POV Moiraine

Moiraine did concede that Lan did have a point, this prolonged isolation probably is not good for them, however much Moiraine wanted to keep digging, finding that rusted strongbox has ignited a fire in Moiraines belly, while the exploration of ruins of Mantheren has started as mostly a whim and a way to sell the story, finding even that little bit of ancient Manetheren reignited so many questions Moiraine had from the moment she first learnt the full story of Manetherens demise as an Accepted in the White Tower. Moiraine is hopeful that at least some of those questions will be answered as she continued the excavation effort, but there is no need to rush, it is going to be a venture spanning years and Light willing she will have that time.

Anyway, not an inconsiderable part of Moiraine is eager to return to the Al'Thor farm and not just so that she could have the Dragon Reborn in sight again, but because she did genuinely miss Kari and the old Wisdom. In those few weeks that Moiraine stayed at the farm after Healing Kari, Moiraine struck up a friendship with the two women, while it took much insistence on Moiraines part for Kari to drop the 'Sedai' from the end of Moiraines name, once that did happen, they became fast friends. Kari is only a three years older than Moiraine, her prolonged illness has aged her prematurely, but after the Healing she quickly regained her vigor, and bit by bit they shared things about themselves as their friendship grew.

When Moiraine shared her upbringing in Cairheinen court as minor royalty, truly insignificant in grand scheme of things but still constantly observed with calculating eyes weighing her for her usefulness as a pawn in the court intrigues for the first sixteen years of life, a thing she only shared with Siuan and Lan until now and then her experience in the White Tower for the next six years of her life, then practically running away from the Tower, her home, as soon as she was raised to the Shawl, from those same calculating eyes, this time set in Aes Sedai ageless faces who wanted to make her a queen. A thing Kari railed against, saying any woman should be free to chose her own path, even an Aes Sedai.

That in turn led to Kari sharing things about her life, born to well to do merchants from Caemlyn, who had grander ambitions for their only daughter of their two children, dreams of a trading empire, a son to rule it of course and the daughter to be married in to another merchant family for binding of an alliance. Her meeting Tam in a bookshop owned by her parents in Illian, a man near two decades her senior and a soldier besides, a man with a charming andoran accent she couldn't quite place, manners of a true gentleman and voracious reader besides. Her letting him read rare books he couldn't afford on his soldiers pay in her parents bookshop, discussing those very books with him, and having conversations that lasted hours slowly meandering from the books they so loved to everything and anything. Realizing she fell in love with him without knowing when. Him rejecting her, stating their age difference and his dangerous career as a soldier, her dogged pursuit of him that lasted months, but when she finally wore him down and got him to admit his love for her, her parents rejected the match stating the same reasons he did. When she went ahead and married him anyway they disowned her. While she did not regret her decisions she still missed her family from time to time, a thing she admitted with watering eyes.

It is not like friendships she forged in the White Tower as a naïve Novice or a little wiser Accepted, but one she forged with Kari is just as precious and Moiraine is thankful for the vagaries of the Pattern that brought her to it and cursed that same Pattern because of the fear whether this friendship would survive when the real reason that brought her to the Two Rivers had to come to light. It is only a matter of time and Lights mercy she hoped she would have years of it.


Lan and Moiraines return journey to the farm only took five days, they still maintained a leisurely pace but having travelled once this way, the surety of their path cut down the time required. They made sure to set their pace so that they would arrive at the farm late in the evening, when there is no chance anyone else spying on them and wonder about the strangers in their midst.

Moiraine knocked on the door and in a minute Tam opened the door, seeing Moiraine his eyes barely widened in surprise and he nodded a greeting, opening the door fully, "Moiraine, welcome, come inside", he looked over her shoulder at Lan who had the horses in hand and said, "I will help Lan take care of the horses-"

And was interrupted by a, "Tam, who is it?"

"Its Moiraine and Lan", at that answer, Kari entered room from the kitchen, drying hands on a rag. From behind her a red haired short figure shot towards Moiraine and tackled her legs in a hug, almost unbalancing Moiraine and shrieked out a joyous, "Auntie Mo!"

A thoroughly gobsmacked Moiraine looked down at Rands mop of red hair, then to Kari, then to Tam then down to Rand and up again to Kari, with her mouth opening and closing as a beached fish, looking for words. Kari and Tam seemed to trying hard to hold in their laughter. Moiraine gently patted Rands hair not knowing what to do, which got her a upraised head and a blinding grin with his arms still around her legs, clutching her skirts.

Rand has not so much spoken a full sentence to Moiraine and Lan before, in the weeks they stayed at the farm, mostly clinging to side of either Kari or Tam and why should he, they were strangers after all and Moiraine too purposefully kept her distance from him and did not show any undue interest. So it is an understatement to say Moiraine is surprised with this welcome.

Seemingly taking pity on her, Tam gently took Rand in hand and said, "Lets go help Uncle Lan with the horses, who knows Uncle Lan might let you ride one."

At that Rand brightened more and eagerly went towards Lan, tugging his father forward.

Moiraine finally gaining control of herself, asked Kari, "What was that about?"

Kari smiled, taking her hand and motioning them towards the table, and said after they seated themselves, "He is more observant than we thought. In the last year, I have fallen ill several times and regained strength for a short bursts. Now I know because of you, that those episodes were due to the Cancer weakening me and making me prone to other host of illnesses. So he started to expect me to become ill once again after this burst of strength. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it were. That was why he was so clingy and serious after I recovered. Me staying healthy for this long made him finally believe that this was real and another episode of illness is not coming and he just started bawling in sheer relief, we didn't know it at that time of course, it took hours to finally calm him down and get the story out of him", Kari paused to suppressed a sob and cleared her eyes before continuing, "he is good boy, no mother could ask for a better son. So we told him that the woman and the man he saw around the house sometime ago helped me, healed me. I did not say anything about One Power or Aes Sedai, I assure you. But then he wanted to know everything about you two, we did not say much except for your names. Children his age in Two Rivers usually call most adults Aunties and Uncles, at least for few more years. And he couldn't quite say your name right, Light knows, he tried hard to say it right. Seems he decided to shorten it."

"I see", Moiraine answered faintly before saying, "He is indeed a good son, you are lucky for having him. And by the Grace of the Light he seems to be more intelligent and observant than most children his age".

Kari beamed at the praise, lighting up like thousand lights, every inch of her screaming the proud mother. Moiraine ignored the pang of envy that the look generated, just as she ignored the stirring of motherly love when Rand hugged her and they meandered to kitchen and talked about things, while helping Kari cook dinner for two more mouths than she was prepared to that evening.