„The men are such cowards!" Moiraine smiled at those words, spoken by Caraline in her clearly unimpressed voice. "They always fear looking less accomplished than women. Their women especially."
"Thom really is no lover of hunting." Moiraine answered, adjusting the thick leather glove that a falcon was sure to come back to shortly. "And I dare say they found some exciting texts to discuss, our husbands. I know Thom has been anxious to come back to peruse Tear's vast collection."
"Excuses."
"Or perhaps, they are glad they got us out, because they are planning a surprise." Moiraine was joking, but apparently this was not obvious. "Thay are not, Caraline. I bet they just didn't feel like it this morning."
"As for the gifts… I wanted you alone to give you something. I didn't know if it would be in best taste to present it officially, seeing as your new one was a gift from your husband."
Caraline extended a hand with a small velvet pouch. It was light, but the weight felt familiar. Moiraine's hands shook when she dropped the contents into her open palm. There it was, a visitor from the past, blinking at her in the rays of a morning sun. Her old kesiera.
"Where did you…? I was sure it had been lost when I disappeared."
She examined the back, looking for the carving she did the day after receiving her shawl. Sure enough, it was still there. Somehow her old ornament got returned to her.
"The river washed out a lot of peculiar things lately in the Fingers. I knew this was yours the moment I saw it. The cut is unmistakeable. I've seen only one stone in that exact shape in my whole life."
"Thank you." The weight of it felt real good, familiar and comforting in her hand. She smiled. "It's good to have it back."
"Aren't you going to put it on?"
Of course, Caraline would ask that, Moiraine thought. Her old kesiera was much more showy, very much the cairhienin nobility like. All the while the present one, although far from cheap, was also far from impressive. But the kesiera that now adorned her head carried the gem that Thom got specially for her. It was a symbol.
"This one is a nice memory," she said eventually, packing the old kesiera back into the pouch and then storing it in her saddlebag. Then she touched her forehead and couldn't hel but smile. "This is my present and my future."
