Fic: Savior (4/?)
Title: Savior
Author: sneaky_in_red
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG-ish
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just borrowing someone's playground.
A/N: I just want to thank you for reading and leaving comments. You guys are awesomely kind. This story is still unbeta-ed and therefore all grammatical and spelling mistakes and OOC-ness of the characters (trust me, those are unintentional) are mine. English is not my first language and I try so hard to minimize my mistakes so if you find some errors and such, feel free to tell me about them so I can fix them.
Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the ride. *bows*
Chapter 4: Lingering Doubt
Richard found Cara leaning leisurely against a tree when he was on his way to the stream to fill their water skins the next morning. He raked his gaze upon the slender woman and absently thinking about how attractive Cara was. Yes, he had always found the blonde attractive, in the most provocative way, since the first time they spent time together in the future. Cara had changed quite a lot now; she looked a little more relaxed without her complete uniform, but not less threatening, and it seemed that months of travelling and fighting had begun to take its toll on her body - she looked thinner and her muscles seemed more toned. Richard took another glance at Cara’s face and noticed that she still appeared a little pallid; other than that, though, Cara looked perfectly like her usual self.
“Lord Rahl,” Cara called out casually, telling Richard that she knew he was around.
“It’s Richard, Cara,” he corrected patiently, moving towards Cara, “How many times should I tell you not to call me Lord Rahl?”
Cara simply shrugged, dismissing the supposed-to-be order. She had this way of interpreting Richard words into either an order or a mere talk - it was up to her, really, since the new Lord Rahl always used vague words when giving orders that they sounded almost like suggestions. “I need to discuss something with you,” she said, cutting to the chase.
Richard searched Cara’s face for a hint; it had been more and more difficult to read anything from Cara’s expression lately. The woman had a poker face to begin with and now that her green eyes were no longer able to convey anything, it was getting harder to do so. It wasn’t Cara’s nature to start a small talk so Richard concluded that it had to be something of great importance. He reached out and took Cara’s elbow in his hand, tugging it. “Walk with me,” he invited.
The blonde followed the lead, all the while letting Richard lead her by the elbow without a single protest. If the Lord Rahl wanted to lead his Mord’Sith around like a pet, who was she to argue?
The twosome walked in silence until they reached the stream. Richard let go of Cara’s arm and squatted by the running body of water. He took his time uncorking the water skins before dipping one by one into the water. He could feel Cara standing right behind him, unmoving. From his peripheral vision he saw one of her hands was on the Agiel. Richard sighed inwardly, thinking that maybe Kahlan was right - letting Cara find comfort in the pain was not the brightest decision he had made. “I thought you wanted to talk?” he asked, hoping that starting the conversation would distract the woman from her Agiel. Richard was again proven wrong.
The blonde shifted from one foot to the other, clutching the Agiel more tightly to center herself. She was thinking about where to begin. She reminded herself that the outcome was more important than how it was said so she began, “Yes; I need to discuss about my participation in your quest.”
“What about it?” Richard had a suspicion on where this was going but he decided to wait.
“I have been thinking about it and I conclude that it is wise for you to give me an order to stay behind until I get my sight back,” Cara spoke calmly, nodding at how fluidly the sentence was formed.
There was a second of silence. Richard stopped what he was doing as he grasped what Cara was suggesting. He looked up from where he was squatting. “Come again?”
“Give me an order to stay behind; leave me and go on with your quest,” the Mord’Sith repeated herself, more confidently this time.
The brown haired warrior didn’t answer immediately; he turned back to his task filling the waterskins, taking his time. Then he posed quietly, “And why would I do that?”
“Because it is only sensible,” Cara replied readily, having pondered all night about what she would say if Richard asked questions, “I am slowing us down.” It was a true fact, an objective observation only a Mord’Sith could make - or so Cara believed. “Our aim is stopping the Keeper from ruling the world of the living and we can’t do it if I slow you down. Defeating the Keeper is urgent - the longer we postpone it the slimmer your chance is to get it done. You don’t want that, do you?” She paused and waited for a response. When she received none, she went on, “Besides, my presence here is no longer of use for you. My impairment is proven to have prevented me from doing my duty to you as the true Lord Rahl. Instead of protecting you, all I do is hindering you from doing your job, not to mention endangering your life.”
That was the longest speech Cara had ever given to Richard. And even though he saw the truth in her frank words, Richard couldn’t do what she wanted him to do. Kahlan wouldn’t forgive him if he did. Richard frowned; since when was it about Kahlan? Putting the thought aside, Richard focused on Cara’s words. “And?”
“And so I decided that the most practical thing for you to do is to order me to leave.”
Richard looked at the blonde with an expression between frustrated and amused. He wanted to hug this woman but he knew it wouldn’t be a wise idea. So he repeated himself, “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s-... Are you mocking me?” Cara asked irritably, knowing exactly what Richard was doing.
“I wouldn’t dream of that,” he replied in serious manner, only the twinkle in his eyes betraying his words.
Cara tightened her grip on the Agiel. If he weren’t her Lord... She didn’t finish the thought. “You are mocking me.”
Richard fastened the cork of one water skin and stood up after putting it on the ground. He wiped his hands on his pants and slowly reached out to Cara, putting his right hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “Cara,” he began in a fatherly tone, “If one day you are to leave me; it will be for pursuing a better life - and that is never going to be an order from anyone but your own freewill. I’m never going to send you away if you wish to stay. You’re my friend, Cara, and you’re precious to me.”
The blonde squirmed uncomfortably under Richard’s touch. She clearly wasn’t used to receiving a gentle treatment from her sovereign. Richard’s idea of lordship was foreign to her; never in Cara’s life had she seen a ruler who treated their subordinates as equal - as a friend. “I’m slowing you down, Richard. That is a fact.”
At this, Richard chuckled. He squeezed Cara’s shoulder once and dropped his hand. “No, Cara, I am slowing us down. How many times did you tell me that we’d be moving faster if I didn’t insist on saving every lost kitten we came across to?”
If the Seeker was trying to lighten the mood, he was successful. Cara smirked at his words. “So does this mean we’re not going to do that anymore? Good, Lord Rahl, I know I’ll get to you one day,” she asked, somewhat hopeful.
“And I hope I can get you to stop calling me Lord Rahl,” Richard remarked.
Cara huffed, turning around from Richard and starting to leave. “I’m not as impressionable as you are,” she commented as she left. She rewarded herself by allowing a little smile as she walked away. But then she frowned when she remembered that she didn’t succeed in her quest of making Richard order her to stay. She had to find another way.
***“Wizard!”
Zedd stopped walking when he heard Cara calling him out. He turned around and saw the slender woman walked with her stick towards him. It was still beyond his understanding how Cara had managed to walk around so swiftly without her sight shortly after she lost it; Cara’s body adapted too well to changes. If it was good or bad, Zedd didn’t know. He waited for the young woman to catch up with him, noting mentally that she seemed in full health now after sleeping the whole night.
Cara stopped a few paces away from Zedd, sensing that he was close. “We need to talk,” Cara said.
The wizard raised his brows, not quite believing if he heard what he heard. Cara Mason wanted to talk? That was new. It had become common knowledge that Cara didn’t simply involve herself in a simple conversation, let alone started it. When she decided to ‘talk’ to someone, it usually meant she was the one who spoke and others listened - or else.
“If you want to stop me from trying to heal your eyes, then we’re not having this conversation,” Zedd warned her.
“It’s not about that,” Cara snapped, glaring at the wizard as she was not used to being talked back before she even started talking.
“I’m listening,” Zedd said.
The blonde fidgeted. She didn’t know how to say what she meant to say when she started going after Zedd. Cara was not one who asked people nicely; she was used to giving commands and she expected total obedience from her subjects. Asking people to do her a favour, and having to do it nicely, was not familiar to her.
“I want you to postpone your leaving,” she finally said, hoping that it didn’t sound as demanding as it did in her ears.
Zedd waved his arms irritably. “That’s it,” he finalized, mistaking Cara’s words as an order not to leave, “I’m leaving.”
“Wait!” Cara stopped him. “Are you always this thick, Wizard? You haven’t even listened to what I’ve got to say.”
“You ordered me to abandon my intention to heal you, Cara. I got that. And I’m not going to do that.”
Cara grumbled. This was why she’d rather use brute force than words. People listened better when they were incapacitated. “It was a request!” Cara explained herself, gritting her teeth as the word rolled out of her mouth. “I’m not asking you to cancel anything; just to delay it a little.”
“And why would I do that?” Zedd challenged. This woman could use more hints on how to make request not sound like a death threat. He took a step closer to Cara and eyed her worried face. Sighing, he told her, “You do realize that the longer we put a hold on this the slimmer your chances are to get your sight back, don’t you?”
The Mord’Sith stood up straighter. “I have accepted my fate,” she said bravely. She was getting tired of people second-guessing her motives and decisions. She was patient with Richard because he was Lord Rahl. Zedd was not a Rahl.
There was a slight crack in her confident tone and it didn’t go unnoticed by Zedd. “You don’t actually believe that,” he asked.
“So?”
“So why do you want me to delay my journey? What is more important than your sight now?”
A sad scoff escaped Cara’s lips. Her expression fell for a second before her mask of indifference was back in place. She hated all the attention that everyone seemed to be giving her of late; she was there to serve, not the other way around. Then it dawned to her that maybe Zedd was doing this merely because he thought Cara was useless for Richard’s protection if she was blind. Yes, she rationalized, that must be it. “Believe me,” she stressed out, “there are far a lot of things more important than my eyes.”
“And those are...” Zedd queried.
“Richard’s protection,” Cara stated in a tone that suggested she couldn’t believe that the wizard could be so dense. “The Mother Confessor’s safety. Need I go on? I am blind, Wizard. I can’t offer them protection like I used to. I can protect myself fine, but not them. Don’t you see? I’m a burden this way. I can’t let them die because of my incapability to protect them. If you go now, we’re two men down. You wouldn’t risk losing your grandson, the Seeker, and the Mother Confessor because of me, now, would you?”
Always the selfless Cara, Zedd thought with a smile. “I believe Richard and Kahlan are capable of protecting themselves, Cara,” he assured the young woman, “Fret not. After all, they are the Seeker and the Mother Confessor.”
“Not when they’re too busy trying to protect me, they’re not!” Cara argued, a little frustrated by now. She didn’t like talking. Talking was more tiring than fighting. Her hand brushed on her Agiels for a second, and as the sting of it comforted her, she felt a little bit in control.
“Let’s say I’m going to delay my journey; how long would you want me to postpone it?”
“Until the rift is sealed.”
“That could be months! Or even years!”
Cara nodded. “And by then I would be used to not being able to see. A win-win solution, is it not?”
“I don’t get your reasoning,” Zedd admitted, appalled by the stubbornness of this young beautiful lady.
“Nobody does,” agreed Cara, totally missing the point.
“I’m not going to do that.”
Cara held her head high. “You will. I’m going to make you,” she said in a threatening tone.
“How?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know?” A wild grin broke in the blonde’s face, her hand was on her Agiel in an instant.
Zedd sighed in defeat. Cara was a woman of mystery; and she was also a reckless one too. He could imagine her ways and none of them appealed to him. “Alright,” he gave in. “I’m not going to leave just yet, but only until we get to the village. All of you will be safe there.”
“What if Richard wants to continue the journey straight away?”
“He will not.” Of this, Zedd was sure. He was the witness of the heated argument Kahlan and Richard had after the last encounter they had had with the banelings the previous night, when Cara was unconscious. Kahlan practically ignored Richard’s reasoning and told him that there would be no more journeys before they figured out how to cure Cara. She gave him two options, though. It was either that, or Richard and Zedd could go on with the quest and leave Cara behind. And Kahlan, too. Richard, of course - and much to Zedd’s disagreement, opted for the first.
“Are you sure?” The woman gave Zedd a quirk of her eyebrow. She knew there was something she didn’t know, judging from Zedd knowing tone.
“Perfectly.”
“If that is the case, then alright. Now what are you waiting for? Let’s go back to camp,” Cara said, ending the conversation. She turned around and walked carefully back to the opposite direction. “And don’t try to fool me, Wizard. I may be blind but my Agiels are not,” she warned him as she sauntered, not looking at him.
***“Cara!” Kahlan practically exclaimed in relief when the blonde appeared from behind the bushes. She was worried that something happened when Cara didn’t return to camp after a while and was just telling Richard that she was going to look for her. The brunette found it harder and harder not to see Cara around her lately.
“What?” Cara sounded more annoyed that she actually felt. Somehow, in the course of a few days only, she found that it was comforting to hear Kahlan’s voice near her or the light footsteps walking around her. Of course Cara would rather commit suicide than to admit it to herself. She merely justified the comfort as the ease of the mind knowing that her charge, the Mother Confessor, was safe.
“Where have you been?”
“Around,” the blonde said.
Kahlan was ready to ask more when she saw Zedd coming from behind the blonde. “Zedd!” she was surprised. “What are you-..” She didn’t finish her question; instead, she looked at Cara before back again to the old wizard. She understood. “Did you stop him from leaving?” she raised her voice at Cara. Then at Zedd, “Did you just let her stop you?”
“If it were my doing, Confessor, the wizard wouldn’t be conscious to say hello,” Cara stated calmly, the lie rolled easily out of her mouth.
“Zedd.” Richard was surprised to see his grandfather when he returned from the river to fill their water skins. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I had another plan,” Zedd told Kahlan and Richard. His eyes didn’t meet the Confessor’s scrutinizing ones. “I’ll take my leave when we reach the village,” he added.
Kahlan threw a suspicious look at the wizard and Cara but said nothing. If something had happened between the two, she would eventually find out. Right now, she needed to focus of getting to the village before dusk. She voiced out the concern.
“Night time doesn’t bother me,” Cara commented lightly, a taunting smile splayed on her face.
The brunette knew enough not to comment on that. She continued, “If we start now, we can get to the village in three candlemarks.”
“That is if we don’t get attacked by banelings or some Sisters of the twisted,” Cara suggested.
“Cara!” Kahlan breathed out tiredly.
Richard shook his head, ducking it so Kahlan wouldn’t see his grin. The banter of the two women always left him speechless and he couldn’t laugh because Kahlan would not be pleased at him. It was always the same - Kahlan said something and then Cara would counter it in the most outrageous and ignorant way and Kahlan was left baffled at the deadpan response. “Alright then, let’s get going,” he invited, partly to stop the women from continuing what he knew could be another silly argument as the two women had been so easily offended lately.
Ignoring the smug look on Cara’s face, Kahlan grabbed her pack and walked past Cara. The brunette did stop after a couple of steps, though, and waited for Cara to walk past her. She always walked behind the blonde now and there was no argument in it.
***“Your mood seems better today,” Kahlan mentioned to Cara as they were walking, quickening her pace so she walked next to the blonde. Richard had just informed them the obvious again - although it was now for Cara’s benefit - that they were reaching the village.
“I do not have a mood,” Cara responded dryly. She did feel a bit lighter that day, but it was probably only due to her accomplishment of asking Zedd to stay.
“Why do you do that?” Kahlan couldn’t stop herself.
“Do what?”
“That - dismissing your feelings like they are nothing.” The brunette looked at Cara, waiting for her to respond. But Cara didn’t react; she kept walking and acted as if Kahlan hadn’t said anything. So you don’t want to have this conversation, Kahlan thought, her mouth gave a little twitch, fine then.
The village was small but pretty crowded. Richard wore a big smile upon reaching the crowd as he always enjoyed being around people. Kahlan returned the smile he gave her but then her smile faltered when she noticed how stiff Cara’s stance was. She quickened her steps to match Cara’s and walked beside the other woman.
“Hey,” Kahlan said full of unmasked concern, making her presence known. The tense on Cara’s shoulder seemed to lessen perceptibly on hearing Kahlan’s voice but her face was still very serious. “You alright?”
Cara’s hands tightened; one around her walking stick and the other around the Agiels. She was anxious by all the noises around her. After getting used to only hearing three sets of footsteps and familiar voices around her, the sudden buzz of dozens of people walking and talking threw her off balance. Her breathing labored a little and she only nodded to Kahlan’s query in a curt nod.
Noting the lack of sarcastic remark from Cara, Kahlan knew that her companion was really anxious. Kahlan didn’t know what was wrong, but she could guess that it had something to do with the crowd. Even before losing sight, Cara had never been at ease around too many people; she always thought that random people could just emerge and attack them at any time. Now that Cara had lost one precious sense, Kahlan couldn’t begin to imagine how difficult it was for her companion. But how could she comfort Cara, a woman who didn’t want to be comforted? “I’m here,” was all that Kahlan could say to her. She flexed her hand and her instinct was to take Cara’s hand in hers but that wouldn’t end well so she grabbed her own dress instead, still itching to hold Cara’s hand.
“I can hear you,” Cara deadpanned. The warmth Kahlan’s body radiated into her through her leather and she felt some tension left her shoulders.
“The inn is not far.” Zedd was suddenly on their side. Richard was nowhere to be seen. Upon Kahlan questioning look, Zedd explained, “Richard is arranging our accommodation.” He saw that Kahlan didn’t ask him verbally so as not to make Cara agitated. They both knew how much Cara objected when Richard wandered around by himself.
“You should’ve gone with him,” Cara rebuked, not mentioning whom she was talking to.
“He is a big boy,” Zedd countered, “Ah, there he is.”
Richard jogged to his group; it wasn’t easy to find the trio - they were all outstanding in the crowd. “We booked two rooms in the tavern,” Richard informed them. The brown haired man looked at his grandfather, “Are you setting out today or are you planning on staying the night?”
“I’ll go after dinner,” Zedd said, more to Cara than to Richard.
Cara smirked knowingly. “Of course, the wizard can’t go anywhere in an empty stomach; even the thought of it repulses him,” she mocked.
Zedd laughed heartily at Cara’s remark. Over the time, he had grown quite fond of the Mord’Sith wit and dry humor despite their rather shaky start. “I can’t think with an empty stomach,” he agreed, “Now let’s go. The sooner I get meal in my belly, the sooner I leave.”
They entered the tavern and Kahlan felt everyone’s eyes turned on them. Instinctively she scooted closer to Cara until her shoulder brushed the other woman’s.
“They are staring at me, aren’t they?” Cara asked for confirmation, suddenly feeling self-conscious not in a good way. Cara used to like being stared at because it gave her power; now she hated it because she couldn’t see the hatred and fear in the people’s eyes. In her mind, Cara was sure that everyone stared at her in pity.
“Not at you,” Kahlan corrected, half confirming Cara’s statement, “at us.”
Cara didn’t believe it for one second. She clamped her jaw tightly, wishing that she had thrown the stupid walking stick away before entering the village. A Mord’Sith with a walking stick was not a sight people are used to seeing. She was dying to get away from the crowd, to be back in the forest without people around her.
The rigid move of Cara’s body was so evident that Kahlan suggested they went straight to their room to rest. Cara said nothing when the brunette told Richard and Zedd that they were going to freshen up. Kahlan gently tugged on the sleeve of her leather, guiding her friend upstairs as subtly as she could so that no one would notice something wrong with Cara. The Mord’Sith didn’t utter a single protest for being led around and that was enough to make Kahlan more protective of her.
Once in the safety of their room, Cara began to visibly relax. She fumbled through the wooden furniture until her gloved hand touched a soft material that was the bed. She practically slumped on the bed, no longer putting the facade to hide her exhaustion.
“I’m going to get us something to eat,” Kahlan told her, one hand on the door. She sensed that the other woman wanted to be alone to compose herself. She had never seen Cara so out of herself before - beside that only time in the forest after battle. This blindness had to take a toll on her, whether or not Cara was willing to admit it.
“No,” refused Cara. “You go eat downstairs. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be back with our meal,” Kahlan said, ignoring her. She left the room and double-checked to see that the door was properly closed. Once downstairs she ordered some food and drinks to be delivered to their room. She stopped by Richard and Zedd’s table but her eyes kept wandering to the stairs whenever she saw someone went upstairs.
“How is she?” Zedd asked, concerned.
“Exhausted,” Kahlan replied, “But not willing to say it. I don’t know how she manages to keep going.”
Zedd nodded. “She pushes herself too much at times - too much for her own good.”
Richard made a noise of agreement; he was chewing a large chunk of meat and he didn’t want to seem rude to speak with his mouth full in front of Kahlan. He swallowed. “We’ll take it easy from here.” That was directed to Kahlan. He turned to his grandfather, “Where are you heading, Zedd?”
The wizard grew silent. He was contemplating whether to tell them the truth or not. He knew Kahlan wouldn’t like his answer. “I’m going to ask a friend of mine for a favor,” he said giving them the half-truth.
But it wasn’t Kahlan if she didn’t see right through Zedd. Her eyes met his grey ones as she spoke rather coldly, “You’re not going to Shota.”
“She might be able to help,” Zedd argued.
“Zedd, you can’t be serious. The last time someone asked for Shota’s help they ended up as Calthrops!” Kahlan said.
“They are not me.”
Richard frowned. “Is there no other choice, Zedd?” he asked. The idea of Zedd asking Shota’s help was unappealing, but if that was needed then Richard could live with it.
“Surely there is.” Kahlan was adamant.
The wizard shook his head. “No, Kahlan. If there were other options, I wouldn’t choose this one,” he said, “We don’t have a luxury of trial and error. Shota is a powerful witch; she’d know what to do.”
“You are a powerful wizard and you don’t know what to do. What makes her any difference?” Kahlan pointed out. It was a valid argument.
“You don’t know her.”
“I know enough not to trust her,” Kahlan replied angrily. The last thing she wanted was some crazy witch hurting Cara. Kahlan was nauseated at the thought.
Zedd sighed. He put a hand on Kahlan shoulder. “Then, Kahlan, I’m going to ask you to trust me.”
***Kahlan returned upstairs just in time; a maidservant was standing at their door holding a tray of food, ready to knock. She told her not to and took the tray off her hands. “I’ll take it from here, thank you,” she said. Cara wouldn’t take it nicely if a stranger entered the room.
The blonde was sitting by the window when Kahlan entered the room, balancing the tray on one hand while the other shut the door behind her.
“There was someone else at the door with you,” Cara commented in passing, without turning her head to Kahlan.
The brunette quirked an eyebrow; she was astonished that Cara would know that. Her hearing had been very sharp since Cara lost her sight, but Kahlan didn’t know it was that sharp. “Yes, there was,” Kahlan affirmed, sensing the need for control in Cara’s voice. By telling Cara that the blonde was right, Kahlan was giving her a boost of confidence that Cara was not incapacitated by her inability to see. “A maidservant,” Kahlan told her further, “She brought us our meal. It looks delicious.”
“I’m not hungry,” stated Cara.
She must be famished. Kahlan regarded her friend as she remembered how little Cara had eaten for the past week; there was hollowness on her cheeks Kahlan didn’t see before, suggesting that the blonde was losing weight. Well, maybe real good food will tempt her to eat. “Humor me,” Kahlan said, placing the tray along with the food on the table near Cara. “We have some steamed vegetables, potatoes, and roast duck. Which do you prefer?”
“Hare,” Cara retorted indifferently.
“Duck it is,” Kahlan decided, overlooking Cara’s bored tone. She carefully piled some food on Cara’s plate, making sure that the blonde had the bigger portion of the roast duck. She put the plate on Cara’s lap. She knew that the blonde wouldn’t just waste food - Cara knew what hunger was too well to do that.
Begrudgingly, Cara took a spoonful of something mushy on her plate. Her palate was screaming joy when she took the first bite. The potato bite she just took was so delicious and soft it melted in her mouth. A small twitch formed on the sides of her lips but Cara lowered her head so Kahlan couldn’t see it if the brunette was watching.
They ate in silence. Kahlan was contented to see that Cara seemed to enjoy her food. She watched every spoonful that went into the other woman’s mouth and smiled at the expression Cara was wearing. She doubted that Cara did that on purpose, the expression. The blonde looked appreciative and - if Kahlan didn’t know better - happy. Kahlan had to admit that the inn food was good, especially compared to the mushroom stew they had been eating while they were in the forest. Even Richard looked as if he wanted to throw up every time Zedd told him what the menu was.
“More?” Kahlan offered when the last bit of food on Cara’s plate went to the blonde’s mouth.
“Are you watching me eating?” Cara’s tone couldn’t be more accusing.
“No,” Kahlan lied; she answered too quickly, though. “Now would you like some more?”
The Mord’Sith didn’t answer but she didn’t refuse either when she felt Kahlan moved to add some more food on her plate. “Skip the duck,” was Cara’s only request.
The comfortable silence continued for a while. They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and Cara was alert once again. Kahlan calmed her down and opened the door to see Zedd and Richard at the door. The wizard was saying goodbye to them. Cara answered with an indifferent shrug while Kahlan let the wizard hugged her.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised to the two women then backed out of the room.
“Wizard,” Cara stopped him. She hesitated a second then murmured, “I don’t really need my sight.”
Zedd chuckled. That, if he was right, was Cara’s personal way to tell him to stay safe.
Chapter 5
Author: sneaky_in_red
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: PG-ish
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just borrowing someone's playground.
A/N: I just want to thank you for reading and leaving comments. You guys are awesomely kind. This story is still unbeta-ed and therefore all grammatical and spelling mistakes and OOC-ness of the characters (trust me, those are unintentional) are mine. English is not my first language and I try so hard to minimize my mistakes so if you find some errors and such, feel free to tell me about them so I can fix them.
Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the ride. *bows*
Chapter 4: Lingering Doubt
Richard found Cara leaning leisurely against a tree when he was on his way to the stream to fill their water skins the next morning. He raked his gaze upon the slender woman and absently thinking about how attractive Cara was. Yes, he had always found the blonde attractive, in the most provocative way, since the first time they spent time together in the future. Cara had changed quite a lot now; she looked a little more relaxed without her complete uniform, but not less threatening, and it seemed that months of travelling and fighting had begun to take its toll on her body - she looked thinner and her muscles seemed more toned. Richard took another glance at Cara’s face and noticed that she still appeared a little pallid; other than that, though, Cara looked perfectly like her usual self.
“Lord Rahl,” Cara called out casually, telling Richard that she knew he was around.
“It’s Richard, Cara,” he corrected patiently, moving towards Cara, “How many times should I tell you not to call me Lord Rahl?”
Cara simply shrugged, dismissing the supposed-to-be order. She had this way of interpreting Richard words into either an order or a mere talk - it was up to her, really, since the new Lord Rahl always used vague words when giving orders that they sounded almost like suggestions. “I need to discuss something with you,” she said, cutting to the chase.
Richard searched Cara’s face for a hint; it had been more and more difficult to read anything from Cara’s expression lately. The woman had a poker face to begin with and now that her green eyes were no longer able to convey anything, it was getting harder to do so. It wasn’t Cara’s nature to start a small talk so Richard concluded that it had to be something of great importance. He reached out and took Cara’s elbow in his hand, tugging it. “Walk with me,” he invited.
The blonde followed the lead, all the while letting Richard lead her by the elbow without a single protest. If the Lord Rahl wanted to lead his Mord’Sith around like a pet, who was she to argue?
The twosome walked in silence until they reached the stream. Richard let go of Cara’s arm and squatted by the running body of water. He took his time uncorking the water skins before dipping one by one into the water. He could feel Cara standing right behind him, unmoving. From his peripheral vision he saw one of her hands was on the Agiel. Richard sighed inwardly, thinking that maybe Kahlan was right - letting Cara find comfort in the pain was not the brightest decision he had made. “I thought you wanted to talk?” he asked, hoping that starting the conversation would distract the woman from her Agiel. Richard was again proven wrong.
The blonde shifted from one foot to the other, clutching the Agiel more tightly to center herself. She was thinking about where to begin. She reminded herself that the outcome was more important than how it was said so she began, “Yes; I need to discuss about my participation in your quest.”
“What about it?” Richard had a suspicion on where this was going but he decided to wait.
“I have been thinking about it and I conclude that it is wise for you to give me an order to stay behind until I get my sight back,” Cara spoke calmly, nodding at how fluidly the sentence was formed.
There was a second of silence. Richard stopped what he was doing as he grasped what Cara was suggesting. He looked up from where he was squatting. “Come again?”
“Give me an order to stay behind; leave me and go on with your quest,” the Mord’Sith repeated herself, more confidently this time.
The brown haired warrior didn’t answer immediately; he turned back to his task filling the waterskins, taking his time. Then he posed quietly, “And why would I do that?”
“Because it is only sensible,” Cara replied readily, having pondered all night about what she would say if Richard asked questions, “I am slowing us down.” It was a true fact, an objective observation only a Mord’Sith could make - or so Cara believed. “Our aim is stopping the Keeper from ruling the world of the living and we can’t do it if I slow you down. Defeating the Keeper is urgent - the longer we postpone it the slimmer your chance is to get it done. You don’t want that, do you?” She paused and waited for a response. When she received none, she went on, “Besides, my presence here is no longer of use for you. My impairment is proven to have prevented me from doing my duty to you as the true Lord Rahl. Instead of protecting you, all I do is hindering you from doing your job, not to mention endangering your life.”
That was the longest speech Cara had ever given to Richard. And even though he saw the truth in her frank words, Richard couldn’t do what she wanted him to do. Kahlan wouldn’t forgive him if he did. Richard frowned; since when was it about Kahlan? Putting the thought aside, Richard focused on Cara’s words. “And?”
“And so I decided that the most practical thing for you to do is to order me to leave.”
Richard looked at the blonde with an expression between frustrated and amused. He wanted to hug this woman but he knew it wouldn’t be a wise idea. So he repeated himself, “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s-... Are you mocking me?” Cara asked irritably, knowing exactly what Richard was doing.
“I wouldn’t dream of that,” he replied in serious manner, only the twinkle in his eyes betraying his words.
Cara tightened her grip on the Agiel. If he weren’t her Lord... She didn’t finish the thought. “You are mocking me.”
Richard fastened the cork of one water skin and stood up after putting it on the ground. He wiped his hands on his pants and slowly reached out to Cara, putting his right hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “Cara,” he began in a fatherly tone, “If one day you are to leave me; it will be for pursuing a better life - and that is never going to be an order from anyone but your own freewill. I’m never going to send you away if you wish to stay. You’re my friend, Cara, and you’re precious to me.”
The blonde squirmed uncomfortably under Richard’s touch. She clearly wasn’t used to receiving a gentle treatment from her sovereign. Richard’s idea of lordship was foreign to her; never in Cara’s life had she seen a ruler who treated their subordinates as equal - as a friend. “I’m slowing you down, Richard. That is a fact.”
At this, Richard chuckled. He squeezed Cara’s shoulder once and dropped his hand. “No, Cara, I am slowing us down. How many times did you tell me that we’d be moving faster if I didn’t insist on saving every lost kitten we came across to?”
If the Seeker was trying to lighten the mood, he was successful. Cara smirked at his words. “So does this mean we’re not going to do that anymore? Good, Lord Rahl, I know I’ll get to you one day,” she asked, somewhat hopeful.
“And I hope I can get you to stop calling me Lord Rahl,” Richard remarked.
Cara huffed, turning around from Richard and starting to leave. “I’m not as impressionable as you are,” she commented as she left. She rewarded herself by allowing a little smile as she walked away. But then she frowned when she remembered that she didn’t succeed in her quest of making Richard order her to stay. She had to find another way.
***“Wizard!”
Zedd stopped walking when he heard Cara calling him out. He turned around and saw the slender woman walked with her stick towards him. It was still beyond his understanding how Cara had managed to walk around so swiftly without her sight shortly after she lost it; Cara’s body adapted too well to changes. If it was good or bad, Zedd didn’t know. He waited for the young woman to catch up with him, noting mentally that she seemed in full health now after sleeping the whole night.
Cara stopped a few paces away from Zedd, sensing that he was close. “We need to talk,” Cara said.
The wizard raised his brows, not quite believing if he heard what he heard. Cara Mason wanted to talk? That was new. It had become common knowledge that Cara didn’t simply involve herself in a simple conversation, let alone started it. When she decided to ‘talk’ to someone, it usually meant she was the one who spoke and others listened - or else.
“If you want to stop me from trying to heal your eyes, then we’re not having this conversation,” Zedd warned her.
“It’s not about that,” Cara snapped, glaring at the wizard as she was not used to being talked back before she even started talking.
“I’m listening,” Zedd said.
The blonde fidgeted. She didn’t know how to say what she meant to say when she started going after Zedd. Cara was not one who asked people nicely; she was used to giving commands and she expected total obedience from her subjects. Asking people to do her a favour, and having to do it nicely, was not familiar to her.
“I want you to postpone your leaving,” she finally said, hoping that it didn’t sound as demanding as it did in her ears.
Zedd waved his arms irritably. “That’s it,” he finalized, mistaking Cara’s words as an order not to leave, “I’m leaving.”
“Wait!” Cara stopped him. “Are you always this thick, Wizard? You haven’t even listened to what I’ve got to say.”
“You ordered me to abandon my intention to heal you, Cara. I got that. And I’m not going to do that.”
Cara grumbled. This was why she’d rather use brute force than words. People listened better when they were incapacitated. “It was a request!” Cara explained herself, gritting her teeth as the word rolled out of her mouth. “I’m not asking you to cancel anything; just to delay it a little.”
“And why would I do that?” Zedd challenged. This woman could use more hints on how to make request not sound like a death threat. He took a step closer to Cara and eyed her worried face. Sighing, he told her, “You do realize that the longer we put a hold on this the slimmer your chances are to get your sight back, don’t you?”
The Mord’Sith stood up straighter. “I have accepted my fate,” she said bravely. She was getting tired of people second-guessing her motives and decisions. She was patient with Richard because he was Lord Rahl. Zedd was not a Rahl.
There was a slight crack in her confident tone and it didn’t go unnoticed by Zedd. “You don’t actually believe that,” he asked.
“So?”
“So why do you want me to delay my journey? What is more important than your sight now?”
A sad scoff escaped Cara’s lips. Her expression fell for a second before her mask of indifference was back in place. She hated all the attention that everyone seemed to be giving her of late; she was there to serve, not the other way around. Then it dawned to her that maybe Zedd was doing this merely because he thought Cara was useless for Richard’s protection if she was blind. Yes, she rationalized, that must be it. “Believe me,” she stressed out, “there are far a lot of things more important than my eyes.”
“And those are...” Zedd queried.
“Richard’s protection,” Cara stated in a tone that suggested she couldn’t believe that the wizard could be so dense. “The Mother Confessor’s safety. Need I go on? I am blind, Wizard. I can’t offer them protection like I used to. I can protect myself fine, but not them. Don’t you see? I’m a burden this way. I can’t let them die because of my incapability to protect them. If you go now, we’re two men down. You wouldn’t risk losing your grandson, the Seeker, and the Mother Confessor because of me, now, would you?”
Always the selfless Cara, Zedd thought with a smile. “I believe Richard and Kahlan are capable of protecting themselves, Cara,” he assured the young woman, “Fret not. After all, they are the Seeker and the Mother Confessor.”
“Not when they’re too busy trying to protect me, they’re not!” Cara argued, a little frustrated by now. She didn’t like talking. Talking was more tiring than fighting. Her hand brushed on her Agiels for a second, and as the sting of it comforted her, she felt a little bit in control.
“Let’s say I’m going to delay my journey; how long would you want me to postpone it?”
“Until the rift is sealed.”
“That could be months! Or even years!”
Cara nodded. “And by then I would be used to not being able to see. A win-win solution, is it not?”
“I don’t get your reasoning,” Zedd admitted, appalled by the stubbornness of this young beautiful lady.
“Nobody does,” agreed Cara, totally missing the point.
“I’m not going to do that.”
Cara held her head high. “You will. I’m going to make you,” she said in a threatening tone.
“How?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know?” A wild grin broke in the blonde’s face, her hand was on her Agiel in an instant.
Zedd sighed in defeat. Cara was a woman of mystery; and she was also a reckless one too. He could imagine her ways and none of them appealed to him. “Alright,” he gave in. “I’m not going to leave just yet, but only until we get to the village. All of you will be safe there.”
“What if Richard wants to continue the journey straight away?”
“He will not.” Of this, Zedd was sure. He was the witness of the heated argument Kahlan and Richard had after the last encounter they had had with the banelings the previous night, when Cara was unconscious. Kahlan practically ignored Richard’s reasoning and told him that there would be no more journeys before they figured out how to cure Cara. She gave him two options, though. It was either that, or Richard and Zedd could go on with the quest and leave Cara behind. And Kahlan, too. Richard, of course - and much to Zedd’s disagreement, opted for the first.
“Are you sure?” The woman gave Zedd a quirk of her eyebrow. She knew there was something she didn’t know, judging from Zedd knowing tone.
“Perfectly.”
“If that is the case, then alright. Now what are you waiting for? Let’s go back to camp,” Cara said, ending the conversation. She turned around and walked carefully back to the opposite direction. “And don’t try to fool me, Wizard. I may be blind but my Agiels are not,” she warned him as she sauntered, not looking at him.
***“Cara!” Kahlan practically exclaimed in relief when the blonde appeared from behind the bushes. She was worried that something happened when Cara didn’t return to camp after a while and was just telling Richard that she was going to look for her. The brunette found it harder and harder not to see Cara around her lately.
“What?” Cara sounded more annoyed that she actually felt. Somehow, in the course of a few days only, she found that it was comforting to hear Kahlan’s voice near her or the light footsteps walking around her. Of course Cara would rather commit suicide than to admit it to herself. She merely justified the comfort as the ease of the mind knowing that her charge, the Mother Confessor, was safe.
“Where have you been?”
“Around,” the blonde said.
Kahlan was ready to ask more when she saw Zedd coming from behind the blonde. “Zedd!” she was surprised. “What are you-..” She didn’t finish her question; instead, she looked at Cara before back again to the old wizard. She understood. “Did you stop him from leaving?” she raised her voice at Cara. Then at Zedd, “Did you just let her stop you?”
“If it were my doing, Confessor, the wizard wouldn’t be conscious to say hello,” Cara stated calmly, the lie rolled easily out of her mouth.
“Zedd.” Richard was surprised to see his grandfather when he returned from the river to fill their water skins. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I had another plan,” Zedd told Kahlan and Richard. His eyes didn’t meet the Confessor’s scrutinizing ones. “I’ll take my leave when we reach the village,” he added.
Kahlan threw a suspicious look at the wizard and Cara but said nothing. If something had happened between the two, she would eventually find out. Right now, she needed to focus of getting to the village before dusk. She voiced out the concern.
“Night time doesn’t bother me,” Cara commented lightly, a taunting smile splayed on her face.
The brunette knew enough not to comment on that. She continued, “If we start now, we can get to the village in three candlemarks.”
“That is if we don’t get attacked by banelings or some Sisters of the twisted,” Cara suggested.
“Cara!” Kahlan breathed out tiredly.
Richard shook his head, ducking it so Kahlan wouldn’t see his grin. The banter of the two women always left him speechless and he couldn’t laugh because Kahlan would not be pleased at him. It was always the same - Kahlan said something and then Cara would counter it in the most outrageous and ignorant way and Kahlan was left baffled at the deadpan response. “Alright then, let’s get going,” he invited, partly to stop the women from continuing what he knew could be another silly argument as the two women had been so easily offended lately.
Ignoring the smug look on Cara’s face, Kahlan grabbed her pack and walked past Cara. The brunette did stop after a couple of steps, though, and waited for Cara to walk past her. She always walked behind the blonde now and there was no argument in it.
***“Your mood seems better today,” Kahlan mentioned to Cara as they were walking, quickening her pace so she walked next to the blonde. Richard had just informed them the obvious again - although it was now for Cara’s benefit - that they were reaching the village.
“I do not have a mood,” Cara responded dryly. She did feel a bit lighter that day, but it was probably only due to her accomplishment of asking Zedd to stay.
“Why do you do that?” Kahlan couldn’t stop herself.
“Do what?”
“That - dismissing your feelings like they are nothing.” The brunette looked at Cara, waiting for her to respond. But Cara didn’t react; she kept walking and acted as if Kahlan hadn’t said anything. So you don’t want to have this conversation, Kahlan thought, her mouth gave a little twitch, fine then.
The village was small but pretty crowded. Richard wore a big smile upon reaching the crowd as he always enjoyed being around people. Kahlan returned the smile he gave her but then her smile faltered when she noticed how stiff Cara’s stance was. She quickened her steps to match Cara’s and walked beside the other woman.
“Hey,” Kahlan said full of unmasked concern, making her presence known. The tense on Cara’s shoulder seemed to lessen perceptibly on hearing Kahlan’s voice but her face was still very serious. “You alright?”
Cara’s hands tightened; one around her walking stick and the other around the Agiels. She was anxious by all the noises around her. After getting used to only hearing three sets of footsteps and familiar voices around her, the sudden buzz of dozens of people walking and talking threw her off balance. Her breathing labored a little and she only nodded to Kahlan’s query in a curt nod.
Noting the lack of sarcastic remark from Cara, Kahlan knew that her companion was really anxious. Kahlan didn’t know what was wrong, but she could guess that it had something to do with the crowd. Even before losing sight, Cara had never been at ease around too many people; she always thought that random people could just emerge and attack them at any time. Now that Cara had lost one precious sense, Kahlan couldn’t begin to imagine how difficult it was for her companion. But how could she comfort Cara, a woman who didn’t want to be comforted? “I’m here,” was all that Kahlan could say to her. She flexed her hand and her instinct was to take Cara’s hand in hers but that wouldn’t end well so she grabbed her own dress instead, still itching to hold Cara’s hand.
“I can hear you,” Cara deadpanned. The warmth Kahlan’s body radiated into her through her leather and she felt some tension left her shoulders.
“The inn is not far.” Zedd was suddenly on their side. Richard was nowhere to be seen. Upon Kahlan questioning look, Zedd explained, “Richard is arranging our accommodation.” He saw that Kahlan didn’t ask him verbally so as not to make Cara agitated. They both knew how much Cara objected when Richard wandered around by himself.
“You should’ve gone with him,” Cara rebuked, not mentioning whom she was talking to.
“He is a big boy,” Zedd countered, “Ah, there he is.”
Richard jogged to his group; it wasn’t easy to find the trio - they were all outstanding in the crowd. “We booked two rooms in the tavern,” Richard informed them. The brown haired man looked at his grandfather, “Are you setting out today or are you planning on staying the night?”
“I’ll go after dinner,” Zedd said, more to Cara than to Richard.
Cara smirked knowingly. “Of course, the wizard can’t go anywhere in an empty stomach; even the thought of it repulses him,” she mocked.
Zedd laughed heartily at Cara’s remark. Over the time, he had grown quite fond of the Mord’Sith wit and dry humor despite their rather shaky start. “I can’t think with an empty stomach,” he agreed, “Now let’s go. The sooner I get meal in my belly, the sooner I leave.”
They entered the tavern and Kahlan felt everyone’s eyes turned on them. Instinctively she scooted closer to Cara until her shoulder brushed the other woman’s.
“They are staring at me, aren’t they?” Cara asked for confirmation, suddenly feeling self-conscious not in a good way. Cara used to like being stared at because it gave her power; now she hated it because she couldn’t see the hatred and fear in the people’s eyes. In her mind, Cara was sure that everyone stared at her in pity.
“Not at you,” Kahlan corrected, half confirming Cara’s statement, “at us.”
Cara didn’t believe it for one second. She clamped her jaw tightly, wishing that she had thrown the stupid walking stick away before entering the village. A Mord’Sith with a walking stick was not a sight people are used to seeing. She was dying to get away from the crowd, to be back in the forest without people around her.
The rigid move of Cara’s body was so evident that Kahlan suggested they went straight to their room to rest. Cara said nothing when the brunette told Richard and Zedd that they were going to freshen up. Kahlan gently tugged on the sleeve of her leather, guiding her friend upstairs as subtly as she could so that no one would notice something wrong with Cara. The Mord’Sith didn’t utter a single protest for being led around and that was enough to make Kahlan more protective of her.
Once in the safety of their room, Cara began to visibly relax. She fumbled through the wooden furniture until her gloved hand touched a soft material that was the bed. She practically slumped on the bed, no longer putting the facade to hide her exhaustion.
“I’m going to get us something to eat,” Kahlan told her, one hand on the door. She sensed that the other woman wanted to be alone to compose herself. She had never seen Cara so out of herself before - beside that only time in the forest after battle. This blindness had to take a toll on her, whether or not Cara was willing to admit it.
“No,” refused Cara. “You go eat downstairs. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be back with our meal,” Kahlan said, ignoring her. She left the room and double-checked to see that the door was properly closed. Once downstairs she ordered some food and drinks to be delivered to their room. She stopped by Richard and Zedd’s table but her eyes kept wandering to the stairs whenever she saw someone went upstairs.
“How is she?” Zedd asked, concerned.
“Exhausted,” Kahlan replied, “But not willing to say it. I don’t know how she manages to keep going.”
Zedd nodded. “She pushes herself too much at times - too much for her own good.”
Richard made a noise of agreement; he was chewing a large chunk of meat and he didn’t want to seem rude to speak with his mouth full in front of Kahlan. He swallowed. “We’ll take it easy from here.” That was directed to Kahlan. He turned to his grandfather, “Where are you heading, Zedd?”
The wizard grew silent. He was contemplating whether to tell them the truth or not. He knew Kahlan wouldn’t like his answer. “I’m going to ask a friend of mine for a favor,” he said giving them the half-truth.
But it wasn’t Kahlan if she didn’t see right through Zedd. Her eyes met his grey ones as she spoke rather coldly, “You’re not going to Shota.”
“She might be able to help,” Zedd argued.
“Zedd, you can’t be serious. The last time someone asked for Shota’s help they ended up as Calthrops!” Kahlan said.
“They are not me.”
Richard frowned. “Is there no other choice, Zedd?” he asked. The idea of Zedd asking Shota’s help was unappealing, but if that was needed then Richard could live with it.
“Surely there is.” Kahlan was adamant.
The wizard shook his head. “No, Kahlan. If there were other options, I wouldn’t choose this one,” he said, “We don’t have a luxury of trial and error. Shota is a powerful witch; she’d know what to do.”
“You are a powerful wizard and you don’t know what to do. What makes her any difference?” Kahlan pointed out. It was a valid argument.
“You don’t know her.”
“I know enough not to trust her,” Kahlan replied angrily. The last thing she wanted was some crazy witch hurting Cara. Kahlan was nauseated at the thought.
Zedd sighed. He put a hand on Kahlan shoulder. “Then, Kahlan, I’m going to ask you to trust me.”
***Kahlan returned upstairs just in time; a maidservant was standing at their door holding a tray of food, ready to knock. She told her not to and took the tray off her hands. “I’ll take it from here, thank you,” she said. Cara wouldn’t take it nicely if a stranger entered the room.
The blonde was sitting by the window when Kahlan entered the room, balancing the tray on one hand while the other shut the door behind her.
“There was someone else at the door with you,” Cara commented in passing, without turning her head to Kahlan.
The brunette quirked an eyebrow; she was astonished that Cara would know that. Her hearing had been very sharp since Cara lost her sight, but Kahlan didn’t know it was that sharp. “Yes, there was,” Kahlan affirmed, sensing the need for control in Cara’s voice. By telling Cara that the blonde was right, Kahlan was giving her a boost of confidence that Cara was not incapacitated by her inability to see. “A maidservant,” Kahlan told her further, “She brought us our meal. It looks delicious.”
“I’m not hungry,” stated Cara.
She must be famished. Kahlan regarded her friend as she remembered how little Cara had eaten for the past week; there was hollowness on her cheeks Kahlan didn’t see before, suggesting that the blonde was losing weight. Well, maybe real good food will tempt her to eat. “Humor me,” Kahlan said, placing the tray along with the food on the table near Cara. “We have some steamed vegetables, potatoes, and roast duck. Which do you prefer?”
“Hare,” Cara retorted indifferently.
“Duck it is,” Kahlan decided, overlooking Cara’s bored tone. She carefully piled some food on Cara’s plate, making sure that the blonde had the bigger portion of the roast duck. She put the plate on Cara’s lap. She knew that the blonde wouldn’t just waste food - Cara knew what hunger was too well to do that.
Begrudgingly, Cara took a spoonful of something mushy on her plate. Her palate was screaming joy when she took the first bite. The potato bite she just took was so delicious and soft it melted in her mouth. A small twitch formed on the sides of her lips but Cara lowered her head so Kahlan couldn’t see it if the brunette was watching.
They ate in silence. Kahlan was contented to see that Cara seemed to enjoy her food. She watched every spoonful that went into the other woman’s mouth and smiled at the expression Cara was wearing. She doubted that Cara did that on purpose, the expression. The blonde looked appreciative and - if Kahlan didn’t know better - happy. Kahlan had to admit that the inn food was good, especially compared to the mushroom stew they had been eating while they were in the forest. Even Richard looked as if he wanted to throw up every time Zedd told him what the menu was.
“More?” Kahlan offered when the last bit of food on Cara’s plate went to the blonde’s mouth.
“Are you watching me eating?” Cara’s tone couldn’t be more accusing.
“No,” Kahlan lied; she answered too quickly, though. “Now would you like some more?”
The Mord’Sith didn’t answer but she didn’t refuse either when she felt Kahlan moved to add some more food on her plate. “Skip the duck,” was Cara’s only request.
The comfortable silence continued for a while. They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and Cara was alert once again. Kahlan calmed her down and opened the door to see Zedd and Richard at the door. The wizard was saying goodbye to them. Cara answered with an indifferent shrug while Kahlan let the wizard hugged her.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised to the two women then backed out of the room.
“Wizard,” Cara stopped him. She hesitated a second then murmured, “I don’t really need my sight.”
Zedd chuckled. That, if he was right, was Cara’s personal way to tell him to stay safe.
Chapter 5