Fic: A Light That Never Went Out (Cara/Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker 8/12)

[fembuck]

Title: A Light That Never Went Out
Author: Janine
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Dahlia
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Summary: After defeating the Keeper our band of heroes heads back to D'Hara, and on the way Cara meets a familiar face.

( Part One ) ( Part Two ) ( Part Three ) ( Part Four ) ( Part Five ) ( Part Six ) ( Part Seven )

xxx

Part 8

Five Days Later

Kahlan forced her lips up into a smile as a village woman approached her, and let the woman take her hands as she thanked Kahlan for the work she had done for her the day before settling a land despite between the woman's family and a neighboring farm. Kahlan had only been out on the streets for a few minutes but already she had been approached by five people seeking to thank her or ask for her council. She was happy to help of course, it was a pleasant distraction to actually be able to serve as a Confessor and agent of justice instead of fighting as a warrior, but it was exhausting in its own way and she was anxious to arrive at the building site where Richard and Cara were working.

Three villagers later, Kahlan arrived at her destination, and through the dust swirling around in the air, she was just able to make out Cara's leather clad form striding purposefully away from her direction towards the tavern.

"Was it me?" Kahlan asked Richard, her eyes on Cara's rapidly retreating form as Richard pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"No," he breathed out, eyes twinkling and a smile forming on his lips as his gaze turned towards Cara as well. "We're breaking for lunch," Richard continued barely suppressing the urge to laugh as Cara disappeared inside of the tavern.

"Will Cara be joining us today?" Kahlan asked though she already knew that the odds were not in their favor.

She and Zedd had barely seen Cara during their duration in Ragora. Richard still spent most of his day with the blonde, but during the evening hours when their lives were their own, Cara was rarely around.

"No," Richard said finally giving in to his natural inclination and chuckling. "It seems Dahlia is fixing another feast for Cara."

"Dahlia's cottage is in the opposite direction," Kahlan pointed out.

"Oh, I know," Richard said grinning widely. "Cara's going to the Inn to take a bath," he continued, losing the battle he was fighting with himself and laughing again when Kahlan turned to look at him with wide, surprised eyes. "I guess Dahlia's more particular than you," Richard went on, wrapping his sweaty arms around Kahlan and hugging her tightly, making her laugh. "This is the fourth day in a row Cara's stopped by the Inn before going to see her."

"By the Creator," Kahlan breathed out shaking her head. "Dahlia may have more powerful magic than Zedd."

They had all witnessed Cara stalk off covered in sweat, blood, dirt and various other types of gore in order to satisfy her sexual cravings. Not once in all of the time they had been traveling together had Kahlan seen Cara bother to try and make herself presentable before going off to hunt for someone to bed, and now she was taking pre-lunch bathes.

"Don't tell Zedd I said this, but I think you may be onto something," Richard whispered as he nuzzled Kahlan's ear.

"She's been ... happy this past week, hasn't she?" Kahlan said thoughtfully as she and Richard started towards the Inn as well.

As far as Kahlan could determine, Cara wasn't often upset. Irritated and frustrated, yes, but she rarely seemed depressed or sad. In the same tradition, Cara was very rarely exuberant - unless she was agieling someone or knew that she would soon have the opportunity to agiel someone. Cara's moods were relatively constant. When they were moving and being productive she was focused, calm, relatively pleasant and content. When she felt they were dawdling or using their time inefficiently she was irritable, brusque, and often stomped ahead of the group, silently condemning their behavior.

Since arriving in Ragora however, or more accurately since Cara had been reunited with Dahlia, when Kahlan did see her, Cara seemed relaxed and was generally in a pleasant mood despite the fact that they were 'wasting time' staying in the town. She smiled more easily than Kahlan could remember, and even though she was spending far less time than she was used to around Cara, Kahlan had heard her laugh – well, chuckle – more during their stay in Ragora than she had in the past four months.

"I think she has been," Richard agreed, drawing Kahlan out of her thoughts. "I'm glad we listened to Zedd. I think this has been good for her. I think Dahlia's been a very ... civilizing influence on her."

"Civilizing," Kahlan repeated smiling. "I'll do you a favor and never tell Cara you said that."

"Thank you," Richard responded making Kahlan smile. "What is it?" he asked a few seconds later when the soft smile Kahlan had been wearing since she arrived faded and her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"We're going to have to leave here soon," Kahlan said slowly as she settled into a table at the tavern. "This has been a lovely vacation but we do ..."

"Have places to be," Richard finished for her, leaning back as he realized why Kahlan suddenly looked concerned. "You're worried about how leaving now that Cara's become attached to Dahlia is going to affect her."

Kahlan nodded.

"I must admit, despite what Zedd said I don't think that I really expected such a strong connection to form between Cara and Dahlia," Kahlan said shaking her head a little bit. "The possibility that we would end up dragging Cara away from someone she deeply cared for seemed ... unlikely."

Unlike Richard, Kahlan had seen Cara charmed by another person. She had seen Cara smitten when Leo had been named Seeker. The loss of Leo had not left Cara unfazed, but Cara had recovered far more quickly than Kahlan had anticipated. That first night in Ragora, the way Cara acted around Dahlia reminded Kahlan a lot of the secretly charmed, barely tolerant attitude she had adopted around Leo, but the relationship that had formed between the two women since then ran far deeper than the flirtation Cara had with the former Seeker, and Kahlan was worried about how Cara would deal with having to leave her. Zedd had said that it seemed as if the fates were trying to bring the two women together, and it seemed unnaturally cruel to Kahlan to force them to separate after giving them the time to allow a loving relationship to bloom.

"I know what you mean," Richard sighed. "I saw them holding hands the other day," he said smiling when Kahlan smiled at his words. It had only been for a moment, and Cara had dropped Dahlia's hand as soon as her eyes met his, but it had still happened and he'd seen it. "And yesterday morning, when Cara showed up to the site, her hair had been braided," he continued looking over to meet Kahlan's eyes.

Since they had found Cara bruised and bleeding after being attacked by her sisters, not once had Cara ever attempted to start braiding her hair again, even though at times it had grown long enough. Kahlan had offered to braid it for her once when their friendship was still budding, and Cara had answered her with a withering look that had dissuaded the Mother Confessor from bringing it up again. That Cara would now allow Dahlia the privilege spoke volumes about the growing relationship between the two women.

"I thought this would be ... an affair," Richard sighed, "but it feels like so much more," he said unconsciously reaching out for Kahlan's hand and taking it into his own.

The barmaid arrived soon after to take their orders, halting their conversation momentarily, and when Richard returned his attention to Kahlan he saw that she looked thoughtful again.

"What are you thinking?"

"Dahlia is very pleasant company," Kahlan began.

"She's taken, and so are you," Richard replied making Kahlan chuckle and slap him on the shoulder.

"She also has a very useful skill set," Kahlan continued.

Richard stared at Kahlan for a moment and then nodded his head in understanding.

"You think we should take her with us."

"I think ..." Kahlan began carefully, "that I should have a talk with her to try and determine if Dahlia coming with us would be a viable option." Kahlan sighed. "She has a good life here. She has family and status and is comfortable here. Life on the road is difficult, dangerous, and once we arrive at the People's Palace things are likely to stay just as difficult and dangerous for some time. It would be a lot to ask."

"Not if she's in love," Richard said.

"No," Kahlan said softly. "Not if she's in love," she agreed, "Which is why I ought to speak with her before proposing anything."

"Should we speak to Cara about it?" Richard asked though he sounded dubious.

Kahlan sighed and leaned back against the booth looking perturbed.

"She's Cara," Kahlan finally breathed out and Richard nodded in perfect understanding. "She'll insist that's she fine and that she doesn't need anyone or anything. After all, she's Mord'Sith," Kahlan declared importantly as Cara often did, making Richard smile.

"You're the one who pointed out she doesn't like surprises," Richard said knowing that if Dahlia was amenable to traveling with them that Kahlan would want him to issue a decree as 'Lord Rahl'. Cara would not likely not respond any better to being surprised with the knowledge than she was to being informed that they were staying on in Ragora, but she would obey, no matter in how ill a humor. After all, she was Mord'Sith.

"Children don't like vegetables, but we still make them eat them," Kahlan responded.

Richard stared at her for a moment, and then his warm brown eyes danced with amusement as his lips curved up into a smile.

"I'll do you a favor and never tell Cara you said that," Richard smirked, parroting back Kahlan's earlier words.

"Thank you," Kahlan said smiling ruefully, even though on many occasions when Cara was displeased her behavior truly did remind Kahlan of a five year old, well, an extremely lethal five year old.

"Okay," Richard breathed out as the barmaid arrived with their food. "Talk to Dahlia and we'll take it from there."

To be continued ...

Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated :D

Comments

[bonobo24.livejournal.com]

"An extremely lethal five year old"

I love this! And hell yes Dahlia should come with them!!!

Now are you sure about this whole 12 chapters thing? Are you sure 15 or 20 wouldn't be more appropriate?

[yukivampyra.livejournal.com]

Yay for Dahlia getting invited to go with them~

And Kahlan's right, Cara is an extremely lethal woman who tends to pout like a five year old, but it's part of her charm and we wouldn't have her any other way.

[xam21.livejournal.com]

Yay for Mommy!Kahlan and Daddy!Richard. :P

This was a great alt chapter perspective, apart from the C/D interaction (Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the C/D interaction; it puts a giddy smile on my face and a lightness in my heart for days). I like the fact that Richard has been noticing it but has chosen to remain silent with the knowledge, knowing that Cara would prefer it that way. Also, him noticing little things here and there (C/D holding hands, C coming back to work with her hair braided) implied that he is keeping an eye on her, making sure she is doing all right, without confronting her directly or teasing her in front of K and Z. It emphasized Richard's affection for her as a friend, not just a subject or a follower.

On the other hand, Kahlan's concern re: Cara having to deal with being separated from Dahlia when the time comes that they have to leave the village just tugged at my heartstrings and gave me numerous ~feelings!~ Many kudos to you, my dear writer, for giving her character wisdom to put two and two together and came up with the possibility of asking Dahlia to be part of their merry band, without putting both women on the spot. (Sometimes, Richie is soooo in character about living in the moment, and not planning enough about the future. Good thing he has Kahlan as his better half. LOL! :D)

Thank you for continuing to write this story beautifully and for taking great care to flesh out characters and solidify plot to ease the story along smoothly. :) I'm looking forward to the next chapters and echoing bonobo24's query re: the probability of 15-20 chapters, as this awesomeness surely cannot end with just 12.... ;)

-Xam

[butchon.livejournal.com]

Wonderful as usual.
You know, you have me hooked on this fic,
every time I finish reading a new part of it, all I want is to get MOAR!

thank you.

[jesterradiobird.livejournal.com]

And the plot continues! I like how Richard and Kahlan are so caring and thoughtful on what to do and that their sneaking behind Cara's back (for her own good!).

Dahlia is so going to say yes and they all lived happily ever after slaying dragons and the like (with Cara always leading the victory and Dahlia smiling in amusement when Cara smiles proudly at her win!)

[mayireadtoday.livejournal.com]

Awesome: "They had all witnessed Cara stalk off covered in sweat, blood, dirt and various other types of gore in order to satisfy her sexual cravings."

Hilarious: "Cara was very rarely exuberant - unless she was agieling someone or knew that she would soon have the opportunity to agiel someone."

Thanks for making Kahlan smart and realizing that she'll have to talk to Dahlia and not Cara to get Dahlia to come with them.

[madame-denna.livejournal.com]

Even if there is no Cara/Dahlia interaction I love your fic! :) I love your way to write and always get totally sucked up in your story.. just great! And I adore Kahlan here! :) Thank you

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

And hell yes Dahlia should come with them!!!


I'm pretty sure Dahlia will feel the same way! lol

Now are you sure about this whole 12 chapters thing?

Well yes. It's all plotted out. BUT, there's always room for short fics in this AU-verse after this story ends ;)

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

but it's part of her charm and we wouldn't have her any other way.

So true! So true! Cara's lucky she's surrounded by people who find her adorable (or are the people around her lucky to be with someone so adorable? Either way there's a lot of Cara and adorableness lol)

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying it (hooked even!)

I promise a new chapter should be up Friday or Saturday :D

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

I like how Richard and Kahlan are so caring and thoughtful on what to do and that their sneaking behind Cara's back (for her own good!).

They love her! They are a family. A really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking family! ;)

Dahlia is so going to say yes and they all lived happily ever after slaying dragons and the like

MY GOD, I don't know if my body could handle the epic win of Cara slaying a dragon, and then coming home to her lady who is waiting to give her a sexy welcome home (after she washes up of course!)

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

Hilarious: "Cara was very rarely exuberant - unless she was agieling someone or knew that she would soon have the opportunity to agiel someone."

I blame Tabrett! Cara always looked so happy when she got to whip those things out, lol

Thanks for making Kahlan smart and realizing that she'll have to talk to Dahlia and not Cara to get Dahlia to come with them.

This is really, really, really gonna prove true. Cara's gonna be lucky that she has such smart ladies around her, cause Creator knows she would mess things up if left to her own devices, lol

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so glad the chapter was still interesting without C/D as the focus.

And Kahlan will get some nice bonding moments with Dahlia and Cara coming up soon :D

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

Yay for Mommy!Kahlan and Daddy!Richard. :P


LOL! I love it cause it's so true. They're so proud of their little Mord'Sith, growing up so well and finding a nice girl to settle down with!

I really love R/C/K as a family with Zedd as the crotchety Uncle. They way they have all grown so close together and come to love each other warms my heart, so I'm glad that affection for each other is coming across here.

Kahlan's going to have to use her skills to delicately deal with Cara's emotions later too!

P.S. Your comments make me so happy! I just really wanted you know how giddy it makes me to read them and to get a detailed idea of how various aspects of the story are coming across. It really is very much appreciated!

[jesterradiobird.livejournal.com]

'MY GOD, I don't know if my body could handle the epic win of Cara slaying a dragon, and then coming home to her lady who is waiting to give her a sexy welcome home (after she washes up of course!)'

That so sounds like a fic! (But you write so much already so maybe not). Maybe a sequal though?

[bonobo24.livejournal.com]

BUT, there's always room for short fics in this AU-verse after this story ends ;)

Now I assume that word "short" is relative, right? Short as in... 3-5 chapters? Yes????

[strongwoman62.livejournal.com]

This is one of the sweetest fics I've read around here. I agree with the comments above that we definitely need more than 12 chapters of this goodness.
:-)