Crossings of Poros-Essenia/Gondor border:
Captain Faenoryes of Gondor watched as Tear, or Essenia as they now called themselves, their border-outpost on the other side of the river got ever more reinforcements.
'I hope that they are reinforcing because of that report i sent them and not here to attack. There's so many...we're outnumbered by at least 5to1!'-Faenoryes worriedly thought.
"Sir! A scout just arrived with a report! An army is marching toward us!"
Looking towards the river, Faenoryes's eyes tighten in worry.
The man delivering the report see's this and says, "Sir, the army is coming from the north, On both sides of the Crossings!"
'!'
'Is Sauron attacking by crossing the Mountains of Doom!? But there isnt supposed to be a path through there, at least nothing big enough that an army could get through in any meaningful time!'-Faenoryes thought frantically before quickly calming down.
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"Estimates are that the enemy is roughly 10,000 strong, plus a Doostribar. We can only guess the Gondorian's face about the same as another Doostribar was flying on that side of the river as well."
The commander tensed, it would be his first real battle since Tarmon Gaidon...and he was sure most of the veterans were having flashbacks from then like he was.
"Make sure the squads are in formation! Also, make sure to remind them, these...creatures are not as bad as Trollocs!"
"Yes Sir!"
Though what the commander was thinking, 'i do hope i'm right about that...'
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Meanwhile, Harnen Harad Outpost; Illian, Essenia border 'Harad?' River/ eastern border:
"My Lord! They do be coming from inside the fort as well!"
'Did they dig a tunnel from their forts to ours! Under the river!'
"How do that be possible!?"-he yelled, slightly panicking. They were very heavily outnumbered, they only had so many arrows and men. The enemy seemed to have no end...flashbacks of Tarmon Gaiden started going through his mind.
"Lord Nettonous?"
"Commander?"
He was Commander Tirel Nettonous! Veteran survivor of the greatest battle to take place in the past 3,000 years!
'Now Illian is in danger again! I will not have it!'-Tirel thought vishusly.
"Recall everyone to the central tower here, send extra men towards the basement, We must hold out for reinforcements!"
Nettonous knew their only hope was to get help...even if it took a week, they would hold!
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Tear, Essenia:
Rand soon found that he couldn't stop himself...this...Fake Dark One was simply too full of itself. It was even kind of pitiful really...
"You dare continue to mock me!"-The 'eye' said, full of hate as a shadow of a humanoid could be seen within the 'iris'.
"I do! If you're as powerful as you think, why not simply build an entire new world for yourself?!"-Rand yelled back, thouroly enjoying this yelling match. He was simply too...tense in this new world. His wives and children not being there...he was lonely and depressed. Yelling at what would amount to a shadow of the Dark One he sealed away during Tarmon Gaidon, turned out to be a good way for him to vent.
The 'Eye' Narrowed, pure hatred could practically be felt coming off the Palantir in waves, malice and growing shadows of the room began to increase.
Rand smirked, "I alone can destroy any army you send against me!" "Can you say the same!"
'This is a...cute, trick but i've seen better'-Rand thought.
Rand then tried to use his most recent ability, to bend the 'Pattern' to his will.
However...
This world resisted him, like pulling a loose rope, only to find it taught and only stretch.
So now he had to rely on Saiden, illuminating the room in a moment, it was blinding because he was holding Callandor.
"Sauron...i will personally end you"-Rand said seriously before throwing a cloth over the 'crystal ball'.
'Should i eat some breakfast or do some border checks first...'-he thought, walking to the door...
(rumble)-Rand's stomach
'well that answers that'-Rand thought with a smile...
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Cairhen;
"Aveindha, is there anything remotely close to something happening in Aiel history or even stories?"-Cadsuane asked, hoping to pry a little bit more out of these stubborn people.
"No Wise One...er, Cadsuane Aes Sedai"- Aviendha corrected herself, but this woman in front of her was like any other old Wise One...
"Well, at least we've confirmed that no less than 5 Forsaken attacked Rand that night. So that means that the Dark One must have revived them somehow either; before or after Rand sealed 'him' away again. If it's the latter, this is serious trouble..."-Min bit her lip, worried.
"Yes, Child, that would be very troubling...if true. But i for one think it's the former case. Perhaps some kind of final moment retaliation or pre-caution?"-Cadsuane said before continuing with, "But back to the reason for us meeting. Where is Rand Al'Thor, along with Tear and Illian!"
Someone dissappearing suddenly? Cadsuane could understand that.
But entire nations!
Unthinkable!
"But seeing how it is obviously some kind of travel...it should somehow be related to something like 'Travelling', no?"-the Queen of Andor and Cairhen said.
"Obvious...but yes. The issue is that we mave have to invent a weave that we dont know using multiple 'circle's'"-Cadsuane reminded them, she did not miss Logain's small changes in face and body to what she said last.
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Chapter 15: The Unfolding
Cairhien, Cairhien, Sun Palace:
"Asking the same thing does not mean you'll get a different answer Cadsuane Sedai!"-Min all but shouted at her...which is rather impressive seeing as Cadsuane was the Amyrlin.
A yelp from Min is heard.
"You are a grown woman Child, act like one"-Cadsuane says sternly, while hiding a small smile in taking a sip of tea.
"Mother, we do not seem to be getting anywhere in regards to locating my Warder and husband...not to mention Tear and Illian."-Elayne says, growing ever-more irritable as their long-discussion continues.
Ignoring Elayne for a moment, Cadsuane asks Aviendha-"Child, have any of your...Wise Ones come with you? In particular, i'd very much like to speak with Amys".
"No...Cadsuane Aes Sedai, she is not here with me...however, i was told to give you a message"-Aviendha 'ahems' to clear her throat before continueing-"The dream quakes and shutters and yet calms, The casting of Fates rides on the winds of time, What is lost can always be found though it may be out of reach at times, the dream shows what may be, not, what will be."
"I have pondered it the whole way here, yet, from what i can infer, it does not seem promissing..."-Aviendha says after a moment of silence.
Cadsuane openly smiles while the other 2 women in the room look at Aviendha as if she'd slapped them since she had not told them of this before.
Looking abashed, she tells them-"I was told to tell Cadsuane Sedai and no one else before..."-she bows her head in shame for not telling her 'First-Sister' and her friend, Min.
With a huff, Elayne turns her head away while Min simply puts hands on her hips with a pout to match.
"This is troubling and yet...it gives us hope."-Cadsuane mutters, louder she asks Aviendha-"She said nothing else? Something that may have seem unimportant or unrelated to the message?"
Aviendha was silent for a moment, thinking...
"The summer's twinkling sky can sometimes show us what is often within our hearts..."-Aviendha finally relented.
Cadsuane merely nods her head. After looking around, mostly at Min and curiously at Elayne, wondering where her thoughts were at the time...probly something to do with the noble Houses giving her trouble lately no doubt, she decides to speak her mind.
"I think Amys dreamed of a hope we may yet have to return Rand, and by extension, Illian and Tear, to us."-Cadsuane began.
"The dream quakes...likely the how of the dissappearance, the world is starting to recover from such a drastic thing to happen".
"'The casting of Fates rides on the winds of time'...we can infer that either there is only a single chance, or that the chance for a return comes only every-so-often...hmmm".
"Then the troubling part of 'What may be, not, what will be'...seeming to mean that something can be regained but not the whole of it."
"However, from what else you have just told me, 'Summer's twinkling sky can sometimes show us what is often within our hearts'...So perhaps we have time-frame to return Al'Thor and his nations' to us."-Cadsuane finished, pondering further.
"None of which actually helps with the 'how' for the return of him, or his lands'"-Logain suddenly spoke up, surprising Min who had basically forgotten about him as he'd not said a word for the last two hours.
"True, however, once we know 'how', we'll at least know 'when' as well...or at least there is a 'when' at all"-Cadsuane said in a sagely tone.
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Essenia, Tear:
Rand was getting tired of all the skirmishes. Though he couldn't say for certain, and from what he'd seen so far, he felt that he should just go to the heart of the nearest problem and wipe it from existence.
Mordor was a thorn in his side.
(Rand chuckles a bit thinking of Manetheran and the Dark One)
In the past week there had been no less than a couple dozen small skirmishes that involved no more than a few thousand total troops for both sides.
'Irritating that...why can't they all just amass into a single, unified, force?'-Rand thought with a grimace.
'I should just Gate into Mordor, probably with a few hundred men as an escort while i...deal with it'-Rand mused on the idea...a reoccurring idea as of late.
But remembering how unfamiliar he is with the place...
"Mi'Lord?"
"Yes?"-Rand replies, looking towards the door.
...
A/N
Its something...lots happening with family dieing, moving, covid, and no internet. But hey...something in the last couple years...only doc I had left...