New chapter! Your awesome feedback gave me a boost of energy and lots of new ideas! Thank you all!
"Cara?" Richard asked even if it was obvious that it actually was the Mord'Sith standing right in front of them. What he didn't expect was that she was holding his daughter in her arms. His heart stopped beating and he forgot how to breath.
"Spirits… Cassie." He heard Kahlan whispering against his chest.
"You two look like you've seen a ghost." The blonde snorted.
"Mama!" The little girl squealed happily, stretching her arms to be picked up by her mother.
Kahlan immediately made her way towards Cara and took her daughter in her arms, holding her tightly and bursting into tears of joy and relief. She had to refrain herself from clutching the little girl too tight, scared that she would suffocate her.
"Thank the Spirits." She whispered, kissing her daughter on the cheek and head multiple times much to Cassie's delight. Then she noticed the blood on Cassie's closed and her heart skipped a beat.
She started to inspect her daughter and Cara stopped her by saying: "The blood is mine. She's in one piece."
Kahlan kissed her daughter once again and held her close, tears falling continuously on her face.
"She's a tough and brave one." Cara commented with a smile.
Richard suddenly went out of his daze, amazed at the view of Cassie and Kahlan finally reunited.
"Thank you Cara." He told the Mord'Sith with a smile who responded by nodding to him. She wasn't in good shape. He quickly examined her from afar and saw multiple cuts on her body, she was also holding a Quillon.
"Let's get inside." He said, Cara had wounds that needed to be tend to and Kahlan was barely wearing anything and needed to rest after the release of her powers.
Cara nodded and slowly walked inside the house while Richard walked to his girls. He wrapped his arms around them and kissed them both on the temple. He closed his eyes for a while, enjoying the feeling of having them together next to him.
He felt Cassie's hand on his face and opened his eyes, giving her a wide smile.
"Mama wy." The little girl told him, looking at her mother.
Both Kahlan and he chuckled and Richard said: "Mama cries because she's happy to see you, and so am I."
Cassie stuck her thumb in her mouth and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. She grabbed Richard's shirt that Kahlan was wearing and held it tightly in her fist.
"Go back to bed Kahlan, you both need to rest." He gently told her.
She nodded softly and reluctantly left his embrace to walk back inside the house and Richard followed her closely.
Once inside the house, Kahlan walked straight to the room and Richard stopped in front of Cara who was sitting in a chair, while the Quillon was set on the table.
"What happened?" Richard asked, reaching for his bag.
"They attacked us at the Palace, we weren't ready." The Mord'Sith started to explain.
"They were hundreds, we didn't stand a chance. I saw the Mother Confessor being knocked unconscious and they already had your daughter so when one of them tried to hit me, I let him and pretended to be unconscious as well." She said, taking the bandages that Richard was handing to her.
She nodded to him as a thank you and continued: "When we arrived to the Mord'Sith's temple, I waited until the time was right and fought them. The first I found was your daughter. I killed the men around her, took the Quillon and left. I couldn't find the Mother Confessor and I had to make a choice, I couldn't fight with Cassie and the Quillon in my arms. So I escaped with Cassie and let Kahlan behind. I'm sorry Lord Rahl."
"Now I understand why so of them were already dead." He told her. "Thank you Cara, for saving my daughter."
The Mord'Sith nodded slightly, feeling guilty that she couldn't help her friend, the Mother Confessor to escape, but her Lord Rahl asked her to protect his daughter and that's what she did.
"How did you find us?" Richard asked.
"After I escaped, I hide for some time, making sure I wasn't followed and then, as I couldn't let Kahlan died in that temple, I decided to go back and figure out a plan to get her out. But when I came back, they were all dead. I knew it had to be you. I just followed your tracks back here just like how you taught me." The blonde explained.
Richard hugged her, she didn't expect it and she patted his back awkwardly and said: "No need to be so tactile to thank me."
Richard smirked and let go of her and Cara said: "Now go be with your girls, I'll be fine."
Richard nodded and walked to the room with a large smile on his face.
When he entered the room, Kahlan was sitting on the bed, holding Cassie tightly and crying. The sight broke his heart and he sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"It's okay, she's here now and she's safe." He whispered to her.
Kahlan only nodded in reply.
"Come on, lie down, you are exhausted and so is she." He ordered her gently.
Kahlan obliged and rested under the covers, her daughter safety wrapped in her arms. Cassie was the first to close her eyes and Richard adjusted the covers on them before giving his daughter a kiss on the head.
"I don't know how Cara managed to hold a baby for so long." He said, trying to lighten the mood and make Kahlan smile.
"What if she has nightmares?" Kahlan asked, the joke not making an effect on her.
"She probably won't, but if she does, you'll be here with her, telling her that everything is alright and holding her tight." He replied with a smile.
Kahlan nodded and said: "About what I told you before…"
Richard nodded and let her continue: "That I won't be able to be with child again… You are the only one who knows about it… And the midwife…"
"I won't tell anyone, you don't have to worry." He told her.
"Thank you." She almost whispered.
"Get some sleep, I'll wake you up when Zedd will be back and we'll get you both home." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"You and Cara should go to D'Hara, restore the order and stop the riots." She told him.
"We'll talk about it later." He replied. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and got up. He gave her one more look and left the room.
She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, trying not to cry. She told him her secret and he didn't seem to care. His daughter was back and he didn't seem to care. She wanted him to care, desperately. She needed him to care. She loved him so much. For a moment, when she was outside with her daughter in her arms and that he came to hold and kiss them, for a second, she thought they could be a family. But they couldn't. Too many things were standing in their ways and she didn't want him to get stuck with her. He always dreamt of having a big family, many children running everywhere and she couldn't give him what he wanted anymore. He also needed a son, an heir for D'Hara and she couldn't give him that either.
Cassie made a movement and it caught Kahlan's attention, stopping the torrent of her thoughts. She kissed the top of her head and smiled, she was so happy to have her daughter in her arms again, so happy to be reunited with her. She felt like she could finally breathe again but that didn't ease the knot in her stomach. Soon she'll be back at the Palace and Richard will leave again to prevent an awful war, the Council will ask for her to get with child again, she'll have to come up with something again, lie to Sylvia about why she didn't want to get with child. She'll go back to her duties as the Mother Confessor and she'll secretly wait for his return, even if she knew he shouldn't come back to her because the future held nothing for them.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*
"Keep staring at this door and it's going to break." Cara snorted.
"Hmm." Richard replied, rubbing his face with his hands.
"Is it war between you two again?" The Mord'Sith asked.
"No." He simply replied.
"You know, I liked it better when you two were all hot but couldn't get it on." She said, she loved teasing her Lord Rahl.
He chose not to reply to her and went back to staring at the door. He always had a plan, for everything. He always knew what he was doing but with her, it was different. She made his heart beating, made him feel alive, she was his reason for living but he didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to get past the walls she erected to protect herself… from him. He had done it, a long time ago, convinced her that they could be together, it took a long time but in the end, it was all worth the wait. To have her in his arms, to make love to her, it was all worth it and most of all, they had created life and it was the greatest gift she could give to him, a child. Now that he knew that she couldn't be with child anymore, it just made him love her more because they shared the most important and unique thing in the world, their daughter.
Cara let out an angry moan and said: "Get in there and tell her how you feel!"
"I can't." He told her with a sigh.
"And why is that?" The blonde sharply asked.
"You know why Cara." He angrily replied, standing from his chair.
"No. You love her, she loves you and…" Cara said but was cut by the front door suddenly opening. They both grabbed their weapons, Sword of Truth and Agiel, but the door revealed Zedd.
"Easy there." Zedd exclaimed, holding his hands up.
"Zedd! Where have you been?" Richard inquired.
"I was doing a locating spell for Cara and it led me back here." He explained with a grin.
"I saved Lord Rahl's daughter." The Mord'Sith said proudly.
The Wizard smiled, hugged Richard and exclaimed: "Fantastic! I couldn't be happier, my great gran daughter is alive!"
Once Zedd let him go, Richard said: "She's resting with Kahlan, they both looked exhausted."
Zedd nodded but looked distracted by the Quillon, noticing it, Richard explained: "They took Cassie's powers. Will you be able to give them back to her?"
"Probably, I'll still have to do some researches, but it's most likely that she'll have her powers back." The old man replied with a smile.
"Good." Richard nodded before adding: "I'm going to go check on them."
Both Zedd and Cara nodded and Richard walked to the room where Kahlan and Cassie were resting.
When he entered, he saw Kahlan resting on her side, her face to the door while Cassie was sound asleep on her back next to her mother.
Kahlan looked up at him and smiled, not her special smile, just a small smile to show him that she had acknowledged his presence.
"Can't sleep?" He asked softly as he made his way to sit on the bed.
"Not really." She replied, staring at her daughter. "Silly thoughts are running through my mind." She added.
"Like what?" He asked.
"Like if I close my eyes, she'll be gone again. Or giving her up for adoption so she'll have a better life without her powers and without me." She explained as tears filled her eyes.
"It's going to be alright Kahlan. You are exhausted and your emotions are all over the place." He told her, taking her hand in his.
She nodded and let out a small: "Thank you."
The room went silent and he watched her stare at Cassie for a long moment. He expected her to close her eyes but she didn't.
"You're not getting any sleep, are you?" He asked her with a small smile on his face.
"I don't think so." She replied.
He slowly got up and walked to the other side of the bed. She closed her eyes, thinking that he was back at staring through the window. She nearly jumped when she felt him lay behind her.
Her body froze and she held her breath, wondering what would be his next move. She felt his arm wrapping around her waist and his chest pressing against her back.
"You sleep and I'll keep an eye on both of you." He whispered in her ear, sending shivers all over her body.
He felt her relax in his embrace and he dared to hold her a little tighter.
"Don't leave us…" She whispered, referring to his upcoming journey to D'Hara even if he probably understood that she was talking about right now.
"I won't." He told her and he was too talking about his journey to D'Hara.