Fic: United
Title: United
Author: chickinwhite
Pairing: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: PG 16
Word account: ~ 3,300
Summary: Kahlan couldn´t stop caressing Cara´s face. Her eyes were wide, blue diamonds, shining with pure bliss through the shadows.
Disclaimer: Nothing of LotS belongs to me (such a pity!) - no business, just fan-fun
Previous : - How it began? Look here: 1-Hunting, 2-Troubled, 3-Confused, 4-Obsessed, 5-Touched, 6-captured, 7-resolved, 8-Chained
United...
Kahlan couldn´t stop caressing Cara´s face. Her eyes were wide, blue diamonds, shining with pure bliss through the shadows. She was going to lose herself in Cara´s emerald glowing glance. Sobbing and chuckling all at once; her palms slightly pressed against Cara´s jaws, her thumbs stroking over her skin again and again, whispering her name, hardly believing that the blonde was real, that she was able to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin. No dream. No fantasy.
She did not move her hands until Cara finally leaned in, giving a low moan and pressing her lips softly on Kahlan´s. Tenderly. Tasting. It was an almost shy motion, hesitating, as if lips didn´t dare brush against each other. Then, with their first touch, it deepened quickly; lips parted eagerly, emotion exploded into passion and need... They dunked in desperately, melting into the sensation of feeling the other, tasting her, allowing their tongues moving together in a fervid dance... The world vanished soundless around them. Nothing was real. Nothing existed. Just the two of them, bathing in this blissful moment of being reunited.
Kahlan breathed Cara´s name as she at least pulled away, only to feel herself being drawn tightly into Cara´s arms, their bodies pressed together, leaning her forehead to Kahlan´s, holding her as if trying to merge with her.
“I...I thought... I wouldn´t see you again!” Kahlan whispered. “She told me you are dead...” a desperate sobbing in her voice. Cara´s brows furrowed as she hung on her lips. “I didn´t believe her, but..., I knew you would come for me... did you find my sign? ... I prayed to the Creator to guide you, to watch over you... But when we arrived here...Cara...” Her dry sobbing broke the stream of sputtering words. “I was so afraid that you would die...” The Mord Sith lifted her eyes, letting glowing emerald meet deep blue again, stroking softly over her back and giving her a bright assuring smile she whispered:
“You know me Kahlan. What could ever hold me back?” She sheeted Kahlan’s face with soft kisses. “I’m sorry; I so hoped I would be in time. I wanted so badly to get you out of this before you reached this blasted castle...” The blonde sighed in sorrow and shook her head slowly. “You shouldn´t be here...That is my fault… I was too late... and you are... here...in this...dump!“ spitting the last, she threw a disapproving look around. Her narrowed eyes scratched over the dark walls and the musty straw and filled with a mixture of disdain and growing rage. Turning back to Kahlan she clenched her jaw, staring with ferocity for an endless moment at the metal around her neck. She moaned. Her gaze went hard and finally it travelled down to fix on Kahlan´s hands, appalled, shuddered with abhorrence, as if the chains around her wrists were baneful snakes, lurking there, ready to attack.
Kahlan could not bear it and moved sheepishly in an unconscious attempt to hide them...
“No! Kahlan don´t!” her low voice pleading, Cara grabbed her hands with her own and lifted them up to her mouth, touching them feather-light with her lips. When her gaze lifted, her green eyes were teary and a veil of deep sorrow and guilt had fallen over her face.
“Kahlan...” Kahlan reached out to tap a finger on her lips...”shh...” shaking her head slightly. She could watch how Cara´s expression changed. The heartache fainted as jaws were clenched and gaze became steely. It was replaced by degrees with grimly determination that flooded her face inexorable. Shoving her finger softly away she growled from deep inside her throat.
“I will kill her!”
Kahlan locked with her eyes; a warm wave of love curled her lips into a faint smile.
“I know.”
Cara groaned helplessly. Leaning into Kahlan she wrapped her arms around her and stroke carefully with gloved hands along the delicate line of her back. In the shadows she could not see all the bruises and scratches along Kahlan's frame. But she knew for sure them to be there, all over her entire body. She felt Kahlan slightly shiver when she reached a new mark with the tips of her fingers. Each of them giving her enough reason to kill them all. She pressed her lips softly to her neck on the line where metal brutally met skin, and then settled her head on her shoulder, sharing with her the bittersweet silence of the moment.
With a sigh Kahlan pulled herself away. Her eyes travelled over Cara. For the first time she noticed the strange clothes the blonde Mord Sith was wearing. She lifted a brow with her soundless question, and Cara blushed a tiny bit, barely visible in the shadows.
“I... had to improvise to get here without someone noticing...” She shrugged and petted the black cloak she wore with a crooked smile. Kahlan could identify it as a dark rough woolen horse blanket, dusty and peppered with hints of straw.
“How...? What happened? How did you find me here? ... We are in the Hidden Castle, Cara, and... When we approached... It was not visible until we stood right in front of it! ... It cannot be found if you don´t know where to search it!” The blue swirled in wondering.
The Mord Sith just nodded once.
“I know this castle. I served here years ago for several months after my training had been completed. This was my first practical test. Lord Rahl used to... invite... political adversaries to... negotiate things... Well, it was me who negotiated with them, here in this dungeon… At least, I could convince them all...” her smirk was one of pride, staring into space. Then she focused back on Kahlan.
“From time to time I had to do some...errands... outside the walls. It had to be quick and efficient...” Kahlan lifted an eyebrow; she had more than a faint idea which kind of errands Cara was speaking of. “Therefore there are a few secret channels, leading out of the castle. You must know the whole castle is tunneled. I know ways inside which keep you unseen. I wasn´t sure if they were guarded nowadays but I remember, that no soldier was adapted at that time, so I hoped it hadn´t changed since then. Gladly the Sisters of the Agiel didn´t hold watch on them” She shrugged, a grin had returned on her face. “...and here I am! Seems like some things never change.”
Kahlan´s eyes had widened while listening.
“But... inside... Cara... here are more than 200 soldiers” pausing, she gave a low chuckle. “- well, a few less -... “Cara´s eyes mirrored her question and she grinned lightly “...they were negligent. I think, they didn´t expect the Mother Confessor to be a deadly fury...” the Mord Sith´s expression brightened and she gave Kahlan an adoring glance. The Confessor quickly became serious again.
“In fact I thought it impossible to get here inside. There must be so many guards here in the dungeons...”
“No need to worry about the guards... They were dead before they knew me behind them” Cara chipped in dryly. “But you are right. There is no time to lose. When dawn breaks, they might be a bit upset. And I ´m still not sure how much the Mord Siths know about the secret ways. We have to get out here...” Her brow lifted when she saw Kahlan biting her lip, looking hesitantly.
“What?”
The brunette tilted her head slightly, giving her an unsure, pleading glance.
“Cara, we can´t...”
“Sure we can: I came in; and I will bring us out!” she stated with a determined voice. “What is it Kahlan? Don´t tell me you are scared?! I know it is risky, but we can do it! We have done much more than this.They will not even notice us, and if, they will not have enough time to recognize what they see.”
Kahlan writhed. “No, Cara. It is not that. We just can´t leave, not now...”
Cara frowned deeply, her face contorted in questioning: “What do you mean, we can´t?”
The Confessor looked at her, her eyes urgently begging for comprehension.
“Dahlia said Rahl is on his way to come here. She did not only captivate me for her revenge, but because he ordered her. I can´t tell why I should be so important for him, but it seems that he needs me for any reason...”
Cara leaned forward and stared at her, her brows had lifted. “That makes it only more essential that we leave, Kahlan. You know the maniac he is” she stressed.
Kahlan nodded slowly. “I know. But Dalia said he has a plan.”
“What plan?”
“The keeper will be locked and...” she looked desperate, her voice under her breath: “The Seeker will be past...
She didn´t say more. Even those few words were not meant to inform me. She just wanted to threaten me, frighten me. Perhaps she hoped I would have nightmares with it.
And that is why we can´t leave.” Her eyes had gone teary while she paced a few steps through her cell. “We have to find it out - and whatever it is, we must ensure that he fails. That Richard will be safe.” She turned to Cara to search for her eyes, tried to read her face.
The blonde had stiffened. Her face was steely, her eyes had narrowed. She slightly nodded... “Richard.” was all she huffed, but Kahlan could hear the frustration in the one word, could see the hurt expression in her look. Seeing the blonde´s face shadowing like this let something cold grip at her heart inside her chest and twitch it in a painful jerk. With two hasty steps she rushed towards her, reaching for her chin and turning her face, forcing her to look in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice trembled, filled with a world of tenderness:
“No! Cara don´t think that! It is not...Richard...! It is you!
You are the one. The one I want to be with. For eternity! I want to fall asleep with you and I want to wake up with you. I want you! Touch you. Feel you. I want to feel your skin on mine. Share your breath. Have you by my side.More than I ever wanted something in my entire life - I want you!
Cara, I love you...please, don´t doubt it. Never.”
Green eyes dunked into brilliant blue pools. Her lips, pressed into a thin hard line loosened tentatively. When she looked away it was an almost abashed motion that made Kahlan smile while her stomach fluttered. She couldn´t help but lean in and pressed her mouth against Cara´s, licked her lips gently to feel the softness return.
Her moan was barely reaching Cara´s ears, but the blonde heard the sound of it deep in her heart anyway:
“Never doubt, my love... I´m yours!”
*********
They forced themselves to part again but their eyes kept locked. In Cara´s bright green ones a hint of excuse, Kahlan´s with the warm glow of affection. Then Kahlan straightened and swallowed.
“It is just...I will break his heart, Cara, if I ever see him again. This is the only thing I can do for him. And still the quest isn´t done yet. The world needs the Seeker and... I owe him so much...” she argued.
“So, what is it that you expect us to do?” Clearly the Mord Sith was back, ready to do what needed. Her focus on the decisions that lay ahead.
The Confessor took a deep breath. She felt as if she could divine Cara´s reaction on her next words and almost didn´t dare say it.
“We pretend that nothing has changed. I stay here and wait for Rahl´s arrival, while you hide in the castle and try to devastate as many of them as you can...” Even in her own ears it sounded like an odd plan, but to see the rejection on the blonde´s face was just frustrating. Cara´s gaze flashed upset, not agreeing.
“That´s absurd!” she exclaimed. “No wait! More than that: it is insane!” she hardly frowned for more than one reason. Her eyes had widened, clearly not believing what Kahlan proposed.
“I will not leave you here, Kahlan! No way! Dahlia will...”
“Don´t worry because of her. She is not allowed to kill me. She could have done it in the past few days, many times. But she held back. I am sure she won´t slay me.”
“She has you here in her dungeon...”
“Cara, I didn´t say it would be fun. But...You know I have felt the pain of an agiel before.”
The Mord Sith shook her head, her gaze hard and full with sobriety.
“That is different! You have never been trained for days, Kahlan. And she is not simply going to train you now! She will not accept any rules in her treatment. She is longing for revenge, and she wants to hurt you, to see you bleeding, to hear your screams and whines.” Cara´s voice broke under her breath. “You have no clue what the revenge of a Mord Sith means...”
Kahlan shut her eyes down. She knew that Cara was right. And she felt the icy claw of terror scratching inside her. But... “It will not be for long.” her voice as even as she could manage it, trying to soothe Cara´s agitation. “Rahl is supposed to arrive in the next two days. And though I don´t know why, it is sure that he wants me to be in a good condition. She can´t dare harm me badly. And she is a coward. I will remind her of her Master´s will...”
Cara regarded her thoughtfully. This was the Mother Confessor, the woman who ruled over the Midlands, proud leader of more than one people, fierce warrior who never hesitated; the one woman from whom she had been given the gift love... How could she expect her to leave her here, defenseless, while she would be tortured by a Mord Sith, who had lost her mind in rage and by a maniac, from whom they could not say what he planned exactly. But looking in her eyes Cara could tell, that Kahlan had made her decision.
“Are you really sure?”
Kahlan gave her an assuring smile.
The Mord Sith turned, considering the plan, pacing. At least she straightened and turned towards the Confessor again.
“I will be near! And if she is going too far, I will kill her!”
Kahlan sighed in relief. “When this is over...You may do to her whatever you want! And I will gladly assist you!”
She pulled her close and leaned into her arms. “Until then, you must be careful, Cara. You must assure that they won´t see you, promise?” In her voice was an urgent pleading. Seeing the Mord Sith enraging, she continued “Stay in the darkness; though it might be no honorable fight...it is somewhat a war! And the result is all that matters. Dead people are dead, it doesn´t change the result how they died.”
The blonde groaned, but Kahlan saw her chin raising and her eyes staring daggers into the darkness and knew she agreed.
“I´ll be a shadow, promised! I´ll be their living nightmare! They will pay for it, Kahlan. Every bruise on your skin will cost a life.”
******
“Cara...?”
The blonde sat behind her, leaning against the clammy wall of the cell, her arms wrapped around Kahlan, holding her warm and tight, breathing into her hair and setting soft kisses at times on the back of her head. She had never felt so safe before.
“Hmm?”
“Could you...” Cara heard the tiny tremble in her low voice, felt the plea more then she heard it. Her arms tightened around Kahlan´s chest, the brunette felt her muscles tauten. She almost thought Cara would refuse when an arm loosened and moved at her side.
Cara placed the agiel before them between their legs. Gloved hands traveled slowly to cover hers. She had lowered her head, her mouth breathing into Kahlan´s ear.
“It is pain. It hurts. But if you can find a way to welcome it... like an old friend, returning after a long journey... you will find a certain comfort in it. Don´t fight it, let it flow, accept it, and when you feel its power, lean in and take it over...make it yours...”
Kahlan hold her breath, focusing on the leather stab, concentrating on the pain she was going to feel. Slowly her hand reached out, always covered by Cara´s hand, which leaded hers, guided, and as she felt protected...
The ache flashed through her entire body with an impact that she hadn´t expected. She grimaced with pain, struggling to hold on, but wasn´t able to bear it and let it fall. She wheezed and felt shivers running down her spine.
“Shh... You bridle. Don´t do that. Let it come to you, pet the pain, let it bite until it loses its grip itself. It will. It just has to recognize you, to see who´s its master...”
She nodded. Taking another deep breath her hand reached out again. Cara´s hand stroking hers, assuring...
The pain bit, as Cara had said. She gritted her teeth, panting while it flowed inside her, eating her away. She tried to concentrate on it; open her mind to welcome it.
With a soundly moan she let it go. Staring desperately at it as it lay on the ground, sobbing with pain and frustration. “I can´t !”
“That was good Kahlan. Much better than before.” Cara´s voice in her ear calmed her, soothed her.
“Pain is like a stormy wind... If it is angry enough it blows you away, powerful and destroying. You can be like a strong bough on a tree, hard and firm and try to make head against it, but sooner or later you will break. But look at the grass. It sways with the wind, and even if the storm forces it down, it will stand up again and survive. And it uses the storm to effuse itself, getting stronger this way...
Don´t be the wood, Kahlan, be the grass...”
Her hands lay still wrapped around hers. She tried to center herself and took the agiel again. As if it had waited for her, the pain flashed again angrily into her mind, snapping at her, gripping bundles of her nerves and stretched them, twisted them. Kahlan´s entire body clenched, but there was Cara´s voice, whispering into her ear
“let it flow...don´t be the wood, be the grass... sway, Kahlan...make it yours...”
She could feel a moan leaving her mouth, then another, but she didn´t lose her grip; the pain didn´t lower, but it was getting...familiar...and when she finally found herself able to loosen her taunting muscles it became much easier to hold it.
Cara´s heart was brimming with pride when she felt her love smiling faintly under the pain. Kahlan turned her face to her, sweat on her forehead, her glance a silky deep night-blue. Her lips were parted, her breath a happy laugh. “Cara...”
“I know.. You are a sister of the agiel, Kahlan.”
Her hand guided Kahlan´s to lay the agiel back on the ground, then pulled her near and kissed her. While she felt the passion and the need, the desire, the love, all that Kahlan put inside the kiss, she could feel Kahlan´s hand touching the agiel again, could feel her shiver and breathed in her moan and knew, this time she tried to burn the memory into her heart. The memory of the moment´s bliss made of pain and love…
next is here...