Over the next two weeks Kahlan and Richard had fallen into a routine. Kahlan's time was mostly spent handling matters as the Mother Confessor while Richard spent more and more time with Zedd, hoping to learn something of the magic he now possessed.

Richard hadn't learned anything.

The whole concept of him having magic eluded him, and his mind automatically shut down whenever Zedd would try to teach him. Richard loved learning, but he hated this. Other than saving Kahlan, Richard felt the magic was a burden, not the gift that Zedd described it to be. His grandfather would often get frustrated with him and send him away, generally with some joke about making great grand children. He knew that the old man was trying to cheer him up, but it only depressed Richard more. The thought of having another child when the first had died before living made Richard feel guilty - as if having another would disrespect the original's memory.

Although Kahlan's days were spent ruling the Midlands, her demeanor never faltered. She acted much the same as the first day Richard had met her, and it often built up his resentment towards her. He couldn't comprehend why she wasn't touched by the event in any way. The whole reason they met was for her to make a union between D'Hara and the Midlands in the form of a child. She should be upset. When she would notice Richard in one of his down moods, she would place a gentle hand on his skin and offer a sad smile, always letting him know that one day they will have another.

He hated her for that as well.

Richard would cringe when thoughts of hatred towards her crept into his mind, but he couldn't help it. He knew he didn't actually hate her, but he hated her behavior at times. All the things he adored about Kahlan, her independence, her strength, her demeanor, were all things that made him enraged each time he saw her.

On the nights they had alone, when Richard wasn't too exhausted, they would retire to the bed together. The spark they had in the beginning was gone, and Richard knew it was because of him, not her. She was insatiable, always enthused about the physical contact. Richard's body would comply, but his mind was elsewhere. He didn't know if it was because of his depression or his new found feelings for her that made love making seem like a task instead of a pleasure. He knew Kahlan noticed the difference, but she never said anything to him.

Their days were filled with meaningless conversation, small talk. Kahlan was just as playful as ever, but Richard never let her bait him anymore, always nodding when she tried to banter with him or walking out of the room when she entered.

Richard could feel Kahlan's resentment towards him growing.

He knew it wasn't her fault they had lost the child, and knew her reasoning was sound - they could always have another. Richard was upset over one thing, and one thing alone. She just didn't seem to care. About anything. Kahlan shrugged things off that he viewed serious and ignored emotions he was certain she should have.

Richard was sitting on the edge of the bed when Kahlan sauntered in, and Richard was immediately aware of her mischievous mood. He knew his love for her hadn't faltered, or else he would be confessed. That was the only thing he took solace in. Richard appreciated how she tried to bring him back to his former self, but the nagging in the back of his head wouldn't stop. Before she could position herself in front of him, he spoke.

"Why don't you care?" His head was hung low, his hands resting on his knees. He didn't bother to look up at her, but he knew her well enough to know that her eyebrows were furrowing in question.

"Care about what?"

"Everything." His voice was deep and raspy, trying to speak past the lump in his throat. He knew he wouldn't like the answer, but he had to know why Kahlan was such an emotionless shell.

In response, she placed her fingers under his chin, forcing him to look up at her.

"Elaborate." Her word was sharp, slightly laced with venom. This was a dangerous subject to tread on, and Richard knew the risk of Kahlan's bite. The threat of confession wasn't there, but Richard knew this woman could make his life horrendous in a blink of an eye. Her blue eyes were harsh and cold, seeing through Richard.

"Our child." He had to swallow past the lump in his throat. If they were to talk about this at an earlier time, tears would have freely fallen from his eyes. Now, however, the topic was a dull pain in his chest, coursing through his veins.

She retracted her hand from under his chin and stood with her back erect. It seemed as though she was towering over him, her arms crossed beneath her breasts as her eyes narrowed.

"I thought we were over this, Richard."

"I'll never be over this, Mother Confessor." His words were harsh and sharp, the title at the end receiving more of his anger than the rest of the sentence. She didn't care because she was the Mother Confessor, that was the source of his fury. Instead of the depression that regularly took over him, he was now fuming with rage. He could see she was as well.

"You are incredibly ignorant." She turned to walk away, the heels of her boots making hard contact with the marble. He jumped from his seat, grabbing her arm and twisting her around with force. He grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her, the two glaring into each other.

"How am I ignorant? Because I care?" His voice held the same amount of venom as hers, but he realized this was still going to be a losing battle. Richard knew she had been holding something back, some reasoning behind her actions. That would be the nail in his coffin.

"No, because you expect me to." Rage was dancing in her eyes, her body stiffening under his touch. His hands gripped her shoulders, his fingers digging into her flesh. The contact held Kahlan in her place, but Richard knew it wasn't a real defense. If she didn't want to have this conversation, she could very easily break his hand and walk out of the room.

Richard didn't have a response. Instead, his nails dug into her flesh even more, eyes narrowing at her. Her blue orbs did the same as her hands reached up and grabbed his wrists, flinging his limbs off of her in an instant. She didn't move.

"Richard Cypher, I am the Mother Confessor-"

"Do you think I don't know that!"

"Do not cut me off!" Kahlan's hands were in fists, her face heating. He had never seen her so angry before, and he quickly realized he was falling over the very thin line that kept them, or more precisely her, from killing one another. He felt his whole argument falter and he started to sway on his feet before she spoke again.

"I am the Mother Confessor. I was not taught to care about what happens to me. It is unheard of for a Confessor to be with a man she actually cares for, a man who has loved her enough to break past the barrier of her magic. I was not taught for that possibility either. I adjusted. However, the minute I start caring about what happens to myself, the Midlands will fall. I invest all my emotions into my people. It is selfish of me to care for myself and it will ultimately be the downfall of my land if I do. Yes, we lost our baby. Yes, it is a sad situation. But no, I will not dwell on it when we can just have another. This was not a once in a lifetime opportunity, nothing real substantial has been lost. When I divert my attentions away from the Midlands and onto myself, important matters won't be settled because I will be too busy enveloped in my own cloud of emotions. Kingdoms have fallen for less. I invest myself in the Midlands, Richard."

"Invest your emotions in me!" He bellowed, his hands mirroring Kahlan's, his fingers biting into his skin. His vision was in a haze, his mind trying to comprehend all she had said. This was the hidden argument, the final word to the situation. She was right. She hadn't been taught to care about herself, she had been taught to sacrifice herself. She has the entire Midlands to rule over, if her attention was submerged in her own emotions for even a second, a full blown war could occur. Still, he wanted so badly to know that she cared, even slightly.

Her stiffened composure relaxed slightly, her eyes portraying a different emotion than before.

"If I invest my emotions in you, Lord Rahl, then the Midlands will most certainly fall." Her voice was now calm, her body shedding all the anger and hatred she had been fueling off of. Richard blinked a few times, relaxing his hands and lifting them to rub at his temples. He took note of how she said his title. Bitterness.

"What do you mean?" Those were the only words he managed to muster, his head swimming in a sea of thoughts - all turned against what he so desperately wanted.

"You are weaved into my emotions, Richard. Despite what you may think, I have already let many walls fall for you to be able to be this close to me. Since I met you, more emotions have been surfacing, and it disgusts me that a single man can break down a lifetime of training in only a few months. If I fully invest my emotions in you and what you feel, then I will be nothing more than a simple woman - not the leader of the Midlands." Richard's heart broke for her. She would never know the simple pleasures of just being a woman. Sure, he was able to make love to her without being confessed, but she was emotionally cut off from everything that was not of a help to her people, to the Midlands. He now understood why she always kept herself at arms length, why she wouldn't admit, or couldn't feel, love for him. Why the loss of a single unborn child didn't shake her to the core.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, his head hanging low, his arms at his sides in defeat.

"Don't be." Her voice was soft and Richard lifted his head to meet her eyes, which seemed to be shining. "You're a rare person, Richard Cypher. You have made the Mother Confessor feel things that have never before been felt by a Confessor. All Confessor's have known is loneliness. Since I met you, I have felt nothing of the sort." Richard smiled at her, nodding slightly. He felt horrible for resurfacing all these suppressed feelings from her, but it was something he needed to know.

"Now," her voice tore him from his thoughts. "I will not have you depressed about this lost child incident any longer. The more you dwell on it, the more my heart threatens to break for you, in turn, threatening my stance towards the Midlands." He nodded at her as she took a step forward.

"To get your mind off of this, we will make another child." He looked at her, suddenly feeling that making love to this woman was no longer a chore, but a privilege. He nodded as she reached her right hand up to wrap it around his pendent. The next words that spilled from her mouth made a shiver run up his spine.

"Then it's settled." She purred as she closed the distance between the two.