I don't know what to think about this story anymore...

"Zedd!" The Mother Confessor exclaimed as she walked past the tall and old Wizard.

"It's good to see you finally up and about." She exclaimed with a smile.

"Thank you my dear." The old man replied.

"I'm glad Richard finally found a cure." She said.

Richard. She hadn't seen him for the past week, after their last encounter on the balcony. She couldn't blame him for not trying to see her after what she told him but deep in her heart, she hoped that he would try, that he would fight for her. What a fool she was, pushing away the man she loved and hoping for him to fight back for their love.

"Me too, me too." Zedd replied absentmindedly before starting to walk away.

"Zedd, wait!" Kahlan stopped him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes my dear, of course everything is alright." He replied before adding: "I must leave you know, I have some important work to do."

Kahlan nodded and watch him go. Something was totally off with him. At first she thought it was because he was still shaken up from what happened to him, but he lied to her when she asked if everything was alright. A Wizard of the first order should know better than to lie to a Confessor though.

She looked for Sylvia in the Palace until she found her. The maid knew everything going on, she would probably know what was wrong with Zedd.

"Ha! Sylvia." Kahlan exclaimed.

"Mother Confessor." Sylvia replied before bowing in front of Kahlan.

"Have you seen Zedd lately?" She asked casually.

"Yes, he's feeling much better now." The maid replied.

"I just saw him and he was looking rather annoyed or worried. Do you know anything about that?" Kahlan asked.

"No." She replied quickly. "Yes… No…" She said with a sigh, knowing that she couldn't lie to the Mother Confessor or to any Confessor as a matter of fact.

Kahlan crossed her arms and stood silent with a stern look on her face until Sylvia finally gave up.

"Something happened, I don't know what it is. All I can say is that ever since Zedd was healed, Cara is not allowing anyone inside the room." The maid said with a sigh.

"I haven't seen Lord Rahl since last week." Sylvia added, knowing the question Kahlan wouldn't dare to ask but was dying to know the answer.

"I'll find Cara and ask her what is going on." Kahlan stated before leaving.

It was all too weird. Something inside of her told her that Richard was in danger. The worried expression on Zedd's face, Sylvia telling her that he hadn't been seen in a week, Cara guarding the door… Something was wrong and she was determined to find out what it was.

Coming to a stop when she spotted Cara standing with her back against the door, Kahlan was about to speak when the Mord'Sith interrupted her: "You know I'm not letting you in, don't you?"

"I'm not in the mood Cara. What's going on?" The Mother Confessor asked.

"Nothing is going on, Lord Rahl only wants to be left alone." Cara replied, pushing herself off the door.

"You're lying." Kahlan said sternly.

"How would you know, you can't read Mord'Sith." Cara snorted.

"Cara…" Kahlan sighed as she rubbed her hand over her forehead. "If something is wrong with Richard, I have the right to know."

"Lord Rahl only wants to rest." The blonde replied.

When Kahlan reached for the handle, Cara stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Kahlan." She warned, letting go of her friend's hand.

"I want to see him." She said with determination.

"He doesn't want you to see him." Cara explained. "You can't see him Kahlan."

"Is he with another woman?" Kahlan asked.

"Oh come on Kahlan, you know he's not! And why would you care? You told him that you would take Tim to your bed after all." Cara told her.

Reaching again for the handle of the door, her hand was blocked again by Cara.

"I mean it Kahlan, he doesn't want you to see him, not like this." Cara said, sadness and pain flashing in her eyes for an instant.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan asked, looking intently in the Mord'Sith eyes.

"He's bad Kahlan. He tried to heal Zedd but he couldn't find a cure, so he decided to use a reversing spell and took back to poison into his body. The problem is that his magic is not strong enough to fight like Zedd could… I'm not sure he'll make it through the night if Zedd doesn't come back with something to help him." Cara explained as tears pooled in her eyes.

Taken aback by Cara's explanation, Kahlan tried to process everything her friend just told her.

"He's dying?" She asked, putting her hand for support against the wall.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry." Cara said as she looked down, she had failed to protect her Lord Rahl.

When Kahlan reached for the handle for the third time, Cara offered no resistance and let her in. No matter what was going on or Richard's order not to let Kahlan in, she knew they both needed each other even if her mind didn't seem to understand why.

"Kahlan." The Mord'Sith slowly called. "I won't be able to give him the breath of life with the poison in his system."

The Mother Confessor nodded sadly and slowly closed the door behind her. She made her way to the bed where Richard was lying, emotionless. Tears pooled in her eyes at the view of his body. All over him, his skin was red and black, like it has been burnt but at the same time it seemed smooth and shiny, almost like porcelain. Only his head and neck remained unarmed by the poison so far. She sat on the chair next to him and took his hand in hers, she could watch his shirtless chest slowly rising at the rhythm of his slow breathing. His skin was so cold that it made her shiver. She closed her eyes, sending a prayer to the Good Spirits to keep him safe.

"You shouldn't be here." He whispered.

"I know." She told him, keeping her eyes closed.

"I don't want you to see me like this." He said, trying to breathe through the pain.

"You're going to be alright." She told him before sitting on the bed closer to him.

He slowly shook his head no and with a sad smile he said: "I can't feel my legs and the rest of my body feels heavy like stone."

"Zedd will be back with a cure." She tried to reassure him.

"We both know this is no cure Kahlan." He said, swallowing hard.

"You are not going to die Richard." She stated firmly.

"It's alright Kahlan. We know Seekers don't live that long. Remember I used to think that I would die while defeating Darken Rahl. The Rahl family has history in dying young." He said, trying to ease the tension with some humor but failing miserably.

"Besides I don't want to grow old and alone in the People's Palace." He quickly added before she had the chance to talk. He tried to speak again but the pain stopped him. It was hard for him to breath but he tried to hide his pain for her. If he was to die, he wanted her to remember that he was brave.

The room was silent for a while, Richard didn't know if it was his imagination but he felt tingles in the hand Kahlan was holding. His body was turning into stone, he wasn't supposed to feel anything. Maybe it was just his imagination, but his hand felt warmer with hers on it.

"I need to ask you something." He softly said after a while.

"Anything." She replied.

"I want to be buried with my father and my brother in Hartland." He explained.

"You are not going to die." She repeated.

"I am Kahlan." He said before closing his eyes.

"Look at me." She ordered gently. She waited until he obliged and continued: "You are not going to die because our daughter needs you."

Richard smiled at her and said: "No, she has you and Sylvia and Tim and she'll have Zedd and Cara. She will be fine and you will be too."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath and continued: "You raised her alone and she's a wonderful little girl, the love and bond you both share is incredible and beautiful. You will be just fine without me."

She took a huge breath to give her strength as tears rolled down her cheeks and said: "Richard I… I lo—"

"Don't say it." He interrupted. "Don't say it because I'm dying... Don't say it to make me feel better or give me some kind of relief or closure."

She looked down and blinked more tears, he was right. If she wanted to tell him that she still loved him, she should have done it sooner, not now when he was so close to leave her forever. It would be unfair to him. She tightened her hold on his hand and felt him squeeze hers in return. When she looked down at it, she realized it was back to its normal skin color.

"Richard… your… your hand!" She exclaimed.

"It takes longer for the poison to turn the extremities of the body into stone." He explained.

The poison was now slowly covering half of his neck, placing red and black burn marks in its wake. His whole body started to tremble and Kahlan gasped.

"It's okay… I'm… I'm okay." He said, between clenched teeth. It was harder and harder for him to breath. He was feeling like his chest was struck under a rock and the pain was unbearable, he was silently praying to pass out. He was trying to stay in control, like Denna had taught him to, he had to, for Kahlan but it was more and more difficult.

Several minutes passed as he tried to control his breathing as Kahlan cried silently, powerless as the poison was slowly killing the man she loved.

"Cassie…" He whispered.

"Do you want to see her?" Kahlan asked.

"No… not like this… I… I wish I had more time with… her." He said as tears rolled down his cheeks.

His body finally relaxed and stopped shaking and he smiled at her.

"I love you Kahlan Amnell." He told her before closing his eyes.

"No…" Kahlan whispered, the cries that had been so far silent turned into uncontrollable sobs. He was gone.

"Richard!" She called out as she shook his arm. "Don't do this."

She pushed herself closer to him, her head resting on his chest as tears streamed down her face and wetted his abdomen. Pressing her ear above his heart, she hoped to hear his heartbeat, the one that had comforted her so many times. Nothing.

"Richard please…" She pleaded. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She repeated.

Feeling the need to be closer to him, she straddled his lap and buried her face in the crock of his neck. "Don't leave me again please." She whispered as she sobbed even more.

"I need you with me… please..." She said as one of her hand ran through his hair.

For a very brief moment she thought she could die with him, she had her daggers with her, it would be easy but thinking about her daughter quickly erased everything. So many times in the past she had wanted to take her own life but every time she found the strength to keep on living in her daughter's eyes. How could Richard do that to her? Leaving her alone again to raise their daughter on her own? How could he die on her just like that? She needed him, she needed him more than air to breath. He didn't even fight, he was willing to die. She felt anger rising inside of her, she pulled off him and slammed her fists against his chest.

"Come back to me." She ordered as she kept on hitting him.

Before she knew it, the Con'Dar took over her and her eyes turned black. She sat up and threw her head backwards letting out a scream full of pain and anguish.

"I said, come back to me." She said again, gripping his throat and releasing her power on him and at the same moment, Cara rushed inside the room.