"He left a minute ago."
The blonde scowled. "Where?"
Berdine stepped out the room, pointing left. "Not sure where he's going, though."
Cara strode after Richard, ignoring the look a passing guard gave her. Sure, she was a Mord'Sith going down a hallway with purpose in the Confessor's Palace, but, honestly, the people of Aydindril could calm down. If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have their beloved Mother Confessor. The thought spurred her into halfway jogging and running after the man. She cursed under her breath as she came upon an intersection, not knowing if Richard went left or right. The Mord'Sith banked right, crashing into someone so hard they both fell.
"Cara?"
Blue eyes pierced her, so soft in spite of their surprise that she could fall into them, and she almost did. The woman never had to try. She never tried. Cara rushed to her feet, losing her balance as a hand caught her wrist. She broke the hold.
"Cara, wait!"
She didn't. She ran.
The Mord'Sith barely heard the woman calling to her over the blood pounding in her ears, but after making a turn she thought she heard footsteps coming after her. Or maybe she was imagining it, out of fear or hope, she didn't know. Where was she running, anyway?
"Cara!"
Away. Anywhere.
She turned again, pushing herself to speed up. Cara had spent so many hours wandering the palace she knew its halls better than some of the people living there. Hours. Enough hours to last a lifetime. She took a right, coming up on the stairs she knew to be there and went down them so quickly she nearly fell a few times. Cara glanced upward, seeing a flash of white. This wasn't going to work, the woman was persistent if nothing else. Cara needed to put some distance between them. She burst into the hall, startling some poor girl even as an idea came to her. The blonde trotted to the nearest window and peered out of it. Desperate? Yeah, but she was desperate. But still too high and the girl would probably say something to the Mother Confessor.
Cara snorted. Of course she would.
So Cara tore down the hall instead. More turns. She didn't hear footsteps anymore, but she didn't slow, just kept going.
Something collided with her from the side and her world tilted. Between the floor and the person on her, the air left her lungs. They were a panting mess of limbs, really, just lying there trying to breathe.
"Are you, are you done?"
"Get off, Confessor." Cara rolled, pushing Kahlan to the side. She didn't fully succeed. The woman held her securely around the waist. She meant to glare at her, but Kahlan's eyes held such a mix of pain and anger that she only huffed, which didn't say much because neither of them had caught their breath yet.
"What's your problem?"
"Is this really how you want to have a conversation?"
"You haven't given me much choice, have you?"
She lay back to stare at the ceiling. "I didn't know you were looking for a conversation." The arms around her waist left.
"You've been avoiding me."
There wasn't a point in denying it, but there wasn't anything she could say, either. Nothing that made a difference. Just as she thought her heart was calming down, it nearly jumped out her chest, but she was so utterly distracted she didn't do anything, couldn't do anything. Kahlan was straddling her. The Confessor leaned forward slightly to rest a hand on Cara's throat.
"Is this how I have to get you to look at me," she whispered.
The blue of Kahlan's eyes appealed to her so softly, so deeply she couldn't even think about the fact the Mother Confessor was straddling her on the floor of a hall in the Confessor's Palace. "I always look at you."
Footsteps interrupted them and their attention settled on a Dennee with wide eyes and a handful of guards. Some of them didn't seem to know what to do with themselves, but a couple were fighting off grins.
"What is it?"
Cara snorted. From the way Kahlan spoke, no one would think they were in this position. Or that it was simply an everyday occurrence.
"You, someone, the Mord'Sith," Dennee cleared her throat. "There was concern."
"Unnecessary, I assure you. We're just having a conversation."
"I see."
The guards looked like they wanted to be anywhere else, but Dennee's jaw was tight and she borderline glared at Cara, stirred only by Kahlan's firm voice.
"My apologies for any confusion."
"Of course, but," her eyes travelled to Cara once more, "it might be best to have this conversation elsewhere."
Cara felt Kahlan's grip tighten a moment and decided to cut in. "Agreed."
Dennee pursed her lips, likely unhappy Cara was actually in her favor instead of her sister, turned on her heel and left, the guards following after her.
Some moments passed before blue eyes searched green. "If I get up, are you going to run off?"
"No."
Her hand slid down a bit, her fingers resting across Cara's collarbone. She felt the Mord'Sith's pulse tapping her index finger.
"So where are we talking?"
Kahlan blinked a few times, coming back to herself. She eyed Cara warily as she stood, ignoring the roll of green eyes, and helped her up, not dropping Cara's hand as she led them into a thankfully empty room. Kahlan shut the door behind them.
"I'm not going anywhere," she drawled, pulling out of Kahlan's grip.
"Promise?"
She rolled her eyes. "I promise."
"You promise what?"
"You're being ridiculous."
"Well I'm sorry I don't want you to leave me!"
Cara just stood there as Kahlan brushed past her. There were two paths she could take right now, and either one could make her as miserable or more so. She closed her eyes. Her choice never changed. She'd tried it once today, but if she really could've gone through with it, she'd continue with it now. But she could swear she'd seen tears in Kahlan's eyes. Cara turned to see Kahlan facing away from her, though she could tell the woman was rubbing at her eyes. The way her heart constricted only assured her of something she knew. Kahlan was always Cara's choice.
She walked up beside the Confessor, standing so close their shoulders and parts of their arms touched.
Kahlan leaned against her. "I've missed you."
She didn't respond immediately. "Mother Confessors don't have Mord'Sith beside them."
"I want you beside me."
"Your sister and your people don't."
"Damn them."
"Kahlan—"
"Dennee is starting to accept you and not everyone dislikes you."
Cara chewed the inside of her cheek. "I was looking for Richard."
"Damn Richard," she blurted, rounding on Cara. "What about me, Cara? What about me?"
"What do you want from me?"
"If you don't want to be around me, then just say it. Look at me, damn you! That's it, isn't it? I already asked Richard to leave, so why don't you just go join him?"
Cara's brow furrowed. "You asked him to leave?"
"Yes. His kingdom needs him and I don't need him in mine. If you were around, maybe you would've noticed."
She studied the floor absently, at a loss of what to say. So, she defaulted. "He said he'd take Berdine and Raina to D'Hara until things were settled and if they liked, they could go wherever they pleased, including here. He insisted I stay. Ordered it."
"My word is final here."
Cara looked at her.
"Leave, if that's what you desire."
She hated that tone, that indifferent tone. She hated the hard look to Kahlan's eyes, hated the clear sight of her clenching her jaw, hated the way her fingers dug into her own crossed arms.
"My word is final here," she repeated.
And before Cara could even tilt her head, Kahlan uncrossed her arms, a hand snapping to Cara's neck. Black filled the Confessor's eyes and Cara felt pure power washing over her, filling her so deeply she swore it held her damaged soul, encasing her so thoroughly she shivered. But she couldn't look away from those shining black eyes. She spent an eternity falling into them.
Then the black gave way to blue.
"Tell me you don't love me," she whispered.
Cara fell to her knees, never looking away from Kahlan's eyes. "Command me, Mistress."
Alarm pitched her voice. "Cara?"
She grinned.
Kahlan shoved the laughing woman's shoulder hard enough to knock her back. "Damn you, Cara," she laughed, falling into a chair.
Cara propped herself up on her elbows after their laughter subsided. "I've always wanted to do that."
"Oh?" A smile played about Kahlan's lips. "You always wanted to call me your Mistress?"
She rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm sure you'd like that."
"Mm, I don't know about that." Kahlan moved to sit beside Cara. "You have a wretched sense of humor."
"I can't help but notice that you laughed."
She shrugged. "Well, maybe you've corrupted me."
Cara sat up, resting her elbows on her knees. "Too bad I didn't have an audience. Your face was priceless." She pretended to study Kahlan's glare. "I don't think that was it."
"I can't stand you sometimes."
"Good thing you're sitting."
She shook her head, smiling. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I think you'd run off in the middle of the night, unable to stand the boredom."
"Or I could just sit down." She laughed at Cara's glare, bumping the woman's shoulder.
"Guess you don't need me, then."
"Are you leaving?"
The silence lasted long enough for her to look up, noticing that Cara stared off at something. She sighed, gazing at nothing in particular until a gentle touch on her wrist startled her. When Kahlan relaxed, she saw Cara's bare hand sliding into hers. Their fingers locked together gently.
"I love you, Kahlan."
A/N: Because I was frustrated by a lack of things to read and struck by a song. Admittedly, Cara got a happy ending instead of the one I originally intended. Yet another three am update. I am sensing a pattern here.
