Richard was late. Very late. He was supposed to be in class in 10 minutes and his classroom was all the way across campus. Richard was usually on time, but today he simply over spelt after a difficult training session with Mistress Denna. All students were required to learn a certain amount of martial arts, and since Deanna was a friend of his fathers, she paid him special attention. Denna's special attention resulted in Richard being drained after each session, and once he got to bed, it was difficult for him to get out. Richard was considering the quickest way to get to class when suddenly it dawned on him: when he was a kid, he was brought here for a short period of time so he could learn the basics of controlling his Han. When he wasn't training with Sister Verna, he was allowed to wonder around campus. During those times he found many shortcut and now he was about to try one. This particular shortcut was one he regularly wouldn't try to use, but he figured no one was there at this time of day, and he wouldn't get caught. With that, Richard turned a corner and walked into the small hallway he knew would lead him to the girl's dormitory.

XXX

Kahlan was on the verge of tears. For some reason she couldn't mange closing her room's door. The lock has been broken for a week, but despite her and her roommates repetitive requests to fix it, no one from the housing office seemed to bother coming.

Her roommate Cara, who was a bit on the tough side, even tried threatening them, but even that didn't help. Kahlan wasn't sure she approved of Cara's behavior, however she was a nice enough roommate and didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that Kahlan was a confessor which made up for her sometimes aggressive behavior.

Cara's parents were D'harans, her dad was one of lord Rahl generals, and they sent her to college hoping she would meet a nice prince. Cara was more into the martial arts.

This morning, Cara left early to get to her training session with mistress Triana. Cara didn't like the trainer she was assign to but her love of fighting made up for it. She would get up an hour before class and go to the gym so she could practice by herself before the training session began. Kahlan liked training and was getting pretty good with the daggers, but there was no way she would get up early just so she could practice. Since Cara left first, Kahlan was stuck with the door and late for class. Currently she was contemplating how badly it would be to leave the door open, when she heard footsteps. Looking up from the door, she saw Richard Rahl walking down the hall and her heart missed a beat.

She saw him around, mostly sounded by a group of people, and she knew Jennsen was his sister. It surprised her at first, since Jennsen looked so different from Richard; however, Jennsen told her they simply had different mothers, and added Richard was a great brother. Jennsen also said he was the nicest person you could imagine and that confirmed Kahlan's first impression of him. Of course, Kahlan didn't tell anyone how attractive she found him to be. He was constantly surrounded by girls and she wasn't ready to be yet another admirer. Whether or not Jennsen noticed Kahlan's expression whenever Richard was mentioned, she ignored it. Kahlan was grateful for that.

Seeing him in the girl's dorm caught Kahlan off guard. Boys weren't supposed to get in here she thought, and when she contemplated the possible reasons for him being there, she blushed.

Richard saw her from across the hall, standing in front of the door that probably led to her room. She had a wired expression on her face, a mixture of a helplessness, confusion and embarrassment.

Despite wanting to talk to her for weeks, Richard could never find the proper opportunity. Her being friends with Jennsen didn't help either since Jennsen was always around, and Richard felt a little embarrassed at the thought of talking to Kahlan in front of her. Once Jennsen figures out how he felt, he was sure he was never going to hear the end of it. Meeting her of all people while being where he wasn't supposed to be seemed like a cruel twist of fate. After waiting for weeks for the perfect moment, he was now going to have to explain himself and hope she doesn't think he's a complete jerk.

"Hi" he smiled meekly, hoping that she wasn't to upset to speak to him.

Kahlan stared. For a moment she was speechless, not knowing what to say, but then the words came without warning "what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be in the girl's dormitory." Regretting her harsh tone she added "Are you lost?"

Richard shook his head. "No, I'm not lost. I was late for class so I decided to take this shortcut I know through the dormitory… I didn't think anyone would be here…" his words trailed off and he looked at her, hoping she believed him.

His explanation was reasonable enough, and the look in his eyes told her that he really cared if she believed him or not. Smiling at him for the first time she decided to put him out of his misery.

"It seems we both share the same problem. Since I can't get this door to close, I might be more than just late for class." Remembering her manners she added "I'm Kahlan by the way."

"I know." Richard blurted out before he could think. He blushed and tried to explain "I saw you with my sister Jennsen a few times. She told me your name. I'm Richard"

Kahlan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It was nice to know he remembered her name.

"Do you want me to take a look at the door?" Richard suggested, happy to do anything that will help him hide his embarrassment. "I'm handy with that kind of stuff."

Kahlan smiled. "Be my guest, Richard. But just so you know, those doors are magic proof, so that young wizards couldn't play tricks on the girls."

"Thanks for the warning" Richard smiled back "but I was going for the none-magical solution anyway. It might be more complicated, but at least there's no chance it will backfire" he said with a wink.

Kahlan laughed. Magical accident often happened to young wizards and sorcerers, and it was nice to meet someone who used his head before his Han.

Richard knelt before the door and started fiddling with the lock. After a few minutes, he looked up and smiled.

"My lady, I think your lock is fixed. Try and close it now." He handed her the key, and Kahlan stuck it in the keyhole. A quick turn and the door was locked. Kahlan looked at Richard who was busy standing up and cleaning his pans, and when he looked back at her, she gave him her most brilliant smile.

"Thanks Richard! How did you do this?"

Richard chuckled softly "I have a bit of a talent when it comes to doors. It's sort of handy back at home"

Kahlan eyebrows rose on their own accord, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what made this a handy talent.

"I usually use it to sneak into the kitchen late at night" he added, noticing her expression. The last thing Richard wanted was to upset her. He decided to keep his love of wondering to himself, hoping they could continue the nice conversation they were having.

Kahlan smiled, remembering the nights she herself sneaked into the kitchen. Deciding to drop the subject, she suddenly realized they were both late.

"Richard, weren't you heading to class? We should get going"

Richard nodded, and gestured for Kahlan to lead the way.

They walked a few minutes in silence, not knowing what to say. However, there was one thing Kahlan needed to ask.

"Richard, how did you know about the shortcut?"

Richard gave her a playful grin, and started telling her about his visit to tanimura as a child. He spent the rest of the way to class telling her about his stay at the palace, and Kahlan's smart remarks and sweet laugh made him want to keep going all day. When they reached his classroom Richard was pleased to find out that Kahlan had the same exact class and that in fact their schedules were almost identical. He would be seeing a lot of her, and he was going to do everything in his power to get to know this girl better.