She was fixing the laces on her dress when he returned, her face impossible to see as he approached.

"I got us some breakfast," he said as he sat down in front of her.

Lifting her head, she met his eyes. "But that's not why you left."

"No," he said instantly. He wasn't going to lie to her, but he hoped she wouldn't make him tell her the truth.

Taking the blue bowl from his hands, she brought it to her lap and grinned. "He used to make this every morning. Be careful not to eat too much..."

"Is it bad?" he asked as he brought it to his nose and sniffed.

"No," she chuckled. "But if you eat too much, you're going to be sick."

He waited a moment, watching as she took a bite. "What do you mean, sick?"

Pushing her spoon forward, she brought it to his mouth. "Open." He did as she asked instantly, taking the warm, thick liquid into his mouth. "See?"

Swallowing, he nodded. "You're right."

Raising an eyebrow, she tilted her head. "You seem surprised."

"No," he said with a quiet laugh. "I feel stupid for questioning."

"As well you should, Seeker," she said while trying to keep from laughing. It was difficult as she lifted the spoon to her mouth, the man before her watching closely to see her falter. "I'm a Confessor, we can-" With a turn of his head, he poked his tongue out and flung a spoon full of their breakfast at her.

"You were saying?" he asked while joining in with her laughter.

Quieting down, Kahlan tried to steady her voice as she moved to her knees. "You play dirty."

"No, I'm clean, you're the one with food in her hair. No- No-No, n-" Sitting back on her heels, she grinned. Richard blinked through contents of the bowl slowly dripping down his face. He couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, I surrender! You win!"

Moving back to him, she lifted her bowl from his head and slowly climbed onto his lap. He responded instantly, wrapping his arms around her waist while he reached up to connect their lips. Laying the bowl on the ground, she brought her hands to his face and pulled him closer. When her body began to respond to his, she pulled back, but he wouldn't let her go far.

"Richard..."

"I know," he whispered, his lips lightly touching hers. "But I can't let you go." Tracing her fingers down his chest, she reached for his pants, hoping she was able to give him what he needed. "No," he panted, pulling her hand away and intertwining their fingers. "That's not what I need." Kahlan pulled her head back and looked at him, trying to see what he wanted. Lying back, he pulled her with him, keeping her on top of him. "This..." His smile was wide, he knew she was watching his face. "You'll get the hang of it."

Slapping his shoulder playfully, she moved off of him. "Come on, we should wash this out of your hair before it dries."

******

Closing the windows; Daniel looked over his shoulders. "Darken Rahl has men searching the area. It's safer for you all to stay here another night."

"We can't sit here and wait for them to find us," Richard said as he tightened his hold on his sword.

Her hand was on his in a moment, bringing his eyes to hers. "We can't save anyone if we're dead."

They looked to the door at the sound of a pounded knock.

"Take them beneath," Daniel whispered to Kahlan as he walked to the door.

As the door opened, the others disappeared into the bedroom at the back of the house. Richard helped her push a large, heavy desk, reviling a once hidden cellar door. He was about to question it when he noticed that she had already began descending the stairs. It quickly became apparent that she had been in there before. The men followed her quickly, closing the door behind them. Zedd using his magic to bring the desk back into its original place.

It was dark, the men had to hug the wall as they descended the long staircase. Kahlan was waiting for them at the bottom, taking both of their hands and leading them further in. After a moment, the Seeker pulled his hand from hers and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and turn. He could barely see her face, but he knew it was covered with confusion.

"How do you know they won't find us in here?"

In a hushed voice, she stepped away from them, turning slightly as though she could see the room clearly. "He used to hide us down here when my father or some of the townsmen came looking for us. We could hear them tearing the house apart above us, threatening to burn it to the ground unless they gave us up, but they never did. No one found us." Pulling them along again, she continued. "We hid down here for hours some nights and days other times. There are two beds over here, but I'm not sure about the food." She nearly laughed at the thought. "I don't think we should eat anything down here."

"We won't know until we try," Zedd said in a quiet, but cheerful voice.

Sitting down, Kahlan pulled Richard down beside her. His eyes fully adjusted to the dark as he laid back, smiling as Kahlan lay in his arms. His arms tightened around her almost too tight as they listened. They could hear footsteps and voices above them, growing closer and closer.

"Maybe we should switch places," he told her softly. "I don't like you being on the edge. If they come down here, you'll be closer to them."

"But you'll see them coming," she countered, her eyes sliding closed. It was the middle of the day, but lying in his arms, she felt comforted into a sleepy state.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmhm."

"Why didn't anyone step in to protect you from your father?"

Lifting her head, she flattened her hand on his chest and rested her chin on it. "We're Confessors. Everyone is afraid of us. Most people looked away when we walked passed them."

"But they saw what he was doing to you."

"He was our father. Who would say that how he treated us was wrong?"

"Everyone," he said quickly. "The things he made you do... Wouldn't someone see those men and-"

"No one paid us any attention." She laid her head down against his chest, not able to look into his eyes and continue. "My father would pick out the richest men, point to me, sitting at a table in the back and make some kind of deal... When he came to me, I'd confess him and my father took everything he had."

"Why would he do that to you- to his own daughter?"

"Because he lost everything."

"What do you mean?"

Kahlan lifted her head again and met his eyes, buying herself a moment. "When he was released from my mother, he was so happy. He made us pack our things and we left the palace. He went back home and learned that the woman he- The woman he loved had died and everything changed. When he looked at us, all he saw was what our mother took from him. In his mind, we owed him and we were too young to... I was too naive to stop him."

"You weren't naive, you protected Dennee."

"It wasn't enough," she whispered.

Her body jerked in his arms as something crashed into the floor above them. They were shouting out orders, demanding to know what Daniel had done with the Confessor, Seeker and Wizard. The older man stuck to the story that he hadn't seen them. Things went silent for a moment and Kahlan began to believe they were safe, but then came a heartbreaking scream of pain.

She tried to get up, to run to help him, but Richard wouldn't let her. She was strong, pushing against him as she struggles to get free. He had to cover her mouth to keep her from crying her friend's name. She was almost too much for him to hold back. Zedd came to help just as she broke free of the Seeker's hold. Running into the wizard, Kahlan tried to push past, only to be grabbed, once again, by the younger man.

Smoke began to fill the area, the burning smell of wood filling their noses. Zedd spelled the area, protecting them from the fire above and sealing all sounds from escaping. Kahlan cried out and pushed against his chest still, desperately trying to get free.

"Let me go!" she cried again and again, never loosing force as she lunged forward. "He needs our help! We can't let him die!"

Her tears soaked his arms, screaming to him how hard she was crying. "Kahlan no! You can't die too!" He knew she would be angry with him, hate him even, but he couldn't let her go, he couldn't risk her life.

More than an hour passed and she was still moving, her body barely able to stand as she continued. After another few minutes, she went limp and fell into his arms. Her cries fell into whimpers as her body shook. Richard eased her to the ground, stroking her hair with his fingers as she clawed her nails into his arm in the small amount of strength she had remaining. He whispered lost words of comfort into her ear, doing everything he could, what little he could, to ease the pain.

Zedd stared at them, meeting the Seeker's eyes filled with pain. They witnessed one of the most horrific experiences one could and it left them, too, broken.