Disclaimers: WoT = Robert Jordan's.....Plot = mine, and mine only

Author's Note: Well, in this round I'll upload two loooooong chapters, and that's all you get until I get back from France (and my beta from her holiday). I'd like to thank all my reviewers for their encouragements! You're wonderful! If you ever get yourself a homepage, let me know, and I'll send you a secret prize that you can show to everyone you'd like! :)

I also want to give BIG HUGSES AND THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL BETA -STARLIGHT! (you know who you are... wink)

Summary: What would happen if Nynaeve discovered she was pregnant the day before the Last Battle? Will she fight or stay behind?

Rating: PG (will be PG-13 later on)

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NYNAEVE'S DECISION

CHAPTER 4 - Discussions, Dreams and Interpretationsby neela

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"See you later, Rand," Mat nodded on his way past him and the last of the generals, the broad-brimmed hat well placed on his head. He wondered exactly how long his friend had been using that.

"Remember that Tuon is invited too," he called after him. Mat flashed him the typical twinkled grin of his and he couldn't help but smile in return. If anyone had come to him two years ago and said Mat was going marry someday and settle down, he would have laughed. But here he was, engaged, and with a princess none the less! He shook his head merrily as his friend disappeared out of the tent. Doing the formal greeting to Bashere before the Saldaean left, he then turned and sat down in his chair.

Picking up a cup of spiced wine from the table beside him, Rand spotted Lan in the back of the tent, apparently deep in thought. His eyebrows were twitching, his eyes staring harshly at the ground, as if he dared a Trolloc to jump up from a hole. Rand was wondering what was bothering him, though he did have some idea; his mentor had been quiet through half of the meeting after Nynaeve arrived, and then later left together with Min. And that was a mystery he'd like to clear up as well. Why didn't Min want him to know what was going on? Did it have something to do with the viewing? He had so many questions, but experiences with women had taught him to wait until they told him what it was all about.

"My Lord?" The sudden voice broke him out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards the source, and was surprised to see Lan standing just a few paces away from him, staring at him. He quickly regained his composure.

"How many times have I told you, Lan?" he asked with a smile. "There's no need for that title in private. I'd have thought that when Nynaeve learned that, you would too." He didn't try to hide the teasing in his voice. Somehow, things had just changed between him and Lan, for the better. They often talked and teased each other, though they seldom let out their amusement. It was like a game, a challenge. Who would contain the laughter the longest?

This time, however, Rand noticed it was not a game. Lan didn't even blink. It had to be serious. He straightened in the chair and gestured for the Warder to sit down in the one opposite of him. It took a moment, but eventually the older man sat down.

"What's on your mind?" he asked and looked Lan straight in the eye. The Warder was silent for a second, then he spoke.

"I wanted to discuss the possibility of Nynaeve being placed somewhere else on the battlefield." Rand didn't know what to say. Although he'd had a hunch, he didn't exactly believe Lan would have voiced it. And something else nagged his mind. Nynaeve's and Lan's relationship had always seemed a little strange to him. Sometimes it was Nynaeve bossing around, and sometimes the other way around, and now... A warning bell chimed in his head. There was something in Lan's voice that resembled foreboding. Was he doing something he wasn't supposed to do?

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"This is called Caressing the Child," Elayne explained, while weaving something that reminded Nynaeve too much of Delving. "It is to check on the child or children's health and sex."

"I'm having more than one?!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, causing a lot of amusement from the other women. Brigitte and Aviendha had been there when she and Min arrived, and Egwene had showed up later. She suspected someone had called for her. Right now they were seated among the big, comfy pillows along one of the walls. Several lamps hung from the tent poles, lightening up the dark space. At the other side of the tent was Elayne's desk, along with three stools.

Elayne grinned. "That's what we're going to find out. Now just calm down."

"Are you certain you know what you're doing?" Nynaeve asked nervously. This was something totally new to her, and it frightened her a bit not knowing the outcome.

"Nynaeve, stay still and breathe for Light's sake!" Elayne chided the older woman. The others laughed out loud and Nynaeve crossed her arms in a defiant glare. "A Wise One did this on me when I was expecting Rand's children. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." With that, she went back to her task.

Nynaeve felt like chaos of emotions had torn her apart inside, but now, they seemed to have settled. Talking with the other women, especially with Elayne, about being pregnant had made her realise something. She shouldn't be sad because of this, she should be happy for the new life inside her. And she was. Lan's babe was growing inside her! It was nothing more she wanted than see his blood live on and his kingdom restored. She became lost in thought, as the memories of something Egwene had told her earlier came back.

----FLASHBACK----

"What is it, Egwene?" Nynaeve looked at the dark-haired woman with a seven-striped stole around her shoulders, seated on comfy pillows right beside her. She had responded differently to the news of her pregnancy than the other women. The others had at first been happy, then sad, and then comforting, but the Two Rivers woman had sat still and lost in thoughts all the time.

"Your news has brought some answers to a dream I had last night," Egwene replied quietly and rose up; everyone's eyes were on her now. Nynaeve sent her friend a confused look. "I dreamt about you, Nynaeve. Lan too, although I never saw him, I knew he was a part of it."

She just stared at her. What was she talking about? Was there something wrong? Had she had a prophetic dream? "Well, spit it out, girl…Oh, sorry…Mother," she added with a strangled growl when she saw other woman's automatically raised eyebrows.

"You are my friend, Nynaeve, you don't need to call me Mother when we're not in public." Egwene's voice revealed her amusement. Nynaeve just glared at her.

"Well, my dream," she continued. "There were actually two, but I know they are related. In one, you were out in the desert, and in the distant you could see the shadows of something large -several, in fact. You held something in your arms and as you came closer to the dark shadows, I saw it was a couple of bundles. For every step you took, they began to move more and more. The dream ended there, with you walking closer to the silhouettes, but just before everything went black, I saw someone or something was following you. I don't know what it was. Somehow I got the feeling it wasn't something good, and that it wanted to stop you before you reached your goal." She paused, looking around to see if anyone understood the meaning of it. None answered her unasked question, not even Nynaeve, who suddenly realised she understood a bit of the dream, as it reminded her of Min's viewing.

}}}} A golden light started flashing around your heads, and from the depth I saw seven dark silhouettes rise up, along with two hawks.{{{{

She knew what the golden light meant; she was with child. And the dark silhouettes…it could not mean anything else than the Seven Towers of Malkier. They would rise again now that she was expecting.

Egwene's dream had not been so much different; the bundles could be compared to the hawks, and the shadows… they could be the Seven Towers, but she didn't know. And the thing that wanted to stop her…was it the Last Battle? She felt worry fill the pit of her stomach as her thoughts brought her elsewhere, and she unconsciously stroked her belly, not aware of the smiles it attracted from the other women.

"Nynaeve?" She jerked her head to the owner of the voice; it was Elayne.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking," Nynaeve muttered below her breath, frowning. Coughs made her lift her head, and she shook it slightly. "Well? What was the other dream?" She stared at Egwene.

Egwene sent her a bright smile that made her glare. Could they ever stop being so secretive? She reached for her braid and tugged it. The pain shooting from her scalp made her worry diminish to the back of her mind.

"The other dream, yes…well, it was very much like the other. You walked towards the shadows, bundles in hand, with the follower close behind. But this time your stalker caught up with you, and you were swallowed by shadows, disappearing from the dream. Then the silhouettes suddenly burst into a thousand pieces, and at that time I knew they would never raise again." She stopped, and Nynaeve felt the world fall apart around her.

She understood everything so perfectly now. It was so clear. The stalker couldn't be anything but the Last Battle. It was a crossroad. She would have to make a choice. And the outcome...either Malkier would rise, or it would not.

Nynaeve did not push her away as she felt Elayne's arm comforting her. She didn't realise that tears were silently falling down her cheeks.

'If I die in the Last Battle, Malkier will never rise again; Lan will not survive my death for long, and he will never marry again. Then the royal bloodline will be broken, and the kingdom of Malkier will forever be a myth, for none else will have the right to build up the Seven Towers again.'

Her tears fell down in long streams, but not a sob escaped her lunges. Suddenly all this responsibility lay on her shoulders, and she didn't know if she had the strength to carry that burden.

----END FLASHBACK----

"You okay, Nynaeve?" Egwene's voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up bewildered, a little caught off guard. All eyes were trained on her.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she replied quickly, regaining her composure. "Nothing to worry about." She knew they didn't quite believe her, but she didn't care. Something was telling her that there were things going on elsewhere. Unnoticed by her, one of the women slipped out of the tent.

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"We have already talked about this, Lan," Rand said, "and we came to a solution, why resume the discussion?" Lan's face went emotionless, and turned his head away.

"She hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days." The Commander looked back, eyes more hardened. "And she has kept it secret for me." Deciding to tread carefully, not wanting to get involved in their personal life, Rand shifted nervously and set the cup back on the table.

"Well, I don't know exactly what you want me to do. It was Nynaeve who came up with the idea, and she insisted -you know what she's like then, it's hard to say no- to stay beside me. And let us not forget that the prophecies clued that a male and female channeler would together defeat the Dark One."

"Yes, I know," Lan cut in. "But why Nynaeve? Isn't there someone just as strong as her in the Aes Sedai camp? What was her name..." He thought for a second. "Yes, the Seanchan woman. Alivia. Wouldn't she be a much better choice?" Rand became lost in thought. Alivia had been one of those protecting him and Nynaeve when they cleansed saidin. Apparently, she was more than 400 years old! He shook his head in amazement.

"I would say, it's a very good suggestion, but we should discuss this with Nynaeve also. I can't just order her around." Lan gave him a look that clearly said 'aren't-you-the-Dragon-Reborn'? "Well, I can, but-"

At that moment, Min came through the tent flap, drawing both men's attention. She stopped just inside the entry, surveying them both. Rand saw the golden veins pulsate as they locked eyes, and he smiled. But Min didn't return it. Instead, she put on a serious face. Oh-oh, why do I sense something serious coming up again?

"Min?" he asked, but she came in advance and spoke softly. "I couldn't help but overhearing what you were talking about, and I must ask that you reconsider ordering Nynaeve around." This surprised Rand, and Lan too by the look of him. He'd found back-up in the most unexpected person. Rand opened his mouth to speak, but Lan spoke before him.

"What do you know?" He rose from his chair, and Min unconsciously took a step back. The Warder was a very big man, very fascinating, and very intimidating. "I'm sorry," he said softly, knowing he'd frightened her a second, and Min visibly relaxed.

"I can't say, you should rather hear it from her." Her voice left a feeling of curiousness inside Rand. He was tempted to stand up also, but resisted, and instead leaned back and watched the scene in front of him unfold. Lan looked grim for a moment, then he looked up at Min with a question in his eyes. "She's in Elayne's tent." He nodded, and then turned to Rand.

"Perhaps we can continue our discussion at a later time." And with that, before Rand was able to respond, he'd bowed formally and disappeared from his view. If there was one thing Rand still wanted to get the hang of, it was Lan's ability to disappear before you had the chance to blink. He looked over at Min.

"Later, Rand. I'm not in the mood for chit-chat now."

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"Well, are you prepared for what I discovered?" Elayne asked her. Nynaeve felt like a thousand butterflies were trying to break through her stomach. Nervously, she nodded, deciding to sit down on one of the pillows. Elayne followed her lead and sat down beside her on a bright red one, lined with golden bands.

Please let everything be alright! she prayed silently.

"They're both fine, Nynaeve," the Queen of Andor grinned, and she felt her fear disappear and leave only relief. She sighed loudly and her whole body relaxed, eyes closing, only to open again in a rush.

"They're?! I'm actually having more than one?!" The other women laughed, Brigitte a little louder, drawing forward a bottle of which Nynaeve suspected was that dratted liquid. Elayne smiled comfortingly and patted her knee.

"It's twins, and though it's not possible to see the sex yet, I can say that they're about seven weeks old and healthy."

"Seven…seven weeks?" she asked in surprise. Elayne nodded excitedly, still grinning.

"I'm having twins. I'm actually having twins. There's two of Lan's babes inside of me,"she rambled on quietly, stunned at the news, causing much amusement. They're seven weeks and I didn't realise?! Light! Getting sick, yeah, that's a good one, Nynaeve! She mentally slapped her head, then grinned at the others in the tent –who grinned back– and threw herself into Elayne's waiting arms. This was great!

The next moments were filled with tears of happiness, hugs and congratulations. Nynaeve felt absolutely wonderful now that the shock had settled. Although she knew at the back of her mind that the Last Battle was anytime now, she forced herself to forget it, and enjoy the present.

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Outside the tent, a broad-shouldered man arrived, nodding to the guards outside. But, as voices from within reached him, he hesitated, and in stead remained by the entrance, listening. It was wrong of him to do so, but there was something nagging his mind. Something unknown.

The guards flanking the entrance just ignored him, even though they cast curious glances at each other behind the man's back.

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Breaking out of Egwene's embrace, and receiving a cup from Brigitte, Nynaeve looked at them all, grinning like a tavern girl, but she didn't care. Everyone had a cup in hand, and surprisingly, Aviendha took the initiative.

"Here's to the new mother!" They lifted their cups and chorused "the new mother". Nynaeve sipped the contents of the cup, and spit it out.

"Milk?!" she exclaimed. Brigitte grinned.

"No oosquai to an expecting mother, el'Nynaeve Mandrogoran. It's not good for the babes. Milk is more nutrient than water, so milk it is."

"How in the Blight did you get that, Brigitte? Don't tell me you walk around with it in your pocket?" asked Elayne, only receiving a twinkled glance in Aviendha's direction. The woman in question herself only shrugged.

"I had a servant fetch it." The Aiel smiled and looked over at Nynaeve, but then her stare went blank as she spotted something behind her. So did Egwene and Brigitte, who sat opposite of her and Elayne.

Confused and curious, she turned around, expecting to see an Aes Sedai or a Wise One, or maybe an Asha'man –none else would turn their happy faces to blank stares– and jumped on her feet in surprise. A pair of cold, ice blue eyes were staring straight at her, and she felt suddenly growing smaller from that expressionless, yet piercing stare.

al'Lan Mandrogoran was a handsome as ever, but the way he stood –towering, still, and silent, with that cold, emotionless look– made Nynaeve believe it was no longer her husband, but that stranger that had waltzed into Emond's Field several years ago, together with a woman who could channel. It frightened her, and she didn't realise she had taken a step back before her thigh hit the sharp edge of Elayne's desk.

Light, he have to know already...

For some reason, she was suddenly terrified.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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