A Brave New World (Cara/Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker)
Title: A Brave New World
Rating: R
Show: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Dahlia, Richard/Kahlan
Spoilers: Set after 2x20 Eternity. Also mentions the faith the teasers for 2X21 spell out for Dahlia.
Summary: Exactly three months after the final battle Cara awakens, herself again. What has happened and can she cope living in this brave new world?
Author's Notes: First I would like to apologize in advance for any bad spelling. Tomorrow I leave on vacation and this absolutely needed to go up before the new episode on Saturday and canon messes with my ideas again. This is what I think should happen after 2x20.
Warning: Character Death (see teaser for 2x21 and you'll know who.)
Another warning: there will be children involved in the storyline.
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At seventeen Dahlia had developed into a good and obedient Mord'Sith. Cara however had become a great Mord'Sith. As the smallest of the Sisters in her circle she had always trained harder and longer, feeling the need to prove herself. The practice had paid off: she was the best fighter in the entire province. The taunts she had suffered before had hardened her, she had learned that compassion was for weaklings. Cara herself was ruthless. The perfect combination for a true Mord’Sith.
It came as no surprise to anyone that she was to report to the People’s Palace on the eve of her 18th birthday. Mistresses Nahair voice shone with pride when she made the announcement and Cara, true to form, only nodded obediently to show she understood her orders.
Only when she entered the dormitory she shared with her closest Sisters, she allowed to examine the feelings that had crept inside of her. Mistress Nahair had told her she would become part of Mistress Denna’s Temple. She would even get the chance to serve Lord Rahl himself. The honour of her new assignment should be enough to warm her during the coldest nights. Still she felt doubt. She would have to move away, far from the Sisters that had been her family since her rebirth. Would she be able to be strong without them at her side? Without Dahlia?
She quickly found out Dahlia was equally conflicted about her leaving. Pride for her Sister quickly won out, because they both knew all other feelings were irrelevant for their future: Lord Rahl had commanded and Cara would obey. It was the natural order of things. They did spent Cara’s last few days in the Temple together. Even Mistress Nahair looked the other way when Cara and Dahlia missed their curfew on their final night together.
When she left for the People’s Palace, she walked the path empty-handed. The only thing a Mord’Sith could ever own, was the Agiel she had been broken with. All other things were communal. Her mind however was filled with the memories of her past and her left breast bore a fresh scar, carved a few days before. Dahlia would be with her forever.
Mistress Denna welcomed her into her family with open arms. Cara embraced her new life with zeal.
Exactly three months after the final battle, Cara woke up from her healing sleep. Off course, she had no idea what had happened, she only realised she was lying in a strange bed. She forced herself to keep quiet, so no one knew she was awake just yet. First she flexed all of her mayor muscles in turn, because she needed to know if she could fight her way out of the room if necessary. Satisfied all seemed in working order, she opened her eyelids a fraction, to spy if she was in danger.
Zedd. The wizard was sitting in a comfy chair next to her bed, nose deeply buried in a book. Memories of her friends flooded back into her mind. The quest for the stone. Lord Rahl joining them. Dahlia betraying her. Being Rebroken. Stealing the Stone. Hurting Zedd… Had the Keeper won?
The world hadn’t ended yet and the wizard didn’t seem to concerned. They had won? She wasn’t in chains, so they didn’t blame her betrayal? No, not even Richard and Kahlan were so naive to take in a Rebroken Mord’Sith and nurse it back to health. Something else must have happened…
With a sudden shock she remembered a scene set on a battlefield. Though the field was green, it seemed rather red: blood, Sisters of the Dark, D’Haran soldiers and her own Sisters. At the centre of it were Kahlan in a white dress and Richard, clinging to a tiny blue stone.
Somehow, surrounded by all that violence they had succeeded in placing the Stone where it belonged and the valley had filled with a bright blue light. Tears returned to Cara’s eyes, when she remembered the sheer beauty of it. Not even the birth of the Night Wisps could compare. All pain had been lifted from her soul and she could think clearly again. The light had not only cleansed the world, but her too. And then there had been pain. Unimaginable pain and she had lost consciousness.
She forget she was feigning sleep: her hand shot out to the point where the pain had originate from. Her left breast. From what she could feel the flesh had been mangled. Frantically she searched for the smaller scar that had defined her for all those years. She couldn’t find it!
“Cara!” The wizard sounded delighted. “Thank the Creator! We were starting to think you would never awaken!”
Horrified Cara learned that she had spent three long months asleep. Her hand stilled. Only then Zedd noticed she had been trying to find the cause of her wound.
“It was a Dakra.” He explained gently. “Even when all was lost for them, they still fought to get you.”
“Why me?” She was at a loss. Surely Richard had been the one to defeat them.
He smiled broadly. “You are the one that saved the Mother Confessor so she could save the world.”
While Cara was preoccupied with the vision of a dead Kahlan lying at her feet and the accompanying despair she felt, Zedd suddenly realised he wanted to share the good news.
“I have to tell Richard and Kahlan.” And he disappeared.
“Wizard!” Cara screamed in frustration. She had no recollection what had happened and she desperately needed him to give her more than cryptic description. Cara tried to run after him, but found she could not even rise from the bed. Her muscles worked, but they were too weak to support her weight. Somehow the magic of the Dakra had infected her. Her frustration levels rose further.
And then they fell again when Richard entered, followed closely by a still breathing Kahlan. She felt so relieved that she even let them hug her.
“Explain.” She then asked.
The process went excruciatingly slow. Richard refused to just debrief her and Kahlan insisted on talking about her feelings. They expanded on every shred of memory Cara had, instead of just telling her the whole story.
Eventually Cara understood what had happened. Darken Rahl had given her the lead over his army of Mord’Sith. Together she and her Sisters had torn through the defences of the villagers Richard and Kahlan had mobilised to fight at their side. It wasn’t until Cara had spotted her former friends that she had stopped the carnage.
Only she hadn’t stopped, she had frozen. The most important battle in her life and she had just stood there: conflicted between her old and her new life. It was an embarrassing thought, even if she realised that her stalling the fight had been a blessing in the end.
Richard agreed with her. He explained patiently to her that he had used the respite (the other Mord’Sith had followed her lead and had stood down) to convince Darken Rahl to change sides one last time. They would save the world together and save his immortal soul. Cara rolled her eyes at that last idea.
The combined orders of both her Lord Rahls had pushed her out of her reverie and she had led an even more vicious attack, this time at the side of the villagers and against the Sisters of the Dark. She had still been conflicted in her loyalties however, until she had seen Kahlan fall. The Mother Confessor had died a foolish death, stricken down by an errant arrow.
Her anger at this had overwhelmed her and she fought until she arrived at her friend’s side. She revived her with a Kiss of Life.
Kahlan beamed down at her with the strength of a thousand suns. Cara fought the urge to squirm under her gaze as she knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.
“You broke your Retraining.” Kahlan told her, her voice filled with joy, “because we are your friends and you love us.”
It sounded a lot like the confession the Night wisps had dragged out of her. At the time she had protested vehemently. This time admitting it was taking the easier path.
“Yes.” She said brusquely. “Now I’m very tired and want to rest.”
As she had predicted, Richard and Kahlan smiled at her response and complied. They hardly never pushed further after they had gotten her to admit a feeling. Her eyes followed them out of the room (she noted idly that they were holding hands) and her ears followed them out of the corridor.
Once she was alone again she admitted something else only to herself. The crack in her retraining hadn’t occurred when she had seen her friends. It had happened much earlier.
Darken Rahl had made a fatal mistake in Rebreaking her the way he had. Normally when a young girl had been torn down, the Mord’Sith rebuilt them in their image: Devotion to Rahl, Pride in their service and Love for their Sisters. Rahl had only instilled blind Devotion into her.
After she had returned from taking the stone from Zedd (- she should apologize for hurting him - she suddenly realised), she gladly accepted the reward that had been promised: a night with her Sister Dahlia. When they woke up together the next morning, Dahlia wrapped around her like a lover, the memory of a different feeling than devotion had re-emerged.
Love.
Miss Cranton…no Mistress Nahair had finally let her out of the dark caves. She told her to be proud, because as of today she would become a fledgling Mord’Sith. Cara nodded. Her teacher liked when she responded nonverbally. It showed she understood, but that she did not indulge in unnecessary chatter.
They arrived in a round chamber. There was hardly any light, but Cara could see about ten beds, set out in a circle. In the middle of the room stood a large statue of Lord Rahl. She and some other girls were pushed to their knees and had to recite the Devotion over and over again.
Cara used the time to study the two girls next to her (she didn’t dare look any further). They were as dirty as she was. This was probably the first time they were here too.
Soon they were told to pick a bed. Quietly. Cara didn’t really care where she would sleep, until she spotted Dahlia. Quickly she made her way over to her friend from school. The bed next to her was already taken, but she instantly knew she wouldn’t survive this place without a friend at her side. So she pushed the other girl out of the way.
The girl pushed back. Soon Cara was involved in her first fight ever. She won because of her determination. By the time Mistress Nahair pulled the girls apart, the other girl was crying fat tears. Disdainfully the Mord’Sith arranged for her to be taken away.
Then she ordered Cara to explain herself. Fighting to stay composed, Cara lied. “She pushed me.”
Her old teacher would have never accepted the pitiful excuse. Mistress Nahair however smiled broadly. “Good, Cara. A Mord’Sith always fights. She never backs down.”
“However, you were told to be quiet. You will be punished for this infraction.” She pulled out her painstick… Agiel.
Cara nearly cried out when she saw it. She already knew how much it would hurt. If it hadn’t been for Dahlia, who caught her eyes and kept her gaze during the entire punishment, Cara would have screamed out like the frightened little girl she truly was.
Instead she bit her tongue and endured the pain until she fainted. Barely conscious she could hear her teacher’s voice: “Take care of you Sister, girls. She has done very well.”
The last time she had seen Dahlia, Darken Rahl ordered her out of the room. She was to lead a scouting mission to see what the Seeker was up to. Cara suddenly realized she hadn’t seen her during the battle.
Darken Rahl had taken her place in Cara’s bed. The Devotion, slightly damaged as it was, still forced Cara to obey his orders. Disgust filled her now, remembering it. Perhaps disgust had been the second emotion to break through his spell. It would be ironic, Cara realised, to have undone his own Breaking because he had been too horny to leave well enough alone.
But she truly didn’t want to think of the man who had violated her again and again. She picked a spot on the wall and stared at it. Pushing all her emotions out, she willed herself to fall asleep again. The method, that had worked so well for her in the past, failed miserably.
Over the next few days her strength returned. She also learned to appreciate the wizard more. If it had been up to Kahlan she would have stayed in bed until she was healthy again. Cara had argued she wouldn’t get better without moving: how could her muscles regain strength if she never used them? And then there was the food they offered her: bland gruel and lots of fruits and vegetables. As if living like a rabbit would get her better quicker! She appealed to Richard’s compassion, but with one stern look from Kahlan, Cara knew it would be of no use. So she obeyed… as long as they were in the same room.
Zedd let her try and walk. If she stumbled, he simply sent over a gust of wind, so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. When she asked him why he did this, why he didn’t just let her fall, he answered she would just get up again anyway and he didn’t want her to get hurt in her current condition. She didn’t like to be reminded of her weakness so she tried to ignore him the next day. His answer was to threaten to magically stick her to the bed if he ever caught her practicing without him.
She glared, she complained and she argued, but she also complied. Secretively it wasn’t that bad. Zedd snuck in food for her and he kept her abreast of all the changes in the outside world. Richard and Kahlan came around as often as they could, but they were both busy with their new positions.
After Cara had fallen, the Creator herself had arrived, with Sisters Nicci and Verna in tow. Apparently the three unlikely woman had found each other and the two sisters had sacrificed their Han to Maia. She had decreed the wars to come at an end and had given Darken Rahl’s throne to Richard. Darken had simply disappeared after that.
Kahlan, as the Mother Confessor, still had First Chair of the Central Council of the Midlands. As they wouldn’t want to part in order to rule, the Creator had chosen a unimportant village as the place for the New Palace of Justice to be build. It was where they all lived together now.
She also married them on the spot. Kahlan had gushed about the ceremony, claiming it would have only been better if Cara had been conscious and her sister Dennee had been present. Richard had laid more focus on the gift they had received, when he had told this story. The Creator had made it so that Richard wouldn’t be confessed during their conjugal interactions.
That fact was painfully obvious to Cara. If they had acted like lovesick fools before, they now had progressed (or regressed) to the level of lovesick teenagers with no control over their hormones. It made Cara nostalgic for the times when they travelled through the woods. At times she would have given her right arm to be able to use the excuse of going hunting or gathering firewood.
She was convinced there would soon be a litter of tiny Confessors running in the hallways of the new Palace…
Another week later, she wanted to explore the place herself. After proving again and again she was fit enough, she was finally allowed to leave her room. She demanded her own clothing, as she was not going out in the white shift they had forced her into wearing.
It was Richard, all decked out in his official Lord Rahl clothes (albeit a less luxurious version of his brother’s suits), who came to her room with her leathers. Putting them back on, felt a little like rebuilding herself. Instinctively she grabbed for the familiar pain of her Agiels. There weren’t present.
“Richard?” She turned around and asked him, knowing he would understand.
He just shook his head. “I’ve severed the connection. There will be no more little girls trained with those things.”
Cara barely registered the venom Richard injecting in that last word. She was too distraught, she even felt the need to sit down on the bed again. No more Agiel, no more being a Mord’Sith, no more Sisters.
When Zedd had told her that the remaining Sisters had pledged themselves to Richard as the new Lord Rahl, she had imagined herself rejoining her former Family. Perhaps even leading them.
But now what? She couldn’t stay here at the Palace and do nothing for the rest of her life. With a few simple sentences Richard had taken away her entire future.
The seeker noticed her plight, but didn’t quite understand where it came from. “I thought you would be happy about this. No more torturing little girls and forcing them to kill their fathers.”
Cara was conflicted. Ever since she had found out her father hadn’t sold her and she had killed an innocent man, she had felt resentment towards the Mord’Sith who had trained her. However, she was and would always be Mord’Sith. She told him so.
“You could be so much more.” He replied, sounding almost frustrated. When she didn’t answer, he continued. “Most of the former Mord’Sith have joined the D’Haran army. Some have joined the new Sisters of the Light, after they met the Creator in person. You can be anything you like. A general in mine or Kahlan’s army. A tutor to our children. Anything.”
He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “You deserve a chance at being someone else.”
His hand seemed to burn right through her leather armor. The words he spoke were no balm to the pain he had caused.
“I’d rather be a Mord’Sith.” She whispered.
Kahlan took that moment to enter, saving Cara from whatever response Richard would have. The Confessor noticed the tense atmosphere and for a moment it seemed like she would rather retreat. Then she stood her ground and asked: “Am I interrupting something?”
Richard answered. “No, well yes. But we’ve finished, haven’t we, Cara?”
She nodded, although she didn’t necessary agree. She hadn’t even begun thinking about all the ramifications yet, but she would do that when she was alone.
Richard strolled over to his wife and kissed her forehead. “Besides, you two have even more important things to discuss.”
Cara nearly laughed. She had no idea what could be more important to her identity that had just been stripped away. Still, she schooled her face to her normal blank expression and she rose to courteously to invite Kahlan into her room. Someone had to follow etiquette, even if her friends refused to do so.
To let Richard pass through the door, Kahlan turned to her side. Cara noticed that her dress clung tightly to her stomach. Kahlan wasn’t a large eater and she still trained everyday, so it couldn’t just be weight gain. Suddenly she understood why Richard had just offered her the job of tutor. The child she had expected to come soon was already on the way.
“You are with child.” She realized out loud. Belatedly she remembered to add an “Congratulations.”
Kahlan didn’t notice her slipup, she was far to busy glowing in Cara’s direction to notice.
“Isn’t it wonderful!” She exclaimed. “Soon there will be children keeping us company.”
“Children?” Cara noticed the plural. Surely the Confessor wasn’t expecting twins? And as far as she knew there were only a few women living in the Palace fulltime, including herse … Oh.
Kahlan’s face fell when she saw Cara had connected the dots. “I’m so sorry. This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”
That one morning with Lord Rahl. How could he have… Bile rose in her throat. Cara rushed over to her chamber pot. Kahlan followed her, held her hair back and talked her trough it, claiming such nonsense that the morning sickness would soon pass and that it was nothing to worry about.
“Nothing to worry about?” She asked incredulously, once she had regained her composure. “I’m carrying the child of Darken Rahl.”
Clearly Kahlan had forgotten what kind of man he had been. Perhaps she ought to retell the story of when she and Richard had visited the alternate future. It had been Kahlan then who had been impregnated with his child. And that child had turned out the most tyrannical and vile ruler D’Hara had even seen…
“My child is evil.” She managed to gasp out. She was going to be sick again.
“No.” Kahlan said with all the authority of the Mother Confessor and Cara instinctively turned her way to listen attentively. “You mighty have lain with Rahl’s soul, but not with his body. The magic that corrupted Darken Rahl will not pass on to your son. Your boy will have his intellect and his yearning for learning, but he will also have your strength and discipline. You’ll raise him to be a fine man, Cara. Of this I am certain.”
She calmed slightly. It was true, Darken Rahl had been in Walter’s body at the time, not entirely identical in any way. She herself had been in a perfect position to verify the details, if the thought had struck her mind at the time. Walter himself may not have been her choice for a mate, but he too had fought admirably for what he had believed in: his girl.
“And he’ll make a fine ruler of D’Hara one day.”
Cara couldn’t help it, she just stared at Kahlan. The information she had so longed for when it hadn’t been given, was now coming in too quickly for her to process. “Ruler?”
“He’s a descendant of the Rahl Bloodline. Richard has agreed to rule as the Lord Regent, but you son will be the true Lord.”
“Richard is the true Lord Rahl.” It was more an automatic response than an actual answer to what had been said.
“Perhaps, but we can only bear girls and D’Hara isn’t ready for a female ruler.” Kahlan shook her head softly to indicate that the men from D’Hara were foolish chauvinists. Cara didn’t necessary disagree, but had no intention of starting a discussion on women’s rights.
“It would also be unwise to combine both D’Hara and The Midlands.” Kahlan added to be complete. “It would be too much power for one person to hold.”
Cara nodded. She could understand the politics involved. Still, for her to raise a future ruler? She didn’t even know what to do with an infant!
Everything she had just learned rushed back to overwhelm her. Responsibilities were coming her way and they were far greater than anything she had ever been trained for… The despair inside her grew to alarmingly high levels.
So she did what she always did, in times of emotional upheaval. She asked for her Sister.
“Dahlia. Where is Dahlia?”
Continued in part two.
Rating: R
Show: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Dahlia, Richard/Kahlan
Spoilers: Set after 2x20 Eternity. Also mentions the faith the teasers for 2X21 spell out for Dahlia.
Summary: Exactly three months after the final battle Cara awakens, herself again. What has happened and can she cope living in this brave new world?
Author's Notes: First I would like to apologize in advance for any bad spelling. Tomorrow I leave on vacation and this absolutely needed to go up before the new episode on Saturday and canon messes with my ideas again. This is what I think should happen after 2x20.
Warning: Character Death (see teaser for 2x21 and you'll know who.)
Another warning: there will be children involved in the storyline.
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At seventeen Dahlia had developed into a good and obedient Mord'Sith. Cara however had become a great Mord'Sith. As the smallest of the Sisters in her circle she had always trained harder and longer, feeling the need to prove herself. The practice had paid off: she was the best fighter in the entire province. The taunts she had suffered before had hardened her, she had learned that compassion was for weaklings. Cara herself was ruthless. The perfect combination for a true Mord’Sith.
It came as no surprise to anyone that she was to report to the People’s Palace on the eve of her 18th birthday. Mistresses Nahair voice shone with pride when she made the announcement and Cara, true to form, only nodded obediently to show she understood her orders.
Only when she entered the dormitory she shared with her closest Sisters, she allowed to examine the feelings that had crept inside of her. Mistress Nahair had told her she would become part of Mistress Denna’s Temple. She would even get the chance to serve Lord Rahl himself. The honour of her new assignment should be enough to warm her during the coldest nights. Still she felt doubt. She would have to move away, far from the Sisters that had been her family since her rebirth. Would she be able to be strong without them at her side? Without Dahlia?
She quickly found out Dahlia was equally conflicted about her leaving. Pride for her Sister quickly won out, because they both knew all other feelings were irrelevant for their future: Lord Rahl had commanded and Cara would obey. It was the natural order of things. They did spent Cara’s last few days in the Temple together. Even Mistress Nahair looked the other way when Cara and Dahlia missed their curfew on their final night together.
When she left for the People’s Palace, she walked the path empty-handed. The only thing a Mord’Sith could ever own, was the Agiel she had been broken with. All other things were communal. Her mind however was filled with the memories of her past and her left breast bore a fresh scar, carved a few days before. Dahlia would be with her forever.
Mistress Denna welcomed her into her family with open arms. Cara embraced her new life with zeal.
Exactly three months after the final battle, Cara woke up from her healing sleep. Off course, she had no idea what had happened, she only realised she was lying in a strange bed. She forced herself to keep quiet, so no one knew she was awake just yet. First she flexed all of her mayor muscles in turn, because she needed to know if she could fight her way out of the room if necessary. Satisfied all seemed in working order, she opened her eyelids a fraction, to spy if she was in danger.
Zedd. The wizard was sitting in a comfy chair next to her bed, nose deeply buried in a book. Memories of her friends flooded back into her mind. The quest for the stone. Lord Rahl joining them. Dahlia betraying her. Being Rebroken. Stealing the Stone. Hurting Zedd… Had the Keeper won?
The world hadn’t ended yet and the wizard didn’t seem to concerned. They had won? She wasn’t in chains, so they didn’t blame her betrayal? No, not even Richard and Kahlan were so naive to take in a Rebroken Mord’Sith and nurse it back to health. Something else must have happened…
With a sudden shock she remembered a scene set on a battlefield. Though the field was green, it seemed rather red: blood, Sisters of the Dark, D’Haran soldiers and her own Sisters. At the centre of it were Kahlan in a white dress and Richard, clinging to a tiny blue stone.
Somehow, surrounded by all that violence they had succeeded in placing the Stone where it belonged and the valley had filled with a bright blue light. Tears returned to Cara’s eyes, when she remembered the sheer beauty of it. Not even the birth of the Night Wisps could compare. All pain had been lifted from her soul and she could think clearly again. The light had not only cleansed the world, but her too. And then there had been pain. Unimaginable pain and she had lost consciousness.
She forget she was feigning sleep: her hand shot out to the point where the pain had originate from. Her left breast. From what she could feel the flesh had been mangled. Frantically she searched for the smaller scar that had defined her for all those years. She couldn’t find it!
“Cara!” The wizard sounded delighted. “Thank the Creator! We were starting to think you would never awaken!”
Horrified Cara learned that she had spent three long months asleep. Her hand stilled. Only then Zedd noticed she had been trying to find the cause of her wound.
“It was a Dakra.” He explained gently. “Even when all was lost for them, they still fought to get you.”
“Why me?” She was at a loss. Surely Richard had been the one to defeat them.
He smiled broadly. “You are the one that saved the Mother Confessor so she could save the world.”
While Cara was preoccupied with the vision of a dead Kahlan lying at her feet and the accompanying despair she felt, Zedd suddenly realised he wanted to share the good news.
“I have to tell Richard and Kahlan.” And he disappeared.
“Wizard!” Cara screamed in frustration. She had no recollection what had happened and she desperately needed him to give her more than cryptic description. Cara tried to run after him, but found she could not even rise from the bed. Her muscles worked, but they were too weak to support her weight. Somehow the magic of the Dakra had infected her. Her frustration levels rose further.
And then they fell again when Richard entered, followed closely by a still breathing Kahlan. She felt so relieved that she even let them hug her.
“Explain.” She then asked.
The process went excruciatingly slow. Richard refused to just debrief her and Kahlan insisted on talking about her feelings. They expanded on every shred of memory Cara had, instead of just telling her the whole story.
Eventually Cara understood what had happened. Darken Rahl had given her the lead over his army of Mord’Sith. Together she and her Sisters had torn through the defences of the villagers Richard and Kahlan had mobilised to fight at their side. It wasn’t until Cara had spotted her former friends that she had stopped the carnage.
Only she hadn’t stopped, she had frozen. The most important battle in her life and she had just stood there: conflicted between her old and her new life. It was an embarrassing thought, even if she realised that her stalling the fight had been a blessing in the end.
Richard agreed with her. He explained patiently to her that he had used the respite (the other Mord’Sith had followed her lead and had stood down) to convince Darken Rahl to change sides one last time. They would save the world together and save his immortal soul. Cara rolled her eyes at that last idea.
The combined orders of both her Lord Rahls had pushed her out of her reverie and she had led an even more vicious attack, this time at the side of the villagers and against the Sisters of the Dark. She had still been conflicted in her loyalties however, until she had seen Kahlan fall. The Mother Confessor had died a foolish death, stricken down by an errant arrow.
Her anger at this had overwhelmed her and she fought until she arrived at her friend’s side. She revived her with a Kiss of Life.
Kahlan beamed down at her with the strength of a thousand suns. Cara fought the urge to squirm under her gaze as she knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.
“You broke your Retraining.” Kahlan told her, her voice filled with joy, “because we are your friends and you love us.”
It sounded a lot like the confession the Night wisps had dragged out of her. At the time she had protested vehemently. This time admitting it was taking the easier path.
“Yes.” She said brusquely. “Now I’m very tired and want to rest.”
As she had predicted, Richard and Kahlan smiled at her response and complied. They hardly never pushed further after they had gotten her to admit a feeling. Her eyes followed them out of the room (she noted idly that they were holding hands) and her ears followed them out of the corridor.
Once she was alone again she admitted something else only to herself. The crack in her retraining hadn’t occurred when she had seen her friends. It had happened much earlier.
Darken Rahl had made a fatal mistake in Rebreaking her the way he had. Normally when a young girl had been torn down, the Mord’Sith rebuilt them in their image: Devotion to Rahl, Pride in their service and Love for their Sisters. Rahl had only instilled blind Devotion into her.
After she had returned from taking the stone from Zedd (- she should apologize for hurting him - she suddenly realised), she gladly accepted the reward that had been promised: a night with her Sister Dahlia. When they woke up together the next morning, Dahlia wrapped around her like a lover, the memory of a different feeling than devotion had re-emerged.
Love.
Miss Cranton…no Mistress Nahair had finally let her out of the dark caves. She told her to be proud, because as of today she would become a fledgling Mord’Sith. Cara nodded. Her teacher liked when she responded nonverbally. It showed she understood, but that she did not indulge in unnecessary chatter.
They arrived in a round chamber. There was hardly any light, but Cara could see about ten beds, set out in a circle. In the middle of the room stood a large statue of Lord Rahl. She and some other girls were pushed to their knees and had to recite the Devotion over and over again.
Cara used the time to study the two girls next to her (she didn’t dare look any further). They were as dirty as she was. This was probably the first time they were here too.
Soon they were told to pick a bed. Quietly. Cara didn’t really care where she would sleep, until she spotted Dahlia. Quickly she made her way over to her friend from school. The bed next to her was already taken, but she instantly knew she wouldn’t survive this place without a friend at her side. So she pushed the other girl out of the way.
The girl pushed back. Soon Cara was involved in her first fight ever. She won because of her determination. By the time Mistress Nahair pulled the girls apart, the other girl was crying fat tears. Disdainfully the Mord’Sith arranged for her to be taken away.
Then she ordered Cara to explain herself. Fighting to stay composed, Cara lied. “She pushed me.”
Her old teacher would have never accepted the pitiful excuse. Mistress Nahair however smiled broadly. “Good, Cara. A Mord’Sith always fights. She never backs down.”
“However, you were told to be quiet. You will be punished for this infraction.” She pulled out her painstick… Agiel.
Cara nearly cried out when she saw it. She already knew how much it would hurt. If it hadn’t been for Dahlia, who caught her eyes and kept her gaze during the entire punishment, Cara would have screamed out like the frightened little girl she truly was.
Instead she bit her tongue and endured the pain until she fainted. Barely conscious she could hear her teacher’s voice: “Take care of you Sister, girls. She has done very well.”
The last time she had seen Dahlia, Darken Rahl ordered her out of the room. She was to lead a scouting mission to see what the Seeker was up to. Cara suddenly realized she hadn’t seen her during the battle.
Darken Rahl had taken her place in Cara’s bed. The Devotion, slightly damaged as it was, still forced Cara to obey his orders. Disgust filled her now, remembering it. Perhaps disgust had been the second emotion to break through his spell. It would be ironic, Cara realised, to have undone his own Breaking because he had been too horny to leave well enough alone.
But she truly didn’t want to think of the man who had violated her again and again. She picked a spot on the wall and stared at it. Pushing all her emotions out, she willed herself to fall asleep again. The method, that had worked so well for her in the past, failed miserably.
Over the next few days her strength returned. She also learned to appreciate the wizard more. If it had been up to Kahlan she would have stayed in bed until she was healthy again. Cara had argued she wouldn’t get better without moving: how could her muscles regain strength if she never used them? And then there was the food they offered her: bland gruel and lots of fruits and vegetables. As if living like a rabbit would get her better quicker! She appealed to Richard’s compassion, but with one stern look from Kahlan, Cara knew it would be of no use. So she obeyed… as long as they were in the same room.
Zedd let her try and walk. If she stumbled, he simply sent over a gust of wind, so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. When she asked him why he did this, why he didn’t just let her fall, he answered she would just get up again anyway and he didn’t want her to get hurt in her current condition. She didn’t like to be reminded of her weakness so she tried to ignore him the next day. His answer was to threaten to magically stick her to the bed if he ever caught her practicing without him.
She glared, she complained and she argued, but she also complied. Secretively it wasn’t that bad. Zedd snuck in food for her and he kept her abreast of all the changes in the outside world. Richard and Kahlan came around as often as they could, but they were both busy with their new positions.
After Cara had fallen, the Creator herself had arrived, with Sisters Nicci and Verna in tow. Apparently the three unlikely woman had found each other and the two sisters had sacrificed their Han to Maia. She had decreed the wars to come at an end and had given Darken Rahl’s throne to Richard. Darken had simply disappeared after that.
Kahlan, as the Mother Confessor, still had First Chair of the Central Council of the Midlands. As they wouldn’t want to part in order to rule, the Creator had chosen a unimportant village as the place for the New Palace of Justice to be build. It was where they all lived together now.
She also married them on the spot. Kahlan had gushed about the ceremony, claiming it would have only been better if Cara had been conscious and her sister Dennee had been present. Richard had laid more focus on the gift they had received, when he had told this story. The Creator had made it so that Richard wouldn’t be confessed during their conjugal interactions.
That fact was painfully obvious to Cara. If they had acted like lovesick fools before, they now had progressed (or regressed) to the level of lovesick teenagers with no control over their hormones. It made Cara nostalgic for the times when they travelled through the woods. At times she would have given her right arm to be able to use the excuse of going hunting or gathering firewood.
She was convinced there would soon be a litter of tiny Confessors running in the hallways of the new Palace…
Another week later, she wanted to explore the place herself. After proving again and again she was fit enough, she was finally allowed to leave her room. She demanded her own clothing, as she was not going out in the white shift they had forced her into wearing.
It was Richard, all decked out in his official Lord Rahl clothes (albeit a less luxurious version of his brother’s suits), who came to her room with her leathers. Putting them back on, felt a little like rebuilding herself. Instinctively she grabbed for the familiar pain of her Agiels. There weren’t present.
“Richard?” She turned around and asked him, knowing he would understand.
He just shook his head. “I’ve severed the connection. There will be no more little girls trained with those things.”
Cara barely registered the venom Richard injecting in that last word. She was too distraught, she even felt the need to sit down on the bed again. No more Agiel, no more being a Mord’Sith, no more Sisters.
When Zedd had told her that the remaining Sisters had pledged themselves to Richard as the new Lord Rahl, she had imagined herself rejoining her former Family. Perhaps even leading them.
But now what? She couldn’t stay here at the Palace and do nothing for the rest of her life. With a few simple sentences Richard had taken away her entire future.
The seeker noticed her plight, but didn’t quite understand where it came from. “I thought you would be happy about this. No more torturing little girls and forcing them to kill their fathers.”
Cara was conflicted. Ever since she had found out her father hadn’t sold her and she had killed an innocent man, she had felt resentment towards the Mord’Sith who had trained her. However, she was and would always be Mord’Sith. She told him so.
“You could be so much more.” He replied, sounding almost frustrated. When she didn’t answer, he continued. “Most of the former Mord’Sith have joined the D’Haran army. Some have joined the new Sisters of the Light, after they met the Creator in person. You can be anything you like. A general in mine or Kahlan’s army. A tutor to our children. Anything.”
He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “You deserve a chance at being someone else.”
His hand seemed to burn right through her leather armor. The words he spoke were no balm to the pain he had caused.
“I’d rather be a Mord’Sith.” She whispered.
Kahlan took that moment to enter, saving Cara from whatever response Richard would have. The Confessor noticed the tense atmosphere and for a moment it seemed like she would rather retreat. Then she stood her ground and asked: “Am I interrupting something?”
Richard answered. “No, well yes. But we’ve finished, haven’t we, Cara?”
She nodded, although she didn’t necessary agree. She hadn’t even begun thinking about all the ramifications yet, but she would do that when she was alone.
Richard strolled over to his wife and kissed her forehead. “Besides, you two have even more important things to discuss.”
Cara nearly laughed. She had no idea what could be more important to her identity that had just been stripped away. Still, she schooled her face to her normal blank expression and she rose to courteously to invite Kahlan into her room. Someone had to follow etiquette, even if her friends refused to do so.
To let Richard pass through the door, Kahlan turned to her side. Cara noticed that her dress clung tightly to her stomach. Kahlan wasn’t a large eater and she still trained everyday, so it couldn’t just be weight gain. Suddenly she understood why Richard had just offered her the job of tutor. The child she had expected to come soon was already on the way.
“You are with child.” She realized out loud. Belatedly she remembered to add an “Congratulations.”
Kahlan didn’t notice her slipup, she was far to busy glowing in Cara’s direction to notice.
“Isn’t it wonderful!” She exclaimed. “Soon there will be children keeping us company.”
“Children?” Cara noticed the plural. Surely the Confessor wasn’t expecting twins? And as far as she knew there were only a few women living in the Palace fulltime, including herse … Oh.
Kahlan’s face fell when she saw Cara had connected the dots. “I’m so sorry. This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”
That one morning with Lord Rahl. How could he have… Bile rose in her throat. Cara rushed over to her chamber pot. Kahlan followed her, held her hair back and talked her trough it, claiming such nonsense that the morning sickness would soon pass and that it was nothing to worry about.
“Nothing to worry about?” She asked incredulously, once she had regained her composure. “I’m carrying the child of Darken Rahl.”
Clearly Kahlan had forgotten what kind of man he had been. Perhaps she ought to retell the story of when she and Richard had visited the alternate future. It had been Kahlan then who had been impregnated with his child. And that child had turned out the most tyrannical and vile ruler D’Hara had even seen…
“My child is evil.” She managed to gasp out. She was going to be sick again.
“No.” Kahlan said with all the authority of the Mother Confessor and Cara instinctively turned her way to listen attentively. “You mighty have lain with Rahl’s soul, but not with his body. The magic that corrupted Darken Rahl will not pass on to your son. Your boy will have his intellect and his yearning for learning, but he will also have your strength and discipline. You’ll raise him to be a fine man, Cara. Of this I am certain.”
She calmed slightly. It was true, Darken Rahl had been in Walter’s body at the time, not entirely identical in any way. She herself had been in a perfect position to verify the details, if the thought had struck her mind at the time. Walter himself may not have been her choice for a mate, but he too had fought admirably for what he had believed in: his girl.
“And he’ll make a fine ruler of D’Hara one day.”
Cara couldn’t help it, she just stared at Kahlan. The information she had so longed for when it hadn’t been given, was now coming in too quickly for her to process. “Ruler?”
“He’s a descendant of the Rahl Bloodline. Richard has agreed to rule as the Lord Regent, but you son will be the true Lord.”
“Richard is the true Lord Rahl.” It was more an automatic response than an actual answer to what had been said.
“Perhaps, but we can only bear girls and D’Hara isn’t ready for a female ruler.” Kahlan shook her head softly to indicate that the men from D’Hara were foolish chauvinists. Cara didn’t necessary disagree, but had no intention of starting a discussion on women’s rights.
“It would also be unwise to combine both D’Hara and The Midlands.” Kahlan added to be complete. “It would be too much power for one person to hold.”
Cara nodded. She could understand the politics involved. Still, for her to raise a future ruler? She didn’t even know what to do with an infant!
Everything she had just learned rushed back to overwhelm her. Responsibilities were coming her way and they were far greater than anything she had ever been trained for… The despair inside her grew to alarmingly high levels.
So she did what she always did, in times of emotional upheaval. She asked for her Sister.
“Dahlia. Where is Dahlia?”
Continued in part two.