"Richard, he's fine." "Who?" "Zedd." "What are you talking about?" "You can't hide anything from me." "There's nothing to worry about." "Trust me." "Do you know where Zedd went?" "He told you where he's hiding the Box of Orden, didn't he?" "I can't believe he would trust you and not me." "I have no idea where Zedd is." "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" "Come on." "Stop!" "Who are you and why are you following us?" "Chase." "What are you doing here?" "I'll explain everything, but there's a D'Haran quad on my tail." "I have a feeling they consider the Seeker a bigger prize than me." "He's dead." "Chase, stop!" "Hey." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's all right." "Better?" "Now maybe you can tell us what you're doing in the Midlands?" "I've been in a D'Haran labor camp." "You remember that dragon?" "The one that tried to kill my daughter?" "Laura!" "The Gar." "After the Boundary was opened, dozens of those beasts swarmed into Hartland." "They slaughtered livestock children." "I had to do something, so" "I went to see your brother." "What are you doing here, Chase?" "If I'm to save this village," "I need every able-bodied man back under my command." "You're not the captain of the Guard anymore." "You lost that honor when you sided with my brother." "There are monsters out there, killing our people." "Citizens that you as First Councilor are sworn to protect." "Now let me do my job." "This time, your brother did the right thing." "But when we reached the Boundary it wasn't just Gars we had to deal with." "A battalion of D'Harans was coming in." "We tried to fight but they" "They killed most of my men and apped me in irons." "Those D'Harans... they know how to break a man's spirit." "I almost gave up, but... a few days ago, they brought in another prisoner, telling tales of the Seeker." "He had heard you were nearby." "That my friend Richard Cypher had the D'Harans on the run." "You don't know the strength that gave me." "The hope." "Next chance I got, I made a run for it." "But I knew they'd send a quad after me and I was in no shape to stay ahead of them for long, so..." "I came looking for you." "I can't thank you enough." "Now if you can spare a horse and some food..." "Chase, what are you talking about?" "You're with us now." "I gotta get back to Hartland." "I gotta find my family." "Then we're coming with you." "But Darken Rahl is in the opposite direction." "Kahlan's right." "You have a bigger fight, my friend." "I've seen what Rahl's forces can do to people." "If I can't protect my own village, what kind of a Seeker am I?" "Both of you are wanted men." "If we're going to do this... you should dress appropriately." "So how do we get past them?" "We have these uniforms." "Maybe we can just walk through." "If they start asking questions?" "I know how we can get across." "Your orders, sir." "Do you recognize this?" "Dragon Corps." "No member of the Corps answers to a foot soldier." "Now move." "I'm sorry, sir." "No one may pass without proper documents." "By order of the viceroy." "Funny you should mention the viceroy." "Guess who we're delivering this little lovely to?" "Now, if you turn us away, he's gonna demand to know who disrupted his entertainment plans." "Let them pass!" "Emma?" "Emma!" "Laura!" "No one's been here in a while." "If those bastards have done anything to my family..." "We'll go into town." "We'll find someone who knows where they are." "They are D'Harans everywhere." "They've taken over." "Anna?" "Who is she?" "Just someone I used to know." "Oh, I'd say she was a little more than that." "It's Michael." "People of Hartland, let us pray." "Master Rahl, guide us." "Master Rahl, teach us." "Master Rahl, protect us." "In your light we thrive." "In your mercy we are sheltered." "In your wisdom we are humbled." "Seek cover!" "Protect yourselves!" "Brave soldiers, all of Hartland thanks you and honors you for your courage!" "All hail the savior of Hartland:" "Lord Rahl!" "All hail Lord Rahl!" "Things have really changed around here." "It's almost as if everyone's under the D'Harans' spell." "If there's magic at work, we can't trust anyone." "So how do we find my family?" "Hello, Michael." "Richard?" "Surprised to see me?" "How did you get past my" "Quiet." "Now, we're walking out of here together." "If you try to call for help, you'll be dead before you get the words out of your mouth." "Richard, you wouldn't kill your own brother." "I seem to remember you telling me we weren't brothers, right after you accused me of killing Dad." "Now move." "Where is my family?" "The D'Harans moved them." "Moved them where?" "I don't know." "Someplace safe." "Gars were attacking people along the border." "You expect me to believe those butchers are interested in my family?" "I don't know where they are." "I swear it." "Look at me." "He's telling the truth." "Of course I am." "The D'Harans saved Hartland." "Saved?" "How?" "Lord Rahl sent his sorcerers to seal the Boundary, to protect us from the Gars and the other magic that was coming through." "But they couldn't close it again." "So Lord Rahl sent soldiers to protect us." "The D'Harans are liars and murderers." "You really believe they're here for the good of Hartland?" "The Gars are no longer killing our people." "Our village is safe, prosperous." "And we have Lord Rahl to thank for that." "Oh, I imagine you have a lot to thank Lord Rahl for." "So who do you take orders from in exchange for all this safety and prosperity?" "The viceroy." "Viceroy." "The Gar attack has alarmed the villagers." "More are asking to be moved away from the Boundary." "Do as they ask." "Sir, why do we coddle these people?" "Hearts and minds, lieutenant." "Our army is stretched thin." "We can't subjugate every village in the three territories by force." "So if Lord Rahl's empire is to expand, he must be a friend to the people." "Now if that's all, I have a personal matter to attend to." "Hello, viceroy." "Sorry I'm late." "I brought you a little something." "Anna." "Thank you." "I guess things around here have changed more than we thought." "Viceroy." "I invited you here for a meal, some conversation." "I think maybe you have the wrong impression of me." "I can't help myself when I'm around you, Anna." "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had put me under an enchantment." "Do clever words like those make other girls swoon?" "There are no others." "You expect me to believe that a dashing, brilliant man like you has no prospects other than a simple girl from Hartland?" "Simple is not a word I would use to describe you, Anna." "Are we just gonna wait out here all night?" "Look, this can't be easy for you, knowing what's probably happening in there." "But if we force our way in, Anna could get hurt." "Is there any news of my brother?" "I've got every available man searching for him." "I'll find him." "I promise." "Anna?" "I'm going to take care of you." "This isn't your home." "Someday you'll have to leave." "Is that what's bothering you?" "I've requested permanent assignment as Lord Rahl's envoy in Hartland." "I've fallen in love with this charming village." "Just as I'm falling in love with you." "Oh, are you all right?" "Too much wine." "Sit down." "Hey." "We can't just stand here." "Richard." "Richard?" "Chase?" "I don't believe it." "What are you doing here?" "I" " I heard" "Are you--?" "No, we're just trying not to be recognized." "I don't understand." "Anna, we don't have a lot of time." "We know the viceroy's in there." "Have you been spying on me?" "Richard, it's not what you think." "You don't owe me an explanation." "But these D'Harans are dangerous." "You can't trust that man." "I know." "That's why I've been trying to get close to him." "My brother's missing." "He hasn't been seen in months." "Rumors are the D'Harans are kidnapping people, forcing them to serve in Darken Rahl's army." "Chase's family is missing too." "I'm sorry." "What would their army want with my wife and children?" "Anna, you should probably go." "We're going to speak to the viceroy and it's better if you're not around." "You can't." "I sprinkled Rama leaf into his wine." "He'll be out for at least two hours." "But I do have this." "A key?" "To the safe in the viceroy's chambers." "If the D'Harans did have something to do with all this, the answers may be in there." "Chase will warn us if anyone comes along, but we'd better hurry." "When I came back to Hartland, I looked for you." "They told me you'd fallen under the spell of a witch, killed your father, and gone to the Midlands." "Anna, that's not true." "Do you remember when we were little and you thought you saw a tree goblin behind your house?" "I told the constable we both saw it." "Do you know why?" "Because I believed you." "Just like I'll believe you now if you tell me what really happened." "I went to the Midlands because of a thousand-year-old prophecy." "It says I'm destined to kill Darken Rahl and free the world from his tyranny." "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?" "No." "I always had a feeling you were meant for bigger things." "Maybe that's why I moved away." "Something told me you were gonna leave Hartland, so" "I left before I got my heart broken." "Over here." "It's a record book." "Troop deployments, supply requests." "Transport orders." "There's a list of names." "There's your brother." "So the D'Harans did take him." "Does it say where?" "Northwood Grove." "It's only a few leagues from Hartland." "He was taken there two months ago." "All of these people were sent there." "That doesn't make any sense." "There's nothing in that grove." "What about Chase's family?" "They're not here." "Why would the D'Harans send my brother to a grove in the middle of nowhere?" "We're too late." "He's gone." "They're feeding people to the Gars." "You know, my brother was a good man until you put him under your spell." "You may have grown up with Richard, but you don't know the first thing about him." "He's not under anyone's spell." "And to the people of the Midlands, he's a hero." "Richard Cypher, a hero." "This is what your D'Haran friends are doing to your people." "I don't understand" "Don't play stupid, you cold-blooded bastard." "Did you feed my family to the Gars?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "The D'Harans protect us from the Gars." "That's what they want you to think." "The Gar attack in the square when the soldiers shot it out of the sky," "I think it was staged." "Staged?" "They have Gars chained outside town." "When anyone questions why the D'Harans are here, they release one of the Gars." "Their soldiers kill it in front of witnesses." "Michael declares the D'Harans heroes, and everyone pledges their allegiance to Rahl." "This is your seal, isn't it?" ""Office of the First Council."" "You gave the D'Harans these names." "Why?" "They wanted volunteers, men to enlist in their army." "The viceroy asked me for the names of the people who didn't wanna join." "People like my brother?" "So they sent him to the Grove to be fed to the Gars along with all the others." "The viceroy told me that they would find other ways for the people to be useful." "They found another way." "They told me Hartland had to do its part for the D'Haran cause." "I thought I was keeping the town safe." "I didn't know." "Didn't know, or didn't want to know?" "I wanna help you stop them." "How?" "Every evening, I lead the town in prayer." "Instead, I could tell people the truth." "I'm still First Councilor, they will listen to me." "And they'll rise up." "There's one problem." "The viceroy stands with me during the prayer." "Once he realizes what you're doing, he'll have you killed." "Not if I distract him." "Distract him how?" "I could visit the viceroy in his chambers, keep him there while Michael makes his speech." " Anna" " Richard, how many more people are gonna die if we don't stop them?" "There are soldiers in the square." "What if they try and stop the speech?" "We'll be there to make sure they don't." "And if Michael points out the Seeker to the guards instead?" "We'll just have to trust him." "I admire her spirit." "Yeah, she's always had a mind of her own." "How long were the two of you...?" "We were always close, since we were crawling on all fours." "After Darken Rahl is defeated, maybe you could come back." "And you and Anna could pick up where you left off." "Kahlan, why are we talking about this?" "Because you deserve a normal life." "A wife." "A family." "Wouldn't be fair to Anna." "Why not?" "How could I marry her when my heart belongs to somebody else?" "Wait outside." "I didn't expect to see you." "I thought I'd surprise you." "You were gone when I woke up." "My niece was ill." "And you were so tired, I didn't wanna wake you." "I owe you an apology." "I've been pushing you away." "The truth is," "I have feelings for you too." "I was just afraid you were gonna leave." "But now that you're staying..." "I don't wanna keep you waiting anymore." "I have to go." "Please stay with me." "I can't." "But I'll be back." "Anna?" "Anna, what are you doing?" "Guards!" "Why?" "You killed my brother!" "How many people did you feed to those monsters?" "How many?" "!" "And I actually thought we had a future." "People of Hartland," "I have something very important to talk about this evening." "Is there a problem?" "No." "Then begin the invocation." "People of Hartland let us pray." "Master Rahl, guide us." "Master Rahl, teach us." "Master Rahl, protect us." "In your light, we thrive." "In your mercy, we are sheltered." "Where's Anna?" "They've taken her." "Where?" "Northwood Grove." "It's the Seeker!" "Richard!" "Anna." "Richard!" "It's all right." "Viceroy, the prisoner's been rescued by a man wielding the Sword of Truth." "Did you know your brother was in Hartland?" "Of course not." "Richard Cypher is a traitor to my family, he's no brother to me." "Lord Rahl anticipated the Seeker might return home." "Lieutenant, you know what your orders are." "What orders?" "Richard, you have to leave now." "Leave?" "Why?" "The D'Harans, they lied to me from the beginning." "They never tried to close the Boundary." "They've been using magic to keep it open." "How?" "The arch they built at the border, it has magical properties." "It's kept the passage from closing up." "The viceroy's on his way to destroy the arch." "He says the Boundary will then seal itself." "They'll cut off the only route to Hartland." "He says defeating the Seeker is more important." "They wanna trap you on this side of the border." "Because if you can't return to the Midlands, you'll never be able to defeat Darken Rahl." "Viceroy, a rider approaches." "First Councilor?" "Don't do this." "Hartland needs the Boundary open." "You know very well I have orders from Lord Rahl." "You'd be cutting off our only trade route with the Midlands." "Think of your men." "All of you will be trapped on this side of the Boundary." "A sacrifice we're willing to make to defeat the Seeker." "I'm not." "Councilor, don't make the same mistake your brother did." "One man cannot defy Lord Rahl." "You're right." "Michael!" "Michael!" "Michael." "We'll get you to a healer." "No, it's too late." "Stay with me." "When I see our father in the underworld..." "I'll tell him my brother was a great hero." "You will order the Gars destroyed, and disband all D'Haran forces in Hartland." "Once I've left, you will obey Anna's commands as if they were my own, do you understand?" "I will do as you bid, My Lady." "I wish I could control men like that." "He has to tell the truth, isn't that right?" "My family were taken by your men." "Where are they?" "I was ordered to gather women and children and send them to the Keep of Edraan." "It's in the Midlands." "You've heard of this place?" "Only in rumors." "The Keep is protected by dark and powerful magic." "Why were they sent there?" "I don't know." "We'll find your family, I promise." "Even if we do," "Rahl will keep sending soldiers across the Boundary and kill more people." "Then I guess we're going to have to do what he wanted." "Close the Boundary." "You'll set the charges and destroy the arch once Richard, Chase and I are on the Midlands side." "After we fought so hard to keep the D'Harans from closing it." "I'd ask you to stay, but I know you have a bigger destiny." "And other people who need you." "Viceroy, there's something else very important I need you to do." "It's an urgent message from the high viceroy in Hartland." "What does the viceroy report?" ""Lord Rahl, I have the most glorious news."" "In accordance with your standing orders, the Boundary has been sealed." "As for the Seeker..." "What of the Seeker?" "My Lord..." "Is this message authentic?" "It's in the viceroy's hand, I'm certain of it." "My Lord, you've succeeded." "The Seeker is dead." "Now there's really no going home again." "I'm sorry about Michael." "We should get moving before the D'Harans send troops to inspect their handiwork." "Well, if we do run into them, you got an extra pair of hands to fight them with now."