Work Text:
People ran from tent to tent. Everyone prepared for the last battle, following someone's orders. The world was collapsing, and the people were scared.
Moiraine took a sip of her tea. The last battle. It still felt strange to say those words, and it didn't feel better when she only thought them. For twenty years, she had searched for the Dragon Reborn. Twenty years, when she had known the last battle would come soon. But with every year that had passed and she and Lan hadn't found Rand… the last battle hadn't been so threatening. It had been something still far away.
The Cairhien woman let her eyes move over her surroundings. Nations. Rand had managed to gather every nation on the field of Merrilor. Of course, some had been brought in by Egwene, but it was still impressive. He wasn't the same boy he had been before she entered Sindhol.
You can't escape. You're ours now.
A shiver ran over Moiraine's back, and fear grabbed her heart when the Finns voices reached her ears. Quickly, she glanced behind her. No one was there. She was alone, sitting in front of a tent Rand had given her. The Finn weren't there. She was free!
Are you? Are you really free? Or is this just another trick?
Worry filled Moiraine, and she needed a moment until she realized those were Thom's feelings and not hers. Thom. Her new Warder. A man who hadn't been hers before she went into the world of the Finn.
Quickly, Moiraine brought her feelings back under control, sending Thom calm feelings so he would stop worrying. He was organizing something to eat for them, and she didn't want him to rush back to her. She needed a moment to herself after everything she had been through.
"Hurry!"
A group of women caught the Aes Sedai's attention. Women, who could channel and were now cutting fabrics for bandages. She had heard about those mysterious Kinswomen. Countless women who had gone to the White Tower but left before they became Aes Sedai. And some of them were very old! Even older than Cadsuane!
Moiraine took another sip of her tea. It still surprised her that she had never met those women during her travels. She had spent twenty years on the road but never had she noticed those women who had been hiding.
Sure, she rarely went to Ebou Dar. There had been one maybe two possible children there over the years, but otherwise, she never visited the city.
According to Nynaeve and Elayne, those women had formed a Knitting Circle. A group of women, who had been the oldest channelers in the city, making decisions for the rest of the women. Most of them had been hiding outside the town, so no one would turn suspicious.
"What are you doing?"
Moiraine almost winced when Nynaeve's voice appeared out of nowhere. Was she also sneaking up on others like that?
Calmly, the Cairhien woman took another sip before she answered, "Good morning, Nynaeve. I'm enjoying a cup of tea. May I offer you one?"
There was no second chair out there, and Moiraine doubted the young woman would go inside to get the other chair. As predicted, the former Wisdom stepped beside the Cairhien woman with crossed arms before her chest, staring at Moiraine.
The woman of the Blue Ajah took another sip. She knew exactly why Nynaeve had come but refused to go down that road.
"I don't want a cup of tea, Moiraine. I was working at the infirmary yesterday, treating those who got injured at Tarwin's gap."
Moiraine nodded. The injured ones had been sent to them while Lan and his men had continued fighting against the Shadowspawn. "I assume they're already on their way back to Tarwin's gap? They can need every man there to hold off-"
"I'm not here to talk about the injured ones."
Moiraine closed her mouth and took another sip. She wouldn't ask what Nynaeve was talking about. If Nynaeve wanted to speak to her, she would have to say it.
The young woman from the Two Rivers waited a few more minutes, then sighed heavily. Moiraine hadn't looked at her, not once.
"Light, Moiraine! I'm not the enemy."
"I never said you were."
"I'm a Wisdom and want to help you."
"You're an Aes Sedai now."
"I will always be a Wisdom. No matter how far away I'll be from the Two Rivers."
The Cairhien woman turned silent. She didn't need help. Her experiences in Sindhol and the time she had spent there…
You belong to us.
Those voices! Those terrible voices! Why couldn't they leave her alone?! She had escaped them! She had left Sindhol!
Moiraine grabbed the handle of her cup tighter until her knuckles turned white. She would never return to those creatures. No matter what those voices whispered in her ear, she-
"Moiraine."
The touch of Nynaeve's hand on her shoulder was too much. "Don't touch me!" Moiraine dropped her almost empty cup and embraced Saidar. The sweet and intoxicating feeling filled her veins, washing away all her doubts and fear. She wore the angreal. She was stronger now. The Finn couldn't-
"Moiraine, stop." Slowly, Nynaeve's calm voice found its way through Moiraine's rage. "I won't hurt you."
A grinning fox stood behind the young woman. If the Finn were in Moiraine's world… Quickly, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to take deep breaths. The Finn weren't there. She wasn't in Sindhol. She was free.
"Moiraine?" Nynaeve sounded worried.
The woman of the Blue Ajah opened her eyes again. They were alone. No grinning fox. Reluctantly, the Cairhien woman released Saidar, then forced herself to relax.
"Don't touch me without a warning."
The wary look in Nynaeve's eyes told Moiraine that she didn't convince her. Nynaeve was too smart for that.
"I want to delve you."
"No." Moiraine was surprised that Nynaeve had waited that long to mention it.
"I can help you."
"No one can help me."
Annoyed, the other woman crossed her arms before her chest. "Do I really need to get Lan to knock some sense into you?"
This time, Moiraine couldn't stop herself from wincing slightly. She hadn't meant to do that. Lan wasn't the enemy. He had never done anything to her. Yet, there was that silly fear, grabbing her heart.
"Leave him out of it!" Her words were harsher than she had meant them to be, and Nynaeve raised an eyebrow at her outburst. Moiraine swallowed before she tried in a calmer voice, "He has more than enough to do at Tarwin's Gap."
It was useless. The Wisdom didn't believe her one word. "Moiraine-"
"Excuse me. I will check on my Warder."
"Moiraine."
But the woman of the Blue Ajah turned around, then left without a word. The little group women, who had belonged to the Knitting Circle of Ebou Dar, lifted their heads, forgetting about their work.
"Moiraine."
Moiraine could hear the Finns' laughter echoing in her ears.