A/N: I did some minor edits for Chapter 16, mostly regarding journey time.

POV Moiraine

Lan and Moiraine reached the ruins of Manetheren inside the expected time, while Moiraine imagined the journey to be more daunting, it wasn't so, the location of the city was chosen for ease of access as much as strategic value. While none of the actual roads paved by those ancient Manethereen survived with the exception of occasional pavestone that showed up here and there, the terrain over which the roads were paved is unchanged. The journey took them through several valleys and around smaller mountains, while the path itself has several chokeholds, even a redundant amount of chokeholds and perhaps there had been military outposts or even forts to hold those chokeholds, because they did find evidence of worked stone in those locations, not enough to conclusively say what exactly had been there but enough to confirm that the area was once occupied by humanity.

The city of Mantheren itself had been located in an expansive valley closed off on three sides with mountains with a narrow opening, perhaps of only hundred feet wide, of which thirty feet were occupied by a swift flowing stream, the stream which will join dozens perhaps hundreds like it to birth River Manetherendrelle. The mouth of the valley itself showed signs of fortification, perhaps there had been a curtain wall spanning that hundred feet once upon a time. The signs of human habitation became more pronounced inside the valley evident by presence of occasional broken, weather and time pitted worked stone found amongst the scraggly stunted trees and growth. Once upon a time, the valley and even the mountains had some of the most fertile soil in the region, capable of supporting the growth of the Great Trees and verdant growth but the devastation unleashed by Manetherens last queen said to have melted the stone and baked the soil itself, effectively making the soil of the valley and some of the Westwood of Emond's Field infertile and hostile to cultivation. The infertility which the soil seemed to be still recovering from.

They decided to start their search from the closed end of the valley, it is strategically most secured point in an already well secured location and the Waygate is probably located near the foot of mountains that sealed in the valley or somewhere on them.


The Waygate was indeed located in the expected region, halfway up a mountain in the middle of the small range closing the western end of the valley, the trek up to its location was a arduous one and took up half the day, Lan and Moiraine decided to camp near the Waygate for the night.

The Waygate itself looked like an enormous pearly white doorway ten feet high and eight feet wide, with the doors seemingly made out of lifelike intricately carved leaves, with a carved trefoil leaf, said to be the exact replica of the leaf of Avendesora, the legendary Tree of Life, acting as a handle, lock and key. Moiraine knew taking out the trefoil leaf will open the Waygate and there will be another just like it on the other side of the door. The Waygate looked exactly like the one she has seen in Tar Valons grove. Moiraine has no intention of even taking a look inside the Waygate, at least not yet.

They decided to take a break for the day even though there are still hours of daylight left, they have work enough to do in the coming days, so once Lan had a stew going on and Moiraine unsaddled the horses and left them with feed bags, Lan got out of his armor and started oiling and polishing his leathers and Moiraine took out her copy of Karaethon Cycle and coded notebook. And both of them relaxed best as they could.

Karaethon Cycle, the Prophecies of the Dragon, a collection of prophecies made before, during and after the War of Power, is perhaps the only literary work to have survived the Age of Legends more or less intact, even with the book itself being something of a taboo, even with many forces repeatedly trying to destroy the work in last three thousand years, nobody could quite manage it, the White Tower itself is one of the reasons why the efforts failed, there are hundreds of copies of the work and just as many commentaries and treatise on it in the Tower library and Moiraine is sure the Tower secured several copies of it in other secret locations. Even without the Tower though, Moiraine is sure it is quite impossible to eradicate the work, at least until the Fourth Age comes or the Shadow wins. Many speculated and researched about the contents of the Karaethon Cycle in last three millennia, but Moiraine thinks most of them missed the point of the prophecies in the first place. True, the prophecies will serve as the signs for the coming of the Dragon Reborn and even a sort of answer and explanation for why things are going to happen as they are, but the primary purpose of the Karaethon Cycle Moiraine thinks is to establish unequivocally that Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, is inevitable and the salvation of mankind will only be possible if Dragon Reborn fights for humanity.

"What is our next course of action, Moiraine? What's the plan?", Lans question startled Moiraine out of her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Moiraine inquired looking at Lans serious face.

"Raolin Darksbane, Yurian Stonebow, Guaire Amalasan, Davian, all men who declared themselves Dragon Reborn, all men who could channel, all False Dragons, yet that last fact did not stop any of them from shaking the foundations of the world, did not stop them from almost Breaking it again, did not stop them from conquering half the continent, from amassing thousands of followers and waging wars that killed hundreds of thousands. Even a False Dragon is enough to send the world spinning in madness and chaos and bloodshed, now you are saying we found the True Dragon Reborn, so what's next?", Lan asked in a rumbling voice, implacable as a landslide.

Moiraine who has been steadily deflating with each word Lan spoke, bowed her head and said plaintively, "I don't know, I have been avoiding thinking about it, for all that I am near certain that Rand is the one, I have been desperately avoiding thinking about ramifications of my search ending", before straightening and her tone regaining usual serenity, continued, "but you are right, we need a plan, at least something better than vague ideas I have been toying with for last few weeks. First things first he will have the White Towers full support behind him, once he has that, its more than half the battle done, the Aes Sedai can get most other nations behind him."

"I don't think its going to be as easy as that Moiraine, even putting the Black Ajah issue to the side, which is a stupid thing to do as you well know, the Tower will still demand proof that he is really the Dragon Reborn, that will at least take Callandor, which means taking Tear, that's one conquest that the Dragon can not avoid, even with Callandor the Tower will take some serious convincing I think, mostly because your Sisters will not want to acknowledge the truth, we can't be sure how they will react, with the exception of Red Ajah of course, they will Gentle him in panic and rage before implications of doing so start to sink in, of that I am sure. And I am sorry to say, you overestimate the respect and trust Aes Sedai have amongst the nations, the Borderlands included. Oh, I am sure the Tower can get whatever it wants in time, but the trust in Aes Sedai is another thing entirely. Aes Sedai are feared everywhere, respected in most places, but trusted, Moiraine, thats nowhere, not even the Borderlands. You are under a mistaken assumption due to how you are treated in Borderlands Moiraine, that reverence, respect and trust you are treated with, thats what you earned Moiraine, how many times did you exhaust yourself channeling and fighting against Trolloc raids and Healing the soldiers in the aftermath, how many lives did you save and much of your blood did you shed in their defense. Not every Aes Sedai is like you are, you know, so not every Aes Sedai gets the same treatment you get. Even if you can get the Tower to stand behind the Dragon Reborn, most nations will only see him as new tool in long line tools that Tower is using to gain control over their kingdoms", Lan replied with utmost surety and sincerity in his voice.

"Blood and Bloody Ashes", Moiraine cursed as blood drained out of her face and truth of Lans words hit her like a sledgehammer.