The faithful do not die - they perish II/II

[madame_denna]

Characters: Denna, Cara, Darken Rahl, Dahlia, mentions of Zedd, Richard, Kahlan
Rating: R
Words: ~10.600
Warnings apply for the whole story: angst, torture, hurt/comfort, character death
Summary: AU starting with the events of 'Eternity'
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended and - of course - no money is made.
A/N: Many thanks to my lovely beta raug_moss again for sticking with me through all this xD Thank you so much! It would be very weird without you! (But of course all mistakes are my own, because I butchered it again..) Also many thanks again to endgirl for not getting tired of me and always solving mysteries about the english language ;)
A/N²: This was written for a prompt synergyfox kindly offered to me almost half a year ago *hides* It took me longer than expected xD



Part I (you'll need to read it first)

Days went by in a blur of bouts of fever, hallucinations and screams prompted by never ending dreams of agony. By the time Denna had lifted Cara into bed again for the third time that night, she wasn't at all sure, that Cara would make it.

During her time as Mord'Sith, there had been lots of different, serious injuries and Denna had expierienced almost as much as she had seen herself. Numerous wounds she herself had inflicted on others, be it with the help of her Agiel, a whip or any other practical item of her choice. After years of training pets, fighting countless enemies and common people for Lord Rahl's sake, Denna could easily tell which weapon had caused what kind of injury, which of them would be fatal and which would not. There weren't many things one could do to a human body that Denna had not seen over the years - and some of them she would never be able to forget.

The wounds covering Cara's body from head to toe though, were unusual, to say at least. Clearly inflicted with an Agiel, so much Denna could conclusively say, but they looked too vigorous and angry for simply being just that. An especially deep wound on Cara's thigh had started festering quite seriously, so if Cara was to recover, walking would be a difficult and painful affair for a while, a long one. But Denna wasn't even sure if Cara would make it at all.

Moving the damp, cold washcloth over Cara's heated face, Denna wondered how hard Cara must have resisted, how fiercely she'd fought against Rahl's magic, defying him. Denna chuckled at the memory, when Rahl had come out of the dungeons, impatiently barking questions, how long it would take to finally break Cara. He definitely wasn't pleased with the breaking progress. It was only then, that Denna remembered the attendance of the Sisters of the Dark as well and how odd it seemed that they'd accompany him in the dungeons. They only would be down there if there was any business to attend to, but the only thing in the dungeons had been Cara.. Could it be possible that Rahl had sought their help in breaking Cara, when he realized he would fail? The angry marks on Cara's once so proud body, were they marks inflicted by the Keepers servants? Denna would've let her die, only to be revived with the Breath of Life a moment later, if she could've been sure that it would work, but she wasn't, not when magic darker than the one Rahl wielded had been inflicted upon her. What if the dark magic would interfere with the of the Breath of Life and it didn't work? Denna found herself not willing to take that risk. Putting the washcloth back into the basin next to the bed, she crawled under the covers next to Cara, tugging them both into the sheets. Cara might need rest and care, but there was no way, that Denna would sleep on the floor - there where certain limits to how far Denna's concern went. The flames in the fireplace glowed in a multitude of colors, lighting a shadowless night. Denna was already asleep, when the flames died down, unaware of the sea green eyes watching her intensely.

~

The following morning Denna awoke to the loud chirping of birds outside, announcing the beginning of a new day. In the weeks prior to Cara's arrival, Denna had started loathing the little devilish creatures, preventing her from sleeping in. In the years in the Mord'Sith temple she had been an early riser, but there had been no other choice given. But now, free like one of these birds, she could do whatever she wanted, but she had made, however, the calculation without the persistent little demons. Sighing, she entangled herself reluctantly from the warmth of Cara's body, on which she obviously had curled up to during the night and her gaze flickered to Cara's face. For a moment she was too stunned to speak, as she realized, that Cara was staring back at her, only this time not in the haze of fever.

"You're awake," Denna finally managed, rising from the bed.

"It seems." Cara said carefully, watching Denna's every movement. "Why am I here?"

„Humor me,“ Denna said, her voice sounding suddenly hard as steel, a perplexing contrast to her unruly hair and the soft nightgown she was wearing, "and make a guess."

"I don’t know, Denna," Cara replied in an even but cautions tone. "Maybe you only brought me here to still your thirst for revenge!?"

Denna’s eyes met Cara’s, "and you would deserve it no less." Denna held her gaze for a moment longer, then turned and walked into the adjuring bathroom; the door was left ajar, and Cara could still hear her.

"But you can relax Cara," Denna called from the room, her tone had lost its sharp quality, “you’re of no interest to me. I saw the opportunity to put an end to Rahl’s plans, whether you live or die now does not concern me in the slightest.” Denna came out of the small room, now wearing dark slacks and a cream button-up shirt. Her hair was held in place in a loose bun, draped over her shoulder. The platinum blonde sat down in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, lacing up her boots.

“That doesn’t explain, why you took all the effort to bring me here,” Cara drawled, “you could have cut my throat outside the temple, the only thing you’d have needed to do was to make sure that I couldn’t be revived." Cara titled her head to the side "I’d have done it.”

"Let's just say, I felt generous." Denna smirked, "But to avoid any misunderstanding, as soon as you're fit to leave - you will."

Cara snorted, "as if I would want to stay."

"Well since this is clarified," Denna said moving to door, "I'll be outside, call me if you need anything, maybe if I feel generous again, I'll hear it." With that Denna was gone and the door fell shut with a soft click. Cara lay awake for some time, memories of the past days running through her mind until a restless sleep finally claimed her.

~

"Zedd!" Cara woke with a start, choking on the word, her green eyes frantically looking around the cottage. Her heart was racing and she gasped for breath. "I can't leave him there." Still a bit dizzy, Cara swung her legs out of the bed and stood, only to crash down to her knees as her legs refused to hold her weight. Cara ground her teeth at the searing pain, which shot up her right leg, as soon as she had put her weight on it. The still throbbing wound on her thigh was driving her insane. On all fours, she crawled into the direction of the door, grabbing a thin cotton jacket which was draped over the armrest of the chair she passed by. Cara pulled it over her shoulders, then stubbornly continued her path slowly forcing one knee at a time forwards.

Denna watched the display with restrained amusement as she leaned casually against the kitchen counter. "You can't even walk, yet," she said, not entirely unfriendly.

"I won't need to walk, when I'm on a horse!" Cara huffed and paused. Her eyes found Denna's. "I just can't leave him there. Rahl will torture and kill him."

Denna raised a brow, "I would never have thought that you're so fond of the old wizard!?"

"I am not," Cara said, "but Richard is. He would stop at nothing to save his life."

Denna held her gaze for a moment longer, but then busied herself again with washing the dishes, what she had done before Cara had woken. "The wizard can take care of himself."

Cara stared at her. "He could, were it not for the Rada'Han around his neck," she huffed, and then continued moving carefully forwards. After a while she had reached the door and was about to turn the knob, when Denna's voice made her halt once again.

"Who said, he had a Rada'Han around his neck when we left the temple?"

Cara looked incredulously at Denna, unsure if Denna was implying what she thought she was.

"What do you mean by that?", she asked. Denna let her hands rest in the sink and turned her head to face Cara.

"I mean what I said. The wizard didn't have a Rada'Han around his neck, when I left the temple with you."

"How?" Cara demanded, growing impatient at Denna's slow pace of offering information.

"As time stood still, I relieved him of it while you were taking a nap at the end of the staircase." Denna looked pointedly at her, obviously being reminded that while Cara slept more or less peacefully the whole time, Denna had carried her all the way out of the temple. "But when the wheels of time started to turn again, I'm sure the old fool found a way to free himself, " she said slightly nodding, then added, "with all his powerful magic."

Cara eyed her suspiciously, but could hardly suppress the smile, tugging at her lips, as Denna demonstrated, how big Zedd's powerful magic was with her small, delicate hands.

"You did?"

Denna rolled her eyes, "was your hearing damaged as well? Do we need to check up on that?" Cara ignored her sarcastic tone and moved slowly back to the chair and forced herself up.

"If that what you say is true," she raised a brow, "Zedd would already be with us by now."

Denna returned her attention to her task and started to dry the dishes with a cotton towel.

"He wouldn't." Denna said without looking up. "There is no reason for him to believe that you're still alive or not broken and bound to Darken Rahl's will. He would have gone back to Richard," Denna paused for a moment, looking at nothing in particular, thinking, "and even if he knew that you're still alive and escaped, there is no way for him to find us here. The cottage is hidden by magic." Denna shot her a sideway glance, "Now rest. This display shows only too well, that you're not supposed to wal- crawl around." She did not even try to hide the smirk that settled on her lips and Cara snorted at Denna’s obvious amusement.

Cara felt herself growing tired by the physical exhaustion and eventually forced herself up, resting her weight on both arms, as she gripped the armrests firmly and willed her legs to walk back to the bed. It did not matter to her, that it only had been three steps. The important thing was that she had walked them all by herself.

Denna watched Cara closely as she stood on shaking legs, her own body tense. Anticipating a fall, Denna found herself prepared to stride forwards, should Cara's legs threaten to fail.

Not that she believed that Cara would let her catch her; not that Denna would actually try.

~

In the days that followed Cara started slowly moving around, learning to walk practically anew. The deep wound on her right thigh had closed eventually, but she still felt it prominently even at the smallest movement. A comfortable rhythm had settled between them; Denna would gather additional foods, since her stock only occupied enough for one person. Cara on the other hand helped Denna with the preparations and occasionally cleaned up. It was a habit to have everything clean and perfectly shiny, it had been beaten into them both and no time in the world or the weirdest circumstances seemed able to break it.

"You have changed."

Cara sat on the bed, as she watched Denna preparing food for dinner. Denna looked up from the knife in her hand and stopped cutting vegetables, her expression unreadable.

"Everyone changes eventually." She said, returning her attention back to the food in front of her, „you have.“

There was something about the way Denna said it, something Cara could not quite grasp.

"What happened to you Denna?" Cara asked, noticing that Denna did not meet her eyes this time. Denna never would and never answered. Days had passed and turned into weeks since the day Denna had carried her through the old, creaking door of the cottage, bleeding and almost beaten to death. But still Denna remained silent about what had happened to her after she'd last felt Cara's arrow piece her very heart.

Cara chuckled darkly as a thought crossed her mind. At the sound Denna looked up, the 'what is it?' clearly written all over her face.

"Did you fall in love?" Cara asked with feigned seriousness, well knowing that it would be the last thing Denna would ever admit openly, especially to her, but wanted to see Denna's reaction anyway - not that she believed Denna actually to fall in love. "Is this maybe the reason you gave up your dreams about ruling the empire? To live a decent life with love and family?“

Denna held her questioning gaze and for a moment and Cara thought she could see tears well up in her bright blue eyes, but then Denna blinked and the impression was gone.

"Who would dare to love someone who is broken?"

The amusement Cara had felt only seconds ago vanished in the blink of an eye at Denna's response as she stared up in the other woman's empty blue eyes. Denna cleared her throat and looked away.

"Dinner will be ready in about half a candle-mark. Make yourself useful and set the table.“

After a their meal and a heavy silent evening, Denna prepared for the night. She had changed into her usual, simple white cotton-gown, that left her arms bare and stopped short above her knees. In the front, it had tiny buttons, which she neatly closed, except for two on the top. Cara watched her silently from the bed, as the other woman sat down in the old armchair in front of the fireplace and removed the loop that held her hair in a bun. Denna did not braid her hair in the usual Mord'Sith way anymore, Cara had noticed, but the platinum blonde tresses were still long enough to dress it that way, should Denna choose to.

With the soft nightgown hugging her fragile form in all the right places and the unbraided hair falling over her shoulder, as she run the brush through it, Denna looked nothing like the deadly Mord'Sith every one pictured when thinking about her. The sight of Denna like this made Cara uneasy and she found herself wishing for Denna to be back in her leathers and to behave like she always had. At least Cara would know what to expect from her then.

Coming out of her thoughts, Cara found Denna staring back at her, watching Cara being watched herself. The platinum blonde said nothing, but her hand had stopped the brushing movement and the item now rested in her lap.

"What are you thinking about?" Denna asked softly, Cara was surprised, that the words were even carried through the air to where she sat, half propped up in the bed, her back resting against the headboard. Cara's first reaction to shut Denna down, to tell her that she wasn't thinking about anything of Denna's concern, was instantly on her tongue, but she held it back. Denna's expression remained open, curious even, as she waited patiently for Cara to answer.

"What are you going to do now?" Cara asked instead of answering Denna's question, holding her gaze.

"I haven't thought about that yet." Denna said after a moment of silence.

"You could come with me." The words were out of Cara's mouth before she had even made a conscious decision of saying them or even before she knew if she wanted Denna by her side. More importantly – she didn’t know if Denna could be trusted. Cara had wondered a lot about Denna’s motives to save her life and risk her own in the attempt, but until now she hadn't come up with a reason or how the blonde may use it to her advantage.

The only thing Cara had come up with, were reasons for Denna to kill her instead of rescuing her. Still, a small part of her doubted Denna’s actions to the core, even when her former Sister had given her no reason to. But it was never wise to underestimate a woman like Denna, she was one of the most manipulative and self-centered persons Cara had ever known. Even if Denna seemed to have changed, Cara could not be sure how much and to what end.

"I believe neither Richard nor the Confessor would be fond of that idea." Denna said dismissively and Cara felt relief at her answer, accompanied by a pang of - was that hurt? - that left a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth.

“With the turn of time, they would tolerate your presence.” Cara said. Why was she trying to convince Denna when she herself didn’t know if she could be trusted?

“Maybe.” Denna allowed, picking up the brush and running it through her in the firelight shining tresses for a last time. She then stood and placed it back on the shelf before blowing out the several candles in the room. When they were encompassed by semi-darkness Denna moved to the bed and laid herself down.

The dying flames in the fireplace bathed the room in dim light and Cara could only make out the contours of Denna's face as the blonde settled in next to her. Denna lay on her back and was obviously staring at the ceiling, while Cara lay on her side, still watching her. Due to the small bed, that clearly was made to occupy only one person, space between them was a limited affair. Denna's gown brushed against Cara's skin and she could feel the blonde's body heat seeping through the light fabric almost instantly. Denna had pulled the sheets up and they lay in silence for quite some time until Denna spoke,

"Are you naked?"

"I do not sleep with nightwear - never have."

"But I gave you one!?"

"But I don't like it!"

Cara watched Denna turning her head in her direction, a slightly disbelieving expression on her features, the dim light making it only more dramatic.

"But since we're sharing these small confines, also known as my bed," Denna took a breath and her voice had dropped significantly as she continued, "and if you don't want to sleep on the floor, I suggest that you'll wear it from now on whether you like it or not."

Cara did not know, if she was only reacting on instinct to the threat swinging in Denna's voice, but as she suddenly rolled over and pinned Denna down, she could clearly say that she had taken Denna by surprise. She was most intimately aware of how Denna's nightgown had ridden up, when her leg pressed between the blonde's thighs, how her own body naturally seemed to melt into Denna's and how fast and with so much vigor Denna's heart was instantly pounding that Cara could feel it as strongly as her own. She lowered her voice to the tone Denna had used only moments ago, only to feel Denna shiver beneath her as she spoke, "don't even try to tell me, that you don't like the way I dress." Cara practically breathed the words on Denna's lips, pressing her body for good measure in a long sensual movement tighter against Denna, earning a small whimper that she hadn't expected to sound so utterly delicious. As Denna failed to answer, Cara lowered her mouth to Denna's ear, her lips grazing faintly over the sensitive skin, "I thought as much."

Cara chuckled throatily as Denna pushed her off and Cara let her. Settling in her former sleeping position, Cara heard Denna murmuring something indecipherable, as the blonde turned her back to Cara. "You're are far too sure about yourself." Denna said after a moment.

Cara only chuckled in response, sleep claiming her already. She didn't notice that Denna lay awake for some considerable time until her heartbeat had returned to its normal pace, before she also drifted into a dreamless sleep.

~

"My place is at Richard's side, I’ve been here too long already.”

Denna regarded Cara distantly for a moment, before she eventually spoke, “take the horse, you’ll need it.” Cara’s head whipped around in surprise, there was no particular reason why, but she definitely hadn’t expected Denna to react to her statement the way she did.

"You’ll have to take care of that wound,” Denna said, waving her hand in the direction of Cara’s thigh. “It’ll open again, if you move too much and if you don’t take care of this properly, you’ll be spending more time recovering than actually being any help for Richard.” Denna cocked a brow playfully, ”and who needs a protector, who can’t even defend herself?”

“I’m most capable of defending myself.” Cara shot back, “a minor scratch won’t stop me from anything." Denna could hear the challenge in Cara’s tone, but her expression stayed rather unimpressed, “if you say so,” Denna drawled darkly, then turned to the door, “I’ll tend to the horse and make it ready for your departure then.”

It took not long for Denna to prepare the horse, she even handed Cara a small pack with food, bread, cheese and dried meat, and also a thick blanket for the cold nights. As they parted, the need to say words of gratitude to Denna for saving her life, grew stronger, but the mere thought made Cara feel uneasy. She was still not on common ground with all the emotions Kahlan was so fond of and tried on many occasions to teach Cara 'to express them'. However, Denna seemed to notice Cara’s uneasiness and pressed the backpack unceremoniously into Cara’s arms. “Don’t get yourself killed too soon; all my efforts to save your life would have been for nothing.” Denna said over her shoulder, already walking back to the cottage, without looking back. “Good journey, Cara.”

With that, Denna disappeared through the door and left Cara standing only with the raven horse keeping her company. The last time she had heard these words fall from Denna’s lips, the platinum blonde Mord’Sith had brought Kahlan’s dead sister back to the living and sent the Confessor bend on revenge after her. Denna hadn’t expected Cara to come out of it alive. Days later, Denna had been toppling over the edge of a cliff, an arrow piercing her heart, placed there by Cara’s hand. Cara as well had been certain, that she wouldn’t see or hear anything of Denna ever again. She wasn’t exactly sure, what to expect from their parting now, but couldn’t stop herself from checking her surroundings ever so often.

The pack was quickly fastened and Cara moved carefully to mount her horse, however, as she tried to swing her leg over the saddle, she wasn’t at all prepared for the searing pain that shot through her leg. Cara gasped sharply, as it felt like somebody was tearing her wound open again with a small razor sharp knife. The pain, hot like a sea of flames, spread through her limps, robbing the last strength from the muscles in her leg. Only as she grasped the injured limp by the knee, Cara was able to guide it slowly over the horseback.

Several minutes passed in which Cara willed the white-hot pain to subside, but it didn’t. After a while and few deep gulps of air later, her impatience got the better of her and she spurred the meanwhile lazy grazing horse. Even when it was a slow and even pace, the wound on her upper thigh started throbbing painfully with each step the horse made. It was not long before Cara felt blood running down her leg, gathering in the boots Denna had given to her. Cara knew it would be the best course to return to the cottage at once, but she stubbornly refused to acknowledge it yet. The steady blood loss however, made her dizzy and tired. The trees and landscape around her slowly began to blur and dance in a multitude of colors, and then, eventually, her world suddenly turned black.

~

"Ah there we are again."

The purring sound of Denna’s voice slowly lifted the dense fog that was surrounding her mind and minutes passed before she finally came through. The first thing Cara took notice of, was that she was lying in the same bed she had woken up this very morning, even when her last memory told her faintly, that she had been on her way to meet up with Richard, Kahlan and Zedd. The pain in her thigh was less prominent though, because that last memory was still very fresh and clear on her mind. A clean bandage was neatly wrapped around her thigh and she was clad in the nightgown, Denna seemed so fond of. The other woman sat curled up in one of the two big armchairs near the fireplace, watching the orange flames as they consumed the wood and turned it slowly to ash.

"What am I doing here?” Cara groaned, “again."

Denna’s expression turned deadly serious as she moved slightly in her chair to face Cara, “You don’t remember?”

Cara shook her head, but regretted the movement instantly as she fought down the rising nausea in her stomach.

“You came back to the cottage,” Denna began slowly, “the wound on your thigh had opened up again, and you’d lost a lot of blood.” Denna tipped her head ever so slightly to the side, “you told me that I had been right and that it had been foolish of you to leave so soon, without being recovered sufficiently to take up such a physically demanding journey. But that from now on, you would do whatever I told you without so much as a whisper of complaint from your lips.”

Cara narrowed her eyes and regarded Denna’s stoic features closely, “I would never say such things,” she said puzzled after a moment.

Denna sighed somewhat disappointed, “Well, actually you were unconscious and hanging with your head down from the horse as it brought you back here, but I thought it would be at least worth a try.” Denna’s smirk was almost as bright as the flickering fire and Cara was cursing under her breath.

“At least I hope that you see now, that it’ll take time for you to heal completely.” Denna looked pointedly at her, “whether you’ll admit it or not, in your current state you are no match for anyone, and especially no help to Richard.” Denna raised a brow, clearing waiting for Cara’s reply.

Cara moved her head and Denna took it for the agreeing nod, she was waiting for. "I’ll leave you in your own joyful company, while I tend to the horse." Denna said over her shoulder, "it has saved your life after all." With that, Denna was gone and Cara let herself fall back into the sheets, this was going to be strenuous, to say at least.

~

The two following days Cara had spent in bed under Denna's watchful eye and care. The platinum blonde was not especially friendly, but it gave Cara a certain sense of familiarity. Oh the Creator knew that Cara wouldn't be able to handle a Denna without sarcastic comments and her ever present mischievous smirk. The third day came and Cara refused to stay in the cottage any longer, so Denna generously allowed Cara to accompany her outside. A day prior Denna had spotted some particular bushes full of red berries not far from the cottage and was determined to gather some in order to enrich their daily meals. Cara had been given a small basket and the instruction to fill it, should she feel up to it. Cara had only growled and turned her back to Denna, refusing to see the full teeth smile a moment longer.

They sat next to the berry bushes for a while now as something soft and tiny hit Cara's lip, then seemed to split open. Cara watched a red berry roll away on the forest ground until it came to a stop at a broken branch in its path.

In a slow motion, she turned her head and looked over to Denna who was picking berries at another bush a few feet away. The blonde's blue eyes were trained at her task. It was only then, that Cara noticed the corners of Denna's mouth twitch ever so slightly. Oh no, Denna wouldn't dare, would she?

Time stretched on, but Cara continued to stare incredulously at her blonde former Sister with an unbelieving look on her face. Cara didn't know what prompted Denna to gaze over to her eventually, but the blonde's movements had stopped altogether. Denna raised a questioning brow as their gaze met, her features remained indifferent, but her eyes sparkled with something dangerously close to amusement. "What is it?" Denna asked, a bit too innocently for her ears.

Cara licked the sweet, red juice from her lips and watched as Denna's gaze dropped to her mouth.

"Was it you?"

After a moment of no reaction at all, Denna forced her eyes away from Cara's lips. "Huh?"

"Berries. Flying red berries." Cara narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't know anything about it?"

Denna chuckled, "I have no idea what you're talking about, but maybe you should head back to the cottage and get some rest!?" Denna's grin spoke volumes, "we don't want you to overexert yourself, now do we?"

Cara growled, "I am fine. I don't need to rest!"

"Fine, " Denna replied evenly, nibbling at her lower lip, before she turned her attention back to the bush and the berries hanging there, waiting to be picked.

They sat in silence for some time, both of them changing positions on occasion, until all berries in reach had been gathered from the thin branches. Cara's small basket was almost filled by now with dozens of dark berries, only some in a lighter shade of red in between. Out of the corners of her eyes, Cara caught a movement and her head snapped around, her hand shot up and caught a particular fat, dark red berry midair, in the last second before it hit her face.

Seeing Denna's surprised expression Cara was up from her knees and running as fast as the wound on her leg allowed towards Denna, before the blonde could even move enough to stand. Denna was trapped as Cara straddled her waist and caught her wrists above her head.

“So,” Cara drawled, “you have no idea what I was talking about, hm?”

Denna struggled beneath her but with her weight pressing the blonde down, Denna had no leverage to escape Cara's hold. Cara might be still weakened in her state, but the strength in her arms was slowly returning and she didn't miss Denna's widening eyes as the blonde seemed to realize, that she couldn't push Cara off, like she had the other night in the cottage.

Cara had never seen Denna so unguarded before and for a moment it was easy to pretend that she had never been tortured to one inch of her life, never had been trained with pain and blood to be a Mord'Sith of highest rank. Cara couldn't help the smile that settled on her lips, not asking for permission or her consent. In this moment the genuine smile didn't feel strange, just naturally as she stared down in Denna's blue eyes, while the platinum blonde tried to wriggle her hands free.

"Do you have anything to state in your defense?" Cara asked with feigned seriousness, even more amused as she dodged Denna's half-hearted attempts to break out of her grasp.

"I was only trying to help you to regain your sense of reaction.” Denna's mirroring smile couldn't be described other than smug, even when she obviously fought to keep the amusement off her face, failing miserably.

"Ah I see," Cara said, nodding her pretended understanding, "you only wanted to help!" She pressed her lips together, considering Denna's words carefully. "Then I should be thanking you instead of tackling you to the ground?!" Cara asked, not even trying to sound serious, while Denna nodded, a bit too eagerly.

"You got it!" Denna exclaimed suddenly, as one of her wrists snug out of Cara's hold and the platinum blonde desperately bucked herself upwards, trying to throw Cara off. In the last moment Cara regained her balance, before Denna could push her down or get her other hand free.

At first, Cara thought Denna was going to hit her, as the blonde's hand came in a sudden motion, quickly towards her face. Only as Denna fingers came into contact with her lips, Cara realized, that Denna's hand wasn't empty and now pressing the contents against her mouth. Something was crushing under the pressure of Denna's fingers. Sticky, sweet juice invaded her mouth, even as Cara pressed her lips tightly together. Denna had ceased her struggling effort and was now almost gleefully smearing red berry mash over Cara's skin. Denna had to be a glutton for punishment, Cara thought, as she stared down at Denna in sheer disbelief at her actions. Her fingers closed tightly around Denna's wrist and stopped the movement, but she didn't push Denna's hand immediately away. Cara knew with certainty, that there was nothing physically she could do to revenge Denna's actions, but as she saw Denna's eyes widen in shock, when her lips closed around the blonde's fingers, she knew she had made the right decision. Cara savored the moment of a speechless Denna, her tongue moving sensuously against the sensitive skin of her fingertips and she felt Denna trembling almost instantly beneath her. Denna just stared up at her, obviously unable to move away, her lips were slightly parted and Cara heard Denna's breath catch in her throat as she sucked the sweet juice from her fingers. It felt like time had stopped, the wind ceased to blow and all Cara could suddenly hear was the loud pounding of her own heartbeat. The heat emitting from Denna's body beneath her seemed to get unbearable hot and the throbbing between her thighs had absolutely nothing to do with the wound she had suffered.

"Let me up," Denna said silently, breaking the tension and the contact of Cara's lips and her fingers, "the dampness from the ground is invading my clothes in places I'm not really fond of."

Cara looked down at her for a moment, nibbling on her lower lip, then moved to stand. Denna stood as well, but didn't meet her eyes.

"Let's head back," Denna said, eyes trained at the small basket at her feet, "I think we have gathered enough." With that Denna picked up the basket from the ground and started walking without looking back.

~

How could she have lost it? This entire struggle, all this effort and taking risks to get it back. And now she had simply lost it? It just couldn't be. Somewhere here at the lake - it must be here – somewhere.

Denna had searched through every pack, box and the whole damn cottage and found nothing. The fine golden necklace, she had risked anything for to get back, seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Over the past few days, she had walked along the path they had taken as they arrived. But despite her best efforts she hadn't found a trace or couldn't remember when or where she could have lost her precious treasure.

Denna walked up and down at the rim of the water, where the waves licked the shore, wetting it, making it squishy. Her boots sank deep in the soggy sand while her peering eyes scanned the ground, examining each unevenness of the terrain, every little piece of dirt.

The growing desperation took hold of her thoughts, hugging her tightly in its cold relentless grip of sheer helplessness. No. She closed her eyes and shook her head in the attempt to bring order to the endless, chaotic, activity of her mind. No. She would find it. She had just to be more thorough. It was certainly here. It must be here.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something blinking in the sunlight and rushed quickly in its direction. As she came closer, the blinking faded in the reflection of a shiny stone. The stone flew in a great arc, as she kicked it with her boot, it splashed in the lake and the small waves disturbed the peaceful looking water. Her gaze followed the waves as they slowly died down.

Something sparkly caught her eye again from within the lake, as the waves broke the light and the sunlight fell on the small object. At first she abandoned it, believing it to be only a stone again, getting her hopes up and then turned out to be nothing. But then it blinked again, this time even brighter and – golden?

Her eyes fixed on the spot were she had seen the light coming from. It was a few steps into the lake, so she would need to go inside the water at least waist-high and dive for it. The prospect was most unappealing considering the low temperature of the water. She cringed inwardly. But it was her best shot since - ever. She started to take off her clothes up to her cream-colored undergarments; not wanting to explain to Cara why she was soaked to the skin, when she actually wanted to gather firewood. No, she didn’t want Cara to know about this, she didn’t want anyone to know. She had changed over the past months, she knew that, but this was her weakness, her nemesis. A reminder of a former life and people, once close to her, now long gone.

Denna hissed, as her naked feet made contact with the freezing cold water. But there was no way to avoid it, clenching her teeth, she moved deeper inside. She was Mord'Sith after all. The concept of pain and suffering were familiar to her like the act of breathing. That was something that would never change, no matter how much time would pass.

The water soaked her undergarments and let them cling coldly to her skin. She turned back to the shore, assessing her current position. Finding it suitable, she scanned the ground for any signs of the necklace. As she saw a golden shimmer, she tried to reach it with her foot, but it only drifted further away. It was getting extremely cold and now diving to the ground seemed even more unpleasant as before. But nothing could come from nothing or something like that. Taking a deep breath, clenching her teeth against the cold, Denna dove downwards.

Swirled up sand clouded her vision, from when she had tried to reach the necklace with her foot, but after a moment, Denna was able to locate the small item with her hand. Relief filled her as her fingers closed around it and started to swim upwards without delay. The relief she felt only seconds ago was short lived however, as a strong underwater current seemed to make it impossible for her to reach the surface again. Denna pushed upwards with all she had, but was always pulled down again. Cold arms got heavy and slowly she was running out of air.

Everything was a blur and Denna's thoughts took her back to her past, to her former life in the Mord'Sith temple when a situation similar to the one she was experiencing now had ocurred. Remembering with especial vividness what had taken place as one of her fellow Sisters had tried to drown her in the bathing chambers. The situation at hand was no different. She just needed to outsmart her enemy, like back then, when she had pretended to be dead and her Sister had let go of her, without checking her pulse. Bad mistake. Denna would have chuckled at the memory, had she air to spare, that her Sister had suffered the fate in the end she had so meticulously planned for Denna.

Making up her mind, Denna ceased her efforts to swim upwards and let herself flow with the current instead. After a short while, in which she was sure to loose consciousness from the lack of oxygen, she finally reached the surface. Sucking in gulps of air, Denna let her gaze flicker over the water. The shore was not close anymore; the current had carried her further into deep water and it was still tugging at her legs.

Her fingers had become stiff and numb in the freezing water and hurt as she moved them to wrap the necklace around her wrist, fearing her hold onto it may waver in the attempt to swim back to the shore. The cold, she was already sure she had caught by being in the lake for so long, would have been for nothing if it slipped her grasp again. In these deep waters would be no way for her to ever retrieve it.

In the distance the sun was setting in glowing colors, reflecting on the surface of the lake, seeming to be endless. After a moment of catching her breath, Denna began swimming towards the shore and wondered if Cara would worry that she hadn't returned yet. Cara. At first Denna had excused the notion to safe the other Mord'Sith to herself as an act only to defy Darken Rahl, to send him a message, that not everything went according to plan, that not everything he wanted would actually happen.

Denna had had big plans for her own existence, however, it hadn't played that well either. The turn of events had taken her by surprise, but she had adjusted eventually more or less. Even in her wildest dreams, she may not have imagined that one day, she would be the hunted and no longer the hunter. In the moment she had lifted Cara into her arms and walked out of the temple, Denna knew, that it was the wrong decision, especially when she had wanted to stay low on Rahl's radar. As days passed and Cara fought consciously or unconsciously for her life and Denna had tried to relieve some of her pain, realization dawned on her, that it hadn't been merely a matter of provoking Darken Rahl.

A lingering sense of longing arose within her heart, but she couldn't figure out, what it was seeking for. Maybe it started because Cara was also Mord'Sith and they had known each other, even when their last encounter went slightly out of hand. Or it had to do with Cara being an outsider like she herself, despised and pursued by the only family they both had ever known. In the end Denna was glad that she had taken Cara with her, even if she'd never admit it out loud to anyone. In the past three weeks, the constantly lurking feeling of loneliness Denna felt since her parting of her Sisters, had become less and less with each passing day, until she realized that it had vanished without her even noticing. For the first time in a very long time, she felt happy again. And the recognition scared her to death. As Cara stated, Denna could accompany her, join Richard and the rest of their group in their quest, she couldn't cease to think about it. She had been shocked and utterly surprised by the offer, but dismissed it quickly as an act of pity. There might be occasionally times when she felt lonely, this however, did not mean that she need anyone's compassion.

Only as Cara had renewed her offer, in the evening she wasn't able to lock from her mind, she truly considered it for the first time. There had been nothing but an honest request in Cara's voice then. And Denna thought, that it might be the right time to reevaluate her prompt dismissal.

The strong pull on her legs brought her swiftly back to reality, as she tried to break free of the current and finally reach safe ground at the shore. But the more she fought, the harder the pull seemed to get. Denna felt the exhaustion taking over; her limps feeling heavier than lead. In a last attempt, she summoned all the she could muster - but in the end there was no point to struggle, no point to resist.

No one heard her strangled scream, resonating in the dead silence of the valley, as she was dragged downwards again. This is the end, was her last thought before the water surrounded her completely and her eyes saw the sky for the last time.

~

The sun was already setting and with it the temperature dropped noticeably. Cara had an uneasy feeling in her stomach and wondered where Denna had gone and why she wasn't back yet. As she left, Denna had told her that she would collect some firewood, since their stock was running out, and maybe even go hunting. But that was candle-marks ago and she should have been back in the meantime. Cara paced up and down in the small cottage and eventually decided to go after her.

Cara walked through the woods, it was very chilly already and she pulled the warm thick cape more tightly around her body. Despite the cold she was grateful to leave the cottage once in a while, since Denna did not allow her to stand up for long until her wounds were healed completely.

She would've never thought that she and Denna would get along that well, Denna had indeed changed; for the better. As much as she hated to admit it, since her rescue she had begun to dream of the day when she had tried to kill the other Mord'Sith. Before Denna had saved her from Rahl’s fangs, she never felt sorry for having killed the blonde back then.

This had changed now. In her feverish state she would dream about endless stretching minutes, saw Denna's shocked and helpless expression as she stepped over that cliff and into death's arms. Even when Cara had seen her from the distance, the look on Denna's face had burned itself into her memory. It haunted her now and she would wake up drenched in sweat, trembling. Then Denna would sit next to her bed and try to calm her, with the hint of a mysterious smile on her face. What had happened to this woman, that she would change that much? Denna would not speak about how she survived and what had happened to her after the incident and Cara had stopped pushing for it. In her own time Denna might tell her. The thought itself, that Cara wanted Denna to talk to her, trust her with this was even more surprising to herself. Cara did not remember exactly when the terms of their relationship began to shift, evolving into something more than just plain acceptance. She couldn’t deny that she had started to care, no, she really couldn’t deny that. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it wouldn't be so bad after all to have Denna around. Cara was convinced that in time Richard, Kahlan and Zedd would accept and tolerate Denna, if they saw how much she had changed and that the blonde wasn’t the same person anymore, but someone better.

Half a candle-mark later, Cara had not found a trace of the other Mord'Sith and was practically about to give up, her leg started to hurt, but then she spotted an unnatural looking formation at the lake's shore. She had no idea what it was; only that it looked somehow out of place. She hurried her pace, almost started to run towards it, denying the protests of her injured thigh as much she could. As she came closer, the odd-looking object turned out to be crumpled and abandoned pieces of clothing. Cara chided herself for being almost anxious about a pile of clothes. Looking around, she took in the beautiful landscape surrounding her, as the evening sun bathed everything in a golden light.

Cara decided to head back to the cottage; Denna would probably long be there, growing angry and restless at Cara for being out for so long all by herself. She smiled at the thought. Denna had been very protective of her lately, ever pretending that Cara annoyed her with her stubbornness not to follow her instructions. It should be clear to Cara that, if she refused to step down a bit, never would heal completely so that Denna could finally get rid of her. But Cara knew the truth; she could see it in Denna's eyes, the warmth and affection, Denna tried to hide, deny, so vehemently. It was obvious, that Denna cared a lot for her well-being and this knowledge had caused a disturbing, tingling feeling in her stomach ever since.

Cara turned to leave, still with a smile on her lips as her gaze fell once again to the bunch of clothes at her feet. Her smile froze on her lips.

Reaching down, she took the soft fabric into her hands. How could she have missed that? It were the clothes Denna had worn as she left the cottage earlier that day. Cara turned around again, her eyes searching for any signs of the other woman, but couldn't spot anything unusual. Why would Denna strip out of her clothes and leave them here? Cara had no clue what to make out of this. Where are you? She turned around her own axis again as her eyes searched desperately all spots once again.

Nothing.

A huge knot formed in her stomach and she had difficulties to breathe. As her gaze wandered once again along the rim water, she noticed hardly visible traces of bare feet in the grainy sand. She followed them until its track got lost in the crystal water of the lake. Denna would not have gone in the lake. Why would she? Cara's eyes searched frantically the surface of the tranquil looking water until, her eyes spotted something in the distance. Unmoving, just drifting at the surface. From so far away she could not make out what it was, but the dread rising inside her, clouded any reasonable thoughts. In a matter of seconds, Cara stripped out of her clothes, tossing them carelessly aside in all directions, and sprinted, as fast her legs would carry her, into the lake. The ice-cold water hit her skin with a jolt, it felt like thousands of needles piercing deep into her skin.

But she did not care; she tried to block it out as well as the thought of what she could find ahead, if her presumptions turned out to be true. She kept swimming for some time, until she reached what had seen from the shoreline and her breath was stolen from her lungs, as greatest fear became cruel reality.

It was not just an object, carelessly thrown away, as she had hoped. Instead, it was a pale, feminine body, floating face down in the clear water.

Cara turned the motionless body around, even if she had mentally prepared herself for it as she discovered it to be a body, a gasp escaped her throat as she saw, that it was indeed the other Mord'Sith. Denna's face had already turned blue and Cara knew she needed to hurry and get her out of the water as fast as possible. She couldn't do anything for Denna while swimming; she needed to bring her ashore, trying to bring her back with the Breath of Life in case the blonde was already dead. And as far she could see, Denna did not breathe anymore.

It would work, she repeated over and over in her mind, but failed in the attempt to convince herself enough for the worry to dissipate. She had no idea how long Denna had been in the water by now, it could have happened only a few minutes before Cara reached the lake - or already long before that and then not even the Breath of Life would be able to save her life. Cara stubbornly refused to think about the second possibility.

On the way back, the cold water slowly took its toll on her already weakened body, arms and legs started to get numb from the freezing cold, sucking the last warmth from her body. Swimming got more difficult with each stroke and Cara had the impression that Denna’s body in her arms got heavier with each passing second. She tried to block out the pain and the cold the best she could and her thoughts wandered back to the morning, before Denna had left to collect firewood.

~

Cara changed from her night-shift gown into warm clothing and smiled mischievously at the other Mord'Sith, „I will go hunting. I am in need of the something real to eat.“

Denna stood next to the fireplace and arranged the wood, then dropped to one knee before lighting it.

"My cooking is most real." Denna answered evenly, then glanced over to the grayish, unappetizing looking stew, cooking on the stove, "unfortunately", she added quietly and rather to herself.

"Meat," Cara clarified. Denna shot her a glance over her shoulder then turned her attention back to the fire, adding more branches. „No, you won’t. Go back to bed and rest. I'll do it. Later.“ Cara made desperate gestures with her hands. "But I will die from boredom!" Cara growled, "you can't make me stay inside."

Denna's gaze fixed on her and for a moment and Cara saw the challenge flare up in the blonde’s steel blue eyes, glowing in an otherworldly fire with all its destructive and consuming power – like Cara had seen it so many times in Denna’s eyes before, many turns of seasons ago. She had almost forgotten how intense Denna's stare could be and shuddered at the reminder. It seemed as if Denna remembered, that she was not supposed to back down or accept objections to her orders. The ghost of faint memories flashed over her features, accompanied by all kinds of emotions, fear and confusion, but mostly hurt.

Cara watched Denna closely as she waited for the blonde to speak, not wanting to disturb the thickening silence. As fast as the expression came to Denna's face, it was gone. A faint smile tugged at Denna's lips as she shook her head, as if to clear her mind from confusing thoughts and stood from the ground, absently dusting off her dark grey linen trousers.

In situations like this, Cara realized how different Denna behaved now, so unlike from the woman Cara once knew – but at the same time – not different at all. The thought disturbed and excited her equally.

"I can’t tell you what to do, Cara." Denna said eventually.

"No you cannot!"

"Can I finish?" Denna asked impatiently.

Cara waved a hand.

„Like I said,“ Denna continued, while giving Cara a hard glance – daring her to interrupt her again, „I’ll take care of it later. I need to gather some firewood anyway. Do me a favor and lie down for now and maybe we can make a small stroll tomorrow and see how it works.“

The objections rose instantly in Cara’s throat, but then she found herself unable to voice them out loud, as Denna smiled, rather mischievously, and winked at her and Cara suddenly felt oddly save and protected. She tried to shrug it off.

"But only because you are going anyway," Cara huffed, "not because I can’t go on my own." Leaning forward, she pointed with her finger at Denna, "and tomorrow I’ll leave this damn cottage, no matter what!“

With that, she turned and walked back towards the bed, ignoring how very stiff her legs felt, the searing pain that spread through her limbs and only seemed to get worse, the more she moved around. Denna was right she needed to rest. But she would rather die than admit it to anyone.

Across the room Denna watched Cara as the other woman walked over to the bed and sat down awkwardly. "Certainly,” her smile grew as she answered, “only because I go anyway."

A low growl was Cara’s only reply.


~

Pain.

The pain was slowly overwhelming her, but the cold was even worse. Her arms felt numb and she had forgotten how to move her fingers some time ago. Every stroke went slower and took away more of her strength. The cold was reaching out for her from beneath, capturing her in its relentless grip, trying to drag her down in the black never-ending darkness, tempting her with the seductive promise of constant pain and cold to go away, daring her to give in - to end her struggle. Panic rose inside her; she needed to hurry.

Cara was not sure, if she was coming closer to the shore at all or just floating back and forth. There was no way that she would give up; she would not only seal her own fate, but Denna's as well. Failure was not an option, it never was, and she would not start with changing that now.

She pulled Denna's body more tightly against her own, sharing the last body warmth, she imagined still to be there. She made sure that Denna's head was above the surface, as she dragged her slowly along. Despite the cold, she could feel Denna's body to be even colder as the water against her skin. She didn't want to think about what that meant and listened instead carefully for any sound the blonde would make, but only her own ragged breathing and the noise of her strokes in the water reached her ears in the otherwise deafening silence.

By the time, she finally reached the shore Cara was beyond exhaustion. Panting heavily she laid on her back, staring up into the darkening sky as she tried to breathe against the pain of thousand of needles, piercing her lungs with every breath she took. Even when she was out of the freezing water, it was still so cold, she did not even feel the sand against her skin, her whole body felt numb. Cara reached out for Denna who lay beside her, still in the same position Cara had placed her in. Denna did not move and Cara was sure now - she did not breathe either. Just a minute to catch her breath, just a second to gather her strength. Cara closed her eyes for a moment and then as she opened them again; she wasn’t sure how much time had actually passed. The sun was already starting to disappear behind the tree line, bathing everything in a dim, fading red light.

Cara moved and kneeled next to Denna, who still was lying still on her spot in the white sand. She opened Denna’s blue lips with her fingers and leaned down. The magic for the breath of life was gathering inside her, but something was wrong. It never took so long to gather. Cara’s skin was prickling with the magic rising inside her, but the breath just wouldn't leave her throat. Panic rose inside her, as she tried again and again, but in the end with no use. Cara wasn’t ready to give up just like that as she leaned down and started with resuscitation. At first it seemed as if it wasn’t working, but after a sheer endless time Denna's head moved to the side and the blonde was spluttering water out of her system.

A severe coughing fit later her eyes fluttered open. Denna’s gaze remained unfocused, caught in the grip of her struggle back to full consciousness. Cara's hand grazed over the blonde's forehead, her skin was cold to her touch, but her fingertips tingled as if they were burning. Denna was still looking ghostly pale and her lips shimmered blue. She could see that Denna had problems breathing. Her fingers caressed her cheek and felt relieved as Denna responded to her touch. She looked at Cara. At least her eyes were the same piercing blue they always were. Cara took her hand in her own. "It will be alright, we just need to warm you up."

She tried, she tried with all she had, but could not stop the single tear from falling. She looked away. Denna reached up and touched her face, her hand cold against her skin. Cara brought her eyes back to Denna's and saw she was close to tears as well.

"Don't." Denna whispered, faintly squeezing Cara's hand. Cara bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She lingered there a moment, taking in the scent of her.

Denna smiled but then started coughing again. She shifted her head and a pained expression crossed her face.

"I found it." She breathed after a moment of silence, her eyes closing as her face visibly tightened.

„Was it worth it?“ Cara asked, looking down at the golden chain, resting in Denna's hand.

„It was worth everything.“

Cara could see how much effort it took her, but Denna forced her eyes open again, looking at her. „My mother gave it to me. It's all I have left.“

Denna took a shaky breath, coughing slightly, and then winced as she moved her head. "I'm cold, Cara." Denna breathed, "I am so cold."

"Sssh," Cara whispered as she cradled her even closer, attempting to share as much warmth as possible. "Save your strength. Everything will be alright." She knew it was not true, as knew Denna.

"Take care of yourself," Denna eventually said a faint smile ghosting over her lips, „I know you're lost without me, but when you do what I told you, you'll survive."

Cara huffed, but said nothing. She was in no mood to fight. Her hands stroked Denna's arms for a while, trying to warm her up and get the blood circulation going. She stopped as Denna started trembling violently beneath her fingers.

"No." Cara breathed and cradled Denna's face in her hands, as if that would keep her from leaving. Her voice was shaking. "No - stay with me." She could barely speak she was so choked up. "Please."

Denna's blue eyes opened a little, she took a ragged breath and she smiled at Cara, „you do know that I care," the 'for you' left hanging in the air. Cara was aware that Denna couldn't say it and she did not need to – Cara knew already.

"I care for you-"

Denna's tense body went slack beneath her fingers.

"-too."

The sudden silence cut through her like a knife.

Kneeling in the sand, Cara cradled Denna's fragile body tightly in her arms and rested her head at the other Mord'Sith temple, her voice cracked, as she whispered so silently that only Denna would hear, "On that morning, when this life is over - I know we'll see each other again."

She took a shaky breath and pressed her lips against Denna's temple,

"and I'm looking forward to this day."