POV Moiraine
Moiraine and Lan stayed at al'Thor farm for another three weeks. The Wisdom did as asked and arranged a meeting with her apprentice in three days. After meeting Ella, a pretty girl of dark hair, dark eyes and golden skin, Moiraine managed to get a measure of her Strength in One Power and it was nothing to scoff at, the girl at least has the potential to cross the threshold needed to become Aes Sedai. While well below Moiraine even before she achieved her full potential Ella has strength enough to learn the Healing Weave, unless of course she has an exceptionally bad aptitude for the Weave, as sometimes is the case. After all having required strength is only the first step of learning and using a Weave. There is affinity of ones elements, efficiency of ones weaving and aptitude for the individual weave itself that plays a significant role.
Moiraine drilled the dangers and introductory theory of One Power into both the Wisdom and her apprentices heads for full two weeks before she even taught them the technique of embracing the Source. Divesting one self of emotion and thought by accepting them and acknowledging them as useless distractions they are and imagining oneself as a flower bud that's slowly opening, once appropriate state of clam is achieved, one can feel the flow of Saidar like a placidly flowing river. As one submerges oneself into that flow, the dangerous undercurrent of the Saidar becomes known. That is the point when one surrenders to flow instead of panicking and flailing and gain the ability to guide the flow, instead of being overwhelmed by it, being overwhelmed results either in shattering the calm and failing to channel or a surge of One Power rushes through the channeler killing them or burning them out or worse killing the channeler and destroying everything around them, the range of destruction depending on how much of One Power they channeled.
It was Ella who first managed to embrace the Source on her own instead of the Wisdom, on the very second day of Moiraine started teaching even, but the Wisdom managed to do it two more days later. Moiraine was pleasantly surprised that the Wisdom is one of those very rare Wilders who never developed a block, perhaps her weakness in One Power is the cause for it, since the Wisdom could channel less than a bare trickle, that too for a few minutes a day at most, her subconscious might have deemed a block unnecessary to protect herself from the dangers of uncontrolled channeling. But Moiraine kept that theory to herself, since there is no good way to share it with the Wisdom without sounding incredibly condescending.
Once they managed that feat, Moiraine once again reiterated the dangers of channeling, while Moiraine is not sure how well the lecture has sunk into Ellas skull, the Wisdom certainly seemed to take it seriously and promised Moiraine that she will keep the girl close, so that Ella only practices Embracing the Source and does not do any experimentation.
The night before Lan and Moiraine are to leave for their exploration of ruins of Manetheren, Tam and Kari insisted on throwing a feast, a small feast with seven people and only five different dishes, but a feast nonetheless, prepared by both Kari and Mistress Barran, one with more warmth, laughter and love than any other feasts she attended in any royal court and Mistress Barran was an excellent cook, a compliment that Moiraine paid with her whole heart and got quipped in return with "glad that my more than two hundred years of culinary experience has produced a meal to meet your standards Aes Sedai" , even though the tone was her customary waspish, the old Wisdoms eyes were soft and there was a small well pleased smile on her lips. The secret of her age being known, at least to those of this small group of people has seemed to somewhat unburden the old Wisdom. Once Kari put Rand to bed, the adults all gathered around the fireplace and Tam placed a small already tapped keg of beer in the center and passed around mugs, saying that he would have opened a keg of apple brandy instead, but since Moiraine insisted that she and Lan have to leave early in the morning he settled on beer.
Before they started on the beer though Moiraine insisted that she perform one last Delving on everyone present to do a final check and as a demonstration for both the Wisdom and Ella, while there was a flash of momentary discomfort on Tams face, he mastered himself and volunteered himself to be the first. Tam had a minor discomfort in his shoulder due to a stressed tendon, as she explained this to him and offered to heal it, he agreed. Kari is a picture of perfect health, even after a deep Delve Moiraine could not find any trace of Cancer, when Moiraine shared that information, she got a bone crushing hug from Kari. Lan and Ella are perfect pictures of health as Warders and young people often are. The Wisdom though was in the very beginning stages of Arthritis, an illness that as far as Moiraine knows has never affected an Aes Sedai, channelers are more often than not immune to most illnesses, only natural cause that a channeler seem to succumb to seems to be old age, but then again Aes Sedai older than the Wisdom could be counted on two hands with fingers left over. Once Moiraine shared the diagnosis the Wisdom asked to be Healed instead of needing to be browbeaten into it, an indicator of her warming up to Moiraine. Moiraine in turn suggested the Wisdom to embrace the Source, a suggestion she followed without argument, even with the Wisdoms limited strength in Saidar, embracing the Source will alleviate most of stress that Healing placed on both Moiraine and the Wisdoms own body.
Once the impromptu Healing session is done with, the evening and some of the night was spent merrily, with plenty of laughter, joy and warmth.
The next morning saw Lan and Moiraine set off towards Mountains of Mist at the false dawn, an hour that is too early for even the hard working farm folk of Two Rivers, only Tam and Mistress Barran were awake to send them off, the first because even though the man has not been a soldier for years, Tam still had mastered the ability to sleep and wake at command, as all good soldiers do and the other because, in her own words the Wisdom has left little enough time in the world as it is, she can sleep when she is dead. On that cheerful note Lan and Moiraines expedition began.
Once they were well into the forest at the foot of Mountains of Mist, Moiraine changed out of her riding dress to the stealth suit and Lan donned his color changing cloak, Moiraine because stealth suit will be more comfortable and appropriate for their journey ahead, Lan probably because he missed his cloak, that was mostly conjecture, because it was hard to guess what goes on in Lans head even though she could quite literally feel everything he is feeling. If they really wanted to make this trip as stealthy as the one they made to get to Two Rivers, they should probably have left their horses behind and made this journey on foot, but Moiraine is hopeful that they will have need of them on return journey.
Well into an hour after their change of clothes, Lan asked a question, "So you are sure the boy is the one you are looking for?"
Moiraine answered, "Yes, I am mostly sure. I am sure you saw it too, the boy has traditional Aiel features, skin not dark enough for Two Rivers descent, that dark reddish hair and blue gray eyes, while on the first look it may seem like he inherited those features from Kari and the baby fat hides it well, his facial structure reveal the truth, face is too angular, the nose, mouth, cheekbones, the jaw or the brows match neither Kari or Tam, its common enough not to have everything from mother or father, but not to have even one feature in common. Thats the traditional Aiel look alright, oddly enough the traditional Andoran Royalty look too, even the ideal one. We should probably look into that. Anyway, yes, I think he is the one."
"Then why are we trekking through yet another forest in six months, with arduous climbing of some of the tallest mountains in the known world ahead of us? I would think we would be stuck to boys side like burr for the next twenty years if not longer?", Lan asked, this time a smidgen of exasperation leaking through his words.
"That was my first instinct too", Moiraine admitted, before continuing, "And the second one was to just take the boy or more realistically the whole family to Tar Valon or my estates in Cairhein. I could have done it too. Exaggerate Karis illness, imply that she would need constant care that is impossible to provide here, rouse their fears, make them feel terrified and confused, then offer them my help, become their savior and I could have led them by the nose. You know, basic Aes Sedai tactics. I did not do it because of three reasons, one I can't show undue interest in the boy, it would have raised their guard up when I desperately need their trust and I can't stick around Emond's Field for long either, I already committed to the story that my interest for being here is Manetheren, implied it was the ruins, even if I used some clever wordplay and convinced them that I had said I have interest in the descendants of Manetheren too, they would realize I employed Aes Sedai half truths and start scrutinizing my every word and that too would be detriment to my goal of gaining their trust. The second reason, I hate those Aes Sedai manipulations, when I was learning those as a child in Cairheinan court all those half truths, political maneuvers and emotional manipulations, they all seemed like a fun game. As I grew though they started to repulse me. I would use them, when they are the only way to get what I want or when they are the only way to deal with people, people like nobles, other Aes Sedai. But Tam, Kari even the Wisdom, they are good honest down to the earth folk, Lan. The kind of people who are easy to like or even love. Even the handful of half truths I told them made me feel ashamed of myself. And the third and strongest reason, he is safest where he is, in the back end of nowhere, shielded by obscurity and protected by anonymity. Even the White Tower itself is infected by darkfriends, what surety of safety anywhere else. And the prophecy itself says that he will be raised by Old Blood, it doesn't mean that he is just raised by parents with Old Blood you know, the nuance gets lost in translation, but it more truly reads as being raised by an Old Blood community. So I have faith, that the Pattern itself will protect him until the time is right. My task will be to provide him with the tools he will need, the right knowledge, the occasional guidance and if I can manage it, the right sort of allies and do my best to prepare him and the world for what is coming."
"Hmmm, very well Moiraine, if that's what you deem what is necessary and right then that's what we will do", Lan sighed, then continued, " But you still haven't answered my original question, why are we trekking through a forest? Again!?"
Moiraine shrugged and said, "Because, if there ever comes a time when I am compelled to answer the question of what exactly I did during my time in Two Rivers, I can truthfully say I explored the ruins of Manetheren, without using any half truths and misdirection's. And mostly because I really do want to explore the ruins of Manetheren, it has been something of a idle fancy of mine, to explore an ancient city, to find treasure, you know, to have an adventure!", Moiraine finished cheerily.
In reply Lan drawled out in a dull tone, "Moiraine Sedai, the last four years of our lives have been adventurous enough. Most would say more than enough."
"Come on, Lan, live a little, this is different from the usual, you know it is!", Moiraine admonished in an upbeat tone.
All she got in reply was a drawn out sigh and squaring of shoulders.
