More Than Mord-Sith

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Chapter One: Laughter

By the way Berdine walked down the hallways of the People's Palace leading away from Darken Rahl's personal quarters, no one passing by would have guessed the events that had only just unfolded. Anyone seeing her, with her square jawline clenched tight, her red leather displaying every muscle, and her Agiel held tightly in her right fist, would assume that either someone had paid the price of angering a Mord-Sith or was about to. When Mord-Sith wore their red leather it meant they were expecting blood, and lots of it. The red was meant to hide the blood of their victim.

Berdine, however, was wearing her red leather to hide her own blood.

Though she refused scream, to plea for him to stop, she had certainly been crying out in her head. But it was never much better when he finished. She could still feel him inside of her, the weight of him thrusting into her with all of the masculine violence he could muster. Worse, however, was that Berdine could still hear Darken Rahl's echoing laughter.

She could still feel his hands smothering her breasts, squeezing with all of his strength. Laughter. "Don't you like that? Don't you like the strong hands of a man?" Laughter. "You can't handle a man. You're not a real woman." Laughter.

Berdine locked her knees to keep her legs from buckling as she struggled to rid her mind of the memory, of the laughter. She was Mord-Sith. She had endured his rape, suffered being his amusement, just as she had so many times before. She would not show weakness now. She would not cry. But there was still that laugher. It vibrated through the air, surrounding her, choking her as he had. Berdine gripped her Agiel tighter, letting the pain course through her veins, trying to block out all other sources of agony.

When Berdine got back to her chambers, Raina was already there waiting for her. She too wore red leather, her own way of sharing in the struggle they both faced. Raina's dark piercing eyes examined her soul, searching for assurance that she hadn't screamed or cried. Berdine, however, had learned to see beyond that incisive gaze into the woman within. There was judgment, but there was also love. They never spoke of it, never said the words aloud, but they didn't need to. The looks they shared spoke for them.

Raina stepped forward and placed her left hand over Berdine's right, which was still clutching her Agiel. With their hands touching as such, the pain surged into Raina as well. Together they shared in the agony of Father Rahl humiliating them for his own amusement. Raina lifted her free hand to Berdine's face, gently caressing her cheek. Such an openly intimate gesture was a rare experience for the two women. She placed her hand over Raina's as the laughter was chased away by how right such a simple act felt. Gentle fingers urged Berdine to release the Agiel. It dangled from her wrist before dropping to the floor.

With one hand still cupping Berdine's face, Raina undid her braided dark hair, the sign of her profession of Mord-Sith. She always had subtle ways of trying to be more than just the madness of Mord-Sith. It took everything they had to hold on to their shred of humanity amidst the insane cyclone of pain and torture that they gave and received daily. Berdine followed suit and ran a hand through her wavy, brown hair to let it fall naturally. A slight smile graced Raina's lips at the sight, but it was still clouded with their mutual pain. The special way Raina looked at her could almost make Berdine forget Father Rahl's laughter. She wished so badly that she could make Raina laugh. Not the humiliating laughter of Darken Rahl and not the laughter of a Mord-Sith breaking a pet, but the giggle of joy no Mord-Sith had known since they were kidnapped as young children. Berdine imaged Raina's giggle would be wonderful, but as Mord-Sith under the rule of Darken Rahl, they had no cause for laughter.

Raina wrapped her arm around Berdine's waist and pulled her closer until their foreheads were pressed together. Understanding how weak Berdine felt, Raina whispered, "We're stronger than the others. He's worse to us, but he still can't break us. Together we are strong." Their lips met in a firm kiss, and Berdine let Raina urge her onto the bed behind them. They lay there, faces close together, hands grasped tight.

"Don't let go," Berdine whispered. Raina pulled her closer in reply, and the final echoes of laughter faded away.