The sun had been up for only an hour when they began making their way to the dungeons. The Mord'Sith had come in just before dawn, bringing with them, Darken Rahl and they planned to have answers before the sun sunk back into the earth. Everything moved slowly, their footsteps seeming to last minutes between. The air was filled with a deafening silence that made their blood boil. He had been holding her hand, but the instant they were outside of the palace, he let go and focused all of his attention to the area around them, making sure they would not be surprised by an attack.

She remained close to him, knowing that the moment he couldn't feel her warmth, he would lose his mind. The anger burned off of him with every breath, the sword feeding off of his emotion as strongly as possible. When they reached the dungeons, he pulled his hand free and looked to her, almost asking for the next step. She nodded and reached to him, laying her hand on his arm. It was the only thought she had that could keep them both calm.

"Take this," he said softly, handing her his sword. "If he's responsible for what was done to you, I will kill him."

Taking hold of the weapon, Kahlan nodded and followed him inside.

***

"You sent men after Kahlan," Richard stated as he stepped to the bars of Darken Rahl's cell.

Leaning back against the stone wall, the older man smiled and looked to the beautiful brunette that stood at the Seeker's side. "Why would I want to harm the Mother Confessor?"

"I don't know why you do anything," he said softly. "You've murdered thousands of people for no reason at all."

"I had a reason."

"Because they didn't follow you, is not a reason."

"She speaks!" the other man said as he stood. "You're more beautiful than I had remembered."

Slamming the palms of his hands against the bars of the prison cell, Richard shouted, "You will not speak to her!"

Keeping his eyes on her, Darken Rahl beamed. "How does it feel to lay with a Rahl?"

Kahlan took a single step forward, holding both men's eyes on her as she tilted her head in a hint of seduction. "Satisfying."

Her reply shocked them both, but Darken Rahl was the first to respond. Moving toward them, he let his eyes roam over her, slowly at first, before quickly returning to hers. "He must not satisfy your every need. You carry no child. I would be willing to accommodate your 'every' need."

Richard lunged forward, pulling the man into the bars by his clothes. "I told you not to speak to her." The words left his mouth in a low, angry growl that made the Confessor's heart stop. "I will kill you for what you've done to her."

"I did nothing, but offer my services." The older man smiled, turning his head to keep the metal from pushing against his nose. "If you're afraid she wants me to give her the child you cannot, leave us and I'll give her two."

"Richard," Kahlan spoke quietly, making the other man chuckle.

"You see? She wants me to-"

"She wants you dead as much as I do."

"If that were true, I would already be dead. She will grant me the pardon."

"You have nothing to threaten me with," she told him. "You knew I would only agree to it to save Richard and that is no longer an option."

His robes were released and he stumbled back, being sure to keep his eyes on her. "You will find I have many options."

"You will remain here until we decide on a punishment fit to your crimes." Taking hold of Richard's arm, she gave a gentle pull, encouraging him to follow her. "Cara can question him further."

******

"Why didn't you say anything?" Richard's voice was a cross between a normal question and a demand for an answer. He rarely spoke to her like this and it brought her back to that night in her bedroom. "He was right, wasn't he?"

"You know me better than to have me answer that." It took more of her strength than she would like to remain standing in front of him. She could feel the heat of his anger, the fire in his blood at the thoughts that were spinning in his mind. The moment Darken Rahl had mentioned giving her a child, he had been lost. She could almost see his thoughts of her and his brother, tangled together in bed, laughing at him for not being able to conceive a child. It pained her to know what was going on inside of him. "We need to speak with the High Council. They will help us decide what to do with him."

He followed her down the hallway, mumbling something she was sure was more painful to him than it could ever be to her. It was more difficult for him to control his anger now, though she was sure it was because he felt it was his fault.

The High Council was sitting at the front of the Meeting Hall, the long table filled with sets of eyes that locked onto theirs as they entered the room. Sitting down at the center of the table, the couple prepared for what was to come.

******

If he was angry before, she had never known the word. The meeting with the council had gone worse than they imagined, but he had taken it much harder. Every conversation they had together escalated quickly and after hours of fighting, Kahlan refused to participate. She spent the rest of the day in her bedroom with Cara, who sat in silence as her friend cried. There was nothing she could say that would change anything and she knew it was a problem she wouldn't be able to fix.

The High Council had suggested that since Kahlan had not yet conceived a child with Richard, she should take Darken Rahl as her mate. She could see his mind spinning in thought, almost clearly seeing him imagine her in bed with his older brother. The idea was turned down instantly, but the way he looked at her made her believe he thought the plan remained within her. She wasn't sure if his reaction was because he thought she would do it or because he wanted her to. After she returned to her room, he made no effort to talk to her, bringing her mind to question every detail of the day over and over again. He didn't get angry often, but when he did, he burned hotter than the sun, making a small part of her fear him.

She didn't know when she stopped crying, when she made her way to her bed or when her friend left her to sleep, but the moment she heard the door to her room open, she became aware of it all. She wasn't facing the door, making his two footsteps incredibly loud.

He was standing in front of the door in silence, watching her as he tried to decide what to do. If he went to her, everything he had said to her, at her, would be back in their air and he couldn't see the pained look in her eyes again. She didn't understand how he felt, she couldn't because it wasn't her fault. It was his. When she left the meeting with the council, he tried to change their mind, saying that they would have a child together, but they didn't agree. A Confessor is extremely fertile, they had said and Kahlan should have conceived a child from their many nights together. It pained him to think that he couldn't give her a family.

Closing his eyes, he threw all thoughts from his mind and waited for his body to act; to do what was right. In a few moments, he was crawling onto the bed, kicking off his boots as he grew closer to her. He didn't wait for her reaction, he feared what it would be. Laying his head on his pillow he stared at her blank expression. "I'm not sorry for what I-"

"I know," she replied instantly. "I knew you wouldn't be, not when a part of you agrees with the High Council."

"Kahlan-"

She turned over, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to find the right words. "If they had suggested any other man, you wouldn't have been so angry and I understand that, but..." Looking back to him, she shook her head and blinked out a set of tears. "You did it again. You thought that I wanted to be with him; that somehow this was all my doing and I- I could see the thought in your mind, growing each time you looked at me."

"No, that's not true."

"You imagined him and I together, in this very bed." She saw the truth in his eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to point it out. "You envisioned it as though it was some kind of awakening for me and then you thought that if you could imagine it, it was true." Moving over him, she caressed his face and pushed her fingers back, through his hair and leaned forward to share his breath. "Is this how you saw us? Did I hold him to me the way I do you? Did I pant his name louder than I do yours? When you imagined me in his arms, did I kiss him like I never wanted anyone else? Because that is how I kiss you, that is how I am with you. With my every breath. You are the only man I've been with, that I want to be with and if you can't see that, maybe everyone was right."

Her tears fell on his face, making it difficult to keep his eyes on hers. "I'm sorry." It was all he could make himself say. The look in her eyes was nearly overwhelming, a stabbing pain that cut through him.

Sitting up, she looked down at him for a moment and sighed. Moving off of him, she pushed her hair out of her face and walked to the rocking chair across from the bed. "You keep saying that."

Lifting himself up onto his elbows, she looked at her, watching as she stared into the fire. "It doesn't mean it's not true."

"Doesn't it? If you were sorry, you wouldn't have to keep apologizing."

"I do if I'm a mad man."

Kahlan met his eyes and let out a soft scoff. "Mad doesn't begin to describe how you felt."

"That's not what I meant."

"Of course not," she replied, looking back to the fire. "You won't talk about the anger."

"No," he told her quietly, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I can't. Kahlan, I don't like that side of me. I get angry and I feel like I'm out of control." Licking his lips, he waited for her to look at him, needing the extra push to continue. "I can't talk about it because I'm afraid of how you'll see me. I'm terrified that you'll see something in that side and you'll never want to be near me. Kahlan, every time I get angry, I try so hard to push it down, to control it and... I used to be able to just picture you, look next to me and see you there and now... When I get angry, all I can do is see you laying here, in this bed and the look in your eyes each morning when you realize I didn't give you a child. Yes, a part of me agrees with the council, but only because I'm afraid that I can't give you a child and if I can't give you a daughter; if I can't protect you, there is no need for me."

"Richard-"

"Each time we make love and I feel your magic rush through me, I feel proud. I think that I've shown you how much I love you and that is all that matters, but then I remember the life you once said you wanted and I'm ashamed that it may have to be given to you by someone else. It angers me in a way I can't ever explain to you, because I don't understand it. I pictured you with Darken Rahl, but not the way you think, at least, not the last few times. You were lying here, in tears as he... And I can't let you go through any more pain. I can't let anyone hurt you again. I won't let him have you."

Coming over, he knelt down before her and reached out. Pulling her to him, he cupped her face in his hands and looked into the depth of her ocean eyes. "You are mine," he said confidently and in that moment, she understood completely. He was willing to share or give up anything and everything he had, except her.

The thought pushed her forward, bringing her to collide their lips for a moment. Pulling back, she met his eyes and nodded once. "I'm yours."

Sliding his hands over her thighs, he inched closer, afraid of the distance between them. "I don't want you to be afraid of me." The surprise on her face made his frown deepen. "I know I scared you and I know that it upset- upsets you and I know that I can't say anything to change that, but I am sorry for what I've done to you. I never wanted to put you through that."

"I know."

"I'm sorry, Kahlan."

Sliding down onto her knees before him, she flattened her palms on the front of his shirt and smoothed out the fabric. "I know." Bringing her eyes to his, she tilted her head with a smile. "You found your shirt."

He grinned back at her, pulling her closer. "I did. One of your handmaidens brought it in this morning with your dresses. She told me it wasn't the first time she's washed it."

"That's because it was here before you were." Looking back to the fire, she tried to fight the laugh that wanted to escape her. "I took it before we separated. I thought it make it easier to be so far away from you."

"Did it help?"

Returning her eyes to his, she nodded. "I found it comforting to sleep in. At times, I felt like you were here."

"I should have been with you. Maybe then, you would-"

"You're here now and don't think like that. It won't make this any easier."

Moving away from her warmth and arms, Richard laid down on the floor and rubbed his face with both hands. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because it's you and me." She nearly laughed as she pushed her back against the wall beside the fire and next to him, her eyes resting on his face. "No one thought this was possible, but here we are. How can we think we won't or can't have a child?"

"I understand that, but don't we- Shouldn't you be pregnant by now?"

"Are you so anxious to stop our alone time?" she teased as he looked at her. "We have plenty of time to start our family."

"The council doesn't seem to agree."

"As Mother Confessor, I have the right to overrule them."

"It's not a joke, Kahlan. They want to take you away from me."

"I know, but they won't. They can't. Richard, look at everything we've done. Don't you think we deserve a chance to just be?" He looked away, his eyes fixing themselves on the ceiling while his mind wandered. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid that I can't give you a child. I'm afraid that if I am able to, it will be a boy and it won't count to anyone but us and I'm afraid you will need someone else."

"I know how you feel," she said quietly after a few moments. "When I first arrived and they all gathered around, waiting for me to announce my pregnancy, I... I thought that it was me. Other Confessor's have conceived their first night with a man, but I didn't. I thought that it was my fault. I thought I wouldn't be able to give you a family."

"What changed your mind?"

"Nothing. It still scares me that it could be my fault."

"But you're not in a hurry to find out."

Shaking her head, she leaned forward. "No, I'm not. It won't change anything, will it? It won't stop me from wanting to be with you or keep me from thinking about what could be. If I let it play out, I won't have to keep beating myself up for something I couldn't change." Releasing a sigh, she moved into his arms. "That's not entirely true. I don't want to find out because I'm afraid of what I'll be told."

"So am I."

"Do you want to find out with me?"

"I don't know."

Lifting herself onto her elbow, she looked down at his face. "Would it help if I promised that no matter what we learned, I'd still be yours alone?"

"Yes."