Calloused Chapter 11
"What? Kahlan, no!" Cara was dumbfounded, and stepped back from the embrace she held her in.
"It's just... you treat me like porcelain, Cara. Like any minute I could shatter into a million pieces." Kahlan wiped her eyes, all the while watching Cara's every move. Cara just stood there, her arms hanging slack at her sides.
"You're special to me. I just... I just don't want to lose you." Cara finally admitted; both to herself and to Kahlan. Kahlan rose off the bed and walked over to where Cara stood.
"Why do you think you'll lose me?" Kahlan asked desperately. Cara shook her head, and turned to look at the fire burning in the fireplace near the bed.
"Good things like you never last for me." She said simply. Kahlan took Cara's hands and led her back to the bed.
"Hold me, Cara. I'm not going anywhere." Cara, more comfortable nude, stripped off the leather trousers and followed Kahlan back into the bed. There they lay under the sheets, holding desperately to each other.
After a few hours Kahlan looked out the window to see the sun was well in the sky. Regretfully, she had to return to her work. She turned to Cara who was sound asleep, and after stroking her cheek, slowly rose out of the bed and began to dress. Cara's eyes slowly opened, and Kahlan looked at her apologetically before heading toward the door. Cara said nothing, just laid in the bed watching her leave.
Kahlan felt like she was beginning to lose her mind, almost going into Con Dar like that. She was even more amazed that Cara was able to talk her out of it; to bring her back from the precipice like that. As she walked the long halls towards her office she came to the conclusion that she had to get answers, and there was only one way she knew that would help her understand more about what was happening to her magic. The Night Wisps.
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"Where is Kahlan?" Cara asked Abby when she came to check on her.
"She's with the council right now, I suppose." The young girl replied as she lay Cara's tea on the table. Cara was dressed again, once again looking out the window as had become her custom since she came here.
"When will she be back?" Cara's voice sounded flat and without dimension. The maid servant found it strange that she was acting this way; she had been screaming at the top of her lungs at her just the day before. Cara turned to look at the girl.
"I see you cleaned up my mess." Cara said flatly. The girl figured she was talking about the chair fragments she'd picked up just a moment before. Abby merely nodded, bowing before making her way out the door.
"If I may ask you one question, Abby." Cara said suddenly, pausing the girl mid footstep.
"Yes, madam?"
"Does the Mother Confessor treat you well?" Cara looked her in the eye, examining her as if she could tell any lie that she could think of in her mind. Luckily, she had no cause to lie.
"When my mother got sick, Mistress sent for a nurse to care for her, and kept paying her until she got better. I think, if you are to treat someone well, you should do such a thing." Abby's reply seemed to satisfy Cara, so with a casual wave of her hand Abby knew she could leave the room.
Cara slowly got off the bed and onto her feet. She didn't want to feel like a prisoner, and she needed to get out of this palace, even if it got her in trouble. She didn't know how Kahlan managed to live like this for so long, all alone in her castle away from the world. Cara didn't want to hide away.
When she managed to find her way out of the palace, she ducked off of main street toward the dingier part of town, where the brothels and pubs were located. Children played with stray dogs on the streets, while street merchants yelled about their wares to any passersby. Cara had some silver on her--she knew if she wanted more she could simply ask Kahlan, but she was stubborn, and planned to somehow acquire more for herself if need be. On the corner she saw a small looking pub, seemingly an outcast from the rest of the shops.
"This looks about right." Cara said to herself under her breath. She looked up at the sky--it was mid afternoon, which meant it was time for a drink.
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"So let me tell you, I got it pretty good." Cara slurred to the young man sitting captive at the table with her.
"Then... what's the problem?" He replied wearily, his eyes darting back and forth in the bar looking for an exit. Cara leans forward and slaps her hand on the table, making him jump.
"It's too perfect!" Cara yells. She throws back another hearty swig of her mead, and rolls her head around her shoulders.
"Can I leave?" The man whimpers. Cara pauses, looking bleary eyed at the man that looked about to soil himself.
"Yeah. You've done your purpose." She says with a wave of her hand. He doesn't hesitate to jump from his chair and go running out of the pub.
"I figured I'd find you here." A silky voice says from behind Cara. Cara recognizes it and slowly turns. Kahlan has her arms crossed, staring with hard eyes. Everyone in the pub is dead silent, and if you listened hard enough, you could hear a rat scurry across the floor.
"Shit." Was all Cara could say.
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"I can't believe you!" Kahlan yelled at Cara as they headed back to the the palace. People stared openly at them, and as Cara took note of it, Kahlan simply ignored it. Cara tried her best not to stumble, but try as she might, she still had a little bit of unevenness in her step. Kahlan continued, "It's mid afternoon, Cara!"
"Just trying to unwind." Cara said tiredly. She was trying to concentrate on walking, and it was quite trying.
"Things aren't easy for me either, Cara. You have to find other ways to cope with stress." Kahlan said angrily, crossing her arms. Cara just stared at her, her eyes half lidded with drunkenness. Kahlan tisked to herself, and grabbed Cara by the arm.
"Let's get you inside. You've had too much."
A few minutes later, after Kahlan had taken all the back hallways to get to Cara's quarters, she managed to dump Cara on her bed.
"Why don't I get to sleep with you?" Cara said drunkenly to the ceiling.
"What?" Kahlan said softly in reply.
"I want to sleep with you." Cara mumbled, half asleep. Kahlan walked toward the bed, brushing Cara's long blonde locks away from her face.
"I thought you wanted space, Cara." Kahlan whispered, softly stroking her lover's cheek. Cara shook her head like a child, and then fell asleep. Kahlan coughed back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, and smiled happily to herself. Things weren't perfect, but they were getting better.
"It's just... you treat me like porcelain, Cara. Like any minute I could shatter into a million pieces." Kahlan wiped her eyes, all the while watching Cara's every move. Cara just stood there, her arms hanging slack at her sides.
"You're special to me. I just... I just don't want to lose you." Cara finally admitted; both to herself and to Kahlan. Kahlan rose off the bed and walked over to where Cara stood.
"Why do you think you'll lose me?" Kahlan asked desperately. Cara shook her head, and turned to look at the fire burning in the fireplace near the bed.
"Good things like you never last for me." She said simply. Kahlan took Cara's hands and led her back to the bed.
"Hold me, Cara. I'm not going anywhere." Cara, more comfortable nude, stripped off the leather trousers and followed Kahlan back into the bed. There they lay under the sheets, holding desperately to each other.
After a few hours Kahlan looked out the window to see the sun was well in the sky. Regretfully, she had to return to her work. She turned to Cara who was sound asleep, and after stroking her cheek, slowly rose out of the bed and began to dress. Cara's eyes slowly opened, and Kahlan looked at her apologetically before heading toward the door. Cara said nothing, just laid in the bed watching her leave.
Kahlan felt like she was beginning to lose her mind, almost going into Con Dar like that. She was even more amazed that Cara was able to talk her out of it; to bring her back from the precipice like that. As she walked the long halls towards her office she came to the conclusion that she had to get answers, and there was only one way she knew that would help her understand more about what was happening to her magic. The Night Wisps.
*************************************
"Where is Kahlan?" Cara asked Abby when she came to check on her.
"She's with the council right now, I suppose." The young girl replied as she lay Cara's tea on the table. Cara was dressed again, once again looking out the window as had become her custom since she came here.
"When will she be back?" Cara's voice sounded flat and without dimension. The maid servant found it strange that she was acting this way; she had been screaming at the top of her lungs at her just the day before. Cara turned to look at the girl.
"I see you cleaned up my mess." Cara said flatly. The girl figured she was talking about the chair fragments she'd picked up just a moment before. Abby merely nodded, bowing before making her way out the door.
"If I may ask you one question, Abby." Cara said suddenly, pausing the girl mid footstep.
"Yes, madam?"
"Does the Mother Confessor treat you well?" Cara looked her in the eye, examining her as if she could tell any lie that she could think of in her mind. Luckily, she had no cause to lie.
"When my mother got sick, Mistress sent for a nurse to care for her, and kept paying her until she got better. I think, if you are to treat someone well, you should do such a thing." Abby's reply seemed to satisfy Cara, so with a casual wave of her hand Abby knew she could leave the room.
Cara slowly got off the bed and onto her feet. She didn't want to feel like a prisoner, and she needed to get out of this palace, even if it got her in trouble. She didn't know how Kahlan managed to live like this for so long, all alone in her castle away from the world. Cara didn't want to hide away.
When she managed to find her way out of the palace, she ducked off of main street toward the dingier part of town, where the brothels and pubs were located. Children played with stray dogs on the streets, while street merchants yelled about their wares to any passersby. Cara had some silver on her--she knew if she wanted more she could simply ask Kahlan, but she was stubborn, and planned to somehow acquire more for herself if need be. On the corner she saw a small looking pub, seemingly an outcast from the rest of the shops.
"This looks about right." Cara said to herself under her breath. She looked up at the sky--it was mid afternoon, which meant it was time for a drink.
****************************************
"So let me tell you, I got it pretty good." Cara slurred to the young man sitting captive at the table with her.
"Then... what's the problem?" He replied wearily, his eyes darting back and forth in the bar looking for an exit. Cara leans forward and slaps her hand on the table, making him jump.
"It's too perfect!" Cara yells. She throws back another hearty swig of her mead, and rolls her head around her shoulders.
"Can I leave?" The man whimpers. Cara pauses, looking bleary eyed at the man that looked about to soil himself.
"Yeah. You've done your purpose." She says with a wave of her hand. He doesn't hesitate to jump from his chair and go running out of the pub.
"I figured I'd find you here." A silky voice says from behind Cara. Cara recognizes it and slowly turns. Kahlan has her arms crossed, staring with hard eyes. Everyone in the pub is dead silent, and if you listened hard enough, you could hear a rat scurry across the floor.
"Shit." Was all Cara could say.
****************************************
"I can't believe you!" Kahlan yelled at Cara as they headed back to the the palace. People stared openly at them, and as Cara took note of it, Kahlan simply ignored it. Cara tried her best not to stumble, but try as she might, she still had a little bit of unevenness in her step. Kahlan continued, "It's mid afternoon, Cara!"
"Just trying to unwind." Cara said tiredly. She was trying to concentrate on walking, and it was quite trying.
"Things aren't easy for me either, Cara. You have to find other ways to cope with stress." Kahlan said angrily, crossing her arms. Cara just stared at her, her eyes half lidded with drunkenness. Kahlan tisked to herself, and grabbed Cara by the arm.
"Let's get you inside. You've had too much."
A few minutes later, after Kahlan had taken all the back hallways to get to Cara's quarters, she managed to dump Cara on her bed.
"Why don't I get to sleep with you?" Cara said drunkenly to the ceiling.
"What?" Kahlan said softly in reply.
"I want to sleep with you." Cara mumbled, half asleep. Kahlan walked toward the bed, brushing Cara's long blonde locks away from her face.
"I thought you wanted space, Cara." Kahlan whispered, softly stroking her lover's cheek. Cara shook her head like a child, and then fell asleep. Kahlan coughed back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, and smiled happily to herself. Things weren't perfect, but they were getting better.