Chapter 11 – Delayed Reunion

His cheek still smarted from where she had slapped him. Richard supposed he had deserved it for how he had simply gawked at her. But then… she kissed him, and… well, it was extraordinary. He had enjoyed that kiss very much, and had been slightly disappointed when it was over. Again, he was hit with the overwhelming feeling that this woman, Kahlan Amnell, was the love of his life. Spirits, he wished he had his memories, so he could confirm his suspicions and fully embrace Kahlan as he suspected he had before he lost his memories.

Richard continued to tenderly rub his cheek, not truly knowing how to feel about it. Even though it was an almost stinging feel, he seemed to still relish it. As if any touch that Kahlan gave him was worth any discomfort that came with it; to simply feel her hand on his face made him yearn to know and feel more.

As the Mord'Sith Cara led him away from the council chambers, Richard arched his neck and glanced over his shoulder to look through the doors, as they were closed behind them. He caught one last glimpse of the two women. One standing tall and commanding, full of grace and authority, while the other, dressed in that gorgeous white dress, was sprawled, in supplication, on the floor by the other's feet.

Two Kahlans. Now that was something hard to wrap his mind around. They both were exquisitely beautiful, however, the new one, the one that had just arrived, slapped him and then kissed him… well, there was something about her that pulled at his soul. There was a kind of aura that radiated around her that reminded him of the woman he woke up to that day in the rain. The one he knew loved him.

He pursed his lips together and thought about the kiss. It had been filled with so much passion, completely unlike the kiss that he had been giving to Kahlan before the other Kahlan appeared… no, he had not been kissing Kahlan. She was… what? A fake. What was it that they had called her? … Cynthia. Whatever their names where, they both looked exactly the same. Yet, at the same time, there was something different about them. If he had to pinpoint a difference, it would probably be their eyes. The one who had slapped him had eyes that enchanted him more so than the one who had traveled with him to Aydindril.

Cara opened a door for him and he entered the room. "Stay here," the Mord'Sith ordered curtly and started to leave.

Richard blinked and looked around the room. "Wait," he said, grabbing her arm. "Do I know you?"

The Mord'Sith looked at him and harrumphed. "So it's true, you don't remember?"

He gave a nod. "Yes. All I can remember is waking up two weeks ago in the rain with Kahlan…," Richard lowered his brow, suddenly becoming worried. "If she was the real Kahlan." He shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. "I… I'm so confused."

Cara blinked and shrugged. "I suppose you are," she said. Then she pointed a finger at him, as if to accuse him of something. "Well, now the real Kahlan as returned. So you better not hurt her… or I'll hurt you!" She said this while whipping out a red rod and holding it in front of his face. "Even if you are the Lord Rahl… I still will not see Kahlan hurt. So," she holstered the red rod, "you better behave yourself when she comes to you to explain things and get some answers from you. Do you understand?"

Richard took a deep breath and nodded. He was looking forward to seeing Kahlan again and hearing what she had to say. He hoped she would not be too mad at him. Though, truth be told, he really did not know what exactly it was he had done. He knew that at some point there had been a switch, where they had supplanted Cynthia in place of Kahlan. He wished he knew when that was. Richard hoped that it was after they had almost made love. He did not know if he could forgive himself if he had betrayed a woman who so obviously meant everything to him.

His memories weren't there, but all the signs were. It was obvious that she was important to him. Everything seemed to scream that to him. Taking another breath to ease his nerves, he looked around at his surroundings and gaped.

"Huh, Cara?" he said turning back to the Mord'Sith. "Where are we?"

Cara placed a hand on her hip and smirked. "You're seriously telling me you can't remember this place?"

"Should I?" he asked, glancing around at the bedchambers. It was perhaps the largest bedchambers in the entire palace. And the centerpiece of the enter room seemed to be a rather large bed with white sheets. He gasped as realization struck. "This is our bedchambers," he said, looking back at Cara for confirmation. "Kahlan's and mine. Isn't it?"

Cara folded her arms across her chest, and gave a nod. "Yes."

For some reason his heart began to beat faster. Just being somewhere that should hold special memories to him that he no longer had was agonizing. He did not know if he wanted to remain here. Just the thought of not remembering the things that he should was tormenting him. He wanted to leave. He made a move to exit the chambers, when Cara stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

She shook her head. "No you don't," she said, grinning, and a playful glint in her eye. "You're not going anywhere. Not now."

"I… I don't deserve her," Richard groaned.

"Of course you don't," Cara said raising an eyebrow. "But like it or not, she loves you and you love her."

"Do I?"

Cara laughed. "Yes, you do," she smirked. "I've had to put up with you two love birds for so long that I'm almost sick of all that mushy romantic stuff." She harrumphed and rolled her eyes. "If there was no immediate threat to the Midlands, you two would still probably be off on your honeymoon going at it like rabbits."

Richard blinked, and stared into her eyes, trying to judge the truth behind her words. He let out a breath, sensing no deception in her. Somehow, someway, this woman knew of him… almost intimately. And it was obvious she was aware of his relationship with Kahlan. His shoulders slumped and he turned back to look at the bedchambers.

"How do you know me?" he asked, inclining his head slightly to look at her.

She took some hesitant steps closer to him then stopped. "You saved me," was her response.

Richard turned around to look at her, and gone was the over confidant Mord'Sith, replaced by a vulnerable young woman. He furrowed his brow. "How? How did I save you?"

Cara hugged herself, and looked down. "You brought my humanity back after years and years of it being suppressed by Darken Rahl." Her eyes looked up at him. "You've freed the Mord'Sith from their constant torment and have given us the choice to serve or not. It is because of you that we can finally be who we want to be and not who we are beaten into being."

"So… you decided to serve me?" he asked, rubbing his chin, utterly confused as to who he was. Since his return to Aydindril, he had learned that as Lord Rahl, he was like some kind of prince. He was a little uncomfortable with having people in service to him. Richard had a feeling that he had always felt like that.

"Yes," Cara said. "I vowed to protect you and the Mother Confessor."

"You mean Kahlan?"

"Yes, of course," Cara shook her head. "You know… I think I liked you better before. Somehow, you seem less intelligent now." She smirked and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder before turning to leave.

"What am I supposed to do here?" Richard called after her.

Cara glanced over her shoulder and laughed. "Wait, Lord Rahl," she answered. "Wait for your wife. You have a lot to make up for… and you better be good, or we'll be having another conversation, and it won't be a pleasant one."

Richard gulped, though he highly doubted she would harm him, seeing as she had sworn to protect him. Cara closed the door behind her, and Richard turned back to the bedchambers, examining the entire place, trying to see if anything would spark his memory. But nothing seemed to work. He sighed and slumped down on the bed. It was soft, but nothing seemed familiar about it. He leaned back and rested his head on the plush pillow.

Suddenly, Richard felt very tired. He opened his mouth and yawned. Bringing his hand up to his cheek, he rubbed it again, amazed that it still tingled from her touch. Spirits, he wanted to stay awake, so that he would be able to speak with Kahlan when she came, but it had been a long day of mindlessly boring meetings. His eyelids grew heavier, and soon, without intending it, Richard had slipped into the wonderful world of sleep.

XXX

Bree braced herself. His fist came swinging out and collided with her jaw, knocking her to the bed. The Emperor immediately pounced on her, ripping her clothes. He snarled and growled like the beast he was, as he continued to beat her. But unlike the other times he had beaten her, this time she would be unable to heal herself afterwards.

She thought back to the morning, when she had arrived in the Imperial Order camp. Bree had only been walking for two or three days after giving up on her search for Cynthia and the Lord Rahl, and had been surprised to encounter Imperial Order scouts. They would have raped her, but fortunately for her they recognized her as the Emperor's whore. They took her back to Jagang, who proceeded to beat her.

Blinking and gasping as the pain from his hitting swept over her, Bree refocused her attention to the present. His big beefy hand wrapped around her neck and he glared at her with his dark storm-like eyes.

"What have you done, Sister Bree?" he raged, spittle spraying out as he roared. His fingers tightened around her neck, and he glared into her eyes.

Bree gritted her teeth and glared up at him. "I have only done what was necessary," she hissed back. "What was required!"

The Emperor released his hand from around her throat and leaned back, his barrel chest heaving. "Explain yourself, darlin!" he seethed, the anger rippling off him.

Rubbing her hands over her sore neck, Bree sat up, not bothering to cover herself. "I have placed Cynthia with the Lord Rahl," she said.

"Then where is the Mother Confessor!" the Emperor growled. "Where is my prize of prizes?"

Bree averted her eyes. "She got away."

"What!" he snapped. "You took one of my slaves away in able to capture the Mother Confessor, only to then lose both of them." He growled and huffed. "I should have taken that Cynthia woman when I had the chance." Jagang leaned closer to her, pinning her against the mattress. Outside the wind picked up and the canvas blew slightly. It was almost as if the storm in his eyes was also manifesting itself outside.

His fingers ran down her face, his eyes scanning her as she breathed. "I'm sorry, darlin," he murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt you so. You are my favorite, you know that, don't you?"

Bree rolled her eyes and huffed. He always said that, but he never stopped hurting her. His fingers drifted down her neck and he groped at her breasts. "Well, if I don't have my prize of prizes," he smirked. "Then I can have my favorite, yes?"

"If you must," she snapped back. "There is little I can do to stop you."

He laughed, and his mirth seemed to rumble through the mattress. "So, it is true then," he said, playing with her flesh.

"What?"

"You've lost your abilities," he purred in his deep voice.

"As have you, my lord," she quipped back.

The Emperor growled and his hand shot up, clenching around her throat again. He moved over her and his other hand, pulled her legs apart. Bree gulped, suddenly wishing she had not upset him as much. She knew she could not stop him from taking her, but making him angry would only make it worse. She could tell by the glint in his eye that he was going to be rough with her. No doubt, she would bleed for a couple days after this.

Bree cried out as she felt him shove himself inside her. In the past, she had been prepared and had been moist down there. But not this night. She did not have the time to mentally prepare herself. It hurt much more than any other time he had taken her. It was a sheering tearing pain that felt like being ripped in two. She closed her eyes as warm tears ran down her cheeks. The Emperor grunted as he moved over her, taking his pleasure.

She tried to shut out the pain, but it was difficult. Bree no longer had the magic she had before to suppress the pain. She had always used her magic to help get through these moments, but she was unable to do that now. She narrowed her eyes, and clenched her teeth. Only one person was truly to blame for this—the one who released the Chimes of Death: The Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell.

XXX

They had just finished their discussion, and Kahlan was growing impatient. She wanted to see Richard, and speak with him. After everything that had happened, she felt the need for reconciliation with her husband… her beloved. They had only been parted for two weeks, but it felt a lifetime. Not the mention his infidelity, if she could even call it that. Cynthia looked exactly like her, so there was no way for him to know the difference, especially with the added difficulty of not having his memories.

Zedd looked like he wanted to say more, but Kahlan was not in the mood. Thankfully, Nicci stepped in and distracted the old wizard. Kahlan quickly ducked out of the council chambers and encountered the Mord'Sith Rikka.

"Mother Confessor," the Mord'Sith knelt before her. Kahlan blinked, shocked. "I beg your forgiveness."

"Rikka… rise, what are you taking about, what forgiveness?" Kahlan questioned, utterly perplexed by her friend's reaction.

Rikka stood and looked at her with her D'Haran blue eyes. "I should have known that the…," she looked down. "Well, that she was an impostor."

Kahlan placed a hand on Rikka's shoulder to calm the woman. "It's all right, Rikka," she said. "I don't blame you… I… I don't even know if I blame Richard."

Rikka inclined her head. "Really?"

"Well, maybe a little," Kahlan admitted. "That is why I must speak with him. Do you know where Cara took him?"

The Mord'Sith nodded. "To your chambers, of course."

"Of course," Kahlan echoed, giving a nod, not knowing why she felt uneasy. As Rikka took position by her side, Kahlan began the march to her chambers. Her mind reeled with the uncertainties and doubts she had. Thoughts and images of Richard with Cynthia plagued her mind, and she wondered if they had slept in their bedchambers… in their big bed.

They continued in silence and walked up the stairs. Kahlan clutched the rail, feeling a sudden dizziness sweep over her as the images of Richard entering Cynthia, his head buried in her breast. She knew that it had not gone any further than that. But still, the images seemed to penetrate her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them. Rikka was right. She did blame Richard. At least, part of her did. Kahlan really needed to talk with him, to see him, to hear his side of things. It was only right that she did. She loved him… and she believed even with his memory loss, he loved her. At least she hoped he did.

"Mother Confessor?" Rikka's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Kahlan blinked and looked up, seeing the concern and worry creasing across the Mord'Sith's face. "Are you alright?"

Kahlan took a deep breath and looked around, realizing that they had arrived at her chambers. Cara was standing guard by the door, also looking worried. She came over and joined them. "Kahlan?" she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I… I'm alright," she replied, trying to reassure her friends. "I just need to see Richard.

"Well, he's inside, waiting for you," Cara said. "Go to him."

Kahlan nodded and sighed, stepping towards the door and reaching for the latch. She opened it and quickly went inside, locking the door behind her. This was going to be a long evening, and she did not want any interruptions. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, breathing deeply through her nose to prepare herself for this. Taking in more deep breaths to calm her nerves, Kahlan turned around to look for Richard.

She paused, and blinked. There he was, asleep, on their bed. Kahlan had to remind herself to breathe. The sight of him sleeping was so breathtaking. She smiled a bit, noticing how he had fallen asleep in his clothes. Sure, they had done that a lot while they had been on their quests, but it was different now. They were married, and they had a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep in.

Slowly, Kahlan silently tiptoed across the floor, so she would not wake him. Her eyes were glued on his face, watching as his eyes moved beneath his eyelids. She gently sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering what he was dreaming about. Kahlan reached out and brushed his hair from his face, caressing his cheek affectionately. She smiled when he stirred at her touch. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

She would let him sleep. He must be tired. Spirits, she knew she was tired, as well. Kahlan sighed deeply and stood up, her hand trailed along the edge of the bed, keeping her eyes locked on his face. He was so handsome, and she missed being with him and hearing his soothing voice cooing love for her. But right now, she had to admit that it would be best to let him rest. It would not be good to have a conversation on this subject when he was not clear headed. Kahlan did not want there to be any misinterpretations or misconceptions. She wanted everything to be as clear as rain.

Kahlan reached the foot of the bed and paused, taking one last deep look at the man she loved, before darting across the room into the washroom to freshen up before going to bed.