Chapter 14

"What is she doing here?"

"She said that she is here to support Sister Deryn, nothing more," Zedd informed his grandson. "She knew that Deryn would encounter some resistance from you about Michael being your son."

"Of course I'm resisting this," Richard practically hissed. "I don't care if Michael is my son or not, I had nothing to do with any of this."

"We know, Richard," Zedd replied, feeling his grandson's irritation. "We won't stop until we find out exactly what happened that night before you left the Palace of the Prophets, but the Prelate has something more to add to it, I'm afraid."

"There is nothing that the Prelate can say that will change my mind about any of this," the Seeker stated with a scowl.

Drawing a deep breath, Zedd cast a worried glance at Kahlan who was silently listening from her chair by the fire before he proceeded. He knew this was only going to make things much worse for her, for them.

"The Prelate says that she saw you leaving Sister Deryn's room just before dawn the morning that you left the Palace."

"What?" Richard's mind was reeling, his anger building with every pounding beat of his heart. "It's not true, Zedd. She's lying."

"I'm not saying that it is true," Zedd attempted to calm his grandson down. "I'm just saying that whatever is going on, I believe the Prelate may know more than what she is telling or may be directly involved in it somehow."

Richard immediately turned to look at Kahlan sitting wordlessly in a chair, her expression frozen, her gaze vacant as she stared straight ahead of her. She seemed to be listening and yet wasn't there with them at all. Fear that she was pulling away from him began to pulsate through his veins, terrified that she believed the lies that were being said about him.

He would never let Kahlan go.

"I would be careful with the Prelate," Nicci gravely warned from her position on the other side of the room, her back leaning against the edge of a table. "She's a very powerful, very dangerous woman."

"I don't care who she is," Richard spat out. "I will not let her or anyone else for that matter manipulate or dictate my life."

"I understand that, Richard," the sorceress calmly replied. "I'm just saying we have to be very careful with how we proceed. The Prelate has her own ideas about how she thinks things should happen and she will do everything in her power to make sure of the outcome that she wants."

Zedd snorted. "Reminds me of Shota."

"They are similar in that way," Nicci nodded in agreement. "And the Prelate is no less dangerous than Shota."

"Where is Ann now?" the Seeker asked.

"She's with Sister Deryn and Michael in her guest quarters," Zedd informed them.

Richard turned his attention back to Nicci. "And how much longer do you need before you can probe Deryn's mind?"

"Not long," Nicci pursed her lips in thought. "Probably will be ready later this afternoon."

"Good," Richard nodded. "I want this situation taken care of once and for all."

"I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready," Nicci replied before leaving the room.

Zedd began to follow the sorceress towards the door. "In the meantime, I need to check on our dear Cara. I want to make sure that she's behaving herself."

Richard waited until both of them had left before finally turning his attention to Kahlan. She was still sitting motionless, her expression revealing nothing to him. He cautiously made his way to her, kneeling down in front of her.

He gently took her hands in his as he searched to find the words that would make everything alright between them again. "Kahlan, I don't even know what to say," he softly began, slowly shaking his head. "I know how all of this must look especially now with the Prelate's allegation. All I can do is hope that you will still believe me, trust me and how much I love you."

Kahlan stared down at their joined hands, their intertwined fingers. She loved his hands, loved the power that resided there, the gentle caress in his touch or the passion behind his grip, the knowledge that he would always be there to catch her whenever she fell.

Images of those same hands touching Deryn, bringing her the same pleasure he always brought her began to parade mockingly through her mind, torturing her with things that she knew deep down in her heart had never happened.

She finally looked up, biting her lip and meeting his eyes that were filled with such anguish that it suddenly made it difficult to breathe. "My father is dying," she softly revealed, needing to share her pain with the one who shared her soul.

"What?" Richard exclaimed in shock, his entire body tensing with the sudden need to act. "When did you find this out?"

"This morning," she replied, her brow furrowing with the intense grief that she finally allowed to rise to the surface and touch her face, removing the stoic mask that had just been there. "He said that he only has about two months to live."

"Kahlan…I'm so sorry."

Being pulled into his arms, Kahlan went willingly, allowing her sudden tears to fall as he comforted her. "I don't know what to do," she whispered. She suddenly felt like a little girl again, lost and confused and not knowing where to go or what to do. So unlike the powerful Mother Confessor that she was.

"We'll do whatever we have to do to save him," he adamantly told her, rubbing her back as he held her. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"It's a blood illness of some sort. He didn't really go into that much detail and I'm afraid I didn't let him," she shamefully admitted to him. "I was too upset. I'm afraid that his sudden visit is just another one of his schemes to force me into helping him again."

"It's alright, Kahlan," he reassured her, drawing back and taking her face into his hands, his thumbs collecting the salty liquid that leaked from her eyes. "I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes to help him. If there's a cure somewhere, we'll find it."

Kahlan's eyes fell closed against the heated rush of more tears. "I don't want to lose him, Richard," she cried softly. "I found that I love having him in my life."

Richard gently shushed her, drawing her into him once more. "It's alright, Kahlan. We will get through this one way or another.

"Look at everything that we've accomplished together, all that we've persevered against over the years. We've made it against insurmountable odds."

"I don't believe the Prelate, Richard. I believe you…love you," she softly gasped, choking back her tears as she fisted his shirt, clinging to him with all her might.

"I love you too," he murmured, burying his face in her hair and relishing the feel of her in his arms, the comfort that she was allowing him to provide her. She was so strong, so independent. He hated seeing her hurting and yet at the same time loved that she needed him. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you, Kahlan. I don't live I could survive without you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Richard. Not without you."

Pulling back, Richard nuzzled his nose against hers, his fingers running gently through her hair. "We're going to find out the truth and once we do, Deryn and her son will be gone. We'll find a way to save your father and we will finally be free to live our lives just like we have always dreamed."

"You can't send your son away, Richard," she told him, her hand coming to rest against his cheek. "I would never ask you to nor do I want you to. He is your son."

"I know, but I have a feeling that more will come out of this in the end, something that will resolve all of this."

"You really think so?"

"I do," he simply stated, tilting his head and kissing her softly, the salty taste of her tears lingering on his tongue.

Kissing him in return, Kahlan softly sighed with the sudden small sense of reassurance and peace that his presence always seemed to provide, consuming her heart whenever he was near. She truly hoped that he was right about Michael. She didn't know how she was going to be able to accept a child into their family that was Richard's, but not hers let alone having the child's mother in their lives.

The thought of Deryn living here at the Palace with them made her stomach roil, caused her magic to dance closer to the surface out of a deep-seated need to protect her loved ones.

No one would destroy her family. No one.

XXX

"They don't believe me…he doesn't believe me," she sobbed, her eyes red and her face wet with so many shed tears. "I thought Richard would accept me, welcome me and our son once he learned the truth, but he refuses to even acknowledge the fact that we spent the night together, shared something so special."

"It's alright, my dear one," the Prelate soothed. "I was afraid of this. That is why I came."

"You knew this would happen?" Sister Deryn exclaimed, anger beginning to build with the thought.

"Well, not completely, of course, but we both know how stubborn and strong-willed Richard Rahl is," Ann reminded her. "He's deeply in love with the Mother Confessor. He's not going to admit to anything that may threaten his marriage to her."

With a sneer on her lips with the reminder of Kahlan, Deryn turned her back to the Prelate, her mind spinning with the sudden revelation. The Prelate should've at least warned her, kept her from rushing headlong into the People's Palace expecting to be received with open arms. Of course, would she have really listened?

Deryn immediately bristled with the feel of a hand coming to lightly rest on her shoulder, but still she didn't pull away despite her resentment and anger.

"I'm sorry things haven't gone like you had hoped for, Deryn," Ann gently said. "But I'm here now and I'll do everything in my power to help Richard see the truth."

Deryn's shoulders relaxed with the Prelate's words. "Really?' she softly asked, turning to face her elder Sister.

"Yes," she simply stated. "It is of vital importance that he follows what we tell him. Prophecy cannot be ignored, not even by the Seeker himself. He will do what is necessary or Michael will be taken back to the Palace of the Prophets with us."

"But…but I don't want to leave," Deryn replied, her bottom lip beginning to tremble again. "I want Kahlan gone so I can marry Richard. I was supposed to be his wife, the Lady Rahl of D'Hara, not Kahlan Amnell."

The Prelate assessed her for a long moment, somewhat taken aback by the obvious hatred that the Sister felt for the Mother Confessor. Deryn's love for Richard had clearly gone far beyond a one night fling. She had fallen hard for the Seeker, planning out a life with him ever since he had left.

She had known that Sister Deryn had feelings for him, but she hadn't realized the extent. This was going far beyond the realm of reality. Everyone knew of the special love that the Seeker and Confessor shared, somehow managing to do what no one in three thousand years had been able to do except for Richard.

No one could ever come between that, not even Sister Deryn and her son.

"You can't seriously believe that Richard would leave the Mother Confessor for you, do you?"

Deryn began to seethe at the mockingly incredulous look on the Prelate's face. "I can give Richard things that she can't, be what he truly needs," she hissed. "I can make him happy. I gave him a son."

"I hear that Kahlan gave him a son as well," the Prelate pointed out.

"But my son was born first," she spat out. "Michael will be the next Lord Rahl of D'Hara, not Aiden."

The Prelate smiled at the brashness of the young Sister. "We just have to make Richard see the light. That will not be so easily done. As I said before, he is very strong-willed."

"Sister Nicci is going to use her magic to probe my mind and sift through my memories," Deryn smirked triumphantly. "Once she sees the proof of our night of passion, she'll help convince Richard."

Ann slowly nodded with the new information, pleased with the direction that things had taken. "Good, then things will be settled and confirmed once and for all."

"And Richard will be mine," the Sister smiled confidently.

XXX

Sister Nicci settled into a chair directly across from Sister Deryn in her guest quarters. There was an eerie silence to the room; the only sound was the soft thud of the heavy wet snow's steady assault against the windows. Flickering candle flames danced about the room, casting large shadows on the pale walls as late afternoon threatened to turn into early evening.

"Are you sure about this?" Nicci asked, scooting forward to the edge of her seat.

"Yes," Deryn replied without hesitation, her pale green eyes never leaving Nicci's face for even a moment. "I have nothing to hide."

"I just want to make certain that you know that you don't have to do this," the sorceress explained. "I don't want you to feel as though you are being coerced into something you don't want to do."

"I don't," she flatly stated, her tone clipped. "I want everyone to know that I was with Richard and that I'm not making this whole thing up. Michael has already been proven to be Richard's son. Now, I just need to prove that this isn't some sort of magical trick."

Nicci hooked a strand of hair behind her ear as she studied the young woman. "I want you to know that anything that I learn during this time will remain confidential. I will not reveal anything to anyone that does not pertain to that night that you claim you spent with Richard."

Deryn glared back at Nicci. "I have nothing to hide."

Nicci sighed softly, knowing that arguing with Deryn would get her nowhere. The woman was sticking to her story no matter how they had tried to poke holes in it.

The sorceress felt a small flutter in the pit of her stomach as she began to raise her arms, the sudden thought of possibly seeing Richard making love to this woman causing jealousy to sting her heart. She knew that she would not see such images there because it never happened, but just the possibility made her whole body tense in anticipation.

As Nicci's hands settled on either side of her head, Deryn suddenly spoke, causing the Sister of the Dark to freeze.

"Will this hurt?"

"No, you shouldn't feel any pain whatsoever," Nicci gently said, wanting her to relax and hopefully drop her guard. "That was one of the first questions Richard had asked about this process. He wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be harmed."

A wide smile abruptly split the young Sister's face. "Really?" she beamed. "That is so sweet of him to be concerned about me. I knew he felt something for me."

Nicci opened her mouth to refute her assumption, but immediately closed it instead. There was no sense going down that path. They'd been down it too many times already since the Sister had arrived with her son. The truth was about to be revealed soon anyways.

"Close your eyes and remember that night that you believe that you spent with Richard," Nicci instructed her, her voice suddenly warm and soft like velvet as she closed her own eyes and began concentrating on her magic.

Nicci could feel the walls begin to surrender as she relaxed her hold on her powers, the powerful flames of her magic that coalesced in her core growing stronger before beginning to spread out through her body and settling into her fingertips.

She felt the familiar subtle tingling in her hands as she called upon her powers, the magic pulsating through her veins with every beat of her heart and reaching out to every fiber of her being.

"What happened first?" Nicci softly asked.

Richard and I were working on trying to touch his Han," Deryn began, her eyes closed as she started recounting the events of that night. "He was struggling. He missed Kahlan deeply, couldn't focused on anything but her."

Nicci ignored the sudden bitterness in the Sister's tone. "What did you do then?"

"I told him he should get some sleep and we could try again in the morning," she replied, her features relaxing again as she continued. "He looked so sad, so lonely. I asked him if he wanted to talk. He said he'd like that very much.

"We talked for a long time, mostly about Kahlan and how important his mission was to find the Stone. He wanted to get back to her and to find the Stone of Tears."

As the Sister continued to talk, Nicci began to see images appear in Deryn's mind, glimpses of Richard sitting on a bench with the Sister of the Light talking. He looked so sad, despondent almost. He seemed so lost without his Confessor.

Her heart hurt for him as she watched Deryn's hand come to rest on his arm, as tears pooled in his warm brown eyes, as the young woman pulled him into a comforting embrace.

"I think I fell in love with him the moment that I first saw him at the Palace of the Prophets. And then I was picked to be one of his teachers and I just knew that we were meant to be together."

Nicci frowned at the girl's silly delusions. "Just tell me what happened next."

"I couldn't stand seeing Richard so hurt so I leaned in and kissed him," Deryn continued. "I just wanted so badly for him to notice me, to think that I was beautiful. I wanted to make him forget all about the Mother Confessor and fall in love with me."

"So you seduced him." It was more of a statement than a real question.

"No, not exactly," Deryn smiled despite still having her eyes closed. "It wasn't very hard, actually. He tried to pull away at first, but I kissed him again and then he was suddenly kissing me back. Then…"

Nicci gritted her teeth as her heart began to pound, the images that she saw rolling through her mind causing her anger and hurt to flare like a scorching flame inside of her. She could barely breathe as Deryn continued to replay that night for her.

What Nicci saw nearly destroyed her whole world.