Chapter Text
46 Years Later
The Mudd people gathered in their sacred hut, and everyone vied for an excellent position. A special guest arrived late last night. The granddaughter of the great warrior was here to learn from the Mudd people.
Mother Elder quieted her people and retold the favorite story of the people. The story of the great victory of the warrior, with the help of the Mudd people. They told it once a year in celebration of the stronger magic they now commanded.
Selena couldn't help but smile as the story of her grandmothers told from the Mudd people's point of view. She always heard it from her grandmother, Kahlan. Cara was reluctant to tell the story of the emotional stripping away of her past.
Selena sat in stunned silence as the Elder told the part of the story that both grandmothers had left out. She could not imagine them naked in front of the whole village, let alone making love in front of them and now understood the joke between her grandmothers about Shadrin horn. She had a deeper level of understanding for the love the two extraordinary women had shared.
When the story ended, Mother Elder turned to Selena and asked if the great warrior and her love were well. Tears welled up in Selena's eyes as she shook her head.
"Last spring an envoy of the northern tribes pushed farther south than they ever have. The Mother Confessor was willing to trade with the tribes.
The tribe's leader was fascinated by the women warriors. Cara trained a vast army of people, men and women alike.
The D'Haran leader heard that the northern tribes were in the Midlands. He sent his army to discourage any further migration south.
The northern tribes had a great army but had been content to stay in their frozen land and keep to themselves. But the past two winters were tough on the northern tribes.
With the arrival of the D'Haran army, the trade talks grew tense. The D'Haran leader offended the leader of the Northern tribes. Swords and arrows drew in the chambers of the Council of the Midlands. My two grandmothers were there leading the trade negotiations. A D'Haran soldier loosed an arrow at the leader of the northern tribes. The great warrior stepped in front of him and took the arrow to her chest."
A mummer of shock rumbled through the sacred hut. Selena was grateful for the interruption. The story was emotional for her.
"The warrior was gravely injured. But she saved the Midlands and D'Hara from plunging into a war with the northern tribes. The D'Haran leader immediately turned and killed the soldier who shot the arrow."
"The wizards and healers tried their best to heal her, but she kept getting weaker and weaker. There was a rare poison on the arrow. But the assassin was killed so quickly; we never learned the origin of the poison. The healers kept her alive until this spring. She always said she never wanted to die old and toothless, but would make an exception if she was in the arms of her love. That’s where she was when she died. A week later the Mother Confessor died of a broken heart."
Selena went on to tell many more stories of her grandmothers Cara and Kahlan.
After arriving home, Zedd confirmed Kahlan's pregnancy with twins. Nine months later, fraternal twin girls, Sonja and Sara were born. Cara and Kahlan were never happier. Kahlan could not have asked for a more supportive or equal partner to raise their two girls.
Sonja had golden hair like Cara and the blue eyes of Kahlan. Sara had Kahlan's dark hair and Cara's green eyes. Both girls were confessors, but the Mord'sith magic passed only to Sonja.
In the girls seventh year, a strange thing started to happen. Mord'sith began arriving at the confessor palace to see Cara. Rumors of the change in the great Mord'sith begun to trickle back to the Peoples Palace. The new D'Haran leader was a peaceful man wanting his people to prosper under a gentler hand finally. The Mord'Sith had no place in this peaceful reign. He used them in the first few years to squash any uprisings against his leadership. When the people saw they would prosper under this new leader, the riots stopped.
Rikka was the first to approach Cara. She disguised herself by cutting off her hair and wearing men's clothes. She volunteered for the training Cara offered to anyone who wanted to join the Midland army. When Cara saw her fighting skills, she knew she was Mord'Sith. After Rikka bested her opponent, Cara took her legs out from under her and put her forearm on her throat.
"What are you doing here, Rikka?" Cara growled.
"I had to come and see it for myself," Rikka choked out.
"What?" Cara said as she pushed down harder.
Rikka pushed against Cara's steely arms and tried to speak. Cara pulled back and stood up. Holding a hand out to help, a stunned Rikka could only stare at her outstretched hand. Cara knew she would never take the help, but she wanted to offer it anyway to see the look on her face.
Rikka stood up to face Cara looking her up and down. Cara was still Cara, but she seemed completely different. Her hair cut to shoulder length. She wore soft brown pants, brown leather boots, and a green shirt with a leather vest. She looked stunning, even in the simple but well-tailored clothes. The most significant difference was the emotion. It clearly showed in the green eyes.
"Everyone leave us!" Cara said. Rikka could see there was a hint of kindness in her voice as she said the words.
When they were alone, she called for one of the servants to serve fruit and cheese. Rikka's eyes widened because these were her favorite.
"You look a little thin," Cara said with a genuine smile.
Rikka could only stare in amazement at this new creature before her. A table was set up, and they sat down to eat. Rikka was half-way through the platter before she looked up to see Cara smiling at her.
Rikka pounded her fist onto the table and stood up. "What has happened to you?"
Cara couldn't help but chuckle at Rikka's reaction. "Nadia happened to me."
"Nadia not the Mother Confessor?" Rikka asked with a sneer.
Cara motioned for her to sit back down and proceeded to tell her the whole story. Rikka was the only Mord'sith ever to hear the full story. When she finished, Rikka sat with tears welling in her eyes as she asked, "What is it like…to feel?"
"Hatred is empty. I could feel my love for Kahlan, but until I emptied myself of the darkness, it was only on the surface. Now I can feel it down in my bones…in my soul."
Rikka tried to swallow down the emotion that threatened to burst from her chest. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She watched Cara's eyes follow something coming closer to them then felt a hand on her back.
"Rikka meet Nadia."
For many years to come, Nadia would give relief to the tortured creatures that were Mord'Sith. The Mord'sith started coming in droves to the Mother Confessors city to join the Army of the Midlands. Many became elite soldiers. But there were a few who did extraordinary things like becoming mothers. Never had there been such a skilled army to protect a city. Peace reigned for many years under Cara and Kahlan's leadership
The Northern tribes descended on the Midlands with hopes of conquering new lands. Any thoughts of war quickly squashed upon seeing the might and skill of the Army Cara created.
Cara and Nadia retained their bond even after the Mord'sith's children were born. Cara was forever grateful to Nadia. Starting as a ten-year-old child, Nadia worked with the Mord'Sith. Only she could successfully help them make the transition to a peaceful life.
The powerful magic of the Lotook and Confesser took a toll on Nadia's body. She could only hold it in her mortal body until she was twenty-two. She had been the last of her kind like Cara.
When Nadia lay dying, she had a vision of Cara and Kahlan's great-granddaughters. Mighty warriors that many generations would come to know as Amazon warriors. She called her cousin Selena to her side. Nadia commissioned her to go to every kingdom of the Midlands. She was to study the fighting skills of every nation to create this future warrior in her vision. Selena paused in the telling of her story to let the voices quiet again. The Mudd people felt honored for their role in the legend.
Mother Elder led Selena to the hut, where her grandmother fought her most famous battle. Bidding goodnight to the Mother, Selena turned to look around the shelter. She envisioned her grandmothers falling asleep. She imagined their exhaustion after fighting the demons that wanted Cara's soul. Her heart twisted a little at the thought. She would never be able to tease them about the best part of their story. They had sex in front of a whole village. That part, they never shared with their children and grandchildren.
In the hut, Selena slipped into the magic space of not quite asleep. Her grandmothers sent her a vision of their legacy. She saw the many generations of women warriors. Selena would never again mourn the loss of Cara and Kahlan. She would only feel grateful for the fantastic heritage that passed to her.