They needed the whole night, but finally, they were able to break the bond. Tired and exhausted, Alanna and Leane went to bed, and the Amyrlin sent Rand to bed as well. Moiraine was the only one, who stayed, while Siuan was preparing two cups of tea.

"You really know how to surprise me."

"Believe me, I was just as surprised as you have been. This connection was draining my power. And the worst part was that I didn't know where Rand was. He had left me at the eye of the world." Moiraine sat cross-legged on the ground in the middle of the tent and was slowly rubbing circles on her temples. She was extremely tired, but she needed to explain to her best friend what had happened.

Siuan returned and handed Moiraine their cups before she sat down on the ground opposite her friend. "So, this boy is the Dragon Reborn?"

"Yes."

"And the Dark One?"

"I'm afraid that he isn't dead. This bond wouldn't have stayed if he was gone."

Siuan stared into her cup, while she was thinking about her next words. "You took all five potential dragons with you when you left Tar Valon. I have to say, I'm surprised that everyone is still alive. Why aren't they…?"

"I didn't take them to the eye of the world." Siuan raised her eyebrow in surprise, but she waited until Moiraine continued. "I brought them to the waygate, which is the closest to Tar Valon. The ogier Loial had agreed to guide us through the Ways. Only one of the potential dragons stayed behind. His name is Mat Cauthom. But the Ways aren't safe anymore. The Trollocs use them now, which is the reason why they had reached the Two Rivers so quickly." Siuan gasped, but she didn't say anything. "We went to Fal Dara to escape them. In Fal Dara, Rand came to me and told me that he was the Dragon Reborn. So, I took him through the Blight to the eye of the world. The others stayed behind. Rand faced the Dark One and fought against him. I don't know what they spoke since Rand was unconscious, but the Dark One he…" Moiraine looked at her fingers when she remembered the numb feeling when she suddenly had been cut off from the One Power. It was the worst nightmare of any Aes Sedai. Not to be able to touch the source anymore.

Siuan saw that her best friend was lost in her memories. Gently, she took Moiraine's hand into hers. "You can tell me."

Moiraine closed her eyes in pain. "He kind of shielded me from the One Power."

"You… you mean you can't…"

"I wasn't able to channel anymore."

"Why didn't Lan stop him?!"

"Because I wasn't there." Lan entered the tent, and both women shrugged at his sudden appearance. Siuan was the first, who regained her composure again.

"What do you mean with you weren't there?! You are her warder! You should be by her side every…!"

"And I would've been, but Moiraine decided to mask our bond and left in the middle of the night with the boy.", Lan clarified, while he moved to the two women and stopped behind his Aes Sedai.

Siuan's angry eyes moved back to her best friend, who was staring at the steam of her teacup. "How could you be so stupid?!"

"The prophecy said that EVERYONE would die, who would go with the Dragon Reborn to the eye of the world. EVERYONE, Siuan. I couldn't risk it that Lan would die there."

The Amyrlin looked as if she was going to explode, but Lan felt the exhaustion of his Aes Sedai. "How about you talk about the rest of our journey back at the White Tower and call it a night? It's late, and you all are exhausted."

"Are you still not able to touch the source?" Siuan sounded worried as if she was afraid to hear the answer.

Moiraine gave her a tired smile. "A few days ago, I got my powers back."

"A few days… how exactly… I mean, how did you get them back?" The Amyrlin's eyes turned to Lan. "And your bond… is it still…?"

"Our bond is unmasked. Don't worry. I'm able to feel her again. But I'm afraid that the explanation of how she freed herself will have to wait until you return to the White Tower." The warder kneeled behind his Aes Sedai. This way, he would be able to help her to get back on her feet. His eyes fell on the burning marks around her wrists. "But if you have some strength left, could you heal Moiraine's injuries?"

"I'll be fine.", Moiraine protested, but Siuan put down her teacup and touched the One Power. Gingerly, her fingers moved over Moiraine's body, while she was searching for injuries and healed them. When she was done, she took the hands of her best friend in hers.

"When we are back in the Tower, you need to tell me the whole story, Moiraine. You've been gone for just a few weeks, but it sounds as if you had one hell of a journey." The Amyrlin smiled sadly, then she turned her focus on Lan. "Get her to bed and make sure that she gets some sleep."

"Stop giving him orders.", Moiraine said when she put down her teacup "He is my warder."

Lan smiled, then he pulled his Aes Sedai into his arms and got back on his feet.

"I can walk on my own." Moiraine's protest was weak and she did nothing to fight against her warder. Instead, she put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

Lan bowed his head to Siuan. "Goodnight, Amyrlin."

"Goodnight, Lan."

Quickly, the warder left the tent with his Aes Sedai, while the Amyrlin looked after them tiredly. Lan had been right. They all were exhausted and needed sleep. Sighing, she got back on her feet. It was time to get to bed.

On the next morning, the Emond's fielder sat together around the little campfire, while Moiraine was with her fellow sisters in the Amyrlin's tent.

"What do we do now?", Egwene asked and looked at her friends.

"I would like to go home to the Two Rivers.", Perrin said "It's been such a long time since we had been home."

"They won't let me go home." Rand sounded angry when he threw a stone into the fire. "They know who I am and what I can do. They will take me to the White Tower and gentle me."

"You don't know that.", Egwene protested, but Rand just shook his head.

"They can't let me live. Men turn to madness when they start to use the One Power. And it's known that the last Dragon broke the world. It's safe to say that I will do the same if they don't gentle me."

Nynaeve took a stone on her own and threw it at the redhead. "You forget that Moiraine didn't gentle you. She brought you to the eye of the world to fight the Dark One."

"And I defeated something, but he is still not gone. Now, the Aes Sedai have to be afraid that I will turn mad before I'm able to kill him."

"You talk too much." They shrugged when Lan moved to them.

Rand threw an angry look at the warder. "You can say what you want. Even Moiraine is afraid of me turning mad. Do you really think that I don't know that she is talking with her sisters about me right now?"

"They're not talking about you."

Rand let out a short laugh, then he threw another stone into the flames. He hadn't expected that the warder would spill his Aes Sedai's secrets. Although the woman couldn't lie, she always found a way not to tell the truth.

It was Nynaeve, who noticed that the Aes Sedai left the tent of the Amyrlin Seat. While Leane and Alanna went to Alanna's warders, the Amyrlin and Moiraine went straight for the little campfire. Egwene was immediately on her feet when she noticed the powerful leader of the Aes Sedai, but the others stayed seated.

Siuan smiled at Egwene's gesture and put her hand on the cheek of the young woman. "Now that we see a little bit clearer, I would like you to offer a place in the White Tower, child. And the same goes for you, Nynaeve al'Meare. You two are very powerful channelers, and we could use your power in our fight against the Dark One."

"How long do we have to stay?", Nynaeve asked skeptically.

"This depends on how hard you are willing to work and how quick you are learning."

"What if we don't want to become an Aes Sedai?"

The Amyrlin took a deep breath and counted to ten before she turned to Nynaeve, but her smile has faded. "My dear child. You have touched the One Power. Do you really think that you can go back to your old life as if nothing has happened?" The wisdom opened her mouth, but Siuan didn't want an answer. "You don't need to become an Aes Sedai – although you would be stupid not to – but you need to learn how to use the One Power without killing yourself."

"I'm not a child.", Nynaeve growled.

"Compared to us, you are."

"What about me?" Rand stood up. Nervously, he opened and closed his fists. What would the Amyrlin plan with him? She couldn't offer him a place in the White Tower.

Siuan looked at the boy in front of her and saw how nervous he was. The poor boy knew what happened to men, who were able to channel. The Red Ajah would love to gentle him as soon as they would get their hands on him. But they couldn't let that happen. The Dark One was still trying to free himself and the Dragon was the only one, who would be able to defeat him.

"I would be lying if I would say that I didn't want you in Tar Valon, but I can't force…"

"I'm leaving." The young man didn't wait for the Amyrlin to finish her sentence. From Moiraine, he knew that the Aes Sedai were able to pull someone back into their net by using too many words. He wouldn't give this woman the opportunity to hold him. The further he got away from the Aes Sedai the better it was for him.

"Don't you wanna know what happened to your friend Mat?"

And there she had found a subject. Slowly, Rand turned around, although every cell in his body was yelling at him to run. This was a trap and he knew it. "What do you know about Mat?"

Siuan smiled knowingly, but she answered: "He is in Tar Valon. Your friend searched for a dagger from Shadar Logoth, which wasn't in our possession."

Rand's eyes moved to Moiraine, who furrowed her forehead in confusion. Obviously, this was new to her as well. But how was this possible? Lan had taken it with him after the Aes Sedai had healed Mat from the influence. The dagger should be at the White Tower.

Of course, the Amyrlin saw Rand's gaze as well. "What am I missing?"

"The dagger…" Moiraine exchanged a look with her warder, who seemed as confused as she was. "… we took it to the White Tower. It's… safely hidden, but it's still in the tower."

"Then we'll better find it because this boy needs to be properly cut off from it.", Siuan said "He isn't doing well."

Angrily, Rand gritted his teeth. There was no way that he was leaving his friend in the hands of the Aes Sedai. He would make Moiraine search for the dagger, so, Mat would be free of it and could return home. "I'm coming with you."

"Good." Siuan sounded pleased that she had found a way to make Rand stay.

"But I'm not setting one foot into the White Tower." Rand glared at Siuan and Moiraine. They had to understand that he wasn't their puppet, even when they didn't gentle him. He would stay until Mat was well enough to ride, and then they would go back to the Two Rivers.

"You can stay wherever you want to, boy. Let me know when you want to know where your friend is currently staying." Rand opened his mouth, but the Amyrlin wasn't in the mood to argue with him. She turned around and left with Moiraine and Lan to get their horses.

Egwene sighed, then she packed her stuff. Rand followed her moves with sad eyes. "You still want to become an Aes Sedai?"

The young woman stopped for a moment, then she continued to pack, while she said: "Yes, I'm still going to the White Tower. I've used the One Power a few times now and I need to know how to control it. I don't know if I'm strong enough to become an Aes Sedai, but I will at least try my best."

She didn't even look up since she didn't want Rand to see the tears, which were building up in her eyes. But Nynaeve noticed the slight change in the voice of her friend and sighed deeply. She hated the Aes Sedai and when she thought about living in the same building as Moiraine for an unknown time… The wisdom would love to run back home to the Two Rivers just to escape Moiraine and her sisters. But she couldn't leave Egwene alone with those women, who played with words to trick the people around them.

"You're going as well?", Perrin asked the wisdom.

"Do you really think that I would leave Egwene with the Aes Sedai, Perrin Aybara? Besides, the Amyrlin said that Mat is in Tar Valon. I need to help him." With those words, Nynaeve followed Egwene's example and packed her stuff. They would return to the White Tower.