Kahlan didn't fight them as they pulled her through the halls. The servants stared in fear as The Mother Confessor walked past them, surrounded by guards, her hands chained before her. She held her head high as the stares grew more constant. The sun shined brightly through the windows, warming her each time she past one. She watched her shadow from the corner of her eye as she thought. This had to go without fail. One mistake could ruin everything.

The room fell silent as Kahlan was pushed through the door. Margaret stood before a full length mirror while the handmaid pinned up her hair. She turned instantly at the interruption, almost knocking down the other woman.

"Where is the child?" she asked the guards, who stood behind Kahlan, blocking the door. "I told you to bring me the child."

"She didn't have it with her."

"Then The Seeker must have it. Find him and bring the child to me." She said coldly, before looking at the woman standing before her. "Does he have her?"

"No." she whispered, looking into the eyes of the woman she once respected.

Crossing her arms, Margaret stepped closer, doing what she could to threaten her. "Where is the child?"

"You'll never find her." she sneered as leaned forward, almost closing the distance between them.

"We have them!"

"Them?" Margaret asked, pushing Kahlan aside and walking to the door, meeting the guards as they brought Richard and Cara to her. "Where is the child?" she asked once again, her voice growing annoyed. Richard shook his head, lowering his eyes to the ground, staring down at the bottom of Kahlan's dress. Turning, she grabbed Kahlan by the shoulders and forced her body to face her. "The child, where is it?" She shouted as she shook her in anger.

Shaking her head, Kahlan released a few tears, staring past the woman to Richard, who lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes while she lied. "She's no threat to you." She whispered softly.

"Of course not. She still must be used as an example. You and your Seeker seem to think that you two are different. You refused to be rid of the child when it was prophesied that it would be male."

"But she wasn't!" Kahlan shouted, bringing Richard's and Cara's attention to her. Shocked by her sudden change in tone. "You can't threaten the life of our child when you do not even know what it will be."

"It is our job to make the land safe. That is what the council is here for. If we feel the need to destroy your child, then we will do so. We will not allow a monster to roam our land."

"My land." Kahlan sneered, "The land belongs to The Mother Confessor, not the council."

"Take them all to the Grand Hall. We're going to make sure they know how wrong they are." Margaret smiled as she pushed Kahlan through the door, following them all down the hall.

The door of the Great Hall opened smoothly, reveling an empty room. Immediately, Kahlan looked around for a member of the council, for anyone. After a moment, she turned her head to him, needing to be sure he was alright. She didn't understand why, but she felt like something terrible was going to happen if they didn't get through their plan quickly.

"Where is the child?" The sound of her voice sent chills down the Confessor's spine, making her blood run cold as she turned around to face the other woman. "Where is your child?"

"Buried not far from here." she whispered, fisting her hands, her nails digging into the skin, drawing blood.

They could practically hear the smile of the woman's face. Once the words left Kahlan's lips, Margaret smiled widely. "Is she now? What happened?"

"You were right." Richard whispered.

"You killed your own child?" she asked, seeming pleased with his response.

He shook his head, looking up to her eyes, his cold and full of warning. "No. She was too young to survive."

It took most of Richard's strength to keep him from attacking the woman as she began to laugh. "That is wonderful news."

Richard saw the flare in his wife's eyes as she stared at the woman, unclenching her hands and reaching for the woman of the council. "The death of a child is not wonderful news." Kahlan sneered as she reached for the woman's neck, surprising her as her magic was quickly released.

Cara, surprised that the woman didn't see it coming, quickly, slammed her elbow into the guard behind her as he rushed to stop Kahlan. Once he fell to the floor, she kicked his chin, sending his head backwards with an angry force. She looked up in time to see Richard ram himself into one of the other guards, sending them both to the ground as Kahlan ordered Margaret to gather the rest of the council.

Taking the dagger off of one of the guard, Cara cut the rope that bound her hands and then looked over to Richard as he pulled the blade from his boots and unbound his hands as well. Breathing heavily, he stood up, looking over to Kahlan who was wrapped in the arms of the last guard, his knife pressed against her throat. She didn't panic. Her eyes locked on his, she waited.

Almost instantly, Richard threw himself towards them, knocking them all to the ground, giving Kahlan a small moment to move away before he began furiously pounding his fists into the other man. Standing up, he wiped the blood from his face as he looked over to her, making sure she was alright. Giving him a small nod, she reached up to her neck and wiped her hand over her own blood.

"That went well." Cara said as she gave one last kick to one of the other guards.

Smiling, Kahlan looked over to her friend, "It went better than I thought it would. We have to go gather the council."

"Isn't that what you sent her to do?"

"She's dead." Kahlan replied as she walked over to the door. "They would have killed her the moment they realized she was confessed."

"Then why did you send her?" Cara asked, annoyed as she rolled her eyes.

"Because I wanted them to know we had come for them. Now they know what we will do them all." Her voice was soft, but hard. The anger flowing with her words. "We're going to find them."

Moving beside her, Richard grabbed her hand, making her unable to continue to clutch her fist. "Where will they be?"

"Trying to escape."

They ran through the halls, passing servants, who smiled as they caught glimpse of The Mother Confessor and the vengeance in her eyes. They knew she would not be taken down without a fight. Turning into the longest hallway, they spotted the rest of the council, walking quickly towards the front door. The sound of Kahlan's scream echoed through the hall, stopping them in their tracks as she rushed towards them. They were not going to get away from them. Not without paying for what they wanted to do. For what they had tried to do.

The hallway, Richard noticed, was higher than the others, the stain glass windows showed a multitude of colors along the floor as the sun shined brightly through them. The sounds of their boots gave off soft echoes through the marble columns around them, preventing them from being sneaking up on the council as they hurried through the halls, trying to escape the anger they knew was coming.

"Do not take another step towards the door." She ordered, her voice hard and cold, the anger flowing freely, stopping the people gathered together at the door. "Turn around." They did so immediately, hoping that it would keep her from destroying them all. She looked at each member of the council, thinking carefully about what she planned to do. She knew if she continued without thought, all the council would fall dead before them.

"Mother Confessor," Abigail, started, pushing through the others. "It wasn't our idea." she continued as she tucked a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. The others nodded behind her, pushing her forward, closer to the Confessor, who stared expressionless before them all. "We never-"

"You wanted to murder our child." Richard said, gripping Kahlan's hand tighter as he stepped closer.

"No!" the woman cried, "No, we - Most of us wanted to wait. To see if there was a threat before you-"

"Most of you?" The tone of her voice drew him back a few steps, giving her the lead on them all as she stepped forward. "Who wanted to wait?"

The moment her hand left his, Abigail stepped back in fear. "William, Azariah, Elizabeth and myself." She stared at her, reading her carefully to be sure it was the truth. "We asked for time, but we were out numbered. Nothing we said helped you. Either of you." She whispered the last of it softly, meeting Richard's eyes.

"You four leave." Kahlan said coldly, looking to the others.

"Mother Confessor," Abigail said as she stepped closer, eyes wet with her tears of fear. "If you kill them, you will only prove them right and they are not. Confessor's are not the enemy."

"I'm not going to kill them."

"What?" Cara said as she crossed her arms surprised.

"Kahlan," Richard said, turning to face her, surprised himself by her response. "They tried to-"

Meeting his eyes, she blinked, her face once again showing emotion. Showing her pain. "I know. It is against our laws to kill a member of the council and they have all broken that law."

His head tilted at her words, in understanding. "When they killed Margaret."

"They must be punished for their crime."

He couldn't help but feel proud of her. Proud that she had found a way to punish them without it being in vengeance. "What is the punishment?"

"Death." Abigail whispered from behind him, looking over to the rest of the council, who began slowly backing away from them, into the closed door behind them.

"I'm not going to kill them." Kahlan announced, looking over to them. "That would be too kind."

They all turned around as the wizard walked around the corner, carrying the small child. "You couldn't wait?" he asked as Richard moved over to him, blocking the view of his child from the council. The actions of his grandson made him look around, taking in the sight before him. "What happened?"

"They've murdered a member of the council." Richard whispered softly.

Zedd, looking shocked, looked at Kahlan for a moment and then back to Richard. "The Mother Confessor is wise."

"How did you get her?" Richard asked, taking his daughter into his arms.

"Another set of guards came looking for the one Kahlan confessed. He fought them off long enough for me to get there. I took her before he died. The others are trapped in a web."

"We should not be punished for the crime. You had confessed her. If we did not kill her, she would have destroyed us all."

"The Mother Confessor gave no such order." Richard growled as he stepped beside her, his head risen high with pride. "She would not have harmed you and you killed her still."

Leaning back in the chair, he clutched their daughter to him, staring down at her as she slept. Rocking slowly, he let his eyes slide closed as he waited for her to return to him. His heart pounded in anticipation.

The door opened and his eyes jerked open as he leaned forward, stopping the relaxing movement of the rocking chair. They eyes locked for a moment, before she turned around and locked the door. When she turned around, he was standing, waiting. Kahlan could barely stand upright, leaning back against the door, she shut her eyes and slid down to the floor with a heavy sigh of relief.

It took him seconds to lay down their daughter and move to her side, pulling her into his embrace. Resting her head in her head against his shoulder she let loose the tears that she had withheld most of the day. Pulling her tightly against him, he laid his chin on the top of her head as he ran his fingers through her hair to help comfort her.

"It's alright." he whispered softly as she gripped at his shirt.

Kahlan spent the day with the remaining council members, Confessing them. Her body shook from exhaustion, her heart ached with the pain of what they had tried to do. They had to be stopped. They had to learn that they would not sit by and allow them to destroy their family. The family she had wanted all her life. It was done. They would never have the opportunity to think for themselves again. They were hers.

They hadn't spoken much in the past three days. When she would return to him, she found it difficult to speak through her tears or the pain she felt that she saw matched in his eyes. This was for them. For their daughter. She hoped that he never asked her what they told her after they were confessed. It would break his heart as it had done hers each time it was revealed.

Each night, they laid in bed, the silence threatening to swallow them as they held each other. Their minds filled with thoughts that overshadowed what they bodies and hearts needed. Not tonight, she thought to herself as she took in a deep breath, her mind reeling with the pleasure of his smell alone. A smell that could never come from anyone but him.

She ran her hands down his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath them as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to exist only in his arms. The cold of the stone floor flowed through her dress, chilling her legs and giving her an excuse to move even closer to him, though she needed none.

"Kahlan." he whispered her name, his tone making her moan against him, her body now desperately seeking his.

Pushing him back, she moved to straddle him. The warmth of his body fueling her desire. She needed him. She held his hands to the floor, keeping him from touching her as she pressed her lips to his neck, her tongue slowly snaking out and connecting with his flesh. He pushed his shoulders back against the wall, trying to restrain from pushing her to the floor. This was for her. Richard released a soft moan as her tongue reached the hollow point of his neck and slowly began moving upward to his chin.

She moved it over his lips quickly, before taking his mouth in hers in a passionate kiss. Letting his hands loose, she grabbed onto his head, pulling him impossibly closer to her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She grabbed his shirt and pulled quickly, not wanting to have their kiss broken for too long. Quickly he began to untie her dress, moving his hands between hers as she greedily ran her fingers along his chest. Almost instantly, she pulled back, frantically pulling at the laces of her dress as he pushed the white fabric from her shoulders.

His heart pounded as it watered to her waist, revealing that she wasn't wearing her corset. She pulled him towards her, laying back as he laid over her, his lips moving over her jaw and neck, thriving on the feel of his lips on her skin. Entangling her fingers in his hair, Kahlan held him to her, tilting her head back to give him more skin to kiss as his hands slowly ran over her. Snaking her hands between them, she pulled the strings of his pants as she pushed them from him with her knees. Wrapping her legs tightly around him, she pulled him to her, leaving no space between them.

The sound of her panting and softly speaking his name made him lose all thought. He continued, moving with the sounds of her moans and the remembrance of her body. Surprising him, she rolled them over, holding his hands on her hips as she moved over him. He stared up at her, watching as her head fell backwards and her hair flowed freely around her. It was one of his favorite sights.

Slowly, he moved his hands up and over her, cupping her as she arched into him. Sitting forward, Richard wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as he bucked into her. Her hands flew to his hair as his lips wrapped around part of her neck, sucking the skin into his mouth. Her body trembled against his as her magic began to surface, making him pull her closer. He leaned into her as it was released, the soft moan growing louder as it left her lips.

The feel of her body locking around him, drawing him in pushed him over the edge. His forehead fell to rest in her shoulder as ecstasy took over him. Her name left his lips as she held him to her, her chest heaving as she too tried to catch her breath. His arms tightened around her as she began to fall backwards, unable to continue holding onto him. He heard her give a light laugh as he laid back, pulling her with him.

Their bodies, moistened by sweat, warmed each other as they laid still on the floor. With their eyes closed, they listened to the sound of their lovers breathing, finding the comfort and safety in its subtle form. Richard ran his fingers gently through her hair, massaging her head every couple of runs.

"Kahlan," he whispered as her body began to shake lightly from the cool breeze that came in through the window, he just realized was open. "You're cold."

She smiled against his chest as he tightened his arms around her, doing his best to keep her as warm as he could. "I'm fine." she lied, knowing that he would allow her to remain in her position for a few more moments. She didn't want to lose contact with him. She didn't want it to end.

He waited, but when her teeth began to chatter together, he moved quickly, giving her no time to express her displeasure. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her swiftly to the bed, jerking the covers away with one hand before laying her down and pulling them over her. Kahlan grabbed his hand as he started to walk away, pulling him back to her for a moment. Looking down at her, he smiled. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to close the window. We can't let Addison get sick."

Her eyes remained on him as he walked across the room and pulled the window shut. Without hesitation, he turned back towards the bed and walked back to her, noticing her eyes slowly run over his naked body as he returned to her. Remembering their time in Hartland, Kahlan pushed the covers away from her with a smile as he crawled in beside her.

"She's not going to sleep all night," He gave a soft growl as she pulled him to her, "and she'll want a sister."

"I'm sure we can work something out." He replied before crashing their lips together and moving over her.

There was no longer the threat on their daughter's life and he couldn't wait to have more. With Addison came a time for change. No one would stand between them.

END