Chapter 24
Kahlan woke from her slumber with a feeling of complete lethargy taking over her body. She felt both completely relaxed and fully energized, but still didn't want to open her eyes, choosing instead to focus on the warm body so close to hers. After a few moments of laziness, breathing in Cara's scent, Kahlan slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the sun light that was bathing their room.
The Confessor rose on her forearm and tried to ascertain the time, deducing it was still early morning. She then looked down at Cara and smiled happily as she took on the still slumbering blonde next to her. Cara was laying on her back, her right arm bent and tucked under her pillow and her left leg bent at the knee, her legs parted to accommodate Kahlan's thigh between them. The blonde's left arm was still securely around Kahlan's back, where it surely had been all night, keeping the brunette snuggled close to her.
Kahlan let her eyes travel over the blonde's exposed skin, marveling at its softness. Without really realizing, her fingers started a path that was memorized by now, connecting Cara's few freckles, going from the one on her neck to the one on her right breast. Soon, her lips followed her fingers and the Kahlan placed soft and tender kisses all over Cara's chest, intending to wake the surprisingly still asleep blonde.
"Cara," Kahlan whispered, continuing to kiss her lover. "Cara," she insisted in a sing song voice, but frowned when the usually light sleeping blonde didn't even stir.
Fear gripped Kahlan's heart when her lover didn't respond to any of her attempts to wake her up. Normally Cara would wake with just the minimum sound or movement close to her, so for the blonde to still be laying motionless on the bed it could only mean something was deeply wrong.
"Cara!" Kahlan shouted and shook the Mord'Sith by the shoulder.
"What?!" Cara sat up startled, pulling Kahlan behind her in an instinctive protective gesture as she looked around for the danger that was surely upon them.
"Are you okay?" Kahlan asked, sitting up to face the blonde and searching Cara's eyes nervously.
"Are you okay?" Cara retorted, her eyes going impossibly wide once she realized there was no imminent danger and Kahlan had just waken her with a shout for no reason. "Because that's no way to wake someone! What are you trying to do? Kill me again so soon already?" she said perplexed, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.
"You weren't waking up," Kahlan explained with a relieved sigh. "You normally wake up if a twig snaps five meters away from you, but I was calling your name and you didn't even react," Kahlan said looking down at the sheet between them as she tucked her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.
"I'm okay," Cara assured, cupping Kahlan's chin to bring the brunette's eyes to meet hers and recognizing Kahlan's worry for her wellbeing, given the scare she had gotten the night before. "But I was sleeping really soundly, I don't remember ever having such a good night's sleep," she mused. "You must have really worn me out," Cara smirked and pulled Kahlan into a light and teasing kiss.
"Sorry, I was just worried there for a bit," Kahlan admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. "You think my power had something to do with it?" she asked, half hopeful and half fearful.
"I would say it had something to do with the way you pampered me last night," Cara said as she pushed Kahlan on her back and started to place soft kisses along the brunette's neck. "The bath was incredibly soothing," she continued in a soft voice, kissing and licking her way to Kahlan's ear. "The massage was both relaxing and arousing," she whispered in Kahlan's ear, smiling when her lover shivered under her. "And the way you fucked me after was so hot it gets me wet just from thinking about it," she whispered hotly and bit on Kahlan's earlobe, making the brunette moan and arch her body into Cara's.
With a groan, Kahlan cupped Cara's face and brought her lover into passionate kiss. The husky sound of the blonde's voice, so sultry on her ear, woke the desire that seemed to always be under the surface. She kissed Cara hungrily, letting herself get lost in the velvet feeling of their lips and tongues touching and moving heatedly against each other. She gasped when Cara nudged herself in between her legs, the weight of the blonde only heightening the sensation of being completely surrounded by her lover.
Cara held herself up on one forearm next to Kahlan's head, tangling her fingers in the brunette's wavy luscious hair. Her other hand trailed slowly down Kahlan's side, making the Confessor shudder and press herself up into Cara, seeking some much-needed friction. Smirking into the kiss, Cara deviously lifted herself up just enough to prevent Kahlan's center from rubbing against hers, but gasped in pleasant surprise when the brunette quickly moved both her hands to Cara's bottom and forcefully pulled her back down against herself with a satisfied moan.
"Someone's eager," Cara panted slightly, smirking down at the flushed brunette.
"Someone's teasing," Kahlan replied with frustration, glaring when Cara's smirk only grew.
"Now, where's your patience?" Cara kept teasing, cupping the brunette's breast and squeezing very lightly, letting her thumb circle the hardened nub with a ghost touch.
"It flies out the window when all I want is you inside me," Kahlan replied seductively with a sexy smirk and an inviting raised eyebrow, almost laughing when Cara's smirk turned into a surprised expression.
Having the Confessor turning tables on her little teasing game only fueled the Mord'Sith's desire. After getting over the initial shock at Kahlan's provocative answer, Cara grinned appreciatively and captured Kahlan's still smirking lips with her own. She sucked on Kahlan's lower lip and then trailed open mouthed kisses down the Confessor's throat. Sliding down Kahlan's body, she continued to kiss over Kahlan's warm skin towards the full breasts of the brunette.
Kahlan hissed in pleasure as Cara's luscious lips closed around her nipple, the blonde sucked and raked her teeth on the hard peek, the vibrations of her moans adding to Kahlan's pleasure. She tangled her fingers in blonde locks, pulling Cara closer to her at the same time her body arched into the blonde. She could feel Cara's defined abs flexing against her hot center and she couldn't help but rub herself on the toned stomach.
Cara kissed one breast thoroughly and moved her mouth to the other, using her hand to kneed the neglected one. She moaned when Kahlan fisted her hair with slightly more force when she sucked on her nipple, the brunette's other hand roaming on her back, the blunt nails biting on her skin with Kahlan's every moan. Cara kept one hand caressing the tender and sensitive mounds and kissed a path down Kahlan's body until she reached her lover's center. With one hungry look up at Kahlan, she flattened her tongue over the Confessor's sex and licked slowly, ending up enclosing the swollen clit in her mouth.
"Spirits, Cara," Kahlan groaned. "That feels so good," she said, looking down through heavy eyes to watch her lover eagerly suck her clit.
Cara circled Kahlan's thigh with one arm, to make herself more room between the brunette's legs and dragged her fingertips down Kahlan's torso, until they stopped at Kahlan's entrance.
"I love seeing you like this," Cara breathed, placing an open-mouthed kiss on Kahlan's inner thigh and sucked until she left a mark. "Trembling and moaning under me," she said as she very slowly entered Kahlan with two fingers, her eyes fixed on her lover's.
Kahlan's reply died on her lips as her mouth hung partly open in silent pleasure. She whimpered when Cara curled up her fingers and started to press them in every sweet spot inside Kahlan's walls. The Confessor planted her feet on the bed and moved her hips in time with Cara's increasingly fast fingers.
The blonde sped up her thrusts, curling her fingers inside every time, while sucking and flicking Kahlan's clit with her tongue. She groaned when the brunette tangled her fingers in her hair once more and sought Cara's hand on her thigh to interlace their fingers together.
"Cara," Kahlan called panting, pulling the Mord'Sith's hand to get her attention. "Come here, I want to look in your eyes," she said, knowing Cara would understand the nature of her request.
Cara straddled Kahlan's leg and laid down on top of her lover, her forearm sliding under the brunette's neck so she could hold herself up and look at the darkening blue eyes. She kept moving her fingers inside Kahlan, while she rubbed the brunette's clit with her thumb.
"Oh, Kahlan," Cara moaned when she felt the Confessor's fingers sneak between them and enter her, mirroring her moves as they moved together towards a fast approaching climax.
Kahlan cupped the back of Cara's head and brought the blonde's mouth to hers, their lips shifting between frantic kisses and shared panting breaths. Kahlan felt the telltale tightening in her lower stomach and looked into Cara's eyes, noticing that her lover was also close to release. The unbridled look on Cara's eyes was all it took for Kahlan to let go and let herself be taken over by her orgasm.
Cara felt the brunette tense under her and saw the black swirl in her eyes, but what really tipped her over the edge was the wave of energy that went through her, tensing all her muscles for a quick second and causing her a vertigo sensation in the pit of her stomach. She came with a deep moan, ridding the pleasant wave until her entire body was left trembling and her breathing came in fast gasps.
"You didn't black out this time," Kahlan breathed, shifting her head to see Cara's half-closed eyes where the blonde rested, her head on the brunette's shoulder.
"I guess all I need is practice," Cara smiled and placed a small kiss on Kahlan's neck, not having the strength to do much else right now. "And okay, your power might have some kind of relaxing effect on me," Cara admitted with a satisfied grin, enjoying Kahlan's soft caresses on her back.
"So it really feels good to you," Kahlan mused, combing the blonde's hair with her fingers. "It wasn't just the Rada'Han tempering it," she recalled what Cara had told her about her power feeling like a warm wave to her.
"Hmm, I told you so," Cara said, moving to lay on her side so she could look at Kahlan and took a moment to appraise her lover. "You're getting bolder in bed," she stated after a pensive pause.
"Are you complaining?" Kahlan replied with mock indignation, also turning on her side to look at her smiling lover.
"No, it was just an observation," Cara said lazily with a shrug.
"I feel safe with you," Kahlan answered the unasked question about her changing behavior. "Comfortable in my own skin," she added contemplatively, she too having noticed the shift in herself. "With you I feel free to just let go and try anything I want," she concluded with a soft smile.
Cara kissed her lover tenderly, conveying into the gentle kiss that Kahlan was indeed safe and free with her.
"So free that you don't even need that," Cara added almost as an afterthought, motioning for the Rada'Han that lay unnecessary in the nightstand.
"I know," Kahlan grinned, not being able to keep the giddiness out of her voice. "How amazing is that?" she mused. "But we still don't know how that's possible," she wondered, her happy expression loosing just a tiny bit of light.
"It's because I already love you so much," Cara simply justified.
"It can't be that simple," Kahlan argued, but smiled wishfully at the blonde as she curled into her.
"I can't see why not," Cara raised her eyebrows and pulled Kahlan's leg over hers, caressing the brunette's thigh gently.
"Because nothing is ever that simple," Kahlan replied, twirling blonde hair in her fingers. "We should find out what the reason is," she declared.
"How, exactly?" Cara asked. "If it was something that was common, I'm sure you would have learnt about it in Confessor school," the blonde said with amusement, chuckling when Kahan just rolled her eyes at her.
"I never heard of anything like this," Kahlan shook her head. "But there has to be a way to find out or someone we can ask," she pondered, biting her lip in thought.
"I agree, let's ask the wizard," Cara deadpanned.
"Are you insane?!" Kahlan said with comically widened eyes. "We are certainly not going to Zedd with this," she frowned, her cheeks reddening just at the thought of it.
"Then ask Sarah," Cara shrugged, trying really hard to keep her expression schooled and not letting her amusement at Kahlan's discomfort show.
"Even worse!" Kahlan slapped the blonde's shoulder. "No way we're going to talk to our daughter about our sex life," she declared with certainty, her stomach churning in embarrassment as she recalled how Sarah had caught them in the middle on an intimate moment.
"Your sister then?" Cara suggested as a last resort and shrugged helplessly when Kahlan just stared at her unamused. "My point exactly," she said with a grin, letting her mirth finally show. "There's no one to ask, unless you want to have a very uncomfortable conversation."
"Maybe you're right and it's as simple as you say," Kahlan smiled and cupped Cara's cheek. "You just love me completely already, the love that comes from confession is not greater than yours," she said wishfully.
"You just have a tendency to overthink and complicate things," Cara sighed, leaning in to kiss Kahlan gently. "I bet you I'm right," she grinned widely.
Kahlan chuckled and shook her head fondly at the blonde, she sure seemed convicted of her assumptions and who knew, maybe she was right. With one last lingering kiss on the deliciously pouty lips, Kahlan reluctantly sat up in bed, dragging the sheet with her. She looked back at Cara and had to take a moment to enjoy the sexy view. Cara lay sprawled on her back, one arm under her head and one leg bent sideways, the sheet only covering her lower body with her bent leg peeking out, leaving the rest of it to be ogled by Kahlan.
"Come on," Kahlan said with a sigh. "We need to get up," she continued, but made no move to get off the bed.
"Well, I think we need another bath after all that exercise," Cara said suggestively, looking longingly to the bathroom.
"I see that's becoming your favorite room in the palace too," Kahlan grinned, brushing some stray hair from Cara's face.
"I like this one too, where the large bed is," Cara smirked. "And that look on your face tells me you want a bath too," she squinted playfully. "Exactly the kind of bath I'm thinking about," the blonde said suggestively and winked.
"I'll go tell someone to bring hot water," Kahlan didn't even try to deny Cara's words, she put on her robe and walked towards the door, glancing back once to smile at her lover.
Cara smiled back and roamed her eyes all over Kahlan's seductive curves, paying special attention to the swaying hips and exquisitely long legs. She sighed contently and decided that she could get used to this.
After a bath that had very little to do with hygiene and much more to do with making love in a hot steamy room, Cara and Kahlan got ready for the day and after a quick breakfast in the bedroom, they made finding their daughters their priority.
They were walking down the corridor, intending to check the common room where they had eaten the day before, when they caught the conversation of two guards that were walking towards them.
"Did you see how easily she disarmed Jonatan?" one of them was commenting to the other. "And that staff is a remarkable weapon."
"I think they can help us find them," Cara told Kahlan, chuckling at the guard's obvious excitement about the tale they were sharing.
"Excuse me," Kahlan addressed the men, both of whom immediately stood at attention. "Can you tell me where the girl you're talking about is?"
"She's at the courtyard sparing with some of the guards, Mother Confessor," the guard informed her. "Quite the spectacle, especially since she took down some men twice her size," he grinned.
"Did you happen to also see a little blonde girl there, too?" Kahlan questioned, knowing Alys could not be far away from her sister.
"Yes, she's there too," he said. "Quite the firecracker, she just won't give up when she goes down," he said impressed.
"Alys is fighting the men?" Kahlan asked in disbelief, her expression changing from relaxing to concerned.
"No, no, Mother Confessor," the guard hurriedly explained, noticing the disapproving look on the Confessor's face. "She wanted to but the older girl wouldn't let her."
"Good," Kahlan nodded, already moving to see for herself. "Thank you, have a good day."
"You too, Mother Confessor," they both said and nodded stiffly but politely to Cara, who just nodded back.
"I think the girls might be showing off," Cara drawled, accompanying Kahlan's hurried stride.
"Definitely your daughters," Kahlan chuckled, while Cara rolled her eyes.
They went outside and could already make out a circle of soldiers in the middle of the courtyard. As the crowd parted to let the Mother Confessor through, they spotted Sarah and Alys facing each other in a sparring match.
"Como on, Alys," Sarah called, watching as her sister went down once again. "You know you can't beat me," she teased, grinning as the blonde girl just glared and charged at her again.
Kahlan noticed the sunlight reflect off of Alys' weapons of choice. Sarah was using her ever trusting staff, the weapon's loud wailing cries alone made chills run down anyone's spine. She assumed Alys would be using the two agiels she got the day before, but Kahlan smiled softly when she noticed the little girl was brandishing two daggers, albeit smaller than the ones she herself used.
"You seem to forget I've killed two Mord'Sith yesterday," Alys said proudly, nodding at the crowd as a few gasps and surprised comments were heard.
"They weren't counting on your irritating babbling, that can kill anyone," Sarah grinned. "But, sadly for you, it doesn't work with me," she quipped and launched another attack at her little sister.
"One day I will beat you," Alys said panting with the exertion of blocking and dodging her sister's attacks. "All I have to do is keep trying," she exhaled sharply, the air leaving her lungs after Sarah had swiped her legs from under her and she went down once more.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" a voice was heard from the crowd surrounding them, attracting curious looks form all around the courtyard.
Sarah looked back to see Cara draw her twin agiels and advance on her with a challenging glint in her eyes.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy seeing you getting a beating for a change," Alys giggled and ran to Kahlan, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist in a quick hug.
"You girls have been having fun, I see," Kahlan bent down slightly to kiss Alys's forehead. "You think you sister can take your mom?" Kahlan asked in a conspiring whisper.
"No way!" Alys giggled, settling her back against Kahlan's front to watch the match. "Sarah has never beaten mom," the girl revealed, enjoying her mother's arms around her shoulders as they both payed attention to the two leather clad figures facing each other.
"You do remember I got you the first time we met," Sarah said in a taunting tone, circling her mother carefully. "I can do it again," she smirked confidently.
"You tricked me with that mutating thing you have there," Cara rebuked, motioning to the staff. "You won't have another chance," she assured and quickly leaped into her first attack.
Cara attacked Sarah with fast and effective strikes, taking the teen off guard but smiled approvingly when she saw her recover quickly. Cara pressed her daughter with relentless attacks, so as not to let the girl recover and trying to out maneuver her since she had one weapon in each hand and that was starting to pay off because Sarah was having difficulty in countering both agiels at the same time.
In a gesture born from practice and muscle memory, Sarah separated her staff in the precise moment her mother was attacking her from two angles at a time, managing to defend both blows and pushing her mother back with a well-placed kick and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Cara nodded impressively at Sarah's quick thinking and quick reacting to her dual attack and took a moment to circle the brunette, as much to assess her next move as to make the restless teen nervous. Once again, without any visible warning, Cara attacked Sarah again, this time, since the girl was fighting her with two agiels, she risked a closer combat, trying to land a blow. Sarah seemed to start to weaken, Cara could tell she was getting closer and closer to the teen, but in a blink of an eye, when she was well within Sarah's personal space, the girl fused both agiels again and Cara was only saved from a full blow to the side by her lightning reflexes and a less than impressive stumble backwards. The staff didn't struck her fully, but the blonde gritted her teeth when the end of the weapon grazed her stomach and sent a jolt of pain through her body.
"Almost," Sarah smirked, her eyes blazing with excitement as she took some deep breaths to center herself.
"And yet, still not enough," Cara countered, breathing heavily.
This time it was Sarah that attacked first, emboldened by her near successful strike. Her staff flew around with incredible speed, forcing Cara into some quick foot work to avoid the weapon or counter it with her own. Sarah's eagerness proved to be her downfall though; in her excitement to push Cara into a defeat she could almost envision, she neglected her own defense and left an opening that her more experienced and meticulous mother took full advantage of.
Cara saw Sarah put her full weigh behind the staff to land what she must have thought was a sure blow, but the move left her flank unprotected. The blonde sidestepped her daughter and thrust one agiel to Sarah's side, letting the pain of the weapon prevent the teen from countering or moving away, and using her other agiel to swipe Sarah's feet from beneath her. When Sarah's back hit the ground, Cara wasted no time in kicking the staff off her hand and kneeling over the teen, her agiel pointed at her throat, making her the indisputable winner of the match.
"Looks like I win," Cara smirked down at her daughter, while the brunette was trying to catch her breath. "Your weapon is over there, if you're wondering," she teased, motioning with her head to the staff laying a couple of meters away from them while she sheathed her agiels.
Sarah rolled on her stomach with a groan, trying to get the air back in her lungs. She got up on her hands and knees, but a weigh impacting her prevented her from raising any further.
"Yay, mom wins," Alys screamed as she dived on Sarah's back and made the teen slam back down on the ground. "Eat dust!" the blonde girl laughed.
"Get off me!" Sarah complained, but it didn't have the intended reprimanded effect because she started to laugh at her sister's antics.
"Let your sister recover," Cara said as she grabbed Alys by her armpits and lifted her up to stand beside her. "The poor thing hit the ground pretty hard," she mocked but lost her smirk a second after when she felt her legs being swooped from under her and her back hit the ground.
Still laying on the ground, Cara turned her head slowly to watch Sarah get up with a satisfied smirk, dusting her leathers without taking her mirthful eyes off Cara.
"Need a hand, mom?" Alys giggled as she peered down at a stunned Cara laying on the floor.
"Let her recover, Alys," Sarah drawled. "The poor thing hit the floor pretty hard," she mocked, making Alys laugh freely and Cara roll her eyes.
"I see you're a sore loser," Cara told Sarah while she got herself up swiftly.
"You're one to talk," Kahlan said from behind them with a fond smile.
"What side are you on?" Cara scoffed at her lover.
"The girls'," Kahlan replied without missing a beat, grinning at Cara's indignant expression. "It's not often that someone knocks you down on your back, so that was really amusing to watch," Kahlan teased.
Cara just tilted her head at Kahlan's last comment and, after making sure that the girls were busy with retrieving Sarah's staff and already discussing another sparring match, she approached Kahlan slowly and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"You manage to knock me down on my back often enough," she said suggestively, smirking as Kahlan's cheeks burned bright red and the brunette looked around them to make sure no one heard. "Don't look so flustered, Mother Confessor, what will people say?" she teased, earning herself a light slap on her stomach.
"You're incorrigible," Kahlan whispered back with a grin. "Girls, let's get back inside, I think the sun is getting to your mom," she said playfully, extending her hand for Alys to take.
"I'm hungry," Alys said as she took Kahlan's hand and skipped next to the Confessor as they started to walk back inside, much to the disappointment of the soldiers who were having a great time with the sparring matches.
"Hungry?" Sarah said flabbergasted. "We ate before coming here," she admonished her sister.
"I get that you had a little dust snack just now, so you might not be hungry," Alys looked back at her sister with a teasing look. "But I need something to make my tummy happy," she grinned, patting her stomach.
"See what I have to put up with?" Sarah complained to an amused Cara, as they walked side by side.
"She's not wrong," Cara shrugged. "You did eat a little dust," Cara half smiled.
"There's no need to rub it in," Sarah glared at Cara sideways.
"You won't get my sympathy," Cara shook her head. "What you did to me? That was not a clean move," she admonished, glaring back at the teen.
"You were the one who taught me to take advantage of every opportunity," Sarah shrugged, holding Cara's glare and trying not to smile.
Kahlan was hearing the two argue behind her and looked down questionably at the happily skipping girl beside her.
"Are they always like this in the future?" Kahlan asked, motioning to the still bickering duo behind them.
"No," Alys said, shaking her head. "They're a lot worse than that," she grinned. "Mom wants things done one way and Sarah wants to do things her on way, sometimes it gets pretty intense," she grimaced.
"I think I can imagine," Kahlan looked back again at the remarkably alike green-eyed women and smiled to herself, sure that two strong wills were bound to clash, but also certain that they would always be there for each other.
Richard entered the Mother Confessor's office, his neatly trimmed bearded face tightly closed with determination and his hand gripping the hilt of the Sword of Truth in anticipation of the battle that was to begin soon.
"Kahlan, everything is planned and ready," Richard announced as soon as he entered. "We are just waiting for your order," he said looking into the brunette's tired but determined eyes.
"We put this off long enough," Kahlan said as she got from behind her desk and approached his old friend, the red colors of the house of Rahl accentuating his royal look. "Get everyone to their posts, we attack today," she said fiercely.
Richard nodded to her curtly, a satisfied half smile on his lips and walked out of the office. The Mother Confessor watched her friend leave and took a deep breath, schooling her features in a cold mask, she also walked out of her office. By the end of this day, her enemies would be sorry they ever messed with her family.
Kahlan was listening intently as Alys told her about every single detail of her morning workout with her sister while they went to meet Richard and Zedd. The little blonde was gesturing excitedly as she exemplified to Kahlan the moves she had used. Cara and Sarah were walking behind them, chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm and throwing a teasing comment here and there.
"Here comes the mighty warrior," Zedd addressed Alys with a smile as he watched them enter the room.
"Did you see me fight Sarah, Zedd?" Alys asked excitedly, letting go of her mother's hand and joining Zedd.
"We were watching you two from the balcony," Richard said as he ruffled the blonde's hair affectionately. "You're very good with those daggers," he complimented the girl and turned to Sarah. "And you're dangerous, those men were no match for you," he nodded impressed as Sarah smiled modestly.
"How rigorous is your training?" Cara asked Sarah curiously.
"I train twice a day," Sarah replied. "Early mornings, before lessons or hearings, and late afternoon. Alys only trains in the mornings, for now, the advanced training is not for her yet," she said with a wink at her sister.
"Who trains you?" Kahlan asked, also interested in the girls' combat training.
"You and mom. But mostly mom, since you're often busy with other matters, she designs the exercises and organizes it. And if you're both busy, Raina or Berdine take over," Sarah clarified.
"Well, it's seems to be paying off judging by what we've seen from here," Richard said. "Not that anything else was to be expected," he chuckled humorously as he looked at Cara.
"Obviously," Cara merely said making the others laugh.
While everyone was laughing at Cara's never faltering confidence on her abilities, the sound of the door opening again attracted their attention. Dennee entered the room, but paused slightly when she noticed everyone looking expectantly at her. The awkward silence was broken by a very childlike expression of glee.
"Aunt Dennee!" Alys smiled widely and ran carelessly to wrap her arms around the extremely surprised Confessor.
"You must be Alys," Denne couldn't help but smile down and the affectionate little girl, who looked up at her with none of the reluctance she could see in the rest of the faces present. "Spirits, your eyes…" she said distractedly as she immediately noticed the striking resemblance they had to her sister's blue eyes.
Dennee cupped the girl's cheek and smiled gently as she took in Alys' features. There was no doubt that this girl looked a lot like her sister, she could easily identify the sweet features she grew up with. But the girl clearly lacked her sister's more reserved nature, she sure had no problem in abording Dennee in such an easy going way that immediately charmed the Confessor.
"You're so beautiful," Dennee said in awe, her eyes watering as the thought that this was her future niece struck her.
"Thank you," Alys said shyly, lowering her eyes and bouncing on her feet.
"I've warned everyone already to stop complementing her," Sarah said in mock reprimand. "You will all pay for this in the future, she won't let you hear the end of it," she teased, but smiled at the sight of her aunt clearly warming up to her little sister.
"Oh shush," Alys shot at her sister as she rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous," she teased while she pulled Dennee by the hand towards the rest of the group.
"Of course," Sarah nodded seriously. "Because that's what I strive for, to be renown by my looks," she glared mockingly at Alys.
"Haven't you girls bickered enough for one day already?" Cara asked in astonishment, after being witness to the back and forth teasing between the two on their way here.
"Something tells me this is just a very small sample," Kahlan said with raised eyebrows, having her suspicions confirmed by the two grinning girls.
"Did you manage to find what I asked?" Zedd cleared his throat and asked Dennee.
"Yes, that's what I was coming to talk to you about," the Confessor confirmed, absentmindedly combing Alys' hair with her fingers.
"What are you talking about?" Kahlan asked in a serious tone, but a smile tugged at her lips at the sight of the interaction between her sister and her daughter; Alys sure charmed anyone in a couple of seconds.
"Zedd asked me to determine if the Triangle of Anuyr was at the Wizard's Keep," Dennee replied to her sister. "From what he told me, it's the amulet you need to travel to the future," she looked at the wizard for confirmation.
"Indeed," Zedd nodded. "The Triangle of Anuyr is most definitely the amulet Farkas used to travel to our time and we will use the one we have here in the Keep to travel to the future and return the girls to their own time," he smiled as he saw the happiness and relief in the girl's eyes.
"So that's it?" Richard asked with a raised eyebrow. "You just need an amulet? No powerful magic of any kind?" the Seeker said in a teasing tone.
"You would do well not to mock me, boy," Zedd chastised. "I'll have you known that to operate this amulet safely and correctly, powerful magic is indeed necessary," he pierced Richard with his gaze. "Or else something could go very wrong," he finished warningly.
"How wrong are we talking about here, wizard?" Cara asked, knowing Zedd's magic could very well go awry and not willing to risk it with the girls.
"It could happen the same thing it happened when they got here," Zedd explained patiently. "They could end up in a very different place than we intend them to go and arrive there separated from each other," he finished, watching the girls' smiles turn to displeased looks.
"Then we go with them and make sure they get where they're suppose to go," Cara stated, clearly finding the solution to this problem very simple.
"That's not advisable, Cara," Zedd warned, already sensing by the impatient intake of breath from the Mord'Sith that she was not going to agree with him. "Witnessing our own future can be dangerous," he repeated what he had said countless times by now.
"What are you so scared of? Arriving there to discover there's no more spices anywhere in the world anymore?" Cara raised her brow.
"I'm not the one who should be scared of what I'll find there," he said looking pointedly at Cara, not one bit amused by the blonde's dry humor.
Cara's jaw tightened at Zedd's comment, knowing perfectly well that the wizard was referring to her own death. But if she was dead in the future there was nothing she could do about it, what she could do was make sure the girls arrived safely where they belonged, to Kahlan's side.
"This is not up for debate," Cara said through gritted teeth. "You will send me there with them and I'll make sure they're safe," Cara looked at Zedd until the wizard lowered his eyes with a sigh.
"And I'm going with you," Kahlan said, making Zedd look back up abruptly and interrupting the wizard when he opened his mouth to speak. "Don't waste your breath Zedd, you know you won't be able to dissuade me," she said with a smile.
"I'm not capable of just standing here and wait for you without knowing if you're okay," Richard also chimed in and put a hand on his grandfather's shoulder. "I guess we are all going, you better find a way to make it happen Zedd," he grinned at the exasperated wizard.
"This is not in any way responsible!" Zedd threw is hands up in exasperation. "Is this the example you want to give to these girls?" he tried one last time to make them change their minds.
"I would actually fell safer if you all came with us," Alys said sweetly and batted her eyelashes up at Zedd.
"Don't think that I'm not seeing through your manipulation, young lady," Zedd squinted down suspiciously at the smiling girl. "But I'll allow it this time," he conceded.
"As if you weren't doing the same with that example speech and whatnot," Alys scoffed at the wizard with a roll of her eyes, making the others snicker.
"I already agreed!" Zedd cleared his throat awkwardly. "Let's drop the subject," he said as the others looked knowingly at him, also seeing though his attempt at swaying them.
"So, all we need is to fetch this amulet from the Keep?" Richard inquired.
"That and I still need to do a little research on it," Zedd said pensively. "Bringing this many people through the time portal is not as easy as you fools think," he mumbled. "And since you're so eager to help, you should come with me," Zedd told Richard, who readily nodded.
"I'll also go with you," Dennee said, both wanting to make sure everything would be available to the wizard and wanting to get out of the room, it was too soon to converse like nothing had happened.
Sarah watched the three of them walk out of the room with a thoughtful look as she worried her bottom lip. Listening to her instincts, she excused herself and followed them outside.
"Aunt Dennee?" Sarah called after the Confessor, making them all halt and turn to her.
"Go ahead," Dennee told the two men. "I'll meet you there," she assured and turned to face Sarah, not without some apprehension.
"Everything will be okay, you know?" Sarah said softly as she came to stand close to Dennee, smiling sadly when the Confessor lowered her eyes to the floor.
"What do you mean?" Dennee asked in an equally soft tone, her eyes staring blankly at the marble beneath her feet.
"You and my mothers will eventually make up," she clarified, watching a shadow pass over Dennee's eyes.
"I'm not so sure," the Confessor closed her eyes briefly. "What I did was…" she sighed and shook her head regretfully.
"Well, I can actually say that I am sure," Sarah smiled encouragingly. "Because where I'm from it has already happened," she said gently but with a hint of humor.
"You mean, in your future we get along?" Dennee asked hopefully, finally lifting her eyes to face the teen.
"In our future you get along very well," Sarah nodded. "Even with her," Sarah said, trusting her aunt knew she was referring to Cara.
Dennee sighed and stared at the door behind which was the blonde Mord'Sith. With what she had seen and heard when she had confessed the blonde and from what her sister had told her yesterday, she was already seeing Cara in a different light. How could she not, when the woman, to her great surprise, had asked Kahlan for mercy in her behalf, when all she expected was an agiel to her heart in the middle of the night.
"You know, it's really strange," Dennee started as she looked closely at Sarah. "When I look at you, I see her face; your eyes especially, shine a green that is almost identical to hers," she continued, daring to cup Sarah's cheek gently. "But when I look closely and see past the color, all I can see is my sister looking back at me," she marveled. "You remind me of her when she was your age, always collected but it was a calm that hid a fiery soul."
"People tell me often I behave more and more like my mother as I grow up," Sarah smiled proudly. "I guess I don't want to let her down, I know what my responsibilities are and I want to do right by our people," she said solemnly.
"Yes, that sense of responsibility and duty is exactly what drove my sister since we arrived here at Aydindril," Dennee nodded with a distant look, recalling the past. "I can see already that you have the same qualities," she smiled approvingly.
"Thank you," Sarah said. "It means a lot to me to me to hear you say that," she smiled.
"I'm sorry for having imprisoned you when you got here," Denne apologized.
"You did the right thing, I actually should be thanking you," Sarah dismissed her aunt's apology. "I was in the Con Dar and I know I hurt a lot of guards, either with my weapon or, even worse, by confessing them," she sighed. "So, I'm glad someone stopped me."
"My sister must be extremely proud of you," Dennee smiled. "You certainly are a fine young woman," she smiled wider when Sarah ducked her head shyly and shrugged sheepishly.
"So, are you girls excited to finally get back to your own time?" Kahlan asked from her seat at a large divan against the wall.
After the others had left and Sarah had returned to the room, the four of them settled in to have some time to themselves. It was obvious the girls wouldn't be with them for much longer and she knew she would miss them, so she wanted to enjoy every second they had left. Judging by the relaxed posture and attentive way the blonde next to her listened to the girls, she guessed Cara was feeling the same as her.
"Yes!" Alys said as she kept jumping up and down on the divan she was sharing with her sister, opposite the one her mothers were sitting on.
"Will you stop jumping on the furniture, please?" Sarah said as she pushed her sister back down in a sitting position.
"Spirits, stop saying things like that," Alys complained. "You sound like them," Alys pointed at their mothers, who were watching them with amusement.
"Someone has to, since they don't sound exactly like what we're use to," Sarah chuckled. "I'd really love to see you do that back home in front of mother," Sarah said challengingly and grinned when Alys just shook her head with wide eyes. "Exactly my point."
"You mother is very strict then?" Cara asked with a side glance at Kahlan.
"This is not being strict, it's simple etiquette," Sarah said, receiving an approving nod form Kahlan.
"It's boring, it's what it is," Alys huffed, making the others laugh.
"Sitting tightly might be boring but this adventure of yours was anything but," Kahlan commented. "Are you both okay with everything that happened to you here? Is there anything you want to talk to us about?" she asked gently, looking between both girls.
"I guess we both grew up a bit here," Sarah started with a pensive look. "I for once discovered that my magic allows me to do a lot more than I thought," she said in awe.
"And I didn't give up," Alys said softly, looking at her feet.
"What do you mean, sweetie?" Kahlan asked with a slight frown, knowing by the sudden serious look on the little girl that the comment had a deeper meaning than it appeared.
"Remember what mom used to tells us?" Alys turned to Sarah. "That we should never give up, especially when it seems like we should or seems like there's no other option?" Alys explained as Sarah nodded with a small smile of understanding. "I think I never really understood what she meant by that, seemed like something easy enough to do, so I never understood why she always insisted on repeating that to us."
"But you were never put on situation where you had to fight for your own survival before," Cara interjected knowingly, guessing the little girl went through a reality shock like never before in her short life.
"That's it," Alys said as if Cara had put her thoughts into words when she was having a hard time doing it herself. "When I was tied down on that hut, with that stupid Rada'Han around my neck and those two staring me down I was really scared," Alys recalled, leaning into her sister as the teen moved closer and pulled her into a side hug. "Then I remembered what mom used to say and thought that I couldn't let things just happen to me, I had to do something, anything seemed like a better option than just sitting there crying," she shrugged meekly.
"That thought gave you hope," Kahlan smiled. "We should never lose hope, no matter how dark a situation looks at any given moment."
"And it gave you the best kind of hope," Cara added. "Hope in yourself, that you can always find a way to turn your luck around," she smiled at the little blonde.
"I guess I know what mom meant now, but…" Alys looked down sadly.
"But what?" Sarah prompted, leaning to catch her sister's eyes.
"But I'll never get the chance to tell her," Alys looked up at Sara with watering eyes.
Sarah didn't know what to say to that, she was dealing with the same sentiment after all, so all she did was pull her sister close to her in a comforting hug, as much for the little girl's benefit as to her own.
Kahlan's heart broke at the sight of the two distraught girls. She would do anything to not see these two girls so upset, but this was something she couldn't fix and there was little comfort she could give them. She knew this was only the beginning, when they got to their own time and were truly confronted by the absence of their mother, Kahlan knew the pain they were feeling now was only going to intensify. She prayed that her future self found the strength to help them grieve. She was about to get up and reach for the girls, when a gentle hand on her knee stopped her. Looking at Cara, she watched her lover get up and kneel before her daughters.
"Listen, both of you," Cara said as she pierced them with an intense look. "I know I'm not your mother, not yet the person that raised you and was with you everyday of your lives, but she can't be that much different from me, not when it comes to what I value and the way I see you," she said calmly, having the full attention of both girls and Kahlan. "And what you are is so much more than I could ever imagine any daughter of mine could be. You are only children, even you," she pointed out when Sarah raised an eyebrow at her. "And yet you are already so strong, resilient and you show an intelligence that is well beyond what is expected of someone your age. And I can see you strive every day to better yourselves. So, I'm absolutely sure that your mother was proud of you, I know that because that's what I feel when I look at you both," she finished, wiping the girls' tears in silence as she let them process what she had just told them.
"Thank you," Sarah whispered after a while. "You have no idea what it means to us to hear you say that," she sniffed, but a small smile brightened her face.
"You're the best," Alys said as she hopped off the divan and hugged Cara.
"Yes, well," Cara cleared her throat. "I seem to recall someone being hungry before," Cara said to lighten the mood. As if on cue Alys' stomach grumbled loudly and made them all laugh.
"How about you go to the kitchen and ask them to bring something here?" Kahlan suggested Alys, trying to give the girl something other to focus on.
"Good idea," Sarah agreed, looking at her sister. "I'll go with you to make sure there's no detours," she teased the blonde. "But go on ahead, I'll catch up with you," she said, but sighed when Alys stopped in her tracks to look back at her.
"Why?" Alys asked suspiciously, thinking that if her sister wanted to talk to their mothers alone it couldn't be anything good.
"Don't worry," Sarah assured the blonde, noticing her apprehension. "It's nothing, just go."
"Are you sure it's nothing?" Alys pressed, her hands going to her hips, still suspicious and worried.
"Don't make me kick you out, little thing," Sarah warned. "Because you know I will."
"Okay, then, I'll go," Alys agreed, albeit still reluctantly.
Once Alys had exited the room, Sarah looked back at her mothers and tried to collect her thoughts, wondering how she should go about what was bothering her and, due to the nature of the subject, she definitely didn't want to talk about this in front of her sister and risk upsetting the girl.
"Whatever it is, just say it," Cara told the nervous teen, trying to put her at ease.
"You know where I ended up when I came to the past, right?" Sarah asked them.
"In a Mord'Sith temple," Cara said slowly, furrowing her brow in anticipation of what Sarah was going to tell them.
"I know how Mord'Sith are… trained," Sarah started slowly. "I mean, I thought I knew, but having been there puts things into a whole new perspective," she said, looking at Cara.
"What do you mean?" Cara asked, not sure she really wanted to know.
"How did you do it?" Sarah asked.
"Do what?" Cara asked, not sure what Sarah was trying to ask.
"Be who you are when you went through all that?" Sarah clarified.
"You mean my training?" Cara asked.
"Training is what I do," Sarah said with raised eyebrows. "That was torture," she said with a gulp.
"It was what it was," Cara shrugged dismissively. "I know exactly what you must have been through when you were at that temple, it couldn't have been easy, even with your ability to withstand pain," Cara said.
"I really wasn't. Getting back to Alys was what kept me focused," Sarah said. "They had me hung from chains, beating me over and over until I didn't even know if it was day or night," she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I got my resistance to pain and my subtractive magic from birth and consistent training, but you had it beaten into you," she frowned.
"That's how all Mord'Sith are made," Cara tilted her head, wondering what her daughter was getting at since she knew that already.
"And living in a temple? That's certainly not fun," she continued with wide eyes. "The scheming, the power plays, the backstabbing… you can't trust your own shadow in there," she shook her head disbelievingly.
"What's your point, Sarah?" Cara questioned, knowing all the teen was saying was true but still not entirely comfortable with discussing her life before joining Richard's quest.
"My point is," Sarah took a deep breath. "How could you grow up in places like those, in those conditions, and still be capable of love? How do you come out of abuse like that and turn into an amazing human being?"
That took Cara by surprise. She was ready to defend the way she was trained, even knowing she went through terrible things and her mentor made her do even worse things, she still took pride in what she had become, strong and in control. But Sarah didn't want to debate the righteousness of the Mord'Sith training, she just wanted to know how she had overcome it, when it was almost expected that she would become someone completely different.
"I joined Richard's endless quest. But your mother was definitely the one who had the biggest impact in me and the way I viewed the world," Cara explained, noticing Kahlan turn to face her. "Slowly and very patiently, she showed me there was more to myself than even I could see," she revealed, glancing at Kahlan and looking back at her daughter.
"It still astonishes me," Sarah sighed. "I'm used to be around Mord'Sith. When I think about being a Mord'Sith, I think about discipline, resilience, strength, endurance… but I guess I attributed that to the Mord'Sith that surround me, the people they are, I never thought much about the way you were all trained," Sarah said with some difficulty. "Do you get what I mean?"
"Yes," Kahlan spoke for the first time, not wanting to interrupt them both till now. "We are used to see factions. I was always told that the Mord'Sith were my biggest enemies and I firmly and unquestionably believed that, until I was forced to coexist with one," Kahlan glanced at Cara with a soft smile. "Then I stopped seeing a sisterhood that embodied everything I stood against and just saw a woman, that against all odds turned into a friend and then into the other half of my soul."
"I guess I started were you ended," Sarah chuckled. "I only see the woman who raised me, someone that was always there for me and showed me love with every look and even with every reproach," she grinned at Cara. "I never let myself think much about what you had been through, what you were a part of, before I existed."
"I don't know what I'll be like years from now," Cara took a long breath as she pondered her words. "I am proud to be a Mord'Sith, but that's not all I am, you understand?" she asked, looking closely at Sarah.
"I guess it does all come down to choices," she said with a small laugh. "That's something you always told me, that choices make us who we are," she recalled. "That's how you overcame all that darkness, wasn't it? You chose to," she smiled.
"She's right," Kahlan said to Cara. "I may have helped you see things from a new perspective, but you chose to follow the voice already inside you that told you to make the right choices," she nodded with a smile. "You would never do anything just because I told you to, deep down you agreed with me."
"I guess I always had a tendency to question everything around me," Cara smirked, making the brunettes chuckle. "But yes, that sums it up quiet nicely, in the end, it's always a choice."
"I'm sorry to bring all this up," Sarah shrugged as she got up from her seat. "It's just that it was bothering me and I had to ask before we went back," she sighed and looked at the ground, not needing to explain that she wouldn't get a chance to ask Cara once she got back to her own time. "I better go look for Alys, that girl could have set the kitchen on fire by now," she smiled and turned to walk away, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm.
"If you need to talk about anything else, fell free to come to us," Cara said softly.
"I know," Sarah nodded, her smile widening. "Thank you, mom," she said as she hugged Cara and then went in search of her sister.
"We'll wait here for you," Kahlan called after the Sarah, the teen giving her a nod over her shoulder as she walked out.
Kahlan turned her gaze to the standing Cara and her smile fell a little. The blonde had her back to her and was very quiet, which let Kahlan known the talk had shaken her more than she was letting on. Calmly, not wanting to pressure her lover, she stood and hugged her gently from behind, giving the blonde silent comfort until she was ready to talk.
"How do you do that?" Cara asked after a pause, putting her arms over Kahlan's.
"Do what?" Kahlan asked back with a small smile, resting her chin on her lover's shoulder.
"Know when not to say anything," Cara replied. "I thought your forte were words," the blonde smiled.
"Not when it comes to you," Kahlan said. "With you, words are not the strongest form of communication or comfort," she revealed, kissing the blonde's cheek.
"I appreciate that, you know?" Cara said, turning in Kahlan's arms. "I never had someone in my life that bothered to look past what I say and see what I mean instead, even when I don't even know if myself," she chuckled.
"Lucky for you I'm very stubborn, don't scare easily and can hear what you don't say," Kahlan smiled gently and sighed. "Like now," she hinted and watched Cara lower her eyes. "You're scared," she whispered and caressed Cara's cheek with the back of her hand.
"It's just… hard," Cara said haltingly, sending a silent thanks to Kahlan when the brunette didn't point out that she didn't deny she was scared, something she never in her life admitted to or really felt. "I can see what I'll have in the future, with the girls and you, and yet I also know that I'll lose it all. I refuse to let that knowledge control my life but…twenty years seem like less and less time the more I think about it," she revealed, biting her lower lip and taking a shuddering breath.
"I know exactly what you mean," Kahlan said softly. "You're not the only one who feels proud, you know?" she continued, combing Cara's hair away from her face. "I don't even have the words to tell you how much I'm proud of you and how much you changed. Letting yourself be hardened by life is easy, happens to everyone of us sooner or later, but you managed to do the opposite, which is so much harder," Kahlan said, resting her forehead on Cara's. "You opened your heart to love and came out of the safety of your emotional walls to be with me, even if every instinct of survival you relied upon until now told you to do otherwise; that's real strength and that's the woman who I'm going to built a life and a family with," she continued, placing a gentle kiss on Cara's cheek and looked into the blonde's watering eyes. "We won't be counting down the time we have together, death is inevitable, we'll live and cherish every second of it, together," she finished and kissed Cara slowly, every unguarded emotion pouring into the kiss.
Cara pulled Kahlan closer to her, roaming her hands over the brunette's sides and back as she deepened the kiss. The brunette's delicate lips never failed to ground her, when she kissed Kahlan the world around her disappeared and the worried voice in her head dimed down to a faint whisper. She pulled slightly away from Kahlan to look deep into blue eyes and admitted to herself that she had to agree with the wizard, knowing your future could do more harm than good sometimes, but the love and trust she could see in the blue orbs chased away any shadows inside her. Cara didn't reply to Kahlan, she didn't need to, the brunette never needed words to understand her. Instead, she pulled Kahlan back into a kiss, letting her lips talk in a language that was unique between the both of them.
The Mother Confessor tightened her hands around the reigns of her horse as she looked over the expanse of her army under the light of the morning. Looking to her right she could see a sea of red, the banners of the house of Rahl flying in the wind as the thousands of soldiers waited for their Lord's command to attack. Turning to look back directly ahead of her, she could see the commander of her own army at the front, the war horse carrying the imposing figure while last orders were being given. As per everyone's agreement, but not to Kahlan's liking, she was to stay in the rearguard; since she was the main target of their enemies, it would be foolish of them to offer her on a platter.
Beyond all this was the army of the Blood of the Fold. Tents were all around her city, where they had been mounting siege to them for days, surely waiting for Farkas to fulfil his end of the plan, but since she was still alive and well, she guessed things hadn't been as easy as the wizard had anticipated. The numbers of the Blood of the Fold were still high, higher than she ever expected, which had forced Aydindril to ask help from D'Hara. As expected, Lord Rahl readily answered her call and had come to her aid. She tried any other way to get her daughters back without resorting to a war, but nor Zedd or all of the other wizards of the council were able to find a solution. Berdine refused to give up, she had requested that Kahlan allowed her to continue searching the various scrolls and old books in the Wizard's Keep in hopes of yet finding a solution, to which Kahlan had agreed; the Mord'Sith's loyalty and affection to her daughters always warmed her heart, she couldn't have asked for better protectors to her girls. So here she was now, ready to face their enemies in battle, nor only to bring her daughters back, but to put an end to a dangerous coup and blind fanatism. She had to stop these people, ones that let themselves be manipulated by power driven lunatics and put at risk the foundations of the law, the law that kept the Midlands safe and just, the law she swore to uphold.
"Sound the signal," the Mother Confessor spoke in a clear voice and a second after a war horn was heard all over the field, initiating what was sure to be a bloody, but unavoidable, confrontation.
Kahlan was sitting with her head on Cara's shoulder, her body leaning against the blonde's while they listened to one more of Alys' tales. The girls had returned for a while now and after they had a little snack, much to Alys' contentment, they sat together talking for the better part of the morning. She was marveled with this peaceful moment, it wasn't often on their quest that they could just sit and talk, so it made her smile when she thought that she would get many moments like these in the future. The door opening ended her musings and they all looked to see Zedd and Richard enter.
"Zedd," Kahlan addressed the wizard as she sat up, smiling inwardly when Cara's hand moved from her side to the small of her back, clearly looking to maintain some kind of contact. "How did it go with the amulet?" she asked.
"I checked out some details that I needed and I'm happy with what I found," Zedd nodded, sharing a smile with Richard. "I can make it work; we can take the girls home."
"The girls and an escort?" Cara asked pointedly.
"Yes, Cara," Zedd confirmed with a good-natured smile, as if he was already expecting the Mord'Sith to say this. "We can all go with them and make sure they arrive safe and sound," he nodded to a pleased Cara.
"When?" Sarah questioned eagerly.
"As soon we discuss one last, very important, detail," Zedd said more serious.
"More waiting then," Alys said in a deflated tone.
"Have patience, my child. Travelling through time is not like creating some fireworks to amuse ourselves," Zedd said warningly. "Creator helps us, I still don't like this plan," he sighed and rubbed his forehead while he sat down next to Sarah.
"And I still don't care what you think," Cara said as she tilted her head at Zedd. "What is it now?" she asked with an impatient sigh.
"Simply put, we need to forget our time there and the girls' time here," Zedd explained.
"You mean, we'll forget we ever met the girls?" Kahlan asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Zedd thinks it's best we forget we ever met them and what we might eventually see when we go to the future," Richard said, leaning on the divan her grandfather was sat on and crossing his arms with a pensive expression.
"I agree," Cara said, surprising everyone, especially Zedd. "Some things aren't meant to be known before they happen," she nodded reluctantly, purposefully avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Once again you surprise me, my dear," Zedd smiled, not wanting to bring attention to what he suspected were Cara's reasons for her agreement, but thankful for it. "When we get back, we'll drink a potion of forgetfulness and we'll be none the wiser."
"What about Dennee?" Kahlan asked. "And the wizards I banished? The people form Aydindril may not know who the girls truly are, but they do, couldn't that be dangerous?"
"We thought the same thing," Richard nodded. "That's why we agreed with Dennee that she'll find them and make them drink the potion too, one way or the other, only then will she drink it herself," Richard explained their plan, smiling at Kahlan's satisfied look.
"And what exactly will we be forgetting?" Kahlan insisted, glancing at Cara before focusing on Zedd. "Since the girls came into our lives a lot of things happened, will our memories just be reset back to the day we first met Alys?" Kahlan asked worriedly, not wanting to forget a single moment she had spent with Cara since then, especially the progress of their relationship and what they had discovered about the safety of the expression of their love physically.
"Don't worry, Kahlan," Zedd assuaged with an understanding smile. "We'll only be forgetting the girls' presence, but any other experience we had and knowledge we acquired will still remain, just morphed in a way that doesn't involve the presence of any of the girls," he explained and looked around to see understanding in everyone's faces.
"So, you just have to brew this forgetfulness potion and we're good to go?" Sarah asked.
"Yes," Zedd confirmed, looking at the teen. "I already asked Dennee to send someone to get the ingredients I'll need from town," he informed, looking at Kahlan inquiringly and smiling when the Confessor nodded her approval.
"Does that mean we get to go today or that the potion takes ages to make?" Alys asked with a frown, not wanting to be excited again just to be told she was still days away from getting back home.
"The potion it's powerful, but simple to make," Zedd chuckled. "If everyone agrees, we have the means to go today, as soon as this afternoon," he said, smiling at the girls' clear enthusiasm.
"Can we go today?" Alys got up in one jump and stood in front of her mothers. "Please? Can we?" she bounced slightly, her eyes pleading her mothers to agree.
"I don't see why not," Kahlan raised her brow and looked at Cara to gather her opinion.
"Me neither," Cara shrugged and barely had time to catch Alys as the girl threw herself in between her and Kahlan, managing to hug them both at the same time.
"Thank you," Alys said and stood back up, looking at her sister with a big grin.
"Thank the Creator," Sarah breathed out. "No offense to any of you, but we've been here long enough," she chuckled.
"We get it," Kahlan said reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be home very soon," she smiled and turned to look at Cara.
Despite the Mord'Sith's amazing ability to conceal her emotions, Kahlan could see the slight apprehension in the blonde's eyes. She took Cara's hand and squeezed reassuringly, noticing Cara look back at her with gratitude in her eyes. The look of understanding that passed between them made Kahlan's heart swell, they were getting really good at this talking without words. She smiled at Cara and turned back to the others, her hand never leaving Cara's.
The battle was gruesome, loud and violent, like every battle there was. But in face of the combined armies of the Midlands and D'Hara, the Blood of the Fold ended up succumbing. Kahlan had to admire the organized and tactically clever way in witch the combined armies moved; she made a mental note to commend the ones in charge of both the planning and execution of the attack. Lives had been lost today, but with the way the attack was executed, she was sure they had lost the least amount possible.
"Mother Confessor," a fast approaching soldier on horseback shouted, taking her attention away from the dying down battle in front of her. "The wizard Zedd sent me to warn you that Farkas is back in our time," he relayed with panting breaths.
"Quick, go warn the commander leading the team in charge of hunting him down," the Mother Confessor ordered, knowing the amulet Zedd was using to sense when Farkas returned to their time had warned him of the wanted wizard's presence. "You know who it is?" she asked just to make sure there were no mistakes when they certainly had little time to catch the wizard before he went back to the past again.
"I do, Mother Confessor," the soldier nodded and took off at full speed, in the direction of the battlefront.
Kahlan was still watching the rider go when a familiar sequence of horn sounds was heard through the battlefield. This was the signal she was waiting for; they had captured Erator, the leader of the Blood of the Fold. Now it was finally her turn to move. With a look at the men from the Home Guard surrounding her, she spurred her horse forward at full gallop, going through the soldiers still engaged in combat, but it was clear that the Blood of the Fold were already retreating. She guided her horse towards the Rahl banner she could make out rising above the soldiers and sure enough, she met Richard under it.
"Let's see what you have to say to the Mother Confessor," Richard was saying when Kahlan halted her horse near them and took a moment to assess the situation from the height the animal allowed.
Erator was kneeling in front of Richard, his nose was bleeding, most certainly a curtesy of Richard's fist. Several men dressed with the Blood of the Fold colors were around them, some being kept on their knees by D'Haran soldiers and most dead on the ground. The Sword of Truth was still pointing menacingly at Erator's throat, the blade glowing like fire, a testament to Richard's growing anger.
"Mother Confessor, how nice of you to join us," Erator said with venom, spitting blood on the floor.
"Where is Farkas?" Kahlan ignored the man's provocation, going straight to what she wanted to know as she dismounted and approached him.
"I won't tell you anything, you whore," Erator spat before hissing as a sharp blade was pressed against his neck.
"You will not talk like that to the Mother Confessor," Richard warned, pressing his sword until it broke skin.
"I am a soldier," Erator stared defiantly at Richard. "Swords don't scare me," he smirked grotesquely.
"I can think of something more dangerous than a blade that could be pressed against your neck," Kahlan said calmly, contrasting greatly to the way she really felt. "And it will certainly make you answer my questions."
"You have no right to threaten me," Erator replied, refusing to back down. "I deserve a trial, you have no right-"
"I judge you, not the other way around," Kahlan's voice boomed with authority over his as she took two quick steps and closed her hand around his throat. "And you deserve nothing," she said, staring deep into his suddenly fearful eyes as she let her power flow though her and consume this traitor.
"Command me, Confessor," Erator predictively said after his eyes stopped swirling with black.
"Where is Farkas?" Kahlan asked icily.
"I don't know, mistress," he bowed his head in shame. "The last time I heard from him, he had managed to capture your youngest daughter in the past. But since then, nothing."
"Capture? What do you mean, capture?" Kahlan demanded, a hint of fear in her voice. "What did he do to her? To what purpose?"
"He has her chained in a cabin near Aydindril," Erator replied readily. "Used a Rada'Han to bind her power and have Mord'Sith guarding her. He intends to blackmail your younger self into trading her life for the life of your daughter," he explained.
Kahlan's heart stopped. If she was still alive, that meant her younger self was still safe, which in turn could only mean that Alys was most likely still a prisoner. If the wizard was here now, they had to find him fast, Alys' life was in danger.
"Farkas is in our time right now," Kahlan told the confessed man. "Where does he go when he travels here?" she questioned, her fists closing in anger and worry.
"I don't know, mistress," Eratos shook her head. "We communicate mostly through a book where I register everything, so he spends the least amount of time here," the man said with regret. "I have no idea where he comes from, forgive me," he shook his head and lowered his eyes.
"We need to find him," Kahlan turned to Richard, her desperation well concealed and only noticeable to her old friend.
"They already left to search for him, as we planned," Richard said, his hand resting reassuringly on Kahlan's shoulder. "The map Sebastian made with his machine to find the Triangle of Anuyr will lead them right to Farkas, he needs the Triangle to travel through time so he'll have it with him," he reminded the increasingly distraught Confessor of the plans they had made beforehand.
"He caught Alys, Richard," Kahlan closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and not lose it in front of the soldiers. "He has my baby girl in chains, with a Rada'Han around her neck," she hissed, a rogue tear ran down her face as she tried to get herself together.
"We'll get her Kahlan," Richard took hold of both her shoulders and looked Kahlan in the eyes, trying to convey as much confidence as he could. "We'll get them both," he said with firm nod.
Kahlan hopped he was right, because she wasn't sure she could take much more of this. The stress she was under in the last days was wearing her down slowly but surely; she needed to find her girls and she needed to do it now.
Kahlan entered the Wizard's keep, preceded by two very eager girls. Sarah and Alys were walking ahead of them, clearly knowing their way around, while she, Cara and Richard followed them inside the huge building to meet Zedd at the library. The wizard had summoned them all there, apparently having finished all the necessary preparations for their trip to the future.
"Is everything ready, Zedd?" Sarah asked, looking around the assortment of vials on the nearest table.
"Yes, I've prepared enough potion for all of us, except you two, of course," the wizard said, looking at both girls. "I have the Triangle of Anuyr with me," he said, showing the amulet already in his hand. "So, we're set to go as soon as everyone is ready," he finished with a nod.
"Why do it here?" Cara asked, looking around the tall walls and shelves, most of which were filled with books. "Shouldn't we do this outside the city?"
"I thought that since we are already here and this is a place of magic, it would aid me with my precision when I focus on the place we want to go to, which is this same library in the future," Zedd explained. "And we would already be closer to the Palace, without risking popping in the middle of the Chair room," he raised his brow as he conveyed his logic.
"And that way avoiding alerting the multiple guards stationed on the Palace or avoid being recognized on our way inside the city," Kahlan guessed without difficulty, receiving a confirming nod from Zedd.
"So your plan is to sneak in there through the library?" Cara asked, making sure they were all in the same page.
"Yes, I don't anticipate that the inside of the library of the Wizard's Keep will be overridden with soldiers," Zedd said, looking at Sarah for confirmation.
"Normally they are stationed only at the entrance," Sarah explained. "The Keep is not the most crowded place in Aydindril, seems like the safest way in," she agreed.
"Can we go already?!" Alys interrupted, throwing her arms up in frustration.
"We better," Richard chuckle. "Or someone will combust from excitement," he said as he looked at Alys.
"Do you need anything else from me, Zedd?" Dennee asked, being already there when the others arrived.
"No, just what we discussed," Zedd said, giving her a few vials with a blue liquid. "Find the wizards from the former council and make them take one," he repeated the instructions he had already given her.
"And only then do I take my own," Dennee finished with a nod before turning to Kahlan. "They left yesterday so they can't be far from here. I'll make sure this is done, don't worry," she told her sister.
"I know, Dennee," Kahlan said without any doubt. "I trust you," she smiled.
"Then let's get this show on the road," Zedd clapped his hands once. "The rest of the potion will remain here, we'll take it when we come back," he explained as the others nodded.
Zedd held the Triangle of Anuyr with his two hands and walked a couple of paces away from the others. He raised his arms and started to speak in a strange language, his voice growing louder as the conjuring progressed. Before their eyes, a light appeared, fluctuating midair. The light started to expand gradually, as Zedd kept chanting, and eventually it formed a portal. A similar room could be seen on the other side.
"Well, who wants to be the first one through?" Zedd asked, panting a little from the exertion of the magic.
"I'll go," Cara said, already walking towards the portal, but stopped just in front of it and turned to Zedd. "If I end up on top of a mountain somewhere, it will take me a while, but I'll get back to you and I'll snap your neck," she said to the wizard with a stoic expression.
"Seems reasonable to me," Zedd agreed and motioned with his hand for Cara to go through.
Once Cara stepped into the portal, she felt a shiver run down her spine, but other than that it was no different than walking through the threshold of a door. She looked carefully around, noticing with relief that she was not in a mountain but in a room identical to the one she come from. After making sure there were no immediate threats in the room, she looked back at the others and nodded.
"That seems a lot more stable than the portal Farkas created," Sarah commented, noticing that when she first went through a portal, she couldn't see what was on the other side, but now she clearly saw Cara standing there waiting.
"Don't forget I'm a wizard of the First Order, my child," Zedd puffed out his chest. "My mastery with magic is greater than that of lesser wizards," he wiggled his eyebrows.
"When you're done patting yourself on the back, feel free to follow," Cara told Zedd in a low voice, not wanting to attract unwanted attention, but her piercing green eyes spoke volumes of her impatience.
One by one, the rest of the group followed Cara through the portal, having much the same experience as the blonde Mord'Sith. When all of them were on the same side, Zedd closed the portal with a couple of whispered words and stored the Triangle of Anuyr in his robes.
"Now what?" Cara asked in a loud whisper, looking expectantly at the others.
Cara was still not sure they were where they were supposed to be and she did not like the unknown. Looking at Kahlan and seeing the same light apprehension in the brunette's eyes, she hopped Zedd had really managed to take them to the right time, or else, there was no telling what they would find here; it could go well… or it could go very wrong.