Disclaimer: I don't own Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time or anything related to it.
Chapter 5: spoilers if you don't know what happened to Rand in Caemlyn in book 6: Lord of Chaos and in book 9: Winter's Heart
When Rand awoke it was still dark outside the tent he and Min were sharing. He quietly slipped on his shirt and boots before leaving the tent. He did not want to wake Min up, knowing she would want to go with him. He went to Egwene's study to wait for everyone to arrive and was surprised to find Egwene sitting behind the collapsible table used for her desk. She was slumped over the desk, her head resting on her arms. Rand, thinking that she was asleep, sat in one of the chairs, since he was nearly a half hour early, not wanting to wake her up yet.
"You're early." Egwene said, voice barely above a whisper, as she lifted her head off her arms and sat back in her chair.
"I wanted to get out of the tent before light, there was less chance of waking Min on my way out."
Egwene nodded. He was right Min would want to go with, even though she wouldn't be able to do anything. "Elayne said that she and Aviendha saw you and Min recently." she said.
"She did? So, what did she say?" Rand said trying to find out what she knew.
"She told me what happened between you." Egwene bluffed. During that conversation with Elayne she had been able to tell that she was hiding something that she was excited about.
Rand's face turned to shock getting redder and redder by the moment before he was able to smooth his features, his face went back to a mask of emotionless calm after a few moments. Egwene had to bite her bottom lip hard just to keep from laughing at his expression. She wondered what would cause that reaction.
"She told you about what we did?" Rand asked. When Egwene nodded he continued. "I should have known, women talk about that stuff way too freely."
Elayne had told Egwene about that part but that wasn't what she was hiding. "And she told me about. . . you know. . ." she said trailing off. "This is not an easy topic." she said to herself, just loud enough for him to hear. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone, and I'm not going to either." she said knowing it was vague enough to mean almost anything.
Rand frowned suspiciously. "She did, did she?" Egwene nodded again. "She tells me not to mention it. . ." Rand muttered under his breath.
Egwene strained to hear what he was saying. She only caught the first part of it since he trailed off getting quieter and quieter.
"Is there any way to remove a Warder bond?" Rand questioned.
"Why?" Egwene said suspiciously.
'So, she doesn't know as much as she wants me to believe she does.' Rand thought with a smirk. "Just wondering. So, is it possible?"
"It can only be removed by the person who bonded the warder." Egwene said. 'Why would he want to know about the Warder bond?' she wondered. A thought came to her, 'Unless, he was bonded. Only one way to find out.' "So, Rand, who bonded you?" Egwene asked pleasantly.
Rand's jaw nearly dropped open. "What makes you think someone bonded me?" he asked hesitantly.
Egwene raised an eyebrow. "Once you started asking about the Warder bond it wasn't that hard to figure out, and then your expression when I first asked you confirmed it. So, who is it? Elayne?"
"Alanna bonded me a few months back. I want to get rid of her bond." he said quietly, avoiding her last question.
Egwene noticed the anger nearly hidden in his voice as he told her. "Why did you let her bond you in the first place then?" she asked genuinely confused.
"I didn't have a choice." Rand muttered darkly.
"So she just bonded you?" Rand nodded. "I see. I'm surprised she didn't try to control you with the bond." Egwene said more to herself than to him.
"She tried." Rand said with a smirk. "She can't control me with the bond. Neither can-" Rand stopped and shook his head slightly, as if realizing what he was saying.
Egwene arched an eyebrow. 'What was he going to say next?' she wondered.
Min ducked into the tent. "Can't leave me behind that easily, sheepherder." she said to Rand. "Hi, Egwene." she said as she sat next to him.
"Hi, Min." Egwene responded. "Rand was just telling me about his being bonded." She noticed Min's eyes go wide as she said that.
Min turned to Rand. "Why did you tell her?! Elayne asked you not to mention anything about us bonding you!"
"He didn't." Egwene said calmly. "You just did. I've been trying to get him to tell me what Elayne was hiding from me, ever since he came in here."
"So, what do you intend to do about it?" Rand asked, giving her a look that said he wouldn't let her do anything to Elayne or the others.
"You can stop worrying, Rand. I'm fine with it. I'm not going to tell anyone." she added.
He nodded slightly. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked Min and Rand.
Rand started. "When Min and I went to Caemlyn to talk to Nynaeve, she ran off to find Elayne and Aviendha. Shortly after the three of them bonded me."
"Three? But Min can't channel. Willingly this time?"
"Yes, I let them. Elayne and Aviendha found a way to include Min in the bonding. So, now I'm bonded to the three of them. . . and Alanna." he muttered the last part darkly.
Within a few minutes, the other Aes Sedai, Asha'man, and Dedicated they were waiting for arrived. "Min,-"
"No way, Sheepherder. You're not leaving me behind again. Remember what happened last time you left me behind?"
"Yes, you were able to get help because you weren't with me. But I wasn't going to say that." he lied. " I was going to ask if you were ready."
Min nodded. Rand wove the gateway and ushered everyone through before he stepped inside, closing the gateway behind him.
Chapter 5: spoilers if you don't know what happened to Rand in Caemlyn in book 6: Lord of Chaos and in book 9: Winter's Heart
When Rand awoke it was still dark outside the tent he and Min were sharing. He quietly slipped on his shirt and boots before leaving the tent. He did not want to wake Min up, knowing she would want to go with him. He went to Egwene's study to wait for everyone to arrive and was surprised to find Egwene sitting behind the collapsible table used for her desk. She was slumped over the desk, her head resting on her arms. Rand, thinking that she was asleep, sat in one of the chairs, since he was nearly a half hour early, not wanting to wake her up yet.
"You're early." Egwene said, voice barely above a whisper, as she lifted her head off her arms and sat back in her chair.
"I wanted to get out of the tent before light, there was less chance of waking Min on my way out."
Egwene nodded. He was right Min would want to go with, even though she wouldn't be able to do anything. "Elayne said that she and Aviendha saw you and Min recently." she said.
"She did? So, what did she say?" Rand said trying to find out what she knew.
"She told me what happened between you." Egwene bluffed. During that conversation with Elayne she had been able to tell that she was hiding something that she was excited about.
Rand's face turned to shock getting redder and redder by the moment before he was able to smooth his features, his face went back to a mask of emotionless calm after a few moments. Egwene had to bite her bottom lip hard just to keep from laughing at his expression. She wondered what would cause that reaction.
"She told you about what we did?" Rand asked. When Egwene nodded he continued. "I should have known, women talk about that stuff way too freely."
Elayne had told Egwene about that part but that wasn't what she was hiding. "And she told me about. . . you know. . ." she said trailing off. "This is not an easy topic." she said to herself, just loud enough for him to hear. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone, and I'm not going to either." she said knowing it was vague enough to mean almost anything.
Rand frowned suspiciously. "She did, did she?" Egwene nodded again. "She tells me not to mention it. . ." Rand muttered under his breath.
Egwene strained to hear what he was saying. She only caught the first part of it since he trailed off getting quieter and quieter.
"Is there any way to remove a Warder bond?" Rand questioned.
"Why?" Egwene said suspiciously.
'So, she doesn't know as much as she wants me to believe she does.' Rand thought with a smirk. "Just wondering. So, is it possible?"
"It can only be removed by the person who bonded the warder." Egwene said. 'Why would he want to know about the Warder bond?' she wondered. A thought came to her, 'Unless, he was bonded. Only one way to find out.' "So, Rand, who bonded you?" Egwene asked pleasantly.
Rand's jaw nearly dropped open. "What makes you think someone bonded me?" he asked hesitantly.
Egwene raised an eyebrow. "Once you started asking about the Warder bond it wasn't that hard to figure out, and then your expression when I first asked you confirmed it. So, who is it? Elayne?"
"Alanna bonded me a few months back. I want to get rid of her bond." he said quietly, avoiding her last question.
Egwene noticed the anger nearly hidden in his voice as he told her. "Why did you let her bond you in the first place then?" she asked genuinely confused.
"I didn't have a choice." Rand muttered darkly.
"So she just bonded you?" Rand nodded. "I see. I'm surprised she didn't try to control you with the bond." Egwene said more to herself than to him.
"She tried." Rand said with a smirk. "She can't control me with the bond. Neither can-" Rand stopped and shook his head slightly, as if realizing what he was saying.
Egwene arched an eyebrow. 'What was he going to say next?' she wondered.
Min ducked into the tent. "Can't leave me behind that easily, sheepherder." she said to Rand. "Hi, Egwene." she said as she sat next to him.
"Hi, Min." Egwene responded. "Rand was just telling me about his being bonded." She noticed Min's eyes go wide as she said that.
Min turned to Rand. "Why did you tell her?! Elayne asked you not to mention anything about us bonding you!"
"He didn't." Egwene said calmly. "You just did. I've been trying to get him to tell me what Elayne was hiding from me, ever since he came in here."
"So, what do you intend to do about it?" Rand asked, giving her a look that said he wouldn't let her do anything to Elayne or the others.
"You can stop worrying, Rand. I'm fine with it. I'm not going to tell anyone." she added.
He nodded slightly. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked Min and Rand.
Rand started. "When Min and I went to Caemlyn to talk to Nynaeve, she ran off to find Elayne and Aviendha. Shortly after the three of them bonded me."
"Three? But Min can't channel. Willingly this time?"
"Yes, I let them. Elayne and Aviendha found a way to include Min in the bonding. So, now I'm bonded to the three of them. . . and Alanna." he muttered the last part darkly.
Within a few minutes, the other Aes Sedai, Asha'man, and Dedicated they were waiting for arrived. "Min,-"
"No way, Sheepherder. You're not leaving me behind again. Remember what happened last time you left me behind?"
"Yes, you were able to get help because you weren't with me. But I wasn't going to say that." he lied. " I was going to ask if you were ready."
Min nodded. Rand wove the gateway and ushered everyone through before he stepped inside, closing the gateway behind him.