Hi all! New chapter! I'm still wondering how this is gonna end up... happily ever after or not but I'm working on it!
I hope you enjoy this new chapter, come say hi at the end, as usual all comments are more than welcome!
When Kahlan entered the huge dinning room, everyone got up from their chairs. The room was crowded, all the council was attending to the dinner and there was also other people Kahlan didn't know but who looked like notables from the Midlands. The table was as long as the room and Kahlan's place was in the middle, her chair, different and more imposing than the others, was empty and placed next to Prince Travis.
As she walked to sit down, everyone was starring at her. She kept her head high, looking at Timothy. She had spotted Zedd next to him but kept her focus on the Prince, wanting to avoid Richard's eyes. She was trying to be brave and strong and seeing him looking at her wouldn't help her to keep her Confessor mask on her face.
When she sat down, she nodded, indicating to her guests to sit as well.
"You look beautiful tonight." Timothy whispered in her ear.
She nodded as he got up with his glass in hand. The room went quiet.
"I would like to raise my glass to the Mother Confessor, protector of the Midlands. May our union bring peace and prosperity to us all." He exclaimed.
A few people clapped their hands, except Kahlan and he added : "Let's also raise our glasses to our guest of honor tonight, Richard Cypher, Seeker Of Truth. May you keep on protecting the Midlands and defeat the Keeper."
More people clapped and Richard nodded his head to thank him.
Then it was the turn to an old looking man, he was head of the council. He got up and said: "Tonight we celebrate the next line of Confessor. Tonight the Mother Confessor, the last of her kind and Prince Travis will sire the next Confessor. It's a great night for the Midlands."
Everyone clapped and cheered at the announcement.
For the first time since she had entered the room, Kahlan looked at Richard, he was sitting on her left, at the other side of the table. When their gazes met, she immediately looked down, swallowing her tears.
"Are you alright?" Tim asked her, taking her hand in his.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little under the weather I guess." She quickly replied.
"Try to eat something. It'll make you feel better." Tim told her with a smile. She nodded with a small smile and freed her hand from his grasp.
At the other side of the table, Zedd leaned over Richard and said: "Let the Sword of Truth go Richard. Anger is the worst ally to jealousy."
Richard was starring at Kahlan, the Sword of Truth pressed tightly under his palm. He wanted to run that Prince through with his sword. How did he dare touch her? All that he was hoping is that Tim would raise a hand too high or touch his sword so he could slice his body in small pieces. Then Richard thought that soon he would kiss her and worst, he would make love to her. His breathing accelerated and he tightened his hold on his sword as well, his knuckles becoming white.
"Richard! Calm down my boy. Let the sword go." Zedd repeated.
"I will kill him." He said thought gritted teeth.
"I'll help you." Cara told him.
"Do I need to remind you that he's just an innocent man? Kahlan is making of her duty a priority, that's no reason to hate the man." Zedd said.
Even though she couldn't hear them because they were whispering, Kahlan noticed their agitation. She saw Richard starring at Tim, he looked furious and then he looked at her and once again, she avoided his eyes.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Richard asked Zedd.
"I warned you many times Richard, the love between you and your Confessor can never be." The old Wizard replied.
"You really don't get it do you? How much I love her?" Richard asked bitterly, shaking his head and getting up. Everyone stopped and starred at him.
"Will the Mother Confessor excuse me?" He asked.
She looked at him, searching in his eyes for the reason of his sudden outburst. When all she saw was anger and hatred, she shivered and nodded at him, clenching her jaw in attempt not to cry. He left the room without saying a word, slamming the door closed behind him. People at the table went back to their conversations and Kahlan looked at Cara, silently asking her for an explanation and the Mord'Sith pointed at Tim in answer.
Kahlan sighed and Tim asked her: "What has gotten into him?"
"I don't know." She lied.
"You seem nervous Kahlan." Tim told her, once again taking her hand in his.
"I'm just tired." She replied quietly.
"I know that your duty is heavy and demanding, I also know that everything is foreign and new to you... All of it, especially what's going to happen tonight, but you don't have to worry, I'll be there every step of the way." He told her.
Kahlan almost gagged on his words. The very idea of spending the night with him made her sick. She was wondering how he could act like they were a couple, take her hand and whispering in her ear. Sure they knew each others before but they were just kids, now everything we different, yet he acted like they were close.
For a moment, she thought that Richard would come back, but as time went by and as different meals were brought to the table without her eating any of them, her hope of seeing him again diminished. While Tim and Zedd were chatting together, she didn't find the strength to participate to their conversation. She could have talked with Cara, but the Mord'Sith had left as well, probably to check on Richard. When she looked around her, she realized that everyone was enjoy dinner, people chatted and smiled, laughed sometimes, but she didn't. It felt like she didn't belong.
She finally got up and said: "Thank you all for coming."
"Go get some rest, I'll see you later." Tim told her, holding her hand once again.
She reluctantly nodded and left the dinning room. She needed air, fresh air.
Walking in a garden of the Palace, she saw Richard, he was staring at a pound even if there was nothing to see because it was already dark, only the light of the moon would allow to see the path ahead. Kahlan froze in her tracks, it didn't seem like he's noticed her. As always, she found him very handsome, she smiled despite the sadness of their situation. Her eyes traveled on his body and her smile left her face when she saw him holding his sword tightly, draining its anger. She slowly walked next to him and put her hand over his.
"I want to kill him." He told her with his jaw clenched.
"I keep hoping that he would do something bad so I could run my sword through him or slice his throat." He added, still staring at the pond before him.
Kahlan's thumb was stroking the back of his hand, trying to calm him so he would stop using the anger of the sword to feed his own hatred.
"But he keeps being nice to you, talking in your ear, holding your hand. The nicer he is, the more I want to rip his head off." Richard continued.
Kahlan brought her other hand to his back and whispered his name. Richard closed his eyes and she slowly removed his hand from holding the sword.
"Aren't you supposed to be with him?" He asked with a sad tone and finally looking into her eyes.
She looked down and said: "I just needed some fresh air."
There was a long silence when Kahlan kept looking at her feet and Richard was waiting for her to look at him. When she finally looked up she opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind. She smiled at him and said: "Goodnight Richard." And with that, she turned away, not sure where to go, maybe she would walk in the garden all night long.
"Kahlan wait!" Richard called her.
She turned to face him, trying her best to smile and he asked: "Is there something you wanted to tell me, something on your mind you wanted to talk about?"
"No, I just wanted to say goodnight." She lied.
"Come on Kahlan bad liar Amnell, I know you better than that." He told her playfully, trying to lighten the mood. Plus, the more he kept her in the garden, the later she will be in her room with her mate.
She sighed and took at step toward him, she found the strength to look at him and said: "You have a pure heart Richard and you couldn't hurt an innocent man. This anger that you have against Tim, I know it's not directed at him. You may deny it but, this anger and hatred, it's how you feel about me. I am the one betraying you. I am the one you hate."
"Kahlan, no... no, I could never hate you. I know it's your duty and..." He started but she cut him off and said: "But I choose my duty over you... it's okay Richard, it's okay to hate me."
She ran a hand through his hair and repeated: "It's okay."
She gave him a sad smile and said: "Goodnight."
Once again, she turned away and he explained: "I don't hate you... I'm just mad at you. Even if I said I wasn't before, you are right, you choose your duty over me and I'm mad at you."
"Like I said, it's okay." She said without turning to him.
"If you choose your duty over me, then why are you here?" He asked.
"I needed fresh air." She said, still not facing him as tears streamed down her face.
"Stop lying to me and look at me!" He shouted angrily.
She jumped at his tone and she finally faced him, looking in his teary eyes.
"Why are you here Kahlan? Do you enjoy torturing me? Or did you come to see what you've made of me?" He asked in a strangled voice.
"The reason why I'm not inside the Palace is the last thing you want to talk about, trust me." She snorted.
"Try me." He darted.
"I'm scared alright!" She admitted.
He chuckled and said: "That was easy."
He was now mocking her and it was all she deserved, he had every right to be mad at her and to mock her and somehow she was glad that he did. Fresh tears streamed down her face and she explained : "Ever since I met you, I secretly hoped that you would be the first... my first... I prayed to the good Spirits that one day I would be able to tell my daughters that they were created out of love, not out of duty. Now I have to be in this room, with someone I barely know. Many nights I dreamt about my first night... our first night. I knew that it would be okay, that I wouldn't have to be scared because it was you, a man who cared for me, who would be gentle and loving."
She blushed at her confession and added: "So I'm here because I'm hanging onto my dream of our first night, I need to find the strength to let it go... to let you go."
"Kahlan?" They heard someone calling from the Palace.
That was it, Tim was looking for her, she was running out of time. She took Richard's hand and said: "I love you. You may not believe it anymore, but I love you with all my heart and soul and I always will."
She smiled at him as she kept on crying.
"Kahlan?" They heard again making her close her eyes and sigh.
She could hear the rage coming back to him in his frantic breathing. She felt him intertwined their fingers as he pressed his body against her.
"I love you. I'm mad but despite all this, I love you." He whispered.
She nodded and he kissed her cheek and whispered: "Our first night would have been perfect, I'm sorry I couldn't make it happen."
"Kahlan, finally!" Tim said as he reached them, making Richard pull away from her quickly.
Noticing Kahlan's tears Tim asked: "Is everything okay?"
Kahlan nodded and said: "Yes, we were just saying goodbye."
Tim smiled and said: "Well, goodnight Seeker."
Richard nodded in return and Tim wrapped an arm around Kahlan's waist and said: "Let's go, I think we have the Midlands and a Confessors' line to save..."