Temple 15

**Chapter 15**

We rejoin Richard as he marches dramatically down the hall, his gold lamé cloak billowing behind him. \~/ The Dominatrices and the Aryan Boys are following him, but they aren't allowed past the guards because they're still on Richard's naughty list. As he approaches Kahlan's room, Richard sees Nadine sitting on a chair outside her door and Richard notes her sexy curves.

We're told that Nadine *“affected a smile.”* Why “affected?” Why not just “Nadine smiled,” as people do? Because we mustn't forget, even for a moment, that Nadine is a deceitful, man-hungry homewrecking whore, whose every action is calculated to steal Richard away from Kahlan. At least that's Terry's opinion, and he's going to make damn sure we know it. \~/

Richard thanks Nadine for saving Kahlan, which is nice. Nadine tells him how Tommy Lancaster and *“skinny Rita Wellington”* got married back in Podunkville, and how he beats her severely, which is rather less nice. The reason for this unpleasant interlude is so Nadine can once again ooh and aah over how awesomesauce Richard is for having saved her from being raped. \~/

There's a bit of a mix-up where Nadine says she once carved N. C., for Nadine Cypher, onto her *“betrothal trunk,”* and Richard thinks she was in love with his dead brother, Michael the Evil Liberal Traitor. Nadine corrects him that she was in love with *Richard,* and says that she knows she *“made a big mistake. With Michael, I mean.”*

Onwards! Nadine asks if Richard saw *“the moon last night? . . . Was it as extraordinary, as remarkable, as they say?”* Because that's how humans talk. Also, this is the first we lowly readers have heard of any special lunar shenanigans. Richard says *“That, and more,”* whatever that means.

Richard goes on to see Kahlan, and is told she's getting dressed, After a page of pointlessness, he is finally allowed into the room to see her. There are three servants who *“watch him expectantly, as if waiting to see if he would dare to simply walk in on the Mother Confessor, or fall into a show of some other scandalous behavior.”*

These people do remember the last Lord Rahl, yes? The one who died a few months ago, and who was a torturer, mass murderer, necromancer, demon-summoner, and serial rapist? The one who was infamous for his unpredictable and sadistic actions? They should be *expecting* Richard to rape or murder Kahlan, and tensing to scramble out of his way so he doesn't decide to murder them, too. \~/

There's a few more sentences of this nonsense, and then we learn that Richard can always tell when Kahlan walks into a room, even if he can't see her. *“You have a unique fragrance. I know the sounds you make, the sound of your breathing, the way you move, the way you pause. They're all unique to you.”*

Foreshadowing, ahoy!

Richard and Kahlan recap the last few chapters to each other, then talk about Nadine. Kahlan admits that Nadine helped her, and that *“I didn't think she would have the guts to keep her head, but she did.”* Richard comments that he only marries smart women, which is still as stupid and ironic as ever.

Kahlan sympathizes with how much it must have hurt Richard *“when you caught [Nadine] kissing Michael.”* Richard is shocked, and indicates that's not exactly what happened, but refuses to say what did. Paragon of honesty, that's our Richard.

We get a reprisal of the old folk saying: *“Never let a beautiful woman pick your path for you when there's a man in her line of sight,”* because all beautiful women are greedy, man-hungry sluts who will sabotage anyone and everyone at the drop of a hat. That's the message I'm supposed to be taking away from this, right?

There's more recappage (is that a word? It is now) and then Richard and Kahlan discuss the prophecy that Jagcard carved into the wall of the Rape Pit of Rapiness. Kahlan wants to know what it said, but Richard says he still has to translate it. *“Prophecies are more complicated than their words. . . . Just hearing their words doesn't mean it's what it sounds like.”* However, Richard freaks when Kahlan mentions that Jagcard said that proof of the prophecy *“would come on the red moon,”* since the moon was red last night.

Richard finally shares the text of the prophecy, which is as follows:

“***On the red moon will come the firestorm. The one bonded to the blade will watch as his people die. If he does nothing, then he, and all those he loves, will die in its heat, for no blade, forged of steel or conjured of sorcery, can touch this foe.***

“***To quench the inferno, he must seek the remedy in the wing. Lightning will find him on that path, for the one in white, his true beloved, will betray him in her blood.”***

Drinks: 4

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