Nightmares

Disclaimer: Het is geen mijn. Dutch this time! Yay!

A/N: Yay! It has suddenly occurred to me that I use the word yay far too much…Oh well. Yay! So next chappie, and my sister, fellow Lan/Nyn addict and Wheel of Time reader, having nothing better to do with her free time, proofread this one for me. And felt the need to criticize me while I typed. Oh, and on the subject of typing, this chapter will probably be a little shorter than most of them, as I have burst a blood vessel in my finger and can't type properly. Ouch.

And to neela: don't worry, I know it seems that way, but all shall be revealed…..

Nynaeve:

Nynaeve stretched languidly as she laid down her book, and pulled the bed covers over herself. It had been a long day, and she was tired, but she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts wandered over to Lamos. Her mouth twitched into a small smile. Sheraim really hadn't known what she had gotten herself into when she arranged it so that Lamos would supervise every one of her punishments.

Lamos was one of them. Trained by the same people, working for the same people. As simple as that. Light, I couldn't cook a decent meal if my life depended on it, Nynaeve thought, wryly. It wasn't like people hadn't tried to teach her. Countless Ladies, Baronesses, Countesses, and even normal servants had carted her off to the kitchens to try to teach her, but after she set fire to it for the fifth time, they had given up.

The thought almost made her laugh. Organising? Not a chance. Laundry? Nope. Chanwichk, one of her teachers, had once told her that she was a scholar, and would never be anything else. "Especially a cook," he had added, teasingly, as she looked forlornly at the charred remains of what was supposed to be a vegetable tart.

xxx

The next morning, Nynaeve rose early and dressed quickly. She wanted to get to the library before her first class. Presently, she noticed a slip of paper under her door. She moved over to it, and recognised it as a letter. Someone had obviously delivered it, and it had been left there for her.

She stooped to pick it up, and quickly opened it. There was no paper inside, but only a single pressed rose. The rose was not red, or yellow, but the darkest of blacks. Nynaeve looked at it in terror, recognising what it meant immediately. Her vision clouded, and her hearing became muffled. She swayed slightly, dizzy and afraid. Then, with a small cry, she collapsed.

Moiraine:

Verin Sedai (having taken a notice in Nynaeve early on, secretly hoping that the girl would eventually choose the Brown Ajah) hurried up to Moiraine that afternoon.

"Moiraine, have you seen Nynaeve? She didn't turn up for any of her morning lessons, and I have no idea where she is. I wanted to talk to her about a book she was reading." Moiraine frowned.

"No, I haven't. I wanted to talk to her as well, so why don't I come with you to her room. She may be there." Verin nodded, and the two women set off, Lan close behind.

They eventually arrived at the door to Nynaeve's room, and Moiraine knocked loudly. There was no response. She knocked again. Still no response.

"Nynaeve? Nynaeve, open this door right now!" Nothing.

"Nynaeve, I'm coming in!" Dead silence. Moiraine scowled irritably, and pushed the door open. The second Lan saw what was inside, he had crossed the room in a matter of seconds.

Nynaeve lay unconscious on the ground; a black rose lying next to her limp form. She had obviously been there for a while, as her hair was as yet unbraided, and Moraine knew that she braided her hair first thing in the morning.

Lan was at her side, gently pulling her upright. Moiraine quickly knelt down next to the insentient girl and raised her hands to her head. A faint glow that only Verin could see surrounded her, and than disappeared. Nynaeve began to stir.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked in confusion, then, obviously realising where she was she sat bolt upright, removing herself sharply from Lan's grasp, and away from Moiraine.

"What under the Light?…" She trailed off.

"We came in only to find you on the floor, unconscious." Moiraine put in.

"Oh. I…It was probably fatigue. Or maybe I just didn't eat enough last night." Nynaeve lied smoothly.

"What's this?" Verin enquired, picking up the rose. Nynaeve's eyes widened.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. I just found it outside and thought it was pretty. That's all."

Miles away, the man who previously had been morose and despondent was howling with maniac laughter. He had sent the rose, and she had found it. Yes, soon she would be his again!

The antagonist returns! Sorry this is so short, but like I said, I can't type much. So review and maybe it'll get better! Cue hopeful smile.