Chapter Thirty

Kahlan and Benjamin were sitting by the fire cooking when Cara and Richard returned. Benjamin immediately stood up when they approached. "Cara." He said. "We made some food. I thought you might be hungry."

Cara gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She walked over to him, and Kahlan went to Richard.

"Is she going to be all right?" Kahlan asked Richard.

"Yes. I think she's forgiven me." Richard replied while looking at Cara and Benjamin who where talking.

"Richard, how did you know she had a son?"

"Where I came from, you, Cara, Zedd, and I travel around trying to save people. While we were trying to close some rifts to the Underworld – "

"What?" Kahlan asked, surprised. "You were closing rifts to the Underworld."

"Yes. It isn't that big of a deal, we fixed it and everything's all right." Kahlan still looked surprised. "Anyway, Darken Rahl had come back from the dead, and – "

"What!" Kahlan asked again, and this time Cara and Benjamin looked over.

"Kahlan, I'm never going to answer your question if you keep interrupting me like that. There are some things that I need to tell you about my world, but right now, I'm trying to answer your question. Are you going to let me?"

Kahlan was still looking at him in surprise. "I guess."

"Like I was saying, Darken Rahl had come back from the dead, and he wanted Cara to join him again. He sent . . ." Richard paused, lowering his voice so Cara couldn't hear. "He sent a Mord – Sith named Dahlia to bring Cara into a trap so she could be captured. Dahlia told us about Cara's son."

"Well, what happened with Dahlia? Cara didn't get captured by Rahl did she, and why was only Cara with you? Where were the other Mord – Sith?" Kahlan asked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly the Lord Rahl." Kahlan was silent, and then laughed.

"What's so funny?" Cara asked.

"Richard says he wasn't Lord Rahl in his . . . world." Kahlan wouldn't stop laughing.

"Kahlan. It's not that funny. I caused some major problems, and Cara was always telling me how I had screwed up by not taking the throne." Richard said, motioning to Cara who was rolling her eyes.

"Why would you not take the throne? That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Some one rejecting that which gives them power." She rolled her eyes again.

"I had a quest to complete, and you told me I would have to kill people to take the throne." Richard was feeling defensive.

"You had a quest to complete?" Cara was mocking him. "Of course you would have to kill people. It's D' Hara not that pathetic excuse for a nation Westland." Cara said.

"Hey! I grew up in Westland!" Richard said. Everyone went silent.

"What do you mean, 'you grew up in Westland'?" Kahlan asked quietly.

"I . . . I was raised there, by George and Mary Cypher. I told you this already." He said, sensing something was wrong. "Why?"

"Richard . . . you destroyed Westland. You went on a campaign after taking over the Midlands. You said you had to destroy the people who didn't believe that magic – "

"Westland is gone?" Richard asked quietly.

"Well, you destroyed most of the people living there. Some might have escaped, but . . . you turned it into a grave yard." Kahlan was rubbing his back again, and Richard realized that Cara had walked over to them at some point. Benjamin was standing up behind them.

Richard stood there for a moment morning his family and his country, however, he soon realized that in his world, they were all dead anyways. Westland wasn't destroyed, but he hadn't been back there in a long time, and he might never see it again. He looked at Kahlan, and tried to smile.

"All right." Richard told her. "I think its time that you have you're powers back, Kahlan."

"What?" Kahlan was smiling. "Really? I, I mean, it's been kind of nice not having to worry about it, but . . . it will be nice to have it back." She paused. "I think."

Richard's smile brightened. "Kahlan, your power is a big part of you, and I hate seeing you with a Rada' Han around your neck." His hand went to the band of metal around her neck, and she leaned into his touch.

Richard pulled the key to the Rada' Han out of his pocket. "Would you like me to open it?" He asked her softly, and she nodded. Richard inserted the key and the Rada' Han snapped open.

Richard could almost see the power rush back into her.

Shota watched Richard unlock Kahlan's Rada' Han in her pool. Her hand splashed through the water, destroying the image. "I hope you know what your doing." She growled at the man standing in the shadows of her palace.

"Don't worry Shota. Everything is going according to plan. Everything is falling into place. Richard Rahl will soon be dead."