ANThanks for the great feedback. I apologise for the delay in update...i will be posting a new chapter every couple of days until the end :) Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5

As Kahlan stirs she feels a dwindling peace swirling surreptitiously around her. That moment between dreaming and reality. As always, the moment is fleeting, but flawless, peaceful, perfect. The beauty of a new day, a new start, tabula rasa.

It's not the pain she notices first. Not her aching broken ribs nor the stinging gash on her leg, or the lingering agony from Cara's agiel. Instead it's the startling, unusual, sensation of a warm body curled next to hers, fingers caressing her hair. It is a feeling she has not felt for a long time. People don't usually get up close to confessors. Not even Richard. Kahlan never could work out if he was just afraid one or both of them would lose control, or if he was using that to hide the fact he was afraid of her in general. Like most everyone else. That is harsh, Kahlan realises. She kept Richard at arms length. She maintained the distance. For her own sanity. But she kept Cara at a further distance, but Cara is here, next to her, and Kahlan doesn't want to move. It feels nice, nice enough that she forgets for a fleeting moment the darkness descending upon her day by day, the impossible choice, the wheels she has set into action that can not be stopped.

So she lies there, with her eyes closed, pretending she is asleep, pretending she is ok.

Finally she shifts slightly, as the pain in her leg returns, and she can not remain still a moment longer.

Cara moves abruptly "Sorry." She mumbles backing away quickly "Was I hurting you?"

"No.." Kahlan stammers. Almost wanting to ask Cara to lay back down beside her.

But is is too late for that. Cara is up, shaking out her bed roll. "It was cold last night, I didn't want you to catch a chill after everything else." Cara rushes a little too quickly to explain her close proximity.

"Oh" Kahlan acknowledges, looking downwards in the humble way a confessor is taught to do. "Thank you."

"How is your leg?" Cara asks. Cara says "leg" but she doesn't really care about the leg. She knows the leg will be fine. She did a great job healing the wound. It will hurt like hell for a while. But it will recover and Kahlan doesn't seem to mind the physical pain.

"Its better. It's fine. Thank you. You did a very good job." Kahlan says sincerely, but casts her eyes to the ground in shame as she remembers the way she had forced Cara's hand. Cara must think she childish, and quite mad.

"I'm sorry, I made you do that." Kahlan acknowledges.

"You could have just asked me. Didn't have to go to all that trouble." Cara tells her, slight annoyance in her tone. "You are lucky you didn't bleed to death, and then where would I be? Hmm? When Zedd and Richard turn up and you're a bloody corpse on the ground. Not even the breath of life will work if you lose too much blood, and don't go getting any ideas, either!" She adds

Cara's words sting more that a little. As if Cara's only concern was Richards reaction to her lifeless corpse.

"Sorry." Kahlan repeats. "I said I was sorry."

"It's fine. Next time just try being straight with me, There are a hundred ways I could have knocked you out for the night if that's what you wanted."

Kahlan nods in acknowledgement, wondering just what Cara really would have done if Kahlan had said "Please Cara, I can't take it anymore, please knock me out"

"What time is it?" Kahlan asks, and attempt to deflect the conversation.

"After noon. You slept for hours. I was getting worried." Cara admitted. "I hope you feel better."

There was a sincerity in Cara's words that made Kahlan's eyes sparkle with tears, which she viciously fought to blink back.

"Kahlan?" Cara asks, tenderly putting her hand on Kahlan's shoulder.

"Please don't." Kahlan asks.

"Don't what?"

"Just leave it alone Cara, please?"

Cara pauses a moment, looking into the Mother Confessor's eyes, and then the Mord Sith gives that slight nod of agreement. Its a subtle gesture, and if you didn't know Cara you wouldn't even notice the crooked nod, the raised eyebrow. But Kahlan knows that look. It was a sincere agreement between them. Kahlan trusts it, trusts Cara, and there are very few things she trusts in that moment.

"I made breakfast. Tried to. Not much to choose from, but it's food. " Cara changes the subject.

"I'm not hungry, thank you."

"You really should eat. I found some leaves over the other side of the clearing, they are supposed to be good for taking away pain.

"Thank you for the trouble, Cara, I really can't eat now. Im still so tired." Kahlan explains.

"Lie down, go back to sleep." Cara tells her gently.

"There must be something I can do?" Kahlan insists. It is not in her nature to do nothing.

"With your leg half cut off and at least 4 broken ribs? Not really." Cara tells her bluntly.

Kahlan hates the idea of being useless. It grated upon her. Especially because it was largely self inflicted injury that had made her so.

"Will you be ok for a minute if I go get some more wood for the fire?" Cara asks.

Kahlan wants to laugh. She is the Mother Confessor for crying out loud, injured or not she can take care of herself, and she wants to tell Cara so. But the fact is, she doesn't want Cara to leave.

Kahlan struggles to her feet valiantly, choosing a long branch from the ground as a walking aid. "Let me come with you. I promise not to slow you down much, the walk will be good for my leg." Kahlan offers. With only a hint of desperation behind the words.

"Rest will be better." Cara answers a little too swiftly,before she sees something in Kahlan's eyes, as if Kahlan doesn't want to be alone. As if she is … afraid. And one thing Cara knows more than any other thing is her duty. To Richard and by extension To Kahlan. To protect her and keep her safe until Zedd and Richard return.

"We can go later, plenty of time to get firewood. I'm a bit tired too." Cara tells her. It's not with effort that Cara speaks. Not like the time Kahlan had been injured, and refused to slow down, to stop, and Cara had been forced to declare that she was the one who needed rest. She said it at the time, laced with sarcasm. This time it is sincere. And the tone of her voice unsettles the both of them.

"Better to go now, before the the sun goes down." Kahlan speaks quite logially.

"I guess you could help point out good pieces of kindling." Cara adds, kindly, trying to make a purpose for Kahlan to come with her before Kahlan starts crying, or begging, or slashing her body parts. Speaking of, Kahlan takes that moment to instintively reach to her boots for her knives. Both gone, and her sword.

Before Kahlan even has a chance to muster the indignant rage, Cara explains. "I'm sorry. I hid them. I can't take the risk, can you blame me? And actually I'm not sorry at all." She ends the sentence sounding much more like the real Cara

"If we are attacked I need to defend myself!" Kahlan protests.

"That's what i'm here for, remember 'Protect Kahlan as if she were me.' Cara mocks Richards orders.

"Richard has a sword at least to defend himself." Kahlan retorts.

"Richard didn't try to amputate his leg last night" Cara said calmly.

"I wasn't trying to…."Kahlan started out angry then her voice dwindled into silence. How could she explain this to Cara, to anyone.

"Look you still have your power, you're far from defenceless, and if you're coming with me, you don't need any more protection than that. I will keep you safe, I gave Richard my word, and I give it to you." Cara assures her.

"I don't want to be kept safe" Kahlan mumbled, frustrated, not realising Cara even heard.

"Too bad for you." Cara mumbles back.

Cara reaches out to help Kahlan lean on her to aid her pathetic attempts at ambulation, even with a walking stick. Kahlan pulls away, instinctively, somehow afraid of touch. As if afraid Cara would hurt her, or perhaps as if she would hurt Cara.

"Let me help you walk, please, or it will be midnight before we get anywhere." Cara speaks the truth.

"Kahlan looked down to the ground, and nodded graciously accepting the help. She hobbled as fast as she could, trying to pretend her leg didn't hurt, trying to pretend it didn't hurt to breath in and out through those cracked and broken ribs. At the same time relishing the pain, because it took her mind off everything else.

"This will do." Cara announces, and helps Kahlan sit on a rock, once they reach an appropriate place.

"No," Kahlan answers, "There is more wood, further ..." She can't finish the sentence, she is too breathless.

"This will get us through the night, and Zedd should be here soon." Cara declares.

"Oh yes." Mumbled Kahlan, not trying to hide the dread in her voice.

"You don't want them to come back do you?" Cara asks.

"It isn't that." Kahlan protests earnestly

"Then what?"

"I don't owe you an explanation!" Kahlan snaps. "You just do your job, just follow Richard blindly, just keep me alive til Zedd gets back, and that's all you need to know."

"Fair enough." Cara answered coldly, not at all appreciative of being put in her place by the precious Mother Confessor. Her patience and compassion with Kahlan was fast wearing thin. Richard and Zedd had better be back soon, and then it wouldn't be Cara's problem any longer.