Time: NE(New Era) 783
POV Moirain
'Tam al'Thor' , an interesting name, Moiraine is sure 'Tam' is shortened form of the mans first name and 'al'Thor', a surname with deeply rooted origins in the Old Tongue, translating literally to either "son of Thor" or "of the Thor", originated from a Old Tongue naming convention popular during the time of Ten Nations and has fallen out of use after they were destroyed during and in the aftermath of Trolloc Wars near two thousand years ago. Even the name screams Old Blood to me, am I making connections that aren't there or has the Pattern decided to be merciful?
Either way, how to approach the man? Do I even need to? If the Man really earned his Blademasters title and earned it outside Two Rivers...
"Lan, do you think its possible to engineer a meeting with this man on road to Two Rivers?", Moiraine asked.
"Of course, he has a room at an inn in Baerlon, he will stay the night and probably start up early tomorrow, by his sheer desperation to save his wife and the look of his horse, he will probably cover thirty to thirty five miles of the road by tomorrows nightfall. If we can find a good camp ground in that stretch of the road and make our camp there, it is entirely possible he will ask to join us by the fireside. Why, do you think he can identify an Aes Sedai by sight and will ask for your help?", Lan replied.
"If he is really a Blademaster, then yes. There are more Aes Sedai than Blademasters in the continent, you should know, you lot are a rare breed and usually lead interesting lives. The White Tower itself keeps a list of anyone who is awarded the title. I had Siuan check the list as soon as you said the name, his name isn't on the roll, not saying your assessment is false, sometimes some slip through the cracks and the White Towers information network is not as all knowing as we pretend it to be. Let us wait and see what the Pattern has in store for us", so saying Moiraine and Lan started to plan the minutiae of tomorrows planned meeting.
Lan found a suitable campsite by the road side at the estimated location where Tam al'Thor would stop at after a day of hard riding and Moiraine selected an appropriate attire for the anticipated meeting, Lan and Moiraine checked for any carrion eaters near the chosen place and Lan killed two ravens with a horse bow he made during their trek through the Bream Woods. Moiraine scrubbed herself clean of any dirt and smell from their travels and after months of dressing in sturdily made yet intentionally poor looking clothes, Moiraine looked into her travel wardrobe and chose finely made deep blue woolen dress cut in Cairheinan style, with only a bit of embroidery done in silver thread and divided skirts for the ease of riding. And Moiraine finally wore her Great Serpent ring after three months of going without it on her forefinger of right hand, yet chose turn the head of the ring inward and donned her least ornate traditional Cairheinan Kesiera, a head ornament of blue crystal pendent hung on a silver chain.
Lan too cleaned himself up and they made a tidy camp and waited. For a normal layman they would look like a pair of well to do travelers, perhaps a wealthy merchant and her guard. For a man who thinks he knows about Aes Sedai and knows enough about them to identify the Great Serpent ring and Ageless look, he would think them an Aes Sedai and her Warder, who put the bare minimum of the work to not look like exactly what they are, a type of man Moiraine hoping Tam al'Thor is.
As the sun touched the horizon going down for the day, Lan roasted a rabbit he brought down and Moiraine took out her copy of the Karaethon Cycle and her coded notebook containing her thoughts and research, they carefully painted a picture of normality. And just as Moiraine hoped they heard the clip-clop of a single horse covering ground at a steady pace, which slowed as the rider and the horse came within the sight of their camp.
The rider still astride his horse, called out in a surprisingly deep yet soothing voice, "Ho, strangers, is a road weary traveler welcome at your camp?"
Just as they discussed, Lan, who kept the rider within his sight as soon as he came into their view and a hand on hilt of his sword, looked towards Moiraine with a tilt of his head still keeping the rider in his sight, Moiraine replied with shallow nod of her head, taking the planned permission, Lan called out in turn, "Of course, traveler, you may join at our fireside even partake in the rabbit if you have a drink to share."
The rider dismounted and drew near, he is a thick chested, broad shouldered man with black hair going grey and square face lined with both laughlines and crows feet, which could be best described as kind and handsome , "The Lights blessings on you, strangers. My thanks for the generosity, I have apple brandy to share, my own make. I am named Tam al'Thor"
So saying Tam went to picket his horse a shaggy brown mare beside Lan and Moiraines piebald geldings.
Moiraine replied to the unspoken question lingering in the silence with just a bit of added imperviousness in Cairheinan clipped tones, "You may call me Mistress Alys and him Master Andra."
Tam froze for a bare instant when Moiraine spoke, before continuing his work, unsaddled his mare and came to the fireside with the saddle, saddle bags still tied to it .
After tying his sheathed sword to the saddle, Tam sat on his saddle opposite both Moiraine and Lan, making a triangle with their seating arrangement and proffered a wineskin, presumably with the aforementioned apple brandy in it towards Lan and looked keenly at Moiraine before carefully saying aloud, "What are an Aes Sedai and her Warder doing in these parts of the world?"
A man who prefers blunt honest and courageous too, Moiraine inwardly pleased, fractionally widened her eyes as though surprised, before sighing and looked at his tied up sword pointedly as asked haughtily, "What is a Blademaster doing in these parts of the World?"
"I live here", Tam stated plainly and said, "You haven't answered my question Aes Sedai."
"A wise man does not demand answers from Aes Sedai, Blademaster", Lan warned with a edge in his tone, while finally taking offered wineskin from Tams hand.
"That is not a title I claim, Warder, or is it Master Andra. I am a Sheepherder and a Farmer, nothing more", Tam replied, "And that still does not answer my question."
"Very well, Master Al'Thor, a Sheepherder you are. My business is my own and I would prefer it to be private. If that is not something you can abide, you are free leave our camp. I only ask that if you ever need to speak of us, speak of us only as Mistress Alys and Master Andra", Moiraine said as though she is done with the discussion and seemingly returned to her book, intent upon whatever is written in it. While truly every bit of her enhanced senses are trained on Tam.
Moiraine can feel the man restraining himself from speaking, after a timeless movement of struggle, he sighed and chose not to speak anything and turned to Lan. Somehow they communicated without any words and decided on night watch rotation. The dinner and the night passed in that strained silence.
Come morning Moiraine found Tam al'Thor having already saddled his horse and visibly hesitant, fiddling with his saddle straps. Seemingly coming to a decision, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and marched towards Moiraine like a man going to a battle he was sure he would lose.
After coming with in two paces of Moiraine he stopped and bowed at the waist, deeply and said in a voice choked with emotion, " Aes Sedai, forgive me if I offended you last night. My wife is sick, Aes Sedai, please Heal her, Aes Sedai. I will give everything in my power if you do Aes Sedai."
"Oh, straighten up, man", Moiraine snapped as though exasperated, "I will do what I can, where is your wife."
Tam straightened and said, "At home, in Emonds Field. Will you truly help, Aes Sedai."
"Emonds Field", Moiraine mused and looked to Lan, before turning to Tam, making sure Tam noticed the interaction, "I know the Healing Weave, but not every illness can be cured with it unlike what is said in the stories. Even illnesses that could be cured take strength out of the patient, if they are not strong enough Healing itself could kill them. I would need to Delve your wife before I can say how much I can help."
"Thank you, Aes Sedai.."
Before Tam can continue professing his gratitude, Moiraine lifted a hand to signal stop and said authoritatively, "My name is Moiraine, his is Lan, do not refer to me Aes Sedai again, especially in front of others. If I can cure your wife, I will. I am in this region in search of remnants of Manetheren, whose Capital City used to exist in this stretch of Mountains of Mist inside Two Rivers region before Trolloc Wars. I have my reasons, very good reasons, for why I need my presence here to remain a secret. That secrecy is my price for trying to heal your wife. You tell us where exactly in Emonds Field your home is and we will find our own way there. If I can Heal your wife, then I will, I need nothing else from you, except your silence and your wifes silence on the matter of us being Aes Sedai and Warder and our presence in the region. Do you understand and agree to these conditions?"
"Yes, I agree to your conditions, I swear it by the Light", Tam replied with conviction and he told the way to his farm in the Westwood, to the northwest and four hours away from Emond's Field.
