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fembuckAuthor: 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 ) ( Part Eight ) ( Part Nine ) ( Part Ten )
xxx
Part 11
Two Days Later
Kahlan sighed as she felt Cara's eyes on her again and Richard turned to look at her curiously before he followed Kahlan's gaze over to Cara.
"She's starting to make me feel self-conscious," Kahlan exhaled softly when Cara averted her accusatory eyes and went back to viciously pounding a peg into a hole.
"It's not you," Richard breathed out, watching Cara as she aggressively went to work.
Cara had been fine during the morning, but Kahlan turning up at the construction site in the early afternoon looking for some work to do after finally having dealt with the last of the problems the village had for her to mediate had set Cara on edge. They were nearing the end of the construction of the bridge, which was the last of the major building projects in Ragora, and Cara had, no doubt, correctly deduced from Kahlan's arrival and their own dwindling work load that it would soon be time for them to leave Ragora behind.
"There was some talk of digging a small well on the western edge of ..."
"That would be nothing more than a patch," Kahlan interjected sighing again. "We'll have to leave eventually, and we'll have to talk to her before we do."
Richard nodded; he knew that it was true. Extending their stay for a few more days would only delay the inevitable.
"IDIOT! WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Kahlan's eyes widened at the sound of Cara's raised voice and her eyes met Richard's for a moment before they both turned in the direction Cara's voice had come from. There was a large wet patch of earth on the ground in front of Cara and a bucket lying sideways in the dirt slowly leaking the last of the water that had been inside of it. From the way the puddle formed it was clear that the dropped bucket had caught Cara's left foot, and though the man who had been carrying it was a head taller than Cara and had more than fifty pounds on her, he looked terrified as Cara aggressively stepped towards him.
"It ... it was an accident. I'm sorry," the man stuttered as Cara's hand moved to the hilt of the agiel she kept strapped on right side, even as she labored.
"I don't care what it was..."
"Cara!" Richard called out sharply, quickly approaching Cara and the man, whose name Richard believed was Johan.
"He..." Cara began, angrily jabbing her finger in Johan's direction.
"He made a mistake and he apologized for it," Richard said, clapping his hand on Johan's shoulder in a friendly way to convey that he – and the others around them – were aware that dropping the bucket had not been intentional. "It's hot. We've all been working hard and are tired. It's not strange that tempers should flare, but fighting isn't going to help anything."
Richard bent down and picked up the empty bucket then handed it back to Johan.
"Let's break for a few minutes, get some water, get some shade, and then we can get back to work."
Johan nodded and met Richard's eyes gratefully before quickly heading back in the direction he had come from, but Cara held her ground and glared at Richard.
"Take a walk. Calm down. He didn't do anything wrong and you know it," Richard said meeting Cara's eyes steadily.
Cara's eyes cut away from Richard's for a moment, and it was clear that she knew that he was right and she had overreacted to the situation, but when her green eyes met his again they were still stormy and angry, and she stalked away from him crossly without saying another word.
Richard sighed and then moved to follow her, but Kahlan placed her hand on his shoulder halting his movement.
"Let me," she said softly.
"If you're not back by noon, I'm trading in this hammer for the Sword of Truth and coming after you," Richard joked.
Kahlan smiled at him and murmured, "I'll see you soon," then leaned over to kiss his cheek before she hurried off in the direction Cara had stalked off in.
xxx
"You walk quickly," Kahlan said as she approached Cara.
The Mord'Sith was sitting under the shade of an old tree on the outskirts of town staring moodily into the distance.
Cara didn't respond to her and Kahlan sighed softly before settling down on to the ground beside the blonde.
"You're going to miss her," Kahlan stated looking over at Cara.
"Who?" Cara asked still staring forward.
"You know perfectly well who I'm talking about," Kahlan replied, unwilling to humor Cara's bad mood. "You know she cares for you deeply," she continued a few seconds later.
She had used the word 'love' when she was talking with Dahlia, but given the emotional state Cara was currently in Kahlan wasn't sure how the blonde would've reacted to her using it.
Cara shrugged in response to Kahlan's words and continued to morosely stare out at the green fields that stretched before them.
"You care deeply for her too, don't you?" Kahlan went on, forging ahead.
She'd known before she sat down next to Cara that the blonde was not going to be a willing participant in this conversation. Luckily she'd had plenty of practice coaxing the blonde into conversation over their time traveling together.
Cara shrugged again.
"Do you ..."
"What's the point of asking me these things?" Cara exploded, suddenly turning to face Kahlan. "We're leaving. Why talk? What do feelings have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Kahlan breathed out softly, meeting Cara's hostile gaze with gentle and concerned eyes.
"You would say that," Cara complained turning away from Kahlan to stare off into the distance again, missing the small smile that touched Kahlan's lips in response to her words.
They sat in silence for a while as Kahlan considered how best to approach the subject of Cara's feelings again.
"Cara," Kahlan began gently.
Cara sighed deeply and irritably.
"Just answer me one thing," Kahlan continued unperturbed.
Cara made no response, even to grunt, but Kahlan pushed forward.
"Would you like for Dahlia to remain a part of your life?"
Cara remained still and silent as stone.
"Cara ..."
"Yes!" Cara interjected in a tone that was equal parts anger, frustration and helplessness.
She didn't understand why Kahlan wouldn't drop the subject. She didn't understand Kahlan's need to talk all the time. Talk, talk, and more talk, even though talking changed nothing. Yes, she would prefer for Dahlia to be part of her life. Clearly she enjoyed Dahlia's company, and despite all reason Dahlia seemed to enjoy hers. Yes, she would have liked for Dahlia to remain close to her, but their work in Ragora was done and they were going to leave. What she would like, what she would prefer, didn't matter. It never had.
Kahlan reached out and placed her hand on Cara's shoulder and Cara's body tensed beneath her hand, but to Kahlan's relief Cara didn't try to remove her hand.
"She could come with us," Kahlan said softly, still resting her hand lightly on Cara's shoulder for support.
Cara scoffed, but her voice revealed more sadness than derision when she replied, "Why would she do that? Her life is here. Why would she leave that?"
Kahlan's heart ached for Cara as she spoke and she drew her fingers down Cara's arm until her hand covered Cara's.
"There's very little people won't do to be with those they care about," Kahlan whispered as she squeezed Cara's hand.
Cara's face twisted into a mask of misery, and if she had been with anyone besides Cara, Kahlan would have immediately drawn them into a hug. As it was, she simply kept her hand on Cara's, warm and supportive.
"She wouldn't give up everything for me," Cara stated, voice flat and emotionless though her features conveyed the pain the words she had just spoken caused her.
"Cara," Kahlan began softly.
"I'm Mord'Sith," Cara interjected angrily before Kahlan could continue, and for the first time since Kahlan had met her, Cara did not sound boastful or proud of the statement.
"No, you're Cara Mason," Kahlan replied immediately, squeezing Cara's hand tightly. "The Mord'Sith are a part of who you are, but being Mord'Sith isn't all that you are. Dahlia knows that. She knew you before you were Mord'Sith and she's come to know you since them. She adored you when you were children and adores you now, just as you are."
Cara shook her head as if trying to dislodge Kahlan's words from her brain.
"She doesn't. I'm just a distraction to her," Cara declared a few moments later, once again staring off into the distance. "A ghost of what might have been if I'd never become what I am. She doesn't want me. She wants the woman the girl she knew would have grown into."
"Oh, Cara," Kahlan said staring at Cara's profile. "Cara," she repeated, reaching out with her free hand to touch Cara's jaw so that she could angle the blonde's face towards her. "That's not true."
Cara resisted her touch and Kahlan let her hand drop, allowing Cara to remain staring into the distance.
"Cara, she loves you. She loves the woman you are today."
Cara still did not turn to look at her.
"Dahlia wants to be with you, Cara. She's already agreed to travel with us to the People's Palace, if it's agreeable to you," Kahlan pressed on, and finally, Cara turned to look at her, her green eyes intense, suspicious and hopeful.
"She ... has?"
Kahlan nodded, and her lips curved up into a gentle smile.
"She has," she confirmed verbally.
Cara stared at her for a moment after that, and Kahlan could see the tumult of emotions she was experiencing, swirling in her eyes.
"She's a good woman," Kahlan said softly, squeezing Cara's shoulder.
Cara nodded distractedly.
"So are you," Kahlan breathed out a second later, her heart seizing in her chest when Cara turned to look at her incredulously. "You deserve to be happy," Kahlan said looking into Cara's eyes while she could.
"Do I?" Cara asked looking away from Kahlan.
"Everyone does," Kahlan responded, "even cantankerous Mord'Sith," she added playfully a second later before she leaned to the side to press her lips briefly to Cara's cheek.
Cara groaned when Kahlan's lips touched her face, but she held still and suffered through the Mother Confessor's affectionate touch.
"I told you not to do that," Cara complained when Kahlan pulled back, lifting her hand up to her cheek as if to protect herself from another attack from Kahlan's lips.
Kahlan laughed softly at that and then stood up.
"I won't do it again," Kahlan murmured, smiling as she looked down at Cara.
"Lies," Cara muttered making Kahlan laugh again before the Confessor sighed softly and turned her head to look back in the direction of town.
"I'm going to head back," Kahlan said a moment later, looking back down at Cara.
There was a strong instinct in her to stay and try to talk to Cara some more, but she knew that Cara had listened to what she had had to say, and that now she needed to give Cara time to think and process what she feeling.
Cara nodded absently and Kahlan turned to start back towards town, but before she had moved more than a few steps away she heard Cara say her name and turned back to face the blonde.
"This isn't real life," Cara said, her eyes focused on the town beyond them. "This isn't how things are for us. On the road things will be different."
"They will be," Kahlan acknowledged. "But you'll still be you, Dahlia will still be Dahlia, and the two of you will still care deeply for each other. I know this is new and strange for you, but I've never seen you happier. That's special, Cara. That's worth fighting for."
Kahlan paused for a moment after that, waiting to draw Cara's eyes over to her, and when her silence made Cara curious enough to look at her, Kahlan continued.
"Not once in the entire time that I've known you have you let fear stop you from doing something. Don't let it stop you now. "
Cara's eyes narrowed menacingly at Kahlan's implication that she was afraid, but Kahlan did not flinch or look away from her and finally Cara nodded, acknowledging that she had heard Kahlan's words, and then she looked away, staring off into the distance again.
Kahlan watched Cara thoughtfully for a moment and then turned and started back to town, desperately hoping for Cara's sake that she would take her words to heart.
To be continued ...
