"Richard Cypher, you are the true Seeker." "If the compass continues pointing us south, we'll go right past the Falls of Aldermont." "Is that someplace important?" "It's considered the most romantic spot in all the Midlands." "Many a child was conceived beneath those cascading waters." " I was there once." "It's beautiful." " Oh, really?" "And who were you with?" "My sister." "At sunset, when the light hits the falls, the water glistens red." "They say it's the reflection of all the lovers' hearts who've kissed there." "That, or a reflection of the blood spilled at the Battle of Aldermont." "Two hundred men were killed in that spot." "The rest threw their bodies into the rapids rather than surrender." "Well, that does sound romantic." "Now, if we move fast, maybe we can get there in time to see the sunset." "These men were tortured." "Not very inspired work." "Looks like they died before they were hanged." "Then why hang them?" "Whoever did this wanted to put them on display to send a message." ""Whoever attempts to subvert justice shall meet the same fate."" "Kahlan, take a look at these." "That's the seal of Aydindril." ""By order of the High Lord Regent."" " Who's that?" " There's no such title." "The only person with the authority to confer this seal is the Mother Confessor." "Then who ordered these men killed?" "I can pay you 15 gold pieces now." "I'll have the rest soon, I promise." "Please, Lord Regent, give me a little more time." "You've had more than a month." "It's been difficult for me to find work since you cut off my hand." "Your hand was removed as punishment for stealing grain." "Times were hard after the war." "My family needed food." "You were tried fairly and found guilty." "In accordance with the law, you lost your hand." " Wasn't that punishment enough?" " For theft." "But to steal that grain, you also trespassed on Olrich Larson's land." "Should that crime simply go unpunished?" "If the council and the Mother Confessor were here, they would never allow..." "But they aren't here, are they?" "Please, have mercy." "I'm showing you mercy, Shaun." "Fifty gold pieces and you can go home." "I don't have it." "Please, don't take my other hand." "Oh, I'm not gonna take your other hand." "Tomorrow at dawn, cut off his head." "No." "No!" "No, please, don't kill me." "No!" "No!" "My family will starve." "Don't do this!" "You see why I asked you to come." "I only wish I could have gotten here sooner." "Fyren's army is occupying the city." "The people are afraid to oppose him." "Even a Wizard of the Second Order might find himself swinging from a noose if he tried to use magic to stop him." "I needed your help." "What about Oloron's Amulet?" "Fyren has it locked in the treasury with a dozen men guarding it." "I'll see the next prisoner." " I'll get it." "There are not many Wizards left in the world, Silas." "Going in there would be tantamount to signing your own death warrant." "And how many more death warrants will be signed if we don't bring the Mother Confessor back to Aydindril?" "Halt." "Halt, Wizard." "Halt or I'll shoot." "Ugh!" "Richard, those bodies we found were at least two days old." "Whoever killed those men is long gone." " Silas." " You know him?" "He's a Wizard of the Second Order, from Aydindril." "Cara." "He's already cold." "The Breath of Life won't work." "You can put your weapons down." "Whoever shot him couldn't follow him here." "He used this." " Oloron's Amulet." " What is it?" "It's a magical device that's kept in Aydindril." "It was devised hundreds of years ago as a safeguard." "If the Mother Confessor were urgently needed, a skilled Wizard could use the amulet to find her anywhere in the world and carry them both home." "He must have been shot in Aydindril, and it seems he managed to recite the incantation just before he died." "He came here to tell you something." "It must have been important." "My guess is it has something to do with this High Lord Regent who ordered those men killed." "I have to get to Aydindril." "That's hundreds of leagues from here." "Zedd, can you use that amulet to get us there?" "Its magic is only strong enough to transport a Wizard and a Confessor." " Then we'll meet up with you there." "That could take weeks." "Every day the quest is delayed, the Keeper grows stronger." "You and Cara continue to search for the Stone of Tears while Kahlan and I go to Aydindril." "The Seeker needs his Wizard and his Confessor by his side." " If we leave him again..." " After we killed Darken Rahl, you should have gone back to Aydindril then." "But, instead, you came with me." "The quest was more important." "The quest is my burden." "I've kept you away from your home long enough." "My home is with you." "We've been apart before." "We always find our way back to each other." "I wish I didn't have to go." "Kahlan?" "What...?" "What's happened?" "Why am I still here?" "And where is Zedd?" " How do you feel?" " All in one piece." "Wish I could say the same for the amulet." "At least it got us here safely." "It's good to be home." "If Zedd got to Aydindril and realized I wasn't with him, he'd come back for me." "Maybe he can't." "I have a feeling Zedd got to Aydindril with the other half of this." "Well, even if he did get there, look at what happened to Silas." " Zedd could be walking into a trap." " The Wizard isn't exactly defenseless." "If I can get a horse, I can be there in less than a week." "You can't go alone." "It's too dangerous." "Cara and I will go with you." "But the compass is pointing in the opposite direction." "And we'll follow it that way once we know Zedd is safe." "Let's go." "Silas knew that stealing the amulet could cost him his life." "It's a rare man willing to make such a sacrifice." " Who are those guards?" " Prince Fyren's men." "Prince Fyren?" "Of Kelton?" "When Rahl fell, Fyren threw the D'Harans out of Kelton and Aydindril." "Then he jailed the council members and proclaimed himself High Lord Regent." "In a forest near Gallimar, we found two bodies hanging from a tree, bearing the seal of Aydindril around their necks." "Fyren's work." "He's given bands of hoodlums the authority to enforce his laws, mostly archaic or invented, demanding fines." "When people can't pay, or won't, he makes examples out of them." "I've heard enough." "Where can I find Prince Fyren?" "Well, what crime could this lovely young lady possibly have committed." "It's a private matter." "Come closer." "Tell me what I can do for you." "You can get out of my chair." "Command me, Confessor." "Order your men to stand down." "Death to anyone who harms her." "The Mother Confessor has returned to Aydindril." "Everyone answers to me or you will meet the same fate as Prince Fyren." "All of his edicts will be subject to my review." "There will be no more unjust fines or executions." "The rule of law will be restored to the Midlands." "What are you smiling about?" "Nothing." "I was just thinking." "About what?" " Even though I'm worried about Zedd," "I have to admit, part of me is glad the amulet didn't work." "I always dreamed we'd go to Aydindril together." "Please, we won't do it again." "You've violated the Code of Aydindril." "If you don't pay your fine, you'll be put to death." " For kissing her?" "Let them go." "This is none of your concern, Seeker." "We're here under the authority of the High Lord Regent of Aydindril." "Release them now." "Or what?" "Get out of here." "You're no Confessor." "What happened?" "Why didn't you confess him?" " I couldn't." " What?" "My power." "It's gone." "I knew I wasn't feeling right." "Now I know why." "It must have been the accident with the amulet." "Richard, this has never happened before." "To any Confessor ever." "There has to be a way to fix it." "Confessor magic isn't something you can just fix." "Without it, I'm not a Confessor at all." "Hey." "We'll get to Aydindril, we'll find Zedd..." "We don't even know if Zedd's alive." "It takes more magic than a broken amulet to kill Zedd." "Trust me." "I asked our friends if we could borrow their horses." "They didn't object." "Well, the faster we move, the sooner we can get back to Zedd." "Come on." "Hiyah!" "The sentence issued by Prince Fyren was unduly harsh." "His order for your beheading is hereby overturned." "Bless you, Mother Confessor." "Kahlan, I believe we can do more to mitigate this man's loss." "Just a moment, Zedd." "His hand was removed because he stole grain." "I had to, to feed my family." "But you stole that grain from another family." "Yes, Mother Confessor." "According to the Code of Aydindril, cutting off your hand was the fitting punishment." "I'm afraid I can't let the Wizard restore it." " Kahlan, are you sure?" " I've made my decision." "She's changed since I last saw her." "She's changed since this morning." "My men have returned nearly all the fines I collected." "They have orders not to stop until they've paid everyone back." "Have I pleased you, mistress?" "For now." "See to it that all the released prisoners get home safely." "Yes, mistress." "Zedd." "I thought you'd be feasting on lamb at Ambrosio's Tavern by now." "And miss watching the Mother Confessor bring justice back to Aydindril?" "Not even for Ambrosio's." "There is still so much to set right." "Why didn't you allow me to restore that young man's hand?" "He stole grain from another family." "With his hand, he could've worked to repay them." "According the Code of Aydindril..." "You know better than I do that those barbaric codes haven't been enforced for hundreds of years." "Yes, and look at the Midlands now." "Zedd, I did not come here to grant amnesty to thieves and petty criminals." "I came here to abolish a corrupt system, to bring back the rule of law." "If I start making exceptions, the rules will lose their meaning." "In the past, you've always been the one to err on the side of mercy." "What you call mercy is a stone's throw from chaos." "Do you think I'm being unreasonable?" "Not unreasonable." "Just very different from the Kahlan Amnell I know." "Before, my duty was to protect Richard." "Here, I'm the leader." "I have to have the people's respect." "I hope I have yours." "Always, Kahlan." "Thank you." "Richard." "Richard." "What's wrong?" "Are you all right?" "Oh, yeah." "I'm fine, everything's fine." "I just..." "I need to talk to you." "Alone." "We're going to take a walk." "I couldn't sleep." "I kept thinking, I don't have my powers." " I know." "But..." " No, no." "No, Richard, it's not that. I..." "I don't know if I'm gonna get them back tomorrow or ever." "But right now, this could be our only chance." " Are you saying...?" " Yes." "If you want to." "You asked to see me, mistress?" "Before you were confessed, your motives were greedy and selfish, and your methods unlawful." "Forgive me, mistress." "However, you also showed great strength and leadership." "You took the D'Harans out of Aydindril, you easily unseated the council." "You come from a line of kings and great warriors." "You meet the qualifications to sire the next Confessor." "Mistress, I'm honored." "I'll please you in ways you can't imagine." "I doubt that, but you can try." "Oh, that won't be necessary." "Just take off your clothes." "The sun's coming up." "Are you sure?" "I think that's the moon." "Cara's going to be wondering where we are." "Oh, I think Cara can figure it out." "Can you imagine what it would be like to be ordinary people?" "You mean the kind that sleep in beds in houses?" "Yes." "Yes." "And who make each other breakfast in the morning and kiss their children good night." "The kind that have the time to go see the Falls of Aldermont at sunset." "Do you ever think about that?" "Every day." "I wish we didn't have to go." "Me too." "I'll meet you back at the campsite." "This is Aydindril." "If we go through the Rang'Shada mountains we won't have to cross the Kael river." "There's a bridge after the river forks." "It might be faster." "We'll go that way, then." "That was a long walk you took." "What are you two doing?" "We're discussing whether we should go through the mountains or across the river." "You had your hands all over him." "I was taking a leaf out of his hair." "I may not have my powers, but I have eyes, Cara." "I know what I saw." "You can't stand that Richard and I were together last night." "Why would I care?" "Do you think I don't see how you look at him?" ""I'd die for you, Richard." "How can I serve you, Richard?"" "You want him for yourself." "You always have, just admit it." "Kahlan, you are seeing things that aren't there." "Richard, she has been trying to get her claws into you ever since you rescued her from the Mord-Sith." "No one rescued me." " Cara." " You think if it weren't for me, you'd have him already?" "Well, you will never have him." "If I wanted him, I would have had him already." "Kahlan, you're not thinking." " Cara hasn't done anything..." " Why do you always defend her?" "Just calm down." " You love her, don't you?" " Kahlan." "All right." "Fine." "If you want her, you can have her." "I hope you two are very happy together." "Kahlan, stop." "Kahlan." "I'm sorry." "I don't know what I was thinking." "I don't know why I said those things to Cara." "Cara's fine." "Look, what is this about?" "I just..." "I saw her with you and I was afraid that last night meant nothing to you." "It meant everything to me." "But you want to go to Aydindril." "You want me to get my powers back." "And then we'll never be able to..." "I want you to get your powers back because they're a part of you." "I thought that's what you wanted too." "But whatever happens, you are the one I love." "When the rift is sealed and the world is safe again," "I want nothing more than just to be with you." "We could be together now." "What are you talking about?" "Richard, the prophecy says that as long as the Mother Confessor's pure heart beats, the Keeper will never win." "All I have to do is stay alive." "We could go into hiding somewhere where I'd be safe." "We could give the sword to Cara and she could go to Aydindril, give it to Zedd." "And they can name a new Seeker and we can live like ordinary people." "We could..." "We could have children." "Kahlan, I can't abandon my quest." "Does that always have to come first?" "Before our happiness?" "The Kahlan I know cares more about the fate of the world than her own happiness." "Well, maybe it's our turn." "We can both have what we want." "Listen to me." "Something is wrong with you." "You didn't just lose your powers, you lost something else." "No, Richard, I'm fine." "You're not fine." "You're making accusations that don't make sense." "You're talking about abandoning our quest." "Richard, I just..." "I love you so much." "I can't lose you." "I can't." "I can't." "You're not gonna lose me." "And if you love me, you need to trust me." "I don't know what's happened to you." "We need to find out." "Do you trust me?" "Then we need to get to Aydindril, and get there fast." "Have the council brought to me when they arrive." "Kahlan, may I have a word?" "Leave us, Fyren." "I take it you finally made it to Ambrosio's last night?" "Yes." "And I heard a rather disturbing rumor that the Mother Confessor had taken Prince Fyren as her mate." "I assured those gossiping fools that there was no truth to it, but his appearance by your side might give some the impression..." "It's no rumor, Zedd." "Kahlan, you couldn't have." "He's been confessed." "He meets the requirements." " But what about Richard?" " You know I can't mate with Richard." "My powers would destroy him." "Of course, but you've always resisted taking a mate because of your love for him." "I don't have the luxury of love." "I have a duty to continue the line of Confessors." "Richard understands that." "So should you." "Oh, I understand that." "But to do it so rashly, and with him?" "The council is here to see you, mistress." "Show them in." "Zedd, this really isn't your concern." "Mother Confessor, the Council of the Midlands has returned to be seated." "That won't be necessary." "Under the council's watch," "Prince Fyren was able to usurp my authority and unleash a reign of terror all over the Midlands." "The council has proven itself utterly ineffective and is hereby disbanded." "Justice in the Midlands requires only one voice, mine." "I don't know what happened when we used that amulet to get here, but something has happened to you, Kahlan." "You are not yourself." "Zedd, you came with me to ensure that I arrived safely." "I'm safe." "Now, you're free to go back to Cara and Richard and help them find the Stone of Tears." "But if you choose to stay in Aydindril, you will not question my authority again." "I've held my tongue for days now." "I can no longer remain silent." "I know Kahlan Amnell very well and this is not Kahlan." "What, you think the Mother Confessor is an imposter?" "She can't be." "I traveled here with her myself." "Something happened to her when the amulet was broken." "I've been searching the scrolls at the Wizard's Keep for answers, but I've found nothing." "What do you suggest we do?" "We can't let her remain in power." "A Wizard's Web will keep her contained, but unharmed." "Putting the Mother Confessor in a Wizard's Web is treason." "I wish there was another way." "So do I." "I may only be a Wizard of the Second Order, but I believe it was you who taught me the element of surprise is everything." "Guards." "Alferon, why?" "You were plotting against my mistress." "She confessed me just yesterday." "This man has committed treason." "As Mother Confessor, I am sworn to uphold the highest standards of justice." "The crime of treason threatens justice itself." "And when justice is threatened, it is all of society that suffers." "Though I have known this man for a long time," "I do not make exceptions." "Everyone is to be treated fairly." "No one," " not even a Wizard of the First Order" " Who is that?" "is above the law." " It's you." "For conspiring to overthrow the Mother Confessor," "Zeddicus Zu'I Zorander, I sentence you to death by hanging at first light." " We have to do something." " Wait." "Don't let her see you." "That imposter just sentenced Zedd to death." "She has guards everywhere." "If she's powerful enough to capture Zedd, there no telling what she's capable of." " I have to tell them that she is not me." " I'm not so sure about that." "What do you mean?" "I don't think the amulet was the only thing that split in two." "Don't ask me to explain it." "We need to get to Zedd." "Not like that." "Then how do you propose we get to him?" "Seven years' hard labor." "Bring the next supplicant." "Mother Confessor." "Richard." "I'm surprised to see you in Aydindril." "Why are you here?" "I was concerned about you and my grandfather." "I'm sorry, Richard, but Zedd has become a threat." "He tried to depose me." "I had no choice but to find him guilty of treason." "That doesn't sound like Zedd." "How can you be sure?" "I'm always sure." "It's part of my gift." "He dies in the morning." "Now you should get back to your quest." "We're all depending on you." "Yes, Mother Confessor." "But before my grandfather dies, I'd like to see him." "I believe it's my right." "Guards, please escort the Seeker to the dungeon." "Of course." "It all makes sense now." "If only I had realized it sooner." " Realized what?" " The amulet is very powerful." "It's magically linked to the heart of the Mother Confessor." "It can find her anywhere in the world." "When we used it to come here, in her heart, Kahlan was torn." "Part of her wanted to stay with you and that part stayed." "So which one is really Kahlan?" " Neither." " I don't understand." "We're all a delicate combination of duty and desire." "The heart and the head, constantly keeping each other in balance." "It takes both to make us whole." "How did this happen?" "Kahlan's innermost desire was to stay, but her duty was to go." "So when the amulet broke, the woman in love stayed with you, and the Confessor, sworn to serve the Midlands, came here." "There has to be a way to put both halves back together." "With both pieces of the amulet, I think I could." "Of course, that's assuming I have use of my hands." " I'm gonna get you out of here." " How?" "You said the Mother Confessor is guided by reason alone?" "I would like to speak on Zedd's behalf before his sentence is carried out." "It's your right to speak." "In sentencing Zedd for treason, you failed to take into consideration his exceptional life and deeds." "Should I list them?" "I'm well aware of Zedd's accomplishments." "But it doesn't change the fact that he conspired to overthrow me." "He broke the law." "As Mother Confessor, the law is what you say it is." "And I say the Code of Aydindril is the law." "I've read the Code of Aydindril." "It was written by the first Mother Confessor." "She said there is no justice be it not tempered by mercy." "Magda Searus, the first Mother Confessor, she was not without her enemies." " She killed when it was necessary." "She did kill." "In fact, she insisted that all male Confessor babies be killed because they lacked the compassion necessary to control their powers." " Is my sex in question, Richard?" " No." "But your compassion is." "You have none." "Because you are, in fact, not the Mother Confessor." "You know who I am, Richard." "I know your kindness, your wisdom, and, yes, your compassion." "But I don't see these things in you." "Because they're in her." "This is a trick." "This is no trick." "She's been with me since the moment you left." "When you used the amulet, you were split in two." "You may have your powers and your sharp mind, but the rest of you is in her." "Your heart, your compassion, your mercy." "The Mother Confessor needs all of it." "Zedd can fix this." "He can put you back together." "He can make you a whole person again." "But until he does, you don't have the right to decide his fate, or anyone else's." "Let's assume you're correct and I no longer have the part of me that cares for you or for Zedd." "That compassion, as you call it, kept me from my duties here." "Without it, I'm a better leader, a better judge, a better Confessor." "Whatever she is, I don't need her getting in the way of that." "If you refuse to allow Zedd to put you back together, you will leave this woman without her reason, her power." "Is that just?" "She has no powers?" "Then you and Richard can be together." "Do you feel incomplete?" "You can't lie to a Confessor." "I think you know that." "No, I don't feel incomplete." "If you're part of me, then I don't want you back." "Not if it means I'd put duty above love." "Not if it means I can never be Richard's wife." "I'm never going to be your husband." "No, you'll change your mind." "I can be everything that you want." "I won't ask you to give up your quest." "I'll love Cara like a sister." "And you can have her too if that's what you want." "And you'll love me, just like you did before." "Would you look at her?" "She's not in her right mind." "And neither are you." "Richard, I understand that you miss some idealized version of the Kahlan you loved." "But you do not have the right to murder two distinct individuals simply to get the one that you want." "I've made my decision." "Go back to your quest and take her with you." "I'm not going anywhere until you let Zedd go." "Then you will be arrested for defying the Mother Confessor." "Seize them." "Ugh!" "Richard." "Stop them." "They'll kill him." "Richard." "It seems my emotions are still getting in my way." "Kahlan, no!" "Command me, mistress." "Help me fight him." "Yes, mistress." "That was foolish, Cara." "One touch from me could kill you." "Argh!" "Mistress." "I told you I'd die to protect Richard." "Fortunately, I won't have to." "Drop your weapons or I kill her." "Mistress, please." "They'll kill you." "Richard won't let her kill me." "I never said both of you had to be alive for Zedd to fix you." " You're bluffing." "Am I?" "How can you be sure of that?" "Don't kill her." "Mistress, please, do as they say." "Drop your weapons." "Release Zedd." "Right now." "I will." "But before you do anything to harm me, you should know, I may be with child." "Mistress, I could also be with child." "Your child." "Neither of you is with child." "But Fyren and I were intimate, many times." "Both of you are nothing more than magical fragments." "Conception under such circumstances would be impossible." "You know I'm telling you the truth." "Richard, please don't kill her." " If you still love me..." " If you care about the Midlands..." "Do it." "Kahlan." "Are we in Aydindril?" "Yes." "Yes, we're in Aydindril." " Are you all right?" " I'm fine." "I'm so sorry, old friend." "There's no need." "If he's released from confession, then we really did kill two women." "Two women who should never have existed in the first place." "What are you two talking about?" " You really don't remember anything?" " Remember what?" "Richard, there are some things that you told me that I'm glad I don't remember." "And some that I wish I did." "I have enough memories for the both of us." "When Zedd put me back together, you gave up something too." "Kahlan." "If I had known what happened to you, I never would have..." "I know." "But we did." " And you said it was...?" " Yes, it was." "But I'd rather have you, all of you, just the way we are, than everything else with someone who's not you." "Richard, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have executed Zedd." "That wasn't you." "Well, at least I get the chance to make things right here." "You're going to stay?" "No." "I'm going to reinstate the council and send for my sister, so Aydindril doesn't have to be without a Confessor." "And if I'm needed, Alferon has the amulet." "You know, I'd understand if you did wanna stay." "I'll always be torn." "But I can only be in one place at a time." "Right now, that place is with you."