Chapter One
Richard woke naked. He could feel sheets surrounding his body; they were very soft. He didn't like it.
He sat up and looked around. The room was huge. The bed, while being the largest bed Richard had ever seen, didn't take up a fifth of the room. It was made with marble, white marble floors with black marble columns jutting up from the floor. The black wood of the bed contrasted sharply with the crisp, clean white sheets that he was so rudely inhabiting. There were no rugs on the floor. Everything was either black or white. Richard didn't like this either.
He looked over, hoping to see Kahlan when he knew she wouldn't be there. He looked around, seeing a pile of clothes, he got out of the bed and headed over to them. They weren't his, but they fit perfectly. There was a sword next to them, it looked like the Sword of Truth, with its wire wrought hilt, but the words TRUTH were not on the hilt. He pulled the sword free of the scabbard.
There was no distinctive metal ring, and no magic to rush into him. Richard was angry, but it wasn't from the magic that he so desperately wanted to feel. He slid the sword back into its scabbard.
The white marble floors were cold on his feet. Richard pulled on the black shirt, followed by the black pants. There wasn't anything else to put on, except the sword. He strapped it to his belt. There was no baldric to pull over his head. Richard didn't like it.
There were only two doors in the huge bedroom. One of them, the one Richard felt was the better choice, was locked. He couldn't find the key. He hoped that he wasn't locked in the room.
The other door, which was black, was carved. There were snakes running down the side, and other carnivorous beasts all along it. The handles were skulls. Richard didn't like this door, but it opened. Then Richard knew where he was; through the door was a beautiful garden. In the center, on a pedestal were the three boxes of Orden. Their jewels sparkled at him as a reminder. Richard was in the Peoples Palace.
Richard was in Darken Rahl's bedroom.
His hand went to the unfamiliar sword. He was disturbed by the lack of the word TRUTH that should have been there to greet his hand. No one was in the garden, though. Richard didn't know what he would have done if there had been someone. He was the Lord Rahl after all, but he was unsure of what was going on.
He strode across the garden, and saw that the Boxes of Orden looked securely located on the pedestal. He didn't know how they had gotten there. He didn't remember this huge garden. Jennsen had told him the boxes were kept in a room. Denna had told her where to find them. Right after he had killed their mother. The anger he felt made Richard remember the time he had spent with Denna when Darken Rahl was still in power.
He came to a door that was familiar looking, and opened it. There were four guards outside the door that immediately snapped to attention, as the door was pulled open. Their eyes were looking up over his head, and their faces were stone looking. Richard walked past them, even though he didn't know where he was going.
He decided to find Cara. He knew where the Mord – Sith quarters were and thought that Cara was his best chance at not getting lost in the huge palace. He hoped that Kahlan was at the palace, but had had other things to do. He already missed her, even from the short time they had been separated.
Richard was about to turn down the corridor to the Mord – Sith chambers, when he saw her. Even from a distance of 100 feet, Richard could see her eyes go wide, but only for a second, then the Confessor face had been brought into place. He started to walk towards her, correcting his path.
She turned away from him.
He knew that she had seen him. Why had she turned away from him then? Kahlan was heading for the closest hallway. Something was wrong. Richard didn't like it.
"Kahlan!" He called down the hall. She didn't turn around. "Kahlan!" he tried again. This time a few guards noticed, but Kahlan did not. "Kahlan, stop!" He bellowed in his loudest voice. He saw her falter in her step. She had obviously heard him all three times but was ignoring him.
The guards sprang into action. They quickly surrounded her, and drew their weapons. Richard charged down the hall.
There weren't many people in the hall, except the guards who rushed to move from his way as he sprinted. He could see the tension in the ring of soldiers. One of them was obviously talking to Kahlan, but he could not hear what they were saying to her. He thought that the soldiers would know by now not to attack Kahlan. At least they hadn't hurt her yet. He slowed down when he got close enough to hear what was being said.
"What have you done this time?" The guard's tone was low and tense; Richard was surprised he hadn't used profanity by his tone.
Kahlan's hands were balled into fists. She was obviously restraining herself, but Richard could tell that she wasn't willing to fight all of them. She didn't reply to his question. Then the guard made a move to hit her. Richard knew that he wasn't going to hurt her badly, his hand was open, and Kahlan had been through much worse than a slap, but this was his soldier, and Kahlan was his wife.
He charged through the ring of steel and jumped in front of the soldier. Richard caught the man's hand in midair as it made its way towards Kahlan's face. Richard's fingers contracted around the hand, causing the man to grimace a little.
"Leave." Richard commanded in a quiet deadly serious tone. The man's arm moved to his heart when Richard let go of it and he bowed. The guard then turned on his heel and walked away as swiftly as possible.
Richard couldn't see Kahlan's face, but the other guards looked surprised by his actions. "All of you." Richard redirected his command to all of the soldiers when the immediate threat was gone. All of the soldiers left in the same swift, curt manner as the leader.
Richard stood still for a moment watching them leave, trying to fit together the pieces of what he had seen so far, when he heard some thing that made his heart almost break.
"Lord Rahl, thank you for your kindness." Kahlan's submissive whisper sounded like the time Hally had tried to apologize for telling him she would not go to his bed. He didn't understand why Kahlan would sound so beaten and broken.
The worst part was that she had called him Lord Rahl.
Richard didn't like it.
Richard finally turned around to face her, stunned by what he saw. She was in her white Mother Confessor dress, but it looked ragged, dirty, and it was torn. Her face was bruised; She had a black eye, a few yellow patches on her jaw, and two cuts, one on her left cheek, and another over her right eye. Richard knew that she had been through much worse than that soldier slapping her.
There was a Rada-Han around her neck.
"Kahlan, are you alright?" His voice sounded like he was about to cry. Kahlan looked up in disbelief, but when she saw his eyes watching her gaze, her head fell back to the subservient bow.
"Of course Lord Rahl, I deserve everything I – " She flinched when she saw Richard's hand moving towards her face. He could not believe she thought he would hit her. Richard also knew she did not believe what she was saying.
He cupped her non-bruised jaw in his hand and gently brought her gaze to his. "Kahlan, who did this to you?" His question was forceful, but still gentle.
Her gaze turned to disgust after his question though. Her hands had been curled back up into fists; she was restraining herself.
"You did, Lord Rahl." He heard the poison in her voice, it hit him hard, and he didn't think that his heart had survived her poisonous retort. He had offended her somehow, but she had just claimed that he hit her. He knew he never had.
Richard stared into her eyes for a few moments. He watched her eyes burn with rage and then extinguish into thoughts of pain to come. Pain she thought he was going to inflict. He didn't know what to say.
"I see." Kahlan's face turned into the Confessors mask. "Do you know where Cara is?" Kahlan's mask faltered for an instant, but long enough for him to see what she feared he would do. He was still surprised that she would ever even consider him harming them.
"No, I do not know where Mistress Cara is." Kahlan was lying, but Richard didn't care at this point. He hoped that Cara would help him more.
Richard walked away, towards the Mord – Sith quarters. He turned around as he heard Kahlan shuffle off. "Kahlan." She stopped automatically, "Call me Richard." He had spoken softly, but it was an obvious command.
"As you wish, Richard."