LL ficlet
a ficlet written for legendland challenge (three elements)
„What do you mean Cara is gone?!”
Richard shrugged helplessly. “I don't know. She was here when I went to refill our water skins and when I got back to camp...”
Kahlan shook her head. “She would never just leave like that. Something is wrong.”
Richard stepped closer to the brunette and patted her shoulder. “It'll be alright, you'll see maybe she just went hunting and will be back in no time carrying some rabbits, or a small deer...”
The way his brown eyes were searching the tree line told her that he wasn't as convinced of his own words as he might've liked to be.
…
“Let go of me” Cara growled. She was desperately trying to loosen the rope that was wrapped around her wrists, but because there was some kind of cape over her head she could not see what she was doing. Someone was pulling on the rope, causing her stumble forward and fall to her knees. The Mord'Sith wasn't exactly sure what had happened but somehow she'd been overrun by dozens of men. Simple villagers. Hadn't she imagined the way the Seeker and the Mother Confessor would've looked at her, had they found her standing on a battlefield surrounded by the dead bodies of mere villagers, she would've killed them all. But instead she had held back.
“That is what I get for doing it their way” she mumbled as someone grabbed the front of her leathers and pulled her back to her feet.
They walked for quite a while until the cape was finally taken off her and she looked up into the night sky. It had been noon when she'd last seen Richard so they had been moving for more than half a day.
She hoped that Richard, Zedd and Kahlan had decided to go on with the quest instead of turning around and trying to rescue her. She didn't need any rescuing anyway. If she could only get the ropes off, which they had pretty much wrapped around her entire upper body, she would make them all pay for tying her up in the first place.
Looking around Cara realized that they had reached a small village. The houses were quiet and dark as she was dragged past them. They brought her to one of the bigger buildings. Dozens of people turned around and stared at her as they stepped inside. Candles illuminated the large room and Cara was pushed further into the house.
She was already sick of being treated like cattle.
“You found a Mord'Sith?” an older man inquired as he approached them. The huge man, who had knocked Cara to the ground a few candle marks ago and was now sporting a swollen face, stepped forward. “Yes. I think we were really lucky. She was by herself and we were able to make her our prisoner. I don't know if there were other Mord'Sith’ or D'Harans because we simply left as soon as we had her.”
Cara's brows furrowed. Those people did obviously not know that she was traveling with the Seeker - not that she defined herself over that fact anyway.
“Quick then, bring her over, we don't have any time left. Had you come any later there would be no way to bring him back.”
Cara was shoved to a bed at the far end of the room and looked down at a young man. He had dark hair and a handsome face, while the rest of him was covered by a quilt. As she examined him more closely she realized that his chest was not rising and falling. He was dead.
“Bring him back” the man behind her commanded. He grabbed her neck and tried to push her upper body closer to the corpse. The ropes were cutting painfully into her stomach and back as he did so, but Cara did not make a single move to use the Breath of Life on this man.
“No” she said in a calm voice.
“Do it or I will kill you!”
“Please, go ahead. But if you kill me, there will be no way your friend here can be brought back to life. I doubt that you'll find another Mord'Sith soon enough.”
“Please” a hauntingly familiar voice pleaded. “He is all that I have, please bring him back.”
The hand left Cara's neck and she slowly straightened, the joints in her shoulders cracking quietly.
As she turned she could see a woman standing in the shadows on the other side of the bed. She'd been too occupied studying the man that she hadn't even noticed her before.
The blond Mord'Sith had to actually stifle a gasp when the woman stepped into the light of the candles. Blue eyes were filled with tears as full lips trembled. “Please” she repeated. A long scar went from the woman's forehead along her temple down to her jaw. Some might have said that it was a pity that such a beautiful face was scarred that way, but in Cara's eyes the woman had become even more captivating and irresistible than the last time she had seen her.
“What is your name?” Cara asked.
“I'm Helena, and this man over there is my husband. He is a good man and the village needs him. Bring him back, I beg of you. I'll do anything if you just bring him back...” Tears were again threatening to escape the woman's eyes.
“Anything?”
A nod.
“Fine. First get these ropes off of me.”
“No!” someone protested. “She'll kill us.”
“Take her weapons away from her first” another added.
The Agiels were still in holsters because Cara had refrained from using them earlier - a decision she was regretting bitterly.
The large man stepped closer and wrapped his massive hand around the hilt of one of her Agiels. His knees buckled immediately and he sank to the ground, clasping his hand in a silent scream.
Cara rolled her eyes and looked over to the woman. “You. Take them.”
Blue eyes widened but Helena walked over to Cara. “Don't do it!” the older man warned.
“I have to” Helena replied. She seemed determined to touch the blood red weapons if it meant bringing her husband back from the Underworld.
She took a deep breath and took both of them into her hands at the same time. Clenching her jaw she pulled the Agiels out of their holsters and walked to a table nearby to put them down. Her arms were shaking as she did so, but she endured the pain nonetheless. It was the last confirmation Cara had needed. Now she was sure who this woman was.
The last time she'd seen the blonde, an arrow had been buried in her chest. Cara's very own arrow.
In a matter of moments the ropes were cut and she was free to move her arms again. Not taking her eyes off of Helena, or better Denna, she leaned down and brushed her lips across the man's mouth. The Breath of Life left her body and was transferred to bring a spirit back from the Underworld.
The man opened his eyes and gasped, sucking as much air into his lungs as possible. Cara stepped back as Denna flung herself into his arms. She cried freely now and kissed her husband gently.
What an irony, Cara thought, that Denna could've easily revived him herself if she only had remembered who she was. But if she did remember, Cara doubted that Denna would've cared about some mere villager at all.
“Thank you” she said and brought Cara back from her musings. “Please, tell me what you want me to do. I promised anything.”
The dark haired man wrapped his arms protectively around his wife, he was obviously still confused about the whole situation but wisely decided to stay quiet.
“I could actually use a hot bath right now” Cara said, raising her eyebrows.
“It will be done” the older man replied, stepping closer to her. “The man you just brought back from the dead is my son. Everyone cares for everyone in this village, and you've helped us even though you could've refused till the very end. I am thankful for that. I have encountered a Mord'Sith before and I'm certain you could've killed most of us by now, but you didn't. You're different.”
Intelligence sparkled from the man's eyes as he looked Cara up and down. “I'm Marik by the way. And this is my son Aurelius. You already know his wife Helena.”
“Sure” Cara mumbled, watching Denna closely.
…
A candle mark later the fuss about the revival of Aurelius had settled and Cara was soaking in a large bathtub in Denna's house. The water was wonderfully hot and scented. Even before she'd had a filthy cape thrown over her head she'd been in dire need of a bath. So why not make use of this situation?
It still puzzled her how Denna had survived the arrow and the fall. The fact that she'd been able to hold the Agiels made clear that it was not just a woman who looked like Cara's former mistress.
Cara rested her arms on the edge of the bathtub, feeling the taut muscles in her body relax.
She would get to the bottom of this story even if it meant staying in the village a while longer.
A noise caused Cara to open her eyes after quite some time. Denna had stepped into the room, holding a dress in her arms. “I thought you might want to wear something else while... I could clean your leathers?” she quietly asked.
A thrill raced through Cara at seeing Denna act in this almost shy way.
The water had become cool and so the blonde simply got up. Water cascaded down her body and Cara delighted in seeing Denna's eyes travel up and down her body.
She climbed out of the bathtub while the other woman's gaze was still glued to her skin.
“The dress?” Cara asked, raising an eyebrow. Denna hastily handed it over to her, finally being able to look at something else than the naked woman before her.
Cara took the dress and watched amused how Denna collected her discarded leathers and hurried out of the room.
For the second time in her life as a Mord'Sith she found herself in some small village clad only in a dress without her Agiels.
She hoped that this time it would not be the disaster it had turned out to be the last time.
When she entered the main room of the house she found Denna and her 'husband' in a passionate embrace. Clearing her throat she stepped closer. They both jumped up and Aurelius quickly moved over to Cara. “I have to thank you for what you did...”
“It's alright. I'll think of something you can do to make it up to me. But tell me why is it that you are so important to this village that they set out trying to capture a Mord'Sith?”
“He is our healer” Denna chimed in from where she sat, cleaning Cara's leathers.
The blond Mord'Sith' hands prickled at the image. How many times had she been commanded to clean Denna's attire?
“Yes I'm the healer. I'm good at what I do and the people here depend on my services” Aurelius said.
“Let me guess...” Cara began. “You were the one who took care of... Helena when she was injured?”
Aurelius nodded. “Yes, when I found her, she was barely alive. But she is so strong and she made it through. She could not remember where she had come from, but I fell in love with her for who she is and not who she was.”
Cara snorted quietly. “Right. But tell me more about all this, how did you die?”
…
It took Kahlan, Richard and Zedd exactly three days to find the village where Cara had supposedly been seen.
It was snowing when they arrived and, after asking an older man, they were directed towards a rather large house. “Why did that man say 'that explains a lot' when we told him who we are and who we are looking for?” Richard asked.
Kahlan shrugged. “I have no idea, but I hope we'll find Cara soon.”
Richard brushed some snow off his coat and knocked on the door of the house. It opened and he found himself face to face with Denna. He stumbled back and drew his sword, just when Kahlan put her hands on her daggers. They were ready to kill the woman before them because, apart from the scar on her face, it was obvious who they were dealing with.
Just then Cara pushed the other woman aside and stood in front of Denna.
“Put your weapons down. I'll explain.”
A candle mark later they were sitting in the bedroom of Aurelius' house. “And that is when I realized that Denna seems to be no longer a threat to either one of us” Cara finished her story.
“I can't believe it” Richard breathed.
“She is so very different” Kahlan remarked.
“The Denna you've met just now could be the woman she would've grown up to be if she hadn't been captured by the Mord'Sith” Zedd murmured.
Cara nodded.
It was still snowing outside and they decided to enjoy Aurelius' and Helena's company a little while longer.
And more than once Cara found Denna's eyes lingering on her longer than it was appropriate.
This was going to be an interesting winter, Cara thought, as she leaned back and watched the others feasting on a home-cooked meal.
The End.