When the sun rose over the mountains, they stopped and dismounted their horses. Everyone was tired and Lan allowed them to rest for an hour. Loial, who didn't need as much sleep as a human being, accompanied the warder on his watch, while the others were resting.

Then they continued with their search for Rand. Their encounter with the servants of the Dark One was still vividly in their minds, and no one wanted a second round. So, they moved on until the sun was setting again.

While Perrin and Egwene took care of the campfire, Nynaeve visited Lan, who was observing their surroundings. "Can we talk?"

Surprised, Lan turned to her and was alarmed when he saw her serious face. "What is wrong?"

The young woman played with her braid, while her eyes were locked on something in the distance. "I don't want to fight, but… I wouldn't ask if there would be another way… after last night…"

"Nynaeve." Gently, Lan put his fingers under her chin and pulled her face to him, so, she had to look at him. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"I need you to go back in Moiraine's mind."

"You want a new description."

"I know that you got hurt the last time, but if you stay away from this layer, which blocks her access to the One Power, maybe then you stay unharmed. Please, Lan. We can't ride onward without a direction. I don't want to be surprised by Trollocs again."

"If I do this, I won't be able to stay awake tonight. It weakens me to enter her mind forcefully."

"Loial offered to stay awake. And Perrin would stay with him." Nynaeve sounded hopeful. She knew that she was close to getting what she wanted.

Lan threw a glance at the camp, where his Aes Sedai was sitting with the ogier, while she was mainly just listening to the ogier's rambling. She wouldn't like it that he would enter her mind again. Would it be harder to break through the barrier, now, that she knew about it? Or would she send the other Lan to keep him out?

"Please." Nynaeve stepped closer until she was able to put her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. "We need you."

Lan sighed. "Let me talk to her first."

"You don't have much time to talk. She needs to drink the herbs before she loses her consciousness."

"I know, Nynaeve." He stepped out of her embrace and made his way back to the camp. How should he approach this sensitive subject? He didn't want to fight with Moiraine and he definitely didn't want to force her to drink the herbs. But it had been days since he had been in her mind. Rand might have been walking in a completely different direction. And if he was honest, he had a bad feeling about this stuff since Moiraine didn't have her power.

Surprised, the warder noticed that the Aes Sedai was leaving Loial. Did she notice that he wanted to talk to her? Or was she preparing for her nightly ritual? His confusion grew, when he observed how she prepared her blankets.

'She skips her attempts to channel? Or is she trying to avoid me?'

Lan reached Moiraine when she sat down on her blanket with crossed legs. So, he mimicked her pose and placed himself in front of her. With tired eyes, Moiraine looked at him questionably.

"Let me in your head." From one second to the other, her face turned angry. He had expected that she would hate the idea, so, he continued before she could start with her arguments. "Allow me to explain before you rip my head off."

She opened her mouth, then she bit her lip and nodded. At least, she would listen. "I know you don't like me to enter your mind, but we've been searching for days. We don't know if we are even on the right path anymore. Rand could've taken a turn the day after I've seen him. And Trollocs are wandering through the land, ready to kill us if we are not fast enough."

"You killed the two last night."

"I killed one because Loial distracted him. But I almost came too late. I didn't feel those Trollocs because my instincts were distracted from the others." Moiraine looked down at her hands. Her hands, which still weren't able to channel. Gently, Lan put his hands into hers and smiled at her when her sad eyes met his'. "Right now, we can't fight against the servants of the Dark One. This means we have to find Rand as quickly as possible to focus on helping you. And the fastest way is your… bond with him."

Moiraine chuckled when she saw how Lan was pulling a face when he mentioned this weird bond. "Don't worry. Our bond is the only one, that matters to me."

Lan gave her one of his rare smiles, but then he turned back seriously. "So, you'll let me in?"

Her smile faded and she looked nervous. "I don't want you to get hurt again, Lan."

"I will be careful. I find out where Rand is currently, and when he wakes up, we'll do the same."

"Promise me that you won't search for the barrier."

"I promise."

The Aes Sedai closed her eyes at his words, then she nodded. "Okay."

Suddenly, Nynaeve appeared beside Lan with a steamy cup in her hands. "Then you should drink this before you lose your consciousness."

Lan was impressed when his Aes Sedai took the cup out of the wisdom's hands without starting a fight because the young woman had eavesdropped on their conversation. But then she just stared at the surface. Lan knew that she was thinking about the last time she had drunk this and about the consequences.

He placed his fingers on her knee, then she drank the tea in three gulps. Nynaeve took the cup, while Moiraine made herself comfortable on the blanket. Lan gave the wisdom his sword, then he lay down beside his Aes Sedai and pulled her into his arms. This time, she didn't protest. She even snuggled closer to him, put her head on his chest, and laid her arm over his stomach.

"I'll watch over you, in case…" Moiraine stiffened at Nynaeve's words, and Lan threw the young woman an angry look. This wasn't helping.

"I'll be fine. This is only to get something new about Rand's whereabouts. Nothing else."

"The bond forms again.", Loial informed the three of them.

Lan closed his eyes and focused on his bond again. The barrier was still intact, but this time, he barely had to touch it. It looked as if the barrier recognized him and allowed him to pass.

'Or is this happening, because Moiraine knows that I'm coming? Is she pulling down her defense mechanism? Maybe this time, I don't have to face the other Lan.'

Lan opened his eyes and was standing in a corridor in the White Tower. Everything looked like the last time he had visited. And there was no sign of the other Lan.

'I promised that I wouldn't go to the Hall of the Tower, but I could throw a quick look at it. Maybe something has changed since I've seen it the last time.'

He started to run, while his eyes were scanning the corridor for the other Lan. He wasn't convinced that the other guy wouldn't show up. Maybe he waited for Lan to return.

When he reached the hall, the warder slowed down and listened, but there were no other footsteps. Everything was quiet. But more importantly, everything was the same as he had left it. The black layer was still over the door, and Lan saw all the symbols, which kept appearing until his eyes fell on the red burning symbol again. It hadn't changed. How was it possible that Moiraine was always trying to break through, but the barrier looked as if nothing had happened? Shouldn't he be able to see a difference?

Lan shook his head, then he turned around and ran to Moiraine's bedroom. He couldn't do anything from in here. Maybe they had to return to the White Tower to find a solution to their problem. All those Aes Sedai… they had to know an answer.

He reached the corridor with Moiraine's door and then he stopped. In front of the door stood… the other Lan with his sword.

"I knew you would come back."

"You don't have to protect her from me. I want to help her.", Lan tried to reason with the other guy, but he just shook his head.

"You are not welcomed in here anymore. You have been blocked and forced your way in here."

Angry, Lan gritted his teeth. Apparently, her mental protection remembered him, but since their bond was masked, he was now flagged as an intruder. "We're trying to fix this, but it takes time. Please, I don't want to fight you."

"Good, then leave her."

The warder sighed. How much he wished he could have his sword with him. He couldn't risk it to get hurt again. But there was nothing here that could help him.

'But maybe I don't have to fight him. I just need to go through this door. Moiraine hadn't been able to see it, so, maybe this Lan can't enter the rooms. No matter what, I have to get in there. As soon as Moiraine sees me, she can talk this guy down, if he should be able to follow me.'

It looked as if the other Lan knew exactly that the warder wouldn't leave. The flames from the torches on the wall reflected on the sharp blade. Lan took a deep breath, then he attacked. This time, he made sure to keep his eyes on the blade. He couldn't risk another hit. Meanwhile, he tried to make his opponent move, but this guy didn't leave his place. Constantly, he was blocking the door, while the sword kept Lan occupied.

He was running out of time! He started a new attack, but this time, he ducked under the sword and gave his opponent a hard push with his bare hands. Of course, the other guy didn't fall, although he stumbled a few steps back before he regained his balance and that was everything Lan needed. He opened the door with his shoulder and practically fell through it onto a beautiful green meadow.

"NO!" Lan turned on his back and watched how the other Lan was banging on an invisible barrier, which was holding him in the corridor. "Get back here!"

"Lan?" Moiraine kneeled beside him and laid her hand on his shoulder. Her worries washed over him and he closed his eyes contently. "Are you alright?"

Instead of answering her, he used their bond by letting her feel his happiness. By showing her how much he enjoyed it to feel her even when it was only for a few seconds. A smile appeared on Moiraine's lips. "I miss you too."

"Get away from her!" Her mental protection was still trying to get through the barrier. He even used his sword, but no matter how sharp it was, it couldn't even scratch the surface.

"What is it?", Moiraine asked confused "Do you see the door again?"

Lan brought himself in an upright position then he cupped her face in his hands. "It looks like your mental protection can't enter your rooms."

"My… you fought against him?! You promised you wouldn't go to the hall, Lan! I asked one thing of you, and you…!"

"He was waiting for me.", Lan interrupted her outburst calmly "He knew that I would come for you and he waited outside of THIS room."

The warder didn't mention that he had risked a glance at the Hall of the Tower. There was no need for her to worry more than she already did. Nervously, Moiraine let her hands wander over his chest, while she was searching for wounds. "Did he hurt you?"

"I was careful this time. Like I promised." Her hands didn't stop with their search, so, he got back on his feet, which made her do the same.

"You don't look hurt. Or am I not able to see your injuries as well?"

"I'm not hurt. As I said, I was careful. Why don't I hear the Dark One?"

Surprised, Lan took in the peaceful surrounding. He saw the spine of the world in the background, but it wasn't their side. He had never seen this view before in his life. Moiraine and he stood on a big meadow and there were small cottages like from a small village. But there was no Rand! The last time, Lan had been able to see the young man, but now…

Moiraine pointed at the sky. "Look at this."

Instead of stars, there were two gigantic fists, which were held back by a shimmering shield. The scene looked awkwardly familiar. It was almost the same, which had happened to the other Lan in the corridor – except that he wasn't a giant and the barrier wasn't glowing.

"Is this… supposed to be the Dark One?"

"I don't know, but I assume that Rand found a way to block himself from the Dark One's influence." Moiraine walked to one of the cottages and pressed against the door. "But as you can see, Rand isn't here and I can't open these doors."

Lan followed his Aes Sedai and tried to open the door himself. But he also wasn't able to open it. "It looks as if Rand had found his way over the mountains to the Aiel."

"Well, with his red hair and his height it's not unusual that they would welcome him. But are they able to block the influence of the Dark One? It can't be the distance. The Dark One would find him anywhere."

Slowly, Lan turned his head to the mountains again. He'd never crossed the spine of the world. Everyone knew that the Aiel weren't the friendly people you'd invited for tea. They were great warriors, and Lan wasn't looking forward to crossing his sword with theirs. "We have to find the Aiel."

"We can't just walk into their land. They would kill us the moment they lay eyes on us."

"We need to find Rand."

"Look at the sky. Obviously, he found a way to keep the Dark One out of his dreams. We…"

"Moiraine, you still lose your consciousness. We need to release your bond."

The Aes Sedai opened her mouth to protest, but then she sighed. She couldn't live with this weird bond, which was sending her to sleep whenever Rand was doing the same, forever.

Lan nodded when he felt her realization. Even when Rand had found a way, this wasn't a solution. He could fall asleep because of exhaustion, and at the same time, Moiraine could fall from her horse, because they didn't expect it. Suddenly, the warder realized something. "When Rand has found a way to block the Dark One, what does this mean for your bond? Will you stay connected until he awakes in the morning?"

"I don't think so. Our bond was created by the Dark One. And I'm always in Rand's dreams when the Dark One is present as well. My guess is that this room will disappear again, as soon as our friend up there realizes that he won't be able to reach Rand." As if their enemy had listened to her words, the fists disappeared, and so did the shield. Instead, they saw the clear sky and the stars. "Looks like I was right."

The spine of the world started to fade as if they were erased from Moiraine's brain. Lan felt the relief through his bond. She was glad that tonight she hadn't had to feel Rand's pain. With a sad smile on her lips, the Aes Sedai turned to her warder. "I assume you will leave me now to look at that door again."

Lan looked at the open door, which would lead him back into Moiraine's brain and to the barrier, which was blocking her access. He would love to take another look at it, but then he would have to fight against her mental protection, and here…

Moiraine nodded, then she turned around and said: "Go. I try to fight against it as long as possible. But stay away from this other Lan and his sword. I don't want you to get hurt again."

Lan watched, how she walked away from him, so, he dove into their bond searching for her true feelings. She didn't want him to leave, but she was too proud to ask him. Smiling, the warder watched his Aes Sedai, who was standing on a hill and was observing the fading of their surroundings. No, he wouldn't leave her this time.

Quietly, he stepped behind her, then he put his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest. Moiraine was surprised, but she grabbed his lower arm and pressed it close to her chest as if she didn't want to give him the chance to run away, and rested the back of her head on his shoulder. "What are you doing? I thought…"

"Not this time. Tonight, I just want to enjoy the time I have left to feel you through our bond."

Together, they watched how the landscape was slowly disappearing, while they waited to wake up.