Kahlan sobbed as she rocked Richard in her arms, him laughing lightly. "I'm so sorry," Kahlan whispered over and over, her hold on him tightening.

"It's I who should be apologizing," Kahlan stopped her movements when she heard him say that, her face contorting. He pulled himself from her embrace, sitting in front of her on his knees as he lifted her wrists with his hands. "I'm so sorry, Kahlan. I never wanted to hurt you," Richard's voice broke, his eyes watering. He couldn't believe he had tried to kill her.

Cara and Lily stood behind Richard, smiling down at the two. Normally, Mord'Sith would be disgusted by such displays of affection, but the two couldn't help but feel touched. It was easier for Lily to revert, she had only been trained a year. However, the love that Cara felt from these two was enough to undo her lifetime of training.

Kahlan smiled and shook her head, assuring him that he had nothing to apologize for. "Kahlan, I'm-" Before he could finish his apology, Kahlan moved forward and yanked her hands away from him, wrapping them around his neck as she sobbed into his skin. Richard wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"Your plan failed, dear one." Zedd looked up at Cara, amusement on his features.

"Perhaps, but it played out nicely, did it not?" Zedd laughed and Cara smiled. Kahlan disregarded the comment, no longer upset that she originally thought the plan was a failure. They hadn't expected Denna to show up, if she hadn't, maybe the plan would have worked.

"What was this plan?" Richard asked, Kahlan still wrapped in his arms.

"A horrible one." Kahlan sobbed into his skin and he laughed lightly as Cara scoffed and Zedd smiled.

"To kill the Mord'Sith and make me your new mistress." Cara lifted her hand in the air, making shooing motions. "It had many faults. The Mother Confessor was the only one to see them." Cara looked up at Zedd and he shook his head, a large smile on his face. "It was the basis for this plan to work though," she smiled.

Kahlan reluctantly pulled herself from Richard and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Are you sure you are no longer broken?"

"He's not," Lily spoke up, taking a step forward. Kahlan and Richard looked up at her with uncertainty in their eyes. "Once a pet's mistress is dead, he is no longer subjected to do any of her will. Vivian and Amelia are also dead, and they were the only ones who would hold any weight after Denna's death."

"What about you?" Kahlan asked, her eyes darting between Richard and Lily.

"I commanded him to do nothing but to keep you alive, Mother Confessor. I hold no bearing over him." Kahlan nodded as she returned her gaze towards Richard, a smile coming back to her lips as tears continued to flow from her eyes.

"We should leave these two to reconcile," Zedd finally announced, breaking the silence. Cara and Lily laughed as they nodded, stepping over the carnage of the three dead Mord'Sith and exiting the room. Zedd followed, smiling at the two before closing the door.

"Richard, it's, I can't even describe how happy I am right now." Kahlan managed to reign in her emotions slightly, now able to control her voice a little more. She felt as though her smile would never leave her lips. Richard looked at her sadly, his eyes darting to glance around her.

"I'm, I'm sorry." He choked out.

"Stop apologizing, Richard. You were broken, there was nothing you could have done." Kahlan pleaded with him. She didn't want him to blame himself.

"I hunted you like an animal," he whispered, looking up at her with regret in his eyes. "You should have killed me."

"I did." Kahlan spat, her eyes watering once again as her lip quivered. Richard's eyes grew as he realized what he said, shaking his head when she pulled away from him fully and moved to stand.

"Kahlan, no," He stood up, grabbing her forearm and spinning her towards him. "I meant before, in the woods." Kahlan looked at him with hard eyes, shaking her head as she bit her lower lip.

"None of it matters now," Kahlan breathed out, letting Richard wrap his arms around her. "You're alive, that's all that matters." Richard kissed the top of her head before pulling away.

"I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that," Kahlan stared at him in disbelief. "If anything, I don't deserve you. I betrayed you when I left. You were broken by a Mord'Sith because of my incompetence."

Richard shook his head. "Kahlan, stop. That wasn't your fault."

"If I would have admitted how I felt, then none of this would have happened." She gestured to the dead body of Denna. "Let's stop blaming ourselves and realize exactly what we have been given."

Richard furrowed his brow as she smiled.

"A second chance." Richard nodded, but couldn't get past the aching feeling that this was all his fault, that he didn't deserve a woman such as Kahlan. She was so willing to forgive his abuse, it all seemed too unreal.

"Kahlan-"

"If you apologize or say that you don't deserve me one more time, I'm," Kahlan bit her lip. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Don't send me away, don't reject me. Please, Richard." Richard's heart broke, not wanting Kahlan to feel as though he was rejecting her or sending her away. He simply felt as though he did not deserve her. He smiled sadly at her.

"I'm s-"

Kahlan shook her head as she quickly pulled away from him, storming out of the room and out the door that led to the courtyard. Richard sighed as he slumped to the ground, burying his head in his hands. All he wanted was to love her, and now he was jeopardizing it because he felt as though she were too good for him. She was right, they needed to stop blaming themselves and realize that they have been given a glorious thing. Richard's head popped up and he scrambled to his feet, rushing out the door to find Kahlan.

xx

Kahlan sat among the small garden, lilies blooming all around her. She loved lilies. She hastily wiped at her face, attempting to remove the tear tracks that seemed permanent. She was sure she was a red and swollen mess with the way she had been crying. It didn't take long before she heard the footsteps of a man who was all too familiar.

Richard stood behind her, scared to death. He swallowed and stepped forward, moving in front of her and kneeling. He took her hand in his and licked his lips.

"Richard-"

Richard leaned in, capturing her lips in his. Instead of rejecting it like the first kiss he had given her, she embraced it, opening her mouth to allow him access. He let go of her hand and brought his up to her neck, moving some of the hair from her face. When the kiss was broken, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry, I've been blinded by my own self loathing." Kahlan smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you have." Richard laughed and kissed her again, pulling away before it became too heated and resting his hands on the sides of her face.

"I," Richard didn't know how to say what he was about to, scared that it would give Kahlan the wrong idea or upset her. "I wasn't confessed." Kahlan furrowed her brow. "In the wayward pine, when you tried to confess me - it didn't work."

Kahlan looked around sheepishly, smiling nervously. "Perhaps Denna's hold on you interfered." Richard laughed and shook his head.

"Your magic isn't tainted by anything, Kahlan. You know that," she glanced up at him and shrugged lightly.

"But-"

"I felt it," Richard began, Kahlan's attention now fully directed towards him. "I felt your magic surge through me, it just didn't affect me."

"How?" Kahlan's voice was small and meek.

"There's nothing the magic could do to make me love you anymore than I already do." Richard's thumbs caressed the sides of her cheeks as she smiled, her eyes filling with tears. "Kahlan, we can love each other without repercussions. With no fear of confessions."

Kahlan smiled as she nodded, leaning in and pressing her lips against his. Richard dropped his hands from her neck, moving them to rest on her waist as he pulled her even closer. Kahlan's hand found it's way into his hair.

When they broke the kiss, they couldn't stop smiling.