Richard had been overjoyed with the news of Kahlan's pregnancy, never leaving her side to the point where she had to tell him that he was causing her to stress. He tried to make himself busy with other tasks, but his mind always came back to her, to the second chance they now had to become a family. He was not about to let anything or anyone touch her.
Although he knew it would upset Kahlan, he had arranged for a quad to skirt her every move - from a distance. He didn't want her to be put in harm's way, and despite how much she would argue with him, he wasn't going to waver his stance. These men would willingly die to protect her as, and they wouldn't strike against her if she were to kill them. Richard had a ready supply of men that were available for the task.
The men were strong and sturdy, the best of their individual units. They were all eager to serve the Lord Rahl, and even more honored that he would trust them to protect the mother of his child. Richard didn't like putting young men's lives on the line, but Kahlan was his priority. If she happened to kill a few of the men, he would just replace them.
Richard took the time to learn as much about each of the quad members as he could. Mark was a man with much the same build as Richard. His commander had told Richard that Mark was as kind and loyal as he would be able to find. Julian was taller than Richard and had a more muscular build, a beard growing on his chin. The commander confided that Julian was the only man who would not take a turn with the prostitutes, stating that he was loyal to his wife and wouldn't betray her in such a way. Timothy was shorter than Richard, but lean. His commander stated that Timothy was the first to put himself in front of a blade to save a comrade. Kenneth was the smallest of the group, both in size and muscle. Kenneth's commander had stated he held a great respect for women and loved children, always becoming disgusted when a woman or child was killed - especially when a woman with child was killed.
The four all had blonde hair and blue eyes, the D'Haran bloodline obviously present.
Even after Richard had warned him of their possible fate at the Mother Confessor's hands, the four were still very eager to protect her. Richard thanked them all and told them where Kahlan would be, watching as the four men bounded off to protect her.
When Kahlan came into their room later that night, Richard expected a fight. He was surprised when Kahlan was standing in front of the closed door, her eyes glassy and her face seemingly terrified.
"I almost killed them." Her voice was soft and slightly shaky.
"They are there to protect you, Kahlan." Richard approached her slowly. His heart sank when her fierce blue eyes met his, rage surfacing in them.
"I can't believe you did that."
"I just want to protect you, Kahlan. Protect our baby."
"Quads hunted me, Richard!" She yelled, her hands in fists at her sides, her face heating with anger. Richard took a step back, unaware of how to react.
He realized he may have just made a monumental mistake. When she looked into his eyes again, he knew that he had. How could he be so foolish as to have a quad follow her? How could the fact that quads once hunted Confessors escape his mind?
"Darken Rahl sent quads out to hunt me. They killed and mangled every Confessor they could find. Do you know how many quads I had to kill, Richard? I was hunted for years! And now you want to have one of them follow me? Wearing the same uniforms they did when the tracked my every move? Those same eyes? I can't-"
"Kahlan, I'm so sorry, I didn't think." Richard was near tears, Kahlan's eyes already trickling moisture out at a steady rate. She started shaking her head.
"Do not apologize to me, Lord Rahl." Richard's heart sunk. He now realized he was being compared to Darken Rahl, and the two were on the same playing field. "Those men hunted me. They killed anyone they could to try and capture me, as per Rahl's orders. Not all of the men sent were Darken's prized soldiers, some were lowly scum. There were a few occasions where I was only able to confess a man when he was on top of me, trying to force his way into my skirts." Kahlan looked to the side, wiping her hands at her face furiously. Richard sighed in defeat. He knew how much this had to be hurting her, having all the old memories resurface. His next words surprised him.
"I'm not removing the quad, Kahlan." His voice was harsher than he wanted it to be.
"I can't believe this." She was choking back sobs and Richard's heart was breaking.
"That was Darken Rahl, not me. These men are here to protect you, to make sure that you and the baby are safe."
"Richard-"
"Only when I'm not there to protect you myself."
"That doesn't matter, Richard! What matters is that these men that hunted me are following me!"
"I'm not wavering on this, Kahlan." He shook his head, attempting to approach her. She pushed her back further against the door, her face distorting as she blinked away her tears.
"I can't believe you, Richard. You claim you love me and then you don't even care about how much this is affecting me!"
Before Richard really comprehended what he was doing, he closed the distance, grabbing Kahlan's wrists and slamming them on the door behind her. She let out a tiny shriek.
"Don't question my love for you, Kahlan. I realize this hurts you, and it hurts me to hurt you. However, I will not lose another child because of some sneak attack. The quad will only be used when I'm not able to be near you, when I can't protect you myself. I love you more than life itself, and because of that, I'm willing to hurt you if it will protect you and our child." She tried to pull her wrists away but his grip was too tight. His eyes were fixated upon her, making her nervous and causing her to divert her gaze. She choked back a sob.
"I may not understand much about the concept, Richard Rahl, but I do know that you don't hurt the ones you love." Her tone was bitter, calling him by his title rather than his birth name. It made him cringe and his grip on her wrists became even tighter, causing her to yelp slightly. Her gaze changed from scared and upset to anger. "Get your hands off of me, Richard."
"What are you going to do, Kahlan? You can't confess me. You may be strong, but you can't escape from my grip. I'm the only man you can't control through your magic, and yet you still control every move I make. I'm not faltering. I will protect you, regardless if you want me to or not. There are countless men in the D'Haran army, and each one you kill or confess, I'll just replace with another." Her eyes narrowed at him as he pressed his body closer, preventing her legs from kicking. "I love you, Kahlan Amnell. You may not see that now, but it's the truth. And if you hate me for this, then so be it." He let go of her wrists and took a step back, letting her sag against the wooden door.
Kahlan rubbed her wrists, Richard already seeing the bruising forming. He grimaced at the fact he had laid his hands on her, but physical contact was one of the only things Kahlan really responded to. She glared up at him as she let her arms dangle at her sides.
"I hope it's worth it, Rahl." She turned to open the door, but Richard grabbed her arm and spun her around, slamming her back into the wooden structure.
"Do not compare me to him." He snarled.
"You are certainly acting like him." Kahlan retorted, her voice bitter.
"No, the key difference is I love you, and am doing this to protect you - not kill you." Kahlan's face became heated with rage at his words.
"Don't you dare say you love me, Richard! Not if-"
Richard slammed his lips hard on hers, relaxing his grip on her arm and wrapping it around her waist, pulling her tight against him. She fought to escape him, but eventually she succumbed, battling with tongue and teeth for dominance.
Kahlan had switched into her Confessor's dress the morning after she announced she was pregnant and Richard was thankful. He tugged on the ties forcefully, almost ripping the dress. Her nails were biting into his neck as his hands batted hers away, keeping them down long enough to strip her of the dress. He brought her back into his embrace, which was now becoming more gentle. He encircled an arm around her waist and led her to the bed.