Moiraine has a talk with her niece, and Nynaeve discovers something unexpected about the Aes Sedai.
"What are you doing?!" Nynaeve stared at the Warder in disbelief.
"Don't touch her." Lan's voice was weak but firm. It cost him all his strength to sit upright.
Thom was the first of their companions who saw it was time to leave the room. "All right, lads. How about we give them the room?" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he crossed the room with a few steps – only slowing down for a moment when he passed Elayne – and then was gone. Rand and Perrin hesitated for a heartbeat, then followed the gleeman. They had found the Wisdom and brought her here, but none of them were interested in getting between the fronts.
"Why do you always have to protect her?"
Instead of an answer, Lan gave her a look that said, "You know why."
"She lets you suffer!"
"She doesn't."
"She said she can channel again! This means she could heal you!"
Lan sighed. Would Nynaeve ever understand? "Moiraine can channel again, but she can't heal me."
All of the Wisdom's anger faded, and a frown appeared on her forehead. She didn't understand. Lan's words made no sense. "Why can't she heal you?"
"There are people outside – they call themselves Seanchan. Some of the women wear a silver bracelet which is connected to a collar, hanging around the neck of another woman. Those latter women can touch Saidar and feel when someone else uses it. Every woman who can channel will be enslaved by the Seanchan."
Within a heartbeat, Nynaeve's aggression had left her body. Her shoulders slouched, and her fire was out. "I remember those women. Once, we got too close to them and could barely escape."
"We?" Moiraine asked, confused.
"We," Elayne confirmed, speaking for the first time since she had entered the guestroom.
Moiraine gasped when her eyes fell on the young woman. "Elayne?!"
"Hello, Moiraine. Lan."
The Warder tilted his head as a greeting, but the Aes Sedai jumped to her feet – and regretted it the next second. The room started to sway dangerously, and it was only thanks to Lan that she didn't kiss the floor. Her Warder grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the bed beside him. Elayne had also jumped to her rescue but had been too late.
"Foolish woman!" Nynaeve scolded Moiraine. "Do you try to kill yourself? The herbs you put in the tea help against fever, but they also fog your brain."
Moiraine rubbed her temple to clear her head. Light, she hated this! She wasn't used to her brain being this hazy. Lan's worries came through the bond, and she felt his supporting hand on her back. The man was sick and still worried more about her well-being than his own.
"Nynaeve, I know we have our differences, but I beg you: please, help Lan." The Wisdom's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to hear Moiraine begging, not ever. "I wish I could help him, but then we would have to fight against the Seanchan, and he needs a break from fighting others."
"Moiraine-" Lan started but was cut off by Nynaeve.
"I will help him, but not for you, Moiraine. I'll help him because he doesn't deserve to suffer. And because I'm still a Wisdom."
For a moment, anger moved over Moiraine's face, then it was gone, and her calm Aes Sedai mask was back in place. "Thank you."
Nynaeve mumbled something inaudible, then jumped to her feet. "I'll need my herbs to help him.
"Thom – the gleeman – he wanted to get some herbs," Moiraine explained while nodding at the closed door. "I don't know if he got some, but you could ask him."
"Here is a bag that smells like the house of a healer," Elayne mentioned and pointed at a bag placed on the table.
The Wisdom crossed the room and opened the bag. It was indeed filled with various herbs, and the young woman was pleased with the content. "That will do." Without another word, she got to work.
Carefully, the woman of the Blue Ajah also got back on her feet. She felt Lan's growl through the bond – he didn't like what she was doing – but she could stand on her own two feet without the room moving. In her eyes, this was progress. "This gives us time to talk, Elayne."
The daughter-heir winced and made herself smaller when she met Moiraine's eyes. "Talk?" Her voice sounded higher than before. "What do you want to talk about? Shouldn't you get some rest? You don't look well."
As if she wanted to prove everything was all right, Moiraine took two careful steps toward Elayne. Again, she felt Lan's growl through the bond. He couldn't catch her should her condition turn sideways. "What are you doing here, Elayne?"
"It's a long story."
"Then you better get started. Why aren't you in Caemlyn?"
"A month ago, Elaida Sedai brought Gawyn, Galad, and me to Tar Valon so we could start with our training."
Moiraine furrowed her forehead. "Tar Valon? You have years before you should go there to train. Why should Elaida rush your training?"
Elayne chuckled. "Years? Do you know when you visited us for the last time?"
"Half a year ago? More or less."
"Half a… more like two years, Moiraine."
The furrow on the Aes Sedai's forehead deepened. It couldn't have been that long since they had visited Caemlyn. A year, maybe, but two years?
"No one is rushing anything. It was time for us to go to Tar Valon." Suddenly, sadness moved over Elayne's face. "But when we got there, you weren't there."
Moiraine saw the reproach in Elayne's eyes and released a heavy sigh. Blood and ashes! How had she lost track of time? This was unlike her. Usually, she was better at remembering things.
"You had promised," the young woman in front of her said. "You had promised to be there when I would go to Tar Valon. But you weren't there."
"Forgive me, Elayne. I thought I'd have more time."
"I needed you there." Elayne's complaint came dangerously close to a little child not getting her way.
Moiraine raised an eyebrow. "You had Elaida with you. Didn't she show you around?"
"She did," the daughter-heir admitted, pouting. "But she's not you. I wanted you to be there. I wanted my aunt."
There was a thud, followed by a gasp from Nynaeve. "Aunt?!" The eyes of the Wisdom moved up and down between Moiraine and Elayne, comparing those two women while searching for resemblances. When she couldn't find anything, she turned to Elayne – the shock was still visible on her face. "She is your aunt?!"
"She is."
Her eyes moved to Moiraine. "You're related to the Queen of the Andor?!"
"No, I'm not," the Aes Sedai said calmly.
This answer confused the poor woman even more. Once again, her head turned to the woman with the red-golden locks, her eyes asking for an explanation. Elayne sighed.
"My father was her brother."
"Half-brother," Moiraine corrected immediately, and Elayne rolled, annoyed with her eyes. She didn't care about this little detail.
Nynaeve seemed relieved but still had to ask Moiraine, "So, you're not royalty?"
"I have no claims on the throne of Andor."
The Wisdom from the Two Rivers was too occupied with her thoughts, so she didn't notice Moiraine had given her a perfect Aes Sedai answer. But the daughter-heir had been listening carefully, and since she liked Nynaeve, she wanted to tell her the truth about her aunt.
"But she could become queen of Cairhien if she would claim the Sun Throne."
This was a punch to Nynaeve's gut. Moiraine? Queen of Cairhien? Blood and ashes! Who was this woman?!
Moiraine's eyes flashed angrily at her niece when she hissed her name: "Elayne!"
"It's the truth! You're an Aes Sedai, but you're still a Damodred. You could claim the Sun Throne any time and-"
"Enough with this!" The woman of the Blue Ajah was angry. She stepped toward her niece, who lowered her head to make herself look smaller. "This is none of your business! Now, tell me. Where are your brothers? They should know better than to let you walk around alone."
Elayne seemed to shrug even further and couldn't look Moiraine in the eyes. "In Tar Valon."
"Tar Valon? Do you want to tell me they didn't come with you here?"
This time, the daughter-heir didn't answer. Instead, she bit her lower lip and looked at her aunt apologetically. This conversation had turned in the wrong direction pretty fast.
Even Lan sighed behind their backs and shook his head. Nynaeve remembered the ointment and returned quickly to her work. She was sure it wouldn't take long until Moiraine would ask how they had come to Falme.
"You foolish girl! What have you been thinking?!"
"I wanted to help my friends."
"To do what?"
"They had been told their friend would need their help."
"Who is THEY, Elayne?"
"Nynaeve and Egwene."
Moiraine and Lan exchanged a knowing look. Egwene. Apparently, the father of lies hadn't lied this time. He had been right about the Seanchan, and now, Elayne had confirmed Egwene's presence. This wasn't good.
The memory of Egwene, lying crying in this small bed with a silver collar around her throat… Moiraine's skin crawled. Could this have been the truth as well? Did the Seanchan keep Egwene as a prisoner? What had happened?
Nynaeve walked to Lan's side with the ointment when she noticed the eye contact between the Aes Sedai and the Warder. "What is it?"
"Where is Egwene?" Moiraine asked calmly.
This time, it was up to the two young women to exchange glances before the Wisdom started to clean Lan's wound. "The Seanchan have her."
Lan simply stiffened, but Moiraine gasped at the pain she felt through the bond and felt the room swaying again.
"Elayne!" Lan growled through gritted teeth. He couldn't reach his Aes Sedai. She was too far away from him.
Luckily, the daughter-heir saw the danger. She jumped at Moiraine's side, steadying her aunt, then leading her carefully back to Lan.
The Warder pulled his Aes Sedai in his lap, cradling her head. It helped him to ignore the pain. Her warm breath tickled his throat since her forehead leaned against his jawline.
"Don't move!" Nynaeve growled.
"I'm still sitting here, waiting for you to keep torturing me!" Lan responded, which earned him a glare from the Wisdom.
"Why are you here and not in Tar Valon?" Moiraine's voice sounded weak, and she couldn't open her eyes.
"One of your sisters tricked us," Nynaeve explained. Oh, she was still angry. "After we had left Mat in front of the Waygate in Tar Valon, he returned to the White Tower and allowed your sisters to heal him from this stupid dagger. But once he was healed, he ran away. Your sister told us he was in danger and needed our help. Elayne heard everything and decided to join us. We used the Ways to get here, but when we stepped out of the Ways, the Seanchan were already waiting for us. They put this collar around Egwene's neck while Elayne and I could escape."
"That happened four days ago," Elayne added. "Since then, we've been hiding and thinking about a plan to rescue Egwene. But we don't know where they hide her."
Moiraine felt sick. An Aes Sedai had brought them here, trying to hand them over to the Seanchan? A sister of the White Tower? This couldn't be true. "What's the name of this Aes Sedai who brought you here?"
"It was the blonde snake."
Elayne rolled her eyes, then kneeled in front of Moiraine and took her hand in hers. Unlike the Wisdom, she knew what that news meant for an Aes Sedai. Gently, she said, "It was an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah – Liandrin Sedai."
Moiraine's grip tightened at Elayne's words. Liandrin. This couldn't be true. Liandrin was a snake like Nynaeve had mentioned, but she wasn't… she couldn't be…
Lan rubbed soothing circles on her back, wrapping her in this feeling of safety and love. He would stand by her side.
"Where is Liandrin now?" She couldn't hide the slight tremble in her voice. She knew this woman for decades! How was it possible she hadn't noticed Liandrin belonged to the Black Ajah? Well, at least now it made sense how the peddler had gotten possession of the dagger. Liandrin had followed Moiraine when the woman of the Blue Ajah had healed Mat from the dagger – her red sister had practically admitted that when she had confronted Moiraine about the Emond's Fielder. And Moiraine knew her red sister had met a man in Northharbor. What if this man had been Padan Fain? What if Liandrin had given the peddler Mat's dagger?
"We haven't seen her since we escaped." This time, Nynaeve sounded gentler, as if she had realized what that news meant for Moiraine. Liandrin was just another Aes Sedai to her, representing a group of women she had hated her whole life, but this was more personal to Moiraine. Unlike Nynaeve, she was an Aes Sedai for decades and had learned and lived with Liandrin.
Lan hissed when the young woman applied the new ointment on his wound but didn't complain.
"Nynaeve?" Light, Moiraine hated how breathless she sounded. Lan had never been this sick before. She had always healed him before it could become too worse. And now, she couldn't help him and had to rely on the Wisdom. "Can you give Lan some herbs which will depress the fever but won't affect me?"
"As soon as I'm done with his injury."
The uncrowned king of Malkier furrowed his forehead. He didn't like what Moiraine's words implied. "What are you planning, Moiraine?"
"I can't think like that."
"Do you plan to leave this house without me?"
"I don't plan to wander around on the streets of Falme alone."
Lan gnashed his teeth angrily. Did she really try to play word games with him? "So, you plan to leave this house and don't intend to take me with you."
"Lan-"
"Yes or No, Moiraine." Lan saw Nynaeve glancing at him before she wrapped a clean bandage around his leg.
"I'll heat some water," Elayne mumbled and left. She didn't want to get involved in a fight between Moiraine and Lan.
Meanwhile, the Aes Sedai stayed quiet, thinking about words that could disarm the situation. "Moiraine," Lan growled when it took too long.
Sighing, Moiraine said, "As soon as Nynaeve says you can leave the bed, I will leave the house with you."
Did she really think he wouldn't see through her attempt? She was his Aes Sedai for over twenty years. He knew all about her way of playing with words.
"Will you leave the house before I'm better?" The Warder felt her anger rolling through the bond. She didn't like his persisting questions. She didn't want him to dig deeper, to ask the uncomfortable questions whose answers he wouldn't like.
Suddenly, Nynaeve entered their conversation. "How about I make tea for both of you? Would that dispel your worries, Lan?" She was done with the bandage.
Moiraine narrowed her eyes at the young woman, who returned her gaze calmly. What was the reason for her offer? "I'm not sick. I simply feel Lan's pain and exhaustion."
"But it could help Lan. He worries about you all the time, and you know he won't find rest until he's certain you're safe." While lecturing the Aes Sedai, the Wisdom moved to the table to prepare two cups of tea. "Or do you want to tell me you wouldn't do this for him?"
The woman of the Blue Ajah shot daggers at Nynaeve's back with her hands clenched and trembled slightly. Lan covered one of her hands with his, his thumb caressing her skin softly. "I believe we all could use a cup of tea."
Nodding, Nynaeve prepared two more cups for Elayne and herself until the daughter-heir brought her the hot water. Then she carried two cups back to the Aes Sedai and her Warder.
"Thank you," Lan said softly.
Moiraine mumbled something inaudible when she took the cup out of Nynaeve's hand. A fact the Wisdom luckily ignored. Instead, she touched Lan's forehead. "I would say it's getting better."
"I already feel better."
"Don't even think about leaving this bed without my permission. I say when you're well enough to leave."
"As you wish, Wisdom," Lan said, smiling, and took a sip of his tea.
From the corner of her eyes, Nynaeve saw how Moiraine sniffed at her tea and furrowed her forehead. The eyes of the two women locked, Moiraine questioning the young woman, who answered her gaze calmly. Finally, the Aes Sedai nodded slightly. She understood, and Nynaeve returned to Elayne to get her own cup.
When Lan was done with his tea, Nynaeve coaxed him to lie down again and sleep, and Moiraine agreed. Together, they talked him down – he insisted on staying awake to protect them. But even when he was lying on his back again, he still had a request for Nynaeve. "Please, promise me you won't allow her to leave." He didn't need to tell the young woman who SHE was.
Nynaeve chuckled, amused. "And you think she will listen to me?"
"You two are more alike than you think." Both women snorted, which brought a smile to Lan's lips. "You two can be very stubborn, and you watch over those you care about."
The Wisdom raised her eyebrows. "You're implying I care about her."
"You care about me and know how much she means to me." Lan's eyelids became heavy, and his voice quieter. "Please, Nynaeve. Don't let her leave. It's not safe out there."
"I will remind her that you don't want her to leave." When the young woman turned around, her eyes locked with Moiraine's for a moment, then she gave the Aes Sedai and the Warder a moment to themselves.
Moiraine stroked his sweaty face gently. "You should rest now. Your body is exhausted."
"Don't leave. I'll be back on my feet in no time. Just wait for me."
"Since I can't heal you, you will listen to Nynaeve. She is the Wisdom and knows best."
Chuckling, Lan cupped her cheek, and she covered his hand with her free hand. "I already feel better thanks to your care. Your tea and the ointment have helped a lot."
A sad smile appeared on Moiraine's lips. It hadn't been her who had helped him. He had helped himself by showing her what to do. Without him… who knows in what kind of shape he would be now if he hadn't helped her. She pressed a kiss on his wrist, then forced herself to give him a reassuring smile. "Sleep."
His eyes closed, and she felt him drifting off to sleep – light, his body was so tired of fighting against the fever and the infection. He wasn't used to it. At least, not in the last twenty years. She had always found a moment or the opportunity to heal him.
Moiraine sent Lan her love through the bond. She wanted him to know how much she loved him. His weak fingers against her cheek winced as if he wanted to hold her but couldn't. When he realized that, he returned her gesture by sending his own love, then gave in to sleep.
I found it weird that when Moiraine and Elayne met in the books, there was no mention of them being related. They acted as if they didn't know each other. So, I decided to change that for my story.
The next chapter will be uploaded on Sunday.
I would appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a review.