Saven 1, 998 NE (May 11th)

The next morning Moiraine Sedai was up and about while Egwene stayed close to me, eyeing the older woman with new wariness. Mat had asked her how she got so healthy but she ignored him, preparing her horse. Nynaeve seemed to approve of Egwene's wariness but wouldn't get close to me, so Egwene stood with her as they readied their own horses. Lan took Perrin and spoke with him about something on the far edge of camp. Probably about what he saw.

Loial spoke to me of his latest book, a travelogue of the River Arinelle until it becomes the Manetherendrelle, in the later years of Hawkwing's Empire. He found the description of civil courts quite interesting, telling me how in the interest of fairness every judge was a man foreign to the kingdom the civil court resided in and would change kingdoms every five years. While boring, I listened closely to Loial speak of it. It may be something I can use in the future if Moiraine's plan comes true, as much as I don't wish to think of Illian, and I liked the idea of a fair court. Loial continued to wax poetic on the multicultural mixing that Hawkwing encouraged and his sense of justice as we began to ride.

In the Blight, something had changed that we all could see. The Blight faded as we rode south, of course, but the fading much swifter than it had the ride up, swathes of former Blight turned natural again. Twisted trees were replaced by straight, the stifling heat diminished quickly as rotting foliage gave way to the merely diseased, and then not diseased. The forest around us became red with new growth, thick on the branches. Buds sprouted on the undergrowth, creepers covered the rocks with green, and new wildflowers dotted the grass as thick and bright as where the Green Man walked. It was as if spring, so long held back by winter, now raced to catch up to where it should be.

I was not the only one who stared. "A mighty blow," Moiraine murmured, looking at me with a smile. "A mighty blow indeed." I felt a kernel of pride. I may have messed up, but I did good too. She is not wrong about that.

We rode side by side and she spoke to me of a new plan. She quietly told me of the cultural history of chinnar'veren to the Borderlanders and how that effect revealing myself to Lord Agelmar. At some point in the War of Power, no surviving text that Moiraine has read states when, shapechangers appeared as the Creator's blessing to humanity, a way a human could fight the tide of strange and dangerous shadowspawn that lurked at the end of the Age of Legends.

After the Breaking, in the two closest nations to the Blight before the Trolloc Wars destroyed them, Aramelle and Jaramide raised chinnar'veren as nobility, using them for the Shadow Marches to the north and parading them as defenders of humanity, even as their numbers slowly dwindled. As spiritual successors of those lost nations, the Borderlands would leap to grant me titles and privileges if they knew I existed.

She told me how it would tie him to me, and if I revealed myself to Fal Dara as a shapechanger, it would tie Shienar and eventually the Borderlands closer to me as the word spread. She deemed this vital so that when I was announced as the Dragon Reborn those nations would fall in line with me for a number of reasons.

Because of their shared history, knowledge of me from tales and deeds, the backing of Lord Agelmar, let alone the fact that the Borderlands put fighting the Shadow above everything. It seemed to make sense to me, so when she finished, I nodded and told her as much as I was not sure what else to say. What can you say, when a woman tells you she plans to win you four kingdoms? Then we spoke a bit more and I mentioned being interested in how those civil courts worked. She seemed pleased, giving me a brief smile that reached her eyes, and told me we would begin to study Hawkwing before moving on to ride beside Lan.

I thought to myself as I rode alone. Light burn me, Illian and now the Borderlands? If both declare for me I'll have to conquer the rest of the Westlands to simply connect my supposed kingdom. I paused, realizing her Aes Sedai ploy. She plans to make me the new Artur Hawkwing! That is what I chose when I let her bond with me, not the Aes Sedai Advisor to the Dragon Reborn, but the Aes Sedai Kingmaker in my bedroom. Light, my new wife has been planning to make me king since before she knew me… She must love what has happened to me. Maybe the real gift was for her.

I may have been brooding by the time we saw the climbing wildrose entwined the stone column marking the Border. Men came out of the watchtowers to greet us. There was a stunned quality to their laughter, and their eyes shone with amazement, as if they could not believe the new grass and wildflowers under their steel-clad feet. I was glad for the distraction from my future.

"The Light has conquered the Shadow!"

"A great victory in Tarwin's Gap! We have had the message! Victory!"

"The Light blesses us again!"

"King Easar is strong in the Light," Lan replied to all their shouts. Their laughter followed as we rode on.

Egwene rode beside me after we crossed the border, alternating between telling hilarious and embarrassing stories of our childhood together, and riding in thoughtful silence with me as we watched the overflowing nature pass us by, depending on her mood. It fit well with my mood, too, soothing me from the gnawing anxious thoughts of the future and Aes Sedai.

In the late afternoon we reached Fal Dara, to find the grim-walled city ringing with celebration. Ringing in truth. I doubted if there could be a bell in the city not clanging, from the tiniest silver harness chime to great bronze gongs in their tower tops. The gates stood wide open, and men ran laughing and singing in the streets, flowers stuck in their topknots and the crevices of their armor. The common people of the town had not yet returned from Fal Moran, but the soldiers were newly come from Tarwin's Gap, and their joy was enough to fill the streets.

"Victory in the Gap! We won!"

"A miracle in the Gap! The Age of Legends has come back!"

"Spring!" a grizzled old soldier laughed as he hung a garland of morningstars around my neck. His own topknot was a white cluster of them. I laughed with him, thinking I did this! "The Light blesses us with spring once more!"

Learning we wanted to go to the keep, a circle of men clad in steel and flowers surrounded us, running to clear a way through the celebration. In the moment, I found it striking. Our 'Flower Guard' running through the raucous streets of Fal Dara, clearing out drunken soldiers with gentle but speedy movement, never a harsh word or a thrown fist. Just merriment and politeness and casual joy as these kind soldiers kept us steadily moving through the city, despite the roil. Flower Guards, I considered.

Ingtar's was the first face I saw that was not smiling. "I was too late," Ingtar told Lan with a sour grimness. "Too late by an hour to see. Peace!" His teeth ground audibly, but then his expression became contrite. "Forgive me. Grief makes me forget my duties. Welcome, Builder. Welcome to you all. It is good to see you safely out of the Blight. I will bring servants to guide you to your chambers, and inform Lord Agelmar—"

"Take me to Lord Agelmar," Moiraine commanded. "Take us all." Ingtar opened his mouth to protest, and bowed under the force of her eyes.

Agelmar was in his study, with his swords and armor back on their racks, and his was the second face that did not smile, though he wore one when he saw us hale, hearty and whole. Loial carried the gold chest. The pieces of the seal were still in Moiraine's pouch; Lews Therin Kinslayer's banner was wrapped in her blanketroll and still tied behind Aldieb's saddle. The groom who had led the white mare away had received the strictest orders to see the blanketroll was placed untouched in the chambers assigned to the Aes Sedai.

"Light bless you, as it blessed us in Tarwin's Gap," said Lord Agelmar gruffly. "I take it you were successful, Moiraine Sedai?"

"I would speak with you, Lord Agelmar."

Agelmar nodded, and Ingtar waved the servants from the room. The Lord of Fal Dara eyed those who remained expectantly; especially, I thought, Loial and the golden chest.

"We hear," Moiraine said as soon as the door shut behind Ingtar, "that you won a great victory in Tarwin's Gap."

"Yes," Agelmar said slowly, his troubled frown returning. "Yes, Aes Sedai, and no. The Halfmen and their Trollocs were destroyed to the last, but we barely fought. A miracle, my men call it. The earth swallowed them; the mountains buried them. Only a few Draghkar were left, too frightened to do else but fly north as fast as they could."

"A miracle indeed," Moiraine said, smiling. "And spring has come again."

"A miracle," Agelmar said, shaking his head, "but... Moiraine Sedai, men say many things about what happened in the Gap. That the Light took on flesh and fought for us. That the Creator walked in the Gap to strike at the Shadow. But I saw a man, Moiraine Sedai. I saw a man, and what he did, cannot be, must not be." He saw me….

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, Lord of Fal Dara."

"As you say, Moiraine Sedai." Lord Agelmar grimaced.

"And Padan Fain? He is secure? I must speak with him as soon as possible."

"He is held as you commanded, Aes Sedai, whining at his guards half the time and trying to command them the rest, but... Peace, Moiraine Sedai, what of you, in the Blight? You found the Green Man? I see his hand in the new things growing."

"We found him," she said flatly. "The Green Man is dead, Lord Agelmar, and the Eye of the World is gone. There will be no more quests by young men seeking glory."

The Lord of Fal Dara frowned, shaking his head in confusion. "Dead? The Green Man? He cannot be... Then you were defeated? But the flowers, and the growing things?"

"We won, Lord Agelmar. We won, and the land freed from winter, and from the Blight is the proof, but I fear the last battle has not yet been fought. The Blight still stands, and the forges of Thakan'dar still work below Shayol Ghul. There are many Halfmen yet, and countless Trollocs. Never think the need for watchfulness in the Borderlands is gone."

"I did not think it so, Aes Sedai," he said stiffly.

Moiraine motioned for Loial to set the gold chest at her feet, and when he did, she opened it, revealing the horn. "The Horn of Valere," she said, and Agelmar gasped. I almost thought the man would kneel, such was the adulation in his eyes.

"With that, Moiraine Sedai, it matters not how many Halfmen or Trollocs remain. With the heroes of old come back from the tomb, we will march to the Blasted Lands and level Shayol Ghul."

"NO!" Agelmar's mouth fell open in surprise, but Moiraine continued calmly. "I did not show it to you to taunt you, but so that you will know that in whatever battles yet come, our might will be as great as that of the Shadow. Its place is not here. The Horn must be carried to Illian. It is there, if fresh battles threaten, that it must rally the forces of the Light. I will ask an escort of your best men to see that it reaches Illian safely. There are Darkfriends still, as well as Halfmen and Trollocs, and those who come to the horn will follow whoever finds it. It must reach Illian."

"It shall be as you say, Aes Sedai." But when the lid of the chest closed, the Lord of Fal Dara looked like a man being denied his last glimpse of the Light.

Then Moiraine moved to stand by my left side, opposite of Egwene who held tightly to my hand. "And there is another thing, something I wish to tell you, so you may prepare for it. Rand, if you would."

I pulled on that feeling of energy beneath my skin and changed. I stood in so'shan and the room filled with noise, Perrin stared peculiarly, Mat asking questions of me, Lan grunting in surprise despite knowing what happened, and Lord Agelmar let out a "Burn me" as his eyes poured over me. It felt embarrassing. Everyone was looking at me, but I stood still and fed the Flame, tossing those feelings and thoughts into the fire. I stared right back at him.

"You're chinnar'veren… but how? Excuse me, that was rude. I meant to ask, when did you obtain the so'shan, young Lord."

I stared solemn at him. "When I fought and killed the Forsaken Aginor outside the Eye of the World."

Lord Agelmar starts the Shayol Ghul catechism, but Moiraine interrupts, glaring at me. "I did not wish to speak of such things, but yes, Rand al'Thor did kill Aginor, while the Green Man died to kill Bathamel. Two Forsaken are dead, now."

Lord Agelmar looked sundered, like the foundations of his world were gone. "It is true then. When the chinnar'veren return, Tarmon Gai'dan looms. Light preserve me, two Forsaken, but Light bless you Lord Rand, and the Green Man, for killing those monsters in human skin. Who knows what they would have done to the people of Shienar."

I spoke slowly but calmly. "Lord? I am no lord, I am just a shepherd a long way from home, Lord Agelmar."

"You wear the so'shan. You are a Lord in the Borderlands from this day forth until your death, Lord Rand, peace favor your blade. But, if I may ask, what animal are you? I recognize reptilian features, but your horns, and your long hair, I know of no horned hairy lizard on this side of the Aiel Waste."

I lied. "I believe I am a drake, a serpent-lion of Shara that can breathe fire. That was how I killed Aginor."

"I've not heard of such creatures, but that hair of yours is certainly a mane!" Lord Agelmar laughed. "You breathed fire, hot enough to kill one of the thirteen remaining Aes Sedai from before the Breaking. Light what I would give to see you in your so'gaighael, tearing through fists of Trollocs, breaking raids and invasions on your knee." He sighed. "It is too bad you will not gain your so'unbunto for years yet. Otherwise, with the Horn by your side, we could fight deep into the Blight, razing the twisted camps and villages of the Shadow till we marched on Shayol Ghul itself."

Perrin raised a hand, and caught Lord Agelmar's attention, asking what those Old Tongue words meant, which cued up a flowery telling of the history of shapechangers, and what each forms was. I ignored it, instead summoning the strange ter'angreal that Moiraine called my Bonder into my left hand. I had learned through experiments on the ride through Fal Dara that literally no else but Lan and my bond-mates could even tell it existed, just as weird as the tattoos that everyone seemed to accept as completely normal but Lan. I liked to look at the two beasts that lined the length, wondering whether Egwene would have Green Man-like abilities, and if Moiraine would let him fly on her back, and other such thoughts. The depictions seemed to move in the light and had me enthralled as I watched plants grow and die on the earth dragon, as wings flapped from the wyvern, until Egwene squeezed my hand hard.

Flinching, I glanced around to see Lord Agelmar and Perrin staring at me. I grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, Lord Agelmar. I've heard this explanation multiple times and I just kind of drifted off."

Instead of being upset, he laughed again and smiled a kind smile for such a hard face. "Ah to be young. It is all right Lord Rand, I had simply finished telling your friends of your new-found heritage, and Perrin here asked you what this drake looked like."

I did not even hesitate, to my almost instant regret. "A snake-lion, with four feet, mine would be red and gold." There was a sudden chill, goosepimples running down my arm, as I was pinched hard on my back. I then realized I had just described the banner to Perrin. Perrin, who knew what it looked like. Perrin who was watching us last night. Perrin, who now probably thought, correctly, I was the Dragon Reborn. When I caught Loial's gaze of realization and worry, I groaned. Both of them know. "Sorry Moiraine Sedai," I whispered. I got pinched again, this time my right ear and I flinched, warmth returning.

I smiled grimly. "Obviously it has antlers, and a mane of red-gold hair, and golden claws." Too late to close the barn door, when the horse is already out of the barn. Perrin looked at me with a cautious look that was his 'considering the danger' look he got sometimes when a prank has gone too far. He is obviously considering the danger involved remaining with me. Not that I truly blame him.

"I see," is all he grunted. Mat looked at Perrin funny, seeming to wonder what he missed.

Moiraine spoke up then, wanting to move us along. "Lord Agelmar, if we could be seen to our rooms, there is much to be done."

"This way, Lord Rand," the manservant assigned to me said, as we were moved through a hall. I flinched as Mat sneered at me as we left the others behind, anger welling in his eyes. He had complained loudly on the walk to Perrin about my sudden status as a lord, my sudden love of Aes Sedai, my keeping secrets from the both of them, never looking at me. Soon enough, Perrin will tell him I am the Dragon Reborn. I felt certain I would see a lot of angry eyes in the future and that weighed on me, as the manservant in black and gold livery took me to a different wing. I could try to deny the Lordship, but that would insult Lord Agelmar, and offend Moiraine after I agreed to her plan. But Mat did not know that, and I think even if he did he'd still hate it.

"For visiting Southerners, our finest milord," said the manservant Mikeyo while he unlocked the door. It looked ridiculous. It was a massive bedroom with a painting of far too undressed women hanging above the bed, and a wolf savaging cattle sat beside the hearth, garish. I had never seen so much gilding and silver wrought pieces in any place. The room Lord Agelmar met them in was much simpler. The bed was gigantic, with sheets that can be drawn around it to shadow the occupant. Four pillows sat abreast, and I could not help imagining it filled with three women and myself, something that was bound to happen. It was too much.

I turned to Mikeyo. "Is there a room with less… decoration?"

The man laughed, "Not to your taste then? Let us try another room." He muttered then, "I told them you would like a less… decorated room, let's say, but did they listen? No."

He led me down the hall, then down a flight of stairs, and to a room of a size with the previous one's bedroom, but with a somewhat smaller, but still large bed, some decorations in gold but mostly silver and hunting tapestries. I reluctantly accepted it, and soon servants arrived with my things and put away my simple clothes with some disgust. They're just clothes… "We will have to get new clothes measured for you, Lord Rand, and for your attendants."

I stopped that line of thought. "They are not my attendants, they are my friends, my companions if you must. You can certainly ask if they want to get new clothes, but do not force them." I told Mikeyo firmly. I dare not think what Mat will say about this, anyways.

An hour later Mikeyo brought dinner to my room, beef and vegetables fried with a tangy sour sauce and a grain called rice, tiny little pellets that absorbed the sauce and were quite enjoyable to eat. As so as I finished and Mikeyo was taking away my plate and utensils, a soft knock sounded on the door.

I got up from my table to open the door, finding Moiraine Sedai standing in front of it, in a dark blue dress I had never seen with a neckline dipped far enough to reveal a hint of cleavage, lacking her usual cloak. A gold belt dangling around her slender waist, silver bracelets with mother-of-pearl insets on each wrist. Her kesiera, a sapphire on the well-wrought gold chain intertwined with a braid that crowned her head, a hairstyle I had never seen on her before tonight. She looked beautiful and like a noble lady out of a tale, instead of the worn Aes Sedai I had seen just yesterday. I may have stared at her for a moment too long, as she coughed with an eyebrow raised.

I started, "Please come in, Moiraine Sedai."

"I see you have eaten well. We will be working together every night after dinner. I have much to teach you." She entered the room walking past me to sit on the bed. "I see you have made contact with your personal manservant. I chose him for his quiet mouth." She said, ignoring Mikeyo's existence as he bustled around and instead looked at me.

That made me a bit angry. "He has a name, Moiraine Sedai."

She paused to nod, smiling. "He does. It is Mikeyo. And I would appreciate it if you would stay away for two hours while I speak with the young Lord about certain things. This may become a regular thing, depending." Her voice got coy, and I flushed, abruptly worried.

Mikeyo seemed amused, however, and simply nodded as he opened the door to leave. "As you say, Mistress Aes Sedai, I will obey." And I was left , the atmosphere changed. Any coyness from the Aes Sedai wiped away clean, leaving amusement and a certain distance in her eyes.

"That should set the fox amongst the hens. You'll be named an exiled Lord with an Aes Sedai lover in the taverns of Fal Dara by the end of the week at the latest. A wild, unbelievable tale that will be proven true by the number of those who will watch us, as we play at secret assignations. Excellent cover for what I will be truly doing with you these evenings, and on our trips."

"So. That was some kind of deception?" She nodded. "And me and you…. being close, that's the rumor you want to spread?" She nodded again, looking bored. "Why," I asked finally.

"The tales of the love lives spread through the servants daily gossip like a wildfire." As if that explained everything. And maybe it did. Why would she want rumors of us to spread like that? Well, to distract people from questioning why she spent so much time with me. And why else? I thought. My skin chilled as I stared at Moiraine who stared placidly back before patting the bed.

"Join me. You have much to learn, and little enough time to learn it."

I joined her, still considering. What sets her apart is her desire to not gentle me. Could this seriously be an attempt to disguise what we do from other Aes Sedai? I settled on the bed, taking a pillow to squeeze. "Your sisters, you don't want them questioning what your relationship is with me, so you're pretending to have a secret romantic one with me."

"Excellent answer, Rand. That is indeed a good reason, yes, amongst many others."

She moved on the topic. "I will begin first with teaching you of the One Power. What do you know?"

That it had a male half and a female half was all I could muster but Moiraine simply nodded. "As much as I expect. The One Power has a True Source, where saidin, the male half of the One Power, and saidar, the female half, push against each other endlessly turning the Wheel of Time. They are limitless sources of power. No one can empty them any more than you could empty the Aryth Ocean."

"What is saidar like?" I asked, curious. I did not remember channeling, really.

A tinge of joy tinged Moiraine's voice as she described it. "Like a vast, powerful river that flows ever onward, that you must embrace the currents or drown like a leaf in a whirlpool trying to impose your will. You guide saidar, allow the power to flow down the paths you seek. It fills you with life. Everything feels stronger, feels more real than real. It is a heady experience." Then her tone turned stern. "Saidin is completely different to handle. The White Tower has been gentling men for thousands of years, and has the most complete collection of pre-Breaking books than the rest of Westlands combined. Because of that, I am very sure what is involved with seizing saidin. I have studied every time I find myself in the Tower, under the newest Amylin. The ko'di, the Oneness you already practice as the Flame and the Void, is vital for maintaining control when you wield saidin, according to scraps of certain forbidden texts and interviews with gentled men. You will need to seize it, force your will on the One Power. That is what we will be practicing on this bed until I am certain you can seize saidin, without making a fool of yourself, or hurting others."

That makes sense, I'm basically a walking danger right now while I cannot control the One Power. "What about… the Taint?" Something I hated to think of, let alone speak. I will simply be glad I can be rid of it.

"We will have a picnic soon enough, and I can prepare a number of vessels to see if any are capable of holding it so that I may burn it. Otherwise we will take frequent picnics, say every three days, and continue training there. Lan and Egwene can join us at times to keep the tongues wagging."

That sounded reasonable. Except for the part where she implied Lan and Egwene would be like us, pretending together. Something inside simply said, No. "Not together." I said, forcefully. "Egwene and I are bonded. I will not have others think she is with another, even for a ruse. She can join us for lessons instead, and Lan joins the picnics."

Moiraine accepted that with an ease that spoke of me fulfilling some kind of plan she had for me. I paid it no mind. "So I simply have to do this kody and I should find saidin?"

"Ko'di, Rand. And yes. Saidin has been described often as light or heat by other men. Search for that in your void. Let me know when you find it." She said, before closing her eyes, a chill washing over me.

I sat there, eyes closed as well, trying to achieve Oneness. I burnt the weight the future held for me, I burnt my annoyance at Moiraine, I burnt the terror of my first waking moments, that still haunts me days later. I burnt the frustration with Mat over things I cannot change, and I burnt my self-recrimination for the foolish mistake of letting Perrin realize what I am. When I achieved the Oneness, this ko'di, I did behold a beautiful light that sang to me a siren's call of power and might, from just beyond my eyesight. "I feel it."

"Nearly fifteen seconds is much better than new Novices, but not quick enough. Again."

The Oneness shattered. "Seriously?" I felt a chill, and a pinch, right on my butt. I leapt up, turning around. No one was there. "Did you just channel to pinch me, Moiraine?"

Her face was stern. "Right now, I am your Teacher, and as far as you are concerned, a little pinching is the least I can do without harming you with the One Power. I was subjected to a very thorough education by Eladia Sedai, who is now a Red. Trust me, she knew when and how to push to get the best out of a student. Now continue, before you get worse."

Now slightly scared, I nodded and attempted to achieve ko'di. It took me twenty seconds. Over and over again, I became One with the room, and felt the siren call but was denied by Moiraine everytime. She began to read to me passages from a book, The Rise and Fall of Hawkwing's Empire, expecting me to memorize and recite them back to her. By the time our two hours was up, I was sweating and my head hurt from concentration.

Moiraine was stern after we finished, "Seven seconds is a lifetime in a desperate moment. Tomorrow we'll continue with the same training. I do not want you achieving ko'di unless around me while we are training it. The chance of you deciding to try sadin and burning out your ability to channel is too great, and I cannot have you risk yourself.

Suddenly, Moiraine smiled. "You did very well. You achieved an average Novice's months of practice in merely two hours." She hummed, tilting her head and looking me over with arms crossed. Her earring jangled, well-wrought hoops of silver with a small emerald at the bottom of the loop. "You will be accompanying me to my room. I have some things to give you."

I hurried to follow her, secretly worried she'd soon force me to sleep over in some attempt to cause more rumors. The entrance outside the Women's Quarters had a number of angled writing desks, and sitting couches. Two women worked on paperwork with bright lanterns shuttered on their desks, the hall's lamps turned dim. One looked up, a taller woman and mature with a handsome but bitter face. She frowned when she saw me.

"I merely need to gift Lord Rand some clothes I had made for him, he will be in and out." Moiraine announced as she walked past the women, not stopping a stride. I followed close behind the tiny woman, though she seemed to stand tall as we moved through the dim halls to her apartment. When we reached her door I felt a chill, and asked her what she was doing, she whispered, "You've noticed me already, that is good, Rand, quite good. Usually takes women months if not years to feel it, especially beyond a couple feet. I am checking my ward, to see if anyone tried to enter the room after I left for yours."

That sounded useful, I'd like something like that. We entered her apartment, which had a sitting room. The fancy Lord's room did not even have a sitting room, simply a large bedroom with room for half a dozen chairs and a table if not more. I felt a jolt of envy, and Moiraine looked at me. I blushed and explained.

She nodded. "You are still a southerner. The best rooms are for Borderlanders, and for women and Aes Sedai of course. That envy you felt though. Is that normal for you?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No. Neither was my anger…. do you think…?" Are dragons envious angry creatures? I do hope not.

" Instincts from your animal? It is possible. Or it is simply you adjusting to your… circumstances. Emotional outbursts are common when one begins to channel, usually within the first couple weeks. It would be a bit late, but men are different from women. Some men do not even begin channeling until thirty."

I groaned. "And I don't remember if I even had those outbursts, so it could be either."

"Then simply try to be mindful of your emotions. You did quite well when you returned to us, in the Green Man's garden. I saw you using breathing to calm yourself. Now, the reason why I called you over was that before we left for the Blight I had the Mistress of Tailors quickly plan a new wardrobe for you. I was going to use herons as the main item of embroidery given your sword, but with the banner, I have an accurate image of a dragon and will be updating the tailors tomorrow. The rest of your clothes are still being made, but I have a couple of shirts, tunics and jackets for you, and two pairs of trousers. One made for exercising, and one for wearing regularly. I would like you to try them on, so I can make sure they fit the look I wish for you to present."

"Which is?" I asked when she didn't expound, slightly annoyed.

She stared at me, then smiled. "Yes, I suppose I could tell you. You need to look like a southern Lord who's taken some Borderlander traditions, the collar and the sleeve length, with a strong focus on red and gold. You will be recognized as Andoran by that color scheme and your accent. You need to look striking and memorable. Lan will teach you how to walk, I want you to do that walk when moving through the fortress." She continued on in that vein for another minute before asking me to try them on.

I nodded in relief and took the clothing, moving to the other room. A simple linen shirt for exercising, two tunics, one in a burgundy red and the other in faded gold, and one jacket, a surprisingly prescient scarlet and gold, survived the fashion show. Both trousers did not fit exactly right, but Moiraine made me take the linen one, for tomorrow. "I will get the rest fixed up for you. It should not be more than a day. Tomorrow, Lan will wake you up to begin your training."