Moiraine searches for Rand but isn't prepared for what she finds.
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Frustrated, Moiraine pushed herself through the crowd. Where was Rand?! She felt like she had visited every available room twice by now, yet she couldn't find the redhead! Where was he?!
One hand lay over the two rings hidden under her dress – the Aes Sedai ring and the signet ring. Had Siuan recognized the signet ring? Doubtfully. I never told her about it, and Lan isn't the person who likes to talk about his heritage.
She remembered Siuan's raised eyebrow when she saw the second ring. Moiraine wished she knew what her lover had been thinking. Was she wondering who this ring belonged to?
The woman of the Blue Ajah gulped when she thought about Lan. She shouldn't have kept the ring. It didn't belong to her. Lan had given it to her to keep it safe. Light, that had been a decade ago! But when she had decided to give him over to Alanna to get him to the White Tower – to get him to Nynaeve – she hesitated to take the ring off. She had wondered if he would ask her to return it, but Lan had been too angry with her to remember his ring.
It was still a stab to her heart when she remembered the look of betrayal on Lan's face. She had hurt him pretty badly, and it was doubtful he would ever forgive her for that.
Frustrated, Moiraine stopped and took a full turn, letting her eyes move over the crowd. Where was Rand?
"My lady?" A servant appeared beside her, holding a tray with more glasses of wine. "May I offer you some wine?"
Moiraine's first instinct was to grab one of the glasses to hold something in her hands, then she lowered her hand and shook her head. She already had three glasses and felt the alcohol running through her veins. She even had stumbled a few times during her search for Rand. No, more wine wouldn't be good for her, and she needed a clear mind if she wanted to survive that night – well, almost clear since she was already a little drunk.
"No, thank you. But maybe you can help me. I'm searching for someone. A young man – a redhead – from Andor. You probably saw him dancing with some women earlier."
The servant looked as if he wanted to leave immediately. "Forgive me, my lady. I don't think I'm the right one to-"
Moiraine didn't have time for that nonsense. She pulled back her shoulders and brought back the Lady Moiraine Damodred. She needed that answer! "Tell me where he is!"
The poor man before her winced, and his eyes looked everywhere except at her. "I'm not sure-"
"Where?!"
Sighing, he lowered his head and turned down his voice. "The last time I saw him with King Barthanes. It looked like they wanted to talk."
"Where did they go?!"
"Please, my lady. I didn't mean to watch them. I-"
"Get me there! Now!"
He obeyed immediately, guiding Moiraine away from the crowd to a room that lay close to the party, yet not too close so no guest would disturb anything – or anyone. The Cairhien woman furrowed her forehead. What could Barthanes want to talk about with Rand? What was so important that no guest was allowed to listen in on them? Sure, the two young men had played cards while Rand stayed at the Damodred residence, but she wouldn't call them friends.
Moiraine released the servant with a flick of her wrist, and he hurried away. Why had they left the party? Why was the door closed? Who else was in that room? But more importantly, what would she find behind that door? For a moment, she thought about knocking before entering, then forgot about it. Whatever they were doing, she would end it now.
The Aes Sedai took a deep breath, then pushed the door open and stormed inside. The scenery before her eyes was not even close to anything she had imagined. Shocked, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened, but no word crossed her lips.
Rand and Barthanes hadn't entered the room alone. Anvaere was also present, as well as two men who wore the uniform of royal soldiers, but Moiraine needed one glance to see the clothes didn't fit those men. Whoever they were, they weren't soldiers.
And it wasn't the present people who shocked her - it was the situation before her eyes. Rand lay unmoving on the floor with the two 'fake' soldiers standing on each side of him. Moiraine couldn't see any blood, but the boy lay on his belly. The wound could be hidden from her eyes. Yet, she hoped Rand was simply unconscious and not injured.
His 'guards' drew their swords when Moiraine entered but didn't leave his side. Would they attack her? When they didn't move, Moiraine's eyes moved on to her two family members. Barthanes and Anvaere stood in the middle of the small room, but it looked totally unreal to Moiraine. It couldn't be true.
Mother and son stared at each other while Barthanes pressed a blade against his mother's throat while offering her a glass of wine – a glass Anvaere obviously refused to accept.
Barthanes turned his head toward the woman of the Blue Ajah, and she winced at the cold look in his eyes. That wasn't her nephew! Her nephew was kind and polite and loved his mother! He would never press a dagger against her throat!
"Aunt Moiraine!" A big smile appeared on the young man's face, but the coldness in his eyes stayed. It looked wrong. It was wrong! "You finally made it. I expected you a while ago, honestly."
Moiraine needed to gulp to form words. "Barthanes. What are you doing?" Her voice was quiet and calm, yet she couldn't hide a slight tremor.
"I'm offering mother a drink, but she refuses to drink on my happiness."
There was a grim line on Anvaere's lips and a cold look in her eyes. What was going on?
Sighing, Barthanes leaned back, though the blade didn't move, then faced his aunt. "What took you so long, Aunt Moiraine? We've been waiting for you, but you didn't show up."
"I'm afraid I missed my invitation to this little party."
Her nephew furrowed his forehead, then pointed at the unconscious Rand with the glass of wine. "HE was your invitation. We knocked him out so you would come here. I didn't expect you would take that long to get here."
Now, it was up to Moiraine to be confused. "Why should I come when you knock out Rand? I didn't even know he went with you."
Barthanes smiled sweetly. "You didn't think I would actually believe that scheme you played when you brought him to our house? It was terrible acting, by the way. There was no doubt he is your Warder."
Moiraine's eyes widened. "My Warder? Barthanes, I told you-"
"YOU said nothing!" The young man interrupted her rudely. "You let him do the talking. It was clever, actually. An Aes Sedai can't lie, right? But a Warder can. So, he can deny being a Warder all day, but I know the truth."
"Barthanes-"
"Even mother saw through your lie. After you left, we both agreed on what he is to you, dear aunt. So, when I came up with my plan, I thought he would be the perfect solution for you to join us. You must know, Aunt Moiraine, I informed myself about Aes Sedai and Warders. I know you feel what he feels and vice versa. So, tell me. Why didn't you come when you felt him getting hurt?"
The Aes Sedai's thoughts were racing. Barthanes' plan? What did he want to do? Apparently, she couldn't talk him down. The boy had turned crazy. "I assure you, Rand is not-"
"Whatever." Moiraine gritted her teeth when her nephew interrupted her again. Instead, he offered her the glass of wine. "Will you drink to my happiness?"
"Don't! It's poisoned!" Anvaere hissed.
"SHUT UP!" Barthanes yelled at his mother, and Moiraine saw how the blade slightly cut the skin of her sister. "I'm your king now! You do as I say!"
Carefully, the woman of the Blue Ajah took a step toward her nephew, and immediately, the other two men reacted by closing in on her. Cursing inwardly, she stopped and focused on her nephew. "Barthanes, please. She is your mother."
"So, what? I can't treat her like that? You're her sister, yet you treated her terribly the last few weeks."
Moiraine grimaced. Sadly, the boy was right. She had been a terrible sister. "But you're not me, Barthanes. You're kind and-"
The new king turned to his aunt, annoyed. "You haven't seen me in twenty years. What makes you think you know me, Aunt Moiraine?" He snorted at her speechless face. "I planned this for years. Mother always wanted to restore the name Damodred. She always told me about her great plans for me – how I would save the family." Barthanes chuckled. "She never knew I started making my own plans. How I would kill my new wife on our wedding day while at the same time getting rid of every single living Damodred who could endanger my throne."
The madness was back in his eyes when Moiraine's nephew faced her again. He truly meant to kill the queen, his mother, and Moiraine. Again, he offered Moiraine the glass. "Drink!"
Calmly, the Aes Sedai looked at the glass, then locked eyes with Barthanes. "No."
"Drink!"
"You couldn't convince your mother to drink. What makes you think I would agree to it?"
Barthanes pointed at Rand. "We have your Warder! Drink or my guards will kill him!"
Moiraine smiled sadly, then shook her head. "I won't."
"Argh!" Furiously, the new king of Cairhien threw the glass in Moiraine's direction. It missed her and hit the wall instead, yet she couldn't suppress a slight wince. "Why can't you just do as I say?!"
"We're Damodreds, son," Anvaere hissed coldly. "We don't go down without a fight."
Suddenly, Barthanes reached for the sword on his back. Moiraine needed a moment to recognize Rand's heron-marked blade. Barthanes must have taken it from the boy. The tip of the blade aimed at Moiraine. "Since you two refuse to take the easy way to leave this world, you give me no choice but to take the unpleasant way."
Moiraine released a relieved sigh when Barthanes took a step back and pulled the blade away from his mother's throat. Then his cold eyes found her. "And since she is old, the biggest threat in this room is you, Aunt Moiraine."
She had a second to react when Barthanes lifted the sword. He would kill her first! Quickly, Moiraine moved backward, but her nephew followed her, bringing the sword down on her.
A strong arm caught her when the Cairhien woman stumbled over her own feet, and she automatically grabbed the tunic of her savior. At the same time, Barthanes' sword collided with the one belonging to her savior.
Moiraine stopped breathing when she recognized the man who had prevented her from hitting the floor.
"Who are you?!" Barthanes asked through gritted teeth, glaring at the stranger.
"Her Warder."
Lan Mandragoran made one quick movement with his wrist, and the new king of Cairhien had to stumble backward. Then, he helped Moiraine to get back on her feet.
"Lan-" But he didn't listen. The eyes of the uncrowned king of Malkier were locked on her nephew. Carefully, he stepped before his bondholder, using his free hand to push her behind him out of sight.
Involuntarily, Moiraine's hands moved over his strong arms and his back. Lan! Her Lan! He was there! – In Cairhien! She hadn't imagined him earlier! He truly was there!
"Her Warder?" Barthanes sounded confused. Moiraine looked at her nephew from behind Lan's back and saw how the boy looked at Rand with a frown on his forehead. "But that's impossible! You can't-!"
The uncrowned king of Malkier snorted. "Did you really believe a boy like Rand – a boy who left his village for the first time a few months ago – can protect a powerful Aes Sedai like your aunt?"
Barthanes looked like a fish on land. His mouth opened and closed, but no word crossed his lips. He stared at Rand in disbelief, like he couldn't understand why he had pulled the wrong conclusion. "But she couldn't… she stuttered when she introduced him. Mother and I…." The new king of Cairhien turned to his mother, who had taken a few steps back now that there wasn't a blade on her throat anymore. "You thought it too, didn't you? You told me you don't believe her."
"Suddenly, you care about my opinion?" Anvaere asked in a biting tone.
Her son grimaced, then lunged at her, but Lan was faster. Moiraine's Warder stepped between the old woman and the new king of Cairhien. Furious, Barthanes swang his blade at the Malkieri, who deflected the attack easily. Barthanes was no threat to Lan.
In the meantime, the Aes Sedai went to her sister, pulling her further away from the fight. "Are you all right?" One look in Anvaere's eyes and Moiraine saw the pain. Barthanes' actions had hit her little sister hard. "I'm sorry," Moiraine whispered, and a single tear escaped Anvaere's eye, which she wiped away quickly.
"I didn't know what he planned to do to the boy. He was already unconscious when I arrived." Moiraine's little sister changed the subject on purpose, and the Aes Sedai nodded. They had their differences, but Anvaere wouldn't hurt an innocent boy.
"He'll be all right. Rand is tougher than he looks."
"Help me!" Apparently, the new king of Cairhien didn't want to fight against the uncrowned king of Malkier anymore. Like a little child that had been scolded by its parents, he backed away, pouting, motioning for the two men beside Rand to take over for him. Rand's guards had seemed unsure of what to do when Lan attacked since their eyes moved from Rand to Barthanes and back to Rand. Had her nephew given the order to stay by Rand's side?
Lan chuckled when he faced his new opponents. "Was that all, your Majesty? I haven't even got started."
The two fake soldiers were better at handling the sword, yet Moiraine saw quickly they were still no match for Lan. Her Warder didn't even use his full potential like he was playing with the men. Moiraine couldn't take her eyes off Lan. It still felt surreal to see him. All this time, since she had sent him away with Alanna, she had wanted him back. She had wanted to hug him – to feel him – but Lan was gone. And now…
Lan's movements were like a dance – smooth and elegant. Moiraine noticed he barely attacked his opponents. Instead, he let them come at him, slowly making them tired.
"Moiraine!" Anvaere squeezed her sister's arm, alarmed.
Surprised, the woman of the Blue Ajah followed Anvaere's gaze, and her heart stopped for a moment. Barthanes kneeled behind Rand. The new king of Cairhien had turned the boy on his back and pressed the blade against his exposed throat.
"Barthanes. Leave him alone," Moiraine said calmly. "Rand didn't do anything to you, and he is no threat to you."
"But you care about him, Aunt Moiraine. He may not be your Warder, but you brought him to our house – both of you covered in blood – and kept an eye on him. Whoever he is, you don't want him to die." His cold eyes made Moiraine shiver. "So, if you want him to survive, you take that dagger of yours, which you hide underneath your dress, and kill yourself."
The Aes Sedai pulled her mask in place. "What makes you think I brought a dagger-?"
"YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU!" Barthanes was furious. "For the last few weeks, I saw you staring at it constantly! You even moved your thumb over the sharp blade like you wanted to cut yourself! Sadly, I don't know what made you think about ending your life, but since you have already reached that point, it should be easy for you to finally go through with it!"
Moiraine gripped the fabric of her dress. Barthanes had seen her? Apparently, she hadn't been careful enough. Stupid! "Barthanes, I-"
"Kill yourself! Or the boy dies!"
The woman of the Blue Ajah grimaced. She couldn't let her nephew kill the Dragon. But killing herself? She had thought about it – multiple times – but that was different. Now, her own nephew wished for her death.
"Do it!"
Slowly, Moiraine reached into the hidden pocket of her dress, where she hid the dagger. Her hand trembled when her fingers touched the hilt. Could she do it?
Suddenly, something flew through the air and grazed Barthanes' arm. The new king of Cairhien screamed in pain and dropped the sword in Rand's lap.
A metallic sound drew Moiraine's attention to a small dagger that had hit the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Barthanes was still screaming and pressed a hand on his arm. Blood ran between his fingers, drenching his tunic. "You cut me!" His cold eyes found Lan, then widened.
The uncrowned king of Malkier had taken care of the false soldiers and now stepped closer to Barthanes with his sword pointed at the young Damodred.
Barthanes whimpered and moved backward as if he could escape the Malkieri.
Rand's head slipped from the young man's lap, hitting the floor with a quiet bang. Moiraine released a relieved breath when she heard the Dragon groaning. He was alive!
"Put the sheath down, boy."
"I'm the king of Cairhien! You injured a king! I will have your head for that!"
Lan was totally unimpressed by Barthanes' outburst. "The sheath, boy. It doesn't belong to you."
Growling, Barthanes got to his feet, then grabbed the belt of Rand's sword and pulled it over his head. "You will pay for this, Warder. I'll remember you." Then he threw the sheath at Lan.
Moiraine's Warder caught the flying object while the new king of Cairhien swirled around and disappeared through a secret passage – usually meant for the servants. No one stopped him.
Groaning, Rand opened his eyes. When he saw the Warder standing over him, he furrowed his forehead. "Lan? What are you doing here?"
The uncrowned king of Malkier handed the Dragon the sheath he had taken from Barthanes. "Sheath your sword, sheepherder. And then it's time for you to get back on your feet. We need to leave this place."
Once Rand took the sheath, Lan turned around, aiming for Moiraine and Anvaere. He stopped before his Aes Sedai, holding out his hand with a grim line around his lips. "Give it to me."
Moiraine didn't need to ask what he meant. Her grip on the dagger tightened. This was the only weapon she had left! But she saw the anger in Lan's eyes. He had heard every word of what her nephew had been saying. Every word about her staring at the dagger and rubbing her thumb over the blade, and he wasn't amused. He never liked seeing her getting hurt, but to know the danger came from herself…
"Nothing happened."
"Give it to me, Moiraine."
"I need a weapon to defend myself."
"You have me."
His words brought tears to her eyes. She had him? How could she still have him? She had sent him away, treated him terribly, and hurt him on purpose. How could he still be hers?
"Do I?" Moiraine whispered in a broken voice, and Lan's face softened.
"You'll always have me."
The Aes Sedai felt the strong urge to throw herself into her Warder's arms. She wanted to hold him and for him to wrap his arms around her. Everything seemed so much easier when Lan hugged her.
But before either one of them could do anything, they heard screams and yells from outside the room. The door was still open, so they could see guests running.
"What is happening now?" Anvaere murmured, frustrated.
"Whatever it is, we shouldn't stay here, waiting to find out," Lan explained, then faced Rand. "Tell me you can stand, boy."
Aching, the Dragon got back on his feet, though he swayed dangerously at first. He took a deep breath when he finally stood and put his sword belt on. "I'm ready."
"Can you walk?" The Malkieri didn't seem convinced. "It's possible we have to run at some point."
Rand grimaced, then nodded slightly. Moiraine didn't want to know in how much pain he was. His head must be killing him. "I believe I can walk. Although I don't believe I would make it for a run. So, I would be forever thankful if we could take a slower pace."
Lan chuckled, then motioned at the door. "We'll see how far you come. First, we need to get out of this palace."
Before anyone could protest against his suggestion, the Warder left the room, expecting everyone to follow him.
Moiraine and Rand exchanged a glance, then the redhead motioned for the two Damodred sisters to leave the room. They already had to catch up with Lan.
The next chapter will be uploaded on Sunday.
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