An unbreakable bond

Chapter 4

Two hours later, Lan and Moiraine re-entered the throne room, where the Emond's fielder were already preparing the diner. Moiraine hesitated when Nynaeve threw her an angry look, but Lan put his hand on her small back and pushed her forward.

Perrin had brought a table. This way, they were able to sit comfortably, while they were eating. Egwene had helped with the chairs, and Nynaeve had taken care of the soup. Meanwhile, the ogier was resting on the floor.

The wisdom filled six bowls, and Egwene placed four of them in front of every chair. "It felt wrong to rob the kitchen, so, we have to stick to the soup.", the young girl explained apologetically to the Aes Sedai.

Moiraine gave her a small smile. "It smells delicious."

"We could get you something else if you...", Egwene stopped when Moiraine held up her hand.

"There is no need for that. Thank you, Egwene." The eyes of the Aes Sedai fell on Loial. "How is he doing?"

"He is healing.", Perrin explained. He took two bowls, then he moved to the big ogier and sat down on the stairs. He had done this the last few days, although Loial hadn't eaten much, while he had been unconscious. "But it will take time."

"Moiraine Sedai."

The Aes Sedai was by the side of the ogier as soon as she heard him speak. "Builder. You are awake."

"Thanks to Nynaeve's help. She, Egwene, and Perrin helped me, while I was regaining some of my strength."

"I'm glad to hear that. I would like to heal you, but I'm afraid I can't. I can't touch the source anymore, and... I'm not sure if this will ever change."

Loial's eyes widen at her words. "How did this happen?"

Moiraine opened her mouth, but then she just smiled at him and laid her hand on his chest. "This is a story for another day. Eat something and then rest." She stood up and turned to the table, where Nynaeve was staring at her.

"If you think this story doesn't fit today, how about you tell us a different story? How about you tell us what happened to Rand?"

"Rand?" Loial sounded confused, then he checked the room and realized that the redhead wasn't there. "Where is he?"

Moiraine watched Nynaeve with an evil eye, who was returning the favor. The wisdom wasn't giving up that easily. She grinned and said sweetly: "Why don't you tell Loial what happened? After all, he got stabbed here and nearly died. The least he deserves is to know what happened to his friend."

"Rand is gone.", Moiraine said with gritted teeth.

"Gone? What does that mean?" Loial was obviously not sensing the tension between the two women, since he continued to ask: "Where did he go? Did he leave Fal Dara? Or did he leave us? Or do you mean...?"

Nynaeve's smile grew: "Would you please answer Loial's question, Aes Sedai? We all would love to hear where Rand did go. So, could you please be more specific?"

"If you think that you can make me talk, you are surely mistaken, child." Moiraine answered coldly, and Nynaeve's smile faded when Moiraine called her 'child'.

"Alright, you two.", Lan interrupted "We all have some long days behind us. Could we please just eat this soup without fighting?" His head turned from Nynaeve to Moiraine and back.

Finally, it was Egwene, who broke the ice by making Nynaeve sit down. "Lan is right, Nynaeve. It was a long day and we all need to eat."

The warder sighed thankfully, then he waved at his Aes Sedai to join them at the table. Moiraine hesitated again, but in the end, she gave up and moved away from Loial and Perrin. She made three steps when she suddenly started to sway.