The day had gone by slowly, each minute seeming to drag on and on as though there was no ending. She didn't eat, no matter how hard Dean tried. She barely spoke, though her tears were more than enough. Kahlan remained in the carriage, curled up like a child during a thunderstorm, waiting for the end. There were grumbles on the outside, the only thing she could hear before someone, anyone, was crying out in pain. She had heard sounds like that before, only then, they were her own. Richard, she thought silently. He had to be "questioning" one of their prisoners and it pained her to think who it was. She remain frozen for an amount of time she couldn't count, but suddenly she needed it to stop.

Moving her hands against the wall, she tried to find the door, desperately trying to get free. Without thought, she pushed, falling forward and outside, onto the cold ground. The sounds stopped as she struggled to get up, turning her head in her darkness trying to hear a sound from someone. Tightening her fists into balls, she lifted her head and took in a slow breath, the wind revealing their position. "Let him go, Richard."

"I can't," he stated angrily.

Swallowing, she took a step toward his voice, toward the soft cries of the man at his feet. "You will release him."

"Not until he's learned his lesson."

Running surprisingly fast, she slammed herself into him, every other man near, rushing from her path. "He has no lesson to learn! I am alive because of him!"

"Because he wanted you for himself!" Richard shouted as she moved her hands over the ground until she found Thomas. It made him angrier, watching as she pulled the other man close to her chest and tried to comfort him. "Let him go!"

"He did nothing to harm me, you will walk away."

"Do you want him,too?" he asked coldly, shocking every one of the other men. "Is that it? Whatever you had before, everything they did to you, you want more? Answer me!"

With tears in her eyes, she looked up to where he was screaming. "You have no right to say such things to me." Her voice and tears revealed everything that she hoped her face would not, a heartbreaking pain, felt by them all. "You asked me what was done, you told me that it didn't matter what they did to me, but it was all a lie, wasn't it? Whatever pain I had been feeling wasn't enough for you, was it? But now I understand, Seeker. I now know a pain far greater than before and yes, if it would have spared me this moment, you should have left me there with them."

Richard stared at her, angry and confused, his body shaking from the intensity of it all. "Someone take the Mother Confessor back to the carriage." No one moved except for Dean, coming to stand between them. "Get-"

"Perhaps you two need a few minutes alone."

The men left quickly, but made sure to stay within sight of them, wanting to see what happened next. Kahlan didn't move, she couldn't. Thomas' blood was covering her hands and dress, making her ache far more. She knew he was close, so close she could feel the warm rage radiating off of him. It made no sense to her for hours and now that she was before it, it all became clear. He was a jealous man, something she had never dealt with herself before and though he asked to hear what she had done, he didn't really want to know. The part that made it worse was the fact that talking about it made her feel better.

When she spoke to him about what had happened, it made her believe that they could move past it, that she could get beyond what had been done. It was all gone now.

"Kahlan, let him go."

With tears streaming down her face, she shook her head. "I can't."

"Why?" He sounded sincere in his question, but she couldn't be sure. She was afraid for another wave of his rage. "Speak!" he shouted after a moment, making her jump.

"Because while I was in that place, while I endured something I hoped to die from, he was there. He was there!" She repeated just as loudly as his previous word. "I laid on that floor, waiting for death to claim me and he was there! He was there, cleaning my wounds, talking to me as though I was more than a whore that they had purchased. I can't let go of him because I will not allow you to do to him any of which they did to me! I will not allow you to beat the sight from his eyes and then laugh as he stumbles to find a way out. I won't let you near him, Richard Cypher! Do you hear me?! You will not hurt the only person there who aided me!"

"Kahlan let him go. Zedd can heal him when he returns." She didn't move or speak, but he didn't really expect her to. There was a look on her face that said more than her words ever could. "I won't touch him," he said quietly. "I give you my word."

"Your word doesn't mean as much as it used to."

Sitting down, he crossed his legs and leaned forward. His elbows rested on his knees, his eyes on her as she continued to cradle the other man. "Then we'll sit here until he returns."

She continued to care for the other man as best she could, stroking her fingers through his hair and whispering something no one else could hear in his ear. It was a heartbreaking sight to see and harder to watch than he imagined, but he couldn't look away. He leaned into her touch, finding comfort in her every move, something Richard could understand completely. After a few minutes, she stopped crying and began to speak a little bit louder.

"I'm sorry," she told him in a whisper.

"Not your fault," he told her with a struggle. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, not after everything you did."

Opening his eyes slightly, he looked to the Seeker who continued to watch. "That's the one thing you didn't tell him, isn't it?"

"It's not what he wanted to hear." She spoke as though he was nowhere near them and unable to hear. She had wanted Richard to believe that he was the only hero in the story, but in truth, the beaten and bloody man in her arms, helped more.

"Tell him. He should know."

Closing her eyes, she breathed in the darkness. "I think it's too late for that."

"No, it's not. He can't understand until you do."

"It no longer matters."

Turning slightly in her arms, he looked up at her and tried to smile. "Remember what you once told me."

Shaking her head, she swallowed. "I can't."

"He's waiting for answers."

"Answers have only made things harder." Moving her head close to his, she whispered. "I'm afraid things will get worse."

"You're not in that room anymore, Confessor. If can never get worse than that. He loves you."

"Love fades."

"Not his. You can't see him, but trust me. A man only does what he did when he loves someone far more than they can say."

"I don't see how he could."

"Because you're blind," he whispered back to her.

Smiling, she shook her head. "No, I'm sure my sight wouldn't help me in this."

"Spirits, what's happened?" Zedd asked as he and three of the Mother Confessor's men.

Before anyone else could speak and to Kahlan's surprise, Richard stood and answered the wizard. "I lost my temper. You have to heal him."

"Very well. Kahlan, you will have to hold him still."

"I'm not going to let go of him."

Kahlan had Thomas brought to her carriage and then proceeded to stay by his side. She was lying on her back beside him, talking with her eyes closed as she tried to push the thoughts of what the Seeker had said out of mind. Richard stood outside, just at the door and watched, listening to their innocent conversation. He wished he was the one laying beside her, but after what he had done, he couldn't imagine a time when she would ever allow him to be close to her again. The words that had spilled from his lips were not ones he meant and he couldn't remember ever saying something to her that he didn't fully believe. He didn't know where the words had come from, but he had suddenly felt as though his blood was boiling in his veins. She had spoken so quietly and so innocently that he found himself enraged that she could speak about it so simply, though he knew better to believe it had been easy for her to talk about.

She seemed to be relaxed at the man's side and he didn't like it. He wondered what it was she had hid from him, why she had told him most of the other things and not whatever it was she kept secret. He refused to believe it was worse than what Michael had done to her. It couldn't be.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Zedd asked his grandson through a whisper as he stepped behind him. "Come on, leave them to rest."

"I can't leave her with him. Not after what happened."

Pulling on his arm, the older man sighed. "Yes, you must tell me what happened."

Moving a few steps away, Richard closed his eyesand ran his hands through his hair. "I made a mistake and I don't know why."

He told the wizard everything, being sure not to leave out a single detail, in the hopes they could, together, figure out what happened. It took longer than he expected, but when he finished and met his grandfather's eyes, he saw the same expression Kahlan had held on her face. He knew where their hurt and anger came from, but he couldn't do anything to change it.

"Do you believe that she would have done any of those things if she believed she had a choice?"

"She always has a choice," Richard replied before thinking. "No, I- I don't know. Zedd, when I think about her with anyone else, with those men, I hate it." Sitting down, he looked over to the carriage and sighed. "When she took James, it didn't anger me. I was grateful for what he had been able to give her. When we laid together," he said in a voice that was softer than a whisper. His words shocked the other man, but he continuied quickly. "I could feel something with her that I had never felt before. I've been with other women before, but being with her was different, exciting and beautiful." Looking back to his friend, he sighed in understanding. "When she told me that she wasn't sure if she didn't want to be with him, with Michael, I- Zedd I was angry because I was afraid that she hadn't felt our love the way I did. What if she realized that any man could give her what she needed and... I know that she loves me, loved me," he corrected himself. "I know that to be true, but the desires we can have are not only saved for someone we love. I'm afraid I was wrong for thinking it to be good that she found a comfort in him during her time there."

"Richard," Zedd said softly, "you were not wrong and I understand how painful it must be to know that she has been with another, but you must think before speaking. We both know Kahlan. We know she loves you and had she truly been given a choice, she never would have sought pleasure in anyone other than you. Think of it from her side," he offered in advice. "You've been beaten for months, nearly escaped and then you learn that what you have been through, the torment you believed was the worst, was only the beginning. He raped her, Richard. She fought him for days, weeks and then one day, she wanted the pain to end. Can you imagine what she must had thought of. It would not have arrived to her easily, especially with her feelings for you. Every moment she was with him, she cried because she felt like she was betraying you; you know this. Kahlan, Michael and the man you beat today have confirmed that story. You have every right to be hurt, but not for your own pride. They hurt the woman you love, forced her into taking an action she never would have and nearly breaking her. When you submitted yourself to Denna to end some of the pain, was that any different?"

"No," he answered instantly.

"You are not angry with her," the wizard added. "You are angry that what she went through makes her question her decisions. She's reliving that torment in her own mind, Richard. That is what angers you."

"Then why did I say what I did to her?"

"Because you want her to be angry with you as you are with yourself. You want her blame you, but she doesn't."

"And as long as she is angry with me, I can pay for my mistake."

"You couldn't have known. She knows that there was nothing you could have done."

"There must have been."

Kahlan felt her way out of the carriage, leaving Thomas' side to enter the cool night forest. Dean was at her side at once, easing her down to the ground while wrapping a blanket around her.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he told her quietly.

"Thank you." With a sigh, she turned her head, looking right in the direction of the Seeker who stared at her. "Will you help me get to him, please?"

"Are you sure?" he questioned hesitantly.

Nodding, she grabbed the man's arm and took in a breath. The wind had blown past him, bringing his scent to her in a warmth she expected from him alone. "If I don't speak with him, I'm afraid of what will become of us."

"Be careful, there is a slight dip in the ground, two steps, easy. There, don't worry, if you step on any of the men, they won't mind." They chuckled softly for a moment as they continued moving, easing around the sleeping men.

Richard remained still, partly in shock that she was approaching him and partly because her beauty made him freeze. She was before him in a matter of moments, kneeling down carefully as she moved her hands over the ground around her. Neither spoke for a minute, maybe it was ten, she couldn't be sure, but when she heard him sigh, she knew it was time to try.

"Why?" It was the only thing she seemed to be able to push out of her lips.

He shrugged, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see him. "I don't know," he said quietly. "One minute I was alright and the next I was imagining you and him together and you were happy."

"I was never happy," she told him through a painful whisper. "There was never a moment when I wasn't thinking about you. I know that what I did was wrong, I do, but I can't apologize for it anymore. I know you would have found another way, but I'm not you."

"I didn't mean what I said."

Her head tilted in question. "Didn't you? It came from somewhere, Richard."

"Anger."

"That was more than anger. I could hear it in your voice."

"I can't explain it Kahlan."

"You have to try," she told him. "Please."

"I was angry with you. I hated that you could have found pleasure or happiness with anyone else. I know you said that you weren't happy, but I- In that moment, I could see you above him and I..." Releasing a sigh, he rubbed his face with his hands and leaned forward. "I don't- I hate that you went through all of that."

"That's what it comes down to, doesn't it?" She always had a way of figuring things out. From a speech of words, she could find the ones that meant more than the others, the meaning of it all. "You're angry because you didn't protect me." She gave a soft laugh of disbelief and shook her head. "Spirits Richard, why would you want me to blame you for this? We both know if you had come with me, there is no reason to believe I never would have been taken. Things happen, terrible things take place all of the time and we cant stop them all. There is nothing to blame you for because you had no knowledge of what was to happen. I don't blame you for not coming with me, I don't think I would have let you. I cannot blame you because you saved me and that is worth far more than you preventing it all."

"How can you say that?" he questioned in pure confusion. He always knew that her mind worked differently; that she saw things in another shade, but he couldn't understand where her conclusion came from.

"You looked for me. After everything- the council denied you and after every dead trail, you kept looking and because of that, I'm not chained to their wall any longer. You found me when no one else was looking." He stared at her in silent awe, once again blown away by how special she was. "Richard?" she asked almost in panic, her hands reaching forward for him.

"I'm here," he told her quietly. "I didn't- I don't know what to say."

"Tell me the truth," she whispered as he laid his hands over hers. "Has what I've done destroyed everything we had."

"No," he answered swiftly. "It has changed nothing, but I can't say that it doesn't bother me."

"Then we are in the same tree," she said with a half smile. "I can't take it back, Richard, no matter how much I may wish to." Lowering her head, she tried to hide her reddening cheeks as she began to reveal something private. "When you and I made love, it felt like- I would have sworn that you were the only man I've been with."

He knew what she meant, the feeling of their bodies joined had given no sign or suggestion that she had ever been with Michael and through it, he had laid above her and knew that in her heart, she hadn't been. He meant what he said before about her body not belonging to him, but the way she spoke of their time made him wonder if to her, it did. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I never should have allowed myself to believe, for a second, that you enjoyed their company more than mine."

She smiled, the one she did only for him, fully and wide, brightening his spirit. "I want no other company than yours."

He moved before thinking, pushing into her as he connected their lips is a hot, fiery kiss. She returned the kiss without hesitation, welcoming him against her. Richard pulled her onto him, returning her to the position they had previously been in before Michael interrupted. The blanket fell from her shoulders and onto the ground, his warmth being all she needed.

Breaking their lips apart, he panted, holding his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry."

Running her fingers through his hair, she smiled. "I know; it's alright."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"No," she whispered as she shook her head. "We're going to put it behind us. I don't want the moment to ever reenter our thoughts."

"I'll never forget, Kahlan."

"Neither will I, but I will not let it linger over our heads. It will destroy us."

Running his hands up her back, he circled her shoulders. "You're right. Do you want to get out of the cool air."

"I don't want to spend the night in there," she told him quietly. "We both know how that will effect-"

"You shouldn't have to freeze-"

With a smile, she pulled her head back, expecting, for a moment, to meet his eyes. "Then you'd better hold me tighter."

He smiled widely and nodded, pulling her chest to his in a hug, while he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her back. "Is this better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Are you tired?"

"No, my heart is beating too fast." A soft growl left his throat, making her laugh. "Not a chance, Seeker. We're in the open, there will be no removing of the clothes."

"We don't have to remove them," he seduced perfectly in her ear. "Or we can find a quiet place in the trees..."

Digging her fingers into his shoulder, she tried to stop herself from rocking forward in need. "We shouldn't..."

His hold didn't loosen at her words and she was grateful. She had worried that by denying them this chance, it would upset him or cause him to rethink what they had just discussed, but all thought faded away as he moved his lips up and down her neck.

Teasing the spot on her neck she adored his attention, he tightened his arms around her waist. He could feel her struggle to remain still, her head tilted to the right while his mouth continued tasting the side of her neck. He wanted to give her what she wanted, what she needed, but he couldn't bring himself to make the first move again. She had said that she didn't want them to be seen, but when she declined the offer to go out into the forest, he knew that they hadn't fully returned to that place between them. He felt lucky to be this close to her. After what he had said, he feared she would never allow him to come near her.

Pulling back, he held her to him and then slowly began to lower them to the ground. Her head instantly tucked beneath his chin, her breath warming his neck. The blanket remained around her as they snuggled closer, but as though sensing his coldness, she moved it to cover them both.

"It's only going to get colder," he told her quietly.

"Not if we stay like this."