Lan got injured and fights for his life.

to Lynn Sedai: It was fun to write about Lan not being the strong man we all know. He has a long way ahead of him before he gets better. I liked that story so much that it turned into seven chapters 😂

Getting Lan upstairs was truly challenging. The cook took over for Moiraine which was a relief for her aching body, but she was terribly worried about her Warder. Why was he in such a bad shape? Why hadn't she noticed his condition earlier? Who had been responsible for his sudden sickness?

The innkeeper and cook placed the Malkieri on the bed, and Moiraine needed to hold on to a chair when Lan's pain rolled over her. If she wasn't careful, she would collapse before she could help him. It was time to thank their helpers and beg them to leave the room before…

"This doesn't look good," the cook said, and the innkeeper pressed a hand over her mouth.

"Blood and ashes!"

Moiraine's curiosity won, and she went to the bed. Her Warder was pale like a ghost and pressed a hand on his belly. The innkeeper and cook had taken his belts off. His eyes were glassy from the fever, and his breath didn't sound right.

"I'm afraid not even a Wise Woman will be able to save his life, my lady." The innkeeper sounded apologetic, but Moiraine wasn't listening.

She didn't even hear the cook leaving the room. What had those two noticed that she hadn't seen? Worried, the Aes Sedai took her Warder's hand and lifted it. The front of his tunic was drenched in his blood over his stomach. Why hadn't she noticed that earlier?

Fear grabbed Moiraine's heart while she couldn't pull her eyes away from the red stain on his tunic. Both the innkeeper and cook had been shocked, and the innkeeper even doubted that Lan could be saved by a Wise Woman.

With trembling hands, the woman of the Blue Ajah examined the blood stain, quickly finding the holes in the fabric. It was the sight beneath it that turned her stomach upside down. His belly was a butcher's yard. Something had pierced the Malkieri countless times and tore open his flesh. It was unbelievable how he had been able to sit on a horse for that long.

Moiraine's body reacted on instinct. She opened herself to Saidar. If she acted quickly now, she could save Lan before… The touch of her Warder's hands grabbing hers broke the Aes Sedai's concentration. Confused, she furrowed her forehead. Why had he stopped her?

But the injured man shook his head slightly. Did he really refuse a healing? He was dying, and that bloody man refused to be healed from her?!

"All right. Where is my patient?"

Moiraine almost winced when she heard a new voice entering the room. The Wise Woman must have appeared. Blood and ashes! She needed them to leave!

"He is on the bed," the innkeeper whispered.

The Cairhien woman turned her head toward the door. An elderly woman had entered the room, and the hard look in her eyes told her that the woman was used to ordering people around her. She started immediately.

"My lady, I need you to move so I can look at the patient."

Was there a way to send everyone out? Would the innkeeper tell the Wise Woman about Lan's heavy injury once they were outside so the latter would decide the injury couldn't be healed without the help of an Aes Sedai? If one of them saw her channeling or saw that Lan's injury had disappeared…

"Move, girl."

Harshly, the Wise Woman grabbed Moiraine's arm and pulled her to her feet. Stumbling, the woman of the Blue Ajah stepped automatically aside before she caught herself. How dare that woman treat her like that?!

"Blood and ashes! What happened to you?!"

With quick fingers, the woman cut open the Malkieri's tunic, revealing the severity of his injury to everyone's eyes.

"I need to… check on my customers." The innkeeper sounded like she needed to vomit any second, and her face had taken a different color. Before anyone could stop her, she fled the room.

"Who did this to you?"

Moiraine forced her eyes back on her Warder and the Wise Woman. The intruder pressed a towel on Lan's belly to stop the bleeding.

"We were attacked," Lan croaked.

Quickly, the Cairhien woman stepped beside him again. She didn't like the look on the older woman's face. "Do you have some herbs to-?"

The woman shook her head. "No herbs will heal such a wound."

A cold hand grabbed Moiraine's heart and squeezed it. No. The woman was lying. Lan wouldn't die. She hadn't even tried to help him.

"He won't die." Moiraine didn't recognize her own voice. It sounded cold and dangerous.

Lan must have heard it because his hand found hers, and he intertwined their fingers. Light, there was no strength in his grip!

"My lady," the Wise Woman tried in a calm voice like she was talking to a stubborn child. "I know it's never easy to accept such a truth, but this injury-"

"He won't die."

"No herbs in the world could heal that wound." The woman did her best to stay calm, but Moiraine's stubbornness obviously made her angry, turning her voice louder.

"Then you're useless. Leave."

"Girl-"

"Leave!"

Growling, the Wise Woman stood up, aiming for the door. Moiraine took her place and pressed the towel on the bleeding wound. She just had to wait until the woman had left the room. Then she could…

"Give him that."

Surprised, the Cairhien woman lifted her head. The elderly woman had returned and had a small bag in her hands. "Heat water, then put them in. It will lessen his pain."

Angrily, Moiraine glared at the woman but didn't reach for the bag. "He won't die."

"We'll see about that." The Wise Woman placed the bag in Moiraine's hand. "I return in the morning. If he survives the night, he might have a chance. But I wouldn't hold my hopes up high."

Moiraine wanted to strangle the woman. Luckily, her glare seemed to be enough this time to send the woman out of the room. She wouldn't let Lan die!

Once the door closed behind the Wise Woman, the Aes Sedai threw the bag on the other side of the bed. She wouldn't give her Warder any of those herbs. Who knew what kind of herbs were in that bag? Lessening his pain could also mean helping his soul to leave his body. No, she wouldn't trust that woman. Not after she told Moiraine how little she believed in Lan's survival.

There was a pull on her dagger, and when Moiraine turned back to Lan, she saw that the Malkieri had taken her dagger. What was he doing?

"You can't use Saidar." Light, Lan's voice was barely audible!

"I won't let you die," the woman of the Blue Ajah answered harshly, pulling the towel away. She had lost enough time.

But when Moiraine opened herself to the One Power, she saw a shimmer in the corner of her eye. Confused, her attention moved to the shimmer, and her heart stopped.

"Lan!" Moiraine hissed.

Her foolish Warder pressed the tip of her blade against his chest, right above his beating heart! The Aes Sedai wanted to rip the blade out of his hands.

"Promise me."

"Give me the dagger, Lan."

His eyes were hard, even though he was fighting against the fever. "Promise me, Moiraine. Promise me, you won't use the One Power to heal me."

"You can't ask me that!"

Was it the fever that made his brain…? Suddenly, Lan pressed the dagger slowly into his chest. Shocked, Moiraine felt how she lost the connection to Saidar and reached for the weapon. "Stop!"

The uncrowned king of Malkier had barely scratched his skin, yet it was clear he wasn't joking. "No healing."

"Didn't you hear what the Wise Woman said?! You will die if I don't heal you!" Moiraine had grabbed his hands, and her panic was audible. She had to stop the foolish man!

"We're in Tear. You can't channel."

"I also can't let you die!"

"Promise me."

"Don't ask me that!"

Lan grimaced, then kept pushing until a thin trickle of blood appeared and ran over his chest.

"Stop!" The Cairhien woman tried to take the dagger from him, but the Malkieri was as strong as she was. They both weren't in a good condition since the attack. "Please, stop!" Frustration and desperation brought tears to Moiraine's eyes, but she didn't wipe them away. She only had eyes for Lan and that stupid dagger. "You'll die if I don't-!"

"No channeling in Tear."

Lan had stopped pushing, but the tip was still stuck in his chest. Moiraine didn't know how to take the blade from him without hurting him. "Please. I'm begging you. Give me the dagger."

"First… you promise me."

"Lan-"

"Promise me… or I'll end this now. I won't let you… channel in Tear." The uncrowned king of Malkier was getting weaker. He even had to take breaks during his sentences.

"I can't lose you," Moiraine cried.

Lan's face softened, and he cupped her cheek with one hand. A sad smile appeared on his lips. "You have to trust… that my body… is strong enough… to fight this."

The Aes Sedai covered her Warder's hand with her own, pressing it closer against her skin. He felt so cold! Could he really beat that injury? The Wise Woman had promised to help them if he survived the night. All she had to do was to keep him alive until morning.

Finally, the woman of the Blue Ajah nodded. There was no other way if she didn't want her Warder to kill himself before her eyes.

"Words, Moiraine," Lan said, smiling softly at her. "Say it."

Moiraine swallowed. That insufferable man knew her way too well! "I promise…." Her eyes fell on the trickle of blood, slowly moving over Lan's pale chest. Panic squeezed her heart and cut her words off. Begging, she looked at the Malkieri. "Please. Please, give me the dagger."

But the uncrowned king of Malkier shook his head. "First… you need to promise."

Fresh tears ran over Moiraine's cheeks, but she couldn't stop them. She needed that dagger back! "I promise…." Again, the words didn't want to come. Angrily, she tried a third time. "I promise… I… will not… channel."

Lan raised an eyebrow at her. There was a big hole in her promise, and he wouldn't let it slip.

The Aes Sedai gritted her teeth. Blood and ashes! "While we're in Tear."

A sigh escaped the Warder's lips, and he dropped the dagger beside him. "Good." He sounded exhausted. Luckily, the cut wasn't deep.

Quickly, Moiraine took the dagger out of his hands and threw it toward the table. She wouldn't give Lan the opportunity to use it again. But when she turned her head back to her Warder, Lan's eyes were closed.

"Lan?" Scared, the Cairhien woman cupped his face in her hands. "Lan." The Malkieri didn't respond. He had lost consciousness.

Moiraine dove into their bond, relieved when she realized she could still feel him. Lan was still with her. Then she searched for his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

'If he survives the night, he might have a chance.'

The Wise Woman had promised to return in the morning and help Lan. All Moiraine had to do was keep the stubborn man from the Borderlands alive. And that was exactly what she would do.

Although her body was protesting, Moiraine got on her feet and grabbed their medical bag. She didn't know much about herbs – usually she handled everything by using Saidar – but she would do the best she could do. She heated water over the fire to clean the bleeding wound. They had some moss, which would soak the blood and clean stripes she could use as a bandage. Lan couldn't lose any more blood than he already had.

It wasn't easy to treat Lan's injury. The blood refused to stop flowing, and when the Aes Sedai tried to pull the bandages around the big man's body, she realized how heavy he truly was. Yet, she didn't give up until the bandages were in place, and Moiraine satisfied with her work. After that, she covered Lan with a blanket to keep him warm. The skin of her Warder felt terribly cold.

The night was one of the worst nights Moiraine ever had. Although she was exhausted and her body ached for sleep, she didn't dare close her eyes. She was too scared for Lan to stop breathing. So, she kneeled beside the bed with her head resting on her arms.

Whenever she worried about Lan not breathing anymore, she cupped his cheek and checked on the bond. Their connection was weak, and the Aes Sedai could have sworn she felt a tremor in it a few times, but the Warder kept breathing, though his pulse was weak.

Minutes turned to hours, and the Cairhien woman lost track of time. She couldn't say how long she sat beside the bed or how often she had checked on Lan. Her eyes became heavy, but she never gave in to sleep. She couldn't risk missing the moment should the stubborn Malkieri stop breathing.

"My lady?"

Moiraine's tired brain needed a moment until it realized that someone had entered the room. Surprised, she lifted her head and turned it toward the door. The innkeeper and the Wise Woman had entered. Moiraine assumed they had knocked, but she hadn't heard them.

The Wise Woman came straight at her, grabbing her chin roughly. "Light, child. Did you sleep at all?"

Moiraine's throat felt dry, and she swallowed to use her voice. She didn't even have the strength to free her chin from the woman's grasp. "He is still breathing." Her voice sounded like a croak, and her fingers held onto Lan's hand tightly. "You said you'd help him if he survives the night."

The Wise Woman sighed heavily. "That man is unbelievable. I honestly thought he would die tonight."

"Help him."

Moiraine noticed how the Wise Woman grabbed her under her armpits. "First, we need to move you. You need to eat and drink, and then you need sleep."

"No." The Cairhien woman freed herself from the woman's grip as soon as she was on her feet, stumbling closer to the head of the bed before she sat beside Lan's head. She wouldn't leave her Warder's side. "I won't leave him."

Undoubtedly, the Wise Woman wasn't happy about the resistance. "Foolish girl!" Then she turned to the innkeeper. "Give her the tea and food before she collapses. I need to prepare my herbs."

Finally, the Aes Sedai saw that the innkeeper held a tray in her hands with a cup of tea and a plate filled with some bread, cheese, and fruits on it. Was it already time for breakfast? Well, her stomach grumbled at the sight of it.

"This is for you, my lady." The innkeeper placed the tray on the little nightstand beside Moiraine. "I can bring you something else if you don't like it."

"It's perfect," Moiraine said quietly. "Thank you."

"Now leave. I need room to work," the Wise Woman said harshly.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

The innkeeper threw a glance at Lan, then rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her. In the meantime, the Wise Woman pulled the blanket aside, revealing Lan's body. She raised her eyebrow in surprise when she saw the bandage around his belly.

Moiraine swallowed when she saw that the bandage was drenched in Lan's blood. It hadn't been enough.

"You took care of his wounds." The Wise Woman sounded surprised.

Tears burnt in Moiraine's eyes, but she refused to let them fall this time. "It wasn't enough," she whispered. "It's completely soaked with blood."

"It's more than I expected you could do."

Moiraine felt sick when she watched the other woman take off the bandage. Blood and ashes! It looked terrible! The shock must have been visible because the Wise Woman slapped Moiraine's knee gently.

"Eat something before you collapse over him. If I have to choose between you two, I will help you instead of him, knowing your chances of survival are better than his."

For a moment, the Aes Sedai thought about strangling the elderly woman, then decided it wasn't a good idea to argue with the woman who could be Lan's only hope of survival. Instead of taking the bread, Moiraine brought the cup of tea to her lips. It smelled delicious.

While the Wise Woman worked on Lan, the Cairhien woman emptied her cup and even ate a few bites of the bread. The Malkieri groaned from time to time – depending on how rough the Wise Woman treated him – but didn't wake up.

After what felt like an eternity, Moiraine's guest sighed heavily. She had planted some herbs in the wounds and checked Lan's pulse. "Good. The herbs are already working. His pulse gets stronger."

Surprised, the Cairhien woman checked on the Malkieri herself. Was that possible? Could a few herbs already improve Lan's condition? She wanted to cry when she found his pulse and realized the Wise Woman was right. All night, she had been barely able to feel it, but now it was easy.

Relieved, the Aes Sedai pushed a wet strand out of her Warder's face. He could fight that injury. He would survive.

"It looks like that man knows he has something worth fighting for." Moiraine turned her attention back to the Wise Woman, who smiled gently at her. "You must be very important to him if he keeps fighting against such a heavy injury."

"Can you heal him?" Moiraine didn't want to explain their relationship to that woman. She wasn't important. She wasn't special. She was the reason why Lan had been injured. It had been her careless use of Saidar that turned the villagers against them.

When the woman's smile faded, the Cairhien woman wanted to scream. She didn't want to hear any more about Lan losing the fight. Her Warder would survive!

"I don't know, my lady." Moiraine noticed that the Wise Woman always called her 'my lady' when she was in a good mood. When they argued, the woman called her 'girl'. "It's a good sign that he is still alive. A very good sign," she admitted. "But the next few days will show how strong he truly is."

Lan had to suffer because that stubborn man refused to let her heal him! They could have left Tear by now. Moiraine didn't care about their mission and the search for a child that had brought them there. All she wanted was for Lan to feel better.

The Wise Woman handed the Aes Sedai a piece of paper. Someone had written something on it.

"What is that?"

"I need more herbs if I shall give him the best treatment I can offer. So, I wrote down everything I need. This way, it should be easy for you to buy them at the market."

Moiraine glared at the Wise Woman. Did that woman really suggest she should leave the Malkieri with that stranger? A stranger who had been willing to end his life last night? "I'm not leaving him."

"It's either you or me who leaves this room since I need those herbs. You're not a healer, my lady, so I guess the choice is easy. Don't you think?"

"I'm not leaving him!"

A gentle hand touched Moiraine's arm, pulling her attention aside. Her eyes widened in shock. "Lan."

The uncrowned king of Malkier had opened his eyes. They were still glassy from the fever running through his body, but he gave her his best smile. "I see you're still arguing with everyone."

Moiraine didn't listen. Instead, she filled their bond with her love for him and cupped his face in her hands. "How do you feel?" Her eyes burned from upcoming tears, but she fought them down. She had to be strong for Lan.

"Like I have been stabbed," the Malkieri joked weakly. When Moiraine grimaced at his terrible joke, he sent her his love. "What did I miss?"

"You survived the night, which means you will fight this."

"I'm pretty sure I said we have to see how strong he truly is," the Wise Woman growled.

The Aes Sedai turned her head toward the healer, glaring at her. "He is strong."

"You keep repeating that, and I understand you don't want to give up on him. But if you want him to have a small chance to survive this, I need those herbs."

Saidar tickled under Moiraine's fingertips. She imagined how she would use the One Power to…

"Moiraine." Her Warder's hand on her arm pulled the Aes Sedai out of her imagination, and she let go of Saidar. They were still in Tear. If she let this woman know who she was… they would never make it out of the tavern. "Don't worry about me. I'll wait for you here."

Moiraine saw the grim line around Lan's mouth. The man didn't like the thought of letting her out of his sight. Especially not in a city like Tear, and with those villagers being after them. But he knew she needed some distance between herself and the healer.

"I don't like leaving you here."

Lan smiled at her words. Usually, it was him refusing to leave her while she told him to go, and they both knew it.

"I need those herbs," the Wise Woman reminded them again.

The Cairhien woman bit her lip, but the Malkieri nodded. "I'll be all right."

Torn between her fear of losing Lan and annoyance about the Wise Woman, Moiraine finally got on her feet. The sooner she left, the sooner she would be back to protect her Warder from that terrible woman.

Moiraine threw her cloak around her shoulders when she noticed her dagger on the ground. She had completely forgotten about it after getting it out of Lan's reach. Carefully, she picked up her weapon, turning it in her hands. Apart from the One Power and the strong Malkieri by her side, that dagger was the only weapon she possessed. It would be clever to take it with her through the streets of Tear.

But the Aes Sedai had a different idea. There was a better purpose for the blade to be used and to calm her nerves, too.

Determined, she returned to the bed, grabbed Lan's hand, and placed the dagger in it. "I want you to hold on to it while I'm gone."

The uncrowned king of Malkier opened his mouth to protest, but the Cairhien woman was quicker. "This is not up for discussion."

"I use my herbs to help him, girl," the Wise Woman growled. She wasn't stupid and knew exactly why the Aes Sedai wanted her Warder to have that dagger. "Do you really believe I would use them on him just to kill him the second you turn your back on me?"

Moiraine didn't care if she was hurting the woman's feelings. Lan's life meant more to her than being friendly to a stranger. "You told me countless times I should give up on him. That he wouldn't survive the night – and this injury. But he did. The night passed by, and he is still with me. I won't leave him behind without a way to fight against you in case you change your mind about his condition."

The two women exchanged cold glares, then Moiraine said, "He better be unharmed when I return."

"I can't turn back time, girl," the Wise Woman bit back.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. Should I find out you tried to ease his pain during my absence, I promise you will regret the day you met me."

"I already do." It had been a quiet murmur, yet Moiraine heard the woman's words, which had obviously been intended.

"I'll be back soon."

The Cairhien woman's body protested when she rushed out of the room. She still hadn't slept, and no one had taken care of her bruised body. But she had kept quiet since her injuries meant nothing compared to Lan's. First, her Warder's health needed to improve before she could allow herself to rest. And for that, she needed those stupid herbs.

If only she had listened more carefully to Lan's countless lectures about those plants!