright.
"And?" Richard couldn't imagine Kahlan not healing properly, especially because of wounds she had obtained saving him.
"It is bleeding more than I would have liked," She began, gesturing over to Kahlan. "Her wound has not fully clotted, soon it will become infected if not treated properly."
Richard recognized what she was saying - she wanted to wake Kahlan. He shook his head. Kahlan needed her rest, especially after all she had done for him. He rationalized that a wounded person needed as much rest as they could get. Richard moved his hands in her direction.
"She needs her rest," He pleaded, Ester smiling and nodding. She shuffled over to the dresser, grabbing a paste and moving back towards Richard.
"When she awakes, you need to apply this to her wound. It will take awhile to dry - do not put the bandage on when it is still wet. You can speed up the process by blowing on it, softly. Blow too hard and you will only harm her." She waited until he nodded his understanding. Ester pulled an ointment out of her apron and held it in front of Richard's face. "When dry, take a little of this and apply it to her skin around the wound, applying light pressure. She may cringe at the feeling, but it will help her, I assure you." Richard stared at the bottle of brown ointment, warily looking at her and then to Kahlan. He nodded. "If her wound starts to bleed more when you are applying this to her, do not fret - it is nothing to be concerned with." His brows furrowed and Ester looked at him, waiting for his nod. He sighed and did so. "The blood will subside after you stop applying the ointment, if it continues after wards - send for me at once." Richard nodded immediately. "After both of these treatments, leave her wound exposed for a bit. If always covered, it will take longer to heal." She smiled at him as she placed the paste, ointment, and bandage on the side table that was between Richard and Kahlan.
"Okay," He whispered, looking over at the items and then to Kahlan. Ester bowed her head and left the room, closing the door behind her as quietly as possible.
Richard stayed upright, watching Kahlan as she slept. Her chest rose and fall at steady, slow intervals. Her eyes occasionally darted around under her lids, causing her lashes to flutter. He smiled.
When she started to stir, he froze. Kahlan yawned as her eyes slowly crept open, her blue orbs adjusting to the light. She turned onto her left side, peering up at Richard. The effort to move her neck up towards him caused her to cringe, and she settled the side of her face back on the pillow. Richard slid down the bed, positioning himself on the edge and readjusting himself on his side. Her eyes met his and he smiled.
Kahlan clenched her eyes shut and brought her hand to her face, wiping at her face. When she lifted her lids, she saw Richard smiling at her, a brilliant smile that she had never seen before. His boyish charm only made her smile in return, her lips spreading as she began to laugh.
Then realization hit her - it was more as though they were greeting each other as lovers rather than strangers. Kahlan stopped smiling and pursed her lips to the right, her brows wrinkling together. Richard mirrored her expression, causing Kahlan to giggle softly when her eyes met his again. He did the same.
Richard reached out and lightly touched the back of his fingers to her cheek, where Denna had grazed it with her leather clad hand. Kahlan looked confused as her eyes darted from his face to his hand. Richard smiled as he withdrew his hand.
Kahlan came to the conclusion that she needed to separate herself from him as quickly as possible. This man knew who she was, what she was, and yet still ventured to touch her and treat her with affection. No other man had done this to her before. None had even thought of such a notion. However, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Richard's chocolate orbs. They were warm and inviting, even though his face was battered. The swell of his left eye had gone down, allowing him to open it much more than last night. He also had a scratch on his cheek, and she wanted nothing more than to do what he had done to her, and rest her hand upon his flesh. She resisted.
Kahlan nervously gathered her hair into her hand again, attempting to use it as a shield. Richard could tell she was shutting herself off, and he had a burning feeling in his chest that it was because of what he had so foolishly said last night.
"Good morning, Mother Confessor." He spoke, hoping to bring her attentions back to him and allow her to force down the wall she had been putting up. When Kahlan looked at him, he knew it was to no avail. Her eyes held pain and sadness and Richard wasn't sure why. All he knew was that the wall was becoming taller and more impossible to climb.
Kahlan felt the stab to her heart when Richard addressed her by her title. Despite how close they seemed to be at that moment - the surge of emotions Kahlan was sure he felt as well - he still addressed her by her title. The thing that keeps her isolated from everyone - the thing that keeps her untouchable. She felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, her eyes threatening to betray her strength. She put on a tight lipped smile as she rolled over onto her other side, facing away from him and staring out the window. Kahlan swallowed past the lump in her throat.
It shouldn't matter. He shouldn't matter to her. Kahlan couldn't figure out whey he had such an affect on her, such an overwhelming pull. She didn't even know him. She should have, she's the Mother Confessor. She cringed when she realized the implications of that. Kahlan now was bound to him - he had no Confessor, no protector. He was the Seeker, the one destined to defeat Darken Rahl, the very thing she desperately wanted. These feelings would only grow, and she would have to suppress them, to deal with them. Kahlan felt sudden resentment for Richard not managing to suppress what he felt, for making her fall deeper down an unknown hole.
Richard was now very aware that her defensive wall would not be falling anytime soon.
