Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or the Wheel of Time. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Note: I've had a lot of questions about why I was making Moiraine so much like the show's interpretation in my early chapters…. I wasn't. Let me be clear, I love her character. She's an amazing example of the wise wizard, Gandalf-like, character, and I believe she has the best of intentions, unlike Dumbledore. However, during my readthrough I kept bashing my head against the wall for what she was doing with Rand pretty much from the start. She isn't Dumbledore, but she acts like him in a lot of different ways. In the Fires of Heaven when she finally swore fealty to Rand and 'openly' promised to work for his benefit I leapt for joy. In that moment she actually made it clear where her loyalties lied for once and vowed to aid the Dragon Reborn over the will of the Tower. Why could she not do that before? Like at any given point? A huge chunk of the conflict between her and Rand is the simple fact that he is never entirely sure if he can trust her, and with good reason. She never did anything to get Rand to actually trust her or imply she supported him wholeheartedly. She kept every bit of information so close to her chest and refused to tell him anything, all the while just expecting him to fall in line and do as she said, then she became supremely annoyed when he understandably pulled away. I'm sorry for the rant, but I actually thought the show got the early series depiction of Moiraine right. She gets better with time, but at the start she is a tough pill to swallow.

Note: Sorry for the wait. I write what I'm in the mood for at the time, and this is how I avoid turning out subpar content.

Part Eight - A Crack In The Tower

Siuan Sanche woke from a troubling dream and rose from her bed as if still in a doze as she made her way to a nearby pitcher to pour herself a goblet of water. The Eye of the World? Why would she have been dreaming of that of all things? And why with such frequency? She'd been seeing the same thing every night for over a week. There was only one possibility that made any actual sense, the Wheel itself was sending her a message. The Eye of the World was a massive depository of clean Saidin energy. The only such depository in existence not corrupted by the evil taint of the Dark One's malice and madness. Perhaps… perhaps it would react to the presence of a particular male channeler? Yes, that must be it. If Moiraine could take her hopefuls to the Eye then surely there she would receive the final confirmation of who the Dragon truly was.

Oh sure, that strange power user, Hadrian, was a possibility, but the legends were all clear, the Dragon would be a channeler of Saidin. Moiraine had made it very clear that he was not such a man. That was no matter for her however, in fact, such a misunderstanding would surely be shared by her sisters of the Tower, and would thus leave the true Dragon free of their machinations. It was unfortunate, but Hadrian would best serve the world as a scapegoat until the chosen one was truly ready to reveal himself. She loved her sisters and believed in the mission of the Tower, but even she could not deny that they each thought themselves wiser than every other and would try to put their own agendas before the good of the world simply because they believed they alone knew best. It was an issue she did not know how to fix.

But the question still remained, if the Eye of the World would reveal the truth, how was she to get the boys there? She doubted they'd willingly go there against any plans they'd already made, especially when one of them was by all accounts bedridden and about to be sent to the Tower for healing. That had certainly raised some hackles amongst the ajahs as it was revealed he would be accompanied by a supposedly healed Logain Ablar. Siuan still wasn't sure how that situation would resolve itself. The Yellows had already made it clear they'd not turn the boy away as it was their sworn duty to heal the sick and injured regardless of circumstance. The reds were demanding she seal the Tower completely so that no man that could channel would ever walk freely through their halls, even if it meant the sick lad was left without the walls. The Greens though… The Greens wanted her to try and instigate a situation where one of them could bind him as their warder. In their words, it would be the perfect chance to gain some measure of control over the false dragon while also studying his new state of being, and forging an ironclad connection to their world's new power, for truly any being that could hold their Tower in a one man siege was certainly a power to be reckoned with. Honestly, Siuan found herself shuddering at the world's inevitable reaction when the courts of the royals in their lands learned someone had not only stood up to them all, but had actually forced them to submit. How long until those same royals came to Hadrian asking for advice on how to replicate his results? She knew that the Tower was not well liked in the royal courts and with good reason, no one liked being told what to do, or that they were acting the fool. However, as she could not lie she could say with all certainty that everything they'd done, no matter how distasteful, had been for the greater good of their world.

Regardless, that was a thought for a future time. First she needed to figure out how to get the Emonds Fielders to the Eye. In the end she decided that the best way would be to order Moiraine to go. If she was judging the situation developing between her and Hadrian correctly then he would not let her go alone, and they would certainly not leave the boys behind with a city full of aes sedai waiting in the wings. Not with the young man's clear distrust of them.

All further thoughts however were confounded by a rapid knocking that suddenly erupted at her door. What in the light's name? She wandered over on swift feet and tore it open. Whatever she had expected from this nightly incursion, it was not the heads of the seven ajahs looking directly at her with pure worry.

"Mother," Aeldene Stonebridge, head of the Blues, spoke for the rest, "something terrible has happened."

"I'd think so for all of you to meet once more and come to see me. What is it?"

The Blue handed her a scroll with a broken seal. Siuane read through the contents, and by the time she reached the end the document slipped from her shaking fingers as all color fled her face. "T-This cannot be true."

"It is, mother." Tsutama Rath or the Reds whispered. "Liandrin has left the Tower with four fifths of the Red sisters at her back. Along with them are a quarter of the Greys, a fifth of the Yellows, two sixths of the Whites, and a third of the Browns. That letter of intent is clear. She means to take her followers and form a separate Tower committed to ending the threat of male channelers, a threat she accuses us of refusing to meet by signing that contract. Her comment on sharing her divine mission with her sisters abroad implies that she intends to increase her numbers with those who were not here at the time of the signing and thus are free of its compulsion."

"But that won't work." the head of the Grays argued. "We signed that contract in perpetuity. Every sister of the Tower is bound to its words whether they were present for the signing or not."

"I do not think she believes that though. Once she gets those Sisters under her banner she'll be coming after Hadrian beyond all doubt, and if they meet the same fate as those who tried to harm him before, then they will likely send their warders to do what they cannot. As of this moment, the White Tower has been split." Tears began to build in her eyes, "Mother… how could this happen? How could so many of my own ajah do something like this?" She fell to her knees, "We have often disagreed on policy and practice, but I thought my sisters were loyal to the Tower and what it stood for."

Feeling a sudden and inexplicable sense of protectiveness, Siuan Sanche, the stone-faced Amyrlin, pulled the crying woman into her arms to offer what comfort that she could, and taking as much as was possible in return. "I do not know, daughter. But we can not allow this to stand. Those fools are in open rebellion against us, and those sisters abroad in the field must be made aware of this before they are led astray." She turned to the others not currently falling to pieces in her embrace, "Our ravens should receive no hindrance at this point. Send every one we have to our sisters out in the world and let them know that Liandrin is not to be trusted or believed. What is more, she is to be brought back in chains and under a shield if she is seen. For this crime she is to face the Hall of the Tower for excommunication and stilling."

"It will be done, mother."

"And bring me, Moiraine. I have something to discuss with her."

It took three hours to find the blue sister as well as bring her into Siuan's office. She'd not been in her rooms, at the inn with the others, or even training with Lan in the courtyard. No, she'd been found on an evening stroll through the city, hand in hand with Hadrian. It seemed she'd been right about him fancying her, and wasn't that another galling blow to the Amyrlin Seat. She'd known her old pillow friend would move on someday, but it still hurt to see it.

Now she stood before her desk, hands folded before her in the picture of subservience. Please, as if Moiraine Damodred would ever be truly subservient to anyone, regardless of her respect for rank. "You can drop the act, daughter, I have a task for you."

"Anything, Mother."

"I have reason to believe that the Dragon Reborn is meant to travel to the Eye of the World. You will take your hopefuls there and transfer its power to him once you determine which it is."

The brunette blinked, "Matt Cauthon is not capable of such a journey, and the distance is incredibly vast."

"Do you honestly believe he is the one?"

"No."

"Then leaving him here will not be a problem. As for the distance, we both know of the gateway in Caemlyn. You are to go there, find a means of traversing the Ways, and then use that gateway to reach Faldara before moving on. While in those locations you will also alert both Queen Morgase and the Faldara commander that Liandrin has gone rogue and is not to be trusted."

"What!"

"Yes, we have more to speak on before your departure. Take a seat."

"What has happened, Mother?"

"Rebellion, Moiraine. The tower is split for all purposes that matter."

The blue sister gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, "That cannot be!"

"Yet it is. For sure, once this rebellion is quashed we will crush all knowledge of it from history so that the image of the White Tower can be maintained, but at the moment it is a very real threat. Elaida is the current advisor to Queen Morgase, and she is of the red. You will need to be sure of her loyalty before moving on to Fal Dara and if she has thrown her lot in with Liandrin then she must be removed."

"I cannot use the Power to harm another, mother."

"But your new paramore does not have that same restriction. If he were to take care of that problem for us we would not be angry in the least."

Moiraine turned her eyes away at that statement. "We have not discussed what exactly we are yet. Harry is… uneasy about my bond with Lan. He doesn't like that I can control him if necessary, and Nynaeve has raised the worry of what would happen if we were to become… intimate."

"Oh," Though it pained her to see her old love courting someone new, it also amused her to see her worrying about something like this. "So they are worried that Lan would feel what you do in the bedroom? Have you mentioned that you can shield him from your sensations?"

"It has come up. But we are not to that point anyway. Perhaps soon." The dark haired woman turned a thoughtful gaze out the window. "He has not been thrilled to stay within these city walls, so perhaps some distance will do him good."

"Is he truly lost to the will and direction of the Tower?"

"I am working on at least a cordial relationship, mother. Though we have not done much to earn his trust or his respect. Certainly our sister's actions when the fire wall came down were not of any benefit in that regard. We had made a deal. There was a signed agreement, and the moment his leverage was taken away the Tower tried to take his life."

"I didn't authorize the attempted attack."

"He doesn't care. You are the Amyrlin, and their actions reflect on you. The treatment of Mat Cauthon and his guardian during our absence will be very telling for him for what your future interactions will look like."

Siuane groaned as she sat back heavily at her desk. "A false dragon wandering freely in the Tower. We will have to see how that goes. I don't think anything like it has ever happened in our histories."

"There's a first for everything." Moiraine knelt on the floor, "Was there anything else you required of me, mother?"

"No, that is all." Moiraine stood. "Be safe, Moiraine. Everything else aside, I still trust you more than any other aes sedai I know, and it would be a crippling blow to lose you."

"Then I'll need to make sure that does not happen." So saying, the blue sister left the Amyrlin Seat alone with her thoughts once more.

The Next Day

It was a stressed group that gathered at the main gate of the city. Mat and Logain had been sent up to the Tower with Egwene, and the rest had stocked up on supplies and procured horses for those that did not have them. They'd been in the city for too long and each person was practically itching to make their way out of it. City living, it seemed, did not agree with them. Rand was depressed to be leaving Egwene behind but the others wanted out as soon as possible.

Hadrian noticed that Lan was still staring at how close he and Nynaeve rode to Moiraine, but all the same the warder didn't comment. As they passed under the portcullis and on to the road proper, he noted, "Your warder is certainly protective."

"Oh Lan? Yes, I suppose he is. It's one of the things that makes him so effective." Lowering her voice a bit she added, "You don't need to worry about him, you know. He won't feel what we do, or interfere in whatever develops between us. He is my friend, my protector, and my partner, but he is not my love." She reached over and took his hand. "He is no threat to the future we have received."

From the corner of her eye the aes sedai saw Nynaeve looking at their hands and giving a secretive half smile. "Nynaeve seems to have warmed to me. She gave her permission to court you on the road to Tar Valon."

Hadrian laughed at the thought. "It is more that she believes you have good intentions toward me and is willing to see where things go. My wife loves me and she wants me to be happy. If you can make me happy, then she is willing to allow your presence in our lives."

Moiraine looked at the Wisdom, gave an understanding nod of her head, and focused back on the road, never once releasing her grip.

Later that night they were all camped off the road with a fire getting made by Lan, so the blacksmith decided to make some rounds and check on his people. He'd not trusted too many spoken questions in Tar Valon. With that many aes sedai in one place the walls were sure to have ears.

Squatting down beside Rand he bumped his shoulder easily. The young man had been staring off into space and sharpening that sword of his. Funny, He'd not actually noticed the details of it when they were all traveling before. "That's Tam's blade isn't it?"

Rand jumped with surprise. "You've seen it before?"

"Of course. I did some maintenance on it for him a few years back."

"Huh, he never even told me he had it until our home was attacked. Do you… do you know where he got it?"

Hadrian thought back over his interactions with Tam Al'thor, and answered, "Not really. All I know is what I picked up from others in the village. Apparently your old man went out to explore the world and became a soldier. I don't know for where. What I do know is that when he came back he had a woman on his arm and you in a small basket. He never really talked about where he went during his time away. In the end I think Emond's Field was for him what it was for me, a haven. A place to live simply, and just enjoy your life without the input of others."

The redhead stared into his reflection in the blade. "Why wouldn't he tell me any of that?"

The blacksmith sighed and answered, "speaking as someone who has experience with war, sometimes you just want to leave that time of your life behind and focus on the present. Taking life is no easy thing, Rand. And coming back from that act is even harder. Try not to think on it too much until you get the chance to ask him about it yourself."

"Will I get that chance?"

"Eh?"

Rand's hand began to tremble on the hilt. "Hadrian, I've… I've been having more of those dreams. And on the road to get to Tar Valon things happened. Bad things. And I think… I think I did something impossible."

"Explain." The blacksmith cast a small silencing charm around them both.

"Mat and I were in an inn, and ended up getting backed into a corner by darkfriends that were chasing us. There was no way out, and more were coming. I just wanted to get away, I wanted a way out, and then I felt really dizzy and lightning struck the door the darkfriends were banging on. When I could finally move again they were all dead and the path to the forest and freedom was clear." He took a deep breath, "I was very sick for three days after. All the stories say it starts that way, men channeling. An intense need causes an impossible effect then sickness follows."

"So you think you're a channeler of Saidin?"

Rand shuddered at the very thought. "Y-Yeah, I think I might be."

"I can find out if you like."

Sudden desperation filled Rand's voice as he practically pleaded, "Please!"

It made Hadrian sad to see how panicked this thought had made the boy. "Look into my eyes." The connection built within a couple seconds and the wizard found himself staring at the expanse of Rand's mind. In his case it was an expansive desert with dozens of large boulders spaced throughout. The worrying thing came from the outcropping of cruel looking black spikes stuck in the ground in the center of them all.

'Best to nip this in the bud now.' He thought sadly as he raised his hands toward them. Rand was not going to be happy about this at all, and he hated being the bearer of bad news. Focusing his thoughts on the prevalent presence of the boy's consciousness he intoned, "I reject your reality and substitute my own." Before his eyes the spikes shimmered in place before disappearing. But something was different this time. The holes had not gone with their makers as they had with Logain. The problem was gone, but the impact still remained.

Willing his astral body toward the spots he stared down into the nearest hole and shuddered at what he saw. Pinpricks of black sludge. On a whim he spent a few minutes watching, and though there wasn't a big noticeable change, he could feel the darkness beginning to expand. The dark one's taint could be banished from Rand, but given time it would return.

Pulling himself out of the younger man's mind he said, "It's true, you can channel, Rand. However, you don't need to worry." He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I have worked it out with the Tower to where I hold authority over men who can wield Saidin, and just like with Logain I can keep the Taint from driving you mad."

"You can?"

"I can, but I'll need to stay near you to keep it at bay. Do you understand?"

"I do." Gratitude as pure as a freshwater spring was leaking from the redhead's voice as he stared up at the blacksmith. "If I stay with you I'll be alright."

"That's just right. Now let me show you the right way to sharpen that sword. Your lousy technique is hurting my teeth. It's like watching someone scrape their teeth on a fork. Yikes."

A short time later he made his way over to Moiraine once more. "It's Rand isn't it?" He didn't need to specify what he meant.

"I believe he is the one." She agreed. "He's the right age, has shown the proper signs, and there are other factors at play that make him the most likely candidate."

"Yeah, well, add this to the list. He can channel Saidin, but when I heal the taint inside his mind it only comes back. Granted it comes back slowly, but it's definitely still there."

"That is certainly worrying." The blue sister shivered. She knew with Hadrian at hand Saidin could be managed, but that didn't mean years of fear would go away with the snap of a finger. "He'll need to stay with us then."

"Yes, he will, but I don't think that'll be a problem. The kid is scared and looking for someone to let him know he's not a monster. Your sisters have made him terrified of what he is. He'll latch on to anything that'll help him."

"What about Perrin?"

"I'm going to see him next. I think there's more to his story than he let on.

"Good. I had thought the same but I do not believe he trusts me enough to say anything if I ask."

The pair simply stared at the fire for a few moments before he asked something that had been on his mind for a while. "Moiraine, why are we doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Going to this Eye of the World? You came out to my village to find the Dragon Reborn. We've found him. He's supposed to fight at the last battle to save the world, cool. Let's find some hidden place in the wilds and get him trained up. Going to some out of the way place to reveal a hero we already have seems wasteful and fraught with risk. Especially considering the source of this destination. I don't trust these dreams of your Amyrlin, especially not when the Dark One has proven capable of haunting those of the boys."

Moiraine thought over her answer for a while before saying, "I'm not sure I trust them either. It seems clear that something wants us to go there, and Siuane is just desperate enough to find the Dragon to listen and justify the plan. I agree that actually going there would be a mistake."

"Then what are we 'actually' going to do?"

"Part of her plan was actually a good idea. Traveling to Caemlyn and Fal Dara seems like a good plan. We need to warn them about what's coming as well as Liandrin's defection. After that, well, the Aiel Wastes are a good place to disappear for a while and Fal Dara is relatively close to them. How far can your apparition take you?"

"As far as it needs to. But if I've never been somewhere then I need to see where I'm going."

"Good, then you'll still be able to look after those male channelers that the greens bring back to the Tower no matter where we end up."

"It's a good plan. And you're good with going against the Tower?"

"To my mind I am not going against them. Siuan desires that I make the Dragon ready to face his destiny. Am I going about it in a way different then what she expected? Very likely. But I know in my heart that it's the right one."

Hadrian smiled at the resolve in her voice. "That's as good a reason as I've heard in a while. Alright, we'll do it your way."