"Do you really think she can be trusted?"
Elayne made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Trusted that she will help? Not even if the sun sets in the wes. Trusted that she will keep herself away from trouble?" She shrugged and smiled. "She is smart enough to do that."
Min played with the leaf in her hand. "Elayne, she is from the Age of Legends. She knows more of channeling and Tel'aran'rhiod than any of us."
"That didn't prevent us from capturing her. I think the fact she lost from a couple of 'children' from her perspective might have taught her some humility."
"I don't think you should underestimate her, Elayne. What if she breaks the ter'angreal? What if the other Forsaken come for her? Anything can happen if we don't pay close attention..."
"Min, are you seeing something happening? An aura or vision about her escaping?"
She bit her lip. She has been seeing many auras, especially around Siuan and Bryne. She saw a great crown above Elayne's head and Nynaeve holding a light in her hand. But she saw nothing for Marigan. "No."
"Then we'll not talk about that. We have bigger problems, including events right here. And in Caemlyn." she sighed. "Are you certain you cannot go there?"
"Bryne had said he will let me go soon, though he plans to keep Siuan." she smiled, guessing her unasked question. "Elayne, I love him just as much as you, but...I don't know if we can help him there. Maybe you should send Nynaeve, she was practically a sister to him. She knows him better than we do."
"I will be honest with you." Elayne sat beside her. "I do not trust Nynaeve's temper. I believe her and would put my life in her hands, but I do not think I can send her with the letter. I trust only you Min in that."
You wouldn't be the first to do so. "Is that an order from a princess?"
"Consider it more like a powerful suggestion."
"Well, it would be very unwise for me to disobey a princess, no? Right now though, I would go for a sleep if you don't mind."
"Of course not." Elayne hugged her and kissed her on the cheek as she left. Looking through the window, she noticed it was the darkest point of night, and yet the sweat was still rolling down her face, even indoors. This summer looked like it will last for ages. It would be the longest one she ever experienced. For that reason, Min took the thinest blanket she could find and covered herself with it. Feeling her eyes get tired, she closed them, thinking and laying in bed for some time. She knew others could navigate through Tel'aran'rhiod, but could not imagine herself being in power there. Her gift was foresight and that was all, it seemed.
It seemed.
The place she saw after closing her eyes was a great mount. Standing close to its top, she attempted to climb upon it, and was amazed at how light and flat the stone was, feeling like she was climbing up some hidden stairs. The air of this height felt like a relief. Min did not feel like she was climbing, but flying through it, and the air itself was holding some hidden awe. Turning to the mountain behind her, she looked far beyond, seeing light coming, to her surprise, from the South rather than the East or West. She stood confused there, trying to take another look at her surroundings. As perplexing as it was, the light was coming from the South, not East or West. Initially confused, she saw, in the distance, animals running through in the middle of the mountains. She noticed a pack of wolves and a herd of deers running from them.
Taking her place, she kept her attention on them, seeing wolves caught up to the poor animals. Now it was just a matter of time until the pack would start feasting on them. She wanted to turn away, but the single moment she looked behind had her see that the deers did not actually resist wolves. Moving a bit closer, going down, she saw, to her own surprise, that the beasts and their prey were playing. One wolf even seemed to be nursing the young deer, carefully caressing it like her own cub. Min's lips moved in a slight smile. She never knew if she actually needed this in her life, but this made her heart rejoice. Wolves playing with deers, she thought. Now that would make even Nynaeve smile.
Then, the animals all stood alert. Giving a short glance towards the mountains, they ran. Min turned around only to see the light disappear quickly, darkness consuming it and overcoming it. It was the fastest fall of night she had ever seen in her life. Just a few moments before, the light was all around the sky, but now, she stood in complete darkness. Her gut feeling stronger than her reason, she ran, stumbling and falling down. The height she fell from seemed like it would kill her and she screamed, only to then feel something grabbed her from below, slowly placing her upon the ground.
Min.
She turned around. Moving in all directions, trying to make it out.
"Yes?" she asked. "I am here. Who are you?"
The answer did not arrive. Instead, she kept on travelling through the darkness. This is a dream, she comforted herself. Nothing will happen. This is a dream. I can think of something and then... And yet nothing happened. She did not wake up and she did not appear somewhere else. She was still in darkness, without light appearing. She used her hands and ears, her eyes of same use as if she were born blind, touching everything and leaning to hear sounds.
A yell could be heard in the distance and she felt a slow, dark power entered the valley. What was once a place of refreshing air now felt like a foul stench that made her cough on and on. If she ever wished to have access to the One Power, it was now.
She heard voices.
"Get gone from these gates, foul hand!" she heard a voice cry. It was a foreign language, one she had never heard before in her life. And yet, she understood the meaning. She continued through the darkness, smelling, listening and touching. She stumbled on many rocks.
FOUL HAND? MINE IS THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP, HIGH KING.
The sound of that voice made her shake. Touching her face, on the finger she felt tears there. She fell to the ground while running to the opposite direction.
"I will hear no other word. My son was right about you. You are the Enemy of all Eldar! Get away from my gates!"
Pulling herself, she grabbed the mountain, looking for the rocks to climb on. Up, idiot. Up and up! The voice made her run. She did not know what it is nor wanted to know. She just climbed. Wake up! Wake up!
YOUR SON IS BUT ANOTHER PAWN IN MY GAME, NOLDO.
She climbed faster and faster, not daring to look down. Only up. Wake up! Someone wake me up, please!
First stone to fall down had entire twelve seconds before it made any sound. Enough to cripple her if she falls.
DO NOT STAND HERE TO DEFY ME. OTHERS HAVE DONE SO BEFORE YOU.
Second stone to fall down now had entire thirty seconds. One clumsy move and she might be dead. Dead in darkness.
"I will suffer no threats in my house." the tall voice repeated, proud and defiant. "Be gone from my gate!"
The other stone that fell was falling for an entire minute...or longer. Min did not hear it fall.
The voice laughed. YOUR CHOICE, KING OF FOOLS.
The sound of a spear drawn filled the valey and the slash that followed was made null by the scream of agony that came after it. Around Min, all the animals screamed, yelled and barked in their native tongues, and the wind howled, sounding like a scream on its waves. She jumped to reach another rock, but the wind proved itself stronger and pulled her into oblivion.
Min.
A voice spoke again. It was not the Shadow that spoke a few moments ago. Instead, it was a voice of comfort and warmth, with genuine concern behind it. A woman's voice.
She called to her, but no response came from the void. Min rose up in the darkness, thinking of something, thinking of waking herself on her own. Nothing seemed to have effect.
You are not in the Dream World.
Min flinched. This time it was a man's voice, but still tall and powerful, making her stop all things she was doing. She listened to it, ceasing everything else she was doing and showing obeisance.
You are not in the Dream World, Elmindreda, the man's voice said. Do not move and nothing will happen to you.
Trust us, Min.
She turned to every direction again, looking for the source of the voice. "Who are you?"
We must try to speak, another man came in. She will not understand it otherwise.
"Who are you?" Though she knew it meant nothing, her hand reached the daggers by itself. "Are you friends or not?"
Dhagon.
"What?"
Dhagon, Min! Find Dhagon. Go there.
"What? What is it? What is Dhagon?"
Something else rustled in the unseen distance. Min looked towards it only to hear it grow louder and louder. She rushed to her feet, intending to run.
Stay! The same voice repeated.
The rustle turned into a loud bark.
Dhagon, Min. Remember - Dhagon!
A shadow appeared behind her, pushing her to fall into nothingness.
Dhagon...
That was the last thing she heard while falling. Waking up in cold sweat, she pushed the blanket and reached the window, looking over it. Except a few travellers with lamps and soldiers with fire, the night was as dark as the void in her nightmare. She reached her canteen, calming herself with water. Min almost ran towards the door to open them and bust out of the room, but her left hand, again as if moving by itself, pulled away the right one from the knob.
A dream! She said to herself. It was just a dream.
She sat on the bed. Right now, she wished she was not alone, but had to make due with this. Grabbing a book, more out of the need to do something rather than the need to read it, she kept looking at the darkness in the corner of her room and then at the window. Her eyes wondered between the two a few times.
She took a deep breath.
Nynaeve and Elayne spoke of this. They told her that Tel'aran'rhiod is a dangerous place and what happens to you there will reflect on what happens in the real world. Even Heroes of the Horn walk in it: that is how they brought Birgitte out of it, despite her not being reborn. Everyone could enter it. In fact, if Nynaeve was right, everyone does enter Tel'aran'rhiod at some point - only Dreamwalkers know to control it and can enter it at will, but it seemed obvious everyone would enter it at some point. Most people would awake from nightmares safely. One could die in it, but it happened rarely.
So even if it was Tel'arah'rhiod pulling her, she had nothing to fear. Her viewings were a burden enough, but at least she could aid Elayne and Nynaeve now. I'll tell them. Maybe we can make use of this...
Then she remembered.
You are not in the Dream World, Min...
"Min proceeds to have these dreams. She told only me, Rand and Elayne as it seems and was to scared to tell someone else. Both of them agreed, according to her, that whatever these dreams are, they are not from Tel'aran'rhiod. Something else is speaking to her..."
- from the notebook of Loial, son of Arent son of Halan