A/N: My friends, I'm very sorry for the delay but I'm so so very busy with life right now that I just couldn't find enough time to write. However, I want you to know that I worked my life out on this last chapter, yes you heard well, it's the last one =( so hopefully you'll waiting will be rewarded with this chapter's content, which in my opinion, is the best one so far.

Also, I have NEVER wrote a chapter so long in my life before, so feel important now ;)

Anyway, all this has been made for you guys, so enjoy it! And please let me know what you think of it at the end =)

She waited for the blow but the blow never came. Instead, when she opened her eyes she found herself suspended in mid air over a wide cloud of red smoke. The same red light she had seen earlier She thought, as her own cloud of messed up thoughts cleared somewhat.

'Where am I?' She whispered inaudibly to herself as her eyes eyed the place she had fallen into suspiciously.

'Welcome to my realm, Mother Confessor'

His deep and guttural voice sent shivers up Kahlan's spine. Something about the way he spoke told her everything she needed to know. His voice had changed dramatically but he still was the same person she knew so well.

Kahlan was afraid to look up. She refused to meet his warm eyes, which she knew wouldn't be so warm now anymore. Why was he there? Why was he saying this was his realm?

'I can answer all your questions, but you'd first have to look straight into my eyes' his devil-like voice snapped her out of her reverie. Had she spoken out loud? No. She was sure she hadn't. Then how had he…

Her racing thoughts were interrupted when a cold and long viscous finger brushed the shape of her chin and lifted it up slowly to bring it at his eye-level.

When her eyes met his Kahlan couldn't help taking a sharp intake of breath. He was a monster. No, even worse. He was the Keeper of the Underworld.

'We meet at last, my Dear' he said in that creepy deep voice, dragging the last word to emphasize his irony.

Kahlan squirmed in her red smoking prison, desperately trying to break free but it was hopeless. She was well aware she was his captive. She wasn't going anywhere until he decided so.

'Please' she begged, tears quickly forming in the corner of her eyes 'Please, Zedd. Let me go'

Zedd grinned in response, a snake like smile appearing in his malevolent features. He shook his finger back and forth, the same finger he had used to bring her chin up, and retreated a few steps, turning his long sleek back to her.

'But if you have just got here!' He mocked, feigning hurt whilst flashing a quick smirk over his shoulder.

Kahlan fought against her invisible prison in response, her features overthrown by repulsion and pure anger.

She had never expected to find Zedd, the warm caring old man like this. She wasn't sure how to put it into words but her Zedd had turned into the face of evil. The way he walked, how his long black cape undulated between his legs, his white mane falling straight off his shoulders, the snake-like curve of his smile, the viscosity of his limbs, the bloodshot red of his eyes. It all formed a repulsive being, one made of pure evilness.

'It doesn't have to be like this!' she spat, arching forward to try and get closer to him.

Zedd turned half way around to glance at her. He found her with her arms spread backwards, as if an invisible chain were holding her wrists back in place, impeding her to move. He delighted in watching her struggle in vane and had no shame in making it obvious.

With a long stride he was mere inches apart from her hanging body, his sharp angular face moving alongside hers, eyeing her with utmost curiosity. He watched her go completely still, desperately trying not to move a muscle in her face. He smirked when he realized she was repulsed by him and his closeness. He took advantage of this and poked his thin, forked tongue out and drew dangerously close to her. Kahlan squirmed and thrashed, desperately trying to move away from his approaching tongue but nothing she did was enough. She was at his beck and call.

The Mother Confessor did all she could. She pressed her lips tight and turned her head to one side. But even then, his wet slippery tongue found his way to her lips and slowly licked her, a burning sensation appearing in the trace he had made with his tongue. Kahlan whimpered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes yet refusing to give him the satisfaction of watching her cry. Nonetheless, her pained expression was enough to make him burst into a demoniac laughter.

'Richard!' Zedd's laughter was suddenly cut off, being replaced by a sadistic tone 'Get your ass moving, you bastard!'

A tall, broad shouldered figure appeared between the red midst of smoke and began walking towards them. When his body left the cocoon that the shadows were providing him with Kahlan gasped, her eyes going wide as plates.

Richard, her mate, was the Keeper's pawn.

First Zedd, now Richard. When had all that happened?

Kahlan's mind shot back to the cliff. As her thoughts mingled together realization struck her.

Richard.

Richard had pushed her off the brisk. He had sent her right into the wolf's deadly jaws. But why? What had she done to him? Kahlan shook her head back and forth in a desperate attempt at erasing the memories that were threatening to resurface in her mind's eye. However, when Richard spoke, it all came back to her in an exorbitant wave: his flat dull voice, his unnerving presence and his shadowed eyes. Kahlan gasped in utter horror.

Richard and Zedd, they had both betrayed her. They had indulged her into believing a lie. They had led her straight into their trap. How could she have been so blind? How hadn't she seen it coming? It was so obvious, so very at plain sight.

The tears she had been suppressing for so long finally began falling off her cheeks. Kahlan let her head hang lose as she silently cried.

'Oh, my Dear' Zedd's mocking tone broke the silence 'You're too pretty to cry' He said as his hand brushed away one of the many tears damping her face.

Kahlan shot her head to the side, violently shaking Zedd's hand off her in the process. He, on the other side, retrieved his hand rapidly and took it to his lips feigning hurt.

'Bad girl' He said snapping his tongue to highlight his disapproval 'You'll have to be punished now' Zedd nodded his head at Richard's direction and watched how his pawn crossed the distance between him and the helpless Mother Confessor.

Richard took Kahlan's face in his hands and watched her intently.

'Don't worry, my love' He said, his gaze penetrating hers in a terrifying manner 'I promise it won't hurt… much.

'Why can't I go?' Richard asked irritated. Where Kahlan's well being was concerned he didn't like leaving lose screws and it wasn't that he didn't trust Cara for the matter... On the contrary, if something ever happened to him in his quest, Cara would be the one he'd choose to follow the mission on. But this was Kahlan they were talking about. His mate, not Cara's and he dreaded the idea of not being the one going to her rescue.

'For the tenth time Richard, you can't go because you are vulnerable to magic and Cara is not' Zedd sighed in exasperation when Richard began to protest again 'Dreams and magic are closely related and as we don't know what we're dealing with yet it can be fatal for you to step into Kahlan's dreams. Is it clear now, my boy?'

'Yes, but I…' Richard was suddenly interrupted when a red gloved hand pressed against his chest to silence him.

'I'll bring her back, Richard' Cara said in a stoic tone 'I promise'

The Seeker's chest rose up again as his mouth opened to utter the words he so fervently wished to say. However, the Mord-Sith's solemn promise had caught him off guard and left him speechless. He didn't know why but he believed her. Somehow he knew Cara would never come back unless Kahlan was with her.

'Ok' Richard whispered and took some steps back to allow Zedd and Cara to perform the spell.

He retreated to a nearby tree and rested his back on its trunk, watching his two companions from a prudent distance.

Cara gave Richard a quick glance and nodded her head briefly to him once, silently reaffirming her promise to bring Kahlan back with her in one piece. Richard nodded back to her and then watched her step into the pentagram Zedd had drawn earlier that day.

'Ready?' Zedd asked as he fixed his eyes on the expressionless Mord-Sith.

Cara turned her head over her shoulder and locked eyes with the wizard.

'Never more' she replied drily, her thoughts already drifting towards the mission at hand.

'Ok, my dear' Zedd said in a low voice, his brows furrowing together in worry for the Mord-Sith 'Remember that you have thirty minutes top to find Kahlan, convince her that she's dreaming and wake up. If you exceed those thirty minutes you'll be trapped down there with her forever. Is that clear?'

Cara's face had turned into an unreadable mask and when she opened her mouth to answer, her voice sounded harsh and dry.

'Send me there, Wizard'

Zedd closed his eyes briefly in acknowledgement and opened them back again to throw his hands up in the air and begin the chanting.

As Zedd's voice grew louder and more insistent the clouds began to gather and mingle together in a black smoking whirl. The spiral of wind became more and more intense and it began to close around Cara's body slowly, until it became so thick and strong that the Mord-Sith disappeared from the spectator's range of sight.

Zedd finished the spell with a yell and suddenly the wind stopped, revealing an empty spot where Cara had been standing just seconds ago.

Richard gasped and stepped forward, drawing nearer to his immobile grandfather who was still staring at the empty pentagram on the floor.

'Is she..?' Richard trailed off, too agitated to finish his sentence.

'Yes, my boy' Zedd's dull voice replied, eyes still trained on the pentagram 'She's in Morpheous' realm now'

An agonizing scream echoed throughout the walls in the long corridor. It was an all too familiar sound, one that made her heart ache.

She closed her eyes and let her instincts guide her towards the source of the terrifying yell.

She darted forward, running as fast as her legs would go. She knew she didn't have much time. She had to hurry.

With her heart hammering in her chest, Cara sped through the corridors, turning left or right according to what her inner voice told her.

The dim light of the halls combined with the speed she was running at and the narrowness of the place gave Cara the sensation of being in a carrousel, spiraling around again and again. Her head as well as her vision were blurring more and more with every step she took and it all gave her the vertiginous sensation that she was about to fall off from a cliff. Nonetheless she was unable to stop running towards the source of the scream just as her mind was unable to stop spiraling around.

Drops of sweat began pouring down her temple at the same time as the panting started. She was so dreadfully tired yet she didn't feel like she could stop. She had to reach the person that had screamed. She felt her heart guiding her towards it, as If an invisible pull were brutally pushing her closer, and if she fell, the pull would drag her. She simply was unable to stop running.

When she reached a particular narrow bifurcation she found herself halting, confused about which path to choose. Cara had been blindly guided by her instincts until that very same moment, she hadn't even had the need to doubt, something was assuring her that she was on the right path. But now.. Now she was standing as straight as her tiredness allowed her to in front of a choice that could lead her straight to the person that had screamed or completely the opposite way.

'FUCK!' she cried out and kicked the wall separating the two corridors with extreme frustration.

She brought her hands to her head and pulled her hair in her attempt to pull herself together 'This can't be happening' She thought as she dropped her head in resignation and used the back of her hand to clean the drops of sweat from her forehead.

'I need to keep moving, I need to find it' she whispered almost inaudibly, her voice failing her from so much exhaustion 'Where..' She trailed off when suddenly the carrousel stopped spinning and was swallowed up by pitch black darkness.

Cara caught a glimpse of the carrousel's structure falling down to pieces before it all turned to black.

'Noooooo!'

A scream ringed on the distance, half covered by the dull hood of blackness around it all, half muted by the dormant thoughts in her head.

It was just a dream. A far away dream. No need to move.

'Nooooooooooo! Please, dont!'

Another scream, this one closer and it echoed through the non-existent walls around her. The blackness only covered a slight part of the yell this time, leaving the rest of it to pierce right through her.

She moved once and then stilled again. An incoherent thought invaded the privacy of her oblivion and she was disturbed enough by it so as to pay attention for the shortest second.

A blurry image flashed through her mind right then.

A dress, a white dress blowing in the wind. A never ending fall from a cliff. Extreme heat and a radiant red light blinding her. Flames all around, horns, naked bodies and the same white dress but blood stained and gashed opened. The red light blackened abruptly and the last thing she saw was the white dress, a stone wall imprisoning it and a jet black mane turning towards her ever so slowly.

She tried to reach out with her hand to touch the woman but rapidly retrieved it when she finally faced her and cried out with a long earsplitting scream that tore her soul apart.

'KAHLAN!' Cara bolted from the floor and got on her feet desperately looking for the Mother Confessor.

Just as she looked around for Kahlan, Cara began to see the light. She remembered why she was there. She was there to save Kahlan from the oblivion she had mercilessly fallen into. And the scream, that terrifying yell had been the Confessor's all along. Cara had unconsciously recognized it and somewhere between her hallucinations she had followed a strange pull that had led her to a bifurcation. Right then the strength that keeping somewhat aware in the realm of unconsciousness was costing her had taken its toll on her and she had shut down. But for how long?

It couldn't have been much.

She knew this because the first time she had heard Kahlan screaming she had sounded so desperate, as if her life depended on that yell and just now she had heard her again, and she was still alive. Screaming even worse than before, with so much more urgency but still alive and Cara was determined to cling onto that.

Kahlan was still alive.

Cara darted forward, her lost strength having returned in one wave right after she heard Kahlan screaming. Once more the blonde Mord-Sith found herself running at full speed towards the source of the yell, never once stopping to analyze where exactly she was heading to.

Kahlan kept screaming her lungs out. Her voice sounded so desperate… so terrified. And as Cara ran she couldn't help the rising thoughts in her head. If she knew the Mother Confessor any better she'd say Kahlan was being tortured.

Suddenly Cara's heart skipped a beat. 'Oh my Lord, no' she thought as she tried to speed up her pace even more.

Kahlan was being tortured, and by the sound of it, she wasn't going to last much longer.

'Come on, Kahlan. Hang on. I'm almost there' Cara whispered pleadingly as she felt her heart constrict with utter worry.

The desperate cries from Kahlan led her to a huge chamber with floors and walls of a dark colored stone and with big, imposing columns to support the dome above. Cara halted only for the briefest second to take in the sight around her. There were torches illuminating the originally gloomy place, even though they were hardly making any difference. The circular room was still dimly lit and it gave Cara an unnerving feeling and the urgent need of getting out of there as fast as she could.

The Confessor's screams snapped Cara out of her absorption and she sped through the chamber once more, quickly finding another sideway hall that seemed to lead in Kahlan's direction.

She was half way through one particularly stretch corridor when suddenly Kahlan's cries stopped.

Cara halted abruptly with her heart hammering in her chest.

'Come on, Kahlan' She said as she desperately searched for any possible sound that the brunette could make 'Please, don't stop now'

The place had gone completely silent, as if nothing had ever existed there. The stretch halls, the low ceilings, the rocky paths… it all seemed like an infernal tomb. One she wasn't sure of getting out from anymore.

'Richard, can you stop pacing for the Creator's sake?' Zedd's irritated voice broke the silence that hung around them, causing his grandson to halt his movements and turn to the old man.

Richard sighed loudly, the anxiety he was feeling clearly shown in his features. He walked over to where Zedd was sitting, eating an apple, and deliberately threw his arms up in the air.

'How can you be eating so calmly?' the Seeker asked, now angry 'You told her thirty minutes. THIRTY! And how long has she been there?' Zedd looked at him with the most puzzled expression which made Richard look all the more hysterical 'TWENTY FIVE!' he screamed right before sinking to the ground in front of his grandfather.

Zed left the apple he was eating aside and moved to put an arm around his grandson and draw him closer to him for a comforting hug.

'Don't worry, Richard' His calm voice ringed in the Seeker's ear 'Time when we are asleep functions in a different way. We know Cara, if anything she won't give up. You just need to have some faith'

'Kahlan!' Cara yelled 'KAHLAN!'

Time seemed to keep on passing and the Mother Confessor still hadn't made any other audible sound. Cara was getting more and more anxious with each passing moment. She knew that Kahlan had been tortured and she had heard the woman's desperate cries. She had seemed to be in such pain that Cara could only compare it to the one she had felt when she was broken.

'KAHLAN!' Cara felt her throat close up and a strong pain pounding deep in her chest. She knew what that feeling meant but she refused to give in to it. She would not give up on the Confessor, she would never abandon Kahlan. She would find her, even if it meant staying in the realm of dreams for eternity with her.

Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind. It was a memory. 'You once told me that it's a hard world, and that we don't get many chances to tell people how much they mean to us' Cara said, her voice trying to repress all the unnerving feelings that were threatening to arise within her 'There's no one a Mord'Sith should hate more than a Confessor' she felt rather than saw Kahlan leaning closer to get a better look at her 'I was trained to hate you… But I don't. And I don't want to die without you knowing… that I consider you to be… my friend' she finished, her voice a mere whisper. She risked a glance at Kahlan and was shocked when the brunette moved to take her into a fierce hug 'I think of you as a friend too'

'NO!' Cara let all the anguish she was feeling overthrow her and she punched the wall in front of her with all her strength.

She wanted to feel her fist collide against the solid material of the wall. She needed to feel the gratifying pain that the blow would provide her but her punch never touched the wall. Instead, her whole fist pierced right through the material of the wall as if it had been nothing more than mud.

Cara stared at her arm half way sank in the in the wall and carefully moved it around, testing it. It was mud.

The blonde took her arm out as fast as she could, and still wide eyed and pretty much in shock, she began digging her hands into the mud and taking it out in big amounts, making a hole in the wall in the process. She never stopped digging for once until she had opened such a big hole that it was wide enough for her to fit comfortably on it. Her heart began racing frantically in her chest with renewed hope. She wasn't sure how but she had a feeling that she was in the right path again. It was the same inexplicable feeling that she had experienced with the pull.

When she finished, Cara took some steps back to stare at the hole again and sighed anxiously. Then she closed the distance between her and the wall and got to the other side.

What she found there made her heart stop for the longest second. Cara ceased to breathe as she took in the horrible sight before her.

There, right below her feet laid the body of the Mother Confessor. Her dress had been ripped apart and gashed opened. Her luscious jet black hair was now a tangled mess covering her face and her body was tainted with monstrous bruises and deep bleeding cuts.

Cara gasped, suddenly remembering to breathe. Now somewhat dizzy and with trembling legs she began making her way towards the lifeless form of the Confessor. However, she wasn't able to give more than two steps when her legs bucked and she sank to the ground. She crawled the rest of the way towards Kahlan, still refusing to believe what her eyes were seeing.

When she reached the unconscious woman, Cara brought a tentative hand to the brunette's shoulder and pushed her towards her own body so that she could face her.

Kahlan's jet black hair fell over her face, covering it almost completely. Cara used her hand to brush the errant hairs out of the way and reveal the brunette's face again.

Cara's eyes filled with stinging tears when her eyes landed on the naturally beautiful shaped face of the Confessor that was now covered with purple bruises and open cuts. She absently traced Kahlan's jaw line with her fingertips as the first tear fell down her cheek.

She didn't need to check, she didn't need to feel the coolness of her skin or open her heavy eyelids. She didn't even need to lean down to search for a heartbeat, for she knew. Cara knew all too well the truth she so was so desperately trying to deny.

She carefully wrapped an arm around the Confessor's waist and drew her close to her body, cradling her now weightless form. New tears began to roll down her cheeks as she rocked her body back and forth, still clinging onto Kahlan's body as if for dear life.

She couldn't believe it. She had failed.

Richard.. No. Her Lord Rahl had asked her only one thing. Just one thing and she had failed him. She had betrayed her Lord Rahl's trust in her, but above all she had failed Kahlan. The Mother Confessor was now laying dead in her arms and it was all because of her.

It was her fault.

Cara never cried, never allowed feelings to take over her but this time it was different. She couldn't fight the turmoiling emotions that were making their way towards the surface. She felt so weak and tired that she didn't have enough strength to keep her emotions at bay.

With a soft gasp Cara broke down and the tears that she had been so desperately trying to contain began to stream down her face. She clutched Kahlan's body and pressed it even closer to her just when the sobs began.

'Kahlan..' Cara whispered almost inaudibly as she caressed the other woman's face with her trembling hand 'Wake up' she cried and her body suffered a strong convulsion 'Please wake up' Cara fell forward, covering Kahlan's inert body with her own, and she buried her head on the woman's chest 'Kahlan...'

A soft sound behind her back interrupted her sobs but Cara didn't even register it. She was too anguished at the loss of Kahlan to notice anything else. The soft sound turned out to be footsteps and they were getting closer to the women on the ground. Finally they stopped, just a meter away from Cara's kneeling body.

'Cara?' A tentative voice asked.

The blonde heard the person call her name and immediately stopped every movement and every sound she was making and shot her head upwards, as if she had been mortally hit with a hammer.

'Cara, what are you doing?' The voice tainted with utter worry now.

Cara dropped her head to look down at Kahlan's dead body carefully wrapped in her arms and let two more tears fall down from her eyes. She then leaned down and planted a soft but tender kiss on the woman's temple. With utmost care she lowered the Confessor to the ground again and moved to stand, her back facing the intruder.

The blonde sighed shakily and turned on her heels to face the other person. She had recognized the voice immediately but it was still the hardest shock she had received in years when she saw her, standing simply in front of her.

Cara stared at her for what seemed hours. She couldn't bring herself to move. It was as if her feet had been rooted to the ground.

'Ca..' Kahlan's word was suddenly cut off when a pair of swollen lips crashed against hers. She was first too stunned to react but as she realized what was happening she closed her eyes and gave in to the feeling of Cara's lips moving against her own, slowly returning the kiss.

As Kahlan's lips began to mirror Cara's movements she felt rather than heard the other woman whimper and stifle a sob. Hot tears fell on the brunette's skin as Cara deepened the kiss.

She was shocked, Cara was not only kissing her but crying as well. It was too much for her to assimilate but the only thing she was sure of was of the radiant warmth of the blonde gently bathing her cool skin. Kahlan timidly moved her hands up Cara's back and enfold them behind the blonde's neck, bringing the two even closer. She made a good use of this new closeness to deepen the kiss even more. However, Cara suddenly broke the contact and pushed her off her. The blonde's reaction was strong enough to send Kahlan stumbling backwards on her feet a few steps.

The look on the brunette's face was one of utter confusion and worry for the other woman. But Cara's expression… Kahlan had never seen Cara so distressed before, so very consumed by anguish. Her features had been overthrown by pure undiluted pain and just the sight of it caused Kahlan to lose her breath.

'You were…' Cara stammered as she shot her head to the side to give Kahlan's limp form on the ground a painful glance 'You were dead and I…' her brows furrowed together as she struggled to speak 'I…'

Kahlan saved the distance between them with just one stride and took the other woman in her arms, hugging her tightly to herself.

'It's Ok, Cara' She whispered soothingly, tenderly caressing the blonde's hair 'I'm alive' at the sound of this sentence Cara broke down and hugged Kahlan tighter to her body 'Shh... It's ok now'

Cara forced herself to stop sobbing and brought her head up to meet Kahlan's sea blue eyes. She promised herself she'd never allow those beautiful eyes to lose their bright color, just like the dead Kahlan had. Letting her emotions take over her one last time, Cara brought her hand up and caressed Kahlan's cheek until she felt the brunette lean in to the touch. When she did, Cara pulled herself together and put her Mord-Sith mask on again, her emotions cornered in the deepest of herself once more. She retrieved her hand and let it fall limp to her side, giving Kahlan an unreadable look.

'We need to get going; I have to get you out of here' Kahlan nodded and allowed Cara to lead her by the arm to the opening of the cell.

They ran through the halls and stretch corridors, never once stopping or going back on their tracks. Cara was leading them as if she knew the place by heart when she only had been there once in her lifetime. But as she had experienced before, a strange feeling was silently leading her throughout the corridors until they reached the circular room with the columns and dome above that Cara had seen before. They stopped right in the middle of the chamber, not knowing which path to take next.

'Where to now?' Kahlan whispered, something about the majesty of the place making her afraid to break the silence.

Cara shook her head as she tried to concentrate again. She could no longer feel that strange pull that was leading her through the halls.

'I don't know'

'Leaving already, Kahlan?' A male voice asked from some place behind them.

The brunette felt a shiver run up her spine at the sound of Richard's voice ringing at her back. Cara must have felt her tense because she moved a hand around her midsection to draw her behind her back, in a protective manner.

'And you brought your dog!' Richard mocked, a sly smug appearing on his face.

Cara didn't reply but Kahlan felt all her muscles tense when Richard began to walk towards them. When he was just a meter away from them Cara moved to hide the Confessor even more from Richard's sight.

The Seeker broke into an unnerving laughter, his cautiously maintained expression turning into a demon like one and showing exactly what his true nature was.

Cara watched him writhe with uncontained joy. Her brows knitted together as he bent forward with his arms gripping his stomach tightly, half laughing half shaking with violence.

'What on…' Cara trailed off when he saw Richard's body convulse and drop to the ground, twisting and writhing like a madman.

He began to rip off his clothes whilst his body convulsed and shook on the floor.

Cara took some steps backwards, making Kahlan retreat with her. She was suddenly well aware of the dangerous situation they were in but she was even more aware of the absence of her agiels in her sheaths.

Richard's body began changing drastically before their eyes. His size doubled and his skin turned a dark crimson red whilst he developed sharp points all along his spinal column. His eyes turned to a pitch black with a yellow iris and his teeth grew into powerful sharp fangs.

He rose to his feet now being a terrifying demon with bloodthirsty eyes.

'You leaving me, Kahlan?' His deep rough voice echoing throughout the chamber.

Cara began walking backwards, pushing the brunette along with her. She was desperately trying to avoid the inevitable.

Richard mirrored their movements; one stride was enough to match many steps from the women. They were literally helpless at his mercy.

Cara searched for a possible route of escape but all the halls and openings that had been circling the chamber before were now replaced by solid wall, leaving them trapped with the demon inside.

'Cara?' Kahlan's terrified voice made her even more aware of the danger they were in.

They kept retreating to the back of the chamber as the Mord-Sith tried to come up with a way of getting both of them alive out of there but nothing would occur to her.

It was only when Kahlan tripped with her own feet and fell to the floor that Cara was forced to stop their retreat and face the advancing demon. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder to find Kahlan grabbing her ankle with both hands and with a pained expression on her face.

Cara knew then that there was no escaping now. She took a step forward and drew all Richard's attention to her. She realized she only had a couple of seconds before he launched at her so she eye-scanned him all over and found he still had his sword sheathed on his belt around his waist.

The Mord-Sith smiled at Richard when a plan formed in her mind. It had precisely the effect she desired because the demon halted his advances briefly to stare at her.

Cara made a good use of this unique opportunity to launch at him and expertly retrieved the sword from its scabbard before he even had the chance to see her coming.

He might be strong and powerful, but she was fast and agile.

Cara grinned at the now infuriated demon and waved his stolen sword in the air in clear provocation.

Richard's nose flared and he charged at her with all his mighty fury.

Cara ducked just before he ripped her head off with his sharp fangs and trusted his sword into his now exposed abdomen, making him arch and howl in excruciating pain.

A dark flood of blood began to ooze from his mortal wound when Cara took the sword out of his body and she was forced to jump to the side when Richard's knees bent, right before toppling forward and collapsing dead on the hard ground.

Cara stood immobile with Richard's dripping blood sword on her hand, staring at the demon form of her Lord Rahl laying dead and wounded on the floor.

She had killed her Lord Rahl.

Kahlan's cool hands on her arm brought her out of her absorption and she was caught off guard when the brunette wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly.

They were both standing very close to each other in a desperate hug when the walls and floor began to spin in a circular motion, gaining more and more speed until they became a blurred spiraling whirl.

Kahlan felt the floor below her shake violently and she gripped Cara's arm for support. The walls and dome above began to tremble and fall apart. The columns started to break in the middle and fall to the floor, shattering the ground and accentuating the earthquake even more.

'WHAT'S HAPPENING?' Kahlan screamed, fiercely clutching to Cara's body.

Cara brought the Confessor closer to herself as a response whilst she desperately tried to keep her balance.

'IM NOT SURE!' she replied as loud as her lungs allowed her to, the sound of the collision making It impossible to hear one another 'BUT I THINK WE'VE SHATTERED THE NIGHTMARE AND WE'RE ABOUT TO WAKE UP!'

The dome above cracked just then and enormous pieces of stone began to fall to the ground and crash just meters from where they were standing.

Kahlan cried out when a huge piece of ceiling collided just a few centimeters from her feet and Cara hugged her even tighter, bringing her head to her chest and keeping it safely there with her gloved hand.

The chamber continued to shatter to pieces, bigger and bigger parts of the dome shattering closer to them and a dust cloud blinding them and burying them between the chaos. The cloud of smoke continued to arise until it surrounded the whole room and enabled the sight completely. It was so blinding that when Kahlan broke free from the embrace to look at the other woman she didn't see her, she knew she was there only because she felt her arms and her body pressed against her.

'CARA!' She called desperately, tears streaming down her face.

The sound of the collision was so intense that Kahlan never heard her own scream. The only thing she could hear was the enormous rocks crashing next to her.

'CARA!' She called again, pure terror taking over her 'CARAAAAAA!'

Kahlan sat bolt upright and brought a hand to her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. She felt two pair of hands touching her face and arms, desperately trying to draw her attention to them but she was too shaken to focus. She noticed only then that she still had her eyes squeezing shut, the frightening sensation of the destruction still forcing her to remain that way.

When she opened her eyes, she found that her vision was somewhat blurred. She wasn't sure exactly how long she had been asleep, but apparently it had been a long while for her to feel like that. Slowly, the shape of two men began to take form in front of her.

It was Zedd and Richard and they were both surrounding her, desperately touching her as if she were about to submerge herself into the realm of dreams again. She acknowledged them with a weak smile but couldn't muster more than that. Her heart was aching and she knew why.

Kahlan numbly managed to get out of the mass of arms trying to draw her closer to them and crawled out of her bedroll towards the source of her aching heart.

Cara.

When she reached the blonde Mord-Sith she noticed she still hadn't woken up and that caused her heart to skip a beat. She brought a hand up to cup Cara's cheek and left it there when she called her name: 'Cara?'

But no sound came forth.

'Cara, wake up' she asked, shaking the woman by the shoulders.

Nothing still, not even the slightest movement.

'Cara, you're scaring me' a tear fell down her cheek 'Wake up!' she shook the woman by the shoulder more forcefully this time 'Don't you do this to me now. Wake up!'

With a loud gasp, Cara's eyes snapped open and she bolted up but was caught between a pair of warm arms.

'I'm so glad that you're awake' Kahlan cried, her head burying itself in the other woman's shoulder.

Cara was still shocked by the nightmare but somehow managed to acknowledge what was going on around her the same and she numbly wrapped an arm around the Confessor's waist.

'I'm glad I'm awake too… after all I did to rescue you' she mocked and Kahlan's sobs were instantly replaced by the sound of her laughter.

Cara felt her heart warm at the sound of Kahlan's contagious laughter and she knew then she'd do anything in her power to hear the brunette laugh more often.

Kahlan wrapped her arms even tighter around the Mord-Sith and lifted her head from Cara's shoulder to whisper something in her ear.

'Confessors' worst enemies are the Mord-Sith. We're taught to kill you with the power of confession right from the beginning and show you no mercy, for you are the worst creation this could world ever have' Kahlan said and felt how Cara's muscles tensed beneath her touch 'I was about to kill you once but Richard convinced me not to… and I have to say that today I am grateful that I didn't for I cannot conceive a world without you by my side, Cara Mason' Cara's muscles relaxed again and Kahlan giggled softly 'Thank you for going into all that trouble just to find me, Cara'

'Kahlan, you don't have to…' the brunette silenced her by placing a finger over her lips.

'I love you, Cara. Thank you being… my friend'

The End

We finally got to the end of this story, thank you guys for being so awesome and sticking with me til the very end! To those who reviewed MANY MANY thanks, I loved every single one of your comments and they made this writing experience one of the best I've ever had.

I want to tell you that I never expected to have such a reception in this fandom so guys know that I'm forever thankful with you and that if I wrote so many chapters after the originally one shot was because of you, because of how good you have been to me =)

I also want you to know that this is the end of the story but that if you want me to I can write another one, or as many as you like, as long as you guys still have me, of course. I always say that I write for myself, but in this story that sentence proved itself wrong. I only wrote chapter one for me, the rest it was all for you. So if you want me to keep writing, please tell me and I will =)

I will ask you to please review one last time and tell me what you thought of the story, if you liked it, if you hated it, if I made you cry, smile, laugh or scream. And most importantly, if you want me to keep on writing =)

Thanks all for now folks! My destiny is in your hands ;)