It is time for Moiraine to leave Cairhien. Will Lan go with her?

It was hard to find a way through the screaming guests. Everyone tried to escape and ran, but Moiraine couldn't see what had caused the uproar. The uncrowned king of Malkier created a passage through the panicked crowd, yet it never stayed for very long. Moiraine did her best to keep up with her Warder while Anvaere and Rand followed her.

Occasionally, people crushed into the woman of the Blue Ajah, and once or twice, she almost fell. She only rescued herself by leaning on other people's backs. The people would run her over should she ever go down.

Cursing, Moiraine pushed forward. She wanted to get out of there! This was madness! What had happened?!

Again, someone crushed into her and grabbed her to steady himself since he was heavily drunk. Moiraine grimaced when she was wrapped in a cloud of alcohol and tried to push the man off her.

"Look at that." She froze when she recognized the voice. It was the man on whose foot she had stomped to get rid of him! "It looks like the wheel brought us back together. We shouldn't be unthankful for its gift."

Whatever had made the man run, he had forgotten about it already. His wet mouth aimed for Moiraine's face. In the last second, the Cairhien woman could turn away her face, so his lips only touched her cheek. Yet, she still shivered from the feeling.

"Let go of me!" Leaning back as far as possible, she tried to push him away, but the man was strong despite his drunken state.

One arm was wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight against him while the other hand moved over her body – squeezing her butt, pressing her hips against his hard erection so he could rub against her body.

When his mouth moved onto her throat, his hand also found a new place to examine. The disgusting man found her breast with ease and squeezed it hard. Moiraine yelped and pushed his hand off. That guy seemed to be a rough lover in bed. "Let go of me!"

The Aes Sedai grabbed his hair and pulled his face away from her throat. Her drunken assaulter smiled broadly. "I like it when you're squirming. Just wait until you see what else I have for you, lovely."

His free hand grabbed the lower part of her dress, pulling it up to have free access to her core.

Shocked, Moiraine let go of his hair. His kisses were disgusting, but she definitely didn't want his fingers inside of her.

Suddenly, her assaulter stumbled backward – releasing his tight grip on her – before he received a punch in the face.

A relieved sigh crossed Moiraine's lips when she recognized Lan. Her Warder had returned, saving her from being raped in front of everyone's eyes. And he was pissed.

"She said 'No', scumbag!"

Angrily, Lan's arm moved around his bondholder's waist, pulling her against his chest. Moiraine followed without any resistance. Trembling, she grabbed his tunic and hid her face in the fabric, inhaling his familiar scent. Safe! Lan would protect her from that disgusting man. He wouldn't allow anyone to touch her inappropriately.

"Did he hurt you?" Lan whispered worriedly.

His fingers stroked her hair gently, and Moiraine's throat tightened. She wanted to forget the world around her. Why couldn't she stop time for a moment? – Being safe in Lan's arms.

But her Warder waited for an answer, so she shook her head in denial. The uncrowned king of Malkier released a relieved sigh before he pushed her at arm's length of him. "Where did he touch you?"

"He-" Moiraine's voice broke, so she had to try again. "He kissed my cheek."

Apparently, Lan saw the wet trail Moiraine's assaulter had left on her cheek because he lifted his hand and rubbed the remains away with his thumb. Disgusted, Moiraine lifted her own hand to rub at her throat. She didn't want any remains of her assaulter on her.

Luckily, Lan understood without her telling him what else the guy had done. Calmly, he pushed her rubbing hand away and removed the kissing trail with more gentle movements. A single tear rolled over Moiraine's cheek. Lan still cared about her.

"Where else?" He wanted to know through gritted teeth when he saw her tear.

But the Cairhien woman shook her head. "I want to leave this place," she whispered instead.

Lan nodded, understanding. He pulled her closer so she could place her hands on his chest, then turned his head to Rand.

"Sheepherder. Stay close to Lady Damodred's side. These people are crazy."

"I'll do my best," the Dragon Reborn panted. He and Anvaere had been pushed into the middle of the crowd and had to fight their way back out of it. "But it's not so easy when-" He coughed, and Moiraine winced when she saw an elbow pressing into Rand's belly.

Another guest had been pushed into Rand, and the poor boy had received the sharp end of an elbow. As a result, the boy from the Two Rivers almost sank to his knees. It was only thanks to Anvaere that he kept standing. The older woman grabbed his arm and kept him upright.

"Lead the way," Anvaere ordered. "We need to get out of here."

Lan locked eyes with Rand, who gave the Warder a thumbs up. "Remember, stay close to her. Protect her from any idiot crossing your way. I take care of Moiraine." When the boy nodded, the Malkieri grabbed Moiraine's hand and intertwined their fingers.

Moiraine felt a wave of love for that man rushing through her veins. Light, how much she wished she could send her feelings through the bond! But the bond was masked, and she was stilled. Lan would never feel her again.

"Stay close," Lan said, then pulled her further through the crowd back to the rooms where the guests had celebrated the wedding of Queen Galldrian and King Barthanes.

Lan shielded his bondholder from most of the contact with other guests, yet not even he could reduce the contact to zero. The Cairhien woman heard Rand cursing in her back, but it seemed like he kept up with Lan's pace.

Finally, they reached the room where Moiraine had left Siuan behind. The Amyrlin Seat stood in the same corner where Moiraine had found her earlier with a protection shield woven around her.

Relief moved over Siuan's face when she recognized Moiraine and Lan. Quickly, she opened the protection shield for them to get inside.

"Where have you been?!" Siuan snapped, then pulled Moiraine into her arms. There was no one watching them anyway.

"The new king lost his mind," Lan explained.

The Amyrlin snorted. "You would also be angry if your newly wedded wife is killed on your wedding day."

Moiraine stiffened. "Queen Galldrian is dead?"

Siuan raised a surprised eyebrow. "Didn't you hear? She died in your nephew's arms. She was poisoned."

Moiraine and Lan exchanged a glance. "He was quick," Lan said through gritted teeth. "We need to get you out of here before he starts pointing his finger at you or your sister. I doubt that someone will ask many questions at the moment."

"Why should your nephew accuse you?" Siuan's eyes narrowed warily at Moiraine.

The woman of the Blue Ajah sighed, exhausted. How should she explain that? They didn't have enough time for that.

"Barthanes tried to kill both Moiraine and his mother since they threatened his position as king. It was him who poisoned the queen," her Warder explained.

"He is a true Damodred," Moiraine whispered. When Siuan and Lan glared at her, she held up her hand in defense.

The Amyrlin turned to the Warder, then pushed Moiraine into his arms. "Get her out of here. Get her out of this city. If her nephew organized all that, he will be after her very soon."

"Siuan-!" Moiraine protested but was cut off by her lover.

"I'll find you. Now go. I'll do my best to keep anyone from following you."

The Cairhien woman squeezed her lover's hands one last time, then Lan pulled her away from Siuan and guided her back into the crowd.

As soon as they had left the Sun Palace, Moiraine was able to breathe again. They had made it out of there without being attacked by royal soldiers. But it wouldn't take long until Barthanes would be after them.

Anvaere took the lead once they were outside and guided the little group back to the Damodred residence. Rand stayed close to the old woman while Lan had his arm around Moiraine, keeping her pressed against him to protect her from anyone crossing their path.

Unharmed, they reached Anvaere's house and disappeared inside as quickly as possible. Lan locked the door behind them thoroughly before they all met in the common room.

"What now?" Anvaere asked, looking questioningly at her older sister. "How long will your Amyrlin keep Barthanes occupied?"

Moiraine shook her head. "Not for long. He is smart and will see through the charade. Besides, he knows I'm an Aes Sedai. He will know she is stalling for me."

Anvaere gritted her teeth. "We have to leave."

"Yes," Moiraine agreed. "I'm not sure if he will point his finger at us – accusing us of murdering his wife – but he will find a reason to have us arrested." Her hands moved over the beautiful dress she was wearing. "And we need to change our clothes. We can't ride like this."

Anvaere looked Rand up and down, then nodded. "The boy can have some clothes from Barthanes. They should fit him."

"Thank you, sister." Moiraine turned to Rand. "Go with Anvaere. Change your clothes, then pack everything you have. We need to leave this city."

For once, the Dragon didn't ask any questions and simply nodded. Anxiously, the Aes Sedai turned around and went for her room.

As soon as she was alone, Moiraine's hands started to tremble while she pulled at the cords of her dress. Nothing had happened as she planned it! Barthanes had turned mad and tried to kill her. Rand was injured because her nephew thought the boy was her Warder. Siuan refused to protect the Dragon in Moiraine's name, and then Moiraine had to leave her behind in the Sun Palace.

And then there had been the biggest reveal of the evening – Lan was back! The man she had pushed away with everything she got and hurt deeply with her words was with her again. He had protected her like he always did.

Moiraine's eyes burned when she thought about how much she longed for his embrace. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never let go of him again!

But at the same time, she cursed inwardly for reacting that strongly at the sight of him. She had pushed him away on purpose – to save him from being killed. Alanna was supposed to get him to the White Tower – back to Nynaeve! – so he could be with the woman he loved. Why was he in Cairhien?

The more she pulled at the cords, the more they resisted loosening until they had formed a tight knot. And trembling hands didn't help in untying a knot.

Suddenly, two big hands covered hers, pulling them away from the knot before they started working on the knot more calmly.

Tears built up in Moiraine's eyes when she saw Lan standing before her. How had he got inside her room without her noticing him?

"You make it worse," he explained calmly.

The urge to hug him returned even more stronger than before. He was so close! And there was no one else there!

Finally, the knot opened under Lan's magical hands. Before he could step away, Moiraine's mouth betrayed her. "I missed you."

Her Warder froze at her words. Had he heard her? Did he understand her? Light, Moiraine! What have you done?! Why can't you keep your stupid mouth shut?! That bloody wine! I shouldn't have drunk that much! It makes me emotional, so I say things I usually would keep to myself!

Slowly, the uncrowned king of Malkier lifted his eyes from the cords of her dress, looking her directly in the eyes. A small smile appeared on his lips when he saw her watery eyes. His fingers grabbed her dress and pulled her close, then he lowered his head to press his lips against her cheek. "I missed you, too, Moiraine."

His warm breath and the tenderness in his voice made her shiver. Light, she loved it when he said her name!

Involuntarily, Moiraine's hands reached up, holding his head close to her. She didn't want to let go of him. She wanted to feel him.

When his arms moved around her, the first tears rolled over her cheeks. The feeling of Lan's warm body against hers, his muscular chest, his strong arms having the correct pressure, his warm breath on her skin, and his familiar scent brought one word to the Aes Sedai's mind – home. No matter what she did to him or how long they were apart from each other, that man would always be home to her. She couldn't help it.

"My Moiraine," Lan whispered tenderly.

Those words were her undoing. The Malkieri knew better than anyone how to break the inner wall, which protected her from emotional blows, but since the wall was already fragile from seeing Lan again… His words shattered the wall like glass, and she broke into sobs.

It was too much. All those months since she had been stilled. The loss of Saidar. The loss of her bond with Lan. The fear of being worthless, not worthy of him anymore. The search for the Dragon. The fear of Lanfear killing her. All those nights when she barely slept. All those weeks when she had been alone, continuing her mission without anyone by her side – without Lan by her side.

The uncrowned king of Malkier didn't protest when she clutched him, unable to let go of him while his embrace was way gentler. One hand stroked her hair soothingly, letting her cry until her tears had dried.

Once Moiraine was calmer, Lan pushed her at arm's length of him to look at her. Desperately, she grasped his tunic so he couldn't push her too far away. Lan smiled at her reaction.

"You need to change your clothes. I don't want to be here should your nephew send the royal guards after you."

Her nephew. Barthanes Damodred, the new king of Cairhien, who had murdered his wife on their wedding day and tried to kill Moiraine and his own mother, too.

Slowly, the Aes Sedai nodded. She couldn't stay in that house. It was too dangerous. They needed to leave and had to find Siuan so the Amyrlin could take over Rand's protection.

Her Warder helped her out of her dress, which she left on the floor, then she put her riding clothes on. It was easier to run in pants than in a dress.

After that, she packed everything necessary into her bags. She wouldn't return to that house in the near future.

Once the woman of the Blue Ajah was done, the uncrowned king of Malkier took her bags without a word, then motioned for her silently to lead the way.

Instead of leaving the room, Moiraine stepped before him, grabbed his tunic, and pressed their foreheads together. One last time. She needed to feel him one last time before she left the room – needed to know he was still there with her.

Automatically, Lan's free arm wrapped around her waist to hold her close. "We need to leave," he whispered, his warm breath tickling her lips. "You're not safe here." Although he told her to leave, he pressed her closer against his body simultaneously.

"I know," Moiraine responded quietly, but she couldn't let go of him. Lan's embrace promised safety, and right now, she felt like she was exactly where she belonged.

The Aes Sedai felt her Warder fighting with himself. He wanted to protect her – wanted to get her somewhere safe – while he simultaneously longed for the close contact. Light, he had obviously missed her just as much as she had!

"Moiraine!" Anvaere's yell was loud enough to be heard through the closed door. "We need to leave! And where is that guy with the stony face?!"

Lan chuckled at Anvaere's description of him. "She is right. We need to leave."

"But she is wrong about you," Moiraine said, cupping his cheek with one hand. "You don't have a stony face."

The uncrowned king of Malkier leaned forward and pressed his lips on her cheek. "Luckily, I don't care what your sister or anyone else thinks about me. I only care about your opinion, my Aes Sedai." Finally, he let go of her and leaned back.

Moiraine couldn't leave without apologizing for what she had done to him. "Lan, I'm sorry. What I said to you before I left-"

She couldn't finish the sentence. Lan pressed his fingers on her lips to shut her up. "We talk later, Moiraine."

"But-"

"Moiraine!" Oh, Anvaere was pissed.

Lan went to the door and opened it. "Let's go."

Moiraine's little sister wasn't amused when she saw the Aes Sedai and the Warder arriving together, but Moiraine ignored the question in her eyes. She wouldn't explain to her sister what Lan had done in her room and why she was late.

Rand wore some clothes from Barthanes while Anvaere had put on a riding dress. After all, she was still a lady and threw a disgusted look at Moiraine's pants, though she left it uncommented.

The little group left the house, aiming for the stables. Moiraine and Anvaere had their own horses waiting for them.

"You two can choose any horse you like," Anvaere announced.

Rand went to the nearest horse box, but Lan shook his head. "I won't take your horses. The Amyrlin will bring my horse with her." He started to tie Moiraine's bags on the back of the horse after Moiraine had led the saddled mare out of the box. The Aes Sedai tried to help him, but he swatted her hands away gently.

Anvaere led her mare out of the box and raised an eyebrow at Lan's back. "And how do you want to keep up with us without a horse?" Her eyes looked the Malkieri up and down. "You may be a good swordfighter, but not even you can keep up with a running horse."

The Warder smiled at her comment, then helped his Aes Sedai into the saddle. "You're right. I can't keep up with a running horse."

Contently, Anvaere smiled, then allowed Rand to help her into the saddle. "Then I suggest you choose quickly. We already wasted enough time."

Anvaere's eyes widened when Lan pulled himself into the saddle behind Moiraine. She hadn't seen how the woman of the Blue Ajah had pulled her feet out of the stirrups and made room behind her for the uncrowned king of Malkier to join her.

It wasn't the first time Moiraine and Lan shared a horse. They knew how to arrange themselves in the saddle so they could survive a long ride without needing a break.

"What…?" Anvaere's mouth moved like a fish on land begging for water, but no more words crossed her lips. She hadn't expected that.

Both Moiraine and Lan ignored the shocked Damodred. "Rand? Are you ready?" Lan asked the Dragon, who pulled himself into the saddle.

"I'm good."

"Then let's leave this place."

Moiraine was surprised at how much easier it was for her to breathe once they left Cairhien behind them. It felt so good to be back on horseback and having Lan with her.

Her sister insisted on knowing someone in a nearby village who would let them stay, but Lan protested. He wanted to keep riding to get as much distance between themselves and possible chasers.

After a longer discussion – which included many insults from the younger Damodred sister toward the Malkieri – Lan agreed to accompany Anvaere to the village. But when they reached the mysterious friend, Lan refused to stay.

Anvaere called him a stubborn idiot for wanting to continue to ride with night falling, but Lan didn't waver. He would rather sleep on the cold ground than be caught by Barthanes' men.

When Moiraine tried to reason with her sister, the two Damodreds got into a heated argument, which not even Lan could calm down.

Ultimately, the uncrowned king of Malkier ended the fight by turning the horse around and motioning for Rand to leave the village. Relieved, the boy from the Two Rivers obeyed happily. He felt uncomfortable with the two sisters fighting.

Anvaere tried one last time to stop them by blocking their way, but Moiraine snapped at her to get out of their way.

The uncrowned king of Malkier gave her even the choice to move willingly, or he would throw her over his shoulder and carry her into the house. After a hesitating moment, Anvaere finally stepped aside, throwing an angry look at her sister.

Moiraine told her little sister to keep a low profile until she was sure Barthanes wasn't looking for her. She also instructed her not to write to the White Tower since she wouldn't be there for a very long time. Should she need Moiraine's help, she should write a letter to the Amyrlin Seat and only to her. The Amyrlin would know how to reach her.

Her little sister didn't bother to hide her anger about the Aes Sedai's decision. Although they fought often, Anvaere loved and admired her older sister and didn't want her to get hurt.

Then Lan made the mare leave the village, following Rand.

The next chapter will be uploaded on Sunday.

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