Protector of her People

@mctherconfesscr·

Another two weeks had passed. Two weeks in which Zira and the wizards had now been working on finding a way to travel in between the two realms and two weeks in which Zira and Kahlan had grown closer and closer with each day that passed. There were nights in which Zira held Kahlan and vice versa, their kisses had become more familiar, yet no less exciting for either of them. Still, they started getting much more comfortable with each other. That didn’t change the fact, however, that Kahlan still made Zira’s heart race like no one ever had before. It was clear that the witch was falling in love with the confessor, there was no denying or fighting it. Not that she wanted to fight it. No, the truth was, she hadn’t felt this alive with anyone before, it was the first time that she felt this deeply about anyone and there was no way Zira would give that up. 

Tonight was one night where things were kind of different. There was a ball at the palace tonight and, truthfully, Zira didn’t know what to expect. Whatever it was between Kahlan and her was currently still kept quiet, which Zira could appreciate. She didn’t mind keeping it between them as long as she got to spend time with the other woman. Admittedly, Zira was nervous as she walked through the halls, the dark blue dress she had chosen clinging to her body in all the right places. Perhaps it wasn’t a dress you would see in this realm often, but Zira didn’t mind, only hoping that Kahlan would like it on her. As she walked down the stairs, she hoped she would run into the woman or at least someone else she knew soon, knowing that there was a possibility that she would feel incredibly out of place.

Zira didn’t mind the fact that Kahlan had mentioned love. The witch knew without a doubt that was where her feelings were heading. This was confirmed even more when Kahlan turned, for the first time initiating getting closer and pressing a kiss to her lips. Zira hummed, pressing back into her, a smile tugging at her lips immediately when it ended. “You deserve to be loved,” she said gently, bringing her hand up to brush softly along her cheek once more. 

Kahlan spoke about falling in love so freely as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Zira could feel her heart speeding up even more at her choice of words. Sure, the witch herself knew that she was undoubtedly falling in love with Kahlan, and hard. But hearing it from the other made her heart soar, it made her happy in ways she couldn’t even explain. Still, she listened carefully, taking in what the other explained to her. “I see,” she said, nodding. “And yet you’re here with me,” she noted, her voice gentle.

Zira loved the feeling of Kahlan leaning back against her. She wanted to be close to her and it seemed like Kahlan wanted the same, which only made Zira’s heart rate speed up even more. While this was the very first time she got to hold Kahlan like this, a certain sense of familiarity came with it, even though the nervousness was still there. There was no doubt to Zira that she was slowly falling in love with the woman in her arms and it made her unspeakably happy to know that Kahlan was feeling the same way. When Kahlan spoke, however, Zira wondered what exactly the woman meant. “This? How do you mean? With me or in general?”

Once more, Zira found herself wondering what exactly it was the other woman was feeling or thinking. It was clear that she wasn’t used to any of this, and that was okay for the witch. She would make sure she would take all of this as slowly as Kahlan needed her to. The last thing she wanted was to pressure her into anything she didn’t want, wasn’t yet comfortable with or simply had never experienced. Zira was thankful that Kahlan felt the same way and patience was something she could give in return. Feeling the other woman relax in her arms, she gently let her fingers trail through her hair again. “A penny for your thoughts,…” she mused, repeating the phrase she had already used once before, a little while ago.

Zira wondered what this must be like for Kahlan, this sort of physical contact when she wasn’t used to it at all. Was she feeling deprived of it? Was this something she had been craving without even knowing it? There were all kinds of questions in Zira’s mind, all revolving around how the woman in her arms might feel about all of this.

The witch hummed, nodding at the woman’s words. She was right. They didn’t have that power. But that didn’t stop her from wishing she had, that they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone or anything else in the world. Gently, Zira let her fingers trace through Kahlan’s hair, nothing but affection and tenderness coming from her. “You’re really something special, do you know that?” she said gently.

She was glad that Kahlan slowly seemed to get used to her touch. She remembered so well how the first few times the woman had flinched or pulled back, not used to being touched at all. Now Zira understood why and she had sworn to herself that she would never pressure the woman into anything she didn’t want to do or into anything she wasn’t ready for.

For a moment, Zira thought Kahlan would protest to her request, but when she nodded, the witch could have sworn she felt her heart jump in her chest. But with Kahlan next to her, her head resting on her shoulder and Zira’s arm around her, the Mexican felt more than just content. “I wish I could just stop time,” Zira mused. “Just live in this moment for a while…”

The last thing on Zira’s mind was lying to the woman in front of her. So far, from what the witch could tell, they had been honest with each other and Zira wasn’t about to change that. It was all the truth, she had never felt this exact way about anyone before. The connection she had to Kahlan was like nothing Zira had ever experienced before. It was deep and it was intense and admittedly a little scary – but not scary enough for Zira to pull away.

Zira bit her bottom lip as she looked at the other with a smile, one hand once more coming up to gently brush through the woman’s hair. Taking a deep breath, she scanned Kahlan’s features and then slowly tugged her closer towards her while slowly lying back on the couch herself. “Let me hold you?” she requested innocently, wanting to be closer to the woman in front of her.

The moment Kahlan began to speak, Zira made sure to listen, to take in every word she was saying. But then she paused, and the witch wondered what it was that was on her mind. Tilting her head slightly, a small yet gentle smile tugged at her lips at the hum from the other. Kahlan truly was something else, so unlike anyone Zira had ever met before in her life. It was strange, to say the least. Strange, yet not unwelcome in the slightest.

I’ve never felt like this for anyone before. Zira’s lips parted then as dark eyes looked into those beautiful green ones in front of her. How was it that Kahlan could make her heart skip a beat just with a few simple words. “I’ve… felt similar things,” she admitted, pausing for a moment. “But never like this,” she finally confessed.” She cleared her throat, momentarily averting her eyes. “This is more intense somehow. It’s deeper than anything I’ve felt before.” Swallowing thickly, Zira finally looked up at her again, still holding onto the woman’s hand. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… Whatever I’ve felt in the past, it doesn’t compare to this.”

Zira closed her eyes when Kahlan brought her hand up to cup her cheek, taking in the closeness. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to get enough of her, already not wanting their night to end, especially now that they had admitted to each other how they were feeling about one another. There had been such a slim chance that Kahlan would actually return her feelings, almost as if Zira had been walking a very thin line between happiness and heartbreak. 

“It really is,” she said gently, smiling, not really feeling the need to say anything more. This entire moment was more than just perfect and just being close to Kahlan had Zira feel like she had finally found a missing piece to a puzzle she hadn’t known had been incomplete. Admittedly, she wasn’t sure what else she could say, and so she just pulled back for a moment, taking her in once more, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. For her, there were no words needed to express how she was feeling for the other.

With Kahlan promising that she felt the same way about Zira as Zira did about her, the witch smiled brightly, nothing but happiness running through her veins. It was crazy how life worked sometimes. Now there wasn’t that urgency to get home anymore. Now all Zira wanted was to make sure she found a way that they could freely move between realms, knowing that most likely neither of them would completely permanently be able to stay in one realm or the other. 

Once more she leaned in, brushing her lips against Kahlan’s gently. She loved that she could do this now, that she didn’t have to hold back, that she could openly act on what she was feeling for the other woman. Then she leaned her forehead against hers, the smile still on her lips. “It’s crazy how life works sometimes, isn’t it?” she mused out loud, thinking just how deep her affections for Kahlan ran already.

Looking back into those green eyes, Zira blushed slightly, a smile playing on her lips. She hadn’t expected Kahlan to melt into her like this but considering she had, Zira was even more unwilling to pull back too much. She wanted to stay close to her, to have as much time with her as possible and to simply show her what it was like to have someone who only wanted her to be happy. Sure, Kahlan had duties Zira still didn’t quite understand but she was a woman as well, and a wonderful one on top of that. A woman who was slowly stealing Zira’s heart. Pulling her hand back out of her hair, she just looked at her with so much warmth and affection in her eyes, her thumb gently running across the soft skin of her cheek. “And here I was, worried you didn’t feel the same…” she admitted almost sheepishly. How often had she scolded herself internally for craving something she most likely couldn’t have? But now that Kahlan was here with her, in front of her, and knowing she felt the same way Zira did, the witch felt her heart swell in her chest and she counted her blessings – even if the way they met had been everything but conventional.

No kiss Zira had ever experienced had consumed her like this. Not a single moment had made her heart race like this and had her so entirely swept up in the moment. And when Kahlan pressed back into her, slowly coming alive in her arms, an almost quiet whimper left Zira and she deepened the kiss just a little, her hand slowly moving from the side of her face to her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as she moved a little bit closer and let her other hand come to rest on the other side of the woman’s face. Everything about this felt right. Never had a kiss caused her to see and feel fireworks, except for this one. For a moment Zira thought perhaps this was meant to be this way. Maybe she was supposed to end up here to meet Kahlan and to fall in love with her. Fate worked in mysterious ways and maybe this was what it had in store for her. Slowly Zira pulled back, the hand on her cheek moving to the side of her neck as she rested her forehead against Kahlan’s for a moment, a smile pulling on her lips. She was breathless, yet unwilling to put too much space between them. “Wow…” she breathed.

The moment until Kahlan answered seemed like an eternity and for a moment Zira was worried she wouldn’t want her to go further. But then there it was. Yes. The moment the woman’s gentle voice gave the go-ahead, Zira’s heart skipped a beat, picking up in speed immediately. This was it. The moment she had imagined countless times and now that it was here, the witch was almost afraid she’d mess it up. But no, there was no way. Even just being here with Kahlan was more than just perfect. Her thumb traced gentle circles along the woman’s cheek as she was slowly shifting her body to be able to move closer. The entire time, her dark eyes looked into those deep green ones, just making sure the other didn’t change her mind. With every inch she moved closer, her heart sped up more and her breathing got slightly heavier. Her nose gently brushed against Kahlan’s and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as her eyes fluttered shut and her lips met Kahlan’s, pressing an almost chaste kiss against her lips. A soft sigh left her and she momentarily broke the kiss, glancing at Kahlan before she pressed her lips against hers once more, still gentle yet with more purpuse, her thumb still tracing along the soft skin of her cheek.

Zira could feel Kahlan freeze under her touch but her expression told her that it was not because she didn’t want this or was uncomfortable. Kahlan had mentioned before that people usually didn’t touch her. Momentarily Zira wondered whether that meant that Kahlan had never actually experienced a connection with someone that was more than just friendship. If that was the case, then the witch had to give her credit for being so incredibly brave.

Her own expression was soft and full of affection for the Confessor. Slowly her finger traveled further and eventually, her hand turned, gently cradling the side of her face on the height of her jaw, her thumb almost carefully traveling over the woman’s bottom lip, her dark eyes fixed on them. She was beautiful in a way that made Zira’s heart ache and she found she just wanted to make sure that Kahlan was happy and taken care of. 

“Kahlan…” she breathed, swallowing thickly as she looked back up into the Confessor’s deep green eyes. Scanning her features, she just moved slightly closer. The desire to kiss the woman was becoming more than just overwhelming. She had thought about it, of course. Boy, had she imagined it. But now that she had the chance to, all she wanted was to make sure the other was fine with it, especially if no one had ever gotten this close. “Can I kiss you?” she asked softly, only wanting to make sure she wasn’t overwhelming her or moving too fast.