Chapter 3:

It had been weeks since Dahlia had healed and everything seemed sound in the world. They, along with their sisters, had just returned from a long campaign to Kelton- the bastards had seceded at last, thanks to the Mord-Sith and the Dragon Core. Cara was busying washing herself, alone, in the bathhouse. It was nice to be away from the rest of her Sisters for a change, because the nature of their existence and work led them to congregate and cluster often. It was rare that Cara ever got alone time, especially with Dahlia around. But today, luck was on her side.

The water was warm enough to be relaxing and comfortable, but cool enough to be soothing. Perfect, as always- Mord-Sith were invaluable to D'Hara and to the Lord Rahl. They were essentially his personal bodyguards, assassins, and lovers. Cara had always despised that last statement, especially after truly falling in love with Dahlia. She knew she had a duty, but all the same she didn't want to give herself to Lord Rahl like that.

Cara slipped deeper into the water, resting with her chin above the surface. It was peaceful, and peace was something Mord-Sith spent lifetimes trying to grasp. The blonde Mord-Sith closed her eyes and thought of happier things, like gutting the King of Kelton, or parading around with the head of the Mother Confessor; these little things that made a girl giddy.

"Mistress Cara, Lord Rahl would like you in his chambers," a voice called out. Triana. Cara rolled her eyes and stood up in the bath, her long, unbraided hair sticking to her back but leaving her breasts in full view. As she turned to face Triana, Cara attempted to look as cold as she possibly could- the truth was, they were all terrified of the Lord Rahl. Some had been personally broken by him, others were punished by him simply because he wanted to punish someone. No one wanted to be in the presence of the Lord Rahl, and yet every Mord-Sith would die for him. It was an odd relationship.

"Thank you, as soon as I finish-"

"He wants you now, Cara," Triana countered, pursing her lips. Cara raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She lifted herself out of the bath and began to dry off.

"Should I be concerned, Sister?" Cara asked, raising her head to meet Triana's eyes. The Mord-Sith looked away.

"Just be quick. He doesn't like to wait- you know that."

Cara nodded and made quick work of getting back into her leathers, her hair braided again with alacrity. After holstering her agiel at her hip, she ducked out of the bathhouse and made her way to the tower opposite her own- she was a part of Rahl's elite Mord-Sith, so her temple was built into the People's Palace. The tower across the palace was where the Lord Rahl's chambers were.

Cara was nervous- she had no idea why Lord Rahl wanted her, especially this late in the evening. The sun had just fallen beneath the horizon and the stars were becoming brave enough to poke holes through the heavens and shine through the thick veil of night. Cara had little reason to admire the evening; it was absurd for her to waste time on such endeavors. Stars were stars, the sun was the sun, and observing the heavens and the changing of the seasons was for poets. Mord-Sith had no use for beauty like that.

Cara stopped at the door she knew was Lord Rahl's and let out a long, heavy breath. A guard laughed beside her, and Cara fought the urge to grab between his legs and yank. She wondered what he was laughing about, but she supposed she would find out soon enough. The Mord-Sith didn't bother knocking but instead she simply opened the door and walked in to find Lord Rahl there, dressed in his red robes as always. Just the sight of him made Cara leery, and nothing else ever made the Mord-Sith waver.

"Cara," he smiled, turning towards the blonde Mord-Sith. "Thank you for coming. I hope Triana wasn't too much of a nuisance."

"Not any more than she usually is." Silence befell the pair, and Cara grew impatient within a minute. "Was there something you wanted, Lord Rahl?"

"Patience was never one of your virtues, Cara," Lord Rahl grinned, looking over at Cara from the other side of the room. "You're aware of the duty of a Mord-Sith, yes?"

Cara eyed the Lord Rahl closely as he came closer to her. "To serve the Lord Rahl."

"In every way."

Cara stared at him with hard, green eyes. That was the only thing she could do- if she said no to Lord Rahl, she could very well be killed. Or worse… she could be re-broken. Lord Rahl was so close to Cara, now, and she could feel his breath on her neck.

"In every way, Lord Rahl," she repeated, pursing her lips tightly.

Lord Rahl reached up to hold Cara's cheek, his hand leaving its station momentarily to hook a piece of hair behind her ear. Cara refused to look him in the eye, choosing to set her gaze down at the embellishments on the breast of his robes. "Very good, Cara. I think we both know what I want," Lord Rahl murmured, leaning in to kiss Cara and roughly grab her ass from behind at the same time.

Cara knew that this was supposed to be an honor as Lord Rahl practically tore off her leathers. She knew that this was her duty as he left dark bruises on her chest. Cara understood that this was her purpose as he buried himself deep inside her and they moaned together long into the night because she knew she was supposed to enjoy it.

But all the while, Cara only thought of Dahlia. And as the sun crept over the horizon Cara imagined that the light from the window was shimmering down on Dahlia's lovely form. She could almost feel the woman lying beside her, practically smell her skin.

But Cara knew better not to believe in such mirages. And in the morning, when the sun had finally risen high into the sky, Cara made her escape. Lord Rahl had ruined her leathers, but that didn't matter at this point. She was sore from head to foot and it ached to put her red leathers back on but the Mord-Sith fought through the pain like she had been trained to do. Cara had her hair re-braided and was about to leave when his low, echoing voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I hope you know that you belong to me, Cara, and no one else." Cara felt her heart drop into her stomach. He knew. Her mind immediately raced to the worst possible scenarios- being broken again, Dahlia being broken again- but Cara knew she had to stay calm. She felt her hand begin to shake.

"Of course, Lord Rahl."

"If I hear of you growing soft, Cara, I'll make sure that you become calloused again," Lord Rahl purred from the bed, but Cara wouldn't turn around. She didn't want him to see into her eyes, her only give-away.

"Of course, Lord Rahl," she murmured before slipping out and walking as fast as she could to Dahlia's quarters.