Author's Note: See Chapter for disclaimers. I just finish revising this one, so… I hope you like it.

Chapter Two

"What do you mean, on the verge of war?" Kahlan asked incredulous.

Keltar sighed and lowered his deep brown eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry, Mother Confessor, but Confessor Dennee didn't fill me in the details. All I can tell you is that we've been having serious trouble with our southern border, near Renwold. We keep getting reports of very violent attacks on the villages closer to the border. I believe it might be related to what Confessor Dennee has to tell you."

Kahlan sighed and rubbed her forehead in silent distress. She wanted to enjoy peace, damn it! She wanted to go home and not worry about running for her life or where her next meal would be, or if she'd live to see another day with her friends. Her eyes were drawn involuntarily to Cara, and she hardly acknowledged Richard's comforting hand on her shoulder.

Cara held her eyes, reading the worry and exhaustion lurking behind the sky blue eyes. "We were on our way there." She offered quietly, her eyes never wavering.

"We were." Kahlan agreed softly, nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Guess we'll just have to hurry then," Richard said, a frown on his face. Something had just passed between both women, like a silent discussion, a decision being made, and he wasn't sure he liked that. He wasn't sure he liked that Cara was able to stand in a position to discuss and decide with Kahlan. He was the Seeker, he was their leader, and her Lord; he was the one to make decisions.

Kahlan kept looking at Cara for a while longer, knowing her frustration and her fears were understood by the aloof Mord'Sith. If she heard Richard's words, she didn't acknowledge them. "Take a candle mark breather, Keltar, and then ride out to my sister and tell her I'm on the way." She finally broke contact and looked at the relieved soldier. "We'll try to get horses in the next village to get there faster."

"As you command, Mother Confessor." Kelter dismounted his ride and led the horse to the stream, so it could drink. Once he was satisfied that the beast was still in good condition, he allowed himself to rest, as commanded.

"I wonder if he grew up in a village; he seems to like his animal very much." Richard smiled at Kahlan, conveying his love for nature and all living creatures once more. "Maybe he's a woods guide too."

Kahlan frowned.

"That has nothing to do with being an animal lover, Lord Rahl." Cara drawled before Kahlan could reply. "That´s military precision: if his mount is not fit for riding, he'll be delayed from his mission and will fail to deliver his orders. I doubt that's the same horse he left Aydindril with."

Kahlan nodded her agreement, a small smile playing her pursed lips, and Richard smiled indulgently at his Mord'Sith's pragmatism.

"Cara, not everything has to do with armies and war, and precision. The army of Aydindril is hardly comparable to D'Hara's."

Kahlan's eyes widened, properly insulted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Even Zedd looked at the Seeker curiously, wanting to hear his explanation.

"Well, I mean, I know you have a small force of professional guards, but it's mostly farmers and villagers that join in whenever needed, like in Westland, whereas the D'Haran army is mostly composed of professional soldiers – they live for it." Richard smiled at his betrothed, finally seeing the look of shock on her blue eyes. "Kahlan?" a smack in the back of the head made him turn on his heals to look at his grandfather. "Hey!"

"Lord Rahl, the army of the Midlands consists of an alliance."

"I know that!" Richard turned angry eyes on his Mord'Sith, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Cara nodded, her lips pursed in thought. "The army of the Midlands, when fully combined, outnumbers D'Hara's army. About half of it alone belongs to Aydindril." Cara allowed a smirk to shape her lips at the barely concealed shock in his brown eyes. "They are as professional and efficient as any D'Haran soldier. Peasants are only called to bear arms when there is no other choice, as in D'Hara." She pointed to the man sitting close to the large horse. "That is a professional Midlander soldier: you can tell by his stance, by his movements." Unlike you, who still bear that sword like a twelve year old! "And none of these armies can possibly compare to Westland – they would obliterate your homeland if either decided to attack."

"Oh!" Richard looked aghast. "I didn't know that. I always thought you just had a small task force to protect the Confessor's Palace." He gave the Confessor an apologetic smile, hoping it would suffice.

"And how would you expect me to defend my home, my people, with an amateur army?" Kahlan growled, her Confessor mask falling in place. There was no reasoning with her now; she was insulted, her pride yelling obscenities at her, forcing her to take action against this offense!

"Well, I always thought your generals to be pretty good, I mean, Galea has…"

"The Mother Confessor alone led a small task force to take down a camp of D'Harans at the eastern border. She was outnumbered three to one, and she stormed in there and just about wiped us off the face of the earth!" Cara gave him a strange look, one that didn't quite mask the raw admiration at Kahlan's military prowess. She had been part of the battalion stationed at that camp, and though she would never admit it to another soul, she always thought she'd been damn lucky to be sent to investigate a suspicious caravan traveling just north of them.

"That's enough, Cara! Go hunt or something. I'm not in the mood to listen your 'helpful' tidbits today!" He gripped his sword tighter, feeling the surge of anger flow inside his chest. When he realized her only reaction was to raise an insolent eyebrow, her hands on her hips, he gritted his teeth. "That's an order! You can wait for us at the road."

Cara bowed her head slightly and left without a word. Funny how Richard kept denying his Rahl heritage vehemently, only to use it full force when it served his purposes, especially to order his supposedly free Mord'Sith.

"Cara, wait!" Kahlan called out to her, but the Mord'Sith didn't stop. "Call her back!" she demanded, her eyes flashing.

"I will do no such thing." He looked up at her just as angrily. "Cara will not intervene in our conversations anymore; I will not allow it! She has to learn her place."

Her place? Kahlan moved a step closer to him, almost invading his personal space, her face a cold, angry mask. Her soldier seemed to realize something was happening and rushed to her side, his hand wrapped on the hilt of his sword, ready to defend his queen with his life. He knew he was no match for the Seeker of Truth, but he would give her whatever advantage she needed.

"Do you know who I am, Richard Cypher, Seeker of Truth?" her voice sounded every bit the powerful woman that she was.

Richard blinked at her. "Of course I…"

"Keltar, please explain to the Seeker."

Keltar bowed his head slightly and kept a grave look on the Seeker's face. "This is Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor, Queen of Aydindril and ruler of the Midlands. There's no higher authority in all of the Midlands, and not even the Seeker is above her will." He took a step closer to his queen, ready to enforce his next words if she commanded so. "You will abide to her will while in the Midlands, Seeker."

Richard just stared at Kahlan in disbelief, the anger seemingly slipping away as the words of the soldier finally sunk in, and he finally understood the meaning of Kahlan's title. "Kahlan, I didn't mean to…"

"Call her back! That's an order, Seeker!"

"Kahlan…"

Kelter took a step closer to the Seeker, his hand firmly placed on the hilt of his sword, his brown eyes deadly and intent.

Richard blinked at Kahlan, his eyebrows raised in confusion. He looked at his grandfather for support, but found only barely veiled disappointment. What was wrong with them? Maybe they were under some spell of discord or something. Yeah, it had to be it; there was no other explanation as to why everyone was suddenly against him. He would talk to Zedd later on to figure it out.

"Richard…" his grandfather warned softly.

"Fine, I'll go get her!"

But before he could even move, the unmistakable sound of battle reached the small, improvised camp, drawing their attention to it.

"Cara…" Kahlan breathed her name and sprinted out in the direction Cara had just left, the world forgotten.

"Kahlan, wait!" Richard called out to her, but the Confessor was already gone. "Damn it!"

####

When Kahlan arrived at the site, she had no trouble spotting the fiercely fighting blonde, several bodies already scattered on the hard ground around her. Kahlan wasted no time in pulling her daggers from her boots and launch her attack on the several men trying to annihilate the Mord'Sith. She fought frantically, slashing and cutting skillfully, until she made her way to stand back to back with the clearly pleased blonde.

"You did say you were bored!" Kahlan said over her shoulder, spotting Richard, Zedd, and Keltar out from the tree line.

Cara knocked a thug trying to sneak up from the side with a back fist to the nose, a wide, predatory grin firmly splashed on her lips. "I should've complained sooner."

Kahlan chuckled, enjoying the easy banter. "But we're still on for tonight, right? Or will this be enough practice for you?" Kahlan struck out a particularly vicious slash, ripping a man's throat open, his warm blood sprinkling her ivory neck.

Cara's agiel hummed happily as she delivered a deadly blow to the man in front of her, her smile coming out fully in a very satisfying manner. "Mord'Sith never fight enough."

"Good! Don't tire out now." Kahlan kicked another between the legs and forced her dagger through his throat. "I don't want to have to go slow." She heard a choking sound behind her that sounded something between indignation and raw amusement.

"Don't worry, Confessor, you can come at me with everything you've got – I can take it."

Kahlan grinned and proceeded to finish off her share of the thugs.

####

"That was fun." Cara had that insufferable cocky smile on her face, the one that spoke volumes of her utter satisfaction. Kahlan gave her a knowing smile while running a wet cloth over her neck and face to clean the blood. Fortunately, she was not wearing her Confessor dress, or she'd have to wash it before arriving in Aydindril.

"Wonder who they were." Richard kneeled down next to one of the corpses and watched it warily, trying to find anything that identified the man.

"Just thugs, Seeker," Kelter moved closer to the Mother Confessor, glad his queen was in one piece. He had almost gotten himself killed twice while watching the women fight in perfect synchrony with each other, quickly decimating the men in front of them and saving each other's life several more times than he could count. It had been magnificent, and though he rightfully mistrusted the Mord'Sith, he had to admit she was a worthy fighter – his queen was in capable hands. "Since the rift was open, these gangs have been far more common." He drifted his eyes to his queen. "We're trying to keep it under control, but they just keep growing in numbers."

Kahlan nodded. "Tell my sister I expect a full report on domestic issues as well."

"Yes, my queen."

"We'll reestablish order to the territory quickly when we get there, Kahlan." Richard smiled warmly at her. "Any raider will think twice before going head to head with the Seeker."

Kahlan almost spat out that she didn't need him to bring order to her lands, that she was more than capable of doing it herself, but she settled for giving him an icy glare – his stunt with Cara from before was still not forgotten.

Richard's smile faltered, but he refrained from commenting at his grandfather's warning glance: she was still angry with him, for whatever reason that was. He had to talk to Zedd.

"You're hurt!"

Hearing the worry in Kahlan's voice, Richard looked down at himself and smiled: well, maybe not so angry.

"I'm fine. I…"

"It's just a scratch."

Cara's soft contralto voice reached his ears and he had to stop himself from reaching out and deck her! He breathed deeply and forced his anger down. They were definitely spelled if he couldn't keep his actions under control!

"It's not just a scratch!" Kahlan took her by the elbow, ignoring the deadly green-blue eyes boring into hers, now shining a nice shade of blue. "Zedd can…"

"No need for the wizard to waste his magic on a superficial cut! I can clean it and dress it." Cara was still reluctant to be on the receiving end of the old wizard's magical touch. Not that she didn't trust him, she did, kinda, but her instinct to deflect magic was still so deeply ingrained in herself, that she found his attempts at healing more troublesome that helpful.

"Cara's right." Zedd gave her a ghost of a wink. "It's nothing to worry about."

"What if the weapon was poisoned? It wouldn't be the first time."

"These were common thugs, not the Keeper's minions." Richard pointed out wryly.

"Lord Rahl is right and I'm not in mortal danger." Cara pulled her arm away brusquely. "Let's go get our stuff and move on."

Kahlan gave her a look that said they weren't done talking and followed her, Zedd and Keltar hot on their heels.

Richard stared at the retrieving group, not believing his Mord'Sith had just issued orders that everyone was following blindly! She was next in line for a serious conversation! This leading and voicing her opinion was starting to get on his nerves, especially because no one seemed to listen to him anymore, and that was… unacceptable.

####

They made camp later that day, in a small clearing they found a little off way. A small creek streamed nearby and, according to Kahlan, the area was rich in wild game and other edible animals.

"At least now is not so hot," Zedd grumbled, dropping heavily onto his bedroll. "These old bones are not what they used to be."

Cara spared him an amused smirk and grabbed her bow and quiver. "I'm going hunting."

Kahlan looked over her shoulder, her eyes lingering on the neat white bandage wrapped around the blonde's left bicep; she had been the one to clean and dress the cut as Cara rolled her eyes in mild irritation, her only protest.

"Good, I'm starving." Zedd patted his stomach.

"When aren't you? If we leave you here for a few days, all the animals will become extinct."

Zedd gave her an evil look, one that extended to Richard and Kahlan when he heard their snickers.

Cara raised an eyebrow, daring him to answer, but the wizard remained prudently quiet and she left.

Kahlan looked up from her task of starting the fire when she saw Richard's hand outstretched in front of her.

"What?" she gave him a hesitant smile.

His own smile grew warmer. "Take a walk with me."

"I have to finish this, Richard."

"I can take care of that, dear one." Zedd smiled at her. "Go on."

Neatly trapped, she forced the smile to remain on her face and took his hand, following him through a wild trail in the forest around them, until they found a small, cozy looking spot, with several fallen trunks they used as benches.

"Is there something wrong?" she finally asked, her voice soft, slightly worried.

"No." he sat down next to her, his brown eyes boring into hers. "Do I need a motive to spend time alone with my betrothed?"

Kahlan cleared her throat and forced a sharp retort down. "We're not betrothed, Richard."

"Well, not officially, but…" his happy smile reached all the way up to his eyes. "Marry me."

Kahlan blinked at him, not expecting that – at all. "You can't ask me to marry you!" She spluttered.

His smile faltered. "What do you mean I can't ask you to marry me? Kahlan, there's nothing that can stop us now. You tried to confess me, remember, and it didn't work. We can finally be together and have kids, and…"

"It's not that simple, Richard." She was stalling and she knew it. For some reason, that senseless desire to spend the rest of her life with Richard and start a family with him was somehow fading; it wasn't a priority anymore. "There are procedures to consider. Confessor's aren't asked in marriage, they take a mate, and they are subjected to several tests by the Council to make sure that he's the right candidate." Actually, it was the Confessor's prerogative to choose her mate without the Council's intervention, but he didn't need to know that. Not that he knew much about the Midlands anyway.

"I'm sure the council can overlook these tests considering I'm the Seeker."

Richard gave her a cocky grin and she stared at him in utter shock: she had never seen Richard act cocky before and it wasn't something she was ready you deal with. She didn't take that kind of attitude from anyone! Except Cara.

"There are no exceptions."

"Well, I can assure you I will surpass all of their tests, don't worry." The cocky grin was still there.

"You'll fail the most important one: children."

"Kahlan, I'm sure I have no physical issue that prevents me from fathering your children."

"I'm sure you don't, but Richard, I'm sure you remember Shota's prophecy: any children by the two of us will always be male and I will not bear a male Confessor. If we marry, in order to continue my lineage, I must find someone to have children with."

"I don't believe in prophecies, Kahlan, you know that." His always placid and eager face hardened, suddenly making him resemble his brother, Darken, in a very uncanny and unnerving way. "That witch is a liar. She's tricked us several times already."

"She may have tried to have things done her way, but she never lied to us, Richard." Kahlan was taken aback by the hatred she saw in his eyes when he spoke of the sorceress. "And her prophecies were fulfilled."

"We won!"

"But you did exactly as she said you would: you gave the Stone of Tears to the Keeper."

"And you saved the day." Richard took her hand in his larger ones, desperately clutching at it. "Kahlan, her prophecy…"

"…was accurate. And I didn't save the day, Richard, Cara did. She could've killed me and she didn't, and she saved you."

"We were the ones to produce a new Stone of Tears! We were the ones to place it in the Pillars of Creation."

Kahlan removed her hand from his grasp and leaned closer, her face set in anger. "I was the one to create the Stone of Tears, Richard, not you – you were dead, remember? And I lived because Cara fulfilled the second prophecy by sparing my life, remember? Had she killed me, the Keeper would've won. Cara's the hero here and we're all taking the credit of her actions, especially you, Richard."

Richard stared at her in disbelief. "I came here to propose to you, to tell you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and you insult me by saying I was nothing more than a pawn in all of this, that if Cara hadn't been there, the Keeper would've won? That if we marry, you´ll take another to your bed so you won't risk having a male child with me?"

"Richard…"

"Kahlan," he cut her off tersely, his eyes serious, "I want to marry you, I want to have children with you. We can have a good life together! I can build us a cabin in the woods of Westland. We can even stay close to the border so you can visit Aydindril whenever you feel like. We…"

"A cabin in the woods of Westland?" she repeated slowly, her face betraying nothing, her mind frantically trying to discern whether this was real or not.

"Yes, to Westland." He gave her a real smile, failing to see her lack of reaction for what it was. "It's quite peaceful there and we'll have a good life, I promise you. And even if we have a male child, we'll teach him about love and justice, and fairness. He won't be the monster Shota makes of him. Our children will grow up away from magic and these mindless wars, and…"

Kahlan suddenly jumped to her feet and stormed out of their small niche in the forest, leaving him behind to stare at her retreating back, too stunned to react. She was sure if she stayed a moment longer close to him, she would go into Con Dar and kill him. Again.

####

Cara pulled the arrow back, the string taunt against the bow and her victim locked in her raptor gaze. She waited for the right moment, the perfect picture of patience and concentration. Hardly breathing, she watched as her prey shifted just slightly to the left, giving her the perfect opening, and she released the shaft. A sly grin graced her full lips as the long shaft buried deep in the doe's left side, straight to her heart. The animal fell without a sound, only a twitch of its back leg giving evidence to its pain.

The Mord'Sith moved from her hiding place and sauntered to the dead animal, surveying her shot with practical analysis: perfect. While it was true that it was Richard that taught her how to hunt, it was also true that several moons later, she was far better than him. Cara allowed herself a very private moment of self-satisfaction and chuckled under her breath.

"What's that incredible smile for?"

Cara turned sharply around, not bothering to draw her agiels. She recognized the voice immediately, even if she hadn't heard the approach almost until the voice reached her ears.

"Did I catch you off guard, Mord'Sith?" the voice came out mocking and taunting.

"Hardly." Green-blue eyes bored into azure, reddened ones and her sharp reply died on her lips. "You've been crying." Her voice came out much softer than she intended, sounding worried even, and she berated herself for letting her weakness slip away – again! Damn Confessor!

Kahlan lowered her eyes and swallowed; of course Cara would notice. The blonde seemed to always be perfectly attuned with her moods these days. And while it felt strange, it was rather comforting to know that at least someone was paying attention to her, Kahlan Amnell, not just listening or watching the Mother Confessor.

"What happened?" Cara insisted, her voice still soft. "I left a candle mark ago and everything was fine! I heard no sounds of fighting… Oh, you were discussing feelings with Richard."

Kahlan smiled a little at the blonde's straightforward logic. "Something like that, yeah."

Cara sighed; she didn't want to know. Feelings were not her thing! She should go to Zedd! The old wizard seemed to have an endless supply of advice and kind words! "Want to talk about it?" It was her voice that much she knew, but it sure didn't sound like something she would say.

Kahlan gave her a shy smile and nodded, and Cara berated herself for her sudden inability to control her own words. Well, no way around it now. If she said she didn't want to listen now, she would hurt the woman's feelings, and that was unacceptable.

"You can tell me while I take care of dinner." Without giving her the chance to reply, Cara kneeled before the dead animal and pulled her hunting dagger to start working on it, hoping the gory scene would be enough to make the Confessor go away and seek comfort elsewhere. But even as her practical mind was clapping gleefully at this new plan, her traitorous body was already leaning to the side to block the worst of it from Kahlan's eyes.

Kahlan sighed and sat down, her back to the gruesome picture of the butchering. "Richard asked me to marry him."

Cara plunged the dagger viciously in the animal's flesh, cutting down in a straight line, her lips pursed in a thin line. "I thought that was settled a long time ago."

"We talked about it, but it was never official." Kahlan looked down at her hands. When Cara didn't offer any reply, Kahlan went on. "I'm not sure I want to marry him."

The dagger stopped its movement abruptly and Cara gave her a pointed look over her shoulder. "Why not?"

Kahlan shrugged a shoulder, a rather childlike gesture for a grown up woman. "I… Richard's still the same person, with the same goals and ideals and I… I Don't want the same things anymore. I don't think I ever did and… I don't think Richard ever knew me at all. I think he fell in love with the Mother Confessor, with the woman that was unattainable and needed rescue and comfort, not the woman I really am." Kahlan exhaled and looked over her shoulder, watching as Cara went back to her task, her body poised to hide her actions. A soft smile came unbidden to her lips as she realized the blonde was trying to spare her from watching the butchering. "He still treats me like I'm some damsel in distress that needs constant protection; that needs to be treated with the utmost care. I'm not frail and I believe I've proved myself more times than necessary. Maybe he was always like this and I was the one who didn't notice, but… There's something different about him that's a little unsettling. I mean, he looks the same, but…"

Cara sighed and shook her head a little. She had noticed Richard's change of demeanor since the Pillars. At first she thought it might be the consequence of being killed by Kahlan while she was confessed by Nicci, but then it started to become more evident, and now his attitudes of late strongly reminded her of someone she'd rather erase from her mind. "You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, Kahlan, and certainly not to Lord Rahl – he should know you better than any of us." Better than me, but apparently he doesn't.

Kahlan moved a little, so she could look at the Mord'Sith kneeling so close to her. Cara was, without doubt, the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, with her chiseled face and her full pink lips, and those amazing green-blue eyes, that usually shone in a deep jade shade due to the forest around them, but sometimes came out as blue as her own. "Thank you."

Cara grunted her response, her eyes firmly placed on her task. "Is that it? He's angry because you have doubts?"

"That too: and he wants to move to Westland, where we'll live happily ever after with our kids and away from magic and wars."

This time, Cara stopped what she was doing and turned, so she could see her fully, her green eyes burning with something resembling disbelief and… anger. "Maybe we should talk to the wizard and check Lord Rahl for spells. Does he not know that the Mother Confessor is magic? That any child she bears will be magic? That you cannot perform your duties to your people while playing barefoot housewife in the woods? Does he not know that, as the Seeker, he cannot perform his duties to the people of the New World from his cabin in the woods? Not to mention he's Lord Rahl – he'll condemn millions to the Dream Walkers."

Kahlan sighed. She was beginning to wonder what exactly had attracted her to Richard; he was not even her type. He had always been a little dense about the Mindlands and herself, but she hoped that would change in time. Apparently not.

"We should talk to the wizard before jumping to conclusions, though."

Kahlan nodded her agreement and waited in silence while Cara finished her task.

####

When they arrived at their camp for the night, Richard was nowhere to be seen. Zedd frowned upon seeing the two women together, but made no comment. Kahlan moved closer to the wizard and talked to him in hushed tones while Cara tended to the meat.

Zedd pursed his thin lips together, the bushy eyebrows rising in shock. "I'll talk to the boy."

"Maybe that's part of the problem, wizard." Cara stirred the fire, her voice soft and devoid of malice. "He's not a boy anymore. He's a grown man; he's Lord Rahl and the Seeker. He has to stop playing knight in shining armor and face his responsibilities and duties."

Zedd bristled at the honest critic. "He didn't ask to be either Lord Rahl or the Seeker. It is within his right to refuse."

Cara slowly lifted to her full height, which wasn't much, compared to the gigantic wizard, and looked at him, her eyes serious. "Kahlan didn't ask to be the Mother Confessor, but here she is, considering her people's safety and welfare above her own once more. As Mother Confessor, she should be in Aydindril, overseeing matters of state, not playing bodyguard to a woods guide who still doesn't know how to wield a sword." Her head canted a little to her left. "I didn't ask to be taken from my home, become a Mord'Sith and protect Lord Rahl with my life, but here I am, fighting by his side, protecting his back when all of my Sisters turned their back on him."

It was the longest speech either of them had ever heard from the Mord'Sith, and it seemed to drain her of her strength to speak, because her voice became softer as she spoke.

Zedd knew she was right, of course, but Richard was his grandson and he couldn't help but want to protect him. He glared at her and left without a sound, leaving both women to stare at each other.

Cara half expected Kahlan to rant about how inappropriate she'd been, about how she shouldn't have said those things to Zedd, but the Confessor merely nodded at her, conceding her approval. She felt a little prickle of pride swell inside and quickly returned to her task before Kahlan could read it in her eyes. It seemed the damn woman had somehow developed the ability to read her mind lately. Confessors weren't supposed to read Mord'Sith!

####

Kahlan stirred the fire, once again bringing it back to life. It wasn't cold, but even in the summer, nights tended to be a bit cold in the Midlands, especially when dawn was near. A rustle made her look over her shoulder, her eyes resting on the bushes close by. Satisfied that it was probably a small animal, Kahlan returned her attention to the fire, but not before allowing her eyes to linger over the sleeping form of the Mord'Sith. She had taken first watch and seemed to be sleeping soundly, a respite from late. She had a feeling that Cara was worried about something, something serious enough not to let her sleep well. And the woman was still stubborn about talking about it, claiming everything was fine, that she was sleeping well enough.

Kahlan shook her head, allowing a fond smile to shape her lips: she would get there, she would get inside that shell; she only had to be patient and play her cards right.

Her eyes drifted inevitably to Richard: his handsome face relaxed in deep slumber reminding her why she was attracted to him in the first place. He was a good man, she was sure of it, but something was wrong with him. The way he was acting lately reminded her so strongly of Darken Rahl, that she briefly wondered if his lineage wasn't finally getting the better of his sunny personality. She knew from past experience that Richard's temper wasn't fueled only by the Sword of Truth; it came from within, it was part of him. Living all his life as a simple woods guide, surrounded by a loving family, had only tempered his Rahl traits, and now… This was actually more plausible than Cara's theory of a spell. She would mention it to Zedd later, because if she was right, they had a serious problem on their hands.

She sighed tiredly. She wanted Richard back; she wanted her friend back, even if she wasn't sure if she wanted a life with him anymore.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly missed the barely heard sounds of distress coming from behind her. She lifted to her full height, scanning her surrounds, until the sound forced her eyes to Cara's bedroll. The Mord'Sith was clutching her blankets in a white knuckled grip, her full lips parted and her head moving from side to side, keeping rhythm with the movement of her legs: she was having a nightmare.

Frowning, Kahlan moved to her friend's side in two long strides and kneeled beside her. "Cara?"

The woman was panting and mumbling under her breath, her face and chest covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Cara?" Kahlan touched her shoulder and shook her a little, trying to wake her, to no avail.

Cara gasped, her brow furrowing in distress.

"Cara, wake up."

"Hurts… Stop…"

Kahlan stared at her in shock: Cara was dreaming about something hurtful and mumbling words she would never admit while awake. Swallowing hard, Kahlan shook her a little harder, just as Cara's terrified eyes opened abruptly, a strangled cry lingering on her lips.

"Cara?"

Cara swallowed, confusion written in her face, followed by quick recognition, but before she could slip away and place her stoic Mord'Sith's mask, Kahlan pulled her into her arms, hugging her tight. Surprising the both of them, Cara didn't pull back, burying her face in the Confessor's neck instead while wrapping her leather clad arms around her waist.

"Want to talk about it?" Kahlan asked softly, rubbing her back in soothing circles, glad the Mord'Sith wasn't denying the comfort she would never ask aloud.

Cara shook her head against her shoulder.

"You were dreaming…"

"Mord'Sith don't dream." came the predictable answer.

"Well, whether you like it or not, you did. How long are you having these nightmares?"

Cara tried to pull away, but Kahlan held her firmly in place; it was easier to get her to talk like this. If she let her go, Cara would fold up inside her defensive walls and it would be impossible to reach her.

"Please answer me," Kahlan whispered softly in her ear and felt Cara's shoulders sag in defeat.

"Since the Pillars… I… One of the dacras grazed me and I'm…"

Kahlan sighed, exasperated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was no reason to." This time, Cara pulled away firmly, recovering some of her balance. "It was just a scratch, nothing to worry about."

Kahlan rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to Zedd and…"

"No."

"Cara…"

"I said no."

"Fine." Kahlan shifted and rested her back against the tree behind Cara's bedroll. "C'mere."

Cara gave her a suspicious look, an eyebrow rising in question.

"Just humor me!" Kahlan hissed exasperated. Damn, stubborn woman!

Cara scooted closer and was pulled into a pair of warm arms before she could say anything.

"Kahlan, what are you doing?" Cara growled, her body tensing at the unexpected contact.

"What we both know you need." Kahlan pulled her close and smiled as she heard Cara huff and relent, her head resting against the Confessor's chest, and her arm draping hesitant around her middle. "Do you remember your dreams?"

"No."

The answer came too quickly and too forceful, and Kahlan just knew she was lying.

"Liar." She whispered in her ear, her long fingers delighted in burying themselves in the blonde tresses.

Cara closed her eyes and smiled a little, dismissing the little voice inside her head yelling at her for her weakness, for enjoying Kahlan's sudden affections. Tomorrow, she would feel ashamed and fret in silence, but right now, she was going to forget the world and its cruelty, and simply enjoy the comfort she was being offered.

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