h1 style="line-height: normal;"a name="_Toc171706279"/aspan lang="EN-GB"#*#27 QUESTION/span/h1
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"WoTtober 2023 #27 QUESTION/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"They've spent the last month in Malkier and she had to admit it was cosy and calm. Even the coming great ball that Lan and Nynaeve had planned for tomorrow was not marring her easy evening. It was wonderful. She never thought she could be this at peace... at least for a moment. Some things would come back to her shortly and she would battle them. For Thoms sake and her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Thom, Thomdrill Merlin. Anvaere was probably right that this specific match was not something obvious. And yet it has brought her much more happiness than she ever thought possible. And to think it all started with that strange viewing Min had in Baerlon./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You look dreamy."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine looked up from the book she was not really reading. Land entered this almost deserted courtyard and stopped a reasonable distance from her. Will they ever repair this relationship to not be awkward when in the same space? She looked for something, anything really to start a cultured conversation, but an answer eluded her. Even poetry seemed to be too intimate and the realisation almost physically hurt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Can I help you in any way, your majesty?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Have we really gone down to this? Should I call you Moiraine Damodred Sedai?" She was sure he could see her discomfort with that. "Do you hate me this much, Moraine?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Never, Lan. You know I love you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You don't treat person you love like you did to me, Moiraine."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I... "She had problems with formulating any words. "I only wanted you to keep alive. There was little option else, or little that I could see. I..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You were hurting and you were scared" he said, and she barely held tears inside. "I was angry at you for a long time and some nights I couldn't help but try and understand. You almost died at the Eye and I had been hurt..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Stop it, Lan. Just stop it." She knew he was trying to give her a good out. "I might have been scared but I knew what I did. And I would do it again and again. I would deal with any consequences to see you alive and happy."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"It wasn't what he wanted. She would not lie or even twist the truth to try and get his forgiveness. She would not. But she was not able to look him in the eyes now any more, so she focused on her hands./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do you want me to leave now?" she asked after the silence got too much. "It would be suspicious to do it today, but the day after the ball,.."br /"Have I said anything to that end?" When he took her hands in his tears flew freely from her eyes. "I don't want you gone. Quite the contrary."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You're not angry?" She was shocked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I wanted you here to see if my anger still boiled, but it's gone. I needed to know if you'd be fine with Nynaeve. If you would be fine in Malkier."br /br /"Lan?" He smiled at her then. "What are you saying?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Stay as the royal advisor? "She was not sure she heard him right. "If you're not averse to the idea then at least give yourself time to think about staying. I just thought if you made that decision soon we could use the ball to tell the Amylin."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You already have an Aes Sedai in Malkier, Lan. And, if rumours are to be believed, another one is on the way."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Two healers. And Malkier needs advice from a savvy Blue."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine had trouble breathing. She didn't know what to feel. She longed for the bond to know if her former warder was serious. She couldn't believe he would agree to it if somebody else proposed it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I don't want you to feel pressured" he said after the silence stretched to be uncomfortable. "It's just... I think got an impression that you were happy here. And despite Nynaeve's lack of words to express it, she likes you here." He waited before she looked at him. "I like you here. Will you at least consider it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Her heart leapt at the very idea. "Lan..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""We can accommodate different requests."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I am not alone any longer, Lan."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thom gave me permission to ask this question." Lan said. "I checked with him. I didn't wantbr /to provoke any heartache."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You asked Thom? "The most she could do was whisper./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do you want him?" Lan asked, taking a look at the door. "He's waiting just outside."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She nodded. By the light, at least this question she readily knew how to answer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"WoTtober 2023 #27 QUESTION/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"They've spent the last month in Malkier and she had to admit it was cosy and calm. Even the coming great ball that Lan and Nynaeve had planned for tomorrow was not marring her easy evening. It was wonderful. She never thought she could be this at peace... at least for a moment. Some things would come back to her shortly and she would battle them. For Thoms sake and her own./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Thom, Thomdrill Merlin. Anvaere was probably right that this specific match was not something obvious. And yet it has brought her much more happiness than she ever thought possible. And to think it all started with that strange viewing Min had in Baerlon./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You look dreamy."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine looked up from the book she was not really reading. Land entered this almost deserted courtyard and stopped a reasonable distance from her. Will they ever repair this relationship to not be awkward when in the same space? She looked for something, anything really to start a cultured conversation, but an answer eluded her. Even poetry seemed to be too intimate and the realisation almost physically hurt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Can I help you in any way, your majesty?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Have we really gone down to this? Should I call you Moiraine Damodred Sedai?" She was sure he could see her discomfort with that. "Do you hate me this much, Moraine?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Never, Lan. You know I love you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You don't treat person you love like you did to me, Moiraine."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I... "She had problems with formulating any words. "I only wanted you to keep alive. There was little option else, or little that I could see. I..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You were hurting and you were scared" he said, and she barely held tears inside. "I was angry at you for a long time and some nights I couldn't help but try and understand. You almost died at the Eye and I had been hurt..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Stop it, Lan. Just stop it." She knew he was trying to give her a good out. "I might have been scared but I knew what I did. And I would do it again and again. I would deal with any consequences to see you alive and happy."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"It wasn't what he wanted. She would not lie or even twist the truth to try and get his forgiveness. She would not. But she was not able to look him in the eyes now any more, so she focused on her hands./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do you want me to leave now?" she asked after the silence got too much. "It would be suspicious to do it today, but the day after the ball,.."br /"Have I said anything to that end?" When he took her hands in his tears flew freely from her eyes. "I don't want you gone. Quite the contrary."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You're not angry?" She was shocked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I wanted you here to see if my anger still boiled, but it's gone. I needed to know if you'd be fine with Nynaeve. If you would be fine in Malkier."br /br /"Lan?" He smiled at her then. "What are you saying?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Stay as the royal advisor? "She was not sure she heard him right. "If you're not averse to the idea then at least give yourself time to think about staying. I just thought if you made that decision soon we could use the ball to tell the Amylin."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You already have an Aes Sedai in Malkier, Lan. And, if rumours are to be believed, another one is on the way."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Two healers. And Malkier needs advice from a savvy Blue."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Moraine had trouble breathing. She didn't know what to feel. She longed for the bond to know if her former warder was serious. She couldn't believe he would agree to it if somebody else proposed it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I don't want you to feel pressured" he said after the silence stretched to be uncomfortable. "It's just... I think got an impression that you were happy here. And despite Nynaeve's lack of words to express it, she likes you here." He waited before she looked at him. "I like you here. Will you at least consider it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"Her heart leapt at the very idea. "Lan..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""We can accommodate different requests."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""I am not alone any longer, Lan."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Thom gave me permission to ask this question." Lan said. "I checked with him. I didn't wantbr /to provoke any heartache."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""You asked Thom? "The most she could do was whisper./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB""Do you want him?" Lan asked, taking a look at the door. "He's waiting just outside."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB"She nodded. By the light, at least this question she readily knew how to answer./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span lang="EN-GB" /span/p