Amadine 11, 998 NE (June 18th)
I awoke from a dream, and sat on the edge of the cabin's single bed unable to sleep, as I whispered the lines that rang in my head, seeming to mean something, and gave the feeling of nostalgic anticipation. "Lets turn our prayers to outrageous dares, and mark our page in a future age, high above the sea of cars and barking dogs in fenced in yards." The snores in other cabins, and the quiet murmurs of sailors lay interwoven with the susurration of the waves and the sail catching the wind, and I thought it enough to cover my voice.
"What poem is that from? I have not heard it," came Moiraine's sleepy voice from the cramped ship bed. It was still night but closer to morning and I had certainly not meant to wake her up. We slept in the single decent sized bed of the captain's cabin. He had given it to us when the Shienarans called me Lord Drake, setting him sputtering and bowing in obeisance, unaware I was noble. I had hidden my lordship for only half a day.
"I heard it in a dream," I whispered in the dark.
That caused a frisson of worry, and I heard Moiraine move to sit up.
"Not one of those dreams. Different, more like a memory." I added. Dreams could be dangerous, as I knew too well. I rubbed the heron mark on my palm absently.
"Mmm." She fell back, but I could feel her eyes on me. "Tell me about it, please."
"I was in a room with red walls and a white ceiling, pockmarked. Dozens of books filled the bookshelf in front of the large soft bed I lay on, and I did not recognize the language. There was music playing as I lay there listening, but no one played it, the music just hanging in the air. There was the strum of the bittern and some instrument that played clear warm notes, and another akin to a drum but more, with clashing and ringing metal. I remember all the lyrics as they were simple and short, and I knew the name of the song somehow. In A Future Age…" I pause, taking a deep breath. "I think it's a memory from the soul stitched to mine," I whispered.
That caught her attention. I could feel the wash of realization in her, which confused me. "How very interesting. Sing it for me, please, the lyrics could matter."
Softly, I sang into the early morning, my voice low and clear.
Genuine day will come
When the wind
Decides to run
And shakes the stairs
That stab the wall
And turns the page
In a future age
Some trees will bend
And some will fall
But then again
So will us all
Lets turn our prayers
Into outrageous dares
And mark our page
In a future age
High above
The sea of cars
And barking dogs
In fenced-in yards
I trailed off. My voice was deep and melodious in a way it had not been before, in the memories, and Moiraine sat in bed with her eyes closed, enjoyment obvious even without the bond.
"You have a wonderful singing voice, Rand. I cannot believe I had never heard it before."
"That's because I don't think I had it before." How many times more would I stumble onto something new, something changed about me? I shook my head of such pointless thoughts and told myself being able to sing was a fine thing. Especially since Moiraine liked it. Egwene would like it as well. It could be a surprise for her. "Sorry for waking you." Moiraine waved me off, repeating the lyrics quietly to herself.
"What is a car?" I asked after listening to her murmur for about a minute.
"Chief in the Old Tongues, in which case the lyrics should be 'High above the sea of chiefs'. What a fascinating song," she said, sounding a little sleepy. "I am almost certain it is some kind of Dreaming, a prophetic dream rare channelers get. What do you think it means? There should be a feeling or a message that comes to you, if it truly is a Dream."
I considered that. When I woke up I felt something which I could glean little meaning from, but as I examined the lyrics, I came to some conclusions. I was unsure what the first half could mean, as the wind had nothing to do with the Dark One, but the second half, with the word translated, made much more sense. "The dream gave me a feeling of nostalgia, and like I was expecting something. If this is supposed to mean something, I think the second half is telling me to be bold and dream big, to not worry about the death that comes for us all and instead mark my place in history as the Dragon Reborn above the people in power and their 'barking dogs in fenced in yards'."
She hummed and sounded more awake when she spoke. "That is a good interpretation. I think for the first half one could make a reasonable argument is about announcing the Dragon Reborn's existence. You will shake the world when you decide to run, meaning embrace your destiny, you shake the stairs of the house of the Creator, the world, and turn the page to a future age, leading the world into an Age of Light." Moiraine smiled, curiosity buzzing in the bond. "What an interesting little puzzle. It could mean nothing at all, simply be memories of another Age bubbling up from your soul and by chance it seems prophetic. Tell me of your other dreams if you have them."
"I have dreamed of other songs, some that don't have any lyrics. Those I can play on Thom's flute later—I mostly get strange songs full of unfamiliar instruments when they don't have words—but I only remember one with lyrics, and then only partially and I certainly don't remember how I felt when I woke up. I was singing it with others, in the dream. That's all I can remember."
I hummed the tune, and sang the lyrics I could remember, including a quiet double clap and the 'oooh oooh oooh'. I felt a little silly doing it, but it made the song pop. Moiraine hummed along as she caught the tune.
We'll find a way regardless
To make some sense out of this mess
Well, It's a test, but I believe
A kiss is all we need
All the above for being in love
Shouldn't that alone be enough?
Oh, it's tough when loves a weed
It grows inside of me
Nothing's ever gonna stand in my
Nothing's ever gonna stand in my
Nothing's ever gonna stand in my way again
Waste the days, waste the nights
Try to downplay being uptight
Oh, you're right, I believe
A kiss is all we need
Moiraine had a look on her face of consternation, and frustration bled into the bond. "You are a Dreamer, Rand. I am certain." But that was all she would say, deciding to follow the song's instruction and see if a kiss was really all we needed. Things evolved from there, and I was late to practice. Lan took it out on me with his practice sword, a bundle of rods bound tight that stung and raised welts with every successful blow. Lan had a dozen hits in by the time the White Tower crept over the tops of the hills.
Manipulating the winds to swiftly send us downriver had been child's play for Moiraine and Verin in our circle, and we made quick time, landing in Tar Valon in the middle of the morning. I barely had time to change, wiping away my sweat with a wet cloth, before Moiraine swiftly led me through Tar Valon and into the White Tower. My mind was awhirl with the almost dreamlike nature of the city, its tall towers stretching like fingers into the heavens and lacy air-bridges that glittered like glass arcing over streets, the buildings like great oak trees and wind-worn cliff faces, the fountains spewing water a dozen feet high in nearly every square and the massive spire of the White Tower stretching high into the cerulean sky, greater still than the towers of Tar Valon.
The city was a true sight to behold, people of every color and clothing dominated the streets, accents of all sorts filling the air. It was a city the way the snatches of Caemlyn I remember were a city, but more. More beautiful, more people, more noise, just more. I was a slack-jawed yokel, not caring the humorous and annoyed looks residents must have given me as I stopped and stared at various buildings and beautiful statuary before Moiraine dragged me along, bringing us ever closer to the White Tower, which I found to be a startlingly wide building, for all its height.
All of this staring, all this wonder was to not think of the task that lay before me: Moiraine believed there was another woman to bind in the Tower, Min from Baerlon. I remember her, somewhat. Told me I would never be rid of her. I guess she was right, I thought to myself, and she'll never be rid of me, either. I snorted to myself, drawing a disapproving eye from Moiraine.
My nervousness grew as we entered the Tower grounds, as the guards peace-bound my sword, tying the blade shut with a cord of white. No weapon would pass through the gates of the White Tower untouched, unless it was a Warder's, and today we were pretending to be simple visitors. We passed by all manner of women with the same smooth face and knowing eyes, thankfully barely glancing at Moiraine and I, her in a fine green silk dress with the hood of her dark blue cloak up, and me behind her in lordly clothing, my coat colored bright green with brown piping, embroidered with silver trees that held gold-thread apples. Ingtar had laughed when he saw me wearing it and asked if I would bring him some suckling pig from the feast. We moved on through back ways and empty halls to a section of nearly pure white but for the colored tile floors, only seeing the occasional young woman in a dress of pure white quickly hurrying towards some destination or another. These were the Novice Quarters, where Min was staying.
Min had a gift, a Talent for seeing the future of people in the surrounding air. These Viewings of hers, they always came true, and one of them involved me and her together. We would fall in love, Moiraine had told me, Min and two other women, none of them Egwene. It fit the Prophecy—Six are the women he shall bind to his heart. Three lovers, two teachers, one enemy—but Min had claimed Egwene was fated for not me but another, which I proved false more than a month ago. That, or I somehow broke and rewove a thread of the Pattern, which was a terrifying thought Moiraine had casually voiced one day when I asked about what she thought had happened to bind Egwene to me.
The door to her room opened, and I saw her again, saw her for the first time in the flesh. Min was another beauty chosen for me by the Iridescent Flame, with big dark eyes that seemed to draw me in and a short bob of dark hair cut to her ears. She wore men's clothing, a brown jacket and pants, but there was no way, I thought in that moment, any right-thinking man would find her a pretty boy, rather than a beautiful woman with an admittedly exotic fashion sense.
Behind her was a small room, whitewashed walls and a thin arrowslit of a window that let in a stream of sunlight, a small bed with a lumpy mattress and a washbasin, plus a small chair and table tucked into a corner. There were no personal touches in the room, no flowers or wallcoverings, certainly no paintings. It was a drab room Min lived in, in the Novice's Quarters, where Egwene would soon live. She would hate living in such a flat, boring place. The weight of the Bonder,—No no, it is a Binder. I must admit what it does—sat heavy in my hand, as we stared at each other.
Min's face held a half-smile, as if she wasn't sure she was happy to see us, while her body blocked the entrance. She glanced from me to Moiraine and back again, looking me over. "Moiraine Sedai, so glad you could finally show up after nearly a month. And you brought the sheepherder, how delightful. He looks quite dandy in those clothes. I love how the green makes his hair shine. What brings you both to my temporary humble abode?" Her voice was lower than I remembered, a little husky, and her tone was definitely not one the usual person took with an Aes Sedai. She was either brave, or foolish, and since she was to be my wife, she was brave.
"Words are better said with the door closed, I've always found," Moiraine said with a cool smile, radiating a sense of authority.
Min let us in reluctantly, turning and plopping down on the bed. I felt the chill of saidar and the tug on the bondpull me into a circle, to watch a thread of yellow Air softly close the door, before Moiraine wove an eavesdropping ward and put it into place, covering the surfaces of the room with a net of Spirit, Air and Earth, deadening the air that filled the room and preventing the sound from leaving. Then she sat in the chair, leaving me standing awkwardly by the door.
"So what is it? What's so important you have to suddenly just show up and sneak in here to see little ol' me, Moiraine Sedai? I know you must have snuck in, because otherwise some Novice would have come and brought me to your quarters, just like every Aes Sedai who seeks to speak with me." Min sounded frustrated, which was not a good sign.
"Do you want the whole truth? It may be hard to hear."
Min took a deep breath,. "Of course I want the truth. Why are you here?"
"We are here because of Rand. Rand al'Thor is a man who can channel, but more importantly he is the Dragon Reborn, Elmindra, and you are one of his wives. That is why we are here today, to take you with us as we journey to Illian. Rand needs you by his side, just as you've forseen."
Wait, her full name Elmindra?! I bet she hates that, I could not help stared blankly, her mind seemed unable to comprehend what Moiraine just said. I stared at Moiraine as well, not expecting her to just say it all.
"Pardon me?" Min finally said. "Is this some sort of strange Aes Sedai prank? And Illian? Light, I'd rather go home, please."
Moiraine repeated herself. "I cannot lie and we do not have the time to bandy about the truth. At any moment a sister of mine could discover me, and question what I am doing here. Rand al'Thor, the 'sheepherder' who stands before you, is the Dragon Reborn. He has been prophesied to have six wives, and one of them is you. I knew with what you saw in your Viewings of him you were a candidate, he held the Binder in his hand the moment he saw you, and you seem his type, slender with big eyes and a personality. It will be safer for you to journey with us, then risk a Darkfriend or worse learning how important you are, Min."
"I have a type?" I asked, incredulous that Moiraine knew before I did. Moiraine looked at me, unamused. "No wait, this is all wrong. This is much too fast. Hi, hello Min. I'm Rand. Please ignore Moiraine, as she seems to be operating on a different timescale than us. I'd certainly like to get to know you before I revealed I am a man who's destined to go mad and break the world but—" Moiraine used the One Power to slap the back of my head. I turned to her, and groused, "What was that for?"
"You know already that you won't go mad like other men, Rand, and you won't break the world. Egwene and I, and soon Min, and all the other women will make sure. We'll need our husband sane if we're going to have your children." Moiraine spoke in a casual air, but the bond was a mess of different emotions, anticipation, worry, fear, hope, desire, all muddled and noisy.
At the blase pronouncement of an Aes Sedai having kids, Min went wide-eyed and said, "Wait, you're a wife? An Aes Sedai as a wife? But I didn't see you before, I only saw three, and you with..." Then she peered at me, for a long moment seeming to stare right through me. "But, what? How? How did you change your fate so drastically? That's… that is impossible!" Min looked as if a foundation of her world had suddenly shifted.
So I explained. I explained how I had fought a Forsaken, much to Min's dismay, and won, but was only barely better than dying. That another soul was stitched into my own—and this is what I believe changed my fate—by a spirit of the Creator, who gifted me revelation about my place in the Age's Pattern as the Dragon Reborn, and gave me a prophecy to bind six women to my heart, or risk losing the Last Battle. That the more women I bound, the more I would gain in unlock the powers of a shapechanger, a chinnar'veren. That with Min I could change into the so'gaighael, the Battlebeast Form.
Min seemed to have a lot of questions but she only asked one. "This other soul, that's what changed your fate you think? I've never heard of such a thing before, and the only people who speak of spirits giving revelation are Whitecloaks. Though they do claim the Dragon Reborn will experience the same…" she finished, examining me critically.
"Definitely. However much of me is still Rand, I am also a man from a different Age. I act differently, I have different priorities, its not impossible to think my fate would be different as well, as I am longer the same person on a fundamental level. Still Rand, just… not the same Rand I was."
Moiraine spoke up. "It is a stubborn fear of his, that he is not Rand. An impossible to prove fear that is irrelevant and meaningless." I frowned at her, then sighed. It was better Min knew, than not. I wouldn't call it irrelevant or meaningless—though I recognized that getting the answer is all but impossible unless the spirit returned—but I knew Moiraine meant well when she spoke.
Min smiled sadly. "Oh sheepherder, you've had a hard month haven't you? Almost dying, getting told you you are the Dragon Reborn, a man that can channel, being bound to an Aes Sedai in marriage. And here I thought staying a month in this blasted room, surrounded by all these Aes Sedai, was bad. Now I just have to marry a boy I don't know, so he can turn into a monster to fight the Dark One." She laughed at the absurdity of her situation.
I laughed as well. "It's like the opposite of a typical story, true love's kiss turns the prince into a monster, but the Creator was the one who put me on this path. As much as it can seem a cursed month at times, and how the future looms before me, it has actually been good when I think back on it. I cannot deny the benefits of having caring wives, or good teachers," I said, smiling at Moiraine. "But now I need your help. You are one woman I have to bind, if I wish to live to usher in the Age of Light, and you will be the third if you agree, but there are some downsides—"
"I agree," Min cut in, voice firm. "I don't need the whole explanation, sheepherder. I don't normally move this fast, but the Aes Sedai has yet to call you crazy, so I have to believe. Just tell me what I need to do. Any downside cannot be worse than you being a man that can channel, the Dragon Reborn, or having to share you with five other women rather than just two."
I was stunned "…why?"
Min pats the bed next to her. "Come, and I'll tell you a tale."
I saw next to her, and she scooted close, grinning at my blush, her eyes abruptly bright and teasing. "You already two wives, Rand, and you still blush. Aren't you a cute one?" She shook her head, turning serious. "Light. Okay. So. I knew an old Illianer woman; once," she said slowly. "When she was young, her mother arranged a marriage for her with a man she had never even met. They do that down in Illian, sometimes. She said she spent the first five years raging against him, and the next five scheming to make his life miserable without his knowing who was to blame. It was only years later, she said, when he died, that she realized he really had been the love of her life."
I wasn't really sure what that had to do with me and I said as much. Moiraine sparkled with amusement, annoyance, and fondness in the bond, as Min explained with the patience of a mother teach her child. "Just because fate has chosen something for you instead of you choosing it for yourself doesn't mean it has to be bad. Even if it's something you are sure you would never have chosen in a hundred years. 'Better ten days of love than years of regretting,'" she quoted.
"I feel a fool for not realizing that." I moped, half in jest. "That is a wonderful sentiment to have, because I think this is going to be something you never would have chosen, but I've found joy and contentment in Moiraine and Egwene that I did not know I would find, and I hope to find it with you as well. With all my wives, really, I hope."
Min, with a crooked smile, ruffled my red hair, longer than her own. "That is why the Creator made men wives. So you may be foolish and we may correct you, and when you are down, we raise you up. Now, how do we do this? Because I am choosing it, Rand."
The Binder was in my hand with a simple thought, slightly warm, and the intricately carved and painted dragons that seemed almost alive caught Min's eye. "What are those creatures? They're so beautiful… Nevermind, tell me later. After." She reached out to touch the Binder, and I jerked back.
"Wait, one last thing. This is not a painless process. It will hurt. Not long, but it will hurt."
"I'm not afraid of a little pain, sheepherder," Min said, and touched the rod. "Now what do I—"
We froze, eyes caught staring at each other. The flame burned a path down my arm, into the rod and I watched the Binder to see the new dragon fill in. Min's was a strange mix of serpent and bat, with dark purple skin and a light green underbelly. Her head was that of a hooded snake, with three glowing red eyes and a pair of sweptback horns. There were three orbs of red crystal seemingly grown into her chest and another adorned her tail, a flat almost leaf-shaped tail with the crystal in the center. She had long bat wings with light green patagium, and a single claw where the hands of the Frost Wyvern lay and three-clawed feet made capped her back legs. Her eyes and crystals seemed to shine with a strange light, a purple light. She was called a Psychic Wyvern, whatever that meant. Another winged dragon, a wyvern, this one closer to a serpent like my own. It seems there are different types. Land based simply called dragons, and flying ones called wyverns. I gazed at the other two dragons, visible from my perspective.
Egwene's Earth Dragon was stout and almost turtle like, with bright green eyes, with no mane or antlers but horns of wood-like bone instead crowned her head. They adorned her back in fins as well amongst scales of dark brown like good earth, and the light tan of sand, and her tail that ended in a flanged wood-like bone mace that looked dangerous. Lichen and small plants covered her, flowers in beautiful blooming rainbow patterns giving this dragon a beautiful, almost painted feel.
Moiraine's Ice Wyvern had opalescent scales like mother-of-pearl with pure blue eyes, ram's horns of pure white, with tiny horns dusting her jaw. The patagia of her large batlike wings was a soft blue, and her claws a brilliant sapphire. She only had two legs as her wings acted as forelimbs with vestigial paws. Icy mist, that glittered with little rainbows, drifted from her maw filled with brilliant blue fangs. She was delicate where the Earth Dragon was solid, a creature of ice and air versus one of earth and life.
It lasted far longer for Min than Egwene and Moiraine, and I grew more and more worried, locked in position, only eyes able to move. Min's eyes bulged, fear and betrayal filling them when a minute had passed and we still were stuck together. It took nearly two minutes by my count, and Moiraine was frightened, moving around us, and muttering to herself, the chill of saidar prickling my skin. When the Binder finally released us we both took deep breaths, before Min cursed up a storm.
"Bloody blasted goat-kissing Rand al'Thor says this will hurt, but it won't be long. Two flaming minutes is a long bloody time to burn, you Light-blinded fool! Is wool are there is between those ears?"
"It wasn't my fault! It did not last nearly so long with Egwene and Moiraine!" I protested, a bit in shock and astounded at the language used. I'd never heard a woman speak that way before, only Uno spoke so filthily.
Moiraine experienced her own shock and awe. Her words were barely a whisper, then a shout. "Min, you can channel. You can channel! The Light-blessed fool did it again!" She took three long steps, grabbed my face and kissed me smiling.
Min coughed, and we separated, before she shook her head dismissively. "I cannot. The Brown sister—Verin?—she already determined I could not channel."
"And she was right. You could not channel, but now you can. It seems Rand has worked a miracle as he bound you, for the spark in you is powerful, nearly as powerful as Egwene's was. We will have to begin training immediately."
I couldn't help laughing. I felt joy in my heart. "Aes Sedai wives indeed. I shall be surrounded by Aes Sedai wives for centuries to come." I couldn't help smiling either. It was ridiculous, and a nightmare for most men of the Westlands, something they would run from screaming—Mat was the perfect example—but I was happy. Min could learn to defend herself with a power most lack, and she would live for centuries like us, as a channeler.
Min stared at me, eyes wide. "I can feel your happiness Rand. It bubbles and sparkles, in the back of my mind. How? How is that possible?"
"That is an aspect of the Binding. We bond each other, you bonding me instantly, while I bond you on the third day. No idea why mine has to wait. So now, you will always know how I am doing, where I am, how I am feeling, and I the same for you when it comes in."
"A bond like a Warder's bond to an Aes Sedai?" Min sounded excited. Tales of the bond between an Aes Sedai and her Warder feature heavily in tales, achieving a near-romantic idealization.
I nodded, then I got a little nervous, thinking of the other aspect of that bond that will have begun working almost instantly. More hesitantly, I spoke, "There are other things about the Binding you should know. I would have wished to tell you before you chose this, but you insisted."
"Whatever it is, just take a deep breath and tell me, Rand." Min said. "I chose this. Whatever it is, it cannot be worse than things I've seen."
"Min, this bond we share. It will influence you, to encourage you to care for me, romantically, and makes sure you cannot hurt me, to the point it will stop your limbs from moving. It manipulates your mind. I wanted to tell you before you made the decision, but…" I trailed off, my eyes closed as I waited for her response.
There's a long beat before Min speaks. "You don't have to be so worried, Rand." She bumped my shoulder. "I knew I would fall in love with you whether I liked it or not. It was not choice, sharing you is not my choice. None of this is my choice, or your choice either. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, or so the Aes Sedai like to say. There's certainly no need to beat yourself up. It just means I need to make sure you fall in love with me, sheepherder," she finished fiercely.
"I do not think that will be much of an issue," Moiraine said, with warmth in her voice. "Rand becomes fond easily and freely, I have found, even with an Aes Sedai like me. I would hesitate to call it love, for either of us, but in month and a week or so we've been bonded I have found we are fond of each other. Greatly fond." She gave me a look that practically smoldered and I returned it, feeling the burning of desire from Moiraine, and I suddenly wished we were alone. Which was a completely unfair thought to Min. I shook my head, clearing my mind.
Min let out a disbelieving laugh. "Moiraine Sedai, pardon me if I don't believe all your words. You hesitate to call it love, and yet you two give each other that kind of look? I haven't seen any but Green Sisters look at their Warders in such a way, in my month here."
Moiraine adopted the Aes Sedai calm, smoothing her face, as if she just realized what look she had been giving me, the bond dipping into a freezing pond of calm and serenity. She pulled out her notebook and pencil from the bag she brought. "That is a topic we can discuss at another time, privately, Elmindra. Women's talk, if you will. I would much rather get an update on what you see around Rand. That matters far more than my heart."
I took notice as Min frowned at the name, annoyance flashing across her face, but she nodded, "I can tell you, there are some the same and some different. Some that are similar and some that aren't similar in the least. There's a lot and its always changing, so I'll try to catch as much as I can."
Moiraine sat at the table, pen and paper ready to record, eyes bright, her Aes Sedai calm vanished. She felt curious, and a little excited, intertwined with an underlying anxiety. Anxiety about what, I did not know, but I could taste its sour stench in the bond.
"A sword that isn't a sword, a golden crown of laurel leaves, Rand pouring water on sand, six strange beasts, some winged and some not, circling a seventh—I recognize our three dragons, and the one from Rand's tattoo—a hand touching someones chest and lighting their heart on fire, red blood on a black rock, steaming, two men standing side by side, one is Rand and one is not but I cannot tell which."
Moiraine raised a hand as she finished writing notes for each, before motioning Min to continue.
"I see lightning coming off of him now, and striking him, much more now, and his light against the shadow shines even brighter. A bittern, a flute and drum play while Rand dances, fire dancing with him. Nine moons lay prostrate at Rand's feet. There are also… well, there are six women now you may fall in love with and will fall in love with you in return, not the three I saw in Baerlon. But you all knew that, you knew it was changed. I see your village sweetheart, myself, and El-, I mean, an exceedingly beautiful young woman, with blue eyes like sapphires and red-gold, curly hair, and a heart-shaped face with pouty lips. Moiraine Sedai, and a tall woman, her eyes are blue green—hard eyes like a warrior—and she has dark reddish hair cut short like mine, skin tanner than yours. Last, and least," Min grinned at her little joke, "a small, delicate woman, dark and petite, almost looking a boy, with large brown eyes, a heart-shaped face and full lips, her head shaved. Seem's like you have a type, a couple really. Short women, huh, and redheads? Should I dye my hair?"
And there they were. Every woman I would bind, described to me by my newest wife. I ignored the teasing and took the descriptions in, burning them into my memory. Three lovers, two teachers, one enemy. I recognized the red-gold curly hair and bright blue eyes. The Pattern had already woven a meeting with her, Elayne Trakand, Daughter-Heir of Andor. A woman who would be Queen of Andor one day, a woman I met in the gardens of the Palace in Caemlyn. Light, I'm supposed to be King even though I'm just a shepherd in too deep, and I'm fated for actual royalty. My life is a storybook. I shook my head and listened back in.
"And then this last one I see… it flickers, changes. Sometimes its three women surrounding a funeral bier that Rand lies on, his sweetheart, and you and I, now, not the three it was before. Sometimes four or five women, the red-haired girls. And then it changes, and it is six women seated on thrones that circle a seventh with an older Rand sitting tall and proud. It's always the same six women, the same women who will fall in love with you. I never seen a future flicker, let alone change like that, back and forth. It… scares me as much as it gives me hope, and makes me wonder."
The only thing that broke the silence was the scratching of Moiraine's pencil, working furiously. I felt numb. A funeral bier I laid in. Moiraine felt a rising hope in the bond.
"Wait. You… saw I would die. I'm going to die? And you thought it was better to join me, than run far, far away." I did not understand. Min, the woman whose eyes saw the fate of other, saw I would die, even if it was only a chance. I felt numb, empty. I should be worried, or terrified, or angry or something! But I was stuck in shock, instead.
She sighed and gave me a heavy look. "Rand, I've spent some time, ever since I realized people could not see what I saw, trying to fix these things. And yet, I have never changed a one. I had to give up. If the Pattern fated you to… if that must happen, then why should I not find my happiness with you while I can? Why should you not find your happiness while you still can? Baerlon was far too early, of course, and you were raw, over-exposed and I wasn't ready. I'm still not ready, really, and yet I see you again and one of the first things I notice is your death flickering, changing into a long life. If being who you are, the Dragon Reborn, allows you to buck such a horrid fate, then with my whole heart I am glad you are him."
Her heartfelt words washed away the numbness, and I brimmed with affection for Min, while Moiraine joined her. "I had hoped that with Egwene being bonded, your fate would change enough that such an end as she saw for you was averted. Even when we were not bonded, I never wished for your death. I clung to the hope brought by the prophecy of the Iridescent Flame, that you would live to usher in an Age of Light, and my heart is happy to see my hopes proven true, Rand. Whoever these women are, whoever the enemy is, you must bind her, Rand. I will NOT see you on that funeral bier. I care for you Rand, Egwene loves you, all these women will love you. Do not let them down."
I did not stop the tears that came from my eyes. "I do not want to die. I do not want to die, and I will try my best to not disappoint you, Moiraine Sedai. I…I will break the fate."
She took me into her arms and laid my head against her bosom, a soft chill hand rubbing my head. "I know, my dragon. You will live and in a century we will look back on our fears and worries today with laughter and love in our hearts. I promise you that."
I laughed at the nickname. It was ridiculous that such a nickname made my heart warm. "How can you sound so sweet, calling me a dragon?"
After a little more sappiness while Min looked away awkwardly, we left Moiraine to complete some Aes Sedai business, while Mina and I got to know each other.
We walked the Novice Halls, headed for the gardens. "I have a friend I'd like you to meet. She should be out in the gardens taking a quick rest, if we move quickly." Min grinned, a sharp grin. "Boy, will she be pleased to see you, I met her when I heard her asking other Novice's about you. But on the way to see her, lets trade facts about each other. I'll start. My mother died when I was born, and my father died in a mining accident, so my three aunts, Jan, Rana, and Miren Farshaw, all seamstresses, raised me."
"My mother died when I was young, and my father Tam, a former Companion of Illian, was the one left to raise me, but I think I wasn't actually born to them. I look too much like an Aielman, and some things my father said while he ran a fever…. I am still Rand al'Thor, and my father is Tam al'Thor, regardless of who I was born to."
Others passed us by, paying us no mind. Some Accepted gave Min a second look, but said nothing when they recognized her distinctive clothing. They must see she can channel now, I thought to myself, a little worried. What happens when an Aes Sedai notices? Min gave a soft hum.
"You are certainly the height, and the coloring, from what I've read. I've never seen one before, though. My father let me be a tomboy, and none of my aunts, wonderful ladies that they were, could get me to change my habits. I even ran with street children until I was thirteen."
I held a heavy wooden door to the outside open, for Min and for a woman with an ageless face, where a high-necked dress of gray silk, embroidered with pale white and pink roses. She was taller than Min and completely ignored us, not even glancing at me, though I held my breath until she was beyond hearing. The gardens lay beyond, endless oases of flowers and maintained wilderness, crossed with artificial creeks and ponds, that enclosed a good third of the Tower grounds. Novices in white dresses carefully tended to plants with watering cans and gloves to pull weeds, Accepted, in their white dresses with bands of color, wielding pruning scissors and shovels to replant flowers. The occasional Aes Sedai flitted through, always appearing perfectly calm even if they raced by.
"I played with Egwene, Mat and Perrin, in the Westwood and the Waterwood, growing up. Egwene was our tomboy when she was younger, before Nynaeve got her to act 'proper'. I can barely remember those days, but Egwene reminds me, and tells me stories. She was quite the hellion when she was younger."
Min snorted. "That girl, your Wisdom, she was hard as nails. She isn't traveling with us, is she?" I shook my head. "Good. So, another fact. I tried to be a barmaid, but I couldn't handle the men. Too handsy and I was too quick to react violently, and I only lasted a month, couldn't stand the dress. That's one thing even you won't be able to get me to do. I won't wear dresses. Not for you and not for any man," she finished fiercely. She had stopped in front of me, on the path, putting her hands on her hips and standing tall.
I laughed, much to her annoyance and anger. Before she could berate me I put up a hand and called, "Peace, light Min, peace. I will not put you in a dress, nor do I expect you to wear one. I happen to actually quite like how you dress, if I am to be honest."
"Well, I don't wear these clothes for you or any other man. Get that straight, Rand al'Thor, even if it is the only thing you remember about me," she said, still sharp-tongued with fiery eyes.
"Light, I just said that I liked it. It looks good on you, and that is a simple fact," I protested.
Min blushed but made to say something before a soft, beautiful, excited voice interrupted us. "Min, did I hear you call this young man Rand al'Thor?" Approaching us was a young woman around Egwene's age, wearing a white dress slightly marred by dirt stains round the knees, and I recognized her. Her red-gold hair was laying loose around her shoulders and down her back, her bright blue eyes locked on me, and a surprised smile crept across her lips. A shocked expression appeared on my face. Elayne. The Binder appeared in my hand and I quickly stuffed it in a coat pocket. "Light bless me, it is Rand al'Thor! Min, whatever are you doing with him here?"
On instinct I bowed, left and right hands holding my peace-bonded blade behind me, with arms held straight, taking my time to choose my words carefully "Daughter-Heir Elayne, it is an honor for a simple shepherd to be remembered by the future queen of Andor."
"Oh none of that, call me Elayne," she said, smiling. "If Sheriam Sedai heard you calling me that, I would not be able to…" she trailed off, cheeks blushing as she realized what she was about to say. "Well, suffice to say, it would not be pleasant. Now, what are you doing here? This is completely unexpected."
Before I could think up a reasonable lie, Min spoke. "Moiraine Sedai has arrived, finally, and Rand here is to keep me company while she finishes Aes Sedai business. Since you speak of him so much, this shepherd of yours, I thought to have him accompany me on a walk about the gardens to see if we could not find you." Elayne gave a squeak of protest, glancing at me nervously. Seeing her so flustered calmed me, after the surprise of seeing another of my wives appear in front of me. I smiled at Elayne and her face flushed prettily. I am a lucky man.
Elayne waved her arms in denial. "Honestly, I do not speak of him so much, I just…" She turned to me, a pleading look on her face. "I just have never met a man from the Two Rivers, and you were so… different from other Andorans." She nodded, calmer and firm. "That's it. You were different, and I merely idly wished to meet you again." Min snorted and Elayne glared at her, eyebrow arched. "Min was certainly not quiet about you either, if you must know! She called you all sorts of names, names I would never call you."
I laughed, enjoying the simple play between the two young women. "I already heard a few today. I've thought about you as well, if it makes you feel better, Elayne." She nodded, hesitantly. "I never expected to meet either of you again, and now you're both here. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, Moiraine always says, and I suspect we will see each other again before too many years pass."
"Oh truly, do you? Not that I wish to, of course, but it would be nice to see you, and…" Elayne sputters, her ears turning red. "I mean I do wish to see you again, of course. I don't not want to." Min giggled at Elayne, and I couldn't help my snort at the poor redhead's fumbling tongue, much to her horror. "I mean, It's just, what um what are you doing traveling with an Aes Sedai?" she finally squeaks out.
"In exchange for healing my father, Moiraine Sedai took me from the Two Rivers. I travel with her now, and train under her Warder. We were in Shienar recently. I was waiting for her in Caemlyn, as we got separated."
"A Two Rivers shepherd, who wears a heron-mark blade, travels with Aes Sedai and trains under a Warder. You are certainly strange." A brief pause, before mortification comes over Elayne. "Not that you being strange is bad, it is what caught my eye! Oh Light, forgive me, Rand. I do not mean to insult an honest Andoran."
"There is no need to fret, Elayne," I said with a soft smile. "You are right, I am strange and so is my life. Stranger than you know right now. My… friend, Egwene al'Vere, she will join you as a Novice of the White Tower soon enough. Can I ask you to take care of her?"
"Of course, of course, Rand. Any friend of yours is sure to be a friend of mine." A wash of realization came over her. "But oh, stupid Elayne. I've forgotten the most important thing. Rand, you cannot be here. If Eladia Sedai sees you… I do not know why she is so certain you are dangerous, as you seem a nice young man to me. I dread what she would do if she saw you with me." Worry filled her voice, and a look of fear marred her lovely face.
I stiffened. Eladia, the Aes Sedai advisor to the Queen of Andor and Sister of the Red Ajah, the Aes Sedai that hunt men who can channel. Even if she did not know who I was, she was certain I was dangerous, after having a Foretelling about me. Pain and division come to the whole world, and I stand at the heart of it. Any Red Sister was dangerous, who knew what secret weaves the Reds have, to track down male channelers and gentle them. I realized I had stepped one foot into a bear-trap, and was mindlessly waiting for it to close around my leg.
A bell rang early afternoon, and Elayne started, a look of horror overcoming her. She spoke rapidly. "I must go, I am already late, I will speak with you both again, but Rand, please, please, please be careful." She darted forward and wrapped Min in a hug. "I will see you later, Min," she said, before sprinting off, lifting her dress and pounding her feet down the path towards the Tower, hair streaming like a banner.
"I'm leaving with Moiraine Sedai," Min called out and Elayne merely waved without turning around. Min turned to me. "Light, I hope she actually heard me. Elayne can be a bit scatter-brained at times, but don't tell her I said that. Gosh was she cute around you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Asking me to keep secrets from my future wife, are you? That'll cost you."
Min looked surprised, then pouted, and punched my arm. "It's no fun if you know already. I was planning on telling you when the ship left." Min sighed. "You seemed mighty calm meeting her, if you knew who she was to you."
I started walking again, taking us farther away from the Tower and keeping an eye out of any red clothing. "She was the nervous one, made it easy to be the calm one. She is cute, I hope her and Egwene become friends."
We had made our way through some more of the gardens, passed a small grove of blossoming apple trees, and a memorial garden to a Sinadrin Sedai that was filled with unfamiliar yellow flowers, and stopped in the middle of a bridge over a small creek. Min turned to me with a serious look.
"So, Rand. Can I ask you a serious question?" I nodded. "What do you truly think of all this, the binding and the wives? We are away from Moiraine Sedai so she cannot punish you for speaking your mind," she said, finishing the earnest question with a bit of teasing.
I wanted to give this some thought, so I stood there looking over the babbling brook and considered my position for a minute or two. "I am lucky, first and foremost. To have so many beautiful women fated for me is certainly lucky, to have that much love concentrated on a single person, I am luckier than any man. I am also cursed. Like every gift given to me by that spirit, the fate has its downsides. The bond forces—or encourages if you're polite like Moiraine, and if you want to believe Egwene, it nurtures—love towards me with no guarantee I love them back. That feels wrong to me, but I won't bother you with whining about fake love. Both Moiraine and Egwene have spoken of living a long life after the Last Battle, full of children and true love gained on the journey, and I want that. I don't want my life to just be the frantic years of battling the Shadow before the Last Battle."
I turned around, leaning against the railing as I gave her a tired grin, saying "I can honestly admit that I like the idea of multiple women loving me, but I have absolutely no idea how to actually handle six, one of them my enemy, so I need help. I don't know what to think about the idea of my loves being woven into the Pattern of the Age, being chosen for me. It seems a lot of things were chosen for me, even before I was born, and all I can do is simply try to enjoy the journey the Wheel weaves before me, and change what I cannot stand. I don't love you, or even know you well, but I want you by my side, to learn to know you, and learn to love you and you love me in return. To protect you from those who would take you from me, or hurt you, and have you protect me back. That's how I feel, Min. That's what I want, when we get down to the core of it. I want companions in love by my side, as I face the world and all its tribulations. I don't think I could do it otherwise, face the Shadow and the Last Battle alone."
Her smile grew as I spoke, and her hand slipped into mine, squeezing me tight. "That was… far more mature than I expected, but you have been surprising me today, Rand. I expected you to run screaming from me, or to fight tooth and nail. When I saw you last you were stubborn and hardheaded like the roots of an old trees exposed by a winter storm, wary and paranoid, not this young man who listens to and loves an Aes Sedai." I made a token protest that she ignored. "I thought I would have to work much harder to catch you but you seem to have let yourself be caught. Easier for me, but maybe less fun." She teased. "Now the only problem is I have to share you. With Elayne, that would be fine, but five others? You're a lucky man, Rand al'Thor, and you'd be a slack-jawed, wool-brained fool to mess it up. Got it?"
I frowned. "Why does everyone expect me to try and fight the inevitable? Min, when I came back to reality with my faded, tattered memories and the knowledge of who I was, I knew I had to rely on Moiraine. There was no other way. I'm not an idiot, I knew I knew nothing, even less than the farmboy I had been. And I would wish people would stop considering what leash she has on me, and think on the leash I have on her. Moiraine did not act like a silly girl in love before the bond. I had thought… before I had thought it a ruse, when I did not know of how the binding worked, but now it is obvious to me. Not that it will do the same to you, change you so drastically, unless you fight it, or so Moiraine claims."
"She fought it? Of course, she fought it. She is an Aes Sedai, and Aes Sedai love control."
I nodded. "She realized what it was doing to her and tried to fight it. Only made the binding tighter, she claims, more insidious. Half of me, more than half, finds it awful, what it does to you all, and the other part, a colder part, thinks it is surely a gift from the Creator, to be protected by such a defense. If you knew what she wanted to do…"
Min looked confused. "Defense? What she wanted to do?"
I blanched. I had run my mouth. "Nevermind. Ignore that. It is something I forgave her for, I should not have brought it up," I said hastily, regretting the topic immediately. Min merely stared, her eyes boring into mine. "The bond… it is a defense mechanism, Moiraine believes. It protects me, prevents any of my wives from hurting me."
Min caught on instantly and sounded alarmed. "She tried to attack you?! Rand that is not okay, even if you have some kind of power that makes her fall in love with you. What did she do to you?"
"She did nothing, she couldn't. We talked it out and everything is fine now, Min. I really don't wish to speak of it. I'd rather put it behind me."
Min stared for a while, arms across her chest, eyebrow arched, foot tapping but I did not give in.
As if speaking of her made her appear, Moiraine Sedai walked out of a covered awning and made her way over to us, an extra bag that seemed quite stuffed. I let go of Min's hand and jogged over to grab the bag, fitting the strap over my shoulder. Behind me, Min gave Moiraine a frown.
"Thank you, Rand," Moiraine said with a cool smile as I took the bag. "It is past time we left, but we must risk much if we are to succeed. I pray you two had a productive talk?"
"Oh, very," Min said with a smile that looked slightly… put on, taking her place on the other side of me. I grimaced. Hopefully, I hadn't turned another of my wives against Moiraine Sedai.
We were making our way back out of the Tower grounds through the vast gardens, passing by flowering bush and bubbling fountains, when we met a morose-looking man with a dark complexion sat lonely on a bench, staring at the sky. He took one glance at us and burst out into mad laughter, slapping his hand on his knee. The noise brought a young-looking woman, short and stout with braided blonde hair and a sharp nose, wearing the white dress banded in the colors of the seven Ajahs—Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, White, Gray and Brown—signifying she was an Accepted, a step above Novices, but below the Aes Sedai.
I stood, frozen in shock, as I recognized the laughter and the man, Logain the False Dragon. Min jerked my hand forward as Moiraine moved swiftly to speak in quiet, commanding tones to the young Accepted as Logain's sharp brown eyes followed us. "You're him," he called out to me, smiling a too wide smile, cheeks twitching. "I saw you, in Caemlyn, sitting up on that wall, and I knew." His voice followed us even as we left Moiraine behind, Min having not stopped pulling me onwards. Logain shouted from behind me, "Go and shake the world, ta'veren, shake it till it all falls on our heads!" His barking laughter filled the air, maddened and manic, and the words, reminiscent of the song I dreamed of just this morning, sent shivers down my spine. We swiftly exited the gardens, heading the main entrance and exit of the White Tower, the gated wall that separates Tar Valon from the grounds.
Min spoke quietly, as she gripped my hand tightly. "That was Logain, the False Dragon. They gentled him and since then he's been meek as a lamb. I've spoken to him a few times. He seemed a sad man, quiet and lost." She shuddered. "That laugh…"
"He is mad," I said. He could not know I am Dragon Reborn, but somehow he knew I was ta'veren. "He must be like the Amyrlin Seat. She can see ta'veren. He is simply a sad madman with a strange Talent."
"He said he saw you…"
"I remember seeing him, in Caemlyn. He laughed the same. That is three people today I've met that I actually remember."
Min was quiet.
Moiraine caught up with us not too soon after, as we had stood near the gate for nearly ten minutes. The guards unwilling to let a young woman leave without permission, especially with a man dressed like me. For all they knew, I was stealing away a Novice, and no amount of protestation moved them. Upon seeing Moiraine's ageless face the gate guards simply let us out without another word, all bars to egress lifted.
We made our way back through perfect marble squares with grand fountains, past buildings shaped like great trees and flames, stormy clouds and stampeding horses, low hills and craggy mountaintops. I let my gaze drift from each new wonder to the next, though we walked the same path as this morning when we entered the city. We must have passed a dozen sisters but none gave us a second glance, seemingly content to let Moiraine Sedai do as she wished with a girl that should have been in Novice white. It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we returned to the Seamaid's Kiss, having stopped for lunch in a tavern that served trenchers of soft white bread with a hard crust, loaded with beef simmered with peppers and dipped in a bowl of gravy made from the drippings. It was a delicious meal, flavorful and filling, but we didn't speak much, Moiraine putting off any of Min's questions and I content to people watch.
"What now, Moiraine Sedai?" Min asked, as we boarded the ship. Sailors on deck avoided us with ease as they went about their tasks, seeing the water and foodstuffs restocked, and a small amount of cargo taken aboard to make some kind of profit in Illian. I could smell the heady scent of peppers, pickled in vinegar, coming from a barrel nearby.
"You must train your ability, as quickly, but safely as possible, child. Go below deck, Verin Sedai has the second cabin on the left. She should be available to teach you, and I will be join you as soon as I am able. Lord Drake and I must see to what I have gained."
"I have a name, you know, and it is Min. Not girl, not Elmindra, not child. I would appreciate you using it," Min said resolutely, staring right at Moiraine.
Moiraine gave a dismissive huff. "I am an Aes Sedai, child, and you are a girl who has yet to touch the True Source. Until I train you enough to make sure you do not wind up hurting yourself or others in your fumbling, you are like a child with a knife or flame."
"Or you could call her by her name, Moiraine Sedai," I said, annoyed that this was even an issue. "You are both to be my wives. Should you not respect each other? I let it go with Egwene, because she was to be an Aes Sedai and must learn their discipline. I don't think I can let it go again."
Moiraine became both annoyed and resigned, her mouth set in a twist. "Is that a command, Lord Drake?"
"Do I command you, Moiraine Sedai?" I questioned. "I thought we were trying to be partners, as much as you keep your various secrets still. I am asking you to call Min by her name. I cannot imagine calling her a child is actually a useful aspect of training, so I feel it is not an unreasonable request."
"Will Verin Sedai also have to abide by such restrictions?" she asked with an arch of her eyebrow.
"Verin Sedai is not my wife," I replied.
Min put a hand on my arm. "Thank you Rand, but I can handle my fellow…" She blushed, but continued, "My fellow wife. While your male overprotectiveness is heart-warming, it is not needed. If I am to be a child because I do not know enough, then I simply have to learn." And with that Min held her head high as she turned to walk down the steps below deck, before she turned right back around, embarrassed, and asked, "Moiraine Sedai, which cabin is Verin Sedai's?"
Minutes later, back in our cabin, Moiraine had me carefully set the bag on the table. As it turned out, Moiraine had stolen a half a dozen suspected male angreal, and a couple female ones as well. She laid out the male ones on our table very gently, wrapped in a cloth. "I am sure to be stripped of my shawl when the Hall finally finds out what I've taken, but getting your and your wives angreal matter more. I will be stripped of it anyways, when they learn I bonded the Dragon Reborn without telling the White Tower. It will cause Siuan no end of trouble, but the world matters more than Tower politics."
"Are you sure that was the smartest choice, Moiraine? Couldn't you have been caught?"
"I could have, but rarely does anyone visit the repository of angreal, and with my writ in the Amyrlin's name, the guards barely glanced at it before letting me in. It was easy. Too easy. I'm sure sisters of mine have been taking angreal out without permission for years."
I frowned. "If you say so. Could you not have warned me what you were doing, though? You just said you had 'business', but I do not think its unreasonable for me to know what that business is."
Moiraine did not flush, though it was a near thing. "I am sorry, I am used to keeping secrets, even from my Warders."
"Maybe you should change that habit. I'm sure Lan would not mind. Did you know Eladia was looking for me?"
Moiraine laughed. "Lan Gaidin is content to leave me to my secrets, and fight my battles for me."
"Well, maybe I'm not like Lan Gaidin, Moiraine," I said, getting a little annoyed.
"No, you aren't." She smiled, shaking her head, the crystal on a golden chain, her kesiera, refracting the afternoon sunlight. "You're nothing like him and I should have told you my plans. Yes, I know Eladia is looking for you, I'm unsure how you learned, though. I will try to do better in the future, but can we please focus on the treasure trove I stole for you?"
I let it go, and examined the angreal.
Six figurines and shapes sat on the table. The first was a long sword hilt without a blade, the guard a series of thin gold wire woven into a curved screen to protect the hand. Gems in the shapes of flames, and waves, of clouds and mountains, and a white heart, decorated the hilt. I ran the Seeing Eye weave over it, a grid composed of threads of every Element that identified what the angreal was, the information flowing into my mind: a sport-grade Elemental Blade, which has lacked an owner for years beyond reckoning. I knew, somehow, that channeling into the gems with their respective Element would activate the ter'angreal, turning it from an empty hilt to a functioning sword with a blade composed of the Element. It was surprisingly easy to glean information from it.
It seemed extremely cool, and exactly the thing a hero in a story would find, an ancient blade formed from the Elements. I already had one magic sword, and now I would have two. Could Lan could teach me to wield two blades, I wondered.
The second was the figurine of a strange lion made of bronze with two long fangs of milky pale pink crystal coming out of its mouth. I identified it as a civilian-grade Personal Saidin Angreal—giving +4 to the rank of the owner on the Jordanian Scale—with the ability to record audio and play it loudly from the lion's mouth. It had also lacked an owner for a recorded 2,998 years, and when my weave touched it, it seemed to almost eagerly latch on to the flow of saidin, registering me as the owner with my barest thought of acceptance.
I held back from getting up and pocketing the lion, but only barely. I did not tell Moiraine it had made me its owner, since she was content to not let me know she was stealing it, or that Eladia was looking for me. Plus, I did not wish to touch it just yet. I've never even gone all out before, so I definitely don't need an angreal yet, I thought.
The third was civilian Saidin Angreal, which gave a +2 to rank on the Jordanian Scale and an increased connection with Air, this one last owned a surprisingly recent 1,190 years ago. It was shaped like a robed laughing man, skinny and bald with an arrow on his head. It did not have the same eagerness to be owned the way the toothy lion did, and when it offered ownership I declined.
The fourth was a large pipe, with a long curved stem like Thom smoked, the symbol of the Aes Sedai emblazoned on either side of it, the black portion, the Dragon's Fang, raised and textured with small bumps. It was a Bubbler, I learned. A ter'angreal used to smoke herbs, with a thread of Water and Fire on each side where the Dragon's Fang lay. Moiraine was disappointed it turned out to be so simple, while I thought it was neat that ancient Aes Sedai made simple things like pipes.
The fifth was a pyramid covered in thin spikes, with an almost gray-green color, streaks and globs of pure glittering white scattered randomly. It was called a Dream Warden. If you channeled Spirit into it before you slept, it would protect your dreams from hostile intent… somehow. I needed it desperately, as did Perrin and Mat. Perhaps…
The last was a black belt of scaled leather, worked with intricate silver designs of interlocking squares. It was the most important, a Saidin Well. Wells were ter'angreal that held channeled One Power for use later on without channeling the One Power. Moiraine was so excited she almost let me begin channeling into it, to fill it up.
"This is a treasure trove, Rand. Every single angreal I chose is useful in some way. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and it will us well, it seems. That should make me happy, but only makes me worried, though. What foes lie ahead of us that require such tools? We will have to wait to test the blade until we have stopped at Jurene or another small river village or I will simply claim to wish to walk about. That should be reason enough for us to stop. A loyal captain will not deny an Aes Sedai, no matter how foolish their desire." She gave me a look then, serious and stern. "We will take the angreal and test them, make sure they work correctly far away from the ship. They are dangerous, these objects of Power, before you learn to use them. I will not risk the boat with untested angreal. Who knows what kind of damage that Elemental Blade ter'angreal could do, and you certainly don't need an angreal while training, you are powerful enough as is."
"I did not even express a single wish," I complained, offended by her shutting me down preemptively.
Moiraine stared as if I was a fool. "Rand, I can feel your emotions."
"Fine. I won't use them, not any of them before our little excursion." I sighed. "I miss channeling."
"Soon enough, we'll be far enough away to take one day a week to go ashore and train, Rand. For now, though, let us finish the first volume of The First & Last High King while you practice juggling torchlights." Moiraine took the book from the small pile she had brought with her from Fal Dara, and then daintily sat on the bed. I took the chair, calming my mind and seeking the Oneness, to help memorize the words spoken and to help seize saidin.
"'In the year 942 of the Gazaran Calendar, King Artur Paendrag Tanreall led an expeditionary force against the False Dragon Guaire Amalasan, composed soldiers of the eastern nations of Tova, Ileande, Khodomar and Talmour…'"
Author's Note: Rand is listening to In A Future Age, by Wilco. I couldn't help myself, after remembering Rand is car'a'carn, and that car means chief in Old Tongue. High above the sea of chiefs, and barking Shaido dogs indeed.