Chapter 21

"You can't be serious," Kahlan said in disbelief. "You are seriously considering killing a child? My child?" she shouted at Dennee.

"Kahlan, try to see reason," Dennee insisted, as Kahlan covered her face with her hands in frustration. "We can't risk you; we can't risk the Seeker being influenced by Darken Rahl, not when the world needs him to complete his quest. Isn't that your duty? Protect the Seeker?" Denne said.

"Don't you dare question my sense of duty, Dennee," Kahlan advised, her eyes filing with tears. "I will not admit it, from any of you," she said firmly, looking around the room.

"This has nothing to do with Kahlan's commitment to me or the mission," Richard was quick to come to the Confessor's rescue.

"That's why she jumped into the Mord'Sith's arms?" Dennee questioned, watching Richard recoil.

"You're twisting things, Dennee," Kahlan said. "My feelings for Cara have nothing to do with this," she stated.

"How can you be so sure?" Dennee insisted. "The last time we saw each other you were head over heels in love with Richard and now you come here claiming you are in love with her?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're taking this too far," Cara warned Dennee from behind Kahlan.

"On the contrary, maybe I'm not taking it far enough," Dennee started, approaching Cara. "Either you are in on the plan to fool these two," she said pointing at Kalan and Richard. "After all, who better to send on a seducing mission than a Mord'Sith," she said, looking Cara up and down. "Or you're completely delusional under this spell; how could my sister possibly love you?" Dennee questioned.

Cara gritted her teeth; there's nothing she wanted more than to punch the smirk off Dennee's face, but the doubts the Confessor's words were forming on her mind rooted her to her place. She noticed Kahlan shaking her head at her, pleading with her eyes for Cara not to be swayed by Dennee, but the words stoked the fear that had always been hidden inside her, the fear that Kahlan would eventually realize that Cara was nothing but an exciting adventure to have.

"We can't do anything rash," Zedd advised. "Even if what you say is true, you would still be killing an innocent girl, who was tortured and used in someone's gain," the wizard looked pointedly at Dennee, watching from the corner of her eye as Kahlan shook her head wearily.

"This is too much," Kahlan sighed, wiping her eyes and turning to walk out of the room, not sparing a glance back at any of them.

"Kahlan, wait," Richard called, following the brunette after she stormed out of the room. "Wait, talk to me," he said, grabbing her arm and once again the Mother Confessor withdrew from his touch.

"And tell you what, Richard?" Kahlan sniffed, not being able to control her emotions anymore. "That I refuse to believe any of this, when you clearly are inclined to agree with my sister?" she told the Seeker with a look of disappointment, knowing Richard was indeed considering the possibility.

"I'm not saying I believe what they're saying, but…" Richard started to say before being interrupted by the brunette.

"But you wish it were true," she said, not being able to hide the note of accusation in her voice.

"I don't, I…" Richard defended himself, but stopped at Kahlan's knowing look.

"There's no lying to a Confessor, Richard," she reminded him. "And there is no arguing with them, I need to think," she turned and walked away, leaving the Seeker behind.

Zedd approached his grandson, who was at a window looking broodingly at Aydindril's patio downstairs. He stood beside the Seeker, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought, but knowing they had much to discuss.

"You can talk, Zedd," Richards sighed. "Tell me, what do you think of all of this?" he questioned.

"They did raise some valid questions," Zedd nodded, his mind still working around all the information they had. "As much as it pains us, they could be right," he nodded grimly.

"So, you think we are under an illusion spell and the girls have been deceiving us all along, with Darken Rahl behind it?" he summarized.

"It does seem like something Darken Rahl would do," Zedd agreed.

"He is a master at thinking three steps ahead," Richard said. "Got to give him that," he conceded.

"Yes, my boy," Zedd agreed. "But the other side of the coin can also be possible," he looked at Richard, seeing the conflict between reason and emotion in his grandson's eyes.

"Kahlan assumed I would be happy if this new theory was right," he said, recalling the brief but intense spat he had sooner with the Mother Confessor.

"And wouldn't you be, my boy?" Zedd smiled sadly, not needing the nod Richard reluctantly gave him in conformation to know he was right in his assessment.

"But this is not about what I want or wish," Richard sighed. "This is about finding out if we are aiding Darken Rahl without realizing it, or if we are condemning two girls," he contemplated, the wizard nodding in agreement.

"We have to consider everything," Zedd added. "Much is at stake here," he said.

"And even if the girls are Rahl's puppets, doesn't that still make them victims?" Richard mused, looking at his grandfather and receiving an agreeable smile.

"Richard, my dear boy," Zedd's smile widened. "Always searching for the truth and justice, even when it's hard to face," he said, squeezing the Seeker's shoulder.

"The truth can't be denied," Richard just shrugged. "We can't forget they are still children that may have been used by a mad man," he said.

"The man that warned them about Sarah's arrival," Zedd changed the subject slightly. "Thoros told me he claimed to have been a prisoner of Darken Rahl once, having witnessing various things while he was there," he clarified.

"Like your friend who told us about the experiments Rahl was doing with the Mord'Sith children?" Richard recalled, as Zedd once again nodded.

"So, this could be a trustworthy report," the wizard hypothesized. "Or it could be Farkas disguising himself to use Dennee and Aydindril's defenses to stop Sarah, whom he knew was coming here looking for her sister," he said.

"But if it were Farkas, Dennee would have known he was lying to her," Richard pointed out.

"Right," Zedd agreed with a sigh. "There's no lying to a Confessor, after all," he said with a chuckle, not noticing that Richard didn't share his amusement.

"Don't I know it," Richard mumbled to himself.

After Kahlan had stormed out of the room, Cara moved to follow her but Dennee stopped her by grabbing her arm and told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she discovered that Cara had something to do with deceiving her sister and plotting against Aydindril, she would confess Cara faster than she could withdraw her agiels. Cara just stared at the Confessor and wrenched her arm free, completely ignoring the threat, and went after Kahlan. Once outside the chair room she stopped when she faced a very troubled Richard.

"Where is she?" Cara asked, not really meeting the man's eyes. She was not in the mood for the questions she knew the Seeker wanted to ask her.

"She went that way," Richard pointed down the corridor, watching as Cara hurriedly started to walk that way. "Cara, wait," he called, noticing the blonde's shoulders tense; the Mord'Sith didn't turn to face him, but she did stop. "Do you think this could be true?" he tentatively asked, knowing by the frustrated tilt of the blonde's head that Cara didn't really want to talk about this with him.

"Aren't you the Seeker of Truth?" she asked flippantly, turning swiftly around to face him. "You should be more capable than me to figure that out," she shrugged with apparent disinterest, but she knew by now Richard would not be so easily fooled.

"Even so, I value your opinion," Richard replied calmly, conscient of Cara's effort to avoid this conversation. "And I wanted to know how you took what was said back there," he questioned.

"I didn't like it, if that's what you're asking," Cara huffed, hands on her hips. "They said a lot, I don't know what to think," she admitted reluctantly, motivated by the honest worry she could see in Richard's eyes.

"You think they could be right?" Richard insisted, noticing the doubts on the blonde's face.

"I already told you I don't know, Richard," Cara said. "What I know is that I need to find Kahlan, now," she said and walked away after the Seeker nodded his head in agreement.

She really didn't like to discuss these matters with Richard. As much as the man seemed to be accommodating to her relationship with Kahlan, it was still awkward to talk to him about it. She was getting better at talking about her feelings, courtesy of one very persistent Mother Confessor, but talking to Kahlan was one thing, the rest of the world was another.

Instead of roaming the corridors aimlessly, she asked a guard where the Mother Confessor was and was promptly pointed in the direction of a bedroom. Walking to the door, she knocked softly and entered without waiting for an answer.

Kahlan had been waiting for the blonde, and sensing the presence of the Mord'Sith, sighed in relief and turned to face her lover in search of some solace.

"Can you believe them?" Kahlan asked as she walked towards Cara, but the downcast eyes of the Mord'Sith shot down her hopes that the blonde just had a momentary moment of doubt before. "Cara? You don't believe any of that nonsense, do you?" she questioned, slightly fearful of the answer.

Cara didn't say anything; she limited her reaction at lifting her head to face Kahlan. Apparently, this was all the Mother Confessor needed to guess what the other woman was thinking.

"Tell me you don't," Kahlan pleaded, approaching the motionless Mord'Sith.

Cara closed her eyes at the brunette's increasing closeness and took a deep breath that was meant to calm her, but did nothing of the sort. She knew what Kahlan's thoughts about this were, the brunette made them very clear already; but she was not Kahlan, she didn't rely on emotion and faith first, leaving logic to take a back seat. And that fear; that fear took a firm grip around her heart, whispering tauntingly in her mind that Kahlan's love was too great of a gift. She was sure these doubts had been conquered, after all they had professed their love to each other; but, thinking back, Kahlan's feelings only started to be clear to her right before they met Alys. So, this left her wondering if an illusion was all she had been getting lately, because how could a Confessor love a Mord'Sith; how could Kahlan love her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Cara told her with a shrug of her shoulders, in one last vain attempt to avoid the difficult conversation she knew was about to take place.

"I want you to tell me that you are not swayed by absurd theories!" Kahlan said, wondering how Cara could let them fool her. "You are the least influenceable person I know, Cara," the brunette stated. "How can you give them credit?"

"Because they raised valid points, Mother Confessor," Cara shouted suddenly, not liking how her emotions were getting away from her control.

"Why did you call me that?" Kahlan asked with a furrowed brow, the anger leaving place to hurt in her eyes as she heard the detached tone Cara used to say her title.

"Called you what?" the blonde asked dismissively, not failing to notice the tone she had used to address Kahlan. She had called Kahlan by her title before, but always in jest or as an endearment; but even if she instantly regretted it, she couldn't really control her old defense mechanisms, emotional detachment being first among them.

"Don't play coy with me," Kahlan warned, not one bit intimidated by Cara's attitude. "What's wrong Cara? I don't even remember the last time you spoke to me in such a defensive way," she insisted.

"Have you really not considered, for even one second, that we may be being played by Darken Rahl?" Cara questioned, opening her arms, as she looked frustratingly at the brunette.

"There's nothing to consider," Kahlan denied, piercing Cara with her eyes as she heard the Mord'Sith chuckle in exasperation.

"Your tendency to always rely on blind faith, always astonishes me," Cara grinned disbelievingly, shaking her head at Kahlan.

"It's not blind faith; you can't deny you feel the same connection to those girls I feel, Cara," she challenged. "I've seen you with them, they bring out a protectiveness in you that is unusual," Kahlan pointed out.

"Unusual?" Cara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Being protective is exactly my main trait since you've met me, I joined your merry band to protect Richard," she reminded Kahlan. "And I protected you as fiercely, when he ordered me to," Cara recalled the time the Seeker went to control his Han, at the Palace of the Prophets.

"You're talking about duty, Cara," Kahlan said. "I'm talking about feelings, about emotions you can't explain with logic," she clarified.

"Feelings can't be relied on," the Mord'Sith spat, almost to herself, not noticing right away the wounded look on Kahlan's face.

Kahlan was shocked with what her lover was saying to her. If there was one person that she expected to back her up and be on her side, it was Cara. But it looked like the blonde had as many doubts about this whole situation as everyone else.

"Feelings can't be relied on?" Kahlan said tiredly, this ordeal was just getting worse and worse. "How about the ones you have for me?" she challenged.

"Those I don't doubt," Cara said firmly, with a bit too much emphasis.

"What about the ones I have for you?" Kahlan questioned again, suspecting she was getting closer to the source of the blonde's reservations.

Cara gritted her teeth and exhaled heavily through her nose. The hesitation was enough for Kahlan to know she had unveiled the true issue.

"Kahlan, don't mix things up," Cara said, the grip she felt around her heart intensifying, but not letting her fully admit to the brunette what she feared most. "We are talking about the fact that the girls being ours could probably be false, an illusion to deceive us all," she said.

"I'm not the one mixing things up, you are," Kahlan argued right back, taking a couple more steps that put her right in front of Cara "Look at me," she asked gently, cupping the blonde's chin and bringing Cara's down casted eyes to face her. "Are you considering that my love for you is also part of this so-called illusion?" Kahlan asked, her eyes never leaving the blonde's.

"What if it is?" Cara admitted in a broken whisper, feeling the bitter taste the words left.

"I can't believe you're saying that to me," Kahlan said with tears in her eyes, taking half a step back and letting her hand fall over her stomach in an empty gesture to regain a small amount of comfort.

"Kahlan, don't ever doubt my feelings for you," Cara said fervently, feeling herself sunk deep in a hole she had no idea how to get out of.

"But you're allowed to doubt mine for you?" Kahlan shot back. "Why is that Cara? Why?" the Mother Confessor demanded, tears now rolling down her face.

"Because I'm not worthy of you," Cara shouted without much thinking, letting her fear talk for her and shocking Kahlan into silence.

"That's not true and you know it," Kahlan said, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand. "And I can't believe you are letting something so frivolous as this to get between us," Kahlan continued. "What we have together is stronger than suppositions. I thought we had established that since we met the girls, we didn't let the unknow of the future to get between us," she told Cara, watching as the blonde's eyes shone with barely kept tears.

"But this is not about the future, is it? They were talking about something that could be happening in our time," Cara recalled dejectedly. "Kahlan, I love you with everything I have, for longer than you think," Cara admitted, in an attempt to fix what she knew was being damaged by her own hand. "Even for longer than I think, I bet," she sighed. "But you have to consider every single possibility, there're too many coincidences, too many puzzle pieces that fit right," the Mord'Sith said, hopping Kahlan would see her point of view. "We can't play into Darken Rahl's game," she finished, trying to alert the brunette for the dangers of them being wrong.

"This has nothing to do with Darken Rahl, or the girls, or a stupid spell," Kahlan said with renewed fervor. "This is about us and you being afraid of what we have together," she declared, an accusing finger pointed at the blonde.

"I'm not afraid of anything," Cara insisted in vain, a lone tear escaping without her consent, but was quickly wiped away with by gloved hand.

"You're not afraid of anything, except of love," Kahlan persisted, her eyes daring Cara to keep contradicting her. "Deep down, you're still afraid, that's why you're letting this get to you," she said with conviction, watching Cara lower eyes and clench her jaw, in a clear effort to regain her emotions.

Kahlan knew Cara; she knew the blonde was so much more than she let on, knew she was capable of loving fiercely; despite all the torture she went through to become a Mord'Sith, Cara managed to keep a part of her intact. That part of her, that made her question any authority if she didn't agree, made her keep thinking for herself instead of following someone blindly, also allowed her to love. And as time passed, Kahlan could see how Cara changed with their influence; she was attentive, more considerate, more caring, and eventually, she allowed herself to love Kahlan. But the Confessor knew, loving another and allowing herself to be loved, were two very different things for Cara. She had no problem with being selfless and bowing to Kahlan's needs, but believing she was deserving of the same treatment, that was the truly hard thing for the blonde to accept.

"Never in my life did I expect to fall in love with anyone; least of all you," Cara said. "That's surprising enough; but have you reciprocate those feelings is… and the promise of a future where we have children together, that's…" Cara trailed off, not really knowing how to express how much all that seemed unattainable to her.

"Well then, maybe you are right, this is all an illusion and our love was fabricated by magic," she sniffed, trying desperately to control her emotions, but not having much luck. She wasn't inclined to believe this illusion spell was real, but she was just so tired of arguing. Defeated and exhausted, she needed to escape the rollercoaster of emotions she was on; with one last look at Cara she walked away from the blonde.

"Kahlan, wait!" Cara called as she watched helplessly the brunette pass her by and walking rapidly to the door of the room.

"Just leave me alone, Cara," was the last thing Kahlan said before exiting the room, banging the door on her way out.

Cara closed her eyes and threw her head back in exasperation. This could not have gone more wrong. She didn't want to doubt Kahlan's feelings for her, she had plenty of proof from the brunette that she wanted to be with her and loved her deeply, but in the face of this possibility, of it all being fake, Cara was not being able to control the fear that was still there, despite all the reassurances. She gripped her agiels in an attempt of governing her galloping emotions, forcing herself to fight against that fear, a fear that was once a certainty in her life, that love did not exist and only brought pain when you let yourself fall in its grasp. The agiels helped to ground her and she couldn't deny that Kahlan was right, she was terrified of being loved, because that left her vulnerable, that had the power to destroy her if it were taken away from her. And here she was, faced with a strong possibility that indeed it could all be taken away from her, that it might have never been real in the first place. But even so, she could also recognize that she was letting fear rule her above everything, and that shamed her. She always took pride on being able to use emotion in her favor, not let it bend her to its will; but most of all, she was ashamed these doubts had ended up hurting Kahlan. She needed to make things right. She would do whatever it took to get to the bottom of this.

Dennee was left with the three wizards that made part of the council that advised the Mother Confessor, or in this case, the Confessor that ruled in her name in Aydindril. After the others abandoned the room, following Kahlan's tempestuous exit, they stood quietly, analyzing in silence what had transpired.

"I would say the Mother Confessor was not convinced," Bryus broke the silence by stating the obvious.

"I honestly though my sister would be the most rational of all of them," Dennee confided. "Even that Mord'Sith seemed more inclined to agree with us than her," she sighed.

"They also made some valid points," Thoros recalled. "We have to consider that we may be dealing with two innocent girls here," he reminded the others.

"But are they worth the risk of losing Aydindril to Darken Rahl?" Estalt pondered.

"Then you're in favor of just killing the girl and see what happens?" Thoros questioned his colleague and friend, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"That is one of the options," Bryus nodded, along with Dennee and Estalt. "But it's a dangerous gamble," he said. "If we are wrong, we could be killing an innocent girl," he concluded.

"But what other logical explanation is there?" Dennee asked. "I never heard of any spell that would allow two women to have children," she said, looking questionably at her companions and receiving shakes of heads in confirmation that neither one of them had heard of such a thing either.

"So, we are favoring the spell theory?" Estalt asked, as the others nodded, albeit aware that there was no way to be completely sure at this point.

"But even if they are all under an illusion spell," Thoros started. "The girls were still used in Rahl's favor without their consent," the wizard recalled.

"Isn't that how all Mord'Sith are made?" Dennee asked.

"Yes, but normally we face them when they are adults," Thoros reasoned. "Not still teenagers and children, probably with no real consciousness of what they are truly doing," he said.

"Then let's face an adult Mord'Sith," Estalt said, attracting the curious eyes of his companions.

"What do you mean?" Dennee said, not knowing what the wizard was getting at.

"There is one other way to know if they are under a spell or not," Estalt continued. "You confess the Mord'Sith," he revealed, looking at Dennee. "Being confessed, she will be attuned to everything affecting her emotionally, past and present; and since magic is strongly linked to emotion, she will be able to tell you for certain if she is under a spell or not," he explained. "And if she is, we will know the others are too," he finished, waiting for the other's assessment.

Dennee paused in thought. If she confessed Cara, they could know the truth without harming neither her sister, the Seeker or the Wizard of the First Order; making sure at the same time that they wouldn't murder children in needlessly, an idea that despite her bravado was not particularly fond to her, as it hit to close to what she was forced to do to her son. But Cara; she had no concerns for the wellbeing of the Mord'Sith; she could actually get justice for her family and fellow Confessor's for what happened in Valeria. And the feelings her sister claimed to have for the red clad woman, seemed too surreal to be true to her; she probably would be doing Kahlan a favor by lifting the veil from her eyes.

"I think that is the best way to deal with this problem," Dennee concluded. "We won't be risking the Mother Confessor, Aydindril or risk killing innocent children," she told the others.

"And if we are wrong and there is no spell?" Thoros asked the question everyone was dreading. "Who are these girls then? Could they really be from the future?" he pondered.

"If they are from the future and indeed are my sister's daughters, then all will be good," Dennee said. "We agree it's impossible for them to be the Mord'Sith's children too, right?" she asked the others, receiving nods of confirmation. "Then no harm done, the only one to die will be no innocent; on the contrary, justice has been put on hold long enough," she said harshly.

Having gotten to a consensus, the four of them left the room in search of Cara.

Kahlan left the room with really no direction in mind, all she wanted was to be alone for a while to digest all that was happening. She had no doubt of the love Cara had for her, what troubled her was Cara's fear of embracing happiness in full; the blonde still let a small part of herself locked away protectively. Rationally, Kalan could see were the blonde was coming from and how the arguments the others presented could be possible, but she had never felt as happy as she was with Cara, never felt as loved, even with Richard. Cara's love felt mature and solid, something she once even doubted the Mord'Sith was capable of. But now, she felt that love with every look, every touch, every kiss. How could the best thing that had happened to her be the product of an illusion? She had to discover the truth in this mess and she knew where she had to start; she needed to talk with Sarah.

"Kahlan?" a tentative voice brought her out of her reverie, looking up she saw her sister walking towards her, the wizards close behind her, just the person she wanted.

"I need to speak with Sarah," Kahlan requested, not really in the best state of mind to argue more with her sister, but she was the only one who could authorize her to speak with a prisoner.

"Very well," Dennee agreed without much preamble. "Guard, please, accompany the Mother Confessor to the cells and let her speak with the prisoner," she ordered the closest guard, who promptly took a step forward.

"Where are you going?" Kahlan asked before her sister could walk away. "We also need to speak, alone," she said, looking meaningfully towards the wizards.

"I have a matter to attend to," Dennee replied stoically. "But we can meet after and talk," she conceded, relieved that Kahlan only nodded in acquiescence and followed the guard to the dungeon, allowing her to continue on her way.

Kahlan was still shaken by her argument with Cara, they had disagreed before, multiple times, but this was different. Somehow, they ended up going from discussing the theories thrown at them, to questioning their relationship; leaving Kahlan with a rock at the pit of her stomach.

She took a deep calming breath and faced the guards with authority, tilting her head slightly to wordlessly convey that she wanted to be alone with the prisoner.

"Mother!" Sarah grinned and jumped to her feet to get close to the bars of the cell.

"Hey sweetie," Kahlan smiled, reaching through the bars to hug the teen as best as she could, her heart jumping a bit at being called 'mother' by Sarah.

"I'm so glad to see you," Sarah said with a relieved grin. "No one seems to want to talk to me around here," she complained, peeking at the dungeon door and the receding guards.

Kahlan just took a moment to look at Sarah, really look at her. The seventeen-year-old girl bore a remarkable resemblance to Cara; her green eyes, the shape of her lips and her posture, were incredibly similar to Cara's. But as Kahlan threaded her fingers through the black wavy locks, she noticed the resemblance to her own hair. And more than the looks, the girl seemed to conduct herself with an inherent sense of responsibility, that seemed to temper her instinct to act, reminding Kahlan of her young self.

"Surprised?" Sarah asked grinning, noticing how Kahlan was studying her and guessed the woman was looking at her with new eyes after she had revealed the truth to them.

"I'm not sure anything can surprise me anymore," Kahlan chuckled, caressing the girl's cheek affectionately. "But I wasn't counting on having one more daughter," she smiled. "Is there any other girl I should know about?" she asked.

"Well…" Sarah hinted teasingly, laughing at Kahlan's widening eyes. "I'm kidding, there's just me and Alys," Sarah confirmed. "The little thing claims you won't have more babies because you reached perfection with her," she said, rolling her eyes and making Kahlan laugh.

"She sure is cheeky, that sister of yours," Kahlan shook her head fondly, her heart clenching a bit at the thought of the missing girl.

"You haven't seen nothing yet," Sarah guaranteed. "That girl can argue like no one's business and she's really sneaky," she revealed, squinting her eyes. "I have no idea how she'll manage to stay put to listen to supplicants one day," she said, shaking her head.

"Do you listen to supplicants?" Kahlan asked curiously.

"Not on my own, I'm too young," Sarah shook her head. "You make me and Alys attend sometimes, when you are having hearings, so we can learn," she explained with a smile.

Sarah was relieved she didn't have to conceal her identity anymore. She could lie like any other person, but pretending she wasn't Kahlan's daughter didn't sit well with her; it left her feeling like she was distancing herself from her mother, like she was severing the bond she had with her. She never wanted to be a stranger to Kahlan, not even this version of her, so she was glad the truth was out in the open.

"Now, can you open this damn thing please," Sarah asked, referring to the cell door. "It's really weird to be a stranger in a place where people know me from the sound of my steps alone," she chuckled, but frowned as she noticed that Kahlan was not laughing with her.

"I can't let you out of there," Kahlan confirmed the girl's fears. "Dennee is in charge right now and she hasn't given permission to free you," she justified.

"What do you mean aunt Dennee is in charge?" she questioned. "You're here, that makes you automatically in charge, even if she was replacing your temporarily," she furrowed, not understanding why she couldn't leave.

"Sarah, do you remember how you got to Aydindril?" Kahlan changed the subject.

"Not really, the last thing I remember clearly is Farkas disappearing with Alys," she recalled. "Then it's all a blur; I remember some fighting and maybe aunt Dennee's face, but then I woke up already in here," she explained.

"After Farkas disappeared with your sister you entered the Con Dar," Kahlan explained calmly, watching the teen's reaction closely.

"I what?" Sarah said is disbelief, her eyes getting bigger as she put the pieces together and concluded that that was probably why she didn't remember much, just this all-consuming rage.

"Did that ever happen before?" Kahlan continue with her questions.

"Never," Sarah shook her head. "I didn't even know I could do that," she mused.

"Like you can't give the Breath of Life?" Kahlan asked, recalling what the girl had once told them.

"Exactly," she nodded. "I guess there's only so much the spell could pass on to me, right?" she shrugged with a smile.

At the mention of the spell that made possible for Sarah and Alys to be conceived, Kahlan sighed and wondered how much she should tell the girl about the suspicions that had been discussed upstairs. As this thought crossed her mind, she realized sorrowfully that she too was letting doubt plague her. This made her take a deep breath, recognizing it was indeed a delicate situation, with much at stake.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked with concern, she could see Kahlan was upset and had been crying recently. "Your eyes are all puffed. Did you argue with mom?" she guessed with a small smirk.

"You could say that," Kahlan let out a little sad smile. "Why? Is it normal for us to argue?" she fished for information, her sense of duty roaring it's head now that she was calmer.

"Bicker is the word I would use," Sarah chuckled, clearly remembering many times where she had witnessed such a behavior. "I know you argue sometimes, but never in front of us," she shrugged unconcerned.

"Well, that seems sensible of us," Kahlan said. "Cara can be really difficult sometimes," she confided without really meaning too, but the blonde just had the power to throw her for a loop.

"You don't have to tell me that," Sarah grinned. "The woman raised me, I know how difficult she can be," she laughed openly now.

Kahlan watched this girl talk so freely and warmly about them, and despite the obvious doubts that one could have in the face of the facts, she couldn't help but believe the girl's side of the story. But how to be sure? After all, as her sister had reminded her, she could not read a Mord'Sith. Instead she opted to tell the girl the truth, all of it, and study the reaction.

"Sarah, the reason Dennee doesn't let you leave the cell," Kahlan started in a soberer tone. "Is because someone warned her you were coming to Aydindril and you wanted to steal the throne from her," she revealed.

"I don't need to steal something that is rightfully mine," Sarah said, tilting her head in confusion.

"I don't mean in the future," Kalan clarified, watching the girl closely. "I mean now; in the name of Darken Rahl," she added, watching Sarah's expression morph into one of bewilderment.

"Say what?" she dumbly said. "She thinks I work for Darken Rahl?" she asked dumbfounded. "But I never even met the guy, he was already dead when I was born," she pointed out.

"That's not what he claimed," Kahlan told the teen. "The man who warned Aydindril of your arrival, told them you were born here, of a Confessor captive in the People's Palace, and then broken into a Mord'Sith, with Rahl for your master," Kahlan fully disclosed, not sure if the impassive expression on Sarah's face was a good or a bad sign.

"That's some twisted tale," she snorted with obvious amusement, but otherwise not reacting much more. "What about my sister, do you know anything?" she questioned with more interest.

Kahlan was expecting an outburst, but the teen seemed awfully calm to her in the face of what she had just told her; only reacting more passionately when she asked about Alys, for which Kahlan had no answers either.

"We don't know where she is," the Mother Confessor sighed. "And I don't see how we can get to her without me surrendering to him," she said somberly.

"But you can't do that," Sarah shook her head vehemently, covering Kahlan's hand that was resting on the cell bar. "That's exactly what he wants, we need to figure out a way to find her without losing you," she stated, looking like she was already thinking of a plan.

"We?" Kahlan asked with a smile, squeezing the teen's hand.

"Oh yes, you so need to figure out a way to get me out of here," Sarah huffed. "My room is upstairs, not down here," she quipped, making Kahlan chuckle.

"I'll see what I can do," Kahlan assured her, not being able to ignore the connection she felt to the girl, now that she was close to her again. She squeezed Sarah's hand again and turned around to leave.

"Mother?" Sarah called, making Kahlan turn around again to face her. "You do believe me and Alys, don't you?" she asked nervously, worrying her bottom lip.

Watching the girl worrying her lip like that, Kahlan could not deny how much she looked like Cara when she was at her most vulnerable; like the way she had left her upstairs, before storming out the room. She could understand how what Dennee had told them was believable, but then she looked at the resemblance Sarah bore to her lover, and it left her with little doubts that this girl, as well as little Alys, were indeed their flesh and blood.

"I do, sweetie," Kahlan confirmed, as much to Sarah as to herself. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out," she promised and with a comforting smile to the teen she left the dungeons. She needed to talk to Cara, right now.

Cara was sitting with her legs stretched on the long-cushioned seat under the window of the bedroom Kahlan and her had argued before. She looked down at the soldiers sparring outside, not being able to stop herself from mentally correcting them on the errors they were making. She thought about all the things she said to Kahlan and how she wished she had steered that conversation differently. But she was sure she would have the chance to make things right between them, they just had to cool off a little; both of them, because Kahlan certainly did not shy away from confrontation, and she loved her for that. Cara heard steps down the hall; at first, she thought it would be Kahlan coming back, but whoever it was made too much noise, Kahlan was inherently much more graceful. She looked up when she heard a knock and called out for the person to come in. The door opened to show Dennee.

"Do you mind if I enter?" the Confessor requested politely. "I wish to speak with you," she added.

Cara immediately tensed, doubting Kahlan's sister would have anything nice to tell her. But nevertheless, she gave the Confessor a curt nod of acquiescence and got up from her previous position.

"No crossbows this time?" Cara asked with a smirk, swaggering towards Kahlan's sister.

"No, just me," Dennee guaranteed, meeting the Mord'Sith half way.

"Do you need an invitation?" Cara asked with a bored sigh, seeing has the Confessor was taking her time to say what she came to say.

"Do you really think you have feelings for my sister?" Dennee asked curiously, before she could stop herself.

"I don't think, I know I do," Cara said with certainty, staring Dennee down with no fear. "Trust me, thinking goes out the window when your sister is involved," she added with a raise of her eyebrow, recalling how Kahlan could melt her with just one look or make her lose the grip on her emotions.

"I once told you I could never forget you for what you did on Valeria," Dennee evoked their conversation while they were resurrecting Richard. "That's still true, but I always wondered why did you apologize to me; Kahlan asked you too?" she questioned.

"Kahlan would never ask something like that," Cara tilted her head. "Least of all back then; you seem to forget that she didn't much like me either," the Mord'Sith said, not being able to stop the almost imperceptible fond smile. "I did it because it felt like the right thing to do," she clarified.

"And how did you learn to do the right thing, Mord'Sith?" Dennee asked mockingly.

"Your sister taught me," Cara said meaningfully, having no doubt the brunette was the biggest influence on her changing ways.

"She also taught me," Dennee nodded thoughtfully. "To always do what is right, even if it causes pain," she said calmly.

Cara squinted her eyes slightly as she assessed the calm stance of the Confessor. The hairs on the back of her neck were raising slightly, but she could not identify any real threat coming from Dennee. She was not sure where the Confessor was going with this conversation.

"A nice lesson," Cara agreed halfheartedly. "You should abide by it," she said distractedly, letting her eyes fall to the Confessor's legs, noticing the twin daggers hidden there, much in the same way Kahlan used hers; and that second of shifting attention was all the time Dennee needed.

"I intend to," she replied at the same time her arm shot out and her hand closed firmly around Cara's throat.

Despite her rocky relationship with Dennee, Cara never expected Kahlan's sister to try something like this; she was ashamed to admit she had let her guard down. That thought passed through her head in a split second and then all she could see in her mind's eye was Kahlan's loving blue eyes and, strangely enough, the brunettes carefree laugh. Despite her will to free herself from the deadly touch, she was just not fast enough. The eyes looking back at her were not blue, they were pitch black; and the sound of laughter was muffled by a dry thunder that brought with it the promise of death.

"Command me, Confessor," was what Dennee heard after Cara fell to her knees; the watery green eyes looking back at her with a look that was a mixture of adoration and deep pain.