PoV Moiraine
After forty one days on the road since they started off from Caemlyn, Stedding Tsofu only a few more hours away.
During the last eleven days, Siuan kept Moiraine updated on the events of the White Tower.
It seems the Hall of the Tower has more backbone than she initially estimated, Moiraine really thought Cadsuane will have them dancing to her tune by the third day, but they have held on admirably for eleven days, Siuan is sure, by how haggard the Sitters started to look, that they would crack in the next day or so, but even so, that's still twelve days, four times longer than Moiraine's earlier estimate. That is impressive.
The search for Galina Casban has spread from the White Tower itself to the whole city of Tar Valon and has now spilled into countryside surrounding the city.
Siuan had heard and herself made the credible speculation that Galina might be the Ajah Head of the Red Ajah. If that is true, it was probably Elaida herself who leaked that information. An act which is considered one of the highest taboos among Aes Sedai, a custom strong as any Tower Law and would make her a pariah among her own Red Sisters. And the only reason who the Ajah Head of the Reds becomes relevant now, is that the orders for unsanctioned Gentlings must have come from the Ajah Head herself.
If Galina is really the Ajah Head of the Red Ajah, and if she did give orders for unsanctioned Gentlings, then it is nearly certain that Galina is a Black Sister.
A realization Siuan already had. And because of it, Siuan took finding Galina even more seriously than she did finding Elaida.
Moiraine shifted her attention away from the White Tower and its troubles as they drew nearer to the Stedding.
Moiraine stopped their party well outside of where she estimated Steddings boundary to be, and unravelled the tied off Disguise Weaves from Lan and herself. And once again repeated her instructions on how to conduct themselves among the Ogier, none of them have ever spoken to the Ogier before and neither have they ever entered a Stedding, but the White Tower's extensive education proved its value again.
Making sure that everyone paid attention to what she told them, Moiraine herself took a deep breath to brace herself for what was about to happen, warned Siuan and started towards the Stedding.
There wasn't exactly a path towards the Stedding, like any human settlement might have made clear with a cobbled road or even just a stamped down dirt path. What ways there were to enter the Stedding are almost entirely identical to woodland trails naturally formed in a forest by animal traffic, if a bit wider than completely natural trails.
After a hundred yards into one such trail, Moiraine felt the moment she truly entered the Stedding, a deep sense of peace and contentment rolled over her, but at the same time an even deeper sense of loss punched her in the gut, she almost entirely suppressed her reaction but she failed to suppress the shiver that went down her spine.
She assumed the calm needed to embrace Saidar and for the first time since she learned to wilfully embrace the True Source as a Novice, there was nothing there as she successfully imagined herself a rosebud opening itself, there was no calm steady flow of Saidar within her reach, there was nothing. Once again Moiraine failed to suppress a shiver crawling down her spine. Moiraine let go of her calm, the absence of Saidar seemed to ache more in that meditative state.
Others in her party had some reaction to entering the Stedding, big or small, the perpetual tightness around Lan's mouth and eyes relaxed, and that instant a truth that Moiraine has academically known all this time, but never actually felt, hit her, Lan Mandragoran is a really handsome man.
Thom Merrilin too relaxed with a soft sigh, a small, true smile bloomed on his face and another truth in the same vein as the previous one hit Moiraine again, I think I see him now as how Morgase must have seen him.
Cein has a noticeably bigger reaction, she let out a long sigh, one like a woman who carried a heavy burden all day and has finally put it down, every tense line in her body relaxed at once and she truly smiled for the first time since they met.
But it was Owyn who had the biggest reaction, he jolted as soon as he crossed the boundary into the Stedding, he jolted so hard he almost spooked his horse into rearing up, it might have anyway, if it wasn't too feeling the peace of Stedding. He looked desperate for moment, horrified, but that reaction only lasted a moment, then he just started crying, every time before he cried in despair, but this time Moiraine could see, it was in grief. Grief is better than Despair. Grief could be a step towards healing. Perhaps there is hope yet.
After giving their party a once over, Moiraine finally tested something.
"Siuan, are you private? Are you ready?", Moiraine asked.
"Yes and yes, I will try to embrace Saidar now", Siuan answered.
And Siuan did just that. Siuan embraced Saidar.
Moiraine could feel that Siuan did, which is good, very good, because there was a very real fear that like ordinary Circles Moiraine entering the Stedding would deny Siuan access to the True Source too.
But Moiraine's strength did not join Siuan's, Siuan accessing One Power did not immediately open Moiraine to One Power too. For the first time since their double-bonding, Siuan had only access to her original strength in Saidar.
Moiraine had one other test to do, she once again assumed the calm needed for embracing Saidar, and reached out towards Siuan as though Siuan is an Angreal through which Moiraine wanted to draw Saidar.
And in a glorious ecstatic rush, Saidar flooded into Moiraine. In that moment Moiraine wanted to keep drawing Saidar to her fullest ability to hold and go beyond that, draw so much of it that she would start to feel the pain that she only felt a handful of times before, when she used Saidar to her fullest ability, in situations dire and battles beyond desperate.
That sense of loss she had felt after entering the Stedding has woken a desperation and fear in her she succeeded in burying instantly, but all those feelings resurfaced and urged her to keep hold of Saidar, that if she let go now, she might never have it again.
She knew that desperation and fear are an addicts response, she knew if she relented under their battering, she would concede her first loss in a war that she has been succeeding in keeping at a stalemate since the first time she drew on Saidar.
This single loss now would end in her one day losing the war entirely and dying as just another channeler who Burned Out by drawing too much of Saidar, died as someone who could not handle her power responsibly.
So, with a sigh, Moiraine let the One Power go and Siuan followed soon after.
"So, that happened!", Siuan sent and Moiraine could feel her stunned disbelief.
Laughter bubbled up in Moiraine's throat, and for once Moirane let herself laugh, freely, she can only imagine how that must look to others.
Moiraine has channeled in a Stedding, once again, their double-bond has let them side step a fundamental restriction on One Power. Let them wonder why she was laughing, this is too much to keep in. Warder Bond really is the greatest Weave invented by the Aes Sedai of this Age!
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Once Moiraine had her mirth under control, their party resumed their journey, and in just a minute, with rustling of leaves announcing their arrival, a huge shape stepped ahead of them on to the pathway. And their party slowed to a stop.
The figure stood at roughly ten and half feet, obviously male, with wide feet, tree trunk legs and a broad chest, up until then the figure looked just another human, if proportioned to a larger scale, its only once her eyes rested on his face that the difference between an Ogier and Human became strikingly obvious. A broad nose, that could almost be called a snout, if it wasn't so obviously a nose, a wide mouth, dangling eyebrows, eyes the size of teacups and tufted ears.
Owyn rubbed his eyes clear of last of his tears and stared at the Ogier alongside Cien, Lan and Thom were nonchalant at seeing the Ogier, they obviously saw them before or they have better control over their reactions.
Moiraine softly cleared her throat and called out, "Greetings Ogier, I am Moiraine. May I have the honour of your name?"
The Ogier bowed deep and answered in a brass rumble, "Greetings, your name sings in my ears, Moiraine Aes Sedai, I am Malan, son of Aran son of Senar."
"And your name sings in my ears, Malan, son of Aran son of Senar. And please you can just call me Moiraine. I come seeking the hospitality and wise counsel of the Ogier, I hope, my companions and I, are welcome, Malan", Moiraine replied smoothly.
Malan bowed even deeper than the last time and answered the unasked question, "All are welcome to the peace of the Stedding, Moiraine Sedai, Aes Sedai more so. As for wise counsel, I would humbly ask that you direct your queries to the Elders. Surely, they would want to meet you as soon as they heard of your arrival, Moiraine Sedai. Now please follow me, I will lead the way."
Moiraine nodded with all the regality and politeness she could muster at Malan's answer and they followed after him.