"Joyous news, Lord Rahl." "The forces you sent to Kelabra have delivered the Second Box of Orden." "Send word to Queen Milena." "Tell her that I accept all her demands, in return for the third box." "Forgive me, Lord Rahl, but why would we pay such a generous price when one division of our forces could crush Queen Milena to dust?" "Once I have all three boxes, the magic of Orden will give me unchallenged power over everything, and Milena's demands will be meaningless." "There lives Queen Milena." "Not the most beloved monarch in the Midlands." "When she was still Princess Milena, she took command of her father's armies and attacked the kingdom of Tramontana." "Thousands were slaughtered because she wanted a pink sapphire the size of a large pumpkin seed." "And she got it." "How many people did she kill for the Third Box of Orden?" "She inherited it." "It's been in the treasure room for a thousand years." "We're almost too late." "The talk in the village is that Queen Milena has been whipping her servants, quite literally, unfortunately, into a frenzy over the arrival of an emissary from Darken Rahl." "This emissary must be coming for the third box." "Yes." " When does this emissary get here?" " Tomorrow." "Then we've got one day to sneak into a locked room somewhere inside a heavily fortified castle, steal the most valuable object in the world, and then sneak out again." "Or Darken Rahl gets the box and rules us all." "If the roast looks too big to eat, chop it in half." "You two delay the emissary, and I'll get into the castle." "How?" ""Hear ye, hear ye." "Ten gold pieces to the entertainer who proves himself worthy of performing at the birthday party of Her Celestial Highness," "Princess Violet of Tamarang. "" "Entertainer?" "What does that have to do with you?" "Do you know anyone more entertaining than me?" "Go on, swallow the hilt." "Next." "Next." "Next." "Next." "Greetings, Your Highness." "Hello, Princess Violet." "I'm Mr. Stocking." "Happy birthday." "Guards, throw this idiot off the grounds before I chop off his head." "Forgive me, Your Magnificence, for disappointing you." "Hey, where are you going without me?" "What do you mean, where am I going?" "I lost the job because of you, you worthless, stinking rag." "First you blame me for losing the job, now you blame me for being stinky." "Something sure smells around here, but it isn't me." "You're hired." "Ruben Rybnik, grand puppeteer, at Her Majesty's service." "For the party, I want a puppet of me." "But better than a stocking puppet." "More lifelike." "Can you do that?" "The question, dear princess, is not what can I do, but what can't I do?" "See this?" "Solid gold." "I got it for my 5th birthday." "Eighth birthday." "The rope is made out of the finest silk in all the Midlands." "It took some old lady a year to make it." "It's probably worth more than someone like you can even imagine." "Oh, I got her last year so that I could practice my leadership on her." "He's the puppeteer for my party." "If you don't make me too angry, you will get to watch the show." "Hello." "Excellent demonstration of leadership, princess." "I'm teaching her etiquette." "But as Your Celestial Highness knows, the threat of a blow is often more effective than the blow itself." "Maybe where you come from." "Now, show the puppeteer what I taught you before I hit you again." "How do you do, kind sir?" "Very well, thank you." "And it is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance." "May I ask your name?" "Rachel." "Here's my dress." "Oh, Your Highness, you are the very soul of understated elegance." "Now, what would truly set off Your Majesty's beauty would be..." "Oh, no, no, no." "Of course, your mother would never let you wear that." "Would never let me wear what?" "The famous Pink Sapphire of Tramontana." "I'm sure when you're a little older, you'll be allowed to." "I'm allowed to wear any jewel in the castle right now." "But surely the Pink Sapphire of Tramontana is locked in a vault." "My mother lets me go anywhere in the castle, even the treasure room." "I think I could go get it right now." "Is that really the key to the treasure room of Tamarang?" "I've dreamt all my life of seeing those wonders." "Keep on dreaming." "I'm the only one allowed in the treasure room." "Wait right here." "If I were Rahl," "I'd send more than three soldiers for the Third Box of Orden." "If you were Rahl, you'd send a small party of troops ahead to make sure the roads were safe." "You know, if we grabbed one of the scouts, and you confessed him," "you could ask him nicely to send a message back." "Couldn't you?" "Telling Darken Rahl that Queen Milena won't be ready to deliver the box for at least a week." "What did you do that for?" "I had him." "It looked to me like he had you." " This is what I was afraid of." " That I'd save your life?" "That you'd let your feelings for me get in the way of the mission." "He was about to kill you, and I stopped him." "We had a rare opportunity, and we missed it because you were being overprotective." "What's that?" "It's the Journey Book." "It's how Darken Rahl communicates with his commanders from far away." "He writes in his book, and the words appear in this one." "Richard, this may tell us exactly when the emissary is coming and by what route." "Rachel." "How did you come by such a beautiful name?" "I was named after my grandmother." "Where is your grandmother now, dear one?" "The queen's soldiers killed her." "She didn't fall to her knees fast enough when the queen came riding by in her carriage." "They killed my mother and my father and my brother too." "You took the sting away." "Rachel, I need your help with something very important." "Have you ever been in the treasure room?" " Yes." " And have you seen the Box of Orden?" "Yes." "Princess Violet hates it because it's the only thing in the castle she's not allowed to touch." "And does Violet ever take the key off her neck?" "No." "She even sleeps with it." " And do you sleep in the room with her?" " She makes me sleep in that box." "But sometimes, when she thinks I'm being bad, she makes me sleep outside." "Sometimes I'm bad on purpose because I like sleeping outside better." "I like hearing the crickets." "Rachel, I have something special I'd like to give you." "It's called a Trouble Doll." "You tell her your troubles, and she takes them away for you." "I can't." "Princess Violet says I'm not allowed to have my own toys." "If I keep it, she'll throw it in the fire." "Rachel, in all my travels," "I've never met a ghastlier little monster than Princess Violet of Tamarang." "Shh." "If the princess knows you said that, she'll have you killed." "I trust you not to tell." "You remind me very much of my own daughter." "She was brave and strong, just like you." "Dear one, why don't you take the doll and hide it?" "Princess Violet doesn't need to know." "It'll be our little..." "I didn't say you could talk to him." "You're sleeping outside tonight." "But first, go to the kitchen and tell the cooks that my roast at lunch was dry and stringy." "Tell them that if it happens again, they'll have to pay for it with their hides." "Go." "Your Magnificence, if you would excuse me," "I need to make my preparations for the festivities." "Not one lump in that icing, or we'll both have hell to pay." "Put some more salt in that." "Hello, sweetheart." " Hello, Martha." "Just in time to lick the spoon." "Only lick fast, before you-know-who gets here." "You-know-who says I'm supposed to tell you that if the roast is stringy again, she'll flog you." "You tell that spoiled brat that all the crops in Tamarang go to feed the queen and her rich friends." "There's not a crust of bread left for me to feed my children with." "And if anyone deserves flogging, it's her." "This servant has proven herself unfit for the job and disloyal to the crown." "Take her to the block." "And who are you?" "Your Majesty." "It is the highest honor of my life to present to you your humble servant Ruben Rybnik, grand puppeteer, graciously chosen by your daughter for the amusement of her guests." "I applaud your alacrity in stamping out insolence, but if Your Majesty disposes of such a talented cook before the banquet," "I do hope the princess doesn't miss her favorite dessert." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Mmm." "Oh." "Release her." "She shall be granted a stay of execution until the party's over." "And as for you, your access to the castle shall be strictly limited to the servants' quarters and the banquet room." "As Your Majesty wishes." "I didn't mean to get Martha in trouble." "Why do I always make things worse?" "I wish I could run away from here with you." "We'd go so far away, that nobody would ever find us." "Don't be sad, Rachel." "Ruben is going to take you away with him." "But first, he needs to get hold of the Box of Orden so that Queen Milena can never hurt anyone ever again." "And for that, he needs your help, and he needs you to be very, very..." "Brave." "Well done, Rachel." " Sara told me you needed help." " You gave her a name." "I'm sure that made her very happy." "Now, wait here with Sara, and when I come back with the box, we'll leave together, and you'll never see this castle again." " Where will we go?" " I don't know just yet." "But I promise I'll find you a safe place with people who will be overjoyed to have a girl as wonderful as you to care for." "Darken Rahl is coming." " What?" " Look." "Right here." "According to yesterday's orders, Rahl is coming for the box himself." "Kahlan." "For the first time ever, we know exactly where Rahl is going to be." "I can kill him." "But he'll be surrounded by soldiers, bodyguards." "I can drop a running deer at 200 paces with one of these." "And, Kahlan, we get to choose exactly the spot we shoot from." "All we need to do is send a message back, directing Lord Rahl to the perfect spot for an attack." "What are you doing?" "The magic of the Journey Book only works when the words are written in blood." "Well, then we'll use mine." "I thought you weren't being overprotective." "I was..." "We have received word from our scouts." "The bridge on the main road to Tamarang has been washed out by a storm." "We're being advised to take the road through the Iron Hills." "Through the narrow canyons and dark woods of the Iron Hills?" "Yes, my Lord." "It'll delay you by a day, but it could take weeks to rebuild the bridge." "My key." "What are you doing in here?" "Forgive me, princess." "My curiosity overcame me." "How stupid do you think I am?" "You have two seconds to tell me what's going on before I scream my head off and wake up the whole castle." "You may want to turn and look in the mirror before you make good on that threat." "My face." "My beautiful face." "What have you done to me?" "Change me back right now, or I'll chop your head off." "How will you get rid of the warts if you chop my head off?" "It's called a Tattletale Curse, Your Celestial Highness." "I can take it away." "But if you ever even think of telling on me, the warts will reappear forever." "Whether I'm there or not." "I got the box, and I fixed Violet for good." "By sunrise, we'll be six leagues away." "What about Martha?" " Who?" " Martha." "The one whose head the queen is gonna chop off after the party." "We can't leave without her." "We don't have time to go to the servants' quarters." "If Rahl gets his hands on this box, he'll chop off more heads than there are in the entire kingdom of Tamarang." "I'm so sorry, but there are too many lives at stake." "But Martha has three children." "If the queen kills her, they'll starve." "Post 16 extra men on the south battlements, and 30 on the north." "Leave nothing to chance." "What, may I ask, is my daughter's puppeteer doing lurking about the castle at this hour?" "I awoke with a growling stomach and went to the kitchen for a late-night snack, and was just on my way back to the servants' quarters." "Guards, see to it that the puppeteer finds his way back, and remain stationed outside his room in case he decides he needs anything else." "Where's Violet?" "In the banquet room, inspecting the party decorations." "We don't have much time." "The queen's guards are following me everywhere." "They're right outside the door." "If they're following you everywhere, how are you gonna get the box out of the castle?" "Rachel." " It's up to you now." " Me?" "I'd give all the riches of all kingdoms in the world not to have to place such a terrible burden on you." " If there was any other way, I..." " Don't be sad, Ruben." "I can do it." "I want to do it." "Listen very carefully." "Go to the kitchen and ask Martha for a loaf of bread." "Cut the loaf in half and hollow it out." "Hide the box inside." "Tell the guards at the gate that the princess has sent you to sleep outside." "Go straight through the woods, turn right at the stream and follow it to the hill that overlooks the castle." "You'll find friends there." "Their names are Richard and Kahlan." "What about you and Martha?" "The queen isn't going to let me leave until I finish the puppet show." "And when I'm done, I promise I'll do what I can for Martha." "Rachel, you are now the most important person in the world." "Don't worry, it'll be easy to get out." "Everyone treats me like I'm invisible anyway." "You have to go now." "Good luck, dear one." "Put that over there." "Martha." " May I please have a loaf of bread?" " Oh, I'm sorry, little one." "All the bread is already in the banquet room." "I wanna lick the bowl." "Where is it?" " What are you doing in here?" " Nothing." "Do you have something behind your back?" "Show me your hands, then." "I'll take that." "Good." "It's a present." "I wanted it to be a surprise." "Happy birthday, Princess Violet." "You call this a present?" "Where'd you get it, the trash?" "No." "Thank you." "Why isn't my cake in the oven yet?" " I just need to add the cardamom." " I hate cardamon." "It makes me sneeze." "Just put it in already." "Are you deaf?" " Richard, what if this is it?" " What do you mean?" "I mean, what if you kill Rahl?" "It would all be over." "The magic hold he has over his forces would be gone." "Some people might fight for a while, but most would wake up, go back to their lives, their families." "So could you." "I have no family left." "You could find somebody to start one with." "That's not him." "His hands aren't holding the reins." "They're tied to them." "Then he must know the message in the Journey Book didn't come from one of his own people." " So he sent a double." " But if that's not him, then where is he?" "So sorry to interrupt the party." "Lord Rahl, what a welcome and unexpected honor." "The honor is all mine." "How lovely you look today, Queen Milena." "And Princess Violet, so beautiful." "The image of her mother." "If I cut between the two roses, we can get the box out, and I can fix the damage so nobody will notice." "Now, quickly." "What are you doing?" "The queen wants the cake in the banquet hall now." "Lord Rahl, before we adjourn to the treasure room, won't you consider doing us the honor of cutting the cake?" "It would be my great pleasure." "Wait." " Who is this man?" " My apologies, Lord Rahl." "He's nothing but a common entertainer who doesn't know his place." "I'm so sorry, Your Supreme and Magnanimous Lordship." "I only meant to say that the princess specifically requested that we have the puppet show before the cake." "What are you...?" "Oh." "Yes, I want the puppet show first." "May I present myself?" "Ruben Rybnik, grand puppeteer." "Oh, Lord Rahl, if you would grant this indulgence, it would mean so much to my daughter." "We can discuss our business after the party." "Unless, of course, the box is of no importance to you." "Of course, Queen Milena." "Anything for the birthday girl." "Thank you, Your Lordship." "So then my pony pranced with joy because it knew it belonged to the prettiest princess in all the land." "When I was 3, and too small to ride a real pony, I got..." "As charming as this is, we do have more important matters to attend to." "Of course, my Lord." "Finish quickly, puppeteer." "Lord Rahl has more important things to do than watch your marionettes." "Yes, Your Majesty." "Beware, Darken Rahl." "I am the Seeker." "And the time has finally come for me to kill you and fulfill the Prophecy." "What is the meaning of this?" "Stop this at once." "No." "No, please, continue with the show." "I'd like to see how this little fairy tale ends." "Come and fight me, you coward." "I came to enjoy myself and celebrate the princess's birthday, and here you are, as always, trying to spoil the fun for everybody." "You know, you really are the worst Seeker ever." "I'm going to have to kill you now and end your silly quest." "Now, shall we cut the cake?" "Lord Rahl, wait." "The show isn't over." "Why, it's just begun." "Still here, Rahl?" "Is that the best you can do, Seeker?" "Fighting with you is so dull, I'm afraid I might fall asleep." "Oh, I beg you, stay awake." "A hero as great and noble as myself would never kill a man in his sleep." "Your vanity is even greater than the size of your sword." "Enough talk." "It's time for you to die." "Oh, somebody's going to die, that's for certain." "But I rather suspect it isn't going to be me." "Well done, puppeteer." "Forgive me, princess, but the dull business of state is calling." "As it is to your mother." " Highness?" " Certainly, my Lord." "Hurry, Rachel." "They're on their way to the treasure room." "Are you trying to trick me?" " I'm sorry?" " This box is a counterfeit." " That's not possible." " Isn't it?" "Someone has used magic to turn an ordinary spice box into a look-alike Box of Orden." "But there is nobody with magic powers in my castle." "Your stupidity is stunning." "Seal the castle." "No one gets in or out." "And bring me the puppeteer." "Queen Milena tells me that you arrived in Tamarang two days ago." "Yes, Lord Rahl." "I heard the princess was looking for entertainers, and this opportunity to perform for you and for Her Majesty has been the pinnacle of my career." "Perhaps Your Lordship has called me here to see more of my artistry?" "Oh, no." "That's quite all right." "I already know what a master you are at the art of pulling people's strings." "Bind his hands." "What's this?" "A cautionary measure, meant to ensure my safety against an untimely blast of Wizard's Fire." " Wizard's Fire?" " Puppets dancing all by themselves?" "Certainly looked like Wizard's work to me." "Oh, Lord Rahl, you flatter me too much." "I'll show you how the illusion works if you promise not to tell a soul." "Why don't you show me how this illusion works instead?" "Only a Wizard of the First Order could conjure a false Box of Orden." "This looks like an ordinary spice box to me." "Don't play games with me." "Only three Wizards of the First Order have been born in a hundred years." "One died, one works for me, and the third..." "Oh, what was his name?" "Oh, yes." "Now I remember." "His name was Zeddicus Zu'I Zorander." "He disappeared right around the time I cleansed the town of Brennidon in an attempt to save the Midlands from the false promises of the Seeker." "But now the Seeker is back, and here you are." "And here I am." "But where is the box?" "Halt." " No one goes in or out." " But I go in and out all the time." "Sorry, little one." "The orders came from Lord Rahl himself." "Can I have your name?" "So I can tell the princess I tried to follow her orders, but you wouldn't let me." "She likes to chop people's heads off who don't obey her." "Especially on her birthday." "Tell me where the box is now." " I've hidden it." "Magically." "Kill me, and you'll never find it." "I have no intention of killing you, Zeddicus." "I'm sure you'll keep your secret till your dying breath, but I do enjoy a challenge." "Lord Rahl, I've received a report that one of Milena's guards has allowed someone to pass through the south gate." " Who?" " A little girl." "The princess's playmate." "Find the girl." "I think I went the wrong way." "Sara, which way should I go?" "Please help me." "There she is." "Over there." "We have to run." "Come on." "Are you Richard and Kahlan?" " Yes, we are." " Ruben told me to find you." "Is Ruben a tall man with long, white hair?" "Thinks he's really funny?" "He did it." "Where's Zedd?" "I mean, uh, Ruben." "I think the bad man got him." "The great Darken Rahl, master of D'Hara, was defeated not by the Seeker, nor by the First Wizard, but by a 10-year-old girl." "It's a puppet." "I told you I was the grand puppeteer." "Rachel." "Sara, you can talk." "Where's Ruben?" "Right here, hoping there's a bite of cake left." "Ruben." "Martha." " Martha, I was so worried about you." " I know you were, sweetheart." "Ruben told me you wouldn't leave the castle without me." "I've told my boys so much about you." "They've always wanted a little sister." "Would you like to come and live with us?" "But, Martha, what about your own children?" "How will you feed all of us?" "Now, that reminds me." "Where was it?" "Aha." "It's the Pink Sapphire of Tramontana." "Think of it as a parting gift from Princess Violet." "I'm sure she would want you to have it." "Lord Rahl." "How can I ever begin to apologize?" "Be assured, I will not rest until the rats in my dungeon are devouring the remains of that thieving, lying Wiz..." "Wizard." "Queen Milena, it's quite all right." "You couldn't have known that we were all being deceived." "Thank you for your hospitality." "Have no fear for your daughter, Your Highness." "She'll grow up surrounded by the most precious jewels, as a slave in the deepest caverns of the Mines of Athanasia." "Bring me my Journey Book." "Fascinating reading." "Lord Rahl leaves no detail unattended to in his orders." "You were so close to him." "No matter how close I get, only the Seeker can deal the final blow." "No going home yet." "Lord Rahl is sending a message." "What's he saying?" "Four words." ""I will find you. ""