You're not alone

Chapter 13 - Please, turn around

Lan and Anvaere talk, but then more Fades appear, and Moiraine refuses to leave Lan behind.

Lan stepped beside the dead body of the Eyeless, which was trying to crawl while using its remaining arm to hit whoever was coming near it.

"Most of your arrows are already broken from the fall," the Malkieri explained calmly. "Do you really want-?"

"Just get me those that remain intact!" Anvaere sounded sharp and cold, but her face was pale, and her shock clearly visible. She probably never had seen a Myrddraal in her life ever before.

Lan swallowed his comment about Moiraine being the only person who could command him and moved to the dying body. He stepped on the wild moving arm, then pulled out the arrows.

His thoughts returned to the situation he had seen moments ago. The Myrddraal with one foot on Moiraine's throat while choking Anvaere. Lan hadn't been able to feel Moiraine's pain but heard her gasping for air. He can't remember how he crossed the distance, but he stood behind the creature the next moment, cutting off its head and arm, which had a tight grip on the oldest Damodred sister. Then he had given the corpse a hard push, sending it rolling over the ground, ensuring it would stay far away from his bondholder.

"There." He handed Anvaere the arrows – only three had survived.

She took them with a shaking hand and watched them scrutinizing. Lan almost left, but Moiraine needed a break, and her sister looked awful. Although she wouldn't admit it, she wanted him to protect the stubborn older woman. Light, she followed a Myrddraal with nothing but a sword as a weapon to save her annoying sister.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

Anvaere opened her mouth, and her face showed her words wouldn't be friendly, but the sarcastic words died on her lips, and her shoulders lowered, defeated. She turned the arrows between her fingers, then started a new try to answer. This time, Lan heard the desperation in her voice, and she spoke quietly.

"I put arrow after arrow into this thing. I stopped counting after the fifth, but this... creature didn't die."

"Myrddraals are hard to kill."

"Moiraine, she...." Anvaere's eyes flitted to her little sister lying on the ground. The Aes Sedai had closed her eyes, and Lan was pretty sure she had fallen asleep or was close to sleeping, yet Anvaere lowered her voice to a whisper, "...she fought against this thing with nothing but a dagger. She went down twice but stood up every time it dared to come for me."

"Your sister is strong... and so are you, my lady."

Anvaere snorted. "I was useless. My arrows did nothing. I shot the thing in the head, and it continued to attack us."

"Arrows slow it down."

"Apparently, not enough. It nearly killed us both if you hadn't appeared."

"I have sworn to protect your sister."

At his words, the Cairhien woman looked at him. "Do you love her?"

"She is my Aes Sedai."

"That's not what I asked. Do you love her?"

Lan turned silent. He didn't like to talk about him and his feelings. Moiraine was one of a few persons who knew his feelings, but Anvaere... she was a stranger to him. But she is Moiraine's family and just wants to protect her little sister. I would want to know the same about strangers getting close to her – strangers I don't know. "I do." He didn't dare to look away. Anvaere would want to see the truth in his eyes.