New chapter! Enjoy before there are only a few more before the end! Let me know if you like it!
She awoke, shivering from the cold around her body. She tried to reach for Richard next to her but her hand only found the mattress. His absence made her immediately opened her eyes, she looked around in the dark of the night, trying to find him. The only thing she saw was the moon lightening the curtains of the balcony doors which were wide open. She got up and walked to the balcony when she found him, watching the mere lights of the city. Lost in his thoughts, he barely acknowledged her presence. He was so handsome only wearing the night pants she just got him, she could swear that his skin was glowing under the moonlight. Walking to stand behind him, she kissed his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, nuzzling his shoulder.
"I could ask you the same question." He replied, still contemplating the city.
"I miss you next to me." She said, pressing her body against him.
He smiled and ran his hands on her arms which were crossed over his chest and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Go back to bed my love." He gently instructed her.
"Not without you." She replied, kissing his shoulder here and there.
He pulled her hands away from his chest and turned in her embrace.
She looked deep in his eyes and asked: "What's going on?"
"I just came here to think." He replied with a shrug.
"Think about what?" She asked again, well aware that he was not telling her everything.
"How much I love you." He said before kissing her passionately.
When they pulled apart she said: "You can try to divert me with kisses, but you're not getting away with this Richard."
"I know… Let's go back to bed and I'll explain what I was thinking about." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
They went back to bed and lied on their sides, facing each other. Kahlan ran a finger over his face and pushed back a strand of hair getting in his eyes. The sad expression on his face made her stomach twist with apprehension of what he was about to tell her.
"I'm listening." She said softly and bravely, locking eyes with him.
"I think I know how to stop the war against Tractan." He blurted.
"How?" She asked.
"You have to confess Tim." He replied.
She shook her head no and said: "I am not taking him as a mate."
"It's not what I'm saying. If you confess him, all you'll have to do is to pretend that he is your mate, no one has to know that you are not sharing your bed with him. If his people are convinced that Tractan and the Midlands are united, they won't kill him and the violence at the border will stop." Richard explained.
"You expect me to lie to my people? To the council?" She asked.
"You don't have to lie to the council if they can keep a secret. And about your people, better lie to them than to start a war." He explained.
Kahlan closed her eyes and sighed deeply. When she opened them, she looked at Richard and said: "It's crazy." And then she turned her back to him while pulling the sheets and covers over her.
"Think about it Kahlan, uniting Tractan with the Midlands is your only solution." He told her.
She turned to face him, she looked furious and said: "And what happens when time comes to be with child? What am I supposed to do? Fake it and steal someone's baby? Or would you rather see me lying with him?"
"You're beautiful when you are angry." He told her with a smile.
"You think this is funny? You are asking me to live a lie until the end of my life!" She almost screamed.
He smiled and ran a hand on her face. "All I'm saying is that you have to pretend that he is your mate and when time will come to be with child, you'll be with child, my child, our child." He explained.
She looked at him in disbelief and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his body to her.
"Since you can't confess me, I'm planning on being the savior of the Confessor line and I'm willing to give my whole body to the Mother Confessor to do so." He told her with a wide smile, sending shivers all over her body.
"It makes no sense." She said at the verge of tears.
"It makes perfect sense my love. You and I, we're going to have many beautiful baby Confessors. You can declare Tim as your mate and once everything is settled down with Tractan, you'll choose another mate… Hopefully, you'll make the right choice." He said with a smile.
"You think the Mother Confessor is some kind of whore changing mates when she's bored?" She abruptly asked.
"Kahlan…" He sighed. "I'm just trying to find a way to stop a war without losing you…"
He sat up in bed and rested his back against the headboard. "There are so many things happening lately and I feel like all of them are trying to break us apart. I wish our lives were simples, that we could live in a house with our children. I want to protect you from the madness going around us and right now confessing Tim is the only thing that comes to my mind."
He took her hand in his as she sat next to him, pulling the covers over them and he added: "I know you don't want to lie but what other option do we have? Starting a war? Taking him as a mate for real? You will carry the burden of all those things and I don't want you to."
They stood silent for a long moment before she spoke: "I… I will confess him…"
She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his bare waist, her fingers tracing invisible forms on his side. "Promise me it's going to be okay." She asked.
"Everything is going to be okay my love, I promise." He told her before placing a kiss on the top of her head.
"Even if I probably won't be able to give you a son?" She abruptly asked, raising her head to look up at him.
"Where does that come from?" He asked.
"You know Confessors have daughters and if we have a son…" She started.
"I'll be just fine with daughters Kahlan." He told her with a smile. "And we'll worry about having a son if we have one. All I want is a family with you and if it means filling this palace with baby girls, I'll be the happiest man on earth." He added.
She cupped his cheek with her hand and placed a chaste kiss on his lips and she said: "I love you."
"I love you too." He replied as she went back to resting her head against his shoulder.
"And you know, if they don't want to hunt, I'll teach them the names of the trees and the flowers." He said with a big smile on his face.
"I'd like that." Kahlan told him, smiling as well and running her fingers over his perfect chest.
She let out a long sigh when she noticed the first ray of sun hitting the windows on her room.
"The sun is up." She said with sadness in her voice. She knew that it meant that she would have to leave the warmth of his embrace.
"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I mean, just you and I?" He asked.
She nodded and said: "I'd like that."
"Don't get your hope too high, it'll be simple." He told her.
"As long as I am with you, I don't need to get my hope high." She replied.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
"Zedd?" Kahlan asked looking up at Richard.
"No, Cara." He said, getting up and walking to the door.
"Good morning Cara." He said, opening the door.
"Nice pants." The Mord'Sith replied.
"What do you want this morning?" Richard asked, ignoring her comment.
"Just checking on you two and I'm still disappointed." She said, crossing her arms over her chest with a wicked smile.
Richard closed the door on her face and walked back to bed.
"Just do it already!" They heard her say out loud.
Richard and Kahlan both blushed and smiled at each other.
"That's some crazy Mord'Sith." Kahlan said shaking her head.
"Just ignore her, she's jealous." Richard replied with a smile before kissing her on the lips.
"I can understand. You are handsome, charming and you are… mine." She told him before kissing him back.
Richard suddenly grew serious and said: "Kahlan… There… There is something that I need to talk to you about."
Kahlan raised an eyebrow, worries filling her mind and stomach once again.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"I would like you to stay here, in Aydindrill." He quickly said.
"Wh-What? Why? I don't understand." She told him, shaking her head.
"I don't want you to put yourself in danger by coming with my on my quest to defeat the Keeper." He explained.
"You'll be the one in danger if I don't go with you. A Seeker needs his Confessor by his side, I'm not letting you go alone Richard, that's out of question." She told him sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I won't be alone, Zedd and Cara will be with me, protecting me." He said.
"No." She simply replied, averting his gaze.
"Kahlan…" He started but she cut him off.
"I'm not leaving your side!" She exclaimed.
"Just hear me out." He pleaded.
"No." She replied, leaving the bed and walking to her private bathroom. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, first he was asking her to confess Tim and lie to everyone and now he was ordering her to stay in Aydindrill while he will be out risking his live to defeat the Keeper. She was both angry and confused.
Richard sighed and shook his head in defeat. But he had to talk to her and make her understand why he was asking her to stay in Aydindrill, to stay out of harm's way.
He waited until she went out of the bathroom, fully dressed in her white Confessor dress. He got up and made a few steps towards her but she walked past him to the door. He grabbed her arm and she turned rapidly to face him.
"Please Kahlan, don't leave, we need to talk about it." He pleaded as her angry look broke his heart.
"Please." He said again.
"The last time I left your side, Denna tortured you. I almost lost you to her. That's a mistake I won't do again." She said, her angry look turning into sadness.
He closed the gap between them and said: "I know how you feel and I wouldn't have brought the subject if it wasn't so important. Spirits Kahlan, I didn't even want you to come here in the first place but things have changed now."
She sighed and gave up. "I don't know what would be so important that I would leave you."
"Our baby." He simply replied with a proud smile.
"Our baby?" She repeated with a questioning look.
"Come." He said as he took her hand to lead her to the couch. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander on his perfectly build chest and back as she followed him.
Richard didn't let go of her hand as they sat and began to explain: "Now that we can be together, all I think about is making love to you."
She blushed and looked down at their intertwined fingers. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek forcing her to look at him.
"I love you Kahlan and this need to be with you, it's never going away. If you come with me on my quest and get to be with child, it will be too dangerous for the two of you." He explained.
"I'll be careful and when I'll be too heavy to fight, we'll ask Zedd to use magic to protect me." She said.
"No Kahlan, I won't be able to fight if you and our daughter are in danger, even with magic at work, I won't be certain that you're safe. And can you imagine what it would be like to be with child and sleep on hard floors, walk all day long, I'm not even talking about riding a horse, it's far too dangerous. There is also food, it won't be healthy for you or the baby to only eat fruits and cold stew." He told her.
"Then I'll come back to Aydindrill when I'll be a burden to you all." She said.
"It's not about you being a burden, what if you trip on a root and fall, even if you are just two month pregnant, you could hurt or worst lose the baby. I can't let that happen, I won't." He told her, squeezing her hand tighter.
"So what? I'm just supposed to stay here and wait? We don't know how long you'll be gone, Spirits we don't even know if you'll come back at all. How can you ask me to stay here when you are out there with Banelings and who knows what other magical creatures?" She asked as tears pooled in her eyes.
"I'll come back to you my love." He told her.
"You don't know that." She replied.
"I know it because my love for you, our love, it's stronger than anything. I'll defeat the Keeper to make sure that the world is a safe place for our daughters to grow up then I'll come back to you." He tried to reassure her as she began to sob.
"I can't lose you." She said as he wrapped his arms around her and she let her head rest on his chest.
"I can't lose you either. That's why you have to stay here where you'll be protected." He said, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"I don't want to leave you Kahlan, but I want what's best for our family." He added.
She let out a long sigh and asked: "What do we do now?"
"Now, you confess Tim and we create life before I go back to my quest." He replied before placing a kiss on her head. He closed his eyes and sighed, leaving her will be the hardest thing to do.