AN: I know I haven't uploaded on ffn in a while, but I've actually been writing quite a bit. However, part of what I've been writing is smut fics, so I'm uploading that only to archiveofourown and questionablequesting. Ffn doesn't like links, but if you're curious you can just google my name plus the site and that should be that (I use the same name everywhere). The rest of what I've been working on is this fic.

To those who are not familiar with the Wheel of Time: I'm deliberately writing this fic in such a manner that you should still be able to follow things, so give it a try. Also note that for this reason, I am temporarily uploading chapters on my discord early, mostly to check whether I didn't gloss over anything I shouldn't have. That should only last for the first four or so chapters.

And as a more general note: This is pretty much a straight up power fantasy. I'm very familiar with those from the Harry Potter fanfic community, but when looking through the Wheel of Time fanfics on ffn and ao3, I realized that the entire concept doesn't seem to exist here. If you're not familiar with the concept, it basically means that Rand is going to be very powerful and will get himself a bunch of girls. And yes, more than in canon for both of those things. And there'll be sex, though I'm not going to jump into that, I want things to develop naturally.

Unimaginable power coursed through Rand al'Thor's veins as he stood atop Dragonmount, the fiery mountain he had once shaped in a past life, in a torrent of suicidal grief.

But he had not died. Not forever. He had been reborn, chained to the turning of the Wheel. The torrent of saidin was mere inches away from overwhelming him, so powerful. He knew, in that moment, that he held the powers of creation and destruction in his hands.

There was only one way out. Only one solution. One way to break this endless cycle.

To destroy the Pattern itself, the fabric of reality.

In his head, Lews Therin Telamon spoke. But Rand did not listen to the voice of his previous incarnation. He could barely hear him over the storm he was creating.

He drew more power through the Choedan Kal, the single most powerful sa'angreal to ever exist, the greatest amplifier of power mankind had ever created.

And he turned it on the Pattern. He started burning away it's threads like he was using balefire, but not one thread. No, all of them.

As he touched the threads of the men and women he'd called friends and family, he learned about the lives he was burning away. The reality he was burning away, just like around him, the mountain unraveled, as did the city in the distance, the very skies themselves torn to pieces that vanished to nothingness.

And thus, he burned away himself, and the storm came to rest.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In an Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Born under peaks shrouded in the eternal clouds that gave the mountain range it's name, the wind blew east, past the Sand Hills and onto Two Rivers. It blew through the Westwood, rushing through treetops in the early morning, and arrived at a farmhouse at the crack of dawn, howling past the thatched roof and the wooden structure.

There, the wind woke Rand al'Thor, a man who had not expected, nor wanted, to ever wake up again. A man who now possessed memories he had not had before, the long life of Lews Therin Telamon – and the memories of two years of war, scheming, political intrigue and channeling the tainted saidin at the cost of his sanity, then cleansing it.

Yet that had come too late. It had already forced Rand down the path of destruction. Everywhere he went, chaos and misery had followed. Wars, famine, all the destruction mankind had feared the Dragon Reborn would bring for three thousand years.

He had tried to free them all. Free them by destroying them, yet even at that, he had failed. But as he glanced around his old bedroom, he wondered if accidentally, he had achieved something far better.

For part of him – the part that had been Lews Therin – had understood. Had understood why they lived again and again. The young man from the present day had gone mad, but the infamous madman had understood the lesson. They lived again and again, to do better.

And in his attempt to destroy the Pattern, Rand had not simply failed, he had undone the last two years. He had turned back the Wheel. He was back at his father's farm in Two Rivers, before his life had taken a turn for the crazy.

And this time, he would be ready. He would not let himself be ruled by his own weaknesses, but instead prepare for the storm he knew was coming. The Forsaken were still imprisoned at the Bore, the Seanchan had not yet arrived, the White Tower was unified and led by Siuan Sanche, the - current - youngest Amyrlin Seat ever and dear friend of Moiraine.

Moiraine - who, Rand knew now that he had seen her thread - had not died, but had merely been captured. Who would arrive in Two Rivers at some point.

His father Tam called for him to wake, for they had to leave and to prepare for Bel Tine.

Moiraine, who would arrive in Two Rivers today.

Rand scrambled to get out of bed and prepare, going through the motions like it had been yesterday, though he couldn't help but be silent. The way Tam acted, it was clear that he did not have memories from the future – Rand suspected it was only him, as the agitator, who remembered.

And even though he remembered so much, the one thing he did not know was how to act as the young, somewhat naive farm boy his father knew him as, except through silence.

Luckily, there were enough concerns with the late spring and the upcoming holiday that silence was not unexpected. For now, Rand was planning out what to do today, though his only immediate action was to briefly reach out and grasp saidin, while hiding the action – there was, after all, a Myrddraal nearby, and they could sense channeling. Though he did not show any outward reaction, inside himself he sighed. It seemed the cleansing had been undone, too, as once again a taint covered the primal force.

At least this time he knew how to remove it. And if he was not mistaken, Moiraine should be powerful enough to channel through the Choedan Kal, so Nynaeve's inexperience should not be an issue.

After breakfast, Rand and Tam loaded their cart with their wine and cider. Rand led Bela over to the cart, and the mare waited obediently as he fastened everything. And with that, they were off. Rand and his father – for that was what Tam was, no matter that Rand now knew they were not related by blood – silently made the trek to the village of Emond's Field. When Rand once again spotted the Myrddraal, with it's black, unmoving cloak and tall posture, he had to keep himself from reaching out to the One Power and evaporating the shadowspawn on the spot.

No, he had already decided what he was going to do first. As soon as they arrived at the inn and Tam was distracted by other people, Rand slipped away, entering the building. The common room was deserted, so he made his way to the guest rooms, where he happened to come across Lan Mandragoran. Unsurprisingly, the stone-faced man noticed him immediately.

"Warder," Rand greeted.

Lan stilled. He was wearing his color-shifting cloak, the garment that was only worn by warders and allowed them to blend into their surroundings, but Rand belatedly realized that most Emond's Field villagers would be unable to recognize one.

"Good morning," Lan said. "I had not expected a youth from these parts to recognize my cloak. I am Lan." Rand did not miss the lack of a surname. Lan Mandragoran would never claim his birthright unless someone forced him to.

"I am Rand al'Thor," he replied. "I heard a noble lady had arrived yesterday, accompanied by you. Could I speak to her?"

Lan raised an eyebrow, but turned and opened a door a few rooms down. "Moiraine, this boy wishes to speak to you."

The short, stately brunette looked up from where she was sitting on the bed, busy with... something. Rand wasn't sure what. "Come in."

"Could I talk to you alone?" Rand asked. Not that he didn't trust Lan, but he first wanted Moiraine's judgement.

"Go ahead, Lan, I'll speak to him."

The warder left, closing the door behind him.

"You are a curious one," Moiraine said, looking up at Rand. "Tall, red hair, blue eyes, you do not look like you are from these parts, and yet I doubt you have ever left Two Rivers."

Rand let out a chuckle despite himself. Observant as ever. "Correct on both accounts." He took a chair and sat down opposite of Moiraine. "My name is Rand al'Thor, by the way."

"Moiraine, pleased to meet you. There is indeed something unusual about your heritage, then?"

A smirk played around Rand's lips as he imagined Moiraine's reaction to his next words.

"I'm the one you're looking for."

Indeed, Moiraine stilled completely, her mouth slightly open in not quite perfectly hidden shock. She recovered quickly, though, and Rand wasn't sure whether that was simply because she was an Aes Sedai, used to dealing with the unexpected and trained to always appear in control, or also because she was Moiraine bloody Damodred, a woman who had become – would become – a legend in only two years time.

"You know then, what you are?"

"The Dragon Reborn," Rand stated. "Born on… I mean, I could repeat that entire story, but if there's anyone who knows it, it's you."

"How familiar are you with the world? With… saidin?" Even Moiraine seemed hesitant to say that word, hesitant to be in the presence of a man who would inevitably go mad within a decade from now.

"I won't need a guide," Rand said. "But I could use an advisor. Someone that I trust to have my – and the world's – best interests in mind as I venture out from Two Rivers. And besides, I don't know whether you realized it yet, but Mat and Perrin are also ta'veren, and they do need a guide." Rand grimaced despite himself. "Mat in particular."

"And you would offer that position to someone you just met?"

"That's the thing, Moiraine Sedai." She reacted minutely to the use of her title. "You only just met me, but… oh, you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, are you?"

She raised a single eyebrow in question.

Despite probably having a foot in height over her, despite being several times more powerful, despite having ruled kingdoms, Rand looked down contritely as he admitted what he'd done. "With the madness, with the pressure of the end of the world, I… tried to end it all. Break the Pattern. Instead, I undid two years of it, turning back the Wheel and ending up here, today.

"And somehow, in the process, I even came to understand why. Why the Wheel keeps turning, why we continue to be reborn. I'm not sure if turning back the Wheel undid my madness or whether I overcame it, but I do feel renewed purpose."

It remained silent for a long time. However, eventually Moiraine spoke with equal measures of disbelief and shock.

"You did what?"

Somehow, despite four hundred years worth of memories, despite being the most powerful person alive in two different Ages, Rand could not help but feel like a child that had misbehaved.

"I know," Rand said. "I… honestly, I don't know what to say next. I've known you for more than a year, but you don't know me. Not yet. In all honesty, I had expected a scolding, but I suppose you can hardly scold someone you don't know."

A very small smirk – of the kind most people would miss – played on Moiraine's face, otherwise kept carefully neutral. "No, that would be tough. Besides which I am currently feeling severely out of my depth."

"I can understand that," Rand said. "Perhaps we can just… leave my past actions in the past and look toward the future?"

"For now," Moiraine said. "But I may want to come back to it."

Rand nodded. "As I implied earlier already, I cannot think of anyone I trust as much as you. I don't doubt I'd have been dead a dozen times over without your help. But, the future. Let's talk about tonight first. I don't know if you've heard any rumors about Myrddraal, but tonight, Emond's Field and my father's farm will be attacked by trollocs. One fist in total. They'll be targeting me, Mat and Perrin. And while I believe everyone survived last time, it was a close call for some people, including my father who was struck by a tainted blade."

"It is good to have advance warning," Moiraine said. "But I'm not sure how much we can do."

"Realistically, I should be able to deal with a fist of trollocs and a Myrddraal by myself," Rand said. "Or even ten or twenty of them. But I don't know how many people I should tell in the first place, not to mention I'd rather not tip off Ishamael that the Dragon Reborn is an experienced channeler."

Moiraine sucked in a breath through her teeth. "The Betrayer of Hope is free already?"

"Not fully," Rand said. "He was never quite properly bound by the Seals on the Dark One's prison – in fact, he is also the true figure behind Ba'alzamon, not the Dark One. However, his influence is growing stronger, and the Seals are weakening. If I were to perform a powerful feat, I expect he'd take notice. The first time I fought him would be… perhaps two or three months in the future from now? Maybe not even that much. However, I'm not convinced that that fight didn't take place in the World of Dreams, so he might not be able to affect the real world yet."

"Tel'aran'rhiod?" Moiraine asked. "You are full of surprises, Rand al'Thor."

He laughed. "I have barely gotten started, Moiraine. And by the Light, it is good to have you back."

She froze. "I died?"

"You got rid of Lanfear in doing so," Rand said. "Though, as I found out when I, uh, turned back the Wheel, you weren't actually dead, just captive in the land of the Eelfinn. Apparently Mat was planning on getting you out of there, but hadn't gotten to it yet."

"I can see myself going up against a Forsaken, but I can't imagine succeeding," Moiraine said skeptically

"You also killed Be'lal," Rand said. "Though you picked up the weave for balefire somewhere, which does help." He couldn't help but smirk.

"Balefire?" Moiraine asked. "Yes, with that weave I can imagine it."

"And this time around, I can teach you weaves like that, rather than you having to spend months digging through old texts," Rand said.

"You can teach me?" Moiraine asked. "But… you can't use saidar, can you?"

"Perhaps not by myself, but we can form a circle. And from my life as Lews Therin, I have more than enough experience with saidar to teach you anything you don't know."

"You have his knowledge?" Moiraine asked, stunned.

"All of it," Rand said. "In fact, I suspect that is what pushed me to a second attempt at this, rather than just… giving up."

"This is truly an incredible gift we have been given," Moiraine said.

"And I intend to make the most out of it," Rand said. "Another major thing that we need to start planning as soon as possible is the cleansing, by the way."

"The what?" Moiraine asked.

"Cleansing the taint," Rand explained. "The last time around, I managed to remove the taint from saidin together with Nynaeve, with the both of us channeling the Choedan Kal, but it had already taken quite a toll on my sanity, not to mention there are hundreds of men out there that could help us defeat the Dark One and his shadowspawn if only they remain sane."

"You managed to cleanse the taint?" Moiraine demanded. "And what is the 'Choedan Kal'?"

"The Choedan Kal are those two extremely powerful sa'angreals that are found at Tremalking and in Cairhien, and they each require a ter'angreal as access key. As for cleansing the taint, it did put us both in coma for a few days, but yes, we succeeded. And we also took care of Shadar Logoth in the process."

"How do you intend to convince your Wisdom to participate? She seems… stubborn. Not to mention that she's a wilder and might not even be able to reach saidar."

"I wasn't planning on doing it with Nynaeve. I was planning on doing it with you."

Moiraine's mouth actually dropped. "Me? With that much of the One Power? I'm not sure if I would even be able to safely channel that, and that's assuming you have those access keys."

"I know where to find the access keys," Rand said. "And I'm reasonably sure you are just above the threshold of power that is required to safely use it. But we'll probably link at some point before that, which should allow me to determine your exact strength, and I'm familiar enough with the Choedan Kal that I can tell whether it's safe." He smirked at Moiraine's small shudder. "You know, I feel like I'm getting a completely different perspective of you. The last time around, I wasn't observant enough to notice any unease from your side about the thought of a man channeling."

"You have put me rather off-balance," Moiraine noted.

"Not that I get to see much of it," Rand said. "I can imagine it's a lot, I've barely wrapped my head around things myself and I was there for it. I would suggest we leave discussions about other things to do for later – because there are dozens of other topics I wish to discuss with you, both about future events but also goals that you might already have in mind – but there is one thing that I want to bring up now."

"And that is?" Moiraine asked.

"Who else should I tell? I've been thinking about this all morning. You were an obvious choice for me, because I know you are utterly dedicated to getting me to Tarmon Gai'don in one piece, but I don't know who else I can tell. Mat and Perrin have always been my best friends, but I'm not sure I can trust them with something this big, in particular Mat might run his mouth. With the best intentions, of course, but he's a troublemaker nonetheless. He actually – no, wait, let's not get into that now. I'll tell you once we're less strapped for time.

"The others that I'm considering, well, Egwene and Nynaeve have both done a lot for me, though I have to admit Egwene and I grew apart further than I liked – perhaps I can do better this time."

"Who is Egwene?"

"Oh! Sorry, you don't know her yet of course. She's the youngest daughter of the innkeeper, and a very strong channeler. She demanded to come with us when we left, which you agreed because you realized she had the spark."

Moiraine nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for her."

"I'll probably speak to her as well," Rand said. "We were… somewhat close, at the time – at this time, I suppose. She wasn't quite my girlfriend, but it wasn't far off either."

"And Nynaeve also came along?"

"In a way," Rand said. "We left in the middle of the night, the day after the trolloc attack, and she followed us and then caught up to us in Baerlon. You somehow persuaded her to join us and she's been one of the most reliable Aes Sedai for me – though she didn't yet do the trials when I had my moment, so I suppose she didn't technically count as an Aes Sedai."

"Your moment," Moiraine said drily. "And what do you mean, technically?"

"The White Tower split," Rand said. "Elaida ousted the Amyrlin Seat with support from the Black Ajah – she's not Black herself – and dismantled the Blue Ajah. A lot of Aes Sedai didn't accept that and formed a rival tower. The rival tower named Nynaeve and a few others Aes Sedai, and Egwene their Amyrlin Seat. They intended for her to be a puppet, but she masterfully took control and managed to reunite the Tower just a few days before I turned back the Wheel."

"What happened to Siuan?" Moiraine asked, clearly worried about her friend's fate.

"She was stilled," Rand said, making Moiraine draw in a shocked gasp. "Amazingly, Nynaeve then managed to reverse that, though it left her weaker than she had been."

Moiraine gaped. "She reversed stilling?"

"Nynaeve is, without a doubt, the best healer of this era," Rand said. "Or she has the potential to be, I suppose. But to get back on topic. I'm not sure whether telling Egwene is a good idea. I think I want to inform Nynaeve, she's a few years older and used to having responsibility, which might help her react better. Having said that, I remember she had a strong dislike for Aes Sedai, and held onto it for a long time. The only reason she went along with some things was because she wanted to protect us."

"I see. It probably won't help that her first impression of me wasn't too great, either."

Rand raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember that. What happened?"

"I called her 'child'," Moiraine said.

He nodded in understanding. "I can imagine how she reacted to that. It's the Aes Sedai mentality coming back to bite you, you know," he teased.

"From what I'm gathering, you'll want to eventually tell all your close friends from the village, but now isn't the right time," Moiraine summarized. "I have to admit I'm feeling a bit out of my depth here, as I haven't met any of them except for that brief chat with Nynaeve, and I had no idea she was important, even when I recognized her spark. She is very powerful, isn't she?"

"She is," Rand said. "On par with some of the weaker Forsaken, and if I remember correctly she could even beat Moghedien in a straight up fight once she had reached her full potential."

"As powerful as the Forsaken?" Moiraine near-exclaimed.

"The Forsaken are very powerful," Rand said, "but they are not as invincible as our myths would have us believe. Many of them are ruled by their vices, some are short-sighted, and a few have even lost part of their sanity while Sealed with the Dark One these last three thousand years. In the end, they are just people like you and me, though very strong channelers with several hundred years of life experience."

"I suppose that makes sense on an intellectual level," Moiraine said. "You'll have to forgive me for my apprehension regarding them, however. Is there anyone else you wish to inform?"

"I'm… not sure," Rand said. "But I was thinking perhaps my father. Or, well, I suppose he is my adoptive father, as I'm sure will be of little surprise to you. He was a blademaster of the Companions and fought in the Aiel War. I remember he wanted to come along with us last time, but he couldn't because of his injury."

Moiraine nodded. "He sounds like a capable man, the way you speak of him. Perhaps having someone with us that is familiar with the world, but also knows you and your friends will be beneficial."

"I'll tell him then," Rand said. "Though I have no idea where to start… Unlike you, he has known me for years, and I don't doubt that to him, I'll have changed a lot overnight."

"I'm afraid I cannot help you with that," Moiraine said. "You've given me a lot to think about. Do you mind if I share this with Lan?"

Rand considered that. "No, I don't mind. He knows how to keep a secret. Besides, I'd prefer to keep the practice with the sword up, and I cannot imagine a better sparring partner than Lan."

"Even though you're a channeler?" Moiraine asked.

"I find it relaxing, not to mention I would prefer to avoid saidin as much as possible until we can cleanse it again. Every time I draw on it erodes my sanity, and just the two years during which I used the tainted saidin were enough to push me to the brink. I do think I'd do better this time around, but any loss to my mind could harm us."

"It is a gradual thing, then?" Moiraine asked.

"Yes," Rand said. "I will admit, while I didn't truly realize it while it was affecting me, the adverse effects are rather clear upon looking back. What made things worse was that I was also ill-prepared for the sudden life of politics and war, which probably had a harmful effect on my mental well-being even without saidin being involved.

"Now, I can start over, knowing what to expect and with experience in these matters."

"Then perhaps we should wrap this up for now," Moiraine said. "I can sense that there is much more that you wish to discuss, and I have many questions, but we need to prepare ourselves first. So we're looking at you, your friends Mat and Perrin, Egwene, the Wisdom Nynaeve and your father joining Lan and me, then?"

"Yes, and also Thom, the gleeman. Despite his unassuming nature, he is a great player in the Game of Houses, and knowing him, he'll probably stick his nose into your business with us innocent youths. But you did remind me, Nynaeve followed us to try and bring us back to Two Rivers, she might not do that if my father comes along, which… could be an issue. I certainly don't want to try and fight the Last Battle without Nynaeve at my side."

Moiraine considered that, remaining silent for several seconds. "You said you wanted to tell Nynaeve about your… time travel, as well as your father. Perhaps we can talk to her together? Even with her disliking me, if you and your father can both explain things to her, I'm sure you can convince her."

"Perhaps," Rand said, thinking Moiraine's proposal through. "We could talk to her tomorrow, otherwise she'll probably dismiss the trollocs as fear-mongering from you, I imagine. For now I'll go inform my father and try to convince him to stay here during the night so that we'll be able to respond to the attack better. Good luck informing Lan, though I suppose he'll take the news stoically."

"That tends to be his way," Moiraine said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "The Light shine on you, Rand."

With those parting words, he left, finding Lan waiting in the corridor.

"You've had quite a long talk, haven't you?" the warder asked brusquely.

"She wants to speak to you," Rand said, rather than try and explain.

Without further comment, Lan entered Moiraine's room while Rand went to try and find his father. He came downstairs just in time to find the village council breaking up, and he had to restrain himself from attacking Padan Fain. At this point in time, the man wasn't even a true threat yet, being just another darkfriend.

"Rand!" Tam exclaimed. "There you are! Where did you run off to?"

"Master al'Vere," Rand said, turning to the mayor of the village, who also owned the inn. "Could I maybe speak to my father in one of the guest rooms?"

"Of course," he said, though he seemed surprised at the request. "You can take the first guest room on the right."

"What's with the secrecy, Rand?" Tam asked, though he led the way to the room Bran had indicated for them.

Rand didn't reply until he closed the door behind them. "I was talking to Moiraine Sedai."

His father froze up. "Lady Moiraine is an Aes Sedai?"

"Yes."

"Why did she want to speak with you?" Tam sat down, and Rand took a chair opposite him.

"I sought her out," Rand said. He hesitated. "I don't know how to have this conversation, but I suppose I'll have to try."

"What's going on, Rand?" his father asked, full of concern.

Rand remained silent for a full minute as he considered his angle of approach. "Tonight, there will be a trolloc attack."

Tam blinked, not understanding. "You mean in the Borderlands?"

"No," Rand said. "Here."

"That makes no sense, son."

"Moiraine is here because she is looking to deny the Shadow their goals, though she didn't know the trollocs were here until I told her."

"And how would you know that?" Tam asked sharply.

"For the same reason that I knew Moiraine is an Aes Sedai. I've gone through this before, and… I've somehow gone back in time, but I still remember everything that happened."

"I'm assuming – hoping – I don't need to tell you that this sounds like the ramblings of a madman," Tam said. Though Rand was certain his father wanted to believe him, he could hear the doubt in his voice.

"You don't," Rand said. "I'm well aware that it sounds insane – I can scarcely believe it myself, and I've seen a lot of extraordinary things over the past years. My past years. Today is the start of some very big changes to, well, all our lives, though probably none more than me."

"And why would that be?" Tam asked, still sounding very careful, skeptical yet wanting to believe his son.

"Because…" Rand hesitated. He could not see it go well if he straight up told his father that he was the Dragon Reborn. "Tarmon Gai'don is coming," he said instead.

"The Last Battle?" Tam asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," Rand said. "Moiraine has been preparing for it for… two decades, I think?"

"And why would you be involved?" Tam asked.

"Not just me," Rand said. "Mat and Perrin as well. If I remember from the first time, Moiraine had not actually expected there to be three of us. And then I'm not even talking about Egwene and Nynaeve yet."

"What do you mean, three of you? And what about Egwene and Nynaeve?"

"They're both channelers," Rand said. "And strong ones, stronger than any Aes Sedai alive right now. That's why Nynaeve can heal people even when no herbs should be enough, and why she can listen to the wind to predict the weather."

"And what about you boys, then? Surely you're not… channelers?"

"Only I am," Rand said, bracing himself. He knew his father would support him, but that did not change that he might be hesitant when the stories came to life, with his son caught up in the middle of them.

Tam remained silent, not acknowledging Rand's admission – an admission that would make most people shy away or even tell the Aes Sedai, no matter the distrust most people had for the female channelers.

There was much Rand did not know about his adoptive father, had not even learned in his previous life – though he might have, had he chosen differently on Dragonmount, as they had just been reunited. That was the event, in fact, that had been the trigger for him to go to Dragonmount in the first place. But as Tam sat there, thinking, Rand realized his father might have picked up enough knowledge on his travels to be able to connect the dots.

"You're the Dragon Reborn," he concluded. It wasn't a question. Tarmon Gai'don was coming, Rand was a male channeler that the Shadow was trying to kill, and he had been born on the slopes of Dragonmount – where Tam had found him as his mother lay dying.

"I am," Rand said, thankful that he did not have to speak those words to his father. Then, the man would definitely have thought him crazy, but with him instead drawing the conclusion himself…

"It sounds extraordinary, yet I believe you," Tam said. "I can see the change in you. You're not the boy that went to bed yesterday, you're a man."

Rand smiled despite himself. "I think the boy that went to bed yesterday would have taken offense at being called such."

"How long?" Tam asked. "How long is the life you've had… in the future, I suppose, that you came back from?"

"About two years," Rand answered.

"Only two years?" Tam asked, disbelieving. "You have grown up amazingly fast."

"I had to," Rand said. "Though it was more than just those two years for me, but I'd prefer to not get into that right now."

"You said there is a trolloc attack coming," Tam said. "What's going to happen after?"

"We'll leave," Rand said. "Moiraine's plans were to bring me, Mat and Perrin to Tar Valon, but I imagine those plans are up in the air now, considering I don't need training. In fact, the last time around we changed our plans when we learned of a threat to the Eye of the World, so we might not get to Tar Valon at all. I haven't ever actually been to Tar Valon, in the end, though I have seen it from a distance."

"Just like me, then," Tam said. "How much do you know about my past?"

"Admittedly, not much," Rand said. "You wanted to come with me, but you were injured in the trolloc attack and couldn't leave your bed, and we didn't actually end up reuniting until a mere day before I turned back the Wheel. It… was not the best reunion, through no fault from your side. But when I went back, it seems to also have undone the damage the taint did to me."

"Won't that return?" Tam asked. Rand had to admire his father's bravery, even when he could not quite hide his fear, his apprehension, at the topic of his son going mad.

"I know I can remove the taint," Rand said. "I did it last time, and this time I can do it earlier, because I already have the knowledge required. Perhaps I can do it as early as midsummer. The madness takes hold over the course of years."

"I'll come with you," Tam decided. "You mentioned Mat, Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve, did you not? They'll need someone who knows them but is familiar with the world. Other than you, that is."

Rand nodded. "I was hoping you'd decide that. I also want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Egwene joined because she realized we were leaving and wanted to see something of the world, and Moiraine let her come because she's a channeler – though she didn't reveal that yet, of course – but Nynaeve only joined because she tried to convince us to come back. If you're with us, perhaps she won't do that. So I'd like your backup tomorrow when telling Nynaeve about my time travel and asking her to join us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Tam said. "Is there more we need to talk about, or shall we go back to the farm? Time has flown by today."

"We should stay here," Rand said. "There'll be a few trollocs attacking the farm anyway, but it's not like we'll need it, and I want to be able to work together with Moiraine and Lan so that we can hopefully find and kill the Myrddraal. Not to mention protect as many people as possible. While Moiraine can heal, it's best to save as much of her power as possible, and I'm a terrible healer even if I were willing to reveal that I could channel, and people were willing to be healed by a man."

"That makes sense," Tam said. "I do have a sword at the farm, however. A heron-marked blade."

Rand nodded. "I used it for a long time, you gave it to me when we left. I think we should be able to fetch it tomorrow, but it might be a bad idea to channel – for both me and Moiraine – while there's a Myrddraal out there watching us. They can sense channeling, and it might tip him off that there's an Aes Sedai around. The more of a surprise factor we have, the better."

"Just how much do you trust Moiraine Sedai?" Tam asked.

"With my life," Rand answered without hesitation. "In fact, she gave her life to protect me, last time around. Took Lanfear with her."

Tam's eyes widened. "I'll try to extend my trust to her, then."

"I'm not sure if Lan and Moiraine are still talking, but if not, you could perhaps ask him if he can lend you a sword for tonight," Rand said. "I might do the same, actually. Be careful though, a trolloc is not an easy opponent if you're not used to them."

"I'll do that," Tam said.

"I might look for Mat and Perrin," Rand decided. "They're probably scared out of their skin from the Myrddraal – we all saw him in the days leading up to the attack, though we didn't know what it was."

The conversation over, they left the room to go about their day, anxious about the attack that would be happening tonight.

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