Richard Rahl: Liberator or Conqueror?
Having lived a life of freedom, of both choice and from magic, Richard grows up valuing his own personal liberty and that of the people around him. He learns to respect individual thoughts and opinions, realizing that differences exist and are good within a society, because they promote growth at various levels. In his simple life, Richard does not aspire to greatness like his brother, Michael. He wants to live a simple life as a woodsman, close to nature and its guiding principles. This is not to say he is a simpleton; on the contrary, Richard is an exceptional person. Unfortunately, outside evil forces come into play, changing Richard’s life forever, taking him away from his familiar surroundings and the people he loves and respects. These forces begin to shape a new Richard, who is thrown into a position of leadership before he is ready. In light of his commitment to make the right decisions, sometimes it is not clear if Richard is advocating freedom or autocracy.
In Wizard’s First Rule, Richard frees the Mord-Sith, wanting them to go home and to try and lead as normal a life as possible. These women, knowing only how to protect their Lord Rahl, decide to stay and serve this new Master. They make this decision of their own accord. It surprises Richard to find out that these women are still serving him. Even greater is his astonishment when four of them show up at Aydindril, with two bodyguards, Ulic and Eagan, to protect him. Taking their job seriously, they become Richard’s shadows, following him everywhere.
The complications of life eventually bring the Msriwith looking for Richard, hoping to kill him. And so it is that Hally, one of the Mord-Sith come to protect Lord Rahl, loses her life, having been wounded by one of the hissing creatures. Even in death, Hally understands the freedom Richard bestows upon her people. With her last breath, she thanks the Lord Rahl: “Thank you, Lord Rahl… for my freedom” (Blood of the Fold, p. 86, hardbound). This young woman clearly understood that Richard advocated personal freedom and free will, although most in Aydindril think otherwise from his actions.
Many fear that more than yearning for freedom, Richard is struggling to achieve autocracy. The two ideals – freedom and autocracy – become foggy at times, as even the characters make wrong assumptions. “Brogan had no tolerance for diplomacy; blood worked better, and left a more lasting impression. He was getting the impression that Lord Rahl understood this, too, unlike the sea of obsequious faces crowding the floor” (Blood of the Fold, p. 107). Unfortunately, Brogan cannot see past Richard’s outer countenance and believes him to be a power hungry individual.
Some of the most difficult and controversial words in the saga are those Richard delivers when he meets the delegates. He has commanded them to be present at an important meeting at which the Lord Rahl, for the first time, is introduced to the Nations of the Midlands. Richard does not waste time; he jumps right in:
“The Imperial Order…believes that the time has come for the world to be united under a common canon: theirs. They say that magic is responsible for all man’s failings, misfortunes, and troubles. They claim all evil to be the external influence of magic. They say the time has come for magic to pass from the world” (Blood of the Fold, p.110, hardbound).
This begins Richard’s forceful speech telling the people of the Midlands that only if they stand together will they have a chance against the Imperial Order. His forcefulness comes across as being that of one who wants his will to bend the people, shown further when he discloses the terms of surrender. “You now have but two choices. Your first is to choose to side with the Imperial Order … Your other choice is to surrender to D’Hara.” (Blood of the Fold, p.115, hardbound). At this point, nothing really matters except the fact that Richard wants to rule. That the Imperial Order is brutal, that they marched into the Crown city of Galea, Ebinissia, killing every last person and indulging in the impalement of pregnant women to make sure both mother and unborn child would die, no longer matters in the shallow minds – so quick to forget – of those assembled. Although Richard tries to defend himself with the following words: “I do not lust to rule. I take up the sword only because I have the ability to help oppose oppression. I fought on the side of the Midlands against my father. In the end, I killed him for his crimes” (Blood of the Fold, p. 112, hardbound), at the moment, all the people see is a conqueror.
In this important meeting, Richard asks all the lands to surrender to D’Hara. Only then will he listen to their ideas and petitions. At this point, the argument tends to lean toward autocracy. Richard’s words make him sound as if he wants to command all people of the Midlands. Seemingly, he is taking away their freedom, their individuality as independent nations. Richard realizes what no one else does: that to destroy the Imperial Order, all people in the New World must come together or they will perish under the brutal blow of the Order.
Richard has understood the Imperial Order’s vicious determination to rule with fear, demonstrated through the brutality of what they did in Ebinissia. This is something many nations of the Midlands have not grasped because they believe they can strike deals, giving them some power in the new order. Other simpletons and lazy individuals cling to the rumors the Order has spread, rumors of free gold for anyone who wants it because all people will be equal under the rule of the Imperial Order.
“… surrender to D’Hara. You will follow the law of D’Hara. Once you are one with us, you will have a say in those laws. We have no desire to extinguish the diversity that is the Midlands. You will have the right to the fruits of your labor and the right to trade and flourish, as long as you work within the larger context of law and the rights of others. Magic will be protected, and your children will be born into a world of freedom, where anything is possible” (Blood of the Fold, p. 115, hardbound).
“You will have a say in those laws.” The words are automatically dismissed because they are misunderstood; the people gathered are only looking for what they believe to be the best interest for their own nations. Dealing and wheeling with the Order seems to be an appealing alternative to many in this assembly.
At this point in his life, Richard has experienced first hand what torture and captivity mean, at the hands of Denna the Mord-Sith, and thus in his zeal to save Kahlan’s world, he appears to become a conquering brute. “… surrender to D’Hara” are strong words the assembled have a hard time digesting. Inadvertently, Richard is letting his passions rule his reason.
So far, what is important is to have a unified, strong army to defeat the tyrannical Order, and the Lord Rahl seems to be the only one to understand this fact. Richard is not a politician, he is not an army general, and although he is the new Lord Rahl, he has no experience. Without experience, he fumbles through his new life as best he can, trying to come up with the most effective strategies to save innocent lives. In this effort, he comes across as another power hungry tyrant who wants to subjugate the people.
Nations of the Midlands are sent home unarmed when they refuse to surrender to D’Hara. These nations also lose the power to make trade treaties with those that see the good in numbers and join D’Hara. If all Richard wanted was power, like the Imperial Order, he would not let these nations go in peace; he would have forced them to join or killed them to make a strong statement, just as the Imperial Order does.
The action Richard takes is very different from what Zedd, Warren, Verna, and Adie do when they, together with Kahlan, Cara, and General Meiffert, listen to Prince Harold. The prince comes to declare that his sister, Queen Cyrilla, is now well, back on the throne and taking back her soldiers because it is more important for her to protect her own small nation than it is to fight collectively with the Midlands to maintain their freedom from the Order. As Kahlan gives him until dawn to withdraw, the four gifted in the room do not agree with her sentence, they seem to be enforcing a more powerful stand, one Richard voices later. They take matters into their own hands and kill the prince with their gift; the crime: treason, treason against the fight for freedom (Faith of the Fallen, p. 317, hardbound). These gifted know well that if the Order wins, they will all be killed, no questions asked, for the sole rationale of having been born with magic.
Richard’s words show us he wants to force his will on the people; the reason does not matter to those assembled, only the words. Because the words are so important, no one pays attention to the meaning behind these harsh words and actions. Therefore, the true message of fighting for freedom is lost.
“Only Hakens are born tainted with vile souls. We can never be as good as Anders. Our souls are corrupt and unable to be pure; their souls are pure, and unable to be corrupt. We cannot ever be completely cleansed; we can only hope to control our vile nature” (Soul of the Fire, p. 369, hardbound). Unknowingly, Richard walks into a society that in many ways oppresses a people in the same philosophical way as the Order. Hakens must attend meetings to keep evil from conquering their hearts completely. Since Richard has not been in the world of the Order, he cannot recognize the chains bringing the Hakens down. Without self-esteem, the Hakens do not know how to fight against the oppression of the Anders. Hence, the Hakens lack the ability to make good choices, and at the end, vote against Richard with the corrupt Anders, who think they have struck a deal with the Order.
“… The Creator does not create evil. He would not create and bestow upon you souls of evil. You have as much potential for good as anyone else, and Anders have a potential for evil equal to anyone … That’s our purpose in this struggle: to make sure that all people have an equal chance” (Soul of the Fire, p. 369, hardbound). Although spoken to Beata with all the truth the words could possibly carry, the message falls on deaf ears. The years of brain washing the Anders have done is too deeply seated for Richard’s words to have an impact.
To Richard’s misfortune, he never realizes the impact that the Anders versus Hakens conflict had on society. He does not understand he is fighting another mentality created by a deep-seated, depressively negative self-image. The Anders have destroyed the spirit of the Hakens. It is with such spirit that Kahlan warns Richard “these people respond to power, and suggested he show them more intimation of force than offers of accommodation if they were to gain the Ander’s cooperation” (Soul of the Fire, p. 377, hardbound). Because of this advice, when asked where he grew up, Richard responds: “Oh, you know – wherever there is a good fight” (Soul of the Fire, p.376, hardbound). He reminisces of his childhood wrestling with his brother, Michael.
‘“I suppose you had a good teacher.”
“Yes,” Richard said, the memory standing in stark relief between him and the Minister’s expectant face. “I did have a good teacher. Last wither I had him beheaded.”
Richard is remembering Michael’s betrayal to Darken Rahl’ (Soul of the Fire, p. 376, hardbound), furthering the image of a brutal conqueror initiated inadvertently in Aydindryl.
During the banquet, Richard reminds them of the terms laid out for all the Midlands. The Anders, that is to say, Minister Chanboor and Dalton Campbell, are in the process of negotiating with the Order because of great promises made by the Order to the Anders leaders. The rules of the land are already extremely corrupt; they fit perfectly into the mold of the Imperial Order.
To buy himself more time, since the minister had not heard a final word from the representative of the Imperial Order, the minister begins to tell Richard and Kahlan that he cannot make decisions for his people; his people must vote.
“How can you expect our people to believe your sincerity in the cause of freedom, if you refuse to allow them to choose their own fate? If what you offer is truly freedom, then why would you fear the people exercising freedom in choosing it? If what you offer is so fair and good, and the Imperial Order so brutal and unfair, then why would you not allow our people to freely choose to join with you? Is there something in it so vile you would not allow them to see their fate and choose it willingly” (Soul of the Fire, p. 380, hardbound)?
Minister Chanboor is a born politician, and thinking fast on his feet to buy himself the needed time to hear from the Order’s representative, he schemes elections. Elections that he then ensures are weighted against Richard.
Kahlan is deeply troubled by his words, never has such a thing been done before. While Richard, with his keen sense of individuality and capitalistic ideals, seems to like the minister’s idea and wants to campaign through the land of Anders to put forth his ideals, Kahlan senses trouble and tainted, underhanded misplay.
It is here in Anderith that Richard learns the value of having self-worth and how it influences people, positively or negatively, especially those like the Hakens, who have been brainwashed to believe themselves lesser than human and purely evil. He also learns that evil schemes and stabs in hidden ways, managing to skew his clean and honest campaign. And so, what appears to be a democratic campaign ends up being a dirty fight to the death, the death of the Anders and the Hakens. The overwhelming rejection Richard receives in this land is so crushing that it makes him realize that he cannot fight for people’s freedom. Before he can fight, the people must want freedom. If they first do not comprehend what freedom is all about, they will never fight for it.
In many instances, people do not truly understand what freedom really entails until outside forces take that freedom away. Although Richard understands what freedom and self-worth are all about, Nicci wants him to understand the righteousness of the teachings of the Order. Deep in the heart of the Old World, in the city of Altur’Rang, Richard learns to live the brutal and quiet life of self-sacrifice. In Richard’s mind, “self-sacrifice is the obscene and senseless suicide of slaves” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 378, hardbound). Freedom had always been important to Richard, but now, in the Old World, he learns how truly debilitating slavery to the wrong ideals can be. Although many in the New World see Richard as another power hungry Rahl, it is in the smaller things he does that his true character shines. He is a hard worker stuck in a world whose system usurps his ability to do work by taking his wages and giving them to those who do not want to work. His ideals of free economy, capitalistic ideology that can only succeed in a free society, come forth when he begins to sell iron to Victor Cascella by starting up his nightly business from which both will “… gain a benefit. Value for value” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 373, hardbound).
Richard cannot live the meaningless life that Nicci is showing him. Even within the tight constraints the Order puts on labor, Richard finds a way to better his situation and earn more money by working for Victor, delivering iron bars to his foundry. “Richard made the first trip… through the dark streets… carrying five bars. From windows… a few people blinked out at the man… They blinked without comprehension at the meaning of what he was doing. He was working for nothing but his own benefit” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 379, hardbound).
Wanting freedom and advocating freedom can only come when individuals learn self-worth and harbor the need to better themselves. Without the appreciation of these qualities, freedom is meaningless. The need and the pride of wanting to make the little we have better is a driving force in understanding the importance freedom has on our actions. So it is with Richard when he sets out to better the front steps of the housing complex he lives in with Nicci. With this simple process, he awakens new emotions in Kamil and Nabbi, who become fascinated with the idea that individuals can better their surroundings, making them safer and brighter. And so it is that both Kamil and Nabbi, now wearing shirts out of newfound respect, no longer feeling the need to show off their immense muscle power, meet Richard to fix the back stairs. “Richard knew he would lose an opportunity if he put them off” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 380, hardbound). Summoning additional strength, Richard obliges to continue teaching the boys self-worth.
As time goes by, Richard begins to emanate a quality not even Nicci can decipher. People go out of their way to please Richard or to simply receive a smile from him. He works hard and is always tired, yet always manages to help the women living in his same complex. Richard has created his own little freedom inside the heart of the Imperial Order and those around him take notice. They do not understand, but they know it makes them feel good. Nicci “brought Richard to the worst place in the Old World, to the worst building she could find, and he somehow ended up making everything better – just as she insisted was his duty” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 394, hardbound). Nicci continues to wonder what makes Richard different. Richard found his freedom within, recognizing it he nurtures it and diffuses it, infecting those living in his complex. Richard treasures freedom, his personal freedom, and that of others. Through his life in Altur’Rang, we see how he tries hard to instill the idea of self-worth; through self-worth comes the appreciation of freedom.
Richard had struggled long and hard in the New World to make the people see the danger, decadence, demoralization, and simple enslavement the Order brought. He failed. He retreats to the beloved mountaintops of his homeland. But now, a prisoner himself, deep in the Old World, deep into the rule of the Order, people like Victor Cascella are beginning to talk about revolt. Richard remains skeptical and says nothing, waiting and watching for the appropriate moment. Richard waits to see if they truly understand what fighting for freedom entails. Have they gained enough self-worth to want freedom enough to die for it? Many like Victor are hardworking men who, despite the Order, work tirelessly to make ends meet. It is a big struggle, one they are getting tired of because the more they work, the less they have in this society that promotes laziness and corruption. The people around Richard continue to take notice of the strange aura he emits; they don’t understand what it is, but they admire it. Self-worth must be fully recognized and appreciated before people become motivate enough to want personal freedom. The small freedom found within is something Richard loses as the Order takes him into custody and tries to extract a confession from him. It takes a while, but after much struggle, Nicci is able to ensure his release. “The guards released Richard with a shove. Richard caught himself and straightened, a dark form upright in the last of the light, defiant of the long shadow around him… Nicci couldn’t imagine what pain it had to cost Richard to walk so steadily, proudly, smoothly down the stairs without help, as if he were a free man” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 440, hardbound). Nicci is watching that which so far she has not been able put to words or rationalize: self-worth.
The quality of nobility consists not only of nobility itself, but nobleness of mind, character, and spirit; nobility is exalted moral excellence. The understanding of self-worth is the sense of one’s own value or worth as a person, self-esteem, and self-respect. “This was what was in Richard’s eyes, brought into existence in glowing white marble. To see it fully realized was like being struck by lightning… Nicci cried out in pain… at the beauty of what it represented. – LIFE. Nicci collapsed to the floor in tears, in abject shame, in horror, in revulsion, in sudden blinding comprehension… In pure joy” (Faith of the Fallen, p.492-493, hardbound). The figures of the statue “reflected a love of the human form as sensuous, noble, and pure.” They showed “awareness, rationality, and purpose. This was a manifestation of human power, ability, intent. This was life lived for its own sake. This was mankind standing proudly of his own free will. LIFE” (Faith of the Fallen, p.499, hardbound).
For the first time, many saw “The concept of man as virtuous,” as noble. The statue “was vision to the blind. It was water to the thirsty. It was life to the dying” (Faith of the Fallen, p. 500, hardbound). With one statue, Richard is showing the people of Artur’Rang the meaning of self-worth. With the realization of self-worth comes the understanding of enslavement and freedom. And this is what Richard had been waiting for, understanding.
Richard’s life in Altur’Rang culminates in the wonderful speech he delivers to the people as they watch with awe the noble statue he carved just for this occasion. Through his speech, we understand that he has no desire to take away anyone’s freedom, that he does not plan to rule by taking freedoms away; he wants to give freedom back to all those that no longer remember what freedom is all about. All this he does by simply promoting self-worth in the heart of the rule of the Imperial Order. As Richard breaks his wonderful statue, on orders from Brother Neal, he sees self-worth shine in the eyes of Victor – the time for revolt has arrived.
A bit wiser from some of the horrible experiences he has encountered, Richard still has a hard time dealing with the rationale of the Bandakar, a people that refer to themselves as the enlightened ones. Like the Hakens, the Bandakar have no ability to think as individuals. They work together for the greater good of all the people, another nation oppressed by a mentality that destroys self-worth. Decision making for one’s own sake is non-existent. Choices are made collectively, and the speakers for any action to be taken must reach a consensus. They are a people that reject reality. This can be understood through Owen’s words: “Nothing is real … I could not know reality from my eyes and ears alone … Reality is in the realm of fate … that day, fate swept down on my people … we must not fight against fate, for it has already been foreordained by the true reality we cannot see” (Naked Empire, p. 250, hardbound). Richard finally counters Owen’s words while standing before him and his men, the ones that had poisoned Richard so he would liberate them from the men of the Order. Richard tells them, “You are going to have to deal with reality, the same as I must, if you are to have a chance at life. Today, you will have to face a great deal of the truth, if you are to have that which you seek” (Naked Empire, p. 403, hardbound). Richard needs them to understand that the brutality is real and the Order is the cause of it.
Richard continues on to explain who they really are, the pristinely ungifted offspring of the House of Rahl. He further explains that the real meaning of Bantakar is the banished. As ancestors of the House of Rahl, Richard welcomes them home, but there are conditions. Richard explains:
“If we triumph in our struggle, you are welcome to be free people of a D’Haran Empire which holds a belief in specific values. For example, you can think whatever you wish and try to persuade others of the value of your beliefs, but you cannot act on a view that those who fight to gain that freedom are savages or criminals, even though you expect to enjoy the fruits of their struggle. At minimum, they have earned your respect and gratitude. Their lives are no less than yours and are not expandable for your benefit. That is slavery. … We do not fight for land. We are loyal to an idea – an ideal of liberty wherever man lives. We do not guard territory, bleed for a piece of dirt. We don’t fight because we love violence. We fight for our freedom as individuals to live our own lives, to pursue our own survival, our own happiness” (Naked Empire, p.424-425, hardbound).
Richard clearly explains what he stands for and what he is fighting for together with Kahlan and those that stand behind him. Richard, in his struggle to help spread freedom, is learning how to express his feelings and what he is struggling to achieve. Self-worth, individuality, freedom, now permeates from every fiber in Richard’s body, mind, and words.
Why is it so difficult to make people understand the value of freedom? Is it only those like Victor and Priska, whose freedom has been taken away, that understand self-worth and individuality? Victor has learned to appreciate what he lost long ago at the hands of the Order. Even so, it took a good many years of oppression to light the spark in Victor. Richard learns that most won’t fight because they really do not comprehend what they have until they lose it.
Richard sits quietly waiting and hoping for things to truly change in the hearts of some of the friends he has make in the Old World. Patience is a virtue and with Richard it proves to be invaluable as he begins to see the spark igniting in Victor, the recognition that self-worth is important enough to fight for. Victor fight forcedly for his freedom and his new found individuality.
Now that Victor had gained his freedom, he is not about to lose it. His objective becomes one and the same as Richard’s – the spreading of freedom, the understanding of self-worth. Victor takes this job very seriously and together with a handful of men, sets out not only to retain control of Altur’ Rang but to win freedom for other towns that desperately want it but have no idea how to go about getting it. Victor’s stamina and new found convictions surface because of Richard; not so much due to what Richard said, since he was extremely careful never to discuss revolts with the men, but from his actions. Actions always speak louder than words, and his example made many seeds grow in the heartland of the Order.
Although Richard could not be there to fight the battle against the men sent by Jagang to reclaim Altur’ Rang, he knew Nicci was not going to fight a conventional battle. With the numbers and the gifted the Order sent to crush them, it was not advisable to fight a conventional battle. These men needed victory and Nicci gives them that victory. Richard continues to learn from all that happens around him and when the final battle comes close, Emperor Jagang coming up into the south of D’Hara, the Lord Rahl confronts his army, letting them know “There will be no final battle” (Phantom, p259, hardbound). It is at this point that Richard’s words and feelings can once again be misconstrued. Suddenly Richard sounds like a hungry, bloodthirsty monster out for the kill. He explains further, letting the D’Haran soldiers know that “I have come to disperse our army” (Phantom, p. 259, hardbound).
“Think! Are you so mired on the concept of a traditional final battle that you have forgotten its purpose? Are you putting the ‘the way it’s always been done’ ahead of the reason for doing it? The sole reason for such a battle is to prevail over the enemy, to settle the matter once and for all. That concept of a final battle has evolved into thinking that it’s the way it must be done because that is the way it has always been done.
“Stop being pointlessly tied to that idea. Think. Stop being blinded by what you have done before. Stop throwing yourselves into the graves as if by rote. Think – think – about how to accomplish our objective” (Phantom, p 261, hardcover).
Richard knows that no matter how good his army is, just the vast numbers of the Order will eventually destroy his men. While Jagang can call on the Old World to keep sending more men, because of its size, the New World does not have such resources. Jagang has manipulated events to play out the way he wants them, knowing that the New World does not have the manpower to win the final battle. For all the patience and knowledge Jagang displays, even he makes a grave mistake in believing that Richard will fall into the trap he so meticulously sets out to create.
Richard makes the essence of this enemy clear when he tells the officers:
“They believe in what they are doing. They think they have right on their side, that they are acting morally, that they are fulfilling the Creator’s wishes, and so they are justified in murdering whoever they wish in order to define how mankind will live” (Phantom, p. 262-263, hardbound).
What Richard is describing, we call fanaticism, which is an excessive intolerance to opposing views, and most in the Old World, through indoctrination from birth, have become fanatics, individuals with excessive enthusiasm and intense devotion to the cause of the Imperial Order. It is impossible to convert such zealots; they will fight to the death. Richard needs his officers to understand this.
He goes further, explaining that,
“They are all investing their property, their labor, their wealth, and their lives in the struggle. Their people – not just their army – want to subjugate us and make us bend to their beliefs. They want us to be slaves to their faith, just as they are. They encourage their army to attack innocent people here, in the New World, in order to force their beliefs on us…
“All the people who believe in the ways of the Order, who contribute, who encourage, who support, who pray for their soldiers to crush us, are part of their war effort. Each of those people adds something to their cause. As such, they are just as much the enemy as the soldiers” (Phantom, p. 263, hardbound).
Indirectly, but with the same force, the people of the Old World are striking mortal blows on the innocent of the New World as effectively as plunging swords into them.
Richard continues to address the officers standing before him.
“In fact, those people who make this war possible are perhaps even more of an enemy because each one is a silent enabler who wishes us harm from afar, who hates by choice, who believes that there is no consequence for them forcing their will on us…There must be consequences to the choices they have made, especially when their choices ruin the lives of others who have done them no harm…
“How are we to accomplish this? … We must bring this war home to the people who support and encourage it. It must not simply be the lives of our friends, our families, our loved ones who are thrown into the bloody cauldron these people of the Old World stoke … I want them to fully understand that if they set out to murder and subjugate us – for whatever reason – then there will be consequences…Our only mandate is to win…I want any supporter of the Order to pay the price for their aggression” (Phantom, p.263-264, hard bound).
Note that at this point, the words Richard uses are “any supporter,” not just any person, but those that support the Order blindly the same way Ghadi did.
“I want them to pay with their fortunes, their future, their lives” (Phantom, p. 264, hardbound). Any supporter of a war against a people that have done nothing to deserve the aggression except possessing magic and not wanting to bow down to the faith of the Imperial Order is as guilty as those soldiers actually doing the killing. Their desire for the war and the victory over the people of the New World make them active participants. Their support must be cut down to stop the flow of supplies – in every form.
“The time has come to go after these people with nothing but cold black rage in our hearts… What I want the men of the Order to hear are wails of agony. I want them to know that their homes are being gutted, their cities and towns leveled, their businesses and crops destroyed, and their loved ones left with nothing” (Phantom, p. 264, hardbound).
Again, Richard is not talking about cold blooded murder, he is talking about destroying that which enables the people in the Old World to give sustenance to the great Imperial army. He is talking about the destruction of the army’s livelihood. Yes, there would be suffering for the innocent, but his goal is to stop the killing of the innocent in the New World. To accomplish this goal he must destroy that which gives life to the army. He is not actively going after the innocent; every war has casualties. He has come to realize that this will be the only way to stop the hordes of the Order from destroying life as he knows it.
Richard continues with his speech to the officers:
“They think those with magic must be destroyed; make them believe that they can’t be. They want a world without magic; make them wish only not to anger us ever again. They want to conquer; make them want only to surrender (Phantom, p. 264, hardbound).
Richard goes on to disclose his plan of attack: “…some of our forces must be devoted to the important goal of hunting and killing their supply train” (Phantom, p. 264-265, hardbound). The trains are what keep the Order alive, they bring reinforcements, weapons, and most importantly, the food that sustains and makes them strong for the next battle. “…We must cut that vital link” (Phantom, p 265, hardbound). Cutting the food supply will also cause death eliminating the need for D’Hara to go after them. Making sure the new recruits, who are not as well trained, never join the main army will be a deterrent for others, ensuring that fewer young men will be enthusiastic about joining the army for the greater good of mankind. “Even better if they are small units assembling in their home town … If young men know that if they volunteer, they will never get to be heroes…” (Phantom, p. 265, hardcover), never plunder the towns or rape the women of the New World. Furthermore, they will come to understand they won’t even have a chance to join the main army. Because they encounter an enemy who does not fight as expected, most will no longer want to join the fight.
Richard dissolves the army, naming them the “phantom D’Haran legions,” very much in the spirit that the Mud People taught Kahlan warfare that would give her men, the young Galean soldiers that survived the Ebinissia massacre, a chance to defeat the men of the Order that plundered and destroyed the royal city. “No one will know where you are. No one will know when you will strike. No one will know where you will strike next… I want them to fear the phantom D’Haran legions as if you are death itself” (Phantom, p. 266, hardbound). And so, Richard sends his army to the Old World, changing all the rules of war faring. He does not send them to kill innocent people, women, children, and the aged; he sends them to destroy the crops grown to feed the Imperial Order’s vast army. To destroy, and – yes – even kill the new recruits on their way to join the main forces. To destroy the supply trains carrying the essentials to keep the army alive.
In all the chaos Richard wants to wield, innocent lives will also perish. It is a fact of war. He calls it an unfortunate thing, but there seems to be no other alternative; casualties will always happen in a war, and according to Richard, he and his people are still the victims trying to end the senseless killing.
The journey seems endless. Richard starts out as a naïve woods guide thrown in the throngs of evil and with a responsibility greater than he ever bargained for – the Seeker of Truth. He is captured and tortured too many times for it not to become an influencing factor in his decision-making. Forceful and unyielding in his purpose to pursue freedom for a people he learns to love, he seems at times a brutal, power hungry leader. However, the experiences he gathers in his public life show him what must be done to ensure the survival of magic and life as the people of the New World know it. In his endeavors, Richard is not advocating autocracy; he and the rest of the New World are trying to survive and eliminate the threat of the Old World wanting to eradicate them out of existence.