The companions start their rescue mission.

The moon enlightened the streets of Falme. Since everyone feared the Seanchan, only a few people were out on the streets. Moiraine, Nynaeve, Elayne, and Loial kneeled behind a cart filled with hay while Lan, Thom, Rand, and Perrin knocked out the guards of the side entrance. Rand and Perrin would take their places to secure their escape. It had been only one part of their idiotic plan, which Lan had changed…

*An hour earlier*

"We will use one of the less secure entrances and knock their guards out."

"And how do you know which of the entrances is the least secured one? We haven't seen the place by night." The Warder wasn't convinced about the plan.

"We hope it's the same entrance they didn't guard so well a few hours before."

Lan grimaced but didn't say a word and let Rand continue. He didn't like the word 'hope'. It meant there were a thousand possibilities about what could go wrong tonight.

"Min will be waiting for us inside."

"Where will she be waiting?"

Rand opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Seeking help, his eyes moved to Nynaeve, begging her to jump in for him.

"She'll find us," the Wisdom explained. "We didn't talk about an exact spot."

Slowly, the uncrowned king of Malkier turned to her, his mood getting worse by the minute. "Did you tell her when you will start your attack? Does Min know at what time she can expect us?"

This time, it was Nynaeve who looked for help when she had no answer to that. Frustrated, Lan rubbed his forehead. This plan had more holes than he had imagined.

"But she is a seer." Elayne did her best to find something positive about their plan. "She will know where to find us – and when."

"And then-"Rand quickly turned the conversation back to the primary goal of this rescue mission. "-she will guide us to Egwene, we save her from the Seanchan, and leave."

"And like a miracle, no one got injured, we didn't have to fight anyone, and we all live happily ever after." Lan couldn't hold himself back. This wasn't a plan! This was the delusional fantasy of children who hoped everything would end well if they believed strongly enough!

Rand gnashed with his teeth. He knew his plan had a few minor holes – well, maybe some were a little bigger than the others – but at least he had a plan! "Do you have a better idea?"

"Yes! Let's not go tonight! Let's check out the building by night to know how they guard it! Get to know the strategies of your enemy! Make a realistic plan!" The Dragon opened his mouth, but the Warder cut him off. "Don't bother! I know you don't wait any longer. No matter how many times Moiraine and I tell you, it's a stupid idea. And there are things we can't change anymore. We can't reach Min from here to give her some instructions, which means we have to work with what we got."

Lan took three rounds around the room, thinking about how to use this plan and still ensure everyone would get out of this building alive while everyone was watching him. Finally, he nodded. "All right. We will check out which entrance is the least guarded before we decide to storm one. Preferably an entrance that is guarded by only two men. This means we may need a moment longer, but at least we can be sure not to fight against an army before we have even entered the building."

"And then we knock them out and find Min."

"No." Confused, Rand furrowed his forehead when Lan objected. "You and Perrin will disguise yourself as guards and take their place at the entrance."

"What?! No way! I will save Egwene!"

"Use your head, sheepherder! Egwene thinks you're dead! What happened when Perrin and Nynaeve found out about you being alive? What did they do?"

Cursing, the young man from the Two Rivers lowered his head. He hadn't thought about that! Egwene thought he had died at the Eye of the World because he had asked Moiraine to lie for him. She would probably think this was all a dream – or a nightmare.

"It won't be easy to convince her to come with us. The Seanchan have some kind of power over those who wear those collars. But having YOU with us? Then the discussion will take way longer than is good for us. And wasn't it you who said Egwene already loses precious time?"

"Yes, I did," Rand admitted with gritted teeth. Yes, his plan had holes – BIG holes.

"So, you don't enter the building. You play guard to ensure your friends have a way out once they've got Egwene and Min."

Moiraine had hoped Rand would see reason once Lan had shown him how idiotic his plan was, but it was useless. The Dragon didn't want to wait longer.

After finding the perfect entrance for their plan, Lan had ordered the women to stay hidden while the men would do the dirty work. Since Loial was too big to be subtle, he was supposed to watch over the three women.

"I apologize." Surprised, the woman of the Blue Ajah turned toward the young woman of the Two Rivers who kneeled beside her. "For my earlier behavior." Had Nynaeve ever apologized for her behavior? What was it that was bothering her conscience now?

Nynaeve saw Moiraine's confusion and sighed heavily. "For mentioning your nightmare and for saying you would push Lan into… I shouldn't have said it."

Moiraine was speechless. That was a development she hadn't expected. "Ehm… thank you."

An awkward silence fell over them before Nynyaeve filled it again. "Lan told me about his feelings for you."

Elayne – who wasn't even pretending not to eavesdrop – squeaked in excitement, earning her a stern look from both Nynaeve and Moiraine, though both women didn't tell her to mind her own business. Calmly, Moiraine asked: "Now seems like an inappropriate time to talk about this, don't you think?"

But it seemed like the Wisdom needed to get those things off her mind. "Do you love him?"

"He is my Warder, Nynaeve. Of course, I love him."

"Do you love him as he loves you? Do you love him with all your heart? Do you want to… share a bed with him?"

Damn it! Why wasn't this girl giving up? This was not the time nor the place to talk about such things! "I don't know if I love him as much as he loves me. It's not like I have a scale to describe our love in numbers." Nynaeve's questioning eyes stayed on the Aes Sedai, and she felt it. The young woman was waiting for an honest answer. Moiraine sighed. "But… I love Lan very much. He is so many things to me, and I truly love him."

Another squeak came from Elayne, who was grinning widely. Moiraine glared at her, and the daughter-heir lowered her face to the ground, but she couldn't turn down her grin. The eyes of the Aes Sedai moved over Nynaeve, who hadn't turned away. She was still waiting for one last answer. "In all those years since I know him, I haven't bed him. Not once. I promise."

"That's not what I asked. Do you want to bed him?"

Blood and ashes. Why was this girl doing this to herself? "Yes."

Finally, the Wisdom nodded and turned her eyes back on the entrance where the men had disappeared. They should call for them any moment now to… "Lan told me he loves both of us and doesn't want to lose any of us. That's why he told me about his feelings for you. So, I could give my approval."

"He loves you very much and doesn't want to hurt you."

"I know." Nynaeve sighed. "And I know he had already loved you before he met me, though it was a different kind of love which has turned over the last couple of months into something more – something he can't ignore."

"Nynaeve-"

"I won't stay in your way." Moiraine raised her eyebrows. She hadn't expected that. "I don't say I like it, but I won't stop you either. I don't want to know when you decide to finally bed each other or how often you do it. I think for now we should just go with 'we both know we're bedding him'."

The Aes Sedai pursed her lips. "I'm afraid I have a front-row seat whenever you bed him – as you may recall."

Nynaeve was really glad it was dark, and Moiraine couldn't see how she blushed. "This probably wasn't very nice of me either."

"You think?"

"In my defense, I just found out about his feelings for you. It's not easy to hear the man you love is also in love with another woman."

Moiraine snorted. In her opinion, Lan should have chosen a better time for his revelation. "I told him it was the wrong moment to tell you."

"There is a good moment to tell a person this?"

A chuckle crossed Moiraine's lips. "No, there probably isn't."

Suddenly, a short whistle was heard and was repeated twice – Thom's sign for the women and Loial to join them. "Let's go."

They checked if it was safe to cross the street, then entered the property through the small entrance. There was a garden behind these walls, and Moiraine gasped. She knew this garden!

"So, you also noticed."

The Aes Sedai turned her head to the Dragon Reborn, who put on the clothes of the Seanchan. His eyes moved over the garden while he pressed his lips into a thin line. "Is that good or bad?"

"What are you talking about?" Nynaeve hissed.

"No more talking. We can't risk the Seanchan hearing us." Lan appeared out of the dark. He had been responsible for hiding the sleeping guards. Moiraine felt the question through the bond. He might not want them to talk, but he was also curious about what Rand had meant. The woman of the Blue Ajah shook her head slightly. Now was not the time to give explanations. Luckily, even in the dark, Lan saw her reaction and continued to give orders. "Rand, Perrin. You guard this entrance until we return. Loial will keep you company to warn you about trouble."

"The Ogier should wait in the shadow, or the Seanchan will see him."

Startled, everyone swirled around and drew their weapons. A woman appeared out of the dark – Min!

"Min." Nynaeve sounded relieved.

"Do we have a plan?"

"We do," Lan answered, then turned back to Rand and Perrin. "You know your role?" The boys nodded. "Good. Loial? Min is right. Hide in the shadows and make yourself as small as possible. We don't want the Seanchan to see you right away. Min? Get us to Egwene."

Min's eyes moved to Moiraine. "Since when is stony face here giving the orders?"

"Now, Min," the Aes Sedai said in a stern tone.

The young woman shrugged her shoulders and turned around. It was time for the next part of their plan.

*An hour earlier*

"Once we're inside and have found Min, she will take us the shortest way to Egwene. Let's hope the Seanchan are all asleep. If we hear someone approaching, we hide. Let's avoid a fight for as long as possible." Lan didn't sound like he believed they would get out of that building without at least one big fight.

"What if we run into a Seanchan?" The daughter-heir did her best to look unafraid, but the trembling of her fingers showed how nervous she was.

"The gleeman and I will kill them as quickly as possible."

"Moiraine could keep them from screaming with Saidar. And if she shows Nynaeve and me the weave, we could-"

"No channeling!" the Warder interrupted the young woman. "We will use Saidar only if there's no other way and as our last defense." His stern eyes also moved to his Aes Sedai like he wanted to say, 'Same goes for you'.

Moiraine held up her hands in defense. She hadn't been the one suggesting it. But Lan was not a fool. He knew his Aes Sedai would think about using the One Power when they faced danger. Hopefully, he could stop her before that would lead to their exposure.

"Understood," Nynaeve said. "What do we do when the Seanchan is with Egwene? We can't fight against Egwene."

Lan sighed. This would be a problem. According to Moiraine, Egwene was a powerful channeler. Should her leash holder be wearing the bracelet, she could command the young woman to use Saidar on them. "Min will clear the room for us. You said the Seanchan keep her to entertain Egwene and let her walk around freely. It shouldn't look suspicious if she's checking on her friend. Let's hope she will be alone."

The corridors were empty. It had been easy to pass the guards at the front entrance who hadn't heard the companions. They had entered the building through the common room of the high lord – he had his own private access to the garden – and were on their way to the rooms of the servants on the upper floor. According to Min, the Seanchan had brought the most promising Damane to this house to push their learning since they wanted to get those Damane back to their land. All the others were held prisoned in an ugly building close by.

Moiraine and Lan had exchanged a quick look at that news. Were two former Aes Sedai a value to the Seanchan? They hadn't followed Anaiya or Maigan to know where they were held. If they had to storm the other building, too, … But Lan calmed her by sending his feelings through the bond. He would follow her wherever she led him. First, they would free Egwene and then would search for her sisters.

The corridors on the upper floor were as empty as the ones on the lower floor. The Seanchan were asleep. Yet, everyone placed their footsteps carefully while listening for unusual sounds. Behind them lay the private rooms of the former owner of this house. The doors were closed, but the companions were sure to hear some noises from inside. None of them got closer, and soon it was audible what kind of activities the high lord enjoyed.

Nynaeve and Elayne blushed when the sounds became louder while the others focused on what lay ahead of them. Nonetheless, everyone shrugged when the cry of a woman echoed through the silence, crying out her pleasure like there was no one else in the building. At this point, Nynaeve and Elayne's ears had turned red like a tomato, and the women had quickened their steps. They wanted to escape that door and those sounds as quickly as possible. Luckily, their companions seemed to agree.

Min led them quietly through the corridors. "It's the next corridor on the right."

Suddenly, voices appeared in front of them, and then two Sul'dam turned around the corner at the end of the corridor. Lan pulled Min behind a gigantic flower pot. Someone had decorated the entire house with these flower pots, probably not knowing someone could use them as a hiding spot.

Moiraine, Thom, Nynaeve, and Elayne walked a few steps behind Lan and Min and moved into the corridor on their right. Four more flower pots decorated the hall – two on each side. Nynaeve and Elayne didn't hesitate to hide behind the closest while Thom pushed Moiraine to another.

In the last moment, they hid behind the leaves of the giant plant, then the two Seanchan women passed their corridor without noticing the intruders.

The gleeman had his arms wrapped around the Aes Sedai, holding her close. Since he was focused on the Seanchan, he didn't notice his doing until Moiraine's smell hit him. He turned his head until his nose touched her dark brown locks. Her smell was… intoxicating. Her hair smelled like flowers, though there also was the scent of horses on her. Thom understood why the Warder loved to push his nose in her hair. He would love to do the same thing. Her warm breath tickled the hair on his chest, almost making him shiver. Finally, he realized how tight he pressed her small figure against him. He became aware of her slim frame and her breasts pressed against his chest. Would it be too much to rub his hands over her back? She hadn't pushed him off her – at least not yet.

But Moiraine's thoughts were also running. She wasn't used to being so close to another man than Lan. Usually, the closest another man got to her was to shake her hand. Lan was the only one who had done more. When he put his arms around her, it never felt wrong or weird. Lan was her home – her safe haven. But what was she feeling now? It felt strange, though she couldn't say if it was because another man had hugged her or because she didn't like him. After all, this man constantly annoyed her with questions about her relationship with Lan. She didn't like him, right? On the other hand, a few days ago, she hadn't thought she would feel more than friendship for Lan. Could she trust her feelings anymore?

"They're gone."

Startled, the gleeman released the woman in his arms and stepped back. Lan stood behind him, and there had been a certain growl in his whisper. Thom saw the warily look in the Warder's eyes. This man didn't like Thom's hands lying on his bonded woman.

"Then we better hurry before they come back."

Lan's eyes followed the gleeman, who returned to Min, Nynaeve, and Elayne. What were the intentions of this gleeman? Was he trying to make a move on Moiraine? It was apparent Thom wasn't afraid of her. Her being an Aes Sedai didn't scare him anymore.

A movement caught Lan's eye. Moiraine stepped out behind the flower pot, but he touched her arm when she tried to pass him, making her look at him. Instead of talking, he sent her his question through the bond. He had felt her curiosity when the gleeman had held her in his arms. Was she developing feelings for the old man?

The Aes Sedai furrowed her forehead. "We need to leave, Lan. The Seanchan can return any minute." Then she followed Thom.

Was she avoiding him on purpose? Maybe because she was feeling guilty for having such feelings toward Thom? Lan's body was itching. Moiraine belonged to him! This gleeman hadn't even liked her when they had met him a few days ago!

"Lan!" Moiraine's angry hiss made him follow.

The next chapter will be uploaded on Wednesday.

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