Lan brought Moiraine to the stables to meet the new horse the next day. He was sure to keep to her side all the time, especially when she neared the space where his new horse was stabled. It was a big white stallion that looked impressive, she had to admit.

"His name is Edwin," Lan said, "but I think I might change it once we get to know him better."

"Let him live up to his own name first," she said, snatching her hand before the grey could reach and bite her. "Right now nothing but 'angry' really suits him."

"I admit he needs a lot of work." Lan actually laughed. "You rest easy, he will get there. Dancer was a work in progress too, when I got him."

The flood of pleasant and the ambiguous feelings drowned their bond then. She reached for his arm to lend some support. He pulled her closer then and it seemed the animal was fast growing to accept her. At least for a moment. Lan pulled on the rope connected to his halter just in time for its teeth to miss Moiraine's face by a fine margin. Still, they were close enough to make her doubt.

"Like I said," Lan said with a clam voice that could have fooled anyone but her, " he needs some work."

"There is time. I need… at least a few days to rest before I'm fit for the road." She had to fight with the wording a little. Wanted to say two, but the oath would not let her say that. It would probably be more than four, if her meagre experience with healing was anything to go by. "You are an apt horseman, you will get him ready by the time we need to set out again."

Lan made sure she slept and ate as much as Anaiya ordered and Moiraine had little to say about any of it. He let her peruse her notes to plan their next moves. Those were well hidden in Aldieb's sacks and her weaves kept, so no one tried to read them in the meantime. Their quest was still kept in secret. Now she poured over the notes she made and used the map her Sister's servant procured. This one was bigger than those they usually used and much more detailed. Moiraine found herself checking her purse and asking to maybe buy that one or one exactly like it if it was possible.

On another hand, she demanded to see Lan training Edwin. After the first evening of that, however, she kept a reasonable distance. The stallion clearly didn't like her. To be honest, he wasn't too fond of Lan either, but him he at least mostly obeyed, if not yet respected. The partnership slowly grew, but it was nothing like her Warder shared with Cat Dancer. The only thing to calm Edwin seemed to be Aldieb, even though her mare barely tolerated the white stallion. She seemed to have a strong hate for any other grey in the vicinity and this one was no exception.

"Will you at least try to calm her down?" Lan asked, tying Aldieb by Moiraine's bench. "We need to get them used to each other before we set out. We can't have them fighting instead of resting."

"then keep him far enough so he doesn't bother her."

To that Lan had nothing to say. Edwin, much unlike Cat Dancer, got excited fairly easily and Aldieb was increasingly short with that with every passing moment. Lan made outwardly light of it, but Edwin, despite being of the light built and seemingly good temperament, was far from well trained, which frustrated the Warder constantly. It wasn't any one thing, really. The horse was just not exactly right.

The fourth morning found her suddenly not hungry and cold all the time before a worrying chill caught her off guard. Lan rushed to her side with Anaiya, who declared Moiraine fit only for bed rest. This meant long sleep and drinking a foul tasting tea three times a day for the next week. And feeling like someone sapped out all her energy before she could really regain it after the last brush with troube.

"I'm sure she could have helped you by way of channelling," Lan said on the second day, visibly surprised she drank the liquid without even a scowl. "This thing even smells terribly."

"Then be happy you don't need to ingest it. Tastes even worse than it smells." She winced when, despite her best try, some of it actually touched her tongue on its way down. "And no."

"No?"

"Healing would have weakened me further. Much more than I would like. I trust Anaiya to know what she's doing and as such she has chosen the best course of action in this situation." She was tired of being tired like that. And even more tired of this conversation. "Any progress with Edwin?"

She could feel his rising frustration get to the top then, covering the care he had for her health. He told her then about that day's early training. There was some progress, but not much, certainly less than she would expect. How little Lan thought of it, she could see with his change of topic. He chose to speak instead of how he exercised Aldieb for her. This has put a smile on Moiraine's face as well as a warm feeling in her entire body. Just enough to put her to sleep again.