Moiraine leaves the guesthouse, and Lan and Nynaeve have a talk.

Patiently, Moiraine waited for Lan to be asleep. She watched how his face and body relaxed while simultaneously, his feelings through the bond became quieter. The woman of the Blue Ajah was aware of Nynaeve and Elayne still being there, and she felt the eyes of the Wisdom in her back – watching her warily. There was no way to avoid her forever.

Sighing, she placed Lan's hand beside him, then stood up carefully and walked up to the two younger women. Elayne observed every move, ready to jump to aid if necessary. But without feeling the whole force of Lan's pain, the Aes Sedai was doing way better.

"You switch the teas," Moiraine stated and crossed her arms.

Nynaeve shrugged her shoulders. "I assumed that's what you wanted. If I misunderstood something, I could give you a cup-"

"No, thank you. You didn't misunderstand anything."

Elayne grimaced. "So, you plan on leaving the house."

"I want to leave this city as quickly as possible, so the sooner we find Egwene, the better it is. I can't wait for Lan."

"But you also can't walk around on your own!" The daughter-heir protested vehemently. She and Nynaeve had made their experiences with the Seanchan over the last few days. It was dangerous to walk the streets of Falme on your own, and she couldn't let her aunt leave without saying anything. "Lan is knocked out for a few hours. Whom do you plan to take with you?"

Moiraine looked at the closed door. "I will ask the gleeman. I have this feeling, he will be more than happy to get away from this house." The Aes Sedai had seen the look on Thom's face when he had passed Elayne on his way out. The young woman obviously didn't remember the gleeman, but he hadn't forgotten her. He probably would be thankful to accompany Moiraine.

"When did you get your powers back?" Nynaeve asked.

"Three nights ago – thanks to Rand." The two women locked eyes. Each of them waited for the other one to continue, though Moiraine knew exactly what was bugging her. And Nynaeve didn't disappoint her.

"I assume you unmasked the bond immediately. Tieing him back to you."

"Our bond never broke. Against all assumptions, I was shielded, not stilled. It was my right to unmask our bond. Lan is still MY Warder."

Nynaeve's eyes shimmered with anger at Moiraine's words. What was Lan seeing in her? Why had he bonded himself to her all those years ago?

Suddenly, Moiraine's face became softer, and Nynaeve saw the woman was gathering her courage. "Could you please have an eye on Lan while I'm gone? I don't want him to be alone." Light, it must have been hard to swallow all her pride just to ask Nynaeve this question.

"I won't leave him."

The Aes Sedai was sure she heard an unspoken 'as you do' but decided not to start an argument. Instead, she put on her boots and her cloak. Her ring was hidden under Lan's tunic, and she made sure his ring was safely hidden under hers. "I'll be back."

"I shall remind you that Lan doesn't want you to leave."

Moiraine snorted with her hand on the doorknob. Nynaeve didn't sound as if she actually wanted to stop her. It was more like she said it because she had promised Lan to remind Moiraine. Clever girl. This way, she doesn't have to lie to him. She did exactly what she promised him. "Noted. Thank you for reminding me."

Then she opened the door and left. Elayne threw an angry look at the Wisdom, who shrugged her shoulder. "What? I didn't promise to actually keep her here. Lan knows how stubborn she is."

The daughter-heir rolled her eyes. "I'll take the boys with me and search as well. Or do you also want to 'remind' me I shouldn't leave?"

"Only if you're as stubborn as your aunt."

Elayne threw Nynaeve an evil eye, then closed the door behind her.

The young woman from the Two Rivers shook her head. Moiraine. This woman had more secrets than she had imagined. She wasn't just a simple Aes Sedai and bonded to the man Nynaeve loved. No, the bloody woman was also related to the daughter-heir of Andor and could become Queen of Cairhien if she wanted to!

Nynaeve's eyes fell on Lan, who seemed restless since Moiraine had left the room. There was a deep furrow on his forehead, and he turned his head from one side to the next. Could he feel Moiraine's absence? The uncrowned king of Malkier. A king without a kingdom. Bonded to a queen who doesn't want to be queen. A queen without a throne. Aren't they quite a pair?

Sighing, Nynaeve turned and started to clean up the table. It would take a while before Lan would wake up.

Together with Thom, Moiraine walked through the streets of Falme. She had been right about the gleeman. As soon as she had asked him to join her, he had agreed. He didn't want to stay close to Elayne. He was scared she could recognize him.

But now, after a few hours walk, she noticed how he fidgeted with his fingers and turned his head back. It made him nervous not to have an eye on the young woman.

"If you want to go back, you can leave," Moiraine explained calmly while letting her eyes move over the people around them. "You don't need my permission."

Thom growled. "Do you think I have a death wish? Your War-" Moiraine's sudden glare made him change his words. "Your husband would kill me if I let you walk alone."

"My 'husband' is sick and needs to recover." For the thousand time now, Moiraine checked on her bond. Although she had wanted to leave to gather information, it made her sick to be apart from Lan, knowing he was ill.

For hours, she calmed herself by telling herself that Nynaeve was by his side, taking care of him. She was a Wisdom and could help him better than Moiraine could – at least, as long as she couldn't use the One Power to heal him. But she couldn't suppress the jealousy nibbling on her from the inside. Nynaeve was a beautiful woman, and Lan loved her. Would she take advantage of the situation now that Moiraine was not there?

Stop being foolish, Moiraine! Lan loves Nynaeve, just like you love Siuan. She isn't taking advantage of anything when she already holds his heart in her hands. And you can't claim him as yours when you have Siuan waiting for you in the White Tower.

Would Lan tell the Wisdom about the kisses they had shared? Would he tell her everything? What would Nynaeve do? She already had a problem with Lan being Moiraine's Warder. What would she do when she discovered the romantic feelings between these two?

But right now, Lan was still asleep – restless but sleeping. And he wasn't in pain. Nynaeve's combination of herbs was way more helpful than what Moiraine had given him.

Relieved, the woman of the Blue Ajah focused on her surroundings again. Lan was fine, and she couldn't help him right now. Egwene, on the other hand, was somewhere in this city – a prisoner of the Seanchan. This young woman didn't deserve this. Well, if she was honest, no one deserved such a life.

Moiraine and Thom had seen more women with silver collars around their necks. They walked in plain sight on the streets of Falme, and the people made way for them. The Aes Sedai had made sure not to look too closely at the imprisoned women, but she looked out for Egwene every time they saw one.

From the corner of her eye, she saw how Thom turned his head around again. "I'm sure Elayne is fine."

Thom glared at the back of her head. He didn't like Moiraine to know about his feelings. Yet, he mumbled: "Do you think she knows who I am?"

"Don't be foolish. She was a little girl when you… disappeared." Her eyes found him, and he saw she had wanted to say something else. Blood and ashes! This woman knew way too much!

"That may be true, but her mother could've told her about me."

"Do you really think Morgase would talk about her former lovers with her daughter?" Moiraine sounded amused.

The gleeman growled. Now that she had mentioned it, it sounded stupid. Why should Morgase talk with Elayne about the men who had shared her bed? Besides, the Queen of Andor hated him since he left her. Yes, Moiraine was right. Elayne had been too young to remember him, and Morgase wouldn't talk about him. But this didn't mean he couldn't worry about the girl. The daughter-heir of Andor shouldn't be here alone – without an army of armored guards. Why was she here? Why wasn't she in Caemlyn? Did Morgase know about this trip?

"You worry about her."

"Don't you? She's your niece."

Moiraine snorted but nodded. "She shouldn't be here. Her mother will be furious if she finds out."

Well, this answered at least one of Thom's thousand questions. "Did she tell you anything? Why did she come to Falme?"

"The girls have been tricked."

"Tricked? By whom?"

Moiraine looked at him. For a moment, it seemed as if she wanted to tell him, but then she shook her head. This man hated Aes Sedai. If she would tell him about Liandrin's betrayal – and the possibility of her being Black Ajah – he would probably try to kill the woman of the Blue Ajah in an instant. So, she shook her head and kept going. "It doesn't matter. They're here now, and we need to find Egwene. I don't want to imagine how she must feel."

Suddenly, she gasped. Anger flowed through the bond and made her stumble. Lan was awake! Apparently, he wasn't happy about her absence.

"What's wrong?" Thom grabbed her arm and placed an arm around her waist to steady her. He sounded actually worried.

"Lan woke up and let me know how pissed he is."

"I assume I should take a thorough look at the horses once we're back." Confused, Moiraine raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I assume he will have a talk with you about leaving without him. A talk none of us will want to be a part of."

"He kind of knew I would leave before he went to sleep. He is just pissed I didn't listen to him."

"So, he will yell at you, and then you two will assure yourselves you're still alive."

Moiraine sighed. What in light's name was the gleeman talking about? "We assure ourselves we're still alive? What's that supposed to mean?"

Thom grinned. "Do I really need to explain…?" He saw the question in Moiraine's eyes and chuckled. Sometimes, this woman amused him, and he loved teasing her about her weird relationship with Lan. "Well, a kiss is always a good start to prove someone is alive, but the best way is physical contact. When your sweaty skin is pressed against his, and he can bury himself deep in…."

Shocked, the Aes Sedai freed herself from the gleeman. "You're overstepping the line again, Master gleeman. I've already told you; I don't bed Lan." Her cheeks were burning. Light! She couldn't stop her thoughts from imagining how she kissed Lan when she would return to him. His soft lips would lay demanding on hers, his fingers moving over her back, tugging at her tunic. She imagined how they would strip each other out of their clothes, how she would let her fingers move gingerly over his naked skin. And when Thom had mentioned how Lan would bury himself… immediately, the pulsing beat between her legs had returned. Insufferable man! He likes to taunt me!

"I heard an Aes Sedai cannot lie, so I believe you haven't bed him yet. But the blush on your face tells me you wouldn't mind if he asked."

"You forget yourself," Moiraine hissed, then kept moving.

Thom sighed heavily, though he couldn't suppress his smile. "It seems that happens quite often lately."

After sitting by Lan's side for hours, watching over him and checking his fever, Nynaeve went through the herbs the gleeman had bought and refilled Lan's medical bag. She would have to talk to him about it when he awoke again. Countless herbs – which were essential for a life on the road – were missing. How had Moiraine and Lan survived for that long? SHE probably didn't think it was necessary since she could use Saidar to heal him.

She heard Lan groaning in her back. When she turned around, she saw him pushing himself into an upright position. "Don't move."

Quickly, she rushed to his side, but it was useless. The uncrowned king of Malkier was too stubborn to listen to her. At least he didn't try to get out of bed.

"I wish you would take it easy." She reached for his forehead and sighed, relieved. His temperature was almost normal again. He had beaten the fever. A good night's sleep and he should be back on his feet again. "You scared me."

"I assure you it wasn't my intention. I thought I'd have more time so Moiraine could heal me."

"Why didn't she heal you?"

"In the last couple of days, she nearly burned out twice. The last time was only two nights ago."

The Wisdom furrowed her forehead. Hadn't Moiraine mentioned she had Saidar back for three nights? The woman was an Aes Sedai for decades. How could she almost burn out TWICE after getting Saidar back in such a short time? Shouldn't she know better to know her boundaries?

"What is it?" Lan wanted to know. Gently, he smoothed the furrow on her forehead with his finger.

"I just… I don't understand how she can almost burn out. Isn't that what an Aes Sedai learns in the White Tower? To learn her boundaries?"

"Moiraine knows her boundaries. The situations have been… difficult." His eyes moved searching through the empty room. "Speaking of Moiraine, where is she?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Anger moved over Lan's handsome face. "She left." Nynaeve wondered if he was sending Moiraine his rage. "On her own?"

"No. She took the gleeman with her."

Now the Warder seemed really pissed. His fingers clenched the blanket tightly as if he wanted to rip it apart. "I bet he was thrilled to join her."

Was that jealousy? Was it possible that Lan was jealous of the gleeman? But he had assured Nynaeve there were no romantic feelings between him and Moiraine. And Lan didn't lie, right? But this look on his face…

"Lan? Do you remember when you promised me there had been nothing romantical between Moiraine and you?"

The Warder winced slightly. Was this guilt moving over his face? "I remember."

Burn this man! Why couldn't he speak in whole sentences? Did he expect she would pronounce every damn question? "Was this a lie?"

"No."

"Lan, I swear I will make you suffer if you don't start giving me more than one-word answers!"

Sighing, the uncrowned king of Malkier rubbed his face. This wouldn't be an easy conversation. "It wasn't a lie when we first talked about this subject."

He definitely spent too much time with Moiraine. Nynaeve noticed how he twisted the words so he wouldn't lie. Tears built up in her eyes while her brain analyzed his words. Somewhere over the last past months, his feelings towards his Aes Sedai had changed. "You have feelings for her now."

"I always loved Moiraine, Nynaeve. But not like I had loved you. It was a different kind of love."

"You have feelings for her now," the young woman repeated harshly.

"Yes."

Silence filled the room, and neither one of them moved. Lan didn't dare to touch Nynaeve. Not now. He saw her mind racing behind her eyes. How could he make her see that he loved them both? That he was in love with both of them?

"Did you kiss her?" The tears were still visible in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"Yes, I did."

"Did you…?" Light, she couldn't say the words! She felt as if someone was choking her. But she needed to know! She needed to know if he and Moiraine had…. "Did you…?"

Luckily, Lan understood what she wanted to know. "I didn't bed her."

Nynaeve gasped and closed her eyes. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart, and a silent tear rolled over her cheek. Gently, Lan reached out for her, cupped her cheek, and wiped away the tear. The Wisdom covered his hand with her own, but when she looked him in the eye, she saw he was fighting with himself.

"But you want to bed her."

Lan closed his eyes. For a moment, she hoped he would say 'No'. She wanted him to deny it – that he didn't see his Aes Sedai this way. But the uncrowned king of Malkier wouldn't lie to her. It hurt when he finally nodded.

"Yes." His voice sounded hoarse. "Moiraine and I have been bonded for over twenty years. During this time, I've thought about bedding her many times, but… she never seemed interested, so I never suggested it."

The Wisdom watched him silently, her hand still covering his. She saw how hard it was for him to explain his feelings. This was important to him.

"But in Cairhien, I… I didn't plan to kiss her. It was the quickest solution I could come up with to save her. I never imagined…." Sighing, his apologetical eyes found hers. "I was lost as soon as my lips touched hers. And I know you probably won't believe me, but I love both of you. Call me selfish, but I don't want to lose any of you."

Slowly, Nynaeve got back on her feet. Lan reached out for her but didn't stop her. "Nynaeve, I-"

"I need to think." The young woman turned in the middle of the room and crossed her arms. She needed some distance. "I promise I will think about your words. But I don't know if I can… share you with her."

"To be honest, you already did the last couple of months."

Well, she couldn't deny that. Since Moiraine and Lan had visited the Two Rivers, the young woman had an eye on the handsome Warder, knowing he was bonded to the brunette. She had seen how these two moved together – constantly aware of each other. Even back then, Nynaeve had known Lan would never leave Moiraine for her.

"What about Moiraine? Doesn't she mind sharing you with another woman?"

"She is in the same situation as I am."

"How so?"

"For decades, she is in love with someone, and this person believes nothing would happen between us, too."

Nynaeve's eyes widened. Moiraine had a lover? All this time, she couldn't understand how Lan could love this woman, and now he wanted to convince her there would exist another person who loved Moiraine for decades? "Moiraine has a lover?!"

"She does."

"Who?!"

Lan tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. As if he would spill his Aes Sedai's secrets. Nynaeve seemed to realize that, too, since she nodded while biting her lower lip.

"So, Moiraine loves this other person and you." Lan nodded. "What does her lover say about this development?"

"Doesn't know it yet."

"I would love to talk to this lover of hers to hear his opinion. I wonder how he feels about sharing Moiraine with you."

Lan almost smiled when he heard Nynaeve assuming Moiraine's lover would be a man. It would blow her mind if she found out the truth one day. But for now, he kept his stony expression. "I don't think this will ever happen."

The woman from the Two Rivers glared at him, then turned around. "I need to think. This isn't an easy decision."

"I understand. I won't rush you." Sighing, Lan moved his legs out of bed. He was tired of lying in bed all day.

Suddenly, Nynaeve was back, straddling him before she grabbed his face with both hands and pressed her lips to his. She wanted to know if he still loved her – if he would kiss her as he had in Fal Dara. No, she needed to know.

At first, Lan was shocked at her sudden move, but then his arms moved around her, pulling her close. One hand grabbed her hair to pull her head closer to him while his lips moved hungrily over hers. When they broke the kiss, they both breathed heavily.

"I needed to know," Nynaeve whispered against his lips.

"And what was it you needed to know?"

"If you still want me as you wanted me in Fal Dara."

"Did you find the answer you were looking for?" Lan's lips moved over her cheek to her jawline and down her throat while his fingers moved gingerly over her back.

"I believe I did." Panting, she allowed him to press a trail of kisses down to her collarbone, then pulled his face back to hers before he could move deeper. "Can she feel you through the bond right now?"

Confused, Lan furrowed his forehead, but he agreed. "Yes, she can."

"Will she mask the bond?"

"She won't mask it. After what had happened at the Eye of the World, I didn't make it easy for her to mask it again."

The Wisdom's eyes shimmered with excitement. "This means, no matter how often I'll kiss you, she won't shut you out?"

"She learned her lesson. Since I can feel her again, we decided on a few situations where she's allowed to mask the bond, and I made sure there are only a few."

"Good." Nynaeve didn't wait for Lan to tell her about those 'exceptions' – and she wasn't even sure he would actually tell her about them. Though she believed he had kept the list short. The Warder hated loopholes when it came to his Aes Sedai.

Again, the Wisdom pressed her lips on Lan's lips, but this time, her hands moved lower – over his collarbones to his chest and down to his stomach, before pushing his tunic off his shoulders. You want him, Moiraine? Well, unlike you, I know how it feels to bed him. Let's see how you'll feel about sharing him with me!

Quickly, their bodies remembered how they had bedded each other in Fal Dara. As long as they had the guesthouse to themselves, they should use the time they had been given. Enjoy the show, Moiraine! That's what it's like to share this man with another woman!

The next chapter will be uploaded on Wednesday.

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