Chapter 3

A few hours later, when the sun was already setting, the group came to a cliff, which was rising steeply to their right. A huge overhang with fallen stones at the left and right side created something that looked almost like a cave.

'This looks like a good shelter for tonight.' Zedd said. Richard agreed: 'If we stop here now, we can start earlier tomorrow. Kahlan, Rachel and I will search the area. We can collect some firewood, too.' Despite Cara rolling her eyes, the three went off immediately, leaving Zedd and the Mord'Sith alone.

XXX

Richard, Kahlan and Rachel hadn't gone very far when they found themselves looking upon a small, but beautiful lake, which had been quite shielded from view by some huge ferns. Rachel couldn't take her eyes off the water glistening in a dark blue. 'I would love to take a bath' she said, remembering she hadn't been able to take one since the day she had run from her home… the day her father died.

The memories brought back the pain she had felt and Rachel was lost in her thoughts when Kahlan's voice brought her back to reality: 'Why don't you go in first while we head back to camp to fetch some towels? I could bring you a fresh dress I have in my pack, too.' Rachel answered a little distracted: 'Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.' Only when she had finished her sentence Rachel realized that Kahlan and Richard had already left, apparently not wanting to give her the chance to protest against the Confessor lending her a dress. She couldn't help but smile a little.

She was so happy to be able to take a bath after three days that Rachel jumped right into the lake barefooted, but still wearing her dress. She dived a few times, then got out of the water and took off her now soaked green dress, only to get back into the lake and let herself float just under the surface of the cool water.

After another few minutes she turned around and swam back to where she had entered the lake. As Rachel approached the stony shore she found a towel lying a few paces away next to a gorgeous dress made of royal blue fabric. Rachel, after drying her body and hair, put on the dress. The fabric felt light on her skin, but it still kept her warm despite the low temperature of the lake she had just left. Rachel put on the light grey leather belt and her brown boots to head back towards their camp.

A few steps away, behind the line of ferns, she found Kahlan sitting next to Richard with her back against a tree trunk. The Confessor had been sharpening her dagger when she heard Rachel's footsteps. She looked up and smiled at her: 'I knew it would look better on you than on me.' Rachel blushed.

Richard, who had apparently not wanted to look at Rachel at first, couldn't help but lift his eyes at Kahlan's comment. Rachel really looked adorable, her blue eyes and blonde hair were being emphasized by the dark blue of the dress which fitted her perfectly. And suddenly, when Rachel looked at him, she saw something in Richard's eyes that made her turn around to hide the fact of her cheeks becoming even redder. Without another word she hurried back to camp.

Rachel had seen something in his eyes that had only appeared when Richard watched Kahlan… until now. His eyes had always reflected how much he loved Kahlan, and now he had looked at Rachel in the same way, even though it was just for a second. Rachel wasn't even sure if Richard himself had realized it, but seeing this look in his eyes brought Cara's words back into Rachel's mind. Was it her fault the Seeker looked at her like that? Just because of one short glance Rachel had given him? Now she remembered the warmth that had filled her body when Richard had held her in his arms. He couldn't have felt the same way, when his love for Kahlan was so strong. But something inside Rachel reminded her that he had always returned her looks. Deeply confused she only slowed her pace when the camp came in sight.

XXX

'She is such a nice girl' Kahlan said, pity in her voice, while watching Rachel walk away. 'I hope she is alright. You know, I am a little worried about her… look at everything she's been through. And all because of us…' Her voice broke and a single tear ran down Kahlan's cheek, but Richard wiped it away gently with his thumb: 'Kahlan, I know how you feel, but it's not your fault. Rachel risked her life and went through all of this because of me.' Richard left it unspoken, but looking in his eyes Kahlan saw that he felt guilty. She kissed him gently and forced herself to smile, trying to take away his sorrow for a short moment.

'I only hope we can help her. It's the least we can do.' Richard said. He got up and took Kahlan's hand to help her up, too. 'You take your bath and I will go back to camp and tell Cara she can come next.' With that, Richard left.

After all of them had finished bathing the group sat around the small fire while eating some bread and a bit of roasted meat.

Zedd agreed to take the first watch, claiming that he would rather stay up longer than being woken in the middle of the night. Actually, he wanted some time for himself to think about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, including the glances he had seen Rachel and Richard exchange. He had to find answers to so many questions, too: How the Banelings had come by this old poison and why they had been chasing a single woman. If Rachel was correct, they had chased her for more than two days, in a forest, where there were no people they could kill to stay alive. That meant the Keeper had given them the time they needed to catch Rachel, but it left the question why he had done it. Why was this woman so important?

'Zedd, wake me up in a few hours. I'll take the next watch.' Richard said before getting into his bedroll. Zedd, called out of his thoughts by his voice, only nodded.

XXX

It was just before midnight when Rachel woke with a start, gasping and sweating. She had had a nightmare about her father's death again. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She looked up and saw Richard sitting a few paces away with his back to her. It was still his watch. Rachel relaxed a little and tried to tell herself everything was alright, but after not being able to get back to sleep for a long while she got up and grabbed a spare blanket.

She walked over to Richard, wrapping the blanket around her. When he heard her, Richard turned his head and gave her a worried and questioning look. Before he could ask however, Rachel said: 'It's alright, don't worry. I just can't sleep. Do you mind if I sit here for a while?' 'Of course not' Richard tried to smile at her.

Rachel nodded thankfully and sat next to him. Richard didn't believe that she was alright, but he didn't want to press Rachel to talk about it if she didn't want to.

Instead, he looked at her from the side, trying to figure out what was wrong. The soft moonlight made her look a little pale, but her face was still beautiful. As Richard saw a single tear running down her face, he felt the strong desire to comfort her, to touch her beautiful skin. He gently wiped the tear away, and when Rachel finally looked into his face he felt guilty and sad at the same time.

'Rachel, I can't undo all the terrible things that happened to you and your family, but from now on I … I mean, we will protect you' he whispered. Rachel suddenly realized his hand was still resting on her face, but it felt too good to pull it away, so she leaned her head against his chest, just enjoying the comfort it gave her. Richard smiled when he felt Rachel's breath becoming slower after some time. He sat still for a while and, when he was sure she was fast asleep, carried her back to her bedroll, careful not to make any sound that could wake Rachel.

After tucking her under the blanket, Richard woke Cara before making his way to his own bedroll.

Richard lay awake for many hours, images of Rachel's soft features when she had fallen asleep with her head against his chest flooding his mind until he fell asleep.

A/N:

Hey guys,

I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story. When I started to write it I didn't think anyone would read it, so I am quite overwhelmed about the (almost ;D) 200 views it already got.

If you ever find the time to type a review, no matter how short, I would be very grateful :) I would love to hear what you think and to find out where I can improve the story.

Thanks again )

Alex