A/N Sorry for the wait. I have been very busy lately. Most of my writing time has gone into a Darker Shade of Light Part II, which is now 70k words long, and probably much better than this little story.
Thank you very much to all of you that commented on the previous chapters. They really do help to keep me motivated. As always comments and crits are most welcome, so make a list as you read. J
So onto another instalment of this story. I wrote it in two hours, read through it twice, so please excuse any typos. Most of all I hope you enjoy it.
The silence hanging in the air dragged on. Galad stood motionless looking at Rand and he in turn watched his half-brother. Elayne's mouth opened and closed a few times and each time it appeared like she wanted to speak, but then it closed without a sound. Gawyn shifted his weight uneasily. Nynaeve let go of Moiraine, while her head spun between Galad and Rand. Min goggled at Rand. The only people not affected were Moiraine and Thom. Moiraine had known of course, and Thom always had a way of knowing such things. The tent felt alive with tension and Mat wanted to laugh, despite the pain radiating from where his eye had been.
Eventually he had enough of all the staring and weight shifting. "Get over yourselves, people!" Mat cried out getting to his feet. "Rand is Rand and Galad is Galad. They are related like you are related to Galad, Elayne," he scowled in her direction. Her pouting face was working on his nerves.
She glared at him, but before another remark could escape his mouth the world erupted around them. Warning trumpets began to blow. First a few distant calls and then closer more urgent notes joined in. The dice began to rattle in his mind causing Mat to curse.
Galad closest to the tent flap, left first. Rand a man perpetually alert followed his brother closely. Mat shook his head, now that he knew he noticed the uncanny resemblance between the pair. Not their looks, Rand was too much the Aielman for them to look alike. The similarities lay in their mannerisms, the way they reacted and spoke. On closer reflection there was something about their faces, a little of their mother perhaps. There existed in them a bearing of royalty. Mat choked, their mother was Andor royalty. Another curse rolled of his tongue.
The trumpets continued to sound outside. The rest of the tent's inhabitants were outside before he reacted. Those were alarms. Instincts took over and he left the tent.
The light outside burned his eye, since the interior of the tent had been dark. Squinting through his single eye he cursed his vision. The world felt flat and he found it difficult to judge distances. The relative size of people and tents alone allowed him to have any sense of distance. As he squinted, Moiraine gave him an apologetic but thankful smile. Mat nearly stumbled; he could hardly remember the woman smiling.
"Light," Galad whispered softly. "That must be nearly forty thousand men up there." Mat's eye followed the Lord Captain Commanders gaze. His heart sank. In the distance, on a hill overlooking the entire camp, stood an army. He did not need a second eye to know who the foe was. The Saenchen. The dice grew more insistent, almost as if a second die had been added.
"Bloody and bloody ashes!" Mat cried out. "That woman will be the death of me yet!"
All eyes turned to him, but quickly their minds turned to more pressing matters than the ramblings of mad Matrim Cauthon.
"We need to organise the defense," Rand spoke urgently to Galad and Elayne. Together they held a large part of the camps strength in arms. Gawyn listened, though he did not command any forces, he had the ear of the Amyrlin.
Mat rolled his eye at the thought of Egwene. A part of him could scarcely believe how arrogant she'd become. The other, more dominant, part had always known that she would become like this. The girl had always been far too determined and ambitious for her own good.
Galad seemed uneasy and his voice sounded unsure as he spoke to Rand. "Could you not perhaps use… use your abilities to keep them at bay?"
Rand shook his head adamantly. "I cannot use my strength in such matters. I will be needing all my strength in the next few days."
"Perhaps the Whit…" Thom began, but was cut-off by his bride to be. Mat snorted at the pair.
"Will not help, Thom. You know they will never attack unless we can prove the Seanchen to be darkfriends."
"They are close enough to be!" Elayne said in disgust.
Moiraine gave the girl a withering stare. "They might be misguided and enemies, but they are not darkfriends."
Elayne did not let Moiraine's words deter her. "I'd hang anyone associated with them. If they dare set foot in Andor, I'll kill them all myself. Don't you remember what they did to the White Tower?"
"That does not matter Elayne," Moiraine replied calmly. "Attacking us does not make them darkfriends. Next you will attack the Lord Captain Commander next to you because Whitecloaks attack Aes Sedai." Elayne glared at Moiraine and then at her half-brother. "If you do what you suggest, then I'm afraid you'll be as bad as Egwene when she tried to have Galad executed."
Mat felt distinctively uncomfortable.
"All this talk is not helping," Galad pointed out calmly. "What we need to do is get our armies moving. Are you with me in this?" He asked the group, but his half-sister most of all. They nodded. "Elayne, if you can lead you're army to that crest over there." He pointed to a defensible hill to the west of the camp. "I will take my men and those of Perrin Aybarra to the east."
Mat glance at the two points. If the remaining men at arms, or even the Aiel with Rand, lined up between the two points then it would prove extremely difficult for the Saenchen to overwhelm the camp.
Then as stubborn and haughty as ever, Elayne refused. "I will not be led about by the Lord Captain Commander. I am the Queen of Andor, I am the superior." It came as no surprise that she sounded like a spoilt little girl.
Galad took her reversal calmly, but fire burned in his eyes. "Elayne…" She turned away and began to walk towards her camp.
"Light burn that woman!" Berelain seethed. Mat could not agree more with the First of Mayenne's comment. "At least you have my guards." Galad placed a soothing hand on her arm and the woman seemed to relax.
Galad had proven himself as worthy a commander as he was a blademaster. Mat himself could not have placed their men in better positions. With Andor's army lined up on that hill, they would have commanded the plains below. Their archers, well defended by strong spearmen, would be able to provide withering cover fire for their allies. Their strong cavalry would then have free reign to hastle the Saenchen at their lesure before returning to the safety of the hill.
The Whitecloaks on the other side, in a much weaker postion would probably feel the brunt of the Seachen attack. It was a courageous decision, one that proved his worth. The Children, though few in number, were well armed and disciplined. The Two Rivers longbow men would be able to provide a steady yet deadly reign of arrows. Yes, Mat thought, that corner of the battlefield would be bloody, but the Children should be able to hold. And if they held, then the Seachen would become exposed.
"I wish I could provide you my crossbowmen, but they are still outside Caemlyn." Mat spoke aloud at Galad. "Your position will be tenuous at best, but if you hold then the battle will be ours."
"That would have been most appreciated, Lord Mat," he replied with a slight bow of his head in respect.
Rand studied them. His eyes held a depth in them that Mat had never noticed before. The mind behind them was working overtime. "My Aiel will line up in the centre. They will guard your flank, Galad." He glanced back to where a pair of Maidens stood looking eager. "That should provide the Seanchen with some entertainment." Rand then studied the large group of Aes Sedai and frowned. "I will also be giving you command of my asha'men."
Galad nodded grimly. Whitecloaks despised all things to do with the One Power. Yet, here was a Lord Captain Commander willing to do what was best for the world and not only his precious order. For the first time Mat began to gain a grudging respect for the young Damodred.
The group dispersed, each striding hurriedly to their respective commands. Mat followed Rand. There was of course one thing he could do to stop this battle. He laughed, but even he was not sure if that would work.
"I should leave you now," Mat spoke up and left before anyone really noticed that he had gone.
He had given up his eye to save a woman. He could surely sacrifice more to save a few thousand. The expression on his face was grim. The only solace being that if he succeeded then their army would become a force capable of scaring the pants off Shai'tan himself.
"Well, Matrim Cauthon seems to be the only one capable of anything." He spoke to himself aloud.
The walk to his tent was long. People were running around frantically. He should have run, but he felt something holding him back. Eventually he found his tent exactly were the asha'man had told him it would be. His horse stood outside, unsaddled. The task of preparing the horse went slowly. Despite his growing anxiousness, he moved lethargically. The sound of the dice rolling was almost deafening by now. Eventually, however, the horse was saddled and ready to ride. The last item he needed was his large ashandarei.
Afraid, but ready, he climbed onto the horse. From the higher vantage point he could already make out the various battle lines forming. The disciplined Whitecloaks and Aiel were almost in formation. The Andorans, much less skilled still ambled up the hill. The Seanchen were ignoring them. Despite being the weakest of the three groups, they held the most defensible position. The enemy commander was both skilled and blind. He did the right thing, hence that which was predictable and when the enemy became predicable then he could be destroyed.
Mat studied the battlefield below. The Seanchen appeared to be moving towards the Aiel. Their movements unnaturally slow. Mat felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something did not feel right.
An army that arrived here so quickly could have placed themselves in a more favourable position. The dense lines held only heavy infantry men. A few light cavalry detachments guarded their flanks, but they lacked any substance. They were more a deterrent than an actual fighting force. Far in the rear, Mat barely made out a few small groups of damane.
The entire Seanchen force had a decidedly wrong feel to it. Where was the cavalry, where were the lighter, more mobile infantry? More importantly where were the powerful damane that came with such a force?
His horse grew restless beneath him, as anxious as Mat himself to get to the battle. He pulled back on his reigns and shifted his weight, the horse grew still. He needed to get to that army. Something, a feeling held him back.
That was when his medallion grew cold. Behind him a lone trumpet called out in alarm. Knowing what he would see, he turned slowly. There was no need to curse, he just nodded his head knowingly. Of course, the mobile contingent of the force would strike in the rear once the entire camp's attention had been diverted. Masterful, perhaps the commander was not as predictable as he had thought.
Then again, Mat had known something was wrong.
"Well," Mat said to the horse. "The man might have planned for everything, but he forgot one important thing."
"And that would be?" A voice spoke from beside him.
Mat jumped in his saddle. "Blood and Ashes, Rand! Do you have to sneak up on a man like that?"
Rand chuckled. "Sorry." He grew more serious. "What did their commander forget?"
Mat eyed Rand. "They forgot about me."
Rand chuckled. "You really are full of surprises. For a moment I thought you were going to say that they forget about the Dragon Reborn being in the camp." There was humour in his words, but his voice did not do them justice. "Thanks Mat. I had wished not use any of my power today."
"That won't be necessary, Rand." Mat said with determination. "I am all this camp needs."
Rand eyed him suspiciously, but before more could be said Mat darted off towards the new threat. The spinning of the dice stopped. A chill ran down Mat's spine. Rand followed, but he did not try to stop Mat. With the dice silent, a part of Mat wished that his friend would stop him.
Ahead the force grew in size. Mat could see them as they poured out of gateways. All he needed was a bit of luck. He closed his eye and hoped. When it opened again he knew why the dice had stopped. The banners of the Empress emerged from one of the gateways.
"Time to roll the dice," he said behind gritted teeth and spurred his horse onwards. His course now took him straight to those banners.
GBGBGB
Rand rode hard to keep up with Mat. The man had a death wish, but so did Rand for following his friend. Still, this was what needed to be done. The air around him felt alive, it crackled with intensity. Rand was use to the feeling, but even this surpassed what he had felt before.
Being alone for so long, he had forgotten that Mat and Perrin were ta'veren as well. Both of them were probably as strong as Arthur Hawkwing. Being around one or both them would be severely change the pattern. It might have been his imagination, but if he concentrated hard enough he could almost hear the pattern rearranging around them. He smiled, if he had Mat and Perrin when he attacked the Dark Ones prison.
The thought remained unfinished. They were closing in rapidly on the lines forming ahead of them. Mat did not appear to be slowing down. An unease grew inside Rand. They had to stop. This was the perfect distance to strike.
"Mat!" He called out. The sound of the horses hooves striking the rocky ground was too loud. "We need to stop. I can handle this army from here!"
Mat eased enough just to turn his head towards Rand. His own eye watched Rand intently. He had never thought that the naughty, always fooling around Matrim, could look so serious. "This battle will not end in bloodshed. The people of the world need this army." Then he increased his pace again.
Rand could not argue and he could not stop Mat. Instead he began to laugh at the situation. Here he was, the Dragon Reborn and the most powerful ta'veren ever, being influenced by the ta'veren nature of his best friend. He could not contain his laughter, who would ever believe such a story.
The only sound was that of their racing horses. The Seanchen before them appeared unsure of what to do. Two lone horsemen, charging their lines was unheard of.
Rand studied the line along which they were riding. He gasped, the mad fool was heading straight for the Empress. Something jogged his memory. The meeting with Tuon, the Daughter of the Nine Moons, she had asked about Mat.
He gasped as realisation dawned upon him. Mat knew the Empress. He wanted to swear, but his mouth failed him. He dug his heels into the horse and sped to catch Mat.
They were a just under a hundred paces from the front lines when Mat pulled up on his reigns. The magnificent animal beneath him came to an abrupt halt and Rand had just enough time to stop beside him.
"I hope you have a plan?" He whispered out of breath.
Mat laughed. "A plan? Don't I always have a plan to get myself out of danger."
Rand's childhood friend motioned his horse forwards and he imitated him. Now that they weren't charging, the men before them seemed more at ease. Their bows were still raised in caution.
When they were a mere twenty paces from the front lines, Mat stopped again. The men were fidgeting nervously, still something stayed their hands. It would take only one man to lose his composure to end both their lives. Rand felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck. It felt odd, he had grown accustomed to not sweating. Mat on the other hand looked calm, almost in control.
Rand could see now why the Band of Red the Hand held Mat in such high esteem. For all his foolery he was one brave soul. The sounder of the horn, one of three ta'veren. What else was this man before him?
Mat stood slightly in his saddle. "Would someone please tell my wife, that her husband is here to see her."
Rand's jaw nearly dropped open. Thankfully, he had embraced the source the moment he realised Mat was going to speak. Of all the things in the world that was the last thing he had thought Mat would say.
The group of soldiers before them who had heard began to laugh. Whispers filtered down the ranks and the laughter began to spread.
Mat sighed. "I mean honestly. Do I look so foolish that not even these men would believe me married. I mean I even had to tell her three times that she was my wife." With an exasperated sigh, he stood in his saddle again. This time his voice boomed with authority. Rand sat transfixed. "Could you tell the idiot in command that the Prince of Ravens is here."
The laughter died down abruptly. The men began to shuffle about anxiously. Rand's saidin enhanced eyes darted towards the ashandarei that Mat held. The ravens etched into it nearly jumped out at him. Who was Mat and what was the Prince of Ravens?"
A horseman bolted from the rear of the line towards where the Empress had to be. The men before them, however, did not move nor say a word. Except now, they seemed to be having trouble looking at them. Each man appeared unsure if he should be watching or not.
A minute later a large group of horses came down from the rear. At the front, Rand could clearly make out the dress that marked the Empress.
Men parted like a wave as soon as she neared their dense ranks. No one spoke, each no doubt fearful of what might occur.
Eventually the procession cleared the line of soldiers. At the front was the small woman Rand had talked to. Tuon. Rand glanced between Mat and the woman. They seemed to have eyes only for one another.
She raised a hand and her escort halted. The men did not look pleased, but the obeyed like the elite soldiers they were. Even from this distance, Rand could see Herons on the hilts of fours of the eight bodyguards. The other four might not be that far off, or perhaps they had just not earned a sword yet. Rand wanted to reach for his blade, but he knew that could cause problems.
Mat motioned for Rand to stay back as he rode towards what Rand could only assume to be his wife. "He's married to the Seanchen Empress," he breathed out in disbelieve.
"What happened to your eye?" She asked in concern. Despite the distance Rand could still hear them clearly.
Mat shrugged at the question. "Just helping another poor soul."
Away from her people, Rand began to see the woman behind the façade. Their was a loving look in her eyes and a laugh was never far from her voice. "I've missed you," Mat whispered. "I think of you whenever I have a moment to myself."
They continued to speak for a few minutes. The quiet banter amused Rand. Eventually, however, she held up a hand before she grew more serious. "What is the meaning of you charging down upon us? We have a battle to win."
"I came to stop this fight. The battle against the Dark One is upon us and we need all the strength we have. We need the Seanchen and we cannot afford to fight against each other."
She glanced at Rand for the first time and recoiled suddenly. Then her gaze hardened. She trotted her horse towards him.
"An honour to meet you again, Empress." Rand bowed in respect from his saddle. A woman suddenly came from out of the group.
"Away with you," Tuon said with her strange accent and the woman, looking completely perplexed fell back. The looks on the eyes of the soldiers indicated that something out of the ordinary was happening. Does she never talk to people, he wandered?
"You seem different," she began once they were alone.
"Much has changed since then, Empress." He spoke with respect, his eyes averted. "What will it take for you to forgive me an ally yourself to us?"
She remained still. He did not, however, look up. The way the soldiers avoided looking at Mat indicated that people were not supposed to look at nobles. "Swear fealty to the Nine Moons, bind yourself to us."
Rand stiffened, the prophecies stated that she would bind herself to him. "I fear that I must ask the same of you, Empress." He could hear her tense as he spoke. "I must lead these people to victory. The world is at peril and I am its last hope."
Mat moved closer. "Bloody stiff backed fools," he grumbled in annoyance. "Why don't you both swear to service to me and then I will decide what is best."
Rand expected an outburst from the Empress. None came. "I am a friend of Rand, yes. I am also the Prince of Ravens, husband of the Empress." He glance at his wife. "May she live forever." She gave a quiet laugh. "Who better to serve the interests of both?"
"I shall agree to this, if you do," Rand was the first to speak.
"As shall I," she agreed at last.
"Together then," Mat spoke. "I, name, swear fealty to Matrim Cauthon, Prince of Ravens."
The both spoke together.
"I, Rand Al'Thor, swear…"
"I, Fortuona, swear…"
When they words were done the world seemed to relax. The pattern aligned itself and he could feel his ta'veren influence slip a little. The sensation had been so constant since he began the charge with Mat that he had forgotten it was even there.
The whole situation felt surreal. He was bound to the Nine Moons and to a degree the Nine Moons was bound to him. The prophecy had been right and wrong.
"The prophecies have failed," she sighed tiredly. "I always thought you would be bound to the Empire and now I find myself bound to you as much as you are bound to me."
Rand sat straighter in his saddle. "Our prophecies state that you will be bound to me." Then he began to laugh.
"They were both right then," Mat said from beside him. "Or both were wrong." His tone quieted Rand. "Now I order both of you to stop this squabbling."
The Empress called over that same woman that tried to come earlier. She sent her a few hand signals. The lady seemed surprised, but she disappeared with the new orders.
A few moments later the entire army became more relaxed.
"I best leave you two love birds, while I make sure our armies comply."
"Thank you, Rand Al'Thor," The Empress spoke. "I am sorry that things have gone this far."
Rand stopped. "And I am sorry for trying to compel you last time we met. You are a much stronger woman than I ever would have imagined. Perhaps you are strong enough to handle Matrim."
"Of that I most definitely am, Lord Dragon."
"Get over yourself," Mat sulked and Rand grinned. Perhaps she did have a way of taming the man.
She laughed huskily. The last thing Rand heard as he travelled away was. "I swore fealty as Empress. Nothing was ever mentioned of my role as your wife."
Mat cursed and Rand shook his head laughing at Mat.
As he opened the gateway Rand trembled.
Old words came back to him. 'The North and the South must be one.' And with Mat holding the allegiance of the two most powerful entities in the world, the world had truly become one. He thought some more. 'The two must become one,' that could only mean his full acceptance of Lewis Thelamon. That had happened.
Only one line remained unfulfilled. 'East and west must become one.' This line baffled him still, he felt certain that it meant the combining of the male and female halves, more precisely the working together of men and women who could channel. He was almost there, all he needed now was for Egwene to work with him.
For the first time in a long while he actually began to believe that he could win
A/N Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Will try to get the next one up soon. Please leave your thoughts, it will only take a second or two and they help to give inspiration. So any comments or wishes are greatly appreciated.
Any ideas, should I jump to Caemlyn or perhaps spend another chapter trying to sort out the battle? I was thinking having Galad POV commanding his forces and asha'man in a heated battle before Rand arrives to put an end to the fighting. Then perhaps another Rand Egwene show down. What do you think?
Ok, so the one reviewer thought this total rubbish and unbelievable. He could be right, but my whole idea behind this was that two ta'veren like them would change 'normal' drastically. So the question is, do you think this chapter needs a total rewrite?
