Disclaimer: Legend of the Seeker belongs to Terry Goodkind and all the grand high mucky mucks of ABC. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money was made from this. Any similarity to any story not my own is a coincidence. And all of this amounts to: just playing around here, please don't sue. *wry grin*

Title: Falling Like Snow
Genre: Gen; family fic
Rating: G
Timeline: After the end of the series
Author's Notes: Written for legendland's "Snow" challenge



“There you are,” Cara said with a barely contained sigh as she looked up to where Kahlan's young daughter perched, blithe as any spring robin in the cherry tree. “We've been looking all over for you.”

Keeping her eyes trained on the girl, Cara called out, “I've found her Zedd; over here.”

“Why are you up there?” The Mord'sith asked. “Aren't you supposed to be at your lessons with Zedd?”

Lily stood up abruptly on her branch and bounced, fearless as only a child could be and innocently unaware that her action may have been the only thing that had ever scared the Mord'sith below her.

“I miss Papa,” she explained. “I miss Papa, but Zedd said that he wouldn't be back until the cherry blossoms fell like snow.”

Lily bounced some more, holding tightly to the branch above her so that she could almost violently shake the branch that she was standing on.

“Is this enough Cara?” Are they falling like snow yet?”

“Lily...” Cara replied with a low, worried sound making her voice rough as she looked for a safe way to retrieve her friends' daughter.

“Are they Cara?”

“Lily...”

Suddenly, Cara lost sight of the girl as an unexpected wind brought down thousands of cherry blossoms in a whirlwind of pink and white petals.

“Lily!”

“Papa's coming!” Cara heard the young girl cry. “Papa's coming! Catch me Cara!”

The Mord'sith finally saw the young girl leap from the branches with an absolute faith that Cara would catch her. Cara raced to justify the child's faith in her and caught the girl at just the right moment.

“There's Papa!” Lily cried, pointing in a direction ahead of them. She squirmed and Cara released her to dash forward into the storm of pink and white petals. After a few tense moments, Richard emerged carrying his excited daughter.

“Cara...”

“You know, I always thought it had something to do with you being the Seeker,” the Mord'sith said by way of greeting, waving her hand in a vague gesture to indicate something of a leaping action. “Who knew it was genetic?”

Cara took in the picture of Richard cradling his fearless daughter in his arms surrounded by whirling pink petals. She shook her head slightly.

“Falling like snow... welcome home, Richard,” Cara said before shaking her head once more and walking away.