Fic: "The Saga of the Braid: Midlands Edition" (LotS, Cara/Kahlan)
My intrepid career as a writer continues, hereby proving that 1) it takes ridiculous things to inspire me and 2) I still cannot write anything but fluff. Cracky fluff, straight-up fluff, it doesn't matter. Where I am involved, THERE WILL BE FLUFF. And, you know, cuddles. (But I think that part should go without saying. ;)
Title: The Saga of the Braid: Midlands Edition
Author: beerbad
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG-13?
Word count: 1,089
Author's notes: Um, I certainly have some explaining to do for this one, lol. The following events lead to this fic being unleashed upon you all today:
THE SAGA OF THE BRAID and all resulting offshoots are continuously dedicated to foibles_fables, without whom none of this cracky goodness would exist. (And who should very possibly have a co-writing credit here, seriously.) Thanks for egging me on, bb. :) <3
Kahlan woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested. Perhaps she had finally gotten used to sleeping on the hard ground, or perhaps their run-in with an unexpected pack of banelings the day before had tired her out more than she had thought. In either case, she felt marvelous. Stretching, Kahlan sat up and ran her hand through the length of her hair.
She stopped suddenly when she felt something that hadn’t been there before. A section of her hair on the right side of her head had been braided and tied loosely at the bottom. Richard, she chuckled, always showing his affection in the strangest of ways.
As they continued on their journey that day, Kahlan found herself fondling the small braid and smiling to herself. He must’ve done it the night before, she thought, while she was in such a deep sleep by the warm comfort of the fire that it didn’t wake her.
Richard came up beside her. “Kahlan, what is that? What’s that in your hair you’re playing with?”
She looked at him with confusion. “It’s a braid, Richard. I’m sure you know, seeing as how you…” He still had the same questioning expression on his face. “…You were the one who braided it.”
If it were possible, Richard looked even more perplexed. “That’s silly, of course I didn’t. I don’t know the first thing about hair, let alone how to treat hair as luxurious as yours.”
Kahlan stopped dead in her tracks. As Richard went on ahead, she noticed Cara out of the corner of her eye. Kahlan could swear she saw a smirk spreading across the blonde’s lips. She felt the corners of her own mouth turn up in a smile as the implications become clear.
“Cara!” she called as she moved towards her companion. She held out the braid, indicating it as she spoke, “You did this, didn’t you?”
Cara rolled her eyes, as she was wont to do, but Kahlan couldn’t help but notice how her smirk slowly transformed into a sly grin. “Now why would I do such a trivial thing? Besides, you’re supposed to braid all of your hair.”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Kahlan tried, knowing how difficult it could be to get answers out of the Mord’Sith walking beside her. “And remember, you can’t lie to a Confessor. I’ll know,” Kahlan said playfully as she grabbed Cara’s arm.
Cara slowed their pace until they stilled. Deliberately, she turned her head until she was staring directly into Kahlan’s eyes. The look was perhaps the most mischievous Kahlan had ever seen, but with a glimmer of something else hidden under the surface. In that moment, Kahlan understood. Cara didn’t need to say anything else.
Releasing Cara’s arm, Kahlan’s hand moved back to the braid. She let out a small giggle as she twirled it around her fingers, feeling her face start to blush red. Cara merely shook her head as she turned back to the path in front of them with a sigh.
As Cara caught up to Richard and Zedd, the wizard leaned over to her. “I hope that’s the only thing you’re braiding,” he warned in a soft but firm voice. Cara smiled to herself. Maybe one day Zedd would learn to mind his own business. In the meantime, the old man certainly wasn’t going to stop Cara from going about hers.
~~~
That night, Kahlan made certain her bedroll was laid out more closely to Cara’s than it normally was. As they sat staring into the fire, Kahlan reached one hand over to stroke Cara’s hair. In an instant, Cara batted her hand away. The gesture seemed good-natured, but Kahlan could make out the subtle tensing of her posture.
“What are you doing?!” Cara asked skeptically.
“I…” Kahlan laid her hand on Cara’s thigh instead. “I wanted us to match,” she answered sheepishly. Suddenly she realized why her attempt may have upset Cara. Braids were a powerful symbol to the Mord’Sith; Cara had kept her hair loose ever since her sisters had sliced her braid off in a gesture meant to dishonor her.
“I’m sorry, Cara,” Kahlan said in a small voice. “I just wanted to thank you for…” As she gripped the braid in one hand Kahlan felt a smile return to her face. The thought of Cara secretly touching her, braiding her hair in the middle of the night only served to widen Kahlan’s smile. And send a distinct tickle up her spine.
“I suppose you’ll just have to find some other way to repay the favor,” Cara commented, the same spark of mischief present in her eyes that Kahlan had seen earlier that day.
Kahlan felt another shiver run through her as she held Cara’s gaze. “I suppose I will.”
~~~
That night, Cara was awoken by a hand trailing up and down her back. She started; it took her a moment to realize who the hand belonged to. She relaxed as she felt Kahlan press her body against Cara’s back, hands moving to stroke her arms. Cara lay still as Kahlan kissed her neck, nuzzling into her blond hair. Cara felt a pleasing sense of accomplishment wash over her as she dropped her shoulder and rolled onto her back.
Kahlan, smiling down at a clearly awake Cara, lowered her head to kiss tiny patterns over Cara’s chest, neck, and cheeks. After what seemed like an eternity, Cara finally felt Kahlan’s sweet lips brush against her own. With a growl, Cara pulled the Confessor down towards her, crushing their bodies together as she deepened the kiss. For her part Kahlan showed little hesitancy, catching Cara’s bottom lip between her teeth as she reached her hands up to cup Cara’s face.
As Cara had feared, Kahlan finally ended the kiss and slid off of her, snuggling up to her side. Cara let out the softest sigh of disapproval she could manage at that moment, which she thought was an impressive feat.
She felt Kahlan’s cheek as the brunette smiled against Cara’s shoulder. “We wouldn’t want to make Zedd any more suspicious, now would we?” Cara could only roll her eyes in response. However, she found she was still enjoying having Kahlan pressed against her like this, their legs intertwined.
Kahlan yawned as she closed her eyes and tightened her grip around Cara’s waist. “Thank you for my braid, it was very sweet,” she whispered, pressing one last kiss into the blonde’s shoulder.
As she closed her own eyes, Cara thought she might have to be sneaky more often.
THE END.
And now you know. *g*
*I've decided to repost said conversation here as a BONUS FEATURE, for those interested in going ~behind the scenes~ of this fic:
beerbad: also, have you seen this?! http://tumblr.com/x0vbzprhk EPIC SEEKER/GREY'S CROSSOVER ALERT ONCE AGAIN
foibles_fables: AJDKKAJSLD BRAAAAAAAAAID
beerbad: YOU KNOW WHO MUST'VE BRAIDED THAT, DON'T YOU
foibles_fables: OH OF FUCKING COURSE
foibles_fables: (UM, I THINK IT'S YOUR JOB TO WRITE FIC NOW)
beerbad: AAHAHA
foibles_fables: <333
beerbad: THE SAGA OF THE BRAID... CONTINUES
foibles_fables: HAHAHAHAHA
beerbad: "MIDLANDS EDITION"
foibles_fables: *DIEEESSS*
beerbad: can you imagine, Cara sitting there braiding Kahlan's hair while she's fast asleep by the fire
foibles_fables: *GGGGG*
foibles_fables: OH IT MAKES SO MUCH FUCKING SENSE
beerbad: and then she wakes up... "hey who braided my hair?! CARA, WAS IT YOU? I BET IT WAS YOU. <3"
foibles_fables: Cara's all "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU'RE A FOOLISH PERSON"
foibles_fables: BUT A CONFESSOR ~KNOWS
beerbad: and then Kahlan just, like, plays with the braid and giggles to herself
beerbad: HAHAHAAA
foibles_fables: UGH, KAHLAN GIGGLING AT THE BRAID, I CAN'T EVEN
beerbad: she would be all smiley, and Cara would roll her eyes, except when no one's looking she would smile to herself <3
foibles_fables: dglkadkjj <3
beerbad: damn maybe I do have to write this now, lol
foibles_fables: \o/
beerbad: Richard would be all, "what the heck is that, Kahlan?"
foibles_fables: "DERP DERP WHAT'S IN YOUR HAIR"
beerbad: "IT'S JUST A ~LOVE BRAID~ FROM A ~GOOD FRIEND~ OF MINE, nothing to worry about!!"
foibles_fables: And he just smiles and nods
foibles_fables: "OH OK"
foibles_fables: Zedd is ~wary~ because this is NOT SEXUAL...but might get there eventually and he needs to be PREPARED FOR COCKBLOCK
beerbad: HAHA INDEED
beerbad: "I HOPE THAT'S THE ONLY THING YOU'RE BRAIDING"
foibles_fables: *CHOKE*
beerbad: :D
foibles_fables: HAAAHAHAHAHAHA
beerbad: (all of this would totes be in the fic btw, lmao)
foibles_fables: OH, YES PLEASE
foibles_fables: *G*
foibles_fables: IF THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN YOU ARE A COCKTEASE. (kidding, of course, do it only if you want!!)
beerbad: yeah, that's my usual state regarding fanworks, haha. (but I am definitely feeling ~inspired, ahem)
foibles_fables: :-)
beerbad: I could probably handle 300-500 words of braid!crack, I think
beerbad: after all, IT'S NOT LIKE IT WOULD BE MY FIRST TIME
foibles_fables: IT'S YOUR SPECIALTY, RIGHT AFTER SPOONING <3
beerbad: XD
beerbad: OMG, WHAT IF IN RETURN FOR THE BRAID, KAHLAN REWARDS CARA WITH SECRET SPOONING THE NEXT NIGHT?
foibles_fables: OOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGG
beerbad: (this is clearly how my brain works, I mean, CLEARLY. *g*)
foibles_fables: it's okay, I obviously love it
beerbad: or she could try to braid Cara's hair in return, and Cara just bats her hands away, "no, I want something ~else."
foibles_fables: *GGGG*
foibles_fables: DUDE YOU COULD TOTALLY BRING THE CONCEPT OF THE MORD'SITH BRAID INTO THIS
beerbad: cuz seriously, Kahlan would be all, "LET'S BE BRAID TWINS OMG"
foibles_fables: *bites knuckles*
beerbad: I COULD :D
foibles_fables: nnggghh this is glorious
Title: The Saga of the Braid: Midlands Edition
Author: beerbad
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG-13?
Word count: 1,089
Author's notes: Um, I certainly have some explaining to do for this one, lol. The following events lead to this fic being unleashed upon you all today:
- Last October I wrote Grey's Anatomy fic to explain the origins of a braid that suddenly and mysteriously showed up in Meredith's hair;
- halfabubble (YES THIS IS REALLY YOUR FAULT *G*) posted this picture to her tumblr of KAHLAN with a mysterious braid in her hair;
- foibles_fables and I had an interesting conversation* about this coincidence;
- Clearly this second mysterious braid had to be explained. I mean, clearly. So here you go, for everyone who was wondering where it might've come from!
THE SAGA OF THE BRAID and all resulting offshoots are continuously dedicated to foibles_fables, without whom none of this cracky goodness would exist. (And who should very possibly have a co-writing credit here, seriously.) Thanks for egging me on, bb. :) <3
Kahlan woke up feeling surprisingly well-rested. Perhaps she had finally gotten used to sleeping on the hard ground, or perhaps their run-in with an unexpected pack of banelings the day before had tired her out more than she had thought. In either case, she felt marvelous. Stretching, Kahlan sat up and ran her hand through the length of her hair.
She stopped suddenly when she felt something that hadn’t been there before. A section of her hair on the right side of her head had been braided and tied loosely at the bottom. Richard, she chuckled, always showing his affection in the strangest of ways.
As they continued on their journey that day, Kahlan found herself fondling the small braid and smiling to herself. He must’ve done it the night before, she thought, while she was in such a deep sleep by the warm comfort of the fire that it didn’t wake her.
Richard came up beside her. “Kahlan, what is that? What’s that in your hair you’re playing with?”
She looked at him with confusion. “It’s a braid, Richard. I’m sure you know, seeing as how you…” He still had the same questioning expression on his face. “…You were the one who braided it.”
If it were possible, Richard looked even more perplexed. “That’s silly, of course I didn’t. I don’t know the first thing about hair, let alone how to treat hair as luxurious as yours.”
Kahlan stopped dead in her tracks. As Richard went on ahead, she noticed Cara out of the corner of her eye. Kahlan could swear she saw a smirk spreading across the blonde’s lips. She felt the corners of her own mouth turn up in a smile as the implications become clear.
“Cara!” she called as she moved towards her companion. She held out the braid, indicating it as she spoke, “You did this, didn’t you?”
Cara rolled her eyes, as she was wont to do, but Kahlan couldn’t help but notice how her smirk slowly transformed into a sly grin. “Now why would I do such a trivial thing? Besides, you’re supposed to braid all of your hair.”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Kahlan tried, knowing how difficult it could be to get answers out of the Mord’Sith walking beside her. “And remember, you can’t lie to a Confessor. I’ll know,” Kahlan said playfully as she grabbed Cara’s arm.
Cara slowed their pace until they stilled. Deliberately, she turned her head until she was staring directly into Kahlan’s eyes. The look was perhaps the most mischievous Kahlan had ever seen, but with a glimmer of something else hidden under the surface. In that moment, Kahlan understood. Cara didn’t need to say anything else.
Releasing Cara’s arm, Kahlan’s hand moved back to the braid. She let out a small giggle as she twirled it around her fingers, feeling her face start to blush red. Cara merely shook her head as she turned back to the path in front of them with a sigh.
As Cara caught up to Richard and Zedd, the wizard leaned over to her. “I hope that’s the only thing you’re braiding,” he warned in a soft but firm voice. Cara smiled to herself. Maybe one day Zedd would learn to mind his own business. In the meantime, the old man certainly wasn’t going to stop Cara from going about hers.
~~~
That night, Kahlan made certain her bedroll was laid out more closely to Cara’s than it normally was. As they sat staring into the fire, Kahlan reached one hand over to stroke Cara’s hair. In an instant, Cara batted her hand away. The gesture seemed good-natured, but Kahlan could make out the subtle tensing of her posture.
“What are you doing?!” Cara asked skeptically.
“I…” Kahlan laid her hand on Cara’s thigh instead. “I wanted us to match,” she answered sheepishly. Suddenly she realized why her attempt may have upset Cara. Braids were a powerful symbol to the Mord’Sith; Cara had kept her hair loose ever since her sisters had sliced her braid off in a gesture meant to dishonor her.
“I’m sorry, Cara,” Kahlan said in a small voice. “I just wanted to thank you for…” As she gripped the braid in one hand Kahlan felt a smile return to her face. The thought of Cara secretly touching her, braiding her hair in the middle of the night only served to widen Kahlan’s smile. And send a distinct tickle up her spine.
“I suppose you’ll just have to find some other way to repay the favor,” Cara commented, the same spark of mischief present in her eyes that Kahlan had seen earlier that day.
Kahlan felt another shiver run through her as she held Cara’s gaze. “I suppose I will.”
~~~
That night, Cara was awoken by a hand trailing up and down her back. She started; it took her a moment to realize who the hand belonged to. She relaxed as she felt Kahlan press her body against Cara’s back, hands moving to stroke her arms. Cara lay still as Kahlan kissed her neck, nuzzling into her blond hair. Cara felt a pleasing sense of accomplishment wash over her as she dropped her shoulder and rolled onto her back.
Kahlan, smiling down at a clearly awake Cara, lowered her head to kiss tiny patterns over Cara’s chest, neck, and cheeks. After what seemed like an eternity, Cara finally felt Kahlan’s sweet lips brush against her own. With a growl, Cara pulled the Confessor down towards her, crushing their bodies together as she deepened the kiss. For her part Kahlan showed little hesitancy, catching Cara’s bottom lip between her teeth as she reached her hands up to cup Cara’s face.
As Cara had feared, Kahlan finally ended the kiss and slid off of her, snuggling up to her side. Cara let out the softest sigh of disapproval she could manage at that moment, which she thought was an impressive feat.
She felt Kahlan’s cheek as the brunette smiled against Cara’s shoulder. “We wouldn’t want to make Zedd any more suspicious, now would we?” Cara could only roll her eyes in response. However, she found she was still enjoying having Kahlan pressed against her like this, their legs intertwined.
Kahlan yawned as she closed her eyes and tightened her grip around Cara’s waist. “Thank you for my braid, it was very sweet,” she whispered, pressing one last kiss into the blonde’s shoulder.
As she closed her own eyes, Cara thought she might have to be sneaky more often.
THE END.
And now you know. *g*
*I've decided to repost said conversation here as a BONUS FEATURE, for those interested in going ~behind the scenes~ of this fic:
beerbad: also, have you seen this?! http://tumblr.com/x0vbzprhk EPIC SEEKER/GREY'S CROSSOVER ALERT ONCE AGAIN
foibles_fables: AJDKKAJSLD BRAAAAAAAAAID
beerbad: YOU KNOW WHO MUST'VE BRAIDED THAT, DON'T YOU
foibles_fables: OH OF FUCKING COURSE
foibles_fables: (UM, I THINK IT'S YOUR JOB TO WRITE FIC NOW)
beerbad: AAHAHA
foibles_fables: <333
beerbad: THE SAGA OF THE BRAID... CONTINUES
foibles_fables: HAHAHAHAHA
beerbad: "MIDLANDS EDITION"
foibles_fables: *DIEEESSS*
beerbad: can you imagine, Cara sitting there braiding Kahlan's hair while she's fast asleep by the fire
foibles_fables: *GGGGG*
foibles_fables: OH IT MAKES SO MUCH FUCKING SENSE
beerbad: and then she wakes up... "hey who braided my hair?! CARA, WAS IT YOU? I BET IT WAS YOU. <3"
foibles_fables: Cara's all "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU'RE A FOOLISH PERSON"
foibles_fables: BUT A CONFESSOR ~KNOWS
beerbad: and then Kahlan just, like, plays with the braid and giggles to herself
beerbad: HAHAHAAA
foibles_fables: UGH, KAHLAN GIGGLING AT THE BRAID, I CAN'T EVEN
beerbad: she would be all smiley, and Cara would roll her eyes, except when no one's looking she would smile to herself <3
foibles_fables: dglkadkjj <3
beerbad: damn maybe I do have to write this now, lol
foibles_fables: \o/
beerbad: Richard would be all, "what the heck is that, Kahlan?"
foibles_fables: "DERP DERP WHAT'S IN YOUR HAIR"
beerbad: "IT'S JUST A ~LOVE BRAID~ FROM A ~GOOD FRIEND~ OF MINE, nothing to worry about!!"
foibles_fables: And he just smiles and nods
foibles_fables: "OH OK"
foibles_fables: Zedd is ~wary~ because this is NOT SEXUAL...but might get there eventually and he needs to be PREPARED FOR COCKBLOCK
beerbad: HAHA INDEED
beerbad: "I HOPE THAT'S THE ONLY THING YOU'RE BRAIDING"
foibles_fables: *CHOKE*
beerbad: :D
foibles_fables: HAAAHAHAHAHAHA
beerbad: (all of this would totes be in the fic btw, lmao)
foibles_fables: OH, YES PLEASE
foibles_fables: *G*
foibles_fables: IF THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN YOU ARE A COCKTEASE. (kidding, of course, do it only if you want!!)
beerbad: yeah, that's my usual state regarding fanworks, haha. (but I am definitely feeling ~inspired, ahem)
foibles_fables: :-)
beerbad: I could probably handle 300-500 words of braid!crack, I think
beerbad: after all, IT'S NOT LIKE IT WOULD BE MY FIRST TIME
foibles_fables: IT'S YOUR SPECIALTY, RIGHT AFTER SPOONING <3
beerbad: XD
beerbad: OMG, WHAT IF IN RETURN FOR THE BRAID, KAHLAN REWARDS CARA WITH SECRET SPOONING THE NEXT NIGHT?
foibles_fables: OOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGG
beerbad: (this is clearly how my brain works, I mean, CLEARLY. *g*)
foibles_fables: it's okay, I obviously love it
beerbad: or she could try to braid Cara's hair in return, and Cara just bats her hands away, "no, I want something ~else."
foibles_fables: *GGGG*
foibles_fables: DUDE YOU COULD TOTALLY BRING THE CONCEPT OF THE MORD'SITH BRAID INTO THIS
beerbad: cuz seriously, Kahlan would be all, "LET'S BE BRAID TWINS OMG"
foibles_fables: *bites knuckles*
beerbad: I COULD :D
foibles_fables: nnggghh this is glorious