[Legend of the Seeker] A Pirate's Guide to Exchanging Favors
Title: A Pirate's Guide to Exchanging Favors
Author: hibernate
Characters/pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R / mature
Wordcount: ~6,700 words
Note: I don't even know what this is. Thanks to commoncomitatus for being a very patient beta!
Summary: PIRATE AU. In which Kahlan is a pirate queen with a weakness for Cara's ~ship.
Also archived on AO3.
1.
Beautiful.
It's the only thing Kahlan has time to think as the ship sweeps by down-seas, white sails and red wood that almost shimmers in the sun.
She's seen the ship before, in the distance, but it's the first time it has sailed so close by. She catches a glimpse of the ship's captain, standing on the quarterdeck, wind tugging at blonde hair. It's a female captain, and she raises her hand in the air, giving a small wave towards Kahlan's ship.
Kahlan does not wave back.
The ship, beautiful though it is, does not belong here.
"Ahoy!" Richard bellows, coming up to stand by Kahlan's side, waving to the new ship.
Kahlan crosses her arms over her white shirt, shooting him a sideways glare. "They're allied with Rahl, you know."
"Maybe. Until we know that for sure, there's nothing wrong with being friendly."
Turning to Richard, Kahlan softens her stance, smiling slightly. Richard is always friendly, even when he shouldn't be. "I prefer to be careful."
"Aye, Captain," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, and Kahlan swats playfully at his arm. Richard is a good quartermaster, and a good friend. It's not his fault he sees good in everyone, whether they deserve it or not.
Kahlan is captain and queen; it's not a luxury she can afford.
2.
In the weeks to follow, the new ship and her fair-haired captain prove to be far more trouble than Kahlan had anticipated.
She plunders three ships from right under Kahlan's nose.
She finds two of Kahlan's secret islands and the bounty buried there.
She sinks the ship of a pirate hunter that Kahlan had been quite looking forward to sinking herself.
The worst, though, is when Kahlan arrives at Isle of Winds, hunting a long sought-after chest of gold, and finds an empty chest and a note.
"These are my waters," Kahlan tells Richard, Dennee and Chase, stabbing her fork into a piece of meat on her plate.
"I know," Richard says.
"We heard you the first three times," Dennee adds.
Chase says nothing. He doesn't have to speak; his skepticism is already plainly visible on his face.
Perhaps she is being unreasonable, but it's just so infuriating. "Where did she even get a ship like that?" she continues. "She doesn't deserve it."
They're on land, having chosen to rest in port, as they do every so often, in punch houses and taverns on neutral ground. The ship may be Kahlan's home, but food and drink are always better on land, especially at Zedd's Tavern.
Unfortunately, being in port, on neutral ground, means that anyone is welcome, and Kahlan can't do a thing about it.
"Arr, darling Queen," a voice says, and next, Long John Rahl, dressed in his usual red, long hair perfectly coiffed, steps out of the crowd. "And my dear brother, Scruffy Brownbeard."
"Don't call me that." Richard has grown tense beside Kahlan, never happy to see his brother. Their relationship seems terribly complicated; Kahlan tries to stay out of it. She has her own issues with Long John Rahl. As long as she can remember he's been a source of trouble, and lately, his defiance of her rule has caused a storm in her waters.
If they had been anywhere else, she would have run him through with her cutlass, but this is Port Haven, neutral ground for all pirates, and such a thing cannot be done. No one may draw their weapon in a safe harbor, not even the Queen, and Long John Rahl is always very careful to stay hidden everywhere else.
Long John Rahl doesn't wait for any invitation, sitting down without being asked, putting his wooden leg up on a chair. "I have heard of your troubles, sweet Queen Kahlan."
"My only troubles are with you, Rahl."
"Is that so?" He leans back, putting a finger to his lips. "I hear tales of a new addition to our waters."
Kahlan narrows her eyes. "And I hear tales that the new addition sails with you."
"Perhaps we should both cease listening to rumors. But I do know a thing or two about your Captain Stranger." The smile on Rahl's face is as calculating as ever. "Purchase me a can of flip, some salmagundi and a woman, and perhaps my tongue can be loosened."
For a moment, Kahlan is very tempted to take Long John Rahl up on his offer. But Richard is quicker, speaking before Kahlan can: "Pay for your own amusement. We don't want your help."
Richard is right, of course, and no matter how much she wants ammunition against the new captain, Long John Rahl is not the way to go.
"Very well. Go on listening to rumors, if that's your desire." Rahl's leer is frustratingly cheeky as he stands up, adjusting his crimson coat. "I hear they call her Cutlass-Cara, because of her penchant for disemboweling people with her sword. Do remember to give the good captain my best next time you meet."
3.
It is less than a month later that they meet in person for the first time.
They're in port again, and while Kahlan's crew is amusing themselves ashore, Dennee drags Kahlan into Zedd's Tavern for a meal that is not fish or dried meat.
At a table, there she is, the new captain, a bottle of rum in her hand and a lady of the night perched on her leg. It takes a few pointed coughs from Kahlan before the captain moves her face away from the lady's ample bosom.
"Captain," Kahlan says. "Or do you prefer Cutlass-Cara?"
She eyes Kahlan up and down for a moment, eyebrow raising, one gloved hand still stroking the half-naked breast of the woman in her lap. Her left eye is covered by a black eye-patch, but it doesn't make her gaze any less intense. "You may call me whatever you want, oh, Queen of Pirates."
Somehow, she makes the title sound almost mocking, and her eyes seem to have stopped at the strip of skin above Kahlan's white shirt. "Is there any reason you interrupted me? Are you here to sit on my lap?" she asks, smirking and letting one hand rest on her thigh. "There's room for you too."
Kahlan grinds her teeth together. "You sail on my hunting grounds, Captain."
Putting the bottle of rum down on the table, Cara's eyes finally meet Kahlan's. "Water belongs to no man or woman. Not even to the Pirate Queen."
"Rumor has it you're here for a reason."
Cara rises quickly, shoving aside the woman in her lap. There's a leather belt hanging over her black jacket and red shirt, across her chest, holding two pistols. One knife protrudes from her boot, and another from the waist of her leather pants. A cutlass is strapped to her hip, and her hand is already on it.
Red has always been Long John Rahl's color, and Kahlan wonders if the color of her shirt, and of the silk sash around her waist, is just a coincidence.
"Don't listen to rumors," Cara says. "Did you get my note, my Queen? I hope you were not too disappointed, but my crew need to eat."
Kahlan's hand is on her cutlass, blade half-way out of its sheathe, when she feels the tip of Cara's knife against her chest.
Dennee gasps behind her, and the tavern has suddenly become very quiet. "You take up arms in a safe harbor, against your Queen?"
"I take up arms wherever I want," Cara rasps, teeth bared as she glances to the sides, because the tension has suddenly become palpable.
These rules are beyond Kahlan, beyond who rules in Aydindril, and though it's hardly the first time the laws of safe harbor have been broken, such a thing is never taken lightly. "Last chance," Kahlan tells her, hand tensing on the handle of her sword.
Cara only grins, and then the knife in her hand is gone, replaced by her cutlass with frightening speed, and Kahlan has no choice but to draw her own sword. Cara strikes first; Kahlan steps back, blocking her sword effortlessly, as Cara raises an eyebrow.
She is fast, but Kahlan grew up with a cutlass in her hand and she is not without skill. Although the Captain's style is unconventional - aggressive and to the point - Kahlan responds easily, retreating first, and then turning Cara in circles, until she can shove her into a wall, placing the blade of her cutlass against her throat. "Are you allied with Rahl?"
Cara is infuriatingly calm, even in this position. "How so?"
"He opposes my rule," Kahlan says, pushing Cara harder into the wall, "and schemes to take the throne himself."
"And you are more deserving of rule than he is?"
Maybe the way Cara's eyes burn with intensity and amusement should have been a warning, but Kahlan finds herself woefully unprepared when Cara puts a foot against her heel, swiping her foot and shoving her back with more force than her shorter stature should allow.
A table breaks her fall, and Kahlan is on her feet again in an instant, sword still in hand. But not quickly enough; Cara is right next to her, and with a grin, she whips the side of her cutlass against Kahlan's backside, making her jump and let out a somewhat unqueenlike squeak.
Cara has the audacity to laugh, then, moving out of range and placing a kiss on the blade of her cutlass, eyes intently trained on Kahlan.
It's not a challenge Kahlan has any plans on letting go uncontested. This time she means it, and Cara's smirk becomes tense as her face betrays how much of her concentration it takes to keep Kahlan at bay.
The other people in the tavern keep out of their way, even when they jump up on a table, tripping over plates and mugs full or rum. They end up on the bar disk, feet dancing, more evenly matched than Kahlan would like to admit, and there's no telling how events would have unfolded had they not been interrupted.
There's a loud bang, and then sudden flames explode between them, licking their swords and forcing them apart.
"Enough!" It’s Zedd, the Wizard, and the keeper of the tavern. His hair is long and white, and his robes have seen better days, but his eyes are sharp and Kahlan would never doubt the strength of his magics.
"Don't you read?" he says, aggrieved, and knocks at the sign hanging over the bar disk, giving the both of them a pointed glare.
No Sword-Fighting, the sign says, in big letters, and smaller underneath: aye, merry pirates, that includes thy cutlass, dagger, knife and any other blade.
"This is not one your boats. In this tavern, I'm the one in charge."
"They're not--" Kahlan starts, but Zedd interrupts her.
"And if you're thinking up other ways of causing a brawl..." Zedd points to the three signs next to it, one saying, "Keepeth Thy Fire-Arm in Thy Pants", another, "Thou Breakest It, Thou Boughtest It", and the third, "Use Thy Hands for Eating, not Fist-Fighting."
"Very well," Cara says, sheathing her cutlass, eyes wild as she stares at Kahlan. "Maybe next time."
Kahlan keeps her cutlass in her hand, standing ready, even as Cara jumps off the bar disk. "I'm not allied with Rahl," Cara says from the floor. "He approached me, but I have no interest in the petty politics of pirates."
"It's not petty politics."
"It is to me." She walks to the door, and there is something about the smooth way she moves that rubs Kahlan the wrong way. "Do think about the note I gave you," she says over her shoulder, before exiting.
4.
You have something I want. That's what the note read, exact letters on a piece of paper.
First, Kahlan thinks Cara means the water, but there are rumors in port about a map that cannot be read. The words take on a different meaning then.
"I heard about your little sword fight," Richard says when she gets back to her ship, some days later. Kahlan hates being ashore for more than a day, but as captain and queen, sometimes official pirate business take precedence.
"Did Dennee tell you?"
"She didn't have to. Everyone is talking about it."
"She pulled a blade on me," Kahlan tells him, feeling oddly defensive. "I wouldn't break the laws of a safe harbor."
"I talked to her while you were gone. She helped me sink a hunting ship," Richard says. "She’s not all that bad. Nice enough ship, too."
"Her ship is gorgeous," Kahlan says, allowing herself a moment's thought of red wood and graceful lines. "That is not the point."
Richard stares out over he ocean, squinting against the sun. "Rahl is planning something."
"He's always planning something." Kahlan elbows Richard gently. "You're not listening to me."
"I am listening, Kahlan, but Cara is not your enemy. This isn't like you."
Kahlan frowns. "I just... don't like her."
"Just her ship."
"Oh, her ship." Kahlan sighs. "I want that ship."
"It's very shapely," Richard agrees, looking quite amused for some reason.
You have something I want, the note had said, and perhaps it is true.
When Kahlan spots the red ship on the horizon a few days later, she makes the order to steer for it, raising no flag. They sail up side by side some hours later, Cara leaning over the railing on the quarterdeck, looming over Kahlan as she stands on the deck of her ship.
Cara is wearing a hat now, black like her coat and the patch over her eye, and she brings a hand up to tip it slightly in Kahlan's direction, as a greeting. "Is there something you wished to discuss, Pirate Queen? If you're here to board my ship, I have to question your tactics."
"If I wanted to board you, I would have done so already."
"If you wanted to board me, all you had to do was ask."
It makes Kahlan flush when she realizes what Cara means. Clenching her jaw, she says, "I will take you where you need to go, if you agree to keep out of my way from now on."
Cara tilts her head, studying her. Her eye patch is over her right eye now, instead of her left, a silent sign that she is always ready for battle. "So it is true, then, what they say about the caves below Aydindril."
"It is," Kahlan confirms. "I will take you there, only you, if you give your word as a captain that you'll find other hunting grounds."
"And what guarantee do I have that you won't run your cutlass through me when we're there and my back is turned?"
"I'm the queen."
Cara looks thoroughly at her, lips pursing. "Very well," she says finally.
Next thing Kahlan knows, Cara has climbed up on the railing, swiftly jumping over to land beside Kahlan on the deck of her ship. Kahlan takes an involuntary step back, hand landing on her cutlass, but Cara makes no move to attack.
"Sail on!" Cara yells to her crew, and soon enough, the ships part ways.
Cara walks across the deck to the front of the ship and back, looking around with one eyebrow raised. There is something catlike about her movements. She has a sailor's walk, but something other than that, too, and Kahlan finds herself trying to make sense of it.
Putting her hand on the main mast, Cara smirks. "This ship has some experience."
Kahlan can't keep the proud smile from her lips. "She's old and wise. I inherited her from my mother."
"That explains it then," Cara says, smirking. "She looks like she's seen better days."
Kahlan narrows her eyes, smile vanishing. "Don't insult my ship, or I will throw you off her."
"I thought I had your promise as queen that no harm will come of me."
"There are limits," Kahlan replies tightly. She is already starting to regret her decision. Cara is walking across the ship as though it's hers, and she doesn't like it one bit.
"Tell me, how long will it take to travel to this Aydindril?" Cara asks, squinting at the horizon.
"It's not far."
5.
The ship lays anchor in the bay south of the island, and Kahlan takes Cara the last bit by row-boat.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Richard asks, leaning over the railing with an apprehensive frown on his face. "Out of interest in keeping both of you alive."
"I don't need someone to mind me," Cara calls back.
"We'll be fine on our own," Kahlan reassures him, before she starts rowing.
Cara sprawls back at the rear of the boat, gaze resting on Kahlan but saying nothing until they reach Aydindril. Once there, she trails behind, following Kahlan's lead in a manner that seems very unlike her.
"Have you not been here before, then?" Kahlan asks, as she leads the way through the caves, perplexed by the notion. All pirates ought to know the caves of Aydindril, even those who usually sail other waters.
There is a pause before Cara answers. "I have not been a captain always," she says. "And my youth was spent in waters far from here."
In the throne room, Cara spins around, as if shocked.
It is big, that is true, and Kahlan feels quite proud, despite herself, of Cara's reaction. That is, before Cara spots the throne, and heads toward it, sitting down as though it belongs to her.
"That's not allowed," Kahlan says, trying to suppress the unease she feels at seeing someone else sitting on it. "The throne is mine and mine alone. What kind of a pirate are you, that you don't know that?"
She pulls out her cutlass in one quick draw, aiming it between Cara's breasts.
Cara remains seated, shooting Kahlan a heated look. "So many things belong to you. Caves, thrones, islands, water. Who made you the queen of those things?"
"Blood made them mine," Kahlan says, feeling it more strongly in these caves than anywhere else. "I am queen, like my mother and grandmother and great-grandmother before me."
Cara merely raises an eyebrow. "That is valuable blood indeed. I paid for everything I am in blood too." She pauses. "I suspect yours did not need to be spilled."
The words are strange, but Kahlan can feel the truth of them, even though she's not sitting on her throne. "Get out of my chair," she says, though it comes out softer than she intends, and she's already lowered her cutlass.
Head dipping, Cara gets to her feet. "As you wish, my Queen."
"Come on," Kahlan says, still wary. "The Forest of the Night Wisps is not far from here."
6.
"Why are we stopping?"
Kahlan sighs. "Don't you know anything? None but the Pirate Queen may pass this border. You will only be able to cross it if I invite you to."
Kahlan reaches out her hand, and when Cara does nothing, she says, "I assure you, this is as unpleasant for me as it is for you." Then she grabs her hand firmly, the leather of Cara's glove rough against her skin, and walks across the border.
It is quiet at first, dark. Kahlan pulls Cara along, deeper into the caves, until the flickering light from the torch they left at the border is barely visible anymore.
Sometimes they only come when she sings, but this time, she can hear them whirring, small dots of blue, as soon as the cave starts to widen. And then there are hundreds of them, all at once, dancing blue lights and small excited voices in her ear. Cara gasps beside her, and when Kahlan turns to look at her, her face is full of wonder.
"They're wondering who you are," Kahlan says.
The look on Cara's face is quickly replaced by one of petulance. "You understand this chirping?"
Kahlan smiles as the voices around her become more insistent. "This is Cara," she says. "She's my friend--" at this, Cara makes a face "--and she has a map that she needs your help reading."
One of the Night Wisps sits down on Cara's nose; she shies back with a scowl, and her hand tugs at Kahlan's. She had not realized before that Cara's hand was still in hers, and she pulls her hand back quickly. "Take out your map. If you look at it in the light of a Night Wisp, you will be able to read it."
While Cara reads her map, making notes on another piece of paper, Kahlan sits down on the cave floor, listening to the Night Wisps whisper in her ears, answering questions and telling them stories about the water.
She looks to Cara some time later, only to find her glaring. "Why are they so... interested in you?"
"All those of my line have a bond to them," Kahlan says, listening as a Night Wisp whispers into her ear about blue seashells. "My mother brought me here when I was born."
"You have a bond with these caves."
"Of course." Kahlan tilts her head, lifting her hand as another Night Wisp lands on it. "It's why I'm Queen. When I sit on my throne, you must confess the truth, if I ask it of you."
"And if I lie?"
"You can't. It is the magic of my bloodline and Aydindril."
"And when you're not on your throne?"
"Then I'm no different from any other pirate." Kahlan stands up, straightening her shirt. "Finish your map. I'm going to take a walk."
When Kahlan walks back to where she left Cara, she hears her talking before she sees her.
"Stop that," she’s saying, sounding exasperated. "No. It's further south than that, see, this is the border of... let go of my pen. What do you know about water and navigation anyway, you spend all your lives in a cave. Yes, that was an insult."
"Who are you talking to?"
Cara tenses, looking up at Kahlan with a scowl on her face. "No one. Myself."
It seems quite obvious from the look on her face and what Kahlan heard her say that she's lying. One of the Night Wisps launches from its placement on Cara's head and flies over to Kahlan, practically buzzing with excitement.
"It's a magical language, you know," Kahlan says, smiling as she listens patiently to the Night Wisp. "Anyone can understand it, you just have to be open and listen."
"It's all just chirping to me. Very annoying chirping, especially when they won't shut up." Cara shoots a pointed glare in the direction of the Night Wisp on Kahlan's shoulder.
Kahlan sits down on the cave floor, a few paces from Cara. It's impossible to feel angry or anything bad at all among the Night Wisps, and Kahlan smiles at them as they fly around her head. "They can sense things about a person. Feelings and thoughts."
Cara makes a sound of derision. "Glorified insects."
Kahlan studies Cara for a moment, trying to make sense of her. "Where do you come from, that you don't know things all pirates should, about Aydindril or queens or Night Wisps?"
"Maybe I'm not a pirate," Cara says, leering back at her.
"You act like a sailor, if not a pirate."
"If you want to know, why don't you sit down on your throne when we leave, and I will have to tell you."
It's an unmistakable challenge, as surely as the time Cara put her knife to Kahlan's throat. But this time, she doesn't rise to it. "I wouldn't do that."
"Why wouldn't you use power that is yours?"
"That power is for everyone. I wouldn't use it for myself."
It makes Kahlan uncomfortable to have Cara look at her like she does, curious and searching, as if she’s attempting to see right through her. She's not used to anyone looking at her like that. Suddenly she feels sympathetic towards the people who stand before her when she is on her throne.
"You are a strange creature," Cara says, before turning back to her map.
7.
It's dark when they leave the caves, too dark to risk braving the water and the cliffs of Aydindril in a row boat.
They find a place to rest and wait for sunrise, protected by the surrounding cliffs. Kahlan is just making herself comfortable on the ground when Cara makes a surprised sound behind her, and then the darkness is lit up by a blue glow. Kahlan looks up at Cara, watching the Night Wisp circle around her in excited leaps.
"Shar!" Cara calls out. "You stupid little firefly."
It is the same Night Wisp that had whispered about Cara in Kahlan's ear, in the caves.
"She hid in my pocket." Cara tries to catch her in her hands, but the Night Wisp is too quick.
"It's all right. They mostly stay with their own kind, but some of them are curious. It's dangerous, though. Shar, stay close to me." Shar chirps eagerly, and Kahlan laughs. "Yes, Cara too."
"Uh, no, you tell that little chattering bee to stay away from me."
Shar glows a little brighter, and sits down on Cara's nose.
Kahlan can't keep herself from smiling, even though it makes Cara's scowl deepen. Her hand goes up to brush the Night Wisp away, as she turns around and lies down on the ground, back to Kahlan.
The Night Wisp flies over to Kahlan instead, settling on her hip when she lies down.
Kahlan wakes in the middle of the night to find Cara and Shar both gone. When the clouds clear, Kahlan can see Cara’s silhouette further down on the beach, the blue glow of a Night Wisp around her head.
She turns suddenly, as if she knows Kahlan is watching her, heading back to their sleeping spot. Even though it's dark, her right eye is still covered by the black patch, as if she's so used to wearing it she's forgotten it's there.
"You never said what the map is for," Kahlan says quietly, when Cara sits down on the ground. "Unimaginable treasures?"
"That is not your concern." Shar flies from her place on Cara's head to sit on Kahlan's shoulder, and Cara gives her a sharp look. "You can be quiet, bug."
Shar squeaks and hides in Kahlan's hair. "Don't scare her," Kahlan says. "Night Wisps are very sensitive."
Cara scoffs. "She is a gossiping little insect."
"I thought you didn't understand what they were saying."
Caught, Cara just glares. "It wasn't that hard," she says finally, "once it started speaking clearly. It likes to talk about you."
Shar makes an amused sort of buzz close to Kahlan's ear, and Kahlan suddenly feels very self-conscious. There are no secrets between her and the Night Wisps, and she has no wish for Cara to know all things about her. "Tell me what the map is for."
"Why are you so curious?"
"Until you're back on your own ship, you're at my mercy."
Before Kahlan can react, Cara is on her feet, her cutlass pressed sharply against Kahlan's chest. "I'm at no one's mercy."
"You are always so quick to point your weapons at me," Kahlan says tightly.
"You make it so very tempting."
Kahlan stands up carefully, as Cara keeps her sword pointed at her. Slowly, she draws her own cutlass, Cara watching her impassively. "We won't be interrupted this time," Kahlan tells her.
"Do you intend to kill me?" Cara asks, and she sounds curious, but not afraid.
"Your sash." Kahlan nods toward the red silk tied loosely around her hips. "If I can take it, you will tell me where the map leads."
Cara's gaze dip to rest on the blue sash that goes around Kahlan's waist, holding her wide, white shirt in place. "And if I capture yours?"
"What do you want?"
Cara smirks. "I will think on it."
"That hardly seems fair."
Cara jumps forward suddenly, their swords connecting. Kahlan barely has the wits to block, it's so fast. "Well, it's all you're getting, Pirate Queen," Cara says, smirking.
Quickly, Kahlan takes advantage of how close Cara's attack has put them, reaching for her sash. She can feel the material between her fingers, smooth silk, but before she can get a grip on it, Cara is gone.
From a safe distance, Cara tilts her head, actually looking somewhat impressed, and Kahlan has to push down on a flare of flattered pride.
They are evenly matched, just like the last time. She becomes so engrossed in the play of swords that it takes her by surprise when Cara jumps back a few paces, raising her hand. "It's dawn."
Kahlan hadn't even noticed. "Do you yield?"
"Never," Cara says, a shark smile growing on her face. "But we should continue this back on the ship. I have places to go."
Cara keeps that same infuriating smile all the way back to the ship. Kahlan rows, hands tightening around the oars as she wishes she had her cutlass in her hand instead.
Once on the ship, Cara runs a finger along her sword, while Kahlan eyes her warily, hand hovering, ready, above her hip. "You put a nick in my blade, my Queen," Cara says.
And then it begins anew.
It's still early, and Kahlan doesn't need to ask to know that the crew has taken advantage of her absence to drink all the rum on board. Most of them appear to be under deck, though Richard, Dennee and Chase are snoring in a pile against the main mast. At least they were, until Cara forces Kahlan to jump back, nearly tripping over Chase's long legs.
"Please," Chase calls as Cara forces Kahlan back another few steps, "take this to the Captain's Cabin. We are too tired and far too drunk to watch you."
"This will only take a moment," Kahlan yells back, falling forward suddenly, ducking under Cara's blade.
It's so close, her hand just inches away from Cara's sash, but Cara has quick feet and once again she moves out of reach, slicing down with her cutlass across Kahlan's arm. It cuts through the sleeve of her shirt and leaves a thin, white line on her skin, never piercing the skin.
When Kahlan looks up, Cara is smiling - nearly laughing - and it's hungry and wild, with a dash of something a little bit unhinged. Kahlan's heart is pounding far too hard in her chest, almost making her lightheaded.
The sound of Chase's snoring resumes, as loud as ever, but Kahlan barely notices. Cara takes one step closer, slow and deliberate, and Kahlan tightens her hand around her sword. But Cara doesn't raise hers, instead keeping it pointed towards the deck of the ship, until she surges forward, faster than anything.
In the blink of an eye, Kahlan finds herself pinned to the wall next to the stairs. Cara has her cutlass against Kahlan's throat, and it's much like a reversal of the first time they fought. Kahlan doesn't struggle, feeling the sharp blade against her throat. After the briefest pause, Cara's hips press up against hers, and then there is Cara's mouth, full lips finding Kahlan's, and it's all tongue and teeth and slick warmth.
It doesn't last long.
Cara takes two steps back, quick as ever, and before Kahlan can even consider what just happened, she notices the blue sash in Cara's hands.
"Got it."
8.
"What do you want for it?" Kahlan's breathing is still too fast, too shallow, but she tries to keep her voice even.
Cara brings the sash up to her face, as if smelling it, and when she looks back up, her eyes focus on Kahlan's lips. "Maybe I'll just keep it until I can think of something."
There are probably a hundred reasons why she shouldn't, but none of them seem to matter much right then. The door is right behind her, and she doesn't even have to ask Cara to follow when she steps inside.
It's dark in the Captain's Cabin. Kahlan fumbles with a match until the lamp is lit, hearing Cara behind her. When Kahlan turns around, Cara is suddenly very close, head tilted down, looking up at Kahlan with a very dangerous gleam in her eyes.
The hat is gone, and so is the eye patch, giving Cara an advantage in the dim light from the lamp, right eye already adjusted to darkness. Slowly, Cara brings up first one hand, and then the other, to her mouth, pulling her gloves off with her teeth. Her hands are pale and unmarked, slender fingers that Kahlan has to tear her eyes away from.
She is all decadent pleasure, a brand new kind of danger, and Kahlan finds herself unwilling to resist. There is something about her that makes Kahlan ache to know more, and so she places her hand on top of Cara's chest, watching Cara's eyes darken.
Kahlan slides her hand lower, feeling the swell of Cara's breast, and she leans in closer, forcing Cara to tip her head back, until she can feel Cara's hot breath on her face. Cara’s lips are already parting, anticipating, and when Kahlan takes a step back, putting distance between them again, she makes a small sound of displeasure.
"What do you want with me, Pirate Queen?" The anger is obvious in her voice. "Do you enjoy toying with me like a cat?"
"I could ask you the same."
"I have never made my wishes a secret." Cara closes the distance between them, one hand sliding into her hair, the other gripping her hip, and the kiss is rough and sloppy, teeth clashing.
Cara pushes her backwards with her entire body, until Kahlan feels the wall against her back. She doesn't stop pushing, pressing herself against Kahlan, as if she's trying to push them both right through the wall.
"You have driven me mad ever since you put your cutlass to my neck."
Kahlan is fairly certain that Cara had started to drive her mad even before that night, but some things are probably better left unsaid. She kisses Cara again, instead, and Cara responds by putting her hand down Kahlan's pants.
It's so sudden that Kahlan jumps and pulls away from the kiss, hands coming down to grip Cara's arm as intense heat rushes to her groin. Cara isn't moving, but her scowl has been replaced by a pleased smirk. When Kahlan relaxes her grip on Cara's arm, she flexes her fingers inside Kahlan's pants, and Kahlan can't hold back a groan.
Cara buries her face in Kahlan's hair, licking up the shell of her ear, and Kahlan feels her eyes roll back. "Do you want me to take you with my fingers, my Queen?" Cara mumbles in her ear. "I have other tools too. Or maybe you want me to use my mouth?"
"Yes," Kahlan sighs, trying to keep her breathing under control.
"Yes, what? Which one? All three?" Cara pushes her harder into the wall, fingers teasing where she's wet and aching already, the other hand grasping at Kahlan's thigh, spreading her so she can press herself closer.
"Either."
Cara's eyes become very dark at that, breaths coming quicker. "And what would I get in return?" she asks, and Kahlan can almost feel the conflict in her, the tension in her body betraying her calm.
"Does everything always have to be a trade?"
"Yes," Cara says, and Kahlan takes it for what it's worth: the offer of a trade that puts them on equal ground. It feels like a strange kind of honor.
"Then let's trade," Kahlan tells her, sliding her hand over Cara's stomach, below the waistband of her pants. "A touch for a touch."
Cara's breathing stutters, eyes falling shut for a moment. When she opens them again, that indecent smirk Kahlan has grown used to follows.
Kahlan grins back.
9.
Later, Cara brings her cutlass to bed, running her fingers along the sharp edge.
Propped up against the pillows on the other side of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, Kahlan finds it hard to tear her eyes away from Cara's nude figure, cheeks flushing all over again. Cara's brow is furrowed, mouth pursed, as she inspects the small nick in the sword's blade.
"Do all your swordfights end like this?" Kahlan asks, stretching out her legs and sighing at the way her body is still humming. Cara makes an amused noise, never taking her eyes off her cutlass, making Kahlan wonder if this actually is how Cara's swordfights usually end.
The ship lurches, and Cara looks up for a moment. They both know it means that Kahlan's crew has raised the sails, letting the wind carry them away from Aydindril.
"We'll find your ship soon," Kahlan guesses.
"I suspect you will find my ship by a shore somewhere, abandoned."
"Why is that?"
"I told you I wasn't a pirate," Cara says, finally meeting Kahlan's gaze. "All I wanted was the map. I hired some people who wouldn't ask questions, and stole the ship while most of the crew lay drunk in a tavern."
"What are you then, if you are not a pirate?"
Putting the cutlass down on the floor beside the bed, Cara moves closer until she is on her knees, hovering over Kahlan. In the dim light, shadows fall across her chest, and Kahlan's eyes travel to the soft curves of her breasts.
Cara grasps one of Kahlan's thighs, parting her legs slightly so she can move between them. Reaching for the blanket around Kahlan, she opens it slowly, as if unwrapping a gift, the corners of her mouth quirking up. Kahlan's face burns, heat rushing downwards as Cara stares down at her naked body.
Cara begins to bend down, but Kahlan puts a firm hand on her chest, stopping her descent. "I asked you a question. Who are you?"
"Someone to fear," Cara says, one hand coming up to cover Kahlan's, moving it to lie over her breast instead, nipple hardening against Kahlan's fingers.
Kahlan bites her lip, remembering how Cara had moved like a restless ocean before against the wall, salt and wet, hips crashing against Kahlan's like waves. But Cara will not win this so easily. "I'm not afraid of you."
Cara just smirks, seductive and taunting at the same time. "In another life, I spent much time at sea, killing. It was not difficult to be a sailor again." When Kahlan doesn't respond, Cara continues, "Set me ashore in the nearest port. I cannot go where I want on the waters. If you find my ship, you're welcome to it."
"And where is it you're going?"
For a moment, there is a strange look on Cara's face, but then it's replaced by something hard. "It's a private matter. It concerns... providing justice for someone who deserves it."
Kahlan lets her hand travel up to Cara's face, thumb nudging against Cara's ear. "Revenge is empty pleasure."
"Perhaps."
"You know, my master gunner up and left me two weeks ago. Fell in love and left me high and dry to become a farmer. I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
"Yes," Cara says, voice lowered as her gaze becomes heated again. "Emotional attachments do cause people to make foolish decisions."
This time, Kahlan doesn't stop Cara when she goes down on her elbows between Kahlan's legs. All sailors know what to do when caught in a storm: ride it out until the water is calm once more.
"You could take his place," Kahlan says, as her hand falls to Cara's shoulder to steady herself. "If you let your revenge wait awhile."
Cara's arms go around her thighs as she presses a kiss low on Kahlan's belly. "If you are done talking," she says. "I believe I was in the middle of something."
10.
It's not until hours after they set Cara ashore in Port Haven, that Kahlan realizes she's taken the Night Wisp, Shar, with her, as well as the blue sash she stole.
It seems much like a promise.
Author: hibernate
Characters/pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R / mature
Wordcount: ~6,700 words
Note: I don't even know what this is. Thanks to commoncomitatus for being a very patient beta!
Summary: PIRATE AU. In which Kahlan is a pirate queen with a weakness for Cara's ~ship.
Also archived on AO3.
1.
Beautiful.
It's the only thing Kahlan has time to think as the ship sweeps by down-seas, white sails and red wood that almost shimmers in the sun.
She's seen the ship before, in the distance, but it's the first time it has sailed so close by. She catches a glimpse of the ship's captain, standing on the quarterdeck, wind tugging at blonde hair. It's a female captain, and she raises her hand in the air, giving a small wave towards Kahlan's ship.
Kahlan does not wave back.
The ship, beautiful though it is, does not belong here.
"Ahoy!" Richard bellows, coming up to stand by Kahlan's side, waving to the new ship.
Kahlan crosses her arms over her white shirt, shooting him a sideways glare. "They're allied with Rahl, you know."
"Maybe. Until we know that for sure, there's nothing wrong with being friendly."
Turning to Richard, Kahlan softens her stance, smiling slightly. Richard is always friendly, even when he shouldn't be. "I prefer to be careful."
"Aye, Captain," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, and Kahlan swats playfully at his arm. Richard is a good quartermaster, and a good friend. It's not his fault he sees good in everyone, whether they deserve it or not.
Kahlan is captain and queen; it's not a luxury she can afford.
2.
In the weeks to follow, the new ship and her fair-haired captain prove to be far more trouble than Kahlan had anticipated.
She plunders three ships from right under Kahlan's nose.
She finds two of Kahlan's secret islands and the bounty buried there.
She sinks the ship of a pirate hunter that Kahlan had been quite looking forward to sinking herself.
The worst, though, is when Kahlan arrives at Isle of Winds, hunting a long sought-after chest of gold, and finds an empty chest and a note.
"These are my waters," Kahlan tells Richard, Dennee and Chase, stabbing her fork into a piece of meat on her plate.
"I know," Richard says.
"We heard you the first three times," Dennee adds.
Chase says nothing. He doesn't have to speak; his skepticism is already plainly visible on his face.
Perhaps she is being unreasonable, but it's just so infuriating. "Where did she even get a ship like that?" she continues. "She doesn't deserve it."
They're on land, having chosen to rest in port, as they do every so often, in punch houses and taverns on neutral ground. The ship may be Kahlan's home, but food and drink are always better on land, especially at Zedd's Tavern.
Unfortunately, being in port, on neutral ground, means that anyone is welcome, and Kahlan can't do a thing about it.
"Arr, darling Queen," a voice says, and next, Long John Rahl, dressed in his usual red, long hair perfectly coiffed, steps out of the crowd. "And my dear brother, Scruffy Brownbeard."
"Don't call me that." Richard has grown tense beside Kahlan, never happy to see his brother. Their relationship seems terribly complicated; Kahlan tries to stay out of it. She has her own issues with Long John Rahl. As long as she can remember he's been a source of trouble, and lately, his defiance of her rule has caused a storm in her waters.
If they had been anywhere else, she would have run him through with her cutlass, but this is Port Haven, neutral ground for all pirates, and such a thing cannot be done. No one may draw their weapon in a safe harbor, not even the Queen, and Long John Rahl is always very careful to stay hidden everywhere else.
Long John Rahl doesn't wait for any invitation, sitting down without being asked, putting his wooden leg up on a chair. "I have heard of your troubles, sweet Queen Kahlan."
"My only troubles are with you, Rahl."
"Is that so?" He leans back, putting a finger to his lips. "I hear tales of a new addition to our waters."
Kahlan narrows her eyes. "And I hear tales that the new addition sails with you."
"Perhaps we should both cease listening to rumors. But I do know a thing or two about your Captain Stranger." The smile on Rahl's face is as calculating as ever. "Purchase me a can of flip, some salmagundi and a woman, and perhaps my tongue can be loosened."
For a moment, Kahlan is very tempted to take Long John Rahl up on his offer. But Richard is quicker, speaking before Kahlan can: "Pay for your own amusement. We don't want your help."
Richard is right, of course, and no matter how much she wants ammunition against the new captain, Long John Rahl is not the way to go.
"Very well. Go on listening to rumors, if that's your desire." Rahl's leer is frustratingly cheeky as he stands up, adjusting his crimson coat. "I hear they call her Cutlass-Cara, because of her penchant for disemboweling people with her sword. Do remember to give the good captain my best next time you meet."
3.
It is less than a month later that they meet in person for the first time.
They're in port again, and while Kahlan's crew is amusing themselves ashore, Dennee drags Kahlan into Zedd's Tavern for a meal that is not fish or dried meat.
At a table, there she is, the new captain, a bottle of rum in her hand and a lady of the night perched on her leg. It takes a few pointed coughs from Kahlan before the captain moves her face away from the lady's ample bosom.
"Captain," Kahlan says. "Or do you prefer Cutlass-Cara?"
She eyes Kahlan up and down for a moment, eyebrow raising, one gloved hand still stroking the half-naked breast of the woman in her lap. Her left eye is covered by a black eye-patch, but it doesn't make her gaze any less intense. "You may call me whatever you want, oh, Queen of Pirates."
Somehow, she makes the title sound almost mocking, and her eyes seem to have stopped at the strip of skin above Kahlan's white shirt. "Is there any reason you interrupted me? Are you here to sit on my lap?" she asks, smirking and letting one hand rest on her thigh. "There's room for you too."
Kahlan grinds her teeth together. "You sail on my hunting grounds, Captain."
Putting the bottle of rum down on the table, Cara's eyes finally meet Kahlan's. "Water belongs to no man or woman. Not even to the Pirate Queen."
"Rumor has it you're here for a reason."
Cara rises quickly, shoving aside the woman in her lap. There's a leather belt hanging over her black jacket and red shirt, across her chest, holding two pistols. One knife protrudes from her boot, and another from the waist of her leather pants. A cutlass is strapped to her hip, and her hand is already on it.
Red has always been Long John Rahl's color, and Kahlan wonders if the color of her shirt, and of the silk sash around her waist, is just a coincidence.
"Don't listen to rumors," Cara says. "Did you get my note, my Queen? I hope you were not too disappointed, but my crew need to eat."
Kahlan's hand is on her cutlass, blade half-way out of its sheathe, when she feels the tip of Cara's knife against her chest.
Dennee gasps behind her, and the tavern has suddenly become very quiet. "You take up arms in a safe harbor, against your Queen?"
"I take up arms wherever I want," Cara rasps, teeth bared as she glances to the sides, because the tension has suddenly become palpable.
These rules are beyond Kahlan, beyond who rules in Aydindril, and though it's hardly the first time the laws of safe harbor have been broken, such a thing is never taken lightly. "Last chance," Kahlan tells her, hand tensing on the handle of her sword.
Cara only grins, and then the knife in her hand is gone, replaced by her cutlass with frightening speed, and Kahlan has no choice but to draw her own sword. Cara strikes first; Kahlan steps back, blocking her sword effortlessly, as Cara raises an eyebrow.
She is fast, but Kahlan grew up with a cutlass in her hand and she is not without skill. Although the Captain's style is unconventional - aggressive and to the point - Kahlan responds easily, retreating first, and then turning Cara in circles, until she can shove her into a wall, placing the blade of her cutlass against her throat. "Are you allied with Rahl?"
Cara is infuriatingly calm, even in this position. "How so?"
"He opposes my rule," Kahlan says, pushing Cara harder into the wall, "and schemes to take the throne himself."
"And you are more deserving of rule than he is?"
Maybe the way Cara's eyes burn with intensity and amusement should have been a warning, but Kahlan finds herself woefully unprepared when Cara puts a foot against her heel, swiping her foot and shoving her back with more force than her shorter stature should allow.
A table breaks her fall, and Kahlan is on her feet again in an instant, sword still in hand. But not quickly enough; Cara is right next to her, and with a grin, she whips the side of her cutlass against Kahlan's backside, making her jump and let out a somewhat unqueenlike squeak.
Cara has the audacity to laugh, then, moving out of range and placing a kiss on the blade of her cutlass, eyes intently trained on Kahlan.
It's not a challenge Kahlan has any plans on letting go uncontested. This time she means it, and Cara's smirk becomes tense as her face betrays how much of her concentration it takes to keep Kahlan at bay.
The other people in the tavern keep out of their way, even when they jump up on a table, tripping over plates and mugs full or rum. They end up on the bar disk, feet dancing, more evenly matched than Kahlan would like to admit, and there's no telling how events would have unfolded had they not been interrupted.
There's a loud bang, and then sudden flames explode between them, licking their swords and forcing them apart.
"Enough!" It’s Zedd, the Wizard, and the keeper of the tavern. His hair is long and white, and his robes have seen better days, but his eyes are sharp and Kahlan would never doubt the strength of his magics.
"Don't you read?" he says, aggrieved, and knocks at the sign hanging over the bar disk, giving the both of them a pointed glare.
No Sword-Fighting, the sign says, in big letters, and smaller underneath: aye, merry pirates, that includes thy cutlass, dagger, knife and any other blade.
"This is not one your boats. In this tavern, I'm the one in charge."
"They're not--" Kahlan starts, but Zedd interrupts her.
"And if you're thinking up other ways of causing a brawl..." Zedd points to the three signs next to it, one saying, "Keepeth Thy Fire-Arm in Thy Pants", another, "Thou Breakest It, Thou Boughtest It", and the third, "Use Thy Hands for Eating, not Fist-Fighting."
"Very well," Cara says, sheathing her cutlass, eyes wild as she stares at Kahlan. "Maybe next time."
Kahlan keeps her cutlass in her hand, standing ready, even as Cara jumps off the bar disk. "I'm not allied with Rahl," Cara says from the floor. "He approached me, but I have no interest in the petty politics of pirates."
"It's not petty politics."
"It is to me." She walks to the door, and there is something about the smooth way she moves that rubs Kahlan the wrong way. "Do think about the note I gave you," she says over her shoulder, before exiting.
4.
You have something I want. That's what the note read, exact letters on a piece of paper.
First, Kahlan thinks Cara means the water, but there are rumors in port about a map that cannot be read. The words take on a different meaning then.
"I heard about your little sword fight," Richard says when she gets back to her ship, some days later. Kahlan hates being ashore for more than a day, but as captain and queen, sometimes official pirate business take precedence.
"Did Dennee tell you?"
"She didn't have to. Everyone is talking about it."
"She pulled a blade on me," Kahlan tells him, feeling oddly defensive. "I wouldn't break the laws of a safe harbor."
"I talked to her while you were gone. She helped me sink a hunting ship," Richard says. "She’s not all that bad. Nice enough ship, too."
"Her ship is gorgeous," Kahlan says, allowing herself a moment's thought of red wood and graceful lines. "That is not the point."
Richard stares out over he ocean, squinting against the sun. "Rahl is planning something."
"He's always planning something." Kahlan elbows Richard gently. "You're not listening to me."
"I am listening, Kahlan, but Cara is not your enemy. This isn't like you."
Kahlan frowns. "I just... don't like her."
"Just her ship."
"Oh, her ship." Kahlan sighs. "I want that ship."
"It's very shapely," Richard agrees, looking quite amused for some reason.
You have something I want, the note had said, and perhaps it is true.
When Kahlan spots the red ship on the horizon a few days later, she makes the order to steer for it, raising no flag. They sail up side by side some hours later, Cara leaning over the railing on the quarterdeck, looming over Kahlan as she stands on the deck of her ship.
Cara is wearing a hat now, black like her coat and the patch over her eye, and she brings a hand up to tip it slightly in Kahlan's direction, as a greeting. "Is there something you wished to discuss, Pirate Queen? If you're here to board my ship, I have to question your tactics."
"If I wanted to board you, I would have done so already."
"If you wanted to board me, all you had to do was ask."
It makes Kahlan flush when she realizes what Cara means. Clenching her jaw, she says, "I will take you where you need to go, if you agree to keep out of my way from now on."
Cara tilts her head, studying her. Her eye patch is over her right eye now, instead of her left, a silent sign that she is always ready for battle. "So it is true, then, what they say about the caves below Aydindril."
"It is," Kahlan confirms. "I will take you there, only you, if you give your word as a captain that you'll find other hunting grounds."
"And what guarantee do I have that you won't run your cutlass through me when we're there and my back is turned?"
"I'm the queen."
Cara looks thoroughly at her, lips pursing. "Very well," she says finally.
Next thing Kahlan knows, Cara has climbed up on the railing, swiftly jumping over to land beside Kahlan on the deck of her ship. Kahlan takes an involuntary step back, hand landing on her cutlass, but Cara makes no move to attack.
"Sail on!" Cara yells to her crew, and soon enough, the ships part ways.
Cara walks across the deck to the front of the ship and back, looking around with one eyebrow raised. There is something catlike about her movements. She has a sailor's walk, but something other than that, too, and Kahlan finds herself trying to make sense of it.
Putting her hand on the main mast, Cara smirks. "This ship has some experience."
Kahlan can't keep the proud smile from her lips. "She's old and wise. I inherited her from my mother."
"That explains it then," Cara says, smirking. "She looks like she's seen better days."
Kahlan narrows her eyes, smile vanishing. "Don't insult my ship, or I will throw you off her."
"I thought I had your promise as queen that no harm will come of me."
"There are limits," Kahlan replies tightly. She is already starting to regret her decision. Cara is walking across the ship as though it's hers, and she doesn't like it one bit.
"Tell me, how long will it take to travel to this Aydindril?" Cara asks, squinting at the horizon.
"It's not far."
5.
The ship lays anchor in the bay south of the island, and Kahlan takes Cara the last bit by row-boat.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come along?" Richard asks, leaning over the railing with an apprehensive frown on his face. "Out of interest in keeping both of you alive."
"I don't need someone to mind me," Cara calls back.
"We'll be fine on our own," Kahlan reassures him, before she starts rowing.
Cara sprawls back at the rear of the boat, gaze resting on Kahlan but saying nothing until they reach Aydindril. Once there, she trails behind, following Kahlan's lead in a manner that seems very unlike her.
"Have you not been here before, then?" Kahlan asks, as she leads the way through the caves, perplexed by the notion. All pirates ought to know the caves of Aydindril, even those who usually sail other waters.
There is a pause before Cara answers. "I have not been a captain always," she says. "And my youth was spent in waters far from here."
In the throne room, Cara spins around, as if shocked.
It is big, that is true, and Kahlan feels quite proud, despite herself, of Cara's reaction. That is, before Cara spots the throne, and heads toward it, sitting down as though it belongs to her.
"That's not allowed," Kahlan says, trying to suppress the unease she feels at seeing someone else sitting on it. "The throne is mine and mine alone. What kind of a pirate are you, that you don't know that?"
She pulls out her cutlass in one quick draw, aiming it between Cara's breasts.
Cara remains seated, shooting Kahlan a heated look. "So many things belong to you. Caves, thrones, islands, water. Who made you the queen of those things?"
"Blood made them mine," Kahlan says, feeling it more strongly in these caves than anywhere else. "I am queen, like my mother and grandmother and great-grandmother before me."
Cara merely raises an eyebrow. "That is valuable blood indeed. I paid for everything I am in blood too." She pauses. "I suspect yours did not need to be spilled."
The words are strange, but Kahlan can feel the truth of them, even though she's not sitting on her throne. "Get out of my chair," she says, though it comes out softer than she intends, and she's already lowered her cutlass.
Head dipping, Cara gets to her feet. "As you wish, my Queen."
"Come on," Kahlan says, still wary. "The Forest of the Night Wisps is not far from here."
6.
"Why are we stopping?"
Kahlan sighs. "Don't you know anything? None but the Pirate Queen may pass this border. You will only be able to cross it if I invite you to."
Kahlan reaches out her hand, and when Cara does nothing, she says, "I assure you, this is as unpleasant for me as it is for you." Then she grabs her hand firmly, the leather of Cara's glove rough against her skin, and walks across the border.
It is quiet at first, dark. Kahlan pulls Cara along, deeper into the caves, until the flickering light from the torch they left at the border is barely visible anymore.
Sometimes they only come when she sings, but this time, she can hear them whirring, small dots of blue, as soon as the cave starts to widen. And then there are hundreds of them, all at once, dancing blue lights and small excited voices in her ear. Cara gasps beside her, and when Kahlan turns to look at her, her face is full of wonder.
"They're wondering who you are," Kahlan says.
The look on Cara's face is quickly replaced by one of petulance. "You understand this chirping?"
Kahlan smiles as the voices around her become more insistent. "This is Cara," she says. "She's my friend--" at this, Cara makes a face "--and she has a map that she needs your help reading."
One of the Night Wisps sits down on Cara's nose; she shies back with a scowl, and her hand tugs at Kahlan's. She had not realized before that Cara's hand was still in hers, and she pulls her hand back quickly. "Take out your map. If you look at it in the light of a Night Wisp, you will be able to read it."
While Cara reads her map, making notes on another piece of paper, Kahlan sits down on the cave floor, listening to the Night Wisps whisper in her ears, answering questions and telling them stories about the water.
She looks to Cara some time later, only to find her glaring. "Why are they so... interested in you?"
"All those of my line have a bond to them," Kahlan says, listening as a Night Wisp whispers into her ear about blue seashells. "My mother brought me here when I was born."
"You have a bond with these caves."
"Of course." Kahlan tilts her head, lifting her hand as another Night Wisp lands on it. "It's why I'm Queen. When I sit on my throne, you must confess the truth, if I ask it of you."
"And if I lie?"
"You can't. It is the magic of my bloodline and Aydindril."
"And when you're not on your throne?"
"Then I'm no different from any other pirate." Kahlan stands up, straightening her shirt. "Finish your map. I'm going to take a walk."
When Kahlan walks back to where she left Cara, she hears her talking before she sees her.
"Stop that," she’s saying, sounding exasperated. "No. It's further south than that, see, this is the border of... let go of my pen. What do you know about water and navigation anyway, you spend all your lives in a cave. Yes, that was an insult."
"Who are you talking to?"
Cara tenses, looking up at Kahlan with a scowl on her face. "No one. Myself."
It seems quite obvious from the look on her face and what Kahlan heard her say that she's lying. One of the Night Wisps launches from its placement on Cara's head and flies over to Kahlan, practically buzzing with excitement.
"It's a magical language, you know," Kahlan says, smiling as she listens patiently to the Night Wisp. "Anyone can understand it, you just have to be open and listen."
"It's all just chirping to me. Very annoying chirping, especially when they won't shut up." Cara shoots a pointed glare in the direction of the Night Wisp on Kahlan's shoulder.
Kahlan sits down on the cave floor, a few paces from Cara. It's impossible to feel angry or anything bad at all among the Night Wisps, and Kahlan smiles at them as they fly around her head. "They can sense things about a person. Feelings and thoughts."
Cara makes a sound of derision. "Glorified insects."
Kahlan studies Cara for a moment, trying to make sense of her. "Where do you come from, that you don't know things all pirates should, about Aydindril or queens or Night Wisps?"
"Maybe I'm not a pirate," Cara says, leering back at her.
"You act like a sailor, if not a pirate."
"If you want to know, why don't you sit down on your throne when we leave, and I will have to tell you."
It's an unmistakable challenge, as surely as the time Cara put her knife to Kahlan's throat. But this time, she doesn't rise to it. "I wouldn't do that."
"Why wouldn't you use power that is yours?"
"That power is for everyone. I wouldn't use it for myself."
It makes Kahlan uncomfortable to have Cara look at her like she does, curious and searching, as if she’s attempting to see right through her. She's not used to anyone looking at her like that. Suddenly she feels sympathetic towards the people who stand before her when she is on her throne.
"You are a strange creature," Cara says, before turning back to her map.
7.
It's dark when they leave the caves, too dark to risk braving the water and the cliffs of Aydindril in a row boat.
They find a place to rest and wait for sunrise, protected by the surrounding cliffs. Kahlan is just making herself comfortable on the ground when Cara makes a surprised sound behind her, and then the darkness is lit up by a blue glow. Kahlan looks up at Cara, watching the Night Wisp circle around her in excited leaps.
"Shar!" Cara calls out. "You stupid little firefly."
It is the same Night Wisp that had whispered about Cara in Kahlan's ear, in the caves.
"She hid in my pocket." Cara tries to catch her in her hands, but the Night Wisp is too quick.
"It's all right. They mostly stay with their own kind, but some of them are curious. It's dangerous, though. Shar, stay close to me." Shar chirps eagerly, and Kahlan laughs. "Yes, Cara too."
"Uh, no, you tell that little chattering bee to stay away from me."
Shar glows a little brighter, and sits down on Cara's nose.
Kahlan can't keep herself from smiling, even though it makes Cara's scowl deepen. Her hand goes up to brush the Night Wisp away, as she turns around and lies down on the ground, back to Kahlan.
The Night Wisp flies over to Kahlan instead, settling on her hip when she lies down.
Kahlan wakes in the middle of the night to find Cara and Shar both gone. When the clouds clear, Kahlan can see Cara’s silhouette further down on the beach, the blue glow of a Night Wisp around her head.
She turns suddenly, as if she knows Kahlan is watching her, heading back to their sleeping spot. Even though it's dark, her right eye is still covered by the black patch, as if she's so used to wearing it she's forgotten it's there.
"You never said what the map is for," Kahlan says quietly, when Cara sits down on the ground. "Unimaginable treasures?"
"That is not your concern." Shar flies from her place on Cara's head to sit on Kahlan's shoulder, and Cara gives her a sharp look. "You can be quiet, bug."
Shar squeaks and hides in Kahlan's hair. "Don't scare her," Kahlan says. "Night Wisps are very sensitive."
Cara scoffs. "She is a gossiping little insect."
"I thought you didn't understand what they were saying."
Caught, Cara just glares. "It wasn't that hard," she says finally, "once it started speaking clearly. It likes to talk about you."
Shar makes an amused sort of buzz close to Kahlan's ear, and Kahlan suddenly feels very self-conscious. There are no secrets between her and the Night Wisps, and she has no wish for Cara to know all things about her. "Tell me what the map is for."
"Why are you so curious?"
"Until you're back on your own ship, you're at my mercy."
Before Kahlan can react, Cara is on her feet, her cutlass pressed sharply against Kahlan's chest. "I'm at no one's mercy."
"You are always so quick to point your weapons at me," Kahlan says tightly.
"You make it so very tempting."
Kahlan stands up carefully, as Cara keeps her sword pointed at her. Slowly, she draws her own cutlass, Cara watching her impassively. "We won't be interrupted this time," Kahlan tells her.
"Do you intend to kill me?" Cara asks, and she sounds curious, but not afraid.
"Your sash." Kahlan nods toward the red silk tied loosely around her hips. "If I can take it, you will tell me where the map leads."
Cara's gaze dip to rest on the blue sash that goes around Kahlan's waist, holding her wide, white shirt in place. "And if I capture yours?"
"What do you want?"
Cara smirks. "I will think on it."
"That hardly seems fair."
Cara jumps forward suddenly, their swords connecting. Kahlan barely has the wits to block, it's so fast. "Well, it's all you're getting, Pirate Queen," Cara says, smirking.
Quickly, Kahlan takes advantage of how close Cara's attack has put them, reaching for her sash. She can feel the material between her fingers, smooth silk, but before she can get a grip on it, Cara is gone.
From a safe distance, Cara tilts her head, actually looking somewhat impressed, and Kahlan has to push down on a flare of flattered pride.
They are evenly matched, just like the last time. She becomes so engrossed in the play of swords that it takes her by surprise when Cara jumps back a few paces, raising her hand. "It's dawn."
Kahlan hadn't even noticed. "Do you yield?"
"Never," Cara says, a shark smile growing on her face. "But we should continue this back on the ship. I have places to go."
Cara keeps that same infuriating smile all the way back to the ship. Kahlan rows, hands tightening around the oars as she wishes she had her cutlass in her hand instead.
Once on the ship, Cara runs a finger along her sword, while Kahlan eyes her warily, hand hovering, ready, above her hip. "You put a nick in my blade, my Queen," Cara says.
And then it begins anew.
It's still early, and Kahlan doesn't need to ask to know that the crew has taken advantage of her absence to drink all the rum on board. Most of them appear to be under deck, though Richard, Dennee and Chase are snoring in a pile against the main mast. At least they were, until Cara forces Kahlan to jump back, nearly tripping over Chase's long legs.
"Please," Chase calls as Cara forces Kahlan back another few steps, "take this to the Captain's Cabin. We are too tired and far too drunk to watch you."
"This will only take a moment," Kahlan yells back, falling forward suddenly, ducking under Cara's blade.
It's so close, her hand just inches away from Cara's sash, but Cara has quick feet and once again she moves out of reach, slicing down with her cutlass across Kahlan's arm. It cuts through the sleeve of her shirt and leaves a thin, white line on her skin, never piercing the skin.
When Kahlan looks up, Cara is smiling - nearly laughing - and it's hungry and wild, with a dash of something a little bit unhinged. Kahlan's heart is pounding far too hard in her chest, almost making her lightheaded.
The sound of Chase's snoring resumes, as loud as ever, but Kahlan barely notices. Cara takes one step closer, slow and deliberate, and Kahlan tightens her hand around her sword. But Cara doesn't raise hers, instead keeping it pointed towards the deck of the ship, until she surges forward, faster than anything.
In the blink of an eye, Kahlan finds herself pinned to the wall next to the stairs. Cara has her cutlass against Kahlan's throat, and it's much like a reversal of the first time they fought. Kahlan doesn't struggle, feeling the sharp blade against her throat. After the briefest pause, Cara's hips press up against hers, and then there is Cara's mouth, full lips finding Kahlan's, and it's all tongue and teeth and slick warmth.
It doesn't last long.
Cara takes two steps back, quick as ever, and before Kahlan can even consider what just happened, she notices the blue sash in Cara's hands.
"Got it."
8.
"What do you want for it?" Kahlan's breathing is still too fast, too shallow, but she tries to keep her voice even.
Cara brings the sash up to her face, as if smelling it, and when she looks back up, her eyes focus on Kahlan's lips. "Maybe I'll just keep it until I can think of something."
There are probably a hundred reasons why she shouldn't, but none of them seem to matter much right then. The door is right behind her, and she doesn't even have to ask Cara to follow when she steps inside.
It's dark in the Captain's Cabin. Kahlan fumbles with a match until the lamp is lit, hearing Cara behind her. When Kahlan turns around, Cara is suddenly very close, head tilted down, looking up at Kahlan with a very dangerous gleam in her eyes.
The hat is gone, and so is the eye patch, giving Cara an advantage in the dim light from the lamp, right eye already adjusted to darkness. Slowly, Cara brings up first one hand, and then the other, to her mouth, pulling her gloves off with her teeth. Her hands are pale and unmarked, slender fingers that Kahlan has to tear her eyes away from.
She is all decadent pleasure, a brand new kind of danger, and Kahlan finds herself unwilling to resist. There is something about her that makes Kahlan ache to know more, and so she places her hand on top of Cara's chest, watching Cara's eyes darken.
Kahlan slides her hand lower, feeling the swell of Cara's breast, and she leans in closer, forcing Cara to tip her head back, until she can feel Cara's hot breath on her face. Cara’s lips are already parting, anticipating, and when Kahlan takes a step back, putting distance between them again, she makes a small sound of displeasure.
"What do you want with me, Pirate Queen?" The anger is obvious in her voice. "Do you enjoy toying with me like a cat?"
"I could ask you the same."
"I have never made my wishes a secret." Cara closes the distance between them, one hand sliding into her hair, the other gripping her hip, and the kiss is rough and sloppy, teeth clashing.
Cara pushes her backwards with her entire body, until Kahlan feels the wall against her back. She doesn't stop pushing, pressing herself against Kahlan, as if she's trying to push them both right through the wall.
"You have driven me mad ever since you put your cutlass to my neck."
Kahlan is fairly certain that Cara had started to drive her mad even before that night, but some things are probably better left unsaid. She kisses Cara again, instead, and Cara responds by putting her hand down Kahlan's pants.
It's so sudden that Kahlan jumps and pulls away from the kiss, hands coming down to grip Cara's arm as intense heat rushes to her groin. Cara isn't moving, but her scowl has been replaced by a pleased smirk. When Kahlan relaxes her grip on Cara's arm, she flexes her fingers inside Kahlan's pants, and Kahlan can't hold back a groan.
Cara buries her face in Kahlan's hair, licking up the shell of her ear, and Kahlan feels her eyes roll back. "Do you want me to take you with my fingers, my Queen?" Cara mumbles in her ear. "I have other tools too. Or maybe you want me to use my mouth?"
"Yes," Kahlan sighs, trying to keep her breathing under control.
"Yes, what? Which one? All three?" Cara pushes her harder into the wall, fingers teasing where she's wet and aching already, the other hand grasping at Kahlan's thigh, spreading her so she can press herself closer.
"Either."
Cara's eyes become very dark at that, breaths coming quicker. "And what would I get in return?" she asks, and Kahlan can almost feel the conflict in her, the tension in her body betraying her calm.
"Does everything always have to be a trade?"
"Yes," Cara says, and Kahlan takes it for what it's worth: the offer of a trade that puts them on equal ground. It feels like a strange kind of honor.
"Then let's trade," Kahlan tells her, sliding her hand over Cara's stomach, below the waistband of her pants. "A touch for a touch."
Cara's breathing stutters, eyes falling shut for a moment. When she opens them again, that indecent smirk Kahlan has grown used to follows.
Kahlan grins back.
9.
Later, Cara brings her cutlass to bed, running her fingers along the sharp edge.
Propped up against the pillows on the other side of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, Kahlan finds it hard to tear her eyes away from Cara's nude figure, cheeks flushing all over again. Cara's brow is furrowed, mouth pursed, as she inspects the small nick in the sword's blade.
"Do all your swordfights end like this?" Kahlan asks, stretching out her legs and sighing at the way her body is still humming. Cara makes an amused noise, never taking her eyes off her cutlass, making Kahlan wonder if this actually is how Cara's swordfights usually end.
The ship lurches, and Cara looks up for a moment. They both know it means that Kahlan's crew has raised the sails, letting the wind carry them away from Aydindril.
"We'll find your ship soon," Kahlan guesses.
"I suspect you will find my ship by a shore somewhere, abandoned."
"Why is that?"
"I told you I wasn't a pirate," Cara says, finally meeting Kahlan's gaze. "All I wanted was the map. I hired some people who wouldn't ask questions, and stole the ship while most of the crew lay drunk in a tavern."
"What are you then, if you are not a pirate?"
Putting the cutlass down on the floor beside the bed, Cara moves closer until she is on her knees, hovering over Kahlan. In the dim light, shadows fall across her chest, and Kahlan's eyes travel to the soft curves of her breasts.
Cara grasps one of Kahlan's thighs, parting her legs slightly so she can move between them. Reaching for the blanket around Kahlan, she opens it slowly, as if unwrapping a gift, the corners of her mouth quirking up. Kahlan's face burns, heat rushing downwards as Cara stares down at her naked body.
Cara begins to bend down, but Kahlan puts a firm hand on her chest, stopping her descent. "I asked you a question. Who are you?"
"Someone to fear," Cara says, one hand coming up to cover Kahlan's, moving it to lie over her breast instead, nipple hardening against Kahlan's fingers.
Kahlan bites her lip, remembering how Cara had moved like a restless ocean before against the wall, salt and wet, hips crashing against Kahlan's like waves. But Cara will not win this so easily. "I'm not afraid of you."
Cara just smirks, seductive and taunting at the same time. "In another life, I spent much time at sea, killing. It was not difficult to be a sailor again." When Kahlan doesn't respond, Cara continues, "Set me ashore in the nearest port. I cannot go where I want on the waters. If you find my ship, you're welcome to it."
"And where is it you're going?"
For a moment, there is a strange look on Cara's face, but then it's replaced by something hard. "It's a private matter. It concerns... providing justice for someone who deserves it."
Kahlan lets her hand travel up to Cara's face, thumb nudging against Cara's ear. "Revenge is empty pleasure."
"Perhaps."
"You know, my master gunner up and left me two weeks ago. Fell in love and left me high and dry to become a farmer. I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
"Yes," Cara says, voice lowered as her gaze becomes heated again. "Emotional attachments do cause people to make foolish decisions."
This time, Kahlan doesn't stop Cara when she goes down on her elbows between Kahlan's legs. All sailors know what to do when caught in a storm: ride it out until the water is calm once more.
"You could take his place," Kahlan says, as her hand falls to Cara's shoulder to steady herself. "If you let your revenge wait awhile."
Cara's arms go around her thighs as she presses a kiss low on Kahlan's belly. "If you are done talking," she says. "I believe I was in the middle of something."
10.
It's not until hours after they set Cara ashore in Port Haven, that Kahlan realizes she's taken the Night Wisp, Shar, with her, as well as the blue sash she stole.
It seems much like a promise.