Warnings: Potential spoilers for the following books: In the Beginning, The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, and the beginning chapters of The Lord of Chaos. Those are all I've read so far in the Wheel of Time series so what I'm writing is what I wish to happen. I'm not buying anymore books
Disclaimer: I do not own the Wheel of Time series, and I do not profit from the writing of this little bitty piece. Wheel of Time belongs to Robert Jordan and Tom Doherty Associates
Author's Notes (added 09/08/2012): PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE REVIEWS THAT GIVE SPOILERS TO THE BOOKS. Seriously people, that's just rude and inconsiderate to the people reading the series. While I'm currently on Knife of Dreams for this series, it doesn't mean that other people reading the series are as far into it as I am. I don't need other fans of the series to tell me who's bonded to who or anything else like that. If you don't like it when someone gives away parts of a movie, a book, or anything else where the suspense is building, DON'T DO IT TO OTHER PEOPLE. It's called common courtesy. (Yes, I'm annoyed that people do that. It's like, "What? You can't let other people find out on their own? That takes the fun out of reading!" . . . unless you're telling someone who's never watched the movie Titanic that the ship sinks at the end. Then it's a matter of finding just how much the other person knows about history . . .)
The palace was a flurry of activity. Servants dashed through the hallways, harried expressions on their faces. Some carried fresh linens, others food and drink while others still carried weapons and armor. Soldiers stood at various locations, some talking and laughing, but their expressions were tight and mirthless. Among the soldiers were Aiel and Aes Sedai, each clustered together and talking quietly amongst themselves. In the air hung a thick and foreboding tension. If anyone smiled, Rand noticed, the smile was forced, and he knew the reasons for the tension, for the forcefulness in each smile, and he found himself feeling everything each person felt, only magnified a thousand fold.
Tarmon Gai'don was closing in on Rand, on them, but the Last Battle was not Rand's only concern. Something else troubled him, something far closer to his heart than what anyone else could imagine. Or perhaps another person could . . . Rand was not sure. It had become his habit to not speak of his thoughts or worries to everyone, especially when Moiraine had been alive. His designs were his own, and he had not wanted anyone to try and deter him from his course. This particular course lay within his heart, within the wills of three women, and how it had been divided for those three women.
Only now, two of those paths had closed to him. He knew where his heart, his love, truly lay and with whom, and he knew he needed to do something about the troubles within his heart that concerned his heart. Rand also knew he needed to say something to her, before time ran out on him.
Yet it seemed he never had much time. For anything. Between meetings with the generals, the High Nobles from Illian, Tear, Cairhien, and Andor, and the Aiel chiefs, and continuing his training and purging of saidin, Rand barely found the time to sleep. Where would he find the time to Elayne how he truly felt? He knew she wanted to bond him as her Warder, but Rand had not allowed it. There was too much he needed to do, and bowing to Elayne's whims as her Warder would prevent him from doing so.
However, Rand could not deny he loved the golden-haired woman. He wanted to survive Tarmon Gai'don so he could be with her, rebuild the world with her, and to simply hear her laugh at the end of the day. His heart skipped a beat whenever she was near, and he had to constantly remind himself to breathe in those moments as well.
And he kept hearing the ticking of the clock, the ticking of time slipping away . . .
"Elayne," he murmured. "I hope you know how much you truly mean to me . . .""