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#01 – Walking
It felt like they’d been walking for hours which, if the position of the sun was any indication they had, and her ankle was killing her but she’d keel over dead before she asked Cara to slow down and ruin what little progress they’d made with one another.
#02 – Waltz
Kahlan’s words, ‘I didn’t know you could dance,’ reverberated in her ears, earning a toothy grin in response, “Well, Miss Amnell,” Cara drawled, spinning her out only to draw her back into her arms, “You never asked,”
#03 – Wishes
She wishes it were different, with every fiber of her being she wishes she’d been faster, that she’d paid more attention, that she’d…Spirits, that she’d been able to save her; more than anything though, she wishes Cara was still here to tell her how pointless wishes are.
#04 – Wonder
When the world is harsh and Cara, in turn, is harsher still, Kahlan finds herself drawing on the memory of the moment the blonde returned from the night wisps, the sheer unadulterated wonder on her face, and, suddenly, things don’t seem quite as bleak as they did before.
#05 – Worry
Cara would never say she worried for the Confessor nor would she admit that, occasionally, she does things with no other goal in mind than to alleviate some of the other woman’s burdens, be they physical or otherwise; no, Cara would never say that (but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t).
#06 – Whimsy
Though she rarely misses an opportunity to express her distaste for the wizards’ capricious sense of humor, Kahlan can’t help but notice the way Cara’s mouth betrays her, lips curling upward at Zedd’s latest jest when she thinks no one’s looking.
#07 – Waste/Wasteland
The Seeker is dead and they can only watch as the Midlands crumbles and burns around them, the plains permanently stained with gore and the once proud forests transformed into dunes of ash; the world is ending, Cara knows, but the only thing that matters to her is keeping Kahlan alive for one more day.
#08 – Whiskey and rum
She knows she shouldn’t do this – Kahlan is sad and vulnerable and can’t hold her drink worth a damn and she belongs to the Lord Ra- damn it, she’s Richard’s – but Cara can’t stop herself from kissing her back any more than she can stop herself from wanting too.
#09 – War
She silences Kahlan’s protests with a pointed look, “Mord’Sith are built for war,” she drawls, “And I cannot – will not – hide like a frightened dog while my sisters defend Aydindril,”
#10 – Weddings
The union of the Mother Confessor and the Seeker is the grandest affair in Ayndindril’s recent history and it leaves the whole of the Midlands in a state of near euphoria; none are immune to its effects, it seems, save a lone, scarlet-clad rider who slips out of the White City the moment she’s able.
#11 - Birthday
Cara turns narrowed eyes from the cake before her to its deliverer, a single golden brow raised in question, “Just because Mord’Sith don’t celebrate birthdays,” Kahlan begins, a slightly mischievous smile tugging at her lips, “Doesn’t mean Confessors can’t,”
#12 - Blessing
Meeting Richard had felt lucky - she certainly hadn’t expected to find the Seeker so quickly, even if he hadn’t been exactly what she’d hoped for; but meeting Cara, knowing Cara, felt like a blessing, like everything in her life, in both of their lives, had to align just so in order for them to be right here, right now.
#13 - Bias
Kahlan can admit that she was (unfairly) biased against Cara Mason when they first met – though, honestly, who could blame her? The rivalry between D’Hara High and Aydindril Prep was practically in her blood; the funny thing is that, now, she can’t imagine her life without the blonde transfer.
#14 - Burning
There’s an unfamiliar hate burning in the back of her once familiar green eyes, an impenetrable darkness that nearly makes Kahlan weak at the knees; Creator, what had Rahl done to her?
#15 - Breathing
Her breathing is smooth, quiet and deep, each exhale sending a puff of air along the expanse of Cara’s collarbone, the tickling sensation leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake; as a rule, she isn’t much for closeness after, or during, sex, but Amnell was proving to be something of an exception…to everything.
#16 - Breaking
Cara knows breaking far more intimately than anything else, which is the only reason she’s able to recognize exactly what it is that Kahlan’s doing to her every moment of every day; that her every little gesture, every soft word, every small, secret, shared smile, acts like a well-placed agiel, meant to break her down and turn her into something – someone – new.
#17 - Belief
She doesn’t believe in many things; as a Mord’Sith, there was only Lord Rahl, only his will and his whims and the easy familiarity that they provided but now, now there is Zedd and Richard and Kahlan and, perhaps, even herself, to believe in and, while she does sometimes miss the ease of Rahl, she does not do so often.
#18 - Balloon
Cara bats a stray balloon from her path as she carefully makes her way across the yard, dodging children and adults alike as she goes; finally reaching the table, she relinquishes her burden with lingering care, going so far as to still when Kahlan’s hands find purchase on her hips, “If I ruin our daughters’ cake, it’s on your head,” she warns, though her tone lacks bite.
#19 - Balcony
With her arms resting against the balcony’s rail and her pale face turned towards the sun, Cara, try though she might, couldn’t quite contain the thought that she’d never before looked so beautiful; it wasn’t until she took note of the slight upward turn of Kahlan’s lips that the Mord’Sith realized she’d spoken her thought aloud.
#20 - Bane
Sliding her dagger into the heart of the last of the banelings that had surrounded her, Kahlan wrenched her blade out and away, a well placed kick sending its’ carcass to the ground; a glance to the left told her her lone companion had fared just as well, for there Cara stood, offering her a victorious smirk.
#21 - Quiet
It wasn’t until Cara’s voice, soft though it was, cut through the stillness of the night that Kahlan realized how late – or, rather, early – it had become; surely her turn at watch had ended hours before, and yet, there she sat, her eyes wide and her thoughts far too busy for sleep to even bother calling her name.
#22 - Quirks
Kahlan considers herself a kind person and, for some indecipherable reason, thinks her one as well; after so many months in her company, Cara finds it far easier to label the Confessors unwavering faith in her as one of her many ‘quirks’ than it would be to continue denying it.
#23 - Question
That she had to ask at all, that she had been so warped as to believe she wasn’t worthy of this, the simplest and yet greatest of gifts, made Kahlan’s heart stutter painfully within the confines of her chest, “Oh, Cara,” she began, cupping her cheek, “How could I not love you?”
#24 - Quarrel
If Zedd and Richard notice that the once fearsome quarreling between their two female companions has turned into something akin to playful banter, they say nothing of it; still, every now and then, the two men share a small smile, a silent acknowledgement of the growing relationship between the two.
#25 - Quitting
Kahlan does not lose control, not easily at least, so, the day she stomps into their apartment, her eyes dark and wild with the force of her anger, it’s all Cara can do to talk her out of quitting her job at Aydindril National and into a warm, relaxing bath.
#26 - Jump
Sonja jumped excitedly from Kahlan’s arms and into those of her other mother, heedless of the way the blonde twisted her body to keep her agiels safely out of reach, “Momma, momma,” she cried, wrapping thin arms around her neck, “You’re home!”
#27 - Jester
The leather-clad woman fixed the jester who’d dare mock her with another powerful glare before her brunette companion finally managed to coax her from the town square; as she vanished from sight, the fool, for his part, heaved a sigh of relief – some people just couldn’t take a joke.
#28 - Jousting
Though Cara had heard of the strange Midlands tradition, jousting was not a D’Haran custom and, thus, she’d never seen it before - not until the Mother Confessor returned to Aydindril and the Council sponsored one in her honor, anyway; to say that she was unimpressed by the ‘manly’ display would be a terrible understatement.
#29 - Jewel
Cara eyed the jewel nestled comfortably in the valley of her breasts, her stare hot enough to bring a blush to the Confessor’s cheeks; absently licking her lips, she finally met Kahlan’s stare and, with a voice too husky to be merely conversational, said, “I’ve never been jealous of a necklace before,”
#30 - Just
As a Confessor, as Mother Confessor, Kahlan is supposed to stand for justice, for rightness, for goodness; but, as her hand encircles Cara’s throat, as she feels the heartbeat of a murderer, her sisters’ murderer, beating evenly against her palm, she can’t help but wonder if killing her really is justice…or if it’s just vengeance conveniently shrouded in white.
#31 - Smirk
Despite her better judgment, Kahlan finds herself growing undeniably fond of the Mord’Sith, of her strength, her loyalty, of her courage; on her worst days, she thinks she’s even grown to like that damnable smirk of hers.
#32 - Sorrow
To those who don’t know her well, he had no doubt that her distantly cold expression probably seemed just that, cold, distant, as though the Mother Confessor’s death meant nothing to her; but Richard, who’s known Cara for more years now than not, who’d learned to see through her mask decades ago, saw only sorrow.
#33 - Stupidity
The sound of the slap still ringing clear in the afternoon air, Cara could only gap stupidly as Kahlan launched into an honestly spectacular rant about how she needed to be more careful, how she was more than a weapon, how she was worth more, how she was more and, as her words trailed into sobs, Cara did the only thing she could think to make her stop; she reached out, digging her fingers into hardy white cloth, and tugged the Confessor flush against her.
#34 - Serenade
Dating Cara isn’t anything like dating Richard, not that that’s a bad thing, mind you; sure, Cara will never stand in front of her dorm and serenade her at three o’clock in the morning but, on the other hand, Cara will never stand in front of her dorm and serenade her at three o’clock in the morning, so, there’s that.
#35 - Sarcasm
Kahlan has met many people, both during her travels with the Seeker and before her journey as a Confessor began in earnest and yet, never has she met anyone as fluent in sarcasm as their fair-haired Mord’Sith companion.
#36 - Sordid
Miss Kahlan Amnell couldn’t decide if it was more or less terrifying to discover that the infamous Captain Mason – who’s almost unbelievably sordid reputation was well known, and feared, across the world – wasn’t a man at all but, rather, the most strikingly beautiful woman she’d ever laid eyes on.
#37 - Soliloquy
As Kahlan continued on, stumbling over her words as her sense of propriety warred with her mounting nerves and the overwhelming force of her feelings for Cara of all people, Richard couldn’t help but feel as though he was an unnecessary part of her self-discovery process; she may as well have been talking to herself, for all the good he did her.
#38 - Sojourn
Cara was less than a day into the journey required for her semi-annual sojourn at the People’s Palace when a messenger came barreling up the path, both horse and rider draped in Aydindril blue, “Mistress Cara,” the man bellowed once he was within range, “The Mother Confessor’s in labor; the baby’s coming now!”
#39 - Share
“Maybe it’s not fair, giving you this…this ultimatum, I mean, I know I said I was okay with this, with…sharing you but I’m, I’m not; I thought I could handle it, Cara, but I can’t and I’m…I’m sorry, I’m so sor- mmph!”
#40 - Solitary
Richard continued on, clearly excited by the prospect of leading the big face-off against DHS the next Thursday, but Kahlan wasn’t really listening; no, her attention rested firmly on the solitary figure sitting on the opposite side of the quad, a certain blonde exchange student by the name of Cara Mason.
#41 - Nowhere
Kneeling on the floor beside her bed, with sweat on her brow and her leathers still dusty from the road, Cara had barely uttered a word since she’d arrived; still, despite her less than vocal state, Kahlan could tell there was nowhere the blonde would rather be than right here, clutching her hand, as she brought their daughter into the world.
#42 - Neutral
Since she was barely able to maintain her neutral expression as it was, Cara outright struggled to fend off the urge to smirk as Kahlan fixed her newest would be suitor with a powerful glare before sending him on his way.
#43 - Nuance
There are so many sides to Cara, so many nuances, little twitches and quirks, little signs that, if you’re not looking for them, you simply won’t see; she comes off as cold, as coarse, and she is, make no mistake, but she is also warm, and caring, and so desperately insecure about her place it all but breaks Kahlan’s heart.
#44 - Near
As Richard pulls what remains of the arrow from Cara’s shoulder – the Mord’Sith’s bored expression never wavering – Kahlan can’t help but think she’s far more affected by the blonde’s near-death experience than she is.
#45 - Natural
She’s not certain when it happened exactly, when her place shifted from the side of her Lord Rahl to that of the Mother Confessor, when it became second nature to defend her and not him on the field of battle; she, however, is certain that the change should not feel quite so…natural, like it was where she was meant to be all along.
#46 - Horizon
Aydindril rises proud in the distance, a beacon of shining white on an endless green horizon, and, though Cara has seen the Confessor’s City many times before, for some reason this time, with Kahlan riding tall and beaming beside her, it feels different; she wonders briefly if this is what it feels like to come home.
#47 - Valiant
Rumors of the mysterious Valiant swept across D’Hara and with each new tale Rahl’s temper rose as surely as Cara’s interest; who was the lone vigilante who dared stand up to her boss and, more importantly, when would she be sent to break her?
#48 - Virtuous
The Mother Confessor is virtuous by force of will, by need, by design – if nothing else, it’s what she represents, who and what she’s meant to be – but Kahlan’s…different; she is virtuous by nature, by simply being so, and, because of that, Cara can’t help but think her more so.
#49 - Victory
With the Pillars now firmly behind them, Kahlan casts a look to her left only to have her gaze arrested by the vision that is Cara, her full lips pulled back in a small but breathtaking smile and, before she can think to question the urge, she reaches out, grabbing hold of red leather, and tugs the Mord’Sith towards her.
#50 - Defeat
Her arms, wrenched painfully above her head, burn like fire as her all but naked body swings from thick chains, but that isn’t the worst of it; no, the worst thing about this, about losing to Darkan Rahl, about falling before ingesting her alkalis stone is seeing Cara’s once familiar face staring back at her.