You're not alone

Chapter 11 - Something feels wrong

Moiraine and Lan find out what had scared the horses.

When he opened his eyes again, Lan didn't know how long he had slept. Something was bothering him. His body was tingling, and his senses screamed. What was going on? Moiraine slept peacefully in his arms. She didn't have a nightmare or a panic attack. She wasn't crying or plotting something without him. So, it couldn't be her he was worried about. What had woken him?

Tiredly, the Warder lifted his head. Had it been a sound which... the nervous neighing of the horses reached his ears, and Lan's eyes widened. What was wrong with the horses? Hadn't Anvaere and Eliza calmed them hours ago? What was going on out there? Well, whatever it was, Lan would have to take a look.

Carefully, the uncrowned king of Malkier freed his hand from Moiraine's grip, then slipped out of bed to put on his clothes.

"Lan?"

Of course, his disappearance didn't stay unnoticed. It was like Moiraine could sense him moving – or when he left her side. She turned around, her hand searching for him until she opened her sleepy eyes and saw him standing beside the bed, putting on his clothes. Lan didn't want to know how this had to look to her.

"Don't leave."

Sighing, Lan crawled back onto the bed, kissing her. There was no other way to make her believe he was real. "I'm not leaving you, Moiraine. But something doesn't feel right, and I need to check it out. Go back to sleep."

Confused, she furrowed her forehead. "What's wrong?" She was fighting against sleep, slowly waking up again.

Lan kissed her again. "Sleep. I'll be back. I promise." He left the bed and reached for his sword.

"The horses."

Why did he even try? This woman would do whatever she wanted to do. And now that she was awake, she heard the noises too.

"I don't understand. Anvaere and Eliza calmed the horses."

"Stay here. I'll be back."

"Lan-"

He didn't wait for her reply. Quietly, the Warder closed the door behind him. There was no need to wake Anvaere and Eliza should they still be asleep. He didn't know Anvaere's horses very well, so he didn't know what was scaring them. Maybe it was the wind moving through the barn, creating a strange sound that drove them nuts.

The house was quiet while Lan walked through the corridor, down the stairs, and moved to the front door. Everyone was asleep, and there was no one else in the house. Yet, he had this strange feeling that something was off. What was it?

It was a quiet night outside. In the distance, Lan heard the laughter of drunk men, but it was barely audible because Anvaere's house was built at a distance from the rest of the houses. So, the nervous neighing of the horses was the loudest noise. Even the wind was quieter. There was nothing that could explain why the animals freaked out. Or had someone entered the stable? Had the horses detected an intruder?

Lan drew his sword, then went to the building beside the house. The door stood open, and he saw light shimmering inside. Someone WAS with the horses!

But when he entered – ready to kill the intruder – he stopped in his tracks. Anvaere stood before a horse box, stroking one of her horses while whispering at the four-legged animal. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Lan.

"My lady." The uncrowned king of Malkier lowered his sword and tilted his head politely. "What are you doing here? It's in the middle of the night."

"My horses needed me. Something makes them nervous." She patted the now calmer horse and moved on to the next box. "The same thing happened a few hours ago, and I don't know what it is."