Chapter VII Abandoned

Richard came into the room and spotted Kahlan, once again asleep. The entire ordeal had taken a lot out of the woman and the result was her sleeping every few hours and waking up to tend to whatever injury was at hand. Kahlan sat in a chair, her arms folded on the edge of Cara's bed and her head tucked in between them waiting for Cara to wake up again. Richard touched her back and she bolted upright.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He whispered.

"No, it's alright. I was having a nightmare." Kahlan admitted.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I really remember it." Richard sat down next to her and looked at the Mord'Sith. "Is she alright?"

"She's … Cara." Kahlan smiled. "She'll be fine." She hesitated. "How is she?" They both knew who she was talking about. Richard sighed,

"Honestly, I don't know." He seemed annoyed at his inability to understand the girl. "She ran off and when I finally caught up with her she didn't say a thing. She's barely spoken since." Kahlan combed his hair with her hand.

"Richard, you can't expect her to open up so easily to a complete stranger. Especially a Rahl."

"I know, I know Kahlan. It's just that I feel desperate to help her. I don't know why." Kahlan nodded.

"Me too." Richard kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll go see what she's doing."

"You mean she hasn't left?" Kahlan wondered what kept the girl around them.

"No, she wanted to see you before she did. I'm guessing she wants to apologize." With that, Richard walked out the door and closed it behind him. Kahlan looked down at the unmoving Mord'Sith and deduced that leaving her alone for a few minutes wouldn't hurt. When she opened the door to join Richard, Samaria was standing there, her hands folded in front of her.

"Hi." Kahlan tried. Before she had a chance to continue, the girl dropped to her knees in front of her.

"Please forgive me Mother Confessor. I knew not what I was doing. Allow me to-"the girl was interrupted by Kahlan's hands on her shoulders. When Kahlan looked at her eyes, there was no fear. Strange, no one wanted to be touched by a Confessor. Once she had done it, she instantly regretted the action thinking that it bring the girl even greater discomfort.

"You don't need to apologize. I understand." Kahlan held onto the girl.

"Let me repay you Mother Confessor." The girl still refused to gaze into Kahlan's eyes and she realized that it wasn't out of fear, but respect.

"Just tell me your name."

"Samaria." She replied. Kahlan's heart stopped.

"What did you say?" she asked. Samaria's face contorted in confusion.

"Samaria, Confessor." She repeated.

"Samaria, what?" Kahlan pressed. No, there was no way. This wasn't her. It couldn't be. They were all dead.

"Stone." The girl confirmed her belief. Kahlan stumbled and let go of the girl's shoulders.

"Look at me." She ordered. Samaria did and once she did, Kahlan immediately recognized the grey-green eyes that stared into her soul. Besides her eyes, she looked completely different. "Dear Spirits." She wished she could read past the Mord'Sith training the girl had received. Kahlan backed into the door. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're the Mother Con-"

"Do you know who I am?" Kahlan repeated, not satisfied with the reply she was getting. "Who I really am?" The girl stared at her. "Do you remember me?" Samaria continued to stare. "Tell me!"

"I don't know." Samaria admitted. "I feel like I should, but I just can't remember. Sometimes that happens; I forget faces and names. I don't know why."

"Are you saying you have no idea who I am?" Kahlan refused to believe it. Samaria looked at the ground. She lifted the girl's head with her hand. "Please tell me you haven't forgotten me." Kahlan choked back tears. "Like I've forgotten you." Samaria blinked. The Mother Confessor was almost reduced to tears at the sound of her name. Why? She racked her brain, hoping to find a logical explanation somewhere within. Samaria looked into the woman's beautiful green eyes and remembered something.

"Come on Aria!" a girl cried. "We are going to be late!" Samaria turned to see a young girl, about fifteen years old, calling out to her. She was right, they were running late. It was the girl's responsibility to get them back on time and if she didn't, their mothers would be upset. Samaria wrapped a towel around herself hoping to absorb some of the water dripping down her and hurried after the teenager. When she got to her, the girl picked her up and held her at her hip. She tickled her and Samaria couldn't help but burst out laughing. Of course, by the time they arrived at Samaria's home, their mothers had been agitated by their delay. Kahlan got in trouble but refused to tell the two that it was Samaria who had delayed them. Their fathers chatted in the corner and only glanced their way when called. The two women sat down and their families joined them.

"Kahlan, pass your father the potatoes." The beautiful brunette said. The teenager did as she was told, careful to avoid the man's gaze.

"Thank you dear." He smiled at her. She didn't even look at him. Samaria remembered wondering why their relationship was so strange. Being only five years old at the time, she knew it wasn't her place to ask. Manners were the one thing her mother had carved into her from the moment she was born. The approving look her mother gave her made Samaria smile. She knew that she would be able to ask her mother why Kahlan was so mean to her father when they were alone. What she didn't expect was the answer she would be given.

Samaria snapped back to the present with a start.

"Kahlan?" she asked. The woman's eyes brightened and she smiled, tears running down her face.

"Yes." She embraced the young girl. "It's me. It's me." She cried into her hair. Samaria stood motionless, unsure of how she felt by the turn of events. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, Aria. I'm sorry." For a second she didn't understand why the woman was apologizing, and then it dawned on her. Samaria stepped away from her arms and towards the staircase.

"Why?" she asked, tears once again threatening to overwhelm her. As the seconds rolled by without reply, Samaria recounted all the moments she had spent with this woman. Since she was born, Kahlan had been there. She had held her when she cried, when she discovered what she was, when she fell off a tree branch and broke her arm. All these times and more, Kahlan had been the first one to comfort her. But when Samaria needed her the most, she was nowhere to be found just like the rest of her 'family'. Kahlan remembered her asking Cara the same question. More tears fell down the woman's face as she struggled to find the proper words.

"I'm so sorry." She repeated. "I don't know what happened, I swear it." She reached for the girl again. Samaria backed up, away from her grasp.

"You left me." It sounded almost like a question. Kahlan could hardly contain the sob that escaped her lips. "You never came looking for me."

"I didn't know, Aria, I swear I-"

"Don't call me that!" Samaria yelled. "The only person who could call me that is dead! She's dead because you left us! You and your mother!" At the mention of her mother, Kahlan broke into tears. She closed her eyes and tried to reason with the girl once more.

"They told me you were all dead." The words came out as barely more than a whisper. Normally, Kahlan would hate how weak she sounded but now she didn't care. "Please let me explain."

"No! Stay away from me! Everywhere you go, disaster follows! It's your fault she's dead!" The girl took a breath, realizing what she had just said. "It's your fault" she repeated in a hushed tone. With that, the girl ran inside the room containing Cara and slammed the door before Kahlan could turn around. The Confessor banged at the door, unaware that the ruckus they caused had drawn the attention of other customers. They were staring at her, the Mother Confessor, banging at a locked door, hysterically crying.

"Please Samaria! Open the door! Let me explain!" she shouted. "Please." She sank to the ground, hands still poised to knock. "Please."