This is my second story of what could happen after the end of Season 1.
Since the BTS trailer for Season 2 came out, I can't stop my brain from inventing new storylines, so I decided to write a second story.
I will try to upload a new chapter every Sunday and Wednesday.
"What does it mean?"
"That this wasn't the last battle. I fear it was the first."
Confused, Lan looked at the shining heartstone. The first battle. Not the last one. For twenty years, they had searched for the Dragon Reborn. They had searched for the one person, who would be able to fight against the Dark One. And now… when this had been the first battle, when would the second one take place? The Dragon Reborn was dead. Rand would never fight anyone ever again. How long would it take for the next Dragon to be born again? And would the second battle happen before the birth of their savior or after? And what about the prophecies? The ones, who had predicted that the Dragon Reborn would defeat the Dark One? Had they all been wrong? Had they been an illusion?
When Moiraine got back on her feet, Lan noticed the movement but didn't stop her. Instead, he followed her with his eyes, while he took a good look at her. At his Aes Sedai. This strong woman, who had lost her powers. Who had never cried in front of him. But right now, she looked broken and lost. This woman was a shadow of the powerful Aes Sedai, who he had known for so many years now. He wanted to hug her. He wanted to assure her that she wasn't alone. That he was still with her.
But she wouldn't accept it. She was too proud to ask for any kind of comfort, even in her weak state. Rather suffering than accepting help. `Insufferable woman!´
The Warder tried to reach for his bond, only to be blocked by the barrier, which Moiraine had pulled up when she had left Fal Dara with Rand the other night. She had fooled him. She had used his feelings for the Wisdom to push him away from her, while she had already planned to leave him behind. This hadn't been a spontaneous idea. She had planned this. Like she always planned everything. A plan within a plan within a plan.
Lan watched how Moiraine walked to a wall. He watched how her delicate fingers moved over the stone. Distracting herself from her terrible thoughts. Sighing, he stuffed the broken piece of cuendillar in his pocket and got back on his feet. "We should return to Fal Dara."
He saw her hesitation at his words when her fingers slipped for a moment, and in the way, she pulled back her shoulders as if to strengthen herself. Lan decided to reason with her, though she hadn't said anything yet. "This isn't a good place to stay over the night. We need to leave the Blight."
Slowly, she turned around and her eyes looked apologetically. "I can't return to Fal Dara."
"It is the shortest way to safety. There is food, a warm fire, and a comfortable bed to get some rest after this day trip."
"This isn't about safety. Or maybe it is, kind of. Nynaeve and the others… they won't like the news. Especially in Nynaeve's eyes, I'm the villain here. I took their friend through the Blight to the Eye of the World without informing anyone. And when I return without him… I don't know how they will react. And I can't fight the Wisdom. She is a powerful channeler, and I… I have nothing to fight her or to protect me."
Lan stepped closer to her. As he had expected, Moiraine moved away from him. She didn't want to be comforted, as if it would make her look weak. Then she held up her hand to stop him, so the Warder grabbed her hand and placed it over his beating heart.
"You have me." Fresh tears built up in her eyes, but he didn't stop. Not now. "I protect you. Always have, always will, Moiraine. I swore an oath to you when I accepted your bond all those years ago. And I intend to keep it until my last breath."
Lan was relieved when she finally stepped closer and pressed herself against him. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her before she could change her mind. This was where she belonged. Safe in his arms. His Aes Sedai.
"If it makes you feel better, Nynaeve will most likely kill me first."
There was a moment of silence before Moiraine asked: "Why should she kill you?"
"Well, she told me to bring you both back. You AND Rand. And since I will obviously only return with you… Let's say, I'm pretty sure that her hate will focus on me."
Again, he was rewarded with silence, and Lan wondered what she was thinking right now. What was she feeling? Her relationship with the Wisdom was complicated, but she had pushed him in Nynaeve's direction. For the thousandth time, he cursed the masked bond. He was so used to feeling her. Even those feelings, which she wasn't showing on the outside. And now, there was silence. Deadly silence and Lan hated every second of it.
"You may have promised to bring us both back, but you weren't the one, who brought Rand here. She will realize soon that you can't bring back someone, who isn't here."
Suddenly, a new sound reached his ears, and his body froze. He was used to the water drops hitting the ground, but this was different. It meant danger. Danger for his Aes Sedai.
Lan's eyes moved over the tunnels, which were hidden in darkness. What kind of monster was hiding in the shadows? Trollocs? Draghkars? They had stayed far too long. Whatever had slept downstairs was now awake and coming for them.
"We leave. Now."
Abruptly, he released Moiraine, who was surprised by the sudden change in his mood. Confused, she looked at him then her head turned to the nearest tunnel when she heard the shuffling sound as well.
The Warder stopped in front of every tunnel and listened. The noises were getting louder, but they still had time. They should be able to reach the top before those creatures would enter the Eye of the World.
Lan turned to Moiraine and froze. His Aes Sedai hadn't moved to the stairs. Instead, she was slowly walking toward the tunnel, which was the closest one to her. From the way, she was tilting her head, Lan knew that she was listening.
With his long legs, he crossed the room within a few steps and grabbed Moiraine's hand. "Moiraine!"
The woman of the Blue Ajah didn't even turn around. Her eyes were focused on the darkness as if she could see what lay behind it if she stared long enough. "Something is down there. I…"
"No!" Quickly, Lan moved in front of her. This way, he was blocking her view. Additionally, he cupped her face with his free hand to keep her eyes on him. "We leave this place. Do you hear me?"
"I can't go back to…"
"This is not up for discussion." The shuffling sound from this tunnel seemed closer than the other ones. Blood and ashes, they were losing time! "Move. Now."
Gently, he pushed her backward, while holding her hand in his. He wouldn't leave her here. After a few steps, the Warder took the lead and pulled his Aes Sedai to the stairs. They were running out of time!
Lan was relieved that Moiraine didn't protest anymore, but he noticed very soon that she was exhausted. Their ascent was slower than was good for them. No matter how fast he was trying to move, Moiraine was continuously slower and even stumbled a few times until Lan adjusted his steps to hers.
A landing followed the stairs before the pair reached the next stairs. For minutes, they continued to run upstairs, slowly getting closer to the top. Suddenly, a shrieking scream echoed through the Eye of the World. Moiraine screamed in pain and sank to her knees. It felt as if the scream was crushing her skull. She freed her hand from Lan's grasp and covered her ears, but it didn't help. The pain stayed and when she felt like her head would explode the terrible sound faded.
Even Lan was on his knees. His face showed that he was also in pain, though his hands covered his ears. Usually, the man was very good at hiding his emotions, but he had never heard or felt anything like it.
Panting, Moiraine pressed her forehead against the cold stone. Her ears were still ringing and the pain in her head only faded slowly.
Suddenly, other screams answered from the top, though they weren't as loud as the one before, and they sounded different. Then heavy footsteps were heard on the steps below them. Someone was running upstairs, and Moiraine and Lan were caught in the middle!
Moiraine couldn't move. She heard the footsteps, but her body refused to do anything at all. Whatever that thing was, she hoped that it would end her quickly. Light, she was exhausted. Exhausted from searching for the Dragon Reborn. Exhausted from being on the run. Exhausted from trying to stay ahead of everyone else. She was powerless now. No use to anyone. It wouldn't be a terrible loss if it would kill her here.
Hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up. A surprised shriek escaped her lips, which echoed through the Eye of the World, and was answered by the screams from the top. Then the Aes Sedai recognized Lan, who pushed her to the stairs. For a moment, she thought that he wanted her to keep moving, but then she saw the small gap between the stairs and the wall. Since they still had a long way ahead of them until they would reach the top, the gap lay in darkness and was perfect as a hiding spot.
Lan pushed Moiraine deeper into the gap until she was pressed against the wall with his chest against her back. The gap was too small to turn around, so Moiraine couldn't do anything else than stare at the cold stone wall in front of her. A shiver ran over her skin, though she felt the heat of Lan's body behind her.
The footsteps came closer, and she felt how Lan moved behind her. From the corner of her eye, she saw that he had one of his daggers in his hand. He was preparing himself for a fight. The Aes Sedai felt how her breath became faster. She wanted to help. They were partners, a team. For twenty years, they had fought their fights together.
Again, she reached for the One Power and tried to open herself to Saidar. But there was nothing. She couldn't feel it anymore! A whimper escaped her lips. She couldn't help Lan!
Suddenly, he placed his free hand over her mouth to quiet her. He buried his nose in her messy hair, while his warm breath tickled her ear. This was Lan's way of keeping her grounded. Whenever she had been close to a panic attack in the past, Lan had made sure that she could feel him. That she could hear his heart beat, and sometimes even feel it when he placed her hand on his chest. Or he would steady his breaths, which would help her regain control over her own breathing.
The footsteps reached the landing, and Moiraine closed her eyes. She prayed that the thing wouldn't see them. It wasn't fair. She had left Lan behind in Fal Dara to save his life. And now, he should die here anyway? He was at the Eye of the World because he had searched for her. It would be her fault if he should die at this disgusting place. Oh, she had felt so clever. Being the only one, who knew the way to the Eye of the World. Having countless versions of how she would save Lan's life without him knowing. And when Rand had come to her, she had been relieved that Lan had been occupied with Nynaeve. All her plans had worked. She didn't have to sacrifice the other Emond's Fielder, Lan would live, while she would most certainly die at…
Shocked, Moiraine opened her eyes again. How did Lan find her?! He didn't know the way to the Eye of the World! She never told him! And at this point, she had already masked their bond! He shouldn't have been able to find her!
At this moment, Lan's hand disappeared from her mouth, and she saw how he moved backward. Always keeping an eye on the stairs. The footsteps were barely audible. With his fingers, the Warder motioned for his Aes Sedai to follow him.
While Moiraine moved slowly out of the gap, Lan threw a careful look down at the broken symbol at the bottom of the Eye of the World. But there was no one else there. Whatever was hiding in the tunnels didn't come out after the first monster. Maybe they had been scared away by the scream.
The footsteps of their enemy were almost gone now, so Lan decided that it was time to follow. They needed to leave the Blight or else they would be killed soon! Moiraine stood in front of the stairs, finally. The Warder passed her, but he only climbed up a few steps before Moiraine grabbed his arm and held him back.
"What…?!"
"How did you find me?", she interrupted him whispering.
Lan took a deep breath. They were surrounded by hostile creatures. Both of them were exhausted. She couldn't channel anymore. And her most urgent question was how he had found her?!
"This is not the time to talk about this, Moiraine.", Lan hissed.
But the woman of the Blue Ajah didn't care for his objection. "I never told you the location of the Eye of the World or how you could find it. And I made sure that you would never read about it either."
The Warder narrowed his eyes at her. "For how long have you been planning not to take me here?"
Her mouth moved as if she was trying to form words, but they didn't come out. In the end, she shook her head. "Answer my question. How did you find me?"
Their eyes were locked on each other and no one was willing to look away. They had done this battle countless times in the past, but now it was different. Now, they couldn't feel each other anymore. Moiraine noticed the change in their ritual, though they still were able to communicate with their eyes. It wasn't the same.
"No."
"What do you mean with `No´?"
Lan's voice sounded cold when he answered: "I won't tell you. Since you made plans to come here without me, I'd say it is more than possible that you will try to leave me behind again in the future. And then, I will need an advantage to find you."
"Lan…"
But he didn't let her finish. Instead, he grabbed her hand and continued his ascent to the top. Moiraine had no choice but to follow him.
When they reached the top of the Eye of the World, the sun stood right above them. Lan had taken every new stair more carefully than the one before. Always on high alert of the creature, which had created this deafening sound, and the others, who had answered. Up here, they wouldn't be able to hide in the shadows anymore. Although the Warder didn't mind a good fight, he wasn't looking for this one. Not with Moiraine by his side, who couldn't defend herself. And there was no Aes Sedai close by to heal her if she should get hurt.
"Lan…", Moiraine whispered when he stopped in front of the last stair and scanned their surroundings. But before she could say more, Lan placed his hand above her mouth again and pulled her down. The smaller they were, the harder it would be to see them.
Although, this wasn't the reason, why Lan had quieted her. With his finger, he pointed at the opposite side of the massive building, where he had spotted a Trolloc. And the ugly creature wasn't alone. They noticed three more, who were using the stairs as if they were searching for something.
`Or someone.´, the Warder thought to himself. He didn't believe that it was a coincidence that the Trollocs were wandering around the Eye of the World. Whatever Rand had done here and with whoever he had fought, it had alarmed the Shadowspawn. And now they searched for the source of the disturbance. `Or they search for Moiraine and me. Those Trollocs are idiots, but their ability to smell could be our death.´
Slowly, Lan released his grip on Moiraine, who turned her head in his direction. With his hands, he told her to stay quiet, then he pointed at her and then at the ground. Stay here.
The woman of the Blue Ajah opened her mouth to protest, but Lan shook his head and repeated the movement. This time, he used his best glare at her. This was no game. Of course, she glared back at him and pressed her lips together. She was used to giving orders. Not the other way around.
When Lan was certain that she had understood and had agreed to his command, he carefully crawled up the stairs. Before he reached the last steps, he lowered his body until he was lying and his eyes were barely able to look over the edge. It was a very uncomfortable position, but at least it protected him a little bit from being detected too soon.
His eyes looked out for more Trollocs and other Shadowspawn. He was pretty certain now, that the enemy of the tunnel had been a Myrddral. No one else could keep the Trollocs in order.
Lan felt a movement beside him. Within a heartbeat, he had his fingers around one of his daggers. Ready to kill the dark creature… Sighing, he closed his eyes, and his fingers relaxed when he saw Moiraine, who had followed him and was lying beside him now. `Insufferable woman! Why can't you listen to me?! Just once!´
A silent growl escaped his lips, which the Aes Sedai ignored completely. Instead, she followed his example and scanned their surroundings as well. "I don't see other Trollocs.", she whispered quietly "We could reach the rotten trees before they would make it back to the top. As soon as we are in there, they will never find us again."
"I would rather get over there without them seeing us.", Lan answered through gritted teeth. He fought against the urge to stop her from talking. "And I don't think that they are alone. Look."
Carefully, the Warder pointed at something ahead of them. Another Trolloc appeared from behind a rotten tree. His poisonous axe gleamed deadly in the bright sun. Lan grimaced when he remembered the last time, a dagger had pierced Moiraine's shoulder and had nearly killed her. He wouldn't let that happen ever again.
Both the Warder and the Aes Sedai didn't notice the Myrddral, who quietly approached them from behind. His cloak didn't make a sound and neither did his feet. He had a sword in his hands, which he raised above his head. The pointy end was positioned over Lan's back. While the two humans watched the movements of the newly arrived Trolloc, the Myrddral pushed the deadly blade down on his victim.
I would love to hear your thoughts, so I would be very thankful if you could leave a review :D
The next chapter will be posted on Wednesday.