POV Moiraine
Lan and Moiraine took a day of rest after they returned to the Al'Thor farm, most of which was spent in keeping Kari and Rand company as Tam went to Emond's Field proper to notify the Wisdom about Moiraines return and make discreet enquires of the village blacksmith, one Haral Luhan, whether the blacksmith has any experience in working gold at Moiraines behest, a thing which took Tam most of the day and he only returned when it was well into the evening.
The next early morning saw Lan and Moiraine behind the barn, well out of sight of both the al'Thors and anyone else, as they trained together. Moiraine has come to relish the training, even though Lan still planted her a dozen times on the ground each session and she hasn't yet managed to even nick him with the blunted knives she trained with, the sheer physical exertion, which left her sweat soaked and mildly bruised was exhilarating and intoxicating, not as much as embracing Saidar of course, nothing could compare to the feel of One Power rushing through her, nothing. But the exercise was good, it was almost meditative actually, to exist in the moment instead of worrying at the future or retreading the past, while actual meditation would serve the same purpose, Moiraine just wanted to make full use of her bond granted enhanced capabilities, wanted to revel in them.
Just as they were about to end the session, a decision they needed no verbal communication to reach together, Rand barreled around the corner of the barn towards them and Kari followed on his heels, Moiraine was too engrossed in training to register the sound of footsteps she heard, but Lan surely would have noticed and in a blink of an eye she found herself disarmed and Lans hand at her throat, his fingers idly tapping her jugular, the message was clear, You are dead, I win, again.
Moiraine made a vexed sound in her throat as Lan stepped out of her range and gave a shallow bow, which she returned and Moiraine turned towards Rand and Kari, both with their eyes blown wide and mouths hanging open, but with very different emotions conveyed with those identical expressions, Rand was gleeful and obviously interested, very interested and Kari, astonished, confused and scandalized, no doubt Moiraines garb probably played a significant role in invoking that last emotion. Moiraine donned her stealth suit for practice, but adhered a patch of green with blue embroidered geometric designs to it and the Ter'angreal made cloth mimicked the patch.
"Kari, Rand, a good morning to you", Moiraine said levelly.
"Were you fighting!? Why do you have knives!? Uncle Lan was like, there", Rand made a gesture, pointing to a place some six feet from Moiraine and continued in in an excited voice, "and then, whoosh! He was just there," now pointing to Moiraine, fairly vibrating with awe, " Can you teach me, Uncle Lan, please, please..."
Kari, seemingly gaining control of herself, firmly placed a hand on Rand and said , "No, those are for grown ups and you are not a grown up. You promised your father to help with the sheep today and you are going to do just that, immediately"
"But Mama!..", Rand turned his blue gray eyes to Kari pleadingly, but Kari did not budge, the adorable sight seemingly having no effect on her.
"Rand al'Thor, will you break your promise?", Kari demanded sternly.
The boy hung his head and said sulkily, "No, mama".
Kari smiled and bent down to kiss Rands forehead and said, "Thats my boy, run along now."
Brightening at Karis words, Rand threw one last look at Moiraine and Lan before bolting around the corner of the barn, presumably towards Tam.
As Kari turned towards her, Moiraine said to Lan, "I want a bath."
Lan nodded his head saying with a wry look on his face, "I will draw you one then", and casually walked away the same way Rand did.
Moiraine turned to Kari and calmly looked at the other woman waiting for Kari to speak.
Kari worked her jaws, opening her mouth several times, finally settling on just, "Why?"
Moiraine answered in a serene voice as she walked towards Kari and kept walking, forcing Kari to keep up with her, "As you know, there are limits to what One Power can do, a limit to how much and how long I can channel. Sooner or later Lan and I will return to the Blight", Kari gasped at the word, blood drained out of her face and she almost stumbled, "and I thought, why not, could be a good skill to have."
Kari still pale faced asked in a tremulous strangled voice, "You have been to the Blight? Lights mercy! Why?"
Moiraine answered in a conversational tone, "Several times since I was raised to the shawl. Why? Because it needs culling. The Blight grows, Kari, with it grows the numbers of every abomination and horror that the Shadow ever spawned. In our lifetime it grew by thirty miles."
"Light protect us!", Kari whisper shouted, with a definite note of fear in her voice and asked, "Does every Aes Sedai go to fight in the Blight?"
Moiraine sighed and answered, "Not enough of us. Most Green Sisters go to fight but not with enough vigor and not for enough times, Some of the Blues go too but once again not enough of us. The Borderlanders send sorties regularly though, to scout mostly, but to do purges too if they have the numbers and Aes Sedai for it. Not to worry too much though, the Blight is a long way from here and the Borderlanders know their work."
Kari looking not at all reassured asked, "Why did you come here then, if the Blight is so dangerous to leave alone?", but hurriedly added, "Not to sound ungrateful, you saved my life by coming here, Moiraine, for that I am forever in your debt."
"There is no debt between us, I am only happy that I could help", Moiriane said soothingly, "I came hoping to find something that can help in the fight against the Blight, against the Dark One himself. During the Trolloc Wars, Manetheren was so staunch a supporter of the Light that their army came to be known as a thorn to Dark One's foot and a bramble to his hand, I know it was a thin thread, but I had to take a chance, it was bleak up there in the north."
Kari touched Moiraines hand in sympathy and Moiraine continued in a brighter tone, "There is no need for you to worry though, there is hope for the world yet as long as people like you, Tam and the Wisdom are in it."
Caught off guard by the unexpected compliment, Kari spluttered in embarrassment and tried to say something in return but by then they reached the house and Moiraine spied Lan and said, "Seems that bath I wanted is ready, we will talk more once I am refreshed, who knows perhaps the Wisdom will come by, by then".
Moiraine soaked herself in the Saidar heated water in a wooden tub barely large enough for her and Moiraine was not a big woman by any means as Lan entered the room, seeing the look on his face, Moiraine wove a Silencing ward and asked snappishly, "You heard them."
"Of course I did, long before they came anywhere near the barn," Lan answered flatly.
"Then why.."
"... I did not warn you? My reasons are two fold, to test your awareness, you heard them too but you did not became aware of them, if so then what use your enhanced senses. No amount of skill in fighting will help if someone managed to stab you in the back, awareness is paramount. I will watch your back as long I have breath in body of course, but you wanted to wield a blade and I will teach you to the best of my ability. The other reason, we needed to get the lad interested somehow, this seemed to as good a method as any. And you apparently used the occasion well enough if the thoughtful look on Karis face I saw is anything to go by", Lan answered.
Moiraine sighed, most people forget it but Lan Mandragorn has a wit as sharp as the blade he carries.
