Stone 6b

**Chapter 6, part 2**

Richard asks permission to take a Mud Woman as his wife, specifically, Kahlan. The elders, obviously relieved that no one will have to marry the belligerent White Devil or the Mindrapist, agree. Everyone is happy. Kahlan ponders how Richard has been *“held prisoner for over a month, and had only rejoined her the day before.”* Keep that in mind: Richard was tortured and raped repeatedly for over thirty days, and has had less than *one* day to recover. He should be a traumatized wreck of a human being. He should be curled into the fetal position being fed broth by Zedd, the only person he can trust.

But, no. He's fine. Anyone can recover from weeks of physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse just like that. \~/

Anyway, Kahlan brings Richard some wild boar ribs, and Richard is repulsed by them. *“It made me feel sick. It just seemed like a dead animal to me. Like I was about to eat some dead animal lying there in front of me. How could anyone eat some dead animal that was just lying there?”*

Umm...not to be picky, but it *was* a dead animal, or at least part of one.

Richard's headache is worse. Kahlan, at the Bird Man of Alcatraz's advice, takes Richard to the spirit house where it is quiet and no one will bother him. I would have thought a place called the “spirit house” might have some...I don't know...spiritual significance? A sacred place, not just a youth hostel? But it appears not; it's just the name of the place, and the two White Devils are welcome to it.

Oh, and we find out that Richard is *“famous for [his] headaches.”* That was...random.

Kahlan and Richard hide out in the spirit house and have lovey-dovey talk. It's not very entertaining, but it's not terrible. There's an infodump on the Central Council, which rules the Midlands as a sort of United Nations. We're told that, as the Central Council rules the Midlands, the Mother Confessor rules the Council (remember, Confessors are above the law because shut up).

Kahlan then confuses the matter by claiming that the Mother Confessor (hereafter MC) doesn't rule the Council per se, but that she represents small lands such as Tamarang (which had a Queen, remember), the Mud People, and the land of the night wisps (remember the night wisps? They were interesting). But *wait...”the Mother Confessor has no interest but the good of the Midlands.”* So...does she represent the smaller lands or not?

Ah, but Kahlan goes on to explain that, without the benevolent tyranny dictatorship guidance of the Confessors, the Midlands would just jockey for power. The MC provides *“a larger view....direction and leadership.”* Because no group of people can work together without some super-powered magical tyrant looming over them to terrify them into compliance. \~/

Kahlan *then* explains that the MC only steps in if the other Council members fail to come to a just agreement. I'm thoroughly confused now.

Richard wonders why the other nations obey the Confessors (here's a hint, Richard: they can rape your brain). Kahlan says that those that don't bow to the MC would be alone and vulnerable to their stronger neighbors (but what if *several* nations defy the MC?). *“They know that ultimately it is in their own interest to have an independent council leader who sides with no land.”*

Didn't Kahlan just say that the MC represented those collective lands too small to have a dedicated representative? \~/

Richard wonders what keeps the stronger nations from saying “screw you” to the Confessors. The answer, aside from the whole rape-your-brain thing, is that the wizards back the Confessors. Apparently if you piss off the Confessors, their pet wizards will storm in and destroy you...except that, because they have the power to do so, they have never *had* to do so. The wizards call this “the paradox of power;” I call it bullcrap.

Kahlan then reveals the extent of her ego with this: *“...I rule the Central Council, and if I'm not there to do so, the weak, the defenseless, and the peaceful will eventually be overrun, and the rest will be drawn into a war until all but the strongest are crushed.”*

Yes, Kahlan herself is the one and only thing standing in the way of total war. \~/ Because, absent a superpowered magical tyrant, every nation will immediately attack every other nation. That's how politics works, or so I understand.

Richard realizes that, with the other Confessors dead and the wizards (except Zedd) having committed heroic suicide, Kahlan has no backup against the Council. He decides to be that backup himself, and grins at the thought of terrorizing and possibly murdering a whole bunch of new people.

There's a pointless discussion about cooking, and then Richard's headache either returns or gets worse, I'm not sure which. Kahlan goes to get the healer, but there's something there! It has yellow eyes!

Drinks: 4

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