Richard sat in silence for over an hour, his heart pounding in anticipation of her return. As more time passed, he began to pace back and forth next the door, his mind began imagining what could be happening to her, his fist gripped tightly in anger. He turned quickly as the door opened. "Seeker, I have a present for you." Hayden entered the room, pulling a young woman behind him. "Isn't she beautiful?" he said with a smile as he pushed her towards Richard, who stepped away. "What?" he asked confused. "She is for you. You are to please her." Richard's mouth dropped open, "No. I will not lay with this woman." Prince Hayden laughed loudly, "If you do not, I will personally have your Confessor until her death." Richard's teeth gritted together in anger at the prince's smile. "You can't touch her!" Hayden stepped closer, "I can, and I will. You already know how fond of her I am." he smiled widely as Richard grew angrier. "You see, I am not a bad man. I am here, providing you with a source of pleasure." he said standing a few inches from him. "Now nothing would make me happier than to have you deny my order. I am sure your beautiful Confessor would love for me to touch her in all the ways you are unable to." Richard leaned forward, his hands in fists, "You will not touch her." he said sternly, the veins pushing through his skin on his neck in anger. "I will. This woman here would love nothing more than to have you please her, isn't that right, Abby?" Richard looked at her, her eyes red from crying, her arms crossed over her chest, her wrists bloody from being bound, she stared at him, her eyes piercing his.
"If you do not lay with this woman, you will never see your lovely Confessor ever again. I will be sure that the rest of her life will be as horrible as possible. What has been done to her will not even compare to the amount of pain I will cause her." Richard's heart stopped, his breath caught in his throat as he thought. He looked at the woman, she stared at him, he could see the pain in her eyes. Slowly, Richard looked back to Hayden, "If I... If I lay with this woman, you will not harm Kahlan?" Prince Hayden smiled "I give you my word. Your confessor will not be harmed in any way." he smiled "You and your men will not touch her?" Richard clarified "She will not be touched by me or my men." the prince repeated, looking over to Abby, "Why don't you come over to here. Let the Seeker have a look at you." She moved slowly, her feet dragging on the floor. "Don't worry, he will more than please you." She stared at the ground, her blonde hair covering her face as she moved closer. Richard stared at her, his heart racing in fear as she approached them. "Remove your clothes." Hayden said as he turned towards her. She didn't move, "Now." he said loudly, making her jump. "You too, Seeker." he said with a smile.
Hayden watched as they both removed their clothes, a smile on his face as he watched the awkwardness between them. "Good, now I know you want nothing more for me to leave, but I need to be sure you both do as ordered." "You don't have to stay. I will do anything to protect Kahlan." he stepped closer to Abby, who pulled the blanket from the bed and covered herself. "I give you my word as The Seeker." Prince Hayden smiled widely "Very well. I will have my men check in and if you are not laying in that bed, and enjoying it, I will take your lovely Confessor and I will enjoy it." Richard's fist slammed into the prince's jaw, sending him to the ground, Abby jumped forward, pulling Richard back, tossing him onto the bed. "He didn't mean it." she said quickly, trying to help Hayden up. "Yes I did!" Richard said sitting forward, "I will not sit here and allow you to threaten to harm the woman I love!" Prince Hayden laughed, "I will do what I please." he stood "You two will enjoy your time together." he smiled widely, wiping the blood from his face, he turned and walked away.
The door clicked closed and Abby turned towards Richard, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at the floor. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, picking the blanket off the floor and covering herself with it. "Yes." he looked up, suddenly aware he too was naked. "Are you alright?" she nodded, and sat down next to him. "I'm fine." he turned to her, "Are you sure?" she nodded slowly, staring at the door. Her hand moved to his leg, lightly touching his knee. Richard's heart stopped as her hand slowly moved up, gripping his thigh "What are you doing?" he asked softly, looking up at her, "I am going to keep my children alive." their eyes met for a moment before she pushed him backwards and straddled over him. Her lips touched his chest as her hands held his arms to the bed. He closed his eyes, trying to picture Kahlan as Abby pressed her lips to his.
Turning his head, he opened his eyes, "Don't do that." he said softly, his heart pounding in his ears. "It's just a kiss." he shook his head "Don't do that." he repeated sternly. "As you wish." she said before licking his ear, "You could help me with this." he sighed and closed his eyes. "She will never know." Abby's words pushed into his mind, the thought of being with anyone other than Kahlan was making him sick. Wanting to get it over with, his quickly flipped them over. Laying himself over her, he prayed Kahlan was alright.
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"You hear that, Confessor?" Hayden laughed softly as he watched her. She was lead down the hall towards him, "Your Seeker is with another woman." Kahlan's breath caught in her throat as she came closer. "You're lying." she said softly "See for yourself." the door opened and her heart fell to her stomach at the sight of Richard laying over the other woman. Richard turned at the sound of a gasp, "Kahlan! It's not what you think!" he said quickly jumping from the bed and walking towards her. Immediately, she stepped back, her back hitting Hayden's chest. "Kahlan, I know how this looks, but-" "It doesn't matter." she interrupted, "Abby, my dear, get dressed. You are done." she smiled as she dressed, her eyes remaining focused on Richard and Kahlan. "Take her to her room. I believe the Seeker needs to spend some time with The Mother Confessor." Kahlan stared at the floor, her heart racing as her replayed what she had walked in on. "You may want to put our clothes back on as well, Seeker." Hayden said as he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. They could hear him laugh as walked down the hallway.
"Kahlan, I-" "I don't want to know." she said quickly, walking past him, picking up his clothes and tossing them to him. "It didn't mean anything." nodding, she let out a sigh, "I don't want to know." walking towards her, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards him. "I need you to know." he could see the heartache in her eyes "I- I only did it to protect you." she nodded, "I don't need you to explain." she said softly, "I know you Kahlan. I need to explain." "No. Please don't. I just- I understand. He gave you an offer you could not refuse." "Listen to me, I tried to refuse. I-" "Really? Because from what I just saw, you looked comfortable." He stared at her, understanding her reaction. He wished he had laid there while Abby continued. "I had to. If I didn't, he would have..." he couldn't speak, his heart racing in anger at himself and the prince. "..If I didn't, Kahlan, he would have made what they did to you seem like a wonderful day!" she showed no expression, he waited for her to speak, to say she forgave him, that she understood.
She looked to the floor and sighed "You didn't have to explain Richard. I knew you wouldn't have done it unless you felt you had no other choice." he smiled, "Kahlan, I never meant to hurt you." nodding she turned away from him. "I know. I just can't get it out of my head." her voice cracked in pain as she walked away from him. "Please get dressed." realizing he was still naked, he dressed quickly, while he tried to figure out what to say next.
"Kahlan?" she hadn't moved, her arms were crossed over her chest, giving her the feel of security. "I'm sorry." he said softly, afraid to come closer to her. "You shouldn't be. And I shouldn't be upset." confused, he walked towards her, "What?" she turned at the sound of his voice so close, "Richard, you and I never... I shouldn't be upset because you found someone who could love you." he shook his head, "No, Kahlan, it wasn't like that for either of us. She wanted to go back to her children, I wanted to keep you safe." "The things she was doing to you was not something a woman would do to get back to her children." he shook his head, "She said-" "What she was told to say." he felt so stupid, anger filled him quickly at the thought. He looked up, seeing tears in her eyes, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "I am so sorry. I should have known." shaking her head against his chest, she sighed "You couldn't have known." "I should have, she was too eager, too willing. I should have known she was playing me." Pushing her hands against his chest, she moved away from him, walking towards the door.
"Kahlan?" She opened the door, Prince Hayden was standing in the doorway, "What more do you want from us?" he laughed, motioning to his men to come into the room. "You see, I have been thinking. The Seeker has had someone, it would only be fair to give you a few." she tried to back away, but was caught by two of his men. Richard ran forward, throwing himself on one of the other men entering the room. "Let her go!" he shouted as Hayden placed a Rada'Han around Kahlan's neck. "She can not harm you now. She's powerless." Her legs kicked forward, slamming into Hayden's stomach, sending him to the ground. "You are going to regret that!" he shouted as he stood, "Get the Seeker out of here. I will enjoy myself more if he is not here." Turning around, Richard attempted to free himself from the grasp of the men pulling him from the room. "No!" Kahlan shouted through tears as Hayden's men held her to the bed. "Kahlan!" Richard cried out just before the door shut.
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Time passed slowly as Richard waited to go back to Kahlan. He had no idea how long it had been, but it was too long. He held his breath each time he heard someone walk by, hoping they would bring him back to her. "It will be some time before you see your Confessor again." Abby said as she entered the room. "You must really love her." she said coming closer to him. "I do." she smiled, "I thought so. You kept saying her name." she laughed, "Did you think about her the whole time?" He nodded "I used to love someone." "What happened?" he asked, looking up at her as she came to a stop a few feet before him. "He was killed in the war." "Sorry." Sitting down in front of him, she sighed "I'm sorry I went along with my brothers plan. I shouldn't have done those things to you." Richard looked to the floor, "He knew how she felt about you. He knows you two can't be together without her destroying you, so he tried to make her feelings for you change." looking up, he took a deep breath "Don't worry. She loves you. I walked past the room on my way here. She was not letting them touch her quietly. She called out your name." A tear rolled down his cheek as he imagined what was being done to her.
"My brother wants her for himself." Richard's eyes met hers, full of anger, "He will do whatever it take to brake her. He will make her no longer care for you." she paused, waiting to see if he was going to speak. "You shouldn't have come with her. He will use you to brake her." he stared at her, eyes wide as she continued "If he takes The Mother Confessor, he will be unstoppable. The Sisters of the Dark she has confessed, they are killing for him. He no longer wants Nicci. He wants Kahlan." she sighed and looked to the floor. "In a while, when he's done... You need to get her out of here. If he makes her his wife, then there will be no way to stop him without killing her." "Why does he want her!" Richard said loudly, making Abby move back. "Because she loves you. Because she's powerful, beautiful... I do not know. He wants her, he does not explain why. You must get her out of here." "I intend to." he said quickly, looking past her to the door.
"You will be returned to her when he is done. I am quite sure it will be a while. He had a few men with him." His fist went white, as he pulled on his chains, "Your anger will not help her now. She will-" "Abby!" Abby turned as Richard looked up "Couldn't get enough of the Seeker? I can arrange to have him back in bed with you." Prince Hayden smiled widely as he watched Richard's face, "The Mother Confessor will be out for some time, she won't miss him." "What have you done to her?" Richard shouted as he moved to his knees, "She killed two of my men, I had to punish her." Richard's heart was relieved that she had killed some, two less who would touch her. "Where is she?" Hayden walked into the room, Abby stood quickly, her eyes focused on the ground. "Tied to the bed. If you want, I can arrange to have you spend some quality time with her while she's unconscious." the smile on his face spread widely across his face. "She would never know." he added as Richard pulled harder at the chains. "Take me to her!" he shouted as the prince walked closer. "Very well. Donald, take him to his Confessor. Leave her chained to the bed, the Seeker wishes to play." the growl that flowed from deep in Richard's chest sent them into laughter as he was dragged out of the room and down to Kahlan.
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The sight of her broke his heart. Blood covered the blankets beneath her, he couldn't tell if it had come from her or the bodies on the floor. Rushing to her, he tried to unchain her. After several minutes, he gently lifted her from the bed, pulled the blankets from under her and covered her with them. He did his best to help her wounds before he move to the bodies on the floor. He dragged them to the door, blocking it from being able to open easily. Slowly, he walked over to the bed, standing at the side, he stared down at her, his mind racing with images of them beating her. Lightly, he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, pushing the hair back behind her ear, her eyes flew open as she tried to pull away "It's just me." he said softly, without moving, trying to give her a moment to realize her surroundings. Her eyes were swollen, she could barely focus them on him, "Richard?" she asked confused "What happened?" she turned her head, trying to see if they were alone, "Where are they?" Turning towards the door, he pointed "The two you killed are by the door." her heart pounded as she realized she was still chained to the bed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get you free." he climbed onto the bed, laying himself beside her.
Her body flinched away from him, putting strain on her wrists, "Sorry, I just wanted to hold you." she shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry, I just don't want to be touched." he blinked quickly, trying to rid the tears. He sat forward, tossing his legs over the side of the bed, "Stay, please... I don't want to be alone." he turned to her, forcing a smile, "I would never leave you." Laying down beside her, he faced her, their eyes meeting as she turned her head towards him. "I'm going to get you out of here." "No. You have to get out of here." Richard lifted himself onto his elbow, "What? I'm not going to leave you." "I can't watch you die." running his fingers through his hair, he sighed "What are you talking about?" Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, "He said he will kill you. If you don't leave, he will kill you." shaking his head, he sat forward, "When did he say it?" she didn't open her eyes, "Before I killed them." he smiled warmly as he pressed his body to hers, wrapping his right arm around her stomach, pulling her closer to him. "I will get you out of here." a small smile crossed her lips, "I wish I could touch you." she said softly. Lifting his head from her chest, he pressed his lips to her chin, his right hand sliding under her arm and around her shoulder. "I can touch you enough for the both of us." she laughed, turning her head towards him and connecting their lips for a moment before the pain surged through her.
"We need to get out of here." he said as he lifted himself from the bed and walked to the door. "What are you doing?" "Getting help." the door opened to reveal Abby "What's she-" "I'm going to get you both out of here." Tossing a key and clothing to Richard, she looked down the hall, he moved back to Kahlan, unchained her and dressed her as quickly as he could. She tried to help him, moving her ams around the cloth, closing her eyes against the pain. "Come on, He won't be fooled for long." Abby said looking into the room as Richard helped Kahlan to the door. "You may want to carry her, you will never make it like this." she said as she moved over, allowing them to step out of the room. Immediately, Richard lifted Kahlan into his arms, being sure not to hurt her, he started down the hall after Abby.
"Go through there, you will not be stopped, don't stop. Get as far away from here as you can." "Thank you." he said softly looking back at her, "Wait, the key to the Rada'Han?" holding up a small key she looked to Kahlan, "I can keep this, so that you two can-" "No, that's okay." she grabbed the key from her hand and unlocked the metal around her neck. "We have to go." Richard said softly as he moved down the hallway, Kahlan clutching onto the Rada'Han.
Outside, the air cooled the sweat beading down his chest, giving him a slight shiver. "I can walk Richard." she said pushing herself from his arms, her bare feet touching the cool grass "We will move faster now." she said when she saw the concerned look on his face. He grabbed her hand, helping to keep her steady as she started through the trees. "They should have noticed we were gone by now." she heard Richard say softly, "You told Cara to keep Zedd busy." she smiled as she spoke, turning back to look at him as he followed closely behind her. Seeing her smile brought one to his face, he moved quickly, stepping beside her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. For a moment she forgot where they were, everything around her disappeared into his embrace, she wished she could stay there forever. "There you are!" Cara shouted angrily, "Do you have any idea what the Wizard has put me through?" Kahlan turned towards her, her smile fading "What happened to you?" She walked toward them, "Where have you two been?"
Pulling Kahlan back into his arms, he looked up to the Mord-Sith, "With the prince and his men." Cara's mouth dropped quickly as she watched Kahlan stare at the ground, "How did they get to you?" she asked taking a step closer to them. "They had Zedd's timing." Cara and Richard stared at her as she tried to hold herself up, "Let's get you to the wizard. He should be able to heal you." trying to smile, Kahlan took a step forward and collapsed to the ground. "Kahlan!" Richard shouted as he knelt down beside her, "What did they do to her?" Cara asked as he lifted her into his arms. "I'm not sure, but I will not let them near her again!" Cara nodded as she watched him walk past her.
"Spirits! I thought you two were-" "Zedd, heal her!" Richard said as he laid her gently to the ground. "I'll see what I can do." Richard pulled Cara away, "Cara, they are going to come back for her." She tilted her head, "Why?" "Because the Prince wants her." She stared at him for a moment before looking to Kahlan and Zedd, "I can go back, take care of him." He followed her eyes, "I want to come with you." she nodded, her eyes never leaving Kahlan's bloody body. "We should go now, before she wakes up." "I can't leave her." he said quickly "She will never know you were gone." he waited for a minute, thinking it through before he nodded. "Zedd, we're going back." He turned towards them, "What? After what they've done to her? She may not make it. You can't leave her." He stepped towards the wizard, "I can't risk them coming back for her." He nodded slowly, returning his attention to Kahlan. "Go, but be careful."