Wizard's First Rule

She knelt, frozen, while he cleaned the red off her face. Richard looked into her wide eyes when he finished. He tossed the rag aside, and knelt in front of her, slipping his arms around-her waist.

"Richard, I touched you with the magic. I felt it. I heard it. I saw it. How could the power not have taken you?" _

"Because I was. protected."

"Protected? How?"

"By my love for you. I realized I loved you more than life itself, and I would rather give myself into your power than live without you. Nothing the magic could do to me could be worse than living without you. I was willing to give it all over to you. I offered the power everything I have. All of my love for you. Once I realized how much I loved you, was willing to be yours on any terms, I understood that there could be nothing for the magic to harm. I'm already devoted to you; it didn't need to change me. I was protected, because I have already been touched by your love. I had utter faith that you felt the same, and had no fear of what would happen. Had I had any doubt, the magic would have latched on to that crack and taken me, but I had no doubt. My love for you is smooth and seamless. My love for you protected me from the magic."

She gave him her special smile. "You felt that way? You had no doubt?"

Richard smiled back. "Well, for a moment, when I saw those lightning bolts on your face, I have to admit, I was worried. I didn't know what they were, what they meant. I pulled the sword, trying to gain time to think. But then I realized it didn't matter; you were still Kahlan, and I still loved you, no matter what. I wanted you to touch me more than anything, to prove my love and devotion for you, but I had to put on an act for Darken

Rahl's benefit."

"These symbols mean that I, too, gave everything over to you," she whispered.

Kahlan circled her arms around his neck, kissing him. They knelt on the tiles in front of the devotion pool, pressed against one another. Richard kissed her soft lips the way he had dreamed a thousand times of kissing her. He kissed her until he was dizzy, and then kissed her some more, not caring that bewildered people who passed watched them.

Richard had no idea how long they knelt there embracing, but decided at last that they had better go find Zedd. With her arm around his waist and her head leaning against him, they walked back to the Garden of Life, kissing once more before they went through the doors.

Zedd stood with one hand on a bony hip, the other stroking his chin, as he inspected the altar and other things behind it. Kahlan fell to her knees before him, taking his hands in hers, kissing them.

"Zedd, he loves me! He figured out how to make it work, with the magic. There was a way, and he found it."

Zedd frowned down at her. "Well, it took him long enough."

Kahlan came to her feet. "You knew how to do it?"

Zedd looked indignant at the question. "I'm a wizard of the First Order. Of course I knew."

"And you never told us?"

Zedd smiled. "Had I told you, dear one, it wouldn't have worked. The foreknowledge would have interjected a grain of doubt. That single.grain would have caused failure. To be the true love of a Confessor, there must be total commitment, to get past the magic. Without the willingness to give himself over to you, selflessly, despite the knowledge of the consequence, it wouldn't work."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Kahlan frowned. "I have never heard of it before. How often does this happen?"

Zedd rubbed his chin in thought, looking up at the windows. "Well, only once before that I know of." His eyes rested on the two of them. "But you can tell no one, just as I wasn't able to tell you. No matter how much pain it may cause, no matter the consequences, you can never tell. If even one other knows, it could be passed on, destroying forever the chance for others. It's one of the ironies of magic; you have to accept failure before you can have success. It is also one of the burdens of magic; you must accept the results, even the death, of others, to protect the hope for the future. Selfishness costs the lives, the chances, of those yet unborn." Kahlan nodded. "I promise."

"Me too," Richard said. "Zedd, is it over? With Darken Rahl, I mean. Is he dead?"

Zedd gave Richard a look he found unexpectedly uncomfortable. "Darken Rahl is dead." Zedd put a thin hand on Richard's shoulder, his bony fingers gripping tightly. "You have gotten it right, Richard, all of it. You scared the wits out of me. I have never seen a performance to match it."

Richard grinned in pride. "Just a little trick."

Zedd nodded, his white hair sticking out in every direction, looking wild. "More than a trick, my boy. More than little."

They all turned when they heard the sound of someone approaching. Chase came dragging Michael in by the scruff of his neck. His dirty white trousers and shirt spoke that he had not come willingly. Chase gave him a shove, forcing him in front of Richard.