TITLE: Deception

AUTHOR: LOTSlove®

CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Nicci / Original Characters

RATING: R / M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

TIMELINE: Anything up through S2 season finale (Tears)

DISCLAIMER: I'm completely obsessed with the show Legend of the Seeker and all things Richard and Kahlan. I love to write about them even though they cancelled my show and now I'm fighting to get it back!

SUMMARY: Sequel to me fic Revelation, Richard and Kahlan fight to solidify the D'Haran Empire when a new threat rises threatening to destroy all that they have worked for.

Chapter 16

With a flick of their hands, Zedd and Caelinus quickly banished the walls of fire the dragon on created. As the smoke began to dissipate, Zedd finally saw Frederick still on his horse, Sister Deryn kneeling on the ground several feet away from him.

"Are you two alright?" Zedd asked as he hurried to Deryn's side.

"I'm fine," the Sister of the Light murmured as he helped her to her feet, her legs trembling with fear.

Zedd immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her. She clung to his robes for a moment in an effort to gather her senses, her body feeling boneless. She'd never seen a real dragon before let alone a red one. Seeing one now close up, so fierce and spewing fire on top of everything else they'd already been through had been more than she could deal with at that moment.

Frederick quickly pulled up beside them, dismounting from his horse. "That was a little too close," Frederick grumbled. "Is everyone alright?"

"Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander! What in the name of the Creator are you doing here?" Caelinus furiously sputtered, planting his fists on his hips.

"You scared the life out of us!" Zedd angrily snapped as he turned to face his friend. "No one in their right mind would have a dragon as a pet let alone a red one. I swear, Caelinus! Only you would be fool enough to do something insane like that."

"I've raised him since he was hatched, not that it's any of your business," Caelinus informed him with a scowl. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"We came to see you, you old fool," Zedd growled.

"Well, I've never had visitors and I ain't starting now!" he huffed as he spun on his heel to return to his home.

"Don't make me spin a Wizard's Web around you," Zedd threatened, stretching out his hand as he moved to follow him.

Dumbstruck, Deryn and Frederick stared at each before turning their attention back to the two wizards arguing before them. Caelinus looked nothing like what either had anticipated. He looked to be a few years younger than Zedd, but only half his height. His frame was thin and frail looking, his hair long and straggly. He looked as though he'd just crawled out from under a rock.

"You know better than to threaten me!" Caelinus fumed, turning and wagging a finger at him. "I'll turn you into a desert rat."

"Enough of this!" Deryn suddenly yelled. "I didn't come all this way just to hear you two argue!"

"Good!" Caelinus snapped at her with a fierce glower. "Then you can all go back to wherever it is you came from and leave me be!"

"Please, we need your help. I'm dying…her son is…" Frederick began as he put a comforting arm around Deryn.

"How are you any different than anyone else?" Caelinus demanded to know. "We're all dying. Every breath we draw takes us that much closer to our last. There's no point in delaying the inevitable."

"But my little boy is dying," Deryn cried, marching straight towards the wizard, coming to a stop directly in front of him. "You are my last hope for saving his life. I will not leave until you help me save him!"

Caelinus matched the Sister glare for glare, staring eye to eye, neither backing down as they faced off against each other. "I swore to myself I would not help another soul for as long as I lived and I am not about to change that now just for you," he snarled before turning his attention to Frederick. "Or for you."

"Caelinus, you cantankerous old goat," Zedd growled, coming to stand beside Deryn. "We risked our lives, travelling for days to find you. Now, you're going to at least listen to what we came here for."

Caelinus stared up at him, his hands still defiantly resting on his hips. His graying black hair brushed against his shoulders, the wind softly lifting the ends. His ragged tan robes practically hung on him, attempting to hide his skeletal frame. He was quite the sight compared to the great Wizard Zorander.

Standing with Frederick, it didn't appear much of a standoff to Sister Deryn. Zedd looked as if he could easily eliminate the smaller man in less than a heartbeat. Caelinus, on the other hand, looked more like a wild mad man than a respected Wizard from Aydindril. If it weren't for the sharp gleam of intelligence residing in his blue-gray eyes, Deryn would've believed so.

"Caelinus, you know you owe me at least this," Zedd reminded him, mustering as much patience and compassion as he possibly could at that moment. The deadly warning in his voice was not lost as he glared back at him.

The smaller man studied him for a long moment, a look of remembrance of a time long ago slowly filling his gaze. The wrinkles around his eyes began to subtly soften somewhat as he drew a deep breath. His shoulders finally sagged, but the fire didn't leave his eyes as he turned his back on his old friend.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll listen, but that doesn't mean that I have to help you."

Zedd released a ragged sigh as he watched Caelinus make his way towards his cabin. He knew that they were going to have their hands full when they had finally found his friend, but he'd had no idea it was going to be anything close to this. He had hoped that time had have helped ease old wounds.

"Nothing is ever easy," the old Wizard grumbled under his breath as he followed Caelinus to his cabin.

XXX

Kahlan flipped open the well-worn book to the first page, a sense of warm remembrance suddenly permeating her heart. Her mother had read her this book as a little girl every night before bed. Despite the fact that Kahlan was positive she could recite the entire book my memory, her mother had still read it to her each night, knowing it had been her very favorite.

It was fast becoming Paige and Priya's favorite as well, their eyes lighting up whenever Kahlan pulled it from their book shelf. If she or Richard tried to read a different book to them, it usually turned into quite the protest until the book was finally read.

It was a simple story about a beautiful princess and a handsome pauper's son who fall in love but aren't allowed to marry because of the differences in social status. They end up running away together, getting married. It tells the tales of their endless adventures as well as all sorts of fascinating creatures and people that they meet along the way.

As a little girl, she'd secretly dreamed of meeting a dashing young man like the pauper's son, running away and having exciting adventures with him. When she had gotten older, her mother had had the talk with her about how she could never fully know true love, but would have to take a mate, confessing a man to be the father of her daughters.

She still remembered to this day how it had broken her heart and shattered her dreams. She had been devastated, learning quickly how to bury her heart and her pain. It was the first brick in the high impenetrable wall that she had learned to build around her heart to protect herself.

That was also the reason she'd been so scared of allowing herself to truly believe that a future was even possible with Richard. She had dreamed of it before and it had crushed her. She didn't think that she could've gone through that again, not with the way she felt about Richard.

Richard far exceeded all her dreams. He was so much more than a "pauper's son", even more than just a wood's guide. There was such strength and intelligence, keen intuition and abilities that went far beyond understanding. He was truly a rare, special person…and he loved her.

Her life with him had been the greatest adventure she could ever have asked for, far surpassing any fairytale that could have ever been written.

Staring at the little boy in the bed beside her, Kahlan felt him tugging at her heart strings despite the fact that he was unconscious. He was so innocent in all of this, trapped in the very center of a terrible mess that was not his doing.

She couldn't help smiling softly to herself as she studied him. He looked just like Richard in every way, no sign of Deryn in any of his features. She imagined this was what her Aiden would like when he turned two.

Tears instantly brimmed in her eyes at the thought of her son lying in a bed like this fighting for his young life. She couldn't begin to imagine the depths of pain that Deryn must be suffering because of it, what this was doing to Richard.

Drawing a shuddering breath, she gathered herself before speaking. "Michael, it's Kahlan," she softly said, knowing no response would be coming. "I thought you might like this book. It's my girls' favorite."

Kahlan watched him for a long moment, his lips parting in response as a soft sigh escaped. She settled back in her chair as she began to read out loud to him.

"Once upon a time in a faraway place called Ungerwalden, there once lived a Princess named Priya…"

XXX

Approaching Deryn's suite, Richard's mind was a violent whirlwind of thoughts, racing with everything that was going on right now. There were so many crises each fighting to pull them in every direction. It was rapidly wearing him down, draining him mentally and emotionally.

He just hoped that Zedd and Frederick were having better luck trying to find Caelinus then they were with everything going on here at the People's Palace. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had washed over him when he had talked with Garren earlier today.

Something was definitely going on around here and he didn't like it one bit. He didn't like the idea of someone sneaking about the Palace or the city, following Kahlan and plotting only spirits knew what. Clenching his jaw, it caused his anger to heat his blood.

Coming to a stop, Richard nodded to the two soldiers standing guard outside of Deryn's guest suite before entering. He was immediately greeted by the sweet gentle sound of Kahlan's voice drifting from Michael's room. His brow furrowed in thought, surprised to find that she was here.

Although he didn't agree with it, Sister Deryn had made it painfully clear that she didn't want Kahlan here with her son while she was gone. He felt his wife had every right to be here, but he hadn't wanted to push it at that particular moment, knowing that they had just come to a tenuous agreement about her going with his grandfather to find Caelinus.

Like it or not, this was his son and Kahlan his wife. She had every right in the world to be here and he wasn't about to make her leave regardless of what Deryn thought. He wasn't going to allow that woman's hatred for Kahlan to get in the way.

He silently made his way to the bedroom, coming to a stop in the doorway. He found Kahlan sitting beside Michael's bed reading him "The Adventures of Phillip and Priya". It was Paige and Priya's favorite book, the story from which their second-born daughter had gotten her name.

Leaning against the doorframe, Richard folded his arms against his chest as he silently watched her, the corners of his lips turning up as he listened to her read to Michael. Her voice held a soft, gentle quality that quickly began to lull him into a peaceful state like only she ever could.

He was swiftly swept back to the short time they had spent with Renn. In his mind's eye, he suddenly found himself sitting by the fire watching Kahlan sleep, his thoughts filled with such sorrow because of dreadful things he had just learned about her past, her father.

He still remembered how badly his heart had hurt for the things that she had endured in her childhood, the pain and loneliness that she had no doubt felt. He had ached so badly for her, wanting so desperately to hold her, to kiss her and erase all of her painful memories.

And then Renn had woken, his dark brown eyes filled with fear at the sounds of the forest that surrounded them. He had revealed to him that Kahlan had shared his feelings, felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

It had nearly stolen his breath away, his heart racing with the very thought. Even now, it made his heart begin to pound with the knowledge that even back then she had felt the very same stirrings of love for him. What he wouldn't do for her, wouldn't give for her.

Kahlan had awoken then, startling him and causing his entire body to tense with a sudden awkward awareness that he hadn't known how to handle at that moment. Everything inside of him had cried out for her, had wanted so badly to take her aside where they could be alone, where he could kiss her and tell her how he truly felt about her.

And then she had walked past him, her skirt lightly brushing against his arm causing an electric shock to course through him as her euphoric scent had assaulted him. He had become almost lightheaded with her sudden nearness.

But then she began to sing, her voice so sweet and melodic that it wooed him into a state of bliss. The way that she had talked to Renn, cared for him had told him even then what an amazing mother she would be someday.

Watching her now like this stirred his love even more for her, heating his core. She was so beautiful sitting there dressed in her elegant white Confessor's dress, her dark raven hair cascading down her back and shoulders. The soft glow of candlelight coming from the bedside table created an ethereal glow about her, making her blue eyes practically sparkle as she read.

She had no reason to come here after everything that had happened, after everything that Sister Deryn had said and done to her. But this was his Kahlan. Her pure heart would not allow her to do or be any less, to betray who she truly was.

This was her true self on display before him and it was utterly breathtaking to behold, warming his soul like only she could ever do. He suddenly found himself wanting to alone with her again, showing her what she did to him just by being her.

He was completely mesmerized by her as her hand slipped up to hook her hair behind her ear, revealing the slender column of her neck, the creamy pallor of her skin. He longed to have his mouth on her, to taste her soft skin and inhale the scent that made his head spin.

Sensing someone else there, Kahlan suddenly looked up to find Richard standing in the doorway, a heated look of longing in his dark brown eyes that immediately caused her breath to catch in her throat. A smile slowly spread across her face as she stared at him, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"What?" she shyly asked as she closed the book, her voice barely more than an embarrassed whisper.

Without a word, he unfolded his arms as he purposefully strode over to her. Kneeling down before her, he took the book from her hands and set it on the bed, his eyes fully locked on hers. She swallowed hard as he took her hands in his, bringing them up to his lips to brush a kiss along her knuckles.

"Thank you," he softly said, his hand releasing his hold on her to find the side of her face.

"For what?" she asked, confusion clouding her sapphire eyes.

"For being you," he replied, his fingers sliding up into her dark hair. "For loving me."

"I will always love you, Richard," she smiled her special smile, not understanding what he meant.

He held her gaze as his thumb caressed her cheek. "You didn't have to come here and sit with Michael," he told her.

"I wanted to," she said. "I know Deryn doesn't want me here, but I just can't stay away. He's still your son, Richard. He's partly you and that's enough for me."

Tears moistened his eyes, his tongue sneaking out wet his lips. What he had ever done to deserve this woman, he would never know, but he would never take it for granted.

"Even after all the hurt Deryn has caused, only you would come here to sit with him…only you," he murmured in awe of her.

He slowly leaned in, his lips connecting with hers in a slow passionate kiss, his tongue softly probing her mouth, wishing that they were alone in their suite so he could fully show her what he felt for her right now.

Even though he knew this was the true Kahlan, she still never ceased to amaze him. Seeing her compassion for others on display like this was so beautiful to him, one of the thousand things that he loved about her.

The need for air became too great of a demand to ignore as he reluctantly broke the kiss, his lips nuzzling her cheek. "The words 'I love you' just don't seem nearly enough to describe what it is that I feel for you, Kahlan," he softly told her, his hands settling on her shoulders.

"I know what you mean," she breathlessly replied, the feel of the friction of the stubble on his face against her cheek setting her body on fire with need for him.

"You didn't have to come here, you know," he told her again as he finally sat back on his heels to look at her, knowing he could not allow things to become any more heated.

"I wanted to," she said, sadness suddenly filling her eyes. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you…for Deryn. If this happened to one of our…"

Her voice abruptly broke as she turned her head to look at Michael, her throat thick with emotion as tears pricked her eyes again. She swallowed past the thick knot of grief, trying to steady her suddenly hammering heart.

"Nothing is going to happen to our children. I swear it on my life, Kahlan."

"I can't lose you either, Richard," she whispered, afraid to test her voice. "You are no less important to me than our children."

Shifting up onto his knees again, he took her face into his hands and kissed her deeply, desperately, trying to quell her fears and reassure her with his love and presence. He brushed his nose against hers, holding her close to him.

The feel of his breath softly pulsating against her face was slowly soothing her soul. She couldn't lose this, lose him. He was her childhood dream, fairy tale storybook come to life. She couldn't lose her other half.

Losing him meant losing her life.