Here is today's chapter! Hope you guys like it. And thanks to everyone who is sticking with me through this story/series. You guys rock.

!WARNING! This chapter has some torture in it and some might find it graphic. I apologize if anyone finds it offensive, though the scene isn't as graphic as I could've made it. That being said, you've been warned.

I own nothing in here that is famous...:tear:

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass...

What was, what will be, and what is, may still yet under Shadow...

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rand walked through Rhuidean, absently gnawing on a toothpick. It had been two days since his meeting with the Amyrlin. Daniel already had several men training with more on the way. He sat down on a stone fountain and sighed, looking up at the night sky and seeing countless stars.

"Trying to find Earth?" a soft voice asked.

Rand turned and was startled to see Kira. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

Kira sat down, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "I'm not allowed to drop in on a friend now?" she asked.

"Your Aes Sedai," Rand said.

"That doesn't mean I'm still not the same person you grew up with back on Earth," she shot back.

"Yes it does," Rand said softly. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and looked at her. "Anything I tell you could be reported back to the Amyrlin. For all I know now, you could be here to gain my trust and then you'll…I don't know."

"So what? You're not going to trust me after all these years?" she demanded, her voice rising in anger.

Rand stood and kicked the sand. "I trust Kira Jackson. I don't trust Kira Sedai," he finally said, looking at her. "I can't afford to."

"Rand, the Amyrlin agreed with you. No man who can channel will be harmed."

"It's not that," Rand began.

"Then what is it? Why can't you trust Aes Sedai?"

"Things are changing Kira; we're changing. Trust may be something I can't afford anymore."

Kira rose to her feet and began to walk away. "I hope your wrong," she said over her shoulder and continued on her way.

Rand threw his toothpick away and started to walk in the opposite direction when a scream reached his ears. His eyes widened and he spun around, sprinting after Kira. He undid the clasp to his cloak and let it fall to the ground and he grabbed the male half of the One Power.

As he rounded the bend he saw several dozen dark shapes fighting the Aiel. He yanked his sword from its sheath and threw himself into the fray, ducking and weaving past the Trollocs. He did his best to ignore their putrid scent and focused on fighting with his sword and using saidin to kill the Myrddraal.

"So this is the new Dragon," a voice purred.

Rand turned and found himself staring into the eyes of one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long, glossy black hair, light blue eyes, and wore a pale silver dress with a stars and moon chain belt.

"Who are you?" Rand demanded, preparing a shield with saidin.

She smiled seductively at him and glided over towards him. "I'm not going to tell you my name dear heart,' she said. She grinned suddenly. "And that paltry shield you've no doubt prepared will not work on me."

Rand slammed the shield down on her, but she overpowered him. Rand blinked when he suddenly found that it was he who was shielded. "I know who you are now," he said, backing away from her. "You're a Forsaken."

She grinned and mockingly clapped her hands. "Very good dear heart. But I'm not just any Forsaken. I am Lanfear."

"Bloody ashes…" Rand muttered. Before he could run from her he realized he had been frozen in place by flows of Air.

Lanfear smiled at him and opened a gateway. She pushed him through and followed. The gateway closed behind them and Rand looked around as best he could without being able to move. From near as he could tell, they were in some sort of dungeon. Lanfear led him over to a wall and chained him there.

"The Great Lord will see you soon," she said. "And then you're mine," she whispered. She grinned and sashayed out of the room.

Rand pulled on the chains, trying to break loose, but they held fast. A flash of light suddenly surrounded and blinded him. As his vision cleared, he found himself in a large cavern, a throne at one end. On the throne was a figure hidden in shadows, Lanfear next to them.

Two Trollocs latched onto his arms and shoved him forward and down onto his knees. Rand winced as his knees thudded against the stone floor and glared at the figure on the throne in defiance.

"This is the Dragon my Lady," Lanfear said.

"A handsome boy," a cold, cruel voice snorted. "How…nauseating."

"Look in a mirror," Rand shot back.

"Defiant, isn't he?" the figure chuckled.

"Will we be breaking him in then?" Lanfear asked, hope in her voice.

"It depends," the figure said. "But he will see the face of power and decide his fate first." The figure slowly approached Rand, a cloak hiding their face. Two pale gray arms reached up and lowered the dark, blood red hood. Rand lost all feeling in his body, paralyzed at what he saw.

Short, stringy blonde white hair framed the pale gray face of a once beautiful woman. Her silver eyes, once blue, smirked at him. She smiled cruelly down at Rand and grabbed his face with her hand. "Like what you see boy?" she laughed. "You seem to recognize my face." She shoved him away and looked down at him. "And the answer is yes. I am Samantha Carter. I am the Dark One. And soon, this world will fall to me."

"How? How could you become…the Dark One?" Rand slowly asked.

"I lived," she returned. "What is your answer? Will you willingly join me, or will you suffer first?"

Rand's heart fell when he realized she didn't know who he was. "You'd raze the world just to end your pain?" he asked softly.

"I will conquer this world to bring it justice," Sam snarled. "And every other world in this universe. All will belong to me."

Rand closed his eyes, pushing the tears back. He clenched his jaw with resolve and slowly rose to his feet, wincing slightly as the Trollocs tried to push him down. "If you want to rule any world, you'll have to kill me first because I will fight you to my last breath. You aren't Samantha Carter. She cared about life and would've done everything in her power to save it. You're just an arrogant, egotistical bimbo showing off her face. I just thank the Light that Jack O'Neill isn't alive to see this."

As the last sentence left his mouth, Sam's face darkened and she slammed her hand against Rand's face. He winced in pain, feeling his skin blister and burn where she had slapped him. He looked her in the eye, his blue eyes blazing in defiance.

"You just proved my point Dark One," he said.

"Make him suffer," Sam snapped. Two chains from either side of the wall appeared and Rand was shackled to them. He tried to bend his arms, but it proved to be too painful. He turned his head and saw a Myrddraal holding a nasty looking whip, glass shards embedded into the leather.

He looked back at Sam who had sat back down on her throne. "Do unto others, right?" he asked softly.

"Spare me the lectures boy," she growled. "Beat him until he screams," she ordered the Myrddraal.

He nodded and brought the whip crashing down on Rand's back. Rand winced, but did not cry out. The whip came down again and again, reducing the shirt to little more than ribbons.

Rand clenched his jaw, unable to stop the tears of pain from escaping his eyes. The right side of his face began to burn as the tear trailed down his cheek from the burn blisters Sam's hand had caused. He sank to his knees, his back on fire as he felt his skin being ripped cruelly from his back.

"Stop," Sam said. She rose to her feet and walked over to Rand. She knelt down and looked at him. "Impressive boy," she said. "But I know you must be in a great deal of pain. Swear allegiance to me and it will end."

"Is…that the…same deal…the…Goa'uld…in Elaida…offered?" Rand said through clenched teeth.

Sam's face hardened. "You will know endless torment unless you swear fealty to me," she said, pulling on a hand device a Darkfriend had retrieved many years ago.

"How Jack ever fell in love with you is beyond me," Rand said. A Trolloc began pummeling Rand until Sam motioned him away.

Rand lifted his bloodied head and spat at his mother, the small globule of blood landing on her boot. His head then fell forward as he passed out; overwhelmed from the amount of pain he was in.

"Make sure he survives the night, but don't Heal him," Sam ordered Lanfear. The Forsaken gave Sam a curtsy and lifted Rand into the air after the shackles had been opened. She guided him through the foul smelling corridors and into a large, luxurious, sweet smelling room. She placed him on her bed face down, his head resting on the left side of his face.

She carefully peeled back the remains of his blood-soaked shirt and tossed them to the side. She walked around to his head and gently began stroking his burned face. "You will swear allegiance and be mine Dragon," she whispered softly to him.

Dun Dun Duuuuunnnnnn! The first Forsaken has shown themselves! And for those of you who don't know, Lanfear is one of the worst and most powerful of all the Forsaken, surpassed only by Ishamael. I hope I didn't lose anyone with this chapter...

Please be kind, please review (help keep me sane during exam week with reviews I beg you!).