Chapter Two of Aftershock
Chapter Two
Later that evening, they were setting up camp. They hadn't run into any D'Harans, and things were looking grim for Walter. They had finished eating and they were all getting ready for bed.
Richard had pulled his and Kahlan's bedrolls away from everyone else's. He put them together and they lay down. Richard held Kahlan as close as he could. ''We didn't see any D'Harans today, Kahlan. What are we going to do about poor Walter? Darken Rahl is going to open up a rift if we don't do something.''
Kahlan ran her hands through Richard's hair. ''I don't know, Richard. We'll have to do something. I don't know what, but something. We can't let Darken Rahl just kill him.'' She leaned her head on his shoulder.
Richard put his arm tighter around her. ''I'm just so lost right now. And we have no idea where the Stone is.'' He ran his hand through Kahlan's hair.
Kahlan was in heaven sitting with Richard like this. She had never thought that she would be able to sit like his with him. She didn't have to worry about losing control. She wondered if they'd get to be married after they'd closed the rift. She said, ''Richard, it's like you said, we've gotten through worse. And maybe we'll find some D'Harans tomorrow.''
Richard nodded. ''Maybe.'' He kissed her forehead. ''So, what do you want to do if you are carrying a little girl?'' All Confessors had mainly female children. If a male baby was born, he had to be killed. Male Confessors couldn't handle the Confessor power. They took women as conquests. They had no compassion. Richard was sure they'd have a girl. Especially since Kahlan's sister Dennee had already had a boy. It only happened once a generation.
Kahlan shrugged. ''I will have to head home to Aydindril. I don't want to carry our baby girl while we're on the road. That wouldn't be such a good idea.'' She almost hoped she was, though. She really wanted Richard's child. It was something that she never thought she would have.
Richard nodded. ''Yes. And we should talk about getting married. Maybe we could go get married in the Mud People village.'' The Mud People were Richard and Kahlan's friends. They'd been made honorary Mud People. He knew that Kahlan would love to be married there.
Kahlan smiled. ''Maybe. We don't really have time right now. We should wait until we've closed the rift.'' She was so happy she could burst. She was finally with Richard. No matter what happened, they would be together.
Richard didn't want to wait until they closed the rift. He wanted to do it soon. He loved her and he wanted to make a commitment to her. ''I don't want to wait, Kahlan. I want to make a commitment to you. I want our life together to start as soon as possible.''
Kahlan looked at him, shocked. Most men weren't that eager. She was so lucky to have Richard. ''Really? I'd be alright with that.'' She could feel tears falling down her face.
Richard kissed them away, and kissed her on the lips. He deepened the kiss, pushing Kahlan back on her bedroll. Richard had thought to put the bedrolls far enough away. He was sliding his hand up Kahlan's leg. She gave a moan underneath him. She pulled his shirt off, tossing it lightly to the side.
Richard began to untie Kahlan's dress. She had her hands all over his back. Richard broke the kiss and began kissing her neck. Kahlan groaned again. She sat up and he pulled her dress off. He tossed it over with his shirt. Then it was off with her undergarments. Richard was getting ready to undo his pants, and Kahlan beat him to it. She slipped them off his legs and dropped them with the other clothes.
She took ahold of him again and slowly began to work on him. He groaned against her neck, where he had been kissing her. She had never been with a man before, she didn't know how she even knew what to do. It was just instinctual, she thought.
Richard was about to explode and he had to pull her hand away or they wouldn't be able to do anything. He kissed her. '''Are you ready?'' He asked, running his hand through her hair.
Kahlan met his brown eyes, looking deep into them. He looked happy. She could see it in his eyes. She nodded. ''Yes, I'm ready.'' She said, wondering if it was going to feel different since they weren't in the water.
He slowly entered her, going slowly, knowing that it wasn't in the water, and it might hurt Kahlan. He knew it was only her second time. He slowly began to thrust his hips. They began to rock together. Kahlan bit her lip to keep from screaming. It felt amazing. She loved him so much. She ran her hands up and down his back. He continued to kiss her neck as he thrust. It didn't take long before he exploded. Kahlan gave a squeak as she finished too.
Cara was still lying next to Leo, awake, and rolled her eyes as she heard the soft grunting. They weren't as far away as they thought. She cast a glance at Leo, who was knocked out. He was beautiful in Cara's eyes, and that completely scared her. She hadn't ever had actual feelings for a man. She wasn't sure what to do about it.
She rolled over, hearing the soft sounds of Richard and Kahlan finally going to sleep. She was glad that they'd found happiness. She had found the mooning over each other quite tiresome. She wondered if they were going to be able to close the rift. They didn't even know if this woman Adie knew where the stone was. Cara had doubts that she was going to be able to help them.
And this Darken Rahl thing had completely ticked her off. She didn't like being controlled by dead spirits. And she knew that Richard had to be worried that they'd found no D'Harans. Cara was hoping that they'd find some that weren't loyal to Richard. That would make things difficult. She knew that Richard didn't want to accept his throne, or the title of Lord Rahl, but it would make things so much easier. Hearing no more noises, she went to wake Leo for his watch. It was her turn to sleep.
The next morning, they all awoke bright and early. Cara slipped out from underneath her blanket, casting a glance towards Leo. He gave her a smile. She slowly smiled back and turned to Zedd. ''Do we have a plan in case we don't run into any D'Harans? I'd like for Darken Rahl to stay dead if possible.''
Zedd pulled an apple out of his bag. As he began to chow down, he replied, ''I haven't thought of anything, and I'm a brillant man. Why don't you ask Richard?'' He said, missing Cara's smirk.
Cara took his suggestion and turned to the Seeker. ''So what's the plan, Lord Rahl?'' She asked pointedly. ''We can't let Darken Rahl come back.'' She folded her arms and gave him her best Cara smirk.
Richard met her eyes as he was putting his shirt on. ''I don't know, Cara. I'm not sure what we're going to do if we don't run across any D'Harans.'' He didn't reprimand her for calling him Lord Rahl. He wanted to, he didn't want to take up the post of Lord Rahl. He didn't want to have to be in charge of D'Hara.
Kahlan pulled her dress together and began tying. She said, "Don't worry, Cara. Richard will think of something. He's the Seeker.'' She had complete faith in Richard. She knew that they weren't really going to bring Darken Rahl back.
Cara looked to be thinking. "You know, maybe we should let him come back.'' She stood in her Mord'Sith stance with her hand on her Agiels.
They all looked at each other in shock. Richard asked, "Are you serious, Cara? We can't let him come back. He will do the Keeper's bidding, send him more banelings.''
Cara replied, "Think about why he wants to get away from the Keeper. Maybe he made the Keeper angry and has to get away from him. Maybe we'll be harming the Keeper if we let him come back. He won't be able to convince people to be banelings in the underworld.''
Zedd was mulling over that thought. "Hm, Cara, you may have something there. Maybe he angered the Keeper or something.'' He thought that Cara was making sense.
Richard said, "Or maybe he wants to come back because he just got tired of being dead and he wants to rule D'Hara again. He could hardly believe that they were even having this discussion. His father was evil and should have to stay dead.
Cara said, "Richard, whether you like it or not, you are the Master of D'Hara. You are the Lord Rahl. All of D'Hara is bonded to you. They have no choice in the matter. Even if Darken Rahl comes back, he can't take back D'Hara. The magic is too strong. You are the Lord Rahl now. I told you that it was a good idea to accept the position of Lord Rahl. You've got no choice, kind of like you being the Seeker.''
Richard could not believe that no one had thought to tell him this. "So you're saying that even though I don't want to be Lord Rahl I have no choice?'' He was tired of things that he didn't want being dropped in his lap.
Cara nodded. "Yes. You have no choice. You are the new Lord Rahl. You can't just pass it off to your father, even if he does come back. I'm telling you, you should take advantage of it. You will have all of D'Hara at your disposal.''
There was a rustling in the bushes, and they all jumped to action. Cara pulled out her Agiels, Richard pulled out his sword, Kahlan grabbed her daggers, and Leo pulled out his sword. Zedd got ready to throw his Wizard's Fire. That's when two Mord'Sith stepped out of the bushes. Cara smiled, putting her Agiels away. "Berdine, Raina! I'm so glad to see you!''
Berdine had a long dark braid. She had her leather buttoned all the way up, unlike Cara. Her girlfriend Raina also wore her leather like Berdine's. She gave Cara a smile back. Berdine said, "Hello, Cara. We are here to serve Lord Rahl.''
Cara's smile dropped a little. "Why haven't you come before? I've been serving Lord Rahl for awhile now.'' She seemed wary now. She wasn't sure if they could trust Berdine and Raina. It was very odd that they were only just now coming to serve Lord Rahl.
Raina's long braid was black. She rested her hand on her Agiel. "We felt the magic. We were trying to convince D'Hara that they should follow the new Lord Rahl. We led devotions. It didn't go too badly. A lot of D'Harans believe in Lord Rahl now.'' She had a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
Cara shared a look with Richard. "See, I told you. I told you it would be beneificial to be Lord Rahl. Now you have more Mord'Sith to help you." She cast a glance at Berdine and Raina.
Raina looked to Richard. "You didn't want to be Lord Rahl? Didn't Cara tell you that you have no choice? The magic is already working?'' She appraised Richard. He was quite handsome. She wondered if he was with the dark haired girl. He kept casting glances at her. Raina also wondered if they'd have to do with Lord Rahl that they'd had to do with Darken Rahl.
Richard nodded. "Yes, just now.'' He looked annoyed. "So you're here to "protect" me, as Cara thinks she is?" He couldn't imagine not being friends with Cara, but he still didn't think he needed her to protect him. That's also why Kahlan thought she was here. He didn't want either of them there to protect him. He actually liked the idea of Cara being there to help keep an eye on Kahlan for him.
Berdine gave Richard the same kind of glance that Raina had. She was sizing him up. She also thought he was quite handsome. She noticed that he no longer wore the tooth around his neck. Darken Rahl had been using it to track him. Richard must have figured it out. She nodded. "Yes, we're going to protect you. It is the purpose of a Mord'Sith to protect the Lord Rahl.'' She said.
Kahlan had a burst of inspiration. "Did you see any dead bodies along your way? We need to know. Darken Rahl is trying to come back, and we need to have somewhere for Walter's spirit to go."
Berdine and Raina had not seen Walter when they'd walked up, but they knew of his existance. They had seen him impersonate Darken Rahl before. Berdine thought for a moment. "Actually, we did. There's some dead D'Haran soldiers not far from here. Only about twenty minutes from the way we came.''
Richard looked to Walter, who brightened. "Alright, Walter, I guess you get a new body today." He looked to his grandfather. "Zedd, are you up to the challenge today?" He hoped so, they'd finally had something work out in their favor.
Zedd nodded. "Of course, Richard. Would you like to help? Begin learning to use your Han?" He knew Richard hadn't been with the Sisters long enough to really know how to use his powers.
Richard didn't think that this was the best thing to begin learning how to do. "Not this time, Zedd. It will most likely be something that is too complicated to learn right away." He said, "Alright, let's go follow Berdine and Raina to where they found the dead bodies." He began packing up. There was no time to waste.
Kahlan began helping, and cast a glance at Cara, indicating that she wanted to talk. Cara caught the glance and headed over once her bag was packed. Kahlan asked, "How well do you know Berdine and Raina?"
Cara shrugged. "Not extremely well, but I think they're telling the truth. I think all they want to do is help Richard." She knew Kahlan had had to know.
Kahlan had seemed a little relieved at hearing that. "Thank goodness. Let's still be wary, just in case. I don't want anyone to hurt Richard." She hoisted her pack on her back.
Richard turned to her, holding his hand out. "You ready, Kahlan?" He asked, smiling at her.
With that smile, it's as if nothing in the world existed but them. She found herself smiling back and taking Richard's hand. They started out behind everybody else. Kahlan loved the feel of Richard's hand in hers. She asked, "So what do you think about Berdine and Raina?"
Richard cast a glance towards them. They were at the front with Zedd and Cara. Leo and Walter were in the middle. He shrugged. "I don't know. What did Cara say? I know you asked her." He said.
Kahlan blushed a little. Richard knew her so well. She said, "She says she doesn't know them very well, but she believes that they're telling the truth. I told her I still think we need to keep an eye on them. And they must not have been any of the ones who left her for dead, or she wouldn't have greeted them so warmly.''
Richard agreed with that. "Yes, that's true. They beat her and left her for dead. I'm glad that we saved her. I shudder to think what might have happened to her." He thought of Cara as the sister he'd never had. He was glad that she was with them. She had proved invaluable to them.
Kahlan had been jealous of Cara at first. She'd thought that Cara had been in love with Richard. She'd ended up staying with them instead of heading to Aydindril so she could make sure that Richard stayed hers. She trusted Richard, but she hadn't trusted Cara. Now she thought of the woman as a friend. "Yes, that wouldn't have been good at all." She agreed.
Richard knew that Kahlan had been jealous of Cara. It had pleased him a little. He was glad that Kahlan had loved him that much. It was very flattering. "So it's agreed that we're keeping an eye on them."
Before Kahlan could reply, Leo fell back from Walter and began walking with Richard and Kahlan. "So what do you think of Berdine and Raina?" He asked them.
Richard and Kahlan gave each other a look, and then Richard said, "We think that since Cara was glad to see them, we can most likely trust them. We've decided to keep an eye on them nonetheless."
Leo thought about this for a second, and then asked, "So do you believe the whole Lord Rahl thing, too?'' He looked as if he didn't.
Richard gripped Kahlan's hand a little tighter. He didn't like the sound of Leo's tone. He replied, "Yes, of course I do. I guess I'll have to deal with that. I don't want to but I didn't want to be the Seeker at first either. Maybe I'll enjoy, like I do being the Seeker." He said, trying to keep his rage at bay.
Leo looked a little taken aback. "OK, I'm sorry, Richard. I didn't mean to upset you." Somehow knowing that there was nothing else to say, he went back to Walter.
Before Kahlan could reprimand Richard for his attitude to Leo, they had arrived at the D'Haran bodies that Berdine and Raina had found. Cara dropped to one knee to examine them. "Ok, Walter, you get to pick one." She said.
Walter knelt to peer at them with her. He took careful consideration of all the bodies. After a few minutes, he had chosen one. "There. That one." He said.
Zedd mused aloud, "So how do we go about this? Do we wait for Darken Rahl or not?" He was glad that they'd found some dead D'Harans, even though he wasn't convinced that Darken Rahl should come back.
Richard said, "I'd suggest getting what you need to be ready for the spell. Maybe by then, Darken Rahl will have shown up." He felt the two Mord'Siths eyes on him. Berdine walked over, and Richard asked, "Yes, Berdine?"
Berdine folded her arms. "Do you require any assistance, Lord Rahl? We are here to do anything you need. Although Cara should already have been seeing to your needs." She said, casting a glance at Cara, who rolled her eyes.
Richard shook his head. "No thanks, Berdine." He took a glance at Cara, and noticed she looked annoyed. He added, "And Cara helps out a lot. She is always there for me. Cara is a very loyal friend." He said, giving her a smile. She fought with herself for a minute, and then smiled back.
Berdine looked disappointed that he was so happy with Cara. She had always prided herself with being the Lord Rahl's favorite. She'd have to work on that. "Yes, Lord Rahl, I didn't mean it as an insult." She hastened to say.
Richard said, "Thanks for saying that, Berdine. It meant a lot." He turned to Kahlan. "Are we going to help Zedd if he needs it?" He just wanted a little distance. Berdine was already worrying him. He wasn't sure how to deal with being Lord Rahl and he knew that she would expect him to know.
Kahlan could tell that Richard wasn't sure what to do with Berdine and Raina. He hated the fact that he had to be the new Lord Rahl. She hoped he'd adjust, they could use that to their advantage. Richard could reach a lot of people if he was the new Lord Rahl. She squeezed his hand. "Of course. We'll ask him." She said, tugging him over to Zedd.
Cara was standing purposefully next to Zedd, one of her hands resting on her Agiels. This was her relaxed pose. For most people, it was still too on the ball and not relaxed at all. She watched Richard's face as he asked Zedd if he needed help gathering ingredients for the spell. She said, "Are you alright, Richard?" She knew it was bothering him. She was willing to tell him anything he needed or wanted to know.
Richard turned to Cara. "I'm fine, Cara. Just a little overwhelmed. Not sure how to deal with this Lord Rahl thing." He paused, and then asked, "What do I do, Cara? I don't know anything about being Lord Rahl. I don't know anything about being D'Haran. I'm from Westland."
Cara met Zedd's eyes. They shared a look. Cara said, "Well, Richard, you need to realize that you aren't going to get opposition from any of the D'Harans. The bond is so strong. You won't have to worry about anyone not doing exactly as you ask. They will help you on your quest if you so desire. You don't realize how much this can help you. Is there anything specific that you want to know?'' She was very aware of Berdine and Raina staring at them. She knew that Berdine was going to be very jealous of her relationship with Richard. Berdine had always prided herself on being close with the Lord Rahl.
Before Richard could say anything, Darken Rahl appeared in a flash of green. "So I see you're getting ready to perform the ritual." He said, his long brown hair framing one of the most handsome faces that any of the Midlands had ever seen. It was sad that he was so evil. "And what's this about you being Lord Rahl?'' He asked.
Berdine and Raina stepped forward. "Richard is your son, Lord Rahl. He is the new Lord Rahl, and there is nothing you can do. The new bond is in effect." She tossed her braid over his shoulder.
Darken Rahl's face turned red with anger. This surprised them all, as he was dead and shouldn't be able to show emotions the same way. "What? Are you serious?" He asked with incredulity.
Richard asked, "Are you serious? You raped my mother. Then you died. Why would I not be the Lord Rahl? Did you think it wouldn't work or something?" For someone who didn't want the post he was defending it seriously.
Cara pulled out her Agiels. She didn't think she could use them on Darken Rahl, but it was habit. "So there's nothing you can do, even if you do actually come back." She knew that he knew what they were doing, but she didn't want to confirm anything for him.
Darken Rahl saw almost no point in coming back. He only missed being alive and being the Lord Rahl. "I don't even know if I still want to be the Lord Rahl. If I can't be Lord Rahl I don't think I want to come back." He was completely lying, finding out Richard was now Lord Rahl was setting him back. He was going to have to formulate a new plan.
Everyone shared looks of surprise. They couldn't believe what Darken Rahl had just said. Richard asked, "So you don't want us to bring you back?" He was still very aware of Kahlan's hand in his.
Darken Rahl shook his head. "If I can't be Lord Rahl there's no point." He disappeared in a puff of green smoke.
They all stood looking at each other. Richard asked, "So you believe this? I can't believe that he just gave up like that."
Cara still looked confused but now she looked angry, too. "He can't just think that we're going to let out guard down. Don't think this is over. We'd better wait to change Walter."
Zedd mused for a second. "I think you're right, Cara. We'd better keep Walter around until we know Darken Rahl will do. He didn't actually give up."
Richard continued to stare at the spot that Darken Rahl had vacated. He knew that his father couldn't have just accepted that. It wasn't over. They left to head to Adie's, Richard wondering what they would do, and what Darken Rahl had planned.