AN: Surprise surprise, I'm not dead. A bit rusty, perhaps, in this fandom, but.... Expect a bit more fic coming your way soon.
It was late, very late, when Min woke up in the Sun Palace and realized that she was alone.
She panicked, a little, at first, and sat bolt upright, looking around the room to be sure Rand wasn't hiding in some corner somewhere – not that the man would have an easy time fitting into a corner in the first place, but – and then she was on her feet. She stepped out into the antechamber and immediately a couple heads lifted. She nearly jumped out of her skin.
Bloody Maidens.
They were all alert immediately. "Is there something amiss with the Car'a'Carn?"
She hesitated, then lied. "No. I'm just going…to get something to drink. I'll be back soon."
Satisfied, they relaxed – as much as they ever relaxed – and sat back, watching her as she picked her way to the door and out into the corridor. The palace was dark, silent, and still, and she became conscious that it was also very large and she had no idea where to begin looking for Rand. Or, for that matter, if he was even here.
She knew he left sometimes, and he had before, without telling anyone, Travelling off to who knows where by himself, the fool-headed man. But for some reason she didn't think he had this time. She remembered…he'd been there when she'd fallen asleep, hadn't he? She tried to remember and realized that no, she wasn't at all sure he had been there. She'd been trying to stay awake, waiting for him, and then…
Min realized a moment later that she knew where he was, and started down the hallways quickly, feeling herself fuming a little. The bloody man and his stupid ideas, keeping such insane hours, she didn't know that she'd seen him really sleep in a week and it was really starting to annoy her the way he refused to take care of himself – getting herself into a fury, by the time she jerked open the study door, she was ready to give Rand al'Thor, Dragon Reborn, the chewing out of his life.
Only she didn't, because there, under the light of one lamp in the darkened room, surrounded by a heap of books with his cheek on one open beneath his face, was Rand al'Thor, Dragon Reborn, fast asleep.
She blinked, and then took a couple steps forward to look over his shoulder. He didn't even stir, and that was more surprising. Usually if someone was even a room's length away he woke up. He must be really exhausted. She peered at the book and winced. Again. Prophecies of the Dragon. Giving up on saying anything, Min took his shoulder and shook it, gently.
"Rand?"
He stirred, just briefly, and then nothing. Min felt a sudden and irrational fear that he'd been poisoned, maybe he was sitting there dying and – then he stirred and opened one eye, blearily, then the other, and lifted his head, rubbing his temples.
"Min? Is that you?"
Light, he sounded so tired. Her heart went out to him. "It's me, Rand."
"What time is it?" He rubbed his eyes and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be asleep."
"So are you. I woke up by myself and got worried – Rand, you need to sleep," she said, almost urgently. "You're exhausted. You didn't even wake up when I came in."
"I'm fine, Min." He stood up and stretched, and she could see him wince for muscles cramped from sitting in the chair. "I had things I needed to do."
"Yes, and you can do them very well when you're falling asleep on them," she snapped. He started and she regretted it, but he recovered quickly.
"I haven't been asleep long. And I'm fine now. You can go back to sleep."
Min crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. "I'm not going back to sleep until you do."
He almost smiled, the bloody man. He was amused at her. Amused! Bloody man. "Min, you need sleep. You worry too much."
"I am not the only one in this room who needs to rest, Rand al'Thor! Being the bloody Dragon Reborn does not exempt you from basic needs like sleep!"
He smiled, and it was such a sad, resigned smile that she felt her heart try to twist. "Doesn't it?"
She sighed. "No, it does not. Come back and sleep, Rand. At least for a little bit. You'll have time in the morning."
Rand rubbed his temples again grimacing. "No. I won't. Not enough time. There's just not enough time, Min. Not enough…time."
Min sighed. And went over to him, slipping her arms around his waist. "There's enough time for you to sleep. You won't do anyone any good exhausted, sheepherder."
He caressed her hair, almost absently, and sighed. "You really won't go, will you?"
"No," she said firmly, "I won't. We might want to find another way back, the Maidens aren't going to be pleased if they find out about this."
He smiled, a little, in that way that made her stomach do flip-flops. And tapped her nose with one finger. "Then I guess they'd better not find out." A gateway opened in front of them and he stepped back into the bedroom, half carrying Min, laying her down and then stretching out beside her. She snuggled on his chest with a relieved sigh and closed her eyes.
When she woke early in the morning as the sun began to rise, she was alone again, his side of the bed hardly slept on.