Companion to "Captivated", from Cara's POV.
Cara stood in the early morning light, sea green eyes watching and observing everything going on around her. Her gaze caught a now familiar sight- Kahlan, maneuvering around Zedd and Richard, tending the fire and making breakfast. Her outer mask was carefully maintained, but inside Cara felt a small burst of warmth at the sight of the other woman. Mentally scoffing at the internal show of emotion, she railed against it, but she knew that no matter how hard she tried, these particular feelings weren't going away.
Months of traveling with the confessor had not only fostered a mutual respect between the two, but had helped to create a deeper bond. Somewhere in all the battles and brushes with death, Cara had come to care deeply for Kahlan, and she had a faint idea that Kahlan felt the same. Never in her wildest imaginings could Cara ever have foreseen their strange friendship, but somehow, all of the natural barriers had been crossed. Something about the brunette had captured Cara's interest and wouldn't let go.
Watching her as she moved around the campsite, Cara marveled for what had to be the millionth time at how Kahlan could make such simple, mundane actions seem filled with grace and beauty. Her dark traveling dress accentuated every movement made as it hugged her curves, following the effortless grace of her body. Cara very nearly let a smirk slip through her mask as she noticed for possibly the billionth time the slit in the side of the garment that went up to the brunette's hip.
She had no idea what practical purpose the slit could possibly serve, other than to distract anyone who got a glimpse of the legs beneath. Riding boots went most of the way up her thighs, and the brunette often wore leather leggings when riding, but Cara still questioned the necessity of showing off such expanses of leg . Kahlan tried to justify the slit as necessary for riding, and Cara had opted to keep her silence and not ask why the confessor wore the dress at all. In the context of the Midlands, where the white dress of the mother confessor was a symbol of power, Cara could see the sense in it. But here? In the middle of nowhere?
She had no idea why the black dress was needed. The Mord-Sith in her could see the sense in being able to flaunt such an admirable asset so easily, but a small part of her was still displeased by the way the dress allowed Richard to ogle whatever he pleased at his leisure.
Sweeping her gaze up Kahlan's body to her head, Cara saw the dark brunette locks lift ever so slightly as a breeze caught them. The confessor's hair was one of the most beautiful things Cara had ever seen. The gentle curl to each dark strand, the way it sometimes came to drape round Kahlan's face like a shield- her hair offered endlessly interesting possibilities. From the few times when she had been close enough, Cara knew that it had the most beautiful silky texture. The memory of the silken strands pressed fiercely against her cheek made her long to reach out and caress the dark locks, but she had a fairly good idea that it wouldn't go over well with the hair's owner.
Moving to Kahlan's face as the brunette turned away from the fire for a moment, Cara let her eyes linger on each and every dip and curve. The milky skin looked so fragile, yet Cara knew from personal experience that it hid a razor sharp interior. Kahlan turned to glance at Cara, as though sensing the eyes watching her, and the blonde found herself staring straight into crystal blue eyes. Kahlan's eyes were perhaps the most intriguing part of the woman for Cara. One second they could be filled with fiery passion, and the next they might be subdued with a tint of sadness. They were a special shade of blue that never failed to take Cara's breath away- like the last tinge of frost on a winter morning, or a glacial pool in the far north.
Kahlan's eyes were like a window into her heart, and Cara had learned to read her emotions with nothing more than a glance. Now, standing in the spreading sunlight, the brunette's eyes were flecked with the gold of the sun's rays, and Cara saw a slight question in them. A small smile actually curved her lips at the sight, and she just shook her head. Kahlan arched a brow at her and Cara had to fight to keep the small smile from turning into a full blown grin at the sight.
The confessor was more than beautiful, but that wasn't really why Cara cared so much. Though she would never admit it, the simple fact that Kahlan had been willing to give her a chance was what truly bound her to the confessor. Even upon finding out the things she had done, somehow the brunette had been able to forgive her and accept her back. That gesture meant more to Cara than she knew how to express. The simple emotions she had started out with exploded whenever she thought of Kahlan.
Trust was something that Cara had never known before Kahlan, and she would follow the brunette for the rest of her life for showing her what it meant to be able to trust in someone other than herself. Looking up sharply as she heard her name, Cara saw Kahlan watching her and cocked her head in question. Smiling, Kahlan said she looked like she had been getting lost in her thoughts, and Cara felt the initial sharpness of her look melt away.
She knew she probably looked like an idiot when she got that soft, affectionate look on her face, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do to prevent it. Besides, every time she looked at Kahlan like that the brunettes smile seemed to get just a bit wider, and her eyes looked back at Cara with a depth of emotion she had previously never seen directed at her.
Kahlan broke the gaze first, turning back to the fire, and Cara sighed before leaning more heavily against the tree. Trying to pay attention to everything going on, she grumbled internally. Looking round the campsite, Cara mused once more on the brunette. She was the most intriguing person she had ever known, and as she looked up just in time to catch Kahlan watching her with a gentle smile, Cara knew without a doubt that the brunette had captured her.
Watching as Kahlan quickly ducked her head and turned to see Richard coming into the camp, Cara sighed.
Now she just needed to figure out if she wanted to be captured.
Bit longer, couldn't quite figure out how to work in everything I wanted, and I feel like it's not as strong as the other one. Ah well. Let me know what you think!