As the Ashaman held the gate open Rand fought to hold Lews Therin at bay.
The thought of the madman gaining control of saidin had always left Rand
with a cold twisted feeling in the pit of his stomach, but with the taint
it became a thing of nightmares. To let a madman loose with the power and
the Dark One's corruption! Better to hand all your loved ones to a
Myrddraal!
He felt himself being lowered into bed and he drifted towards sleep, dragging the raging Lews Therin with him into unconsciousness. The dreams that eventually came to him were strange and confusing. Min in a dress of white, arms held out to an unseen figure and a look of terror on her face. Cadsuane, a sword in hand, doing damage to a woman in the Keeper's stole. Mat with a baby in his arms! They changed fast and furious; he caught only a glimpse before they moved on. Finally one image resolved from the chaos.
He found himself in his father's orchard. My father doesn't have an orchard! He walked towards a figure seated on a spread blanket, surrounded by food, all his favourites!, and pouring a bottle of wine. "Ilyena," he said, "you did not need to come. I said I would return in a few days"
She turned at his voice and his was once again struck by her astounding presence. Skin the colour of pale golden honey and pink, moist lips that tasted as sweet. Her eyes reflected her love for him in their shining blue depths. She usually wore her masses of white blond hair twisted and pinned high, but for him she wore it unbound and it hung loose and wild to her thigh (which in his mind was also perfect!)
She wore a pale blue gown that simmered in the sun whenever she moved.
Lews felt a cool prickle as she held the source then he felt the use she put it to.
Non-existent fingers ruffled his hair and lips as soft as a breeze pressed a tender kiss against his own. The real thing quickly followed this as she rose from the blanket to embrace him in her arms. She was tall for a woman, though she did not quite reach his height, and she had always put her stature to good use. He remembered seeing her outfit for war against the hordes of trollocs. Never one to stand back from a fight, she had ordered amour made. All in toughened black leather with metal reinforcing, she had glittered black and silver as she had stood at his side, a heron marked blade in her hand, ready to protect all she loved from the darkness. Light! What a woman! A smile stretched his lips as he thought how she would react when he asked her to marry him.
"I could not stay away any longer. You have been consulting with that Queen since before Bel-Tine, and I missed you!" She pouted a little then broke into a smile to show there was no true barb intended. "Come Lews Therin, I brought you dinner because I didn't think you would be able to fit me into your busy schedule, else" Taking his hand she pulled him towards the meal laid out under a tree, and pushed him onto the blanket. As they ate and discussed unimportant things all thoughts of war far away, Lews knew the time should be now.
"Ilyena my darling there is a very important matter we need to discuss."
"I know Lews. That is why I brought you here. I thought the memory of this day would help you accept the truth of what I must tell you." His jaw dropped. "YOU brought ME here? What do you mean?"
"Lews this is a dream. A very beautiful dream, and I remember how happy we both were when you proposed and I accepted, but there is something you need to know and I was chosen to tell you. I recreated this day in your mind to bring you a little happiness along with the sorrow."
He didn't, couldn't speak. He looked at his beloved forlornly. She continued, "Do you remember what happened at the end of the war? When you and the Hundred Companions closed the Bore?
"The struggle with the Dark One was difficult, and half of the Companions died sealing Him and the Forsaken in there. But there were even worse consequences. The Dark One put out his hand and touched the male part of the True Source, tainting it, condemning every man who could channel to certain insanity. Can you remember, Lews?"
He did. He recalled the feeling of cold, black, twisting chaos as it moved through him. He recalled the feeling of loosing his mind. He recalled with startling clarity the moment he came to his senses, thanks to Ishamael, and realised he held the body of his wife and he recalled being the cause of her death.
Stunned. "Can, can you ever forgive me?" he pleaded with tears of remorse streaming down his face. She wiped his face with the heel of her hand and softly kissed him. " There is nothing to forgive, Beloved. You were a weapon, not the killer. They used you. You would never have done any of those things if they had not made you. Do not blame yourself, Lews, for I do not." Then she held him as her words were absorbed and his body stopped shaking.
"So what are we doing here?" he asked her quietly. "I have to tell you your task Lews, then you can join me in the Creator's embrace. I was not bound to be reborn, but you have another task to perform. One that requires great sacrifice. It is written that the Dragon Reborn shall die on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, and that is what you must do." His face grew taught as she explained the task to him, but he nodded his acceptance at the end of her instruction. "Lews, this is to stop the destruction of the world. Only you can do it. Be brave my love, and be strong. I wait for you in the Creator's arms, where we can be together for all time."
As she spoke these last words, she was fading, and with a final gentle kiss, she was gone. Lews Therin Telemon sat under the tree, on what had been the happiest day of his life, and wept.
He woke in a bed with a pretty young girl leaning over him. "You looked like you needed waking, Rand" she said, sitting back to give him room. Rand? He thought. Who is she talking to? There was a feeling in the back of his mind that he should know the name. He also knew this girl was Min, but was at a loss to explain. He pushed himself up and looked around the room. He didn't recognise anything here. A thought pushed up, this is my bedroom in the Sun Palace. It looked opulent enough to be his own bedchamber, but why were there candles burning instead of glow bulbs. There are no glow bulbs now. He caught a glance in the dressing mirror in a corner. The face that looked back at him was not his own.
The shock sent Lews Therin Fleeing to the depths of Rand's mind. Rand gasped with relief. He could not believe that Lews had gained control of his body! If that could happen when he was sleeping, who knows what else he could do.
He felt himself being lowered into bed and he drifted towards sleep, dragging the raging Lews Therin with him into unconsciousness. The dreams that eventually came to him were strange and confusing. Min in a dress of white, arms held out to an unseen figure and a look of terror on her face. Cadsuane, a sword in hand, doing damage to a woman in the Keeper's stole. Mat with a baby in his arms! They changed fast and furious; he caught only a glimpse before they moved on. Finally one image resolved from the chaos.
He found himself in his father's orchard. My father doesn't have an orchard! He walked towards a figure seated on a spread blanket, surrounded by food, all his favourites!, and pouring a bottle of wine. "Ilyena," he said, "you did not need to come. I said I would return in a few days"
She turned at his voice and his was once again struck by her astounding presence. Skin the colour of pale golden honey and pink, moist lips that tasted as sweet. Her eyes reflected her love for him in their shining blue depths. She usually wore her masses of white blond hair twisted and pinned high, but for him she wore it unbound and it hung loose and wild to her thigh (which in his mind was also perfect!)
She wore a pale blue gown that simmered in the sun whenever she moved.
Lews felt a cool prickle as she held the source then he felt the use she put it to.
Non-existent fingers ruffled his hair and lips as soft as a breeze pressed a tender kiss against his own. The real thing quickly followed this as she rose from the blanket to embrace him in her arms. She was tall for a woman, though she did not quite reach his height, and she had always put her stature to good use. He remembered seeing her outfit for war against the hordes of trollocs. Never one to stand back from a fight, she had ordered amour made. All in toughened black leather with metal reinforcing, she had glittered black and silver as she had stood at his side, a heron marked blade in her hand, ready to protect all she loved from the darkness. Light! What a woman! A smile stretched his lips as he thought how she would react when he asked her to marry him.
"I could not stay away any longer. You have been consulting with that Queen since before Bel-Tine, and I missed you!" She pouted a little then broke into a smile to show there was no true barb intended. "Come Lews Therin, I brought you dinner because I didn't think you would be able to fit me into your busy schedule, else" Taking his hand she pulled him towards the meal laid out under a tree, and pushed him onto the blanket. As they ate and discussed unimportant things all thoughts of war far away, Lews knew the time should be now.
"Ilyena my darling there is a very important matter we need to discuss."
"I know Lews. That is why I brought you here. I thought the memory of this day would help you accept the truth of what I must tell you." His jaw dropped. "YOU brought ME here? What do you mean?"
"Lews this is a dream. A very beautiful dream, and I remember how happy we both were when you proposed and I accepted, but there is something you need to know and I was chosen to tell you. I recreated this day in your mind to bring you a little happiness along with the sorrow."
He didn't, couldn't speak. He looked at his beloved forlornly. She continued, "Do you remember what happened at the end of the war? When you and the Hundred Companions closed the Bore?
"The struggle with the Dark One was difficult, and half of the Companions died sealing Him and the Forsaken in there. But there were even worse consequences. The Dark One put out his hand and touched the male part of the True Source, tainting it, condemning every man who could channel to certain insanity. Can you remember, Lews?"
He did. He recalled the feeling of cold, black, twisting chaos as it moved through him. He recalled the feeling of loosing his mind. He recalled with startling clarity the moment he came to his senses, thanks to Ishamael, and realised he held the body of his wife and he recalled being the cause of her death.
Stunned. "Can, can you ever forgive me?" he pleaded with tears of remorse streaming down his face. She wiped his face with the heel of her hand and softly kissed him. " There is nothing to forgive, Beloved. You were a weapon, not the killer. They used you. You would never have done any of those things if they had not made you. Do not blame yourself, Lews, for I do not." Then she held him as her words were absorbed and his body stopped shaking.
"So what are we doing here?" he asked her quietly. "I have to tell you your task Lews, then you can join me in the Creator's embrace. I was not bound to be reborn, but you have another task to perform. One that requires great sacrifice. It is written that the Dragon Reborn shall die on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, and that is what you must do." His face grew taught as she explained the task to him, but he nodded his acceptance at the end of her instruction. "Lews, this is to stop the destruction of the world. Only you can do it. Be brave my love, and be strong. I wait for you in the Creator's arms, where we can be together for all time."
As she spoke these last words, she was fading, and with a final gentle kiss, she was gone. Lews Therin Telemon sat under the tree, on what had been the happiest day of his life, and wept.
He woke in a bed with a pretty young girl leaning over him. "You looked like you needed waking, Rand" she said, sitting back to give him room. Rand? He thought. Who is she talking to? There was a feeling in the back of his mind that he should know the name. He also knew this girl was Min, but was at a loss to explain. He pushed himself up and looked around the room. He didn't recognise anything here. A thought pushed up, this is my bedroom in the Sun Palace. It looked opulent enough to be his own bedchamber, but why were there candles burning instead of glow bulbs. There are no glow bulbs now. He caught a glance in the dressing mirror in a corner. The face that looked back at him was not his own.
The shock sent Lews Therin Fleeing to the depths of Rand's mind. Rand gasped with relief. He could not believe that Lews had gained control of his body! If that could happen when he was sleeping, who knows what else he could do.