Chapter Sixteen

"What?" Kahlan said. She had never heard that Richard had been trained. In fact, Cara had said a few things about how he had never been trained.

"I . . . It doesn't matter. I don't really know how to explain this to you." His grey eyes had lost the pain she had seen in them.

"No. You can't just drop that on me and expect me to forget about it, Richard." Kahlan was about to go into to a tirade on how it aggravated her when he did that, but he cut her off.

"Kahlan," He sighed. "You won't believe me if I tell you the truth, and I won't tell you a lie. I just want you to trust me. I promise that I'll explain everything when we get out of this place."

Kahlan wanted to be angry with him. It had been so easy when he had only been Rahl in her mind. Now he was Richard, and even if she tried she could stay mad at him for very long.

"Okay. Lets go see if Cara and that soldier are waiting for us." Richard smiled and Kahlan wanted him to kiss her, but he turned around before she could move in.

When they got to the meeting place they were late and Cara and the Captain were already there. Richard made her slow down and listen to their conversation. Kahlan wanted to protest that it wasn't right to spy on friends, but didn't know if Richard considered Cara a friend.

"Do you think he knows?" Cara asked the Captain.

"Lord Rahl?" He paused for an answer and then went on. "I don't think so. I told him that I had to give you a report. I think he believed me."

"You what? You told, Lord Rahl a lie. Benjamin, do you know what he does to people who tell him lies?"

"No, but – "

"It's one of the things that he'll kill you for on the first offense. He considers it a crime before treason!"

"Calm down. He won't find out. I promise you. Everything will be okay." Benjamin said softly.

Richard looked at Kahlan and whispered, "Now do you know who I'm talking about?" Kahlan nodded and followed Richard into the clearing.

"Cara, Captain Meiffert," Richard said, ignoring that Cara and Benjamin were pulling out of a hug. "Berdine will not be joining us. She was injured by Denna, but she will be okay." Kahlan noticed how Cara tensed up when Richard had said Berdine was injured. She hadn't relaxed since.

"Lord Rahl," Meiffert spoke up, "If Mistress Berdine will not be joining us, I think we should take another person with us. With the Mother Confessor without her power and weaponless, you will not have very much protection."

Kahlan had completely forgotten about the Rada' Han around her neck. She hadn't even thought about having a weapon on this trip, which she still considered a suicide mission. The only person she had ever known to live after visiting the witch woman was Zedd.

"I have thought about that and I have an idea as to how to fix the problem." Richard said. He pulled out two knives that Kahlan thought were beautiful. They looked like knives she would have picked out for her self to fight with.

Richard turned to Kahlan, his eyes penetrating in to her, trying to determine if he was making a mistake. He held the knives out to her. Captain Meiffert sprinted over to them.

"Lord Rahl, I think your making a mistake." Cara was silent, but Richard specifically turned to look at her and not the Captain.

"I trust her with my life." Was his only answer, and then Kahlan was holding the knives and she hadn't felt that good since before being captured by Rahl. She vaguely noticed that Richard was pulling something else out of his pack, because she was staring at the weapons that felt perfect in her hands.

"Kahlan." She heard Richard's voice and looked up at him. He held up what was in his hand and she couldn't have been more surprised.

Looking directly into her eyes holding the key of the Rada' Han in his hand he whispered something she never thought she would hear from the Lord Rahl of D' Hara.

"I love you."