When Kahlan heard the movement, her eyes began opening only to see Richard in the midst of moving to slam his sword into her flesh. She involuntarily froze, her mind frantically trying to get her limbs to move to no avail. Her eyes began welling with tears in the split second it would have taken Richard to end her suffering.
Instead, he faltered.
Kahlan collected her thoughts and courses of action began racing through her mind. She didn't want to kill him - more precisely, she wouldn't kill him. She looked up at him with blurry vision. His body was still, his sword wavering in trembling hands. Kahlan swallowed as she scrambled to her feet.
Richard watched her as she moved from her spot on the ground. He wasn't sure why he couldn't kill her - couldn't do what his mistress commanded of him. He had been so determined only moments before, but when her blue orbs settled on him, his heart stopped. And now, his body wouldn't move from it's stance. Kahlan had every opportunity to kill him at that very instant, and Richard was reasonably sure that he wouldn't be able to defend himself. His former emotions for her were obstructing his mission, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep them buried within the shell of the man he used to be. Richard began regaining his ability to move, but instantly stilled when Kahlan swiftly swung an arm in his direction, her hand gripping tightly around his neck. The Sword of Truth dropped from his hand and hit the soil with a thud.
Time was hers and hers alone. Richard wouldn't be able to escape her now, all she needed to do was release her power into him. Kahlan's fingers wrapped tighter around his neck, her mind and heart battling against one another. This was no longer the man she loved, but at the same time he was. She began rethinking her decision - she would much rather die than to confess him and figure out later that there was another solution. Her grip slacked, her lower lip trembling However, when Richard began to shift his weight, Kahlan resumed her deadly grip on his neck and released all her power into him. She watched through moisture ridden eyes as his dark, brown eyes went black. Kahlan choked back a sob as she let her hand fall, moving away from him as the color returned to his orbs. The next thing she saw surprised her.
Richard smiled wickedly at Kahlan, his hand reaching down to obtain the sword he had previously dropped. Her eyes went wide with shock when his fingers began wrapping around the hilt of the weapon. She frantically pushed her back against the inside of the shelter of the wayward pine, which now seemed more so like a cell.
Kahlan clenched her eyes shut when Richard began approaching her once again. How did her magic fail to take him? She began breathing slow and steady breaths, mentally preparing herself for the physical and emotional pain that was about to take place. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as she stifled back a whimper. At least it would all be over soon. Kahlan would no longer fear the touch of the man she loved - would no longer feel the need to run from him. She would wait for him in the Underworld, when his soul would finally be released from it's confinement. The man she loved would return to her in death, this much she was sure of. Kahlan's eyes slowly crept open when she felt the tip of the blade press into her collarbone. She inhaled deeply and made her face void of emotions - a Confessor's face. She would not allow the monster he had become to see any sort of weakness in her final moments.
Richard cocked his head to the side, the smile he was previously wearing withering. He watched curiously as she lifted her chin, showing no fear of her impending death. The behavior puzzled him. He had never recalled Kahlan acting in such a manner before, but then again - he had never seen her such an emotional mess during a battle either. He pressed the steel into her porcelain flesh until he saw blood begin tricking down her skin. Kahlan didn't even flinch.
Even though he had only been broken a short amount of time, Denna's influence was already wearing quite heavily on his behavior. He was now more rash and malicious, prone to insulting and taunting in situations where he wouldn't have said a word. Denna encouraged the behavior - claiming you must play with your victims before ending their worthless lives.
This was such a situation.
"Well, well, Mother Confessor," Richard drawled out, applying more pressure to his sword. Kahlan flinched, not because of the pain but because of the title. Richard had never referred to her as her birth right, let alone with such a dead and vindictive tone. The man she loved would never address her in such a way. The real Richard would never forgive himself if he was the reason for Kahlan's death. Suddenly, her actions seemed rather idiotic. Allowing herself to die at Richard's hands? It shouldn't have even been an option. Kahlan shook her head, laughing lightly to herself. Richard pressed harder into her flesh.
"What is so humorous?" Richard snapped, rage lacing his voice as his knuckles became white.
Kahlan continued to shake her head. Richard would rather her kill him. She needed to convince herself that this was not the man that she loved, that he was now a monster who needed to die. However, she couldn't manage to believe her own argument. Her brows furrowed as she felt the steel move away from her skin, her eyes finding their way to his once again. Kahlan watched as he positioned his face an inch away from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her lips.
"I asked you a question, Mother Confessor." His tone was dangerous, demanding an answer. Kahlan licked her lips, her heart hammering through her chest. Regardless of the threat in his voice, she wanted nothing more than to gather him in her embrace. Kahlan had to remind herself that he wasn't really Richard. She swallowed past the lump in her throat.
"Nothing is amusing, Seeker." Kahlan managed to choke out, the hot air from his mouth sending a shiver up her spine. She had never been this close to him before, aside from the night they shared their first kiss - their last kiss. The hard look in Richard's eyes bore right through her, but she still managed to find a glimpse of the man who dared to befriend her regardless of her power. His nose bumped against hers as he moved closer.
Richard couldn't stop his body from reacting to her. When tears trickled from her eyes, he wanted nothing more than to kiss them away. The thoughts disgusted him and his head began to throb from the effort to chase them away. His mistress would not be pleased to know he had been thinking romantically of his target, regardless if he had prior feelings for her. Now that he was a mere breath away from his lips joining with hers, his body was in a heightened state of awareness. He was aroused and threatened by her at the same time. Richard waited silently, feeling the soft pillows of her breath fluttering along his skin. Kahlan was not a stupid woman. She had daggers she could use to kill him - her body itself was a weapon. Although her confession didn't work on him, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Why her power hadn't taken him was beyond his comprehension, but he was thankful that it didn't. Now he could complete his task, if only he could draw away from Kahlan long enough to plunge his sword into her beating heart. Richard slid his eyes closed, trying to collect his thoughts and ease the throbbing in his head.
Kahlan swiftly shot her arms out, using them to break Richard's support, his body crashing on top of hers. She quickly rolled him off of her and grabbed the Sword of Truth, stumbling hastily out of the wayward pine as she began running wildly away from him. Richard cursed as he slammed his fists into the ground, mumbling under his breath as he gathered his senses and slowly stepped out of the shelter of the tree. His eyes surveyed the area. Kahlan was nowhere in sight.
Richard looked up, scanning the sky. The faint light of dawn began trickling through the tree leaves, spots of light dancing along the forest floor. It would soon be daybreak. Richard went to rest his hand on the hilt of his sword, only to remember that Kahlan had stolen it in her mad dash to escape him. The blood in his veins began boiling.
Soon enough he would be able to find her. Kahlan's white Confessor's dress would stand out in these forests. There was nowhere for her to hide. Giving her a head start was simply a courtesy that he had given her. Richard climbed back into the wayward pine, settling down where Kahlan once rested. His mind raced until he finally drifted off to sleep.