Missing and extended scenes of Wheel of Time - TV series

1x04 (Story B) - Diversion

Logain's whimper echoed in the cave, while the Aes Sedai were catching their breaths. Logain had been a strong channeler, and the women had already been exhausted.

Moiraine's eyes fell on the crying Stepin, who was holding Kerene's dead body in his arms. Kerene, who had saved Liandrin and Moiraine's life.

The woman of the Blue Ajah felt Lan's worrying presence in her mind and her head moved to her Warder. He was sitting now with Nynaeve by his side, but Moiraine had only eyes for her Warder. Her BREATHING Warder. She saw the blood on his throat, where the fatal cut had been. The cut, which had almost killed him.

Moiraine's hands started to tremble when she remembered how quickly Lan had drifted away from her. Their bond had turned numb and she had felt him dying. It was a feeling she never wanted to experience ever again. When her eyes started to burn, she fought the tears back and focused on Nynaeve. 'Don't think about it. Lan is alive and well. We have other stuff to do. Besides, Liandrin would love to see you cry. Don't give her this satisfaction.'

Moiraine kneeled down beside Nynaeve, who looked lost. The poor woman had used the One Power and was overwhelmed by the aftermath. The Aes Sedai whispered: "Lan, take the Wisdom back to the camp. She needs to rest."

There was an angry spark in Nynaeve's eyes when she looked at Moiraine. Her voice was cold when she hissed: "Don't tell me what to do, Aes Sedai!"

Moiraine thought about saying something, but then she shook her head. "Lan." She knew that he would do what needed to be done. From the corner of her eyes, she saw how Lan reached out his hand to her. He was still worried about her. Quickly, Moiraine got back on her feet and moved away from him. She couldn't touch him. Not now. If she would give in to that, she wouldn't be able to hold back her tears. "Go."

Lan was hurt when she distanced herself from him, but she couldn't deal with that right now. He would still do what she had told him.

The red sisters were gathering around Liandrin, who was the most exhausted sister. But she was already giving orders, on how they should deal with Logain.

Carefully, Moiraine approached Stepin and kneeled down beside him. The poor man was devastated. The woman of the Blue Ajah couldn't imagine the feeling of losing a bonded person, although since she had almost experienced the same thing when Lan had been dying, she had a very good assumption of how he must be feeling.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Stepin." The Warder wasn't able to talk. Silent tears were running down his cheeks, while he gently stroked Kerene's cheek as if she was just sleeping. "She was a strong and kind woman."

Alanna kneeled down beside Moiraine. The green sister was covered with dirt and leaves. It must have been a hard fight against Logain's army. Tears were shimmering in her eyes when she looked at Kerene and she grabbed Moiraine's hand for support. But when she spoke to Stepin, her voice was strong: "Get her back to the camp, Stepin. We take care of the rest."

Slowly, the Warder stood up with his Aes Sedai in his arms and left the cave. As soon as he was out of sight, Alanna laid her head on Moiraine's shoulder and her tears started to fall. Moiraine wasn't good at comforting people. Usually, she tried to keep herself busy. This way, the people had to look for someone else. But Alanna was a friend. She couldn't get it over herself to push the grieving woman away. Softly, she stroked over Alanna's hair and hoped that it would be the right gesture.

"This is not the time to cry." Liandrin appeared beside them, but Moiraine needed just one look to see that the woman was in a bad shape. The red sister was breathing heavily and was very pale. Because of Stepin's interaction, she hadn't burned out, but she was still exhausted.