Spark to a Flame
Chapter 2 of "Moonlit Walks"
By Chani
Disclaimer: All this belongs to Robert Jordan, of course…I'm just borrowing it.
I am, however, taking some liberties with Lan's favorite foods here since the only thing we know for certain he likes is coin peppers. I did some investigating to find out the various foods each culture eats, then came up with a few ideas. If you want to see a page that details each culture's foods (what we know from the books, at least), you can visit http/www.wheeloftime.se/rotv/library.php?article21. It's a very cool site. ;-)
A/N: Yes, I know Nynaeve is using some foul language in this one, but the quote from the book implies she curses quite a bit when she's cooking. See Chapter 1 of this story for the quote. ;-)
"Blood and bloody ashes!" Nynaeve growled, shoving her burned finger in her mouth. For good measure, she kicked the wall behind her, not really caring who saw it. Wrapping some cloth around her hands, she lifted the pan in front of her and set it aside so it would cool. At least she finished one dish, even if it was dessert. Of course, the pie was probably the easiest thing she was making tonight. Now if she could just finish dinner without burning herself again.
"I'd like to know what goat kisser invented this flaming meal," she muttered to herself as she hurried around the kitchen, glaring at anyone who didn't immediately move out of her way. Thankfully, the kitchen seemed less crowded than it had been when she started. She heard a couple of the cooks and kitchen hands complaining about being unable to take it any more. Take what? The heat? What did they expect? All kitchens stayed hot.
She paused to stir the pot of soup, but the boiling liquid splashed up on her hand. Squealing from the sting, she let out a string of curses she would deny ever having known. All this pain and aggravation just so Lan could have his favorite meal, with his favorite dessert. It's worth it, though, she told herself. Two nights earlier, she and Lan had declared a truce of sorts, and had begun taking nightly walks together. Long walks, with short stops, and sometimes not so short, along the way. They laughed, talked, and shared stories until they were ready to fall asleep where they stood. He was being so perfect, so sweet, that she insisted on doing something special for him—making his dinner with her own two hands.
Her thoughts drifted to the night before, when they had parted. He seemed hesitant, which was not something anyone was used to seeing from Lan Mandragoran. She knew what had caused it, though. She felt it. Regardless, it surprised her. He hadn't wanted to end their night any more than she had, and when he reached out to briefly…tenderly…touch her cheek, even he seemed surprised. It was as though she was awakening something in him, something that had died long ago. Or maybe he had just kept it locked away for none to see, she wasn't sure. All she did know was that she wanted to see more of it. She wanted to see him smile…to hear him laugh. To see those emotionless icy blue eyes fill with warmth.
Forcing herself from her reverie, she set herself to cutting vegetables; at least she could not burn herself doing that. "Bloody man couldn't just eat stew like everyone else. No, he has to eat this food that took me all day to find and even longer to cook!" She slammed the knife into the dark red pepper, wincing when the juice of it seeped onto her burns. Light, the thing even smelled hot! "Son of a—" She cut off abruptly when her eyes locked on the pot of soup, which had begun to boil over. She hurried to it, the knife still in her hand, and yanked it off the fire.
Somehow—she was not sure how exactly—she managed to set the pot down without splashing more of the boiling liquid on her, but the knife slipped and she wound up slicing her left hand with it, right between her thumb and forefinger. She gasped and the knife bounced onto the floor as another curse formed on her lips, though Lan's voice stopped her before she ever started. "Nynaeve!"
She turned to face him, covering her wound with her other hand. She could not help wincing when he tried to move her burned hand out of the way so he could see the cut on her other hand. How long had he been there? "What have you done to yourself? Come on, we'll find Moiraine so she can Heal you and—"
"No!" She forced her irritation down. Did the man not realize how she felt about Moiraine? She'd as soon bleed to death as let that woman Heal her! "It's just a cut and a couple of burns." When she looked down at her hand, she nearly grimaced. There was blood everywhere…there was no way he'd ever buy that it was just a minor flesh wound.
Sighing, he grabbed one of the dish cloths and wrapped it around her hand. "You need to have this Healed, Nynaeve. It's—"
"I have some healall ointment," she interrupted. She moved to get it, but he just lifted her and gently set her on a stool.
"Stay there." He grabbed the ointment off the counter—how had he known where it was?—and started fussing over her as if she were dying instead of having a lousy cut. After he squirted an obscene amount of ointment on the cut, he ripped a clean cloth and used a section of it to tie around her hand so it was covered.
Figuring he was done, she started to hop down from the stool, only to have him hold her there and give her an exasperated look. He was beginning to annoy her. Badly. "Lan, I have to—"
"Just wait," he told her calmly, proceeding to put ointment on every single red spot he saw. Unable to stop herself, she impatiently huffed and rolled her eyes. He merely ignored her and continued to do as he saw fit. "I still wish you'd let me get an Aes Sedai to Heal you." For once, he had enough sense not to mention Moiraine.
She jumped off the stool, hurrying across the kitchen before he could stop her. "The ointment works well, and it will keep me from scarring. Besides, the beef should be done."
He held a hand up to stop her. "Let me get it." There was no arguing with the man, so she went back to the vegetables when he went to remove the beef from the fire. Her irritation was forgotten when she saw him smile at the strange encrusted beef dish. The thought of what was inside—goat liver paste—was enough to make her retch, but it seemed to make him happy so that was good enough for her. "My favorite."
"I told you I was making dinner for you." Why did he think she had been so insistent on him describing his favorite dishes? For her health? Shaking her head, she went back to slicing the peppers.
"I didn't realize you were going to all this trouble, though."
Her cheeks suddenly felt very hot. "It's not any trouble."
He made a noise that sounded dangerously close to a chuckle, though she didn't turn to verify it. "You seemed rather…irritated…before you cut yourself."
That was enough to make her stop what she was doing. Turning toward him, she felt her eyes narrowing. She was really more embarrassed than angry, not that she'd admit it to him. "How long were you standing there?"
"Long enough." This time he didn't bother hiding his chuckle. "If Rand heard even half of what you said…" Again, he laughed. "He told me you used to warm his bottom for a lot less."
Her hand was around her braid in an instant so she could give it a good tug. It didn't even occur to her that she now had the juice from the peppers in her hair. "Don't you dare tell him, Lan Mandragoran! I would never have a moment's peace again!"
"Your secret is safe with me."
With a loud harrumph, she turned back to what she was doing. There was still much to do, and she had to figure out how to package the food so they could eat on the battlements rather than inside. At first, she tried to shoo him from the kitchen, but he all but refused to leave. His determination to keep her company while she finished preparing their meal brought a smile to her face, one that quickly disappeared when he tried to insist on helping her. She snapped at him then, informing him that he wasn't to lift a finger. She had promised to make a meal for him, not to help him make a meal for himself, so she would do it alone. And that was that. Oddly, he seemed vaguely amused by her declaration.
Amused or not, he took a seat out of the way and watched her finish their meal, sometimes filling the comfortable silence with tales of his life. He seemed reluctant to discuss his fight against the Shadow, but he was more than willing to share what few fond memories he had of growing up in Fal Moran. She could have listened to him talk all night. Every night.
When she finally finished making everything, they packed it all up and headed for a nice, private spot under a large oak tree that they had found on their walks. It didn't take long to spread a blanket on the ground and set the food out. Not wanting to let the food get cold, they started eating right away. After spending half the day in the kitchen, Nynaeve was more than a little hungry.
"Did I do it right?" she asked when he had taken a bite of the crusted beef. It tasted fine to her—surprisingly—but she was not sure how it was supposed to taste. For that matter, she had never had any of the dishes she prepared, with the exception of the vegetables, which she had cut into bite-sized pieces. The cool sauce for dipping was a bit strange tasting, though. Tangy and sweet at the same time.
"It's wonderful, Nynaeve." His voice was as soft as a caress, as was his gaze. Basking in sunlight could not have made her feel warmer. And, given the way he was eating, he must have liked it. Either that or he was starving to death.
Still, the food was filling so it did not take long before both of them were pushing their plates away. "I think I ate too much," she muttered, fighting a frown at the tight feeling in the pit of her stomach.
He laughed at her expression and got up, holding his hand out to her. "Perhaps a walk will settle our stomachs." His statement made her scowl deepen. Had he eaten too much as well? Why else would his stomach be unsettled?
Shrugging, she placed her hand in his and let him pull her up. She expected him to offer his arm to her once she was on her feet, but instead, he kept a firm hold on her hand. She was not about to complain.
After walking a short distance, he stopped to give her a concerned look, then held up her hand. "Does your cut hurt? I should not—"
"It doesn't hurt, Lan. Really." For all she cared, her hand could have been skinned completely; there was no way she would let him use a tiny cut as an excuse to stop holding her hand! He looked like he needed more convincing, however, so she held her other hand up for him to inspect. "See? The burns are almost completely gone. By tomorrow, you won't even be able to tell I had burns or a cut."
He took the hand she held up, and kissed the back of it tenderly, his eyes locking on hers. It seemed to her he had something to say, though he was obviously struggling with it. For several moments, he simply looked into her eyes, holding both of her hands in his.
She squeezed his hands softly, and gave him a worried look. "What's wrong, Lan?"
The conflict left his expression, giving way to warmth. "Nothing," he answered, pulling her into his arms. "Nothing at all."
Acting on instinct, she snuggled closer to him, her arms encircling his waist. Her head dropped to his chest and she closed her eyes with a small sigh. Being in his arms felt like a dream—a dream from which she did not want to wake. It was like going home after a long absence. Peaceful, calming. But at the same time, heady.
They stayed that way for quite a while, silently holding each other while Lan gently stroked her hair, until Lan finally broke the silence. "Thank you for dinner," he whispered, shifting slightly. She could have sworn he kissed the top of her head!
"You're welcome." If this was the reaction he had to her cooking dinner, she would make a habit of it.
His arms tightened around her for a moment, then he put his hands on her waist—they were so large, they covered her ribcage as well!—and pushed her away. "If we plan on walking any more tonight, we should probably go have some of that pie you made and pack everything up."
Hand in hand, they returned to the blanket and shared a slice of the blueberry pie. Shoulders and knees almost touching, they sat by the bole of the huge oak, partly facing each other. Something about being this close to him made her feel self-conscious, or maybe it was the way he was eyeing her. It reminded her, vaguely, of the way a wolf eyed its prey.
Lan set the empty plate aside and leaned back against the tree, stretching his long muscular legs out in front of him. She shifted to face him, only to find herself leaning against him, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. Without even thinking about it, she covered his hands with her own then mindlessly began running the tips of her fingers up and down his arm. She had no desire to move, and apparently he didn't either because there was no more mention of a walk, and by the time they found themselves standing in front of her door, it was nearly dawn.
"You look exhausted, Nynaeve."
She shook her head, fully intent on telling him he didn't know what he was talking about only to find herself stifling a yawn. The man actually had the gall to laugh at her! Before she could yell at him about it, however, he pulled her into another embrace.
"Thank you for making me dinner," he told her, stroking her back lightly. "I truly do appreciate it."
She said nothing at first, deciding to just enjoy being in his arms. "Lan?" Her voice was partially muffled by his chest, but she knew he heard her. "What's your second favorite meal?"
He laughed loudly, a deep rumbling sound that started low in his chest and worked its way up, then reached behind her to open her door. Loosening his hold on her, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Good night, Nynaeve."
She wanted to point out that she really wanted an answer, but he gently pushed her inside and started to pull the door closed. She grabbed it at the last second, sticking her head around it to look at him. "Tomorrow?" She did not mean to squeak. "I mean—"
"I will come get your for our walk." He looked at her as if he were considering something. "Unless you'd like to have dinner with me."
"Yes," she said, nodding a bit too vehemently. She blushed furiously. "I would like that."
"I'll be by before dinner, then." With an amused smile and a slight bow, he disappeared down the hallway.
Thanks again to Neela for being my beta! She does such an awesome job!
